O-Negative (Chompoo gets knocked silly)

Foon reinforces the stereotype of Asian women being bad drivers

Episode 3 of the Thai TV show O-Negative (Episode 2) starts with the kids in their rooms at night text messaging questions about the next day's class to Prim, who has emerged as the de facto leader of the group. The scene is quite curious because in Episode 2 they clearly stated, although never showed, that the kids stayed in dorms during the week. Well, it looks like that all went out the window, who knows -- maybe their dorm set was too expensive.

Prim eventually decides to create a group chat room so she doesn't have to answer each person individually. As they're all goofing off in it Foon texts Peun privately and ends up calling him. She's flirting up a storm with him and offers to drive him to school.

The next day Foon picks up Peun. On the drive to school she says she doesn't have her driver's license yet (huh?) and admits she's kind of a bad driver. She soon demonstrates that fact when, in the midst of their flirting he tells her she's pretty and she gets embarrassed and takes her hands off the wheel to cover up her blushing face. Hilariously they have a shot of the car swerving into the other lane as Peun needs to grab the wheel. Regardless of their near death driving experience they both get a good laugh out of it. Ah, young love.  

That'll boost their confidence for sure

When to two arrive at school Chompoo notices and asks if they came together. Surprisingly, Foon lies and says they just met. Peun looks confused by that, but they are quickly off to their painting class. We don't get the teacher's name, but she is an attractive and well dressed woman who obviously doesn't suffer from a lack of self esteem. 

At least -- unlike Professor Buddy -- she actually teaches them something before having them pair off to do portraits. Foon and Prim, now the best of friends, pair off while Chompoo gloms onto Peun  before he can get away. Art is the odd man out in the class and so he says he'll do a self portrait.

After class we're back to the hazing torment. The Senior Drill Sargents tell them that tomorrow will be the last day of hazing, but there is still one group that has to perform. Also, if that group fails the hazing will continue. They call the three members of the final performing group up: Art, Peun and Chompoo. Hey, with Art as part of the team what could possibly go wrong? 

As an aside, it took me a while to figure out why these three were getting punished, than it occurred to me that they were the three caught trying to runaway on the first night. The show can be confusing like that at times. I don't know if it is sloppy writing, scenes left on the editing room floor, or Thai story telling conventions I'm missing.

Chompoo starts her journey towards turning into a falling down drunk

That night they take Chompoo to her first visit to a bar. She is nervous about having a drink because she is afraid her Dad might find out, but they talk her into it. She gets the hang of drinking pretty fast and, after guzzling down several drinks, she is soon up and wildly dancing at the table with Foon and Prim.

When they leave the bar Foon drives Chompoo home. Chompoo tries to sneak in, but her Dad catches her. Luckily for Chompoo her Dad is a bit of a dunce because he never notices that his daughter is drunk. However, he does scold her for being out so late.

Meanwhile Prim, Art and Peun have taken a taxi together. They stop ay Prim's house first, where her Mom is at the gate waiting for her. The boys introduce themselves. She asked if they've been drinking, but is obviously not bothered by the kids having a fun night out. When the boys leave she asks Prim which boy she likes better. Prim protests neither, that they're just friends. Her Mom seems skeptical and amused by the answer.

Also, the Mom mentions to Prim to tell her father that she is back. This is the second or third time he's been mentioned, but we've yet to see him. I suspect that is a plot point of some sort.

The plot thickens

We cut to Foon in her room. She's text messaging Peun to wish him good night and sweet dreams. He seems a bit distant, no doubt because of her earlier lie to the others about just meeting him before class, but she is quite happy. Then she notices a package on her night stand. What's this? She opens it and inside is post card from London signed by somebody called Ong-art who says he sent her this gift because he was thinking of her. The gift is a bottle of perfume. Hmm... I sense another apex of a soap opera polygon.

The next day the freshman are all in a class room and planning what to do for the Senior Drill Sargents. Art is on the phone. A guy snaps at him to get off the call and help. Art does hang up, but he says he won't be at the hazing today because something important came up. Art bailing on hazing again? Knock me over with a feather.

If looks could kill

The kids are all pleading with Art to come. Finally the guy who told him  to get off the phone starts swearing at Art and insulting him. Chompoo is trying to hold the guy back but he gets free and pushes Art. Art retaliates by punching the guy and in the process Chompoo gets knocked down. She ends up on the floor, bleeding with a dazed look on her face.

Prim is livid. She charges Art, pushing him and screaming, "I'm pushing you, are you going to punch me?" I dunno Prim, considering Art's track record of clobbering coeds I'm not sure I would be in a hurry to encourage him. She pushes Art into a pile of chairs before Peun gets between them and restrains her.

At the hazing Art missing naturally infuriates the Senior Drill Sargents. Peun and Chompoo try to do the performance by themselves, but poor Chompoo is crying and shaking uncontrollably from being screamed at and they screw up their dance. The Seniors are telling the class they are a pack of losers who are being disowned when, you guessed it, Art finally shows up. Now the three of them do the dance (you see parts of it in the teaser in the Episode 2 post). They nail their dance and the Seniors approve.

So, hazing is over, right?

Wrong. The Senior Drill Sargents ask them if they know what day it is. Nobody can answer, so they drag poor Chompoo back out and start screaming in her face asking her what day it is. She's on the verge of having a nervous breakdown when one of the Seniors turns to the group, spreads his arms and asks, "what sort of a girl doesn't know it is her birthday?"

With that the now smiling and friendly Seniors bring out a cake, tell the group that it is Chompoo's birthday, and invite everybody to sing Happy Birthday to her. When the cake comes out, as it slowly registers on her what's happening, Chompoo comes out of her state of abject terror until she finally melts with delight at being the center of attention.

The portrait that is sure to cause problems

In the final scene Art is handing in the portrait he did. He didn't do a self-portrait at all, instead he did a portrait of Prim. Oh Art, you love struck little puppy! Luckily for him Prim seems to have calmed down and was actually friendly to him when Chompoo's birthday cake came out.

The teacher hangs the picture on the wall where Peun eventually sees it. He's admiring it and he notices that Art drew it, so he asks Art if he can have it. Art says sure, although it isn't clear exactly how he takes Peun's request. That said, I'm sure we can all guess what Foon's reaction will be.

[Episode 4]