Trigger warning: mentions of death and attempted suicide, also contains spoilers from the series

When I first covered Triage, writing my impression after 4 episodes, I’d mentioned that there was a lot of potential in a time loop story. Even if Triage wouldn’t be the first or the last to have such a premise, simply because of the creative potential, there are any number of directions the story could be taken to.

In retrospect, Triage has a fairly linear plot line, given the potential. Since it had to devote time to both Tin (Tae Darvid) saving Tol (Tee Thanapon) from the time loop, and develop their relationship parallelly, the makers probably couldn’t go too far with the premise.

In such a story, what you show to the audience, and what is actually happening in real time inside the show are very different. While we get to see Tin and Tol’s relationship blossom over several episodes and through several loops, the characters themselves are set back every time the loop refreshes, save for their memories. Initially, it did not make much of a difference, but the last couple of episodes felt rushed, as the last loop had to run through everything but from Tol’s perspective this time.

While in line with the plot itself, it felt like Tin’s personality took a setback near the end. Whom I had come to see as an empathetic individual who was trying to save the person he had fallen for, had suddenly become someone so cold and indifferent, that he did not immediately jump when faced with a grave problem to save the day.

Speaking of saving the day, at times, especially when confronting the “bad guys” (using quotation marks because the “bad guys” were indeed as “bad” as they can come, almost stereotypically cartoonish), the writing seemed almost out of place. Nothing made sense, and I am saying this as someone who went into the show fully accepting the premise of time loops. They are doctors, why didn’t they just call the police instead of trying to catch the “bad guys” themselves?

Other plot points too were resolved almost too quickly; what was albeit a good resolution to Rit’s (Fiat Patchata) plotline, giving him credit that was due for a project, and thereby saving him from spiralling and committing suicide, was resolved in literally less than a minute, with Tol giving an inspiring speech (of maybe 5 words) and the hitherto conniving friends suddenly agreeing with Tol and becoming best buddies with Rit.

I know I am probably nit-picking here, but Triage is the kind of show that you can’t get into if you are planning to shut your mind and enjoy. The pacing is fast and hinges just on the edge of being a thriller, but the romance and the relatively predictable subplots pull it back. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing, one of the reasons I looked forward to this was to see Tae and Tee heading a series together, which is what I got.

The relationship itself was cute, if a little rushed, but that was due to the larger plot more than anything. If you are okay with never finding out why they fall for each other, and just take it at face value that they do, it’s best to proceed from there. Tae and Tee are both seasoned actors who have done series together and with other actors, and through their roles in Triage, have proved themselves capable of carrying a series on their relationship’s back.

Triage is not the kind of show I would recommend for someone who is looking for brainless entertainment, nor for someone who is really into accuracy in science fiction. If you fall somewhere in between, give it a go, it’s worth a watch.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Krishna’s Sidenote-

☆ Tee Jaruji and Tae Darvid were featured in popular magazine, Sudsapda

☆ TaeTee featured in popular magazine GQ Thailand

☆ TaeTee were featured in LOfficiel Thailand alongside their Triage co-stars Tonnam Piamchon & Aob Tanadol

☆ TaeTee were also featured in the Summer Issue of Solo Magazine

https://www.instagram.com/p/CedubjiPDCF/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=