Why do you watch lakorns, or any dramas for that matter? Do you tune into lakorns for your favorite actors and actresses and see it to the end? Or do you watch lakorns for the storyline and characters? We all have different reasons as to why we commit ourselves to spending hours in front of our computers and Smart TV (technology is amazing!) and some of us just can’t help it because these shows are so addicting. And on top of that, lakorns are truly a breed of their own, there are certain plot devices unique only to Thai dramas. And sometimes, they raise my hackles.

I personally watch lakorns to get lost in the story and characters. A couple of requirements that I do have is that the Pr’ek is multi-dimensional; I must love his character, his choices (I should be able to understand his motives) and I should also find the Nang’ek likeable. Basically, the Pr’ek should be a character of a potential real life man that I can respect and admire. Don’t we want a Pr’ek we can all fall in love with?

In the case of Nakin, Pr’ek in Sanaeha Sunya Kaen, he is far from it. Driven by revenge and anger over the death of his wife of one day (but true love for eternity?) he wreaks vengeance with ParnTawan who is an easy target for the cause of his wife’s untimely death. Besides, he overheard that ParnTawan had been drunk at the time, and why should drunken (bad) people survive while his beloved die? It’s easier than accepting that your wife had been speeding, it was a rainy day, and bad shit happens to good people. It’s not easy to forgive and move on, because that would mean his wife in the form of his anger, would cease to exist, and then he would have no reason to live. Maybe.

Nakin is a handsome man and appears to be a normal, loving brother, son and boss. But behind ParnTawan’s back, he’s quite evil. We don’t know what’s in store for her, as far as his revenge scheme goes, but it isn’t going to be pretty. The problem I have with Nakin is that he’s very one dimensional. Roar, I’m going to punish you for being the cause of my wife’s death, for taking the best thing away from me! He has no conscience or conflicted emotions behind what he is about to do. Also, his initial impression of being a gentleman completely goes out the door when he violates her space. If a woman pushes you away and tells you no, it means no! His advances made me feel uncomfortable, probably because Tawan appears to be so freaked out by it. He also goes from one end of the spectrum to another, emotional and character wise. Once she signs the agreement to be his sister’s nurse, the devil practically takes over. You can say that his character is just not my cup of tea.

There are parts I like about this show though. I love the relationship between ParnTawan and her sister Duen. They only have each other in life, after being orphans growing up, so they’ve developed a bond and closeness than other sisters under the circumstances. One thing you can take away from their experiences thus far is that it sucks being poor and a female in this show. ParnTawan is bullied left a right by her ex-boyfriend’s wife, her bosses and even gets tossed out of her apartment from the evil landlord. What’s a girl to do to get some love around here? Then to top everything off, she’s going to work for a man who has evil ulterior motives. IF his plan is to make her fall in love with him, then by throwing money in her face, renting out the whole theatre, and well, violating her space when she barely knows you – that is not smooth, operator. Making Tawan fall in love with you, and the viewers also by default, is no easy feat with a one dimensional, bi polar Pr’ek.

I prefer stories with a natural progression to the relationship throughline: how two people meet, fall in love and have a happily ever after (if it meets the end goal of the story.) The storyline doesn’t always have to be different or fresh or new, it could be a spin on a well thought-out story – because god knows, I can watch something that I love over and over again – I just want the story to be genuine. Maybe it is because I don’t like revenge slap kiss dramas the way I used to, maybe it is because I don’t like one dimensional brutes, and maybe I just don’t like misogynistic storylines. Whatever the case may be, I have to ask myself the question, do I continue watching? Or do I save myself from the heartburn that I will inevitably get? Tough questions for a lakorn enthusiast like me. But perhaps, I’ve already made up my mind.

If you are enjoying this mid-week lakorn, you are encouraged to share why you like the show. As we all know, this platform welcomes any and all perspectives and opinions.

Lastly, what draws you to lakorns in general?