The Stranded (2019) User Reviews

Going steadily downhill after excellent first episode until the finale

[kigaiyuuto · 6/10 · 15 November 2019]

Give it a go if you like mystery and thrillers and want to try something different because it's only 7 episodes and at least it ends on a good note, although the journey to get there can be a chore at times. It consists of 30% mystery and 70% Thai teenage drama. Unfortunately the drama part is the weakness because of its writing which fails at basic logic and the cheesy scenes with music and other special effects really don't mesh well. The production is top notch and the acting is decent. Just need a much better script.

IMHO some characters can be merged because the characterizations are pretty thin. Having said all of the above I would watch a season 2 because I'm intrigued by the ending.

Interesting cultural experience.

[draciron · 6/10 · 21 November 2020]

It was fascinating seeing how much Western influence there is, but Thai culture is interwoven all through the show. Now I'm really curious how well this portrays life in Thailand, or at least a slice of it.

It's difficult to discuss the plot without spoilers. The basic idea is a bunch of rich high school kids go to school on a remote island. The last day of school some of the students remain for a party. A tsunami hits the island and leaves them stranded. Then really weird things start happening. Tensions build and drama ensues. Much more and you get into spoiler territory.

The series isn't a remake of Lost, but borrows heavily from the concepts and ideas of Lost. It attempts to build foreboding but never gets there. Instead it's more of a cross between Lost and the Goonies.

Some of the stereotypes are likely lost on audiences outside of Thailand, and there are likely a few cultural references that are also. Nothing that interferes with watching the series. Generally though the main characters are interesting and not too heavily stereotyped. Secondary characters are cardboard stereotypes. The camera work is right up there with Hollywood. The soundtrack is pure Asian type Pop, but very well done. The acting varies greatly with some of it first class, some of it kind of slapstick. Which is part of what destroys the foreboding.

The overdubs were so so, some pretty good, but some were really badly done. The voice actor quality and directing was much lower quality than the acting for most of the characters. At times though it really does throw away all the visuals.

Overall it's slow, not exceptionally original but interesting enough with enough bright spots and interesting twists to be worth watching and has the potential to develop into something special, though they've written the series into an interesting corner that will make it difficult to sustain it through too many seasons. The writers have their work cut out for them next season if there is a next season.

There is constant references to homosexuality but it's almost all implied or spoken of rather than shown. A third or more of the characters are gay. The technical aspects play really loose with science, history and physics. The cast is about as savvy as Gillian's island's inhabitants minus the professor's contributions. So don't expect ideas on how to survive the apocalypse. These fools wouldn't survive a week.

Enjoy the peak at a world similar enough to ours that sometimes you think it was shot in SoCal and at times jumping strait into traditional Thai culture and the light hearted sometimes funny apocalypse. Great way to kill a few hours.

It's Netflix. You should know what to expect for the ending.

[ravatog · 5/10 · 17 November 2019]

Plot is interesting but the mystery that was introduced after EP1 was not so. It started as a survival story but turned to be a teen drama with a haunting mystery. The teens had no trouble surviving, or they might have, but the story skipped to 25 days after the tsunami when everything was settled. They don't seem to have conflicts among themselves and are unified by a common goal of trying to get help so they can leave the island.

The direction the story took after the introduction of mystery paved way for its downfall. By the end, the mystery never clearly explained itself and adds more things to wonder about why and how. The chaos that occurred at the end was also illogical, like everyone were sheep and couldn't think for themselves.

I would not recommend this series if you're looking for an engaging story. Some characters are likable and that is the only thing that kept me going. Dialogue felt forced though and some of the characters were there just to please the overall demographic instead of adding something to the plot.

Typical of most Netflix originals, the season ends with with an opening to the next season, not answering to the things that had happened in the first season. Annoying as hell!

This is heavily based on Thai Myth. That's why us, Thai, gets it.

[headbanger-16321 · 7/10 · 25 November 2019]

This is clearly the first season, just scraping the surface not the entire plot in 7 ep. It seems to heavily base on local Supernatural Myth, which if you do not know about this myth, you might be very confused. Giving low stars based on not understanding this is ridiculous.

However, there are quite a few flaws in this series. Like, why there are only the kids and no full adults on the islands? Where are all the locals? Why the kids look so fresh and do not look like the stranded? and so on...

Anyway, overall show is fun to watch (keep in minds if you know about the local supernatural myth). Will eagerly wait for season 2 and what the show has to offer.

Students stranded on a Tropical island

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 10 October 2021]

This Thai series is set on an island a hundred kilometres from the mainland. It is the site of an elite private school and as the series opens most of the students and staff are departing after the end of year graduation ceremony. A group of students remain behind to have a party. As the festivities get underway the island is shaken by an earthquake, shortly afterwards a tsunami strikes. Afterwards it looks like the only people on the island are the students. After three weeks there is still no sign of rescue and the students start to wonder if rescue will ever come. Opinions vary about what they should do but after a damaged boat is discovered they decide it should be repaired and a small crew take it to get help... tensions rise as they debate about who should get places on the boat. There is also a growing feeling that there is something strange going on on the island.

I rather enjoyed this series; at first I feared it might just be a Thai teenaged version of 'Lost'; on the strength of the first season it doesn't seem too like that. The situation is quickly established and we are introduced to the key characters early on. It is also established fairly soon that just because somebody is introduced as a main characters doesn't mean they will survive; this creates a good sense of danger. The island setting is great; its rugged jungle coated nature makes it understandable that the students won't know much about areas away from the school. There is a good sense of mystery concerning just why no rescue has occurred, with various theories raised. As the series came to an end most questions remain unanswered so hopefully there will be a second season. The cast does a solid job bringing their characters to life. Overall a fun series that I'd recommend.

These comments are based on watching the series in Thai with English subtitles.

Some beautiful actors

[pollak1000 · 7/10 · 22 August 2020]

I found this because I like Perth Tanapon. Pity he hasn't got a big part, but he is gorgeous. And I have now discovered Papangkorn Lerkchaleampote! So sexy, and such a lovely voice too. Not a great actor, but who cares. The story is a lot of rubbish (and yes, apologies for not understanding Thai myths). But it kept me watching.

Bad Character Choices and Development

[payasoingenioso · 4/10 · 20 October 2021]

The plot could have been executed much better.

In theory, it is interesting, though.

The pace is also unnecessarily slow.

The cinematography and dubbing is decent.

Cliffhanger is good would like to see ss2

[buffm · 8/10 · 16 November 2019]

Has a foreigner I really wanted to see this series I first thought it looks like lost but I was happy to be wrong ..I love plot,spooky music, cinematography and blend of Thai n Hollywood style ... I even liked lead kraam n may has individual but I don't feel love chemistry between them. Anan played actor is ok some scenes he played well I liked arisa n nham acting (actress is very pretty) i loved how they all are fighting own fears or guilt , those two funny boys and jack n Ying played good couple you can feel jack guilt destroying him.But that LGBT couple steals the show for me even with so small space they did wonderful job you can feel love they share , happiness. , Support and pain they have to leave each other, when Krit played well with pills giving scenes and helplessness and jack played so good with that painful scene that circle on hand.. wish they were given proper space. Jan played wonderful display of emotions but her character suddenly turned vengeful. (Applause they did justice to character) they have heartbreaking scenes, water scenes by kraam where awesome. professor Lin really scared me most .. overall nice.. I hope they will continue with same character I want to know what happens to may, two boys and krit where did he run , and also nham, jack, Ying, arisa hopely they will make ss2 soon . I am sure everyone has so many questions specially after cliffhanger ending

Wish it would have kept going.

[lil_bonz85 · 7/10 · 6 April 2022]

While I'm not a big fan of mouths not matching words because od translations but it's better than subtitles. Definitely would have gotten into another season.

Good show minus sub plots , slow pace and cliffhanger

[vikassinghvs-70220 · 5/10 · 24 May 2021]

The show where you are struck to watch to know what will happen in the end but get disappointed because the ending is no where near to the pace of the story.

The numerous sub plots and conflicts are kind of boring .

Ending will make u wait for next season

[tanay-pandey-1 · 8/10 · 20 November 2019]

Ending will make u wait for next season rest the season was ok but i am still confused with that ending

Is good but not the most

[tc_ss-79927 · 5/10 · 21 November 2019]

Watch to kill time. But watching for a long time became bored. Nothing as interesting as it should be.

Awful! Just awful.

[mypaperdue · 1/10 · 15 October 2021]

I don't know why producers and writers always think it's a good idea to have a bunch of stupid teens stuck together in an island solely for the purpose of making stupid and dumb decisions. Also, how the heck they obtain the budget for this series? I am pretty sure the funds could have been use towards something far more useful, like the hungry kids in Thailand, education, food supply, healthcare perhaps.

Great Story

[pppummm · 10/10 · 18 December 2019]

It shows many hidden Thai ways and sacred belief. Foreigners might not understand all. Can't wait to see the next season.

JASON

[jerosystems · 5/10 · 18 November 2019]

Just Another Sh**ty Original by Netflix. A chore to watch, boring, and the only thing interesting is the cliffhanger. At least this one isn't drowned in politics like other Netflix originals.

I loved this so much, that I created this account just to give it 10 stars

[janicepetchdee · 10/10 · 23 November 2019]

'Nuff said. When I get back home from vacay, I will watch again.

Can't wait for S2!

Give me my time back

[tommykawa · 3/10 · 21 November 2019]

Its so bad that its not even typically bad its real bad, as an audience it insults your intellectual comprehension, for me as a Jonior in Film making world its clear that this movie is made by a few experienced but mostly (just rich) producer, that have absolutely no clear understanding on what is a different between story telling and just making up something to trick younger audience watch simply because you expose them to nudity and sexual content, awful.

Thai people seem to enjoy it, and nobody else.

[kking-68641 · 5/10 · 1 March 2020]

It could have been good, I was mostly enjoying it all the way up to the end. The characters had their moments of hormonal teen melodrama, of course, but with slightly less blatant stupidity that US teens would have had so I could go with it. And then the end... there was all this build-up leading to some big thing at the end, and then that big thing at the end just didn't make any sense at all. Why would the end happen that way? But even more of a question, why were so many significant characters pushing toward that ending that seemed like not a good ending for anybody involved? Why would you want that? What good was accomplished for anyone by that ending? Totally let down in the last episode.

Watched all episodes in one day

[vasiliki-61801 · 10/10 · 23 November 2019]

At first I was a little bit confused about the ending but i googled the explanation and I figured out the brilliance of the series. I can't wait for the Season2!!!

Bad series

[beam_49589 · 3/10 · 20 November 2019]

It seem to be good at the begining but not at all. But I don't know why Thai people like it🤔

Interesting and confusing, but worth the watch

[ladykryyn · 8/10 · 18 January 2020]

I found a review that basically called this the illegitimate love child of Lost and Lord of the Flies, and I think that's the most accurate description possible. The characters in this start off interesting and for the most part sympathetic, and gradually deteriorated into the worst parts of themselves that we got glimpses of in the first episodes. The island mysteries are confusing but interesting, and had me fully engaged to find out what was going on.

No spoilers, because there are none. Literally no questions got answered. I spent the whole series having no idea what was happening, and ended it the same way, except even more confused. I get wanting to keep readers hooked for a second season...but instead I feel like they just threw me off a cliff.

The score is for the acting and storytelling. While nothing got resolved and I'm going to be up all night trying to figure out what the heck I just watched, the actors all really sold this one. I'll admit I started watching for Mark Siwat and Perth Tanapon but the rest of the cast was just as amazing.

I would recommend it if you like the weirdly science fiction-fantasy type of stories, and if you want a good thrilling mystery. If you're someone who needs resolution though, this will just frustrate you.

thai people will love this, foreigners wont

[karimamazon · 5/10 · 21 December 2019]

This is based on a thai myth, but reminded me horribly of the series 'Lost'

we have a group of kids being stranded on an island, they fight half the season for 10 spots on small boat some weird crap happens on the island and people fight each other. we also get flasbacks to what was before.

thai people will enjoy it because they like this b movie type of dramas about ghosts and whatever, but i found it quite boring.

Baaad

[araskasem · 1/10 · 11 February 2020]

Very bad silly tv show No action No drama I spent 7 hour for nothing watching this

Great 👍

[moon-38026 · 10/10 · 10 February 2020]

For a Thailand production which I am new to by Netflix this was amazing actors choice was very good they all acted very well and to talk about their chemistry all amazing uh please where is season 2?.

Lost in The Lord Of The Flies...

[Bistoman · 4/10 · 5 November 2020]

This could have been good, A little imagination and originality would have helped. Instead they mashed Lost with The Lord of the Flies, Threw in a few teenage issues, Misunderstood leader, Wannabee popular kid and a gay couple. Nothing wrong with that, Except they forgot to bind it all together with a good story. Waste of time, watch Dark instead.