#i love uangfah a lot!

[purrpickle]

Look, *mumbles* can't we just add Lady Uangfah to Princess Anil's protective ring harem? That would solve all her Lord Muang-Rahm issues... If not create a whole lot more, I know, I know, shhhhhh.

[hallowpen]

Episode Eleven has a lot to unpack... including some cultural nuances that even I wasn't too knowledgeable about (so I had to ask my mom for clarification)

We're heading to Chao Fah Palace (คุ้มเจ้าฟ้า) in the province of Phrae (แพร่) for this episode... which is derivative of the old Lanna Kingdom and its culture. (We spoke a little bit about Lanna traditions when referencing the hairpins in episode five). Lanna territories are now part of modern-day Siam. In Lanna tradition, women were known as ช้างเท้าหลัง (pronounced 'chang tao lahng') which would literally translate into "the hind legs of the elephant". What it meant was that the direction of a woman's life and family were to be guided by the authority of a man, ช้างเท้าหน้า (pronounced 'chang tao nahr') "the front legs of the elephant". The woman must learn to accept her place. Lanna Buddhist tradition would preach that being born as a woman in this life meant you had not earned enough merit to be born a man, and to pray for better karma in the next lifetime. Ironically, before the rise of Buddhism, Lanna was one of the few territories to practice matrilineal succession... where lineage was passed on from mother to daughter.

Both of these beliefs were somewhat knit together for TLP's narrative in regards to Uangfah... which we'll talk about later.

ผ้าซิ่นตีนจก (pronounced 'pa sin tin jok') is a traditional skirt worn by women in Lanna. The skirts are known to have elaborate borders with strips of precious metals woven together, with spun gold or silver threads, by using a traditional loom. This technique emphasizes the beauty and value of the weaving, as well as the social status of the person wearing the skirt. The garment was generally reserved for high-ranking members of society.

Another practice steeped in Lanna tradition, is the art of making ตุง (pronounced 'toong'). In the northern dialect, this refers to a type of flag used in Lanna art and Buddhist ceremonies. The flags, adorned with various patterns and designs, are used to mark the boundaries of sacred sites as a symbol of the pathway toward enlightenment.

The series highlighted the Phra That Cho Hae Temple (พระธาตุช่อแฮ), which has rich history as a spiritual center and the most sacred Buddhism site in Phrae. Its highlight is the brass wrapped pagoda that stands 33 meters tall, which enshrines holy relics of Lord Buddha.

The Peacock Feather Dance (รำฟ้อนหางนกยูง - pronounced 'ram faan haang nohk-yuung') is a cultural piece of entertainment that sees dancers move in a circle and change positions in order to imitate the movements and courtship "dance" of a peacock. The dancers wear traditional northern costumes while holding peacock feathers. Known for its striking appearance, the peacock holds deep cultural and religious significance in Thailand. It is often associated with the ideas of beauty, royalty, prosperity, and spiritual awakening.

We are introduced to Uangfah's mother this episode. Princess Dararai holds the title of หม่อมเจ้าหญิง (mom-jao ying or M.C.) for being married to a descendant of the king. Princess Dararai wishing for her daughter to remain close to her after marriage has inklings of matrilineal customs, where the husband would typically come to live with the wife's family... and not the other way around.

The suitor Princess Dararai has chosen for her daughter to marry is Lord Muang-Rahm. Muang-Rahm holds the tilte of หม่อมราชวงศ์ (mom rat-cha-wong or M.R.) as a child of one "commoner" parent, but whose ancestry can be traced back to the king.

Uangfah has accepted the fact the she must submit to her mother's wishes and marry a man she does not care for (he's truly terrible... lesbi-honest). It's a bittersweet moment where we realize the realities of a woman who cannot openly pursue the love of another woman, given the views of society.

The proceeding conversation Uangfah has with Muang-Rahm is subtlety indicative of Lanna women who were in charge in their own relationships. Uangfah quietly inserts her authority over their future courtship by informing Muang-Rahm of her intentions to not wed straight away AND by addressing him by his nickname in front of Pia. Given his behavior, Muang-Rahm knows he cannot say anything untoward in order to save face... such a fun scene.

SHE KNOWS!!! The facial expressions 😂😂😂... you have to laugh

Anil and Pin have become more reckless the more comfortable they have become in their relationship... and that spells trouble ahead.

[mono-blogs-art]

The Loyal Pin episode 14 was both very fun and very frustrating.

Let me preface this by saying it very clearly: I never don't enjoy my time with this show. It has consumed my brain for the past 2+ months and I love this show and I'm sad we are getting into the last 2 episodes now. But this episode was admittedly a lot of screen time and nothing happening that brings us forward. Which is somewhat disappointing especially after last week's episode 13 which I thought was probably the best episode in the entire show so far.

I don't have a huge essay like last week, but three points that I would like to point out. First, as much as I LOVE the trio of Anin/Anan/Prik and their shenanigans, the comedic tone the show took was just misplaced this late in the show. Especially while the other main character is crying in every scene she's in. I understand that because of the pacing and the fact that we have time to fill before the wedding gets inevitably crashed (which needs to be the cliffhanger, of course), a prolonged sequence of chase scenes and a stake-out is necessary (+ gives some very deserved appreciation to Prik, who is the best side character) but I feel like the time could have been allotted better.

Secondly, Anin immediately not respecting her own boundaries she sets with Pin is funny (she is loosing the IDGAF war so much) but especially after hearing that in the book, she does go away and is not around for basically all of what happened this episode, I'm sad!!! She set a clear line, she never wants to see Pin again and she's finally giving herself space to grieve fully, and then she immediately goes back to investigating Kuea and his wife and fighting for Pin risking it all. Girl, I understand you are down horrendous and that you are courageous and righteous and the only Gentleman™️ this show has, but at some point you need to respect yourself a little. I understand this was also likely done for production constraints, you can't really have your main actress be absent for a whole episode etc. Just purely from a narrative standpoint it's frustrating because it feels like backtracking an important point that last episode made about Anin's development. But...

The worst offense is Pin. Babygirl I said I would always be on your side but I can't defend you any longer. You are giving into the doomerism and martyrhood too much. As a viewer, Pin is our main character, and part of the enjoyment of watching a high-stakes drama like this is that at some point the protagonists take a chance. In TLP, that chance was now - when Pin was at her very lowest point at the wedding. And she is suffering. She is absolutely destroyed. But she endures it all because, like Anin says in the beginning of the episode: "I bet you still think that the decision you made was the right one." It's incredibly frustrating because it just feels like Anin has made leaps in character development while Pin retracted back. I understand that she is doing her very best, and in-universe she is doing everything she can within her power - but AGAIN, AS A VIEWER it becomes frustrating at a point when your girl doesn't fight back at all and becomes a pawn in her own story. And I don't even expected Pin to defy authority actively this episode. I was hoping for even just like, a sliver of hesitation. A silent resignation. A passive act of letting her true emotions bubble over. Like having no strength to hold up her hands for the King to pour the water at the ceremony. Or look up into Princess Patt's face and be unable to stop the tears. Anything. But no, Pin is stronger than me, and she endures it all and smiles through most of it. Noble, yes. Sure. But in a way that makes me feel like the character really just plummets deeper into the abyss and refuses to even look for a rope.

That said, there was a lot of good stuff this episode too. Anin & Uangfah's conversation in the car was great - Uangfah truly is Pin's only other ally. Both of Anin and Pin's confrontations were great, especially the first one where Anin (who is physically smaller) remained stood on the stairs for the whole conversation so she could still look down at Pin. It's simple but good. The second confrontation was also great, with Anin turning away when her voice breaks and the tears start rolling because she can't look at Pin giving up anymore. Throwing away the ring. Pin telling her outright that she will suffer forever and bear the pain, which she thinks she deserves, and Anin just looks at her like; What the Fuck are you on about?? The acting? Top. Tier. Truly. The cinematography? There were multiple shots where me and my watchbuddy @transimailisa called out: "Wow, that just looks like a painting." Anin going to the beach and not telling anyone so she doesn't have to attend the wedding? Amazing, and drawing a line even if it should have been earlier. That shot of Pin in her (GORGEOUS) wedding gown, sitting alone in her room with just the bunny? Fucking. Devastating.

There's so much to love with this show. And I'm really looking forward to episodes 15 & 16. I just wanted to voice some of my criticism with this particular episode. See you next week!