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This review may contain spoilers
I understand the hype
Tbh, had this show not turned up on Netflix, I probably wouldn't have watched it.
When the show 1st aired and the people were talking about it, I chalked up the conversations and excitement to fandom hype. I thought the people were lying because
a. I had tried watching Pit Babe before. A show that till date, somehow trickles its edits to my Twitter algorithm, and let's just say that it wasn't a good base to start from.
b. The show was unfortunately airing alongside another drama that I was watching/preoccupied with. One with a huge ship fandom who kept hyping and praising the drama when in truth, -and my opinion is truth in this case-, had a really bad plot and very mediocre acting.
Because of this, I unfortunately judged too soon, and perhaps too harshly, and chose not to watch it.
But then, I finished rewatching 'Khemjira' on Netflix and watched both seasons of 'The Believers' on the same platform. That sent me down a mini spiral where I wanted to explore more thrilling Thai stories based on religion. Thus, I gave this a chance. I am very glad that I did
What I Liked
1. The horror aspect - They said it was scary and meant it. Don't tell anyone, but I watched all the episodes during the day😅.
2. Religion/Folk Tradition/Occultism - I've recently learned that I find other religions fascinating. Not in a 'dig up the tombs in Egypt' type of fascination, but something more along the lines of 'what do they do in this religion, folk tradition, mythic, etc., that's different from what I know or have been exposed to in my religion and culture?
I know what Christianity says, I know Catholicism, and I know things from my culture's traditional beliefs. But how about Buddhism? Taoism? Hinduism? Korean shamanic practices? Chinese mythology? etc. I wanna know. And shows like this one give me a glimpse into it all. It's all so interesting. Scary, as all religions lowkey are, but oh so interesting.
3. Production Quality - *A hand of applause for everyone involved in the absolute masterpiece that was the cinematography*
4. Chemistry - So, when this aired, I saw on my feed fans complaining about how little NC was in this show. Especially considering the previous two BLs that this ship had been in. From those comments, I thought that that'd be to the detriment of the drama, but... I actually liked it. I feel like the fade-to-black scenes allowed them to build and show the sexual tension in this couple beautifully. I would like to highlight Pavel, especially in this one. He knows how to portray desire in his eyes really well.
PS. I am officially a fan of the Muscular Uke Association ( I always was, actually). Pavel and Poom (My Stand In & Love of Silom), for the win. Somebody direct me to more muscular Ukes. Actually, you know what, give me all the ships that go against the standard we are used to. Muscular ukes, shorter tops, age gaps with older ukes, etc. Give them all to me
What Could've Been Better/I Didn't Enjoy
1. All the doubts surrounding the occult angle of the murders - I made sense for Singha and Sey (they are the biggest culprits) to be doubtful of the ghosts in the beginning. I'd be doubtful too. However, after multiple episodes and run-ins with things they could not explain or see, straight-up evidence that there was something otherworldly connected to this case, their doubts felt annoying and frustrating. Especially with Sey constantly basically gaslighting Darin that he was imagining being haunted.
2. The plot from ep 9 - Things started getting shaky, and logic started leaving the building the minute Darin goes to pray in the very house that their team was investigating. With so many temples in Thailand, why choose the one place that's directly connected to an ongoing murder?
Why did the team members suddenly start doing things without informing at least one other person? Why go out by themselves? Why separate when tailing a suspect in abandoned areas? So many decisions did not make logical sense as we started heading to the climax of this story, which was more than a little disappointing.
The plot also felt slower from ep 11. The pacing till ep 10 had been fine, but something fell off after that.
3. King's characterization - It was so very inconsistent that I could not understand who he was supposed to be. A corrupt cop like his dad? An arrogant ex partner come to steal glory once more from the people he fucked over before? A jilted lover who wanted his ex back and was willing to do anything to get him back (even fram current ex's lover over trumped-up drug charges)? A good cop with an overbearing butthole of a dad? A misunderstood good guy? A combination of all? The man had so many switches in personality and end goals that I got whiplash.
4. Some of the acting could be better, especially in the more emotionally intense scenes.
Conclusion: While the show isn't perfect, it is far better than some of what we are exposed to out here. The romance, while not the focal point of the show, is very sweet. The show shines in its production quality, pacing in the 1st 8-10 episodes, and portrayal of the horror of occult practices.
When the show 1st aired and the people were talking about it, I chalked up the conversations and excitement to fandom hype. I thought the people were lying because
a. I had tried watching Pit Babe before. A show that till date, somehow trickles its edits to my Twitter algorithm, and let's just say that it wasn't a good base to start from.
b. The show was unfortunately airing alongside another drama that I was watching/preoccupied with. One with a huge ship fandom who kept hyping and praising the drama when in truth, -and my opinion is truth in this case-, had a really bad plot and very mediocre acting.
Because of this, I unfortunately judged too soon, and perhaps too harshly, and chose not to watch it.
But then, I finished rewatching 'Khemjira' on Netflix and watched both seasons of 'The Believers' on the same platform. That sent me down a mini spiral where I wanted to explore more thrilling Thai stories based on religion. Thus, I gave this a chance. I am very glad that I did
What I Liked
1. The horror aspect - They said it was scary and meant it. Don't tell anyone, but I watched all the episodes during the day😅.
2. Religion/Folk Tradition/Occultism - I've recently learned that I find other religions fascinating. Not in a 'dig up the tombs in Egypt' type of fascination, but something more along the lines of 'what do they do in this religion, folk tradition, mythic, etc., that's different from what I know or have been exposed to in my religion and culture?
I know what Christianity says, I know Catholicism, and I know things from my culture's traditional beliefs. But how about Buddhism? Taoism? Hinduism? Korean shamanic practices? Chinese mythology? etc. I wanna know. And shows like this one give me a glimpse into it all. It's all so interesting. Scary, as all religions lowkey are, but oh so interesting.
3. Production Quality - *A hand of applause for everyone involved in the absolute masterpiece that was the cinematography*
4. Chemistry - So, when this aired, I saw on my feed fans complaining about how little NC was in this show. Especially considering the previous two BLs that this ship had been in. From those comments, I thought that that'd be to the detriment of the drama, but... I actually liked it. I feel like the fade-to-black scenes allowed them to build and show the sexual tension in this couple beautifully. I would like to highlight Pavel, especially in this one. He knows how to portray desire in his eyes really well.
PS. I am officially a fan of the Muscular Uke Association ( I always was, actually). Pavel and Poom (My Stand In & Love of Silom), for the win. Somebody direct me to more muscular Ukes. Actually, you know what, give me all the ships that go against the standard we are used to. Muscular ukes, shorter tops, age gaps with older ukes, etc. Give them all to me
What Could've Been Better/I Didn't Enjoy
1. All the doubts surrounding the occult angle of the murders - I made sense for Singha and Sey (they are the biggest culprits) to be doubtful of the ghosts in the beginning. I'd be doubtful too. However, after multiple episodes and run-ins with things they could not explain or see, straight-up evidence that there was something otherworldly connected to this case, their doubts felt annoying and frustrating. Especially with Sey constantly basically gaslighting Darin that he was imagining being haunted.
2. The plot from ep 9 - Things started getting shaky, and logic started leaving the building the minute Darin goes to pray in the very house that their team was investigating. With so many temples in Thailand, why choose the one place that's directly connected to an ongoing murder?
Why did the team members suddenly start doing things without informing at least one other person? Why go out by themselves? Why separate when tailing a suspect in abandoned areas? So many decisions did not make logical sense as we started heading to the climax of this story, which was more than a little disappointing.
The plot also felt slower from ep 11. The pacing till ep 10 had been fine, but something fell off after that.
3. King's characterization - It was so very inconsistent that I could not understand who he was supposed to be. A corrupt cop like his dad? An arrogant ex partner come to steal glory once more from the people he fucked over before? A jilted lover who wanted his ex back and was willing to do anything to get him back (even fram current ex's lover over trumped-up drug charges)? A good cop with an overbearing butthole of a dad? A misunderstood good guy? A combination of all? The man had so many switches in personality and end goals that I got whiplash.
4. Some of the acting could be better, especially in the more emotionally intense scenes.
Conclusion: While the show isn't perfect, it is far better than some of what we are exposed to out here. The romance, while not the focal point of the show, is very sweet. The show shines in its production quality, pacing in the 1st 8-10 episodes, and portrayal of the horror of occult practices.
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