My Romance Scammer 1×03 & 1×04 Review: Episode 3 & 4

Kudos to My Romance Scammer for introducing the first climax of the story already. I was very much hoping that we would get to see the aftermath of the truth coming out, and – at least in the case of Yu and North – I got my wish.

Admittedly, I am a little concerned that we won’t spend enough time on the resolution of Tim’s scams coming to light, but as we are only a third of the way through the series (which is keeping with the more traditional 12 episodes), I am willing to wait a bit longer for things to blow up in his face. After all, it won’t pack quite the same punch if Tim’s machinations were uncovered so closely to Yu’s.

You know what this show reminds me of? The screwball comedies of the 1930s and ’40s. There is so much humor in this series, and a lot of wacky hijinks. Episode 3 was really the perfect example of this, with Yu and North hosting Pai and Tim at Yu’s “mother’s” house. Tim recognizing the house was a given, as we’ve been shown that he and Yu utilize a lot of the same resources. (It also nicely sets up the moment in episode 4 when North figures out the truth.)

The scene where Tim discovered that Yu had also hired Oom (whom I referred to as Tao in my review of episode 2, because I hadn’t caught the character’s name) as his mother was hilarious. I was expecting that to cause issues, but not quite so soon. I was actually anticipating a discovery at Tim and Pai’s wedding. (Which could still happen – I don’t know if Tim knows that North met Yu’s “mother”.) Tim scrambling to catch Oom before she blew the whole thing was comedic gold.

There are also some screwball moments in episode 4, particularly between Yu and North. (Although Tim getting into a real accident while trying to set up a fake accident is peak. As is him subtly flipping off Yu when he learns about the money.) Yu’s little playpen, as he’s monitored by the stuffed bear. North actually slapping him. North’s definition of torturing Yu is to loudly sing karaoke in the living room in the middle of the night, and turn up the air conditioning and stealing Yu’s blanket.

Pure offering to seduce Yu so that North would have cause for divorce reminded me strongly of the famous Friends episode “The One Where Everyone Finds Out”. (“They don’t know we know they know we know!”) It’s a well-used trope, but it works nicely here. It wouldn’t have worked, of course, as Prem would have been able to argue entrapment.

But the joke is on North and Pure, because Yu actually does love North. The difference between the show as it is now, and the show that was presented to us in the pilot trailer, is that Yu is not actively scamming North. He is a scammer who lucked into an advantageous marriage. And while he may have originally gotten married for the money (that he didn’t ask for), I think it’s clear that Yu’s feelings for North are genuine. He was very happy at the prospect that he won over Pai and would be able to meet the rest of North’s family.

And what this highlights is the continued lack of information about Tim as a person. We know how Yu got into scamming. (With a mother like his, he didn’t have a chance.) But we still know very little about Tim’s actual life, only the persona he’s constructed for Pai. In episode 2, we learned about his other job as a sugar baby, and in episode 4, we learn that he’s in debt to this Mr. Prasit. But that’s about it. Are his parents alive? Is he even an architect? Did he start scamming because of his debt? I think we’ll continue to learn about Tim in bits and pieces as we get closer to the big reveal.

Honestly, that’s something that I’m dreading. As much as I’m looking forward to seeing the after, the longer this goes on, the more I’m concerned that Pai won’t be able to forgive Tim. Pai loves Tim so much, and while Tim is starting to develop feelings, he is nowhere near as gone for Pai as Pai is for him. Pai is willing to give up literally everything for Tim. Ironically, the longer this goes on, the more likely Tim is to fall in love with Pai and yet not have the financial payout he was hoping for.

There are a lot of moments, in episode 3 in particular, where you can see Tim lose his composure around Pai. That moment in the closet, when Pai zips Tim’s pants for him, left Tim so flustered. He slips up around Prem and calls Pai his boyfriend, and when he’s out with Airy he sees a stuffed duck that reminds him of Pai and has to get it. (Arguing with the kid over who gets the duck reminded me of Ryan “stealing” the cookies from the little girl in The Trainee.)

It’s interesting to me that, prior to learning Yu was a scammer, Pai saw a lot of similarities between him and Tim. Tim, with his guilty conscience, did not appreciate the comparison. But Pai was talking about the way they look at the ones they love. Funny that he refuses to believe Yu’s feelings are genuine when they are, but he doesn’t recognize that Tim’s feelings aren’t. I wonder if he thinks about that comparison after learning the truth about Yu. I’m sure Tim does.

(I have seen the theory that Pai knows and is testing Tim, but I don’t put much stock in this theory. Pai is so busy, and his job is important to him. I don’t think he’d waste time trying to get Tim to confess instead of just leaving him. Also, it takes some of the fun out of watching someone’s schemes unravel around them if the mark comes out and says, “Oh, I knew the whole time.” Although it would lessen the sting of Tim’s betrayal and put them on more of an equal footing, morally.)

I think it’s very telling that Tim’s first inclination, upon seeing how Pai responds to North being scammed (signing up for firearm classes), is to flee. The only reason he doesn’t is because of his debt. I’m a little surprised that he didn’t already have a go-bag packed, which to me indicates that he’s gotten complacent in this role. I feel like if this had happened prior to their engagement, Tim would have had a bag packed as soon as he realized who Yu was.

Something interesting to note is that the only things he took with him are things that he could prove were gifts. He didn’t just grab anything of value. This is likely not the first time he’s had to flee.

I know that it’s largely for self-preservation reasons that he is helping Yu to the extent that he is, but I do think it’s lowkey sweet that he’s going to this much effort. Bringing in Prem to act as Yu’s lawyer gives him plausible deniability should he need him in the future, particularly since Pai said that anyone who was friends with a person like Prem would be a scumbag.

I like seeing the other side of Tim as well, in those moments when the scammer comes out. His frustration at Pai deciding to put off getting married. His genuine annoyance when conferring with Yu and Prem, as all of his hard work is going up in smoke. It’s such a pivot from the mask he wears with Pai. Likewise, it’s so funny to see Pai go from cutthroat family heir around everyone else to the pouty baby he is with Tim.

I am genuinely enjoying this show. All of the cast are putting in stellar performances, and it’s just so much fun to watch. It’s definitely a highlight of my week!

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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