O-Negative (backstory-o-rama)

Sakuntala - the beauty Peun flatters Foon with

Episode 7 of the Thai TV show O-Negative (Episode 6) starts with the kids at an art museum getting an art appreciation lecture. They are all bored to death. When the lecture ends the teacher tells them to pick one of the artworks and write an essay  about why it is beautiful.

As the students spread out Peun naturally ends up next to Foon. Considering his interlude, during the last episode, of fantasizing over Prim because of the t-shirt gift he needs to do an enormous amount of groveling to get back into Foon's good graces. He tells her that he threw the t-shirt away, which she thinks was stupid and then he tells her he cares for her but she's noncommittal.

Finally, in desperation he starts spouting poetry. Oh Peun, you silly boy. After going on about fair skin, jasmine and the eyes of a lion she realizes he's comparing her to the legendary beauty Sakuntala. I must say, for this being nothing but a oddball soap opera I sure am having to Google a lot of stuff. Anyway, she seems to fall for his flattery although she still maintains some distance.

Elsewhere Art has hooked up with Prim. She notices he is done with his assignment and wonders why he hasn't handed it in yet. He tells her he is keeping her company and besides, he is keeping himself busy. With that he gives her a sketch he did of her. She is quite pleased by it and his attention.

Go invites the O Group to his new bar

We cut to outside the museum, where as they leave Foon turns down Peun's offer of a dinner and a movie, claiming she's busy that night. Right after that the other kids come out. Chompoo tells them that Go messaged her and said he had a new bar and that he invited them to visit. Prim wants to know if they're all going.

All of them, including Foon who is suddenly not busy, want to go. The look on Peun's face is pretty funny. He looks surprised that she lied about being busy. Apparently he hasn't watched the first six episodes where she has told lies at the drop of a hat.

No offense Go, but your bar is a dump

When the kids get to Go's bar they discover it is an empty room on the 2nd floor. Chompoo teases Go about it, asking him if he is planning on having his customers sit on the floor drinking shots. Go explains his plans for the bar and says he needs some helpers. He wants the O Group to paint a mural on the wall and in return they'll get a life time 10% discount and their own special table.

The kids agree and the rest of the episode is, for the most part, going to be them telling stories about their past as they draw the mural. First we flashback to Peun and Art at a cram school. They are preparing for their college entrance exams.

Peun wonders why the nice lady gave him a chocolate bar

They're in a drawing class that is being taught by Aum. She's attractive and obviously interested in Peun for more than just his drawing progress. She hovers him and blatantly flirts with him. She ends up giving him a chocolate bar. Art points out to Peun that she is obviously interested in him and they could easily go out. Peun scoffs at that, saying he doesn't really like her.

However, at the end of a later class Art sees Peun and Aum leaving arm and arm. Their relationship doesn't last long, because we next see Art in the class alone. Aum is pestering him about where Peun has been. In fact, she pesters him so much that he ends up dropping the class as well.

So, Peun is a highschool kid and she is his adult teacher and her behavior doesn't raise an eyebrow? Well, apparently not. We return to the mural painting where the kids discuss Peun's story. Chompoo thinks he just slept with Aum and then dumped her. Peun claims that's not true, that he didn't like her. Then again, Foon is listening so Peun is spewing a fair amount of BS to try to impress her.

Meanwhile Chompoo has looked up their cram school and she realizes she went to the same one, but she was in a different class. They're eating as they talk about that coincidence when Go starts joking about Chompoo eating all the food. He then hems and haws a bit before asking Chompoo if she likes him. In Asian dramas telling somebody of the opposite sex that you like them is saying that you want to have a relationship. Chompoo sits there not knowing whether Go is joking or not, the kids are amused and an embarrassed Go heads out to buy Chompoo more food.

Chompoo tries to kill her sister

Chompoo's flashback starts at the cram school where she throws her drawing away when she leaves. He parents don't approve, so she has to keep the cram school secret. At dinner it becomes apparent that her father favors her sister Som O. He gives Som O the good pieces of food while he offers nothing to Chompoo.

After dinner the two sisters are in their room. Chompoo is trying to study while Som O is dancing around practicing a cheerleading routine. She ends up bopping Chompoo in the head with  her pom-pom. Chompoo jumps up angrily, and soon the two of them are fighting. Som O, being a little tattle-tale, yells to her dad that Chompoo is fighting with her.

In the next scene the Chompoo's dad is yelling at her while Som O stands behind him smirking. Chompoo ends up getting tossed out of the house so her sister can cheerlead practice in peace. Poor Chompoo is shown sitting on the curb outside her house under a street light trying not to cry as she reads.

We cut back to bar where the kids commiserate with Chompoo. Art then says he thinks he knows why Chompoo's dad is so harsh. He points out that Chompoo comes from a Chinese family and that the Chinese place great value in the first born. He jokingly says being stuck with the likes of Chompoo as their firstborn would frustrate anybody.

Foon then asks Art if he stayed in the class after Peun quit. He says no and seems a bit irked that, thanks to Peun, he had to quit after paying for the classes.

Tum gives Art some food

 We flashback to him drawing at the Foundation. Tum comes up and gives him some bananas from a left over temple offering. Art hungrily eats them. Later he calls his mom from a pay phone. He just wants to talk to her. After the call he checks his money and decides to take a train to visit her.

She is happy to see him, but concerned that he has enough money. She feels bad because she can't support him better. They have a talk where she questions him about his situation. He draws portraits -- I guess for tourists -- for living expenses. He only can draw three a day at most because his hand cramps if he draws more, and he has to end by midnight so he can catch a bus. His mother is upset, but she says nothing.

The next day she's prepared a parcel of food for him for his train ride back to Bangkok. He's depressed as he returns. Back at the bar the girls are impressed he made it into college without the benefit of a cram school. Foon and Prim compare notes and discover they both attended the Phra Sumen Fort cram school, but they didn't know each other at the time.

Trouble in paradise

We get Prim's flashback first. He father drops her off and we see her drawing with Foon sitting a little way off. A fellow comes up with a bag of cookies and asks Prim to give them to Foon and ask for her phone number. Prim says OK, then opens the bag and starts eating the cookies. The fellow protests and she just points out he should have approached Foon in the first place.

We cut to Prim's parents waiting for her. They don't seem entirely happy and Prim's mom eventually accuses her dad of turning her into an alcoholic back in their college days. Yeeps! This conversation has taken a turn for the worse mighty fast. Her dad then mentions somebody called Weera and Prim's mom wonders if he's talked to him yet. He says no because Weera said his kid being sick. Prim's mom is disgusted.

Prim joins them and they drive to get food. Prim and her dad are jovial enough, but her mom is silent and obviously unhappy. While they're waiting for the food an old beggar lady approaches them to buy some candy. The dad does, while Prim's mom gets their order and walks off in a huff. She is even angrier.

All that remains is Foon's flashback. She's finishing up her session at the Phra Sumen Fort cram school when a young fellow walks up. He flirts with her and she flirts back. I do believe we have our first Ong-art sighting.

[Episode 8]

The mysterious Ong-art makes an appearance