The Gifted (2018)

Questions...

This is not a polished review, these are just the thoughts I have now that I've completed the series:

--In the final scene with the director, why didn't Pang tell the other kids that they couldn't lose their potentials once they had them?
--What was in it for Ms. Ladda in her final actions?
--How did Mon and Korn end up back with the group, and when did they realize they still had their potentials?
--Did Chanon die or was he mentally incapacitated?
--What is the director's end-game?

I haven't watched Graduation yet....hopefully some of this will be cleared up. I have so many questions....

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Algo diferente

Mayormente las series con una historia como la que nos plantean no suelen producirse de la mejor manera y los efectos especiales son un asco, pero en The Gifted no es el caso. La historia es algo original de ver; estudiantes sobredotados descubriéndose a sí mismos y a sus poderes, sin pensar en los efectos secundarios y además contando como el sistema escolar te obliga a querer sobresalir cuando nunca te preguntaron si realmente eso es lo que quieres o no, buscando estudiantes que siempre sobre salgan de los demás. La historia de cada personaje es algo que no te aburre, ya que cada uno tiene su propia historia y a la vez su propia consecuencia que tomará revuelo a largo plazo. Las actuaciones fueron verdaderamente buenas (sobre todo Gun, Nanon, Chimon y Janeeyeh) supieron a la perfección cómo transmitir todas estas emociones que sentían y esta presión sobre ser perfectos y querer destacar en todo para ser visto, sin fallarle a nadie; en lo personal la actuación de Gun me hizo sacar unas cuantas lágrimas. La historia tiene su punto y saben controlarlo sin ser algo abrumador, de las mejores en cuanto a estudiantes y la fantasía.

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If you haven't watched it, WATCH IT. If you haven't finished it, FINISH IT.

I’m sure a lot of you have been deciding whether to watch this because of the hype OR you have been putting it off (I did the same at first) but- I am writing this review to tell you, YES, WATCH IT. If you like thrillers, mysteries, and the supernatural, then this is a show for you! And YES, FINISH IT. Do not hesitate to finish it because it's worth it! The Gifted has become one of my favorite Thai series of all time. I’m so mad at myself for putting watching it for a bit without knowing how much I would enjoy this show shdhgsf. I loved everything, down to the acting, cinematography, music, story, and how they managed to incorporate something seemingly “unrealistic” such as superpowers into a realistic school setting. The cinematography and the coloring are breathtaking. The atmosphere they set up makes you feel this uncertainty and anxiety- which is very suspenseful and intriguing. The more the story gets explored, the more you want to know and learn about this story. The story aside, I feel like the characters are what really made this show THIS SHOW. There was never a dull moment for me and you will fall in love with all the characters.

(don't mind any grammatical errors).

STORY:
First of all, the synopsis itself seems interesting, and as you watch as the story folds out, there is more than meets the eye (obviously). It was really smart of them to introduce the characters first and have episodes dedicated to them so we could understand their character- and motives, which play a part in their group dynamic (continuing into the gifted graduation- but this is not abt that). As we keep watching, not only do we find out more about the secrets of the gifted program, but the characters do as well, and I think that it is what makes the audience even more engaged with the story. TRUTHFULLY, I find the story to be one of the most engaging and most fun to look at. If you look at the story from a realistic standpoint, some kids having powers based on an audio that can magically activate some cells making them become some of the most powerful beings in their country seems super unrealistic right?? But what I loved about The Gifted is that although there are some supernatural elements, there are some things that apply to the real world- specifically in school settings. It's exactly what some school systems are like. The way some schools prioritize the extremely gifted students, directly or indirectly neglecting the rest of the students, eventually ending in outrage and unfair treatment (adding schools exploiting the gifted students to their advantage). I actually find it interesting how much they emphasize ideals and show the differences in POV between the people who believe in opposite ideals. Which makes you wonder: Which is the correct ideal? How do you KNOW which is the correct ideal? It’s just so insightful and hurts my brain kdskj. Indeed the story is full of plot twists and a load of foreshadowing.

-Not gonna get that much into it but there were so many moments where I was holding onto my seat like WHAT?!?? No way that just happened. If there's one thing The Gifted is gonna do, it's gonna make you look into it more! No, I am 100% convinced that one of the goals that the writers set up is to make you look into the show MORE. Yes, it is a mystery but you are supposed to think and use your brain to piece all the pieces together instead of it being handed to you on a silver platter. But yes, I enjoyed the story, although it is not perfect- I think it’s def amusing.

-The only downside is that the pacing, especially the last few eps seemed so…? I don’t want to say rushed but it felt like they just squeezed in all these little parts of backstory at the last second because they realized that they spent a little too much time on the characters, not realizing that they had like 3-4 more episodes to establish the conflict with the director and just went for the ending “villain wins, the hero loses for now because hey, there's a 2nd season!”. I don’t even know what to say but the finale seemed a little anticlimactic to me. BUT I realized that it was done on purpose to set up The Gifted Graduation- you are not meant to think that this is the end of their journey (OBVIOUSLY, but the build-up to the ending is what makes it anticlimactic imo). I would’ve loved to see all of them working together- using their potential to take down the director instead of Pang going all solo and not communicating with the others (luckily we sorta see that in S2). But again, the ending DOES make sense considering it would be impossible to win against the director with Pang’s plan and it "had to be done"- seeing how his loss seemingly set up The Gifted Graduation. The idea was great but the execution was not. Adding the fact that there are loads of questions and loose ends- did everyone get their memory erased or was it just Pang? How are Mon and Korn back? Korn’s hair went back to normal?? (joke), etc. I guess most questions are answered in S2 but some are just never touched on again so you’ll probably just have to answer it based on your own interpretation.

-I have to say, I LOVED the characters. Every one of them is unique in their own way. Although some are not the brightest, I love them. I loved their character dynamics and their relationship with each other (wholesome af). Sort of wished we saw more of Jack and Joe tho because what were they doing besides being in the background?? They barely got any screen time. Another thing, I wished that the screen time between the characters was more contributed evenly (talking about the last few EPS) because I would’ve liked to see more from the other characters. (If you wanna see me write essays on what I thought of the characters, look at the comment under this).

(If you don’t want to read some stupid rambling, feel free to skip this)
Love all the characters individually but I have to say that some pairs had like NO chemistry with each other. (This is MY opinion, this is just what I think- don't take this as facts)

-First of all, Punn and Claire. I am so sorry… I love both of them as bf & gf and all but :( I thought I could see them more as a romantic pair (esp in S2 ) but I could not. Don’t get me wrong! They care about each other a lot, + they have a lot of cute scenes together and I love their LOVE but I like them more as platonic. They do have a bit of chemistry but I wished they developed this pair more and made their relationship more interesting because I felt like they got together too fast but that’s just me… love them tho.

-Another pair that was pushed by the directors that I felt had no chemistry is Pang & Namtaan. Even Wave had more chemistry with Namtaan (joke?). Again, I love both of them individually but there was 0 chemistry. Them romantically? No. Them platonically? Yes. They were not even together but I could tell they were pushed romantically. Yet I could not tell where they were going with this pair as they sidelined Namtaan in S2. And I wonder why they would build up their relationship in S1 if they weren’t even gonna get together in S2?? hjkfjhf but I love them as best friends. Just wanted to say this because it was something that I noticed while watching

Now to the pairs who ACTUALLY had chemistry.

-Claire and Korn. This might be controversial because how does the sad pining childhood friend have more chemistry with Claire you may ask? First of all, they have been friends since kindergarten and Korn basically knows Claire in and out. He was always there to comfort her and was there for her (EP4). They could’ve been the perfect embodiment of childhood friends to lovers- listen! They had the potential! There was sm tension between them and honestly while I was watching, I thought they would be endgame. I’d say the writers were too scared to go there, or maybe Punn and Claire were meant for each other, and Claire rejecting Korn is supposed to happen. In other words, a plot device that would play a big part in his character arc (it did). But idk, it was so freaking sad to see Korn drift away from Claire :( one of the biggest losses in the show fr. I’m not even talking about them romantically but as friends. Their friendship was everything, it was so sweet. The potential was there but I respect Claire, It was merely one-sided and she only saw him as a good friend. All and all, Korn deserved better. I don't know why the writers decided to do him so dirty but he deserves everything in this world. (also notice the number of times I used ‘was’- past tense - since they are no longer as close to each other as before *cries*)

-Another pair that had ZERO chemistry. Pang and Wave. Yeah no. I could not see them together. They HATE each other. Gay ppl? No.

-JOKING. But Pang and Wave had some serious chemistry. I KNOW that the directors were too scared to make them a real thing because their chemistry was too powerful! Like come on, everyone and their grandma picked up on their chemistry. THEY are the classic enemies to friends to lovers trope. Them both hating each other but end up joining forces because they both hate the same thing (the director and the school system etc). I found their friendship so unexpected but at the same time so endearing. This duo solos everyone I’m sorry but that’s just the truth. Love them.

ACTING/ CAST:
-I LOVED the acting but some were not up to par with the others. Especially since some were still rookies, but I think it’s EXTREMELY impressive that they could portray such characters in a tense setting. I could tell everyone did their best and I applaud them. I cried with them, I got mad with them, I was happy with them! The ones who I thought REALLY shined with their acting are Nanon, Gun, and Chimon. Sing, Jane, and Mr. Pom’s actor. There are many more but they are the ones whose performances I thought were the most impressive.

MUSIC:
-LOVED THE MUSIC. If the intro song played, then you know something intense is coming… But I went and searched for the rest of the osts and listened to them- I can conclude that the music is a 10/10. The background music is what really sets the mood and it just makes you enjoy the show more.

REWATCH VALUE:
-YES. I would 100% rewatch this just to get re-introduced to the characters again for the first time and I would love to rewatch this knowing all the secrets behind the gifted program. But I have to say, if you don’t like slower-paced dramas, then I would not recommend this to rewatch. But yeah REWATCH IT, WATCH IT!

OVERALL:
-Again, one of my fav Thai series of all time! There are some flaws and plot holes in the story BUT! that did not stop me from enjoying the show, rather it made me even more curious. This show made me feel a bundle of emotions and tested my blood pressure but I digress. My overall enjoyment is a 10/10, one of the best experiences ever. The ending is okay and I was somewhat satisfied (since I already knew there was gonna be a S2 lol). But the biggest thing I got from watching this gem is getting to know all of the actors/ actresses. I was familiar with everyone but I haven’t seen any of their work before (besides Nanon’s) so I’m glad I got to see them in action. Lastly, loved this show, loved everyone who worked on this, and LOVE THEM. I might rewrite this after I rewatch it so that I can have a bigger grasp on the story lol but I hope this was readable.

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Mindblowing

This is a masterpiece, it's a puzzle, the kind of puzzle which keeps u hooked from the start.
sci-fi? yes
romance? yes
psychological thriller?yes
humorous? yes
dramatic?yes
its everything and it gives you the right amount of everything, you'll start loving every characters. there's no plot holes, just solid piece of story with every clue pitched into each episodes which makes sense later on. there's a lot of student life, how things are in real life, how younger generation have to fight for basic human values. You name it. this have it.
100/10 will absolutely recommend!!!

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Absolutely Amazing!

The Gifted was a brilliant show that I will be thinking about for a long, long time. Everything about it was great: the characters, the plotting, the reveals, the twists... It kept me on the edge of my seat and had me constantly itching to go to the next episode.

While I'm not the biggest fan of ensemble-led shows with this sort of set-up (namely how the first six or so episodes focuses on one MC at a time before they really come together for the real plot), I still really enjoyed this show and how it played out. I liked the characters a lot— and their actors, too. Everyone was great in this, though I especially enjoyed the performances of Gun, Nanon, Sing, and Jane. Everyone was wonderful, but those four went above and beyond for me.

The story line was so interesting, too! I loved watching the different characters learn about their potentials, and watching Pang realize there's something much darker going on within the school. I love a good mystery, and this delivered on all fronts.

Also— I'm obsessed with the ending!! No spoilers, but honestly it was fantastic. I will surely be jumping into the sequel series ASAP!

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One of the best series

I found this series thanks to Gun, and started to watch it just because of him. I was even willing to skip it and just watch his parts. However, it didn't turn it that way. I liked it so much, and I couldn't leave it. It's like the series that I needed but didn't know about. It contains many genres, such as horror, romantic comedy, psychological thriller, and so on.

So it's written here about the story, so I want to tell my opinions on it. Each episode focuses on one of the characters, for us to see each of their past and struggles. I like that they did it this way, because I usually want to know about all of the characters when I'm watching a series. However, it had some cons, for example, after Ohm's episode, we don't even see him that much until the last few episodes. I think that they could've distributed the screentime more equally, because it feels a bit empty when it's like this. But it can be ignored too, because the focus should be on the main character and that's acceptable.

Overall, the acting was amazing. Especially Gun. His character was the most complex of all of them, and must've been really hard to act. However, Gun did a great job. I still get goosebumps when watching that one scene where he's talking to Claire in his episode. I don't want to spoil it, so you have to watch it yourself. The other actors were also so professional, and made me feel all of the emotions throughout the series.

The storyline and the plot were also different. It's not predictable like most of the series, and makes you surprised in almost every episode. I would watch it several times and still won't get bored. Definitely recommending it.

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CAPOLAVORO

C'è poco da dire, per me The Gifted è un capolavoro, difficilmente voto 10 in tutte le categorie, ma qui non ho potuto farne a meno. E' una serie bellissima, interessante, diversa dai soliti drama thailandesi che si vedono in giro, la recitazione è qualcosa di spettacolare, il cast è davvero stellare e, per quanto mi riguarda, ci sono due degli attori che considero più bravi in assoluto, ovvero Gun Atthaphan e Nanon Korapat. Sono davvero ad un livello indescrivibile, ma questo non vuol dire che il resto del cast sia da meno, ho amato la recitazione di tutti, ti fanno davvero empatizzare con i personaggi.
Serie davvero meravigliosa, diciamo che è uno dei miei comfort drama e ogni tanto torno a riguardarlo perché ne sento la mancanza.
Speciale, assolutamente da vedere!

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What a ride!

I have a feeling like I'd been hit by a ton of bricks. Unannounced and unexpected! It has been so long that I haven't enjoyed a drama so much!

I am so NOT fan of school themed dramas but this one is a fantasy/scify one taking place in a school and the gifted students are a kind of junior X-men !

What I liked:
- a tightly woven storyline: zero plotholes
- anthology like first part (I love anthology series in general so...)
- superpowers that do not need CGI
- great cast: perfection for every character, even the minor ones
- great background soundtrack helping set the mood of menace and danger

What I did not like:
- PPL and even though they were used as a part of the plot it was too much. The boys were thirsty all the time, the girls had dirty faces that needed washing halfway through the school day and they all snacked on cereal often. Hence the lower rating than what I wished to give it!

The story ran smoothly. The first half of the drama was spent mainly on giving us background stories of major characters while the second part is when the main storyline about abuse of power was developed. All the questions were answered by the end and even though the corrupted system remained there is the hope of the second season's endgame. The undercurrent theme is the elitist school systems that leaves kids behind with adults abusing the talents of the gifted ones (and talents do not need to be superpowers!) Kids can try to tell the truth, but are seldom listened to or believed by adults. So like in this drama kids decide to use those talents and reveal the truth.There is everything in The Gifted: drama, romance, comedy and a lot of twists! I am probably not writing anything new about this series but I loved it!

Great watch! I just binged it in two days(thank god for the weekend!). It has a great rewatch value since you might want to see the things you missed! I have first discovered GMMTV as the serial makers of school bls but recently I've watched Mama Gogo and 55:15 which were amazingly brilliant! This one is just as good! And I was probably in the right mood for something like this! On to the second season!

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Plot twists had me wawwed!!!!!

I dicovered this show last year and i don't regret it.

Acting. 9.0
The way every character acted, you could tell that they were investedin the roles.
The thing i liked about the acting was that they didn't keep one expression for during different situations. And one more thing , when they cried i cried with them. Especially when one of the characters was behaving like a total a**, i got super mad. I have a saying " if an actor makes you feel the same way they feel while portraying the character, then that is a good actor".

Music 7.5
Although there were no OSTs, i still liked it. Whenever something bad was gonna happen, the music made it more real in a way.

Story 10

The story made complete sense .When hunting for dramas i always look at the story or sypnossis they put. Tge story captivated me.

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Captivating

One episode in and I already knew I was going to love it. The main character is exactly my favorite kind of hero — the one that doesn't ask for it but has leadership thrust upon them after being thrown headfirst into an insane situation.

The drama started out a little episodic at first but I had no problem with it because it was great seeing different potentials and the pros and cons of them. Hints of the backstory and overarching plot were also inserted really well and I really liked how things came together at the end.

With that being said, however, I feel like the ending leaves a lot to be desired. I liked learning about different potentials in the earlier episodes but I don't think they ever became very significant in the overarching plot and it really felt like the drama ended right when it was about to hit its actual climax, after some of the plot twists were revealed. The build-up didn't necessarily pay off even though I feel like some of the social messages already came through, and the cliffhanger at the end really left me craving more.

I always say I'm not a fan of ensemble dramas but if this one counts it's definitely an exception. I love every single one of the characters in the group (especially Wave) and they'll be one of my favorite cast of characters forever.

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Hidden Gem

I became a fan of Nanon after watching Bad Buddy, the series. In one of the interviews, the director, P'Oaf said that Nanon is well-known for doing thriller and drama series which made me question his acting abilities and lead me to The Gifted, the series. Also, there is Gun, Sings, Victor, Fiat, and Jane here as well here so made me more intrigued to watch, and oh boy am I glad that I did.

The storyline is amazing. The plot twists at every turn were always keeping me on my toes. It was hard to not watch the next episode cause the story kept you engaged throughout. The first few episodes, where each main character had his/her own introduction were fascinating and then the end where it followed Pang was amazing too. Even though most schools are not divided by the class system like in this story the treatment however is the same. In many schools, the students who are already smart or talented are given priority and attention by the teachers whereas the average ones are left as they are. Sadly, schools do not give attention to the students that need that time. Every student has potential in some way or another but most are left to the dirt and we see only a few succeed. This is a very sad but true reality of the world and it is highly disappointing.

Honestly, am one of the people who was waiting on the storylines for the twins as well but they hardly had any lines in the series. I want to see a drama with both of them and both are the main actors. They are talented, funny, and good-looking. The acting was spectacular, especially Gun. He is a phenomenal actor. The way he acts and his facial expressions are mesmerizing. He is such a versatile actor. I am used to seeing him with Papi so this was refreshing to see him in a different light where has a girlfriend and is the protector instead of being protected. All around just adds to his personality and versatility.

Nanon is another brilliant actor. He is also really good with his facial expressions and getting the audience to feel what he feels and really relate to him. His character Pang is someone most of us can relate to as someone who is not good at their studies and just feels misunderstood most of our lives.

Jane (Clair) was super as well, especially in the scene in the theatre where her video was leaked and she was frantic to get everyone to stop watching. We all have something or the other that we do not want the world, especially our loved ones to know and the way she tried her best was commendable. I really didn't like her character till that scene and after that, I empathized with her and she got better and better after that.

Wave and Korn were also characters that I could relate to as well. Both of them just wanted someone to love them or be friends with them but they got betrayed by the 1 person they trusted the most. That is heartbreaking. All they want is love and they were the ones who were hurt the most.

Mon was another loveable character. She is the strongest of them all and her action scenes were beautiful to watch. I wish they could have shown her kick down that door when Wave locked them all in the auditorium. That would have been so cool.

Overall, this is an amazing series. Ful 10/10. Next is The Gifted: Graduation. Hope that is just as good too.

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