The Problematic of the Unproblematic

trotwood: I’ve decided that I don’t understand the titles for this show's episodes. They continuously seem to be more appropriate for a different episode. I think of this ep as “Rimmbutt Returns” not because Rim hasn’t been in this show before but because the little bit of cute was overshadowed (sometimes completely) by him being a self-righteous ass. He is going to have to work hard though to counteract the power of the giant climbing tree puppy. kakashi: "Rimmbutt Returns to the unity of the love team" or something? Maybe add: "hot and bothered"? JoAnne:  I'll be busy climbing the Tree, so be sure and let me know when the emotional weather clears down there with our beloved Butthead.  

Revelations! Horrible, sad, exciting and dangerous revelations! Also: the Spring Hunt. Dammit, everybody we care for is there and the baddies are planning something big... *bites nails* JoAnne: Prince Yu doesn't get to go to the Spring Hunt because he's still grounded. Sucks to be Yu! Eleanor: LOL very punny. I love it. 

kakashi: LOTS of new stuff this week! Let's see who wins and who loses. JoAnne: We win, no matter what. Cutie Soo, Jang Hyuk, Ma Dong Seok, Seo In Guk, Soo Youngie, Park Shin Hye, and Kim Rae Won? All in one week? No matter which way you turn, you're going to win . Shuk: I'm watching / loving a Korean drama. So it's all a win! And I plan to watch the first four episodes of Squad 38 this week, so there might even be two in my future! 

Mei Changsu is no longer bedridden and that's always a pleasure because he has among the best lines in the whole drama. There is no immediate crisis for our guys, which is a good time for some strategizing. If only those evil creatures all around them wouldn't strategize as well! Shoo! Go away! JoAnne: Look at him being all pretty and strategic.  Eleanor: He mostly just looks annoyed that someone woke him up from his nap. But yes, oh so handsome. 

Trotwood: I’m calling this the bonding episode. Se Ra and Rim bond over their love of volleyball and the trials they both face trying to keep this going. I always like when OTPs are friends first before they start the whole love bit. kakashi: Bonding! I like bonding! JoAnne: You're all just waiting for me to say 'don't you mean bondage?' aren't you.  Well, I won't dance like a little monkey so HA. And what kind of role-play costume is that, anyway? I honestly didn't think of bondage at all, but now I won't be able to unthink it. Thanks .

After going to London for a tourism event, Hu Ge quickly went back to Shanghai for another tourism event and then quickly travelled to Milano for a fashion event (where our friend Miao got to see him!!!!!). That's all in one week. That's insane. Notice how he does fashion shoots at the airport? That's a clever way of using ones time... Here's a selection of his beauty (though mostly with that one weird Armani suit) - some official stuff, some fan-cam stuff. There's tons more on the internetz. Go enjoy.

This is the episode in which Ming Tai faces a death squad and is shot in the heart. Yes, I speak the truth. Ming Tai dies and that's his salvation. It's an episode of pain and healing. And an episode of reckoning. Bittersweet victories are won, but is this the end of the struggle? Oh no. There are six more episodes. Should we just keep going? How can we stop now? I can't carry this rage around for weeks. Eleanor: It will be all over soon *rocks back and forth*

Another really, really tough episode to watch (though so much brilliant acting in it!). Big Sis' emotional break-down in the courtyard of Division 76 is one of my "favorite" scenes in the whole drama. And finally, we're starting to realize what is being played. This plan has about 1000 layers but if I'm not thoroughly mistaken, I think it's moving exactly where Ming Lou et al. want it to move. But damn, the risk!!! Holy shit, Kakashi. Ho-ly shit. Eleanor: I've said this before, but I think that the true star of this show is Jin Dong. He is utterly phenomenal in this show. Of course Liu Min Tao is AMAZING AMAZING in this episode and Hu Ge and Wang Kai...so much amazingness!

kakashi: AND.... I find myself with zero dramas. OMG, you're going to say, how is that possible?! Well, easy. The only drama I was watching was Oh Hae-Young Again , which bored me out of my socks this week with its sugar sweet filler episodes. I'm just not interested in that. Lots of new stuff starting next week though, so I'm not dispairing. JoAnne: I predict that you'll prefer Wanted over the rest. Unless The Good Wife is next week, too? At the moment I have Doctors, Beautiful Mind (Jang Hyuk!), and Wanted on my list to check out. And then of course this week it will be 38 Squad or whatever that's called, with three favs in the lead - Ma Dong Seok, Seo In Guk, and Sooyoungie! Actually, if it's done right that could be the one for both of us, I think.   Pssst, keep it to yourself, but I really cannot stand Lee Jong-Suk. I have a probably irrational aversion against him. I'll try W, I swear! But with every drama I tried with him, I couldn't w...

Trotwood: I know this episode is called “Crisis,” but I think of it as the team history episode. We do not get a definitive answer to Kakashi’s question about why they are all in this house together as high schoolers, but we do get the background about what has happened to this team and the conditions they live under. We also get some more of the history of the bad blood between Jae Woong and Woo Jin. kakashi: Go for the tree! Climb the tree, Se Ra! JoAnne: I like that. I want her to have both. Since I can't have either, you know.

Certain parts of this episode are horrible to watch, thank god for words who can skip over the horror. Ming Tai is being tortured, but shows us just how strong he really is, while Ming Lou is being tortured in a different way, but just as cruelly. Be strong, man. Be strong. If only Big Sis wasn't on her way to Division 76 too... JoAnne: Yeah, I can't wait to see how that works out. Eleanor: Can we please skip this episode? 

kakashi: Who is playing whom? And why? This drama does a very good job at making us doubt the intentions of some of the characters as the Death Plan keeps unfolding. Ultimately, this episode is about Ming Tai and his teacher, about their very complicated relationship. Crazy Airplane Wang is a character I will remember until the end of my days, that much is clear. JoAnne: True for me as well. I hope going through the recap helps me understand what the hell he did, because it was completely pointless as far as I could see when watching. Patience, woman, patience !  Eleanor: It will eventually make sense Jo. Even then, we might not like it, but it will definitely make more sense. 

Let's just pretend the second half of this episode did not happen, okay? Let's hope I have the strength to recap this and what is coming. Damn, show. Damn. JoAnne: Nope. Now I'm pissed off. At everyfuckingbody. Eleanor: Is it sort of weird that I've been looking forward to Jo's reaction ever since I watched this episode? 

He has come, saw, and left - but he looked incredibly good while doing that and it would be a terrible waste not to archive and spread his beauty. How does he do it?! Especially his hair looks very good (is he even human?). And I'm glad he got rid of the moustache. We're not big supporters of moustaches here. Here we give you: a handpicked selection of Hu Ge's beauty in London (the whole thing looks exhausting).

JoAnne: I may go buy a bunch of roses JUST so I can do this. I bet it felt good. I bet it smelled good, too . kakashi: The Director/cinematographer are doing an amazing job for this drama. How many takes do you think they had to do for this? Guess what!  One of our favorites, Bad Guys , is now available for streaming in USA, Canada, and QCs worldwide on Viki.  It's not quite ready - they're getting videos uploaded but subbing hasn't gotten very far - so if you can't wait, here's a link to our recaps from when it first aired: http:// Bad Guys SqueeCaps  And if you want to see it added for other countries, send Viki a request!

Shuk: As we approach the warm summer months in the northern hemisphere, it's time to add in yet another post of that strangely addicting pastime of Eiffel Tower spotting.

Trotwood: This is the episode where I started to question my feelings. Giant puppy is so cute, but would he help Se Ra grow? Rimbutt is super sexy, but is he going to be able to function with that loser chip on his shoulder? Se Ra's tendency for self blame continued to worry me, and she makes a decision by the end of ep that I’m hoping is good for everyone. kakashi: I downloaded this in 360p, wow, the sound is bad... but this isn't about the sound really, is it. Also: I hope mouth-nose-jerk DIES.  JoAnne: See? There's just something I don't like about his face. He's not ugly. I just don't like his face .  You guys are a tough crowd.

This is a very good, very emotional, and very brutal episode ... it drives home the message that there cannot be any true and lasting happiness in times of war. Ming Tai is getting engaged/married and both Big Bro and Teacher Wang misuse this happy occasion to set their plans in motion. Wow, that's so cruel. While I cannot stop thinking, a bit short of breath, that Hu Ge looks stunning, absolutely stunning in a tuxedo. I have realized that Trainwreck reminds me of Gu Hye Sun. This explains my outsize antipathy, since it means she gets everything she deserves, plus everything I feel about Gu Hye Sun's acting. Eleanor: Kakashi, Hu Ge does indeed look AMAZING in a tux! *sighs* *pauses to stare before thinking about what lies ahead*

Trotwood: I like Se Ra. I like her a lot. I wish I was her manager or coach. She needs some real support. I think she should play again, but I also think she has the makings of a great coach like I said before. I'd send her to a camp to recover and practice in the mornings and to take coaching courses in the afternoon. They have these all over the US; I’m sure they have them in Korea, too. kakashi: I vote Trot for President of all the sports clubs, of all the universities and of the United States . JoAnne: I'm cool with that.

kakashi: Back to Disguiser! It's been a long time since our last recap. Our guys are currently in a good place, but not for much longer, that much I can tell you. Like ... not at all much longer, dammit. But! This episode sees the return of our beloved "Airplane Wang"! I've really missed his menacing intensity... JoAnne: I love him to bits. And it HAS been forever, wow. It's easy to lose track because we see so many of these faces in NIF and so I don't feel like I'm away - but then we come back to this and it hits me that I've really missed these characters. Eleanor: Man, it has been a while. I miss these characters so much. They feel so real to me. Granted I see these faces often on Weibo, but yeah, it's not the same as seeing them here. 

Once again it looks like the Prince Jing supporters have won an important battle and things are moving into the right direction. After the acute crisis, it is time to get some high running emotions in order. The one hit hardest by what is revealed is Prince Jing, who realizes that his mistrust almost cost him his most important ally. Ahhhh, this was him in the secret passage, looking at the bell he cut down and feeling horribly embarrassed by his fit of temper...on behalf of Mei Changsu, I deeply appreciated this moment. Eleanor: *fans self* I know this moment is really serious, but ladies, Wang Kai is fiiiiiiiiiiine!!!

JoAnne: It's finally warm here. I've been sitting on the deck a while at night, imagining when my plants are bigger how nice it will all smell. This translates into less drama time OR me staying up until way past bed time. Guess which it's been? In related news, can you guess how many times I slept through my alarm this week ? kakashi: It was really warm here and then it turned cold-ish again, but you know what? I like it coldish. Drama-wise I'm kinda down to one that I'm falling out of love for, so we're back to red-red-red, I guess. Jaehyus: it's hot and humid here. And today, when it cooled down a bit, it was so sticky, it might as well have been hot.  

Trotwood: So, here we are entrenched in story. I will try hard not to give things away and only write about them as they happen (I promise, Jo). We get more of Se Ra’s trauma here and a hint at maybe why Rimbutt (cough) I mean Jae Woong doesn’t like our giant puppy. Poor thing; he can’t help having a smarmy dad. kakashi: I didn't get any hints. I don't like Rimbutt at all, he's unfriendly and up himself and I want him to leave Tree alone . I want him to leave Tree alone, too. Really, he's the least offensive person in the entire show so far. JoAnne: Look at the liddle baby face, so CUTE