HALLY ZOMBIE DRAMA REVIEW: It’s Okay, That’s Love Episodes 3-6 (3/3)

Zombie: It’s painfully obvious that we’re so far behind on this drama review it’s not even funny but we’re going to do our best to get caught up so let’s get to it!

Tanya: I don’t wanna! Okay, fine. So let’s just start off with the dynamics of these characters. I understand their conflicting relationships so much. You like someone and you’re best friends, but you just want to kill them some days. It’s refreshing to have more to the characters than just the typical one-track “this is who they are” relationship.

Zombie: Isn’t it though? I love how “real” these characters are. They have such depth to them, which is a lovely switch from the one-dimensional characters that fill so many dramas. I love that these characters aren’t just dimensional in and of themselves but have dynamic relationships with each other as well. I have to say, my favorite of these relationships is the one between Hye Soo and Jae Yeol. I absolutely adore love-hate relationships and their is just phenomenal. The tension between these two is so high yet, at the same time, when they get along, they’re so good together. I seriously can’t get enough of them!

Tanya: I like that they are growing in steps and adjusting to each other as they learn things about one another. The whole discovery process is real with this show. I’m pretty sure that Jae Yeol may actually be crazy… it seems like Han Kang Woo isn’t actually real, but rather a reflection of the younger Jae Yeol that the older is using to cope with his past. It makes me very sad actually.

Zombie: It makes me sad that Jae Yeol has lived a life so traumatic that he’s had to create an imaginary version of his younger self to deal with all of the crap in his life. He’s had such an awful childhood and though we’ve yet to get the whole story, we’ve got enough of an idea of what his life’s been like to know that it wasn’t good.

Tanya: We need to talk about Hye Soo because she has a whole set of issues all her own. Can I just say that even though she has trauma relating to males and relationships I’m happy she at least attempts to get past it? Although she hasn’t been able to have relations, she hasn’t completed outcasted men. She has those who are familiar to her and takes on new ones as they come. Jae Yeol is an example of that. Sure, they don’t get along the best right now, and he likes to push her, but sometimes you need someone to push you out of your comfort zone.

Zombie: Kind of like how you push me? Haha. I do like that Hye Soo has not only admitted that she has a problem but she’s also doing the best she can to overcome her issues. She could have easily written men off altogether but she recognizes that doing so wouldn’t help her overcome anything and I admire her strength and determination to overcome this on her own. Actually, I admire a lot of these characters as they’ve almost all acknowledged they have problems and are all working through them as well as they can. That’s not an easy thing for anyone to do so kudos to them!

Tanya: I’m also happy that the producers of this show are still being respectful to mental illness and not letting these characters become comical past certain situations they are in, like bickering at each other. For example, we had the situation where the musician’s wife was worried her medication may lead to complications with her pregnancy. That’s a very real fear for many people. She even tried to commit suicide during the episode thinking that ending her life was the only way to get through the stress of not knowing if the baby will be okay, if it will have issues too, etc. There is also the paranoia that Jae Yeol’s brother constantly displaying in addition to his obsessive behavior over his brother. It’s all very, very real.

Zombie: Speaking of Jae Beom… Do you have any theories on which brother’s version of the past is the real one? They both, obviously, believe that their version of their story is true but which one is actually real?

Tanya: I actually think it’s a bit of a combination. It’s very clear that Jae Yeol’s trauma is real, so I don’t doubt that Jae Beom was the one that actually killed their stepfather, but I also would believe that Jae Yeol did probably hit the guy at some point to defend himself, and thus the situation we saw with Kang Woo telling Jae Yeol that he finally did it. The only reason why I say that Jae Beom was probably the one that killed him is because of his history of violence from a young age. In his head though, if Jae Yeol hit the guy, then Jae Yeol would be just as responsible for the death as he is… if that makes sense?

Zombie: Makes sense to me! I too believe that Jae Beom is the actual murderer but I can see Jae Yeol being an active part of the scene. If this incident was the one time Jae Yeol actually decided to stand up to his stepfather, and things got so out-of-hand that the stepfather ended up dying, I can see where the creation of Kang Woo would come into play. We also have to remember that Jae Yeol was beaten, on numerous occasions, by Jae Beom which means that there was probably a whole lot more going on at the time than we probably realize. Jae Yeol may have ended up hiding in the outhouse to escape the beatings of his stepfather but I’m pretty sure he hid in the bathroom to escape the beatings of Jae Beom as well which means Jae Yeol was, most likely, terrified of both brother and stepfather at the time of the incident. He may have initially reacted in that moment but I can easily see him falling victim to the violence and becoming a witness to the crime, rather than an actual participant.

Tanya: I’m pretty sure if I saw my brother, who constantly hit me, stabbing my stepfather I would probably fear for my life. There is no guarantee that he would stop with one person. Jae Yeol probably thought he was next. Part of Jae Beom’s obsession could actually be that he didn’t kill him at that time so he’s still trying to which we’ve witnessed early on in the series at the party. Now he’s talking to Dong Min and the situation is being taken further. It’s pretty clear their mother is also on his list of “people who must go so I can be free” because the testimony of Jae Yeol and his mother are what put him in jail so many times.

Zombie: I can easily see Jae Beom going on a psychotic (and I hate to use that word here but really, I can’t think of a better word for it) spree to purge his life of all those who he believes have done him wrong. His first release from prison brought him immediately to Jae Yeol, where he stabbed his brother with a fork and his second release has, once again, brought him to his little brother, where he immediately stabs him in the neck with a syringe full of truth serum. At least I think that’s what in that syringe… It could possibly be sleeping serum, as they were both available when Jae Beom stole the meds from Dong Min.

Tanya: All we know is this is NOT going to be good.

So tell us what you think of the characters? Is there someone who stands out to you more than the others? Do you have a theory on Jae Beom and Jae Yeol’s past? Which one was actually the murderer of their stepfather? What do you think of Hye Soo and Jae Yeol’s relationship? It seemed to be blossoming a bit, at least before Jae Beom stabbed Jae Yeol in the neck… Do you see them working through their issues together or will Jae Yeol’s sudden disappearance put a damper on things? We’d love to know what you’re thinking so be sure to leave us a comment below!