For starters, I'm not familiar with Engfa and Charlotte's story. Therefore, I watched the series as a newbie with no idea about their history prior to filming. From the first episode, I noticed it was odd that the characters Meena and Cherine had a natural vibe. Now, it makes sense because in real life, they have natural chemistry. However, I realized later that the series was somewhat based on the real-life experiences of Engfa and Charlotte, and they got to play Meena in Cherine in the series. I can understand why the producers would want them to play the roles. It's to have them sell the series as a marketing tactic. However, the issue with this from what I've already watched from episode 1-7 is that it's extremely bad storytelling and awful editing of the scenes. The plot is lost in translation, even though I'm aware it's supposed to be a slowburn lovestory between Cherine and Meena. Even though the setting is pageant-based, fashion stuff, the scenes do have to follow the plot and use scenes to fuel that plot to have it make sense. However, because the writers, directors, and producers are using the Englot ship and hoping their fans would watch and the show, they were careless with the execution of the story. Dont get me wrong, I absolutely adore Cherine and Meena's love story and the natural chemistry they have together. I just wish the series itself dedicated the scenes to developing that romance. Not all these weird dream sequences, which I realized certain reactors to the show couldn't figure out what was reality and what was a dream. That's a problem. Even worse, they deleted important scenes that needed to be in the final cut but ended up in the Behind the Scenes footage instead, and that's a no-no. Because of that, we had no idea what Cherine was talking about in episode 7 about Faye confessing to Meena. A scene that would've helped fuel the plot but was taken out. This makes me sad. I saw so much potential for this series, especially after watching GAP The series, which is my all-time favorite Sapphic lovestory for 2023.
All in all, despite the awful execution of the story, I love the characters Meena and Cherine and their dynamic in the series. The scenes of them finally becoming intimate was satisfying. The pool scenes I had to rewind a few times because that was too sexy to ignore. The sexual tension was obvious. Getting Engfa and Charlotte to play Meena and Cherine was a good choice, and with it being their first acting gig, it worked out. It was believable the romantic intimacy between them. So, I hope the final episodes make up for a lot because, at this rate, these ladies are the only reason people are watching this series and not for the story itself.
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