My Romance Scammer 1×07 Review: Episode 7

Well, it’s here. The episode we dreaded most has happened, and it was just as heartbreaking as expected. But it was also sweet, funny, and dare I say, hopeful.

I have to say, a lot of this episode surprised me. I thought I knew what was going to happen, based on what I thought I saw in previous episodes, particularly last week’s. But nothing really went the way that I predicted, and I appreciate that. Sometimes I’m OK with things being predictable, but it’s nice to be surprised.

First of all, I cannot believe that Airy crashed the wedding because of her own observations when Tim broke up with her. She seemed so kind and understanding, but she caught the way the staff was acting and bribed the waiter to get answers. So when she rounded up all of Tim’s other sugar mamas (and wow, when did he find time for all of these ladies?) and busted up the ceremony, it was of her own accord, and not because someone (Kuea) was whispering in her ear.

I’m still not entirely sure I’ve misjudged Kuea, but perhaps I did. I did notice that during the melee, he was trying to calm things down. Maybe he was just regular old in love with Pai and not secretly plotting his relationship’s demise.

However, I am definitely side-eyeing security at this venue. How were all of these women able to waltz in and do so much damage? It isn’t just getting into the event itself, which should have been locked down like Fort Knox, but they literally trashed everything and no one official came to stop them. Insanity. Surely they had security? If I were Pai, I’d demand my money back.

That said, that entire sequence was fantastic. It was so well shot; Pai standing there numb, a single tear rolling down his cheek, as blurry chaos ensued in the background. I liked how everything got muffled and fuzzy as we focused on Pai, alone in his devastation.

MarkJi and Junior were both phenomenal in this episode. Pai and Tim were both heartbroken, but they were handling it differently. I’m sure people wanted Tim begging on his knees for Pai’s forgiveness, but that is something that his fake persona would have done. I think what we’re seeing – his dogged determination to get Pai to fall in love with him again – is more in line with the way the real him would act. We’ve only gotten to see glimpses of this person so far, so we’ll learn what he’s actually like along with Pai.

Not to mention, we still have five episodes left. There is plenty of time for angst. I think the longer Pai goes without forgiving Tim, the more desperate he will get.

What is up with Pai’s grandfather? Or his parents? This poor boy was just humiliated at his wedding by a man he thought he knew, and his grandfather is just like, “How are you going to make this right?” This is, I’m sure, a cultural difference that I just don’t understand. In this moment, it’s more important that the family reputation is saved rather than Pai’s feelings. But it’s so sad that none of the adults do anything to comfort Pai. North is the only one who seems to care about him.

And you know North could have been petty and vindictive and lectured Pai, the way Pai has been lecturing North for weeks about Yu. But North is a better person than anyone else on this show. Not only does he not rub Pai’s face in the situation, but he also stands up to his grandfather for probably the first time ever. And he doesn’t even get mad at Tim for what happened, especially once he realizes that Tim is actually in love with Pai.

I’ll be very interested to see how Pai and North cope with being disowned. Pai has done nothing but live for his job and his family for his entire life, and North has always been coddled. I honestly think Tim and Yu helping the two of them through this time will be a big part of how and why Pai ends up forgiving Tim, though I still expect true forgiveness to take a while.

I like that we flipped the established dynamic of this show on its head for this episode. Tim has spent much of the series helping Yu, and this time Yu volunteered to help Tim. He didn’t do much help, in the grand scheme of things, but an attempt was made. I also appreciate that he kept Tim’s secret – until it wasn’t a secret – even though he promised not to lie to North anymore.

I do think it’s hilarious that he kept reiterating that no one would notice him at the wedding, despite the fact that North was there. North clocked him immediately. (And called Yu his boyfriend!) That was pretty short-sighted of Yu, but then again, this boy doesn’t seem to be all that good at his chosen profession. “I’m the perfect man for the job,” he says, as though he is perfect for any job. (Well, he did a pretty good job at North’s café.)

Even though this episode ripped out my heart (like the way Tim let go of Pai’s arm before Pai could forcibly remove his hand), I love that there was still humor in it. The scene where Pai screamed at the gecko and Tim rushed in to help him was hilarious, as was the scene at the end where Tim kept kissing Pai on the cheek and Yu and North came in (and then Yu covered North’s eyes).

Keeping the humor in an episode like this, which was so heavy and sad, went a long way in keeping things hopeful. You watch the first six episodes, seeing the depth of Tim’s deception, and wonder how Pai could possibly forgive him after lying so much for so long. But then you see the moment where Pai literally jumps into Tim’s arms to get away from a gecko, and you see the potential for forgiveness in it.

We obviously have a long way to go, and I think Pai is still kind of numb and in shock, so we probably haven’t seen the worst of it yet. But I think you look at moments like that, and you see that the love is there, and you understand how it’s possible that these two could make their way back to each other. I can’t wait to see them try.

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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