Hi everyone!

Today I’m sharing my episode 3–4 notes on Dynamite Kiss, as an example of what my episode notes tend to look like once I’m a little further into a show.

By this point, I’m usually past first impressions and more focused on character dynamics, genre conventions, emotional beats, and how everything is landing together — which is very much the case here.

These notes are shared here exactly as they appear on Patreon (without screenshots, which I save for the full review).

I hope you guys will enjoy reading! ❤️

Episode notes:

E3-4. Show continues to be slurpy fun, where strict logic need not necessarily apply, and I am still enjoying myself very well.

Show understands that we are here for our OTP, and is wise to keep finding ways for our OTP to interact – often alone, and within very close proximity of each other – even though they are technically now officially merely colleagues, and practically strangers. 🤭

It makes perfect sense that Ji Hyeok would be so disinterested in the hiring process, that he doesn’t even attend Da Rim’s interview, so that by the time he realizes that Da Rim is even among the candidates, is after she’s already been hired.

It’s true that Ji Hyeok is glowering with anger through large chunks of these episodes, and directing a lot of that anger in Da Rim’s direction.

It’s true that I found some of his actions towards Da Rim rather excessive and hard to swallow (and even mildly triggering, on a personal note, since it brought back unwanted memories of emotional abuse that I experienced during my marriage in the past), but I will say that it does help to make everything land a lot better, when I remind myself that the whole reason Ji Hyeok is this upset, is because he likes Da Rim this much, and is completely devastated that the one woman whom he’s sincerely liked, possibly ever, is now off limits because she’s married to someone else.

And of course, the classic rom-com lens, where we tend to close our eyes to bad behavior in the name of Feeeelingsss, absolutely applies.

I know that more recent rom-coms have managed to work around this, but this particular show is leaning into the Classic Rom-com sensibilities of kdramas of yore, so I figure that rolling with it is a lot enjoyable than trying to fight it. 😅

I would add that it also does help that Show reminds us quite frequently, of just how deeply Ji Hyeok continues to be affected by Da Rim, and that also helps to mollify me over his harsh approach towards her.

Those glimpses at the soft marshmallow teddy bear that’s under that prickly, accusing demeanor, definitely helps to calibrate my view of Ji Hyeok as our romantic leading man.

Like, awww, look at him, he can’t help but be fixated and mesmerized by his memories of the time he’d spent with Da Rim.. 🥲

Which means that Show has effectively trained me to see that Ji Hyeok’s bark might be harsh, but his bite is.. more on the love bite side of things? 🤭

Sorry, couldn’t resist. 😁

I do appreciate that Show is serving up moments of genuine poignancy, because I find that helps to ground all the slurpy hijinks for me.

Like the way Da Rim makes it a point to visit Mom at the hospital on her first day of work, because it’s been Mom’s dream to see Da Rim get a job and go to work in the morning.

Aw. I love how thoughtful Da Rim is, to do this for Mom to lift her spirits while she’s recovering in hospital. 🥲

Or like the way our Mother TF team members are so affected by their employee tags, because it feels like they are finally reclaiming their identities, after being known for so long, only as their children’s mothers.

I thought that was rather poignant at its heart, even though it’s delivered quite lightly.

I will say, though, that by and large, Show swims mostly in the fluffy, hijinksy side of the pool, and I do enjoy the occasional rather 4D treatment of certain moments, like the instant Ji Hyeok and Da Rim set eyes on each other at the office, and each have alarmed, wide-eyed realizations about the other.

I thought that was quite funny. 😁

I do think that Ji Hyeok’s got it worse, because he is just absolutely shocked and crushed, really, to realize that Da Rim is supposedly married and even has a child.

The way he blusters about their kiss in such disbelief, on a fairly regular basis, kinda becomes a running gag, these episodes, and I am suitably amused.

Honestly, I believe that the reason he gets angrier and angrier, is because Da Rim keeps dismissing their encounter in Jeju as a mistake, and just a casual encounter (ping pong! 😂) with a stranger.

Because their encounter means so much to him, and because it affects him so deeply, Ji Hyeok only gets more offended and hurt, each time Da Rim brushes it off. 🤭

At the same time, at a deeper level, we see that Ji Hyeok’s life has been deeply affected by infidelity, seeing as how his father had brought home another child out of the blue, and insisted that Ji Hyeok’s mom help to raise her, which had devastated Mom so much, that she’d attempted to end her own life.

I can see why Ji Hyeok’s fundamentally against infidelity, and that’s also likely playing into his devastation at learning that Da Rim is married to someone else.

Altogether, I think that makes up his instinct to tell Da Rim to quit the job; he just wants to cut her off quickly and then try to pretend that this whole thing had never happened.

On Da Rim’s side of things, I appreciate that she is very much cognizant of her wrongdoing in deceiving Ji Hyeok, and that’s why she even goes so far as to prepare her resignation letter.

But it’s her thoughts of Mom and Mom’s hopes for her (and I’m sure, the money that she needs in order to pay off their debts) that cause her to change her mind.

I do love the way Da Rim then stands up to Ji Hyeok when he demands her resignation, and refuses to leave, while promising to do anything that he asks.

..Which is how we have that ridiculous situation where Da Rim’s stationed at that very makeshift open-air lab in what looks like the middle of nowhere, boiling and measuring baby bottles, in order to get data for a report.

It’s so ridiculous that it reminds me, very starkly, that I’m watching a rom-com where logic need not apply – because who does lab work in the open, while using tents for shelter?? 😂

Of course, the tent catches fire, thanks to Noona’s Shady Assistant doing his thing, and importantly, Ji Hyeok absolutely freaks out, thinking that Da Rim’s trapped in the fire, and tries to save her.

And when he realizes that Da Rim’s safe, I’m really glad that he instinctively grabs her in a hug; he’s just that relieved that she’s ok. 🥲

Aw. He literally looks like he’s on the verge of tears, and any unhappiness that I might have had towards him, for being mean to Da Rim, just melts away.

Sure, he backpedals and blusters something about worker compensation, but it’s too late, Ji Hyeok, we’re onto you. 😁

AND, when he demands that Da Rim quit (again), I’m very pleased that Da Rim defends herself without hesitation, and points out that she’s done all the work – and that there’s no way she could have prevented the wind from blowing sparks.

(On that note, I’d add that this is Ji Hyeok’s fault, for making Da Rim work in the open with open flames, in the first place. 😏)

It’s true that by the end of the scene, Ji Hyeok’s thrown away the four-leaf clover that Da Rim had given him, and driven off without Da Rim, BUT it definitely helps, that we get to see that Ji Hyeok’s very emotional and shaken, as he drives away. 🥲

Honestly, I found it quite touching to see the Mother TF team decide to work hard and prove themselves, even though they’re discouraged by Ji Hyeok’s absence and the possibility that their team will not have a future after the end of these first 6 months.

The fact that they work so hard that Secretary Kang is infected by their enthusiasm and starts actively helping them, makes me feel like a proud mother hen, even though I have nothing to do with it. 😁

I can understand that Da Rim would volunteer to take the report to Ji Hyeok when Secretary Kang becomes unavailable; she knows that she’s the reason Ji Hyeok’s staying away from the office, after all.

I have to admit that it was rather triggering for me to see Ji Hyeok toss the report into the swimming pool like that, because something similar happened to me in the past, but I appreciate that when Da Rim runs into trouble in the water, he’s quick to jump in and save her.

And then, amid all that heavy breathing, as they are, once again, in close proximity, all glistening wet from the pool, the OTP electricity sparking everywhere 🔥 – I found that I quite easily pushed any unpleasant thoughts into the farthest corner of my brain. ☺️

Afterwards, again, Ji Hyeok reverts to his sharp tone, biting out that she’d nearly died trying to save a few pieces of paper.

And again, I’m proud of Da Rim for not being cowed by his continually thorny attitude, and defending the report as not just a few pieces of paper, but the lifeline of her entire team. 🥲

To Ji Hyeok’s credit, his softer side peeks out soon enough, when he insists on driving her home, then gives her his jacket and puts on the heater so that she won’t catch cold, then gives her permission to tell him about the report – and then even teaches her how to condense it into something much sexier, for presentation to upper management.

On that note, I do like the fact that our male lead actually knows how to work, and isn’t just swanning into the office every day, for romantic plot purposes. 😁

What does go on, purely for romantic plot purposes, are random events that, like I mentioned earlier, exist purely to push our OTP into the same space – preferably a small, enclosed one. 😁

Like that ridiculous chase, with the loan sharks bearing down hard on Da Rim and Ji Hyeok – which is why they end up ducking into that small roadside cupboard, all up in each other’s personal space, within literal kissing distance, while still breathing hard from all that running.

Altogether, this does replicate those sparky feels from the swimming pool, doesn’t it? 🤭

I am amused that Show not only makes sure that our OTP end up sharing the same small space, but each time, makes sure that they have reason to be breathing hard, at the same time. It does add to the crackly tension, I have to say. 🔥😁

To Show’s credit, our OTP run-ins aren’t limited to the kissing-distance, hard-breathing sort of thing; we also get to see them engage in meaningful conversation from time to time.

Like when they run into each other at the hospital, after Ji Hyeok’s mom is hospitalized.

At least, Da Rim’s able to tell Ji Hyeok about the loan sharks, and how her sister’s actions had led to Mom’s heart attack and subsequent surgery.

I really appreciate that, in this moment, they’re able to empathize with each other, on how it feels, to suddenly be faced with their mothers’ mortality; that it feels like the earth is crumbling under their feet.

It’s not a long moment, but it’s meaningful, and carries weight; you can see that Ji Hyeok’s literally looking at Da Rim differently now, and I like that.

It’s almost like this shot of poignant connection has jolted him into seeing Da Rim as a person, beyond the fact that she’d lied to him, and is married to someone else.

Perhaps this is why Ji Hyeok gruffly agrees, when Da Rim asks him to please give the team another chance.

Also, wow that Ji Hyeok tells her that he’s going to forget the kiss incident, so she shouldn’t mention it again either. That’s pretty huge, coming from someone who’s only been obsessed with the kiss since it first happened. 😁

On another note, even though Show introduces second female lead Ha Yeong as Ji Hyeok’s arranged fiancée, who is actually quite attracted to Ji Hyeok, I’m relieved that we’re not actually going the love triangle route here.

Instead, Show’s setting up a secondary loveline between Ha Yeong and Seon U, and I am very supportive of this idea.

So of course we have tropey moments like Ha Yeong falling off that ladder, right into Seon U’s arms, and of course she’s immediately smitten, heh.

All in a day’s work in Classic Rom-com Land, yes? 😁

Honestly, I’m in favor of this loveline, and would be happy to see this romance bloom.

The only complications are that, 1, she’s actually engaged to Ji Hyeok, 2, her mom doesn’t approve in the least of Seon U, and 3, Seon U’s currently Da Rim’s fake husband.

But I’m sure Show will figure out a way to get past these complications, as we go along.

Going back to our Mother TF, it’s actually quite nice to see that Ji Hyeok reluctantly keeps to his promise of giving them a chance, when Shady Assistant comes over to push them on air.

Thanks to Secretary Kang, we have Ji Hyeok going shopping with Da Rim, and getting mistaken for her husband – and then actually pretending to be her husband, for that couples’ contest.

Honestly, one of my favorite things about this scene, is the fact that it’s Da Rim’s idea to participate in the contest, and that Ji Hyeok is fully incapable of saying “No” to her. 🤭

..Except, that is, when it comes to the game where they need to pass a piece of paper to each other using only their lips. He’s too paralyzed at the prospect of getting that close to her lips, that he can’t function, heh. 😁

Isn’t it sweet though, the way he goes and buys the BeBeZza off the winning couple, just to make Da Rim happy?

Plus he looks so pleased with himself, too, which I think is cute.

And then, when Da Rim inevitably bungles the diaper change demonstration, thanks to Shady Assistant’s meddling, I do love how Ji Hyeok steps in to defend her, and tells Shady Assistant that she’s his team member, and therefore, if anyone’s going to scold her and take responsibility for her, it’d be him.

Aw. That’s pretty cool, especially considering that Ji Hyeok had been reluctant to let the team take on the broadcast in the first place.

As we close out episode 4, Ji Hyeok spies the loan shark guys bundling Da Rim into their van, and swings into action to save her.

I do like how intense Ji Hyeok gets, whenever he perceives that Da Rim’s in any kind of danger. 🥲

It’s unclear how Ji Hyeok actually hunts down the loan shark guys, but the important thing, is, he gets there right in time, and makes that dramatic, backlit, slo-mo entrance, then offers to buy out Da Rim’s debt – with his black card.

Pfft. It’s completely unrealistic, but I don’t care.

I just like the idea of Ji Hyeok sparing no effort or expense, in order to keep Da Rim safe. Boy’s still very much in lurve, and I’d love to see him become more cognizant of that, in our next episodes. 😁

Dynamite Kiss is one of several shows I’ve been covering on Patreon this year, with ongoing episode notes and reader discussion as each drama airs.

If you’ve been curious about what that experience is like beyond first impressions — how my notes evolve as a show finds its rhythm — I hope this gives you a useful sense of that.

The current legacy price window runs through the end of the year, for anyone who’s been considering it.

Thanks so much for reading, and as always, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!

KFG ❤️