Wow. I can’t describe what I just watched using words that don’t involve expletives. What the hell was all that? Magic voices? The mastermind bike burglar? Hwa Young unraveling but no one forcefully institutionalizing her? Bong Sun remaining steadfast to her “I don’t know why we broke up, but I’m sure it’s a valid reason” illogic? Episode 14 of Me Too, Flower! confirms for me that the writing for the second half of this drama has gone down the crapper. Oh, don’t get me wrong, this drama still works largely on acting and some amazingly well-written characters established from the first half of the drama. I’m onboard because of all the goodwill built up already, plus the fluid execution and great OST keeps the scenes just popping along merrily.
Too bad the characters have take a turn for the inconsistent in terms of actions and dialogue, purely for the purpose of manufacturing conflict to keep Bong Sun and Jae Hee apart. I never thought Hwa Young ought to have gone as far as she did, and I never thought Bong Sun would keep boring a bigger and bigger hole for herself to hide in when the shit hit the fan. Where’s the ballsy girl we met earlier? I thought all the angst and conflict in the first half of the drama was excellently constructed, but everything afterwards stretch my credulity more and more. This episode tossed my credulity out the window and told me that a near death experience might be the only thing to bring Jae Hee and Bong Sun together. That’s just bullshit, and I’m disappointed writer Kim Do Woo went there.
Episode 14 recap:
Jae Hee and Bong Sun pass each other on the street, the moment coinciding with Bong Sun’s date grabbing her hand to hold it. Jae Hee continues walking, oblivious to anyone and anything, which leaves the returning home Dal unable to get his attention as she walks past. Jae Hee walks into a pharmacy but he’s forgotten what he needs to buy. The pharmacist asks if he needs eye drops, because his eyes are bloodshot. Jae Hee goes back to the bag factory and hands poor Bae ahjusshi the eye drops he bought. Once he’s reminded that he was supposed to buy cold medicine, he grabs the eye drops and runs back out.
Bong Sun’s nice date drops her off at home, tentatively asking her if they can meet again. Bong Sun agrees and her date happily leaves. Dal arrives home to see this, muttering to herself why two people who like each other that much isn’t staying together. I can’t believe I’m completely agreeing with Dal on this one. Dal goes to bother Bong Sun, asking if she wants to keep meeting that ordinary guy. Bong Sun informs Dal that the breakup with Jae Hee wasn’t because of Dal, who isn’t important to their relationship at all. Dal didn’t do anything wrong, which is why Bong Sun isn’t kicking her out. Bong Sun tosses a letter to Dal addressed from a law firm. Dal is furious and shocked to read that she’s being dismissed by Perche for a breach of contract.
Dal storms into Hwa Young’s office spitting mad, demanding to know how Hwa Young can terminate her modeling contract unilaterally. Hwa Young says the company is in dire straights and they need a superstar model for the brand. Hwa Young reminds Dal that their contract has a confidentiality provision that requires Dal to keep secret every single communication between them during the course of their contract. Hwa Young tosses an envelope of money at Dal for her to take it and slink away. Dal decides to tell Hwa Young the truth, that she is a monster who is destined never to be loved in her entire lifetime. Hwa Young slaps Dal, and Dal turns around and returns the slap. Hwa Young looks stunned, while Dal is used to being slapped so this is nothing. Dal leaves her car keys on the desk and storms off.
Dal goes to complain to Dr. Park about how she’s being mistreated by the biscuit seller ahjumma. When asked what she ought to do, Dr. Park encourages her to do whatever she wants to retaliate. Dal informs Dr. Park that she didn’t break up the couple. And if they broke up because of her, then clearly they weren’t going to make it anyways. Dal goes to see Jae Hee and hands him a flash drive. She’s not doing this because she likes them (Jae Hee and Bong Sun), nor is she hoping they’ll get back together. She tells Jae Hee to decide later if Dal needs to pay a penalty for breaching the contract.
Hwa Young is on the phone with an English-speaking customer and trying to stabilize their business by trying to pay more money for their partnership. Her assistant disagrees with Hwa Young’s approach to throw more money to solve the problem. A top model won’t be willing to rep their damaged brand, but Hwa Young doesn’t care and will use any means to get her way. She asks for Jae Hee to be located.
Jae Hee plugs the flash drive into his computer at the factory and listens to the conversation between Hwa Young and Dal, where Hwa Young first offered Dal money to break up Jae Hee and Bong Sun. The more Jae Hee listens, the more he’s shaking with rage and pain, remembering how much it hurt Bong Sun to see Dal kissing him. Hwa Young arrives at that moment and Jae Hee turns to ask if this is the real her? Hwa Young shakes her head and then rushes to grab the computer and try to smash it. Hwa Young cries and tries to convince Jae Hee that the voice isn’t her and she didn’t do it.
Jae Hee is numb while Hwa Young keeps shaking him while screaming that she didn’t do it! They both fall to their knees, with Hwa Young continuing to cry out her innocence. Jae Hee grabs the hysterical Hwa Young in a hug, likely finally realizing how fucked up she’s is, and it’s all still tied to the death of her husband and the aftermath. Dal smirks to herself, pleased that she’s given the biscuit ahjumma a taste of her own medicine. But when Dr. Park arrives, Dal admits that somehow she doesn’t feel a true sense of satisfaction?
Jae Hee deposits Hwa Young back home and she immediately crawls into bed. He offers to call Dr. Park, but she declines and tells him to go. He wants to spend the night with Ah In but Hwa Young tells him there is no need and he can leave. But then she calls him, asking if he remembers a time long ago. We see a young Jae Hee working in the bag factory alongside a young Hwa Young. Young Jae Hee tells Hwa Young that she might be his only woman in this lifetime. She tells him to stop joking, but he says he’s not joking. Too bad Hwa Young has already chosen a wedding date, to which Jae Hee congratulates her on getting married to his hyung.
Hwa Young says she remembers that day vividly, the look on his face and his words to her. Jae Hee also remembers that day, because Hwa Young was his first love, from the first moment he laid eyes on her. Jae Hee sits down on the bed, telling Hwa Young that he was so young back then but she already had his hyung. After the death, he decided to take care of Hwa Young and Ah In, but treating Hwa Young with respectful distance was his way of honoring his hyung’s memory. Since then, he’s never met anyone who touched his heart. Until he met Bong Sun. He didn’t give his heart to Bong Sun willingly, it went to her because he had no control over his feelings for her. Jae Hee tells Hwa Young that he will think carefully about Hwa Young’s feelings for him, even though it must end here. Hwa Young sits in her bed alone and sobs.
Jae Hee goes to see Bong Sun and forces her to let him inside in his usual cavalier way by claiming that she’ll regret it if she doesn’t see him. She still refuses to let him in, so he just punches in her code and walks in. Jae Hee sits down in the living room and makes himself at home, even going so far as to ask for food to eat because he’s hungry. Bong Sun tells him the rice is in the cooker and he can eat it himself. She moves to leave but he cuts to the chase and apologizes. He apologizes for letting her go, asking for another chance.
Bong Sun says another chance isn’t going to work. Jae Hee doesn’t agree. Back then he didn’t know the real reason it was so complicated between them. He knows it now, and even though it’s caused by something he did in the past, he wants another chance with her. Bong Sun shares a passage she read in a book about a pair of ex-lovers meeting by chance on the street. Scene flashes to Bong Sun and Jae Hee wearing funky 70s clothes and sitting in a cafe looking uncomfortable. Neither knew why they broke up back then, but when they got back together, it was awkward and they didn’t know what to say to each other. But when the girl sees the guy fiddling with matchsticks, she remembers that his habit annoyed her, and clearly years later he hasn’t changed.
So while Bong Sun doesn’t know the exact reasons they broke up, those reasons still exist. If they start again, they will have the same ending. Jae Hee replies that he doesn’t have a matchstick fiddling habit, but we see that Bong Sun has already left and Jae Hee is all alone in her living room. Dr. Park wakes Dal up and tries to rush her out of his office because he has an appointment coming up. Of course that appointment is Bong Sun, and the two step-sisters are completely stunned to see each other there. Dal asks her unni if she gets psychiatric treatment here?
Bong Sun drags Dal out and demands to know if she’s seducing the doctor this time. Or if she purposely finding out everyone associated with Bong Sun and messing with them all? Did Bong Sun kill Dal’s dad in a previous life, otherwise why is Dal doing this to her! Dal says it’s just a coincidence and she’s just as shocked to see her here. Dal says she’s in love with the Dr. Park and Bong Sun isn’t allowed to have all the guys to herself. Dal stayed with Dr. Park when Bong Sun kicked her out, and even last night.
Dr. Park thinks back to all the times Bong Sun bitched about her annoying and rude step-sister in treatment sessions in the past. Bong Sun rushes in and confirms that Dal stayed here last night, and even stayed here multiple times in the past. Dr. Park confirms it, but tries to explain Bong Sun’s misunderstanding about his relationship with Dal. Bong Sun storms off after saying she’s disappointment in him. Dal honestly tells Dr. Park that Bong Sun thinks he likes Dal. Dr. Park is so pissed and pushes her out of his office.
Bong Sun walks and bitches to Maru about her disappointment in Dr. Park for falling for a sly fox like Dal. Maru’s response is that Dal seems quite spirited and he appears to have a good impression of her as well. Bong Sun hangs up on him and goes to check on the bike racks. Everything looks fine, but as she’s walking away, a man dressed as a biker gets out from a van and walks towards the bikes in a suspicious fashion. He crouches down and grabs a pair of lock cutters. Bong Sun calls Maru to inform him that the suspect has shown up. Maru warns her not to take action alone and he’ll come with back up.
The suspect starts cutting the locks so Bong Sun gets up and walks towards him. She calls him and claims that it’s her bike. He notices that she’s holding a pair of handcuffs and takes off running, Bong Sun chases him and drops her bag at the scene. Bong Sun chases him all the way to a building rooftop, where the guy manages to outwit her and lock her on the rooftop. Bong Sun starts screaming for help but she’s all alone. She cries for help down from the railing but she’s too high for anyone to hear her.
Jae Hee is in a meeting to handle his plan to use his wealth to train new design talent. He tells the assistant to stop the model search and it’s clear he’s taken over running the company since Hwa Young is taking time off. Hwa Young sits in her bedroom with a dazed expression on her face. Dr. Park arrives and cheerfully asks her what’s happened? Hwa Young says that she was happy just to see him (Jae Hee), so all she wanted was to be able to see him for the rest of her life. Dr. Park sighs, asking Hwa Young to consider seeing his colleague who treats severe mental disorders. She refuses, claiming that she’s perfectly normal. She tosses pillows at Dr. Park while screaming for him to get out! Right….you are so normal.
Dr. Park plays with Ah In while calling Jae Hee to confirm he tried but Hwa Young shut him down. Hwa Young’s emotional barriers are too high still. Jae Hee sighs, glad that at least Dr. Park tried. Jae Hee calls Bong Sun only to have Maru answer her phone. The entire precinct is worried since they can’t reach her and it’s negative ten below outside tonight. The chief tells his team to split into groups and canvas the area around the park. Jae Hee arrives and worriedly asks about Bong Sun. He ends up going out to search with Maru, who isn’t all that happy with Jae Hee’s presence. Maru blames Jae Hee’s broke up with Bong Sun for this happening. Jae Hee thanks Maru for being so concerned about Bong Sun.
It’s freezing now so Bong Sun runs around the rooftop to try and keep warm, stopping to call out for help and bang on the rooftop door. She eventually rounds up all the stray newspapers and boxes on the rooftop and bundles herself inside the makeshift shelter. Maru and Jae Hee pull up to an area where surveillance cameras showed Bong Sun chasing the suspect. The captain stays on the phone with Jae Hee and guides them to follow Bong Sun’s route, when ends abruptly near an area. Jae Hee gets out of the police car and starts canvasing on foot.
Bong Sun is so cold that she’s barely lucid and awake. She manages to open her eyes and she imagines that there is a glorious tray of ramyun and pickles in front of her. She almost falls asleep when she hears Dr. Park calling her name. He asks what the happiest thing in her life is up til now? Bong Sun thinks back to the night Jae Hee and her returned from their trip and she didn’t want to go inside so he carried her off the motorcycle and deposited her inside. Bong Sun smiles, while Dr. Park asks her what the thing she regrets the most in her life is up til now? Bong Sun thinks back to Jae Hee barging into her house to see her and asking for food.
Suddenly Bong Sun imagines that Jae Hee is crouched before her and singing “Santa Clause is Coming to Town” in Korean to her. She smiles and tries to sing along with him. After he finishes singing, he just sits there and smiles at her. Bong Sun asks Jae Hee what they are doing for Christmas? Jae Hee plans to have fun with her, of course. Bong Sun says she’s sleepy but Jae Hee tells her that she can’t sleep and needs to keep her eyes open. Bong Sun apologizes, but she’s going to close her eyes for a little while.
Jae Hee is unable to locate Bong Sun and is about to leave when he hears Bong Sun calling his name. He looks back but doesn’t see her. He hears her voice again, which is when he notices one of her gloves on the ground. He runs down a hallway and finds himself in an elevator bank. The elevators are off for the night, so Jae Hee climbs the stairs all the way to the roof. He notices the roof door has been locked and is about to walk downstairs when he hears Bong Sun’s voice again. Jae Hee turns back and opens the roof top door. He walks out to the roof and looks around. He doesn’t see anyone at first, until he sees a pile of boxes behind the water tower.
Jae Hee walks towards the boxes and spies Bong Sun. He rushes over and pulls the boxes off her, calling her name and trying to shake her awake. Bong Sun remains unresponsive while Jae Hee cries and continues to try and revive her, calling for her to wake up.
Thoughts of Mine:
I’m not angry at this episode of M2F (or the entire latter half in general), I’m just disappointed that a drama with such potential and powerhouse acting performances once again devolved into a series of forced plot turns to generate momentum. And to think the drama plans to tie everything together next week in just one episode, with episode 15 being the final one scheduled by that douchy MBC. I can hope for a miracle, but am geared for just a series of deus ex machinas to wrap everything up, and maybe get some fan service happy scenes for Bong Sun and Jae Hee. Since episode 9 this drama has really failed to take me on the journey of Bong Sun and Jae Hee IN a relationship, which was ripe with so much interesting issues to explore. Instead it wasted time with the Hwa Young and Dal shenanigans which were unnecessary plus no one cared about it. Why couldn’t I watch Bong Sun and Jae Hee fighting and making up over their social differences, their hidden traumas and scars, their sometimes fire and ice personalities? And don’t even get me started on Bong Sun going on that pointless matseon date, which served no greater purpose other than to pour more angst on Jae Hee.
Bong Sun and her brush with death to realize the importance of Jae Hee is just ridiculous. For a woman who is afraid of being abandoned, Jae Hee’s love and desire for her was always such a strong pull, how could she just shut him down time and again and need some stupidly manufactured roof top freezing-to-death moment to realize what truly mattered to her? Bong Sun’s stupid cautionary tale also made no sense because if you can’t figure out why you broke up then that is not a valid reason. It basically boils down to “I just know in my gut it won’t work”. I thought the writer wrote this OTP has flawed and broken but realistically adult characters and suddenly Bong Sun has the EQ of a teenager. I get her hesitation to date Jae Hee but what happened to let’s just take it one step at a time and see where it leads. The world’s not going to end if they date again and somehow it doesn’t work out in the future and they break up. Bong Sun’s characterization totally went haywire in this second half while Jae Hee has remained the consistent one in dealing with all the situations that has arisen.
I appreciate that Jae Hee didn’t lay on verbal beat down on Hwa Young when he discovered the extent of her actions in breaking up him and Bong Sun. He was in rage and pain, but he also still care so much for her and knows how damaged and mentally screwed up she is because of him. She needs in-depth therapy because her behavior stems from psychological hang ups more than being purely being evil and selfish. It’s akin to discovering the Evil Queen in Snow White had an abused childhood. It doesn’t erase what she did, but she needs help more than bitter recriminations. I’m still completely uninterested in Dal and Dr. Park’s storyline, whether individually or together, but I get why their characters need to exist in this story. In the end, I’m glad I watched M2F despite how it’ll end next week. I thoroughly enjoyed the first half and still love to pieces the acting by the two leads. I don’t think the shortening of this drama was the reason for the lackluster second half, but rather the writer taking her story in a forced direction rather than follow a natural narrative flow. Such a shame, really, because M2F could have been great.
thank you for the recap
Thanks Koala. I hope they wouldn’t use too many cliches to bring the OTP together in the end. I hate evil witches and inessential misunderstandings. It takes the focus away from the characters’ personal issues that they have to deal with. And here, it looks forced into the plot. Anyway, ep 8 was my most favourite episode of the series. Waiting for the final episode to save the series/day.
Merry Christmas Ms. Koala!
As always. MANY THANKS for recap and insights Ockoala!
Ep 14 for me, sucked even more than Ep 13 (which I actually didn’t mind as much bec I felt it was necc for setting up some premises).
The Ep 14 coincidental events were just plain stupid, and how events mapped out so conveniently and incredulously.
1) BS being so sacrificial, she threw everything down to chase the thief – like you abandoned all possessions of your own?
2) Her glove (amazing how it was still there, just waiting to be found and of course – immediately recognised. Like how many times have ordinary humans dropped one glove, KNEW where exactly we had dropped it, gone back and NOT found the darn thing? Bec it had been kicked into oblivion?
3) Her voice, calling out to JH – like the drama existed fine without resorting to such incredible devices.
4) By the time they were signing that imaginary Christmas carol to each other … I was cringing.
Shudder factor – 10
Romantic factor – 0
That’s how bad this entire scene was for me.
5) It was impressively easy how the street cameras recorded so much of the police + thief chase. And how easy it was JH suddenty developed his enhanced telepathic sense.
5) Dal outfits were amazingly fugly in these last two eppies. Yes I was that bored, I starting fashion policing instead.
The adherence to Christmas red and green (lordy that hideous green hairband and the all-red outfit complete with fussy bow!) => the green Santa’s elf outfit she was spotting on the couch.
About the best thing in Ep 14 (for me) – was the satisfaction of seeing HY thoroughly bitch-slapped in return by Dal.
Sorry ….. but Han Ga-eun just doesn’t gel in ANY acting role for me.
This one is by far one of her worse ones – her breakdown “it’ s not me” chain was unnatural, = > so was her sobby-sobby alone in bed, in the aftermath of her loud tantrum.
I did feel one tiny tinge of sympathy for her bec her ‘love’ for JH was NOT completely out of nowhere. The dude did send mixed signals at the beginning to his ‘chut sarang’ which she has clung onto all these years..
Ep 14 = entirely forgettable and pretty redundant – except for that (oh so satisfying) slap.
Jusash : I’ll take your comment as coming from my own heart. Damn, it hurts so much…
Koala captain : i thank you for recapping this episode. It seems like my comment for ep 13 could be just copied and pasted here. I dreaded this…
Your ” Thoughts of mine ” = mine exactly.
” Comfort hugs here ” everyone, i think we need those.
Thanks for the recap, ockoala!
oh my gaddddddddddd…its here!!!!!!! ive been waiting for this one since yesterday coz i don understand a word while watching the live streaming….tnxxxxxxxx…KOALA ur such an angel!!!! kisssesssssss
Thank you for writing the recap, Ms Koala. I know how hard it is to write something that you don’t like or enjoy, so, let me send you a huge gratitude for this. Because for me, this drama is just fine and enjoyable, been refreshing your page since morning, simply can’t wait to read the recap. Thanks again for sacrificing your time for M2F fans like me. God bless you!
Merry Christmas koala! Thanks again for the recap. I watched the raw version and really wanted to know what BS and JH said to each other. Even though I didn’t understand the words, it was more than obvious that BS yet again pushed him away. So sad! I agree that the writer should have spent more time developing their “relationship” instead of making all these scenarios to keep them apart.
When BS started chasing that thief, my first thought was the chase scene would end with her getting injured and bleeding and calling out for JH or something. But getting locked out on the rooftop was almost a similar situation. Still amazes me that JH found her when the police were the ones who should’ve considering she’s one of them and also part of their job. I suppose the writer wanted us to believe that deep down if you really love someone, you have some psychic connection with your loved one when your faced with a life and death situation. 😉
I’m still looking forward to next week’s episode. I just hope the ending is better than this week’s 2 episodes.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!!!
Wow! I thought it would only be me disappointed in E14, but hey! I am not alone!!
I totally agree that the second half of this drama has gone downhill, but I was actualy still quite engaged up to the end of episode 12. I thought the different misunderstandings between the OTP was quite well done and I could see why each one would have a significant effect on the emotionally damaged BS. What can I say, he should have come clean earlier about his identity (strike 1) and relation with HY (strike 2), and honestly the last one wasn’t really his fault but Dal’s, but from BS’s perspective it was a definite strike 3. Especially the way BS puts it all to him in their argument… i.e. Bringing her home, buying her luxury items, Dal talking about having met someone rich, answering her mobile, taking her to his house, sharing clothes, kissing in the street… all so damning. So all this makes sense. Even the forced legal conflict works – in a way – to bring everything to a head.
However, from then on it’s descended into madness, and like you ockoala, I feel robbed because it was JUST SO DARN GOOD up to that point. I honestly think that they could have shortened 13/14 into a single, more pacy episode (leaving out the entire bike thief story) and only use the bits that resolved ongoing plot points like BS’s parental issues, BS’s relationship with Dal, JH learning of HY’s manipulation etc.
Arghhhhh. One more episode left…. I have no idea how they are going to do it in 1 episode. My guess it’ll be crazily paced to resolve everything or plod along till the last 5 minutes and then suddenly tie up everthing in a mini epilogue or worse still, leave things unresolved and open ended. Oh well, having seen these two episodes, I’m not holding out for an awesome finale anymore (but still wishing there would be one.)
So sorry for the rant. It’s my own fault for getting so involved with the drama and OTP that I’ve set myself up for the fall when the writing doesn’t hit the quality I’m expecting!! Because, well, it COULD have been awesome- even at 15 episodes.
I got nothing to add : I’m just too tired to write anymore.
I just want to cry from rage and disappointment. What the Fuck ???
You are forgetting something though when the drama started it didn’t have the number of episodes supposedly it was written for a 16 or 20 episode drama and had to be cut to 15, first people complaint about cliches on dramas but every drama has them even a good book if we examine it, we are going to find cliches, books, dramas, especially soaps are written to hook us and unfortunately a drama is not a “reality” show (even those are written by someone) where everything is real, like me I went to work had coffee, my boss was upset, I got upset, had lunch, after 5 went home, cook dinner, watch a movie, my boyfriend came for a visit we argue then we stopped then we finish the movie, he had to go home and I finish studying, came here to read this post and posted this message, I am plannig to go to bed after this, that was my Thursday, how boring right, real is boring. So we can’t watch a drama where everyone is happy all the time and doing orfinary things because after 2 episodes of no villains or silly conflicts we will be bore and changing the channel as fast as we can. Humans thrive on tragedy, well at least that is what agent smith said in the matrix, but I agree we need some problems in order to enjoy happiness, I would not watch a drama with no plot, it is one of the reasons I hated heartstrings because after a few gazes of YH I had enough, force conflicts maybe and I hate that too but the fact that he heard her we seen it in countless movies that we still love, the romantic in me (she is still there bury deep, deep down) she wants to believe that it is possible to hava a psychic conection with those we love, so I give it a possible, maybe I like it. The alternative for me, a reality show, hate them, a long, long Spanish drama with cliches and more conflicts since they last bet 60-150 episodes which some are good and some really bad, or they have bad writing with bad acting I wouldn’t watch either so I prefer a Kdrama 16 episodes no waste of my life or my time and it entertains me. But going back to Me too flower, imagine if they tell the writer fix it up so we could end it an episode earlier it has to change something and if you go back you would see that the decision came exactly after episode 8 or 9 so there you have the why. it is what it is and I am not going to beat a dead horse, kdramas last only 16 or 20 episodes I don’t think there is a chance to create a series like war and peace in just 15 episodes , we are lucky with what we have.
I don’t agree :
I could have watched the OTP smiling stupidly at each other while eating ramyun for 20 eps. I wouldn’t have been bored.
I could have watched them talking about the weather, cruising in the patrol car for 20 eps. Idem.
I could have watched them walking, handcuffed to each other all around Seoul for 20 eps. Idem.
I could have watched them repainting all the house in yellow for 20 eps.
And so on …
I can’t watch this. 🙁
I agree with Dr Park that being mentally and emotionally healthy is demonstrated by enjoying a beautiful sunset. I don’t need to spend 10 years in jail to appreciate it. And i don’t need to be blind for ten years to appreciate a flower fighting for its life on the sidewalk. And i don’t need to starve for a week to appreciate boiled potatoes for my lunch. Happiness is here and now, in the simplest things. Maturity lies in living with the spontaneity of a kid, BUT with the knowledge and experience of adulthood.
This ending is lame and screwed !
This is just cheap and stupid Judeo-Christian guiltiness and sadomasochism :
You’ ll be chased from paradise so you realize what you’ve lost, you’ll birth kids, but you’ll have to endure pain for it.
Pfffft.
So sad and disappointed.
I had a feeling that this was happening, but I do however think that it’s prob hard to come up with some real good story lines after such peak in the first half of the drama. Having said that, I do agree with you Mdm K that the leads are just great, hopefully the final episode will be better. Thanks for recapping again.
Thanks koala! Merry christmas to you too, thanks for being the awesomest recapper. Hey though this epi is a bit dissapointing but I hope that you won’t give up recapping this as there’s only 1 epi left anyway right? Heheh thank you, we are so grateful to have an awesome drama blogger here (ɔ˘з(˘⌣˘) happy holiday and take care!
i’m still hanging on to this drama because JH is acting his a__ off… but man, oh man hearing voices? really? that was a bit much. its like they stuck her in the roof and can’t figure a way to get her out. while i was watching her screaming for someone to open the door or screaming for people on the street for help, i kept thinking, nah.. they’re not gonna hear her. but the rooftop had a lot of different items including a barbel, throw something down onto the street so someone will look up to see your call for help. that’s what i would do. maybe not the barbel but something less heavy that will not kill the street people. instead, writer turns to a magical connection between the OTP. romantic probably on paper but dang silly to watch.
If she started throwing little things the second she got up there, eventually enough people would have noticed and complained. They would at least look up.
Or, with that mop handle, she could have started banging on anything metal.
It would have gotten someone’s attention somewhere. I do wonder why they didn’t do something like that. JH could have been the one to get hit in the head with a wad of paper.
Thank you, Koala for the funny recap and despite your disappointment, still sticking by the show which I still love.
I understand to a great degree why folks could be angry at Show. Then I recall how I started watching this with zero expectations. I had thought it would be cringe worthy acting between a baker king and a fire legend. I didn’t expect to be caught at by an OTP who in Ep 2 were removing their clothes!
DB, I think, had an article on the plusses and minuses of writing and producing these shows on the fly, as opposed to airing a completed 16 episodes.
We are supposed to get spontaneity. We are supposed to get subtle changes the the script based on where the audience’s heart is. Sometimes we get a character whose role gets more screen time because of how good he is. (That happened with JIS in WHIB.) Sometimes you get a second lead who takes all (You know which – I won’t spoil)
Mostly, though, you get writers who have written themselves into the corner of the cliche box. A strapped-for-time-and-money production team who can’t afford to film a clever idea. What we get are airport scenes, revelatory dreams, and heretofore unimagined actions by the leads. I know. I know it sucks.
But I am such a sucker for the hero man hearing the hero woman’s heart calling out to his. I love that sh7t! There were plenty – a truck of plenty – ways to get JH to LOOK UP and see
something on the roof after finding the mitten. Why didn’t they do it that way? Did they not have enough light that day? Could they not cordon off the streets? Was the roof actually on the other side of town from the street we saw and that meant two production teams vs one? I dunno.
[Speaking of the roof and the elevators, did anyone else notice it was the roof and elevators from Que Sera Sera? I only watched some of those scenes a 1000 times. Especially the elevator one.]
I loved seeing her imagine JH singing to her. Call me what you want, that made me cry.. Her series of Little Match girl dreams was well done for showing BS what her heart really wants. I don’t think she was supposed to be dying before our eyes when she passed out, but I think that if she stayed out there all night she would have.
YSY/JH in that orange scarf was one of the cutest things I have seen on screen. I have 37 screen caps of his face from it. That is saying a lot since I am comparing it to all his earlier cute.
As far as HY, or as I like to call her the lady that says blahblahblahblahblahblahblah? I wouldn’t have needed any subtitles for her to understand any of her scenes. I don’t care about her anymore.
I was excited, however, to hear JH’s first love confession to her. KDW gave us a reverse Chulsu-ah with a twist. Maybe she wants us to see not all noonahs are worthy of puppy love, that Byung-hee really was special. (She really really was.) It helps see why he couldn’t easily walk away from her.
Thank you for giving me a spot to write my defense of Show. “With all its sham and drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world” out there in BS/JH land.
I am remaining cheerful and I will be happy with the end.
LOL at your cringing at the pairing/acting of baker king and fire legend. I haven’t seen either show, but I can guess that others were wondering the same thing going into M2F. What a pleasant surprise. I love them!
@ Mystisith <<>> back!
While I agree show had already reached its peak by ep 8-9 … there’re ,amuy other ways to introduce-maintain tension – interest other than depending on entire eppies of lovey- dovey ramyun eating.
Those can take up half the 13/14 eppies agree but we might become desensitized with too much sugar. The OTP should have moved in together @ ep 14 and sizzled the screen with some spontaneous passionate loving. Predictable loving is boring …. it lacks the spontaneous impulse of the ep 6 kiss.
I DID agree with some conflict in ep 13 – it is necc, even if boring – so didn’t entirely mind the eppie.
Bec unlike Ockoala = I do NOT see BS as lacking lustre in these 2 eppies.
In fact, her continued resistence is quite in keeping with her stubborn independent nature. I would do the same. She’s not entirely sure of this guy anymore, and this is her firm + prickly way of pushing him away that makes senses to herself.
And even in ep 14 – he can’t bring himself still to tell her BS right about HY. I get exasperated with JH sometimes that he assumes BS will just cave when he appears in front of her. A weaker girl would cave and just fall for his sweet sugar, but NOT feisty BS – she stands frim – she tries to move on (matseon).
You go girl!!!
The moping around – that is also original BS.
She IS that depressed person to begin with and eats tons whenever things fall apart.
@ Lupita:
Ordinary ramyun-eating scenes (Mystisith’s suggestion) are real-life too.
BUT not boring if handled right (Prosecution Princess comes to mind) = it’s all to do with how scenes flow, and how logical they are to us, to make us buy in.
Coffee Prince had a lot of nothing, ordinary scenes (just cleaning, sitting at coffee bar doing nothing but jostling-bantering around. yet it was heartwarming magical at times with these ordinary scenes. The writer knew how to handle the conflict so we were kept interested – the whole gay scene was dragged out, but they kept sexual tension going, and kept up a lot of individual conflict between the characters.
The trouble with Me Too Flower are not so much the scenes, but how amazingly crazy they’re now nonsensically strung together that question viewer intelligence and makes little sense panning out. The whole clumsy bike thief scene (if they didn’t know how to handle it) could have been minimised.
for eg They could create tension and jealousy by playing up her matseon dating – he seemed a nice and interested enough guy for their relationship to detour for a bit.
JH would have been kept on his toes boiling with jealousy.
That way BS could have clarified her own emotional demons too (which makes sense to me – even as we protest about them. And made the whole yo-yo episodes with Jae-hee more buyable and convincing for us viewers.
In between, more enraged passionate kissing scenes (ala ep 6) could be introduced as well to convince BS that no one and no chemistry’s except JH’s would do – no matter how appropriate her matseon date might be for a sane future.
In real life we don’t suddenly hear voices or have convenient street cameras recording chases … or instinctively know which building, or have a glove appear before our very eyes. Even Hansel and Gretel’s crumbs got eaten by the birds – that’s real life.
In fact, JH would be so distressed he would NOT have noticed the glove in real life and then spend his life dwelling on the retrospective groove: “Aigoo I could have. Aiya, I should have” all his life (setting up Drama #2 in the making with JH as KSW in Stairway to Heaven part 2)
Or that glove would be kicked into some dusty corner by foot traffic all day … not lying in the middle, as BS had dropped it. And her ka-bang (bag) with cell phone would already be gone and stolen – not lying waiting to be found by her colleagues.
Real Life would be – she dies, unfound bec time/weather factors are of such urgency/
Or yes, as Jomo and everyone else suggests … start throwing paper down, attracting way more attention whatever. Not keep sitting up there hallucinating on the roofttop.
But no.
Drama life means hero hears voices.
Hero can search even better than useless trained police (Maru for eg seemed totally hopeless in the search – untrained JH more focused and directed)
@ Jomo:
While I liked the slap she deserved ….. I also appreciated that the drama DID show that HY wasn’t entirely in the left field with her JH-emotions all this while.
There was a basis for it. In keeping with his flawed damaged hero role – JH did send her the mixed-msg long ago he was interested in HY.
While it doesn’t excuse all her evil machinations after – it did give us a glimpse into why she kept up her delusions with JH. It also served to show it her a little twisted even back then, bec it meant she was affected/flattered enough she felt something, even as she went onto marry his (late) hyung.
But HY too-long refrains of “it’s not me” …. sorry – just badly acted out, and we could have been spared that dragged out so endlessly, thanks.
The way the plot is going, they might as well have kept it succinct and wrapped it in ep 13.
We don’t need 16 eppies. !5 is already one ep too long with these types of plot intro and resolutions
Anyways ……. this drama HAD potential to be way more. The OTP demonstrated great acting. After Me2F – I now like Lee Jia-a (and her gentle voice), and am a newly minted fan of Yoon Si Yoon. Too bad their potential to be more just wasn’t showcased in better opportunities in the latter half.
~ Her bemused expression after the kiss in ep 6, bruised lips and all – that was so real
~ His hurt … always so real.
Warm Wishes for a fun but also cosy-restful festive season!
The plot itself in M2F always left something to be desired and BS “calling” JH’s name was a bit of a stretch but in my eyes, the writer is handling the emotions in OTP’s relationship realistically well. I disagree that if there’s isn’t an exact reason for a breakup, it can’t be valid. Most real relationship don’t end with clear reasons either. BS can’t pinpoint where exactly their relationship went wrong because it was buildup after buildup of JH’s lies. From their conversation at the house, it’s obvious JH still doesn’t realize what he did wrong and thinks he doesn’t have a “habit”. He thinks HY was the source of the their relationship’s problem and everything is solved because he ended it with her. But the real problem is that JH still refuses to tell the truth, lies by omission, bullshits his way through, tries to take all responsibility by himself and never shares his thoughts with BS etc. BS can’t trust him and she’s not going to enter a relationship where she’s sure she will be abandoned in the future. BS is right, nothing’s changed. After the near death experience I’m sure BS will open up her heart a little but I don’t think this drama is going to end all happy and lovey-dovey either.
YES! Thanks – totally agree with your perceptive insight.
BS – her hesitancy is real and necc, in keeping with her character/the nature of their relationship -> JH’s s bail out handling of issues
You summed the buildup of relationship uncertainty up well, way better than my long rant above ever could … down to JH’s cavalier attitude easy cop-out each time and avoidance about discussing the true grit, each and every time the shit hits the fan.
I was dissapointed with his selective-omission of the discovery about HY again … but in this particular instance I am willing to cut more slack – perhaps JH was more justified. He feels he owes some kind of loyalty/bond/obligation to HY, and it’s this memory/respect of their history together that kept him biting his tongue.
I think I can forgive episode 14 if the idea at the end of the series is that she opens up a little bit but still needs help and that she and Jae Hee are still working on their relationship and that by the end, it is only just the beginning. I think to jump from such an episode 14 to a lovey dovey ending, happily-ever-after ending would just be too ridiculous.
I agree with you but that is K-Drama and viewers love dramatic turns. Who cares for logic (yeah; a healthy, well clothed girl freezes nearly to dead after a few hours beeing out in the cold who is still warm enough than no one wears hats or close their jackets; and she is sitting well covered from the wind) when we get a crying hero saving his damsel in distress? I really enjoyed that drama but I do not take it too seroius.
what’s the name of the song in the beginning of ep14, I mean a song that sounded when jae hee walking past bong sun while holding her matseon date hand..?
someone please help me…
I think it’s this one by Alex – Day you left
Alex – A Day You Left (나도 꽃 Me Too, Flower OST Part.4).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21w4L2kK2Yw
I don’t think I would have been so disappointed in episode 14 if this was like a 20-24 episode series. However, this is a 15 episode series and episode 14 should start the healing process? However, it’s still a good episode considering that other kdramas’ episode 14s have sucked even worse. It is pretty sad that most kdramas tend to disappointed after halfway point.
At least Jae Hee finally realizes how messed up Hwayoung is.
I lol’ed at this: other kdramas’ episode 14s have sucked even worse.
Here’s to why having lowered expectations makes happier viewers!
We really should be praising the excellent dramas more. It isn’t easy to produce quality show after quality show under the constrained time these production teams have.
No matter what, I will miss these characters a lot when this very quick series is over. While I don’t hear the same “Season 2?” question being thrown about as a result of this drama, I am hoping that YSY and LJ get new and quality projects soon. I really enjoyed seeing them separately and together (mostly together).
I also have high hopes for LKK, who really shone in his smallish – compared to most second leads – role.
Please don’t be so upset, Ms. Koala,,there’s just 1 episode left:D
and I’ll be free from this crazy fun chaotic drama, hahaha…
Thoroughly enjoyed your recap, koala. Thank you so much for the pre-sub coverage and your take on this drama. You have a way with words, and so do many who share their thoughts here.
This was a drama I started watching because a certain other drama that shares the same time slot was getting blah and kooky on me. Its odd title caught my eye, and I thought, “Why not give it a try?” It had me at “You dropped something!”
As you and others have expressed, the acting of the two leads is wonderful. Its real, its powerful, its sweet, its engaging. You can just feel how much they love and cherish each other. I wouldn’t go as far as saying I could watch 20 epis of them painting a fence, but I do love to watch them, preferably happy together.
Enter epi 14. Stepsister irritates me, and she and doc, though necessary in some ways – I am sorry to say – I don’t care a lot about. NoonaHY has gone saiko on us and seriously needs help before she harms JH and BS any more than she already has. She plays an important part in JH’s life, but she has just been somewhat demoted (not that she was ever at the same level as BS) and she hates it so much she can’t think straight. These are common monkey wrenches thrown in the mix to see if true love transcends all. They get tiresome, and I’m up to here on misunderstandings thwarting our OTP from a life of (mostly) bliss. I wasn’t convinced the blind date fit here in that it didn’t really fit her character at this time. I didn’t sense it was to show her desperation to move on with her life and forget JH as much as it showed the desperation of the writer to throw another monkey wrench in.
As for BS, the bike thief, and the roof, I didn’t think that as ill-contrived and ridiculous as some others felt. I know – many think of the near-death thing as up there on the monkey wrench/gimmick scale, but I was ok with it. Sure, I agree that she could have been more resourceful up there on the roof and turn on her McGyver sense (or even more common sense?), warm up better, etc. However, the part about JH hearing her voice is reminiscent of that part in Jane Eyre (a story beloved of thousands, including me) when she hears Mr. Rochester call her name over miles and miles of English terrain. That, and the fact that I believe that sort of thing can truly happen (having a spiritual connection, per se) makes it real to me and therefore, I didn’t have a problem with it. What a coincidence it was to look down and find her glove as if to point the way? In keeping with my thoughts on the spiritual connection thing, it wasn’t a coincidence. Is it a daily occurrence? No. Whatever way we may think, from that scene we did get that her best moment was her not wanting to part from him that one night, and her worst regret was him wanting to be fed (literally and metaphorically) and her rejecting him and denying him that need. I got all teary-eyed with him in that scene when he found her.
How they are going to tie things up nicely in one more episode is beyond me, but I truly hope they do the end of this gem of a drama justice. Our two leads deserve it.
Thanks kappy for sharing your thoughts on this episode…I’ve been trying to remember since I watched this episode which other story also used that literary device of hearing your beloved’s voice for it was familiar. Thanks for citing Jane Eyre!
Thanks also to Ms. Koala for providing us another wonderful episode recap.
Hello everyone! 😀
Just want to share this link from the MBC website, showing what I think are the photos from the next (and final?) episode. Looks like the cute scenes are baaacck! 😉
http://www.imbc.com/broad/tv/drama/meflower/photo/?list_id=1793329
Also, from the same website, it appears the epic kissing scene from ep 6 is among the nominated best drama kiss scene in this year’s MBC 2011 Drama awards.
Go “Team Bong Sun-Jae Hee”!
Thanks SO SO SO SO much bashful !
My two peas in their pod, my two little baby chicks reunited at last. How i missed them…
Nominated for best kiss : You’re kidding ? Just give them the damn trophy already ! Coated with gold and diamonds. And the matching trophys of all the other TV channels while we are here…
And i want that kiss to be reperformed on the stage of the Awards : Just to blow the audience and to close all the twisted mouths who said ” he’s too young for her ” and ” she’s too old for him “.
Yes, i’m actually shamelessly asking for fanservice, but Santa said it’s OK since i didn’t ask anything else this year.
The Kiss ! The Kiss ! The Kiss….
Thank you! And hooray that the epic kiss was voted best kiss. That has got to win something!
Sorry..I mean nominated best kiss. But I’ll be darned if it’s not voted best kiss after all!
Thanks for the recap, I enjoy reading your recap/reviews. Since we almost have the same favorites kactors/kactress, I rely a lot on your opinion.
I feel the same way, I almost lost interest after episode 12/13.. what so great about their lines that they will not break up.. end up in same crappy answer. It my first time to discover Lee Ji Ah, and I hope she gets better kdrama. I already like Yoon Shi Yoon as actor, for a male actor to show his tears so often, is rare!
Really enjoying reading your recaps!
thanks for your recap..
I’m happy to read some of your comments about the drama..