[Thicker Than Water Review] “Little Women” ver. Muslim women’s crime drama fighting for survival!

Thicker Than Water  The 7-episode French Netflix series tells the story of a young female journalist who unintentionally protects her younger brother from a drug gang. This causes her entire family, who are Muslim women, to become involved in the drug gang’s plan to take down the police.

Note: This article has been translated from Thai to English, I apologize if there are any mistakes/errors.

Thicker Than Water Review

The French series follows an all-Muslim female family, with the main character being a young female journalist who has just landed a job as a news anchor. However, an incident forces her to help her younger brother flee from a crime that was committed, which leads the drug gang to pressure her to present news that would discredit the police force. At the same time, the police also pressure her to collaborate with them to take down the drug gang, making her a double agent who must help both the criminals and the police.

 

In her news department, she constantly faces problems because she is a young Arab woman from a lower class who nobody likes. She has to fight fiercely to maintain her job as a news anchor. She also has to navigate her relationship with the ethics of journalism while dealing with the criminal gang she’s forced to work with. Furthermore, she has two older sisters who have their own family problems to deal with, including taking care of their teenage niece who is going through a tough time. The situation becomes even more complicated when she dragged her sisters and her niece into the drug trafficking gang without their knowledge, leaving her whole family trapped in a situation with no way out. To make matters worse, they have to keep this a secret from their elderly mother.

It can be seen that the story is very complex with many intertwined characters, which causes the protagonist, a young female journalist, to spend a lot of time telling stories about other characters in the family. The story is told in a melodramatic tone, similar to the movie “Little Women,” but with four Muslim women who come from difficult family backgrounds. Their father left their mother when they were still young, and their adherence to Islam became an obstacle in their lives, such as when their mother tried to control them within the bounds of religion but was unable to do so, or when they experienced divorce which caused them to be stuck with a terrible husband. All of the family members are intertwined and help each other solve life’s problems. This series has more elements of melodrama than crime in the plot.

The crime aspect of the story revolves around a drug gang led by a charismatic black man who is a talented actor and has a deeper story than just being a typical villain. He represents the mastermind behind an international drug operation, but his character is more complex than just being a drug lord. However, he has to deal with the female protagonist who is an undercover journalist and a master of playing double-agent. She has her own hidden agenda, which is revealed in episode 7 in a well-crafted plot twist. The ending is somewhat open-ended, leaving room for a potential continuation or closure to the story.

 

Overall, the series is an interesting drama driven by all-female Muslim characters. It’s a mix of crime and slice-of-life drama, with a ratio of 70% drama to 30% crime. The plot isn’t very thrilling, but it spends more time exploring the characters’ struggles in life. Despite not being a serious drama, it’s still enjoyable to watch.

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