[Drama Review] 'The Legend of The Blue Sea' - Episode 13

The romance that is as deep as the sea is blue is nearing its end and things are getting more heated with each and every episode! As life in the present day is filled with loving days and twists and turns regarding every character's relationship, the troublesome past of the mermaid and the king is rearing its ugly head and cause more dilemma in episode 13 of 'The Legend of The Blue Sea.'

The plot is connecting all the missing pieces together and they couldn't have waited any longer to do so. While I appreciate a good dialogue, I felt the episodes were turning into recaps of their past lives instead of revealing anything crucial. Episode 13 gave us a little more to work with as it seemed to put an end to the past scenarios (which I will discuss further on), leaving us the expectation that everything from here on out will be regarding the present circumstances only.

Don't lie - we are all guilty of watching someone we love sleep!

For now, I must applaud each of the actors this time around because their performances were phenomenal! Jun Ji Hyun really mastered that walking-on-cloud-nine feeling as she parades around town delightfully mumbling, "Heo Joon Jae likes me," in her thoughts. Her character always had the most expressions in comparison to others but they don't seem overdone or forced in comparison to character's from other current dramas (I'm looking at you, Kim Go Eun).

Finally, the kiss scenes are getting better and better as Lee Min Ho expresses a delightfully girly way of being in love. From snuggling Shim Cheong to giggling and whispering "cute" underneath his breath every chance he gets, Heo Joon Jae's display of feelings is not cringeworthy in the least! Except, Jo Nam Doo and Cha Si Ah may feel otherwise!

Either way, I'm starting to appreciate their romance a lot more as it is more developed and realistic in comparison to the beginning episodes. Because of minor things like this, I can say the drama did a nice turnaround, maintained our interest, and won over many viewers - including myself.

Cha Si Ah (Shin Hye Sun) was another secondary character who really caught my eye because the moment we were all expecting finally occurred! She sneaks into Heo Joon Jae's room and discovered he has the same photo as the ahjummoni who takes care of her house.

Hilariously putting two and two together, she becomes light headed, confused and in total disbelief as she recollects all the moments she was a total b!tch to Heo Joon Jae's mom. Her lying on the floor asking to call her mother was hilarious! She knows that relationship went downhill fast but I was hoping Heo Joon Jae would have caught them and reunited with his mother after Cha Si Ah brought her there.

I still don't understand why she did but I love the burst of anticipation it gave me. It leaves me on edge wondering whether or not Heo Joon Jae's moment to reunite with his mother will be comical, tragic, or delightful.

I still think Cha Si Ah has a better fashion sense than Shim Cheong. Jun Ji Hyun was robbed of the fashion spotlight!

Heo Joon Jae's mom really puts on a show for someone with very little dialogue. Like any mom, her face says it all as you can see the hurt in her heart as she coincidentally bumps into her husband and says, "He looked past me as if I were a stranger."

It gets even more intense for her once she discovers Ahn Jin Joo has been feeding her side dishes to the crazy woman that stole her man to begin with. Talk about a small world! While some may have felt it was cliche, I personally enjoy the small world relations and ties between the characters because it amps up the intensity as to when, how, and to whom certain revelations will be revealed.

This is the face of a mom who is angry you didn't do the dishes - not a killer.

'The Legend of The Blue Sea' has excellent character development but for a sinister woman out to kill her husband just for his will, I don't sense much evil from Kang Seo Hee's character visually. She kinda just eerily and silent stares after committing heinous acts, and I would like to at least see a devilish smirk.

In comparison to other dramas, where the antagonist is a lot more villainous and would instantly send shivers down your spine, we only find that feeling in Ma Dae Young. Ma Dae Young is simply becoming more of a character you love to hate since he is not only killing Shim Cheong in the past but he is also trying to kill Heo Joon Jae in the future.

Leaving 2016 like...

What threw me off guard was Heo Chi Hyun's actions throughout the whole plot regarding Heo Joon Jae. His kind and endearing act simply wasn't meant to last long. Although he slowly but surely discovers what his mother is doing to Heo Joon Jae's father, he becomes enraged when he visits the hospital only to find him calling out for Heo Joon Jae.

As he stands outside to burn pictures of him and Heo Joon Jae's dad, I get a feeling he may do something regrettable. Thank goodness he doesn't know Ma Dae Young is his father or they would tag team, and I don't think my heart could handle such disaster! Maybe he will just try to run over Shim Cheong again.

As mentioned earlier, the links between the past and the present are only getting stronger which is a great boost to the storyline and overall pace of the drama. Instead of transitioning back and forth in time, episode 13 showed consistency by staying in the present time mostly until the climactic ending.

The ending was the "Omona" moment of 2016 as Lord Yang (Ma Dae Young) and his men are seen trying to harpoon the mermaid only to hit Kim Dae Ryung (Heo Joon Jae) instead. As viewers try to wipe their tears in disbelief, we then see Hwa Sa (Shim Cheong) swim and caress Kim Dae Ryung. Overcome by sadness, she hugs Kim Dae Ryung and stabs herself in the process so they can both die together.

Although this scene had me sobbing, I will say the cinematography was a bit lame. Although it was beautifully done underwater, it was very evident that Lee Min Ho and Jun Ji Hyun were indeed not underwater. They seemed to be standing instead of floating and their hair barely moved wildly as it would if underwater. Little details are important but it didn't stop this scene from being emotionally triggering.

As stated before, the time in the past seemed to be more dramatic and rushed in comparison to the present because they wasted no time in depicting the final results of their past selves. However, it is quite necessary in producing an emotional plot that not only leaves us with a cliffhanger but also cements how their love came to be in the future. It also enhances the reincarnation theme quite nicely.

With so much intensity occurring so quickly in the past, I can only expect the same situation to occur in the present. Some viewers may have felt a bit rushed by the sudden ending but if the drama kept bouncing back and forth it would not have much impact. It has been quite clear that each character is aware of their past selves (except for Shim Cheong) and that history may just repeat itself. Until the next episode, we can rest assured that Heo Joon Jae and Shim Cheong are safe for now.