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Pinocchio: Episode 19

Okay, all caught up and one to go! We get a strong lead-in episode to the finale, with a surprising twist and a good dose of emotional development and character growth. Now that they’re close to getting justice for all mom-related crimes and misdemeanors, Dal-po, In-ha, and Beom-jo have to face the consequences of their choices, and what they might lose as a result. Man, growing up is hard enough when your mom isn’t an evil mastermind, you know?

 
SONG OF THE DAY

The Essence – “사랑이 널 구원할지도” (Love Might Save You) [ Download ]

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EPISODE 19: “The North Wind and the Sun”

Following Song Cha-ok’s police interrogation, YGN breaks the story about her involvement in fourteen years of media cover-ups, implicating her MSC director and Chaebol Mommy as the puppetmaster behind every move.

Dal-po gives the field report detailing the long relationship backed up by the text messages, and finally gets to tell the right version of Firefighter Dad’s story on the air. Gyo-dong silently puts a hand on his shoulder for a job well done.

MSC is in an uproar, though a few people like Princess and their lead cameraman are rather proud of Song Cha-ok’s confession, noting that she seems like a real reporter again.

The reception is coldest where it hurts the most: Beom-jo, who waits on pins and needles to know what happens to his mother, and Chaebol Mommy, who watches the report and lets out a little, “Damn it.”

In-ha and Mom watch the report from MSC, and In-ha asks carefully if she’s okay. Mom replies calmly that she is not okay, and then launches into a list of things that Dal-po did wrong, making his report lacking for impact. In-ha looks at Mom like she’s nuts, and then breaks into a laugh to realize that she’s perfectly fine. Princess joins them, and they both coach In-ha on what to do next.

As expected, Chaebol Mommy simply calls her team of lawyers to fix the problem, and they request an extension for her police interview with the lie that she’s out of the country on a business trip. They arrange for her to rest quietly in a villa until this blows over.

But that’s exactly what Song Cha-ok guesses she’ll do, down to which house she’ll stay at. In-ha conveys this to Dal-po (writing notes for him because he’s still got a bum arm), and Gyo-dong is shocked to hear that he’s getting information sourced from Song Cha-ok herself. Obviously she means business.

In no time, YGN puts up footage of Chaebol Mommy casually walking her dog on the nightly news, which is pretty awesomely embarrassing for her. Another subpoena for questioning gets issued immediately, and more calls from worried politicians arrive. She fumes that one minute on the news can derail the time and money she’s spent putting cops and prosecutors in her pocket, and looks ready to take someone’s head off.

Song Cha-ok knows that Chaebol Mommy will arrange to go to the police station at the crack of dawn on a quiet weekend to avoid reporters, and so everyone camps out underground in the parking garage, per Song Cha-ok’s orders.

And like clockwork, Chaebol Mommy arrives. They flood her with questions, which she manages to ignore, but then Dal-po gets the better of her by saying that all the politicians she backs will be watching this report anxiously, so does she have anything to say to them? Ha. She snaps at that, and whirls around to scream, “SHUT UP!”

She says nothing else, but it’s a pretty great moment, and Dal-po purposely holds the elevator door open so that everyone can keep filming.

In-ha tells Dal-po that at this point, Chaebol Mommy will find another story to bury hers—some celebrity scandal to turn heads while her case blows over. It’s sad how easily and how often this happens in real life. And again on cue, Chaebol Mommy’s team tells her that they can play up a story about an idol abusing Propofol.

She likes that idea, so immediately MSC reports the big scandal of an idol-actor being investigated for Propofol abuse, and LOL—it’s Lee Joon (doing a special cameo for the PD, who directed Gap-dong).

Yoo-rae’s jaw drops and she yells back at the screen that it’s a blatant lie, and she’s among the crowd of reporters waiting to get a statement from the idol the next morning. Everyone throws out questions, except for Yoo-rae who listens to his defense with tears in her eyes and replies on camera, “I believe you, oppa! I’ll protect you, oppa!” Pffft.

This time her faith in oppa pays off, and she happily reports that he’s been declared innocent, complete with an interview from his doctor. Chaebol Mommy finally blows a gasket and fumes at every move being thwarted by Song Cha-ok and YGN.

Her staff suggests trying to bribe Chan-soo, since the whole case would disappear if he dropped the charges, and Mom anticipates this move as well and asks In-ha if Chan-soo is susceptible to bribery. In-ha says he isn’t, but hiccups. She admits sheepishly that she isn’t sure since he has three kids.

She and Dal-po have lunch with Chan-soo, and he swears on his conscience that he would never accept a bribe. He says that he’s doing this for Dal-po because he feels bad about starting those rumors back in high school; besides, he knows what this case means to Dal-po on a personal level.

In-ha looks relieved and says that she knew he wouldn’t be so easily bought, and promptly hiccups. I love the sideways glance from Dal-po. He totally hangs her out to dry and says that he trusted Chan-soo completely, heh.

Conscience aside, Chan-soo isn’t above shamelessness, and invites them over for a housewarming party this weekend, gifts mandatory. They remind him that he’s been living in that place for three years, but he counters that they haven’t been over.

Dal-po and In-ha head home, and Grandpa tells Dal-po that he brought over some more of his clothes from his apartment. In-ha runs in to help Dal-po get set up to brush his teeth, but then the second she leaves the bathroom, he switches to his right hand. Omo, lying liar!

In-ha steps back in to say something and catches him red-handed, looking totally guilty with his toothbrush hanging out of his mouth and his arm barely in the sling.

She asks him why he lied—was he afraid that they’d ask him to leave if he got all better? Please don’t say that’s the reason! That would make me cry. In-ha asks knowingly if it isn’t better here, with Dad and Grandpa and her.

She wonders if he still feels guilty towards Hyung, but he says that isn’t the reason… though he doesn’t tell her why he’s hesitating either. In-ha throws his sling in the trash and tells him to just stay so that she doesn’t have to worry about him eating sad breakfasts alone anymore, and he lets out a little sigh, contemplating the family photo on his nightstand.

Chan-soo and his wife go slackjawed at the mountain of gifts from Chaebol Mommy, along with the massively thick envelope of money she’s offering him. He starts to waver, but Dal-po made sure to send Hyun-kyu to the scene with a camera, and when push comes to shove, Chan-soo rejects the bribe and declares that he’s a police officer and won’t be bought.

Chaebol Mommy has another fit, and this time she decides she’s done playing nice. She says it’s time to do things her way, and from the ominous look she gives, I’m thinking her way involves scorched earth. Beom-jo listens to all of this outside her door with tears streaming down his face, and whimpers alone, “Please, mother… stop…”

Song Cha-ok gets fired from MSC entirely, but she doesn’t seem all that fazed by the news. In-ha finds her sleeping at the office, and Mom just says that she never slept properly for fifteen years and suddenly all she wants to do is sleep.

When In-ha starts to go, Mom grabs her hand and asks her to stay for just a little longer to block the sun from her eyes, and In-ha stays. Mom never once opens her eyes the whole time, but she squeezes In-ha’s hand silently.

Dal-po finds In-ha lost in thought at the precinct, and asks if she’s okay. She says she is but lets out a little hiccup, realizing that she isn’t.

Dal-po hugs her tight, and In-ha says through tears, “I should’ve hugged you like this back then. Even when you told me not to worry or comfort your or do anything. I still should’ve hugged you.” YES. YES YOU SHOULD HAVE. Okay, I don’t know about you guys, but I feel better now that she said that.

Later that night at the station, Dal-po asks if Yoo-rae wants to carpool to Chan-soo’s housewarming party, but she gets all huffy wondering why she should ride with him and his girlfriend. She quickly says she’s going with her sidekick, who says he’s busy, and then in a moment of desperation, she asks Gyo-dong if he wants to go.

He shocks them both by saying yes, and they just stare and stare, wondering why on earth he’d go to their friend’s housewarming party. Dal-po looks back and forth between them and asks why she invited him, and she admits that she never thought he’d say yes.

It’s even more awkward when they get there, and In-ha whispers to ask why Dal-po brought his boss while Gyo-dong stuffs his face with meat. Chan-soo tells them about rejecting the bribe and notes that Dal-po’s gift is awfully modest, though he adds that it’s better than some people, who came empty-handed. Oh no, Cap, you didn’t!

In-ha asks out of the corner of her mouth, “I thought you said your cap was totally cool!” and Dal-po buries his head in shame.

After dinner, Gyo-dong can’t take his eyes off of Yoo-rae as she takes cute selcas with Chan-soo’s son. Meanwhile In-ha and Dal-po are watching the baby and marvel at Chan-soo’s family picture, wondering how they made such a big family at their age.

Chan-soo’s wife snaps pictures of them holding the baby and tells them they can do it too. Yes, please, with many great-grandchildren for Grandpa!

For their after-dinner entertainment, Chan-soo cues up the tape of their old quiz show competition, and Yoo-rae’s jaw drops to see Dal-po looking so homely. Dal-po wails in protest, but they insist on watching it.

Beom-jo arrives outside Chan-soo’s house, but when he sees that everyone is over and having a great time, he turns back to leave. Dal-po happens to see him outside the window and makes a beer run to catch him before he’s gone.

Beom-jo admits that he came by to ask Chan-soo to forgive his mother, but he didn’t realize everyone else would be here. He’s stuck because there isn’t much he can do—he knows that his mother won’t apologize or feel remorse, but then he doesn’t have the courage to turn in his own family like Dal-po did.

Dal-po says he has no intention of convincing Beom-jo to turn on his family, because he knows better than anyone how difficult that is. He says it’s been a while since he let go of revenge and hate.

Naturally Beom-jo thinks he’s just saying that to make him feel better, but Dal-po suddenly takes a step closer and grabs Beom-jo by the shoulders and says, “Seo Beom-jo, I like you.” Beom-jo shrugs him off and Dal-po laughs, “And I like In-ha more. So much that every second of every minute that passes by is precious.”

Beom-jo scoffs that he’s confessing that to the wrong person, but Dal-po finishes his sentence: “Because that time is precious, I let it go.” He says that he’s done wasting time on revenge and hate, and just wants to be a reporter who can say good is good and bad is bad. Good for you.

He goes to visit Hyung in jail and says the same thing, and says he’s sorry for forgiving and letting go so easily. But he could feel himself becoming like Song Cha-ok, and doesn’t want to lose sight of the things that matter in his life.

Hyung tells him that Dal-po doesn’t need permission to let go, and says that he lost the right to hate or forgive anyone when he became a killer. He reminds Dal-po never to lose that right, and Dal-po nods quietly.

Beom-jo gets all dressed up for the big groundbreaking ceremony for the new shopping mall that Chaebol Mommy is building, and finds her practicing her speech. He’s somber today and tells his mother that he never knew how tirelessly she worked to provide everything that he enjoyed in life.

He hugs her, and she tells him sincerely that he doesn’t need to know those things, and he can just go on enjoying that life. All he says in response is, “I’m sorry, mother.”

Yoo-rae shows her sidekick the pictures from the housewarming party, and they find Gyo-dong in the background staring at her in more than a few of the shots. So busted, dude. They wonder what’s going on with him, and Yoo-rae agrees that he’s being weird lately.

Beom-jo goes to the prison to visit Motorcycle Boy (who attacked the news stations with a nail gun), and introduces himself. Curiously he just conveys the message that he’s doing well, and not to worry about what was promised to him. What are you up to, Beom-jo?

In-ha is surprised when Dal-po tells her about Beom-jo only pretending to return to his mother’s side and having a hard time, and she realizes that she misunderstood him. They both get assigned to cover Chaebol Mommy’s groundbreaking ceremony today, though for entirely different purposes.

Dal-po gets told to get interviews with as many conspiring politicians as he can, while In-ha is instructed to do a fluff promotional piece. She wallows that her job is a big fake, and wonders if she should quit. Dal-po reminds her that she’s supposed to endure, and she yanks at his cheeks in frustration, since it’s easy for him to say when he works for YGN. Touché.

Beom-jo walks into the police precinct and smiles wistfully to see a pair of rookie reporters sitting on the steps just like he and In-ha used to. Aw, you guys were so cute back then. He runs into In-ha on her way out and gives her a big smile, and she wonders if she worried for nothing because he looks happy.

He tells her that he’s not going to his mother’s ceremony today, and says that if she happens to interview his mother, to convey a message from him. We don’t hear the message, but the next thing we know, Beom-jo walks up to the detective chief and says that he’s here to confess his crimes. What. Omg, is this how you’re going to draw your mother out?

Yoo-rae listens in as Beom-jo confesses to ordering Motorcycle Boy’s attacks on YGN and MSC. He repeats the things he overheard his mother saying, and it all fits, including his visit to the prison, which confirms that they made contact.

One by one, the politicians who are on their way to support Chaebol Mommy get word that Beom-jo just turned himself in for attempted murder, and they all turn their cars around to get the hell out of dodge. The groundbreaking ceremony gets delayed, and everyone wonders where all the guests are.

Chaebol Mommy’s secretary runs up to the stage to whisper the news about Beom-jo in her ear, and then a second later, Dal-po gets a call from Gyo-dong that Beom-jo turned himself in. Cell phones go off all around them, and In-ha can’t believe it when Dal-po tells her.

It dawns on her now that Beom-jo’s strange request to pass along a message was because he was preparing for this. Reporters crowd Chaebol Mommy and she just walks numbly ahead without registering any of them, that is until In-ha pipes up to tell her that she has a message from Beom-jo.

We see Beom-jo as he gives In-ha the message earlier that day, as In-ha conveys it now to his mother: “That I will take responsibility with my mother for everything I have enjoyed in life and will enjoy in the future. That I’m sorry I didn’t know, and left her all alone. And that from now on, I will always be with my mother.”

Tears fill his mother’s eyes, and cameras go off all around them as the other reporters wonder if that means she’s in on it too, and if what In-ha is saying is true. Her colleague from another station tells everyone that she’s a Pinocchio—it’s all true. Beom-jo’s mother just asks where her son is before being ushered away in her car.

In-ha sighs at the microphone in her hand, knowing that her interview will never make it on the air at MSC. But Dal-po looks around and tells her not to worry because all the other stations will air it.

He seems calm until Beom-jo finally finishes his confession and calls him back, and Dal-po rails at him for being crazy. Beom-jo says this will be his last call before going to jail, and Dal-po tells him to hurry up and take it all back.

Beom-jo says this is the only way, and starts to cry as he tells Dal-po that he should’ve pressured him to turn his mother in: “You should’ve said you were mad, that you hated me.” He says that if Dal-po had, it might’ve been easier to ignore his conscience and endure a little longer.

Beom-jo says he doesn’t have any other reason—he just wants to tell the truth, and say good is good, and bad is bad, like Dal-po wants to do. “I know it was just for a short while, but I was a reporter too.”

Dal-po’s eyes fill with tears, and he asks why Beom-jo is going this far. Beom-jo: “I told you before, that I’m on your side. How much would I be on your side to go this far?” He adds half-jokingly, “Do you believe me now?”

Dal-po: “I believed you the first time, you crazy bastard.”

 
COMMENTS

Ugh, heart-tugging bromance, where’d you come from? Does the crazy bastard line give anyone else the urge to re-watch School 2013? That show had the best man-love declarations, I swear. The emotion in that final scene makes me regret that Beom-jo and Dal-po’s bromance was underdeveloped in the series, because clearly it had so much potential. Beom-jo just spent a lot of time focused on his unrequited love for In-ha, but I actually liked it much better whenever the two boys were working together or even getting into fights. (Though of course my favorite moments were the funny ones where Dal-po gave him a hard time about being a spoiled braggypants.) The same goes for Yoo-rae, who spent too long pining for Dal-po when her freaking adorable budding relationship with Gyo-dong could’ve been given more attention early on.

Still, I’ll take what I can get, because this episode was a satisfying turn for almost every one of our characters. I didn’t expect Beom-jo to take the fall for Mommy’s crimes, but it’s clear that he’s been feeling guilty ever since he found out the truth, in a more direct way—she told him that his life of luxury was the reason that she did everything (in her totally misguided, crazy sociopathic way), and it says a lot about his character that he felt guilty for the happiness that she stole from others to give to him.

He doesn’t need to do penance quite like this, but it’s a smart way to take away the one thing Chaebol Mommy truly loves: her son. It really did seem like she’d never feel remorse or admit to doing wrong, but with her baby on the line, she just might take responsibility for her actions. We’ll have to see how it plays out in the finale, but I think that for the most part, we’ve slain all our dragons and set up all our dominoes to fall into place; we’re likely due for a swift conclusion and more of an epilogue that wraps up everyone’s storylines, which is fine by me.

Today’s episode takes its theme from one of Aesop’s Fables, about a battle between the North Wind and the Sun to make a traveler take off his cloak. No matter how hard the wind blows, it only makes the traveler wrap his cloak tighter, but all the sun needs to do is shine down, and the man removes his cloak because it’s warm. It’s a fable about persuading with goodness over forcing someone’s hand, which we see play out twice: first when Dal-po refrains from judging Beom-jo and doesn’t pressure him to turn on his mother, and then when Beom-jo chooses to sacrifice himself knowing that a show of love will move his mother more than any attempt to bring her down would. It’s in many ways the theme of the show as a whole.

There were a few beats that I really liked in this episode. The first was In-ha’s regret that she listened to stupid Dal-po’s stupid guilt-driven requests for her not to hold him or comfort him or do anything. Because he’s there for her now in the reverse, and they’re both wiser this time around. It’s so simple, her realizing that a hug means everything when you’re lost and hurting, but I like that she bothered to point it out, that she shouldn’t have listened to him and just been there for him anyway. They had some frustrating moments along the way, but it was satisfying to see that they’ve come far enough to look beyond the stiff upper lip and know when “I’m okay” isn’t “I’m okay,” even without the hiccups to prove it.

But best of all was Dal-po’s growth in learning to let go of his revenge and forgive. Not because Song Cha-ok or anyone else deserves to be forgiven—they deserve to pay rightfully for the crimes they committed—but because Dal-po needs to live a different life from his brother. One person already made the mistake of living his entire life for revenge, and all he has now is regret. I don’t know why Hyung ever let him carry that burden, but I guess the important thing is that he figures out on his own that he can’t live his life filled with hate. And it’s not some morally higher ground that makes him realize this—it’s just love. He loves In-ha so much that time spent doing anything else seems like a waste. Plus he has Dad and Grandpa to love. And news to report. And babies to make, if they’re going to compete with Chan-soo. For once I’m glad that most of the conflict is in the rearview mirror with one episode left to go, because there had better be buckets of cuteness to be had in the finale, and no time for anything else, ya hear?

 
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Thank u for the recap
And woo hoo i'm the first one to comment
♡♥

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Hahaha you are:)
Clap clap MISS PINK

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Whilst i'm excited for the final ep tomorrow, I know i'm going to miss these characters terribly.

This drama made me fall hard for LJS, I can't believe I ever overlooked him, damn.

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Iknowright!!!

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Ditto!!

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Soo beom-jo takes the blame on for himself as well
Ohhh make u want to like him more and more

And yeaaah the bromance cud've surfaced a bit earlier
Atleast a friendly tackle when ki-ha-myung gives him a all-shaken up beer?

So ahn-chan-soo is always watering plants nowadays
CUTE he is
though mostly expressionless

And woaaah! Mummy!!i never knew u cud turn into a shouting bear when u get pissed
The evil genius pinocchio

Sooo smthn is there between CAP and yoorae !!
Woot woot
I wish we'd see smthn a bit more than small small glances
And getting caught on camera selfies,
In episode 20
Did anyone like think that yoorae's invitation
Was kinda like asking out
And
Cap said YES?
HAHAHA

And boy!that cap cud EAT!

Funny when ahn chan soo wants wifey to hide food

And alsoo how well song cha ok
Predicts mom's every move!

And so it STARTED with a PINOCCHIO
And ENDED with a PINOCCHIO

And mummy was just the puppet master
Justice is served
Amen

Nothing good comes out of being evil

And thank u thank u there was no noble idiot but a BRAVE unrequited lover(seo-beom-jo)

Well done the cast and the crew
It was a good plot true to the title
Kamsamida
(to girlfriday too)
Thank u for ur effort
U deserve the Best

I liked this drama

And is listening to park shin hye's "love like snow" on repeat
RIGHT NOW

So i am pretty sad i'll be seeing the last episode on gooddrama
A few hours later

But everyone THANKYOU

✩Starsky✩

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I can't wait for the last episode thank u

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crazy bastard part totally reminded me of School

Kim Woo Bin cameo for last ep, plz?
um and gonna mention it tomorrow on OT but the actress, jeesh I have to learn her nname playing the chaebol Mom deserves some extra credit. she might play a bad character but she is fantastic! lets not only praise the young ´uns.

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Agreed

Park Ro-sa
Itz not easy to go from sweet-extra-too-sweet
To
EVIL mad genius
In one drama

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Kim Hae-sook, yeah, she really is great. Pinocchio is one of those rare dramas where everyone in the cast is a good or at least a competent actor, no matter how small their role.

I've enjoyed all the senior cast, from Byun Hee-bong and Shin Jung-seun as grandpa and dad, down to Jin Kyung as Song Cha-ok (not an easy character to play, at all) and Min Sung-wook as Mr. 'Coffee. Biscuit. Yoo-hoo!'. Props to them all!

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yes, I nearly remembered but it slipped from mind. of course, of course.

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totally appreciated the bromance (though lol, man-love seems more accurate :D). why wasn't there more of it, just so it would make beom-jo's actions even more poignant? so far, the only one actually risking - and losing - serious consequences for his actions was hyung, and now BJ. the rest of the charas get melo action and don't risk more than hurt feelings. or a nail-gun attack (yeah, still not over the ridiculousness of it all.)
this show needs to go off with a bang, i'm not buying mom's conversion arc and chaebol mom isn't the villain-b*tch she's made out to be.

seriously, show, why have a redeemed female chara and a villain female chara, and a female pinocchio main lead lady all at once?! they kind of eclipse each other when considering the whole story. the men in this one are busy redeeming, or sitting in jail (show, so mad at you for doing that to both hyung and BJ!), or doing cute family arc while not really changing at all (where did granpa's anger over DP+IH come from? wasn't he behind DP all the way and knowing they're not really uncle and niece?!)

aaah, so many women and so few memorable men. maybe too many episodes? :(

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I'll admit that I stopped watching after Hyung went to jail, but I've been reading the recaps. That said, the idea of too many memorable women sounds more like something to celebrate than lament. Often times writers seem to blow everything on these awesome male characters, leaving the women bland and causing the rest of us to wish they had done more with them. I LOVE that there are so many strong and complicated women on this show - it makes me happy to marathon it. Also, the men aren't bland, they are pretty awesome too. It's just for once they arent the only awesome ones.

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what i mean is, there's no balance. what about that bromance just swished over the screen?? why does DP even cry over BJ's sacrifice? they didn't have so many moments to get that close. feels like BJ's crush over IH is now transferred to DP out of the blue. why doesn't BJ confess what he did to IH? it's so important to get DP's credit so suddenly? wasn't he in love with DP's girl...

i don't find the women that memorable. okay, IH's inability to lie is a new thing, so there are not a lot of romantic problems. (the writer did struggle some of those in anyway.) the one who had the potential to be a real b*tch fest, the chaebol mom, wasted the chance to be the iron-willed villain with an achilles' heel - her son. imagine her REALLY bad-ass as a villain instead of a backstage prop for politicians (they were so quick to abandon her at the first sign of a scandal - if she really had some actual power, they'd have been all over burying the scandal themselves.)
she ends up just a scheming not-so-successful in the end out-of-reason chaebol mom after all (kind of on the same level of out-of-reasonability as that nut rage real-life person. ) so she's a failure at being a villain with no redemption plot for her either.
mom was another washed out villain for the series. she did it because she wanted to be safe and sound and wouldn't risk her career of being a sharp-toothed reporter?? and for that she buried her conscience for so long, and for so many times, jumping as high as she was asked to, going through all the circles, to suddenly rediscover her inner true-conscience former self? the last thing she needs to do now is go back to IH's dad and re-marry him. it's not powerful to just flop and cross over to the other side. or maybe the writer tried to make her so, and i lost that side of the story somehow.
IH's the breath of fresh air there, but she's reduced to being truthful because of being a pinocchio. why not be just someone who's conscience is so loud it won't LET her lie?

oh well. BJ was the one who did a lot of quiet steps coming out of the darkness into the light, sacrificing himself in the end etc, JUST like hyung, and look how they both end up, moved aside... lol. i don't want to draw a conclusion from their plot arcs, cause it would be along the lines of "don't act according to your heart or you'll end up in jail". :D

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This has to be the first time I've seen an abundance of memorable female characters in a drama being lamented and not celebrated!

And the men are far from unmemorable. Dal-po, hyung and Beom-jo alone make quite the impression (Beom-jo in later episodes).

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(but I do agree that hyung post-jail is wasted. I keep theorising he is just fanservice because viewers loved him so much when he was heartbroken and murdering)

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see my reply above. there are lots of women, but not so successful in their lines of story. i for one would LOVE to see a total (un-bitchy and unrepentant) bad-ass female villain (someone just really bad at heart, not just mean. someone like IHYV's - male - villain. now, THAT's a powerful chara.)

why does every villain needs to repent and/or be saved? why do male bad guys always seem to get great stories with or without redemption arcs, while female bad girls either die uselessly or lament their fate, etc?

the second half of the drama felt like filler, and chaebol mom didn't register on the radar as seriously important and worth facing. hyung's arc didn't feel like that in any way, now there was a twisted chara worth remembering! so sad what they did to him - and then to BJ - in the wrap-up.

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But IHYV's male villian wasn't really bad at heart. He seemed more like the Hyung in this series...out looking for revenge.

And he did get redemption in a way. He finally stopped blaming others and accepted what he did was wrong.

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he did not. i am 100% certain he was playing for the crowd again - remember how he did it the same way the first time around? even people who knew he was evil were doubting their instincts. and even if he was acting all meek and accepting his blame and all, there will always be that seed of doubt - he could be too convincing to be trustworthy again. and that too is a mark of a great villain character.

i do wonder what the writer intended before hyung's arc stole the show, so to speak... maybe this was meant to be more fleshed out about DP seeking revenge - his anti-reporter bent went away rather fast, even after hyung went to jail, didn't it? chaebol mom came kind of from the left side as a main villain - maybe mom wasn't supposed to be redeemed. or not so cleanly. we'll never know. i am still sorry that for someone so weak of character she still did ruin a lot of lives for 14 years with her biased and targeted reporting. and she does get to walk off almost in the clear, because she's now sorry? *grr.* i don't get to say "oops, won't do it again" after i mess up in real life, and i don't push people into suicide or killing. where are her redeeming acts, other than knowing and telling of all chaebol mom's habits of damage control? still not buying it.

after watching the finale raw, i am sure there's some closure, but i think there're a few unfulfilled promises this drama left... i wish i'd have liked the second half better :(

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......I still don't understand what you're on about, because an unrepentant bitchy villain is exactly what we did get, with Chaebol mom. And the women of this story are far from wishy-washy. Mom got a redemption that was consistent with her character and storyline, she and In-ha have a better relationship at the end but she's far from marrying In-ha's dad again.

I guess you did choose impact over fact, Song Cha-ok style ;)

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yup, guess it's all in the eye of the beholder. chaebol mom didn't come over as a bitchy and unrepentant villain, just a whiny one when she didn't get her way. or so i saw her. i liked her chara much more when she was being creepy mom all over her son's life (and not being pushed into the "i did it all for us" trope.)
as for cha-ok... where are the ACTS of redemption? she just has a turn of heart and even gets to be vindictive toward the people she collaborated with for 14 years - where's her comeuppance?? okay, she's a kdrama wrongdoer who gets turned back to the good side of the force, but if all she does to compensate for 14 years of fact washing-over and twisted reporting that led to lost or destroyed lives then i'm definitely NOT happy with her part of the story. she'd have been much stronger as a chara if she got to suffer through her loss of career and not just spring right back up as a teacher of jornalism. the heck?!?!

oh, anyway, lol, i got too involved in what didn't work for me in the drama. i might've stopped watching it after hyung's arc, but i was still curious. back sight is 20/20 :(

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Wow, thanks for explaining the wind and sun theme. That made the episode more meaningful to me. Awesome job! Hoping for a heart-warming finale!

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Thanks so much for the recap, GF! It's always great to read your words and analysis on dramas and it stays the same with Pinocchio. I always appreciate that you always add more perspectives and insights, which makes watching dramas a better experience.

This episode made me especially emotional and had some really great moments. I felt most for BJ in the past few episodes, and here, it was just so heartbreaking to see him take the blame for his mother.

This episode gave us some really cute moments too. How cute were Dalpo + Inha with CS's baby. They looked like an actual family! So adorable.

It's also a good point that you made about IH and DP. Everyone makes bad decisions in life, especially in relationships. You might think what you're doing is best for the person you love, but the reality is that it won't be so. It's great that they're mature enough to recognise their mistakes. It's all just a process, and I'm happy that they at least found a way back to each other, knowing that it's right for them to be together, rather than not.

It's touching to see the growth of the characters in this drama, which is so satisfying to me. A writer knows her characters best ofc, and it was important to see their growth. From DP letting go of revenge and being strong enough to forgive the people that wronged him, to BJ wanting to do what's right and be honest and truthful, despite how painful it was to actually make that decision. I'm so happy for these characters and proud of them.

There's a great deal to say, but I can't find the words. I'll miss Pinocchio so much.

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yeah, with Dal-po and In-ha it's really nice to see a relationship that doesn't follow the kdrama formula of 'separate the OTP for stupid useless noble idiotic reasons until the last five minutes of the finale'.

They actually got together, broke up for non-noble idiocy reasons (at least they were honest about why instead of leaving the other person playing guessing games) and then got back together and stayed together/worked out that suffering alone isn't all that, and support each other while being in a relationship! How often do you get to see that in kdramas?!

I'll miss Pinocchio too, despite its flaws and occasional waste of characters (never forgetting hyung's compulsory prison cameos) it's still a drama I have a soft spot for because what it does right, it does SO right.

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Please please please make cap and yoo rae an item. *wink*

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"it STARTED with a PINOCCHIO
And ENDED with a PINOCCHIO"
-Miss Pink-

Ha.niceee

Thanku for explaining the fable Girlfriday:)

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I haven't seen the back to back episode yet, but can we have a round of applause for Girlfriday for her producing two recaps in one day for us! :-D:-D:-D!!

GF, you are as awesome as ever!

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Omo omo this gotta be the best one for this year! !!

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Wonder if I'll get this comment up before that one compulsory complainer gets in here and starts on the broken record stuff about how this is not IHYV....

I've come to really love the character arcs in this show despite the imperfections - I do agree that the Dal-po/Beom-jo bromance could have used more time before, but for all that, Lee Jong-seok and Kim Young-kang sell it 100 percent as truly genuine. (and re: Yoo-rae, I agree we shouldn't have wasted so much time and so much of Lee Yubi's potential on having her pine pointlessly over Dal-po, when I enjoyed her best in scenes where she wasn't doing that, though the drunk egg roll conversation with In-ha was hilarious). And hyung gets his allotted twenty seconds behind the glass, so much so that at first when Beom-jo went to the prison, I wondered why he was going to see hyung!

The procedural stuff has always been a weakness in Park Hae-ryun dramas, but in this episode it keeps moving fast and nothing gets draggy or pedantic - we just have our heroes staying a step ahead like clockwork, and I liked how quickly it all unravelled. Though poor Beom-jo, I feel so bad for him.

And I did laugh and laugh at how the attempt to deflect with an idol propofol scandal played out - never mess with a fangirl's oppa, especially not an ex-sasaeng's! And it was nice to see Lee Joon again.

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(also, it's really nice to have Dal-po back with the family now, even if he was faking his injury to do it, haha. I laughed at him getting caught with the toothbrush in his "bad" hand, but then awwwwwwwww@ In-ha figuring out he was faking it to have an excuse to stay with them - he didn't have to!)

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I wholeheartedly agree with you, pogo...despite the imperfections, the characters made this so worthwhile! Who knew going in that I would like each and every main character? (That rarely happens.)

I'm at work, I've been typing up my post bit by bit without refreshing since 1pm...so I hadn't seen your post up yet. But I'm like...YES! about your points on Dal-po/Beom-jo bromance, Yoo-rae and Hyung.

And hahaha...you and I both got our comments in before the aforementioned. Argh, talk about a buzzkill...whenever I see their posts, I'm just "here we go again, trolling trolling trolling..." And to see the same ol' crap on the other thread -- ugh.

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GF, slow clap!

you have done awesome with these back to back episodes!!

I really loved how you pointed out the Aesop Fables. It just made me appreciate it all more.

On how thoughtful each character and the story is written.

About the episode, I teared up at multiple moments.
When Bum Jo turned himself in, when he relayed his message about taking responsibility together and in his phone conversation with Dal Po.

The thing when he said he could no longer ignore his mom's mistakes when Dal Po says he has let go, now it has fallen onto him. His holding back was just so someone else is there to right the wrongs. When he realizes no one is there, the only thing he can do to stop his mom.
I loved the whole arc of all characters stepping up to reach to their parents that idealism still exists in this world and persuading them to have it.

I just wish they had given strong scenes to hyung even if in jail. They could have written character driven moments and dialogues. Instead he is there just to say his two lines per episode.
I can see its writer's desire to find the foot hold for the story without hyung. The attempt was just moderately successful.
For once, taking into viewer's opinion and writing him more into the story would have made wonders!

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I just wish they had given strong scenes to hyung even if in jail.

I wish they'd done that, too. Just having him sit in jail was so anticlimactic after the sheer intensity of his arc and reunion with Dal-po but I guess the writer couldn't figure out what else to do with him after making him an actual murderer. (probably too much to hope he'll ever get to do more than look sad behind that glass).

The whole stepping-up-to-reveal a loved one's wrongs has been a running theme of the drama - with Dal-po and In-ha, and now with Beom-jo, and in a way, it makes sense if you take away that the ultimate message is that love (familial love, in all three cases) can cause these people to repent for their crimes.

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Thank you very much for the recaps, Girlfriday! :)

What a great, satisfying episode. Lots of character growth, just the right amount of light moments, and a nice buildup to the finale.

I do agree that there was so much potential lost with Dal-po/Beom-jo & Yoo-rae/Cap, because it would have made it all that even much more satisfying. Beom-jo really did spend the whole drama pining away with his unrequited love, then realizing belatedly how Mommy Dearest was such a fox in sheep's clothing. I guess that was better than the usual second-lead role, but 'twas a shame.

As for Yoo-rae & Cap...I said it before, but it really felt that this was kinda thrown in there to have some sort of requited-ness for lovelorn Yoo-rae, although I do love both of them and their moments (him looking at her googly-eyed in the pics...squee!). Although I think Jang-danji Hyung-kyu was eyeing her too...by how he approached her yet again to be like him, haha. And I thought her Oppa was Heechul...? I got confused in seeing her reaction to the cameo by Lee Joon and staunchly defending him in light of the "scandal" Ro-sa's people dredged up to shift the flow of reporting.

And as for In-ha...you go, girl! I'm glad that she isn't your typical kdrama heroine, by speaking up and saying things that needed to be said and done. That was definitely one of the reasons why Cha-ok turned over to a new leaf...which, by the way, I loved how she thwarted Ro-sa step by step. She actually looked like a human with a conscience, and even acted motherly!

I'm just a little disappointed that Hyung got relegated solely to providing Dal-po comfort behind the glass in prison...all that buildup to his quest for revenge and his subsequent confession, only to serve as a reminder to Dal-po that devoting your life to revenge leaves you with a multitude of regrets and having life pass you by. Dal-po realizing this and forgiving Cha-ok might have been a slap in the face in regards to Hyung, but that showed how much he grew as a person and being the bigger person in the end. Yes, he provoked Cha-ok into turning over into a new leaf as well...so, in that sense, he truly made a difference - with or without having all the past events come to light. With Beom-jo seemingly taking the fall for his mom, I just knew he was provoking Ro-sa to do the same and take responsibility for her actions...because what sense would it all make if she let her only child take the blame?

Oh show, I will miss watching you... :(

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I agree, so much wasted potential with the younger people's connections in this drama!

I do agree that Yoo-rae/Cap feels totally shoehorned in but the actors sell it well enough. It's a lot like the love line between Kang Haneul and Kim Ji-won in Heirs, really - sort of a last minute 'let's give her a love line!' thing.

Re: Yoo-rae's oppa, we never actually saw the photo on her phone in detail - the fact that it's Heechul isn't apparent unless you ask a fan so it's pretty easy to just pretend it's actually Lee Joon :D. I liked that they gave her something to do that was not about potential romantic interest, I did like seeing her use her dogged sasaeng ways to clear her oppa!

(and yeah, totally 100% agreed about hyung and In-ha......I love both characters but hyung is totally wasted behind bars. I'm more convinced than ever that they only keep Yoon Kyung-sang around for fanservice, because those sad puppy eyes broke quite a few hearts in the early eps)

I also found it interesting that hyung admitted to suicidal thoughts, but not surprising at all - he has a self-destructive streak in many ways, and it's apparent from the start of his arc as an adult - even the way he chose to confess and turn himself in was a purposely spectacular implosion.

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It's almost over!!! :( What about cap and yoo-rae? I wonder why the writers decided to give such hints at the end of the drama when it's ending?

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Truthfully, they probably wanted to give the actors something more to do and just decided on a love line at the last minute.

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I've really been loving Pinocchio. But it also points out how different tastes are when it comes to Kdramas. Coming off the intense, universal lovefest I was so a part of called Misaeng, this feels a bit weird. I am not swooning over Yoo-rae and Cap. I'm also not swept away by Healer.

Just chalk it up to the wacky, passionate, disparate world of Kdramas. That or I need to up my meds.

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You need no meds. All you need is the healer

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LOL! :-)

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What I'm about to say might sound really silly but I think the character played by Lee Joon was Yoo Rae's actual brother. I remember she once said her btother modeled for Beom Joo's department store.

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Hmm. That's interesting, I wonder if so. She just seemed like a fangirl, but maybe a loyal sister? Impossible to connect the dots by the characters' names.

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Maybe. I just thought she was an ex-saesang fan of his.

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lol no, he's not her brother - he's no more her brother than Lee Jun-ki is mine, haha.

Ho-chul specifically mentions that she said she's an only child when she says her oppa modelled for Beom-jo's mother's department store, which basically = fangirl's oppa, not sister's oppa.

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Actually. let me use a slightly more famous example - it's pretty clear Fama (Lee Joon's character) is no more Yoo-rae's brother than Song Jae-rim is Mary's ;)

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I just luv this drama! i am really sad about beom-jo though! one more to go!! :-(

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Girl Friday, writing two recaps on the same day must have taken away much of your sleeping time. Thank you so much ❤❤

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Dear Girlfriday! ;)

I cannot thank you enough for the double-recaps!

I truly appreciate your time, effort and kindness in giving us the viewers who cannot understand Korean the opportunity to enjoy and understand the drama so much more with your wonderful recaps! ;)

God Bless you always! ;)

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Lee Jong-suk seems to excel in bromances with his co-stars.

First with Kim Woo-bin and now with Kim Young-kwang. ;)

I cried watching that last scene between the two of them simply because it was simply touching and honest.

Kudos to the two actors for pulling off the scene with finesse such that it felt right, believable and totally heart-tugging! ;)

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yeah and don't forget his absolutely heart-wrenching, baby-brother scenes with Yoon Kyun-sang - he really does great at bromance!

I get the feeling that the cast really like each other and are very comfortable working together - they have great chemistry.

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@pogo

Oh yes!! Thank you, @pogo!! I forgot about his interactions with Yoon Kyun-sang!! ;)

And yes, you are so right! The cast seems to get along famously!! Easy-going, relaxed, laughing, joking, teasing, supporting each other so well throughout! Way to go!! ;)

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BeomJoo made me cry so hard!!! Watching Song ChaOk be a badass was super satisfying
Thx for the recap!

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Thanks, GF!! ^^

I liked the pace of this ep. The fact that CO was predicting every move of Chaebol Mom felt really good! Booyah~!! It was so satisfying to see her finally snap at DP.

BJ using himself to make mom confess was unexpected and I applaud him for choosing this method--most likely the only way to awaken mom to her wrongful acts all these years.

Awww... The bromance!! So cute and funny. I also wish it could be more developed. Very touching to see DP letting go of his revenge and what BJ was willing to do. Time is precious indeed. Also glad that Hyung wants DP to live his own life, different from the path he had taken.

Love all the cute and heartfelt scenes with IH and DP. LOL at DP being caught for lying about his arm and later with IH pinching his cheeks. The scene at CS's with them holding his kid is so cute. They need to start their own family ASAP! ;) Choi family is the best and I'm glad both IH and DP realize that being there for the one you love and offering a sincere hug is just what's needed.

Cap! Gotta bring a gift to someone's house you're visiting! XD I was half expecting him to photobomb those selcas and not just to gaze at YR in them. =P

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Can someone hug me right now please

Thanks girlfriday
Awesome recap

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@Meli

*hugs* ;)

I totally understand because I feel the need for a hug from someone too!! ;)

I love this drama! Thank you Pinocchio for a warm, lovely, giddy ride!! ;)

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Hmm. It was obvious that YYR was gaining the attention of Cap but as the CAPTAIN I don't think he will make such a rush decision when it comes to dating his junior. So for me how the the love line was portrayed at the end was interesting and satisfying because it went as far as the timeline in Pinocchio allowed which I think is more realistic. I did not think it as a filler as well because it's part of her character to be too self-absorbed when it comes to guys (whether on Heechul Oppa or Hamyung) thus I think it was very consistent to her comedic and love-assuming character.

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Back-to-back Pinocchio recaps...You go girl. :)

"anyone else the urge to re-watch School 2013?"

ME! ME! ME! (**raises hand/waves hands enthusiastically**)

"That show had the best man-love declarations, I swear."

It sure did Girlfriday!

"Chaebol Mommy" - to coin a phrase/term like that just totally rocks.

Aesop's Fable The North Wind & The Sun - Thanks ever so much for including this extra tidbit in the recap and elaborating on its relevancy factor to the theme of Episode 19.

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is the baby they're child????

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Wow... noticed everyone seemed to come from Gap-dong and IHYV??!!!

I am pleasantly surprised!

From Gap-dong
Yoon Sang Hyun (though his role was from IHYV)
Lee Joon
The camera lady
The hair band guy (also from Gap-dong!)
The fire-fighter dad
Brother Ki Jae myung (also from Gap-dong!)

From IHYV
Yoon Sang Hyun
Lee Bo Young
Lee Jong Seok
That evil chaebol mom
The criminal from IHYV in In-ha's dream

Very nice, i like!

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Ugh I just rewatched this episode (again) and I fell hard with the BGM during the title of episode 19! Do any of you guys know what it is or where I can DL it? :(

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5 stars for this episode

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THAT jongsuk caught redhanded brushing teeth picture needs to be saved, printed and framed !! XDDD

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