The King 2 Hearts: Episode 17
by girlfriday
Who knew the truth could be so scary? Secrets come tumbling out, turning everyone’s lives inside out from the repercussions. It’s a good thing our heroine is as badass as they come.
SONG OF THE DAY
King 2 Hearts OST – “아픈 사랑” (Painful Love) [ Download ]
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EPISODE 17 RECAP
Defeated and at the end of his rope, Jae-ha tells Shi-kyung to make the call – he will abdicate the throne to get Hang-ah and Mom back safely. Shi-kyung asks him to consult his staff, but he’s made up his mind: “Call Bong-gu. He’s the king now.” Say it ain’t so!
Meanwhile Hostage Hang-ah agrees to try and convince Jae-ha to do the same, and Bong-gu sets her up on a video conference straight from the baddie’s lair. He warns her that the call can’t be traced, and keeps no less than three guns trained on her the entire time. He tells her to act as helpless as she can, to sell it. She glares.
Jae-ha braces himself, and Shi-kyung tells him to draw out the call for as long as he can. He answers the call and they both just look at each other for a long moment, with no words.
He finally asks if she’s okay, and if Mom’s okay, and Hang-ah tells him that they’re fine. He tells her not to do anything—he’ll take care of it all, and in fact it’s already done. “Let’s live comfortably from now on.”
Hang-ah wells up with tears, and then starts to cry, saying that she wants the same. “I want to live!” She wails into her handkerchief, as Bong-gu sits back, pleased as punch. She sniffles through her tears that Jae-ha is the only reason she’s survived, and then mentions the WOC…
“Do you remember what I said, about what kind of man I want?” That changes his face instantly, as he realizes that the weeping is an act. He remembers exactly what kind of man she said she wanted—one she could respect, who would win, fair and square.
Awww, yeah. She keeps going, as if taking a trip down memory lane. She says they won, didn’t they? And they have lots of other fond memories together, like spinning the globe and wondering where to send a present.
He remembers spinning the globe and wondering where to send Bong-gu’s gift. He thinks to himself: Is that where you are? I love that it’s not some complex code, but just stuff that only Jae-ha would understand.
Bong-gu senses something wrong, and calls out. Guns get cocked around her. Jae-ha asks what’s going on (he can only see her face), and she says that there’s no one, but adds that they can’t do whatever they want (basically she’s figured out that they can’t just kill them).
And then she turns to Bong-gu with daggers in her eyes, to say this was just an act. She turns back to Jae-ha, now screaming frantically, “Listen to me! If you resign like this, I will bite my own tongue and just DIE! You can’t resign…!”
The video feed gets cut in the middle of her cries, leaving Jae-ha shell-shocked and calling out her name over and over at his blank screen.
Shi-kyung and Dong-ha come running in, and Jae-ha gathers himself. “China. That’s where we sent Bong-gu’s present. She’s there.”
Bong-gu asks what she meant by the globe, and she hilariously wipes her tears and flips her hair as she leans back casually and asks if he doesn’t remember getting a present. But… why are you telling him this?
He asks if she told Jae-ha their location, and she breezes that she didn’t say anything that wasn’t true—he can’t kill them, not with the U.S. and China breathing down his neck. “And that’s why all you could do is play around with scissors at Mother! Did you enjoy playing hairdresser? Did it make you happy? Kim Bong-gu?”
Nice. It succeeds in getting under his skin. He lights up with rage, and then HE DECKS HER, with a punch to the face. Damn.
It knocks her sideways for a moment, but then she just stands up, even more defiant than before, like the hit just woke a beast. He says sure, he can’t kill her, but he can make her rot so that it doesn’t show.
He steps back to let his minions do the dirty work, but as soon as they attack, Hang-ah headlocks one and kicks the other down. She then yanks the sunglasses off of a henchman’s face, and in that moment I really really want her to just put them on and smile.
But she does something more drastic (and probably more practical), and snaps them in half, turning it into a shiv. And THEN, crazy girl raises the pointy end to her own jugular, as she calmly tells Bong-gu that she is special forces, and not to be fooled—she’s choosing not to die yet, but could at any moment.
She tells him to let her stay by Mother’s side, and she’ll behave. Haha. Dude, your hostage is giving orders. Methinks you’ve lost control of the situation.
He complies, though by the time she’s brought in to see Mom, she’s pretty bruised up. She puts on a smile and insists she’s fine, and then Mom surprises her by agreeing to escape. “Let’s try it. Let’s try anything.” Yay, Mom!
Jae-ha and Shi-kyung (along with Hang-ah’s father) plan the rescue mission. They try to get China’s cooperation, but Bong-gu counters that move with one phone call, after which China refuses to give aid or allow South Korean troops into their country without any hard evidence.
Jae-ha realizes that it won’t happen through official channels, and says that they’ll have to send in a team posing as tourists. As he says this in voiceover, we see Dong-ha arriving at the airport dressed in plain clothes.
Not-Shi-kyung (from the WOC team) is just behind him, and then Young-bae shows up just ahead. Yeeeesssssss! Bring it, Sniper Young-bae! I love that the goofy guy who gets picked on is really the deadliest in a live combat situation. As soon as he shows up, I feel like it’s in the bag.
I love the badass way they walk through the terminal without acknowledging each other’s presence. Sadly, no Kang-seok this time. Or maybe he got stuck in customs trying to bring a rocket launcher as his carry-on.
Meanwhile Hang-ah and Mom put their escape plan into motion. Mom drops a lamp to draw two guards inside, and then Hang-ah takes them down so fast that Mom just gapes. Hang-ah grabs a gun and they make a run for it.
She gets into a firefight before making it into the basement tunnels, and as she takes out one guard, another shoots her in the arm. They run and hide and run and hide until they make it through the tunnels and into the caves below the complex.
The army of minions run around aimlessly, while Bon Bon sits and thinks what she would do, and heads down into the caves…
The rescue team reaches the entrance to the caves, planning to take out the guards and make their way inside. Only more guards come running up to announce that the prisoners have escaped.
Dong-ha and Young-bae look at each other, and then decide they can’t let all those guys walk right in to block Hang-ah’s way out, so they just start shooting.
Hang-ah and Mom finally reach the end of the caves, but find their path blocked by a river. By now her arm is in bad shape, but she says she’ll cross first and find a rope or something for Mom.
But Mom says that Southern women are strong too, and that she won’t become a burden to her daughter-in-law. She walks right into the river and swims her way across. For some reason Hang-ah doesn’t follow right away, and for a moment it seems like maybe she can’t…
Bon Bon and her attack dogs come running, and they start to reach the edge of the caves. Hang-ah hears the dogs and THEN she jumps into the river and swims across to the other side.
I… really don’t understand why that river crossing was made to be so dramatic when both of them could make it across. Why didn’t you just swim together as soon as you got there? For dramatic weight? ‘Cause now it just seems silly.
The Rescue Rangers get pinned down, and Young-bae tells Dong-ha to go look for them while he holds the line. Dong-ha takes off running, calling out for Hang-ah and the queen mother.
Once they cross the river, Hang-ah and Mom start to hear Dong-ha’s voice. But at the same time, Mia is closing in on them. Hang-ah tells Mom not to think, and just look ahead and run.
Mom protests but she forces her to go alone. Mom takes off running, and then Hang-ah takes out her gun and fires to make her presence known, and then runs in the other direction. Okay, now THIS makes drama AND sense.
The diversion does the trick, and Hang-ah draws them into the woods. Mom runs for her life and reaches Dong-ha. Whew. She gasps for breath and tells him they need to find Hang-ah.
She runs deeper and deeper into the woods, straining from the pain in her arm. She tries to stay hidden, but a shot rings out and she falls down the side of a hill, buried under a mountain of leaves. Her hand isn’t moving.
Then we fade to white…
Jae-ha walks down the hall and reaches Mom’s room, where she’s being tended to by nurses and Jae-shin. He sits down next to her and takes her hand, as he says he’s sorry and that it was all his fault.
Mom shakes her head and then asks what they’ll do about Hang-ah. Holding back tears, Jae-ha tells her that they’ll find her, no matter what. Oh no, she’s still there, buried under all those leaves, bleeding to death? For how long??
Jae-ha meets with the prime minister and insists they have to do whatever it takes to find Hang-ah. The prime minister says that they’re already in a world of trouble for sneaking in to rescue the queen mother, and Jae-ha roars, grabbing him by the collar.
He tells him that this is his job, and threatens to out all his misdeeds to the people if he doesn’t do everything in his power to help find Hang-ah.
Meanwhile Bong-gu gets word that they’ve escaped, and that Hang-ah is still missing. A gun with her fingerprints on it was recovered in the woods, but she’s nowhere to be found. He makes another call to China.
Soldiers in the surrounding area stop local villagers to show them Hang-ah’s picture and ask if they’ve seen her. One villager says no, but once he gets past them, he looks around furtively and makes a call.
It turns out he’s a North Korean agent, and he reports to Hang-ah’s father who then relays the same to Jae-ha: that Hang-ah has been labeled a fugitive who escaped from North Korea into China. Basically that means Bong-gu has all of China looking to capture her as a fugitive.
Jae-ha sits with Shi-kyung as they go over their options. He’s down to one—attempting to prosecute Bong-gu in the International Criminal Court. But that’s still murky at best, since they don’t have solid evidence against him, when they do it’ll be all-out war, and Bong-gu could just as well go into hiding.
Shi-kyung suggests they call his father, who will have advice on how to deal with Club M. Jae-ha says they can’t, not yet, and Shi-kyung sighs, frustrated that he won’t explain why. Aw man, I totally forgot you don’t even know yet.
Jae-ha just orders him out of the room to avoid the subject entirely. Shi-kyung storms out, thinking over all the cryptic bits and pieces, like Bong-gu asking if he trusts his father, Dad saying it would all be over soon.
He realizes a way to bypass all the tight-lipped people and goes to the records room and flashes his top-level clearance card and asks for a file. Oh no. You’re gonna do it, aren’t you? Mrrrmph.
He sits down and pauses before opening the file. And yup, it’s Secretary Eun’s resignation letter. Damnit.
He opens it up and starts to read. His eyes grow wide and he has to close it after the first sentence, just to catch his breath. He braces himself and reads the rest, detailing his father’s crimes. And everything he thought he knew comes crashing down.
Jae-ha gets a stack of records to review, and then takes a call from Secretary Eun. He suggests prosecuting Bong-gu in the ICC, saying that he’ll testify as a witness. But Jae-ha says there’s no hard proof to back any of his claims—no recordings, just his word against Bong-gu’s. It’s not enough.
It’s then that Secretary Eun remembers Shi-kyung’s insistence that Jae-ha was an able king, perhaps now seeing the same. Jae-ha asks if he’s wrong, but Secretary Eun says he’s right.
As they talk, Jae-ha goes through the files on his desk, and grows pale when he sees the record of Shi-kyung’s recent library checkout. “Ajusshi, I think Shi-kyung found out…” Jae-ha says he’ll figure out where he went.
Shi-kyung drives in the rain, struggling to hold back his tears. Dad looks wistfully at the picture of the two of them smiling, and then grabs an umbrella to head outside. But as soon as he reaches the door, Shi-kyung is walking up to him, getting soaked in the pouring rain.
He stands there in the yard, resignation letter in hand, just getting rained on. (And in a great visual beat, Dad stands in the shadows, while Son stands in the light.)
Shi-kyung: “Is it true? Did you really do these things? You told me not to do anything to be ashamed of. That once you cross that line, you cross it completely. You told me to hold that line, Father.”
He starts to break down in sobs. “You built me up like that… and then…” He swallows back more tears. And then he screams furiously, “WHAT IS THIS?!”
Dad finally looks up at him, “You’re ashamed, aren’t you? Take a good look. This is your father’s true image.” He tells him that he spent his whole life wanting to leave a flawless legacy, and never once acknowledged his own faults, and this is what he became.
Dad tells him to forget what he said about becoming a person who isn’t ashamed. “Become a person who knows shame.” Shi-kyung cuts in, complaining through his tears that Dad is trying to lecture him till the end.
“You don’t have to say it. I already know. I’m plenty ashamed, right now!” Oof. I know Dad deserves it, but that still cuts deep. He says bitterly that he got a good final look at him, and thanks him for the burden he passed on. Dad watches him go, sinking to the ground in heartbreak.
WAAAAAAAAAAH. I can’t stop crying.
Jae-ha calls over and over again, but his phone is off, so he barks orders into the phone for people to search everywhere till they find him. Jae-shin comes up and asks if it’s Hang-ah, but he tells her that Shi-kyung is missing.
She doesn’t understand why, so he tells her about Secretary Eun.
Meanwhile Shi-kyung is processing it all, now realizing why Jae-ha was so harsh and secretive about his father, and what he did to protect him from the truth.
Dong-ha races in to tell Jae-ha that they found Shi-kyung. At the airport? Where do you think you’re going without your king?
Jae-ha sits him down and pretty much says the same thing, and Shi-kyung says he’s going to Bong-gu. WUH? Are you really in the best frame of mind right now to be a mole? You need hugs and maybe a broody shower, not a renegade mission to be a mole in the cookie shop!
Shi-kyung says this all with his eyes trained to the floor, and Jae-ha tells him to look at him. He tries to, but can’t even lift his head. Jae-ha: “What did you do wrong that you can’t look at me?! You’re you, and your father is your father!”
Shi-kyung says that he’s not doing this out of guilt. It’s because he’s the only one who can do it. He finally raises his head and tells Jae-ha, “Bong-gu is interested in me.” Bromantically?
He says that he’ll use that to join Bong-gu’s side, and when Jae-ha is ready to report him to the ICC, Shi-kyung will make sure he’s found and captured. All Jae-ha needs to do is gather the evidence.
It’s a good plan in theory, but I selfishly don’t want you two to be separated. Plus I don’t believe Shi-kyung’s it’s-not-my-guilt thing. That’s a load of crap.
At the same time, Jae-shin tells her therapist that she’s tired of everyone falling victim to this man—Hang-ah, her brothers, now Shi-kyung. She insists that her memories be recovered, no matter what the method. Urg with the deus ex machina memory voodoo. I thought we already decided you’d try everything WEEKS AGO.
Back to Jae-ha, who says no to Shi-kyung’s plan. Phew. He says that they can’t stoop to get into a dogfight with Bong-gu, with the monarchy at stake. Shi-kyung argues that that’s why he has to be sent in, and Jae-ha just rings the buzzer.
Dong-ha comes in, and Jae-ha orders him to put Shi-kyung under 24-hour surveillance. HA. Shi-kyung protests, and Jae-ha turns to him angrily, “Your guilt? Hang-ah is missing! I’M the one on the verge of losing my mind! But even still, as the king, I’m trying my hardest to stay calm and find the best way to capture Kim Bong-gu. But what are you?”
Dong-ha interrupts to say that they’ve been getting calls from the palace. “The princess…” Shi-kyung looks over with alarm. Well that oughtta put a plug in your molehill.
They race to the palace, where Mom asks them to stop Jae-shin. She’s insisting on hypnosis, but the doctor warned that she could end up worse. Shi-kyung panics, “You have to stop her!”
Jae-ha goes in alone and orders everyone else out. He tells her that it won’t help, but she says she’s been thinking about it for a long time. “I want to become a useful person now.”
He sighs, realizing that her mind’s made up, and says that Shi-kyung is outside—won’t it help if he comes in? She tells him to keep him away. “My memories are surely like monsters. I don’t want to show that to Eun Shi-kyung.”
So Shi-kyung is left pacing outside, as Jae-ha keeps watch over the proceedings. She gets put under and led through her memories, to that day she walked into the villa in Anmyundo.
She remembers being found and captured by Mia, which we already know. But then we start to delve a little deeper. Now we see what happened in the interim before her jump off the cliff.
While they hold her captive inside, Mia calls Bong-gu for instruction on what to do with this unexpected turn. She then puts the phone to Jae-shin’s ear, and Bong-gu speaks to her directly.
She asks what he wants, and he tells to take what’s in the box next to her and sprinkle it in the fireplace. “Let’s send him peacefully, your brother.” She resists, trembling in fear, and Bong-gu warns her that getting shot in the head is a messy ordeal.
Her skull will split, there’ll be blood everywhere, and then they’ll have to clean it up, which would be super annoying. Ha. Bong-gu is most effectively creepy in this murder-is-so-casual mode. “And then where would I cure that annoyance?”
And then he puts the phone to his stereo, and plays “Ride of the Valkyries,” as he mentions that the Nazis played this song while they gassed people. And he wouldn’t want to have to do that to her.
The minions drag her, kicking and screaming, over to the furnace. Mia takes her hand, forcing her to spread the coal dust with her own hand. She fights it, crying and scrambling to get away, but they bring her back over and over, with the gun to her head.
They tell her to do it if she wants to live, and she has a momentary flashback to a happy memory with Jae-kang. And then in the end, she gives in, and opens her hand.
Oh shit. Now we know why she suppressed it—it was her crippling guilt. That’s just more horrifying than I ever expected.
The realization of that moment jars her awake. She comes to, murmuring, “I killed him. I killed him.” Her panic starts to grow, “So that I could live. It was me! I killed him!”
Jae-ha runs to her side and tells her it’s okay, but she loses control, kicking and screaming at the top of her lungs. Shi-kyung and Mom hear her screams and feel helpless to do anything.
Finally Jae-ha comes out, eyes bloodshot and terrified. Shi-kyung goes inside to find her sedated, her wrists red from the straps used to hold her down, her arms cut up from trying to restrain her.
He sits down beside her, crying silently as he holds her hand. He covers his mouth to drown out the sobs, and reaches out to touch her face. His silent crying is killing me.
Jae-ha sits down with Mom, still in a daze. He says that Bong-gu had it worked out from the beginning, and when Jae-shin walked in on his plan, he made it so that even if she were to remember what happened, they would still lose her.
“That’s why I have to fight Bong-gu now. He was nothing so I tried to ignore him. But I don’t think that’s right. Because he really is nothing, I think I have to fight him. I have to fight him head-on so that the monarchy, this country’s honor, and I… can live.”
And then somewhere in China, Hang-ah stumbles out of the woods. She’s limping and her arm is still bleeding, but she makes it out onto the road, and hides out of sight when two officers come her way.
Jae-ha: “That way we’ll live. And I WILL see Hang-ah again.”
COMMENTS
I’m so grateful for a drama that can manage a couple’s separation without the noble idiocy trope—the odds are stacked against them and they’re racing towards each other, which is exactly what we want to see. I would’ve liked to see some more of Hang-ah, since being separated doesn’t mean she has to be absent from the episode. Being with her as she struggles for her life seems pretty important to me, so I feel a little shortchanged on that front. But knowing this show, there will be plenty of hardship to come.
Jae-shin’s amnesia was truthfully driving me bonkers—not her, so much as how long the story has been delaying that one single revelation, hinging it all on The Horrible Memory That Will Save All. But once revealed, the truth was a great twist. It was just horrifying enough, if that makes sense. Because being made to wait so long for anything less would’ve felt like a copout. But forcing her hand and making her choose between her own life and her brother’s…it’s no wonder that her debilitating guilt drove her to bury it so deep. I love how dark that conflict is for her, and now I can stop resenting the prolonged plot device part of her character and just root for her to face her guilt and recover. And judging by the way Shi-kyung cries by her side at the end, being needed in that way will probably be the thing to break past his barriers with her. Now it won’t matter if he was scared to end up a plaything, because she’ll need him more and he’ll be there for her.
Shi-kyung killed me twice over in this episode. I should’ve known he would somehow adopt his father’s guilt onto himself, as if things weren’t already bad enough. But I love that Jae-ha turns the tables and finally saves him for once, even if the only way to stop him from running headlong into the fire is to turn the royal guard into a royal prisoner. But he needed to be saved. And he needed to be told that he didn’t do anything wrong.
The fallout with Dad was so heartbreaking. I know that someone like Shi-kyung is completely unrealistic—no one can be that innocent, that un-jaded by the world. But I loved what he was, and it killed me to watch his idealistic view of the world shatter in that moment. The way he looked up at Dad, but this is what you said, like it doesn’t compute that someone would say one thing and do another? *whimper*
At least while so many chips are down, Jae-ha has turned the ship around in the course of the episode, since he ended the last one ready to give up everything, and ends this episode ready for a fight. I would’ve liked a punchier ending, perhaps just a reference to a more solid plan of attack, because I’d argue that you’re already in the fight. The point is how are you going to WIN it.
At least Hang-ah’s reminder of what kind of man she wants him to be is enough to jolt him back from the brink. It actually reminds me of their 60km hike (still my favorite of this show’s metaphors). When he’s tired and scared and asking why me, she’s the one to give him the strength to go on. But the journey is still his to take. She can’t carry him—she doesn’t want to, and it’s meaningless if she does, since Jae-ha is the one who has to cross the finish line. All she can do is walk beside him, for as long as he’s going to walk. That insistence of hers that he be a man she can respect, one who wins fair and square—it’s the same. What makes her the hero in my book isn’t that she’s a badass fighter (though it’s so awesome that she is) but that their relationship isn’t about saving and being saved – they give each other the strength to keep running.
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- The King 2 Hearts: Episode 16
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- The King 2 Hearts: Episode 14
- The King 2 Hearts: Episode 13
- The King 2 Hearts: Episode 12
- The King 2 Hearts: Episode 11
- The King 2 Hearts: Episode 10
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Tags: featured, Ha Ji-won, Jo Jung-seok, Lee Seung-gi, Lee Soon-jae, Lee Yoon-ji, The King 2 Hearts
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1 ilikemangos
May 16, 2012 at 8:21 PM
I luffs you so much girlfriday.
You’ve pretty much created a large K2H fanbase and brought out many silent lurkers to the surface that is now part of a community. Your recaps make wed/thurs a delightful bonus on top of a daily dosage of K2H. *Has everyone gather for big bear hugs*
Okay, Let’s get down to business.
In that scene where Jae Ha grabbed the official’s suit, pulled him close with such intense demeanor, and demanded for him to find Hang Ah – gosh, that look of desperation in his eyes to get Hang ah back... It was so plainly obvious; it’s hard not to feel for our king. Ugh, I would have asked the writers to just have Hang ah safely back at the palace and reunite them RIGHT then and there if I could for the sake of all our heavy hearts. But, as we all know, this drama doesn’t seem to go for the ‘easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy’ way out.
God, a couple’s separation never pained me this much. This show practically has me screaming -- once again-- incoherent thoughts at the screen.
-I know Jae Ha couldn’t do much this episode, but I’m hoping that in the next episode he’ll be kicking ass to save our Hang Ah. His last few lines of this episode surely will have him rising in action.
When I saw Hang Ah emerging from the forest, with Jae Ha’s “I must see her again.”
The previews have got me feelin’ anxious, but I’m properly preparing myself for whats to come.
(On a side note: I loved the whole undercover detective-spy thing they got going on here in this episode, involving our favorite team members from WOC.)
There’s only going up from here guys…3 more episodes. How this show keeps throwing curveballs at us as we’re nearing the end – I don’t know how. This drama has writers that put so much effort/craft into their writing that I cannot praise them enough for satisfying my cravings.
We’ll somehow hang in there until the very end, ‘cause Girlfriday is our pillar to all this explosive madness…But, why do I feel like this drama will be the death of me?
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ilikemangos
May 16, 2012 at 8:24 PM
"What makes her the hero in my book isn’t that she’s a badass fighter (though it’s so awesome that she is) but that their relationship isn’t about saving and being saved – they give each other the strength to keep running. "
Gonna admit that that line you wrote there kinda made me tear up just a tad.
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Arhazivory
May 16, 2012 at 8:51 PM
ilikemangos....are you me in disguise. Its uncanny how your thoughts echo mine so often. :O I teared up a little too when I read that line.
Really a beautiful way to put it GF.
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miss_buttercup
May 16, 2012 at 9:04 PM
"they give each other the strength to keep running."
that's wonderfully put, GF. They such a wonderful duo. *I prefer calling them duo to couple because the sense of word 'duo' is more... equal*
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crazyahjummafan
May 16, 2012 at 9:53 PM
This is what real, loving couples do. They give strength to each other. Whatever battles they face in the course of their lives, be it work or relationship or any thing else, each person has to go through it, but having someone by your side encouraging you and giving you strength, helps to make that journey easier. This is also probably what JH meant when he told BG that he has 'saram'.
Haven't watched the episode yet, but the recaps are already tearing me up!
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Rashell
May 16, 2012 at 9:13 PM
That was the line that I quoted too. So perfect to describe what this couple is to each other.
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rearwindow
May 16, 2012 at 10:10 PM
LOL, that's the line I quoted too! So perfect!
Also: I LOVED the undercover spy thing, too! I smiled so hard when Jae-ha announced the plan to bring in the NK soldiers.
Great insights, as always. I'm already getting teary at the thought of leaving this amazing community behind come next Thursday! Does it have to end?! This drama (and these posts) are making me feel things I wouldn't have thought a tv show could. Y'all are just awesome.
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Minea
May 16, 2012 at 10:33 PM
@rearwindow
"This drama (and these posts) are making me feel things I wouldn’t have thought a tv show could."
i wholeheartedly agree. never has a show made me feel giddy, squee-ly (?), hopeful, scared, batshit, or downright furious all in one episode. And a whole range of other emotions from the previous ones. Add to that the wonderful and thoughtful comments that you're all tirelessly putting out there.
I'm gonna be so sad cause next will be the homestretch. But let's not go there yet. One more episode this week to savor.
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MsGB
May 16, 2012 at 10:59 PM
Please y'all don't get me started. I'm already down 2 boxes of Kleenex from Shi Kyung's scenes alone. I'm gonna miss this show. If this show was a man I'll marry it. *sniffs*
Everybody in this show deserves an award. Hang Ah, Jae Ha, the rest of the "Jae"s, Shi Kyung, Mama, Daddy, Bong Gu's crazy ass, the soliders, even the "Americans" were some of the best I've seen. They each had a scene where they shined above the rest but together they made one big ol' "dont-look-to-long-or-it-might-singe-your-retina" ball of goodness.
rearwindow
May 16, 2012 at 11:13 PM
@Minea: Yes! I find myself experiencing ALL THE EMOTIONS in every episode. I feel like a lunatic sometimes because I'll be sitting on my couch, watching with my headphones on my laptop, and one minute I'll be squeeing, the next, I'll be shouting "ROCK ON, SISTER!" and the next I'll be sobbing with my hand over my mouth. I've never ever ever had this intense of a reaction to a tv show, movie, or play.
@MsGB: Yes please, can we just give everybody all the awards, ever?
Minea
May 17, 2012 at 1:33 AM
@MsGB
I agree. the parts are stand-alone great but the sum of the parts are truly brilliant! They deserve all the awards and I hope they sweep all awards and win a landslide victory.
@rearwindow
I know what you mean. It seems like I felt all the emotions known to man by watching this show. Now I'm completely human ;)
gailt
May 16, 2012 at 10:51 PM
No truer words. That's what marriage should be about.
thanks for the recap, GF.
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Bern75
May 16, 2012 at 11:05 PM
Took the words right out of my mouth, GF! i suppose that is also why so many of us are shipping this OTP. Which girl doesn't want a relationship like what Ja Ha and Ah Hang has??!
i choked up again reading this recap. and this is after reading yesterday's live recap and watching snippets RAW.
7 more hours to go till ep 18!!!
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green panda
May 21, 2012 at 5:51 AM
me too!...this is why I loved or fell in love with this drama.
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Minea
May 17, 2012 at 1:37 AM
Thanks GF for the always excellent recap and your insightful comments never fails to impress me. I'm truly a fan.
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Minea
May 17, 2012 at 1:38 AM
ooops! grammar police: "and your insightful comments never fail to impress me."
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Minea
May 17, 2012 at 1:45 AM
@ilikemangos
"God, a couple’s separation never pained me this much. This show practically has me screaming — once again– incoherent thoughts at the screen."
I feel your pain. They gutted me well and good, too. *sniff* I can't wait for payback. You hear that, Kim Bong Gu?! Just wait 'til shit's gonna really hit the fan and then YOU'RE.SO.DEAD.
Mad props to Yoon Je Moon for playing Kim Bong Gu. Best villain ever!
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Jia Min
May 17, 2012 at 4:56 AM
Best and most hateful villain ever!
I HATE him sooo much even tearing him apart doesn't make me satisfied! Haha~
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hallyu-holiChic.ph
May 17, 2012 at 2:41 AM
you're quite fast also @ilikemangoes! having a bittersweet feelings right now. i'm torn between wanting and not wanting to end this euphoria of a drama. but then again, i still don't want it to extend and lose the excitement-madness it's giving me. so i'm preparing myself (really hard) for it's ending. gaah!
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birdscout
May 17, 2012 at 6:07 AM
@ilikemangos
I am amazed that you could write such a long comment and be *first*! Props to you! :)
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mom2mp
May 17, 2012 at 7:52 AM
"You’ve pretty much created a large K2H fanbase and brought out many silent lurkers to the surface that is now part of a community. Your recaps make wed/thurs a delightful bonus on top of a daily dosage of K2H."
True dat!
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toystar
May 17, 2012 at 9:46 AM
ME 2!!! I've cried so many times while watch this drama cause its just soooo good. I can't wait to own a copy of K2H!!! Kdrama fighting!!
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2 pipiko
May 16, 2012 at 8:21 PM
thank you!
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3 kewbie
May 16, 2012 at 8:23 PM
Thanks for recapping, GF!
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4 Arhazivory
May 16, 2012 at 8:24 PM
Bawled my eyes out. More than when Jae Kang died. She shouldn't have remembered. THat scene was rubbed my emotions raw.
I'll go read the recap now to know what was said. Thanks GF.
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Cynthia
May 17, 2012 at 8:17 AM
Word.
Up till that scene I'd managed to hold back the floodgates - but when it became clear that she was being forced to chose between living or having a hand in murdering her brother, that's where I lost it. From that scene on, I was a blubbering mess.
I haven't had this type of visceral reaction to a Kdrama since City Hunter.
I need more tissues.
:)
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green panda
May 21, 2012 at 5:56 AM
I felt the same way...I balled my eyes out. I was like that man is pure evil! Poor princess--if that was me I would've blocked it too.
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Pepper Fish
May 17, 2012 at 10:46 AM
To think that Jae-shin later that night jumped off of a cliff. That jump makes so much sense now. How horrible.
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Duncerblur
May 17, 2012 at 4:15 PM
Gawd, the waterworks when Jae Shin realised what she'd done. The poor, poor girl. When the camera panned to her restraints and her self-inflicted scratches and bruises, and Shi Kyung sobbing ... I ran out of Kleenex and even had to grab a towel. That's how turned out I was.
I think this was the gut-wrenching episode for me. So many separations - Jae Ha & Hang Ah, Jae Ha and Queen Mum, Queen Mum and Hang Ah, Eun Skunretary & Shi Kyung, Shi Kyung & everyone aborted attempt ...
Yet through it all, we get a sense of hope that there will be reunification and it seems to shadow the point the drama is trying to make about North & South Korea.
Ah, I need to go wash my face or I'll look like Hang Ah after a few days in the Chinese jungle. Ha! I wish ...
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5 Swye
May 16, 2012 at 8:24 PM
Been refreshing the page like mad crazy. I can't say just how much I loved this episode!! Hang Ah was just plain bad-ass. Imma have a girl crush on her. ;)
Off to read your thoughts on this episode.
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6 reglest
May 16, 2012 at 8:24 PM
As fellow hearties says:
The second GF post it: ATTACK!!
Thank you GF!
I'm stacking kleenex right now, anyone want?
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LSGLover
May 16, 2012 at 9:14 PM
@reglest,
Please pass the kleenex *crying river of tears*
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ilikemangos
May 16, 2012 at 9:24 PM
i don't know about needing more kleenex.
this episode has sucked me dry already of the little bit i had left. (alot was poured out in our last week's episode)
But i have a feeling i'm gonna need it for tomorrow's
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LSGLover
May 16, 2012 at 9:30 PM
@ilikemangos
Seems like we're running low on kleenex here, I cried last night, cried again while reading the recaps, and I'll cry some more tonight...gotta go get me some more
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Minea
May 16, 2012 at 9:36 PM
the way the episodes are coming at us, kleenex just won't do it. we need towels. stacks of them.
@ilikemangos - make sure you drink a lot of water, maknae. i feel we're gonna need it for tomorrow's episode. gah. it looks like it's gonna leave us dry again.
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DT
May 16, 2012 at 9:43 PM
lol. we were thinking the same thing about the towels... plus we'll be saving the planet at the same time ;)
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Duncerblur
May 17, 2012 at 4:16 PM
Good lord And I thought I was the only lame ass who needed a towel. I knew there was a reason why I liked coming here.
ilikemangos
May 16, 2012 at 10:13 PM
You guys are making me laugh with the towels -- but yes, as DT mentioned, its probably more environmentally friendly. ;)
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Arhazivory
May 16, 2012 at 10:47 PM
Ah yes. That's true. Let's remember our precious trees. Hearties like trees. <3
LSGLover
May 16, 2012 at 11:37 PM
Ah! never thought about the towels! good idea, save me some money too! :D
NN
May 16, 2012 at 11:25 PM
Good to stock up on hand towels in prep for Dr Jin =)
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Minea
May 17, 2012 at 1:13 AM
oh! hahahaha! fingertip towel is smaller and purely for ornamental purposes. :D
Raine
May 16, 2012 at 9:33 PM
lol @ the ATTACK!
are we some kind of rabid fanbase? XD
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Minea
May 16, 2012 at 10:37 PM
@Raine
not just some kind of rabid fanbase, K2H fanbase is THE rabid fanbase. Ever. lol
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Arhazivory
May 17, 2012 at 1:19 AM
Agreed!
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DT
May 16, 2012 at 9:38 PM
I find for this drama it's more economical to just use a towel.
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Bern75
May 16, 2012 at 11:08 PM
I'll hug my towel tonight, for sure... =`(
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Nutella
May 16, 2012 at 11:46 PM
and here I was fooling around with some handkerchiefs... right right, stocking up on towels..
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rearwindow
May 16, 2012 at 10:11 PM
LOL, yes! Just send the whole damn box over here. :)
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reglest
May 17, 2012 at 12:10 AM
I'm sorry hearties, apparently I can't give you the kleenex, I just run out of it *side effect of rerun 16 episodes in marathon*. Will use towel from now on since economically and environmentally is the best.
Haven't watched it yet, but from the recaps my points are:
-“Listen to me! If you resign like this, I will bite my own tongue and just DIE! You can’t resign…!”
So BADASS!! That's Kim Hang Ah, no one can't take over her. I'm pumping fist while read this...so.. SO.. BADASS!! HEROIC! I love how this drama don't put the heroine as just damsel in distress but a hero within her self. Go Hang Ah GO!! *waving pom pom*
-"Did it make you happy? Kim Bong-gu?”
Hang Ah, what kind of education that SK royalty gave to you? Now you can pull Another rumpletiltskin acts like Jae Ha do?? Tell me how, or rather, tell me where I can learn it!! I want to do that too!
-
=WOC team is back!!=
Oh GOD THANK YOU!! And for saving day! Is it my birthday?? My wishes indeed come true!! I'm looking for Kang Seok actually, but since he might get stuck because of his rocket launcher, maybe we should let him miss this mission *sigh*
-But Mom says that Southern women are strong too,and that she won’t become a burden to her daughter-in-law.
Mom, how much I've said that I love you? Now you just welling up my eyes, and I'm teared again!! I.LOVE.YOU. MOM! The best mother-in-law-in-K-drama-EVER!!
And the last (for now)
I… really don’t understand why that river crossing was made to be so dramatic when both of them could make it across. Why didn’t you just swim together as soon as you got there? For dramatic weight? ‘Cause now it just seems silly.
Finally...finally GF burst out ranting about the silly things in the MIDDLE of recaps, and being a silent lurker of this site before, I know she and JB does so only when it bother her TOO MUCH, or simply because she is truly in love with this drama, and she doesn't need to 'protect' this drama!!
These for a while... I need time to dries my tears first..oh well..but it'll dry me again tonight right? So..*off to read recaps again while waiting for download*
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Arhazivory
May 17, 2012 at 1:21 AM
I wish I can help your speed regi~ You need to see this episode in action. It sucks the breath out of you and leaves your tear ducts sore, more so than you are after reading GF's great recap.
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maeye86
May 17, 2012 at 1:43 AM
“Listen to me! If you resign like this, I will bite my own tongue and just DIE! You can’t resign…!”
I paused and screaming of victory while reading this part.
Dear Hang Ah, you. deserve. to. be. the. Queen!
And about the crossing river scene, this is my take; i think HA let the Queen crossed the river first so she can make sure that the Queen will cross safely. I think it wud be harder to keep everything (well, at least everything) under surveillance if both of them were crossing the river at the same time.
But yeah, writer-nim, that scene was too dramatic. Do you know how loud was my screaming during that scene?!
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Musings
May 17, 2012 at 3:11 AM
My take on it was more like she stayed there because if they were both in the river when their pursuers arrived they'd both be sitting ducks and hang ah wouldn't be much help to the queen
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Minea
May 17, 2012 at 1:56 AM
@reglest
“Did it make you happy? Kim Bong-gu?”
OMG! you're right! i didn't pick up on that. HA totally mirrored JH's epic smackdown of Bong Gu from Episode 12. Gah. They're truly a match in every sense of the word.
And the WOC team. when I saw Resident Sniper Young-bae at the airport for their covert mission, I was like *woot woot*. That escape-rescue scene was one of the most intense I've ever seen. My heart was stuck in my throat!
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maeye86
May 17, 2012 at 2:07 AM
Oh, I think Dong Ha was hot in that red sweater. *woot woot*
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babes
May 17, 2012 at 2:34 AM
I thot the whole rescue team looked hot at the airport scene.
Loved the WOC guys! Missed KS though.
spjork
May 17, 2012 at 2:48 AM
I bet Dong Ha would look even hotter WITHOUT that red sweater.
*FANGIRLSQUEAL*
Minea
May 17, 2012 at 6:52 AM
I hear you! I hear you! Hahaha. He's sizzlin' there.
candycow
May 17, 2012 at 4:33 AM
The escape scene was great. But the amount of blood is...not at all impressive. After running that much, HA would have bled much more than just that bit that never grew, even at the end when she climbed out of the forest. It really bothers me, but I'll just contend myself with the rest of the awesome ep!
But then, I would think that she stayed at the riverbank to survey the area. Try and see where and when she can start the diversion.
So not anticipating the end next week >.<
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OldladyluvHJW
May 17, 2012 at 6:48 AM
Well, hang ah's mother in law aka d queen is sure giving me hope 4 korean mother in laws i've watched in many kdramas coz usually they're SCARY
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SoyB
May 17, 2012 at 8:56 AM
Yes, the river crossing was the one annoying bit on this episode... maybe Hang Ah was too stunned watching the Queen Mother swim that she forgot that she, too, should be swiming away. Ah well... can't complain too much when the rest was EPIC.
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Duncerblur
May 17, 2012 at 4:24 PM
LOL, I so agree with everything you said. I knew it, I knew it! I said last recaps that Hang Ah was gonna kick ass, didn't I? And didn't I say 2 recaps ago that Queen Mum was not to be under-estimated? See what faith does for you? Lots of fist pumping, is what ...
I was also scratching my head at why she didn't get in the water with Queen Mum. If she wanted to make sure she got to shore safely, wouldn't it make sense to swim right up behind her & literally push her butt out of the water?
Ad how many clips did she have in that gun anyway? She certainly shot more than 6x. Wouldn't it have made more sense to divest the other downed minions of their ammo so she had spares? No stuffing extra guns into pant's waist-band. Just the ammo ... it's safer.
I love Queen Mum ... I think the women totally rule this episode. They were strong, tough, tender, brave, selfless and totally awesome.
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7 Sailorenigma
May 16, 2012 at 8:25 PM
Thank you GF!!! You ROCK!!!!
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8 Ace
May 16, 2012 at 8:25 PM
Thank you!
I'm behind on watching the episodes for TK2H, but still excited for the recaps. [My priority watch shifted to QIHM ;)]
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Minea
May 16, 2012 at 10:42 PM
QIHM! I love it too and was able to catch up on all episodes while desperately trying to wean myself slowly from K2H's impending end.
But then K2H came back with a vengeance and I'm worse off than before. :)
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kappy
May 17, 2012 at 8:16 PM
Ace! Good to see you. I am loving this drama and hope you catch the wave!
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9 ilikemangos
May 16, 2012 at 8:26 PM
OKAY. HOW does this drama make me fist pump SO hard just within the first few minutes of it?!
I swear to god Hang Ah wins heroine of the year. Not only was she smart/quick enough to figure out that Bong gu cannot harm both her and queen mother, but totally sly/deceptive for sending out a message through information only her and jae ha would know. Not to mention, Ha Ji Won, you did some cunning acting within acting – the second you started openly bawling like that, I knew it was all for show for the baddies.
I gotta admit, I got scared when Hang Ah stopped playing within character – Bong gu obviously is dangerously impulsive-- but I’m glad we figured out Bong gu can’t kill ‘em for sake of international relations.
Can I just say the award for ‘getting-your-act-together’ in life-and-death situations goes to Hang Ah and Jae Ha? Power couple, im telling you. I bet Bong Gu’s getting all riled up inside at the fact that he cannot instill visible fear in our couple..harharhar.
Let me just add this as well: I LOVE the fact that both our royal highnesses were not damsels in distress sitting around, waiting to be rescued. Their composed selves allowed them to devise a plan to escape. I was, however, shouting incoherent nonsense at my screen when Hang Ah got shot. Serious nail biter, that escape attempt scene.
-I loved queen mother here, because she showed how she is strong spiritually AND physically. My heart broke and I saw myself tearing up a bit when she crossed the river successfully without drowning. Thank you, writers. But ach, I was nervous whether queen mother would make it out safely considering those scenes required much energy. (Side note: in reality, I heard it was body double. Our queen umuni s’all good.)
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miss_buttercup
May 16, 2012 at 8:44 PM
"Can I just say the award for ‘getting-your-act-together’ in life-and-death situations goes to Hang Ah and Jae Ha? Power couple, im telling you."
totally agree! This is the most wonderful couple in the world! They share everything. They support each other, and of course, love each other. They're totally my favorite hero/heroine. No damsel in distress here.
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crazyahjummafan
May 16, 2012 at 10:05 PM
What I love about Queen mum is that she's real! She's not just some fearless mother, but one who is actually rather timid, BUT when she always overcomes her fears and rises to the occasion. This is the third time.
1) When JH asked her to stall Sec Eun so that he could sneak into NK to meet up with HA.
2) When JH asked her to let JS be queen during the WOC.
3) And now when HA says that they have to escape.
Each time she says no, she can't, but when push comes to shove, she does it.
Em... reminds me of JH and JS. Like mother, like son & daughter.
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rearwindow
May 16, 2012 at 10:18 PM
"What I love about Queen mum is that she’s real! She’s not just some fearless mother, but one who is actually rather timid, BUT when she always overcomes her fears and rises to the occasion."
YES. This is why she's so compelling. These Hong sisters are amazing at writing flawed heroic characters (and their flaws really do make them all the more heroic, because it's so much more interesting to watch a person overcome something than it is to watch a person get it right, all the time.
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ilikemangos
May 16, 2012 at 10:47 PM
These sisters make me appreciate the flaws that are woven so intricately within our characters and their relationships to one another.
I am just so impressed. If i could ask for this sort of..imperfection which ties to reality.. i would ask for every k-drama to learn from this.
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MsGB
May 16, 2012 at 11:15 PM
Wait.........this is not HGD's Hong Sisters but the other set, right?
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rearwindow
May 16, 2012 at 11:26 PM
Correct. This is written by the OTHER Hong sisters, hehe.
Nutella
May 16, 2012 at 11:49 PM
Yeah, the *other* Hong sisters, the ones who churned out Beethoven Virus... although the difference in plot quality between the two (I'm still confused about the whole Juilliard attending thing, and it's been like 4 years or so.. then again, maybe I'm just not bright...) makes one wonder sometimes...
mom2mp
May 17, 2012 at 7:58 AM
Yeah, its amazing that the sisters who churned out Beethoven Virus are the same as King 2 Hearts. You knew you had it in you, why were you depriving the world of your genius?!
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Minea
May 16, 2012 at 10:50 PM
Nicely put, Seonsangnim! When push comes to shove, she's really the Momma Cat who's not gonna go down without a fight.
I love that the women in this drama gives such stellar performances that they really flesh out the characters they're playing, making them so real and making me so invested in all of them.
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crazyahjummafan
May 16, 2012 at 11:55 PM
@ Minea
You called me Seonsang. May I know what it means?
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Minea
May 17, 2012 at 1:17 AM
it means teacher :)
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crazyahjummafan
May 17, 2012 at 5:16 AM
AWWW!!! Thank you dearest student!
NN
May 16, 2012 at 11:33 PM
QD is really gutsy and will rise to the challenge. Love how QD responded to HA's suggestion that HA would swim across first to look for a rope to help QD across: "Don't think that only North Korean women are tough; South Korean women are tough, too! My eldest son is dead, my daughter's crippled, even my remaining son is under threat, you don't expect me to just wait here and be a burden to my daughter-in-law."
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Minea
May 17, 2012 at 1:23 AM
Yes! I love that she's got spunk and when the situation calls for it, can be pretty bad ass. Bad Ass Queen Momma.
But during their escape scene, I was so scared that she would collapse or pass out given her age and how fragile she was. When Hang Ah pushed her to go, I thought she would fall over. Took me a good 5 minutes to normalize my breathing after that scene.
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giggleshohoho
May 17, 2012 at 2:22 AM
agree. full of respect for Queen Mum...Comes through strongly at the crucial moments.
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reglest
May 17, 2012 at 2:37 AM
"What I love about Queen mum is that she’s real!"
Agree! Eonni, You've listed her brave acts throughout the drama and I'm nodding my heads in agreement. ..She looks weak before but strong when the times come. Interestingly, it's actually the opposite of her earlier appearance when she seem strong but actually weak inside. Do you remember the moment she scold Jae Ha for didn't wearing proper mourning clothes after the 'news' announced? She looked so strong and strict which make me think 'euhh~ another stick to the rules joseon momma' but she later breakdown in Jae Ha's arm. It's interesting how the writer flipped her character, and as other says, I love that she isn't super woman and has flaws.
The one who grows in this drama isn't only our OTP and STP, but also...our queen mother <3
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rearwindow
May 16, 2012 at 10:21 PM
100% agree. Hang-ah/Ha Ji-won is a goddess. Her acting in that video conference scene was INSPIRED.
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babes
May 16, 2012 at 11:45 PM
"Not to mention, Ha Ji Won, you did some cunning acting within acting – the second you started openly bawling like that, I knew it was all for show for the baddies."
Yeah! I was going, Woah! HA can act too!
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Arhazivory
May 17, 2012 at 12:07 AM
Her acting while acting was really superb.
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10 kdramaFrenzy
May 16, 2012 at 8:28 PM
I don't know how many times I refreshed the page waiting for this recap. Yet again I am gutted
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11 bbchuu
May 16, 2012 at 8:28 PM
omg this episode is killing me...
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12 rearwindow
May 16, 2012 at 8:28 PM
I'm starting this episode now! I feel like a kid at Christmas!!! :D
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13 Guam2000
May 16, 2012 at 8:28 PM
Thank you girlfriday for the brilliant recap. What would we do without you???
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Guam2000
May 16, 2012 at 9:36 PM
Really needed to say that the ending to your recap comment is magnificent. Let me re-quote your phrase about what we all like most about the JH/HA couple is that "What makes her the hero in my book isn’t that she’s a badass fighter (though it’s so awesome that she is) but that their relationship isn’t about saving and being saved – they give each other the strength to keep running." I don't think anybody else could have said it any better. I have noticed that most of the K-drama are male dominated and for once it is nice to see the female character take charge or be in the same level as the male lead and not always some damsel in distress.
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rearwindow
May 16, 2012 at 10:26 PM
That was a money quote for sure. I too loved the ending of this recap.
So refreshing to see take-charge women who actually become MORE badass as the show progresses, rather than less.
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Minea
May 16, 2012 at 10:55 PM
@Guam2000
You're right. It's so refreshing to see the women on the same playing field as the men in terms of smarts and sass. No damsels in distress here. Even the Queen Momma shows her Alpha Female qualities when needed. Hail to Power of the SHE!
I said it for the bajillionth time but I'll say it again - I love this show!
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maeye86
May 17, 2012 at 1:25 AM
i second that. for me this is girl power without degrading the other gender.
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topper
May 17, 2012 at 5:09 AM
Exactly!
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NN
May 17, 2012 at 3:36 AM
I always enjoy GF's perspective and comments!
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14 lordj
May 16, 2012 at 8:30 PM
O.M.G.
You just gonna love a drama when the stakes are high, the truth so staggering, and our characters are one of a kind. Definitely my drama crack this year.
Next week when TK2H ends, what will I do with my withdrawal symptoms?
Otoke!!!???
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15 ilikemangos
May 16, 2012 at 8:32 PM
"She then yanks the sunglasses off of a henchman’s face, and in that moment I really really want her to just put them on and smile."
bursted out with laughter. thanks. haha
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LSGLover
May 16, 2012 at 9:37 PM
same here! LOL! I just wish that she kicked Bong Gu too at that time coz that would make my day sooooo gooood :D
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Minty V
May 16, 2012 at 10:06 PM
hahaha, when i read that line i played THAT scene in my head and i laughed too :D
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rearwindow
May 16, 2012 at 10:27 PM
LOL; I loved that line, too! Do I sense a sunglass commercial in Ha Ji-won's future? :P
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eina
May 17, 2012 at 12:21 AM
If I'm not mistaken, she's Guess eyewear model??? not sure.. :)
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babes
May 17, 2012 at 2:38 AM
Yes, and she looks smoking hot there! Woof! *fans self*
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rearwindow
May 17, 2012 at 9:18 AM
Why am I not surprised? Ji-won has this "super cool and badass but somehow someone you still want to be BFFs with because she seems so down-to-earth" vibe that would be perfect for modeling sunglasses.
Duncerblur
May 17, 2012 at 4:29 PM
Yeah, they'll have her in TVC for "these sunnies are so strong & flexible even Kim Hang Ah can't break them & use them as a shiv" ... and pan to a relieved looking Jae Ha flashing his dimples.
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rearwindow
May 17, 2012 at 5:13 PM
LOL @ the tagline!! Any ad campaign that uses the word "schiv" in it is A-ok in my book.
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16 Chethaera
May 16, 2012 at 8:33 PM
THANK YOU GF!!! :D
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17 ninsarama
May 16, 2012 at 8:35 PM
uggghhhh today's episode just killed me! I can't believe it's ending next week, but at the same time I want Bongu squashed! The acting and writing for this drama is superb! How can a drama give you multiple shivers in one episode! Dang!
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18 Steadfastinduty
May 16, 2012 at 8:35 PM
This is so awesome... Thanks for the riveting recaps!
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19 Dahlia
May 16, 2012 at 8:36 PM
What can I say This drama is awesome :)
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20 rearwindow
May 16, 2012 at 8:37 PM
I AM SEVEN MINUTES IN AND OH MY GOD HOW BADASS IS HANG-AH? I want to be her when I grow up. Seriously SO. COOL.
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ilikemangos
May 16, 2012 at 9:21 PM
and i quote from ep 12, myself,
"the boys would go runnin'"
But really, the world would be a better place with more Hang Ah's and Jae Ha's.
Their relationship is seriously revolved around partnership and just totally bring out the best in each other.
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rearwindow
May 16, 2012 at 10:29 PM
Seriously. BTW you are KILLIN' it with the comments tonight! Every single one is spot-on. It's like you're taking the words out of my mouth before I can even type them :).
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ilikemangos
May 16, 2012 at 10:50 PM
What can i say? K2H Fanbase feels and acts as one.
We can all relate in some way.
Gosh, the things that this drama does. As if it's not already enough to make us crazy people, it's uniting all of us together (as cheesy as it may sound).
Ah, the perils/ease of k-drama land.
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Minea
May 16, 2012 at 10:59 PM
ah, cheesetastic! but we like cheese so s'all good. :)
rearwindow
May 16, 2012 at 11:17 PM
IT WAS OUR DESTINY to meet in this message board. LOL.
rearwindow
May 16, 2012 at 11:17 PM
(since we were speaking of cheese, I just had to throw that out there)
Arhazivory
May 17, 2012 at 12:09 AM
lol. True. You seem to be leaving me with nothing to say and because I'm at work I'm not quick on the uptake.
ilikemangos
May 17, 2012 at 3:14 PM
@rearwindow, i literally LOLed.
That line cannot forgotten.. so cheestastically epic.
LSGLover
May 16, 2012 at 11:19 PM
Because here in TK2H thread ~ "Great minds think alike" ~ :D
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rearwindow
May 16, 2012 at 11:51 PM
Indeed!! :)
ilikemangos
May 17, 2012 at 3:15 PM
+Like
21 natureskies19
May 16, 2012 at 8:37 PM
woooow THANK YOU GF... :)
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22 muhloy
May 16, 2012 at 8:38 PM
" He finally raises his head and tells Jae-ha, “Bong-gu is interested in me.” Bromantically?"
hahahahahah that actually made me fall into convulsive uncomfortable laughter!
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23 ilikemangos
May 16, 2012 at 8:38 PM
The shocking realization for earnest when he realizes his father’s crimes… so.many.tears.
I swear, sr. eun, you had so many chances to make it better. Jae ha was willing to forgive you after the location slip and YET in the end, even when you were face to face with your son, you STILL didn’t try to make things better, sprouting nonsense that this is who you really are. That was disappointing, although it should not come as a surprise for me. Y’know, instead of backing out like a coward trying to teach your son what shame looks like, I wanted you to be stronger, accept what you’ve done, and try to do better. Thought you were gettin’ ready to go out to meet your son to explain things to him, and yet, you were going to “take a walk” and hide from your son. I don’t know how you’ll redeem yourself by the end of this show but all in all I just want our earnest to regain his innocence. Surely, having your own father betray your trust AND his country bursts that little bubble earnest had been living in. I hope that finding out about his daddy’s deeds didn’t tarnish that unshaken faith he so genuinely had for everyone. I was hurting for your son. Really, I was. I was crying at this point and just really wanting to reach in and grab his vulnerable self, pat him on the back and give him comforting words. Such is need, cause our earnest gets continued whiplash of a different kind of pain --- seeing his gongju all bruised/cut up. This whole episode really is just filled with so much of earnest’s tears. A riveting performance, this guy.
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ilikemangos
May 16, 2012 at 8:43 PM
"He stands there in the yard, resignation letter in hand, just getting rained on. (And in a great visual beat, Dad stands in the shadows, while Son stands in the light.) "
I totally didn't catch that!
NICE. applaud.
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miss_buttercup
May 16, 2012 at 8:53 PM
I like the fact that Eun Sr. stands in the shadow while SK in the light emphasizes the different path both father and son take. That's a good detail.
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Sailorenigma
May 16, 2012 at 8:58 PM
I, too, didn't notice the symbolism until GF pointed out XDDD
DAEBAK!!!
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Arhazivory
May 16, 2012 at 9:12 PM
I didn't notice it either. GF has a good eye. It makes me appreciate the scene even more than I did before.
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LSGLover
May 16, 2012 at 9:42 PM
Isn't GF wonderful? When I read that too, I'm like "Oh yeah, that's pretty cool" and also, after she mentioned that, I noticed that Shi Kyung was under the light but it was also raining with thunder at the same time ~ just like what he's feeling at that moment ~, while he's father was comfortable under the roof ~ so sad for both of them :(
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crazyahjummafan
May 17, 2012 at 5:21 AM
Such wonderful imagery!
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maria
May 16, 2012 at 10:06 PM
symbolisms, references are thrown everywhere in this drama. this scene was just so heartbreaking.
you can never separate the light from the dark. that's life. sigh.
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rearwindow
May 16, 2012 at 10:31 PM
Yes, that was a great catch, Girlfriday!
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Bern75
May 16, 2012 at 11:18 PM
that was the second snippet i fast forwarded to, and I noticed that too. also the fact that the screen was much darker.
Now that i have seen the actual recap photos, i realise that maybe this is the real intention of the director - Shi Kyung may be in the light (compared to his father), but he is still in a dark place since he lost his innocence.
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Rona
May 16, 2012 at 11:44 PM
I wonder who else makes the ensemble to this drama...everyone from cast to director, writer, cinematography, screenplay, musical score is DAEBAK!!! Bravo, bravo. There is more to this drama than meets the eye.
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Duncerblur
May 17, 2012 at 4:32 PM
Actually, being a nerd, I've noticed the lighting in this drama quite a bit and I really have to commend them. It's subtle (actually this ep with Shi Kyung and Eun Skunretary was the least subtle) yet effective and I think the lighting director has a crush on LSG.
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spjork
May 16, 2012 at 9:25 PM
Oh, COME ON.
You wanted to give him more than just "comforting words"!
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ilikemangos
May 16, 2012 at 9:37 PM
LOL spjork. ;) perhaps
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crazyahjummafan
May 17, 2012 at 12:05 AM
The fact that Sec Eun DID NOT confess immediately is actually good character portrayal. I've noticed that people who are almost, always perfect and upright, find it very hard to accept their mistakes. It takes a longer, much longer time to come to terms with it. On the other hand, people like me, always bumbling and making mistakes, find it easier to accept that we have fallen yet again.
Perhaps that's what what makes JH a good king. He KNOWS he's not perfect. He admitted that he was trash. That's why he can learn from his mistakes (and correct it quickly). He said so himself, to BG.
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Arhazivory
May 17, 2012 at 12:12 AM
Yeah. In trying so hard to maintain his own perfect standards, he continuously dug himself into a deeper hole.
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24 Raine
May 16, 2012 at 8:39 PM
Thanks for the recap GF!
Don't know how many times I've said this, but I LOVE LOVE this drama. It'll definitely be my #1 drama if this show keeps going at this pace till the finale.
Before I go off to read, I just want to say GREAT performances from our Hang-ah and our princess! My top two fav scenes in this episode belong to these 2 girls. The whole Hang-ah vs. Bong Gu (I love how HJW facial expression transitions in this scene, so natural, all the way from the crying to the talking down on Bong Gu part, and that sunglasses to the neck? such a cool yeojya hehe I'm totally fangirling her) and the princess regaining her memories (again, really believable acting, and wow we were wondering why that incident left such a scar on her, well.. now we know the truth and it ain't pretty :S)
Can't wait for tonight's episode! I'm really hoping our Hang-ah will get rescued tonight, my heart can't take anymore torture. Btw, that ending picture of Hang-Ah, it made it flashback to her character in Damo XD
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Raine
May 16, 2012 at 8:40 PM
Oh forgot to mention, how BADASS IS OUR HANG-AH! XD Gosh HJW is really suited for these action roles hehe, my heart was beating like crazy during the whole escape scene!
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glo
May 17, 2012 at 12:51 AM
Totally agree with you, Raine. Even though she only appeared in this episode for like less than 15 or even 10 minutes; her presence impacted me deeply. Ha Ji Won (like Seunggi said) is one of the best actress this generation.
Ha Ji Won really does action scenes extremely well, but she's also a very versatile chameleon actress.
As she's now in the middle of filming TK2H as well as promoting her movie, I actually don't mind that she has less screen time this episode, because I heard that on Tuesday, she flied from Busan to Seoul - attended her movie's event (congratulations Ha Ji Won and "Korea" casts & crew for their one million viewers! Truly daebak), then she flied back to Busan to resume her TK2H filming. And it's not the first time she's done that.
Ha Ji Won, you're a superwoman.
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babes
May 16, 2012 at 11:29 PM
I'm with you, Raine. Those were my fav scenes from this episode too.
HA is awesome and definitely the best heroine of all time. The way she wipes away her fake tears and flips back her hair must surely go down as a classic scene in kdramaland. I just love the way she bounces back up after the slap, and oh,...,I can go on and on gushing about that scene. Fantastic!
HB said in a SeGa commentary that HJW does action really well. Well is an understatement. She's in the same league as Angelina Jolie!
I shed the most tears watching this episode and no guesses at which scene. The truth behind JS's suppressed memory is too heart-wrenching. I have to agree with GF that the delayed recall of her memories was well used in the drama and the writers definitely didn't let us down with some crappy run-of -the-mill story.
Now I get why she had the "guts" to throw herself off the cliff. It was as much as out of guilt as out of desperation of knowing she won't make it out alive in a staged car crash.
Tears keep flowing every time I watch that scene even without understanding a word and a while reading the recaps. Fantastic acting there too by LYJ.
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Nutella
May 17, 2012 at 12:07 AM
It feels like the words from my head got typed by someone else, magically, through all these comments~
Hang Ah was so amazing... As soon as Jae Ha said "Don't worry," and she burst into tears, taking Jae Ha aback like "this isn't the woman I know..." it was all just downhill for Bong Gu from there. When the guards hauled her away and cut the call, a tear rolls, and then she does that jerk-your-chin-up thing that Yi Gak and Bak Ha do so well... that and the wipe-and-flip move... they deserve some kind of special award in my opinion.
As for dragging on Jae Shin's memory, I agree that it was just cruel enough to warrant the stretching, but I feel like it serves another purpose. If Jae Ha had the memory, he could go into the ICC guns ablazin', so there has to be some sort of mountain that he has to overcome while Hang Ah fights her way through in China. They could use the convincing ICC authority obstacle instead, but I think that the writers were shying away from writing in more racist foreigners and lots of engrish (you would think that at least one of the english-speakers would sit and proof-read the script, for themselves if not for anyone else..)
This whole episode (and the whole show, for that matter) is just made of epic things: epic writing, epic cast, epic directing and cinematography). It strikes me that with a weaker cast, or weaker directing, many things would sound lame, or not have as big an impact as they do now, but the actors are so superb that everything flows... no, thunders, along like the Niagara Falls.. Normally, I'm too shy to comment.. it always feels like everyone knows each other etc.. but K2H makes me feel fearless... I commented! Multiple times at that! A show that makes even me fearless... now that's what I call a Show. This definitely needs another season... or two.. or ten...
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Arhazivory
May 17, 2012 at 12:17 AM
A Poem by Arhazivory
The fearless writers,
with the fearless production team,
created fearless fans,
like Nutella and me.
:p
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Nutella
May 17, 2012 at 1:00 AM
we need an adore button on this site, stat, so I can abuse it for that post <3
Arhazivory
May 17, 2012 at 1:25 AM
Hehe - thanks. There are so many posts that I'd also love to adore. *sniffles* I'll miss this fanbase when its all over.
spjork
May 17, 2012 at 2:59 AM
I see most of these shady characters loitering around on the QIHM recaps, Arhazivory.
You should start watching (and reading) if you aren't already!
Arhazivory
May 17, 2012 at 3:26 AM
You haven't seen my 2 comments there. Haha. After K2H, the next fave is QIHM. I have noticed a few of the shady characters there indeed.
reglest
May 17, 2012 at 5:22 AM
Wait for me there!! *already spotting next source of excitement*
ilikemangos
May 17, 2012 at 3:30 PM
awwwwwwwwwww T__________T
*rapes like invisible like button*
Those following QIHM, you will be seeing me in 1 week when this drama ends. LOL
Surely, i'll be having withdrawal symptoms, but i'd love to join in to create another community there, too. haa
ilikemangos
May 17, 2012 at 3:28 PM
"Normally, I’m too shy to comment.. it always feels like everyone knows each other etc.. but K2H makes me feel fearless… I commented! Multiple times at that! A show that makes even me fearless… now that’s what I call a Show. This definitely needs another season… or two.. or ten…"
Aw, you are absolutely adorable.
I also felt the same with you here.
But i realized there's a different kind of community that was created here, and you're NEVER too late to join, because i feel like as long as it's someone squeeling over this drama, they're already part of the family. And a new one at that? Win! I remember alot of the ones who like to comment and reply alot, so even if it's just this episode, i'll remember you. =)
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25 Brenda
May 16, 2012 at 8:39 PM
Thank you so much for this recap Girlfriday!!
I don't even remember how much I cried during that scene where Jae-Shin remembered everything. At first I was also bothered as to why they were prolonging Jae Shin's memory recovery. . . and now that we know the reason, it's really no wonder it wasn't exposed earlier.
With just three mere episodes to go, I wonder how everything will come to a close. But, knowing this drama, it'll end just as suspenseful and captivating as it began.
It honestly feels like King 2 Hearts and Rooftop Prince just started yet they are ending already. I don't think I'm prepared for that yet =P. . .
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Nutella
May 17, 2012 at 1:02 AM
Agreed.. I still have that heady feeling when you're 5-6 episodes into the show and everything's beginning to get juicy... no way does this feel like the penultimate week >.<;;
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26 miss_buttercup
May 16, 2012 at 8:40 PM
OMIGOOD!!! What did you do to me, Show??? Last night I rode a roller coaster, that's for sure!! This episode is totally DAEBAK that my heart can't take it. Oh my.
First: HA is totally a badass! She rocks! And the greatest thing is that she actually brings out the best in Queen Mother. She really brings great influence to this royal family, I swear. Her courage and soldier mode make Queen Mother realizes that she has the strong personality and courage to face Bonggu and finally, decides to escape. And when she decides to cross the river? My eyes got teary and I really want to shout, "You rock, Queen Momma!" She conquers her fear.
Second: the moment the WOC *plus one cute royal guard* arrives at the airport. Again, my eyes got teary. Dear Writers, thank you for the consistency. The WOC team is just one of your great creations. Nothing's wasted here.
Third: Jae Shin... oh dear, the revealing of such a painful and horror memory! No wonder she represses it. That was horrible and painful. And I love her acting here *cant remember her real name*. The way she resists Bonggu's minions.. it breaks my heart. She's such a great actress. And when SK cries silently beside her... gosh, you finally stop denying your feeling to her, eh, buddy? That was sweet, really.
fourth: Shi Kyung... you break my heart again and again here! When he finally know the truth behind his father's resignation... wow. The way Jo Jung Suk cries really breaks my heart. It kills me. I can understand his feeling, because he's the royal guard, the one JH trust the most, but his father commits such crime!
How I love this episode because the casts' performance and the plot development. And is that SK and princess sharing a kiss????? See, it finally happens!! But I sense more intensity in the next episode. Wow. I'm madly anticipating it, but not really sure whether my heart can take it.
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miss_buttercup
May 16, 2012 at 8:58 PM
"Sadly, no Kang-seok this time. Or maybe he got stuck in customs trying to bring a rocket launcher as his carry-on."
LOL. Nicely put, GF! I think so too~
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LSGLover
May 16, 2012 at 9:27 PM
I laughed out so hard on this one because I was wondering last night how come Kang-seok wasn't there coz it will be nice if he has the rocket with him then I read GF's comment! She's got great sense of humor! :D
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babes
May 16, 2012 at 11:33 PM
Happy to know I'm on the same wavelength as GF.
After watching the episode last night, this was exactly what I was thinking and BAM! GF took the words right outta my mouth!
But seriously, why no Kang-seok?
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Guam2000
May 17, 2012 at 4:32 AM
I think that they didn't include him in the mission because he gets too emotionally attached to Hang-Ah. If he isn't rational they he would end up messing the save/rescue mission and in the end hurt them both. For example would be the Girls Generation gift on his birthday and the WOC fight that got them the 10 points deduction in the beginning of the competition.
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Saima
May 16, 2012 at 9:07 PM
SK can deny his feelings for JS all he wants but Jae-ha knows how SK feels towards his sister. When he asked his sister if she wanted SK in the room during the hypnosis was a great touch!!
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miss_buttercup
May 16, 2012 at 9:10 PM
"Oh shit. Now we know why she suppressed it—it was her crippling guilt. That’s just more horrifying than I ever expected."
yeah, I never thought that her trauma would be THIS horrifying. I thought it was merely caused by the moment on the cliff or when she encountered Bon Bon and other minions and realized that something bad was gonna happen to his Big Oppa.
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ilikemangos
May 16, 2012 at 9:27 PM
Yup -- this drama dwelved deeper and hit us with something not many of us could have possibly imagined.
Not thinking deep enough, i thought worse case scenario was she got sexually harassed.
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rearwindow
May 16, 2012 at 10:34 PM
I thought the same. I thought maybe they raped her or did unspeakable torturous things to her. Never did I imagine that they would force her to have a hand in her own brother's death. So dark.
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Nutella
May 17, 2012 at 1:22 AM
I'm glad for multiple reasons that they didn't go the rape/unspeakable things route, not only because I'm glad that Jae Shin didn't have to go through that horrifying experience, but because, first off, rape is the most oft-used trope used in the torturing a woman, and it would've become cliche, and in some ways, not strong enough a trauma.
By making her a very active accessory to the murder, Bong Gu's essentially broken her, or tried to. While you can rise above rape, (and many amazing women do), thinking that they may have violated your body, but not your mind, in this case, Bong Gu has shattered her mind. Even without the paralysis, what he's put her through is enough, as Jae Ha said, "when Jae-shin walked in on his plan, he made it so that even if she were to remember what happened, we would still lose her."
Now, on one hand, Jae Shin knows that she struggled her best, and that no one will blame her. But on the other hand, the guilt of even putting one speck of coal into that furnace will eat her alive. Seeing what happened, you can see why she was willing to jump out... she knew she would not survive the staged crash, but she might survive the fall... and if she didn't, at least she wouldn't have to go through every day with the knowledge that she killed her Big Oppa and Unnie.
On a side note: It really annoys me when everyone just mentions Big Oppa and not Unnie, like she wasn't even there, even though from what we got to see and hear, she was probably a competent, kind, caring and loving wife and queen. That's why I adored in Queen Mum's speech in the last episode, cos she mentioned ALL the casualties: Her elder son, her elder daughter-in-law, her maknae's mind and lower body, her younger son's peace of mind, and her younger son and daughter-in-law's baby, aka her grandchild.
Chethaera
May 17, 2012 at 3:33 AM
@ Nutella: Gradually I become lazy to write my own analysis of the happenings cause you just formed my thoughts into such appropriate words. ;)
Although there is a tiny detail I'm still thinking about.
Actually Bong Gu gave the order to kill Jae Shin and let it look like an accident. That she will jump off the cliff couldn't be his plan back then. So I wonder why they forced JS to be an active part at the murder of the late royal couple. I rather think he did this out of pure sadism. That it will traumatize her after she survived against all odds, however, just benefited Bong Gu's plans to destroy Jae Ha.
And I also have to admit that I didn't think of this possibility of Jae Shin's trauma. Excellently contrived by the writers!
I really hope Jae Shin's suffering will find an end soon, although that is a naive wish in consideration of Shi Kyungs imminent act. It's only a matter of time the next jeremiad will befall her.
C'mon people, give her a break!
rearwindow
May 17, 2012 at 9:16 AM
@Nutella: I too am thrilled that the writers chose to go this route rather than the alternative.
"While you can rise above rape, (and many amazing women do), thinking that they may have violated your body, but not your mind, in this case, Bong Gu has shattered her mind." So true, and Jae-ha's line that they would lose her even if she recovered her memory just KILLED me. I really hope that Shi-kyung is able to help put her back together, because this episode was certainly rough on the both of them. I think the only way they'll both make it through intact is if they band together. We've already seen the amazing transformative power of love (through Jae-ha and Hang-ah's relationship), so hopefully these events bring our secondary couple together as well.
Also, I must admit that I am guilty of mentioning Jae-kang without mentioning his wife. It's not that I've forgotten her (she made a lovely, if small, impact on the drama), but simply that I can't remember her name and it seems so awkward to type out sister-in-law or JK's wife. But yes, I do love that we get hints of how close queen mother seemed to have been to her (momma grieves for her as she does her lost son, and when she was giving Hang-ah permission to call her "mom," we got a lovely explanation of how JK's wife felt like a daughter to her).
rearwindow
May 17, 2012 at 9:25 AM
@Chethaera: "I wonder why they forced JS to be an active part at the murder of the late royal couple."
I don't think Bong-gu did this out of sadism, but rather to render the royal family completely impotent against pressing charges against him even if the truth of the murder did come out, somehow. Bong-gu did plan on killing Jae-shin, but given that Jae-shin's presence was a surprise, he concocted this brilliant back-up plan (knowing as we do that things can go wrong when dealing in dramatic crimes). It was essentially the perfect murder. I had been wondering why Bong-gu was so confident that the truth wouldn't come out when Jae-shin was actively trying to remember what had happened, and this explains it perfectly--Bong-gu had covered his tracks whether she died or not. So brilliant, and so evil.
Nutella
May 17, 2012 at 1:31 PM
Rearwindow just spoke, or rather, wrote down, my mind. Bong Gu might be a sadistic schizophrenic megalomaniac, but one thing he is, sadly enough, is smart. He knows that things do not always go according to plan, and thus made it so that even if Jae Shin were to survive physically, she wouldn't be there mentally to help any investigations that might occur. Only, he really underestimated Jae Shin, who is a force to be reckoned with (Chants: Go Baby Go Baby GO!)
spjork
May 16, 2012 at 9:30 PM
It also totally explains why she had zero hesitation when it came to flinging herself off the edge of that cliff.
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Minea
May 16, 2012 at 11:27 PM
so true. and it's so heartbreaking when before she opened her hand, they showed the scene with her and Jae Kang just having a great time bonding over her music. waaaah! the horror of it all!
the guilt just pushed her to decide to jump off herself rather than let the minions give her the easy way out - that of them killing her. She wanted to die of her own accord cause in her mind, she killed them. oh, man. this show just wrings your heart til you're all wrung out.
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Bern75
May 16, 2012 at 11:12 PM
U should go back to that episode where she jumped off the cliff and take a look at Jae Shin's face when Bon Bon was plotting her death by car accident. that look... pain, guilt, broken spirit. gah... i hate hate hate Bong Gu! *weep*
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twentyonebuds
May 17, 2012 at 6:19 AM
I agree, this show has always managed to surprise us and Jae Shin's memory has definitely proved worth the wair for me. I really really liked that it was Jae Ha that stayed in the room watching over her too. Having the romantic interest: Shi Kyung, would have been so.. cliche.. and for some reason I love how close this family is. I love how they depend on and love and trust each other. Jae Kang and Jae Ha shared a beautiful bond, and there's something so sweet and touching about Jae Ha getting protective of his little sister. Of him knowing that she likes Shi Kyung but also him being the one that she's willing to be completely vulnerable in front of because he is her brother and they grew up together. A lot of dramas tend to focus on the lovers all the time, but I really do love this show for giving all the different relationships dramatic and emotional weight. It's what makes the world of our characters so enduring <3
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SoyB
May 17, 2012 at 9:09 AM
Ditto!!!
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gretac
May 17, 2012 at 8:37 PM
Yes.
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babes
May 18, 2012 at 8:06 AM
*thumbs up* Well said!
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Duncerblur
May 17, 2012 at 4:43 PM
Actually, I have a theory about Queen Mum. She's from a different generation which still pegs women as background supporters. She's used to doing things the traditional way and does not take an active, aggressive stand.
Which is why she may appear weak to some people at first. But her strength is there when you examine how she weathers all the stuff that happens to the Royal Family.
The only times she veers from her passive-aggressive stance is when her children are attacked. Then it's Queen Mum Lioness who comes roaring out.
When John Mayong (those who know Chinese will know why I have re-dubbed him) did his woe-is-me rubbish, she was all awwww, till he said he just wants Jae Ha to abdicate. Then her eyes changed and they were saying "you are shitting me right, you lil twerp!" before she wailed on her with fist and mouth.
She was all whimpering about escaping till Hang Ah came back all beaten up. Then it was all "let's get out of her before you get hurt more" and she good to go.
She's the quintessential mum. And I thank God they managed to get such an awesome actress to play her.
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27 stressor
May 16, 2012 at 8:41 PM
thanks again GF...you are one of the best! :)
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Jenlikeskettlecorn
May 16, 2012 at 9:12 PM
Yeah seriously, GF, you're quite possibly my favourite person in the world right now. Thanks for these amazing recaps.
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ilikemangos
May 16, 2012 at 9:27 PM
+1 Like
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28 Byj_angel
May 16, 2012 at 8:41 PM
Thanks, GF! Now finally i can go to bed & sleep?. Kudos to the writers. The big, shocking revelations far outweigh the plot's little loopholes. I am a certified Ha Ji Won fan & an LSG convert.
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ilikemangos
May 16, 2012 at 8:59 PM
"The big, shocking revelations far outweigh the plot’s little loopholes."
thumbs up from me
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29 ilikemangos
May 16, 2012 at 8:44 PM
Hah, Bong gu. You have officially made yourself a despicable villain in my book. I thought of you just as some crazy maniac murderer who acted impulsively, lacked love in his life, and liked to play games.. But, after discovering how you intentionally planed to traumatize princess like that, FORCING her to do something that would result in the death of her older brother... Ugh. You KNEW that that Jae Shin wouldn’t say anything because in her mind, she’ll think she was the cause of her own brother’s death…God, sick human being. Absolute horror.
You know, I can’t say I’m surprised this show went there. I think we all established long ago this drama is not for the faint-hearted.
Lee Yoon Ji was excellent in portraying the pain/guilt in her eyes during that violent scene. When Jae Shin flashed back to her memories with Jae Kang, it was so emotionally heartbreaking.
I don’t know how she’ll recover from this traumatic experience but I just hope Jae Shin finds her strength and uses this as a weapon to defeat Bong Gu in the near future.
Gongju, FIGHTING!
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rearwindow
May 16, 2012 at 10:38 PM
Yes, Bong-gu is one twisted fella. I love him as a villain, though, because he's scary-smart. Even though what he did was unspeakable, it was brilliant from a tactical point of view. And because of that, it totally makes sense for his character.
And yes, Lee Yoon-ji did an INCREDIBLE job at portraying both Jae-shin's memory breakthrough and the violent scene itself. I was speechless, with my mouth open, gasping for breath, that whole scene.
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babes
May 17, 2012 at 12:01 AM
In a way I'm kinda glad that Bong-gu's villainy is coming to the fore. In earlier episodes when he kept being thwarted by JH, I was beginning to think he's just playing the token villain. Not only I couldn't take him seriously but was also a little disappointed by the writing of his character. But this..., this..., just brings him to a whole new level of wickedness. A most "worthy" opponent.
Now, he just have to die.
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Chethaera
May 17, 2012 at 3:41 AM
@ rearwindow and babes
About Bong Gu's plans ... I've put my two cents in a comment above -> 26.3.1.1.2
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rearwindow
May 17, 2012 at 9:29 AM
I responded to them up there :)
SoyB
May 17, 2012 at 9:12 AM
Agree, agree! He started off as almost comic and I couldn't take him seriously, hated his character, but he's become a villain worth hating if that makes sense. It really builds up all the stakes for me for this show and the OTP to have a believably scary smart villain.
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miss_buttercup
May 17, 2012 at 4:28 PM
this is exactly why we should call Dexter...
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30 Rashell
May 16, 2012 at 8:44 PM
their relationship isn’t about saving and being saved – they give each other the strength to keep running.
I loved this end line GF. It's so perfect for this couple and maybe why I love this drama so much. This is true partnership. Each person gives something to the other that they couldn't have by themselves. I love that.
Really I love everything about this drama. I too was getting tired of Jae Shin's memory being such a stumbling block, but then they make it the most horrific thing imaginable and it makes sense why it was so impossible for her to face. Who could consciously live with that?
And my sweet Shi Kyung, he suffered so much this episode. And it was so nice to see Jae Ha step up and be a rock for him. A nice reversal in their roles for Jae Ha to remind Shi Kyung that he's a good man, and to stop him from doing something stupid out of guilt.
And how can my heart not go out to the King. Every single person that he loves and trusts has been ravaged by this maniac. And he's the only one left standing to fight him. At least his belief that he will find Hang Ah helps to give him purpose. And her beleif in him gives him strength to keep going.
I can't believe we only have 3 episodes left. I'm terrified of where this could be going, but so excited to see it all play out. Can't wait for tomorrow's episode. This show is just all kinds of awesome.
Ahhhh stress!
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31 Laya
May 16, 2012 at 8:53 PM
Thanks for the recap <3
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32 Sa
May 16, 2012 at 8:55 PM
When earnest bot cried in jae shin's room, I really wanted to hug him. He's so vulnerable. /sobs
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33 Star
May 16, 2012 at 8:55 PM
"their relationship isn’t about saving and being saved – they give each other the strength to keep running."
This is so true!! and so rare in dramas.
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stressor
May 16, 2012 at 9:45 PM
it's just like someone building you up, pushing you to stand alone and bringing out the best in you.. :)
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34 Jenlikeskettlecorn
May 16, 2012 at 8:58 PM
God, I'm tearing up again just from reading the recap.
Jae Shin's big reveal was. insane. I was expecting something sad obviously, but to be honest I thought it would be a little tedious, a deus ex machina at a convenient moment to help win against Bong Gu. This... this totally broke my heart. Watching it last night, one second I was totally fine, and the next I was heaving. It was truly hard to watch, and I think it's total genius that it evoked such a visceral response when the scene itself showed so little.
All I can say is, no wonder she jumped. No wonder a person as strong as she was in the beginning would bury that shit as deep as she could.
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ilikemangos
May 16, 2012 at 9:01 PM
Amen.
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35 cheotjin
May 16, 2012 at 8:59 PM
another reason why i read this recap is because of the insight at the end. i appreciate it more that you share with us the connections, foreshadows, metaphors and all the wonders of this story as it is written. i love how you analyze the depth of each character and why they do what they do. "deconstructing korean dramas..." exactly what you do. thanks! thanks! i wish i could have your gift in a writing. i'm more of a talker, though. hehehehe
so sad that tk2h only has a week to go... but i know it will be remembered.
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36 fangirl98
May 16, 2012 at 9:00 PM
This episode (like all others!) is so well done that it almost defies description. I have to take some time and process all that happened.
I'm SO GLAD Earnest-bot found out about daddy's misdeeds by reading it in dad's own handwriting. Even though his perfect world of honesty is shattered, he still had the loyalty and integrity to remember Jae Ha trying to spare him the real reason for Secretary Eun's dismissal.
And who knew Jae Shin's repressed memory would be *this* dramatic?! To have had an albeit unwilling hand in her brother's death.....Oof....that's almost to much to bear.
Last but not least, Queen Mom and Hang Ah..... How effing great is it to see drama women taking care of themselves?! Don't get me wrong - I'm all for leaning on the big strong man in good times and bad, but this time the heroine gets to solve her own problems, so to speak. Then she and Jae Ha can come back together. Stronger!
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37 Saima
May 16, 2012 at 9:01 PM
:O --> shouldn't be surprised since this has become a norm!! Will make this quick....can we discuss the ladies, please?!
I was tearing up with HA when Queen Mother waddled across the river.
JS, omigosh girl!! Please writers just for her sake don't kill SK!!
HA-- so awesome as always!! When she started crying theatrically I laughed!! And, the best thing was the King's face!! bahaahaa...he was like, "ermm, uri fiancee crying?!" :S
Writers, what a way to tell us viewers that HA knew what her man was upto with Tara!! lulz
And, the bromance!! *swoon* From SK recalling JH taking the fall (on behalf of his father) to cushion his imminent hurt on discovering the truth, to the King going to the airport to stop SK from leaving the country (whaaaaat?!!).
I love that JH knows about the JS-SK love....when he asked JS if she wanted SK in the room!! ackkkkk!! If only all drama brothers were like you King Jae-ha!!
you know we kept laughing at BG but looks like that bastid had the last laugh (for now) with the torture he inflicted on JS!!
GF, unlike you I'm okay that this drama doesn't conclude episodes with cliffhangers. There's always this heart-to-heart theme going on in the past couple of episodes and I'm okay with it. Lessons that JH's been learning etc and I love it!
Show, you're my #1!! Wanted to let you know yet again! <3
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Saima
May 16, 2012 at 9:12 PM
Jae-ha blow my mind and become the best King out there, will ya?! You're getting there....with you at the throne and HA and SK supporting you! What a formidable threesome!!
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Arhazivory
May 16, 2012 at 9:19 PM
I thought the same thing Saima. EUN SHI-KYUNG CANNOT DIE because it will kill Jae-Shin. I don't think the writers would be that cruel to her.
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Rashell
May 16, 2012 at 9:23 PM
And I just don't want Bong Gu to have even one more casualty. I don't want him to have one more "win". It's time for that bastard to just LOSE!!
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Saima
May 16, 2012 at 9:30 PM
I felt that BG had the last laugh....we used to laugh at his lame antics but today that bleepin' bleep made my blood run cold.
JH + SK = please come up with a fool-proof plan and bring him DOWN for good!! Let THAT be a lesson to future Royal family haters that you just can't eff with them!
I want JH to be R.U.T.H.L.E.S.S. in avenging for the wrongs Bg has committed against the royal fam.!!
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Saima
May 16, 2012 at 9:25 PM
I KNOW!! *prays fervently to the drama-gods* Please don't shortchange us with that goodbye kiss and, and....(NOT GONNA SAY IT!)
I was glad that JH came thru for SK. I felt for JH that not only was he trying to save HA but also had to deal with SK's disappearance!! And, so proud of JH for coming through for SK in Ep 16 and today's as well!! Their bromance needs no unnecessary skinship and words with the sincerity they feel for e/o!! SK's indomitable faith in his King is *swoon-worthy*
Today our STP killed it! Aweomse acting through out! Love that a drama doesn't focus solely on the OTP! yayy, for confidence!!
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Guam2000
May 16, 2012 at 9:57 PM
I'm sorry but I am new at this. What is "STP" and "OTP"?
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Saima
May 16, 2012 at 10:06 PM
OTP: one true pairing (so, Jae-ha and Hang-ah in this drama)
STP: copied this off of someone...ermm, could be 'secondary true pairing' so our second lead-couple!
wap
May 16, 2012 at 10:38 PM
not sure of the exact words, but OTP is the main couple/pair, and STP is the secondary couple/pair :D
Arhazivory
May 16, 2012 at 11:16 PM
lol. I just went along with the flow. I had no idea what the hell it meant either. :D
Minea
May 16, 2012 at 11:35 PM
ahahaha. I had to google that at the start of this drama cause I didn't know what it meant, too. :D
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kappy
May 17, 2012 at 1:41 PM
@Arhazivory
I wanted to save my first comment here for one more detailed, thought out, and comprehensive, but it'll be this...
LOL! at your just going with the flow despite not knowing what the heck it meant.
Right on, 'cause that's what we fans do.
I'm getting educated here, not only about the drama, but learning new terms like jeremiad, cartomancy, and deus ex machina (although that last one I've seen a bunch of times, just couldn't remember meaning).
Thank you to all of you and GF for the education and good company!
mtoh
May 17, 2012 at 12:09 AM
To kiss her and leave, she'll survive...but to end up killed...
oooo...don't want to see that happen....
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Minea
May 16, 2012 at 9:30 PM
@Saima
"I love that JH knows about the JS-SK love….when he asked JS if she wanted SK in the room!! ackkkkk!! If only all drama brothers were like you King Jae-ha!!"
I concur! My love for Jae Ha just intensified when he said that to Jae Shin.
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eina
May 16, 2012 at 10:11 PM
"HA– so awesome as always!! When she started crying theatrically I laughed!"
seriously, me too, I laughed like really hard on that scene I almost fell to the floor, I know she was bluffing, and I love how Ha Ji Won acted that scene, she is just so great. Everytime I think of that particular scene, I can't help but smile.. guess, that's the only scene that made me smile, the rest made me cry real buckets...
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Faye
May 16, 2012 at 10:55 PM
Me too!! Ha Ji Won is an amazing actress. Her fake damsel in distress mode with matching fake tears had me cracking up. And then as soon as she said what she needed to say to JH, she immediately went back to fearless, defiant HA. I know we often say we can't imagine anyone other than Seung-gi as JH, but for me, it is even more impossible to imagine any other actress be HA. Ha Ji Won owns HA.
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eina
May 17, 2012 at 12:59 AM
"it is even more impossible to imagine any other actress be HA. Ha Ji Won owns HA"
me like... ;) No one else indeed.
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pandora
May 17, 2012 at 2:36 AM
i couldn't agree more, jasmine. We had been used to Ha Ji Won's amazing performances and how much she puts into every role she gets herself into...but I love what u said "Ha Ji Won owns HA" the same way Lee Seung-gi is JH. Perhaps that is the reason why we love JH and HA because both actors have given life to these characters.
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babes
May 18, 2012 at 8:12 AM
"Ha Ji Won owns HA." - THAT is a given.
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ilikemangos
May 16, 2012 at 10:57 PM
Ah ha.
i thought it was so cunning/witty of her.
I was pretty much face-smacked with proud smiles as she sobbed.
I imagine it being hard to try to act like you can't act, when you're basically a senior at acting, but she makes it look easy.
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kumon
May 17, 2012 at 4:20 AM
i agree! In that scene, HJW who is the best actress of her generation, acted like she doesn't know how to act. She NAILED it! so daebak. Like what the others said about HJW owning the character of HA, that I agree as well.
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Minea
May 16, 2012 at 11:40 PM
the one time I laughed in this episode was when Jae Shin was gonna go for the hypnosis treatment - and then they showed her with that contraption on her head. totally inappropriate given the circumstances but I was laughing my butt off when I saw that. *ashamed *.*
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kumon
May 17, 2012 at 4:21 AM
you made me laugh! thanks :))
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babes
May 17, 2012 at 12:26 AM
"And, the best thing was the King’s face!! bahaahaa…he was like, “ermm, uri fiancee crying?!” :S"
That. was the funniest scene for me too. Our king was going all serious and saying it'll give up the throne for her and all. Then she starts bawling, so out of character and he goes, erh? His face! Hilarious! The writers did it again, sneaking in a light moment in all that seriousness. Dang it! They're the best!
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38 Ivoire
May 16, 2012 at 9:04 PM
Thank you for the fast recaps again, Girlfriday and Javabeans.
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luvs
May 16, 2012 at 9:54 PM
@girlfriday
I really enjoy reading your recaps as much as watching each episode. I echo everyone's reactions, what else can I say?
I reiterate how Jae Ha and Hang Ah couple are so equal in everything. They communicate well and understand each other so well. They are both very intelligent and in tune with each other mind and heart. You can see that when they were talking online - Jae Ha completely read Hang Ah and vice versa. They did not require words to know what was being said.
I am so jealous of their relationship. This is how it should be with couples - standing side by side - being a true "help mate" with each other, carrying each other's burdens and lifting each other up whether near of far.
We see true brotherhood and friendship between Jae Ha and SK, in epi 17 Jae Ha rescued SK from himself, like SK rescued Jae Ha when he fell apart. Bromance indeed, sweet.
@girlfriday articulated this very well in her commentary..
Finally SK realized Jae Shin is important to him for real. He really ached for her and I am sure he wanted to erase all that pain and guilt away from her if he could--
--when it rains it ours, all these things his own guilt feelings, Jae Shin, finding Hang Ah , hurting for Dad, etc Shi Kyung needs some hugging in this episode.
Its funny because I did not worry so much about Hang Ah in this episode because I believed she is able to take of herself and the Queen -- and she did, thank you. Mutual admiration between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. This is a first in Kdramas LOL.
WOC comrades are awesome!!!! to the rescue!
I am glad no character was forgotten in each episode. Hang Ah's Dad is always there, even Eun Tae.
JH is very smart and listens to advise even from Eun Tae. He knows he needs his people to fight evil - he can't do it by himself. He is great a King in that he knows how to keep good people by his side.
Ahhhhh I feel better. what a day!
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luvs
May 16, 2012 at 9:56 PM
sorry for typos...
i meant "when it rains, it pours"
near or far...
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39 Arhazivory
May 16, 2012 at 9:04 PM
Death will be too good for Bong Gu. Since we're in the era of time-travelling, how about transporting him back to Joseon and torturing him with one of those leg-breaking thingamajigs? I just want to see him squeal.
This episode was really great. When Hang Ah jumped out of the chair and gave that death glare to Bong Gu...that was awesome. You could see it in every facet of her being that she wanted to kill him. It was great to see Queen Mother making up her mind to escape. Why is she such a cute old lady? I'm watching her flee for her life and I just want to reach out and help her.
Shi-kyung, your tears move me. He cries so well. His tears at his father's betrayal and his choking sobs at Jae-shin's bedside. *sniffles*
Jae-Ha. I love you. You're everything a king is supposed to be.
Jae-Shin. As I said before...you shouldn't have remembered. :( This was beyond my expectation. Truly, truly cruel. Everytime I think about that jarring scene I feel tears welling up in my eyes.
K2H...I should be accustomed to the greatness you dish out every week....but I'm always still in awe.
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ilikemangos
May 16, 2012 at 9:11 PM
"Since we’re in the era of time-travelling, how about transporting him back to Joseon and torturing him with one of those leg-breaking thingamajigs? I just want to see him squeal. "
LOL. you and me both sista. you and me both.
Just the bad-assery and the toughness she has in handling these situations makes me fawn over her, really. It doesn't help that i've already been a Ha Ji Won fan. THIS is TOP heroine class act.
I totally agree, the way shi kyung cried just made me bawl. the way he just totally let his emotions flow out in the rain..
I'm also always in awe.. *sigh
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Minea
May 16, 2012 at 11:48 PM
@Arhazivory
"Shi-kyung, your tears move me. He cries so well. His tears at his father’s betrayal and his choking sobs at Jae-shin’s bedside. *sniffles*"
You're right. The guys in this drama cries really well. And Shi Kyung! oh, man. his silent sobs for the Princess just about did me in. so much grief and probably guilt as well because he knew his father had an indirect hand to the state she's in.
i'm all wrung out from this episode.
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mtoh
May 16, 2012 at 11:59 PM
Agree...painful death for him sweet revenge for us!
SKyung couldn't be more perfect in this ep even that he wanted. Episode was amazing, everything and everyone was/were perfect...
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40 Toya
May 16, 2012 at 9:05 PM
Hells yeah, the monarchy aren't supposed to be slaves to public opinion. That's what democracy is for.
A King is supposed to be that shining light at the top of the stairs when we want them to be, and the darkness so black that he will swallow the world whole when we need him to be.
I'm not saying Jae-ha should be a tyrannical King, but I am saying that when someone or something threatens your people you need to be darker, more evil and smarter than anyone else out there, so that no one thinks to f*** with you again.
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Toya
May 16, 2012 at 9:08 PM
That's why the British Kings got away with being such bastards for hundreds of years. You know they are bastards, but they are the bastards that will come crashing through your doorstep, killing your men and burning your villages.
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stressor
May 16, 2012 at 10:52 PM
the drama's theme is about unification, moves toward peace that is why the King could not just do and catch those bastards cause it is in a MODERN monarchy, influenced by a lot of channels to do things in a rightful manner and would not create a stir on some political issues...
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Arhazivory
May 16, 2012 at 9:23 PM
"A King is supposed to be that shining light at the top of the stairs when we want them to be, and the darkness so black that he will swallow the world whole when we need him to be."
Nicely said Toya.
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reglest
May 16, 2012 at 9:47 PM
Wasn't that what Jae Ha did in earlier episode?
I'm agree that Jae Ha can't be a knight in shining armor while always do the straight line like his brother do. And that's what I love from his character, he has flaw. But this time he is stumbled upon 'his ability'... The international criminal, the giant country..it's out of his reach already
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reglest
May 16, 2012 at 10:05 PM
And I mean, that's the reason why he seem so 'weak' at this episode. But I believe tonight he'll raise and challenge Bong Gu!!
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Bern75
May 16, 2012 at 11:46 PM
But remember what Jae Kang said in ep 1: the royals live their lifestyle because of the people's taxes so they must do something in return. So Queen Dowager works with the soup kitchen and orphanages, and Jae Ha should join the WOC?
Guess life's not so straightforward for the (fictional) royals of S Korea :)
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41 Lizzie
May 16, 2012 at 9:05 PM
Now I think Jae Shin didn't jump because she was fearless.
But because she was blaming herself for her brother's death, and so she decided to kill herself. That is why she just jumped. Because she didn't have any will to live anymore, not after she did that. (I know it isn't her fault but she won't forgive herself.)
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luvs
May 16, 2012 at 10:05 PM
I agree with your analysis. She jumped herself instead of being burned inside a car. It's a way of "punishing herself" because she believed she killed her brother. BG knows how to play mind games - this kind is a more scary adversary than a gun-toting gangster.
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Bern75
May 16, 2012 at 11:33 PM
ya, forcing her to kill her own beloved brother just killed her spirit, so she was committing suicide jumping off the cliff. so so sad... poor girl.
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Minea
May 16, 2012 at 11:56 PM
that backstory about the Princess was totally unexpected. It clearly show that Bong Gu was twisted in all sense of the word. The horrors that she went through during that ordeal really broke her spirit. Shi Kyung-ah, please don't die 'cause our Princess needs you.
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Arhazivory
May 17, 2012 at 12:22 AM
I have an older brother and I couldn't help putting myself in that situation. That's why this scene really got to me. I can feel the guilt and the pain Jae-Shin portrayed. I'd have felt like jumping off a cliff too. :(
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diamonds
May 18, 2012 at 8:20 AM
"I have an older brother and I couldn’t help putting myself in that situation. That’s why this scene really got to me. I can feel the guilt and the pain Jae-Shin portrayed. I’d have felt like jumping off a cliff too. :("
oh dear the same goes for me.
i have an older brother and i love him so so much. so those entire scene of regaining the memories back are killing me. i bawl my eyes
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topper
May 17, 2012 at 4:59 AM
Exactly, thanks for the insight.
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42 Swye
May 16, 2012 at 9:09 PM
I was so worried that the writers would not be able give a satisfying reason for Jae Shin's amnesia, but this episode just blew me away. What she experienced was worse than anything I had imagined. It's no wonder that she pushed her memory to the deepest part of her brain.
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maria
May 16, 2012 at 10:12 PM
and all the more reason why she jumped on that cliff!! sad, just sad. :(
just like jae ha said in the end that bong gu had them screwed from the beginning that even when jae shin remembers they would still lose her!!!!
waaaahhh!!!
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crazyahjummafan
May 17, 2012 at 12:22 AM
Do you know what's so ironic? Everyone was thinking that if JS gets her memory back, it would help implicate BG, but on the contrary. How can JS testify now when that said memory will implicate her instead? That's why BG doesn't really mind whether she remembers of not. Either way, he wins, unless of course JS really does testify.
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Arhazivory
May 17, 2012 at 12:25 AM
That's what makes me so angry at Bong Gu. He's a vicious terrorist. She'd have been much better off not remembering. For her to testify about that in a court of law would be so traumatic. This just needs to end with him dead after being tortured. Screw the legal system.
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babes
May 17, 2012 at 12:30 AM
Good point!
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luvs
May 17, 2012 at 7:02 AM
@crazyahjumma,
I don't think it will implicate JS at all, she did not do anything on purpose- she was held against her will at gunpoint- She was made to do it.
The thing that would stop JS from testifying is her own feelings of "false guilt"- if anything. This is BG's intent all along - to mess up Jae Shin's mind - that's why it took this long for JS to want to 'open up and expose her dark memories' and it was excruciating to watch - ala exorcism.
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crazyahjummafan
May 17, 2012 at 7:44 PM
Thanks for your insight.
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ilikemangos
May 17, 2012 at 3:46 PM
I'm taking a law class and based on my understanding,
if someone was forced at gunpoint to commit a crime, he/she should not be subject to penalties.
Seriously, Jae Shin shouldn't be held liable. The charges should fall on Bong gu and his minions, really.
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ilikemangos
May 17, 2012 at 3:51 PM
And the court can easily see that the mitigating circumstance of Jae shin being blood-related to Jae Kang is something to consider.
Jae shin did not have intent to harm, and they can definitely use in their defense that she suffered from PTSD and completely supressed that memory until recently forcing that memory out of her using hypnotism.
There's evidence of her PTSD -- having panic attacks at the conference when hearing the evil music playing, when seeing BonBon.
In the end i think Bong gu will have the evidence stacked against him.
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luvs
May 18, 2012 at 11:48 AM
@ilikemangoes...
go watch episode 17 of equator man--- the episode is brilliant because it deals with legal issues- good watch for a law student.
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43 em
May 16, 2012 at 9:09 PM
This episode is DAEBAK. Looking forward to the next episodes with happy ending.
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44 Mia
May 16, 2012 at 9:11 PM
this episode just blew my mind and over and beyond!
seriously, take that you soft hearted! oh wait, that's me, broke my heart and squeezed the feelings out!
since everyone else has pratically said everything (and more) I want to say, I'll just keep quite, since I might end up ranting, and screaming for blood. BLOOD! those evil ugly fat witches! seriously! i knew what they did to Princess Jae-shin was bad, but to make her give a hand to her own brother's death! fie on you! fie!
~sigh~ okay that's all for now
love your recaps girl!
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45 kumon
May 16, 2012 at 9:12 PM
thanks for another amazing recaps Girlfriday!
I love Hang Ah, Queen Dowager and Princess Jae Shin in this episode. This episode showed their courageous and supportive side of the girls in the Royal Family.
I SUPER LOVE HANG AH DOING BAD ASS!! She's so awesome. Kudos to Ha Ji Won who really nailed the action scenes. Am I the only one who thinks that the moment after she (HA) let Queen mother go to Dong Ha and go all by herself divert Bong Bong's troupe's direction and get the gun inside her back pocket, she SO DAMN SEXY. She's a sexy badass. Love you Kim Hang Ah! I hope I can become as awesome as you someday.
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Rashell
May 16, 2012 at 9:21 PM
How can you not love a drama that lets it's women be so amazing? You can't. That's what's so awesome about K2H. The women are strong, kick-ass ladies. I love that the men are still men, but that the women aren't damsels in distress. So refreshing.
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kumon
May 16, 2012 at 9:39 PM
exactly my thoughts! I loved how the woman characters in this drama are not powerless physically and intellectually. It's really refreshing to see this in a Kdrama. I hope this sets a new trend in Kdramas. I really enjoy such well-written characters.
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Cheryl
June 23, 2013 at 12:23 AM
I love that the men are still men, but that the women aren’t damsels in distress. So refreshing.
YES! So wonderful! It's great to see those women being treated as equals and partners and taken seriously, and the fact that they're strong and capable isn't made a big deal of. In other shows, the Strong Woman has been a source of humor and/or treated like a sort of slightly exotic creature people aren't quite sure what to do with. *twitchtwitchtwitch*
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46 cv
May 16, 2012 at 9:13 PM
Thank you for the wonderful recap. (sigh) So good and yet so sad. HJW--kickass herione. Jo jung suk--great acting. King--he better so something to save them.
Can't wait until the next episode.
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47 Auntiemame
May 16, 2012 at 9:16 PM
" . . . their relationship isn’t about saving and being saved – they give each other the strength to keep running. "
Perfectly said.
Thank you for another insightful recap.
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48 LSGLover
May 16, 2012 at 9:17 PM
Dear Girlfriday,
You are AWESOME just like the TK2H! I love your wit, criticism, humor, and way of expressing your opinions. Thank you for another great recap. I've got so many things to say but I'll do it one by one later on. You just made my day. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart ^_*
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49 caryatid
May 16, 2012 at 9:17 PM
Thanks gf!:D just want to share that i'm reading your recap and commenting while pretending i'm doing some work while having a meeting with our client and my boss discussing the plans i'm supposed to update based on the client's comments.hehehe:D well a girl needs her k2h fix!
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50 stars4u
May 16, 2012 at 9:20 PM
This series is just so... *sighs* one of a kind.
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