Episode 17
OMG Daaebak. For seriously. I thought last week’s Episode 16 was the best of the lot, but today’s is right up there. Prolly because of my Yoonie, but more on that below.
Today’s prologue featured the F44 adorably arguing about their favorite superheroes. Superman is the best! No, Batman is the best! No, it’s Spiderman! No, it’s Tekwon V (a Korean robot superhero). On and on, they go. These guys are just adorbs in their childishness.
We started off the episode with Yi-soo giving Do-jin dress shoes in a mirroring of his gifting Yi-soo with the gorgeous pair of hot-pink heels. And though these two have top billing in this drama, you knew right off the bat that my lovely Yoon and his love Mae-ah-ri were gonna take center stage today (finally!).
Kim Soo-ro is usually so energetic, even to the point of almost ‘over-acting’ at times, but when he’s broody and serious, oh man. He has such a strong screen presence – I wish he’d get more understated roles like his character today to show off his acting prowess. And for seriously hallelujah for the ’do change – up is defs better than that awkward bang-y hairdo he sported for the majority of the drama. Speaking of which, what is it with Korea’s obsession with ‘bangs’ for guys? I mean, nobody even surfs in Korea. Then again, The Biebs (aka Justin Bieber) pulled if off for a while, so I guess I’ll rescind the snarky surfing comment. Aside from The Biebs, Song Seung-hun REALLY looked good with the down-do in My Princess – probably his best hairdo yet, in my opinion. But I digress.
I can’t not mention them, so I’ll just make quick comments about The Others:
- Yi-soo + Do-jin were soooo cute today. I vacillate quite a bit between loving and not-so-loving Kim Ha-neul’s performance in this drama. Sometimes it just feels too forced, but other times she’s just so darned cute. Anyhow, the little “breakup trip” and the cuuuute scenes that ensued were absolutely adorbs.
- Tae-san + Se-ra had their episode last week, and for the most part, they’ve pretty much been on par with Yi-soo + Do-jin in terms of screen time. Their little lunch(?) date was a refresher – Se-ra’s a prickly one, but she’s vulnerable and sweet on the inside and it was nice to see this couple finally behave like a normal loving couple. Of course, with a bit of attitude.
- Jung-rok + Min-sook are probably one of my favs, too. Ok, I admit it doesn’t carry too much weight when there are only 4 couple and I love the other 3. But for seriously, this couple’s relationship is really reaaally cute. I LOVE Lee Jong-hyuk, and he’s just all kinds of awesome in this drama. Min-sook’s vulnerability and longing for love – hidden behind the sharp tongue – endear her to me, and Jung-rok is finally stepping it up. Their bike ride last week was ADORBS, and I’m excited to see where this couple’s story will lead.
And now, drum roll please. *drum roll* My SPAZZAMAZULOUS couple, Yoon + Mae-ah-ri!!!!! OH MY GAWSH I don’t even know where to begin. I love all the couples, but these two are my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE. Hands down. I’ve mentioned before that I know I’m setting a double standard by loving this couple but not Lee Min-jung + Shin Won-ho. But something about Yoon’s and Mae-ah-ri’s relationship is just so… sweet. I squeed like no other when Tae-san and Yoon had their man-to-man talk after Yoon’s disastrous birthday party. I suspected Yoon liked Mae-ah-ri but wasn’t sure if he knew of his own feelings or if he was in denial… Then kaboom! Yoon tells Tae-san not to worry because he’s trying really hard not to like Mae-ah-ri. OH EM GEE. All the episodes since then have been a manipulative mechanism to ratchet up the tension. And I ain’t complainin’ because the resulting release today was unimaginably AWESOME. From Yoon’s nighttime walk to the Im house, to the last airport scene, everything was perfectly played, and I cannot be happier. What I love about this couple and their story is that there is a lot of love and loyalty involved on every end. Mae-ah-ri probably has the least amount of worries just because of who she is. She loves Yoon, and her single-minded devotion is the answer to any and every problem that presents itself. Yoon, on the other hand, has so many issues to juggle with. He truly loved his wife and grieved her sudden, unexpected death. Even at the start of the drama, he was still grieving her. Then there’s the age factor, which cannot be completely discounted in the realistic world. And all this ‘baggage’ is made heavier by Yoon’s friendship with Tae-san, which is more like a brotherhood. Which reminds me of one of my favorite lines (it’s so funny!) from one of my favorite books:
There were rules among friends, commandments, really, and the most important one was Thou Shalt Not Lust After Thy Friend’s Sister.
I know some might think ‘baggage’ doesn’t matter in the face of love. But marriage, especially in Korea, is not merely a union between a man and a woman. It’s two families coming together. And therein lies the ‘problem’ if you can call it that. Tae-san, too, is so torn about his ‘disapproval’ of Yoon as his sister’s husband. And I loved how he expressed that today in his scene with Jung-rok. He hates that the person he’s opposing is Yoon, because Yoon is the guy he trusts the most. Aaaaugh. Such. Good. Conflict.
The F44 have been together through the ups and down of their lives. They’ve stuck together through thick and thin. And I know they’ll get through this one, too, though it is a much more serious matter. Yoon and Mae-ah-ri are soul mates, and Tae-san will come around in the end. Why? Because he loves Yoon like a brother and Mae-ah-ri like himself.
Carrotblossom Patch 