r88 ep 19
i saw this episode over a week ago, so i’ll try my best to write about everything i wanted to capture, but if i forget anything, i’m sorry!

sunwoo and bora getting back together is so, so, SO satisfying… i really love how their song (“i always miss you” by lee sunhee) starts playing when they see each other again :, i guess the one thing that is a bit strange is how i guess they’ve been heartbroken about each other for four years, and after two conversations, they’re back together, but i do prefer the time jump in this reply than the other two iterations, and sunwoo and bora are so cute that i don’t mind at all.

the second-funniest scene in the whole show may just be dongryong and deoksun reacting to sunwoo’s news that he’s dating bora, and the bts of that moment are simply THE BEST— bogum just COULD NOT get it together, but lee donghwi’s dialogue KILLS me, so i understand why. it’s even better to see that taek’s laughing in the scene and realize that that was probably bogum reacting naturally.

junghwan makes me tear up AGAIN this episode, but luckily these tears are happy and there aren’t as much as there were during ep 18, so it’s okay. to be specific, it’s his relationship with his mom. it was sad to see such a vibrant character like ra miran look so sad, and even more so when the other members of her family can’t cheer her up. and this is where junghwan shines. it’s nice to see how JH’s relationship with his mother develops through the show. if you remember, episode 1 was where his mom came into his room and asked JH to be more open with her. and throughout the show, ra miran constantly wishes for JH to be warmer and show his emotions more. it’s only fitting that in episode 19, her birthday celebration is planned by her youngest son (/daughter). while junghwan may not show his emotions that well, he still cares about his mom and loves her dearly.

ra miran’s birthday celebration is a mixture of laughter, happy sighs, and tears for me. the tears, of course, come in when deoksun’s reading her father’s thank you plaque out loud… i honestly wonder if all the characters were supposed to cry, or if the cast started crying listening to what was written. it’s only fitting for reply 1988 to follow such a scene with one of ra miran dancing, which automatically makes me smile and laugh. the whole birthday party is representative of what makes this show what it is— family. it makes me feel so warm on the inside. *sighs happily*

i’ve run out of words to say just how happy that scene and the one after it, where the sung parents discuss how they raised their kids well, make me. which is a good thing, because the warmth of this show and the relationships in it is one that i will never be able to describe with proper justice. you only really understand how powerful it is when you watch it ◡̈