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Go Back Spouses: Episode 11

This is the episode I’ve been waiting for. Buried words are spoken, buried tears are shed, and buried feelings are exposed. Ban-do and Jin-joo have been through a lot while living out their second 1999, together and individually. And it was this episode that I realized the changes they make in this timeline don’t influence their future, but changes in their hearts.

 
EPISODE 11: “Tangled hearts grow when we ignore and neglect them”

After her mom’s funeral (in 2009), Jin-joo had escaped into the bedroom to cry while Ban-do listened from the living room. The next morning, Jin-joo had come out to find Ban-do sleeping on the couch, still dressed in his suit. She’d glared at him with tears in her eyes, only to let out a hopeless sigh. And later when Ban-do woke up, he’d found that Jin-joo still made him breakfast.

Jin-joo narrates that people’s hearts can get tangled not necessarily because it’s someone’s fault, but because of a situation—and instead of simply ignoring and neglecting their problems, she and Ban-do should’ve tried to fix them. We see that after Mom’s death, they both tried to bury their sorrow and plaster on fake smiles. That, of course, only made their tangled hearts grow bigger, until they finally blew up with that argument that led to divorce.

We go back to 1999, with Ban-do showing up at Jin-joo’s door. Ban-do’s face crumples as he confesses that he missed his mother-in-law too, and Jin-joo tears up too. But before she can answer him, her mom opens the door and asks what they’re talking about.

Mom looks Ban-do up and down and says that he seems pretty young to have a mother-in-law. She asks why he and Jin-joo are crying, and Jin-joo tells her not to get the wrong idea; she makes up the excuse that Ban-do was upset about a friend of his and came to talk to her about it.

Jin-joo urges Mom to go back inside, but Mom, still looking concerned, turns back and invites Ban-do to join them for dinner.

Once inside, the familiar space triggers memories for Ban-do. He remembers sitting down with Jin-joo’s parents to get their blessing. When her parents had jumped to the conclusion that they were insistent on marrying because she was pregnant, Mom started hitting Jin-joo and Dad started hitting Ban-do (hee), until Jin-joo blurted out that the reason was that they couldn’t spend another day apart. Cuuute.

He then remembers sweet moments with Mom when he would secretly give her spending money, and even some heartfelt moments with Dad when Mom had passed away. Dad had cried in front of him, saying he was glad to have a son-in-law since he couldn’t cry like that in front of his daughters. Only now, Jin-joo’s dad is looking at Ban-do like he wants him out of his house.

He falls into protective-dad mode and starts interrogating Ban-do, but Mom tells him to be nice. She encourages Ban-do to eat and even places a piece of fish on his spoon. He looks at her with such sadness, remembering how she always did that for him when he was still her son-in-law. His reaction doesn’t go unnoticed by Jin-joo.

At the same time, Ban-do can’t help but notice the loving interactions between Jin-joo and Mom as they eat. Afterwards, Mom sees Ban-do out, even inviting him to join them again sometime. She asks what kind of food he likes, and Jin-joo surprises Ban-do by naming his favorite dish.

Mom heads back inside, and Dad asks why she bothered walking Ban-do out. She responds that something about him makes her feel sorry for him and wonders why he looks at her with the same sad expression that Jin-joo has had lately.

Jin-joo and Ban-do sit at a park bench, and Jin-joo notices the blood on his knuckles (from beating Hyun-suk). She asks what happened, and he replies with a question: Why didn’t she tell him about her run-in with Hyun-suk?

She says it wasn’t a big deal, but he starts tearing up again as he voices how right she was. He’d always thought he’d be the one to protect her, but now he realizes he never could. Jin-joo sighs at that.

Jin-joo: “Who asked you to protect me? You didn’t need to protect me, you should’ve just stayed by my side. You didn’t need to feed me, you should’ve just eaten with me. If I cried, we should’ve cried and been sad together. No matter how much time has passed, I can’t seem to forget it. I know it wasn’t your fault. I know that you couldn’t help it. That’s why I kept restraining myself from blaming you. But why did you act so lightly? Why were you so light, to the point that my sadness felt like it was nothing?”

She concludes that that was when they started growing apart. All along, she just wanted him to hug her and cry with her. She wipes her tears away and says that that’s all meaningless now and starts to leave.

She stops in her tracks when Ban-do quietly says, “I wanted to make you smile.” He felt so sorry for her and her mother, but felt there was nothing he could do other than make her smile. That was all he wanted, rather than make her cry. She tearfully says that he should’ve told her this sooner.

Meanwhile, Ban-do’s parents are having dinner. Mom is clearly in a bad mood and she watches as Dad spits out all the food she purposely drowned in salt, lol. He demands to know why she’s so mad at him, and she asks if she has to spell it out for him. He retorts that of course she has to spell it out; it’s not like he can read her mind. Pffft, so relatable it hurts.

Back on campus, Dok-jae is off sulking by himself. He grumbles that now his friends are dating, they’ve kicked him away like a can. He then notices an actual can left on the ground and angrily kicks it… only for it to hit a department sunbae square on the head.

The sunbae marches over to him, thinking he did it on purpose, and Dok-jae insists that it was an accident. The sunbae decides to let it go and walks away. Dok-jae curses under his breath and gives the sunbae the finger behind his back, which is, of course, right when the sunbae turns around. Dok-jae not-so-smoothly turns the middle finger into a thumbs-up and then bolts, the sunbae yelling after him.

The next day, the captain of the cheerleading club announces their preparations for an upcoming competition. Bo-reum’s friends are sure she’ll be dancing center, but they wonder who her partner will be.

Bo-reum glances at Jae-woo as he practices (not very well) and asks their opinion about him. Her friends barely acknowledge him, saying he can’t even get the basic moves down. Jae-woo’s face falls in shame.

A large group of students begins their protest to get Nam-gil’s father to resign. Ban-do is watching them march through campus when he spots Seo-young. It’s when he sees the disappointed look on her face that he remembers he’d missed her performance the day before.

Ban-do immediately apologizes, and she lets out a laugh, assuring him that she’s just messing with him—she knows that he doesn’t like her, so she didn’t wait up for him. She merely wanted to give him the ticket since he was the one to introduce her to a new hobby.

He’s happy to hear that she’s found something she can do if she were ever to retire from ballet. He tells her to take it easy, and she says that he should be the one living like that. She continues that he obviously likes Jin-joo and that he’s probably the only one who doesn’t know it, then supposes that Jin-joo probably doesn’t know either.

As Jin-joo arrives on campus, she comes across the protesters and worries about how Nam-gil must be feeling when she realizes he’s walking toward her. However, he’s preoccupied with his own thoughts, remembering how Jin-joo had run off (when she had cramps). “She’s not giving me a chance,” he sighs.

Just then, the protestors see Nam-gil’s father arrive in his car, and they ambush it right in front of Nam-gil. He watches them bang on the windows and throw eggs, an unreadable expression on his face. He then notices Jin-joo trying to wave him away, telling him to get away from the scene. He walks past the commotion by the car and stops in front of Jin-joo to ask if she’s eaten yet.

The two share a meal in the cafeteria, with Jin-joo staring at Nam-gil and wondering how he can hide his feelings so well. She repeats this out loud, saying he should express his feelings, whether he’s sad or angry. That way, she says, people know they should worry about him. He smiles and asks if it’ll get her to worry about him, making her sigh. More serious, he adds, “I don’t have anyone who worries about me. So I’m okay.”

Dok-jae tries to hide among friends, scared the sunbae from last night will catch up to him. But as soon as the sunbae shows up, Jae-woo gets up to leave. Ban-do suggests he just lie that he got his draft notice and leaves as well, forcing Dok-jae to fend for himself.

The sunbae and his friend are ready to beat Dok-jae to a pulp, but Dok-jae panics and ends up using Ban-do’s excuse, saying he acted up last night because of his draft notice. Weirdly enough, the excuse works, and the two sunbaes get teary-eyed and suggest they take him out for a drink. HA.

Jin-joo and Nam-gil walk through campus together, with Nam-gil being very flirty and saying that Jin-joo’s look of concern could make his heart flutter. Jin-joo makes him laugh by shooting back that her look is more like a mother’s gaze. However, his smile drops when they run into his stepmom.

He greets his stepmom with his usual cool demeanor, even when she says that she hurried over when she heard about the protest. She asks if everything’s okay, and he answers, “[He] will be fine,” referring to his father, and starts to walk away.

“Not your father,” his stepmom clarifies. “You. I came because I was worried.” Nam-gil’s expression changes to one of genuine surprise. And next to him, Jin-joo looks at him with a hint of a smile. She takes off on her own and heads to the library, thinking about how Nam-gil insisted he didn’t have a mom when he actually has two.

Jin-joo ventures into the science section of the library to look for a certain book, only to deflate when she sees that it’s not on the shelf. Ban-do comes around the corner and holds up that very book (the one he’d checked out to research time slips), saying that he didn’t find anything all that helpful. A disappointed Jin-joo makes her way out of the section, but she freezes at the sight of a couple making out against the shelves.

She backtracks and pushes Ban-do further down the section, saying it’d be weird if they walked out now. She turns around to face him, only to get flustered by how close they’re standing. They stay like that for a few seconds, until Ban-do’s intense stare becomes too much for her and she has to turn away. Ban-do is flustered as well, but he does take a moment to look at her ringless hand.

Elsewhere, Dok-jae is having drinks with his sunbaes, who offer their military wisdom and encouragement. Dok-jae, of course, plays along, ecstatic that he escaped a serious beating. But when he goes off to the bathroom, he gets a call from his mother and learns that he actually did get his draft notice. (I’m not even surprised at this point; this guy is the epitome of bad luck, I swear.) He returns to his table and grabs one of his sunbaes in a bear hug, crying genuine tears.

Ban-do wanders around town, thinking back to the scene in the library. He’d asked Jin-joo how long she’d had the ring mark on her finger, and she’d answered that she’d had it since she returned to 1999. It all clicks into place for Ban-do, and he takes off running to check out a jewelry store.

He goes through numerous jewelry stores, knowing he and Jin-joo bought their wedding rings somewhere in this shopping area. He finally comes across the store they went to years ago, and sure enough, their rings are there.

After purchasing the rings, Ban-do runs straight to Jin-joo’s house with the biggest smile on his face. He sees Jin-joo step out the door and opens his mouth to call out her name, but he stops when her mom comes out to join her.

He watches the two from afar, his smile faltering as he realizes how happy they look together. Jin-joo and her mom embrace and then go off arm-in-arm to take a walk around the park. Ban-do stays where he is, his grip on the ring box tightening.

As they take their time walking around the neighborhood, Jin-joo tells Mom about Nam-gil and his two mothers. Mom finds Nam-gil’s behavior normal for a kid with divorced parents—if he was so focused on his birth mom, it would make sense that he wouldn’t realize there was someone else who truly cared for him right under his nose.

At the mention of divorce, Jin-joo pauses and then asks Mom what she would say if she were to get divorced in the future. Mom firmly states that she would never let Jin-joo marry a man she thought she might divorce (heh).

But in all seriousness, Mom says that there are things she doesn’t like about Dad, and she’s sure that there are things he doesn’t like about her. That’s just the way things are. Jin-joo sees the truth in Mom’s words, thinking there must be things the other person (Ban-do) doesn’t like about her.

Still, she looks at Mom and wonders aloud, “If you were there, would it have been easier to live?” Mom chides her for speaking so ominously again, and then goes on to say that life is never easy. She believes that everyone has to go through trials and errors in life.

They reach a convenience store, where they witness a drunk salaryman stumble over to strangers and demand to know if they’re looking down on him. The man progressively gets more and more emotional, shouting that people should treat him like a person and not a dog.

The man’s words sound all too familiar to Jin-joo, and she watches slack-jawed as he falls to the ground. “It’s really hard for me,” he slurs. “Don’t look down on me! I’m really trying! What more can I do?!”

Jin-joo’s eyes fill with tears as she remembers Ban-do saying something incredibly similar right before she declared she wanted a divorce. She hears his voice in a different way, like she can finally detect the pain behind it. And then she remembers his confession yesterday, when he cried that he’d always tried so hard, only to feel sorry in the end.

Jin-joo turns to Mom and asks if Mom would make sure she didn’t marry a bad guy. Mom confirms that she would definitely make sure the man Jin-joo marries is a nice guy—someone who would never make her cry. With that in mind, Jin-joo urges Mom to go home alone before taking off.

Jin-joo is full-on crying when she calls Ban-do. He’s out drinking soju alone, but he immediately sobers up when he hears Jin-joo’s wavering voice. Jin-joo: “I’m crying. Should I just cry alone again?” Ban-do assures, “Don’t cry. I’m coming.” Great, now I’m crying.

While out driving, Nam-gil recalls his last encounter with Ban-do, who had merely thanked him for saving Jin-joo (from Hyun-suk). Nam-gil still doesn’t understand why Ban-do would thank him on Jin-joo’s behalf, but the thought goes away when he spots Jin-joo at a crosswalk.

He stops his car on the other side and gets out, though Jin-joo doesn’t see him. A little boy next to her loses his ball and runs out to the street to retrieve it—which is right when a car comes speeding towards him. Oh shit.

Jin-joo doesn’t even hesitate—she runs out to the boy and grabs him. But she’s completely frozen as the car comes barreling toward them, as is Nam-gil, who stands there in shock.

Out of nowhere, Ban-do runs into the street and pushes Jin-joo and the boy out of harm’s way. Instead, it’s Ban-do who slams into the windshield and goes rolling onto the street. Argh, noooooo! Why?!

Jin-joo runs to Ban-do’s side, shouting his name as tears stream down her face. She turns him onto his side and desperately asks for him to get up, calling him “yeobo” (husband) for the first time in a long time. But he doesn’t hear her; his entire relationship with Jin-joo flashes before his eyes, and then his eyes close.

“Back then, if I knew what I know now,” Jin-joo narrates, “maybe we wouldn’t be here now.”

Epilogue.

When Nam-gil had driven Jin-joo home from the group’s spontaneous trip, Jin-joo had found Ban-do waiting for her on the steps by her house. He’d asked if she felt better after going on a trip, and she’d answered that she did. She continued that it’d been a long time since her last trip, and Ban-do noted that their time in 1999 could be exactly that.

He thought that their time slip could simply be a short trip for them. Jin-joo agreed, wondering if the heavens had sent them back for a much-needed vacation. “But you know what?” Ban-do asked. “A trip is only a trip if you go back.” She looked at him curiously, only to laugh when he dropped his serious expression and joked that otherwise, they’d be settling down.

COMMENTS

What the hell was that, Show? No, seriously. You were doing so well, and then you decide to throw in a last-minute car accident? My number one pet peeve in dramaland? I can’t even feel sad for Ban-do or Jin-joo right now because that ending left me severely pissed.

Because yes, this is an overused trope—the trope of throwing a loved one into a dangerous situation for the hero or heroine to realize their feelings. It’s a trope I actually love when it’s done exceptionally well. But here, it was done terribly. I could’ve lived with yet another car accident in a penultimate episode, but… why? Why did that car honk instead of stop? Why did everyone just stand there and watch? Why did Jin-joo move Ban-do when he was clearly in a bad state? I just couldn’t feel the emotional weight of the moment when the scene was handled that sloppily. It’s incredibly disappointing, especially since the show has been enjoyable thus far.

On top of that, it wasn’t even needed. Jin-joo was already on her way to understanding Ban-do. She had her epiphany with the drunk salaryman (such a great, heartrending scene), so why give her the car accident test? Moving on from the accident—believe me, it’s hard to do—I do wish we’d gotten more time for Jin-joo to rebuild her love for Ban-do.

Her realization didn’t exactly seem rushed, but it did feel as if there was an episode or two missing. Either way, I think this epiphany of hers still makes sense. Her love for him has always been buried inside her, and she just needed something like this to let it all out. I also liked that it was her mom who helped her see Ban-do’s sincerity. It’s been hard for her to see it, just as it was hard for Nam-gil to see the sincerity in his stepmother. What a lovely parallel.

The show has never let us in on the rules of the time travel, but we’ve always known it had something to do with their rings. And I actually like that returning to the present could be as simple as the two of them wearing their rings again. They had the power to return all along—they just had to find their way back to each other. They had to find their way back to their marriage, back to their rings. It makes me think that removing their rings triggered this dreamlike vacation to the past and that nothing was ever in danger of changing. Seo-jin was never in danger of losing his very existence. This was just a short trip that the rings allowed the couple to have after a painful experience.

I both like and dislike this idea. I like it because the vacation now seems like a lesson for this couple, a chance to get some clarity in their relationship. But I dislike it because it makes me believe that everything they tried to change will be for nothing. Will Ye-rim still be married to that jerkface Hyun-suk when they return? I don’t know how the drama will tie up their trip to 1999. As long as our couple returns the way they want to return, whether happy together or happy individually, I think I’ll be somewhat satisfied. If they get to the talk they were going to have before Ban-do got hurt, we should definitely get somewhere.

Speaking of which, I love that Ban-do hesitated when he saw how happy Jin-joo was with her mom. A part of him must’ve assumed that she’d rather stay than return with him, and it makes me sad that he doesn’t realize how much she actually loves him. And honestly, if I were Jin-joo, there is no way I would stay in the past. I would not want to go through a parent’s death—and all the pain that comes with it—twice. I’m sure for Jin-joo, being with her mom again has felt like heaven, but she must know that Mom belongs in the past and that she belongs in the present. Even if we return to the past with zero changes, Jin-joo and Ban-do will still carry the knowledge they gained from this experience. And you know what? That’s all that matters.

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When I initially finished this episode I was in tears. I seriously wasn't expecting a car accident to pop up in the end, Jang Na-Ra really nailed that scene, I was there with her and the, "yeobo!" killed me. Now that I look back at the scene, I see the flaws within the accident but I'm willing to ignore it because I'm biased and love this show way too much. Plus, they got what they wanted, they made me cry even though I've been crying since episode 2 lol.

I don't want to say too much 'cause I want to talk more about this in the final recap but the parallel between the drunk man and Ban-Do was well done and bittersweet. Ban-Do cried his feelings and confessed what he felt and the drunk man provided the visual of how pitiful and sad Ban-Do must've been in future. Not saying that Ban-Do puddle of feelings didn't move Jin-Joo but I think she needed to see his life through another man as an outsider to understand his pain.

Okay, I'm going to stop here but that scene at the library was hot lol. I can't be the only one who was going, "and kiss!" My heart is so empty now that this show is over.

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my heart still hurts for nam-gil so i've dreaded the last two eps because of his broken heart. on the other hand, i do like that they're headed back to each other because they never did stop loving one another....which leads me to YAAAASSS!!!! that intense stare!!! wheeeewwww...it was getting hot...hahaha

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My heart hurts for him but I love the way they wrapped up his story. And phew! Thought I was the only one noticing all the hotness

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I completely agree, although the whole car accident scene was pretty stupid (like why does everyone always stay in one place, without reacting??) It drives me nuts, but the acting from everyone is what certainly saved the scene. Jang Nara nailed the scene as well as him, which makes us from this annoying trope. This episode and the final still succeeded in leaving an ugly mess of bawling tears and sniffles. I love these characters so much, and loved the moment when she realized just all that Ban-Do has gone through in the present. And Nam gil continues to break my heart. But it was so sweet the scene with his stepmom. And I loved how we ended the story of Seoyoung. She wasn't someone pining over Ban-do, but realized immediately he didn't like her in that way, but wanted to help her. And it warmed my heart to know he helped in changing her future and now giving her a hobby she can enjoy if she retired from being a ballerina.
Just loved this show, especially the last two episodes. Left me a mess...

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Agree with everything you say. I'd just like to add that I thought the point of the accident was to fully and completely bring an end to any SLS. After all, Nam Gil's instincts for self-preservation kept him back, but Ban Do's instincts were to run to save Jin Joo. It's clear who loves her more.

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Yes! This is exactly what I thought too! Also, I thought maybe, to make Nam gil realize that he never really stood a chance with Jin joo.

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The parts where Ban do got to spend time with Jinjoo’s mother really ached. You could see how much he had missed her, and had been unable to grieve her death because of the guilt he felt, and how he felt like he didn’t deserve to mourn.

And every moment Jinjoo spends with her mom, you could see that this was the much needed “holiday” that she needed, to treasure the time with her family again and heal. The time here then seems so precious. You could see when Ban do raced to Jinjoo with the ring, that when he was how precious the time with her mother was, he hesitated giving it to her because it would possibly mean returning to the future with her mother no longer present.

Even though I loved Jinjoo’s and Nam Gil’s interactions with each other, I’m glad that the show did a good job turning Ban do around and convincing my second lead heart that Ban do and Jinjoo were meant to be together, because of how much they loved each other. It’s one of those rare cases where the use of both second leads felt effective yet enjoyable.

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I really love how Mom make it possible for Ban-do to spend more time with her even though only as her daughter's friend. It was such a precious gift for him to be treasured in the future timeline. And it's hertwarming to see Jin-joo finally understand how much Ban-do love her parents, and how much he grieved Mom's death. It's sweet when she named Ban-do's favorite dish to Mom.

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I liked the ending for go back couple. It was a gem of a drama! I highly recommend GBC for everyone to watch. And congrats GBC for maintaining its 5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 average user rating until the end 😄

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And i too think the car of doom was unnecessary. It was not needed at all actually. But it was ok-ish after i saw both ep 11 and 12. The writer did not drag it out for too long and incorporated it well in the script (imo). And luckily there was no amnesia involved. If there was i would flip a table. Hahaha

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The writer was asked by the production team to choose among 2 cards: either the car of doom card or amnesia card 😂 Thank goodness she only had to choose one! 😀

Thanks for dutifully recapping the series SailorJumun!

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Really?! Why would the production team request such common drama troupes? Hahaha

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I kid, I kid 😁 I think we the viewers are always apprehensive when it comes to penultimate and final episodes because bad endings can be traumatic, lol.

Obviously we can't spoil episode 12 yet because this is the 11th episode recap, hee :)

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I've changed my mind a bit about the car accident after watching ep 11 and 12 several times. I cant move on yet. Haha.
I'll share my thoughts in ep12 recap 😊

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Agreed, agreed!! I thought the accident was not necessary for the couple as JJ already started to see things from BD's point of view + OMG THE CAR HAD TIME TO STOP. And also, DUUUDE why did she just hug the child instead of pick him up and run? And why did HE just push her instead pushing her AND MOVING AWAY?!

But in any case, I realised that the accident had some use -- to show NG that JJ really did care for BD and to help him give up on her.

Loved the library scene too, after JJ said that the couple were cute I was waiting for BD to respond with "well we can do it too" heh.

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i agree!!! omg!! i know!!! really? she saved the kid by just continuing to stand in harm's way???? WTH show? you were doing so good!

I've tried to explain the accident as well. while it seemed plausible that it was to have nam-gil give up on her, it was already obvious to nam-gil that she was not giving him chance. he's known and has seen the hints here and there.

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I think the writer used it so that we can see that Nam Gil is not the one for Jin Joo as he just stood there doing nothing while Ban Do run over to save Jin Joo. It only show us how Ban Do love Jin Joo and was willing to give his life just to save her while Nam Gil hesitates what to do if he will give up his life for Jin Joo or not.

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Why was he just lying there after getting hit by the car? Why didn't he deliver a 10 minute monologue, with flashbacks and flashbacks within a flashback like Chief Choi?

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PFFFT

Maybe if this was stretched out to be a 16 episode drama, we could've gotten a whole episode of just flashbacks and an hour long monologue.

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If this is 16 ep drama, we would've gotten amnesia BanDo, Namgil & Jinjoo dating, Bando remembering and letting her go, Jinjoo came back, and then the show would end

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Thank you for the recap, SailorJumun!

I was really mad at that accident, I really didn't think we needed it but when Jin-joo yelled Yeobo, I couldn't help crying at that, I mean I was already crying when Jin-joo realized how tough Ban-do must have had it seeing that drunk man but her "Yeobo" was so desperate and heart-aching!

Even when it wasn't much, I loved that they got to talk, they both were hurting from mom's loss and Ban-do thought by keeping his cheerful demeanor in front of her he was helping her forget the pain, she never knew he was hurting just as much, it's so sad that both of them kept everything to themselves for so long and let that turn into resentment, if only they chose to turn to each other and talk!

Since I've already watched episode 12, I can't really say much here, waiting for the next recap.

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I'm tearing up reading what you just wrote and thinking about the car accident scene. You said exactly what I was feeling, "desperate and heart aching" 👏 👏

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Totally agree! I think the car accident was also there to reaffirm the audience that "YES, Jinjoo still loves Bando!". And just like Namgil's realization when he saw how heartbroken Jinjoo was. We as an audience also saw how big Jinjoo's love to him.

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Recap comes a bit late for this show in dramabeans, and all I have to say is please see the final episode before hating on the car accident trope! I think it's really done well, the explanation for time traveling was cutely make sense and this drama is one of the best in my years of watching K drama. One of the most underrated one too!

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I cried in this episode and final episode. I will comment regarding this episode and final episode on final episode comment. (I binge watch and finished this show and Buadom Avengers Club today. I loved both this show. ❤️❤️❤️)

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When I saw Bando running and Namgil driving, I started getting antsy, but I thought surely this great show wouldn't. Then when the ball bounced into the street, I knew it was coming and just stopped the video. Why, show? Sigh. It was such a great episode until then.

Thank you SailorJumun, for all the recaps! I really enjoyed reading them and your comments.

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Everything about this episode was great! Except the car (and the kid and the cute oppa who just stood there)

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like seriously she just stood there with the kid waiting for the car to hit. then bando pushed her and just stood there as well. whatever happened to basic survival instincts. but still I loved this episode.

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I LOVE this show-cant believe it's already over. I love that each episode is such a new revelation in terms of showing the couple slowly understanding each other's pov more. If the previous episode focused on Ban Do understanding Jin Joo, this episode is about Jin Joo understanding Ban do. I think its a format that works ans it really gives us time to understand the couple more too. What a beautiful show. Wasn't expecting it to be so amazing honestly. I was really expecting it to be regular average k romcom.

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Best drama 2017 hands down. period. i left crying almost in every episode. I have to admit i am team Nam Gil since the very beginning.. however last week episode when ban do massage Jin Joo's back while she's on period a bit cracked my heart, and in this episode.. while Ban Do ran without hesitation to safe Jin Joo.. crack crack (can you hear my heart breaking to pieces?).. anyhow as cliche as it seen, the accident scene is a good choice to wrap up this short drama. with one scene, Jin Joo definitely 100% true to her feeling, Nam gil realizes that is more than meet the eye regarding Jin Joo and Ban Do relationship.. and i am gonna ramble more a lot when the finale recap is published muahahahaha

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I've just picked up this drama and marathon the eps. At first I didn't quite like it but after they time-travelled, I got invested and now I think I like the cast! Good acting! (Also discovered Jang Kiyong!)

I might have marathoned too fast - could anyone tell me, when/how (which ep) did Jinjoo know that Namgil is the son of the university president?

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In episode 1, when Jin-joo sees Nam-gil out on the field, she has a flashback and reveals that they all discovered he was the director's son sometime after graduation.

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Thank you, thank you! I watched that scene during my marathon but totally could not remember that info!

And I feel honored to have SailorJumun reply me! 😄😙

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There were some moments that I absolutely loved in this episode. 'You didn't have to feed me, you just had to eat with me.' Just so poignant. Maybe I even cried.

And then the Car of Doom. That was such a disappointment, partly because of how it happened. A ball rolls out on the road, on a pedestrian crossing. The car driver even manages to flash its light at them - but doesn't think about hitting the breaks? The fact that I was even thinking about that, that I kept thinking: 'people, just get out of the way of the car, drag the child to safety', meant that it totally dragged me out of the moment and made me think: why show? why?

Because they didn't need it.

If it wanted to make sure Jin-joon realised what she had in Ban-do, it was overkill. The talk with the mother and the scene with the salaryman had all made it crystal clear to her already. If the show wanted to make sure that we knew Ban-do loved her more that Nam-gil (because he tried to save her whereas Nam-gil just watched), that is totally irrelevant. Love isn't a competition. People do not end up with the person who 'loves them most'. As a strong SL shipper for most of the series, it had subtly convinced me to change my ship. And now I felt as if they were trying to hit me over the head with it, just in case I hadn't got the memo yet.

It seems slightly harsh to be-labour a single misstep in an episode that was so great otherwise, but it annoyed me. It seemed that after showing the couple's feelings so honestly and carefully, they now stopped trusting their audience and went for a Car of Doom that they didn't need.

Still think it was a great episode, and I loved the ending of it.

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I should add that my comment ought to come with the excuse that parents make: show, I'm only being this harsh because I love you so much.

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Amen to your tough love! ;-)

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I disagreed with Jin-joo assessment of herself when said she restrained herself from blaming Ban-do (and as we saw it wasn't like Ban-do was out partying and couldn't be bothered to come when she called, but instead he was saving a high schooler from being beaten up when he himself was attacked by the high schoolers) as I think her simmering anger towards him was the base cause of their problems. I think the lack of communication was also rooted in her underlying anger towards Ban-do.

Overall, I really enjoyed this drama.

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What an episode! I bawled from beginning to end.

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After watching this episode, I suddenly realised that most of the episodes show only Ban-do becoming more insightful and trying to make things right. In comparison, Jin-joo's moment of realisation felt a bit hasty. I guess you could argue that her love was just buried under all her resentment, but in terms of character growth, my heart ached for Ban-do much much more.

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The car accident scene did strike me as unnecessary but also reminds me of the only thing that leaves me wishing the drama had been written differently. I would've loved this drama more if it was similar to Come Back Mister where we saw two unrelated people come back and deal with the consequences and reunite with their loved ones separately and relive their life thanks to the rewinded time.

Firstly because I feel like those scenes where Jin Joo connected with herself and her identity, her family, with her friends and helped Nam Gil were the most touching and impactful and meaningful in a way. I feel like the main romance kind of detracted from the writing because they had to set up a reason for the divorce, and yet have a reason why they would want to get back together. And while I get that it did help glue together the series and explored motherhood/parenthood, I really wished the stories were parallel instead because then their existence and problems did not have to always tie back to them being together and their marriage. We would hopefully have gotten to see more of the family scenes (Jin Joo's sister was somewhat absent? But why?), I would loved to see more of Jin Joo and her father making amends. I think I would've also liked to see Jin Joo being more there for her friends, or more involved and making up for lost time with Seol. With Bo Reum, I feel like the twist at the end of why they broke up... as a good friend, she should've just supported her and let her know it's not important rather than advised them not to get together to begin with?

With Ban Do, there was even more unexplored potential. His family was also sidelined even though it was somewhat dysfunctional... His whole career/passion storyline was left unaddressed. Even with the friendship circle... I feel like they were there, but underutilised or just used for comic relief when there could be so much more?

Honestly, I was only watching this for Jin Joo and her family, as well as Nam Gil. Which is kudos to Jang Ki Yong and his portrayal but more so, because he actually was more of a developed character to me than Ban Do was. I feel kind of sorry to Son Ho Joon here because I feel he got the short end of the stick where Ban Do was really only there but never had a compelling storyline. At least Nam Gil had a back story, had a proper reason why he fell for Jin Joo (I still don't understand the whole group date that led Jin Joo and Ban Do to date and eventually marry...). He was even given a family situation that propelled him to grow and learn from. He had all the cliche romance scenes and honestly, decent closure to a one-sided romance (surprisingly despite the SLS, I thought how they wrapped up the side romance was quite fitting and sweet). I feel like it was just so hard to root for Ban Do because he was kind of poorly written and lacked emotional depth throughout. I saw attempts to allude to this during the latter half of the drama, but by then it just...

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I personally think Nam-gil is the character which lacked depth. His parent issue is really typical kdrama, and so are his "swoony" scenes. I think it really depends on the type of viewer you are, because I'm less inclined to be swayed by those. I also think Son Ho-joon is objectively speaking a much better actor as well. This is no hit on JKY; he's just a rookie after all.

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I definitely feel SHJ was under-utilised and I'm sure he is a good actor (though this is the first I've seen him) I just find the characters lacking more than anything. I get that Nam Gil's family situation is cliche but the reason why I think it shows a depth of character is because it explains his actions and why he fell for Jin Joo. On the other hand, the reasoning behind Ban Do's thoughts and changes never really made sense to me. From when he returned and decided to get to know SY and going from negging and gaslighting Jin Joo (even in 1999) to suddenly realising his feelings for her again after the May Queen contest?

I understand the arc and why a married couple with all this history and underlying love for each other and their son would want to get back together. I just don't think the series of events leading up to it in the drama really supported that in this relationship. Especially when they showed how in love they were (again still dont know why they fell in love so deeply) and then the broken marriage... it makes me think that if they had that much love and still ended up turning their backs on each other, it kind of shows that their love changed. I find that when a relationship gets to that point of resentment and spitefulness, it is really hard to salvage because it just builds up.

That said I feel that the drama was so spot on in so many other parts, especially the motherly love parts that I could have done without the main romance anyways, or even any romance regardless of SLS.

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I feel like I was the only one not suffering SLS - not even a mild case (hehehe).

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My wild guess is that the overused car accident scene is needed to force Jin-joo to decide if she wants to continue in this time line or return to the future.

Right now, she possibly feels she has a fresh start to not repeat the mistakes she made. Now it's going to be a choice of staying in the past without Ban-Do or return to the future where he (may not be) dead? Just a guess...

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The adorable child that plays Seo Jin is a girl??!!
I saw a picture on Kim Mee Kyung's Instagram holding Seo Jin and she was wearing a pink dress and had her hair tied in ponytails. The caption was in Korean so I'm not sure what she said.
I'm curious what was the reason for changing the gender of the child? Was her hair too short or did the director think having a son would impact the storyline more? Was the child related to someone in the cast so they thought she would be comfortable and smile more?

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Thanks for choosing to recap this wonderful drama and for your amazing insights, SailorJumun! Yes, that car accident scene definitely was not made well (and the fact that the driver was honking but couldn't think to brake made me really mad), but in the overall scheme of things, I don't really mind it that much and am willing to let it slide.

One thing, I will take away from this drama is the love parents have for their children. At one point, this drama made me think maybe most kids don't deserve their parents? It takes me back to 'dear my friends' wherein park wan tells her mother that "you can die one after I die" and that could be the most selfish thing ever but it is something I would want for my parents too. Another thing is, that communication is the most important thing for any relationship, even when you do things with good intentions, believing you are helping the other person, it probably does not help them at all unless you talk it out with them and understand what they need.

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Thank you @sailorjumun for all the recaps!

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Thank you for your recap and comments, SailorJumun!

Doggone it, the Car of Doom put in an appearance. What always irks the hell out of me is the "Deer In The Headlights" trope that goes hand-in-hand with with it.

I interpret Jin-joo's being rooted in place to be a foil for Ban-do's selfless and automatic reaction to protect women and children. They're both reacting as Seo-jin's parents in this scene. But if he hadn't been the kind of man who goes to the aid of a student who's about to be beaten by a gang of bullies, he wouldn't have thrown caution to the wind in the crosswalk. The very instinct that earned Ban-do his wife's deepest ire as her mother was dying is what saved her and the child she didn't even know in this do-over timeline.

I'm also kind of wondering about the physics of his rescue. It's almost as if Ban-do were a human billiard ball who efficiently transferred all of his kinetic energy to Jin-joo to bump her and the kid clear of the path of the car. That's why he was left standing there. He is, after all, an engineering student -- but it was his heart that calculated the trajectory.

I winced as Jin-joo moved Ban-do after the accident. Hello? He could have had a broken back. Was she trying to sever his spinal cord?!

The interlude with the salaryman really got to me. The poor guy sounded like Job. I'm really glad that his lamentations got through to Jin-joo.

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The truck of doom hit again (pun intended).

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I agree with SailorJumun. That scene was not realistic. The car had lots of time to break. At least, he would have tried to veered off the road not just head straight.

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thank you for the recaps SailorJumun!

i didn't mind the car-of-doom, due to the fact it was utilized so well to force the issue back to jin-joo's point of view. somehow i always watch the episodes back-to-back coz i think most kdrama writers, this is just an observation, treats the odd number episode as a set-up for the even numbered episodes, hence the pay-off is immediately felt when viewed in one go, i could be wrong also...

thank you for outlining the dialogue of jin-joo, about asking ban-do to just be there, instead of providing the solution to the situation at that given moment. sometimes, it's more effective to share the experience without really addressing the problem head-on. it's the case of showing vulnerability as opposed to being strong.

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@bugs_bunny,

somehow i always watch the episodes back-to-back coz i think most kdrama writers, this is just an observation, treats the odd number episode as a set-up for the even numbered episodes, hence the pay-off is immediately felt when viewed in one go

I've noticed the same one-two punch in other shows. That is why preemptions throw off the rhythms of plots and force week-long cliffhangers where the writers had not intended them. It has burdened more than one show for me. TEMPERATURE OF LOVE has been demanding enough to watch without the timing being permanently thrown off. Grrr. But still watching. ;-)

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hi PakalanaPikake,

good, i'm not crazy for noticing such things, hahhahahaaa... it has changed my viewing habits for ongoing dramas, so i can see the bigger picture from the writer's point of view.

binge-watching is another type of viewing i miss now that i don't have huge block of time...

sorry to hear about your ToL woes:(

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I like the story.. i like how they make only mom knew about everything the time travel cause she won't be with her in the present time. The time slips gave the couple a time to realise how they really love each other and they are really destined to be together. Giving Jin Joo time to be with her mom so that she can learn to let go of her in the present. They somehow changed some of their friends and even Ban do's parents. I really love this drama. Underrated but everyone can relate to it. About how we neglect our parents, partners and even our own self. This drama reflects in everyone's everyday life. I wish it was a bit longer cause I miss the friendship and the happenings in the past :D

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Thanks for the recap!

Totally agree about the cliched car of doom being poorly handled - BUT, I will say that having seen the next episode, they made it fit in nicely. I don't think they needed to go full on smashed by the car though, but the actors really saved it, Jang Nara was so anguished that it still got to me.

And I never had SLS - he's a cutie, but not for Jin Joo, but at least now he can start to understand how much his stepmother cares for him. I'll have to save the rest of my comments for the next episode, but overall this drama is officially now one of my top favorites!

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Jin-joo: “I’m crying. Should I just cry alone again?” Ban-do assures, “Don’t cry. I’m coming.” Great, now I’m crying.

Now, if this isn't me.

When Ban-do was drinking and he got up running to Jin-joo, I joked , "I bet he'll get run over by a car now. HAHAHAHAHHA." I almost slapped myself when he actually got ran over. I just started screaming at my screen. Lol.

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Jang Nara crying in that park bench tho... with all the snots. Daebak. not just the cry, the way she talk in that scene too, even without sub, I feel like I can still feel the heaviness in those words. She know where to stop a sentence before continuing and give a different kind of tone to the words

and the narration in the last scene. beeuh

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