The Believers – (Thai Drama) Episode 9 Recap, Review & Ending Explained

The Eternal Wheel

Episode 9 of The Believers starts with Game freeing the murder site and getting a message from Dear saying that the police have raided the temple. During the raid, the police arrest Dear, Win, and Monk Dol. They conduct searches in the temple and Win’s home. Monk Ekkachai cooperates and gives them access to the temple’s books of records, bank accounts, and all the information they ask from him. 

What happens after the police arrest Monk Dol, Dear, and Win?

The detectives put Dear, Win, and Dol in different interrogation rooms and try to get them to turn against each other. Win handles the detective the card he got from the creditor’s lawyer and asks to call him as his representative.

Monk Dol has no idea why he was arrested and what the police detective tells him about Dear, Win, and Game targeting the temple with ulterior motives. Therefore, the detective does not have much information to hold him, and after questioning, they let him go. However, he realises that Dear and her friends are using him, and she apologises. 

Moreover, they let Dear go first but keep Win in the interrogation room. The detective tries to guilt trip Win into confessing by telling him about his mother and playing him the audio recording of the man they had approached confessing that Win and Dear offered to pay him 200,000 to tell the press that the amulet played a part in his miracle.

However, Win is intelligent and has an answer to every question the detective asks, showing him that he does not have enough evidence to hold him. 

The detective is confident that he has a strong case, but one phone call from his superior orders him to let Win and Dear go and forget about the case. The detective confronts the superior, but he tells him that the order comes from his superiors, so there is nothing that the detective can do but release them.

Who killed Taeng?

Ekkachai sends a text message to Game and asks to talk to him, insinuating that he has helped him deal with the issue of Taeng. Game sneaks into the temple and finds Ekkachai in the Abbot’s room. Ekkachai had something to do with Taeng’s death, but he does not confess it. He tries to pin it on Game, telling him that Taeng died in his factory, and instead of calling the police, he runs away from the scene.

Game is confused and does not understand what Ekkachai wants from him, but he says that he wants Game and his friends to continue spreading Buddhism on a larger scale at a provincial level. The possible suspects in his death are Ekkachai and the politician whom Game and his friends meet up with. 

Who was Taeng working for; And do the Police find them?

After they are released from holding, Dear and Win find a car waiting outside, and a man with a gun tells him that the person who helped them out is inviting them for lunch. Dear and Win get into the car and are taken to a hotel.

Inside the private room, they find Game seated at the dining table, accompanied by the politician. Win goes straight to the point and asks what she wants from them, and she says that she wants them to work for her by doing exactly what they were doing at the temple. She shows them what will happen if they refuse to work for her when he shows them Taeng’s hand brought to the dining table by one of his men on a silver platter. 

Actually, we are not sure about a drug cartel operating through the temple. This episode suggests that the drug case only concerns Taeng and his friends. Also, there is no kingpin in this episode, just that Ekkachai and the politician sponsoring the temple are interested in the skills showcased by Dear, Win, and Game in running the temple and want them to keep doing it but on a larger scale and cut share the earnings.

Ekkachai and the politician knew about their plan and let them run the business while laying traps so they could get them arrested and then help them out of jail and blackmail the three to work for them. Therefore, Taeng was most likely not working for Ekkachai or the politician. The police have no idea who helped Dear and Win out of jail, so they made no arrests this season. 

Does Monk Dol quit monkhood?

Monk Dol leaves the temple after discovering that Dear and her friends are deceiving and using him. He writes Dear a farewell letter wishing her the best. He is thankful that he ran into her, and she tested his heart, making him realise he is not as good as he thought. He tells her that he will continue to work on himself. However, we do not know where he goes after leaving the temple or whether he quits monkhood. 

What happens to The Abbot?

During the conversation between Ekkachai and Games, he reveals that he has something to do with his deteriorating health. He says that the Abbot had to get out of the way so he could take over the role of running the temple. The Abbot’s’ health worsens, and he dies towards the end of the episode. 

What happened to Win’s father?

Win arrives home to find the detective waiting for him. He tells him that he talked with his mother about everything Win has been up to at the temple. Win confronts him, but the detective pins him to the ground and starts talking about his father’s disappearance as if he has information about the case. We learn that Win’s father was a schoolteacher and a board member of the teachers’ savings cooperative.

On the day he disappeared, he was at a computer shop with Win when he received a call that someone had arrived, and he stepped out to talk to them. He does not come back to pick Win up, and Win’s mother comes for him after the shop closes.

The detective does not give Win any more information, and he says that he will tell him more if he agrees to cooperate and give him information about the politicians selling drugs and scamming people through the temples. Later, in his room, Win finds a possible hidden message from his father inside the paper toy he made him in his childhood. 

How foes The Believers season 1 end?

At the end of the episode, Dear, Win, and Game all arrive at their homes. Dear starts packing her clothes and has her passports ready to fly to the United States. Game’s family confronts him when he gets home, and they are all disappointed in him and do not give him a chance to talk. Win finds a possible hidden message from his father in a paper toy he made him in his childhood. 

The Episode Review

The final episode of The Believers is underwhelming, but understandably so, because it shows kids who bit more than they could chew and are now facing the consequences. They thought they had everything under control, but even more powerful people kept track of their actions and set them up to fail behind the scenes so they could exploit or blackmail them. Although it dulls Win’s ability to find a way out, it is relatable and gives a satisfying ending. 

However, unlike what the police thought, there is neither a drug cartel nor money laundering happening in the temple. The drug case is isolated to Taeng and his friend’s greed. The primary case here is deceiving people based on their faith, a different crime I am not sure can be tried in a court of law.

The events in the final episode set us up for the possibility of a second season where Dear, Win, and Game will now be working for powerful politicians and monks. The detective is determined to arrest the people above him, powerful enough to get his case thrown out, and he will try using Win to get the information since he is desperate to look for his father.

Monk Dol might no longer be in the picture in the second season. However, will Dear, Win, and Game come together again? At the end of this episode, their relationship is at its worst as Dear prepares to fly abroad, but she blocks Win’s contact.