Jang Bori Is Here! - Episode 19 (KimJiCap)

Oh, I really liked this episode! Full of fun and craziness! I love them all! Apart from the ones I hate, but those, I love to hate! Also, I think I must apologize (or maybe not). I went absolutely Kim Ji-hoon crazy in this recap, there's no end to pics and gifs. I don't know what has come over me. Okay, yes, I know. This came over me. OMFGIMAMARRIEDWOMANGOAWAY!

JoAnne: I can admit it - this show is growing on me. I mean, there was definitely funny stuff along the way so far, especially when it comes to The Seriousness of Sewing, but I'm  uh...actually getting a little emotionally invested, now.

(I'm glad, JoAnne)

Episode 19

Hanbokkers meet Bori! Bori meet your parents! (Oups. That's a secret). They're quite surprised that she is the person GooDIL sent, but BaDIL (immediately switching to mustgetridofthis-mode) tells her she cannot be a student at Bi Sool Chae, since she, the bossboss, doesn't approve. But here comes Matron and says Bori is HER guest. The two bosses fight - but this time, Matron wins ... kinda. Bori needs to pass a test if she wants to be a student, one that BaDIL defines. Uh-oh.

JoAnne: I love how all of this is going to come back and bite BaDIL in the butt.  And I ESPECIALLY love how Bori has learned that a backbone isn't conveyed by decibel levels that cause ear drums to bleed.

And here comes Min-jung! She looks a bit like a Barbie (I heard that happens if you stay in the States for too long). (Oh yeah, we all look like Barbie Dolls over here. And our men like Ken, which is why we like the pretty Korean boys. At least they're anatomically correct.) She calls Jae-hee. Poooooor Jae-hee - he is so excited to hear her voice and he even wants a new tie because the one he is wearing seems too dull to him. AppaNotOppa is right next to him. They agree to meet over dinner, including AppaNotOppa. Oh yes.

JoAnne: Mean squees, commence!

Hanbok Test for Bori! Ha, I looooooove the competitions in this show. Bori needs to find out which of two identical dresses on identical twins won top marks - and which one failed. Bori takes a close look at the identical garments, then asks a few questions (she guesses the different personalities of the twins right immediately, showing surprising yin-yang knowledge). She then says that the slightly older twin has a personality that fits her clothes really well - whereas the second has not. But that is not to say that the second failed: the yellow looks pretty on her, too. (Well how could it NOT? They're twins.) Oh, interesting! Bori has noticed something (me too ... the unni always whispers to the dongsaeng before they say something) and that's why she says it is obvious that the younger, who should rather be wearing blue considering her body type, chose the yellow because she has to. Matron doesn't approve and BaDIL gloats. FAIL!  

JoAnne: I liked the way that you could tell that Bori knew something and decided to go a different route. This one uses body language well.

BaDIL says she is way below Bi Sool Chae standards and all the students here will riot if Matron takes her in anyway. Bori says not to worry because of her, she couldn't pass, so she'll leave. Bai. She exits in a rush, forgetting a bag of something. The twins runs after her though, to hand that bag of something over to Bori - and she asks the younger one whether she is not hearing well? She noticed how her sister "made her mouth really big" when she talked to her.So she must be wearing yellow so that cars could see her at night, right? The much better color, says Bori, is orange though.

The twins are shocked: She hasn't said anything to BaDIL, they hope? They're afraid they'd be kicked out if she knew. Of course Bori hasn't said anything - even though that meant she wouldn't be accepted. Such a saint ... Hearing it all: BaDIL. And Matron! dun-dun, bravo unmyeong! After that, the decision is clear: Bori is in.

JoAnne: Why would they kick her out? Must one also be able to HEAR The Heart of Hanbok, in order to sew?

Joining the party right away: Dumb Wife (who is growing on me a little bit)! Let the sewing lessons begin! Of course, Bori and Matron are one heart, one soul right away and Dumb Wife - who flourishes in her sunbae role - is jealous at that - but hey, she managed to finish a skirt - in five years! Only ... that skirt is totally flawed. Start over! To save the mood, Bori hands the older women some rice cakes that she made - and everybody starts laughing happily.

JoAnne: Somehow I sense that Dumb Wife is going to become fond of Bori in a sort of exasperated way. LOVE the face palm from the Matron.

Ah, finally! A sighting of Jae-hwa, the Sneaker-wearing Prosecutor. Yes, he still IS a prosecutor - he has not yet infiltrated his father's company. And he is a very unhappy Prosecutor because his boss here in Seoul is only giving him shit cases. Robbery and assault, boring stuff, apparently. Oups, it seems Jae-hwa's boss gets visits from Jae-hee often (because they're ... what?! high-school buddies?! Jae-hee is about half the age of this white-haired man!). That's not nice of you, Jae-hee ... or do you want your brother to quit and come work with you? I doubt that.

JoAnne: I was too shocked by the appearance of Bill Clinton to notice much of anything else about this scene.

Yikes! Min-jung is home! (Her hair is so TERRIBLE) While our sewing-crew is still happily giggling and munching rice cakes, the vixen returns and is happily greeted by BaDIL, who ordered Min-jung back to counter the GooDIL-threat in the form of Bori. She hears who the new apprentice is and her brain goes into "kill" mode right away. She also thinks to herself she is no longer the naive Min-jung she once was. Excuse me?
JoAnne: She clearly doesn't know what that word means.

Jae-hwa meets his father at the office (I wasn't entirely sure before, but I like his new hair cut. Particularly that his hair is black!), instead of his brother that he came to see  (to tell him to stop meddling in his prosecutor affairs, I'm sure - but anyway, brother is out, getting ready for his date I guess). His father casually mentions that the Do Bori girl is at Bi Sool Chae. Oh my ... see him run!!!!
JoAnne: Awww, 5 years and he is SO HAPPY.

 ... and see him take his father's black big NEW car because he left his somewhere. Oups. Is that a good idea?

Oh dear, now it's time for the necessary Bori-Min-jung confrontation! Gorgeous hanbok there, Min-jung, you black-hearted witch, I wonder whose life you've made miserable in the US? Bori is shocked to hear that her sister has come back - but tells herself not to be intimidated, since she has done nothing wrong. You go, gurl! She also quite clearly tells BaDIL that she will not be cowed (BaDIL thinks she'll quit on her own, because things will get really hard for her). Bravo Bori! Keep it up! When they're alone, Min-jung demands to know where her mother is, but Bori refuses to tell her. Hasn't she said she has no mother, no sister, is in fact an orphan? Bori will stay as a student at Bi Sool Chae: unless Min-jung tells them the truth about her family. I cheer. So good to see Bori sticking up for herself!

JoAnne: I like this Bori a WHOLE lot more. The day she shoves MinJungs face into a vat of boiling dye will be a very happy day for me.

 

Waiting for her outside Bi Sool Chae - Jae-hwa. He is very surprised she looks so young (and good?) without her perm. And wonders whether she got married. Awww, boy... You are one loyal little fool. No other women in the meantime? When she turns around, he ducks down ... asking himself why he just did that. I don't know, Jae-hwa. Are you afraid of her?! He decides to follow her because she'll lie about his aunt again anyway if he asks her nicely. 
JoAnne: Oh, yeah, mmmhmmm, it's your aunt you came rushing over here for.

She realizes that someone is following her and starts to run. But Jae-hwa only enjoys it even more that way (such a boy!) and tails her through the city. When she gets off a bus, she notices the car is still there. She walks a bit as if nothing were wrong, but as soon as she can, she runs into a side street (thinking they're after her teacher. Which is totally true, in fact). Jae-hwa accelerates the car and ... boom! Hits another car. Oh shit.
JoAnne: Well we knew that would happen the minute we were told the car was brand new, didn't we?

Jae-hwa freaks out. His father will kill him!! I told you it wasn't a good idea!!! Ahahaha, look who's in the other car ... Big Kang's Gangster Bros! Jae-hwa drove into a one-way road ...
JoAnne: Apparently a gangster's base income comes from faking neck injuries in car accidents. It happens in every show I ever see gangsters in.
kakashi: Brilliant idea!!!! I'll start that business too. 

To avoid the police, he gives them his name card after apologizing profusely and identifies himself as a prosecutor. They're duly impressed (I wonder why, haha) and think he's kinda threatening them, but then, Bori comes running, screaming insults, jumps, and kicks him down. She continues insulting him as a disgrace, evil womanizer, etc. The gangsters are very much on her side as Jae-hwa loses all respect as a prosecutor. I'm laughing my butt off.
JoAnne: Please tell me that in future, Bi Dan leads all of these men around like a tiny tyrant. Please.

She's like: yeah, she'll be a witness - the gangsters can call her anytime, even late at night. Jae-hwa starts to explain why she is much worse than him, first being single and hanging out with him and then suddenly turning out to be a mother and all, but everybody just goes "so what?". Jae-hwa, you lose. The gangsters ask for a very large sum as compensation (or else: police), Jae-hwa is shocked to be scammed, but Bori is all "wanna call the police then"? She'll tell them what happened: it's all Jae-hwa's fault AND he tried to threaten these nice gentlemen. She walks off and pokes her tongue out at Jae-hwa.
JoAnne: Oh, Jae-Hwa...you do not have a chance.

Jae-hwa doesn't have that kind of money (since he has to give it all to his little sis, I guess) and runs to a bank to get a loan. It's closed. He is too ashamed to borrow money from his brother, but then, he has an idea.

JoAnne: It won't be a good one.

He goes to a different, much less official looking place to get some money and .... oh dear. It's theirs!!! The Kang gangsters!! They ask for exorbitant interest and he runs out again, outraged. Brilliant use of the gangsters, haha.
JoAnne: I like those guys. Plus they remind me of the gangsters from WAML, who I miss.

Jae-hwa's father is now looking for him (or his car, more like?) and finally gets a hold of him on the phone. Jae-hwa is currently doing some PPL at a pizza place. He says there was something wrong with the car and he gave it back to do some maintenance (but daddy needs to pay). Suuuuuure. His father tells him he prevented him from getting any loan, so don't even try, cutie (no idea how you'd do that, but hey, whatever). Jae-hwa is quite at the end of his wits, but there's still his lovely aunt! Oh wait ... is the pizza place hers?! Ahahaha, yes, it is! The chef quit, nobody ever comes for an interview and there's certainly no money for Jae-hwa ... but it's pretty clear WHO will get that job at that place!! Yay, I'm so excited.

JoAnne: ANTICIPATORY SQUEE!

Jae-hwa is out of ideas. Insurance won't work (because of his father), telling on the gangsters won't work (because of Bori as "witness"). And it's all because of her! Kim Ji-hoon writhing on a bed is unhealthy for me, btw.

JoAnne: Too temper tantrum-y to be sexy for me, especially with the toys on the shelves behind him. But he is pretty, and there are definitely times when I think he's sexy.

kakashi: I'm just glad you're not grabby-handing him. 

Alright, the only thing he can do, he thinks, is convincing that ahjumma NOT to step forward as a witness and tell the police that he threatened the gangster. So he calls her. Did he get her number from the gangsters? Bi-dan picks up, it's already very late at night, or rather ... very early! 5 am. Bi-dan is half asleep still and doesn't understand who this ahjussi is, but then Bori wakes up and takes over the phone. When he says he wants to meet, she says it's way too early, call again later and hangs up on him.

Later, they do meet. She's like: you have nobody else to go to?? He just wants her to talk to the gangsters again, most importantly: he wants her to restore his good image as a prosecutor so that they don't scam him. She says she didn't make anything up about him: he did all kinds of things with Young-sook and then ran away. He did WHAT? is his answer - and I'm not sure it's because she talks that funny that he doesn't understand her or whether that's outrage over the fact that all he ever did with Young-sook was doing weird senseu-dances. (I thought it was outrage.) She says she has to go, she's busy and he ...

... boob grabs her!!!! She calls him all kinds of names and all his assurances that it was a mistake fall on deaf ears. She thinks he is the lowest of the low and storms out. Aw, come on, Bori. I mean ... it's normal between boys and girls. Alright, maybe not in cafés.

JoAnne: I notice he doesn't move his hands off very quickly...been a long five years, Jae Hwa?

kakashi: Here's a thought ...might our playboy just be a charmer without ever following through? 

When Bori returns to Bi Sool Chae, she suddenly has visions of her former self again, running around happily (no headaches this time). And she also realizes that she drew a picture of this place when she was little. She follows a ghost version of herself to her old room (now Min-jung's) - where she finds the picture that Min-jung (the little version) won a prize for way back in the day, when she took Eun-bi/Bori's place at the Bi Sool Chae Art Competition (and copied her picture!). Min-jung enters behind her. Bori turns around and asks her whether she used this (=her) picture to steal her way into Bi Sool Chae?

JoAnne: So close! So close!

The Rest

Cuteness overload with Bi-dan and Big Kang! Of course her calling him Appa will cause much heart-ache later, don't you think? Big Kang is looking for a job, Bi-dan is bored ... and one thing leads to another. The another being ... an ex-Gangster who bakes! 

JoAnne: I wonder if he's a dad in real life. He's really good with the kid. Very natural. I love Big Kang the most, actually. I cannot WAIT for him and Auntie to get back together.

Ah, this is perfect ... his gangster buddies still haven't given up and call him (the "Brown Bear"), but he really wants nothing to do with them anymore. But ... hyungnim! They're lost without you! By the way, he also does pizzas really well. Hint, hint.
JoAnne: Every time I think about it I squee.

Less cute: Min-jung and Jae-hee. For the moment, they both don't think that there can be anything between them (he thinks he has too little time, she misreads him and thinks he's not interested). And then, Min-jung sees AppaNotOppa outside the restaurant and freaks out. AnO hasn't seen her yet. I want this woman to SUFFER so much. There's hope for Jae-hee then? No alliance with this little minx?

JoAnne: My sincere wish is that AnO immediately blows her cover and is believed without question. I know it won't go that way, though.

Awww, poor Ga-eul. She is told she can forget singing. Be a background dancer or nothing. She grits her teeth and swears she'll never give up. I'm not at all interested in her storyline, but when she isn't loud and obnoxious, she's more bearable. 

JoAnne: She's very cute when her mouth is shut. That was her real group there.

Importantly: Veggie Ahjumma starts work at the Lee house as a cook (and maid). This could be good. And I tell you: by the end of this, Dumb Wife will be a decent human being!
JoAnne: I think you're right. And since the Dad is actually a decent human being, just kind of a pompous ass, I figured that he must have seen that in her, too.

Comments

Ratings are rising and so is my interest. This episode did a very good job in picking up all the different storylines and preparing the way for them to merge. Everybody is back in Seoul, everybody is close and is getting closer. 

JoAnne: This was quite neatly done, I agree. The show is crazy, but it's got a solid underpinning, and I feel like they know where they are going with this.

so CUUUUUUUUUTE!

Bori and Jae-hwa: I like that Bori knows what she wants and is no longer just a doormat for her evil sister. I like this very much, in fact. She has developed some healthy sass! Finally, I can connect with her, at least in some points, because I cannot understand why she isn't all over Jae-hwa!!! Alright, I do understand: He is a sweet boy, but only sometimes - it's quite hard to see his real persona under all the (defensive) silliness. And I guess she hasn't really gotten to see his good heart yet - or at least, only glimpses of it, when he stood up for her.
JoAnne: She's a woman supporting a family and she doesn't have time for a silly playboy, no matter how good his heart is.

We know that Jae-hwa was really smitten with her back in Jangheung and we know he thought about her a lot ever since (if not all the time), but we know hardly anything about her feelings towards him. The only indication that she wasn't fully indifferent was when he turned away from her (at the apartment) and then again when he drove away in that car. That she thinks Jae-hwa is just "Scraps" (or at least tells herself that over and over) is somewhat understandable, too, especially since that judgment is based on his treatment of Young-sook. I don't think they even kissed, in fact: for Jae-hwa, it was just fun companionship. But to Bori, it looks as if he simply abandoned her best friend after using her for all kinds of things. (And then there's that.)

The big issue for this couple is Bori's kid (she's a winner!!!) and of course, Bori herself. I also wonder how they will use the car-storyline in the future ... have Jae-hwa work at the pizza place maybe? All sweaty, floury, and without a shirt?! If the drama wanted to make him penniless, the Ga-eul storyline makes much more sense.
JoAnne: That was an awfully long build up to a tiny little thing, though. Although if he ends up working at the pizza place it could be awesome.

Min-jung and AppaNotOppa: Oh pleeeeaaase, drama, please make this bloody and awesome! Min-jung is such a bad person, I don't want any redemption - I want her slaughtered.
JoAnne: I want Bi Dan to look her in the eye and say 'I choose Bori Eomma.' Oh, I just realized...at some point there will be an AppaNotOppa/Bi Dan introduction. I'm going to cry. Because you know he's going to cry.

Min-jung and Jae-hee: Jae-hee isn't well written at all. I still don't understand why he got so nasty and I don't fully understand what drives him. He hates his father? Why exactly? He doesn't mistreat his mother and he gave him every opportunity possible to do something good with his life. What is it, then? And why would he hate Jae-hwa like that? Jae-hwa might be taunting his dongsaeng, but he certainly isn't outright mean - Jae-hee on the other hand clearly sabotages his brother. I wish for more character development or at least something to make this character interesting. That said, I don't want him with Min-jung. Maybe he can learn how to be a better person through her though? I mean: by being used and broken by her?
JoAnne: I agree with you 100%. That little kid had the promise of being a real sweetheart and this switch, which is too drastic to be fully explained by that initial parting of the ways or even any of the petty squabbles that would have ensued thru the years... it's just bad writing.

Jung-ran and Big Kang: Oh YES please. Go and work as a pizzaiolo already. I'm sure it will not be easy to "win" back her heart (though I doubt he ever lost it), but he will have to suffer a bit, that much is clear, as will she.
JoAnne: Favorite OTP at the moment, gotta say.

Ga-eul and Little Kang: I'm the least interested in these two and I also don't see where they could be going - but I'm sure they'll soon meet again too.
JoAnne: I would really love to see prematurely old and serious Little Kang be softened by the playfulness in Ga Eul and I PRAY for his maturity to rub off on her. I really want this couple to work.

And finally ... Kim Ji-hoon is awesome! And more than that! 
JoAnne: I need him to stop being a boy.
kakashi: And I'm just glad you're not grabby-handing him. Hehe, I said that before.