Bad Genius the Series (2020)

A gripping series that keeps you hooked until the very end

This series is so much better than the movie because it was able to develop upon the original premise of the show, retcon the illogical elements in the original movie and showcase the characters' flaws and growth perfectly.

Acting/Characters
The casting of our quartet is perfect. They really look like high school students and each actors portrayed their characters immaculately. Lin (plays by June) is the most fleshed out character and I love that Lin from the series is a bit more soft-hearted than Lin from the movie. Jaonaay is definitely a show stealer, he delivers our ML - Bank's struggles excellently. Watching the show, you really empathize with Bank but you can also see his slow descent into madness because of this grand heist they're pulling (once again kudos to Jaonaay because he perfectly portrayed that). Nana and Paris must have played their respective characters Grace and Pat very well because those are the most lovable yet obnoxious characters I see on screen.

Plot/Pacing
With only 12 episodes, the show moves quite fast and doesn't drag on for too long. They give enough room to explore in depth the background story of FL and ML and was even able to add a cute romantic subplot between the two. The bittersweet ending is completely justified but I think I like it better than the movie's ending because it ended on a much hopeful note for our ML and FL rather than the bleakier ending of the movie.

Production
You will never be disappointed with a GDH production. Its cinematography is very reminiscent of GDH cinematic works so you may feel like you're watching a movie when you're binging this series.

Overall
I'm writing this review after wrapping my 2nd time binging this show after 3 years from my initial watch. It's really a 10/10 series with tight writing, sharp dialogues and gorgeous cinematography that I think everyone should check out.

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A stressful watch that keeps you on the edge of your seat!

I did not watch the movie version, so my review is totally based on my impression of the drama. I read that the personalities of the characters in the drama differ from the movie. I think “Bad Genius” is probably the first drama I watched that I felt really stressed out throughout the whole series. The story is based on a real-life cheating scandal in Thailand. I gotta say, these kids are really smart to come up with ways of cheating.

Throughout the drama, there were several cheating methods used. I was quite impressed with the barcodes. But the large scale ones were not as believable and quite farfetched, thus creating all these stressful situations and me worrying if they were going to make it or not. I have so much to say about Bank’s plan in the last scandal, but I don’t want to give out too much. Let’s say it was not as impressive as Lin’s previous schemes, but there’s also a reason why this is Bank’s project. There are quite a few unexpected plot twists throughout the drama.

I am really impressed with the acting of the young cast. This is June P’s second drama and Jaonaay’s first. You could not tell from their performances here that they are such rookies and they had amazing screen presence. Even if Blank is such an introverted/anxious character, you can’t take your eyes off him. Their subtle slight romance lightens the drama quite a bit. But we don’t see much of it. There was a lot of internal turmoil going through these two geniuses, and I think both June and Jaonnay portray these complicated feelings very well. Ice (as rich kid Pat) and Nana (as the actress normal girl) did pretty well. I was quite impressed with Ice’s scene when he was confronting his father. Nana on the other hand, might have delivered a weaker performance among the four, but she still did a pretty good job.

As much as this drama is about the students fighting against the education system, in a way, it’s more about the inequality of society. The four main leads have their own reasons for gaming the system. They might seem like they are friends and teammates. But behind this facade, there’s a lot of betrayals, blackmail, harassment, backstabbing and under-the-table deals. It’s sad to witness two good and hardworking geniuses resorting to this.

In the end, I also miss the old Bank. The Bank that would help a child get his balloon back.


Completed: 7/3/2023 - Review #325

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Cheating on a whole other scale

I haven't watched the original movie but that's not necessary to watch this. I wouldn't say I had high expectations but this show didn't disappoint. Everything was delivered well, from the characters storylines, to the acting and their morals and the OST is addictively good and perfect for the series. It being based on a true story really drives the message more home and it's so much more than simply cheating on exams. The couple's are cute, funny and the friendships between them are equally as special. One fault I did find was sometimes the background music made scenes feel too dramatic as it was unnecessary but the suspense really gets bigger and bigger as the schemes escalate.

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