Dha_Zai

I am really sorry but I didn't. I need to admit that I'm not a regular viewer. I had to start watching "my Stand-in" & commenting on MDL only because I had lost a bet. But I'm not allowed to scrub around it. Besides, I promised to provide you with information, so I'll do it.
Anyway, the series appeared to be quite riveting, especially because the opening frame of the „sword fighting scene” - a faceless warrior with those shoulder blades like wings (this trapezius muscle of a fighter - you could hear me howling & whistling, oh my stars & garters!), arms outstretched and back exposed – conjured up the memories of the theatrical release poster of „Ong-Bak”, a 2003 Thai martial arts film starring Tony Jaa in the lead role. For me it seemed to be like the tribute to one of the most famous Thai stuntmen hailed internationally as the next major martial arts star.
And of course, "Yamada: The Samurai of Ayothaya" a 2010 Thai action movie directed by Nopporn Watin.

Joe, Ming & Kintsugi
I hope that in today's episode Ming will explain to Joe the meaning behind "the gold joinery" which he employed to mend the broken cat cups.

It seems to me that thanks to Kintsugi Ming stayed sane & didn't drowned in bereavement after Joe had disappeared: behind Kintsugi there's a powerful philosophy encouraging people to restore the broken parts of themselves & never give up on life, so that ultimately they can embrace their own flaws and imperfections instead of being ashamed of & hiding them.

Gold used in Kintsugi – 24 carat or pure – is meant to represent something far more profound than just aesthetics, it is seen as something having the power to heal, to transform & give hope.

But actually, gold is nothing but embellishment, since the broken pieces are getting a second life by dint of urushi lacquer - the sap of the urushi tree which dies after the sap has drained.

While synthetic glues lie only on the surface of the breakage, urushi finds its way deep into the pores of ware, becomes one with the clay or stone originally used before going into the kiln. It's like... kind of „interdiffusion” of souls.
It's as if Ming while restoring the cups were pulling Joe's soul from the abyss of oblivion, like a child pulling the string of a kite, fighting the raging wind against all odds, although the string cuts his palms & makes them bleed.
Ming won – Joe has come back.

My entire comment is going to be so long that fist off I needed to prepare canvas.
I tried to describe a weapon, the area where the strike landed and the provoking event.
Promise, I'll answer all your questions as best as I can.
One thing to remember - we are not as fragile as it may seem; on the flip side, it's always better to prevent than cure.

(1)The choice of weapon. OK, let's dive into it.

Although it's rather difficult to determine what type of bat is used - "Up" Poompat quite effectually shields the bat from the viewers' prying eyes, - judging by its look it's likely to be a regulation baseball bat as it's visually thicker than fungo or softball ones.

Let's presume that it was a corked bat which Joe used for practicing stunt fighting scenes. A corked bat is a regulation one which has been modified to make it lighter.
When a club weighing about one kilogramme lands on your trapezius muscle and glances across the back of your head right behind the ear, you feel far worse than simply uncomfortable.
At first blush, technically it reminds me high kicks at the back which used to be practiced by very few Muay Thai fighters.
Wait, I have to stop here to pay tribute to Saenchai who fired high kicks at the back (trapezius muscle) in 2015 in the fight with Charles Francois.

Strikes to the spine or the back of the head have been prohibited since Associatian of Boxing and Combative Sports unified rules of mixed martial arts.
I found this piece of information essential as Ming delivers a potencially dangerous side strike „crossing the path” of cranial nerve XI at the area where trapezius muscle joins with the neck muscles, which is painful enough to knock you out, and then the bat continues its trajectory hitting the occipital junction (nape of the neck) and travels up delivering a grazing blow on the back of the head.
The camera angle doesn't let the viewers see the strike clearly - public health policy for preventing violence shouldn't be underestimated, I presume.

I can't say how much controlled the strike might've been, as the phone calls & Joe's turn of phrase while talking to Sol must've raised Ming's hackles.

The last fact, Ming attended a uni in the USA, so he must've taken some sports there; as he's not a team player - from my point of view at least - something individual should be taken into consideration, something that enabled him to have a strong grip on the bat and hit a person. Not going to suggest.
This piece has really given me a splitting headache – there are too many variables.
TBC
Please let me know whether it has been of any use to you.

Hello! Where would you rather have those pieces regarding EP 4 incident? I'll roll the first one into the spoiler, however as the content is controversial & hard to digest, I'm not sure if I should leave it here. (1) The choice of weapon.

Oh, I don't mind reading the entire 7 paragraphs. Smile.

Not harsh at all. Actually, it was me who encouraged you to scream at the top of your lungs. If you are fatigued & disappointed, completely drained of strength and energy because people around you try to sweep aside your feelings and force their views on you, you should set boundaries and tell them to respect your choice.
Have a nice day.

You needn't have apologised. I must say only one thing: violence or abuse that is validated as attribute of masculinity cannot be justified on cultural grounds; it should be considered a violation of human rights.

The curtains drawn & lights dimmed... it's so thoughtful of Ming, he must've known that after getting concussed, the eyes become oversensetive to light.

I'd rather not elaborate on "crime passionnel" as it's not my field of expertise, I can only assess the results and try to understand the reasons behind an act of violence, which doesn't mean that I'm automatically finding ways to excuse & justify the culprit's actions.

I see why you don't want to elaborate on the subject. Thank you for you reply.

OK. And what has precisely happen to them?

I don't think you are right saying that there are many Ming's apologists here; on the contrary, the viewers on MDL are well aware of the fact that Ming is a gray character who crossed the line to the dark side, I'm sorry for repeating the same truisms, but it's a shorter way to explain the reason why Ming's popularity has plummeted among the viewers.

As for your statement "This series started off as toxic, manipulation and it's ending with fluff", I'm afraid that's largely one of the numerous shortcomings of the genre & it's totally up to you to decide whether you'd rather continue watching or not.
Sometimes, it could be helpful to share your thoughts here, you know it's like screaming at the top of your lungs, which let you relieve the strain & feel much better.

Very much in the field.
I've planned to explain what could've happened to Joe seconds, minutes and hours after he had been hit, and how Ming had been able to take Joe to his house without anyone's help, and why Joe didn't remember the time interval between the incident & the moment of regaining consciousness in the basement. Are you interested?

A bunch of words about Ming & Joe EP 4.
Joe having been hit by Ming was a tipping point which drastically altered the audience's attitude to Ming - some were repulsed & outraged by what Ming did and found him irredeemable; others have been anticipating that Ming will apologise and expiate his guilt; perhaps someone is ready to advocate him; but I think all the viewers have been pondering on the causes and consequences of that incident.
Even being aware of the fact that Ming has serious mental health issues, the viewers are not willing to forgive & forget. And they shouldn't.

Your „fight-or-flight” instinct sets off wailing sirens „Hazardous! Flee! Don't get involved! Don't delude yourself!” - if you have been laid hands on once, there's a fat chance that it will occur again.
But if, in spite of all warning signs & signals, you decide to stay beside & endure, it's absolutely necessary for you to turn to a professional for help so that you can understand what you face, what trigger incidents & how to handle or avoid them.

I've already mentioned that Ming committed assault in the heat of passion, under an irresistible urge incited by the provoking event and without being entirely determined by reason, which is not an excuse.

Actually, there was a chain of provoking events: there were 2 phone calls one by one, Ming picked up that one from Tong and Joe - from Sol, and then Joe's outburst & steadfast decision to leave immediately, which became match in the powder barrel causing a disastrous outcome.
What's more curious, almost simultaneously both Ming and Joe were driven crazy with jealousy totally deaf to reason.

It couldn't have slipped your notice that Ming never minces his words but he's tragically bad with them, I mean that he struggles to articulate his thoughts to express feelings or deliver explanations.

Ming exhibiting numerous sociopathic traits & having attachment issues is unable to manage his emotions properly.
So precisely that moment his emotions processing mechanism got shunted by a short circuit thus he employs the only known to him way to negotiate - violence. ( Where do they teach you to negotiate so effectively? - the family.)
TBC

Warning the content is quite specific & controversial.
In general, hard to disagree, but the Glasgow Coma Scale says differently.
If Ming hadn't hit Joe with a baseball bat having used some other method of incapacitating instead, perhaps there was still a chance of a narrow escape, although the safety harness failed. Joe could've better coordinated his movements & controlled the vehicle, his grip on the handlebars would've been far stronger & vision not impaired, his assessment of the situation sober...

Both Vegas & Ming are absolutely compelling characters - charismatic, charming & unpredictable. Their incentives are often obscure & in the twinkling of an eye their actions can pull the rug from under your feet, making you feel as if you have been pulled inside a violently shaken Christmas snow globe & have to navigate through the emotional storm with your GPS all out of whack.
You found youself wondering how in spite of getting involved in crime or horrendous actions they still manage to keep their humanity and attract you. It makes you analize, rationalise what you have been exposed to & then reflect on your own values, your ability to differentiate between right & wrong.

Of course, many viewers tend to pass judgement on every misstep taken by the character or put the lable of "irredeemable" on them - it depends on each individual how they process the content, but at least it will give you a push to weigh whether unethical acts can be justified due to some extenuating circumstances or not.
Morally ambiguous characters are complex & dark and if they are portrayed by talanted actors it makes a film simply addictive, so you are anticipating each upcoming episode.

I beg your pardon. Do you imply that portraying a moraly ambiguous character who crossed the line to the dark side is most likely to jeopardize the success of the film & have an adverse impact on the viewers' opinions about the entire series?
There are many factors which contribute to the high ratings, aren't there?

Thank you for your reply. I respect your stance. Absolutely.

Brutal intensity of raw feelings.
You want to punish the entire series as they didn't punish or alter Ming so that he could live up to your moral standards? Do you really think that after moulting a venomous serpent wondrously stops being deadly dangerous?

You might relate to Joe, but you are not him.
Could you for a moment entertain the idea that Ming & Joe need each other the way they are and there's no room for judging and thrashing around who deserves who?

Ming is a unique blend of an aplomb-ous scoundrel & pathetic weakling incapable of processing his emotions whereas Joe is a humble, self-deprecating fool who will always be treated like a pintle-fancier by superiors or wretches like Tharn or Tong.

So, Ming & Joe anchor & love each other whether we are able to put up with it or not.

My apologies, if I hurt your feelings.