#sathu

[clairedaring]

THE BELIEVERS 2 สาธุ ๒ — 2025, dir. Ek Eakasit Thairaat, Jax Wattanapong Wongwan

for @spoonfullofdream

[kafkaoftherubble]

俺真的很多东西劈里啪啦讲//

Messy Reactions and Thoughts re: Sathu ep 1- VERY early 4

Okay. So this is just me giving unhinged, messy reactions and thoughts while watching because I'm starting to worry that I've been bothering Claire too much. Nonetheless, GET BOTHERED, CLARE! Tagging YOU AAHHAHAHHAAH @clairedaring!

Stray observations and thoughts! I can't be the only one watching Sadhu with a ton of commentaries in my head, right? IF YOU JUST WANNA SEE SOMEONE YAP ABOUT THIS, COME ON! Hell, REBLOG AND ADD YOUR THOUGHTS!

This messy ass ramble contains random parts/spoilers from The Believers (สาธุ) Season 2, ep 1 - 4. ☸️

The first two episodes are SERIOUSLY heavy.

Dol and Dear's parts are subtly melancholic and depressing, and then there's Win and Game being absolutely fucked every time they are trying outsmart their enemies. Goddamn, the villains are just too fucking clever this time. This ain't Uncle Tang and shit now, man.

There were still a few moments of levity! The humor wasn't gone! It's just… yo. It's so heavy.

☸️☸️☸️☸️☸️

Dear has an entrepreneur's side to her! When she got high and had this trip, she was supposed to be throwing up… and yet what we saw was money coming out of her mouth. So much money.

This drama series is no stranger to really cool subtle storytelling since Season 1 (it's one of the things I really like about this drama), and so this one was no different. It was later revealed that she had been pitching some retreat idea (I totally called this in a discussion with my dear friends) while tripping balls, which ended up giving her a ton of money, which then went swimmingly (more on that later). So in other words, she WAS basically "spewing a million-dollar idea."

It's really cool to think that while Win was usually the brain and leader behind their entreprises and schemes, Dear was just as capable of coming up with stuff like this on the fly and making it work juuuuust in time. She and Win aren't really that different in some regards after all!

☸️☸️☸️☸️☸️

Game is seriously the confidence man in the team.

He's the guy going around making connections and lying and bluffing when needed to get plans to work. He's impulsive (something seen even in S1, via subtle storytelling), but that same trait also awards him quite a lot of quick wit. His plans and ideas are genuinely Confidence Man level shit, like that "trying to learn from a magician" scheme. That whole thing was SUCH A TREAT to watch.

And honestly? I also LOVE that it failed, because it felt extra realistic and really hammered in just how hard it was for them to get this done. Shit's ELEVATED, man.

☸️☸️☸️☸️☸️

I have always wondered if Win were a sociopath based on the way he behaved in Season 1. There were hints that could point to it—he's strangely lacking in emotions and empathy, that's one. And he's really pretty damn egocentric.

But my dear friend said he could also just be autistic, and honestly, that's a really good hypothesis too and not without very good evidence. For example, Win has this strange fixation with drinking from his Stanley cup, even when it's more reasonable to drink straight from a water bottle. He would always try to pour every drink he wanted into his cup and drank from it. I had dubbed it Win's Clinging Cup, since it also served as a very good subtle representation of Win's propensity to cling—"Upādāna." (Interestingly, Upādāna specifically means "fuel," which is apt for a Stanley cup and its content to represent).

Now, Win DID show capacity for care and concern for people outside himself, like toward Dear and his mom. But his expression is always pretty off. He would invite Dear to grab a bite in S1EP7 because she was exhausted from working nonstop and hurt herself, as a way to take her mind off things… Only to just ditch her before she even finished eating. You could argue that his care seemed to be superficial and required him to be more… conscious and deliberate, as opposed to automatic and natural (this is a common quality of people with low empathy).

There's a good case to be made for why Win is likely more autistic rather than sociopathic: Season 1 gave us more moments of Win being manipulative, egocentric, and scheming. These were pop culture's best identifiers for a sociopath (and it's not necessarily wrong; it's just that it's stereotypical and not completely representative), so combining these moments with the rather… peculiar mannerism Win displays, it made me skew toward thinking he might be a sociopath.

Come Season 2, though, and I think it's PRETTY CLEAR that he's very likely more autistic/neurodivergent than sociopathic, and that his eccentricity can be explained through this lens quite well. Bro even fucking peed in the graveyard after having a beer with the gravekeeper, despite the latter TELLING him where the bathroom was. Win just… doesn't really care about behaving accordingly to social settings to an absurdly ignorant degree, and his emotional display pales in comparison to the sheer variety Game possesses.

Honestly, I just can't help but clock this fella as autistic. JAMES (Win's actor) FUCKING DELIVERS THE CHARACTER, GODDAMN.

UPDATE at 11:20 pm AS OF THIS WRITING: For anyone who is Not-Claire reading this, Claire has added their observations and thoughts on the "Neurodivergent Win" discussion! Check it out!!

☸️☸️☸️☸️☸️

To my delight, Dol remains the embodiment of what Buddhism is all about… including how out-of-place many of its noblest tenets and demands can be when contrasted with a modern society.

I LOVE IT. SERIOUSLY.

Because of that, when it comes to Dol's scenes, it's imperative to analyze it through a Buddhist lens, and this brings me to one of my favorite exchange Dol has in EP 2: the conversation between him and the friendly landlady.

The auntie asked him what course he was studying. Dol answered, "Law."

Now, up till EP4 I had NOT seen Dol whip out a legal textbook or whatever. So what was that? Did Dol lie to the woman? Isn't lying against one of the Five Precepts?

But Dol didn't lie. It's just that his answer was clever. The landlady assumed the law he was studying was, well, Thai legal stuff. But what I think Dol actually implied was "dhamma," as one of the translation/meaning for that word would be… "law." (Dhamma is one of those words that have a ton of meanings, much like kamma/karma).

As a monk and even now, he still considers himself a student of the Dhamma. Hence, "a student of law." It's quite cute.

☸️☸️☸️☸️☸️

Dol and Dear continue to bring out the emotional and Buddhist center in the series, huh?

I didn't write it down here, but from those promotional pictures Netflix had released for marketing, I had predicted Dear to be working "at a retreat Westerners love to visit for their 'spiritual needs.'" Since I also saw Dol at the same retreat area in the trailer (as well as other hints), I then predicted him to also be working with Dear in that retreat… and IT DID HAPPEN!

At the time, I told my dear friend that me and my Buddhism senpai thought the whole retreat idea would be discussing another way Buddhist concepts have been commercialized—chiefly, in the form of McMindfulness and using Buddhist meditation as a enterprise, with methods introduced to stray further and further away from the original understanding of the philosophy. This isn't even an exclusively Buddhist problem; Hinduism and other "oriental" philosophy suffers from it, too. It's a whole study.

My point is that if there's anyone worthy to provide some sort of critique and contrast to this phenomenon, it'd be the painfully straightlaced, "true" Buddhist Dol. And MAN, I'm only getting to the start of EP4 and already I'm treated by a discussion between Dol and Dear about the methods of seeking relief from suffering. I haven't finished the discussion part…

But, in a way, I REALLY like how it frames the change in teaching dynamics from Season 1. In S1, Dol is the teacher, and Dear the student. But here, when it comes to the world outside of the monastery, Dear is now the teacher and Dol the student. It's a mutual mentoring relationship; if anything else, Dear and Dol are sharing a budding Noble Friendship.

I don't know what will happen to them, and I know SOMETHING is gonna happen, but… I am not going to worry about things that haven't happened yet. Dol will not approve of THAT!

☸️☸️☸️☸️☸️

I am GENUINELY liking Politician Lady. I resonate with her and I seriously like her for some goddamn reasons that elude me.

She's… She feels like fucking Azula fromThe Last Airbender. Her dad's devout and shit, but I KNOW the mafia can be pretty damn devout Christians too. That dad IS NOT normal. That dad has to be some fucking godfather. Uncle got that Fire Lord Ozai aura, man.

Anyway, I like Ae the same way I like Makima and some other characters—I respect the shit they do and their competence. I admire it, even. I love how intimidating she is. I think she won me over when she was about to pull Win's nails out, stopped herself, and complained, "Don't force me to be violent, okay? It's boring."

I love someone who's so cutthroat that violence is BORING to her.

But… is there more to her words?

"I believe in kamma. I believe that good people get rewarded, and bad people get punished." This thing she said kinda struck me as "important." Was she saying it as a mockery to Win and Game? Or does she sincerely believe it?

I don't think it's odd to say she DOES believe it. That would mean she KNOWS she's a bad person by any Buddhist standards, and that her kamma is "bad." But here's the thing: a lot of non-Buddhists AND Buddhists misconstrue kamma as a sort of Universal Account Book, where credits and debits can counteract with each other. Your bad deed can be countered by you doing more good deeds and making more merits. It's a very prominent understanding of kamma among Thai Buddhists, too.

So I wonder if Ae was thinking that her "great merit-making mega project" is like one of those things that generate so much merit that her terrible means don't mean shit?

I also think that's ironic that this concept of Karma-washing is a little similar to money-laundering, which is what Ae and her company have been doing with their drug money. You make a lot of bad karma, but what if these bad deeds are in the service of SUPER good deeds? Kamma… laundered!

☸️☸️☸️☸️☸️

WHY IS EKACHAI SUCH A GYM BRO, HOLY SHIT.

My conspiracy theory that him and Ae are lovers or in some sort of secret relationship DEEPENS. Why would he jump from Wat Phumarram to this new wat? Because Ae's changed her base of operation…

OKAY, THAT'S IT FOR MY RAMBLE THIS TIME. There are still a lot of stray observations I haven't written, either because it's slipping my mind or I'm deliberately saving it for next time (hello, "burning moth" and that face Dol makes). I am hoping to write more casual observations like these. It's not as high quality as my usual essays, but it's an essay precursor, right?

Thank you for reading my ramble!

[nonkunchanon]

1.06 — Beelievers

The Believers (2024) dir. Wattanapong Wongwan

[clairedaring]

PUP PATCHAI PAKDESUSUK as MONK DOL

THE BELIEVERS 2 สาธุ ๒ — 2025, dir. Ek Eakasit Thairaat, Jax Wattanapong Wongwan

[clairedaring]

LYNDIS!

WHY ARE YOU WEAPONISING MY OWN GIFS AGAINST MEEEEEEEEEEEE 😭

In all seriousness, I think the moment Dol truly felt like he could be just another ordinary person was that last moment in the car when Dear asked him to join her abroad. The slight smile on his face and that look of hope in his eyes, followed by him buying that rose for her 🥀 Absolutely criminal of the writers to do this to both me and Dol 🥲

Sad as Dear's death was, the สาธุ writers really closed Dol and Dear's story well. I'm a sucker of foreshadowing in storytelling and her death would have felt a little bit on the nose if they had planned this ahead... but because the S1 and S2 had such a long time gap (both story-wise and actual release-wise), it still came a bit sudden (though not completely surprising to me).

That being said, thank you for continually giving me the motivation to continue working on my S2 Dol gifsets 🫡. It was an absolute pleasure to see him giving Dhamma talks outside the temple setting and an interesting career path option I didn't even contemplate (neither did Dol).

[clairedaring]

Netflix Ignites a New “Faithquake” with ‘The Believers 2’ Trailer, Premiering December 4

In a world where faith can be traded and power can be bought, every act of devotion carries a price. Netflix today released the official trailer and key art for The Believers 2, offering a high-stakes glimpse into the next chapter of Thailand’s provocative thriller-drama.

Returning on December 4, the new season plunges viewers back into the moral crossfire faced by three friends who once turned religion into a business, only to find themselves ensnared in a far more dangerous game. As blurred lines between belief and corruption tighten around them, every choice becomes a test of loyalty, survival, and redemption.

After a breakout first season that made history as the first Southeast Asian Netflix Original series to be renewed, The Believers 2 deepens its exploration of how faith and politics intertwine in modern Thailand. Director Wattanapong Wongwan raises the intensity to new heights, crafting a story that’s darker, sharper, and more emotionally charged than ever before.

Faith Meets Power in a Dangerous “Mega Merit Project”

This season, the trio of modern-day merit-makers — Win (James-Teeradon Supapunpinyo), Game (Peach-Pachara Chirathivat), and Dear (Ally-Achiraya Nitibhon) — find themselves drawn back into the world they tried to leave behind. Under the command of Ae (Donut-Manatsanun Phanlerdwongsakul), a powerful local politician whose ambitions straddle the spiritual and the corrupt, they are forced to take part in a new “Mega Merit Project.”

Ae’s scheme transforms Nong Khan Temple into what she calls a “merit bridge,” a massive temple redevelopment designed to attract vast donations, serving as a front for large-scale money laundering. What began as a scheme to dig themselves out of debt becomes a desperate fight for survival.

“The Believers 2 tells the story of a group of people who try to play with the system, but ultimately, the system strikes back,” says Director Wattanapong. “We continue to keep Buddhism as the central theme, but expand the story into local politics. These two worlds — religion and politics — share the same instruments of power used to sway people’s hearts.”

The acclaimed cast returns alongside a roster of new faces. Petch-Paophet Charoensook, Joey-Phuwasit Ananbhornsiri, Neng-Sarun Naraprasertkul, Pearypie Amata Chittasenee, and Farose join the mission, adding even more depth and intrigue to the story’s web of deceit.

Fan-favorite Monk Dol (Pup-Patchai Pakdeesusuk) also makes a striking return, but no longer as a monk. Having left the monastic life, he must navigate life beyond the temple for the first time, confronting his faith and identity in a world driven by temptation and corruption.

The Believers 2 premieres on December 4, only on Netflix.

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About The Believers 2 DIRECTOR: Wattanapong Wongwan PRODUCER: Somprasong Srikrajang WRITERS: Wattanapong Wongwan, Aummaraporn Phandintong, Eakasit Thairaat and Chanathip Amonpiyaphong CAST: Teeradon Supapunpinyo, Pachara Chirathivat, Achiraya Nitibhon, Manatsanun Phanlerdwongsakul, Patchai Pakdeesusuk and Paophet Charoensook CONTENT PARTNER: Deluxe Production Company Limited STREAMING DATE: December 4, 2025

pinging my number sattu enthusiast friend Lyn @kafkaoftherubble who will probably be happy to see Netflix themselves acknowledging Monk Dol is in fact our best and most beloved.

[clairedaring]

PUP PATCHAI PAKDESUSUK as (MONK) DOL

THE BELIEVERS 2 สาธุ ๒ — 2025, dir. Ek Eakasit Thairaat, Jax Wattanapong Wongwan

[clairedaring]

Okay, like, you saw the picture Netflix used for Monk Dol, right?

That's a supermarket uniform. I didn't get to see that more clearly when it was on the trailer, but YO. "He works at a supermarket now! "Hypermarket."

What do you think he's gonna go through in this coming season?

I can imagine a dude who's been sheltered as a young monk confronting unwritten social rules molded and shaped by late-stage capitalism. Now that I think about it... Capitalism is really the undercurrent of The Believers' critique too, isn't it?

I have a really dear friend of mine whose behavior and mindset is hella similar to Dol's (not surprisingly, he's my senpai in Buddhism. Also not surprisingly, man has expressed some interest in getting ordained), and so when I was reading the post you made with Netflix's promotional materials and saw this:

Having left the monastic life, he (Dol) must navigate life beyond the temple for the first time, confronting his faith and identity in a world driven by temptation and corruption.

I can immediately imagine what might happen to Dol. It's definitely shit my friend would get in trouble for if no one stops him.

A scenario I imagined was this: when Best Bro goes out of his way to help someone during work. Maybe some guy comes in and tells Dol he's got no money to buy food, but him and his family are so fucking hungry, man, and Dol just finds it easy to let the man take whatever he needs without paying. And that causes a loss to his boss and/or it looks like Dol is allowing people to steal from the store, and he gets reprimanded over it. Maybe Dol even tries to justify what he does with, say, the brahmavihara such as "metta" (friendliness, loving-kindness). And for that effort (or even him accidentally launching into a Dhamma talk, WHICH WILL BE SO HILARIOUS), he gets chewed the fuck out.

I could even imagine if this same boss later shows up, like a quiet cameo, on one of those massive merit-making events in a temple. That could be a sharp critique on how commodified Buddhism has become in a supposedly devout country. It's all pragmatic and not an important karma when you're helping someone out by giving out several hundred baht worth of stuff because you might be scammed, but it's super important and good karma when you're donating hundreds of baht to a temple, which "definitely cannot" be a scam.

What do you predict might happen to Dol?

---

In Season 1, Dol's role as a foil to corrupted, failing monks was one of the best things in the series for me, especially because I've seen some folks claiming the show to be anti-Buddhist or anti-religion. Dol being the Buddhist center in the entire show was the biggest counterargument to that.

Now, with the premise of him disrobing himself and joining the mundane world, he will get to serve as a foil to the larger, capitalistic modern Thai society!

Using an innocent, upstanding man who's never come into contact with the wider world and its many layers of hidden rules, to create clashes between him trying to practice Buddhist values and the "pragmatism" of everyone else, is genius. It's a wonderful use of the character instead of for pure fan service. He will STILL be the Buddhist center in all of this!!!

And I know I (and my friend) will be really gripped by whether he gives up on adhering to his strictest principles because he's under pressure and/or he needs to do that to survive in society, or if he keeps at it diligently... at a greater and greater cost.

GODDAMN I am so EXCITED. AND THIS IS JUST MONK DOL'S PART.

WE HAVEN'T EVEN TALKED ABOUT THE SHENANIGANS WIN AND GAME ARE UP TO, OR WHAT DEAR IS GONNA DO!!!

What, in general, are you hoping to see in Season 2?!

Hi Lyn 😭🥺

Yes! Monk Dol is really back to us. Would you believe me if I told you my immediate first thought after watching the trailer was going back to THIS and THIS ask/exchanges of ours we had, following the end of Sathu S1.

I feel like we were pretty off base 😭 But also very in line with what is generally happening in S2????????

A scenario I imagined was this: when Best Bro goes out of his way to help someone during work. Maybe some guy comes in and tells Dol he's got no money to buy food, but him and his family are so fucking hungry, man, and Dol just finds it easy to let the man take whatever he needs without paying. And that causes a loss to his boss and/or it looks like Dol is allowing people to steal from the store, and he gets reprimanded over it. Maybe Dol even tries to justify what he does with, say, the brahmavihara such as "metta" (friendliness, loving-kindness). And for that effort (or even him accidentally launching into a Dhamma talk, WHICH WILL BE SO HILARIOUS), he gets chewed the fuck out.

Wait, I love this scenario. I haven't thought this far but that sounds exactly what we might get on-screen. I do honestly look forward to seeing Dol struggling with fitting in with everyday life though. Honestly you could put Dol on my screen doing groceries and I'll find it interesting. I mean just the thought of a guy who never had to struggle with concepts paying monthly utility bills, apartment rental, credit scores, insurance, and taxes like. I'm pitying him already just thinking about it.

I don't feel like Dol will rejoin the monastery by the end of season 2 though. Perhaps, he'll take a job that's closer to the monastery (PERSONALLY THOUGH I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIM TEACHING KIDS). As for my personal expectations on Season 2 overall, I hope to see how Thai local politicians leverage religion in general and Buddhism specifically in their campaigns. The only other show I've watched this year that had a brief intersection of Buddhism/politics was Mandate where they had a character, who was Former PM and caught in corruption scandal, go into monkhood as a temporary means of fleeing from law enforcement, before he was disrobed.

And because I really like Win and Game as characters, hopefully we get clearer goals and motivations behind their actions and plans. I feel like Win's background wasn't explored very in-depth last season and I would like for them to pick up the thread on his dad's involvement with the temple's funding management.

I'm extremely excited for S2 to portray Monk Ekkachai in his full 'antagonist form'. Surely, the show will aim to make some commentaries in relation to the corrupted monks, sex and money embezzlement scandals in the last year or so. Netflix Thailand has always been brave in their social commentaries so I don't doubt they'll go all in with the jabs at corruption in politics as well and the exploitation of Buddism for political advantages.

But all in all, I try not to harbour any expectations for this show because even if I have a tiny bit of hope for more than 5 minutes of Monk Dol, I just know I'll be disappointed.