Tuesday, May 19, 2020

O-Negative (back to the beach after another year's hazing is done)

An embarrassing moment
Episode 14 of the Thai TV show O-Negative (Episode 13) starts where the previous episode ended. Peun and Foon are in the front seat of her car making out when suddenly a light shines on them. It is a cop, who snuck up on them on what had to be the world's quietest motorcycle. He is checking to see if they're old enough to be engaged in such shenanigans.

Peun gets out and shows him his ID, but resists the cop's request for Foon's ID, telling him that Foon is the same age and his friend. They argue for a bit, with Peun repeatedly insisting Foon's a college friend and the same age as he is. Eventually the cop gives up trying to get Foon's ID and drives off. Way to make sure underage Thai girls are safe officer Ponch.

When Peun gets back in the car he's laughing. He tell Foon that he had kept telling the cop that they were friends and when the cop, who had seen them smooching, finally gave up he made a sarcastic remark about keeping good care of his 'friend'. They both get a good laugh out of that. When Foon drops him off he asks her what classes she has the next day. She has none, but he was an afternoon class. Foon says she'll come to the university anyway to see him.

Ong-art's charms fall on deaf ears
Meanwhile Foon's parents are entertaining Ong-art who is waiting for her to get home. After a bit of Tiger Balm product placement Foon finally arrives. When she gets there her parents excuse themselves so Foon and Ong-art can talk. When the two are alone she more or less tells Ong-art to buzz off while he, not exactly taking the hint, tells her he hasn't agreed to ending their relationship.

I've got to give props to the actor who plays Ong-art (I could not find his name). Without too much scenery chewing, he has his character dripping ooze every minute he is on the screen

The next morning we cut to Art calling Peun to meet him to go to school. Peun says he may be late because he is at Prim's house meeting her to take her to school. Prim's house? Uhh... Peun, remember last night? The car? The lip-lock? Foon saying she'll go to the university to meet you this morning? Art's disgust with Peun grows, as does ours.

The three end up meeting at a bus stop. Peun and Prim sit together and Art is in his usual third wheel role. After they get off the bus Art excuses himself to go to the bathroom (or as the closed captioning so delicately puts it "to take a dump"). As an aside, in the banter on this show there is a lot, and I mean a lot, of bathroom and scatological humor.

Chompoo interrogates Prim and Peun
As they go to class Prim and Peun run across Chompoo. She immediately asks them if they came to school together. Prim says yes. Chompoo then asks them if they are seeing each other. They both are coy, with each deferring to the other and neither answering. When they leave for their class Peun asks Prim why she told Chompoo they came together. She says it was just to tease Chompoo and that she'll gossip about them anyway, but Art will set her straight when he tells Chompoo he also came with them.

We jump to a painting class that Foon, Chompoo and Art are in. Wait, I thought Foon didn't have classes this day? Whatever. Chompoo tells Foon and Art that Prim and Peun are seeing each other. Foon wonders how she knows that and Chompoo says it is because they came to school together. Art pops her bubble by telling her that he was with the two and they all come to the university together.

Chompoo goes on a bit more about Prim and Peun acting weird, but Art and Foon point out to  her that Peun was just winding her up because he knows Chompoo is a gossip. Surprisingly, Foon even adds that Prim and Peun make a nice couple. Art will tell Peun about that comment a little later. When he does Peun then tells Art he's surprised she would say that because Foon said she was going to wait for him. Gah... these goofballs are making things far more complicated than they need to be. However, such is the life of a soap opera character.

We cut to the Freshman Workshop. which I guess is now the Sophomore Workshop, where Art is drawing when Chompoo arrives. She asks where the others are and he tells her Prim and Peun are on the roof. This sets Chompoo's gossip reflex off and she starts to head up, but Art stops her by reminding her usually people go to the roof when they want to be alone. Shortly after Foon arrives and asks about the other two. Art and Chompoo nervously look at each other.

Prim blocks Peun's move
Meanwhile, up on the roof Prim is giving Peun a hair cut. When she's done they start brushing his hairs off of each other. In the process their faces get close to each other. Peun starts to lean in as if to kiss Prim, but she puts her hand over his mouth and laughingly pushes him away. They continue their horseplay with each other.

Naturally Foon is standing in the doorway watching all of this and looking unhappy. She leaves, but later she comes back to tell them Chompoo has some barbeque ready. As she does, she runs across them on their way down and she puts on a cheerful face as she banters a bit. Prim goes down first and as Peun heads down Foon grabs his wrist and then slides her hand across his palm as a reminder she is still around and waiting.

When we cut to the barbeque it is back on the roof. The continuity of this day's sequences has been awful (the continuity director of this show must have been the producer's nephew or something). Anyway, when Peun arrives Foon moves over so he can sit between her and Prim. Foon is trying to figure out Peun and Prim's relationship so she starts teasing Prim that she gave Peun a special haircut because he's a special guy to her. Laughing, Prim denies that while Peun look hugely uncomfortable and as usual Art looks miserable.

Later Art is sitting outside of the Sophomore Workshop when Peun approaches him for advice. Art says it looks like Foon is getting over him, but Peun tells him Foon is still up to her nutty behavior of acting one way when they're alone and another when the group is around. Peun says he feels bad for Foon. Art says he does as well, and then adds that he feels bad for anybody who falls for Peun's BS. Peun looks a bit offended by that well deserved insult.

Chompoo reveals she is a fake Freshman
We're back to the auditorium where the hazing is taking place. Chompoo is missing. The Seniors are yelling at the Freshman asking them where she is. Suddenly she comes prancing down the aisle and tells them she was gone because she was making her dress. She was making the dress so she could wear it when she revealed that she was a fake Freshman. She tells the Freshman that she is really a Sophomore fashion design student. The hazees don't seem all that amused by it, but they gamely clap at the reveal.

We cut to the stands where the other four members of O Group are sitting. Prim is saying that she actually doesn't like the fact that the freshman were fooled for so long. She adds that she doesn't like being fooled because it makes her feel horrible. Gee, I wonder if that's a plot point that's going to come into play later? Anyway, Peun and Foon understandably both look mortified when she says that.

Will we finally see the inspiration on the panels?
Later we see the Freshman, with blindfolds on, being led out of the auditorium to stand in front of the panels with their inspirational messages. Will we finally find out what's on those damn panels that so moves the Freshman? Of course we won't. It must be a Thai state secret or something, because again all we see is the Freshman gawking at something in wonderment when they take their blindfolds off.

We join them the next day in front of the bus waiting to board to go to the beach hazing. Chompoo has gotten a call from Go who is making sure what she's wearing is not too revealing. She jokingly complains that her boyfriend is turning into her dad. When they board Peun sits with Prim and Art joins Foon. Chompoo is naturally in the aisle doing wild Chompoo dancing.

That night, before introducing Mr. and Mrs. Freshman they drag out last year's couple, Prim and Peun, and make them walk hand in had. Of course this gives Foon and Art ample opportunity to look sad and wistful. Then they introduce  this year's couple, Petch and Mork. When they're done with their walk Chompoo shoves Mrs. Freshman aside so she can take selfies with Mr. Freshman. She's asking for people to take pictures of them when Go shows up. No harm. no foul, he just gives her a good natured teasing.

She only has eyes for Peun
Later they're by the campfire when Art brings out his guitar. Since Violette Wautier, the actress who plays Prim, is a singer they ask her to sing some songs. As she sings Foon spends most of her time stealing glances at Peun.

Peun leaves to go to the bathroom. After a bit of bathroom banter with Chompoo he returns to find Foon gone. He leaves Prim to her warbling to find Foon. He finds her alone on the beach. She tells him that she left because she didn't want to see him and Prim together. She tells him that part of her thinks there is nothing between Peun and Prim, and part of her thinks she is losing Peun to Prim.

She directly asks Peun if he confessed to Prim yet. In Asian dramas to confess is to tell the other person you like, that is have feelings for, them. It is a big deal and usually, like in this show, it can be dragged out for several episodes because the characters are too uncertain as to how their confession will be received.

He answers that no, he has not confessed to Prim. She asks why and he says it is because he is not sure. She steps closer and says, "then I still have a chance, right?" Remembering the scene from Dumb and Dumber I inadvertently start giggling.

As I'm giggling she steps in even closer and they start kissing. As Prim sings away on another section of the beach, on their section of the beach Peun and Foon heat up as they keep kissing. They lay down together. Before long their clothes are flying hither and yon as they doff them as the episode ends.

[Episode 15]

Peun is so cool his kisses with his hands in his pockets

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