The Judgement (2018)

This is my third review since I’ve joined this site. I’m still learning English, so I apologize in advance for every grammatical or syntactical error you may find here.
Let’s start with the main topic of this show, around which everything revolves: the rape. This show does not take for granted the fact that everyone knows the meaning of the word and, on the other hand, it offers a comprehensive explanation of it. The characters become more aware of what it means to rape someone as time passes by, letting even the viewers improve their knowledge. But what I enjoyed the most is the choice of pointing out the huge social justice problems that come out when survivors actually try to make their voices heard. The fact that the chances of being actually supported for accusing your rapist are so low is still a major problem of our society.
There are a lot of other things I enjoyed, of course: the gay couple shows us a typical reaction intolerant parents may have about their children’s homosexuality and why it does no good for the boy’s wellbeing, who’ll probably start to keep everything inside and may even decide to blame himself. I also liked the constant reminder that we, as a society, tend to judge without having an overview of the situation, talking at someone’s back instead of arguing with them about that problem.
Almost everything in this show is perfect and I have to admit I’m not able to list every single detail of it as I would like to. In the end, I consider ‘The Judgement’ a really interesting and important television show.

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To put it shortly, I think everyone should see something like that, be it a drama, or a visual warning, whatever, before starting to use social media. The kids, even more, or else, they souldn't be allowed to use it. That is what I really believe.

This series is very hard to watch at times, better be prepared, and like 13 Reasons Why, I know some people would think it is only to shock minds, to horrify, only for the show, but for me it's not, because life is way worse than the worst drama and we are always trying to forget that but we shouldn't. Everyday, people are hurting each over in social medias, in comments, in videos, only for some likes and sometimes, this is too much for someone and one life is brutally ended.

That's why series/movies/books, anything, really, like this one really matter to me. This one is particularly well executed. No black, and white, everything is in grey, it shows people like they truly are, neither good or bad, something in between. Rape is one of the major subjects here, once again perfectly addressed, slutshaming and homophoby too, but for me, it's not the most important here. It is all said in the title, really, the Judgement.

We all are using internet everyday, so I recommend everyone to watch this. Every stupid comment can kill someone, is it really worth it ?

That is for the story. The cast is perfect to me, all good actors and actresses, the music is good too. I love the thai touch, they really have a way to stay true to something, way more than Hollywood, and Korea that tends to sugarcoat. Anyway, for me, it's definitely one of the best shows I have watched.

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The Top 3 Things Needed to Overcome Any Obstacle

If you think this show is about rape, you're wrong. If rape was seen as bad, then why does every perpetrator of rape in the show get away with it? The closest to punishment is Aud, who gets to willingly transfer to an university in another country. He even gets a regular goodbye scene with his basketball mates. Only his servant Uncle Wit is punished for his dedication. If not rape, what is this show about? It's about how being beautiful, straight and rich help you overcome obstacles and people's judgments. Som was beautiful and straight, but she was poor, so she was violently raped, had to endure the cruel judgments of her ignorant parents and ended up working for a man who is paying to possess her in installments by making her his personal secretary. As a poor girl with irresponsible parents, that's all she can hope for. She doesn't overcome so much as learn to endure. Namnhao is beautiful and rich, but he isn't straight, so is he violently raped, had to be subjected to rejection by his own parents and was never able to fall in love, like every other person his age would do. He doesn't overcome, he is too weak because he is gay, and kills himself instead. Then there's Lookaew, who possesses beauty, wealth and heterosexuality in abundance. Everyone wants her or wants to be her. Not even the death of both her parents can stop her from pretending to kill herself to teach all of us lower forms of life a lesson. What is that lesson? That she is better than the rest of us because she has the resources (wealth, beauty, heterosexual privilege) to overcome any obstacle, including being date raped. At one point, Aud asks Pretchpaew why she is helping him. She answers truthfully that Lookaew has enough people looking after her. Why would they? Because she's Lookaew. Not even Archa is rewarded for his steadfast commitment to her. This show isn't about all of us, it's about teaching us that we should leave people like Lookwaew, rich and beautiful and straight, alone because they will overcome in the end anyway. You know who else had all three? Aud. Didn't he overcome too?

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Good story with important issues dealt with sensitively

When I started o this series, I wasn't expecting rape to figure so prominently in the story. The theme can be a little heavy, but, interestingly, it has not been excessively so. Three different main characters experience rape in the series, and their individual experiences are all different.

Lookkaew is raped by a guy she is seeing when she is too drunk to resist. Som, who broadcasts erotic performances live, is raped by someone offering her money purely for a meal. Nhao is raped by two guys he meets at a bar.

The reason rape happens so often in a series with merely thirteen episodes is not directly explained (thankfully), and it's up to us to realize that every victim is different and yet rape is rape and their experiences similar in some ways too. This sounds like a ridiculously obvious thing to say, but perhaps people just do not get it that rape can be a wide-ranging experience but no matter what, it is traumatic. The case of Lookkaew shows us that a person can be raped by a good-looking and attractive guy who does not seek consent. With Som, we see that a woman who is willing to strip on camera for money is not necessarily willing to have sex with someone for money, and boundaries have to be respected regardless of what she is doing. With Nhao, we see how men can also be victims of rape. There is a different point to make for each of the three victims, but they also show how traumatic the experience can be.

The bigger point the series is making, however, that the judgement of others in society is almost like a continued rape for the victims. A revealing photo and video of Lookkaew is leaked, causing people to make derogatory comments about her without knowing that she has been raped. But even after it is made public, people question her intentions and wonder if she is seeking attention. Som refuses to even say that she has been raped, knowing that if she makes the claim, she will be criticized for being stupid enough to walk into a trap. She claims that the sex video of her being gang-raped is merely an act and bears with the judgement (which she has been getting for her erotic broadcasts). Nhao's identity is not revealed publicly, but he is no less traumatized because his parents judge him for being gay--to his father, it obviously matter less that he has been raped than that he is gay and has gone to a gay bar.

Nhao's case is particularly painful because he commits suicide, and though he does not tell anyone why he kills himself, we see flashbacks to all the comments that his parents have made about how being gay is abnormal as he commits suicide. Even if he may be able to eventually cope with having been raped, he is unable to deal with the homophobia of his parents.

It is quite amazing how much the series has managed to do within thirteen episodes. Apart from dealing with rape, misogyny and homophobia, it also comments on how the very institutions that are supposed to stand up for the victims may try to protect their reputations and even punish the victims. And then, even if redress is given, the victims' victimhood may be exploited by others for their own benefits. Lookkaew's school, for example, punishes her with probation and tries to stall the case after she reports having been raped--because the perpetrator, another student, is the son of an influential figure.

The series also deals with the issue of how leaked pictures and videos can be circulated on social media, causing the victims to be further victimized by the judgement of others and be subject to further harassment. And then there is also an exploration of victimhood: it can be a double-edged sword to speak up against one's victimization: it is necessary when one seeks redress, and yet it can also consign one to perpetual victimhood and cause one's identity to be reduced to one's victimization.

A potentially controversial aspect of the series is the portrayal of Lookkaew's rapist, Aud. It is a surprisingly nuanced portrayal. He can be quite an asshole, but he is also young and not brought up to be a responsible person. The series makes it clear that this does not make his actions excusable, and he himself realizes his mistake and decides to confess and face the music. I think the scriptwriters took a risk with this character because the sympathetic portrayal of a perpetrator of rape can be appalling if it is not handled well. It seems to have been worth taking the risk, though, for the character shows how important upbringing and education are when it comes understanding the notion of consent. (One may, of course, still be incredulous that he doesn't realize the gravity of his actions despite being grown up enough to be in the university, but maybe there is something about how easy it is for non-consensual sex to be normalized.)

It is unfortunate that none of the other perpetrators of rape are brought to justice despite their heinous actions. Perhaps that's the reality--a lot of times, the victims are left to suffer and cope while to criminals get away. Nevertheless, Aud seems to get away a little too easily. The university decides to suspend him for what he has done, and he himself feels that the punishment is too light and protests against it by leaving the university. But he is also a wealthy person and he tells his friends about going overseas. While he is genuinely remorseful, his act of raping Lookaew doesn't haunt him the way it continues haunting Lookkaew (as someone starts claiming that she has spoken up about the rape for attention). Because of this, the final episode isn't entirely satisfactory.

Still, the series comes across as a well-meaning and nuanced exploration of important issues like rape and the (lack of?) recourse victims has, It does this while telling a solid story, which is commendable. At first I was wondering if the subplot of Nhao and his boyfriend would merely end up being a barely related side story (as is sometimes the case with Thai series I have watched), but it ends up intersecting with the main plot rather well.

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Really Strong Start, Then Drifted Into Melodramaland, But Overall A Message That Should Be Seen

STORY:
First of all, major props to the writers and director for portraying a form of rape that affects about 15-20% of women yet remains so misconstrued and misunderstood. And they didn’t just address it; they got it right: the sexism, the victim blaming, the perpetrator’s long-lasting refusal to take accountability for his actions, the university’s utter failure to protect its students in favor of saving face and appeasing those in power, and most of all—the judgment. It felt so spot on, and that was infuriating. I was glad, though, that the drama didn’t gloss over this issue, and stayed pretty true to it until the very end. This drama also takes on cyberbullying as a major theme, and I applaud it for spreading much needed awareness about these two very real issues.

However, as the drama wore on, it started to lose the strength that it possessed in the first several episodes as it dove deeper into a melodramatic mess. To begin, there are actually three rapes that occur in this show: the main one, which is a date rape, and two others that embody more traditional understandings of rape (i.e., violent stranger rapes). While I appreciated the juxtaposition of the two very different forms, at a point it just became too much. Certainly things like this happen in real life. But when you shove all of them together in just thirteen episodes (on top of other minor, yet cumulative, heavy topics), the show loses the sense of authenticity it once had and starts to feel a bit like a melodramatic, Degrassi-esque after school special. It felt as though the writers wanted to shove everything they could think of on this topic into the show, and it causes the subsequent events to lose their intended (and needed!) impact. I think with this type of story, less is definitely more, and The Judgement would have been much more powerful had it focused only on the first rape (and possibly the second). The story line with the third rape felt too rushed and didn’t add much to the story beyond shock value. I think it would have been better served in its own drama, to give it the depth and exploration it needed, especially since it concerned unique stigmas that the other two rapes didn’t have.

In addition, the story at times felt predictable, cliché. For example, I knew from the second episode who had leaked the photos and video. And, as mentioned above, there were a lot of little things that on their own weren’t necessarily over the top, but when added all together with everything else going on, it just became a bit superfluous. Again, less is more with this plot, and I wish the writers had toned it down to keep that authentic feel it held in the beginning.

As for the ending, parts of it felt realistic, other parts felt optimistic. But I will say that the very final scene imparted a sense of empowerment that I hope will serve as encouragement and guidance to those who may be in Lookkaew’s position.

ACTORS/CHARACTERS:
The main and supporting cast was fantastic and really played their parts well. I also thought that Lookkaew and Aud were very true to life; their actions seemed authentic to how people actually in those positions might act. Other characters, however, left me torn. On the one hand, many of them felt very stock-like, two dimensional, and stereotypical. As a result, their story lines felt predictable and manufactured. Their actions became expected and I wasn’t surprised by the things they did. That said, I think the strength of this drama lies in the message it sends and the awareness it brings rather than the depth or uniqueness of its characters.

OVERALL:
Parts of this drama were pretty heavy (well, one character's story line in particular) and I don’t think I’ll re-watch it for that reason. However, despite its flaws, I still thought it was a worthwhile watch (though I would not recommend this for a sad or otherwise emotionally heavy day). I’m really glad that light was shed on this issue, even if it was overshadowed at times by melodramatics, and hope to see more series treat serious issues like this in a realistic, non-romanticized way.

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this a good drama, but it could so much better

ok here we have spoilers


this a good Lakorn and it is very explicit all the rape cruelty. and I know the proposal is describe a face of the reality. but it seems so cruel the way the rapist doesn't have any punishment. and he feel free to talk and live together with Lokkaew. this is too much unfair.

I know the real life is like that, but I wanted to see solutions and problems been solved, not that.

another thing that pissed me off was the show's sound design lol It seems silly, but the sounds were not clean and sometimes I was getting distracted for the environments sounds lol

the actings are ok; Aud's actor was the best to me.. Lokkaew's actress had a good performance too. and archa was really Lovely. but the twins actor.... oh boy... lol

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Started with a bang…ended with a whimper

This was an easy watch, I binge watched it on a Friday night after too many energy drinks. The opening scene with the gun got me hooked straightaway and I wanted to consume everything that led up to that moment! And then we finally got to the moment and…it’s a fake gun. This would have been a 9/10 for me if she had died at the end leaving chaos and trauma behind. But it was a fake gun just to teach them all a lesson (that they 100% didn’t learn).
Other things that bothered me was the sheer amount of rape in the show, I said aloud to myself at one point, “is everyone going to get raped?”
The side characters of the twins and Jamie was boring filler, but this is standard stuff for a drama atp.

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A Story About Coming of Age With Too Much Drama in Your Life

"The Judgement" is about the evils of prejudice and competition over cooperation. It's also about money, power, bullying (particularly on social media), political corruption and we get both female and male rape scenes. (It's interesting that there isn't much said about the male rape). The dialogue is well above average and the many sub-plots somehow manage to connect with one another. But the body count in this everyday college melodrama is higher than a police procedural about a serial killer. The cast is quite good. Stand-outs are the dual role played by Mond Tanutchai (Namnhao and Namnuesa). He plays twin brothers so effectively that I didn't realize he was playing both parts until after the drama was over. Peem Jaiyen (Aud) has the most complicated role as sort of an anti-hero. He's young, powerful, with an over-developed sex drive that gets him into trouble. Typically this kind of character is very two dimensional with no redeeming qualities, but Peem lets Aud walk down that thin, grey line that separates loving and hating a character with great skill. Got Liewrakolan isn't given too much to do in his supporting role of Potae but if you've seen him in "The Underwear," you'll be impressed with a very different character here. Too bad he wasn't given the role of Arch (played by Kacha Nontanun) which is so under-played that he seems bored with everything (until the last episode). The final scene is quite powerful with a nice twist ending, but we don't get much more resolution than "life will go on." I think we're being set-up for a sequel, though. We'll see.

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