Drama Digest
Adapted from the novel penned by Tepita, Prom Pissawat follows the journey of Plapol, a half-Korean and half-Thai man, who goes to Thailand to look for his mother. Plapol has a rough childhood with a family that is broken beyond repair. The final nail on the coffin that makes Plapol go to Thailand to look for his mother, (who had divorced his father and deserted them in his childhood,) is when he sees his new stepmother with his father. Plapol views his stepmother as a gold digger, and nurses really misogynistic sentiments towards women, which partially has to do with the lack of positive female influences in his life.
In Thailand, Plapol meets Pantawan, a singer extremely popular with men, at a bar. Pantawan is quick to call Plapol out on his sexist claptrap, and they log heads at several intervals. Watch this series to see the exciting dynamic between Plapol and Pantawan, and enjoy some good old family drama typical to slap-kiss lakorns.
The Feel-Good Part
Prom Pissawat is a lakorn that uses its potential to keep you engrossed to the utmost. It has all the elements that you expect from a lakorn, a toxic family, a devious female antagonist, a conniving male enemy. It employs them to create a storyline that keeps you at the edge of your seat most of the time. Amidst all the melodrama, something that stands out in Prom Pissawat is the fact that this show recognizes the makings of an unhealthy family versus a healthy one. It showcases how a feuding family can impact a child and result in lasting negative impressions that mold the child into an unpleasant person.
Another impressive aspect is the way the writers have treated Pantawan. She never condones Plapol’s regressive attitude towards women and immediately opposes him whenever he says something toxic. She also refuses to budge from her decisions and knows exactly what she wants.
The Disappointing Factor
Prom Pissawat makes use of tropes that we have seen in this genre of lakorns for ages. Although some of the series’ takes on these tropes seem refreshing and progressive, they can seem to be tedious to many viewers. Some of the characters seem too one-dimensional, their arcs restricted to their one prominent character trait, even though there is space for them to be explored. The entire idea that a woman has to come and ‘fix’ Plapol and turn him into a decent human who does not harbor misogynistic sentiments against womankind as a whole is questionable. The show does justify his behavior, but one is left wondering if the entire explanation of the lack of good female role models and a lousy childhood is enough, considering he is a member of modern society and education should be enough to make him unlearn his noxious values.
In-Depth Analysis
The series is highly entertaining. It is pretty progressive by lakorn standards of this genre and poses some interesting questions about unhealthy family dynamics and the resulting baggage they impose on children. It features incredible acting from the entire cast, especially the lead pair. The series also has some of the most potent music I have heard in a while; the somber instrumentals make the emotional scenes more angsty. Although it does fall back on regressive tropes and questionable plotlines, it is primarily self-aware. The female lead is an absolute delight to watch, especially watching her call out the obnoxious male lead is unusually satisfying.
Star Power
This series has a strong cast, with everyone delivering excellent performances, but Pimrapa Tangprabhaporn stands out the most. She portrays Pantawan with great conviction and makes up for the moments when the story dredges on whenever she is on screen. The chemistry between Pim and Boom is fiery, and it will be interesting to watch them together in future lakorns.
Overall Opinion
If you want to watch some good old melodrama and a female lead that refuses to budge despite the poor counsel surrounding her, this series is for you.
