This review may contain spoilers
So much promise, so little pay-off. This drama is wasted potential.
The supposed “selling point” of this series is the supernatural element. You know, curses, ghosts, mystery...Except somewhere along the way, the supernatural got shoved into a closet so the show could force-feed us a romance that isn’t even well executed. If you’re going to sideline the ghosts then at least give us a love story worth caring about 😭😭??
Watching this felt like two different productions rammed together. Episodes 1–2 and 11–12? Fantastic. Creepy atmosphere, strong setup, I was genuinely peeking through my blanket but still hooked. Then… everything in between. It’s as if a completely different director, cinematographer, and scriptwriter took over and decided that the curse is actually a side-plot now.
Episode 1 had me invested: who is this boy, what’s his curse, what’s lurking in the shadows? But once Khemjira lands at the Master’s house, the show abandons all of that. Instead, we get a romance that fails to explain why Peem even falls in love with him. Half the time I was sitting there thinking: If he’s cursed, where are the ghosts? Where are the consequences? Why is everyone acting like this is fine when the curse is supposedly at its peak? Sure, Peem’s house is a temple, so maybe ghosts can’t stroll in, but the writers could have introduced SOMETHING to show the curse’s impact. But nah, nada. Why is the curse suddenly such a one-ghost thing?? Why does the one-ghost thing only happen when Khem is at Peem's house?? Why is there no stronger consequences??
Honestly, I only started enjoying the series again once Khem returned from town and went back to his dorm. At least then the story remembered it had a *scary* supernatural plot.
I genuinely want to support dramas that try to introduce complex elements to queer stories and do not want to make "it's queer" the drama's entire personality. This drama managed to fumble both the supernatural plot AND the romance. Like… pick a struggle. Peem seems bizarrely unconcerned that Khem could literally die from his curse, and Khem himself doesn’t seem too bothered either. I will not deny that the themes they were intending to explore (including not only the magic, reincarnation, karma, and buddhist elements but also the themes related to Ramphueng, familial devotion, sacrifice etc.) were great and deserve a shoutout, so does the production, but I simply cannot overlook the problems with the plot.
This is a story that does a back and forth between “omg my curse!” and “omg does he like me back though!” without ever committing to either, and in so doing, fails to stick.
Watching this felt like two different productions rammed together. Episodes 1–2 and 11–12? Fantastic. Creepy atmosphere, strong setup, I was genuinely peeking through my blanket but still hooked. Then… everything in between. It’s as if a completely different director, cinematographer, and scriptwriter took over and decided that the curse is actually a side-plot now.
Episode 1 had me invested: who is this boy, what’s his curse, what’s lurking in the shadows? But once Khemjira lands at the Master’s house, the show abandons all of that. Instead, we get a romance that fails to explain why Peem even falls in love with him. Half the time I was sitting there thinking: If he’s cursed, where are the ghosts? Where are the consequences? Why is everyone acting like this is fine when the curse is supposedly at its peak? Sure, Peem’s house is a temple, so maybe ghosts can’t stroll in, but the writers could have introduced SOMETHING to show the curse’s impact. But nah, nada. Why is the curse suddenly such a one-ghost thing?? Why does the one-ghost thing only happen when Khem is at Peem's house?? Why is there no stronger consequences??
Honestly, I only started enjoying the series again once Khem returned from town and went back to his dorm. At least then the story remembered it had a *scary* supernatural plot.
I genuinely want to support dramas that try to introduce complex elements to queer stories and do not want to make "it's queer" the drama's entire personality. This drama managed to fumble both the supernatural plot AND the romance. Like… pick a struggle. Peem seems bizarrely unconcerned that Khem could literally die from his curse, and Khem himself doesn’t seem too bothered either. I will not deny that the themes they were intending to explore (including not only the magic, reincarnation, karma, and buddhist elements but also the themes related to Ramphueng, familial devotion, sacrifice etc.) were great and deserve a shoutout, so does the production, but I simply cannot overlook the problems with the plot.
This is a story that does a back and forth between “omg my curse!” and “omg does he like me back though!” without ever committing to either, and in so doing, fails to stick.
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