Dal Ja’s Spring Episode 16 Review
Jan. 17th, 2011 10:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaThere Needs To Be Loyalty In Love!
I loved this episode. I think I definitely need a bit of a break from the series because I was starting to get worn down watching it all back-to-back and it feels like I was more able to enjoy this episode then the previous couple. Or this episode could just be better than the previous few.
• Tae Bong throwing himself between Dal Ja and her broom-wielding mother as Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ from the Bodyguard plays (which I recognised from the very first second because I love that movie) made me burst out laughing. But at the same time it also hit my embarrassment squick. I know the show was parodying that type of situation and poking fun at it but still I had to pause quickly. I loved Dal Ja’s Goong-parody apology to her mother a lot more.
• I felt more sympathy for Yeom Shin than ever especially when she was sitting down on her bed, alone, desperately trying hard not to cry. Learning more about her marriage also had me feeling really bad for her. I think I’d assumed that Yeom Shin and Shin Wook had a good relationship in the beginning and then it devolved to this point. But it really seems like he’s been cold and dismissive of her for pretty much their entire marriage and it makes me sad for her. It seems like he never got over his first love, married out of duty and then instead of making the best of it and finding some happiness he’s spent the last thirty or so years angsting/brooding over Jung Ae and what he lost and punishing Yeom Shin (through his behaviour towards her) for not being Jung Ae. I can’t blame her for jumping to conclusions and being so angry. Of course, this doesn’t absolve her of her own behaviour and attitudes. She made choices as well and she is not absolved from acting like, well, like a shrew. At this point she still a pretty horrible person. I can’t blame Shin Wook for wanting to leave (well, if it wasn’t blatantly caused by finding Jung Ae again) because I certainly wouldn’t want to be around her.
• Ki Joong and Secretary Han were rather superfluous this episode but their one scene did make me realise that I kind of ship them in an abstract way. I wish we could get more of them interacting.
• Oh, Dal Ja, you drama queen. I love that about her though. I think a part of her actually honestly wished that they were half-siblings just so that it would be exactly like the movies/dramas like she’s always wanted her life to be. Tae Bong’s amused balloon deflating amused me. I mean how many people have to say to their SO “You don’t have to be that disappointed. Even if we aren’t half-siblings or have an incurable disease we have a lot of obstacles ahead of us.”
• Tae Bong continues his winning streak of being awesome. I mean he tells Dal Ja “After seeing you ever day not being able to see you feels empty.” and is completely sincere! I think I was as moved as Dal Ja was. I also loved this exchange:
“There are a lot of men out there that can’t even do that (natural duties/being on her side). There are more men out there who do only the minimum and still brag about it.” – Dal Ja
“That won’t happen when you are with me. If it’s something I should naturally do, then I do it and don’t brag about it.” – Tae Bong
I don’t think I have ever heard that addressed on a show/movie/book before, only in meta and blog grumblings. Dal Ja’s second line there about ‘men who do the minimum and then think they’re amazing/should get respect for it’ really struck me. It’s like men who seem to think they should get kudos for not raping women when that is the bare minimum of decency! I loved Tae Bong’s response as well. And he’s not just tooting his own horn either – he is really like that. I love him.
• I don’t know why but the fact that this show has the couples sleeping together, off screen, had me expecting more affection between them. Specifically their kisses this episode had me going ‘You guys slept together! I think you can do more then give a little peck!’ When he paused and then turned back I thought for sure he was going to give her a far more passionate kiss but it was just a second peck and left me going ‘um... okay?’
• Seon Joo luring Sae Do into her apartment with “do you want to come to my bed” and then having him rub her feet amused me.
• I loved the Jung Ae/grandmother scene. It actually made me teary-eyed. I mean grandma was going to move to a home once Dal Ja was married so Jung Ae could find someone and be happy again! “I was going to give back the life you lost.” Sniff. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a hug in this series as much as I did right then.
• I can understand that Jung Ae’s experience in having to live her life poor and always working so hard after her husband died has made her rather set on Dal Ja marrying someone rich and/or accomplished so she doesn’t have to suffer the same fate. However I have two issues with that. 1) Dal Ja isn’t in the same situation – she is older than her mother was (by as much as ten years) and she has her own career and can support both herself and a husband if needed. She wouldn’t be caught unaware like Jung Ae was. 2) Considering how Jung Ae’s decision to marry for money over love worked out I don’t know why she is so set on believing that things would turn out better if her daughter made the exact same choice. Jung Ae is well aware that money isn’t something permanent.
• I really liked the Jung Ae/Yeom Shin face-off, and Jung Ae was pretty fierce and awesome (I loved her smacking Yeom Shin down with “my daughter needs to make her own mistakes (ie. having you as a mother-in-law) to realise I was right”, and then telling her she’d physically win in a face off because of all her manual labour over the years), but I’m kind of hoping they end the series friends again.
• I’m giving up on telling Dal Ja’s female co-workers apart. This episode had her male boss call one woman Hyun Sook but it didn’t at all look like the person who was called Hyun Sook before! I give up.
• I loved that after telling Dal Ja about his problems Sae Do immediately asked her about what was happening in her life. They are just adorable friends. I loved him trying to kiss her and her grabbing him in a head-lock.
• Ms. Kang – I love her. Her reaction to learning about the whole Dal Ja situation (Tae Bong and Jung Ae, which proved to be far more important to her then I ever thought it would be) was great but I loved her wide-eyed ‘holy crap’ reaction when Yeom Shin confronted Dal Ja about being pregnant right there in front of everyone. Hee.
I loved this episode. I think I definitely need a bit of a break from the series because I was starting to get worn down watching it all back-to-back and it feels like I was more able to enjoy this episode then the previous couple. Or this episode could just be better than the previous few.
• Tae Bong throwing himself between Dal Ja and her broom-wielding mother as Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ from the Bodyguard plays (which I recognised from the very first second because I love that movie) made me burst out laughing. But at the same time it also hit my embarrassment squick. I know the show was parodying that type of situation and poking fun at it but still I had to pause quickly. I loved Dal Ja’s Goong-parody apology to her mother a lot more.
• I felt more sympathy for Yeom Shin than ever especially when she was sitting down on her bed, alone, desperately trying hard not to cry. Learning more about her marriage also had me feeling really bad for her. I think I’d assumed that Yeom Shin and Shin Wook had a good relationship in the beginning and then it devolved to this point. But it really seems like he’s been cold and dismissive of her for pretty much their entire marriage and it makes me sad for her. It seems like he never got over his first love, married out of duty and then instead of making the best of it and finding some happiness he’s spent the last thirty or so years angsting/brooding over Jung Ae and what he lost and punishing Yeom Shin (through his behaviour towards her) for not being Jung Ae. I can’t blame her for jumping to conclusions and being so angry. Of course, this doesn’t absolve her of her own behaviour and attitudes. She made choices as well and she is not absolved from acting like, well, like a shrew. At this point she still a pretty horrible person. I can’t blame Shin Wook for wanting to leave (well, if it wasn’t blatantly caused by finding Jung Ae again) because I certainly wouldn’t want to be around her.
• Ki Joong and Secretary Han were rather superfluous this episode but their one scene did make me realise that I kind of ship them in an abstract way. I wish we could get more of them interacting.
• Oh, Dal Ja, you drama queen. I love that about her though. I think a part of her actually honestly wished that they were half-siblings just so that it would be exactly like the movies/dramas like she’s always wanted her life to be. Tae Bong’s amused balloon deflating amused me. I mean how many people have to say to their SO “You don’t have to be that disappointed. Even if we aren’t half-siblings or have an incurable disease we have a lot of obstacles ahead of us.”
• Tae Bong continues his winning streak of being awesome. I mean he tells Dal Ja “After seeing you ever day not being able to see you feels empty.” and is completely sincere! I think I was as moved as Dal Ja was. I also loved this exchange:
“There are a lot of men out there that can’t even do that (natural duties/being on her side). There are more men out there who do only the minimum and still brag about it.” – Dal Ja
“That won’t happen when you are with me. If it’s something I should naturally do, then I do it and don’t brag about it.” – Tae Bong
I don’t think I have ever heard that addressed on a show/movie/book before, only in meta and blog grumblings. Dal Ja’s second line there about ‘men who do the minimum and then think they’re amazing/should get respect for it’ really struck me. It’s like men who seem to think they should get kudos for not raping women when that is the bare minimum of decency! I loved Tae Bong’s response as well. And he’s not just tooting his own horn either – he is really like that. I love him.
• I don’t know why but the fact that this show has the couples sleeping together, off screen, had me expecting more affection between them. Specifically their kisses this episode had me going ‘You guys slept together! I think you can do more then give a little peck!’ When he paused and then turned back I thought for sure he was going to give her a far more passionate kiss but it was just a second peck and left me going ‘um... okay?’
• Seon Joo luring Sae Do into her apartment with “do you want to come to my bed” and then having him rub her feet amused me.
• I loved the Jung Ae/grandmother scene. It actually made me teary-eyed. I mean grandma was going to move to a home once Dal Ja was married so Jung Ae could find someone and be happy again! “I was going to give back the life you lost.” Sniff. I don’t think I’ve ever wanted a hug in this series as much as I did right then.
• I can understand that Jung Ae’s experience in having to live her life poor and always working so hard after her husband died has made her rather set on Dal Ja marrying someone rich and/or accomplished so she doesn’t have to suffer the same fate. However I have two issues with that. 1) Dal Ja isn’t in the same situation – she is older than her mother was (by as much as ten years) and she has her own career and can support both herself and a husband if needed. She wouldn’t be caught unaware like Jung Ae was. 2) Considering how Jung Ae’s decision to marry for money over love worked out I don’t know why she is so set on believing that things would turn out better if her daughter made the exact same choice. Jung Ae is well aware that money isn’t something permanent.
• I really liked the Jung Ae/Yeom Shin face-off, and Jung Ae was pretty fierce and awesome (I loved her smacking Yeom Shin down with “my daughter needs to make her own mistakes (ie. having you as a mother-in-law) to realise I was right”, and then telling her she’d physically win in a face off because of all her manual labour over the years), but I’m kind of hoping they end the series friends again.
• I’m giving up on telling Dal Ja’s female co-workers apart. This episode had her male boss call one woman Hyun Sook but it didn’t at all look like the person who was called Hyun Sook before! I give up.
• I loved that after telling Dal Ja about his problems Sae Do immediately asked her about what was happening in her life. They are just adorable friends. I loved him trying to kiss her and her grabbing him in a head-lock.
• Ms. Kang – I love her. Her reaction to learning about the whole Dal Ja situation (Tae Bong and Jung Ae, which proved to be far more important to her then I ever thought it would be) was great but I loved her wide-eyed ‘holy crap’ reaction when Yeom Shin confronted Dal Ja about being pregnant right there in front of everyone. Hee.
