A beautiful tale of love and redemption!
ClaireBell is most definitely the BEST GL to come out of Thailand. Honest, real and so raw. It was absolutely brilliant— and an absolute must watch!
Lets start with the story— the writers have written such an engrossing tale of love, friendship and redemption . Its an action-packed 8 episodes that leaves you on the edge after every episode. Bell— falsely accused of possessing of drugs lands up in a women's detention centre. She is bullied and crushed by fellow inmates as well as a corrupt and unjust system. There, she meets Claire, a violent "rabid dog" inmate who is feared by everyone and has supposedly killed a man for which she is incarcerated. In 8 episodes, we get to see how Claire and Bell find "home" in each other despite the bleak and hopelessness that surrounds them.
I love that from Claire, Bell learns to stand up for herself, and leaves her meek and timid personality behind when she gets out of prison. The shot of her eating ramen on the staircase after the brilliant ploy she pulls is proof that prison has led to personal growth for her. In Bell, Claire finds a confidante, and more importantly, the hope that she has all but forgotten. Bell teaches Claire to imagine a life beyond the prison walls that have made up her routine for so many years.
Even the side characters have lessons to impart. Through DeeDee, we see a girl who mends her ways, and has learned to hope and atone for her mistakes. From Top, we see that cowardice and true love can never go hand-in-hand. Since Bell goes to prison, he's not had a moment of peace. He's drinking himself into a stupor each night because of his guilty conscience, and yet, his cowardice prevents him from doing anything about it.
Next, lets talk about the acting. Brilliant performances by the entire cast, but especially the two leads. A huge problem with Thai GLs is how "glossy" they are. Girls go to bed with perfectly dolled up faces and walk out of their rooms, in head-to-toe couture. The characters never feel lived in or real. I loved that the actresses for Claire and Bell were "barefaced" for most of the show— we saw their skin, texture and all. When they cry in their grief, its not the fake tear rolling down from one eye. But genuine emotional outbursts, snot and all. This is how real people cry.
The ending was perfect— its not a happily-ever-after, but it IS a happy-for-now and I'll take it. Claire and Bell deserve it and more. I saw a few takes that the show could have been longer, and I am split about that. On the one hand, yes, it would have given more room to flush out a few characters more. The redemption of 3D is something I wished got more time as well as the last episode's storyline. BUT, this is such a tight script and the show keeps such a good pace throughout, that I would have hated a slow down just to fill episode space.
The NC scenes are also well done and feel genuine rather than gratuitous. The romance feels real, their love is heartfelt and the chemistry is soft and believable.
Overall, a brilliant sapphic tale of 2 girls who discover themselves and each other, and pull each other out from the depths of despair.
TLDR? ClaireBell is EASILY the best GL to come out of Thailand and is an absolute must-watch!
Lets start with the story— the writers have written such an engrossing tale of love, friendship and redemption . Its an action-packed 8 episodes that leaves you on the edge after every episode. Bell— falsely accused of possessing of drugs lands up in a women's detention centre. She is bullied and crushed by fellow inmates as well as a corrupt and unjust system. There, she meets Claire, a violent "rabid dog" inmate who is feared by everyone and has supposedly killed a man for which she is incarcerated. In 8 episodes, we get to see how Claire and Bell find "home" in each other despite the bleak and hopelessness that surrounds them.
I love that from Claire, Bell learns to stand up for herself, and leaves her meek and timid personality behind when she gets out of prison. The shot of her eating ramen on the staircase after the brilliant ploy she pulls is proof that prison has led to personal growth for her. In Bell, Claire finds a confidante, and more importantly, the hope that she has all but forgotten. Bell teaches Claire to imagine a life beyond the prison walls that have made up her routine for so many years.
Even the side characters have lessons to impart. Through DeeDee, we see a girl who mends her ways, and has learned to hope and atone for her mistakes. From Top, we see that cowardice and true love can never go hand-in-hand. Since Bell goes to prison, he's not had a moment of peace. He's drinking himself into a stupor each night because of his guilty conscience, and yet, his cowardice prevents him from doing anything about it.
Next, lets talk about the acting. Brilliant performances by the entire cast, but especially the two leads. A huge problem with Thai GLs is how "glossy" they are. Girls go to bed with perfectly dolled up faces and walk out of their rooms, in head-to-toe couture. The characters never feel lived in or real. I loved that the actresses for Claire and Bell were "barefaced" for most of the show— we saw their skin, texture and all. When they cry in their grief, its not the fake tear rolling down from one eye. But genuine emotional outbursts, snot and all. This is how real people cry.
The ending was perfect— its not a happily-ever-after, but it IS a happy-for-now and I'll take it. Claire and Bell deserve it and more. I saw a few takes that the show could have been longer, and I am split about that. On the one hand, yes, it would have given more room to flush out a few characters more. The redemption of 3D is something I wished got more time as well as the last episode's storyline. BUT, this is such a tight script and the show keeps such a good pace throughout, that I would have hated a slow down just to fill episode space.
The NC scenes are also well done and feel genuine rather than gratuitous. The romance feels real, their love is heartfelt and the chemistry is soft and believable.
Overall, a brilliant sapphic tale of 2 girls who discover themselves and each other, and pull each other out from the depths of despair.
TLDR? ClaireBell is EASILY the best GL to come out of Thailand and is an absolute must-watch!
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