This review may contain spoilers
Do I need to give up on BL thrillers & Mysteries?
Every one of them has disappointed me.
Easily the best thing about this series was the cinematography.
OST was okay, I guess. I didn't pay attention to it half the time.
Watched a lot of it at X2 speed when the talking was really slow (this may have just been me), flashbacks, and when it was just music playing over moments with no dialogue.
Everyone did a good job on the acting, especially Jan (Dao) and Pu (the grandma). I hated both of their characters so much from the very beginning. The grandma was just a right bitch that I wanted to punt in the nearest lake. She was downright horrible to Tontharn for reasons that weren't his fault, and some of the problems she caused. She at least admitted that what she did was nasty, unlike Dao, who, until the very end, thinks she was in the right.
Now, Dao, I didn't like her because she was just shit at her job. I know that it was to spin the narrative, but boy, was she bad at it. I don't for a second think that she was 2nd in her class. Second from the bottom, maybe. I have 1 Forensic Science class from high school under my belt, and I knew more about how an investigation is meant to be run. This wasn't it! What made it more confusing was that the timeline of events was in order, but it was almost impossible to tell when things happened. I blame the writers for that. We start with two dead bodies found on the same day, and we aren't told the time of death, how they died, or if any evidence could be found at a secondary location, or if they were killed where their bodies were found. No one tried to backtrack their movements from the day they were killed, or if they had any other connections other than working for Botphleng's family. No one questions why this person killed and dumped two bodies in the "open" (they weren't really) like they were "playing with the police" and then stopped. I'm not saying killers can't just kill and stop; I'm just pointing out that no one thought it was strange. Did Thunphob die from the head wound or drowning? He was nothing but bones? Get an anthropologist to take a look. Also, his body was found a month before the series started, but how long had he actually been dead? Unless I missed it, no one reported him as a missing person. Then we have the fact that Botphleng could be a target, and she just doesn't give a rat's ass. She literally says, "He's strong, he can protect himself." Whether he can or can't doesn't matter; it's your job to offer him protection. He doesn't have to take it, but you have to offer it.
As a whole, crime investigation and general knowledge needed a lot of work. It would have been nice to see some of it as well, instead of Dao pulling information out of thin air like she was investigating, and not trying to spin the narrative. Honestly, for her reveal, it would have been better if she had been a likeable person who seemed to be trying to help, that way the reveal would have come as a greater shock. Just because most of the hate is going to the grandma doesn't mean that people are just going to think she's the killer. To me, she seemed too obvious a suspect, so I was suspecting everyone but her and her daughter. I also didn't think it was Tanu, Jen, Miles, or Tankoon, so that left very few people as suspects.
I'm going to be honest. I normally don't like Force or Books acting, I liked them in Perfect 10 Lines and nothing else, but they did a really good job in this one, especially Book. Book actually made me cry when he was telling Nim everything that he could remember. Not an ugly cry, but the silent kind that you don't realize is there until it's already fallen. His panic attack was also good.
Why did Thunphob continue using Tankoon's name with Botphleng after they got closer? Seemed weird.
Tankoon pissed me off (this was a script problem) when one minute he would say "I'll help you get your memories back" and then the next say "Your family doesn't want you to remember for a reason". PICK A SIDE AND STAY THERE. Also, who gives a fuck what the family wants? They are clearly hiding something shady if they have spent countless years making this boy forget who he is. Tontharn going back to the house at all after learning about the hypnosis was just wild and one of the stupidest things to do. No one put this boy in a horror movie.
Tanu also pissed me off by saving Botphleng's mom in the fire when his literal son had a large piece of burning wood on top of his unconscious body. I don't know if he knew Botphleng was in the burning building, but if he did, I'm doubly pissed off because what the fuck!? Why save the one person NOT directly in harm's way? Am I the crazy one?
The only surprising, and in my opinion, well-done thing done in this series was Tontharn being Botphleng and the reveal of it.
It would have been really interesting if the real Botphleng had followed Tontharn around as a ghost during the whole series, only to finally be laid to rest once the truth is revealed and his grave is placed next to Thunphob, then they move on together.
I've seen quite a few Thai thrillers, and so far the only one that hasn't disappointed me is Triage. I won't stop watching them completely, but I'm going to be very picky from now on. I went into this with zero expectations, and the only reason my rating isn't lower is because of the acting, and Botphleng's real identity reveal was well done.
Easily the best thing about this series was the cinematography.
OST was okay, I guess. I didn't pay attention to it half the time.
Watched a lot of it at X2 speed when the talking was really slow (this may have just been me), flashbacks, and when it was just music playing over moments with no dialogue.
Everyone did a good job on the acting, especially Jan (Dao) and Pu (the grandma). I hated both of their characters so much from the very beginning. The grandma was just a right bitch that I wanted to punt in the nearest lake. She was downright horrible to Tontharn for reasons that weren't his fault, and some of the problems she caused. She at least admitted that what she did was nasty, unlike Dao, who, until the very end, thinks she was in the right.
Now, Dao, I didn't like her because she was just shit at her job. I know that it was to spin the narrative, but boy, was she bad at it. I don't for a second think that she was 2nd in her class. Second from the bottom, maybe. I have 1 Forensic Science class from high school under my belt, and I knew more about how an investigation is meant to be run. This wasn't it! What made it more confusing was that the timeline of events was in order, but it was almost impossible to tell when things happened. I blame the writers for that. We start with two dead bodies found on the same day, and we aren't told the time of death, how they died, or if any evidence could be found at a secondary location, or if they were killed where their bodies were found. No one tried to backtrack their movements from the day they were killed, or if they had any other connections other than working for Botphleng's family. No one questions why this person killed and dumped two bodies in the "open" (they weren't really) like they were "playing with the police" and then stopped. I'm not saying killers can't just kill and stop; I'm just pointing out that no one thought it was strange. Did Thunphob die from the head wound or drowning? He was nothing but bones? Get an anthropologist to take a look. Also, his body was found a month before the series started, but how long had he actually been dead? Unless I missed it, no one reported him as a missing person. Then we have the fact that Botphleng could be a target, and she just doesn't give a rat's ass. She literally says, "He's strong, he can protect himself." Whether he can or can't doesn't matter; it's your job to offer him protection. He doesn't have to take it, but you have to offer it.
As a whole, crime investigation and general knowledge needed a lot of work. It would have been nice to see some of it as well, instead of Dao pulling information out of thin air like she was investigating, and not trying to spin the narrative. Honestly, for her reveal, it would have been better if she had been a likeable person who seemed to be trying to help, that way the reveal would have come as a greater shock. Just because most of the hate is going to the grandma doesn't mean that people are just going to think she's the killer. To me, she seemed too obvious a suspect, so I was suspecting everyone but her and her daughter. I also didn't think it was Tanu, Jen, Miles, or Tankoon, so that left very few people as suspects.
I'm going to be honest. I normally don't like Force or Books acting, I liked them in Perfect 10 Lines and nothing else, but they did a really good job in this one, especially Book. Book actually made me cry when he was telling Nim everything that he could remember. Not an ugly cry, but the silent kind that you don't realize is there until it's already fallen. His panic attack was also good.
Why did Thunphob continue using Tankoon's name with Botphleng after they got closer? Seemed weird.
Tankoon pissed me off (this was a script problem) when one minute he would say "I'll help you get your memories back" and then the next say "Your family doesn't want you to remember for a reason". PICK A SIDE AND STAY THERE. Also, who gives a fuck what the family wants? They are clearly hiding something shady if they have spent countless years making this boy forget who he is. Tontharn going back to the house at all after learning about the hypnosis was just wild and one of the stupidest things to do. No one put this boy in a horror movie.
Tanu also pissed me off by saving Botphleng's mom in the fire when his literal son had a large piece of burning wood on top of his unconscious body. I don't know if he knew Botphleng was in the burning building, but if he did, I'm doubly pissed off because what the fuck!? Why save the one person NOT directly in harm's way? Am I the crazy one?
The only surprising, and in my opinion, well-done thing done in this series was Tontharn being Botphleng and the reveal of it.
It would have been really interesting if the real Botphleng had followed Tontharn around as a ghost during the whole series, only to finally be laid to rest once the truth is revealed and his grave is placed next to Thunphob, then they move on together.
I've seen quite a few Thai thrillers, and so far the only one that hasn't disappointed me is Triage. I won't stop watching them completely, but I'm going to be very picky from now on. I went into this with zero expectations, and the only reason my rating isn't lower is because of the acting, and Botphleng's real identity reveal was well done.
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