The plot was engaging and features the lives of two women in very different situations. While the two are cousins, they are very different yet begin to overcome past rivalries determined as they are to break through the 'old boy network' at the Kuwait Stock Exchange. The humour is subtle and placed well amidst the subterfuge and patronising attitudes of the men towards the women. The series makes you think and you are drawn to the characters willing them to succeed. Enjoyed this first journey into the world of Kuwaiti drama. The 80s genre works well and the cultural situation is intriguing. Well worth a watch.
9 Reviews
I loved the show. Mounira too good.
punjabilion14 March 2023
I do not understand arabic, however watched with English subtitles. I loved the show and was able to feel the expressions and delivery of the dialogues still. Especially great acting from the Mounira and Saud. With Jude and Farida playing their part in a good way also. I liked all the supporting characters as well and light hearted comedy side. It was good to watch something different than standard US shows. Would love to see a season 2 with Saud reprising his role also - with more focus on the light hearted side and his growing interest with Mounira would be great to watch. Also Jude's character development in season 2 would be great to see.
Reality
zabuali2 March 2023
Everyone talking about the series being suppressive for women hasn't lived in a society of such. This is a reality. This is how our communities used to be (or most of it). We look back at it because we no longer live it and we are of owe of it. I don't see you commenting on Malcom X movie with the same? This doesn't encourage sexism, it exposes it and how backwards it used to be. We are glad we are out of it. But we also acknowledge that some women still love it till this day. We pray to them to stay strong and that they need to resist and keep believing that better days are coming and they are capable to change.
This series breaks all the norms in Kuwaiti cinema/tv. Be proud of an amazing show.
This series breaks all the norms in Kuwaiti cinema/tv. Be proud of an amazing show.
Excellent, promoting women's empowerment and representing progress
ngomaa-7931328 March 2023
This outstanding show was not only funny and kept you on your toes but also showcased exceptional acting that effectively portrayed the obstacles women confront in male-dominated workplaces. Additionally, it brought attention to the various struggles women encounter in Arab societies, such as being a woman, a mother, a daughter, a divorcee, or a single woman pursuing a career. The inspiring and impactful ending highlighted the resilience of women and their ability to overcome challenges and achieve success. It is an excellent example of promoting progress and breaking biases not only in the East but also globally.
Beautification of Oppression
tworthy-606-99729913 February 2023
The plot, the acting, the tone are all incredibly superficial. The series could be likened to a propoganda film of an oppressive regime. Sugarcoating the shortcomings of an antimodern regime is not helping the shallow story and the awkward tricks in the plot.
What is extremely funny is the 10s given as ratings. Of the Top 1000 viewers, the series got a 2.7 rating, which is very generous.
The genre is anyhing but a drama. I would call it a farce. I feel so sorry for the women depicted in the series as "free" as they are confined by dress codes, moral codes, behavioral codes etc. I firmly think that this kind of beautification of oppression should be critically viewed and.appropriately acclaimed.
What is extremely funny is the 10s given as ratings. Of the Top 1000 viewers, the series got a 2.7 rating, which is very generous.
The genre is anyhing but a drama. I would call it a farce. I feel so sorry for the women depicted in the series as "free" as they are confined by dress codes, moral codes, behavioral codes etc. I firmly think that this kind of beautification of oppression should be critically viewed and.appropriately acclaimed.
Brilliant script
beatricering17 June 2023
In 1987, many micro revolutions happened around the world with the gender equality effort. This honest and moving tale of a woman's courage to hide her defeats and put downs including her closest family member goes beyond the theme of Saudi society or women's equality cause. It's the story of all women who have tried to do the right thing by their family, husband and children.
Brilliant scriptwriting. Also, the camaraderie and humor between genders is unique to Arab society and if to the westerners Arab women seem oppressed, you should know that they are also admired, respected and feared because strength, beauty and intelligence are respected more than in our western modern world. So please don't be quick to judge in these reviews.
Looking forward to Season 2-3-4 and 5. Shukran.
Brilliant scriptwriting. Also, the camaraderie and humor between genders is unique to Arab society and if to the westerners Arab women seem oppressed, you should know that they are also admired, respected and feared because strength, beauty and intelligence are respected more than in our western modern world. So please don't be quick to judge in these reviews.
Looking forward to Season 2-3-4 and 5. Shukran.
Disappointing
djk-1087315 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
While the setting (time and place) had a fertile ground to develop an intriguing and thrilling story, the show is just a dull social drama with no great moments. Some parts of it (eg. The interview with the newspaper) were downright silly. None of the topics handled were carried through to maturity or explored deeply. The final transformation of Farida in the last episode came too suddently, too quickly and without any buildup. It is a shame when the story like could have included the collaboration of the two ladies to perform a financial heist (as such) in a world dominated by men. I do have to admit that the way men were depicted in the show is very typical. I have lived there and interacted with many arrogant, close-minded and outright ignorant men who demean expats as well as the demean women.
Overall, I had to see the show through but I realized halfway through it was disappointingly going nowhere.
Overall, I had to see the show through but I realized halfway through it was disappointingly going nowhere.
FABULOUS!
TPSButler22 June 2023
Fabulous! A great, highly addictive production. Wonderful acting and storyline. I was gripped from Episode 1 and was really drawn into the lives of all the characters and cared about what happened to them. It is so good to watch a TV series with old-fashioned values but which feels very modern. Series 1 is exciting and humorous with heart-wrenching twists: a wonderful combination. I can't see online if Series 2 is planned but hope so much that it is. I miss the charactters and would love to watch what happens to them next! Thank you so much, Netflix! A hugely enjoyable TV Series. Well done to everyone involved! The Exchange rocks!
We want ~and desperately need~ more!
josselien14 September 2023
This series represents a delightful, and sorely, missing link in the ever-expanding multicultural mix of modern series.
How often do we see normal modern Islamic people act out the daily soaps of life on Western television? Spoiler alert: Never.
Why is it so that the only Islamic cultural representative in Western series is usually a rabidly insane terrorist, on a par with that rare Western, severely mentally ill Hannibal Lecter? Spoiler alert: Because we only look at their extremists, who, when it comes down to it, historically, are not really crazier than our own. Case in point: the European and North American witch hunts, that were seen on in most Western cultures, until just a couple 100 years ago.
How is that specific (Western AND other cultures) attitude going to promote world peace? Spoiler alert: it won't. It will keep us locked in all of the same old self-fulfilling prophecies and vicious circles of violence. If we all, globally, want to come out of the simmering WWIII tinder box without further damage, we need more series like The Exchange on Western television and more access to education for women everywhere.
On my several visits to Islamic countries, the only people I ever met, were, spoiler alert: just like you and me. Hospitable, kind, funny, loving parents, struggling in their relationships, trying to make sense of politics and make economic ends meet. Sure, they had some different cultural customs. (Some of which actually included the home creation and joint consumption of the best goshdarn food I've ever had.) But they had the same dreams for their own lives and their childrens' as we do.
Until The Exchange came around, the only chance I as a Westerner, had, to see normal Islamic people living courageous, extraordinary, positively contributing lives on television, was to visit one of their countries. Which luckily for me, I was able to (for which generally still all too white Western privilege, I will remain forever grateful).
It is time they came to more frequently visit our television screen in return. I personally warmly invite them with wide open arms and the hope in my heart that they will grace us more often with their joyful presence. To me they are just as extremely hospitably welcome to add to our viewing pleasure, as I felt welcome and safe being their guest, being offered lodging in their family homes, sharing their meals, playing with their children, as the strange, out of place, exotic white Western solo-travelling female person that I was, on my visits to their countries.
The Exchange is more than adding the spice of female emancipation in a traditionally patriarchical society; that as a struggle, on the key headlines, is no different than ours. As a series it is a high quality streaming delight. Both the female and male actors in this series deserve so much more, in terms of chances to command our Western cinema screens with their amazing talents, the way they do in this series. We will ultimately only sell ourselves short if we don't provide it. We want their lives understood and their benign, loving, all-round human dreams to come true, just like we want ours to. Because only that, not the further elaboration of differences, will bring world peace. Insh'Allah, so help us God Almighty.
Aside from all of that ideological palaver, mundanely The Exchange is also just one heck of a gripping, extremely well casted story about two resourceful women trying to make a career in the male dominated world, with ample interhuman twists and political turns. It will keep you hooked, in line with the best that modern acting and streaming has to offer.
Lastly, the fact that The Exchange complies with Kuwaiti cultural censor demands is no reason to think it is more boring to watch than a Western series. On the contrary. It reminds me that the restraint of leaving details to the imagination, when the acting is as good as this, means a great deal more edge of seat viewing pleasure where it comes to being confronted with romantic interactions on screen, than what nowadays seems like an obsession with explicitness in Western acting.
Western cinema should really take notice here. Nothing is more killing to romance, than obligatory expressions of it. Especially those added for no other reasons than the assumption that that is the only thing that draws viewers.
How often do we see normal modern Islamic people act out the daily soaps of life on Western television? Spoiler alert: Never.
Why is it so that the only Islamic cultural representative in Western series is usually a rabidly insane terrorist, on a par with that rare Western, severely mentally ill Hannibal Lecter? Spoiler alert: Because we only look at their extremists, who, when it comes down to it, historically, are not really crazier than our own. Case in point: the European and North American witch hunts, that were seen on in most Western cultures, until just a couple 100 years ago.
How is that specific (Western AND other cultures) attitude going to promote world peace? Spoiler alert: it won't. It will keep us locked in all of the same old self-fulfilling prophecies and vicious circles of violence. If we all, globally, want to come out of the simmering WWIII tinder box without further damage, we need more series like The Exchange on Western television and more access to education for women everywhere.
On my several visits to Islamic countries, the only people I ever met, were, spoiler alert: just like you and me. Hospitable, kind, funny, loving parents, struggling in their relationships, trying to make sense of politics and make economic ends meet. Sure, they had some different cultural customs. (Some of which actually included the home creation and joint consumption of the best goshdarn food I've ever had.) But they had the same dreams for their own lives and their childrens' as we do.
Until The Exchange came around, the only chance I as a Westerner, had, to see normal Islamic people living courageous, extraordinary, positively contributing lives on television, was to visit one of their countries. Which luckily for me, I was able to (for which generally still all too white Western privilege, I will remain forever grateful).
It is time they came to more frequently visit our television screen in return. I personally warmly invite them with wide open arms and the hope in my heart that they will grace us more often with their joyful presence. To me they are just as extremely hospitably welcome to add to our viewing pleasure, as I felt welcome and safe being their guest, being offered lodging in their family homes, sharing their meals, playing with their children, as the strange, out of place, exotic white Western solo-travelling female person that I was, on my visits to their countries.
The Exchange is more than adding the spice of female emancipation in a traditionally patriarchical society; that as a struggle, on the key headlines, is no different than ours. As a series it is a high quality streaming delight. Both the female and male actors in this series deserve so much more, in terms of chances to command our Western cinema screens with their amazing talents, the way they do in this series. We will ultimately only sell ourselves short if we don't provide it. We want their lives understood and their benign, loving, all-round human dreams to come true, just like we want ours to. Because only that, not the further elaboration of differences, will bring world peace. Insh'Allah, so help us God Almighty.
Aside from all of that ideological palaver, mundanely The Exchange is also just one heck of a gripping, extremely well casted story about two resourceful women trying to make a career in the male dominated world, with ample interhuman twists and political turns. It will keep you hooked, in line with the best that modern acting and streaming has to offer.
Lastly, the fact that The Exchange complies with Kuwaiti cultural censor demands is no reason to think it is more boring to watch than a Western series. On the contrary. It reminds me that the restraint of leaving details to the imagination, when the acting is as good as this, means a great deal more edge of seat viewing pleasure where it comes to being confronted with romantic interactions on screen, than what nowadays seems like an obsession with explicitness in Western acting.
Western cinema should really take notice here. Nothing is more killing to romance, than obligatory expressions of it. Especially those added for no other reasons than the assumption that that is the only thing that draws viewers.
See also
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