The English translation of the novel transliterates the name as Thad. Which I prefer over That. Hehe
I think transliteration can be a tricky thing, especially Thai characters to English characters. My guess is the subber for the show probably never even read the English transliteration of the novel.
Key transliteration differences I noticed include the following (novel/show):
1. Paul/Por 2. Pert/Pued 3. Aem/M 4. Odd/Aod
Minor ones are a difference of one English letter:
I also found it interesting that the novel translated Tann’s codename to English as Mr. Black, whereas the series sub simply used a transliteration of the Thai word for black (Dam).
This was a great episode! Max really made me feel his sadness, his desperation, his anger! He was really hot!…
Also, in the novel, Thad and Sorrawit do have a very happy ending. But they were both barely in the novel.
And since the series has expanded their story very much and changed a few things, I worry for them still and do hope they have a similar happy ending as with the novel.
This was a great episode! Max really made me feel his sadness, his desperation, his anger! He was really hot!…
Por and Pued are full brothers, and Tann is their half-brother through their father Aod (transliterated as Odd in the novel, just like Por is Paul in the novel and Pued is Pert).
Tann calls Por either “brother” or “boss” depending on the context of their conversation, just like he is called Dam (Mr. Black) or “brother” (in the older mentor sense) by Thad.
In the novel, Tann is forced to work for the family because his sick mother is being used as leverage (his father is taking care of her medical bills, and later Por uses her safety and security to blackmail Tann into doing stuff for the mafia).
Por, being the oldest, is currently the de facto head of the mafia family with their father being old and sick (at least in the novel... the series has yet to really explicitly state this unless I missed it).
And Por has generally treated Tann as an outsider because he’s the child of a mistress, so more often than not, Tann treats him more like a boss than a brother. Hence, often he calls him “boss.”
Pued, on the other hand, has been closer to Tann and generally treats him more like a brother, which is why Tann more often than not refers to him as “brother” and is saved on his phone as “big brother.” Pued is nicer than Por, although he’s not above using Tann as can be seen in the recent episode (as with the novel also).
As for Por referring to their father as “his (Pued’s) father” in relation to the safe house, my assumption is that it was either a translation/subbing error - or else an exaggeration on Por’s side (he’s clearly pissed off that Pued is metaphorically hiding “behind their father” and so may be using the phrase “his father” to drive that point.)
Yup, it’s shaping up to be aligned to the novel with enough changes and twists to make it fairly close while at the same time still keeps me guessing even if I read the novel.
You don't sound ridiculous. The sex scenes make no sense, other than fan service to Max/Tul fans.
What novel did you read, exactly? Because Bunn and Tann have sex much much earlier on in the novel, and there is at least one more time in the last quarter of the novel.
This isn’t counting all the romantic talks and discussions they have in the last quarter of the novel (depending if by romantic scene you mean just sex scene or by romantic scene, any kind of romance such as sweet discussions). If it includes sweet discussions, the novel literally ends on a very significant romantic milestone.
But if it’s just sex, they have sex at least twice in the novel (off the top of my head).
So the “almost zero” romance statement is incorrect.
Okay, as requested, I will spoil the novel.And note that there are some changes so far between the novel and the…
The fact they added the Dr. Oat character, who is not in the novel, makes him pretty suspicious to me. My guess is he’s involved in the abortion clinic and may also be involved in Jane’s death in the series.
But it does seem to be following an arc where Rungthiva is suspicious.
Since there are two killers in the novel (Rungthiva and Pued), I’m now thinking maybe to keep readers guessing, they may plan to change it a bit. Maybe keep one killer from the novel and replace the other (maybe Rungthiva and Oat?). Or have three killers. Or have Oat be an accomplice.
Just speculating because it’s really odd they added a totally new character that has “good billing” in the cast promos. The other added characters such as Natty and especially Nam who has probably had more screentime than Oat - they don’t get main cast credits.
But Dr. Oat is on promos as a main cast member even if he’s not in the novel.
This leads me to believe they have more meaty plans for Dr. Oat. Consider the very first episode when they were going to autopsy Natty; Oat was speechless and seemed to be far away until Bunn snapped him to attention. Subtle, but Oat may be more involved than we’re being let on - either in the abortion clinic or with the mafia, or both.
Okay, as requested, I will spoil the novel.And note that there are some changes so far between the novel and the…
Same! I wish they’d surprise us with Boon. Even for just an episode or a short appearance.
Plus points if it’s a great surprise celeb casting choice.
I can imagine Tay Tawan as Boon (he can be Tul’s bro and they’re best friends in real life, plus he was in Chiang Mai when MoD was shooting), but of course that’s unlikely to happen since Tay is GMM and MoD is TV Thunder. But we can dream. LOL
I wonder if it's not because Tan and Pued were working on something together within the mafia? I had this feeling…
SPOILERS FOR THE NOVEL SPOILERS FOR THE NOVEL SPOILERS FOR THE NOVEL
In the novel, Tann is pretty much forced to work for his brothers because he “owes” them and his fatherso much. His mother is sick and needs expensive healthcare. His father pays for it and ensures she is well taken care of, but in exchange Tann has to show loyalty to him and the mafia. Also, breaking away from the family would mean risking the life of Tann’s mother.
However, Tann and his gang (including Thad/That) only do dirty work such as roughing up people who owe the mafia family money, etc. Tann makes it clear killing is not something he would ever want to do for the family.
Thad is his protege who has loyalty to Tann because Tann took him under his wing. Thad comes from a poor family, and Tann takes pity on him. He becomes his right-hand man, and he also helps Thad get education including a trade school where he studies Mechanics.
—-
Of course, they may change things up a bit in the show. We’ve not seen Tann’s mother so far, although he did mention her in his backstory.
But I’m guessing at least the base premise (that Tann and Thad are essentially good / gray guys who do dirty work because of leverage the family has one them) will be similar.
Max as usual is the seme (top) for the series while Tul is the uke (bottom).
That said, in the novel, it’s implied that Dr. Bunn is either the top or at least versatile (because he makes a reference to Tann “going down” on him or something to that effect).
Okay, as requested, I will spoil the novel.And note that there are some changes so far between the novel and the…
TL; DR:
Jane was killed by both Pued and Runghtiva because Jane discovered the two were involved in a housing development corruption scheme.
She was threatening to expose them, especially since she also found out they were having an affair (Jane and Pued were a couple). Pued claims, though, that he didn’t mean to kill her and that it was an accident.
Later on, when Pued went into hiding, Rungthiwa poisons him because she was afraid that Pued would confess and expose them both.
Okay, as requested, I will spoil the novel.And note that there are some changes so far between the novel and the…
Best to start with the characters before the actual story because of the changes.
MAJOR CHARACTERS IN BOTH NOVEL AND SERIES
1. Bunn, Tann, Pued (spelled Pert in the English transliteration of the novel) are really the major ones
2. Rungthiva technically is a major one, but she’s barely developed - but important.
3. Por (spelled Paul in the English transliteration of the novel) is also important. Pued and Por are Tann’s half-brothers.
CHARACTERS IN THE NOVEL THAT WERE ENHANCED/EXPOUNDED/MODIFIED IN THE SERIES
1. Jane - in the novel, has no childhood connection to Bunn at all. She is just a victim he has to autopsy. There is no abortion or prostitution/human trafficking story.
2. Sorrawit and That (spelled Thad in novel) - both have very short scenes in the main part of the novel. The characters are similar to the series: Sorrawit is a student who has a crush on Bunn; Thad is Tann’s protege and his “lieutenant” for his gang.
However, there is a special “Sorrawit Chapter” at the end that tells the story of Sorrawit and Thad that was happening in the “background” of Bunn and Tann’s story. They end up dating as confirmed by a time jump.
3. Captain M - important but not the same level as he is in the series. He is basically a supporting role that just provides info and help on the investigation. He has no conflict with Bunn, and Bunn doesn’t really distrust him. He is straight and married. At the end of the series, he gets promoted to replace his superior
CHARACTERS NOT IN THE NOVEL BUT ADDED TO THE SERIES 1. Dr. Oat 2. Nam and Natty (the student victims so far) 3. Nurse Fan 4. The congressman
There are several hospital characters on the novel that were not used in the series (mostly girls Bunn had dated) and then Oat and Fan were used in the series instead.
CHARACTERS IN THE NOVEL NOT IN THE SERIES (OR AT LEAST NOT YET SHOWN AS OF MID-SEASON, IF THEY DO PLAN TO INCLUDE)
1. Dr. Boon (and family) - Bunn’s older brother who plays a fairly significant role in the second half of the novel; has a wife and daughter; lives in Bangkok
2. Tarr - Bunn’s ex-boyfriend from high school. There’s an ongoing subplot through most of the novel where Bunn keeps on remembering Tarr and their past (Tarr is now in the USA). In the last few chapters of the novel, after a time jump, the subplot (totally unrelated to the murders) is addressed as Bunn goes to the USA for a scholarship and meets with him.
3. Mr. Odd - the father of Por, Pued, and Tann (can’t recall if they gave him a proper name). He’s barely seen, though, even if he’s the mafia head, as he’s old. Por runs the mafia for him later on. He also passes away towards the end of the novel.
4. Tann’s mother - Mr. Odd’s mistress. Unhealthy and the reason why Tann works for his father and half-brothers. He needs the money to keep her alive and it’s also a bit of blackmail.
WHAT HAPPENED IN THE NOVEL
1. Pued is Bunn’s childhood best friend and is a womanizer. It’s implied later on, though, when Pued thought that Tann killed Bunn... that Pued may have been bi and may have been secretly in love with Bunn.
2. Pued dates Jane, but Jane later finds out two things: that Pued may be cheating on her with Rungthiva (her sister), and that Pued and Rungthiva may be involved in corruption on housing development funds.
3. Pued and Rung visited Jane to convince her not to expose the corruption. Jane ends up being killed (Pued says it was an accident). They try to make it look like a suicide.
4. Pued goes into hiding, waiting for things to “settle down.” Through connections and manipulations and secret intimidatons (via Tann, who works for him and whom Bunn doesn’t know is a half-brother), he tries to get Bunn to declare Jane’s death as a suicide.
5. Tann gets closer to Bunn (fairly similar to the novel). Bunn starts uncovering things, and Tann has to “kidnap” him later on.
6. Tann has to pretend to kill Bunn as per Por’s orders (not Pued’s). Tann and Bunn fake Bunn’s death outside the city and send pictures to Por.
7. Pued calls Tann angrily - saying he never ordered Bunn killed, just that he be intimidated to change the autopsy report and MoD to suicide. Bunn overhears and realizes Pued killed Jane (and that Pued may have been secretly in love with him).
8. Soon after, Pued ends up dead in a warehouse owned by the mafia family - poisoned. Por is furious as he thinks Tann killed Pued. He uses Tann’s sick mother as leverage to set Tann up for a hit to be killed.
9. The police are able to intervene, and in the ensuing trouble, Por gets killed.
10. The mystery of who poisoned Pued is resolved later on with some investigation on a mysterious woman Pued had been chatting with online before his death. Long story short, the woman is Rungthiva - she poisoned Pued because she was afraid he would confess that the two of them had killed Jane.
11. Time-jump: Tann is finally free of his mafia family but faces legal trials, needs to care for his sick mother, etc. He and Bunn agree to take time apart first, and Bunn has moved back to Bangkok as per his brother’s request given what happened in Chiang Mai.
12. In Bangkok, Bunn now teaches in medschool (where Sorrawit also starts as medical student - Thad was to follow and find a job in Bangkok also to be with Sorrawit). When Tann’s mother dies, Bunn visits him to console him, and they become a couple.
13. With his acquittals, Tann moves to Bangkok and starts his own cram school to be with Bunn. Bunn, however, gets a scholarship in the USA for advanced medical studies and needs to be there for a few years.
14. They agree to a long-distance relationship. Bunn goes to the USA and also resolves things with his ex Tarr (this by itself is practically its own story that is so divorced from the main novel’s story.
15. After Tann’s father finally dies, Tann visits Bunn in the USA and proposes to him.
So far no real plot twists, everything was pretty obvious if you have watched or read a few mystery/suspense stories.…
Okay, as requested, I will spoil the novel.
And note that there are some changes so far between the novel and the series, while keeping key beats and story arcs, so we still can’t say if the series will make more changes to the story to keep readers of the novel guessing.
so effing random. One moment they're breaking into some policeman's car as if it was nothing, all set up to find…
How much have you watched, really?
Ever since Bunn moved in, the two of them have been flirting non-stop.
Flirting or romance doesn’t have to be kissing, although they did that on the sofa, too, a couple of episodes back.
Their exchanges and discussions and all the cooking and smelling each other and the plants and the discussion about lilies... and the kissing on the sofa right before Pat was killed... have all indicated massive flirting and a pent up desire for each other. These aren’t just “looks.” It is absolutely not out of the blue.
You may need to rewatch all their interactions to see just how much flirting they’ve been doing. The fact that they’ve been flirting non-stop but have been keeping all these emotions and sexual tension pent up inside even shows exactly why suddenly, after all the adrenaline rush, it all just finally explodes in the most recent episode.
The advanced episode really pulled through in escalating everything. Having read the novel, I can see that it looks like they’ll be sticking with some key aspects of who the killer is with some changes. Someone was clearly acting suspiciously. I’m glad they’re expounding and enhancing this as opposed to the novel where it almost came out of left field.
Key transliteration differences I noticed include the following (novel/show):
1. Paul/Por
2. Pert/Pued
3. Aem/M
4. Odd/Aod
Minor ones are a difference of one English letter:
1. Tann/Tan
2. Bunn/Bun
3. Thad/That
4. Sorrawit/Sorawit
I also found it interesting that the novel translated Tann’s codename to English as Mr. Black, whereas the series sub simply used a transliteration of the Thai word for black (Dam).
And since the series has expanded their story very much and changed a few things, I worry for them still and do hope they have a similar happy ending as with the novel.
Tann calls Por either “brother” or “boss” depending on the context of their conversation, just like he is called Dam (Mr. Black) or “brother” (in the older mentor sense) by Thad.
In the novel, Tann is forced to work for the family because his sick mother is being used as leverage (his father is taking care of her medical bills, and later Por uses her safety and security to blackmail Tann into doing stuff for the mafia).
Por, being the oldest, is currently the de facto head of the mafia family with their father being old and sick (at least in the novel... the series has yet to really explicitly state this unless I missed it).
And Por has generally treated Tann as an outsider because he’s the child of a mistress, so more often than not, Tann treats him more like a boss than a brother. Hence, often he calls him “boss.”
Pued, on the other hand, has been closer to Tann and generally treats him more like a brother, which is why Tann more often than not refers to him as “brother” and is saved on his phone as “big brother.” Pued is nicer than Por, although he’s not above using Tann as can be seen in the recent episode (as with the novel also).
As for Por referring to their father as “his (Pued’s) father” in relation to the safe house, my assumption is that it was either a translation/subbing error - or else an exaggeration on Por’s side (he’s clearly pissed off that Pued is metaphorically hiding “behind their father” and so may be using the phrase “his father” to drive that point.)
This isn’t counting all the romantic talks and discussions they have in the last quarter of the novel (depending if by romantic scene you mean just sex scene or by romantic scene, any kind of romance such as sweet discussions). If it includes sweet discussions, the novel literally ends on a very significant romantic milestone.
But if it’s just sex, they have sex at least twice in the novel (off the top of my head).
So the “almost zero” romance statement is incorrect.
But it does seem to be following an arc where Rungthiva is suspicious.
Since there are two killers in the novel (Rungthiva and Pued), I’m now thinking maybe to keep readers guessing, they may plan to change it a bit. Maybe keep one killer from the novel and replace the other (maybe Rungthiva and Oat?). Or have three killers. Or have Oat be an accomplice.
Just speculating because it’s really odd they added a totally new character that has “good billing” in the cast promos. The other added characters such as Natty and especially Nam who has probably had more screentime than Oat - they don’t get main cast credits.
But Dr. Oat is on promos as a main cast member even if he’s not in the novel.
This leads me to believe they have more meaty plans for Dr. Oat. Consider the very first episode when they were going to autopsy Natty; Oat was speechless and seemed to be far away until Bunn snapped him to attention. Subtle, but Oat may be more involved than we’re being let on - either in the abortion clinic or with the mafia, or both.
Plus points if it’s a great surprise celeb casting choice.
I can imagine Tay Tawan as Boon (he can be Tul’s bro and they’re best friends in real life, plus he was in Chiang Mai when MoD was shooting), but of course that’s unlikely to happen since Tay is GMM and MoD is TV Thunder. But we can dream. LOL
SPOILERS FOR THE NOVEL
SPOILERS FOR THE NOVEL
In the novel, Tann is pretty much forced to work for his brothers because he “owes” them and his fatherso much. His mother is sick and needs expensive healthcare. His father pays for it and ensures she is well taken care of, but in exchange Tann has to show loyalty to him and the mafia. Also, breaking away from the family would mean risking the life of Tann’s mother.
However, Tann and his gang (including Thad/That) only do dirty work such as roughing up people who owe the mafia family money, etc. Tann makes it clear killing is not something he would ever want to do for the family.
Thad is his protege who has loyalty to Tann because Tann took him under his wing. Thad comes from a poor family, and Tann takes pity on him. He becomes his right-hand man, and he also helps Thad get education including a trade school where he studies Mechanics.
—-
Of course, they may change things up a bit in the show. We’ve not seen Tann’s mother so far, although he did mention her in his backstory.
But I’m guessing at least the base premise (that Tann and Thad are essentially good / gray guys who do dirty work because of leverage the family has one them) will be similar.
That said, in the novel, it’s implied that Dr. Bunn is either the top or at least versatile (because he makes a reference to Tann “going down” on him or something to that effect).
Jane was killed by both Pued and Runghtiva because Jane discovered the two were involved in a housing development corruption scheme.
She was threatening to expose them, especially since she also found out they were having an affair (Jane and Pued were a couple). Pued claims, though, that he didn’t mean to kill her and that it was an accident.
Later on, when Pued went into hiding, Rungthiwa poisons him because she was afraid that Pued would confess and expose them both.
MAJOR CHARACTERS IN BOTH NOVEL AND SERIES
1. Bunn, Tann, Pued (spelled Pert in the English transliteration of the novel) are really the major ones
2. Rungthiva technically is a major one, but she’s barely developed - but important.
3. Por (spelled Paul in the English transliteration of the novel) is also important. Pued and Por are Tann’s half-brothers.
CHARACTERS IN THE NOVEL THAT WERE ENHANCED/EXPOUNDED/MODIFIED IN THE SERIES
1. Jane - in the novel, has no childhood connection to Bunn at all. She is just a victim he has to autopsy. There is no abortion or prostitution/human trafficking story.
2. Sorrawit and That (spelled Thad in novel) - both have very short scenes in the main part of the novel. The characters are similar to the series: Sorrawit is a student who has a crush on Bunn; Thad is Tann’s protege and his “lieutenant” for his gang.
However, there is a special “Sorrawit Chapter” at the end that tells the story of Sorrawit and Thad that was happening in the “background” of Bunn and Tann’s story. They end up dating as confirmed by a time jump.
3. Captain M - important but not the same level as he is in the series. He is basically a supporting role that just provides info and help on the investigation. He has no conflict with Bunn, and Bunn doesn’t really distrust him. He is straight and married. At the end of the series, he gets promoted to replace his superior
CHARACTERS NOT IN THE NOVEL BUT ADDED TO THE SERIES
1. Dr. Oat
2. Nam and Natty (the student victims so far)
3. Nurse Fan
4. The congressman
There are several hospital characters on the novel that were not used in the series (mostly girls Bunn had dated) and then Oat and Fan were used in the series instead.
CHARACTERS IN THE NOVEL NOT IN THE SERIES (OR AT LEAST NOT YET SHOWN AS OF MID-SEASON, IF THEY DO PLAN TO INCLUDE)
1. Dr. Boon (and family) - Bunn’s older brother who plays a fairly significant role in the second half of the novel; has a wife and daughter; lives in Bangkok
2. Tarr - Bunn’s ex-boyfriend from high school. There’s an ongoing subplot through most of the novel where Bunn keeps on remembering Tarr and their past (Tarr is now in the USA). In the last few chapters of the novel, after a time jump, the subplot (totally unrelated to the murders) is addressed as Bunn goes to the USA for a scholarship and meets with him.
3. Mr. Odd - the father of Por, Pued, and Tann (can’t recall if they gave him a proper name). He’s barely seen, though, even if he’s the mafia head, as he’s old. Por runs the mafia for him later on. He also passes away towards the end of the novel.
4. Tann’s mother - Mr. Odd’s mistress. Unhealthy and the reason why Tann works for his father and half-brothers. He needs the money to keep her alive and it’s also a bit of blackmail.
WHAT HAPPENED IN THE NOVEL
1. Pued is Bunn’s childhood best friend and is a womanizer. It’s implied later on, though, when Pued thought that Tann killed Bunn... that Pued may have been bi and may have been secretly in love with Bunn.
2. Pued dates Jane, but Jane later finds out two things: that Pued may be cheating on her with Rungthiva (her sister), and that Pued and Rungthiva may be involved in corruption on housing development funds.
3. Pued and Rung visited Jane to convince her not to expose the corruption. Jane ends up being killed (Pued says it was an accident). They try to make it look like a suicide.
4. Pued goes into hiding, waiting for things to “settle down.” Through connections and manipulations and secret intimidatons (via Tann, who works for him and whom Bunn doesn’t know is a half-brother), he tries to get Bunn to declare Jane’s death as a suicide.
5. Tann gets closer to Bunn (fairly similar to the novel). Bunn starts uncovering things, and Tann has to “kidnap” him later on.
6. Tann has to pretend to kill Bunn as per Por’s orders (not Pued’s). Tann and Bunn fake Bunn’s death outside the city and send pictures to Por.
7. Pued calls Tann angrily - saying he never ordered Bunn killed, just that he be intimidated to change the autopsy report and MoD to suicide. Bunn overhears and realizes Pued killed Jane (and that Pued may have been secretly in love with him).
8. Soon after, Pued ends up dead in a warehouse owned by the mafia family - poisoned. Por is furious as he thinks Tann killed Pued. He uses Tann’s sick mother as leverage to set Tann up for a hit to be killed.
9. The police are able to intervene, and in the ensuing trouble, Por gets killed.
10. The mystery of who poisoned Pued is resolved later on with some investigation on a mysterious woman Pued had been chatting with online before his death. Long story short, the woman is Rungthiva - she poisoned Pued because she was afraid he would confess that the two of them had killed Jane.
11. Time-jump: Tann is finally free of his mafia family but faces legal trials, needs to care for his sick mother, etc. He and Bunn agree to take time apart first, and Bunn has moved back to Bangkok as per his brother’s request given what happened in Chiang Mai.
12. In Bangkok, Bunn now teaches in medschool (where Sorrawit also starts as medical student - Thad was to follow and find a job in Bangkok also to be with Sorrawit). When Tann’s mother dies, Bunn visits him to console him, and they become a couple.
13. With his acquittals, Tann moves to Bangkok and starts his own cram school to be with Bunn. Bunn, however, gets a scholarship in the USA for advanced medical studies and needs to be there for a few years.
14. They agree to a long-distance relationship. Bunn goes to the USA and also resolves things with his ex Tarr (this by itself is practically its own story that is so divorced from the main novel’s story.
15. After Tann’s father finally dies, Tann visits Bunn in the USA and proposes to him.
And note that there are some changes so far between the novel and the series, while keeping key beats and story arcs, so we still can’t say if the series will make more changes to the story to keep readers of the novel guessing.
FULL SUPER LONG SPOILERS IN MY NEXT REPLY.
Ever since Bunn moved in, the two of them have been flirting non-stop.
Flirting or romance doesn’t have to be kissing, although they did that on the sofa, too, a couple of episodes back.
Their exchanges and discussions and all the cooking and smelling each other and the plants and the discussion about lilies... and the kissing on the sofa right before Pat was killed... have all indicated massive flirting and a pent up desire for each other. These aren’t just “looks.” It is absolutely not out of the blue.
You may need to rewatch all their interactions to see just how much flirting they’ve been doing. The fact that they’ve been flirting non-stop but have been keeping all these emotions and sexual tension pent up inside even shows exactly why suddenly, after all the adrenaline rush, it all just finally explodes in the most recent episode.
Also, Thad/Sorawit is really so awesome.