Sunday, September 23, 2012

K-Drama Review: To The Beautiful You, Episodes 11-12





Read Episode reviews for:


To The Beautiful You--Episodes 1-2
To The Beautiful You--Episodes 3-4
To The Beautiful You--Episodes 5-6
To The Beautiful You--Episodes 7-8
To The Beautiful You--Episodes 9-10
To The Beautiful You--Episodes 11-12
To The Beautiful You--Episodes 13-14
To The Beautiful You--Episodes 15-16

Contains Spoilers for Episodes 11-12


Gyah. So Blogger ate my review and my pictures for episode 11 while I was working on it in draft... But, I don't even think a full recap of episode 11 is necessary; all you need to know is that Hanna gets injured, Taejoon cares for her, Jaehee mopes around, and--surprise, surprise, Eungyul confesses his love to Jaehee. But he still thinks Jaehee is a boy.
 
You Might Want To Enlighten Him on That Score, Jaehee.
 
Before Jaehee can speak, Taejoon shows up and tells Jaehee that they should just go on into their room. Jaehee gently shuts the door in Eungyul's face, and I'm rather angry at her. She should have told Eungyul about her identity sooner, but no matter about that, now--he's her friend, and she does not need to leave him hanging like that. She should pull him off to the side and explain about her gender, and also explain whether she does or does not return his feelings. Simple. Direct. But nooo...
 
Stop Angsting, Girl. This is Self-Created Drama.
 
Taejoon tells Jaehee that his relationship with Hanna "isn't what she thinks it is," which is frustratingly vague. Don't know why I'm upset at Jaehee when Taejoon is just as maddening when it comes to not stating his intentions. Hanna and Eungyul are the only up-front and honest people in the cast! 
 
That night, Jaehee and Taejoon have a super cute and romantic phone conversation where she's upstairs and he's downstairs, and she's calling him to apologize for being a burden, while he insists that she is no burden at all.
 
And Just Like That, My Cynical Heart is Warmed Again.
 
He tells her thank you for enabling him to jump again. So she knows now that she has accomplished what she came to Genie High to do.  The next day, Taejoon's high jumping practice goes so well, his coach is sure he will qualify for the Olympics again. Unfortunately, his jumping rival Hyunjae is suffering from nerves and is sure to fall to pieces in the next competition.
 
At school, Jaehee starts avoiding Eungyul. Oy.
 
Jaehee goes to visit Hanna in the hospital, and Hanna huffily promises not reveal Jaehee's secret.Then Jaehee encourages Hanna to work toward a full recovery and never give up her sport, because gymnastics is good for Hanna.
 
Jaehee is a Multi-Purpose Encourager.
 
And at the dorms, Taejoon gives Jaehee a new present to make up for the birthday present lotion that Hanna spilled a few episodes back. Jaehee flips out with joy over the present.
 
He is Seriously Delighted That She's So Seriously Delighted.
 
Jaehee goes to the School Doctor to ask what she should do about Eungyul's confession, and he tells her what we all knew--that people are going to start finding out about her anyway, and that her time at Genie High is limited.
 
Eungyul is now losing no time in wooing Jaehee, doing things like bringing her strawberry milk, which he knows she loves. Taejoon is ticked off at having another guy move in on Jaehee, but he can't declare his position because everybody's been lying about everything for so long. Tensions build as all the main cast decide to go do a weekend volunteer project.
 
Things Are Still Stiflingly Awkward Between Eungyul and Jaehee.
 
The volunteer scenes are pretty cool, actually, because they showcase the cast helping restore some old, traditional Korean houses, and it shows the two guys trying to keep Jaehee from doing any work at all. Adorbs!
 
During a break, Jaehee sorta lets it slip that she's planning to leave school. Taejoon already knew this because he saw plans for a plane trip to Los Angeles on her computer.
 
Later, Eungyul finally gets down to serious business and asks Taejoon about his feelings for Jaehee.
 
A Rather Painful Question, I'm Afraid.
 
Typically, Taejoon tells him nothing. That night, Taejoon and Jaehee have a little talk about how she thinks she might be moving away.
 
Soon, Taejoon finally has an alone moment with Jaehee, and he says there's something her needs to tell her. Eungyul comes around to return a lost phone, and Jaehee is about to go out to see Eungyul when Taejoon stops her from leaving and says, "Don't think about Eungyul when you're with me." Aw. It's a little Neanderthal-ish, but it's a firm statement of interest, at last. He follows it up with, "I don't want you to go to America. Stay with me."
 
 


Things I Loved:

 
1. Jaehee/Taejoon. When they talk to each other (or rather, when they talk without communicating properly) they are terribly bothersome, but when they have sweet, quiet moments, I can't help but support them.

Why Y'all Gotta Be Such Cutie-Pies?


Complaints:

1. How Long it Takes For Everything to Happen. Just feels like we're stuck in nothing-happens-ville, spinning our wheels while nobody really grows or changes.

Well, Okay, Maybe Taejoon Grows and Changes a Bit.

 

Episode Evaluations:  Other than Eungyul declaring his intentions, Hanna showing some strength, and the Taejoon/Jaehee cuteness I could have done without these episodes altogether. How long does it take for the world's most obvious secret to actually be obvious? How long does it take for the hero to say a simple "I like you?"

If the story suddenly switched to following only Seungri/Hanna, plus Hyunjae, Jongmin, and the rest of the high school dorm cut-ups, I wouldn't be disappointed.



2 comments:

  1. oooh so confusing but I like the neanderthal last line! I guess I'm not as evolved as I thought :-)

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    Replies
    1. I liked it, too. Bossy, but not actually mean, you know? It comes off as kinda sweet.

      Yes, this show is confusing as anything.

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