whoa, what a departure from last week's lightness, hey? i mean, i saw it looming ahead, to be sure, but Joon Pyo totally did a 180! i can't wait, pretty sure today's epi will explore why that is.

some points:

1) ji hoo, i <3 you, but you are TOTALLY OBVIOUS and we should have a drinking game for all the times you cast break-my-heart sidelong glances at jan-di.
docmitasha, liv, sarahbeans? what say you? :P

2) jan di's skirts are too short. that is all. :P

3) no wait-- the girl jun pyo was with should have worn stockings. i'm not mocking, it's just.... no one messes jun pyo and jan di hehe

4) roar at me sooorta liking the fiancee. she was always gonna be likable anyway, right?

5) *SWOON* at jun pyo's caught-off-guard-vulnerable look, turned hard stare, turned indifference. GAHHH lee min ho, i love that you're playing him like a true layered character. and ps: i love you. :P haha

and 6) SERIOUSLY HOW HOT WAS WOO BIN WHEN HE WENT ALL: gangsta -"YEAH!" after beating those guys up!. yeah, ji hoo and yi jung didn't look to shabby kicking some ass either. *f4 flailage*

hollabak if anyone's in on the drinking.
ji hoo still MEGA <3's jandi??
...we should be drunk out of our minds given the preview of tonight's epi.

thanks for the recaps! i was refreshing the page every 2 minutes or so!

Really miss JunPyo in this episode.. didn't see him til the end...hopefully we'll see him more really soon... :D

YAAY LDFSJSFLSKJDF
BOYS OVER FLOWERSS<3
i think imma be like third or fourth

Thanks for a great recap! The scene where LMH looks up and sees Jan-di is great! LMH nails the welter of emotions in the unexpected shock of seeing his GF, countered by the obligation to be heir apparent to Shinhwa. Worth the wait!

I have to say - I'm getting pretty sick of the highhandedness of the F4 guys. Like really, for once could they at least INFORM Jan-di of whatever their latest plan is, instead of just whisking her away? Like seriously, its always:

Jan-di: Where are we going?
F4: You'll find out soon enough!

That said, I still think I liked Jan-di a lot more in this episode that prior episodes - we saw a little more of her spunk than the usual helpless puppet (2 near-death experiences aside. By this point, Ive accepted that Jan-di must nearly die at least once every episode. Every. Episode). And even though her segment was short, Jae-kyung was cool - she wasnt overly-friendly in the "of course! Now they can become best friends...only to become RIVALS!" later on, nor was she unncessarily distant, I felt.

Oh and if by chance any BBF writers happen to be reading this, please no more F4 heroics - those fight scenes almost make me cringe and laugh embarassedly

@maria - we can play 2 games at once - a shot for Ji-hoo's longing glances, and 1 for every time Jan-di almost dies. And Im absolving myself of responsibility for any ensuing alcohol poisoning.

lol at these comments "I’m getting tired of F4 (or F3) rushing in at the last minute to save the day".

can't these be considered as deus ex machina? =]

Thank goodness for your recap! I was going crazy not understanding what was happening

anyone else find Jan-di's shoes, when she's in Macau, really out of character? i'll have to add that along with the other idiot Jan-di moments in this episode. her shoes really bothered me for some reason. they were nice shoes, but so impractical which i guess was the point. (?)

and yes, F3 to the rescue needs to stop. i want Jan-di to fight and fend for herself once in a while!

thank you for the recap!

for some reason i found gu hye sun especially irritating in this episode. however, the new girl seems pretty cool.

thank you! I kept refreshing too hahah

While watching the part with ji hoo & jandi when she is devastated about not being able to swim again, the only thing she was good at & loved to do...it made me think of symbolism. Maybe a symbolism for the sacrifice she made for Jun Pyo when she blocked him from getting hit by that chair and in result she permanently messed up her shoulder. It's like a sacrifice she made for love (w/ Jun Pyo) but he hasn't even contacted her & I think that is what made it even MORE devastating for her.
Just my thought =)

Gosh, more SoEul moments, please! haha & I want whatever F3 radar Jandi has on her when she is trouble. ridic.
Also, Ji Hoo is so sweet! So sad how he can''t have her yet he chooses to stick next her when in need. The 9 min. preview for ep 14 looks so good! I can't wait. more cute ji hoo & jandi moments.
Lee Min Ho is such a good actor. You could tell JUST by his expression when he saw jandi that he was hurting & still loves her... even tho he ignored her.

Angst. Horrible angst.

FIRST!

I always look for your recaps...somehow they complete the Monday experience of BOF... :D

Anyways, I felt horribly awful for JanDi..finally, she comes around and Junpyo has the whole world on his shoulders. He pulls off the whole cold and unconcerned attitude very well. I have to admit that I didn't feel very satisfied after this episode, I always feel like Monday episodes are always like that. It just felt a little empty...

I do think Ji-Hoo and the JanDi side of things is kind of sweet and it makes me feel somewhat better just because you can tell how hard he is trying to be a friend and to remain at a respectable distance.

I love how F4 just comes out of nowhere...it is horribly unbelievable especially when they come out of NOWHERE! but it makes me feel a better. What can I say I love the superficial nature of BOF...its such a mind break : D Oh, even though hyekyung (sp?) makes a brief experience, her voice kind of annoys me and I don't know about her....I know who she is, and I'm avid supporter of JanDi/Junpyo but still. I really liked her in Who Are You? but maybe I'll change my mind.

Not another typical hooligans chasing her scene, god do they really need to put those in? Can I just say for once int he pics Jan Di looks really good and cute, I hope the series gets better now, the last few eps have been far too silly, we need more grounded scenes.

And please someone stop "Almost Paaaaradiisee", can't bear it anymore.

6 months later.. its still winter in korea.
thanks for the recap

"I think this episode suffered from a lack of Lee Min-ho. And no, I don’t mean that in a fanservicey way; it’s that, without him on screen for most of the episode, it really became evident just how much of the intensity and conflict derives from Jun-pyo. Without him, this episode seemed to meander at points — and then Jun-pyo came onscreen for a few seconds and stuff got intense and interesting again."

The only thing that I want to say is that I absolutely agree with your above comment. I thought that this episode was one of the more boring ones. It certainly picked up whenever Lee Min-ho appeared on screen... though it was only for less than 5 mins in this ENTIRE episode!! A drama becomes boring when there's no drama, no angst, conflicts, ... and those things don't exist without LMH screentime.

The fact that that was the only thing I had to say must mean that this episode really inspired nothing from me. I hope tomorrow's episode is much, MUCH better!

There should be a legal cap on the number of montages one can use in a single episode. I think there were five in this episode, which were four more than what is tolerable.

This episodes proves that without LMH, this show is mediocre at best. It was amazing to me how bland I found all the other characters to be. That is not say that they are not appealing--they are--but they don't bring out strong emotions in me. BBF is exciting and raw because of LMH's smouldering presence, and even though I acknowledge that the man is gorgeous, I am not speaking as a gooey fan.

LMH has got to be one of the best Domyojis so far. Really--he has created so much depth in this character: lonely, yet callous, vulnerable, yet oppressive, arrogant, yet childlike. Amazing portrayal. Kim Bum seems to have some acting chomps, but nothing close to LMH.

Correction:
Master is the son of the Blue House chef for the ex-President (JH's grandfather). The newspaper picture is of Master's father, not Master. You can tell because when Master asks JH's grandfather what to prepare next time he visits, the old man tells Master to cook him something that he is confident can beat his father's cooking.

JJ, I agree!
JD has sacrificed so much more.... not only the bullying,kidnapping, getting hit by a chair, having to get more jobs because her parents lost theirs... but the swimming. It was the only thing that was hers, I never knew how important it was to her until she said it. But then, she never blamed JP even though the whole kidnapping thing happened because of him, she never regretted jumping in front of him. Even after she sees JP's coldness..I think it really shows how much she treasures her relationship with him. She doesn't regret not being able to swim again for JP.

Thanks for the fabulous recaps! This episode had the distinction of being so over the top, it was actually possibly a little bit good. I burst into disbelieving laughter many, many times, not least of which was the (!?) Ji Hoo conducting scene. In the absence of Jun Pyo scenes (and I agree with you that he does drive the intensity of the show), I gravitated toward the Yi Jung-Ga Eul storyline and finally understand all of the "SoEul" fanatics out there. That pottery scene was acted with nuance and care, which I thought was great. And is it sad that I kind of like the Jun Pyo's future fiance better than Jandi right now because she's smart and rocks?

@maria, I like your idea of a BOF drinking game--it would definitely make things funnier!

Jan Di was suppose to do homework on why a Lotus only blooms in the mud. I'm sure i could Google it and find out but does anyone know why?

anon - i think it means half year as in the end of winter break, the beginning of the new school year, and in korea, first semester of school starts in february.

thanks for the recap.
i'm going to watch this episode tomorrow.
and im pretty sure i'll end up agreeing with everything you've just said.
heh.

more Jun-pyo.
less idiotic Jan-di moments.

Thanks, Javabeans.

BTW, I think it's also not just because there wasn't much Lee Min-ho... it's also because there wasn't much Gu Jun-pyo. The character itself is really what help keeps the story going. It's like, sometimes it's boring to feel the leading lady suffer by herself, but when you actually see the source of her sufferings (the guy), it's more interesting. Still, I agree, more Lee Min-ho would be immensely delightful.

Thanks for the recap. As always, you're awesome!
WOnder what'll happen in tomorrow's episode. Come on, Jun-pyo, quit ignoring your leading lady! It's not cool at all of you!

hmm, I actually liked this episode. A while back you said that JP's character was the only complex and well acted out of this entire story. Now we get to see some more of the complexity in JD's character as she deals with the loss of her ability to swim competitively, and to add on top of that the loss of JP. We also see increasing complexity in JH's storyline and HJ's acting's definitely improved since the beginning.

the part where F3 keeps saving JD. guess it's a little overkill but that's the way the story in the manga goes. i guess the problem is that they've condensed the manga, making the damsel in distress scenes now seem closer together in time than they actually are. but if you think about it, JD wouldn't normally be in those situations if it were not for her relationship with JP. sure it's some bad decisions on her part, but her relationship with JP has placed her in those dangerous situations (ie JP being angry at JD for losing the necklace so she decides to look for it, JD going to macau for JP and ending up being cornered, etc). i think because of those JP-instigated situations, F4 needs to come and clean up the mess sometimes.

also, i don't think it would've been a good idea for JD to pull out her flying spin kick at that time. she's outnumbered. kicking street goons in the face will only make them angrier and more violent, making a bad situation worse.

@liv : sooo.. weak liquor then? agreed. :P see ya on the other side of our impending hangover. :P

and i am STILL thinking about hoe lee min ho DID totally NAIL that moment where he spots jan-di!! AMAZING subtlety in the expressing of like, the 5 simultaneousl emotions that scene required! and f3+jandi moments are <3.

but i agree with javabeans, this is a real MONDAY epi. senseless at some points. jandi's mom falling and then musing about how he looks like a living statue?? WTF?!

I felt as if this episode was the first of a 2nd season. It wasn’t a bang (it did drag for a bit), but it contained a lot of plot setups for future episodes.

I understand that we don’t clearly know why Jun-pyo is ignoring Jan-di. But during the scene when he ignored her immediately after seeing her, I gasped in horror. It was the worse thing he did to her—worse than sending potential rapists and minions to beat her up.

It’s sweet, and sad at the same time, to hear Jan-di calling out Jun-pyo’s name when she was attacked by the thugs. Now we know that in spite of everything, she thinks of Jun-pyo at critical moments. (No longer Ji-hoo! Phew!) I find it funny how knowing they would pop up any moment, I was still relieved to see Jan-di saved by F3 (although at this point, they should be called her friends). So predictable but so nice to see them! And when they came out with all their glory, I could not help but burst out laughing! And I just love the way Woo-bin said “YEAH!” to the thugs with so much conviction; as if at the end of that word there is a sentence attached to it which says: “Duh, you’re supposed to know that from a mile away!” haha

I’m going to refrain from commenting about the new girl. I know she’s going to play the annoyingly good, cool person/fiancee, but I don’t have anything nice to say about her. I don’t want to be hostile already.

Anywho, thanks for the recap!

Jaekyung is cool but myy godd her voice is annoying lol

this episode was definitely lacking JP, but I suppose it was necessary since it's part of the plot. I also wish they'd cut down the "Jandi-destress" scenes. It seems like the only way they can introduce new characters is by making Jandi be in some sort of trouble.

I really liked the scene where Jandi was recording the message for JP. I thought GHS was great there (I think she's really good at the emotional scenes.)

Does anybody know if Kim Hyun Joong has had plastic surgery? I'm just curious because his nose looks a little different than in the past... I know he has lost some weight in the face, but that's not it... it looks a little sharper. He was handsome before, but now it is almost flawless. We can all see that Lee Min Ho's looks are natural judging from his childhood pictures, but I was wondering about KHJ.

I thought this episode was better than ep. 11 , too, but Jandi did come across a little too clueless. Can't wait for the tension to rise as Jandi faces competition.

Jan-Di's boss is getting more interesting. At first, he seemed just really weird and kind of an alien. Now, it seems he's the son of the former Blue House chef. I want to taste the food too.

Anyways, this actor was also a chef/apprentice/spy in Kim Sam Soon and he was a hoot.

That really was a terrible scene but HYD's one was just as bad. I loved how the main character went from times square to some horrible part in the bronx in a matter of 2 blocks. And here came the big scary black guys! That's when I stopped watching.
They should have cut that from this version but...apparently they can't resist the superficial F3 fighting scenes with PAAAAAAAAARADISE playing in the background. Every time that familiar tune starts playing, I'm like "Oh god no!!". But it does make me laugh :D

I wish they had shown JD breaking down about not being able to swim. I usually enjoy the subtle scenes more, especially on this show but I feel this was one instance where full on angst was required.

Decent episode. It was basically setting up the "new season". LMH is truly incredible and just commands any scene he's in. The episode most definitely suffered from his absence.

Jae-kyung is adorable. I had a feeling I would really like her and i'm glad to say that's the case.

Thanks for the recap!

I was bummed Lee Min-ho was only in a few scenes. For me, he totally carries this series. Like you said with out Jun-pyo, there lacks a sense of intensity. I was also glad that the the audience was able to see a real friendship between the F3 and Jan-di. It had been lacking in the previous episodes but this really showed how the F3 are really fond of Jan-di are actually wanting to help her out with or without Jun-pyo. I'm hoping tomorrows episode is a little bit better and with more scenes of Lee Min-ho.

I look forward to the addition of Jae-kyung in the story. Also, I'm really curious as how the Ji-hoo and his grandfather storyline will unravel.

ok so, I so totally agree with you on the Jandi-stress

seriously? how many more times?? You can just start predicting when the F4 are gonna start jumping in to save her butt. Gosh, ditto on the remote throwing- I have to stick to yelling at my laptop screen and getting strange looks from my sister.

and F3 using their good-looks to solve all of Jandi's problems is getting tiring

I'm having Jun-Pyo withdrawal :-/

I literally held my breath when joon pyo was on screen. ::sigh:: he is simply amazing

GJP looked tormented before he turned to look away from Jandi. LMH did such a good job....heartbreaking!
I can't believe that Jandi is still wearing skimpy minis with high heels and I don't like the way the director pans in on her thighs. Jandi should be dressing the way the fiancee is dressed. Kind of tomboyish. I like the fiancee a lot. Love her hair. Waiting to see her with LMH.

Great recap.

-Lee Minho is doing such a fantastic job. I also as many of us, could feel the distress in his composure when he saw her. But he snapped out of it quick. Good job!
-Woo Bin... he was totally hot kicking butt. "Prince Song" might be an interesting side story! I hope they go somewhere with that.
-I agree, That may be a little too much slowmo for Kim Bum. A few would have been better to keep us wanting more.

Can't wait ti your next recap tomorrow!

It's Jandi GPS, I'm sure. I'm convinced that Jihoo placed a bug in her bag or something. I too am getting tired of the cop out, with F4 solving whatever problems Jandi has, even to the smallest thing. What? Can't she not get herself in sticky situations all the freaking time?

On the other hand, I love this episode. More of Goo Hyesun, but less overacting. We've been so focused on Lee Minho (for good reason, yes), so it was rather refreshing to see things more from Jandi's side. Personally, despite some obvious flaws, I really liked this episode, much much better from last episode.

ETA: On Hyunjoong's plastic, I don't really know, but I think he said on some show that he did something with it. Although the purpose, medical or cosmetic, I'm not too clear about.

@ #15......

I thought the same thing too. 6 months later and its still winter. AHAHA!

Dramabeans,

The porridge shop "Master" is actually named 봄춘식. I believe the person in the newspaper clipping is his father. I got confused after seeing that part, so I looked it up and found this:

"이 과정에서 봄춘식의 레시피북에 스크랩 된 낡은 신문에서 청와대 배경으로 윤지후(김현중 분)의 할아버지인 윤석영 대통령과 봄춘식의 아버지로 추정되는 중년의 주방장이 함께 찍은 사진이 공개됐다."

Not quite sure if it's true or not, but just wanted to give you a heads up :) Thanks for your recaps; I come to read them even though I watch and understand the show in Korean, haha.

I love your recaps :]

sigh
this episode was kind of a disappointment...
anyways
I love Jihoo!!!
He is very adorable!

I am totally sad that Gaeul didn't come too...
I love yijung and Gaeul together!

Lastly, I am so sad that junpyo is being a weener
and not even looking at jan di
I mean he was the one that said he loved her
it just doesnt really make sense to me
because he was so infatuated with her but
now he doesn't even acknowledge her
when she cam all the way to macau to see him....
REALLY?!

anways i hope tomorrow's is better :]

Why did they make the new female character so awesome? It's ridiculous that the writers are willing to so completely overshadow Jandi--the fiancee is gorgeous, badass, rich, intelligent (can speak multiple languages), cool, and just plain everything that any man would want. I know why--b/c the resolution will solidify emotions even more--but really, does the rival have to be quite so perfect while Jandi is increasingly cast as simply the damsel in distress who constantly needs knights and the occasional girl to rescue her? Where is Jandi the weed? Where is Jandi the kick ass girl we saw briefly?

Why do GJP and JH love about her? If it is her tenacity and fighting spirit--umm, where is it? Why is she not kick boxing anyone?

Sigh.

Complaining aside--I love, love, love this show. It takes me out of real life so well, it takes me hours to come back down to earth.

I know that I will cry during tomorrow's episode...sucker me.

Art thou mad, Jun Pyo..... Wat's with tt cold stare......
Minho..... You never fail to impress me no matter how small an appreance in a certain episode. I agree with you that we are suffering from Lack of LMH here!

Wat ever it is, I am still rooting for this drama in whatever form it maybe as much as i had enjoyed the other instalments.....

BBF or BOF or HANADAN or METEOR GARDEN..... Unique in it's own special way...... and for myself, it's a good stress reliever after a long day @ work!

Aza aza!

I actually feel that this episode is a heart-breaker for Jandi.

First, she finds out she can't swim competitively anymore. It was so sad when she sat by the swimming pool telling JH that she isn't pretty, smart or rich. The only thing she's good at is swimming, which sort of became her identity, a way for JD to differentiate herself from others. Knowing she can't do that anymore is like losing a part of herself.

Then she goes to Macau and sees that JP basically looks right through her. She finally realizes how wealthy he is and the huge social gap between them. I almost cried when she went into the bathroom and tried to convince her that JP didn't acknowledge her b/c he didn't recognize her.

On a more upbeat note: GHS sounds absolutely adoraaable speaking English, and I cracked up so bad when Woo Bin was like "yeah, I'm prince Song." Somewhere along the way, I've become a fan of Woo Bin and his bad gansta-English. Also, kudos to LMH for doing an excellent job in the bar scene when he first sees Jandi. In a few seconds, he was able to convey surprise, happiness, regret and then indifference. I've replayed that scene over and over again too many times for my own good...lol

Thanks for the recap, dramabeans! Now, I can finally go to sleep....lol

I am so going to have my beer and shot glass ready when I watch tomorrows episode.

it's really fun to read your recaps, much more fun than actually watching the episodes in my opinion.

"Speaking of which — I wonder if BBF would have been better received if it were made, say, five years ago. Because, while the story itself ages pretty well, I think some of the characters and dynamics are, well, familiar at this point. I don’t mean this in context of Hanadan comparisons, but even just considering kdramas alone. Would Jan-di have been less annoying back in the Golden Age of Damsels In Distress (aka, late ’90s or early 2000s, in Hallyu’s nascent stages)? Is the little bit of spunk she DOES show mitigated by the fact that we’re in a post-Sam-soon era, where the sassy girl isn’t unusual any longer but kind of expected?"

Hhmm, I don't know. Even if this was made five years ago, Jandi's exaggerated facial expressions would be just as annoying; Jandi being stupid and the F4 constantly coming to the rescue would still be irritating, etc.

Other lead actresses in Korean dramas are also stupid and acts cutesy but they don't go overboard. They are also damsels in distress but they don't wait and wish for a dashing prince (or the prince's friends) to come and save them. The fact that these ladies try to overcome their troubles on their own (and not hope for someone else to help them), that's what's endearing about them.

I don't think Jandi should beat up the goons lol she's tough but she's not a black belt fighter or anything . I mean, yeah she can kick JP and GE's ex in the face when they're not expecting it, but asking her to beat up a group of bad guys is too much lol