axelcarlisle

If they plan to follow the base motivations of Rungthiva in the novel, then there’s more to it which will likely be revealed - a primary motivation that’s linked to overall crookery.

But yes, in the novel, the love triangle aspect is a secondary motivation, though they changed the dynamics a bit. In the novel, Jane suspected Pued and Rungthiva as having an affair. On the show, so far, it looks like Pued and Rungthiva really have nothing going on any more and are exes.

We’ll have to see.

And yes, I prefer the transliterations Thad (and Sorrawit with 2 Rs) as used in the novel. Same for Bunn and Tann.

Yes.

But at the same time, how Sorrawit is just way more forward than Bunn, who acts all shy and such.

“Aren’t you going to invite me to sleep with you?” is just god-tier flirting: so innocently said yet so forward and direct. Bunn could never. LOL.

There were subtle hints to her relationship with Pued in a couple of the early episodes if you rewatch some of her conversations with Bunn.

Mint (the actress who plays Rungthiva) does a great job of conveying tiny nuances in her expressions when she would talk about Pued in early episodes.

The MaxTulBhuPutter Family is now officially my second favorite BL family just after the Polca Family. Especially after they posted this.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKwOhsxM9Zg/?igshid=1htagnjv85vzb

... including the fact that she’s not the only killer. Assuming, again, that they follow the novel closely. Two people killed Jane in the novel. The question now is whether the second killer is the same as who it was in the novel or if they’re changing it to someone else. Considering they’ve made some significant changes - like Por still being alive at this point in the story.

If they’re following the novel, then trust me, it’s not her only motive nor is it her primary motive. More will be revealed, including... (separate spoiler after this...)

They are the best BL side couple since SunMork of DBK in my opinion.

And the MaxTulBhuPutter Family is now officially my second favorite BL family just after the Polca Family. Especially after they posted this.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CKwOhsxM9Zg/?igshid=1htagnjv85vzb

As a few have commented, it’s common in Southeast Asia.

I’m Filipino. I have a degree in Biology as part of pre-med preparations. I decided not go to med school after graduation. My work right now is in corporate, heading a quality department, and on the side I write and blog.

Rungthiva’s background is not unusual in context of regional culture.

There are usually two trailers for most if not all GMMTV series:

1. A “mockup trailer” they use for their annual event towards the end of they where they announce the series lineup for the following year.

Consider these as “dummy” trailers just meant to give an idea of what’s to come and stir up excitement. For most of those shows, the production hasn’t even begun. In some cases, scripts haven’t even been finalized, so dialogue and some plot points may still change.

In a few cases, actors may even switch roles or yet to be cast. Examples: Blacklist - the original mockup trailer vs. the final trailer/series had Ohm and Marc Pahun switch characters). 3 Will Be Free - the hitmen in the mockup trailer were “generic” and in the final trailer/series, Gunsmile and Max Jenmana were cast.

This is why most of these mockup trailers look amateurish and have mostly repetitive locations (or shot in the studio). They were shot quickly, possibly within just a few days, in time for the annual event.

The most recent was last December 2020 (GMMTV: The New Decade) to announce the 2021 line-up.

1000 Stars was part of the prior event in late 2019 (GMMTV: New & Next) because it was meant to have been released in 2020 but COVID delayed it. The trailer you linked to was part of that annual event.

(The prior year, the event was GMMTV: Wonder 13, featuring GMMTV’s 2019 lineup.)

2. The final trailer is usually released after production is done (or almost done). Usually 2-4 weeks before the first episode. For obvious reasons, the final trailer will be more refined and polished and will reflect the final version of the series.

I agree that, with GMMTV’s recent screw-ups, it’s hard to trust them to sustain BL series that start well enough.

But I am hoping this director (Backaof) is the exception. He has been consistent with his work: not just HICTM, but he also did one of the best Our Skyy episodes and was also the man behind Dark Blue Kiss, which - while not perfect - was a progressive step above most other BLs prior to it. He also did Still 2gether, which fixed a lot of the screwups in the last few episodes of 2gether (different director).

Yes, they are an endgame side couple.

Their part in the novel is pretty small though, mostly side characters in some scenes, but there is a dedicated Special Sorrawit Chapter at the end of the novel revealing more details of how they get close.

The series has significantly enhanced their story and has given them a lot more screentime and importance, which is a great thing.

Side note: as per novel, only Sorrawit is in high school at 18 years old. Thad is two years older and is studying at a trade school to be a mechanic. A time jump at the end of the novel shows Sorrawit in college and Thad has graduated from trade school and looking for a job.

Even in the series, it’s implied Sorrawit initially had a crush on Dr. Bunn. But it’s more short-lived in the series because we almost immediately get to see him getting closer to Thad, unlike the novel where it took much longer for the shift in crush changed.

It’s fun to talk about the novel indeed! Haha there’s actually a discussion topic / forum here about it if you want to join that.

https://kisskh.at/discussions/manner-of-death/58123-novel-vs-show-mod-comparisons

Thad/Sorrawit being given so much attention and development was such a pleasant surprise given they were barely in the novel. They’re easily my favorite side couple within the last year of BL releases.

My personal casting choice for Boon if he were ever to appear is Tay Tawan because he can easily look like a brother to Tul Pakorn plus they’re best friends in real life and IIRC Tay was visiting Chiang Mai when MoD was shooting there. But that’s just a pipe dream which will not ever be likely to happen because - aside from Boon probably already cut from the story (unless they surprise us) - MoD is TV Thunder while Tay is GMMTV. But we can dream LOL

To be fair, it was implied Sorrawit in the show still did have a crush on Bunn like im the novel, but they quickly had his attention captured by Thad. Really happy they developed that and I hope they get their happy ending like in the novel.

And I’m glad that, with Tann’s mother dead on the show, Thad was used as the leverage to manipulate Tann. It’s great idea and cements just how strong their bond is.

I do want Boon (Bunn’s bro) to appear, but I get the feeling it’s already too late in the series and in all likelihood they also cut him out.

I agree that making Tann and Pued closer in the show is also great. It adds more depth to the dynamic.

Same with making Jane a childhood friend of Bunn. The stakes feel higher for Bunn unlike in the novel where she was pretty much a stranger.m

And yes to Bunn being less stubborn than his novel counterpart. At many points in the novel, you already want to slap Bunn for not having common sense just because of his stubbornness.

But then again, novel Bunn never met Tann before Jane’s death, so they met under a cloud of suspicion already. Series Bunnn and Tann had a connection and attraction and a kiss at The Mist before the murder, and I think that small electrifyin encounter factors into how series Bunn reacts toward Tann differently from his novel version.

One wildcard I have no idea how they’ll use is Por. I have a feeling they’ll change things up and make him ultimately an ally of Tann unlike the novel. I think their “unseen” conversation offscreen sets the stage up for Por working behind the scenes with Tann flush our Pued’s killer.

So far, I would say definitely better. They changed and improved on things but still somehow managed to keep the basic story arcs and plot trajectories. It’s different and yet the same, if that makes sense.

And the changes they made definitely fit the series format better, and they also cut out the out-of-place subplots (like Bunn’s ex), fixed the pacing and structure, and fleshed out and developed the characters more, especially the stories of Thad and Sorrawit. And clearly they’re heading into the direction of a stronger motivation on the killer’s part (assuming they retain the same person), something that was almost out of the blue in the novel.

My guess is not a rival prostitution ring but indeed likely a partner to the Congressman and Commander Tung. She may be the one “supplying” the girls to them.

It was telling to me that, in the episode where Thad followed the congressman’s car, the congressman went to her spa ... and Thad ended up having to get a massage offscreen just to maintain his cover (Sorrawit teased him about the smell of massage oils).

I’m pretty sure they’re in cahoots. How Jane’s death fits into this will still be an interesting thing to see.

That is in the novel (though his name is transliterated to Thad in the English translation).

His and Sorrawit’s parts were very small in the novel, so it’s possible to have missed them.

But there is a special Sorrawit chapter at the end where his and Thad’s involvement “behind the scenes” was told - alongside how they relationship developed and how they started dating.

And also, in the main part of the novel, after the time jump, when Sorrawit meets Bunn in med school in Bangkok, Sorrawit refers to the guy he is now dating (Thad) who would move to Bangkok to work so they could be together.

So in the novel, they do get a happy ending.

The series, though, has greatly enhanced their story and involvement in the plot (which is great), so how they take the Thad/Sorrawit story is exciting. I still fear for Thad’s life on the show, but I’m hoping they will stick to the novel in that he and Sorrawit get a happy ending.

WeTV paid subscribers get one advanced “VIP” episode, meaning we can access one episode ahead of those who only have free membership.

I think there are sites that upload said eps also, but I’ve not bothered checking those as I’ve been a paid WeTV subscriber for some time now anyway.

I know it’s also probably not the right thing to have focused on, but I can’t help thinking for both Thad and Bunn... “how do they pee or take a dump?” Especially Thad who looks to have been captured for several days already. Bunn at least was just one night so far LOL

But cinematic license, of course. I suppose it would’ve been yucky to show pee just lying in a pool beside them in captivity LOL

Rungthiva still looks very suspicious to me.

Note she bailed Tann out last episode, making the play that she believed Bunn that Tann did not kill Pued, so she helped them out. Then this episode she tells Aem something like, “Tann killed Pued, and Por tried to kill Tann, why would brothers do that to each other?”

It’s very subtle, but what she tells Bunn (she believes that Tann didn’t kill Pued) is different from what she tells Aem. And she also seemed to be fishing from Aem, “Where are Bunn and Tann?”

So I do believe she bailed out Tann because she knew Por would try to kill him once he’s out of jail, aligning with Commander Tung’s statement that “Tann would have been safer in jail than outside.” Tann and Por played right into Rungthiva’s and Tung’s hands.

And also, I can’t be the only one who thought it was arranged that she be the one to take in the women who were being trafficked. Even when they were taken away already from her care, I feel it was staged.

I also think that was the one of the points where Aem started to suspect things were not as they seem. I think he found the whole thing suspicious.

I still believe Rungthiva is involved in the human trafficking scheme, and her spa is a front for the prostitution ring.