Stream It Or Skip It?

Following the success of the Indonesian film Ali & Ratu Ratu Queens, director Lucky Kuswandi and producer Muhammad Zaidy have returned to the Ratu Ratu universe with a prequel centered on characters from the film. Is the series about the fan favorites worth spending time with?

Opening Shot: Sirens fill the air as the camera focuses on two posters on the wall, both outlining New York City as a dream destination.

The Gist: Taking place eight years before the events of Ali & Ratu Ratu Queens, the series follows a group of disparate Indonesian women down on their luck as they cross paths in New York City. Party (Nirina Zubir) arrives in America to follow her (undisclosed) dreams and send money back to her family. Soon, she meets Ance (Tika Panggabean) and her adolescent daughter Eva (Arianna Tortorici Soto) who are looking for a cheaper place to live while reeling from the death of Ance’s husband and Eva’s father. Ance latches on to Party as a means to find new work in the form of Party’s boss Chinta (Happy Salma), who is packing up her life after her husband asked for a divorce. They leave Eva alone in the apartment, and when she goes downstairs to fetch pizza, she accidentally gets locked out. She soon meets Biyah (Asri Welas), a Times Square character worker and hustler whose money problems resulted in her van being taken, and Biyah preys on the child’s trust to gain access to Party’s apartment to steal food. When Party and Ance return with Chinta in tow, they confront Biyah as an intruder, but will surely form a powerful bond as the series progresses.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Another Indonesian film from 2021 that got the series treatment on Netflix was Losmen Bu Broto. Both series are warm reminders of the power of found family.

Our Take: Even if you don’t have background of Ali & Ratu Ratu Queens, the prequel series makes its case in the pilot. Following four disparate Indonesian women struggling with problems ranging from divorce, grief, and money issues, Ratu Ratu Queens – The Series is a sweet look at sisterhood. But don’t worry—despite the heavy topics listed above, the series isn’t dark or oppressive; the show has a mostly lighthearted energy.

Occasionally, the performances are heightened. Salma’s Chinta and Welas’s Biyah are the two most extreme characters, one with enough wealth to carry a Birkin, the other in such extreme poverty that she is rendered homeless when her van is stolen. As their characters hit rock bottom in the pilot, their performances hit a register of dramatics instead of trying to remain grounded. But when paired with Party and Ance, these edges fit together and the show thrives.

In today’s world, a positive immigrant story is more important than ever. Showing them as hard-working, smart, and kind people can go a long way in refuting some of the political rhetoric in our lives today. While Ratu Ratu Queens is an Indonesian production, it feels like a response to the current climate in the United States—one that still believes in the promise of the American Dream.

Above all, the themes of sisterhood and found family are uplifting and Ratu Ratu Queens presents the hardships of life in an approachable way. It’s a fun and endearing show to hang out with, which is exactly what we need in our media right now.

Sex and Skin: This series is chaste, but not aromantic—many of the women’s problems surround their trust and distrust in the (predominantly white) men they encounter.

Parting Shot: With Chinta’s life falling apart, Party and Ance help her move out of her soon-to-be ex-husband’s home and into their apartment’s extra bedroom. But when they arrive home, they find the apartment door open and a down-on-her-luck Biyah inside (by fault of Ance’s daughter Eva). Deeming her an intruder, Ance pounces on Biyah before the credits roll.

Sleeper Star: As an ensemble cast, the four leading women anchor the series with their varied performances. Zubir’s Party is timid, Panggabean’s Ance is headstrong, Salma’s Chinta is dramatic, and Welas’s Biyah is conniving. In that, the child actress Soto has to hold her own, and does so with charm and humor as she has to navigate grief, resistance to change, and an embrace of her mother’s culture.

Most Pilot-y Line:: “I’ve never been divorced but I know what it’s like to lose someone,” Ms. Ance tells Chinta after her husband leaves her. “The important thing is to move on.” It’s a thesis for all four central women of the show—despite the hardships faced after leaving their home in Indonesia, all they can do is put one foot in front of the other.

Our Call: STREAM IT. The series is a charming story about sisterhood and an optimistic tale about the plight of immigrants in America.

Radhika Menon (@menonrad) is a TV-obsessed writer based in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared on Paste Magazine, Teen Vogue, Vulture and more. At any given moment, she can ruminate at length over Friday Night Lights, the University of Michigan, and the perfect slice of pizza. You may call her Rad.