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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 11goback11-00383.jpg

     

 

 

This is the episode I’ve been waiting for. Buried words are spoken, buried tears are shed, and buried feelings are exposed. Ban-do and Jin-joo have been through a lot while living out their second 1999, together and individually. And it was this episode that I realized the changes they make in this timeline don’t influence their future, but changes in their hearts.

 

 

 

EPISODE 11: “Tangled hearts grow when we ignore and neglect themâ€

 

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After her mom’s funeral (in 2009), Jin-joo had escaped into the bedroom to cry while Ban-do listened from the living room. The next morning, Jin-joo had come out to find Ban-do sleeping on the couch, still dressed in his suit. She’d glared at him with tears in her eyes, only to let out a hopeless sigh. And later when Ban-do woke up, he’d found that Jin-joo still made him breakfast.

 

Jin-joo narrates that people’s hearts can get tangled not necessarily because it’s someone’s fault, but because of a situation—and instead of simply ignoring and neglecting their problems, she and Ban-do should’ve tried to fix them. We see that after Mom’s death, they both tried to bury their sorrow and plaster on fake smiles. That, of course, only made their tangled hearts grow bigger, until they finally blew up with that argument that led to divorce.

 

 

 

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We go back to 1999, with Ban-do showing up at Jin-joo’s door. Ban-do’s face crumples as he confesses that he missed his mother-in-law too, and Jin-joo tears up too. But before she can answer him, her mom opens the door and asks what they’re talking about.

 

Mom looks Ban-do up and down and says that he seems pretty young to have a mother-in-law. She asks why he and Jin-joo are crying, and Jin-joo tells her not to get the wrong idea; she makes up the excuse that Ban-do was upset about a friend of his and came to talk to her about it.

 

Jin-joo urges Mom to go back inside, but Mom, still looking concerned, turns back and invites Ban-do to join them for dinner.

 

 

 

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Once inside, the familiar space triggers memories for Ban-do. He remembers sitting down with Jin-joo’s parents to get their blessing. When her parents had jumped to the conclusion that they were insistent on marrying because she was pregnant, Mom started hitting Jin-joo and Dad started hitting Ban-do (hee), until Jin-joo blurted out that the reason was that they couldn’t spend another day apart. Cuuute.

 

He then remembers sweet moments with Mom when he would secretly give her spending money, and even some heartfelt moments with Dad when Mom had passed away. Dad had cried in front of him, saying he was glad to have a son-in-law since he couldn’t cry like that in front of his daughters. Only now, Jin-joo’s dad is looking at Ban-do like he wants him out of his house.

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

 

 

COMMENTS

 

What the hell was that, Show? No, seriously. You were doing so well, and then you decide to throw in a last-minute car accident? My number one pet peeve in dramaland? I can’t even feel sad for Ban-do or Jin-joo right now because that ending left me severely pissed.

 

Because yes, this is an overused trope—the trope of throwing a loved one into a dangerous situation for the hero or heroine to realize their feelings. It’s a trope I actually love when it’s done exceptionally well. But here, it was done terribly. I could’ve lived with yet another car accident in a penultimate episode, but… why? Why did that car honk instead of stop? Why did everyone just stand there and watch? Why did Jin-joo move Ban-do when he was clearly in a bad state? I just couldn’t feel the emotional weight of the moment when the scene was handled that sloppily. It’s incredibly disappointing, especially since the show has been enjoyable thus far.

 

 

 

On top of that, it wasn’t even needed. Jin-joo was already on her way to understanding Ban-do. She had her epiphany with the drunk salaryman (such a great, heartrending scene), so why give her the car accident test? Moving on from the accident—believe me, it’s hard to do—I do wish we’d gotten more time for Jin-joo to rebuild her love for Ban-do.

 

Her realization didn’t exactly seem rushed, but it did feel as if there was an episode or two missing. Either way, I think this epiphany of hers still makes sense. Her love for him has always been buried inside her, and she just needed something like this to let it all out. I also liked that it was her mom who helped her see Ban-do’s sincerity. It’s been hard for her to see it, just as it was hard for Nam-gil to see the sincerity in his stepmother. What a lovely parallel.

 

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The show has never let us in on the rules of the time travel, but we’ve always known it had something to do with their rings. And I actually like that returning to the present could be as simple as the two of them wearing their rings again. They had the power to return all along—they just had to find their way back to each other. They had to find their way back to their marriage, back to their rings. It makes me think that removing their rings triggered this dreamlike vacation to the past and that nothing was ever in danger of changing. Seo-jin was never in danger of losing his very existence. This was just a short trip that the rings allowed the couple to have after a painful experience.

 

I both like and dislike this idea. I like it because the vacation now seems like a lesson for this couple, a chance to get some clarity in their relationship. But I dislike it because it makes me believe that everything they tried to change will be for nothing. Will Ye-rim still be married to that jerkface Hyun-suk when they return? I don’t know how the drama will tie up their trip to 1999. As long as our couple returns the way they want to return, whether happy together or happy individually, I think I’ll be somewhat satisfied. If they get to the talk they were going to have before Ban-do got hurt, we should definitely get somewhere.

 

Speaking of which, I love that Ban-do hesitated when he saw how happy Jin-joo was with her mom. A part of him must’ve assumed that she’d rather stay than return with him, and it makes me sad that he doesn’t realize how much she actually loves him. And honestly, if I were Jin-joo, there is no way I would stay in the past. I would not want to go through a parent’s death—and all the pain that comes with it—twice. I’m sure for Jin-joo, being with her mom again has felt like heaven, but she must know that Mom belongs in the past and that she belongs in the present. Even if we return to the past with zero changes, Jin-joo and Ban-do will still carry the knowledge they gained from this experience. And you know what? That’s all that matters.

 

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  • Go Back Spouses: Episode 12 (Final)

 

 

Ban-do and Jin-joo say their goodbyes to 1999, and we finally get to see whether their actions in the re-do have made for a satisfying conclusion in their new present. And while many things are the same, perhaps the changes that do occur are where the two needed it the most.

 

FINAL EPISODE: “My beloved comradeâ€

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Ban-do receives a call from a tearful Jin-joo and races to find her. Jin-joo darts into the street to save a child from an oncoming car, while Nam-gil watches across the way in shock. Ban-do shoots past him and shoves Jin-joo and the child out of the way, and is hit instead.

Ban-do’s body topples to the ground, and the rings fly from his pocket and clatter on the asphalt. Jin-joo screams over Ban-do’s body, calling him “yeobo.â€

Ban-do is rushed to the operating room, and Jin-joo and Nam-gil run alongside Ban-do’s gurney until the doors close on them. Jin-joo collapses to the floor in her anguish, while Nam-gil can do nothing but watch.

 

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At Jin-joo’s house, Mom notes that the revived plant is now looking peaked. Dad warns that it needs consistent watering rather than a lot all at once.

As Nam-gil leaves, he thinks of Jin-joo’s behavior earlier. The doctors needed a family member to approve his surgery, and Jin-joo argued that she was family, rattling off Ban-do’s blood type, medical conditions, and allergies. Ban-do’s parents arrived just then, and Jin-joo let slip a “Mother,†although his parents didn’t know who she was.

Nam-gil’s thoughts turn to the group trip when Jin-joo commented on Ban-do’s lackluster shaving attempt with such familiarity. Looks like someone’s starting to piece things together.

 

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Jin-joo returns to the hospital day after day, but every time the nurse tells her that only family can see Ban-do. Finally, Jin-joo spots Ban-do’s mother and they get a chance to talk.

Mom suspects that Jin-joo is Ban-do’s girlfriend, and Jin-joo plays along. Mom is kind and reassuring, and tells Jin-joo that she’ll call her when she can visit Ban-do.

Jin-joo recalls a moment in the future, after she had spoken to her mother-in-law on the phone. Jin-joo told Ban-do that she loves it when his mom called her “our Jin-joo†rather than “daughter-in-law,†to make Jin-joo feel more included.

 

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Back in 1999, Jin-joo can’t stop herself from giving her mother-in-law a back-hug. She offers reassurance back to Ban-do’s mom in exchange for all the love she’s given her.

Ban-do’s mom returns to his room to report that Jin-joo has finally gone home, but she doesn’t understand why he refuses to see her. Ban-do tells his mom to remember that no matter what, Jin-joo was good to her, which makes no sense to her.

Jin-joo has not, in fact, left the hospital, and Dok-jae spots her first as he searches for Ban-do’s room. She tells him that Ban-do’s doctors won’t let anyone see him, but Dok-jae says that Ban-do called asking for him.

 

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In his hospital bed, Ban-do is thinking of the moment when Jin-joo asked him for a divorce, and in contrast how happy she is every moment she spends with her mom in 1999. Dok-jae interrupts Ban-do’s thoughts, and a glaring Jin-joo steps out from behind him to face Ban-do.

Jin-joo and Ban-do take a moment to talk. Jin-joo confesses that when she saw him hurt, she felt as afraid as she had when her mother died. She felt helpless, forced to watch her husband of eighteen years dying because she couldn’t authorize his surgery.

Ban-do apologizes for avoiding her, and when she demands to know why, he says that he could see, in that near-death moment, what kind of unhappiness arose from his selfish desire (to be with her).

 

===Read more: http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/11/go-back-spouses-episode-12-final/

 

 

COMMENTS

What a satisfying, sweet ending. There were a few moments where it felt like things worked out a little too perfectly, but after spending so many weeks crying, I can’t say that I’m too upset about it.

Jin-joo’s reunion with her mother has been the driving force of the show, and by the end it felt like this wish to travel to the past was really mostly for Jin-joo’s sake, so that she could satisfy that lingering wish to finally say a proper goodbye to her mother. And so I love that Mom believed Jin-joo’s story. Mom’s love and support is the number one thing that Jin-joo’s needed. I don’t think Jin-joo really needed to be pushed to return home to Seo-jin, but leaving her Mom knowing that they shared this knowledge in this one moment is all Jin-joo could have asked for from this trip. With a refilled heart, Jin-joo can fill her life back up with those who are still with her.

 

For a show that’s been all about two people learning to actually communicate, noble idiocy seemed like such an unnecessary speed bump on the way to reconciliation. I just couldn’t feel for Ban-do as he shed tears over Seo-jin, because he did it to himself. This felt more like the story making an excuse to send Ban-do back into the wings (or in this case, the hospital ward) so that Jin-joo had time to say all of her goodbyes. While Jin-joo was the one who seemed to hate being stuck in the past, she’s also the one with the most to say goodbye to and to reconcile.

I’m glad Nam-gil got to end things with Jin-joo his own way. No surprises or big confrontations; he just got to spend his own mini-birthday re-do with someone who cares for him the way he’s always wanted a mother to. She reassures him that he’s a good person and that he won’t repeat the same mistakes as his parents. When he sees her again, he may feel wistfully towards his first love, but I also suspect he’s full of gratitude for making him believe he could be good to his own family.

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Bo-reum throwing her audition was both sweet and not so sweet. On the one hand, don’t pretend you’re not as good as you are just because your boyfriend can’t match you. On the other hand, it also delivers a reminder that sometimes life isn’t about being the best, but also enjoying life just as it is. So if Bo-reum never really cared about the center position, it makes sense that she just wants to spend this time with those she cares about. I feel like there must have been a better way to demonstrate this concept, but I’m willing to look the other direction so that I can watch Bo-reum and Jae-woo be sweet together.

The closure to their story seemed a little too neat at times, and definitely rushed as Ban-do had to ask at the last minute what had happened to them. All the same, I’m glad that they’re traveling the world together.

And with so much tidy wrap up, where were Dok-jae and Seo-young in the new future? Perhaps their lives weren’t so drastically changed by our main couple’s interference, but it seemed odd to catch up with everyone except them.

The entire cast did a great job of balancing poignancy and fun for the full run of episodes. And while the show relied heavily on really only one emotional anchor, the love for a parent and the love of a parent, it was a heavy hitter that brought satisfying emotional resonance every week. While I’m sad to part with the show so soon, I have to admit that a shorter show made sure the story was focused, with little filler.

By the end, the show offered a very satisfying look at what it means to be an adult with a life fully lived, full of heartbreak and sorrow, and also filled with those who stand by our side through all of it, as long as we’re willing to let them in.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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In an interview with Sports Hanguk, YG's model-turned-actor Jang Ki-young said that he met the drama of his life in reference to the recently completed KBS 2TV drama, "Go Back Couple". He feels the attention he is receiving from the public is the result of the drama's success and the warm, heaing message it imparted.


 


"The drama itself was great, which is why so many people were able to relate to it. Before the drama, most people who recognized me were studentsm but since "Go Back Couple" aired, many older people notice me. That makes me happy and gives me a reason to concentrate on my acting more. I also feel responsible".


 


Jang Ki-yong was originally drawn by the three-dimensional side of the character, Jeong Nam-gil, for which he auditioned. He looks cool and frigid on the outside, but he's really a hurt soul who wins sympathy from the viewers.


 


"Jeong Nam-gil met Ma Jin-joo (Jang Nara) and was able to overcome the pain born from the poor relationship he has with his mother. That's why he didn't need to hide his feelings from her. As a result, things didn't go too well with Ma Jin-joo, but the way he accepted breaking up with her was impressive. I was fond of this character and I thought hard about delivering these feelings to the people watching this drama".


 


 


 


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Jang Ki-young ran into Jang Nara the most in the drama. He worried that he was meeting her for the first time, but also because he was eleven years younger than her while acting as someone older than her. He worried viewers might not be able to engage the concept.


 


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgRTGjY7WfA


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wO66SeW_KHU


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


 


"I wanted to do it so badly, but it was hard once the cameras started rolling. There was a lot of pressure as well. One thing she said to me was, "Just trust me". It helped me ease up a little and I melted on the set. I can't say I've gotten better in acting, but I feel more comfortable".


Once he "melted" into his role, he began to thrive. Jeong Nam-gil and Ma Jin-joo were perfect together and many viewers wanted the two of them to work out.


 


 


"I was so nervous. I printed pictures of Jang Nara and stuck them everywhere around the house; on my TV and even the front door. It's not real, of course, but I thought that'd get me used to her more. It was an attempt on my own part".


 


The reason Jeong Nam-gil is so wanted is because of his tough and determined attitude. How about the real Jang Ki-yong? "I am almost like Jeong Nam-gil. I think I'm blunt. I don't do squeamish things and I'd rather 'do' than 'talk'".


 


He says he's met his life's character, but he's still got a long way to go. This time he got lucky and managed to better his reputation, but he's not yet done proving himself.


"I think it's only the beginning. I need to go through a lot of things and there's going to be competition, but I won't be disappointed. I won't get impatient and I'll wait for the right moment".


 


cr


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

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