[Drama Review] 'Reply 1988' - Episode 13

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REPLY 1988 - EPISODE 14

The moms cluster together, terrified of robbers

After Taek's dad pops by to fix the water at Sun Woo's house, the moms freak out because there's a report of a string of robberies. They alert the rest of the menfolk, but Taek's dad simply shrugs when he's told. The rest of the moms urge Sun Woo's mom to marry him now. Sun Woo is uncomfortable with how close they're becoming, and Bora tells him that's his right.

Deok Sun's mom has an appointment at the hospital the next day to examine the lump in her breast. Of course, this depresses the whole gang, even the dads are not at their best, and much of the episode is spent agonizing over the results. Dad cries over this because he's not made of steel, but he never does it in front of others. It turns out she's fine, but not before they yank some tears from us as well.��

Even the doctor's worried Mom might have cancer.

Taek pulls off a big win, a tournament that's he's never won before. The good news is tempered by a report of a plane crash, and the newscasters indicate Taek was on that flight! Of course, we don't have long to wait before we find out he's on the phone with dad, he took an earlier flight, and everything's fine. The whole time before that, Taek's dad is a mess, completely tearing things apart, crying and screaming.

As things calm down, the dads share a drink together.

In the love department, Sun Woo's mom gets cozier and cozier with Taek's dad, especially now that little Jin Ju has adopted him. And Bora still insists that Sun Woo speak to her formally, and still rides him when he drops into banmal. Jung Hwan gets more and more jealous, especially now that Taek is spending more time with Deok Seon.

Mi Ok, clutching Jung Bong's letter, on cloud 9 (or maybe it's the morphine)

Last episode, we learned Deok Seon's friend Mi Ok was hospitalized after a car accident. Jung Bong, being completely smitten by her, tries to hand a letter to her, but chickens out so bad a nurse offers to give it to her. At the end, she opens it, and it's a card from a board game the kids played earlier this episode, saying she's earned a trip to outer space. Her smile is priceless...�

I like the idea here, that dads are human too. I'm not sure why they felt the need to hammer the news home this episode since they've long since become more than mere set pieces, but I'll take it. It made for some serious drama, and even squeezed some tears out of me. It's not an easy thing to lose a son, to lose a wife, or feel helpless when you have no idea how to fix something (Jung Hwan's dad).� And the theme gave Bora an awesome voiceover too: "The reason why [the dads] endured the sad, scary, difficult things in the world is...because they have families who depend on them as the Father."

Taek's dad is destroyed when he fears his son is dead.

Jung Hwan needs to either throw his hat in the ring or just back off. He can't seem to commit one way or another to Deok Seon�and ends up being grumpy towards her because he bottles up his feelings. Because of this, he is just petty sometimes to the people that show the slightest interest. I can understand taking time to sort out your feelings, but if you make it known, maybe she'll reciprocate. The worst that can happen is rejection, and maybe that's what he's most afraid of. But the fear of never knowing should outweigh the fear of rejection, you just never know until you confess.

I also liked the way they handled the drama here. Rather than relying on constant emotionally-wrought moments, they wrap up the loose ends almost immediately, and show you the dads' reactions in flashback. It gives it both more and less impact, because non-stop bad news is part and parcel of cheap melodrama, and this show is not that, and more of what has been dubbed a "dramedy," blurring the lines between drama and comedy. It made the show's message more effective delivering the scenes out of order.

Even Taek's dad, as unflappable as he might be, is still afraid of a mouse.

This is a great episode, and has some genuinely funny moments along with the drama. And while it's not entirely original (I've seen some of these things used in other U.S. sitcoms), it's nice to see these moments presented with a Korean frame. I learn a lot, and get to see just how things were in Korea in 1988. It's interesting to compare and contrast, as some things that were already old in the USA were just getting to South Korea, and jeans jackets and 'Top Gun' were all the rage. Not to mention it's fun seeing how people passed the time without smartphones.

It's also nice to see the show getting watched. I always vindicated when I rave about something and it ends up being well-liked. So, say it with me: "Reply 1988 fighting!"

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