Thai series “Girl From Nowhere” recently landed on Netflix, and it’s exactly the kind of chaotic revenge epic we needed.
Each episode is a stand-alone story carrying the same premise: Intriguing new girl Nanno begins her first day at school, slowly uncovering the hypocrisy, double standards and secrets of the people around her and making sure they never forget it.
No one really knows who (or what) Nanno really is―only that she is karma incarnated rivaling Junji Ito’s Tomie and enjoys playing cryptic mind games.
The episodes tackle various social issues, so we’ve handpicked five episodes from the series that are relevant at the moment despite the questionable morals of the protagonist.
Mild spoilers ahead, and trigger warning: Most of the episodes contain mature themes.
1. The Ugly Truth, Episode 1
The fate of a series relies on the quality of its pilot episode, and “The Ugly Truth” set the bar high for the series’ tense build-up and our expectations of the main character. Nanno exposes a predatory teacher (from ironically the “purest school”), beginning her destructive ways of seeking justice.
2. Trophy, Episode 3
Insecurities come from comparing ourselves to others, and this episode shows the lengths someone could go through to gain approval―lying, throwing friendships away and stealing others’ works.
3. Hi-So, Episode 4
In a society where money talks, the rich are powerful and stand at their own tier. This episode depicts a boy from a working class family pretending to be a wealthy heir with an enviable lifestyle just to fit in with his more privileged classmates.
4. Social Love, Episode 5
Before social media, stan culture has plagued human history for years―from worshipping cats to idolizing kpop groups. This episode portrays the nature of fandoms to go the extra mile to defend their idols in an almost cultish manner.
5. Wonderwall, Episodes 6 and 7
Careful what you wish for―or in this case, what you write on the bathroom walls. Whether it’s out of boredom, frustration or anger, the words we say or write have power, and too much power is never good in the wrong hands.
Stills from “Girl From Nowhere”