This review may contain spoilers
Give it a Shot At Least Once
I'm trying not to nitpick but focus on the plot and characters. I recommend giving this one a go at least once. There were several things that stood out and was just a breath of fresh air. It's not super heavy on the romance but it is well balanced with the action, as in the action doesn't drown out the romance.
Pro: I liked the chemistry between the leads and their love story (I am a fan of Vill). It didn't feel rush and overcomplicated with misunderstandings that dragged on. There was no overbearing love triangle that took over. Rawee has got to be one of the better male characters in lakorns - I just like how he wasn't abusive and toxic towards the women and call it "love." It was refreshing when Rawee apologized to Phetphring and took accountability for not being a proper husband and partner to her. Each supporting couples were just as cute. The mom was my #1 favorite female character. She proved why she was the Lady and rightfully so. She stuck with her intuition and taking down Kom was pretty epic after all the frustrating fight scenes in the last episode. At the same time you saw her tenderness and grace when it was needed.
I also like that Suea Mai stuck to his principles and you can see him be reasonable, especially with Chit. His outcry in EP 20 for Tew was one of the better moments and acting in the last episode. Tew was just out for blood for no real reason when he was the bad guy all along. I couldn't even really feel sorry for him. I think Tew is the #1 villain in this lakorn vs Mai. We're not supposed to side with Mai because he is a bandit but at the same time I couldn't help but respect him in some ways.
Phetphring was also hard to hate. I appreciate they didn't go all crazy and villainess with her like in a lot of slap kiss. Her acting was amazing when she was putting on the red lipstick. For me, it symbolized her breaking point and mental health more than her becoming evil. I don't think Phetphring was truly evil but just wanted to be loved, valued, and appreciated and it drove her mad. She didn't have a dad, her mom was not the greatest in conveying love and being gentle with her, and she served the MIL and Rawee without being noticed the way Lukjan was. It doesn't excuse what she did but she had her redemption arc and we got to see her soft and sweet side come back. She was punished enough for her actions and understood part of her loss was due to her decisions.
Overall, I would say the actors and actresses did really well in their roles. I like the loyalty between the friends and even Saen when Rawee gave him another chance to start over.
Con: I can't decide if 20 episodes was too long or some of the episodes/plots dragged on or were fillers. It felt well paced but there were times I either wanted it to slow down or pick up. It took too long for them to figure out who was behind Rawee's attempted murder. They gave Tew/Mesa too much benefit of the doubt when he really hasn't done much to prove he was trustworthy. The mom was the only one who truly did not trust Mesa due to how he handled the investigation and conduct himself in front of her, which did suggest ulterior motives and made him suspicious. For example, Mesa just happens to be able to infiltrate Suea Mai's hidden place and walk right in was overlook. I also got tired of all the bad guys being caught and then escaping; it was repetitive, took up screen time, and unrealistic at that point. I wished that screen time was devoted to the leads' romance and life at Rawee's home - I did feel that part was rushed. I wished Lukjan would've taken up something now that she is free or reconnect with something she liked prior to being held hostage; for example, go to a proper school and become a nurse. Her character fell flat there. Although Lukjan was smart and witty in her own ways, the things she figured out on her own should've been shared with Rawee, as it concerned him (like seeing Mesa with Phetphring and suspecting they were lovers).
I do have a bone to pick with the last episode. EP 19 took me 3x to sit through and finish and then 20 got worse - the engagement just went down drastically. About 75% of EP 20 was senseless fighting and shooting, and I was fighting to not give up. The action and pace that was established from the beginning to when Rawee was Tawan in Mai's village was just ruined by the last few episodes, especially 20. There was no point in teaching the females how to shoot and defend themselves when they missed most of the time and was not given a gun to carry. Ngamta also had a gun next to her and didn't use it but instead gave Kom the password and tried to negotiate with him.
Neutral: The music, outfits, fighting, pace, and sceneries were all neutral to me. I don't hate it but it also didn't leave an impression. It just was what it was. Phetphring and the mom's outfits were some of my favorites and made them elegant.
What I would've liked to see happen: I had a feeling the real Tawan was going to be revealed near the end and knew it was him the moment he entered the screen. However, I wished we would have seen more of him in a way that tied to the overall story or common enemy like Kom (who later partnered up with Tew and Mai). There wasn't any substance to him and he was introduced too late, so he felt like an after thought. The opium plot was more of a filler and truly was not memorable and was unnecessary. The real Tawan was such a mystery and built up to be a badass and untouchable bandit that people feared and that just didn't really come through. I felt like Rawee lived up to it more.
I would have liked to see Lukjan shoot Tew and knock him over the stairs lol or even Phetphring - I think that would have served justice and come full circle. Tew hurt and betrayed Lukjan more than anything. His attempt to kill Rawee wasn't as personal as it was with what he did to Lukjan. I think Tew got out of it too easily for everything he did. To the very end, he thought he was wronged.
I would've loved to see Phetphring coming home at the end with her new husband and child too. Again, too much of EP 20 was just filled with nonsense fighting at the bank and we didn't need all those flashbacks. I think it needed to only take up about half and the remaining half should've tied up the characters' stories and any loose end. I would've liked to see a wedding or something. If you have watched a lot of lakorns like I have, you'll know how they usually end. Sadly, this one became one of those cliche "just end it fast with main couple in a happily ever after scene that lasts 5 seconds." I feel like the last episode in a lot of lakorns tend to be very weak and ruins the whole storyline - like there's no real satisfaction and we just have to accept the ending.
Pro: I liked the chemistry between the leads and their love story (I am a fan of Vill). It didn't feel rush and overcomplicated with misunderstandings that dragged on. There was no overbearing love triangle that took over. Rawee has got to be one of the better male characters in lakorns - I just like how he wasn't abusive and toxic towards the women and call it "love." It was refreshing when Rawee apologized to Phetphring and took accountability for not being a proper husband and partner to her. Each supporting couples were just as cute. The mom was my #1 favorite female character. She proved why she was the Lady and rightfully so. She stuck with her intuition and taking down Kom was pretty epic after all the frustrating fight scenes in the last episode. At the same time you saw her tenderness and grace when it was needed.
I also like that Suea Mai stuck to his principles and you can see him be reasonable, especially with Chit. His outcry in EP 20 for Tew was one of the better moments and acting in the last episode. Tew was just out for blood for no real reason when he was the bad guy all along. I couldn't even really feel sorry for him. I think Tew is the #1 villain in this lakorn vs Mai. We're not supposed to side with Mai because he is a bandit but at the same time I couldn't help but respect him in some ways.
Phetphring was also hard to hate. I appreciate they didn't go all crazy and villainess with her like in a lot of slap kiss. Her acting was amazing when she was putting on the red lipstick. For me, it symbolized her breaking point and mental health more than her becoming evil. I don't think Phetphring was truly evil but just wanted to be loved, valued, and appreciated and it drove her mad. She didn't have a dad, her mom was not the greatest in conveying love and being gentle with her, and she served the MIL and Rawee without being noticed the way Lukjan was. It doesn't excuse what she did but she had her redemption arc and we got to see her soft and sweet side come back. She was punished enough for her actions and understood part of her loss was due to her decisions.
Overall, I would say the actors and actresses did really well in their roles. I like the loyalty between the friends and even Saen when Rawee gave him another chance to start over.
Con: I can't decide if 20 episodes was too long or some of the episodes/plots dragged on or were fillers. It felt well paced but there were times I either wanted it to slow down or pick up. It took too long for them to figure out who was behind Rawee's attempted murder. They gave Tew/Mesa too much benefit of the doubt when he really hasn't done much to prove he was trustworthy. The mom was the only one who truly did not trust Mesa due to how he handled the investigation and conduct himself in front of her, which did suggest ulterior motives and made him suspicious. For example, Mesa just happens to be able to infiltrate Suea Mai's hidden place and walk right in was overlook. I also got tired of all the bad guys being caught and then escaping; it was repetitive, took up screen time, and unrealistic at that point. I wished that screen time was devoted to the leads' romance and life at Rawee's home - I did feel that part was rushed. I wished Lukjan would've taken up something now that she is free or reconnect with something she liked prior to being held hostage; for example, go to a proper school and become a nurse. Her character fell flat there. Although Lukjan was smart and witty in her own ways, the things she figured out on her own should've been shared with Rawee, as it concerned him (like seeing Mesa with Phetphring and suspecting they were lovers).
I do have a bone to pick with the last episode. EP 19 took me 3x to sit through and finish and then 20 got worse - the engagement just went down drastically. About 75% of EP 20 was senseless fighting and shooting, and I was fighting to not give up. The action and pace that was established from the beginning to when Rawee was Tawan in Mai's village was just ruined by the last few episodes, especially 20. There was no point in teaching the females how to shoot and defend themselves when they missed most of the time and was not given a gun to carry. Ngamta also had a gun next to her and didn't use it but instead gave Kom the password and tried to negotiate with him.
Neutral: The music, outfits, fighting, pace, and sceneries were all neutral to me. I don't hate it but it also didn't leave an impression. It just was what it was. Phetphring and the mom's outfits were some of my favorites and made them elegant.
What I would've liked to see happen: I had a feeling the real Tawan was going to be revealed near the end and knew it was him the moment he entered the screen. However, I wished we would have seen more of him in a way that tied to the overall story or common enemy like Kom (who later partnered up with Tew and Mai). There wasn't any substance to him and he was introduced too late, so he felt like an after thought. The opium plot was more of a filler and truly was not memorable and was unnecessary. The real Tawan was such a mystery and built up to be a badass and untouchable bandit that people feared and that just didn't really come through. I felt like Rawee lived up to it more.
I would have liked to see Lukjan shoot Tew and knock him over the stairs lol or even Phetphring - I think that would have served justice and come full circle. Tew hurt and betrayed Lukjan more than anything. His attempt to kill Rawee wasn't as personal as it was with what he did to Lukjan. I think Tew got out of it too easily for everything he did. To the very end, he thought he was wronged.
I would've loved to see Phetphring coming home at the end with her new husband and child too. Again, too much of EP 20 was just filled with nonsense fighting at the bank and we didn't need all those flashbacks. I think it needed to only take up about half and the remaining half should've tied up the characters' stories and any loose end. I would've liked to see a wedding or something. If you have watched a lot of lakorns like I have, you'll know how they usually end. Sadly, this one became one of those cliche "just end it fast with main couple in a happily ever after scene that lasts 5 seconds." I feel like the last episode in a lot of lakorns tend to be very weak and ruins the whole storyline - like there's no real satisfaction and we just have to accept the ending.
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