1
Fondueforkharpoon
On a little rock somewhere, looking at the stars
The bare bones of a good show
There's the foundation of a genuinely good story in here somewhere, but unfortunately you have to dig through a lot of meaningless-at-best, annoying-at-worst filler to get to it.
But let's focus on the positives first. This show genuinely has a lot going for it, the cinematography is good, the pole and aerial silk performances are surprisingly great, and most of the characters are genuinely likeable, realistically flawed human beings.
My personal favourite being Wela, who honestly could have been milestone for the genre on top of being incredibly charming, if only the script had been, well... better.
There are also middle aged lesbians in a thriving relationship as well as polyamory representation which we love to see. Yes, the latter could have been handled a bit more smoothly and I think that plot line would have benefited from more of a romantic buildup between Pan and Ken as well, rather than just between Seji and the other two individually, but all in all it still works surprisingly well and I am hopeful that this casual inclusion will open the door for more series and films to showcase healthy, loving polyamorous relationships.
Finally, and arguably most importantly, the show focuses on sex work and sex worker's daily lives which is an incredibly mis- and under-represented group of people, so I was understandably excited for this story.
Unfortunately, however, this is where the series really crashes and burns.
It does treat its characters with the respect they deserve and even tries to address certain topics like social and systemic discrimination of sex workers, or the fact that sex work is a paying job like any other which pays the bills and puts food on the table (which is quite an important point to highlight seeing as, statistically speaking, quite a high percentage of Thai sex workers actively use their income to support family in their home towns). But any deeper exploration of these topics is hindered by bad writing, a meandering, unfocused plot, and So. Much. Product. Placement.
There is a certain point in the series at which I thought the story was going to address the vicious cycle of repeat criminalization which allows corrupt government forces to profit off the sex work industry endlessly while publicly condemning it, but no. To my great disappointment it's just another opportunity for the almost offensively cartoonish female villain to do her thing.
The series also spends way too much time on people making out with one another and while yes, the portrayals of physical intimacy are very good and yes, I understand this can be a draw for some viewers, these scenes take up vital screen time that could have been much better spent on more important things like fleshing out the plot and weaving more cohesive storylines.
Personally I also really dislike the ending of Wela's character arc, it feels completely contrary to his previous actions and kind of devalues most of the show's core messages.
All in all, this show tries, in its own convoluted way, to offer a nuanced and respectful portrayal of sex work and shine a light on the serious issues facing people working in that industry, and for that it is to be commended.
It does, however, mostly fail to achieve what it sets out to do, making it quite difficult for me to wholeheartedly recommend watching it.
Instead I would recommend doing your own research on the issues of sex work in Thailand and around the world before watching the show and forming your own opinion :)
P.S.:
If you don't know where to start you could, for example, read some articles published by EMPOWER, a Thai sex workers' advocacy group and non-profit, or by the NSWP, a global network of human rights organisations advocating for sex workers worldwide, which offer some highly educational material.
Hell, even just reading through the wikipedia entry on sex work in Thailand can offer some reasonably nuanced insights on the topic.
For any visual learners I recommend watching John Oliver's segment on sex work (it's available on youtube for free) - it does strike a fairly satirical tone and focuses mostly on America and other western countries but a lot of the points made are universally applicable and it covers a lot of ground in a relatively short time span, so I feel it could work well as an introduction to the topic.
But let's focus on the positives first. This show genuinely has a lot going for it, the cinematography is good, the pole and aerial silk performances are surprisingly great, and most of the characters are genuinely likeable, realistically flawed human beings.
My personal favourite being Wela, who honestly could have been milestone for the genre on top of being incredibly charming, if only the script had been, well... better.
There are also middle aged lesbians in a thriving relationship as well as polyamory representation which we love to see. Yes, the latter could have been handled a bit more smoothly and I think that plot line would have benefited from more of a romantic buildup between Pan and Ken as well, rather than just between Seji and the other two individually, but all in all it still works surprisingly well and I am hopeful that this casual inclusion will open the door for more series and films to showcase healthy, loving polyamorous relationships.
Finally, and arguably most importantly, the show focuses on sex work and sex worker's daily lives which is an incredibly mis- and under-represented group of people, so I was understandably excited for this story.
Unfortunately, however, this is where the series really crashes and burns.
It does treat its characters with the respect they deserve and even tries to address certain topics like social and systemic discrimination of sex workers, or the fact that sex work is a paying job like any other which pays the bills and puts food on the table (which is quite an important point to highlight seeing as, statistically speaking, quite a high percentage of Thai sex workers actively use their income to support family in their home towns). But any deeper exploration of these topics is hindered by bad writing, a meandering, unfocused plot, and So. Much. Product. Placement.
There is a certain point in the series at which I thought the story was going to address the vicious cycle of repeat criminalization which allows corrupt government forces to profit off the sex work industry endlessly while publicly condemning it, but no. To my great disappointment it's just another opportunity for the almost offensively cartoonish female villain to do her thing.
The series also spends way too much time on people making out with one another and while yes, the portrayals of physical intimacy are very good and yes, I understand this can be a draw for some viewers, these scenes take up vital screen time that could have been much better spent on more important things like fleshing out the plot and weaving more cohesive storylines.
Personally I also really dislike the ending of Wela's character arc, it feels completely contrary to his previous actions and kind of devalues most of the show's core messages.
All in all, this show tries, in its own convoluted way, to offer a nuanced and respectful portrayal of sex work and shine a light on the serious issues facing people working in that industry, and for that it is to be commended.
It does, however, mostly fail to achieve what it sets out to do, making it quite difficult for me to wholeheartedly recommend watching it.
Instead I would recommend doing your own research on the issues of sex work in Thailand and around the world before watching the show and forming your own opinion :)
P.S.:
If you don't know where to start you could, for example, read some articles published by EMPOWER, a Thai sex workers' advocacy group and non-profit, or by the NSWP, a global network of human rights organisations advocating for sex workers worldwide, which offer some highly educational material.
Hell, even just reading through the wikipedia entry on sex work in Thailand can offer some reasonably nuanced insights on the topic.
For any visual learners I recommend watching John Oliver's segment on sex work (it's available on youtube for free) - it does strike a fairly satirical tone and focuses mostly on America and other western countries but a lot of the points made are universally applicable and it covers a lot of ground in a relatively short time span, so I feel it could work well as an introduction to the topic.
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