Before I dive into these two episodes I just have to ask, was I the only one bawling my eyes out for the majority of these episodes? Either I’m getting way too emotionally involved in this story or I’m just far more emotional than is good for me, because I could barely stop crying as I watched Teacher Yang’s career go down in flames.
I suppose another possible explanation for my tears could be the fact I may have an over-developed sense of justice, much like Yeon Doo. Maybe that’s why I like her so much. I suppose it’s possible. Of course it could just be because she’s the only person in this story with any sort of decency. Well I guess there are a couple of others whose moral compasses aren’t completely out of whack but seriously! 98% of the characters in this story are completely screwed up!
Let’s start with the students, shall we? We start this week’s episodes off with them all arguing with their teachers about leaving Soo A lost in the wilderness just so they won’t get any punishment points for getting back to school late. Really people!?! Who does something like that? Were all these kids raised by jackals or something? I mean I get that Soo A is awful and deserves to be left out in the wilds to be eaten by some rabid dog but are you people really in any position to be handing out that sort of judgment? I don’t think so!
I like that Ha Joon was the one to bring Soo A back, not because I wanted to see Soo A come back but because it shows a tremendous amount of growth on his part. Soo A was the one who didn’t care if she had to hurt Ha Joon or anyone else to get what she wanted and he knows that, so it’s nice to see that he’s able to put aside his own troubles long enough to help a fellow student who’s desperately seeking a quick solution. I think being who he is and knowing what he’s been through, Ha Joon is just the person to handle Soo A as she wanders into that freezing pond. He knows better than anyone what it takes to actually kill yourself and he knows how to get her to come back. Not that we really want her back but you know… She kind has to so she can make life miserable for everyone. Yay…
So everyone comes back from their little drunken escapade and it seems like people are finally starting to get along and maybe, just maybe, we can have a little bit of peace between the warring factions of the cheerleading club but no. The two teams somehow manage to complete the next mission Coach Nam gives them but then all hell breaks loose because one spoiled brat decides to be, well… a brat. While this whole overreaction is bad enough on its own, it’s not long before the parents and school board are involved and before we know it, Teacher Yang is humiliated, outcast and fired. Ugh! Believe me when I say I felt all of Yeon Doo’s frustration and heartbreak as her favorite teacher was kicked to the curb. I couldn’t stop crying and not because I was sad, I mean I knew this was coming, but because the injustice of it all was so insanely infuriating. There was no fair investigation into the matter, no chance for Teacher Yang to present his side of the story, no call for witnesses who weren’t completely biased in the matter, no opportunity of any kind for more than one story to be heard and that just made me so upset I felt like steam was coming out of my ears!
Honestly, I know I should never expect anything fair to happen at a school run by a spineless pandering worm whose sole purpose is to bow to the wishes of the school’s patrons but still. I had hoped for some show of fairness in the matter. Silly me. I don’t know how Principal Choi is going to manage to keep her position once the world knows of the corruption going on at her school. Oh I know the news program that was going to highlight the seedy underbelly of the education system was cancelled but that doesn’t mean there’s no other way for the truth to get out. Somehow the world will know of the corruption going on at Sevit High and when it does all of these awful people who think they can get away with anything just because they have money and power are going to have to answer for everything. I just hope there’s some sort of sweet satisfaction that comes with their downfall because I really want to revel in their misery. (Jeez I’m awful!)
As miserable as I was, watching these two episodes, things did end on a happy note. The cheerleading club successfully completely their first performance and the truth behind Teacher Yang’s injustice was publicly revealed. Where things go from here is a mystery (or not so much since I’m getting this up late and the next episode is already up but I refuse to watch it until after I’m finished here so *shhhh* don’t spoil anything for me, please) but I have hopes that thing for Teacher Yang will start to look up. Even if he doesn’t get his job back, he’ll be in a position where he can easily tell his story of being wrongly accused and unjustly fired to the world and from there he’ll have an open platform to reveal all of Sevit High’s little spec-stacking secrets. Oh joy!
So tell me, what did you think of these two episodes? Did they upset you as much as they did me? Do you think Teacher Yang will have a chance to redeem his reputation? Will the all of the spec-stacking and such going on at the school ever be revealed? Will Yeon Doo and Kim Yeol ever kiss??? You know I always love hearing from you so be sure to let me know what you’re thinking by leaving me a comment below!
Catch up on all of my reviews of Cheer Up! here:
These episodes were definitely upsetting. As a high school teacher myself, it’s frightening what a few lies did to the career of this man who has a true love for his students.
Ha Joon is surprising me the most. He is realizing that caring for others and standing up for what you believe in can replace the hollowness he has inside. As I watch him blossom, I am excited and nervous for him because he is still so emotionally fragile, yet is drawn to Yeon Doo in a way he doesn’t even understand himself. It will be interesting to see how it progresses, but I’m hoping it won’t end up in a full-blown crush on Yeon Doo that will cause conflict with his best friend.
I am also anxious to see whose dad Yeon Doo’s mom is dating. At first I thought it was going to be Dong Jae’s dad, but now…I’ll keep my thoughts to myself until I think it through a little more, but I have a guess.
Soo A’s mom has created a monster. She is dangerous and needs medical attention before she causes irreparable damage to herself or someone else. And the other students aren’t a whole lot better.
The whole hug/banana milk move was adorable. Kim Yeol is definitely working his charms…it’s only a matter of time before he succeeds. (Who can resist that smile?!)
That hug/banana milk thing was my favorite part of these two episodes. Oh Kim Yeol! He’s such a charmer when he wants to be. I loved the way Yeon Doo’s mom reacted when she met him. I’m pretty sure he’s the son of the man she’s dating which makes me worried about what kind of conflict might arise from that but the way Yeon Doo’s mom has handled things so far, maybe there won’t be much of an issue. I’d hate to think her mom was willing to sacrifice her happiness for the sake of her Yeon Doo but moms do that sort of thing all the time so it really wouldn’t surprise me. She’s already rejected one proposal for the sake of her daughter, so why not reject more? Of course if I’m wrong about this and Kim Yeol is actually someone else’s kid then I’ve been doing all this worrying for nothing. Wouldn’t be the first time! hahaha