God’s plan comes full circle today in Likit Rak, as it comes to a close. The story of a princess and her protector whose fate is intertwined with love and duty, and we learn if they are brought together by fate or coincidence and how much of a say they can have in this fateful tale. It’s a closure that puts a spotlight on the princess, allowing us to see what’s going on in her mind and how much she has come to love her protector. Now get that rewind button ready, coz you’re about to be on a searing, squealing, final ride.

FINAL RECAP

Alice walks in on time to see Kate stabbing at something, but Kate tosses it in the garbage. She looks bothered and breathing heavily but Alice only asks if she’s bothering her. Alice wants Kate’s advice like any normal younger cousin about her thoughts on Alice’s pending nuptials with Will. Kate hides a smile and admits that at first she thought Alice considered Will like an older brother so she had wanted to inquire whether Alice really wanted to marry him or not. Alice starts to answer but she looks at her hand that’s covering Kate’s hand.. and it’s bloody. Crazy over here didn’t even realize that as she’s stabbing the photo album, she had been stabbing her own hand in the process. Alice meanders over to the garbage and sees a crumbled sheet covered in blood. Ack! Her own bloody face stares back at her, but Alice can’t make out the face. Alice asks if Kate is hiding anything.. then Kate declines any medical treatment, leaving Alice to walk out of her palace in a state of shock.

Alice approaches the commander and Alan, asking whether Kate has any enemies. She seems to hate someone very much. Alice notices that the boys’ faces look like they know something, and she gets it out of Alan, who says that he suspects that Kate loves Will. Alice is BLOWN away because she doesn’t know anything (or notice anything for that matter) but finally realizes that the woman in the picture is her. She says that if she had known, she would never agree to the marriage and decides she will cancel everything. Alan and Dawin ask her to pretend like nothing happened otherwise they couldn’t gather evidences. She says there’s no guarantee she can pull it off.

Alice stands in the massive ballroom to contemplate her cousin, scenes between the three of them – Will-Kate-Alice- flashes in her mind and it all makes sense to her now. She storms out and declares to Will that they will delay their wedding date. Will guesses that this doesn’t have to do with not being able to prep in time, but something else. He tells her to be honest with him, so she asks him if he ever knew that Kate has feelings for him. Will surmises that she’s delaying this for Kate and Alice says that Kate might be in love with him. This is why no one tells you anything, Princess. Will claims that there is nothing between them and it can never happen.

So of course, Will goes all batshit crazy with Kate, grabbing her by the jaw and threatening corporal punishment. Kate denies telling Alice anything and says she’s been patient with him. He had promised to make her queen but Will just scoffs, which earns him a teacup to the head. He tries to choke her in anger but he doesn’t realize what she is capable of and she draws an envelope knife, lamenting that she has had enough. She tells him to call off the wedding otherwise Alice will see and hear everything that transpired – she has her room tapped. Desperate, he pleads for extra time, and that he’s under watchful eyes. It’s a taste of his own medicine. These two are perfect for each other.

Speaking of another, absolutely perfect couple is the princess and her commander. She takes the commander outside of the palace again, to show him where the sky meets the earth. Who’s excited?

And she takes him to THE CEMETERY.

They stand before her parent’s gravesite, Alice tells him that her mom is a commoner who met and fell in love with her dad, who is a prince. They actually married, what seems like an impossible feat, so, she explains that something that shouldn’t happen did happen. They were able to be together. Dawin takes her hand and says that he understands, there is one other thing that happened, but shouldn’t. He guides her to his father’s gravesite. He tells her that his father loved being a soldier for his country, but he gave that all up to protect King Henry, willing to sacrifice his life for the greater good. Alice takes his hand tenderly and holds it. It’s these quiet, reassuring moments that gets me all choked up.

Alice says that this world is all full of coincidences. But Dawin thinks about the fortuneteller he met in episode 1, oh I mean, when he came back to Hrysos the first time and tells Alice that his mother never spoke of how his father died, so this experience is closure for him. And he finally knows why he’s here, he repeats the fated words (of the two lives that are as high as the sky and as low as the earth, who must sacrifice their life for a big responsibility) and he finally knows who they are, beckoning her in with a triumphant smile. He then trails her face with his hand and brings her in for a sweet, sweet kiss. Kyaa! This one isn’t a dream! *rewind*

Alice recounts the fated prophecy and Dawin looks up at the balcony to her, so much like their Romeo and Juliet counterpart. He gives her this heartbreaking smile, while she was just thinking how lonely her mother was as the commoner who married the prince.

But she does take it up with grandpa on his thoughts when her father had asked to marry a commoner. Grandpa says that he saw it as a good thing, tying the relations of royalty with the people of Hrysos. This gives her hope and she asks grandpa if she could marry a commoner. Grandpa gets up immediately and guesses that she’s referring to the commander. He says that he understands why she has feelings for the commander, but even so, he’s not good enough for her to marry. Oof, grandpa! She questions why and whether it has to do with the fact that she’s a woman. Grandpa says the time has changed, and it’s different. There’s turmoil and violence in the nation, only she could bring everyone together. Grandpa says it’s time for the commander to go home. What, no!

As Dawin takes that call/order from the general, Alice comes running to him in tears. She embraces him and cries that she’s sorry that she caused grandpa to send him away. Dawin reassures her that the king did the right thing; it is better he leaves now then to stay for the wedding. He just holds her close as she cries wretched tears. Ugh, my heart.

Simultaneously we see that Dawin and Alan try to ruffle some feathers. Kate had seek out Dawin as he’s packing his clothes to inspire him to stop the wedding. But Dawin gives her a knowing look and says that he’s not fighting because he can’t compare to the prince, but she is equal to Alice so she could in fact stop the wedding if she wanted to. Kate says she will do no such thing, but Dawin leans in and tells her he knows everything. He says even though he’s leaving tomorrow, she is still here and she can do something about it. Kate pretends that her feathers aren’t ruffled and denied everything, yet she’s seething inside.

Alan sees Dawin off and gives him a steady handshake. He says that Alice might be too sad to see him off, and grandpa sends his regards and apologies. We see that Alice is praying in a church, when she suddenly rushes out to wave goodbye to the man who is leaving her and the palace. Though he doesn’t see it.

Kate frets that Dawin may know about her and Hedais, while Hedais seems to have woken up from the dead (didn’t he get shot like 6 times?) and realizes who had been the last person to shoot him.

Hrysos prepare for the welcoming and arrival of King Anthony (Will’s dad) and it’s kinda funny to watch Alice’s sad face, Will’s satisfied look, Kate’s angry staring, and then Alan’s knowing face. He instigates to his sister that she shouldn’t hold it in any longer, Will is only looking out for his bottom line and she would become the forgotten princess. So Kate stews in private, but the prodding finally works as she calls Will for a private talk that night. Meanwhile Hedais creeps into the palace and happens to show up during Kate and Will’s trysting. What perfect timing.

Alice finds out through her assistant why she can’t get a hold of Dawin. He has apparently arrived back to Thailand but has taken a break from work and subsequently turned off his phone. Alice cries alone, ugh my heart.

Kate orders Will to end the marriage (or she would) and support her as the Crown Princess, and then they can work together to get rid of Alan and Alice. Will stares at Kate like she grew another head when she confirms that she wants to kill both Alan and Alice. He surmises that she must be the one who intended to kill Alice all this time. Kate denies it and says that Hedais was the one who did everything. Hedais steps out of the shadows and says he did do everything, but she had ordered it. They tussle until Kate skillfully has them both under her knife and gun.

Alice is stopped before she could leave her room, there are instructions to keep her inside until the night is over. Interesting. The assistant was acting kinda shifty. Alice demands to know what’s going on.

Meanwhile in Kate’s room, she shouts at Will to shoot Hedais, who is very close to stabbing her. Then suddenly, Petra appears. Wait, what? She’s alive! Hedais manages to take down Petra, but as he gets up to go after Kate, our commander appears! I knew he wouldn’t just desert the princess or leave her to marry a bad man. Always like the Knight in Shining armor that he is.

Kate stabs herself in the arm to make it look extra convincing when she goes crying to Alice. She then lures Alice away from her room – with an excuse that they should go and alert grandpa – but when they’re in a secluded hall, Kate stabs Alice right in the chest. Ack and whew, that was only Kate’s imagination. She attempts it for real though as she raises her arm way up high, but Dawin shoots the knife away.

Alice spins around aiming her gun at the perpetrator but she’s stopped dead in her tracks, it’s Dawin, to her shock. She realizes that she has been fooled and Dawin starts explaining that he didn’t leave the palace because he got additional info from Petra which points to Kate being the real culprit. As he tries to say that Kate had been trying to stab her, Kate tells Alice not to listen to him, that he’s trying to trick her. Kate continues playing her manipulation game and Alice probably knows but she just doesn’t want to believe that her cousin wants to kill her.. until of course Kate trains her gun at Alice and the nice façade melts away.

Alice cries as Dawin places her behind him, she asks Kate “why does it have to be you?” Oof. And Kate officially goes off the deep end, blaming everything on Alice and that nobody cares about her and how she feels. Alice says that she loves her cousin very much, and questions why Kate just didn’t say anything, Alice would have been happy to give her everything. Grandpa and Alan tell Kate to put the gun down, and Grandpa apologizes for not showing more of his feelings, that he cares and loves her very much. Kate realizes how very wrong she was. In a voiceover we hear Alan telling Dawin that Kate had an anxiety disorder as a child but that grandpa had it treated. Alice begs to start over with Kate but Kate doesn’t want to, she just wants to be remembered by her family and then she ended her own life with a gun to her head. Everyone cries.. but then I start to think, she tried to kill you guys? Many times?

Grandpa looks at his family photo and realizes how much his family has fought over the throne and how much everyone has to sacrifice for the position.

Dawin watches Alice as she kneels before God. While Alan severs the marriage between Will and Alice (hahaha the look on Will’s face), I like seeing the tough Alan. Will gets escorted out of Hrysos and his last words to Dawin is that even though he’s gone; Alice is still not his woman. What a weasel.

Petra apologies to the princess for faking her death, but Alice is just glad to see her alive. She gives her loyal bodyguard a big hug. Petra says that the person who has worked the hardest and sacrificed the most is the commander.

Alan thinks back on the eagle story that his dad told him when he was a child. He also flashes back to Alice having to make sacrifices and everyone trying to make him grow up and face his responsibilities. He goes to grandpa with an idea.

Grandpa summons Alice and questions what she wants the most. Alice admits that she wants to rescind her position as Crown Princess so that Alan can take the position; she doesn’t want to be queen, she just wants to be an ordinary girl. Alice says that she knows it’s impossible, but grandpa smiles and says it is, actually. He gives her permission to follow her dream and says that he has faith Alan can take on the responsibility of a king. He says that Alice has done enough for their country and it’s now time for her to go after her heart. She learns that Alan has made this offer to grandpa.

Alan gets his own coronation ceremony, looking like a very handsome king.

Dawin declines a title in Hrysos, deeming that he’s only doing his job. King Henry relents he’ll give him whatever he wants then, and even offers a big goodbye party. Dawin tells the older man that he just wants to go home quietly, saying that he fully “knows” his place. Before he leaves, Dawin goes to his father’s gravesite and thanks his dad for bringing him to Hrysos and that the next time he comes, he’ll bring mom along.

Alice finds out that Dawin has checked out of his room and hightails out of the palace to go after the commander, but misses him by a hair as his convertible zips by. She falls in a bit of a slump thinking about Dawin, and Alan gives her a letter from the commander.

Dawin writes that by the time she received the letter, it means he has disappeared from her life quietly. He knows that he’s a coward for not facing her – he has fought many battles – but simply could not say goodbye to the woman he loves with all his heart. He knows that he shouldn’t love her knowing their future is futile, but it is also impossible to stop loving her. He writes that she is a special person to him and no matter how far apart they are, she will always be in his heart. Even though he could never claim the sky, he could observe its beauty from wherever he is. He is willing to sacrifice his life for her, always.

And so Dawin observes the beautiful sky on the island where they first meet. Lo and behold, a boat cruises on by and through his binocular, he sees the princess. Alice walks towards him, a vision in pink. Their time together – from start to finish – flashes between the two of them as Dawin pulls her face into a searing kiss. KYAA! I’m dead. They put their heads together – such a signature Nadech-Yaya moment – and then peer into each other’s eyes.

“Now that you know I’m no longer a princess, will you dare love me now?” she challenges, as he holds her and then put their heads together. Alice gives her one of her puppy dog eyes. Dawin kisses her nose and her forehead and says, “this is my answer.” She smiles and tells him that she didn’t quite hear it (HAHAHA).. so he responds with a much fiercer kiss on the lips. I died a second time.

Dawin takes a good, long look at her, like he can’t believe his luck. Lol. It’s adorable.

And they hugggg, I’m torn between what I like more, their kisses or their hugs. Equally mesmerizing.

Meanwhile Muat Hin flirts with the princess’ assistant and asks her to be his tour guide during his vacation in Hrysos. Muat Paen agrees to be King Alan’s bodyguard and promises to be close to him and protect him ‘til death do them part.

Dawin and Alice have their proper honeymoon on the island, swimming around, flirting and smiling. Then back at Hrysos, Alice asks Dawin if he thinks everything that had happened is a coincidence. Dawin doesn’t believe in coincidences, because their life has been written beforehand. He adds that although part of it has been predetermined, they get to write the other half. Alice smiles and says that it’s just like the two of them choosing to be here, together. Dawin relents that he has chosen to stand beside her for the rest of his life. And they seal that promise with a kiss.

COMMENTS

Well that was just a beautiful ending, wasn’t it? Dare I say that this is one of Nadech-Yaya’s best lakorn together? It’s a culmination of their experiences together along with their actors’ growth that adds to the depth of the show. When your story surrounds two people who must be on the defensive at all times to try and find the true killer, while the throne and their love is at stake, you need a strong couple with chemistry to carry the show. I think Nadech and Yaya did that. It’s not the best of writings, but the directing and acting really stepped it up.

The more I think about their characters – Alice and Dawin – who are actually very similar, stubborn characters, the more their restraint and their choices make sense. From the getgo, Dawin has always been a man of duty, he will do everything and anything to complete his mission. It surpasses his own personal life or that of his love life. He has prepared his mind that he could never, ever have any hopes with the princess, so he can’t be the one to ask her to give up her throne. Meanwhile Alice is also very duty oriented, this princess is willing to do anything for the greater good. She has a sense of responsibility – when nobody else will step up, she will. But she knows that she had cut in line for the throne and so when the “rightful” heir finally stepped up to the plate, what more could she ask for? It’s time to tend to her heart. I love the focus on her in this finale, we get to see how life will suck without Dawin and that even though she could go on being the Queen, she is much happier just being an ordinary girl. I love the part where she took Dawin to the cemetery; she wants him to understand so much that their future isn’t impossible. However she also realizes that she has to be the one to give it all up.

I was annoyed with Alan for most of the show, because he’s such a baby and a coward, but his character growth has got to be the most satisfying. He realizes that not only must he live in the here and now, but he has to embrace his wings so to speak, and live up to all of the sacrifices that his parents have made. Deep down he’s insecure, afraid that the burden is too heavy, but it was nice to see him becoming smarter and fiercer as the future leader of the country. His romance with Muat Paen never really worked for me, the two are always so awkward together, but I’m glad above all else, they found a friendship (and maybe something more) with each other.

King Henry. I like that even being old, he had a lot to learn. Throughout his life he has been a man of action, but he doesn’t realize that in order to rule a peaceful country, you need a whole lot of outward compassion. Due to his inability to speak how he truly feels, he nearly lost everyone in his life. To be truly happy, people need to do what they want to do. When he granted Alice her wish to be an ordinary girl, that was beautiful to watch.

As for Kate, do we peg her for being somewhat mentally ill or do we peg her for being a character of her own demise? Perhaps a little of both. To watch her going from the sweet and kind cousin (she ALMOST fooled me) to an evil villain, unraveling at the seam was pretty crazy to watch. Though the excuse of “family” really allows people to forgive her actions. I guess what else is there to do since she’s dead.

I like the final message that even though our life is sometimes decided by fate, you are still the owner of your life: you can still choose how to live it. And I am glad Alice and Dawin choose to spend it with each other, because come on, they are too foolishly cute together, and to be apart would be a travesty. So glad we didn’t go there – thanks Anne Thong! (P.S. as you recall, her princess lakorn with Will did not end with a happily ever after. At least she pays it forward with Nadech and Yaya.)

Alas, it was an enjoyable ride, made even better because of Nadech and Yaya. They always add a special something when together. I will be smiling ridiculously for days.