The Office Games (2023)

Intriguing and suspenful business drama

Not a fan of the business genre, I looked forward to this drama every week when it was aired. Not boring or draggy, the drama is intriguing and suspenseful enough as the main and supporting characters must survive office politics by any means. Amid work pressure, teamwork, friendship, family bonds, and slight romance.

STORY (according to IMDB)
Alice and Mes, driven by ideals of a stable career path, face life challenges. They must survive the treacherous world of financial sales, cutthroat office politics, and corruption. United, they aims for success amid adversity.

Subplots: Besides the business plot, we also delve into the private life of some characters, notably Alice's relationship with her sickly mom and her good-for-nothing brother, Mes' relationship with his career-oriented girlfriend, and Non's single parenting of a teenage daughter. There are also other subplots I won't spoil you as they are closely connected to the main plot.

If you want to know about the ending, I posted in the end of the review (below the OST)

CHARACTER AND ACTING
The main plot revolves around the protagonist Alice (Mint Chalida Vijitvongthong) who is a new worker at Infinity Wealth Center, a mutual fund company. Shouldering the financial burden as the only breadwinner of her family, she aims to reach the highest sales for a good bonus. Holding a degree in Business Administration, I think Mint Chalida did a good job as Alice who initially is ambitious, arrogant, and work-oriented. Alice goes through character development to become more compassionate, humble, and people-oriented.

Mes (Nonkul Chanon Santinatornkul) is also a new worker at Infinity Wealth Center. Unlike Alice, he comes from a wealthy background and is a civil engineer. There was a legal allegation on a collapsed building he designed, so he had to leave the construction job. With a connection help, Mes landed a job at the same place. Mes and Alice's office relationship started on the wrong foot. Together with the other members of the sales team, the two become good colleagues, best friends, and later lovers. The romance blooms naturally, it is light and slow burn.

Besides the main protagonists, we also have colleagues, sales team leaders, the big boss, and family members of some characters. Because the focus is business politics, in the beginning, I suspected everyone could be the bad guy(s), so I won't introduce you to any of them or I may spoil you.

PRODUCTION
I need to note that this drama is produced by BEC Studio, a subsidiary of BEC World Public Company Limited, with its purpose also "to upgrade Thai Contents to be able to proudly go globally." So, watching this drama doesn't feel like watching classic lakorn. Besides airing on BEC's flagship media Channel 3, the drama also aired in Prime Thailand with English sub, with timely and proper translation. I also want to commend that although there is a group of screenwriters, the main plot is not draggy and the subplots are not all over the place and serve the main plot.

VISUAL
Nothing special, because of the office setting. But I'm surprised there is no character with excessive makeup or over-the-top costumes that are common in classic lakorn. Everyone is dressed in business attire or regular streetwear.

OST
As usual Thai dramas don't have many OST. The opening theme is an upbeat instrumental. The closing theme is "Cry Baby" by Khanom Jeen Kulmat. The song fits with the emotional state during the difficult situations the characters face. Read the chorus lyrics:

"Are you tired? I often ask myself.
Is there anyone who can let me lean? To sleep in on weak days, Cry baby."

ENDING (scroll below)





Happy ending. The good guys get rewarded and the bad guys are in jail. Alice is promoted to deputy sales director. Mes works as an engineer again. They're together.

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