We Are (Thai BL) – Episode 2 Recap & Review

Be My Slave

Episode 2 of We Are starts with Pheem and Phum negotiating a payment plan for the hospital bill. Since Pheem cannot afford to make monetary compensation, Phum asks him to serve as his slave for two months. Pheem negotiates the term until he finishes drawing the painting that Phum ruined and on the condition that Phum never tells any of his friends that he is his master.

After they agree, Phum drags Pheem to the mall and makes him carry his shopping bags. Later, Pheem arrives home and runs into his aunt, who is heading out to visit their grandmother. Aunt asks Pheem to take care of the shop over the weekend, and after she leaves, Pheem collapses on the sofa and falls asleep due to exhaustion. 

Pheem is woken up by his friends Pun, Chain, Q, and Tan a while later, who all come to check up on him. They ask about what Phum did to him, and Pun, who is clueless, wonders what they are talking about. Pheem insists that he and Phum just talked and cleared things up, but Tan insinuates that Phum is not a person who can let things go quickly. Pheem gets furious since Tan is sure that Phum might do something to Pheem, but he still lets him be dragged away. Afterwards, the boys have some fun banter as Tan cooks, and they enjoy the delicious stir-fried water spinach and crispy pork.

In school the following day, Pheem feels his work is still not good enough, and Q tells him that Professor Po will help. When he comes to check his work, the Professor tells him that he cannot quite grasp his context, but he thinks the picture will become more apparent when Pheem finishes up the drawing. The Professor asked why his work included water and canals, and Pheem explained that he likes rivers and water flow. He feels at ease when he stares into the water long enough as if he is flowing with it. Therefore, he likes his drawing to encompass the concept of water and show how it affects his emotions. 

Pheem expresses worry that his artwork is simple in that it conveys the message directly compared to other students’ work. For instance, he says Q’s art is complex and deep and needs interpretation, making it look valuable and majestic. The Professor tells him that Q had asked a similar question. He wondered if his work was too complicated, making it difficult for viewers to understand, and he wanted to learn how he could make his drawing straightforward to understand, like Pheem’s 

Toey and Matthew arrived at the lecture room because they had a meeting with the Professor. Q asks to see Toey’s drawing and appreciates his work, saying he is fit to be his mentee. Suddenly, Q asks how long Toey and Mathew have been into drawing, and surprisingly, Matthew says that Toey wanted to become a doctor, so it was his first time getting into drawing. Q wants to know why Toey chose to study Fine Arts, and we have a flashback of Toey before he joined the University.

Toey is at OOh’scafé preparing to take the college entrance exams for the school of Medicine when Oh asks if he likes studying Medicine. Toey says he still does not know what he would like to do, so he is following his mother’s suggestion to study Medicine. He says he is not very good at anything, and Oh encourages him to take his time and figure it out one day. Then, he suddenly sees Q enter the café and head to the drawing corner with his drawing board and earphones, which captured Toey’s attention.

Q snaps Toey back from the daydream with a finger flick, and Pheem hands them a cup of noodles. When he asks Pheem about the drawing that Phum destroyed, he says he is not sure he will finish it in time, so he might not submit his work to the gallery this year. Toey asks Q what he is drawing since he does not understand it, and Phum calls Pheem to tell him that he is thirsty. Phum blackmails him into going to the engineering canteen to get him a drink, or he will let it slip and tell Pheem’s friends about their deal. 

Pheem runs to the engineering canteen to find Phum seated comfortably on the benches when there is no line at the drinks shop. After a few minutes of back and forth, Phum does not say what he wants to drink and refuses to take any of the drinks that Pheem buys, and they sit down to have lunch together. Phum and Pheem walk together from the canteen when they notice Tan coming their way, so Pheem has to hide. 

Tan wants Phum to keep his promise to help Tan hit on his bother Khaofang since he has a crush on him. Phum agrees to help, although he says he cannot do much since Tan is not his brother’s type. Regardless, Tan does not lose hope, and he asks Tan to bring his brother out for drinks later that night at UUeai’sbar. 

Pheem and his friends gather at UUeai’sbar to unwind after submitting their work, and Ueai joins them. He gives the first years a word of advice about Professor Po, and afterwards, they all get wasted. Meanwhile, Tan and Phum are at the lounge section of the bar when Khaofang joins them. Phum does not drink since he is driving and has to endure watching Tan check his brother out. 

Tan, Phum, and Khaofang find Pheem sprawled outside the bar, completely drunk. Khaofang realises that he is the person who hurt Phum, so he asks Phum to take him home and says that he will take a cab with Tan. Tan helps Phum carry Pheem to his car and then leaves with Khaofang. A small boy approaches Phum and asks him to buy flowers for his boyfriend. He points at Pheem in the vehicle and does not object but buys all the flowers. While waiting for a cab, Khaofang asks Tan about Pheem’s personality, and he says he is easygoing. 

A taxi arrives. Khaofang invites Tan to accompany him, and he happily obliges. Inside the cab, Tan tries different ways to get close to Khaofang, who smiles and shakes his head, enjoying TTan’stricks. Meanwhile, Toey can barely walk, and Q brings him water as he sits on the pavement outside to get some fresh air. He makes himself comfortable lying on QQ’sthighs as they wait for a taxi.

Elsewhere, Phum takes Pheem home and helps his aunt carry him to his bedroom. Pheem refuses to let go of the flowers that Phum bought him, and Aunt Pui asks Phum to help care for Pheem if he is not in a hurry. Phum agrees to stay, and Pheem seemingly flirts with him, saying he has a tall nose, lovely eyes, and a beautiful face, but he finishes it off by saying that Phum is an asshole. Phum smiles and lets Pheem snuggle up to him on the bed, still holding the flowers.

The Episode Review

Episode 2 is a significant step up from the pilot episode, and it subtly introduces us to two more couples in the series, QToey and TanKhaofang. The most precious moment in the episode is watching Toey’s cute whines and expressions, making Q’s heart melt. The episode hints at a backstory to Toey’s attraction to Q, and watching their banter is the episode’s highlight. Seemingly, Tan and Khaofang also have a history, and I cannot wait to unpack the roots of their mutual attraction.

Also, does Phum have a hidden agenda about getting close to Pheem? The tender looks he is sending his way show that there might be something more. I would like to see more of Chain and Pun in the next episode since they are barely noticeable here. Their relationship needs to develop at the same pace as the others to balance all the different dynamics in this series.