Kuan Kaantong Gup Gang Por Pla Lai is one of those shows that you don’t want to say goodbye to. It is one of those shows where you sit back and actually miss the characters. Vicky Sunisa chimed in the Tonight Show that after the closing celebration of Spinsters Versus Casanovas, she thought about her character Nampeung and how much she would miss her. You know that it’s a good story with great characters if the actress herself long to play her character again. The ending itself closes on an uplifting note, but open ended enough that it can carry over to a potential sequel. So maybe this is just the beginning to another ending? I sure hope so. I can watch the heck out of this series.
From the first episode to the finale, the story was well paced and kept the fun going. It’s nothing like watching a story you expect to be funny, but had way too many elements of melo (yeah, I’m talking about you Paen Rai Phai Rak.) There were touches of realism and angst in this drama, but the show managed to keep it laugh out loud funny, especially when the girls are bawling their eyes out. It makes you feel like a crazy person laughing and crying at the TV with these perfectly imperfect Spinsters.
And that’s part of the charm of this show: the characters are so perfectly imperfect. The writer isn’t afraid of making the three Spinsters so flawed in the expense of teaching us a few heartfelt lessons. It is made obvious to us that the three – whether by choice or behavior – need to understand the errors of their ways and why they are having such a hard time being truly happy. They can make the excuse that they’re rich, beautiful and can have their choice of men, but deep down, they still have their insecurities and weaknesses thus keeping them from achieving peace. The moral of the story isn’t to change your true nature – because we all know that when you’re at a certain age, change is difficult and near impossible– but to embrace your flaws, accept them, and understand how your behavior can affect the people around you.
For example, through her bad mouthing and diva like attitude, Nampeung broke up her friendship with her best friends and alienated herself from the entertainment industry. Unknowingly, she wounded her number one fan, who came into the industry to spite her and ruin her career. Talk about motives. When Nampeung’s behavior bit her in the ass, and she seemingly have nothing left – no boyfriend, no career – she is forced to take a good look at herself in the mirror. She was able to confront Merdee (her former fan) and give her a wakeup call. Merdee has two choices, she could either learn from Nampeung’s mistake and change now (because she still has time), or she could become just like Nampeung and have nothing redeemable left. Taking responsibility for one’s own behavior shows excellent character growth. Yay Nampeung. And only through her acceptance of her mistakes, will she be able to gain back what she truly needs: peace, love, and continued opportunities in the industry. If Nampeung chooses to remain ignorant of her own demise, she would meet only that: demise.
Linee on the other hand, has the Great Wall of China built around her heart. Trust is a huge issue for her because she witnessed with her own eyes, the cruelty to which a father and husband could inflict upon his daughter and wife. Her mother became a handicap and lost her memory, forever. Mom only knows Linee as someone whom she could not fathom living without. Linee goes through life wary of men, and upon meeting a good man, she has the natural inclination to keep him at arm’s length. All that wariness and anger is consuming. It will suck the living out of a person if she continues to live like this. Only when she meets a determined (and worthy) man in Wayuboon, a man who does the right thing without announcing it, and a man who knows what he wants and is willing to do anything to get it. Right now he wants to make Linee happy. Only true love can change a Casanova? Or only Casanovas make great husbands? Hee.
Then we have Maple who is all sorts of a mess. For a woman who proclaims that she has 10 years over Krisda, she certainly behaves like someone younger than him. Apparently, being older doesn’t mean being wiser. But gosh do I love watching these two together. Maple’s biggest flaw is her fear of failure and the future. Five years from now, she would be 40 and he would be 30. She doesn’t want to be devastated by heartbreak down the road if things don’t work out. This is coming from a 35-year woman who has never had a boyfriend, so the fear is legitimate. But the thing is, one can’t see the future so one can only do the best one can in the present. So it’s great to see her throw caution to the wind and date the most adorable 25-year-old man, Krisda, who is wise beyond his years, and can still teach her a thing or two about life. Even the other Casanovas admit to this, they are much older than Krisda but they don’t share the same wisdom as he.
Beyond the great writing, acting and directing, one thing you can’t anticipate is the onscreen chemistry, and this show has it in spades. The palpable chemistry between the three leads makes the love stories believable and allows one to cheer for the pairings. Some even cheer for Alek and Joy Rinlanee to be an item in real life, and they are indeed 10 years apart too.
This lakorn serves as a reality check for many women and men as well, according to the fan’s feedback, many people can relate to the characters in the show. The friendship reminds them of their own group of friends. And through the well thought-out plot, the writer makes an argument that she can actually win. Not only hats off to the scripwriter, but hats off to the production team, Master One, who has truly outdone themselves this time around.
Alas, we must say goodbye to an addicting show, but a show that brings laughter, tears and all around fun to our lives in the past month. I am here to comfort you through any withdrawals you may be feeling right now.
I really loved this show even though I hardly understand Thai. The characters are relate able and real even with the over the top lakorn elements to them. So sad to see this end. Haven’t felt like this about a show in a long time. I am also glad that they did not show either for leading women change over night or even completely. That would have been so unrealistic. We got to see just as they are but getting some insight about their characteristics that make them their own worst enemy and working to manage that. So much more realistic and I loved that. Might I add that Maple and Krit are adorable and so also Wayuboot. I think the whole ensemble cast had great chemistry overall. I would love a second season too!
I haven’t sees the ending yet, I might have to catching up on tonight!!!!Thank for the insight!!!!!
I will miss this one a lot. I hope there will be a sequel because I heard the director might make one and even though rating weren’t that high I hope ch3 will allow them to produce another season since it’s well received for its quality and production
Here are the surprises summary of Ruk Ork Rit so far. I will try to finish it later….
Ruk Ork Rit 1 In Progresses
We are starting off at the Chinese Temple somewhere, with alot of people comes to do merit, above the pavilion the president woman whom are one of the helper of the Temple sit and speaking thru the microphone announces people to inviting them to do merit, ” Ouch, welcomes now everyone, relatives everywhere to do a good deed by doing a merit na ka, just put the money in the container to donated as your heart and mind believe in then, as for the one whom wants to buy a coffin donation, you are welcomes over here on this side, please write down your name or a close relative, now deceased loves one or friends inthe pieces of paper and then burning it. Your kin will receive the merit of charity.”
At that times, Wanisa walked toward her, make her speak out thru the microphone,
“You wants to buy a coffin right”.
Wanisa reply back, “Yes”
“One coffin is four thousand bahnt, half coffin or one quarter of a coffin we also have then, two thousand two thousand Baht to one thousand”
“I bought two coffins, ka”
The churchwarden attain her eyes exclaim out of microphone, “doing a heavy merit then…I’ll helps you write down the name then”.
Wanisa let her helps write down the name, “the first person…Mom Rachawong Jangajang Wasuwong, ka”.
“Your father?????”
“Husband ka”
“Err…your poor thing becomes a widow when you are still young woman”, she speak out of microphone to be heard entires pavilion, many people are looking at Wanisa with the same eyes, when churchwarden finish writing down the name she has asked for another names.
Which Wanisa told her, “SomChai Aprilurchrathakarnsathang ka”
“Good last name…your father then”
“No, husband”
“Aw, have a new husband already then…”then the person whom said it realizes and exclaimed loudly thru the pavilion hall, “ha…the new husband also dead already”.
Wanisa reply back, “Yes”
“Then your a black widow whom eating husband na si Nu” the churchwarden knew that she let it slip thru her mouth was quickly silenced herself immediately, Wanisa staring at her in anger, “I am sorry, that I let it slip against!”
Wanisa gives her a chill smile. “it is O.K. then…everyone are thinking that way” Wanisa receives the paper of felicitations then walked out, men whom looks at her now retreat back all at once.
Wanisa walked toward and stopped in the front of the furnace, she looks at the family of parents and children whom comes to do merit with happiness then she could only sigh, sending a paper of felicitations with the name of Mom Rachawong Jangajang inside.
“I wishes you are rest in peace na ka Khun Chai Jae, please forgives Koong Dee then na ka”
At the times the fires burned the pieces of paper of felicitations, she thinks back to;
Chai Jae in the groom suit kissing Wanisa cheek inside the elegant wedding, the guests inside the room are cheering loudly, Chai Jae kisses Wanisa cheek immersed flash flaring.
“Ouch, that is enough, Chai Jae, if it is strucking for too long, it is hard to seperated na karp”.
Guests at the event laughed with the atmosphere is filled with hearty.
Chai Jae with Wanisa returned to stand in the normal positions, Chai Jae smile with contented when Wanisa view embarrassed, but the expression was very happy.
The moderator are still doing his duties, “next, please welcomes the bride and the groom to cut the cake to invite guests to share the sweetness in the room then, sire”.
Chai Jae and Wanisa walk arm in arm toward the big cake, “today I am very much happy so, thank you Khun Koong Dee very much na karp”
“There is no needs to thanking me, we are partners in lives now, we have to do everything for each other for now on”. “Yes, Koong Dee of mind” Chai Jae with Wanisa walked in fronted of the cake, Chai Jae Shinning up a long metal knife, Wanisa intervene to hold the knife together, press photographers are torrential flash with both are stretch the knife down to cut the cake with a smiles. The knife sunk into fluffy cake, no sooner is better than half a loaf, Chai Jae are standing there frozen still, with a frozen smiles on his face, Wanisa turned to looks at Chai Jae with surprises expression, “Khun Chai…Khun Chai Jae, ka…”
Chai Jai collapse and fall down, lying still on the centered of the room, people are confused entires the wedding room, don’t know what to do, Wanisa let go of the sword, kneel down to sees the conditions of Chai Jae.
“Khun Chai ka, Khun Chaiiiiii”
Wanisa pick up the paper of felicitations, the second one that has SomChai name on it send it inside the furnace, “sleep well na ka Hia, Wah Wah will thinks of Hia always ka”
Wanisa thinks back at her wedding day of her and SomChai, her second husband, Wanisa was in the Chinese Red Wedding Dress sitting in the bed Chinese design, Sia Pock in the Chinese Groom dresses sitting beside her, “Wa Wa from this night onwards. Wah Wah is one of the family’s members of Hia, Hia will take care of Wah Wah the best I could, Hia will be a good husband to Wah Wah, na, please let Hia kisses Wah Wah to let my heart contents.”
Wanisa nodding her face gently, Sia Pock removing the veil out, his acting very excited, “My Wah Wah are very beautiful exceedingly”. Sia Pock perk closely toward Wanisa face, already
Sia Pock faces are becoming pale with shock, putting his hand on his chest (massive heart attack just like her first husband).
“Hia” Sia Pock dropped down on the floor….
Wanisa look up and thinking about the story of the past everything that happened back then while watching the smoke float out of the chimney into the sky.
At one of the bus stop somewhere, there are people waiting 5-6 people, in the account of that people there was an old man with eye glasses sitting there. Next we have a young man sitting there nearby slide his phone to a drunken fun, but keep staring left and right always.
-awhile, Pong walked acrosses the street, a young boys looking left and right like looking for someone.
Between that times, there is a civilian woman walking toward one of the bus stop, but during his passingby the big man, the big man bump into the woman incidently and to make the big man dropped his cell phone on the floor, the big man won’t said anything, pick up his cell phone to looks at it, and he snapped at her, “Heh, the screen turned black then, I just brought it several thousand already, lady”, the big man turned to complain toward the woman all of suddenly.
“But you are bump into me, first!”
Then one of the older braves sister are intervene into and snapped at that woman too, “I testify that I saw her walk and bump fully into him, you are dare to argue again”
To Be Continue……
I am sad that this has ended (although I still have yet to finish the last 4 episode) but I have recover sooner than I thought. I know I have been making many recommendation but I highly recommend Twdrama In a Good Way. It has finish airing just last week, so you can marathon it. I think you can relate to this if you attended college in the mid 90s.
yay, good to know this lakorn turned out well. RL is gonna be hectic for a while (I was still tapping on my blackberry answering work emails in Japan >_>) but this will be on top my list once I get back to drama watching!
You known which of the leading ladies whom have a stupid job ever, it is Walai, as a gym persons, Yuck!
Linee, NamPueng, and Maple they are have a coolest job on earth, but Walai and her husband have a awful job ever!!!!!!!!!
Man, I’m several months too late in the game, but thanks for the extensive review. Can’t say I watch many asian dramas. They’re way too soapy for me. For me, acting matters. The script does too. So does characterization. This means, I hardly ever watch Thai dramas… (Yes, a pretty narrow view due to my limited exposrue to them.) My sister tried making me watch the Jutathep series, but I gave up midway through the second brother’s story because of the godawful script and terrible acting.
Anyway, Spinsters is a true and blue rom-com at its core with great characters to boot. Yes, I wish they could have cut all that time wasted on unnecessary characters and focused more on character progression, but I haven’t had this much fun watching a lakorn in over a decade. Defintely should applaud how the scriptwriter managed to establish all the characters and their relationship dynamics in the span of a single epi (during Walai’s Wedding.) There was a lot of laughter and a few tears involved in the viewing process.
I just wished the second half – barring the last episode – could’ve been better… My main gripe being how rather than showing us a forward progression on the relationship, we kept having to backtrack all over again. Also Krit’s character lacked some consistency. The adorably goofy outfits must have kept him in character during ep1-6, lol.
Suffice it to say, this is a great drama. Maple and Krit are by far my favorite couple from the series because their romantic scenes seemed oddly natural. For instance, there is a flashback scene in ep14 where Krit holds Maple’s face (100% sure it was scripted), and he starts gently stroking her earlobes (definitely not scripted), while she automatically holds onto his wrists (probably scripted) and presses her fingers deep into his hands so that you could see the grooves of his skin (definitely not scripted). It speaks volumes about the trust actors have in each other when they are filming something that may well have been scripted, but doesn’t SEEM that way. They’ve blended the line between fantasy and reality in a sense. I also just love whenever the girls are together, no matter how whiny and soggy and messy and imperfect they are.
Anyway, I’ll cut this essay short. Thanks for the review and I look forward to reading more from you. Hopefully you’ll convince me to pick up something else.