Enemies with Benefits EP9 Review: Wine Finally Takes Control

#JanJingJing continue to deliver some of the strongest emotional performances of the series as EP9 pieces together the final puzzle before the finale.

OPENING

There's something incredibly satisfying about watching a woman stop surviving and start fighting back. After weeks of manipulation, Wine finally looked Korn in the eye and made it crystal clear: he wasn't nearly as intimidating as he believed he was.

Add in a Medsai twist that completely caught us off guard—even after we'd spent weeks saying we were watching her closely—and EP9 delivered one of the series' most satisfying payoffs.

Our biggest criticism comes down to pacing. For a penultimate episode, the story occasionally lingered a little too long in montage sequences. While those quieter moments allowed audiences to sit with Wine and Lal's emotional separation, trimming just a few could have given the final car sequence a little more room to breathe before the credits rolled.

Overall though? A strong setup heading into the finale.

Wine faces Lal and Medsai in a tense office conversation as emotions and hidden truths linger beneath the surface.

THE MOMENT

The conference room scene wasn't just the emotional centerpiece of the episode—it was where nearly every storyline collided.

Wine publicly denied the woman she loves. Lal had to sit through every painful word believing it was true. The sales team finally confronted the corruption they'd spent weeks uncovering. And Korn, perhaps for the first time, realized he wasn't the smartest person in the room.

From a storytelling perspective, it's one of the strongest scenes of the episode because it allows every conflict—personal, professional and emotional—to unfold simultaneously instead of separating them across multiple scenes. The tension builds naturally because everyone has something to lose.

Then there's Wine.

The way she remained calm, controlled and several steps ahead was simply brilliant. Her resignation wasn't surrender—it was strategy. Every move she made cleared the path for Lal and the sales team to finally present the evidence they'd fought so hard to collect.

And the look on Korn's face?

Priceless.

Meanwhile, Jan absolutely crushed the emotional side of the scene. Watching Lal dig her fingers into her knees while trying to hold herself together said more than dialogue ever could. Sometimes the smallest physical choices tell the biggest story.

WHAT WORKED

a. The Pain

What made Wine and Lal's separation work wasn't simply that they were apart—it was that they were suffering for completely different reasons.

Lal believed she'd been rejected by the woman she loves.

Wine knew she was sacrificing that relationship to protect Lal, forcing herself to become the villain in someone else's love story.

That's what made the heartbreak so effective.

The audience understands the truth while Lal doesn't, creating dramatic irony that makes every interaction between them hurt just a little bit more.

Our only hesitation is with the trope itself. Thai GL has leaned heavily into the "if you love someone, let them go" philosophy lately. We'd love to see more series embrace the opposite idea—that loving someone sometimes means standing beside them and fighting together. That's one of the reasons Love Beyond Dreams resonated so strongly with us.

That said, both Jan and JingJing absolutely sold every emotional beat.

b. Medsai's Reveal

We've said for weeks that Medsai felt too important to simply exist in the background.

You don't cast someone with Jamie's presence in a role that barely mattered in the novel unless there's another plan.

We assumed she'd become another obstacle—or maybe even an unexpected ally—for Lal and Wine.

Instead...

She became Korn's biggest advantage.

From an adaptation standpoint, this was a smart television change. Rather than introducing a brand-new twist late in the series, the writers rewarded viewers who'd been paying attention by revealing the answer had been hiding in plain sight all along.

We genuinely didn't see that one coming.

Kudos.

(Also...we'd be lying if we said we weren't intrigued by the chemistry between Jan and Jamie. If they ever headline a GL together, we'll absolutely be seated.)

c. Wine Finally Outsmarts Korn

This confrontation had been building.

Korn has always believed he could intimidate everyone around him. The moment Wine refused to be intimidated, his control began slipping away.

From a storytelling perspective, that's exactly why the kidnapping happens now.

Manipulation stopped working, so he escalated.

The only part that didn't fully land for us was Wine drinking despite everything she already knew about Korn. She's consistently been one of the smartest, most cautious characters in the series, so seeing her willingly put herself in that position felt slightly out of character.

We're hoping the finale gives that decision a little more context.

That said, Tae continues to make Korn someone you genuinely love to hate.

And Korn forgetting one very important detail?

Tesla's have automatic emergency braking.

Lal remembered.

We laughed.

WHAT MISSED

a. Everyone Needs the Same Information

At this point, we're officially ready for everyone to be working with the same facts.

Tangkwa still believing Proud has feelings for Wine feels like unnecessary fuel for drama, especially after Numnin came within one sentence of telling her the truth.

Please.

Just let everybody catch up.

b. The Road to the Finale

More than anything, EP9 left us curious.

This adaptation has now diverged significantly from the novel, making the finale genuinely unpredictable. That's exciting.

The only question now is whether one episode will be enough to pay off everything that's been set into motion.

We're ready to find out.

BOLD TAKE

Sometimes the loudest victory is looking your bully in the eye and refusing to be afraid.

FINAL VERDICT

EP9 delivered exactly what a penultimate episode should: heartbreak, revelations and just enough uncertainty to make the finale impossible to predict. The acting elevated every emotional beat, while the Medsai twist reminded us that Enemies with Benefits still had one last surprise before the finish line.

Now all that's left is seeing whether the finale sticks the landing.