Ngao Jai (Shadows Of The Heart) Episode 12 (A ScruffCap)

Shuk:  I just found out from becca that this show is only 15 episodes instead of 20 like I thought. Why, Show?? Three episodes to (a) get our canon couple together; (b) get their siblings hooked up; (c) explain Flower Mom's fainting spells; (d) resolve the Citrus Farm takeover; (e) jail Evil Goon and Chard; (f) wake up Watit; (g) deal with the consequences of the lies surrounding the Watit Situation; (g) do something with Greed Dad; (h) give Tippy to Wat; (i) give Boobs to the next guy she sees; (j) get Uncle and Veggie Mom to date; (k) keep Maitree out of jail for good [there must be criminal charges, even if the civil ones are fixed]; (l) see Maitree graduate; (m) see Naree realize what an idiot she is; (n) have a big Citrus / Veggie / Flower Farm barbecue with everyone. Ack!!!
becca: It's taken us a while to get this recap out, which is largely (read: completely) my fault. I've been busy and exhausted. I'm very sorry for the delay, and I'm determined to do better! *bows to squeeglets* Now, let's get this show back on the road and enjoy the cuteness while it's here!


Episode 12

The two village leaders are arguing outside the strangers’ hut. Waapo wants to confirm they are only friends; Gaaway wants to make sure she doesn't get the other guy. I guess Chieftain really loves his Weaver.

Scruff alternately wipes down May and hugs her when she’s cold, trying to help reduce her illness but also getting some skinship. Win-win in my book.
I also approve. *nods for emphasis*
 
Here’s a place we haven’t visited in a while, and with good reason. Evil Goon is reading a dossier while Naree sighs over her good fortune of landing this creep. [shudders]. It’s FakeWatit’s current medical records, without any information of his stay in Bangkok. They were unsuccessful in retrieving that information - yay for a hospital with medical ethics!
Naree is so stuuupid, I can't even hate her anymore. I'm hoping against hope that she can get away from all this someday and lead a normal, healthy life.

Since she doesn't have any additional stuff, Goon prepares to leave. She stops him with other ideas, such as tracking the medication prescriptions. He wants the information as soon as possible, using the excuse that they will get engaged when he does. Naree, surely you ain’t this dumb.
I think she is. :( It amazes me sometimes. How could anyone not realize that he'll dump her as soon as he thinks he has a chance with May?
Greed Dad convinces Evil Goon that Uncle Bulldozer kept quiet about Watit’s better health in order to keep the man down. And maybe his current vanishing act may also be planned; he is probably at another farm, learning fieldwork, before coming back to Citrus farm and pushing Goon out of his position. From Goon’s point of view, now that his cousin is stronger, he can do even worse things to him.
That is so twisted and evil, Goon. "Oh, you're all better now? Great! I don't have to hold back my villainy, then!"
 
Boobs is on Attempt #493 To Get Rut To Like Me. She unloads various bribes gifts and stuff at the main Veggie House. Nobody is there, so she decides to check the rear guest house. Oh crap.
Ohhh dear.

Which is where everyone is. Uncle is there to inform them of our couple’s disappearance. Boobs rounds the corner and makes a beeline for them. She thinks Uncle and Mom are friends with benefits, and teases them for their love shack. They tell her Rut isn't back yet, she doesn't care, she just barges into their home. Absolutely the rudest person in this show; the evil people are straightforward in their hate, but she…

So, big mouthed, egocentric, stupid woman gets a big fat view of our life-supported twin. Anyone think she is going to keep her mouth shut? After touching the prone man to make sure he’s real, she rounds on the family and yells at them for not telling her.
I do feel bad for her, though. She seems to genuinely care for him, and now she suddenly finds out that "Rut" is gravely ill? She must be crushed.
 
The family decides to allow her to think that it’s Rut, stating that he’s severely ill. She grabs FakeRut’s hand and cries. Later she ugly-cries even more outside. Wat asks her if she really loves Rut, since she is already married. Oh really? This is news to me; why is Wat chasing her then?? (She's either divorced or a widower - they've mentioned it before, I think.) She just smacks him and says the old man she married doesn’t have anything to do with this. She leaves, but no one tells her to keep quiet about it.

In the mountains, May is tidying up the hut. There is another basket of food on the porch; thankfully, no dead fauna is staring at her. FakeWatit is nowhere to be found; she finds out he’s at the waterfall washing their clothes. Weaver is jealous; he made her fever-reducing medicine, took care of her all night long, and is now doing domestic chores. She thinks he’s perfect husband material, giving May something to think about.

May makes it to the waterfall just in time so see him playing with her freshly-scrubbed bra. She snatches it out of his hands, almost falling in the process. She covers herself up by wrapping her bolero jacket more tightly but it doesn’t help much when they both know she is freestyling. He mentions “small” but says it’s the amount of cloth and not the size. Hee.
Once she calms down, May is surprised at his ease with washing garments in a stream, especially when he never washed anything at home. He covers by saying he never had to before, but it seems easy enough. He checks her temperature, happy that she is feeling better, and they start scrubbing together.
Please tell me I'm not the only one who thought that sounded dirty.

She apologizes for her drunken stupor; he carefully asks if she remembered anything about the night before. She does, of course, but denies. He’s okay with that, and the subject is dropped like a rock off the waterfall. Clothes done, he heads off to a rock for a quick bath; and asks her to scrub his back. She protests at first but eventually gives in.
Who wouldn't? He's giving permission to paw - uh, I mean, help - him!

Rut’s feeling pretty relaxed and thinks it’s great being in a calm place like this for now. Once the truck is repaired, they will have to go back to the chaos at home. May is hesitant when she agrees; they have to return to their families, who are no doubt missing them. A shadow crosses Rut’s face, but he clears it before turning to May and promising to hurry up the repairs so she can go back to the people she loves. Poor guy, he really keeps forgetting his roleplay.
The setting doesn't help with that. They're out here in this remote village, where no one knows them them (or tries to kill them)… I kind of wish they could just stay lost, don't you? But then I remember that reality does need to be dealt with eventually.
At Citrus Farm, Uncle stares sadly out the window. Horrid Housekeeper is worried about her charge being incommunicado for so long, but Uncle tells her not to dwell on it. His business attorney stops by the house for a meeting. Evil Goon sees them, and, despite Uncle’s orders not to be disturbed, disturbs him.
Naturally. Because that is the way to gain favor and inheritance.

Goon wants to contact the police regarding Watit and May’s disappearance, but Uncle calmly says they need to wait to see if they are really in trouble. Goon accuses him of squirreling the couple away for some reason, and dials 112 in front of Uncle. The older man rips the phone out of his hand and slaps him and tells him of the suspicions that Goon himself has caused their disappearance. Goon gives a menacing warning and storms out.
Okay, you know I hate to agree with Goon about anything as a matter of principle, but…why are we not calling the police or sending out search parties? Just because Rut isn't going to have a heart attack at the drop of a hat doesn't mean that something bad couldn't happen to them!

It’s a much calmer village night than the previous night’s party. Chieftain is playing the guitar when Rut shows up (May is resting at the hut). The song is really bad, though, so Rut offers to play. He tunes it up first, then gets everyone clapping, while the village leaders dance around the campfire.
These people love to dance. I approve.
At the hut, May wakes up and hears him singing, and walks to the village square. Whups! She never knew Watit knew how to play the guitar. Busted!! Rut bluffs her (that FakeWatit knew all along how to play) But she wants to hear more.  He starts a love ballad that is directed at her:

You may not see how much I love you yet
You may suspect this man right here
You may not see the eyes of good intentions
But you will understand them one day
There may be others who are way better
There may be others your heart dreams of
But is there going to be someone who will give you their whole heart like me?
My heart will always exist to be given only to you

At the college, Flower Boy tries to engage Veggie Girl in a conversation, but she is still bitter over their last conversation. She gets a phone call and leaves him to meet up with Wat. He comments on her grumpy attitude; she calls it final exam stress. He offers to wander around the campus until she is done and drive her home.
I like these two. They're just as much brother and sister and she and Rut, and it's nice that she has someone to fill that role in Rut's absence. Seriously, though, there isn't enough family stuff in this show. Less Goon and more of the families, please! I'm thinking some run-ins and hijinks where Scruff Family runs into FakeWatit and has to pretend not to know anything - the possibilities for humor are delightful! Instead, they're off in another world, almost completely separated from the rest of the show.

Later, Mai catches up with Rin and apologizes for the conversation on the scooter. She blows it off and tries to walk past him but he stops her. If Veggie Girl won’t help, then who is going to force him to study, or crib notes, or do reports for him? She retorts his girlfriend will help him. He is puzzled. Girlfriend? What girlfriend? Vida! Her competition!
Cheating is not a desirable girlfriend trait, Mai!!!! Aw, but he did looks so sad and confused.

He smiles “Eureka!” A moment later, Vida introduces her upperclassman boyfriend, and all is right with the world.
Hallelujah. We can be cute again! It's a good thing, too, because there are only a few episodes left.
The schoolroom raising is going well, and May is watching her handsome husband drive nails with his hammer. But in the deserted area of the village, a camo-jacketed stranger kidnaps Goo-Goo for nefarious bacon-making purposes.
Mm, bacon.

May tell FakeWatit she is heading back to the hut to make lunch. He offers to fall in love with her over her cooking. As they smile cheesily at each other, Weaver comes over and comments they seem almost married. FakeWatit says it’s just cityfolk ways.
I think I like cityfolk ways. Teach me cityfolk ways, Rut. *bats eyelashes*

May is alone at the hut, when she hears her pet’s cry for help. She tries to stop the mercenary from stealing her pig, but ends up punched in the stomach and kidnapped instead. One of the villagers sees it happen from the cover of the trees.
Abduction! Because we really have time for this with only three episodes left and a million loose ends to be tied up!
The villager runs to the schoolroom to let everyone know, and Rut finds out that the village has been harassed by drug runners before, and that May has been kidnapped. He drops everything and starts running.
Run run run run run.

The four bad guys are excited to see such a pretty white-skinned woman, but possession is 9/10ths of the law, so the one who found her gets dibs. He carries her into their tent, and spends time drooling before getting down to business. Rut makes it there just when she wakes up. She screams and fights, but he is much stronger than she is.
Ah yes. It is about time for another rape attempt, now that you mention it.

Luckily, our hero rocks out with a rock, and knocks the bad guy out. Rut and May share a desperation hug before escaping. The other three goons find their unconscious comrade and start chasing them. May is in bright pink clothing and constantly screaming, so I’m pretty sure they aren't hard to follow.
Whaaaaat? I don't know what you're talking about! I can't see her at all! She blends in so well! Haven't you heard that pink is the new camo?
Rut tucks her behind a tree and warns her to stay quiet while he leads the thugs away from her. She begs him not to go, afraid of the weapons but also worried about the toll on FakeWatit’s health. Rut cups her face and promises to return and get her, no matter what. He kisses her forehead and runs.  Three goons chase him, but what about the third?
She's still worried about his heart? HA. Ha. Ha. No seriously? If he was going to die, he would have done it ages ago, May dear. That forehead kiss was sweet, though.
Rut gets cornered, and does some fancy schmancy, almost comedic moves, and one by one, takes out the three. But when he heads back to the tree, she has already been captured by Porkloving Thug. But she’s not going down without a fight. She throws sand in his face, and they get away again. Thug definitely graduated from the Stormtrooper Academy of Weaponry, since he fired his gun continuously and never hit a thing.
I knew a guy who went to that Academy. He messed up really big one time - he actually hit something - and he was kicked out on his rear. I think he's serving cocktails in a space bar these days, but I don't keep in touch. It's jus t too embarrassing to be seen with him, you know?

Anyway, they reach a river with a series of small waterfalls. Thug throws a grenade, but they jump off the edge of a drop and hide underwater. Thug shoots the water in anger a few times but quickly gives up and leaves.
Um… what happened to the baco- I mean, Goo-Goo, whom I love and no-totally-don't-want-to-eat-whatchoo-talkin'-bout - what happened to the piggy?
[checking the bacon on my BLT] Nope, mine's from Smithfield, VA.
Mai has just arrived back at Flower House when Mom gets the Ominous Injury of Portents. At least she didn’t shatter a picture frame. Her son stops the bleeding with his handkerchief while Mom sighs that she hasn’t heard from her eldest in a few days. Flower Boy thinks it is honeymoon hijinks but promises to check with Uncle Bulldozer tomorrow, if they don’t hear from them. Or take a roadtrip to the donation school.
Yes, because FakeWatit and May are so irresponsible as to just drop of the map without telling anyone. They're perfectly fine. No need to worry. What is wrong with these people??? I would have been freaking out days ago!!
 
Boobs is sadly wandering the market, not even caring when people offer her their rent. She puts a question out there: if you live with money but without love, is that a good life? Wat is also in the marketplace and overhears the rhetorical question. He chooses to answer by offering her coffee and some of his time.

Wat comments that she seems down, but, yeah, her first love FakeRut is lying motionless in a bed. Can she be happy? Wat opines she should find a new love, but she sighs she is just unlucky in romance. But there may be someone who likes her in the world! She doesn't believe Wat, and decides to focus on material gains from now on.
Is it bad that I find them kind of cute now?

Rut and May are walking along the river, but so far they haven’t found their way back. Um, how far was she carried? The average walking speed of a human is 5.0 kph or 3.1 mph, and that’s not carrying an unconscious woman or stumbling over roots and such. Rut found the village after picking up supplies from the truck – twice! Oh well, let’s run with it.
They must be taking the scenic route.

They take a short rest against the bole of a tree, and Rut decides they need to rest of the waning light to hunker down for the night. That includes finding dinner (wow, the accuracy of a sharpened stick against some slow-moving fish is amazing). A brief time later, the fish is turning black over a cheerful fire, but May is still troubled. Last time they were stuck, they had a tent and supplies and things, but what do they have now?
Each other? *cough cough hack hack* Sorry, I had some cheese stuck in my throat.
Rut is still positive and manages to bolster her spirits. May thanks him for always being there and taking care of her; even in this situation, who knows what would have happened if he hadn’t rescued her. He strokes her hair and promises to never leave her. She tears up but still smiles at him as they hold hands for a moment. He breaks the mood by declared the fish cooked, and starts feeding her bits of it as she smiles through her tears.

Evil Goon starts checking with the staff for any suspicious activity, and by suspicious we mean anything Uncle Bulldozer has done detrimental to Goon’s plans of taking over the farm. But the driver hasn't driven Uncle anywhere recently. Goon wonders about the GPS in uncle’s truck though, and that night, checks out the last couple of trips the vehicle has taken. Uh oh!
Nooooo!!! Why is going well for the evil dude? I don't like that!!
The fireflies are sparkling over our lost couple but they are happy with just the two of them. May finally gathers up her courage and snuggles against Scruff before talking. She married Watit in order to help her brother, but the early part of their married life was very uncomfortable. They grew up together, and she never ever had any romantic feelings for him. Rut is feeling uncomfortable now, but he asks, What about now?
Ah, this so awkward. I feel bad for both of them.
May isn’t sure, but he has rescued and protected her, and taken care of her needs, and he has become someone to rely on. It warms her heart when she is with him. Is it love? Who knows, but she can’t live without him in her life. Rut turns and looks at her, mere centimeters apart. He doesn’t say anything, though, until the moment becomes strained and awkward.
I'm conflicted. After so many episodes, I want him to just go for it! But at the same time, that would make me feel bad and uncomfortable. I think I could handle it, though, if it meant seeing some kisses and cuteness onscreen.

She tentatively asks about his feelings. He pulls back a little but then takes her hands in his. He asks cryptically that if what she sees in front of her isn’t exactly reality, would she still feel the same. She, of course, is clueless about his meaning. He tries again; the person she sees may not be the person she knows. But to her, they are one and the same, and if he becomes weak again, or stays strong, he will always be the Watit she loves. They both have trouble breathing at that moment before he pulls in her closer, mostly to hide his expression.
It’s a beautiful morning.  At Veggie Farm, Wat is spinning around and around in his head about Boobs. A happy little Rin shows up and offers to be his sounding board. He wonders, is he good enough to be loved? She teases him for liking someone, but he’s a really great guy. And if she can’t see that, he needs to make her see his heart. She offers to help him… for 1000 THB / $31.00 / 28 euros. Hah!
Ohh, that little opportunist! I love her.

By the river, our pair is cuddled together and sound asleep. The villagers find them; Chief shakes Rut awake and gets a foot in his face for his pains.
Everyone celebrates their arrival back at the village. Weaver complains that if her idiot husband hadn’t accidently tranked himself the night before, they might have been found earlier. May is quick to jump to his defense though, since he found them and led them back to the village. Waapo is ready to check Rut for ticks, but he fends off her grabby hands. May finally comes clean to everyone about their status as husband and wife. Rut grins; Weaver cries.
Aww, he and May look SO happy.
 
They are finally left alone, and Rut can’t stop grinning as they hug. Pure cuteness!! We get a montage of hair-washing, face-shaving, finger-combing, and waterplay. More! I want MOAR!!
Pleeeeeease, pretty please??? Gimme more cuteness!
Alas, Rut manages to finally repair the truck. He’s happy with the accomplishment, even though he will miss the happiness he found here. May bicycles up, almost wheezing from the uphill climb; Rut starts to pretend the truck isn’t fixed. May worries about everyone back at home, and throws a mini-tantrum. Behind her back, Rut smiles.
 
He can’t stall anymore, and sits next to her on a log overlooking the valley. She cleans the smudges on his face while he broaches the subject. This is a good place, isn't it?  Peaceful, calm, happy. Why don’t they stay there?

May looks sad. Yes, it is a wonderful place to visit, but they have lives and responsibilities elsewhere. And those obligations will pull them back to reality. Rut agrees, but wonders if the truths they find back home will ruin everything good they have found. She is puzzled at his mood, but he just smiles and tells her how happy he has been the past few days.
*sniff* The good times are over.

AFTER EPISODE EXTRAS

Here are several links to the official music videos for the OST:

Love Theme featuring APEX and Nuengthida
Opening Theme featuring AB Normal

FINAL COMMENTS

 

Darn, only snippets of cute happiness before it all hits the fan. I’m glad we had almost an entire hour and a half of our OTP, and almost none of the bad guys, but we all know that will be balanced out by the Empire Strikes Back episode were eevil will come to the fore again. [sigh] And only three episodes left!! [pout]
It's not enough it's not enough! PANIC. Or, yunno, soldier on to the next episode.