Itsay Ep. 4: A color progression analysis
Oh-aew (red) and Teh (blue) start the episode off separated and in their own worlds, dealing with the aftermath of Tehâs rejection of Oh in the last episode. You can see them both wearing their signature colors in this first part...
Even when Teh brings Oh back to the boat on the motorbike, theyâre in their own colors, on their own difficult paths.
The next significant time the colors show up is when Tarn asks Teh to color the hibiscus that she has drawn. We know that this flower is significant for the boys as they wore them in the last episode. Tarn expects Teh to choose purple as that is the color of her bra but he ends up choosing red (Oh-aew) instead.
In an effort to make up with Oh, Teh uses red scissors and makes the cover of the book blue, binding his and Ohâs colors together. In a way, this might be because he wants them subconsciously to be together as well.
When Teh arrives to give Oh-aew the book, they are both wearing blue. It is also significant that Teh is wearing a shirt with red hibiscus flowers and Ohâs shirt says âthe things we canât sayâ.
The shared blue could be for many reasons but hereâs a few theories:
1. At this point, Teh is still unsure or confused about his feelings but he can with Oh in this part on his âtermsâ and in the safety of them being concealed. It seems like Teh is almost living his âfantasyâ without thinking about the consequenses which could be why they are both in blue.
2. It also could be that Oh is so relieved that Teh has taken him back that heâs willing to do anything to be with him, even if it means relinquishing âhimselfâ and what he wants.
After they emerge from the water or the âblueâ, it is clear that Teh wants to leave what happened between them behind closed doors or âunder waterâ. This, of course, causes the fight where Oh finally stands up for himself and leaves Teh alone.
Now this next scene is a tough one. You could break it down a million ways but Iâm going to string along with my theory...
The significance of the bra being red is that heâs ashamed that he isnât what Teh âwantsâ but then quickly discsrds it because tâs not really him and he canât give up who he is just for someone he loves. He crumbles to the ground in his red shorts, mourning the loss of what they had.
Even after Teh leaves the island, Teh has red surrounding him constantly. His motorbike is red and Hoonâs helmet is red. Even though he tries to escape his feelings for Oh, red follows him everywhere.
When he gets on the flight, he is surrounded by red and is alone as well. Even the picture of the actor inevitably reminds him of Oh.
Teh is haunted by red (Oh-aew) which is why he inevitably gives up his spot for Oh, thinking that it will somehow make up for his actions and all the pain he has caused.
This, of course, backfires, and we end with the boys both in white.
Because of each otherâs reactions, theyâre feelings/colors have faded away. They are colorless and theyâre finally back to square one. True equals.
So the question is... what color will they end up with?
