This review may contain spoilers
Lost and White Christmas had a gay baby named The Stranded
I usually review underlying social commentary and filming/directing techniques so my reviews mention other shows and lots of excitement about camera placement and editing.Let's get it/
Season 1 of The Stranded aired worldwide in its entirety on Netflix on 15 Nov 2019 with 7 x 50 min episodes. It reminds you of Lost, White Christmas and Lord of the Flies all at once while still being fairly unique in this genre.
Lost is an American television show that aired 2004 - 2010 about survivors of a plane crash on a deserted island dealing with the Lord of the Flies narrative on top of everything getting weirder and weirder. Due to the time and place Lost as a series was coming from, the patriarchy in it makes the show almost unwatchable for me. So my first title for this was "Lost with less Patriarchy."
You can't help but be reminded of Lost when you watch The Stranded. You have an almost identical and equally pivotal scene of the main character waking up on the ground in the jungle at one point. You have the unwordly creepiness that can't be explained and the mysterious suspense wrapped around everything.
I'm not sure how much influence Netflix had over this series. The lack of product placement throughout was almost jarring to someone who has only seen Thai webseries before. The 24 frames per second vibe and scene changes dramatically split with relevant intriguing backstories were reminiscent of so many Western shows in this genre. Idk, it's so interesting to me, the points where Sukdapisit derailed from that. That's what I was looking for, broken tropes and throwbacks that have nothing to do with Western media.
During The Stranded I also found myself reminded of White Christmas, a short Korean series from 2011 about a group of students trapped at their elite school in the mountains in an avalanche over Christmas break.
There's nothing supernatural about White Christmas, it's purely psychological. The Stranded has a psychological vibe that runs deeper than the character relationships in Lost. The repeated filming of hot shirtless guys and lonely girls with fucked up pasts also were very White Christmas-like.
There's something that The Stranded, White Christmas & Lord of the Flies have that Lost could never. The way the characters react to being trapped on their own with no help changes whether you're writing adults or children into such roles. The internal war between despair, communism*, escapism and hope gets completely skewed and more so than when writing adult characters.
*communism in the desire to successfully work together. Quote from The Stranded; "We must cooperate. Work together and trust each other. That's how we survive."
A lot of these stories show how this kind of purely conceived idealism breaks down against the desperation to survive.
I can't leave out Krit & Jack in social commentary. I didn't want them to be token innocent queers in the background. Props to show how normal gays are to hets. So from a social standpoint, I'm grateful they were sexually active, depressing, and dangerously in love. They're not there to promote a harmless depiction of teenage boyfriends. They add to the whole way the situation of being stranded can carve out human ugliness on all sides.
In the West our need to strictly label genders and sexualities puts me in a difficult spot to describe what "girls" refers to in Thai media. But you will see it here. We're used to it more than the average American clicking on a foreign show on Netflix. The male characters who are there doing "girls" chores. I love that they're not trying to pass and that they don't even have to explain their existence. I love that they are just socially accepted from the beginning without it becoming a plot point. I love that you see the Thai thing where it's less about fighting to be trans than being trans and fighting for your personal gender's rights irrespective of their bodies' anatomies. But I still hate that these characters are minor and still mainly used to inject humor by their default flamboyance. I also wish there would be at least one transboy or nb person at some point in whatever I watch.
The setting from The Stranded creates the uniqueness and non-Western cultural framework that makes it special. The setting is more intense and beautiful than most things you will see in film. The ratio of camera time given to nature over characters is noticeably greater than many films set in remote locations. The intro's lens filter over the drone filming of the forests and beaches is so simple and so effective. You know you're looking at something that is ultimately skewed and that's thematically really important to remember from the beginning until the last scene.
The intro and the show itself have music that is arguably way cooler than what we usually see in foreign media. Passively, it's youthful and non-commercial. When it's used climatically it's a bit intense in a cliche way that I wish would just die in this genre.
Scene cuts come abruptly at times to weave together similar dramatic events been different characters. These types of situations make me so grateful to the writers for their timing of revelations and events.
The actors are all so so good. You never think they're faking anything and you become immersed in each of their fucked up lives. You want to see some of them rise up and some of them fall down where they belong but you're at the mercy of the story. To compliment both the writing and the actors, nothing feels forced out of character and so many points of interest are created between these characters in this story.
I really want to see everyone's theories on what's going on in the story. At first I thought ok, they're all dead and they don't know it. Now I don't know what to think but with what's happened, I just want Mark to come back so much<333
Thank u for reading x
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I even liked lead kraam n may has individual but I don't feel love chemistry between them. Anan played actor is ok some scenes he played well Specially when he knows about may cheating on him , I
liked arisa n nham acting (actress is very pretty) i loved how they all are fighting own fears or guilt , those two funny boys and jack n Ying played good couple you can feel jack guilt destroying him.But that LGBT couple steals the show for me even with so small space they did wonderful job you can feel love they share , happiness. , Support and pain they have to leave each other, when Krit was giving pills the emotions he gave you can say it was killing him .. and jack played so good with that painful scene that circle on hand.. wish they were given proper space. I also feel their decisions brought turning point to show and effect all other character , Jan played wonderful display of emotions but her character suddenly turned vengeful. I understand she loved her brother and did not even get to say him good bye . But I have feeling she is not only angry for it but has personal grudge against Krit. I was shooked with krit scenes like how he has this pressure and didnot know what to do , I will say that actor made smoking look hot ???? and how he flinches and avoiding talk related jack because of guilt ,
water scenes by kraam where awesome.. professor Lin really scared me most .. overall nice.. I hope they will continue with same characters
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Lots of mystery, suspense, and great acting! Waiting for the second season
Particularly, I am not used to watch mystery and suspense movies and series, but I confess that I decided to watch this series because it has some actors that I like a lot.At first, I thought I would not like it, but the acting of each one of the characters is so good that it caught me in the story and aroused my curiosity. And of course, each character has their own particular issue, which makes it even more interesting.
Watching this series, I felt all kinds of emotions possible.
Each character aroused a different feeling in me. I felt a lot of anger in several moments with the character Anan, who always likes to keep control over everything and everyone, and give orders, without taking into consideration the opinion and feelings of others, regardless of whether they are colleagues or girlfriends. The moments that touch me the most are the scenes with Krit, Jack and his sister Jan, they were amazing in every scene and have a lot of chemistry, it's really involving, I cried a lot! And also, I felt very tense in several other scenes with other actors.
There are many moments and situations that leave us confused, but, considering that it is a series of mystery and suspense, it is normal, right? And also, we have an open ending, which leaves us with a lot of expectation for a second season.
I hope that in the future there will be a second season with all the same cast, and I wish a different ending for Krit and Jack.
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This review may contain spoilers
What can I say I'm a huge Perth fan so when I heard he was going to be in this show I ran to watch it. I overall enjoyed the show, but I have to say at the end of episode 7 I was left with a dazed and confused feeling. I can't lie I really don't understand what's happening lol. It's a hard line to toe in supernatural type TV shows of keeping the audience roped into the plot without giving away too much and simultaneously not confusing tf out of people. I never watched Lost, but I know the premise and I can see how parallels would be drawn. This show is reminiscent of a few other Netflix shows of this variety OA and The Dome (not a Netflix original). I enjoyed the cinematography and production. I love Thai dramas, that may be in part because I feel like they're the underdog in the realm of Asian dramas, so I love to see them get bigger budgets (apparent by the lack of ad placement, but yea this IS Netflix we're talking about).
I have already mentioned that I love Perth(Krit) and it's so nice to see him all grown up after LBC (wow the glasses, drooling). I was also happy to see another LBC vet Mark(Jack) get a better storyline (ironic I know considering his fate) after the TRASH character he was in LBC (not his fault). I think Krit and Jack made a cute couple and what a real dilemma to put them in that few people talk about. The actor who plays Long in TharnType said (after he received a lot of hate for his role) that he's happy people are angry because that means he did his job well in portraying that character. Maybe I should feel the same way about March(Anan) I just knew his character was going to be a problem and I thoroughly dislike him. However, I also disliked him in Kiss Me Again so I'm still on the fence about him as an actor. Why have I only seen Pam(Jan) in these psychotic roles? She's doing a good job I just want more diversity for her. Really there's no bad acting going on in this show. I very much enjoyed all the actors in their roles and their contributions to the plot.
I really hope they'll get a season 2 (please bring Mark back lol) because yea I am really confused and I need some clarity.
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This was not the case with The Stranded. I was hooked the moment I saw the trailer and counted down the days it launched on Netflix. The acting is superb, no overacting, no cringe factor. Papangkorn, as Kraam is an amazing first lead. Chayanit as May is charming in her role as a medic. I love how real she is when tough scenarios come about. March Chutavuth as Anan was great he seriously made me hate him... I also loved seeing
Perth and even James, Tor and Ice Paris in guest roles!
The story was believable even with the sci-fi elements. It really touched on some truths, on what would happen if a group was stranded. I cannot wait for the second season.
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Almost there!
Almost There!!! That's just about sums up the show for me. You see something great or something terrible or something terrifying or something that will blow your mind.. almost. But it just falls short of reaching there. Maybe that's because this show ends up as a prequel of actual story that is yet to be told. I i hope to hell that story actually gets told for it looks and sounds amazing if this show is anything to go by.So a bunch of students are stranded in the island and their lives and all the ugliness that accompanies it and all the awesomeness that shall come forth forms the base of the story. Characters especially supporting ones are very interesting. Standout characters are Arisa and Nahm for they are the only two characters who sense the strangeness of the situation and actively seek the answers. Lead characters especially Kraam lets the situation drags them along. Kraam despite being the centre to all that is happening in the island and literally the central character to the story is just.. passive. The side and supporting characters pull their weights to solve the mysteries. Which doesn't really get solved by the way just gets more weirder and gets you all curious and curiouser.
Here is hoping to season 2 to give us Kraam as the hero that he is meant to be.
Rest all the characters are interesting and engaging in varying degrees. Some evoke disgust; some interest and some tons of liking.
And then there is PerthMark. Individually both are terrific actors. Together they looked great. Their story was haunting. But and this is a big but... Their story didn't really blend into the stranded world. Nat and Gun .. the side characters having their own story would have created more impact and added value to the story than KritJack who can be erased from the story without any dent in flow at all. Having them in the show is like serving wine in beer fest. As a standalone story great but feels like shoehorned into the stranded world.
High production value being Netflix. Cinematography is stunning. And the note where the story pauses is a knock out punch. It is sheer cruelty to have a season culture for shows and stories like this Netflix.
So here is to hoping for a season 2 which will get us from 'Almost there' to ' Yeah! here we are!' stage coz this story truly has that potential to be awesomeness.
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This review may contain spoilers
Keeps you on the edge
Most commendable thing about this series isCinematography. Frame after frame is shot to perfection. That is a given, Coz it has a huge production.
One thing that i am really disappointed in is the ending, it just keeps a lot of loose and is dissatisfactory, you may feel that "it keeps you wanting for more" but they just could have answered bare minimum no. Of questions thay raised, atleast.
The story is mind numbing. You can never guess what is going to happen next. We have watched lost with this kind of sci fi take but trust me.. this is something else. I literally couldn't watch the series while lying down. Every twist made be jump up.
The acting is bloody great. The characters that you are supposed to love will make u love them, the characters that you are supposed to hate you will hate them to hell. Every emotion is well depicted fabulously. Specially, kraam , the lead role.. damn..
I started watching this drama without any research just for Perth and Mark and damnn.. i am glad i did(heh! I was so impressed with first 10 mins into the series that i had to do my research) . Jack and krit's story brought about the crucial events of the series but from my point of view, they could have harnessed more of the chemistry(hardcore perth fan speaking ;D)
Overall, you won't regret watching the series. I suggest you to give it a go.
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This review may contain spoilers
Incredibly impressive production-wise, the netflix money came through. There were also some legitimately beautiful shots and the setting and music were all really well done. I loved the cast and characters and I was really hopeful about this series for the first half but even though overall I enjoyed it, it definitely has a fair share of problems. There's a bunch of eerie things that happen on this island but in the end most of them seem absolutely irrelevant or only existed for an episode-long subplot or just to make the atmosphere eerie. As a mystery this is pretty badly written and I can't imagine the ending would be satisfying to anyone.
That said I really did like the cast overall (Ying! Arisa! May! were all great!! Kram was endearing!) and it had some genuinely good moments. Didn't live up to anything it built though.
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I have one question (okay, it isn't just one)
So, wow. That was so ? yeah. I've never watched this kind of series. Like actors were good, storyline was good and the series was good. I felt like my heart is going to jump out of my chest like every minute. I cried and laugh but mostly I was just scared what will happen to next. This gave little bit Manner of Death vibes AND YYY the Series vibes. So is it good or not? ? Well, so mostly it was very good and seemed like well scripted series but there were also moments when I just thought what the heck is going on... It was Iittle confused but I made it. It was very good series, I recommend strongly. Personally I liked more for example Manner of Death but they are little bit in different genres.I loved the acting, everything felt so real and I didn't have any awkward moment with the scenes because of little bit off acting. And gosh, how good my little Perth looked there (surely he wasn't the only reason why I watched it... ;))
Nothing bad to say, good series. (Okay, but I can say that the storyline was a few times (very little times) little bit messed up but not too bad. And the end left almost everything open sooo...) If we don't get the second season, I will eat my hairs :))
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Similar but different
The Stranded is probably by far the best Thai series centered around teens that I have watched. The show has many aspects that are clearly rooted from the US TV show LOST and from the book Lord of The Flies.There may be similarities, but you can feel that The Stranded has its own identity and never struggled to show it throughout the entirety of the series. Gay relationship is almost trivial and not a biggie. The director also managed to focus on the deeper bond and what makes Krit/Jack tick instead of them being just a horny gay couple.
The director effectively used plot devices like "flashback" and "hallucinations" to tell the character's past. I like how at some point I was hating on Ice but then during his fake exorcism, I found myself reaching for the paper napkins to clear some dirt on my eyes.
The incidental music used is similar to LOST wherein the objects are the ones creating the ambient music and this makes each scene even more eerie and mysterious.
One of the reason I've watched this show is because of Perth Tanapon and Mark Siwat. I know that their management is making "them" happen. As a Perth fan, I'd rather see him with Saint but of course its their management decision that will prevail. I just hope that they will reconsider.
I would highly recommend The Stranded to sci-fi/thriller/mystery fans! I can't wait for season 2!
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