Hyde, Jekyll, Me Episode 4 Recap

Watching Hyde, Jekyll, Me invokes some new drama watching angles for me. I’m normally a rabid OTP shipper and rarely has there been a drama that has hooked me completely which didn’t have a super swoony central romance. That makes this a rarity where I’m shipping Hyun Bin with himself. It’s not hard since Han Ji Min’s acting and character is soooooo insanely dull. Partly her own fault and partly the character as written, she is supposed to be the “trigger” for the narrative but functions more like a flip on light switch and all I see is the bling bling lights that is Binnie’s smile as Robin or Seo Jin’s glower. Not to say the central pairing can’t win me over later on but four episodes in it’s still not working.

What does work is how this drama is approaching the mental illness dissociative identity disorder topic. It’s not delving into it as much as presenting Seo Jin-Robin really like a superhero and his real life alter ego. Except in this case the daily life cold chaebol is the real identity and the superhero smiley guy the hidden side that threatens the façade of normalcy. It doesn’t hurt that Seo Jin and Robin bicker like twins with different personalities, except they do it via video messages and hand drawn notes and leaving each other with messes to clean up made by the other person. I’m also really curious about what happened 5 years ago to lead to protocol 19 and Robin’s disappearance. Those bits work well while the rest continue to serve as non-intrusive filler.

Episode 4 recap:

Seo Jin learns from Robin that Ha Na is the reason Robin is back, and even more startling is that Ha Na is the reason Robin even exists in the first place as she’s the girl from the bridge 15 years ago. Robin lays down the 20th protocol which is to keep Ha Na safe.

Seo Jin orders Young Chan to hurry up and find Professor Kang, doing everything he can to canvas the area around the hospital for new leads. Seo Jin sees the remnants of snacks left on the table that clearly Robin enjoyed, making him even more furious that Robin’s return is no longer triggered by Seo Jin keeping his blood pressure below 150. The only way to get rid of Robin forever is finding Professor Kang and her promised final treatment.

Ha Na tells her circus troupe unni Jin Joo that she found the prince from the bridge who saved her 15 years ago. Turns out he’s Goo Seo Jin’s twin brother! The girls find it odd that no one knows that Goo Seo Jin has a twin but unni suggests it’s typical chaebol family fighting whereby they keep the twin hidden from the world to avoid an inheritance battle. Ha Na finds that probable what with guards always chasing after Robin.

Ha Na gets a text from Robin asking if she’s fine and feeling well? He explains this text is being sent as scheduled and he’ll call her at a later time.

Seo Jin orders Young Chan to get rid of Jang Ha Na. He can pay for her living expenses and assign a bodyguard to protect her until she can remember the face of the assailant, but she’s not to enter Wonder Land again and the circus is to be kicked out per the original plan. Seo Jin doesn’t care if Ha Na agrees to this because she’s the trigger for Robin’s presence.

Seo Jin rails that he would have killed Robin if he was another guy but Seo Jin can’t because Robin is himself! He brings up 5 years ago and vows never to have that happen again. He doesn’t want another person to be injured because of him. Seo Jin finds it even scarier that Robin has no recollection of what happened 5 years ago.

Seo Jin receives Ha Na’s return text as he’s heading to work and angrily deletes it while calling Robin crazy. He wants Young Chan to have Ha Na sent back to the US, erase her presence in Korea immediately. He then asks the head guard why his body hurts today? Young Chan interjects that the aches likely came from Seo Jin zip lining with Ha Na which only riles Seo Jin up even more. Ha Na and her unni watch the news report on TV covering Professor Kang’s strange disappearance.

Also watching the news is the owner of the café who is friends with Robin. He’s the father of young Min Woo Jung who rushes to get dressed in the morning but doesn’t forget to greet a picture of her crush Robin. She shares with her dad about a dream she had where she got bitten by a giant snake. Dad teases her that it’s just a dream but wonders if she’s been missing someone. He checks his phone with a message from Robin that he’s back and will come see him soon.

Seung Yun pays Chairman Goo a visit and is told to take some work matters off Seo Jin’s plate for the time being since Seo Jin’s doctor Professor Kang has gone missing. Turns out Seung Yun is sleeping with Chairman Koo’s secretary and he texts her a request to find out more about Professor Kang’s disappearance.

Seung Yun runs into Seo Jin on his way out and reveals Chairman Goo asked him to take some workload off Seo Jin’s plate. Seo Jin isn’t worried and tells Seung Yun to focus on his declining sales. Seung Yun wants to know if Seo Jin saved an employee yesterday? Seo Jin snaps that he didn’t save an employee, didn’t get chased by guards, and didn’t slide down a zip line.

Seo Jin sits down with Chairman Goo and is ordered to immediately buy a ticket to leave the country. Seo Jin knows his dad has given up on him and doesn’t intend to look for Professor Kang. Chairman Goo admits that he has once before and still will not have any qualms about giving up on Seo Jin. He views Seo Jin as his sole weakness and wishes Seo Jin could be stronger and help share in his load. He wants Seo Jin to get better so he wouldn’t feel as guilty.

Seo Jin calls his dad despicable for trying to hide Seo Jin away and conceal his illness. Seo Jin refuses to be ordered around this time, threatening to reveal his mental illness to the media himself. He wants Chairman Goo to leave him alone and let him handle this current situation.

Ha Na finds out that Wonder Land has gone back on the new contract and is terminating once again and ordering Wonder Circus out immediately. Ha Na runs to talk to Seo Jin and is barred from getting close to him.

Ha Na’s circus dongsaeng Eun Chang helps Ha Na find a way to talk to Seo Jin. He’s touring the park aquarium and doing a media event with the press when Ha Na sidles up to him dressed in a walrus costume and threatening to announce that she will sue him for breach of contract in front of the press.

Seo Jin agrees to speak with Ha Na in private and she calls him out on the childish and unprofessional manner of terminating their contract. She asks if this has to do with yesterday and apologizes for whatever she did to upset him. Seo Jin thinks to himself that Ha Na woke up Robin and is a liability to him. He lies that he doesn’t like people who don’t know what they did wrong and can’t change thereby causing problems for others. Seo Jin calls Ha Na bad luck and he doesn’t want her around anymore.

Ha Na screams at Seo Jin for being ridiculous, he could get rid of her but what about the circus. Seo Jin plans to give the circus severance and points out they would have been fired without Ha Na. He’s willing to compensate Ha Na for helping be the eyewitness but after that he doesn’t want anything to do with her.

Ha Na catches up to Seo Jin to continue their conversation which is when Seo Jin notices she’s wearing his necklace. He snatches it back despite Ha Na saying that Robin gave it to her. Seo Jin says nothing belongs to Robin and orders her never to mention Robin again. Ha Na refuses because Robin exists, he was there on the day Professor Kang was attacked. When Seo Jin ran away is when Robin is there.

Seo Jin angrily pushes Ha Na against the wall and orders her not to talk about Robin again! He suddenly goes into another episode and kneels down in pain while Ha Na looks on. Seo Jin gradually regains his composure as Ha Na tightly holds his head with her hands and tells him to take deep breaths. Seo Jin stabilizes and Ha Na wonders if he suffers from a phobia condition? That just earns her a hard shove from Seo Jin and Ha Na goes down and can’t get back up in her mascot costume.

Seo Jin walks through the aquarium and looks at the necklace in his hands. Eventually Young Chan finds Ha Na laying on the ground and helps her up. Ha Na asks if they don’t need her eyewitness memory anymore but Young Chan assures her that her help is still needed. He tries to explain that Seo Jin is acting out because he’s so stressed lately and everything will go back to normal once Professor Kang is found.

Ha Na tells a concerned Eun Chang not to worry about the future of the circus nand calls Tae Joo for another consult to regain her lost memory. Tae Joo asks her to come an hour later after his consult and we see that he’s talking to the assailant as his patient.

Woo Jung is leading a meeting of Robin’s fan club where she chastised members for their disloyalty in liking other comic book artists since Robin hasn’t been around the last 5 years. Her yelling at the fan club is interjected with Detective Lee yelling at Seung Yun for daring to bribe him for Professor Kang’s file. He hilariously takes the money anyway and calls it money for insulting him. Woo Jung huffs out of her meeting and the picture of her and Robin falls out from her book where Seung Yun picks it up.

Seung Yun sits with his spy and both marvel at Seo Jin secretly leading a second life with a very young girlfriend when he acts like a monk to the world.

Ha Na passes by the assailant on her way into Tae Joo’s apartment and the man turns back to stare at her all ominously. Ha Na sits down with Tae Joo and shares her suspicion that someone is targeting her. He pauses from starting the session to put her at ease seeing how tense Ha Na is. He knows her worries about not being able to help or being too late to find Professor Kang. Ha Na feels better with Tae Joo’s assurance and wants to do another session.

Young Chan tries to speak up for Ha Na with Seo Jin, pointing out how sad it is for the circus to be dismissed just like that. He gets a call from the detective that Professor Kang’s computer files have been recovered and emailed to Tae Joo for review. Seo Jin rushes out to see Tae Joo and find out what was in her files.

Ha Na remembers the strobe light falling on her during the hypnosis session which also makes her realize that Seo Jin was there and trying to warn her. She doesn’t remember seeing anyone there but Tae Joo explains her suspicion is likely right as the cops think the light was tampered with. He asks how Ha Na is sleeping these days and gives her his rope to play with if she has trouble sleeping. Ha Na knows it’s hard on Tae Joo as well, on people who are worried about Professor Kang. Tae Joo thought Ha Na wouldn’t come by again to help and thanks her for doing this.

Ha Na leaves Tae Joo’s apartment and just misses Seo Jin heading inside. The assailant watches Ha Na leave. Seo Jin sits down with Tae Joo and asks to see just his personal file from the data recovered from Professor Kang’s computer. Tae Joo reveals there are no files on Seo Jin, everything related to him are just images that appear to be used for treatment. Tae Joo offers to continue treating Seo Jin and asks what his condition is? Seo Jin lies that he suffers from insomnia and then notices Ha Na left something behind in Tae Joo’s apartment and hears she was by earlier.

Young Chan and Seo Jin notice from the car that Ha Na walking down the street and a motorcycle appears to be driving erratically towards her. Seo Jin pulls Ha Na to safety and reminds her not to put herself in danger before handing back the scarf she left at Tae Joo’s apartment. Ha Na plans to recover her memory and Seo Jin is happy about that and willing to pay anything to her as long as it’s not renewing the contract with the circus.

Ha Na figures there’s more than just Seo Jin disliking her so she’s willing to leave the circus as long as Seo Jin allows the rest of the troupe to stay. Seo Jin agrees and Ha Na thanks him before explaining that she will cooperate with recovering her memory to find Professor Kang and it’s unrelated to Seo Jin. She just wants to help someone in need. Ha Na also takes back her accusation from before that Seo Jin is always running away.

Ha Na walks away and Seo Jin follows to hand her an umbrella to shield against the falling snow. She takes the umbrella from Seo Jin who turns and walks back to the car.

The assailant goes back to his own apartment and immediately turns on the computer. He types in “The plan failed. That guy is back.”

Ha Na goes to the circus to pack up her own things and take a walk down sad memory lane from all her fond recollections of growing up there. Seo Jin gets into bed but tosses and turns.

Ha Na is finishing up a bout of crying when she gets a call from Robin asking her whereabouts. He hears she’s at the circus and promptly hangs up. The lights suddenly come up in the circus and Robin shows up with a smile. Either he teleported there or that call was totally pointless.

Robin notices Ha Na’s tear streaked face which she claims was getting sand in her eye. Robin tries on various circus funny glasses to cheer her up and gets a laugh out of Ha Na. Robin notices the trampoline in the center and Ha Na explains that her dad made it for her when she was learning to zip line. She sees the trampoline like her dad’s hand, safe and enveloping her.

Robin and Ha Na go jump on the trampoline together happily and before falling exhausted on the surface. Ha Na wonders if it’s safe for Robin to be out and he asks whether Seo Jin said anything to her? Ha Na claims Seo Jin didn’t say anything. Robin asks if she’s not curious why he’s always running away from his own family guards or why Seo Jin seems antagonistic towards him. Ha Na isn’t curious so Robin promises to tell her at a later time.

Ha Na takes that opening to reveal she’s leaving soon, likely back to the US. Robin wonders why and asks if Seo Jin wants Ha Na to leave. She admits that Seo Jin insulted her circus as being outdated and her performance not wanted anymore.

Robin tells Ha Na that she should have sassed back to Seo Jin that he was the one with the outdated personality. The two of them jump on the trampoline together insulting Seo Jin left and right.

Seo Jin wakes up the next morning with his body aching yet again. He wonders what that bastard Robin did again and gets a hint with a cheeky note that says “Sorry!”

Seo Jin wanders the house looking for anything odd and enters the secret lair to place a call to Young Chan to check on what Robin could have done to apologize to him. He suddenly sees Ha Na and her circus folks walking up his driveway carrying suitcases.

Ha Na greets Seo Jin with a polite smile and thanks him before handing over a new signed contract. Seo Jin flips to signature page where his thumb print is inked there and the telltale ink still on his thumb.

Ha Na explains that he wanted her to move in with him to keep her safe while working at the circus as well. Seo Jin looks stunned and screams at Robin inwardly as a total bastard!

Thoughts of Mine:

It’s hard to swallow the overwhelming response when watching this drama that Hyun Bin is so wasted on such an underwhelming script. There are elements of interesting development swimming in a sea of pedestrian writing and directing. I think this is where I’m going to have to leave the dissatisfaction behind and go with what works. And what works is the dynamic between Seo Jin and Robin. They are presented as two different individuals, who just happen the share the same body. It’s harkens back to the 40 Days set up where two leading lady souls shared the same body, one for the daylight twelve hours and the other for the nighttime twelve. In that drama the two characters both earned the viewer affection and interest and I see the same thing happening here. Robin doesn’t come actress simply as Not-Seo Jin. I find his motivations and interests just as intriguing as peeling away all the hard shell around tightly wound Seo Jin.

Robin talks as if he lives to help others, yet Seo Jin’s mention of what happened 5 years ago makes it seem like Robin nearly caused a catastrophe which Seo Jin had to clean up. Does Robin get in over his head with his eagerness to help, or does his very existence leave harmful remnants behind for those around him? I like Robin because he’s nice and friendly, and also smiles a lot with those charming dimples. But beyond that he’s actually not as the potential for Seo Jin to really shine as a character. I thought Seo Jin would cow to Chairman Goo’s every demand but it was so satisfying when he threatened to reveal his condition to get his dad to back down. I think the drama is doing a disservice with keeping what happened 5 years ago from the audience, if we knew what’s so scary about Robin it would help to understand why everyone feels the need to behave so dramatically to keep him squirrelled away. Of course the same goes for the assailant that attacked Professor Kang, who is clearly in cahoots with another individual and the ultimate target is looking like it involves Seo Jin.

I wish I could saw Han Ji Min is improving in her acting or chemistry but it’s so negligible in making any sort of impact. She is literally just there, doing her thing and advancing the plot whether it’s pushing Seo Jin to keep the circus or trying to get her memory back with Tae Joo’s help. Her being a trigger and the eyewitness are the coincidences that make her the leading lady, otherwise she has so little personality I’m not sure what Robin or Seo Jin will see in her. The bit with her crying over the circus leaving made me laugh because the drama has done such a terrible job at fleshing out the circus or Ha Na until then, not to mention the directorial penchant to show such scenes way too long rather than focus on the interesting bits. I like where the drama is headed having Ha Na move in with Seo Jin, but more than that I’m dying for the battle of the wills between the two personalities when it comes to Ha Na. I thought I would be all Robin but strangely I’m not all that against Seo Jin’s aversion to Ha Na for the time being.

Click here to watch Hyde, Jekyll, Me.


Comments

Hyde, Jekyll, Me Episode 4 Recap — 46 Comments

  1. Sigh. I am going o be honest and therefore may incur some fan bashing. The thing is right, one can’t even express an opinion these days for a drama without being accused of being bias against a certain actor. Why can’t people respect reading a different opinion and move on?

    I don’t know whether it’s the writing or directing but the drama has no zip. Seo Jin and Robin are both distinct and well acted right? The house and offices are luxurious. Then how come the episodes are so plodding?

    I was watching Rooftop Prince years ago and pretty much had to watch Ha Ji Min’s scenes several times while editing the subs. I am editing as well for this. She is the same. Pretty. Nice dental veneers. Great smile. Slim and ok acting.

    I am making the assumption that it’s the writing that makes her so forgettable. She just delivers the lines.Even when she gazes into Robin or Seo Jin’s eyes I don’t feel the intensity. Also the writer didn’t make her character really intelligent. It’s not to do with IQ. It’s just that she doesn’t behave like a shrewd circus manager or an intense tightrope artiste. Like-gimme me a reason to like the female lead please. She is so bland like white porridge cooked with no salt or pepper or seasoning. Just edible but not delicious. Although some people would argue plain porridge is delicious.

    And Hyun Bin? I feel like the director is taking advantage of HB being a marine to have so many action scenes. Have you guys noticed?

    Aish, unless some sparks fly can’t even be bothered with the OTP.

    And the plot and mystery? It’s so lame I can’t even be bothered to get excited. I will watch this to the end of course but am so disappointed with the 4 episodes

    • Omg exactly!!! everything is ok but somehow they dont work! it doesnt have that certain pull in it! By the way, please dont kill me hyun bin fans but i men come on, he is not that great…he is good but i dont think he is that amazing as an actor as people say! and i just cant help butt compare him to the work that ji sung does in KMHM ( dont bash me for mentioning KMHM, but they are at the same timeslot with the leads having the same condition) which is just out of this world! Im sorry people but thats the truth, at least my truth. as for han ji min taking all the crap for the 0 chemistry, well its just unfair… u need 2 people for chemistry, not only one!

      • I’m actually kind of a HB fan. Not a true fangirl, since I don’t watch everything he is in. Anyway, I don’t think that he’s carrying the show by himself; his acting is nothing spectacular. But these things happen really often. When dramas do well, fans get along. When the drama flops, they start blaming each other’s bias for poor ratings. The girls usually bear the brunt. Seriously, if a drama flops, it’s either because of a poor script or extremely strong competitors. You may have outstanding chemistry, but it’s only going to do so much in the ratings department. In HJM’s case, it’s because of a really really poor story. Of course, it doesn’t help that it is the worse of the two split personality dramas.

      • Kitai you just spoke my mind.
        A bad drama particularly THIS drama’s failings aren’t just the fault of the actress. This is due to poor writing, shoddy plot and very weird directing

    • You said a lot of what I was thinking. I also think the ridiculous setting of the show itself (amusement park, circus, gorilla, zip line, heart rate glasses) is off putting. I feel like I’m watching some sort of random mushrooms induced hallucination that I just can’t relate to whatsoever.

  2. I don’t care about other’s opinion about hji. All i know is i’m enjoying this drama so much. I love both Hyun Bin and Han Ji Min.

  3. I don’t know why Hyun Bin called her the most prettiest, maybe my eyes and my taste, she’s not that pretty that makes you want to stare for more than 1 second.
    Yes she suffered poor script, even if the task is given to Ha Ji Won, she still cannot save it, best example is in her latest movie Chronicles of Blood, she was so dull and unattractive too.
    For Hyun Bin’s act, still, not interesting either.

    Watching HJJ to see all the hype and the weaknesses.

    • It may be a poor script but I’m pretty sure there would be at least chemistry with HB and HJW.King 2 Hearts did’nt do well but at least you can see the chemistry between HJW and LSG.

  4. “I’m shipping Hyun Bin with himself” Same here! I am actually enjoying the dynamics between Robin and Seo Jin although the main OTP really doesn’t work out for me.

  5. Ohhh how I wish Robin and Seo Jin were twins so that I can see some bromance interactions! I will be so mad if this murder plot spans the entire drama like Birth of a Beauty. I hate being fooled into thinking a drama is fluffy cotton candy when it is not.

  6. I am still chugging along and waiting for the story to unfold more. The cohabitation better give us some good hijinks. Don’t waste the set up.

    I had little faith in the writer to begin with so I am not all that surprised. I am worried about just how SJ actually falls in love with Hana. What is it about her that is going to really attract him.

  7. As at episode 3 I wish it was not Han Ji Min. She has no sass. I’m thinking – maybe Shin Min Ah would have suited the character and been a little more spunky.

    • Not that you mentioned it. Yeah. Remember her with Lee Seung Gi? She was gorgeous, spunky, had a twinkle in her eyes. Now Seo Jin would have had a hard time resisting her.

      And then maybe Hyun Bin could get into a scandal with her at the same time. Bwuahaha.

      • Agreed!! I actually was thinking of her in both MGIG and of couse Arang – she wasw so cheekily menacing (I know, I know – very oxymoron-ish) and she could hold her own in fight scenes. Plus she just oozes charisma. I think she would get on famously with Binnie.

        Han Ji Min – I think she suits melo roles more – but that’s just the aura I get.

      • Is it my imagination or is there a plethora of screencaps in this recap?

        More than usual? I am not complaining!!! More Binnie can never be wrong.

        But I could barely pull through episode 3 cos although time was passing, not much was happening – not in an interesting way anyway – I don’t know how to explain it.

  8. Karma is digital! The low ratings and lack of chemistry between the 2 leads should teach Hyun Bin fans a lesson. Before the drama started, a drama thread was started at a popular forum.

    Some fans were throwing out names of different actresses that they wanted to see act with Hyun Bin. His fans kept hurling insulting words saying that they dont want Hyun Bin to be paired with a certain actress, because Hyun Bin is supposedly above her and because her latest dramas have not been doing good in terms of ratings, to make matters worse they also said that they want Han Ji Min to act with Hyun Bin since her dramas have been doing great and that they are on the same level….so now what?

    They have zero chemisrty and then they get spanked in ratings as well
    1) Kill Me Heal Me 11,5%
    2) The Kings Face 8,5%
    3) Hyde Jekyll and Me 6,6%

    His fans should be less arrogant next time cause these days you never know what the audience likes. Also, even the almighty Hyun Bin is not exempt from bad luck and bad plots that is beyond his control, just like the actress that his fans insulted who got unlucky with some dramas. His fans probably got arrogant thinking that he would garner huge ratings for his comeback drama but I guess karma brought them back to reality.

    • Are fans being arrogant for voicing whom they like for his co-partner and the reasons for their choices? Isnt how kdrama fandaom works, fans promoting their bias. Im also interested to know which actress got insulted since so many names were thrown around(as a side note, since a number of the actress’ projects did not turn out well, was this the result of her fans’ arrogant/unreasonable behavior for we are talking about karma)

      • No there is absolutely nothing wrong in voicing your preference,but for his fans to disrespect the fans of the actress just because they said that it would be nice to see their fave actress star opposite with Hyun Bin is not ok and for them to then proceed to bash the actress is just…. You have a bias too and when you see someone completely insult that bias, it may also peeve you in some ways.

    • I am not a rabid fan but I certainly had my bias. Why not? That’s the whole pleasure of being a fan right?

      Besides the cast only gets the script for the 1st couple of episodes and the rest is up to the writer, director and the fickle Korean public. The international fans certainly doesn’t do much for ratings.

      Wait till the series end and they can sell it to China. Then we will see the export prices.

      • I’m assuming we’re talking about the same forum, but I read one person simply state their opinions on miss yeh based on what knetz say and then some yeh fans unintentionally made it a bigger issue while being overly defensive for their queen. Seems to me like YEH fans are the ones over-reacting.
        Didn’t see negative comments on gong hyo jin tho and Master’s sun had good ratings/IOIL had decent ratings. 🙂

      • Huh? Gong Hyo Jin it’s not her either. Go Hye Sun is who I was reffering to. Fans of Hyun Bin and not just Hyun Bin fans but other actors as well just wont give her a break. I am sick and tired seeing then criticize her nonstop. She had hit dramas too Pure 19, BOF, so I dont understand why she needs to be bashed for her acting or blamed for some of her dramas that haven’t been doing well.

    • what make you so sure that its HB fans who hurl insults. Many fans of other actresses visited that site (if we are referring to the same site) and show their interest to have their favs included. The exchanges were mostly between the fans of different actresses, not necessarily coming from HB fans. So, you are now saying its his (HB’s)arrogance. Before pointing at others, are you certain fans of your bias have not uttered anything negative about some other actresses mentioned there or show an overbearing attitude. Ive followed those posts and find them civilized on the whole. I really do not see it worthy to be so worked up to the extent to bring in karma and what naught.

      • Have you been to DCDrama forum before the drama aired? it was Hyun Bin tards who bashed for sure and now that this drama is failing his fans are not only blaming the PD but also his leading lady. I guess she is no use to them now so they need someone to blame other than their bias.

    • When KMHM were dying hunted the casts, On Twitter/some sites, some said that no wonder some actors/actress turned down KMHM because it’s HB, maaaaaan! You will compete with HB’s drama, so you better running from KMHM. Those comments really stated that HB is really superior. They said KMHM will be a mess drama because 7personalities bla bla, wrecked train etc. They even laughed that JS-HJE are in for KMHM because they couldn’t make KMHM become a hit just like Secret in 2013! I’m not even HB/JS/HJE’s fan, but yes.. these days, no matter how good your casts are, your drama would be nothing without good script!
      I’m in a so so believe in karma & this drama is not even finish yet, but what’s happening right now ? Just watch out with what you want to say.

  9. Fairytale romance, but without a fairytale OTP. No wonder ratings took a nosedive. I think this story calls for a younger cast to sell the fairytale aspect. No offense to HB, he is doing a great job at showing the lovable Robin, and the chebol role he can sleepwalk through it. But something is wrong when I am cringing at scenes I am expecting to go all “aww” at.

  10. Nice recap Ms Koala.
    However I noticed that favoritism comes into play here. Any other drama you would have mentioned the dismal ratings this drama is getting.
    Face it, I’m so disappointed b y how terribly dull this drama is what a waste of Binnie

    • I agree…koala has recaped many crappy dramas, even crappier than this one and skipped better dramas…however one cant help but be biased…especially if she likes hyun bin so much..so if shee still likes it or better yet likes some aspects of it let her do that…

  11. I actually liked the last two eps more than the first two.
    Watching the two Bins when they are together is my favorite part, too.

    Here is an idea:
    SJ seems to pay physically for every act of courage Robin does. He wakes up sore and bruised. There are no side effects for Robin, so he is never afraid of the consequences. They say Robin has no memory of the bad thing that happened five years ago. It could simply be that one of Robin’s amazing feats to help someone put SJ in the hospital for a long time. His family knows that normal SJ wouldn’t risk his own life, but that Robin has no brakes and could end up killing himself accidentally.

    Suicidal SJ didn’t go away – he just hid himself behind/inside Robin’s bravery.

  12. I agree, instead odf aaaw i feel so embarassed by this drama because of the absurdness and cheesy scenes with very long unneccessary BGM.

    But it’s true that it needs 2 people to create the spark. Both of the leads don’t have chemistry and did not put depths in their characters( i partly put the blame on the script too).
    At least Hyunbin loos more alive in this drama than han ji min. Idk what is she doing

  13. At this point, I would be way more invested in this show if it were just Robin and Seo Jin leaving messages for each other and dealing with the repercussions of the other’s actions.
    This whole romance angle is kind of a snoozefest. The two leads don’t have a whole lot of chemistry and nor does the script do a good job of giving compelling reasons of why she is the trigger, why she needs to stick around and why anyone needs to care about this circus. She keeps going on and on about the circus, wasting screen time talking about something that hardly anyone in the drama and watching the drama cares about.
    Now she’s moving in. I just hope this won’t turn into hours of watching supposedly hilarious, but actually horribly uninteresting, co-habitating hijinks.

  14. This drama was highly anticipated because of HB not because of the story by itself. That is a lesson, after all drama is all about story. And just rely on the leads won’t help much. I am sure many will thought that because HB is in the drama will have high rating, well?.

    Since the drama is yet to deliver better rating, people try to seek for scapegoat by pointing the lack of chemistry, poor acting by the lead actress, PD, etc but HB. I am sorry for his fan, but to me his acting ain’t any better than HJM. It is hard not to compare his acting with the other lead actor in the rivalry drama where he can give breath to all the alters he have. So, yeah if I have to compare HB’s acting is bland next to JS.

    I wish I can enjoy this drama (as I never care who the leads are, I watched some of JS drama, some not, same apply to HB) but seemed I just have to say sayonara.

  15. I’ll collectively answer here some queries thrown my way:

    1. I don’t blame Han Ji Min for the drama’s ratings fail, clearly the bigger problem is the poor writing and terrible directing. BUT, and that’s in all caps, she is also sucking big time in acting out what is already a bland character. It’s like doubling down on the bland. And no, I do not believe that anytime a drama chemistry fails the fail is always laid at the feet of the actress. I do lay the problem with Han Ji Min in this particular situation because her acting is so flat whereas Hyun Bin’s dynamic as both Seo Jin and Robin. It’s like one side is jumping and the other side sedentary, of course I’ll blame the sedentary side for the lack of chemistry.

    2. Binnie’s well known for being wildly inconsistent with bringing in drama ratings. I don’t think fans who love him do so because he’s some sort of ratings guarantor. At least I’m not. Newer drama viewers really need more understanding of his career before saying crap like karma or Binnie failing on this outing. I find his drama choices are not always tied ratings to quality. Let’s never forget the dismal ratings of The World They Live In, which had TWO A-Listers headlining in Hyun Bin and Song Hye Kyo. That drama averaged ratings from 7.% to 4.8% And that was six years ago when dramas still did 20% easily!

    Secret Garden happens to be his most recent drama and did really good ratings. And of course there is My Name is Kim Sam Soon and it’s 50% ratings phenom, which really I credit to Kim Sun Ah’s Sam Soon more than Binnie’s Jin Heon. But otherwise Binnie’s dramas are invariably low in the single digits. I love the man including even terrible duds like Snow Queen (so pretty!) and crazy inconsistent Ireland (I’m still confused), and of course there was criminally underrated masterpiece that is Friends, Our Legend. What I’m getting at is Binnie is not known for delivering on ratings so I’m not bugged by HJM’s low ratings (which are deserved) and am enjoying for his comeback acting which is delivering for me on both Seo Jin and Robin.

    • Very well said!! Just my thoughts exactly.

      I’m really surprised that people think that having HB should mean high ratings. In his career, he really hasn’t had that many ratings hits only MNIKKS and SG. I agree MNIKKS was definitely more because of Sunah’s character than his. And SG was a KES drama. It had a lot of other factors that made for the hit ratings, not just him.

      HJM – She is a little bland for me but I’m trying to roll with it. She just doesn’t really have that fiesty feel to her and she also doesn’t come across as particularly mean. So when Hanah threaten SJ, it’s kinda weak. I do think they have chemistry together but it’s being diluted somewhere. trying to stay positive 🙂

      • Ok I chanced abt this comment page and just have to comment:
        What’s the talk abt bias, this is her blog and if she recaps a drama based on her preference for hyun bin, is there a problem? In any case the recaps in my opinion have been fair and acknowledges both weaknesses and strengths of the drama

        And whoever says hyun bin dramas are supposed to get high? Like koala says if you follow his career you know he doesn’t have high ratings for all dramas. Or was it only secret garden that u guys watched? Give the man a break and his fans a break.
        I agree that Hyde j me hasn’t been shooting on all corners since broadcast but the hate it has generated is seriously wierd as the drama isn’t half bad. And I AM enjoying hyun bin’s performance.

        Let the people who enjoy the show enjoy the show. Shoo!!!

  16. BTS video of this drama is more interesting than the drama itself…. I found that HB and HJM have more chemistry outside the drama…lol

  17. I am not going to let all the negative trash talk spoil my enjoyment. I liked Big and Faith, both of which had many detractors. And note that the many witty references to past dramas in Fated to Love you were enjoyed while here people only seem to complain about too many Sega similarities. It makes me think there is a “hate” epidemic running amok.

    • Well, possibly because FTLY actually intended to make those references to inject comedic elements, but the show itself is totally unrelated to their leads’ previous works whereas HJM is similar because HB’s character is quite like his in SG. They are not even trying to be funny or anything. It’s just that they are sticking to the tried and tested fomula which is not working now.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.