My Magic Prophecy 1×06 Review: “The Lovers”

“The Lovers” seems to exist in two separate states. Thap and In are in a healing romcom; we are getting so much character development in these scenes. Meanwhile, Ton and Pong are in a crime drama, where we are inching closer to a conclusion.

We’ll start with the crime drama. Tara is now breathing on her own, and Thap is worried about her safety. So they come up with a reason to isolate her, preventing Kasidis from visiting at all. This naturally sends him into a tizzy, which seemingly causes him to try and shake something loose with the case.

However, more importantly, Ton has ramped up his flirting. He and Pong are interrupted by Karn, who suggests that the three of them go out to dinner, because he can’t take it anymore. (Neither can I.) Karn then stands them both up, which could mean one of two things. One, Karn is being a great wingman and trying to get his buddy Pong to hook up with the hot cop who keeps hitting on him. And two, Karn is being as suspicious as possible by being absent when someone vandalizes Ton’s car.

As much as I’d like to believe it’s the first, you have to know it’s the second. Karn is the one who suggested the dinner. And then he mysteriously isn’t there when someone tries to warn Ton off. Of course, Ton is the one who made the reservation, so it’s possible Karn didn’t know where they would be. I don’t know why this had to happen when they were out to dinner; Karn probably knows what Ton’s car looks like by now, and he’s literally always at the hospital.

The incident makes Ton a bit suspicious, as now multiple people involved with the case have been targeted, but not Karn. Karn reminds him that Thap was driving his car when it was crashed into, and that the stabbing happened at his condo. Pong seems mollified by the explanation, but Ton isn’t buying it. Karn isn’t wrong, but it also doesn’t completely free him from suspicion. He isn’t helping matters by being super shady.

There is only so much more of this I can stand before I really start to get annoyed. I’m hoping that after this week’s episode, Ton is sufficiently skeptical of Karn – enough to start investigating him as well. We’re honestly just treading water with the mystery at this point; I don’t think we’ll get much farther with the case until Thap returns to Bangkok.

That doesn’t mean we can’t still speculate. Karn is not beating these allegations; I think it’s pretty obvious that he’s involved somehow. But I still can’t figure out his motive. He can’t want control of the hospital, because he’s not using this opportunity to make any moves. Perhaps Kasidis has some blackmail on him, or maybe he’s just in it for money. Whatever the reason, I wish this was something that was being explored more, though I understand that’s not the point of the show.

Nope, the point of the show is the healing romcom in which Thap and In currently find themselves. Now that they’ve acknowledged their feelings for each other, we are sprinting toward the finish line. I actually really loved how In woke up, didn’t see Thap, and immediately went to check on him. They only shared a bed for one night, but apparently it was enough.

That scene serves a couple of purposes. The first is that it shows how lonely In has been. He said in last week’s episode that he’s never had a partner; it stands to reason that he’s never shared a bed with someone. He also doesn’t like to touch people. This poor boy is probably so touch-starved that he can’t stand it. And he took a big leap the night before, with kissing Thap. So to wake up and not have him there, he might have been doubting what happened.

But also, it’s a gentle reminder that In has had dreams about Thap dying. It was a big deal for him before they became what they are, but now that they’ve confessed to each other, he has to be dreading going to sleep. That’s not what happened in this scene, but imagine him having a dream like that, waking up, and not being able to find Thap. He would immediately assume the worst.

And I think it’s really brave of him that, later in the episode, he flat-out asks Thap if they can share a bed for the rest of the time they’re in Mae Hong Son. He’s been pushing people away for years, and now he finally has the strength to admit that he needs something from someone else. Specifically from Thap.

In is brave a lot in “The Lovers”. Even after the kiss, In is still hesitant to accept Thap’s feelings. But he eventually asks Thap to help fix up the rest of the house, which, if you remember, is significant because In has left the house as it was when his parents died. He also picks up the guitar again, and given it was emotional and actually important for his growth, we’ll allow it.

I think Jimmy is incapable of playing a lead role that isn’t the greenest of green flags. (Likewise, I think Sea is contractually obligated to cry in every episode.) I thought no one could beat Mhok in terms of just being the perfect romantic partner, and then Thap came in and blew everything Mhok did out of the water.

For starters, he’s been remarkably patient with In. In is kind of all over the place in this episode, though it’s hard to blame him. But Thap takes everything in stride. And he’s constantly checking on him. In mentions early on that Thap is moving pretty fast. Later, when they’re camping, Thap sees the fear on In’s face and stops; when In then kisses him, Thap makes sure that he’s sure. And still later, when he recognizes the symptoms of In’s visions, he asks again if he’s OK.

Thap is the king of cheesy lines and grand romantic gestures. I loved when he climbed into In’s lap like he belonged there. And kissed his mole. And dried his tears after In shared the story of his parents. (By the way, the fact that In called his parents to warn them about his dream and got sick, and that’s why they were driving, says a lot about his character.) He helped In fix up the house. And then he busted out that beautiful garden. (Also, the sunset thing came back! I knew it would.)

I do have a minor nitpick with the garden. The gesture itself is fantastic; I won’t lie that I swooned. But I’m someone who always manages to get bogged down with timelines, and I’m just wondering when exactly Thap had the opportunity to get so much done. The montage of him fixing it up did show several wardrobe changes, so it seemed to have taken a few days at least. Mostly, I’m just wondering where In thought he was while he was doing this.

I am kind of surprised that they are both already at the “I love you” stage. Thap I can sort of see moving that fast; In has already mentioned that once this episode. But even with all of the growth that we saw from In during “The Lovers”, I find it very difficult to believe that he’s so free with his words. I would have expected him to hold off on returning the sentiment – even if he felt that way – until it had been more than, like, a day.

That said, I do genuinely love their relationship. I think they’re good for each other, even if, as Thap said, they don’t really know that much about each other. Thap seems like someone who needs to take care of people, and In has needed someone to take care of him. In is helping Thap not be such a workaholic, and Thap is helping In heal from his grief. They’re very sweet together.

But we still have four episodes, so things aren’t going to stay sweet for long. Particularly because Thap has asked In not to warn him if he has any more dreams, as it’s clearly hurting In to do so.

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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