Chasing Love EP4 Review: The Story Finally Finds Its Heart

Episode 4 delivers one of the story's biggest reveals and several genuinely charming moments, but uneven pacing and a romance that still hasn't fully clicked keep Chasing Love from reaching its potential.

Quick Take

We're going to be a little tougher on this one because the source material sets a high bar.

At the halfway point, Chasing Love remains an easy watch, but we're still waiting for it to become a compelling one. Episode 4 finally injects some intrigue into the story with a major reveal and gives viewers a few of the sweetest moments between Song and Piang so far. The problem is that many of those moments end just as they're starting to resonate.

The series continues to wrestle with uneven pacing, rushing through important emotional beats while slowing down for scenes that don't always add much to the overall story. As a result, we're still struggling to connect with Song's emotional journey. The series tells us she's opening up and falling for Piang, but too often the moments that would help us understand that transformation are shortened or left off-screen.

The good news? The ingredients are there. The supporting cast continues to shine, the story finally feels like it's moving toward its strongest material, and there are flashes of the emotional depth that made fans fall in love with the novel in the first place. We're still watching every week—we just need the second half of the season to trust its best moments long enough for viewers to experience them alongside the characters.

The Moment

If there was one sequence that captured what Chasing Love does best, it was the morning after Piang and Song's first Friday encounter.

Watching Piang wake up early, get herself together and attempt to make breakfast for the woman she loves was undeniably sweet. More importantly, it showed growth. This isn't the irresponsible Piang we met at the beginning of the series. This is someone actively trying to earn Song's trust and affection.

The playful flirting that followed was one of the episode's strongest scenes. Their banter felt natural, their laughter felt genuine and, for a brief moment, the relationship felt lived-in rather than rushed.

What made the scene especially effective is what it represents for Song. For someone whose life has been defined by isolation, grief and lingering trauma, seeing her genuinely happy feels like progress. Piang notices it too, recognizing that Song's walls are slowly beginning to come down even if Song herself hasn't fully realized it yet.

And yes, we're relieved nobody actually ate that mayonnaise.

Song and Piang embrace and smile at each other highlighting the growing trust, affection and emotional connection developing between them.

WHAT WORKED

a. Nampraw Was Right

One of our favorite moments came when Nampraw confronted Song after the presentation fallout.

Honestly? We'd be upset too.

The scene worked because it felt rooted in reality. Nampraw wasn't looking for an apology. She wanted honesty. She wanted trust. And she wanted accountability from someone whose decision directly affected her.

The writing was sharp, the emotions felt justified and every actor involved understood the assignment.

Bonus points for Piang overhearing the conversation, allowing her to better understand what Song was carrying beneath the surface.

b. #FayGene Continue to Deliver

Let's start with the MVPs of the episode: #FayGene.

Once again, they delivered some of the strongest chemistry on screen. Their scenes feel effortless, emotionally grounded and believable in a way that immediately draws viewers in.

We do want to briefly address the elephant in the room. When Ploy first finds Pun in the garage, Pun is clearly intoxicated, which immediately raised some concerns for us. Given Thai GL's history with questionable consent dynamics in some earlier series, that's something we're always paying attention to.

However, by the time the scene progresses indoors, Pun appears significantly more sober, engaged and fully aware of what's happening around her. Based on how the sequence was presented, we felt the series established enough clarity that both characters were actively participating and making conscious decisions. Your mileage may vary, but for us, the scene ultimately landed as consensual.

Beyond that discussion, what really worked was the authenticity of the performance. They looked comfortable together, conveyed genuine emotion and gave the audience something to root for.

Our only complaint? Just when the emotional momentum started building, the scene ended. We barely had time to settle into the moment before the episode moved on—a recurring issue for this series.

c. The Royal Reveal Is Finally Here

We've been waiting for this.

For viewers who haven't connected the dots yet, Song's house has become something of a celebrity in Thai GL. The location has previously appeared in fan favorites like GAP, Blank and The Loyal Pin, so longtime viewers may have already been side-eyeing the clues before the series officially began pulling back the curtain on Song's true background.

The reveal itself remains one of the strongest elements of the original novel, and Episode 4 handled it well. It finally feels like the story is stepping into some of its most compelling material.

As a fun side note, Piang's home has its own GL legacy. Fans may recognize it as the house used as Pat's parents' home in Poisonous Love—the same place Pat and Dr. Prem eventually move into after their marriage. We always love spotting these little pieces of Thai GL history finding new life in another series.

Even better was watching Song's grandmother challenge Piang's grandmother's outdated thinking. It was playful, heartfelt and surprisingly satisfying. We were right there with Grandma Song.

That said, we're keeping an eye on a few adaptation choices moving forward.

The series appears to have kept family names much closer together than the novel did, making it harder to understand how certain characters haven't connected the dots already.

In the book, additional layers of separation make the reveal more believable. Here, we're still trying to figure out how Piang's grandmother hasn't accidentally stumbled onto the truth.

The preview also suggests the series may be restructuring how Song ends up at Namking's birthday celebration. If that's the case, it could create very different implications for Piang's suspicions and how quickly she starts asking questions.

Whether those changes improve the story or complicate it remains to be seen.

But for the first time in several episodes, we're genuinely curious to find out.

WHAT MISSED

a. Are We Really Making Namking the Villain?

This is the adaptation choice we're most concerned about.

Not every obstacle between two leads needs to become an antagonist.

One of the refreshing aspects of the novel is that Namking isn't positioned as a threat to the central relationship. The misunderstandings are relatively minor, and everyone involved behaves like adults.

The previews, however, suggest the series may be heading toward a more traditional jealousy-driven conflict.

We hope we're wrong.

That said, can we talk about Namking for a second?

Because wow.

If Change 2561 ever wants to build a future GL around this actress, we'll be seated immediately.

b. The Romance Feels Underdeveloped

This remains the biggest hurdle for us.

The challenge isn't that Song and Piang lack chemistry. The challenge is that we're still struggling to understand why Song is falling for Piang.

Piang's feelings are easy to follow. She's persistent, affectionate and has spent the entire series making it clear she wants to be part of Song's life.

Song's emotional journey is much harder to track.

Throughout the series, we're repeatedly told that Piang brings out a softer side of Song. We're told that Song is becoming more vulnerable. We're told that Piang is seeing parts of her that nobody else gets to see.

The problem is that we're rarely allowed to experience those moments ourselves.

Instead, many of the relationship's biggest emotional developments seem to happen during intimate scenes that are cut short almost as quickly as they begin. Afterwards, Piang tells us Song opened up. Piang tells us Song was vulnerable. Piang tells us she saw a different side of Song.

But we didn't.

To be clear, we're not asking for longer or more explicit intimate scenes. We're asking for the emotional storytelling that those scenes are supposed to deliver.

One of the reasons Love Beyond Dreams recently resonated so strongly with audiences is because its most intimate moments weren't memorable because of what happened physically. They were memorable because viewers understood what those moments meant emotionally for the characters. We saw walls come down. We saw trust being built. We saw vulnerability being earned.

With Song and Piang, we're often left filling in those blanks ourselves.

Ironically, one of the strongest relationship moments in Episode 4 isn't an intimate scene at all. It's the morning after. Watching them laugh, tease each other and simply enjoy being together finally gives us a glimpse of the relationship the series keeps telling us exists. For a brief moment, we understand why Song might be lowering her guard and why Piang matters to her.

Then the scene ends.

Just when the series starts showing us the relationship instead of explaining it, it moves on.

The question we're increasingly asking ourselves isn't whether the cast can sell the romance. It's whether the series has given viewers enough opportunities to emotionally invest in it.

With more than 50 chapters of source material condensed into eight episodes, Chasing Love often feels like it's checking off relationship milestones rather than allowing the audience to experience them alongside the characters.

c. The Pacing Remains Uneven

Some scenes move at breakneck speed. Others linger without adding much narrative value.

The result can feel a little like emotional whiplash.

The sequence involving Mudmee's secretary calling Song and Sarut to Mudmee's office is a perfect example. Just moments earlier, Sarut overhears Song pushing Piang away and rounds the corner wearing a look that practically screams, "I win." It's clearly intended to be a small victory for Sarut and a moment of tension for Song. The problem is that before either character can react or the scene can develop, they're immediately summoned away and the story moves on.

We understand what the series was trying to accomplish, but the moment ends before it can create any meaningful payoff. Instead of building tension, it feels like another scene that gets cut short just as it's starting to become interesting.

The story isn't lacking interesting ideas. It's lacking the breathing room those ideas need.

At this point, we're convinced Chasing Love either needed longer episodes, additional episodes or the confidence to tell this story across multiple seasons.

Bold Take

The further Chasing Love moves away from the novel, the more it needs its performances and pacing to carry the emotional weight. Right now, that's still a work in progress.

Final Verdict

Episode 4 offers some of the series' strongest moments to date, particularly through its supporting characters and a long-awaited reveal that finally injects new intrigue into the story.

But with the season already at its halfway point, we're still waiting for the central romance to fully click. Not because the leads lack chemistry, but because the story hasn't always given their relationship enough room to breathe.

We're still tuning in every week because we can see the version of this story that wants to break through. Episode 4 finally gave us glimpses of it. Now the second half of the season needs to turn that potential into payoff.