Pineapple Leaf Blade

Ouch. That is the first lesson of Pineapple Leaf Blade (คมใบสับปะรด): pineapple leaves are sharp, so watch what you touch. Somebody learns it the hard way in the official pilot, and the warning turns into the whole mood of the show. Everything on this farm can cut you, including the feelings.

The story opens in a hiring line. A recruiter calls out names, a young man answers "Piya, sir", and we meet Piya (Tay Tawan Vihokratana). Soon there is a parcel for a mom back home and a promise to return in a couple of years. Which country is the job in? Nobody in the scene can name it. All anyone knows is that it is an island called Hawaii.

Paradise turns out to be a pineapple plantation with very strict bosses. The workers chase a daily target of 120 baskets, anyone too slow gets moved to the field where every fruit is picked by hand, and the farm keeps hold of their passports. Then Piya meets Phon (New Thitipoom Techaapaikhun), a worker who sounds far too educated for this place. Phon has a plan of his own: stay past his visa, find a job at a hotel, and first of all get off this farm for good.

Escape talk becomes something softer. One of them asks the other to run away together. Long days in the field and a rushed shower before the power goes out pull the two men closer, until one of them asks the question the pilot has been building toward: can't we just love each other? Winny Thanawin Pholcharoenrat also appears in the cast. My tip: watch the counting scene near the end of the pilot, because it explains the title better than any summary can.