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Post by mikey on Nov 17, 2009 21:23:42 GMT -5
**SPOILER THREAD**
Although it might be a moot point (given that KBS has discontinued broadcasting in Chicago) I thought I’d start a L&O spoiler thread. This isn't only for all the folks who are watching by satellite or on the Internet, but also for people who can't watch any more, but want to know what's happening with the series.
Unfortunately, since everyone’s probably watching in a different time frame now, practically everything anyone says has the potential to be a spoiler. So, best I can advise, would be to mention the episode number first, so that people who are behind can avert their eyes if they wish.
Hopefully, we’ll be able to discuss what’s happening, even if everyone can’t watch.
I hope to get a whole-hog summary of what I’ve seen so far (I’m up to episode 88) in a day or two.
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Post by soapygrams on Nov 17, 2009 23:37:14 GMT -5
;D Great Mikey! Thank you. I've been trying to watch on mysoju and have been frustrated by all the broken links. I finally just settled for missing about 20 some episodes and just skipped to those I could access.
Left off at Episode 84, I think - and part 2/3 was unavailable . . .
I went back to see if the earlier ones had been fixed but they had not - they were still unavailable . . such is life.
I am sure that those of us who can only view it on-line and have been cut-off due to broken links will be very pleased with your efforts on our behalf . . so thank you soooo much . . kamsa hamnida . . ;D
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Post by mikey on Nov 18, 2009 10:27:18 GMT -5
Now, this might be a little off-topic (after promising everybody a “whole hog review” which is still hopefully coming soon) but was anyone else put off by the emphasis on the secondary plots in the episode 25-50 frame? Honestly, I thought many of those episodes were disappointingly dull! Most of the action was centered upon those two marginally amusing side-plots, and that left little happening between Hongryeon and Janghwa. The first involved Hongryeon’s stocky friend Gongmi and her pretty-boy husband, who’s trying to become an actor. Seems that hubby is being pursued by a Korean “cougar” (a rich, powerful 40-something woman) who’s promising him a big acting career, but pretty-boy hubby is too naïve to figure it out. It was funny for a few episodes, but it just kept dragging on and on. The second was centered on Janghwa’s friend Junghae (the girl who thinks she’s God’s gift to men) and her relationship with con-man Hyunggu. Both have the hots for each other, but since they’re both looking for a rich partner, it seems like it’s a relationship that should go nowhere. I find them both to be a little annoying. Neither sub-plot, I thought, was particularly interesting or funny, and they only seemed to take away from the very serious main plotline. Now, maybe they thought that the main plotline was so intense that some comic relief was needed (I understand that) but these side plots just didn't do it for me. Just my humble opinion, though! I thought that things picked up VERY nicely around episode 50, though. I'll talk about that next.
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Post by mikey on Nov 21, 2009 17:40:42 GMT -5
Sorry it took so long . . . but here’s a summary of what’s happened, up to Episode 92. I’m mostly going by memory here, but I think I’ve covered most of it in the correct order. ************ Janghwa learns that there’s a security tape showing herself smooching with her studly Boy-toy, and she tells the Boy-toy (who works in security) to steal the tape. And so Boy-toy gets an old gangster buddy of his, Park Seokdu, to do the theft. Seokdu successfully steals it, and the security tape eventually ends up in Janghwa’s hands. She thinks she’s in the clear now. We, of course, know that Park Seokdu is actually Hongryeon’s old boyfriend - but none of the characters seems to know that yet. Rumors of the video, however, begin flying. Even Taeyun ultimately hears about it. He doesn’t believe it at first (even firing the security guard who reported seeing it) but the guard’s sincerity eventually convinces him that there must be something to it. And, since the tape is missing, he orders his MIS team to reconstruct the video from the (now erased) hard disk backups. Taeyun confronts Janghwa about the rumor. She denies it totally. Taeyun, while wanting to believe her, just can’t set aside his suspicions. And, after considerable effort, the surveillance video is reconstructed. And it confirms Taeyun’s worst suspicions: Janghwa, the love of his live, was cheating on him . . . and worse, she had looked him straight in the eyes, and lied to him about it. Taeyun, having been betrayed, begins to more openly feel an interest in Hongryeon - an interest that she, too, seems to feel. ********* Princess owns a huge lot of land in a valuable city area. A decision needs to be made regarding the land (should they build another E-City on the location?) but Princess isn’t mentally capable of making such a complicated decision. She just tells Taeyun that she wants to give it to Hongryeon. Taeyun has no objections (he’s grateful for everything Hongryeon’s done for his mother) but Janghwa is livid that Hongryeon might be taking some of “her” money. So, in a particularly frightening maneuver, Janghwa hooked up with Park Seokdu (Hongryeon’s ex) and she gives him the opportunity to abduct Hongryeon. Which he does, taking her to a deserted warehouse and beating her so severely (with a two-by-four) that she spends the next week in the hospital. It was a minor miracle that Taeyun was able to find her before Seokdu finally killed her. Seokdu escapes before Taeyun’s people can capture him. ************** As Hongryeon is slowly recovering in the hospital, a big plot event occurs. Remember Suchan? He was the guy who was badly injured (and his father killed) when the automobile seemingly piloted by Hongryeon ran them down. Even from the beginning, he’s always had a soft spot for Hongryeon. I was never sure why - since everyone thought that she was the woman who killed Suchan’s father - but perhaps he sensed something about Hongryeon’s honorable nature. But the real turning point came at the hospital, when Suchan and Janghwa collide in a corridor. Suchan goes down, and as he’s getting up, he notices a scar on Janghwa’s ankle. And Suchan (who, at the time of the accident, was dazed, but conscious) recalled that the driver of the car also has the same scar on her ankle! After some maneuvering (since it undoubtedly came off looking a little weird) Suchan finally got a close look at Hongryeon’s ankles. No scars, confirming what he suspected: Janghwa must have been the one driving the car, and she had set up Hongryeon to take the blame! ************** We all know that Janghwa framed Hongryeon for the fatal auto accident, but only now did we learn that back in their high school days, Hongryeon was originally set up to meet Taeyun for a date - and that Janghwa made sure they never met, so that she could hook up with Taeyun in her place. Thus, had it not been for Janghwa’s interference, it’s likely that Taeyun and Hongryeon would have ended up as a married couple . . . *************** Janghwa (correctly) suspects that Park Seokdu might be Gilran’s father, so she manages to obtain a few hair samples, and has a DNA test done. She was right - and she now has a powerful bombshell she can hold over Hongryeon. However, when informed of the DNA test results, Park Seokdu had no interest whatsoever in his newfound daughter . . . until he hears that Hongryeon has just inherited $10 million in E-City stock (which she received from Princess, as payment for the land she had owned). Now, he intends to use that DNA test to ensure that he gets every cent of Hongryeon’s money. ***************** The backstory on this: Park Seokdu is indeed Gilran’s father, but when he found out that Hongryeon was pregnant, he beat her so badly (hoping for a miscarriage) that she ended up in the hospital. Hongryeon later told him that she’d miscarried, just to get rid of him, but now he knows the truth. And we also know that Park Seokdu has, not just once, but twice, beaten up Hongryeon so severely that she nearly died . . . BTW, why, we must wonder, would a nice girl like Hongryeon ever hook up with a human cockroach like Park Seokdu? It seems that, after she was (wrongly) convicted of manslaughter in the drunk driving accident, they met while they were both assigned by the court to do “community service.” ***************** Hongryeon, now recovered, is at E-City when she notices Janghwa’s Boy-toy walking by. She doesn’t recognize him as Janghwa’s Boy-toy, however. Instead, (and though it was just a glance) she seems convinced that she had spotted her long-lost little brother (?!?). **************** Suchan in becoming increasingly attracted to Hongryeon, but the best he can do is convince her to be his “friend.” He goes along with this, hoping to win her heart along the way. And, as part of his heart-winning effort, he convinces Hongryeon to file suit against Janghwa over the fatal traffic accident. The statue of limitations has run out, so Janghwa is free and clear on criminal charges, but they can still file suit for civil damages. But Janghwa, though her connections, pays off every attorney in town to refuse the case. So, Hongryeon (with Suchan’s help) ends up having to represent herself in court. And, thanks in large part to Taeyun (who located someone from an astronomy class who had a recorded video of the accident scene) Hongryeon wins her lawsuit against Janghwa, and she is awarded damages. Big win for Hongryeon! But, it’s becoming increasingly clear to Suchan that she has no romantic interest in him, and that (furthermore) that she has developed feelings for Taeyun. So, despite the court victory, Suchan has become a pretty grumpy person - and Hongryeon has no idea why he’s so grumpy! Lesson to all the guys out there: when a woman tells you she wants to be your “friend,” don’t expect it to go any further than that. *********** Maybe the best scene in the show so far: when the judge announces his decision in Hongryeon’s favor, Suchan’s obnoxious sister (the bad singer) leaps from her seat and starts screaming at Janghwa, “You killed my father! You killed my father!” In the face of all that public humiliation, Janghwa slumped down into her chair, and positively looked as if she was about to melt! *********** Taeyun was seriously considering divorcing Janghwa, and he even went so far as to buy Hongryeon an engagement ring. But, in the end, he decides that the honorable thing to do is to give up on Hongryeon, and try to patch things with Janghwa. But, he gives Janghwa some pretty tough terms: stop Park Seokdu and her father from harassing and threatening Hongryeon, and give up on trying to take the $10 million in E-City stocks Hongryeon had received from Princess. Janghwa seems to agree with the terms - though reluctantly. **************** Janghwa thus tells her Boy-toy to tell Park Seokdu to back off. She furthermore tells him that she’s dumping him as well, and that she’s going back to Taeyun. Boy-toy doesn’t take that very well, but Janghwa rudely blows him off. The next day, Taeyun decides that Hongryeon (who is now a major E-City shareholder) needs a full-time bodyguard, and guess who volunteers for the job? Janghwa’s ex-lover, Boy-toy! We finally do discover that Boy-toy (his name, BTW, is Lim Hyeok) really is Hongryeon’s “brother,” but only because his father married her mother. There’s no shared blood between them. And, although Hongryeon is close to tears over having found her little brother, Hyeok has some obvious (and, so far, unexplained) hostility towards Hongryeon. And Hongryeon is soon shocked to discover that her own brother has been colluding with both Janghwa and Park Seokdu - though it seems as if he's now bent on some kind of revenge against Janghwa. The next day, when Boy-toy arrives at the house to escort Hongryeon, Princess immediately recognizes him as the man she caught in bed with Janghwa. And she’s convincing enough that Taeyun believes that she really did see something. Taeyun is furious. After confessing to the smooching on the security videotape, Janghwa insisted that it was nothing more than that. Now, Taeyun knows that she not only lied to him again, but that she even slept with some guy in his own bedroom while he was away on business! Taeyun still isn't 100% sure of who this mystery lover is . . . but he’s got his team working furiously on it, so it seems only a matter of time before he confirms that his wife’s lover is none other than Hongryeon’s brother. ****** That’s about it up to about episode 92. So, there’s been lots of sparring going on between the two women. In one corner, we have amoral and ruthless Janghwa, and in the other corner, the honorable, but fast becomingly equally ruthless (and now almost a little scary) Hongryeon. The big bomb Janghwa holds over Hongryeon is her violent ex, Park Seokdu. Hongryeon, meanwhile, knows that Janghwa abandoned Taeyun's mother - and that it’ll all be over for her if Taeyun ever finds that out.
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Post by kathleen34 on Nov 21, 2009 17:49:58 GMT -5
Thank you SO much mikey... your editorial remarks rank right up there with ajk ` BTW, why, we must wonder, would a nice girl like Hongryeon ever hook up with a human cockroach like Park Seokdu? I'm so saddened that we'll never see all the stellar acting and facial expressions here... but you've done a wonderful job in helping us thru withdrawal.
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Post by mikey on Nov 21, 2009 22:10:26 GMT -5
Aw shucks. While I do appreciate the kind words, I think I’ve still got a ways to go before I catch up to ajk. Having given it some thought, I wanted to add a few further comments about the show, up to episode 92. ********** One striking thing you notice about Janghwa is not only her ruthlessness, but even her cruelty. Once she decided to “cross the line that mustn’t be crossed” (using Hongryeon’s daughter to injure Hongryeon) there’s been nothing stopping her. And so, she calls over Gilran, and (making happy talk) she tells her that she has a secret to share. “Your mom told you that your father died,” she says, “but it’s not true. Your father is alive. I’ll introduce him to you in a few days.” Gilran knows that Janghwa can’t be trusted, but she thinks it over, and the only man she can imagine being her father is Taeyun. And she’s thrilled at the prospect, because she always dreamed of having a father, and she knows that Taeyun is a kind man who practically treats her like a daughter already. So, when Janghwa instructs Gilran to head to the park, where she’ll see know her father as the man with a yellow balloon, she expects to see Taeyun waiting for her. Imagine her horror to discover that the man with the yellow balloon was actually Park Seokdu - the gangster who had earlier tried to throw them out of the Dragon House. Poor Gilran is absolutely, totally devastated, and for what purpose? It was all to just give Hongryeon some further heartache. ******** What’s really scary, though, is that Hongryeon is beginning to approach Janghwa’s level of ruthlessness. One great scene I just hinted at in the above summary (where I said that Hongryeon is almost a little scary) is worth relating: Park Seokdu, having heard that Hongryeon has suddenly become wealthy, tries buttering up Gilran. That doesn’t work, so he tries the same thing with Hongryeon. She keeps blowing him off, but she finally agrees to meet him at a restaurant. Seokdu goes on and on about how much he loves her, and about how they are married (I’m not sure if that’s actually true) but Hongryeon repeatedly tells him to just shove off. But when he just won’t quit, Hongryeon finally grabs a glass of water, and - has hard as she can - slams the glass down on Seokdu’s hand! The glass shatters, Seokdu lets out a howl, and he recoils backwards in pain. And, for a moment, it seems as if he’s about to beat her to a pulp for the third time . . . . . . until he notices that Hongryeon, with blood dripping from multiple wounds to the palm of her hand, is nonetheless still grasping the shattered glass. She didn’t even flinch! And when Seokdu looks up, he sees Hongryeon giving him a cold, glaring, look of death that would send a chill up anyone’s spine. Even tough guy Seokdu is a little creeped out. “You’re not the Hongryeon I used to know,” he stammers, and he quickly departs the restaurant. It’s great to see Hongryeon becoming stronger . . . but I’m also starting to see a new side to her that’s just a little unsettling. ************* I’ve always loved actress Yoon Hae-young, even when she was appearing in somewhat mundane shows like “One Million Roses,” but she’s really giving us a striking performance here as Hongryeon. There’s nothing at all that I can fault about her acting in this show. And this show really does have some superior writing, for as any K-drama veteran can tell you, once you’ve seen two or three KBS daily dramas, you’ve really seen them all. You might still watch them (because you like the actors, or maybe the characters they’re playing) but it always seems as if we can figure out the show’s ending before we’ve even seen a dozen episodes. But, not with “Love and Obsession.” Honest to gosh, I haven’t the slightest idea where this show is going. I’m starting to get REALLY worried that gentle Hongryeon - now that she’s become rich and powerful - may take a scary turn to the Dark Side. But, who knows?
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Post by soapygrams on Nov 22, 2009 2:27:12 GMT -5
;D :)I've been able to watch up to episode 84 episode after that are unavailable on mysoju. None of the other sites have completed episodes either.
How many episodes are there?
I don't think Hongryeon is either scary or mean. I think she is a highly intelligent and loving person. She was very naive at the beginning of the show but living in the city and being around the Witch has opened her eyes as to just how evil and mean people can be.
She's not out seeking revenge so much as to make up to her daughter for Gilran being so hurt. The Witch overplayed her hand and she will finally realize that sooner or later . . Hongryeon does not have that hanging over her head so the Witch really has nothing left to threaten her with.
I do so miss watching this show but am very grateful to you for keeping us posted on the action. Thank you so much . .kams hamnida. ;D
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Post by ginnycat5 on Nov 27, 2009 21:48:41 GMT -5
Wow, this drama is a more wild ride than I expected! Janghwa is completely evil. I'm glad Hongryeon is getting tougher; she needs to be, with that demon as an opponent. brrrrr.
Thank you so much for catching us up!!
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Post by mikey on Dec 13, 2009 17:42:35 GMT -5
Love and Obsession - Episodes 93-103 Janghwa hatches a scheme to bring Princess to Janghwa’s side. She obtains a photo of Taeyun as a child, and shows the photo to Princess, telling her that she found Princess’ “baby.” And, that if Princess wants to see him, she has to do everything Janghwa tells her. Princess is frightened of Janghwa, but she’s so excited about seeing “her baby” that she agrees to move in with Janghwa (at Janghwa's parent’s house, since she's been informally booted from Taeyun's mansion). Taeyun and Hongryeon are sure that something’s not right about this, but if Princess insists that she wants to live with Janghwa, what can they do? Princess soon discovers that Janghwa has lied to her, and when she struggles to leave, she collapses. Janghwa and her parents are in a panic over what to do, when Hongryeon shows up to check on Princess. Immediately, Janghwa claims that Hongryeon’s sudden appearance caused Princess to go into shock, and that it was “all Hongryeon’s fault." Hospitalization shows that Princess (who is still unconscious) has a small brain tumor, but that she’s also exhibiting symptoms of a stroke. Without knowing exactly what’s wrong, they don’t want to operate. The doctor says that if he knew more about Princess’ symptoms at the time she disappeared, he might have a better idea of whether or not to operate. So, Hongryeon goes looking for anyone who might have seen Princess shortly after Janghwa abandoned her. Janghwa, for her part, is pushing for the operation, thinking that, if Princess dies, so what? ********** Hongryeon finds the guy who stole Princess’ jewelry, as well as the rubbish collector who found her unconscious in the trash, and from the information they provided her, the doctor determines that it’s best not to operate. But Janghwa still continues to threaten Hongryeon about all this (right in front of the doctor and Taeyun) when Hongryeon finally blurts out that Janghwa was the one who abandoned her! Janghwa denies it, of course. Taeyun doesn’t trust her, though, and he starts his own investigation. And finally (largely thanks to nice-guy Suchan) they discover a surveillance video at a gas station near where Princess was abandoned. And (sure enough) right there on the video, the very day Princess disappeared, was Janghwa’s distinctive little red sports car. Taeyun confronts Janghwa, and - in the face of overwhelming evidence - she confesses that, yes, she did abandon Princess. And she goes for his sympathy, saying that she gave up her whole life to nurse someone who hates her. Taeyun doesn't buy that. "So, it's all MY fault???" Taeyun asks. Taeyun suspects (mostly correctly) that she actually abandoned Princess because Princess knew of her affair. And, for Taeyun, that was the final straw. He presents Janghwa with divorce papers the next day, warning her that she’ll face criminal charges – and a likely stint in prison – if she refuses to sign them. She signs them. ********** Little does Janghwa know that the fun is just beginning. Taeyun says flat-out that he's going to make her suffer ever more than his mother suffered (men like Taeyun are slow to anger, when they do, they can become awfully scary). So, Janghwa goes out for lunch – and her credit cards have all been cancelled. She tries to draw money from the bank – and her accounts are all frozen. She returns to her parent’s home – and discovers that people are there to re-possess the house! Janghwa (by now, furious) drives to Taeyun’s mansion, and she confronts Hongryeon out front. She’ll never surrender Taeyun to her, she tells Hongryeon, and neither will she allow Hongryeon to take all “her” money. And then, the icing on the cake: one of Taeyun’s black-suited subordinates shows up, and he grabs the car keys from Janghwa. He tells her that her little red sports car is the property of E-City, and that it's being taken away from her. Janghwa just collapses into a lump on the sidewalk. Meanwhile, Taeyun assigns Hongryeon her own private secretary, her own car, and her own driver - and he presents her with boxes of jewelry, too. Hongryeon is obviously uncomfortable about receiving such lavish gifts. ********** The divorce is finalized, and the housekeeper brings out a huge box filled with Janghwa's expensive clothes. Taeyun tell her to "burn them" (I TOLD you Taeyun has become scary)! There's a huge dinner gathering coming up, with all the big-wigs of the electronics industry attending. Janghwa still has her invitation, but she'd be crazy to show right? Nope, of course she shows (she says she doesn't want to lose face among all her wealthy friends). Taeyun's people try initially to get her ejected, but when she refuses, Taeyun stands up from his table, and makes a big public spectacle of announcing his divorce - and then he points to Hongryeon, and makes sure everyone there knows whom he's going to marry. Janghwa (finally) leaves the dinner, publicly humiliated. Meanwhile, poor nice-guy Suchan is heartbroken. He's loved Hongryeon for years, but now he knows that his friend Taeyun about to marry her. But, he cautions Taeyun that Hongryeon will never be happy married to him, because Janghwa will never, ever, give up (and he may have a good point, too). And there's another issue still unresolved, as Park Seokdu has just found out about the divorce, and he's not about to give up on that $10 million Hongryeon inherited from Princess. Janghwa, though, is getting pretty scary herself. She arrives at the wedding dress shop, and good-naturedly tells the staff that she's there to pick up Hongryeon's engagement dress. She takes it home, cuts it shreds, douses the scraps with red paint, and then has it delivered to Hongryeon at E-city. Of course, everyone is horrified when Hongryeon opens the box. Hongryeon takes the shreds back to Janghwa, and she tells Janghwa that her plan worked just as she expected. Everyone in the room was scared when the box was opened . . . except for ONE person. And Hongryeon makes it clear to Janghwa that she and Taeyun are still getting engaged, just as they'd planned! ********** In secondary plots, Hongryeon's good-natured, stocky friend Gongmi is still unaware that her pretty-boy husband (the wannabe male model) is having a fling with the woman who promised him a big time acting career. This is really getting unpleasant, since Gongmi is a loyal, honest woman - and if she finds out, she's not likely to take it laying down. Janghwa's skinny friend Junghae has been shifting her alliances back and forth between Hongryeon and Janghwa (depending upon whomever she sees as the stronger partner on any particular day). But, with Janghwa now nearly powerless, she's happily rubbing Janghwa nose into it every chance she can get. She's also announced her engagement to con-man Hyunggu - probably because she just couldn't stand seeing Hongryeon as the only woman in the spotlight. *********** Well, I was worried that Hongryeon might let the power get to her head, but so far, it hasn't happened. She's strong-armed Janghwa here and there (usually summoning her black-suited bodyguards to do the job) but so far, it's done more out of necessity than spite. Janghwa, though, really seems to be going off the deep end. I wonder where this is going now? ??
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Post by soapygrams on Dec 13, 2009 18:03:19 GMT -5
;D Mikey, thank you so much for this summary. I've been trying to follow it on mysoju but every so often I get that video not available so I just give up.
I'm sure all of us who were interested in this drama will be more than happy to read your summary. Thanks again . .
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Post by ginnycat5 on Dec 14, 2009 18:46:10 GMT -5
Thank you so much, Mikey!! I'm glad to know what's been happening.
Jangwha reminds me of villains in old films; she's like the guy who twirls his moustache (even if she doesn't give an evil laugh) and has no redeeming qualities. How can she pull a stunt like that with the dress and think she's living up to Taeyun's demand? Now he should have her arrested for abandoning his mother. He doesn't have to go easy on her, since she's still trying to hurt Hongryeong. grrrr.
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Post by mikey on Dec 26, 2009 15:43:57 GMT -5
Love and Obsession - Episodes 104-111 Janghwa has lost everything, so her Boy Toy (Hongryeon’s brother – the fired E-city security guy) rents her a car. And, as she’s leaving, Janghwa tells Boy Toy that she and Hongryeon can’t both exist in this world. One of them has to go. Worrisome words, and indeed, we soon see Janghwa stalking Hongryeon from the rental car, and when she sees her opportunity, she drives full speed at Hongryeon. Hongryeon dodges the fast-moving car, which crashes pretty harmlessly into a load of cardboard boxes. Hongryeon’s E-city security team then drags Janghwa away from the (only slightly damaged) rental car. Taeyun shows up at Janghwa’s parents' house, where Janghwa begs him to just spend one night with her. He declines, and instead warns her to never think of harming Hongryeon again. But Janghwa (now clearly going off the deep end) calls Hongryeon, telling her that she’s going away to die at the place where it all started. “If dying will stop you,” she tells Hongryeon, “I’ll die.” Janghwa’s cryptic message left everyone wondering where she could have gone, but Hongryeon is pretty sure that she’s headed back to their old high school. Upon arrival, she doesn’t see Janghwa – but she spots the rental car, so she knows that she’s there somewhere. And, as she enters to check, Janghwa comes up from behind, and clubs her. Meanwhile, Taeyun has figured out where Hongryeon might have gone, and he rushes after her. When Hongryeon reawakens, Janghwa is waiting for her. They engage in a brief fight, which is broken up by some schoolgirls (who heard the commotion) and then Janghwa begs Hongryeon to give up on Taeyun (who shortly arrives, and has Janghwa dragged away). The next day, who shows up at E-city but Janghwa, who’s looking for a job at the E-city beauty shop (the place she used to manage). It’s apparently a ploy to keep her near Taeyun, and he has her dragged away – again. And this seems to be the last straw for Janghwa, who decides to end it all by walking out on to a busy street, and standing there as a truck bears down on her (with the usual horns blasting and headlights flashing thing). She’s rescued at the last instant by her Boy Toy, who had been out on his motorcycle searching for her. Boy Toy takes her home on his motorcycle, but she tells him that his efforts won’t change anything. “What’s the use of living such a pathetic life?” she asks him. And when she returns to her parents' house, Janghwa’s pig of a father is there to openly ridicule her for losing it all (the guy’s not exactly father of the year material). ***** Meanwhile, Nice Guy Suchan’s sister is trying to mend his broken heart, by hooking him up with “Mary” from the beauty shop – a girl she initially rejected as wife material for her brother, until she found out that Mary’s family owns large tracts of land in the Seoul area. And Mary really does like Suchan – but the broken-hearted Suchan still only has eyes for Hongryeon. Suchan’s sister finally asks Mary to move in with them, in an attempt to distract Suchan from Hongryeon. And no, it didn’t work. ***** Taeyun, Hongryeon, and Gilran are out shopping. Gilran beams when Taeyun tells the salesperson that they’re buying things for “our” daughter. It’s a sweet moment, as Gilran seems to finally be getting the father she always dreamed of having. ***** The next day, Janghwa’s back at the E-city beauty shop, but she’s not herself anymore. She’s just sitting in the corner, quietly singing, and oblivious to the world around her. And Janghwa’s mother comments about a strange dream she had. She recalls something about how Janghwa “went home on a dragon.” So, what does that mean? ? And then, something snaps together for Janghwa, as she heads back to Taeyun’s mansion, and reverts to being the old Janghwa (apparently unaware that she’s no longer in charge). And, when Taeyun and Hongryeon come home, she goes into hiding in the laundry room, and starts singing to herself again. Hongryeon insists that she heard someone “singing, “ but Taeyun just chuckles, and thinks nothing of it . . . Once they’re asleep, Janghwa comes to life, holding a pair of scissors threateningly at Hongryeon’s throat, and then preparing a nice breakfast for Taeyun. Taeyun assumes that Hongryeon prepared the breakfast, and he enjoys it. And, once they leave, Janghwa stays over for another day of stalking. Not until the next night does Janghwa approach the sleeping Taeyun, telling him that she loves him. He awakens, hollers for security (already present in the house – they’re not much good, are they?) and he has Janghwa hauled away – again! Only now do they realize that she had been hiding in Taeyun’s house for the last two days! ***** Janghwa is taken back to her parents' house. Taeyun arrives shortly afterwards, telling her that nothing is going to change, and that he and Hongryeon are going to be married on Sunday. And, after he leaves, a fuming Janghwa goes about burning photographs of Hongryeon. And then she returns to the E-city beauty shop, where she again reverts to the old Janghwa, ordering people around and smashing things when people don’t listen. E-city security has her removed (AGAIN!!!!) and she’s taken to a bus stop to return to her parent’s house. But, as she’s waiting, she sees a woman arguing over a parking space – and that woman has a little red sports car, just like Janghwa’s old car. So, of course, Janghwa hops in and drives off. Her getaway doesn’t last long, and at the police station, she stubbornly insists that it’s her car. Hongryeon hears that Janghwa is under arrest, and she goes to the police station and sees Janghwa sitting in a jail cell, singing to herself. She approaches Janghwa, who immediately grabs her by the hair and attacks her. The fight is quickly broken up, and Hongryeon leaves, thinking that she won’t tell Taeyun about this incident, since it will only complicate matters. But, even Taeyun is now suspecting that Janghwa is going nuts. And Janghwa’s parents (who still have their house – apparently, Taeyun never carried out his threat to repossess it) are openly discussing whether or not they should have Janghwa taken to a hospital for a mental evaluation. ***** In the show’s two subplots, Gongmi finally goes to confront the middle-age Cougar who’s snatched away her wannabe actor husband – but when she goes after her, hubby rushes to the Cougar’s defense. Gongmi is devastated that he sided with the Other Woman. She gives up, saying that she doesn’t want to wait for a husband who doesn’t want to come home, and she drops his luggage off at the Cougar’s home. And now that marriage between Janghwa’s skinny friend Junghae and her former con man Hyunggu is being openly discussed, he’s suddenly suffering from a serious bout of impotence.
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Post by mikey on Dec 29, 2009 9:22:11 GMT -5
Love and Obsession – Ep.112 – 117 Janghwa has been taken to a hospital for a mental examination. She’s been sedated, but even so, she suddenly jolts awake (with wires attached to her head, no less). She just rips out the wires, and walks right out the door. Nobody even notices that she’s missing until she’s long-gone. Janghwa (thinking that SHE’S about to be married to Taeyun) heads for her parents’ home, where she scrounges up her old wedding dress. She shows up in front of Taeyun wearing the dress, and when he rejects her, she has a tantrum, breaks a few things, and then picks up a piece of broken glass and takes a stab at Taeyun, cutting up his arm pretty badly. So, she’s back in the hospital again. Taeyun tells her parents that she should be committed to a mental institution, but the parents tell him that they’re too broke to afford something like that (which is probably true). Taeyun just walks out on them. But, Hongryeon shows up at the parents’ house later, and offers them an envelope full of money to help cover Janghwa’s expenses. “That’s it???” exclaims Janghwa’s pig of a father, when he opens the envelope and doesn’t see enough cash inside. Hongryeon tells them that she’s not giving them money because she forgives Janghwa. She’s only giving it to them because she wants to marry Taeyun, and live a happy life. Nice Guy Suchan even wishes Hongryeon the best. Looks like he’s finally over her – more or less, at least. ***** Janghwa’s out of the hospital again, and she jumps into a taxi, and heads back to the hospital. But, rather than checking herself in, she heads straight for Princess’ room (who, after all this time, still lies there unconscious). She bluffs her way past the nurse, locks the room door behind her, and yanks the IV from Princess’ arm. And then, she grabs a pillow, and she begins to suffocate her. She nearly succeeds, as it takes an eternity for hospital security to arrive and unlock the door. Princess seemed to have survived the ordeal okay, and some E-city security people drag Janghwa away to the police station – to face charges of attempted murder. Taeyun hears what happened, and arrives at the police station, where he slaps Janghwa so hard that she goes crashing down to the floor. He then tells the police that he wants her charged to the fullest extent of the law. But later, Hongryeon urges him to have Janghwa committed to a mental institute instead, and Taeyun reluctantly agrees. ***** So, Janghwa is committed to the mental hospital, and Hongryeon goes to visit her. But Hongryeon leaves the hospital feeling even worse than when she arrived, as Janghwa – believing now that they’re still high school classmates, warmly greets her as her Best Friend Forever, and cautions her that the principal might find out that they’re ditching class. Hongryeon is shaken by Janghwa’s behavior, as is her brother (Janghwa’s Boy Toy) who begs Hongryeon to give up on Taeyun, and let Janghwa return to him so she can get better. Hongryeon doesn’t give him an answer. ***** Park Seokdu is still determined to get his hands on Hongryeon’s $10 million dollar inheritance, and he files to register his family relationship with Hongryeon and Gilran. The counter person at the government office tells him that all he needs is approval from the mother. Otherwise, she tells him, it has to go to court. Seokdu seems ready for that. ***** Janghwa is back in the mental hospital. She not eating, and seems constantly ill. A medical evaluation is made, and Janghwa is determined to be . . . FOUR WEEKS PREGNANT (!!!). The grim news is that Taeyun is probably the father, since it was just four weeks ago (when she was trying to patch things up with Taeyun) that she brought him home in a drunken state, and then jumped into bed with him. Janghwa’s pig of a father is jumping with excitement over the news. He’s hit the jackpot, he exclaims, as his daughter Janghwa is now carrying the only heir to the E-city fortune! ***** Hongryeon finally gives her brother an answer (about leaving Taeyun, and letting Janghwa get back together with him). She tells him that after all the things Janghwa’s done to Taeyun (abandoning his mother, and then trying to murder her) there’s no way that Janghwa could ever get back with Taeyun anyway. So, she’s going ahead with the marriage. ***** The E-city beauty shop owner (Janghwa’s friend) tells Taeyun – on the eve of his marriage – that Janghwa is pregnant. Poor Taeyun doesn’t tell Hongryeon, but he barely sleeps that night. The next morning, Hongryeon notices that he’s not looking too good, but he insists that everything’s fine. ***** Wedding day! It’s a “simple” wedding – by wealthy people’s standards, at least – and Hongryeon is simply gorgeous as the bride. And things are going well, too . . . right up until they begin exchanging vows . . . And that’s when Janghwa’s father (dragging a semi-conscious Janghwa behind him) goes storming into the wedding hall, breaking things and demanding that the wedding be stopped, because JANGHWA’S PREGNANT. Well, that sure put the brakes on the wedding. The next day, Janghwa’s pig of a father arrives at the E-city food court, strutting around like a rooster, and ridiculing Hongryeon. “The queen is pregnant,” he sneers, “so there’s no need now for the consort.” Nice Guy Suchan (who stops just short of beating him to pieces) drags him away from the food court. But, Pig Dad then heads for Taeyun’s office, where he issues him an ultimatum. He expects him an answer from him on Janghwa’s pregnancy within two days. And two days later, Taeyun shows at the hospital, where he tells Janghwa parents that he’s giving up all rights to the child. He’s going to start a new life, he says, and though he’ll pay for the child’s education, he will do nothing more for it. This wasn’t expected, and it must have been tough for a father to disown his own child. And it gets even tougher for Taeyun, when the mentally imbalanced Janghwa (in a tizzy because Taeyun didn’t come to visit) starts bleeding. Taeyun gets the news, and tells the hospital not to call him any more. But, even though he’s being the tough guy, this is something that’s obviously bearing down hard on him. ***** At the hospital, Janghwa’s drunken father (furious that Taeyun has disowned Janghwa’s unborn child) is going about breaking things in Janghwa’s hospital room. And when Janghwa’s mother tries to calm him, he starts beating her up. It only stops when Janghwa takes a big bite from his arm. ***** Park Seokdu pays Hongryeon a visit, accompanied by two lawyers. He’s filed suit against Hongryeon for parental rights. The smug attorneys sneer that they have a “99.99% chance” of winning. As if Hongryeon didn’t have enough problems . . . ***** Janghwa’s mental decline continues. She’s now “biting people and drooling,” says her mother. So, the psychiatrist at the mental hospital had Janghwa draw some pictures. The pictures (looking to be about 3rd grade level) were analyzed by the psychiatrist, and he concluded that Janghwa had a painful teenaged life. Her drawings showed her father (wearing devil’s horns!) beating up her mother, and the teenaged Janghwa - who hid during the beatings - seems to be blaming herself for not protecting her mom. The bright sun in the sky, says the psychiatrist, represents Taeyun, the savior who rescued her from that house. And now that Janghwa has lost her savior, she is in shock because she’s been forced to reunite with her parents. The psychiatrist suggests that the parents won’t be of much help in healing Janghwa, because she doesn’t trust them. The only person she trusts is Taeyun. He’s the only person who can really help her. Janghwa’s father goes again to Taeyun, apologizing (apparently sincerely) and begging him to help Janghwa. Taeyun tells him to leave . . . but he seems to be wearing down. ***** Hongryeon tells Taeyun that she understands the pain he’s experiencing. She gave up her whole life for Gilran, she tells him, so she understands how difficult it must be for him to disown his own child. And she tells him that, so long as he wants her there, she’ll be by his side, no matter what. So, whatever he decides about Janghwa’s baby, she assures him that she’ll be there to support him. Gongmi (Hongryeon’s heavyset friend) tells her that she must have been crazy to suggest such a thing. Taeyun finally chooses to visit Janghwa, and Hongryeon (coincidentally) decides to visit her as well. Neither knows that the other is visiting. Taeyun arrives first, and Janghwa’s beauty shop friend asks him to follow her. Janghwa is getting an ultrasound done, and he has a chance to see the unborn baby on the ultrasound screen. But Taeyun – right there in the room with Janghwa – refuses to even take a look. But the doctor says just listen: you can hear the baby’s heartbeat. And Taeyun can’t help but listen. And we see that Hongryeon is just outside the room, and hearing everything that is being said . . . ***** Subplots: It’s finally dawning on wannabe actor husband that his middle-aged Cougar might have lied to him. But, she settles him down by assuring him that she’ll change his life. Gongmi fills out divorce papers, and presents them to her wannabe actor husband. She says she’s already signed them, so he can sign and submit them if he wants. Hubby is shocked that she’s offering a divorce – but heck, he’s living at the Cougar’s apartment. What did he expect?? Junghae is determined to cure Hyunggu of his impotence, and she spends an entire day hiking in the mountains, looking for some mysterious black mushrooms that are supposed to offer a cure. She returns from the hike sore and wounded – but she came back with the mushrooms!
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Post by soapygrams on Dec 30, 2009 11:40:23 GMT -5
Thank you Mikey for this summary. I am baffled by how a homicidal maniac like JangWitch can keep on getting of of hospitals, avoiding being put into jail etc. She sure has some charmed life . We always thought she was crazy and she is for sure but why bring an innocent child into this mess? It's just too unbelievable for me. I know the concept of forgiveness and compassion and renewal etc. but in her case what's going to happen to that baby with a nutzo mother and a grandmother who is useless at helping herself or anyone else? The grandfather is a snake and being hit by a runaway truck is just too good for him . . and that has not even happened - yet LOL. I sure hope that the writers don't put JangWitch back with Taeyun - that would be a complete destruction of this story .. for me, anyway. I would like to see that the nice and happy people are rewarded with more happiness and the really mean, nasty, selfish and putrid people get their just deserts. That would be a change .. those fairytale endings of the redemption of the snake into a bird is too much fantasy for my taste.
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Post by mikey on Dec 30, 2009 20:53:49 GMT -5
I am baffled by how a homicidal maniac like JangWitch can keep on getting of of hospitals, avoiding being put into jail etc. Yes, I also thought they were showing a little weakness in the show's writing here. It was as if she could just walk right out of the mental institution anytime she felt like it! BTW, one interesting possibility about Janghwa's unborn child (not a spoiler, because I don't know the answer yet): everyone just assumes that it's Taeyun's child - but what if it's Boy Toy's? Remember, she rode home on his motorcycle that night. Of course, with Janghwa, who knows? Nope . . . not YET. ;D But you know how Korean dramas are! I do feel some compassion for Janghwa's mother. She seems like a nice woman, and it's obvious that she fully understands how rotten her daughter has been to other people. It's also obvious how Janghwa's father has ruined the lives of both mother and daughter (yes, I really wish he WOULD get hit by a truck)! I'm only three episodes ahead of what I've summarized here - and some big things are already happening. I'll try to get another summary together this weekend.
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