Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
Dare You to Death is a romantic thriller about two men who fall in love wile solving a series of murders. It’s based on the novel of the same name by MTRD.S.
During an evening of partying, Puifai (Pathitta Pornchumtoenrut) and her friends are drugged and fall asleep. Upon waking, they find that Puifai isn’t breathing and call emergency services. Captain Jade (Archen Aydin) and Inspector Kamin (Natachai Boonprasert) are dispatched to the crime scene, and Puifai is pronounced dead and sent to the medical examiner.
As Jade and Kamin work on the case together, romantic feelings arise between them. While the emotionless Kamin is able to suppress his desires and be professional, Jade acts on them. And as Jade and Kamin grapple with the rising emotions between them, they must solve a case that becomes increasingly complex with every clue.
Some Thoughts:
Dare You to Death is an uneven mess of poor acting, direction, and tone. Since it’s a romantic thriller, I didn’t give much thought to the plot. However, it turns out that the story is the best thing about the series.
For a romance to work, there must be some type of tension between the romantic leads. Sadly, in place of this, we get images of Aydin and Boonprasert posed with their lips barely touching. This happens repeatedly and feels so staged that it strips any emotion from the scene. It also doesn’t help that the actors lack any spark of sexual intrigue when they’re together.
On top of the lack of romantic feel, the soundtrack is disjointed and awkward. For a series that already has some major flaws, this did not help. Music should enhance mood and atmosphere, not call attention to itself. Unfortunately, that’s not the case here. Every time the soundtrack kicked in, I wondered why it was playing.
The only good thing I can say about this series is that the story will keep you wandering who the killer could be. This may not be enough to keep viewers interested in watching the entire series, but it’s still worth mentioning. There are also some decent moments in the last episode.
The Final Verdict:
Dare You to Death is a gay romance with all the sexiness of a snowball. If you’re looking for a romantic series to relax with, this is a good one to skip.