LA_Drama Fan

I admit I hit pause a few times. The fetus fone scene and the confrontation with BN at YDs house at the end got to me. What made me mad was the beach scene, because I knew a lot of folks here were really looking forward to that and I knew she was setting him up to say goodbye. still pisses me off.

Hey, we have enough problems in the US, send that eyelash-missing dirtbag somewhere else! LOL

You wont be missing much. it's really tough to watch. And you dont need subs to understand what's going on. it's just sledgehammer after sledgehammer all episode long.

Cant argue with any of that.

Agreed. Even we need a break after that episode, but we wont get one, as 34 looks as bad or worse.

I just watched the subbed version as well. I will not be watching that one again, ever. Like most of you, my neck hurts from shaking my head constantly.

Rather than post hits and misses (the entire episode was one whole MISS), I would like to offer my explanation of why I think InOk is reacting this way. Because that was the key to the whole episode. And FWIW, I wrote this before I watched the ep, as it was pretty clear from today's YT clips what was going on. Watching this didn't change my mind. There are other things rattling around in my mind: I'm disappointed in YM's reaction, JM is the definition of a fair-weather-friend, poor SK has no idea of what is going on, SJ is there for YD which I much appreciate, etc. But the big thing is InOk. So, here goes. And this may be unpopular. And it's long at 900 words, so TL:DR warning.

EP 33 - The Setup, Part 1

I hate to say this, but Ep 33 was almost a throw-away episode. Let me explain. We’ve described prior Saturday episodes as set-ups for the Sunday Episode before. Most recent examples would have been 29 & 31. What we have here is the first of 2 huge setups for Episode 35, if I’m seeing this correctly. We’ll have to endure this weekend and witness the destruction of their relationship.

So, for 33, we have the most distressing and depressing episode of the series yet. I’m not even sure this qualifies for Highs & Lows, based on its content. In Ok’s inability to rationally process what has happened is the tool the writer is using to create the separation that all love stories need to ultimately bring our couple back together, their love tested, tempered and strengthened. Is this a cliche for love stories? Yes. But it also happens in real life....it did to me, so I can't toss it aside. Without InOk's meltdown, TK/YD would have had no reason to split, as YD already realized that she couldn’t leave him, not only for her sake but Real’s.

Thus, we get Momzilla (credit:BT) to wreak havoc over everyone and ultimately be the wedge to drive them apart. But why did this happen? In other words: “WTF, InOk???”

This episode is dominated by InOk acting like some kind of unhinged jilted lover, determined to wreck her son’s relationship at all costs. And that’s exactly what she is, and why her character was developed this way. YD is, to some extent, a reflection of a younger InOk: a young educator about to begin the difficult life of a single mom. IO sees herself in YD, and the fact that she thinks her beloved son is married to her, and that she is carrying her grandchild draws her to YD….too closely. It explains the real reasons why IO insisted on them moving to the annex where she could watch over her. The unusual closeness between them is observed and commented on by the other young women in the house: we think it’s just that they are petty and jealous. But IO loves YD, on many levels. She confides in her, comforts her, feeds her, and is respectful to her family. And she wants to make sure YD does not suffer the difficulties that she did as a single mom.

Thus, things are not what we think at the beginning: Yes, IO loves her grandchild to-be, but whom she really loves is YD. As much, or even more, than her son. I wonder if ChanSik ever had any idea?

So, when she learns that everything she thought about her was based on a lie, supported by a web of lies beneath it, she becomes enraged. And we see a parallel to YD’s reaction to when she found out JH was lying to her and cheating on her. Initially I too thought that InOk’s reaction was ridiculous and over-the-top. And was used simply as a plot device to split them apart and bring more drama, as noted above. But in retrospect, this was not something sudden. The writer has been building this up for us since their conversation with his mom in the café post-wedding. The writer made InOk and YD a couple so that he could repeat the fury of a deceived lover that we got in the series opening. Just that this time, YD is the target, not JH.

It’s bad enough that the woman she loves so much lied to her all along, but that the child in her belly is not even related to her. She can only see that Real is not of her blood, and she cannot see beyond her rage all the similarities of her own life laid out in front of her. She is truly blinded by her broken heart.

So what could have changed all this? If they had the normal MIL/DIL relationship we’ve seen in K-dramas, where at best things are at arms-length, I think IO would have been able to sort thru things better. Sure, she’d still be pissed, but she could spread some of that over to her son too, and not focused all of it on YD.

The true solution would have been to eliminate the lie ASAP, so to prevent IO’s feelings for YD becoming out of control. TK had the perfect opportunity while in the car with IO on the way home from the family meeting. When IO stated that “your baby saved you!” he could have told her the truth and sworn her to silence. Revealing the plan to only have YD stay for a couple of months before she moved out, would have mollified her shock with her son and let her accept the idea.

But any way we slice it, the writer needed to keep IO from falling in love with YD. Yet that’s exactly what he did, making IO look on the surface as if she were the Hypocrite Of The Year instead of simply the victim of a badly broken heart.

So anyways, like any jilted lover (see SeJin) IO won’t let go of this easily. We will move on to more angst in 34 which will be “The Setup Part 2”. The previews show us that the time skip we’ve all wondered about will finally happen and its ending scene is a heavily pregnant YD arriving at TK’s new clinic with an unlikely friend. I’ve discussed the preview already so I won’t repeat myself.

We’ll really have to wait for next week to find out what is really going on, and if time will heal IO’s wounds. Nothing will change until her heart can be mended.

How about a little of both?

To your first questions, I think the answer is yes, based on the preview. But bear in mind the last scene in the preview is probably the end of 34 (they use that mimic-ed photo flash effect at the end shot of every ending scene), so there may be some vignettes to address the other storylines before the timejump to her entering the hospital???

It's hot here in Southern California now, so I did my yard work in the morning before it was broiling outside. It gave me time to think about this so I've written most of my synopsis of this ep already in my head (which is funny as I've not seen it yet, save for the YT previews and the general tone of the comments here). I think I'll send the draft to you and you can tell me if it's too dry to post. Basically since there is ONE high and a BUNCH of lows, in this one, I mainly just started analyzing why this ep happened.

BT, relax and enjoy the rest of your weekend. Don't stress out.

I don't have twitter, but after watching the YouTube clips, I'm disappointed but not surprised. As I said, she was saying "I'll never leave you now" too many times, and the trip to the beach was too nice for them. It screamed setup. The kiss did surprise me. Remember with this writer:
-He loves to tease us
-He loves to surprise us
-He loves to mock standard k-drama tropes

Anyhow, I guess (have not watched anything yet) we got the separation that was foreshadowed all along. But it's really impossible to ignore the preview for 34, because that overshadows everything in this ep.

The problem with the preview is that it now makes us assume (a dangerous thing to do based on previews) the following:
-She disappears somewhere in her 5th month(?)
-He looks for her in vain
-Sometime later she re-appears (with an unlikely attendant) to a different and almost-public health-looking clinic with you-know-who as the attending OB/GYN. I'll assume this is the ending scene of 34. Just this shot tells us:
-He's cut ties with his family because the Gong Clinic was his only other tie to them (they probably funded it's initial startup).
-He's possibly moved out of town.

The only real question left is, did she come here strictly by coincidence? Or has she been keeping track of where he was so that he could be the doctor to deliver Real? I'm guessing that is the case.

The other curious thing about the apparent time-jump concerns the rest of the storylines....it's been 4 mos now, are the older couple pregnant? Why is Hee there with YD? Did she marry Uncle and is now her Aunt? What happened to the youngest couple?, etc, etc. Did the timejump obliterate most of those storylines? Are we now to concentrate on The Strawberry Hunt after all this??? (Shades of how IBN went off the rails)

I'll watch the subbed version of 33 later and post my thoughts then. Not really in a hurry to watch this one.

Have a good afternoon and evening everyone!

It's in Episode 24, about 10 mins in. And she DOES look like her and doesn't get a screen credit, so I don't know who she is.

I wish we had someone who could translate what the letter said. Is that pic in the wallet the same one that was used on the missing person posters? I think it was, and if so, a nice touch on her part to make it even more convincing.

yeah, i think it's more likely she gets dragged over there to them, instead of voluntarily going to meet because she HAS to. I just like option 2 because it complicates things so much and throws a lot of emotions into play. Plus, it has the need for quick resolution for the donor typing and surgery.

sher, what ep was that?

I thought about that ballerina pic too, but I think it's just her idealized image of what her life should have been. Plus, I'd guess she used it deliberately to catch someone in the family's eye so there would be no doubt it was her. She really thought this thru.

I would hope for KS sake that her will said she did go abroad and failed to find fame, and returned to Korea and took her life, so at least he wouldn't think he wasted 10 years for nothing. But I didn't see a date on the will during our glimpses of it.

Nice touch with that pic of them from years ago. KBS does those little details pretty well.

Well, this show needed a kick in the pants and let's hope this is the episode that delivered it! So, now the fun begins and we can speculate how SJ is returned to the family. I'll start with 2 scenarios:

1 (the smart money bets on this) - Sometime in the "future", she is turned in by someone who knows her and happens across an old box with the pic on it (by now the campaign has moved on and someone else's picture on the cartons). They notify the call center, who is suspicious despite the caller's pleading. Said caller provides a current pic of SJ, the family goes to the cops, and we're off and running as she's brought in front of them and must confess her sins.

2 (more fun, but cliche) - A couple is meeting with a doctor in his office. We don't see their faces, the perspective is from behind their backs, looking at the doctor. He tells them their child has some kind of disease that is getting aggressive and their efforts to find a marrow/organ donor have been fruitless so far. They are running out time for a transplant....if only there was a sibling to be a donor.....At that point, perspective changes and the mother is SunJu and a terrible feeling of dread comes over her face. And then we're off to the races, as she must then go to her family to have JanDi tested to be a donor.

If I understand "the story" correctly, the old lady watched her wade into the river, grabbed her purse and took off before seeing SJ go under. She tossed the 'evidence' save for the wallet, and took the cash (and credit cards?) but kept it for ???? reason. It sat undisturbed until the daughter saw the pic, turned it over to KS. So, the cops never knew about it and didn't have an unclaimed body to process. At least that was SJ's cover story she concocted.

Well, the wallet was fairly large and we never saw the rest of the contents of it, so I'll give them that. If she's faking her own death, then she'd have put everything in there she could, and it would be suspicious if her vital IDs were missing. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and assume they went to the cops to report it (to the case detective) and there was a time skip before the funeral happened. It was interesting to note that the river was running wide and fast in the flashback (spring?) and was down considerably now.

Yes, and she even said that as a kid, she was called "ding dong"