Welcome to the Open Thread, everyone! This was a rather tough pair of episodes again, but this moment between Bom and In Sang gives me hope, which is why it’s headlining our post today. 🤞🏻
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.
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 25
This was a tough episode, you guys. Arguably the toughest so far, in our journey with In Sang and Bom, because this is the first time they’ve actually been on opposite sides, and dang, it sucks.
I hadn’t been super cognizant of it before, but it’s as Trent said last week; the bond and solidarity between Bom and In Sang really has been a big anchor for our story.
And now that they appear to be splitting up – for real, even; it’s doesn’t seem to be pretend 😩 – I feel all out of sorts, while watching the goings on.
It hurts even more to see, because it’s clear that Bom and In Sang don’t actually want to be apart. They don’t dislike each other; they’re being driven apart by a key difference in opinion – one that’s important enough that they both feel they need to stand by their beliefs.
It’s hard to see In Sang punch that framed poster and hurt his hand, and it’s just as hard to see Bom crying, saying that In Sang should be the one to come over since she has less, and then shoving her feelings aside, to say that she will pull herself together.
I find it endearing that the household staff all don’t want In Sang and Bom to split up, and try to persuade In Sang to give it some time, but it’s just as troubling, to see In Sang be so resolute in doing the necessary, to complete Bom’s move back to her family home.
The dynamic over at Bom’s family home is somewhat similar, with everyone except Jin Ae trying to get involved, to tell Bom how to salvage the marriage, with Chul Sik insisting that he’ll withdraw the lawsuit.
I do think that on this point, Jin Ae’s the one who has it right, when she says that everyone’s just looking at it from their own points of view.
Even though Bom and In Sang are young, this is their marriage, and their little family, and so they really should be given the space to figure things out between them.
That said, I can completely understand Hyeong Sik’s concern, around how Bom’s going to make a living, to support herself and Jin Young.
Given that Bom is the holder of a GED certificate at best (I’m assuming she passed, after taking the test), she doesn’t have all that many options, since she also has to take Jin Young into account.
The divorce isn’t even finalized yet – I mean, the decision was made so recently! – so it’s extra unsettling to see things being cleaned out of Bom’s room in the Han household, and to hear Bom and Mom talking about whether or not they can continue to use some of Jin Young’s things, from before.
This is all part of the painful process of separation, and to me, this untangling of the day-to-day things between persons, might actually hit harder than the actual formalization of divorce.
The meeting between Bom and In Sang is pretty sad and painful to watch, because they clearly still care about each other, but there’s also so much raw emotion eating away at the both of them.
I feel bad for In Sang, that his goal to live with Bom for the rest of his life, looks like it’s flown away with the wind, and I feel bad for Bom, that she’s so upset with herself, for acting like someone else, in order to gain her in-laws’ favor.
And, when Bom calls out In Sang for being wishy-washy, in much the same way he’d been wishy-washy about jumping into the Han River, I’m sure that hits a nerve, because of the way In Sang actually contemplates going to the river, on his way home.
(That really is such a great analogy though; our Bom really is so sharp, isn’t she?)
The ripples over at Hansong due to Chul Sik’s case aren’t small either, with Je Hoon more or less confronting Jung Ho about the fact that Jung Ho really does have a hand in Chul Sik wanting to withdraw the lawsuit.
Jung Ho denies it and says that Je Hoon can continue working on the case, but I’m pretty sure that this behavior by Je Hoon isn’t going to sit well with Jung Ho.
I wonder if that’s why Jung Ho decides to speed up the divorce by visiting Bom’s family home, when he’d originally thought to take his time with it, so that his financial assistance would come at a time when Bom would be most grateful.
I gotta say, I get so annoyed with Jung Ho when he puts on his puffed-up, “I’m so important” act, which is exactly what he does, when he gets to Bom’s home.
The way he acts like he can’t remember anything that he’s done for the family in the past, and needs to be constantly reminded by Secretary Yang about the details, is truly exasperating, and I want to clunk him on the head to help him jog his memory. Grrrr. 😠
His fake-serene statement about how he and Yeon Hee have made a decision to respect In Sang and Bom’s decision, is also very annoying.
I kinda love that Bom refuses to be gaslighted and shatters the illusion of niceness, by calling out Jung Ho on not actually allowing her and In Sang to handle things on their own, even though he says he is, but man, that also feels like a pretty critical move.
I mean, she’s outright saying that Jung Ho’s not a man of his word, which she’s right about, and which I’m sure he will take very personally.
That may be good for putting a stop to the gaslighting, but that’s probably not so good for any possibility of a long-term relationship.
Does this mean that Bom’s just cut off any last remaining shred of hope for a reconciliation with In Sang..? 😬
Episode 26
This episode, one of the key arcs is Jung Ho grappling with (and mostly rejecting) the idea that things are changing, and he’s just not as powerful or influential as he would like to think.
I’m actually pretty glad that Secretary Yang tells it to him like it is, at the top of the episode. It feels like she’s the only one who can get away with being so blunt with him, while everyone else walks on eggshells and panders to his whims and fancies.
Unfortunately, even though Secretary Yang does get away with it (in that, Jung Ho only gets upset, and doesn’t fire her), it doesn’t look like she’s made much of a dent, in getting Jung Ho to actually take her advice on board, and actually start to do things differently.
Ugh. I do hate how Jung Ho says so self-righteously, that Bom has loose morals, and that, because of her exposure to unrefined knowledge and information at home.
I’m glad Secretary Yang specifically calls that out as a vulgar comment, and reminds him that Yi Ji herself had been caught reading racy comics in middle school.
The nerve of Jung Ho to be so self-righteous about that, when he’s the one who had been chasing after Young Ra, while married to Yeon Hee! Hmph. 😤
Over on Yeon Hee’s side, I’m rather disgusted, really, that she and her so-called friends are already talking about a new partner for In Sang. I mean, Bom’s only been away from the Han home for a night!
And, it really is bizarre to me, how Young Ra’s scheming to have Hyun Soo be that new partner for In Sang. Isn’t there some amount of stigma around divorce in Korea? Or does that only apply if you’re not set to inherit lots of money..? 🧐
It gives me a perverse sense of pleasure, this episode, to see Jung Ho being defied by the people around him, quite systematically.
First, there’s In Sang, who keeps telling him to stop meddling, and there’s Yi Ji, who won’t even pretend to be respectful and now says she wants to go overseas.
And then there’s Je Hoon, who puts in his resignation, so that he can continue working on Chul Sik’s case, against Jung Ho’s wishes, and there’s Secretary Min, who declines to follow up with the list of information that Je Hoon found during his employment, even if Jung Ho lets her go from her job.
And of course, there’s Secretary Yang, who keeps reminding him to look around and wake up to the new reality that he’s living in a new era where his old methods aren’t working anymore.
It’s no wonder Jung Ho gets all up in a twist, as all of these different examples of his efforts to intimidate all fall flat. Muahaha.
It feels like a parallel of sorts, that when Yeon Hee attempts to take Hyun Soo and Min Jae out to lunch, in order to feel out Hyun Soo as a potential daughter-in-law replacement, both Min Jae and Hyun Soo duck out, without showing due respect or remorse.
Yep. I do think Show’s making a pretty pointed statement about how Jung Ho and Yeon Hee, with their old school “I’m social royalty” type of thinking, are passé, and becoming in danger of becoming irrelevant.
Also, I’m glad that when In Sang senses that his parents are bulldozing through things in their own way, he just ups and goes to Bom’s house, even though they’ve agreed to split up.
The way he wakes up and groggily mutters, “It’s Seo Bom,” and then moves to hug her and kiss her, is so lost and hungry, like he’s been starved of her presence for too long and feels like he’ll die, if he doesn’t recharge himself soon.
Honestly, I felt a sense of relief and release too, seeing In Sang and Bom together, even if just for a little while.
I know that it looks like In Sang forces himself on Bom for that embrace and that kiss, but because I know that Bom misses him a great deal too, it somehow feels less of a trespass than ordinarily?
And, it does look like they might be one step closer to reconciliation, in the sense that at least Bom is telling In Sang to come to live at her house, which is more than before.
However, it looks like that isn’t quite what In Sang has in mind, as he tells Teacher Park that he can’t imagine them living in poverty.
For a hot second, I was afraid that In Sang was going to give up on reconciling with Bom, BUT, it sounds like In Sang has some kind of plan that involves them getting a divorce first, then getting back together with Bom.
To be honest, I’m not sure how this would solve their problems, but.. I’m glad that the household staff seem thrilled, and I’m trusting that there’s some kind of logic to this, even though Secretary Kim’s doubtful that In Sang’s plan will work.
In the meantime, Attorney Yoo basically refuses to do as Jung Ho wishes, on In Sang’s divorce case, at the cost of her job.
Ooh. Burnnnn, Jung Ho.
Whatcha gonna do, now that almost everyone around you has decided that it doesn’t suit them to align themselves with your every whim and fancy? 😏