Dao Kiaw Duen Episode 4

It has been one long week without Dao Kiaw Duen. This episode makes some headway with the relationship between Dao and Khunchai Jan. The oppositions are mounting, breaking down the fluff and forcing the leads to question the authenticity of their fake relationship. We explore the beautiful moon, true love, and the all-important trust.

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EPISODE 4 RECAP

After the uncomfortable revelation that Pongjan is privy to the fake relationship between Chai Jan and Dao, Ying Nim immediately warns her P’Chai to up his game- be more convincing as Dao’s boyfriend- before the secret is wrecked. That Khun Pongjan fella is no fool. Chai Jan is already aware that Khun Pongjan is interested in Dao, however Ying Nim confirms that she just knows it’s not reciprocated, and therefore, she will be the one to handle him. Ha, maybe she is taking one for the team!

Siwa thinks Dao has revealed the voice recording evidence that he’s cheating on his wife, because he overhears a similar discussion in the living room, but it’s only his paranoia acting out because Arn is watching a lakorn on tv that happens to mirror his proposal to Dao earlier. As he inches closer, Arn rants that if she were the wife on TV, she would end his procreating days. She spots Siwa looking pale and immediately jumps to the conclusion that he’s hiding something from her. She makes him swear that if he’s truly lying, he would lose his sexual competence. Ha, she’s a scary wife.

He calls to make sure that Dao has erased his incriminating voice recording, but she tells him she’s hanging on to it in case he decides to double cross her. Dao receives a call from Khun Chai next, who invites her to a movie this evening, leaving her wondering what he’s up to.

Ying Nim is plotting something when we see her evaluating a model, which she explains, her friend will hire as their model for an advertisement. But we know better, as the very same model pretends that her car is broken to attract the attention of Khun Pongjan. He comes to her rescue and even helps diagnose her eye issues. Ying Nim uses this opportunity to take pictures of the two, which looks like they are kissing. This further validates to her that Pongjan is a playboy through and through.

Chai Jan takes Dao to the movies and confesses sheepishly that the last movie he’s seen was Titantic. Which if you remember, is 1997. Dao bursts out laughing and finally motions for them to do something else, sparing him the movie experience. But as they go bowling next, Dao starts to realize that Khun Chai doesn’t partake in normal, human recreations in his pastime. Yunno, peasants like us go swimming, rock climbing, the movies and bowling. But Khun Chai has other more worldly things like soccer, work and his studies. Dao wagers that the person who wins in the bowling match gets a free meal. Khun Chai couldn’t resist, not that he couldn’t afford to pay for a meal, but that his competitiveness couldn’t afford to lose.

It’s either beginner’s luck or Khun Chai is just good at everything, because he wins and she takes him to a local food eatery, which doesn’t meet his cleanliness standards. He’s wiping his chair, cleaning his silverware, being all around a germaphobe. But Dao tells him to eat up anyway and to try different things in this lifetime, because in the next life, maybe he’s not going to be a Khun Chai again, so he should live his life to the fullest. Truer words. Khun Chai turns out to enjoy the hotpot meal reluctantly and is impressed that it’s so cheap. Well, someone’s gotta bring our prince down to the real world. Dao decides to memorialize the experience with a photo, coz you never know when it’s going to happen again. I love her.

A couple of hired hands have been eyeing them during the meal and pays the cook to put something in their meal. The hired hand plots to make his move once Khun Chai drops her off at the condo. Khun Chai had wanted to open the car door for her, but she’s a modern, independent woman and she’s got her own hands. He smiles at her as he watches her enter the condo building. But once she’s in the elevator, Dao feels the affects of the drugs. Next thing we know, the thug has her purse in his hands and is digging for her cellphone, to no avail. Meanwhile Khunchai returns to her condo and entrusts the security guard with Dao’s cellphone, which she left in his car. But he too is affected by the drugs. In an effort to clear his head, he goes to the restroom, where he finds Dao’s purse in the trashcan.

Now we know that Siwa is behind this. Concerned, Khunchai makes a beeline for Dao’s room, while his vision starts to blur. Her door isn’t locked, and Khunchai spots a stranger in her room. The baddie escapes in time while Khunchai struggles to even stand. He goes in search for her upstairs.. where we find them snuggling in the same bed the next morning. Heh. Khunchai has no recollection of how he made it into her bed.

He does the walk of shame back home and Mom knows he didn’t spend the night at Apichet’s house, so they decide to investigate. Little did they know that a curious palace maid has already placed her ears by the door to listen. Khunchai admits to Nom the truth and that he’s unsure whether they actually did anything or not. It’s what Jin (Dao’s bestie) calls ‘dot dot dot’ to which she should be happy because she would have already had his sperm. Lol. Dao admonishes that she didn’t want it that way, especially not in that fashion. Jin relents that if it did happen, Dao would remember it, because it’s not something you’d forget, yunno?

Mom overhears the palace maids gossiping that Khunchai indeed spent the night at Khun Dao’s place. She phones Dao immediately to come and see her. Uh oh.

Meanwhile, Khunchai has started to piece the night together in his mind. He had stumbled into her room to check in on her, to ensure she’s ok after he’s seen the stranger in her condo. He is unable to shake her awake, so he decides to go to the shower and well, wash himself from the dizzying affects? No point in lying that I didn’t enjoy the scene, ha. But it doesn’t work, because as he tries to shake her awake, he unceremoniously falls on top of her. Lights out. Now he must phone Dao to alert her of what had happened.

But too late, because Dao has been summoned by momma dearest. Nanteenee is present as well and she snipes that Dao’s parents must have not raised her well for her to sleep with a man whom she hardly knows. Dao warns her not to insult her parents, but Mom turns her griping’s toward Dao, and that Dao is taking the noble family down with her. Calmly Dao tries to explain that nothing had happened that night, but Mom wants Dao out of her son’s life.

“Unfortunately I cannot,” Dao retorts, “If I don’t hear it from Khun Chai’s lips, I won’t leave him.” Speaking of the devil, Dao excuses herself to speak to Khunchai over the phone- while Nan pipes in that Dao is relentless as a girlfriend, can Mom imagine what she’ll be like if they ended up together? A look of uneasiness crosses Mom’s face.

Khunchai comes to her rescue and speaks to his mother while Dao and Nan are relegated to wait outside. Nan takes the opportunity to pester Dao and that Khunchai would choose his mother over her anyway. We shall see about that.

Mom orders him to break up with Dao and marry Nanteenee instead. He suddenly thinks twice about coming out with the truth, and tells her that Dao is already his wife and he needs to take care of her. Omg. Mom is livid and refuses to accept Dao. She advises that he pay Dao off, to which Khunchai expresses the fact that even if he doesn’t marry Dao he would never, ever marry Nanteenee because he doesn’t love her. Yay for Khunchai standing up to his mom. Let’s see if his declaration is affective.

Mom feigns heart pain and being a good son, he takes her to the emergency room. Oldest trick in the book, Khunchai.

At the hospital lobby Khunchai breaks the news to Dao of his little fib, that she’s his wife now and he would not marry Khun Nan. Heh. He admits that he wasn’t in the best state of mind and that it’s not the right thing to say, but then he goes and justify his action by reminding her that he’s the boss and he could say anything to solve a problem that he’s confronted with.

Dao stops herself short before jumping into her tirade of ‘if I didn’t need your sperm..” Which means she’s completely at his mercy. Good for him, totally bad for her.

Dao calls her friend and justifies why she’s going with Khunchai’s latest debacle, having a baby is her dream and therefore, worth it. Got it? Jin opens a can of worms by asking Dao whether she’s falling for him. Dao smoothly explains that it’s an opportunity to make him trust her and through their friendship, should she need his sperm one day, he would be willing to give it to her. But Dao doesn’t look so certain after Jin says ‘then don’t you fall for him now..’ Heh. Her friend Jin confesses to her hubby that she’s feeling somewhat remorseful for the things she’s advising her friend to do. Lol, she’s not always the most sounded person nor the best decision maker. Her hubby advises her to stay away and refrain from condoning bad decisions. If Dao doesn’t have feelings for Khunchai, she wouldn’t have gone with it. Perhaps Dao should be getting advice from this wise man!

Khunchai and police friend (Apichet) explore the situation from a different angle. Apichet wonders why Dao is going with the flow when Khunchai has really soiled her reputation? It’s not about money since Khunchai and Dao hasn’t agreed upon a repayment. Which when you think about it, isn’t it a horrible ‘business’ decision to go into an agreement without knowing the cost? Khunchai strikes to me as a man who makes sound decisions, but I guess when it comes to your mother forcing a woman down your throat, you become illogical. Apichet suspects that Dao wants something from him, otherwise she wouldn’t have agreed to ruin her reputation. This gets Khunchai thinking. We all need a smart friend.

Nanteenee brings reinforcement in the form of her two new baddie friends. Mom shares with them that Chai Jan and Dao are sleeping together. This doesn’t surprise them because Arn chimes in that Dao used to be her husband’s mistress too. Mom is shocked because Siwa has never uttered a word that he knew Dao. The baddies promise to handle Dao on their own, so Mom doesn’t have to soil her hands.

Siwa is like an eager cock, who’s looking to chummy up with any breathing female. He even flirts with the subordinates at the jewelry shop. Arn reports to her husband that Khun Chai has a wife now and that’s Dao. She interrogates on why he puts in a good word for Dao when Mom had asked him to investigate her background. Siwa rushes to a meeting, diverting his eyes. I’m indifferent to Siwa’s character, because he’s such a flighty cheater that I can’t take him seriously. Besides, the women in this drama are the ones running the show. Arn orders her minion to trail Siwa.

As per their suspicion, Siwa hightails to Dao’s condo. Desperate, he demands for her cellphone. When she refuses, he tells her that no one is here to help her now, which is only condemning the fact that he hired men to come after her. Furious, Dao stomps on his feet as he tries to wrangle her purse from her. She makes a beeline for Arn’s minion’s car (Rathee) and plays the voice recorder for her. Which is unintentionally awesome of Dao, because we know that he’s cheating on Arn with Arn’s bestie, and now the bestie is listening to his love confession for Dao. Ha. He’s begging from the outside, like the idiot that he is.

Later Rathee has the clip in her hot little hands, she’s using it to gain an upper hand. She orders him to divorce his wife so she could be number one, but before then, they would swindle money from Arn. If he succeeds, then they can circle back to the voice recording. So now he’s got two women controlling him.

Rathee of course reports to Arn that Siwa indeed went to see Dao, and continues blowing Arn’s ears to make her hate Dao even more. Arn vows that they cannot be on the same planet anymore.

They spy Dao driving off and follow her, seeking retribution right at the mall, where Dao is to meet up with Khunchai. Their confrontation are on two entirely different pages, Dao thinks that Rathee has told Arn about Siwa’s cheating ways, while Arn sees red at the fact that Dao is continuing to pursue her man. Arn throws a fit like a little girl and stomps on Dao’s shopping bags. Ha. She announces to the crowd of shopping patrons that Dao is unstable and is sleeping with her husband. Dao deliciously punches both of them in the faces. Lol.

Khunchai only comes in time to verbally defend Dao and telling Arn and Rathee not to cause trouble at his mall. This is so awesome. The two stomp away in anger.

At an ice cream shop, Dao thanks Khunchai for coming to her rescue (although she needed no rescuing mind you, she was holding her own.) But it’s nice that someone is on your side, no? Khunchai teases her with his oh so cute smile that he probably would have been attacked. Dao explains that she was on her way to visit his mother because she feels badly that she is the cause of her illness. Khunchai tells her to forget about it, as the last conversation with Apichet distracts him. What does Khun Dao ultimately want from him anyway? Curious indeed. He broaches the subject with a question on whether she’s really stealing someone else’s husband.

“Please don’t be angry with me that I asked. Since we are working together you have to be honest with me. I want to know if I chose the right person.”

Dao explains that Siwa is her first love, and then she dated two more men after him. Khunchai calls her a playboy, ha. Why coz you only got one love and you still can’t seem to let her go? Heeh. Dao continues on with the fact that she lost the ability to trust men after her three disappointing relationships. She figures that she can survive on her own. Khunchai astutely adds, “is that the reason why you lost trust in love?” Dao doesn’t answer, because we all know it’s true, and there’s no use in denying it.

Arn vows she will get back at Dao- but Rathee must think of the plan. Who’s the mastermind now, the master or the minion? Lol. Rathee surmises that the only way to get back at Dao is to enlist Mom’s help.

Mom is complaining to everyone (Nom, Ying Nim and Nan) that Chai Jan doesn’t give a hair about her. Mom is of the belief that no matter how much she is tough on Chai Jan, if he truly cares, he wouldn’t have left her. Just a pouty mom.

Much to her surprise, he shows up with Dao. Mom is not happy. She basically tells everyone that she wants to rest and doesn’t want any loud disturbances. (Ha, as if Dao is ever the loud one.)

Ying Nim tries to smooth things over with Dao and being the ever sweet one, which prompts Dao to wonder why Khunchai doesn’t court Ying Nim? That’s like saying court your sister, because Khunchai has grown up with Ying Nim and he can’t ever think about her in that way. This answer pleases Dao immeasurably as she smiles, the wind teasing her hair.

She spies something just behind his shoulders. Taking her fancy camera out, Dao photographs the beautiful full moon.

He doesn’t understand what she finds so fascinating about it.

“Take a look,” Dao says, pointing to the moon. “The moon looks so downcast. Not a star in sight. Not even any clouds to cover its glory.”

Those words, they spoke to him, as he peers at her. She’s teaching him to observe and think about the world around him in a way that he’s never seen or considered before. Beautiful scene.

That night as he waits on his mom, watching her sleep, Khunchai ponders. He smiles faintly as he thinks about Dao and the moon. Then he realizes what he’s doing and shakes the thought out of his head. He is NOT thinking about her.

Over lunch Ying Nim shares her suspicion with Dao that Mom is not truly ill, she’s only pretending to garner attention from Khunchai. But it’s irrelevant because Dao still feels badly. Ying Nim adds that they should just get married for real if she fears that Khunchai is ruining her reputation. Lol, what’s not to love about our cheerleader? She loves our girl. Not love love, mind you. It’s hilarious how Ying Nim is offering her bro up on a platter and Dao is still refusing the feast because she thinks that anyone who lives with him would be too stressed out. Ha.

Ying Nim decides to go about this match-making task from a different angle. She asks after Dao’s ideal type. Dao says that she has given up on love BUT if she were to choose, a man who has good moods is attractive to her. Ying Nim couldn’t help but wonder to herself whether Dao is referring to that Pongjan dude. Before they end their meal, Ying Nim shows Dao a picture..

We are not privy to what she has shown Dao, but we can surmise it’s regarding Pongjan, because next thing we know, Dao is back at work, doing a photo-shoot. Khun Pongjan arrives with lunch in tow. He’s being all sweet with her but she tells him to be sweet with other girls. Lol. He’s confused. What girl? He has committed himself only to her. Dao refers to the girl that is also at the photo-shoot and Khun Pongjan immediately recognizes her. Suspicious, he finds out from Je that Ying Nim had hired her previously as well. Heh.

Apichet notices Khunchai’s attention is drifty and wonders who he’s thinking about. Khunchai is about to blurt out that he’s thinking about Dao, but changes it to his Mom instead. Ha. You tight lipped pr’ek. But I do adore you.

But of course he calls her, because he wasn’t thinking about her at all, and asks for a copy of the moon’s photograph she had taken the other night. Aw, he wants another memory he could hold on to. But we always knew you’re a romantic.. why do I have a nagging suspicion that at the end of the day, Khunchai is going to have all of these tokens of his memories with Dao, peering at it with nostalgia?

Dao wonders the same thing, what will he do with the photograph? He reasons, using her words, that the moon is in its perfect form and he doesn’t know when he’ll have the opportunity to see it again. Dao says he’s such a romantic. Heeh.

Khun Pongjan confronts Ying Nim and calls her a brat. Ha. Ying Nim, looking a bit guilty (she knows she’s supposed to act a certain way, but when it comes to him, she can’t help herself acting bratty.) He says that she’s sabotaging him before Dao’s eyes. Ying Nim feigns ignorance. He says he’ll remind her and tries to get closer, but she draws out her taser. She even turns it on for good measure. But it fazes out as she watches him chuckle and get closer. Ying Nim taps it a few times to get it to work and it miraculously does, as she tazes his ass. Lol.

But it’s the first time she has used it before and doesn’t realize its strong affect. They cart him to the hospital. Once he’s coherent again, Ying Nim tells him to give up on the idea of courting Dao. Khun Pongjan doesn’t give up easily, he replies that she should leave the choices to the party involved. But Ying Nim promises to be his barrier if he continues to pursue Dao. He doesn’t think her head is screwed on straight, which of course pisses her off to no end. And they bicker. Cute.

Khun Pongjan has his own way of dealing with her. He is planning on getting to know her better. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer? He’s no fool, that’s for sure. And what’s the best way to get to know her? Read her blog of course!

He discovers that Khun Ying has her head in the cloud and is a true romantic. Her blog is all about love. Lol. He shakes his head with mirth and vows to give her a taste of true love. Ruh roh. I never get tired of the ‘I’ll teach you a lesson by making you fall in love with me!’ Ha. Because it always, always backfires.

Khun Pongjan writes an anonymous email to Khun Ying about whether true love really exists? Girls break his heart. To which Khun Ying smiles and responds that there is true love and the reason why his relationships didn’t work out is because he hasn’t met his soul mate. She writes to him to open his heart and he might meet his true love. The two correspond back and forth, despite his resolve, Khun Pongjan finds himself grinning too much. Heh, I’m liking this couple.

The baddies congregate at Mom’s hospital ward and asks her to pretend to be even sicker. Mom doesn’t think Chai Jan would believe her and besides, the doctor has already treated her. Nan adds that she doesn’t need to act right now, they would come up with a plan once she gets home. Oh this is terrible! They are all playing a game back and forth, at the end of the day, no one is escaping this charade unscathed.

Upping their game, Arn and Rathee frequent a whorehouse to select a woman that looks fleetingly like Prakai Dao.

A video of Dao’s lookalike goes viral as everyone thinks that Khun Chai Jan’s girlfriend has a raunchy sex tape out. Lin finds out and does damage control. The two besties know that it isn’t Dao in the video, but other people don’t know that. People tend to believe what they are told. Dao thinks Nanteenee has some help, because a woman like her can’t come up with these schemes.

Dao tries to alert Khunchai, but Nan has already stormed into the palace and shared the scathing video with everyone. Mom is shocked and her illness is exacerbated. Convenient, that. The doctor allows that Mom is really stressed out and she needs to maintain her anxiety level, otherwise her heart condition will worsen. Khunchai is worried, but Nan peers up at him and we know this is all for show. The doctor was paid off.

Mom and son have a private word together. She asks him to do one thing for her, marry Nan, because she doesn’t know how long she would live. That is her one biggest desire, is to see her son marry well and with a woman she approves of. Can he do that for her?

Khunchai leaves the room and reports that he must marry Khun Nan. The only happy one in the room is Nan herself. Mom and Nan celebrate later that Arn’s plan is excellent, she didn’t think it would work so successfully.

Khunchai thinks he has no other choice because Mom has never been this sick before. But Ying Nim counters that she feels this could be a scam, lol, listen to her! But Khunchai is adamant his mother would NEVER pull something like this. Ying Nim stammers, ‘what about P’Dao?!”

Yeah, what about her? He drags her in anger when Dao came to see him later.

“It’s your fault I have to marry Khun Nan!” he exclaims.

“You can’t blame me!”

“Yes I can, if you didn’t have that clip-“ he starts.

She cuts him off, “that girl in the clip was not me.”

“How can you deny that?” he questions, disbelieved. “I trusted you!” He waits a beat. “It’s my fault that I chose you. I should have known you’re a woman like that.” Oh Khunchai, you’re digging a bigger hole.

Dao stops excusing herself, instead she says, “You still don’t know me?” She’s referring to the fact that she opened herself up to him, she was honest with her past.

“I do know you. I know you well, Prakai Dao.” Oh that haughtiness is going to bite him in the ass. “You’re lowly that’s why you’re helping me! I should have suspected this from the onset, but my friend had to question why you’re so willing to help me.”

Dao is tearing up.

“When in fact you’re using me as a step so you can climb higher!”

“That’s enough of your insults,” Dao spats. “I’ll be gone.” But she wants to put in a word before she leaves, “Honestly I’ve wondered for awhile now, whether you are a real man or not. At this age and you still don’t have a girlfriend!”

“Hey-!”

“Just know this- I don’t need anything from you,” and she’s off.

He follows, just to watch her disappear from his view.

He stews alone. “Why am I sad? Not my problem.”

He phones Je and asks for his help.

Meanwhile Dao is getting female support and love from her besties, who tell her good riddance from that fickle Khunchai. Heh. Besides, he brings nothing but trouble to her. Jin uses this opportunity to say that this is a sign from God that’s telling her not to be a single mom. If she doesn’t adhere to the sign, her life will be filled with bad bad bad luck. Got it?

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COMMENTS

The ante between team Dao and team Mom has been upped. They’re both tricking each other, playing their little games that I’m quite amused as to how cunning everyone is turning out to be. Who’s going to win in this game of love? Certainly they are all putting up a good fight.

I loved that this episode explored the feelings and relationship between Dao and Khunchai. She truly is making his life a lot more colorful and wholesome. He has never been able to see life from different angles, and thus, meeting Dao has enriched it. What’s interesting to see is how he denies his feelings and whether he would come to terms with them. Right now, he wants to believe that she’s a playboy, that she’s tainted and is capable of all of these sordid things. But deep down he knows it’s not true, he just doesn’t want to believe it. He too has lost his trust in love.

And our girl, geez, despite all of the obstacles and antes stacked up against her, she’s one tough cookie. I love her spirit and her attitude of ‘to hell with people.’ Why should she explain herself to someone who has already judged her? It’s like talking to a wall. But she knows that she has withheld something from Khunchai, and can she blame him for suspecting her of a motive? She too hasn’t come completely clean.

The lakorn is shot beautifully, but I beg the director to stop taking too many liberties with the editing. It comes out distracting and weird. Just film the damn show normally. Another qualm I have is with the sound editing, during scenes where the baddies come out, it’s too ominous, we’re not watching an action/horror/melodrama, but a romcom, so let’s keep the sound editing light. I would say that aside from all of that, it’s a good episode, the score otherwise is wonderful and they don’t overuse the OST, which is great, because it keeps us wanting more.

Aum and Janie are holding their own, let’s see who comes out on top. My money goes to Dao of course. Let’s hope Khunchai smartens up and make himself a worthy enough contender for our smart lady. Otherwise we’ll just look at his pretty face and fangirl over Janie’s character instead. Ha.