The On1y One – Season 1 Episode 1 Recap & Review

Episode 1

Episode 1 of The On1y One starts with a voiceover about how unlikely it is to meet a person in such a widely populated world, whom you like and who likes you back. The voiceover continues talking about specific moments that become important memories. We then see a boy named Jiang Tiang talking about his old house in Tamsui.

At a high school, the students talk about how a new student is joining their class. Apparently, he’s good-looking and smart and transferred from Shanghai. Tiang arrives and his friend tells him to keep his number one status safe.

The new student is Sheng Wang, who has just arrived. A teacher welcomes him and gives him a bunch of textbooks. He’s being sent to the class with top students. When he sees Jiang Tian’s name on the honour board, he scoffs at the surname Jiang. But in class, he’s given the seat next to Tian since he’s the smartest. Tian, who was asleep, wakes up and shifts his own table behind Wang’s. He makes it clear he doesn’t mean to be friends.

When Wang goes back home, his father introduces him to Auntie Jiang — a friend from school who he is currently dating. A flashback shows Wang seeing the two of them share a meal alone. At present, Wang is also introduced to Auntie Jiang’s son, who is none other than Jiang Tian! The two are curt with each other and leave quickly.

Wang goes to his room and reminisces about his mother, who died a while ago. He then gets a call from his old friend, Peng Xie. Wang asks him to send exam papers for Year Two. Turns out, there’s an exam the next day and the class has already covered the syllabus beforehand. Peng Xie even gives him a trick for choosing the right answers on a multi-choice exam.

The day of the exam arrives and Wang is in for a surprise. There are no multi-choice questions. After the first exam, he’s surprised to find a second math exam being sent their way.

Later, Wang overhears Tian speaking to a teacher. He avoids talking about his father. Wang goes ahead to meet the class teacher, who tells Wang that since he’s a whole textbook behind the class, his exam result won’t be counted. He’s also behind in syllabus in general compared to the rest of the class and the teacher tells him to focus on small milestones.

While Wang is feeling overwhelmed with all the exams, the class teacher arrives and announced that Wang has actually scored above average in the previous test. When Wang’s pen falls near Tian’s desk, the latter keeps it, leading to an argument between them.

Wang comes home but doesn’t seem happy with Auntie Jiang’s presence there. The parents worry about both the boys. Tian was supposed to move in that day but instead, he’s sitting on some stairs, playing with a cat.

Wang speaks to Xie, to whom he had sent a particularly difficult question. Xie says he asked Year Three students as well but no one knows the answer. When Wang gets hungry, he finds a box of food that Auntie Jiang kept for him but instead goes for a bag of chips. He goes on the balcony and muses about how he doesn’t want to lose territory to Tian.

Just then, Tian arrives with his suitcase. When Tian seems to turn away, Wang calls out to him. The voiceover about a special moment comes around again as the two boys look at each other.

Tian then gets a call from someone who asks if he’s used to living with new people. He replies that they’ll live being indifferent to each other. The parents realise Tian is here and get him inside. Uncle Sheng shows Town to his room, which is across Wang’s. Tian’s is the room with the balcony.

A final scene shows Wang entering the school and tripping on the stairs, then quickly looking around to see if anybody saw. Of course, Tian sees it all while standing off to the side. He smiles to himself at the end of The On1y One Episode 1.

The Episode Review

As a story about two boys who are meant to be step-brothers, this Taiwanese BL is in a bit of a precarious zone from the very beginning. However, The On1y One Episode 1 is executed very well. We get a good understanding of both the leading characters and their respective resentments with the situation. Wang’s introduction as a new student works as a good way to set up the different characters and the moving-in situation.

The episode not only sets everything up but gives us reason to empathise with both, Wang and Tian. Wang’s emotional attachment to his late mother and the final scene that showed a chink in Tian’s cold armour – both these things give the story strong emotional roots. And plenty of reasons to keep watching.