We’ve got horror as Khemjira (Khem) is chased down dark city streets by a ghost. When he’s trapped, he grabs his necklace and starts chanting.
And now we’re in 2010!
But this is a flashback, not time-travel.
Child Khem tries to save a dog from ghosts and is rescued from those ghosts by Grand Master Sek. Khem’s mom’s family is cursed, and all the boys die violent and unnatural deaths before they’re 21. He has a feminine name, I guess to try to fool ghosts.
Sek can cast a spell so he doesn’t see ghosts anymore, but Khem’s mom is coughing blood, and he wants to see her once she’s gone.
So, Sek pulls off a bracelet.
That bracelet is now the necklace Khem clutches
It takes a lot of chanting, but Khem banishes the ghost.
Unfortunately, despite the curse, Khem cannot see his dead mother. His father, now a monk, meets him at her grave. Dad worries things are getting worse for Khem and wants him to be careful since he’s nearly 21. I don’t trust Khem’s Dad, but that’s because the actor always plays terrible Dads.
After Khem walks away, Dad asks Mom to protect their son, but we’re the only ones to see her. Khem sees plenty of other sad ghosts.
Back at his apartment, Khem is nearly murdered by a hammer and toolcase falling from the sky. He’s saved by his friend Jet.
Jet has a talisman from his Master Paran. Unfortunately, Paran couldn’t do anything else for him. Khem reassures Jet he’s not giving up, but bracing himself. Every meeting leads to parting.
I feel like if this poor guy has to die by 21, it’d be nice if he’d get a break until his birthday is closer.
Thanks to a Mom ghost (but not HIS Mom) ghost, Khem rescues an abused child. So it’s not all bad.
Unfortunately, it’s getting in the way of school
He hallucinates blood flowing from his pen and his classmates turning to ghosts. A ghost appears in his drawing. Banishing it breaks his necklace cord and destroys the talisman from Paran.
Jet makes him stay at his place. But Khem gets trapped in a hallucination, following his Mom’s calls for help, while the only non-murderous ghost we’ve met tries to stop him. Meanwhile, real-world Khem nearly climbs off a balcony to his death, until Jet stops him.
Jet is a great friend, because he gets their school volunteer group to go to Ubon Ratchathani, where Paran lives. But on the way, their bus is attacked by ghosts. Khem nearly sacrifices himself, but Jet and an astral-projecting Paran make them go away. We also see the non-murderous ghost again.
Once they arrive, Khem meets Paran, and we get kdrama-level staring.
We meet a cute beefcake of a dog
Looks like the puppy has grown up, at Paran’s place, where Jet and Khem are staying. That non-murderous ghost has followed, but Paran shoos them away. Khem asks about them, but Paran doesn’t answer questions.
Khem asks if Paran is always this cold, and Jet says he’s usually worse. But he always helps someone in trouble. Khem feels like he’s a burden.
Jet visits Paran to get beaten for trying to help Khem and discuss Khem’s karmic enemy. They’re powerful enough to control all the ghosts who attacked the bus.
Paran says he won’t promise he can save him. But we see villagers arrive, and two spirit children that Paran works with prepare themselves. Everyone chants to put up a shield. While this is happening, Khem sleeps fitfully.
A whole lot of bad ghosts approach. One in particular asks Paran if he’s looking for her.
Flashback to younger Paran
He watches his grandfather, Sek, help child Khem. After Khem and his family leave, Sek explains that he can’t stop the kid’s karmic enemy.
But the boy has 10 years left, and Sek will be gone by then. Paran thinks he’ll help Khem then, but Sek wants him to stick with white magic and protect the village. Sek’s magic is black, and he meddled with things he shouldn’t. Because of that, Paran’s Mom died.
He makes Paran promise not to interfere.
But I think this is technically interfering
Paran, and everyone else, chant as the ghosts attack. Ghost lady offers to spare everyone if given Khem. She won’t explain why she wants him, just that she wants him to suffer, and his fate is not Paran’s to alter.
Paran calls for protection from many deities and people, and the ghosts are destroyed in flames. Sleeping Khem calms down, and Paran has a psychic nosebleed.
Later, Khem apologizes for causing problems. Paran shows Khem that he has a bracelet like Khem’s necklace. It’s Sek’s amulet, and only two exist.
Only now does Khem remember this place. He thanks Sek at the memorial altar, then unwisely asks about Paran’s parents. They died before Paran’s grandfather did. Still, Paran fixes Khem’s necklace chord.
But also, we’re here to volunteer
While working on a mural, Khem deals with an unwise question when another student, Charn, asks about his mother. Then it gets worse, as random students comment on Khem’s name being feminine, and call him pretty in a way that doesn’t feel complimentary.
Jet gets protective of Khem and irritated with Charn. Hello, second couple.
Besides that, the students discover that a local woman is being abused by her husband. There’s ignorant talk about how he seems “so nice”, but Khem is rightly worried.
But he’s got to work on his “dying at 21” problem, and tries to ingratiate himself with Paran using food. Paran looks stony and says it’s okay. But when Khem leaves for a moment, Paran eats everything.
Khem notices this victory and begs for help, but tasty food hasn’t changed anything. Paran promised his grandfather to stay away. Khem knows it sounds selfish, but he doesn’t think Paran can watch people suffer.
Now we REALLY get a flashback
To 1939, and that big house in all the Thai dramas. A woman, Khemmika, rescues a cat in a tree and needs to be rescued by a man, Pawat. Pawat looks exactly like Paran.
Back in the present, Khem notices dark smoke coming from the abusive husband. Paran confirms he’s possessed. Khem gets Jet and Charn to check on the wife, and scores them all fermented pork.
Still, Jet doesn’t want to help. That’s not a good look. Charn wants to help, but inadvertently causes the husband to go beat his wife to prove he’s not beating his wife.
When Khem hears this, he forces Jet to get involved. Paran watches them leave.
Charn discovers it’s not the husband, but the wife who’s possessed. Tired of his mistreatment, the woman wants the ghost to kill her husband. Unfortunately, it’s going to kill Charn and some others, too.
Meanwhile, Jet and Khem get stuck in a haunted forest and attacked by ghosts.
This is all a plot by Khem’s karmic enemy
She wants Paran to choose between saving Khem and Jet, or Charn and everyone else. But he doesn’t have to, because he sends the children spirits to magic Jet so he can see ghosts. Then, Jet saves himself and Khem.
Paran takes care of the ghost that possessed the wife. That done, the wife takes back her abusive husband. Khem thinks this means love won, but Paran says just because the husband made a promise doesn’t mean he’ll follow through. Khem, you were right earlier, what happened?
Paran feels love isn’t always enough to make things work. I’m not sure the abusive husband loves his wife but… I think Paran’s talking about something else.
Khem cries, because Paran won’t help him because he’s not a member of the village he protects. But he’ll do whatever it takes to stop being an outsider to him.
Jet gets Charn to bed and stares at him in a way that gets noticed.
The next day, the abusive husband leaves the village to find work to pay his debt. Paran thinks this means he’s right about love not being enough. Kinda?
Khem apologizes because his karmic enemy orchestrated everything. Paran says the ghost only stirred up resentment that was already there. Jet translates: “It’s not your fault, don’t blame yourself.”
Jet brings up the non-murderous ghost that keeps appearing around Khem. Paran looks unhappy. That night, that ghost shows up by Khem’s bed, but when he tries to touch him, he can’t. He leaves angrily, and Khem wakes up.
The ghost finds Paran and says, “Long time no see, Wat.”
That’s a whole lot of story
And it’s well done and looks good too!
If I were to get picky, some shorter scenes feel repetitive. The opening scene was atmospheric, but felt like something I’ve seen many, many times in horror films. That might have been intentional, to prepare us for what’s to come.
After that, things got better. The scenes at the school or when everyone fell asleep on the bus were nicely creepy.
I’m intrigued by Paran’s family history and what happened to his parents. Also, that pair of children who hang out with him. I like that Jet also does magic. Will Khem get to do anything besides hold the necklace and chant? Maybe using his art?
I like that we’re not getting an instant attraction between Khem and Paran. There are hints of things between them, but I’m sensing a slow burn.
There is a nice, epic feeling to the show, and I had trouble keeping this recap wordcount in check. I’m looking forward to seeing where it goes. But will there still be a beach vacation episode?
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