Watching Now: Ka Kaung Kon starring Noon and Pong

[dramasoliloquy]

So far, I've watched three episodes of Ka Kaung Kon starring Pong Nawat and Noon Woranuch. The title in English means “A Person's Worth/Value.” I've watched Pong and Noon in other lakorns and liked them both. Plus, one of my favorite stories, a marriage by a contract. First episode, bleh, second, dawning interest, and by the third episode, anticipation and interest.

 

Yep, that's our nang'ek (leading heroine) Gluay crying there, all through episode 1. Thankfully, the crying tapered off by episode 2, because otherwise I was out of there. And it didn't help that episode 1 is cliche city. The hero Luck played by Pong and heroine Gluay (Noon W.) meet in an accident, and it's immediately clear he's struck by her. He gives her a check and she tears it, saying the you can't buy me with money spiel. Typical, right? And the story doesn't get much better after that.

Just to roll out more cliches, her bad brother Kai's (pictured above) got gambling debts and thugs from the casino are after him to collect. He has promised the deed to his land in exchange for them, but it turns out it's not his to give away, but belongs to their grandma, their only living relative.

Naturally of course, it's not the first time bad brother has gotten in trouble. I get the feeling big sis Gluay has been an enabler of her brother's behavior all her life. So she spends the first episode crying and crying and crying, begging the debt collectors not to hurt her brother or take their grandma's land. Which they can't anyway. So because her brother's so lame, the heroine has to do something about the 10 million baht (around 300,000) her brother owes.

Meanwhile, throughout this, the pra'ek (leading man) Luck, sees the nang'ek in a variety of clinches with different men and his opinion of her hits an all time low, probably because of jealousy and envy. Thus comes into play the meaning of the title, a person's worth.

(Luck's stepmom and nice girl)

And we also find out Luck's half brother is just one of the men chasing after her, much to his and his stepmom's dismay. His stepmom already has a nice girl picked out for her son. What to do?

In the 2^nd episode, things start to look up for me at least, because the nang'ek Gluay starts getting a brain, negotiates with the pra'ek to get more money and a marriage out of him. He goes to see her after learning his half brother wants to marry her and offers her money to stay away from his half brother. Later on, it's decided that they should get married, since Luck's half brother won't chase after her and stay married until his half brother gets married.

They sign the marriage certificate and she signs the divorce papers at the same time. Then Gluay moves into his house and the news is broken to the half-brother who takes it badly. The heroine is much better here, and I like the growing attraction between the two, particularly the pra'ek. He's already sooo into her, becoming jealous at her in another man's arms (her lawyer friend Jed pictured above) and getting close to her whenever possible.

Episode 3 starts off with the two in bed together, haha. Not her doing, he slips into her bed, saying they have to make it look like they're a real couple. Sure. And how about a honeymoon as well, just to make it look real? So they're off on a honeymoon trip, but she's just trying to pay her brother's debts now she has the money.

I like the fact that she's cool to him, he's hot to her. His jealousy causes her to have an accident because they're arguing on the stairs.

So of course he uses this as an excuse to touch her by helping her brush her hair and as a way of making amends. Gluay's trying to keep him at an arm's distance, but Luck is having none of that and already he's thinking no divorce. His opinion of her has improved since he learned the money was for her brother's debts.

I like the fact that most of the characters aren't as extreme or over the top as some lakorns and dramas in general. We don't know much about Luck so far, but he's actually pretty reasonable when jealousy isn't raging through him. He doesn't treat her like dirt just because he thinks she's a ho and player.

I don't mind extremes, when done right and consistently. Take for example the mothers in Ka Kaung Kon vs. Wanida (pictured above). Both object to their son's marrying beneath them. But the stepmom in Ka Kaung Kon is much more reasonable and realistic, wondering about her son's future career prospects, and whether the girl really loves her son, or his money.

On the opposite side of the universe, the mom in Wanida is vehemently against the girl she considers beneath her son mainly because of her origins. Of course, it is two different time periods, Wanida taking place in the 1940s or something and Ka Kaung Kon's set in the present. Still, in Wanida, the very last episode has the mom making a complete turnaround and actually hugging Wanida, which feels very contrived and fake.

So what can I say? A striking couple, she's not weeping 24/7 anymore, thank you, and a pra'ek on the road to love, with a not so enamored nang'ek? I'm there. Oh, yeah I'm there.