They're either about to kiss or bite each other. Hard to tell with these two.
Gap: The Series (Thai: ทฤษฎีสีชมพู; Tritseedee See Chompoo, lit. Pink Theory) is a Thai miniseries based on the novel of the same name by Devil Planoy.The story follows the developing relationship between young businesswoman Kornkamon (Mon for short, played by Becky Armstrong) and her lifelong idol Samanan Anantrukul (Sam for short, played by Sarocha "Freen" Chankimha), a wealthy heiress and CEO.
Gap is notable for being Thailand's first lesbian love series, and its immense popularity may well pave the way for more similar stories in the future.
The series is directed by Nuttapong Wongkaveepairoj, and produced by Idolfactory. It was aired on Channel 3 in Thailand and internationally on YouTube. The whole series can be viewed for free here
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Tropes
- Almost Kiss: Happens an almost absurd number of times before Sam and Mon finally lock lips.
- Bathing Beauty: Sam enjoys a hot bath after work every day. The audience also enjoys it.
- Bathtub Bonding: The image of Sam and Mon having a bath together appears in the opening credits and in promotional material for the show. In-story, it's one of the first things they do upon becoming an Official Couple.
- Beta Couple: Cher and Risa, a married lesbian couple, become this for Sam and Mon when they stay at a resort run by them.
- Butch Lesbian: Tee fits this trope to a T.
- But Liquor Is Quicker: Sam and Mon overcome their anxieties about sex by consuming copious amounts of whiskey.
- Casual Kink: Mon and Sam both enjoy a bit of light biting and occasional pet roleplay.
- Child of Two Worlds: Mon was mostly raised in Thailand but born in England to a Thai mother and a white father (who are now divorced) and is noted to be very white-passing. Her new co-workers initially speak English to her, assuming she is a foreigner who doesn't speak Thai. She almost returns to England when she and Sam break up.
- Color-Coded Characters: Pink for Mon and grey for Sam. Frequently lampshaded.
- Conveniently Common Kink: Sam is very lucky that Mon is as into biting as she is.
- Cool Big Sis: Neung, an independent artist, is this to Sam.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Sam to Mon and, to a lesser extent, the rest of her employees.
- Do You Want to Copulate?: Sam and Mon are viewing a nature documentary showing footage of two lions mating when Sam points at the copulating cats and bluntly suggests they should "do that." It unsurprisingly doesn't go over well with Mon.
- Evil Matriarch: Sam's grandmother initially has no redeeming qualities that we can see. This changes, though (see: Heel–Face Turn).
- Gay Aesop: As the first lesbian love series from Thailand, it bears that responsibility. Can seem heavy-handed at times to some international audiences.
- Good Adultery, Bad Adultery: Sam is technically cheating on her fiance Kirk with Mon, but the audience can sympathize due to the engagement being arranged and that whole thing of Sam being a lesbian.
- Gratuitous English: The characters liberally pepper their Thai dialogue with English phrases.
- Hairy Girl: Implied in a rather infamous deleted scene from the trailer pilot where Mon appears to pick a hair out of her mouth after performing oral sex on Sam. Shaving pubic hair is far less common in Asian countries than it is in the west, though every woman in the show clearly has shaved legs.
- Happily Married: Cher and Risa show Sam and Mon that they can have a happy married life like any other couple. The series ends with them also happily married.
- Heel–Face Turn: Sam's grandmother, having been the main antagonist for most of the show, pulls one in the final episode when she realizes she is losing Sam like she lost her other two granddaughters.
- Idealized Sex: Once they start doing it, Sam and Mon immediately have great sex, despite their lack of experience.
- The Immodest Orgasm: We don't get to hear it but Sam and Mon apparently have loud enough sex that it can be heard through the wall of the former's office. Ironically, the onscreen orgasms they have at Sam's house are of the modest variety.
- Incompatible Orientation: Poor Kirk wants to marry Sam but she has no romantic or sexual attraction to him whatsoever.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: While he does have romantic feelings for Sam, Kirk eventually breaks off their engagement when he realizes she can never be truly happy with him.
- Just Friends: Sam and Mon initially insist their relationship is platonic. Their friends don't buy it. Mon really does feel that way about her neighbor Top, though, much to his disappointment.
- Leg Focus: Sam and Mon both frequently wear outfits that show off their legs and the camera loves it.
- Lipstick Lesbian: Sam and Mon are both very high femme and the show takes every opportunity to put them in pretty outfits.
- Mistaken for Cheating: Mon's coworkers think she's having an affair with Kirk, Sam's fiance. This creates a temporary rift in Sam and Mon's relationship when she overhears the office gossip.
- Mixed Ancestry Is Attractive: Sam compliments Mon on her "Caucasian" features.
- Never Trust a Trailer: The trailer pilot (a proof of concept short) infamously has many departures from the final show, including one very bizarre scene where Sam threatens to "throw poo" at her employees.
- Nosebleed: Sam suffers from one the first time she makes out with Mon.
- No Social Skills: Sam's utter inability to behave and communicate like a normal human being is initially a barrier in her relationship with Mon.
- Platonic Kissing: Sam and Mon kiss (or in Sam's words "bite lips" or "suck mouth") before they admit their feelings for one another. Sam goes as far as buying strawberry lip balm just so she can taste it on Mon's lips. She insists this is normal friend stuff but everyone else calls bullshit.
- Powerful People Are Subs: Sam eventually reveals some submissive tendencies, roleplaying as Mon's dog "Chamcham" and accepting "punishments" from her.
- Professionals Do It on Desks: A deleted scene in the trailer pilot had a pair of employees walk into Sam's office to find her sitting on the desk and getting eaten out by Mon.
- Race for Your Love: Sam races to stop Mon from leaving for England after her grandmother finally gives her blessing on their relationship.
- Rule of Pool: Sam's house has a luxurious outdoor pool. What do you think happens?
- Second-Act Breakup: Sam and Mon briefly break up when Sam thinks Mon is cheating on her with Kirk, the man she is technically cheating on with Mon. Messy stuff.
- Secret Relationship: Necessitated by Sam's homophobic traditionalist grandmother, her arranged relationship with Kirk and her rule about no workplace relationships.
- Sex at Work: Would hardly be an office romance without it. Sam initially enforces a rule to prevent this before she breaks it with Mon.
- Sex Is Good: Sex is portrayed as beautiful and loving with no difficulties accompanying it, once Mon and Sam start doing it.
- Sexual Euphemism: "Blanket ghost" is a Thai idiom for having sex that would be unfamiliar to most international audiences.
- She Is Not My Girlfriend: Mon's response when Top asks her point blank if she and Sam are lovers.
- Ship Tease: Kirk and Kade both catch the bouquet at Sam and Mon's wedding.
- Sleeping with the Boss: Obviously a central theme once Mon and Sam's relationship turns physical.
- Slut-Shaming: In the trailer pilot, Sam derisively calls Mon a slut when she thinks she's having an affair with Kirk. While a similar situation unfolds in the actual show, Sam isn't nearly as blunt and nasty about it.
- Spit Take: Mon's reaction to Sam bluntly suggesting that they have a bath together, almost immediately after they become a couple.
- Thanks for the Mammary: In the trailer pilot, Mon accidentally gropes Sam's breast in a crowded elevator.
- Their First Time: A plot point early on involves Mon and Sam both trying to initiate sex but not knowing how. It ends with a half empty bottle of whisky and Sam fingering Mon to orgasm on her couch.
- Token Minority: Auntie Mhee is the only kathoey character and is mostly there to provide comic relief. She is nevertheless a beloved employee at the company.
- Tone Shift: The show gradually shifts from light campy fluff into more serious territory over the course of the twelve episodes, the conflict between Sam's relationship with Mon and her loyalty to her traditionalist grandmother being the catalyst.
- Toplessness from the Back: Sam and Mon both appear nude from the back in their bath scenes.
- Uptown Girl: A love story between a commoner (Mon) and a descendant of royalty (Sam).
- When She Smiles: Mon manages to crack Sam's cold and emotionless front and we finally get to see how beautiful her smile is.
