Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Mark Amarittrakul, a wealthy, powerful, centuries-old vampire portrayed by Joss Way-ar Sangngern, falls in love with college fresher Tong (Fluke Gawin Caskey), a mere human, and a forbidden romance unfolds in Thai series ‘My Golden Blood’. Sounds a little like Twilight with a queer twist, doesn’t it? Well, the 2025 drama is also very 2000s-coded and will best appeal to fans who prefer shipping vampire Edward Cullen with Jacob Black and not Bella Swan.
Directed by Ark Saroj Kunatanad, the GMMTV series is based on the novel of the same name by Dawin. Episode one kicks off with a violent cold open, where unseen vampires murder a young couple while their baby survives. Gawin Caskey plays protagonist Tong, an orphan raised to believe he has a rare blood disorder, but the truth is that he possesses special blood coveted by vampires. Running through his veins is the “golden blood,” mythical in the vampiric community for the power it grants to those who consume it.
Tong has spent most of his life socially isolated, with only one friend, Tonkla (Neo Trai Nimtawat), by his side. However, when the two move to Bangkok to start their life as college students, Tong crosses paths with the handsome and enigmatic Mark while working a part-time job. His first reaction is to practically drool, and nobody is blaming him, because Joss’s Mark gets a sexy swimming pool introductory scene. Mark reveals himself to be a vampire who has been protecting Tong from a distance for years under the orders of his boss Thara Amarittrakul (Um Apasiri Nitibhon). Thara, the current boss of a powerful vampiric order, believes in peaceful coexistence with humans and refrains from drinking their blood. However, several other more ambitious vampires covet the golden blood, chief among them being Thara’s nephew, Nakan Amarittrakul (Mond Tanutchai Wijitvongtong). So, it’s Mark’s job to ensure Tong doesn’t become a vampire’s meal, but can he truly resist the temptation of biting the “golden blood” boy himself?
In their first meeting, Mark gets the classic swimming pool shot, emerging like a hot, half-naked merman from the hotel pool while Tong, working part-time at the venue, nearly drools at the view. And the drooling is completely justified. In fact, a lot of episodes in My Golden Blood are powered by a shirtless Mark. Soon, it becomes evident that the series is a low-stakes guilty-pleasure watch for fans looking for a queer vampire romance with good-looking leads. The plot turns out to be too basic, and the special effects, though used minimally, are glitchy and seem low-budget. Even the action choreography in some physical face-offs is unimpressive and cringe-inducing.
The biggest strength of My Golden Blood is the visual pairing of Gawin Caskey and Joss Way-ar Sangngern as Tong and Mark. They look great together, and their onscreen chemistry is quite steamy, although in some scenes, the sparks falter a bit. Last seen as the romantic lead in the time-travel drama Be My Favorite, Gawin Caskey does more of the emotional heavy lifting as the young, sensitive, confused Tong, just out of school and thrown face-first into a violent world of bloodthirsty vampires. He is further confused by the hunky Mark, especially when the older vampire enrolls in his class and tails him around the clock. Sexual tension brews between the two, although Tong cannot figure out if Mark is really drawn to him or just his special golden blood. Regardless, the progression of their love story is often cheesy-cute, and the series largely unfolds like a college romance, with Mark ‘learning’ what it means to love a human for the first time in his life. Most of the conflict is reserved for the second half of the show, with Mark finding himself in a serious race to protect Tong from power-hungry vampires. Although the pair also bickers over Mark’s trust issues with Tong’s best-friend Tonkla, especially since Nakan can hypnotize people.
As far as looks go, Joss Way-ar Sangngern is perfect as the romantic vampiric lead and often looks at Tong like he really would devour him. The romantic current isn’t always intense between them, and honestly, given how the first few episodes keep parading Mark nearly naked, My Golden Blood isn’t as steamy as a guilty-pleasure romance with a weak plot should be. But viewers do get some over-the-top candle-lit romantic rose baths, and the original music score is memorably good.
Mond Tanutchai Wijitvongtong as antagonist Nakan, a powerful businessman hunting for Tong’s golden blood, does have the “bad guy” persona, though perhaps a slightly older actor would have been more apt for the role. Interestingly, he isn’t an exaggerated black-and-white villain, often indulging in mind games with both Tong and Mark, leaving everyone confused about his real intent. Um Apasiri Nitibhon as vampire boss Thara, however, is perhaps the weakest link in ‘My Golden Blood’. While she looks the part of a powerful supernatural being, always dressed in sharp, elegant suits, there’s no life or charm in her portrayal of the character.
‘My Golden Blood’ also suffers from major plot inconsistencies. For instance, Mark possesses the power to heal people, wounds and all, but he uses this power very sparingly, as if he sometimes forgets he has that ability. One of the biggest plot holes is delivered through a key flashback, where a vampire is shown draining the blood of a young human with golden blood. This incident takes place in the past in a private room, with no frills, just a superior creature casually killing its prey on a sofa like a cat shredding a mouse. However, a ridiculous amount of fuss is made for the next golden blood consumption, with an elaborate cult-like ceremony.
It’s surprising how the cinematography in My Golden Blood looks relatively low-budget compared to other contemporary GMMTV shows like Peaceful Property or Ossan’s Love Thailand. Given that this is a fantasy show, the executives should’ve earmarked more funds for it, or the writers should’ve tweaked the script to match the budget. For example, the climactic episode has two or three sequences that clearly look like they were done on a green screen. They are so low quality that they made me laugh out loud. How could they do that in the last episode?
Seriously, the climactic episode was predictable, partly emotional, and the rest had me laughing on the floor. However, a nearly fairy-tale twist at the end might redeem the show for some viewers who don’t have lofty standards. Overall, ‘My Golden Blood’ remains a guilty-pleasure watch for vampire and gay romance genre fans.
Rating: 6 out of 10. My Golden Blood is available on YouTube and iQIYI.
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