I think what I really enjoyed in Kluen Cheewit is the portrayal of the female lead (FL) Jeerawat, played excellently by Thai actress Urassaya Sperbund. I've seen a lot of other dramas in the melo category and there are plenty of times when the FLs are weaklings. Given that a lot of horrible things happen to them and they suffer all types of unspeakable abuse, it's pretty frustrating for a viewer to watch. In the case of a weak heroine, it's akin to seeing a puppy being kicked over and over by its owner. Good thing that while this drama had loads of abuse to heap, its heroine was no puppy. Jeerawat was fierce and willing to fight anyone who treated her unfairly, no matter who she had to go up against. The thing about creating a fierce heroine is that there is this danger of over emphasizing her strength to the point that she turns out to be unlikable and abrasive...you don't need to be a b-ch to be strong. This is one of the great things about Jeerawat. The writers knew what they were doing when they made a well balanced character who was vulnerable and pitiful, yet strong and capable of defending herself. Depending on the scenario, Jeerawat showed plenty of different sides to her and I rooted for her all the way. She had good chemistry with almost all the characters and not just the male lead (ML). She lit up every scene she was in and made it a joy to watch- whether she was crying, slapping someone back or getting flustered over the ML.

I would say that pretty much all the cast members did well with their roles and that the chemistry between the main couple was believable, despite their rocky start. I wasn't sure how exactly the ML could ever love the FL, given the context of how they met...but somehow they convinced me once it was over. The last episode had some of the cutest romantic scenes in drama- it was a complete 180 degree change from all the hostility and antagonism they showed each other in the earlier episodes.

But there were several things which prevented me from giving this a higher score, despite the enjoyment I got out of watching it.

When penning a hate-to-love scenario between characters, it's hardly a good idea to rush the situation and I'm glad they did not do it here. My personal opinion is that - with this sort of thing, it works best to have the relationship develop from dislike, to tolerance, to friendship, then finally to love. And the starting point for the change in the relationship should be midway in the drama. Kluen Cheewit does this well -the island scenes in episode 7/8 are the most exciting ones and they showcase the MLs vulnerability, and the FLs empathy towards him in a perfect way. The problem is that after this turning point, something else happens in the end of episode 11 that breaks down the trust between them (all over again! -_-) where the sweet moments built up from 9-11 turns into a type of love/hate in 11-12. Granted, there is good tension between them (a lot of sexy scenes that showcase their good chemistry) in 11-12, the kind of going back and forth did not flow well, IMHO. Why not just have it so that the sweet moments in 9-11 are switched with 11-12? That way, the development from hate to love would progress more naturally.

The way it was written seemed like they were back to square one and having to start over again. Given that the drama only has a short time frame of 15 episodes made it a bit of a mess. It was only in the very LAST episode where all the misunderstandings were cleared and the ML and FL finally got together...because episodes 13-14 were wasted on secondary characters. And while it's okay to develop a romance between the supporting cast, it should never affect the one between the main couple and that's exactly what happened here. Instead of the ML and FL reconciling by episode 13 and giving us viewers (at the very least) the last three episodes to witness them actually be a couple...we are left with only one episode to witness their happiness. Granted, episode 15 is one of my favorites, the thought that we could have had so much more scenes between the main leads and instead, are force-fed with the secondary romance between annoying secondary leads, was a disappointment.

At the end, I am left with a drama that I enjoyed in parts. I loved Kluen Cheewit for its amazing female lead/character, the good acting (from all the cast members) and for the chemistry between the main couple. Would I recommend this to a fan? Sure, if they were into melodrama and didn't mind all the angst. The genre itself is a hit or miss for most people. This one is flawed, but it's one of the better ones of its kind. I just kind of wish we had more of those squee worthy moments to make up for the turmoil in the earlier episodes.