Moonlight Chicken – Episode 8 Recap, Review & Ending Explained

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Episode 8 of Moonlight Chicken starts off with Jim preparing a meal at the diner for his sister Jam. He assures her that he can survive without the diner and that she should let Li Ming decide where he wants to live.

Jam is worried about her son being gay and before Jim can lecture her, she clarifies that she is okay with Li Ming being gay but doesn’t like the idea of society rejecting him or who will take care of him. Jim tells her that even straight couples don’t last and tells her that he will always look after Li Ming. 

Do Li Ming and his mother, Jam patch up?

Jim tricks Li Ming and Jam into hanging out with each other at the mall and goes apartment hunting with Wen. Jim stays aloof as Wen keeps asking for his advice and says it is his call since it is his home. Wen says he wants it to also be Jim’s and he hugs him which Jim returns.

At the mall, Li Ming is awkward with his mom as she suggests shoes that don’t match his style. He sees an expensive pair of shoes and while he plans on buying its knockoffs, Jam buys them for him. She says Tong pays for her and that she loves him.

Li Ming feels worried that people would talk about her getting married several times and she says she only cares about what he thinks. They patch up as he says that if she loves Tong then he won’t stand between them. He gives her his diner apron as a keepsake and they have bubble tea together.

What happens to the Moonlight Chicken diner?

Leng, Gaipa, Jim and Wen offer merit to Mrs. Hong. Jim asks if Gaipa should do something else since the chicken stall was his mother’s. Gaipa reveals that while he hated the idea when he was a child and he has a degree, he will continue running the stall and Leng adds that there is no shame in it. While Jim and Leng go to get the car, Wen invites Gaipa to the diner’s farewell party.

Jim looks at them from afar and smiles and Gaipa notices that he is in fact looking at Wen lovingly who is doing the same. He gives a small resigned smile and rejects the invitation. At the party, they tease Leng for his cooking while Li Ming shows Heart how to cut chicken. Jim watches them all and feels a sense of contentment. They end up taking group photos together before shutting down the diner for good. 

How do Alan and Wen end things?

Jeab is helping Alan pack up the condo and she asks about his polaroid photos with Wen which he decides to leave behind. He goes to the hospital to remove his cast and Wen comes to help him. Alan squeezes his hand and tells him that he doesn’t need to help him anymore. While Wen looks sad he smiles at the thought of Alan finally moving on.

Do Heart and Li Ming start dating?

Li Ming and Heart show his mother the Engineering faculty for deaf people in USA. She looks thoughtful but agrees and Heart hugs her. She says she still needs to convince Officer Supoch and asks Li Ming to stay for dinner so that they can explain it to him together. Heart and Li Ming visit a temple and leave offerings together. As they are leaving, they see some lion dancers and Li Ming reveals he used to work with them.

He puts on a performance for Heart who laughs and takes a video of him. After the dance, as they walk out together they reveal that none of them have had a boyfriend before. Heart wonders what it is like and Li Ming shows him his face. He is confused and Li Ming kisses his cheek. Li Ming then tells him to read his lips and calls him his boyfriend. Heart blushes and they hold hands.

Back home, Li Ming brings Jim a bubble tea and they talk about how he always knew he liked boys. Jim assures him that he is not doing anything wrong but wishes he had a better childhood living with some well-off relative. Li Ming tells Jim is the best and both thank each other which has them cringing but hugging. 

Where does everyone end up by the end of the show?

Jim hangs out with Wen and shares that he is actually envious that Li Ming knows what he wants while he has no dream. Wen tells him that it is still not too late and he will support him financially on whatever he wants to do. Jim smiles and tells him that he will sell his car for the money and asks Wen to take his photo with it. They end up taking photos together.

2 months later, Wen informs his team leader that the Marina Food Court project in Pattaya is ready by 80%. His boss is impressed and promotes him to project manager and offers him a new project in Rayong province which has Wen torn.

Elsewhere in the mall, Heart is worried about their movie date since it has no subtitles and Li Ming says that he will help him. At the bank, Alan keeps smiling at Gaipa who is looking over his mother’s bank documents. Just as he is about to leave, Alan asks for his chat ID and gives the excuse of needing it for more work. He immediately texts Gaipa who is surprised but smiles before leaving.

Wen gets out of work and joins Jim to help out with his food cart. Leng stops by and updates them about his new job while Praew is taking care of their son, Jason. He gives Jim back the gold necklace that he had pawned off and tells him to rest while he takes the customers’ orders. 

Does Li Ming go to USA?

The diner staff and Heart visit Jam, Tong and their kid, Gam. At dinner, Jim introduces Wen as his boyfriend who is pleasantly surprised. While washing the dishes, Li Ming tells Jam that he will accompany Heart to USA and she is worried as she asks about the money. He says that he and Jim have saved up and he will also work and study. She looks sad but smiles.

They watch Heart playing with Gam, and Jam asks Li Ming about his deafness. Li Ming says that it is not a problem and they talk all the time. He tells her that he loves Heart and she is surprised. After Jam and Gam leave, they watch the moon together. Heart says Li Ming’s name aloud who is excited and says that he has a nice voice. He kisses his cheek and they sit side by side together. 

Jim and his sister watch them and she thanks him for raising Li Ming. She offers to pay for his tuition and tells Jim not to refuse it as she wants to pay for the times she neglected her son. Back in Pattaya, Jim signs his approval for Li Ming’s work and travel application. Li Ming promises to pay back Jim he has spent on him but he waves it off.

Do Alan and Gaipa get together?

That night, Alan heads to the food cart and Wen is surprised to see him. He says he is helping Gaipa who approaches him. He asks Alan if he knows Wen and he says that they are friends. It isn’t awkward as they get a table together and give Jim their order. Leng stops at their table and teases Gaipa about free credit if he dates Alan.

Praew scolds Leng as Gaipa blushes while Alan laughs. Wen brings them their order and Alan smiles at him who returns the smile and pats his shoulder. Li Ming and Heart also stop by for a meal and Wen talks to them in sign language. Jim looks at everyone and smiles which Wen notices. 

How does it end for Jim and Wen?

During the epilogue, Wen fixes the DVD player and plays Jim’s favourite movie, the romantic one about the right person wrong time that they had been talking about when they first met. Wen says he is glad he didn’t give up easily and they enjoy the movie together.

Jim lets Wen sleep on his lap and he tells the older man that he has become a romantic. Jim wonders if Wen will ever get tired of him and Wen assures him that won’t. Jim then kisses him and calls him his boyfriend. On the dining table, we see Wen’s Marina application as he declines the promotion since he has built a permanent home in Pattaya.

The Episode Review

It is realistic, not everyone gets the happy endings they want. While most shows have all of the characters get together for one last happy get-together, Gaipa who is nursing heartbreak in more ways than one is absent the first time. While he understands that he cannot have Jim that doesn’t make it any less easy to be around him and Wen.

And while we thanked the BL gods for the FirstKhaotung crumbs and were satisfied with their interaction in the previous episode, it seems that the universe continues to be kind to us. We went from Gaipa having his confidence broken after Jim rejected him to being surprisingly happy that Alan might be interested in him. It is also uplifting to see Alan moving on after a toxic and sad relationship.

We have already spoken enough about Heart and Li Ming and how in every episode since the premiere, they continued to be cute and wholesome and just so in love. But the scene where Li Ming calls Heart his boyfriend was absolutely the best.

Well, onto the main characters Jim and Wen. While Heart, Li Ming, Gaipa and Alan may have kept stealing the spotlight, this show would have been nothing without the captain of all BL ships, Earth and Mix. They absolutely killed it as Jim and Wen from their complicated pasts hindering their relationships to finally letting it go and trusting each other.

Their sizzling chemistry was enough for the viewers to blush every time they made heart eyes at each other. And while we may want more, Moonlight Chicken is the perfect bite-sized, slice-of-life drama with enough tears and butterflies to watch whenever we are in the mood for something romantic.