The Believers (2024) s01e02 Episode Script

[cheering]
TWO YEARS AGO
Here's to our company's
first day of opening.
Damn, you're going full-on.
I wanted some booze,
not fucking champagne.
Look, man. You can get booze whenever.
But today's our company's opening,
so it's champagne only.
Because it's all about making our way
towards profit from here on out.
How much profit?
- A thousand percent.
- A thousand percent.
Are we seriously going to get rich? Wow.
So, everyone, go all out.
[cheering]
[Game] Hey.
What are you doing
sitting here alone, Golf?
Just give it a go, come on.
- Come on.
- I don't drink.
Come on, just this once.
- [Game] Just a little bit.
- [cheering]
Hey. Let's take a photo.
[man laughing]
[indistinct chattering]
Hey, were you guys seriously
taking a co-founder selfie
without me, you bastard?
Cheers, man. Yeah.
[Game] Okay, we had our damn drinks.
We're 25, but
we're running a 30 million baht business
to generate 300 million baht profit.
Damn right.
We took out a 25 million loan for this.
Who said anything about a loan?
We're talking about profit here. Alright?
[Game] But honestly, for me,
it feels like
when we're together,
I can be fucking fearless, man.
Let me ask you this.
Why did you ask me join you?
- [Win] Tell me.
- You sure you wanna hear this now?
[grunting] Okay. Fine.
I don't know why.
I just knew it had to be you.
[chuckles]
[Game] Alright. Let me ask you back.
Why would a valedictorian like you
quit school to take this risk with me?
Running any business is risky.
- It's about who you run it with.
- Holy shit, that was smooth as hell.
- [Dear] Oh.
- [chuckles]
- [Dear] Yuck.
- [Game] So, on this occasion
[Win] Hey. Hey.
What?
[Game] I just wanted to say
that we
will
destroy
Metaverse.
[soft music playing]
But just writing on paper
isn't enough, alright?
You know what blood oath is?
[chuckles]
Real blood is a bit much.
Let's use ketchup instead.
[Dear] Done.
We've made a pact.
- We're in this together no matter what.
- Hey. Of course, you dawg.
- [Game] Look at that!
- [Dear] Ay!
- [Win] Come on, let's drink.
- [Game] You drink.
[theme music playing]
THE BELIEVERS
[music stops]
[Game] So? Go straight and then what?
Keep going straight
and turn left in three kilometers.
- Okay.
- I'll keep navigating.
[electronic music playing]
[Game] So, which temple? There are tens
of thousands of them in Thailand.
[Dear] How about you do a search?
[beeping]
[Game] Wow, that's a shitload.
Let's start with Bangkok.
- What about this temple?
- [Win] No, too big.
How does big equal bad?
A temple this big
must have a big committee.
They already have their own people
to share profit with. No room for us.
Look.
TEMPLE COMMITTEE
PRESIDENT, MEMBERS
Um.
TOO MANY PEOPLE IN CHARGE
[Win] Bangkok won't work.
Let's do countryside.
[Dear] Not too far, though.
No customer base.
[Game] The outskirts, then.
Seems good.
It's at the center of a neighborhood.
See? There're four or five
more temples around here.
[beeping]
Think you can compete
against existing rivals?
TOO MUCH COMPETITION
- [Win] How is it?
- I think it's a no-go. Look.
[shouting] Too old.
We might as well build a new temple.
TOO OLD
Probably will cost a few millions.
Let's drop it.
[Game] This temple looks good.
[Win] Let's just talk to the abbot.
What are you talking about?
But we have good intentions
for what we're trying to do, Father.
It's a grave sin.
It can also
be a way to support the religion.
You religious charlatans.
OOPS, HE KNOWS WHAT'S UP
[music stops]
- [Win] What is this?
- [Dear] Got it from the last temple.
He said it might help
cleanse your minds a little.
[chuckles]
Win. Seriously, though.
If this project doesn't work out,
then what's next?
Well We'd earn merit, I guess.
Merit, my ass.
Dude.
I need to pee.
[Dear] Can you look for a gas station?
Not sure about a gas station,
but you can go behind the bushes.
No fucking way.
I can't have people seeing my butt.
- I'll find a gas station for you.
- [Dear] Okay.
Hold it for a bit.
- [yelling] Hey, pull over.
- [Game] What?
Pull over.
And back up the car.
[Game] What? Pull over here? This temple?
Yeah, this temple. Back up.
[Game] Fucking dangerous, making me
pull over in the middle of the road.
PHUMMARAM TEMPLE
[engine stops]
[Game] My body is sore.
[groans]
How about getting a massage when we're
back in Bangkok? I know this one place.
The masseuses are fucking amazing, but
there's this one masseuse at the place.
Her name is Jeab. She's a bit off.
She always offers dick massage.
Hmm?
- [drumroll]
- Hey.
[shutter clicking]
[Game] Hey. Where's Win?
Not in the car?
If he was, he'd be here with me.
Let's go. It's getting dark soon.
I think this temple is a good size.
Huh?
There's a ton of space.
We could renovate it.
This temple?
[Game] It looks abandoned.
Not a single person around.
[dog barking]
Even there's only one dog.
But I'm with Dear on this.
What are you saying?
Huh?
Let's go with this temple.
[sighs]
Um.
It looks fucking abandoned.
Sure you can renovate it?
I think this temple
should be easy to talk to.
The abbot seems kind.
How'd you even know that?
PHUMMARAM 70 YEARS
MONK VEERA ITSAVARO, FATHER KIW
Oh.
OFFERINGS STATION:
FLOWERS, INCENSE, CANDLES
Hey, Kid. Where's the abbot?
There. You can try asking
that old man up at the pavilion.
[whistling Thai country song]
Excuse me.
[drumroll]
Hey. What's up, young man?
[drumroll]
We came across this temple
and decided to stop by to make merit.
- I see.
- Can you show me where I can do that?
- You're here to make merit?
- Yes, brother.
You don't have to call me "brother."
- [man] Just call me "Uncle."
- Okay.
To see young people at the temple, wow!
That makes me so happy.
[man] Hey, to make it even better,
go to the ordination hall
and pay respects to the Buddha statue.
It might seem old,
but it's incredibly sacred.
[laughs]
Is the abbot here today?
He's not feeling well.
It's best not to disturb him.
[man] He's very old.
When you're here,
just come and find me.
I'm Tang, the lay leader at this temple.
[Tang laughs]
Well, we're looking to meet the abbot.
We'd like him to bless our car.
Oh, I see. Come back another day, okay?
He's not going anywhere, lad.
I'm going downstairs.
Huh.
Hey. Your face seems a bit somber.
Maybe try a ritual to ward off bad luck?
[laughs]
You've got bad luck. Your face looks grim.
- [Tang whistling]
- [Game] He seems a bit wacky.
[Win] I think he has the key to
the donation boxes.
He might even handle the money too.
We should try approaching him.
Me again, huh?
Shit.
Excuse me.
I
- Haven't you left?
- No, I haven't.
I'd like leave this donation
to the abbot with you.
We don't see many people at this temple,
so we'd like him
to have some funds on hand.
[chuckles]
May you prosper, young man.
I'll get you the donation form.
That's okay. We're leaving now. Just
give it to the abbot for us.
Oh, okay.
Here's what we'll do.
Hold on, just sign it right here.
I'll take it to the abbot.
SOMDECH
Here you go.
Bye, uncle.
May you prosper, young man!
Let's go.
We can all confirm this is the temple?
Um.
Wait longer and we won't get things done.
At least pick a temple to rebrand.
[Thai country song playing on speaker]
[tires squealing]
CONTRACT WORK & GENERAL SERVICES
PHUMMARAM TEMPLE
[song fades]
- Let's go.
- Let's go.
[engine stops]
[woman] Here.
[car pulling up]
So? Let's just go talk to him
and get it over with.
- [Win] Let's wait a bit longer.
- Okay.
[Game] What?
[drumroll]
Oh, shit.
He just shed his skin.
[engine starts]
- Hey.
- Just a sec.
- Can't you go faster?
- It's an electric seat.
[engine starts]
[suspenseful music playing]
[Dear] Hey, man, slow down a bit.
It's too close.
Left.
Left, dude!
[car honking]
Fuck, that was too late.
- I'll go around.
- [Win] Speed the hell up.
How would I know he'd take the exit?
Should we call it quits?
It's obvious he knew we were tailing him.
Even if he didn't, we don't even know
if he'd be on board with our plan.
Hold on a sec.
I might remember his number.
[phone beeping]
[line ringing]
- [song and chattering]
- [Tang] Hello?
Hello?
Who the fuck is this?
Hello?
[suspenseful music playing]
[Thai country song playing
in the distance]
SANGSRI KARAOKE
SOMDECH
[Game] Come on.
[Thai country song playing on speakers]
[man speaks over mic] May the host
prosper.
SANGSRI KARAOKE
Thank you, table three.
Next up, our guests from table seven.
[Thai country song playing on speakers]
I need to pee. Be right back.
[yelling] Hey!
[tense music playing]
You little shits!
Why the fuck did you follow me here?
Quiet?
Quiet, huh?
Fine.
[microphone feedback]
[sighs]
[tense music continues]
So?
Why did you follow me?
Actually,
we didn't follow you.
We're just here for some drinks.
This place seemed like a nice
hang out spot, so we stopped by,
since there aren't
many good drinking spots around.
[laughs]
You suck at lying.
I saw you tailing me from my house.
Did you wanna rob me?
[Tang laughs]
Are you sure?
- Huh?
- I'm sorry, but
we're really not planning on
doing anything like that
[Thai country song playing
in the background]
[Win] We're here to discuss business.
What business?
I asked, what business?
Temple business.
You mean temple services?
Morning and evening chanting?
- [Tang laughing]
- [bell chimes]
We want to hire you as a consultant.
[chuckles]
What's a "con-sultan?"
[pool balls clicking]
[sighs]
Well
Like an advisor.
We want you to advise us on our project
to develop and rebrand Phummaram Temple.
With tens of thousands
of temples in the Thai market,
getting one percent market share
for Phummaram Temple
will be enough to make us rich.
I think we can get five percent.
[Win] An all-inclusive Buddhist commerce,
aiming for a 1,000% short-term profit.
In simpler terms, it means
we're looking to benefit from the temple,
like what you're doing.
[yelling] Hey.
Here's how it goes. Simply put,
we'll run the temple to make it famous.
Then, people will start flocking in.
You know what that brings?
Money.
[tense music continues]
There's a million ways of doing business.
We just saw an opportunity here.
We're willing to offer you 40,000 baht
per month, excluding bonuses.
Your role would be giving us advice
and to take action on things we can't do.
Oh.
It's an advance payment.
I didn't think you guys
would be this much fucked up.
You guys are real pieces of shit.
I never thought in my life I'd hear
something so seriously fucked up.
Then
just pretend you never heard it.
You guys think
you can just leave like that?
Look, uncle.
We came to discuss business.
If you're not on board, then we're done.
What you guys said,
you think it will be that easy?
You mentioned bonuses. How much?
[exhales sharply]
When the temple hits the break-even point,
we'll give you five percent.
That means if the temple makes, say
ten million baht, then you'll take
five hundred thousand.
- Five hundred thousand?
- Um.
Alright? If you're in,
you can sign the contract.
Ten percent.
How about seven?
Fifteen.
Fine, ten percent. But we'll handle
all the temple's accounts.
Deal.
But I need to be in the loop
about everything.
If I ever catch you guys being sneaky
Then the first job you need to do is
getting us into the temple.
[chuckles] Sure.
I'll take you to the abbot.
But tell this white bitch to dye her hair.
[Tang] It's hurting my eyes.
NARUETHIP WATER COMPANY'S
DONATION TO PHUMMARAM TEMPLE
[music stops]
[Game] Sure you wanna use
my family's name?
Yeah.
It seems most credible.
People will see it
as a big company doing CSR.
Or we could use my dad's name.
"Roger Kennethsmith the Third."
Huh.
[Tang] Hey.
Chitchatting? Are you ready?
The abbot is ready.
Okay.
We've got water, Father.
It's the water from the company
of these young folks.
It's clean and refreshing, Father.
Is it cool, Father?
[laughs]
These young folks proposed
a development project for our temple.
I can see their good intentions,
so I'd like to help promote their water.
[Tang laughs]
It's rare to see young people
taking an interest in Buddhism.
They're putting in a lot of effort,
so I'm supporting them.
Who says young peepee bah!
Who says young people don't go to temple?
Here they are.
These three kids right here.
[electronic music playing]
[sobbing] They're determined
to preserve Buddhism,
and support our temple.
What are you guys planning to do?
Well, we have prepared slides
to present to you our project.
Here it is.
PHUMMARAM TEMPLE,
CHACHOENGSAO
[Game] The way we see it,
the beauty of the location
is the first thing that attracts people.
So, we'd like to renovate the temple.
We'll do it in three phases.
In the first phase, we'll begin by
restoring what's already there and
Hold on.
[music stops]
I actually don't have any issues.
In fact, I want to thank you
for donating
all these things to the temple.
But
I'm quite old.
I might not be able to offer much help.
But based on what you've told me,
it seems pretty interesting.
Let's just say that, from now on,
I'll entrust Tang to supervise you guys.
Of course.
[abbot] Let's help each other out.
[Tang whistling]
[Game] Damn it.
I worked on these slides all night.
Asshole, that was me.
- It's the same thing.
- How is it the same?
Do you see now
how much the abbot trusts me?
[laughs]
[woman] The bill
for the microphone.
So, what's your plan?
First thing,
- start with renovation.
- [electronic music playing]
We'll give life back
to the temple that looks abandoned.
[Game] Alright, back up.
Straight back, slowly, back up.
Careful. Back up. Okay, stop.
Watch out, a sidecar's coming.
Go, sidecar.
You can go. Thanks. Put them down gently.
[Tang] Here, I bought you guys new paint.
Paint it nicely and get the job done.
[man] Okay.
Oh, it's good you're here.
Pay me back 20,000 for the paint.
- [Tang] Get closer, Note.
- [bees buzzing]
Get closer.
Get a little closer.
Keep smoking them out.
Damn it, closer.
Come on, they're just bees.
What are you afraid of?
I think top right, eye-level.
BUDDHA STATUE MOULDING EVEN
The previous spot was good.
People can see it easily.
[sighs]
No, that spot's better.
Easier to put money.
Move it back.
Fuck that.
You know what user experience is?
Arrive, pray, put in money. Easy.
This way's better. Trust me.
Hey. Move it back.
Okay, bro?
Okay.
[bell chimes]
Wait a minute.
Everything you've mentioned needs money.
Are you rich or something?
I'm going all in on this.
[woman] Is there any chance
you could lower the price?
This is the lowest I can give you.
I've done a lot of interior work on it.
Alright, okay.
Send me your account details.
I'll transfer you the money.
RED ENVELOPE MONEY
NOT TO BE WITHDRAWN BEFORE AGE 60
$81,027
SELL
$0.529
SELL
[cat meowing]
[cat meowing]
What is it, Tang?
I'm going digital with the temple's
accounts for easier handling
One, two, three. Okay,
Turn to your left.
One, two, okay. Look straight ahead.
Smile.
All set.
Here.
[Win] Online on three platforms.
The admin is always active.
Start firing ads.
GREETINGS, DEAR FOLKS
Then, we'll get donation spots set up
and ready for service.
[Game] But nowadays,
it's all about a cashless society, so
[Win] Right. We'll move money
and accounts over to handle on DeFi.
And pay off some debts with it.
Candles, incense, and gold leaves
can bring in some cash.
But we've got bigger income sources.
Consecration ceremony.
[Dear] Redeeming cattle
[Win] Hey. Let's not do that.
I feel bad for the animals.
[Dear] Then, how about this instead?
DONATION BOX
REDEEMING CATTLE
BUDDHA STATUE MOULDING EVEN
[Win] Put up phapa baskets everywhere,
leave no empty spot.
[Dear] We'll set up a market in this area
to create activities for the temple.
[Tang] Note, just get closer.
What are you afraid of?
- Come on.
- Wait. Let's hold it.
Those are bees.
- Hurry up.
- What bees?
Those bees.
- I said hold it.
- What?
So, what do you want me to do?
It's hot, you know?
- Leave it there for now.
- Huh?
What the hell?
[bees buzzing]
BRIXTON WHISKEY 12
[Tang] Boo!
[clearing throat]
You're doing this in the temple?
[laughs]
- [Game] Oh.
- [Tang] Umm.
Cheers.
Um.
[Thai country song playing on speakers]
[babbling] That sounds good, but
But fucking what now?
[chuckles]
Did you guys take Buddhism classes
when you were kids?
I got an A.
I got a C.
[Tang] Okay, then.
What are some Buddhist Holy Days?
Magha Puja, Visakha Puja,
Buddhist Lent, End of Buddhist Lent,
Asalha Puja.
Not bad.
You know, temples can survive
because people come to make merit.
But people don't come
to make merit every day. You see?
That's why we have to make
the most of those Holy Days.
[electronic music playing]
The first one,
[Tang] Magha Puja.
THE MAGHA PUJA OF 1976
It was the day
when monks gathered together.
All 1,250 of them.
Right.
It's a very boring day.
Visakha Puja
[Tang] is the day of Buddha's birth,
enlightenment, and death.
And we walk around the temple building
three times.
[chuckles]
But this day,
Buddhist Lent, is a big deal.
Both the start and end of it
are when we have major events.
A big crowd will show up.
During these times, you'll get hundreds,
thousands of envelopes.
Countless temples rally people to donate.
Kathina events
just keep on going one after another.
That's all you need to focus on.
[laughing]
Can we get things done in time?
In time for what?
Oh, I mean, we have to
do
the soft opening.
What? "Oh, Penny?"
Okay, let's keep this simple.
What days are coming up soon?
Coming up soon, in April, there's
["Songkran Thai folk dance"
playing on speakers]
Hey, Auntie. Why has no one shown up?
Hey, can I request a song?
I'm bored out of my mind.
Sure.
[Thai country song playing on speakers]
Many people are here to make merit.
- Merit, my ass. They came for free water.
- Oh.
[kids] Yeah!
Oh, god!
Shit, stop it!
Hey! Stop right there!
[screaming]
[clearing throat]
The bills.
For decorations, supplies, labor,
gasoline.
- Game will transfer the money.
- [Tang chuckles]
Opening a temple
isn't as exciting
as opening an amusement park, you know?
With temple, you need to take it slow.
If everything is complete,
what can people donate for to make merit?
My face is tight.
[song stops]
[Game] I feel like
we might have messed something up,
Nobody's showing up for this damn event
even though it's a big one.
Based on what I've seen,
famous temples often come with legends
Like drifting Buddha statues,
or a temple that didn't burn down.
That'd take too long. We've just bought
the principle Buddha near the Giant Swing.
We can create something new.
What should we do, then?
How about this?
Let's just go with ghosts.
We can get what are their names?
Mor Pla and Pong to come.
Let's go all out on this.
Then people would show up here
looking for ghosts.
No one would come to donate money.
If we wait for the major
Buddhist holidays, it might be too risky.
Or I'll hire fake supporters for now
but I think it's just a waste of money.
- That's true.
- Yeah.
[Game] Let me think.
Do you miss him?
Hmm?
What?
Oh, hell no.
Why the hell would I miss him?
I ditched him long ago.
- It's her ex.
- What? That's crazy. He's your ex?
PAWI
GREEN TEA
[Game] No shit. Are you serious?
He's fucking famous. My mom loves him.
He's got lots of presenter gigs.
- [Dear] Um.
- Dang, that's really something.
Hey!
Presenter, that's it.
We can get a brand ambassador
or icon for the temple
to communicate to our targets directly.
Hey. That's interesting.
Apart from famous temples,
there are also famous monks.
[electronic music playing]
What if we find a monk who can act
like a magnet to pull people in?
PAWI
GREEN TEA
[music stops]