BeetBits Review: The Judgement

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This week's review is exceptional because it is a drama that is not a romantic comedy of any sort. Honesty, I am glad I managed to find this drama. The Judgement is a 2018 Thai drama starring Mild Lapassalan, Kacha Nontanun, Thanabordee Jaiyen, and Nara Thepnupha. It discusses very heavy themes like cyber-bullying, rape, gang rape and power abuse. It is an 18+ drama, so if you are not 18 yet, please don't watch this drama. It is not for you. 

Story 


This drama discusses a series of disasters that happen to a group of college students starting from the female lead, who goes through a horrible experience, to her friends, who go through similar situations. The female lead is a person who is loved by her dad and her stepmom. Her father ends up in a coma after an accident, and she is betrayed by the one person she thought she could trust, her boyfriend. She ends up getting raped by her boyfriend while unconscious and the story unfolds from then on.

Characters


Throughout the drama, you get a glimpse of unique troubled characters. The rapist boyfriend is simply an ignorant fool who never learned anything from his parents and was always cared for in the wrong way. He has a certain level of goodness; however, it is not evident because he does not know the meaning of responsibility or taking care of others. He does not even understand the meaning of love because he was never loved the right way. 

The female lead does not understand her standpoint towards her stepmother, and that leads her to her doom as she looks for comfort in the wrong place with the wrong people. She is also unable to express herself well until very late. 

Archa, the guy who is in love with the female lead, is the only typical character in the show. He is a brilliant leading character. He is not judgemental, and he knows the meaning of being responsible. 

Som is the person who is suffering because of the wrong parents, wrong situations and wrong upbringing. Her life depends on improper means of living, and she has no place in her own house, no ears to listen. Her parents appear to care; however, the exterior differs from the interior where they are ready to accept any money she gives to them. 

Finally, the boy x boy couple, who I thought were forced in the drama at first but came to think otherwise in the end. The incorrect approach to the wrong subjects is what you see from the story of these guys. The parents did not care what happened to their son; they cared more that he is gay. It is not the trauma that kills; it is the fact that the people around you can't even understand you. Even if your beliefs contradict with what you see, you have to leave a space for acceptance in your mind. 

Writing and Context


This drama challenges all the reactions a person could have when it comes to rape. If you are unfamiliar with a movie called " Pink", let me quote a particular phrase from the movie. 

" If a girl says no.. it means No. "No" is not only a word ... it's a sentence by itself ... it doesn't need any explanation or interpretation ... no simply means no"

That simple phrase can honestly interpret this drama, is the word no enough in the situation the heroine was in to warrant that she was raped. Some people who will watch this drama will think otherwise, which is what we read in any comment section with a similar case; however, the truth is the word no means that anything afterwards is a crime. 

The boyfriend understands that in the end, and I believe the writer aims at helping viewers understand that as well. The drama is well written in terms of character exploration and theme exploration. There is an ending to every story, and nothing seems amiss. An open mind is all you need to understand where the writer is taking the plot of this drama. Don't stop with a single episode if one character annoys you though. The writer means it and you will get to see good results in the end. 


Overall Rating 


This drama is a 10/10 for me. It might be a bit too heavy to watch for some people, so please beware before starting. There are barely any light moments in this one. You can watch The Judgement on Netflix.


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