Thai drama Loneliness Society tells the story of Than and Meena in their early 30s falling in love as a series of ‘co-incidences’ occur in their life. The drama is written by Ping Lumpraploeng and directed by Koo Ekkasit Trakulkasemsuk.
Meena , a courier woman witnesses one of her clients Arthit getting hit by a car and takes him into the hospital. His family misunderstands Meena as Arthit’s girl friend. When Arthit regains his consciousness after being in a coma for two weeks, he loses his recent memories and accepts Meena as his girl friend. His brother Than (who is adopted) gets suspicious as his brother has never introduced Meena to him or his family. A series of incidents follow in which Meena tries to tell them the truth but fails miserably. Than who had a crush on Meena way before the accident of his brother starts spending more time with her and both of them eventually fall in love with each other.
“Nune” Woranuch Bhirombhakdi who plays the female lead ‘Meena’ delivers a brilliant performance in the drama. She was too good in emotional scenes. Some of the supporting actors have also delivered praise worthy performances. Especially Tuk Yanee Jongwisut who played Than’s adoptive mother was outstanding. Jaoying Krongkwan Nakornthap who played ‘Khaotung’ was also good. I also loved Jan’s portrayal of Katie, a mysterious mix of good and bad.
The story had great potential but could have been better executed. It was intended to be a comedy drama, but most of the jokes did not land. The only comedy that worked for me was that of Than & Arthit’s father (played by War Jirawat Wachirasarunpat) who had memory issues. At times they stretched certain situations too long to the point of frustrating the audience. The drama could have been better if the episode length was shorter. The initial episodes of the drama were quite interesting which had shot up my expectations. But as the episodes progressed it felt like an unnecessarily stretched story for the sake of completing the hours.
What frustrated me to the core was the ending of the series. As the makers intended for a light hearted happy ending, the ‘villain’ became a saint overnight. He was not even reported to the police even after he tried to rape ‘Meena’. The makers’ attempt to portray a sexual assault as a ‘mere mistake’ even when it is a comedy drama cannot be justified. The makers also left a possibility for the villain to get reunited with his real girl friend who had left him when his true colors were revealed. It was simply unacceptable for me.
The romance between Than’s younger brother and Khaotung was a good subplot. Although it felt cheesy at times, it was a good relief from all the drama.
Overall, I think the drama could have been better in editing and execution. There was an unnecessary lag which made the viewer lose interest. The ending also could have written better. Loneliness Society is a one time watcher if you are interested in comedy and romance. But I wouldn’t say this is a must-watch.
If you watched the drama, don’t forget to comment your thoughts about the drama. If you liked this review, you may also read the the review of ‘The Miracle of Teddy Bear’ (linked above) written by me.
