Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
This is a super cute romantic comedy until it slows down to become formulaic! For the first four episodes, the Thai series “Wandee Goodday” was a solid 5 out of 5 for me. It’s about a gorgeous orthopedic doctor and a hot boxer becoming “friends with benefits” after getting off on the wrong foot.
Directed by Golf Tanwarin Sukkhapisit, who’s also behind titles like “Eclipse” and “609 Bedtime Story,” the 12-episode GMMTV series “Wandee Goodday” is based on the novel “Wandee Witthaya” (วันดีวิทยา) by Nottakorn. Actors Inn Sarin Ronnakiat and Great Sapol Assawamunkong play protagonists Doctor Wandee and rising Muay Thai boxer Yoryak, respectively – a very visually striking pair, the casting directors should pat themselves on the back.
“Wandee Goodday” starts off on a low-key hilarious note, where poor Doctor Wandee is rejected by his longtime crush Dr. Ter (Pod Suphakorn Sriphothong) after he finally picks up the courage to confess feelings he had been harboring for eight years. “You are too vanilla for me,” the senior tells Wandee. Heartbroken, angry, and pissed off, Wandee goes out drinking with his BFF Plakao (Drake Sattabut Laedeke) and ends up seducing boxer Yoryak, who also happens to be his patient at the hospital. While the two start a “no strings attached” relationship, they eventually agree to pretend they are ‘fake boyfriends’ for Wandee to not appear like a sore single loser at his hospital. This after the hospital staff gossip about Wandee and Dr. Ter as the two become rival candidates vying for a scholarship being offered by the hospital. Meanwhile, as Wandee and Yoryak spend more time together, the lines between ‘fake boyfriends’ and real love begin to blur between the doctor and boxer.
Right from episode one, the chemistry between actors Inn Sarin Ronnakiat and Great Sapol Assawamunkong as Dr. Wandee and Yoryak is crackling good. During some of their romantic scenes, it looks like Yoryak is under Wandee’s spell, and the sexual tension between them is palpable. If the creators didn’t have any secondary characters in the show and completely focused on just Inn and Great’s romance, I would’ve been completely fine with it. Inn Sarin Ronnakiat was last seen in the 2022 fantasy-drama “The Miracle of Teddy Bear,” where he played the adorable Tohu, a teddy bear who becomes human to comfort his owner. He is like a ray of sunshine in that series and is just as radiantly adorable in “Wandee Goodday” too. Great Sapol Assawamunkong (“Beauty Newbie”/”Start-Up”/”Catch Me Baby”) has the more challenging role of the boxer and suavely swings between the serious athlete in the boxing ring and the jovial, playful, flirty lover in Wandee’s bed. Yoryak is an interesting balance between a tough boxer who believes in resolving conflicts through violence, and a giant softie who doesn’t shy away from crying in front of his loved ones and baring his vulnerable side.
The primary focus of “Wandee Goodday” remains on Wandee and Yoryak’s romance and their professional goals. While Wandee wants to win his hospital’s scholarship abroad, Yoryak, who is a top-ranked boxer, aims at becoming a world champion while training under his older brother Oye (Thor Thinnapan Tantui). The lead pair’s feelings for each other are complicated by Dr. Ter realizing he likes Wandee romantically, while Yoryak too is just a teeny bit confused between his growing affection for Wandee and his crush on classmate Taemrak (Ployphach Phatchatorn Thanawat). But the screenplay breezily establishes how Wandee and Yoryak are blissfully happy in each other’s company, from simply having coffee together to getting kinky with role-playing in bed. They tend to exist in their own bubble.
While the first few episodes lead the viewer to believe the series is going to be consistently fun and romantic, the creators also add some contrived subplots to the series that slow down the pace of the show in the second half. One of the unnecessary subplots is about Yoryak’s brother Oye owing debts to some bad guys. Even without the debt twist, the brothers have enough challenges on their plate. Thor Thinnapan (“Warp Effect”/“Boss and A Babe”) and Great Sapol look aptly cast as boxer brothers, both of them nail their boxing scenes and their onscreen sibling bond is quite endearing. Newbie Fluke Nattanon Tongsaeng, who’s only been in two series before, was slightly shaky in his performance as Oye’s boyfriend Cher, so I wasn’t very invested in their secondary romance. Veeraporn Nitiprapha had the coolest cameo as Wandee’s grandmother Monthakan, a fashion-forward, guitar-playing rockstar of sorts.
Another subplot about Wandee’s BFF Plakao being asexual is half-heartedly executed, as it unfolds like a forced attempt to squeeze in some information about sexual diversity and asexuality. GMMTV should maybe do a full-fledged series about an asexual protagonist navigating through the challenging waters of romantic relationships. Drake by the way portrays Plakao with a casual charm. He is a practical, laidback doctor, who serves as a reliable friend and confidante to Dr. Wandee.
“Wandee Goodday” has an upbeat, catchy soundtrack, cheery visuals, and, of course, the lead pair looks amazing together. However, the creators begin to overstretch the romance a bit in the second half, keeping the lead characters in a “confused” stage, despite it being glaringly evident to everybody around them that they are madly in love with each other. Except for Dr. Ter, who chooses to be in denial because of his own slow awakening to Wandee’s charms. Although Pod Suphakorn Sriphothong, who plays Dr. Ter, is excellent in the role and could’ve used more screen time, maybe more scenes in the vein of comical rivalry between him and Yoryak.
The climactic episode was packed with clichés, and a major subplot regarding Yoryak’s struggles with a past trauma is solved in a far too simplistic manner. However, the last few minutes of the show close with a beautiful celebration of love and give Wandee and Yoryak an almost picture-perfect ending. I say “almost” because if you practically dwell on the way “Wandee Goodday” ends, it only marks a new chapter of upheaval in their romance. And for a “friends with benefits” tale, the series isn’t as steamy as it could’ve been! Anyway, Inn Sarin Ronnakiat and Great Sapol Assawamunkong are too freaking cute together, so watch the show for their fresh, electric chemistry.
“Wandee Goodday” is available on YouTube.
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