1
ScarlettaMay
The Cloud Recesses
This review may contain spoilers
Focusing on the ending and ending only.
Okay, as a literature major with a passion for psychological thrillers and horrors, I’m gonna be completely honest and very unhinged in this review so be warned, also I’m writing this from memory of the last few episodes so sorry if I forgot or misremembered anything. This is going to be a VERY long review of the final episode including what I though about the fate of every main character (except for Non).
Every character had an ending that corresponded to their role in Non’s death, but I feel like the symbolism could have gone further.
Por- Por was the creator. He oversaw the short film and was the director who wanted to create the film and took over Non’s script as his own. The camera was also his too. Everything technically started with him, he created the situations that caused Non’s downfall, so he was the first to die. He wanted the money back for the broken camera, and in the end he died by Top’s hand, the person who really broke the camera. I think that was a fantastic way for him to go, death by his friends hand without his friend even knowing what he was doing. I was very satisfied in that moment when Top pulled the branch out.
Fluke- Fluke was the observer. He saw and knew everything that happened around him, had he ever spoken up everything would have been different. He saw Top break Por’s camera, he watched Jin record Non and Keng, and yet he continued to stay silent. In the end, he stabbed his own eyes and took his vision away, he can no longer be the observer. But I wish they took it even further, I wanted him to cut out his own tongue or something equally as symbolic. Fluke never spoke up for fear of losing his future as a doctor, now without his sight he cannot become a doctor anyway, and would therefore have no reason to hide anything else. But if his ability to speak was taken away, it symbolises how it is too late, you don’t get to fix things after they already happened, he lost his chance to speak up so now he never gets to speak again. As graphic as that is, I wish they went for that route instead of killing him, I think him staying alive with no real future would have been the greatest punishment for him.
Top- Top was the destruction. He destroyed the camera, he knew about Tee dragging Non into the horse accounts, he knew about Non getting money from the teacher. He was the one who spread the news and picture of Non supposedly running off with Keng that caused Non’s mother and later his father to kill themselves. I’m glad his story ended in his death, but I would have loved it if his death was self-inflicted. Because of the pain he caused others, I wish in those visions he could have taken his own life instead of going down with Fluke.
White and Tee- For me, as much as White’s death broke my heart, it was the perfect punishment for Tee. Tee was the catalyst, the one who put the blame of the broken camera onto Non, who manipulated Non into earning money through his uncle, and who was unwillingly the cause of Non’s death. Tee brought Non into this situation then, despite his best efforts, Non ended up dead. This creates a parallel with White, as Tee brought White into this situation at the house, then unwillingly was the reason White died. Tee, the cause of Non’s suffering, lived. But now he’s stuck with the trauma of killing the one he loved most. But honestly, as much as I’m glad he didn’t die because I think living with the knowledge of what he did was the best form of revenge, they had an amazing opportunity to create a parallel with Tee and his dad, and I’m kind of angry they never took it. I wish, instead of showing Tee lying in his bed and calling out for White, they could have showed him in the same situation we saw from Tee’s dad. Walking along the street, grabbing people and asking for White, destroying people’s property and demanding they bring him to White. Showing that he completely lost his mind, just like his dad, would have been the perfect ending for this show in my opinion.
New/Tan- There were 2 potential endings I wanted to see from him, the first was that he got his revenge and killed everyone in the house before taking his own life, and the second was him living having never got the full revenge he wanted. It’s hard to tell what ended up happening with that open ending, all I know is that whatever happened, I loved it. An open ending to this kind of psychological horror is the perfect way to end this series (but we better get a season 2 or I’ll loose my mind lmao.)
Phee and Jin- I knew from the beginning I wanted everything to end with them. Phee was the main one I wanted to walk away from this mess, not because I like his character, but because I wanted him to live with his own actions. He couldn’t see what New was planning until the last moment and things were taken way too far because of his inaction, people are dead because of him. Regardless of whether they deserved it or not, their blood is also on Phee’s hands. I also kind of wanted Jin to survive as well. If Tee was the catalyst, then Jin was the final straw, recording and uploading that video was Non’s breaking point. The original ending I had in mind was for Phee and Jin to have walked away from the house and gotten to safety thinking everything was over, only to discover that things aren’t always what they seem. Generally speaking, BOC managed to create that ending for me which I loved, but I’m still not completely satisfied. If they are still at the house, why would there have been a 2 year time skip? I don’t understand where they were going with this, and I wish Phee and Jin walked away with more obvious and permanent injuries. Something like a lost hand, or large scar on their face, something that they will carry with them wherever they go and remain permanent reminders of everything that happened, reminders of Non and his fate. Truthfully speaking, I thought this would end with Phee having secretly been the mastermind behind everything so it’s difficult to comment on how else I imagined the ending when I really thought Phee might be the one to kill Jin.
My final thoughts were that the theories for this series were better than the actual ending, and either the open ending was in preparation for a second season, or BOC really just didn’t know how to end this series. Either way, there was a lot that could have been improved but I’m very satisfied with this series overall and I’ll definitely be rewatching this at a later date.
Every character had an ending that corresponded to their role in Non’s death, but I feel like the symbolism could have gone further.
Por- Por was the creator. He oversaw the short film and was the director who wanted to create the film and took over Non’s script as his own. The camera was also his too. Everything technically started with him, he created the situations that caused Non’s downfall, so he was the first to die. He wanted the money back for the broken camera, and in the end he died by Top’s hand, the person who really broke the camera. I think that was a fantastic way for him to go, death by his friends hand without his friend even knowing what he was doing. I was very satisfied in that moment when Top pulled the branch out.
Fluke- Fluke was the observer. He saw and knew everything that happened around him, had he ever spoken up everything would have been different. He saw Top break Por’s camera, he watched Jin record Non and Keng, and yet he continued to stay silent. In the end, he stabbed his own eyes and took his vision away, he can no longer be the observer. But I wish they took it even further, I wanted him to cut out his own tongue or something equally as symbolic. Fluke never spoke up for fear of losing his future as a doctor, now without his sight he cannot become a doctor anyway, and would therefore have no reason to hide anything else. But if his ability to speak was taken away, it symbolises how it is too late, you don’t get to fix things after they already happened, he lost his chance to speak up so now he never gets to speak again. As graphic as that is, I wish they went for that route instead of killing him, I think him staying alive with no real future would have been the greatest punishment for him.
Top- Top was the destruction. He destroyed the camera, he knew about Tee dragging Non into the horse accounts, he knew about Non getting money from the teacher. He was the one who spread the news and picture of Non supposedly running off with Keng that caused Non’s mother and later his father to kill themselves. I’m glad his story ended in his death, but I would have loved it if his death was self-inflicted. Because of the pain he caused others, I wish in those visions he could have taken his own life instead of going down with Fluke.
White and Tee- For me, as much as White’s death broke my heart, it was the perfect punishment for Tee. Tee was the catalyst, the one who put the blame of the broken camera onto Non, who manipulated Non into earning money through his uncle, and who was unwillingly the cause of Non’s death. Tee brought Non into this situation then, despite his best efforts, Non ended up dead. This creates a parallel with White, as Tee brought White into this situation at the house, then unwillingly was the reason White died. Tee, the cause of Non’s suffering, lived. But now he’s stuck with the trauma of killing the one he loved most. But honestly, as much as I’m glad he didn’t die because I think living with the knowledge of what he did was the best form of revenge, they had an amazing opportunity to create a parallel with Tee and his dad, and I’m kind of angry they never took it. I wish, instead of showing Tee lying in his bed and calling out for White, they could have showed him in the same situation we saw from Tee’s dad. Walking along the street, grabbing people and asking for White, destroying people’s property and demanding they bring him to White. Showing that he completely lost his mind, just like his dad, would have been the perfect ending for this show in my opinion.
New/Tan- There were 2 potential endings I wanted to see from him, the first was that he got his revenge and killed everyone in the house before taking his own life, and the second was him living having never got the full revenge he wanted. It’s hard to tell what ended up happening with that open ending, all I know is that whatever happened, I loved it. An open ending to this kind of psychological horror is the perfect way to end this series (but we better get a season 2 or I’ll loose my mind lmao.)
Phee and Jin- I knew from the beginning I wanted everything to end with them. Phee was the main one I wanted to walk away from this mess, not because I like his character, but because I wanted him to live with his own actions. He couldn’t see what New was planning until the last moment and things were taken way too far because of his inaction, people are dead because of him. Regardless of whether they deserved it or not, their blood is also on Phee’s hands. I also kind of wanted Jin to survive as well. If Tee was the catalyst, then Jin was the final straw, recording and uploading that video was Non’s breaking point. The original ending I had in mind was for Phee and Jin to have walked away from the house and gotten to safety thinking everything was over, only to discover that things aren’t always what they seem. Generally speaking, BOC managed to create that ending for me which I loved, but I’m still not completely satisfied. If they are still at the house, why would there have been a 2 year time skip? I don’t understand where they were going with this, and I wish Phee and Jin walked away with more obvious and permanent injuries. Something like a lost hand, or large scar on their face, something that they will carry with them wherever they go and remain permanent reminders of everything that happened, reminders of Non and his fate. Truthfully speaking, I thought this would end with Phee having secretly been the mastermind behind everything so it’s difficult to comment on how else I imagined the ending when I really thought Phee might be the one to kill Jin.
My final thoughts were that the theories for this series were better than the actual ending, and either the open ending was in preparation for a second season, or BOC really just didn’t know how to end this series. Either way, there was a lot that could have been improved but I’m very satisfied with this series overall and I’ll definitely be rewatching this at a later date.
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