Review | Netflix drama review: Wave Makers – Taiwanese election drama by The World Between Us director is an engaging watch that brings up important political issues
- Featuring a predominantly female star-studded cast, Wave Makers follows the lives of the opposition party’s campaign staff during a hotly contested election
- The series is successful in many ways, particularly in how it illustrates the importance of an empowered voting body composed of ordinary people
4/5 stars
In the run-up to a hotly contested presidential election, the personal and professional lives of the opposition party’s campaign staff form the dramatic backbone to Wave Makers, Netflix’s latest star-studded Taiwanese series.
Hsieh Ying-hsuan, Jag Huang Jian-wei and Gingle Wang Ching play the hardworking staffers, whose dedication to Tammy Lai Pei-hsia’s candidate leaves their private lives in tatters, while Leon Dai Li-jen is in fine villainous form as a philandering politician.
A volatile, fickle and uncompromising voter base is fed by an unforgiving 24-hour news cycle and persistent media attention, which inevitably takes its toll – not only on the candidates themselves, but on the team of ordinary civil servants tasked with protecting and maintaining their employer’s positive public image.