girl, the cartel???
Do I think Kidnap the series is objectively "good"? I mean, no, it's deeply flawed. Did I enjoy it? Absolutely yes I did, I had a great time watching this.
The title and premise of this show will lead you to believe this is an action thriller, which it really isn't. I'd argue it's something more along the lines of a romantic dramedy, though there was a scene maybe a third to halfway through the series that was truly an excellently done bit of tense nail-biting action. The show is definitely far more interested in the central relationship than the cartel plot, to the point of wandering off for like three episodes to talk about Min's movie/acting career. (This is where the title of this review comes from; while watching it, we kept going, "Girl, the cartel????") This is a shame, because unlike other shows that try a similar balance, Kidnap has a genuinely great antagonist in Miss Yada, who is both very scary and very hot, so the stakes do actually feel real.
That touches on the two things I think this show does do well: the characters and the stakes. While none of the characters are particularly complicated, they're all acted competently, with Leng being the weakest link (no surprise, this was his first role and I honestly think he does fine/you can see him improving) and he and Ohm have such good chemistry that it makes up for it. And though, like I said, all of the characters are pretty straight forward, everyone who plays a major role has a really obvious goal and internal conflict to motivate their character's actions. In addition to Miss Yada, I want to give special shout out to Title for playing James, the most batshit character in any BL I've ever seen purely because James plays him as so bizarrely offhand and casual about crime. Papang also does really well in this as Suea, who we never learn much about, but he is convincingly threatening and plays a fun role. Also this may be the sexiest he's ever looked; GMMTV, let Papang be sexy again!
As for the stakes, Miss Yada and her cartel do feel like a genuine threat, and she has good reason to go after the main cast. Mhen's illness and Q's PTSD are both narratively convenient at times but also feel pretty genuinely portrayed, and the show takes both conditions seriously. I was particularly surprised and pleased that the show actually had Q going to therapy for his trauma at the end! The show taking its own premise seriously helps balance out the inherent ridiculousness of some of the plot points
This isn't a show that I'd be like, oh, you MUST watch this, but if you're looking for something fun and a little silly, it's not a bad choice! I do think probably the main reason to watch this is for Ohm and Leng, who really work well together and have great physical chemistry; it's too bad we won't be getting another show with them.
The title and premise of this show will lead you to believe this is an action thriller, which it really isn't. I'd argue it's something more along the lines of a romantic dramedy, though there was a scene maybe a third to halfway through the series that was truly an excellently done bit of tense nail-biting action. The show is definitely far more interested in the central relationship than the cartel plot, to the point of wandering off for like three episodes to talk about Min's movie/acting career. (This is where the title of this review comes from; while watching it, we kept going, "Girl, the cartel????") This is a shame, because unlike other shows that try a similar balance, Kidnap has a genuinely great antagonist in Miss Yada, who is both very scary and very hot, so the stakes do actually feel real.
That touches on the two things I think this show does do well: the characters and the stakes. While none of the characters are particularly complicated, they're all acted competently, with Leng being the weakest link (no surprise, this was his first role and I honestly think he does fine/you can see him improving) and he and Ohm have such good chemistry that it makes up for it. And though, like I said, all of the characters are pretty straight forward, everyone who plays a major role has a really obvious goal and internal conflict to motivate their character's actions. In addition to Miss Yada, I want to give special shout out to Title for playing James, the most batshit character in any BL I've ever seen purely because James plays him as so bizarrely offhand and casual about crime. Papang also does really well in this as Suea, who we never learn much about, but he is convincingly threatening and plays a fun role. Also this may be the sexiest he's ever looked; GMMTV, let Papang be sexy again!
As for the stakes, Miss Yada and her cartel do feel like a genuine threat, and she has good reason to go after the main cast. Mhen's illness and Q's PTSD are both narratively convenient at times but also feel pretty genuinely portrayed, and the show takes both conditions seriously. I was particularly surprised and pleased that the show actually had Q going to therapy for his trauma at the end! The show taking its own premise seriously helps balance out the inherent ridiculousness of some of the plot points
This isn't a show that I'd be like, oh, you MUST watch this, but if you're looking for something fun and a little silly, it's not a bad choice! I do think probably the main reason to watch this is for Ohm and Leng, who really work well together and have great physical chemistry; it's too bad we won't be getting another show with them.
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