Love during that time, two thousand years ago, sure feels like it’s all or nothing, doesn’t it? We watch the love story of Matira and Pachara quickly blossom and fold, ramping up for the final act that destroyed everything. And it feels consequential, because we’re sitting back with Praoploy listening to the story (complete with the family tree of Tarawatburam), and can’t help but feel that reviving an old story makes it real again. That not only does Pachara need Praoploy to remember and reverse the curse, but that this may very well be the last time he’s living in this world. So while he retells it slowly, peers at her with his half bewitching smile, and stalling time for selfish reasons, I can’t really blame him.
EPISODE 6 RECAP
Praoploy questions why they weren’t returning to his home but Pachara merely says they are waiting for the tide to calm. She gives him a skeptical look.
The search party scavenges Pachara’s home to no avail. Wipu pauses at the mantle, peering up at an older man that resembles Pachara. That’s Jao Praya Phetmanee, the first branch of the family tree. Wipu marvels at how much the resemblance is with the previous and current heir, and Sintu’s like ‘yeah strong genes.’
Wipu still notes that is bizarre. Sintu says not so much because Wipu looks just like his father too, who was Sintu’s close friend. Wipu says he had no idea, he doesn’t know much about the man. Sintu elaborates that Wirak is the opposite of Wipu who is gentle, and he says that might be a good thing. Wipu appreciates it because Sintu is the first to say anything positive, his dad’s friends don’t approve of him as the CEO of V Estate, because he took the reins during trying times (when his dad passed away- but isn’t that standard procedure lol).
Sintu thinks that Wirak’s death isn’t an accident and Wipu agrees, everything sure looks like an accident, but he doesn’t believe it. He’s investigating the “accident” and notices that someone is actively doing the same, he asks if Sintu is behind this. The older man just smiles, and we flashback to Sintu getting a report from his private investigator (is that Wanda’s dad?) who says that Wirak and family were on a boat when it exploded, turns out, the boat owner received a large sum of money prior to taking the family out, and it’s possible they were paid to kill Wirak. Sintu tells him to keep looking, and that even though the case is closed, he still needs to find the culprit in order to clear Pachara Group’s association from this. Wirak was last seen on the island to discuss purchasing land from Pachara Group.
Pachara wraps Praoploy’s wound and instructs her not to get her wrapping wet and to take her medicine. Praoploy indicates that she’s not that hurt but Pachara further explains that her ankle may experience some bruising. Okay Dr Pachara – still hot going from a Dentist (Cupid series) to a doctor here! Praoploy suddenly realizes that with her injury, she wouldn’t be able to go diving right away. Pachara says if she tends to her wound well, she’ll be back to diving in no time. Praoploy wants to continue because being down there made her feel very familiar, like she’s been there before. She turns to him, “I couldn’t believe that I could feel this way – am I really that woman of yours?” Teehee. THAT WOMAN OF HIS. She adds, “How exciting.” Guys, am I hearing things? She asks him to continue with Tarawatburam story.
Inquiring minds want to know – did Matira go to him that night of the full moon?
To the general’s surprise, she did. He had murmured to himself earlier that it must not be in his good fortune to see her tonight. Matira tells him not to think that way, as she meanders to him with a lantern lighting her way. He takes in her beauty – from the top of her silk covered head to the tips of her chiming anklet – and apologizes for being shortsighted. He vows that from this moment onwards, he will not give her up to anybody else.
They gather together on the ground, Matira in Pachara’s arms. As he kisses her temple, she asks if he’s sure he’s not deceiving her. He says it was love at first sight and that he could not think of anybody else. Matira admits that she’s afraid that the path she chose tonight would be wrong. Pachara would prove it to her that she made the right decision, by loving only her, and gifting her a token to prove his love: the bayonet rewarded to him by the crown prince, it’s the only item that indicates he’s the trusted general of Tarawatburam.
Matira unsheathes the bayonet and peers at him with a small smile: ‘and when you break your vows, I will use this item to skewer your heart’. And she sounds like she’s gonna enjoy it too. Pachara wonders if she’s able to do such a cold-hearted thing, but she’s all ‘you don’t know what a woman like me is capable of.’ He surmises that he may not know that, but he does know his own heart, and how much he loves her. He asks how she feels about him in return, but she simply states the obvious: that if she doesn’t have feelings for him, she wouldn’t be in his arms right now. They lean their heads together and Pachara kisses her forehead.
The investigation behind the people’s struggles and shortage of supplies come to light. The minister reports to the king that Walang refuses to send enough supply and has offended Tarawatburam, he advises that they attack. The master disagrees, he feels they need to send a negotiator, because they just finished a war and the soldiers are not equipped to fight a new war. The king assigns the crown prince to handle the issue with Walang.
Prince Ruthara tries to sneak out of the palace but this time his mother made sure the palace guards tail him. He decides he didn’t need to go out after all when he sees Ladtha on the walkway. She greets the “intern” and asks him to bring a basket of food to her brother. The two palace guards balk at her request and say how dare she ask that of Prince Ruthara. Busted! Ladtha finally realizes he’s the prince, he shoos the guards away and walks her to Pachara. Sheepishly he tells Pachara that he’s friends with Ladtha, but the girl retorts that she wouldn’t dare to befriend a prince. Lol. Ladtha says a prince shouldn’t take to lying to his citizens, but Prince Ruthara argues that he wasn’t lying, he is an intern! Interning for the second in line of the throne! Pfft. He says he just wants to be her friend. Aw.
The concubine (Prince Ruthara’s mother) plots to take power when the crown prince hails to Walang. She says for those that do not support her, she would kill them all. Prince Ruthara walks in and I love his low-key attitude, he’s all, what are we talking about? Like they’re choosing a lunch menu. His mother decides that now is the time to fill him in on their plot to overthrow the crown prince. It wasn’t the kind of lunch Prince Ruthara was looking to have. He says he doesn’t need the throne, but his mother needs it and she would do it herself if she must. Prince Ruthara laments that the throne belongs to his blood brother, but his mother makes him choose between his biological mother (namely her) or his brother from another mother. Not such good options for Ruthara either way.
Ruthara thinks things are good the way they are right now, but the uncle says things could be better for them. His mother should not be second. She spites that if they (crown prince’s people) don’t die, then they will die. If Ruthara doesn’t help, the uncle predicts that their family line would be wiped out by the crown prince’s people.
Janthra sees Matira with the bayonet and it brings a vision of Matira stabbing Pachara in the heart. Matira tries to hide the sheath but tells her friends that this path that she’s chosen is all very confusing. Janthra urges her to go through with their training and choose the path of a Goddess. Because choosing to be with Pachara will only bring pain and ruin around her. Matira says that she can’t stop now, her heart is already with him.
Her brother, Wasuta, sees this also and wonders how she got the bayonet. Matira asks him to keep it a secret for now, that she and the general will tell their father the right way. Wasuta tells Janthra that he envies Pachara, who seems to always get what he wants, including his love, who is willing to throw everything away to be with him. He asks her if she would do the same if she found the man she loves. Janthra admits that she has never considered another path other than being a Goddess. Wasuta doesn’t want to believe it so he reaches for her arm, he spats that a beautiful woman like her would desire a crown prince. Janthra reacts to the touch by getting more visions of the future, the queen mourning, a battle between Pachara and Wasuta, Pachara holding up a severed head, and then Matira crying for vengeance. Janthra reminds Wasuta to respect the sacred place and to not push her. He later takes his anger out on the soldiers during practice instead.
Janthra has been seeing the ruin of Tarawatburam repeatedly and tells the Goddess teacher that she can’t let it happen. She has already warned Matira, now she needs to plead to the general. The Goddess teacher warns her that if she forces fate’s hands, harm will come her way too. Janthra says it’s a sacrifice she’s willing to make, for the sustainability of the kingdom.
Pachara takes his sister to pray but of course he also wants to take a good look at Matira. Janthra warily glances at the two of them. Back at the art shop Prince Ruthara tries to get back in Ladtha’s good graces by giving her art supplies. He asks if they could be friends like before, but before she could answer, Pachara shows up to retrieve his little monkey sister. He gives Ruthara a knowing look and suggests the prince go back to the palace. Ladtha hands a package of snacks made by Matira to Pachara, but he tells her to enjoy it. Ladtha, like any sane girl, says she’s not touching this thing when it was made specifically for him. Lol.
Ladtha wistfully watches Matira dance in front of the enamored Pachara. She sees them snuggling together and hear Pachara say that Matira is too beautiful that he can’t lay eyes on anybody else. Pachara adds that he’s super pleased and gives her a kiss on the cheek. Ohlala. But this saddens Ladtha, who watches Matira feed Pachara with the snack. He sure looks like he wants to take a bite of something else! On the other side, Wasuta also sees the duo, and he looks like he’s up to something.
Turns out, he tattled to their dad, who summons Matira for a word. He says while love cannot be helped, he requires Pachara to ask for her hand in marriage properly. If he’s convinced, then dad will allow her to marry Pachara. In the voiceover Praoploy says that their love is going along swimmingly then. Pachara adds that the three friendship was also going along smoothly. Praoploy questions who he’s referring to, since his cast of characters are too many for her to remember. Pachara practically lets out a big sigh and reminds her that there are three friendship at stake here, wasn’t she paying attention? Pachara, Wasuta and the crown prince. He hopes she remembers this time, lol. If Praoploy was Ladtha, this explains their cute bickering.
Back at Pachara’s home, Pon and Wanda scour the medical room, Wanda marvels at the herbs, she feels like they’re in Chinatown. She smartly translates the Chinese characters on an app and both realize what this means: herbal medicine for the heart!
Pachara brews another set of said Chinese medicine for Praoploy, who grimaces from the bitterness. She mentions that she’s surprised that a person like him could tend to another person this way. He remarks that even a person like him needs tending to as well. Praoploy asks if he’s referring to his mother and sister, and we are taken back to Tarawatburam era.
Pachara’s mother thinks that maybe Ladtha should practice sword fighting with her brother, instead of making a fabric. Ladtha agrees but no matter what, this time she wants to make a patch for Pachara so that it can protect him when he’s on the battlefield. Pachara relents that he’s more worried about them when he’s not around. Ladtha shares that ever since she became part of his family, she has no more worries. He may have no idea how much he means to her (*tear*) and if there’s anything that she could do for him, she would do it in a heartbeat. Aw. She adds that she’s grateful for their acceptance and they taught her what love is. Pachara says he’s happy to have a sister like her – which is bittersweet to her ears.
Matira apologizes for asking Pachara to come out and see her, but Pachara says it’s no matter because he would find an excuse to see her anyway. She turns away and asks him what he thinks of her. Even he wonders if that is all she wanted to know. Pachara spells it out that he loves her and wants to marry her. He finds out that her father wants to meet him and learn of his intentions. Matira immediately apologizes again, but Pachara says it’s a good thing that her dad knows, and that if she’s ready, they can go together. Ladtha is watching them from the sideline again. She sees Pachara kissing Matira’s hand and vowing that his love would never change.
Pachara pays a visit to Matira’s dad, Wasuta is also present. He apologizes to the older man for having heard the news from someone else. The minister says it’s his honor that Pachara noticed his daughter. The only problem is that he wants confirmation about one thing: if he loves Matira, would he also love her family? Pachara says of course he is happy to protect her family as well. The minister asks if that includes walking in line with them even if the opinions differ. Pachara says that he would be most delighted if that path is in support of the crown prince. Oh yikes. The minister questions if that means he cannot accept Prince Ruthara, but Pachara turns the question on the minister as to why he cannot accept the crown prince. Wasuta calls out his friend’s name in warning. Pachara says that the minister should ask the power that be why he has chosen the crown prince over Ruthara, a mere general like him could not make that determination. And if he does not obey what the crown prince has demanded of him, then that would be considered treason.
The minister takes offense with that word, but Pachara dials back and says he just wants to convey his love for Matira and that it has nothing to do with anything else. He excuses himself, deeming that now is not a good time to talk about this. As he exits the room, he sees Matira, who asks him how it went. Immediately his expression changes, and he says she ought to know what transpired. He says that she deceived him so that he could conspire with her father to betray the crown prince. Eeks. Matira is surprised to hear that, it’s the first time she heard of this, all she knows is that her father wants to discuss with him regarding their relationship. Pachara says that her father insinuates that if he doesn’t choose Prince Ruthara’s side, that means he could not be with her. Matira questions what he means to do with her then. Pachara says he meant what he said about his love for her, but his life and integrity lie solely on the crown prince and Tarawatburam.
Matira asks if they could go back and tell her dad that their love has nothing to do with politics. Pachara says that as far as her father is concerned, if he wants to be with her, then he needs to choose Prince Ruthara, which would never happen. Matira questions if he would just leave her then, to which Pachara says he has no other choice, between love and duty. Matira says that all’s she knows is that she is willing to leave everything behind to be with him. He asks if that includes leaving her family. Matira says she just wants him to choose her, but he can’t look at her in the face. He says he can’t choose her, and he would never ask her to abandon her family. Oof, and that my friends, was the end of their lovey dovey scene.
Matira questions why her father would use her like this. Her father tells her to quit her crying and go win over the general. He orders her to fulfill her duty as a daughter and not to use her love as an excuse. She cries that he ruined what was between Pachara and her, and if Matira ends up doing something regrettably, it’s because of him. The father slaps her, much to his own surprise. He apologizes, but that it is his job to uphold the family’s honor and she needs to do the same.
Matira’s aunt – also Prince Ruthara’s mother – goes to see her at the temple. She apologizes for involving her niece in the fight for the throne, but the aunt reasons that without Pachara’s support, they would not win. That if the crown prince gets the throne, he would kill them all. She laments that if it’s true love that Pachara has for her, he would be willing to sacrifice everything. Matira asks what she needs to do. The aunt says if Pachara doesn’t side with them, he would have to go.
Praoploy says that Matira is pitiful, with him and her dad, and now there’s the aunt? Praoploy starts jotting down notes, to keep the characters straight. Haha. She has a whole family tree for Tarawatburam era, and her drawings are so cute!
Wipu says that even though there are no signs of Praoploy in the house, that doesn’t mean she’s not somewhere on the island. Pon has a good hunch about this, he even thinks perhaps Pachara is hiding Prao at a different place. In fact, they go into the room that Prao had stayed in and finds a bag of modern medicine! Pon is sure she was recently here. Wanda thinks this is not a good enough evidence and that they could say it belongs to anyone. Pon wants to see what Pachara has to say this time. We see later that the housekeeper had snuck that evidence in.
Wipu asks Sintu if there are other homes on the island that belongs to Pachara, because he’s a wealthy man, he ought to have several. Sintu feels that they don’t trust them, even after allowing them to search the house. Pon chimes in that they are not trustworthy. Even though they allow for the search, Pachara is nowhere to be seen.
Pachara is told that the search party won’t let up, they are determined to meet him. Pachara orders his man to ensure they don’t find this house. Meanwhile he tells Praoploy that they have to spend the night at this house, due to the strong wind, but Praoploy isn’t buying it. She refuses to stay and says she could even walk all the way home. Pachara tries to stop her but she catches on to him, she says he’s been acting strange since after the diving. Pachara switches tactic this time, he says she could go after she finishes a meal. Only, Praoploy doesn’t know that the “meal” is raw fish, which requires cleaning and cooking. Praoploy says it’ll be nightfall by the time she is able to eat it. Praoploy knows he’s stalling time, so she tells him to cook the fish and she’ll wait to eat it. Lol.
Praoploy sneaks out of the house and makes her way through the woods – where she gets caught in a rabbit trap.
Meanwhile Sintu leads the search party on foot towards another property that may take an hour.
Pachara says she should watch out if she’s trying to run away. He kneels down to see the trapped rabbit, er, Praoploy, who argues that she wasn’t running away, she just wants to see what’s at the house that caused him to act so suspiciously. He helps her out of the trap, but she keeps tripping, lol, so he simply lifts her into his arms and proceeds to carry her back to the house – not the main house, but the small house. Praoploy complains that he cannot be trusted. Pachara replies that the only people you can trust are the people that have died. LOL. Dead people don’t lie.
Back at the small house, Pachara asks why she is so clumsy, to which Praoploy says it’s because he’s acting sneaky. She begs him to be honest and that she won’t run away again, they’ve shared more with each other than they do with normal friends. Pachara worries that if he tells her, she won’t be the same again. Praoploy promises not to change, even if her memories come back, the past can’t change who she is. Even with the promise, Pachara says it doesn’t make him any less afraid. He fears that when she gets her memories back, he would lose her. Aw. Well she wasn’t expecting to hear that.
Before he could say what’s happening at the main house, his man alerts them of an impending arrival of the search party.
Meanwhile the search party decides to breakout into pairs in order to reach the house faster – but Sintu says he cannot allow them to do that (break up in pairs) – meaning that if they want to go towards the woods they would have to go together. He is, after all, responsible for anyone who’s come to the island.
Praoploy learns that her brother is on the island. Dun dun dun.
COMMENTS
Aw Mr. Immortal is growing quite fond of the incorrigible Praoploy. The politics in this story are pretty straight forward, which I think that is the intention, because the biggest interest lies in the love that destroyed everything. The big question is, did Matira curse him because he betrayed her love or did she curse him as a revenge for her family? The show eluded to perhaps both, but so far the third wheel is just an innocent sister who would die for her brother (and quite literally she did). In a way I feel bad for Matira, but not that bad since we know she ruined a whole kingdom, but in her own personal life, which is an all encompassing life and death thing if you will, she had already chosen to leave behind her Goddess life for a man, but now may lose the man over her family’s traitorous endeavors. Do you betray your love or betray your family? They even half convinced her that if Pachara “truly” loves her, he would throw everything away, including his duty and integrity, to be with her.
Anyway, I thought it rather cute that Praoploy still maintains her joyful, teasing personality. I wonder if her wish of one day becoming like Matira came true, she literally became the spitting image of Matira, catching Pachara’s interest immediately and unequivocally capturing his heart. It’s a better trade for Pachara, if you ask me. I also think it’s just adorable that he’s finding excuses to spend more time with her. Because for a man who can’t wait to die, he sure is taking his sweet time.
