Pinocchio ep 8: THE CURSE IS BROKEN!

That's right folks, as the title of this post indicates, I am declaring the Park Shin Hye Kissing Curse to be BROKEN!!!!  He did it!!!  Lee Jong Suk, out of all the amazing and talented leading men she has been paired up with in the past, was finally "the man" for her. Success!!!!  I knew she had it in her! This is such an epic day that brings me all sorts of happy. Let's observe a moment of silence in gratitude for and acknowledgement of the enormity that is the passing of the curse.

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There. That should do. Thank you all for participating with me in that. It just felt right, like it needed to happen. Shall we move on now that that is out of our system?

Now, before I jump into the rest of everything here, yes, we have a kiss in this episode. And yes, it was magical and wonderful and fairly spectacular for a drama kiss, even without the PSH factor factored in. It struck me as notable though the placement of it in the episode. I think it is safe to assume that we have all seen enough dramas to know that a kiss like this is typically our cliffhanger at the end of an episode, but in this case, it was in the middle. And not just the middle, but early middle part. Maybe this isn't as significant as I'm making it, but it struck me as odd and tells me something important about this drama, which is that we have a whole lot more drama to go. While the love line is certainly a major part of our story here, it is not by any means the only part. After this week, I believe it will play an integral part in the remainder of the story - I definitely don't expect it to be ignored by any means - but I don't think it's going to be the main focus. Like Kmuse speculated in her review of 7, I think that something dark is coming in relation to Frightening Hyung and In Ha. I definitely picked up on that foreshadowing loud and clear as he stood there looking at the poster of her with her mother, the archenemy. I am so scared. But more on that and my opinions/emotions related to Hyung later. For now, let's move on and talk about my top 7 strings holding up this episode.

1.  The Kiss
Yes, fine, we're going to start here. Seriously, it deserves top billing. For many reasons. One reason is because the rest of this is going to get dark and scary real soon, so I want to start with something beautiful and wonderful to help gear me up for the parts I don't want to talk about because they break my heart. It means that we will be terribly out of order, but I'm okay with that.

Very okay.

Thanks to social media, I was well informed that this event would be occurring before I even watched the episode, so, when I saw the snow begin to fall, I got all sorts of giddy and excited. And then the actual magical moment. Sharing and talking like they once did back when they were close and before the awkwardness set it, In Ha comments about how she wants to get back to the point where they could talk comfortably with each other, minus the awkwardness of romantic feelings between the two of them. Of course at this point, she's still under the delusion that the feelings are all on her side, but Dal Po quickly sets that misunderstanding to rest. She says how she wishes they could return to what they once had been and we hear him from behind tell her that that is impossible for him. He asks her if she could go back, to which she replies that she can. And then hiccups. Embarrassed, and remember, still thinking that it's a one-sided crush on her part, she runs away. He chases after her and grabs her arm and spins her around dramatically. He's facing her and goes in for the kiss, which she instantly blocks, literally hand over mouth with eyes wide. He doesn't back off though, and instead, goes in and kisses her hand.

Kisses. Her. Hand.

Starting to do the math that he's on the same romantic page as her, she drops the hand and stares back at him.

He takes the invitation and opening that she is leaving him and goes back in for another attempt. (DID YOU SEE THAT ADORABLE LITTLE HALF SMILE RIGHT BEFORE HE GOES IN FOR THE KISS?????)

Melty!!!!

This time, she doesn't resist. She even closes her eyes. That's right. PSH closes her eyes for a kiss!! Not only that, but the pained look she often presents in kissing scenes that makes her look as if kissing a hottie is causing her actual physical discomfort is no where to be found. I even went back to watch it again to make sure I didn't miss anything in my excitement of the moment, but no, it was legitimately a good kiss. An amazing kiss. A romantic, sweet and heartwarming kiss there in the snow. I swear I could hear angels singing, it was that monumental of a moment for me. 

Epic. Simply epic.

2. Meeting Hyung

After 13 long years, Dal Po is finally face to face with his long-lost brother. This is a moment he has dreamed about and longed for for so long. Except something is wrong. The fantasy doesn't quite play out as planned. See, he thinks he's there to meet a possible murder accomplice, not his brother. Learning that they could be one in the same chills him to the core and shakes him up. That is why, when he introduces himself, he uses his Dal Po name and not his real name. I can't even imagine the turmoil inside that he is and will continue to face. Poor sweet boy. How horrible of a moment. And we know it's just beginning. It will probably get worse. Go ahead writers - rip my heart out and stomp it to bits. You're good at that.

Dal Po isn't the only one there looking for Scary Hyung. The dead man's phone has been located in that square, and so Chan Soo and the police are there to find the person holding the phone. Seeing the cops, Dal Po grabs his brother and takes him to a cafe where they sit and talk, but not before Chan Soo spots Dal Po in the crowd. When asked by Chan Soo both that night and the next day about his whereabouts, Dal Po lies, which of course just makes Chan Soo all the more curious and suspicious that he is hiding something. But I'm getting ahead of myself here. Back to the brothers. Hyung is trying to return the money Dal Po paid his friend for the bumper. Dal Po is trying to give him more money. Both guys seem so good, but we know that there is something dark in Hyung caused by the loss of his family. Ugh! So tragic!! In their conversation, Dal Po omits to his brother the fact that he is now a reporter. This is of course going to be important later, so we'll keep that in mind until then.

As they go to leave, Hyung puts his arm around his little brother and they look at themselves in the reflection of the car. Hyung asks Dal Po if he thinks they look alike, since Hyung's friend said they did. It's a very touching scene with poor Dal Po fighting back tears. Obviously he wants to tell his brother the truth, but is afraid to do so. He does ask him if he can call him hyung, which surprises Jae Myeong that this random stranger wants to call him big brother, but he rolls with it. Good thing too, since Dal Po is likely to slip and call him that anyway. Seriously, everything about this whole brother thing truly breaks my heart.

3. Funny Stuff
One really, really wonderful thing about this drama is how they do a great job balancing the serious with the funny. Yes, we got some heartache and yicky stuff with the brother and In Ha's momma drama, but oh, the funny we got in return! Hilarious stuff that helps ease the pain a bit. Things like everyone trash talking everyone else while in the bathroom and those being trashed talked being in the bathroom to hear it all, one right after the other.

Then there was the part where Dal Po, aka "Fighting Chicken" to his sunbaes at the station, totally plays them and turns them around on their heads. He's in trouble for not following orders and chasing after the possible accomplice that turns out to be his brother. His sunbaes are all ready to scold and punish him, but he manages to turn them around and have them praising his efforts when he asks about what to do if he catches the suspect before the police. In the end, he tells them that he doesn't have a suspect, but that now he knows that he is to follow his instinct before orders, and triumphantly walks off, leaving the two of them gobsmacked and realizing that they were just played.

Ya think?

Then there was the scene where Reporter with a Reformed Conscience, Hwang Gyo Dong, gives Dal Po his brother's number. First we get an imaginary scene where Dal Po is so overcome with emotion and gratitude, that he's crying and hugging and practically leg-humping Gyo Dong. Wanting to avoid this flurry of embarrassing thanks he anticipates, Gyo Dong instead gives the number to Yoo Rae to give to him. When Dal Po gives none of the response to receiving his brother's number, Gyo Dong is shocked. And chases Dal Po down in order to make sure he a) knows what this name and number he holds actually is and b) knows how much it took Gyo Dong to track it down. Having already met his brother though, and having it not go so well, Dal Po is incapable of mustering up anything close to the reaction Gyo Dong is seeking, which of course then makes the seasoned reporter suspicious. But that's where the funny stops, so I'll stop there too.

Out of all the funny scenes though, nothing was funnier than In Ha washing her hair in the toilet. After hearing the exciting news that she gets to actually report on a real story (the first out of all the trainees), she excitedly rushes off to clean herself up, a task made difficult when, with shampoo in her hair, she realizes that the water at the station has been turned off. She looks over at the toilet, and before we know it, she's drying her hair in the hand dryer and there's shampoo bubbles in the toilet. Ahh! So gross yet so funny!

4. "Dad" and "Hyung" Visit the Office

In Ha's father and grandfather come to the station in order to bring In Ha some clothes for her big debut. While there, some important things occur that will, I'm sure, soon affect our love line. About to have the truth revealed by a fellow employee, Seo Bum Jo jumps in and tells "little brother" that Dal Po has a crush on co-worker Yoo Rae. With Yoo Rae standing right there. Her reaction was hilarious as she refuses his fictitious feelings.

Papa/brother Dal Pyeong also observes while there the attentions of one Bum Jo towards his darling daughter. Not only that, but he also sees Bum Jo's chairman mother fawning all over In Ha. His eyes light up and you can practically hear him think, "jackpot!" as he looks on at what is happening between the two three of them.

He's gotta be happy. He thinks that the threat that was Dal Po has moved on and now a rich and wonderful heir is pursuing his daughter. Okay, so yeah, the rich and wonderful heir is pursuing his daughter, and yes, his mother is doting and equally wonderful to her, but obviously we know where her heart lies. And we know where Dal Po's heart lies and it is certainly not with Yoo Rae. Ooh, Daddy/brother is not going to like the reality here.


5. Icy Conditions
The trainees are off to cover a new news story. This time it is slick, icy conditions and the slips and falls that these conditions cause. This is a yearly topic of news for them, and the competition is tough. News organizations are crawling all over town, trying to catch the best fall out there. In Ha and Bum Jo with their giant hearts of gold soon have a problem with this seemingly simple assignment. The problem? They can't stomach just standing there, watching and waiting for unaware pedestrians to fall flat on their tushies. They start instead to help people and prevent the falls they are supposed to be filming from even happening. This is obviously an issue in regards to their job of reporting. In Ha ends up losing her opportunity to broadcast and is nearly cut from the company by her mother, but, after a pep talk/chewing out, makes peace with her task to stand by as a non-involved bystander, and heads back out, hiccups under control and all.

6. Caught
While out looking for the icy slip 'n slide spots, Dal Po ends up in front of his brother's place. He takes the opportunity to scope out and peek inside Hyung's truck that is sitting there. Big brother sees him doing so and then overhears an old lady call Dal Po a reporter. Uh oh. Sure enough, later on we get a confrontation between the two that isn't pretty. Caught snooping and lying, Dal Po isn't on the receiving end of warm brotherly fuzzies, to say the least. Jae Myeong spits out how he detests reporters and orders Dal Po to leave him alone and never call him "hyung" again. Oh, how I wish Dal Po had at that moment taken the opportunity to tell him who he was. Bad fallout and all. Maybe it would have at least prevented the rest of what is sure to come. What big brother has already done can't be erased, but maybe future sins and crimes could be avoided if Dal Po just came clean and told his brother who he was. This is most certainly going somewhere and I'm nervous to go along with it to the dark place I suspect it is going. I am so nervous of what is to come.

7. Daaaang
The final scene doesn't do anything to alleviate my fears of what is to come. There is a car, or rather, a truck chase going on. Police are after a runaway drunk truck driver. Drunk truck driver running from the cops plus icy roads equals disaster. Cue the crippled boy with a cast on his foot and crutches limping across the street.

Disaster is unfolding right before the eyes of In Ha and her reporting team, who are about to stop filming for the night when they see all this play out in front of them. Cameras rolling, there's not much they can do by the time they realize the tragedy about to occur.

Enter Scary Hyung sitting in his truck at the intersection.

He too sees what is about to happen and risks it all to save the boy by slamming his truck into the sliding runaway truck in order to stop it from hitting the child.

At this point, I screamed so loud that my husband came running into the room to see what was wrong. True story.

Who does he see this boy as? His little brother of course. *heart shatters again* After the collision, a bleeding Jae Myeong staggers over to the boy who he just saved, calls him by his brother's name, and then passes out.

Wae??? Why did he have to turn into a revenge-driven murderer??? He's such a good guy at heart. Why let this poison ruin him? Why?????  What a tragic character!

I foresee several different possibilities stemming from this incident. One of which involves Jae Myeong being heralded as a hero and his little brother having to be the one to bring him down. I also see a possibility of Jae Myeong's hatred of reporters growing since they were just standing there watching this kid nearly die without getting involved. Since it is In Ha, daughter of the woman he hates more than anything in this world, that was standing there, I can see it getting extra bad as far as that whole thing goes. She's going to be targeted by him. I don't know exactly how or why, but I think it's coming. Which is why we have our love story already developed to this point of mutual affection and expression of said affection. You know when things start to go good in a love story this early on in a drama that something has to come along and destroy it, and in this case, I suspect it will be Jae Myeong's doing.


And there we leave it for today fellow addicKts. So much to cover in this one episode, I know I missed a ton of stuff, and for that I am truly sorry. I would have loved to cover more of the happy/sad huggy stuff between our OTP

 or the adorable Yoo Rae stuff....

I believe that is Super Junior's Heechul on her phone there as her "love". Know how I know? Because he had this screenshot on his Instagram. Love it!

 I didn't begin to scratch the surface of the whole Mommy Ice Queen stuff

Or even get to spend adequate time on the adorable Bum Jo stuff.

Ahh! He's so sweet and adorable and perfect! I wish I could hate him what with him being the "other man" and all, but I just can't. I adore him and want him to be sublimely happy. Just not with In Ha.

It's a good thing though when one episode of a drama has an overabundance of good material to work with though, right? I think so. At least I think so until I try to whittle it down, then suddenly I start wishing it were less awesome and full of good material ;) Sorry if I missed your favorite part or something you wanted to rehash and revisit. If there's something you would like to discuss though, whether covered here or not, go right on ahead and leave us a comment here or on our TCA FB page.
And as always, thanks for stopping by and may your week be filled with wonderful and entertaining drama until we meet again!









P.S. I apologize that episode 6's review is not yet up. A crazy busy holiday week was immediately followed by a crazy busy work/normal life week. I will get it up as soon as I can, I just didn't want to make this episode any later, because, well, it's got the kiss. Duh. ;) So, sorry if you went looking for episode 6's review only to be bitterly disappointed (haha). I'll let you know when it's up. :)