Unlucky Ploy

 Unlucky Ploy  16 episodes

When you're unlucky, stuff happens. Like things falling on your head. 

Judging by its title, you might think this series from Thailand is about a cunning plan, but you’d be wrong. Ploy is a common enough name in Thailand—think 淑芬 in Taiwan or Mia in the US—one that happens to be the name of our unlucky protagonist. But that’s not all when it comes to Ploys. Because there’s also a Pretty Ploy here: perfect, good natured, successful—you know, the kind of girl we all hate. Both Ploys went to the same high school, grew up in the same village and now both are working together for the same company…with Pretty Ploy the supervisor of Unlucky Ploy. Pretty Ploy is not unlike Kai-er in the Taiwanese series Office Girls. 

 

Green Ausadaporn plays Unlucky Ploy—now, if you saw her walking down the street, you’d probably think tall model, pretty—she won the genetic lottery. It’s only when we see her interact with others and her coworkers do we see what a lovable loser she truly is. She drinks like an Englishman at a pub during last call, lives on instant noodles, and her apartment is a refurbished storage room. Oh, she gets jilted by her husband-to-be a day before her wedding. 

 

At the center of the conflict, Naii: sound engineer, clairvoyant, pretty boy.

Enter Naii, the resident series hunk, who enters Ploy’s life. Naii is a sound engineer, well-to-do, handsome, fit, and a strong silent type. In other words, the male analogue to Pretty Ploy. Oh, did we mention that he lives next door to Unlucky Ploy? How convenient. Naii also has premonitions. Premonitions of accidents—those involving himself, and sometime those involving others. Let’s just say that he does not disprove the stereotype of bad Asian drivers. 

How pretty is pretty Ploy? Enough to make you a hater.

Unlucky Ploy has the hots for Naii. Naii kind of likes Ploy but has a funny way of showing it. Like getting close to Ploy, maybe kissing her, but then not calling her for a week. That’s how Naii rolls. Deal with it. He’s not playing mind games, this isn’t some kind of ploy, he’s just clueless and too caught up in his premonitions. He conveniently has a past with Pretty Ploy, who can’t help being soooo pretty, the object of the entirety of her coworkers’ desires, all while she whips ass in chess and ping pong. 

Ploy's parents: dad is silent, mom goes up to eleven.

Like other drama series, Unlucky Ploy is a slow burn, but Green Ausadaporn brings her charm and Audrey Hepburn-esque charisma to the show, giving it a boost of playfulness and comedy. Daraneenute Bhothipiti, who plays Ploy’s mom is hilarious: grumpy, overly dramatic and so over life. In one instance, she encourages Ploy to move out of the house by taking all of her wedding presents to the front yard and chaining the front door with a padlock. Without telling her. How’s that for motherly love?

Who's the boss? Nang's the boss. One who loves to get her drink on. 

Pokchat Thiamchai is Naii’s sister and a higher up in Ploy’s company. Like Ploy, when she’s not sleeping, she’s drinking and her luck with men leaves much to be desired. Her thick hair has a life of its own, which she slicks back at work, but leaves crazed and flowing whenever she’s on a bender. She's a mean-spirited fashionista with a penchant for humiliating Ploy. Just the kind of Asian drama villainess who might turn out to be decent after all. 

 

Unlucky Ploy gets all the attention, until you-know-who shows up.

Unlucky Ploy is available on Netflix with English subtitles. And here's the trailer on YouTube in Thai only, which is pretty funny even without the subtitles.