Cold pra’eks go well with a nice glass of iced cold water. If you like to feel pain and angst, this second episode may quench your thirst. I did not intend to write another post (I mean so soon) because I was just minding my own business on Twitter, tweeting and watching, and that was the plan for the rest of Dao Kon La Duang. It’s a great place to share your thirsty tweets by the way (hahaha), but this second episode is even better than the first (and the first was pretty great), and compelling enough that I want to share what happened.

I posed the question, what’s Thanat’s deal? Why did he wait three years to see her? How did he survive the fire? And why did we get so much focus on Wasan in the first go around? We got some answers, and the remaining will play out in subsequent episodes. What we do know is that upon the explosion in the cabin, Thanat and the hostages managed to jump into the water. Unfortunately, as they crawled back out, the baddies open fired at them. It looked bad enough that I wondered how he survived the range of gunshot wounds, but his meaningful memories with Chalanthorn did flash before his eyes and he grasped at the last thread of hope that she would wait for him. We haven’t been told yet on the three years that followed, what happened to him and how he recovered.

One of Thanat’s greatest strength also becomes one of his weakest. He’s like a bull with his eyes on the target. He’s relentless, a sharpshooter, and mentally strong that he would do anything to reach his target. Perhaps what helped him survive his critical condition was the fact that he set his mind on returning to Lan and hold her to her promise. Another example of his determination is during one of their training lessons, there is a final obstacle course-like test. They were split into teams and had to finish the course in a set amount of time. One of Thanat’s team members got injured and he tells Thanat to go on ahead so they could beat the time. Thanat was reluctant but at the end of the day, also wants to reach his target so he makes the decision to leave the member behind (thinking that when he makes it, he could go back and collect his friend). Wasan on the other hand, it wasn’t even his team member, but he couldn’t leave a soldier behind. Thanat may have won, but Wasan still managed to make the time and save a life. The instructor advises Thanat that in real life he may not get a second chance to go back and save his friend. The point is that it’s good to focus on the target, but you have to consider the blindsides too.

So while Thanat is so determined to survive and come back alive, it has been three years. He hasn’t considered that things change. Thanat watches Chalanthorn from afar, protecting her and coming to her rescue, but still manages to vanish like thin air. But oh the LONGING. I see why we needed the Wasan-Chalanthorn scenes. When they’re together, Chalanthorn looks at him like he is her bestest of friends, because he is. It’s just easy to be with him, because he’s funny and friendly and warm. But that’s just it, Wasan could never pull one of those longing looks on Chalanthorn. When she thinks about Thanat, on the other hand, just like she told him during one of their star gazing dates, that he’s the brightest star in the sky, she simply lights up for him.

And oh my goodness when she finally sees him again (after looking for him and finding out for herself that he’s ALIVE and she’s not crazy), Thanat doesn’t even know that she’s feasting her eyes on him, like the future baby daddy that he is!

The scene goes like this.

The night is getting darker, but you could still see the glimmer of hope and relief in her eyes.

“Why didn’t you come to see me?” she asks, “Do you know..” but before she could finish he cut her off.

“You’re seeing San now! Why do you care whether I live or die?” he spats, angry eyes lay upon hers. “Did you expect me to come back as the third wheel?”

Her desperate eyes, they well up with tears, “I’m sorry I thought –“

“You thought I was dead? Is that right? What about the promise you made? It doesn’t matter anymore does it?”

And that promise she made once upon a time flash before us again.

“That’s just not true,” she tries to explain. “I loved you with every fiber of my being. I waited for your return.”

He scoffs, “But what you did is the exact opposite.” Seconds that feel like hours pass.

“A few years revealed that. Your promise is a mere breath out of your mouth. I was foolish to feel assured by them, without even realizing that my love and best friend have feelings for each other.”

“That’s not it – I love you! I was wrong to give San a chance-“

“That’s enough. I don’t want to hear your excuses. From now on we have nothing to do with each other.” OUCH.

She grabs hold of his arm, pleading, “please listen to me!”

He turns to her one last time, “I wish you well with the person that you chose. I hope that he loves you more than when I loved you. As for us? Let it die with me like three years ago.” He finishes with a “congratulations.” Which is the worst.

Ah so sad, my heart. All I feel is pain.

But there’s more.

The awkward next day where the love triangle share the same space again. Wasan like the best friend that he is, apologizes to Chalanthorn that he couldn’t tell her because Thanat asked him not to. Thanat is standing right there (pretending that he’s not listening, but he could hear everything) and gives them his cold shoulders. Chalanthorn tells Wasan that he’s not wrong. Thanat came back when things have already changed, and that she has made a choice. Sounds more like it’s something she has chosen to live with since Thanat wasn’t going to forgive her.

As they get on the back of Wasan’s bike, Thanat peers at them through the window. Chalanthorn circles her arms around Wasan while looking at Thanat. I mean, if that doesn’t give off crazy sparks, I don’t know what would.

So yeah, here we are. Fun stuff. Can’t wait for more pain. We are gluttons for punishment, aren’t we?