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Prime Minister and I: Episode 2

The ruse begins, and Episode 2 gives us a chance to enjoy the inherent awkwardness in the Odd Couple match-up of two people who just don’t see each other in That Way. At least, not yet, and I’m content to let that play out over time—these two have enough likable charm that I feel pretty confident that I’ll buy the romance once it swings around, but don’t need it to come blazing out of the gates. Not while we have comedy to mine, and there’s certainly plenty of opportunity for that in this setup. I’m particularly fond of the forced smiles Lee Beom-soo has to slap on his face, which are hilariously stilted, and wouldn’t want to trade those for anything.

SONG OF THE DAY

Fromm – “사랑 아니었나” (Was it not love). I can’t shake the feeling she’s modeled herself entirely on Feist, but then, I like Feist so… [ Download ]

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EPISODE 2 RECAP

Yul pulls Da-jung around the corner just in time to avoid being spotted by the nosy Reporter Byun. Another reporter joins him and mentions the rumor that the mystery woman may have been paid to implicate the prime minister-to-be. Da-jung bristles to have her character impugned but Yul keeps her quiet until the reporters leave, then drags her up to the roof for a more private conversation.

Da-jung asks suspiciously if he had anything to do with that rumor, and Yul tells her no way—he’d shot down that idea. But that just confirms to her that he would consider such a thing, and she turns his own insult (said to her the other day) back on himself about how he’s a lowlife, selling her out to save his own skin. She adds the suggestion that he quit this prime minister bid, because the country can’t have people like him running it.

Yul counters that he won’t do that and says he’ll do what he has to survive, and she’s free to do as she wants. He leaves her huffing indignantly after him.

Turns out it was press secretary Hye-joo who leaked the rumors about Da-jung being a plant, and aide In-ho confronts her with displeasure. He reminds her that Yul had told them not to throw Da-jung to the wolves to save themselves, but Hye-joo just says that they couldn’t just do nothing while they were being attacked; she’ll take responsibility for it.

Fuming, Da-jung storms up to confront Yul again, and is just around the corner as he leaves his office to tell Hye-joo he has come to a decision: “I’m going to step down.” Hye-joo immediately argues against it, saying that they can’t give up everything they’ve worked for over such a petty thing. Yul counters, “Are one woman’s personal rights such a petty thing?” He calls Da-jung the victim here and says that resigning is the only right response.

This has Da-jung reeling, since her perspective on the matter has just been spun wildly in the other direction.

Yul begins his press conference to address the news, wherein he refuses to name the woman in the photo despite repeatedly being probed for clues. I honestly don’t see why he can’t just give a version of the truth, but I suppose we’d have no drama then, and he sticks by his principles despite knowing that not saying anything looks suspicious.

Reporter Byun throws a wrench into the works by making the link: the mystery woman is the same reporter who scored an exclusive interview with a tabloid paper. Just as he’s about to out Da-jung, she calls out a confirmation—yes, she was the woman in the photo.

All eyes swing to her as she joins a stunned Yul onstage. She introduces herself and smiles for the cameras, saying that yes, she was that woman, and that she and Mr. Almost Prime Minister here “…are in love!” Pffffft.

She stamps on his foot to quell Yul’s protest and puts on a loving face for the press, who go wild.

Naturally Yul’s not pleased, finding her method of damage control absurd. Da-jung says that it’s better than him resigning, and that they can later announce their amicable breakup, like celebs do. Yul asks whose idea this was, and she (a bit unconvincingly) claims credit for it—only to have In-ho interrupt and admit that he’d thought it up and asked the favor from Da-jung.

Da-jung gets excused, and Yul turns his displeasure to his aide, telling him that he doesn’t care to become prime minister through tactics like these. He has lived by his principles throughout his political career—don’t be anybody’s puppet, don’t take bribes, don’t lie. Therefore he’ll resign.

But In-ho asks scathingly, “Are principles so important?” There’s an undercurrent of bitterness and darkness about In-ho that makes him fascinating. He asks if Yul considers everybody—his staff, the president, the citizens—so trivial as to be discarded this easily. He adds that Yul’s decision to resign was for Da-jung’s benefit, but that wouldn’t keep her from being whispered about as a seedy or loose woman; better for her to be part of this romance story.

Hye-joo arrives to deliver a stinging slap to In-ho’s cheek, saying merely, “Thank you.”

The unfolding scandal has been closely monitored by Joon-ki, the bitter bro-in-law and also minister of strategy and finance. He hears that public sentiment is turning in Yul’s favor, which does not make his day—not after all the effort he went through to conjure up the scandal.

In-ho shows Da-jung to a room where she can rest for the night, given the reporter presence outside, and thanks her for deciding to help. She asks what happens if the situation twists in an undesirable direction (say, she’s made out to be a crazy person), and In-ho assures her smilingly that he’ll take responsibility in that case. She wonders the same thing I’m wondering: “How would he take responsibility?”

Yul wrestles with his conscience all night, replaying the others’ words in his head. He feels strongly in his no-lying stance, but there’s no denying In-ho has a point about Da-jung being in danger of worse fallout if he resigns. Plus, Da-jung had said she’d prefer this to being made out to be somebody who could be paid to smear someone’s image.

He also flashes back to being asked to take the position by the president, being supported by his staffers, and vowing to the people to do his best.

In the morning he’s made his choice, and finds Da-jung sprawled out on the couch, which she falls out of as she wakes. Yul informs her that he’s going with the plan, however grudgingly, and that as soon as he’s appointed prime minister they’ll be breaking up. She tries an experimental “jagi-ya” (honey) for practice, which creeps him out and has him barking at her to do her practice without him.

Hye-joo warns Da-jung of the need for utmost secrecy, checking that she has no debts, prior convictions, or ex-boyfriends. He brusque (barbed, even) manner ruffles Da-jung’s feathers, but Da-jung assures her that she’ll do her job acting as the perfect dignified girlfriend. And then she gets Yul’s number and immediately calls him to tell him to store her as his Number 1. Haha. You’ve gotta give Da-jung credit for jumping into this plan with gusto, given that she’s doing it as a favor to them.

In-ho finds Da-jung plotting her exit from the reporter-filled lobby, apologizing that he forgot to take care of this for her. But she says she’s got it covered, already formulating her plan. With the help of a floor-sweeper machine, she rides past the crowd right to the doors and slips away unseen.

At home, Yul’s three kids wonder about the lady in the news and whether their father really means to marry her. Youngest Man-se chirps that she’s a nice lady, but middle child Nara shakes her head, judging from Da-jung’s fashion sense (as in, lack of one) that she’s not on Dad’s level.

They get a surprise visit from uncle Joon-ki, who has come with birthday presents for Nara. Interestingly, eldest son Woo-ri seems a bit suspicious of his uncle, and Joon-ki notes that he’s just like his father.

Nara sniffs that Uncle is better than Dad, who hasn’t been home or even called, and Joon-ki files this tidbit away with interest. Then he puts on his warmest face to address the reporters outside, saying that he offers his brother-in-law his warmest congratulations for his happy news.

Yul arrives at his front gate, interrupting Joon-ki’s impromptu interview. But despite the unwelcome drop-in, Yul loses a little ground when Joon-ki says (for his ears only), “I don’t know if this romance is real, but isn’t forgetting your child’s birthday rather pathetic?” Then Joon-ki leaves in high spirits, noting to his aide that he’s just received a gift—now he knows what Yul’s weakness is.

Da-jung finds reporters camped out in front of her building, just as her father calls to confirm the news, having read it in the papers. I love that Dad doesn’t care whether the guy is a prime minister; he just cares about seeing whether he’s good enough to date her. Awww, Dad.

At work, Da-jung has to convince her editor boss and photographer Hee-chul about the story, and hurriedly fills in the gaps in logic with lies. For instance, the reason she was barred from the press corps was because she was afraid their relationship would be discovered, and Yul had put her in jail because she’d wanted to break up over their vast differences in status. (The dramatizations are hilarious in their own right, for being over-the-top parodies of dramatic love angst.)

Her skeptical editor wants proof and tells her to call Yul. So she does, calling with an aegyotastic “Jagi-yaaaaa” that gets the first call disconnected. Yul endures the second call with gritted teeth, while she pours on the cutesy talk on her end. That’s not enough and the editor calls her a liar; he’ll believe her if Yul comes to get her.

Just then, Yul’s voice booms, “Are you looking for me?” And there he is, all smiles for his audience, ushering her into his car. They have to keep up the ruse for the sake of his driver, who seems to approve of the romance, haha.

Da-jung notices that her colleagues are tailing them, though, eager to get the scoop on the prime minister candidate’s date. So she directs the driver in their getaway route, while Hee-chul struggles to keep up. Once they lose the tail, Yul has his driver continue to their destination: a hotel.

Gulp. Da-jung freaks out, thinking this is taking their ruse a step too far, and she breaks down as they arrive at the door begging him to relent. And on the other side of that door: a room full of staffers, gathered for a late-night strategy session. LOL. I’m so embarrassed for her.

Joon-ki’s on top of this news, of course, understanding that Yul’s team is scrambling to manage this romance storyline. He gets to work on creating his own storyline: the prime minister candidate who doesn’t know his own children’s birthdays but is busy with his love life.

In the hotel room, Yul is quizzed on details about Da-jung and their fabricated dating history. Because he’s got no corruption or scandal in his past to muddy up the confirmation process, they’ll likely spend most of the hearing asking about this latest scandal.

Hye-joo apologizes for slapping In-ho earlier, and says she hadn’t realized he’d be so swift to throw himself into helping, probably since he’s a new hire who hasn’t proven his loyalty yet. She, on the other hand, has been working with Yul for a decade. In-ho surprises her by saying that he’s also been watching Yul for a long while, and had been a longtime member of an organization supporting him. I’m… not so sure I buy that as the explanation. There’s certainly more to the story than a simple fan club.

Da-jung steps outside for a break and runs into Yul, who asks after her father’s reaction to the news. She says he’d probably insist they marry, but assures him not to worry—Dad will just forget it all soon enough.

Yul thanks her for all her help thus far, saying that today will be the last day. He’s curious, though, to know why she agreed in the first place. Her mind flashes back to Yul being ready to resign to protect her, but her answer is flippant—she was just looking after her best interests. She tells him to pass his confirmation hearing and become a prime minister “who will be a source of strength for ordinary folks like me. Promise that you’ll become a prime minister who doesn’t side with the strong or neglect the weak.”

He can promise that readily, and he makes her promise something in return: “Be a good reporter.” He compliments her writing ability (if not the actual content) and says he’ll be watching her career. Da-jung leaves him with one tip, offering to tell what Man-se’s favorite cartoon is.

Coincidentally enough, that’s a question he gets asked during his confirmation hearing, now that Joon-ki’s pulling the strings. It’s followed by a string of questions asking about his kids’ favorite celebrities or future aspirations, and there’s a distinct snideness to the question-asking, saying that he must be too busy to know these things. But how can a man like that spend time dating around?

Yul sits calmly through the tirade, then methodically answers each and every question. His responses neutralize the proceedings and even wring some laughs, but Yul adds that he learned of these facts only yesterday, conceding that he is the neglectful father he was accused of being. “You ask how I can date while knowing nothing about my children. I don’t know that myself. But the only answer I can give is that I wanted to protect that one woman.” He adds that he’ll probably continue to be a clueless father, but the exchange is that he’ll be a diligent prime minister. “Becoming a good father—that will be my next concern.”

With that, Yul is approved and the president swears him in… and then asks when the wedding is.

Da-jung gets called to the hospital and tears into her father’s room near tears, seeing his body lying with a sheet over his face. And then Dad sits up chuckling at his prank—which, god is not a joke sick people should play, though I guess gallows humor has its uses. Already he’s talking of Yul as his son-in-law and clucks to see that he didn’t come here with Da-jung.

She complains to Dad about joking that he collapsed and stalks out in a pout, only to hear from the doctor that Dad did actually collapse. And worse, his brain tumor diagnosis gives him six months to live at best.

Da-jung walks home in a daze, and when Dad texts her telling her to take care and bring the fiancé with her next time, she breaks down into sobs.

Yul is briefed on the upcoming event commemorating his appointment, and In-ho points out that Da-jung has been left off the guest list. He argues that they owe her a debt of gratitude, but Hye-joo counters that they’ll need to set the stage for the breakup, and Yul agrees with her.

Hye-joo asks if In-ho harbors personal motives toward Da-jung, and his response is surprise, followed by, “Would it be wrong if I do?” I don’t think he’s actually that far along, though he calls her interesting and seems to find her amusing.

In tears, Da-jung drinks alone in a pojangmacha that night, thinking of Dad’s desire to see her married off.

Yul gets a startling call, and then we cut to Da-jung slumped over in a police station. HAHA. She’s shaken awake but flops back to sleep right away, and the officers have no recourse but to wait for her Number 1 contact (listed as boyfriend) to come get her.

Yul’s arrival has Da-jung bolting awake, and Yul claps a hand over her mouth to prevent her from saying anything damning. He takes her away with his small army of bodyguards, all of whom stand by silently while she retches into the bushes outside.

She just stands there slurring her apologies while he scolds her for this inconvenience, griping that he’s already got enough of a headache dodging the when-are-you-marrying questions. That makes her eyes widen, and she suggests, “What if we got married for real?”

She falls to his feet half-drunkenly, half-pleadingly, and looks up at him with tearful puppy dog eyes and asks him to marry her while clinging to his leg. And that, my friends, is how to make a memorable proposal.

 
COMMENTS

I wasn’t expecting too much of Prime Minister and I, but it’s off to a promising beginning and I welcome the warm fuzzy rom-com sensibility. We’ve had a lot of very melo romances this year and I miss the good-ole-fashioned, opposites-attract romantic comedies that used to rule dramaland and the ratings. These days it’s all about the melos, which have their place (and crack factor)—but you can only have your emotions put through the wringer so many times before you need a break from so much FEELING. A heartwarming, feel-good drama is just the ticket, so I’ve got my fingers crossed that this show continues with the momentum it’s building.

It’s all about tone, I think, because the story itself could go in so many different directions that the premise alone doesn’t ensure anything. I’m thinking of Suspicious Housekeeper, which shares a lot of basic plot points with Prime Minister and I but was a vastly different show. (I liked that drama, but it was worlds apart in execution, going more for mysterious and eerie.) So this drama will live and die by its quick pacing and touching character moments, which go a long way toward endearing us to this cast. Not everybody is likable, but so far everyone’s interesting, which may be even better.

For instance, Joon-ki sits in the classic villain’s seat, sabotaging Yul at every turn, but given that he’s the brother to the dead wife, I cut him a lot of slack for taking up the opposition role. Especially with that intriguing flashback bit where we saw the wife dying in the passenger seat of a car, where her door briefly swung open before the car crashed—was she trying to run away? Were they in a fight? Was Yul driving? In-ho has my full attention as well, because Yoon Shi-yoon plays him with this dark undertone that is so fascinating. Hye-joo could swing either way, I think, and I hope the drama keeps her mostly sympathetic—I don’t mind her being a strong ball-buster if that stems from competence. But I hope her hardass attitude doesn’t spring from petty jealousy over romantic feelings, because I want her to be more interesting than that.

I suppose we must have a strong enough reason to set up the contract marriage, which is why I mostly accept the Dad-wants-to-see-me-settled reasoning driving Da-jung, though it does seem like an obvious MacGuffin. But perhaps we need the push to come from her, since it was his side that initiated the dating rumor; this puts them on something of a level field with regard to the ruse. Clean slate, new act—let the faux romance begin.

 
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i'm surprise by Yoona's level of acting
i guess this is her comfort zone
acting cute n brightly girl

great drama
tq for recap

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She does have good comedic timing, so good for her. But, we wait and see how she can handle the rest of the episodes and other emotions. Will she be a Krystal and only excel in one area (sitcom/deadpan style) or has she improved.

Regarding the drama, the first episode caught me by surprise in that it was better than expected and I found myself laughing at the hijinks. However, the second episode was not as good, and felt overly long. That could be due to setting up future episodes or a sign of future issues that can become problematic later on.

Will the wackiness be with us the whole drama? I wait and see if the director will allow Yoona to get out of the aegyo box. Or will they insist she is an aegyo monster, step mother of 3? Judging by their insistence on infantilizing her, by having her hold balloons in the poster, when everyone else is holding champagne flutes is not a good sign.

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I am betting that she will grow out of the "aegyo monster" (:D) syndrome. It is cute and funny as an early setup, but I don't think it would make sense to carry that theme much further than episode 3 or so.

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I don't think they'll infantilize her. To me that photo likened her to an airhead. They've been clever about this. Superficially - based on her demeanor and life choices - she appears to be an airhead. But they've also quickly and clearly established two things: 1) she has the substance of being a good writer with solid convictions; and 2) her life choices have been made so she can carve out an independent living and support her ailing father.

They have portrayed her as being silly, but also strong and pragmatic. They've portrayed her as being shameless. But they've shown she isn't shameless because she's vapid or cheap or dumb. She's shameless because she's a person who will do whatever it takes to fulfill her commitments and/or do what she believes is the right thing to do. I like this character a lot.

So far the premise seems to be Sound of Music with a dash of Pygmalion thown in. And the tone has been more like I Love Lucy. It's been a fun and breezy watch. Hope they can keep it up. The first two episodes have me hooked. :-)

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Yes! She's totally channelling her inner Lucille Ball! Good for her because, well, um, everyone loved Lucy. Plus she has the added benefit of working with Lee Bum Soo who knows what he's doing. I've said before that his approach makes me think he's like a Korean Jack Lemmon, who was legendary for being able to do both broad comedy and heavy drama.

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And to add to that, lee bum soo could also be a factor. Many green actors/actresses end up really making a splash when they're acting alongside a very experienced, talented sunbae. Plus i think i read somewhere in an interview that says they're working really hard to create a believable romance/synergy.

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Either me. Suprised in a good way. She is totally dedicated to improve her acting I felt <*

And how i love the writer keep giving us attractive goozy trait from her ; 'when her dad said : When you're in high school, u never study well, and in college, you go demonstrate, lol, so funny

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I m a Lee Beom Soo fan, and this is a LBS vehicle, so I'll watch it no matter what. Then there is YSY, who's political assistant with the mysterious sidelong glances is just intriguing. Add to that Lee MH Jr, the icing on the cake.

Yoona's acting is grating on me in eps 1 and 2, but it could be that the script calls for her to act silly and super aegyo. Hopefully that'll be toned down real soon.

Super Hot ajussi K actors: Lee BS, Ji JH, Seojinnie! All 3 of them in dramas of their own at the same time! This is a Merry Christmas indeed!

Now, if Ryu SR would headline a drama!!

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I agree I was surprised too. She is very realistic in this role. She is funny, and spunky, but not too over the top. Good job Yoona!

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I'm so happy with this show :-)

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I'm actually looking forward to this. Enough of all the angst of the melos. Give me some fluffy lovin'!

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I love the soundtrack choices. "You raise me UUPPPP" XD

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I am just about angsted out for this year. I need some fluffy stuff.

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Sometimes, you just need a fluff drama to soothe the soul. Thankfully TPMI is looking to be a good choice...provided it doesn't pull a Mirae's Choice on all of us.

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I laughed a lot watching episode 1 and episode was better, making me LOL with this OTP.

Yoona, first character I like from her! I was really happy that she seems comfortable and seems to be having fun!

I'm liking her character a lot <3

I hope this drama keeps this vibe. I know the second part will be melo, but I hope they can keep this vibe.

I'm already dying to watch Yoona Vs the kids, and LBS vs his ''father in law'' loool

As for YYS: I still have no clue why he picked this role. Did someone asked him a favor or what?

Thanks for picking this drama up to recap!

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episode 2 was better*

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YYS? u mean Yoon Shi Yoon right?

i guess he wants to try darker role
other than fluffy/cute character he had before

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Did you get a creepy stalker vibe from his character? I sure did.

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I too cannot wait to see "Yoona vs Kids", and also cannot wait to see how she handles the paparazzi - that she is one of :).

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Seriously loving this show because it's giving me all that I expected of MC. The zippy, fun, silly but endearing female lead along with the righteous hero. I'm super positive about this and Yoona is definitely making a fan out of me. She's so earnest here and Da-Jung is the bomb. She's so awesome because she's so unabashedly honest.

Loving the opposites attract theme. It's been a while since we've had one of those. I hope this keeps being quirky and light hearted. Hopefully DB will recap this on a regular basis, I could definitely use a mon-tue crack.

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I had no expectation with this one, and even didn't plan to watch it, but it turns out very interesting and fluffy, which I need to balance with my current watching drama, Wang's Family (that one is crazy and am crazy to keep watching it).

I never hate Yoona but don't really like her either, but in this, she's so lovable and good. I hope her character will keep this way, and not turning to damsel in the distress kind of girl.

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I too hope Yoona does not turn into some Candy-like creature, that would ruin it for me. I am very surprised at myself how much I am liking Yoona in this.

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Im unbelievably entertained and not annoyed. Yoona is not bad at all... Lee Beom Soo is awesome as always!

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Thank you for the recap.

I wasn't sure what I thought after watching episode two. People choosing not to talk, or interrupt or smack the heck out of someone who deserves it is a thing that I still don't get about Korean dramas. But I try to accept it. Kind of like the quadratic equation. I don't get that either. But I accept it.

I like the shows with characters that are adults rather than teens. The flavor is different, the angst is different, the melo is different and the comedy is different. I like how Lee Beum Soo turns on a dime. One moment he is the Politician with a capital P. The next, I see the comic actor pop up. It is kind of charming.

I am also very grateful for this website. The first response I read at another site was lamenting that the male lead wasn't all that good looking and I became a homicidal maniac. It didn't take, thank goodness. But still.

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Lee BS!!! Ah!!!

Not enough words to describe his great acting or his hotness. But I'm sure there are 15 year olds who would write that he is too old and not good looking. You can't take seriously what you read when you have no idea what person is writing it.

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Yeah, I agree. I was just thinking there's a high probability that some of the other drama forums attract a much younger and possibly less educated (likely therefore to be lacking in critical thinking skills) followership. I can appreciate eye-candy along with the most shallow of the shallow. Having said that, however, I generally require decent acting (though brilliant is of course better), a plot that makes sense within the context of its genre, and engaging characters. So far, this one fits the bill.

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LOVE the drama! Yoonha is just soooo sweet...though she still has to nail the crying scenes but it's okay given that it is a rom-com and she still has miles to go... She is GOOD! Rom-Coms are definitely her thing. In real, she keeps emphasizing that she is a comic person with loud/ unlady like mannerism (not in a bad way) and I guess she does well in comedy scenes. Just so cute and she has become prettier. I enjoyed it a lot! All the cast are perfect! Will definitely watch it.

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I'm loving this so much. It's just refreshing to watch. I'm still amazed by the chemistry of Yoona and Lee Beom-soo, but it's Lee Beom-soo so I guess I shouldn't be. Yoona also continues to do a really great job.

I really can't wait until they get married and to see how the story continues from there and how the kids will get involved in everything. There just isn't anything I dislike about this right now. I hope it continues being this good.

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really liking this drama!

so happy this series is being recapped here in dramabeans!

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Yay! The recaps continue! Thanks a lot, Javabeans. :)

I too loved the proposal at the end. Which is surprising because the stills of that scene from before the drama aired almost made me turn away from watching the show. I figured it was something dumb and I was going to dislike it a lot. Didn't think it was going to be a proposal and a crazy, endearing one at that.

In-ho seems veeeerry interesting. It's like in a way he does support Yul and maybe admires his principles but something bad probably happened because of both that causes him to feel bitter. Could it be connected to Yul's wife's death? I'd certainly like to know.

Other than that, I'm just so excited to see Yul and Da-jung become reluctant spouses and build a deep connection with one another while falling in love. It seriously has been a very long time for an actual rom-com to appear on our screens. Hope neither the rom nor the com diminishes as time goes on. I too am overwhelmed by the melo lately.

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I'm looking forward to watching this series for the upcoming weeks. Surprisingly, no drama has caught my eye like this one this season. Lee Beom Soo is great (and hilarious) and Yoona's acting isn't as bad as I thought it would be (in fact it's quite good).

I enjoyed watching Who Are You, Good Doctor, gradually loosing interest in Empress Ki and started but dropped Heirs; the funny thing is that I never finished the last few episodes of both series Who Are You and Good Doctor.

Hopefully I'll stick to this drama because I just love how the male lead is not the typical 'over-handsome, pretty man' type of guy and instead chose a more general representation of an average middle-aged man (Lee Beom Soo is almost 44).

The fact that they didn't choose an overly-handsome young actor helps the reality factor of the drama. It was a good choice! I'm looking forward to more episodes. ^^

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LBS is a good actor, and I am SO happy they did not go with some 24 year old flower kid looking thing for that role. Some young kid in there simply would not be believable at all as a Prime Minister. Kind of like casting a 26 year old as a high school junior.. :D

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How old is the actor playing Samcheonpo? Funny no one complains about that.
Better a 26 year old playing a 20 year old, than one playing a prime minister!

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haha, it's also cause everyone knows it's done for laughs (for the character samcheonpo) no one really buys it, and the show isn't trying to sell it to us either considering all the jokes about him looking much older than his age with the dated fashion sense. Kim Sung Kyun (age 33) plays a 20 year old at the beginning of the show. Actually, he ended up being 2 years younger than everyone, so 18. Hahaha.

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i love prime minister and i, and i'm glad you are recapping it in your blog, javabeans!

i think a lot of people weren't interested in it but i really hope they'll give it a chance.

it's really funny, and dare i say, a really promising drama. looking forward to your recaps!

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Thanks for picking this one to recap I hope it stays fun I watched both episodes and you caught my thoughts on it

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I'm glad javabeans picked up this drama to recap. I was waiting for gummimochi's 2nd recap but when it didn't come I feared they dropped the drama all together.

I'm happily surprised by Yoon-ah's acting in this one. She's not just likable, but convincing as well. I'm also loving how I'm slap-my-knee laughing at some scenes and then near tears at the others (and by that, I mean the dad scenes, of course).

Can't wait for next week's episodes! Yay for a possible new crack.

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Yeah, that bitterness from in-ho when he was questioning prime minister about his principles. i felt it! Good job yoon shi yoon.
I didn't really care much for him in the first episode but im definitely more intrigued with his story. Im just speculating but perhaps the prime minister may have had an indirect hand in possibly hurting someone he loved. Something that may have impacted in-ho enough for him to have an underlying reason to seek him out and work under him. He's waiting for the right time to strike..Let's hope that before then they can settle any misunderstandings so we can have a loyal bromance. yeah?

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YSY: a man with a hidden agenda. I like it! :)

But if he's in for heartbreak, please don't let it go on for too long, Show! I don't like it when puppy suffers!

I loved little Kwon Man Se - such a precocious imp, and wise beyond his years!

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Actually, i thought EP 2 was better. EP 1 was hilarious but it came on quite abruptly. A little too much hijink ? The Kungfu scene was like odd. Maybe having gone through EP 1, the EP 2 came on better with what to expect. The story flow and timing was good. The scenes were nicely acted out that I didn't feel there was any over acting. It was nice to see that YSY role was slowly divulging that he may have some secret agenda behind it. I doubt anyone is really going to be super evil here as they keep saying that its a family drama. My fav scene was the HAPPY CRINGING “Jagi-yaaaaa”... and also the drunken proposal.

I must be one of the few that like her crying scenes. I never finished watching Love Rain but this was my favourite scene of her crying http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWV_hulp-7g

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I mustve been in the minority but i actually thought she was fine as Hana in love rain. she had nice chemistry with JGS and her character was cute. Not the best, but not the worst either. She's much better when she's playing bubbly characters, so to me, her scenes playing the younger version of her mother was the more lacking one.
Granted, soo young is still my favorite actress in SNSD, but i could make some room for yoona too. Here, she's shown a bit of improvement compared to her You Are My Destiny days (which she got alot of backlash for).

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Agree..she has grown leaps and bounds. She had such a young and pleasant face in 'You are my destiny' but her acting was just so stoic. Because of her pretty face but bad acting, she looked elegant since she didn't emote so much but the character that she played was in fact a demanding role... She is so amazing here so far!

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I have a theory that having life experiences helps an actor to improve, to have gone through hardships, difficulties, elation, love and life's different stages help even if you are a rookie. To know when the character is asking for an emotion, to have experienced something similar helps. Today, a lot of the idols are put into roles pretty in their career. When I watch IU in her first role, I wondered if she had done that early in her career would she have done that well for a first role. Now that it happened after she had gone through some time after debut and through a scandal. I think it may have helped her. For Yoona, I think YAMD was during debut? I think it was a tough role for her to be first lead.She got better as the episodes grew but the start was pretty bad. I didn't watch Cinderella man so no comment. Love Rain, i thought was pretty good in the 2nd part, but i really could not watch it because of JGS. So far in 2 eps, what I see is improvement as an actress. Hopefully she can improve more thru this drama. It is fascinating that she has only done 4 drama in 6 yrs.

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Yeah, people without the natural acting talent improve by gaining experiences, taking classes, learning from their costars, etc. Going through hardships, love and life can really help a person in portraying that kind of emotion when a scene calls for it. They have emotions/feels they can draw upon.
On the other hand, there are people with the natural acting ability who are able to slip into character so seamlessly without much effort. Granted, yoona's not one of those natural actors, but she is foremost an idol so i'll cut her some slack.

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You're not alone. I thought she was pretty good in Love Rain, too.

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Wow. Why did my response appear out of sequence? My comment was in response to Rhinodino's opinion of Yoona in Love Rain.

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really liked yoona as jung hana in love rain - that scene in the video you played really showcased a girl's heartbreak.

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*shared, not played

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I LOOOOOOOOVE THIS DRAMA.

The premise looks promising.
PLUS we have You from Another Star after The Heirs. Yippey, happy holiday people...

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Tanks for the recap I hope u keep writing

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I have been wanting a good rom-com for a while, so I'm really excited about this. The first two episodes have been enjoyable, so fingers crossed. I'm looking forward to your recaps!

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I am totally in love with the drama......
Maybe finally I can move on after Master's Sun....
provided that this deos not disappoint ...
Love your recaps.....thanks

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I've rewatch end it with my daughter. My favorite so far this year. Actually in my top ten.

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I've always loved Yoona(even though I found her role in Love RAin lacking). I believe this drama has potential to be good, just hope it doesn't fizzy out midway.

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so yoona seems like improved her acting skill. yay!
she can take this role without making viewers getting annoyed.

the first two episodes managed to make me getting interested in this drama. but let just wait for a few more episodes. hope it doesn't turn bad.

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Ack. I love the premise and now I love how it kicked off. To be honest I've never seen Lee Beom-soo as handsome as he is in PM&I hahahaha.

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It's being far better than I expected and I'm enjoying it a lot. The main couple is working well, they have chemistry, and the plot is interesting and with fun moments.
I don't know if Yoona has improved a lot or is just that this character fits her very well, but I really like her for the first time :D
Let's see how it goes. ^^

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Surprisingly this drama makes me become a fan of it. I watch it with zero expectation except wanting to watch LBS only but then I read recap where yoona pool it and had great cemistry with LBS and so I try and that's is how I love this drama. monday felt so far away so I endure it by playing this 2 episode several times ( up till now already watch it 4 times?)...hope next episode's recap will go faster as per usual drama's recap from this blog. thank you so much....

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After the 2nd eps,I'm hooked already..can"t wait to see the "married" life ?

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I like you, show. *imitates Caesar Flickerman* Can't have you following in your predecessor's footsteps.

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I really enjoy this drama so far.. LOL at scene when she try to explain lie above lie when her superior ask if she really date PM.. So much like romeo n juliet imagination.. LOL at that.. It seem the satisfy my rom-com craving... :)

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I was seriously LOL-ing while watching this episode. Drama, please, pretty please, be the rom-com you're supposed to be. Don't go melo on me halfway through.

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If Yoona proposed like that, I would totally accept!

Looks promising. I generally put my faith in Lee Beom Soo projects (main reason how I managed to survive 10+ episodes of Dr Jin)

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Liking this show!LBS is awesome as usual. Can't wait for the next episodes and I bet there will be bickering with kids. Yoona is cute. YSY looks like a Chinese guy.

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I'm along for the ride. I suspect the three kids might end up stealing the show.

Thanks for the recap!

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I love this drama and Yoona is owning this role so much. Can`t wait for ep3.

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At the beginning, I was indifferent to it, but I started getting really into the drama in the second part of this episode.
They're nothing new but the gags that come with the false relationship always make me laugh ^^ Lee Bom Soo can really do comedy!
But I see there's a lot of potential for drama too (the evil uncle, Yoon Shi Yoon, the female assistant, the sick dad), and I, too, wouldn't mind a real comedy for once.

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love contract marriages. thanks for recapping.

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not hooked yet, but i found both episodes cute and fluffy :)

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Thanks for the recap!
I didn't notice it, but you are right - not enough fluffy this year with all the melos, revengies, thrillers, actions and noirs.

No wonder we were so disappointed with Mirae's Choice's choice to stay away from the com and rom.

This is perfect for what it is. I wonder if the casting director got butterflies when he/she got Yoona and LBS together to read for the parts, then telling his/her colleagues?

"Look, I am not pulling your leg, they are GREAT together, trust me!"

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I wonder also :D

A lot of people (and me) had some serious doubts about this given the age difference and other factors. Which just proves again that you cannot always trust the descriptions or publicity - while that might give some story outline, it says nothing about how well the actors will actually click together. For some reason it just seems like Yoona and YBS are the perfect foil for each other's character in this drama.

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Just when I was complaining that 2013 was a blah year for dramas, PM&I renews my faith. This isn't the first time Lee Beum Soo has come to my rescue and probably won't be the last.

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I liked it so far. It is light, fluffy and funny.

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I'm really enjoying this drama. An adult rom com with kids to complicate things later should be fun. I especially enjoyed how they dramatized the scenes when she retold why she was kicked out and why he took her to jail. I hope they continue doing those.

I'd like to know what else this writer has written. Does anyone know?

Thanks for the recaps Javabeans.

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Google is your friend. But the writers have also written 'Winter Sonata', 'Sweet 18', 'Summer Scent', 'The Snow Queen', ' When it's at Night' and 'My Fair Lady' together.

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Huh, that's quite a varied repertoire! But I can see potential. Not too excited by the OPT chemistry nor the OST so far, but definitely one to watch!

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oops, meant *OTP*

Thanks for recapping, javabeans!

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LOVE it! Thank you so much for the recap. Bring on the antics and shenanigans! :D

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Just when I need a rom-com so bad, here comes this satisfying one. Love this so far. I watched it for LBS, being impressive by his comic timing. His acting is as solid as I anticipated. I agreed with those who said Yoona's acting improves. She not just shows a tiny improvement, imo, she's taken a quantum leap. Honestly, I never liked her in any of her pervious works. I thought some things never change. She proved me wrong and I'm happy about it.

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I am so craving strawberry icecream right now - what to do?!

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Its like im watching lie to me again but with more serious conflicts and issues. Id like to acknowledge yoona's acting here. She has improved a lot and i find her expressions really cute and natural. I find the pairing of the two leads very interesting. I know theres a big age difference but my personal opinion, they have chemistry and im really excited how their relationship will develop. Cant wait for the next episode. :)

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Btw the first 2 episodes made me laugh several times. The funny scenes are so natural! :)

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YAY finally a drama for mature people like me. Gotta say im starting to love this! First 2 episodes were hilarious. Although Mirae's- CHoice 'cheated' me this way too...hmmmmm....

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I delayed watching this one but now that I already did, I was surprised that I actually ended up really liking it. Such a breath of fresh air after that mess of Heirs. Never really liked Yoona (or SNSD) but I find her bearable in here. I hope this show just continues to get better and better. I'll definitely stick around to find out. :)

P.S. While I was watching, I looked away for a second or two and then heard the Prime Minister's voice. Is it just me or does anyone else think he sounds like Jung Joon Ho? Then again, I just recently re-watched Queen of Reversals so that might just be an 'echo' in my mind or something. :D

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