Doctor Stranger - Episode 2 (A SqueeCap)
Episode 2 gives us yet another abrupt time-skip, ups the crazy factor, introduces a new set of characters, and marks the birth of my new favorite thing: Crazy Hoon! Do I understand it? No, not really. Do I love it? Oh, yes.
JoAnne: By the Power of the Puppy, he compels us. Look at that face. It's designed for noonas.
bcook: Bring on the WTF! *rubs hands together*
Dad sacrifices himself so that Hoon won't be tied down by him and miss his chance to escape (a horrible idea, Dad, really)(I dunno. It was effective.) As Dad is surrounded by soldiers, Hoon breaks through the gate separating them and pushes his way to Dad's side, demanding that he be taken in for immediate surgery. He's beside himself with panic, but no one moves to help. Creep Cha watches from a distance. The creep.
JoAnne: Every time you write Creep Cha what I hear in my head is this: He's the CreepCha from the Black Lagoon! And then I giggle.
bcook: Giggle. Creep Cha is almost close to creepymccreepiness on level of creep.
Dad is barely alive as he breathes Hoon's name and ask him to promise that he will never again forget that he's a doctor. He smiles one last time, and then he dies. Hoon cradles him in his arms, rocking back and forth and sobbing.
JoAnne: Farewell, Bad Dad. May we meet again someday, and may it always be that you choose to die so that your sons may live.
bcook: There was way too much gasping for breath which took away from the beauty of the scene.
Some time later, he stands holding Dad's glasses and staring at the spot where he died, recalling the memory. He's on the verge of tears when Creep Cha arrives with Doc Ponytail. He takes the glasses from Hoon's hand and reminds him to be a good little boy and bring in plenty of funding, or he could end up like Dad. Ugh. I spit in your general direction, sir.
JoAnne: I've found, over the years, that kicking a man in the balls is both more effective AND more satisfying.
bcook: I speet too!
Hoon looks to Doc Ponytail, who nods reassuringly (he's the one helping him escape), a move that does not go unnoticed by The Creep. As Hoon and Doc Ponytail are driven away, Cha asks one of his men about the girl who was given the transplant and tells him to investigate her, particularly her relationship to Hoon.
JoAnne: Sadly, Creep Cha is no fool.
bcook: I knew that would happen! Creep Cha is so annoying.
Turns out JangBastard is also in Budapest (grr), and while he takes the stage to speechify (what a diva), one of his guards whispers something in Lollipop Ajusshi's ear. He looks stoic.
JoAnne: Well, as stoic as you can look with a lollipop hanging out of your mouth, anyway.
bcook: I love that lollipop ajusshi still eats lollipops. It's like that little act of kindness created a little pool of humanity that he feeds with the lollys.
Meanwhile, Hoon arrives at the hospital with Jae-hee, and is surprised to find Cha has followed him here. He passive-aggressively mentions that he got curious about Jae-hee and learned she was Hoon's classmate in med school, and isn't fate strange?
JoAnne: Not really. Go suck eggs.
bcook: Play in a pool of bat guano is more effective no?
After JangBastard's speech, Lollipop Ajusshi meets two men by a river, where he is given two huge bags of money for Jang's election campaign. That's not shady at all. When he returns to the embassy, he grabs a lollipop from his stash (aww) and listens as one of his subordinates tells him about the group that just came in from North Korea. He recognizes The Creep and seems to recognize Hoon, too. When he asks why they're watching these men, his underling tells him that one of them has requested asylum.
JoAnne: And JangBastard will have a vested interest in keeping Hoon in North Korea, of course. Hmm, but this guy clearly was positively affected by Hoon.
bcook: I'm in complete WTF mode right now.
Cha's men are also keeping a close eye on Hoon, but Doc Ponytail is able to get him alone for a moment and slip him a vial and a syringe. Hoon goes to check on Jae-hee, leaving the guards outside, and *gasp* she wakes up! When she asks about her father, all he can do is hang his head. They both start to cry, and he tells her that no matter what happens, she has to trust him.
JoAnne: I killed your dad yes, but he WANTED me to do it. Honest! It was for YOUUUUUUU.
bcook: Ugh. Can't she die already?
He takes out the vial, squeezes a few drops of the drug into her eyes, and she loses consciousness again, just as Creep Cha comes in to check up on Hoon and kindly inquire about her health. Hoon says she still hasn't woken up. Cha tells him that someone has requested asylum from the South Korean embassy. It isn't him, right? The Creep gets real close (this man does NOT understand personal space) and reminds Hoon that he and the girl could die anytime, so don't even dream about running. Hoon doesn't react visibly, but he reaches behind his back to hold Jae-hee's hand.
JoAnne: So does the Embassy routinely inform guest nations that they have someone trying to defect from them? Why would that be? Sort of a last-ditch effort at couple's counseling before you get the divorce? Or was he just spying?
bcook: Well clearly they have people on the inside. JangBastard probably told them himself.
Creep Cha leaves the room, sure that Hoon must be the defector, but decides not to do anything just yet, as jeopardizing the deal for the medical equipment could send him and his men to prison. He tells his men to watch Hoon closely and walks away. One of the guards goes back in to cuff Jae-hee to the bed, and once they're alone again, Hoon injects yet another drug into her IV. In his mind, he tells her that in a few hours, the drug will stop her heart for a moment.
JoAnne: I'm sorry...I missed everything after 'cuff Jae Hee to the bed' because in MY head it was Hoon they cuffed. I'm not even making a joke. I thought you were saying they cuffed him to the bed and I was all set to make a joke about that and then I realized I WAS the joke.
bcook: Hehe. Eonni's dirty mind has finally tripped her up.
At the embassy, Lollipop Ajusshi brings the money to JangBastard, and we learn that it will be used to buy the support of other assemblymen. Lollipop Ajusshi tells him that Park Hoon is here in Budapest.
JoAnne: He disappoints me greatly, that ajusshi. Jang is the last person who should know this information.
bcook: Well you gotta keep the one who pays the bills happy. How did they know what older Park Hoon looks like? or is Hoon not a common name?
JoAnne: Right? And aren't they supposed to be thinking that he was executed with his father 20 years ago? Or are we just to assume that Creep Cha reported back to Jang that he killed the father but let the son live and then the son just happened to become a genius doctor with magic fingers?
The drug finally kicks in, and Hoon demands that Jae-hee be un-cuffed so that he can use the defibrillator to revive her. It doesn't seem to work, but we learn through flashback that the monitor isn't connected. Jang confirms that she's dead and is furious. Hoon tells him the deal for the equipment is probably off now, just as Doc Ponytail storms in to make a show of outrage. Cha follows him out, the nurses start to wheel away Jae-hee, and Hoon checks his watch, knowing that he has five minutes to revive Jae-hee before it's too late.
JoAnne: Doesn't it seem like they were very optimistic about the timeline? Five minutes is nothing!
bcook: This was well played. Very tense moments. I held my breathe. Remember Jo this is 5 minutes in kdramaland aka 15 minutes of film.
JoAnne: Oh yes, they measure time in football minutes.
He turns on the guards and manages to knock one out, but he has a harder time with the other, who throws him around like a rag doll. I have to say, it's kind of nice to have a hero who isn't a genius fighter. Anyway, the fight spills out into the hall, where Hoon is able to knock down guard number two. But more are on their way, and he lifts Jae-hee out of the bed and makes a run for it, just as Cha arrives.
JoAnne: He weighs 12lbs soaking wet with a full stomach. If they made him a genius fighter all of the viewers would die of laughter.
bcook: You can even see he's struggling to hold her up. I still don't understand why he doesn't let her and their non-existent chemistry die.
JoAnne: You and I are agreed that Kang Sora is the female lead, anyway.
Hoon barely evades The Creep and slips away to a shower room with one minute to spare. He performs CPR, growing more frantic as each second passes, and when she starts breathing again, so does he.
JoAnne: Yes of course it's exciting. Even though we know it's not time (yet) for her to die.
bcook: He should have taken his shirt off because it was so steamy.
JoAnne: And also because he's added a bit of muscle in a particularly attractive way and so far this drama is SADLY LACKING in puppy pimping.
Creep Cha is right behind them, though, and comes into the shower room with gun drawn. He pulls back the curtain... and finds a makeshift dummy Hoon rigged, wearing his doctor's coat.
JoAnne: Oh, Creep Cha, relax. You'll get like, 900 million more chances to kill him.
Hoon is currently carrying Jae-hee outside (when did he have time to change her clothes?)(and are they implying he has seen her naked?) (we are in kdramaland where all things are possible),
where a car is waiting for him. He pulls away just as Cha comes running behind him, and it looks like he's going to make a clean getaway until he smashes into another car. Cha draws his gun, sure he's got him, but when he reaches the car it's empty, and Hoon has already stolen a motorcycle and is speeding away.
JoAnne: Oh that was actually clever.
bcook: But not enough time to actually execute. (details, schmetails)
He races Cha and his men through the streets of the city, wreaking havoc as they go, and soon finds himself playing chicken, with one car behind him and another rushing at him headlong. He swerves onto the sidewalk at the last moment, and Cha and his lackeys barely stop in time before hitting each other. Hoon pulls ahead, but soon Cha is catching up to him again. He zooms down some steps, and when he reaches the bottom, Cha's men are waiting. They're cornered, with the lackeys at the bottom of the stairs, and The Creep at the top.
JoAnne: She had kidney surgery a day or so ago and just woke up after having her heart stopped for five minutes. Ruminate on that, why dontcha, while we watch all the things she does beginning with this bike ride.
bcook: He does use a scarf to hold her to him and you do see her wince every once in a while so they did try...
JoAnne: Fine. Let's focus on the genius boy who knows his way around the city he's never been to before. Did he memorize Google Maps? Or do his magic fingers have the ability to sense directions, as well?
Hoon glances at Jae-hee and makes sure she's holding on tight, then revs the engine and zooms back up the stairs, rushing Cha. Cha tries to take aim, but he's knocked down as they fly overhead, and soon Hoon and Jae-hee are out of sight.
JoAnne: Kidney surgery. Jostling, bumpy stairs. No fainting. Hmm.
bcook: *wild clapping* The stunt people should get an award for this. Very bourne identity-ish
JoAnne: The pup has a rocket between his legs. Hmm. Noona is intrigued.
At the embassy, JangBastard confirms that no one knows Hoon is Park Cheol's son and wonders how much he knows.
JoAnne: Nothing. Park Cheol knows nothing, because he is dead. Very dead. Full of holes dead.
bcook: He must suspect something right? right? But yeah, I don't really get why JangBastard thought they were a threat. After all he's still the guy who came up with it right? So he still gets credit right?
JoAnne: Divas do not share one INCH of the stage.
Hoon and Jae-hee get a few moments to breathe freely as they ride to the embassy, smiling at each other happily. They arrive at the gates, and Hoon helps Jae-hee to stand because only weaklings are unable to walk after having major surgery, dying, being brought back to life, and then riding around on a motorcycle during a high-speed chase. Obviously.
JoAnne: I was really disappointed in her, here. Hoon is doing all that hard work of driving the motorcycle and injecting people with deadly drugs, and she can't even walk to the door?
Hoon tells the guard his name, and that he's requested asylum. As the guard sloooowly starts to unlock the gate, Hoon and Jae-hee turn to each other in relief, thinking themselves safe.
JoAnne: Of course, it's all an illusion! There's no safety anywhere.
bcook: Life Lesson: wait until you are inside the door before you breath a sigh of relief...actually even then it can be quite dangerous (several horror movies come to mind)
Little do they know that JangBastard is upstairs expositing how he's come this far only because he was the hero in the 1994 crisis. Lollipop Ajusshi asks softly if it was really necessary to kill him (remember, they think Dad was killed right after saving Kim Il-sung), but JangBastard says pointedly that it was for a higher purpose, reminding him that he killed "that woman," for the same reason.
Flashback to 1994. Hoon's mother lies is tied up in the back of a van, still asking for her son, even as she fights to stay conscious. Lollipop Ajusshi watches silently.
JoAnne: I remember a certain midnight phone call and I do not mourn her one bit.
bcook: Agreed. Also given Lollipop Ajusshi's propensity to not do exactly what JangBastard says...I'd say she's still alive somewhere.
JoAnne: Oooh, good point. Care for a lollipop?
In the present again, JangBastard makes a call.
The guard is finally opening the gate when he's stopped by another man who hurries up to whisper something in his ear. The gate closes again, as Creep Cha and his men reach the embassy and come running. For some reason, Hoon opts to run with the sick girl instead of getting back on the bike. *throws hands up in defeat*
JoAnne: He has a good feel for the dramatic moment?
bcook: If they don't run then she can't die. I vote run.
JangBastard watches from upstairs, musing that if he wins this election, becoming president later will be a cinch. Until then he can't afford to have any weaknesses, but now someone who knows his fatal flaw has appeared. He gives Lollipop Ajusshi a thinly veiled order to take care of it and walk out. Ajusshi is about to follow after him, when he's stopped by the sight of his jar of lollipops and remembers little Hoon giving him that first one so many years ago.
JoAnne: Funny when you think of it, since most men are hardened by a little piece of sugary fluff...
Hoon and Jae-hee are running across a bridge when she finally starts to give out. She tries to tell him to go on without her, but he urges her to keep going. They're cornered again, as yet another of Creep Cha's men steps out in front of them. Hoon tries to rush him but he's no match and Jae-hee is useless. Soon they're being held at gunpoint and Hoon steels himself for the blast, closing his eyes as Cha's man fires.
JoAnne: Kidney surgery. Heart being stopped. Running across a RIVER.
But when he opens his eyes, Jae-hee has moved in front of him to take the bullet, and she slowly turns to face him before falling over the side of the bridge. He grabs her hand just in time and tells her it's okay (it's totally not okay, dude).
JoAnne: Well I guess the bullet in the shoulder will do her in if nothing else will. Those damned fatal shoulder shots.
bcook: Haha I was going to say...shots to the shoulder usually shouldn't be fatal. However!! There is a pretty important artery that runs through there so I guess if it becomes nicked it is possible. I guess. I'm just glad we don't have to watch her act Spoiler!!! (for a couple more episodes)
Cha's man points the gun at him again, though, and just when you think our hero is doomed, another shot rings out and the lackey goes down. It's Lollipop Ajusshi! From the roof of a building, he starts systematically taking out Cha's men, making them dive for cover. The Creep is able to get one shot in, though, and hits Hoon squarely in the shoulder.
JoAnne: How very matchy-matchy.
Blood drips down his arm and onto Jae-hee's face, and as she starts to cry, he tells her to hang on just a little longer. Then she suddenly smiles and asks him to remember her as he begs her not to let go. She says goodbye, and then she lets go and falls into the river below.
JoAnne: Damn bridge railings that hit you exactly at waist height, so that you fall over the side if you just climb up and then over them with the aid of a ladder and a shot of whiskey for bravery.
bcook: Technically she shouldn't have held on for that long coz given the way his shoulder was pressing into the bridge (numbness) and the shot (more numbness plus weakness from blood loss) She should have dropped about the time she smiles and asks him to remember her. It would have been 100x better. Also...that splash was pretty sudden. It made me giggle.
2 years later. Myung Woo Hospital, Seoul. Reporters watch as Dr. MOON YUNG-WOOK performs heart surgery and tell us that this team is a top candidate to operate on Prime Minister JangBastard. Dr. Moon is giving an interview later, when word comes in that his patient is crashing. As everyone starts rushing to the ICU, Dr. HAN JAE-JOON (Park Hae-jin) calmly continues to work on the model he's building until he receives a call.
In the ICU, Home Shopping Ajusshi (yay!) is working to revive the patient when Dr. Moon rushes in to take over. Jae-joon is already there, however, and calmly orders the patient back into the operating room. Moon realizes there's been a mistake and immediately turns on Home Shopping Ajusshi. Director OH JOON-GYU arrives and hands the patient over to Jae-joon with a nod.
JoAnne: Ok why are we here though.
Jae-joon calls in his own team, which includes Dr. OH SOO-HYUN (Kang Sora). They get their backlit strut through the doors of the OR, and Jae-joon and Soo-hyun smile at each other.
JoAnne: Bed partners. Calling it.
bcook: And this is where it turns into medical tap team. But everybody has an agenda!! I've never watched a show where every single person (with speaking lines) has an agenda.
Moon arrives just before they start, ready to take care of his own patient, but Jae-joon coldly orders him out. Moon looks to Director Oh, who watches from above with the reporters and just smirks. Jae-joon begins the operation.
Moon tries to plead with Director Oh later and is coolly reprimanded for messing up in front of the reporters. His license is being suspended, and he's being forced out of his position at the hospital, so he can kiss his chance to operate on JangBastard goodbye. Oh tells him that he's a skilled surgeon, but if he wants his position back, he'll need a team that can match Jae-joon's.
JoAnne: I don't like this guy. I wonder if that will change.
Elsewhere in Seoul, Hoon is released from prison and is met by LEE CHANG-YI (Yoon Bo-ra), who calls him "hyung" and tries to smoosh tofu in his face, but he smoothly turns it back on her, saying he won't be fooled again. He glides into her truck (seriously, the man glides - I could watch him get in and out of vehicles all day) and off they go.
bcook: Eh. Hyung was cute the first time (Panda and Hedgehog) but now it's just eh. I'm happy to see Bo-ra in something! She's doing well so far.
JoAnne: Yep, didn't even realize she was an Idol. Puppy is delicious in motion, this is true. Those long, long legs. Sigh.
Hoon asks about the deposit for the clinic, and she calmly replies that she didn't put it up for sale - she has an interest, too, after all. He tells her to sell it and keep half, but she knows he'll just use his share to try and sneak back into North Korea through China. That's when he notices that she's picked up the Seoul dialect, but he isn't distracted for long before telling her again to sell the hospital. Chang-yi just tells him to give it up already - this is his third time in prison. Hoon's heard that Jae-hee was taken back to the North alive, though, and is determined to find her.
bcook: Did he go to prison for trying to sneak into North Korea? I just realized the prison question hasn't been answered yet.
JoAnne: Wait, those thighs almost distracted me. It's only been two years. He's had enough time to get from Hungary to Seoul, raise the money to open a clinic (with a partner, no less) operate the clinic, AND do something worth going to jail for? PLUS do spy/rescue stuff? And why does he NOW sound North Korean when he didn't before?
They argue about the futility of his efforts, but then Chang-yi says she's found another way and has already paid a ton of money to someone called Im Ajusshi to get her mom smuggled out. Hoon scoffs at her naiveté, until she says the ajusshi can get Jae-hee if Hoon brings the money. So she tells him to earn a lot and sends him off to deliver one of the water bottles from the back of her truck.
JoAnne: See, if Jae Hee would just STAY dead once somebody killed her then Kang Sora could be the lead, and Bora could be the second lead. She's clearly enjoying a one-sided love.
Becca: Here is where my real-world denseness carries over to drama land. I did not pick up on that until episode 6.
JoAnne: Subtle symbolism that only with Hoon can he be his own, unguarded self.
Inside, Hoon says he won't finish until he's paid and proceeds to milk every cent he can out of Scarface, adding an extra 100,000 won per stitch to the surgery fee, even asking for another 500 won to make up for the coin he got cheated out of earlier. With Hyungnim lying open on the table and Hoon pressing on the wound whenever Scarface puts up a face about payment, he's forced to pay up.
bcook: Haha. This was an awesome scene. And that gif is sweet! *claps*
JoAnne: 'I don't take cards.' hahahahahahah and yes, the gif is awesome.
As he's finishing up he gets a call from Chang-yi; next we know, he's arriving just in time to see her hand over all of her money to Im Ajusshi. Ajusshi makes a quick call, and a van pulls up in front of his shop and drops off Chang-yi's mom. Hoon watches their tearful reunion in amazement and asks how he did it. Im Ajusshi explains that it's a simple matter of money, and his connections can get anyone out. Hoon doesn't seem convinced until Im Ajusshi mentions Jae-hee, and then he's all ears, as usual, demanding to know if she's been found. Ajusshi just laughs and tells him to bring money if he wants to know. Hoon runs out the door, not seeing that an unknown man has been watching them the whole time.
JoAnne: I would be terrible as one of those people. I would never be able to turn anyone away for lack of money. I would be like this: I will bring all the people! Do not cry! And I would starve and die, bankrupt and alone.
Lollipop Ajusshi finds JangBastard musing that only kings and presidents are remembered, and being Prime Minister isn't enough. ugh such unfounded delusions of grandeur. I wonder if the subs are wonky or if that's really what he's saying. Somebody is cookoo.
He suddenly bends over, clutching his chest. He takes some medicine and asks about Park Hoon. Lollipop Ajusshi tells him he's been released and is already "on the move." JangBastard marvels that after everything, he needs that guy's help, though he knows it won't come easily. Lollipop Ajusshi hands him a flashdrive.
JoAnne: So the man whose ENTIRE CAREER can be shot to shit by one person has known where that one person is and has done nothing for several years, even though he has demonstrated a comfort level with ordering death in the past?
Hoon arrives back at Im Ajusshi's shop, having exchanged the money he has for dollar bills as he was told. It's not enough, but Ajusshi decides to accept his promise to bring more and leads him down into his creepy basement. There, he plugs a flashdrive (which is identical to Jang's) into his computer.
JoAnne: I was unreasonably excited by that bookcase that pushes back down the long hallway instead of sliding into the wall or something.
Becca: So. Cool. I want one.
At two different computer screens, JangBastard and Hoon watch a video of Jae-hee in a North Korean prison. She reaches toward the camera, calling Hoon's name, and tears spill down his cheeks.
JoAnne: They must make it hard for him reason through the situation. How likely is it that they allowed this prisoner access to Skype, after all? And who snuck the computer in to her and explained she could 'meet' with Hoon? Alternatively, it's video-not live, in which case...again, how likely is it that they allow prisoners access to laptops with cameras? Or are they expecting us to believe someone actually filmed her? Maybe in North Korea street-view Google is REALLY advanced.
So I think at this point we can all agree that Hoon's love for Jae-hee is definitely on the obsessive side. He's lost her twice now and never given up on her, and while that could be sweet, there's also the part where he does horrible and crazy things for her. It makes me worry what will happen to him if he ever loses her for good, or if she stops loving him.
bcook: I can't feel for them as a couple because there is just no chemistry! So he might as well be obsessing about a new pair of sneakers for all I care. That's bad.
JoAnne: You two are made of stone.
Becca: I would like to point out (not for the first time), that I am actually one of the few people who likes Jae-hee.
On another note, we're done with the time-skips now, right? We've already had three skips in two episodes, and I feel like we missed some interesting stuff in the lost years. So if the drama starts dragging later, they've done this to themselves, and I will be the first to complain. And maybe throw things because I really want to know about those years, and if I find that they were skipped in favor of boring hospital politics, I will be one unhappy camper.
bcook: *Hands Becca a box of tissues* I've watched ahead, you're going to need this.
JoAnne: Sadness abounds, and not just for our long-thigh'd hero.
The end of the backstory and move to Seoul almost work as a reset for the audience, as we're forced to acquaint ourselves with a new setting, new characters, and, as much as anything, who Hoon has become since we saw him last. Because if the time skips have taught me anything, it's that Hoon is a man who constantly changes and adapts to the world around him. The drama may be crazy and imperfect, but at least its hero is complex and interesting, and now that we appear to be done leaping through time I can't wait to spend some time getting to know Hoon in all his awesome and weird glory.
bcook: Agreed. Hoon is the best part about this drama so far. I am liking the fact that there's a little bit of everything in this show and I'm very surprised that it works. So-ra and Park Hae-jin are doing a good job. I kind of care about them. I just wish the dead 'soulmate' would stay dead.
JoAnne: I don't like the use of things like trick camera moves (as seen below) to amp up the comic aspect of the more light-hearted scenes. It feels cheap and sit-com-y but the drama is more melodramatic than that so it's just awkward. Things like the recurring joke of Moon getting his nose smashed by doors are funny enough on their own if played straight, and more in keeping with the overall tone of the story. Nothing is ALWAYS a tragedy, there's often humor in even the most grim of lives. The editing and time-skips really highlight weaknesses in the story AS TOLD - because the things we wonder about now probably wouldn't even come up if the scenes in the present were handled differently. All that not withstanding, I like the idea of the thing and I definitely want to continue watching.
JoAnne: By the Power of the Puppy, he compels us. Look at that face. It's designed for noonas.
bcook: Bring on the WTF! *rubs hands together*
Episode
2
JoAnne: Every time you write Creep Cha what I hear in my head is this: He's the CreepCha from the Black Lagoon! And then I giggle.
bcook: Giggle. Creep Cha is almost close to creepymccreepiness on level of creep.
JoAnne: Farewell, Bad Dad. May we meet again someday, and may it always be that you choose to die so that your sons may live.
bcook: There was way too much gasping for breath which took away from the beauty of the scene.
JoAnne: I've found, over the years, that kicking a man in the balls is both more effective AND more satisfying.
bcook: I speet too!
Hoon looks to Doc Ponytail, who nods reassuringly (he's the one helping him escape), a move that does not go unnoticed by The Creep. As Hoon and Doc Ponytail are driven away, Cha asks one of his men about the girl who was given the transplant and tells him to investigate her, particularly her relationship to Hoon.
JoAnne: Sadly, Creep Cha is no fool.
bcook: I knew that would happen! Creep Cha is so annoying.
JoAnne: Well, as stoic as you can look with a lollipop hanging out of your mouth, anyway.
bcook: I love that lollipop ajusshi still eats lollipops. It's like that little act of kindness created a little pool of humanity that he feeds with the lollys.
JoAnne: Not really. Go suck eggs.
bcook: Play in a pool of bat guano is more effective no?
JoAnne: And JangBastard will have a vested interest in keeping Hoon in North Korea, of course. Hmm, but this guy clearly was positively affected by Hoon.
bcook: I'm in complete WTF mode right now.
JoAnne: I killed your dad yes, but he WANTED me to do it. Honest! It was for YOUUUUUUU.
bcook: Ugh. Can't she die already?
JoAnne: So does the Embassy routinely inform guest nations that they have someone trying to defect from them? Why would that be? Sort of a last-ditch effort at couple's counseling before you get the divorce? Or was he just spying?
bcook: Well clearly they have people on the inside. JangBastard probably told them himself.
Creep Cha leaves the room, sure that Hoon must be the defector, but decides not to do anything just yet, as jeopardizing the deal for the medical equipment could send him and his men to prison. He tells his men to watch Hoon closely and walks away. One of the guards goes back in to cuff Jae-hee to the bed, and once they're alone again, Hoon injects yet another drug into her IV. In his mind, he tells her that in a few hours, the drug will stop her heart for a moment.
JoAnne: I'm sorry...I missed everything after 'cuff Jae Hee to the bed' because in MY head it was Hoon they cuffed. I'm not even making a joke. I thought you were saying they cuffed him to the bed and I was all set to make a joke about that and then I realized I WAS the joke.
bcook: Hehe. Eonni's dirty mind has finally tripped her up.
JoAnne: He disappoints me greatly, that ajusshi. Jang is the last person who should know this information.
bcook: Well you gotta keep the one who pays the bills happy. How did they know what older Park Hoon looks like? or is Hoon not a common name?
JoAnne: Right? And aren't they supposed to be thinking that he was executed with his father 20 years ago? Or are we just to assume that Creep Cha reported back to Jang that he killed the father but let the son live and then the son just happened to become a genius doctor with magic fingers?
The drug finally kicks in, and Hoon demands that Jae-hee be un-cuffed so that he can use the defibrillator to revive her. It doesn't seem to work, but we learn through flashback that the monitor isn't connected. Jang confirms that she's dead and is furious. Hoon tells him the deal for the equipment is probably off now, just as Doc Ponytail storms in to make a show of outrage. Cha follows him out, the nurses start to wheel away Jae-hee, and Hoon checks his watch, knowing that he has five minutes to revive Jae-hee before it's too late.
JoAnne: Doesn't it seem like they were very optimistic about the timeline? Five minutes is nothing!
bcook: This was well played. Very tense moments. I held my breathe. Remember Jo this is 5 minutes in kdramaland aka 15 minutes of film.
JoAnne: Oh yes, they measure time in football minutes.
JoAnne: He weighs 12lbs soaking wet with a full stomach. If they made him a genius fighter all of the viewers would die of laughter.
bcook: You can even see he's struggling to hold her up. I still don't understand why he doesn't let her and their non-existent chemistry die.
JoAnne: You and I are agreed that Kang Sora is the female lead, anyway.
JoAnne: Yes of course it's exciting. Even though we know it's not time (yet) for her to die.
bcook: He should have taken his shirt off because it was so steamy.
JoAnne: And also because he's added a bit of muscle in a particularly attractive way and so far this drama is SADLY LACKING in puppy pimping.
JoAnne: Oh, Creep Cha, relax. You'll get like, 900 million more chances to kill him.
where a car is waiting for him. He pulls away just as Cha comes running behind him, and it looks like he's going to make a clean getaway until he smashes into another car. Cha draws his gun, sure he's got him, but when he reaches the car it's empty, and Hoon has already stolen a motorcycle and is speeding away.
JoAnne: Oh that was actually clever.
bcook: But not enough time to actually execute. (details, schmetails)
He races Cha and his men through the streets of the city, wreaking havoc as they go, and soon finds himself playing chicken, with one car behind him and another rushing at him headlong. He swerves onto the sidewalk at the last moment, and Cha and his lackeys barely stop in time before hitting each other. Hoon pulls ahead, but soon Cha is catching up to him again. He zooms down some steps, and when he reaches the bottom, Cha's men are waiting. They're cornered, with the lackeys at the bottom of the stairs, and The Creep at the top.
JoAnne: She had kidney surgery a day or so ago and just woke up after having her heart stopped for five minutes. Ruminate on that, why dontcha, while we watch all the things she does beginning with this bike ride.
bcook: He does use a scarf to hold her to him and you do see her wince every once in a while so they did try...
JoAnne: Fine. Let's focus on the genius boy who knows his way around the city he's never been to before. Did he memorize Google Maps? Or do his magic fingers have the ability to sense directions, as well?
JoAnne: Kidney surgery. Jostling, bumpy stairs. No fainting. Hmm.
bcook: *wild clapping* The stunt people should get an award for this. Very bourne identity-ish
JoAnne: The pup has a rocket between his legs. Hmm. Noona is intrigued.
At the embassy, JangBastard confirms that no one knows Hoon is Park Cheol's son and wonders how much he knows.
JoAnne: Nothing. Park Cheol knows nothing, because he is dead. Very dead. Full of holes dead.
bcook: He must suspect something right? right? But yeah, I don't really get why JangBastard thought they were a threat. After all he's still the guy who came up with it right? So he still gets credit right?
JoAnne: Divas do not share one INCH of the stage.
JoAnne: I was really disappointed in her, here. Hoon is doing all that hard work of driving the motorcycle and injecting people with deadly drugs, and she can't even walk to the door?
Hoon tells the guard his name, and that he's requested asylum. As the guard sloooowly starts to unlock the gate, Hoon and Jae-hee turn to each other in relief, thinking themselves safe.
JoAnne: Of course, it's all an illusion! There's no safety anywhere.
bcook: Life Lesson: wait until you are inside the door before you breath a sigh of relief...actually even then it can be quite dangerous (several horror movies come to mind)
Flashback to 1994. Hoon's mother lies is tied up in the back of a van, still asking for her son, even as she fights to stay conscious. Lollipop Ajusshi watches silently.
JoAnne: I remember a certain midnight phone call and I do not mourn her one bit.
bcook: Agreed. Also given Lollipop Ajusshi's propensity to not do exactly what JangBastard says...I'd say she's still alive somewhere.
JoAnne: Oooh, good point. Care for a lollipop?
In the present again, JangBastard makes a call.
The guard is finally opening the gate when he's stopped by another man who hurries up to whisper something in his ear. The gate closes again, as Creep Cha and his men reach the embassy and come running. For some reason, Hoon opts to run with the sick girl instead of getting back on the bike. *throws hands up in defeat*
JoAnne: He has a good feel for the dramatic moment?
bcook: If they don't run then she can't die. I vote run.
JangBastard watches from upstairs, musing that if he wins this election, becoming president later will be a cinch. Until then he can't afford to have any weaknesses, but now someone who knows his fatal flaw has appeared. He gives Lollipop Ajusshi a thinly veiled order to take care of it and walk out. Ajusshi is about to follow after him, when he's stopped by the sight of his jar of lollipops and remembers little Hoon giving him that first one so many years ago.
JoAnne: Funny when you think of it, since most men are hardened by a little piece of sugary fluff...
JoAnne: Kidney surgery. Heart being stopped. Running across a RIVER.
But when he opens his eyes, Jae-hee has moved in front of him to take the bullet, and she slowly turns to face him before falling over the side of the bridge. He grabs her hand just in time and tells her it's okay (it's totally not okay, dude).
JoAnne: Well I guess the bullet in the shoulder will do her in if nothing else will. Those damned fatal shoulder shots.
bcook: Haha I was going to say...shots to the shoulder usually shouldn't be fatal. However!! There is a pretty important artery that runs through there so I guess if it becomes nicked it is possible. I guess. I'm just glad we don't have to watch her act Spoiler!!! (for a couple more episodes)
Cha's man points the gun at him again, though, and just when you think our hero is doomed, another shot rings out and the lackey goes down. It's Lollipop Ajusshi! From the roof of a building, he starts systematically taking out Cha's men, making them dive for cover. The Creep is able to get one shot in, though, and hits Hoon squarely in the shoulder.
JoAnne: How very matchy-matchy.
JoAnne: Damn bridge railings that hit you exactly at waist height, so that you fall over the side if you just climb up and then over them with the aid of a ladder and a shot of whiskey for bravery.
bcook: Technically she shouldn't have held on for that long coz given the way his shoulder was pressing into the bridge (numbness) and the shot (more numbness plus weakness from blood loss) She should have dropped about the time she smiles and asks him to remember her. It would have been 100x better. Also...that splash was pretty sudden. It made me giggle.
Hoon tries to jump after her, but that's when the police arrive and pull him back. Cha and his men scurry away, while Hoon cries out in anguish and struggles to break free.
JoAnne: Where the fuck were they? On a lunch break?
bcook: Traffic.
JoAnne: Where the fuck were they? On a lunch break?
bcook: Traffic.
In the ICU, Home Shopping Ajusshi (yay!) is working to revive the patient when Dr. Moon rushes in to take over. Jae-joon is already there, however, and calmly orders the patient back into the operating room. Moon realizes there's been a mistake and immediately turns on Home Shopping Ajusshi. Director OH JOON-GYU arrives and hands the patient over to Jae-joon with a nod.
JoAnne: Ok why are we here though.
JoAnne: Bed partners. Calling it.
bcook: And this is where it turns into medical tap team. But everybody has an agenda!! I've never watched a show where every single person (with speaking lines) has an agenda.
Moon arrives just before they start, ready to take care of his own patient, but Jae-joon coldly orders him out. Moon looks to Director Oh, who watches from above with the reporters and just smirks. Jae-joon begins the operation.
JoAnne: I don't like this guy. I wonder if that will change.
bcook: Eh. Hyung was cute the first time (Panda and Hedgehog) but now it's just eh. I'm happy to see Bo-ra in something! She's doing well so far.
JoAnne: Yep, didn't even realize she was an Idol. Puppy is delicious in motion, this is true. Those long, long legs. Sigh.
bcook: Did he go to prison for trying to sneak into North Korea? I just realized the prison question hasn't been answered yet.
JoAnne: Wait, those thighs almost distracted me. It's only been two years. He's had enough time to get from Hungary to Seoul, raise the money to open a clinic (with a partner, no less) operate the clinic, AND do something worth going to jail for? PLUS do spy/rescue stuff? And why does he NOW sound North Korean when he didn't before?
They argue about the futility of his efforts, but then Chang-yi says she's found another way and has already paid a ton of money to someone called Im Ajusshi to get her mom smuggled out. Hoon scoffs at her naiveté, until she says the ajusshi can get Jae-hee if Hoon brings the money. So she tells him to earn a lot and sends him off to deliver one of the water bottles from the back of her truck.
JoAnne: See, if Jae Hee would just STAY dead once somebody killed her then Kang Sora could be the lead, and Bora could be the second lead. She's clearly enjoying a one-sided love.
Becca: Here is where my real-world denseness carries over to drama land. I did not pick up on that until episode 6.
On his way, he spots a 500 won piece on the ground at the same moment as a little girl, but he reaches it first and covers it with his foot. Bickering ensues over who it belongs to, and to prove it's his, she asks him which side is facing up. Hoon says it's heads, but she confuses him by saying it's tails and snatches it away. When he grabs her hand to look again, he notices that her pinky finger is hurt and uses his X-ray vision to figure out that it's broken. He crafts a make-shift splint and tells he to go to the hospital, then demands 500 won for treating her. That's when her dad and Chang-yi arrive. As the girl is led away by dad, Hoon asks Chang-yi which side of a coin is heads and realizes he's been cheated.
JoAnne: Totally one hundred percent cute scene. Puppy with a sparky kitten.
JoAnne: Totally one hundred percent cute scene. Puppy with a sparky kitten.
They arrive back at the clinic and find it full of thugs. Like a good friend, Chang-yi promises to call him later and then ditches him. Hee. The sea of gangsters parts to reveal head underling Scarface. Hoon gets mad that they're here wasting his time, until Scarface points back to their boss lying on the table, and then he's all lightness again.
bcook: I guess when you've faced off against the North Korean army a bunch of goons don't intimidate you.
JoAnne: Plus they don't seem particularly threatening. And who is going to hurt the guy with magic fingers?
bcook: I guess when you've faced off against the North Korean army a bunch of goons don't intimidate you.
JoAnne: Plus they don't seem particularly threatening. And who is going to hurt the guy with magic fingers?
Enter Crazy Hoon, a total wacko, who has his own circus music and makes me giggle. He determines that Hyungnim has appendicitis and prepares to operate.
JoAnne: Do you think he's actually suffering from psychosis? multiple personality disorder? he's certainly faced enough stress in his young life for it to be understandable. Maybe all of this is in his head!
Lollipop Ajusshi arrives outside and sees the thugs waiting by the door. It should be noted that this is the first time we see him without his sunglasses.JoAnne: Do you think he's actually suffering from psychosis? multiple personality disorder? he's certainly faced enough stress in his young life for it to be understandable. Maybe all of this is in his head!
JoAnne: Subtle symbolism that only with Hoon can he be his own, unguarded self.
Inside, Hoon says he won't finish until he's paid and proceeds to milk every cent he can out of Scarface, adding an extra 100,000 won per stitch to the surgery fee, even asking for another 500 won to make up for the coin he got cheated out of earlier. With Hyungnim lying open on the table and Hoon pressing on the wound whenever Scarface puts up a face about payment, he's forced to pay up.
bcook: Haha. This was an awesome scene. And that gif is sweet! *claps*
JoAnne: 'I don't take cards.' hahahahahahah and yes, the gif is awesome.
JoAnne: I would be terrible as one of those people. I would never be able to turn anyone away for lack of money. I would be like this: I will bring all the people! Do not cry! And I would starve and die, bankrupt and alone.
He suddenly bends over, clutching his chest. He takes some medicine and asks about Park Hoon. Lollipop Ajusshi tells him he's been released and is already "on the move." JangBastard marvels that after everything, he needs that guy's help, though he knows it won't come easily. Lollipop Ajusshi hands him a flashdrive.
JoAnne: So the man whose ENTIRE CAREER can be shot to shit by one person has known where that one person is and has done nothing for several years, even though he has demonstrated a comfort level with ordering death in the past?
Hoon arrives back at Im Ajusshi's shop, having exchanged the money he has for dollar bills as he was told. It's not enough, but Ajusshi decides to accept his promise to bring more and leads him down into his creepy basement. There, he plugs a flashdrive (which is identical to Jang's) into his computer.
JoAnne: I was unreasonably excited by that bookcase that pushes back down the long hallway instead of sliding into the wall or something.
Becca: So. Cool. I want one.
At two different computer screens, JangBastard and Hoon watch a video of Jae-hee in a North Korean prison. She reaches toward the camera, calling Hoon's name, and tears spill down his cheeks.
JoAnne: They must make it hard for him reason through the situation. How likely is it that they allowed this prisoner access to Skype, after all? And who snuck the computer in to her and explained she could 'meet' with Hoon? Alternatively, it's video-not live, in which case...again, how likely is it that they allow prisoners access to laptops with cameras? Or are they expecting us to believe someone actually filmed her? Maybe in North Korea street-view Google is REALLY advanced.
Comments
So I think at this point we can all agree that Hoon's love for Jae-hee is definitely on the obsessive side. He's lost her twice now and never given up on her, and while that could be sweet, there's also the part where he does horrible and crazy things for her. It makes me worry what will happen to him if he ever loses her for good, or if she stops loving him.
bcook: I can't feel for them as a couple because there is just no chemistry! So he might as well be obsessing about a new pair of sneakers for all I care. That's bad.
JoAnne: You two are made of stone.
Becca: I would like to point out (not for the first time), that I am actually one of the few people who likes Jae-hee.
On another note, we're done with the time-skips now, right? We've already had three skips in two episodes, and I feel like we missed some interesting stuff in the lost years. So if the drama starts dragging later, they've done this to themselves, and I will be the first to complain. And maybe throw things because I really want to know about those years, and if I find that they were skipped in favor of boring hospital politics, I will be one unhappy camper.
bcook: *Hands Becca a box of tissues* I've watched ahead, you're going to need this.
JoAnne: Sadness abounds, and not just for our long-thigh'd hero.
The end of the backstory and move to Seoul almost work as a reset for the audience, as we're forced to acquaint ourselves with a new setting, new characters, and, as much as anything, who Hoon has become since we saw him last. Because if the time skips have taught me anything, it's that Hoon is a man who constantly changes and adapts to the world around him. The drama may be crazy and imperfect, but at least its hero is complex and interesting, and now that we appear to be done leaping through time I can't wait to spend some time getting to know Hoon in all his awesome and weird glory.
bcook: Agreed. Hoon is the best part about this drama so far. I am liking the fact that there's a little bit of everything in this show and I'm very surprised that it works. So-ra and Park Hae-jin are doing a good job. I kind of care about them. I just wish the dead 'soulmate' would stay dead.
JoAnne: I don't like the use of things like trick camera moves (as seen below) to amp up the comic aspect of the more light-hearted scenes. It feels cheap and sit-com-y but the drama is more melodramatic than that so it's just awkward. Things like the recurring joke of Moon getting his nose smashed by doors are funny enough on their own if played straight, and more in keeping with the overall tone of the story. Nothing is ALWAYS a tragedy, there's often humor in even the most grim of lives. The editing and time-skips really highlight weaknesses in the story AS TOLD - because the things we wonder about now probably wouldn't even come up if the scenes in the present were handled differently. All that not withstanding, I like the idea of the thing and I definitely want to continue watching.