Nine: Nine Times Time Travel ep 4 [Dramatic Review]

Hello fellow Nine Times Time Travelers!  I wish I had some of these incense sticks myself as I seem to just be falling further and further behind in these reviews.  Since I'm fresh out though, I'll have to just stick with getting them pumped out as fast as my little fingers can type.  And since time is of the essence, I'll forgo a long introduction and just dive right in with episode 4's Nine.  Time to get smokin'!

Nine's Nine of episode 4

1.  How I Spent My Time Traveling Stick #2

Seon Woo, now in possession of his 9 time traveling incense sticks, starts putting them to use.  He goes back to 1992 and does a little recon.  He goes to the hospital where his dad and Dr Evil both work.  He runs into Dr Evil and pretty much gives him the stink eye, but leaves his revenge business for another time.  Then he comes across his big brother getting drunk.  Something is really wrong with hyung Jeong Woo.  He's really depressed.  He passes out and Seon Woo takes him home in a cab.  While Jeong Woo is out cold, Seon Woo uses the opportunity to rifle through his brother's pockets a bit and comes across a love letter.  Only it's not any love letter - it's a "goodbye, sorry my dad won't let me date you anymore" letter.  Looks like hyung is nursing a broken heart because his father has put an end to his love interest.  This is news to little brother Seon Woo who was unaware of his brother's former girlfriend.  As the cab pulls up to the house, Seon Woo has a surprise encounter with none other than his now-deceased father.  Dad is mad and doesn't hide his displeasure at his drunk son.  Can you feel the vibe here?  I kind of get the feeling like life was tough as the oldest son in this family and that expectations for him were sky high.  Poor Jeong Woo.

2.  These Two Adorable Love Birds!

Back in 2012, our two love birds are adorable as they text each other back and forth.  They are both grinning and happy in love.  You know what this means, right?  It's basic Drama 101.  If the love starts out strong, something is bound to happen.  Sorry.  Don't want to be a spoilsport here, but you'll find out soon enough, like in 7 more points.  So let's just enjoy the happy while we can, shall we?

3.  Messing with Your Best Friend

What's the point in having magical time traveling incense sticks if you can't go back and mess with your bestie just a little bit, huh?  Seon Woo buys his friend Young Hoon a Christmas card in 2012, but goes back and leaves it for him in 1992, letting him know that a message will be coming for him at a certain time 20 years in the future and it will tell him something that will explain the card.  Funny thing is that when he turns the card over, he sees that it was made in the year 2000.  Yeah, this is going to be fun!

4.  Convincing Your Best Friend You're a Time Traveler, Not Crazy

Sure enough, the message is received via email by Young Hoon.  It tells him of how Seon Woo believes his brother died while trying to find a time machine.  And the card is mentioned.  Young Hoon freaks out and goes running to find his friend.  Seon Woo is calm as his friend is freaking out, and nonchalantly explains how he bought the card that morning, went back 20 years to deliver it, came back to the current time, and then wrote the email.  30 minutes to write two Christmas cards/messages, 20 years to read them.  It's his way of proving to Young Woo that he is not crazy or suffering hallucinations due to his brain tumor, but indeed has found a way to travel back and forth between 1992 and 2012.

5.  Saving a Life and Mending Broken Hearts

So, how does the good doctor react to his friend's time traveling revelation?  Relief!  Seon Woo can use this to go back and save his own life.  Only Seon Woo reveals that he has another plan in mind.  He plans to go back and save his father's life, nail Dr Evil for his evil deeds, and fix his brother's love life while he's at it.  An important date to remember is December 30th, 1992 - the day that Seon Woo's father died.  It is six days away.

6.  Meddling

Oh time and foolish time travelers.  Will you ever learn to not meddle in the past?   In his digging into his brother's girlfriend, Seon Woo learns some things about her.  She is a single widowed mother who is older than his brother.  She has a daughter, Shin Ah.  He goes back and finds that the ex-girlfriend has received the letter from Jeong Woo and has tried to kill herself.  Her poor daughter is there crying her eyes out thinking that her mother is dead.  Seon Woo swoops in, gets her to the hospital and then gives Shin Ah Jeong Woo's contact information, telling her that if she calls this person and tells him what has happened, her mother will be all better.

7.  Standing Up Mom

Back in 2012, Seon Woo is meeting Min Young for a date.  He gets a call from the care facility that his mother is at asking him if he was planning on coming to visit or not.  In all the excitement, he has forgotten his visit with his mother.  It is determined that he is too far away to make it before visiting hours are over.  He feels bad for standing her up, and this just so happens to bring back a memory of another time he stood her up.  Remember how he talked about seeing The Bodyguard with his first love?  Well, it turns out that that night he was supposed to go out with his parents.  His dad had already bailed, so it was just going to be him and his mom.  Then the girl he likes calls up and asks him out.  He comes up with a lame excuse to get out of his date with his mom so that he can go see the movie with the girl.  As fate would have it however, who should show up and sit behind them in the theatre, but his mother.  The memory of this episode makes the 2012 Seon Woo sad.  And what does a man who possesses time traveling sticks do?  He goes back to fix this particular regret.  He can't do anything about standing his mom up in the here and now, but he can do something about 20 years ago.

8.  Date with Mom Redo

Seon Woo shows up at the movie theatre and sees his mother about to go in.  He rushes over and "accidentally" bumps into her and then steps on her glasses.  He then ever so gallantly immediately takes her to get new glasses and spends the evening with her, being all sweet and cute.  The evening ends with him giving her a necklace as a Christmas gift.  We then return to 2012 to see her in her nursing home wearing none other than the necklace from her son.  Awww!

9.  Whoops!  There Goes My Bride or Hello, Uncle

Remember how time meddling is bad?  And how the laws of KDramas state that a couple who is happy early in a drama cannot stay happy?  Yeah?  Well, this is where it all comes to a head.  In 2012, Seon Woo and Min Young are sitting down at their date.  All is cute and lovey dovey.  It's Christmas Eve.  He just fixed things 20 years ago with his mom and is feeling pretty darn proud of himself and his magic fix-it sticks.  Except he went to far, because back in 1992, the 10 year old Shi Ah is getting ready to call Jeong Woo and tell him that his tragic love is recovering from tragically nearly killing herself.  While sitting there, Min Young starts talking a little about her life.  And how she changed her name a couple of times while growing up.  Yup.  You guessed it.  Min Young used to be Shi Ah, daughter of his brother's girlfriend.  At that moment, the past is changed, Shi Ah calls Jeong Woo and poof!  She disappears from Seon Woo's side in 2012.  Oh dear.  Way to go Seon Woo.  You just made your bride into your niece.  Nice.  Whoopsie!  Maybe you shouldn't have been burning those sticks so carelessly because it looks like you've got an even bigger mess to clean up now.

What a fun twist, huh?  I loved it.  This drama is so awesomesauce!  I hope you too are enjoying it.  I can't wait to get through these reviews quickly so that I for one can see what comes next!  I can only watch them as fast as I review them, so I'm desperate to get through it ASAP!  I must know what comes next!  Shhh...don't tell me, k?  I'll get there.  I'll start burning the midnight oil if I must because this drama is just that good and I've just gotta pick up the pace for my own sanity's sake!