A Gift To The People You Hate (2019)

Even though the final episode was somewhat disappointing – quite anticlimactic, in my opinion – I have to give this a straight 10/10. The Friday spot was already doing strong with the great “3 Will Be Free”, but with this series GMMTV reaches a new high for me. I even rate this higher than “The Gifted” (which admittedly had a much stronger finale) because I think that it stands out more from the common themes and settings of average GMMTV series. Additionally, I am a bit biased because the storyline reminds me of a story I wrote myself many years ago (about a masked person manipulating other people by “channeling” their hatred, leading them to ultimately become murderers and be haunted by their conscience); I guess I should check out the comic this was based on.

The only negative thing I can say about “Gift for the People You Hate” is the already mentioned anticlimactic finale. I didn’t know what to expect from it (as from the series in general), but many parts were still too predictable (the PM’s suicide for example); the plot twist with Ploy’s gifts seemed a bit pointless (did her action have any effect at all in the end?); and the metaphorical character of the whole tale was made too obvious in the end, ruining a bit of the mystery surrounding the shop.

Enough with the negatives. First of all, the director did an amazing job! The way the story was told episode for episode, with interesting episode titles, atmospherically brilliant shots (the sudden shaky effect whenever the shopkeeper appeared was a great idea) and well-used flashbacks (causing even more confusion about who actually ordered what gift), cannot be praised enough. We need more directors like this (and less like Dan Worrawech, seriously!).

Similarly, the actors were all doing their very best. I can’t think of a bad performance of anyone throughout the series, although I still have my problems with Aye; not sure if that is based on her acting qualities though. Definitely good casting decisions, and the screen time of the actors was well-distributed (I wouldn’t have minded to see some more of Victor though). This has also one of the most interesting title songs I have heard in any Thai series, such a nice genre mix. The overall soundtrack was composed very well, not too repetitive like in many other cases.

What else can I say? I think the underlying theme of the series, which is a big metaphor on the deepest abysses of human behaviour, is conveyed in a very impressive way. It literally hurts seeing everyone being manipulated by unmotivated hatred. Throwing in a story of corruption in Thai politics worked out nicely as well. I am totally sold and hoping for more of this!

Leer más

Maybe the series is not getting attention because the English title isn't very catchy and the official YouTube videos don't even show the English title. But I'm glad the series is subbed. It's one of the more unique series that I have watched from GMM, starting with the idea of a supernatural shop that sells things for someone you hate.

It is ultimately not the shop that is frightening, but how people make use of it. The shops customers can be petty, vindictive, psychotic, manipulative and downright selfish. At first, the series seems to relentlessly show how everyone has a dark side, as if to emphasize that human beings are really ugly and horrible creatures. One character sends gifts to harm a girl he "loves", hoping to manipulate her into loving him back. A politician, in an incredibly heinous act, sends his own daughter gifts that kill her so that he can advance his political goals.

Yet, there is more to the show than simply saying that human beings are terrible. Despite their disturbing behavior, we may still find ourselves empathizing with the characters at some points. For instance, Khim, the teacher who wants to kill a corrupt politician partly to take revenge and partly as a form of vigilante justice, is by turns creepy and pitiable. Num, who goes overboard and kills several potential enemies because he doesn't know who is after him, is a caring and loving brother. Chut, the policeman who is the only unambiguously good main character for a large part of the story, eventually succumbs and sends death-causing gifts to two of his superiors. However, with corruption so entrenched that there is absolutely no way for him to bring the perpetrators of certain crimes to justice, what options does he have? He does not believe in vigilantism, but his only other option is to let injustice be perpetuated.

In an interesting plot twist in the final episode, it turns out that Ploy, the politician's daughter, has ordered gifts for all the customers of the shop. They get gifts labeled as Level 4 gifts (those that kill the recipient). But it is obvious that there is no way she has enough years left in her life to buy the gifts for so many people--payment for the gifts is in years in the buyer's life, not dollars and cents, and her own father's life already costs 80 years of life. We can understand, then, that these gifts are not the usual gifts from the shop despite how they are labeled. Indeed, inside the gift box is simply a piece of paper with the word "hatred". It is a reminder that what the thing that really kills others is hatred, not the gifts or the shop. Ploy's father becomes so guilt-ridden that he kills himself. Of course, not everyone really hates those they buy gifts for, but I guess hatred becomes a sort of term that also encompasses other negative human traits like ambition, vindictiveness and selfishness.

The ending of the series is somewhat disturbing but realistic. The shop continues to exist. There will always be hatred in people. But the characters ultimately have to live with their decisions. The shop does not force anyone to buy gifts, and every prospective customer can decide to say no. So even if one feels hatred, one can decide whether to act on one's hatred.

A lot of accomplished within ten episodes for a story with such heavy themes. There are quite a number of characters, but the story does not become confusing (even if a second watch will make certain things clearer). I'm particularly impressed by the acting of Ying who plays Khim, the teacher, but the actors have generally done a good job too.

Leer más

You never know who hates you right now

No spoilers, proceed safely.

I have been putting off watching “A Gift to the People You Hate” for the longest time. Maybe it was the poster which seemed amusing, or maybe it was the premise that wasn't intriguing at first glance. Well, I'm glad I gave this a chance and that it is available with English subs on GMMtv.

❝Yes, my shop sells gifts. But only gifts to be given to someone you hate. Do you have someone you hate? So much so that you want to give a gift?❞

The story is just that, a gift shop which delivers gifts to people hated by its customers. There are four levels of gifts, level 1 being public embarassment and level 2 being death. As we observe our characters giving in to their hatred and purchasing gifts, we see how their hatred and the consequences of their actions manifest in them and haunts them.

❝No matter what, we cannot escape. Even though we are not arrested, the crimes are haunting us from within.❞

The thing is, when your actions are driven by hatred, things go wrong. It may hurt people around you and the consequences may be severe and unplanned. The show shows how far people go when they have the means to, i.e., how far people are willing to go to hurt others when they can do it so easily and without having to face consequences. The ultimate idea is that human beings are terrible and they do terrible things.

A common fact I've noticed in the Thai dramas I've watched as of yet is that they lack polish. A Gift to the People You Hate is similarly lacking but makes up for the silly plot holes with a compelling, fast-paced and thrilling plot with a spectacular ending message.

The message is clear from Ploy's final gifts, hatred can kill you. Not physically perhaps, but it will hurt inside. And after ten episodes of turmoil and grief, right when you start thinking that the show will end on a conciliatory note, it doesn't. To the contrary it pushes the very realistic message that hatred can never truly be gone from the world. A bit bland at times, but some moments were brilliant, particularly the ending and the surprising reveal of the man behind the mask.

I give this an overall rating of 8.0/10. The acting was sufficient and the story would have been a straight 9.0/10 IF not for the rather silly plot holes (like the lack of body guards around a politician who is going to become the prime minister or how a caretaker could freely release members from an old age), minor details but difficult to ignore.

If you have read till here, watch the first episode and let it draw your attention. Another great one by gmmtv.

Leer más

Ever since the trailer came out, I couldn't wait for the show to finally air.

STORY: Through out the whole show there's one message which the viewer has to see and it's shown at the end as well. Through the characters of the show, we are shown what hate does to us and uses a lot of metaphors which I absolutely love! Every character has their meaning and has the screen time they deserve to tell their own story of how to have come to a point where they are now.

CAST: One of the reasons I wanted to watch it was because of the cast. After watching many Thai series, I have seen many good and not so good actors and this show for sure has the good ones. Tony (Chut), Mek (Num), Fiat (Oat), Victor (Krit) and many many others. Oh and of course we cannot forget the greatest character of all: The Shop Owner. THIS is the character that gave that humorous and that sarcastic vibe to the show which I JUST LOVE!!! The actor (I guess it's the one who played Chut's dad) executed the role just perfectly! All those little mannerisms, the way he talked, all of it just gave me the chills and that intriguing feeling every time.

MUSIC: I can't say anything other than the music really did give the right vibe of the show. Especially the OST. Even added it to my playlist.

REWATCH VALUE: I would 100% rewatch it. I would say that this for sure is one of my favourite shows this year. GMMTV has really been stepping up their game with shows like these.

OVERALL: This story brings along a really good message all through out it and concludes it at the end. Hate is always going to be there. Someone is going to have it. It may never leave this world, no matter how much we would want it to. We will just keep spending our life years on hating others and only when we are about to die, we will understand that all if this hate has been so useless and we have LOST those years that we could have spent with our loved ones, who hate will ultimately take away from us. The more we hate, the more years we spend. That's just the reality...

Leer más

Good Concept But Not Fleshed Out Convincingly

A/N: I’m still watching this series & will update my review after I’m finished. But for those who’re curious about the show, I’d say it’s another successful thriller from GMMTV. This time, with a philosophical twist.

What’s good so far:
It starts from a small problem with low stakes to eventually asking a moral question to the audience—How do you want to deal with your hatred? Each character from the show reveals an aspect of hatred that increasingly blurs the line between reason and paranoia. It shows that “justice” can be subjective and personal vendetta brings ruins.

What could be better:
Some of the characters’ motivation for why to send the gift is not convincing enough, or wasn’t fleshed out fully in the show. If feelings were driving these actions, it didn’t show well in the show. Some of the scenes were a little dragged on but fortunately they didn’t really ruin the overall pace. Just took you out of the moment a little bit.

I’m still excited to watch this every Friday so I’d recommend you go watch it! The Eng Sub is pretty quick.

Leer más

Fun thriller!

(no spoilers) I love this premise; it's so unique AND unpredictable. The plot runs quite thematic strong, which is the best thing about it. I knew this show was gonna be dark/not for the average audience, but I never thought it was THAT dark until certain scenes. Although I didn't feel there was a big climax, the resolution stayed consistent to the themes the show has presented about morality and the consequences of our emotions.

(spoilers) The message in the last episode was good; I didn't expect it but it was the best way to "end" the story. I also had another scene I wanted to happen. Hear me out:

Chut finally gets to go into the gift shop. The owner is elated and asks, "So who is this person you hate the most?"
Chut replies, "You", pointing at the shop owner. END.

(lmao that was dumb. forgive me)

Leer más

The darkness in our hearts

One of the best dramas, the story is just crazy and shows the deep darkness that hides in our hearts. What would we do if we ca do something to the persons who hurt us, how far can we go?
There are some scientific researches that proves that our brain behaves the same way when we hate as we do when we love. As there are so many gift shops to buy nice and lovely presents for the persons we love, why shouldn't also be a shops to buy presents for the persons we hate ?
The suspense is great, acting as well, would have been good to have a decent OST, but oh well, can go without it as well.
Overall, this is a drama that gives you something to think about, I binged watch the full series, as I was too hocked up to leave it. For me it falls under great movies like Battle Royal, The circle, Lord of the flies, even Saw, is just about stirring the deep dark thoughts and showing the human nature.

A must watch.
Enjoy !

Leer más

Hatred can never be gone in this world.

I love the moral of the story. Firstly I thought it will be just a simple investigating story about revealing what is this shop in reality and who the shopkeeper is, but soon I realized it is not just like that. It is about people and the way what hatred can do to someone: hatred can distort a person's moral and mislead them to do things what normally they wouldn't do, and after that they have to learn to bear the consequences and to live with them. Maybe you just want to seek a little revenge and prank the people you hate - but what happens, when you accidentally kill them? Did it worth it? Did it satisfy you to humiliate the others? And what will happen, if someone does the same to you?
In this series there isn't only good and bad characters - everybody has a good and a bad site, everybody has love and hatred equally in themselves, even Supasit, who did the worst thing what someone can do just for power.

And then there is the second thing what this story is reflecting to us: it is the fact what Power and the will to gain more and more power will do to a person's mind. What Supasit did for this power is unforgivable and disgusting, and it doesn't matter how many times he cries and says sorry, he can't reverse nor erase what he did. Even if he truly regretted it. Power can also distort someone's mind, and this series lets us clearly see this. It isn't a simple horror/thriller show were people just killing each other and blood pours everywhere, no, this is that kind of series what lets us learn morals, from power isn't everything to appreciate the people around us and spend time with our loved ones, because we can't know how long we can be with them.

I really loved this series, and can recommend to everyone.

Leer más

Honestly good idea but bland execution. Most of the supporting cast was over acting and the camera work was nothing exceptional and the script was really good at times but it seriously lacked the darkness it promises in the first few episodes. The way they did the shop it was brilliant, and every arc surrounding that mystery was really good but the rest was lukewarm at best.

I mean all my favorite actors they ruined the viewing experience especially Fiats story line was such a mess! What were they even thinking? He went from being a perp to being a victim so there should have given some explanation for his obsession with Mek's sister Prang but he would just conveniently pop up and then gone and even the way they decided to end his arc was just ridiculous and a complete waste of an actor and BLAND.

It's a horror drama ffs! And you show everything offscreen?! Then don't call it horror! Then Mek and his sister I was really into their story and the Ploy - Supasit plot was seriously so STUPID it bugged me and that was like most of the drama so WHAT THE ACTUAL F. And Supersits character was OBNOXIOUS which is fine if you want a one dimensional villain but then he keeps going all soft in the middle for his daughter like WHAT. Why are you giving this waste of space more screen time and you're asking me to buy his bs after what he did to Ploy?

And all the vigilante nonsense was just as boring and pure nonsense.

The only reason I stayed after the Fiat debacle was because in the last few episodes the plot became Toni-centric. And like I said the writing isn't even an issue it's the way they added so much boring stuffing. But I have to say that ending was ON POINT without a doubt. Clever, unique and twisted. Which is more than I can say for the rest of the show.

Leer más

From the trailer when press con I can predict that this series would be interesting and I'm right. I love how I can't guess right of what is going to happen in the next episodes. The vibes is mysterious and creepy but not-that-creepy. The story is so intense it will leave you breathless. And the most important is the casts that play every character's outstandingly (only some actor/actress who's a bit off but it's only a bit so it's okay). The story actually contained a lot of moral value and this series delivered it well. I love how this whole story packaged in a realistic kind of situation so it is so related.

Leer más

Expected better

I came across this show, because it's listed as "horror". It isn't a horror, but I didn't mind it too much.

The initial concept is interesting: a shop is selling gifts to harm the people you hate. This opens a lot of doors to how the story might develop and for this reason the show was always unpredictable. There was a plot twist at every corner, which made things very interesting.

At first, I was really surprised by this as it exceeded my expectations. Every character was full of anger and hatred and misunderstandings were making things even more complicated. Then people starting buying too many gifts for too many people and at a point I just lost track of what was happening. The middle episodes got just too confusing, I thought I was watching a different series. Then everything slowed down and I appreciated the last episodes. The ending wasn't bad, but could have been better.

I loved how they touched so many topics. In each episode a gift was bought for a different reason, giving each character more depth and showcasing different emotions: guilt, unrequited love, broken friendship, broken morals and so on. Problem is that this gave birth to too many subplots and it just confused me. You might consider a rewatch just to link the dots, because it was a little bit messy. You really have to pay close attention to it.

Overall it wasn't bad, but I think it could have been executed better. At some point I thought of dropping it and to be honest I wouldn't recommend it, unless you are bored. The ost was enjoyable though.

Leer más