Pls. Love EP. 1 Review: A Stronger Start Than the Novel
Well, this started off WAY better than the book, and we could not be more excited.
QUICK TAKE
We read Pls. Love, and we simply didn’t like it. Both characters were walking red flags, important context arrived way too late and there were story choices that still didn’t make sense to us after the novel ended. All around, it just wasn’t our jam. So, when Lena and Miu announced they were taking this one on, we were nervous. After Episode 1, though, we can relax because this was a MUCH better start to the story.
The series actually begins in the middle of the story before taking us back, and quite a bit of what happens in the premiere wasn’t in the book. We liked that. Adaptations don’t need to recreate their source material beat for beat, particularly when restructuring the story can give an audience information it needs earlier. What works in a novel, where readers can spend more time inside a character’s thoughts, doesn’t always work the same way on screen. Television has to establish motivations visually and often more efficiently, and Pls. Love seems to understand that.
Parn’s family dynamic is established early, and thank the sapphic goddess, we immediately learn that she has never slept with anyone. That became incredibly frustrating in the book because she simply didn’t tell anyone, allowing misunderstandings to drag on much longer than necessary. Peem’s family dynamic also gets a stronger foundation upfront, including much-needed context for the prejudice she carries toward sex workers. It doesn’t excuse her behavior, but it helps us understand where it comes from, and that makes a world of difference when asking an audience to invest in a complicated character.
Lena’s one-liners were legit, the story moved and the premiere gave us enough information to understand the stakes without giving everything away. Then they decided to throw some spice into Episode 1 for good measure. OK, #LenaMiu, we see you. Y’all came to play, and we were not prepared.
THE MOMENT
It has to be the opening because that was THE moment. Peem walks into an escort lounge and sees the woman she just spent an intimate weekend with — and apparently can’t stop thinking about — standing onstage about to be bid on. Look, we get it. We’d be shocked, too, especially after Parn told her she was a virgin. The math isn’t mathing for us either, Peem, but it will.
What makes the scene work, though, is everything the episode later adds to it. Peem isn’t simply seeing a woman she likes in an unexpected place; she’s processing that image through unresolved childhood trauma tied to her mother and the deep prejudice that came from it. She had a genuine attraction to Parn, and suddenly, in Peem’s mind, Parn represents something she has spent years resenting. The stakes on that attraction just changed dramatically.
Opening with that confrontation was also a smart storytelling choice. The production gives us the shock first, takes us backward to understand how these women met and then brings us forward with enough context to see the opening differently. That structure creates an immediate question the audience wants answered while allowing the emotional stakes to build underneath it. Well done. They got us intrigued, gave us the “why” and left us wanting to see what happens when Peem’s assumptions collide with reality. Our attention is officially sat.
WHAT WORKED
a. Context Is Queen
We’ve already ranted about it, but it bears repeating: Context is queen. Audiences need to understand enough of the “why” behind a character’s emotions and actions to become invested in what happens to them, especially when a lead character is intentionally difficult or abrasive. That doesn’t mean writers need to hand us every answer in Episode 1, but there’s a difference between creating mystery and withholding information the audience needs to understand the story.
So far, Pls. Love is handling that balance considerably better than the novel did for us. We understand enough about Peem and Parn to make sense of their behavior, but there is still plenty left to uncover. Giving viewers that foundation early also means future reveals can deepen what we already know instead of being asked to retroactively explain behavior we’ve spent several episodes questioning. We’re excited to see how the series unfolds the rest.
b. The Production
This locomotive is moving, and we’re so here for it. The premiere was paced well enough that the cut to credits genuinely jarred us because we wanted more, and the adaptation choices deserve a lot of the credit. Rather than sticking rigidly to the novel, the production has reworked the material in ways that give the story stronger context and momentum on screen while still leaving something new for readers of the book. So far, those changes feel purposeful rather than like changes simply for the sake of adaptation.
Lena is also showing a noticeable shift from her previous character work. Peem is bold, abrasive, judgmental and demanding, with enough emotional baggage to fill the overhead compartment, so making her compelling without sanding down those rough edges is no small task. Her polished professional wardrobe reinforces that characterization, giving Peem the commanding executive presence to match the authority and control Lena brings to her performance. We love seeing that kind of range, especially with a character this complicated. And while the wardrobe is clearly helping establish who Peem is, putting Lena in a swimsuit right out of the gate tells us the styling department also knows its audience. We may have needed a minute and some ice, but message received.
Then there’s the soundtrack, because we may have tried to Shazam several of those songs. Thai series tend to favor ballads and slower tracks that don’t always match the energy on screen, so Pls. Love’s punchier mix of sexy and upbeat songs was refreshing and felt intentionally matched to the scenes. Thai productions also have a habit of reusing familiar songs, and while we did catch one track we’ve heard before, they gave us the lyrics this time around, so fine — we’ll let it slide. Overall, the variety and energy made this episode stand out.
c. The Weekend Fling
Not going to lie, the weekend fling was our favorite. We loved seeing Peem and Parn organically bump into one another, recognize the attraction, flirt, have some fun and eventually allow that connection to become something more intimate. It didn’t feel like the story was forcing them together simply because they are the leads, and that made the weekend feel like it genuinely mattered to both women.
It also did some quieter character work that we appreciated, particularly in showing how Peem responds to bullies compared with Parn. Those differences matter because they begin establishing how each woman moves through conflict before the main conflict between them even starts. More importantly, giving them a genuine connection before everything goes sideways makes Peem’s reaction at the club sting more. There is something there to lose now, and we’re much more interested because of it.
d. The Ending
Peem coming at Parn as though she is a sex worker who can simply be bought was very much on brand with the character we remember from the book. She is harsh, judgmental, quick to make assumptions and not particularly interested in hearing anything that challenges the conclusion she has already reached. Peem is going to Peem.
What we loved was that Parn actually stood up to her and clarified the situation right away. OMG. Thank the sapphic goddess! Her passivity was one of our biggest frustrations with the novel, so seeing a somewhat stronger version of Parn this early was refreshing. If the series continues in that direction, it could significantly improve the dynamic between these two women.
Peem is such an abrasive, bold and demanding character that she needs someone who can push back. Otherwise, the power imbalance between them can become difficult to watch, which was part of our problem with the novel. At times, that relationship became so one-sided that we struggled to understand why Parn remained in it. Giving her more agency doesn’t fundamentally change who Peem is; it gives Peem a character capable of challenging her, which could make both women — and their eventual relationship — much more compelling.
WHAT MISSED
a. Keep the Safety, Protect the Illusion
If you’ve followed Her in Focus from the beginning, you know we’ve asked some hard questions about intimate scenes in Thai GL, including whether productions use intimacy coordinators and what safeguards are in place for actresses during NC scenes. We have also noticed the use of safety garments in a number of productions, and to be crystal clear, we have absolutely no issue with them. Protect the actresses. Use the safeguards. That part isn’t up for debate.
Where we think the production could optimize things is in making sure those protections aren’t noticeable in the finished scene. During portions of the hotel-room sequence, there are moments when the safety garments appear visible, and once we noticed them, our attention briefly shifted away from Peem and Parn and toward how the scene was being filmed. Entertainment relies on creating an illusion, and when something intended to remain behind the scenes becomes visible, it can pull an audience out of the story.
That doesn’t mean sacrificing performer safety for a prettier shot — quite the opposite. Intimate scenes require productions to balance performer protection with what ultimately appears on screen, and tools such as blocking, framing, camera angles and editing can help preserve both. We love seeing evidence that actresses are being protected. We just don’t necessarily want to see the evidence while we’re supposed to be lost in the scene.
BOLD TAKE
Loved it, seated for it and officially wondering how we get more, stat. If Pls. Love keeps making smart adaptation choices like these, our nerves about this series may disappear very quickly.
FINAL VERDICT
Pls. Love Episode 1 took material we struggled with in the novel and gave it a much stronger foundation for the screen. By providing important context earlier, giving Parn more agency and establishing the emotional stakes behind Peem’s behavior and their attraction, the premiere gave us reasons to invest in both women right out of the gate.
Most importantly, the adaptation isn’t afraid to make changes when they serve the story. Add strong pacing, noticeable character work from Lena, a soundtrack we’re apparently trying to steal and enough spice to make sure everyone was paying attention, and Pls. Love is headed in a dangerously good direction. We came into Episode 1 nervous. We left wanting Episode 2, and that may be the biggest compliment we can give this premiere.
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