Dramatic Friday Review: Dr Jin ep 19

So not fair.

Unnie gets a by-week on her reviews.

I still get Jin.

Uninterrupted, extended for our pleasure, Jin.

So, while she goes to bed at a decent hour tonight, I will be staying up late working on my reviews.  Not to make you, the readers demanding Jin reviews, feel guilty.  The late thing is all my fault.  After all, these episodes did air like 5 days ago.  I've just been focused on other things like back-to-school shopping (seriously - they go back on Monday.  As in 4 days from now.  Boo.), Olympics (yes, I'm watching them even though one of my shows has been preempted.  The way I look at it is, it's not the Olympics' fault.  They were here first.  If certain networks had bothered to look at a calendar, this whole issue of preempting a show right before the finale could have been prevented.  But I'm not here to rant - that's Unnie's job.  I'm loving the Olympics and have been cheering for my country - Go USA! - and South Korea - Korea, aja aja hwaiting!), soaking up the last week of summer (i.e. being entirely lazy and wearing pjs all day), and watching other dramas (I Need Romance 2012 and Bridal Mask to be specific).  Jin was far down the priority list.  Until suddenly I woke up today and realized that it's Thursday and I still have 2 episodes to watch and review.  Schnikeys!  So what did I do?  Watched most of 19 and then went shopping.  And to lunch.  And to the library.  And met a couple of teachers at Meet the Teacher Night at school.  And in a few minutes we're off to karate.  Hence, I can pretty much guarantee a late night, unlike lucky Unnie who's show was preempted and so she has nothing to write about and can enjoy a night off.  Granted she's babysitting like a thousand kids, so I think I still got the better deal, but don't tell her that.  We'll let her think she got off easy.  *wink wink*

{A few hours later.  Okay, more than a few.  11:05 am the next day}
Obviously I changed my mind.  For my own sanity's sake I decided to sleep last night instead of watch and review Jin.  My sincerest apologies to the two of you who are still watching it.  But I'm back, both episodes are watched and I'm ready to tackle this thing, so let's jump right in, shall we?  You know, before I lose focus again (which is very likely any minute now).  You have no idea.  It's the last day of summer break for us.  Very hard to keep focused.  If the kids weren't still working on their chores, we'd be off again on a wild adventure (you know, like school supply shopping at WalMart -- ooh, the exciting lives we lead, huh?).  But I digress.  It's Jin time!

The main focus of episode 19 was the continued power struggle between Prince Heung Seon and Left State Minister.  One has evidence that the other committed high treason, the other, evidence that blah blah blah.  I forget.  Seriously.  I was zoned out.  And watching this in bits and pieces here and there between all my crazed running about the past couple of days.  Some may have slipped through the giant-sized holes in my Swiss cheese brain.  The point is, both have evidence against each other.  Both are desperately trying to wield and hold on to power.  But who pays the price?  The Christians.  Read: Young Rae.  There's a manhunt out there for her and the French priest.

Despite her best attempts to disguise herself, *snicker*

she is eventually caught.  But that doesn't happen until the end, I'm jumping ahead of myself.

Before she is apprehended, a couple of big things happen.

There is a peace treaty of sorts signed with the French priest Ridel.

If you'll recall, in real history, Ridel returns to Korea with warships and there is a battle.  Jin, in order to try to fix what's already been screwed up and to try and prevent this war, helps devise this peace treaty.  Basically it means that the Catholics will be left alone and Ridel will not attack.  Only, there's a little problem.  Young Hwi tells Kyung Tak.

Guess who Kyung Tak tells?  Do I really have to say?  He's a double agent.  We knew this.  Unfortunately Young Hwi doesn't.  So he blabs, the priests get caught and the peace treaty falls into Byung Hee's slimey little paws.

Hey, do us all a favor and while you've got that sword out, cut off that scraggly nasty beard, will ya?

Meanwhile, Jin has met a new friend.

He comes across a little boy who is crying.  His Christian parents have been arrested.  In order to cheer up the child, Jin makes him a paper airplane.  He asks the boy his name and finds out that they share the same family name of Jin.  When Jin hands the boy the airplane, he experiences a strange shock.  There's something funny about this boy.  Hmm.  Later on, the boy is brought to him after a serious accident.  He was playing with the paper airplane and fell, thus impaling himself on a branch.  Surgery is begun right away.

Remember how there was something funny about this boy?  As he is fighting for his life, Dr Jin starts to go all Marty McFly on us.

Marty McFly?  Did Dongsaeng just use a Back to the Future reference AGAIN?!  Yes, yes I did.  If you have seen the movie, you know exactly what I'm talking about.  If you haven't, then what are you doing watching Dr Jin when something like Back to the Future exists in the world?  For the sake of anyone who has possibly not seen it or has forgotten (as if), he starts to disappear.  He begins to fade away.  It becomes obvious that his fate is somehow connected to this boy who shares the same family name.  Ancestor?  The Joseon version of himself?  We don't really know.  We just know that as the boy dies, Jin starts to fade away into nothingness and can't continue with the surgery.  It gets really scary when the boy stops breathing for a moment.  But then Young Rae does some rescue breathing on him and fixes it all.  The boy gets better and Jin does too.

Young Rae starts to pieces these things together.
Jin starts to piece these things together.

Parallel universes and other selves and ay, ay, ay.  Brain hurt.  He goes to Choon Hong demanding answers.  He then has a huge revelation, Mi Na and Young Rae are the same person after all.

He's a smart one, he is.  They don't call him 'Doctor' for nothin'

He gets angry at Choon Hong and wants to know why she lied.  She says that it was to protect him.

He yells some more and then storms out, followed by Choon Hong falling to the ground and exclaiming something to the affect of "You can't handle the truth".

There's something she knows that we are being kept in the dark about.  Cue the dramatic DUHN DUHN DUHN.

Okay, back to politics for a moment.  This one is a biggie so I best be mentioning it.  Heung Seon and Byung Hee sit down to lay out their cards to one another.

Byung Hee, with the secret French treaty in hand, has the better cards.

Heung Seon is backed in to a corner.  In order to save his son's position, he strikes a deal with the devil, Byung Hee.  He, Prince Heung Seon, will step down and relinquish his power.  Again, DUHN DUHN DUHN.

And now, we get to the part where Young Rae is arrested.  This happens right after Young Hwi and Kyung Tak have had a little heart-to-heart.  YH has kind of figured out that it was KT who betrayed them.  Instead of coming straight out and accusing him though, he appeals to him more as a friend.  He apologizes for deceiving him and tells him that he is suspicious of him, not because of anything he did, just because they live in a world where no one can be trusted and it's lonely and he misses his friend.  At least that's what I got out of it.  A guilt trip or play to KT's conscience and their long-held friendship.  It's right after this that KT sees YR being led away captive.

I'm assuming this tugs on his heartstrings even more.  He's a man conflicted.  How about we get one more DUHN DUHN DUHN for good measure?  This show just begs for them.  Lots and lots and lots of them.

And that pretty much brings us to the exciting conclusion of episode 19.  It ends with Heung Seon telling Jin that he has stepped down.

Okay, so he's just admitting to stepping down.  Why is he laughing?  Has he lost his mind?  19 episodes proving too much for him too?  Sorry, I hate to break it to you, but you've got 3 more to go, try and hold it together just a little longer, will you?

Oh shoots!  History is getting screwed up left and right.  Jin, Jin, Jin.  You've really stepped in it this time.  How you going to fix this mess?  Prince Heung Seon is supposed to be this historical hot shot superstar of Joseon and you've managed to meddle and kill his career in like 2 months flat.  Way to go, dude.  Way to go.

And now, kids chores are done and I'm off for some exciting adventures at Wally World buying pencils and paper and fun stuff like that.  Episode 20 will be up later.  Just think of it as being preempted for now, but the good news is that you don't have to wait until the Olympics end.  Just until later in the day.

 One final parting shot.  I think the subtitles say it best...

Ah, welcome back Inner Fangirl.  I was wondering where you'd gone off to.  Glad to see you're still with us.