K-Drama Review: Big, Episodes 5-6

Read Episode reviews for:

Big--Episodes 1-2
Big--Episodes 3-4
Big--Episodes 5-6
Big--Episodes 7-8
Big--Episodes 9-10
Big--Episodes 11-12
Big--Episodes 13-14
Big--Episodes 15-16

Contains Spoilers for Episodes 5-6


As the episode opens, bodyswapped teenager Kyungjoon hugs Da-Ran to keep her from opening the door to mean girl Seyoung's apartment. If Da-Ran opens the door with a key that her fiance Yoonjae had in his possession, she'll have confirmation that Yoonaje was cheating on her before the bodyswap. Kyungjoon physically blocks Da-Ran from entering the apartment, and he finally has to lift her over his shoulder and carry her out of the building to keep her from confronting Seyoung. His default action seems to be picking Da-Ran up.

But Hey, It's Effective.

Finally, we see new emotional shades from Da-Ran; she's angry and humiliated, and more grown up too, I think. She had been living in a sort of childlike daydream that's no longer possible. Kyungjoon leaves Da-Ran to go visit his own comatose body, which is now hilariously placed beside a Mari pillow and a wall decorated with Mari pictures.

Yoonjae/Kyungjoon, Sleeping in Mari Central Station.

Kyungjoon's current interactions with Mari are hilarious, and I really get the sense that actor Gong Yoo is cracking up at Suzy's antics. Mari holds Kyungjoon-body's hand before she leaves and tells him to visit her in her dreams. Aw, she's such a doll sometimes.
Kyungjoon finds Da-Ran nursing a bottle (or two) of soju at her family's empty restaurant, thinking of the fiance who abandoned her. Da-Ran breaks down crying and leans on Kyungjoon's shoulder begging "Yoonjae" not to leave her. She falls asleep, and now Kyungjoon's in the position of protecting her, which is a nice reversal.

The Deadly Green Bottles Indicate Sorrow.

Kyungjoon walks around his own house, looking at all of Da-Ran's perfect nesting materials, and he wonders what will happen to all her nice wedding furniture if there's no wedding. This goes to show that Da-Ran may love Yoonjae, but she's equally in love with the dream of being settled down in a comfy-cozy house with comfy-cozy trappings. There's no reason the guy in the scenario has to be Yoonjae--any upstanding man would do.

Da-Ran surfaces from her alcohol fog and realizes that she has a wedding photo shoot coming up!  Kyungjoon agrees to the photos, and Da-Ran looks lovely in her wedding dress, but also fragile and just on the verge of tears. Kyungjoon's clearly wowed by her, but he wonders why she's doing this. Da-Ran replies that the pictures mean a lot to her, even though there will be no wedding--there again, the trappings of the wedding carry as much or more significance to Da-Ran than the man himself.

Insert Bridegroom At Left.

Da-Ran gives Kyungjoon a plane ticket, so he can go to LA and escape the whole situation. She just wanted to have these last photo memories of Yoonjae before he left. Kyungjoon frustratedly asks if it's just Yoonjae she'll be remembering, even though it was Kyungjoon who followed her around and made all those photo memories. Then he give her a real, genuine kiss as the wedding photographer snaps some final shots. Ooh. So let's recap: Yoonjae kissed Da-Ran once while she was asleep(she thinks), while this 18-year-old kid is brave enough to kiss her in front of everybody and let her know where he stands.

We Have a Winner.

Kyungjoon and Da-Ran fight and he says tells her that it was a goodbye kiss, since he's leaving for LA. Da-Ran's little brother Choongshik overhears this and administers a BEATDOWN to Kyungjoon for treating his noona so callously. So sweet!

All this turmoil is good because it leads to tough questions: for the first time, Kyungjoon asks what will happen to him if Yoonjae doesn't wake up. Good question. Until now, Da-Ran had just been acting as if Yoonjae would wake up in a week and when he did, another bodyswap would naturally occur. It's time Kyungjoon and Da-Ran acknowledged that they're dealing with a supernatural issue whose rules they don't understand.

Ignorance Is Bliss.

Now, Yoonjae's cold mom arrives in Seoul. Eek! Yoonjae's Mom wants him to come back to America with her. Kyungjoon is pretty jazzed about this--he proudly says that he's going to skip all the useless years most people spend growing up. He'll go to America for one year, and after he gets smarter, he will come back to Korea and marry Da-Ran. Because he likes her. Simple as that. WHAT? Da-Ran laughs at the idea of marrying a high school student, and he's hurt by her dismissal.

Aw, Don't Laugh at the Boy's Proposal!

He leaves for America. And then... Timeskip one year into the future? I've never seen this plot device used so early in a show's run.

Wow. I have no clue why they did this....  Is this timeskip going to be a good thing or bad thing? For sure, it's an unexpected thing.

After a year, we see Da-Ran mirroring episode 1 by rushing into a church for another friend's wedding. Da-Ran is congratulated on passing her exam, so we know she has become her own woman by passing her test and becoming a real adult in the workforce. At the wedding, she sees Kyungjoon!... or is it Yoonjae? She says hello, but he still doesn't answer, until this: "Gil Da-Ran-ssi. It's been awhile."

So Chill, So Cool.

This is a game-changer. That year-long gap alters everything about where I thought this story was going.

Kyungjoon is outright impersonating Yoonjae now, by being friends with Yoonjae's friends. He needs Da-Ran again because Yoonjae's Mom wants to force him to marry Seyoung! Kyungjoon says: "You are the only person who knows me perfectly. So the only person I can marry is you." But not for real. He asks Da-Ran to be his pretend fiance, so the tables have turned yet again! 

Also, Choongshik and Mari are still hanging out together! He's still paying off his pizza debt, one year later, and he has something important to tell her when the debt is paid in full. Awwww!

Supah-Supah-Cute.

Da-Ran needs to make a decision about what to do with Kyungjoon, and soon. Da-Ran wants to help him out with the fiancee ruse, but if she spends time with him, she wonders if her feelings for Yoonjae will be reignited. Come on, girl, how hard is it to help the poor bodyswapped guy?

Meanwhile, Mari is adding up evidence about Kyungjoon's identity. Mari pulls a B&E and breaks a window just to get into Kyungjoon's house. She sees his kiddie bed and his toys, and finally she gets it. The episode ends with Mari hugging Kyungjoon, knowing he's the real Kyungjoon.

Yikes!

Things I Loved:

1. Mari. Oh my Mari. You are so cute and insane. I don't know why I was surprised to see Mari still at Kyungjoon's bedside after one year; it's so her. She's even attending school in Korea, to be near him. But she reveals that she has to stay by Kyungjoon because it's somehow her fault his mother died. So, the stalking is halfway about guilt, and that makes more sense than just a blind cartoony devotion.

So Precious, She Doesn't Quite Creep You Out.

2. Da-Ran's Not-So-Bright Family. I heart Da-Ran's Mom and brother Choonshik so much. They love Da-Ran with all their hearts, but they are not the most perceptive of folks.

The Gil Family Does Not Comprehend.

3. Everything About This Show. Seriously everything.

And Also: This.

Complaints:

1. The Miracle Angels. Why is that cherub picture that Yoonjae and Kyungjoon both have so important? We get hints, but no answers.

2. Doctoring? Kyungjoon's planning to go back to work as a doctor, because he's been studying medicine like mad. Cause, you know, one year of studying medical textbooks is equal to going through med school, an internship and a residency. And then there's the fact that Kyungjoon can't stand the sight of blood. Erm.

Buzz Lightyear: "I Don't Believe That Man's Ever Been to Medical School".

Theories:

Yoonjae is Kyungjoon's Brother. It's an old, tired theory, but it makes sense.

Yoonjae is Not a Bad Guy, Just a Boring Guy. No further evidence has turned up  to suggest that Yoonjae was a bad dude. In fact, now we know that Seyoung's attachment to him was entirely one-sided and was pursued only from her end.

You Can Rest Easy, Da-Ran.

Episode Evaluations: That time skip changed everything! In a good way. I quite simply cannot wait to see how everything will unfold now that Kyungjoon is more grown-up, Da-Ran is more practical, and Mari knows the bodyswap secret!