Wu 1×01 Review: Episode 1

The first episode of the highly-anticipated GMMTV series Wu was a great introduction to a supernatural world of fate, demons, and the forces of nature. I have been waiting for this show for something like six months, and it did not disappoint.

Wu tells the story of Pete (Nani Hirunkit), a down-on-his-luck delivery driver who gambles away his paychecks basically the second they hit his account. One night, he’s actually on a hot streak at the poker table when he sees an amorphous black blob of smoke. That’s the night he meets Niran (Sky Wongravee), a shaman (or, for this series, a wu), who tells Pete that what he is seeing is a yao – a demon.

Admittedly, when this trailer first dropped as part of GMMTV’s 2025 presentation, I didn’t think much of it. The pilot trailer offered little in the way of anything, and most people speculated that it had been hastily filmed to capitalize on Sky and Nani’s sudden, explosive popularity from their series High School Frenemy, which had just finished airing. I thought then that I might check it out if the trailer looked good, and then I actually watched High School Frenemy and decided I was going to watch it even if it didn’t.

Thankfully, Wu isn’t just relying on Sky and Nani’s fabulous chemistry – the kind that defies expectation, with that sort of connection and devotion that could be romantic, or could be platonic, or could be whatever. The series boasts Waa Waasuthep as its director and screenwriter. Waasuthep is behind The Gifted, Boys in Love, and Be My Favorite, which are all highly-regarded series.

The rest of the cast is nothing to sneeze at, either. Krist Perawat, Godji Tachakorn, and Great Sapol all have supporting roles, and episode 1 guest star Sea Tawinan delivered a command performance as always. Phuwin Tangsakyuen was also featured in the trailer, though we’re not yet sure how many episodes he’ll be featured in.

Anyway, back to this first episode. It didn’t touch on any of the overarching plot stuff that was so heavily prevalent in the trailer, but it served as a perfect introduction to this world and to our two main characters – though Pete more so than Niran. We meet Pete first and see what his life is like, and then we’re introduced to Niran, about whom we still know very little. He’s the mysterious character who shows up, drops some lore, and then pulls our hapless protagonist into a world he doesn’t understand.

Niran convinces Pete to drive him to a case: an elderly billionaire is comatose in the hospital, but his grandson (Tawinan) thinks there is more to it than the family knows. When Niran searches the house, he finds a strange gourd in a place of honor in the billionaire’s bedroom. The gourd contains a yao, which tries to attack them. Niran full-on soccer moms Pete out of the way, as he is protected by his amulet. (I’m not going to lie, that was one of my favorite bits. I love a good soccer mom-ing.)

The case is a great way to ease both Pete and the audience into Niran’s life. Pete follows Niran around like a lost puppy, but that doesn’t stop him from running his mouth off with the family (who don’t want to destroy the yao for fear it might affect their fortune), or holding his own when the grandson gets possessed and tries to stop their purification ritual.

The big revelation of episode 1 (at least, if you didn’t watch the trailer – or, like me, watched the trailer and then didn’t remember anything about it other than it looked cool) is that the reason Pete can see yao when no one else can is because he is a yao. And as we saw with the billionaire, this is a very bad thing, and it will definitely cause problems further down the line. But Niran promises to protect Pete.

I really enjoyed this first episode. I’m so intrigued by the lore and eager to learn more about it, and I think the billionaire case was a great starting point. It wasn’t just about the lore, but about seeing the different approaches Pete and Niran have to problem-solving. Niran has a process, a way of doing things. He had a specific tool he was going to use to destroy the gourd. And then Pete just shoots it with the shotgun he got off the possessed grandson.

Honestly, I’m just super excited to see Nani fight people again. I got a micro-dose of it with his MuTeLuv story, MuTeLuv: Not My Father, but this was better. (By the way, if you haven’t seen that yet, I highly recommend it. That and MuTeLuv: Love Me If You Swear were my favorite stories in that anthology.)

I am fascinated by the fact that this show immediately went into class commentary. I was not expecting that. A giant billboard saying corruption is evil in the same episode where a man sold his soul to live a long, healthy life, even though it doomed the rest of his family. Not to mention the dichotomy of the billionaire’s palatial mansion when Pete doesn’t even have a decent place to live.

The cinematography is stellar, though that’s to be expected of Parbdee Studio, which has put out some of the most beautifully shot Thai series that I’ve seen – such as The Trainee and ThamePo: Heart That Skips a Beat. I was even mildly impressed by the special effects, though they could stand to give it a little more light. I’m a big fan of the creative decision to have demons represented by smoke clouds; I think it goes a long way toward making it less cartoonish, if that makes sense.

Plus, the opening credit sequence? Gorgeous. I was strongly reminded of the opening to the Mo Dao Zu Shi donghua, as it utilizes the same ink/watercolor art style.

All in all, a strong first episode. A relatively easy first case with a quick win, showcasing the dynamic between the main duo and establishing their bond. Just enough mystery to keep you hooked and bring you back for the next episode. Yes, I’m really excited for the rest of this series.

Wu airs on Tuesdays and can be streamed in the US on iQIYI.

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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