#phum who was never allowed to be a kid and who doesn't want to be one (because children need others and he doesn't need anyone. not anymore)

[stormyoceans]

feeling faint every time i look at this moment specifically. it's just so tender so loving so gentle. phum says peem treats him like a kid but there's just something so high romance in this small gesture to me. it's peem saying 'you've been quiet and im not sure how to deal with this side of you im not familiar with but whatever it is im here for you and i will keep you safe' and im honestly insane about it

[shortpplfedup]

Well this was a tale of three shows and no mistake. In Never Let Me Go, A Series About Boys In Love, Palm finally allows himself to have what his heart desires from Neung. In Never Let Me Go, A Gangsters' Tale, Kit sets up Chanon to take the fall for the hit on Thanya. There's also a third show, Never Let Me Go, High School Bullshit, where Phum The Bully seems to have become a soap opera supervillain. The balance...it isn't quite what it could be. I did have a sense of whiplash going from one storyline to the next. This week's theme, 'good fortune' doesn't feel as clearly shown as all the previous themes, and the episode feels a bit chaotic as a result. Still, there's a lot of good in here.

The connection between all of this week's storylines is poor torn Chopper, who is beset on all sides: his father keeps pushing him to have the thing he does not want, while the boy he loves is telling him in a million different ways that he can't have the thing he does want. The story is definitely setting this poor kid up to break under the pressure of it all. Him standing at Kit's shoulder at the press conference, right in the spot Neung stood, not knowing what's happened to his cousin and suspecting that his father knows all too well...oof.

Meanwhile on the island, now that Neung knows that Thanya is still alive, albeit in a coma, he's allowing himself to settle in a bit. Part of that is realising how easy his life has been, how everything has been done for him. He doesn't even think before pulling out his card to buy a phone, because that's the kind of blithe action he's accustomed to. Palm offering to buy him the phone when he knows Palm works so hard and has so little shames him a bit, and he's determined to prove to both Palm and himself that he's capable of taking care of himself.

Another part of Neung's settling in is starting to understand Palm, especially as Palm becomes more and more openly fond. Palm telling him Chanon's story, explaining why he's so devoted to their family, is a big part of the decision Neung makes later to stop hinting at what he wants from Palm and just ask. He knows now that Palm won't make a move himself, and he also knows all the reasons Palm will say yes if Neung is the one to ask.

That talk Palm had with Mam was quite instructive. Earlier in the episode, Palm singles out Mam to Neung as somebody he loves, which surprised me given her abandonment of him. But then, given what we've seen of Palm, it shouldn't have surprised me. Palm asks so little of the ones he loves, pretty much nothing in fact, and that makes me unbelievably sad. He's willing to sacrifice everything for nothing in return. So when Mam gives him even this little, this droplet of motherly affection and advice, he soaks up the moment. He allows her to know some of the things in his heart, what he's thinking, and how he's feeling. He even dares to ask her how she could leave somebody she loves, and the answer she gives is shockingly practical. There's more to life than dating, sex and marriage is essentially what she says, and she's not wrong. Part of Palm's story is how Palm will learn to pour into himself, to find things to love and care about that are just for him. In not mothering Palm at the expense of her own self, Mam is teaching him a lesson opposite to the ones he learns from Chanon about obliterating himself for love and duty. The balance lies somewhere between, and I think this is what Palm has to learn.

In the end, Mam's words (and Palm having had just enough booze to lower his inhibitions) are critical to Palm deciding to accept Neungdiao's 'proposal' to be boyfriends for as long as they're on the island. Neither of them talk about their feelings for each other; they're still not able to cross that barrier and be truly open. That's just too real, it comes with complications and consequences. But they're tacitly agreeing to the island being their 'bridge of magpies', a place out of the world and time out of time where they can be the two people in love they desperately want to be.

Stray Bullets

Trying to let go of my Ben sus is hard, for a moment there I thought he was the one that Phum was paying for the CCTV footage of the kiss. It makes sense that it was Aun though, given his admonishment to Palm to stay out of the rich kids' business and his shady introduction around the basketball betting.

Chanon being framed was absolutely not on my list of theories but it's a neat twist.

The plot seems to be plotting next week with Mam being kidnapped and the boys going back on the run.

I muted the singing. My School President aside, and with a few other notable exceptions, I don't need these boys singing to each other.

I know there were important thematic reasons for the hostel couple's proposal and wedding but I didn't need to see either in detail.

The kiss cleared up all the reservations I had about the rooftop kiss. Each kiss on this show seems like it's going to have a different flavour as we follow Neung and Palm's emotional journeys. This kiss was full of desire from both of them, and also a kind of desperation, which feels right.