LA_Drama Fan

#3 is an interesting point! How will the woman who has used intimidation respond to the new woman who unwittingly intimidates her? Maybe HJun has power that she doesn't know she has?

Episode 27 – “OhMyGosh”

Wow. Where to start? Again, I think I’ll put the Dolts at the end. I apologize for the TLDR nature of these recent comments.

So, first off, the previews suck. Was that really necessary, producer? (Insert Bronx cheer).

Three women stood out to me in this episode, other than HJun: Kyung-Ae, MiRae, and YuNa.

YuNa: I agree with the prevailing sentiment that YuNa is headed for disaster again should she continue to date JungHoo. Somehow MiRae’s mom will find out about the scam and it’s going to be ugly. It will be interesting who informs the Mom… But, I have to ask myself why are they doing this to YuNa’s character? Does she need to be continually crushed? I know life is unfair, but she TRIED to stop the scam, and she confessed when SJ wouldn’t. Give this girl a break. She needs to go to Paris and get out for her own sake.

MiRae: I’m no fashionista, so I’ll withhold comments on her attire. Ms. Bae has also gotten flak for not being up to the acting level of her co-leads. Tell you what: go back and watch the camping scene, when she and HJ go for a walk at night, and talk to each other face to face. Listen to her voice crack with emotion as she talks to him. I don’t speak Korean and subtitles aren’t needed to tell me how she is feeling. That was really well-acted. I just wish MiRae would find a room-mate and move out of her parent’s house. Mom is really out of line now. She’s really waiting up for her grown daughter to get back from a date? REALLY?

Kyung-Ae: I think she is showing signs of mental illness, tbh. They’ve given us enough hints in the prior episodes, especially with MinHo saying “she’s gotten increasingly aggressive in the last few years”. Hello? MinHo needs to wake up. Being deceived by her most beloved son has really sent her over the edge. And her resentment of YuNa is out of line, MinHo knows this as well. Have you noticed she rarely is seen sleeping now? And when she tries to, it’s unproductive in the mid-day & interrupted by the kids upstairs? She clearly resents years of being the ‘bad cop’ to MinHo’s ‘good cop’ in the good cop/bad cop method of parenting she & her husband chose to raise their sons with. And now she realizes that something is going on with YunJae and his girlfriend, and she’ll realize how much she’s being kept in the dark shortly. Being kept in the dark by her own family is not going to help her attitude. And there are anger issues too, obviously. I’m afraid she’s going to wind up as some kind of wrecking ball to her two son’s relationships.

OK, on to happier topics. I believe the Dolts are the most realistic (despite the humor-angle) couple of those on the show. I’d be happy to debate that later.

First off, was the “mix up” in communication about HJun’s being in the ER deliberate by SoRa? I’d be curious to hear other’s opinion.

You’d think YJ would be tired of asking SR on advice on dating/proposals/etc? He just can’t bring himself to tell her the truth. And the scene where HJ interrupts lunch with HJun & MiRae was pretty funny, and a continuation of a theme we’ve seen with these three. And yeah, HJ, it would be a good idea to have “security” around when you meet with an unhappy client. Sheesh. Better late than never I guess. At least they addressed it.

I’m glad they resolved the money issue at the beginning of the episode. Although when he said “I’m in debt too”, I had a brief vision of her saying, “uh……” But to tell him, “All I need is love” was maybe the sweetest thing I’ve heard her say. He was so taken aback; he didn’t know what to do. Bowing his head to her was the exact right response.

So, the hospital scenes: This is the first time we’ve seen our mild-mannered YJ really stressed and his outburst in the ER was stunning, not the least to HJun who didn’t know what was going on. Nice little details: He runs to the door too fast for it to open, and has to open it manually; the out-of-focus background reactions to his yelling; carry-over background ER noises while they sat outside. Odd little omission: I’m surprised they didn’t show him asking what actually happened, but I guess that occurred between the back hug and the bench-sitting scene? Once they sat on the bench and he could unwind HJun managed to get her man’s mind straightened out and calmed down. This is how a mature couple acts and was really touching. I’ve mentioned in previous discussions how mentions of her childhood and solitary life deeply affect him, and our girl knows her man: When she started talking about her family, she knew that would touch a nerve (he goes from looking into space to suddenly staring at her eyes). We finally get a brief back-story on her, and you knew the minute she mentioned her parent’s passing and asking if her Mother sent him to her, his anxiety instantly melted away and she had him, hook-line-sinker. YunJae, you’re done – you’re getting married.

And of course, in the next scene we see his logical mind work, and just ask to get married. Although he’s grown greatly over their relationship, he still hasn’t completely figured out her need for romance, and how she values traditional things and customs. (I am surprised she didn’t insist on the bended-knee approach). “Next time put in more effort”. She knows exactly what to say to him and how to motivate him.

Although this episode didn’t give us the warm-fuzzies the roller rink/condo scene did, I think the Dolt fans know what is coming. Question is, how long will it take?

And lastly, we’ve never heard either of them confess their love for each other. We know they do. They know they do. We never get anything more than ‘like’. So why not say it? Cultural differences?

On pins & needles for Ep 28….

Thanks for listening to my rambling & a very late goodnight from Southern California.

PS - My girls tell me this is the group therapy I need to cope with K-Dramas (they think K-Dramas are addictive and are telling me to limit them to 1 ep a day/1 series at a time). LOL

oh geez. OK, thank you Mina. I'll try to watch 27 tonight. Maybe a late night review tonight.

I've been avoiding the spoilers and youtube. (I concentrated on 25/26 which aired here locally this weekend in a butchered-format on KBS America).

How badly did they hurt HaeJun? Is this show going down the YLAG drain too? If so, I'm out.

Mina, I think they are setting us up for that. Note that HJ even mentioned "they were seeing a favorable factor". A soaring stock price (buyout offer from competitor?) would change his fortunes. HOLD that stock! :-)

I can see a scenario where they agree to engage, but hold marriage off until his finances come in order, which would cause some tension in their relationship. I'm thinking wayyyy too much.

There's lots to worry about coming up, but remember the previews are deceiving at times.

Thank you, Mina! I don't think he'll crush her heart with that, because he already told dad & grandpa they were dating to marry. He's not interested in a fling. Funny thing is, he mentioned Marriage first. She just said "lived together". I love the way they talk to each other, and sometimes tiptoe around issues....so realistic.

I'll throw this out there: What do you think the odds are that while in the ER, they discover she's pregnant? I've been thinking (back in the day, they used to call it "Fan Fiction") for the last couple of weeks about the writers using some kind of excuse for landing her in the hospital, and finding out she's expecting. But that would have happened (in my mind) later on, post-engagement. We don't know the exact passage of time since they (first?) slept together, so it's seemingly too early for this. But for a screenwriter, it's kind of irresistible. I'm also hoping they use the ER thing coming up as a means for YJ to realize life is too short and he needs to come clean on his finances and propose ASAP.

As far as her looking better, her changed hairstyle (I think about ep 5 or 6?) simplified her appearance, although I liked the original style better. And they are dressing her so well, consistently, unlike MiRae. That Navy Blue suit she wore to see him when she fell in love with him, and the Pink Dress from last week were so perfect.

Everytime he takes her hand, I gulp. I'm so proud of his character for doing this.

Episode 26 & Scary Previews

OK folks, it’s time for another overblown and TL/DR review that no one asked for.

Just to change things up, I’ll save the YJ/HJun stuff for last, because an awful lot happened in this episode. And I’m trying to not be stressed out about the previews. I’M TRYING, KBS!

Putting aside the potential tragic topic of what SJ could have done, that whole sequence from the parents’ arrival at the Police Station to the carload returning back home was really, really good. Kim Hye Ok (Mother Lee), was amazing again in portraying a mother in anguish who’s psyche is quietly crumbling away. MinHo needs to recognize just how seriously wrong her mental state is and pull her back into the light. The scene in the car, (which is popular on YouTube), was technically spot-on. To fill a Sonata with 5 adults, have it on the road, at night, using robotic cameras, and ambient lighting and make it so realistic, had to have been challenging. My hat’s off to the Directors of Videography and Lighting. I loved the sideways pan and refocus from front to back row…wow. And all their little gestures during that scene to make things realistic: The attention to detail of the actors moves, including those in the background was great. Favorite little detail: When Grandpa calls, MinHo reaches for the phone, but Kyung Ae already has it in her hands.

Who was the female bake-shop owner that called YuNa? Was it her older sister??? The lack of subtitles left me hanging. It’s hard to not feel sorry for YuNa, she is suffering so much, because she has the compassion and conscience that SJ lacks. Props to MinHo for visiting her and his offer of support. That was sweet.

HJ’s visit to MiRae’s Grandma was nicely done. If you’ve had to deal with an elderly person going thru dementia, you can understand how well and sensitive it was done, good job HJ.

OK, onto my favorite couple:

This episode left me uneasy, which may be due to the trailer. But I was stunned to see that Grandpa & MinHo have some concerns with the age difference between YJ & HJun, while MiRae’s Uptight Mom is fine with it?? What a switch!

- It was nice to again see MiRae helping HJun and her worries were for naught, but a note for YJ: communicate more often with your girlfriend. Don’t leave our girl hanging.
- Her earrings were fantastic, BTW. Sorry, had to mention it. You know what I’m talking about. :-p
- When mentioned about finding physical activities she liked (he’s taking the lead again), she almost dropped her pencil when she realized how much he’d grown into the man she wanted.
- I don’t get the whole SoRa scene about admitting dating. Why can’t he admit it?
- The fancy dinner didn’t make sense either. He can’t afford it, why is he trying to impress her? Was it because he felt lacking after visiting her offices? I can only guess it was inserted to bring the financial issues to the forefront. I found that scene unsettling, which is a first for me when the Dolts are concerned.
- Roller Rink/Her condo. OK, that was the payoff for us. It got the best song from the OST (“This Love”, used at all significant scenes), and our Dolts were wonderful and true to character. They were so sweet while skating and the looks on their faces had me grinning from ear to ear. Two words for YJ: MINIATURE GOLF – You can’t get hurt and girls like it. Anyhow, he finally got to carry her across the threshold and mended her knee. Yes, HaeJun, you do look like a couple that has lived together for a long time. And finally, when he asked her “Would it be this way, once we marry?”, AND her gulp before she asked him “Do you want to get married?” AND the look in her eyes….My Gosh, how much more can we take?

OH RIGHT, they are going to screw it up by having her assaulted and hurt per the previews. KBS, DON’T HURT HER!!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? If they do something stupid that messes up their relationship, I’ve had it. Logically, by TV standards, they should get engaged now, there is not much else for them to learn about each other: they’re ready. And while I’m still in Rant-Mode: This couple should get a spinoff/sequel to this series that shows the challenges an older couple faces when trying to start a family. Don’t waste the chemistry of OMS & SDM!!!

GRRRRRR!!!

Thanks for listening, Good Night from Southern California
(Trying to not be stressed out !!!!)

Wasn't the last we saw her was at the Dental Clinic when she & Ms. Sun figured out HJun & YJ were dating? I wonder if they're working together on writing a spec script for a new series based on them???? LOL

The series half-way point was some weekend! With both sweet moments and scary previews.

Episode 25 (The "sweet moments"):
For us YJ/HJun fans, ep 25 was our Golden Hour. The Dolts were the dominant couple and did not disappoint. We’ve had our share of memorable moments: The Kiss, The Hug, The Morning-after. In this episode we got to see real growth in their relationship:

-His visit to her office, and his finally realizing her depth as a person (not just some flaky “Klutz”) was wonderful and that hug at the end was as sweet as any other moment of theirs in the series. He’s self-assured enough to know that she LIKES it when he takes the lead. Some of the subtitles are odd in this segment..."RPG character?"

-We got our long-awaited meeting with his family/Grandpa, which was well done, and our girl HJun did try so hard, despite her nerves. Her quick meeting with MiRae was so authentic to their characters, and whomever dresses her is really on-point, that pink dress was amazing and she was ON FIRE. We could have a whole separate discussion from her meeting MiRae to dropping off Grandpa…there was so much in the small details of it that were just so perfect. And Grandpa was right: They did look lovely standing next to each other.

- But (and I know I’m out of order here) my favorite scene, and maybe one of their best in the series was his surprising her to take her to breakfast (again, he takes the lead). They brought up past events in their relationship, and they both admitted how much they’ve grown as a couple. She was on cloud-nine getting back to the office. I admit, I must have watched this five times, it makes me so happy.

GOOD FOR YOU, YJ, this was your best weekend ever!!! I just wished he kissed her goodnight when she dropped him off at HJs, but admitting he worried about her did touch her heart. I wonder if there is some kind of limit on kissing given the weekend drama nature of this show?

Also the strengthening bond between HJun and MiRae is so good to see. Those 2 need each other: THIS is the sisterly relationship MiRae needs, not with her Mom; MiRae needs to trust and open up to HaeJun. Kyung-Ae’s visit to the Whack-a-Mole game place was good to see too, and it was nice that her upstairs in-law was good to her for once.

The whole SJ subplot I’ll leave to others, other than to say he can’t relate to his older, successful brothers, despite their best efforts. I’m not sure how the writers are going to deal with him in the long-run. I really wanted to smack him when he said they should have let him have the apartment. JERK.

Now I need to watch Ep 26 tonight…..Thanks for listening.

Unfortunately, you are right (but I'm old too LOL). But I still feel bad for YuNa. She's the only one showing any real guilt and did what she could to stop it, while SJ still is focused more on how he got scammed himself. What really hurt is when he told his parents at HJ's apartment that it was his plan to "legally get to their money". How clueless, he deserved for Kyung-ae to smack him!

And FWIW, how good is the actress playing Kyung-Ae???? Her performance this weekend was amazing, heads and shoulders above the rest of the cast.

Her Mom has legitimate concerns about dating so soon after having her marriage cancelled, especially in falling for the lawyer that handled the case. MiRae needed to step back, relax and concentrate on her business.

That being said, this is one of the strangest, most dysfunctional mother-daughter relationships I've seen on TV. Mom/Daughter can NOT be on a sisterly level. They are simply too close, and you're right that we are now seeing elements of jealousy on Mom's part. The mother/daughter relationship is already the most complex among humans, encouraging behavior as they have done "as sisters" is wrong. And Mom is now suffering for it, and affecting her child.

And you're correct, HJun did tell him directly (when he was walking into the office with his head cold) that she didn't like how he treated his elder brother. But he isn't getting it and didn't understand the context of her statement, just that he thought she liked YJ more. And when your girlfriend uses a "red-flag" word like 'antagonize' and you ignore it, it's not good.

(EDIT- possibly 'antagonize' isn't a red-flag phrase in Korea, as it is here in the States.)

I'm getting a feeling that the 'conflict' phase 'IM Your Only One' referenced to below is being set-up for us. And it's really a shame, because this weekend did have some fun & significant moments for us:
-The camping trip (why did they pitch a tent for what was essentially a picnic? who was staying overnight?) and the Dolt's coordinated outfits. And HJun's hat was so cute!!!! SDM is so pretty!
-HJun 'oh no you don't' moment when YJ was going to try to carry her to the bedroom again LOL!
-The sweet morning-after scene in the bedroom/bathroom, including HJun's willingness to show her bare face now to him....odd they didn't mention that. (And they fell asleep with all the bedroom lights on? And all their makeup on the pillows? Set dresser, WAKE UP. )
-OMS & YSY make such a great pair of brothers. A couple of shots in the scene at the family meeting and with SJ at HJ's apartment showed what a great pairing they are.
-HJun's coming home to her empty condo. That was sad.
-And the confrontation with the parents and SJ at HJ's apartment. Well acted by all concerned: Grandpa's disbelief, Dad's compassion, and Mom's unbridled fury, and SJ's not knowing what to do, but that whatever it is, he must do it himself.

I think also, the problem will be what do they do with YuNa? Her long term future is in Paris, learning baking, not in Seoul. Does she give up her dream and settle for something different? Where would SJ fit into that scenario? It will be interesting to see how they resolve this.

Yes, and now in the past couple of episodes MiRae has (jokingly?) asked about him bragging about himself. Hmmmmm

I'm curious, do you really feel the marriage race will be a factor to the other 2 couples? In both their cases, the women "pursued" the brothers, and there was no proposal or suggestion of marriage yet, and the race is now over. I'm not sure if HJun remembers the mention of the race to her by Sung Soo at the beginning of the show (but no mention of an apartment as a reward).
I think the bigger problem is how the Lee mom is going to deal with all this post-YN/SJ. She warned SJ back after the wedding dress fiasco, that she gets "scary when I get mad". I think Mina may have a point above, that she may just be skeptical (at best) of any other women brought into the picture at this point until she gets herself together. Worst case, is that she's coming apart at the seams. From the previews, it looks like she's decided to go after YN and ban her from the family....sigh. MinHo needs to put a short leash on her until she can calm down.

Wow, Eps 23 & 24, almost halfway to the end and so much to digest from this weekend.
For now, I want to focus on MiRae. I've seen a lot of bashing on other forums, of this actress and her role in this, and I think that's unfair. She was really good in the beginning portraying the young woman desperate to get out of her "marriage". But I am not sure where the writer(s) are going with her character now, and I think it's no accident.

The restaurant scene in 21&22 and the camping trip in 23/24 are good examples. She is the odd-man-out in the foursome: she has neither strong professional (lawyer) ties or family ties in the group. She needs to be comfortable with YJ so they can present a united front to the Lawyers when they get going at each other. The camping trip was a prime example of that, when she had to plead with HJ to tone down his Type-A personality and stop ordering everyone around . That was borderline uncomfortable to watch ("Are you trying to antagonize us?", she asks at one point and he can't grasp the significance of that statement). HJun was right when she said both brothers were clueless at times. MiRae's not assertive in her own right to do this effectively, she needs YJ's backing. The whole camping trip scene was so fun, but that segment really sucked. HJ you're a DOLT TOO!

In 21/22, at the Restaurant it was even worse. Why on earth was she left alone waiting at the bar while her BOYFRIEND was in the restroom with his brother? YJ did NOT need a Men's room attendant, for God's sake. I wanted to yell at the TV for HJ to go back to MiRae and keep her company. That scene of her sitting alone in the restaurant bar was heartbreaking and deliberate for us to see.

MiRae is showing growth as a character and independence as a woman, so WHY are they doing this to her? I can't think of a reason, but I'm sure it's planned.

And HJ needs to knock off the cockiness. We get it: you're a successful lawyer, good looking, with a cute girlfriend and the Alpha Male of your group who does a lot of stuff really well. We don't need to be reminded of it....I get the feeling MiRae's mom is going to cut him down to size next week.
PS- Don't get me wrong, I'm a big YSY fan, and his role in "Bread, Love & Dreams" was the reason I started watching IBN. But Hyun Jae needs a reality check.

Yeah, his over-confidence may be his demise. She's just looking for something to nail him on. He has no idea that she's setting him up.

The only thing I would question is #3...YJ/HJ. This could be easily resolved because the writers have already given us hints in prior episodes where YJ's mom has shown exasperation with YJ a few times. All she has to be reminded of is that HJun is dealing with him too, and he drives her crazy at times as well. Mom understands that and all is well. This could be something of an anticlimactic end to the build-up to their meeting.