K-Drama Review: Big, Episodes 13-14

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 13-14

Big is coming along nicely. Where were we?

Kissing, That's Where! Yaaaaaaay.

Da-Ran has finally hinted to Kyungjoon that her heart belongs to him, regardless of the fact that he's been soul-swapped into someone else's body. She briefly tries to talk herself out of falling for him, but Kyungjoon just looks at her lovingly and promises to make her fall for him even more in the future.

At the hospital, Mari's sees Yoonjae's Dad, finally confronts him, and realizes he's also Kyungjoon's dad.

Mari's Not a Bad Sleuth, All Things Considered.

Mari acts like a boss and asks Dad why he's trying to hide the fact that he's Kyungjoon's father--does he care more about his older son Yoonjae, is that it? She says, "Ahjusshi nappayo!" which means "You're a bad person, mister!" And she's not wrong. He abandoned his youngest boy and has done nothing for him during the kid's whole life. At this point, I love Mari for loving Kyungjoon. Besides KJ himself, she's one of the few people who could feel this abandonment so deeply.

Da-Ran takes Kyungjoon out for a middle-class birthday dinner at a place that amounts to a Korean Shoney's, since the staff all sing Happy Birthday to you. Kyungjoon promises to take Da-Ran on a round-trip voyage to the moon in 20 years. Aww, he's already planning wild and wacky things for their distant future. He's in this for the long haul.

Just Give In Already, Da-Ran. It's Inevitable.

Da-Ran gives Kyungjoon his birthday present, a watch personalized with his initials, and he asks her to put it on for him. he says that since she gave him the watch at 10:10, every single day when the clock hits 10:10, he will think of her and she must think of him. I don't know if that is childish or romantic--maybe some of both--but it's altogether a Kyungjoon sort of thing to say.

The next morning, despite dreaming of visiting the moon with Kyungjoon as a pair of happy astronauts, Da-Ran insists that she's going to pursue a future by herself and take a far-off teaching job. Well, I guess our awesome couple still needs some tension. But does it have to come from Da-Ran still not admitting they're a couple?

At the hospital, Kyungjoon has a moment of self-disgust as he can't get over his phobia of blood for long enough to hold the hand of a sick child. He seems to be asking himself what Yoonjae would do in his position--Yoonjae would help the little girl, of course.

And Kyungjoon Does, Too.

I love how Kyungjoon overcomes his own trauma in order to help someone who needs him. I also like this drama's focus on connected hands, like DR and KJ's hands connecting under the umbrella, or Yoonjae's and Kyungjoon's hands when big brother rescues little brother from drowning.

Da-Ran resolves that if she thinks of Kyungjoon at 10:10 like he promised she would, that means she's truly caught. But instead of thinking about him at precisely 10:10, she thinks about him every other minute of the day! It's pretty funny to watch Da-Ran get continual flashbacks to memories of Kyungjoon when she looks at things like vitamin water, tennis shoes, cars, and even when a breeze blows. And she sees clocks everywhere!

Hallucinations Are a Symptom Of Love! Or Acid Usage.

Da-Ran still wants to find her lost engagement ring so she can return it and apologize to Yoonjae someday, for dumping him. Kyungjoon is just as perplexed over this as I am, and they argue about the ring. But to onlookers, it seems like Yoonjae and Da-Ran are having marital problems, and of course lil' bro Choongshik overhears Da-Ran talking about "cheating"...

Stricken With Shock and Grief. Love This Kid.

Then there's this nonsensical scene where Da-Ran and Kyungjoon go to jail because Da-Ran's Dad is upset with them over a misunderstanding, and they are let go the next morning, but none of it is a joke or a dream. Huh? But it's soon over, and Da-Ran is promising to stay by Kyungjoon's side and to hold his hand when he switches back to his original body. And there is smiling and hugging, and the viewers rejoice! But Mari watches the whole lovey exchange and cries her heart out.

미안해, Kiddo.

Off in the Darker Plot, darker things are happening. Like they do. Yoonjae's parents had some tests run and they find that Yoonjae's old disease is back and he needs blood from the comatose Kyungjoon in order to live. But Kyungjoon is soulswapped in Yoonjae's body right now and is just finding out about the health condition. Kyungjoon overhears Awful Mom talking to Seyoung about taking blood from his unconscious body without his permission.

Mom's a Stone Cold Jerk.

Then the truth all comes out in a horrible tumble. Mom tells Kyungjoon (thinking he's Yoonjae) all about making Kyungjoon twenty years ago and having him carried by a surrogate, just so he could heal his big brother. This absolutely demolishes Kyungjoon's worldview--he always thought he was the treasured child of a single mom who had a brief fling. That, he could live with. But this? Being a test tube baby created to donate blood to another kid? It hurts.

 

Kyungjoon decides he won't give the transfusion to "Yoonjae". He'll just move forward with Da-Ran and forget about his sordid family. At this point, Mari shows her first real hint of villainy and lies to Kyungjoon, saying that Da-Ran knew about everything and she was only staying with him so she could use him to help Yoonjae. Kyungjoon's in just the right disturbed frame of mind to believe her, since everyone who should love him is putting Yoonjae first.

Mari finds Da-Ran and tries to get her to realize that she's only causing Kyungjoon pain by staying with him. Huh? Mari gives Da-Ran a fake engagement ring and begs Da-Ran to tell Kyungjoon lies so he'll leave her. Da-Ran complies, putting on the ring and telling Kyungjoon to save Yoonjae because he's the one she's waiting for. With tears in his eyes, Kyungjoon says he'll do that if it's what she wants.

The look on his face makes me want to punch someone.

The next episode begins with Da-Ran having nightmares about Kyungjoon and Yoonjae--they keep switching identities, and saying that she has forgotten one of them. The one she forgets will be lost forever. She wakes up to find Kyungjoon still awake and physically hurting from the unnamed illness Yoonjae has. Kyungjoon tells her to leave him alone and forget about taking him to the hospital.

I Honestly Don't Know Whether to Blame Her for This Predicament.

Kyungjoon has a talk with Mari where he continually compares Da-Ran's abandonment of him to the way his birth parents abandoned him. It's a fatal one-two punch of heartache.

Da-Ran is incensed after a talk with Awful Mom, who tells her that Yoonjae must always come first, even if Kyungjoon wakes up. Da-Ran says oh, HECK NO. Kyungjoon has to come first this time. Da-Ran extracts a promise that Awful Mom will be grateful to Kyungjoon and will treat him right when he wakes up. Way to go to bat for your boy, Da-Ran, even if you're currently lying to his face in order to save him.

Da-Ran and Kyungjoon go and have an awkward dinner with his parents, where he's just barely holding back his contempt for the way Mom fawns over Yoonjae, not knowing it's really the unwanted son she's speaking to.

 

And holy cow, the revelations keep coming! Awful Mom couldn't have kids naturally, so she conceived Yoonjae through in-vitro and kept Kyungjoon's...zygote I guess, stored away safely for later. Kyungjoon and Yoonjae were born twelve years apart, but Dad says the two of them were made from the same batch of person-fluid, so they're more like fraternal twins. (Is your head spinning? Mine is.)

THAT'S NOT ALL! Kyungjoon has a full-on crying breakdown when he finds out that his Dad asked his birth mom to carry him because they loved each other. Now Kyungjoon feels like the person who raised him, Birth Mom, only carried him because she was emotionally manipulated by her love for Dad, who explained that it was the only way to save his older son. The situation's wild, but the emotions are totally real from everyone. Well done.

Kyungjoon heads to a bar and begins quietly drinking himself into oblivion. Da-Ran finds him, but now that she's convinced him she doesn't love him, her pleading words to get him to leave don't have as much effect. He says if she's sincere, her true sincerity will move him, but nothing else. She tries various appeals, most of them the tough-love variety, while he drinks what looks to be a row of Scotch on the rocks, one after the other. She finally gets him to stop.

Next day, Kyungjoon agrees to the treatments, but says he'll go with Dad to Germany for them. Kyungjoon tells Da-Ran to wait behind and stay with his body because she promised she would be by his side when he woke up, and they figure that karma will make him wake up when the life-saving surgery is over. (They switched souls when Yoonjae saved Kyungjoon's life, ergo they'll switch again when KJ saves YJ.) But Da-Ran's family only knows that her husband is going to Germany without her.

The Gil's Default State Is Affectionate Confusion.

Da-Ran comes up with the idea that maybe the miracle of the bodyswap happened because Kyungjoon had to live as an adult for a while in order to have an adult's heart, so he could understand all that was being asked of him. Kyungjoon says no, his heart still hasn't grown enough to feel sympathy for these people.

Kyungjoon has a selfish streak left in him because he tells Mari he's not going to Germany for treatments--he's just going to disappear in Yoonjae's body and let everyone at home stew with worry. Da-Ran races to stop him at the airport, saying, "Save Yoonjae and in exchange I'll live the rest of my life alone and unhappy. I probably be unhappy anyway because...I love you." They're both in tears at this point.

 

I still don't understand why everybody's gotta be unhappy.

Ohhh, and a new twist. (Could there be any more twists?) Kyungjoon deduces from a few different clues that when he returns to his own body, he'll wake up without any of his current memories. He won't even remember the bodyswap. He looks around his house, which is full to the brim of Da-Ran memories, and wonders what it will be like to lose her. *sniffle*

Now they have dinner together and realize it might be their very last. Now he asks her to change her old promise--don't be by Kyungjoon's side when they switch places, but be with Yoonjae instead. Is this his way of fixing her up with his brother? Again? But instead of telling her he's going to lose his memories, Kyungjoon tells her he's going to pretend to forget her after the switch, so she should do the same. Arrrgh!

Just Be Honest, Like You Used to Be!

The necessary blood is taken from Kyungjoon's body, and Yoonjae's body faints. When he wakes up, Da-Ran asks, "You're still Kyungjoon, right?" But we don't know.

End of episode.

Things I Loved:

1. The Birthday Watch. Kyungjoon asking Da-Ran to put his birthday watch on for him because it's the first present she's ever gotten him. The watch keeps gaining significance over time (get it? over time?).

Killing Me With The Cuteness.

2. Everything I've Loved in Past Eps. The Lovey-dovey-ness, the wit, the real emotions, crazy Mari and dim Choongshik, and the list goes on.

Complaints:

1. Da-Ran's Waffling. I can understand her struggling with accepting Kyungjoon up through episode 12, but by episode 13 I'm ready for their obstacles to be external, not internal.

2. Jail Scene. Kinda ridiculous, which is saying a lot for a scene in a soul-swapping plot.

Whut.

3. Da-Ran Lying to Kyungjoon. It's just miserable all around for everyone when Da-Ran starts to lie, and it's not clear to me why Da-Ran had to lie to Kyungjoon at all!

Episode Evaluations: These episodes broke my heart in about fifteen different ways. I tip my hat to the writers for making the story so emotionally accessible, even while utilizing many gnarly plot devices that could have gotten in the way.

And yet! I had better get a happy ending out of this. The ending will decide whether this is one of my most favorite shows ever or just one long exercise in sadness. I'm holding out for a strong finale. Only next week will tell!

Psalms on Sunday: Psalm 6

http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Scripture/Ketuvim/Psalms/Psalm_6/psalm_6.html

Psalm 6 is another serious plea for help. Verse 1 seems to be concerned about punishment from the Lord, which makes it sound like the speaker has done something to displease God. Verse 2 requests mercy and healing from God, because the speaker's body is in poor condition. His soul is also in poor condition, and he wonders when God will intervene and help him.

http://wallpaper4god.com/en/background_bible-verse-psalm-69-winter-snow/

Verse 4 implies that God has left the speaker behind--he begs God to deliver him from trouble because God is known for his mercy. Verse 5 is a little curious to me; it implies that God should save the speaker from death so that the speaker can continue praising God, because dead people can no longer give him praise. But...God doesn't especially need our praises, and in the New Testament it is clear that people praise God while in heaven, so I'm not sure what to make of this statement about death.

Verses 6 and 7 are about the physical and emotional torments that the speaker is experiencing. The descriptions are very bold, particularly the image of crying so much that his bed is soaked with tears and his voice has given out. His enemies have brought him this sorrow, but it doesn't say specifically what these enemies have done.

http://hilldaleworship.blogspot.com/2012/01/150-days-of-psalms-psalm-6.html

Verses 8-10 establish a tone of victory, as if God answered the speaker's prayer somewhere between verse 7 and 8, resulting in his assurance that everything's going to go his way. He warns sinful people to get away from him because God has responded to his prayer and this does not bode well for the aforementioned enemies.

_________________________________

¹O Lord, rebuke me not in thine anger, neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.

² Have mercy upon me, O Lord; for I am weak: O Lord, heal me; for my bones are vexed.

³ My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O Lord, how long?

⁴ Return, O Lord, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies' sake.

⁵ For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?

⁶ I am weary with my groaning; all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.

⁷ Mine eye is consumed because of grief; it waxeth old because of all mine enemies.

⁸ Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity; for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping.

⁹ The Lord hath heard my supplication; the Lord will receive my prayer.

¹⁰ Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed: let them return and be ashamed suddenly.
____________________________________

http://www.pastorgraphics.com/Psalm_6_PowerPoint_Sermon-12970.html

K-Drama Review: Big, Episodes 11-12

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 11-12

The previous episode ended on a less than emphatic note, but a few things had been established: Da-Ran has very strong feelings for Kyungjoon and none for Yoonjae, which has her worried that she's going nuts. Also, Yoonjae and Kyungjoon are secretly brothers, which no one knows except their birth parents.

Kyungjoon has decided to find his birth father, and in a nice ironic twist he actually does meets his father, but only knows that it's Yoonjae's father.

In a conversation with the aforementioned Dad, the evil, evil, evil Mom of Yoonjae says she never needed "that child"--Kyungjoon--she only needed his umbilical cord to harvest stem cells in order to save her precious Yoonjae's life when he suffered from his childhood illness.

That's Beyond Sick, Madam.

Newsflash for you, Yoonjae's Mom: Kids aren't valuable because you need them for some particular emotional or practical purpose. They're valuable because they are human beings. Period. I begin to understand why Yoonjae's Dad split with her; she only cares about people when they are necessary to her comfort, and if they don't fulfill a neat role like a cog in a machine, they become utterly disposable.

Kyungjoon has some awkward interaction with Dad, who seems like a nice if weak-willed man. Then the four of them, young couple and older couple, have a dinner where Yoonjae's Mom hints that Da-Ran needs a new wardrobe and a snazzy car of her own. To keep up appearances and bolster Yoonjae's reputation, don't ya know? She also says between gritted teeth that if Da-Ran had come to the marriage with enough money for decent clothes and a car, they wouldn't be going through this mess right now. Kyungjoon gives Mom the wittiest, most brilliant-est set down ever, then goes out and buys a car for Da-Ran with Mom's money.

Rarely Gets Mad, But Is Very Good At Getting Even.

Kyungjoon and Da-Ran go through some more bonding when he tries to get her to smile at home by dramatically singing the Pororo theme song and strumming a frying-pan guitar. Da-Ran has to flee from the room because she's way too happy in his company. She wants to clear her mind and settles on obsessive needlework as a kind of zen activity. She even imagines herself as a Joseon-era housewife, sewing away as she waits for her husband's return!

I Kind Of Love Her For This Daydream.

Kyungjoon's 20th birthday is coming up quickly, and when that day comes, he'll inherit $4.5 million dollars (that's, like, 70 trillion won!) left to him by his mother, whose restaurant business must have been very successful indeed if she socked away that much money...hmm. Interesting. For the moment, let's just note that Kyungjoon's Mom had way more money than she should have. Kyungjoon gets his current body, Seo Yoonjae, signed on as Kyungjoon's trustee, so that his soul can use the money while his body's in a coma. He always was a smartie.

Kyungjoon takes Da-Ran out for a high-end Chinese dinner, then feeds her a wrap by hand, without even thinking about it. Da-Ran however is flustered beyond belief and nearly chokes in her rush to move past the awkward (for her) moment. She says that she's warm, so he fans her, which only makes things worse as she realizes how much every little gesture endears him to her. Da-Ran bolts from the restaurant and heads home to brood.

Brooding Always Helps!

She sets aside her needlepoint, which hasn't worked her at all, and begins obsessively ironing out a comforter in order to keep her thoughts off Kyungjoon. But then she burns herself on the iron and Kyungjoon comes to her rescue to treat the burn. Da-Ran understands that he needs to take care of her--he kind of gives away that he's worried that Yoonjae won't appreciate her or treat her well when they switch back. Aw.

At an art museum, Kyungjoon alllllmost makes the connection that Yoonjae's parents are his parents as he talks to an old friend of the family, but fate foils the attempt again. Kyungjoon  brings some of Da-Ran's favorite flowers home and puts them in about 10 different locations, trying to find the best place for them.

The Stairs Are Not the Best Place, Kyungjoon.

Elsewhere, Da-Ran learns that Yoonjae never cheated on her; he was just massively inattentive. The audience knows that this is because he was constantly looking for his lost brother, Kyungjoon. I'm glad it's revealed that Yoonjae is a pure good-guy, because it makes our central problem more difficult. It's not a Bad Yoonjae vs. Good Kyungjoon love triangle, but (potentially) a Good-Yoonjae-Who-She-Doesn't-Love vs. Good-Kyungjoon-Who-She-Does-Love. A much better conflict, and a much harder choice, if it comes to a choice at all.

Faced With a Vast Dilemma.

Da-Ran meets with Yoonjae's Mom, who encourages her to let Yoonjae go. Mom is willing to stoop very low indeed. When Kyungjoon finds Da-Ran, he's furious that Yoonjae's Mom has made her cry, and says: "She made you cry, so she has to pay for your tears." They get into a screaming fight over whether or not he has the right to interfere in the situation. Somewhere during the fight, Kyungjoon clearly admits that he still loves Da-Ran. He says that if she ever takes off Yoonjae's ring, he'll take it as a sign that she's ready to love him, too. "When we switch back, if you want to see Kang Kyungjoon, take that ring off." The line in the sand has been drawn.

The Yoonjae Parental Units are discussing their kids again--Dad wants Yoonjae to see coma-Kyungjoon, and Mom doesn't, so no surprises there. Mom says Dad will never see her or Yoonjae again if he helps Kyungjoon now. Um. He already never sees either of you, so what's the difference?

Flummoxed Da-Ran begins to throw away every object that reminds her of Kyungjoon. The art museum program, the jar with a random root in it, the sunflowers he brought her, the little pandas...

No! Put Those Pandas Right Back Where You Found Them!

But then she can't do it. She can't throw away her memories of Kyungjoon--they're all very precious to her, and she takes the trash bag back into the house.

To bring back the comedy in the story, we've got a camping trip set up with the whole Gil family. They all want Kyungjoon to come along, but Da-Ran stubbornly insists that he can't go. Da-Ran drives the Gil family vehicle away and her mom, dad, and little brother all begin to text Kyungjoon to beg him to come! Hee. That guy is popular. And in a cute twist, Da-Ran and Kyungjoon are left alone at the camping site without a car, because the Gil family left, hoping they'd iron out their tiff. It works. The two of them go for a walk, then Kyungjoon photobombs every picture Da-Ran tries to take of herself with a timed camera.

The Master At Work.

Kyungjoon has another back-to-body experience, and at night he muses that whenever this happens to him, he's always glad that Da-Ran is by his side when he comes back. But he knows that when he and Yoonjae switch permanently, he'll be alone again. Da-Ran pretends to be sleeping as he says this, but she hears every word and cries silently.

The next day, Mari goes to visit coma-Kyungjoon in the hospital and HOLY COW, YOONJAE IS AWAKE!

Whaaaaaat?

Actually, no, he's not. Mari just dreamed that he was awake. Oy. I'm mad at the writers for that fake-out--I really am. Now when Yoonjae really does come back, the scene will lose its shock and impact because we've seen it happen before. Poorly played, I think.

Kyungjoon's 20th birthday arrives. Da-Ran makes his favorite foods as well as the traditional Korean seaweed soup everyone eats on their birthday. She tells him to meet her for dinner, and she buys him a watch engraved with his own initials--KKJ. Old rival Seyoung sees Da-Ran buying the gift and assumes she's cheating on Yoonjae. Seyoung meets with Kyungjoon and tells him Da-Ran was buying a gift for another man, and that she took off her ring. Contrary to Seyoung's assumption, Kyungjoon is thrilled at this, because it means Da-Ran's giving up Yoonjae and choosing him.

On Cloud Nine!

He rushes off to meet Da-Ran and asks her what she plans to do now that she's made her decision. Kissing ensues. YAAAAAAAAYYY.


Things I Loved:

1. Shoe-Tying. As part of an unusual metaphor, Kyungjoon ties Da-Ran's unlaced shoe and tells her to be ready to walk far away from him someday. The shoe-tying itself is so sweet! It seems like every other K-drama I see has some scene of the guy putting the girl's shoe back on, Cinderella style, but I always find it precious. So long as the heroine is usually strong and capable, a little bit of babying is not a problem--especially if she has some moments of babying the guy, too.

Showing That He Cares.

2. Mari. The grins, the stalking, the jaunty hats! She is marvelous. She's had a smaller role lately, but that's because we're focusing on our two principal characters and their journey.

So Presh.

3. Da-Ran/Kyungjoon. Who could get enough of these two? They're my favorite age-discrepancy pairing since Eun-Bi and Chi-Soo from Flower Boy Ramyun Shop.

OTP.

Complaints:

1. Shopping Montage. I really, really don't like shopping montages where the guy is buying clothes for the girl. Tying her shoes? Cute. Buying out an entire department store for her? Oversteps some boundaries. Granted, Kyungjoon is buying Da-Ran the clothes with Yoonjae's Mom's money as a way to get back at her, but still.

Episode Evaluations: Awesome, awesome! Such good conflict, and such intense emotions. Normally, I'm really ready for a series to start wrapping up at about this point, but for Big it kills me that there are only 4 episodes left!

K-Drama Review: Big, Episodes 9-10

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 9-10

It's crisis mode for Da-Ran and Kyungjoon as they realize that Kyungjoon's bodyswapping situation might soon be reversed. You know you're in the midst of a knotty conflict when a person's soul going back into the right body may create more problems that it solves.

Being On the Floor In a Coma is the Least of Your Troubles.

So Da-Ran and Kyungjoon are sticking close by, to see what happens. This makes sense, though in a way I would have loved to see them gallivanting in Shanghai, like they'd planned. They have a small blowup and Da-Ran again decides to go on vacation by herself.

Little Mari is heartbroken by the recent turn of events, and she says to the air: "Kyungjoon, today your current body married Da-Ran, but I think your heart married me." It's moments like these that remind us that Terminator Mari has delicate feelings which are frequently wounded because she just doesn't get that Kyungjoon doesn't reciprocate her crazed love.

Soooooo Much Denial.

Da-Ra tromps off to a jimjilbang sauna, which is a fun place to go normally, but it's no replacement for a for-real vacation. She grumps and grumbles, then nearly gets caught by her own family who are going to the same 찜질방, while thinking she is honeymooning in China! Kyungjoon sits at home, imagining holding hands with Da-Ran on the Great Wall of China, then reminding himself that she wouldn't be looking at him happily in this scenario--she'd be looking at Yoonjae.

Poor Puppy!

Kyungjoon gets caught by Da-Ran's family, but he makes up a story that he stayed in Korea to tend to a special patient and he sent Da-Ran on the honeymoon by herself. The Gil family melts at his generosity and invites him to stay for dinner, which he surprisingly loves. He calls up Da-Ran and tells her it's safe to head back to "their" house. Then Kyungjoon dashes home with a huge grin on his face, excited to spend time with Da-Ran.


Elsewhere, Yoonjae's mom finds Kyungjoon-body in the coma and is emotionally moved by the sight of him, but it's still not clear how she knows him. There are also hints that Yoonjae had been looking for Kyungjoon for a long time, so now it sounds like they're half brothers, not cousins.

May Be Part of the Weirdest Love Triangle Ever.

Kyungjoon and Da-Ran arrange for a date of sorts, with neither of them admitting it's a date. But, ack, Mari wheedles Da-Ran out of her ticket so that she can go with Kyungjoon instead. This little obstacle is good though, because it allows Kyungjoon to say that the only reason he wanted to see the play was if he could see it with Da-Ran, and Da-Ran is off by herself at a movie theater, saying something similar.

They Find Each Other Again, Like Usual.

And when Kyungjoon finds her at the theater, Da-Ran realizes she's glad to see Kyungjoon. Not Yoonjae, not the body he's in, but the guy himself is the one she wants to spend time with. Kyungjoon studies Da-Ran throughout the movie and asks her: "Do you like me?" She rambles on a mile a minute, saying precisely nothing. Kyungjoon knows she's confused right now, so he says he won't do anything about the situation.

Yoonjae's Mom wants Seyoung to keep an eye on Kyungjoon's body in the hospital. It's still not clear how Yoonjae's Mom knows of the kid. Illegitimate son of her husband? Son of her runaway sister? Her own child, given up for goodness knows what reasons? It's really hard to pin down the precise connection.

Maybe Even She Doesn't Know.

Random Funniness: At the "Big" house, Da-Ran And Kyungjoon have a cute argument about penguins and pandas, then have a panda-decorating contest which Da-Ran loses. Hee.

Also, due to Mari's sudden obsession with "Yoonjae," Choongshik is getting seriously worried that Mari has a crush on his married brother-in-law.

It'd Be a New Level of Weird, Even For Her.

And ooh, it turns out that Kyungjoon is Yoonjae's mom's biological son! That's a new development. Kyungjoon's mom who raised him was a surrogate, it seems, making Yoonjae and Kyungjoon full brothers, not half brothers. It's a much better dramatic development than yet another illegitimate child plot.

Poor confused Da-Ran tries to revive some old happy memories of her time with Yoonjae, but they weren't all that happy--they mostly consisted of her being deliriously in love with Yoonjae and waiting for him to make time for her, which he never did. She finally realizes that all the fluttery feelings she has right now are 100% for Kyungjoon. That scares her, so she tells him to leave her alone.

But That's Not What You Really Want, Is It?

At home, Kyungjoon has another out-of-body experience of visiting his own shell in the hospital. Da-Ran rushes home to see him, and when he wakes up as Kyungjoon again, not Yoonjae, she flees to her room in tears because she's so glad he didn't leave for good. Kyungjoon hears her crying, and his own heart is breaking because he thinks she's crying because Yoonjae didn't return. Kyungjoon bravely says that if he's too burdensome, he will stay out of Da-Ran's life when he switches back.

Don't Leave! 안돼!

Things I Loved:

1. Arguments/Separations. How would we know how much Kyungjoon and Da-Ran miss each other unless we got to see it in action?

Unconventional Newlywed Spat.

2. Shout-Out to Another Drama. I'm pretty sure that having our two main girls laying their heads on the picnic table is a shout out to Dream High, Suzy's previous drama.

This Makes Da-Ran Pilsook, I Guess?

3. Yoonjae depth? I still don't understand this guy, but we get some clues about him. Kyungjoon and Da-Ran find an old article Yoonjae wrote about why he wanted to become a doctor. The audience knows that when Yoonjae says he discovered that he was living because of another person's gift, he really means he discovered that Kyungjoon was born to save him. He must have felt the weight of that knowledge deeply. I think he's a good guy, now.

Complaints:

1. The pace is kinda slowing down. Something major should happen, quite soon.

Episode Evaluations: The show is still great, but I'm feeling the weight of the drawn-out conflict with Yoonjae. Seems he should have woken up by now. Episode 10 ends on kind of a down-note, so the pacing and emotions feel a little off. I want a few more things settled soon, so we can get some new conflicts instead of the same old ones.

But the sad moments hurt so badly, which means that something in the writing is working right. It's still easy to feel every hurt and worry that Kyungjoon and Da-Ran feel.

K-Drama Review: A Gentleman's Dignity, Episodes 11-12

Read Episode reviews for:

A Gentleman's Dignity--Episodes 1-2
A Gentleman's Dignity--Episodes 3-4
A Gentleman's Dignity--Epsiodes 5-6
A Gentleman's Dignity--Episodes 7-8
A Gentleman's Dignity--Episodes 9-10

Contains Spoilers for Episodes 11-12

We start off with some nice conflict due to the arrival of Eun-Hee, a woman who was the first love of all four guys in F44. She's looking for her son Colin because she knows he's in Seoul, and we now have a Mamma Mia! situation where he's looking for his father, but doesn't know who it is.

Yi Soo and Do Jin meet at the abandoned Mango Six coffee shop, and she confesses that she likes him, for real this time.

The Confession Goes Well.

It's so, so good to see these two together, finally. I didn't know if it would matter too much, since I'm not super-invested in the show, but Yisoo's confession is incredibly touching and just makes for happy viewing. She gives Do-Jin a play-by-play of every nice thing he's ever done for her, and this shows just how closely she's been paying attention to his efforts, even when she pretended not to notice.

Me Ahri isn't completely happy about Yisoo and Do-Jin's relationship because she hoped that Yisoo would date her brother Taesan, but it's clear that she'll come around to the idea. Me Ahri's presently more concerned about the fact that Yoon won't talk to her.

Has Collided With Cold, Hard Reality.

Ahahaha! Now Do-Jin is giving Yisoo instructions for how she should be thinking of him now that they're a couple: Have him on her mind night and day, worry like crazy when he doesn't answer his phone, and wander around hoping for the chance to see him. Because he's done all of this for her. It's a testament to Do-Jin's likability that this speech sounds cute rather than controlling-- we know he doesn't really mean all of this. Or does he?

Then there's more drama with Me Ahri and Yoon (when is there not drama with them? Oy.), and Colin comes to visit Yoon's law office.

Is Potentially Yoon's Son. But Probably Not.

And the kiddo cuts right to the chase: "If I find my biological father, do I immediately have rights to his estate, or do I have to wait until he dies?" I can't tell if he's really desperate for money, or if it's just a hard exterior cover-up for wanting to meet his dad.

In Heroine Land, we get the cutest shopping scene ever (I don't mind shopping scenes, but I can rarely appreciate fullblown shopping montages) with Sera and Yisoo. They walk out of the store singing in the most realistic girlfriends-out-having-fun way. For essentially the first time, I believe in their friendship.

Yoon thoughtfully points out to Me Ahri that she doesn't seem to have any dreams or goals other than landing him as a boyfriend. He mentions that she once wanted to design handbags, but she'll never make it into the industry when she's working at a coffeeshop and living for nothing but the chance to haunt his every step. He kindly says that she cannot keep her self-worth tied up in her relationship to one person; if the two of them are fated to be together, it will happen anyway. I think I love this guy.

Wise Words, Mr. Yoon.

In the other-other-other loveline in this show, Taesan and Sera have a new source of tension finally: Taesan is ready to settle down and get married, while Sera is decidedly not. For the first time, he's got visions of little feet pitter-pattering down the hallway, and he's starting to enjoy domestic things like cooking together.

Gotta Love That Cupcake Apron.

Taesan still hasn't learned that you can't turn a party girl into a housewife just by wishing. He once liked Sera because she was glamorous, while he ignored Yisoo, who was the settling-down kind. Sera was the type he wanted, and she's not going to change! I hope these two don't get married--they're too volatile together, and they only have nine more episodes in which to grow up.

Yisoo gets to do some cool teacher-stuff when Donghyeop gets into a motorcycle accident. She steps up like a boss and takes care of him, which shows that Capable Teacher Yisoo is even better than Cute Girlfriend Yisoo.

Needs a Keeper.

Colin finally introduces himself to F44 all at once. Colin goes to stay at Taesan and Me Ahri's house, under the guise of just being the child of an old friend. Me Ahri is incredibly suspicious of Colin, naturally, even though they're sorta friends. There's more talking around the issue of who his dad is, and more of Yisoo and Do-Jin being awesome, and that about wraps up episode 12.

Things I Loved:

1. The Funny. There's not a ton of it, but there are a couple of humorous moments and it's so cute when Do-Jin is trying to show off his new status as Yisoo's boyfriend at the all-boy high school where she teaches.

Move Along! Nothing Here to See.

2. Do-Jin/Yisoo. From Yisoo surprising Do-Jin at his workplace, to Do-Jin helping Yisoo with dinner, to Yisoo suddenly getting jealous of other ladies around Do-Jin, they're just so sweet.

A Pairing Worth Waiting For.

Complaints:

1. None, really. I think I've come to terms with the show's slow points. It is what it is!
Watch A Gentleman's Dignity HERE on DramaFever.

Episode Evaluations: Pretty fun. We've gone back to a nice, fluffy show full of relationship drama, but none of it really seems troubling anymore. If you've got at least one couple you're rooting for, sit back and enjoy the eps.

Psalms on Sunday: Psalm 5

 http://inlinethumb45.webshots.com/44/2227919790051563516S600x600Q85.jpg

 Psalm 5 is another prayer for God to pay attention to the speaker and to aid them.

 Verses 1-3 are like an intro prayer, asking God to listen to what the speaker is about to say. This is an interesting thing to say, because most Christians take for granted that God is going to hear us anyway, and I think he does. It makes me wonder if it's a Hebrew thing or maybe a poetic flourish or a gesture of politeness to ask God to listen to you before you begin your prayer properly. It seems like the sort of thing you'd say to a great king in ancient times, entreating him to hear out your case because his time is valuable.

http://wallpaper4god.com/en/background_bible-verse-psalm-512-shinning-lights/

Verses 4-7 deal with the kind of people that God will not listen to, and the type of behavior he can't stand. Wicked, evil, deceitful, bloody, and willfully foolish people don't get to draw close to God--he is repulsed by this kind of behavior.

Verse 8 makes it clear why the speaker started with a supplication then moved on to a description of evil people--he's asking for deliverance from those evil people, almost like a tactic in a public debate, requesting attention, depicting a problem, then prompting someone to act upon the problem.

Verse 9 shows a lot of language-related evildoings. The enemies of the speaker are verbally deceitful and they are also masters of flattery--their throats are compared to tombs. That's pretty shocking imagery, right there. Verse 10 openly asks God to destroy these horrible people, which seems like the sort of thing it isn't appropriate to pray for anymore, but the speaker lived in a less merciful era.

Verses 11 and 12 establish God's love and favor toward the righteous, and mention how he protects them like he's guarding them with a shield.

http://wallpaper4god.com/en/background_psalm-58/

________

¹Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation.

² Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray.

³ My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

⁴ For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee.

⁵ The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.

⁶ Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.

⁷ But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.

⁸ Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face.

⁹ For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.

¹⁰ Destroy thou them, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions; for they have rebelled against thee.

¹¹ But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them: let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.

¹² For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield.
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