Enemies with Benefits EP4 Review: Cute but Still Playing It Safe

Enemies with Benefits EP4 gives us rooftop ramen, obvious yearning, and Lal being the kind of woman who would absolutely solve your apartment crisis before breakfast. But as the emotional stakes rise, GMMTV still feels oddly hesitant to let this story fully grow up.

Opening Reaction

Let us start here: We are enjoying Enemies with Benefits. The chemistry is chemistry-ing, the comedy lands, and #JanJingJing continue proving why fans were excited for this pairing in the first place.

But as fans of the novel, we officially need to have a conversation with GMMTV.

Because while Enemies with Benefits EP4 is fun, charming, and genuinely entertaining, we are now seeing just how far this adaptation has veered from the original story — and we are very curious where exactly this train is headed.

First, the pacing.

Respectfully, this story is moving at locomotive speed.

Oddly enough? We are mostly okay with it — for now. The chemistry works, the emotional beats are landing enough to keep us invested, and the series is still fun. But with so many story changes already happening, we are increasingly curious about where exactly the writers are taking these characters and whether all of this speeding ahead will eventually pay off.

Then there is Wine.

Because her traumatic past has shifted from the novel, the show now has to do more work helping us understand who she is emotionally. Why is she so guarded at work? Why is she so curt, reserved, and emotionally closed off in public, only for us to see glimpses of someone softer behind closed doors?

We are hoping more of that backstory is coming soon because, right now, there are still missing pieces that would help us better understand her emotional walls — and, in turn, why Lal is falling this hard, this quickly.

Which brings us to our biggest issue with EP4: the intimacy.

To be clear, we are getting intimacy.

We are getting chemistry. We are getting longing stares. We are getting kisses, make-out scenes, and the occasional shirt-off moment before the camera politely says, “Well… anyway.”

That is not the issue.

The issue is that the show keeps cutting right when the emotional storytelling through intimacy should begin.

Because sex in Enemies with Benefits is not supposed to exist simply to be sexy.

It tells a story.

This relationship started as a hookup. Then came passion. Then comfort. Now we are watching it shift to care and, eventually, love. The intimacy is supposed to help us understand how these women are changing one another and why feelings are quietly sneaking in before either of them is fully ready to admit what is happening.

How are they caring for one another behind closed doors? Are these moments becoming softer, slower, and more emotionally connected than when this arrangement first started? Are they learning one another, communicating differently, becoming more vulnerable, more comfortable, more emotionally safe?

Those are the things we need to see that the book delivered.

Because right now, Lal falling this hard, this fast requires the audience to fill in a lot of emotional blanks.

And to be fair, #JanJingJing are doing the work. The chemistry lands. The kisses land. The tension absolutely lands.

But the show keeps asking lingering looks, make-out scenes, and a few stolen moments to carry emotional progression that the intimacy itself should also be helping tell.

And that is where Enemies with Benefits still feels like it is holding itself back.

The Moment

The standout moment of the episode for us is easily the “move-in” sequence.

First, there is something inherently cute about Lal waiting for Wine only for Wine to come downstairs looking adorably disheveled in pajama-adjacent clothes while Lal immediately hands over her suit jacket. But the real fun begins once the apartment chaos kicks in.

Because somehow Lal ends up solving problems better than the actual building super.

When the difficult neighbor becomes an issue, Lal turns on the full sales-rep charm and convinces her to cooperate. Then, when the conversation turns to who should pay for the damage, Lal steps in again to point out that maybe — just maybe — the repair company should be responsible for the mess in the first place.

Girl knows how to work a room.

What makes the scene even better, though, is how obvious Lal becomes once Wine needs somewhere to stay. The hints start flying, the leading questions begin, and suddenly Lal is very clearly trying to maneuver Wine into moving in with her without technically asking.

Subtle? No.

Effective? Absolutely.

The barely hidden excitement, the tiny happy dance while Wine is packing, the complete inability to hide how thrilled she is — we loved every second of it. At this point, if Wine still does not realize this woman is catastrophically down bad for her, we genuinely do not know what to tell her.

WHAT WORKED

Pakphoom, Patron Saint of Brutal Honesty

We adore Pakphoom.

He is exactly what every chaotic sapphic romance needs: the best friend who sees through the nonsense immediately but still lets you embarrass yourself a little before stepping in with the truth.

Blunt? Yes.

Supportive? Also yes.

The man is practically waving a giant sign at Lal saying, “Girl, you are the one catching feelings here,” and honestly, somebody had to. He continues doing a great job grounding Lal while gently forcing her to face what has become painfully obvious to everyone else.

Rooftop Ramen and the Soft Launch of Feelings

The rooftop ramen scene works because it is quiet.

No grand confessions. No dramatic declarations. Just care.

The small moments are what sell it — Lal wanting to lean against Wine, the subtle attentiveness, the way they naturally look after one another. It is one of the scenes where their dynamic feels less transactional and more romantic.

Credit where credit is due: #JanJingJing genuinely sell the emotional shift here. Their chemistry feels natural, and the acting choices are subtle enough to make the growing feelings believable.

The Plant: Tiny Detail, Big Win

Novel readers, this one was for us.

Keeping the plant moment was a smart choice because it captures something small but meaningful about their dynamic. Wine gifting Lal the plant is adorable, but Lal immediately struggling to keep it alive — and then panic-hiding the evidence — is even better.

Jan plays the comedy of the moment perfectly, and honestly, we are still trying to figure out how Wine does not immediately clock that Lal is acting suspicious. This woman cannot hide a secret to save her life.

WHAT MISSED

Yogurt Lotion: The Scene Was Good… But It Needed to Be Great

Let us be clear: this scene was not bad.

In fact, parts of it were genuinely excellent.

The way Lal watches Wine? Perfect. The lotion exchange? Great. That subtle line hinting this arrangement may be turning into something more? One of the strongest emotional beats we have gotten so far.

And finally seeing some of that longing reflected back in Wine? We were seated.

This is the kind of emotional tension we have been waiting for.

But then the show pulls back. Again.

And this is exactly where our frustration lives.

Because intimacy in a story like Enemies with Benefits is not just fan service — it is storytelling. It should be showing us how care evolves, how comfort builds, and how physical closeness slowly transforms from convenience into emotional attachment.

We needed to see more of how these moments are changing between them. How “benefits” start becoming something softer, deeper, and much harder to walk away from.

Instead, the show keeps teasing emotional payoff before cutting away just as things begin getting interesting.

At this point, it feels like GMMTV keeps selling us a mature premise while hesitating to fully commit to what makes the story emotionally impactful in the first place.

Wine and Lal’s “just roommates” era lasts approximately five minutes as Wine unpacks at Lal’s apartment.

PR Is the Villain? We’ll Allow It… for Now

This shift from the novel is a big one.

We are not against it — yet — but we are definitely skeptical.

Changing the antagonist dynamic this much means the writers now have to prove why the change works, and right now we are still waiting to see the bigger payoff. To the actor’s credit, though, he is doing his job because this man radiates “problematic workplace energy” almost immediately.

Snake behavior detected.

What we did enjoy was Lal refusing to back down. Coffee in hand and confidence fully activated, she clearly is not intimidated by office politics, and we loved that for her.

Now if only Lal and Wine would sit down and compare notes about what an absolute menace New is, maybe these two could emotionally connect a little faster.

Just a thought.

Proud Needs More Purpose

Maybe this changes as the story progresses, and the previews suggest it might.

But right now, Proud feels less like a fully developed character and more like a convenient plot device. Ciize is doing what she can with the material, but at the moment the role mostly feels like someone brought in to stir the pot without enough emotional weight attached to it.

We are hopeful that changes because there is clearly more potential here than what we are currently getting.

Bold Take

If your story is literally called Enemies with Benefits, the “benefits” should be helping tell the emotional story — not getting fade-to-black treatment every episode.

Final Verdict

Because this novel is one of our favorites, we know we are watching this adaptation with a more critical eye. But that criticism comes from expectation.

GMMTV does not struggle with talent, chemistry, or strong storytelling when they commit to emotional depth. That is exactly why this adaptation feels frustrating at times.

Enemies with Benefits EP4 is fun, visually charming, and genuinely entertaining. We laughed, we smirked, and Lal continues proving she might actually be the best boss and fake-enemies love interest alive. Meanwhile, #JanJingJing continue doing the work to make us believe these feelings are growing.

But the series still feels hesitant to fully embrace the emotional and mature themes that made the novel resonate in the first place. At this point, we are adjusting our expectations — which, frankly, feels like a bummer considering how much potential this story still has.