Twogether has been so much fun to watch that I've decided to do a series opinion piece. Though it's not a drama, there's a lot of little things I want to talk about since this has been the first Variety show I've seen and the first one Jasper has done as well.
Warning - May contain spoilers for Twogether Netflix. If you haven't seen or finished the series yet, you may want to do that before reading this piece.
Twogether is a variety series that follows Lee Seung Gi and Jasper Liu as they complete missions in several cities around South East Asia with the goal of meeting their fans in each location. It's a super fun idea and a show that we need in this period of Covid stress because it reminds us what normal life was a year ago. It's lighthearted, it's fun and it's not about luxurious travel despite featuring two of the biggest stars in Asia. It's about adventure, games, living life on the road - all the thing we seem to have forgotten with the negative events of this year.
Why else do we need this show at the moment? We need it to see the pairing of Jasper and Lee Seung Gi of course! Both boys are similar in that they're multi-talented (Both actors and musicians) and have a wide fan base across Asia. They've also got similar personalities and this is definitely a recipe for a good bromance across their travels.
Looking at the first episode, it's interesting that the series started from the airport to give context that they had different travel experiences. The reactions of both the guys when they found out they were going to Yogyakarta was hilarious - They were both so clueless! But I have to admit I'd totally react in the same way - Despite being well travelled, I (shamefully) wasn't aware of this city before this series! Even though he had no idea where he was going, Jasper was super happy to be travelling again. I think it's side of Jasper that really helps in a series like this - generally optimistic, chill and up for anything!
I have to say I'm pretty surprised Lee Seung Gi was so so surprised about having a fan in this city as Korean stars are so well known across the globe that I'd be more surprised if there were no fans in a particular country.
It was cute to see Jasper interacting with fans as soon as he touched down. I have to say I'm super jelly of those fans who were in front of him in the queue and got to take a picture with him. That's such a dreamy scenario if you're a big fan - running into your favourite idol by chance in another country! Jasper must have been so tired after the flight, but it was so nice to see him still being energetic with the Indonesian airport staff who were his fans.
One of my favourite things about the airport scenes was Jasper making Lee Seung Gi a welcome sign. It's a typically Jasper thing to have a pretty good rapport with his co-stars.
He's well known to have very good bromances - I've lost count of how many bromances he's had with co-stars over the years!!
Lee Seung Gi is super lucky to be getting Jasper waiting for him at the airport with a hand drawn sign! His reaction to it was pretty cute so I'd like to think he knows how special it was, haha.
The show was meant to promote tourism in South East Asia - as fans see all the beautiful locations and think about going there when they travel themselves. Some serious fans might even plan a holiday following the exact route of their idols. Since Covid has erupted on the scene, travel has been seriously disrupted. But the show now serves a different purpose - to allow fans to travel vicariously through the boy's adventures. It's allowed fans to either relive their own travels - I could remember my own Tuktuk rides from theirs - but also to experience new things with them as they journey through this exotic lands. Apart from how charming both the boys are, I think this is part of the appeal of this series.
Another reason is show is so much fun, and a good way to distract yourself from the negativity of this year, is the humour. There are so many actual laugh out laugh moments in the series. Lee Seung Gi is very cheeky, but also Jasper matches this and has very good comedic timing - so jokes and witty dialogue entertain everyone even when the boys are not on missions. In the first episode one of the best jokes is when the director is sorting out the budget for the trip.
He gives them money for their first location but deducts all the expenses uses thus far including 8 cups of coffee that Lee Seung Gi bought in Seoul, which is more expensive than their accommodation in Yogyakarta!
Jasper who doesn't understand what's going on asks Lee Seung Gi immediately in Korean, which is funny in itself - but then Lee Seung Gi lies that it's donation given for the sake of world peace. The director then explains to Jasper actually Lee Seung Gi borrowed money before to buy coffee!
To be continued...
