Secret Garden: Episode 14

395 December 27, 2010January 24, 2016

by girlfriday

Looks like love is in the air. And the real kind, not the Little Mermaid version. Or so we hope. Down with the Mermaid! Sheesh. When did Ariel ever get such a bad rap? Declarations get made, gauntlets get thrown, and secrets get found out. It’s Christmas in the Secret Garden, and it looks like Fate has some interesting things in store…

EPISODE 14 RECAP

Ra-im walks in, dressed to the nines, and on Oska’s arm. He thankfully doesn’t try to use his entrance with Ra-im to bait Seul. Instead he leaves Ra-im with one look at Joo-won, and takes Seul away to talk.

Joo-won has the gall to be mad at Ra-im for her absence these last few days. Dude, you haven’t even apologized yet for YOUR part in all this. He then, because he is Joo-won, looks at the label on her dress and notes that it’s a nice one. Pffft. He is such a girl, sometimes. He asks her if her fairy godmother said that she can stay till midnight, after which she’ll go poof and disappear; she responds that it’s all up to him.

Oska brings Seul a slice of cheesecake, saying that he remembers she likes it, and didn’t eat it because she didn’t want to gain weight. She glares. Oops. Wrong again. This is quite the dangerous game you’re playing. I mean, there’s only so many rounds of this I’d tolerate from a guy before I gave him the boot. Needless to say, Seul’s pissed: “Who’s that girl? So, is she skinny?” Ha. She asks what the hell he’s doing, and he just replies vaguely that he’s going to remember everything, and he’s going to reverse it all.

Joo-won asks what the makeover is about, growing nervous for her answer. She tells him the truth: that she was outside and couldn’t come in, but that her fairy godmother told her to say it to his face—that she’s here to see him. She tells him that she swore to his mother, on the memory of her dad, that she wouldn’t see him anymore. “My body has turned away. But my heart won’t leave.”

She admits that it’ll be hard for her if she continues to see him, but decides that the pain from being with him will be easier to endure…than the pain of not seeing him. Aw. Ra-im: “I’m here. To see you. That’s my answer. But…I’m not going to be the Little Mermaid. So, go ahead and answer. Is the Little Mermaid all that I can ever be?”

He stares back at her, frozen, and then they get interrupted by the last woman that Joo-won met on a blind date. She tries to worm her way into the conversation, but Seul swoops in and takes her away. Hm. What angle is she playing now? Then another interruption, from an annoying acquaintance who asks who Ra-im is.

Joo-won answers that she’s someone he’ll never encounter again, because she’s something else (the connotation of which is purposely ambiguous).

Joo-won: She drives like a car racer. If she witnesses someone’s purse being snatched, someone she’s never met in her life, she’ll throw fists. She has no money and her body is covered in scars, but she doesn’t want to spend even one second of one minute with people like us. She’s that kind of woman. I’ve never seen a woman as cool as her. That…is my answer.

Finally, some words of awesome from his mouth. Ra-im’s eyes fill with tears at his answer.

Seul takes the other girl outside and hilariously gives her the “I’m the crazy bitch in this town” speech, quoting it from dramas. Omg, I totally love her lately. Is she getting more awesome, or is everyone else getting less awesome? Either way, her sass kills me.

She even adds that the girl, whom she calls a thorn, shouldn’t meddle when two people (Ra-im and Joo-won) are just about to admit their feelings and get somewhere. Dude, words right out of my mouth, again.

She heads inside and is taken aback by the music…she looks over to the piano and Oska is playing her favorite song. She walks over and he smiles at her, saying that he finally got one right. Seul is moved to near tears.

She and Oska are both surprised when they look over to Joo-won and Ra-im who have gone from slow dancing to slow kissing. Rawr! Now that’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout, Show! WTF with all that forced bed-hugging when you could have just had smokin’ chemistry like this, all equal-participation-points-with-yummy-lips-and-all?

Ra-im is self-conscious at first because everyone is staring at them, but Joo-won doesn’t care. Of course they’re staring at them, because he just sent the value of his company spiraling down because he kissed a poor stuntwoman. Well that’s an incredibly self-absorbed…oh, wait…right, this is Joo-won. Yeesh.

He kisses her tenderly on the forehead, and then they start making out like no one else is in the room, as Seul, Oska, and the whole party stares on. It does feel like they’re in their own space, moving to a different beat, as they lose themselves in the kiss.

The next day, Oska finds out that his old rival and frenemy Jun-hyuk is back, and that stirs something in his memory…and then he FINALLY remembers that conversation where he said that Seul was nothing to him. It dawns on him that she heard everything, and to his credit, though he remembers it a decade too late, he still goes running over to her.

He’s thwarted by another crisis though, this one a rumor that he knew the plagiarized song was a copy, but pushed it into production anyway. Seul and Tae-sun see the news as well, and Tae-sun calls someone and storms out.

Meanwhile, Joo-won is scared to check his company’s stock value, which only takes a slight dip and remains largely the same, to his relief. He cuts his meeting short, because he has a date. Aw, cute.

Jong-soo gives Ra-im her audition reel for Dark Blood, and Joo-won steals her away for a date. Since Jung-hwan is going to be the new director of the action school, he asks him for permission to take “my Ra-im-ie” away.

They go to her apartment, and he covers her eyes as they enter. She opens her eyes to find her whole place lit up with Christmas lights and a tree. Aw, so cute! Why couldn’t you be this sweet from the beginning and not have been such an ass?

He tells her to wipe her terrible memory of what happened in this place (in answer to her cries in the last episode that she has to eat and sleep in the place where his mother cut her down so harshly), and he tells her to only think of this moment, right now. Aw, so you did all this just to replace her bad memory with a good one? Okay, you’re kinda making it hard not to love you right now.

Then he asks how long Ah-young will be out tonight. He decides he’ll take care of this himself, and pretends to call Secretary Kim to tell him to keep Ah-young out till morning. But in fact he’s calling Ah-young herself, who of course must’ve been the one who let him into the apartment to decorate. She assures him she’ll stay out for a good long while, and tells him to have a good time.

He hangs up and Ra-im gets squeamish about his intentions (oy, let’s not go there again, Show) as he starts to chase her around the apartment. She tells him to keep his distance, as he follows her around, asking what the issue is, since they’re two adults. Well there’s lots of problems, not least of which, you are NOT an adult.

She backs onto the bed, and he looms over her, asking what she thinks he’s going to do, and then crouches down in front of her to hold her hands. Whew. God, I really don’t want to be living with the annoying fear that Episode 13’s bed scene is going to repeat on us. Gah. More on this later.

He has the gall to call her out for having her mind in the gutter. Whatever, There’s-a-room-next-door Boy. He holds her hands and revels in the fact that he finally gets to say, “And what’s so hard about this?” as he clutches her hands and stares lovingly at her face. I love the sweetness of that—that the one thing he’s been dying to do is hold her hands with no reservations.

Oska goes to see the songwriter who lied to the press, and it turns out that it’s someone Tae-sun knows, who happens to have been in love with him despite his being gay. She’s obviously still bitter about it; you really shouldn’t take it personally, not that you’re not a thoroughly evil person, but, you know…you’re just not his type.

Oska fumes, but she just trounces all over him, saying that he’s the one who did this to himself, for being the kind of no-talent star to buy his way to fame rather than work hard for it. She clearly doesn’t know about the kettle and the pot, because she then follows it up with blackmail, asking him for a payoff for her to recount her story.

His manager wants to pay her off, but Oska tells him that he’ll fold all his activities instead. All of this hitting him at once is clearly making him reevaluate himself as a person, and what he’s seeing ain’t so pretty.

Mother Viper gets word of the VVIP party’s kissing couple, and decides to retaliate hardcore. Next thing you know, Secretary Kim is railing into Joo-won for ordering Ah-young fired. Oh, damn. She’s good.

He insists it wasn’t him (which hilariously gets Secretary Kim to back down from his visual representation of You’re a Meanie Evil Boss) and digs around. Meanwhile, Ra-im gets a call from the Mother Snake herself, telling her that this is just the warning; she hasn’t even begun the real torture yet. She tells Ra-im to ask herself if she can be happy at the expense of her friend’s happiness, and leaves her hanging.

Ah-young comes home and doesn’t let on that she was fired, because she clearly knows why. She lies that she had it out with a co-worker and quit, and is happy to take some time off to catch up on old dramas. Sigh. Is it wrong if I’m jealous?

What a good friend. But since Ra-im is one too, she runs out of there right away, to go have it out with Joo-won’s mother. Joo-woon pulls up to the house at the same time, and they argue outside about who should be the one to take care of the situation. Joo-won insists that he has a master plan…to tattle to Grandpa. Pfffft. And Man-Child of the Year goes to…

But as they argue, thunder clouds roll in, and it starts to rain. Here we go…it’s re-swap time! And not a moment too soon, really, because while I’m happy with this episode’s developments, sure did take us forever to get here.

They look at each other and know right away what happened. It’s actually hilarious that they’re not even surprised anymore. They curse their luck at switching at this moment, which is of course right when Mother pulls up and tells them both to come inside. This should be good.

A refresher on body-swap names: soul first, body second. Ra-Him is Ra-im in Joo-won’s body (Hyun Bin) and Joo-wonda is Joo-won in Ra-im’s body (Ha Ji-won).

They both point out that going for the best friend is a low blow. Mom counters that this isn’t the Olympics; fair play does not apply. Oh, um. Good point. One point, Mom. Joo-wonda notes the tactic that Mom will inevitably employ: first the friend, then the job, then the home, then out of the country. Mom’s eyebrows go up as her master plan gets recited to her, and she assumes that Ra-im has encountered this treatment before.

Joo-wonda says they’ll stop dating…they’re going to live together instead. Cue unholy horror. He adds that this is all for her son, because if they’re not together, he might die of lovesickness. Ha.

He tells Mom that she doesn’t have the right to fire Ah-young; he’ll see to it that she’s sued if she pursues it, and that if she really can’t stand to see them together, they’ll just go live abroad or something. He asks if that’s what she really wants—to never see her son again.

Mom of course (not knowing that this is coming straight from her son) thinks that this girl is threatening her with balls of steel, and asks what Joo-won thinks. Ra-Him answers that she thinks Joo-wonda is right. She’s decided to trust this person from now on. With that, they leave Mom.

They head to Ra-im’s place, where the Magic Veil of Un-switchiness takes over so that they’re back in their own bodies. Already? So un-fun, this veil.

Ra-im wants to figure out why they switched again, but Joo-won’s got other things on his mind. He meant what he said to Mom and wants Ra-im to pack a bag now so that they can start living together, this instant. Ra-im shuts him down; they have bigger worries than that, with their swapped state.

She wonders if there’s a common connection every time the switch occurred, and they realize it’s connected to the rain. She looks up the weather forecast and it’s not due to rain for another week. Joo-won: “What? That means we can’t kiss for a whole week?” Ha.

Ra-im wonders how he ever endured all this time NOT kissing her, then, and he shares his little secret of the rhyme he chants. He takes the phone and looks again at the weather. “New York. It’s raining in New York. Let’s go.” Ra-im: “You want to go to New York, so we can kiss?” Heh.

They decide that they can live each other’s lives for a week till they switch back, and agree that it’ll be easier this time around, since they’ve got the routine down.

To that end, they sit down and go over the important things going on in their lives. Ra-im has the big audition for Dark Blood coming up, so Joo-wonda has to train. We flashforward to see them training together. Joo-wonda in turn trains Ra-Him on his signature, and what to sign for. He tells her not to accept greetings from his staff, but she tells him that she will, since that’s a habit he should fix: “You have to earn respect. If you don’t like it, date another woman.” Awesome.

Joo-wonda says there’s one more thing. They stand up, and he tells Ra-Him to close her eyes. He walks over and hugs her (as the veil un-switches them for a moment) and says, “Our bodies are swapped, but once a day, we hug each other, like this.” Aw.

At their respective jobs, Ra-Him signs for Ah-young to be promoted, and Joo-wonda trains…only it doesn’t look so hot when he’s swordfighting, making Jung-hwan and Jong-soo wonder what’s wrong with Ra-im. Jung-hwan wonders if she got dumped by Joo-won. Jong-soo: “Let’s bring him here and beat him up.” Hahahaha.

Ra-Him and Joo-wonda confer at the end of their day at a coffee shop, and decide to meet here every day to go over the major decisions. This is so much easier when you guys aren’t at each other’s throats and trying to purposely ruin each other’s lives! Ra-Him gets excited about attending the action school’s Christmas party, which Joo-wonda rags on for being lame.

Oska cancels his Christmas concert, and when they try to offer the fans their money back, they decline and send him gifts instead, with a message that they’ll wait until he does the concert some other time. That’s cute. But Oska is feeling too low to face any of it, and insists that their money just be returned.

He spends Christmas Eve alone, until Seul arrives, worried about him and thinking it was better than him being all alone. She brings him the cutest Christmas cake ever, and while she lights the candles, he goes over to the piano.

He starts playing, and thanks everyone for attending his concert, and for sticking with him…through the end. Seul’s eyes fill with tears as he serenades her with a slow version of “Here I Am.”

It’s a stellar performance from both of them, as he sings full of regret and longing, and she cries, unable to hold back her emotion any longer. It’s actually moving, which I didn’t think I’d be saying about these two characters’ potential for a reunion.

Ra-Him arrives at the action school with her gift exchange present in hand, and is surprised to find that Joo-wonda is not only there, but has contributed to decorations and party supplies. She asks what he’s doing here, and he responds with the duh answer: he wants to spend Christmas Eve with you, doofus.

One hilarious moment is everyone’s reaction when one of the trainees confesses his love for Ra-im, to everyone’s horror. Joo-wonda ends up laughing at the action school hijinks and having a good time, despite himself. Ra-Him adorably even sneaks a handholding session with him behind Jung-hwan’s back.

The next day Ra-Him looks in the mirror as she shaves, and swoons over feeling close to him, like they’re standing together, if she closes her eyes. She notices the bottle of pills on the counter, and flashes back to Oska’s oblique references to an accident, memory loss, and seeing someone named Ji-hyun about pills.

She walks over to Oska’s house, and he happens to be sitting there with Ji-hyun, because he needed some sleeping pills. Ra-Him doesn’t know her, so she treats her like a stranger, confusing them. She realizes that she’s supposed to know her…

Meanwhile, Jong-soo sees Joo-wonda looking at the picture of Ra-im and her father, and asks about the exact day. Joo-wonda asks what day, is it Jong-soo’s birthday? Jong-soo looks at her, puzzled…

Back at Oska’s, Ra-Him plays it off like she was just kidding, and gets away with vague responses as Ji-hyun makes her exit. Then Ra-Him sits down to ask Oska if he knows Ji-hyun’s phone number, since he lost it and needs to ask her something. HA! This is hilarious.

Oska looks at him like he’s gone insane…

Jong-soo can tell that something’s not right, and to confirm, he pretends the date he was talking about was his birthday. Joo-wonda just responds in kind. God, any idiot can tell it’s supposed to be the day her father died! He confirms it with one more fact: he casually mentions that their sunbae Ji-hoon called to ask about her. Joo-wonda pretends to recognize the name and wonders if he has the number…

Jong-soo stares a hole right through Joo-wonda’s head, as he finally asks, “Who are you?”

Cut to Oska, asking Ra-Him the same question: “Who are you? You’re not Kim Joo-won.”

Jong-soo: Kim Ji-hoon died three years ago. And that’s the date that Ra-im’s father died.

Oska: Ji-hyun is the person who just walked out. Who are you, and where is my little brother, Kim Joo-won?

Aw, hells yeah!

COMMENTS

Finally, something new in the dynamic! I can’t wait till Jong-soo and Oska muck things up with their knowledge. What a great scene to have their realizations come simultaneously like that. It makes so much more sense that people this involved in their lives would notice that something was awry. The fact that they didn’t notice it the first time was hilarious for the hijinks (lest we forget the kissing cousins) but not so realistic, so I’m glad that something’s finally going to come of their swap this time around, other than the novelty of driving each other’s bodies around.

This episode was a much-needed up-tick, because as stellar as the chemistry is between the actors, the story wasn’t doing anything new for a good long while. In this episode we finally saw a major shift in the relationships with declarations and answers, and now some real suspense as Oska and Jong-soo hone in on the body swap. Hope they stay swapped for longer this time, enough for the suspicions to make things more complicated, and more hilarious.

As for the spirited debate over Episode 13’s bed scene: many people have argued that intent (to only hug) excuses actions (forcing her onto the bed for a hug). Does that mean if I steal twenty dollars from javabeans with the intention of giving it back (really, I swears it!) that means my actions are justified? Intent is important, sure—it’s the very crucial difference between murder and manslaughter, for instance—but that doesn’t mean that there are no consequences for the action. You still gotta do time for manslaughter.

I don’t know what Joo-won’s intent was, because I’m not him. But his actions violated the one principle, in my book, that should be universal: when I say get off of me, get the fuck off of me. I don’t care if Ra-im is a Badass Stuntmaster Extraordinaire™ or the goddamn Second Coming of Yoda; whether man or woman, big or little, strong or weak, this is a fundamental respect for another human being’s body that should be adhered to. That’s MY universe, and dramas, and all fiction, no matter how fantastical or mystical, are a reflection of that ‘verse.

When they mess with my fundamental rules, it’s my prerogative to get my sparkly panties in a bunch over it, as it is anyone else’s, to do the opposite. That’s the fun, yeah? It’s naïve to assume that television as a form of popular entertainment is not borne of a culturally specific time and place, and that it has no effect on the world it came from, or the one that will come after it. That is the cycle of pop culture and the way we consume, react to, and create it.

Unwanted-advances-as-romance is a socially problematic issue. If the argument is that Ra-im really did want the advances, well then I’d say, Drama, she should have said, “Yes, please, with a snuggle on top!” and not, “No.” Javabeans was calling attention to something that is actually a rather old issue to have plagued many works of fiction and in many ways more egregious than Secret Garden‘s. But that doesn’t excuse the drama from having made the call to portray that scene in all its ambiguity. Of course we’re going to call Show out on that shit. Hello, have you met us?

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101 Peace

December 27, 2010 at 10:03 PM

Who ruined my fundamental rule for respecting other people was JW's mom in the ep.13. Compare LI's reaction during&after the mom's abuse verbally with that during&after JW's aggressive action in the ep.
In my view, The bed scene was understandable and romantic despite some critics. If you see and judge only the bed scene instead of the whole ep., you may agree with JB's point. So disappointing that you seperate the bed scene from the main characters' progression in their love and growing through the entire of scenes and episodes.

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102 Joo won/Joo wonda

December 27, 2010 at 10:14 PM

Please stop ranting about beder scene otherwise i also become sader like jung in guy! :-(

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zach

December 29, 2010 at 2:16 AM

LOL

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103 Ladymoonstone143

December 27, 2010 at 10:15 PM

Thanks for the great recap Girlfriday...

I just love this episode. Finally...the characters are moving forward with their feelings. The KISS is totally HOT!

Looking forward to the next weekend...and SG made me totally forget that next weekend is New Year's already....lol

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104 LALAL

December 27, 2010 at 10:16 PM

I cannot get over the fact that the tracksuit made another appearance... HAHAHAHA

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jooiew

December 27, 2010 at 10:44 PM

haha yeah that's his date attire <3

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105 addictive too

December 27, 2010 at 10:17 PM

good recap..
Although I thinks it's getting old how both GF and JB always picking on Joo Won for being self absorbed and not a perfect gentlemen

I thought at the beginning that is why you like Joo Won..
He is not perfect...that what makes this drama exciting and not boring
he is self absorbed in a good way for drama sake and it's funny as hell for me....
we will not have this story if he is oh so polite and all....

kinda like house MD, if anybody watch that TV series. He is a Misanthropic, but nevertheless a lovable character. And there is nothing wrong about that because in real life they do exist and there will be someone who loves them just the way they are

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ni

December 28, 2010 at 10:19 AM

please...don't bring House in here. When he bullshits Cuddy calls him out on it. And when he does crazy things it's supposed to be looked at as crazy, not romantic.

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106 ajooma

December 27, 2010 at 10:18 PM

i don't want to have a sad ending... but i feel it coming...

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107 sunandmoon

December 27, 2010 at 10:19 PM

The can of worms being open, I hope no one minds my objections to two statements in this blog post:

"He then, because he is Joo-won, looks at the label on her dress and notes that it’s a nice one. Pffft. He is such a girl, sometimes."

This seems to suggest that caring about fashion labels makes one a "girl," and a guy who is like a girl is laughable and less cool. It's sex stereotyping that puts down qualities that are more commonly associated with women, and in Western culture such comments are often tinged with homophobia.

"Mom of course (not knowing that this is coming straight from her son) thinks that this girl is threatening her with balls of steel, and asks what Joo-won thinks."

Applying the expression "balls of steel" to a woman (who actually isn't a woman, but Mom doesn't know that) suggests that having strong nerves or courage is an inherently male characteristic. Sadly, this sentiment is so deeply ingrained in the English language that there's no parallel expression for courage involving the female anatomy. Perhaps it's time to retire the phrase balls, cajones, etc., altogether.

I wouldn't normally point this out here because I know there's no intent on girlfriday's part to be sexist, but since we're having this kind of discussion, I think we can all take a moment to re-examine how we're enmeshed in a culture of prejudice, intentional or not.

Some have asked how the screenwriter, as a woman, could come up with the bed scene. However, she's also a product of her culture. Every culture is sexist to varying degrees. Knowing this, I take all k-dramas with a grain of salt. But I can see that for those who don't question what they see at all, some critical commentary may be useful. Let's just remember to be as critical in our daily lives with real people -- that's where change starts to happen.

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sunandmoon

December 27, 2010 at 10:51 PM

Also, to be a feminist is not to have double standards. So let's call out the screenwriter for having Raim taunt Joowon for not being "man" enough to eat pig skins (manliness is so overrated) and kick him in the shins as a joke (if it's OK for a woman to be violent, that just reinforces the notion that women are too weak to be taken seriously). My two cents.

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unees

December 27, 2010 at 11:51 PM

Yeah, I agree with you. I absolutely hate these sexual stereotypes that suggest that a man who takes an interest in fashion or doesn't do those things that the "Guys" do becomes "feminine" and the woman who is physically strong and doesn't care about her appearance becomes "manly". Homophobia, like you rightly said, is suggested in these stereotypes. I wonder whether the screen writer was in a sense trying to show that Joo won was "manly" enough through all the forced kisses and cuddles.

Those stereotypes about men not liking fashion or not indulging in gossip, I had thought, had been put to rest. About the first thing, just look at many of the male pop stars. And about the gossip part, yeah right!! Let's not make men blind and dumb!

On a serious note, I think these stereotypes do as much harm to the men as to the women. When a man shows a slightly vulnerable and caring side, why should we call him "girly" and shut him up?? It doesn't help our cause, nor does it help his. Period.

Similarly, I had an issue with Hyun Bin portraying Ra-Im as more "feminine" than she really is after the body swap. Hope this time around, we see a change.

Also, I feel bad that shows like Playful Kiss and Secret Garden now are sending out the wrong message about pursuing someone till the other person says "yes". It is a disturbing trend as many have pointed out. I think it is pathetic if you believe that the object of your life is winning someone's affections, whatever it takes.

We are all products of our culture which shapes our thinking. Therefore, I think it is necessary that we interrogate these things in our lives and have the courage to call a spade a spade.

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buhdoop

December 28, 2010 at 8:47 AM

Women have balls of steal too (ahem...on their chest) and their bigger than any mans.

So hell yeah women can say balls of steal, puff that chest out like you mean it ladies!

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108 decoderblue

December 27, 2010 at 10:23 PM

Finally loving Seul-Oska pairing!

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109 omega

December 27, 2010 at 10:36 PM

Seul is cool ,when she took the "blind date" girl away,and told her to back off, at the party.

Body swap came sooner than expected, maybe I was wrong, I interpreted Joo Won meanning: he felt some closeness with Ra Im 's dad.

I hope ,JW's harabuchi will approve JW and RI 's relation, and shut both JW and Oska s' mum mouth, because he has not finalised his will,yet...

one more to be added to 73 watchumlot.... eating ramen from pot or lid.

Piggy ride... i was told that it shows the person really cares for the person who is on the back, it just like a mother carrying her baby or toddler.

I am waiting patiently for eng sub for 13 and 14. Ahhhhhhh epsidoe 15 as well.

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110 pinky

December 27, 2010 at 10:43 PM

sigh...as much as i love this blog and its recaps...the occasional extreme feminism really ruins it for me -.-

i mean, i'm a girl too and i know things from right and wrong...but seriously, IT'S JUST A DRAMA.

while most may appreciate the issue being pointed out, i think a full on debate (or in this case, a bunch of supporters who each repeat the exact same thing..over and over again...OMG I GET THE FRIKIN POINT YOU CHATTY CATHYS...) in the comments section is over-doing it

okay, okay so i know everyone has the right to voice their opinions and all, but i just can't help but tire of these kinds of situations..it just turns me off SO MUCH...ugh ok i'm done with my rant now

thanks anyway for the recap :)

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irenepooh

December 28, 2010 at 1:35 AM

Then...don't read it?

You are aware that places like this are meant for discussion correct? Not simply reserved for lovefests? If you're annoyed at the discussion being had or brought forth, there are other places where the things jv talked about are met with the same loud cries of "It's just a DRAMA!" and actively discouraged.

And if this is "extreme" feminism to you, wow. Well, I guess past feminists did something right if a lot of my fellow generation are so privileged and blase about topics like this these days.

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lolipop

December 28, 2010 at 4:31 PM

yeah...truly agreed...i know u just voicing out ur opinion...but if you just think this drama as a drama..

then u shouldn't read the comments...

because most of people that share their thoughts here are seeing the drama...more than that...

i mean drama is where u can find something that might never happened in real life..that's what drama is all about..it gives viewer the fun n excitement to watch.

that's y we are having the discussion here..n we're not fanatic or obsess ..we just like to enjoy the drama in a real way.

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111 sg14

December 27, 2010 at 10:50 PM

the KISS! that was the longest lip action i've seen in KDRAMA land! those two are burning up the screen!
is there anthing like this in other dramas? there's one in personal preference in the game over episode, that one is nice too. oh yeah cinderella's sister has one too..but not this long!
what a great recap and nice episode! i wish the subs are just as fast as the dramabeans recaps

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zj

December 28, 2010 at 8:21 PM

haha yes, I thought the kiss was definitely one of the longest Kdrama kiss I've ever seen. Another reason to love SG!

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112 d-addict

December 27, 2010 at 10:57 PM

I felt like I needed a defibrillator several times just to get through this episode. All this time I wondered how hb and hjw would tackle the 'sweet' scenes. After 12 episodes, JW became sorta androgynous for me and Ra im became too...tomboyish? So i wondered if seeing them kiss would look too awkward, bu-but it turned out well!

I loved that Ra im looked feminine and vulnerable after the kiss and Joo won...well I loved that he remained SILENT. LOL. If he spoke that would have ruined the moment (for me).

I loved the shooting star through the moon thingie.

I loved that Seul changed her mind and decided to support the main couple (though I wonder at its suddeness and if she has any ulterior motive for this). But then, Seul had always been lukewarm and ambivalent about her efforts to wreak havoc in Oska's life. Maybe, she decided that even if her love life didn't turn out so well...JW and RI were lucky they even got to the "declaration" point. Oska never got around to openly declaring his love for her (the proposal doesn't really count, does it?)

I loved how Seul sounded teary when she greeted him "Merry Christmas". I loved that scene throughout.

I loved Joo won and Ra im's moments after the switch, ESPECIALLY the hug. It was sweeeeeettt.

And, what can I say? I loved loved loved that Jong soo and Oska found them out. GAHHHHH. And that last shot of them was my favorite (second to the hug. and err..the kiss?) Perfect looks of vulnerability, anyone?

Did I gush enough yet? I'll stop. LOL

P.S. Did anyone mention loving the music, yet?

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113 jyyjc

December 27, 2010 at 11:03 PM

"It dawns on him that she heard everything, and to his credit, though he remembers it a decade too late, he still goes running over to her."

so they did not see each other for 10 years??? was that mentioned but i missed it?? i thought it was only a few years. wow that's a long time.

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114 Guest

December 27, 2010 at 11:06 PM

Didn't she have scars on her arm or is that part of the make over?

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Joebs

December 28, 2010 at 4:33 AM

I guess the stylist did some makeup on her arms...and on her legs? Unless she's wearing stockings or smth?

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115 jully moue

December 27, 2010 at 11:10 PM

OMG OMG OMG what if the accident that joo won was in last time was the exact same one that killed ra im's dad and ra im's dad saved him!

that's why her dad came back and wanted to put them together? joo wan-da looking at the locker feeling her dad familiar!!!

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116 dana

December 27, 2010 at 11:30 PM

Thank you for the recap. I thought that Seul was just gorgeous at the party- that red dress and the jewels. Perfect! I have to say that I didn't like Ra-im's outfit so much.
Then, the kissing scene- I was anxious to see their kiss but not in front of all those people. I know that they love each other, and it was like they were all alone in that room and so on, but they weren't. I remembered the last episode from Plan B, when Ji-Woo was declaring his love in front of all those reporters, who were actually waiting for him to say something else, produce evidence in an important case. But the stories are so different, Ji-Woo is a clown so you expect that from him. I don't want to exaggerate, it was a beautiful kiss, but a kiss is something personal, at a certain point I wanted to say :Get a room, people!".

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celest1al

December 27, 2010 at 11:46 PM

The kiss in public was significant though, esp because Joo Won didn't care as much anymore if his company's precious stock value went down or not (even though he was still afraid it did drop the next day, he didn't regret his action). It was an important step for him in initiating that kiss as a way to not care so much about his reputation as he did before, and that he was proud and not ashamed to declare his love for RI.

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117 passerby

December 27, 2010 at 11:51 PM

agree wif @Guest, the first thing that crossed my mind while watching this episode:
.. where the hell the bruises and scars?? Oska make up artist must be a damn good one :)).. i have to hire one to help me cover up mine.

And i'm still confused on the Ra Im dad's mistery.. he is dead or not dead or halfdead? or is he a magician or firefighter or ghost?..

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118 d-addict

December 28, 2010 at 12:34 AM

bruises heal and Ra im's scar was on her left arm..

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119 mizzychan (｡◕‿◕｡)

December 28, 2010 at 12:49 AM

hmm~

this is only my own speculation about her father's relationship and JW . .

it might be that when JW was young, their house got a fire incident (this might be the cause of his caust~ and RI's father whom is a firefighter saved him during the fire, but unfortunately died during the incident ~~

my 2 cents ==a!

anw, i just wanna say thanks so much for both JB & GF for the awesome recaps =) that always make me LOL, T_T, o_O, omg . . and ^___^ *smile* hahaha~

this is my 1st time posting so, please mind my english lol ^,^

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mizzychan (｡◕‿◕｡)

December 28, 2010 at 12:52 AM

i mean *claustrophobia*
sorry for d mistyped >_<a!

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120 oftheshore

December 28, 2010 at 1:17 AM

To move away from the one topic everyone's been discussing lately, I just wanted to say that I loved nearly all of the characters in this episode (with the exception of Joo-Won's mother, that is, but she's just being her evil self).
Also, You Are My Spring is an amazing song, love it!

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121 Francesca

December 28, 2010 at 1:39 AM

The best kissing scene eva in K-drama land!! *squeal and faints*

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122 yui

December 28, 2010 at 2:01 AM

AS USUAL...THANK U...!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it's just awesome..im happy for being here..SG *singapore?? kidding* secret garden XD

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123 dgirl

December 28, 2010 at 2:08 AM

Pleaseeeeee...... Make it a happy ending!!! I really hope no one will die

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124 Atsirk

December 28, 2010 at 2:16 AM

Thanks much girlfriday :D

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125 ghaylet

December 28, 2010 at 2:23 AM

I actually appreciate all the comments being posted since episode 13. They make me see different perspectives and re-asses/re-confirm my own opinion. Everyone has his own opinion, and have every right to voice it out. This is one of the beauties of a person, his complexities being shown through his set of values, culture and beliefs. It's just sad when we start attacking these. Let's all just respect each other, no one has the right to judge or ridicule.

Thank you JB and GF. Really appreciate what you've been doing. I may not always agree on some things, but I have a great respect for you both. Thank you for always opening my mind to different perspectives.

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126 @.@

December 28, 2010 at 2:30 AM

omo!!!! i can't wait for the next episode!!!

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127 question

December 28, 2010 at 2:32 AM

maybe i missed it somewhere...when ra-im's soul takes over joo-won's body, "she" has a tendency to get excited about text messages and repeats the little message that notifies her of a new text message. does ra-im in ra-im's body do that? did i miss it in an earlier episode? "she" did that a lot during the first body switch. or...maybe hyun bin is just having too much fun playing ha ji-won's role?

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soul searcher

December 28, 2010 at 3:03 AM

nope real did that. Hyun bin really is paying attention to ra im

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128 oly

December 28, 2010 at 3:32 AM

COOOOLLL...
LOVEEEE...

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129 Anonymous

December 28, 2010 at 3:48 AM

Am I the only one who is relieved that Joo-wanda didn't wear his sparkly tracksuits to the action school?

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130 memei

December 28, 2010 at 3:56 AM

Girls, let's all move on okay? The writer prolly got carried away with the romantic aggressive courting thingy and seeing all the comments and thoughts here, I can assume that everyone is in his or her right mind not to let that happen to them nor let that happen to someone else in real life.

Now, I truly and utterly love Ha Ji Won, but her english just about killed me. Thankfully, the kiss saved the day. Haha. Ha ji won unni saranghae!

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Anonymous

December 28, 2010 at 4:08 AM

I love HJW too. Didn't know who she is before this drama but I love her now. Planning to watch some of her old dramas after SG.

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Anonymous

December 28, 2010 at 3:54 PM

It would have been finished with episode 13 but ol' negative Nellie felt compelled to bring it up again in this recap like she couldn't have just have added her two cents to the last recap. Guess she's feeling slighted and wants a lot of people to comment on her recap also.

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snow

December 28, 2010 at 9:19 PM

now you're just being an ass.

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Anonymous

December 29, 2010 at 7:55 AM

The ass is yourself bitch.

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Anonymous TOO

December 29, 2010 at 3:01 AM

I totally agree with you. The discussion could have just ended in epi 13.

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131 yayyyyyy

December 28, 2010 at 4:21 AM

i dunno why but for some reason i thought this drama was only sixteen episodes and have been wondering how in the world are they going to wrap this up in two episodes?! i dunno where i've been all this time but i am sososososooooooo glad that there's still a few weeks left! i wasn't ready for it to end so soon! i would've definitely been going through withdrawal this time next week. teeeeheeee i feel so stupid but this makes me so happy :)

and of course, thank you guys for the recaps! i don't feel like my drama watching weekend is complete without them! :) i'm hoping the next recap will have the new ost song by sung shi kyung. it's been on repeat all day! his voice is swooooooon. and his voice along with the kiss scene was double swoooooon. makes me giddy teehee :)

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132 ajumma

December 28, 2010 at 5:08 AM

Thanks for the recaps!

New(?) topic - I find it interesting that although Joo Won is completely immature and emotionally stunted, he is observant enough to identify everyone's love interest: ie Ra-im's reciprocal attraction, Oska and Seul, Secretary Kim and Ah young, jong soo;s unrequited love etc etc

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d-addict

December 28, 2010 at 5:42 AM

It was Ra im in Joo won's body who was perceptive enough about Seul's love for Oska (and vice versa). Joo won learned about Sec. Kim and Ah Young only because he was in Ra im's apartment when Sec. Kim visited Ah Young. I'd like to think he was unusually perceptive about Jong soo's affections for Ra im only because said feelings were directed towards a person he happens to be reaaallly interested in as well.

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133 fayrouz

December 28, 2010 at 5:20 AM

we gardeners love the bed scene
we do understand the bed scene

we love the bed scene
because its obvious that gil la rim has fallen for him
the proof she lets hem hug her in bed
because in herself she wants it too!

and we do too

thanks pd nim dont listen to these coments and please
continu with this excellent drama and exceed our imagination

we love you love secret garden best kdrama 2010 and 2011 !

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Chris

December 28, 2010 at 4:43 PM

I agree absolutely! :)

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134 Curious Rain...What does it symbolize?

December 28, 2010 at 5:38 AM

I don't know if anyone's pointed this out but I feel there's a weird connection with the "rain swap" and her dad being a firefighter....I'm too dense to figure it out but it feels like it has some symbolic significance...like maybe the rain, similar to water being sprayed from a hose, is her father's way of saving lives or ....creating new lives/perspectives or.... cleansing previous perceptions/reservations (especially those of Joowon's).... OR maybe, from what I read, it is also a "fertilizer" and implants understanding and promotes growth within both these characters. Idk, I had to google "rain symbolism" -__-;

Anyone else think of anything???

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135 namedx

December 28, 2010 at 5:48 AM

Another great recap! Thanks Girlfriday, it read really well. I'm loving Oska's character, he's just so full of life!

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136 BC

December 28, 2010 at 8:09 AM

As much as I love you girls GF & JB, & like another reader already mentioned IT'S TIME TO MOVE ON. Let's not let that scene ruin our/your enjoyment of the rest of the drama cuz honestly, this is 1 of the best k-romcoms I've watched in a LONG time. So many silly stereotypes that could've gone awry but somehow the production crew/actors/writers managed to take those cliches & flip them right on their butts. Finally a drama that's not insipid but doesn't take itself too seriously either :)

Happy 2011!!

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137 menotyou

December 28, 2010 at 8:13 AM

Wah.. I lost my patience of waiting for the sub to come out so decided to read the comment of the writer of the recap. I don't want to spoil the whole episode, so I just read the comment part. lol

do anyone know what episode will this drama end? I read in google suppose to be on 16, but does that mean it'll end next week?
ah... too soon..

Thank you for the recap tho!! =D

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anon

December 28, 2010 at 9:03 AM

There are 20 eps.

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138 Kitty

December 28, 2010 at 8:30 AM

C'mon you guys! Stop fighting over the bed scene. Its just a drama. Everyone has their own opinion about certain stuff and I'm sure once our mind is set, it cannot be convinced otherwise. Let's just move on with the discussion.
I love the kiss scene! That is exactly how I wanted to be kissed! :)
Do you guys remember that woman that transformed into a man in the forest? I remember him saying sorry to both jw & raim for swapping their bodies to save his daughter? Doesn't he look like raim's dad???

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139 gazelle

December 28, 2010 at 8:39 AM

First: Thank you for the recaps jb and gf. Your writing skills are inspiring and addictive. Keep up the good work please...and ignore the negative comments.

Second: I agree with you, forced kiss and forced hug made me uncomfortable. The writers handled the dynamic and skinship between the two main characters better at other scenes. I mean, he kissed her (to get the foam out of her lips) and hugged her (after the first body swap ended, or even while they were sleeping the previous night) before and it was surprising to her and sweet without being creepy...

Third: the kiss scene was outstanding...the best kiss scene ever, thank you actors! The chemistry between the actors is amazing. Frankly...both leads are such good actors that they could each have chemistry with a rock or a tree...so, the two together...explosive.

I hope we have some hillarious comedy before the series end.

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Jomo

December 28, 2010 at 1:20 PM

Frankly…both leads are such good actors that they could each have chemistry with a rock or a tree.

Funneeeee! (and true!)

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140 estee

December 28, 2010 at 8:40 AM

4 ra-im: where r ur scar? n 4 a stuntwoman ur nail is just 2 beautiful.....but u r beautiful^^

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141 katiamon

December 28, 2010 at 10:18 AM

Oh my god!!!!!!!! both caught up =O!... this is getting awsome... need more, nooooow!!!!

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142 Sukispop

December 28, 2010 at 11:32 AM

Thanks, girlfriday, for your recap and insight! Always a great read!

Ra-im's and Oska's vaguely similar hairstyles notwithstanding, I thought Ra-im/Ha Ji-won looked absolutely stunning when she arrived at the party with Oska. She is simply beautiful.

I loved pretty much every moment in this episode, and sighed a huge sigh of relief at our leading couple's truthful declarations of their feelings. I loved how their kiss was not a record breakingly sustained single kiss(like in Prosecutor Princess...though I loved it for Seo In-woo and Ma Hye-ri in their scene), but a series of wonderfully tender, sweet, and loving brief kisses. For me, it was more about their declaration and mutual acknowledgement of their feelings for each other...than about an undercurrent of passion and longing. It really was a beautifully tender beat. And I don't think any other two actors could have done it better.

I am really loving how Kim Sa-rang is portraying Seul. While I didn't like her hoity-toity snobbishness in earlier episodes, or her big scheme to snag Joo-won, I found that I never truly hated or disliked 'her'. The scene with her going to Oska's home to be with him because she was worried about him...that was such a great scene, and my eyes were welling up right along with Seul's. And Yoon Sang-hyun's serenade was haunting and sad. Only problem I have with Yoon Sang-hyun's singing is that I find it hard to be convinced that he's a has been with not much talent...because he sings so beautifully.

Absolutely loved the ending scene, the way that both Jong-soo and Oska reach similar conclusions and demand to know who these strangers are, who possess the bodies of their loved ones. Like everyone else here, I can't wait for the coming episodes to see how this plays out.

Thanks again, girlfriday!! :)

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Jomo

December 28, 2010 at 1:18 PM

I agree with you on how gorgeous our OTP looked at that party, and the kiss, ah the kiss!

If HB kissed me like that, I wouldn't have cared if my husband were in the room!
(jk, dear!)

Also with this: Only problem I have with Yoon Sang-hyun’s singing is that I find it hard to be convinced that he’s a has been with not much talent…because he sings so beautifully. I can see how 1000's of women have fallen at this feet, though!

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143 Alexis

December 28, 2010 at 12:18 PM

Loved this ep! Can't wait for next week's episodes!

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144 Neverbeenkissed

December 28, 2010 at 2:23 PM

People quit drooling over that kiss... it will not happen in real life...its just a Drama! JW cannot be your lover.

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Jomo

December 29, 2010 at 10:58 AM

(covering ears and eyes[since this is written, after all])

I can't hear* you I can't hear you I can't hear you I can't hear you I can't hear you I can't hear you I can't hear you I can't hear you I can't hear you I can't hear you I can't hear you I can't hear you I can't hear you I can't hear you I can't hear you

*metaphorically

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145 Myxale

December 28, 2010 at 2:51 PM

Thanx a bunch!
Just bridged the gap between 13 and 14. Will eagerly await the subbs! Luv yer writings!

And for the sake of sakes, stop arguing about the 'Bed Scene' already!

In all my years here, It has never gotten this outta hand over a Drama scene. Whatever your opinions...keep them to youselfs.

Deconstructing Drama here, not your opinions!

So...next

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DRAMAADDICT/4ever

December 28, 2010 at 4:31 PM

What I always notice is that the mayority always agree on JB and GF, because they are both so good in analyzing dramas a different way, so it end overpowering the minority that does not agree.
Maybe it got out of hand this time because the drama is so popular and it has so many followers( me included), that pretty much it had people divided(unfortunately still has) but I hope it does not happen again because it is so much fun when everyone is in the same page and comment on the actual episode rather than something else.
Something that no one can deny is that the drama despite its flaws it is one of the best of 2010!!
Can we please just enjoy this wonderful drama!!!

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ni

December 28, 2010 at 8:48 PM

I'm sorry but can you correct your English and be a little more coherent with your sentences?

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mia

December 29, 2010 at 1:20 AM

blegh~ so childish!

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a

December 30, 2010 at 6:11 AM

For gods sake !!!
Not everybody speaks english as their first language!!!!
Be a little kinder please
Her grammar may not be perfect but she is perfectly coherent

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dgirl

December 28, 2010 at 8:36 PM

Totally agree..... Stop arguing about this bed scene thingy. U're grown up, u can different what's good and what's not. Let's enjoy the drama.... Next

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146 k.c

December 28, 2010 at 3:21 PM

itching to get this out of my head.. bout the bed scene, yess...in real life t's wrong. but, in this drama....i hv diff opinion. let's not forget Ra Im is a stuntwoman & (as we can see on ep 14) Joo Won is a weakling... She just can kick his ass or punch his stomach if she want to.. :)