“Let’s Talk About CHU” is a new Taiwanese show streaming on Netflix. This comedy-drama series explores the intricacies of sexual, romantic, and familial relationships across different generations. It mainly revolves around Chu Ai, a wax technician who runs a sex education vlog on the side. Simultaneously, it follows the lives of her family members and her long-time sexual partner. The cast of “Let’s Talk About CHU” includes Chan Tzu Hsuan, Kimi Hsia, Kai Ko, JC Lin, Ke Li Miao, Umin Boya, Hong Sheng De, and Jian He Wu.
Spoilers ahead.
Let’s Talk About CHU (Season 1) ‘Netflix’ Recap:
What is ‘Let’s Talk About CHU’ about?
The 2024 show – “Let’s Talk About CHU” mainly follows Chu Ai as a sex education vlogger who goes on the journey of self-discovery – while trying to make sense of her thoughts about love. At the same time, it explores the lives of her family members and her long-time sexual partner as they embark on their own coming-of-age journeys. This Taiwanese Netflix series, directed by Remii Huang, brings a mix of comedy, romance, and drama. Because of its thematic similarities and heartfelt narration, you would like it if you liked Laurie Nunn’s “Sex Education.”
Episode 1
“Let’s Talk About CHU” follows the Chu family members as they try to find a balance between the romantic and sexual relationships in their lives. Sex ed Vlogger Chu Ai (Chan Tzu Hsuan) is in a long-term sexual relationship with Ping Ke (Kai Ko). Through her videos, she declares her motto – ‘Only Sex, No Love’. Her older sister Chu Wei (Kimi Hsia) has issues in her sexual relationship with Shi Chieh (Umin Boya). It leads her to feel that he does not like her anymore – because he does not convey the excitement he once used to. Shi Chieh used to be a teacher at the school where Chu Wei studied.
Chu Ai’s mother – Mei Chih (Ke Li Miao) catches Chu Ai’s father – Cheng Nan (Hong Sheng De) masturbating in his room, which leads to some marital conflicts. Meanwhile, Chu Ai’s gay brother, Yu Sen (JC Lin), tries to balance his sexual relationships and his financial responsibilities. He attempts to win money by gambling. That’s where Lee Yueh (Jian He Wu) catches his eye. While that happens, Chu Wei tries to rekindle her relationship with Shi Chieh. She enters his office cabin and approaches to kiss him. But he doesn’t seem ready for it. Suddenly, Shi Chieh’s student – Annie (Wang Yu Xuan), opens the door and catches the couple in an awkward moment.
Later, for their family’s Lunar New Year’s Eve dinner, Chu Ai brings Ping Ke home – and says he’s her boyfriend to appease Mei Chih. When Mei Chih asks Chu Wei when they will have a baby, Shi Chieh notes that he and Chu Wei do not plan to have any. So, Mei Chih, who is already angry at Cheng Nan, gets even more upset. Because of her past, she is made to believe that couples need children to sustain their relationship. So, she puts pressure on the already vulnerable Chu Wei to progress in that direction. Meanwhile, Cheng Nan has some secret financial burdens that he needs to take care of.
Episode 2
Mei Chih starts feeling increasingly detached from secretive Cheng Nan. Chu Wei starts getting jealous of Annie. Since she was also Shi Chieh’s student, she assumes that he is similarly attracted to this young student. Meanwhile, Chu Ai finds out that she is deepfaked in a video that goes viral. Unlike what Ping Ke or her colleague advises her, Chu Ai thinks she should not give the video any importance. So, she decides not to take any action against it. Ping Ke tries to convince her to take action. But Chu Ai argues how the financial security he gets from his rich parents makes his reality far different from hers – who must work to earn a living.
On the other hand, Lee Yueh approaches Yu Sen through text messages. Later, Yu Sen goes back to play cards at the gambling spot where Lee Yeuh works. He gets drunk and creates a ruckus. So, he gets thrown out. But it brings him and Lee Yueh closer. Meanwhile, we learn that Ping Ke refuses to speak with his father due to their personal differences. In the past, his father married his mother by breaking his past marriage. Now that Ping Ke does not respond to him well, his father blocks his credit card. So, Ping Ke looks for a job to earn.
Shi Chieh makes almost no effort to work on his relationship with Chu Wei. He also bails on a plan she was looking forward to doing as a couple. That makes Chu Wei feel unloved and unwanted. Her mother credits these marital issues to them not having a baby. So, Chu Wei decides to take matters into her own hands. On the other hand, Chu Ai reads disrespectful responses on her videos because of the viral deepfaked video.
Episode 3
Yu Sen starts having sexual dreams about Lee Yeuh. Later, they team up and join an underground gambling game. Chu Ai meets Ping Ke at his new retail store job to have a chat. She regrets how she spoke to him before. Meanwhile, she decides to meet a guy she finds online. It doesn’t work out as she expected. While navigating different hook-ups, she keeps meeting Ping Ke once in a while. It also makes her reflect upon her feelings for him. Meanwhile, to deal with her marital issues, Chu Wei attends a tantra class by herself. That’s where she ends up being intimate with someone else. While it relieves her emotional and sexual anxieties, it also makes her feel bad for cheating on her husband.
Episode 4
Chu Wei returns from the retreat, feeling guilty because of her adventurous night at Lisa’s. She finds it hard to conceal the truth from Shih Chieh. Eventually, she accepts what she did to him. It deeply upsets him. Mei Chih sees her son beat up and feels concerned. But he does not reveal how he got those wounds. Since she sprained her leg, he takes her for treatment. Other people her age criticize Chu Ai’s online sex ed videos. Mei Chih defends them and notes their importance. Soon after, a man approaches her for a kiss, and she rejects it.
Chu Ai meets with a long-lost ex, Po Chi / Bonner (Rhydian Vaughn). Later, they go on a romantic date and discuss what they did during their time apart. She starts feeling an emotional connection with him. He approaches her for a kiss, and she does not reject it. Soon after, she shows up at Ping Ke’s departmental store and sees a drunk, entitled man harassing him. She argues back, and the man insults her.
Seeing that, Ping Ke gets into a full-blown fight against this arrogant man. Once the man leaves, Ping Ke tries to kiss Chu Ai. But she rejects it. Lee Yueh personally helps Yu Sen to settle his gambling debt. Suddenly, they get caught in a police raid. So, they see no other option but to run away with all the money they can get hold of. After the adrenaline rush, the two kiss each other and get intimate.
Episode 5
Chu Ai struggles to understand what she feels about Ping Ke and Po Chi – both of whom she is involved with, in one or the other way. When she goes out to a club with Po Chi, Ping Ke also arrives there with someone else. Po Chi notices a change in Chu Ai’s behavior once Ping Ke walks in. So, he holds a hand on her shoulder to show that they’re together. Before they return home, Chu Ai’s friend ends up vomiting on Po Chi’s jeans. But he does not make anyone feel bad about it. After taking a shower, he tries to have sex with Chu Ai. But her complicated feelings for Ping Ke stop her from being intimate with Po Chi. She apologizes to him for not being able to return to the way they were before.
After learning about Chu Wei’s infidelity, Shi Chieh grows distant from her. He nearly stops speaking with her. Meanwhile, Mei Chih plans to divorce Cheng Nan because of their differences. Chu Wei says she should think about related complications before taking such a step. Mei Chih still makes her feel for not having a child. Later, after one of her waxing jobs, Chu Ai bumps into Ping Ke. Instead of letting her take an expensive cab ride, he offers her a ride on his bike. Later that night, Chu Ai notices her father walking into a building with a woman. It brings back some painful memories from when she was very young.
Episode 6
Shih Chieh keeps giving Chu Wei a silent treatment, which makes her miserable. She requests him to come talk and be honest about their feelings. That’s when she asks him about his feelings for Annie. He rejects ever feeling that way about her. After this fight, Annie and the other students invite him to a party. He initially rejects it to avoid any complications but eventually accepts it. After the party, Annie asks him for a ride back home. Once they reach there, she approaches him for a kiss. He immediately regrets it and opens the door so she can leave. It brings back memories of how his relationship began with Chu Wei, who also was his student.
Yu-sen travels to Miaoli County to meet Li Yueh. He meets Le Yeuh’s grandmother, who has terminal cancer. Le Yeuh opens up about his painful past. This honest conversation brings him and Yu-sen even closer. Before they all can have dinner together, Le Yeuh’s grandmother dies in the hospital. On the other hand, Chu Ai starts patching up things with Ping Ke. He teaches her to ride a bike. She later ends up at his place. However, they soon argue about their bond and how gender plays a part in it. Since both their fathers cheated on their spouses, she makes him feel bad about how he was born. It reaches the point that they plan to call it quits.
Episode 7
Chu Ai gets an invite to a talk show. She gets excited about this opportunity. Instead, she gets heavily criticized for her opinions. It puts her in a terrible mood and brings the memories of when she found her father at a questionable place as a kid. It probably led to her learning and teaching others about responsible sex that involves mutual pleasure. Ping Ke starts working at a garage as his new job.
Mei Chih realizes that Cheng Nan owes a huge debt to someone. In the present, Chu Ai locates Cheng Nan and confronts them about why he is not staying at home. He does not want to return home. Chu Ai and Chu Wei talk about their father having an affair and another family. Mei Chih overhears it. Meanwhile, Yu-sen helps Li Yueh through his grief about her grandmother’s death. He manages to uplift Li Yueh’s spirit.
Episode 8
Ping Ke returns to his mother’s apartment and finds her lying on the sofa while the gas stove is on. He quickly turns it off and opens the window to let the gas out. But it makes him worry for his mother’s emotional health – since her carelessness (or forgetfulness) could have led to a major fire accident. The next morning, she requests him to join her for a meal with his father. If he does that, she agrees to stop drinking. During the dinner, he apologizes to his father. His father assumes that he did this to get his credit card unblocked. Ping Ke clears out his father’s doubts.
Let’s Talk About CHU (Season 1) ‘Netflix’ Ending Explained:
Do Chu Ai & Ping Ke get back together in the end?
Shi Chieh takes the first constructive step to mend his relationship with Chu Wei. He asks Chu Wei to join him for a couple’s therapy. While Mei Chih tries to make peace with her present situation, Chu Ai and Yu Sen decide to find and speak with their father. Chu Ai takes Yu Sen to a place where she has seen him before. They look around to see which unit he is in. Eventually, the siblings find their father and realize that he does not have another family. Instead, he was embarrassed about his huge debt and wanted to secure funds for it. In that situation, Lee Yueh lends a helping hand. He offers a big chunk of money to pay off Cheng Nan’s debt.
Cheng Nan returns home and tries to patch up with Mei Chih. Seeing that brings back Chu Ai’s fond memories of being with Ping Ke. So, she goes to meet him and apologizes for the way she reacted before. He accepts the apology and kisses her. While they mend their relationship, Yu Sen and Lee Yueh also get closer. But all the recent events made Lee Yueh leave his questionable past behind and come clean. So, after they have sex, he shows up at a police station. Even when he is behind bars, Yu Sen goes to meet him. Cheng Nan and Mei Chih improve their relationship. Similarly, Shi Chieh and Chu Wei grow happier together. After being open about her feelings, Chu Ai also gets back together with Ping Ke. He asks her to move into the same apartment. They both agree to it.
Read More: Everything Coming to Netflix in February 2024
Let’s Talk About CHU (Season 1) ‘Netflix’ Trailer:
Let’s Talk About CHU (Season 1) ‘Netflix’ Links: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes
Let’s Talk About CHU (Season 1) ‘Netflix’ Cast: Chan Tzu Hsuan, Kimi Hsia, Kai Ko, JC Lin, Ke Li Miao, Umin Boya, Hong Sheng De, Jian He Wu
