I totally, completely, utterly do not understand Hyde, Jekyll, Me. I don’t understand how devoid of logic and rational common sense it is and still keeps plowing forward down the same path. Flying monkeys could appear in the next episode and would make more sense than the thought process of Jang Ha Na. Seo Jin is no better but at least his rationale is that he’s being irrational for Ha Na’s sake. I think Bing Bing the gorilla is really the screenwriter for this drama and therefore her presence in episode 1 was a cameo like how Stan Lee puts himself into every Marvel movie. It takes a lot for me to side with the formerly heartless chaebol daddy on solutions to problems but at least the words coming out of his mouth have a sensible basis, when Ha Na says something it’s the equivalent of gibberish made worse by her repetitive insistence that She Does Not Like Seo Jin. Fine, don’t like Seo Jin but then stop getting in his way and definitely stop hanging out with his body half the time, m’kay?

Episode 17 recap:

Seo Jin threatens to out his own DID when he hears daddy dearest is trying to guilt Ha Na into leaving. Dad believes his plan is for the best not to mention Ha Na claims she doesn’t love Seo Jin while she’s in love with Robin. Seo Jin insists he has things under control so dad shows him the news about Robin wanting to hold a press conference. Dad wants Ha Na to leave they can get to work getting rid of Robin.

Seo Jin claims his dad is still trying to hide Seo Jin away but dad retorts that he’s doing all this to protect Seo Jin. Everything that Dad has and will pass onto Seo Jin, he’s trying to keep it all safe for him. Seo Jin doesn’t want any of this and sees Dad as trying to protect his own things more than Seo Jin. This is forcing Seo Jin to live the life he doesn’t want. Seo Jin declares that he’s done protecting his dad’s things and will protect his own from now on. Seo Jin leaves and I’m so with Dad in letting out a huge annoyed sigh.

Seung Yun calls his a bunch of reporters to tip them off to where Robin’s officetel is located. Sure enough all the reporters gather right outside Robin’s officetel and ring the doorbell. Ha Na is inside with Jin Joo and are stuck unable to leave. She quickly calls Publisher Min and confirms that the press conference was called off already yet the reporters have gathered. Jin Joo wonders if Robin was forced to call off the press conference because of issues with Wonder Group, revealing the rumors that Seo Jin has been forced out of the company after news spread that he was sick. Ha Na looks concerned when she hears this.

Young Chan gets a call from Ha Na about being trapped in the officetel. Seo Jin hears this and orders Young Chan to drive there immediately. Young Chan wants to know why Seo Jin is going personally when they could extricate Ha Na without him being there. Seo Jin explains he’s working on trying to take his life in a new direction. When they arrive, Seo Jin heads up while ordering Young Chan to stay put. The bodyguard gets orders from Chairman Goo to stop Seo Jin from meeting with the reporters and outing his DID otherwise he’ll fire everyone.

Seo Jin walks up to the officetel front door and the reporters all recognize him as the Wonder Group son. Ha Na and Jin Joo see Seo Jin arrive through the door camera. Seo Jin orders the reporters to leave for trespassing on private property. One reporter got the tip from Seung Yun to ask Seo Jin what his relationship is to Robin so he does that.

Faced with the direct question about his relationship with Robin, Seo Jin takes a deep breath and starts to answer when Ha Na runs out of the officetel and drags Seo Jin off behind her. Ha Na drags Seo Jin up to the roof, and don’t ask me why the reporters didn’t follow them. Ha Na is upset at Seo Jin for trying to out himself, asking why he’s giving up now after all he’s been through. Seo Jin tells Ha Na not to be concerned about him if she doesn’t love him. Word that! Seo Jin steps forward and tosses Ha Na’s earlier words back at her – she’s the one who’s confused since from all her recent actions it’s clear she actually likes Seo Jin as well as loves Robin.

Seo Jin knows Ha Na is a kind and loyal woman, the type to love only one man. That’s why she is insisting on sticking with Robin, but then why is she so worried about Seo Jin all the time. She can be concerned and pity him but she keeps doing it and to the extent of risking her own life. She needs to think about why she convinced Robin not to do something that would help Robin out of concern for Seo Jin? Ha Na doesn’t have an answer for him.

Ha Na finally answers by giving a lame apology for butting into his business but Seo Jin shuts her down by pointing out that her response is not answering his question. Before they can talk more Young Chan and the bodyguard arrive on the rooftop to take Seo Jin away before he can out himself. Young Chan is not happy with Seo Jin’s insistence on outing himself and reveals Chairman Goo threatened to fire everyone if Seo Jin did it. Young Chan wants Seo Jin to make sure everyone is taken cared of before he goes ahead and outs himself.

Seo Jin and Ha Na leave with Young Chan and continue their conversation while waiting for the car. Ha Na explains that she stopped Seo Jin from outing himself in front of the reporters because that’s not what Robin would have wanted. Robin wants to give the interview as himself, if Seo Jin does it then Robin becomes just Seo Jin’s other personality. YOU MORON, THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT ROBIN IS! She doesn’t want Robin to become Seo Jin’s illness manifestation to the world. Robin wants his own identity and that is why he wants to out himself.

Seo Jin calls bullshit on Ha Na’s response which was not what he asked her. His question was why she stopped Robin from giving the interview, not why she stopped Seo Jin from giving the interview. Thank god someone still has a brain here. Seo Jin can accept that Ha Na stopped him for Robin’s sake, but why did she stop Robin? For Robin’s sake? Or was it for Seo Jin’s sake? He tells Ha Na to think long and hard about it. Sorry Seo Jin, she can think until pigs fly and still won’t figure things out.

The reporters crowd the car as Seo Jin and Ha Na get in, this time directing questions at Ha Na like they believe she’s actually the elusive Robin. Which kinda makes sense since the reporters saw her leaving the officetel. Ha Na says nothing while shooting looks at Seo Jin who just looks out the window during the entire car ride.

Ha Na texts Seo Jin later with “no matter how I think about it, the answer is still no, it can’t be that.” Seo Jin shakes his head and texts her back that her response was too quick, how could she have used the time to think it through clearly? Ha Na texts back that she doesn’t need time to think about it. I SO FUCKING HATE HER. Can’t believe how much I can hate a drama female lead.

The news that breaks the next morning is about Robin being the secret girlfriend of chaebol Goo Seo Jin. Ahahaha, that’s so absurd it’s actually funny. Seung Yun reads the headlines and is not amused his plan went so awry. Chairman Goo orders Young Chan to have all the articles pulled. Seung Yun calls his reporter contact to explain that the news is wrong. The reporter doesn’t think so since Ha Na was in the US for 5 years and during that time was exactly when Robin stopped publishing the webtoon. Her return to Korea also matches when the webtoon started again. Seung Yun can only scream over and over again that the girl is NOT Robin!

Robin wakes up to the news articles and has a flashback memory of Ha Na pulling Seo Jin away from the reporters outside the officetel. He receives a warning text from Ha Na to avoid going to the officetel and to meet at Woo Jung’s café. Ha Na waits for Robin at the café and watches Woo Jung and Eun Chang flirt with each other. Ha Na can tell Woo Jung is worried about Eun Chan’s wellbeing and clearly likes him now. Woo Jung explains that she worries about Eun Chang and that’s it, but then is willing to consider if that means she likes him? Why is she asking Ha Na the love idiot?

Ha Na gets a text from Robin and goes outside to climb in his car. Robin can’t believe the ridiculous news that he’s dating Seo Jin while Ha Na has become Robin. He tentatively asks why Seo Jin was at the scene and Ha Na explains she called Young Chan for help and Seo Jin happened to be there so came along. Robin isn’t happy that Ha Na is now known as Seo Jin’s girlfriend to the world. Ha Na isn’t happy either since the rumors will be all over work. Ha Na glosses over what happened and tells Robin to hurry before the stores close.

Robin and Ha Na head to the mall for some PPL dating and shopping. They hold hands and eat ice-cream before going to buy couple’s hats and bags. I feel like kicking a puppy, this scene makes me that ragey. They end up at the sportswear store where Robin buys Ha Na a cute pair of new sneaks while complimenting her tiny cute feet. Ha Na then worries that giving shoes as a present is a bad omen of breaking up soon. Robin asks Ha Na for money so she pays for it herself.

Ha Na takes her shopping haul back home and Jin Joo wonders why all the sudden couples overload? Ha Na explains that whatever Robin wants to do she’ll support and flashes back to Robin bemoaning never having anything that belongs to just him so now he wants stuff that is solely for the two of them.

Seo Jin pays a jailhouse visit to Tae Joo and reminisces about secretly sneaking to watch movies when they were boys. Afterwards Seo Jin never watched movies or television anymore. Tae Joo tells Seo Jin to start now, to start his life now and do the things he hasn’t done before or stopped doing. Seo Jin says “what about you?”

Tae Joo wants Seo Jin to do it and then share with Tae Joo afterwards. Like when they were kids, Seo Jin visited the US and came back to tell Tae Joo all about it. So when Tae Joo was adopted to the US it didn’t feel foreign to him because of what he learned from Seo Jin. Their visiting time is up but the two smile warmly at each other before Tae Joo is led away. Can these two be the drama OTP now?

Seo Jin checks his cell phone to see yet another text from Ha Na claiming she thought long and hard about it and her answer is still the same. Turns out she’s anxiously awaiting Seo Jin’s return text but three hours later still no word from him. Another circus member comes back and reveals he just had lunch with Seo Jin. He laughs about Seo Jin never seen a movie as an adult and asking for recommendations.

Young Chan calls Ha Na in and both wonder what Seo Jin has been up to all day? Young Chan reveals Seo Jin visited Tae Joo in the morning and then just hung out, even asking Young Chan to go drinking with him during the day. Young Chan is amazed at how much Seo Jin has changed but it weirds him out since he doesn’t know what Seo Jin is thinking anymore. Young Chan reveals Seo Jin even turned down his inheritance and would rather protect his love with Ha Na. But Young Chan doesn’t know why Seo Jin is doing this since the one Ha Na likes and wants to protect is Robin.

Ha Na looks distressed after hearing this and pulls Seo Jin to the circus office to talk. She wants to know if Seo Jin has refused continued treatment for his DID and that’s why he’s ready to out his condition to the world? Seo Jin asks if Ha Na is worried about him again? Ha Na admits she’s worried so Seo Jin takes it one step further and asks if Ha Na knows what it means for her to be worried about Seo Jin? It means Robin’s existence is threatened.

Didn’t Ha Na claim she loves Robin and insists Robin and Seo Jin aren’t the same person? Yet here she is, worried about Seo Jin yet again. If Ha Na refuses to admit what the real reason is then Seo Jin will say it. It’s not out of pity or caring that she’s worried about Seo Jin, yet she can’t face that reality because she’s worried what it will mean for Robin’s existence. But here they are, Ha Na is clearly already in love with both Seo Jin and Robin.

Ha Na tacitly accepts Seo Jin’s conclusion and asks what Seo Jin plans to do about it? Does he plan to live with his DID his entire life so that Ha Na can have both Robin and Seo Jin? That’s exactly what Seo Jin was planning and he points out plenty of people who live with illness their entire lives. Seo Jin feels relieved that his illness is a better man than him, and lucky that Robin also loves Ha Na.

Sadly Ha Na’s epiphany lasted about half a second and she’s back to insisting that she won’t change the way she feels or acts, she’s always going to pick Robin and reject Seo Jin. That’s exactly what Seo Jin wants her to do, he wants her to continue this way which is how the three of them can coexist going forward. That confuses Ha Na and she asks why he insisted on confirming that she also loves him? Seo Jin explains that he can’t do anything right now other than confirm Ha Na’s feelings for him. If he does anything else then the precarious equilibrium between the three of them will be shattered.

Seung Yun’s ladylove wonders if he has to do this, whatever it is he has planned next. She suggests releasing their secret recording of the doctor diagnosing Seo Jin’s DID but Seung Yun can’t do that because it’s an eavesdropped recording. Seung Yun tells the reporter that Seo Jin has a mental illness and asks him to devise a plot to confirm the rumored illness.

Ha Na broods over all the information dumped on her recently, from Seo Jin not needing Robin anymore yet Robin still comes out, to Seo Jin intentionally keeping Robin around for Ha Na to love. Ha Na asks Jin Joo what she would do if someone intentionally stayed ill for her sake? Jin Joo would feel such pressure that someone would do that for her. She also wonders if the person won’t grow to resent her later for this. Ha Na says the person will die if Jin Joo left, what will she do then? Jin Joo says she wants neither option.

Seo Jin is making up for years of not watching TV and does marathon sessions while drinking beer. I love this Seo Jin. He moves on to reading comic books until he falls asleep on the sofa. Robin wakes up in unfamiliar surroundings, with books and DVDs and beers on the table. He reads a note that Seo Jin wants to show Robin what he’s been up to and how he’s changed. Robin remembers asking Ha Na why Seo Jin went to the officetel and her response that he probably just tagged along.

Robin calls Young Chan and hears that Seo Jin almost revealed his DID to the reporters yesterday. Young Chan doesn’t know why Seo Jin wanted to do that but it’s clear Seo Jin changed a lot lately. Thank god Ha Na stopped Seo Jin from doing it. Robin hears Ha Na stopped Seo Jin from going public and immediately calls her to find out where she is.

Robin drives over to Ha Na’s place and doesn’t notice another car following him. The reporter is in the car and remembers Seung Yun tipping him off that Goo Seo Jin can’t drive so if he is seen getting into the car then it’s the other personality. Robin finds Ha Na a bit under the weather and asks if she’ll get better if Robin doesn’t do anything? Is that why she also stopped Seo Jin yesterday? Robin tried to understand why Ha Na stopped Ha Na but why did she also stop Seo Jin to take his side?

Robin is upset because so few people know about his existence and if even Ha Na invalidates him, he will become just Seo Jin’s dream. Ha Na claims she didn’t invalidate Robin and is trying hard to get everyone to accept him. But they can’t ruin someone else’s life for their own happiness. Robin says there is no way for him and Seo Jin to both get happiness. For Robin to get validation in his own existence, there is no way to do that without harming Seo Jin. Robin doesn’t know when he’ll disappear yet he dares to love Ha Na and ask for her to love him back.

Robin storms out of Ha Na’s apartment and she follows to get into his car and continue to calm him down. The other car follows and purposely rear ends Robin’s car when it’s stopped at an intersection. The cops are called and the driver points the finger at Robin’s driving causing the accident. The cops ask Robin for name and identification. Ha Na wants him to give Seo Jin’s name but Robin refuses. Ha Na keeps trying to stop him from saying that he’s Robin so both are dragged to the police station.

The cops keeps asking Robin who he is and all he can say is that he’s Robin but can’t provide an ID. The car registration is pulled and the cops find out it’s registered to Wonder Group. Ha Na is about to call Young Chan when she sees the reporter lurking to the side and remembers him outside the officetel. Seung Yun gets a call from the reporter that he has Robin cornered and is super thrilled that Robin can’t squeeze out of this jam.

The reporter walks up to Robin and purposely recognizes him as Goo Seo Jin. A few reporters arrive and overhear so rush over to ask if he’s really Robin. Ha Na suddenly comes up with a solution to the problem – she declares that this person is Robin, the famous webtoon artist………and he’s also Goo Seo Jin. She declares that Robin is Wonder Group Director Goo Seo Jin’s webtoon pen name. Her backstory is that Seo Jin loved to draw and wanted to share with the world but couldn’t do it because of his real identity. Robin gapes in shock at Ha Na this whole time.

Seung Yun freaks out that his best laid trap once again has been foiled. Woo Jung and her dad get a ping about the breaking news and reads the headlines that Goo Seo Jin and Robin are the same person. The circus troupe also read the news and wonder how it can be true considering Ha Na dates Robin but can’t stand Seo Jin.

Seo Jin wakes up to find Ha Na and Young Chan already sitting in the living room waiting for him. He wonders if Robin did something but Ha Na speaks up and says she created a problem. She apologies first to Seo Jin for what she did before he sits down and reads the headline news that Wonder Land’s Goo Seo Jin is also famous webtoon artist Robin. Seo Jin turns to Ha Na and asks “What did you do?”

Thoughts of Mine:

Can we have a collective laugh at ourselves, the ones still watching this drama. Whatever the reason, and it’s nearly universal said reason being Hyun Bin, the fortitude it takes to soldier on is reaching unprecedented levels. There are trainwreck wacky dramas that have tons of stuff happening but none of it making sense (Dr. Stranger) or dramas that can’t wind its way to a satisfying ending like a blind person running a an obstacle course (Big), and many many more bad drama examples out there, but the two I referenced I happened to enjoy the watch experience because there was energy and momentum headed somewhere. Nothing is going on here, like an entire drama world stuck in a tar pit and we’re ask to pretend they are putting on a show. This episode poses the hypothetical question of whether a woman can love and be with two personalities sharing one hot Binnie body, or something like that. Because that question is in itself fundamentally wrong, just like Seo Jin calling Ha Na out on her skirting the real issue. The reality is that there is Goo Seo Jin the body and Goo Seo Jin the personality, that is it. Robin is a psychological manifestation of Seo Jin’s mental breakdown, however nicely formed he appears to be.

To put Robin and Seo Jin at the same playing field and accord the same consideration is preposterous. This drama has never adequately showcased Robin’s plight other than superficially talk about it before Robin dived into full on Me Me Me whining about gaining his own identity. How should I put it? If Robin was Seo Jin’s tumor then we’d all be laughing that a blob of flesh wanted to exist independently of Seo Jin, right? So why is this drama humoring Robin, letting him think he should have any right to exist beyond the circumstances for why he exists in the first place. I understand Seo Jin doing whatever to make Ha Na happy, including keeping Robin around, so it’s really Ha Na that I am pissed at. Once she learned about Seo Jin’s DID then her choosing Robin after that puts her on the same level of having a mental illness and needing to see a psychiatrist. The drama is nearly at the end and all we get is Ha Na tacitly accepting that she loves Seo Jin, a point that took so much hassle to arrive at it wasn’t worth the effort on Seo Jin’s part to keep pushing Ha Na to admit the truth. I honestly don’t see what either personality sees in her.

How is this drama planning to wrap up? Probably some pat ending where Robin willingly poofs away so Ha Na can be happy, leaving Seo Jin able to step in finally, with maybe a twist that once Robin disappears for good then the real Seo Jin’s personality emerges to be a combination of the two, i.e. it was always Seo Jin splitting his real personality into two. That kinda makes sense since neither personality feels fleshed out, but it’s such a cheap cop out that never addresses what it means to love someone with DID. At least the story is following up on Seo Jin’s adult reunion with Tae Joo and not letting that narrative drop off the cliff. Seo Jin’s jailhouse visit was the highlight of the episode for me, even hearing the two talk about their childhood escapades was more meaningful that anything else that happened for the remainder of the drama hour. Yay for a good scene even if it was so short, even a tiny bit feels special because I’m so beaten down by how terrible this drama continues to be. This drama would only be considered good in Bizarro World, the universe where everything is the opposite of the way it is on Earth.

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