Tanya: So this week we were greeted with a few over-the-top situations. Does anyone else think Chang Min’s mother is a little excessive?
Karen: A little?
Tanya: Sarcasm… She was extremely excessive, for sure.
Karen: She did not have to put her life on the line for anything, yet she did.
Zombie: I was a little confused as to whether or not she was actually trying to commit suicide or just OD enough to get everyone’s attention.
Tanya: Well we already know she’s a drama queen, so attention whore wouldn’t be much more of a stretch.
Karen: There is no way she would try to kill herself. She still has so many goals to accomplish according to her. She needs family respect and Chang Min needs a new, respectable bride!
Zombie: I know you touched on this in your post Karen but if being a doctor is so important in her family, why in the world didn’t she become a doctor herself?
Tanya: She said she married a doctor and Chang Min had to be one because she was too focused on being pretty to become one herself. That totally makes sense, duh…
Zombie: Ummm… I might have to call that one a “fail.” Anyway… I don’t see how she possesses the right to berate Jin Hee, first for not being a doctor and then for becoming one, when she isn’t a doctor herself. I know Sung Sook thinks she’s the most important person on the planet but how does one live without any sense of decency at all?
Tanya: Because she’s poor. Apparently it’s always okay to look down on poor people. She’s just a ridiculous character.
Karen: I agree. I find it strange that her two sisters can become doctors, yet Sung Sook is not or cannot become a doctor. She must have been the black sheep of the family since birth. I think it’s another case of putting one’s dreams upon one’s children.
Zombie: So since she’s the lowest on her family totem pole, she has to belittle everyone below her to make herself feel more important? I suppose that makes sense in her warped mind but to the rest of us, she’s just ridiculous.
Tanya: That’s all the truth. She is the black sheep and she values herself so little that she had to use her husband, who now hates her, and her son to accomplish what she was unable to do herself. It’s really a crappy way to live, honestly. And Chang Min is such a mama’s boy that he will never have the ability to stand up to her.
Zombie: On the upside, watching Jin Hee put up with all of Sung Sook’s nonsense has won her a place in the hearts of both of our leading men. Not like it really matters when it comes to Dr. Gook since we all know she’ll never end up with him but it’s still fun to watch. It’s my favorite part of this drama, so far.
Karen: I think Dr. Gook likes her already. They are so similar and I bet he knows what Jin Hee is going through.
Zombie: Like I said in my post this week, I think he sees a lot of himself in her and is drawn to that. When you combine that with the way she’s treated at work, the way she’s treated by Sung Sook and the way she behaves at snack shops when she’s drunk, it’s a recipe for instant love. Or at least growing infatuation… Either one works for me. I’m just afraid that Dr. Shim is going to have some serious issues with Jin Hee if she starts stealing Dr. Gook’s attention. Jin Hee’s life could become even more difficult if Dr. Shim is out to get her.
Tanya: I think Jin Hee will be in the clear. Dr. Gook seems more like the older brother type with her than love interest. Either way, some jealousy is going to fly (because romantic comedy that is lacking the comedy part). That’s just how it is in Dramaland.
Karen: Dr. Shim is such a mystery to me. If she loved Dr. Gook or is at least interested in him, why would she go to the United States and then come back later to work with him again? Or is this all a coincidence? Dr. Shim and Dr. Gook are not getting any younger.
Zombie: I wonder if it has something to do with an incident in Dr. Gook’s past that perhaps, is somewhat similar to what has happened with Jin Hee and Chang Min and the death of the cancer patient. Perhaps she was involved in a similar incident with Dr. Gook and left to escape the consequences or perhaps that was one of the consequences???
Tanya: It could be as simple as she left to study further. There was probably an incident, but I don’t necessarily know if she was a part of it. This is why there is so much backstory that we need and aren’t really getting.
Zombie: I think all of us are ready for an episode’s worth of flashbacks, just so we can get some sort of idea of what’s really going on. How can we love these characters when they don’t really make any sense to us? We need to know why they’re doing what they’re doing so we can know whether or not we can really get behind them.
Karen: Yes, I don’t believe Dr. Shim would just leave Dr. Gook in a state of distress and go to the United States. Also, why isn’t Dr. Gook an official doctor, but is a resident? Has he been demoted or has he gone fishing too long?
Zombie: I thought something was mentioned about him simply choosing to remain a resident as some sort of self-inflicted penance for something that happened in the past. I’m assuming whatever that was, it’s what sent him off fishing for a year.
Tanya: That’s a long time for fishing, seriously. I love fishing and I couldn’t even imagine… What do you guys feel about lovey Park Sang Hyuk and Lee Young Ae’s first fight?
Zombie: Personally, I find them utterly ridiculous. As for their fight, aren’t most fights between newlyweds pretty ridiculous? I can remember some of mine…
Karen: Why did I see that coming? And for no reason though I thought newlyweds are typically lovey. I guess that doesn’t last too long.
Zombie: Every couple has their moments, even newlyweds but I think we talked about this before… Aren’t they pretty much doomed to teeter on the brink of divorce before Chang Min and Jin Hee step in and save them at the last possible moment?
Tanya: Even the stress of work doesn’t mean you have the right to speak to anyone that way, much less your spouse. Honestly, he was trying to help. You don’t have to snap his head off the one time he says something. Unless you’re a Praying Mantis, in which case that is totally acceptable.
Karen: This couple has a long road ahead of them since they work together and live together.
Zombie: It’s not the easiest road to travel but it is possible. Though if they start snapping each other’s heads off, that’s not going to make life easy for anyone.
Tanya: I feel a little sorry for Im Yong Kyu having to be Chang Min’s substitute for the date with Han Ah Reum… And then my feels were ruined by his creeper almost-kiss. It would have been one thing if he was dating her, but why would you kiss a sleeping person you aren’t dating?!
Karen: Yes, that was creepy! If that was his daydream, I would have been okay with it. I did feel bad for Yong Kyu because Chang Min knew Yong Kyu’s feelings and Chang Min gave Yong Kyu the concert tickets knowing that Yong Kyu would be a back-up date. That is so rude of Chang Min because Han Ah Reum invited Chang Min and not Yong Kyu.
Zombie: I guess I’m the only one who doesn’t feel bad for Yong Kyu. Sure, Ah Reum isn’t all that interested in him at the moment but she doesn’t hate him and they seem to get along pretty well so he’s off to a good start. I might have felt sorry for him if Chang Min had any feelings for Ah Reum but it’s pretty obvious he doesn’t so I’m not feeling any sympathy for Yong Kyu. Plus, both Ah Reum and Yong Kyu seemed to be having a good time at the concert, despite the fact Yong Kyu was there as a Chang Min substitute so again, no sympathy here. However, if Ah Reum totally ditches Yong Kyu at the concert, once she realizes Chang Min is there, then I might have to feel sorry for him. Until then, I think he’s doing alright on his own so I’ll just give him a hardy “Fighting!” for now and move on.
Karen: I like that Yong Kyu knows what he wants and pursues it…or that person.
Zombie: I really like him as a character (which is nice considering I spent the entire run of Monstar hating Yoon Jong Hoon’s character’s guts).
Tanya: I think that his character is good this time around…. but you know who isn’t? Jin Hee’s sister, Jin Ae. I’ve already had enough of her crap and she was just introduced. How do you steal someone’s stuff to sell for money and then call and demand money because what you stole wasn’t enough? The audacity, really… Grow up.
Karen: Jin Ae is outrageous! Seriously, she is a grown woman and should be able to take care of herself. She has arms, legs, and good health. There is no reason for her to become a thief and use family relations to her advantage. Besides, Jin Hee worked very hard just to become a doctor, but that doesn’t mean Jin Hee has free money for the taking.
Tanya: Even if she thought Jin Hee didn’t NEED the ring anymore, Jin Hee obviously wanted to keep it. It wasn’t hers to sell and it was just a bad move.
Zombie: Once again we’re met with an utterly ridiculous character and are expected to just accept all of her crazy as normal.
Tanya: FALSE. These characters, really. I just can’t.
Karen: She’s not normal!
Zombie: I was really hoping Jin Ae would be a character I could love, the previews of last week made her seem like such a kindred spirit (Rock ‘n Roll!) but sadly, this is not to be. I cannot get behind a selfish, spoiled brat who demands her sister pay for her whims simply because she can’t. Grow up and get a job! (Geeze, I sound old now!)
Karen: On the other hand, why did Jin Ae’s family not look for her? That didn’t make sense to me.
Tanya: Once again: back story. WE NEED BACK STORY! (Think they heard me?) Also, Jin Ae is supposed to be what, 29 years old? So 28 years old in Western years… that would still make her older than me and that level of ridiculous is…. well, ridiculous.
Zombie: If you’re going to leave home as a rebel (as I’m assuming Jin Ae did since she’s the walking personification of the rebellious Rock spirit) you’re probably not going to keep in touch with your family. Even if she was never very far away, I’m pretty sure Jin Ae did all she could to stay as far out of touch with her mom and sister as possible.
Tanya: That’s what I did when I went through my rebellion stage. I was there. I just didn’t want to talk to anyone. I still wouldn’t have stolen from anyone, and if I did, it wouldn’t have been my family. Yeah, that still doesn’t sound good.
Karen: So Jin Ae is more despicable than most. I feel like she has a back story as well and her family seemed to have ignored her. It doesn’t justify what she did, but perhaps she couldn’t handle her life anymore because of it.
We’re all in agreement that we need the back story for these characters. How did you feel about this week’s episodes? What do you think will happen between Dr. Gook and Dr. Shim? Will Jin Hee continued to be trampled on by her former mother-in-law? Will Chang Min ever stop being the eternal mama’s boy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or tweet at us on Twitter! @Hallyu_Tanya @dapowerz @TheZombieMamma
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