Ngao Jai (Shadows Of The Heart) Episode 11 (A SqueeCap)

becca: FakeWatit and May seem to be making a home for themselves among the village people -- *breaks to sing a chorus of "YMCA"* -- but reality is always lurking just at the edge of their happiness. A small, or okay, actually pretty big, part of me wishes that they could just stay here, but their families are waiting for them at home. And I'm thinking that Mai and Rin could use some elder-sibling guidance about now… or maybe that would just make things worse?

Shuk: The elder pair definitely have their own problems to work out. And I think the kids can fix things on their own. Come, FlowerBoy, VeggieGirl, you know all about electronic communication. KaoTalk and LINE some communication and a few hearts!

Episode 11

May is hanging out at the hut, when some village kids stop by. She thinks they’re there to be friendly, but nope, they start throwing onions or some type of white vegetable at her. They scatter just as Rut comes back, with bags of items. If there is something else she wants, he will have to make a second trip, but she begs him not to leave her alone again with weird, unfriendly people.
 
May wonders if it’s a village of drug dealers or something. Rut thinks they should stay overnight and find someplace else to stay tomorrow. Just then, Waapo stops by to invite Rut (and that woman) to a meal. At the table, the Leader Gaaway is nasty to the visitors until the weaver chases him away. The two of them are left to eat alone; May wonders why the leader hates them.

In the meanwhile, Waapo and Gaaway are arguing about the pair. He’s convinced that they will destroy their town. Rut and May arrive in the middle of the tiff and assure the leader that they only need a place to stay. It’s clear, though, that they have had run-ins with drug traffickers, poachers, and slavers in the past. Rut now understands, and they promise to leave tomorrow. When they sadly walk off to their borrowed hut, Waapo tells Gaaway that these two don’t appear to be like the others.
 
In the hut, the two are not on the sleep pallet but side-by-side on the floor. Rut is comfortably asleep, but mosquitoes are buzzing around May and annoying her. She finally wakes up FakeWatit to see if he can do something about it. Why doesn't she go under the sheet on the pallet?
A very good question. The answer is "the writers said so."

He tries to help, though. Since they don’t have any insect repellent, Rut makes a smoke pot using a few reeds. When they go back to sleep, May is still bothered by bugs, so she gets the brilliant idea of really increasing the smoke with lots and lots of reeds. In a reed and thatch hut….
*already cringing* Just look at the little pyromaniac, grinning away….

The next morning, the village has proof of the destructive power of outsiders; Rut and May are kneeling next to a smoldering pile of ash. Looks like the entire village wants them gone, either that or killed and buried in the woods. Looks like things are going to be bad for them, but suddenly a man bursts into the area. His wife has gone into labor! Is there a witch doctor in the place? May pops her hand up – she knows all ‘bout birthing babies! Rut looks at her like she has gone cuckoo but goes along.
Ehhh… after the whole house-burning thing, I'm thinking that I would not trust her with delivering a baby. (Also, I see that Gone With the Wind reference. Heh.)

Start the comedic birth scene. The poor woman is hanging onto a pole and screaming. May is Prissying out and doesn’t know what to do. It’s up to Rut to take charge. He sends the father to boil water, and the two focus on the straining woman. But they can’t decide when she should push. They go back and forth, arguing until finally. POP! Out comes the baby. Rut catches; May wraps; and they both beam at each other. But the idyllic moment doesn’t last long – there’s more! Twins!
Hallelujah! They didn't mess it up! Also, don't think that I didn't notice that that baby had no umbilical cord just because I was distracted by the sight of Toomtam and a baby. It just popped out, and they picked it up. Like using a vending machine!
The village cheers that the teacher had healthy children, and Waapo finds another hut for them to stay at. May promises not to mess with fire anymore, lol. The weaver gives Rut a packet of homemade mosquito repellent, and offers to apply it him. *wink wink* The chieftan isn't willing for her to do that, and all but drags her away.
You can't blame a girl for trying!

May reflects that the villagers do have good hearts despite their words, and wants to help them somehow, so they don’t think all city folk are bad guys. Rut gets the idea of helping with the children’s lessons, since the teacher will be recovering from the birth. May loves the idea; and Rut just smiles.
I'm worried, but they are cute.

Waapo shows up with clothes and food. She cheerfully tells them there is no bathroom, so…um…drop your load wherever. May looks horrified. But on the other hand, there is a nearby waterfall that’s a good place to take a bath. Yes! Waterfall antics!
I support antics!

But food first. Waapo proudly opens the basket lid. A woven container of maybe rice, some black and brown vegetable-looking stuff, and four lovely cooked salamanders. LOL May jumps back with a shriek, and after a moment apologizes for her inability to eat this. Does the village have any pork?
She… didn't handle that very gracefully, did she? I mean, I'm not particularly keen on the idea of eating lizards, either, but she is dependent on these people for food and shelter right now, so maybe - maybe - she shouldn't be so quick to turn up her nose and demand something else.

Why yes they do! Except it’s kill-and-karry! Waapo brings over a small piglet so they can cook their own. Not exactly what May meant. Rut’s okay with it, he grabs a knife to start the arduous process of making bacon. But no! May snatches the blade out of his hands. He can’t kill Goo-Goo! Goo-Goo? Yep, she’s already name the little squealer.
Hahaha! That certainly didn't take long! Our May has a tender heart, and so she shall have no tender meat.
Vida and Mai are having a conversation over lunch, but the GirlGang ends up at the same market. The shorter one spots the couple first, and they both try to pull Rin somewhere / anywhere else. But, no, she spots them, spins around and charges off. They catch up with her and try to talk, but she’s hurt and mad, and doesn't want to talk about him anymore.

May is with her new pet, giving him some feed and babytalk. Rut watches from the deck; but jumps down when what looks like a red cricket bites May’s arm. It immediately starts itching; he tells her not to scratch and he will fetch something to soothe the bite.

Which happens to be urine! He heads off to a quiet place with a bamboo container and good intentions. He apologizes for the deception. Actually, I researched it, and it’s true. It’s also incredibly gross in my mind.
And yet… if it works…. Still gross, though.

Rut brings the ‘medicine’ to May. He wants to just pour it over the rash, but she would rather use her fingers and dab it on. He’s looking closely at her arm, but she thinks he’s looking at his chest. She flicks some “medicine” on his face. She’s happy – the itch is gone! It’s good stuff, so she gets the idea that maybe it would be good for her internally.
A) Doesn't she know that even some real medicines shouldn't be swallowed? B) Can she not smell it???
Tender heart = poor sense of smell?

He tries to stop her, but our May is stubborn that way. He finally tells her what’s in the container. She has a tantrum, throwing everything at him from the new clothes to the dead newts. She insists they go wash up at the waterfall; the entire trek there she is holding her arm as far out as she can.
But she forgets about her arm with the beauty of the area. But is it really okay to take a bath there? Rut assures her that a waterfall shower is the best in his experience. Oh boy, should I start the FakeWatit SlipUp game again? She lets the comment slide, too enthralled by her surroundings perhaps. He takes her things out of the basket and hands them off before stripping.
 
She catches him in mid-unzip and screams. But he ends up in the water while she changes in the woods. She’s appalled when she sees his jeans draped over a tree root. I think she should be thanking the gods and making sure the camera works on her cell phone. Instead she asks if he’s wearing anything? He offers to show her.

She ends up sitting in a little eddy and splashing the water on her. He watches for a moment, then creeps up on her while she’s soaping. By the time she turns around they are almost nose-to-nose. She squeaks and tries slide away; he tells her that he wants to borrow her soap. Once he has it, he offers to share it right there.
Heheh. He does like to mess with her.
 
It turns into a playful splashfest, until she realizes that they knocked over the basket of clean clothes, which are now floating away along with some of the dirty ones. They both jump in to save them, and finally meet by a rock. Did they catch them all? Rut goes through his handful. Um, is that blue cloth the wrap that May had on when she jumped in? Why, yes, yes it is.
And she is horrified. Oh, the poor thing! (I say, laughing my head off.)
The three girls chat as they leave the market after studying together. The besties tell Rin that if it hurts to meet with Flower Boy, then don’t do it. They part company at the curb. She is still standing there, when Mai comes up on a scooter. He offers to drive her anywhere she wants to go, and he’s clearly happy to see her. But her curt answers confuse him, so he wants to talk about it.
Okay, but quick question: why didn't he tell her that Vida was tutoring him? Most friends would mention that, just in the course of a normal conversation. The only reason to say a very vague "I have something important to do" instead of "I have to meet my tutor" is if you want to hide what you're doing. Did he think Rin would throw a fit if he didn't ask her to be his tutor?
I agree. It's a pet peeve that in lakorns, no one ever says what they are doing, and vague statements are custom-made for misunderstanding. Then again, it's a lakorn.
 
Veggie Girl rides with him, but facing backwards and in stony silence. She asks the painful question in her heart. What does Mai think about Vida? He is complimentary: she is pretty and talented and easy to like. Which just goes to show that he is a typical male who doesn't think about what he says in front of the girl who likes him.
C'mon, Mai! You're supposed to be smarter than this!

Rin’s done with the conversation, and demands he pull over. She climbs off and prepares to walk to the bus station. He asks her what’s wrong? Is she mad?
If you have to ask, she probably is.

Frank conversation time. He’s a big fat liar. After all, he said he had to study, which was why they didn’t meet up at the market. But there he was, flirting and laughing with the oh-so-pretty-and-talented Vida. I almost didn’t see her on the screen because she blended so well with all the other green stuff.
Pffft.

He sees the jealousy and smiles. They were studyng, his English class. But Rin doesn’t believe him, and he isn’t sure how to make her believe. He doesn’t want to burden her with all his problems, since she has her own studying and her own classwork to do. He calls her unreasonable; she offers to stay away from him for a while. He quietly asks if she is sure she wants to make that decision. When she answers in the affirmative, he sadly gets on the scooter and drives away, leaving her to watch him leave.

But he only goes a short distance before stopping, confused and angry. He turns around again, and heads back to the last place she was, but she’s gone now and he can’t see her in any direction.  He immediately tries to call here, but the call drops just as she answering it, and he’s left with the impression that she hung up on him.
Aww, but I want them to be happy and cute. Sort this out, you two!

At the hut, Rut is smearing on the mosquito repellent when May steps in. She tentatively asks him, did he see anything? A gentleman never tells, Rut!! He smiles, they are so big and bright! You know, the trees, the sky, all that beautiful Nature! What does she have to show him? Not much. She snaps her towel at him and starts anger-drying her hair. He watches her for a moment before warning that she may dry her hair bald. She hisses at him before resuming the pummeling. He pulls the cloth out of her hands and starts to gently wipe her hair, at least until he gets lost in her eyes.

She quietly says her husband’s name. He repeats it: yes, Watit. Then his eyes go wide before he scurries backwards. He all but grabs the mosquito juice like a lifeline, babbling about how good it was working for him. She walks away to put it on, and he watches her leave, his smile dropping off his face as he sighs.
Looks like someone finally remembered his little brother.

Rut is prepping the sleeping pallets when Over-The-Top May shows up in mustard plaster yellowface. She figured if a little works, then a lot works better. LOL, at least she didn’t drink pee.
Wow. She's just full of bright ideas today, isn't she?

She makes him move to his side of the sleeping area. And cover her with a blanket. And tuck her in nice and tight. Once they have both settled in, she wonders aloud how her mother and little brother are doing. He rolls over to face her. He misses his family too, and promises to fix the truck as soon as possible, so they can go home. She prettily thanks him before closing her eyes, but he continues to look at her face. He looks a little sad, I think.
I do believe he is. The girl he's falling for is his brother's wife, and he hasn't seen his family in weeks.
 
The next morning May is giving her bacon a little affection. Rut thinks so, too, and playfully asks if she’s ready to serve Goo-Goo up on a platter. Just then some of the villagers hurry by – someone is possessed by a spirit!

They both head to the center of town. There a woman is writhing on a platform, while the chieftain throws rice at her. She’s frothing at the mouth while her children try to hold her down. Flinging holy water on her doesn’t work to stop the seizure, either.

Rut pushes the villagers out of the way and takes charge. May grabs the woman to reduce her flailing; Rut asks for a spoon to fit between her teeth jaw. He starts massaging her arms and legs until she finally quiets down.
 
ShukNote: Now, any fictional entertainment has to be watched with certain leaps of faith, but this is not a period drama. If the villagers are aware of the outside world (since they understand about automobiles and have had run-ins with what I assume are heavily-armed drug dealers). So a spirit possession seems kind of farfetched. Still, I’ll run with it as a small blip in my enjoyment of this episode.

Gaaway shows them the crude hut that passes for a classroom, and May is ready to start teaching. Rut offers to help as well, buy May shoos him away to find a way to repair their vehicle. She starts by teaching the English alphabet. After a while, she has a short recess; one of the playing kids bumps into her, and she trips into some shelves. This starts a chain-reaction: the shelf tips over; she falls, knocking out a post; the roof starts making ominous crackling noises.
Can she do anything right this episode? Funny as it is, I'm a little annoyed by how clumsy and silly May is in this episode, while Rut is the big strong man who laughs at the little woman's foolishness. Tiny rant over, I'll now return to enjoying the episode.

She quickly gets the children out, but she is still in the structure when a section of thatched roofing falls down on top of her.
Oops.
When a now-scruffy Rut (oh heyyyy, there) arrives back to the square, with lots of goodies from the truck, he finds the kids sadly sitting under a tree. Some of the adults, and May are sadly standing, looking at the debris. He asks what happened. She sighs. They have only been there two days and already she’s burnt down one hut and damaged the roof of another. He just chuckles at her aggravation, and tells her to look at the bright side.

He pats her on the head, too. What would have happened if it collapsed while the children were still inside? She’s still worried about what the chief will say.

She heads to his house to apologize, offering to be punished, as long as it didn't cause death or dismemberment. Gaaway looks at her likes she has two heads. Why should he punish her? He was mad when she burned the hut, but in the case, she saved the children. And, after all, the school room was old and needed renovation anyway. And an old-fashioned barn raising will get it all done in a single day. They also decide to celebrate the teacher’s twins with a party that night!
Uh… that new classroom doesn't look any safer than the old one. Let's put those posts a little deeper in the ground, shall we?

Scruff is impatiently waiting for May to finish getting ready for the party. Eventually, she steps out of the hut in native regalia: a long tan and pink woven tunic, hair in big bun with a colorful headpiece that almost looks like one of Rin’s. He stands and just stares. She gives him a shy smile – is she pretty? His smile gets wider and he agrees – she’s pretty.
Awwwww.

But she needs to change her outfit. Her face falls; why? He explains that it’s a maiden's outfit that signals that she is single. She smiles again and accuses him of jealousy, which he of course denies. She sails away from him. Poor guy, he has his work cut out for him tonight. He mutters if she really wants to be surrounded by guys.
I think I'm going to enjoy this.
 
Everyone is already deep in the cups, and quite a few are dancing. Chieftain, Weaver, Scruff and Flower are all lined up watching the fun. Waapo gets Gaaway to admit that these strangers might really be good people, but he’s seriously drunk, so I doubt he would even remember later.

A couple of dancing guys line up to give May some sort of alcoholic beverage. Scruff! Be her Black Knight! Never mind, she pinches her nose and downs the first one. At least he tries to stop the second cup. Chieftain wonders why he’s stopping her from drinking if he is only her friend. In their culture, a good woman is able to drink alcohol. And if she’s drunk, a man will get her. Then she’s married, and the rest of the suitors look for the next woman. Both May and Rut look perturbed.
That… that is messed up. I don't even know where to start. O____o

Now the weaver grabs Rut to go dance, leaving the chieftain to ogle May. He grabs her to join the circle dance too. Eventually everyone breaks into pairs, and Rut and May end up being together, laughing together and getting each other’s personal space. When they stop to catch their breath, they both end up with alcohol drinks. Weaver tries to entice Rut to her hut; if they end up together then he becomes the leader of the tribe. What?
But Scruff wonders why she married Gaaway then? It turns out she is the only child of the past village leader, and he held a contest where all eligible men engaged in hand to hand combat. The tall handsome, and brave man was winning against all comers, until Gaaway tripped into the combat ring. He immediately pissed in his pants, with the unfortunate consequence that the strong contender slipped in the urine-mud and knocked himself out on Gaaway’s knee. So the bumbler became the head of the village.
I wonder what happened to the guy who lost. Is he still in the village? Why haven't we seen him? Maybe he just sits in his hut all day muttering, "I could'a been a contender."

After relating the sad story, she turns back to Scruff. But he’s gone. LOL. She finds him tending a now very drunk May. Waapo tries to get Scruff away from her, but he has his hands full keeping her away from any more intoxicants. Finally, May is willing to stagger home, and the two of them leave. Waapo wonders that for a pair of friends, they act like they are married.

May is still in buzzing and happy, and insists on walking by herself back to their hut. But she staggers backwards until she’s behind him. He grabs before she falls down, and tells her she doesn't have to walk anymore. Swoop! He picks her up princess style; she is all for it, flinging her arms around his neck and happily kicking her heels.
Hahah! Cute.
He finally lands her on the pallet. He snarks that she must have had a blast being surrounded by adoring men, and she admits she had fun. But when Scruff heads out to get some water and a face cloth, she grabs his arm and pulls him back.
*wiggles eyebrows*

In her drunken slurring, she wants to tell him how she feels. Poor Rut! I’m not sure if he really wants to hear this or not, for his sake. It doesn't matter, because May is going to spit it out no matter what. It takes a moment, but the first thing she blurted out - She never thought to marry him! Ouch.
Ouch, indeed. True, though.
 
But she continues. Growing up together, she saw him as a weak and needy person who was always sick, and who would never be able to take care of her. Scruff asks her, does she regret marrying Watit? She looks at him with bleary eyes and he turns away. She reaches out a hand and forces him to look at her. She vehemently shakes her head back and forth a few times, and tells him she is actually happy in the marriage. They stare at each other, she drunk and smiling, he looking at her with hope in his eyes.
Well, this is sweet but also awkward because this literally isn't the same man that she married.

She says I like you! Then grabs him around the neck and gives him a resounding kiss on the lips. Whooo! Way to go, girl! Rut gets into it, sliding his lips for better contact and touching her face. But reality sets in quickly, darn it, and he pushes her away and turns his face. She pulls him back with her hand again, and this time the lips slowly inch towards each other. Almost...almost....May collapses and starts snoring.
Arrgh!! Probably a good thing, though, considering that she is very very drunk.
He arranges her to relax against his chest. What is he thinking?

In the morning, she is still asleep in his arms. He wakes up first, but she’s not far behind, with a pounding headache and no recollection of last night’s shenanigans. He heads out to make rice, leaving with a tiny smile.
 
May tries to remember what happened last night. Suddenly it comes to her in a flash: the confession, the kiss. Oh snap! Now what? She finally comes outside to watch Scruff stoke the fire. A villager stops by. It’s the woman with the seizures! She brings them a basket of fruits. And she’s deaf? Is this the same woman from the Sunflower Mountain? Because I didn't see that.
No, it's a different woman. This one is older, and her husband is, too.

Anyway, she asks May if she and Scruff had a little uummm last night, but her aphasia makes it impossible for May to understand. In fact, she thinks the woman is asking if it is just the two of them at the hut right now, even mimicking the other woman’s two-finger gesture. When the woman leaves, Scruff is grinning broadly. May wants in on his humor, and he explains that Teesang now thinks they “did it” twice last night after the party.
I'm cringing and laughing. Oh dear.

When she realizes what happened, she clamps her hands over her mouth, before yelling at him for not stopping her. She stands up quickly, but then a wave of dizziness hits her and she collapse.
Uh-oh!

Scruff boils up an herbal cocktail and gets May to drink the stuff. Her head is pounding and she is feverish. Cloth and cool water rubdown time! Scruff starts by gently wiping her face.
And he is very worried, the dear.

After Episode Extra

Nothing was included this time, so how about some cute stills from the production!
Adorable little people.

   

Final Comments

Over the top villager shenanigans and Flower Kid misunderstandings aside, this was a very enjoyable episode. We get a chance to see May as both a prissy girl, and a stalwart adventuress. We see Rut falling deeper into the fantasy of a life with this woman, even though reality knocks him back a peg or two. But that second almost-kiss shows his will to stay aloof from his brother’s spouse is tissue-paper thin now.
I am glad to see him finally remembering his brother during his interactions with May, but at the same time… I wish he'd just go for it and admit that he likes the girl. Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

Still, no secret can be hidden forever, and now on the backside of this show’s run, the obstacles and problems begin to loom. What will happen when the pair finally return to civilization?
Bad things. Problems. Mean people. Can't we keep them here where it's safe and cozy? No?
Don't forget the scary bugs are out in the country.
I'll take the bugs over Goon and his people, thankyouverymuch.

Chard is a homicidal psychopath barely held in leash by Koon, who has his own psychoses to deal with, along with a clingy woman who thinks he’s a prize catch. And Watit slumbers on, with a weakening heartbeat and no sign of waking up. Flower Mom is almost to the point of exhaustion, the Flower Kids are having their tiff, and a cloud is cast upon all.

But for now, there’s always the next episode. Until then!
Until then, we squee!