review: Wonderful Season Episode 15-16
Hae Won orders Dong Seok to get out of her life so she can breathe. Dong Seok can’t breathe without her in his life. Me? I get breathless at the sight of Lee Seo Jin. Don’t get me wrong – I love Kim Hee Sun to a fault but Lee Seo Jin is definitely the more emotionally stirring actor here. His portrayal lends depth, intensity, gravity and a glint of intelligence to Dong Seok who can come off as any other K-drama arrogant ass if interpreted straight from paper. So while Dong Seok may sound as if he is delivering the most pompous or seemingly selfish lines, you know there is a wealth of feelings, thought and consideration behind them.
The grown-up Dong Seok is, as he himself says, is no longer all about pride, ego and being mean on purpose. He is actually staring at cold facts, making educated guesses and drawing logical conclusions. And despite Hae Won’s bravado and ambitious plans for revenge that includes marrying the spawn of the devil, it is actually a darned hare-brained method to tackle the baddie. Taking him down via lawful means and professional expertise would work much better – and there’s where ruthless public prosecutor Dong Seok steps in. Just one complaint: where is my teenage OTP??????????
DS declared he’s not done with HW to which she replies that she apologises for playing around with him – she wanted to use him like how he used her those years ago. But errr… she’s terribly unconvincing, in my opinion. DS reinstates he’ll put his words in another way (he is repeating what she said when she tried to convince him to date her to irk SH). He isn’t going to let his pride be an obstacle anymore.
DS: If I like you, I’ll tell you I like you. If I miss you, I’ll tell you I’ll miss you. If I want to hold your hand, I will tell you I want to. If I want to hug you, I’ll tell you I want to. I don’t care if you are playing with me or taking revenge, it doesn’t matter. Even if your heart has changed and it is directed towards SH, it doesn’t matter. If you turn away from me, I’ll look at you from behind. If you turn your back towards me, I’ll look at your back. This is the way I’ll date you. This is the way I’ll continue to see you. This is the way I’ll continue to meet you. As you said about yourself last time, I may become lonely and sad, but this is my decision.
The words are lovely, but more so the way LSJ said them with such understated conviction – no dramatic railing or teary confessions. Just that. I love it. I love it. I cringe at over-emotive but LSJ delivers the lines with absolute perfection – passionate yet pragmatic. DH is going to start studying again and DT asks him to ask DS for help. But of course, he disagrees.
DS is calmly trailing HW and she ignores him. But after awhile, she spins around irritably.
HW: Just what are you doing now?
DS: I’m walking while looking at your back. (LSJ’s flippant tone and wide-eyed innocent expression here is the bomb and cracked me up)
HW: Doesn’t Prosecutor have anything to do?
DS: Prosecutor has wrapped up his work for the day. I have caught and convicted two suspects. I handled everything with perfection. (Hahahahaha)
His phone rings and she realises it is his ex-fiancée, she starts listening. DS tells JK he is busy with something important and he’ll look for her at the hotel the next morning. Since she came all the way here, they should have a meal. When he’s done, HW remains silent and walks faster. DS just strolls at his own pace. HEH. You can so tell by their footfalls how they are feeling.
HW halts and ask him to stop doing useless things and go to JK. DS replies…didn’t HW hear the conversation? He is in the middle of something important and has told JK he can’t see her. Omo, his tone. Hehehehe. That and the way he stared at her all wide-eyed and blinked oh-so-innocently while she rails at what a louse character he is. Now or last time, he is the best at being mean to people. DS concurs. HA.
They sit and wait at the bus stop and DS muses that though he thought he and JK were over, JK obviously doesn’t think so. HW retorts she didn’t ask him for an explanation. She flags a taxi down and DS stops her, saying he just wants to see her for 10 minutes more. HW argues she has to go meet SH and DS acknowledges that by forcing his way into the taxi. Did he just conveniently shove HW inwards for space??? Hehehehehe. HW is stupefied by his shameless behaviour. OOOH. I love a shameless LSJ.
They reach HW’s apartment and she informs him she is going over to pay respects to SH’s family again and arrange a wedding date. DS answers that he didn’t ask her for an explanation – HA! HW asks him to stop his senseless actions and thanks him for liking her now. But it’s too late. DS says they wouldn’t know whether it is too late unless they give it a try. Ya know, just like how the bride get spirited away by another man in movies. Oh man, DS is really hilarious. HW says those kinda stuff only happens in movies and DS says sometime movies reflects reality. Never argue with a prosecutor.
But HW’s mom sees them and flies in a rage, grabbing DS by his collar. HW begs her mom to stop and let him go. She then harshly reminds DS this is why they can’t start all over again. Both are upset after separating from each other. DS vents his frustration on his collar. (OPPA – let me do that for you…) DS sees DO asleep outside their home – she wakes up and informs him she was waiting for him. She holds out a stash of cash and tells him that noona is going to by something yummy for him. Awwww.
She buys lollipops and when they settle down, she apologises that he got scolded by Grandpa because of her, and mom was scolded too. She says she now knows she can’t like him that way and swears upon it. She suddenly remembers she needs to buy something for Grandpa and passes the bag of lollipops to DS – she instructs not to eat up all of it and leave some for their siblings. Hahahaha. You can see DS feels helpless but at the same time, his heart aches for his twin.
HW makes her way to SH’s place but overhears his father yelling at him for daring to get together with HW. She leaves without greeting them. Back home, she thinks about DS’s passionate declaration and watches over her sister. DS visits JK at the hotel the next morning and states things are really over between them. JK answers she is confident DS will return her feelings one day and is willing to wait. DS says he was just using her to climb up the corporate and social ladder and she says it doesn’t bother her. When he finally admits he likes someone else, she makes an educated guess.
HW is wiping photo frames at the café when she slips from the ladder…to be caught by DS. Cheesy but I love LSJ’s hands, so whatever. Heh. He grumbles this kinda work should be done by a male colleague and she shakes him off. He orders an Americano set and the most expensive drink in the café. When HW endeavours to punch in the set only, he tells her the extra drink isn’t for her. But he later passes it to her, saying he was confused for awhile and he actually bought it for her. He walks out of the café cheerily, pausing to flash a dimpled smile in her direction. JK sees all this from a distance.
JK orders a heck load of drinks from HW and asks her to deliver it to the park. She asks HW to have them with her but HW politely declines, saying she has to go back to work. So JK turns catty, saying she doesn’t want the drinks anymore. HW doesn’t fall for her nonsense and instead gives away the drinks to passers-by. JK is reluctantly intrigued by HW. DW and DJ run away from home to find their real mother. DH is frantic – so are the rest of the family members.
DS is visiting his chief at the hospital and goes to the washroom to rinse the towel. HW comes in and starts talking to the older man. She apologies for dragging him into her revenge plan and assures him she will handle SH’s dad alone from now on. DS is stunned.
DH runs around looking for the missing twins and gets knocked down by car. In his fatigue and pain, he mistakes the school teacher for the twins’ birth mother. The whole family is in uproar over the missing twins. DS is quietly following HW again and he figures out that HW’s desperate attempt to get close to SH is all part of her revenge plan. SH’s dad calls HW, asking to meet and she eagerly agrees. Also, she pleads with him to give she and SH a chance…when DS snatches her phone away and clicks off the conversation.
HW is furious and demands what he is doing, while DS regresses and inquires about her state of hunger and grabbing a meal, which just further infuriates her. DS coolly responds by suggesting they can hit a bar to go for a drink instead. HW cuts him off by calling him a jerk – he hasn’t changed one bit. He is still as arrogant and rude as ever, letting his pride do the talking and perennially ignoring the opinions of those around him. HW accuses him of being even worse than her mom and the worst person she knows.
DS concurs but still insists on finding some place to sit down and chat. HW erupts and commands him to stop treating her as such. She is no longer the silly girl from 15 years ago who did whatever he asked her to do. DS counters she can exact her revenge as they move forward – he’ll accept whatever she doles out. She screams at him to get out of her life: she wants to breathe and try to live a life without him in it. So get lost! DS takes in her anger – and I see self-loathing in his eyes rather than hurt from the words hurled at him.
HW goes to meet SH’s dad and finds out her deceased father had borrowed a huge sum of money from him in an attempt to keep his business alive. He tells her everything they own, including the apartment will be seized and warns her there are worse things to come if she doesn’t listen to him. HW gets drunk later and well, our faithful puppy DS is there behind her. He heaves her over his sturdy shoulders and takes her home. He carefully deposits her just outside her apartment and leaves.
The twins are found and there’s this whole mess of all the family members trying to explain to them that they weren’t picked from below the bridge. This only confuses them more. DS, who earlier found out from the twin uncles what happened plus the fact that DH knows that Mom isn’t his birth mom, confirms with the kids that Mom ain’t their mom, but grandma.
He reassures them they are all blood-related but remains vague on their parentage. But the twins are satisfied with his explanation for now. Mom listens wordlessly, while the rest huddle at the door to eavesdrop. To a certain extent, I think Mom resents DS for being so much more outstanding and capable than his siblings that she tries to make it up by showering them with more love and being cold to him. She loves him, yet she resents him for being everything his siblings are not, even though she is fully aware he has slogged his way to where he is now. Like the fact that she knows he can handle DJ and DW well enough when the rest can’t since he seems to be the only adult that the twins find rational and look up to.
After the pep talk with the twins, DS heads outside to wait for DH. Awwwww. But he leaves just before DH returns. HW’s family get booted out and they literally homeless and almost penniless. Mom and sister throw a fit while eating while HW spells out their fate resignedly. You know, they would be a lot better off if the two older women just accepted their lot in life and move on.
SH’s dad appears at the café and turns out he is there to meet HW’s mom who tries to act all high-and-mighty with him. He deals her a blow of reality and she suffers a stroke. DS meets with a man who relates that SH’s dad has been “helping” HW’s family all along. HW’s mother remains trance-like and the doctor says she’ll probably remain this way from now on. Well, kinda convenient writing on the writer’s part to shut up the biggest obstacle to DS and HW getting back together, but I’ll take it because HW’s mom has been nothing but an annoying plot device thus far.
DO goes underwear shopping for the twins and almost gets scammed when WJ steps in. WJ rails at the culprit for targeting “special” people and DO runs off in devastation. WJ realises his mistake and goes after her, apologising profusely and trying to explain he didn’t mean it how it sounded. DO tells him tearfully she isn’t dumb – her mom said so. She may not be normal, but she isn’t dumb. WJ kicks himself as he watches her run away.
JK seeks DS out at the office and they end up in yet another cherry-blossom park – or the same one. JK mentions she has met the girl he likes – and tells him what he feels is only pity. DS laughs self-deprecatingly and snorts that JK reminds him of himself, judging people based on appearance, pompous, rude and full of arrogance. He tells her HW asks him to butt out of her life and he did consider doing so. But he isn’t going to.
DS shares that HW says she can’t breathe with him in her life. But he doesn’t care anymore – even if she suffocates. Because he can’t draw a breathe without HW in his life. He thanks JK for reminding him that he is a dastardly person. He narrates this while HW stands at the rooftop of a building.
Damn – previews are always misleading and I’ve been misled in almost all when it comes to Wonderful Season. But I’m guessing HW’s family is gonna hole up with DS’s family. I’m sure HW’s sister will be jumping in glee at the thought of cohabiting with DT. HW and DS under the same roof? RAWRRRR. Though I’m sure DO will happily share her room with HW. And judging DS’s unfettered determination in these two episodes, he ain’t gonna let HW out of his sight so easily.
Hmmmm… I find HW’s character written rather two-dimensional as compared to DS. I actually find the teenage HW smarter and more interesting despite being more naïve and lovelorn. There’s something about the adult HW that feels a little lacking and it’s not because of the hardship she went through. I can’t put my finger on it but I do hope the writer beefs up HW’s character and ply it with a little more depth.
What can I say? LSJ is totally rocking DS. I adore how he made DS sound so innocently smart-ass in all his conversations with HW, yet infuse enough meaning and feeling into the emotional scenes, especially those with his onscreen mom. All that silent questions and unspoken hurt hanging over his head is made plain every time he is in the same room as her. Strangely, I think DO is the only one in the family who truly understands him, and knows he is a caring person under all that stoic aloofness. The wonders of looking at the world simply.
Is DS being insufferably overbearing by ignoring HW as she rambles on in rage? I don’t think so – but I do think he’s playing his arrogant card to steer her away from her kindergarten-level revenge plan. He has all the tools and knowledge to help her nail SH’s dad, but he first has to convince her to step back, which I think she will stubbornly refuse to do so. Maybe he can kiss her into submission?? Heh. just sayin’…
As for JK…sigh. Just waiting for her to disappear but I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon. She’s the stereotypical bratty heiress, which renders her scenes filler and so forgettable. Even more so since DS isn’t affected by her at all.
As usual, I can’t wait for this weekend to come… give me more stalker DS! And more teenage OTP! Miss my babies…
I am trying really hard not to read your review yet as I am marathoning ep 12 – 16, so many eps and other dramas to watch, so little time. Will comment once I finish watching, thanks for the review btw, I couldn’t resist and looked at the screencaps, I saw DS’s hand! 😘
thanks for the reviews … especially for this drama.
Thanks for the review!!!! Things are getting more exciting. And yes, can we have cohabitating HW and DS please? I bet HJ will be beyond ecstatic tho DT needs a slap on his head to realize her feelings, haha. It will be the best comeuppance if both daughters marry the Kang’s bros, tho I am not sure whether it’s possible in Korea. Tho, I dont want DS to be saddled with spendthrifts in laws. But I bet he will know how to curtail that given how smart he is.
* find HW’s character written rather two-dimensional as compared to DS. I actually find the teenage HW smarter and more interesting despite being more naïve and lovelorn.*
I actually adore adult HW’s character more. For me, she has this heartbreaking combination of kindness and bravado. I feel that so far we have concentrated in peeling DS’ characters, but there’s so much yet to be explored about HW. His father passed away 8 years ago, but she started working in Happy Cash for less than 4 years. There’re 4 years gap in her life that has yet to be explained. What forced her to go through this particular revenge road? It’s interesting that in ep 16, we now know that she has tried to get justice using legal way through director Han, so I feel that maybe her revenge plans are more than what it seems initially. Considering how OCS has bought almost everyone that cd go against him in the town, her options are becoming less and less, so in a way I cd understand her desperation to marry the devil’s spawn to get access to OCS. I dont think she will consciously involve DS in her quest considering what has happened to director Han, especially since without a doubt she’s the one who send that anonymous letter to warn DS. The current HW has a berlin wall covering her desires and heart, I think before DS came into her life, she’s willing to sacrifice almost anything, including herself, to get her end results. But DS makes her hesitating her choices. This is just my two cents, I might be overanalyzing this, haha.
Anyway, I can’t wait for shameless DS to break down HW’s wall. I propose an involvement lots of wide-eyed innocent expression combined with lots lots lots lots lots of dimples, haha….
Sorry for my long rant….
No worries about ranting – it’s always fun to hear different opinions 🙂 I do hope the writer does give more background on HW to flesh out her character more. But drama writers have a tendency to give the male leads more complexity and depth as compared to female leads.
Ditto, sirad! I agree with everything you said about HW. She’s the character I root for from day 1. IMO, she endures the most suffering yet still stays nice and humble. DS needs to woo her good to make up for the pain and hurt he’d caused.
Thanks for the review.
I’m actually more interested in DO’s story … sure she’s pretty … but will someone like the young doctor really be willing to start a relationship with a person who’s mentally and emotionally 10ish?
That’s my question too though I think they would be sweet together…let’s see how their relationship unfolds…
OMG! I don’t know how to express my thankful for all your wonderful reviews. The storylines of this drama is getting into a better shape. I am so happy that DS found out HW’s revenge plans by himself. He felt the pains that HW went thru. all this years for just to revenge of her father death and the pro. prosecutor is going to rescue her.
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WS 15 – 16