The Heart Killers 1×01 Review: Episode 1

It’s here, it’s here, it’s finally here! Happy The Heart Killers Day to all who celebrate. Strap in for this series. It looks like it’s going to be a wild ride.

I knew from the first trailer that I was going to love The Heart Killers. Aside from favorite pairings FirstKhao and JoongDunk, it’s a heavily-stylized queer remake of 10 Things I Hate About You – with assassins. What’s not to love? And the first episode proves that this is going to be ridiculous and fun and I am 100 percent here for it. Let’s effing go.

Brothers Bison (Khaotung Thanawat) and Fadel (Joong Archen) lead a double life. By day, they run an American-style diner called Heart Burger. By night, they’re assassins who focus on taking out the corrupt and criminal politicians and businessmen. The police are desperate to catch them and call in Kant (First Kanaphan), offering to clear his criminal record if he can get close enough to them to learn more about their boss.

In a serendipitous coincidence, Bison happens to be the recent one-night stand that Kant can’t stop thinking about. Unfortunately, Fadel is not quite as trusting as his younger brother and is immediately suspicious of Kant’s motives. Bison tells Kant that the only way they can be together is if Fadel is distracted by a suitor of his own. Enter Kant’s best friend Style (Dunk Natachai) – who also happens to be the guy who rear-ended Fadel’s Jeep.

This first episode was phenomenal. Right away, you’re hooked on the story, as it opens with Bison going undercover as a sex worker to take out a target. We’re also quickly introduced to some really important interpersonal dynamics and character information. All four of our mains interact in this episode, so we get to see the kind of relationship Bison and Fadel have, as well as the kind of friends Kant and Style are. (We also meet Kant’s younger brother, Babe, who we learn very fast is Kant’s weak spot.)

Except for Fadel, all of our main characters could be considered playboys. Bison later admits to Kant that he’s never had a serious relationship before – that could be due to the secretive nature of his side job, or it could be because Fadel is seriously overprotective. It also could be that he’s like that to forget the seedier aspects of his assassin gig.

It’s clear from the get-go that Bison does not like their double life. As soon as their job is finished, he wants to rush off. (And he goes bowling, which is just so hilarious to me that I couldn’t stop laughing. I don’t know if this is a cultural thing but the thought of him saying “I’m going out” and meaning “I’m going bowling” is just too funny.) He floats the idea of quitting, which Fadel quickly shuts down, and then says he would be happy if they could just take a year off so he can live his life.

So Bison clearly doesn’t want to be doing this anymore. I think that’s part of why he’s so willing to go out with Kant; he wants to be normal. (I think the other part is that Kant is pretty persistent in his pursuit of a date. I can see that appealing to a guy like Bison.) But also, they seem pretty smitten with each other. I’m not sure how much of this is Kant acting and how much is legitimate interest, but they were super cute together.

By contrast, Style is going to have his hands full trying to seduce Fadel. I’d wager Fadel has a lot of experience dealing with annoying brats, but based on the aforementioned playboyness, I suspect Style isn’t accustomed to being turned down. Not to mention, they didn’t have the greatest introduction. Bison and Kant got a flirty moment over a bowling ball (and I was decidedly not critiquing their form, that would be weird), while Style rear-ended Fadel’s car when Fadel had evidence of a crime in the trunk. So, you know. Uphill battle.

Also, as someone who has worked in customer service, when Style walked in at closing and proceeded to order like ten beers, I swear I had war flashbacks. (Ugh, Black Friday shoppers. The worst.)

I really enjoy their dynamic, though. This is, like, grumpy-sunshine turned up to 11. I think it’s pretty clear that of all the mains, Fadel is probably going to fall the hardest, just because he has obviously been holding himself back for a long time. He has to be the responsible one; he has to keep Bison in line, he has to keep them both from being arrested, he does everything at the diner. When he finally does let go, I imagine it’s going to be insane.

By the way, I think everyone should remember that Kant is afraid of the ocean, because he almost drowned as a child. Based on the trailer, that’s definitely going to get revisited later.

Something I really like about this show is the style. I don’t know if this is what they were going for, but it reminds me a lot of Romeo + Juliet (the Baz Luhrmann one). (I mean, I would bet good money that it is intentional, but still.) It’s so bright and colorful – but it’s also in Bison’s wardrobe. There’s a lot about this that screams retro but also modern. I can’t find it now, but there was a whole Tumblr post analyzing some of the technology we saw in the promotional material (like Bison’s phone) and whether or not The Heart Killers was meant to be set circa like 2006 or something.

I also love the soundtrack, mostly because it actually has a soundtrack. It’s not uncommon for Asian dramas to have a few songs that recur over the course of a series, so I always appreciate it when a show has a diverse soundtrack. (Not Me and Only Friends are two other shows that had rocking soundtracks.)

But I think what I’m going to love best about this show is how unserious it is. It’s campy and queer and fun as hell. I am here for the ridiculousness. I bet Shakespeare would be proud of this adaptation.

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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