Wandee Goodday 1×02 Review: Episode 2

Even after last week’s premiere had me so excited, with the introduction of one of BL’s first asexual characters, I still didn’t think I’d have all that much to say about Wandee Goodday. Yes, it looks like a fun show that I’m going to enjoy, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I have enough to talk about every week. But you know what? I don’t care.

You know, for a hot second I thought it was just too petty of Dee to be angry at Ter. A person can’t help what they feel, and Ter isn’t obligated to return Dee’s feelings. He’s also allowed to have preferences, even if he was a little tactless in communicating them. But his behavior in episode 2 tells me that something is off about this guy. Even last week, when he asked Dee to back off and let him go after the scholarship, wasn’t quite that bad.

This week, however, he just comes across as so manipulative. The way he told Dee that they would revisit his feelings after the scholarship was awarded; you either like the guy or you don’t. And if you don’t like him, don’t give him false hope to cling to. I’m glad that Dee saw through that right away, and that he also refused to be swayed by Ter’s, “if you loved me, you’d let me do this thing”. Dee also deserves the scholarship and clearly wants it; it would be a completely different ballgame if that were something he wasn’t interested in. But since he clearly is, his resolve to go after it is perfectly fine.

I guess I’m just curious as to what Ter’s deal is. Does he or does he not have feelings for Dee? Is he just the type of guy who will use other people’s feelings to his advantage? The way they framed the faceoff in the hallway, with more of the staff on Ter’s side than Dee’s, indicates that Ter is, shall we say, beloved at the hospital. After all, we saw last week that he has billboards with his face on them at bus stops. He is clearly the face of the hospital. It stands to reason that he would have admirers among the staff.

We didn’t see much of Yak’s life in the previous episode, so now we get a look at how things are. He isn’t just a professional fighter, although that seems to be where he’s concentrating his time at the moment. He runs a training gym with Oyei (who may or may not be his actual brother, the way honorifics are used in Thailand is still something I’m learning) and Cher. And we learn that the gym is struggling a bit financially after the hit they took during Covid.

And we can also see that already Yak’s career may suffer because of his relationship with Dee. He missed training to rescue Dee when he got drugged (?) at the bar, and I’m not sure if we’ll ever know if he was there intentionally or if it was a coincidence. Regardless, he yet again takes a sloppy drunk Dee home, and Dee doesn’t want to be left alone, so Yak stays. But this causes him to be late for his morning training session as well, which creates some tension between him and Yei.

So it will be interesting to see how this goes from here. Because as we can see from the promo for next week’s episode, their fake dating may actually be beneficial for Dee and detrimental for Yak. I am very curious to see how this affects everything going forward.

And of course, of course, we have to talk about Yak and Dee’s relationship. It’s the whole point of the show. But it looks like Yak is already one hundred percent gone on Dee and I am one hundred percent here for that dynamic. He’s upset that everyone wants him to switch back to his old doctor and does everything to make his appointment be with Dee instead. He has already given Dee the chain around his neck; these boys have known each other like two weeks at this point.

It helps that Yak, despite his tough exterior, seems to be genuinely kind. His first instinct, last week when he encountered Dee drunk, was to make sure he got home OK. This is contrasted by a scene in this week’s episode when two guys either drugged Dee or purposely got him wasted to do nefarious things to him. But once again, all Yak does is make sure he gets home OK. And when Dee complains about being hot, Yak grabs that washcloth and bowl of cold water we are all accustomed to seeing in a BL and gets to work.

Even though it looks like Yak has already caught feelings, it’s Dee who proposes the idea of being friends with benefits. And what follows is definitely one of the better, more honest discussions about sex in a BL. Not only do they discuss consent (consent is sexy!), but they also talk about what they like and don’t like. And I was right, Dee has a “no kissing” rule. A scene like this is pretty rare in a BL (honestly, just in general), so it’s really nice to see. We should be normalizing these types of conversations.

So I am very invested in their relationship, because right from the beginning, they are being open and communicative and concerned about consent. I really wish that wasn’t a rare thing in a series in 2024, but here we are. While I don’t think that Dee is quite as far gone as Yak already seems to be, he does clearly feel something for Yak; otherwise, he would have just ignored him on the street. Also, the tension in that necklace scene. We are being fed.

Before I wrap up, I want to highlight the scene between Dee and his grandmother. I love their relationship; she seems very supportive of him, and he tries to take care of her but also seems to rely on her for affection and comfort. I feel like grandparent characters in BL tend to, on the whole, be much better parental figures than a character’s actual parents.

Also, don’t think I didn’t realize that Dee, Kao, and their nurse friend went to Cafe for All from The Eclipse.

So how are we all feeling about Wandee Goodday? Let me know in the comments!

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

Twitter

Help support independent journalism. Subscribe to our Patreon.

Copyright © The Geekiary