Like That? Love This! Thai Edition
I love Thai dramas! No doubt about that, but after watching so many you start to notice similarities between the shows. Some shows make good use of these cliches other shows just make you want to slap the producer. Here are the 3 most common plot cliches that can be found in Thai dramas.
Note: Thai soap operas are called Lakorns.
1. The Jealous Woman
You thought the exes (and their evil mothers) from Korean dramas were bad, wait till you see the Lakorn women! These women will hire killers, attack the female lead, blackmail the male leads into relationships, and do whatever they can to get rid of the female lead.
The exes in these dramas are just straight crazy and can be found in 95% of all dramas. Apparently, nothing makes a man more attractive than having a crazy chick at his side. The sad part is that you can also find these crazy chicks in roles besides the jealous ex. Sometimes they might be a girl who has been in love with the male lead for a long time or even some random female that the main guy met moments before. Recently I watched a Lakorn where there wasn’t a love triangle and no ex-lovers.
Did that mean there was no crazy chick?
Nope, she was still there. This time the crazy chick was the male lead's sister. She thought her husband was cheating on her with the female lead (which of course he wasn’t) and was out to get blood.
Main lesson: Wherever there is a hot guy, there is always a crazy chick nearby.
Shows that have funny or barely noticeable crazy chicks:
2. From Enemies to Lovers
In South Korea, there is love at first sight. In Thailand, it's 'I’ll kill you at next sight!'
Again, this doesn’t apply to all Lakorns but for some reason, a lot of romance shows start off with the main couple disliking each other. Usually, there is some sort of misunderstanding, they have a bad first meeting, or they have bad blood (cause baby, now we have bad blood～♪).
Even if the guy does (by some miracle) fall for the girl at first sight 1 of 3 things occurs:
- Jealous chick intercepts.
- The girl is with brother/friend/gay guy/dad/uncle/cousin/grandfather and the misunderstanding is created.
- The temporary female lead dies halfway through the series (suicide or homicide, take your pick) and the twin or older sister comes to get revenge. (This happens more than you think.)
Main lesson: Thailand makes Lakorns, not Korean dramas. Keep that nonsense where it belongs.
Shows that make good use of this cliché:
3. Forced relationships
Ugh. The most annoying plot cliché on the list. This plot line can make or break a Lakorn. Some shows do a great job, others just fail. In these shows, the men usually treat women like objects and do whatever they want with them. Sometimes it’s downright disgusting seeing men acting like that. Other times it's hot (What isn’t hotter than a man taking control? All you fans of Hyun Bin inSecret Garden should understand me) Obviously, the relationship becomes good but it takes a while for the romance to build up and the male lead always does something stupid which means he has to grovel (a lot). In these shows, the main couple falls in love after being forced together for a reason such as:
- An arranged marriage
- Guy blackmailing female
- One of the families are in debt
These kinds of relationships are commonly found in slap/kiss Lakorns. If this is your first time hearing this term, I’ll explain what it means! Usually, during a tense argument all the anger comes pouring out and the girl slaps the guy. Then the guy passionately kisses her. Thus, the name for this genre was created! Creative, right?
Main lesson: Nice guy finishes last! The bad boy always gets the girl.
A few more recommendations:
- Leh Ratree
- Roy Leh Sanae Rai 2014 (this is a hard watch. Just take a deep breath and enjoy watching Push.)
- Game Rai Game Rak (more slap/kiss than forced relationship)
Have you ever watched a Lakorn? Yes? What other cliches have you noticed? Also, don’t forget to click on a few of those recommendations!
Want to read more posts like this? Check out my blog LoveKoreana
