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Secret Garden: Episode 7

If Episode 6 was a fantastically zany, nonstop hour of insane body-swap antics, then Episode 7 is a dash of that mixed with more of an emotional element. Always welcome, in my book.

Also: If the naming gets confusing, just remember: The name that it sounds like (Ra-Him = Ra-im) is the name of the actual soul/spirit/character. The second part of the name is there to remind us that the soul is in the opposite body.

SONG OF THE DAY

Secret Garden OST – “Here I Am” (Piano version) [ Download ]

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EPISODE 7 RECAP

So here we are with both characters in swapped bodies, arguing over allowing (or not allowing) Joo-woman, or is it Joo-wonita?, to shower. Ra-Him is mortified at the idea of him seeing her female body and wrestles Joo-wonella, trying to prevent him from taking any further liberties with HER body.

And how is Seul to interpret this tableau but the obvious? She says in her cold staccato that she didn’t take Joo-won to be this kind of man, while Ra-Him stares up at her with (Joo-won’s) widened, mortified eyes. Joo-woman, on the other hand, sneers at Seul, more affronted by Seul’s unannounced entry into his room than at the misunderstanding at hand.

Too bad for him that Seul writes this off as mere male hormones and says that Joo-won still has a chance with her. Not that he asked for one, but the delusion is strong with this one.

With Oska ditching the MV shoot, everyone returns to Seoul, where it becomes clear that Joo-won’s claustrophobia has in fact transferred to his new body; everyone looks at Ra-im curiously because she’s sweating and nauseous, which gets attributed to motion sickness.

Ignoring Jong-soo’s dissatisfaction with his stuntwoman’s strange behavior, Joo-wonita tells the others to go on to the action school without him (her), because (s)he’s got something to say to Mr. Chaebol, which is “a matter of life and death for me.” Ra-Him bursts out that that sounds like they’re in a strange relationship, but Joo-wonda retorts that they’re not exactly “normal” at present, and drags Ra-Him off by the wrist.

Joo-woman drives the two of them to his compound, saying that this is the safest place for them, free from prying eyes. He means for Ra-Him to move in and quit her stunt job — they clearly can’t maintain BOTH their jobs — to which she balks, asking why it’s only his job that matters, but not hers? Ah, she’s finally starting to understand him.

This is when Joo-won’s mother, Madam Moon, appears, and boy does this make things awkward. Not to mention chilly; you can practically hear the ice forming as she turns her disapproving look onto Joo-wonda, who forgets his outward appearance and blurts, “Mother.” Mama Snob takes offense, because in her eyes the low-class upstart is being presumptuous by calling her “Mother,” as though Ra-im is already picking out the wedding china.

Ra-Him tries to assure Mommie Dearest that they aren’t living together, to which the latter asks, “Then what’s all that clothing in the closet?”

Joo-wonisha immediately realizes what she means, but Ra-Him is left wondering until Mom presents them with the clothing Joo-won had once thrown at Ra-im’s feet, then had wrapped up — clearly he’d meant to give it to her at some point. Joo-wonita hurriedly grabs the clothing, but Ra-Him takes a look anyway and recognizes it. Realizing what this is, Ra-Him says pointedly to Mom, “SHE must have bought it herself.”

The problem (and narrative strength) about this body-swap is that both characters have to stand there while Mom heaps abuse on Ra-im. Joo-wonda wants to protest, but as his words are coming out of Ra-im’s mouth, Mom just barrels right over his feeble defenses, asking if she’s going to have to resort to paying her off and throwing water in her face to get her to leave her son. Ra-Him isn’t the type to defend herself, so she just stands there quietly taking this in, feeling the sting of the words, even if they’re directed at the other body.

Some magical veil drops over the scene briefly, to show what things would look like with the proper souls in their own bodies — I wonder if they thought it would be too hard to follow the emotions, otherwise? — and now we see Joo-won driving, while Ra-im gazes out the window with tears in her eyes, clutching the clothing. Joo-won apologizes for his mother, but she retorts that Mom’s hurtful words were nothing compared to the ones he said to her.

Even so, Joo-won feels that their body-swap was fortunate in this case, since she didn’t bear the brunt of it. He admits that although he knew that life was different on the other end of the income bracket, he didn’t expect it to be so severe. She tells him to consider this experience a cultural exchange.

And that magic veil drops again, showing us the characters in proper body-swap mode.

Since they’ll have to be prepared to live out each other’s lives, they’ll have to get down the basics: Joo-woman starts by showing Ra-Him his family tree, beginning with his grandfather, the chairman of LOEL Group, who’s working on his fourth marriage. Then there are his daughters — Oska’s mother is from his second marriage, and Joo-won’s mother from the third. They don’t get along (and, like their sons, are engaged in a constant game of oneupsmanship).

Like a true son, though, when Ra-im comments that his aunt is beautiful, he retorts that Auntie has had work done, while his mother hasn’t.

Last but not least: The most insidious character of them all, LOEL department store’s Director Park, who is Joo-won’s employee AND his step-grandmother’s brother. Beware of him and ignore his calls. In fact, he instructs Ra-Him to ignore all calls but his.

Ra-Him protests when Joo-wonita warns him to stay far away from Oska as well, but he warns that if she doesn’t, he’ll go to Jong-soo and ask him out. I love that this is their blackmail to keep the other one in line: Stay put or I’ll flirt with your body! Hehe.

Joo-wonda is taken aback when it’s Ra-Him’s turn to explain her personal connections, which are startlingly sparse. There’s Ah-young, Jong-soo, and the action school family. No family. Joo-wonda reacts to this, almost like he thinks to himself that even if his family is infuriating and dysfunctional, at least he has one.

In the wake of the aborted Jeju shoot, Seul and Manager Choi are left to handle the mess and field reporter calls.

Manager Choi angrily confiscates Oska’s passport and car keys, knowing he’s booked a getaway flight to the Philippines. He’s grounded — literally! Fed up with Oska’s diva antics, Manager Choi threatens to sell his stock in Oska Entertainment and walk away.

Ra-Him drops Joo-wonella off at her apartment, where he looks around in horror at the shabby place. Ah-young welcomes her roommate with open arms, which leads to Joo-wonda staring openly at Ah-young’s boobs. Heh.

Ah-young looks through Joo-wonella’s bags of designer clothing gleefully, supposing that Joo-won bought them for Ra-im, and relates a curious dream she had last night. Her dreams are always spot-on, and this one featured Ra-im and Joo-won speeding along in a car, watched by “ajusshi.” She means Ra-im’s father, but Joo-wonda is so distracted by Ah-young’s womanly parts that he asks confusedly, “Ajusshi? Who, Won Bin?”

Secretary Kim drops by to give Ah-young a gift — the fancy tonics that Joo-won drinks — and to brag about how important he is to his boss. Joo-wonita sneers at the lies and shoots off a warning text to Secretary Kim, who’s immediately alarmed.

So when Ra-Him appears in the doorway — she’s uneasy about leaving Joo-woman there with her roomie — Secretary Kim falls to his knees and blubbers his apologies, thinking his boss has appeared to punish him.

Ra-Him takes Ah-young aside to give her a few earnest warnings, but Ah-young is confused to hear her boss telling her that he values her and thinks warmly of her.

Ra-Him powers forward and informs her friend that Ra-im is going to be acting strangely for a while, and that Ah-young must be careful to keep at a distance and not walk around in her underwear anymore. Ha. Can you still cock-block if one of those words don’t apply?

While the ladies talk, Secretary Kim paces nervously as Joo-wonita glares at him, and he says uneasily that her gaze seems familiar. Joo-wonita agrees, warning him, “You are deaaaaad.”

Joo-woman doesn’t take kindly to Ra-Him warning her roommate against him, so he takes petty joy in withholding the passcode to his house, leaving her stranded outside in the cold. Ra-Him tries to guess the PIN, wondering if perhaps it scans fingerprints or retinas instead, but can’t crack the code.

So off it is to Oska’s.

Ra-Him’s not quite as drooly in Oska’s presence as she was last time, although she forgets herself enough to let slip that she really loves the song he’s playing. And then she cooks dinner, leaving Oska gaping in shock at his cousin’s culinary proficiency. Also his newfound niceness.

What she cooks is simple, hearty Korean food — not the fancy stuff the cousins are used to — but it’s cooked well. Oska’s so bewildered that he tells Ra-Him to eat first, thinking it might be poisoned.

Suspicious, he wonders if this is retaliation for his Jeju behavior. In his defense, he’s sorry he didn’t fulfill the romantic weekend prize with Ra-im, whom he liked — she’s smart, pretty, and shapely. Ra-Him smiles, pleased at this praise, though it fades when Oska comments that Joo-won’s relationship with that “apartment-renting girl” is going on longer than he expected. And there’s some sort of bet between the cousins involving her.

Oska plays a song for Ra-Him, and she barely holds her giddiness in at his proximity. It’s a song that he says is similar to the title song on his upcoming 7th album, and that comment spins him off into a flashback from earlier in the day.

Tae-sun had found him at the Jeju arirport to return his mp3 player — it fell out of his pocket that night he ended up in jail — which contains works-in-progress intended for Oska’s next album. While slinging a few more insults about Oska’s lack of musical talent, Tae-sun tells him that he added a song to the device that he should give a listen.

Oska gets a text from Manager Choi to expect him and Seul tomorrow, so he hurriedly packs and exits the house from Joo-won’s door — where Ra-Him has been unsuccessfully trying to guess his passcode.

Oska wants to borrow Joo-won’s car, and impatiently flips through Ra-Him’s pockets to retrieve the keys, leading to a string of hilarious facial expressions at the unexpected pat-down:

Ra-Him confides that she’s forgotten the passcode, writing it off as stress. Oska advises his cousin to check it out with Ji-hyun (Dr. Lee), then tells him the passcode, which turns out to be the measurements of Joo-won’s “dream body” — 36-24-34. HA! But even more hilarious is Ra-Him’s worried reaction: “Oh no! Ah-young!”

Ra-Him acquaints herself with Joo-won’s expansive home, marveling at the high-tech luxuries, and also texts Jong-soo to apologize for her behavior earlier.

Meanwhile, Joo-wonita grimaces in bed, dissatisfied with the uncomfortable mattress. However, Ah-young hilariously misinterprets that as sulking. She thinks Ra-im’s upset that Joo-won has seemingly transferred his affections from Ra-im to Ah-young, and sighs guiltily.

Later that night, Ah-young rolls over in her sleep and tosses a leg over Joo-wonita’s body, giving him an ample look at her “ideal” assets. Unable to shake her off, Joo-woman does the only thing he knows how to do to cope: he recites his familiar refrain to distract himself.

Ra-Him can’t sleep either, and spies a key on Joo-won’s night table, recognizing it as her motorcycle key. Of course, Joo-wonisha has to go and ruin the moment by texting her a “hint” about the passcode having four digits. She mutters, “That jerk,” and goes back to bed.

Ra-Him enjoys riding the motorcycle to her apartment in the morning and asking Joo-wonella how he fished out the key. He deflects the question, and wonders how Ra-Him figured out the house code, which earns him a disgusted glare back and a muttered, “Pervert.”

In response, Joo-wonda peeks down his shirt and smirks, noting how she’s sensitive about the topic — does she want him to go ahead and give her a boob job?

When dressing to go to action school, Joo-wonda picks an outfit HE likes — a red coat and lacy top — which mortifies Ra-Him, since it’s so far from her usual style.

Ra-Him raises a fist threateningly, so Joo-wonda takes advantage of appearances and cries out, “Help me! This tall, handsome man is about to hit me, a woman!” Ra-Him responds by pulling Joo-wonda into a “hug” and explains, “It’s just because she’s so beautiful, from her head to her toes!” Heh.

Jong-soo reads Ra-Him’s apology text, which asks him to have faith in her despite the confusion her appearance and behavior may elicit. The message mollifies his hurt, but that just flares up when Joo-wonda arrives at action school dressed in her fancy clothing and sporting some major ‘tude.

Although Jong-soo’s satisfied to see Ra-im carrying the purse he gave her, that’s dashed when she (er, Joo-wonda) tosses it carelessly aside. Still, he gives her a screenplay that she’d been looking forward to, for “Dark Blood,” a Hollywood project looking for an Asian actress. It’s a rare, promising opportunity for her.

It’s a hot project whose script has been notoriously hard to get a hold of, so Jong-soo expects a more grateful reaction. Instead, Joo-wonisha skims the script and reads aloud — in English — the screen directions for an action scene, scoffing in his sexist way that this is too dangerous for a woman.

Jong-soo can’t make sense of it, so he tries to lay everything out on the table and admits that she was right about his feelings. (The word he uses has the connotation of finding out something that was supposed to remain hidden.) So if that’s why she’s acting like this, there’s no need — they’ll both keep their personal feelings separate from their work. At this, Joo-won thinks to himself, “He doesn’t like Gil Ra-im — he loves her.”

Joo-wonisha agrees to ignore the discovery of Jong-soo’s feelings, in exchange for his agreement to never confess his feelings officially. Aw… that’s kind of a low blow, isn’t it, Joo-won? Using your circumstances to knock off your competition? Well, they say all’s fair in love and war…

Ra-Him arrives at the department store that morning on motorcycle, which is a curious sight for all the employees — especially when the formerly snooty boss now bows respectfully to them and offers to take the elevator. Hilariously, Ah-young hears the news with heavy heart, assuming that it’s a sacrifice made for her benefit. LOL.

Director Park is surprised, since he knows Joo-won’s well-hidden claustrophobia secret, which he’d tucked away as his trump card against him. He and his secretary try to interpret what this means, overanalyzing the gesture — perhaps Joo-won was faking the illness all along. Then, his elevator trip today must be a sign that he’s ready to throw down. Eep!

At lunch, Secretary Kim looks perplexed as Ra-Him eats, because she chooses lowly foods — ddukkbokki (rice cakes in spicy sauce) and soondae (blood sausage made by stuffing intestines).

When Ra-Him asks about Ah-young, Secretary Kim immediately thinks that she’s going to be punished and pleads for mercy. Instead, Ra-Him just asks about her salary, as though intending to raise it. Director Park doesn’t understand what this strange behavior means, but he assumes it’s not good for him.

Both Ra-Him and Joo-wonita are called by a frazzled Manager Choi, because Oska has fled once again, albeit without his passport. Ra-Him speaks up for Oska and offers to take responsibility for the situation and bring him back. Any sort of kindness between the cousins is odd, so the manager has to wonder if this suddenly nice Joo-won is drunk.

When Ra-Him admits that Oska took Joo-won’s car, Joo-wonita immediately gets on the phone to report it stolen.

Oska is, at the moment, lost in thought as he strolls along a golf course, remembering a happier time when he’d taken Seul on a date here. Seul, thinking the same thing, also heads here to find him. She’s too late, however, and arrives one step behind the police, who have arrested him for car theft.

Ra-Him finds these measures extreme, but Joo-wonita replies that she oughtn’t feel too sorry for Oska, who’s more than capable of treating him similarly.

Even the cop advises that the cousins settle this amongst themselves, but Joo-wonisha counters firmly, “Lock him up.”

Oska looks puzzledly at Joo-wonita from behind bars, wondering why he’s facing Ra-im when he’d asked to see his cousin. Joo-wonita presents herself as Joo-won’s spokesperson, and faces him with an offer.

Joo-wonita refers to the Jeju challenge wherein both cousins vowed to win Ra-im — a fact that Ra-Him hears with interest. Now Joo-wonita offers Oska a deal: If Oska gives up his part in that bet, Joo-won will drop the car theft case.

Oska replies that Joo-won can be a mean mofo but doesn’t resort to cheap tricks. The fact that he’s stooping to these depths now means that Ra-im must mean a lot to him.

Once again, the magic veil falls to show us the scene with the souls in the proper bodies, which I suspect the drama’s gonna do every time a scene is particularly important. It’s like they want to make sure we absorb the full impact, so now Joo-won stands facing his cousin.

Joo-won merely replies, “That must be the case.”

As Ra-im and Seul look on, Oksa returns, “But that’s too bad — I can’t give her up, either. Tell Joo-won this for me: That I won’t have Gil Ra-im stolen from me. That I don’t care if he doesn’t drop charges.”

 
COMMENTS

Woo, the emotions are developing at a brisk pace, no? I don’t really think that Oska’s connection to Ra-im extends beyond the superficial — he’s still way too hurt by Seul’s desertion and hasn’t had enough time to develop any real bonds with Ra-im — but I love that his stance here gives Joo-won no quarter, either. Joo-won could deduce that Jong-soo loves Ra-im from his actions, and we can do the same with him — the way he’s intent on shutting down other contenders for Ra-im’s affections. He’s going about it all wrong, but the fact that he’s going to such extremes to do it — and “stooping” when he never did before — is more telling than the words he says.

Frankly, I’m not a huge fan of the magic veil swapping the bodies back and forth just to remind us who’s really who. Like we’re gonna forget? The switch is pounded into every moment of this drama, and we are surely aware of the true identities, so why rob us of some great potential acting moments from Ha Ji-won and Hyun Bin? They’re so fantastic at the comedy, both physical and verbal, so it feels like a cheat to take away the dramatic moments.

Ha Ji-won stealing a look down her own shirt, Hyun Bin giggling (and then almost moaning) when Oska pats him down, Ra-im simpering when she acts like Joo-won acting like Ra-im… these bits are GOLD, I tell you. It’s a shame to withhold their dramatic equivalents. I’m loving their two-man comedy hour so much that I wish we could just skip over every scene not involving them.

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finally!

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great and thanks for the recap but my mind is getting scrambled here. there are too many names and I can't pin point which names are the original joo-woon and original ha-rim. HELP!

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i totally agree. i felt the same way.

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wow amazing

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third!!!!!!!!!!! whoaaa

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thank you sooo much
have been waiting for it like crazy

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Love it! Thank you soooo much jb!! quick as always!

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I heart you javabeans!

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I was about to go crazy when ur post came. Thank u so much!

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i feel the say way.. i was jumpig up & down like a lunatic for 5 minutes until I remember that i should read it instead of party with it being posted..
read the post in record time... arghhh... HyunBin is just the BEST...!!!

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the last part when oska refused to give Ra Im up was actually prefaced by a look to Seul. He probably said that out of spite to Seul since she is obviously very much on his mind

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yeah! that's what I thought too!

Oska's not really into Ra-Im, and after all Joo-Wonda's weird behavior toward him, his attraction towards her ain't gonna escalate. He's just using her to get back on Seul, which is perfect since Ra-Im is someone the former looks down to and would consider an insult to have as a rival - first with Joo-Won, and now with Oska.

However, I have the weird feeling that Oska is indeed going to fall for Ra-Im, although that would seem too much for love triangle angles since Jong-Soo is also in the picture.

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Agree with you...it's sorta like Oska is using Ra Im as a

shield and at the same time as someone whom Seul will

be jealous of. It's just a pity because I'm so rooting for

JW and RI and I don't want Oska to be heartbroken

when he actually falls for RI later.

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I'm getting used to the body swap but that veil is confusing me again.

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However, I really appreciate the whole "if-they-were-in-their-own-body-it-would-be-like-this" sequence.
For one, wouldn't it be MUCH MORE satisfying if when Joo-won is jealous, we actually see it as Hyun Bin?

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I agree, I also appreciate what the director did - to allow us able to see the expression on their 'own' face, it does have a bigger impact on me as a viewer.

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i agree, it affected me a lot more as well

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I also appreciate this veil affect used to show us how the real characters look and feel during these emotional moments. As hilarious as they are in each other's bodies, I liked how these moments brought us back to the true characters that we fell for from the beginning.

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I also feel the same way.

While I agree with JB, that Hyun-bin and Ha Ji-won are both superb actors and fully capable of delivering all the emotions and the full depth of them in any scene and at any moment...even and especially during these more challenging body swapped scenes...for me, it just makes the impact of those raw emotions that much more palpable.

In the aftermath of Joo-won's mother's verbal assault on Ra-im...how she was made to feel like a poorer than dirt worthless nothing who has absolutely no business coming to Joo-won's palatial home and getting involved in his life or their world...and yet is, apparently willfully and manipulatively so...well, in the car scene that followed, I could only truly feel the full weight and depth of Ra-im's emotions when I was allowed to see Ra-im going through it...not Ra-him. Up to the point of the magic veil dropping, Hyun Bin was doing an excellent job, of course...but it still didn't have the same effect for me. I think part of me still felt it was more like Joo-won feeling apologetic...and not so much Ra-him feeling what Ra-im was feeling.

Does this make any sense?

Thanks for the great recap, JB! I was really looking forward to it! ;)

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I also think the body-swap is important because it when they are body-swapped in appearance, viewers are constantly aware of how good their acting is as a boy/girl. And as great and comedic as they are body-swapped, for those moments of emotion I think the meta-awareness hurts the scenes more than helps.
Secondly, I think it gives us an important reminder that Ra-Him and Joo-wanda don't see themselves when they look at one another. Of course, physically they are looking at themselves, but if that were the case then there would never be any kissing or skinship...that would the most disgusting narcissicism after all. So I think the director chose to do the veil so that viewers acknowledge that they don't see themselves when they look at their own faces anymore and that they are still attracted to the other's soul.

i think i wrote that very poorly, but hopefully you get my point!

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i agree.

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Ditto. At least for me, the meta-awareness can be distracting and has the effect of diluting the emotional impact. Interesting point about how they are still perceiving each other even though they are looking at themselves.

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Agree. I think the occasional veil scenes make a bigger impact than if the characters were trying to express their feelings through the other person's body. It gives us a representation of what's going inside their minds rather than making us try to imagine them contemplating the matter at hand.

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hahaha hyun bin cracks me up. i really did not expect to warm up to this drama the way i did. and seul!! i like her so much. i don't even hate her. the airport scene where she chucks/flips the phone at oska's manager, and the way she delivered her lines was just priceless. pure gold lol

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I love HyunBin's acting so much! Is it bad that I wish he really did act like this in real life? ^^;;

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Awesome!! you are so fast JB!! Thank you!! I love this show very much^^

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yay!!! totally been stalking since 1 pm!
that's not weird at all....right?

love when ra-him starts repeating the rhyme when ah-young was hugging him/her in bed was hilarious!!!!

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i was just wondering?
doesn't the set for the prison, behind the bars scene look like that prison in the English Village in Korea....it really does look like that place...hmmmm....

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Me, too! I was sooo hoping that Ra-him would do the word chant thingie...and when Ah-young semi-wrapped her "ideal body type" around her-him, it was the perfect time for Ra-him to feel the urge to do it! LOL

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Thank you. I kinda like the switch back because we DO get to see the expression on GR face or JW face. It makes it more emotional like I get an opportunity to see inside of their head. While I love the switch, I do miss them. However, I hope they don't pound it into the ground.

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Ditto!

I love the magic veil effect for a couple of reasons:
although i do agree with jb that the main leads are missing on showing their acting chops

i think for important confession moments like these i personally think that it's important to see ra-im and joo-won's facial expressions/reactions from themselves

secondly, i really missed them when they got switched so the veil is nice becuz we get to see them as themselves again

and lastly, the veil fits in pretty well with the drama's theme on magic, magic brought them to the 'secret garden' restaurant, they drank the magic 'tonic/soju' and were switched, so i personally think it's pretty whimsical and loved the use of the veil

..just my two cents :)
hope everyone is enjoying this drama as much as i am!

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is it right that Ra-Im and Joo-Won haven't figured out yet that the switch was brought about them swigging the bottomless wines?

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i like it too; it's a nice touch because instead of being about the body-swap, it's about *them*; trying to tame down the crazy dramatic aspect (a hanging lamp i think you called before, which is not exactly hanging here i guess because it's so well-done) to give us a glimpse of the genuine emotions and thoughts of the characters' themselves. they also did this implicitly with the use of the voice: sometimes his voice covers hers and sometimes her voice covers his.

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me too.. I like the switch backs but I am hoping they wouldn't do it too much..
think the switch back is a nice, it is making sure we feel the emotion with the right characters.. idk I just missed seeing Joo won sincere towards Ra-Im

btw, I have to add that I enjoyed your variations of names lol Joo-wonita, Joo-wonisha.. it was fun

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before I read, I wanna say THANK YOU!!

From Philippines, with love..
- Kai

Ok, off to read now.

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YEY!!!!

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woow.... im getting crazy about this drama....thank you....^___^

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Thank you, Javabeans! ♥ I've been waiting for this recap for hours. ^^ It's enough to allow me to wait for the subs.

I think Oska said he was unwilling to give up Ra-im to spite Seul since he glanced at her rather coldly before delivering that line. That's how it seemed to me anyway.

I actually like the special veil thing, but, I can see that it would be pretty awesome to see the more serious scenes done with them in their swapped rather than original body.

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I agree, I don't think it was about Ra-im herself rather he is trying to use her to show Seul that he's moved on.
Also, it might be an added bonus for him to mess with Joo-won.

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Thanks!!!... I was waiting and I love it since I saw this ep without subs xD... this drama is getting better and better ^^

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love you JB...i'm sure i'm not the only one that has been stalking you for this recap... :)

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Thanks for the recap! This drama is so addictive!!!!!

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I don't mind the veil but I can see where your coming from though. It sounds like another fun-filled, emotion-packed episode. Thanks for the re-cap :)

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Thanks for the recap, JB! This drama is just getting better and better! I absolutely love the acting that's been so strong from both Hyun Bin and Ha Ji-won. And I kind of appreciate the "magic veil", since it helps me understand the imporant parts when I'm just reading your recaps instead of watching the actual episode.
Fingers crossed that Secret Garden will keep being awesome!

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thanks for the recap!!!!

I actually love the "dropping the veil" parts. I feel like it's a poetic touch. We're literally getting a glimpse of their souls. I also love Secretary Kim! The fear and worship of his boss, Joo-won! And the passcode scene was HILARIOUS!

As much as i love the skinship and hijinks (like Ra-Im in Joo-won's body idol-worshiping Oska) due to the switch, I'm ready for them to switch back (but not before we see Hyun-bin put on some Oska socks!!). While I'm aware they are both not themselves, I also feel like they are not really the other either. Like checking Ah young out seems weird because the other time we've seen the two together in a scene, he didn't check her out at all even though she was his ideal body type.

And I'm a bit uncomfortable with Joo-won, in Ra-Im's body, telling Jong-soo to never confess his feelings to her. At this point, Joo-won isn't really serious abt Ra-Im (he sure made that clear in episode 5) and who knows, Jong-soo could be Ra-Im's life partner if Joo-won doesn't plan to be in the picture. What can be more natural than a stuntman and a stuntwoman! So greedy, Joo-won!

And I'm not sure what to make of Seul and Oska. Even though she probably has her side of the story too for breaking up with Oska, it seems like her personality is so snobbish and obnoxious that i can't buy the idea of them ever having a relationship. Wouldn't want Oska to end up with some elitist snob. Bring on the OSKA x TAESUN couple!

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While I’m aware they are both not themselves, I also feel like they are not really the other either. Like checking Ah young out seems weird because the other time we’ve seen the two together in a scene, he didn’t check her out at all even though she was his ideal body type.

^ I totally agree with this.

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I agree.

And while I think Hyun Bin is great at portraying a girl and Ha Jiwon is a fantastic boy, I think neither is really portraying Ra-im and Joo-won. Hyun Bin is excessively girly and simpleminded and squeamish, and Ha Ji-won is too machismo and all male (especially in the way she sits - while I get that she's being a guy, Joo-won never sat like that and never ogled girls in such a way). Somewhere in the switch, the essence of the characters was sort of lost. I feel the drama would shine infinitely more had we been able to see Joo-won in Ha Ji-won and Ra-im in Hyun Bin more.

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Pretty much. But, at the same time, I'm willing to go along with their portrayals. The comedy benefits from these excessive gender-specific affectations, for sure.

But it's also for that that reason alone--I don't think they are perfect acting moments body swapped, although they are very, very good--that I totally appreciate the magic veil. Through it we can have the dramatic, emotional beats portrayed with the actual characters as well as the comedy gold. And it's done elegantly. It's like having the cake, and eating it too.

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Pretty much. But, at the same time, I'm willing to go along with their portrayals. The comedy benefits from these excessive gender-specific affectations, for sure.

But it's also for that that reason alone--I don't think they are perfect acting moments body swapped, although they are very, very good--that I totally appreciate the magic veil. Through it we can have the dramatic, emotional beats portrayed with the actual characters as well as the comedy gold. And it's executed elegantly as well. It's like having the cake, and eating it too.

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Ack, sorry for the double post!

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me too... although I did assume (or wanted to assume badly) that they were clever enough to have the actors do enough "practice" before attempting the actual scenes... by "practice" here I am imagining that for every single scene:
- Ha Ji-won would study how Hyun Bin would normally act out Joo-won and
- Hyun Bin would observe how Ha Ji-won would act out Ra-im and then
- they both would mimic each other
This is the only way I could think of that would help the actors make it appear closer to what Ra-im would do in Joo-won's body and vice versa in normal mode. Although I do admit that it would make filming 3x as long since a lot of time is needed for each actor to study and practice mimicking each other...

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Yup, I was thinking the same thing. I don't recall Joo Won being so ogly about female features, especially if the female doesn't match up to his "high standards" (of which I know Ra Im is the exception of all exceptions, but even then the connection is not - at least not yet - one that garners that kind of ogling). That said, their acting is great and I am so enjoying this drama with this switcheroo.

I also have to say how much I am cracking up at Oska's character. That actor is so good at playing the self-absorbed idol that can be so cool and smooth one moment but so embarrassing and flying-off-the-handle the next. I do wonder about the sincerity of Oska and Seul's past relationship, though, also. I mean, I see that they (esp. him) were very hurt by the break-up, but it seems odd they were attracted to each other (esp. her) to begin with.

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I agree.. I feel that Joo-won is in this just to win cos his pride does not allow him to NOT get anything he fancies. Like in the past, he has always like to "outdo" Oska by buying the companies whenever Oska buys the companies' products. Ra-im is the only thing/person in this world he can't buy so far so he is trying his best to crush every possible rival. I mean, if he is really so into her, he will not risk her falling sick by denying her the code into his house. It's winter for God's sake!!

I also felt that it was very despicable of him to tell Jong-soo never to confess his feelings for Ra-im. It goes to show how very ruthless and cruel he can be if he wants to.

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and it's funny how the actor who plays secretary kim also plays the villain in Won Bin's ajusshi! I still can't digest his awesome acting! he's so dorky here but so sadistic in the movie.
thanks again for the recap! it's getting better and better! i'm starting to stop seeing them as acting in the other's roles and more as Ra-him is RAIM and joowonita is JOOWON!

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oh my goodness, he is in Ahjusshi! i didn't even recognize him. wow, he is a very character actor indeed.

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Wow, Secretary Kim gets around. I had heard he was a very believable villain in Won Bin's Ajusshi (which I haven't seen). I just finished watching City Hall and noticed he was the bold reporter who is thrown out of Jo Guk's hotel room and is in cahoots with JG's fiancee. He's good in a variety of roles, huh?

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yeah it's really freaky cuz i thought the villain looked familiar! and its the dorky secretary kim! that guy should get an award for this acting!

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and omg tomorrow the sequin shirt and kiss kiss make appearances. *squeal*

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I'm so in love with this drama! Hyun Bin is doing so well with this. I almost choked on water when Oska was patting him down. His emotions are dead-on point. Ha! HJW is doing well herself.

... for some reason though, I was getting a bit frustrated when JW acted so flustered around Oska. Can't the girl hold in her feelings a little? Heh, I know it's for effect but I'm glad she's getting better though about hiding her feelings. I loved how Oska looked extremely confused and suspicious. His relationship with JW is incredible.

Can't wait for the next one. This drama is insatiably addictive. Which doesn't help since I have finals this coming week... >_>

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Thanks for the recap! I can't stop laughing. xD
Joo-wonella sounds like Salmonella, haha...and somehow that adds nice contrast to his neurotic, neat-freak personality.

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I totally agree with you, javabeans, about the GREATNESS of Hyun Bin and Ha Ji Won but the bits with Oska are right up there for me. I love the dynamic between the cousins and I love how everybody assumes Joo-woman is drunk or trying to poison Oska because he's suddenly nice. LOL. Absolutely loving this drama.

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THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!... I am totally stalking this site for your recap. Am I crazy or not? What a great ep. Binnie and HJW's acting skill just priceless (hopefully they will win the best acting award from SBS). Simply love SG...can't wait till tomorrow ep and enjoy this fun ride till the end....:)

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thanks for the recap, have been refreshing the site many times :p

i hope Oska doesn't fall for Ra-im and that they won't overdo the body switching bit! Hyun bin overdid the girly acts a bit (the moaning while Oska body searched) cos i doubt Ra-im would respond in that way! nonetheless v enjoyable to watch..

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Thanks soooo much for the recap!

I so love ths drama and am getting anxiety attacks

from the "melodama" description.

I read somewhere that the dream that AY had about JW

RI may have been an omen of sorts. OMG!

No sad endings please!

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I can't wait for Oska to start seriously falling hard for Ra-im (even better Joo-wanda). I do have reservations about all the over-cheesiness that will entail but the zaniness that comes with all that confusion is just too much potential fun! Because right now, I think the part that makes Oska this hilarious diva actually pretty bland and boring to watch is the amount of time they spend focusing on how desperately in love he is with Seul (a soulless she-demon...okay that was a little strong, whatever).
She's like In-hee, and Oska is like Chang-ryul. And no matter how flawed Chang-ryul was, he wasn't as hateful as in-hee. in-hee deserved to be alone. (It might help if I actually remembered the ending of that blasted drama) I get that Seul is only acting cold to Oska because of the hurt she experienced over their dissolved love, which made her hard; but these were all self-inflicted and to me incomprehensible....because i'm pretty sure that Oska is still an heir to at least a part of LOEL even if he doesn't work there. (Unless grandpa decides to creepily have a son with wife number 4) So that would mean he's a pretty damn good marriage candidate. Can someone clear up her motivations for me again? I feel like I am missing something. Is it just that the fact he's a celebrity besmirch her family's prestigious image if she were to marry him?

I kind of like the magic veil being lifted thing, because, if used correctly, it could be a great tool for charting our characters' development. It also prevents the emotions of the characters from getting loss behind the comedy. Which, is not because I doubt the actors' abilities, but because just for practical purposes Ha ji won is able to communicate Ra-im's vulnerability better since we already have all the range of her emotions from the past episodes that make the moment more loaded with complex feelings. Similarly is it for Hyun bin, whose eventual humbling process with be so much more satisfying if we can see the actor say the words, and make the faces. Also, even though it's impossible to forget they are switched, those moments allow us to reconnect to the character, instead of admiring the actor for their amazing abilities to be believable. (For example, when Joo-wanda was killing Jong-soo with Ra-im's voice and body, it was so cruel. And these moments that make Joo-won so hateful are softened a bit when we see him back as Hyun Bin, because then we are reminded of that time when he was watching Ra-im from outside the action school casting call, and getting swept up in her beauty and coolness. Now that they are in each other's body, we don't have those moments anymore since that couldn't be love so much as it would be narcissism) When they are in each other's body it get easy to get wrapped up in the antics that sometimes I forget that boy who is so deeply in love with Ra-im he can't stop himself from being the biggest jerk. Because now he's a manipulator ruining her reputation, credibility as a professional, and all her current relationships with other people.

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Agree. You've said all I wanted to say.

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I loved what you wrote, especially your second paragraph. I feel exactly the same way as you(your second paragraph thoughts), but would never be able to express it as eloquently as you have.

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Thank you : )

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Thank you. To both of you: )

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I love every single bit of this episode :) Thanks for the recap.

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thanks javabeans! can't wait to watch it with subs..

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Thanks for the recap!
Really love everything about this drama!

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1- how joo-wonita learned to walk with high heels overnight?
2- call me crazy, but i would love joo-wonita to have her (his?) periods !!

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so i wasn't the only one.

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I gotta stop reading these in the middle of the night. My neighbor is going to start hating me for waking her up with huge bursts of laughter.

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yeah. those were killer heels. they should've at least shown Joo-Wonda wobble on his knees.

perhaps, he has a drag queen past...

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OMG! Me, too! I wanna hear Joo Wonda scream on her first day! Like WTH! I'm bleeding! Make's me think now why Joo Wanda saw his doctor in the EP8 preview. Haha!

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I thought the heels were weird as well. 4inch black boot heels with confidence, means he likes to wear some fun things on the side. Ra-him should look through the house again for his drag queen gear.

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and the reason why Joo-Won is stick-thin is so he could slip into those shapely gowns.

looking back at episode 6, it's funny how Ra-Im's bra easily wrapped around Joo-Won's chest. I know it's stretchy, but I've seen drag queens having trouble trying to put on regular-sized bras. more so in this case, Ra-Im has small chest size. just pondering...

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luv this!!!!

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Thanks JB been stalking this site like forever.

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omg sooo good!! i am loving this drama more then i thought i would. i feel kinda bad now for not expecting much.

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I seriously thought that a fly would go into Oska's mouth during the kitchen and dinner scene because his mouth was opened for so long, as he looked in amazement at Ra-him. It was totally hilarious!

HJW, HB and YSH are so spot on with their characters. They are a joy to watch in their respective roles. Their performances eclipse all others in the drama.

Not only was the motorcycle key in the bowl, but, all the money that Gil Ram-in gave him was also there. So, it's like he's put aside everything that belongs to her.

At least, they have one thing in common. They both of them like to sit on the deck next to the pond and look at the night sky.

Thanks for another great recap.

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I just love Hyun Bin doing his version of "YOu have a text message, You have a text message" in Korean. Kyopta!

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omg i was so bursting on this scene!!

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thank you for the recap!!! i really love you JB (and GIRLFRIDAY)!!!

Hyunbin & Ha Ji-won are amazing... but i'd just like to say that the magic veil is (for me anyways) important because it kind of gives the viewers a "break" from who they've changed into... and i think it shows the character's sincerity towards the other... in addition, the new 'secret garden' viewers won't be confused to know what is happening on the screen if they happened to miss the previous episodes :)

so far loving the episodes, although for me, this episode was a bit slow (or maybe it's because i want to know what happens later on so bad)... is it true this drama is going to have 20 episodes? That's seems a little excessive, not that i'm complaining... 20 episodes of LMAO..

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thanks for the recap, JB! i watched it raw and reading this was really helpful to help me understand the episode better.

i was also annoyed by the veil-dropping because i am really enjoying Binnie and HJW as Jo-Woonita and Ra-Him that its almost a shame we don't get to see them play the heavy emotional scenes. but then again, i'm also selfish because i miss Binnie as Jo-Won so much that my heart skipped a beat seeing him steal glances and smile at her while they were driving in his car.

and oh, my fangirl self was tickled silly when Ra-Him asked "Won Bin?" hee.

i really can't wait for tomorrow's episode. i've seen some spoiler pics and let's just say that a lot of us might need some smelling salts for all the fainting that may ensue. (hint: sauna).

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looks like Tae-sun has already taken interest on Oska! he's been showing concern. :D

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wow... seriously.. loving SG.. they played Here I am which I am loving to pieces right now. I love the duet version..

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Wow! Just came home and when I turned on my laptop went to your site and there it is!

Thanks for the fast recaps JB!

It feels like the kdrama gods have given me a gift after having to bear attending a horrible family reunion earlier. Haha!

Anyways, I've seen the raw like 2x already and that's minus the live stream!

Like Ra-Him, Oska singing Here I Am got me in fangirling mode. I love his version of the song!

Before, I used to look forward to scenes between RI and JW but now I also enjoy watching the cousins scenes together specially that JW and RI have switched bodies. The pat down was just hilarious! I couldn't imagine how they got to finish shooting that scene without laughing at each other.

Oh! The money and the motorcycle key by JW's bedside is just cute! It's like his own version of having a framed picture of his girlfriend by his bedside that reminds him of her. It shows how important she is to him 'cause I imagine it's one of the first things he gets to see when he wakes up. I even assume that he stares at it from time to time. Pretty much like one stares at a framed picture of your girlfriend or boyfriend by your bedside. Haha!

I love the magic veil thingy as long as they don't use it too often and too long in a certain scene. Perhaps one magic veily per episode until they switch back to their own bodies.

And also, I noticed they kinda loved using the flashbacks, too much it seems. Though, I don't mind if it's shot from another angle showing another person's perspective but sometimes the flashbacks specially those of Oska and Seul's relationship in the past are vague as well. It's like are they or aren't they in love?

That's all I can think of at the top of my head now. Still reeling from that awful family reunion I had gone to. Only thing good was the food! Haha!

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dont really post much here (God forbid that im exposed for being such a kdrama slut being a guy n all! LOL) but i really...errr did say really, i meant REALLY REALLY...appreciate the promptness of your SG recap. otherwise i would be starting at the dl'd episodes without a clue (much like my buds will do to me if they find out how much i enjoy these dramas!!!).

so thanks JB fo all yo hardwork in bringing some much needed rays of sunlight in these early darkness of late fall.
mucho gracias senorita JB...

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Welcome to the D-side.
You are safe here with your obsession.
We all have buds like yours in our lives who stare at us without a clue!

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confusing...

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LOL at your handle :D

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Thanks for the recap!
I do enjoy the drama and your recaps. Thanks again.

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I have a different opinion of when they have this magical cult that reverts them back to their original body.

It actually shows a better emotions of the character.
No matter what, i think it's always a girl showing vulnerability that is more convincing than a guy. No, i'm not sexist, Hyun bin did a great job in portraying a girl in his body but i doubt that the punch of that emotion will be as strong as Ha Ji Won did it. Because it's Ra-im that's feeling the emotions so it's much more convincing to show the real face. Just for that moment, it's easier to digest for me.

Honestly, the body swap do good humor but leave the emotional scenes to the original bodies. Not that i'll mix them up but it just feel weird for me to see another face while it's another character that is showing the emotions. I need some more time to get use to the body-swap when they show emotions.

But anyway, this show is gold. Probably the best drama for this year so far..... hopefully, it won't turn awry.

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I like it when they do the magic veil switch too.

I do think Hyun Bin and Ha Ji-won are good enough actors to pull of the emotions, but at the same time I like seeing them in their original bodies for that added bit of magic and emotional emphasis.

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