The Gifted Graduation (2020)

rushed?

wow, okay, i'll try to keep this review as spoiler-free and straightforward as possible! (also as unbiased as possible lol ww)

ive binged watched the gifted series in the past few days and i absolutely LOVED it. ive always loved supernatural things mixed with a tinge of thriller/mystery and the gifted really do it. well, season 1 at least does.

its true that it's quite literally impossible not to compare both seasons, but i felt like season 2 was too rushed compared to the first one. the last few episodes were way too over the place, too many plot twists that i felt just DIDNT make sense. hell--even half of the twists are about the same thing, same looped scenario that results in the mcs being in a state even worse than before. honestly, it was almost like watching the writers go off the rails live. there were so many--and i cannot stress this enough--so, SO MANY alternatives they could've chosen, both for the story and characters.

the characters in s2 falls completely flat and one-dimensional compared to s1. there were even times when i think that character A shouldnt have done that, because it doesnt make SENSE that they would do that in the first place. there's just a problem in characterization, honestly?? a serious one; especially when it comes to the juniors (time, third, grace). omg so many writing problems there.

(a little bit of spoilers (?) here, skip to next paragraph if you dont want to see) and what irks me the most is how much the characters put their trust solely on pang? like, yes i get that he's the leader of the group but at the same time it really feels... empty. it's like this wonderful group of students with high IQs cannot think for themselves even if their life depended on it, and they all just run back to pang at the end of the day. (dont get me wrong, pang is my favorite character, but i dont like this at all.)

other than that though, the acting, cinematography, and editing are gorgeous as usual. the cast!!! their acting are always an eye candy and i love it!! they've somehow managed to turn the insufferable script into something thats actually bearable to watch and sit through, god bless for them.

in conclusion, the gifted season 2 is way, WAY too rushed. it felt like they couldve done a lot more if given more time. the script and its writing is also questionable, it builds the plot for so long but ends rather anti-climatic--felt like holding your breath for so long only to be met with disappointment in the end. aah, really, what a waste of potential ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

thats all for the unbiased review! for the biased one: i loved it.

i loved seeing them together again, since somehow ive gotten awfully attached to these kids HAHA their interactions were fun, and im so happy to see the ending of their story. the actors and actresses too! so so happy to be seeing them here again ~~ thank you gifted for giving me a blast these past few days ^^

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Too much in the story took away from the quality

Accidentally erased my whole review so this is take 2.
Starting with the good (that is way less that I would like), I really appreciated the amazingly tidy way they developed the whole plot. At the beginning it very much felt like they were throwing random shit to make the story exiting but senseless in the long run, but by the end it was made clear that whoever made this really thought this through, it ties up so many thing in a very perfect way that left me impressed, biggest example being that they explained the reason behind almost only good school achievers to become gifted when it's never implied before to have a correlation. The other good thing is that it was very obsessive to watch, finished it in 2-3 days.

Going to the bad, the best place to start is the beginning, which was so underwhelming, so many things gone wrong. First is that we start with a character we've never seen before, and that with passing episodes proves to have no purpose of personality other that having a character that drives the plot forward, second we just jump over 2019 and give it like 10 minutes, thing that causes a sense of distance from the characters, that given the absolute lack of attention and development that was given to the side characters, these end up feeling like add ups that have no purpose and I really just didn't care about any of them (sad specially in Ohm'and Mon's cases for me). The main characters get saved because they have enough screen time and care to make me feel connected all over again (Wave def gained a special place in my heart).
Following with the characters, and specifically going to Pram, I really hate how they handled him, the other characters deposited on him every big choice but then half of them left him to do things alone or blame him for everything and never take responsibility, and then he fails and fails and fails so he "gives up" and everyone but him solves the issue it feels like all importance is taken away from him (even tho we discover he never really gave up and all, is such a small time and feel given to the screen it left me very dissatisfied), but then the again put almost all responsibility over him, like... it doesn't make any sense with the number of time they disregarded him (choices that were kinda logic at the time so this actitud of making him leader lost it's cohesion with the story).
My final complain is with Grace and the Director's powers. Grace's because it's so convenient to the plot it ends up being the cause they solve everything, like, it's totally a plot convenience to fix everything that was hard to fit in the technical aspect of solving the story. Then the Director's powers is used in a similar way but to make sense of any and all times a character acted some way that was off their personality, examples being Korn and Chanon (the most confusing and ridiculous), so it's another plot convenience to tidy up loose ends in the plot.

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CAPOLAVORO PARTE 2

Anche in questo caso il voto è stato semplice: 10 su tutto.
Devo ammettere che all'inizio ero un po' preoccupata, perché The Gifted per me è un capolavoro e avevo paura che questa seconda stagione potesse non essere all'altezza della prima. E INVECE WOW. Le mie preoccupazioni sono crollate perché davvero non c'è niente di cui aver paura, regge assolutamente il confronto con la prima stagione, è il seguito perfetto, non avrebbero potuto realizzare un seguito migliore, ho amato veramente tutto. Le aggiunte del cast hanno reso tutto ancora più avvincente, davvero meraviglioso.

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Mind Blown

Season 1 was amazing but season 2 was beyond anything I could ever imagine. First of all the number of plot twists was incredible. It is unimaginable for an ordinary person to come up with so many plot twists. The writers did a fantastic job on this. At every turn, there was something new that kept us on our toes throughout. It was really hard to trust anyone.

My love for the OG cast made me continue it till the end. However not as dark as the first season, but the plot twists made up for it. It was a good thing that all the plot twists connected to each other and kept the story relevant.

The only issue I had was when they were showing the past, even though it was important to the story, the cinematography was not as appealing. However, the main issue I have is with the ending. Yes, every human being has potential, some discover it early in life, some discover it late and some do not discover it at all but there to a soundwave that will be a fix-all? does not make sense. Human life, in reality, is meant to be a struggle. Maybe humans will experience the struggle after awakening their potential powers? Hard to say. But I really did not like the ending. Honestly would have preferred the ending where either the gifted program was canceled completely with everyone's powers taken away or for some to have the powers like X-Men where they use to help ordinary people.
Also, why did Grace give up her power? Was it to live longer? Her future self did say that it takes a toll on her health...
So many questions.....

All that being said, the acting of the actors was phenomenal, especially Nanon, Gun, Fiat, Victor, Mek, and Lee. Fantastic work by all of them.

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Season 3 is not needed.

Its been 4 years since Season 1 was released and 2 years since Season 2 was. Tbh, I hesitated watching the S2 after seeing new casts and Namtarn being out since I know her potential would be helpful for their mission. So yeah, because of that hesitation, I watched the second season just this 2022. And as an avid fan of the first season, I must say.. this ended not perfect but just like how it should be.

Before watching the second season, I have decided to read some reviews first and ngl, I already expected lots of mixed reviews. One of the things that I mostly read was about the neverending plot twists that makes the story more confusing and more broad. But I guess one thing is needed to be done to know if how S2 will turn out and that is to watch it.

STORY:
Story wise, the goal of Pang and his friends just continue from season 1, its just that a lot of factors do affect the execution of their plans and thats how the enormous amount of plot twists takes place. At first, I feel those twists is just something unnecessary to the point that once it started, it wont stop, just episode after episode, there will be something which would make you frustrated, confused and disappointed all at the same time. But once I reached the ending, I somehow understood why those happened.

One thing I was just so disappointed abt was the characters' potential. Some of them have improved theirs but some remained the same and seems like not been focused on. For example, Jack and Joe. Their potential might be helpful for the mission but they're just their seating, standing and just listening in their meetings. I just hope that at some point in the series, they gave a part where each of them showcase their potential in a single move for their plan. Just my opinion.

For the ending, personally.. I'm okay with it. But I think I'll agree with some saying that it could be better. The execution can be better but as someone who really did wait for season 2, the ending is quite okay. Again not perfect but I guess it just right.

ACTING/CAST:
Tbh, even if the set up, story line and the scenes are already completely messing up our minds, we cant deny that the casts did a great job portraying their characters well. For example, Nanon made me feel pity Pang for being used and being betrayed so many times. And as I said earlier, I kinda hesitated watching this series because of the new added casts but after watching, I can say that they added new flavor to the story and I liked it. Thanat, Tay and Namtan also made me feel the chills at their guest roles. I cant explain in words how these casts really brought both S1 and S2 to another level. Hands down.

REWATCH VALUE:
Honestly, for how stressed I am after watching both seasons, I think the rewatch value of this would be lower. For me who dont usually rewatch shows, this show would definitely be in my "not to rewatch" list. Not because its bad, but I think once is enough. I might be rewatching some particular parts in particular episodes but will not watch the whole series once again.

I know we all have different perspectives in terms of rewatching shows and I do respect you for your own opinion but for me this show is just for once only.

OVERALL:
I still prefer the first season over this one even though I know that S2 is a continuation. The execution of scenes and the "wow" factor was lessen plus I think too much plot twists is not for everyone. But still, it gives you the "The Gifted" vibes you're being up to from season 1 and the flow of it was I think still suitable from how s1 ended. The ending, was just right.


Is Season 3 needed? Based on how it ends, I think Nanon was right after saying that how it ends it already enough. The ending might scream for more but I think, Season 3 is unnecessary.

Ps. Lets give some rest to Pang and Friends ?

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Carried by PangWave

The shining beacon of light in this drama was Pang & Wave, whose chemistry was just off the charts. I absolutely loved their development from enemies in the first season to being an unbreakable duo in this one, I loved how their personalities and plans complemented each other, and I loved that no matter it was these two characters together who were not only the most dependable when shit hit the fan but were also the most fun and domestic when they were just hanging out together. PangWave shined in every single scene they were in.

Aside from that, I definitely felt like The Gifted: Graduation was inferior to its prequel in every way.

While the new additions to the cast did grow on me, I didn't like how much the show focused on them at the start. They were simply annoying and felt very obviously like plot devices. The show got better once the main cast returned — not just because of the nostalgic factor but just because the characters were better developed — and the new characters were more suited in their secondary roles.

Still, I really didn't enjoy how some established characters from Season 1 had spiralled downward in their character arcs; while it was hinted at in the original series, development here just felt very sudden and out-of-character, as if they were being used for the plot's shock factor instead of having their characters grow naturally in one direction.

In terms of the plot, I really think it tries to do too much in too little. There's a good story in here somewhere with the Director's backstory but it has one twist after another and at some point you stop feeling shocked that there's another betrayal or another moment of in-fighting. (There was a lot of infighting in this one, which I didn't enjoy and it felt like it was simply there for drama.) There's some parts of the plot that feel too convenient or characters that suddenly disappear because they're not useful anymore. And maybe I think there were just too many characters, and sometimes the show chose to focus on the ones that were the least interesting. I could not find it in myself to care at all about what the government was doing and I felt like those roles could have been given to characters in power we already knew and it would've had the same impact.

Still, it does wrap up the story nicely and I think the moments between Pang and Wave were well worth the watch.

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Upgrade from season one, but still too many plot twists

I must say I liked season two more than season one. One of the reasons is plot - this time it was linear and actually possible to follow. It didn’t have too many side plots, which would’ve taken away from the main plot. It almost seems like season one is the introduction to season two and in this season the actual story begins. I also liked the new characters, especially Time. I like how through him we got a totally new view of the whole gifted program. And can we talk about his and Pang’s friendship! It was precious.

I love how in this season, especially at the beginning, the original Gifted students are actual real friends and hang out together. It is such an upgrade from their relationships in season one. Now they actually seemed like a team. I have to mention Pang and Wave’s friendship! But it made me frustrated how all of them let outside forces tear them apart and not trust each other for some time during the season.

I think that the ending of this series was a little bit rushed and buried in plot twists. Maybe a couple more episodes wouldn’t have hurt? Just like in season one the power balance between good and evil was soooo off until the very end. But I liked the solution that Pang chose in the end about giving a chance for everyone to have a superpower. Even though I must say that I didn’t enjoy throughout the whole series how all the gifted students put all the pressure on Pang to tell them what they have to do and then got angry when things didn’t turn out the best…

Acting in this season was so much better than in season one in my opinion. Their acting skills were not so different anymore that some were much better than others. I really enjoyed this show acting wise!

In conclusion I would say that I actually recommend this show, but be ready for a hundred and one plot twists during the show.

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Did grace remove her potential?

This series is nice but at the ending I'm not satisfied Can you make a special episode which explain what happened when Pang release the sound wave and Did actually Grace remove her potential? I want more exposure of the Aj and Jj also Namtarn because she is back to the series And also I want to know what happened to The Ministry and Director Supot Please Make Special Episode that explains what happen cause the ending is not satisfying much.......pleaseeeeeeeeeee pleaseeeeeeeeeee pleaseeeeeeeeeee pleaseeeeeeeeeee pleaseeeeeeeeeee pleaseeeeeeeeeee pleaseeeeeeeeeee pleaseeeeeeeeeee pleaseeeeeeeeeee pleaseeeeeeeeeee pleaseeeeeeeeeee pleaseeeeeeeeeee

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"Almost perfect "

Frist of all, u need to watch the first season in order to understand the second (this) one, it will be hella confusing if u don't.
Now about the series, I'd say i absolutely love it, one of my all time fav. The story line is awesome, the cast couldn't be any better and it contians loads of twists which is so thrilling. Its like a roller coaster of emotion, one second, u r feeling happy that pang is finally victorious then the other sec u feel pity that he lost so badly. As i said before, it contains many twists and i sometimes i feel chills on my whole body. Though i would say that i didn't like the ending, tbh it was horrible with everyone getting the power. Think how disastrous the world would become, i get that its for equality but thats too much. I wish they listned to future grace instead of cutting her off forever.
One thing that i didn't like was the screen time for the "main cast". Pang, wave and punn aren't the only mcs, poor namtarn, she came in the last episode. She was done dirty (i am saying this cause i like her acting and she didn't get do much in this series)

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How to ruin a brilliant drama....

...or the curse of the second season!

JUST A RANT after a disappointing beginning!
I am starting this immediately after finishing the first series I simply adored and I can feel the differences in pacing, and in storyline with the introduction of a bunch of annoying characters! Moreover Nanon seems to have forgotten how to button up his shirt and why is Wave wearing his jacket on his shoulders like a soap opera diva , not to mention that Claire's makeup is making me think she's not being played by the same actress(WTF are you thinking Mr. Director !?!) ?And do not start me on PPLs! What mildly irritated me in the first series, it is seriously annoying me here (the first 20 min of the ep. two are just filled with ads!!! At one moment I seriously thought one character was going to discover his potential while eating ramen!) Please tell me they tone it down afterwards because if I have to watch them continuously eating noodles, drinking soft drinks and wash their faces I am going to drop it! ??? Episode 5 and they are still taking forever to eat OK ramen.... And PPLs go on and on and on endlessly!
Basically the theme of this season is DIVIDE & CONQUER implemented by adults manipulating idealistic kids! Nanon's character, Pang, has lost all his nice sides which made him such a lovable dork in the first season! It looks like he lost most of his braincells when he decided to leave his shirt half unbuttonned: he has been behaving like a total clueless idiot! While in the first season, he would think and figure out the most unprobable solutions, here he is such a gullible fool! No wonder, none of his friends do not want to be with him: he keeps trusting the wrong people, something he would never have done a year earlier! So annoying!
On to ep.8 and the backstory of the Director Supot (those anthology like episodes in season 1 were my favourite so I was happy we were finally getting one here!) which was fascinating. They also talked a lot about the virus but why is all that talk making me think of AIDS? Maybe it is an allegory?
So after listening to Supot's story we were made to sympathize with him and believe him to be better than we thought! Wrong! So wrong, actually he is much, much worse than we thought but eventually he looks like a villain from a James Bond or a Marvel movie: ridiculous! (After realizing that young version of Supot is played by Tay Tawan, I can so see him in the older actor! They managed to mimic each other's micro mannerisms to perfection!)
These twists are mindblowing! And they keep coming, relentlessly as the ending approaches! But Pang's stupidity at the same time seems to be boundless! What happened to him? I hoped he'd grow a brain before the ending, but, well guess what?, he doesn't!!! And then they decide to end it all like Buffy did: give the potential to everyone! At least Buffy had a cool sword and an even cooler witch friend!
So my final thoughts: if you liked the first series, watch this one as well but be aware it is definitely not as good and that you risk a disappointment!

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Give this season a chance, you will surely nor regret.

The new characters brought to the story and the removal of past characters increases the drama's worth. The new characters add more twists to the drama. The previous characters again go through differences in their moods, struggles with their friendship and do betrayal. In this season unlike the previous one, more attention is focused to betrayal. Also, you need to watch this season because it reveals many hidden secrets and lies from the previous season.

Sometimes you will feel that the characters are upto something i.e. they have something up their sleeves but then you will realise that they are just playing innocent or sometimes you will feel that they have nothing up their sleeves like that of previous season but then your amusement comes out. The series as a whole have many shocks and surprises which made me continue watching this drama. Every side character is given an important role not just the mains. Drama is incomplete without them.

For those who feel are feeling this drama boring after watching 1st season, then don't watch it because it's better to leave at start than in the middle of the watching. You should have your interest in this drama, then only you can understand and enjoy various feelings and true meaning hidden in this drama. This drama is not only for students but also for adults who are filled with feelings betrayal and friendship or burdened with responsibilities or want control or want to imagine how it would have been if their school was gifted !

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Darker and more Mature Sequel; Fast-paced with plenty (or too many) plot twists.

“The Gifted: Graduation” is a darker and more serious sequel to its predecessor. It covers a lot more ethical and moral issues regarding the discovery, use and control of potentials. I can see why many find this sequel not as good as season 1 because of the tone shift. Personally, I am fine with the change, and find the pacing continues to be well and fast.

After a couple years, the young actors and actresses have honed in their skills and I think are better in portraying the more complicated emotions. I critiqued the female cast’s acting in season 1 but I have to say, Claire was a lot better. We don’t see much of Mon, unfortunately, and Namtarn only got a few minutes of screen time. The male cast continues to be the star of the show, with the exception of the twins. Their potential really doesn’t give them much in the grand scheme of things, aside from being a telephone. I think season 2 continues to have the challenge of balancing a big cast’s screen time. In addition to the original cast, we added at least 3 more main characters.

Even though the pacing is fast and you won’t get bored, I do think the overwhelming number of plot twists make it hard to breathe and absorb what just happened. There are a couple episodes when the twist happens one after another and we’re given an explanation via quick flashbacks. I am not sure if it’s an editing issue or a writing issue. Nevertheless, you won’t feel bored and lost your interest. I also find it interesting how the smart Director would just disclose his plans to everyone. I know he's supposed to be super confident in his plans, but isn't that kinda dumb as well? On another note, this main character really shouldn't trust him after being burnt so many times.

It’s been a while since I last saw a Thai drama with so many in-your-face product placements. Maybe because they need a larger budget, or this is a 2020 production? Within the first 7 minutes of the show, we already got a lip balm ad. These products come fast and furious and never really subsides. We have lip balm, ice teas, water bottles, snacks, noodles, face wash, etc. And on top of that, there are a few mini skis at the end of the episode to further showcase these products.

Overall, this is a pretty decent sequel. However, I enjoyed season 1 more. I think the distribution of comedy, ethic/moral issues, thriller and suspense was more well-done in season 1.


Completed: 1/22/2023

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