Summer's Desire Episode 2

Zombie Playhouse Presents...

 

 

 

I'm not sure why I bothered to give this show another chance. Perhaps I was curious to see if anyone involved suddenly realized they were filming a television show and got a much needed dose of caffeine in their system.

 

 

The answer is no.

 

 

 

At celebrity boot camp, Xia Mo has made one friend with Pan Nan, played by Christine Ke. She at least has a little spark of life to her. Not much, but it's there. The girls are rehearsing some pretty bad dance moves when Luo Xi drops in. Some of the contestants squeal all over him. Xia Mo acts like she doesn't know the man. Luo Xi in turn acts like he's just met her. He does, however, know Pan Nan from way back and they pal around.

 

After rehearsal, Luo Xi waits around so he can pick Xia Mo up and take her out for an intimate dinner for two. He mentions how it was Xia Mo who sent him abroad five years ago. At first he hated her for it, but now he realizes if she hadn't sent him away he wouldn't be the super star he is today. Luo Xi asks about "him" and why Xia Mo isn't living in the lap of luxury. Xia Mo says she hasn't seen "him" in five years and she'd rather not talk about "him."

 

"Him" - which we all know is Ou Chen - is having dinner alone at a really big table. News reports say how the Ou Group has been rather ruthless lately, all thanks to the mysterious heir whose name is unknown. Xi Meng gives Ou Chen a copy of an old yearbook from Sheng Hui College. Inside are plenty of pictures of Ou Chen and Fake Girlfriend.

 

That evening Ou Chen goes out to the college campus to have a look around. He does have brief flashes of memories stirred up by the familiar setting. Suddenly fireworks go off and a huge amount of people come out of the woodwork. It's a surprise party! Ou Chen doesn't feel like partying and he abruptly leaves.

 

Pictures of Wei An kissing her married manager are leaked to the public. This is a major scandal in Taiwan. Xia Mo is walking along with Shu Er when they're set upon by the press asking questions about Wei An. Shu Er makes the mistake of responding to a couple of questions before Xia Mo is able to shuttle her off to a television studio. Shu Er is supposed to be appearing on what looks like a variety show. Wei An, all twelve feet of her, storms onto the set and slaps Shu Er. She saw her rival talking to the press. Wei An swears vengeance and has Shu Er knocked off the lineup of the TV show.

 

It's time for the final challenge of the celebrity boot camp. Seriously, is this some kind of reality show? The five girls are separated into teams and will be performing live on small stages set up outside on the sidewalk. Xia Mo is stuck with Whiny Girl. Not to be confused with Annoying Friend, who is in the audience to cheer her friend on.

 

Xia Mo bravely goes onstage alone and starts singing an old ballad with a tragic past. The audio is so bad, though, I can't tell if she's doing a good job or not. At that moment Ou Chen is driving by in his stretch limo when he hears her singing. He doesn't recognize her right off but he's having an intense reaction to her.

 

Suddenly, right in the middle of her performance, Xia Mo freezes up. She's in danger of being axed by the producer. Then Luo Xi shows up and joins her on stage, saving the day. The producer changes her mind and keeps Xia Mo on. Ou Chen orders Xi Meng to find out who the singer is.

 

Xia Mo and her brother, Xiao Cheng, have a fight. He doesn't want her having a career in the cut throat world of show business. She doesn't want him majoring in architecture. Yeah, 'cause architecture is evil. Damn all architects!

 

Finally, Luo Xi works with Xia Mo to get her over her stage fright.

 

 

 

 

Nope, still no hope for this DOA drama. Everyone is deadly dull. I want to hook everyone up to a car battery and see if that will jolt them awake.

Summer's Desire Episode 1

You can watch Summer's Desire over at DramaFever.

 

 

Wow. Peter Ho is all over this drama. He's one of the stars of the program, produces it, and sings the title theme.

 

 

We open on a dark night. As Yin Xia Mo (Barbie Hsu) narrates, a sweaty Ou Chen (Peter Ho) drives recklessly down the road. We also see shots of Luo Xi (Huang Xiao Ming) being beaten up somewhere. Ou Chen crashes into a tree. He falls out of the car to the pavement, grasping a green hair ribbon in his hand. Luo Xi also falls to the pavement wherever he's at as a small sketch of a woman floats down beside him. Both men gasp out Xia Mo's name. Looks to me Xia Mo is bad news all around. They should both stay away from her.

 

Time skip.

 

At the Taiwan airport Luo Xi sits and stares at the small sketch of Xia Mo when his assistant comes to tell him it's time. As he walks through the airport, Luo Xi is mobbed by screaming girls. A news report tells us he's an international superstar returning home for the first time in five years.

 

Elsewhere in Taipei, Xia Mo and her extremely annoying friend, Zhen En, are applying for jobs as assistants to celebrities. They discover they've been sent to originally be assistants to Shu Er, who knows them from college. Neither Xia Mo nor Annoying Friend look too pleased by this. They'd rather work for that other celebrity, Wei An. (She looks like she's twelve feet tall! Maybe that's why she's a celebrity.) Turns out Wei An is a major bitch, so Xia Mo changes her mind and agrees to work for Shu Er.

 

Xia Mo returns home to the apartment she shares with her brother, Xiao Cheng. There must be something wrong with him as he takes medication and they talk about his appointment at the hospital. Xia Mo has a flashback to when her adoptive parents brought home another adoptee in the form of Luo Xi.

 

We now cut to... is that Venice? Are we in Venice? Anyway, Ou Chen awakens from a bad dream to find himself wearing a puffy pirate shirt. Is Seinfeld aware of this? Ou Chen is comforted by a young woman. He thinks to himself he was told this girl went to school with him and is his girlfriend, yet he has suspicions. Turns out that car wreck five years ago made him lose his memory. All the way to Venice. I'd be willing to lose my memory if it meant I ended up in a mansion in Venice. But I digress...

 

Ou Chen is some kind of fencing master. And he speaks passable English! He has an old man, Xi Meng, as some kind of assistant. He tells Xi Meng to make arrangements for their return to Taipei. Interestingly, Xi Meng seems hesitant and attempts to talk his boss into staying in France instead and attend to the family business there. Ou Chen is firm in his decision. It's Taipei or bust.

 

Ou Chen then makes Fake Girlfriend play the William Tell game, then he breaks up with her. Ou Chen's kind of an ass.

 

Back in Taipei, Shu Er helps Xia Mo get discovered by her agency. I'm not really sure what this business is. It's like a celebrity factory. Xia Mo is sent to celebrity boot camp where she and some other girls will be trained in singing, dancing, acting, the whole works. However, in the end only two will make it out alive. The ultimate prize is recording a duet with the already famous Luo Xi. (The only reason he agreed to the duet is because he knew Xia Mo's name was on the shortlist of contenders.)

 

This causes Xia Mo to have even more flashbacks. That's basically all she does this episode is flash back. In high school we see that Luo Xi was quite a player and all the girls were screaming after him even before he was famous. Luo Xi, however, seems to care about only one person - Luo Xi. He's what I call "freaky deeky." He and Xia Mo have a rather odd relationship, like they're deadly rivals. I thought there was supposed to be a love triangle here. I'm not feeling the love, at least not between these two.

 

 

There's no real momentum to this episode. It was so slow. Actress Barbie Hsu had no energy. Except for a smile here and there her facial expression never changed. Whether she was praising her younger brother or facing down a bully at school, her voice never changed. So monotonous. Huang Xiao Ming wasn't much better. He just stood around looking pretty. And creepy. Again, no energy. Really, to give him credit, Peter Ho was about the only person in this show who seemed to be awake. Problem is he wasn't much in this episode. Too busy singing and producing, I guess.

Darna Episode 22

The story so far: Narda was bitten by a poisonous snake (sent by Valentina) and was on her death bed. Valentina offered to cure Narda but only if Eduardo promised to drop her. Narda recovered and was devastated when Eduardo turned his back on her. However, this may be a good thing in the long run as Eduardo seems to be turning green. Valentina's reputation as a healer has spread throughout San Martin. Mad scientist Dr. Morgan now wants to study her. Speaking of Dr. Morgan, turns out mad scientist-ism seems to run in his family as it was his grandfather, mad scientist Dr. Montgomery who made Hawk Woman. (Exchange Wolverine with Hawk Woman and Adamantium with Element X and you get the basic idea of what he did.) Cobra Commander found Baby Ana and renamed her Serpina. She's no longer a baby as Serpina is growing in leaps and bounds. With her husband dead and her stepson in prison, Alicia swears vengeance on Darna. I swear vengeance against these hats Alicia has taken to wearing lately. Kindly old Father Mateo turns out to have once been a daring young man on the flying trapeze. He's been repenting all these years for crippling his sister, Armida, during their act. Armida also happens to be Hawk Woman. Shiro's Bazooka gang try to break him out of jail. More to piss Darna off, Hawk Woman aides Shiro in his escape. During the fight, Darna manages to rip off Hawk Woman's metal wings.

I know I have no room to talk - but I'm going to. Hawk Woman is rather chunky. She is NOT aerodynamically designed.

A stricken Eduardo is rushed to the hospital. Valentina's healing powers are useless against whatever ails him.

 

In order to distract Darna from her stepson's escape, Alicia throws herself over the side of a building. (Great plan there, Ma.) Of course Darna goes flying off to catch her mother that she doesn't know is her mother. Meanwhile, Shiro and his gang pick up the injured Hawk Woman and take her with them.

 

The doctors have no idea what is wrong with Eduardo and give him only a few hours to live.

 

Shiro wants to recover Hawk Woman's wings so he can re-attach them and make her a member of his gang. His people are too slow as it is Darna who finds the wings first.

 

As Serpina is wandering around the cave, she discovers a... good Lord, I don't know what that is. It's like a snake pod or something. Anyway, she peeks inside and sees an unconscious woman. It is Consuelo, Valentina's mother. After Valentina buried Consuelo, Cobra Commander dug the woman back up and is keeping her alive to be used to control Valentina at a later time.

 

Darna buries the metal wings. As Narda she returns to the orphanage where she learns
of Eduardo's condition. She rushes to his side. His sidekick, Watson, explains how Eduardo's pains started in his left hand and spread from there. Narda notices three distinctive dots on Eduardo's stricken hand. She remembers he had these marks from when he was a child and had no memory of where or how he got the dots.

 

Hawk Woman wakes up in Shiro's hideout. She ends up telling him a little bit about her past, of how she was experimented on and abused. Shiro notices three dots on her left hand, just like Eduardo's. She explains this is the mark Dr. Montgomery put on everyone he experimented on. (I'm a bit confused with the timeline here. Hawk Woman/Armida was around back in 1940 battling the first Darna. She tells Shiro she killed Dr. Montgomery. So either someone else carrying on Montgomery's work experimented on Eduardo, or Eduardo is a whole lot older than he looks to be.)

 

Dr. Morgan finally gets around to checking in on his critically ill son. He takes Eduardo back to the lab and puts him in a giant test tube. Morgan explains to Apollo how the marks on Eduardo's hand are really computer chips, and how his son's illness is probably because the chips are malfunctioning. He injects a mysterious substance into Eduardo.

 

Armida and Alicia are talking about how much they both hate Darna. Armida flashes back to when she was trying to avenge herself on her brother, Mateo, when the Original Darna came to his rescue. This makes Armida wonder if her brother is still alive. She hopes so, so she can finish what she started all those years ago.

 

Carding is trying to hook Narda up with douchebag Gabriel. Suddenly Shiro and his gang drive up and kidnap the boy. They want to use Carding to blackmail Darna into giving Hawk Woman's wings back. Douchebag just stands there.

May Queen Episode 38

First, and most importantly, I send out a virtual group hug to the First Mate Team over at Viki.com for all their work on this show.

 

 

Do Hyun is stunned to hear Hae Joo is really his daughter. He dashes out of the hotel room and goes over to the hospital to see the DNA report for himself.

 

Geum Hee also has gone to the hospital as In Hwa has apparently called and told her mother everything that happened. In Hwa and Chang Hee are waiting anxiously outside the OR. The doctor comes through and gives the good news first about how they were able to save Gi Cheol's life. The bad news quickly follows. The blow was hard enough to break the gimp's back so Gi Cheol is now paralyzed from the waist down. In Hwa tries to comfort her husband. Chang Hee asks for a divorce. He wants to get his father as far away from her family as possible, and she needs to find happiness on her own.

 

Yoon Jeong Woo comes to see Gi Cheol in the hospital. He wants to arrest Do Hyun right now for attempted murder. Chang Hee asks for his former boss to wait awhile on that so Chang Hee can get that dang blasted microfilm.

 

Do Hyun has the balls to drop in on Hae Joo and Kang San at their tiny office. Since Cheonji now owns half the drilling rights, he proposes they form a partnership. He puts the microfilm out on the table to sweeten the deal. With the information on this film, Do Hyun knows just where to drill for oil, while Kang San and Hae Joo have the technological know-how to reach it. Hae Joo squints her eyes and says no deal. Do Hyun snatches up the precious film canister. (Actually that's a good analogy for Do Hyun and his microfilm. My Precious!)

 

Jeong Woo takes Bong Hee out for an intimate dinner so he can make a marriage proposal.

 

Chang Hee holds a press conference to explain about the attack from Jang Do Hyun. Gi Cheol skypes in from his hospital room and tells all about Do Hyun's past dirty deeds done dirt cheap. At the end Gi Cheol tearfully apologizes to Hae Joo and begs her forgiveness.

 

Hae Joo later meets with Chang Hee at their lookout point. He basically hands over control of Cheonji to her and Kang San. San can't quite believe what Hae Joo tells him. He goes to meet Chang Hee (also at lookout point) and the two guys end up "wrastling" in a good natured way. (The audience goes "Squeeeeeeeee!")

 

Do Hyun goes to meet Il Mun in prison. Il Mun knows Dad is destined to go to prison. All he asks is that Do Hyun not come to his prison. Dang, that's pretty bad when your own son doesn't want to share a prison cell with you.

 

Geum Hee agrees to have one last meeting with Do Hyun. He's trying to work out a reconciliation between her and Il Mun. As he gets up to leave, Geum Hee suddenly cries out that she'll be waiting for him when he gets out of prison. (The audience goes "WTF?!?")

 

Kang San and Hae Joo go for a walk on the nature trail so they can show off one last time their outfits from Jack Wolfskin, a major sponsor of the show. (Damn you, King of Dramas!)

 

When they get back to the office it's to find a package has been sent to Hae Joo. Inside is the microfilm and a goodbye letter from Do Hyun. As he narrates the letter, blaming his evil ways on the kill or be killed lifestyle of the country after the war, Do Hyun goes to the shipyard and climbs up to the highest scaffolding. He climbs over the side of the railing and is about to leap to his death when Hae Joo catches up to him and stops him. She basically forgives him for all the things he's done to everybody in the show. She even calls him Father. (The audience again goes "WTF?!?") Do Hyun thanks her for calling him Father at least once, then he lets go of the railing and plummets into the ocean below.

 

One year later...

 

Bong Hee is hella pregnant. Il Mun is out of prison and seems to be getting along with Geum Hee. Chang Hee is somewhere out in the country, back to practicing law and being paid with live chickens. He comes home to be surprised by a visit from In Hwa. She wants to get back together with him. Hae Joo goes out to her rock by the sea and yells to her father(s) about building a drillship, the May Queen. Kang San again proposes marriage. This time Hae Joo accepts.

 

 

The End

May Queen Episode 37

And so we enter the final stretch of this wild and wacky ride.

 

 

 

As he hides behind the Christmas tree, Do Hyun actives the recording device on his phone and records the conversation between Geum Hee and Hae Joo. Geum Hee hands over the microfilm (which, now that I think of it, isn't all that micro. It looks like a 35mm film canister.) Hae Joo immediately takes the film to Uncle Jeong Woo who orders his little minion to have the film analyzed.

 

When Geum Hee returns to the big house, Do Hyun plays the recording. Now that it's all in the open she sees no reason to stay anymore and starts to pack her bags. Do Hyun tries to stop her from leaving, claiming everything he's done he did for her. (Because nothing says "I love you" like raping a woman, murdering her husband, and putting a hit out on her toddler. Oh, and he bitch slaps her too. That was also done in love.) Geum Hee leaves and Do Hyun throws himself on the bed and has a bit of a hissy fit.

 

Kang San takes Hae Joo out for a romantic dinner for two, with candles, rose petals, and a diamond engagement ring. Hae Joo turns him down. He rightfully asks for the reason why not but she only apologizes and runs out of the restaurant.

 

Geum Hee tells In Hwa the whole sordid truth about Do Hyun (except for the biological father of Hae Joo part.) Geum Hee goes to her father first and declares she's cutting all ties with him. Then she goes to Chang Hee and accuses him of being no better than her father at using people to get what he wants. Gee, we went from no In Hwa at all last episode to all In Hwa in this one.

 

Hae Joo comes home and is jumped by her family for not accepting Kang San's proposal. Realizing what the stumbling block really is, Yoon Jeong Woo sits San down and tells him the truth about Do Hyun being Hae Joo's father. A stunned Kang San has flashback after flashback after flashback after flashback to pad out the show. (Man, watching King Of Dramas is totally ruining my drama viewing pleasure.)

 

The next day Jeong Woo and Hae Joo learn the microfilm had blueprints of a ship on it. But according to Hae Joo, this was an ordinary ship that was built back in the day and no big whoop. Certainly no reason to kill someone over.

 

Ah, but the next scene shows us that their microfilm was a dummy plant. Do Hyun was keeping the real microfilm in a safe deposit box. That was smart. But then he does something stupid and shows Chang Hee that he has the film. Chang Hee tries to convince Do Hyun to buy the drilling rights from Ocean Shipbuilding. This would mean Do Hyun would have to give it his all - the slush fund, selling all his stocks, and maxing out his credit with all the banks.

 

Kang San and the gang learn Cheonji is trying to buy the rights. San goes to Chang Hee's office and punches him around a bit. Chang Hee doesn't even try to fight back. Later, Kang San and the gang just now start to suspect Chang Hee is out for revenge on Do Hyun.

 

Do Hyun goes to visit Il Mun in prison, but it's not really an important scene so I'll just skip it.

 

Chang Hee has Asskisser Yang anonymously sends some incriminating documents over to Prosecutor Yoon. It has to do with the slush fund and tax evasion and yadda yadda yadda.

 

Finally! After 37 freaking episodes we finally get a shirtless scene from Jeong Woo. You need a tan, boy, but anyway...  Ah, Bong Hee and Jeong Woo - I'm going to miss you two the most when this show ends.

 

Kang San and Hae Joo make up, although she hasn't officially accepted his marriage proposal. They're probably saving that for the very end.

 

Do Hyun learns about the documents sent to the prosecutor's office. Who could have betrayed him? Team Member Bitch rats out Asskisser Yang who has been working for Park Chang Hee.

 

Do Hyun and his horde of nameless minions rush home. He doesn't find Chang Hee but he does find Gi Cheol. He slaps the gimp around a bit and orders his men to load Gi Cheol up in the car. In Hwa witnesses this from afar.

 

A calm and friendly Do Hyun calls Chang Hee and asks to meet him at the lookout point where they can overlook the shipyard. Do Hyun reveals he knows it was Chang Hee who betrayed him to Jeong Woo. Chang Hee doesn't deny anything and gleefully lists how completely destroyed Do Hyun is. Now kneel before Zod!

 

Not so quick! Do Hyun has his minions drive up and pull out the beaten Gi Cheol. Chang Hee rushes to reach his father and takes down a couple of minions, but on the whole they have big sticks. Father and son are huddled up on the ground. Do Hyun, also carrying a big stick, starts to swing down at Chang Hee. Gi Cheol throws himself over his son's body to take the blow instead. Okay, gimp, I'll give you points for that.

 

Suddenly another car comes speeding up to the melee. Holy crap, it's In Hwa to the rescue! And she didn't come alone as the police are right behind her. Hell ya! Go, In Hwa, go!

 

Do Hyun and his minions jump back into their cars and race off. As he orders his driver to take him to Geum Hee at her hotel, Do Hyun keeps grabbing his right hand in pain. Is it a stroke? A heart attack? A splinter from the big stick you were swinging?

 

Do Hyun goes up to Geum Hee's hotel room only to find Hae Joo. Umm, did we miss a scene? Why is she there? Anyway, she yells at him to leave her mother alone. Do Hyun starts blaming Hae Joo for all his troubles. He grabs her by the throat and begins choking her when Geum Hee comes back into the room and yells at her husband that Hae Joo is his daughter.

May Queen Episode 36

I just got done watching the strangest movie with a Christmas theme. It's called Rare Exports, in which the tomb of Santa Claus is discovered and a mysterious organization dig him up. But this is no jolly ol' elf that you'd want to come pay a midnight visit to your house. No, in this movie Santa Must Die! And the elves are naked men running around in the snow. Naked old men. Nobody wants to see naked old men. Not even old women. What has this got to do with May Queen? Nothing. I just wanted to let you know - Finland be whack.

 

 

Geum Hee returns to the hospital room to discover Hae Joo bugging her eyes out over the DNA report. Hae Joo tries to ask questions but Geum Hee rips the papers from her daughter's hands and hysterically denies what the report clearly states. Hae Joo falls to the floor and has a freak out. Geum Hee wanders out into traffic where she has her own freak out. Everybody have a freak out!

 

Hae Joo pulls herself together long enough to go looking for her mother. She gets Geum Hee up out of the road and takes her to a restaurant where they can have a freak out together in public. As hinted at in the last episode, Geum Hee tells the tale of a drunk Jang Do Hyun coming to her house and her being unable to fight him off. Geum Hee suspected the DNA results her late husband, Yoon Hak Soo, showed her were fake, but he was such a loving father to Yoo Jin that Geum Hee convinced herself he really was her child's father.

 

Hae Joo takes the DNA report from her mother and rips it to shreds. She declares that both Hak Soo and Hong Chul are her fathers and she will never accept Do Hyun as anything in her life.

 

Yoon Jeong Woo has evidence from Il Mun's car that he was at Hae Joo's factory the night of the fire. Plus Asskisser Yang has testified to the fact of Il Mun asking him to try and steal the drill bit. Il Mun has no choice but to confess, although he stresses that his father had nothing to do with this incident.

 

Kang San learns that the diamonds for his drillbit were switched.

 

With his company in serious trouble, Do Hyun checks himself out of the hospital.

 

With all this secret stress on her shoulders, Hae Joo turns into a royal bitch, especially towards Kang San, who hasn't a clue as to what her problem is.

 

Jeong Woo and Bong Hee are walking along the street at night. He sweetly reaches to hold her hand. Bong Hee notices all the signs for hotels and thinks he's leading her to one for a night of illicit and cheap passion. It's been a gazillion years, Bong Hee, it's about time you got laid. Unfortunately that's not what happens. He takes her back to his house. Bong Hee gets quite frustrated with him. Jeong Woo pulls her into his arms, leans her back in a dip, and slowly, slowly, slowly leans in for--

 

Kang San for the cock block! Jeong Woo is so startled he drops Bong Hee to the ground. Bong Hee storms into the house. Kang San apologizes profusely since he knows himself how it feels to be cock blocked. He asks Jeong Woo to find out why Hae Joo is being such a bitch lately. Jeong Woo goes to her room and lays it on pretty thick. "I'm your uncle, you can tell me anything. Don't forget I'm your uncle." which just twists the knife deeper in Hae Joo's heart.

 

Hae Joo is driven to get back to work as part of her revenge against Dad Do Hyun. Chang Hee drops by to see how she is after the accident and to beg her to quit trying to fight against Do Hyun as it is too dangerous. Hae Joo coldly tells her former lover to mind his own business and stay out of her way.

 

Bong Hee goes to warn Kang San that Chang Hee has been hanging around and San had better go see about his woman.

 

Il Mun begs his father to get him out of a prison sentence. Do Hyun cuts the loser loose to take the fall. So long, son. I'll send you food. Don't write.

 

Idiot Sang Tae catches Secretary Kim looking at Kang San's blueprints, but Sang Tae is too much of an idiot to realize what he's seeing. But at least later Sang Tae asks Kang San to teach him to read blueprints like Secretary Kim, so at least San is alerted to who the turncoat in his company is.

 

Geum Hee goes to see Chang Hee at his office. She knows he and the gimp are planning revenge against Do Hyun and she wants to join up with them.

 

Kang San sets Secretary Kim up for a fall. Chang Hee reports to Do Hyun that they've procured what they think are the plans for Kang San's drill bit. Now's the time for Cheonji to impress the National Oil Corporation with their drill ship. Ah, but that will take money and right now Cheonji doesn't have much to spare. Chang Hee goads Do Hyun into dipping into the secret slush fund, which is part of Chang Hee's plan for revenge.

 

Jeong Woo finds Hae Joo drinking herself into oblivion. When he asks her what is wrong, Drunk Hae Joo tells him about the paternity test and how he's not really her uncle. Jeong Woo takes his anger out on Geum Hee. She tells him how his brother faked his own paternity test and accepted Yoo Jin as his own. Jeong Woo still won't forgive her.

 

Cheonji (Do Hyun and Chang Hee) and Ocean Shipbuilding (Kang San and Hae Joo) make their presentations before the NOC. Cheonji goes first, with their azimuth thruster (which they stole) and what they think is Kang San's drill bit. Now Hae Joo and Kang San present their new and improved and very different drill bit.

 

Seeing how he's been acting different lately, Dal Soon goes to have a talk with a depressed Jeong Woo. She ends up talking about what really makes a family, which is not always blood ties. This causes Jeong Woo to have an epiphany. He finds Hae Joo and says his brother loved Yoo Jin as his daughter, so he loves Hae Joo as his niece. They have a tearful reunion.

 

The National Oil Corporation awards the drilling rights to Ocean Shipbuilding. Do Hyun and Chang Hee leave in disgust. Back at the office, after Do Hyun is done throwing stuff around, Chang Hee slyly suggests they can still win with the information on the microfilm in Do Hyun's possession.

 

Geum Hee hires a professional safe cracker to get inside the safe in her husband's study. After a quick search she finds the film canister. She just barely eludes Do Hyun who has come home to collect the microfilm. When he discovers the film is missing he immediately suspects his wife and goes after her. He follows her to a restaurant where she's meeting Hae Joo. (This may mean something later but as he gets out of his car he seems to have a dizzy spell. Could mean the writers will have God strike Do Hyun down with a stroke in the end. But anyway...) The episode ends with Do Hyun hiding behind a Christmas tree and seeing Geum Hee hand the microfilm over to Hae Joo.

 

I have to admit - the last episode was much better. Now that Hae Joo is all bitchy and pushing Kang San away, she rather irritates me. Poor In Hwa gets no screen time at all this episode.

May Queen Episode 35

This is the episode where I get to say all sorts of things, like, "I told you so," or "I knew it," or "Neener neener."

 

 

 

Outside the D.A.'s office, Hae Joo squeals her vows of revenge at Jang Do Hyun as well as her plans to never forgive Park Chang Hee.

 

Do Hyun and his son-in-law/lawyer are there about the security video that's all over the internet. Chang Hee knows the video won't be admissible in a court of law. Jeong Woo knows this as well but still intends to go after Do Hyun for the slush fund.

 

Seeing the video on the TV, In Hwa goes running to Geum Hee. Surely her father isn't a cold-blooded killer. As part of her act, Geum Hee assures her daughter that she believes in her husband and he couldn't possibly be that kind of villain.

 

Jeong Woo has Gi Cheol brought to his office. He tries to reason with the gimp to come over to the side of justice but Gi Cheol won't rescind his statement at the press conference.

 

Kim Jong Bo is caught at the airport and is hauled back to the station. Jeong Woo has the turncoat brought before Do Hyun where Jong Bo finally tells the truth about Do Hyun beating and bribing him. Do Hyun starts to attack Jong Bo, then he pulls the "Oh, my diabetes! I'm so sick!" play and is taken to the hospital for a brief stay. Jeong Woo's expression is priceless during all this.

 

Kang San receives a call from Ocean Shipbuilding. It's a company he once worked for as well as a rival to Cheonji Shipbuilding. Ocean is willing to work with Kang San on his drillship project. Smiles all around, except for Secretary Kim who reports this to Chang Hee. Chang Hee goes to Do Hyun's hospital room to convey this bit of news as well as the National Oil Corporation is rethinking giving Cheonji any drilling rights what with all the scandal going on. Il Mun is listening in on all this.

 

He goes to the company lawyer to see about selling his shares of stock in Cheonji only to learn all his stocks were taken out of his name and given to Hae Joo. He goes down to her office at the factory to demand the stocks back. She defiantly declares she'll give the stocks to someone who works for a living. Thwarted for now, Il Mun warns her this isn't over yet.

 

Chang Hee attempts to repair his marriage.

 

Il Mun orders Asskisser Yang to steal the drillbit from Kang San's place. Recognizing a washed up has-been when he sees one, Yang rejects doing anything Il Mun orders him to do.

 

That night Hae Joo is working alone in her office. In another part of the factory, Il Mun is sneaking around. He knocks over a kerosene heater, the fuel spilling out on the floor. Il Mun starts to search through the files and lockers, because Kang San never ever ever thinks about locking his important papers and machinery away. Il Mun finds a drillbit but he's unsure if this is the drillbit. While looking over the drill, the batteries in his flashlight die. Il Moron pulls out his lighter to see with and, you guessed it, he accidentally sets the kerosene on fire.

 

Leaving everything behind, Il Moron makes a run for it. Hae Joo comes out of her office just in time to see his retreating back, then she notices the fire. She screams for help while the audience screams at her to use her friggin' cellphone to call the fire department. Hae Joo being Hae Joo, she rushes into the blaze to try and save what she can. A very thin piece of debris falls down on her head and knocks her out.

 

Don't worry. Kang San shows up just in time to run in and carry her to safety. This is getting to be a regular job for him, rescuing Hae Joo.

 

Do Hyun calls Chang Hee to his hospital room with orders to move a safe from his office at work to his office at home. Chang Hee immediately suspects the incriminating microfilm is in this safe. He's not the only one. As soon as the men who install it leave, Geum Hee tries her own hand at cracking the safe's combination when she gets word about Hae Joo's brush with death.

 

She speeds to the hospital to see how her long lost daughter is doing. Hae Joo is more worried about her right hand being banged up. It'll be better in two months but she's got to work on the drill right now. As Jeong Woo asks if she saw anything suspicious, Hae Joo begins to suspect the fleeing person she saw was Il Mun.

 

Jeong Woo and Geum Hee go for some coffee and a talk. He apologizes to her about mistakenly thinking she'd had an affair with Do Hyun while married to Yoon Hak Soo. This takes us to a major flashback when Jeong Woo was in the military and coming home on leave. As he starts to come to his brother's house, he sees Do Hyun (in a rather disheveled state) quickly leaving the place. Jeong Woo goes inside to spy an also disheveled as well as crying Geum Hee. OMG, is the show implying Do Hyun raped her?!

 

Chang Hee is still acting like he wants to make his marriage with In Hwa work. He tells her he wants to be more involved with her family. Like what are their birth dates, anniversary dates, memorial dates, etc.? Obviously the bastard (and that's what he is) is using In Hwa to try and get possible combinations to the safe. In Hwa, I'm afraid, remains clueless to his true intent.

 

Geum Hee comes by Hae Joo's room the next morning. Hae Joo is asleep so Geum Hee talks to Kang San. San tells her not to be worried but one of Hae Joo's blood tests showed her glucose is kind of high. (Get ready for it, folks. Get ready.)

 

In the same hospital, Geum Hee goes upstairs to Do Hyun's room. The doctor is checking the old man over and warns that Do Hyun's glucose level is high and his kids should have theirs checked as well since this is hereditary. This causes Geum Hee to run to the bathroom to have another flashback. In this one she's tearfully asking Hak Soo to give her a divorce. Hak Soo valiantly declares that although he knows of her love for Do Hyun he doesn't want to lose her as a wife. Time skip and Yoo Jin is born, yet Geum Hee doesn't appear to be all that eager to hold her daughter. Hak Soo comes home to show Geum Hee he had a DNA test done to prove that he is Yoo Jin's father. Geum Hee is relieved to hear this, yet you can tell by Hak Soo's expression that he's not telling her the truth.

 

Back to the present. First Geum Hee procures Hae Joo's hairbrush, then she goes and gets Do Hyun's toothbrush. Looks like another trip to Ye Olde DNA Shoppe.

 

Il Mun is finally caught and brought to the interrogation room at the station. Jeong Woo starts to question him about the fire. Il Mun claims to know nothing. Jeong Woo leaps over the desk to grab Il Mun by the collar. Dayum! Let's see that again. Jeong Woo leaps like a frog over the desk to grab Il Mun and demand the truth.

 

We see a quick shot of Chang Hee, with a list of dates In Hwa gave to him, as he tries them out on the safe.

 

The next day Geum Hee comes by Hae Joo's room to find she's not there. The very talkative CNA tells her that Hae Joo was released earlier. Just then the doctor swings by and gives Geum Hee the test results. (In DramaLand it only takes a day to get DNA results back.) As I already knew and told you would happen, the test results show Do Hyun is without a doubt the biological father of Hae Joo.

 

Geum Hee drops the papers on the hospital bed and goes running for the toilet to throw up. While she's gone, Hae Joo returns to the room to retrieve something she forgot. She recognizes Geum Hee's gigantic purse and wonders where her mother is at. She sees the papers on the bed and noses through them. Hae Joo's eyes bug out in shock as she sees the truth right there in black and white.

May Queen Episode 34

My Internet Explorer continues to act up and now I'm back on overtime at work. May Queen, take me away!

 

 

Hae Joo and Kang San come home to be busted by Dal Soon and nosey little sister Jin Joo (who notices San has some makeup smeared on his face.) Go away, nosey little sister and overprotective not-mom!

 

Chang Hee goes to his favorite bar to drink away his woes. A concerned In Hwa comes to find him and try to salvage what's left of her fake marriage.

 

Geum Hee returns home in the guise of trying to salvage what's left of her marriage. Do Hyun promises to make it all up to her. To test him, Geum Hee tells her husband to give Hae Joo/Yoo Jin some stock in Cheonji. Do Hyun claims he will, but let's see if he really does.

 

San is willing to risk freezing to death just to hang around outside Hae Joo's door. Some people would say this was cute. I call it cheesy.

 

The next morning at the Jang breakfast table, things are a bit stilted. Geum Hee asks her husband to allow Il Mun back into the house. Since Do Hyun is trying to win her back, he agrees to whatever she says.

 

Chang Hee learns Asskisser Yang switched San's real diamond with Folger's crystals a synthetic diamond. Chang Hee is not pleased.

 

Turncoat Secretary Kim stands by to listen to San's plans of how to use the diamond and what his next business move will be. I sure hope/wish San is aware of what Kim is doing and he's feeding false information to the traitor.

 

Kim Jong Bo, the man with all the answers, has arrived in Korea. A worried Do Hyun orders Chang Hee to do whatever it takes to silence Jong Bo. Chang Hee replies that in order to be most effective he must know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth of whatever it is Jong Bo knows that could bring Do Hyun down.

 

Chang Hee has one of his inside men at the prosecutors office to plant a bug in Jeong Woo's office.

 

In Hwa comes by Hae Joo's office in order to throw a hissy fit.

 

A shabby Il Mun nervously returns home. Geum Hee lays out a large spread of food for him. He seems kind of hesitant to eat (perhaps he's afraid all the food will end up on the floor like last time) and Geum Hee gently assures him the food is not poisoned as her revenge against him won't be that quick and easy. Oh no, she's got years to torture him. Geum Hee, I'm starting to respect you more and more.

 

Kim Jong Bo arrives at Jeong Woo's office. He tells Jeong Woo and Kang San (and Chang Hee and Do Hyun, listening in on the bug) about the microfilm Do Hyun was so set on getting as well as the secret slush fund of the KCIA. Jeong Woo wants Jong Bo to hold a press conference.

 

Outside on the street, and away from the bug, Jeong Woo tells San about his plans to go see Gi Cheol and to get the gimp to also hold a press conference. As the two men part ways, San notices some street workers nearby. There's something off about them that catches his eye. And so it should, as these sham street workers are guarding the van with the listening equipment inside.

 

Jeong Woo meets with Gi Cheol and relates how he knows everything that's happened, including Gi Cheol's part in Hong Chul's death. The gimp cries. Jeong Woo pleads with him to take revenge against Do Hyun and be a part of the press conference. But when Chang Hee learns about his father's plans, he tries to talk Gi Cheol out of it and to leave all the revenge business to him.

 

Geum Hee plays more cat and mouse with Il Mun. I'm enjoying the hell outta this!

 

Bong Hee has now killed and skinned a mountain goat. She and Jeong Woo give me yet another delightful and funny scene.

 

Because all will be revealed at the press conference, Hae Joo tells her not-siblings about her real parentage. Everyone cries for some reason. Geez, people.

 

Il Mun tries to tell In Hwa (and The Refrigerator) about Geum Hee but In Hwa just thinks he's crazy. Then Geum Hee comes into the kitchen and gives her former son the Evil Eye. He quakes in his house slippers. Bwahahahaha.

 

In Hwa goes totally bipolar. First she orders Chang Hee out of their bedroom and out of their house, then she begs him to stand by her side and swears she'll make him like her. Chang Hee doesn't say much. (Oddly, for the past couple of episodes we've seen Chang Hee but he's not had many actual lines to say. What gives, drama writers?)

 

Kim Jong Bo is alarmed when his old boss, Jang Do Hyun, shows up at the hotel room. First Do Hyun beats the man with a briefcase, then he showers Jong Bo with money. Meanwhile, Geum Hee sneaks into her husband's study and begins her search for the microfilm.

 

It's the day of the press conference. Bong Hee is there, continuing to wear the pelts of dead animals. Hae Joo is there, wearing the same old same old she would wear to the shipyard. (Seriously, you're going to be on TV. You couldn't have dug something decent up to wear? Everyone else is dressed up.) The press are getting restless as the main attraction, Kim Jong Bo, is a no-show. When one of the reporters announces Jang Do Hyun is holding a rival press conference, the press are like, Forget this, we are so out of here.

 

At his press conference, Do Hyun brings out a nervous Park Gi Cheol and Kim Jong Bo. First up is the gimp. With a head nod from Chang Hee, Gi Cheol reads from his statement that he was threatened by prosecutor Yoon Jeong Woo to make false accusations against Do Hyun. Jong Bo basically repeats the same story. Geum Hee, watching on the TV at home, looks like she's about to have a stroke.

 

Poor Jeong Woo is washed up. He's forced to resign and may be looking at prison time.

 

Back at his office, a triumphant Do Hyun congratulates Chang Hee on a job well done. Suddenly Team Member Bitch rushes in, instructing the men to quickly turn on the television set. A video of Do Hyun beating and bribing Jong Bo in the hotel room has been released onto the internet, thus negating everything said at the press conference.

 

All thanks to Kang San. We flash back to the scene where San was suspicious of the street workers. He then catches a peek inside the van and sees suited men with listening equipment. Figuring they had been spied upon, San plans to do his own spying. A disguised Hae Joo delivers room service to Jong Bo at the hotel. While he goes to take a shower, she quickly installs a hidden camera disguised as a fire alarm. Hot diggity, I say.

 

As Kang San and Hae Joo are leaving Jeong Woo's office, Do Hyun and Chang Hee arrive. Hae Joo sort of, almost, not quite glares at her lifelong nemesis. (C'mon, Ji Hye! Come on! You've got four more episodes to learn how to act. I think you can do it. C'mon!!)

Three Kingdoms Episode 35

My Internet Explorer has been acting wacky lately. Please don't let it be another virus.

 

 

Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are getting their drink on when Sun Qian bursts in to announce Xiahou Dun is marching his army towards Xinye. They don't exactly jump into action at this news, prompting elder brother Liu Bei to come ask just what the hell are they doing. Loudmouth is all, Why don't you send Zhuge Liang out to fight since he's so great and wonderful. Liu Bei doesn't have time to deal with this petty little jealousy.

 

He calls a meeting with all his generals and reminds them they must all obey the Director General or else face the consequences. Zhuge Liang starts giving out military orders, even to his boss Liu Bei.

 

Just as Liu Bei and his men are marching off, young Liu Qi comes riding up. His father, Liu Biao, is getting sicker and sicker, but Liu Qi hasn't been able to see him because of Lady Cai. Liu Qi asks for military support which puts Liu Bei in a sticky spot. He tells the young man to go talk to Zhuge Liang.

 

Which leads to a really strange scene. In order to get Zhuge Liang to help him, Liu Qi invites the Director General over to have a gander at a long lost military text. This just makes Zhuge Liang all goose pimply. Liu Qi escorts his guest upstairs to the attic where the text is kept. Once up there, Liu Qi signals to his servants to have the ladder removed, thus trapping the two men upstairs. Liu Qi won't have the ladder brought back unless and until Zhuge Liang advises him on what to do with Cai Mao.

 

Now this nonsensical scene is an attempt to distract the audience from the fact that a battle is going on but the producers couldn't afford to show it. Everything happens off screen. (Where'd all the money go, producers?? Remember that bad ass battle between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao? Did you blow all your wad on that?) Anyway, now that Zhuge Liang's military strategies worked, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are singing a different tune and are all buddy buddy with the Director General.

 

Later, Zhuge Liang warns his boss that Cao Cao's army will be back. In order to feel safer, he advises Liu Bei to take over Jing Province once the sickly Liu Biao dies. Which is kinda dirty if you ask me, but you didn't, so let's move on. Right on cue a messenger arrives to report Liu Biao is on his last leg and wants to see Liu Bei.

 

The dying old man realizes neither of his sons are up to ruling Jing Province, so Liu Biao begs Liu Bei to take it over. Liu Bei refuses, saying Liu Qi as firstborn should inherit the land. The old man keeps begging. This is all interrupted by the news that Cao Cao and his army are on the move again and Zhao "This is my only line" Yun asks Liu Bei to return to Xinye.

 

Back at their fortress, Zhuge Liang recommends Liu Bei abandon Xinye and hightail it over to Jiangxia, where Liu Qi is. They'll booby trap Xinye for when Cao Cao's army thinks to occupy it. Of course this means all the citizens of Xinye will be homeless. Liu Bei orders to bring the civilians along with them, which is against Zhuge Liang's advice.

 

Meanwhile, old man Liu Biao dies and young Liu Cong is named the successor. General Cai Mao advises the young man that they are no match for Cao Cao so their best bet is to simply surrender. Cao Cao makes a very brief appearance at the very end when he shows up to accept the keys to the kingdom (in the name of the Emperor, of course) from Liu Cong.

May Queen Episode 33

Hae Joo, channeling her inner Geum Hee, falls to the floor in shock at hearing Gi Cheol confess he did kill her not-father, Hong Chul. The gimp cries and tries to put all the blame on Do Hyun. Hae Joo lists all the evil things Gi Cheol has done to her over the years. She screams at him how he's no different than Do Hyun. Kang San comes bursting into the room to see what's upset his woman so. Gi Cheol scuttles away.

 

This calls for another trip to The Rock where Hae Joo flashes back to more heartwarming times with her beloved father. Chang Hee shows up because she asked to meet with him. She accuses Chang Hee of knowing all along that it was his father who killed her father. He can't deny it. Hae Joo once again lists all the evil things Chang Hee has done to her and other people and once again she states how he's no different than Do Hyun.

 

(I still can't help but feel that another actress would have done so much more with these scenes. This is a big reveal, the kind of reveal that rips Hae Joo's world out from under her feet. I expect From Hell's Heart I Stab At Thee!, but all I get from Ji Hye is wah, wah, wah.)

 

Over dinner at a Japanese restaurant, Do Hyun opens up his big mouth and tells Chang Hee all about Nameless Minion/Secretary Choi being involved in Grandpa Da Pyung's death. Do Hyun is putting all his trust into his son-in-law, and now that Il Mun is out of the picture, he's going to name Chang Hee as his new son and heir.

 

Prosecutor Uncle Jeong Woo is interrogating Secretary Choi about the attempted kidnapping of Hae Joo. Choi is taking the entire rap, saying everything he did was on his own accord. Jeong Woo then starts asking questions concerning the death of Grandpa. Ah, we learn a little bit more of Choi's backstory. Turns out his father was an agent in the intelligence biz and was working under Jang Do Hyun in Japan. After the elder Choi died, Do Hyun raised Nameless Minion and gave him a job at Cheonji.

 

After getting nowhere with Choi, Jeong Woo returns to his office to find Kang San and Hae Joo waiting for him. She tells her uncle about Gi Cheol's confession.

 

At the same time, Chang Hee is fussing at his father for telling Hae Joo everything. Surprisingly, Gi Cheol says he's not done. He has plans to go to Geum Hee and tell her how Do Hyun killed her first husband. He urges Chang Hee to gang up with Hae Joo, Jeong Woo and Geum Hee to take Do Hyun down. (You're talking like Do Hyun is the Death Star or something.)

 

The Refrigerator makes a triumphant return appearance.

 

Do Hyun is having to eat dinner alone, his family scattered to the winds. Il Mun is trying his hand at dine and dash, although he hasn't quite got the 'dash' part down yet. He's forced to give up his coat to pay for his cheap meal on a stick. I can't believe he's got the gall to look Young Joo up for help. She turns her back on him and Sang Tae throws anchovies all over the former president of Cheonji.

 

Hae Joo goes out drinking and weakly declares her vengeance against Do Hyun. Fearing she's going to do something stupid, San tries to convince Hae Joo that building the drill and doing things on the up and up will be revenge enough.

 

Bong Hee and Jeong Woo are cooking in the kitchen. I don't know what it is but it sure looks good. I'm hungry! Anyway, Jeong Woo shyly starts to declare his feelings for her (since last time she was passed out drunk) when here comes cock blocker Sang Tae asking if dinner is ready yet. The moment is gone...

 

A drunk Chang Hee ends up yelling at In Hwa and hurting her feelings.

 

The next day Jeong Woo has Chang Hee come to his office. He understands now that everything Chang Hee did in the past was because Do Hyun was threatening Gi Cheol. Jeong Woo attempts to get Chang Hee to come back to the Good Side and join him in bringing Do Hyun down. Instead, Chang Hee asks to see Choi. He passes Nameless Minion a note from Do Hyun. In it, he promises to take care of Choi's family if Choi takes responsibility for everything. Choi then confesses to the cops that he and he alone was involved in trying to kidnap Hae Joo.

 

Kang San (for a second there I thought he has a ferret around his neck) receives word that the industrial diamonds are on their way. Secretary Kim (the turncoat) volunteers to go get the diamonds. On the sly he contacts Asskisser Yang.

 

Gi Cheol does indeed meet with Geum Hee and comes clean about everything concerning her daughter and her first husband, Hak Soo. Gi Cheol reminds her (and the audience as well) about how Hak Soo retrieved a container of film before they fled the house in Japan.

 

At a later date, Geum Hee agrees to meet with Do Hyun. He begs her to come back home. She refuses. What she should have done was pretend to go along with it so she could search for this mysterious film, but the writers didn't see it my way.

 

More food scenes. Man, I'm hungry. In Hwa gives in and gives her brother a free meal at her restaurant. With no preamble at all, Il Mun breaks it to his sister that Geum Hee is not her biological mother and that Hae Joo is Geum Hee's real daughter. In Hwa goes running to Geum Hee's hotel room to varify this wild story. She begs her mother to come back home. She's having trouble in her marriage and needs her mother. Geum Hee refuses.

 

A disillusioned In Hwa returns home to face her moping husband. She realizes Chang Hee knew the truth about Geum Hee/Hae Joo all along, that he never loved her and is still in love with Hae Joo. Chang Hee doesn't deny any of it. Sucks to be you, In Hwa.

 

Wait, maybe the writers did see it my way. Geum Hee meets with Jeong Woo to tell him her plans to return to the big house in order to search for the film.

 

Chang Hee asks to meet with Hae Joo outside her house. He has the nerve to blame her for him becoming so evil! You asshole! Kang San sees Chang Hee driving away and Hae Joo silently crying. Chang Hee doesn't get down the road very far before he does the patented K-Drama U Turn and heads back. Kang San, assuming Hae Joo still has feelings for his rival, encourages her to go back to Chang Hee. He starts to walk away when Hae Joo stops him, explaining her being upset is not what he thinks. She finally confesses she has feelings for him and he finally, after 33 episodes, lays a long, slow, deep, soft, wet kiss that lasts for three days on her. Just in time for Chang Hee to drive back up and witness.

The King's Dream Episode 9

It has been a stressful day at work. I need... no, I demand to be entertained! Don't drop the ball on me, King's Dream.

 

Chunchu warns Kim Yushin of the Tang empire and how they threaten to settle their sights on the Three Kingdoms. Yushin swears this ain't gonna happen.

 

The Great Omniscient Voiceover updates us not only on the Tang Dynasty, but also what's been happening here in Silla. King Jinpyeong's first queen, Queen Maya, has died. This allows Mini-me/Seungman to assume the crown and to age up and be played by Lee Young Ah (who may or may not have just been killed off the Vampire Prosecutor series. C'mon, what kind of ending was that?! But I digress...) Nutty Buddy has died and I take it that old hag Queen Sado has bit the dust as well. Princess Deokman is played (for the moment) by Park Joo Mi.

 

Geez Louise, Yushin has previously unmentioned siblings just coming out of the woodwork here lately. Just last episode we learn he has a brother, now he's got a couple of sisters. Bohui and Munhui are watching the procession of Princess Deokman. Chunchu is riding beside (and looking just as old as) his father, Kim Yongchun, and catches Munhui's fancy. Suddenly a woman with a sick baby breaks ranks and pleads with the princess to heal her infant. Deokman impresses everyone by getting the squalling baby to stop squalling.

 

Seungman schemes. She hasn't had any children by the king and is anxious to deliver an heir since Nutty Buddy is dead. Jinpyeong appoints Chunchu to an official post. This causes Seungman to recall one of the dying wishes of Queen Sado to never allow Chunchu to have any power at court.

 

Well, turns out Chunchu's been busy. He's got a wife, Bora, and she's got a big bun in the oven. They're so in love, which means they're doomed.

 

There's a long sequence as Chunchu witnesses all the injustice and corruption throughout the land.

 

Seungman (whose wig must weigh twenty pounds at least) and the concubines are having a lively drinking game. Seungman isn't too happy with the arrival of Boryang, a concubine who has done what Seungman has not - given the king a son. Seungman has a bit of cruel fun with Boryang. Deokman shows up to throw a wet blanket on the proceedings, reminding the queen there are children starving in China, er, Silla, and this is no time to party.

 

Holy crap, somebody's having an acid trip! I think it's that sister of Yushin's - Munhui. She must have eaten some major mushrooms. Manmyeong instructs her daughter to tell no one of her dream as it would endanger the family. More of that Foreboding motif the show does love to shove down our throats.

 

Yushin hangs out with his old allies, the Gwimun. Bihyeong (looking no different except for some silly facial hair) is also worried about the Tang. Yushin tells how Chunchu is out investigating the salt farms for corruption. Bihyeong fears Chunchu is in danger and Yushin races to save his old friend.

 

Chunchu and his guard watch as salt is pilfered and sold off the books. In disguise, Chunchu blends in with the other stevedores loading a boat with the stolen salt. He's recognized by the head crook and now must fight for his life. Chunchu appears to be saved by the local police force (or whatever they are), but then the head security guy tries to bribe Chunchu into keeping quiet about this whole thing. When Chunchu refuses to be bribed, the corrupt police take him prisoner and ties him up on the boat.

 

While Chunchu is tied to the mast, Kim Yushin and the Gwimun storm the boat. There's massive fighting from stem to stern. Yushin saves Chunchu, who tells Yushin he believes these small fish are working for a big fish, and that might be Yushin's grandfather, the Prime Minister.

 

Prime Minister Sukheuljong goes to inform Queen Seungman about what happened with the salt. Seems the queen is in on this as well.

 

As Chunchu is in his office working late at night, a fire bug sets the main house ablaze. Chunchu's pregnant wife is inside the inferno. See, told ya. Doomed. Against his servants' pleadings, Chunchu runs into the burning building to find Bora. She either unconscious or already dead. As Chunchu holds her in his arms, burning timbers start to fall down on him.

Goodreads Choice Awards 2012

Once again the Goodreads readers have voted on the top books of the year.

Once again I've not read any of the winners.

 

 

Fiction: The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

 

Mystery: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

 

Historical Fiction: The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

 

Fantasy: A Wind Through The Keyhole by Stephen King

 

Paranormal Fantasy (I though fantasy was paranormal?): Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness. I couldn't get through the first book, A Discovery of Witches, so I know I won't be punishing myself with the second book.

 

Science Fiction: The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter

 

Romance: Fifty Shades Freed by E.L. James. Yes, believe it or not I am one of only two people on this entire planet who has not read any of the Fifty Shades books. Guess who the other person is.

 

Horror: The Twelve by Justin Cronin

 

Autobiography: Wild by Cheryl Strayed

 

Biography: Elizabeth the Queen by Sally Smith

 

Nonfiction: Quiet by Susan Cain

 

Humor: Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

 

Young Adult Fiction: The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

 

Young Adult Fantasy: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Darna Episode 18

The story so far: Roma and the imp are dead. To try and make up for his earlier douche baggery, Gabriel has offered to raise Roma's snake baby (Ana). Mad scientist Dr. Morgan has hired supercriminal Shiro to capture Darna. Shiro's supercriminal parents have also dropped in for a visit. Is Shiro's mother, Madame Ali, also Alicia, Narda's missing mother? Let's see if we find out.

 

 

Darna wakes up to find herself in the Nail Cage 3000, a prisoner of the Bazooka Bandits. Being the supercriminal that he is, Shiro has decided to ask for more money from Dr. Morgan than they originally agreed to. Madam Ali isn't too thrilled by her son's criminal actions, but she's too afraid to go against him and free Darna.

 

Ah, thanks to blabbermouth Liberty, Madam Ali/Alicia has an extremely long flashback. She was able to escape the snake cave after Cobra Commander fell asleep (and before he could impregnate her.) Alicia returned to her village only to learn her husband Simon was dead and buried and her daughter Narda was missing and also presumed dead. Alone and distraught, Alicia stumbles numbly down the road and then collapses. Lucky for her the extremely rich Sir Dionisio finds her and takes her back to his mansion to recover. (Because that's what super rich supercriminals do.) She ends up marrying Sir D. more to be a mother to his son Shiro than for any love of the man. /end flashback.

 

Alicia overhears her wheelchair bound husband and Shiro discussing their latest assignment. They've been hired to kill the mayor of San Martin and to make it look like a terrorist attack. The assassination will take place tonight at an awards ceremony being held in the city plaza.

 

Gabriel has already lost Baby Ana. You douche bag.

 

Feeling Catholic guilt for not stopping her evil family, Alicia frees Darna from the nail cage and briefs her on the intended attack at the city plaza. In return, she asks for Darna's promise to let Shiro go.

 

Shiro uses a remote controlled helicopter to fly the bomb into the (not really crowded) plaza. Pandemonium erupts as the audience runs for cover.

 

As Darna is flying through the storm-darkened skies, she doesn't notice a wormhole opening up behind her. Hawk Woman has returned to our dimension.

 

With ten seconds to spare, Darna is able to catch up to the armed RC helicopter and toss it towards the front doors to explode. (Hope nobody was standing there.) She decides to prioritize, which means breaking her promise to Alicia and going after Shiro.

 

Learning of both his wife's betrayal and his son being in jail, Sir Dionisio works himself into a heart attack.

 

 

 

Now that her husband is incapacitated, her son incarcerated, and her promise from Darna invalid, will Alicia step up and become the new Godmother in town?