#a trashfire gremlin and his windbreaker | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

chalkrevelations · 3 years ago

Text

SO. Bad Buddy Ep 4, Part 1, and there is a lot going on. A LOT. Particularly under the surface. And the ground is soft, and I’m ready to dig. This got … long. I’d intended to try to cover most, if not all of Ep 4 this weekend, but this part, alone, ended up taking most of my available time.

Due diligence: Spoilers. For later episodes, too. If you haven’t finished watching the show and don’t want to be spoiled, drive through and come back later.

Previously: Pat wants to know why his dumbass friends had to have a brawl right in front of security’s salad; Architecture is on the hook for bus-stop repairs; and Pat plays pretend as Pran’s girlfriend, learns and grows as a person, makes it everyone else’s problem, and sorta’ breaks Pran.

OPEN ON Architecture and Engineering lined up, rank and file, on opposite sides of a table, discussing plans for bus-stop rebuild. OK, no. Wait. I already have to stop for a minute to talk about the framing of this shot, because there’s one character who’s not positioned on a side, and it’s Wai – he’s sitting on a bench that runs along a low wall at the far end of the table from us-the-viewer, and although he’s further back in three-dimensional space, the shot is arranged so that we see him directly between Pran and Pat as they lean into each other’s faces from opposite sides of the table, and I do NOT think this framing is accidental. This will also put Wai, at points, studiously avoiding looking at Engineering during some of the arguing during this scene, which effectively puts him studiously ignoring not only Pat, but Korn - who’s placed on one end of the same bench, although on the Engineering side of the table, so that he’s almost hidden behind Pat (until he starts making trouble later, this is my surprised face) … but he’s on the same plane as Wai. Anyway, the atmosphere is, predictably, tense. Per Pran, Architecture has placed the order for some supplies, the timeline is in place, is everyone OK with that? I mean, they ought to be, given the sooner y’all do this, the sooner you can go back to whaling on each other rather than cooperating, but who knows with these guys, right? Pat’s talked to one of their professors, who’ll supervise, is everyone OK with that? Alright then, it’s time to assign the work. Pat assumes they’ll set up combined Arch/En teams, to make sure there’s no mistakes, and presumably, if we’re going to extend some grace here, which I guess I’m willing to do, he means that both disciplines should be working together to make sure things are done properly from both angles. Also, he’s probably hoping to be on Pran’s workteam and get in some Pran time on the clock. Wai is NOT willing to extend any grace here, and he’s suddenly VERY interested in the convo and is also very FUCK you, bro, wanting to know what Pat means by “no mistakes.” He’s on his feet, and he accuses Pat of not trusting Architecture, and I think there’s some projection there, because I suspect Wai doesn’t trust Engineering as far as he could throw them (through a bus-stop wall haha), and I still can’t blame him. I think it remains a perfectly reasonable attitude for him to have, at this point, when Engineering has yet to actually do anything to prove they’re not just the same assholes who’ve been committing aggravated assault on him every time they spot him for the past however many weeks. And again, nobody’s apologized for any of it. Well, Wai has apologized, for all the good that did. But we’ll get back to apologies and the lack thereof later. For now, I just want to point out that on the “Wai functions as the part of Pran that expresses what Pran, himself, is too repressed to do/say” tip: In the interests of this détente, Pran has sidelined Wai’s legitimate anger over the way Engineering has treated him, the same way Pran sidelines and buries his own legitimate anger about the way he’s been treated in his toxic household, in order to maintain peace. But unlike Pran, Wai’s not going to shut up about it. He’s going to continue to struggle against it, even as everyone expects him to sit down and take it like a good little boy.

ANYWAY, now Korn is offended, and he’s up and into it, predictably escalating things – he’s actually up on Wai, moving this into physical contact, even if it’s only leaning into his chest, shoulder to shoulder. Bro, you want to be slammed up against a wall so bad it’s making you stupid, and apparently, you want Wai to do the slamming. I’m just sayin’. Wai is spitting mad at both Pat and Korn, and he says, “I didn’t ask for your help” (emphasis mine), which he certainly didn’t, even if he was in a position where he had to accept it, and who likes needing charity, right? Wai’s physically pushing back, now, and Pat and Pran have to grab Korn and Wai, with Pran actually holding Wai back with an arm across his chest. Everybody else is up on their feet by this point, in each other’s faces, so Korn and Wai have, again, provided a very effective flashpoint for a larger confrontation. Wai asks Pran if he actually expects them to work with them, and we cut for a moment to Korn, who has no dialogue at this point, but is breathing heavy, istg all this guy wants out of life is someone who’s going to push back. Cut back to Pran, who assesses the Architecture secondary backup hobbits, and no one looks happy. I’ll give Safe and Louis this – they have Wai’s back, and they’ll continue to have it, even as the Wai and Pran relationship gets rocky in the second act. Cut to the Engineering secondary backup hobbits, and Chang, in particular, is looking confrontational. Bro, what do you have to be pissed off about? You are rapidly beating out Pat’s dad for This Guy status, as in “get a load of This Guy,” no matter how pretty you are. At this point, Pran makes the unilateral decision that Arch and En will NOT be put on the same work teams, and Pat’s face says, srsly? You’re already undercutting me? Oh, Pat. You need to prepare yourself. There’s a stare-down across the table. I notice that Architecture’s side of the table is covered with sketches of the bus stop. Good thing you didn’t actually break anyone’s fingers, huh, Pat?

Cut to Pat and Pran in the dorm stairwell that night, considerably less tense, possibly to give us the impression that part of their attitudes, at least, at the earlier meeting was an act. Pat complains that Pran said his friends would be OK to work with Engineering, Pran literally responds “Who knew they would lose their heads?” and I have the sudden, horrified realization that one of the first casualties of the disintegrating Pran and Wai relationship – one that none of the characters even realize is happening yet, because they don’t realize the relationship is already disintegrating – is that Pran is losing his human-to-Pran translator. Because anyone with any social acumen at all could have guessed that none of them would be happy about this, and that Wai, in particular, was still going to be actively chafing about it. But Pran’s not being honest with Wai about the extent of his involvement with Pat, and he’s not taking into account how it changes his relationship with Pat so that it’s completely different from the relationship anyone and everyone else in Architecture has with Pat. (Remember that Pran’s own mentor, at the later point when Pat declares his love out loud, will still know Pat mainly as the guy who keeps making trouble for Architecture students.) This is a natural outgrowth of the previous episode, when Pat asked Pran if they were even, and Pran said yes, and what they both really meant was “things are OK between us,” without real thought for anybody else with skin in this Arch/En clusterfuck. A little bit, it’s like when Pran was so locked into his own ideas, he couldn’t look up from his design for the bus stop to realize that the design competition he was entering was an eco design competition with solar panels on the flyer. He misses the bigger picture. He misses the context. His relationship with Pat changes the way he sees Pat, and he doesn’t think about the fact that no one in Architecture has had the opportunity to see Pat as anything other than an asshole bully. Pat hasn’t shown them anything else. Sure, Pat’s made this inexplicable decision to force Engineering into helping with the bus stop, but everyone else has no idea what his ulterior motives might be, and they’re probably just waiting for the other shoe to drop. And because Pran isn’t being honest with Wai, he’s actually losing that helpful sounding board he had re: interpersonal relationships that we saw earlier in the show, so this reality has caught him flat-footed. I can’t really blame Pran, because he remembers what happened the last time he got caught with Pat. Secrecy is ingrained in him, he knows how dire the situation could be if he doesn’t keep his relationship with Pat – whatever it is – under wraps. As for Pat …

OK, so. Re: the design competition, Pat accused Pran of not seeing what’s around him because he spends so much time looking at Pat, but this is, again, kind of projecting – Pat can’t see the bigger picture here because, at this point, he consistently doesn’t care enough about anyone outside of (working our way outward) himself, Pran, or the circle of his friends/family. He doesn’t really look any farther around him. He doesn’t have the empathy skills at this point to navigate the bigger picture – from what we’ve seen, that’s been Pa’s contribution, emotionally interpreting people (mostly Pran) and pushing Pat to develop those skills for himself so that she can try to offload at least some of this emotional labor – some of this emotional laundry - back onto Pat, where it belongs. In this framework, Wai and Pa fulfill the same function, interpreting other people for Pran and Pat, who’ve been left emotionally hobbled by familial BS on that front. Despite the ways the narrative skewers heteronormativity in queer relationships in a number of other instances, this emotional hobbling is, again, somewhat gendered according to the parent the trauma originates from – if Pran suppresses all of his legitimate emotions for the sake of maintaining peace, Pat’s been poisoned by Ming’s toxic masculinity to prioritize himself and what “belongs” to him (his friends/family, but at this point, not even Pran’s friends are covered by extension) over anyone else. The emotional interpreter function is made explicit by, for instance, the way both Wai and Pa talk about the “signs” of attraction, providing a kind of emotional Cliff’s Notes for their respective emotional trashfire (although Pa explains how to interpret someone else, while Wai has to explain to Pran how to interpret his own emotions, that’s how divorced from them Pran is at the beginning of the show. Pat ultimately also ends up using Pa’s pointers to interpret his own emotions, that’s how clueless he is about his own emotional landscape in the early part of the show). But Pat doesn’t have Pa to help him navigate this particular situation, for the exact reasons Pran doesn’t have Wai – 1) because he’s keeping the full scope of his relationship with Pran a secret, and 2) because of the secrecy, he can’t effectively talk with Pa, which is both exacerbating and exacerbated by 3) her (legitimate) anger over how his actions hurt Pran.

This is all written very neatly so that everything that goes wrong is an organic outgrowth of character – character is destiny. If Pran could make different choices here – if he could open up to at least his best friend and start hashing this out honestly - he could avoid some (not all, of course, but some) of the breakdown of his life that’s already heading at him from down the track. But if he made different choices, he wouldn’t be who he is. And this is one more way that his toxic upbringing has fucked him over - fucking over his relationship with his best friend, because self-protection, at least this time around, is going to trump honesty. Already, Wai is Dissaya is Wai, because the bad blood with (Pat’s family/)Pat – for whatever valid reason - and the secrecy it engenders, the lies that secrecy leads to, the relationship breakdown that follows those lies – what we’ll see later with Pran and Dissaya is what we’re getting ready to see with Pran and Wai, writ large. Pran can’t be honest with Dissaya about his relationship with Pat because she’s taught him that he’ll lose everything for it, so instead he’ll lie, and that will create whatever distance it creates between them. Pran can’t be honest with Wai about his relationship with Pat because he’s learned that he’ll lose everything for it, and he doesn’t want to risk their friendship, so instead, he’ll lie and end up doing (thankfully not irreparable) harm to their friendship that way. It’s one of the reasons I was literally giddy at the tip-off we got in Ep 12 that Wai had been let in on the scam, the second time around - what it said about the repair and growth of their relationship, and what it portends for the relationship between Pran and his mom. It also indicated that Pran was finally at a point where he could reach outside of his claustrophobic bubble where it’s just him and his lighted frowny face in his inner sanctum dealing with his true emotions (and hold that thought for just a minute), or, at the most, Pat having to take on every single bit of that emotional labor, because as much as Pat would probably be willing to do all that work, that’s not healthy for him, either. (Also, god, now I want to read the AU where Pran, absolutely terrified but determined, actually goes to Wai sometime around late Ep 3/early Ep 4 and says, hey, you remember how fucked up I was when I showed up at the School of Banishment? Here’s why. And this is what’s happening again. UGH. I want it with the fire of ten thousand burning suns. It stabs me in the heart, the way Wai has the potential to be 100x the friend that Pran is emotionally able to allow him to try being, at this point, and where that’s going to lead before they push their way through it. I have A LOT OF FEELINGS about Pran and Wai, OK?)

ANYWAY, now that I’m three and a half pages into this, and we’re only three minutes into the ep, we’re still in the dorm stairwell with Pat and Pran. Pat wants to know, what now, given our friends still hate each other? Pran has on his thinky face. Cut to (probably) the next day, where Pran is talking to the Architecture secondary backup hobbits on-site, filling them in on a plan that Architecture will work on even calendar dates, while Engineering will work on odd dates. Nobody has to see each other. This seems … acceptable. Wai shrugs in agreement, Louis says OK. But Safe seems skeptical, asking if Engineering is actually going to work when they’re supposed to, and you win the gold star for today, Safe, because spoiler alert: NO, they will not. Now that Safe mentions it, everyone else realizes this is a very valid concern, except for Pran, because love makes you stupid. Pran scoffs and tells Safe he’s overthinking. Spoiler alert: He’s NOT overthinking. Wai agrees that Engineering might slack off and says, unsurprisingly, that he doesn’t trust them, particularly him. Pran scoffs again and says that Pat is a man of dignity, because love makes you stupid and also because he’s lying to his best friend and therefore has no human-to-Pran interpreter to point out to him that all of Architecture only knows this “man of dignity” as a drunk asshole who used Wai as a night’s “entertainment” that was then posted in video online for the entire world to see. Trust me, Pran says, even as he explicitly demonstrates that none of them, particularly Wai, can trust him because he’s actively lying to them at this very moment and slowly poisoning their relationships.

Cut to Pat and Pran, a different night in the dorm stairwell. Pat is practically giggling as he apologizes for the fact that all of Engineering, including him, went to a concert instead of working their shift. Pran has on his unhappy face. Yes, baby, he did just make you look like a dumbass in front your friends. Mmhmm. And you know who tried to warn you? Mmhmm. Pat remarks that he told Pran they should have mixed teams so they can stop each other from slacking off, and what’s this “each other” BS, Pat, because so far it looks like the only slackers are Engineering. Not to mention, y’all are doing SO MUCH to earn the trust the Architecture hobbits would need, to be willing to work with you in the first place. Anyway, Pran is once again having to solve all the problems created by a Pat and Pran Bright Idea (TM), and we can see in Nanon’s face when the light bulb goes on. New plan: Leverage how much these guys like to fight compete fight.

Cut to a sign chalked onto the plywood of the new bus-stop framing: “Finished the structure and cleaned out the electronic signs that Engineering left undone.” Pat, at the head of his crew of Engineering hobbits, performatively points to the sign and proclaims that Architecture meant to mock them. Now that the gauntlet has been thrown down, Korn is down to fight (my surprised face, let me show it to you). He scoffs at Architecture’s work and proclaims that he’s going to fix everything they did. No, dumbass, you need to do additional work, or all of you will be going back and forth on the same bits for the next year. We then get a little montage of passive-aggressive chalk messages listing the work that each group has done, including repeatedly “fixing” the floor. When Engineering leaves the note that they “built the roof and repaired the floor for you just to be nice,” I probably shouldn’t be as charmed as I am, because they absolutely didn’t do it to be nice, but well, here we are, and I’m kind of inexplicably charmed. Cut back to Pat and Pran in the dorm stairwell again, looking kind of smug and hand-clasping in triumph before they lean back against the wall, side-by-side. They hear a noise, Pran startles and looks around to make sure he’s not going to get caught with Pat. No one’s around, but they decide they better go upstairs, instead of continuing to hang out in the stairwell like a couple of creepsters. Pat pats his chest like a manly man, and the two of them start creeping up the stairs like a couple of scared kids, peering around to see if they can figure out where the noise came from. Cue some comedy relief, with Pat bumping Pran from behind to startle the shit out of him, some bickering, manly man Pat hiding behind Pran, the reveal that a cat has been making the noises, more bickering, a horseplay kick-fight, and Pran getting in the last kick before running away, secure in the knowledge that Pat can’t catch him because Pat’s flip-flops won’t stay on his feet. Aaaaand, opening credits, haha, FINALLY, oh my god, I can’t believe how long this is, I’m going to do an actual cut.

So, from the opening credits, we go to Engineering showing up on-site in their grown-up dress clothes and ties, complimenting themselves on how good and how cool they look. Pat downplays the whole thing, although they’re apparently dressed up for an interview with the university magazine about their Plaza of “Peace” bus-stop project. Architecture is already there, and they’re not that dressed up, although they are – interestingly enough – color-coordinated in shades of light blues, teals, grey blues. They probably wanted to make sure they looked good against the mango color that the bus-stop walls have been painted. Artists, amirite? Pat and Pran both manage to wander to one side where they can flirt under the guise of talking smack to each other, which includes Pat sniffing Pran again, and someone on this production is absolutely an undercover omegaverse fan, don’t try to tell me they’re not, because you’d be lying. Also, Pat, you have got to get there faster. Your oblivious faux-straightboyness is just embarrassing for you, at this point. We’re getting ready to have trouble in paradise, though: Cut to a slo-mo shot of Ink running up with her camera. When she reaches them, she asks if they’re the students working on the bus-stop project. There’s a dramatic music cue. Pat looks enchanted. Pran looks vaguely irritated. Flashback to … high school, before the Banishing. Pat and Pran’s class has a new student: Ink, who comes in wearing her brown ribbon in her hair, introduces herself, lets us know she’s a photographer, and then trips over her own feet a la Bella Swan (ugh) on her way to her desk. Once she’s seated, she waves around to everyone. Pat waves back. He looks enchanted. Pran smiles at her, but looks unhappy when he looks at Pat. He shakes it off. Cut back to present day. Ink looks around at the group, and we can see the recognition hit when she spots Pran, who she probably hasn’t seen since the Banishing. Pat and Pran exchange a worried look. Pran’s wearing his unhappy eyebrows. Here’s his worst nightmare – getting caught with Pat - about to come true. Pat looks back at Ink, startlement and a little bit of worry dawning on his face. She manages to point at Pran and get out a “You!” Pran’s face says, “Oh, SHIT.” And then Pat hustles her off to monopolize her time far, far away from anyone she could spill the beans to. Pran looks unhappy but resigned as he watches the two of them fast-walk away together. I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry your man is such a dumbass and is going to make your life a morass of queer misery for another episode and a half while he hits on his lesbian future sister-in-law. I mean, you did fall in love with him, for some inexplicable reason. This is what you get, I guess. You know what you could do? Come clean with your best friend and get some advice, or at least the chance to pour out your misery over a couple of beers. I can guarantee you that your best friend will absolutely be willing to talk smack about this dumbass with you. If only.

Cut to Pat and Ink, where he’s bringing her up to speed, explaining that they can’t let their friends know they know each other because they’d … be in trouble with their rival student factions if their friends found out that … their families have a bitter rivalry? Yeah, put that way, it does sound kind of dumb. Wouldn’t the fact that your families haaaate each other play right into the Architecture/Engineering mystique? Y’all have absolutely played this the wrong way – you should have leaned into it. Nevertheless, Ink agrees to keep their stupid, pointless secret that they … knew each other in high school, when their families hated each other so badly that simply playing in the same band for a school contest got one of them banished to the hinterlands, never to be heard from for the next three years. Ink places one condition on her agreement. We don’t get to find out what it is, yet. Sadly, it will not (yet) be Pat’s sister’s hand in marriage. Ink. Honey. You’re going to have to hit him with the lesbian cluebat. You should have gone ahead and done it now, it would have saved all of you a lot of time. Anyway, from here, we go to rugby practice that night with Engineering, where the coach is hyping them up like the upcoming Architecture/Engineering match is a UNC/Duke basketball game, or something. I think this scene is mainly remarkable to me as the point when the show begins re-habbing Korn’s character, because while he and Pat are goofing off together on the field instead of paying attention to the coach’s battlefield exhortation – and getting repeatedly yelled at for their trouble – this is the first time I can remember hearing Korn talk just, like, normally. Having a serious conversation. Like a normal person. A conversation that doesn’t consist of posturing or whining or mocking or talking smack or instigating shit. I literally did not know Drake Laedeke could sound this NOT annoying until this scene, it’s a difference that’s noticeable enough to be striking, and I halfway suspect that’s on purpose. Anyway, Korn’s asking Pat why he talked to Ink alone earlier in the day, and he actually sounds serious, like he’s interested, not like he’s doing some nudge, nudge, wink, wink number. He wants to know if Pat knows her, and Pat lies and says no, because this is getting ridiculous, because what possible reason is there to hide the fact that he and Ink went to high school together? Pat says he thought she was cute, so carpe diem, but Korn’s response is … wait a minute. I have to sit down. Korn’s response is “I thought you liked someone in Architecture.” WHAT. WHAT? When did this particular confession happen, and is this the excuse Pat gave for wanting the video taken down? I can’t … What is even happening? Not only the mere fact of Pat saying this to his friends, but now, Korn just mentions this casually like it’s no big deal, rivalry be damned. At the same time they’re both being yelled at on the field by a coach who’s making it sound like there’s an actualfax declaration of war between Engineering and Architecture, which is … mmm … an interesting background for this kind of revelation and response to be happening. This is almost blink and you’ll miss it, but some of the implications … Listen, Korn is also terrible to people outside his friendship circle, but this almost sounds like, if Pat’s really interested in someone in Architecture, Korn’s circle would expand to cover that person – which, in fact, we’ll eventually see happening – in a way that Pat’s circle has NOT expanded, at this point, to include Pran’s best friend. Is Korn’s circle more transitive than Pat’s? Anyway, Korn then proceeds to tell Pat very seriously that if he is interested in Ink, then Korn will step back, and I … wasn’t aware that you’d stepped forward? I just. I have to … take a minute. Who are you, and what have you done with Korn? I’m still trying to process all this when the coach is DONE with their gossiping and makes them run laps.

Cut to Pran, presumably later that night, rummaging around for something outside in the grass. I … tbqh, I’m still recovering from All-New And Improved Korn. Give me a minute. OK. Pran backs up into someone in the dark, jumps and says sorry, then realizes it’s Pat, and the porcupine prickles come out. Pat even notes that the tone Pran is using changes when he realizes it’s Pat. That’s because he’s protecting his poor gay heart from your embarrassing faux-straightboyness and the misery puddle it’s going to drown him in while you spend the next episode and a half hitting on a lesbian, bro. Anyway, when Pat asks, Pran resignedly says he’s lost one of his earphones, and Pat insists on helping to look for it, and helper cat is not at ALL helping, particularly when he ends up stepping on the lost earphone and crunching it. Pran’s face says that once again, this asshole is screwing up his life, and he tells Pat once again, that the two of them shouldn’t get close because look at what happens: DISASTER. He’s in full self-protection mode, and Pat’s face just falls. I kind of feel bad for him. He’s such a golden retriever here, and he can’t even figure out why he just got flicked in the nose. He apologizes (again), and Pran huffs off. Cut to Pran’s room. He’s in his sanctuary. Frowny face lamp lit up. Staring forlornly at his remaining earphone. Or maybe it’s the broken one. Anyway, there’s a knock on the door. He looks through the peephole. It’s Pat, and he’s come to lend Pran his own earphones, for now. Pran will need them to prep for the music competition, you know. Pat holds them out. Just Friend starts playing in the background. Pran refuses. Just take them, Pat says – you need them to work on the new song. Oh, Pat. It’s not going to be a new song. It’s going to be a dagger slipped between your ribs with all the skill and precision that a heartbroken Pran can manage, and trust me, that’s a LOT of skill and precision. For now, though, Pran is just sulky, and he refuses again, until Pat literally takes his hand, puts the box holding the engagement ring earphones into his palm and closes his fingers around it. Pran makes the mistake of grudgingly accepting them, whereupon Pat walks right past him into the inner sanctum. He proceeds to wander around, looking at everything, poking at some things, even wandering to the back portion of the room that’s sectioned off as the more private space, and meanwhile Pran is having a fit. You’re not allowed in here, he tells Pat – in my room, in my inner sanctum. In my life. In my heart. I didn’t ask you in, he tells Pat. (Oh, honey. That is, unfortunately, or fortunately, or unfortunately, not how that works.) Have some manners, he tells Pat. (lol) Meanwhile, Pat’s found a book he wants to borrow and when Pran refuses to lend it to him, he plops himself down on Pran’s couch, in his sweaty practice gear, to read it right there, with predictable response from Pran. Pran tells him he stinks, to get out and go home and take a shower, and Pat’s playing dumb, finally reducing Pran to physically laying hands on him to try to drag him off the couch. This means he ends up touching Pat’s sweaty shirt, and he reacts about as well as a guy who won’t even touch his own food would be expected to react. They’re bickering as Pran tries to push Pat off the couch, when Pat pops up and puts his sweaty shirt over Pran’s head. BOYS, ISTG. Pran reacts like he’s being murdered before pushing Pat off the couch and literally kicking him in the ass as he chases him out and slams the door. He’s still holding the box with the earphones. In the hand with The Watch on his wrist. Just in case you haven’t noticed The Watch lately. It’s there. On his wrist. Have you noticed The Watch?

Next day in the lecture hall, Pran is taking out Pat’s earphones before class starts. Wai notices, and Pran’s all, uh, yeah, um, new earphones, lost the last ones, yeah, that’s right. :facepalm: Pat clomps down the stairs to a seat across the aisle beside Korn. Pran glances surreptitiously over before texting him to not be late for the bus stop project that evening. “The bus stop project.” Is that what the kids are calling it these days? Also, lol at Pran’s glamour shot when Pat reads the messge. Pran looks over at Pat. Pat looks back at Pran. Pat grins. Pran halfway smiles. FFS, you two. There is nothing subtle about either of you. I can’t believe everyone and your mothers didn’t know about you. At this point though, Pat sneaks out of class and apparently doesn’t come back. Pran looks suspiciously at his phone, but no text is forthcoming, and he only gets yelled out for having his phone out in class. Later, as he and Wai leave class, he asks Wai to make some copies for him because he’s going to get a coffee. He’s headed into the coffee shop where Pat is sitting when oh no, DISASTER. Ink comes over with iced milk teas for both her and Pat. Pran’s face falls. He looks miserable, but not as miserable as he’s gonna get.

Next on PART 2: Ink wants to know if Pat’s busy tomorrow evening. Pran’s unhappy. WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS, PAT?

14 notes · View notes

chalkrevelations · 3 years ago

Text

Well, it’s been so long, do I even remember how to do this? Back, with Bad Buddy Ep 2, Part 1/4 - but first! Before we see anything, we’re going to get a disclaimer telling us these characters are fictional and do things for entertainment purposes and aren’t intended to promote any particular behavior, which I guess means DON’T BE GAY AND DON’T DO CRIME? Or are we double fisting at the bar in this ep, I can’t remember offhand? At any rate, I find this hilarious every time it shows up before an ep starts. Don’t fall in forever love with the kid next door whose family is the mortal enemy of your family! Don’t follow him to summer camp to prove your love! Don’t write songs just for him! Just in case you were planning on any of that! We disapprove!

Anyway, previously, Pat and Pran fight; Pat’s little sister Pa calls them soulmates – cat out of the bag or foreshadowing? You decide - Engineering tries to kick the shit out of Wai only to discover oops, too bad for them, they’ve cornered Pran instead; Pran discovers that he’s still super turned on by Pat, or at least by Pat manhandling him up against a wall (I know, my friend, I KNOW. Up-against-a-wall trope, MY BELOVED); Pran is extremely chagrined by this particular voyage of self-discovery; Pat and Pran come up with a dumb plan and then add each other to their contacts list. Which is actually a LOT for a single, introductory episode. I have to give them props for getting that much in.

This time, we open on their morning routines in their dorm rooms, with the chance that provides for a ton of character work as we see Pran bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, thriving in his perfectly regimented morning with nothing out of place: Up out of bed as soon as his alarm clock goes off, making his bed, primping after a shower, drying his hair. He’s in an eerily good mood. I don’t trust morning people, jsyk. By contrast, Pat spends this entire time in his own room sprawled in bed, still snoring and clutching Nong Nao, who’s making the first of his many appearances. Pran’s practically dressed by the time Pat’s alarm – what turns out to be a preliminary alarm, set on his phone – even goes off, whereupon Pat hits snooze and continues to sleep like any reasonable person does, PRAN. We can see what maybe looks like a chess board on one of Pat’s end tables, which I don’t know is ever important, but is a nice little characterization detail I’ve filed away (in case I ever write Bad Buddy fic that’s not about my beloved Waikorn trashfires). Pran moves on to cooking breakfast, and there’s the greatest little moment here that tells us SO MUCH about him – this guy won’t even touch his own food while he’s preparing it. Not only does he use tongs to pull the toast out of the toaster, he pins his gd breakfast sandwich down with the tongs in one hand while he cuts it in half with a knife in the other hand. He won’t touch the food – and I don’t know if that’s about keeping his food clean or about not getting his hands messy - until he actually picks up half of the sandwich to eat it. My dude. You have got to unclench. You’re not going to survive Pat, otherwise. Cut to Pat’s actual alarm clock going off. We know enough about him by now to know that this doesn’t mean he’s actually getting up, right? Cut back to Pran, now doing the dishes, and I can’t with you, my guy. It’s kind of funny but it’s also NOT, because I can only imagine how much all of this perfect routine is a result of how incredibly neurotic you are about being the perfect son because of your particular flavor of fucked-up home life. Also, we can see Pran’s got a ton of post-it notes above the sink and on the fridge. Do remember that, we’ll get back to it. Cut to Pat finally waking up and a mad dash to get ready. At 8:15 am, Pran slings on his messenger bag as Pat is scrambling to finish getting dressed and getting his shit together (lit. and fig.). They both go to open their doors at the same time. WAIT FOR IT. Pran has to go back for what I think are his headphones? Also, who’s that guy in the picture on his nightstand? Anyway, Pat’s out the door and has disappeared down the hall just as Pran comes out of his own door and – OMG SURPRISE - they live directly across from each other in the dorm! Maybe they’ll paint a line down the middle of the hallway! (Spoiler alert: They will NOT paint a line down the middle of the hallway, because in contrast to the trashcan scene in Ep 1 when Pat was very conscious about everyone staying on their sides of the line, now that he’s had one chance to put Pran up against a wall, he is going to forget any concept of private or personal space.) Cue opening credits.

So, this is the first day of the second of Pat and Pran’s Ridiculous Plans, where they’re going to try to keep all of their secondary backup hobbits from crossing paths and throwing down. Engineering is headed to lunch, and Korn wants curry because he’s heard there are hot chicks at a particular curry restaurant. Chang literally slaps him upside the head and berates him for being a sexist pig; sadly, we’ll discover Chang’s concern for womankind does not extend to the unknown chick across the hall that his bro will develop a crush on, leading to some sexual harassment from Engineering in a later scene. ANYWAY. Pat texts Pran to warn him about Engineering’s plans but of course Architecture is already at that very restaurant. Pat has to convince Korn to go to a noodle shop instead, which he tries to do by making up a lie on the spot that he’s read reviews saying the chicks are even hotter at the noodle shop (when I think about how that could possibly be a reasonable restaurant review, I remember HOW GLAD I am that I’m past college and nod my head and make a little “mm. yeah.” sound). Pat actually seals the deal by promising that lunch will be on him, and Engineering is off to the noodle shop, crisis averted. Cue montage of wacky hijinks set to jaunty music as Pat and Pran continue to divert Engineering and Architecture from each other, including an absolutely priceless scene in which Engineering is lined up at the urinals in a bathroom and Pran comes wandering out of a stall, only to be waylaid and shoved back into the stall by Pat, who leans him backward in the already characteristic pose: one hand over his mouth, the other up in a “shhh” gesture. Pran – COMPLETELY REASONABLY, this time – wants to know if Pat has washed his hands, whereupon Pat sniffs his fingers and shrugs. I’m with Pran on this one. Bathroom hijinks have never interested me, because GROSS, and Pran’s FACE matches mine at this point before he chases Pat out of the stall. All this culminates in an encounter at the bus stop, when Engineering rolls on up as Architecture is already standing around there. Pran’s face says what the ACTUAL fuck are you doing here? Pat’s face says I couldn’t help it, what could I do? Wai notices Pran’s face and looks around to see what’s got him so upset, whereupon Korn – once again, let’s be clear – starts instigating, joking with Chang to check for an alarm, in case it goes off and some people, i.e., Architecture, run away like scared puppies. I’ll point out that everyone beat it last episode when the fire alarm went off, because you’d be a dumbass not to. Anyway, Chang plays straight man to Korn’s bullshit – not for the last time – and there’s some mocking barking at Architecture. Pran’s face as he witnesses the breakdown of Ridiculous Plan No. 2 right in front of his salad is something to behold. Wai (no, stop. don’t do it, my dude!) takes the bait, because 1) of course he does and 2) he and Korn always seem to be the flashpoint for these confrontations. Words are exchanged, Korn starts peeling off his windbreaker (:snort:), and is all, you wanna’ go? Wai does, in fact, wanna’ go. There’s the beginning of a scuffle, but then the single braincell of the whole operation (yes, that would be Pran) pulls a story out of thin air about how the bus stop shelter was built together by Engineering and Architecture students, and it’s supposed to be a place of truce. Which. OK. This is interesting. Because it’s a lie. Right now. But it’s also foreshadowing. Pran is pulling this story out of his ass, but … it’s going to become truth. The bus stop will be (re)built by Architecture and Engineering together. It will (eventually) become a place of truce. Because apparently, what Pran decides he wants, he can speak into existence, he just doesn’t KNOW THAT YET. (Also, the universe’s method for making the thing happen that Pran wants to happen – whatever it is - is going to be, of course, Pat. Who may not have been put on Earth specifically to fulfill Pran’s every wish but is going to end up devoting himself to that nevertheless, because it turns out, that’s what he wants to do with his life.) Anyway, for now, Pat listens to this story and is like, … riiiight. Oh yeah, right. He just thought Architecture didn’t know the story. Pran says, so, we’re all just going to go our separate ways and leave each other alone (on every possible level), right? Pat’s all, sure, whatever you say. Everyone else goes to their separate corners. Pat wants to know if the story was true, and Pran internally despairs, practically calls him a dumbass to his face, and points out the security camera that would have recorded a fight. Remember that, we’ll definitely get back to it.

With that resolved, we move on to the set-up for our next major plot point, which is Pran in his room, having dinner delivered, along with a text from Pat asking if he’s back at the dorm yet. Pran wants to know, what are you, my boyfriend? And now you’ve done it, dumbass, because you don’t even realize yet your power to speak things into existence, nor do you realize that Pat is the universe’s way of getting that done. Pat jokes that the only thing left for them to do is sleep in the same bed, and there’s no foreshadowing there, nuh-uh. Give it an ep and a half, my guy, and you’re going to be practically married already. Anyway, Pran pulls out his chicken (and I have to tell you, there are NOT enough delivery places in the US that will bring you an entire boneless fried chicken breast, although that’s probably a good thing for my arteries), plus – apparently – a surprise complimentary salad. Which turns out to not be complimentary, it should have gone to the customer across the hall, which the delivery guy calls to tell Pran. Too late, Pran already ate it. This leads to our first awkwardly visible product placement, of some kind of bottled tea product, which Pran leaves in a bag on the doorknob across the hallway along with a post-it note saying, haha, I accidentally ate your salad (:facepalm:), how about tradesies? Turns out Pat was on the phone with the delivery guy when Pran knocked, which is apparently why he didn’t answer the door like a normal person? So, Pat continues this comedy of errors by coming out to discover the drinks after Pran is already back inside his own room, and from there Pat convinces himself for some unknown reason that the hot chick who clearly lives across the hall clearly has a crush on him. He doesn’t go over and knock to introduce himself, he just retreats back into his own room to spin out this fantasy for himself. Pa, who visits him at what I think is a later time, scoffs at him, gives him some good-natured sibling verbal abuse to keep him humble, and predicts that it will end up with Pat doing the chasing, proving that Pa knows her big brother way better than he knows himself, because Pran leaves for class – the next day? at some later point in time? - to find a small box of some food-ish treat hanging on his own doorknob with a thank-you note. He looks weirdly baffled as he stands in the middle of the hallway mentally buffering before he apparently realizes where it probably came from, despite the fact that he technically initiated the whole interaction. And scene.

Up next: Pat and Pran get a surprise on the roof.

#pat #pran #a metric fuckton of family dysfunction #without even seeing the families onscreen #continuing college friends dysfunction #wai #korn #a trashfire gremlin and his windbreaker(s)#chang #various other characters with questionable coping methods #i.e. everyone on the show #and #pa #who is precious and perfect #and has done nothing wrong ever in her life #fight me #bad buddy #bad buddy episode reax

20 notes · View notes

chalkrevelations · 3 years ago

Text

OK, moving along with Bad Buddy Ep 2, Part 2/4, and first of all, due diligence: I’ve watched through the end, and there are definitely spoilers for things that happen all the way through the show in here, so if you haven’t watched yet and you want to see it unspoiled, drive by now and circle back when you’ve finished watching it.

SO. We open on Wai – the human-to-Pran translator, apparently, and I need so much pre-show fic exploring the Pran & Wai relationship, y’all - inspecting the box of dumplings that someone hung on Pran’s doorknob that left him buffering in the dorm hallway at the end of Part 1. A little bit, there’s this feeling like Wai had to inspect the box for explosives, given how dubiously Pran’s been eying it, maybe because it wasn’t shrink-wrapped, and who knows who’s had their fingers all over it? Seriously though, this has the potential to be the emotional equivalent of a bomb for Pran, given the reaction we see him have to it, and the reaction we’ll continue to see him have to similar gifts in this ep, and that’s really got nothing to do with Pat and everything to do with Pran. For now, the box of dumplings receives the Wai Seal of Approval, Wai informs Pran that someone is hitting on him, and Pran insists it’s just a thank you. It’s a good thing you have a human-to-Pran translator, my friend, because there’s a guy living across the hall from you who’s daydreaming of your fantastic rack and great ass, and he’s at least half-correct, so you should listen to Wai on this one. It appears that our core group of Architecture secondary backup hobbits is at lunch at the curry restaurant again, although they don’t seem very concerned about any hot chicks, being distracted by the topic of Pran’s new stalker secret admirer, who’s clearly calling him “dumpling.” Sadly, everyone will miss the opportunity to call Pran “dumpling” for the entire rest of the show, so there’s some running joke potential lost. : ( Pran continues to insist it’s nothing, because it’s clearly a guy, because look at that male particle he’s using in his note. This leads the Arch hobbits - and I want to emphasize this, because these guys get accused of being trash friends later on when Pran’s Big Gay Romance is exposed - to scoff at the idea that there’s any problem with this, I mean, what, Pran, do you have a problem being hit on by a guy? Wai, practically giggling, asks, “You like him, don’t you?” which is a little fast, my dude, those best be some really fantastic dumplings. There’s more random teasing, but meanwhile, Pran spots Pat and the Engineering secondary backup hobbits at a table outside, and I’m going to assume Pat is the one who hasn’t checked in like he’s supposed to, since Arch is finishing up lunch and Eng is just looking at menus. Cut to outside, where Pat is going on about how very tiring it is to be as hot as he is, while his friends laugh at him, as they should. Back inside, Pran is all, well, fuck me, now I have to maneuver us all out of this, because once again, I’m the only responsible person involved in Ridiculous Plan No. 2. Pran hustles them out, briefly catching Pat’s eye. Pat, still being ranked on by Mo, freezes, looks vaguely horrified – that’s what you GET for not checking in, dumbass – and grabs the menu, loudly insisting that all his friends pay attention to him and not their mortal enemies walking out of the restaurant behind them because he has an idea for a song, presumably for them to play at the Freshy Day band competition: Chicken Curry, Pork Curry, Shrimp Curry, Sausage Curry – can they make a song out of that? Somebody at the table thinks it sounds too dirty, which WHAT, and why do I have any emotional stake in these dumbasses? Korn, the paragon of dumbassery, thinks that it’s possible, mentions some horrible metaphor about being your mom’s best recipe and proceeds to faux weep on Mo’s shoulder. Frankly, he’s almost suspiciously performative – this is an act I would expect in an Ep 12 flashback, when he’s in on the game, because this is awfully extra and makes him look like he’s intentionally pulling focus, just like Pat was trying to do. At any rate, he certainly does distract from Pran, Wai, and the rest of Architecture, so thanks, Korn, I guess?

We later see Pran walking down the dorm hallway back to his room, talking on his phone, and we don’t get any actual indication of who he’s talking to, but my brain defaulted to Wai, because he’s clearly closer to Wai than anyone else in Architecture, I never once considered that he’d be this open to his parents, and I don’t know that he has any other close friends at this point. He good-naturedly tells whoever is on the other end of the line to stop teasing, they wouldn’t like it if it was them being hit on – well, that’s one assumption to have, my guy – and then hastily wraps up the convo when he notices another package hanging on his doorknob, presumably some kind of sweet, because it comes with a note telling him not to forget to have some dessert after his meal. Once again, it really seems like he doesn’t know how to deal with this, which is interesting given he has enough social acumen and is popular enough to have been elected Architecture class president right out of the gate as a freshman. Is he silently freaking out like this behind an impenetrable mental barrier every time he has to interact with someone, or is it specifically focused on romantic/emotional stuff? I would tend to think this is romantic/emotionally focused, because he’s not at all subtle about his reaction, here - he just stands there for a minute, blinking at the package, and I know I keep describing his reaction to these overtures as buffering, but it really is like the little computer display wheel is just spinning, spinning, spinning right behind his eyes. Nanon is doing an impressive amount of work with his face in these bits even as he’s ostensibly doing nothing with it. (I guess you could say he’s doing nothing with it, rather than not doing anything with it.) I find it hard to believe Pran could get away with this in social interactions, although he’s probably had to develop a charming and engaging mask to keep up his super-achiever successful image, one that he doesn’t need to use in these particular instances because he’s by himself and doesn’t have anyone there he has to perform for (read: ANYONE AT ALL. I suppose it’s some relief that he isn’t so far gone he has to perform for himself, even when no one else is there – that he can allow himself this space and freedom at least when he’s alone). I think it’d be easy to extrapolate Pran closing himself off romantically/emotionally after the trauma of having his entire life upended and everything familiar taken away from him essentially for falling in love with the wrong person, in a way that makes what’s happening now unfamiliar and unpracticed, even if it’s not actively threatening - which, given his experiences, it also could be. OTOH, he does go a bit deer in the headlights in a later ep during the presentation to get funding to rebuild the bus stop, and Pat has to rescue him, although I don’t remember offhand how similar that particular reaction is to this – I guess I’ll see when I get there again. It may be unfamiliar situations in general, instances where he feels like he doesn’t have everything under control, which could include romantic/emotional situations, but also could have unfamiliar social contexts under the same umbrella. (I … huh. I wonder if it’s been Wai’s job to rescue Pran in overwhelming social situations for the past few years, particularly given the way Pran does look to him for help interpreting some of these social/romantic cues in this episode. I need SO MUCH pre-show fic looking at the Pran & Wai relationship.)

Also, I’ll note that Pran doesn’t really look happy about what’s happening even once he finishes processing.

Anyway, on the other side of the sticky note, there’s also an invitation to join his stalker secret admirer on the roof to look at the beautiful moon at 9pm the next night, which Safe reads out loud over lunch the next day, and the Arch hobbits ooh and ahh. There’s some more good-natured teasing, but they’re clearly excited for Pran – I think more excited than he is for himself. Wai is a tiny bit serious and asks whether Pran wants to meet this guy. Pran asks his human-to-Pran interpreter if the guy is going to think Pran likes him if Pran shows up. Wai tells him that, of course, the guy’s going to think that, but Pran still ought to go meet him, because that way, if Pran doesn’t like him, he can tell him in person and end it right there. Unless he actually turns out to be interested … Which is, honestly, the most shockingly mature way of approaching any kind of interpersonal interaction that I’ve heard from anyone on the show, so far. Anyway, Wai opens up the possibility that Pran’s falling for his stalker’s secret admirer’s sweet words, eliciting cries of “Sweetie” from everyone, along with even more teasing, and I have to admit, if I was Pran, I would want to KILL THEM ALL for being SO ANNOYING, but you can’t accuse them of being unsupportive. (I mean, you could, and people do, but those people are objectively Wrong On The Internet.)

Cut to Pran at five past nine – I cannot believe this boy is late for anything, his nerves must be a wreck – standing at the door that leads out to the roof and checking the time on The Watch of Significance. Yes. He is still wearing the childhood watch that Pat returned to him all those years ago and that he kept safe in his Box of Precious Memories until after Pat pressed him up against a wall with a hand over his mouth and then programmed him into his contacts list, whereupon Pran decided it was time to put the watch back on. That is the watch he’s wearing to go meet a guy who’s been wooing him with dumplings and sweet treats and love notes. I’m not sayin’. I’m just sayin’. ANYWAY, Pran steels himself, steps through the door and sees … Pat. Holding a bag. Both of them are all, ‘YOU!” in much the same tone as when the killer is revealed in the library with the candlestick. We clearly weren’t going to get a meet-cute on this show, so instead they’ve decided to go with a meet-irritated. (:snorfle:) They figure out they both live there, and Pat wants to know what Pran’s doing up on the roof. Pran wants to know if Pat thinks he owns the place. OMG, y’all, they are going to paint a line down the hallway. …. WAIT. OMG, y’all. They essentially did paint a (metaphorical) line between territories, it’s just that it’s a shifting line, as circumstances dictate. They’ve been trying to deal with maintaining separate territories for their factions as they guide Arch and Eng around each other this whole time (THIS is MY dance space, THAT is YOUR dance space …), not unlike their fathers painting that literal line. :facepalm: I’m an idiot. I only just saw this parallel.

Anyway anyway, Pat accuses Pran of ruining his good mood, but Pran’s got other fish to fry and wants to know if anyone else was up there earlier. (The answer, as we know it will be, is no.) Some girl wanders out onto the rooftop and is accosted by Pat talking about how beautiful the moon is tonight in a Significant Tone, at which Pran’s face definitely begins doing A Thing that indicates some mental math going on before he looks down at the sticky note in his hand inviting him up to the roof to see the beautiful moon that night. Pat asks the girl if she’s the girl who lives in Room No. 439. Pran’s face says WHAT. The girl says, uh, NO, and sidesteps the weirdo to go to the other side of the roof and talk to her honey on her phone. Pat’s face says he’s crushed. Pran makes a break for the door, but Pat turns back around to him and we get a voiceover of Wai telling Pran that if he doesn’t like the guy to tell him in person and end it right there. Oh boy. Pran braces himself, turns back around and calls out to Pat, holds up the note and says, the one you’re waiting for is me.

Pat’s face says WHAT.

And scene.

Up next: Pat’s friends are on the way over. Pran’s friends are already over. Someone really should have painted that line.

#pat #pran #a metric fuckton of family dysfunction #without even seeing the families onscreen #not ... quite as much college friends dysfunction #wai #the human-to-pran translator #pran & wai #korn #a trashfire gremlin and his windbreaker(s)#various other characters with questionable coping methods #i.e. everyone on the show #but no pa this time (:(#bad buddy #bad buddy episode reax

18 notes · View notes

chalkrevelations · 3 years ago

Text

Ok ok ok – Bad Buddy Ep 3, Part 1/4, and I am LOSING MY MIND. Some really interesting stuff in this one, only it’s things that aren’t thrown into sharp relief until you’ve seen later eps, so this one really rewards re-watching.

Of course, that definitely means due diligence: This will absolutely contain spoilers for later episodes, if not through the end of the show. If you haven’t seen the show yet and want to watch it unspoiled, drive on by for now and come back when you’ve finished watching.

SO. We OPEN ON … No, wait. First, we have our disclaimer, telling us not to try this at home, kids, because depiction is not endorsement, so I guess maybe we’re going to be double-fisting at the bar again at some point? There’s a Previously On: Pat and Pran discover their living situation hasn’t changed at ALL, despite being in the dorm; Wai gets harassed on the job by a bunch of drunk assholes Pat and the Engineering secondary backup hobbits a bunch of drunk assholes; flashback to the root of Pran’s worst nightmare of getting caught with Pat; and Korn and Wai punch the shit out of each other and the bus stop under the unflinching eye of a security camera, so that’s going to go GREAT for everyone.

OPEN ON … OK, no. I have to pause again, because our timeline is a little fucky here. At the end of Ep 2, we cut from Pat and Pran arguing about who’s moving out directly to the bus-stop fight. Then we open Ep 3, and one would presume this is the next morning, after both the moving-out argument and the bus-stop fight, but one would be INCORRECT. It is maybe the morning after the moving-out argument, but the bus-stop fight hasn’t happened yet (we find this out later), which is why, when Wai sidles up behind Pran in the Architecture workspace, Pran is the one who looks like he went 10 rounds the night before, while Wai doesn’t seem any the worse for wear.

SO, OPEN ON: Pran doodling in his sketchbook, and I’m presuming the little dude he’s scribbling, with the angry eyebrows (fierce eyes?) is supposed to be Pat. He could use a little bit more hair, if you’re taking constructive criticism, Pran. Also, what’s next, hearts in the margins? You have it bad, my dude, and I bet you could not be more irritated by that fact. Wai sidles up behind him to take a peek, and then there’s some discussion about how hard songwriting is, because I guess Pran is supposed to be using study-hall time to write their song for the competition? Pran namedrops Fongbeer Pativate, and Wai namedrops Pat Klear, and then Wai gives Pran some advice to stop using his head because sometimes you have to use your heart and bring out your inner feelings, which is advice that Pran probably needs tattooed on his forehead at this point of the show, so he can see it every single time he looks in the mirror. We know this is true and good advice because Pran looks like Wai is telling him to eat a raw slug, not just talk about his feelings, and I know, my dude, I feel you on this, because you remind me a little too much of me, and I have also been subjected to this conversation. More than once. Pran insists that his life isn’t interesting enough for a song, and Wai … Wai grabs one of Pran’s pencils and sits down with a piece of paper and asks him if he’s ever had a secret crush on anyone before, and this is where I have to pause this episode and scan forward through the later eps, because I’ve seen this scene before, where have I seen this scene? OH, RIGHT. This is the flashback scene from Ep 5 when high-school Pran is explaining to high-school Pat how to write a song, and he’s asking Pat if HE’S EVER HAD A SECRET CRUSH ON SOMEONE, and he’s TAKING NOTES ON FEELINGS while DRAWING OUT PAT’S RESPONSES, and now I’M LOSING MY MIND. They’ve literally taken high-school Pran’s words and put them in Wai’s mouth in a pair of scenes that explicitly mirror each other, and there’s a couple of things going on. No. 1, I’m becoming convinced that one of Wai’s functions in the narrative is to represent a part of Pran that does what Pran wants to do but is too afraid/repressed to actually do. This is as small as the fact that Pran no longer writes songs or plays the guitar but Wai convinces him to participate in the band competition, and as large as the fact that Pran lies to Wai like Pran lies to himself about his feelings/relationship with Pat. Wai gets super pissed off about the lies and lashes out the way Pran gets angry about growing up in an entire web of lies and deceit – including his own subterfuge that’s the only way he can manage to be friends with Pat – but that we don’t see come out as anger until he confronts Dissaya (and then runs away from home to be a pirate fisherman) in Ep 10. Wai drops that curtain and exposes the relationship between Pat and Pran after Pran has just finished fighting with Pat about how Pat is going to expose them with the way he keeps posting suspicious stuff on his IG, but god, ok, fine, Pat doesn’t have to stop doing it, it’s alright, and Wai has made his peace with the relationship between Pat and Pran by the time he escorts Pat to the bottom of the staircase to allow him to make his proclamation of love out in the open in front of the entire Architecture faculty. ALSO. No. 2, Wai is giving Pran a do-over. This is Pran’s permission – whether he still needs it from an outside source, or Wai is again functioning as part of Pran’s own psychological make-up here – to pursue this thing with Pat, if he decides he wants it. Wai has been the human-to-Pran interpreter in terms of relationship stuff previously, and he handed out what was – let’s be honest – the most mature, reasonable advice re: interpersonal interaction that we’ve heard from anyone on this show so far, and I’m including the adults. And now, here he is, sitting in the exact position that high-school Pran sat in, advising Pran to do exactly what he did when he was younger, what Pran ended up being punished for, what Pran repressed and lost. Wai is validating Pran’s high-school emotional/relationship experiences re: Pat – he’s showing Pran that what he felt and experienced and talked to Pat about back in high school wasn’t wrong, that it was normal and something to be celebrated, something to be commemorated in song, that Pran’s high-school instincts to do that were correct, that it wasn’t something to be ashamed of the way his mom made him feel, that Pran should trust those feelings, that they’re important.

I AM LOSING MY MIND, y’all. And people want to talk about how Pran and Wai were never really that close, or how their relationship was never really developed? Also, yes, I see what you did with the queerness metaphor there, P’Aof.

Anyway, what’s happening plot-wise is that we get a shot of Pran looking wide-eyed at Wai, then a flashback to the high-school music room, where Pran is trying to play his guitar but hurting his fingers. When Pat wanders in, Pran’s kind of shifty, but Pat is immediately like, what’s the matter? Which is interesting – was Pat actually that immediately attentive, or is that how Pran remembers him? Do we get any unreliable narrator stuff in these flashbacks, or should we take them as given? Anyway anyway, Pran says he forgot his guitar pick and when he refuses to let Pat cut up his student ID to make a pick, Pat cuts up his own student ID and presents Pran with a guitar pick that now has Pat’s FACE on it and is going to hang over the mantel like an unused gun for the next nine episodes. I’m serious, I kept wondering when this pick was going to make another appearance, and it turns out to be a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it in 20 seconds in the last four minutes of the show, which is kind of disappointing. Nevertheless, high-school Pran picks up the pick and studies it, and he can’t help smiling, and high-school Pat looks back at over his shoulder to watch him, also smiling, and I want to throttle both sets of parents for the opportunities these kids lost, growing up. (Although, also, there’s a little gremlin part of me that now wants to read the AU where they were allowed to grow up as friends and now, they actually can’t stand each other, because familiarity breeds contempt. Ha.) Pat tells Pran to stop looking at it and play, and as Pran starts playing the guitar (with Pat’s FACE), we get Wai’s voiceover pulling us back to present-day, telling Pran that when you fall for someone, your heart flutters, because apparently, just like Pa, Wai’s got a set of tells that he uses to gauge attraction. It also includes that when you think about them you can’t help smiling, and at this point present-day Pran looks up, kind of soft and starry-eyed, completely giving away just how fucking gone he is over SOMEBODY, before he makes a face at Wai and insists that wasn’t a smile, then shoves his stuff in his bag and leaves in a rush that is not suspicious at all, no way, nuh-huh, as Wai is clearly amused by him.

Insert opening credits. Yeah, we’re only like seven minutes in, and all this has happened already. I don’t know if I can take 3.5 more parts of this. I might die.

Cut to night, Pran ordering food at the noodle truck – three wontons, we come in on – and then he wanders over to a table and asks a random dude in a Tim Horton’s T-shirt if he’ll share his table, and the guy turns around and surprise! Is Pat. We learn that Pran’s order is specifically Red Pork Noodle Soup With Three Wontons And No Garlic, as the server delivers the bowl to this table, so there’s no backing out, now. Pran sits down, grimacing. Pat is amused. Pran is looking around like he’s expecting to be under surveillance (hypervigilance! always a fun time!), and Pat tells him to just eat, that no one’s going to see them (they’re not going to get caught). Pran tells Pat to finish chewing before talking, and I’m immediately flung back to the Cloud Recesses. If Pran could make “No talking while eating” a rule, he probably would. (If Pran could institute all 3000 of Gusu Lan’s rules, at this point, he probably would. I … kind of want some kind of crossover fic where Lan Qiren and Dissaya get stuck in a small room with each other, now. NOBODY would stand a chance against their combined Them-ness, not even Wen Ruohan.) Pat wants to know, why three wontons, and Pran’s face is super unimpressed by this small talk, but he does offer the explanation that two isn’t enough and four is too many. Pran measures his chopsticks, and Pat gives him a look before raising his bowl to tug on Pran’s pigtails slurp up some of his own soup. There’s more bickering, and Pran’s still irritated, and Pat’s still amused, and this all culminates in Pat stealing one of Pran’s wontons, putting it in his mouth, then letting it fall out of his mouth back into his own bowl and challenging Pran to take it back. Pran, instead of jamming his chopsticks into Pat’s eye like he has every right to do after that little stunt, actually does make a break for the wonton in the bowl. Pat counters, and they have a chopstick fight before Pat cheats by using his other hand to pull Pran’s chopsticks out of the way, and he finally slurps down the wonton. Pran is SO DONE with this childish behavior, and he’s also done with the way Pat continues to just sit there and stare at him eating, but his attempts to make Pat go the fuck away not only don’t work, but Pat pays for both their dinners. Does that make this a date? What is the protocol here? Pran begrudgingly thanks Pat, and then there’s this split-second when Pat’s face does A Thing while Pran’s looking down into his bowl and can’t see him, something softer and less confrontational, maybe a little bit contemplative, before he’s back to being an ass again.

Back at the dorm, they discover the elevators are out of service, and Pat doesn’t know how to deal with whatever feelings this wonton battle has awakened in him other than to challenge Pran to a race up the stairs, because OF COURSE competition is the only way he knows to interact with Pran, and he clearly doesn’t want tonight’s interaction to end yet. Bro, you need to get there faster, alright, and I don’t mean up the stairs. Pran’s a delightful little fucking cheater who acts like he’s not interested right up until the second he takes off without warning, and then after he loses, insists that he never really accepted the challenge in the first place. In between, there is a lot of horseplay and flinging each other around as they take advantage of this intricately constructed ritual to touch each other. Afterward, they both hang on their respective doorjambs, panting, and we get some more product placement that continues to be not as charming as Wolong’s Famous Nuts, but then, what is? There’s another scuffle that allows Pat to kind of slam Pran up against a door before Pran elbows him away. When they finally break, Pat tells Pran that if he wants a rematch to come knock on his door any time, but if Pran misses him … don’t knock, just come in. You would think he’d never met Pran, if he thinks Pran is going to blink at gay chicken. Pran holds out a fist to bump, but then gives Pat the finger at the last minute (which, for those of us keeping score, like me, let me just point out was the thing that Wai did that all of Engineering was so exercised about that they decided he deserved a seven-on-one beatdown). Pat gives him the finger back before they both retreat into their respective rooms. How very Your Dads of you both. Safely inside his room, Pran leans against the door, and it’s a good thing Wai’s not around, my dude, because he would ABSOLUTELY call you on that smile on your face. Also, yes, Pat was playing gay chicken with you, but don’t assume he’s smart enough to realize what he was doing. I’m just sayin’. Anyway, Pran kind of shakes his head ruefully as he moves off-camera, and we’re left looking at the big smiley face poster taped to the inside of his door. This is probably supposed to tell us something about his mood right now, but what it actually does is make me sad as I realize that he’s got the big lighted frowny face over by his computer, in his inner sanctum where it’s safe to express those feelings, but he’s got the big smiley face taped up where it’s the last thing he sees before he leaves his safe haven to go out into the world every day, reminding him of how he should project himself to the world. UGH. My HEART.

Cut to Pat in his own room, when there’s a knock on the door. He clearly expects it to be Pran, but it’s Korn and the other Engineering secondary backup hobbits, and THIS is apparently when the bus-stop fight happened, because they’ve had the shit kicked out of them. Hmm. Looks like maybe someone’s mouth was writing checks their body can’t cash. Inside the room, Korn says that they tried to hold back, like Pat suggested, but Architecture started it. So, here’s MY question, bro: Do I believe you or not? I’m not sure I do, given your track record, but also, what do you consider “starting” it? Because it’s a common bully tactic to verbally torment someone until they throw the first punch, and then accuse them of “starting” it, and I’ve seen the way you instigate. Mo insists that they didn’t start it this time, and he sounds so sad, like he can’t believe someone would beat them up rather than the other way around. Poor fucking baby. Anyway, cut to the next day, with Pat and the other three standing around nervously outside an office as an admin meeting goes on. Pat tells them to prepare for what’s coming, Korn tells him not to rub it in, and I roll my eyes, because frankly, you need your nose rubbed in it, from what I’ve seen. Pat’s worried that he’ll be banned from the music competition (and then how will he compete with Pran?!?!), and Korn’s response is probably the first thing he’s said so far in the show that I agree with.

Cut to Architecture, with the seniors asking the Arch secondary backup hobbits how they are. They don’t look great, either, although I think it’s a little hyperbolic when someone tells them they look TERRIBLE. An instructor shows up and kicks out anyone not involved with the incident. Pran stays, even though he wasn’t there for the fight. They’ve avoided academic probation, but they have to rebuild the bus stop. Wai protests that Engineering were the ones messing with them in the first place. The instructor tells them it’s because they started it, and I literally throw up my hands again, because yes, that actually is the unfortunate response too many times when someone finally takes a swing at the bully who’s been harassing them and gets hauled off to the principal’s office. ANYWAY, they look at the projected expenses, and everyone is dismayed. They have to have it done by the end of the month. Pran thinks he can get some materials discounted from his parents. Wai is super irritated by all this and kicks a chair and basically calls it all bullshit and tells Pran that he shouldn’t have to be involved; he adds that Engineering should have to take responsibility, too. Pran gets his thinky face on and blatantly, deliberately ignores a phone call from Pat. Cut to a scene where Pran does go talk to Pa about some materials from her family’s business that are out of stock at his family’s business, and she promises to give him a discount. She asks if he needs them for his faculty event, and Pran gets this weird soft look on his face like he’s going to cry at any minute, and Pat, you are in for it now. Laundry privileges are ‘bouta get REVOKED.

Cut to Pat in his room at home, still trying to get Pran to respond to his calls. He’s watching through their bedroom windows into Pran’s room as Pran checks his phone, and NOPE, not answering that call, either. Pa comes in reminding Pat that he promised to leave Pran alone. Pat protests that he had nothing to do with it, blames it on Korn, and asks how Pa knows about it, anyway. I find this … a contrast to Pran’s insistence on remaining at the table (lit. and fig.) with Wai, Louis and Safe for their punishment. It is … a contrast that makes Pran look better than Pat, I’m just going to say. Pat insists Architecture started the fight, and anyway, the punishment was decided by the university board, not him. Pa, much like Pran, is DONE at this point. Laundry privileges are revoked. After she leaves, Pat goes to a drawer and pulls out one of those contraptions where kids make a telephone out of two tin cans and a string. He’s kept it in a drawer all this time because both of these morose motherfuckers are hopeless. Anyway, he tosses one of the tin cans over through Pran’s open window, because he figures this way, Pran has to answer. Pran is clearly pissed off but puts the can to his ear. Pat tells him not to be unreasonable, and Pran’s a better person than I am, because I’d drop that can and come over that windowsill at you if you condescended to me like that, at this point, bro. Pran is understandably incredulous (IKR, baby?). Pat goes on about how Pran’s friends started the fight, and it wasn’t his friends’ fault. Pran tells him that if Pat’s friends hadn’t put that video online, Pran’s friends wouldn’t have lost their heads. Pat looks puzzled and wants to know what video, at which point I throw my hands up again and literally exclaim “Oh, FUCK you,” at the screen, because the video you’ve been wanting to get since Ep 1 as revenge for someone uploading the initial video of Wai flipping you off, Pat. You remember that? The video that you insisted you needed of Wai having the shit kicked out of him, to salve your manly pride? Pran is almost as pissed as I am, which is viscerally gratifying to watch, and he tells Pat that it was the video of Pat’s friends in the bar, picking on Wai, that they posted online (like you planned in Ep 1, Pat). And now Pat has the temerity to look all puzzled and say that he didn’t know about the video, which is big news to Pran, because as he points out, Pat’s is literally in the video. “You looked so happy,” Pran tells him, then throws his tin can onto the ground before shutting his window and turning his back on Pat. Mmmm. Tasty, tasty catharsis. Pat continues to act baffled, I don’t feel sorry for him, and scene.

Next on PART 2: Pat’s trying to be a good boy, and maybe I’ll have a little more sympathy, but Pran continues to be SO. DONE.

16 notes · View notes

chalkrevelations · 3 years ago

Text

OK, on to Bad Buddy Ep 4, Part 2, and this part was short, so this one is going to be a lot shorter than the last one, I promise.

First, due diligence: Spoilers – including, possibly, for later episodes. If you haven’t finished watching the show and don’t want to be spoiled, drive through and come back later.

We immediately pick up where we left off at the end of Part 1 and OPEN ON Pran’s face falling as he sees Ink and Pat together in the coffee shop. I am immediately catapulted back to the rooftop reveal in Ep 2, when Pran had to deal with the fact that he (apparently) was NOT who his stalker secret admirer Pat wanted - and this extended to the fact that Pran’s a guy, since Pat had just assumed that he was going to be meeting a girl, so this was yet another way in which Pat would never, ever want Pran. So, now we have the first drop in the misery puddle that Pat’s faux-straightboyness will be drowning Pran in for the next episode and a half. (There’ll be plenty of other types of misery to go around after that, but for now, here we are.) Pat, istg, I’m going to scoop out your lungs with a spoon before you can finally manage to get your shit together, because I cannot deal with Pran crying any better than YOU can deal with Pran crying. While I’m having bad flashbacks to the rooftop, Pran is having his own miserable flashback to high school, when he was getting a milk tea, saw Pat headed for the music room, and decided to buy a second milk tea, only to discover Ink in the music room with Pat, right in the middle of pinching each other’s (non-existent) double chins while joking about where to go get something to eat together after school. Pran’s face does pretty much the same thing here that it will do in three and a half years when he discovers Pat and Ink together at the coffee shop, and he gives the secondary backup Band hobbits his two milk teas before skulking off. Back in present day, he’s clearly made the decision that we will NOT be doing this again, before skulking off. At least he saved the cost of two coffees this time. We cut into the coffee shop to find out what’s up with Pat and Ink, where she’s reminding him of his promise to do … something or other for her if she keeps his and Pran’s secret that they know each other. Pat clearly remembers that he’s supposed to do a thing with Pran, so now what’s he going to do?

Cut to the bus stop. Korn and Mo are talking to their prof like they’re actual civilized human beings with some kind of home training, discussing further construction plans, so clearly they CAN act like something other than demonic gremlins, they just choose not to, on the regular. Pran and Wai show up. Everyone maintains their composure like they talk to each other every day without someone getting punched in the face. Korn explains that Professor Pichai wanted to check on their progress, so I guess it’s a good thing Pran tricked you guys into making any progress instead of blowing off work to go to concerts, huh? Korn actually … looks a tiny bit worried, here. I almost can hear him thinking, “Please don’t tell my professor what a dumb asshole I usually am.” This is why – if you can’t stop being a demonic gremlin simply because you shouldn’t be awful to people - you need to think about the possible consequences of your actions, like the guys who you constantly try to beat up possibly meeting someone who’s responsible for your academic career, you jackass. Because Architecture actually has some manners (and they probably want to start chipping away at this guy’s main impression of them as assholes who go around brawling at bus stops), Pran offers the final design for the professor’s inspection, and Wai offers to walk through it with him. This leaves Korn and Mo standing around with Pran, who asks them, “Where’s your friend?” Going three minutes without being a jerk is clearly Korn’s limit, or maybe it’s because the professor’s attention isn’t directly on him so he’s off the leash again, but he wants to know if Pran’s blind? His friend’s right here, and he points to Mo. Mo says, I’m his friend, also that guy over there, and points to Chang. OK, now that we’ve established you guys are friends and not just some random roving group of thugs, Pran heaves a sigh (much like me), and explains very clearly, as you need to do with 5-year-olds, that he means Pat. Pat, who apparently has decided that he’ll blow off Pran without any warning, and now Korn is offering some story about how Pat’s family called and he had some kind of family stuff he had to attend to. I … can’t figure out if Korn is making this up on his own, or if Pat lied to Korn about what he was doing. At any rate, Engineering decides they’ve done enough being polite, responsible human beings with their professor for the day, and they ditch him to go get something to eat, so I guess they can’t be that worried about his impression of them. Pran looks sort of lost. Yeah, I know, baby. I also am sorry that your man is an unreliable jerk who can’t even be bothered to warn you he’s not going to show up.

WE, at least, are going to find out what Pat is up to, as we cut to a photo shoot in the park, with Pat turning on his charm for Ink’s camera. This is not what he expected when Ink asked if he was free. This is probably not what any of us expected when Ink asked if he was free. Nevertheless, Ink appears to be shooting a friend’s clothing line, and she’s pretty professional about it, despite the fact that when Pat’s got something in his hair and she smooths it out, he looks at her the same way Pran looked at Pat over his guitar last ep, and he’s thisclose to her face while he’s doing it. Ink. Honey. His gaydar is for shit. You’re going to have to tell him you’re a lesbian. Possibly in words of one syllable. On second thought, never mind. You won’t need to tell him anything when I shank him for making Pran cry. Anyway, Ink is oblivious to Pat’s longing gaze, or maybe she is kindly ignoring it, and then suddenly Pa shows up! She’s bringing Pat his contacts, which he forgot, and he makes his exit to go put them in, leaving Pa to ooh and aah over Ink and her camera equipment and how professional she is. OK, girl. Sure. Let’s say you’re impressed by her professionalism. Anyway, Ink encourages Pa to enroll in communication arts and takes the chance to get her in front of the camera as a way to start teaching her this stuff. OK, girl. Sure. Let’s say you’re teaching her how to take pictures. ANYWAY.

At this point, we cut back to the bus stop, where Engineering has returned from lunch? dinner? some random meal that university guys eat at every hour to fill their gaping maws? Because I do remember how guys that age eat. At any rate, they’re actually managing to work with Architecture, and no one’s been killed with a power saw yet. Of particular note, Korn is up on a ladder, installing some light fixtures, while Wai is being annoying directing, and they're half-heartedly arguing back and forth, but there’s not a lot of heat to it. It definitely hasn’t reached the stage of Pat and Pran’s adorable bickering, but it’s probably not bad exposure therapy to help Wai get over whatever kind of PTSD response he has to Engineering at this point (I’m only halfway joking about that – I think it might explain some things, but it’s an idea I need to rummage around with some more). Meanwhile, oh shit, Pran is also going to find out what Pat is up to, and he’s going to find out in one of the worst ways possible, by seeing a promo Ink has posted online for the clothing line with a picture of Pat and the message “Thanks to this hot guy from Engineering!” BUSTED. And listen, I had to watch this particular 40 seconds twice, once to get the full effect of Pran’s angry face >:( and once to go back and pay attention to Wai and Korn STILL bickering in the background, particularly as Korn calls Wai “fussy,” and it is … almost adorable. From here, we cut to Architecture rugby practice, because don’t forget the big game is coming up, and once again, the coach is assuring them that they are AT WAR. Pran is faced off against Safe as the coach tells them that the person in front of them is their enemy, an asshole who does shit to you … and at this point, I can’t help contrasting this with Pat and Korn, who spent their whole time during this build-up at Engineering’s practice gossiping and giggling with each other. Pran, however, is FOCUSED. On this guy in front of him. Who is his enemy. Who is an asshole. Who does shit to him. Who is suddenly Pat, and not Safe, and who winks at him with a shit-eating grin, and who Pran jumps out of nowhere, trying to tackle him before they’re actually supposed to move. Only, Safe scampers out of the way and Pran ends up on the ground on his face, while everyone stands around him and wants to know WHAT IS THE MATTER with him. He says he’s fine, and everyone else wanders back to practice. Spoiler alert: HE IS NOT FINE. And scene.

Next on PART 3: Pran spots Pat and Ink at the bar after practice and continues to NOT BE FINE. Oh, baby. He’s going to be a complete dumbass for a while yet.

9 notes · View notes

chalkrevelations · 3 years ago

Text

A story idea that I’m probably almost definitely smart enough to NOT try actually writing:

Wai finds out that Korn had a threesome with Pat and Pran and almost strokes out over Korn defiling his best friend. (Yes, of course that’s why. Why do you think he’s so mad?) He’s older and more tired now, so punishment will be slow and methodical. But Korn should sleep with one eye open, because it’s coming.

Waikorn is endgame, of course.

(Waikorn is always endgame.)

(Also, Korn is looking forward to some slow and methodical punishment.)

(Also also, let’s be honest, Pran was probably the one doing most of the defiling. I am also probably almost definitely smart enough - or at least old and tired enough - to NOT write the prequel featuring the actual threesome.)

ANYWAY, I have a drinkie, and I’m off to start hashing through the reax for Ep 4, Part 1, so we’ll see how THAT goes.

#you're welcome #waikorn #a trashfire gremlin and his windbreaker(s)#this is the wai #bad buddy

10 notes · View notes

chalkrevelations · 3 years ago

Text

There was a lot of Beltane over the weekend, but I actually have some time off this week, so here’s Bad Buddy Ep 4, Part 4, finally – in which Ink makes some things clear but apparently not clear enough; Pat does not know when to stop, ever; and Nanon Korapat’s ridiculously expressive FACE breaks my heart. Fair warning, this got long.

Due diligence, of course: There will be spoilers – including, possibly, for later episodes. If you haven’t finished watching the show and don’t want to be spoiled, drive through and come back later.

So, OPEN ON Pran, on the bleachers, prepping for the big Architecture vs. Engineering rugby game. Pat shows up in full trickster mode, comes over and plants his ass down two feet away, ready to start instigating some shenanigans. Pran is not down for shenanigans today, he’s kind of cranky, and he tells Pat, why don’t you just give us away sit down right next to me. Pat wants to know if Pran’s worried someone will see them together (which we ALL know the answer to, by now), tells him that he can just say they’re talking about the bus stop (A. you stole that idea from Ink, Pat, and B. how much is there to actually say about the bus stop?), and then asks if Pran’s afraid people will think Pat is flirting with him (WHICH YOU ARE, PAT). At this point, Pran aggressively ignores him, which is the worst thing you can do to Pat, so Pat retaliates by reaching over and stroking Pran’s hair. :hands: I don’t know if this was supposed to be ruffling his hair, but that is NOT what ended up happening. There’s some slapping on Pran’s part and continued poking on Pat’s part, until Pran hisses at Pat to stop playing around because people can see them, and Pran isn’t ready to be seen, yet. He’s just starting to get serious about retaliation when Ink shows up with her camera, snapping some pictures, and literally says “Look at you two!” NO, don’t look, Ink! Pran isn’t ready to be seen, yet! Ink says she missed the sweet moment, and can they do that again for her and her camera? Pran does NOT oblige her and tells Pat to get back on his own side, causing Pat to grab up his bag and huff off like he’s been mortally insulted. (Pat’s love language (receiving) is clearly time and attention, and he’s just been roundly rejected.) Ink makes some small talk at Pran about his shoulder, while Pran’s face does some complicated things as he assesses how much he actually wants to be talking to his apparent rival in his doomed love affair. But Ink tells him she has a victory gift for him if he wins, and he looks pleasantly surprised, then thoughtful as she walks away. Significantly, we hear her say, from out of the shot (presumably to Jam, who’s been trailing her), “Do you want to take pictures?” and Jam responds, “Never say no to cameras.” Always allow yourself to be seen (maybe significant that it was Pat, who’ll have less of a problem being open and with people knowing about the relationship, who was the one Ink and Jam pulled in front of Ink’s camera first, almost as soon as she met Pat and Pran again?), but also, always allow yourself to see – don’t turn away, don’t pretend you don’t see, don’t pretend that what you do see is something other than what it really is. Spoiler alert: Pran will NOT follow this advice, at least not yet, and we get an immediate example of this as, at this point, he looks over toward where Pat has ended up, and we cut to a shot of Pat that’s clearly from Pran’s POV, beyond Ink and Jam in the foreground. We see that Pat’s looking back at Pran with a hint of a smile, and he’s in crystal-clear focus – the only thing that IS, in this shot. All of his surroundings are soft and out-of-focus, but he’s so sharp and defined that if you pause here, it almost looks like they’ve got Ohm Pawat against a green screen. He holds Pran’s gaze, and one corner of his mouth quirks up into a smile. Cut back to Pran, who is … not happy about his own clarity of vision, nor what he’s just seen. This is not safe – what Pat is doing, what Pran is feeling - all of it is so far out of Pran’s comfort zone, and he tries to shake it off, literally shaking his head.

Now the two teams hit the field, led by Pran and Pat as they line up against each other. Their seconds, Wai and Korn, are just behind them, staring each other down, just like Pran is staring down Pat, who seems taken aback at being the object of Pran’s killing focus. I thought you wanted competitive Pran, Pat. Take a look, he’s ready to go. Anyway, we get a lot of running around with the ball now, which I’m not going to pretend to understand the rules of. Guys are passing the ball back and forth, spectators are cheering, Ink is taking pictures. Pat scores a goal. Korn tackles Pran. Pran tackles Pat. Pat tries to tackle Pran but is unsuccessful, and Pran scores a goal, and I rewind and watch again, trying to figure out if Pat was really trying or not. I’m still not sure, particularly given later developments. Pran takes the time to stare down Pat and give him a flippant little finger salute on his way back to the Architecture side of the field. Pran is - let’s just be honest here - being kind of an asshole, every single one of his porcupine spikes is out and quivering, and Pat’s a little baffled by it. Oh, honey. GET THERE FASTER. Next, Pran tries to tackle Pat, but Pat passes to Korn, who scores, leading Pat to turn around in Pran’s arms and grin at him, because when we cut back to Pat and Pran after Korn’s goal, Pran still has his arms around Pat’s waist and is snugged right up against him, his chest pressed against Pat’s back in a pose we’ll see again in a later ep, only lying down and with considerably less clothing. Sports, amirite? Pat is amused and warns Pran that if he holds Pat this tight, people might think they’re boyfriends. Pat, your Oblivious Faux-Straightboyness is KILLING ME. It’s also killing Pran, if you’re wondering why he seems to be out for your blood. Anyway, next, we see Chang – I think, that looks like his head of curls – tackle Pran, and Engineering takes the ball while Pran stays down on the ground for a minute. Pat comes trotting back to him and holds out a hand to help him up, which Pran aggressively ignores. I mean, I’m sure y’all know what I mean when I talk about someone aggressively ignoring someone else, but you’ve never seen anybody pull this off like Pran can pull it off. In response, Pat’s face kind of falls – as I’m sure Pran intended, you’re such a bitch, baby, I can only sit here and marvel at the level of you – as he watches Pran walk off. Pran’s babying his shoulder, and when Korn comes up to Pat, Pat tells him that he (Pat) will cover Pran, and to let the others know. Much like he was the only one who was supposed to fight Pran back in the day, when Arch and Eng were brawling every 30 minutes, I guess, although we’ve moved from Pat protecting Pran in order to keep Pa doing his laundry to Pat protecting Pran because … well, Pat’s not quite sure yet, just because. (FASTER WOULD BE BETTER, BRO.) And yeah, that’s not suspicious at all, Pat - you’re probably lucky Korn doesn’t appear to be the brightest bulb in the box, particularly as you apparently told him you like someone in Architecture. It’s probably only your ridiculous Faux-Straightboyness that’s giving you any kind of cover, at this point. ANYWAY, Pat has told Korn, loud and clear, that he’ll handle Pran, so of course the next thing we see is Korn come barreling out of nowhere the next time Pran has the ball to tackle him, kind of like he launched himself out of nowhere to punch Wai in the face during a brokered truce. Korn, you are such a TERRIBLE human being that I almost can’t do anything other than throw up my hands and laugh a little bit hysterically at this point. Although I do sort of have to give you this one, given that – as you point out when Pat wants to know what the fuck you were thinking - it’s a rugby game, and Pat (apparently) didn’t tackle the guy on the opposing team with the ball when he had the chance, which is not how you win rugby games. I assume, at least. I know jack-all about rugby, but if Korn’s correct about Pat’s inaction here, Pat’s strategy seems like a good way to lose.

So, Pran’s on the ground in obvious pain after Korn takes him down – this is why I don’t play contact sports, kids - as if Wai and the secondary backup Architecture hobbits need more of a reason to resent Korn, in particular. This is probably not going to be good for tenuous bus-stop-building relations, although again, contact sports, guys. Literally the definition of play stupid games, win stupid prizes. There’s no flag on the field, so I have to presume Korn hasn’t actually, technically, done anything wrong. Wai comes barreling over, proceeds to practically pat down Pran for injuries, helps him up, and gives a death glare to Pat over his shoulder, AS HE SHOULD at this point. Let’s take a look at what this all looks like from Wai’s POV: His best friend has been giving discomfited fuck-off vibes to Pat since before the game started, and Pat – well known for making trouble for Architecture students in general, including physical violence, never even mind his history of bullying Wai, personally - has continued to press constant, unwanted attention – one might almost say harassment – on Pran in spite of Pran’s very obvious protests, and now this bullshit from Korn right after Pat and Korn have conferred on the field. Frankly, Wai would be a bad friend if he wasn’t in defensive mode at this particular moment. I also have to wonder what kind of calculations might be starting to add up, even if subconsciously, in the back of his brain about what Pat might have wanted … possibly demanded … from Pran in return for Pat’s inexplicable decision to force Engineering to help build the bus stop in the face of nothing but bad blood between the two groups. Wai - who’s literally been put on his knees in front of Pat as Pat’s evening “entertainment” in the past - is working with imperfect information about the relationship between Pat and Pran, but given the info he has, all this looks … not great on Pat’s part. Potentially super-skeevy. Mmhm. I’m just gonna put that out there as one unspoken possibility for what might be driving Wai’s increasing over-protectiveness – particularly as whatever Wai thinks Pran might have agreed to behind the scenes, he would have been doing for and because of Wai - and let it simmer for a bit. We’ll set it right here and maybe get back to it at a later time. ANYWAY, unsurprisingly, Wai’s also got some murderous glare to spare for Korn as they pass him while Wai guides Pran back to the Architecture side of the field. Pat and Korn hiss at each other at this point (the girls are fiiiighting) about Pat’s missed chance to tackle Pran, and Korn wants to know what the hell has gotten into Pat. The 12-year-old boy part of my brain snickers that it’s not Pran YET, but just wait. It’s probably lucky for both Pat and Pran that Waikorn are still mortal enemies at this point, because if they managed to put their 1.75 brain cells together (to be clear, Wai has 1.5 of those brain cells, no, I am not accepting criticism), they’d have these two dead to rights. They’d certainly figure out what’s going on faster than Pat is figuring it out. When Korn presses him, Pat gets this lost look on his face like he realizes he legitimately has NO idea what’s gotten into him. He doesn’t know how to answer because he doesn’t know (yet). And so he avoids the question by just walking away, toward Pran and Wai. He calls out to get Pran’s attention, and Wai - who can see how miserable Pran is right now, on top of the physical injury (we can ALL see how miserable Pran is right now, thank you Nanon, and your gorgeously expressive FACE) - is ready to take out this fucker’s trachea, at this point. He steps between Pat and Pran – which, remember, is where he started this episode, in that faceoff over the bus stop in the opening of 4.1, when everyone was lined up on their own sides of the table, except Wai, who was framed between Pat and Pran – and he’s literally shielding Pran with his body, staring down Pat. He’s blocking Pat’s physical access to Pran in the same way Pran, himself, repeatedly uses his own body to try blocking Pat’s emotional access to him, blocking Pat at his door to try to prevent Pat from coming into his room/sanctuary. (We see this pattern in 4.1, when Pat barges his way in with the earphones, in 4.3 when he wheedles his way in with apology fried chicken and bruise remedy, and we’ll see it again at the end of this Part.) On the sidelines, Ink is looking concerned. Things are super tense. Pat tries a couple of times to look around Wai at Pran, but every time Pat moves, Wai counters, and he will NOT look away, even though Pat won’t meet his eyes, is just trying to look at Pran. Pran won’t look back at Pat, just stays where he is behind the bulwark of Wai. Pat finally shakes his head and turns away. I think Pran is … conflicted at this point. He looks a little regretful as Pat walks away, but he touches Wai’s shoulder back when Wai wordlessly checks in with him with a touch. GOD, my little Pran & Wai heart during this entire scene, y’all, I’m dying. Anyway, Pran does look back at Pat for a brief moment here, and then Safe pats him on the back, and he gets enveloped by his posse again.

Cut to after the game, Pran’s on the bleachers, saying goodbye as everyone leaves. Apparently, he got benched after that tackle and exacerbation of his shoulder injury, because Ink comes up and tells him that if he’d played the whole time, Architecture would have won. She hands him a bottle of water that is clearly not product placement because she hands it to him like a normal human being and he takes a drink out of it like a normal human being. His face is saying that he’s a little unsure and uncomfortable about why they’re talking. I have to wonder how much he’s ever actually seen her as a friend, even outside of the issue he has with her as a rival for Pat’s attention and maybe some resentment that Ink is someone Pat would be romantically interested in when he’d clearly never want Pran that way. Ink, however, has made Pran a bracelet, just like the one she made Pat, with a “P” charm and everything. Y’all. She made them matching bracelets. My Queer Goddess, I’m telling you. She just needs to let everybody else borrow some of her gaydar. Anyway, she tells Pran she wanted to give him the bracelet back in the day, in 10th grade, but he moved away, and she puts it on him, and he’s starting to loosen up around her, realizing that maybe this means Pat’s bracelet wasn’t some super-special courting gift. Ink ask him if he likes the bracelet, and he looks contemplative, and a little unhappy, and when she presses him about what’s going on, you can see him steeling himself for disappointment before he asks if she likes Pat. Well, no, actually, Pran, that is the WRONG JINDAPAT, so you can tuck away that horribly vulnerable look on your face, you are safe from Ink, although you remain in grave danger from Pat’s embarrassing Oblivious Faux-Straightboyness. Ink is still holding her Pa cards close to the vest, but she practically laughs at the idea that she’s interested in Pat and reassures Pran that Pat’s a friend, just like Pran is. She wants to know why he’s asking and if he wants to hit on her, and Pran’s FACE, y’all. He’s so obviously trying to figure out how to tell her that he couldn’t be attracted to a girl if he tried, without being insulting. Ink tsks at him for making her feel unattractive – stop jamming the signals, Ink, the baby gays are already having enough trouble figuring out their own and everybody else’s shit. At any rate, Pran is so relieved, and he’s eased up a ton, and they’re laughing together now, and then we cut to Pat at the end of the bleachers, watching them, likely coming to some Wrong Conclusions, and his brain running madly on its little hamster wheel doesn’t even know how to feel. Do you even know which one you’re jealous of, Pat? GET THERE FASTER.

Cut to night at the dorm. Open on Pran’s smiley face poster on the inside of his door as we hear some knocks, and NO, I don’t care what kind of reminders you’re giving me about the proper face to present, fuck you, Mr. Smiley Face. I know what’s going to happen in the upcoming scene, and I’m NOT going to be happy about it. I mean, I’m going to wallow in the delicious delicious pain and angst of it all, but I’m not going to be happy. Pran checks the peephole and still deigns to open the door to Pat, who holds out a bag of medicinal stuff that they bicker about whether or not Pran’s going to accept. Pran’s already looking a little puffy around the eyes, and I have to wonder if he’s already been crying. It’s OK, baby, you’ve had a big day, but I hate to tell you, it’s about to get immeasurably worse. Pat keeps insisting that Pran take the medicines no matter how many times Pran refuses, and I’m getting the feeling this is about more than some drugstore remedies, Pat. (Psst. While you’re trying to make up for Korn being an ass, how about you take Wai a gift bag? It might help you out a lot.) Pran insists he’s fine. (You are NOT fine, my dude.) Pat attempts to broker a deal: In return for the medicines, Pran can let him spend the night. Um. Pat. Take these things you don’t want to take from me and also let me have a slumber party here at your house? What part of this deal is supposed to appeal to a guy who currently won’t even let you all the way inside his door? Pran, predictably, laughs at this suggestion. Pat rummages around for an excuse for this and comes up with “I forgot my keys” AGAIN. Again, Pat? After some more bickering, Pat gets unceremoniously kicked out and the door shut in his face. He stands there a minute, looking back and forth between his door and Pran’s, once again looking like a golden retriever that got flicked in the nose. He’s really committing to the bit this time, though, because later, when Pran checks the peephole again, we get a fisheye view of Pat sitting in the hallway outside his door, still with his duffle bag, still in his rugby getup. Pran gets his thinky face on – how much does he trust this sadsack schmuck? Spoiler alert: MORE THAN HE SHOULD – before he heaves a sigh. Fine. He’ll be the bigger person. He opens the door. Invites Pat into his room (/sanctuary/inner sanctum/heart), like Pat isn’t getting ready to go serial killer on his emotions. Oh. Oh, baby. Pat looks up like he can’t fully process what’s going on, but when Pran starts counting down, he scrambles for his stuff and scurries inside as Just Friend starts playing in the background. Pran, completely unaware of the shellacking he’s getting ready to take, represses a grin as he closes the door.

Inside Pran’s bedroom, we see him arranging a bedroll for Pat beside his bed. Oh. Wow. There’s a lighted happy face sitting on one of the bedside nightstands that matches the frowny face above his computer out in the main room. It’s like peeling the layers of an onion. The onion of PRAN’S HEART. This smiley face is going to be sitting just above Pat’s head, once he lays down on the bedroll. Oh, Pran. You’re like a little woodland forest creature – a spikey, bitchy little woodland forest creature – getting ready to be bulldozed by Pat’s Oblivious Faux-Straightboyness. Anyway, on one wall is hanging Pran’s red Architecture jacket and one of his bags. Remember that. Pat comes wandering into frame wearing only shorts and wants to know if he can sleep topless. Pran, who’s muffled in a big T-shirt and sweatpants, is all, NO. lol. Pran throws him a nearby T-shirt – the infamous “Friend/Unfriend” T-shirt - with the warning that he hasn’t washed it. Pat sniffs it, because of course he does, and says it smells good, because of course he does, and omg. Bro. FASTER WOULD BE BETTER. Pran’s face says, “what did I do to deserve this misery?” You opened the door, lit. and fig., that’s what you did, my dude. Pat promises to wash the shirt, but Pran says never mind, he was going to throw it away, so Pat now gets to keep it and take it home and indulge in rubbing his face in it whenever he wants. Pran just wants to go to sleep, but Pat doesn’t have Nong Nao, so he doesn’t have anything to hug and cuddle and to help keep him warm. Pat. Stoppit. You are absolutely shameless. He turns his big pleading eyes on Pran, who finally gives in and moves closer to the edge of his bed so that a corner of the comforter will drape down for Pat. Pat sniffs the comforter because of course he does. Pat, I DID NOT consent to be part of this whole kinky experience you’re having right now. Pran’s deathglare matches my own. Pat calls him “Sir,” and promises to quit playing, and his wording catapults me back to the miserable childhood these two had, with the lost chances to play together and sleep over at each other’s houses and be normal children. Because I needed something else to be sad about, in this scene.

Later, both of them are still awkwardly lying awake. Pat wants to know if Pran’s sleeping (“Yes”), if his shoulder still hurts (“No”), and oh, by the way, Ink gave you a bracelet? (“Yes, JUST LIKE YOURS, (so don’t think yours is special.)”) They lie there for a minute, and we can see Pran visibly steel himself, like he did before he asked Ink if she liked Pat. Oh, my brave little toaster. I can’t deal with this, knowing how comparatively vulnerable you’re getting ready to make yourself, and the way you’re going to get wrecked for it. If I didn’t want to catch every complex microexpression playing across Nanon’s face, I’d be watching through my fingers. Pran asks if he can ask Pat something. Pat also has a question for Pran. THANK GOD, now Pran can delay his own emotional sharing – you go first, Pat. Pat pauses for a minute. They both seem hesitant to possibly break open this new thing that’s growing between them – whatever it is - hesitant to disturb it or let it out into the light, to let it be seen, somehow. The intimacy of this scene is gorgeous, the framing of the shots close on both their faces, and the way the lighting halos each of them against the darker corners of the room around them, and this intangible thing that Ohm and Nanon build between them. Pat finally asks if Pran likes Ink. Oh, Pat. I could cry. So could Pran – I think Nanon’s nose is already getting a little bit red from repressed tears. Pran pauses a minute, probably to collect himself, then looks over at Pat and asks if he likes Ink. Pat says, he asked first. We can see the slow creep of misery bleeding over Pran’s features. CAN WE NOT, GUYS? My heart can’t take this. Pat suggests they both answer at the same time, and Pran doesn’t actually respond, like he can hold this knowledge back, freeze things right here and keep his heart from being crushed for a few moments longer. Pat counts down. Pran says “no” as Pat says “yes.” Pat is super-relieved, y’all! Now they won’t be competing against each other for the same girl! Pran is starting the slow process of DYING INSIDE. This motherfucker has come back again and again, working his stupid little annoying tendrils into the crevices in the stone around Pran’s heart, breaking it down bit by bit to root himself in there, and now he’s going to stab Pran in the softest and most vulnerable bits that have been exposed when Pran just opened the door and invited him in. Pat. Bro.

Nanon’s eyes are starting to get glossy, and I’m done. This is as bad as when A-Xiang cries on Word of Honor. “Did you tell her your feelings?” Pran asks Pat, around the blood in his teeth. Pat hasn’t, yet, but does Pran think she likes him at all? And … I don’t know quite how to feel about Pran’s answer, which is to scoff and ask how he (Pran) could know that? Because we quite literally just watched Pran ask her if she likes Pat and saw her respond that he’s just a friend. Why does Pran not tell him this? He doesn’t weaponize it and use it to make Pat bleed the way Pat’s just done to him. He doesn’t give it to him as a heads-up warning. Does he want Pat to get shot down by Ink, herself? Does he figure it’s not his place to reveal something that Ink told him just between them, particularly given the way he hides his own relationship with Pat from everyone? Does it not matter to him, given that Pat likes Ink – not Pran - in the first place? And then Pat sits up, leans on the edge of the bed, close to Pran and asks him, “If you were her, would you like me?” BRO. YOU ARE KILLING BOTH ME AND PRAN. Pran - who’s not even being allowed the dignity of being unseen while he tries to choke down all this misery, because now Pat’s right in his face - asks Pat what there is to like about him. And the following litany … maybe Pat’s surface intention is just to show what a good guy he is, and why wouldn’t Ink like a good guy? (Oh, Pat.) But Pat opens his big mouth and reels off an entire list of why Pran would like him, a list of all the things that made Pran fall in love with him and then fall in love with him all over again: Drumming in his band, saving him from Engineering, OK maybe not the dumpling incident (Pran scoffs again at this point, and it is clearly an attempt to hide a sob). Helping him get the sponsorship for the bus stop. Keeping his guitar safe. Nanon’s FACE at this point is exquisite. Exquisitely painful. Every incident Pat mentions is like another twist of the knife this asshole has already stabbed him with. Yeah, he would like you, Pat. He does like you, and you are currently making that the most agonizing experience he could possibly imagine. Flashback – clearly Pran’s memories, because this show isn’t done piling on the pain and angst – to Pat and Pran performing together in the high-school band, Pat making a guitar pick for Pran out of his own student ID, Pat taking over the bus-stop presentation when Pran was buffering, Pat playing Pran’s girlfriend at the bus stop, Pat giving Pran back the guitar that he’s kept safe all this time – all the things that Pat has done, all the little acts of service that are his love language that would normally lead to Pran’s joyful italicized OH moment in a rom-com - but Pran had that moment a long time ago, and he ended up suffering for it, and now he’s been goddam dumb enough to set himself up to be hurt again and all those little moments only add up to misery. Cut back to Pran’s face in present day, and Pat leans in - with that stupid glowing smiley face over his shoulder, right beside his own stupid sunshine face - and he says Pran’s name, and so softly and openly that I could scream, he asks “Would you like me?”

“I hate you,” Pran tells him, and rolls over to put his back to him.

Pat literally recoils a tiny bit at Pran’s words – there’s a beautiful subtlety to Ohm’s physical acting there – before he collects himself and decides that he’s SUPER-offended, because hey, he’s got a LOT of good qualities. Protip, bro: Your embarrassing Oblivious Faux-Straightboyness, which has just carved out your boyfriend’s heart, is NOT one of those good qualities. Pat continues to grumble to himself, including the parting shot – which he has NO idea is as devastating as it is - that they’ll see if Pran can find someone half as good as Pat. OH MY GOD, PAT. SHUT UP. STOP DIGGING. OR THAT HOLE YOU’RE MAKING DEEPER AND DEEPER IS GOING TO BE YOUR GRAVE. As Pat lies down, Pran looks back over his shoulder toward him with this horribly longing look, then whips his head back the other way like he’s forcing himself not to look. But he just can’t help himself – he looks back again, watches Pat while Pat’s got his eyes closed, gives this heartwrenching, painful smile before even he is tired of his miserable self and starts wiping away his tears and trying to compose himself. He finally yanks the comforter away from Pat and burritos himself up in it as he rolls to put his back to Pat again, and scene. Cut to the bleakest of black, and I am left emotionally wrung out, thank you Nanon Korapat and your FACE and your TEARS and your little LIP WOBBLE.

Next time, on EPISODE 5: Pat confesses to Ink, Ink rightfully scoffs in his direction, and Pat FINALLY GETS THERE.

7 notes · View notes

chalkrevelations · 3 years ago

Text

Alright alright alright. Bad Buddy, Ep 3, Part 4/4, in which Pat learns and grows as a person and makes it Engineering’s problem (lit. and fig.).

First, due diligence: This almost definitely contains spoilers for later eps, so if you haven’t finished watching the series and want to see it unspoiled, drive through and come back when you’re finished watching.

OPEN ON: The Engineering secondary backup hobbits gaming on their phones out at the picnic tables. Korn does NOT appear to be very good at it, especially when Pat shows up and knocks him in the head with his messenger bag, which I don’t know if we’ve seen before this. Maybe he only carries it around when he needs to hit Korn in the head. Korn dies in the game, and he’s irritated now, and Pat was already irritated, and Korn wants to know wth that was about, and Pat basically tells him that he’s lucky he’s not getting worse. So, all the hobbits are baffled at this point, and Chang asks why Pat is bullying them, and I roll my eyes at this fk’n guy so hard that I catch a glimpse of grey matter, because y’all ought to know from bullying, right? Very sad that the sword you live by has come back to smack you upside the head. Now, tbf, I’m actually kind of torn about this scene, because Pat then goes on to look and sound incredulous, asking them “Do you need to ask?” like these guys should somehow know that suddenly all the rules have changed. Pat, not everyone has been on an inner journey of self-discovery while watching Pran being adorable eating his wontons, OK? This scene is set at the same place where these guys first came up with their plot to film themselves kicking the shit out of Wai and getting video of it while Pat also vowed to break Architecture’s fingers – which now that I think about it is a particularly douchebro threat to make about people who need to do drafting work with their hands, whether drawing on paper or using computer graphics – and a little bit, I have to wonder if the setting is deliberate, a sign that they’re all still back there in that mindset. But now, Pat asks why they posted the video, which come on, man, is a little bit unfair, since you were the one who insisted you would need your manly pride salved by posting the video. You’ve changed the rules on them, so I can kind of get their confusion, but on the other hand, they do still continue to be terrible: Korn’s response is “So?” and his response to learning that Architecture is footing the bill for repairs is “So?” and they all want to know why Pat cares anyway, I mean, he’s Engineering, right, so why is he acting weird? At this point, you can see on Ohm’s face that Pat is having a little “oh” moment, realizing that he is what’s changed, not the world around him. (Hold that thought for a lot of episodes.)

Quick cut to Pat in his dorm room, probably that evening, coming in the door, wandering around, unable to settle. He finally goes to the closet, where he pulls out …. Pran’s guitar. We flashback to the scene in the music store from earlier in the ep, just in case we’ve forgotten, to emphasize that when Pat asked Pran about his guitar, that was a fishing expedition, because Pat knew better than Pran what happened to the guitar. Back in present day, Pat’s smiling at the guitar, possibly contemplating what he’s gonna do with Pran’s baby, which he’s sort of kidnapped at this point.

Cut to the cafeteria, probably the next day, where Pran and the Architecture secondary backup hobbits are sitting around, talking about how much money they still need. It’s 10K, according to Pran – presumably baht, which converts to right around $300 USD, and guys. Guys, seriously. I have $300. Hit me up and I’ll get it to you. Anyway, this is apparently money that’s needed for labor, so I guess they have materials covered. Wai wants to know if they can borrow the money from the Student Union, and this is another place that I don’t know if this is deliberate or sloppy writing, because you should know that, Wai. Pran sent you to talk to the Student Union people at the beginning of the ep – what, did you get sidetracked by … well, Korn is the most likely thing for you to get sidetracked by, because we’ve already established a pattern of you two being weird about each other. At any rate, Wai says he – he, not they - could pay the SU back in installments. Pran says that no, SU needs their funds for the senior’s prom. Louis wants to know if they can ask their friends for help, and my dude, do you have any friends who aren’t sitting at this table? Wai apparently feels the same way, because he remarks somewhat bitterly that nobody cares, and anyway, they need money to pay the engineers on the project – unspoken is the follow-through that none of their friends are engineers, because none of Engineering are their friends, although Pran’s face is doing some interesting things, here. I’m beginning to have some déjà vu – this is a little reminiscent of the “Where are we going to get $500” conversation in Dirty Dancing, and for a hot minute I imagine Baby Pran trying the same thing, going to Dissaya to say he needs $300 to help a friend, but he can’t say for what, but it’s nothing bad, he promises, and then I realize that if this situation was reversed and Engineering was on the hook, Pat would probably be able to go to Ming and walk away with this money, because Ming would be so proud that Pat and his friends were involved in some ass-kicking, based on the dinner conversation they had about the first fight, in Ep 1. UGH. ANYWAY, all the hobbits are despondent, and Pran suggests they go back out to the thrashed bus stop and see if there’s anything else left in the heap of old materials that they could sell.

Cut to the bus stop, where there is nothing left to sell – certainly nothing that’s going to get them 10K baht. We do get the chance to see a pair of red/yellow trashcans make a brief appearance, though, which may be a little Easter egg or may be a sign of a limited production budget. Wai asks how long it’s going to take the four of them to build the new bus stop, and Pran nixes the idea, saying they need to hire people. From off-camera we hear the sound of footsteps and a voice: “Are you talking about us?’ We get a slo-mo shot of Pat, Korn, Chang, Mo, and a couple of tertiary backup hobbits they picked up somewhere, coming in like some cavalry to save the day. This is a hero shot, and I think it’s supposed to be ironic? Flashback to a continuation of the previous scene at the picnic tables, when everyone else wanted to know why Pat cared and why they should care, because they are legitimately The Worst: Korn is completely baffled by Pat’s suggestion that they help Architecture rebuild. Chang asks if Pat’s really an Engineering student and wants to know why they should have any sympathy for Architecture (because it proves you’re not a complete sociopathic asshole, you jerk. I don’t know how to explain to you that you should care about other people.). And Pat does something that’s kind of interesting, here – he goes into teaching mode. He lays out the situation and then leads them to the answer that he wants them to have, but he lets them come up with it for themselves so that they’ll have more buy-in: He reminds them that the previous bus stop was (supposedly, according to the lie Pran pulled out of his ass) built by both faculties, so it was common territory, but if ONLY Architecture rebuilds, then … Korn still looks baffled at this point. Oh, honey. I guess stupid babies DO need the most love. Mo, however, sits up and exclaims that this will make it completely Arch territory. Cue dramatic music. Chang breaks in that their rights and freedumb to use the bus stop may suffer. Yes, that’s right, you’re going to be oppressed by Architecture and not allowed to catch the bus. Sure, Jan. At any rate, Pat applauds them for coming to the correct conclusion and says he has an idea of how to prevent losing stake in this territory. Cut back to present day, and Pat plants a sign in the ground, naming the area the Pavilion of “Peace” built by Engineering-Architecture students, and lol. I see your scare quotes there. I’m not sure if this is deliberately incorrect, whether this is a Doylist meta-level screw-up or something that’s supposed to be incorrect within the world of the show. At any rate, it’s probably a sign that we’re not going to be seeing actual peace quite yet. Pran’s WTF face on being presented by this group and their sign is delightful. This asshole will not stop interfering with his life or joking around about this. Pat, however, explains that if Engineering helps build the bus stop, they’ll have enough workers AND someone to supervise the project without having to hire engineers – and he’s talked to their instructors about it. Pat throws a little look Korn’s way at this point and Korn nods in support (I also want to make a little note here that Korn is NOT in an engineering jacket, but in one of his windbreakers, which interestingly enough is engineering blue on top and architecture red on the bottom).

Pat is grinning, at this point – he’s proud of himself for this, and frankly he ought to be, but he’s also, I think, happy to have found a way to help Pran out. OK, FINE. You can stay, Pat. You’re still on probation, though. He holds out his hand for Pran to shake, Pran takes a step toward him … and Wai, in contrast to Korn, is NOT down with this. Let’s be fair, here: Not only has Korn had some time to process and come to terms with this new arrangement, rather than just having it sprung on him (and remember his response when Pat DID spring it on him), he’s also not the one who’s been consistently attacked, assaulted, and harassed. If I was Wai, I wouldn’t want them involved, either, and I definitely wouldn’t trust them. Given their track record, I’d have absolutely no guarantee that they wouldn’t end up stealing the materials, selling them off for beer money, and leaving me and my friends completely and totally fucked. They’ve consistently demonstrated that they’re The Worst, and this worst-case scenario would be consistent with their standard M.O. I know I keep coming back to this, but it’s a huge topic in the fandom, that Wai needs to apologize for What He Does. I want to point out that despite his treatment up until now, nobody has apologized to him. Nobody will ever apologize to him for that treatment. Even now, this ceasefire is being presented as a favor to him, which he has to accept because he’s up against the wall – Safe points out that they don’t have any other choice. Later in this ep, Pat will ask Pran if this makes everything even. He sure as shit won’t ask Wai, despite the fact that Wai is the one who’s suffered far and away the most physical and emotional violence from Pat, Korn, and the rest of Engineering. What Pat is really worried about is if this makes things between him and Pran OK, and Pran says yes like that’s all that’s necessary. It’s maybe Pran’s first betrayal of Wai, who get zero closure here, with anyone. I think it’s a big part of the reason why Wai spends the next five and a half episodes walking around like an open wound, and a ton of reaction to the character is inexplicably going to be that he’s just awful and unpleasant and needs to die in a fire. :hands: ANYWAY. We’ll get back to the issue of apologies again, I’m sure, but for now, Pat and Pran shake hands. Pat’s still smiling. Pran is almost smiling back.

Cut to that night, back at the dorm. We see Pran come out of his room and dither around in the hallway in front of Pat’s door, turning every now and then to go back into his room, a positioning of him in relation to the camera that makes it Super Obvious that he’s still wearing The Watch. He finally goes to knock on Pat’s door, but before he can, Pat pulls it open and is right up in his face, grinning and remarking that Pran’s been lurking outside his door, which leads me to the question: How long have you been standing there looking out your peephole like a creepster in order to know that, Pat? Also, UGH, your posture is awful, Pran, I constantly want to poke you between the shoulder blades and make you stand up straighter, I can’t believe Dissaya allows you to get away with that. Anyway, Pran’s super obviously trying to be casual and is absolutely failing at it. Pat is grinning in a way that might be obnoxiously smug if not for Ohm’s ridiculous charisma. These two are absolutely ridiculous, and I love them, your honor. Pran says thanks for the bus stop agreement; Pat admits that it’s Engineering’s fault, too, and asks if they can call it even now. So, having already said some things about my reaction to that, I do also want to point out that this framing means that Pat continues to use the language of competition. He wants to know if they’ve evened the score. At any rate, Pran nods. Pat nods. Pat’s like, OK then, and turns to go back in his room. Pran’s all, hey, um, have you eaten? And Pat inexplicably says yes. WHAT? Why are you passing up the chance to spend time with Pran when HE made the offer, Pat? Even if you have eaten, how hard would it be to lie? And I’ve seen you eat, I know you can manage more food if you have to sell the lie. Why are you trying to so hard to disabuse me of the notion that Korn’s the dumbass? Pran is all, well OK. Bye, then. Pat stops him and goes back in his room, to re-emerge with Pran’s guitar, FINALLY. (I have to wonder if he kept it until now, when Pran isn’t mad at him, because he didn’t want to use the guitar as a way to get back into Pran’s good graces, he wanted it to be meaningful on its own.) Pran is all, “MY BABY!” Pat explains that the high-school music-club room got cleaned out and he tried to sell the guitar on E-Bay, but nobody wanted it, so he kept it sitting around cluttering up his closet. He does not at all mention what we’ll find out later actually happened - which is that he ran after Pran to try to give the guitar to him, but that he wasn’t fast enough - because he’s not yet ready to be exposed as the gigantic sap that he actually is. Pran says thanks again, and they both sit down in the No Man’s Land of the hallway, and Pran noodles on the guitar a little bit. They’re still grinning at each other, because when they share music like this, it means they’re In Harmony, a metaphor that the show repeatedly draws out, from the discordant musical face-off they have in the music room in Ep 1, when they’re waiting to get entry forms for the music competition and are trying desperately to telepathically project how much they hate each other; through all of the confrontation involved in Pran using “Just Friend” when they’re competing against each other before Pat finally gets there and kisses Pran on the roof; to Ep 12, when we’re supposed to believe they’re estranged but the fact that they play music together at the school reunion is a clue that all is not as it seems, and they’re actually still together. Pran mentions that it’s a shame they can’t compete in the music competition since the bus stop got trashed in the fight, and Pat is all, you haven’t heard? We’re back in the competition.

Flashback to Pat in the instructor’s office, pleading for him to reconsider. He mentions that Architecture and Engineering are re-building the bus stop together and says that participating in the same activity might help better relations, which NO, PAT. I mean, yes, a collaborative activity like re-building the bus stop might indeed do that, but a competitive activity is only going to lead to more conflict. You have got to learn to speak an intimate language other than competition. On a micro-level, you’re going to discover that you and Pran function better as a team than competing, and you need to learn this on a macro-level, in the way you and your friends deal with everyone else. We get to see exactly why you are this way, though, because the next thing you say to the instructor is to talk about how much your dad is pressuring you to “bring him the trophy” (emphasis mine). Instructor is all, fine, fine, but if anything happens again, everything is off, no, really, I mean it this time, no, really. Cut back to Pat and Pran, with Pat continuing to act as if he has no clue how this has all happened. He tells Pran to practice hard, so there’s no excuse if he loses to Engineering. Pran leans forward, playfully confrontational, and remarks that Pat seems so happy to compete with him. Pat leans forward and remarks that Pran does too, and also has he mentioned, he just like to see Pran’s face … And speaking of Pran’s FACE, when he hears this, Nanon pulls out all the microexpression stops, and there’s this entire face journey going on, including this hope that’s just painful to look at, and I swear he’s looking at Pat’s mouth, he looks like this is the moment he’s lived for his entire life ... and then Pat finishes his sentence, “when you LOSE,” and cackles as he chucks Pran under the chin and ruffles his hair, and istg, it’s like the light momentarily goes out of Pran’s eyes. Pat, you need to get there faster before I put a shiv in you. He gets up and goes back in his room, but Pran keeps sitting there for a minute, coming to terms with this ridiculous repressed asshole he’s in love with. He looks at The Watch, and then up at Pat’s door, and he’s kind of rueful, because apparently this is his life now, but when he does get up and goes into his own room – with his newly returned guitar – we see the door re-open a moment later, and he sticks out his hand to flip his frowny face door sign upside down to make it a smiley face. And scene.

NEXT TIME: Tension between Architecture and Engineering, Pran sends everyone to their separate corners, and Pat’s very into Gay Chicken.

#pran parakul #pat napat #a metric fuckton of family dysfunction #even more college friends dysfunction #korn #a trashfire gremlin and his windbreaker(s)#wai #this is the wai #a tiny bit of #pran & wai #but mostly #pat x pran #bad buddy #bad buddy episode reax

10 notes · View notes

chalkrevelations · 3 years ago

Text

Surprise! Work schedule turned out to be a little wonky this week, so have an unscheduled, unexpected ramble about Bad Buddy Ep 1, Part 4/4. Due diligence: I’m current on this show, which means I’ve watched up through Ep 11, and there are spoilers for later eps in here. If you don’t want to be spoiled, drive on by, watch the show (GMMTV on Youtube), and come back later.

Also, I’ll go ahead and put Ep 1 up on AO3, now that I’ve blathered about all four parts.

So. OPEN ON the scene we left at the end of Part 3, and I just realized that three of four parts of this ep begin with fistfights – all of which are instigated by Engineering and spearheaded by Korn. :hands: The other part opened with Pat and Pran’s garbage confrontation (lit. and fig.?) which didn’t include throwing hands but did include kicking around trashcans, so I think it’s safe to say that CONFLICT is one of the themes running through this episode. Anyway, we open back on the Sharks and the Jets facing off for a rumble. Pran refuses to turn over Wai for an ass-kicking, Pat blah blahs about how his manly manhood has been impugned by Wai’s middle finger (wait … that sounds … never mind), and Pran puts on his angry face and says that as class president, he’ll take responsibility (lol. Yeah, your fingers are going to get involved, my guy, but not yet … ANYWAY). Flashback to the scene from Part 1.3 in Pran’s bedroom, with Pat trying to get Pran to stop protecting Wai, and this time we see a continuation in which Pran comes up with an entire subterfuge to get Wai to apologize, in return for Engineering (supposedly) leaving everybody tf alone. Pat claims that Wai won’t do it, that if he was going to do it, he already would have, but here’s the thing, buddy - he doesn’t care about what you and the other guys who keep trying to beat the shit out of him want him to do. He does care about Pran, and just like someone else I can think of who will eventually make a sacrifice because he thinks it will be better for Pran (hmm, who is that gonna be, I wonder?), Wai might just do it for Pran. Pran’s pretty confident about this, pretty sure he can get Wai to apologize. Pat and Pran fist bump to seal the deal - the first instance we see of this - even though Pran’s like, what is this weird ritual you’re instigating? before he finally sort of taps back at Pat’s fist. Oh, honey. Just you wait.

Back to present time, Pran announces that Architecture students take responsibility for what they do (:snorfle: Your shade, I see it, my guy.) and says he’s sorry that Wai gave Engineering the finger. Good for him, actually, because he could have done one of those non-pologies, where he’s sorry they’re offended. Wai huffs and scowls at this, tells Pran not to apologize for him, says he was wrong and apologizes, because he’s not going to let Pran take that on himself. Pat winks at Pran, Pran half-smirks and gives us one of those dimples. And then Korn ruins it all by 1) saying that if Wai thinks he can end this with an apology then he’s wrong, 2) goading Engineering into attacking Architecture for a full-on rumble, and 3) launching himself at Wai to punch him in the face out of nowhere - providing Wai’s first on-screen lesson that words mean nothing. (Remember this. We’ll get back to this idea later on.) So, now Pat and Pran are standing around all :Pikachu face: while everybody brawls around them. Korn gets pushed back – presumably by Wai – into Pran, turns around and apparently makes the decision again that if Wai’s not in the direct line of his fists, Pran will do, only this time, Pat’s there to shove him away and warn him that only Pat gets hit Pran. :facepalm: Wai grabs Korn - for some more mutual punching, I suppose - and Pat and Pran decide they need to mock scuffle. During the whole thing, Pran actually kicks Pat, to comedic effect, and Pat actually hits Pran, to comedic effect, and then finally an Engineering tertiary backup hobbit tosses an Architecture tertiary backup hobbit headfirst into a fire alarm, which goes off, scattering everyone. Everyone, let’s be clear, because THAT will come up again.

After they scatter, Pat and Pran bump into each other, and Pran wants to know wtf is wrong with Pat’s friends. Pat says that they’re as bad as Pran’s friends, which is some BS false equivalence, because Engineering is measurably worse, buddy – at least three instigations of physical violence in a single episode worse, if we’re counting, and I clearly am. Pran muses that things don’t end well whenever he gets too close to Pat, and there’s no foreshadowing there, nuh-huh. Pat mentions that at least no one is getting transferred this time, and Pran’s face says that it’s maybe a little too soon to talk about that. But we do now have a clue that Pat was somehow involved in whatever situation resulted in Pran being transferred away, back in high school. Pran says, so it’s over now (hahaha, you’d THINK, wouldn’t you?). Pat says sure - Wai apologized, Enginering threw some punches, so I guess we’re even, and I kind of want to be able to reach into the screen and strangle him, because what even was the point of the apology then, and why tf do you think you still get to punch people and call it even? Anyway, Pat goes in for another fist bump, but then a professor shows up and says, oh, you think it’s over? Well, I’m just getting started, and threatens to ban them all from mutual university activities if they keep it up. The only reason it’s not happening this time is because no one got hurt, but, uh, has anyone checked the hospitals to make sure that Arch tertiary backup hobbit didn’t end up with head trauma from hitting the corner of the fire alarm box with his temple? You probably should.

Later that night, we see Pat trying to buy some bruise cream, but some guy – who is, of course, Pran – just bought the last tube. Pat kind of huffs out and goes to walk by Pran on the steps outside the store, and Pran – who seems very aware of Pat – doesn’t even look up as he asks him where he’s going. Pat tells him he’s going to get some medicine, or is Pran going to sell him the tube he just bought? whereupon Pran wordlessly offers it to him, because let’s face it, Pat, right now Pran is behaving 1000x better than you are about ALL of this. Pat sticks his face out like he wants Pran to put cream on his bruised cheekbone for him, and Pran tells him, in your dreams. I am gleeful, knowing some of the product placement that awaits us in later episodes. Pat insists that Pran just point out where the bruise is, whereupon Pran pokes him in it, like he deserves. They talk how they have to keep anyone from fighting, and Pat mentions that it would be so sad if gets banned from competing with Pran in the music contest, and I don’t know whether to throw up my hands or clutch my chest, because this is only the first time we’re going to see this exact issue with Pat, one of the ways that his dad and the rivalry between the families have fucked him up – he’s going to explicitly confess that it was peaceful when Pran wasn’t around because he didn’t have to compete with him. He’s so tired of competition ... but he doesn’t seem to know another way to connect with Pran than to compete with him. How many times will we see Pat turn things between them into a competition, even when it’s presented as good-natured, as a game? (Whoever falls in love first, loses. Whoever mentions parents first, loses.) It’s like he literally doesn’t know any other way to connect, and watching him talk about losing the chance to compete against Pran in the music contest – he says it in this half-joking tone, but it is so so painful to watch, once it’s informed by everything we learn in later eps. ANYWAY, to avoid the threatened repercussions, they talk about how they’re going to keep their friends from fighting and then come up with a plan – because their last scheme went SO WELL – to stay in contact with each other via chat and keep the two friend groups from crossing paths. Also, Pran mentions, to stop Pat from sneaking into Pran’s bedroom. Haha. Oh, honey. Wait for that one, too. Anyway anyway, neither of them wants to add the other as a chat friend first, so they have to count down one-two-three to do it at the same time. Boys, istg. Pat then wanders off to buy some ice cream, and – I think – Pran changes Pat’s screenname to “just a friend” on his phone.

Even later, we see Pran in his dorm room, and my dude, you don’t need that big glowing frowny face by your computer, it can’t be helping your mood. Sitting at his desk, Pran contemplates The Watch. Flashback again to the night Baby Pat returned it to Baby Pran – Baby Pat tapping on the window (again), bursting through Pran’s Curtains of Secrecy (again), and smacking his hand over Baby Pran’s mouth while gesturing for silence (again). He returns the watch and tells Baby Pran that they’re even, whereupon Baby Pran says it’s old and he was going to throw it away anyway, so Baby Pat still owes him. Baby Pat says fine, next time you need help just let me know, and this time I’m absolutely left clutching my chest, because OMG FUCK YOUUUUUUUU, SHOW, now all I can think about is Pran on that rooftop in Ep 10, presumably trying to call Pat, only Pat’s already there, holding him while Pran completely breaks down. Anyway, Baby Pat then tells Baby Pran not to talk to him in front of anybody though, because someone might think they’re buddies, continuing the theme of SILENCE and SECRECY. Cut back to present day, and Pran sets the watch and puts it on his wrist, before taking out one of his smiley-frowny face stickers, turning it up to be a smiley face, sticking it on his computer screen and contemplating it for a moment before getting out his sketchpad.

Cut to one last scene, and I don’t know if this is out of order, or if Pran left again and came back. We see Pat coming down the dorm hallway, eating his fudgesicle, and entering his room, stage right. As soon as his door closes, here comes Pran down the hallway, smiling at something on his phone before entering his room, stage left. OMG THEY LIVE ACROSS FROM EACH OTHER. Surprise! And End Ep 1.

Next time: Pat thinks the “girl” across from him has a crush on him. Pa thinks he’s a dumbass. Architecture coos over Pran’s secret admirer. Wacky hijinks ensue.

#pat #pran #a metric fuckton of family dysfunction #even without seeing the families #continuing college friends dysfunction #wai #korn #a trashfire gremlin and his windbreaker(s)#various other characters with questionable coping methods #i.e. everyone on the show #no pa this time #( : (#bad buddy #bad buddy episode reax

15 notes · View notes