Full House Thailand Episode 16 (A Pull-Yourself-Together-Mike!! SqueeCap)
Shuk: So boneheaded Mike dumps his entire family, and his wife, on the basis of one phone call, with no explanation. Really, his priorities are so off they seem to be in a different county, like, Switzerland or something (kakashi: Oh! Yes please! Come to Switzerland!). I think Om-Am’s face at the end of the last episode says it all.
JoAnne: I am continually amazed that people even answer their phones during dinner, and then to leave without a word of explanation? 'I'll be right back' is only sufficient when you're stepping out onto the porch to finish the call, Mike. Not for when you're leaving the building! That was rude and disrespectful to everyone at the table - and we're not even getting to the point where you abandoned your wife with no ride home. I will grant him a wee bit of alarm based on the reason for the call - Min's hospitalization - but after reflection I can also say that this appears to be a recurring event in her life and it's not like he thought he thought she was DYING.
EPISODE 16
Shuk: The family is left at the table staring at Mike as he leaves, and Grandma states what everybody is thinking, that the caller is rude to call during dinner. I’m thinking that it was really rude of him to answer.
Shuk: It turns out that MinTramp is at the hospital for fatigue and stress, with IV drip but no nebulizer. No terminal disease, darn it, just some needed rest. Mike sits next to her and takes her hand in both of his.
JoAnne: ...he then forcefully slaps her in the face with her own hand, first on one cheek and then the other. No? That didn't happen?
Shuk: And, yet again, Om-Am waits and waits, and tries to call, and waits. This time, though, Mike sees her on Caller ID and deliberately ignores the call. Dayam, dog.
JoAnne: What kind of knife would you recommend for dismembering a mammoth jerk?
Shuk: A blurry one.
Shuk: Mom comes outside to talk with Om-Am. Grandma has already gone to bed after having a really fun day. Mom offers for her to sleep over, but Om-Am asks for the driver to send her home. I mean, what would happen if Mike came home hungry to an empty house? Geez.
JoAnne: Mammoth-tested, Mom-approved. I hope she puts rat poison in his food.
Shuk: At the hospital, she is deep in the slumber of evil while our idiot boy mental bangs his head on a wall.
JoAnne: Awwww. That wasn't nearly hard enough, Mike. And I bet that's the last time you ever hear me say that to him...
Shuk: It’s almost morning when Mike comes home, toting a bag of vegetables. He stops for a moment when he sees Om-Am asleep on the fainting couch, but then gets to work in the kitchen. The noise naturally wakes her up, and she offers to help him, but she ends up watching him make food for another woman on her stove.
JoAnne: I don't have a problem with him helping to care for Min in the hospital. They do stuff differently in Asia, the families are there more for longer periods, provide food, etc...but my problem is why not call Guy to share in the work, and why not, oh, I don't know, try telling your ACTUAL family what the deal is? Is it because he knows they'd tell him to let someone else do it, and he feels it is his sworn duty? It doesn't seem like he doesn't CARE what they think, it seems like he just doesn't want to hear it because his mind is made up. EVEN SO: rudeness is not acceptable.
Shuk: At first light, he puts the final egg in his porridge and packages it for the hospital, all while Om-Am watches from her bedroom door. They make eye contact, but they both drop it and he walks away, food in hand.
JoAnne: Here's where I start really feeling like he feels stuck, and that he's fully aware that he doesn't want to be doing this, but feels like he has to, anyway.
Shuk: Guy notices she seems preoccupied during their usual coffee klatch. She blames drowsiness, but he’s quick to disprove that one. Om-Am mentions that MinTramp is in the hospital with Mike dancing attendance; it looks like Guy didn't know, but he understands the implications. He decides both of them should visit the hospital, as friend of one and wife of other.
JoAnne: Guy is very simple and direct. I love that about him.
Shuk: Mike is helping her back in bed, and glares when the two arrive together. MinTramp is playing up the hospital stay, stating that it’s probably something serious. Om-Am brings some light reading as a gift, but our Shameless Hussy says Mike will have to read it to her, since he is staying by her side.
JoAnne: Oh, you fucking bitch.
Shuk: Through all this Mike doesn’t say a word. When he leaves for a moment, the biatch gives an insincere apology to Om-Am for disrupting family dinner, and then has the unmitigated gall to ask to “borrow” her husband for a while. Chincha?? WTH??
JoAnne: I will eat you alive, Min.
Shuk: Guy’s expression mirrors all of our confusion as Om-Am slowly agrees, but then makes an excuse and a hasty exit. Guy grabs her arm, not unnoticed by the creature on the bed, and offers to drive her home. Om-Am declines, and he lets her go.
Shuk: Guy rounds on MinTramp and scolds her like the spoiled princess that she is, and tells her she better think real hard about her actions and attitude. Then poor little Pinky Patient is left alone and pouting.
JoAnne: I am in a situation where I am finding it hard to use my words.
Shuk: He chases after Om-Am, and catches up while she compulsively press the elevator buttons, a few seconds away from tears. She wants to be alone, but he gently suggests that Mike would worry.
JoAnne: Guy is a good person who does not interest me at all, sadly.
Shuk: Om-Am snaps: “He’s crazy! And she’s crazy! Whatever game they are playing, I’m just a ball that gets bounced back and forth.” Mike arrives on scene to hear this, but she doesn’t see him. She wonders aloud why nobody cares about her feelings, and Guy is quick to state that she is very important to him. That got Mike’s hackles up, but I’m not feeling any sympathy for our singer/dancer/dog in the manger.
JoAnne: Ah, the old 'elephant in the corner' joke...
Shuk: She begs Guy to let her leave, and bolts for the open elevator. When he turns around, Mike is stomping towards him, trying to blame Guy for the uncomfortable scene in the room. Guy turns it around: who is responsible for the awkwardness? And he lays it on the table for the younger man: the three of them have been friends for a long time, but Om-Am is his wife. Shouldn't he have consideration for how she feels when he drops her to take care of another woman?
JoAnne: Yeah, Mike, what about that?
Shuk: Through gritted teeth, Mike reiterates that he has to take care of MinTramp because he promised to do so. But that was pre-Om-Am, Guy argues, and dirty pool. If he takes care of Min like a husband, that relegates Om-Am to the position of mistress. It’s clear Guy has watched “Heirs” and Mike hasn't; maybe he hates Lee Min-ho.
JoAnne: It would be really helpful if Mike admitted to his old friend that his interest in taking care of Min has become more of a noose around his neck than anything else.
Shuk: Anyway, Mike collar-grabs Guy and he continues to berate him. Min and Mike are the same, in that they act without thinking of the consequences. Mike lets go and heads back to the hospital room.
Shuk: Om-Am is doing enough thinking for the two of them as she makes her way out of the building, but she doesn't quite make it out before her eyes start leaking.
JoAnne: Poor little bitty thing :(
Shuk: Mike sits next to his sleeping witch who isn't really sleeping, while Guy stands frozen by the elevators.
JoAnne: He doesn't want to be there, and Min knows it.
Shuk: Our schmuck eventually makes it home. Om-Am is at the end of the pier with Dr Junior, our shaggy psychiatrist. Mike pulls out the cookware to start another round of porridge-making. She leaves the dog and walks determinedly to the house.
Shuk: She takes a moment to gather her thoughts, and even though his back is turned, he knows she’s there. She quietly asks for a divorce and he turns around at that. She explains further, talking about the bet they made when they first agreed to cohabitate, that the first one to fall in love was the loser. Well, she lost. He is transfixed and still. She continues in a small voice, is there any way of getting even? She stands there, vulnerable, waiting for a response to see if there’s a chance for the two of them.
Shuk: He finally starts moving, but doesn't make eye contact. Meeting Om-Am almost made him forget his promise to Mintra, but he still chooses Mintra over her.
JoAnne: Oh now, be FAIR at least. What he says is that she probably already HAS gotten even...but that it can't matter, because he had already made a promise to Min. Nothing is possible for them because of that earlier promise. I guess I don't see this as a 'choice' as much as some others do. He made a promise. His sense of honor and duty and obligation and loyalty require him to keep that promise. That's not choosing between two women, no matter how you slice it. That's choosing between what you WANT, and what you believe you have to do. Whether we agree with him or not is pointless.
Shuk: I promised I would always ride horses and stay forever with my first love. Childhood promises are not titanium-plated, and he is old enough to know better. We will have to disagree on this one, chingu.
Shuk: Om-Am wipes the tears and bucks up. She promises to take care of the money she owes him, and will move out so things aren't difficult for him. She leaves her wedding ring on the kitchen counter and walks away. She goes back to the pier and cries with the dog.
Shuk: The devastation creeps across his face as he holds up the ring, still warm from her hand, and he realizes what he just did. He starts crying in earnest, gradually sinking down to the floor as he has a complete meltdown. I still think he’s an idiot, but I want to give him a hug anyway.
JoAnne: My poor babies :(
Shuk: He drives the next day through cloudy skies to the hospital, and sits there while MinTramp eats. She whines that the porridge smells burnt. Yeah, Princess, that’s the bridge Mike charred for your sorry butt.
JoAnne: Mike grabs the spoon and begins to force feed porridge to the evil hag in the bed, much like a goose being prepared for pate. No? That didn't happen?
Shuk: Om-Am is on her Thinking Swing as it begins to rain. Guy is sitting in his office when he gets a call that alarms him. He tells the person to calm down and stay put, while he cancels his appointments for the day.
Shuk: It’s raining buckets when Guy finds Om-Am still on the same swing. She takes one look at him and launches at him, hugging tight and crying her heartache. He just drops the umbrella and holds her.
JoAnne: Sorry, who just sits there in the rain like that?
Shuk: She’s exhausted and sleeping at Guy’s place. He makes sure she’s warm and then just frowns at the situation.
JoAnne: The situation, thoroughly cowed in the face of such an angry frown, decides to change. No?
Shuk: MinTramp is finally asleep, so Mike calls Om-Am’s phone a couple of times but gets no response. He slips outside the room, and she opens her eyes. Yeah, you know your flunky is having a hard time, lady. What are you gonna do about it?
JoAnne: I've heard cases of people going into the hospital, contracting some opportunistic infection, and dying. I'm holding out hope.
Shuk: As he walks across the floor lobby, someone is filming him. I guess we still haven’t gotten the paparazzi scoop out of the way yet, since they are still digging for dirt.
Shuk: He actually left the hospital and went home to check on Om-Am, who, of course, isn't there. It’s night now, so he’s alarmed she’s not there. He grabs her bike for a little midnight panic ride looking for her at the park. And, for the record, you shouldn't bike and use your phone any more than you should when you drive.
Shuk: Guy answers Om-Am’s phone, and Mike comes to a screeching halt in more ways than one. Guy tells him she’s okay and hangs up. Mike is pissed.
JoAnne: The entire world looks at him in disbelief.
Shuk: Om-Am is awake and wearing one of Guy’s shirts. Guy made her something to eat, and it’s telling how touched she is. Come to think of it, has anyone ever cooked just for her?
JoAnne: It looks like SNOT.
Shuk: As she slowly eats, Guy asks her what happened. In a low voice, she tells him about the sham marriage, and her failure to keep herself aloof. He is the perfect sympathetic ear and just lets her cry it all out. She lightens the mood by telling him about her theatrical performance the first time she was in Korea, when she called herself Guy’s fiancée. She wonders if he’s mad. Guy said he wasn't mad to be called her boyfriend, he was mad she said he was a con artist. And the tears have finally slowed.
JoAnne: Good, Guy. Make her laugh, distract her.
Shuk: She is breathing easier, and she muses, only half-joking, that she loses every time and ends up alone. Guy scooches down the couch to hold her hand. He looks her straight in the eye and tells her that, whatever else she may lose in life, she was winning him. She gives him a tremulous smile.
JoAnne: Ok, Guy...crossing a line here. You don't confess to a woman in a vulnerable state like this. It's called taking advantage.
Shuk: About that time, some jerkface outside starts laying on the horn. Anyone want to take a guess who?
JoAnne: The sound guy from USBoFiasco?
Shuk: Guy opens the door to a peeved Mike. Guy asks about Min, but Mike bulls past him straight to Om-Am, only to blow a gasket because of her clothes. She asks him why he is yelling at her, and Guy has to play mediator. He explains about the wet clothes.
Shuk: Om-Am goes on the attack: if she had done anything, it wasn't any of his business, since there's no love between them anyway. Mike yells at her to stop, then falls back to "you promised not to tell anyone about our agreement" argument.
JoAnne: Mike is not good under pressure, folks.
Shuk: Om-Am fires right back that she's broken so many promises, what's one more? After all, he already knows about the important one. Mike is stunned for a moment, and she takes the opportunity to tell him he can keep the damned house and flees.
Shuk: Mike makes a move to chase after her, but Guy stops him and asks him point blank: Do you love her? He doesn't answer, and Guy advises that silence means no. Then the bomb drops.
JoAnne: I am continually amazed that people even answer their phones during dinner, and then to leave without a word of explanation? 'I'll be right back' is only sufficient when you're stepping out onto the porch to finish the call, Mike. Not for when you're leaving the building! That was rude and disrespectful to everyone at the table - and we're not even getting to the point where you abandoned your wife with no ride home. I will grant him a wee bit of alarm based on the reason for the call - Min's hospitalization - but after reflection I can also say that this appears to be a recurring event in her life and it's not like he thought he thought she was DYING.
EPISODE 16
Shuk: The family is left at the table staring at Mike as he leaves, and Grandma states what everybody is thinking, that the caller is rude to call during dinner. I’m thinking that it was really rude of him to answer.
Shuk: It turns out that MinTramp is at the hospital for fatigue and stress, with IV drip but no nebulizer. No terminal disease, darn it, just some needed rest. Mike sits next to her and takes her hand in both of his.
JoAnne: ...he then forcefully slaps her in the face with her own hand, first on one cheek and then the other. No? That didn't happen?
Shuk: And, yet again, Om-Am waits and waits, and tries to call, and waits. This time, though, Mike sees her on Caller ID and deliberately ignores the call. Dayam, dog.
JoAnne: What kind of knife would you recommend for dismembering a mammoth jerk?
Shuk: A blurry one.
JoAnne: Mammoth-tested, Mom-approved. I hope she puts rat poison in his food.
Shuk: At the hospital, she is deep in the slumber of evil while our idiot boy mental bangs his head on a wall.
JoAnne: Awwww. That wasn't nearly hard enough, Mike. And I bet that's the last time you ever hear me say that to him...
JoAnne: I don't have a problem with him helping to care for Min in the hospital. They do stuff differently in Asia, the families are there more for longer periods, provide food, etc...but my problem is why not call Guy to share in the work, and why not, oh, I don't know, try telling your ACTUAL family what the deal is? Is it because he knows they'd tell him to let someone else do it, and he feels it is his sworn duty? It doesn't seem like he doesn't CARE what they think, it seems like he just doesn't want to hear it because his mind is made up. EVEN SO: rudeness is not acceptable.
Shuk: At first light, he puts the final egg in his porridge and packages it for the hospital, all while Om-Am watches from her bedroom door. They make eye contact, but they both drop it and he walks away, food in hand.
JoAnne: Here's where I start really feeling like he feels stuck, and that he's fully aware that he doesn't want to be doing this, but feels like he has to, anyway.
JoAnne: Guy is very simple and direct. I love that about him.
JoAnne: Oh, you fucking bitch.
Shuk: Through all this Mike doesn’t say a word. When he leaves for a moment, the biatch gives an insincere apology to Om-Am for disrupting family dinner, and then has the unmitigated gall to ask to “borrow” her husband for a while. Chincha?? WTH??
JoAnne: I will eat you alive, Min.
Shuk: Guy rounds on MinTramp and scolds her like the spoiled princess that she is, and tells her she better think real hard about her actions and attitude. Then poor little Pinky Patient is left alone and pouting.
JoAnne: I am in a situation where I am finding it hard to use my words.
JoAnne: Guy is a good person who does not interest me at all, sadly.
Shuk: Om-Am snaps: “He’s crazy! And she’s crazy! Whatever game they are playing, I’m just a ball that gets bounced back and forth.” Mike arrives on scene to hear this, but she doesn’t see him. She wonders aloud why nobody cares about her feelings, and Guy is quick to state that she is very important to him. That got Mike’s hackles up, but I’m not feeling any sympathy for our singer/dancer/dog in the manger.
JoAnne: Ah, the old 'elephant in the corner' joke...
JoAnne: Yeah, Mike, what about that?
Shuk: Through gritted teeth, Mike reiterates that he has to take care of MinTramp because he promised to do so. But that was pre-Om-Am, Guy argues, and dirty pool. If he takes care of Min like a husband, that relegates Om-Am to the position of mistress. It’s clear Guy has watched “Heirs” and Mike hasn't; maybe he hates Lee Min-ho.
JoAnne: It would be really helpful if Mike admitted to his old friend that his interest in taking care of Min has become more of a noose around his neck than anything else.
Shuk: Anyway, Mike collar-grabs Guy and he continues to berate him. Min and Mike are the same, in that they act without thinking of the consequences. Mike lets go and heads back to the hospital room.
Shuk: Om-Am is doing enough thinking for the two of them as she makes her way out of the building, but she doesn't quite make it out before her eyes start leaking.
JoAnne: Poor little bitty thing :(
Shuk: Mike sits next to his sleeping witch who isn't really sleeping, while Guy stands frozen by the elevators.
JoAnne: He doesn't want to be there, and Min knows it.
Shuk: Our schmuck eventually makes it home. Om-Am is at the end of the pier with Dr Junior, our shaggy psychiatrist. Mike pulls out the cookware to start another round of porridge-making. She leaves the dog and walks determinedly to the house.
Shuk: She takes a moment to gather her thoughts, and even though his back is turned, he knows she’s there. She quietly asks for a divorce and he turns around at that. She explains further, talking about the bet they made when they first agreed to cohabitate, that the first one to fall in love was the loser. Well, she lost. He is transfixed and still. She continues in a small voice, is there any way of getting even? She stands there, vulnerable, waiting for a response to see if there’s a chance for the two of them.
Shuk: He finally starts moving, but doesn't make eye contact. Meeting Om-Am almost made him forget his promise to Mintra, but he still chooses Mintra over her.
JoAnne: Oh now, be FAIR at least. What he says is that she probably already HAS gotten even...but that it can't matter, because he had already made a promise to Min. Nothing is possible for them because of that earlier promise. I guess I don't see this as a 'choice' as much as some others do. He made a promise. His sense of honor and duty and obligation and loyalty require him to keep that promise. That's not choosing between two women, no matter how you slice it. That's choosing between what you WANT, and what you believe you have to do. Whether we agree with him or not is pointless.
Shuk: I promised I would always ride horses and stay forever with my first love. Childhood promises are not titanium-plated, and he is old enough to know better. We will have to disagree on this one, chingu.
Shuk: Om-Am wipes the tears and bucks up. She promises to take care of the money she owes him, and will move out so things aren't difficult for him. She leaves her wedding ring on the kitchen counter and walks away. She goes back to the pier and cries with the dog.
Shuk: The devastation creeps across his face as he holds up the ring, still warm from her hand, and he realizes what he just did. He starts crying in earnest, gradually sinking down to the floor as he has a complete meltdown. I still think he’s an idiot, but I want to give him a hug anyway.
JoAnne: My poor babies :(
JoAnne: Mike grabs the spoon and begins to force feed porridge to the evil hag in the bed, much like a goose being prepared for pate. No? That didn't happen?
Shuk: Om-Am is on her Thinking Swing as it begins to rain. Guy is sitting in his office when he gets a call that alarms him. He tells the person to calm down and stay put, while he cancels his appointments for the day.
Shuk: It’s raining buckets when Guy finds Om-Am still on the same swing. She takes one look at him and launches at him, hugging tight and crying her heartache. He just drops the umbrella and holds her.
JoAnne: Sorry, who just sits there in the rain like that?
JoAnne: The situation, thoroughly cowed in the face of such an angry frown, decides to change. No?
Shuk: MinTramp is finally asleep, so Mike calls Om-Am’s phone a couple of times but gets no response. He slips outside the room, and she opens her eyes. Yeah, you know your flunky is having a hard time, lady. What are you gonna do about it?
JoAnne: I've heard cases of people going into the hospital, contracting some opportunistic infection, and dying. I'm holding out hope.
Shuk: As he walks across the floor lobby, someone is filming him. I guess we still haven’t gotten the paparazzi scoop out of the way yet, since they are still digging for dirt.
Shuk: Guy answers Om-Am’s phone, and Mike comes to a screeching halt in more ways than one. Guy tells him she’s okay and hangs up. Mike is pissed.
JoAnne: The entire world looks at him in disbelief.
Shuk: Om-Am is awake and wearing one of Guy’s shirts. Guy made her something to eat, and it’s telling how touched she is. Come to think of it, has anyone ever cooked just for her?
JoAnne: It looks like SNOT.
Shuk: As she slowly eats, Guy asks her what happened. In a low voice, she tells him about the sham marriage, and her failure to keep herself aloof. He is the perfect sympathetic ear and just lets her cry it all out. She lightens the mood by telling him about her theatrical performance the first time she was in Korea, when she called herself Guy’s fiancée. She wonders if he’s mad. Guy said he wasn't mad to be called her boyfriend, he was mad she said he was a con artist. And the tears have finally slowed.
JoAnne: Good, Guy. Make her laugh, distract her.
Shuk: She is breathing easier, and she muses, only half-joking, that she loses every time and ends up alone. Guy scooches down the couch to hold her hand. He looks her straight in the eye and tells her that, whatever else she may lose in life, she was winning him. She gives him a tremulous smile.
JoAnne: Ok, Guy...crossing a line here. You don't confess to a woman in a vulnerable state like this. It's called taking advantage.
Shuk: About that time, some jerkface outside starts laying on the horn. Anyone want to take a guess who?
JoAnne: The sound guy from USBoFiasco?
JoAnne: Mike is not good under pressure, folks.
Shuk: Om-Am fires right back that she's broken so many promises, what's one more? After all, he already knows about the important one. Mike is stunned for a moment, and she takes the opportunity to tell him he can keep the damned house and flees.
Shuk: Mike makes a move to chase after her, but Guy stops him and asks him point blank: Do you love her? He doesn't answer, and Guy advises that silence means no. Then the bomb drops.
Guy: "I love this woman, and I don't even care that she loves you. I've decided to take her away from someone who doesn't love her."
Shuk: Mike emphasizes each word. He. Is. Taking. Om-Am. Home.
JoAnne: I love that he never got this angry over Min, but again, Mike...you're really leaving out a lot of crucial information here that would go a LONG way toward helping your friend understand you.
Shuk: Guy scoffs. Mike hasn't even wondered where she's been or what happened to her all day, or even how she feels, so he has no right to take her home. Guy will take her home. Clenched-fist staredown.
JoAnne: That corner is not big enough for two elephants.
Shuk: But everyone knows the hippo is the most dangerous animal on the planet.
FINAL THOUGHTS
JoAnne: I've said my piece ad nauseum; Mike doesn't see this as a choice. He wants OmAm, but everything in his personal value system says that he has to honor the promise he made to Min, since she's holding him to it. And remember that she is EXPRESSLY holding him to it. She said it, in just so many words. He did NOT promise to love OmAm or take care of her forever, and their feelings for each other grew so gradually that it was a surprise to both to realize they'd fallen in love. I TOTALLY get why Mike is doing this, but I don't support his lack of communication around it. A little honesty would go a long way toward easing the pain for everyone.
Shuk: I think he'll get Om-Am back when elephants fly.
JoAnne: I love that he never got this angry over Min, but again, Mike...you're really leaving out a lot of crucial information here that would go a LONG way toward helping your friend understand you.
Shuk: Guy scoffs. Mike hasn't even wondered where she's been or what happened to her all day, or even how she feels, so he has no right to take her home. Guy will take her home. Clenched-fist staredown.
JoAnne: That corner is not big enough for two elephants.
Shuk: But everyone knows the hippo is the most dangerous animal on the planet.
 |
| You tell him, Guy!! |
FINAL THOUGHTS
JoAnne: I've said my piece ad nauseum; Mike doesn't see this as a choice. He wants OmAm, but everything in his personal value system says that he has to honor the promise he made to Min, since she's holding him to it. And remember that she is EXPRESSLY holding him to it. She said it, in just so many words. He did NOT promise to love OmAm or take care of her forever, and their feelings for each other grew so gradually that it was a surprise to both to realize they'd fallen in love. I TOTALLY get why Mike is doing this, but I don't support his lack of communication around it. A little honesty would go a long way toward easing the pain for everyone.
Shuk: I think he'll get Om-Am back when elephants fly.