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Inappropriate, unprofessional behavior by SML already

I hope they aren't going to waste too many episodes dragging her infatuation with the inappropriate Zheng "Handsome" Qi. He's creepy and inappropriate. I get it that his character is used to women letting him do whatever he wants, but in a workplace, he was WAY too close to Shan Shan in that interview. If he was an ugly man, everyone would be screaming, "Sexual harassment!", for the same inappropriate behavior. If the script writers think his behavior is, "OK", just because he presents has 'handsome' then they are disgusting. Further, the whole plot idea that he's pursuing ShanShan purely to goad Feng into doing so is disgusting. It makes her into a game for him because she could have real feeling for him. He should only do so if he really has sincere intentions. But I guess the writers think that's funny?

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Starts off with such plot-induced stupidity

The fact that Gang-Tae shows up alone, without police help is just so stupid. Immediately proceeds to turn his back to a psychopath as he goes to check on his brother - more stupidity. Proceeds to think he can talk and rationalize with a psychopath - despite having years of experience in mental care - more stupidity. Watches as the psychopath picks up a weapon - more stupidity. ( Aside: Flashback to 20 years ago shows FL's mom using a laptop that looks far more '2019' than it does '1999'. ) Then lets her totally push his buttons like he was still a little boy and pretty much invites her to stab him. Which she does. Granted, the ML never seemed to be the smartest kid on the block at any point in this series, but this sequence seemed just too stupid even for him. And all that is on top of the absurdly unrealistic idea that the FL's mom survived all this time in the first place. So sad ho much this series has jumped the shark over these last couple of episodes.And man, frankly, I'm really tired of Gang-Tae. He's so emotionally locked up he's near useless. Thank god Sang-Tae had the common sense to just knock the witch out. Sang-Tae (who also saved Kang Pil Ong in an earlier episode) is definitely the hero this show desperately needed, since the ML certainly never was. And of course the plot then leans into the cliche' trope of the FL rejecting the ML 'for his own protection'. As if that really makes any sense given that her mom was finally absolutely caught. Come on, writers! Do better.And then what's up with the silliness of Jae-Su and Sang-Min not telling the others the truth about what happened? The witches arrest is now a police matter and thus a public matter! What are they being deceptive about it for? And then this doesn't even seem relevant later on.Oh well. Despite all the flaws in the plot, the actors and production crew all do a marvelous performance at delivering within this mess of a script. They are all still wonderful to watch. And Kang Sun Deok is still the best mom character ever! Once again she comes through with a clutch base-hit, this time in helping overcoming the aforementioned FL 'rejection' plot-trope.

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Show has slipped into cliche' plot tropes now

I really loved this show through the first 12 episodes. Among the many reasons was how it flipped a lot of tropes upside down (having the FL be a socio-path that you actually loved and sympathized for being one of the biggest flips). But this whole 'mommy-dearest-returns-from-the-dead' arc is just stupid and not credible. On top of that, the heavy reliance on lack of communication (not answering phones or text messages, staring speechlessly without talking, etc., etc. ) and 'white lies' between the various protagonists is just so annoying. Not informing everyone of 'Nurse Park' being a psychopath is just absurd irresponsibility on the part of Gang-Tae & the Director.. Not telling his brother is one thing. Not telling those around him who to be protecting him from is insane. And the FL & ML not talking to each other very much in order to 'protect the other' is just so stupid and cliche'. Basically the plot became utter trash in this episode.This episode has dragged out long stretches in scenes with nobody actually talking or doing anything. Blatantly just filling up screen time now to drag this out. All those complaints about the plot said, I can't fault the cast or crew as the actors especially are really delivering on some powerful scenes. The scene with Sang-Tae spoon-feeding Mun-Yeong porridge got me so choked up. Both Seo Yea Ji and Oh Jung Se are just phenomenal.

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Kinda with they hadn't felt compelled to add this mom-comes-back twist

This episode was overall very good. Much better than the prior couple with good progression of all the characters ... but they now have this fairly contrived evil-mom-returns sub-arc looming over everthing. I get it, it will add a couple of extra episodes to the series in order to resolve. And I guess that makes money. But it feels very gimmicky. The obvious open question now is whether the nurse is a psycho fan who is pretending to be the mom (like the patient) or if she really is the mom, somehow having survived and come back. If they try to play it off as the latter, that's going to destroy any credibility because there is just no physical way she could have survived both the fall (cracked her head open with massive blood loss) AND being dropped with weights to the bottom of the lake. So it has to be just a psycho doppelgänger. Which would make it once again a bit of sub-plot recycling which has already happened a lot in this series.

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Disappointing episode

The 'mom twist' wasn't really all that surprising but felt really contrived. More disappointed with the ML's regressive response to it. It feels like he's going in circles as a character. Every time you think. he's showing progress towards being mentally healthy he retreats back behind his wall of self-absorbed martyrdom. To be honest, while I understand that a big part of this story is supposed to be about his growth towards mental health, to this point the series, he is just NOT a likable character. He shows flashes of goodness but most often is just an insensitive self-absorbed jerk. And I especially hate the stupid plot trope of "I won't reveal this dark secret to her in order to protect her". It's such a stupid over-used dumb plot device.

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Finally, the ML seems to have crossed the threshold

Gang-Tae finally seems to have been able to understand and move past contrived guilt and instead to rational responsibility as a reason to care for his brother. The latter state of mind allows him room to also be responsible to others and, most importantly, to himself. Loved the scene where he talks to Sang-Tae about what it really means to be a family by using the example of the cartoon character Gil-dong's inclusiveness. His years of learned skills working with patients and his understanding of his brother are on full display as he walks through this conversation. This episode is perhaps my favorite so far because it is crystalizing real growth in several characters. Obviously Gang-Tae, but also Sang-Tae, Ju-Ri , Sang-In and Jae-Soo. Oh, and I have to give another shout for how much I love the character of Kang Sun Deok . She's just the best mom.

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It's hard not to be exasperated by the ML

I get it. He's clearly got his own deeply ingrained mental issues due to the trauma of how his mother put so much responsibility on him. But man, he is just so frustratingly self-destructive and oblivious to how his penchant for self-flagellation harms others as well as himself. At any rate, as irritating as he is, I can't fault the performance of the actor or the fact that it is a necessary aspect of the plot. On the flip side, my favorite character of this drama is officially Kang Sun Deok, Ju Ri's mom. She is just wonderful. She is the mom that both Moon Gang Tae and Ko Mun Yeong should have had. Then perhaps maybe both wouldn't be so traumatized and scarred.

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Roller coaster or merry-go-round?

On one hand, this episode was a roller coaster emotionally. One minute you are thrilled to see romantic progress ... then frustrated as it once again slams against the walls of the ML's gigantic emotional issues.And on the other hand, it feels like a merry-go-round that keeps circling tighter and tighter as the story keeps covering the same territory in ever tighter circles. It's also clear that at this point the character with the most painful, hindering disability is the ML. He's so damaged that he has put himself in a tiny box, unable to really live. His entire existence depends on giving everything of himself to his brother due to the contrived guilt and obligation that he has put upon himself. As a result, he has nurtured a gigantic martyr complex to go along with his solid-stone emotional walls all which surround a growing core of resentment, self-pity, anger and, yes, also the potential for love and happiness.The show's plot for ML has been a sequence of sub-arcs in which the ML takes at first tiny and then bigger and bigger steps outside the box, but each time he has either run back inside in fear or something has happened to shove him back in. This episode seemed to encapsulate more than one such cycle, ending in the traumatic scene at the end.

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A lot of focus by commenters is on Han Ting's…

A lot of focus by commenters is on Han Ting's failure to disclose his conflict of interest when he invested in Star Technology. This was likely a case of securities fraud. A lot of folks are either defending Han Ting as not needing to tell or ripping him for not telling. But the larger mistake by Han Ting, other than deceiving Ji Xing all this time, is the answer he gave her when she asked if he lover her. He said it depends on what you mean by love. She said love was something that you would fight for and that, when you lost it, made you feel like your world was ending. Han Ting said that to him, 'suitability' and a list of characteristics that might have well defined a transactional partnership were more important. This was a devastatingly awful answer and it showed that Ji Xing and Han Ting were worlds apart in understanding what love is. Han Ting makes the mistake of thinking of love as transactional. That it is a matter of give and take in measure. Ji Xing understands that it is not so. And while she gives him several chances to come clean about his deception and to show understanding of what he's done, he refuses. Indeed, he insults her and yells at her. He demonstrates clearly that he does not understand that love is not transactional. This extreme difference in mindset actually makes him "too scary" for Ji Xing. And so she has to leave him. Only by experiencing life without his love (her) will Han Ting learn that she is right.

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Still confused about what the writers are doing with the ML

The presentation of the Han Ting character is puzzling. Superficially, based on both how other characters act towards him and the fact that the plot never has negative consequences for him, he is presented as a Gary Sue - perfect and capable. Able to solve any problem and with no flaws. But at the same time he has objectively done some not-so-great things. He spent over half his time constantly insulting and criticizing the FL - often over mistakes that she hadn't actually made! He bullied her in a completely inappropriate scene based on partial information that wasn't completely true - and even if it was, his behavior was inappropriate. He has again and again acted nearly as arrogant and elitist as his disgusting grandfather. And now in this episode he stomps all over HER business priorities in order to handle a Star Tech issue HIS way - even though SHE is supposed to be autonomously in charge of Star Tech. He is constantly exerting control over her in even the smallest things - even how she does her signature!!! Up until now, he has not faced ANY negative consequences for any of these misbehaviors. Is this because the writers are tacitly approving of his behavior? Is it all okay because he's rich & handsome? Or will his flaws finally eventually come to light and make him have to face changing the way he approaches the world? His tactic of buying off a troublemaker looks like it was recorded by someone. That might finally show that his way isn't always the best way.

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