DrKay
Deadly Tales
Thai BLs are known for their diversity in setting up their stories. We can find almost no two dramas alike. The characterisation is unique to each show as well. Clearly this was sarcasm and anyone who's watched Thai BL shows has already figured it out. We have the few rare exceptions like A Tale of Thousand Stars, but experimenting with the genre of crime thriller in BL, a world that has been predominantly romantic so far, is a new and fresh take that is really unique.
In that sense, MoD has much to offer. Once unraveled, the plot is relatively simple despite how convoluted it initially appears to be. It's this simplicity that's brilliant- the motivations of the characters that caused them to act the way they did, the manipulations, the betrayals, losses and the subtle gore are all well written. At no point of time does the show attempt to gloss over the gruesome parts; it confronts them head on and incorporates them into its core. Much like the Voice series, there is no shying away from the depiction of evil in its barest form. It is a particularly commendable effort.
Contrasting these heavy themes is the sizzling hot romance of Bun and Tan that is excellently brought to life by the insane chemistry of Max and Tul. There is the equally cute side pair of That and Sorn which is just as pleasing to watch, butterflies in stomach included. There is a blink-and-miss moment between a third pair as well towards the end of the series and honestly, I want to see more of them.
To watch MoD, however, we need to set aside certain basic standards of logic and reasoning, in fields of both medicine and law, that we have grown accustomed to. Townspeople don't appear in the show again after that brief stint at the beginning. The hospital neither looks like one nor has any significant number of staff or patients or doctors. Even if I'm not a native of Thai, coming from the medical field, I do have a small amount of medicolegal knowledge that felt challenged at every episode- like how a police personnel is not present during autopsy. The investigation of the murders, or what we should understand as one, feels incomplete and inadequate. It's as if everyone forgot fingerprints or GPS tracking existed. Even the media, when it is called in as a plot device, is hardly more than an announcement heard over mobile phones. There are several other loop holes (the villains failing to catch the leads despite having force at hand) and lose ends (the mysterious second memory card) that remain unexplained.
The problem is, all these avoidable mistakes decrease the credibility of a well written story. It was sometimes quite challenging to sit through the forty minute ordeal. Yet, none of the scenes could reasonably be called fillers. So what was the issue? The poor amalgamation of the various intersecting story lines. Until That and Sorn became involved in the crux of the plot, they were barely just more than extras. Romance runs parallelly and is often abrupt. The car scenes didn't appear to be filmed properly. On the whole, it gives the appearance of a haphazardly patched up cloth of rags that is torn at best and missing at worst. The story frankly deserved better treatment.
Characterisation was not bad but there was an overabundance in some characters and a glaring lack in others. Bun is the multitasker of the show. He is firstly a medical examiner who doubles up as an emergency doctor performing surgeries (without proper equipment) if the need arises. He investigates the case on his own on the side and at home, he is a chef. Tan pales in comparison, having nothing next to a protective instinct towards Bun and a sad past to back him. He could have been a little more twisted for how grey he was. On the other side, the mastermind behind everything is shown to be far more evil than the perps who actually did the deed. They are equally bad and should have been shown as such. Similarly, Inspector M was an interesting character who deserved more depth than he was served.
One of the best things the show gets right is also, ironically, the character dynamics. The single straight relationship in the show is unequal and imbalanced. Por, Pued and Tan and Rung and Jane represent textbook definitions of toxic relationships. They are crafted well and the tension amongst them is brilliantly utilised and portrayed. I'm pretty sure I've never seen a more despicable character than the villain here and that I will continue to despise them even if I re-watch the series later, is a testament to how perfectly sketched they are.
The background score is suitable and the soundtrack is good. Cinematography could have been better, especially of the hospital segments. All actors give decent performances but Max and Tul often appeared somewhat restricted. Bhu, Putter and Great were comparatively free in their expressions. Overall production value seems low but is not as off putting. At 14 episodes, the story felt drawn out, only coming together towards the end, in around 3-4 episodes. I would recommend it solely for its unapologetic portrayal of the Bad but I'm not going to re-watch this show.
Manner of Death deserves every applause for exploring dark themes and is a hit or miss, depending on the audience's taste. If only it was tighter in all the places it is weak!
In that sense, MoD has much to offer. Once unraveled, the plot is relatively simple despite how convoluted it initially appears to be. It's this simplicity that's brilliant- the motivations of the characters that caused them to act the way they did, the manipulations, the betrayals, losses and the subtle gore are all well written. At no point of time does the show attempt to gloss over the gruesome parts; it confronts them head on and incorporates them into its core. Much like the Voice series, there is no shying away from the depiction of evil in its barest form. It is a particularly commendable effort.
Contrasting these heavy themes is the sizzling hot romance of Bun and Tan that is excellently brought to life by the insane chemistry of Max and Tul. There is the equally cute side pair of That and Sorn which is just as pleasing to watch, butterflies in stomach included. There is a blink-and-miss moment between a third pair as well towards the end of the series and honestly, I want to see more of them.
To watch MoD, however, we need to set aside certain basic standards of logic and reasoning, in fields of both medicine and law, that we have grown accustomed to. Townspeople don't appear in the show again after that brief stint at the beginning. The hospital neither looks like one nor has any significant number of staff or patients or doctors. Even if I'm not a native of Thai, coming from the medical field, I do have a small amount of medicolegal knowledge that felt challenged at every episode- like how a police personnel is not present during autopsy. The investigation of the murders, or what we should understand as one, feels incomplete and inadequate. It's as if everyone forgot fingerprints or GPS tracking existed. Even the media, when it is called in as a plot device, is hardly more than an announcement heard over mobile phones. There are several other loop holes (the villains failing to catch the leads despite having force at hand) and lose ends (the mysterious second memory card) that remain unexplained.
The problem is, all these avoidable mistakes decrease the credibility of a well written story. It was sometimes quite challenging to sit through the forty minute ordeal. Yet, none of the scenes could reasonably be called fillers. So what was the issue? The poor amalgamation of the various intersecting story lines. Until That and Sorn became involved in the crux of the plot, they were barely just more than extras. Romance runs parallelly and is often abrupt. The car scenes didn't appear to be filmed properly. On the whole, it gives the appearance of a haphazardly patched up cloth of rags that is torn at best and missing at worst. The story frankly deserved better treatment.
Characterisation was not bad but there was an overabundance in some characters and a glaring lack in others. Bun is the multitasker of the show. He is firstly a medical examiner who doubles up as an emergency doctor performing surgeries (without proper equipment) if the need arises. He investigates the case on his own on the side and at home, he is a chef. Tan pales in comparison, having nothing next to a protective instinct towards Bun and a sad past to back him. He could have been a little more twisted for how grey he was. On the other side, the mastermind behind everything is shown to be far more evil than the perps who actually did the deed. They are equally bad and should have been shown as such. Similarly, Inspector M was an interesting character who deserved more depth than he was served.
One of the best things the show gets right is also, ironically, the character dynamics. The single straight relationship in the show is unequal and imbalanced. Por, Pued and Tan and Rung and Jane represent textbook definitions of toxic relationships. They are crafted well and the tension amongst them is brilliantly utilised and portrayed. I'm pretty sure I've never seen a more despicable character than the villain here and that I will continue to despise them even if I re-watch the series later, is a testament to how perfectly sketched they are.
The background score is suitable and the soundtrack is good. Cinematography could have been better, especially of the hospital segments. All actors give decent performances but Max and Tul often appeared somewhat restricted. Bhu, Putter and Great were comparatively free in their expressions. Overall production value seems low but is not as off putting. At 14 episodes, the story felt drawn out, only coming together towards the end, in around 3-4 episodes. I would recommend it solely for its unapologetic portrayal of the Bad but I'm not going to re-watch this show.
Manner of Death deserves every applause for exploring dark themes and is a hit or miss, depending on the audience's taste. If only it was tighter in all the places it is weak!
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