Synopsis & Review of the Midnight Series: The Moonlight Chicken Series premiering on February 8, 2023 has a completely different core story and vibes from the two Midnight Series
The last part of the Midnight Series premiered on February 8, 2023. With the subtitle Moonlight Chicken, this series has a core story and vibes that are completely different from the other two Midnight Series.
If the other two Midnight Series are concerned with crime and heist, Moonlight Chicken is arguably the same as discussing money and small Thai society. However, the story is more of a slice of life. The nuances offered are also different from the previous two series which are more modern and really pop culture.
Moonlight Chicken is set in Pattaya, Thailand’s most popular tourist area. More specifically the Chinatown area there, because the characters have strong Chinese roots. Intrigued by the story? Check out the synopsis and reviews of Moonlight Chichken below.
Conditions after the COVID-19 pandemic subsided did not have a good effect on Thailand. Their economy has not returned to normal. Pattaya, Thailand’s most famous tourism city, also experienced a slump. The cost of living is getting more expensive, the price of basic commodities is rising, so inevitably the price of food in shops has skyrocketed.
Even so, there are still some restaurant owners who are reluctant to increase their prices, because they understand that the people there are also having a hard time. One of them is Moonlight Chicken or Midnight Chicken Rice, a Hainanese Chicken Rice shop that opens at night.
As if that wasn’t generous enough, the owner of Moonlight Chicken also allows diners to add portions, but there’s no need to pay an additional fee! Satisfied with the television reviews that visited and promoted Moonlight Chicken, ‘Uncle’ Jim (Earth Pirapat) was immediately bombarded by his nephew, employees and ‘friends’.
Gaipa (Khaotung Thanawat), Jim’s friend who is actually younger than Jim, comes to collect a debt, but is relaxed and full of smiles. Li Ming (Fourth Nattawat) asks his uncle for money to buy internet quota.
Even though he doesn’t have much money, Jim is satisfied because he can serve customers and support his small family. That night, when he was about to close the shop, Jim stopped because a customer who was drunk was unconscious. That is Wen (Mix Sahaphap), a man who claims to be drunk because he wants to celebrate his achievements in his work.
Jim didn’t want to leave Wen alone, so he sat with Wen while waiting for Wen’s friend to come pick him up. However, Wen’s friend never came. Jim also offered to drive Wen to the end of the street, worried about his drunken state. They ended up spending more time together.
When we reached a crossroads, Wen fell asleep in Jim’s car. Wen’s cellphone battery also runs out, so Jim can’t contact Wen’s friends. Finally Jim took Wen home in good faith. Predictably, they spend a hot night together.
From the start Jim had warned that this relationship would only be a one night stand. However, it’s obvious that Wen is ready for something more. After dropping Wen on the main road the next day, Jim headed to the market to buy chickens. It seems that the debt that Gaipa owed was money for his mother’s purchase of chickens, Mrs. Hong.
Jim seems very familiar with the vendors in the market, especially Mrs. Hong and Gaipa. Uniquely, Mrs. Hong seemed to understand that his son had feelings for Uncle Jim. He even ‘supports’ his son for PDKT. Unfortunately, it seems Jim doesn’t understand or pretends he doesn’t know about Gaipa’s feelings.
Exiting the market, Jim stopped at a porridge shop. Apparently Wen wasn’t home yet, she was eating porridge there as well. Jim also ordered a bowl for him and sat opposite Wen. With the context still not knowing each other’s names, Wen continued to launch her flirting moves. But he didn’t force things and left first.
Wen returns to her condo which looks a stark contrast to Jim’s. Wen’s residence is modern but simple, while Jim’s house has a strong Chinese-Thai feel. Wen couldn’t forget Jim at all. Despite the denial, Jim is actually the same.
At Moonlight Chicken, “Leng” Saleng (Mark Pakin), Jim’s employee, refuses to deliver Hinan’s chicken rice to Senior Sergeant Major Supoch’s house because he owes Mrs. Jintana (Sui Pornnapa), wife of sergeant major. The task was also done by Li Ming. Since no one answered the bell, Li Ming barged into the sergeant’s house.
There was a boy who was about his age, Heart (Gemini Norawit). Strangely, Heart didn’t seem to hear Li Ming’s call since earlier. When he touched Heart to be notified, Heart was so surprised that he dropped the drink bottle he was holding. Apparently Heart is mute & deaf.
Because both of them panicked and Li Ming also didn’t understand sign language, Li Ming immediately left the house after placing the order for Hainanese rice. Turns out the problem didn’t end there. Heart admits to her parents that it was Li Ming who broke her father’s liquor. Li Ming naturally didn’t want to be blamed just like that.
For Li Ming, it was Heart that was wrong. He didn’t want to admit that he had tasted his father’s liquor, then blamed it on him. Li Ming is annoyed because his uncle believes in him, but still they both ‘lose’ when fighting a sergeant who is a police officer. In the end, they are just poor people who have no power.
Unfortunately, since there is no evidence proving Li Ming was innocent, the cost of the liquor is split in half between the sergeant and Jim. He must pay around 7,000 Baht (Rp. 3.1 million). Li Ming didn’t want to put his uncle in debt for him. He also offered to work at the sergeant’s residence to pay for the broken liquor.
Li Ming’s absence at the shop made Jim open a job application as a waiter at Moonlight Chicken. That night, Wen came when the shop was closed. He pretended to have come for a beer, but really he just wanted to see Jim. He also saw an opportunity for him to always be close to Jim, namely to work there.
Wen also volunteered to fill the vacant position at Jim’s tiny shop, and Jim accepted. With conditions, there will be no more relationship between them, only bosses and employees.
Saleng said his girlfriend wanted new shoes. Then Lung a.ka Uncle Jim told Saleng to go pick up his girlfriend. Saleng was confused as to why Jim let him go, while Li Ming didn’t have anyone to help at the tavern. It turns out that there is a new employee, who is none other than Wen.
Meanwhile, Saleng runs into Li Ming when the high school boy comes home from school. They walked together to the shop while talking. Saleng asked where after graduation Li Ming wanted to study, but it seemed that Li Ming was thinking of just working abroad, considering that his uncle’s economy was not good.
Saleng and Li Ming seemed to be the same age, or Leng was slightly older than Li Ming. It is said that Saleng did not continue his high school education, but he really had no intention of continuing his studies even though Jim was told to take Package C. Arriving at the tavern, Li Ming remembered Wen’s face from the night when Wen was drunk and stayed at Jim’s house.
It wasn’t just Wen who had her first day at work, Li Ming also started working at Sergeant Supoch’s residence today. Li Ming and Jim were involved in a tough argument between uncle and nephew, because Li Ming had a problem, and Jim didn’t understand today’s youth. Anyway, Li Ming arrived at the sergeant’s residence that afternoon.
Her job is to clean the house and accompany Heart. But when Heart’s parents come home, Li Ming can go home. On his first day at work, Li Ming had ‘fought’ again with Heart, but this time Li Ming managed to make Heart obey him to clean up ‘their mistakes’ together.
The next day, Leng and Praew went to the market to buy chicken at the Gaipa outlet. The boy notices the handwriting on the shopping note doesn’t belong to Jim, and Leng alerts him to a new employee named Wen. That afternoon, Gaipa came to Moonlight Chicken and met Wen in person. Jim, Wen, and Gaipa were involved in an awkward conversation.
At school, Li Ming’s friends were discussing where to go to college. They can also ‘casual’ courtship. Li Ming felt that he didn’t deserve any pleasure because his life wasn’t easy. He wants to work abroad, maybe while in college because he watches vlogs of Kayavine a.k.a Kay Lertsittichai, a Thai YouTuber who is studying in America.
However, he couldn’t tell his uncle what he wanted, because according to him, his uncle ‘wouldn’t understand’. Meanwhile, Jim, as Li Ming’s biological mother’s younger brother, felt responsible for his nephew’s future. He wanted Li Ming to study and enter university.
Conflicts between uncles and nephews often occur. Wen who witnessed the debate between the two chose silence. He accidentally saw a pamphlet working abroad and immediately understood Li Ming’s wishes, even though they weren’t related. Maybe because of Wen’s young age, he can see the mindset of a teenager like Li Ming.
At the Heart residence, the young owner of the house invited Li Ming to sit and watch TV with him. Li Ming was afraid that Heart would complain to his parents again, and Heart apologized. He thought his parents didn’t know Li Ming, so he put the blame on Li Ming for breaking his father’s liquor bottle.
Eh, it turns out that they know each other which got Li Ming in trouble. However, Li Ming actually didn’t have a problem because he really didn’t want to stay at the Moonlight Chicken shop for too long, because he often resented his ‘talkative’ uncle.
Meanwhile at Jim’s house, he is looking at the expense list, and there is a note from Gaipa that he has paid some of Jim’s debts. However, there is Jim’s debt that Gaipa hasn’t paid, so Gaipa asks Jim not to forget to return the loan amount he took. Then Jim tussles between Gaipa and Wen.
If you want stability in life and a better economy, of course Gaipa is the most appropriate choice, right? But, deep down, Jim knew his heart wanted Wen. Unfinished from his frantic state, suddenly Leng and Praew came to Jim’s house. They complain that Praew is pregnant.
Praew wants Leng to marry her, because his parents won’t agree to allow him to live with children, but without legal status with Leng. Meanwhile, Leng was confused because he had no savings and both of his parents had died. He thinks of owing Jintana, the sergeant’s wife and Heart’s mother.
However, Jim is worried that Leng will not be able to pay the interest. The next day, Jim was supposed to pay his car insurance payments. However, he instead used the money to buy jewelery as a dowry, so that Praew and Leng could get married.
At the mall, Jim accidentally saw Wen doing his main job, namely as an art director at the mall. They ended up having lunch together and Wen promised to come later that night to help at Jim’s diner. Don’t forget that Wen bought Jim some sliced fruit and asked him to eat it.
Back at the mall, Wen ran into Li Ming who at that time was fixated on seeing the stall at the mall about working abroad. Li Ming felt very happy to meet Wen who understood and supported his wish. They also exchanged chat IDs so Li Ming could ask him anything he wasn’t comfortable discussing with Jim.
At Moonlight Chicken, Jim gives the gold necklace he bought to Leng. This moved Leng and was very happy, so he went straight home to tell Praew about it. Wen suddenly gets a call that requires him to return to the mall. He was escorted by Jim by car.
Unfortunately while parking, Jim’s car hit a motorist. They ‘confessed’ to being in pain and asked for compensation of 3,000 THB (Rp. 1.3 million). Jim hurriedly counted the cash he had in his wallet, but found that it had already been paid for by Wen.
Jim didn’t go straight home, but waited for Wen to finish work. Jim sees Wen’s life as very different from his. Wen is still young, a social butterfly, and her economy is better than hers. Jim wanted Wen too, but he didn’t want to drag her into a vicious cycle that would make her life difficult going forward.
