TV Series That I Just Saw: "Expats."

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“Expats.” (Amazon Prime) drama series based on the 2016 novel “The Expatriates” by Janice Y. K. Lee, follows "the vibrant lives of a close-knit expatriate community: where affluence is celebrated, friendships are intense but knowingly temporary, and personal lives, deaths and marriages are played out publicly—then retold with glee.” Didn’t feel it though. I watched it because Ruby Ruiz (as Essie) is a friend. 



       But, as expected, Pinays Essie and another househelp Puri (Amelyn Pardenilla) are stereotyped as maids in Hollywood cinema, regardless that this series is supposedly “crafted” by mostly Asians. And Essie and Puri’s speaking lines are all about a domestic helper’s dialogues, that’s all. Fact is, there are many Filipinos in Hong Kong who are doctors, teachers, engineers, and journalists. 

       Set in Hong Kong, the plot orbits the abrupt disappearance of American expat Margaret Woo's youngest son during a nighttime market escapade. The convergence of three American women with diverse ethnicity, their clandestine affairs, amorous entanglements, and deceit unfurls against the backdrop of the 2014 Umbrella Movement protests in Hong Kong. 

       Seems compelling for a story but then it doesn’t really matter if Margaret (Nicole Kidman), Hilary (Sarayu Blue) is Indian/Hindu, and Mercy (Ji-young Yoo) is Korean. Those cultural differences didn’t play up. Although the story is based on Chinese-American Janice Y. K. Lee’s novel of familial loss and sociocultural entanglement, the plotline progression of the series is told via a Western/American point of view. The Umbrella Movement background was all that, physical background nothing else. Yet I suspect the book is much more engaging? Worth a try to read it. 📺🎥📺


GAVE UP. “Drops of God (Apple TV+) drama/thriller about a woman who discovers the world's greatest wine collection that's left by her estranged father and had to compete against his protege to claim her inheritance. This series started emotionally-strong but midway through Episode 1, I feel kind of bored. Maybe I’d revisit this series some time? 📺🎥📺

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