4 Elements: The Fire EP 8 FINALE | From Rivals to Forever 🔥💍 | Reaction

I loved every story, but The Fire and The Earth are tied for my number 1 spot, although The Fire has a bit of an edge right now. I don't know if it's just recency bias or if it's actually my favorite lol, but I loved it so much. NamneungNoey need at least one more series together. I genuinely hope we get one.

1. The Earth - Probably because I can identify with P'Din the most. The cousins had a lot of screen time, and the show was generally full of humor alongside the drama. 2. The Water - Not everything was perfect, for example the ending dragged on a little too much. But I loved particularly Lada's character development and Nam's romantic gestures. 3. The Fire – My favorite cousin. I was really interested in Fai's story. The ranking doesn't do the series justice. I had a lot of fun watching it. But I had to make a decision. 4. The Air - That's probably because I had the highest expectations for Freen and Becky. It wasn't a disappointment, but I can't really explain the ranking either. Still, I found it very amusing to see how Lom behaves towards her exes. I liked the royal setting, the costumes. And in general, a good story between a princess and a commoner. It’s impossible to rank the series. The longer I think about it, the more reasons I come up with to change the order… It’s just a gut feeling. They're all unique and hold a special place in my heart. I really enjoyed them: the slow burn, the character development, the longing (and the suffering :D)

1air 2water 3fire 4earth

I was worried about redemption arc with the aunt. It’s not perfect but I liked that they showed the progression of the aunt getting the help. Other GL’s redemption arc has left me feeling slight disappointment from the unrealistic solutions. Fai had such a great character development that this story might be my favorite.

My ranking: #1 "The Earth" - #2 "The Air" - #3 "The Fire" - #4 "The Water" . #1 to #3 are very close, though; only "The Water" invented a little too much story for me, and wasn't as consistent as the other series.

The finale starts with Akanee running into the emergency room where a crying Fai waits for news about Panee. Fai didn’t mean to cause this, she claims, she was just trying to protect Kaphrao. Akanee tells her not to worry and promises to be there to protect her no matter what happens as he hugs her. Then, the doctor tells them that Panee is out of immediate danger, and that she passed out due to high blood pressure caused by sudden stress. Her condition is stable now, but she will be kept overnight at the hospital for observation. Akanee tells his daughter that Panee will be all right. Fai stays at her side until Akanee convinces her to take some rest and come back the next day, as she will sleep through the night having been administered sleeping pills. They return home to Kaphrao who inquires about Panee because she was worried sick about her. Fai apologizes for making her feel that way as she tells her that Panee is out of danger, but Kaphrao takes her hand and claims it’s her who has to say sorry, then takes her for a walk… …and they talk beside a river bed with Fai admitting that she is worried about Panee, but that she also cares about Kaphrao. Kaphrao tells her if she ever had to choose, she should choose Panee first, because she knows how much she loves her, and she doesn’t want to be the cause for them falling out. Fai admits that she loves her a lot, but argues that she is not letting anyone take her away from her, and claims that there’s no making choices. Kaphrao asks what if one day she really has to choose, and after a while, Fai claims to a crying Kaphrao that she is going to choose their happiness then, and promises to never make her cry again. She kisses Kaphrao, dries her tears and hugs her. The next day, the return to the hospital together, with Kaphrao hesitant to walk in with her, but Fai promising to not let her face anything like that alone again. So, they enter the room holding hands, Fai telling Panee that she brought Kaphrao to visit her, and to apologize. But Panee throws her out and even throws a vase at her, asking if she wants her to die right on this bad. Kaphrao decides to better go wait outside as Panee claims that in the end, Fai chose Kaphrao and not her. She claims that she loves her aunt the most, but Panee asks why she is doing this to her, then, why choose her? She argues that Kaphrao is the cause of all this sh*t, but Fai claims that she genuinely loves her. Panee claims that she loves Kaphrao and not her, she claims to have cared for her since her mother passed away, but she’s leaving her for someone who just came into her life. She already lost her mother, she claims, and can’t afford to lose her too. She accuses her that she wishes that Panee would rather be dead, but a crying Fai tells her not to say that. She tells her that she must choose either her or Kaphrao, and if she insists to choose her, then she should go and prepare a funeral for her. Fai returns to Kaphrao who is waiting outside Panee’s room asking how it went. Fai downplays her aunts wishes by claiming she is just a little upset, but Kaphrao claims that Fai doesn’t look well and wants to make sure that everything is okay. Fai claims that she just feels bad for her as they leave holding hands. Kaphrao returns to find Nod is waiting for her, who claims to have already heard what happened. Kaphrao claims she is okay and more worried about Fai, but Nod repeats her offer to move to Bangkok with her, thinking Panee will never accept her. She promises to take care of her, and Kaphrao really appreciates it, but can’t leave Fai alone. If she is going to move there, at must be because both Fai and herself agree to it, she claims. And about liking her, she is afraid that she can’t accept her feelings, claiming that Nod is her best friend and the person she trusts the most, but that is all she can give her. Nod realizes that she has lost, claiming it’s all right, no matter what happens they will always be friends. She will always be there for you like she has always been, she claims, and Kaphrao thanks her for it as she hugs her. Fai is deep in thoughts as Kaphrao comes to her and wants to know what she is thinking about. She claims to be thinking about work, but Kaphrao thinks she is such a bad liar, as she claims that Panee still doesn’t approve of her. Fai argues that there is no way she’d break up with her, and Kaphrao admits the same, claiming the only persons who can separate them are themselves, arguing that Panee can never break them apart, Kaphrao won’t let her. Fai thought that she would play the ‘angel card’ and tell her to pick Panee, but Kaphrao vows to do everything she can to prove herself to Panee and make her finally accept her, just like how Fai has accepted that she loves Kaphrao. But Fai fears that if she chooses Kaphrao, Panee said she’d kill herself. We get a sequence where Fai rushes to the hospital to learn that Panee has tried to commit s*icide, with the nurse getting there in time to save her, and the doctor sending a psychiatrist to talk to her. The doctor argues that the situation is getting worse and could escalate, recommending proper therapy. Fai claims to her father that she is such a terrible niece for never noticing her illness, but Akanee thinks she has been an amazing niece all this time, it’s rather Panee who has been too obsessed with her. But Fai doesn’t understand why Panee is so unhappy to see her in love. Akanee claims that she loves her mother and her so much, and reports they grew up having only each other. He actually feels sorry for her and tears up as he relates that she was married to a horrible man and ended up getting a divorce, having been disappointed in love so many times that she had tried to kill herself before. Fai’s mother saved her back then, and that’s why her mother meant the world to Panee. When her mother married and got her, Panee always came to help take care of her. But after her mother passed away Panee was so lost and thought she had no one left. But she still has Fai, he claims, and she is her anchor, he tells her as we see scenes of happy time between Fai and Panee, her everything in life. But then, she fell in love with Kaphrao, causing Panee to be afraid that she might lose all the love Fai has for her. He never thought that the love Panee has for her could hust other people this much. Fai claims that maybe after seeing a psychiatrist for a while, she might get better, but Akanee claims the problem is that the doctor told him that for now, they should keep her away from whatever arouses her to be like this, and that is Kaphrao. Fai is crying at home thinking about Panee and Kaphrao, with Kaphrao seeing her through the window. Afterwards, Fai tells Kaphrao that Panee needs to see a psychiatrist, and Kaphrao thinks that’s a good idea and mentions whether she really meant to k*ll herself or just wanted to get her attention, it’s seriously concerning. But Fai is worried about Kaphrao as well, but Kaphrao tells her that she will go to work with Nam in Hua Hin, because she doesn’t want to cause Fai and Panee any more trouble, and so Fai can focus on taking care of her aunt. If she’s still around she will only arouse Panee’s illness and make it worse. Fai really doesn’t want them to be like this, and Kaphrao claims it’s all right. Right now, she claims, taking care of her aunt is her first priority, and they will only be apart for a while. They hug and cry, and tell each other they love each other. Afterwards, they work apart with only texting each other, and Fai feeling lonely without Kaphrao, and Kaphrao living and working peacefully in Hua Hin, and with Panee slowly getting better. Weeks pass as they are separate, and Fai visits the island where the villagers take care of the construction work. But they are lonely and keep thinking about each other. Weeks turn into months, and Panee realizes that Fai’s appetite has vanished. Akanee meets Panee at the beach to tell her that Fai has done everything that she wanted, and Kaphrao is no longer there. He asks her why is she still looking so depressed. She tells him that how she feels is none of his concern and claims it’s a lousy father like him who has always caused her trouble. He admits that in her eyes, he’s a terrible father, but claims that he became only a father when Fai was born, but all this time, she has never admitted it when she was wrong, and that’s what’s different between them: when he makes mistakes, he admits it, and tries to work on himself. But Panee has never tried to reflect on her own mistakes. She claims to have been a good aunt, having loved and cared for Fai like her own daughter. But Akanee reminds her that when her wife died, she asked her to look after Fai and make her happy. But does she think her love makes Fai happy or rather destroys her happiness? Panee observes Fai closely and realizes she is miserable, except when she texts and talks with Kaphrao on the phone. At the hospital Fai brings her new medication and claims she doesn’t need to come with her every time, but Fai doesn’t mind at all calling it payback for when she took her to see the doctor when she was little. She then realizes that the doctor has modified her medication, having removed two item from the list, and she is sure that Panee won’t need any meds soon. She will be as good as before and stay with her for a long time. But Panee thinks she is just a fussy old lady who complains about everything, and asks he if she still wants to stay with her for a long time. But Fai promises she will take care of her as best she can. They, Panee asks her to go to a floral shop with her… …and they bring flowers to her mothers place in her home. Panee claims that time does fly, and soon, she will follow her mother. Fai doesn’t want her to say that, claiming that she should try to think positive like the doctor said, but she claims that she was just stating the truth, one day, they all have to die, and those left behind have to keep on living. She has promised her mother to always take good care of her and make her happy, but instead, all she does is make her sad, she laments. Fai claims that she is happy being raised by Panee, but Panee teel her that she shouldn’t lie in front of her mother, as she asks her if she’s been happy lately, and she hugs her. Later she says goodbye to Akanee, and he wants to know where she going in the dark. Fai mentions that she going to Bangkok to discuss work for her and wants to stop to see Kaphrao on the way in Hua Hin, not having seen her for months, and she doesn’t want Panee to know. Akanee wants her to text her when she gets there. She drives fast to get quicker to Kaphrao, she tells her on the phone, whom she misses so bad. But on the way, she yawns and falls asleep for a moment, almost swerving off the road in the process. She doesn’t stop or slow down, though, and the next time she falls asleep, she crashes into a shop. Akanee calls Panee to tell her of the accident, and they rush to the hospital to find out what happened to Fai. The nurse tells them she is under the doctor’s care at the moment and will be all right. She hands Panee her belongings among them her phone, and she sees the photo of Fai and Kaphrao at the water park set as a background, just as Kaphrao texts her worried asking where she is. Panee claims that she’s sorry and collapses into Akanee’s arms. Fai wakes up with Panee and Akanee at her bedside, like in episode 6. Fai claims to be okay, but Panee is so sorry for trying her out and causing her to crash. Fai claims that it’s not her fault, but Panee vows that form now on, she isn’t going to stop her anymore, no matter whom she loves, she is not going to get in the way, as long as it makes her happy and doesn’t get her hurt. The next morning, Kaphrao rushes to her room, crying and falling into Fai’s arms. Kaphrao claims she is sorry, but Fai wants to know how she knows she is there, and Kaphrao claims that Panee called her… …and we get a flashback of Panee calling Kaphrao at night informing her that Fai had a car accident and is in the hospital. She is okay now, she claims, but she called her to let her know in case that her niece wanted to see her face. Panee comes in, and they separate. Panee told her, she claims, because it’s a serious matter that she should know about, and Kaphrao wants to leave now that Panee is there. But Panee tells her to stay and feed Fai, and she hands her breakfast. This results in the most awkward breakfast I’ve seen in ages, with Kaphrao eventually feeding Fai under supervision of Panee. Kaphrao wants to leave excusing herself for work, but Panee tells her to stay, knowing that the two of them are still together, and claiming the reason that Fai rushed out at night and got into as accident was because she wanted to see her, so she must be responsible . She must stay with Fai and look after her until she gets better, she argues. Panee leaves them dumbfounded. Kaphrao runs after Panee, and thanks her for letting her take care of Fai, and Panee claims she will try her best to accept her from now on, claiming that Kaphrao already beat her anyway as Fai chose her. But Kaphrao claims she never saw it that way and argues that Fai’s love for Kaphrao and Panee is just different. She can never take Panee’s place, and is well aware that if Fai has to choose, she will choose Panee. Panee wants to know if she really believes that, and Kaphrao confirms it and is glad, because the person that Fai loves the most finally approves of them being together. Panee claims she only did it because she wants to see Fai happy, and Kaphrao is the one who can make her happy. But Kaphrao claims that she can not make her happy entirely, and argues that the person who holds most of her love and happiness is actually Panee. Panee wants her to call her aunt, and Kaphrao thanks auntie as she leaves. Later, Fai and Kaphrao walk across a suspension bridge as Fai claims she know Kaphrao’s sweetness would eventually win over Panee’s heart like she won over hers. Kaphrao claims it’s actually because of Fai, as Panee loves her and wants to see her happy, but Fai claims it’s because Kaphrao is adorable and kisses her on the cheek. Kaphrao hits her and asks her who said she could do it, but Fai claims she did. Kaphrao claims that from now on, they no longer have to worry about Panee, but Fai still needs to clear things up with her father, claiming he gave them their blessing when she told him about them, but she did a lot of bad things to him back then, doing everything to stop him when he got a new lover. But now, she understands that you can’t help whom you love, and that he has the right to love whoever he wants. Having a new lover doesn’t mean he has betrayed her mother, forgotten about her or doesn’t love Fai anymore. Kaphrao proposes to apologize to Akanee… …and soon thereafter, they sit with Akanee and Wanna, and Fai drops to his knees as she takes his hand and wants to apologize to him for always misunderstanding him, she knows that he never was a womanizer and has never forgotten about mother or her. They all well up as Akanee claims to have never blamed her at all, arguing that it was his fault that he was so consumed by work that he hardly has time to take good care of her, and he has to apologize for it as well. Fai then proposes that they are even, and Akanee wants to take better care of her from now on, but Fai thinks that won’t be necessary now that she already has Kaphrao. And taking care of Akanee, she leaves to Wanna and apologizes to her as well for behaving badly and being rude. Wanna thinks she should apologize for stealing her father and promises to stay in her place, but Fai thinks her father is not getting any younger and should move back and forth between houses anymore, telling Wanna to move in with Akanee. They joke a bit about Akanee not being that old. 😊 Kaphrao and Fai watch the open-cast mine at sunset, with Fai claiming she got the 101 mining session for her there. Fai jokes that she had to give her a little welcome ceremony after 15 years, then more earnestly tells her that the day she disappeared, her world came tumbling down, with Kaphrao experiencing the same, claiming she cried every night after she moved to boarding school – but somehow, it made her stronger like how Fai once told her that she needed to stand on her own legs. Fai claims she had no clue and admits that she always prayed that one day when they would see each other again, Kaphrao wouldn’t hate her anymore. But when she finally showed up again, she just didn’t know what to do, so she kept irritating her, just like a kid would do to someone she has a crush on, because she wants to get their attention and wants them to know. Kaphrao tells her that now she had realized she was wrong, she must promise to never bully her again for the rest of her life. Fai brings up making her dance in front of her, and Kaphrao claims she is doing it again. But then, Fai pull out a ring and asks Kaphrao to marry her. and vows to shove her down the hill if she refuses. But Kaphrao doesn’t refuse and lets her put on the ring, promising they won’t let each other marry anyone else. They kiss in the sunset. We switch to the wedding preparation where Kaphrao is helped getting ready by Rose, Lada and (for the first time in this series) Blew, and Kaphrao is nervous as the wedding procession (Khan Maak) is about to begin and Fai will soon be at their house. She thanks the three of them for helping her, for show would have been too nervous to get anything done, but Blew claims they are a family now, and tells her to slowly breathe in and out. But Kaphrao doesn’t feel better at all. Fai, Lom (making her first appearance in the series), Nam and Din are waiting outside wearing T shirts below their jackets which are labeled “Phi Jah loves Nong Phrao” as Akanee stand beside them with Panee, Wanna and Yod starting the wedding procession. At the house, Lada, Blew and Rose are dancing together Paen, Bua, and Nod, and the cousins join in, dancing goofily. At the house, Blew and Lada want rose to proclaim her love for Kaphrao loudly, and after the second proclamation, they let her through - but Nod and Bua stop her again, claiming she has treated Kaphrao horribly, and let her through only after she vows to spend the rest of her life caring for her and will always cherish her. At the ceremony, Akanee gives Kaphrao into Fai’s care. He tells Kaphrao that if they ever have a disagreement she should calm down and talk it through. He hopes that they won’t fight like when they were little anymore. Kaphrao thanks him, as the other couples just smile at each other. Then, Panee wishes them happiness – both of them, and apologizes to Kaphrao for treating her badly before. But now she claims that she’s letting it go and will be cheering and watching both of their love grow. Fai and Panee declare their love for each other, and Kaphrao claims she loves them, too. Then, they exchange the rings and ‘wai’ to each other, with Fai needing a little nudge from Nam. 😉 They take a few photo and end the ceremony with a kiss by Fai on Kaphrao’s cheek. After the ceremony the four married cousins cheer each other, and Lom teases Fai that her little cousin is finally off the market, with Fai complaining that it sounds like no one would want to marry her, but Lom claims that she was just concerned, arguing that, with Fai being so foul-mouthed and hot-headed, It wouldn’t have surprised her if she stayed single for the rest of her life. But Nam believes that there definitely is someone who can take her as she is, and Fai claims that someone is Kaphrao. And Din claims that love isn’t something troublesome as Fai used to believe, with Nam adding that it isn’t nonsense either, but rather something that brings them joy, and Lom adding that it makes her want to become a better person for the one she loves. Fai claims that Din’s love is soft and gentle, Nam’s love is honest and sincere, and Nam’s love is warm and cozy. Fai thinks about what her love is, and Lom proposes ‘hot and fiery,’ with Din claiming that Lom just loves to tease her. Nam proposes ‘passionate but tender’ and Fai likes it much better, but Lom thinks ‘fiery’ fits better. Fai states that maybe she will keep Lom’s motto for the wedding night, and they drink to her first fiery night, with din asking whether she needs a coach for the night 😊, and Fai trying to talk herself into it. Fai and Kaphrao enter the bridal chamber, and Kaphrao thinks that Fai is exhausted, but Fai claims not yet, and argues that they still have to do “that thing,” and she’s been looking forward to it all this time. There’s no way she’d miss out on her own wedding night. Kaphrao wants to know what she is talking about, and Fai states she means getting intimate like what married couples do. But Kaphrao doesn’t want to do it and eventually bites into her ear to stop Fai. She claims she going to shower, and Fai wants to shower with her, but Kaphrao threatens to bite off her other ear if she does it. Fai is disappointed but surrenders to Kaphrao. At night, they lie next to each other, but Kaphrao is apparently not happy that Fai is snoring. Kaphrao asks her if she’s asleep and Fai lies that yes, she is asleep. Kaphrao doesn’t believe it but Fai claims she talking in her sleep. Kaphrao touches Fai’s face, and Fai asks if she’s trying to torture her, because she is trying to restrain herself, for she didn’t want to get intimate with her. But Kaphrao claims that she was just shy because Fai blurted it out so suddenly. Fai turns around lightning-fast to face her as she admits that she is both shy and nervous – but she wants to try it. They talk a bit around the subject, then Fai wants to show Kaphrao how it’s done and Kaphrao claims she is not stopping her. This is the start of a six-minute love scene in which Fai and Kaphrao take turns at pleasing each other. The final scene of the series is with Fai and Kaphrao on the island looking at the sea and Fai presenting Kaphrao with a cake picturing a blue teddy bear, as Fai recounts that 15 years ago, she wanted to surprise her with a plushie, but it turned into a memory that tore them apart. Today, she wants to build a wonderful memory together with her. And she hands her the blue teddy bear, with Kaphrao being surprised that she kept it for this long. But Fai kept it for Kaphrao, she claims. Kaphrao thanks her and admits that the only person she could think of while she was stuck in the truck was Fai. Fai tells her she love her, and vows to keep telling it to her every day for the rest of her life. Kaphrao tells her she loves as well, and vows to say it until she gets sick of hearing it. But that will never happen, Fai claims for she will stay by her side and listen to it forever. They kiss each other again, and spend the night in each other’s arms. And that where “The Fire” and all of the four elements end. ___ This was 100 minutes of saying goodbye to Fai and Kaphrao - even longer as “The Water” finale – but we still had a lot of plot to go through, as Panee’s fate had to be revealed before Fai and Kaphrao could happily live ever after. It was surprising for me when I read that Panee was depressed all along in the novel, but the show made it believable, and also let Fai deal with Akanee and Wanna while Kaphrao let Nod (who wasn’t in love with Kaphrao in the novel) down easily but decisively. It took almost an hour for Panee to realize that she is the one preventing Fai from being happy, but in the end she relented in her own way when Fai got into a car accident. The final half-hour consisted of Fai and Kaphrao’s wedding and first night together, and it’s sag that we got so little of Nam, Lada, Lom and Blew in the series, but the actresses have their own schedules separate of North Star, so I expected it beforehand. I found the finale to be a little on the long side, but I’m giving “The Fire” an 8.5/10 or a “B” in U.S. letter grades, anyway, making “The Water” the sole element which got a lower grade for messing a bit too much with the novel plot.