O-Negative (I see dead people)

Just don't try to kiss me again bro

Time for Episode 6 of the Thai TV show O-Negative (Episode 5). The series is actually based on a movie and so, as you can imagine, there seems to be a fair amount of padding to spread the two hour run time of a movie into a full season. This episode is probably an example of that.

We start with Art and Peun on the roof of the freshman workshop. Peun finally gets around to telling Art about his secret relationship with Foon. Art, aside from being relieved that Peun isn't going to try any more of his kissing experiments, doesn't know what to say. Finally, Art just suggests that, if it bothers Peun so much, that he slow down his relationship to Foon.

Of course the problem with that advice is that Foon is actually the one aggressively pursuing the relationship. Later she calls Peun. He tries to ignore her call, but his resistance lasts about 15 seconds.  The be fair to Peun, that's about 10 seconds longer than the average guy would last if Foon were throwing herself at them.

Anyway, he agrees to meet her at a location that Art is also going to be at, but he doesn't tell her that fact. He does tell Art she's coming, who seems a bit disgusted by his friend's lack of a backbone.

A romantic rendevous

They meet at the coffin donation window of the Poh Teck Tung Foundation. Coffin donation is an act of charity that provides poor people with proper burials. It seems like it would be a morbid place to go on a date, but Foon is quite pleased by it when she gets there. They decide to donate. First they make a wish over the money and then upon receiving a receipt they are told they can make a prayer in front of the venerable monk.

Before they pray Foon wants to wash her hands and on the way to the rest room she runs into Art who is wearing a uniform. Peun also walks up. Naturally she continues her nutty and increasingly ridiculous secrecy act by claiming that she just ran across Peun there by chance. As usual Peun looks like a whipped puppy and Art just looks embarrassed by it all.

When Foon excuses herself to leave Peun says he'll walk her to her car.  She knows he is upset, so when they get away from Art she comes up with another excuse for her behavior. This time she claims she's worried that Art would 'tease' them. Peun tells her Art is his friend and that he already told Art about them and for her not to worry, that Art won't say anything.

Art knows how to impress the ladies

The next day we join the girl's on the roof of the freshman workshop building where they are having hotpot again. Foon has told them about Art's job and they are waiting for the two boys to join them so they can ask him about it.

To clarify things before continuing, most of Thailand's first responders to traffic accidents and crime scenes are volunteers. Art is a volunteer with the Poh Teck Tung Foundation's team that supports emergency services. If you're interested, there is more about these volunteer teams at: In Pictures: Thailand's emergency volunteers.

Chompoo asks Art if he collects dead bodies. He says no, that he takes pictures of them. He teases Chompoo that he takes pictures of people who died poorly and acts like he is going to then take her picture. Without missing a beat Chompoo off-handedly points out that he's already taking pictures of Prim. Art and Prim's flustered reaction to Chompoo so casually mentioning what they thought was their discrete interest in each other is nicely done.

Prim asks about the pictures he takes and Art tells a story about photographing some guy who had been chopped up by gangsters. Chompoo loses her appetite as he tells the gruesome story of the guy's innards spread all over the apartment.

Prim says she would like to ride along on a call. Naturally this leads all of the kids being peer-pressured into agreeing to also ride along, although Chompoo is squeamish at the idea.

Art photographs Bo and Tum

The next scene is at a temple where Art is photographing two new characters: Bo and Tum. In a conversation with them they hint at some of Art's backstory. They ask him if he's called Ms Sirilak lately. He says every day, but if he calls on the weekend she won't answer because she's off meditating in the forest. Who knows what that's about, so just file it away as a plot point.

Art tells them some of his friends are coming, including some coeds. When Chompoo arrives early the two start slobbering all over her, telling her she is cute as they deliver one cheesy pickup line after another. They scare her off, but eventually the other kids come and she rejoins them.

They're sitting at a table when an emergency call comes in about an accident between a car and a motorcycle. They climb into the back of the rescue team pickup and race to the scene with the sirens blaring.

In actuality volunteers get some training before going out

When they get to the accident scene Chompoo and Foon are too scared to leave the pickup. Peun seems to use the two girls as an excuse to hang back as well, but Prim goes to help if she can. They give her a towel and tell her to compress a leg wound to stem the bleeding. She's fine until the ambulance takes the patient away, then she nearly faints when the adrenalin wears off.

We cut to a scene of the girls shopping in an outdoor market. Prim gets side tracked looking at some T-shirts while Foon and Chompoo continue on.

Later Prim is alone at the freshman workshop. Peun comes and Prim gives him a bag. Inside is a gift, a t-shirt like the ones she was looking at. Peun is thrilled. That night while wearing it he messages Prim telling her how much he likes it. He then starts liking a slew of her Instagram pictures. I'm not sure Peun is putting as much thought into this as he ought to.

The next day Foon and Chompoo are sitting in the school cafeteria when Peun shows up proudly wearing the t-shirt. He tells them that Prim gave it to him. Chompoo starts teasing him that he and Prim must now be an item. While Peun looks pleased, Foon looks absolutely stricken.

The hissing sound you hear is the air leaking out of Peun's ego

Art and Prim walk up at this point. Chompoo is still going on about Peun and Prim being an item when Art tells her Prim bought him one of the t-shirts as well. It is now Peun's turn to look stricken. Prim adds to his embarrassment when she tells them that she bought t-shirts for Bo and Tum as well. She had gotten blood on all their shirts and that's why she got the t-shirts.

Foon has cheered up considerably and she jokingly tells Prim she thought that she liked Peun. Prim laughs and says no, there is nothing between the two of them. Peun, his ego now stomped flatter than a pancake, is totally mortified.

We cut to a Art and Peun talking in a stairwell. Peun is admitting he feels like a complete fool. He'll get no argument from us on that point. Peun the declares that he's settled on the fact that Foon is the girl that he likes. Art is his usual noncommittal self and suggest to Peun that maybe just staying friends for now will lead to less emotional disaster down the road. That would be pretty good advice if we weren't in a soap opera. Sorry Art, but we need stupidity and emotional disaster for this story to progress.

The episode ends with Peun at home taking off the t-shirt and tossing it into the garbage. Jeez Peun, was that bit of drama-queenery really needed?

[Episode 7]