Welcome to the Open Thread, everyone! I’ve got this shot headlining our post today, because I do very much enjoy the scenes of Young Shin at Healer’s lair. 😁🤩
SOME IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS, before we begin:
ZERO SPOILER POLICY
1. We will be adopting a ZERO SPOILER POLICY for this Open Thread, except for events that have happened in the show, up to this point.
We don’t want to spoil anyone’s watch experience with spoilers. The spoiler tags don’t work in email notifications, therefore, please take note that WE WILL NOT BE USING SPOILER TAGS FOR THIS OPEN THREAD. ANY AND ALL SPOILERS WILL BE REDACTED to protect first-time viewers in our midst (although, I’d appreciate it if you would save me the trouble of having to redact spoilers, heh 😅).
This includes, but is not limited to, how characters &/or relationships develop, later in the show.
We need to protect the innocent! 😉
SPOILER ZONE
2. HOWEVER!! If you’d like to discuss spoilers from a rewatcher’s point of view, I’ve created a SPOILER ZONE for you, where you can discuss all the spoilers you’d like, without the need for spoiler warnings. You can find it here!
Without further ado, here are my reactions to this set of episodes; have fun in the Open Thread, everyone! ❤️
My thoughts
Episode 15
Things take a turn this episode, and it very much feels like we’re in a new chapter of our story, with Jung Hoo and Young Shin relating to each other on a whole new level, and working together in a whole new way as well.
Before I get into that, though, I just wanted to backtrack a little bit, and say that, as we open this episode, with a quick revisit of how Jung Hoo had tried to get Young Shin to leave, before he gives in to tears, as Young Shin pulls him to herself, and asks that he not make her leave, it occurs to me for the first time, that these are tears of relief.
Before, I’d assumed that these tears were simply an expression of all the pain that Jung Hoo is feeling on the inside, with everything that’s happened, and with the loss of Sabu.
However, on this viewing, it occurs to me that even though Jung Hoo is quite determined in his efforts to make Young Shin leave, he doesn’t actually want her to leave. He doesn’t actually want to be alone.
He’s just deathly afraid that something will happen to Young Shin, if he allows her to stay next to him. The fact that Young Shin refuses to leave, is, I think, a source of relief to Jung Hoo. He doesn’t know what it means for the future, but he does want to be near her. And it shows. Aw. 🥲
I think the big thing to talk about, this episode, is the fact that Young Shin and Jung Hoo consummate their relationship, at a stage where 1, they don’t really have a defined relationship, and 2, Young Shin doesn’t even know Jung Hoo’s name.
I remember that when Show first aired, there had been a section of viewers who had felt very uncomfortable about this.
Oddly, I wasn’t part of that camp when I’d first watched Show, but on this viewing, I can see more clearly now, why people might have found this all to be too much, too soon.
That said, I still stand by my take, which is that, even though this all sounds very rushed on paper, it does feel reasonably organic to their relationship and to our story.
What I mean is, even though there are many things that Young Shin doesn’t know about Jung Hoo, including his name, she has implicit trust in him. He’s saved her life a number of times now, and he’s always been there to protect her, when she’d been in danger.
On top of that, I do see Young Shin as a very instinctive sort of person. I would absolutely believe that she’d be led more by her gut, than by any amount of analysis on paper. And, she trusts Jung Hoo, in her gut.
Additionally, sexytimes can be very life-affirming, and with Jung Hoo grieving Sabu’s loss in such a deep way, and with touch so clearly being his love language of choice, it actually makes sense to me, that Jung Hoo would be so drawn to Young Shin, as she kisses him.
What really gets me, every time, really, is how endearingly Jung Hoo then cleaves to Young Shin, whatever Young Shin happens to be doing. He just kind of.. hangs off her like he’s this large appendage that just happens to be attached to her. It’s adorable. 😍
And, to my eyes, it lands not only as a gesture of affection, but it also feels to me, that this is Jung Hoo charging himself, almost like he’s a battery, and Young Shin’s his energy source. She’s basically a source of life to him, in a manner of speaking.
I do appreciate that in response to all this, Jung Hoo gets into his thinking space (against Ahjumma’s wishes, heh), and decides that he needs to find himself, so that he can be real with Young Shin, rather than the fake self that he’s gotten so used to using, to interface with the world at large.
I find his desire to be real with Young Shin to be very sweet indeed.
Also, I can’t help but notice that when Jung Hoo goes to see Moon Ho, and they hatch a plan to avenge Sabu’s death, Jung Hoo makes it a point to let Moon Ho know that, yes, he does like Young Shin. That tiny smile that Jung Hoo can barely hide, as he says it, makes me smile.
This is partly him being a bit territorial with Moon Ho, I do think. But at the same time, this is him, being real about Young Shin – and it’s so great to see that the thought of her makes him smile, in spite of himself.
What Moon Ho says about Moon Sik actually believing himself to be a gentleman who’s done no wrong, and who genuinely can’t remember his own actions, is intriguing.
This reminds me of Moon Sik’s hallucinations, and makes me think that Moon Sik is more psychologically unstable than one might expect.
Hrm.. That kind of makes him more of a loose cannon, doesn’t it? Who knows what’s going on in his mind, if he’s living in some alternate reality where he’s faultless, and has never done anything wrong towards anyone?
I do very much appreciate the fact that Jung Hoo makes it a point to re-introduce himself to Young Shin, as himself. It’s true that Young Shin loves him regardless of the label he uses to identify himself, and so, it’s not something that would make or break their relationship.
At the same time, this feels needful, and from the expression on Young Shin’s face, it seems to me that, beyond the myriad of mixed emotions, it moves her to finally have Jung Hoo present himself to her, as himself.
No disguise; no Healer persona; just himself.
It’s so like Young Shin, to grump about it a little, but glide so quickly and smilingly into working in partnership with Jung Hoo, on their new mission. She is such a sweetheart. I luff her.
And how cool, that she takes to all these spyjinks like a duck to water, HA. I especially loved her spontaneous decoy tactic, in getting Detective Yoon out of the room, to allow Jung Hoo access to his computer. She’s a natural! 🤩
I guess she does naturally have an inclination for, er, playing the system..? 😁
I also love her unadulterated joy, as she pronounces to Jung Hoo, that this is all just SO much fun, before racing back inside to finish the job.
Tee hee. Jung Hoo’s slightly discombobulated reaction, and his pleased, bashful uncertainty over her use of the word “boyfriend” on him, is just icing on the cake.
I personally really enjoyed watching Healer set the stage for Detective Yoon and his team to arrest their dirty colleague, who’s responsible for Sabu’s poisoning.
The way Healer does it, it’s like he’s leading little kids to big treasure, with all those arrows on post-it notes in strategic places. It honestly gives me a thrill, that Jung Hoo’s so fast and capable, that he’d have time to create a roadmap for Detective Yoon and his team. Heh.
That turns into a pretty cool exclusive on Sabu, by Some Day, and it really does remind me of the spirit of the original pirate radio station that the original gang had put their hearts and souls into.
On the upside, I am glad that this provides a measure of closure for Jung Hoo, as he watches the broadcast with Young Shin in his arms, and Sabu’s ashes sitting on the table with them.
On the downside, with Moon Sik and Moon Ho basically declaring war on each other, and with Moon Sik determined to stop Myung Hee from actually meeting Young Shin, things look kind of worrying.
It does not give me a good feeling, at all, to see Young Shin get into Moon Sik’s car, because he absolutely does NOT have good intentions. Eep.
Episode 16
As the past gets stirred up, our OTP relationship gets put to the test, and it’s all kinds of heart-in-your-throat, life-on-the-line angsty. Both pretty great kinds of angst, just in case I wasn’t clear.
The great thing about rewatching so many years after my last watch, is that so many of the details are hazy to me, that I am genuinely on the edge of my seat, wondering what’s going to happen next.
Mostly, I hate that Moon Sik’s taking Young Shin and planting all these ideas in her head, that Jung Hoo’s dangerous, and a murderer.
I mean, to be fair, I get why Moon Sik’s doing this; it’s his way of fighting back, after Moon Ho’s launched this war on him. But, I still don’t like it, because it messes with Young Shin, and I hate that our dear Young Shin has to deal with all this.
When I think about it, Young Shin’s quite possibly the most innocent of all our characters. She’s just doing her best to live her life, and suddenly, this episode, her whole life is turned upside down.
Not only does she find out that her mother’s alive and that she’s (just about) the last to know, she also finds out that Jung Hoo’s father had maybe-possibly killed her father.
Plus, there’s all that stuff that Moon Sik’s guys feed her, telling her that Jung Hoo, the man she loves, is a murderer.
It’s A LOT, and given how Young Shin still suffers from PTSD-triggered anxiety attacks, I can see why she’d sink into a non-verbal funk, where she just sits in her bedroom in a daze. Poor Young Shin. 😭
That said, I do admire the fact that Young Shin’s able to think quite clearly, even as Moon Ho tells her about the fact that her bio-mom is alive.
I love that she points out that Moon Ho could have told her the truth, even if he’d had reservations of what would happen, if he told Myung Hee the truth. It’s a very fair point. Telling Young Shin the truth doesn’t carry the same risk as telling Myung Hee, so why didn’t he?
I can only rationalize that Moon Ho had been afraid that Young Shin would approach Myung Hee anyway, or that, the more people knew, the higher the risk that Myung Hee would eventually hear the news, and thus suffer a life-threatening fit.
I’m glad that even in the midst of her funk, while Young Shin’s still reeling from the information that’s been dumped on her, and still looks physically weakened by it, she reaches out to Jung Hoo, by calling him.
And I do love that, even though he’s in the midst of dealing with those guys who are baiting him about Park Dong Chul, Jung Hoo makes sure to pick up the call, because he knows it’s Young Shin.
Ahhh! There’s something so cool about the way Jung Hoo manages to have a conversation with Young Shin, while fighting off those dudes – and claiming that he’s just doing some “cleaning.” Hee! 😁 And, eee! 🤩
I do love that Jung Hoo makes straight for Young Shin, once he’s done dealing with those guys, and I love even more, the stunned looks on Dad’s and Ahjusshi’s faces, when the usually docile and bumbling Bong Soo smoothly evades their attempts to waylay him.
It’s heart-pinching, though, to see Young Shin unable to look Jung Hoo in the eye, because she’s recently put together the fragments of information, to conclude that it looks like Jung Hoo’s father had killed her father.
On a tangent, I just wanted to say that one of things that makes this OTP relationship feel so real, is the way Jung Hoo approaches her, and asks her why she won’t look at him, nor hold him. Those are such hallmarks of typical couple interaction, that it’s weird to Jung Hoo, if she won’t touch him back.
It might sound like a small thing, but the fact that the skinship between this couple is so natural, makes this relationship feel so much more organic, to my eyes.
That little detail, where Jung Hoo rubs his thumbs on the bare skin of Young Shin’s collarbone, as he looks at her searchingly, adds so much to the raw potency of this relationship.
When Jung Hoo realizes what’s bothering Young Shin and sets off to find evidence that his father didn’t kill her father, I love how it doesn’t take Young Shin two seconds, to run after him.
I love how she grabs him by the collar, then looking at him so searchingly with her teary eyes, she tells him, “You have to find evidence and come back.” … “Even if you can’t, come back.” Augh. That’s so beautifully poignant and heartfelt.
Plus, how handsome does Jung Hoo look, so focused and intent, as he listens to what Young Shin has to say, as if with every pore of his being. 😍
I love just as much, that Young Shin makes it a point to tell Jung Hoo that he’s not a bad person. Aw. That is so sweet and thoughtful, and it gives Jung Hoo – and me! – the assurance, that she’s able to differentiate him, from the alleged deeds of his father.
And, just as I swooning at the heartfelt hug that she pulls him into, right there in the cafe, I have to giggle too, at Dad’s and Ahjusshi’s stunned reactions, at the scene that’s just unfolded in front of them. Tee hee. It’s hilarious. I don’t know whether to swoon or laugh, and it’s great. 🤩😍
HOW COOL, though, of Jung Hoo to stride right back in there, after walking off, in order to give Young Shin a kiss. Eeee!!! 😍😍
That’s totally Healer-levels of cool, and I have to wonder exactly what’s going through Dad’s and Ahjusshi’s minds, as they witness all this coming from Bong Soo. 😁
I already love Young Shin, but I love her even more, with the way she approaches Moon Ho with coffee in her hands, and a smile on her face. The way she’s able to do that, after being so angry with him for withholding information on Mom from her, is so endearing.
I appreciate that part of her reason must be what she’d promised Jung Hoo, that she’d look for evidence too, and part of her process is to talk to Moon Ho, but on top of that, I really like this scene, for how she gets to find out about herself and her early life.
All of these nuggets of information that Moon Ho shares, including how she and Jung Hoo had been inseparable as kids, and how her birthday is the next day, are all precious things that she would’ve never known, if Moon Ho hadn’t told her.
For this reason, I’m really glad that Young Shin’s not the kind of person to hold grudges. It’s her warmth and her openness that allows her to learn these things, and I love that about her.
Over on Jung Hoo’s side of things, I can’t help feeling at least a little nervous, at how he’s walking into a trap knowingly, because he can’t see any other way to get the information that he needs.
It’s incredibly frustrating to watch his conversation with Park Dong Chul, because it’s so clear that Jung Hoo’s not going to be able to get that recording, and that Park Dong Chul’s greed is going to be his undoing.
It’s tragic, but it’s true that someone as blinded by greed as Park Dong Chul, wouldn’t pay any heed to any warnings given to him. And Jung Hoo does try, hard, to warn him.
Sigh. Too bad Park Dong Chul is too foolhardy to listen, and it looks like he’s dead, by the time we close our episode.
How terrible, that it looks like Jung Hoo’s going to become the prime suspect in Park Dong Chul’s murder.
I’m also concerned that Young Shin looks spooked, as she sees Jung Hoo crouching over Park Dong Chul’s body, and with Park Dong Chul’s blood on his hands.
I sure hope that Young Shin is spooked by the sight of blood, rather than by the idea that Jung Hoo actually killed Park Dong Chul. Coz.. she trusts him, right? Right..? 😩😬