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Ubatheehet Episode 3

lovefia

Posted on November 19, 2012

Well well well. Not the biggest of progress between our leads, but at least their minimal scenes together are still cute. This episode focuses on the third wheel- Gusuma- who consistently meddles and pesters her friends to fight. But at the end of the day, Non learns that she needs to start believing her friend less and trust her boyfriend more.

Episode 3 Recap

Dekcha’s siblings nurse his wounds but they didn’t seem to realize his near demise earlier. The person who does, Nut, came into the room and helps him tend to his bruises. All is well with them because she couldn’t possibly be mad at him after he risked his life to protect her honor.

He walks her back to her house and advises her to chat with Aroon about the offender but she doesn’t want to- which seems to be the response of many “good” characters because they feel that it would be a bother. You almost got raped! But such is the case with the powerful versus the not so powerful- they know who will win in the end. Dekcha also tells Nut that maybe Khun Whitney could help them too. Nut’s defense walls immediately went up upon hearing the name- apparently Gusuma has implanted the theory of Whitney going after Aroon- so Nut immediately gets angry. Which shows her naïve character very well- I mean, one should base one’s instincts on logic (Whitney helped her and she didn’t have to) not base on an observation by a green monster. But I think the underlying factor is, Nut crushes on Dekcha and gets jealous when she hears that he might fancy Whitney lol.

Speaking of Whitney, she’s doing her best to irritate her step mom. They are carpooling together in the morning and Whitney sits in the front seat, adjusting it so that she’s practically laying on her stepmom. Even if she’s a little immature, I do like that she’d rather play “nice” than to always scream at her stepmom which is prevalent in other lakorns. Then she turns the radio station to Buddhist praying, hoping that her stepmom would like it, lol.

Upon arriving to the company, Kongkaew tells Whitney to pick a car of her choice, since her father has asked Kongkaew to help her choose one. But Whitney has already chosen one and they walk to the “used” Mercedes. Kongkaew says that she shouldn’t be using second hand car (since she’s the President’s daughter), which shows us that Kongkaew if anything, values her face and people’s perception more than anything. Whitney says that she doesn’t like new things like her father.

Before she could test out her new car, she is summoned by her father to his office. His face is livid. He berates her for causing him another problem and throws a document on the desk. She is confused by the document and his anger. He tells her that Sia Cho (the dirty man) has phoned him and explained everything. Whitney asks him if Sia Cho told him what he has done? Her father doesn’t care because Sia Cho is his top customer and he will lose a lot of money if Sia Cho cancels all 20 of the purchase orders. Kongkaew tries to calm him down but he’s still furious, telling his daughter that she has only worked for two days but she has caused him to lose millions- how could he trust her? He even proceeds to bring out the past that she has always disappointed him. Geez, and you wonder why she can’t ever forgive him?

Whitney storms out of the office and jumps into her car and speeds out of the showroom, nearly hitting Aroon’s car in the process. Even Dekcha gets fired from the company due to his fight with Sia Cho. The levelheaded Aroon tells Dekcha and Non to join him in the President’s office. He wasn’t going to let his best sales person leave the company unfairly. He pleads their case to Khun Amnui and the older man finally understands and allows Dekcha to continue working there as well as helping him with his case. Imagine that, patience and calm winning a case! Aroon overhears the employee mention that Whitney may never come back, after the berating she received from her father.

Whitney drives to her mom’s place, where else would she go for some solace? But her mom is currently gambling and chases her friends into hiding thinking that someone else was here to see her. She introduces her daughter to her gambling friends, including her boyfriend (the creepo.) So many creeps in this drama. Her mom adores her new car, showing it off to the neighbors. Whitney looks on with embarrassment.

Khun Amnui tries to phone his daughter to no avail, regretting his behavior earlier.

Whitney stands in the courtyard, remembering her beautiful family when she was younger. But her mom’s creepy boyfriend tries to hit on her again but she’s tough and tells him that she’s not afraid of snakes in the yard, she’s more afraid of villainous bugs who are leeching on her mother. Her mother’s boyfriend has a determined look on his face. After seeing her mother gambling away, Whitney decides to leave. She checks her phone, which indicates missed calls from her father.

At a hotel restaurant by the company, Whitney sits alone. Aroon notices her as he shepherds his clients to a lunch meeting.

“Khun Whitney, what are you doing here? Why don’t you go back to work?” he asks.

“I’ve resigned.”

“But your dad wants to see you.”

“I’m aware. But I don’t want to see anyone,” she says. She signals the waiter for her bill. Aroon is looking awfully concerned for her.

He follows her out of the restaurant.

“Wait a sec-“ he reaches for her hand.

She pulls her hand away, “I’ve told you, I don’t want to see anyone.”

“Why don’t you go back with me,” he pulls her towards the door.

“You have no right to order me around! I’m no longer your assistant. Aren’t you happy you no longer have an assistant that causes so much problems for you?”

“Then why don’t you work it out with your dad that you’ve quit? Don’t just leave your job.”

She refuses and tries to walk away again. Aroon stops her by pulling on her arm. At this time Yoting walks in and Whitney uses him as a tool to escape. She tells him that she’s been waiting for him for a while. Aroon watches them walk away with concern.

Yoting wonders who Aroon is but Whitney doesn’t tell him, merely that he is someone she knows. It turns out, the hotel is owned by Yoting’s family and Whitney asks for him to arrange a room for her. Yoting phones his mother to show off how successful he is in seeing Whitney again.

On the drive home Gusuma tells Aroon that her friend who works at Yoting’s hotel saw Khun Whitney checking in. She assumes because Whitney checks into a hotel with a man, that means she may not come back to work again. Non adds that she wished she was born a rich girl who doesn’t have to worry about work, only to worry about fending off rich guys. Aroon tells Non that he’s sorry to make her jealous of a rich girl, lol, so Non immediately is defensive. Aroon says that she’s always jealous of others and it makes him feel that he can’t measure up. Gusuma is sitting in the backseat, smiling at the debacle unfolding before her. Non is crying and she forces him to pull over so she could get off. She jumps into a cab. Wow, sensitive much? Aroon looks at the back of the cab helplessly. This is more ammunition for Gusuma who keeps talking bad about Non.

Word got to Khun Amnui that Whitney packed her bags and left the house. They look for her at her mother’s house, which is always a bad idea. Awkward, exes reuniting after a long time.

Kongkaew receives a call from Yoting’s mom that Whitney is at a club, they arrive there and find her dancing on the stage. Khun Amnui tries to yank her out of the club. When she refuses, he is fed up. He grabs a glass of water and tosses it on her. He tells her that he just saw her mother in a despicable condition and to see her like that too was too much. So you think to toss water on your daughter in front of everyone is really going to help things? Whitney tells him to leave her alone but her father is insistent about bringing her home. She says that she’s been like this for a long time and she will never change. She storms out and her father stumbles back from anxiety.

Whitney packs up her bag to leave the hotel- she has told Yoting not to tell her father already. He tries to stop her but Whitney puts him in his place- it is none of his business. Lol. (He’s just trying to win her and her family over with trust.)

Kongkaew pays her a visit as well and shares with Whitney that her father is unwell. He had blackout a bit ago due to his condition. Her stepmom agrees not to pester her or lecture her anymore, she’s an adult now and she should know how to conduct herself. Whitney finally comes to his side, aww of course she cares about her father. And they make peace, for now.

Aroon came to apologize to Non at her house. Non says that he has never been like this before and wonders what had happened to him. Aroon could only say that it was his own lack of self-confidence and fear that he could not make her happy. It makes him sad every time he hears of her speaking that way (that she’s jealous of rich people..) Non tells him that she has chosen him and that means she will never change her mind, no matter what. They make up and hug. Nut watches from the door with happiness. She bothers Dekcha again (through their connecting string and tin can lol) and shares the news with him. He tells her that he could care less, lol, and that she should go find a boyfriend.

At the house, Whitney tends to her dad. He tries to apologize about what happened earlier but Whitney tells him to rest and that they should forget about everything.

That morning Nut tags along with Aroon and Non to work. They will try to see if she could be Aroon’s assistance moving forward. The receptionists tease Non about how convenient it was to have a manager for a boyfriend so she could get a family in the door. Arnoon proceeds to chat with the boss, but soon discovers that Whitney is back to work. Lol. Arnoon changes the subject and wonders about Khun Amnui’s conditions instead. Non and Nut discover that Whitney is back to work too. Nut runs out of the company with embarrassment.

Whitney learns of the situation with Nut and says that he’s the one to blame- he shouldn’t have told on her to her dad that she was staying in a hotel. Arnoon denies it because he doesn’t dare tell his boss that his daughter is staying in a hotel with someone. She warns him to be careful with his words and teases him that if he didn’t already have a girlfriend, she’d think that he was jealous. She steps even closer to him and asks if he was really jealous of her? Aroon could only stand erect- and Non walks in on time to see her boyfriend standing close to his assistant.

And she shares her concerns with Gusuma (of all people) that she fears that Aroon and Whitney are getting too close. Gusuma reiterates that Whitney is not a person to trust. She also says that maybe that is why Whitney won’t quit. She advises Non to tame the fire before it blazes. The other employees are snooping in the bathroom and they gossip about posting this news on facebook.

Dekcha sees Nut on the streets and figures out a way to get her a job- a car model lol. She curses at him when she realizes what the job would entail lol.

When it is time for a lunch break, Aroon gets a call from his girlfriend. Whitney teases him about receiving a reminder call from his mother about eating lunch. She phones her father for lunch but learns he is out with Kongkaew. She walks through the showroom aimlessly until she sees Dekcha and he invites her for lunch. Whitney is just happy she has a friend.

They go out for lunch and Dekcha tells her that no one makes more delicious food than his mother. This intrigues Whitney and she invites herself over for a meal soon. Dekcha says that his mom has wanted to cook for her since the time she helped him. Aroon and Non happen to walk in the same restaurant but Non decides that Whitney could dine more freely without seeing them so they change restaurant. Dekcha notices them though and points it out- Whitney thinks they wouldn’t have an appetite if they saw her. Dekcha is surprised to hear that because Aroon is such a calm fellow and doesn’t have a lot of conflict with people. Whitney explains that he doesn’t like her since she hit his car- since the first time they met. She thinks he wishes that she would just quit one of these days. Dekcha doesn’t agree, he tells her that Aroon was the one who spoke with her father and clear things up for them. Dekcha says that Aroon is a good person, just serious because he has raised himself and doesn’t know how to talk to people. Whitney has a better understanding of her boss now- and maybe a little bit more respect?

In the car ride, Non is pouting the entire time. He tries to show her different restaurants but there’s nothing that seems to suit her. She’s a picky and hard to please person. We are seeing that they are not getting along. He decides to return back to the office on an empty stomach. Whitney sees him and offers a dessert she purchased for him, Dekcha told her that he likes it. Aroon asks if she did anything wrong, that’s why she brought him food? Lol. She prepares a plate for him as he watches the food hungrily. But he tells her that he isn’t hungry (although his stomach growls) so she decides to spoonfeed him. Gusuma sees it and runs to Non to tattle on Aroon. In the office, Whitney finally admits that she bought the dessert for him to thank him for clearing the story about Sia Cho with her dad. Aroon says that it’s a simple matter, she didn’t need to buy anything for him. She tells him that she never consoles a man- and he asks her, should he ought to be proud then? But she replies that he would only need to eat all of the dessert. He finally concedes.

Non walks in on them and surmises that is why he came back to work so quickly. Do people in this company not understand the concept of knocking?? She tells him that she’s not going home with him today, since she’s going to be shopping with Gusuma. Whitney looks at him with concern. Gusuma is training Non to be stronger and more decisive with Aroon. Little did she know that her friend is trying to break them apart, imparting not only suspicion but lack of trust. Whitney feels responsible and offers herself to talk to Non but Aroon explains that he will deal with it himself.

But that doesn’t make her feel better so at the end of the workday, she waits for Non at the showroom. She asks to speak with her regarding Aroon. Non refuses to talk to her and walks away.

That evening Whitney arrives at Dekcha’s house for dinner. She meets the entire household.

Dekcha and Nut are pretty funny and cute together. They also keep misunderstanding each other. She thinks that he wants her to be one of the “pretty’s” for the company, dressing revealing and such. But he merely wants her to be a host who helps customers and offers them water. Upon learning this, Nut looks down with embarrassment for misunderstanding him. She apologizes as he pouts. She offers a pinky and tries to make peace. He takes her to his kitchen where she discovers that Whitney is at his house for dinner.

At the mall, Non notices that Gusuma likes to dress up like her and buys whatever she buys. She tells her friend that it is irritating, this habit of hers. Gusuma is angered upon hearing this. As Non walks through the mall, she gets hit by a boy roller skating. Yoting catches her before she hits the ground. His love interest accuses him of straying even at the mall lol and unleashes a fury. She ends their “dating” and throws popcorn and drink at both him and Non. Feeling guilty, Yoting purchases a Dolce Gabbana scarf for Non to cover her soiled shirt. She accepts it. As they are walking back, Gusuma tells her that he must be rich to buy her such an expensive item. Non says that she’s happy to accept the scarf because she has always wanted it.

Whitney loves the busy and commotion of his household. She finds out where Non lives and wants to talk to her. Meanwhile Non thinks about the rich man she met earlier, and her boyfriend.

Aroon is waiting for her when she came home that night, shopping bags in hand. He wants to talk to her about the misunderstanding earlier and she believes him. She says that she encountered a similar experience at the mall. Well that was easy. Dekcha walks Whitney to Non’s house and they notice Aroon’s car. They watch the two from afar. Non says that she needs to have more trust and confidence in him. She has listened to others too much even when Aroon is the one who knows her the best. She apologizes and they make up with a hug.

Will that be enough? Will a third hand eventually tear the two apart?

I feel that this episode is somewhat of a filler episode, moving the story slowly along the path of eventual “accident,” whenever that is going to happen.. it’s not as fast paced as I have hoped and our leading characters didn’t have a whole lot of interactions. So I’m begging for something to happen soon or I’ll be real bored. Although I must say, I still adore Whitney and her scenes are always fun to watch. It’s just that it’s a cycle of argument with her father. We know they’ll have a reason to fight, and he would misunderstand her, but then they’ll make up. The same goes for Aroon and his girlfriend. Please get to the point and I shall be a happy camper.

*screen shot taken from Sleepy20sChannel YT

Categories: Lakorn Recaps

Tagged: Aump Patcharapa, Om Akapan, Ubatheehet

2 Comments

Ubatheehet Episode 2: Lonely Souls

lovefia

Posted on November 16, 2012

Family conflict, gossipy employees, evil and psycho villain- a recipe for the cliché lakorn, you say? Well at least the heroine’s not stupid or weak and our hero is learning that she isn’t the typical hi-so woman that he perceives her to be. He is also not a playboy (whew) and together, they make me smile. In that regard, what more could I ask for? Well.. we shall see. Only time will tell.

Episode 2 Recap

In Aroon’s office, Whitney’s desk is situated in the corner. He watches her warily, remembering their accident and the gossip about her being the boss’ mistress. He gives a sigh, and Whitney looks at him pointedly.

“You’re not the only one who thinks the world is small. I’m sick of it too,” she says.

“I’m just an employee,” he tells her, “there’s nothing I could be displeased about.” After a bit he questions, “So what is it are you skilled at?”

“Eat, sleep and play.”

“Figures,” he says.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

He’s perusing his document and doesn’t answer.

“I asked- what do you mean by that?” she repeats herself.

When he doesn’t answer, she walks across the room and gets in his face.

He peers surprisingly at her proximity.

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” she says.

“What are you doing here? Go sit behind the desk and I’ll find you some work.”

“Not until you’ve answered my question. What were you referring to?”

She doesn’t know he thinks she’s a mistress lol.

He looks away and makes an excuse, “I meant that.. you were like that since the first time we met.”

“See, that’s all.” She sashays back to her desk.

Aroon asks her if she knows how to translate documents. She is able to do so in three languages, English, French and German. Well, at least she learned something from the 10 years abroad, heh.

He gives her a document to translate in English and she has trouble writing it out and keeps asking him how to spell certain words. Besides, she doesn’t have a computer either so she must write everything down. When she’s done with her first draft, she takes it over to him to correct. He tells her that he’s her boss, not her Thai language teacher. Their banter is quite cute, I love her!

When Whitney accomplishes the translation and he felt it was good enough, he crumbles the paper and tosses it in the garbage.

“What are you doing?! I spent two hours on that!” she exclaims, crossing her arms in offense.

“You’re in training so I’m having you practice translating documents. That way you can improve on your Thai fluency, then you’ll be able to determine how you can be of use for this company.”

“But I did it with diligence; you have no right to do this!”

She stomps back to her desk, anger is making the best of her and she returns and unplugs the power cord from his computer. An eye for an eye. She’s brave but we definitely can’t say that she’s mature lol.

Cord in hand, Whitney looks triumphant. But it angers Aroon. “How does it feel to have your hard work thrown away?”

Aroon wrestles for the power cord but she’s stubborn until they back into his chair and he falls on it- taking Whitney with him. Whitney is shocked at how she landed on his lap and embarrassingly got up. But she forgot the cord was in her hands as she’s walking away and turns around to give it back to him (lol.)  She makes a run for it.

Our Whitney still has so much to learn when it comes to dealing with her emotions. But this is one of her character arch that she will go through in this lakorn.

Aroon decides he needs to have a chat with the big boss. He tells Khun Amnui that Whitney is not suitable for this role (secretary/assistant.) But Khun Amnui says that Whitney majored in this, how could that be possible? Aroon explains that maybe she doesn’t like it? His boss asks him to be patient with her, she is a stubborn and rebellious person but not much longer, she will take over the President’s role in his wake. Aroon looks surprisingly at Khun Amnui. And the boss gives him another shocker, “Whitney is my only child.”

“Daughter? She’s your daughter?”

“Well of course, what else did you think she was?” Haha. Perhaps maybe your e-nu??

Aroon looks away, should teach him not to believe office gossips! He shares his findings with the group during lunch; Non is relieved because she knew it all along. The rest of the group (the gossipers) looks like they ate a bad fish. Guilty! Gusuma tries to blow Aroon’s ears by saying that Non was overly jealous. But Non defends herself and says that they were the ones who pushed her to eavesdrop and it’s not going to work anyway because she and Aroon trust each other. Gusuma could only look on with envy.

Back at the showroom, Whitney finds Dekcha. The moment he catches eyes with her, he ducks.

“Where are you going, Mr. President’s son?” Whitney asks.

“It’s this, Khun Whitney-“ he starts.

“You know my name too? I’m about to go have lunch with your father, would you like to come along?” Ah, she is one to tease.

Dekcha starts bawling, “I’m so sorry, I didn’t intend to lie!” He falls to his knees and begs her not to let Khun Amnui fire him. He explains that he has a mom and sister to support as well as all of the bills to pay.

Whitney stops him from talking by reaching for his hands, “Get up please.”

“Don’t please don’t,” he lets her hands go, “I don’t want to die yet. I can get up on my own.”

“Why are you going to die then?” she asks, confused.

He hints that if she touches him like that, Khun Amnui might be displeased and fire him. Whitney laughs and tells him that her father is not that bad.

Dekcha stutters, “So you’re not..”

Everyone seems to have a hard time accepting that she’s the President’s daughter lol.

Kongkaew is having afternoon tea with her sisters and they discuss the new problem at hand. Her middle sister thinks she needs to have the upper hand now and show who is boss. But her oldest tells her to be patient, being a step mom is difficult due to the negative connotations, but like Khun Amnui, her oldest believes that she could do it. Only time will tell. Kongkaew wonders how long it will take and is skeptical whether she could deal with a hellion like Whitney. She thinks Whitney can’t stand her face.  At least we don’t have an evil step mother to top it off. Kongkaew is merely trying to find a way to live together in peace.

After noon lunch is over and Whitney sneaks into the office again, not realizing that Aroon is standing by the door, waiting for her.

I like his fierce, disapproval look.

He reminds her of the lunchtime hours and that she is late. He doesn’t care that she went to lunch with her “father.” He wants her to abide by the rules as any other employee. He also tells her that the President has told him to train her about all aspect of the company. He piles binders atop her desk and instructs her to read them all and take notes. She complains that she’s not in grade school thus doesn’t need to give him her notes. He tells her to tell her father that then, he’s not going to force her.

Whitney gets to work on her notes while she glances at her boss periodically. Aroon thinks she’s being diligent lol. I love the way he looks at her, as if he doesn’t know what to make of her. By the end of the day, she places all of the binder and her notes on his desk and takes off for the day. As he opens the journal, instead of seeing notes, he sees a drawing of Godzilla, then the devil, indicating who it’s meant for. LOL she’s pretty creative.

Remember how she’s not a snob? Well, we see more aspects of her character depth and I’ve really come to adore her. Since she’s been living abroad for ten years, she craves authentic Thai food. Her step mom is having guests over for dinner but instead of eating French food, she opts to join the servants with their dinner instead. Who could blame her? There were mouthwatering papaya salad, sticky rice and all sorts of yummy food. The servants watch in wonder at their mistress, eating their food with earnest. She tells them there was only one thing missing- sour mango. She dons a sarong around her waist and climbs the tree. After trying to reach one of the mangos dangling from the branches, she falls to the ground- but not before a new character- Yoting (Andrew Cronin) catches her before she falls.

He is immediately attracted to her.

The commotion causes her step mom and the guest to come out of the house. She gets introduced to Yoting’s mom who appears to be another hi-so woman, and who is part of the same social charity organization as Kongkaew. They all proceed to the dinner table minus Whitney. Kongkaew heads to the kitchen and servant’s quarters to find Whitney. She lectures Whitney of being a proper representative for her father. And that she should get used to hosting guests. Whitney only listens with one ear and decides to embarrass her step mom. Maybe Kongkew should have left her to her own device?

Whitney makes her way to the dinner table. She tells them that she is tired of eating foreign food so she hopes that they won’t mind if she brought a few of her favorites. She claps her hands and the maids bring in platters and platters of Thai food. Not entirely authentic lol, as there is a plate of jumping baby frogs (I think that’s what it is.) The guests scream and Yoting’s mom jumps from her chair. She thinks she has deterred and frightened the guests, but it only made Yoting more interested in her. You see, Yoting and his mom are only rich for show. They are struggling financially and are looking for a bride with a rich father. They decided to set their caps on Whitney.

That night, Khun Amnui scolds his daughter. Whitney says that he forced her hand first, but Khun Amnui wonders why she has to always rebut. He says that he is embarrassed for her actions today. She tells him to leave her in the kitchen then, she doesn’t want to show up in the society or pretend as if they are a united family, when really, that’s not the case. He asks her if she ever consider his happiness in this equation.

Whitney spins around, “What about you? Have you ever considered what happiness means to me?”

He challenges her to tell him what makes her happy.

“That’s exactly it, you don’t even know what makes me happy,” tears welling up in her eyes.

Understanding her is not his forte. He tries to console her and make peace. He walks over to her and hugs her, “Whitney, I know that I might not be a good dad. But I am going to try. Try to be a proper dad to you. Give me a chance, girl.”

The tears roll down her face. We think, maybe she’ll give in. But it’s 10 years of neglect we’re talking about here. Whitney tells him, “You used to have that chance. You used to..” Ouch.

She pulls away and walks out.

The next morning, arriving to work is a 180 from yesterday. The employees are catering to Whitney, asking if they could help her hold her purse lol. She’s walking through the showroom, uncomfortable with the attention. She asks for Dekcha. She finds him talking to his cars (he’s such a funny guy) he has names for all of them. He asks them not to love him so much because they need to be bought and leave the showroom. Whitney smiles, his cheerful demeanor making her happy. It is easy to see why she steers towards him.

Aroon and Non arrive at the company and notices Whitney talking so merrily with Dekcha. Non doesn’t think it is appropriate that Dekcha is acting so familiar with the boss’ daughter. But to Aroon, it’s not surprising because Dekcha is very easily to get along with. Non decides to pull Aroon along and get introduced to Whitney.

When working hours dictate them to head to their stations, Aroon and Whitney made their way to his office. She props her hip on his desk and he warns her that this is Thailand, it isn’t proper for a woman to behave that way. Whitney shrugs and tells him to stop lecturing her about propriety and give her work.

“You’re still asking for work? Yesterday you didn’t complete anything I gave you.”

“Because I know that if I do them, you’ll just throw them away.” Lol.

“Then I don’t have anything for you to do.”

“Fine-“ Whitney says and gets off his desk, “I’ll just sit right here-“ right across from him, with her face in her hand.

Gusuma walks into his office without knocking, telling him that she needs his help. She notices Whitney sitting across from him. Don’t like that do you? Heh. She asks him to double check her translations. Whitney perks up and offers her assistance but her boss reviews it himself.

Gusuma is pissed and warns Non to keep her eyes on Whitney. She thinks Whitney is after Aroon.

Whitney just sits there and glances at him with a smile. He’s not used to the overt attention. While he’s working, she’s drawing him. Wondering what she’s up to, Aroon takes the sheet from her. He’s startled at her skills; the face that greets him has an immense likeness to him. He compliments her that she’s skillful but wants to tear it up because he thinks it’s useless. She stops him in time and threatens that she will burn down his important papers.

“Are you nuts?” He asks, “Why are you acting like a child?”

“Well I don’t want to be an adult right now. I want to work but you wouldn’t give me any. And when I draw to kill time you said I was being childish. So what exactly do you want me to do?” She has a point..

Aroon is fed up, “Fine, you really want to work? I’ll find you work.” He turns around and puts an armload of binders in front of her. “Duplicate these binders- can you do that?”

She nods her head. “Piece of cake.”

Lol, they are always trying to outwit each other. She tells him that she will accomplish such task by the time lunch is over. The only problem is, she doesn’t know how to work the copying machine. But she’s so stubborn; she tells him that she can manage it. Aroon walks away and she doesn’t even know how to turn the thing on lol. He returns- figuring that she wouldn’t know how to operate it- and instructs her. He is trying to help her succeed, but their personalities clash.

Aroon and Non go out for lunch and he warns her to finish her task before she could eat. Whitney watches them leave then peer at the stack of binders. How will she complete all of that and have time to eat lunch? Two employees meander over, asking to help her with the files. With teamwork, they are able to get it done, but unfortunately, lunchtime is over.

In the mall, Non discusses with Aroon about Whitney. She tells him that the whole office thinks that he’s going to fall for Whitney because she’s beautiful and rich. Aroon says that he doesn’t put importance in the way a person looks. It is only a person’s heart that matters to him. Non beams and feels reassured.

Oh, what is our hero going to do when he learns that Whitney’s heart is as beautiful as her face?

When Non returns to his office, he glances at the sheet on his desk. It is Whitney’s drawing of him and he can’t help but appreciate her talent. She walks in and announces that she has accomplished her work and is ready to have lunch. However, Non is a hardass and tells her that lunchtime is scheduled during specific hours. Since it’s passed that, she may not be excused. That doesn’t deter her though so she orders pizza to be delivered to the office. She smiles mischievously and wonders how to tell people for what occasion is her boss buying her food? Lol. Non calls the pizza place and cancels the order (ah so mean) which pisses her off. He tells her that since he is her boss, she needs to listen to him (even when she’ll be his boss in the future.) He will allot her five minutes for a coffee break.

Meanwhile, Dekcha is visiting one of his top clients that afternoon. It just so happens that the client is a vile, repulsive person. Dekcha is about to sell a Mercedes to him when they spot Nut applying for a job in the client’s company. Dekcha tries to help his neighbor by putting in a good word for her, but to a miscreant’s ears, it sounds like he’s selling Nut to him. He tells the creeper that Nut is a hard worker and obedient, she’ll do whatever the boss tells her to do. Dekcha tells him that he won’t be disappointed for hiring her.

Whitney doesn’t give up without a fight. If he’s going to make her miserable, she is about to reciprocate that. The phone rings and they both reach for it, Aroon is stunned at touching her hand, lol. He tells her that he will pick up the phone so he doesn’t release his hand until she is forced to slide her hand out. She overhears that he has dinner reservations with Non that evening and smiles mischievously.

Aroon has arranged for a desktop for Whitney and she blasts up the speaker while she’s working, which irked Aroon since they share the same office. He tells her to lower the volume but she doesn’t. He walks over to turn it off and she says that she can’t concentrate without any music. Relenting- and probably not wanting to split hairs with her- he tells her to keep it down.

Finally the end of the work day is here and Non came to get Aroon for their dinner reservations. Whitney just so happens to tell Aroon that her father wants her to look at the manufacturing warehouse today, and she asks if Aroon could take her. He tells her that he’s not free. Whitney asks him to draw her a map and write instructions on how she could get there, and besides, she doesn’t have a car yet. Non watches this with reluctance then it is decided that Aroon would take Whitney there. Aroon says he could take Non home first then come back and take Whitney to the warehouse, but Non declines it, telling him that she could go home with Gusuma.

Back at the creeper’s office, he’s taken by Nut and asks to interview her himself. He hints at the fact that her friend (Dekcha) has said those things about her and that she is willing to be with him. Disgusted, Nut tries to leave but the old man attempts to rape her. Scared Nut fights him off and runs away, calling for her to pick her up.

Aroon and Whitney are arriving at the warehouse; she is looking mighty comfortable in his car, not even an utter of complaint. She’s also playing video games on her phone. He asks her to sit still and act like an adult for once, lol. He wants her to see the warehouse during the day so she could observe the operations and manufacturing team. She asks him does he think she is afraid of ghosts then? She assures him that she’s not afraid of ghosts, she’s used to visiting many haunted castles when she lived abroad. He asks her what exactly is she hoping to see and she replies that whatever there is to see, lol.

They are too cute.

Upon stepping out of the car and entering the facilities, the workers all have their eyes on her. Those long flirty legs. He pulls her back and says that she shouldn’t have dressed that way, it’s not proper. He tells her to look at the workers’ faces. She turns around and smiles at them, “Are you tired? Su-su (fighting) joop-joop (kisses.)” Lol. She’s always pushing Aroon’s buttons.

That same evening Dekcha visits his mom’s food booth, and shows off the money he just earned for selling a car. He wants to buy the days’ worth of food and treat her to many more meals to come. As they head home though, and carting the food with them, they spot their neighbors, Nut and Non. Dekcha merrily offers to give them some tasty treats, but Nut is staring murderously at him. He starts packing away little baggies of treats and offers them to her. Furious, she grabs the snacks and stuffs them in his mouth, the grease smearing his face. Taken aback by the shock, Dekcha and his mother kept asking what is wrong with her. “You eat that!” she exclaims, then she tells him how vile he is by “selling” her to the dirty man. His mom turns on him and starts hitting him, disappointed by his despicable actions.

By the end of the warehouse tour, Whitney is hungry and tells Aroon to take her to a nearby restaurant, she hasn’t eaten since lunch. They made their way to a local spot and Aroon is confused by her excitement and her adeptness at ordering all of the local food. He recalls his own girlfriend warning him not to eat som-tum (payaya salad) because it will upset his stomach. He starts to taste it but overcome with the spice. She hadn’t realized that he doesn’t eat any spice. Feeling badly that he wouldn’t be able to eat, she asks the cook to make another order of som-tum. However, it would be a long wait, so Whitney asks to make it herself. Aroon watches her thumping away the mortar and pestle, making him a dish he didn’t think she was familiar with or knew how to make! She is full of surprises.

Dekcha saw red and doesn’t think about the repercussions of his actions. He makes his way back to his client’s office and stands before the car. The older man is getting ready to leave and tells him to move along. Besides, he sent the wrong girl to him and he is disappointed. Angry, Dekcha pulls the monkey wrench from his belt and goes to town at the Mercedes, damaging the front. The dirty man walks out of his car and tries to chastise him when Dekcha beats him down. Securities abound, Dekcha gets his own beatdown.

While Aroon is eating his tasty som-tum, he gets a phone call from Non. Dekcha is arrested. Aroon and Whitney make chase to the jailhouse to bail him out. Whitney, the clear headed one asks his mom to explain the situation to her. She calls her lawyer and they bail Dekcha out. Everyone looks on at Whitney as if she grew two heads, impressed by her generosity. She is furious of the attempted rape.

Gusuma- at a totally inappropriate time- pulls Nut aside and tells her to keep any eye out for Whitney- that Whitney is trying to steal Aroon from Non. I am like, seriously? Nut was almost raped, Dekcha was in jail and all you can think about is Whitney going after Aroon? Delusional! Her brain is certainly imbalanced.

The old geezer sees that the police has released Dekcha and forces them to put him back in jail. Whitney is fearless and angry so she confronts the dirty man and tells him off- that she knows what he has done and she will get her lawyer and the entire police force to reprimand his ass. As if that wasn’t enough, she finds the nearest pitcher of water and douses the scumbag with it. Aroon holds her back and tells her that it is enough. The scumbag says he will get back with her! But Whitney is beyond caring.

Aroon takes Whitney home after the whole debacle. Gusuma is angry that Non has allowed Aroon to take Whitney home- come on lady, Whitney saved Dekcha and avenged for Nut! But she’s psycho and that night, she’s sitting in her dark room cutting out pictures again. She claims that Non is not suitable for Aroon anymore (because she’s too weak) and she will do what she will to get him. Dun dun dun…

But a beautiful closure to episode two.. Aroon and Whitney are in the car and Whitney tells him to come inside, she wants to prepare him a cup of coffee. He’s reluctant because he thinks it’s inappropriate but Whitney tells him that no one is home, her parents are at a social event. Aroon finally agrees and they sit in the large living room as he’s sipping the coffee.

“Is that drinkable?” she asks him.

“Better than drinking water,” he replies. Lol.

“Hey… you’re assistant made you som-tum , coffee for you today, cleared the problem at work and with Dekcha, doesn’t that warrant sweeter words?” she presses him.

“Ok,” he relents, “you’ve done very well.”

She’s waiting for more, but doesn’t get anything else. “That’s it?”

He looks at her pointedly and changes the subject. “Your home is so quiet.”

“It’s because there aren’t many people who live here. A large house with only three people.”

“No wonder you’re not afraid of ghosts.”

“I’m used to being alone, ever since I was little. Before, we never had a housekeeper. So I have to sleep alone because sometimes my dad works so late he doesn’t return home,” she turns to him, “what about you, are you afraid of ghosts?”

“I was raised in a temple. If I was afraid, I wouldn’t be able to live there.”

“Did you used to be a monk?” she asks.

“No- I was a temple kid (dek wat.)”

“That’s good though,” she says, “you won’t get lonely like me.”

He smiles. “It is still lonely- lonely in the inside.” Aww..

His words settle on her. She can relate to the feeling. No matter whether you are surrounded by people, you can still be very lonely. At the end of the day, they are just two very lonely people.

They look at each other, understanding how each other feels.

That night, Non begins to feel uncertain about Aroon. He’s taking Whitney home and she couldn’t help wondering what they’re doing. She decides to call him, to check on him. He sounds removed; he says he’s busy right now. Then he asks her to open her windows and as she does this, she finds him in front of his car across the street, talking on the phone with her. He smiles at her and says that he can’t go to sleep if he doesn’t see her face before the night is over.

As for our Whitney, her step mom is actually at home and heard from the maid that she was entertaining a man. Kongkaew thinks it is inappropriate for her to be alone and that Kongkaew would like to meet the man next time he comes. Whitney tells her that she might be bringing many different men home so she doesn’t know if Kongkaew would be able to meet them all. Lol. But Kongkaew doesn’t take the bait and tells her that she would like to supervise next time. Whitney however asks her if she’d like to join them if she invites the man to her bedroom? Oh Whitney.. always trying to push your step mom’s button. You know she’s a proper woman.

I’ve enjoyed this episode, especially the scenes between Whitney and Aroon. They like to goad each other. But as I’ve mentioned earlier, they are just two lonely souls. She- Whitney- is seeking and craving for company, friendship and camaraderie. She is the person who needs the most love in this drama. While Aroon, growing up in the temple without a family, is the person who needs companionship as well. He’s a good boyfriend and challenging boss- but as a person, I’d like to see more revelations. The end of episode two, with the heart to heart conversation about loneliness with Whitney- is a step in the right direction.

—

*Pictures are limited today as I’m rushing to get this posted asap. Words I can deal with, but screencapping and high quality pictures are not my forte. I’m slowly working on figuring out how to improve. So bear with me. Sometimes I wish I can just write and not be responsible for including pictures at all heh.

*FYI, out of town this weekend so next episode will be posted late Sunday or early next week.

*Pic credit as tagged, DaraVDO FB

Categories: Lakorn Recaps

Tagged: Aump Patcharapa, Om Akapan, Ubatheehet

6 Comments

Ubatheehet Ep 1, Part 2

lovefia

Posted on November 15, 2012

When Whitney does something totally unintentional and wrong, she feels badly for having done them. If she was a true diva, she would be a snob and wouldn’t give a rat’s ass whether she offended anyone. But upon taking the Mercedes out for a drive, Whitney teases the driver too much and accidentally hits an outdoor potted plant. She winces at her mistake but when her step mom glances at her with irritation- thinking that she’s taking her car to spite her intentionally- Whitney hits the accelerator and makes a run for it.

On the road, in an oldie that could barely play music, Aroon is driving with his friend, Dekcha (Es Kantapong), who complains that the car has done its time. He thinks that if it were a human being, it would have already been put to rest. Whitney is jamming out in the Mercedes behind them, totally distracted with the navigation on her phone and doesn’t realize the driver in front of her is slamming on his brakes. Her front bumper goes careening into his car, causing his taillight to hang on its hinge.

“Again?!” she exclaims, lol. Earlier she hit a potted plant.

Aroon gets out of his car to examine his taillight. This is just what he needed, additional damage to his already ancient car.

Whitney gets out of her car too and squats down to look at her damage. She scoots back, not realizing he’s directly behind her, and reveals her shapely back to him. Aroon is forced to look; irritated that she’s all up in his business. She turns around and he looks up, caught by her pretty face. He isn’t spellbound like his friend Dekcha though, who mutters “Nang Fah” (angel) under his breath.

She doesn’t immediately yell or shout that it’s his fault like a lot of hi-so people would have done. Instead, she says, “I’m really sorry. I was looking at my phone and didn’t realize that you stopped.”

“It’s ok,” Dekcha replies for his friend.

But Aroon isn’t having it. Her irresponsibility gnaws at him. He gets up, “It is not ok! Are you not aware that the law dictates that you cannot use your phone while driving?”

“Well I-“

“Don’t claim ignorance, it’s a waste of time.”

“It’s not like that. I was going to tell you that I do know (the law)- but it’s really unintentional,” she explains.

“I am aware that you didn’t intend to hit my car, but it doesn’t lower your offense.”

“Take it easy Aroon,” his friend coaxes him.

“I know that I’m wrong. That’s why I am prepared to pay for the damages.” She reaches back into her car for her wallet.

They are drawing by-passers to the scene.

“How much do you need? Let’s make a deal right here, no need to call the cops and waste our time.”

Aroon is insulted, but before he could say anything, his cellphone rang. It happens to be his girlfriend Non, who is wondering when he would arrive to her sister’s graduation ceremony. He tells her that he got into a minor accident.

Whitney is looking on with urgency and asks Dekcha if his uncle is always like this. “My uncle?” Dekcha says with confusion.

“I heard you call him ‘uncle’.”

“Ar-Roon,” Lol, “he’s not my uncle, his name is Aroon.”

“Good, then I won’t be shy,” she proceeds forward and takes the phone away from Aroon, who is just telling his girlfriend that he’ll try to hurry.

“What’s your deal?” he says.

“What part of “I’m in a hurry” don’t you understand?” Whitney asks.

“What about you, are you familiar with any manners?” he retorts. “Give me back my phone.”

“Not until we’ve made a deal.”

Undeterred, Aroon wrestles her with the phone until she loses the grip and it goes flying into the street. A truck passes by and runs it over, shattering the screen into pieces.

Whitney hides her face behind her purse. Oops. But Aroon’s livid by now, first his car now his phone. She tells him that she didn’t mean it, but he was too busy talking on his phone, and she didn’t know what to else to do.

In an effort to solve the problem, she pulls out all of her cash and hands it to him. “Here, take all of this. It should be enough for the car and phone.”

“Rich people like to solve their problems with money,” he says.

“What do you want me to do then?” she asks him. “Kowtow to you? Fine, that can be arranged,” she starts removing her high heels.

“Wait wait!” Dekcha stops her, he solves the problem by taking her money on his friend’s behalf.

“Well that settles it,” Whitney says and she pokes fun at him, “what, you don’t want a new phone?”

“Hey come back here!” Aroon calls after her, apparently they were not done in his book. Lol.

She gets into her car and takes off.

“She has horrible features and bad manners!” Aroon exclaims after her. His friend wonders if he has problems with his eyesight. Aroon says that he won’t use her money, preferring to donate it to the temple so he could wash the bad luck away- and so that he may never see her again. Lol.

Regarding his oldie, it’s not so bad. With a fresh paint and some work on the engine, it’ll look brand new. Besides, oldies are all the rage in the US these days. But apparently, in Thailand, one prefers a more modern car. To each its own.

Whitney finally arrives on the street she was seeking. After confirmation, she pulls up to a gated house. It’s quiet, but the door is unlocked. Letting herself in, she calls out, “Mom! I’m here to visit you..”

We are introduced to another part of Whitney’s life: the lack of warmth and attention from her parents. They were divorced since she was young, her mother a drunkie and a gambler. Her father was fed up and takes her away. It appears that she hasn’t seen her mother in a long time (probably ten years) ever since she left for a life abroad. She looks sadly at the house- it’s not dilapidated by any means, just not monstrous like her father’s.

She walks slowly into the house calling for her mom. Her voice wakes up a man who stirs up from a drunken stupor. He stumbles slowly down the stairs and sees a sexy female looking at the portraits and immediately decides to hold her.

Whitney is caught off guard. She starts to wiggle out but to no avail. But she’s feisty and doesn’t let anyone capture her. She manages to break free and uses the closest weapon on hand to beat him- an umbrella- and she goes to town on him. Their voices carry to the outside where her mother and maid are walking in.

It’s been too long. Whitney drinks in her mother’s appearance. Maybe there’s one person left in the world that still wants her and cares for her? Much to her surprise though, even her mother has moved on. Her current love interest happens to be the drunkie who tried to molest her earlier. She wants to move in with her mother but her mother is sneaky and tells her that she needs to make claim on her inheritance. If there are some expensive items she wants to protect, she could let her mom take care of it, lol. Whitney merely nods her head and goes home- it is a lonely world for her. I feel for our girl.

We are introduced to a few new characters: Dekcha (whom we know is Aroon’s friend and neighbors with Non), Niranut or Nut (starring Pooklook Fontip who is Non’s younger sister) and finally, the psycho Gusuma (Benz Punyakorn) who pines after Aroon.

Nut just graduated from college and is a lively, dutiful kid. Her sister Non was the one to send her through college so she vows to send her own nieces and nephews through college too. She finds the perfect brother in law in Aroon. Meanwhile during her graduation, her affection for him seems to be more than what a girlfriend’s sister should express- at least in the eyes of Gusuma who secretly loves him. When she learns that Aroon wants to marry Non in the future, she tries to sabotage Non in Aroon’s eyes (and the other way around) by blowing their ears. She doesn’t think Non is good enough for him and in a psychotic scene at night, she pastes her picture on Non’s face. We have a lose granite on our hands folks, I’m sure there will be lots of manipulations and psychotic scenes to follow.

Back to Whitney, her father is quite ashamed of her lol. It seems whatever she does, even innocently, is viewed as being devious. One morning, her father was looking for her to join them for breakfast, but she’s in the park dancing aerobics with the public. I flippin love it lol because many people in SE Asia actually do this. But her father forbids her and tells her to go home and get ready. She is going to work with him.

Her first day on the job is, well, funny. Her father runs a renowned car company (probably even dabbles in manufacturing as well) and as she walked into the company with him, the employees immediately assume that he brought his mistress with him. They were floored at how open he is about it all- especially when he just got married. When Whitney peers around the showroom, the employees there think she is an e-nu (mistress) of someone rich, she couldn’t possibly afford an expensive car like that. She showed up with scandalous attire, definitely not suitable for work. There, Dekcha notices her and immediately recognizes her from the collision earlier. He is the car salesman, but when she asks him if he works here, he lies that he’s the son of the President of the company. Whitney smiles bemusedly at his blunder. Dekcha tells her that she could buy from and he’ll give her a good discount. She asks for a very large discount and he panics, asking her how is he going to feed his family? Lol. Whitney says that since he’s the president’s son, his family won’t suffer that much. Before she could tease him further, she gets called away. Later he discovers he was biting on the hand that feeds the mouth (lying to his ‘supposed’ boss mistress.)

It is a small world. Khun Amnui tells his sales manager, Aroon, that he found a new assistant for him. He introduces the two- without telling Aroon that Whitney is his daughter- but merely that she just returned from studying abroad. Earlier Aroon heard from the employees that Khun Amnui brought his mistress to work today- so we can assume that Aroon thinks Whitney is his boss’ mistress. Fun stuff.

Khun Amnui tells Aroon to train Whitney since she is new to the workforce industry. As Whitney spins the executive chair to face Aroon, they both gasp in shock. They deny recognizing each other. Whitney tells her dad that she doesn’t want to be an assistant, but Khun Amnui says that she has to learn the workings of the company first and once she has acquired some skills, they can decide what position she will take on.

And there we have it, the onset of our working relationship between Whitney and her new boss, Mr. Aroon. Who doesn’t like the closeness that could develop from a boss and his employee?

I’ve enjoyed the first episode- especially Whitney. I love how she doesn’t care about what people think of her nor does she care about correcting what they think of her. She could easily say “don’t you know who my daddy is?” But no, she lets them think what they will. Which could be good and bad in the future. She will probably let her family go on thinking badly of her. As for Aroon, not much to think of right now. We know he’s loyal to his girlfriend and he’s an old fashion kind of guy. Hopefully we’ll get to see more appealing quality to our pra’ek. As we stand right now, Whitney or Aump, is stealing the show, and someone I’ll be watching for.

 

*credit as tagged

Categories: Lakorn Recaps

Tagged: Aump Patcharapa, Om Akapan, Ubatheehet

4 Comments

Ubatheehet Ep 1, Part 1: Wedding Crasher

lovefia

Posted on November 14, 2012

There’s always a little bit of anticipation even skepticism when watching a new drama, especially coming from a channel 7 production. But surprisingly, the first episode of Ubatheehet is actually character revealing, has a good pace, and funny. That was unexpected. I love a good drama with a side of comedy. Most of it is coming from our girl, Whitney (Aump Patcharapa), who is the only fluff I need in this lakorn. Yay me.

Episode 1 Part 1

The drama opens up with Whitney arriving to a beachside hotel. She is sultry in her attire, sashaying into the lobby. Her eyes catch a welcoming sign to the evening’s wedding reception. She looks displeased at the announcement but then mischievously smiles as if she has something up her sleeves.

As she checks into her room, a woman name Nanontre or Non notices her and beckons her boyfriend Aroon (Om Akapan), who is waiting to get his document signed by the boss. “What a beautiful woman,” Non comments longingly.

Aroon does not bat an eye or look at the vixen; he merely peruses the document in his hands and asks Non who she is referring to. “If you were other men, you would turn around to see how beautiful she is. But you are Aroon, who simply asks but does not turn around to look,” Non says, giving us a small measure of Aroon’s character.

“I’ve no interest in looking at anyone but my girlfriend,” he tells her. His boss, Khun Amnui is ready to see him, the only reason why Aroon would come to a five star, over priced hotel in the first place. It is also Khun Amnui’s wedding day and he is willing to help deliver a document to be signed if that would mean helping his boss out.

The elevator door holds for him and we see Whitney already in there, but they don’t make eye contact as he walks in, standing beside her. Even when she drops her keycard and they both reach for it, they both are oblivious to each other. Whitney has a determined look on her face, focusing on the can of worms she is about to open.

And a can of worms it is. While the wedding reception commences under the sunset, Whitney is plotting her entrance. The sexy jade dress she’s wearing? That is not the main attraction.

Khun Amnui and his beautiful bride stand before the crowd. He opens the toast and thanks the crowd for honoring them with their presence. He mentions that for some of the guests, this might be the first time they’ve been to his wedding. But for many of them, it is their second time. And the same thing goes for him; he laughs it off with a shrug. He assures the crowd that this second time around will be the last wedding for him. Everyone cheers. He has chosen the most suitable mate and he doesn’t think anyone could measure up to his bride.

As the clapping subsides, Whitney’s voice interferes, “Let’s hope that this ‘love’ has me included in it too.” She walks into the crowd with a smile. “But how can that be when you didn’t even know that I would be here?” Her father steps forward but she continues, “but that’s quite alright. I’m here now. I even brought a present for my new mom.”

A ‘moo’ sound is heard and the owner made its appearance. Whitney tells her stepmom that she picked out the best cow on the farm for her lol.

Pissed, her father whispers sharply to her to take it back.

“What you don’t like it?” Whitney asks. “You really don’t like it? That’s ok, dad. You might like this other present even better.”

She claps her hands and dance music cues. Five coyote girls dressed in black appears and starts dancing to their routine. Whitney nods her head to the music and the cow starts wandering the crowd lol. Kongkaew screams to take it away.

Khun Amnui pulls his daughter back to his hotel room and chastises her.

This interaction reveals that their father-daughter relationship is strained at best and there is a reason why she crashed his wedding.

“Why the hell did you do this? It’s madness what you’ve done, why?”

Whitney crosses her leg on the couch. “I’m just here to congratulate you.” She says innocently. “Are you mad because you’re surprised to see me? I am surprised too. It’s a good thing I read the announcement on the Thai newspaper there, otherwise I wouldn’t have known that I was getting a new mom.”

“I didn’t want to tell you,” her dad starts, “because I was afraid you’d be anxious.”

“Oh ok, so you know how I would feel, and you still did it! You’ve been single for 20 years, what does this woman have that broke it?”

“Don’t you dare speak of Khun Kongkaew like that! She’s a good person!” her father exclaims.

“That means she must really like the present I gave her,” Whitney says, getting up from her seat and crossing her arms in defiance,

“Look, let’s just say I’m sorry. I apologize for doing things without letting you know. Are you happy now?”

Her father tells her that he will arrange the first flight back to France for her.

“No,” Whitney rejects. “I’m going to be living in our house permanently.”

Kongkaew and her sisters are in the hallway wondering about the commotion in the suite. One of her sister says she never met a kid like Whitney before. Kongkaew corrects her and says that Whitney is almost 25 years old, definitely no longer a kid. The sisters finally understand why Whitney demonstrated such outlandish behavior: her father didn’t tell her that he was getting married. Kongkaew explains that Whitney (sounds like Wisanee) has been living abroad for many years so her father wants to slowly tell her the truth.

“I knew you would drop out of school to be here! I sent you abroad for nearly 10 years so you could be as good as others, yet you didn’t finish!” Khun Amnui accuses.

“I’ve studied enough over there,” Whitney says.

Her father scolds her again for her lack of concentration. First she studied in England, and then she went to Germany. When she was bored again, she went to France.

“And do you know why I acted like that?” she asks him.

“How the hell am I supposed to know that?! Everyday I worked hard to find money to support you. Your life is easy- you have money, a place to stay. But you are no good for nothing!”

She challenges her father, “so a person who has a place to stay and money to spend, is supposed to be happy then? Have you ever asked me what it was like living over there? When I was in the hospital you merely sent money to me but have you ever asked after my condition? How I felt? Whether I am homesick?” Whitney tears up.

“So you’re going to use that as an excuse for your behavior, to spite me? Do you realize that your actions hurt me?”

“If I was a parent, I would make my child feel that she is heard. Be someone to dry her tears. I won’t abandon her to fate!”

Khun Amnui is furious, he reaches for the vase and smashes it to the ground. “Fine! How dare you speak to me that way! If my sending you abroad for ten years has only improved you to this extent, then you don’t need to go back!” He storms out of the room.

Khun Kongkaew walks in and worries herself over the vase.

“Was that expensive?” asks Whitney. Lol. “Antiques are like that. Even if you gently put it on a pedestal, when it falls, it breaks all the same.”

That night no one is happy. Kongkaew discovers that her stepdaughter is here for good, and Whitney herself has disappointed her dad again. No matter how much she tries to defy him and piss him off, it still hurts her to be despised.

This scene as well as the segments prior are quite character revealing. Aroon is a strict fellow. We know he’s faithful and a gentlemen. But he is also frugal and knows his place in society. When his boss invited him to the wedding, he politely declined. His girlfriend on the other hand, is disappointed not to be able to attend a hi-so wedding. She is completely fascinated by rich people. She dreams of having an elaborate wedding and not have to work too hard in life. She is even embarrassed that Aroon would take food home during dinner.

Whitney may appear as bratty and no good for nothing to her father, but she’s actually pretty reasonable. She’s not a snob, she doesn’t care about her social status or money. She’s only stubborn and rebellious to her father because he hasn’t been a father to her. He thinks that by providing for her, he did his job. She has been neglected and relegated to live abroad for 10 years- so if she’s 25 now, that would mean she lived alone since she was 15. Can you imagine that? An only child in a boarding school, in a foreign country, with nil of parental guidance and love. She has every right to resent her father.

Now that we got our characters set up, we shall tune into their first “real” encounter.

Categories: Lakorn Recaps

Tagged: Aump Patcharapa, Om Akapan, Ubatheehet

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New Recapping Project: Ubatheehet (Accident)

lovefia

Posted on November 13, 2012

Ubatheehet is a weekend installment on Channel 7 starring Aump Patcharapa and Om Akapan. If the title is any indication, we have ourselves a drama on our hands. Accidents, whether intentional or unintentional results in death, injury or some sort of serious effects.  Let’s just hope our leading characters don’t get themselves in an uba-thee-het and you know, have a tragic ending and all- sending my romantic heart to raging oblivion. After all, I’m going to make this my new recapping project, so there better be some fluff.

Interthaipop has a summary of plot and cast list, so feel free to give it a gander if you’d like a teaser. I’m always curious to learn whether a lakorn will stay true to a summary that has been released prior to its debut. I hope not because this will be a very long, very rough ride indeed. I’m already wary of Channel 7, but for sanity’s sake, I’m choosing to be in a positive, happy place.

Before we commence our journey, I’d like to mention some boundaries- I know, who likes those? But to maintain somewhat of a life (and since I do have a real job and my pr’ek to dole out attention to) I am going about this recapping business in a leisurely fashion. Since this lakorn has aired up to nine episodes already, what’s the big rush? So what that means is, I’m releasing each episode recaps about three times a week. Unless this Aump&Om pairing has got me fangirling so much- thereby causing live posts and social life negligence- I will refuse to take any responsibility for it! Cheers and let’s su-su this together!

Watch raw episodes here.

Related Articles:

  • Episode 1 {Part 1 Part 2}
  • Episode 2
  • Episode 3
  • Episode 4
  • Episode 5
  • Episode 6
  • Episode 7-8
  • Episode 9
  • Episode 10
  • Episode 11
  • Ep12 E Sub
  • Episode 13
  • Episode 14
  • Episode 15
  • Episode 16
  • Episode 17
  • Episode 18
  • Episode 19 End
Categories: Lakorn Recaps

Tagged: Aump Patcharapa, Om Akapan, Ubatheehet

15 Comments

Kitchen Scholar- A Review

lovefia

Posted on November 11, 2012

The girl group Olives got it right when they sang “Wow wow wow” for Panyachon Kon Krua, also known as the Kitchen Scholar. This twelve-episode lakorn creeped up the end of the year, surprising the critics and knocking the rest of the airing lakorn thus far, from its podium. Unexpected, pleasantly surprising and effortlessly beautiful, Thong production- namely Anne Thongprasom- and her beloved pair, Mark Prin and Kimberly Voltemas simply knock this one out of the park.

The premise of the story surrounds Amika (Kimberly Voltemas) who is the daughter of a Governor of Chiang Mai in her last year of a performing arts university, trying to win a scriptwriting contest that will earn her a fellowship to study in New York. Our girl starts out with aspirations and naiveté, thinking that impersonating a maid ought to inspire her to write a compelling story. She is driven to prove her competitor Apichet wrong, and achieve her dream. It is a simple plot filled with comedic relief, yet managed to successfully tug at the heart. Amika as Cha-aim not only learns the intricacies of being a maid, but she also learns valuable lessons about life, family and love. Oh, especially love.

Categories: Lakorn Reviews

Tagged: Kimberly Voltemas, Mark Prin, Panyachon Kon Krua

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Kitchen Scholar Ep 12 Finale

lovefia

Posted on November 11, 2012

Amika is writing her script but is pensive. She asks Nong, “Have you ever loved anyone before? I’d like to know when you love someone, how does it feel?”

Nong replies “Why are you asking me this?”

“I’m a little confused at my character.” (so are we! Lol)

“You should be the one who knows the answer better than I do! Well when you love Pong, how does that feel?” Nong asks her.
Amika looks away.

“Don’t tell me that you don’t love Pong!” Nong declares.

“That’s not it-“ she evaded the finger pointing- “but the love I have with Pong is not the same kind of love that I’m currently writing about. My nang’ek (leading lady) already has a boyfriend but she is confused because she thinks that she loves the pr’ek (leading man).”

“And does this pr’ek love the n’ek?” Nong asks.

“I don’t know,” she replies. “I’m not sure either. Sometimes he appears to love her but sometimes it doesn’t seem like he loves her.”

Nong smacks her hands together with certainty – “but I say he loves her.”

“Really? Why do you think so?”

“Well- he’s the pr’ek. And pr’eks must love nang’eks.”

“Hey Nong!” Amika screeches with sincerity- “stop acting, I’m talking about the real deal here.”

“What?! You’re serious? I thought you said you were writing a script?”

Amika gets up from the couch, “Well of course I’m referring to the script.” And gets back to her work.

Nong is left confused at whether her friend is referring to a lakorn or herself but we all know it’s the latter.

Days pass by as our Cha-aim struggles to finish her script and our Mr. Tum go on with his life, focusing on making the day go by faster by working endlessly, yet he too looks miserable.

Khun Cheun approaches her husband and shares with him that she is thinking about engaging Khun Aon with Mr. Tum. Her husband on the other hand, disagrees. He tells her that the duo does not love each other. Khun Cheun doesn’t see that as a deterrent, she wants them to be engaged first then they can get to know each other better and love will inevitably follow. Khun Phi tells her that it isn’t easy to force people to love each other and he advises her to cease the match making. But Khun Cheun explains to him that she cannot stop, during the burglary when they apprehended Khun Aon, her heart nearly stopped. She can’t let anything happen to her daughter. But she underestimates her daughter by saying that she’s a very helpless person so she needs someone to take care of her. I’m pretty sure Khun Aon has two feet, two hands and a brain. I’m sure she could fend for herself. Khun Cheun is still adamant that Mr. Tum is the only man that Khun Aon will marry.

She stalks off to talk to her daughter.

“I will not get engaged with P’Tum!” Khun Aon exclaims, “I don’t love him! And he doesn’t love me! How can we spend our lives together, mom?”

Her mom tells her that she should practice thinking on simple terms. She is trying to find a good man for her.

“For me?” Khun Aon repeats, “or for yourself?”

Khun Aoy walks into the poolside area and sees her mother and sister arguing.

“Why are you talking to me like that?” Khun Cheun asks her daughter.

“In my entire life mom, since the moment I was born, I’ve never chosen or decided anything on my own! Not even the little things, I must walk on the path that you’ve created. You’ve never asked me once whether I’d like to do them. Whatever you liked, I must like it too!”

Khun Aoy is peering behind her, their voices escalating. She turns around and goes back into the house to find her father.

“Whatever you hate, I must hate it too!”- Khun Aon continues. “But this time, I refuse to abide by your wishes anymore. I won’t do it, I won’t do it!”

Her mother grabs her by the shoulders- “stop!”

“Mom, marriage is the biggest change in one’s life. We must live with a person we love and who loves us back. If I must stay with the person you’ve chosen, then I will be tormented for the rest of my life!”

“Aon-“ her mother interrupts.

“I need (to be with) the person who loves me and that I love too- someone who is willing to protect me. I’d like to choose the man that I will marry.”

Then Khun Aon yells, “can you stop interfering with my life?!”

Khun Cheun slaps her daughter across the face. Khun Phi and Aoy walks in on time to see it. Khun Aon cries and walks away. Khun Cheun warns everyone not to follow her. If she dare leave her, then let her. This makes her heart heavy and she nearly passes out.

Great scene!

Khun Aon has run away from home, her mother hospitalized from the anxiety and Khun Phi asks Mr. Tum to help him find Khun Aon. He also explains the situation to his nephew.

Ah, I love how this problem comes back full circle. Will this be the first time that Mr. Tum is reaching out to our Cha-aim for help? Khun Aon recommends that he calls Pong because perhaps Khun Aon had gone looking for him. Tum thinks that it is a good idea, but he doesn’t have Pong’s number. The number he does have is Cha-aim’s.

Meanwhile Cha-aim is at the bus station preparing to leave the city so she could clear her head and finish her script. She receives a call from Mr. Tum but doesn’t answer, forcing him to stalk her. He discovers where she’s at and stops her before the bus could leave.

She refuses to leave when he orders her to, lol.

He tries to pull her out of the bus. “Don’t waste other people’s time!” he exclaims.

“You’re wasting other people’s time!” She retorts.

“If you don’t get out of this bus, I will kiss you in front of everyone!” He threatens. Oh do it please!

“Do you want to try me?” he asks.

She hesitates for a second, which gives him enough time to act- he leans down and kisses her squarely on the cheek.

“Are you mad?”

“Yes, I’m mad. I’m mad because of you!”

The bus finally leaves with Mr. Tum and Cha-aim standing on the sidewalk. He looks mighty satisfied with his actions. He doesn’t let her hand go and tells her that he doesn’t want to bother with her that much either if he didn’t need her help. He tells her the situation with Khun Aon and that he wouldn’t have been here if she answered her phone lol.

“I turned my phone off,” she explains.

“Turned it off or didn’t want to pick it up?”

“Why are you trying to start something with me?”

“I am not!”

“But that’s the truth right?” he asks.

They look away in frustration with each other.

In another place, Khun Aon is sitting on the steps with Pong. She thanks him for coming out to see her, and that she honestly didn’t know who else to call. Like his typical self, Pong tries to help her relieve her stress. He shouts from the top of his lungs and tells her that she would feel immensely better if she did too. After some hesitation- and since they’ve always done silly, embarrassing things together without being embarrassed- Khun Aon tries it. Before she could tell him what is truly bugging her, he receives a phone call from Cha-aim. He doesn’t answer and gives her his undivided attention- her problem is the most important thing to him right now. Aww. But a text message stops him in his track. They learn that Khun Cheun is in the hospital and they immediately make their way to the hospital.

Khun Aon feels responsible and remorse for her mother’s condition. Khun Cheun pulls the pity card and begs Mr. Tum to promise to take care of Khun Aon. Mr. Tum replies that he will be taking care of her anyway because she’s like his sister. But we all know that that isn’t what Khun Cheun is referring to. She made it clear when she pulls their hands together and says that she wants him to marry Khun Aon.

The two people who are standing outside hear this- Pong and Aim- and they both realize how much it hurts and leave the scene.

Mr. Tum gently tells Khun Cheun that this is a big decision and that they should wait until she is released from the hospital first to talk about this.

When Khun Cheun is well again, she and her husband visits Mr. Tum’s mother. Khun Cheun is straightforward and says that she wants to discuss about Mr. Tum and Khun Aon’s engagement. Which of course, takes his mother by surprise. The next thing we know, Tum’s mom tells him that Khun Cheun came to see her and that she agrees with the engagement. (Perhaps thinking that finding him a suitable wife who agrees to marry him is a good step.)

Tum adamantly refuses, “That is impossible, mom. I only see Nong Aon as a sister.”

“And you see Khun Cheun’s former maid as the person you love then?”

“You are bringing her up again.”

“Then you tell me that you don’t love her and I won’t bring her up again.”

Tum doesn’t reply.

“So you don’t dare say it?!”

“Good, then prepare yourself to be engaged with Nong Aon.”

The professor shares with Nong that Mr. Tum’s office has seek their help for a campaign focused on sceneries for weddings. It’s an important campaign across many universities and provinces. He wants Nong to manage the campaign and she accepts with glee. So it is only natural that Mr. Tum is assigned to cooperate with Nong’s school and sees Cha-aim. They can’t get away from each other even if they wanted to, hah.

Amika pulls her friend aside and says that if she knew she was to work with Mr. Tum, she wouldn’t agree to. But at the end of the day, she’s a professional. So Mr. Tum and Amika are the bride and groom for this location shooting and he finds her spellbinding in a white wedding dress. It’s hilarious that Nong contrives (innocently and without us knowing) for them to be the models.

As they pose, Mr. Tum whispers to her, “If I knew you were the model for this shooting, I wouldn’t have helped Nonglak.”
Amika retorts, “If you’re uncomfortable, you can stop.”

“It just so happens that I can separate work from personal issues.”

Nong asks them to act like a couple and pushes them closer. They start to pose like a couple- I thought when he held her hand and look at the ring, I bet he’s wishing that it were real. So cuute.

In their final shooting, Mr. Tum holds her by the waist and pulls her closer to him. She starts to fidget.

“What, are you afraid your boyfriend would be jealous? I thought you trust each other?” he asks.

“If you don’t talk, no one would say that you are a mute.”

Pong decides to make an appearance at the photo shooting and makes his way to the scene where he sees Mr. Tum holding Amika.

Mr. Tum pulls her fully in his arms and dips her, his lips getting ever so closer to hers.

That is when Pong interferes and punches Mr. Tum in the mouth. Everyone holds Pong back. Amika stands in the middle, looking at the two men.

Nong is furious; she chastises Pong for hitting Mr. Tum and that no matter how displeased he is, he has no right to hurt Mr. Tum. Pong looks on with anger, in his eyes, they knew that Amika is his girlfriend and they failed to think how he would feel.

Nong asks him, “Did you hit Mr. Tum because you were jealous or because you were acting like a dog worried about its bone?”

“What is that suppose to mean?”

“Jealousy is because you love Aim but you can’t stand her being close to another man. But acting like a dog worried about its bone means that you don’t love Aim but you’re just worried because you used to love her and don’t want anyone else to have her.” Ouch. She hit the nail on the head!

He denies being a dog worried about his bone.

“Lies! I’m asking you, you don’t love Aim, correct?”

Pong has a hard time answering.

“You both are my best friend, I don’t want to see either of you hurt.”

After further prodding, he finally admits, “I don’t love her!”

Hah, wonderful revelation! He wasn’t sure about how he feels but he certainly knows now.

Nong tells him that his feelings for Aim is due to a friendship bond, not true love. She knows that he loves Khun Aon (remember she witnessed them at the fashion show?) and thereafter have noticed how he feels. She advises him to let Aim go, let things develop naturally on its own. He shouldn’t try to interfere and do the right thing.

Cha-aim tries to nurse Mr. Tum’s wound and apologizes for Pong’s actions.

“It’s ok, I understand,” Mr. Tum says. “He must be really worried about you.” And he whispers to himself that getting hit is a good thing- what, so he could be reminded that she’s taken? Mr. Tum gets up to leave since his lips are bleeding, they probably couldn’t continue with the photo shoot. Cha-aim could only watch his retreating back.

Pong and Amika have a heart to heart conversation.

“Aim, I have something to tell you. In the past, you’ve been everything to me. You were the person I think that I would spend the rest of my life with. But today, that’s not true anymore. Maybe I thought this way because I was so used to having you by my side. It makes me think that this is love and that I love you. But when I met Khun Aon, it makes me realize that the feelings I have with you is friendship. But with Khun Aon it’s.. it’s more than that.” He takes her hands and tells her that she could be angry with him, hit him, do anything she wanted because he feels he have wronged her.

“I understand, Pong.”

“You do?”

“In all honesty, I feel the same way you do. But you are much much braver than I am. Let’s just be friends.”

Pong beams at her and agrees. A huge load was removed off their backs. He apologizes to her for his constant interference with Mr. Tum. He was out of line. She tells him to apologize to Mr. Tum later then.

And what happens next is pretty flippin hilarious.

Indeed, Pong is much much braver than Amika. He brings his father- Mercedes and sirens in tow- to confess his true identity to the family. His father is a very highly ranked police lieutenant general, and funny to boot. He scolds his son for doing a very wrong thing indeed- parading as a servant and lying to everyone- how will he ever be ready enough to marry? This term brought sadness to Khun Aon. She walks in the garden when Pong came to see her. She refuses to open the door for him so he climbs the wall.

“There is nothing to discuss. You’ve told me everything- who you are and that you’re getting married, Pong! Wait,” she corrects herself, “I should call you Khun Pong, right?”

“I’m sorry Khun Aon for lying to you.”

“You make me look like an idiot when I’m already an idiot.”

“You’re not an idiot, Khun Aon. You’re just naïve and a good person.. and very cute too.”

“Don’t pretend to compliment me, I won’t fall for it.”

“I’m not pretending, just want to tell you the three words.”

“Which is borrow-your-money, right?” LOL. “I’m not giving it to you!”

“That’s not it! The three words I wanted to say is I-Love-You.”

Before fully comprehending it she exclaims, “You don’t need to love me!”

And the realization settles in.

“What did you say?”

“I love you Khun Aon. I truly do. I’ve loved you for a long time now.” Aww.

“Don’t kid with me,” she’s near tears, “it’s not funny.”

“I’m not joking, Khun Aon, I’m sincere.”

“But you’re getting married…”

“That’s all my dad’s planning, I don’t know anything of it…And the reality is, I’m single.”

“Really?”

“Absolutely! I can swear it too!” He’s still sitting at the top of the wall.

“No need to, no matter how much you swear, no matter if you are as single as you say you are, I still must be engaged with P’Tum.”

“I know that and I don’t plan on taking you away from Mr. Tum. I just want you to be aware of my feelings for you.” Ahh, I love Pong, he’s so honest and brave. “And now I’ve said it. So I will be leaving now. And I won’t come back so you could see my face again.”

“Pong-“

He misses a step and falls on the ground. Khun Aon freaks out and cries, hugging him to her. She finally tells him that she loves him. Pong hears this and hugs her back. Angry she accuses him of testing her. He says that if he doesn’t test her, how would he know how she feels? She hits him a few times before Pong asks her if they both love each other now. Khun Aon denies it but eventually concedes when he tries to leave. They are so cute.

Arm in arm, the two confront her parents, which takes everyone by surprise. Khun Cheun is not overly pleased though and it all comes down to her thinking only of herself. Khun Phi tells her to rescind the engagement but Khun Cheun says she couldn’t, otherwise she would loose face. He asks her whether she loves her face or her daughter more? He reminds her that Nong Aon has done everything she wants her to in the past, it is time for her to do something for her daughter now. He has never seen Khun Aon so happy like she is today. He tells her that when you meet someone you love and loves you back, it is not an easy thing indeed and that they should support it. Besides, it’s not like Pong came from a bad family.

Khun Cheun braces herself to concede. She admits to Pong that the only outsider who they are familiar with is Mr. Tum so that’s why she trusts him and is willing to put her daughter’s life in his hands. She never imagined that another man would truly love her daughter. She takes hold of their hands and clasp them together. She asks him to take care of her daughter for her. Khun Aon throws her arms around her mother, then she holds her beloved. So cute! At least at the end of the day, we can see that Khun Cheun does love her daughter.

Khun Aon tells Mr. Tum about her and Pong- Mr. Tum is not angry just merely surprised. He didn’t think that there was anything going on between the two.

“What about Cha-aim?” he asks.

“Pong says that they’ve already cleared it up.”

Mr. Tum smiles.

“I’m really happy for you. I’m glad things worked itself out.”

“Me too.” And they give each other a friendly hug.

And the moment the students have been waiting for has arrived. For 2.5 months, they’ve all been enthralled in a script writing contest that have come to a head now. The students assembled themselves before their professor, as he is getting ready to announce the winner of the contest. Who will earn the bragging rights and a fellowship in New York?

The final contestants are Apichet and Amika.. and the winner is.. Amika! Her ultimate dream came true but she doesn’t look too thrilled. She walks on stage.

“I appreciate very much this reward. But I’d like you to rescind it. At first I really wanted this award because it is my dream. But upon becoming a maid, it made me realize that I don’t want this- because the lessons and experience I’ve gained from being a maid is so much more meaningful.” She turns to her fellow classmates.

“A maid’s profession- a profession that many deem insignificant- has given me the biggest lesson in life. I learned that we should love the profession we’re in. Humans are people and each should be invaluable, no matter what they decide to do.”

Apichet looks at her differently now. He nods his head in concurrence with her statement. This project apparently has taught them all a lesson in life. Her professor is uber proud and tells her to accept he award. But Amika says that the person who deserves this award the most is Apichet. He is stunned upon hearing this and walks slowly to the stage. She gives the large boarding pass to Apichet. Still competitive he says that his script is not inferior to hers (lol.) He shakes her hand and they make peace.

After the assembly Nong asks Amika that since everything has been resolved, what’s going to happen between her and Mr. Tum? Amika doesn’t know either but she doesn’t want to think about it right now. She wants to go home. She tells Nong not to let Mr. Tum know her whereabouts should he ask.

Mr. Tum comes running into the school, looking for her. Nong couldn’t tell him and Mr. Tum doesn’t press her. He asks her to tell Cha-aim that he needs to speak to her. Poor Mr. Tum walks dejectedly away.

At the airport Amika gets a call from Nong that she felt sorry for Mr. Tum who had asked for her. She doesn’t answer when Nong asks her what’s going to happen with them now?

Yes, what will happen?

In Chiang Mai, her parents notice her somber expression and demeanor. They think that she might be lonely. They plan on throwing a party for her next week so she could cheer up. Her parents invited Khun Phi’s entire family because he has helped with the research so much, including Mr. Tum.

We waste no time as the party arrives to the governor’s house in Chiang Mai.

I’m so nervous! The moment has arrived. All of the guests are seated at the immense dining table. Traditional Chiang Mai music is playing in the background and everyone is in a merry attitude. Even the maids have a table on the side, enjoying their appetizers.

The governor announces that there will be a performance from his daughter as a way to thank the guests for coming. As Amika prepares and sneaks out a look at the crowd, she sees Mr. Tum. Amika is freaking out whether she stays or goes out to perform, she will be screwed so she uses the umbrella to cover her the best that she can.

Her sweet voice sings to the crowd as the umbrella covers her face. Everyone peers around, trying to see her face. Mr. Tum leans over to whisper to Khun Aon, “doesn’t her voice sound familiar?” he asks. Khun Aon agrees but she can’t put her finger on who. Meanwhile the servants of Khun Cheun’s household are veering back and forth trying to look at the singer’s face.

The performance completes and Aim tries to walk away but her parents call her to them. Everyone peeked at the name “Aim.” Mr. Tum surmises that the governor’s daughter must be really shy. Her mother tries to take the umbrella away. But she’s wrestling it with her and finally, the umbrella drops and her face is revealed. Everyone exclaims “Cha-aim!”

The governor reveals that this is his only daughter Amika.

Mr. Tum could only look on with shock while everyone faints. Amika tears up and Mr. Tum is pissed.

They all stand in the hallway as Amika apologizes to everyone. Mr. Tum could barely look at her. Khun Cheun takes it pretty well and says that she understands. She speaks on everyone’s behalf that no one is angry. But Mr. Tum’s face says something else altogether. He’s staring daggers at her.

The governor apologizes if his daughter has caused any hardship. Aunt Sompit immediately rats on her, lol, that she has broken so many things when she was first hired but she has learned and improved so much after that. The rest of the servants all join in the complimenting. The family tells her parents how she has solved so many of their personal problems. Khun Pae, Khun Orathai and even Khun Aon all chime in. Mr. Tum doesn’t chime in, doesn’t utter a word. Amika peers at him quietly, noticing his solemn face.

They take a group photo and Mr. Tum walks out of the room, not wanting anything to do with all of the cheerfulness.

She follows him to the front of the house.

“What is it, Khun Amika?” he says sarcastically.

“I know that you are angry with me,” she starts.

“Correct. I am angry with you. Very angry too. I don’t understand why you weren’t willing to tell me that you’re the governor’s daughter.”

“I wanted to, but I couldn’t find the opportunity.”

“Plenty of opportunity, you just didn’t want to tell me.” He stops her from saying anything further. “You’re just like this-you never consider my feelings. I’m like an idiot who gets fooled by you time and time again. I’m tired. So tired of trying to figure out what is real and what is a lakorn!”

Amika tears up, “I don’t think that you’re stupid. I’ve always been sincere with you. Think about it carefully, how many times have I tried to tell you, but you don’t listen? You are the one who has looked at me in a bad way the whole time.”

Tears are threatening to flow from her eyes.

“So I’m wrong and you’re right then?”

“Or isn’t that true?” she interrupts, “I know that you hate me. In the past, you’ve never trusted me. You look down on me, scold me, do you think you’re the only one capable of being fed up?”

Tum looks at her.

“It’s because you’re like this,” she continues, “that makes me decide not to tell you the truth. I just want everything to be over.” The tears are falling now. “So we no longer have to see each other again.”

He stops her before she could leave. “We need to talk about this.”

She lets his hands go, “I have nothing to say to you anymore. I’ll just consider that this never happened. I will forget everything as soon as I can! Don’t you see, I will forget everything!” she pushes at him and screams at him and there was only one thing left for him to do.

He pulls her face in and kisses her.

He lean his forehead against hers.

“When you tell me that I hate you- I don’t hate you, Cha-aim. I love you, actually.”

He wipes her tears away, “The closer I get to you the more I am in love with you. But you keep lying to me and this- this is what hurts me the most.” Aww, he just wants her to be honest with him. “If I can turn back time, I don’t want to get to know you, so that I may not be so hurt like this.” Ouch.

He looks at her lips one last time and steps back. She’s crying profusely now that he’s walking away. She touches her lips.

In their own quarters, they are tormented, thinking poignantly about each other.

The following morning her mom is preparing her to return back to Bangkok to study abroad. It just so happens that Mr.Tum’s mom came to visit and the encounter is so classic. If you recall, Mr. Tum’s mom is anti Cha-aim and has made it crystal clear about that. Obviously she didn’t realize that the younger maid is actually her ideal daughter-in-law. Speechless, she looks at Amika. But Amika is so nice and explains to her mom that this is the first time they have met. Mr. Tum’s mom looks a mixture of awkward and embarrassed. As she should be!

All of Amika’s best friend congregate in the lunchroom. She’s said that she has to study abroad for a year. They try to cheer her up that there’s social media to help her keep in touch. She says that she has them still, but she doesn’t have “him.” Amika starts to cry and tell them that she just learned that Mr. Tum loves her. And how can she be happy if she leaves and doesn’t tell him that she feels the same way? Her friends advise her to call him, but she has tried every method to reach him but to no avail. They asked her if she knows that he loves her, why is she trying to go abroad? She thinks that he hates her so she wants to be out of his sight. She repeats what he said to her, that if he could choose, he would choose not to know her. And how could she stand seeing someone she loves, hate her?

Later Pong and Khun Aon try to get a hold of Mr. Tum to let him know that Amika is leaving for abroad tonight. But they can’t get a hold of him either.

At Tum’s home, his mother reports to him that she was so embarrassed earlier today. She realized whom Cha-aim is now and that the world is so small. She asks him if he remembers the masquerade ball a few months ago, and she takes out her phone, and tells him that Amika was the girl that she wanted to introduce Tum to. She shows him a picture of Amika during the ball. He’s surprised again. It is indeed a small world.

In the airport Amika bids her farewell to her family and friends. Pong and Khun Aon try to stall for time so Mr. Tum can get there in time and he’s trying his darnest to beat traffic. He listens to the voicemail from Pong and Khun Aon as he’s driving. They tell him that the past is not important, what is of the utmost importance is that they both have strong feelings for each other. He tells Mr. Tum that Aim loves him and Pong knows that Mr. Tum loves Amika too. The feelings confirmed, we see Tum racing through the airport, jumping over barriers.

She hugs everyone goodbye and heads to her gate. By the time Mr. Tum reaches the gate though, it is too late.

365 days later, 1 exact year later, but just a few seconds for us, Amika is back in Chiang Mai. Her friends all came to greet her. They ask her if she is planning on telling Mr. Tum. She tells them no since they are nothing to each other. Her friends are relieved to hear that because Mr. Tum is married now. She is shocked then becomes angry, “I thought he said that he loves me?! Just a year and he can’t even wait for me?!” Lol. She starts bitching at him. Her friends are laughing at her response. Her friend tells her that if he were Mr. Tum, he wouldn’t wait for her either.

Next scene takes us to a black bmw driving against the shore. She recalls her friends’ words of following her heart and stop being so sulky.

She makes her way to Mr. Tum’s beach home, searching for him. She spots him walking to his boat. Amika runs after him and shouts, “Hello!”

He turns around and sees her, after a year hiatus. He drinks in her appearance.

“Who are you looking for?”

“I’m here to apply for work.”

“What work?”

“I’d like to apply to be a maid.” She runs in front of him and takes the bags from his hands.

“Stop-“ he tells her, “if you’re applying as a maid, it’s going to be very difficult because I’m selfish.”

“It’s ok,” she replies, “it just so happens that I’m very patient so no matter how selfish you are, I can handle it.”

“Stop messing with my head, Amika! You’ve been like this all year long? You haven’t thought about anything! I’m the only crazy person here.”

She looks at him with confusion.

“I went all the way to the airport, do you know how it feels to want to send someone off but you can’t? And you didn’t even send any communication! You are so mean.”

He walks around her.

“You’re mean too! I was gone for a year and you don’t communicate anything to me either!”

They bicker and argue, still frustrated for the year hiatus from each other.

She climbs the boat and exclaims to him that he is the sulkiest man she has ever known. Lol.

Angry, Mr. Tum reaches around her waist and hoist her on his shoulders. “A year and you’re still mouthy!” He spanks her. He carries her back to the shore.

He puts her down once they reach the sandy beach. She exclaims that it’s not like she wants to be a maid, doesn’t he realize how exhausting and hardworking it is? She walks away, done with the argument.

“Wait! I thought you were applying to be a maid?”

She stops in her track and secretly smiles.

“Are you not mad at me anymore?”

“I won’t be mad if you agree to be my maid.” Haha.

“Oh, so in the end, you just want me to be a maid?”

“That’s right,” he steps closer, “because right now, I’m in need of a maid. But not an average maid. I need a maid to share a life with me.”

Aww.

She starts to laugh, he too laughs at his comment.

“I never thought a man like you could say something like that.”

She laughs even harder and he tells her to stop by pulling her into his arms. He burrows his face into her shoulders. The laugh dies out of both of them.

“I’m serious,” he says. He releases her and holds her at arm’s length. “Let me ask you something. Have you felt anything for me?”

“If I don’t feel anything for you, I wouldn’t be here,” she says. “Right now my heart is not with me, so I must find it.”
“And where is it?”

She points at his chest, “It’s right here.”

He clasps her hand, “then we are the same, my heart is no longer with me either.”

“Where is it?” she asks him in return.

He points to her chest, “it’s right here.”

He leans in to give her a kiss but she turns her face with a smile.

Something crosses his face, “Wait right here ok?” he says and takes off.

Amika makes her way back to the beach house.

He shows her a box where her pair of shoes from the masquerade is resting.

“Do you remember the masquerade ball? It is the event our mothers wanted to match make us. That is the day we first met each other.”

He sits down and places her on his lap. Then he proceeds to take her sandals off and slide her sparkly pumps on her feet. We get a flashback of the masquerade ball where she was in his arms.

They pull into a kiss while she’s still sitting on his lap. He takes her hand and tells her to promise him that they will never part.

She promises him that they will never part and he kisses her knuckle. Mr. Tum kisses her squarely on the cheeks and she returns the favor, all the while in his arms. He carries her to the edge of the beach house and kisses her again.

Our Mr. Tum and Amika hold each other as they live happily ever after. Oh so sweet.

Do watch the final blooper scene that follows, as well as my final thoughts for this lakorn.

* pics credit to asianfuse wiki forum

Categories: Lakorn Recaps

Tagged: Kimberly Voltemas, Mark Prin, Panyachon Kon Krua

12 Comments

Kitchen Scholar Ep 11

lovefia

Posted on November 10, 2012

A little bit of angst and misunderstanding to make the heart stronger, at least that is the gist of this episode. And there’s the good ole, ever-present forgiveness message as well. Although we haven’t taken a full step forward- as far as Cha-aim revealing her true identity- there’s still plenty of fan service amid situations that threaten to tear the two apart, as well as a resolution to the robbery. And I’m sure clarity is reserved for our finale, which is just as well.

Cha-aim decides that the only way to bail Pong out of his predicament is to find the real Ti Yai. She pretends to be Ti Yai’s pregnant wife and goes in search of Mutdang’s minion. Causing a scene by crying fervently in the public that Ti Yai is trying to leave her, the motorcycle minion finally gives in and takes her to the front of Ti Yai’s house.

Meanwhile Mr. Tum and the professor are watching the scene from the van, Mr. Tum is in a state of nerves on Cha-aim’s behalf but impressed by her acting nonetheless. Things got messy however, upon entering Ti Yai’s domain, the girls get into a fight with Ti Yai’s real wife. The funny fighting scene ensues as Cha-aim knees the other woman and Nong gives the woman a bath. Mr. Tum and the professor decide to lend a hand. Ti Yai appears (and everyone look at him in shock, he’s a replica of Pong!) and he thinks they are cops and runs away. Everyone made chase and more hilarity follow.

They corner Ti Yai and he desperately grasps Cha-aim for collateral, aiming a knife at her throat. All Tum knew at the moment is that he couldn’t let anything happen to her. He wrestles the knife away from Ti-Yai and they go into combat. The cops finally appear but stand on the sideline, watching. Tum is able to fend off the knife attack until the final one stabs him in the stomach. He goes down on his knees, the blood oozing from his shirt. Cha-aim screams his name and catches him before he hits the ground. The cops arrests Ti Yai (so much for protecting the citizens!)

Cha-aim hugs him to her and cries at the pain she has caused him. Even when the doctor says that he is safe after they patched him up, she’s still in tears. In the ICU room, Cha-aim held his hands, telling him that she is sorry. She couldn’t stay much longer when she notices Khun Cheun and Khun Phi in the hallway. She’s not quite ready to face them now.

Pong is cleared from his accusations and released from jail. His resemblance to Ti-Yai is uncanny.

Mr. Tum finally gains consciousness the next day and he utters Cha-aim’s name as he wakes up. Instead, he sees Khun Aon who is watching over him, probably because her mother told her to. She is bored (even social media couldn’t entertain her) so Tum tells her that she should go shopping or something and return later this evening. He promises not to tell Khun Cheun. Khun Aon’s face lights up at the idea and thanks him profusely before she leaves.

Ah, our Cha-aim is still very tight lipped about a lot of things. You and I, and even her best friend know her better than she knows herself. She tells everyone that she is worried about Mr. Tum because he had saved her life and she is indebted to him. She dare not think about the alternative that perhaps starts with the letter L.

She prepared soup for him and he couldn’t be happier when he saw her face. This man has so much affection for her and it’s so infectious when they’re together. He pretends that his wound hurts so she could feed him. I like how they are reciprocating the hospital scene, taking turns taking care of each other. Only this time, things get a little more angsty.

Pong appears with a fruit basket, he’s peeved that Cha-aim went to see Mr. Tum without him. He’s very jealous and decides to show Mr. Tum that he is the “boyfriend.” Funny thing is, when he held Cha-aim’s hand, she soon released it. But the effect of his possessiveness was not lost on Mr. Tum. His face fell. Cha-aim is reluctant to leave Mr. Tum’s side so when Pong steers her away from the hospital, she finds her way back. Little gestures like this makes Mr. Tum so happy. She spends some time with him until Khun Cheun and family return to visit Mr. Tum. He thought it would be a good opportunity to come clean but Cha-aim wasn’t yet ready to face them- and worse- wasn’t yet ready to explain the reasons why to Mr. Tum. She hides in the closet and made her escape when the family isn’t looking. This bugs Mr. Tum but he let’s it go for now.

Cha-aim returns to see him again, it is the day he will be released from the hospital. Unfortunately another deterrence made her way to his hospital room- his mother. She recognizes Cha-aim to be the girl who was in Mr. Tum’s office and whom Mr. Tum is smitten with. She scolds her son when Cha-aim said she was leaving, reminding him that he needed to select a prospective wife based on suitability. Tum starts to tell her that Cha-aim is not a maid when Cha-aim enters back into the room abruptly by telling them that she had forgotten her tubberware. His mom pulls her aside and tells her that Tum has a bright future and he must choose someone who not only looks well but can represent him well too. Furthermore she doesn’t want Tum’s future to suffer because of a particular “someone” and that Tum already has the “right” person for him. Ok m’ame, you’ve made it crystal clear! Cha-aim nods her head in understanding.

Tum returns back home with his mom and she is adamant that she will be the only nurse for him (heh, not Cha-aim, lol.) But you gotta love Mr. Tum, he sneaks out of the house to see Cha-aim because there is something still lingering in his mind: why is she still hiding the truth from Khun Cheun’s household? Determined to get the truth out of her, he ends up walking into a conversation between Pong and Cha-aim, which broke his heart. Pong asks Aim how she really feels about Mr. Tum and does she have any feelings for him? Aim responds in her tight-lipped way that she doesn’t feel anything for Mr. Tum. Pong assumes then that their relationship is still the same. He hugs her, happy for the confirmation. What he fails to see is that her facial expression doesn’t match her words. But this was enough to break Mr. Tum’s heart. As he leaves, he gives her a call and tells her that he needs to talk to her.

They meet up at a quiet restaurant. He tells her that he knows why she doesn’t want to tell the truth to everyone: she needed to leave him. Mr. Tum tells her that he won’t bother with her again, that he will stop seeing her. Cha-aim tries to tell him that that is not the case but he has already said what he needed to say and left. Dejectedly she confesses to her friend Nong that Mr. Tum is misunderstanding her. She couldn’t tell Khun Cheun’s household because she can’t face them. She is afraid that they would be very angry at her. Nong advises her to tell Mr. Tum what she told her.

Cha-aim makes her way to Mr. Tum’s family home but spots Mr. Tum and Khun Aon at the dining table eating. She remembers his mom telling her that Mr. Tum already has the “right” person for him. She assumes she meant Khun Aon- when in actuality we all know that his mom’s trying to match make him with Amika (hah small world!) But Cha-aim doesn’t know this and decides against explaining herself to him. As she walks out, she sees Nark and figures out the best way to uncover the true snitch, put the thieve behind bars and repay the kindness that Khun Cheun has given her. She contrives for Nark to steal Banjong’s phone and text Mutdang. Then she gave Banjong a note from Mutdang to meet in the same spot.

Cha-aim tells her plans to Nong but doesn’t want anyone to risk their life on her behalf again so she opts to go alone. Concerned for her friend, Nong phones Mr. Tum (funny how she only thinks of him instead of Cha-aim’s “real” boyfriend). Despite promising never to bother with her again, Mr. Tum couldn’t help but go to her aide. He is too worried about her safety. Isn’t that sweet? He has always done everything for her.

That night, Cha-aim follows Banjong as Banjong rendezvous with Mutdang. Unfortunately Banjong takes a motorcycle taxi, leaving Cha-aim stranded on the road. Luckily Mr. Tum’s car appears and she jumps in. They bicker in the car, both so tensed after all of the misunderstandings and debacle they’ve been through. He scolds her for pretending to be a maid and now pretending to be an investigator. She answers that both professions are legit. He stops her from talking further, telling her that he wasn’t here to argue with her. They finally found the motorcycle taxi and ask the man where he had dropped off Banjong.

We should give it to Cha-aim, she’s pretty daring and willing to endanger herself to find evidence. The two creeps closer to where Banjong and Mutdang are congregating and videotape their conversation. Cha-aim records the incriminating part where Banjong says that he was the one who robbed Khun Cheun’s house and Mutdang confirms that Banjong was his snitch. As Cha-aim and Mr. Tum inch back to their car, Cha-aim blows their cover and Mutdang makes chase. By the car, Mr. Tum gives her his keys and tells her to make a run for it. He will distract Mutdang. During this dangerous time, they both reveal at least briefly that they are worried about each other. Mr. Tum makes a run in the opposite direction, thinking Mutdang is following him. But Mutdang is smart and he trails Cha-aim. When he catches up to her, he claims the phone and smacks her to the ground. Before he could do further damage though, Mr. Tum returns and hits him in the head with a thick branch.

Mr. Tum pulled Cha-aim in his arms, comforting her from the close call. As he examines her face and sees the blood trickling from her lips, he was ready to beat Mutdang up again. Cha-aim reminds him to call the cops and get the man arrested before he gains consciousness. Cha-aim calls Nark in time to apprehend Banjong who was prepared to flee the scene.

At the police station, Mutdang is put behind bars and Banjong is repentant. She tells Khun Cheun and Khun Phi that she truly realizes that she is wrong. She confesses that she was overly jealous at Cha-aim and the attention she received from everyone in the household. It was all due to ignorance. Khun Cheun feels sorry for her and offers her a second chance if she truly is repentant. This forgiveness is beyond Banjong’s wildest dreams and she hugs Khun Cheun’s leg, never realizing in a million years that she would be forgiven. This experience taught Banjong how lucky she is and that moving forward, she is prepared to repay the kindness.

As Mr. Tum takes Cha-aim back home and he thinks that she has fallen asleep, he pulls over to adjust her seat. He mutters softly to her why he can’t seem to forget her. Little did he know that she had heard what he said. He drops her off at Nong’s home and thinks that this might be the last he would see of her.

Mr. Tum tells Khun Cheun’s household that it was Cha-aim’s idea about uncovering the real thief. He is prepared to tell them about Cha-aims identity when Cha-aim appears in the house. She thanked them for the kindness they have given her but still, she doesn’t tell them that she pretended to be their maid. Mr. Tum’s eyebrow furrowed in consternation. I’m sure he- as well as all of us- are still wondering why she won’t come clean. Cha-aim tells them that she never imagined that being a maid would bring her to meet such good people. She won’t be able to continue to be their maid because she must go home now and won’t be returning to Bangkok. Khun Cheun looks regretful of losing a good maid but she relents. Cha-aim bids farewell to the household.

We get a poignant scene where Cha-aim walks down the driveway one last time as Mr. Tum slowly drives away. They look at each other but neither saying a word. Both thinking that it will be their farewell too.

So.. what think you of this episode? I find Cha-aim’s character contradiction interesting- the fact that she is brave to do anything risky to her life- but she is too afraid to confess her own feelings. But to make it more compelling, I hope there is more to it and I hope she can somehow verbalize or write it in order to express her feelings. Secondly, I’m going to attribute Banjong’s easy forgiveness to this lighthearted rom-com theme. I’m glad though that at least finding forgiveness didn’t take too long. This lakorn is fast paced through and through. And with 12 episodes, there’s no time to waste.

And Mr. Tum. He really couldn’t stay away could he? So sweet. We’ve plenty of fan service moments between our Cha-aim and Mr. Tum to satisfy my fangirling. I’ve quite liked this episode- mainly because they’ve tied up most of the loose ends, leaving only one last problem to contend with- Cha-aim’s true identity- and we have all of the finale to bask in it.

I don’t know about you, but I definitely am not ready to say goodbye. Can’t this series go on and on?

 

*pic credit to Thong Entertainment FB, asianfuse discussion forums, tost78 YT

Categories: Lakorn Recaps

Tagged: Kimberly Voltemas, Mark Prin, Panyachon Kon Krua

9 Comments

Kitchen Scholar Ep 10

lovefia

Posted on November 9, 2012

There’s never a dull moment in Kitchen Scholar. When you think it can’t get any better, it does. When you think you got it all figured out, you’re pleasantly surprised at the turning of events. We have ourselves an excellent, revealing episode moving our story to its pre-finale, and all its characters completely affected.

First stop is Mr. Tum, he has it bad: pretty bad for our maid, Cha-aim, who was hospitalized previously due to saving Khun Aoy from a hit and run. He stayed by her bedside at the hospital even knowing full well that she has a boyfriend, and that she chased him away. But it gives him peace of mind. Even when she was released from the hospital, he still visits her at his uncle’s house, making sure that she is fed well by bringing her healthy food. He has a feeling that she’s avoiding him though, because he finds her at Khun Ying (grandma’s) house.

The relationship between Cha-aim and Khun Ying is adorable. Khun Ying tells her that she’s 18 years old and regales a tale of a crush she had on a boy- who is her now husband. Cha-aim is sweet and doesn’t remind the old girl that she’s in her 70’s- and I have a mind to think that Khun Ying is teasing them with her contradictions. Khun Ying says that love makes everything beautiful and she wants to know Cha-aim’s love story. Like old friends, Cha-aim tells Khun Ying that she has a very close friend but she doesn’t know whether to call him her boyfriend. But now, she finds herself falling for someone else. Her crush doesn’t know that she secretly fancies him. Khun Ying asks Cha-aim who the person is, when Mr. Tum appears with a bag in hand. Khun Ying asks Cha-aim if Mr. Tum was the person she said she liked? Mr. Tum could only beam at the comment while Cha-aim looks away with a blush.

She tries to clear the air when they are walking back to Khun Cheun’s house, she didn’t want him to think that he was the person she liked. Mr. Tum knows full well that she has Pong and he tells her that. He appears to make peace with the fact that he’s happy enough just being with Cha-aim, and taking care of her. It makes my heart go pitter patter at Mr. Tum’s acceptace. His character is really quite dreamy: a man who’s there for you, takes care of you, worries about you and doesn’t ask for anything in return? Not to mention that he is deeply hurt after learning that you truly care about another man, but still decide to help you anyway because he wants to make you happy? Oh, how I do love our hero.

The bickering causes Cha-aim’s wound pain to return as she clasps her head. Mr. Tum had indicated that she was trying to avoid him by working at Khun Ying’s house and was walking away from her when he heard her cry. He doesn’t take no for an answer and walks her back to her room. The conniving Banjong has them on camera and takes the evidence to Khun Cheun whom doesn’t believe her at first, but gossips and rumors are insurmountable. Banjong tells her that Mr. Tum stayed with Cha-aim in the hospital and both Aunt Pit and Nark are gossiping that Mr. Tum likes Cha-aim. There was only one thing left for Khun Cheun to do. She pleads for Cha-aim to help match make Mr. Tum with Khun Aon. She played it against Cha-aim’s sympathies, telling her that Khun Aon is pitiful; she doesn’t have a father and there’s no one who is fitted to take care of her the way that Mr. Tum is, which leaves Cha-aim to reluctantly agree, her heart tearing into pieces.

Another person who is heartbroken is Khun Aon. She is being forced by her mother to do whatever it takes to get her P’Tum to fall for her. She will not accept any other son-in-law. Khun Aon has been turning over a new leaf and is regretful for disappointing her mother in other aspects of her life, like school per say. Now, she can’t fathom disobeying her mother, even when it means being with someone she doesn’t love. Her little sister, Khun Aoy has been witnessing her sister’s distress and talks to her; a wise and perceptive little girl who asks Khun Aon if she liked P’Tum. Khun Aon tells her that at first, she thought she liked him, but now she knows she doesn’t love him. She doesn’t tell her sister though, that she is in love with Pong. Khun Aoy grows closer to her sister and sympathizes with her as she wipes the tears away and gives her a soft goodnight kiss.

That night Cha-aim ponders her newly acquitted task: of matchmaking. Solemnly, she starts the first page of her script, introducing the character and plot: this is a story about a woman who impersonates as a maid but ends up falling in love with the boss’ son. We are not sure whether this is attributing to her feelings for Mr. Tum, but it is an intriguing beginning altogether. Cha-aim gives her professor a sample of her script and he immediately loves it. He says that she wrote about all aspect of a good drama but more importantly, he is proud of the fact that through this script, she is able to understand life more now. In effect, this script showcases her life lessons.

And what happens next is unexpected. Lying does have its consequences.

Mr. Tum finds her at the hospital- angry that she didn’t wait for him to take her there. He pays for her expenses and is adamant that she returns home with him. She refuses and tells him that she didn’t want anyone to misunderstand. Mr. Tum says that he could explain it to her boyfriend later but Cha-aim remained stubborn. Fed up, Mr. Tum threatens to carry her if she continues to refuse him, lol. They return home together but Cha-aim forgets one important thing in his car: her purse.

The horror crosses her face at the realization, but it’s too late. The curious cat has read her tablet, especially the part that unveils the details of Khun Cheun’s wealth. Any person reading said details would suspect the writer of heinous thoughts. Mr. Tum confronts her with it when she came to his condo to pick up her purse. “Who exactly are you, tell me the truth! Are you a thief?!” he wants to know. The air is thick and Cha-aim’s cover is blown. After going back and forth she finally tells him the truth- that the governor’s her father. But unfortunately, as Cha-aim learns and points out to him, when you have lied so much, it would be hard for people to believe you once you do tell them the truth. In her case, the truth was lost on Mr. Tum. He accuses her of lying again and disgusted that she would call her man, “father.”

Cha-aim is speechless. She turns the table on him and says that he never wanted to get to know her for herself anyway. She tells him to proceed thinking whatever he likes because she doesn’t know what to say anymore. Tears are swimming in her eyes as they glare at each other. Mr. Tum is holding her tablet hostage until she tells him the real truth. Angry, he walks into his room and dismisses her.

Cha-aim could only watch his retreating back with sadness. She decides that since all of her research materials are in Mr. Tum’s hands, and she is just tired of it all, she figures it is time to leave. That night she packs up her bag and heads for Nong’s home.

Coincidentally, this is the night Mutdang decides to rob Khun Cheun’s home. In the wee hours, Banjong opens the door for the thieves and we witness another turning of events, where the household faces dire straits but something else wonderful emerges- bonding. For a long time, maybe even through the span of their marriage, Khun Cheun never offered her husband any honor or respect. It was an awkward marriage, even from a viewer’s perspective. And for Khun Aon, she never looked at Khun Phi as an authority/father figure. Until today. When the thieves tied them up and congregated them in the living room, and dare harm his wife and children, Khun Phi sacrificed himself for their safety. He protected them during their darkest hours. This shows Khun Cheun and Khun Aon a different side of him and he earned their respects. They were thoroughly robbed but Khun Cheun doesn’t regret that, something good is able to come from something so bad.

However, as we learned earlier, lying has its consequences. Both Cha-aim and Pong soon learn this.

Cha-aim had been missing that night of the robbery. Banjong used this as a handy excuse to frame her. I was hoping that Banjong will see the light after the robbery and maybe regret, but no sirree, she’s too caught up with greed.  The family calls on Pong to see if he knew anything about Cha-aim’s disappearance, but he merely said that she went home. She is now under suspicion but it wasn’t in Pong’s place to reveal the truth. Paranoid that he too will be discovered, he packed his bag and made his way to Nong’s home.

Even though all odds are against Cha-aim, Mr. Tum still defended her. Whether she is a mistress, a maid or now, even a thief, he still wants to help her and be there for her. He follows Pong, hoping that it will lead him to Cha-aim. They made their way back to Mr. Tum’s condo, where they found Cha-aim and Nong snooping around his office. They were planning on stealing it back- and were able to get into his condo because the staff recognized her as his maid. Pong pleads for Cha-aim to tell the truth to Mr. Tum otherwise he would. They are in desperate times now and only their real identities can help them out of this bind.

I love Mr. Tum’s expression after learning who they are. “Students?” he asked, almost anticlimactically as he settled into a chair. I don’t think he ever imagined her to be a student. They told him to ask the professor, he could vouch for them. There was one other thing that still bugged Mr. Tum though and Cha-aim guessed it right. It had to do with her father, but instead of clearing it up, she told him to interpret it any way he wanted to. Hah, poor Mr. Tum, he’s still being put through the ringer. But at the end of the day, he tells her that he is happy enough that she is not a snitch for the thieves. They peer at each other, he a look of relief and happiness, while she peered back at him with guilt. As for me, well, I was reduced to a blubbering idiot. I have a serious fangirling for this pair!

Cha-aim tells him that she didn’t want him to clear her name with the household yet, she wants to catch the real culprit first. She enlists Nark to help her follow Banjong.

It doesn’t sit well with Pong to leave Khun Pae’s house and be deemed as the guilty party. He sneaks back into the house to speak with Khun Aon and that’s when all hell breaks loose. He was ready to confess and reached into his back pocket for his student ID, when Khun Aon’s parents appeared and thought he was reaching for a gun. They apprehended him and called the cops. Then unfortunately, Pong gets arrested for looking just like a rapist called Ti Yai.

Talk about when a research project goes bad!

Pong is put in jail, his student ID still in Chaiyai’s mouth (somewhere) and now, he is being accused of being a rapist. Cha-aim, Nong and Mr. Tum visit him at the jailhouse where they tell him to reveal his true identity. Pong is terrified of his father (should he discover that he’s in jail) so he would rather sleep in jail then to get a scolding. Things got even worse when the citizens came to see Ti Yai and all confirm that Pong is indeed the culprit.

Condoning his student’s impersonation certainly backfires at the Professor. He has to try to figure out a way to bail his students out. First it’s Pong in jail now Apichet, who is writing a script about drug trafficking and is now in trouble as well.

But this jailhouse scene serves a couple of purposes. One, that it isn’t all peaches and cream when one masquerades as a maid. One can get into some serious trouble and with the law to boot. Not to mention the lies that intertwined and come back to strangle you. Second, Mr. Tum realizes how much Cha-aim cares about Pong. Even though she tells him that she will be guilty if anything should happen to Pong, Mr. Tum still interprets this as ‘she must really love him..’ His actions afterward really does seal the deal- remember, he’s Mr. Dream Man? Instead of abandoning her at the jailhouse, he bought her food and stayed with her. He’s such a sucker for her.

As they eat, Mr. Tum asks Cha-aim how long she and Pong have been dating. Cha-aim confesses that she has known Pong for so long, grew up with him and their parents are friends. She honestly doesn’t know how long they have been seeing each other. He lamented that they must be really close. And how do you compete with that? Now we see that he has come to terms with the fact that he is happy enough just to see that she is safe and happy. It breaks the heart to watch him watching them hugging through the jail cell.

Mr. Tum and Cha-aim fell asleep on each other’s shoulders in the lobby that night. Upon waking up they peer tenderly at each other, only to be broken when Cha-aim utters Pong’s name and concern washed over her face.

Pong shares with Cha-aim that one of his cellmate had recognized him as Ti Yai and promises to bring Mutdang to come save him. Cha-aim immediately knew who this Mutdang is and a light bulb goes off in her head, she knew just how to get Pong out of this situation. She will have to reveal the real Ti Yai.

Mr. Tum doesn’t agree with her plans, he feels that it is too risky. When she doesn’t budge, he decides that the only way to ensure her safety is if he would tag along. So off they go! Cha-aim dresses up as a pregnant woman and they proceed with their plan. How will this fare? Will they find the real Ti Yai, uncover the real snitch and prove Pong’s and Cha-aim’s innocence? Stay tune for Ep 11!

Not only has this episode moved us through important plot points, we get beautiful character developments- not just in the case of Cha-aim and Tum. (As a side note, I don’t think anyone can cry as pretty or effectively as Kimberly! Hats off!) Perhaps after what happens to Pong, Cha-aim realizes the concern she has for him will not nearly be the same as the concern she will have for Mr. Tum- as indicated on ep. 11 preview- he seems to be bleeding! I appreciate the fact that there are serious consequences to Cha-aim’s impersonation as a maid. Not everything will go smoothly. Indeed her professor is correct, the biggest lesson Cha-aim did learn from this is the lesson of life itself. The biggest question here is, how will Tum react to learning that the governor is really Cha-aim’s father and that he didn’t even believe her when she originally told him?

Too much fangirling! This fever can’t be healthy 🙂

Categories: Lakorn Recaps

Tagged: Kimberly Voltemas, Mark Prin, Panyachon Kon Krua

7 Comments

Murder Mystery in Qi Pao

lovefia

Posted on November 8, 2012

Clearly pointing a finger at a particular someone was too easy. Paeka had been inhibited by May Lee’s spirit while she was sorting out Qi Pao’s artifacts for the institute, and she was taken back to the time of the murder. In the possession, she was May Lee: she could feel the thickening of the air, the softness of the red Qi Pao with pink peony that draped her body, and the fight that she put up before the knife pierced her heart. The blood drained from her body and she fell lifeless to the ground. Paeka was still chilled from the occurrence and knew that she would help the girl solve her murder even before she made up her mind to do it. There was a reason why she and May Lee are lookalikes, as difficult as it is to believe.

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Based off a jade bracelet that she had seen in the struggle before May Lee was murdered, Paeka surmised that since Jao Ming Tian wore one, he ought to be the killer. Despite seeing the look of severe longing and love lost in his eyes when he thought she was May Lee. He was guilty before he could be proven innocent. Such an oversimplification based off of one evidence. And Paeka soon realized her mistake – after finally settling in the royal mansion- and discovered that everyone in said household wore a jade bracelet. You could see the horror crossing Paeka’s face and her immediate regret for suspecting Jao Ming Tian so adamantly. No one is completely innocent and everyone is a suspect.

So who could possibly be the true murderer? In the royal household we have some obvious nice and mean people, perhaps staging for us to believe certain people are the culprits. But if the writer or director feels inclined to offer any semblance of suspense, I hope they’ll keep us guessing.

As we stand right now, the royal mansion consists of:

Jao Wern Yeuy, head of the royal family. I’m confused why he is so angry at the exhibition when he discovered that May Lee’s Qi Pao was on display. He acted like she had not been murdered at all- so we can only assume that her death was contrived as a possible suicide? Thus shaming the family name? Jao Wern Yeuy is a hardass, he feels his younger son Jao Ming Tian can never measure up to his late older son. But like Ming Tian said, he’s stuck with him lol. When May Lee was alive, Jao Wern Yeuy always spoke to her about being dutiful. (May Lee was adopted.)

Ming Tian’s mom, First Lady of the household. She hates her husband’s mistress who brought her daughter along and act like they belong in the family. She adored May Lee like her own daughter and is still devastated from the loss. The moment she sees Paeka and the identical resemblance so striking, she bursts into wretched tears.

Jao Lin Meuy and Jao Lin Peuy- mother daughter duo. The mom tells her daughter to reach for Ming Tian because if anything happens to Jao Wern Yeuy, the First Lady won’t kick them out of the house and they won’t become destitute. They are possible culprits of May Lee’s murder because they hate her. They even hate Paeka for looking like May Lee and shared their deduction with the family that because Paeka looks so much like May Lee, this could possibly awaken the ghost of May Lee to haunt the family. And they look so threatened by Paeka!

So, funny things start to happen when Paeka arrived at the royal mansion. Paeka finds it strange that everyone else has seen a “ghost” when she hasn’t. She was the one who was called upon by May Lee originally. Perhaps someone is pretending to be a ghost? Heh, that wouldn’t surprise me. Even May Lee thought it strange that the ghost wore white when May Lee always wore the red Qi Pao when “visiting” her.

There is also the first lady’s brother and his wife who appear to be nice, but we can’t rule them out either.

The servants are abundant in this royal mansion. We have “Ah-liew” who is kind and nice. “Ah-Pao” is the mistress’s maid and is conniving and mean. And there’s Ming Tian’s personal valet who seems loyal and righteous.

I’m sure more characters will be introduced as we progress through the drama, and I don’t find the mystery of the murder in this lakorn to be the compelling aspect- because I primarily watch a lakorn for the leading characters story anyway- so, I fervently hope that Ming Tian and Paeka will have more on screen time together. This is a story about family drama, murder, lies and ghosts. I just hope that we get to see the romance develop thoroughly as well, because if not, it will be too bad and I may throw a hissy fit. I think Ann and Mart have good chemistry- I’m just afraid that with the plot and mystery taking the limelight, we might be shorted in the romance department. But who knows, it’s all hearsay for now.

I’ll be keeping my eyes on this one.

Categories: Lakorn Reactions

Tagged: Anne Thongprasom, Qi Pao, Smart Krissada

7 Comments

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