The Netflix Thai series The Believers revolves around three friends—Win, Dear, and Game—and their attempt at building a lucrative business. It all started with an NFT gaming company that was making a significant profit. They were close to their dream, and they were already making a ripple in the gaming industry, but not everyone was happy with their success. Soon, hackers took over their accounts, and they ended up losing almost everything they built. Not only did they have to cope with the loss, but they also had to pay their creditor the principal amount with steep interest. With the business crumbling to the ground, the three friends had to come up with an alternative, and Win just happened to have found the best solution at a Buddhist temple.
The Believers is an entertaining crime drama that succeeds in keeping the interest going all through the nine episodes in season one. The title card illustration that keeps changing with every episode is aesthetically pleasing and evokes a sense of intrigue. The dynamics between the three friends add an interesting layer. Overall, The Believers series is an impressive addition to the Thai content available on Netflix.
Spoiler Alert
What led to Uncle Tang’s arrest?
During the hunt for the perfect temple, the three friends came across the Phummaram temple. The location of the temple fit their criteria, and they believed that with some renovation they would be able to attract a good crowd. The plan was to convince the head monk to hand over the responsibility of making the temple popular to them. They pretended to care about spreading the words of Buddha, but in reality, all they cared about was getting access to the donation money. The head monk at Phummaram was Father Kew. Because of his degrading health condition, a sly man named Tang was handed the responsibility of looking after the temple. Upon following Tang, they realized that the man was corrupt and could be lured easily. After they offered him advance payment and a cut in the profit they would make in the future, Tang happily introduced the trio to Father Kiw. The old man was glad to see the young generation take an interest in Buddhist teaching, and he did not care about their true intentions as long as the temple benefited from it. Win, Dear, and Game were all set to start their next business venture, and even though it involved scamming people and taking money from the temple for their personal gain, they believed they had no other choice.
With the growing popularity of the temple, Tang’s greed got worse. He was no longer happy with just the cut, and he decided to create his little income stream by charging the visitors for parking. Tang was friends with drug dealers, and when they complained about not having a safe route to deal, he hatched a plan. The dealers turned into monks to conduct business at the Phummaram temple. Initially, no one doubted them, but the assistant monk to Father Kiw, Monk Ekachai, started to notice some irregularities. He was particularly alarmed when he found Tang carrying something out of the temple in the middle of the night. The next morning, police arrived at the temple, perhaps following the drug trail. The dealers were arrested, and Tang was on the run. The police continued to pursue him, and he was eventually apprehended. While it did seem that Ekachai was the one who contacted the police, from his conversation with the police, it became evident that he did not make the call.
What brought Monk Dol back to the Phummaram temple?
Win and Game were mesmerized by Monk Dol’s meditative voice, and they managed to convince him to join them at the Phummaram temple for three months to conduct sermons. As a forest monk, he was initially hesitant about moving to the city, but the young energy of Win and Game convinced him to give it a shot. Monk Dol’s calm demeanor and sermons attracted a good number of devotees. While the monk had no idea about the money-making scheme the trio was involved in, spending time at the Phummaram temple helped him know himself better. He was immediately attracted to Dear when he met her for the first time. They were about the same age, and unlike him, she was extremely puzzled about life. The feeling of attraction was new for Monk Dol, and he often found himself trying to find ways to strike up a conversation with Dear. The more he got to know her, the more he found it impossible to stay away from her. Even after returning to the forest temple, Monk Dol found himself distracted and yearned to meet Dear again. After much conflict, he finally made up his mind to permanently shift to Phummaram Temple to give his romantic affections a chance. Dear appreciated the monk’s wise words, but she never really considered a romantic possibility with him.
At the end of The Believers, Monk Dol realized that it was important that he confessed his feelings to Dear. He was unable to dedicate himself to his faith, and he came to the conclusion that maybe it was best for him to leave monkhood and spend the rest of his life as a layperson. Monk Dol confessed to Dear that he was in love with her and hoped that they could have a future together. Dear was shocked; she had not seen this coming, and she hurriedly left. Perhaps confessing helped him live with no regret, but it also taught him the true meaning of not expecting anything in return.
What led to the arrests of Win and Dear?
The amulets crafted by Win and his team initially failed to attract any buyers. With the cops catching a whiff of their operation (thanks to Tang and his gang) and the creditor threatening to kill Game’s niece, Win focused on finding a way to get out of the mess. He believed that only a convincing story would help in the sale of the amulets. With a press ID around his neck, Win waited for an accident where he could place the amulet and gain the trust of the common people. He got the perfect opportunity when a bus ran into a vegetable truck. He was just about to tie the amulet around the neck of the truck driver when, all of a sudden, more people gathered there. Even though his mission remained unfulfilled, it was Win who saved the life of the truck driver. Win and Dear decided to meet the man at the hospital and convince him to advertise their amulet in exchange for a hefty sum of money. The driver had no sensation in his legs, and he was extremely furious when Win tried to use his misery for his benefit. Win had mistakenly dropped the amulet on the ground, and he left the hospital room, hopeless. He was surprised when, all of a sudden, the amulet made it to the news, just like he had wanted to. As it turned out, the driver suddenly could walk again, and he came to believe that it was the amulet that worked magic on him. Even the doctors seemed confused about the unscientific turn of events. The amulet became a hot topic, and everyone wanted their hands on it. Win released different models, and each one sold off like hot cakes.
The money earned helped them pay back the creditor with interest. Dear assumed that now that they had no more loans to pay and had earned a good sum of money, they would quit the operation, but Win had other plans. He was greedy for more, and after building a successful business, he was not ready to walk away from it. Dear felt guilty about betraying the trust of others, and deep down she wanted to leave it all behind. She loved Win, and she did whatever she had to to be with him, but he always managed to prove that he was not worthy of her affection. The police spoke to the truck driver and got him to confess that he was initially offered money by Win and Dear to advertise the amulet. The police walked into the temple and arrested Win and Dear for their fraudulent practices.
Was Monk Ekachai corrupt?
Win and Dear were accused of being scamsters, but they both denied the claim. Monk Dol also got caught up in the mess for love, and he was in utter disbelief when he was told that he was taken advantage of by the trio. He genuinely assumed that their intentions were pure, but here he was being interrogated by a policeman. After the entire fiasco, Monk Dol returned to the temple he had grown up in, realizing that he had more to learn about himself. Win was a smart guy who was well aware that the police had no solid evidence against him apart from a confession that was not enough to prove him guilty in court. Meanwhile, Game was on the run.
Towards the end of The Believers, Game lost his faith in Win and distanced himself from the business. He was also contacted by Uncle Tang, who held him at gunpoint to extract money from him. Game provided Tang with temporary accommodation while he tried to arrange the money he needed. Gathering the money was not easy, and he could not help but wonder who Tang was working for. He tried to find an answer from Father Kiw, but the old man was too sick to say anything. When Monk Ekachai entered the room, Game decided to confess the truth about Tang to him. Ekachai reminded him that providing shelter to a criminal was also a crime, but Game did not think much about it. The next morning, when he reached the factory to hand over the million baht he had managed to arrange to Tang, he was shocked to find out that Tang had been shot dead. Game ran out of the factory, and he soon received a message from Monk Ekachai admitting that he was the one who took care of Tang. Game drove to the temple to find answers to the many questions in his mind.
In The Believers episode 9, it becomes evident that Monk Ekachai was a corrupt man who had been testing the talent of the three friends. Ekachai knew that Tang would always be a problem for the temple, and killing him was the permanent solution. Ekachai turned out to be a shrewd man who decided to become a part of the business the minute he noticed the flow of money. He lacked remorse after getting Tang murdered, and Game was completely shocked by the turn of events. It is suggested that Father Ekachai was responsible for the deteriorating health of Father Kiw because the minute he returned to the temple, the old monk fell extremely sick. Perhaps the medication Ekachai provided him with was poisoned. Ekachai offered to keep Game and his friends from getting arrested, but in return, they had to continue the work they started at the temple. He had always wanted to generate wealth through the temple, but clearly the trio was brilliant at the job, and he wanted them to stay back and keep making money for him and his business associate.
Who helped the three friends escape prison, and why?
Ms. Chamaiporn Klaiduang, also known as Ae, was the local counselor and head of several illegal businesses that operated in the area. She had sponsored a residence for the new monks, and it can be assumed that Tang worked on her advice as well. Getting the dealers in the temple must have worked fine for her, but of course, getting caught was not part of the plan. Tang was gradually turning into a menace for her, and getting rid of him was her next best option. She had been a regular sponsor at other temples, but the exponential growth demonstrated by Phummaram Temple attracted her attention. She had already struck a deal with Monk Ekachai, who was ready to take over the temple; all she needed was for the three kids to work for her, and scaring them was an easy task. Win, Game, and Dear thought that they were fooling everyone around them, but in the end, they were the ones who got trapped in an ugly mess. Their plan of making money and exiting smoothly was a far-fetched dream now. They never assumed that there must have been countless shrewd businesspeople just like them who had always wanted to find a way to make money out of temples. While many managed to do so by themselves, Ae found an easy solution in the three naive youngsters who assumed they were playing it smart. With just a few phone calls, Ae managed to get Win and Dear released. Immediately after, Ae’s men brought them to a restaurant to meet her.
Win, Dear, and Game were expected to now operate at a larger scale and take over a provincial temple. They were asked to work with partners, and they were promised a cut each at the end of the day. It was the same old business, but this time they were not the ones in control. They had become mere puppets for the big player, and if they refused to do as was asked, they would meet the same fate as Tang.
What was the connection between Win’s father and his present situation?
Win, Game, and Dear realized that they were now trapped and had nowhere to run away. Dear had always wanted to travel to the United States to live with her father, but she never really felt that he wanted her there. With not much choice in hand, Dear blocks Win’s contact and packs her bag to leave the country. All along, she was hopeful that Win would one day reciprocate her feelings, but he was too self-absorbed to see beyond himself and the business. Her love for him had dragged her to the lowest point in her life, and it was finally time for her to focus on her wellbeing. Though, considering the mess she got herself into, it will not be as easy to leave. Father Kiw passed away in the end, and Monk Ekachai was ready to take over as the head monk. By the time Win returned to his house, he saw the detective waiting outside for him. Win’s father, Anuwat, had been missing for eighteen years, and apparently, the detective knew the reason behind his disappearance. Anuwat was a public school teacher and a board member of the Teachers’ Saving Cooperative, and even with his perfectly clean background, he got involved in some shady mess. The detective promised to answer all of Win’s questions only if he agreed to cooperate.
The Believers Episode 9 is aptly titled ‘The Eternal Wheel’. In the course of the series, we come to know about Win’s father going missing when he was a little boy, but the fact that in the end it would all be connected is the unanticipated twist. Win had grown up in the locality, but he was unaware of the wrongdoing that was happening there. Win had safely kept the paper bowl that he once made with his father, and upon taking a closer look at it, he discovered that it had been hiding secrets all along.
During The Believers‘ ending, Win discovered a torn part of a payment voucher addressed to a temple and paid by his father. The voucher shown at the end does not suggest much, but we can assume that his father might have had some connection with Ae’s family and that the temple was used to launder money. Maybe he was trying to stay out of trouble by paying the corrupt politician. Or perhaps it was his honesty that made him a target. Her family had businesses set up in every field, and who knows, they might have taken an interest in education as well. Anuwat was possibly murdered for getting into the bad books of Ae (or someone from her influential family), and season 2 of The Believers will revolve around Win’s revenge. With an abrupt ending, The Believers keeps the audience yearning for more, and we can definitely expect another season of crime and drama revolving around Thai temples.
