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!

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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.

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