Dramatic Friday Review: Dr Jin ep 13

Well, well, well, we meet again.  Ready for a little Dr Jin?  Let's get right to it instead of me rambling on and on and on about random stuff for a paragraph or two first, shall we?  Sounds good to me.  I'm ready to get this show on the road.  Yup.  Time to get to the whole reason why we're here.  Time's a'wastin'.  Tick tock tick tock.

When we last saw Dr Jin, he was meeting the king for the first time.  He sat before the curtain and made his greetings.  Uh huh. He sure did.  That was the cliffhanger we were left with.  I bet it was a long week waiting to see what came next, wasn't it?  As far as cliffhangers go, this one was a doozy.  I could hardly sleep at night.  It haunted me in my dreams.  "What will happen next?", I wanted to scream.  Now thankfully our torture is over, for now we can know what happened next.  So?!  What was it?  What came next?!

Dr Jin talked to the king and found out he was kind of a douche bag.  Sorry for my strong language.  How about, he is kind of a playboy?  A good-for-nothing?  Or as they call him, a "scarecrow king" placed in power by the Left State Minister and his AhnDong family.  The king likes to drink and play with women and he doesn't want another doctor, he wants a gisaeng.  Slime ball.  I get the feeling the whole family is full of them, if the ones we have met so far are any indication.  I don't call whatshisface PigDog for nothing.  Good thing Prince Heung Seon is determined to take them out of power.  That's a good thing.  He's a good guy.  His son should really be king and he should really be his son's consort while he's underage.  That sounds like a good plan to me - let's go with it.  Ready Jin?  It's all up to you dude.  You think you're just there as some fluke?  No way.  You gotta help make sure that Myeong Bok becomes king.  Then you can grab up your magical Brain Baby and escape back to the future.  That's where we're going with this one, I'm sure of it.


After his rather disappointing meet and greet with King Douchey, Jin and Young Rae have a chat.  She has just lied to her mother and told her that Young Hwi is off studying and doing well.  Kyung Tak has pulled a "you saw nothing" thing with her in regards to Young Hwi's death, so, with that and the promise she made her brother before his death (to pass on the message from him that he is studying hard and doing a-okay), she assures her mom that all is well.  Yeah, speaking as a mom, that's not going to fly later on when the truth comes out.  I mean, there are little white lies we might tell someone to protect them from getting hurt ("no honey, you don't look fat in those jeans" for example has saved many a man from getting hurt), but something like "yeah, your oldest son is dead" goes just a little beyond that on the lie spectrum.  I guess a few more days of ignorant bliss won't hurt her, but eventually Momma is going to find out and if she finds out that Young Rae lied, Young Rae better run.  We've seen Momma get mad at her before and it wasn't pretty.  


Anyway, so after all of this, Jin and Young Rae face off.  

Young Rae is ticked.  She blames Jin for saving the bad man that killed her brother.  If he had let the man die, Young Hwi would have been safe.  Or would he have?  Kyung Tak swears that he would have killed him if the gunman hadn't.  Methinks he's not telling the truth though.  We saw that he was going to let him go.  Jin, even after facing the wrath of angry YR, says that given the chance to do it over again, he would do the exact same thing again.



Jin then pays a visit to Choon Hong, telling her to tell him everything that she knows and how she knows it.

I included this shot mostly because I was in love with her gown here.  So pretty!  I want a hanbok just like this one.

At this point she gets up and walks over to a drawer and pulls out...

a Rubik's Cube.  


o.O


Yes.  You read that right.  A Rubik's Cube.  It's all "aged" I guess, or just really dirty, but a Rubik's Cube nonetheless.


I repeat...   O.o


I love this show.  Chincha.  Just when you think it can't get more weird, they go and pull out something like this.  I think it goes without saying that I had hoped that she was bringing Brain Baby out, but alas, no dice.  Close to dice though.  Get it?  Haha.  Because a Rubik's Cube looks kind of like dice?  Haha?  No?  Oh...
:(  I tried.


So, Choon Hong has been back to the future.  Sorry, for some reason I'm now channeling the 80s and the phrase "back to the future" just seemed most appropriate in the situation.  You know, what with the freaking Rubik's Cube and all.  {{I think Dongsaeng is a little too focused on this cube thing.  Maybe she should let it go and move on.}}


}{    <-----that looks funny, like one of those "what do you see - two people facing each other or a vase" kind of things.


Sorry, where was I?  This darn twist has thrown off my concentration.  Haha!  Get it?  Twist?  'Cuz you twist a Rubik's Cube?  No?  Still nothing?  This stuff is gold here people.  Pure gold.  Speaking of gold...that comes back up later in this episode.  At this rate though we're never going to get there.


Okay.  Focus.  Concentrate, Dongsaeng.  What did Choon Hong tell Dr Jin?  Well, remember way back when at the beginning of the show (you know, back when we were still innocent and didn't know any better), there was a child in a hospital in a wheelchair out of her room after hours and Jin talked to her?  She just rolled away without saying a word, but holding, are you ready for this?  That's right...a Rubik's Cube.  Not just a Rubik's Cube.  The Rubik's Cube.   {{seriously, blog lady, let the cube thing go}}      

Choon Hong, when she was 10, ran away from the gisaeng house and fell off a cliff.  When she woke, she found herself in a strange place - a hospital in the future and the first person she saw was Dr Jin who operated on her.  Somehow she made it back to Joseon after that, and had been waiting for Jin ever since.  Now, why did she think he'd show up?  That wasn't really mentioned.  But for whatever reason, she's been waiting.

"I'm the girl.  I've waited a long time for you to come"

Since she had been back and forth herself, Jin asks her how it's done - how he can travel back to his time.  She tells him the same thing she told him before -- once everything goes back to the way it is supposed to be, he will be able to find that answer for himself.  Gee, thanks Cryptic One.  You're a real help.  She also admonishes (that's a great word, isn't it?) him once again to give up on Young Rae or certain doom will follow.  Okay, maybe she doesn't exactly say "doom" but it's inferred.

And now, we're back to JaeJoong.

Hi there JaeJ.  It's good to see you again.  Oh us?  We've just been chatting about stuff.  Nothing too important.  Not as important as you at least.  How's it going?  Sorry your best friend was your enemy and died near your hand.  At least it wasn't by your hand.  You don't have that one hanging over your head.  It is time to talk to Dad though.  You ready to tell the good readers here what you and Papa talked about?  No?  You want me to do it for you?  Okay.  Sure thing.  Anything for you.  Well, almost anything.  "I would do anything for love, but I won't do that".  {{Sorry, still stuck in those 80s}}    Byung Hee asks Kyung Tak the identity of the rebel leader.  {{No!  No Star Wars comment!  Stinkin' 80s just won't leave me alone here.  I feel like I'm being stalked by a decade in this review. And no, not even sure if "rebel leader" comes from Star Wars or not, but it made me think of it, kind of like Byung Hee in his funny hat still reminds me for some reason of Star Wars. Neither could actually be from Star Wars though as I am admittedly a non-Star Wars fan so what do I know?}}  When KT reveals that it was Young Hwi, Byung Hee is enraged and immediately orders them to be stripped of their noble family status and made into slaves.  PigDog looks like Christmas came early and Santa brought him everything he asked for.  The look of glee on his PigDoggie face...well, I feel sorry for pigs and dogs that they have to be associated with this character.  Calling him PigDog at this point is like insulting swine and canines the world over.  KT thinks fast and convinced his father that it would look bad for them if rumors start about how their two families almost mixed.  Instead it would be better for them to actually marry.  Huh?  Sorry, but the logic there was a little lost on me.  But whatever, Young Rae's family is saved by Kyung Tak and hopefully she'll marry him instead of Dr Jin.  I don't want Jin and her together.  Not at all.  First drama couple I really feel this strongly against.  I hope it doesn't work out between her and the doctor. I hope that she and KT get married and he gets the happines and the love that he deserves and Dr Jin goes back to where he came from and moves on with his life sans Young Rae.  So there.

PigDog's Christmas-like joy only grows when he finds out he might be able to reclaim the gold he lost.  But we'll come back to that topic later on.

For now, let's jump back to Young Rae and Kyung Tak.  He tells her of the arrangement he has made with his father regarding their marriage.  She throws a temper tantrum, exclaiming vehemently that she doesn't want to marry him still - that nothing has changed since the first time she called things off.  He explains that if she doesn't marry him, then she and her family will become slaves.

And then, oh the heartbreak!  She tells him that she would rather be a slave then marry him.  Ouch!  Oh girl, that was harsh.  The look on his poor face to know that a life of slavery is preferred over a life as his wife...

  ...and this from a girl he has loved for 20 years?  Oh man. Dude, I'm sorry.  That is seriously rough stuff there bro.  But not to worry - I'm sure millions of girls around the world started screaming at this point saying that they would marry you.  You are Jae-freaking-Joong after all.  Perfection personified, remember?  He comes back with the whole "but I promised your brother I would take care of you and, no matter what, I intend to keep that promise".  Aw!  Heart melting just a little more....

Okay, now for the gold story.  I've been hinting at it, and normally I wouldn't spend so much time on it, but it has an interesting end, so I mention it now.  Ha Eung is determined to make the AhnDong family look bad.  He's got the perfect ace in the hole...PigDog's dirty dealings and the gold.  They set up a trap for him.  Joo Pal, disguised as a Chinese merchant, brings him the chest of gold.  

When PigDog claims it is his, Joo Pal asks for proof.  They want the paper on which the transaction with the Westerner is recorded.  They lean on Mr Yes-Man Hyena finance minister guy with a little blackmail, telling him to convince PigDog to produce the paperwork.  Did it work? Did they get the evidence they need to discredit and disgrace Left State Minister and his son?  Guess we'll just have to wait.

Jin is on the palace grounds mulling things over when the king approaches.  Thankfully we see a softer, more human, less douchey side of him.  He talks about how he feels lost too and how he wishes he could return back home to the island and the farm he came from.  He talks of a lost love and asks Jin if he too has someone in his heart.

Whether he does or not, Choon Hong is doing her best to keep the doctor and Young Rae apart.  She now takes it upon herself to have a sit down with Young Rae and tell her that she absolutely can't have Jin (remember the certain doom?) and that she must marry the Major or else everything will go wrong and Jin will never be able to return home.  She even tossed a "and he is destined to return" for good measure.

Oh goodness.  I just realized that I skipped a really important part.  Prince Heung Seon has asked the Queen Dowager to adopt his son as her own in order to set him up to be the heir.  The king is not doing well health-wise and the fear is that the house of AhnDong will continue to reign if and when the king kicks it.  From what I can gather, this means that PigDog McNasty will most likely become the next king as he is the first son of the AhnDong family and apparently Byung Hee is the puppet master pulling the strings in the royal affairs.  Well, word gets back to Byung Hee about this and there is an uproar.  To discuss an heir while the current king reigns is considered treason.  Of course the bad guys are doing it, but they're the first to call foul when the good guys give it a try.  This is the reason why getting PigDog in royal trouble is so important - to stop the reign of this family and all their sliminess.

Heung Seon is all set to carry out Operation Destroy PigDog, when a curveball is thrown by Byung Hee.  


As they are in the King's audience, Byung Hee himself brings his son forward, accusing him of this crime and having had had him arrested himself.  

This is PigDog's face when his father requests his execution. Does that look more like a "woof" or an "oink" to you? Could be either. I can't decide, so I'll go with both.  Woink woink. Or Oiff Oiff if you prefer.

He requests his son's execution as well as his own for the crimes committed in illegally trading with Westerners.  Wha?  Prince Heung Seon is floored and totally taken aback by this preemptive strike from Byung Hee.  What is he to do now?  The king, instead of ordering the execution of PigDog, gives out a lighter sentence - banishment.  

Banish him!  Now, nap time for me because I'm the king and my head hurts from all this kingly work I'm doing.

To which there were smiles of relief from Byung Hee.  His plan worked.  He diffused the situation and took the wind out of Heung Seon's sails.  PigDog meanwhile is shocked by his father's betrayal.  hehehe...that was awesome!  Even more awesome was when we found out that it was Kyung Tak who got to catch and arrest his bully of a brother.  He has become Father's favorite now.  I especially liked when PigDog was being arrested and he cried out "I'm going to tell Dad!".  Hahahaha!  That was classic.

Well, she's going to do it.  Young Rae has agreed to marry Kyung Tak.  She and he approach Byung Hee to let him know that they intend to marry.  

After she swears fidelity to the AhnDong clan, Kyung Tak is so sweet and promises her that he will from now on protect her and her family, no matter what.  

My inner fangirl is swooning here for the major. Major Hottie!  Behave yourself Fangirl.  Remember what we talked about last week?

Really?  Do you really mean that?  Because you might just find yourself having to do that...no matter what.  And it might mean betraying your own father and family.  I sure hope you mean it Kyung Tak.  And I sure hope you get the girl.  Though the cheesy music tells me you won't.  Jin is so sad when he finds out she is marrying KT and the music...that awful violin music that plays during the Jin/Young Rae scenes.  You know what I'm talking about, right?  Please tell me that I am not alone in my annoyance at this music.  Bleh.

We end with the king falling ill (it wouldn't be a Dr Jin episode without the convenient medical emergency, now would it?  Although this time it doesn't save Jin or anyone else's neck/life.  Bummer. I was really becoming attached to those). No, the king has appendicitis and needs an operation.  Heung Seon rushes to Jin and begs him not to do the surgery. 

"Stop!  In the name of love, before you (save the king and) break my heart.  Think it o-o-ver."

He wants the king to pass away so that he can slip his son in as the heir.  Oh me oh my, what will Dr Jin do now?  He knows that Myeong Bok is supposed to become the next king, but not quite yet.  Does he help this happen now or take his chances that it will still happen in a few years?  Oh, what's a doctor from the future supposed to do in this situation?  Guess we'll have to wait until episode 14 folks. 


Aw man!