With a killer on the loose, some hidden history coming to light, and strong women working in men’s fields, Petrichor the series will give you a separate kind of thrill.

The city suddenly gets dangerous as young women are murdered. Their bodies left crumpled with hands and legs tied and their skulls fractured. The technique of killings resembles a slew of serial killings that happened 18 years ago. The killer only kills during a rainy night, they target young women who are walking alone and cracks their skulls. And it started when the “suspected” killer was set free after 20 years of his prison sentence.

Inspector Tul and forensic doctor Run team up to unearth the mystery and as they keep digging, the mystery becomes even more complicated.

What I always find fascinating about Thai entertainment is how it can go from super sweet romances to more mature stuff like this. It’s a cool contrast. And just like “Manner of Death”, we have a lot of mature themes playing out. Well you can’t expect less when Sammon is one of the screenwriters.

Engfa Waraha as Tul is brilliant. I love her acting. Charlotte Austin as Dr Run is also trying her best to perform. They are an established pair already and they are doing nicely in their respective roles.

Now, like a lot of crime thrillers, this one has a few plot holes here and there (I’ve seen my fair share!). But what’s interesting is the relationship between the two main characters Tul and Dr Run. You won’t find the usual over-the-top romance here. No too long, intense stares, no obvious flirting, and no extreme dramatic camera angles to emphasize every little touch. Instead, the chemistry is really subtle, almost understated. There are shy gazes, light touches but nothing very in-your-face. It’s cute, but in a quiet manner. There is a kiss though, more on it later.

The show doesn’t shy away from the darker side of things. There are scenes with medical examiners handling human remains, which can be pretty intense.

I am going to add a Trigger Warning here, if you are squeamish or feel triggered with violence, you may want to skip those parts. Because there are some things that may gross you out, especially mentally.

But it also does a good job of showing both the good and bad sides of people. It touches on how the legal system can sometimes be corrupt and how innocent people can get caught in the crossfire.

That said, there are some things that didn’t quite work for me. The script could have been a little tighter. The chemistry between the two main leads, although I like it I wish it was a tad bit more expressive. Especially during the kiss…it kind of …well let’s say did not work well.

The commander’s acting gives me a headache. The journalist seems to completely ignore the dangers of their investigation. I get that investigative journalism is risky, but come on, be careful! The visuals are fine, nothing special.

On a brighter note, it’s great to see Max Nattapol in this series! Yay!

So far, only four episodes have been released, so it’s still early days. But “Petrichor” has definitely grabbed my attention with its great storyline, the subtle dynamics between the characters including the bad guys, and how it deals with some pretty heavy themes. Whether it can keep up the momentum and tie everything together nicely remains to be seen, but it’s definitely got potential.

What do you think so far?

Rating- 3 out of 5

Streaming on- IQIYI