PLAYFUL KISS

Episode 16

Show, I didn’t expect you to take the snail’s pace thing quite so literally. But here we are in the finale, and well, loose ends get tied, double-knotted, and bow-tied for good measure. It’s an entire episode of getting everyone’s ducks in a row, with not even a hint of conflict to drive us home. But then, if we’re comparing it to Episode 15′s idea of conflict, I should just thank my lucky stars that no Lee Da-hae Lite harlot showed up in this one. [I was thinking Song Ji-hyo, myself. -jb]

The end is nigh. Will Robot Boy get his heart? Will Ha-ni become a nurse? Will we end on a kiss to end all kisses? [Will javabeans fall asleep waiting for something to happen, already? -jb]

FINAL EPISODE RECAP

The newlyweds ride their couple bikes to school (how cute and totally ridiculous is that?) where they run into He-ra. She notes that Seung-jo isn’t wearing his proof-of-takenness wedding ring, and he nonchalantly says he’ll put it on when the marriage is certified.

At that, He-ra beams, taking the opportunity to goad Ha-ni about the fact that she technically still has a chance with Seung-jo, since legally, they’re nothing. She rushes up to Seung-jo, linking her arm with his, and throws Ha-ni a neener-neener look for good measure. Haha. She makes me laugh (because this isn’t mean-spirited), but it would probably annoy me less if it weren’t for those infuriating good-for-nothing honeymooners who kept doing the same thing all last episode.

Seung-jo fills He-ra in on his plan to use the marriage certificate as motivation for Ha-ni to get into the nursing program, and she marvels at Ha-ni’s single-minded pursuit of all things Baek Seung-jo. Yeah, you and me both, babe. [You two marvel, while I gnash teeth. -jb]

Seung-jo says that it’s a given that a planet will orbit a star…making me and He-ra gag. She seems surprised to discover that he’s quite the narcissistic macho guy. I know. You were blinded by all the Sartre. But college boys do that sort of thing. That’s why guys learned all the major philosophers at my school. You think you’ve seen the upper limits of nerdiness until you see a boy using Nietzsche to land a girl in bed.

Duckie continues to get his noodles stalked by the new girl. She seems quite smitten with him (who wouldn’t?) but Duckie wants nothing to do with her. He says that he’s got someone in his heart already and dismisses her soundly. Open your eyes, dear Duckie! Living breathing girl, totally into you, and not in love with Baek Seung-jo!

Looks like Juri’s got a budding love interest as well, in a guy who comes by regularly to get his hair trimmed just a teensy bit each time. Dude, you should probably ask her out before you end up with an army crew cut. Min-ah laments being left out of the dating loop. It’s okay. You’ll be gettin’ busy with In-soo in your own sitcom soon enough.

Ha-ni sighs that her marriage certificate will never see the light of day at this rate, because a spot has to open up in the nursing program for her to even take the test, let alone pass it. Mom decides to take matters into her own hands, and just go register the marriage themselves, without Seung-jo. Sheesh. I know everybody loves Mom, but her level of controlling is downright scary. She makes most Korean moms seem like docile kittens in comparison. And that’s saying a LOT. [It's funny that she's endearing because she's always on Ha-ni's side... but objectively speaking, yes. Scary. -jb]

Ha-ni has to do some maneuvering to get Seung-jo’s ID card out from under his pillow, and when she and Mom head down to the registrar, it turns out that Seung-jo already had it done. At home, he cops to using it as motivation for Ha-ni to get into the nursing program, and adds that messing with Ha-ni is his greatest joy in life. Hahaha. Points for that, Robot Boy. Ha-ni swears she’ll work her hardest. [I hate that she's so worried about "disappointing" Seung-jo, when he's the one who dicked around to use their marriage status as manipulation. Really, Seung-jo? You have a right to "disappointment" here? -jb]

Duckie’s girl-to-be Chris comes to see Ha-ni at school, and tells her that Joon-gu is her dreamboat. Ha-ni wonders if maybe she’s mistaken because his food is so good (HA) but finds that she’s really smitten. [I adore that Chris' appellation of choice is an affectionate "Mr. Bong." It's like they're a cute married couple already. -jb] When asked about the girl he likes, Ha-ni quickly says that there’s no such person, and agrees to help her win Duckie’s heart. Aw.

Duckie is busy making strides of his own, opening up a lunchbox branch of Dad’s noodle shop. Ha-ni brings Chris to the grand opening, who publicly asks Duckie to ask her to stay in Korea, but Duckie, idiot that he is, blurts out that there’s no one for him but Ha-ni. Uh, AWK-ward.

It’s enough to send Chris crying, and me wishing the floor would open up and swallow Duckie whole. It also raises Seung-jo’s jealousy meter, which is awesome, especially in light of his assy blindness in that arena during their honeymoon.

Duckie finds himself looking for Chris when she stops stalking him, and curious about her. Ha-ni calls him out on it, but he insists that it’s like he said—Ha-ni is everything to him. He reiterates his I-am-your-home sentiment, making me die a little inside. She heartbreakingly tells him that she’s married now—Seung-jo is her home. Wow, so simple, and yet soul-crushing for Duckie.

Ha-ni thanks him for always being there for her and listening to her all these years, and she asks him to listen to her one last time. She tells him to stop insisting that he knows himself and knows his heart, and to just sit for a while and really ask himself what his feelings might be, where the wind might take him. It’s a really sweet moment, not just for these two characters, but for the kinds of questions that 20-year olds really ought to ask.

Kyung-soo gets drafted, and he shyly asks He-ra to write him letters if she’s ever bored. She is her trademark curt and haughty self, refusing to throw the guy a bone. He finally asks her not to cry alone anymore, and she calls after him, saying that maybe if she’s really bored, she’ll go visit him in the army.

He gets a warmer response from Ha-ni, who is sad to see him go. Kyung-soo thanks her for teaching him a lot in the ways of love, especially changing his mindset that it’s okay to make mistakes and be rejected, and that it’s worth risking those things to love. Cute. He leaves Ha-ni with a farewell present—he’s going to take his roommate with him to the army, opening up a spot in the nursing program. Now it’s just up to her to pass the entrance exam.

Looks like Juri’s silent sweetheart is headed to the army as well. Heh, I was joking about the crew cut, but it turns out he really needs one. He shows up for one last haircut, finally breaking through to her. She backhugs him, saying that she’ll wait. I’m just going to assume that those aren’t the first words you’ve exchanged besides “Trim a little off the top.”

Ha-ni asks Seung-jo to help her study like the old days, leading to CPR practice and much cuteness. He smiles adorably as he drops her off for the test, proud that she’s come so far.

She aces the written part, amazed that Seung-jo pretty much knew exactly what would be on the exam. But the oral exam is a giant mess, compounded by the fact that the main interviewer is the same cranky lady from her university entrance interview. She calls Ha-ni a dummy-killer (yeesh, you need a vacation, lady) and Ha-ni announces to her family that she must’ve been reaching for the stars, and that she’ll find some other major.

Seung-jo sighs that he really wanted to take Ha-ni on a date [per their deal to go on a date if she passes], but a promise is a promise. He suggests that maybe going out for dinner doesn’t count. Ha-ni perks up immediately. It’s so funny how she’s still amazed that her husband likes her. Haha.

On her way to meet him for their date on Christmas Eve, she witnesses a motorcycle accident, and gets to use her CPR skills on a non-dummy. She fights past her fears and saves the woman’s life.

Duckie races to the airport, finally realizing that he probably shouldn’t spend his youth pining away for a married woman. Chris is there waiting for him, having gotten off the plane already to keep her heart from breaking. Duckie gets a kiss on the cheek for coming to stop her (although he insists he’s simply there to send her off), and thus begins a new and much healthier love for good ol’ Duckie.

Dad has a quiet drink alone, sweetly caressing the bronzed hands and feet of his wife and daughter. I don’t know what it is, but these Dad moments totally get to me. This is where this drama’s strengths lie, and I really wish it had capitalized on more of this tone. [It helps that Kang Nam-gil is SO good at the poignant fatherly love angle. Seriously -- see Who Are You? for exactly this kind of heart-tugging relationship, except with way more momentum and emotional impact. -jb]

Ha-ni waits in the emergency room to make sure the patient is okay, and the doctor praises Ha-ni for saving the woman’s life. She breathes a sigh of relief and rushes off to meet Seung-jo, thinking he must’ve left hours ago.

But she finds him there, waiting and worried. It’s not the most dramatic moment, but it’s a nice beat, showing that she doesn’t have to worry that he’ll run off at the first sign of trouble. He really is her home now, and he’ll be waiting for her.

He sneaks them into a closed parking lot after hours, upping his cool factor in Ha-ni’s eyes. Seung-jo: “Do you think there’s only one or two cool things about me you didn’t know? You’re in trouble now.” Haha. He announces that she’s under his spell. Yeah, where’ve you been for the last four years, buddy?

Ha-ni says that she was originally planning to become a nurse because of Seung-jo, but she felt something different today, in saving a life. She feels a purpose and a calling, and plans to start from the beginning, applying to college all over again so that she can get into the nursing program.

I like that they went this route, which is far more realistic than Ha-ni threading a needle and making it in on her first try. Moreover I like that she feels a sense of purpose now, separate from and greater than her desire to follow in hubby’s shadow. [It's also particularly sweet that Seung-jo gives her a little credit, too, calling her his sunbae in the professional realm, since she's already saved a life -- and killed one mannequin, lol -- while he has yet to meet a patient. -jb]

Seung-jo tells her that every day is like Christmas when he’s with her (aw) and then they kiss, with Seung-jo teasing her for being so forward.

As the end credits roll, we see: Duckie and Chris together, Min-ah making it big-time with her web-toon in book form, Juri’s boyfriend returning from the army, He-ra visiting Kyung-soo, parents on vacation, and Eun-jo with a new crush (birth of Seung-jo 2.0, gah). [I know! The setup is obviously an echo of Ha-ni and Seung-jo, but I like to think that younger bro learned a little something from watching his hyung. Plus Eun-jo always had a little more EQ than Seung-jo anyway. -jb]

We come back to Seung-jo and Ha-ni in the car, where Seung-jo finally declares out loud: “I love you.”

GIRLFRIDAY’S COMMENTS

It’s pretty funny if you think about it, how marriage came before the “I love you,” but I suppose it’s something that he said it of his own accord, without any prodding. Not all the growth that I wanted to see from Robot Boy (just thinking about the wedding prep and honeymoon raises my blood pressure), but it’s not like I expected him to mature overnight.

Ha-ni showed some forward movement, even in her tiny snail way, and even though the emergency rescue was so obviously shoehorned in, at least she admits to having chosen nursing for Seung-jo, and now feels a new sense of purpose in pursuing it for the right reasons.

What I wanted to see more of was a change or a growth in their relationship post-wedding, which we only really got in glimpses. Would it have killed you, Show, to put in a real-life conflict, no matter how small, that indicates a significant change?

Overall this series never went past tepid for me, because the conflicts never dug deep enough to really grip me. I enjoyed the setup and the characters, and particularly loved Jung So-min’s portrayal of perpetual underdog Oh Ha-ni. Kim Hyun-joong’s Baek Seung-jo was a little touch-and-go for me, though objectively he has shown improvement in his acting chops. I’d be lying if I said he was good, but he’s…better. What I did enjoy more than anything was their cuteness as a couple, because they brought out adorably surprising things in each other.

I know the drama’s tone was always meant to be light and follow a slice-of-life format, but I wish it had dug just a little deeper emotionally, in its storylines. Ha-ni’s relationship with her dad, for example, wasn’t overly dramatic or overly hammy, but played just right in terms of depth. Whenever the drama showed those types of connections, it made me want to see more, and I would’ve gladly traded many of the superfluous moments of side business for some more emotional beats between characters.

In the end, I do like the drama for what it is—playful and light, but then it also keeps me from loving it, because it never ventured out of that safe zone. Show should’ve taken a note from Ha-ni: it’s worth the risk, even if you fall flat on your face.

JAVABEANS’ COMMENTS

What a weird drama. I don’t quite know what to say at the end of it. Barring the genuinely horrendous first episode, I had a lot of fun watching these characters bumble their way through courtship and young-adulthood in a low-key, histrionics-free way. But on the other hand, despite a tone that suggests slice-of-life realism, the drama isn’t very realistic at all, so you have something that’s not quite compelling on the drama front, but also not quite compelling on a reality front, either.

I can’t deny that there was something very watchable and cute about the slow (slow, slow) relationship build-up, but ultimately this drama sorta feels like a big ol’ empty shell to me. There’s just so little beneath the surface, and what there WAS in the way of true heart was often overshadowed by silliness (witness Episode 15′s Honeymoon Hell). It was promising until the last few weeks, when it became apparent that things were just happening because they were happening, not because they were driven by actual narrative purpose. Even slice-of-life stories are propelled by conflict, escalation, and resolution — the cornerstones of all stories since the beginning of time — but in so many episodes, I just felt like Playful Kiss was pushing chess pieces around the board without any strategy. No attacking, no advancing, just pawns being moved around.

I understand that this show is based on a previously existing story, and I understand that there’s a burden by the makers to stay true to the spirit of the original. Even though I have mentioned several times my reason for not wanting to compare this to prior versions, I understand why fans continue to do so — you can’t have a remake and expect the fans to ignore what is being remade. That said, quite frankly I don’t really care about the previous versions; I’m watching THIS drama. I want this drama to make sense, and have narrative substance, and tell a fully fleshed-out story, and show growth and progression, and be entertaining. If, in the course of “being true to the original,” this drama sacrificed its opportunity to tell a good story, well, then I think that’s a failing of the show. What good is it to be a purist if it just weakens the end product?

I’m being a little harsher on this drama than I had intended to be, considering I got many hours of smiles and cuteness out of this show. I don’t regret watching it, and at times I felt warm and giddy for the characters, particularly Ha-ni, who made me think back to my own adolescence with fond nostalgia, a little bit of horror, and a lot of relief to be beyond that now. However, I don’t think entertainment and critical thinking are mutually exclusive, and if I have to shut off one for the sake of the other, then what’s the point? I’d rather have both.

So, what’s the bottom line? This was a cute show. I liked it. Sometimes quite a lot, but most of the time with a sense of detachment. I think I would have evaluated it much higher if we’d ended on a stronger note, though, because the last few episodes really dragged it down. There was easier-to-watch, better-paced material in the middle stretch, but the last couple killed the last of my patience.

Playful Kiss: Episode 16 (Final)

by girlfriday | October 21, 2010 |

PLAYFUL KISS

Episode 15

You can start to see the loose ends being tied up, or rather, preparing to be tied up in the finale tomorrow. I suspect we’ll get a lot of ends hastily tied together in the next episode just for the sake of leaving everyone happy, which I am not a great fan of; lead us through conflicts and get us there naturally, rather than inventing last-minute scenarios for happiness that don’t necessarily ring true.

On the other hand, if we must choose between an ending that is either too pat or littered with loose threads, I’ll (grudgingly) take pat.

EPISODE 15 RECAP

Mom announces that the happy couple will marry next week, causing double-takes all around. Seung-jo had meant to marry after graduation, but she points out that there’ll always be something to wait for — internship, residency, his army obligation — so they may as well do it now.

Ha-ni shares the news with her friends at the noodle shop, which seems like a pretty insensitive place to do it, considering that Joon-gu is nursing his broken heart by throwing himself into working there. But I suppose we need them here so we can witness the odd introduction of a new girl, who arrives for some noodles.

Her appearance throws everyone off because she’s Caucasian. Everyone is anxious at having their precarious English tested, but as it turns out, she’s fluent in Korean (her mother is Korean). What a random scene, but the fact that it is so awkwardly shoehorned in here leads me to believe we’re being set up (clumsily) for something.

Ha-ni and Seung-jo go ring and dress/tux shopping — or at least attempt to. Ha-ni is excited about all these plans, and tries to convince Seung-jo to participate, but he grumbles at each step of the way.

Ha-ni urges him to get a ring as proof of their love, adding that he has to let people know that he’s taken. He notes that she really means for the ring to act as shackles, and leaves the store. He balks at a photo shoot and buying a tux, because in his uber-logical robot brain, the ceremony is a waste of time and money. He tells Ha-ni that even when they’re married, he won’t just bend over backwards to suit her preferences. She points out that he’s never done that.

He starts to blame his mother for pushing, but Ha-ni wisely sees that Mom’s not the problem. Why did he announce that he’d marry her if he was going to be like this? Seung-jo doesn’t know and sighs that he regrets it, then adds that they ought to reconsider.

With only a few days remaining until the wedding, Ha-ni is dejected and confused. Her friends assure her that Seung-jo’s just being his usual difficult self, but he doesn’t mean to really call it off.

Sure enough, Seung-jo comes back to his senses (seriously, boy? It’s that hard for you to understand that a wedding is important to women?) and visits Ha-ni’s father. To Ha-ni’s surprise, Seung-jo takes the two of them on a road trip to visit the graves of her mother and grandmother.

Seung-jo has come to pay his respects to them, and introduces himself as “son-in-law.” He says, ” I’ve already gotten in trouble for not listening to Ha-ni. But don’t worry, I’ll take good care of her.”

Ha-ni’s still feeling stung and mutters that she hates him, but then shakes her head and amends, “No, I like you. Thank you.”

Now he’s more willing to discuss wedding plans, and although he initially scoffs at the idea of a honeymoon, he relents and tells her to pick the place. She decides an island vacation would be nice (thinking of a beach resort), and Seung-jo makes her happy by readily agreeing… until he asks, “How about Yeouido? Or Bamseom? Or Dookseom?” LOL.

(Those are technically little islands in Seoul, on the Han River, but barely qualify as such. It’s like asking for Hawaii and having your husband suggest Long Island or Staten Island instead.)

Seung-jo pulls out his phone and makes a deal with her: If he turns up a three-of-a-kind on his game, he’ll agree to her choice. She chants, “Jeju Island” over and over, willing the game to go her way — and when it does, she squeals in glee and dances around him. Then we see that it’s rigged to always yield a three-of-a-kind. Gah, Seung-jo! Would it break some sort of circuitry in your brain to simply agree? You are a tiring man-boy.

On the eve of the wedding, Ju-ri and Min-ah come over for a sleepover and present Ha-ni with pink lingerie for her honeymoon.

Next door, the brothers share a moment as Eun-jo comments on all of Ha-ni’s flaws, though without his usual scorn. He declares that while he’s going to marry a much prettier, smarter girl, he approves of his hyung’s choice: “I really like you, hyung, but it’s true that there are problems with your personality. So I think you have to marry a girl like Oh Ha-ni. You’re doing the right thing. Congratulations!” It’s kind of adorable.

Two other men, however, are having a tougher time of it. First is Joon-gu (poor Duckie!), who looks up at Ha-ni’s window from outside. His mood is bittersweet, but he focuses on the positive, saying that he’s happy, “Because you’re really happy right now. If you’re happy… I’m happy too.”

AGH, my heart bleeds for you. Can we have a nice girl show up in the last episode and give us assurance that he’ll be happy? Oh, wait… I see what you did there, drama!

Ha-ni’s father, meanwhile, has a lonely drink that night. Ha-ni joins him, and finds herself fighting back tears as she thanks him for raising her. Dad blinks back his own as he urges her to smile rather than cry.

They practice matching their steps down the imaginary aisle for the ceremony, which is one of the sweeter moments in this episode. This relationship has always been among the more genuine ones in this drama, so it’s particularly poignant.

Wedding day. Ha-ni receives a few unexpected visitors as she waits for the ceremony, which include her high school teacher — who’s now married to Seung-jo’s old teacher and pregnant. Looks like the dumb-but-lovable woman won out in both generations, eh?

He-ra is quite gracious in her well-wishes for Ha-ni, telling her that she’s glad that Seung-jo chose her; ironically, it’s that very fact that makes her like him, as it shows Seung-jo has good taste in women. Ha-ni’s touched by this unexpected praise, and the two shake hands warmly.

Even when she was being antagonistic He-ra was always sunny and likable, so I’m glad that they kept from making her cartoonishly villainous, which would have been the easy way out. It fits with the overall theme, in that the point wasn’t that Seung-jo would pick Ha-ni because He-ra was a bitch, but because heart trumps logic — no matter how well-matched they seemed on paper, his feelings went a different way.

And then, it’s time for the ceremony. Just before Ha-ni heads out, Eun-jo offers her his wedding present, and whispers into her ear.

Things proceed smoothly as Seung-jo and Ha-ni state their vows, followed by speeches by both fathers. Ha-ni’s father’s is particularly heartfelt as he praises Ha-ni for her snail-like steadfastness. He’d worried about her, but now feels relieved to leave her in the hands of a capable mate: “Seung-jo, thank you. Please stick with our Ha-ni through the end.”

But it wouldn’t be a true Ha-ni affair without a mishap or several, and when it’s time for the ring exchange, Ha-ni drops Seung-jo’s ring, which goes rolling under the seats.

It’s found soon enough, but Seung-jo mock-grumbles that she’s a dummy. Undaunted, Ha-ni returns, “Don’t make fun, Baek Seung-jo — I know you liked me a lot, and from a long time ago.” She’s referring to their second kiss, which wasn’t in the rain after all but at the villa. Seung-jo shoots a look at his brother, who nonchalantly glances away with a “Who, me?” look on his face.

Ha-ni teases him for playing coy, then grabs him in a surprise kiss, to the surprise of everybody.

Seung-jo pulls back in embarrassment, but she playfully sticks out her tongue at him.

And then they have to ruin this light-hearted moment by panning over to poor Joon-gu’s pained face. Don’t worry, Joon-gu! Just hang in there for another hour, and I’m sure you’ll get your happy ending. Well, if the following two are any indication:

He-ra is exasperated when Kyung-soo follows her out of the wedding, but she accepts his invitation to have lunch together. Notice for a hot-dog-eating contest grabs his attnetion, and his boyish excitement makes her laugh. I’m not at all convinced that these two coupling up makes any sense, but it’s like the drama wants to slap everyone together in twosomes now that we’re heading to the finish.

Off to Jeju go our married couple. At the resort, they run into another newlywed couple, whom you will learn to hate soon enough. The young wife, Hyun-ah, eyes Seung-jo with interest while her own meek husband keeps his head bowed and obeys her every whim.

At first it’s coincidence that keeps them in each other’s orbits, since they’re staying in adjacent rooms. The couples select the same dinner course, so Ha-ni uncomfortably sits through dinner while Hyun-ah commandeers the conversation and boldly flirts with Seung-jo. Feeling put out, Ha-ni reaches for the wine and ends up hungover the next day.

Like I said, this random character is clearly being set up for a last-minute arc, and I suspect she is here to give Joon-gu a consolation prize. She returns to the noodle restaurant, where Joon-gu serves her. When she asks for a fork, Joon-gu cannot let this go — as we know, he takes his food seriously, and instructs her how to use chopsticks properly.

Back on Jeju, Ha-ni and Seung-jo head out on Day 2 of their honeymoon, visiting the Museum of African Art… only to find that the other couple is also there. Hyun-ah has the brassiness to actually cling to Seung-jo’s arm like a girlfriend (or wife, I suppose), leaving her own groom to trail behind with Ha-ni. I’m a little annoyed at Robot Boy for allowing this, because politeness be damned, he’s got a WIFE now, yeah? Dude, I know you’re not into Hyun-ah, but this would be a FINE TIME to employ your famous cold shoulder, buddy.

Ha-ni tells Hyun-ah’s husband to keep Hyun-ah to himself, but incredibly enough, Mr. Milquetoast is actually blind to his wife’s antics. He fears that Seung-jo will fall for her, whom he describes as innocent and sweet. Uh, sympathy go poof now.

Hilariously, just as Hyun-ah is moving to latch onto Seung-jo’s arm again, a woman in a wig bumps into them hard, separating them. Aw, Mom! You sure don’t know your boundaries, but at least your heart is in the right place.

That evening, Ha-ni gets out her pretty new underwear and nervously anticipates that this is the night she’ll get to use it… until there’s a knock at the door. It’s the Pesky Pair, here with champagne. Cockblocked!

The next morning, Ha-ni is bummed, as this is their last day here and she’s hardly had any time alone with Seung-jo. Plus, she doesn’t even have any vacation photos — which makes him smile and tell her not to worry, since he knows Mom has got that part covered.

Seung-jo agrees to spend today with Ha-ni, just the two of them, and she gets prettied up excitedly. And then comes the knock on the door.

If he were my husband I’d be glaring at him to keep the damn door closed, but the urgency in the visitor’s voice is too much to ignore. The husband bursts in and begs for Seung-jo’s help — Hyun-ah is doubled over in pain.

Ha-ni’s uncomfortable watching Seung-jo feel up Hyun-ah (uh, hello, no medical license?), and her woman’s intuition just may be making her a little suspicious as well. She blurts, “Stop!” and says that she hates seeing him with his hands all over another woman.

Seung-jo assumes that Ha-ni’s being jealous for no reason and tells her in a hard voice that he’s going to be a doctor. If she has a problem with that, well, then they can’t be together. Oh, Seung-jo, you sure know how to make a honeymoon romantic.

In tears, Ha-ni runs out and Hyun-ah’s husband heads out to follow her. At which point Hyun-ah smiles and takes his hand, saying, “Finally, it’s just the two of us.” Having faked everything, now she makes her move, saying that she wishes he’d met her before Ha-ni, whom she can tell he doesn’t like.

Seung-jo shoots her a hard look and rejects her advance coldly. Finally! How is it that you have more patience for an interloping stranger than you do for your wife?

Seung-jo finds Ha-ni sitting alone and joins her, but she, feeling wounded, scoots away. He asks if she’s still angry — she is — but melts that away by telling her, “But you’re prettier when you smile.” Smooooth, I’ll give you that. He adds, “When I see you smiling, it makes me feel good.”

Seung-jo starts to tickle Ha-ni, and her anger fades fast as she shrieks with laughter.

That night they sit awkwardly — how adorable are they in matching PJs? — both thinking of the night ahead but a little unsure how to get there. Ha-ni apologizes for being foolish and jealous earlier, and Seung-jo answers, “You’re cute… sometimes. Sometimes you’re beautiful, somehow.”

Slinging an arm around her, he wonders, “But why do I like you? You’re not that pretty, and you’re cute only sometimes. Why do I always want to see you? What have you done to me?”

With that, he moves in for a kiss, then gathers her up in his arms and carries her to bed. Ha-ni pulls back, pausing to ask for a few moments to “prepare” a few things (thinking of her pretty lingerie), but he tells her not to bother: “I can’t wait anymore.” (Well, if you hadn’t let the Newlyweds From Hell derail your honeymoon for three days…)

Honeymoon over, the couple begin married life back at home, where Seung-jo’s room has been redecorated to suit both of them. Ha-ni manages to oversleep (it’s customary for the new bride to be up at the crack of dawn to pay her respects to her in-laws and make breakfast) and rushes downstairs, where the others are already eating. Thankfully, Mom isn’t a stickler for those old-fashioned expectations and greets her warmly.

Ha-ni’s intending to drop by the nursing department today so she can apply for a transfer, but she’s got a few obstacles to overcome, like waiting for a spot to open up, as well as passing an entrance exam.

Mom reminds Seung-jo to take care of the marriage registration paperwork… but Seung-jo gets an idea and answers with a noncommittal, “We’ll see. I’ll think about it.” Mom is bewildered and Ha-ni worried — does that mean he’s reconsidering the marriage? They won’t be legally married until they register, and dragging his feet after the honeymoon is awfully cavalier of him, Mom argues.

Seung-jo answers that he just feels like he’s being shoved into everything, and comes to a “compromise” — that he’ll register the marriage once Ha-ni passes the nursing department exam.

Ha-ni worries about what happens if she can’t — say, for instance, a slot never opens up. Seung-jo just shrugs it off, asking if she was only prepared to exert this (paltry) amount of effort to pursue nursing.

Clearly he is using this as motivation to spur Ha-ni to try hard, as he once did to provoke her into picking a future that extended beyond being his mate. And as he walks away from his stunned family, he smiles in amusement. You bastid!

COMMENTS

I dunno, I was rather bored this episode. For one containing such a big life event, it sure was ho-hum about it. And the other newlywed couple — they were irritating, but worse than that, ultimately pointless. You might argue that they forced Ha-ni and Seung-jo to address the issue of her jealousy, which might have worked if Ha-ni were actually overreacting. Instead, it was just absurd and aggravating. It might have been fine at a different point in the series — but in the penultimate episode, I want to deal with story that actually has an effect on our main characters. Like the nursing bit at the end (even if I am uncomfortable with Seung-jo using their marriage as a tool to manipulate her, even if it’s “for her own good”).

I disliked that even after Seung-jo found out that Ha-ni’s instincts about Hyun-ah were right, he didn’t apologize or do anything to ease her concerns. He let Ha-ni believe it was 100% her fault for overreacting, when really there were two parties at work here. And when she apologizes for overreacting, he just accepts it. Oh, how generous of you for liking this dumb, unpretty girl who’s only sometimes cute.

Look, I get that this is the character. I get — and even like — that he’s kind of an ass sometimes, since we don’t need our heroes to be perfect Prince Charmings. But when you’re putting these characters into a marriage and giving us the happily-ever-after treatment, shouldn’t that marriage be, yunno, functional? Balanced? Mature? I guess the luster is off and I no longer really think this couple is adorable beyond belief.

(It might help — a little — if his hair were still curly. JUST SAYIN’.)

On the other hand, my favorite scene was probably the father-daughter “walk down the aisle” because it played with all the right conflicts and emotions — the ones we care about, the ones that have been well-established and built into the fabric of this drama. It’s such a small moment but that bittersweet moment of letting go of daddy’s little girl is so real and packed with honest feeling. I wish we had more of those beats, rather than silly external conflicts brought in to buzz in annoying circles over our heads like gnats at a picnic.

Playful Kiss: Episode 15

by javabeans | October 20, 2010 |
credits to drama beans