Dramatic Friday Review: Dr Jin ep 21

Still not fair.

Unnie gets another week off!

What the hay?  Or is it hey?  Hae? (We'll go with the last one - looks more Korean)

What the hae?

Granted, I only have one episode to watch and review this week (again, what the hae?  They promised me two episodes but I only got one.  So, not only did they add two episodes on to my sentence the drama, but now they are making me wait an extra week to finally wrap it all up?!  Grr.)

Now I'm grouchy.

Good thing there are some sweet JaeJoong caramel abs in this episode to help cheer me up.  Not yet though.  You have to wait.  They're coming.  I promise.  Hold on til then.  You can do it.  It will be worth it.  Pinky swear.

Before we get to the abs though, we should probably cover what happens before then.  It's only fair.  I mean, they did go through the trouble of writing it, filming it, editing it, airing it, subbing it....  The least we can do is talk for a minute about it.  Then abs.  Mmmm...sorry.  Distracted.  I've already seen them after all, so I can picture them in my head right now.  Jealous?  You should be.  Unless you watched it as well, then, like me, you're probably imagining them for yourselves at this moment.  Unless you didn't notice them.  I'll admit, I almost missed them as well.  What?!  I know, right?!  That would have been a tragedy.  A travesty even.  A really really sad thing.  How could I almost miss them?  It wasn't my fault - I was distracted by the blood and gore.  I started to turn away from it as has become my custom during Jin watching when I caught them out of the corner of my eye.  And then I went back and watched the whole gory scene again.  You know, to get screenshots.  For you.  A purely selfless act.  Entirely.  Completely.  Yup.

But I'm getting ahead of myself and revealing way more then I probably should.

Back to the review!

We begin episode 21 with Choon Hong's funeral.  Unlike the first gisaeng who died in this drama, this funeral was a little more understated.  Just a gathering of a few people and a flower-covered casket being sent off to sea.

Or river.  Some body of water.  You get the point.  Poor Choon Hong.  Her friends are sad at the loss.  PigDog and Daddy are sad at the loss of the town's best gisaeng and such a "good wench".  Ugh.  Gross.

Jin is a little bummed out.  As evidenced by the signature SSH stance of head held back in despair.

This one is for you Unnie!

He's reeling over the news that Mi Na is dead.  He's so bummed in fact that he goes to throw himself off a cliff.  He is unsure if this means he will return or die, but he doesn't much care at this point.  He doesn't want to be here or there.  I was kind of curious myself.  I was all, "Sure, give it a try.  Let's see what happens."  Too bad Young Rae spoiled the experiment by pulling him back from the edge.

Foiled!  Curiosity goes unsatisfied once again.  I guess you can't kill off the title character a few minutes in to the next-to-last episode (though a certain show *name withheld to prevent spoilage* did it in episode 6 of a 28 episoder), but still.  Could have been interesting.

Amidst Jin's personal whatnot, word comes in that the French have come with their warships (7 total) and are bombing Kangwha Island.

The Joseon people are vastly outnumbered.  Fingers start pointing.  Well, Ahndong fingers at least.  At the Prince Regent.  Heung Seon at this point announces that he will accept responsibility...if they lose the war, he'll step down.  So now Left State Minister is determined that they shall indeed lose this war if he has anything to do with it.

Kyung Tak is a little taken aback by his father's attitude.  Political shuffling is one thing, but wishing for your own country to lose a war just so that you can retain your political foothold?  That's going a little too far, wouldn't you say?  I would say.  Kyung Tak does say.  Yet, he still stays by his father's side, though he does try to talk him out of his newest plan.  And what is that new plan?  He wants to kidnap the king.  Sounds smart.  (Nope).

And here we get a lot of stuff.  A lot of stuff that will be boring if I get too detailed in describing.  Really.  I can promise you that.  So I'll just surmise.  Byung Hee gets KT to plant a false "Dear Heung Seon, This is What the Future Holds, Love Dr J" letter.  Remember how KT stole the original?  Well now he's supposed to plant a fake that says that the king will be poisoned that night in hopes that they will move the king out of the palace where he can then be captured.  The letter is planted and read.  The king is moved.  Only, the palanquin carrying the king turns out to be empty.

KT had warned Heung Seon ahead of time.

Oh but wait!  Before you think that he has switched sides (hahaha -- did you fall for that one too? Silly us. We should know better by now.  We've had 21 episodes' experience after all), it turns out that the warning to Heung Seon was orchestrated by Byung Hee.

Only it backfires.  Young Hwi, if I am reading this correctly, has decided not to trust KT after an earlier conversation with him where KT basically tells him in no uncertain terms, "Dude, you can't trust me."  Byung Hee is surrounded by Royal Guards

It's too quiet.  Run!

and a battle breaks out.

During this fight, KT is shot with an arrow in the side.

Young Hwi carries the injured KT to the clinic.  Only KT refuses treatment by Dr Jin.  He would rather die.

"I don't want you to take care of my life!"

YH:  The world has changed, join me in making a new Joseon

KT: (talking about his loyalty to his dad) When I went to his house holding his hand, this is my fate.

Enter Young Rae.  She's brought in to do the fixing up.

YR: I killed you many times, Sir.

So this time I wish to save you.

Okay, you did it.  You made it.  We're there.  It's time.  Ready?

Here you go.  And how about I make them a little bigger too?

Ignore the blood.  Focus on the chest and abs of the yummy pop star.  I'll give you a moment.  Take all the time you need.  No rush.  This is the best part of the whole episode right here.

Dear JaeJoong, Nuna thanks you for your dedication to your craft.  Really really thanks you.  

Okay, how was that?  Worth the wait?  Inner fangirl passed out.  At least that will keep her quiet for the rest of this review.

{Psst...don't tell Inner Fangirl because she might not be able to handle it, but it has come to this ahjumma's attention that there is a 99.9993% chance that this is a fake torso.  *GASP!!!*  I know, I know.  Not cool.  But still, we know what's really hiding underneath it and it's not too far off, so we will use it as a simulated representation of the real thing and try to contain our bitter disappointment in being mislead.  But really, would it be fair if such perfection actually existed?  I would argue that no, no it would not be fair for one person to contain such perfection - too heavy a burden to bear.  JaeJoong, Nuna still appreciates you and your dedication to your craft, fake torso or not.  Imitation caramel can still taste as sweet, can it not?  We will let it slide this time and just watch some Mirotic videos to ease the pain and satisfy our sweet tooth.}


Through this operation, which is undertaken without anesthesia because he is a warrior and will not let himself be weak and unconscious in front of her, he has a realization.  He recognizes her talent as a doctor and suddenly it all starts to click for him.  Why she broke off their engagement.  Why she pursued this path.  He tells her that she is a good doctor and assures her that the wound will heal quickly (meaning the emotional wound of her dumping him).  Aww!

I should probably mention something before going on.  Prior to this, Young Rae realized that if Mi Na is dead in the other world that she herself is surely about to die as well.

This makes her act rashly.  Jin is desperate to save her.  She's desperate to get away.  The front line of the battle with France is in desperate need of doctors.  So of course she sets her mind to volunteering.  She was packing up when Jin came to get her to doctor Kyung Tak.

After he's all patched up, Kyung Tak stumbles into his father's room.  He's hurting and bleeding, but he immediately draws his sword and swears to bring back the Prince Regent's head for his father's sake.  The boy cannot even lift his sword.  Before this, Byung Hee had been paid a visit by the Prince Regent.  Basically, it's over.  Oh!  Shoot!  How can I forget?!  How did the Prince Regent know of Byung Hee's plans to kidnap the king?  He had a visit from his son.

No, not KT.  Well, he had that too, but no, he also had a visit from none other than PigDog McNasty!  Turns out that PigDog and his cronies have decided that the old man has been in power long enough and it's time for a new AhnDong to step up as leader of the clan, and PigDog is just the man for the job.  So he goes to Heung Seon and spills the beans.  When Byung Hee learns of his "favored" son's betrayal, he's toast.  He knows that he's done.  He has no supporters on his side anymore.  Heung Seon goes to him and offers to let him live if he'll just fade away into retirement and leave politics behind.

So, KT shows up, blade drawn, ready to fight for his father.

We then find out why.  Why KT has stuck by his father's side through all of this, even when he didn't like what his father was doing.  Even when it went against his own conscience.  I've heard of filial duty, but this guy took it to the ultimate extreme.  His father admits that he has treated him like a dog, yet KT was always loyal.  KT basically says, "You're my dad.  You're all I have left to live for."

He is so desperate for his father's approval.  Byung Hee I think is shaken by this.  After everything, the one loyal person by his side is the one he treated the worst.  The son that wasn't worthy of his love and good graces.  He tells KT that he's done - retirement and living quietly in the country with his son doesn't sound so bad after all.

He asks KT to help him up.  KT, who can barely stand himself, stumbles over to his father and helps him up.  Byung Hee then reaches in to KT's robe and pulls out his pistol.

At this point I believe my sentiment yelled at the screen was "What the FREAK?!"  Byung Hee gets this crazy look of glee on his face and then we pan outside for the actual shot.  Who did he shoot?!  When we go back in, both of them are covered in blood.  WHO?! DID?! HE?! SHOOT?!

Himself.  Byung Hee shot himself.

We get a dramatic death scene.  He tells his son that he, KT, was the most like him, BH and that that scared him.  He doesn't want his son to live for him.  He wants his son to live for himself.  I think that this is probably the most selfless act of BH's fatherhood.  I think it is the one moment where he finally steps up and tries to be a father to either of his sons.  When he puts them before himself.  Granted, his world and life as he knew it is over.  He knows he's beaten.  And I think that played into his decision and act, but I think it also was to set Kyung Tak free.  I'm going to believe that of him - that he had a shred of decency in him that he saw his son's pain and suffering at his hand and finally wanted to let the kid have a shot at a life of his own.

So that's how we end it.  Byung Hee is dead.  PigDog has filled his shoes politically.  Young Rae is on the front lines as a doctor.  And Heung Seon has just vowed to lead the troops himself.

One more week to go.  Stay tuned for the dramatic conclusion next week!