[Drama Review] 'Uncontrollably Fond' - Episode 5

AKP STAFF

UNCONTROLLABLY FOND -- EPISODE 5

You're asking me which phone is heavier?

Joon Young asks Noh Eul out; she responds flippantly and gets fired for it. She playfully flirts with Ji Tae, not realizing that he has it bad for her. She gets mad at Ji Tae when he tells her she'll meet a great guy (intending to prove himself in her eyes). Joon Young won't do the documentary without her, so she stays on, and his life is captured on camera. Ha Ru, Congressman Choi's teen daughter, is obsessed with Joon Young and asks her father to go to the concert with her. He makes a cameo, recognizes Joon Young as the eager law student he met in the past, and walks home. Meanwhile, Choi's wife is furious that he attended the concert while Ji Tae is deeply hurt when Joon Young pulls Noh Eul onstage with him, singling her out as someone he loves. It leads to a social media firestorm and a confrontation between Ji Tae and Joon Young -- but Ji Tae backs down, not wanting his dual life exposed. Joon Young walks off hand-in-hand with Noh Eul...

I still think Ji Tae is weird. I haven't figured out why he goes slumming, other than that he's taken with Noh Eul. It makes zero sense to me. I know that she hates Choi, though, so I suppose that could be dubious explanation. "I want to romance this amazing girl, but she hates my dad, so I'll disguise myself so she won't recognize me." Thin, really. But since when did a drama need to make sense?

When the motel is too expensive...

It looks like Choi's wife knows that Joon Young is Choi's illegitimate kid, but it doesn't seem like Choi knows. The rage she expresses is rather extreme. I'm going to hazard a guess and say that she doesn't want him anywhere near him, possibly because he could meet with the mom and she might be insanely jealous? Or it may be that she's a politician's wife and wants to make sure her husband's position is secure. If the secret were revealed would he have to resign in disgrace?

Ha Ru is the typical obsessive fan. She's apparently president of the fan club, spending her time organizing merchandise and dreaming about her idol. She's done a background check on Noh Eul and thrown water in her face after she was taken onstage! Certainly seems your average obsessed fan. But I think they're setting it up for something bigger. What if she goes deeper into his family history and finds out she's Joon Young's half-sister?

Oddest floral arrangement ever.

Choi himself is an enigma. They paint him as a decent, forthright, upstanding father at home, but I remember his philandering ways years ago from earlier episodes. He doesn't seem to have a mistress now, so I'm wondering why his wife went ballistic. We know he has a history of bumping into Joon Young. But I'm guessing he doesn't know about his stray offspring...

So this show is uneven. This time, we actually get treated to a fair amount of tension. It's starting to all fall into place, even if it's complex. The problem is that the build is too slow to maintain this many plot threads. I'm not sure if that there are too many threads or that the writing is a little awkward. I like some of it, but the main characters make it hard to like them. I'm hoping we get a good romance out of this.

See you tomorrow!