Bpoop Phaeh Saniwaat (2018)

If you’re not normally a Thai lakorn viewer, or even a Thai boran (ancient history) lakorn viewer, you should definitely consider making an exception in this case because this is one very special show.
'Bpoop Phaeh Saniwaat' is a wonderful light-hearted romantic-comedy lakorn which feature underlying themes of history, karmic retribution and fate.

STORY (No spoilers)
Time-travelling dramas are not new, even amongst lakorns, but I think that this show is a bit more inspired because it certainly knows how to make use of this premise and give us a lovely light-hearted walk through 17th-century Ayutthaya without making either the history-bits or the political-bits too heavy and overwhelming. On the contrary, from the title of the show itself - ‘Love Destiny’ - it makes it pretty clear that this show is primarily a romance show, which it fulfils to a tee.

It was very clever of this show to transport a budding archeologist back into ancient history because the show gives us a natural teacher in her. As she gradually meets one historical figure after another, we get wonderful internal monologues about the various characters’ positions and their impact on history. And when she gets all excited over ancient historical sites, we get lovely little expositions of the significance of those sites. And through her fish-out-of-water personality and conversations, we are seamlessly introduced to the culture and customs of the times, as well as their hilarious reactions to her modernisms. History becomes so much more accessible and digestible as we follow Kadesurang/Karakade through some of the definitive times in King Narai’s reign in history. It’s a brilliant piece of writing and a brilliant way of introducing a slice of Thai history to viewers without making it too heavy or boring.

One would think that with so much historical setting, background, characters and events, the romance would be short-changed to accommodate it all. Wrong! Very wrong! As a romance tale of hate-to-love, and of fated love, this show not only provides generous amounts of time to introduce our main leads and develop their relationship, it actually also spoils us with plenty of fan-service and squeal-worthy scenes. If you’re a romance-junkie like me, you’ll be pleasantly surprised with how much fixes you’ll get.

This show does many things well but one of the best things about it is the character and personality of our main leads, particularly our main female lead.
Suddenly transported from the 21st-century into the 17th-century, she is very much a fish-out-of-water and it doesn’t help either that the body she inhabits is one which has a reputation of being a rather evil witch. Having to not only adjust to her new environment, but to also redeem Karakade’s reputation amongst the community, is a tall undertaking but Kadesurang rises to the occasion magnificently. To see her slowly but surely win person after person around to her side is a lesson in human gentleness, kindness, patience and poise which has personally inspired me to try and do the same. She is resilient, resourceful and empathic, and she takes every hit she receives in her stride but without losing a shred of her dignity or determination. She is beautiful and amazing.
Our main male lead is very much a product of his status and his time but his evolution from him despising the woman he is affianced to, to learning to see her for who she is in her new personality, and then to be curious about her, and then to accept her (quirks and all), and then to love her - deeply love her - is both funny and very heart-warming.
They also make a pretty compatible couple. They don’t dwell on their fights for long; they take pains to listen, understand and learn about each other; and they learn how to accommodate, give-and-take, and be flexible with one another. Theirs is no childish playground-bickering juvenile romance, nor is it those demanding, personality-clash, dramatic ones. It’s quite wonderfully mature and steadfast, but losing none of its charm or warmth. I love it!

Before I say a few words about our supporting cast (because they are deserving of their own little section), I would like to say that another good thing about this lakorn is its great absence of your typical thai lakorn tropes.
No evil nangrais (aka second female leads)? Check.
No love triangles? Check.
No mad antagonist/ crazy villain? Check.
No plot-filler? Check.
No long-drawn-out misunderstandings? Check.
No lack-of-communication angst? Check.
No revenge plots? Check.
No slap-kiss? Check.
No cartoon/ cardboard characters? Check.
No inconsistent or irrational character portrayals? Check.
Wow, too good to be true? Yes.
There is, however, one - ONE - lakorn cliche that does feature itself heavily in this show and I would be remiss in not pointing it out. It’s your ‘tripping-and-falling-into-arms-followed-by-long-stares’ trope. Not gonna lie, this one gets quite a bit of air-time but they’re all variations of the trope so it might be interesting to see just how much they can stretch it, lol. They do water it down to just ‘turning-and-staring’ as the show progresses, and perhaps it may be a matter of taste but I personally thought the show did okay in giving this particular trope quite a bit of spice through its variations.

Finally, a word about the supporting cast. SOLID is the word that comes to mind. This show’s supporting cast have added extra layers of life, depth and breadth to the show. They sparkle and shine in their own different capacities, and while some might be a little more intense and heavy in terms of presence and personality, the show also gives us little insights and glimpses into their thought-process which makes them all comes across believably real and human. The scintillating supporting cast is truly a massive plus.


ACTING/ CAST
POPE THANAWAT - as Thun Muen Suntorndewa/ Por Date. I’ve seen Pope before in the 'Suparburoot Juthathep' series as the 2nd brother and I knew he had it in him to give his character an aura of gentlemanly dignity and authority where needed. And I also knew he could act and pull out the emotions and the tears if required. He did not disappoint. Our main male lead did a great job in taking us through his emotional journey from start to finish, and if he has not won for himself new fans after this show, I would be very much surprised. His eyes and his smiles are his best assets here as they are beautifully expressive.

BELLA RANEE - as Kadesurang/ Mae Ying Karakade. I’ve always liked Bella from her 'Padiwaradda' and 'Khun Chai Puttipat' days, but she blew me away here with her incredibly versatile portrayal of Kadesurang/ Karakade. I think this show/ script is also great as it allows her to really expand her acting ability and show us just how versatile and capable she is as an actress. I am so glad that she took the script by the horns and threw herself into it with gusto. She really is the main character and the lynchpin to the entire show and she shone brilliantly all the way through. Wonderful performance.

Best of all, the chemistry between these two in this show is on fire! No words - It has to be seen to be believed and after you’re done curling your fingers and toes, squealing into your pillow and rolling all over the floor in romantic ecstasy, you’ll get up and want more. For a show that doesn’t have many skinship scenes, this is a masterclass on how to do restrained romance in dramas. Goodness.

The supporting casts of actors and actresses are all stellar. Standout performances for me were:-
Nirut Sirichanya as our dear old Khun Loong/ Ork Ya Hor Thibadi (Por Date’s dad) was absolutely lovable.
The girls playing Karakade’s personal maids P’Pim and P’Yam killed every single one of their scenes - they are a dynamic duo and such an example of sisterhood girl-power.
Ampha Phoosit as Nang Prik, and Chamaiporn Jaturaput as Khun Ying Jumpa (Por Date’s mom), were an unforgettable double-combo act.
Punjan Kawin was charming as Khun Reung, and Chartchai Ngamsan had that on-screen gravitas as Kosa Ban.
Louis Scott added vulnerable dimensions to a power-hungry Constantine Phaulkon, while Got Jirayu stole all his scenes as a charismatic and hot-looking Luang Surasak.
And the actor playing Joi? Adorable.
Really, the supporting cast all outdid themselves here and I’m so glad this show’s hit-status has brought them into the limelight.


MUSIC
The OST for this show has apparently been outselling itself so it can't be bad. Holistically, taking into account everything from the soundtrack, the background music and the sound effects, I thought this show did very well in incorporating the various elements of it into the scenes. I particularly enjoyed the way they employed their sound effects - it definitely added pep and pop to the scenes!


RE-WATCH VALUE
This show has so many things going for it - sweeping romance, liberal sprinklings of humour, good introduction into Thailand’s ancient history, beautiful sets and costumes, a memorable set of cast of characters, and a storyline which doesn’t spin itself into unnecessary knots or is packed with fillers.
One of the best light-hearted romance dramas I’ve seen to date. Definitely re-watchable.

EDIT TO ADD:
There are 2 versions of this lakorn - it's original 15-episode (1 hour 50 mins per episode) version, and a Director's Uncut 40-episode (40 minutes per episode) version which features a few hours worth of extra footage scattered throughout its entire run.

This lakorn became such a massive hit in Thailand during the year it ran (2018), it single-handedly cleared Bangkok's notoriously terrible traffic jams on the evenings when an episode was airing and spawned an Uncut version release. Unheard of. Yes, this lakorn was THAT good.

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