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Big: Episode 11

On the heels of one big confusing realization comes another one, and our girl is left reeling with her head turned upside-down and around and totally unsure of what’s what. For the first time, I felt some sympathy for what it must feel like to be Da-ran, caught in the emotional in-between along with Kyung-joon and not having a clear answer on what the “right” thing to do is. We’ve been with Kyung-joon from pretty much Day 1 so she’s 11 steps behind him, but I’m glad I’m finally with her at all, since I wasn’t sure we’d get there.

SONG OF THE DAY

Bo Kyung & Shayne – “내게 무슨짓을 한 거야” (What Have You Done To Me)
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EPISODE 11 RECAP

Thinking Da-ran is overwhelmed with the burden of taking care of him, Kyung-joon offers to disappear from her side for good, not knowing that’s the exact opposite of how she feels. He kneels down to tie her loose shoelace, telling her to make sure they’re tight so she can run far away without sparing him a backward glance. So till the day comes for them to part ways, he suggests, “Let’s get along well.”

She agrees, using his shoelace metaphor to remind herself to tie her “mental strings” tight as well (i.e., keep my head on straight).

At home, he asks why she feels so “burdened”—a word we’ll be hearing a lot, I think, used in every possible way. He assures her that he’s good-looking, rich, and smart, so he’ll be fine no matter what. Ergo, no need to feel burdened with worry.

Da-ran points out that he’s still all alone in the world. He tells her he’s going to find his father and holds up a brochure for an art exhibition, featuring the art professor who may be Dad. We know that Professor Park was actually teacher to his father and (surrogate) mom, but for now the kids are going off him as their sole clue.

Mari does recon work on the professor in paparazzo mode, which is familiar territory for her given her Kyung-joon stalkerism. The prof is with a man Mari doesn’t recognize (it’s Yoon-jae and Kyung-joon’s father), and for the time being she’ll have to wonder because she’s out of earshot of this very telling conversation: Dad asks the professor for whatever he can remember about the man Hee-soo almost married. That’s his only link to finding Kyung-joon. Or, you know, you could talk real loud and have Mari solve the mystery in two seconds flat. Especially since the professor knows the almost-husband had a daughter named Mari.

Yoon-jae’s parents call the newlyweds for dinner, and Da-ran describes Dad as quiet, difficult to know, and a doctor. I guess we know whom Yoon-jae took after. Now I’m starting to see why Mom likes Se-young so much, since they’re similar in a few key ways… which ew, makes it seem like Mom’s just trying to marry her son. Which actually makes sense from a personality standpoint, since Mom’s basically in love with Yoon-jae to the exclusion of everyone else.

Annnyway, Dad tells Mom of his hunch that Kyung-joon is in Korea. Mention of him brings Mom’s guard way up, and she declares that he’s not her son. Dad reminds her that she was the one who approached Hee-soo to be the surrogate. Mom retorts, “I didn’t need that child, I needed his umbilical cord to save Yoon-jae.” Oh, that. How annoying that umbilical cords come with such unnecessary byproducts like people.

Kyung-joon tells Da-ran that he’s not necessarily dying to meet his father, but since the man loved his mother, he wants to see him. His father must have wanted to meet him too, if he left the Miracle drawing for him.

Mom reminds Dad forcefully that he’d been on the same page—what does he care to find that boy now? “He wasn’t born out of love, he was made out of necessity!”

Oof, her statements make Kyung-joon’s assumptions harder to take, because he thinks he was born out of a love affair, even if Dad didn’t stick around. Da-ran wonders if the presence of another baby in the picture means he has a sibling, and Kyung-joon muses that maybe he does.

They head upstairs so Dad can give them his wedding gift, and Dad seems disappointed when his son doesn’t remember anything about the brother he’d been looking for. Kyung-joon spots a familiar art brochure and confirms that Dad knows Professor Park, and barely misses seeing the photo Dad keeps of Hee-soo.

Mom is very cordial over dinner, offering to bring Da-ran to a doctors’ wives’ gathering and also shopping. But it’s the backhanded sort of nice, slipping in barbs like how she wants to buy Da-ran a car for the sake of “Yoon-jae’s face” (i.e., reputation), and how if Da-ran had been thoughtful, Mom wouldn’t need to step in.

So Kyung-joon asks Mom for her credit card. No need to go through all that trouble of shopping with them; he’ll make sure to pick something to suit his “face.” I love how Kyung-joon turns her words right back around on Mom, and when he says them in his plain-spoken way, her elegant euphemisms come out sounding just as crass as she probably thinks Da-ran is. To wit: He asks point-blank just how expensive Mom thinks his face is, so he can buy accordingly.

Shocked at her son’s rudeness, Mom balks, especially since the gathering is for wives of important hospital directors and not for “just anybody.” Kyung-joon: “Then neither Mother nor Da-ran can go, since you’re just anybodies.”

Mom chides that Father may not be a director but he’s quite a famous doctor. Kyung-joon suggests Dad set up his own hospital quickly, since Yoon-jae can barely hold his head up in public without it. Haha. He’s no doctor, but he’s perfected the art of giving people a taste of their own medicine.

Off they go to car-shop. Da-ran protests, but Kyung-joon tells her his parents meant to buy her a car, so he’s taking them at their word. Ha, Kyung-joon kills me. He’s forced Mom to put her money where her mouth is, rather than lording her snooty superiority complex over everyone. Trapped by her own hubris.

Then they shop, Pretty Woman style, and he tells her to buy everything. He decrees everything “Not bad. Buy it.” He even decides, “That one’s bad. Buy it.”

Da-ran chides that Yoon-jae’s parents were shocked at the change in their nice son, but Kyung-joon replies that a nice son just means more hardship for Da-ran. So wise for one so young; so many marriages would be stronger if the husband made that realization early on.

Da-ran sighs at home, though, saying that being caught up in Kyung-joon’s whirlwind makes her feel sorry to Yoon-jae. Kyung-joon offers to remedy that by pretending his soul has swapped back with Yoon-jae, and talks to her in Yoon-jae’s voice, complimenting her on her beauty and warming his hands for her.

She laughs at his aegyo “puing-puing” and says she’s gotten more childish after spending lots of her time with a kid. He offers her more childish entertainment (learned from Bear and Rabbit at the hospital, aka his two kiddie companions) and picks up a griddle pan as his faux guitar to sing the Pororo song. Adorable.

They sing it together laughing, but then she remembers that she’s laughing thanks to Kyung-joon, not Yoon-jae. I love that it’s completely reversed now, that she sees him for Kyung-joon—but that freaks her out more and reminds her to retie her mental strings tightly.

He asks for a song in return, but she hides her face behind the frying pan and seeks refuge in her room, while oblivious Kyung-joon wonders if she’s feeling down because of mom-in-law.

Da-ran scolds herself for forgetting her circumstances, then bangs her head with the pan. Ow. She can’t tear out her heart, and this is driving her crazy.

Da-ran decides she’ll have to find a way to empty her mind and pass the time until Yoon-jae returns, and seeks safety in… a sewing kit? Imagining herself in Joseon-era hanbok, she declares that waiting wives of yore sought comfort in the concentration of needlework. So she will too.

But hark! Just outside her door a young man distracts her with his flute, and Da-ran firmly warns herself not to open her heart to him. Back to her needle. Stab!

Cut to: Da-ran’s exhausted eyes and bandaged fingers. Ae-kyung thinks she’s being too obvious about her exhausting nighttime newlywed activities (snerk), but uses this as a segue to announce her own blind date plans. She states the exact address and time for the benefit of Na Teacher, hoping he’ll pull a Samshik, but he just ignores her.

Mari shows Kyung-joon her paparazzi photos, and they decide that even if Professor Park isn’t his father, there’s a good chance he’ll know who is. Kyung-joon recognizes Yoon-jae’s father with him, but isn’t thrilled at the idea of asking him for information.

Mari and Kyung-joon both look forward to his approaching, though for different reasons. She wants to celebrate, but he’s got his eye on a bigger prize, having busily made preparations “for me to live on my own.”

To that end he meets with lawyers, who explain that once Kyung-joon turns 18, Yoon-jae will become the sole trustee to his assets. Ah, so Kyung-joon had drawn up a power of attorney for Yoon-jae, which explains his other reason for the “filling the gap” year. Basically, Big Kyung-joon has handled the legalities so that as long as he’s in this shell body, he’ll have access to Little Kyung-joon’s money and properties, which amount to $4.5 million. Smart.

Kyung-joon takes Da-ran out to a fancy dinner, telling her it’s a bribe in exchange for her help in tracking down that art professor. Seeing that she doesn’t know how to eat the dish properly, he wraps it up for her and feeds her—which gets her all confused and flustered again.

She overcompensates by shoveling in hot food, so he fans her with the brochure playfully, which gets her heart pounding even more. Adorably, he fans her alternating between “Kang wind” and “Seo wind,” which are plays on the words for strong wind and west wind. When he requests Gil wind in return, she hides her face and seeks more refuge in domesticity.

It’s ironing this time, to straighten out her crooked heart. Her Joseon counterpart does the same, determined to wait out the winds (and the young man) rattling her door. She warns herself not to give in and focuses on the ironing, telling Kyung-joon in sageuk-speak to leave her be.

He guesses she’s uncomfortable around him, though not for the real reason, which has him feeling annoyed. But Da-ran knocks the iron over and burns her leg, and he rushes back to treat the injury.

As he runs water over her leg, he asks, “Does it hurt?” She replies, “Yes.” He asks, “Should we keep doing this?” By now we’re not talking about the leg anymore, and she agrees, “Yes, stay here.”

Ae-kyung sits through her terrible blind date, but lights up when Na Teacher walks in the door. He came after all! Thrilled and puffing up with love, she runs toward him and asks if he came to stop her date, and hugs him tight.

…and then hears a bunch of buddies calling out to Na Teacher. Who is here to meet them. Not her. She dies of mortification and runs off with her face buried in her hands, which causes her to trip in front of him. The day just gets better and better.

Outside, Ae-kyung sobs her heart out in humiliation. Na Teacher brings over her lost shoe, saying he’d been worried—although for the life of him, he can’t figure out why she acted that way. He scratches his head cluelessly, and Ae-kyung delivers a swift kick in pique… and when he doubles over in pain, she grabs him for a kiss. Haha. That’s what we call a twofer.

Choong-shik has his own mental struggle as he accompanies Mari shopping and wonders how everything—stalking the art professor, dressing like Da-ran—is for Kyung-joon’s benefit when there appears to be no connection. Mari taps Choong-shik’s head with two fingers and instructs, “Empty your brain. Just look with your eyes.” Heh, somehow that doesn’t seem like a big stretch for him.

Choong-shik complies, and finds that the world is so much nicer and simpler when he doesn’t try to think so hard. But his smile fades when she decides this shirt will look good with Kyung-joon, because, uh, what does that mean?

Mari had meant to go with Kyung-joon to the art exhibit, but she gets a text informing her that he’ll be going with Da-ran. Bummer. Still, she decides that since she wasn’t instructed not to go, there’s no reason to stay away.

Just then she gets a call from her father, who has some shocking news to tell her. Mari: “WHO did you say was looking for Kyung-joon?!”

While Kyung-joon and Da-ran look around the exhibit for Professor Park, Da-ran gets a call from her mother-in-law about that doctors’ wives’ meeting. But when Da-ran explains that she’s out right now at the art exhibit, Mom freaks out and insists that she and Yoon-jae leave right away.

Kyung-joon can tell it’s the usual demands from Mom and takes over the call, telling her curtly that they can’t talk now, and hangs up. Then it’s on to meet the professor, who recognizes him from a prior meeting and greets him warmly.

Kyung-joon asks about Hee-soo and her son. The professor has heard of the accident and accepts that as explanation for why Yoon-jae doesn’t recall meeting him last year, and asks why he is interested in Hee-soo.

Kyung-joon asks Professor Park to confirm whether he drew a particular drawing, and takes out his wallet… just as Mom runs in and interrupts. She reminds the professor of his conversation with Dad, and takes her son aside for a talk. So Professor Park just tells Da-ran that he has nothing to say, having already been asked to keep mum on the matter.

Kyung-joon explains to Mom that wants to locate the father of the boy in the hospital. Seeing that Mom is acquainted with the professor, he asks whether she knows Hee-soo as well. Mom says this is the first time she’s hearing that name.

Mari gets Kyung-joon’s attention from across the gallery and motions him over frantically. She has great news, courtesy of her dad: The professor isn’t Kyung-joon’s father, but now they know that his father is trying to locate him.

Meanwhile, Professor Park chuckles to Da-ran that she owes her wedding to him. After all, when Yoon-jae ran into her at the wedding, he’d been rushing out to meet the professor. Aha! One more clue in the Not Cheating column (since Da-ran presumed that he was reacting to Se-young being newly single).

Suddenly confused, Da-ran excuses herself to confirm something, leaving Mari and Kyung-joon at the gallery. Mari wants to make a date of it but he’s distracted and decides to go home instead. Mari: “You don’t want to go to the hospital? Is Gil Da-ran more important than finding your father?” Kyung-joon: “Yeah. Gil Teacher is more important than the father I’ve never met even once.”

Before he leaves, he stops an employee from throwing out the flower decorations, remembering that Da-ran particularly liked the sunflowers. He has them wrapped and takes them home, where he scuttles around trying to put the bouquet in the most conspicuous place possible. Aw. He even practices his best version of a careless, “They were throwing it away. Take ’em.”

Da-ran meets with Se-young to confirm that the day of their meeting, Yoon-jae wasn’t hurrying to see Se-young.

Se-young does a We’re-back-to-this? eyeroll I can sort of understand, but grudgingly admits that it’s possible. She’d assumed that Yoon-jae’s pre-wedding troubles were all because of her, but now she thinks there was something else bothering him. Se-young doesn’t know what it is, but she concedes now that Yoon-jae didn’t have cold feet after all, that she wasn’t the reason.

Da-ran asks about the house key, and Se-young admits that he never came over. She expected him to, but he didn’t.

Da-ran walks home all a-muddle in confused feelings, thinking back to the Yoon-jae she knew. Was it all real, then, the way she remembered it first? Before the doubts and second-guessing?

Kyung-joon waits all day for Da-ran to come home, then puts on his nonchalant attitude. But Da-ran walks in with a heavy heart, telling him that it was all a misunderstanding. She starts to break down: “He liked me the whole time, and didn’t change his mind about wanting to take responsibility for me.”

Kyung-joon congratulates her, saying it was a good thing she’d decided to wait for Yoon-jae after all. He’s doing his best to put on a supportive face, which totally kills me, and asks, “Do you like him that much?”

He tells her he’ll make sure to step aside and not interfere with her waiting. Da-ran cries into her flowers.

The next day, Choong-shik finds her at school and notices her worn face, wondering if something’s up. He also clocks her reluctance to take a call from her mother-in-law, and asks if she’s mean to her. Da-ran denies it, but she’s not convincing.

At the kiddie room in the hospital, Kyung-joon sits with the usual suspects in the playroom, his outstretched foot getting in the way of a railroad building. The Bear boy complains that he’s “interfering” and needs to “move out of the way”—which makes Kyung-joon bristle. Et tu, Little Bear?

Little Bear actually whines at him to go back with all the other grown-ups and work, but Kyung-joon retorts that he’s still at an age where he should be studying and playing, not working. The boy asks how old he is, and he just says, “Older than you.” Which is when Rabbit girl calls him “oppa” (not “doctor” or “teacher”), which means she’s on to him. Sort of, in her little-kid way. He makes her promise not to say anything.

A hospital ajumma informs Kyung-joon that Little Kyung-joon has a new visitor today—a man, this time, not the elegant lady. It’s his father, of course, who takes Little Kyung-joon’s hand and apologizes.

Big Kyung-joon hurries to the room, which is empty by the time he gets there. He’s quick enough to see the man’s retreating back in the hallway and follows curiously, but loses him when Mari and Choong-shik arrive.

Choong-shik asks if mother-in-law is giving noona trouble, because she seemed pretty miserable at the idea of meeting her today. Uh-oh.

Mom presents Da-ran with an elegant wedding gift, nice today and admitting she wasn’t the nicest and suggesting that they get along better now. Da-ran’s near tears as she says she can’t accept—she doesn’t have the right to. She calls herself the worst; she’s rock bottom: “Even when Yoon-jae was with me, I always lacked confidence and felt uneasy. On top of that, I doubted him, let go him, and erased him. I’m a truly bad person.”

Mom doesn’t even miss a beat. “If you know you’re inadequate, step back now. Because he’s not normal right now, I approved of you just because he wanted it. But you—I won’t miss you a bit.”

Da-ran says she can’t step aside now because she needs him. Mom asks if she’ll be able to once Yoon-jae returns to himself, and Da-ran nods: “If he returns to how he was before, I’ll tell him what a bad person I was and let go of him.”

Kyung-joon arrives as Da-ran’s leaving. Seeing her teary face, he assumes Mom was terrible to her and starts to pull her back to face Mom, declaring that he’ll have to claim the price for those tears.

Dad arrives home and tells Mom that he saw Kyung-joon: “You and Yoon-jae both have to see that boy. If you don’t want to, I will make sure Yoon-jae does.”

Da-ran shakes off Kyung-joon’s hold on her wrist, refusing to go along.

Da-ran: “I can’t do it!”
Kyung-joon: “Why not? You decided you’d wait. You get hurt and dejected and cry—why do you make the people watching you feel suffocated?”
Da-ran: “If you feel suffocated and frustrated, you can just not look. I’m doing what I can to endure like an adult, so why are you creeping in and interfering?”
Kyung-joon: “Is stupidly enduring what an adult does?”
Da-ran: “An adult endures when something can’t be. If you know it’s bad, an adult doesn’t do it. If you know it’s wrong but still follow your heart and do it anyway, that’s what a child does!”
Kyung-joon: “Then since I’m a child, can I do as I please? Don’t you dare cry again. Because I don’t care who you’re waiting for, I’ll just take you and run away!”

 
COMMENTS

Woohoo for honesty, finally! I totally understand why both Kyung-joon and Da-ran have been keeping their feelings hidden from each other, and it makes sense given the twistedness of their lives at the moment. But it kills me when two people are dancing around the issue of their attraction, assuming they’re the only ones feeling this way, rather than hashing it out together.

The worst offenders are when we’re talking about the garden-variety romantic plot where the extent of the conflict is that each person is afraid of being rejected. Realistic, yes, but drives me batty in dramas where one honest conversation can basically clear up the Big Misunderstanding. In this drama, I’m totally there with the Da-ran self-recriminations and the Kyung-joon self-protection. I’d be a little happier if it were Da-ran making the big confession, but I suspect that kind of drama’s strictly Even-Numbered Episode material (*shakes fist at dramaland, fate, and girlfriday*) so for today I’m appeased.

As I said, I’ve been previously unable to feel anything for Da-ran, mostly because I just don’t get her. I understand her motivations on paper and in broad strokes—I can see what kind of character she was supposed to be—but she hasn’t felt fully formed, like a real person with complexity and depth. This was the first time I felt an inkling of sympathy for her frustration, because she’s JUST admitted to herself that she feels something for Kyung-joon, and she’s barely hanging on to her restraint and common sense by her fingertips, and then comes along this revelation that she was wrong all along about Yoon-jae.

Okay, admittedly I thought she was kind of dumb for jumping to the He Didn’t Love Me conclusion in the first place, because I don’t think that was ever clear. At worst, the situation seemed full of mixed messages, but it wasn’t a definitive “I was wrong about his love” conclusion. But I can see how she’d need to move on with her life, and the very fact that she didn’t know, one way or the other, was a pretty significant red flag.

So given that she fled to self-preservation mode (which I understand), it’s mighty confusing to have her axis tilted again. What I find most telling is that the timing is so very in-convenient—just as she’s owning up to her feelings for Kyung-joon (even if she can’t act on them)—when in fact they should be very convenient. This should clear up all her gray skies and point the way to a hopeful happily ever after… except her notion of who happily ever after requires has changed. Oof.

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I purposely didn't give myself spoilers today. Now, I can watch! Thanks again DB. ;)

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Btw, I just noticed this. Totally irrelevant, but hey, first to comment! :)

This drama is sure getting me mighty confused though.

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but seriously thank you for the recaps! :)

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Thanks for the recap! Off to read!

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I hope YJ will wake up soon, like tonight would be the ideal time! I don't know if its the pace of this show or the plot, I am just not that into this show compare with all the other Hong sisters' work. I still watch each episode (because my mum just loves Gong Yoo) but I dont feel at all excited.

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34 minutes into Episode 11, I finally pulled the plug. I am not wasting my time on this loser any longer. Whatever delicious plot twists the writers may have earmarked for the remaining episodes, I don’t care.

Jang Marie - both actress as well as character - is a major irritant. She really turns me off.

Gong Yoo recycling himself, while not as robotic & boring as Kim Sun A in I do I do, only reminds viewers what is missing in Big when compared to his old persona in Coffee Prince.

And Gil Da Ran? May God help you!

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See for me the ONE thing that really works in this drama is Gong Yoo. He's fabulous as this sweet kid in a man's body. And the change from when he was Yoon Jae, to Young Kyung Joon, to one year older Kyung Joon was wonderful. He captured all of those different charcters perfectly. It's just that the rest doesn't seem to gel quite right. And I feel like I can't root for Kyung Joon as the hero as long as he's wearing Gong Yoo's body. I really liked the idea of the switch when I read the synopisis, but I feel like it made me disconnect from love story somehow. I can't see past the face to the soul underneath. I want Da Ran with Gong Yoo whether he's Kyung Joon or Yoon Jae. That's what it comes down to I guess.

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Rashell, like you, I can't accept the boy in the grown man's body. I just can't. It feels wrong to me, a betrayal of sorts, that the real man lies forsaken and forgotten in a silent room. If the boy reverts back to his boy's body and DR and him get together, I'm fine with that. Like you, I find the Yoon Jae shell jarring, and every scene reminds me of the real Yoon Jae. It's terribly tiring to keep wanting Yoon Jae to wake up, and say something, anything, but it seems the Hongs prefer him to remain a shadowy distant presence in this drama. Trouble is, Gong Yoo infused him with so much charm and poignancy I can't let go of him. So I've decided to just read the recaps from now on.

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I couldn't have said it better myself, YY. I'm just going to read the recaps now until I see YJ coming back and the story getting better.

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I don't think Gong Yoo is recycling himself. His character in Big is different from Hangyul in Coffee Prince and I'm rediscovering him in Big despite having replayed numerous Gong Yoo scenes from his previous works over and over. I'm sure I'm not the only one feeling this way.

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Can't blame you. Feels like the show is going around circles. Wish the plot would move faster. The Hong sister's shows tend to have too much fluff especially in the middle of the series.

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Yep! Sames circles again and again. Big is just so stagnant at this point.
How can a story about body-swapping be so cliché?
With such a subject the doors were wide open to a creative and unconventional approach.

I feel deflated like a week-old balloon.
I've been promised a chocolate cake and was given a Brussels sprout.

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too much product placements also....can't take it seriously anymore.

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what I really don't like is always the mother of YJ....I really can't stand her , all that coldness towards KJ and all the effort she puts into hiding him!!!even if it's not the first character like this in kdramas, they are everywhere!!
Also I'm too much annoyed by Jang Marie, there is a limit on how much you can bear such a clingness without feelings from the other person!!!!
But I'm really enjoying all the Gong Yoo parts!!
Also you said it well " Gil Da Ran? May God help you!"

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NOO!!! Don't stop!! In fact, this is probably the WORST time to stop because it FINALLY gets juicy in episode 11.
I know how you feel because I HATE slow-moving dramas. But the Hong Sisters are usually slow in developing romance in their plots.

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gah, i hate that i hate this drama. yes, i'm commenting anyways.

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well , as much as i love gong yoo, i cant seem to agree to where tis drama is going.. i stop watching after ep 9 and sticking to the recap. i was really looking forward for another of gong yoo's drama but tis one is not really working for me.. love the first few ep but i think if SJ wakes up, i might be watching it again..

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same here....stopped watching after ep 9 and just continued reading the recaps... it's sad in my part but I just can't watch it :D

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totally agree! please SJ wakes up!

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me too! after ep. 3 i'm only reading the recaps and so dissapointing to know that maybe the hong sisters have lost the midas touch.
i can't stand Da Ran's actitude, she's really annoying. I'm sticking around because of Gong Yoo, he's gorgeous, a good actor and the only aceptable character on the show... Yes, i like my tv man candy twice a week, hehe. thanks for the recap...

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Thanks for the recap! Off to read! :)

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Thanks for the recap! ;)

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I am confuZZZZed too!

who to root for?!

now that everything has been cleared..

argh!!!

anyway, I just want GONG YOO :D

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This drama drives me batty. I watch it and I adore Gong Yoo to pieces. And I love him as Kyung Joon. But each episode I feel sorrier for Yoon Jae. He's losing his life through no fault of his own. Yeah, he probably should have been loving enough that his fiance wouldn't doubt his affection for her. But I really think he just had so much on his mind that it didn't occur to him she doubted him until that last conversation.

So I completely understand Da Ran's confilict because I feel it as a viewer.

I'm dreading Kyung Joon finding out about his parents and his relationship to Yoon Jae. I don't know how they're going to make all this work in the 5 hours remaining. I guess I just keep my faith in the Hong Sisters that they know what the hell they're doing. Right?

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You are da ran!

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I KNOW!! LOL!

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Thank you soo much for the recap!!!

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So many haters ...lol
well. Big is not everyone's cup of tea. But I love it! Thanks javabeans for hanging in there. This is not really a Hong Sisters' drama anyway. So it requires patience. :)

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Hi Obachan,
I was wondering what you meant by " This is not really a Hong Sisters’ drama anyway. So it requires patience." Thank you for explaining if you don't mind.

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To expand on what i think obachan meant, i think they meant this show is not written in the norm of Hong Sister's usual style. Big is written by the hong sisters, so this is their drama. This show seems to be more slow in terms of pacing and lacking their familiar touch. One can yield such patience before they start to feel withdrawn.
The show is losing its "spark"

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It does have signature Hong Sister scenes. They are just more integrated and lower key.

People got on them for making The Greatest Love over the top--many detractors also hate this about the Hong Sisters. When they do the reverse everyone complains it is too slow. (i.e. they develop the characters more.)

No one is ever happy.

Anyway, typical Hong Sister scenes:
- Mom throwing the shoe, the whole mom/broom fight.
- The older sister chasing the younger brother from episode 1 (they've done that a few times in a similar style),
- the whole makjang principal thing
- The several self-insert references. (Quite a few, if you're counting. Two cameos first episode, self reference to Ahn Seok Hwan and Choi Ran being together previously two times, hoi hoi and also Pororo.)
- They also did their signature references to other dramas through the fortune teller, (Moon Sun)
- And also made fun of Sageuk in this episode. (I think this is a weaker reference to the first drama, Chun Hyang, which also has an embroidery scene in it in the inserts at the end of the episode)

Also Mari is a product that only the Hong Sisters can do. That manic person. I also liked the joke about her being a paparazzi in this episode and she admitted to her stalking KJ made her "good" at it. People hate her guts, but usually characters like that are in the lead in Hong Sister dramas. (Over the top) She just shows up more in a lower-key drama.

This round the Hong sisters are putting it character first and making the characters a bit more realistic, which fits with the theme of maturity better. Maturity isn't fast, it's slow, and the pacing of the drama matches that.

However, I do think it's a bit odd they went recycled makjang for this... makes me wonder about the relationship to their mother-in-laws since about 100% of them in their dramas seem to be off...

Oh and I love Gong Yoo since he gave the pseudo adoptee and American-born character warmth when the script lines don't particularly ask him to. But we all love Gong Yoo. He's born in '79... so some of you lusting after him is a sin like how some of you object to DR and KJ~ However I'm one year apart from him. ~Oppa. He's MINEEEE.... Negoya~ ^.~ Just once oppa, let me touch your chest.... the one you worked so hard on?

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The problem here is that the Hong sisters stick to many K-drama cliches (the kind that make many K-dramas BAD - such as the b!tchy beyond belief mother/grandmother or the "big secret" being almost revealed ad nauseum); and they, unlike in some of their other romcoms, don't even get the relationship btwn the 2 lead right (mostly being circular, having the same fights/issues) over and over again.

'The Greatest Love' was the most complete and well-done Hong sisters romcom since they didn't overly rely on so many of these typical K-drama cliches.

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@Bd
It's true that the event structure is weaker here. Don't deny that--though they always have the evil mother-in-law type of character.

I thought that in terms of perfect execution Fantasy Couple was perfect in terms of writing, though it didn't catch people's hearts as much. It also lacked an evil mother. It also had wild slap stick humor, but also quieter beats. (The snow bits made it for me.) No lag. And no real heavy makjang either.

This drama does use some old makjang. I object to that. However, I think the advancing in the romantic relationship is gradual rather than rehashed. It's very, very slow, not like watching a potato. =P Each episode serves to move the relationship forward more.

This will prove true in episode 12 which I thoroughly enjoyed. Second half, I was laughing like a maniac--they finally got the situational humor down. (Please don't post spoilers after this.) =P Keeping spoiler free.

In terms of Hong Sisters evolution, I look forward to their next drama when they apply what they learned here to the next one which should be a smoother ride in balancing character against events.

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@Kim Yoonmi: "It’s very, very slow, not like watching a potato."

Was that a Greatest Love ref :)? Probably not intentional but for anyone who has watched The Greatest Love, the reoccurring potato metaphor was memorable :).

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@ ilikemangos and Kim Yoonmi, thank you for your explanations. They helped because I have never seen a Hong sisters drama, so I can't spot all the references, analogies and inside jokes.

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watching this show purely out of entertainment.
da ran, i finally have an inkling of sympathy for you in this episode.

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Thank you so much for the recap!

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Hate the way drama is turning into.Yuck!!!For teacher-student love affair just like GDa ran's parent.Hate it kung Joon is acting.The most important thing is to find the way to turn back to normal and start afresh relation with DaRan if he wants after knowin that he is in love with his Brother's Woman.Hell yeah for this.Just a crazy insanity of person showing of love to adults by bugging around and acting mighty by yelling and caring.I cant watch this.If Im watching its for Jang MaRi yet there's less about this.Wish Ma Ri was Lead Actress..

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I've only gotten partway thru this ep and it has already gotten under my skin.

The whole "blood-brothers" born of 2 diff. mothers who happen to coincidentally mee in Korea (altho both seemingly spent much of their youth in the US) and the over-the-top stereotypical cold-hearted mother is bad enough when it comes to cliches, but the photo of the birth mother falling out of the organizer and being picked up by Kyung-joon who doesn't even bother to flip it over and look at it - is so typical K-drama writing; the type of lazy writing (which tries to build up suspense but actually really fails at it) that I had hoped the Hong sisters had gotten past.

This is just like the situation in RTP where the mother is about to see the photo of her w/ Park-ha until she gets interrupted by a phone call.

She then doesn't bother to look at the photo after the call, much less look at the photo the entire night she has it until she returns it to Park-ha in the car ride to the airport (she actually placed the photo in an enveloped to give to Park-ha and she still didn't look at the photo).

As the mother tells Park-ha that she is returning the photo, Park-ha didn't ask her if she saw it and only when after Park-ha is driving away from the airport and turns around and goes back does the mother finally see the photo.

Now, that is just lazy writing - trying to inject some "drama", but in reality falls completely flat b/c it is dragged out far too long and the characters have to be complete idiots/devoid of normal human behavior for it to play out.

OK - this isn't as bad as the situation in RTP, but it's bad enough.

More and more 'Big' relies too much on lazy tricks/writing that is all to prevalent in crappy K-dramas.

The Hong sisters did a much better job w/ 'Best Love' so it is a bit disappointing that their writing has regressed.

MGIAG had its flaws (poor secondary story lines and 1-dimensional supporting characters), but at least they got the relationship btwn the leads right; that's something they have been struggling w/ here.

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that's a nice similarity u pointed out, human by nature we are curious beings, we even try to glance at someone's personal things, like cp, car, room, book, notebook, etch, etch so just flipping a pic takes only one movement and there u have it the round and round would haave been straight to the point. Sigh, drama, sticks to its name to the maximum!

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It *is* possible that he didn't even know it was a photo. It just looked like a bookmark falling out of a book. I agree, it's a frustrating way to add extra drama, but I think it's at least feasible. If you thought you were picking up a blank piece of paper used as a bookmark, why bother turning it over?

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Still, that's pushing it - Kyung-joon picks it up (w/ enuf care) and he didn't get a glimpse of the other side (clearly a photo) or even have the normal human curiosity to flip it over?

But of course, this is just one of the "almost" reveals that the Hong sisters pile on and like other crappy K-dramas, way overdo it.

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Thank you Javabean for your recaps, always the best. Let's see what happens tomorrow.

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I agree that the show has become frustrating to watch. I think this show is becoming the Hong sisters weakest show so far. It has a great premise but the execution just isn't there.

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I gotta say, I'm disappointed with this drama. The plot isn't moving. Gil Da Ran's character is one-dimensional.. the story line sucks. Hope the Hong sisters can turn this story around.

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Despite opposite opinions, I am liking Big more and more. First of all I encourage writers that do not limit themselves for the sake of being safe and conservative.traditional (Like Triple and Assorted Gems !). I hope Big can bring fresh breath to Kdramaland. It is certain that Big is not our traditional Kdrama. Hong sisters build the stage slowly and right now we're watching the real play. Thanks to long introduction we have better stage build up which makes sense.

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I applaud the Hong sisters' for venturing into a storyline/theme that isn't their cup of tea. That said, whilst this drama is atypical the reason it's losing its viewers is because of some of the typical characterizations and the writing. I don't care if it's atypical but I need to identify with the storyline and the characters. It's unfortunate that I don't care for the OTP since I don't get DR. :/

K2H was also atypical but it resounded with the international viewers for its brilliant characters and their growth. After that show I just can't stand evil MIL/mothers (again, give me a reason to identify with their hate, etc). It really is a shame that GY's drama comeback vehicle isn't what the majority of us hoped for.

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BB, completely agree.
Big is one of those shows where you forget it once it's over.
There are things that are not cliched, like the surrogate brother. That seems to be different.
However, there are many typical elements that give me deja vu-y feelings every time i watch a scene.
After K2H my expectations for certain shows end up in disappointment.

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Hmmm, based on some of the above comments, perhaps I'm in the minority but I'm still enjoying this show. GY is absolutely adorable as KKJ. And I'm enjoying the (perhaps I'm sadistic) situation that DR is now in...trying to "do the right thing," and fighting her feelings for KKJ. This show isn't perfect but GY's performance makes up for a lot. Even the side "couples" are cute imo.

Once again, thanks for the recap and insight. I always come here to read after I watch the episodes. Looking forward to tomorrow's episode!

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I have no idea how to feel toward this drama! I want to love it for Gong Yoo and Lee Min Jung, bu I just can't....get that into it. I've pulled various plugs for many dramas but I've never done it to a Hong sisters drama. I feel like I'm betraying them or something :( I guess I'll just endure it till the end...for Gong Yoo.

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Thanks for the recap!

Screw the kisses, random moments of skinship, makeovers, and hot stares, kdrama heroes who defend their ladies from their overbearing parents with such wit and sassyness make me swoon like crazy!!

This drama doesn't have the usual Hong sisters addictive quality, but I really like it. It feels almost jdrama-ish at times, which I think is a breath of fresh air with all the dramatic, manic kdramas out there. I know it doesn't appeal to a lot of people, but I'm impressed that the Hong sisters experimented with this. And I think this makes for a good summer drama since it's sort of light. Don't think it would have worked as well during the winter season. (I think the Hong sisters should do a winter drama next.)

I do wish the drama had gone with a less high-profile, less crazy-popular actor, just because it is hard to get over Gong Yoo to see into the Kyung-joon that is inside the Gong Yoo shell. And there's going to be a shitstorm if Kyung-joon ends up getting with Daran (which I think makes the most sense in the end) instead of Yoon-jae because everyone is conflating Gong Yoo with his original character instead of seeing the characters as they are.

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ITA with this. Although I think that Gong Yoo has done an awesome job with his role, I can't see past Gong Yoo to the soul of Kyung Joon. All I want is for my OTP to be Da Ran with Gong Yoo as either soul. And that's my struggle with this drama. Because Kyung Joon is clearly supposed to be the H. But I can't even begin to picture that kid as Kyung Joon and ending up with Da Ran.

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Thats why I also think she shouldn't make up her mind about her feelings until they switch back. Because how can she know for sure that she loves one or the other? Even if she mentally knows its not young jae it looks and sounds like young jae. So until she can look the semi legal boy in the eyes and say I love you she shouldn't make a decision. Although I think she jumped the gun on that because Hello hunny your MARRIED to young jae! Good luck explaining that to him when he wakes up haha. Oh and how you want a divorce ( without giving him a chance) so you can be with his younger brother. :)

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I completely agree with you! If as a viewer I can't get past the hotness that is Gong Yoo, how could the woman who was engaged to marry him do it. She's just in such a hot mess right now. And I don't know how she's going to extract herself. Yeah, clearly the marriage was a BAD idea.

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Agree with everything! I am having the worst possible time trying to decide who to ship it's driving me insane. I just can't see Da Ran with anyone but Gong Yoo, regardless of soul. Gong Yoo may be portraying the character of KJ but it's not like KJ's actual body has had enough of a chance to portray it, if that makes any sense. Even though KJ's personality is amazing and the love between him and Da Ran is true and well-built, it is the KJ inside of GY that everyone's in love with, and I just can't picture it any other way. I can just see this drama ending with a time skip and a vague, "oh it's you" meeting between KJ and DR after all is said and done, but it will break my heart it truly will even if it is the right thing to do. It doesn't help that I have a soft spot for YJ, I thought all along his hesitation about the marriage was to do with something bigger than Skanky McSkank, and I will never get over the adorableness of the fact that he fell for her at first sight. What happened in this episode just confirms he was in fact a good guy, which makes this impossible. I feel for Da Ran I really do, as much as I can considering she has too amazing guys to choose between...

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Agree with everything! I am having the worst possible time trying to decide who to ship it's driving me insane. I just can't see Da Ran with anyone but Gong Yoo, regardless of soul. Gong Yoo may be portraying the character of KJ but it's not like KJ's actual body has had enough of a chance to portray it, if that makes any sense. Even though KJ's personality is amazing and the love between him and Da Ran is true and well-built, it is the KJ inside of GY that everyone's in love with, and I just can't picture it any other way. I can just see this drama ending with a time skip and a vague, "oh it's you" meeting between KJ and DR after all is said and done, but it will break my heart it truly will even if it is the right thing to do. It doesn't help that I have a soft spot for YJ, I thought all along his hesitation about the marriage was to do with something bigger than Skanky McSkank, and I will never get over the adorableness of the fact that he fell for her at first sight. What happened in this episode just confirms he was in fact a good guy, which makes this impossible. I feel for Da Ran I really do, as much as I can considering she has two amazing guys to choose between...

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Sorry about the double post!! Just wanted to add really briefly I cannot IMAGINE how confusing it must be for her. I'm a hella confused and I'm just watching the thing! To experience such a dilemma, to fall in love with both a body and the soul possessing it and feel guilt for the very act of the thing let alone the wrongness of a teacher-student relationship etc.
When I feel this invested in the characters and find their pain and torment this believable I know it's a good drama, at least for me.

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"Good luck explaining that to him when he wakes up haha. Oh and how you want a divorce ( without giving him a chance) so you can be with his younger brother. :)"

Ditto!

I just can't really see this drama ending well because it's going to get messy if both brothers are alive at the end. ^ They then have all that conflict to deal with, as well as discovering one another. There's just too much not yet resolved and there are 4 episodes left...

I love both LMJ and GY, and was really excited by the premise, but I can't support the direction this drama's going.

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Great recap!
Me 2 this drama has played with my heart LMJ & GY both are so much better. It’s not BIG it’s more like fashion king or paradise ranch cheesy at best.

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DR doesn't have to wait to divorce YJ.

This is a woman who'll marry you if you're in a coma (who cares about a superfluous notion like "Consent").

Surely, she could also divorce you while in said coma.

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I think it is likely that Yoon-jae and his body will bite the dust so she may not even have to explain.

I think it is even more awkward to explain how she got married to him in the first place. So....you married my body without my consent....

Yoon-jae has become this ephemeral-like figure to me. I think he will be self-sacrificing enough of a guy to wish his bro and Daran the best, given that he has lived this long with Kyung-joon's umbilical cord cells. We've assumed he was a jerk in the beginning, but I think in the end, he will become a guardian angel to Daran and Kyung-joon.

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This episode was so boring. Nothing happened in 60 minutes
So So Boring :-(

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Sigh. Although I feel bad for Yoon Jae now that it turned out that he didn't cheat on DR after all, I'm still rooting for Kyung Joon! I do wish that Kyung Joon and Da Ran end up together! Pleeeeeease, Hong Sisters! ;)

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I actually wish they HAD made Young Jae into a cheater Mc cheater pants because now that we know that he really did love Da ran and planned on marrying her I just feel sorry for him.Because how is it fair that he did nothing wrong but still lost his fiance without even getting a fighting chance. We now know that the ticket was going to be used to find Kyung joon NOT to abandon her as we thought, and he also never cheated with the snobby doctor, so all the reasons she used to " give him up " were all just misunderstandings. It would be easier to cheer Da ran and Kyung joon on if Young Jae was a jerk.

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I like Big because of the experimentation and I can see what the Hong sisters are trying to do in terms of writing growth. The whole question in this drama is maturity. (Theming)

At the same time Hong Sisters also dared to slow down the pacing, which they hadn't done previously and because of that they needed to make the characters not just a bit childish, like before, but more rounded. In places it succeeded and in places it failed, but I have to say that I am learning a lot from this experiment.

The humor is also more situational than slap stick or manufactured, so the notes are slower--like the Pororo thing in this episode has all the earmarks of a Hong Sister's scene insert. (Tribute is being done with Hoi-hoi too) (Though I keep thinking that Gong Yoo will sing "Haroro" instead and Haha will pop out.... I got brainwashed.) Plus making Gong Yoo sing Pororo's song was priceless.

This may not be like the roller coaster ride we're used to, however, I don't mind slower ferris wheels. (Hong Sister dramas just lend themselves of reminding you of amusement rides).

That given, the makjang annoys me, but I'm going with it for the time being. I'm sure it'll sort out by Episode 16. One script page equals one minute about, so... 300 script pages left. Something has to happen.

Teacher Na all the way~!

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That's a great way to put it: that BIG is the ferris wheel in the Hong Sisters' amusement park.

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I really don't think its any of the actors faults.
All of the cast have proven to have talent in their various roles.
I find that it is the messy and lackluster plot that is irritating me. I wish the writers would take a step back and think..."if i were watching this, would i really enjoy it?"
the plot is going around in circles and reusing typical korean romcom scenarios that now its just washed out and dull.
wheres the sparkle i saw in the past hong projects? this plotline had so much potiential...

To save this, they have to wake Kyungjoon up. Thats when the fun will begin. This drama is focused on two areas 1.) Gil Da Ran and Kyung Joon's adult-child loveline and 2.) the fate of two brothers.

YET we have Kyung Joon stil in coma and Gong yoo playing him all too well. We haven't had much exposure to the actor that played Kyung Joon ....I find myself distancing.

ALSO the interaction b/w the two brothers is KEY to making the plot line juicier...yet their trying to hold it off for the more dramatic moment....
WELL THE MOMENT IS NOW!

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I have no clue why we have to endure the lazy writing / lugubrious plot development in the middle episodes. Either make the series shorter or I don't know, use a storyboard in the writer's room.

Its making me angry, almost as angry as post Ep 9 of Lie to Me. The ONLY reasons= I continue to watch this series is Gong Yoo from the way his pants fit to his performance, he can do no wrong. But it better not kill him to be carrying this entire series.

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Hmm...looks like I'm not the only one who noticed what a good fit his pants are...yummy!

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Love the pants!

I usually don't care how guys look in pants. I mean, they're just pants, right? But with him I'm like: Wow, those pants.

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I really liked the story from the beginning but then it went to a place I didn't want the story to go and I did give a chance but I couldn't stop feeling sorry for Da-ran for some reason. Plus the mystery of Yoon-jae was killing me in each episode, I wanted to know more about his character then the two characters right now. I think the Hong sisters made a bad choose for not walking Yoon-Jae.

But I've completely given up and saying hello to "Golden Time" instead. Goodbye:)

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Thanks for the recap! The previews make me happy! I really think something BIG is gonna happen tomorrow. ;3

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Thank you JB for the recap!

But is it wrong that i got tired of this drama? Every single episode is just running around the same place.
I mean, Gong Yoo is hot, but GAH why is the show moving SO slowly. T_T

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no. I'm tired too =(
which is a sad thing because I really looking forward to this.

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the umbilical cord thing is interesting, when i gave birth to my son two years ago, we paid 5000 US dollar to an Umbilical Cord bank, to keep safe of my son's UC (umbilical Cord). Back then, the technology wasn't ready but they say it will be the future miracle medicine for our child's future health problem, if there is. So I wonder, what medical issue has Yoon-Jae that he needs the blood from the UC of Kyung Joon! If indeed this story is based on facts, what a medical breakthrough!

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Shin is getting a really easy paycheck right now. Ah, I'm envious. He gets flies on his blanket and people talk around him and he just has to lay down and sleep.

Why do you want him to wake up when his job is so easy??? <--being facetious.

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hahaha, absolutely right, the easiest job ever, people got talking about him but there he is a sleeping beauty.

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LOL

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meh. this drama starts to grates my nerves.
plot is moving way too slow for my liking. I know they wants to build up the base and everything but this is already episode 11 peeps!
when exactly yoo jae will get his soul back for a chance to explain everything to daran or he will die just like that?
makjang cliche is boring~ ~ ~
kyung joon is still sleeping but loving his hyung's fiancee/wife/gf/whatever
It feels like Hong sisters just put all the standard romcom cliche and call it a day which is a pity really since it could become something better than this.

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Darn.
Quit holding out on the big reveal, and just use up the wild cards you've been saving! If ya wait too long the milk goes sour.
I am wondering what the Hong Sisters are waiting for.
I understand that this is one of their more slow-paced drama and the relationship between kyung joon and da ran is playing out nicely, but there's a way to have that AND make a show that has that addictive juice.
I think the last few episodes in particular are slowing down.
I don't need any tricks or 'the truth!.. almost there..but not quite', or 'PSYCHE!'
I understand it happening a few times for drama viewing and instilling anxiety/keep us on our feet but you may use it more than enough when the viewers are sitting there saying "dammit! just have him/her/them find out already! "
Hong sisters, i appreciate the challenge you put on yourselves, and i love you, but here's that little "push" you need! Show us some confidence, i know you have it in you guys to dish out more. I'm only saying this out of admiration for you guys and 'cause i care.

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I live these two actors they definitely have awesome chemistry but truely the story is a merry go around and we only have 4 ep till the final. I think that Daran loves kJ in YJs body he still sees his man but in diff ways and the thing is KJ likes/love her all out its like shes dreaming to get that love n care to YJ b4 ans now KJ showing her how important she is how can a person not sway. I truely truely get y almost all have not liking where the story is taking. From early ep its so freaking confusing already its a failure for Hong Sis for me I watched these coz I love GY n Iam likinf Minjung. But honestly the story is no good and we are almost to the end and they will wrap it in a plastic bag. Not a pretty bow

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I love the main actors Suzy two did a great job

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That's it! As ilikemangoes said, it's the endless and so much teasing of 'almost there... but not quite' that makes me ask if i like this drama or not. I know that the teasing is supposed to keep one hooked, but too much of it can really drive one batty or dizzy and just decide to get off. For me, the only hook of this drama for so many episodes now is Gong Yoo.

Also, there is no scene yet that is quite memorable for me to want to review over and over again. Nothing that touches that emotional chord.... And this is where this drama is lacking. I have a hard time putting or losing myself in the characters.

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yup, mac.
This show is not pulling on my heartstrings like it should.
if i can't connect with the characters, then i usually feel withdrawn with the show itself.

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Yeah Gong yoo fid a very good job n Minjung too I think all of them sid but the story is too short and Hong sis got mixed up its very slow and fast ending which makes an awful drama. These ep11 shd be in ep 6 so we cud see the development of Darans feelings and YJ character

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I just cling to this drama also bec of Gong Yoo OMG his so yummy

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thank you so much for the recaps..

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I tried hard to love Big, even closed my eyes (brain) from the stupidest, weakest and my personally most disliked drama heroine (I can assure I've seen at least 70 k drama). My bet was on the creativity of Hong sisters and one of my favorite actor Gong Yoo. And after watching 11 long hour of Big the only question arises in my mind how much I've to endure to enjoy GY's brilliant performance ? He is perfect but the story is frustrating, just remains at the same place episode after episode with lots of rotten K drama Clichés ....

I wish I could be one of those Big lovers who're having so much fun watching this....sigh!

want to stick till the end ...Gong Yoo only for you baby....happy b'day ... muuaaah..

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Thank you!!! Da Ran just grates on my nerves. Unlike others, I think KJ and DR deserve each other because KJ is actually more mature than her. YJ just dodged a bullet imo.

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I don't think the caps and swearing is going to be looked upon well, either.
The person was just stating their opinion even if you don't agree with them you can just respond politely&respectfully. no need for WW3.
Dramabeans is a place that deserves more than that.

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My comment was meant for someone else.
But Dang, looks like that hateful comment has been deleted. Phew. i was embarrassed for it.

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That's so interesting to me that so many of you guys hate this drama. I think it's so cute and so fun!!! I look forward to Mondays because of Big :)

I think GongYoo is doing a fantastic job acting as KyungJoon and YoonJae because the characters feel like different people.

Lee MinJung is so pretty and does a really good job too. My only complaint is Suzy, cuz I find her really annoying but she doesn't kill the show for me.

KyungJoon is so cute and while he is in YoonJae's body, I really do want him to get the girl, but realistically, that's kind of gross... High school teacher with her student... I wonder how they will resolve this... After building up Kyunjoon as this sweet awesome romantic guy, if he returns to his young body, what will happen? I can't wait to see. I freaking love this drama!!!!

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if it were a 25 year old woman with a 40 year old man it would probably seem ok?
if the woman is younger the age difference can be three times as much as it is now and scarce few complain.

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Actually, I think that the fact that he is still a teenager is the problem. I would find it weird if a 30 year old male teacher was in love with his 18 year old student too.

Now that I think about it, that's exactly what happened with Daran's parents! Hahahah

Teenagers are so impressionable and immature... It just seems wrong for someone close to 30 to be romantically linked with someone so young, no matter which gender is the older one. It makes it even worse that she is his teacher cuz she has a professional responsibility to detach herself from those kinds of situations.

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THIS! I don't care if there is an age gap. Or if it's the woman or the man who is older. My issue is that this boy is just that a BOY! And she's definitely a grown woman. I know that they've aged him almost 2 years now in the drama so he'd now be legal. But he was clearly a boy in the beginning. Just his body was adult. That is what I don't care for.

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What a cliched response. Not all people who dislike teacher student relationships are chauvinists. KJ in his original body looks like a prepubescent boy and imagining him in Gong Yoo's place is extremely difficult.

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thanks for the recap :)

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i reaaallly what to rant until all the rants come out of my disgruntled heart, but then i go spechless. this show is just....a disaster.
Anyway,,thanks JB :)

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I think everyone hve to accept this story is about KJ (in YJ) an daran..in merry go round pattern..Love all actors but the story is just hhopeless..
Hope theres other writer who will combine lmj n gy in another drama...
I should stop putting high hope on this drama..truly..yj pls continue sleeping,u will suffer a lot if u wakes up..!

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Let me first say that Episode 11 was a complete and utter waste of time--- I mean, NOTHING happened. I'd rather the series be 15 episodes than waste an hour on an episode that only very, very incrementally moves the story along.

I actually like this series, but I also agree with many of the comments here- I think Gil Da Ran comes off one-dimensionally due to poor acting, to be honest. Gong Yoo to me is the saving grace- I could watch him in pretty much anything.

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Same here. Gong Yoo acting is really the only thing that wants me to keep watching, while the rest just isn't doing it for me both the storyline and the characters.

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At this point I want KKJ to wake up in hospital with KKJ soul in him too and the result would be 2 KKJ with 2 different bodies and DR can live with both of them Bi-weekly (to cote someone :D).

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stark contrast to another "growing-up" drama, Shut Up, where all they seemingly did was sit on couches or tinkle the guitar, but in that slow and smooth pace there was constant development and intrigue. now they wiggle around and take a bit of this a bit of that and no development, still.

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Gil Da Ran cries too much..she act like a child where else Kyung Joon behave like an adult.

Sometime i do feel like wanna smack her upside down..sissy..

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I agree!!! I wish I could just whack her amidst her scenes.

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