Witch's Romance - Episode 5 (A SqueeCap)
So ... I have a lot of love for this drama, but wtf happened at the beginning of 5? I was so confused I went back to check whether I had opened the right file. Is this non-linear story-telling? Is it deliberate? Why show us at the beginning of this episode what is going to happen in this episode instead of showing us what actually happened in 4?! And what with the Polar Bear Dude?! Ahhhh! JoAnne! Help me!
JoAnne: Based on what did happen in 5, we can safely assume that she did NOT notice Polar Bear Dude at the airport. Because that reaction would have been huge, and would have spilled over into 5. He may have noticed her, though, can't really tell. In My Queen, her feelings about their end were all sad and mad. His were a mix of sad and guilt. (And someone definitely made an editing mistake.)
In any case, once I got over that, this episode was pretty emotional. In a good way. It also had a few obvious faults (like him suddenly believing she is a bad person and them NOT KISSING), but who and what doesn't.
JoAnne: I really can't forgive them for not kissing.
Episode 5
So we're not at all at the airport. There's no mean Polar Bear Dude stare-down. We're at the apartment and Dong-ha looks at the bloody polar bear picture again - and puts it back into the frame. Cutie-Soo is onto Dong-ha: he likes her, huh? Dong-ha is in denial, but Cutie goes ... so what? Steamy night in a tent? Why not? Yoon Hyun-min ... I heart you!
JoAnne: Oh.My.God. Is he completely hilariously awesome or what? Yoon Hyun-Minnnnnnnnnnnn, saranghae forever! I'm just sitting here looking at this gif and laughing, over and over again. He's a very physical actor and it's noticeable especially in this role where he has all this nervous, youthful energy. It just makes me laugh every time I see him.
Ji-Yeon is at the door and she hears that a person named Dong-joo needs surgery. Who is that? We don't know, do we? A middle-school kid, we hear, but related to whom? JY comes in, ready to leave for the steamy night. Cutie cracks me up.
JoAnne: Assume he's one of the kids from the orphanage, I guess? He doesn't have a brother in the story that I know. Your gifs, by the way, are killing me.
The steamy night will happen at a Workshop with the terrible colleagues. I hope they all drop dead soon. Here comes the Boss! To a sexy second half of the year! Dong-ha is interested in the prize money for the sport competition that Boss announces. Yeah, he's in a bit of a bind, since he also wants to give money to that Dong-joo-kid we don't know - and he doesn't want to talk about. Intern is coughing really hard and all the time, by the way ... a deadly virus? That means they will all die soon, cause she doesn't stop!
JoAnne: It's a dry cough, too, that means the plague. Listen, just let Ji Yeon and Dong Ha do it once. Well, for one entire night, as many times as they want. And then everyone can die, me included. Okay?
They distribute the room keys and when they start moving their luggage, Dong-ha helps Intern, not the Witch. There's also a dude who recognizes "Cindy" - I guess that's Intern, since I doubt that Dong-ha has such a nickname.
JoAnne: I'm interested to see how they play this out, because this was a particularly dark period in My Queen, which wasn't quite as light of a drama as this has been overall anyway. And yes, the Intern is 'Cindy.'
Time for the Sports Competition! JY really wants to win for Dong-ha, who is in her team ... since she's realized he has money-issues. She seems to think it's his brother. They play what is called "Brennball" in German. No idea what it is in English. And is that even Brennball? Probably not. (It's a variation on Dodge Ball, I guess. We play it differently, but the goal of hitting a person with the ball and getting them 'out' is the same.) Furthermore, there's rope skipping and arm wrestling. And flashbacks to earlier competitions. Intern really isn't looking or sounding too well ... and because of that, Dong-ha is pretty pissed when JY is a bit too enthusiastic about winning. Winning is less important than the health of people. That's true.
JoAnne: Yes, but she gave the girl medicine and told her NOT to play because she was sick. Honestly, she's been nothing but nice to that whiny (and so weeeeeeak, like a true lady) thing.
There's the Cindy Dude! He asks the Witch whether she can arrange a meeting with Intern, whom he used to date. He pretends to be on friendly terms with Intern, but having some unresolved issues he wants to clarify with her. Well ... he's a toooooootal dick. When Intern sees him, she starts shaking. He starts trash-talking her in front of the whole group, saying all kinds of means things about her being a flirt etc. Apparently, he was some kind of stalker and lost his scholarship because of it. He says she ruined his life - but I'm sure the fault is all his. Intern runs away. Dong-ha scolds JY for not realizing that Cindy Dude wasn't a friend at all and runs after Intern.
JoAnne: How the fuck was she supposed to know? Why would she think he was lying? I was really pissed at Dong Ha here. And I was pissed at Ethan Ruan before, and in that one? This guy isn't just a stalker. He was pretty bad.
Intern is missing and Dong-ha is really worried. For whatever reason, he keeps blaming Ji-yeon for what happened. That's just stupid. He is "disappointed" in her behavior, thinking she brought the mean dude over deliberately. Bleh. Even though she really isn't to blame at all, Ji-yeon goes after Dong-ha to look for Intern in the dark forest. The person who finds her though is Dong-ha, of course - and she can share all her worries with him and fall even more in love.
JoAnne: But why doesn't she just DEFEND herself? It's so frustrating. I know, she thinks it won't make a difference, it's her life policy etc etc etc but it's so FRUSTRATING. Still, they have to fuss at each other and be apart a few times in order to realize the comfort they feel together.
They head back, but somewhere not far, Ji-yeon trips and falls down into a ditch. She even sees them walk by, but doesn't say anything. Why? Stuuuupid. Too late she realizes that she has no cell-phone coverage. Back at the hotel, Dong-ha hears about Ji-yeon's real reason for wanting to win so hard, and realizes he has been a fool. Ji-yeon is suuuuuper scared in the forest, that sounds like a jungle all of a sudden. She starts crawling, shouting for help. But here comes Dong-ha!
JoAnne: She doesn't speak up because she's upset with him, she thinks that he and Intern like each other, she doesn't want to have to rely on him, and she assumes she can get someone else - Young Shik, probably.
He offers her his back, she declines ... but when another really scary sounding animal screeches right next to them, she flees into his arms. She is glad that everybody now believes that Intern is the good one and Cindy Guy the bad one (he was bragging about his evilness at the bar earlier). He is apologetic for misunderstanding her. He is sooooo cuuuuuute when he laughs. Now, he also shares who the kid is: an orphan in the House of Love. I know it's an orphanage, but I find that name a bit ... unfortunate.
JoAnne: Me too, but calling it Love House doesn't have that same connotation (well it could but it sounds more normal to me) and can be translated pretty much the same way in Korean, I think. I do love how quickly they manage to clear up misunderstandings between them.
She ruffles his hair, twice, because he is such a good kid, but he doesn't like that at all ... or maybe the opposite, in fact? (Oh I think he liked it. I think he liked it a lot.) When they're back at the lodging, he piggybacks her up the stairs, breathing heavily, and deposits her in front of her room. The mood is much lighter now, he keeps taunting her about crawling around and she ruffles his hair again. Suddenly, they find each other very close .... kissing distance close. They stare at each other for what seems a long, long time and then, he almost whispers: "I warned you. Do not provoke me".
JoAnne: This was a non-knitting scene, for sure. They are SO attracted to each other. I was yelling at the screen to JUST KISS ALREADY, dammit.
But he lets go of her arms, somewhat embarrassed, instead of doing what he obviously wants to do ... and tells her to go in and take care of that ankle. He makes a fast exit, shaken by how much she affects him. Inside, she too pauses for a while to think about why she is like that around him. What kind of stupid question is that?
JoAnne: Seriously. Someone get that woman's head examined. You're like that because he is prime stuff AND a complete sweetheart, Ji Yeon. Get ON it, already.
The next morning - Dong-ha is a bit jumpy around her - the whole "Trouble Maker" Team takes revenge like Ji-yeon told Intern to do. They smear ice cream on Cindy Dude's shirt and empty tea on it - and finally, Intern gets her power back by threatening him (=only son of influential CEO) to go public about his deeds. Newly empowered Intern sits down next to Dong-ha in the bus on their way back. She is all giggly, the poor girl - Ji-yeon pretends not to see, but man, is she aware of every word spoken.
JoAnne: And poor puppy so wanted that seat to be for Ji Yeon, too. I can't tell you how happy I am that they don't make this a competition between the two girls in HIS head. He is nice to Intern Girl, but it's just his general quality, it's not something special because it's her.
Oh, it's Polar Bear next! He is having an exhibition. So, apparently, he has had some kind of accident? He is also planning his Korean comeback - it took him years and years to be able to return. Hmmm ... I wonder what his version of things is?
JoAnne: Unless he was interned in a prison camp with no way to smuggle news out, I don't really care. You don't abandon someone before the wedding and never even say why or goodbye. (Yes, I know what happened. I'm not saying one word one way or the other about how I feel about it.)
kakashi: I know how I feel about him: BLEH!
At the apartment, Dong-ha gives Ji-yeon the bear-picture back. She takes it, though she claims she would rather throw it away. She also says she wants to take revenge on that man when he returns - for making her waste 6 years of her life. But Dong-ha says that this person would certainly return if he knew that she had waited 6 years. Also, he says he is envious. About him being a person that can return - there are people that will never come back. Poor hurt puppy.
JoAnne: Ji Yeon should kiss him and take him to bed so that he can feel better. Even if it's just for a little while. Eventually, if she does that enough, the little whiles add up.
Dong-ha goes to the hospital next, where little kid's surgery went well. Moldy Spinach goes with him ... and is really interested in how things went with the Witch. We also learn that he is opening a restaurant - but that's just changing the topic, right? So ... how far did he go with the Witch? Well, we know that things aren't progressing there much, don't we ... but Dong-ha keeps having thoughts and feelings and, hey ... just frigging DO IT already.
JoAnne: I love that Cutie ships Dong Ha and Ji Yeon and is so encouraging about it. And now that we know more about how he is, his treatment of Ji Yeon at the beginning (the aborted kiss) it seems less mean and more just dumb on his part. He's such a goober, and I can believe he thought it would be a harmless prank - although we know that it would be really mortifying!
Cutie is a really good friend, even though he seems to have the maturity of a 8 year old. He tells Dong-ha to go ask his dead girlfriend for permission to move on - tomorrow is her memorial day. Oups. Dong-ha has in fact forgotten that it is his dead love's memorial day.
JoAnne: Because he's moving ON, which is a good thing, but ah, how it frustrates me that he thinks his life has to be frozen at that place in time now.
He takes the day off but doesn't tell Ji-yeon why - which makes her so curious she'd almost do anything to find out. Off to Cutie to inquire about what Puppy is up to (what is he watching there?! Suspicious sounds ...). He pretends not to know ... in a way that makes it very clear that he actually does. He then extorts drinks and food from her, all for the promise of telling her where Dong-ha is. After she almost rips his ear off, he finally does. So, here it goes: Dong-ha's GF had a weak heart. And died. But before leaving this plane, she gave a potted Hyacinth to him (yes, we friggin know of the stupid plant).
JoAnne: Trust me, this version is STILL less painful than the original, where the two had been fighting (she was jealous of his attention to someone else, a girl he'd been teaching to surf) and she went surfing alone and drowned. I didn't like the girl, since she was whiny and insecure, and I hated that he was saddled with that horrible guilt.
The flower is a riddle. Dead GF told him he would know why she gave this to him when the withered thing blooms a second time. So he keeps looking for the answer - and before he solves the riddle, he can obviously not move on. Very much interested in his well-being, Ji-yeon starts doing some internet research - and finds out how to up the likelihood that the plant will finally leave us alone.
JoAnne: Yes. In a minute and a half, she finds a fact that Dong Ha hasn't figured out in 3 years, a fact that is not actually true to BEGIN with but is manipulated to fit better in the stories. The damn bulb would send out a plant again even if you didn't cut off the dead leaves.
At the Memorial, Dong-ha looks just sad ... and talks about the plant. And how his heart has started beating again recently - for someone else. He seems to feel bad about that, but hey, dude! It's been three years. The mother comes (the one that always looks sad), but she doesn't even look at Dong-ha. What has he done wrong? Outside, she tells him to move on. She doesn't resent him anymore. Huh? why should she resent him?! Fact is, she just wants to pretend her daughter is abroad - so she doesn't want to see Dong-ha ever again.
JoAnne: Because that's healthy.
Ji-yeon goes to see a gardener who is a total wacko. But he knows how to make hyacinths live! Following his instructions, Ji-hyeon repots the darn thing and cuts off the dead parts. I'm guessing he will not be pleased at all? But the Witch has solved the puzzle: Cut out the scar and the flower will blossom again - live a new life.
JoAnne: Or, you know. You could just realize that life is for the living, and get on with things. But whatever. If you need a made-up story about a plant, you need a made-up story about a plant. Whatever it takes.
Dong-ha is back and it is indeed as I thought: He is NOT PLEASED. But she stops his outrage (at least temporarily) by saying she did this because she cares ... about him. So she thinks she can do anything she wants to his things, he shouts at her? Does she think he loves her? He might have wavered, but certainly not enough for him to forgive her for touching his dearest belonging. And then he slams the poor hyacinth to the floor - and the nice new pot breaks.
JoAnne: And in a string of things that make no sense, that makes the least sense of all.
Comments
Finally! The plant is dead! No, of course it is not - but at least, he has said goodbye to it symbolically. Can we move on? Forwards? Sidewards? On top of each other?
JoAnne: Wow...I couldn't have said that better myself, you naughty girl you.
There is hope he will be over dead GF soon, yes - but what about Polar Bear? He should have fallen down that ladder. His man-pain is not something I want to deal with, really - but I guess we must. You have watched My Queen, JoAnne: how do you think the angst-part will play out, without spoiling anyone?
JoAnne: We are about to head for choppy waters populated by deadly creatures: Guilt, Obligation, Misunderstanding, and Insecurity. I can at least assure you that there is little to no evil plotting or deception, and that everyone is actually genuinely nice about a terrible fucked up horrible very frustrating for me and you situation.
JoAnne: Based on what did happen in 5, we can safely assume that she did NOT notice Polar Bear Dude at the airport. Because that reaction would have been huge, and would have spilled over into 5. He may have noticed her, though, can't really tell. In My Queen, her feelings about their end were all sad and mad. His were a mix of sad and guilt. (And someone definitely made an editing mistake.)
In any case, once I got over that, this episode was pretty emotional. In a good way. It also had a few obvious faults (like him suddenly believing she is a bad person and them NOT KISSING), but who and what doesn't.
JoAnne: I really can't forgive them for not kissing.
Episode 5
So we're not at all at the airport. There's no mean Polar Bear Dude stare-down. We're at the apartment and Dong-ha looks at the bloody polar bear picture again - and puts it back into the frame. Cutie-Soo is onto Dong-ha: he likes her, huh? Dong-ha is in denial, but Cutie goes ... so what? Steamy night in a tent? Why not? Yoon Hyun-min ... I heart you!
JoAnne: Oh.My.God. Is he completely hilariously awesome or what? Yoon Hyun-Minnnnnnnnnnnn, saranghae forever! I'm just sitting here looking at this gif and laughing, over and over again. He's a very physical actor and it's noticeable especially in this role where he has all this nervous, youthful energy. It just makes me laugh every time I see him.
JoAnne: Assume he's one of the kids from the orphanage, I guess? He doesn't have a brother in the story that I know. Your gifs, by the way, are killing me.
JoAnne: It's a dry cough, too, that means the plague. Listen, just let Ji Yeon and Dong Ha do it once. Well, for one entire night, as many times as they want. And then everyone can die, me included. Okay?
JoAnne: I'm interested to see how they play this out, because this was a particularly dark period in My Queen, which wasn't quite as light of a drama as this has been overall anyway. And yes, the Intern is 'Cindy.'
Time for the Sports Competition! JY really wants to win for Dong-ha, who is in her team ... since she's realized he has money-issues. She seems to think it's his brother. They play what is called "Brennball" in German. No idea what it is in English. And is that even Brennball? Probably not. (It's a variation on Dodge Ball, I guess. We play it differently, but the goal of hitting a person with the ball and getting them 'out' is the same.) Furthermore, there's rope skipping and arm wrestling. And flashbacks to earlier competitions. Intern really isn't looking or sounding too well ... and because of that, Dong-ha is pretty pissed when JY is a bit too enthusiastic about winning. Winning is less important than the health of people. That's true.
JoAnne: Yes, but she gave the girl medicine and told her NOT to play because she was sick. Honestly, she's been nothing but nice to that whiny (and so weeeeeeak, like a true lady) thing.
JoAnne: How the fuck was she supposed to know? Why would she think he was lying? I was really pissed at Dong Ha here. And I was pissed at Ethan Ruan before, and in that one? This guy isn't just a stalker. He was pretty bad.
JoAnne: But why doesn't she just DEFEND herself? It's so frustrating. I know, she thinks it won't make a difference, it's her life policy etc etc etc but it's so FRUSTRATING. Still, they have to fuss at each other and be apart a few times in order to realize the comfort they feel together.
Thank you for this Kakashi I could hardly wait!
They head back, but somewhere not far, Ji-yeon trips and falls down into a ditch. She even sees them walk by, but doesn't say anything. Why? Stuuuupid. Too late she realizes that she has no cell-phone coverage. Back at the hotel, Dong-ha hears about Ji-yeon's real reason for wanting to win so hard, and realizes he has been a fool. Ji-yeon is suuuuuper scared in the forest, that sounds like a jungle all of a sudden. She starts crawling, shouting for help. But here comes Dong-ha!
JoAnne: She doesn't speak up because she's upset with him, she thinks that he and Intern like each other, she doesn't want to have to rely on him, and she assumes she can get someone else - Young Shik, probably.
JoAnne: Me too, but calling it Love House doesn't have that same connotation (well it could but it sounds more normal to me) and can be translated pretty much the same way in Korean, I think. I do love how quickly they manage to clear up misunderstandings between them.
JoAnne: This was a non-knitting scene, for sure. They are SO attracted to each other. I was yelling at the screen to JUST KISS ALREADY, dammit.
JoAnne: Seriously. Someone get that woman's head examined. You're like that because he is prime stuff AND a complete sweetheart, Ji Yeon. Get ON it, already.
JoAnne: And poor puppy so wanted that seat to be for Ji Yeon, too. I can't tell you how happy I am that they don't make this a competition between the two girls in HIS head. He is nice to Intern Girl, but it's just his general quality, it's not something special because it's her.
JoAnne: Unless he was interned in a prison camp with no way to smuggle news out, I don't really care. You don't abandon someone before the wedding and never even say why or goodbye. (Yes, I know what happened. I'm not saying one word one way or the other about how I feel about it.)
kakashi: I know how I feel about him: BLEH!
JoAnne: Ji Yeon should kiss him and take him to bed so that he can feel better. Even if it's just for a little while. Eventually, if she does that enough, the little whiles add up.
JoAnne: I love that Cutie ships Dong Ha and Ji Yeon and is so encouraging about it. And now that we know more about how he is, his treatment of Ji Yeon at the beginning (the aborted kiss) it seems less mean and more just dumb on his part. He's such a goober, and I can believe he thought it would be a harmless prank - although we know that it would be really mortifying!
JoAnne: Because he's moving ON, which is a good thing, but ah, how it frustrates me that he thinks his life has to be frozen at that place in time now.
JoAnne: Trust me, this version is STILL less painful than the original, where the two had been fighting (she was jealous of his attention to someone else, a girl he'd been teaching to surf) and she went surfing alone and drowned. I didn't like the girl, since she was whiny and insecure, and I hated that he was saddled with that horrible guilt.
JoAnne: Yes. In a minute and a half, she finds a fact that Dong Ha hasn't figured out in 3 years, a fact that is not actually true to BEGIN with but is manipulated to fit better in the stories. The damn bulb would send out a plant again even if you didn't cut off the dead leaves.
JoAnne: Because that's healthy.
JoAnne: Or, you know. You could just realize that life is for the living, and get on with things. But whatever. If you need a made-up story about a plant, you need a made-up story about a plant. Whatever it takes.
JoAnne: And in a string of things that make no sense, that makes the least sense of all.
Comments
Finally! The plant is dead! No, of course it is not - but at least, he has said goodbye to it symbolically. Can we move on? Forwards? Sidewards? On top of each other?
JoAnne: Wow...I couldn't have said that better myself, you naughty girl you.
There is hope he will be over dead GF soon, yes - but what about Polar Bear? He should have fallen down that ladder. His man-pain is not something I want to deal with, really - but I guess we must. You have watched My Queen, JoAnne: how do you think the angst-part will play out, without spoiling anyone?
JoAnne: We are about to head for choppy waters populated by deadly creatures: Guilt, Obligation, Misunderstanding, and Insecurity. I can at least assure you that there is little to no evil plotting or deception, and that everyone is actually genuinely nice about a terrible fucked up horrible very frustrating for me and you situation.