The Believers – (Thai Drama) Episode 2 Recap & Review

Good Deeds 

Episode 2 of The Believers takes us back two years earlier when Win, Dear, and Game launched their game company. We get a little more information on their backgrounds, learning that Game is the one who initiated the start-up and brought in Win. Win was a valedictorian, but he decided to quit school and start a risky business with Dear and Game. The three made a “blood pact” using ketchup to stick together no matter what. 

Back to the present, our leads have started researching the ideal location for their temple business. There are thousands of temples all over Thailand, and they visit many of them, vetting their suitability. There were a set of conditions set for the ideal location, including the fact that the temple should not have too many people in charge and should not be too far from the countryside to ensure the availability of a customer base. Consequently, the temple should not be surrounded by competitive businesses, should not be too old, and the Abbot should not understand their motives. 

Our ambitious entrepreneurs accidentally come across the perfect temple when Dear needs them to stop for a bathroom break and connect with their ideal inside man, Taeng, the lay leader at the temple. The Abbot at the temple is old and sick; therefore, Taeng is in charge of all temple affairs, including handling the money. Game approaches him again and hands him the donation to the Abbot. Later, they follow Taeng from the temple to his house and later to a karaoke bar. 

Taeng confronts them at the bar since he knows they are following him. Game tries to deny it, saying they were just passing by and stopped for drinks. However, Taeng knows they are up to something and urges them to state their business. Win finally hands him a contract and explains the details of the proposed business model.

They offer to pay Taeng 40,000 baht per month, excluding the bonuses, in exchange for letting them market the temple, bring in the believers, and take control of the accounts. It does not take much to convince Taeng since he is all in because of the money and the promise of bigger bonuses 10 percent profits, after the business breaks even.

The following day, Taeng introduced Dear, Game, and Win to the Abbot as young people interested in developing and promoting the temple. Game and Dear use their family names and company to gain more influence by donating water and other offerings to the temple. The Abbot easily agrees to allow them to run their development project and places Taeng as supervisor. 

The following scenes alternate between their discussions of the plan at the bar and the execution at the temple. The first step is temple renovation, and when Taeng asks about the money to handle it, the entrepreneurs answer that they are going all in with this project. Dear sells her shop, Win sells all his held trading shares, and Game withdraws his red envelope money and pawns valuables like watches for the project. 

Next, Taeng convinces Abbot to register a digital wallet so the temple can handle donations easily. Then, Abbot creates social media accounts on three popular platforms. The team sets up donation spots ready for service and introduces cashless payment options on each donation box. Consequently, they introduced more revenue sources from the sale of candles, incense, gold leaves, consecration ceremonies, donation boxes redeeming cattle spots, and Buddha boxes all over the temple. 

After renovations and setting up the donation boxes, the entrepreneurs settle in one of the houses within the temple, hiding booze behind bookshelves. Next, they get into the real work of marketing the temple and bringing in the customers. Moreover, Taeng tells them about the important Buddhist Holy days they need to know and take advantage of, emphasising the Buddhist Lent day more.  

Everything is set for the temple opening day, but nobody shows up. Taeng casually mentions that opening a temple should be a slow process because if everything is complete, there will be no cause to donate as he hands Win the invoices for renovation expenses.

The entrepreneurs meet up after the unsuccessful opening day, and Game feels they might have missed something in their planning process. He suggests creating a legend about the temple to attract more customers, but his idea is about ghosts. Dear dismisses it, saying people will show up to see ghosts but not to make merits. 

Suddenly, Dear comes up with a brilliant idea when Win asks about her ex, a presenter when he sees him on a water bottle at their dining table. Dear’s ex is famous, and Game mentions that his mother likes him and that he has a lot of presenter gigs.

Dear suggests using a presenter as a brand ambassador or icon for the temple to communicate directly to their target audience. Game adds that Dear’s idea is plausible because there are famous monks in addition to famous temples. Therefore, entrepreneurs agree to find monks who can act as magnets to pull people in. 

The Episode Review

Our entrepreneurs have decided to go all in using all their savings to start the temple business. The episode makes the story believable to starting a start-up by making their opening event unsuccessful, which is relatable to any start-up. It also gives viewers a deeper understanding of the bond between the entrepreneurs by providing a background to how they came together to start the gaming business.

The chemistry among the three is captivating, and their performances keep viewers glued to the screen. Who will they sign up to be the temple’s brand ambassador? Will they have enough time to turn things around and start making money before the creditors come knocking?