Jang Bori Is Here! - Episode 38 (KimJiCap)

This is the episode in which almost everybody cries (including me). Also, things get uglier on all fronts, only Kim Ji-hoon stays equally beautiful throughout. Hahaha, how cheesy.  
JoAnne: Now that we are stalking multiple 'Bori' actors on Twitter and Instagram (such is our obsession at this point) it's easy to see how much FUN these people are having with this show.  It's even slightly possible that they are having more fun doing it than we are watching it, even.
Episode 38

Father and daughter hug it out, I cry, they cry with me. Or maybe the other way round? It's a bit blurry here ... He is so sorry for not recognizing her earlier (remember the "Bori is terrible" episodes?) and she is sorry for not growing up so that they could easily recognize her (Can she get over her feelings of inferiority quickly, please? I hate that). (Really! I hate it when people apologize for things that were done wrong TO THEM. Ugh.) More tears of remorse and joy from the Matron later. And it's decided Eun-bi will move into Bi Sool Chae, into her old room - but not right now, cause ... Veggie. Good ol' veggie. Her feelings cannot be hurt, says Bori. That gives you time to go get a shaman, to exorcise Min-jung's lingering present out of the house, Hanbokers!
JoAnne: I'm channeling that musical, South Pacific. Imagine me singing: "I'm gonna stitch that bitch right outta my hair! Gonna stitch that bitch right outta my hair!"
BaDIL is beside herself when she sees Veggie with her Eun-bi in a photo. Veggie lied! She knew all this time! Min-jung tries to make her believe it's a fabricated picture, but BaDIL isn't stupid, just evil - she doesn't believe her! And she also guesses that maybe, Min-jung knew Eun-bi too? Oh, but don't attack the wild beast - here comes the counterattack! Min-jung says "have you forgotten that you killed Eun-bi's uncle?" Uh-oh. She can go find her daughter, but that just means her immediate downfall. Uh-oh, uh-oh. Goooooood. What a dilemma! And maybe BaDIL's chance for redemption? Chose her daughter over her damnation?
JoAnne: See what happens when you feed vermin, BaDIL?
Moony keeps throwing stones into Min-jung's path and she swears to kill him (several times). First she just calls him though and asks for a meeting: she wants her wedding rings back. Jae-hwa overhears her talking on the phone. He is really far away though --- which probably means he hears every single word? Cause when they're standing right next to the person, they usually don't hear anything. Oh yes, he heard it all - and when he next sees Moony, he tells him to come see him in private.
JoAnne: I just.... I can't even... what kind of glue is this woman SNIFFING? 'I know that you know I hate you and would do anything to destroy you, but trust me, the police station just happens to be a convenient location for us to meet when you return the items you stole from me in your efforts to destroy my life. Don't read anything into it, no sir.'
Veggie is busy packing, but then, oh shock! she hears BaDIL's voice outside. BaDIL shouts at Bi-dan and then girl-handles her - the little girl tries to prevent the woman from entering the house - until Veggie comes running out. The two women briefly stare at each other before BaDIL slaps Veggie. Hard. And then, the other cheek. She calls her a thief that stole her daughter: where is she?! Veggie denies knowing anything about any Eun-bi, again and again. Bi-dan runs out and gets GooDIL from the nearby store - when she comes into the yard, the two women are screaming and shaking each other.
JoAnne: Okay, first of all. You do NOT touch Bi Dan, you fucking bitch. Second of all: you might be a bitch but damn, Veggie deserved that. Side note: ahjummas actin' their asses off, huh?
Yeah. T'was good.
When she sees GooDIL, BaDIL voices her suspicion that GooDIL is in fact the one who hid Eun-bi all these years. I might be feeling a bit sorry for this terrible woman as she wails for her daughter and says her mother is here. Yes, I do feel sorry ... because when GooDIL says "Your Eun-bi is Bori", BaDIL starts screaming that this is not possible, a person so crass and low cannot be her daughter, and Bori comes in. To hear this. And this evil person that gave birth to her actually REJECTS her.
JoAnne: Dead to me. I cast her out from my Bori Clan, and any who speak her name shall be as one forgotten in my sight.
Alright show, I'm curious to see how you fix this one.
JoAnne: I suggest a Truck of Doom. Followed by another Truck of Doom. Capped off by a herd of stampeding buffalo. And then a life time of having only Min Jung for company.

Inside, Bori furiously unpacks everything from the bag, noticing that Bi-dan's clothes are there too. Veggie confirms: they're leaving. Isn't Bori leaving them too? Little Bi-dan, awwww *sobs* .... little Bi-dan tells her mother it's alright, isn't it better for her if she leaves with Granny? She'll forget her, 10, 100, maybe 1000 nights will do it. Good for Bori that she even HITS her child for saying something like this. But has she understood???!
JoAnne: Ok the bug eyes, not so much. But the emotion? And Bi DAN? Every time she tells someone she'll leave so her mother can have a good life, I send my daughter IPhone kisses. It KILLS me.
Moony meets Min-jung in front of the police station. Hm. Why there? She asks for the rings ... and when he kinda hints at having them, she calls two officers over to search him for stolen rings. But there are no rings. But ... there's Jae-hee! Min-jung, wanna do some confession? She says Moony stole their rings and that's why she had him come to the police station, but the ring? Moony doesn't have it. Jae-hee has! This scene was brought to you by ... Jae-hwa! Who orchestrated it all, well-knowing Min-jung's evil intentions.
JoAnne: So if I was a policeman and a woman said 'I have a man coming to meet me here because he stole my rings so when he GETS here, search him and arrest him.' I would laugh at that woman because who would be so stupid? But then I remember how often the paper tells me that some idiot got arrested for arriving at a jail to bail some other idiot, in fact arrives while obviously high, and then having the police find drugs ON THEIR PERSON. I weep for humanity.
They leave Jae-hee and the Hell Spawn alone, to "talk things out", and Jae-hee shows signs of some intelligence, but she has him back in her lap about 30 seconds later. I'm going back to that theory of mine: brain matter was leaking off that weird hair when he was a kid.
JoAnne: There is a tiny part of me that thinks he's not as fooled as she thinks he is, and that those tears are sadness, yes, but sadness in recognition of what a warped bitch the woman he loves has turned out to be.
Jae-hwa and Moony seem to be buddies now, which is good! Will you both come to my and Zo In-sung's wedding? Bi-dan, Bori and the two men go and get ice together - Bi-dan takes Moony's hand to give her parents some time for each other. Wait ... does Jae-hwa know Moony is Bi-dan's biological dad?! I don't think so! (no) Anyway, he tells her about Min-jung's plan to get Moony to jail and how he, the cool ex-prosecutor, thwarted that. He also suggests they go "somewhere else" and "get ready for their marriage", but she doesn't appreciate it. Oh my, he is so silly and cute, she can't stop herself from smiling, even though she's so sad.
JoAnne: The whole time I was watching this episode I was telling myself that you must have been happy with all the cute Jae Hwa stuff.  It was pretty darn cute, that stuff. And he is one horny little devil.
By the way ... when will you tell him who you really are?! Just a tip. Telling your partner essential things about you is most often a very good idea.
JoAnne: Because he's definitely one of the 'Yay Bori is Eun Bi' campers.
Jae-hwa goes to see Veggie at the PPL toast place (looooots of PPL in this episode!) and asks her to please prepare lunch for him at home - he has a all-inclusive family meeting in mind. A sneak-attack one, cause Bori cannot know in advance. Uh-oh. She is all dressed up in her not-teacher outfit and is surprised to be taken to someone else's house. But it's the house they will live in, says Jae-hwa. Him, her, and the cutie pie girl. This is what I love about him: His absolute steadfastness. So beautifully stubborn. And I like his blue suit, too.
JoAnne: I like his permanent bed-hair.
He takes them by the hand, takes a deep breath and ... Min-jung arrives. GOAWAYYOUTROLL! She wants to discourage Bori by saying how much everybody hates her in there, but this has the exact opposite effect! Bori quasi RUNS in after hearing this, saying she now really, really wants to see this great house that Min-jung doesn't want her to be at. SO GOOD!
JoAnne: I 100% approve of this new snark-fortified Bori.
Inside, the atmosphere is frosty-mean. Veggie starts ranting at Jae-hwa-Scraps for subjecting her daughter and granddaughter to mean talk and tells him to go somewhere far away if he needs to get married that desperately. It's a good idea, by the way, Jae-hwa! Veggie is a tiny bit awesome, too. (Except that she's looking at MIN JUNG when she defends 'her daughter.') Ga-eul on the other hand ... what a stupid brat. She also insults Bori without ANY reason, the good-for-nothing. She could really be written OUT of this drama, since she has nothing to contribute at all.
JoAnne: I tend to agree, but then eventually we'll have Little Kang pretending to kiss someone with his own arms rubbing his own back, and I am not willing to discuss removing Little Kang from this drama.
And then, Bori is entirely awesome when she says she didn't know she needed a graduation certificate to love Jae-hwa. (I don't know about you but I BUSTED out laughing.) And Jae-hwa, ahhhhhhh, when he's awesome, he is awesome! says now it's his time to speak. Even if everybody opposes, he is going to marry Bori. And Bi-dan is his daughter. The end.
JoAnne: That's an oppa for ya!  
Well, not quite, because Bad Dad (not so bad lately, right?) says he needs to talk to Bori. Veggie and Bi-dan are told to please leave. Which is a terrible idea, because outside, Min-jung catches up with them and tells Veggie to leave for the airport right away.
JoAnne: MinfuckingJUNG. I can't wait to see what happens to her at the end of this.

Inside, Bad Dad quizzes Bori: does she love Jae-hwa? She does. Does she want to marry him? If she can, she would like to. What about her kid? Not without her daughter. She'd rather be eternally sad over losing this wonderful man than being apart from her kid. "I will not abandon my child to better my life", she says - and that's the key to her personality really, isn't it? Bad Dad is duly impressed - but it's still a no. She cannot have his son.
JoAnne: There's a moment where I sort of get where he's coming from, as a parent. But then I think why is Min Jung 'the orphan' any better of a match? What does she have that Bori couldn't be taught?
So how is Min-jung okay but not her? (hahahaha) Bori wants to know - they're both orphans, raised by Veggie. But she will find her real parents soon, says Jae-hwa - he heard from his aunt. Someone TELL THIS MAN what's going on, seriously! Min-jung does her usual pity-act ("Bori and Jae-hwa were sooooo meeeeaaan to me") and Bad Dad stays firm: no marriage between Bori and his son.
JoAnne: That she is going to pretend that Bori is trying to steal HER life is so enraging to me that I cannot even really speak of it.
Fine, says gutsy Bori: she can accept it if people don't like her. But, she adds - half the things that come out of Min-jung's mouth are a lie. Do not trust her. Jae-hwa says they now know everything - from now on, he will not ask for permission. You stubborn little ex-prosecutor you. I love you.
JoAnne: If he had a mic, he would have dropped it and said 'I'm outtie.' Jae Hwa, you are awesome. I love you, too.
Back in front of GooDIL's store, he takes both her hands in his and says it would be wonderful if they could get married with both their parents' permission, but scratch this - he only needs her. No giving up on each other, alright? She asks whether he will love her if she's not Bori too? Ah, but if she's not BoriBori, that's a problem, is his joking reply. TELL HIM ALREADY! She takes both his hands in hers this time and says "I L-O-V you too". And runs away .... totally embarrassed. He shouts after her that he will love her whatever Bori she is.
JoAnne: Seriously why is she not telling him? If she didn't want to make a big announcement yet or ever, okay, but at least tell the man you love, girlfriend.
At home, the very bad surprise: her mother and Bi-dan are not there. Haha, here comes the race to the airport we've been waiting for.
JoAnne: Is it next weekend yet, huh, is it, is it? Not that I would ever marathon an 50-episode show but damn... can you imagine marathoning this? We at least have a week to calm down between episodes and get our collective shit together. But if this was all happening bam-bam-bam right after each other, my heart could not take it!

The Rest

Big Kang appears in the Lee House as his own halmoni - is this a dream? Or did he dress up like this? Haha, so weird. He throws three peaches into Jung-ran's lap. Hmmm ....Ha! yes! A dream! Oh, and peaches mean pregnancy? We know that. But three?!
JoAnne: Either it's triplets, or a sly reference to the...mmm...abundance of his manliness.
Not much later, Jung-ran's pregnancy is announced to the family, which results in hitting - and PPL kimchi pizza eating later. (I have never been less interested in a pizza. Ick. Also, it just dawned on me that her shop is probably a real franchise. hahahahaha, I never even registered her entire job as PPL.) This is also when Bi-dan holds up signs for her future granddad to read, praising her mother as a great woman he should accept. Granddad thinks she's cute, but still isn't on board about the wedding. Moony vows to do anything in his power to make the wedding happen. My money is on him!
JoAnne: Make it so, you awesome Moony man you!

Comments

First of all, I was somewhat surprised about the "meet the parents"-scene. I didn't expect such a flat-out refusal ... though it's totally consistent with the story. Why does Bori not say who she really is?! Only the Dramagods know the answer to this one, but I guess the rejection and Jae-hwa's steadfastness show us what a loyal and awesome person he is. Go make those babies already!
JoAnne: Kakashi's motion is seconded and passed. Go forth and procreate!

The OTP relationship is probably one of my bigger issues with this drama though. I get that he and his seemingly unending supply of optimism is the medicine she needs. As is his support - his love that comes without any caveats. But what about him? He may smile and joke, but his life is no joke. He has BIG issues and at one point in his life (Soon?) he will need somebody that helps him get over them. That they're relationship stays almost entirely platonic is a prime-time weekend thing, of course, but it is getting a bit annoying. Whenever he wants to get close to her physically, she pushes him away physically. Sure, she is thawing ... but I want to see some intimacy. More than we got with those few kisses.
JoAnne: I would almost rather see them just not put situations where intimacy could be expected at ALL and totally ignore the issue, rather than have drama after drama deal with it in such an unrealistic way. But of course my first choice would be lots of really great kissing, yes. And yes, I would appreciate some time with Jae Hwa where he is not simply the curtain rod for the window dressing of Bori's life.

That said, Bori has really changed ... remember that wild-haired, bug-eyed thing so many episodes ago? A total pushover. Now? Just awesome. She has a heart of gold, but not when she deals with Min-jung. Then, she's ice-cold. This is probably not going to end with a biblical forgiveness scene. In the 12 episodes that we have left, she will find her spot in life, the one she deserves. It is very, very satisfactory.
JoAnne: I'm here heaving enormously satisfying anticipatory sighs of joy, yes! And I kiss you kiss you kiss you once again for being the reason I'm here, because you know there was no way in hell I was ever watching this without the recap as a reason. (I am slightly amused that my intention was to make fun of it every step of the way. How far I have strayed from the Path of Snark!)

What we will have to deal with (after the runaways are stopped at the airport) is BaDIL's transformation in the next few episodes. Will they manage to show her as a decent person after all? Or will she crash and burn like Min-jung?
JoAnne: Burn, baby, burn! I don't see it happening, though.

And finally, let me try and remember the secrets that we haven't yet seen revealed:
  • Who Min-jung really is and all the terrible stuff she did: Some people know, but not the ones that really should (i.e. Jae-hee, her adopted mother, the Lee family). This includes the knowledge that Min-jung is Bi-dan's biological mother who abandoned her for a "better" life. That issue will cost her Jae-hee's love. What will happen though since they are married? Will he be her means to becoming a better person? I see glimpses of caring on her side when it comes to him - maybe she's completely lying to him though, but there seems to be a tiny little bit more. (I think her love for him is pretty similar to her love for her adoptive mother - totally based on what she's getting from them, and easily dropped. Although there was that line about him being the first person to truly love her for her... because we know she did NOT get that from BaDIL. So you might be right.)
  • What happened to Jae-hwa's mother: This is Dumb Mom's "secret" - she seems to blame herself, but she's not really at fault. It was an accident. Knowing about it might take some of the weight off Jae-hwa's shoulders though - since he feels so guilty about sending his mother to buy eggs in a fit of insolence. What will happen to Dumb Mom though? Bad Dad will not be pleased, that's for sure ... (that reminds me! During that scene where he is angry with his sister for getting pregnant and asks how an unmarried woman can get that way... umm, hello, JAE HEE? And add how they make it ok that he even did that while married in the first place, please, because that's part of what is needed between him and Jae Hwa to fully repair their relationship. And the relationship Jae Hwa has with Dumb Mom and Jae Hee, for that matter.)
  • What BaDIL did: BaDIL keeps insisting that she didn't kill Bong1, that is was an accident. That is absolutely true. But she is guilty of covering it up and she is guilty of harming GooDIL as much as she could in the process. This secret will mean BaDIL is cast ouf of Bi Sool Chae for sure. But what will this mean for Bori/Eun-bi? And for Bong2? (Totally willing to see her divorced and kicked out of Bi Sool Chae, myself. And let's not forget she can't find Handyman anymore. If he killed himself out of despair for losing his work and his home...)
Stay tuned! (btw, I have realized that I like Kim Ji-hoon best when he has an intense, serious face. He looked so much better in Goddess of Marriage, don't you think?)
JoAnne: I think he is only really handsome when serious/intense. The rest of the time he is boyishly cute. I like both faces, because each of them go well with the abs.
kakashi: Boyishly cute, he looks underage. That and the abs ... I'm not sure I like it together.