review: Wonderful Season Episode 25-26
We are at the halfway mark…I’m still alive and still reviewing! Anyway, the two episodes weren’t too mournful at all, thank heavens. Hae Won thinks she has broken up with Dong Seok – but he is determined that they never will. And I think his persistence will win at the end of the day. Plus, we get some nice development with the Dong Hee-Ma Ri and Woo Jin-Dong Ok stories. On a side note, I had to forcefully squish down the urge to screencap Lee Seo Jin at every frame. Hunky prosecutor has gotten a hair cut and a dye job, and has decided to live in pristine, rolled-up white shirts. Just kill me now, please.
HW rejects DS’s proposal and rants that they can’t be together…not when they are reminded of how DO and Grandpa came to be every time they see them. DS roars back they should do their best to be as happy as they can be. The accident has nothing to do with them and they aren’t to be blamed for what happened all those years ago. He continues that they can go ahead and just start planning for the wedding but HW fires back she is fine telling his family the truth. Will they accept her into their family after they realise she is the daughter of the man who made Grandpa and DO the way they are now? She gets up to leave and DS grabs her hand. HW begs him to let go. DS barely holds on to his anger and walks off.
HW stays and her phone keeps ringing: the Kang family is trying to contact her. She doesn’t pick up their calls. Back at the Kang household, the family wonder whether HW is still upset. DS saunters in casually and composed and asks whether Grandpa has eaten. He heads to the room to feed the old man. Grandpa asks after HW and DS, unable to hold back any longer, breaks down in quiet sniffles. Grandpa pats him on the back comfortingly. LSJ doesn’t fail me again – managing to look all suave in his rolled-up sleeved white shirt glory even when he is wielding chopsticks or shedding manly tears. HW sheds her own tears back home.
DJ decides to call Mool “Oppa” though she hasn’t acknowledged DH as her father yet. HW prepares a yummy-looking bento set for SH in gratitude and admits she never once loved him. She later calls SY to check on DS. SY informs her she was just about to call her – DS has been admitted into a hospital. HW goes over immediately and SY is waiting for her in DS’s ward. SY relates how DS got injured and how he has been looking so despondent and not eating well. He had fainted at work. HW is stunned.
HW gets a call from DS’s home again and she has a meeting with SS and Grandpa. HJ has a run-in with DT’s ex-wife while shooting the same drama. DT comes to her rescue. WJ asks MR to contact Dh for him. MR is curious of his reason for doing so and WJ confesses he likes DO and wants to ask DH for permission to meet her. MR is ecstatic and beams proudly that WJ has grown up and starts pinching his cheeks. HEH. These two are really cute and inject some much needed liveliness to the whole drama.
DH meets them and MR hastily starts the ball rolling by explaining she and WJ are really just platonic childhood friend. She hilariously declares she doesn’t feel anything whatsoever while hugging WJ and WJ shakes her off. DH drawls he doesn’t give a fig on the status of their relationship and ask for the reason why he is being called. When WJ doesn’t reply, DH stands up to leave. WJ blurts out he likes DO and wants to see her. And he wants permission to meet DO. He’s not afraid of DH but he is worried about DO as he has been avoiding her. DH calls him a crazy bastard and leaves.
MR chases after him and implores DH to have faith in his sister even if he doesn’t trust WJ and her. Is he going to kill every guy who tries to get close to DO? She says that DO isn’t a child – she is an adult who can make her own decisions regarding her life. Does DH ever consider that DO may be lonely? DH takes a step closer and MR falls over again. DH sighs and wonders whether she has been always been this way and MR asks him whether he is going to hit her again. He hands her another plaster in reply and walks off.
DO thinks about WJ’s confession. While MR is all dreamy with her plaster from DH, WJ decides to visit DO when she doesn’t pick up his calls. DH is back home and goes to check on DO. He retrieves her ringing phone and picks it up when he sees the caller is WJ. WJ announces he is in front of their house. Dh drags DO out and once she spots WJ, she scrambles to hide behind DH. HA! She rushes back into the house and DH wonders why she is acting this way. WJ tells him he told DO that he liked her.
HW is back at DS’s bedside and he wakes up to find her there. She states that SY called her but DS calls her bluff and says he knows that HW called SY first because she was worried about him. HW admits that much, saying she felt sorry about how things ended at their last meeting. DS muses that since they have supposedly broken up, she shouldn’t be visiting him. But he later declares that he can’t break up with her. Ommmph. LSJ’s tone here is killing me…and well, he looks so weak here that I wanna give him a nice, big hug. Ahem…for no other underlying motives as I always have to do my best to cheer up the ill, no? Heh.
Uncle twins and their lady loves continue with their merry-go-round affair. Ajumma gets into trouble with DH again when she accidentally blurts out to the tiny twins that their mother had abandoned them. A furious DH threatens to throw her out of the house when DT yells that Ajumma is his birth mother.
LSJ…I mean DS…is calmly buttoning up yet another crisp white shirt, while I’m anything but calm at the absurdly swoony sight of the simple action. Does this man do anything NOT peppered with sexy confidence???? HW is back and DS says he thought she already went home. HW shares she did go back but came back again Because she misses him, she is worried about him and if she doesn’t see him, she’ll go crazy. Arghhhhh. Then act crazy and jump his bones, gal!!!! Before I do. And before all the LSJ fans rage war to battle to button (and unbutton) his shirt for him. LSJ… the reason for the unprecedented Button War.
Back to the drama, HW admits that DS is right: they can’t break up with each other. DS is relieved and touched by her words and gently asks what they should do. HW doesn’t know and he edges closer to her. She laments they can’t break up yet they can’t continue dating…what should they do? Elope, I say. I mean how can one discard such a hot, intelligent man??? Just sayin’…
At the Kang household, DH leaves the house in a rage, with DT hot at his heels. They bump into DS outside and DH stalks off. When DS asks his older bro what happened, DT spills that Ajumma is DH’s birth mother. Oh, DS didn’t know? Poor DH collapses in tears once he finds a spot deserted enough. He ends up drinking in a pojangmacha and DS joins him and pours him a drink silently. DH looks at him warily but doesn’t say anything. I see DH has taken a liking to white shirts, too.
DS goes “Dong Hee -ya” and DH announces he isn’t taking any questions since he ain’t talking. DS agrees and says he won’t ask anything and the brothers brood and down soju together. Love, love, love the bromance. Uncle twins try to explain the situation to tiny twins but as expected, they get nowhere. DH drinks until he passes out and DS hauls him back home. DT says he’ll look after DH since DS doesn’t look very good, but DS insists he’s fine. Awww. DT re-introduces DS to Ajumma. While DS washes up, he thinks back about his conversation with HW at the hospital.
Sigh. I was baby-jumping with joy when HW declared they couldn’t break up…but they still do in the end. Maybe DS should have kept that shirt unbuttoned to weaken her resolve some…Anyway, DS agrees to tell all to his family if it makes them less burdened. ‘Cause he isn’t going to break up with her even if it kills him. And HW back-pedals and makes a U-Turn and says she’s in the wrong. She can’t throw the Kang family back into hell because of own selfishness and wanting to feel less burdened.
HW goes on to say everything will go back to being dandy if they just break up. DS bursts out in exasperation they are in this situation because they are unable to end their relationship thus far. And HW embarks on this lame speech which I think will just come back and bite her in the butt like in the next episode. She says she will stop listening to him, she will stop missing him, she will stop being curious about him and even if he is dying, she’s not gonna come running to find him. Goodness, I feel like banging my head against the wall. I bet DS feels the same way. HW says she can break up with him, she can end this without any lingering doubts and feelings. And there present-time HW lies moping on the table. URGH. I think everyone knows HW better than herself. DS mopes in his own corner.
The Kang family finds out that DS and HW have broken up. The couple meet later again and HW is all cold while DS manages to crack a weak grin and suggests they contact each other and have a drink sometime as and when they feel they need one. HW dismisses him and walks off. HW’s mother pays a visit to DS and demands how they broke up. Ha! What a role reversal. After she rants at him, DS says even if HW wants to break up with him, he hasn’t broken up with her. Even all those years ago when he sent her back home from the train station, he has never broken up with her. He hasn’t and won’t break up with her. Ever. Period.
HW runs into a flamboyant ajusshi on the way and saves him from the thugs who are chasing him. She escorts him back to the café. DH still refuses to acknowledge Ajumma as his real mom. DT and HJ have a Notting Hill moment – by the way, I love, love, love that movie. Julia Roberts! Hugh Grant! A Star’s Lover starring Choi Ji Woo and Yoo Ji Tae was supposedly inspired by that rom-com. Well, I loved the drama tons, too. Mool is still exchanging messages with HJ. Heh. Mool’s such a cute kid. Love his level-headedness and he seems way more mature than his father and new girlfriend.
The tiny twins aren’t feeling great and DH secretly drops by the school. He hands MR all sorts of medicine for the twins and she deduces that he needs some medicine, too. And gives him chocolates. Ha! My kinda gal! I’m kinda liking their adorable signature move of outstretched palms. She promises that the sweet treats will perk him up from his bad mood. He does have one on the way home and it seems to work as he is civil to WJ, who is paying a house visit to Grandpa. DH informs WJ where DO’s room is. Awww….Anyway, Grandpa notices that WJ seems to be in a good mood.
WJ knocks on DO’s door after but she doesn’t respond. He dials her mobile phone to check whether she is in the room – she is. Wj says he’ll just say what he wants to say at the door even if she doesn’t open it. She opens the door and they sit inside her room together. DO wonders curiously whether his heart races and his feels all embarrassed when he sees her – since that’s Grandpa’s standard for liking someone. WJ hysterically chokes and DO quickly rushes over to pound his back. When WJ finally catches his breath, he tells DO she doesn’t have to like him back just because he has told her that he likes her. He’s satisfied as long they don’t avoid each other. Awww…sweetness.
Uncle twins and lady loves are at their confusing love square again. Anyway, flamboyant ajusshi turns up outside the Kang household. Ajumma recognises him, while DH and DS don’t. DT comes along and is shocked to his bones when he sees the older man. DT croaks, “Father?” And all three sons stare at him in astonishment.
Phew! I think the writer has decided to put us partially out of our pain by buoying up the mood of the whole story. These two episodes weren’t as woeful as I thought they would be and I’m glad. I kinda think HW would succumb to DS’s insistence soon enough since there is no way on earth I can see her giving him up. It’s just not in her character to do so. Neither does she have the willpower to. She could shove him aside in some little corner of her heart for 15 years because he pulled a disappearing act. But she wouldn’t be able to ignore her feelings this time – not when they are running into each other so often. And not when he looks so spiffy 24/7.
I’m growing to like DH and MR’s story since the foundation of their romance isn’t based on wishy-washy longing, but MR truly understanding where DH is coming from and what he is facing. As for DO and WJ, kudos to the writer for penning their relationship in an appropriate manner. WJ assuring DO she needn’t return his romantic feelings is the wisest solution at the moment on his part and a realistic one.
With kooky, dastardly Kang Daddy back into the picture and a new cheery OST blaring in the background, I think we can expect things to be more upbeat from now on. Not instant euphoria, since we still have the unresolved dark cloud of that accident, but steady steps to beckoning happiness.
It’s here, the recap is here!!!!!! Thank you so much for it. Once again, I enjoyed it very much, and I literally LOLed while reading it. I never get tired of reading your unabashed adoration for LSJ, which I personally find refreshing, especially because he is an ajhussi (sp?). I feel that they don’t get as much love as the younger stars, so I love seeing people raving about them (the ajhussis).
I had been looking for your recap since Monday, and I am glad to see that you have been well enough to write it, and post it. By the way, it might not be the kind of drama, but I would like DS and HW to have a platonic sleepover/bed scene, where we see her sleeping in his arms. I can already imagine your answer, “platonic? What platonic? They should just do it already, if HW doesn’t want me to take LSJ, err… DS away from her” LOL. I will go with the tone and the genre of the drama, and admit that a platonic bed scene would work for me 🙂 (I am not greedy).
Also, I agree with you: DS looks really good in crisp white shirts, and so does DH/TC, I might add. TC is really cute. Thank you for staying with this drama, and for brightening my day with your witty and funny recap. Have a wonderful week 🙂
Actually, I’m A-OK with no bed scenes – if an OTP has chemistry, even holding hands can be swoony. But with regards to DS and HW, I honestly don’t know what would work for them…ha! Right now, they are pretty much hit-and-miss with their hugs and kisses.
Well, I’m not young so that’s probably why I’m able to appreciate the ajusshi actors?? Hahahaha. LSJ is kinda in between Oppa and Ajusshi for me…
Glad you are having fun with the reviews 🙂 Thanks for taking the time and effort to drop by!
Awwww… You are OK with no bed scenes? Good for you. I have come to realize that for me, at times, when I love an OTP or an actor, I want to see how they sleep (position in bed, and actually sleeping).
Platonic sleep overs are one of my favorite tropes or cliches (I don’t know what category “platonic sleep overs” would go under) in dramas. To me, there is a sense of vulnerability the hero/male lead has when he sleeps, especially also because some of those actors are so tired by the time they get to that sleeping scene that they actually end up sleeping for real. KSH did that in Dream High (he said so on the variety show “Happy Together,” Hyun Bin did that in ep. 13 of Secret Garden, in his bed scene with Ha Ji-won (she said it in an interview), and I would not be surprised if Joo Won did it in Gaksital. Suzy also did it in Dream High, in a bed scene where her character was sleeping with her little sister. Suzy ended up falling asleep, and mentioning it on the same Happy Together show KSH was on.
To me, there is a peaceful way the men often look in those scenes. It looks as if they are sleeping with abandonment, as if they are leaving the cares of the world behind them, and for some reason, I just love that image. It reminds me of when I watch a baby sleep, they tend to sleep with abandonment as well, if there is nothing bothering them (like a wet diaper, and if they are not sick). So it could be that it is my personal preference, I just love seeing how my favorite actors sleep (with clothes on, or shirtless on top, but not naked). A few examples:
Exhibit A: (It is hard for me to resist this): Joo Won in Gaksital I believe: http://i1247.photobucket.com/albums/gg635/CheerfulSoul/Actors/joowon3.jpg
Exhibit B:LSG in the King 2 Hearts, ep. 8: http://i1192.photobucket.com/albums/aa324/girlfridaydb/drama/2012/king2H/king08/king08-00734.jpg
I will stop here, however, as you know, there are many platonic bed scenes in Kdramas. Also, I hope I did not offend you with my teasing. If I did, I apologize. Regarding LSJ, I am not so young either, and that might be one of the reasons why I do appreciate the older actors as well. LSJ would actually be a dongsaeng (to me), but not by much 🙂 I couldn’t call him Oppa, I don’t think (not that we would ever date or anything). I am actually not attracted to him [though I do find him attractive], so that’s good (more for you 🙂 ).
Thank you for taking the time to read my long winded comments, and for creating a space where we can squee with you, rant with you and disagree with you 🙂
Hahaha…don’t worry about the age thing. Wasn’t offended at all! It’s a fact 😉 And fan-girling or fan-noona-ing have no limits! Let’s just say I’m a little younger than Lee Sang Woo…
I am glad you were not offended 🙂 Also, my apology was actually about your “pretend comment” back to me after I mentioned the bed scene. So my apology was about you maybe responding like this me, “platonic? What platonic? They should just do it already, if HW doesn’t want me to take LSJ, err… DS away from her”
I am assuming that it is not a big deal though, because you didn’t bring it up. It’s all good. And thank you for saying this, “And fan-girling or fan-noona-ing have no limits!” I totally agree 🙂
The chemistry between LSJ and KHS is so hot that I do want a few more kissing/hugging tight scene. A lot more intimate haha xD LSJ is not the handsomest guy in the world, but he totally charm me over. I know a lot of ppl like taecyeon, but I don’t care about him 1 bit lol. I’m the type that only find a man handsome/beautiful if I get charmed by him lol, and LSJ has never fail >__<
Sorry for the rants 🙂 thanks for the recap! Now I can watch the raw and understand its a bit better xD
Reblogged this on Idastravels and commented:
Since the subbing is so far behind, you are doing yeoman ‘ s service.
Thank you so much for the recap, very thorough. Great “Button War” here we come!
I noticed that on the official website, Taecyeon is shown first. Does this imply that he is ahead of the other actors? I am quite a fan but consider him in “acting camp” since he is still so new at it. That being said, he’s getting quite good.
I don’t think so. KHS and LSJ are the main leads 🙂