Rustic Son In-Law & Hi-so Daughter In-Law – First Impressions

Aired on Valentine’s Day, Channel 7 and Media Scene presents Koei Baan Rai Sapai Hi-so, which translates to Rustic Son In-Law & Hi-so Daughter In-Law. This is Kem and Mookda’s second lakorn together after So Wayree, and you can tell how natural they are together. It is not a heavy storyline like So Wayree, this lakorn is touted as romantic comedy – there are the usual slapstick humor, but I also found the small things that the characters do to be funny – it’s a pretty cast and a delightfully good OST. You can watch this subbed at Nekoland.

Chom (Mookda) returns home after studying abroad and is given a big surprise from her mother, a welcome home party full of eligible bachelors. Still in her airport outfit, Chom is to CHOOSE which one of these men she wants to marry, like she’s choosing a snack before dinner. Mom is convinced marrying well is the best thing she could do for her daughter – even though they are already beyond wealthy – she wants Chom never to lift a finger. Unlike her, who marries a man with humble beginnings and doesn’t believe she is as successful as she could be. Dad would beg to differ, since he had practically saved her family’s company from going bellied up, yet his deeds remain unacknowledged.

Chom on the other hand is set on choosing her own husband, thank you very much. So the only recourse she could think of is to run away. This is actually where we first meet her, en route to a small village in Korat, her father’s family home. She has a run in with Nin (Kem) who is the town’s unspoken hero. Nin also recently returned home from his studies (we don’t know where or what he studied or even how long he has been home) and Dad (who is the town’s headman) wants him to get a job in the city, to him anything was better than Nin’s aimlessly going through the motions. Nin tells Dad that he can be useful at home too and that he will find his own calling. There’s definitely more to the story, since Show hints that Nin once had a girl who left him, and now he just wants to stay home and help the townsfolk. In fact, Nin was in the middle of arresting a baddie when Chom got in the way. They bicker from the moment they meet.

For a minute I forget where we are going with the story and could just watch Nin challenge Chom that she doesn’t have what it takes to live here – since Chom is convinced she would stay for a bit and decides she would build a resort. Talk about ambition. This diversion of hers has me amused just like Nin, homegirl drew her “resort” on a piece of paper and wants Nin and his minions to build it. Nin offers to do it for free if she wins a bet, which is to do rice transplanting. I’m sorry are we building a resort or a treehouse? Nin and Chom eventually bond over their bickering and become friendly with each other. By the end of the second episode, the plot kicks into gear and we’re reminded of the title. What compromising situation can they get into, pray tell?

Mom discovers where Chom is hiding and wants to give her another surprise. Apparently, she hasn’t learned from the first one, her surprises ALWAYS backfires. Mom has set her sights on the son of a rich businessman. This jao sua puts a hefty dowry on the table and without further hesitation, Mom readily accepts. Little did she know that this jao sua is rich in name only, he is heavily in debt and is pursuing Mom’s fortunes to save himself. Thankfully Dad is the smarter one and has this man investigated quietly.

When Chom learns that mom is coming for her, she wants to do what she does best – that is to run – but Nin convinces her to stay. He tells her that running away won’t solve her problems, he just didn’t know that he is going to be part of that solution. HAHAHA. The night before Mom arrives, she tells Chom’s rival (who wants Nin for herself) to ensure that Chom is locked in the room so that she can’t run away. While Nin manages to come to her rescue, he unfortunately gets knocked out by the hired hands, who lock him in the room with Chom. Needless to say, Mom gets the surprise of her life when she sees a man in bed with her daughter that following morning.

The jao sua and his son proceed towards the front door with a wedding procession and media in tow. The man figures that Mom values her face more than anything and wouldn’t dare refuse his offer. Oh their epic expression as the picture of Nin and Chom in bed together made its round in social media. Who has the last laugh now? Chom uses this opportunity to tell Mom that Nin is her boyfriend. Well, Mom got what she wanted – a son in a law overnight – it’s just not to her choosing nor liking. Chom really has the last laugh here.

It’s always fun to watch the underdog get their comeuppance, and watch Nin bring some color into the hi society, all of that tall, dark and handsome visuals. The show takes its time in storytelling, giving us snapshots of their daily lives and how these two will come to find love in each other. While the hysterics and the typical lakorn comedy is ever present, those scenes lend itself to character reveals, that Mom at the end of the day regrets her decision – but regret or not, she can’t take the choice away from Chom; Chom learns she has to face her problems head on; and Nin may not run away from his problems, but there’s something he’s not confronting.

Admittedly I’m not super hooked. The leads are cute and the story is straight forward, hey it can be great for someone, it’s just hard for me to get into lakorns these days. Like they say, I just need to find the right one. If you are a fan of Kem and Mookda, together or separately, you may enjoy this. Like Nin in the pic below, he’s such a mood.