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KBS2 Drama "Go Back Couple" Sohn HoJoo & Jang Nara. ~The END~


Bella D'Amour

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  • Go Back Spouses: Episode 2goback02-00286.jpg

 

Our formerly married couple both try to make the most of their miracle day in the past, which means that they have to try to make better decisions than their first 1999 run-through. We like to think that hindsight is 20/20, but it seems like all their forethought can’t keep them from running into each other all over again.

 

EPISODE 2: Memories are remembered at your convenience

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In the present day, Ban-do watches a reality TV show about celebrity blind dates while his son, Seo-jin, sits in a baby ball pit nearby. Jin-joo is not pleased when she finds her husband on the couch, so she turns off the TV and admonishes him for not playing with Seo-jin. Jin-joo clucks that blind dates give her the creeps, and Ban-do counters that it’s not like he has fond memories of them either.

Jin-joo wishes that she had just studied hard so that she could have become a judge or a prosecutor, and Ban-do accuses her of ruining his own chances at a good life by seducing him. Jin-joo shoots back that it was Ban-do who seduced her, and the two argue over whether Ban-do was winking at her or if Jin-joo stared him down on their own blind date.

 

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And now we’re back to 1999, and just before Jin-joo’s efforts to say hello to handsome athlete Nam-gil. Nam-gil struts down the hall as adoring ladies try to fawn over him, but he seems disinterested. Jin-joo approaches with her greeting, and everyone in the hall turns to stare. Nam-gil scoffs and gives her a hard stare as well, which comes as a surprise to Jin-joo.

Cut to: Bo-reum asking if Jin-joo has gone crazy, since she embarrassed Nam-gil by turning him down just the day before.

 

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In flashback, we see Nam-gil marching up to Jin-joo and her friends on the quad before asking her on a date. Jin-joo declines, and when Nam-gil asks why, she covers her nose and says that he smells like sweat. The onlookers nearby gasp while Nam-gil pulls open his ROTC jacket to assess just how bad he smells.

Back in 1999, Jin-joo can’t believe her own actions. Bo-reum calls her out for being a germaphobe when poor Nam-gil had obviously just finished his ROTC workout, and Jin-joo agrees. Bo-reum just can’t register her friend’s change of heart, leading her to wonder if Jin-joo is sick.

We return to the engineering department to see that the punishment being dealt out by the seniors has intensified. All the juniors have to squat while Ban-do planks on the ground. Ban-do thinks about how it’s not just kids in the present who are bad—kids have always been scary.

 

=== Read more: http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/10/go-back-spouses-episode-2/

 

 

 

COMMENTS

I’m so glad that we got that epilogue to see what happened in the “real†1999. Part of the fun of traveling back in time is seeing how things go differently from before, and since our story’s starting point is the do-over, the only way back to the real past is through flashbacks. The show has been generous in giving us quite a few to help inform the character’s backgrounds, while also balancing them with new mysteries along the way, so I’m pretty satisfied with that.

Jang Nara is the perfect pick for a baby-faced “old†woman. Each “Oh, you kids†from her made me giggle. It’s like listening to the voice of a grandmother come out of a teen, and I love it. It’s also interesting to see the flashbacks that show her as a much snobbier version of herself. In comparison, Ban-do doesn’t always seem that different in 1999, so has Jin-joo changed the most with age? And is it for the better or worse?

 

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I also really enjoy that the main couple are basically outsiders, so their clothes and mannerisms are just a little off. They are the epitome of the future trying to capture the look and feel of the past and getting it not quite right. That’s what makes that final photo from the real 1999 really neat, because they’re both so much more awkward in their real ’90s style.

Even though Ban-do seems to be the one really relishing the opportunity to change his fate, he also seems to be the one most heartbroken by the breakdown of their marriage. He wasn’t the one to end things the first time through, so I get his triumphant declaration to Jin-joo that he was the one who dumped her at the meetup, even though it was totally inappropriate and horrible to do. He’s hurting and lashing out.

The fact that Jin-joo has figured out that Ban-do is also from the future sets up a nice power imbalance that I am really looking forward to seeing Jin-joo exploit. I really hope they drag it out for a few episodes at least before he finally figures out that she has knowledge of the future too.

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And even though I’m totally on board with the couple finding their way back to each other, I’m also completely ready to watch them interact with their other love interests for now. I think it’s that the show has done a very good job at making all of the side characters seem intriguing, without actually telling us much about any of them yet. I’m ready to see Nam-gil be a little heartbroken, but also to see him get a little better at dealing with his father. We haven’t learned much at all yet about the delicate Seo-young, but I don’t think we’ll be in the dark for long.

And man, Seo-jin is so cute. How can a toddler already have such a winning smile? I really enjoy that both Jin-joo and Ban-do are enamored with their son—it would have been such an imbalance for only Jin-joo to dote on him or miss him, so every fawning moment is a win for Ban-do in my book. I do hope, however, that the two are able to find more in common than a desire to see their son again when it comes to reconciliation.

The one part of the episode that left a bad taste in my mouth though was the fat shaming. Calling Seol-hyun the “bomb†and the “flying pig†was rough. Even when she gets her revenge on Dok-jae, I wasn’t really happy with it, since it just reduced her to another stereotype of the tough, sloppy girl. I really hope that we get a future flash forward where she is gorgeous and successful—and that doesn’t necessarily mean losing weight, since I’d be fine if she just ends up confident and happy with life.

And perhaps the biggest question for me right now: Is Doctor Park evil when he’s just the medical student, Hyun-suk? Was he always evil, or was he made, and if so, can Jin-joo and Ban-do’s meddling change his future?

 

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Edited by FranCella
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Ost part 2 by sohyang! 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtENCXd9ZGE

 

 

===

 

 

I know this isn't going to happen, but I want to see Ban Do end up with Seo Young.

 

this? lol, i expect from the chart, he'll be endup w/ Ma jinjoo 

 

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  • Go Back Spouses: Episode 3 goback03-00172.jpg

     

 

 

This show cracks me up. Now that Jin-joo and Ban-do have confirmed that their sudden time slip wasn’t some crazy dream, they’re determined to relive their youth the way they’ve always wanted—the way marriage never allowed them to. And with their colorful group of friends, it’s guaranteed to be a good time.

 

 

 

EPISODE 3: “Finding spring again" 

 

In the year 2004, sometime in the beginning of our couple’s marriage, Jin-joo is stuck at home contemplating the bills, and Ban-do is running around a hospital trying to complete a sale. All the while, Bo-reum is living it up in a night club, and Dok-jae and Jae-woo are picking up a couple of girls.

 

Jin-joo narrates that people get certain rights they can enjoy during this season of their lives. Those people get to see the beauty in life instead of the evil. “For us,†she continues, “that passionate and youthful time that everyone enjoyed was like the spring that had passed without giving us a chance to look at the flowers.â€

 

 

 

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We rejoin our characters in 1999, just after they dispersed from their group date. Bo-reum and Jae-woo have some drinks, and it’s clear that Jae-woo is intimidated. He watches Bo-reum down her drinks like water, while he pathetically sputters as he tries to keep up. If that didn’t scare him, her disgust with the restaurant’s music does. He shrinks in his seat as she rants about the artist and how terrible it is for the guy to sing about saying whatever he wants as long as he’s drunk and won’t remember it later.

 

Jae-woo insists that he would never do something like that, which just amuses her. He tells her to take it easy with her drinks… and the next thing we know, Bo-reum is left with a passed out Jae-woo. Ha. Bo-reum has no choice but to piggyback Jae-woo all the way back to campus, cursing through her teeth the entire time. She dumps him at the male dorms and leaves without another thought.

 

The next morning, Jae-woo wakes up in the dorm lobby, with no idea as to how he got there. Welp, he’s definitely going to regret that. A scream erupts from Jin-joo’s room, and her mom and unni come running in to find her with puffy red eyes (after spending all of last night crying about Seo-jin, her son in the future timeline). But Jin-joo is more concerned with the fact that she still looks young.

 

 

 

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As Jin-joo puts her goodbye letter to Mom away, her dad cautiously sticks his head in and asks if she’s angry with him. She insists that she isn’t, though her face says otherwise. He offers a bonus to her allowance, but again, she says no and walks away. Dad wonders why she’s been so weird around him lately, and then he stuffs the cash in her jacket pocket anyway.

 

Meanwhile, Ban-do sits in his room, wondering how long his trip to the past will last. He hopes it’s a permanent thing, only to realize that would mean he’d have to serve in the military again. But he smiles, thinking that would still be better than being divorced. He takes a look in the mirror and figures that it’s time he have some fun.

 

 

 

=== Read more: http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/10/go-back-spouses-episode-3/

 

 

 

 

 

COMMENTS

 

What a fun episode! And that’s the best compliment I can give this show—it’s so fun and active that there’s never really a moment where I feel even slightly bored. I love that our couple thinks that since they’re “older,†they’re more mature than their college-aged friends. Yet at the same time, they seem as immature as ever. Or, at least, Ban-do does. He’s a hoot to watch, but man, is he a man-child. I’m starting to see why Jin-joo got so frustrated with him the further they were into their marriage. He’s a charming guy, but it’s obvious that he’s kept his mindset from college all this time, and it’s not the mindset one should be having when he’s a husband and a father.

 

But again, he’s just so damn funny. A lot of the comedy here works so well and it hits us so often—there was a point where my cheeks hurt from laughing too long. Ban-do and Jin-joo are great together, and when you add their crazy friends and family to the bunch, they’re even better.

 

 

 

The families really interest me, Jin-joo’s in particular. I’m curious to know why she’s so angry with her father—he seems like a nice enough man, but she’s so cold toward him that my first instinct is to believe that he did something terrible like cheat on Mom. Or, who knows, maybe it has something to do with Mom’s death? I want to know!

 

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The friends were the true highlight of the episode, though. Bo-reum is fierce and badass, and Dok-jae is… well, poor Dok-jae is a hot mess, but he’s quickly becoming my favorite character. Anytime Lee Yi-kyung shows up onscreen, I get the urge to laugh, and not just because of those luscious locks of his. As funny as he and the other side characters are, I hope they’re not just here for the comedy. With our main couple going through some serious issues, I’d like to see everyone—the girls and the guys—step up as friends. I didn’t get a good sense of Dok-jae and Jae-woo being all that supportive in the present timeline, so I’ll be looking for some change there.

 

But getting back to our couple, they’ve been viewing this experience as an opportunity to escape each other and live brand new lives. But, of course, changing the past will change the future. So the question is, are these two willing to erase their son from their lives? Now that they’re both considering this, I wonder where it puts them. I’m actually glad that the drama brought up this kind of topic. This couple hates their present lives, and I get that, but having a child in the picture changes everything.

 

This places a lot of responsibility on their shoulders as they play around in the past. And I can see that they’re starting to wonder if a “better†life is worth losing little Seo-jin. I don’t know how this will affect their relationship with each other, but it’s sure to put some guilt on their minds as they chase after new love interests. If anything, I at least hope that Ban-do and Jin-joo put aside some of their pettiness and figure out exactly what they want to do. We may not know how this time travel works, but methinks Fate saw how unhappy these two were and allowed them the chance to fulfill their bucket lists. As they continue down their lists, they’ll be sure to come back to each other, right?

 

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  • Go Back Spouses: Episode 4goback04-00162.jpg

 

Everything seems to be going great as Ban-do and Jin-joo both enjoy the simple pleasures of youth, until memories from the future start to creep in on our time-traveling couple. Scars from experiences yet to pass still sting, all the more painfully so when the past brushes up against them with a dash of salt—and by salt, I mean a certain mother-in-law. (Also, my tears.)

 

EPISODE 4: “Again, my heart beatsâ€

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Winter, 1998: 19-year-old Ban-do has just finished registering at his future college and whines to his mother that he doesn’t want to study civil engineering. Registration is about to close, but Ban-do spots a girl running to make it in time. It’s Seo-young, and Ban-do keeps the doors open for her, his reward a broad smile and a thank you. Just like that, he is enchanted.

In voiceover, Ban-do narrates that a thing called a heart lives in everyone’s chests. “It pounds all the time, and makes you embarrassed. It makes us losers who can’t do anything.†As he narrates, we see Ban-do watching Seo-young from the school hallway as she dances, and he ducks out of sight when she looks at him. He tries to bring her a drink, but on his way in, he trips (over himself, literally), and the drink rolls to Seo-young’s feet.

Jumping up, Ban-do awkwardly shouts that she can just have the drink he dropped before making a run for it. But Seo-young catches up with him and thanks him for the drink, her smile drawing a grin out of Ban-do.

 

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Ban-do morphs into his future self, selling medical equipment to doctors. Ban-do’s narration returns, and he admits that once he became an adult who learned to control his heart, it seemed to stop moving altogether and disappeared.

While he narrates, future Ban-do climbs into bed next to Jin-joo. She wakes at his arrival, but neither turns to the other, scrunched away on opposite sides of the bed. In 1999, we return to that drunken night club evening, and Jae-woo struggles to get Dok-jae back to the dorms. Dok-jae blames Bo-reum and her drinking challenge for his state, and Jae-woo grins that he thought she was cool.

The dorm gate is locked, and Dok-jae has the bright idea to try to squeeze through the bars. He gets his head through, but his shoulder just won’t twist enough, and he gets stuck. Meanwhile, Jae-woo discovers that the side gate is still unlocked and walks through to the other side.

 

=== Read more: http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/10/go-back-spouses-episode-4/

 

 

COMMENTS

Oh no, why does Ban-do feel guilty about his mother-in-law’s death? And why is Jin-joo upset with him about it? Please don’t let it be anything unforgiveable! I want Ban-do to get the chance to spend some of this time with his mother-in-law too.

This typically goofy show has the ability to wring tears out of me every other episode. This time, it was the moment that Ban-do saw his mother-in-law alive again. Ugh, and then when he delivers grapes for her, how is it I’m crying over a box of grapes? But it’s not just the grapes, it’s also the way that Ban-do can’t stop looking in wonder at Mom. Ban-do obviously loved her dearly, something that’s great to see in a vast sea of nagging mother-in-law dramas, but obviously something went wrong when she died. Was he distracted with work? Callous towards Jin-joo? This has the potential to be so heartbreaking.

 

Am I going to end up crying every week? (Good, because I love a little heartache).

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This episode did a good job of balancing that emotional ending with enjoyable fluffy moments with the other love interests, and I think it has the chance to leave no one behind in too much heartbreak, while still getting our main couple back together in the end.

Ban-do and Jin-joo not only have the opportunity to give themselves a second chance at youth, but they also bring with them the gifts of life experience and wisdom for all of their friends. Jin-joo can show Nam-gil that he doesn’t have to be so cold, and Ban-do can help Seo-young not take things so seriously and indulge once in a while. So even though those second leads might not get the guy/girl, they might find something even more rewarding along the way. And Jin-joo and Ban-do may find that even when everything goes right with their first loves/second leads, there might have been something really magical between them that they’ve forgotten since life hit them hard.

I actually really like that I’m fairly confident that the main couple will get back together. It may destroy some of the anticipation of the “will they or won’t they†drama, but I think that gives the show the opportunity to swing some more powerful emotional punches on the topics of the larger family unit. The big impacts have been the feelings that Ban-do and Jin-joo have for others in their lives, like Mom and Seo-jin, and I think that it’s an interesting way to address how a divorce can really rock a family.

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I’m surprised that Jin-joo can’t seem to see Nam-gil as anything but a much younger man. I was surprised how motherly she seemed to feel towards him, considering she used to know him when he was this age. Meanwhile, I’m starting to wonder if Ban-do is also actually feeling more paternal towards Seo-young than he is romantic. They definitely shared a successful date and he got the opportunity to feel like he did better than all those moments in the past when he felt like a nerdy failure, but those scenes in the restaurant just seemed so much more like an older mentor wanting to help lend a hand to a struggling student.

I wasn’t expecting to get a more well-rounded look at how Jae-woo became a professional cheerleader, but I really like the direction the show is taking in that. A scene that was played as an embarrassment last week is possibly a huge moment in college when Bo-reum helped Jae-woo gain some confidence in himself and find something he enjoys. I’m dreading seeing how they break up, because I’ve already grown oddly attached to this strange pairing.

I’m interested to see what Seol will do with the information of Ban-do and Jin-joo’s divorce. So far, she seems willing to support her friend without actually calling anyone out, and it also seems like Seol is seeing her friend in a new light. And while she may feel bad for the situation she thinks Jin-joo is in, it also seems to be opening her up to consider new experiences as well.

And finally, as for Dok-jae, how does this guy ever find a wife and girlfriends on the side?

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Team Dramabeans: What we’re watching

 

 

 

javabeans

  • Go Back Spouses: The secondhand embarrassment is strong with this one, but I suppose that’s a good thing if you like wacky comedic situations. I was surprisingly moved when Jang Nara went back to the past and was so amazed and relieved to see her mother again (who has died in the future/present) that she chased her around like an adoring puppy… and then I laughed out loud when the sudden outpouring of affection creeped Mom out. The show hasn’t yet won me over into thinking this is a couple who should get back together in this second-chance life, but I’m willing to see where they go with it.

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OST

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqnKZby5M58

Edited by FranCella
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  • Go Back Spouses: Episode 5

 

No matter how many times Ban-do and Jin-joo tell themselves they want to live separate lives, they just can’t stay away from each other. Something keeps pulling them back together, whether that be lingering emotions or the cunning hands of fate. But with so much turmoil in their relationship, it’ll take a lot more than fate to fix all the damage. Fortunately, a little jealousy goes a long way.

 

 

EPISODE 5: “The criteria for first loveâ€

 

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In 2017, Ban-do reads an article about Seo-young retiring from dance after getting injured and sighs that she should’ve been careful. Jin-joo walks in and he immediately shuts his laptop, which leads Jin-joo to think that he was watching porn.

He opens his laptop again to prove it’s not porn; he was just curious about how Seo-young was doing since she was his first love. He explains that a first love can feel like homework that was never finished, making Jin-joo scowl. He smiles and says that she wouldn’t know the feeling since she married her first love. Jin-joo scoffs at that and says that she doesn’t have a first love. They start to argue over what “first love†really means, while Jin-joo narrates that the definition itself can be rather ambiguous.

 

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Back in 1999, Jin-joo is shocked to find Ban-do and her mom outside the house. She forces her mom inside and then turns to Ban-do, looking furious. Ban-do weakly lies that he was just passing by, but Jin-joo tells him to stay away before going inside. After taking one last look at the crate of grapes he left for Mom, Ban-do turns away.

Inside, Jin-joo warns Mom to stay away from Ban-do. Mom doesn’t see why she should; the nice young man did help her out. Still, Jin-joo tells her to kick him if he ever tries to help again. She stalks off to her room, leaving Mom confused.

On campus, Bo-reum keeps Jae-woo back after cheerleading practice to give him some private lessons. He asks when he’ll be able to wear the uniform and lift her like her partner did earlier. Bo-reum gets a twinkle in her eye and tells him to stay where he is.

 

=== Read more: http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/10/go-back-spouses-episode-5/

 

 

COMMENTS

Nam-gil and Seo-young are really stepping up their game as second leads. They both feel like well-rounded characters at this point—they’re sweet, they’re interesting, and they seem to have found a new kind of comfort with Jin-joo and Ban-do. For Nam-gil, Jin-joo takes away some of the stress from his family, and for Seo-young, Ban-do takes away some of the stress from her dancing. I like these people, and I know they like Jin-joo and Ban-do, so I start feeling bad for them when our main couple shows obvious signs of still being in love. It’s funny because if our couple weren’t actually involved, I could see them being in dramas with their respective second leads. Both couples fit pretty well together, and that makes me wonder what Jin-joo and Ban-do’s lives would be like had they not met on that group date.

 

But come on, when Ban-do is pushing jerkfaces into pools because they badmouthed Jin-joo, how can I not root for them to work out their relationship? No matter how much I like the second leads, I want this couple to power through their problems. It all seems rooted back to the mom’s death—whatever happened there truly damaged the marriage. But they’d been together for a pretty long time, even after Mom died, so obviously, they didn’t want to give up, right? That shows a lot of promise. In some of these flashbacks (in the present timeline), they can be harsh and at times, totally out of line, but in flashbacks like this episode’s, you can see that there’s almost a lightness to their fighting. They’re not as cute and sweet towards each like they used to be, but the playfulness is still there.

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I was happy (and quite heartbroken) when we finally got some clarification about Jin-joo’s resentment towards her dad. I’m glad Dad didn’t do anything like cheat, but in Jin-joo’s eyes, he might as well have. Her own father telling her to let go must’ve felt like the world’s biggest betrayal when in reality, he was probably just trying to cope with Mom’s death in his own way.

Jin-joo had been repressing a lot of anger and sadness during her marriage with Ban-do, and I can see this incident with her dad being one of the main sources. She still carries all of this hate towards Dad, and in some ways, this hate found its way to Ban-do as well. I think she felt a very similar betrayal when she got the misunderstanding that Ban-do was having an affair. I was hurting for her before, but now that we’re aware of the reasoning behind her anger, it makes me hurt for her more, if that’s possible.

There’s still the missing piece as to what Ban-do was so sorry for when Mom died, and honestly, I’m not sure if I can take any more of that heartache. But from what we’ve seen, I think Ban-do and Jin-joo weren’t just given a second chance at love, but also a second chance at acceptance. I don’t know if Jin-joo will ever forgive her dad, but I hope she can find some way to understand him. If she can do this, there’s no doubt she’ll be able to understand Ban-do too. After all, it wasn’t just Jin-joo that lost a mother—Dad lost a wife and Ban-do lost a mother-in-law. Instead of isolating herself in her grief, she could really do herself some good by keeping those with similar grief close by.

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Edited by FranCella
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  • Go Back Spouses: Episode 6goback06-00098.jpg

 

Sweet, sweet jealousy is delivered in every minute of this episode, and it’s just what I ordered. Ban-do finally starts to see what he’s been taking for granted all this time, but Nam-gil’s white knight game is strong. Will Ban-do be able to come around in time to stop Jin-joo’s heart from going full flutter for the younger man?

 

EPISODE 6: “You shine the brightest when you are yourselfâ€

 

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In 2017, Jin-joo tries on a dress she ordered online. It’s pretty, but she’s worried that it’s too short, especially if she’s trying to carry Seo-jin around.

In voiceover, Jin-joo narrates that she used to think age was just a number that soaked into her, but didn’t change her.

Jin-joo still really likes the dress, so she posts online to mine the infinite wisdom of the internet—is an above-the-knee dress okay for a mother in her late thirties? Most replies say that they stopped wearing dresses a while ago but one commenter says that it doesn’t matter if it looks good on you, and Jin-joo perks up and tries the dress on again.

 

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Ban-do arrives home and she jumps out to surprise him. But Ban-do is totally disinterested, tells her she’s too old for dresses like that, and starts calling for his son. When he hears that Seo-jin is asleep, all the energy in him deflates and he ignores Jin-joo and wanders off.

In voiceover again, Jin-joo narrates as she seals the box to return her dress, “Age wasn’t soaking into me, I was adjusting myself to my age. That’s how I got used to my age.â€

In 1999, we return to that rainy day in Seoul. Jin-joo gets off the bus and huddles at the same stop as Seo-young, and notices that Seo-young tucks her own umbrella into her bag.

 

===Read more: http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/10/go-back-spouses-episode-6/

 

 

 

COMMENTS

That beautiful, jealous cliffhanger.

For a while, it’s been hard to root for the main couple getting back together. We know they’re both hurting and definitely loved one another at some point, but Ban-do’s vicious negging has made it really difficult to justify Jin-joo going back to him in the end. Sure, the guy may have been a marshmallow when he was actually 20, but 38 year-old Ban-do’s sole mission in life seems to be keeping Jin-joo down.

Ban-do has a habit of naysaying everyone he’s around though, not just Jin-joo. He has exhibited these actions often when he feels insecure; it’s almost like a self-defense mechanism. If he’s going down, he makes sure to bring everyone else down with him. And while it actually may not be anything personal, but rather something Ban-do does to protect himself, you can see what it’s done to Jin-joo over time. She has no confidence in herself anymore, a woman who can throw diapers into a pail without looking and was once elected to run for May Queen.

 

It seems like Ban-do was never equipped to handle what life threw at him, so for him to come back around and steal Jin-joo’s heart again, he’s going to have to do a lot more than just recognize that he still loves her. And I’m pretty sure others around Ban-do have been hinting at the source of his problem for a while. When Jin-joo’s father asked about his likes, he couldn’t muster any goals or dreams. The same happened when he registered for college without any aspirations, and finally when Seo-young inquired about his interests. Ban-do has no passions.

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Being passionate about his future life with Jin-joo was certainly sweet, but it’s not a sustainable source of life satisfaction. So if this chance at 1999 really is karma’s way of letting him fix what went wrong, it seems like trying to find something that he loves to do might be a good start.

In the meanwhile though, I am thoroughly enjoying all the jealous angst. That scene in the festival tent, so much palpable jealousy. Ban-do still can’t quite get it right, with his immediate diversion to negative jibes, but his feelings are starting to take over.

Jang Ki-yong is doing such a good job of smiling adorably at Jang Nara as our second lead. It sounds easy, but I think he’s doing a great job of walking that fine line of comedic, cold-but-melting sweetheart. The comedy is always understated with him, and that makes every sideways look and pursed lips extra meaningful. I definitely rewatched a few of his reaction scenes a couple times over.

This episode was also about regret and those embarrassing moments that haunt us through life (especially in the middle of the night when our brains won’t turn off). We all have our embarrassments from our youth, and we’re all guilty of desperately wishing, if we just hadn’t done that one thing differently, our lives would be infinitely better. But in the moment, none of his friends are that terribly ashamed after the talent show, and it feels more like a great memory that Ban-do has now lost.

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On the other side of the spectrum is Jin-joo, who always held back when she was young, and now, she finally gets the chance to experience the spotlight. She blossoms again as she sings, and I love that the almost-dead plant will help us track Jin-joo’s recovery. That thing had better have flowers on it by the finale.

With Jin-joo regaining her confidence before Ban-do’s eyes, he is starting to remember how amazing she always was, the way she was when he fell for her. And maybe, if we’re lucky, he’ll also see how his own behavior helped get her to her current meek state.

Most of the side characters took backseat this episode, but I hope Bo-reum and Jae-woo talk soon. Bo-reum can’t actually mean that she likes Jae-woo because he’s easy, right? She has to mean that he’s so open with his feelings for her, and doesn’t keep her guessing. My feelings are all tangled up in the main love quadrangle, but I am 100 percent for the Bo-reum–Jae-woo couple. Fighting!

 

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  • Go Back Spouses: Episode 7goback07-00468.jpg

 

Jin-joo and Ban-do have gotten into some petty fights with each other, but the time has come for them to put aside their differences and work together in a completely different fight. There are a lot of things they want to change while reliving their pasts, and we’re finally starting to see them jump into action with some much-needed revenge.

 

 

EPISODE 7: “Between truth and lies, there is sincerity†

In 2017, Hyun-suk is in his office at the hospital, making out with one of the nurses. His wife Ye-rim comes stomping in to the hospital and confirms that one nurse is missing from her post. She goes straight to her husband’s office, but by the time she enters, Hyun-suk and the nurse are just standing there talking.

They greet Ye-rim normally and while the nurse happily leaves, Hyun-suk smiles and says that he’s glad to see Ye-rim after a hard day. Ye-rim pushes her anger down and smiles at him, then she accepts his hug.

 

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As she’s driven back home, Ye-rim flips through several pictures of her husband with different women. She sobs in the back seat, remembering how she couldn’t say a word even when she noticed the nurse’s smudged lipstick and the lipstick stain on Hyun-suk’s white coat.

Jin-joo narrates that when you try to hide something from someone and you feel confident that they’ll never find out, the chances are that that person is deeply in love with you. “They didn’t get fooled because they couldn’t see the truth,†she continues. “Perhaps they refused to see it because they love you.â€

 

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In 1999, Ban-do heads over to the bathroom, and he can’t seem to shake the image of Jin-joo singing from his head. He reaches the men’s room just as Hyun-suk and his friends leave, and he stares after Hyun-suk, wondering why they have to keep running into each other. Feeling his stare, Hyun-suk turns to look at him briefly before rejoining his friends.

After using the bathroom, Ban-do notices a hairpin on the floor, in front of a stall door. He curiously picks it up and opens the stall door, and his eyes widen to see Jin-joo and Nam-gil standing inside, looking very much like they’ve just been caught.

 

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Ban-do asks what they’re doing, and Nam-gil throws the question back at him and asks who he thinks he is. “I’m her…†Ban-do starts, looking at Jin-joo. Not quite sure how to finish, he just says that he’s her friend.

Jin-joo scoffs at that and explains that she was just trying to change clothes. Before Ban-do gets the wrong idea, she moves past him and exits the bathroom. Ban-do tries to leave too, but Nam-gil calls him back.

Ban-do lets out a dry laugh, amused that a young guy like Nam-gil is speaking banmal to him. Nam-gil points out that Ban-do’s the freshman, and Ban-do can’t exactly argue. Annoyed with the boys, Jin-joo tries to end the conversation by handing over the dress Nam-gil had given her.

 

===Read more: http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/11/go-back-spouses-episode-7/

 

 

COMMENTS

I’ve been loving all of Jin-joo’s narrations about life and marriage, and I must say that this episode’s narration really hit the nail on the head. My biggest issue with this couple—and with the Bo-reum/Jae-woo couple—was their severe lack of communication. They would never talk to each other about… well, anything. They wouldn’t talk about their insecurities, about their stress, or about their feelings. And if they did talk, they would joke around or lash out as a way to hide how they truly felt.

As much as I like Ban-do, I’ve been wanting to punch him for some of the harsh things he’s said to Jin-joo. It was almost like he was actually trying to make Jin-joo hate him, and I didn’t understand that. I still don’t understand it, but I think he’s slowly making progress. There’s a moment when Jin-joo tells him to quit calling her “Ajumma,†and it seems like she finally got through to him; she got him to admit that he liked her May Queen performance. I could see in his face that he might’ve been too dense to realize how much that word hurt her. It wasn’t just him being mean, so I can at least appreciate that.

 

I’m thankful that this episode happened when it did because I needed Jin-joo and Ban-do to stop all the bickering and to clear some misunderstandings. I needed them to step away from the second leads for a while so they wouldn’t be distracted. And it turns out that when it’s just the two of them, they actually make a pretty badass team. It’s incredible when you actually stop and think about it—they saved Ye-rim from a marriage full of heartache. They saved this woman. After watching them act a little too careless while in 1999, it was nice to have them work together to do some good. They made a positive change, and the experience got them to open up with each other. They still joke around when I wish they’d be more sincere, but now their interactions feel less hostile and somewhat warm. Baby steps.

But now that our couple has made a drastic change, I’m beginning to wonder what else they’ve changed. In most time travel dramas, the smallest change in the past can do some serious damage to the future. And our couple has already changed a lot of things in their past, so where does that leave us? Have they unintentionally fixed other issues? Have they unintentionally caused more issues? I find it odd that Jin-joo and Ban-do aren’t asking themselves these questions. They think about their son every day they’re away from him, but are they really thinking about their actions and about the repercussions? I sure hope so. They have to return to the future sometime, and I’m really starting to worry how that future will look.

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  • Go Back Spouses: Episode 8goback08-00225.jpg

 

Call your parents and hug your children, because this episode focuses in on family and the unconditional love that comes with it. The novelty of refreshed youth has run dry for our time travel couple, who both just want to get back to their old lives and the family they’ve left behind there. But while they’re still in 1999, they put their parenting skills to good use and solve some of the show’s early mysteries for us.

 

EPISODE 8: “Your weapon against the worldâ€

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We start off in 2017 and follow Ban-do to a meeting with his sunbae from college. Ban-do’s friends are certain that the guy called suddenly to try to sell him insurance, but Ban-do remembers that his sunbae always wanted to be an architect and figures he pursued that path.

When Ban-do gets there, though, it seems his friends were right. Over drinks afterward, Dok-jae and Jae-woo recall how the sunbae had bragged about becoming an architect, but Ban-do reminds them that they’d done that too, saying they’d be movie directors. The guys laugh at the memory.

 

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This takes them into a flashback, when they were fresh-faced and eager volunteers on a movie set. Ban-do begins to narrate: “There was a time when I had nothing to lose, since I had nothing.â€

Back in 2017, he continues his voiceover as he stares off wistfully over drinks: “There was a time when I couldn’t estimate how hard the world was.†The scene dissolves to a new one, where Ban-do cries as he embraces Jin-joo.

Now it’s back to 1999, as Nam-gil overhears Hyun-suk’s friends talking about the takedown at the medical student party and how Hyun-suk was so angry he might go after Jin-joo.

 

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Jin-joo walks home and begins to sense someone following her, so she calls Ban-do for help. But Ban-do tries to call her at the exact same time, and they both get busy signals. A dark figure charges Jin-joo, and she drops her phone to the ground. At the same moment, Ban-do’s phone rings. His eyes widen as he listens, and he starts running.

Hyun-suk corners Jin-joo and says he’s not afraid to hit her and go to jail for it. But as he readies his swing, he receives a mighty kick to his side. Nam-gil has arrived to save the day, and he retorts, “No need to go to jail. I’ll just send you to the afterlife.†Oh my.

 

===Read more: http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/11/go-back-spouses-episode-8/

 

 

 

COMMENTS

What is this ending? Is Ban-do really back in the future? And if so, did he return without Jin-joo? Is there the possibility that there’s a version of time-travel Jin-joo out there now interacting with a completely oblivious, original-1999 Ban-do? And since Ban-do and Jin-joo seem to still be together in 2017, have the actions of the past changed something? I have so many questions. This is totally not what I was expecting at this point in the show, but depending on how they handle it, it could really nicely spice up the slow and steady pace we’ve had so far. I hope we at least get a lot of Seo-jin’s smiles next week.

This show went and took my words from last week and spat them right back at me, in a really nice way. I was certain we were heading toward Ban-do rediscovering his lost passions and going for it this second time, but instead, this episode took some time to break apart that time travel trope. No matter how dedicated or passionate, sometimes the future doesn’t turn out how you expect it to (just like Ban-do’s sunbae). Future Ban-do might not remember what his passions were anymore, but it’s not because they weren’t there. Time has eroded those old passions, but also filled him up with new ones, and this is where the show brings us back to the point it’s been hinting at all along—life can really knock you down, but your children renew your purpose.

 

 

And parents are certainly the focus of this episode. Ban-do and Jin-joo come closer and closer to one another as they reclaim their identities as parents, and that identity helps provide some helping hands to their friends. Problems they couldn’t solve in 1999 because they lacked perspective are easily solved when they’re now willing to think like adults and get their friend’s parents involved.

 

 

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We saw the shape of several families in this episode, including Seo-young’s concerned dad, Bo-reum’s tough-yet-goofy brothers, and Seol’s hard-working mom. Jin-joo and Ban-do’s perspectives as parents themselves expand the world and reveal the family scaffolding that’s usually hidden in the background, just in time to remind these college students that they don’t have to solve everything on their own.

And thanks to all this parenting, a lot of lingering questions were wrapped up in this episode. Seol no longer disappears form their lives, and we now know the final piece of the puzzle surrounding Jin-joo’s mother’s death. Perhaps we’ll still fill in more details if we get to see what kept Ban-do from reaching Jin-joo in time, but we now understand at least why Jin-joo feels as though Ban-do has abandoned her.

As Seol’s mother said, you can fail at your business and your first try at life, but you pick yourself up again for your children. Ban-do has been so focused on the opportunity of getting a do-over in the past that he’s missed this point up until now. The solution to life’s problems isn’t about dwelling on mistakes of the past, but rather by pushing forward and overcoming, for the sake of those who depend on you. Which brings us to Ban-do’s current hang-up. He’s felt like a failure for a while when it comes to Jin-joo, because he failed to be there for her when her mother died. He blames himself for their fallout, and it seems like he’s been focused on what could have been different in the past, rather than looking to do better in the future.

 

 

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But I feel like Ban-do is on his way to finally figuring things out. He starts to come around in this episode, in all the ways I’ve wanted him to. He totally gets that his interest in Seo-young wasn’t serious, he wants to spend more time with Jin-joo, and he starts to see how heartsick she’s been about losing her life in the future with their son. And just like she reminded him of the things in life that he loves, he starts to remember the things that Jin-joo loved as well.

There’s a lot of that, remembering the little things that people love, and the things that a person gives up for another. The moment where Ban-do stares at the peaches that Jin-joo’s mother gave him and realizes that this is something that she gave up for him; it’s this really adult sort of response to the question, “What does love look like?â€

As Ban-do starts to learn how to be an adult, one of our second lead ships sink. The dissolution of Seo-young and Ban-do went exactly as I had hoped it would, though, and it all seems for the best. No feelings were hurt, because Seo-young has been feeling the parental vibes from him for a while. She takes it really well, and I’m super happy that she’s found a new friend who helped her stand up to her parents’ demands.

I fear that letting Nam-gil down, however, is going to be a lot messier for Jin-joo. He’s well past smitten, and I’m bracing for some second lead heartbreak pretty soon.

 

 

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Edited by FranCella
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  • Go Back Spouses: Episode 9goback09-00532.jpg

     

 

 

I didn’t know I wanted this love triangle this badly, but now that we’re in it, I’m ecstatic. Ban-do has been blind to what he’s truly wanted for a long time but now, he’s starting to see things a little more clearly. Of course, that also means that he’s seeing what’s stopping him. He’s got the heart and the determination, but like all things in life, he needs to put in a whole lot of effort if he wants to get anywhere.

 

 

 

EPISODE 9: “The times we were in loveâ€

 

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In the original 1999, the day after the big group date, Jin-joo stops at her locker to find a trail of arrows that lead her to the library. There, she finds a note from Ban-do, in which he asks her out to a movie. She smiles, and just behind the bookshelf, an excited Ban-do is smiling too.

 

After a while of dating, the two are practically inseparable. Ban-do reluctantly sends her off on her bus home, but he gets an idea when he spots an elderly woman selling fruit by the street. Later, Jin-joo arrives at her stop and is surprised to run into Ban-do again—he’d taken a taxi over to give her something.

 

Jin-joo loves that he wanted an excuse to see her again, but she gasps when she sees that the excuse was to give her peaches. He’s already breaking out from his allergy, but he happily states that she likes peaches, so his allergy doesn’t matter. Oh, the sweetness is overwhelming.

 

 

 

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Jin-joo is so moved that she figures Ban-do would pluck a star right out of the sky for her if he could. He replies that he would get her every star in the sky and with that, the happy couple walks arm-in-arm the rest of the way home.

 

As we see this sweet moment juxtaposed with the moment they signed their divorce papers, Jin-joo’s narration wonders where those times, when they were willing to pick the stars and even the moon for each other, disappeared to.

 

The next thing we know, Ban-do is waking up in his apartment of 2017. He can hardly believe his eyes until he runs out to the kitchen and sees present-day Jin-joo standing before him.

 

 

 

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Ban-do is so relieved that he grabs Jin-joo in a hug, tears in his eyes. He releases her to look for Seo-jin, and she wonders if he’s still drunk from last night. He stops and says that he’s not drunk.

 

“I had this dream,†he starts, but when he turns around, Jin-joo is gone. He calls out for her, and then we see that that was a dream. Ban-do wakes up, still in 1999, tearing up as he mumbles for Jin-joo.

 

Before leaving for school, Jin-joo confirms with Mom about their trip to the mineral springs. Dad is upset that he’s being left out again, but Mom is too busy reading a headline on the newspaper he’s reading—there’s been an increase in suicide among those in their twenties.

 

 

 

===Read more: http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/11/go-back-spouses-episode-9/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COMMENTS

 

I don’t know what to feel anymore—my heart is in two. Nam-gil is such a great guy, and such a great guy for Jin-joo, but arghhh, I still feel so much for Ban-do. Sure, he can be a total ass at times, but he really is a good guy at heart. And it truly feels like he’s falling head over heels in love with Jin-joo again, which only makes it worse. I’ve made it pretty clear that I want him to work things out with her, but when she’s with Nam-gil, I do have second thoughts. Because who knows? Maybe she would have a better relationship with Nam-gil, rather than Ban-do. In fact, I know she would. And that almost makes me want them together. But then I see Jin-joo’s face when she gets lost in her memories with Ban-do, and it instantly brings me back to square one.

 

 

 

There’s no doubt about it—no matter how angry she is with him, no matter how much she may blame him, she still loves him. She still wants what they used to have. She always has, and she’s just been waiting and waiting and waiting for Ban-do to want the same thing, to step up and fight for her. The only downside is that she’s at that point where she’s given up on him, just when he’s decided that he wants her back. Well, Choi Ban-do. You have a lot of fighting to do. She’s spent years waiting for you, and it’s about time you catch up.

 

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I’m glad that Ban-do is showing signs of loving her again and that he’s started doing all of these little things to make her happy, but it does feel like he’s far too late. He spent so much time hung up on Seo-young, or to be more specific, hung up on the idea of Seo-young. She’d always been this unattainable figure in his past, but after confirming that he cared for her in a more father-daughter way, a switch went off in his brain. It took all this time, but he finally sees that his first love wasn’t Seo-young; it was Jin-joo. And it’s just starting to hit him that he might be missing his second chance with her. It scares him, as it should.

 

Last week, Ban-do really came to his senses when it dawned on him that the past wasn’t as important as he thought it was. Great things can happen, terrible things can happen. But once they happen, they’ve already happened. There’s nothing to do but move on and go from there. That’s never been an easy thing for Ban-do to accept, but I’m so proud of him for starting to try. The dream he had in the beginning of the episode made him realize that the fun he was having in the past wasn’t worth it. He wants to be in present day, back with his family. The way he cried out for Jin-joo nearly had me in tears because he seemed so happy to be back. That had to be the biggest wakeup call of the show yet.

 

And to my pleasant surprise, Ban-do didn’t wake up from that dream ready to throw himself another pity party. Instead, he moved on. He did what he could to get Jin-joo smiling again, even if they were still stuck in the past. If he keeps this up, the little things he does for Jin-joo could become big things. Important things. For his sake and Jin-joo’s, I hope this is the case. In the meantime, I wouldn’t mind seeing Ban-do and Nam-gil butt heads a few more times. These two are hilarious together, and frankly, seeing how much they dislike each other only makes me want them as best friends. Now.

 

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  • Go Back Spouses: Episode 10

 

 

Another week, another bucket of tears at my feet. The more amazing Jin-joo’s family is, the heavier the knowledge of her mother’s death weighs on our hearts. Our couple starts to take notice of the things they’ve been taking for granted in their lives, and both Ban-do and Jin-joo struggle, in their own way, through a painful anniversary from the future.

 

 

EPISODE 10: “You can’t take anything for grantedâ€

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We start our episode in the newlywed days of 2004. Jin-joo cuddles Ban-do in appreciation as he uses his knowledge of pharmaceuticals to manage her medications. But in 2017, his same efforts go unappreciated by Jin-joo. Ban-do begins to narrate: “At one point in life, we begin to take some things for granted, because we get comfortable and used to them.â€

Jin-joo begs Ban-do to change his shirt, since the one he has on is dirty. Ban-do’s already late and doesn’t really care, but Jin-joo insists and pulls him back in to change. Jin-joo’s efforts to take care of him earn her a long sigh rather than appreciation. Ban-do continues: “We consider the kindness of our love and the happiness we have as something we deserve, and we take them for granted.â€

 

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The scene moves to the day of Jin-joo’s mother’s funeral; Jin-joo watches as a mother and daughter walk in to the funeral together. Ban-do watches Jin-joo’s crouched figure from inside, as his narration continues: “But we only realize this after we lose everything. That someone’s existence was not supposed to be taken for granted.â€

As the episode title credit rolls, we get a brief glimpse of a later scene: Jin-joo and Ban-do stand facing one another outside Jin-joo’s house, lit by the streetlights.

 

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We return to 1999 and the group’s trip to Gangneung. It’s now morning, and Jin-joo and Ban-do are the first to rise. Ban-do hints at their history with Gangneung and the fireflies, but Jin-joo dodges the topic and turns it to how fresh the air is. Rather than get upset about not having his moment with Jin-joo, Ban-do just says that he’s glad that Jin-joo saw them and is enjoying the fresh air. (How surprisingly mature, Ban-do.)

Nam-gil is the next one awake, and watches on as Jin-joo and Ban-do sit together in awkward silence.

 

===Read more: http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/11/go-back-spouses-episode-10/

 

 

COMMENTS

Guys, I could barely keep it together to write this recap. I just kept crying.

The reason for Ban-do’s failure to show up for Jin-joo is so much more painful than I expected. It’s not just that he wasn’t there, but that Jin-joo had to go pick him up instead of going to see her mother. He inadvertently asked her to choose between her husband and her dying mother, who was the world to her. She had to listen to her husband take a beating over the phone, a beating that she had warned him against and begged him not to risk, for her sake. June 25 was a night she could have lost both her mother and her husband, and it’s the intensity of her deep love for Ban-do mixed with the sorrow of the loss of her mother that has fueled her anger and isolation.

 

From Ban-do’s perspective, he’s just been trying to do what’s right and good all this time. Protecting a kid from bullying isn’t a bad thing, but even good intentions can contribute to bad results, and he’s been beating himself up for it ever since.

Jin-joo’s family is so incredibly warm. The moonwalking scene was so real and lived in, just a bunch of goofs being lovely with one another. It makes the stark contrast to Jin-joo’s future all that more poignant. Jin-joo grew up in the most incredibly happy and caring household, and now she feels incredibly alone. After losing her mother, she isolated herself from those who she felt didn’t understand or share her pain, and that included her husband, who put on a cheerful face after the funeral, and her father, who found a new life partner just a year after her mother’s death. Even the closest of families can break down completely when a major trauma tears them at the seams.

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Jin-joo’s talk with her sister was so heartbreaking. Jin-joo just can’t impress on her sister what it will mean to them later when Mom is no longer around, but it’s Jin-joo who has been letting her grudge with her father prevent her from fully enjoying these happy days with her family again. Jin-joo has a special place in her heart for what her mother meant to her, but it also seems as though she refused any other care from those who didn’t match up with Mom.

The show plays a lot of the things from the past for gags, but it doesn’t forget that the most mundane artifacts from years gone by can also be the most painful, like a song that you’ve heard in a different context in the future, or what Michael Jackson means for you in 1999 in contrast to 2009. I really liked the way this event was woven into the shape of the narrative, and though I had my suspicions early on what was going on with the date, the impact at the end of the day with Jin-joo at the funeral watching the news and Ban-do arriving with grapes was perfectly resonant.

I’ve been rooting for the main couple from the beginning, as tempting as second leads may be, but this episode really filled my heart back up with my desire for everyone to just finally talk it all out and make up. Jin-joo and Ban-do have just been so lonely, but each scene with a doting Ban-do assures us that it hasn’t always been that way, and that Ban-do has been wanting to find a way back to the good times for a while now.

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On a lighter side, it was also a nice touch to see something like menstrual cramps featured in the show, not only as something that can impact a woman’s whole life, but also as something that a husband can also help care for. Ban-do doesn’t leave Jin-joo alone to deal with her “lady issues,†he’s always there to massage her back and pick out the best painkillers for her. He’s committed to her comfort, as he pointed out, because he’s there to care for her for life.

There was something deeply satisfying about Ban-do finally giving Hyun-suk the beating he deserves. From the very first episode of the show, we’ve been told that Ban-do was impulsive and quick to get into a scrape. But we’ve been with adult Ban-do this whole time, the one who pushed down all his anger at this man in order to make money for his family, so the restraint has been understandable. So while it doesn’t solve any actual problems, I was super pleased when Ban-do’s fist made contact.

I’m starting to think that very little will actually change in the future, and I honestly think that will be the most satisfying. Tragedy will still strike, but I want to believe that Jin-joo and Ban-do are learning to cope and look to one another to help unburden their struggles. Hyun-suk may still be an intolerable jerk, but Ban-do won’t have to grovel anymore. Mom will still be gone, but I’m hoping Jin-joo will reconcile with those she’s turned away from. Though I really do hope a few small things, like the tape Jin-joo recorded of her mom’s singing, will be able to slip through the cracks.

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  • love changed the title to KBS2 Drama "Go Back Couple" Sohn HoJoo & Jang Nara. ~The END~

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