Love in the Air: Is Prapai an Asshole?
So I have seen some less than complimentary comments on Prapaiās character, namely because of poor Sky (which is understandable and completely valid). I thought I would offer my two cents.
Now, the series has been very clear in defining Prapai as a rich playboy and brat essentially; spoilt, somewhat careless, cocky, smug, has had everything in life handed to him pretty easily. All the common symptoms that come with being wealthy and privileged. A walking red flag you may even say. His little brother is actually a great example of how that upbringing reflects in others within their circle.
And Iāll admit, there were definitely moments in episode 8 where I was likeĀ āohh you are being so slimy right now, with your smug, smarmy and quite punchable faceā.
But I think thatās the point. Prapai is meant to be the antithesis to Sky. Heās everything Sky is not. But I also donāt believe heās a genuinely awful person. If we consider Stop as a comparison, Prapai doesnāt go about his life intending to hurt or aggrieve people. I think the key differentiation isĀ intention. Heās just incredibly self-centred.
Prapaiās life revolves around what he wants and does, which means he doesnāt possess any perception outside of that. So if he does rub people up the wrong way, or inconveniences someone, causes damage - heās likely doing this without having even noticed he has. Itās not even on his radar, which is textbook ignorance and a maddening lack of self-awareness. What would change this is if his actions had consequences. If someone was able to call out his bullshit, and he was actually able to see why and how his actions can be problematic. Even Payu doesnāt stop him from pursuing Sky, knowing full well what his friend can be like. Clearly no one in Prapaiās life has acted as his moral compass, and this is again where Sky is going to play a massive role.
My take is that Prapai is not truly an asshole, he just exhibits a lot of asshole behaviour. Some of which is just straight-up bravado and big talk (and should not be taken with an inch of seriousness). His āassholeā tendencies is what I believe the series will attempt to unravel.
Prapaiās first encounter with Sky
Prapai has grown up in a world where most people are just like him, and that has inevitably enabled a lot of those bad traits.
I donāt think he should be excused for how his behaviour with Sky at the beginning probably caused a lot of internalised damage. We do have to remember that he doesnāt know Sky at all. Doesnāt know Skyās history, his personality, not even his name. And during that initial encounter, he doesnāt really care. Why would he? He probably thought heād never see Sky again.
When youāre young, handsome, privileged, wealthy and powerful, life is mostly fun and games. Prapaiās probably never had to take anything that seriously. So his perspective in most situations is probablyĀ āThis is just some fun, youāre on board with that right? Everyone else isā. He doesnāt fathom what the other side looks like. Note that throughout this episode, Prapai is amused by his pursuit of Sky. He sees it like a game that Sky is playing hard to get.
Sex is also a casual transaction in Prapaiās world. We see that he goes on booty calls. It doesnāt have the gravitas to him as it may do for other people. Payu even comments that at the races, people bet anything - as if these things are easily expendable in their world. They are a very out of touch group of people.
And Prapai probably assumes - why wouldnāt Sky enjoy a night with him? Heās a catch, and everyone in his life has either inflated his ego or given him positive reinforcement. So again, it doesnāt even occur to him that Sky is deeply troubled by this. Even if he did have the foresight, Sky quickly jumps in and gives him what he wants.
And heās always gotten what he wants.
Prapaiās Lack of Maturity
I think people who come from privilege can have quite an immature and sheltered outlook on life, because they havenāt had to do much for themselves, ever. When Prapai starts to clock that heās thinking about Sky a lot, he doesnāt get why. His thought process is very much like a 15 year old boy. Heās genuinely baffled.
He convinces himself that this is just a simple blip, nothing more. But when he continues having dalliances with other men, it doesnāt seem to do it for him anymore. Instead of doing some self-reflection, he thinks that by pursuing Sky, itāllĀ ācureā him of whatever temporary spell he seems to be under.
In the scene where heās invited another guy to spend the night with him, he very politely turns his guest down when heās clearly not into it. He apologises and says he needs to figure things out, and that heāll make it up to him. Iām assuming this is also a random fling but Prapai was quite sweet with him. A true asshole would probably be likeĀ āYeah, Iāll let you see yourself outā.
I also really liked the interaction between Prapai and his brother. He really did come across as more mature in that scene, where he was the older sibling ushering his little bro to get to their family dinner on time.
Prapaiās Character Development
Now I do trust that over the weeks, Prapai will come to be humbled and will make attempts to redeem himself in Skyās eyes and ours as the audience. I think Prapai will go through a lot of growth in this story. Sky isĀ his turning point. His relationship and gradual love for Sky will make him a better person.
We already start to see at the end of the episode that Prapai takes 2 hours out of his day especially to go and buy Sky flowers and deliver them personally. His PA is visibly surprised. Heās evidently never made this effort for anyone before.
Weāll eventually see the sweeter, affectionate, caring and sincere sides of him. Sky does fall in love with him after all, so there must be good reason.
For all his faults and flaws, I canāt bring myself to dislike him. I actually find him very endearing in a sort of boy-who-needs-to-grow-up kind of way. And perhaps thatās a testament to Fortās performance. I think his outlook on life right now is just very simplistic but Skyās about to change all that.
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