Deep Night – Season 1 Episode 1 Recap & Review

Episode 1

Thai BL Deep Night Season 1, Episode 1 opens with an aerialist performing from the ceiling of a night club then swaps to a woman doing a similar demonstration in her home. She quickly explains to the interviewer that this is a sample of the entertainment at her club, Deep Night.

A university student watches the interview from his phone. His handsome friend, who makes his way past eyeballing female students, joins him at a table. They fight over some snacks until the whole thing goes flying, hitting another student in the head. Picking up the mess, he scolds the two then stalks off.

Later all three are in the same business class. Wela, who was hit with the snacks, suggests bars and clubs are a good industry, siting statistics. Khemthis (Khem), who’d lost control of the snacks, raises his hand with an opposing view, believing the industry not a great bet, also listing data. The guys continue to debate until it’s finally called a draw by the professor.

Outside class, Khem’s friend Japan teases him for arguing with his crush. Meanwhile Khem’s Aunt summons him to meet at his mother’s club, where he’s keen to keep a low profile. There they argue about him returning to the family but not before Khem catches a seductive aerial performance by club ‘hosts.’ He’s captivated watching his crush perform to a crowd of cheering women.

In class, Khem wonders at the duality of Wela at school vs at the club, fantasizing an in-air spiderman kiss with him. He pressures Wela to partner with him for a class project.

At home, Khem and his mom discuss his family members wanting him to return to the (presumably wealthier) family home instead of staying with his club-owner mother. She convinces him not to worry but also to intern at the club with her. Thinking of Wela, he agrees.

At the club, the other hosts talk about a handsome new guy. In the changing rooms, Khem again threatens to tell the university about Wela’s career as a host. At a team meeting, Khem is introduced as a new employee. His mother announces his role (a surprise to all) – parking attendant. She wants him to work his way up and fall in love with the business.

In the locker room, Khem asks the others about the club rules, learning dating among colleagues is prohibited. It’s a shame as host Great certainly has his eyes on the DJ, James.

In the parking lot, Khem has trouble with a disgruntled customer but Wela comes to the rescue, placating her. Khem checks with others to see if Wela dates customers but hears that he doesn’t as he makes enough at work.

After arguing once more at work and promising a tip, Khem takes Wela for street food. They apologize to each other and Khem tries to take advantage of the peace, pulling Wela onto his lap. Wela escapes just as the other guys show up and drag a table next to them.

Alone at the end of the night, Khem asks Wela for a kiss on the cheek as payment to keep quiet at school. Wela pinches his face instead.

The Episode Review

Deep Night (iQIYI) takes us straight to the heart of the romance-blocker. Khem has a crush on Wela who neither seems interested nor allowed to fraternize with his work colleagues. Little does his know that Khem has more pull at the club than the average parking attendant.

While both are business students, Wela seems much more studious and serious while Khem spends his time fooling around with his friend Japan and dodging girls who want his attention. It appears that, at the moment, Japan is the only one aware of Khem’s crush.

At home, Khem’s family seems to be unhappy with his mother’s choice of employment – club ownership – and his aunt tries to bring Khem back home. The hostess club appears to be thriving, with enough traffic to need a parking attendant and crowds of women cheering for the performers. For the uninitiated, similar to a hostess club (for men), a host club caters to female guests who pay to drink and hang out with handsome male employees. Some clubs host LGBTQ+ as well, but Deep Night is a club hosted by men for women.

Now, on to the big moment – already leaping out in episode 1. If we were to pull out a magic kiss-o-meter (admit it, that’s part of why you’re watching it), the spiderman kiss gets us off to a pretty good start. Shall we say 8 out 10? To rewatch and share your thoughts below, head to about 22:36 for the full scene.

While the lead couple has solid potential for chemistry and the storyline looks fun, some of the side characters already seem a little too over-the-top. So, it will be down to the main cast and the other club hosts to keep this compelling – enough for us to ignore some of the goofier moments, screeching and tropes. But let’s see, it’s only the first ep. 

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