TV's cracking good 'Code Hunter'

STARTING TODAY at 9am on Channel 7 is “Rahas Prisana” (“Code Hunter”), an “action comedy”. Scripted and directed by Pruek Amaruji, it will air every Saturday and Sunday. 

The tagline is “Life changes, just one click”, referring to the gadget-dominated world of the younger generation, as the show toys with the digital world’s potential for both benefit and harm.

Captain Sarut (played by Artit “Bank” Tangwiboonpanit) is an honest and dedicated member of the anti-terrorist squad run by the Department of Special Investigation. The Army, police and ministries of Justice and Information and Communication Technology – not to mention the Office of the Prime Minister – are fretting over a bank robber.

Nimitr (Anusorn “Yong Armchair” Maneetes) is somehow knocking off banks all on his own and without the aid of weapons. Sarut has a description of the thief but finds no record of his identity. 

One afternoon, though, a Siam Bank armoured car transporting Bt10 million in cash stops at a red light and Nimitr pulls up alongside in a van. 

He’s able to decode the lock on the rear door and opens it – only to find a cop pointing a gun at him.

Interrogated at police headquarters, Nimitr explains he was just an ordinary hacker until, during a thunderstorm one night, lightning struck his computer array and knocked him unconscious. 

He awoke to discover he now had a supernatural power – the ability to see and decode all digital signals, from email and Line to WhatsApp and Twitter.

Superintendent Santi (Sumet Ong-art) hands the robber over to prosecutor Kirati (Sonya “Kat” Singha), but Sarut offers Nimitr a secret deal. If he’ll help Sarut solve cases, he’ll wipe the slate clean. 

Thus the story of “Code Hunter” begins, Sarut tapping Nimitr’s magical power to solve a slew of cases and bust the criminals. But Nimitr is constantly looking for a way to escape. 

Meanwhile he works in tandem with Sarut, Kirati and Doctor Piyada (Kanya “Tal” Rattanapetch) of the scientific crime detection division. 

You still need romance amid all this? The show’s got plenty of that too, with love blossoming between Sarut and Piyada and between Nimitr and Kirati.

So, among the clever ways the mysteries are solved, the question of whether Nimitr will betray Sarut and flee, and all those passionate embraces, there’s a lot of excitement on offer.