Important Things to Know about My Cubic Recaps Before You Start

Trotwood: So, I’m doing it again. For some unknown reason, I decided to recap another drama. I think it is because I was feeling so relaxed and energetic over vacation and feeling inspired by all the blog work that Kakashi is doing while being busier than most people on the planet. Instead of starting back small and being sensible by recapping another web (and thus short-episode) drama, I decided to take on a lakorn, and not even a Weir one at that, but Cubic.
Shuk: Yay! Cubic! Or the real name: Cubic: Nee Hua Jai Tee Mai Dai Kor "A Debt Of the Heart". This was my first true crack lakorn. So bad. But so good, since it takes itself waaaay too seriously.
Kmuse:I started watching Cubic when I was sick with the flu.  It was maybe halfway through airing and I binge watched it in one, doped up on Dayquil, day.  It was truly a life-changing experience.  I then simulcasted religiously each Sunday.  Why?  I think that I was somehow brainwashed by all of Bomb's intense staredowns.  Long story short, I am thrilled we are recapping this Lakorn!

A Caveat

Cubic has a LOT of very sincere fans. Bomb and Mint have lots of fangirls and fanboys. The people I know love Cubic, too, but not for the same reason as most of these fans. We do not think it a good drama. It’s not even a good lakorn. It’s not even a good crazy revenge lakorn. It’s just of one of those shows that I have trouble describing.

I watched and kept watching and have rewatched and enjoyed it all the while wondering at my taste and sanity. I laugh when I know I shouldn’t be laughing. I wonder at things like music or clothing choices when I should be worried whether our characters are going to live or die or love. The show defies all sorts of logic on pretty much every level without going into actual magic or science fiction, including the addictive feeling I get when I watch it. It’s one of my favorite dramas even though I ought to know better.
Me too! Part of the fun of it, is all that conundrum. Conundrums? Can it be pluralized? Anyway, people like it and / or hate it for a myriad of reasons.
I have actually recommended this show in multiple blog posts. For all its faults, it is a lot of fun to watch and pull apart. It is a true cult classic.

I guess I am saying all of this because you really shouldn’t read these recaps if you are a sincere fan of this show and believe it to be a top notch drama because that is not what these recaps are going to be about. I (and the commentators) will probably offend you in some way. We are going to have fun remembering and discussing the fun we had/have while watching this drama.

Key Terms: Part One

The first recap will be fairly lengthy because there are so many people and subplots that are set up here. My goal is to not to have each recap as long as this one. There are also basic things in reviewing my draft of episode #1’s recap that I feel I need to set up because they happen so often, and I don’t want to waste time having to say they are happening again, so I’m introducing key terms / abbreviations here. They are things that you need to get used to if you are going to watch this drama and/or understand the recaps. After the first time in a recap, I may merely refer to these incidences by their abbreviations.

Dramatic music (DM)—every drama and movie has music. Music can set the tone, increase tension, or even provide irony. The music here does these things and more. Dramatic music (often lofty operatic tunes or 70s jazzy gangster) are used quite frequently and very loudly and for long stretches of time. Don’t get distracted.
Theme songs (TS)—Several of the main characters have theme songs. These get played when they are suffering from longing usually. Sometimes, there are variations and frequently the entire song is played while we watch them Stare Acting (see below).

Stare Acting (SA)—People stare a LOT in this drama. There are actually even different staring categories which I will bring up when they arise. Some of the staring is painful to watch because we know the stare is supposed to be conveying anger, frustration, hatred, weariness, sadness, etc., but for some actors, there doesn’t seem to be any difference, and we have to determine which stare it is from the context . . .or the theme song (TS) playing in background.


Men on Stairs (MoS)—there are many shots of the main character and his men standing on stairs. Sometimes we have a group of men in suits doing the stare acting, but most of the time they have sunglasses on so you don’t know what they are supposed to be thinking. Most of the time, they are just bodyguards.
You know those bodyguard extras were thankful for the sunglasses. They allowed the guards to contemplate in peace their poor life choices which led to these steps.

Vest Sightings (VS)—This is a show with really bad clothes.  These clothes aren’t cheap clothes  and wouldn't be bad individually. There are often just weird combinations of items that might be very nice on their own. Specifically, there are a lot of vests. Most people know that I’m particularly fond of vests on men. I have been known to squee about vest sightings. None of the vests here have that effect on me although many of them are beyond lovely—like 18th-century vest lovely like the replica vests below.

Exhibit A

Exhibit B

However, it’s odd to see them under modern suits on a regular work day or over turtleneck sweaters or with striped ties.

Heroine's work clothes (1899)—After the first few episodes, the heroine starts dressing like a character in Newsies, a Disney Musical about striking newspaper delivery boys in 1899, when she's working to pay off her debt.


There is no explanation of this. She didn’t dress like this before when she was living with her family and not wearing her school uniform, and she doesn't dress like this in the beginning of her tenure as an indentured servant. When doing the recaps, I will just make note of this, so people can visualize her outfit while reading. It adds to the incongruity of our OTP and this story--18th-century European vest wearing guy with a girl wearing the outfit of a late 19th-century American newspaper boy set in Taiwan/Hong Kong (?) speaking Thai. Yup. It all makes perfect sense. See below for this combo look.
And remember that this may be the last time you may see Bomb Tanin smile.

Exhibit C

I like her. She looks odd, but her outfit is actually not only sensible but probably super comfortable.

The Robe (Robe)—our hero wears this blood red robe that looks shimmery with a black overlay and black velvet trim. He’s usually bare chested underneath which should make me squeal, but I just worry about him getting a chest cold. He usually is wearing this while also Stare Acting.
Not quite as dramatic as this one. But close.

In the future, I may add posts with additional terms, but I think this is enough (and enough warning) to get everyone started.
I am going to have to print this out so I can keep all the abbreviations clear.    
[clapping my hands with glee] I can't wait to start!
Good luck figuring it out.