LA_Drama Fan

"Moms to the rescue" indeed. BongMin & InOk have such great chemistry on scene, I don't understand why they are not shown together more. C'mon, writer!

Jesus, that was epic!!!! So far it's was your masterpiece, and I feel like I don't even need to watch the episode. WELL DONE.
Sounds like they're giving us a trial separation? IMO, these 2 won't confess until they are FORCED apart and have to realize how miserable they without each other. So that they can fight whomever separated them (Granny, SJ, JH????) and admit and claim their love. I still think it's way too early in the series for this, but it will happen before the baby is born.
Bad news is, it sounds like a lot of screen time for SJ today....UGH.

Given the character's unpopularity (both here online and with the domestic SK audience) do you think it's deliberate to keep viewers from immediately switching channels, and preserving ratings? Or am I overthinking things while we're twiddling our thumbs waiting for 19?

Interesting trend from this weekend. SeJin is appearing later in the episodes:
Ep 17 - Minute 37
Ep18 - Minute 20 (she had more appearance time in Ep 18, SJAF = .17)

I had this question too, but after re-watching 17 & 18, I think she's also feeling increasing guilt about the situation, especially when she talks with InOk; who doesn't realize her 'helpful' suggestions and praise of them as a couple is pushing YD out.

I think you're both right...the smart money says he wont answer. But I keep thinking that's such a cliche, and this writer seems to disdain them. So why not:
He tells her 'yes, of course I do' and then passes out. She's freaked out, and doesn't know what to do. This continues to the next day, when he wakes up he has no recollection of the conversation and doesn't realize for the balance of the episode why she's treating him so odd...until at the very end when he realizes what he said the night before (that's your cliffhanger ending for Ep 19. )

I keep thinking about how they are going to handle this in the opening of Ep 19. I wish we had a poll option, so we could get a feeling how everyone thinks. I see 3 options:
1-He passes out before he can answer
2-He suddenly sobers up and says "no, of course not"
3-He says 'yes' as he's still drunk and his defenses are down.

I can make a case for all 3...

>>>YM - how did she NOT see those pics of DW in his daughter’s Instagram account? Or did she?

THIS!

Well, that was a mixed bag of an episode.

Thanks again! Too much Sejin!!!
A lifetime of denying that love even exists (or is possible for him) has left him totally unprepared for the onslaught of emotions. My only question is "What is YD's hurry to end things?" I don't believe that it's because she's worried they'll slip again and the secret will be exposed? Maybe I missed something....

This bugs me too. He should be avoiding her at all costs. But instead he stuck her in the Friend Zone. Why????

Yup. From the male perspective, I see TK as a man who was gun-shy around women. And the last thing that kind of guy needs is someone pushing him into a relationship, which is why his previous ones never lasted over 3 mos. We saw it in Ep 1, with Ms. Baek (from Bravo My Live) the newscaster trying to push them along and he revolted. In this case, YD is not pushing him, and in fact the opposite, and this leaves our hero to be punched right between the eyes by love. He never saw it coming, and I still feel he's head over heels for her and doesn't know how to handle the emotions out of fear (of the uncertain for himself, and fear in how she'll react if he confesses his feelings).

To me, this was clear in AJH's excellent (non-verbal) acting in the playground scene. Watch his facial expressions as the conversation begins about her neice (his expression is compassionate), then YD talks about herself (he becomes concerned), and finally about him not being there and her future as a single mom (his face crumbles and he reaches for her). I think he badly wanted to hug her, but is just too scared right now.

On to Ep 18!!!!

I finally got home late this afternoon and rushing to read this was the first thing I did! Thanks again for another epic review!
My takeaways (just watched it):
-When was the last time TK had a full night's sleep? My man must have some serious sleep-deprivation by now.
- I agree, the sound of his pulse near the end was WAYYYY too slow.
- I was yelling at him twice this episode: PUT YOUR ARM AROUND HER SHOULDER, YOU IDIOT, IF SHES SNUGGLING UP TO YOU!
and, STOP HANGING AROUND SEJIN!!! DON'T YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT WOMEN'S JEALOUSY? So what if she's walking past in the rain? SERVES HER RIGHT!
-SJAF was < .13
This episode left me feeling like I had a big meal that didn't fill me up. I wanted something more. Mind you, this was a huge improvement for a Saturday episode, but something seemed missing. I can't really describe it.

I"m hoping they are misleading us in the previews again, because that would be a great disappointment, for sure.

The mom coming back is going to be interesting, because of KS guilt and devotion to her, I can see 2 ways this happens:
1. If she returns and decides to rejoin the family, no matter where MR is in his life, KS will go back to the wife out of obligation to JD and guilt at the thought of leaving the wife (and his need for self-denial we've seen thru the series). Then things would get messy to have to cause him to leave the wife and actually go thru the promised relationship with MR.
2. If she returns seeking a divorce since she's found someone else in the 10 years (and maybe even has a new family of her own, as speculated here). Beyond the initial shock, KS will grant her the divorce and then he and MR can move forward with their relationship. God knows where JD figures into this, but she ain't going with Mom.
Since KS needs a clean-cut, guilt-free path to MR, I'm guessing option 2 has to occur. Otherwise he just won't be able to go to MR because he can't do what's best for himself.

That gift-giving scene was so infuriating!!! He can't even imagine investing in himself (replacing that windbreaker he wears with its frayed collar, for instance). I agree with everything you said, except for his Dad. I know I'm in the minority, and I don't know about any ulterior motives, but his Dad is telling him what he needs to know. And he may be a shady guy (and a helluva dresser) but he's the only member in the stinking cast who seems to care for him and is trying his hardest to get it thru his son's stupidity that his wife abandoned him and her daughter. Yes, Dad is non-diplomatic about it, but at this point, 10 years into this nonsense, KS has to move on for his and JDs sake. And if Dad can set him up with a rich girl, why not? Nobody else wants to set him up with anyone (except for HoRang, of course).
I thought Yeong Yi in "Love in your Eyes" was frustrating, but KS is making me tear my hair out, and I'm too old for that.

Something I've been thinking about while we're sitting here waiting for 17...
In the scene where SJ is screaming at her Dad (ep14) about how he caused her to have to eat her friends leftovers, etc, he says "I'm sorry I put my values first and failed to look out for you".

I keep thinking that was an odd statement. His "values" caused their company/family to go bankrupt? I wonder what that meant and if it's significant?

It will be interesting to see how they portray BangWon in this series, having just seen their characters in LBW, King of Tears. She is such a tragic story....

SJAF for Ep 16 was a much more palatable .05

This was a weird weekend for the show, with a bad episode (15) followed by a great one (16).
For 15, the SeJin Annoyance Factor (SJAF) was over .34, which was too much for me (SJAF = mins of scenes she's in vs. total running time for show).
I FF'd thru most of the first half, which she dominates. Only the last 10 mins or so was worth watching, IMO. If you're a SeJin fan, you'll love 15.
16, OTOH was so crammed full of eventful stuff it has taken me 3 full viewings to figure it out.

After 15, I was going to post how for the first time, I was really disappointed in the writer. He needs to stop the alternating bad/good plotlines in each episode (it seems 15's ratings dropped while 16 was up slightly, so maybe he'll get the message). He's poked fun at worn-out tropes in earlier episodes (false dramatic build-ups, twins-separated-at-birth, etc) including spoofing the White Truck of Doom with the "Ice Stakers of Doom" and the "Kick Scooters of Doom" which YD has survived. But really, the "Basketball of Doom"??? I get that it was a joke at the end, with the BB landing about 5 feet away from them, and maybe he was making fun of himself too, but enough already. I'm curious if he'll spoof the old amnesia trope too????

Anyways, if you're on the fence as to which to watch, Episode 16 (with a much lower SJAF) is one of the most important in the show to date. Not only are there developments for the uncle, the younger couple, and the eldest siblings, but the reality of what she's facing after 3 months has finally hit home with YD. And the cumulative guilt that has been building since the family meeting with InOk and the weight of the web of lies they have been spinning so glibly to support the Big Lie about their relationship is beginning to crush her. And at the end, we're facing yet another scene with a family member overhearing the truth about them (enough of that too, OK, writer? How many times will we go down that alley?) Now we have a question: Will they simply spring another lie to the Uncle, or is it time to tell someone the truth, at least with him?

Stay tuned and wait for Bloomingtide's recap Saturday morning!