Khom Khlang EP4 Review: The Heat Is On
The story advances, the danger grows and Mae Kru brings the heat — literally. But the romantic sparks are left at a sizzle.
OPENING REACTION + QUICK TAKE
Heading into Khom Khlang EP4, we had high hopes we would get at least one more spicy moment between Mae Kru Bulan and Peem now that they’ve decided to give this relationship a whirl.
In the novel, their intimacy develops much more frequently. We never expected the series to follow that same pace, but after EP3 shifted their relationship forward, we were curious to see where the series would take them next.
Alas, sapphics. We were left wanting.
That doesn’t mean EP4 was a miss. Far from it. The story elements are strong, and we continue to like many of the choices being made in adapting the novel for television. We get more of Bulan’s backstory, Peem’s investigation pushes deeper into the supernatural and the episode ends by throwing us straight back into the action.
Still, with a plethora of GL series competing for viewers’ attention right now, EP4 left us a little underwhelmed — not because Peem and Bulan’s relationship doesn’t move forward, but because a few key moments don’t fully capitalize on the emotional groundwork being laid.
THE MOMENT
Mae Kru Bulan Makes Those Bullets
We’re joining the many fans who have already said it: The moment that had our jaws on the floor was Mae Kru Bulan making Peem’s bullets.
Because apparently putting Bint in Bulan’s ceremonial outfit wasn’t enough. No, Khom Khlang had to add firelight, glowing tattoos, sweat and a woman forging supernatural bullets with her bare hands.
Then the camera started making choices.
The close-ups linger on Bulan’s chest as she works, drawing our attention to her tattoo, her heavy breathing and — let’s not pretend otherwise — exactly how that ceremonial top is fitting. Add those ruby-red lips and sweat slowly making its way down her skin, and suddenly this ritual is giving us heatstroke.
Sapphics, we were never meant to survive this scene.
Even Peem takes off her jacket because of the heat. We understand, girl. We understand.
And that visual framing is important because the cinematography is doing two things at once. It makes Bulan undeniably sensual while also emphasizing the physicality of her magic. The fire, sweat, strained breathing and glowing tattoos make the ritual feel demanding and powerful. We aren’t simply being told Mae Kru has supernatural abilities anymore; we’re watching her body physically channel them.
For Peem, that matters. She has spent much of the series trying to reconcile police logic with Bulan’s supernatural world. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to question magic when your girlfriend’s tattoos are glowing while she forges enchanted ammunition in front of you. We think the skepticism phase of this relationship can officially be retired.
But the ritual also changes the stakes. These aren’t simply bullets that can penetrate the seemingly invulnerable Krating’s skin; possessing them gives Peem a supernatural advantage against a supernatural enemy — and potentially puts an even bigger target on the cop already hunting him.
Bulan understands those stakes, which makes her decision to create the bullets significant. It also connects her to her father, who possessed the same knowledge and appears to have used it to fight the growing evil around them. By following in his footsteps, Bulan isn’t simply arming Peem. She’s choosing to use her own power to help Peem continue a fight that has become deeply personal.
So yes, the visuals made the scene impossible to forget — seriously, Khom Khlang, we saw what you did there — but underneath all that fire and sweat is an important turning point. Peem now has a weapon that could change her fight against Krating, and Bulan has helped put it directly into her hands.
WHAT WORKED
a. Mae Kru Bulan’s Backstory
EP4 gives us a deeper look at Bulan’s history across two scenes, from her family and childhood to the experiences that ultimately led her to take the oath and become Mae Kru.
Both remain fairly close to the novel, and we appreciate that the adaptation kept them. Together, they help fill in the woman behind the title — how Bulan grew up, her complicated understanding of her father, the illness that shaped her life and why she ultimately chose this path.
But what makes these scenes work especially well is how that history comes out. Bulan opens the door by offering something personal, and then Peem — ever the inquisitive cop — starts asking questions. It happens again later when Bulan shares another piece of her past and Peem naturally wants to know more.
That creates a nice character-driven rhythm to what could otherwise feel like exposition. Peem isn’t learning about Bulan because the plot suddenly needs her backstory; she’s becoming curious about the woman she’s falling for. And Bulan, importantly, keeps answering.
In that sense, the backstory is doing double duty. It gives us important context about Bulan while quietly developing their relationship through curiosity, vulnerability and trust. Peem gets to know the woman behind “Mae Kru,” and Bulan continues choosing to let her.
b. The Hunt for the Artifacts
We loved this change from the novel.
In the book, Bulan tells Peem what she needs to find, Peem heads out and — before you know it — she has everything. There isn’t much context around the search itself.
EP4 makes Peem work for it, and we’re glad it does.
We get to see how she tracks down the artifacts, what she encounters along the way and, more importantly, what she does when she can’t find everything in time. Rather than continuing her search after dark, Peem keeps her promise and returns to Bulan.
That may seem like a small decision, but it says a lot about where these two are headed. Peem desperately wants to stop Krating and get justice for her siblings, yet she doesn’t let that determination override what Bulan asked of her. Our stubborn cop is learning to listen. Look at that growth.
And the story gives us a nice payoff when she gets home.
Bulan is there to take care of Peem and ultimately gives her the final two pieces she couldn’t find. It creates a quiet sense of reciprocity between them: Peem trusts Bulan enough to respect her boundaries, while Bulan continues showing Peem that she can trust her in return.
That’s why this adaptation works so well for us. The artifact hunt still moves Peem closer to what she needs to fight Krating, but it also moves their relationship forward through actions rather than another declaration of feelings. Peem respects Bulan’s wishes and comes home when she says she will; Bulan takes care of her and helps provide what Peem couldn’t find on her own.
It’s trust being built in both directions — and sometimes, sapphics, that’s the good stuff.
c. That Ending
Now this is what we signed up for.
Watching Peem race through the police station searching for Krating, only to encounter colleagues who appear to have been possessed, immediately raises the stakes.
For a moment, we thought we might be heading toward that infamous chase from the novel — and yes, we are patiently waiting — but what the episode gives us instead creates an interesting problem for Peem.
She finally has the bullets she needs to fight Krating, but what happens when the people coming after her are innocent colleagues being controlled by something else?
She can’t exactly start firing magical bullets at the good guys.
Add Thong, our resident child ghost, stepping in to alert Bulan of the trouble she is in, and EP4 leaves us with exactly the kind of crime-meets-supernatural chaos that made Khom Khlang stand out to us in the first place.
Bring on EP5.
WHAT MISSED
a. The Waterfall Confession
We know some of you are already asking, “Why is this under what missed?”
Hear us out.
The acting certainly isn’t the problem. Puinoon and Bint are phenomenal here, giving Peem and Bulan a mix of vulnerability, attraction and playful flirting that makes the scene work even when some of the dialogue left us scratching our heads.
Honestly, depending on the line — and perhaps the translation — we weren’t always sure whether we were watching a love confession or an exposé on love. The intent eventually becomes clear, but some of the wording makes the conversation harder to follow than the emotions being communicated on screen.
And those emotions? Oh, they were communicating.
Puinoon and Bint frequently let their eyes drift toward each other’s lips when Peem and Bulan get close. Yes, there is some triangle-method energy happening, and yes, we noticed. Then the flirt game gets even stronger, with both women promising to take care of the other with all the energy they have.
Excuse us? You two are flirting awfully close to a lifetime warranty.
We also get something surprisingly rare from Bulan: a full smile and a blush. Not one of her knowing little smirks. An actual, can’t-quite-hide-it smile. Bint plays that shift beautifully, allowing us to see Peem getting past some of Bulan’s usual composure. For a character who keeps such tight control over herself, that little crack in the armor says plenty.
Which brings us to why this scene landed under “What Missed.”
First, can we talk about the setting?
Peem and Bulan are sitting together on a rock beside a waterfall, surrounded by a gorgeous, lush landscape near Bulan’s childhood home. They’re alone, talking about what it means for them to be together, seeking reassurance from each other and letting those walls come down.
Come on. The romance is practically built into the location.
And then the filmmaking doubles down. The camera moves closer, the music swells, their physical distance narrows and the performances become increasingly intimate. Everything starts speaking the cinematic language of an impending kiss.
And then … nothing.
To be clear, we don’t believe every romantic scene needs to end with a kiss. Restraint can create fantastic romantic tension when it feels intentional. But when the location, dialogue, camera, score, blocking and performances all appear to build toward the same emotional payoff, pulling back without another clear beat can make the scene feel interrupted rather than deliberately restrained.
That’s what happened for us here.
A slightly different choice in the cinematography, music or blocking could have signaled that this was meant to remain an emotionally intimate moment rather than move into a physically romantic one.
And that’s a shame because so much of the scene works. The flirt game is strong, Puinoon and Bint are even stronger, and Bulan blushing? We will protect that smile at all costs.
We just wish the filmmaking had trusted all that delicious tension enough to give the scene a clearer emotional landing.
b. Peem Accepting the Bullets
This one killed us because, honestly, it felt surprisingly out of character for Peem.
We completely understand why she’s thrilled to finally have the bullets. They could give her the advantage she needs to stop Krating and get justice for her siblings. This is a huge moment for her.
But girl, Mae Kru basically just handed you the supernatural equivalent of the best present ever — after burning her hand to make it — and suddenly it’s bullets first, girlfriend who?
That emotional transition just doesn’t land.
Bulan has put herself through an intense ritual to help Peem. She’s sweaty, visibly spent and explaining how the bullets need to be used. Then the camera gives us a glimpse of her burned hand.
And that detail matters.
By deliberately showing us Bulan’s injury, the scene establishes that her magic came with a physical cost. Peem is standing directly in front of her, but we never get any acknowledgment from her that she notices it.
Instead, the scene cuts almost immediately to Peem holding up one of her shiny new bullets, loading her magazine and aiming her gun with an almost giddy excitement.
Wait. What?
It’s especially jarring because EP4 has spent so much time developing their relationship through actions. Peem respects Bulan’s wishes and returns before dark. Bulan takes care of her. At the waterfall, they seek reassurance from each other and playfully promise to take care of one another with all the energy they have.
Then Bulan burns her hand helping Peem and … new bullet, who dis?
From a storytelling standpoint, this is where one reaction shot could have done a lot of heavy lifting. Peem noticing Bulan’s hand, reaching for it or simply showing concern before turning her attention to the bullets would have preserved the emotional continuity without slowing the story down.
We didn’t need a grand romantic gesture. We needed about five seconds.
Without that beat, the editing unintentionally makes Peem appear more enamored with her new ammunition than concerned about the woman who just physically paid the price for making it. And for the Peem this episode itself has been developing, that doesn’t quite track.
Puinoon sells Peem’s excitement, and Bint sells the physical toll of the ritual. The performances are there. We just wish the edit had given those two emotions a chance to meet.
If you’re going to show us the burn, give it somewhere to land.
BOLD TAKE
Khom Khlang EP4 advances the mystery, deepens Bulan’s backstory and quietly moves her relationship with Peem forward. The emotional groundwork is there — we just wish a few key moments had been allowed to stick the landing.
FINAL VERDICT
We enjoyed Khom Khlang EP4 — enough that, yes, we’ve already watched it a few times. There is a lot here that works, particularly the adaptation choices surrounding Peem’s investigation, Bulan’s history and the supernatural threat closing in around them.
There are simply a few moments where an extra emotional beat could have made the episode feel more cohesive, particularly between Peem and Bulan.
That certainly isn’t an acting issue. Puinoon and Bint continue to sell every look, snuff kiss, and flicker of attraction between these characters — along with the apparently sweltering heat of Thailand. We see you. Wink.
And based on that EP5 trailer? We are very ready to see what comes next.
Then again, considering what #PuinoonBint have teased in multiple interviews — including their interview with HER IN FOCUS — we have a feeling things aren’t staying at a sizzle for long.
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