Dal Ja's Spring Episode 22 Review

[iaria]

Spring Comes Again, Flowers Bloom Again

This was a very low-key final. It was not at all what I was expecting and while I enjoyed it I was also a bit disappointed in it.

• I loved that the episode ended with Dal Ja at work, being the boss, and being happy.

• The biggest disappointment was definitely how the Dal Ja/Tae Bong relationship played out in this episode. They weren’t even in the same scene until the final seven minutes of the episode. Seon Joo and Sae Do got more of a focus than they did and it was just weird. I loved the end with him sharing his first lunch box with her, in his new shop, and I love how the whole scene played out. I loved that she pulled her across the table to kiss his lips and then he swept her up into a more passionate kiss. But then that was the last we saw of them as a couple and after a whole episode of them just missing each other and not even really trying to meet it was... bizarre. Considering that they were the main pairing of the show I was expecting more of a focus on, you know, them. But instead we got no communication for two years, Dal Ja not going back to see Tae Bong at the restaurant and neither of them trying to get in contact with the other.

• “For once... I want to try believing what she believes.” – Tae Bong Ie: fate, destiny and true love. I find that really adorable! I wish they’d have met earlier but still adorable.

• I was really surprised that they didn’t get back together after Tae Bong told her he loved her. He said it finally! He wants to be with her! I mean she said she wouldn’t ask him to wait for her but why didn’t he offer to? I was honestly shocked that they didn’t get back together. I figured that he would go with her for the two years, or that they would get back together, perhaps engaged, at the beginning of the episode and then end the episode with her returning after two years and them getting married.

• Another big disappointment for me was that we didn’t get to see several reunions that I wanted to see – most of all Dal Ja’s reunion with her mom and grandmother, but also her reunion with her co-workers and with Seon Joo and Sae Do. We didn’t get a Seon Joo/Dal Ja scene which made me sad but at least we got a Sae Do/Dal Ja one which was really nice (and would have been a travesty if we hadn’t).

• Yeom Shin hanging out and playing games with Jung Ae and grandmother makes me so happy. That’s exactly what I wanted! It’s also really nice to see that Yeom Shin and Shin Wook’s marriage is so much better. Man, he has changed so much.

• “For me, compared to any man, you’re much dearer to me and more trustworthy. To me you’re greater than a husband, a friend, or a lover. Don’t you know this by now?” ♥ Awww x100. I love the Jung Ae/grandmother relationship. I loved grandma trying to play matchmaker for Jung Ae and I loved them telling each other that they were worthy mother/daughters in law.

• I wish we could have gotten a Jung Ae/Tae Bong scene. I really liked their relationship and her place as his teacher. Did they stay in contact over the last couple years?

• I was let down when there was no mention of Ms. Kang and Jun Ae. We got her asking Dal Ja to give her greetings to Jung Ae (did she ever do that?) and her explaining that she and Jung Ae were closer than friends and then – nothing. That was a dropped ball there. If they weren’t going to do anything with it why did they even bother to mention it? I do find myself thinking Jung Ae/Ms. Kang thoughts now (perhaps why that was dropped?) At the very least they could have had her playing Go Stop with Jung Ae, grandmother and Yeom Shin.

• I loved the end and how they showed short clips of various random characters and what they are doing right now. Some of the people we get a glance at are people we haven’t seen on the series in a long time and most didn’t have a very big role even when they were on. One thing I liked about the peeks we get is that for most of them it is just them going about their usual lives – some have had their dreams happen but even they are just living their day to day lives. We saw ‘Mrs. Eom’ working in her pie shop – called Ums Pie so possibly we also got a (part of) a name finally. We saw Ki Joong earlier in the episode, once again working with Dal Ja, though no hint whether he and his ex were back together. We saw Tae Bong’s friend (Choon Ha according to a wiki) still working at the same clothing store. Ji Hee (Seon Joo’s younger co-host) was at what looked like an audition. Hee Yeon (the girl Tae Bong felt responsible for) was starting a new job (her first?). And Soo Jin was still working as a lawyer. It was just nice to see all of them again.

• “I’m sorry but I’m not interested in you.” – Soo Jin
“It’s all right. So long as I’m interested in you.” – male colleague.

Ew! Was that supposed to be charmingly manly or something? She responds with a smile as if she liked it but I found it so gross. Definitely the worst part of the episode for me.

• I loved that the prologue voice over was Tae Bong. We’ve mainly gotten Dal Ja’s point of view so I loved getting Tae Bong’s point of view of Dal Ja and their relationship in a way we haven’t before. I really liked that it turned out to be him explaining about Dal Ja to a girl that his mother had him up with.

• Dal Ja having gone on a date so soon after she arrived back in Korea was weird and really contrived. It certainly wasn’t her mother who set her up and who else would try? And why would she even accept?

• I love that Seon Joo is exactly the same just with added baby. Dong Yi hasn’t changed who she is or how she lives her life. Well... except that she’s become an obsessive and over-protective parent. “Everyone, back off.” amused me as did how completely gone on her daughter she was. But she was still Seon Joo and I liked that a lot.

• I love that after Sae Do proposing to Seon Joo over and over and her constantly saying no the show ends with Seon Joo proposing to him because she loves him and even though she sees no purpose in marriage and has no interest in it herself she knows that it’s something he wants and that’s important to him.

• Even though we didn’t get to see the actual reunion of Dal Ja with most of her coworkers we did get that great dinner scene. It was lovely.