When last we left our reluctant time traveler and the stern-faced guard, Nakun struggled to accept that he had traveled through time.
Oh no, we’re in the upside-down again!
Klao’s father is found guilty of bribery and corruption. He’s sentenced to 50 lashes and a life of servitude. Klao declares his father is innocent, but instead of defending himself, his father says to stay quiet. One day, the truth will come out.
Nakun wakes up calling for his father. Chuay tells him that his father is no more, but won’t tell him anything else.
Nakun guesses this wasn’t a dream, but Klao’s memories.
Later, he goes on the promised family temple visit. From Phop’s mother, Nakun learns Klao’s father was a companion to her husband until relocating to Phichit because of the “incident.” Which is Klao’s father’s sentencing?
After making merit, Nakun is surprised at his sadness over Klao’s father. He asks Phop’s mother whether Klao’s father really committed a crime and was executed. But the universe does not want him to get a straight answer, because they’re interrupted.
Phop leaves to investigate it, and Nakun follows. The people gathered there literally point fingers, calling him the son of a rogue and accusing him of strange outbursts. As he walks past, his head rings, sending him to the ground.
The person who helps him is the Fortune Teller!
But now she’s the Oracle and doesn’t recognize him. She’s being shunned for being a woman in a man’s guise.
Phop tries to drag Nakun away, but Nakun grabs onto her. Suddenly, things get weird. She says it’s the wrong time, wrong place, wrong circumstances. The promise and the wish shall restore things.
Nakun thinks she knows he traveled through time, but Phop pulls him away again, and guards take the Oracle. Upset, Nakun tells Phop to stop watching over him like a convict and walks away.
At home, Nakun gives Phop the silent treatment. Phop’s Mom gently suggests that the more you care and love, the kinder you must be. Phop looks guilty.
Nakun wants to go home now and wishes the Fortune Teller had made things easier. He remembers the Time Travel Literature teacher saying the main character needs a goal or mission. If they succeed, they return to their time. If they don’t… they’re stuck forever.
Nakun is ready to embark on a mission and learns to use a quill to start taking notes on what he’s learned about Klao.
That evening, an open-shirted Phop brings an ink-smudged Nakun food. Nakun won’t look at him, but he takes the fruit.
Phop apologizes for pushing him that morning. Nakun apologizes for being rude. Phop goes to wipe the ink stains, and we get slo-mo, staaaaaaaring, leaaaannnnning in, and–
The servants interrupt, and Phop threatens to beat them
Sexy. Nakun eats directly from Phop’s hand, and Phop gets flustered and leaves. I think Nakun finds flustered Phop adorable.
Doctor Jom advises Phop to keep Nakun away from people of unsound mind, like the Oracle. But also, don’t keep him prisoner.
Meanwhile, Kaew gives Nakun an ear massage. Nakun wonders if Klao’s Dad was innocent. Kaew tells him that when Klao came back from Phichit, he spent his nights “indulging himself in the market’s corners.”
Later, Kaew wants to know what Jom would do if Kaew forgot everything. Jom says he’d take care of him. Because he’s a doctor. Boo.
Nakun realizes Klao’s drinking is why Phop is so strict. Then we get a very strange conversation with a cook about eating ant larvae. But Phop is happy to see Nakun laughing, so am I.
Nakun wants to go to the market, but Phop worries it’ll be dangerous and won’t explain why. So Nakun invites him, acting cute. Phop says he’ll do it when not on patrol, and gets a big hug as a reward!
That night, Nakun has more nightmares. Klao’s father wouldn’t confess, even if it reduced his punishment. Phop holds Klao back as his father is lashed. Nakun wakes up crying.
The next morning, Phop isn’t there to take Nakun to the market. Nakun fake cries and forces Chuay to take him there. Wandering around, they hear a woman crying for help, and Nakun stops a man from hitting her.
The man backs away, says Klao’s name, and acts like… he saw a ghost?
The man, Cherd, is surprised Klao has forgotten him. A guard shows up, not Phop, but Harn. The woman, Varna, is his cousin. He recognizes Klao and wants him and Varna to go home to safety.
Phop arrives and also tells Nakun to go home.
On their way to the boat, Chuay makes Nakun play 20 questions to learn that Klao and Cherd fought over a woman. That can’t be the whole story.
Harn tells Phop he’s grateful for Nakun’s help. He assumes Klao’s strange behavior is caused by what happened to his father. Maybe because of this, Phop agrees to take Nakun to a tea shop rather than go straight home. But in the future, Nakun can only go places with him.
Nakun’s smile makes Phop go shy.
The tea shop owner is afraid of Phop and Nakun. Phop because he might find illegal activity. Nakun, because he might drunken do illegal activity.
But he lets them in for fancy tea. White people in ye olde costumes arrive to put everyone down in ye olde English. So Nakun stands up and insults them back, also using ye olde English. He was the top student in Shakespeare Studies. Nice.
After tea, Phop is confused because Nakun speaks Thai funny but English well. Nakun uses his time in Phichit as an excuse.
After they get in the boat to return home, Nakun briefly hallucinates the Oracle.
Meanwhile, Kaew does not hallucinate a shirtless Jom
Jom makes annoying suggestions about how Kaew should be out there being A Man. Then he tells Kaew not to cry, but to serve him the food he brought. My… heart?
Back home, Nakun sees the Oracle outside his room and rushes to her, asking if she traveled through time or was reincarnated. When he grabs her, things get weird again. She talks about the dark, cold agony that Klao’s soul is in. No one is coming to help.
Nakun lets go, and she returns to normal. It sounds like Klao is dead.
Phop sees them and is upset that she made Nakun cry.
Before Phop’s aggressive attitude ruins things again, his Mom arrives. She guesses the Oracle just wanted to help Nakun and pays her. She tells Phop that a calm response is better than a loud outburst. The Oracle has been beaten for being different.
Nakun says she didn’t make him cry. He did that one his own.
Alone, Nakun admits the Oracle looks like someone from Phichit. He wasn’t sure they were the same person. When Nakun asks about his attitude towards the Oracle, Phop suddenly wants to go somewhere.
Meanwhile, Jom is bathing, and Kaew is again overwhelmed. Annoyed, Jom reveals MORE skin and accuses Kaew of thinking wicked thoughts. Then he claims this is a joke.
Bad Jom. Poor Kaew.
Phop takes Nakun to the rice fields, where they played as kids.
And when adult Klao was troubled, he’d find him here too
We flashback to Klao telling Phop he’s going to Phichit because of his father, but doesn’t want to be parted from Phop. Phop encourages him to study and become a guard too. Klao isn’t interested. But he doesn’t know what he wants to do, besides be with Phop.
Phop tells Nakun that he waited for Klao there, and now he’s back. He promises to listen to him and not dictate his choices. Nakun cries and stays silent. Phop promises to wait until he’s ready and to always be by his side.
The setting sun is HUGE as Phop helps Nakun up, and catches him when he nearly trips and falls. Staaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaring.
Nakun recovers and tells him to let go, but Phop swears he will never let him go. Back hug time! MY HEART. For real.
Back in his room, Nakun is confused by his feelings. Flashforward to modern Nakun telling Thee he’s never had butterflies in his stomach, only stomach juices. Now, this could be butterflies. He smiles until he remembers Phop called him “my Klao.” Not “my Nakun.”
In the morning, Nakun joins Phop’s family for breakfast. Varna and her Dad are there, and Dad talks about them all being a family.
Nakun assumes Phop will marry Varna. He needs to forget feelings, complete the mission, and return home.
It’s Never Easy Falling In Love While In Someone Else’s Body
And I always want to see how shows resolve it. Will the endgame for Nakun be that modern Phop we saw for a moment? I feel like that would be unsatisfying. But will he tell this Phop that he’s not his Klao?
I always enjoy seeing straightforward/complicated pairings in a couple. It sounds like Klao was similarly complicated and didn’t handle it well. I love seeing our poor, quirky, silly Nakun crying. I’m a monster. And I want to see Phop comfort him.
And maybe… rescue him sometime soon? We know Klao got into trouble, but Nakun hasn’t had to deal with it yet.
I’m confused about what ultimately killed Klao’s father. Was it the beating he received as punishment? Or execution? I wish someone would just honestly tell Nakun what happened. Waiting for “Klao” to remember just seems cruel.
I love that the Time Travel Literature class had some classic storytelling beats on the screen. Having studied storytelling, it was very familiar.
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