Today’s recap will be later than usual, because I am going to be combining episode 10-11 of Mary Stayed Out All Night into one recap. It makes narrative sense, since it’s really one very long episode anyways. I can safely say that the writer change was 100% a win. Episode 10 was terrible (aside from the Mae Ri and Mu Gyul cute moments). I was shaking my head, rolling my eyes, and bored out of my mind. But then episode 11 hit, and it was like I was watching an early episode of M3, with all the cute and funny moments, plus the newly added intensity and emotional beats.
I’m back to being excited about the upcoming episodes of M3, and hoping that the floundering ship will right itself and we can get a story that heads into its conclusion with focus and substantive narrative progression. It’s kinda hard to undo a lot of the original writer’s handiwork (I blame the plot direction at the end of episode 10 on her), but the new writer is gamely doing her best and making it feel rather palatable, not to mention rather intriguing.
All you Jung In lovers out there – I LOVED Jung In in episode 11. Loved, loved, loved the man, and feel terrible his character was so very shafted by the original writer because the potential is there, and OMG is Kim Jae Wook oh so fine. But I’m still firmly on the M&M ship, but just wanted you guys to know that for the first time, I’m totally liking Jung In.
Quickie plot points only recap of episode 10-11 (very cursory, so don’t ask for clarification on anything, I’ll explain in detail in the recap):
Mae Ri and Mu Gyul go and relive her childhood bad memories, making good new memories together in the process.
Seo Jun holds a press conference, and announces Mu Gyul is the man she loves (Jung In tries to end the press con before Seo Jun can answer that question and she ignores him and does it).
Mae Ri is sad that Mu Gyul is embroiled in Seo Jun’s tabloid gossip. She goes to see Seo Jun to ask Seo Jun to stop doing things that end up hurting Mu Gyul.
Jung In is so stressed about all these events, and finds Mae Ri and has a lovely conversation with her (these two fully convince me they would be such awesome functional good friends in the future).
Mu Gyul runs around trying to find Mae Ri for half the episode, since Mae Ri is upset with his situation (not necessarily at him).
Devil daddy tries to rescind the investment, and Mae Ri blames the marriage contract failure on herself, and asks to be given one more chance to do the contract again.
Jung In and Mu Gyul agree to make this marriage a reality for both sides – Mae Ri will move in with Jung In and Mu Gyul, alternating days. End of ep 10.
Mae Ri moves in with Jung In, and he’s as polite and considerate as always. He makes it clear he wants to help Mae Ri and Mu Gyul, because he wants to repay her for childhood memories together.
Mae Ri toggles between her two guys, but for once she’s comfortable around Jung In and treating him with casual friendship.
Mu Gyul gets adorably jealous of sharing Mae Ri, but he blows up at her when it appears that she gave a valuable ring to his mom, who cannot go to Paris anymore until she pays back some debt she owes.
Mu Gyul and Mae Ri’s make up at the skating rink, and continue to be the world’s most adorable couple in every way. He asks her to write the lyrics for the new song he composed for the Wonderful Life OST.
The foursome meet at the production office, and Seo Jun is asked to record the new song. She reads the lyrics and realizes it’s about Mae Ri and Mu Gyul’s love story, and refuses to sing it.
Quickie thoughts:
Once again, episode 10 sucked donkey balls, but episode 11 rocked my socks off (within the context of episode 10 being so moronic and spinning in circles). For the first time, in episode 11, all four main characters feel like possible flesh and blood human beings, their behavior and reactions all are grounded in pseudo-realistic beats. This should have happened like, 4 episodes ago, but alas, I’ll take what I’m served when I’m served.
congrats ockoala
you have passed the 1 million hit mark!!!!!!
haven’t noticed. congrats!!!!!
you’re so fast!!! thank you so much i’m excited about 11 episode!!! 😀 i’ll watch them raw tonight and i’ll be waiting for your wonderful recaps
i was worried, so i’m GLAD you like it, i know if you like it i will like it too!!!!
thank you thank you
Thnk ockoala… I really cant wait to watch episod 10 and 11 with eng sub.. I hope the new writer is better than the previous one..
koala, what do you feel abt the new writer seemingly rehashing the marriage contract story again? a bit worried that it will be the ‘same old same old’ plot wise? I felt rather confused and that things were a little messy tonight.. maybe cos there were 2 epis back to back and 2 diff writers?
holding out on my verdict on the new writer but I really really hope that you are right 🙂
The rehashing of the marriage contract is the old writer. The new writer took over in episode 11 and had to run with the ground work already laid. Since the old writer put that in motion at the end of episode 10, there isn’t much the new writer can do except take a stinking mess and clean it up.
Thanks dearie.. feel more hopeful now.. can’t wait for your recap.. many lovely coupley scenes to squee about.. very glad they kept the angst to the minimum and resolved conflicts so quickly, giving MR and MG more loving screen time..
OMG!!!! so excited!!!!!!!
yeah!! potencial potencial!!!
i, too, blame the writeer for the upcoming of Mary its was BORING!!!!
and all teh cute moments gone awya!!
really awful!!!
i gope the new writer make it ore interesting because the story is sooo good!!!
they deserved it! we deservet too! 😀
Thank U!!!! for such great footnotes on both episodes…I’m dying to see them, too bad I’m working now…aishhhh….but based on your opinion I feel that the new writer should have taken over sooner, cause even though I’m sooo loving the drama, it was missing the BIG DRAMA/CONFLICT….and character development for the secondary characters. I’m soooo crossing my finger the new writer can give us a hell of a ride for the last 4 episodes and we get a nice perfect ending. 😀
Thank you for your recaps. It make more sense for me that the writer give a new direction to Jung-in. Why would in the world he need to fight for the girl who doesn’t even love him and already has a boyfriend. I saw the preview and I quite tired to see Mae-ri’s dad beat Mae-ri. Come on, she’s 24 years-old. She’s old enough for him to get married, but he treat her like idiot with no respect at all. So annoying character.
I am glad you are totally liking JI, because I like him too.
I am looking forward to epi 11.
Thanks Ockoala.
whatever that’s salvageable from this – i’ll be happy. we still have 4-5 more eps of sanity yes? what a pity the writer switch didn’t take place earlier. this is as wonderful a cast one can lay hands on and it wasn’t given full potential. Very happy for JI’s character development.
ockoala, congrats on hitting the millionth mark!
im waiting for the subs to come out soon!
excited excited (:
Oh my.you know I was shaking reading this.I said I must read your recap so that I know if its save to watch it.going to download it later as soon as finished school.glad angst just one ep,SJ Can go to hell For all I care because Our OTP is back being cute.oh my thank god they change the writer.what more to love then seing jealous MG and trying to make up with MR.oh gosh this makes me lazy to go to school and just want to download raw and squee.thanx thanx so so much.now I can relax.
Thank you so much Ockoala!!! Can’t wait for episode 11. I’m so glad Jung In didn’t turn evil.
Thanks for the heads up. At least I won’t be expecting too much from ep 10.
I’m really thinking that Jung In’s character could be more lovable… but the write just failed to show that part. :/
oooh!! thanks SO MUCH for your updates!!! these are amazing!
i checked your website first thing this morning! hehehe…
thanks again!! cant wait to see what’s in store for MG and MR in the upcoming eps with the new writer!!
Ockoala, thanks for the quick recap…I’ll be waiting for your full recap of ep 10 and 11…I am so excited to read it…
Yay, many thanks for the very fast updates on M3!! Looking forward to watching ep 11 and hoping that the next episodes will be much better…
Congratulations also for hitting the 1 million mark! Cheers!
Wow, one millionth mark for your blog, congratulations to the new milestone 🙂
And finally, finally, we see signs of stronger development in the story and the characters in ep 11, looks like bringing in the new writer really helped to progress the story further on … really kudos to the writer as the drama was potentially heading towards a downward spiral be it in terms of drama and character development, but she has managed to bring it back up to speed, and yes, I’m looking forward to the future episodes to come 🙂
congrat to you ockoala!!
I love your recap “The Most Adorable Couple” yes indeed they are MR&MG…
I hope to see more chemistry between the two..and more for JI too
Hi, does anyone know where I can watch episode 11? I’ve been trying dramastyle all day but they only have episode 10. Thx!
Thanks and Congrats!
I’ll just wait for your recap. 🙂
“sucked donkey balls”…….LOL……you crack me up!!!!!
Glad the series is improving with the new writer….look forward to your next recap!
Thanks a bunch 🙂
I can think of so many directions a story with an indie band lead singer, a motherless girl with a troublesome father, a repressed individual with an evil mob dad, and a delusional actress obsessed with the said indie band lead singer can go.. if it were set in a japanese drama being fed to an anything-goes japanese or jdrama-loving crowd. Am currently marathon-watching Perfect Girl Evolution (or Yamato Nadeshico Shichi Henge) and have been mumbling to myself all the while… “I wonder if the kdrama writers could come up with a script like this and if they could.. would the kdrama crowd be able to get it and love it??”. This is the first kdrama I wish would be adapted to a jdrama. Btw, has a japanese production ever adapted from a kdrama or a mahnwa before? It has always been the other way around, right?
Well that’s a giant relief! Thank you so much for the updates!
I’m SOOOO glad that my current obsession won’t completely go down the drain after all of this.
*Starts throwing confetti and hugging every random stranger in sight out of happiness*
I watched both 10 & 11 and not that thrilled due to the lack of romance that would last more than 10 seconds. In fact, I don’t mind if Mary chooses JungIn. MG is fun, cool and stuff but I find him frustrating for running to SeoJun time and time again and letting things happen to sadden Mary. Maybe the dads aren’t that stupid in this sense. Mary should marry JungIn. He might be too serious but she’s a good teacher.
Jung In shipper in hiatus came back stalking your thread again *which is me.
only have heart to read the recap for the last 4 episode (and brief peek here and there). but after episode 11, ready to watch the full hour again…. ^_^
Seeing as how I enjoyed M3 for 9 episodes before I started worrying, I’m not going to completely trash the old writer.
However, I do think that episode 10 (although it added something to the story by fleshing out Ji and Mae Ri’s friendship, establishing that Bitch-Jeon was just going to keep causing problems with J&M, and the whole (as you put it) Mae Ri brain fart) could’ve been part of an episode – it didn’t need an entire hour on its own.
Agreed about the parents and Ji.
Enjoying you recaps – I’m actually going to watch Secret Garden because of them 🙂