Hyde, Jekyll, Me Episode 11 Recap

Proactive and in charge Goo Seo Jin basically rocks my world. If he’s front and center then everything about Hyde, Jekyll, Me gets infinitely better. Episode 11 was a nice episode of conflict development, half of which I care about and the other half necessary to get over some humps. The two personalities sharing one body conundrum takes a turn for the dangerous as Robin starts worrying for his own continued existence while Seo Jin is told his main self might be eaten up by his alter. Not good, sooooo not good. Tae Joo “finds out” about the DID and plays it to his advantage, planting seeds of distrust between the two personalities to further his own revenge plan not to mention violating every doctor creed out there.

An interesting twist arrives in the form of Seo Jin knowing something about what happened 22 years ago that Tae Joo/Soo Hyun doesn’t know about, which makes the real truth more than meets either’s eye. I wish they would just sync up their stories and maybe resolve Tae Joo’s raging victim mentality once and for all. Both boys were victims and instead of turning against each other they should go teach the heartless child abandoning Chairman Goo a lesson. Ha Na spends the entire episode running off to figure things out, which works great for me needing to see less of her onscreen, but annoys in turning her so passively shrinking from addressing the giant problem in the room, namely she’s making out with Seo Jin’s body any which way she slices it.

Episode 11 recap:

Seo Jin wakes up in his own bed with a worried Young Chan hovering over him. He flashes back to the scene inside the warehouse with the smoke and Ha Na coughing leading him to put the mask on her. Seo Jin’s eyes widen to realize that he saved Ha Na.

Ha Na enters Seo Jin’s room and gets this piercing look from him which makes my toes curl. She’s oblivious and goes straight to asking him about what happened yesterday. She remembers Seo Jin placing the smoke mask on her but then suddenly Robin showed up to save her by knocking the windows out. She looks down and notices Seo Jin’s injured right hand, bandaged up exactly where Robin was cut after he smashed the windows.

Ha Na asks who Seo Jin is, just like when she asked who Robin was a long time ago. Seo Jin doesn’t answer and asks if Ha Na is fine or is tired? She assures him that she’s fine so Seo Jin declares that he’s exhausted and will be going to sleep now. He asks Ha Na to stay by his side as he sleeps and that’s his answer to her question about who he is. She’ll know when he wakes up who he is.

Seo Jin lays down and promptly falls asleep. Robin then wakes up and flashes back to his own set of memories from the warehouse kidnapping, finding Ha Na coughing and knocking the windows out to help her. He sees Ha Na sitting beside the bed and worriedly asks if she’s okay? Ha Na is stunned to realize that the Seo Jin who went to sleep woke up as Robin right before her eyes, but she still needs to ask a few times if he’s really Robin.

Robin wonders why Ha Na is in this room and hears that Seo Jin told Ha Na to stay put as he went to sleep and then she’ll know the answer to her question about who he is. Ha Na watched Seo Jin go to sleep and wake up as Robin, so what exactly is going on? Robin tells Ha Na that he and Seo Jin suffer from DID and are two different personalities.

Ha Na finally understands and asks if Seo Jin and Robin are the same person? No shit Sherlock. Robin refutes that and insists he and Seo Jin are different people, with different personalities, likes, interests, and careers. He further adds that the person Ha Na likes is him, and he’s the one who likes Ha Na.

Tae Joo shows Professor Kang the video from the warehouse and she’s excited that Seo Jin acted out of character, which is the first sign that his defenses are down. Tae Joo is unhappy that Professor Kang is all excited about Seo Jin’s breakthrough, or that she keeps taking his side and wanting to help him. Tae Joo doesn’t think this is a breakthrough and wants Seo Jin to remember the past to cure his DID.

Professor Kang believes Seo Jin genuinely has forgotten, she’s hypnotized him many times in the past and Seo Jin has never remembered what happened. Tae Joo believes Robin has always been Seo Jin’s biggest shield protecting him, scoffing at Seo Jin creating Robin to save others while the real Seo Jin is a weak coward. Even worse is a third shield now in the form of Jang Ha Na. What Tae Joo plans is for Seo Jin’s shields to attack him and force him into a corner where he can’t hide anymore. Then he will have to acknowledge what kind of person he really is.

Seo Jin wakes up as Ha Na enters his room. He calmly asks if she’s seen and confirmed it? She must be as incredulous as he was when he first realized it. At the warehouse yesterday she must’ve seen how scared and hopeless he was, just like when it happened to him in the past. Back then he created Robin to cope but now he’s changed. He’s changed because he saved someone’s life, he saved Ha Na after she came to save him.

Seo Jin tells Ha Na that he and Robin are the same person, he is Robin as Robin is him. This is exactly the opposite of what Robin told Ha Na and she looks torn, going back to her room to brood. She flashes back to all her interactions with Seo Jin and Robin, one always yelling at her and being cold while the other has saved her multiple times.

Robin and Seo Jin have a tete-a-tete in the secret lair, with Robin demanding to know why Seo Jin told Ha Na the truth when he was always the one to insist on secrecy. And if he was planning to do it, why not get Robin’s consent beforehand? Robin knows that Seo Jin asked Robin for help for the first time in the warehouse, which made Robin happy because that means Seo Jin is acknowledging Robin. So why did Seo Jin have to tell Ha Na the truth, tell the truth to the person who Robin likes? Seo Jin calmly tells Robin thank you for the first time before he goes into what else he wants to say.

Seo Jin walks out of the lair and wonders what exactly he’s doing now? Ha Na stays up all night brooding which is how Seo Jin finds her the next morning. He tells her to rest and he’ll handle giving a statement to the police. Ha Na tells Seo Jin that everything she learned feels like a dream and she doesn’t know what is real or now, but she is certain that the person she likes is Robin. She doesn’t want Seo Jin to conflate her feelings for Robin for him.

Seo Jin doesn’t buy it and asks why Ha Na followed him to the warehouse? It’s not that her personality is a savior, right? She went because she was worried about Seo Jin, and she’s worried about Seo Jin because she cares and feels bad for him, right? That works for Seo Jin since that’s a good place to start, as he’s also started with respect to her.

The comically inept cops go through evidence from the warehouse crime scene which indicates that Lee Soo Hyun was nearby and controlling the scene. Detective Lee orders the cops to pound the pavement on this case as Professor Kang is still missing.

Seo Jin meets with Detective Lee to have Professor Kang officially stricken from the suspect list. The kidnapper knew facts from the past kidnapping that even Seo Jin didn’t know, so it can’t be Professor Kang. Too bad the cops have no trail to go on in finding the real Lee Soo Hyun who disappeared when he was 12 years old after his dad died. Seo Jin has an idea and asks to see the assailant Ahn Seung Gun.

Seo Jin treats Ahn like he’s the real Lee Soo Hyun and claims to have remembered everything now. Flashback to the two kids tied up in the warehouse while the kidnapper calls for ransom. Seo Jin whispers something to Ahn who claims that never happened. Seo Jin claims Soo Hyun is choosing to forget key facts and brings up there being another kidnapper that day, a total of two perps.

Seo Jin tells Detective Lee that he’s trying to confirm whether Ahn remembers the same details of the kidnapping that Seo Jin still remembers. Detective Lee is a bit taken aback at Seo Jin’s change in dealing with this case head on.

Ha Na goes for a walk on the bridge in Wonder Land and remembers the rest of her conversation with Robin. He’s certain that they like each other and she’s the reason why Robin came back after 5 years. He doesn’t care why Seo Jin is trying to hide behind him but he’s certain that she’s the reason he came into existence and he won’t let go of her. Ha Na flashes back to watching Seo Jin try and jump off the bridge and saving him.

Seo Jin hears from Young Chan that there was an entire day when he didn’t appear and Robin managed to successfully masquerade as Seo Jin. Young Chan wonders if Seo Jin recollects why that happened since it’s never happened before.

Seo Jin is called to meet with his dad and talk turns to Seo Jin’s missing day which even Seo Jin doesn’t know why it happened. Dad has scheduled a new psychiatrist to come see Seo Jin who will arrive in a week. His secretary texts Seung Yun about Chairman Goo booking a ticket for someone to come to Korea.

Tae Joo sits down with Professor Kang and ignored her attempts to talk some sense into him, to start getting treatment himself for his trauma.

Seo Jin pays Tae Joo a visit and directly reveals his desire to have Tae Joo be his psychiatrist. Seo Jin realizes that his DID was caused by certain memories that he is missing from the childhood kidnapping incident. Tae Joo pushes a button under his desk and allows Professor Kang to listen in on this session. Tae Joo acts all clueless about Seo Jin’s DID and offers to do his best to help despite not being as experienced as Professor Kang.

Seo Jin explains that there was one day when his personality didn’t appear and the other personality appeared, except Seo Jin didn’t willingly want to hide. What is going on in that instance? Tae Joo claims that this is a sign that the main personality is slowly disappearing and being taken over. Professor Kang looks alarmed from inside the hidden room, as if Tae Joo is lying to Seo Jin. Tae Joo agrees to look into this further and get back to Seo Jin.

Tae Joo goes back to the safe room to ask what Professor Kang thinks about what is happening to Seo Jin? It really is the other personality taking over, Robin wanting to survive and live now. Seo Jin thinks he’s created a super nice savior but even a personality will have wants and desires. Tae Joo then prepares a missive to send to Seo Jin/Robin.

Seo Jin keeps mulling over what Tae Joo claims is happening, that Robin is now trying to take over. He tells Young Chan to have the cops behind a nationwide manhunt for Lee Soo Hyun. Seo Jin sits at his desk and records a video which he posts on a public video portal.

Seo Jin goes home and hears that Ha Na left Seoul this morning and has turned off her cell phone. He has the bodyguard make sure she’s safe before going to her room and finding it empty. His call to Ha Na goes straight to voicemail and he leaves a message.

Robin wakes up and frantically goes to Ha Na’s room and finds it empty. She’s left a note for Robin asking for some time and his call to her goes straight to voicemail. Robin runs to the lair and watches Seo Jin’s latest video message to him. Seo Jin thanks Robin for the first time, Seo Jin really did survive because of Robin. He thanks Robin for doing what he wanted to do and apologizes for always wanting to get rid of Robin all these years.

Seo Jin tells Robin that he’s Seo Jin, they are the same person. Soon Robin will disappear, no not disappear, Robin will live on forever in Seo Jin. Robin suddenly has a flash of memory from Seo Jin’s kidnapping when he’s holding onto Soo Hyun’s hand from the window.

Woo Jung calls Robin all worried and he assures her that he’s fine. He keeps trying to call Ha Na and even goes to the circus to try and find her. He hears that she’s asked for a few days off. Woo Jung tracks Robin to the circus and tells him that Ha Na said she was going away for a few days. Woo Jung offers to help Robin look for Ha Na but a search of all the usual places turns up empty.

Robin sits down at the bench and Woo Jung joins him, all worried about what’s going to happen. She doesn’t want Robin to be sad because she can tell he’s feeling what she felt when Robin disappeared 5 years ago. Robin thanks Woo Jung for remembering him during the 5 years when he was gone and making him feel like he existed. He promises not to go anywhere and will stay put.

Robin goes to Tae Joo’s to look for Ha Na and hears that he doesn’t know where she is either. Tae Joo asks if Seo Jin told Ha Na the truth and reveals that Seo Jin came by and told Tae Joo about his DID. Perhaps that’s why Ha Na left to try and figure things out. Robin wants to know why Seo Jin came by and told Tae Joo the secret that he would have never shared with anyone.

Tae Joo turns on the secret microphone to let Professor Kang listen in again and reveals Seo Jin came by to ask for psychiatric advice about why his personality didn’t show up for one day. Robin wants to know what the symptom means and hears Tae Joo say that the main personality might be eliminated soon. That’s why Seo Jin is worried and told Ha Na the truth. Tae Joo can understand Robin feels upset hearing this and shares his analysis that Robin has been supporting Seo Jin this whole time. He suggests Robin help Seo Jin right now because it’s hard to predict what Seo Jin will do next.

Robin tells Tae Joo that he suddenly got a memory from the past and it’s not his memory. He saw a memory snippet of Seo Jin being kidnapped as a child in the same warehouse. Tae Joo hesitates and Robin pushes Tae Joo to tell him what’s going on? Does Tae Joo see Robin as not existing, just a figment of Seo Jin? Tae Joo calms Robin down and suggests the latest occurrences could be one-off and mean nothing. Robin doesn’t buy it and asks if he’s going to disappear soon? Tae Joo says no, Robin will start remembering more of Seo Jin’s memories which means he’s starting to take over Seo Jin’s personality. So the personality that will disappear isn’t Robin but Seo Jin.

Tae Joo has been letting a ball slide back and forth on his cell phone the whole time and suddenly hypnotizes Robin. He remarks that Robin is different than Seo Jin and very easy to hypnotize. Robin leaves Tae Joo’s apartment and remembers hugging Ha Na outside there. He hears Tae Joo’s analysis that his personality is taking over Seo Jin’s personality and he may not need to disappear.

Professor Kang is furious at Tae Joo’s terrible psychiatric analysis to Robin but Tae Joo doesn’t think he did anything since Robin has already started coveting existence. All he did is give him a push with the letter he sent.

Robin sits down with Publisher Min who has a fan letter someone just sent to Robin. He opens it up for Robin and his face falls. Robin takes the letter over and read and his eyes widen. The letter is from Tae Joo telling Robin that Seo Jin is desperate to find Professor Kang because she found the perfect treatment for Seo Jin’s DID and the result is that Robin will disappear.

Robin calls Ha Na and leaves a message while wiping away tears. Seo Jin’s phone gets a call from the detective and Robin rushes there to try and find Ha Na. Robin then goes to see Young Chan and accuses him of knowing that Seo Jin is looking for Professor Kang because she found a treatment for his DID which will make Robin disappear. He asks why Young Chan is also keeping this from him, and if he’s okay with Robin disappearing?

Ha Na listens to all of Robin’s voicemails and then hears one from Seo Jin. It’s the one Seo Jin left when he went to Ha Na’s room in the morning. Seo Jin knows Ha Na feels like she’s in a dream, he feels the same way since he’s actually changing. He likes it and thanks Ha Na, from now and for when they were kids.

Ha Na answers a call from Tae Joo and hears that both Seo Jin and Robin came by to see him today. He found out that they weren’t twins and is worried that Ha Na is very confused by everything. He keeps pushing to find out where she is and hears she’s at a pension in the countryside and is fine. Tae Joo ends the call and turns his car around.

Professor Kang has wriggled her way out of the chair and is knocking on the pipes which connects to the unit below Tae Joo’s apartment. A lady is inside and hears the sounds. She manages to grab a spoon to tap repeatedly on the pipe.

Ha Na’s wanders through the pension courtyard and remembers Robin saving her and her saving Seo Jin, Robin comforting her and her comforting Seo Jin. Robin tracks Ha Na down at the pension (don’t ask me how) and rushes towards her to pull her in for a passionate desperate kiss.

Robin and Ha Na sit by the fire holding hands and he’s worried about her being here all along. He thinks she might be scared of him or shocked into silence by the truth. Ha Na is confused so Robin tells her to just listen to him. Everyone thinks he’s a figment of the imagination but Ha Na makes Robin feel like he actually exists. If he’s just Seo Jin’s creation then why does he feel all this emotion for Ha Na?

Seo Jin wakes up in the car the next morning and finds himself outside the pension. Tae Joo is also there and is about to get out of his car to find Ha Na when he sees Seo Jin walk up to her. Seo Jin finds out from Ha Na that Robin was by last night. He’s about to leave when he turns back and asks how Ha Na got over her fear of going on the ropes after her dad told her to get over her fears.

Ha Na didn’t get over it but forced herself to keep getting on like repeating a mantra over and over. Seo Jin explains that he’s doing the same right now, he’s forcing himself to look at the truth from 22 years ago.

Tae Joo sees the video message Seo Jin uploaded addressed to Lee Soo Hyun and presses play. Seo Jin wants to talk to Soo Hyun about what happened that day, the truth that Seo Jin forget and the truth that Soo Hyun doesn’t know about.

Seo Jin tells Ha Na that he’s changed because of her so he wants her to come back to him. He’s waiting for her.

Thoughts of Mine:

That was a confession if I ever heard one, or at least it was a confession Goo Seo Jin style. Either way it totally works for me. I can’t handle Seo Jin getting schmoopy with Ha Na, especially in light of Robin always going overboard emo with her. I love Seo Jin’s upfront reserved approach, once he crossed the line with accepting Ha Na’s importance in his heart then he’s all in but doesn’t need to profess undying love for all of eternity, which is Robin’s modus operandi. I basically treat Ha Na like a tree and Seo Jin tending to his special tree which makes him happy, and that makes me happy. Her presence continues to be as interesting as a cardboard cutout, and her reaction to learning about the DID was as exciting as watching a wet firework that doesn’t even go off. She runs off to the countryside for a few days to just walk around? LOL, gotta give it to her with the supreme non-reaction followed by avoidance tactic. She needed to just talk to Robin and keep on talking until she figures out what to do. Things aren’t going to magically get figured out just because she has time to think it through alone sheesh.

Seo Jin went from interesting to flown blown fascinating in this episode. To see Seo Jin take charge was as awesome as expected, the way he started figuring out how to get to the missing memories as well as tracking down the real Lee Soo Hyun. All Robin does is whine about his right to exist, which is fine and dandy but does he really believe he exists outside of Seo Jin? I dislike how his feelings for Ha Na triggers his desire to live, but then I wonder if that is the one commonality between Seo Jin and Robin that will be the key to their melding together. If both love Ha Na then she’s the reason they have to make it work and give her one full man to love, rather than asking her to choose. Not that Ha Na deserves both guys but if she’s the one they love then make sure she actually does her part to help Seo Jin and Robin through the challenges to come. Her damsel in distress wore thin 5 episodes ago, and the stupid warehouse rescue leaves me less than impressed with her brainless approach in the face of grave danger. It’s the same way she saved Seo Jin from the bridge, seeing a suicidal boy try to commit suicide for a year means finding out who he is and alerting the parents, not hovering around to see if he actually jumps and then trying to save him in the nick of time. Grrr, she really tries my patience to no end.

Tae Joo remains insanely entertaining with his escalating revenge plan towards Seo Jin, most of which feels like he’s just making shit up on the spot. Nothing is real well thought out in this drama and when that aspects falls on the tense thriller moments it feels more comical than tense and scary. I often feel like Tae Joo and Professor Kang are having a tea party in that little room while arguing over differing psychiatric points of view. I don’t think Robin really poses a threat to Seo Jin, no matter how Tae Joo tries to manipulate the situation, because Ha Na actually cares for Seo Jin a lot already. She’s never going to watch as Robin tries to take over Seo Jin’s body forever, not that I think it will ever come to this. Robin and Seo Jin need to work through their coexistence issues which includes finding out what happened in the past that Seo Jin is hiding from. Little Seo Jin actually seemed quite brave in the way he did try to save Soo Hyun and pull him up, so even if he let go in the end there was always a part of Seo Jin that is a protector and savior. Let that part be unleashed and then Robin will have run his course and merge into Seo Jin, creating the Seo Bin combo of extra smexy hotness.

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