| Native Name: | |
| Creator: | Kulp Kaljareuk |
| Director: | Sivaroj Kongsakul |
| Country: | Thailand |
| Num Episodes: | 7 |
| Executive Producer: | Kulp Kaljareuk |
| Producer: | Nattapong Suriya |
| Cinematography: | Pramett Chankrasae |
| Camera: | Multiple-camera setup |
| Runtime: | 50 minutes |
| Company: | Kantana Motion Pictures |
| Network: | Netflix |
Master of the House (Thai: สืบสันดาน,, in Thai pronounced as /sɯ̀ːp sǎn.dāːn/, lit "derive") is a 2024 Thai television series aired on Netflix for seven episodes in genres of crime, suspense and melodrama. It is produced by Kantana Motion Pictures.
The story of the powerful billionaire family, Thevasatitpaisarn. When Roongroj, a clan head mysteriously dies at the family's large mansion after announcing his maid, Kaimook as a new legal wife.
Even though each family member disagreed, they could not object. After Roongroj died, they harassed and abused the maids and servants. As for Kaimook, she believes her husband died because he was murdered by a family member, or the maids and servants. So, she searches for evidence to expose his murderer.[1]
The director Sivaroj Kongsakul said "the core theme of this series revolves around our ability to manage power and greed, and whether our pursuits might inadvertently harm others. If left unchecked, it can wreck relationships, families, societies, or even entire nations," he explains. "How can we control these impulses? Are we aware of the pain we might inflict in our quest for success? This aspect makes the show both entertaining and compelling, prompting viewers to reflect on these issues."
Master of the House is the television series that serves bold and digestible scenes for the audience. The series vividly portrays drama in the distinctive style of Thai soap operas, or "lakorn," enhanced by premium production quality and intense on-screen confrontations between rising stars and veteran performers. It reflects a thrilling exploration of human ambition and the extremes people will go to fulfill their desires, and also invites viewers to reflect on the use of power and greed in their own lives.[2]
As soon as it is released, it rose to the no.1 television category in Thailand and the no.1 most viewed non-English language television content in over eight countries including Qatar, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Poland, Venezuela, Romania, Kenya, Malaysia and Thailand. It is the second most watched Netflix series in the world on July 22, 2024, behind only Cobra Kai.[3] As of July 31, 2024, it topped Netflix's international series chart, was no.1 in 10 additional countries, and was in the top 10 in 63 additional countries worldwide.[4]
As for criticism, there are many different kinds, the journalist Pravit Rojanaphruk posted on his X that "trampling the poor, class discrimination, brothers kill each other over inheritance. Murder and no responsibility or flee to another country or this is true Thai soft power?". Communication Arts academic Warat Karuchit posted in conclusion "personally, I don't support movies, dramas, and series that are divided between black and white. Reinforcing the discourse of rich people are bad, poor people are good, romanticizing the issue of class to the point of exaggeration. This creates a biased image that creates division between classes. It is easy to produce but does not help society develop forward."
Sakun Bunyathat, a writer and performing arts academic analyzed the reasons for its popularity "it is a series that is popular overseas, its content is a detective story, keeping the viewer excited all the time, wanting to know who the murderer is. It shows the passions of the characters through the upper and lower classes, in particular, characters who are pretty maids will be favored more than others. On the other side, it is a mix of a soap opera with a serious and tragic story through strong emotional performances by each perfermer. At the same time, there is a deep revenge plot for the characters, the characters representing the lower class try to use their potential to rise to the upper class, meanwhile, the upper classes tried to trample on the lower classes through a scene where Araya steps on Kaimook head whom crawls and crouches in front of her like a tame dog. The role of the lower class character, even though they are allowed to be trampled on, have a feeling of wanting to fight and take revenge. The issue resonates with people in many countries around the world, including Thailand."[5]
While unappreciative criticism includes Veerawat Aggutamanus of online media The Standard, said that Master of the House looks good with expensive and exotic camera angles, acting looks good. But it falling off a cliff because the script lacks enough depth and flat characters.[6] As activist Leena Jungjanja harshly criticized, "a shitty series, it's fake, how could it be produced?, the content is too violent to accept and impossible in real life."[7]
Film critic and analyst Jean from the YouTube channel Scoop Viewfinder said that it wasn't to his taste, and some of the characters' actions and the ending didn't make sense, so he only gave it a 5 out of 10 rating.[8]
Some viewers, after watching, can't help but relate the characters' actions to real behaviors that occur among the children of high society in Thai society and Thai politics.[5]
One of the cast who received praise for his role as a villain is Thanavate "Gap" Siriwattanagul, an actor and architect who portrays the role of Marvin. Himself as an actor who has played villainous roles in many films and television series, admit that "this is the evil role I have ever performed".[5] [9]