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City Hall: Episode 16

(written by samsooki, editing, design, and a very MERRY CHRISTMAS TO JAVABEANS and all City Hall’ers by 0timelost and cleown)

Episode 16 – “Love Like Your Heart Has Never Been Broken.”

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One of the things that I love about this drama is the fact that the characters get right back up if they are knocked down. This goes for Mi Rae (of course), but it also goes for almost everybody else. Jo Gook, Go Hae, Joo Hwa, BB, Boo Mi… all of the characters suffer serious body blows (albeit from each other) but they keep getting back up. It takes a good deal of courage, strength and hope (or spite, hehe) to get back on your feet once you’ve been knocked down, and of course, this is all part of the emotional journey affectionately known as the City Hall Rollercoaster.

Love like your heart has never been broken” is a quote from William W. Purkey, and fans of Kim Sun Ah will recognize this quote immediately as being used in the immortal drama series, My Name Is Kim Sam Soon. We are given an imperative to explore the human spirit’s ability to overcome loss, and with Kim Sun Ah as the intrepid explorer, in this drama and in MNIKSS, we have our wonderful guide.

Last episode, twin bombshells drop simultaneously: Go Hae directed the release of the slimy reporter’s pictures of Mi Rae and Jo Gook in the hotel room together; and Joo Hwa and her Victory Party City Council cronies have deep-sixed the budget plan proposed by Mayor Shin Mi Rae, turning her into a lame duck mayor.

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Working quickly and under control, Jo Gook gets Soo In to establish spin damage protocol and then briefs Jung Do in order to get the latter’s cooperation. Spin is useless unless everybody agrees on the same story. Jo Gook tells Jung Do that the neutralizing story is that Soo-In was also in the room with Jo Gook and Mi Rae.

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Jo Gook: …and so [you can say] ‘it is just a misunderstanding.’

Jung Do: But is it really just a misunderstanding?

Jo Gook: …No.

Jung Do: And in the future, do you plan on continuing to see her?

Jo Gook: …Yes.

(Talk about jaw dropping sofa-side confessions! Jung Do should start an afternoon talk-show, if he can get people to confess that easily just by asking direct questions.)

Meanwhile, Joo Hwa and the rest of the City Council are in continuous filibuster debate, preventing any legislation to pass, and even the City Council chair is angered by these petty games. Mi Rae visits the Council chambers and drags Joo Hwa out. A little chat, just between girls, is necessary. Mi Rae has had enough of Joo Hwa’s antics but Joo Hwa hasn’t changed a bit.

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Joo Hwa: Don’t you know that you are the reason for all of this? If we had a Mayor with money and connections, do you think we would have these problems? This is all because of you!

Mi Rae: Okay, fine. Continue playing your games, if you can. But I have my own methods too. You might be good at spending money, but I am good at getting money. Me, I am going to get Provincial funds. And I can’t do that, then I’ll get Federal funds. Then, I’m going to gather all the reporters and the citizens together and tell them how the Victory Party tried to block all the improvements! This… is your last chance to repent.

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And with that, and a strong body check, Joo Hwa is knocked to the curb. Joo Hwa doesn’t realize it yet, but Mi Rae is head and shoulders above and beyond Joo Hwa now.

Mi Rae heads back to City Hall, exasperated by petty politics, and is met by Boo Mi. Boo Mi asks if she should go and beat up Joo Hwa and send her to the hospital for 4 weeks.

Mi Rae: Can’t you make it 40 weeks instead?

Boo Mi: Can’t I? What is there that a Republic of Korea ahjumma can’t do?! Okay, give me just a little while, I’ll be back…

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Can I get a whoop-whoop from the ahjummas on the left? Now the ahjummas on the right? ROFL! OMG, I just realized why I like Boo Mi so much. You guys know who Boo Mi is? Boo Mi is Goose!

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I am invoking one of the top 25 manliest movies ever – Top Gun. Boo Mi is Goose, the lovable and loyal wing-man to Maverick (yes, technically, Goose was the RIO, but this is metaphorical). A wing-man is a person who protects you while allowing you to take the glory. It is every guy’s dream in life to have a loyal wing-man. And Boo Mi is Mi Rae’s wing-woman.

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Across town, Jo Gook is ready to face the music and deliver spin, but when he gets to his press conference, he finds that the beautiful and elegant Go Hae is already there, telling stories of their courtship. Jo Gook has no choice but to play along.

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Go Hae (to reporters): National Assembly member Jo and Mayor Shin seriously don’t have that kind of relationship. Take a look, can’t you see his taste in women?

Reporters (collectively): Huh. Huh. Yup.

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Ah, those silly reporters. After the press conference, Go Hae reminds Jo Gook of their relationship, and that he should turn back to her. Jo Gook replies that if Go Hae doesn’t like the arrangement, she can leave. Despite being treated pretty much like a prostitute by Jo Gook, Go Hae takes the high road.

Go Hae: Going on vacation is fun because you have a home to return to. You seem like you have had your fun. What about coming home now?

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I know some will disagree, but I have a lot of sympathy for Go Hae. Jo Gook and Go Hae might not have a typical romantic relationship, but they do have a relationship – and it was built on the concept of trust. Jo Gook trusted that Go Hae’s money would be there for him, when he would make his foray into national politics. And Go Hae trusted that Jo Gook’s hand would be there, to lead her when he would dance at the Presidential Inaugural Ball.

Jo Gook’s reply in turn, is even more interesting. And by interesting, I mean, mercenary.

Jo Gook: You and I have the same intentions [to get to the Blue House], and that’s why I like you. And so that’s why I won’t be the first of us to let go. For our relationship to end, you will have to be the one who lets go.

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That’s really… I don’t even know what to call it. I wonder how Mi Rae would feel, if she were in the room, listening to Jo Gook say that he won’t let go of his fiancé’s hand because he likes Go Hae’s money.

But Go Hae is not one to let go of any investment that has value, at least not without a fight. Her next move is to enlist Joo Hwa. In a rather funny scene, Joo Hwa tries her best not be looked down upon by Go Hae. From the first moment, Joo Hwa miserably fails, however, as Go Hae does not rise to greet Joo Hwa. This is a no-no among strangers, as Joo Hwa presumes to be Go Hae’s equal. The more Joo Hwa tries to seem like she is rich, the poorer she sounds.

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Joo Hwa, if she were more sure of herself, would have remained standing and looked/talked DOWN to Go Hae, rather than sitting as commanded. Had she done that, then Go Hae would have had to get out of her seat in order to talk to Joo Hwa, which would have been Joo Hwa’s goal all along. Alas, Joo Hwa has never met a person who could look down upon her and her family so easily, and thus is ill-equipped to deal with a person such as Go Hae…

And so, like a dog, Joo Hwa sits, and Go Hae throws her a bone: a possible introduction to BB and national politics. All she has to do is…do… something… about Mi Rae.

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For all of Joo Hwa’s criminality, her actions have always been directly about her: her husband, her gravy train, her father’s mayoral campaign, her pride, etc. Joo Hwa has never been about doing another’s dirty work. Would Joo Hwa stoop to being an evil henchman now, after being accustomed to being the evil brains all her life?

The next day, Mi Rae scans the papers and sees the result of Jo Gook’s fancy footwork: Mi Rae is a nobody to Jo Gook.

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That night they slept together? It didn’t happen. It is hard to imagine what Mi Rae is feeling, with all the hurt emotions swirling around, and knowing that on some level, she cannot blame Jo Gook for her own pain and must take responsibility for her personal life. To make matters worse, her field trip to the provincial government was a complete failure as it is now clear she has been blacklisted by BB. Jung Do and Mi Rae sit for hours, ignored by everyone. They will not even see her.

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Jo Gook gets an earful from Jung Do when the latter returns to Inju City, and so Jo Gook goes off to find BB, and finds him launching a new political party.

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Not to be overly dramatic, but a certain beer hall putsch comes to mind with BB’s impassioned and almost maniacal speech about how the nation had been betrayed by its current leaders. Jo Gook looks almost saddened, as he realizes that there is no stopping the fight now between him and his father. BB is committed to fight his own son, and so must Jo Gook be committed.

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We get our second face-to-face now, and BB finally reveals his hole card – to solidify support from Go Hae’s dad, the Chairman of the Dae Han Group conglomerate, BB needs a solid waste treatment plant to be built in a place like Inju City, a waste plant that other industrialized nations wouldn’t dare build in their own countries since it would make their citizens sick. Go Hae’s dad would presumably make millions from the plant, and BB would have all the campaign donations he could want. And if Jo Gook can convince Mi Rae to approve, BB would make sure that Inju City would get all the funding Mi Rae could ever want. Everybody would win…

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But this is a deal made with the devil. And Jo Gook knows if this deal goes through Inju City will turn into polluted city and thousands will be harmed. I hate to be the “I told you so” person, but I freaking TOLD you so. If you try to win all the time, sooner or later, you will have to deal your soul.

Things get even more tempting for Jo Gook, as he meets Go Hae outside. Go Hae tells Jo Gook to go and have his fun with Mi Rae, until he gets bored, and then return to her. In the meantime, she has set him up with a free apartment. Have fun with the woman you are currently into, get a free luxury apartment, but just make sure you sell Mi Rae out, in the future sometime. Sounds do-able? Jo Gook has a lot to ponder. Don’t take the apartment Jo Gook!

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Perhaps as a way of helping him make his decision, Jo Gook meets up with Mi Rae, who is scrubbing her tennis whites. Mi Rae is in her element, and here, you can see why Jo Gook has fallen so quickly for Mi Rae. Mi Rae wears her heart on her sleeve, and there is nothing fake or dishonest about her. After a lifetime of being surrounded by cold plotters who can only hide what they think and feel, Jo Gook must see Mi Rae as a warm summer afternoon.

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Still, Mi Rae is smarting from her failure at the provincial government office and she mutters that instead of “Big Brother,” BB should be called “Bad Brother.” Hehe! But Jo Gook asks Mi Rae not to hate BB so much, as that awful man is Jo Gook’s dad. Mi Rae is stunned, and not just because she finds BB to be a complete hypocrite – that awful man would be Mi Rae’s father-in-law if she stays with Jo Gook.

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But even as Mi Rae ponders this cruel twist, from both her perspective and from Jo Gook’s perspective, Jo Gook wisely switches gears and turns her mind back to her issue with the City Council. Mi Rae will not be able to get outside funding now, and so she must win over the City Council.

Advised by Jo Gook as to divide and conquer, Mi Rae smartly attacks the weakest links in the Victory Party by meeting with each member individually. The filibuster ends, and Mi Rae’s budget approved by a vote of 5-2! *Cheer!* This may seem like small victory, but consider how far Mi Rae has come, since her ignominious firing and her 1-person protest. Mi Rae is now in full control, with a complete bureaucratic staff and the backing of the City Council.

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Finally! Score 1 for the good guys!

Gaining his own momentum, Jo Gook cooks up his own moves. He joins up with a party in opposition to BB’s new political party, which is basically the same as declaring war against his own father. BB is… upset, but Jo Gook notes that he is giving BB a chance to change his ways. By the look on BB’s face, that ain’t happenin any time time soon, and Jo Gook lectures his own dad on fatherhood:

Jo Gook: Instead of trampling on other people to get higher, you can also reach higher by protecting other people. I didn’t know that you could do that. But these sorts of things you normally learn by a father teaching you.

What I am saying is that you did not teach your son very well. Do you feel wronged? What you are feeling right now, is every day that I have lived since I was five!

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Jo Gook is using all of his efforts now, to block BB from bringing that awful waste treatment plant into Inju City, even invoking the debt that BB the father owes to Jo Gook the son. Jo Gook turns and leaves without waiting for a response from a BB who is quivering with rage. While the look on BB’s face says that Jo Gook’s play wasn’t nearly enough, Jo Gook has done what he can do.

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That night, Jo Gook and Mi Rae share a quiet meal at Jo Gook’s home, and Korean Renaissance Man aka Jo Gook is doing the cooking.

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(Note: it looks like linguine with olive oil, garlic and rosemary – this is a wise choice of food by Jo Gook; if it were Korean food, likely Mi Rae would have insisted on helping or doing it all herself, but Jo Gook chose western food that Mi Rae probably is less familiar with, and so this has allowed Mi Rae to relax and be pampered instead. In a word? Smooth. Jo Gook has his flaws, but he sure can make em swoon…)

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Jo Gook and Mi Rae are so clearly into one another, it is a joy to watch them even chat with one another. This scene, and the next one with a planned all-day field trip to Seoul with the nursery school kids, is a welcome breather from all the stress and worry from politics and relationships and stuff.

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Watch out Rang! Your dad fell for the same tricks!!

Mi Rae and Jo Gook slip away from the field trip for a little R&R on their own. First stop is a surprise for Jo Gook. Mi Rae, trying to be the proper girl-friend, has worked hard to try to find Jo Gook a place near the National Assembly building. Dang, nooooooooo!!! Jo Gook, you dummy, why did you take Go Hae’s luxury apartment gift!! Jo Gook tells a fib to Mi Rae, saying that Soo-In got him an apartment already.

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Perhaps to get his mind off of the apartment, Jo Gook pushes aside his moroseness about the trap he is in with Go hae (and his lie about the apartment), and he comes up with the bright idea of taking Mi Rae out shopping like a proper boyfriend should. Mi Rae is over-joyed, as she is finally getting to do some of the things that she has always wanted to do with a proper boyfriend. The montage is a little cheesy, but it is a welcome relief to the background tension of the episode.

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By the end of the montage, you will completely forgotten that Jo Gook has apparently still not made a firm decision as to Mayor girlfriend or billionaire fiancé. We all know that he loves Mi Rae. But Jo Gook has his ambitions too. Why else would he have accepted the luxury apartment from Go Hae and then lie about it to Mi Rae?

At the end of the night, the two are high above the city lights of Seoul, and Jo Gook has another revelation: he has worked his whole life to realize his ambitions, but now that he is almost there, he can’t see why he has worked so hard. Mi Rae takes Jo Gook’s hand and vows to teach Jo Gook what it means to have a true dream, a dream that is centered on something other than himself.

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In a rather abrupt end to the episode, the happiest day of Mi Rae’s life comes to a screeching halt as Jo Gook and Mi Rae drive up to her house after the trip. Some police detectives are there, interviewing Mi Rae’s mom. As Mi Rae approaches, cuffs are yanked out and Mi Rae is placed under arrest for bribery and corruption! Ummm, what the HECK just happened?!?

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Comments –

Whoa, serious whiplash from the 180 degree turn in the last minute of the episode! While this was certainly a very fun episode and had its misty-eyed moments of pure happiness, the way it was put together was more than a little uneven. I understand that there is a lot of information to get to the audience, and a lot of plot points to get through, but the abruptness of the ending was without any continuity and I get the feeling that the director / producers just threw it in there because they wanted a “cliffhanger” to come at the end of the episode. But I’m not sure it would have been necessary to add that arrest scene anyway. Anyway, as fun as this episode was, it was a little hard to digest. There is so much going on in this episode, I feel like I ate at a buffet. Not that buffets are bad, but sometimes less is more, and sometimes having a consistent theme to your food is a good idea.

Still, we have two lines of thought that were quite fully developed and explored. First, Jo Gook loves Mi Rae, and when they are together and having fun, I wish I could hit pause and just live in the moment. And second, Jo Gook loving Mi Rae might not matter a bit. If you have been trained your entire life to focus on your career ambition, then loving someone is irrelevant to the big picture and can be ignored or forgotten at will. And in this case, Jo Gook focusing on his career means that Mi Rae will undoubtedly lose, and lose huge.

I am conflicted here, because I KNOW that Jo Gook and Mi Rae are so good together. But if he loves Mi Rae, then why did Jo Gook accept the gift of the apartment from Go Hae? Why won’t he just let go of Go Hae’s hand? Why must he continue to play a double game, at the risk of losing not only everything that he has, but everything that Mi Rae has as well? THAT is the most frustrating of all. I don’t care whether Jo Gook risks everything that he has; that’s what people who gamble do. They think they are smarter than the system, and they gamble. That’s fine, they have the right to spend their lives as they will. But Jo Gook is gambling with more than just his life. By linking his life to Mi Rae’s, he is gambling on everything that Mi Rae has, and everyone that she is protecting. And that is unconscionable.

And each and every time that Mi Rae gets hurt, it is because Jo Gook is still hanging on to the hope that he can have his cake and eat it too.

And now, after all that she has been through, Mi Rae has been arrested. Hey Jo Gook, are you happy now?

The person to watch for in this Episode:  Jo Rang!

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I was going to make this part about the department store shopping, and the Cinderella / glass shoe moment between Jo Gook and Mi Rae, but honestly, there aren’t enough scenes with Rang in the drama and so I wanted to get him in here. Cute as a button girl Kyung Hee and Jo Gook’s son Rang both grab the same french fry and Kyung Hee licks it and then gives it to Rang. Both Mi Rae and Jo Gook notice, and Jo Gook whispers to his son, “I think she likes you.” Rang’s response:

Rang: Appa! Neh ‘style’ ani-eh-yo! [Dad! She’s not my style!]. Yi sang hae! [She’s weird!]

Oh bless Rang’s discerning but overly critical heart! Don’t kids grow up so quickly these days? Not that I can remember, but I am pretty sure I didn’t even have a “style” at Rang’s age. Actually, I didn’t even know what having a style meant.

On To Episode 17! Save Mi Rae!

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MERRY CHRISTMAS!
I'm sure that by the time I'm done reading this recap, I'll have tons of things to say, but I'm too excited to post. :) So I'll comment again later! Sigh, City Hall was the BEST drama of the year.

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YAY! for recaps :)
O, gosh, City Hall is so good & yes, more Rang please :)

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THANK YOU!!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

ooo, such a nice present. *off to read*

(i guess it's pretty obvious by now, i'm squatting in DB this quiet christmas morning)

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Samsooki, 0timelost and cleown, thank you so much for episode 16 recap! I was so happy to see this up before Christmas! :D Happy holidays to you all~

Whoa, serious whiplash from the 180 degree turn in the last minute of the episode!

I agree. I wish they had left it a happy end to episode 16, but of course it's always about ratings...

And each and every time that Mi Rae gets hurt, it is because Jo Gook is still hanging on to the hope that he can have his cake and eat it too.

I think by this point, Jo Gook was giving up on Go Hae (and her money), but he didn't want to outright dump her otherwise it would spur her to hurt Mi Rae. And the whole BB issue, I think that no matter how much he tries to reject/push BB away, he still badly wants attention and acknowledgment from his father.

P.S. Rang, if Kyung Hee falls, don't catch her by the chest! :P

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Whoop-whoop! LOL!

Actually your handy zia chiming in to say that depending on what he was chopping on the right there, it looks like a pasta primavera using spaghetti, pepper, onion, broccoli and probably carrot....the veg presumably to be quickly stir fried in that wok probably in olive oil, which should also be drizzled on the pasta. And some sorts of spices are there as well.

Now, personally I would have served that over tagliarini, not spaghetti, but beggers can't be choosers. If that was meat on the chopping block, then I'd have gone for cooked chicken, but that's a personal preference.

Um, not that I pay attention to food.

Now, as much as you want to sympathize with Go Hae, to me handing over the key to the luxury apartment and saying oh, go play with your little friend - well, IMHO, she might has well have called him a man-whore, eh?

Oh...and thanks for the Christmas present recal! Merry Christmas!

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OMG like the best X-mas present ever thanks soooooo much for the recaps, i love your little explanations on Korean culture they really add a depth that i as a British Asian can't see to each episode, again thanks !!!!

Sharan Xx

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What a lovely Christmas present, Samsooki and team! Thank you and do have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. This is another beautifully written
recap. Love the scene of JoGuk cooking for MiRae ..... that's so romantic. And that
street scene of them in couple sneakers .... wow, that was the sweetest .... it was so refreshing.

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City Hall radar went off, knew there was a new recap, and by golly, thank you samsooki and recap team. Wonderful way to ring in the holidays for us City Hallers!

Love like you're heart has never been broken, great advice! To our lovebirds, and to lovers the world alike. I like to champion taking risks when it comes only once in a lifetime.

Bravo recap!

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Thanks for the lovely recap~ I'm still in the middle of watching City Hall so I can only quickly skim but the other recaps I could read so far are really great! Happy Holidays to all! Get some good rest, food, and drama watching in this weekend!

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@Samsooki

Thank you for the recap as you are amidst your busy schedule.
Totally didn't expect this ....enjoy your first Christmas with the Baby ;)

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#10 is me...the internet just loves me

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Thank you for the wonderful recap Samsooki and Merry Chrismas :)
@ Cingdog
When I logged on to comment your screen name and email showed up. Also both of your comments have the red "click to edit" and "request deletion" sign that only my own comments usually have. Anyway, Happy Holidays and I hope the internet likes you better in 2010 than it did in 2009!

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@viola
Yeah...same here...is the internet getting schizo on us????....Cingdoc

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#13 Viola is me....Cingdoc

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lol! Umm....Freaky Thursday?

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@viola
it's ok...since it seems that there's only you and me :)

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Thanks samsooki, wasn't expecting a gift from you today but what a pleasant surprise!

Boo-mi as Goose = genius. I LOVE IT!

And wasn't KSA stunning in this episode? SO gorgeous! If I didn't know CSW was happily married, I'm telling you, I'd be wondering about the two of them, because she is absolutely radiant around him. That is some amazing chemistry right there.

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Merry Christmas langdon....no awesome sauce for you tonite?...our family is just kicking back after the Christmas Eve Mass...going to be a crazy weekend for me starting tomorrow ...party and work ;)

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the 2 main cast, one of the perfect drama couple of the year... cheer

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City Hall!! City Hall!! City Hall!! City Hall!!
hehe.. I'm a CityHall-er as you can see..

but on a non-fangirly note: I LOVE this show but I had the same "WTH just happened" face when the last 10 seconds in this episode occured.. Thank God, I watched it after the series was over or I'd have been biting my nails the whole week figuring it out!! =P

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Merry X'mas to all! What a nice surprise to see a CH recap today! *beams*

Ahah, I did a double-take when I read eps 16's title - "Love Like Your Heart Has Never Been Broken". An allude to MNIKSS indeed! *grins* I really like this poem! We should all live like the poem says... life is indeed too short for regrets!

While eps 15 is The-Eps-That-Made-Me-Wept-Buckets-And-Clutch-My-Heart-In-Pain, eps 16 generally left me in a sugary, sweet mess (save for periodic scenes with GGH, JH, BB and cliffhanger ending). I agree that the cliffhanger ending is rather abrupt but that's just like the abrupt stop to a rollarcoaster ride after a high (to those who enjoy thrilling rollarcoaster rides, the ride has to stop somewhere eh?)! Hah, "CityHall Rollarcoaster" indeed.

My favourite scene in this eps is actually the part whereby MR and JG were looking out to the night lights of Seoul at the top of the tower. It’s a throwback to the earlier scene when JG asked MR to envision the Inju City she wishes to build. Here instead, it's MR who asks JG to envision. How befitting and strangely touching! Especially after JG's revelation and MR's assurance... I mean, you'd have thought that Mr know-it-all JG would have a clear idea why he's on The Path To The Blue House, eh (be it for revenge or simply to gain BB's approval)? *sigh*

The end is near... let us happily await in gratitude for the remaining recaps! =)

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Thanks and love to Samsooki and Team! And Happy Christmas!

Very timely, this. I've just finished watching all of City Hall. Wow. Don't most dramas kind of go downhill towards the end? This one just went up and up. I think I teared up in every episode from 15 onward.

The highlight for me in this episode was the confrontation between GJ and BB. Whoa! You go, JG, tell it to him. I wasn't sure that it was necessarily about Inju. I thought it was just about JG finally snapping and giving his father a piece of his mind, and getting on the path to severing his dependence and deference.

Also liked how, in Seoul, the balance of power between JG and MR shifts, as MR is the one with the vision and the JG the one who lacks. So that it's not so much about the powerful and worldly man rescuing the naive provincial woman. And it's nice when the redemption-by-a-good-woman premise has more basis than just a pretty face. MR is a woman of principle and grounding any right-minded man would respect and love.

Am not so much digging the political plots. I think maybe I have watched too much West Wing; the machinations here seem a bit obvious and lame to me.

Finally, can I just say, I happily give JG to MR. Just give me Soo In, is all I ask. I loved him even when he was trying to be evil and scheming. I love him even more when he decides to throw in his lot with JG.

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Merry Christmas to my Dramabeans family!

A great Christmas present ! A City Hall recap and a shower shot of Jo Gukie! Yes I know my twin and I disagree about the 'essential' element of shower scenes in kdramas, but what makes me happy is a gift indeed. So thank you samsooki, 0timelost and cleown! Joy to the world!

It is amazing that even after repeated viewings how much I continue to love this series. No wonder I keep/kept repeating it. Sometimes it is like watching it for the first time. So many things to watch for. And really Boo Mi should have more screen time. Love this bestie with the right spunk!

While I love Mi Rae and Jo Gook and their romance, it bothered me how easily Jo Gook wanted to have his cake and eat it too! If he had not won Mi Rae (and me!) over with the small romantic gestures by this episode I would have been throwing stones at him. Also credit to the writers and Cha Seung Won caused if Jo Gook was played slightly off he would have been the villian of the series not the romantic lead man.

"Despite being treated pretty much like a prostitute by Jo Gook, Go Hae takes the high road."

Did not feel sympathy for Go Hae in this ep (that did not come until the last ep of the series) but I thought that Jo Gook was more like the prostitute in this relationship - he spends time with Go Hae just for the money. Really do you love someone (Mi Rae) but ask them to agree to deny that they even know you? Even when you know it breaks her heart! Politics or not... WTF? And to accept the financial backing, and apartment of someone you do not love but ask HER to be the first to walk away. Talk about being a greedy selfish (hot) bastard!

But then the trip and the cute couple strolls were too adorable. The chemistry really was sizzling between the two great leads. *sigh*

Still a City Haller! :)

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Awesome! thanks for the recap
&
MERRY XMAS!

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Merry Christmas Samsooki, 0timelost and cleown, this recap is a wonderful gift to City hallers!
4 episode to go and CH recap are complete.

I just wish that CH will have a season 2, if not , I wish Suna and CSW will collaborate in a movie!

Reminder City hallers, we only have few days to go to register and vote in SBS voting poll.
So, register now and Vote!

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Thank you and Merry Christmas, samsooki and team.

And echoing @cingdoc, enjoy your 1st Christmas with baby! :-)

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Aaahhhh.....the tangled web we weave when we first deceive!!!!

Two of the finest actors showing their experience as veteran actors....gotta love Cha and Kim cause they certainly bring their characters to life! Loved this episode!

Mele Kalikimaka everyone and Hauoli Makahiki Hou (happy new year)!!!

Samsooki....best wishes for a fruitful 2010 and enjoy the journey with your family!

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Merry Christmas!
Haha, I love the comparison of Boo Mi to Goose!! Yet another excellent recap~! Thanks!!

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Thank you SAmsooki and team for such awesome recaps, I decided to join City haller wagon after reading so many praises about this show in OT, and I never regret it..

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hello....merry christmas to my lovely DRAMABEANS family....

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I have been watching City Hall again (the 3x) with my mom, who keeps laughing at me b/c I am just as addicted to it as when I watched it the first time. Thank you so much for the recaps. It is some how so wonderful to read about someone else's take on a drama you love.

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Thanks for this Christmas present, Samsooki, 0timelost and cleown! Read it once and will-read in the new year. Will have to pack up today and off to an island without internet until early Jan.

Wish City Hall will get some very deserving awards in the year end award ceremonies.

Best wishes to all City Hallers for a great year in 2010!!

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And so I have seen the main pix as the header sometimes as the rotating header...

But now that the pix has been blown up... just with that pix alone... it has convince me to BUY the DVD set of this drama... and there is no mercy at all after being broke from Xmas shopping... this is annoying... so annoying ok... *cue fake exasperation and throw hands up in the air in surrender mode*

Nonsense aside... thanks for the great recaps (Mi Rae got handcuffed? Cliffhanger! DNW!...) and happy holidays everyone, since its already end Boxing day when I post this... ^^

Oh just that the pix... How could an on-screen couple look so blissful in love... gawd... I love the gaze... I right about died... this is just THE GAZE, I guess I will really collapse with all the KISSES in this drama... and please tell me they end up together...

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Merry Christmas Samsooki, & your wife & newborn baby!!! Thanks for the CH recaps...maybe, just maybe..I'll start re-watching CH again for the nth time...because your recaps made me relive those "roller-coaster" emotional ride, only CH can give!!!

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS CITY HALLERS!

Thanks Samsooki, cleown and 0timelost for the wonderful recap. hmm..that quote (from MNIKSS), i thought it's by Souza?

anyway, it's nice to read your perspective on jo guk on how he's not so much of a good guy. i like the way you dissect the characters' way of thinking or the way you perceive them in a real world. that tells me that no one is perfect and has flaws. if you could think of one word to describe each character what would it be?

can i say that mi-rae's flaw is her naievety?

after reading this re-cap, i do feel hate towards jo guk for putting mi-rae on the line. and why did he accept that apartment? i wanna know too!

jo guk is still "the MAN!" dispite his flaws.

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Samsoki..the great recap.and why jo gook like that..find answers next episode..hehehe..jo gook really love mi rae..and mi rae loves assembly man..succes for ur tim...sorry my english very-very bad..

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man, i remember when i watched this episode. i was still smiling from jogooks and miraes little date.. and then she gets arrested. but it was a really funny arrest if i remember correctly x]

and jorang! i remember him too. he was so cute. and me too- i never had a set style when i was his age. x]

very nice recaps! i haven't been commenting on them but really, these are very good although i wish you could've indulged more on mirae,jogook, and kids. :)

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Thanks so much. :)

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great recaps samsooki. i remember watching this episode. such a roller coaster. one minute, jo gook is the perfect boyfriend.. making mi rae so happy then the next minute he is accepting an apartment for his billionaire fiance. and this switching is not a one time thing. through out this episode it kept on going, melting my heart and swooning with his romantic antics then wanting to kill him the next minute.... but all this roller coaster of emotions is what gets me so hook... i want to know what will happen... which of the two jo gook's will prevail????

cha seung won is so perfect....

my most favorite happy scene is the seoul date.. i love the scene when they were just walking and holding hand......(swoooonnnnnnn....)

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i love this episode because of the awesomeness of the 2 leads... GuMi is super cute... but most of all... I love this episode because afterward, my boyfriend suggested we buy couple sneakers!!! WOW, the things City Hall managed to get into my boyfriend's head is crazy great! (swooning)

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Hands down ! I love JG....I love JG.....thousand time !

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Hola, Samsooki, 0timelost and cleown. What a phenomenal recap, gracias.

re: JG and GH, the Elegant. GH leaked the photos after her election night fiasco, like any self-respecting woman scorned would do. Next day, she "saves the day" because - conveniently - she's the only one who can.

As a veteran cold plotter, JG probably suspects GH, BB or both, were behind the leak, but he's powerless. GH begins their conversation by saying how she hates him right now, how BB had told her JG was going to dump her, belittling MR ("at least choose someone who makes me nervous") and warning him not to be foolish. JG admits to being more foolish than she can imagine. THEN he invites her to leave him if she has regrets.

After GH takes the high road, JG agrees that he's on a vacation, very happy, and that the person he's with is NOT GH (She blinks. Who wouldn't?) NOW he makes the mercenary comment - for the relationship to end, she'd have to let go first. He then asks, "What do you want to do?"

It doesn't end there! SHE replies his selfishness is what she likes about him! If JG had wanted to provoke her into letting go, it didn't work. So he UPS the ante! "Then (1) be patient like Hillary (someone she didn't want to be like); (2) end your connection to the Elder; and (3) tell Pres. Go not to target funds in this presidential election but in the following one (when JG would run)." Those are some conditions for GH to meet! She's left confused and speechless.

Next time he sees GH, she's sitting behind the Elder, having decided to ignore JG's conditions and extend her hand to BB instead of JG. She's got the world on a string and the keys to an apt. When JG hesitates, she threatens MR: "Since my pride's already hurt, maybe I should take it out on SMR."

IMO, when MR sees the newspaper it doesn't affect her as much because JG had already prepped her "We have no relationship" while hugging her so close she knew otherwise.

Can you tell I LOVE this drama? Thanks for you insights yeoreobuuuuuuuun!

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