This review may contain spoilers
Why Khemjira and not PeemKhem or just Khem?
It’s been a minute since I’ve seen anything outside of GMMTV, and thanks to GMMTV, I’ve become accustomed to criticizing everything about a show. However, Khemjira was a good change of pace and a reminder of what a good Thai BL is capable of.
What I enjoyed about the show:
1. The visuals, cinematography, sound, and writing.
- Visually, the color palette, theme, and filler used were all nice and go hand-in-hand with the horror theme. The actors are also visually pleasing, to a degree. Companies tend to find talents with similarities, so we got FirstOne, who looks like a mix of GMMTV’s Mix, Sea Talay, and Domundi’s Jamessu, and gave strong Yim vibes. Tle (Charn) is a mix of Bible and Mark Tuan. And Namping gave me Nunew vibes. I’m assuming all of this is intentional. I’m a big fan of the supernatural and love me a good horror show now and then. When it comes to ghosts, no one does it better than Thailand and Japan. The ghosts in here were well done, from the makeup to the CGI. Sure, I’d catch shadows here and there, but they weren’t enough to distract me from the ghosts’ appearances.
- I appreciate the cinematography here. I enjoyed the variety of camera angles, though I wish we got more zoom-ins. Overall, not much to complain about. Given that it’s a horror series, I expected good angles, and good angles were present.
- I have to say, every OST piqued my interest, and I found myself searching for the BGMs used throughout the show. The sound effects were nice, pleasant, and reflected the mood of what was going on on the screen. Although I appreciated the sound, I noticed that either there was an audio issue in ep9 or they had added Namping’s (Khem) breathing/hyperventilating over the original audio, so Khem was echoing, which was a sloppy moment.
- The writing was self-aware, and the call-backs were satisfying. At times when a character does or says something, I’d ask myself why he/she does/says that. Then, not even a few seconds later, another character will clock it, and we’ll get a reason why. This makes characters less one-dimensional and more lifelike. Some characters even held grudges over time, and this again amplifies the realistic aspect of the characters and the show.
2. I particularly enjoyed Jet, Thong, and Ake. Jet was the most consistent character, and I love a good comedy relief character. I thought this series did a good job expanding on its side and supporting characters’ lives, desires, and goals, too. No character is truly flat or useless to the plot. Domundi is superior when casting older and younger actors who can pass as the same person.
3. For the longest time, I was begging for the details of Ramphueng’s past. What was her grudge about? Why did she curse a whole bloodline? What exactly happened to her that she’ll put innocent people through hell before their 21st birthday? Admittedly, I became team Ramphueng halfway through ep9. Her backstory had me in tears, and it was the only time I cried. In my eyes, her hatred is justified. We also got to learn that she was a mother earlier on and is against killing babies, despite having been slaying other people’s adult children for nearly 260 years. I have to admit, I was rooting for Ramphueng to get her revenge and got a little too excited when Khem was willing to step outside the ring. I’d love a side story of just Ramphueng and her next life, where she reunites with her son.
4. I love that, unlike other series, it took a while to defeat Ramphueng. Showing just how truly powerful she is. I’m tired of "powerful" villains being wiped out within 10-20 minutes of screentime.
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What I didn’t enjoy about the show (in no particular order):
1. I’m going to get heat for this, but I did not like Khem. Be it Namping's limited acting or bad direction, Khem was capable of five facial expressions. Trying to cry, on the verge of crying, trying to look worried, staring, and smiling. Namping’s cries piss me off. I hate that Khem is coddled, the damsel in distress, slow, and can’t sympathize with other people. He saw the Madam throw Ramphueng’s baby into the water, and dared to act like he was the ultimate victim. I hated that Ramphueng genuinely apologized to Khem and offered to make up for her actions, whereas Khem couldn’t understand that her actions up until then were because of what was done to her baby and her being flogged to death. Khem really thought Ramphueng was just seeking revenge for herself, even after the fact. He seriously didn’t realize this until after it was over and they got to ask the monk questions. This further pissed me off. But seriously, I stopped liking and caring for Khem earlier on when he was going back and forth with Peem about lifting his curse. Peem made it clear he wouldn't help because he promised his grandfather that he wouldn’t intervene with others’ karma. Which makes sense because if he interferes with Khem’s karma, others would expect him to help them as well. Every time Khem pushes it, Peem always asks, “Do you want me to break my promise to my grandfather?”. Khem would never say yes, but would keep begging, basically asking Peem to break the promise so that Khem could live past 21. Not only did Khem want Peem to break his promise, Khem also decided to low-key gaslight and manipulate Peem by cooking and cleaning up Peem’s place. Like boi, you’re asking to stay at his place and don’t pay any bills, the least you can do is cook and clean. When Peem said Khem had ulterior motives for becoming Peem’s student, Khem acted oblivious when it was clear as day that he did have selfish motives. Khem’s selfishness doesn’t stop there; the guy constantly tries to make Peem jealous just because Khem himself liked Peem. Khem didn’t act like a 20-year-old who’s on the verge of being horrendously killed. He’s worried about love and was pouting when Peem, who has a long life ahead of him, didn’t reciprocate right away. I can’t root for a manipulative, selfish, and weak character. I refuse to. Khem's relationship with his mom was sweet when he was a kid, but as he got older, it felt forced. He'd forget about his mom until she shows up to protect him.
2. The chemistry between Keng/Peem and Namping/Khem wasn’t chemistrying. The romance was painfully dry, bitter, and confusing. Their past lives were constantly a factor in how they SHOULDN’T and AREN’T currently into each other. The show tries in more ways than once to convey that they love each other, but not because of their feelings from the past. Since it came up so much, I started to wonder if the show even believed Peem and Khem’s love was genuine. Peem and Khem’s romance was a slow burn and not worth the burn. They should have bypassed the romance or at least developed it more naturally.
3. The timeline was a mess, and the math wasn’t mathing. About 20 minutes into ep1, Khem said in 6 months he’ll be 21. And not even 10 minutes of screen time later, they go on their volunteer camp, which supposedly happened one month before Khem’s 21st birthday, per Charn's claim in ep11 of how long since he’s met/known Jet. So, within 10 minutes, there was a 5-month skip without superimposition? Also, Ramphueng was 21 in 1767/1768, so how has she, to quote Peem in ep11, “been growing her power for over 400 years”…? That’s less than 260 years, sir. The loophole of Khem being born at 6 AM was a nice touch, though predictable. Also, appreciate Peem for letting us know what exactly will happen if Khem doesn’t die before 21.
4. School and the volunteer camp were afterthoughts. Other than doing it for Khem, why did Jet suggest bringing a whole group of students to a dangerous place where possessions and spirits are common? And besides the painting, what was ‘volunteering’ about the camp? The whole time they were there, it didn’t feel like a club trip for students. We never found out what happened to those three bullies, and the girlfriend of one of the bullies didn't seem to care all that much about him on multiple occasions.
5. Just me nitpicking, but when Charn and Jet were being pursued, Charn turned the wheel left, but the car went right…
6. Another serious confusion is, was Ramphueng chasing both Khem’s soul and Khem’s bloodline? Or how was Khem and his mom so unlucky as to be born into the same cursed line twice/thrice?
7. What angers me the most was the revelation in ep10. You mean to tell me, these characters spent a whole lot of their break at this shaman’s house when the curse could have been lifted if Khem had just survived past turning 21..? WHAT!? Then what help did Khem really need from the Master? Peem’s place itself was relatively safe as long as Khem wasn’t dumb enough to fall for all the red flags, so why not just stay there until his birthday? Is it really a curse if Ramphueng was responsible for most of the incidents? Also, why did Khem run away instead of taking responsibility for falling for Ramphueng's tricks? I get that Grandma Si wasn't Khem's fault, but Thong and Ake, too? Peem really concocted that BS so that nothing's Khem's fault.
8. I understand why there were fewer ghosts as the story progresses, but the cutback was very abrupt. Except for the forest scene where Ramphueng jumped in front and mind-controlled one of the purer spirits, all of the jump scares were predictable. They were given away either by the music, utter silence, or camera placement/angles. I don’t mind it, but I wish there were more ghosts and jump scares.
9. The fact that their past lives seem to have an impact on their current ones is concerning. But also not worth diving into.
10. I didn’t care for the latter half of the final episode. Sorry, not sorry.
All in all, if Khemjira were 2-4 episodes shorter, it would have gotten a 10 from me. But because of how lengthy it is, including some episodes ranging from 1 to 2 hours, it became draggy and boring at times. Still, it’s a good watch and I’d recommend it to anyone who can handle dark and horror.
What I enjoyed about the show:
1. The visuals, cinematography, sound, and writing.
- Visually, the color palette, theme, and filler used were all nice and go hand-in-hand with the horror theme. The actors are also visually pleasing, to a degree. Companies tend to find talents with similarities, so we got FirstOne, who looks like a mix of GMMTV’s Mix, Sea Talay, and Domundi’s Jamessu, and gave strong Yim vibes. Tle (Charn) is a mix of Bible and Mark Tuan. And Namping gave me Nunew vibes. I’m assuming all of this is intentional. I’m a big fan of the supernatural and love me a good horror show now and then. When it comes to ghosts, no one does it better than Thailand and Japan. The ghosts in here were well done, from the makeup to the CGI. Sure, I’d catch shadows here and there, but they weren’t enough to distract me from the ghosts’ appearances.
- I appreciate the cinematography here. I enjoyed the variety of camera angles, though I wish we got more zoom-ins. Overall, not much to complain about. Given that it’s a horror series, I expected good angles, and good angles were present.
- I have to say, every OST piqued my interest, and I found myself searching for the BGMs used throughout the show. The sound effects were nice, pleasant, and reflected the mood of what was going on on the screen. Although I appreciated the sound, I noticed that either there was an audio issue in ep9 or they had added Namping’s (Khem) breathing/hyperventilating over the original audio, so Khem was echoing, which was a sloppy moment.
- The writing was self-aware, and the call-backs were satisfying. At times when a character does or says something, I’d ask myself why he/she does/says that. Then, not even a few seconds later, another character will clock it, and we’ll get a reason why. This makes characters less one-dimensional and more lifelike. Some characters even held grudges over time, and this again amplifies the realistic aspect of the characters and the show.
2. I particularly enjoyed Jet, Thong, and Ake. Jet was the most consistent character, and I love a good comedy relief character. I thought this series did a good job expanding on its side and supporting characters’ lives, desires, and goals, too. No character is truly flat or useless to the plot. Domundi is superior when casting older and younger actors who can pass as the same person.
3. For the longest time, I was begging for the details of Ramphueng’s past. What was her grudge about? Why did she curse a whole bloodline? What exactly happened to her that she’ll put innocent people through hell before their 21st birthday? Admittedly, I became team Ramphueng halfway through ep9. Her backstory had me in tears, and it was the only time I cried. In my eyes, her hatred is justified. We also got to learn that she was a mother earlier on and is against killing babies, despite having been slaying other people’s adult children for nearly 260 years. I have to admit, I was rooting for Ramphueng to get her revenge and got a little too excited when Khem was willing to step outside the ring. I’d love a side story of just Ramphueng and her next life, where she reunites with her son.
4. I love that, unlike other series, it took a while to defeat Ramphueng. Showing just how truly powerful she is. I’m tired of "powerful" villains being wiped out within 10-20 minutes of screentime.
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What I didn’t enjoy about the show (in no particular order):
1. I’m going to get heat for this, but I did not like Khem. Be it Namping's limited acting or bad direction, Khem was capable of five facial expressions. Trying to cry, on the verge of crying, trying to look worried, staring, and smiling. Namping’s cries piss me off. I hate that Khem is coddled, the damsel in distress, slow, and can’t sympathize with other people. He saw the Madam throw Ramphueng’s baby into the water, and dared to act like he was the ultimate victim. I hated that Ramphueng genuinely apologized to Khem and offered to make up for her actions, whereas Khem couldn’t understand that her actions up until then were because of what was done to her baby and her being flogged to death. Khem really thought Ramphueng was just seeking revenge for herself, even after the fact. He seriously didn’t realize this until after it was over and they got to ask the monk questions. This further pissed me off. But seriously, I stopped liking and caring for Khem earlier on when he was going back and forth with Peem about lifting his curse. Peem made it clear he wouldn't help because he promised his grandfather that he wouldn’t intervene with others’ karma. Which makes sense because if he interferes with Khem’s karma, others would expect him to help them as well. Every time Khem pushes it, Peem always asks, “Do you want me to break my promise to my grandfather?”. Khem would never say yes, but would keep begging, basically asking Peem to break the promise so that Khem could live past 21. Not only did Khem want Peem to break his promise, Khem also decided to low-key gaslight and manipulate Peem by cooking and cleaning up Peem’s place. Like boi, you’re asking to stay at his place and don’t pay any bills, the least you can do is cook and clean. When Peem said Khem had ulterior motives for becoming Peem’s student, Khem acted oblivious when it was clear as day that he did have selfish motives. Khem’s selfishness doesn’t stop there; the guy constantly tries to make Peem jealous just because Khem himself liked Peem. Khem didn’t act like a 20-year-old who’s on the verge of being horrendously killed. He’s worried about love and was pouting when Peem, who has a long life ahead of him, didn’t reciprocate right away. I can’t root for a manipulative, selfish, and weak character. I refuse to. Khem's relationship with his mom was sweet when he was a kid, but as he got older, it felt forced. He'd forget about his mom until she shows up to protect him.
2. The chemistry between Keng/Peem and Namping/Khem wasn’t chemistrying. The romance was painfully dry, bitter, and confusing. Their past lives were constantly a factor in how they SHOULDN’T and AREN’T currently into each other. The show tries in more ways than once to convey that they love each other, but not because of their feelings from the past. Since it came up so much, I started to wonder if the show even believed Peem and Khem’s love was genuine. Peem and Khem’s romance was a slow burn and not worth the burn. They should have bypassed the romance or at least developed it more naturally.
3. The timeline was a mess, and the math wasn’t mathing. About 20 minutes into ep1, Khem said in 6 months he’ll be 21. And not even 10 minutes of screen time later, they go on their volunteer camp, which supposedly happened one month before Khem’s 21st birthday, per Charn's claim in ep11 of how long since he’s met/known Jet. So, within 10 minutes, there was a 5-month skip without superimposition? Also, Ramphueng was 21 in 1767/1768, so how has she, to quote Peem in ep11, “been growing her power for over 400 years”…? That’s less than 260 years, sir. The loophole of Khem being born at 6 AM was a nice touch, though predictable. Also, appreciate Peem for letting us know what exactly will happen if Khem doesn’t die before 21.
4. School and the volunteer camp were afterthoughts. Other than doing it for Khem, why did Jet suggest bringing a whole group of students to a dangerous place where possessions and spirits are common? And besides the painting, what was ‘volunteering’ about the camp? The whole time they were there, it didn’t feel like a club trip for students. We never found out what happened to those three bullies, and the girlfriend of one of the bullies didn't seem to care all that much about him on multiple occasions.
5. Just me nitpicking, but when Charn and Jet were being pursued, Charn turned the wheel left, but the car went right…
6. Another serious confusion is, was Ramphueng chasing both Khem’s soul and Khem’s bloodline? Or how was Khem and his mom so unlucky as to be born into the same cursed line twice/thrice?
7. What angers me the most was the revelation in ep10. You mean to tell me, these characters spent a whole lot of their break at this shaman’s house when the curse could have been lifted if Khem had just survived past turning 21..? WHAT!? Then what help did Khem really need from the Master? Peem’s place itself was relatively safe as long as Khem wasn’t dumb enough to fall for all the red flags, so why not just stay there until his birthday? Is it really a curse if Ramphueng was responsible for most of the incidents? Also, why did Khem run away instead of taking responsibility for falling for Ramphueng's tricks? I get that Grandma Si wasn't Khem's fault, but Thong and Ake, too? Peem really concocted that BS so that nothing's Khem's fault.
8. I understand why there were fewer ghosts as the story progresses, but the cutback was very abrupt. Except for the forest scene where Ramphueng jumped in front and mind-controlled one of the purer spirits, all of the jump scares were predictable. They were given away either by the music, utter silence, or camera placement/angles. I don’t mind it, but I wish there were more ghosts and jump scares.
9. The fact that their past lives seem to have an impact on their current ones is concerning. But also not worth diving into.
10. I didn’t care for the latter half of the final episode. Sorry, not sorry.
All in all, if Khemjira were 2-4 episodes shorter, it would have gotten a 10 from me. But because of how lengthy it is, including some episodes ranging from 1 to 2 hours, it became draggy and boring at times. Still, it’s a good watch and I’d recommend it to anyone who can handle dark and horror.
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