Wandee Goodday 1×09 Review: Episode 9

I’m amazed we all survived the horrible incident this morning where GMMTV incorrectly scheduled the final three parts of today’s episode of Wandee Goodday for tomorrow. That was a rough approximate 10 minutes. Nevertheless, we survived, and boy, was that episode sure worth it!

First, let’s talk about the family situation. At long last, we finally get to meet Yak and Yei’s father (and stepmother). It was… interesting, to say the least. Yak seemed genuinely pleased to see their dad, but Yei looked like he would rather be anywhere else. That’s a dynamic I wasn’t expecting, considering we know that their father ran off at some point when they were younger, and they’ve seemingly been on their own since their mother died.

I’m very curious to know how much their father knows about their lives now. Obviously he follows Yak’s career, since his loss two episodes ago is what prompted him to visit and check in. But has he met Cher? Does he keep in contact with either of his sons on a regular basis? I’m trying to figure out why Yak would look so happy to see him and Yei looked like he was ready to spit fire. Does Yei know something about their dad that Yak doesn’t? Or is Yak just generally a more forgiving person?

Plus, there’s the fact that after Yei’s cold dismissal, the man just turns around and leaves, intending to return to wherever he lives now. He drove all the way down, and he’s not even going to stay multiple days? What the heck is going on?

We also learned that Yei did indeed borrow money from the shady people we saw in episode 6. He clearly hasn’t told Cher – or anyone else – about it. But I cannot fathom at all why he would be so resistant to Cher charging admission to Yak and Zazaki’s rematch if the gym is in such dire financial straits. Like, I’m sure he has his pride, but these people are probably going to kill him. 

Speaking of Zazaki, I love him. He’s just so energetic and happy. I actually find it pretty cool that he recognized that Yak wasn’t really trying when they fought and he wanted a chance to fight for real. I love the sportsmanship that comes with not wanting to win in such circumstances.

I was spoiled a bit on him joining their gym because someone posted behind-the-scenes photos which showed Luke in one of the Phadetseuk shirts. And I’m unfamiliar on how boxing works on a professional level, so I’m not sure if this is good or bad for them. On the one hand, having Zazaki will bring in more publicity, which could equal more members. On the other hand… do they have to pay him? Do they have the funds for that?

OK, now can we talk about that jackass Ter? What is this guy’s damage? Where does he find his audacity? Dude, you’re just embarrassing yourself at this point. He keeps chasing after Dee despite Dee’s repeated insistence that he’s not interested. I was literally thinking someone needed to punch him again when Yak showed up and punched him again. Honestly, I wish Dee had been the one to punch him this time.

But I’m so, so happy that Dee was able to stand up for himself and articulate exactly why he was choosing Yak over Ter. I love that he actually referred to Yak as a green flag. I’m not sure why he felt the need to out the fake relationship, which I feel like at this point is just pretext, because the only one who seems to care at all is Ter, and who cares what he thinks.

And then this man has the nerve to waltz up to Kwan, whom he abandoned at the party, and be like, “I was worried about you.” No, you weren’t. Stop lying. I am really proud of Kwan for immediately realizing that he was not worth her time and finding someone who was. (Side note: I also love that Taem was just like, “You’re clearly in love with Dee, you idiot.” And then later she was so cool about it. I am so over the jealous woman stereotype in situations like this.)

Y’all, I cannot get enough of Yak and Dee. These two drive me up the wall – sometimes in a good way, sometimes because I want to tear my hair out. I cannot for the life of me understand why Dee is back on his no-kissing bs or why they felt the need to take sex off the table. The constant flip-flopping is just weird at this point.

But then the no-kissing thing and the no-sex thing were eradicated by that final scene, which is everything I’ve been wanting from this show since the beginning. I know that they’ve both been having feelings for a while, but this is the first intimate scene that had feelings and it was just saturated in them. The slow, sensual face touches. The way they kept fighting over who was on top. Great and Inn are so good at this.

I think the best parts of these episode are the little moments. I appreciated that they got yet another package from Kao and both decided that was not something they were into. No judgment, no shame, just not their thing. And I love how unabashedly adorable Yak was in his quest to “win Dee over”. And that as soon as Dee admitted that all he needed was to be himself, instead of sulking, he just took Dee somewhere that was more him.

Considering all of the compromising Yak has done for a fake relationship (that they aren’t even doing right, I cannot stress that enough), I think it should be Dee who has to win him over. Dee definitely needs a big, grand gesture at some point in these last few episodes. I do think that him showing up at Yak’s fight and helping him pull himself out of his head was a great start. But so far, Yak has been making the bulk of the effort in this relationship. I really need Dee to up his game.

A parting thought, before I go to sit in anticipation of next week’s episode, is that I want to see more of Cher and Dee’s friendship. These two can really bond over their boyfriends, and they seem to have similar ideas, especially when it comes to the gym. Also I just really want to see more of Cher.

Author: Jamie Sugah

Jamie has a BA in English with a focus in creative writing from The Ohio State University. She self-published her first novel, The Perils of Long Hair on a Windy Day, which is available through Amazon. She is currently an archivist and lives in New York City with her demon ninja vampire cat. She covers television, books, movies, anime, and conventions in the NYC area.

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