The Believers (2024)

Temple of Deceit: Unraveling Faith, Fraud and Fortune in The Believers

Religion, business, temple and politics, i never imagined these four elements could converge to create such an interesting drama. This show was a surprise for me as i hadnt experienced anything like it before and i thoroughly enjoyed what it offered.

The three protagonists of the drama take over an abandoned temple to run it and repay their debts after failing in their gaming business. Essentially, they resort to selling faith to believers making them essentially scammers. They embark on renovating the temple, organizing various activities and even hiring famous monks to attract the local public. Their deception extends to creating amulets from sacred objects and attempting to sell them through advertising. This deception forms the crux of the storyline.

However i loved how the creators executed and handled the narrative, delicately addressing sensitive issues throughout. One notable subplot involved a monk genuinely falling in love with FL character and deciding to leave monkhood. I empathized with him when FL rejected him, realizing she was also exploiting him for money. The drama also delves into a drug scandal, murder and other elements typically found in crime thrillers, all set within the unique context of religious business.

The final reveal of the villain was pretty good, i never really imagined that guy to be the villain. I mean, i didnt really think the series would take a different turn in the last two episodes and there would be some big conspiracy going on behind everything.

Overall, it was a pretty good drama, tackling a bold subject matter with finesse. I commend the makers for their courage in exploring such a controversial topic, knowing the potential risks associated with it.

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An interesting take on religion as profitable business

STORY
The Believers tell the story of three friends (Win, Game, Dear) who attempt to pay the debt from their failed start-up by running a temple. The first half was so fast-paced, sometimes almost too fast so I feared it would drag in the second half and it kind of did when they introduced the crime-esque plot into the story. It feels cliche but also not at the same time because there are definitely moments where I felt it predictable but not at the same time.

ACTING/CAST
I am very biased so when I first saw that the trio was led by Peach Pachara and James Teeradon, I knew they would deliver. I think this is Ally's first leading role so I could understand her acting left a lot to be desired. Even though James was arguably the protagonist, I think Peach's acting in the second half of the story was a top notch performance and I think he should keep being cast in these kind of charming/kinda psychotic roles. BUT... the performance that left greatest impact on me was probably Patchai in the role of Monk Dol. Imagine my surprise when I found out he's not even actor but the front man of Thai rock band Potato. I was just heartbroken on behalf of his character and I only wish his character's happiness, no one else.

MUSIC
I don't think there were original theme songs composed for this series but I love the song selection. My favorite is definitely the recurring song "Saa-tuu" by Milli, TangBadVoice playing whenever their money making scheme works. It is surprisingly fresh yet fitting for the series.

REWATCH VALUE
I don't think this has too much of a high rewatch value because of a certain plotline that I felt kinda unneccesary in the second half of the story but I LOVE the scenes with Monk Dol so I think I'll come back to a few scenes quite a bit to gif/screencap them. There are quite few social commentaries sprinkled throughout the series that I really enjoyed as well. One of my favorite quotes is "It's true that love brings happiness, but happiness and suffering often come together. If you decide to love, you need to be prepared for suffering." sighs... Monk Dol, you are truly my beloved character.

PRODUCTION
I am in love with the camera work from this series. There are a lot of much wide symmetrical shots as well as outdoor shots which showcase the beauty of Thai temples. At the beginning, there are a few scenes where the humor is relied on the framing of a scene, which is so stylistic of Thai cinematic works.

OVERALL
It's a crime drama series that can feel flat at times but hard carried by the acting performances of the actors in this series so I would recommend this to anyone who's interested in the subject topic or fans of Peach, James, Ally or Patchai.

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