Rarng Mai..Huajai Derm 

I went into this premier episode with no idea what this show is about. A reader emailed me and wanted to know what I thought, so I figure, no harm in checking out the first episode. I should know based on the title, which means “new body, same heart” that we might have a body swapping story on our hands, and after watching the first episode, I will say that this premise is built on maturity, conflict, and such a mired backstory that the body swapping future will be fraught of drama. I can already sense it. But first, the story.

We have two women who will share their fates. The first one is a PR manager of Arista, one of the top hotels in Phuket, named Patanee (Jieb Sopitnapa). At first she seems to have a loving marriage to the GM of the hotel, Kawin (Tui Teerapat) and they have a son together. Kawin is affectionate with her and dotes on her, everyone takes note of this, including Patanee’s assistant (Pitta Na Patalung) who appears to be a two faced snake – in front of her boss she’s accommodating as heck, but behind her back, she’s plotting her demise. Why she hates her so, we don’t yet know.

The other woman is Lan (Vill Vannarot), a soft spoken, sickly woman who has been waiting for a heart transplant her whole life. Dad is an esteemed doctor (professor status) at the hospital and loves his daughter dearly, but has never approved of her marriage to Phee, a gold digging, cheating businessman. He only conceded to her marriage when Lan agreed to give up her shares at the hospital in order to prove that Phee loves her unconditionally. But regardless, when Phee goes through financial hard times again and again, Dad does end up forking over money in order to save his daughter.

These two women cross paths at the temple one day to pray and ward off bad luck. The moment they walk pass each other, there is a connection in the air, sparked and heavy. They even draw up the same fortune, a premonition. The fortune reads that there is good and bad thing that will happen to them: and that they will go through death and rebirth. And that there are two bodies but one heart. I got goosebumps.

Their present lives take a nosedive. Patanee appears to be a very jealous wife. Any indication that her husband is with another woman, she freaks out and thinks he’s cheating on her. But there is a reason behind her behavior. Her father cheated on her mother, causing her mother heartbreak and having to raise two girls on her own. Patanee prays that her life won’t end up like her mother’s. Another reason is because Kawin is a former player. In fact, when they first started dating, he was caught cheating on her. He vows to stay true to her and that it will never happen again. We see that he’s charming and friendly, and incredibly nice, but he does know that he’s a lucky man and won’t do anything that will jeopardize his marriage. Unfortunately Patanee’s secretary appears to want their divorce and sets up for her friend to lure Kawin or even to cause a scene that will sever their marriage. And that is how Patanee found her husband, in a compromising position with another woman. Furious, she storms out and as a really, really bad habit of hers, she speeds through the highway.

At the other end of the spectrum, Lan is blinded by her husband’s lies. She doesn’t believe he would lie to her, despite her father trying to show her how unfit of a husband Phee is. But one hairy day, his mistress decides she’s playing for keeps and sends Lan his boxer via UPS. She even calls her to rub it in and that if Lan still doesn’t believe it, she ought to come see for herself. Already at precarious situation with her health, Lan stumbles to the condo and finds her husband in bed with his mistress. Shaken to the core, Lan goes into shock and falls to the floor. At the same time, a semi-truck crashes into Patanee’s car as she runs a red light.

What will happen to these two women? How will their paths cross? It’s not every day that you find a lakorn with the leads already married. But I like the flawed character, it shows there’s a lot of room to improve as the story progresses. Patanee struggles with her self-fulfilling prophecy, thinking that one day her husband will cheat and she will end up like her mother. And that day has come. Even though Kawin didn’t cheat at the time, but this man is not the best of men, and maybe it’s inevitable since the two lack trust. It’s interesting to see that outwardly they are affectionate, but deep down, they are insecure and lacks faith in each other. The secretary may see them as a perfect couple and want to tear that down, for whatever reason (and I hope she has a reason) but she doesn’t see what it’s really like behind closed doors. We all never know what’s going on behind closed doors.

Lan probably just wants to live a normal life like other people, but she’s so naïve. I hope a new heart – if that’s where we’re headed – will make her stronger. But expect high drama, and a story that in the grand scheme of things, makes sense. It’s Exact after all. Rarng Mai.. Huajai Derm airs Primetime Monday-Tuesday on OneHD.