Angel Eyes Episode 6

Principal Yoon Sung Dong (it took me six episodes to find out his name) keeps calling Dylan Park by his Dong Joo name, all within hearing distance of Soo Wan. She starts walking towards Dong Joo to confront him, only to conveniently pass out from her illness.

 

While Soo Wan is recovering from her fever, Dong Joo must leave his post in ER in order to work in a required Kdrama rooftop scene. Just as Dong Joo is talking to himself about how he can't do this anymore, we see the feet of some other man coming to join him.

 

Soo Wan returns to the ER to tell Doctor Dylan they must talk. Once again he leaves his post as they both return to the steep steps where they had their first kiss. (Um, so who is taking care of the ER all these times Dong Joo is AWOL?) After feeling up his face (and spreading her germs), Soo Wan gives Dong Joo a weak slap and then she starts crying hysterically. BTW, did I forget to mention she's wearing some fugly shoes?

 

 

Anyway, after crying until nightfall, Soo Wan asks him where his mother is. Dong Joo silently takes her to Jung Hwa's grave. Soo Wan tearfully apologizes to "Mom" for not knowing.

 

Meanwhile, Ji Woon is unable to find his fiancée. He takes her friend, Min Soo, out for dinner instead. He confesses he knows deep down that Soo Wan still has feelings for her long lost first love and he's feeling a little bit threatened.

 

Dong Joo reverts back to his jerk act, telling Soo Wan he was so busy studying to be a doctor that he totally forgot about her. A flashback shows us what we already knew: that it was Dr. Evil who was up there on the hospital roof with Dong Joo.

 

Soo Wan's dad sort of comes clean on some things. Like how he knows about Soo Wan and Dong Joo's earlier relationship. Dr. Evil also finally tells Dong Joo that his mother was Soo Wan's donor. (He leaves out the whole part about letting Jung Hwa die so Soo Wan could get those eyes.) Dr. Evil convinces the soft-headed Dong Joo that it would be in Soo Wan's best interest to not tell her the truth.

 

The next day at the police station, Min Soo is looking into the records of Jung Hwa's hit and run accident. Seeing his name listed on the report helps Min Soo have an epiphany that Dong Joo and Dylan Park are one and the same. She goes down to the hospital to sucker punch Dong Joo in the jaw. (Making up for Soo Wan's weak-ass slap from earlier.)

 

 

After calming down a bit, Min Soo and Dong Joo sit down to discuss his mother's case. Naturally the statute of limitation are about to run out. Min Soo leaves to go visit Kim Woo Chul. She finds her old mentor writhing in pain on the floor but he orders her not to call for an ambulance. She manoeuvers around this demand by not calling an ambulance but instead calling Dong Joo in for a house call. So once again Dong Joo just walks away from his job at the hospital.

 

After treating the ailing ex detective (without telling us what was wrong with him), Woo Chul recognizes Dong Joo and apologizes for not being able to find any leads concerning Mom's accident.

 

Elsewhere during all this, Ji Woon and Soo Wan have been out on a date. Knowing the necklace she's wearing used to belong to her first love, Ji Woon gives Soo Wan another necklace. He hopes she'll take off the whistle necklace and put on his star necklace. Then he moves in for a kiss and gets Ye Olde Head Turn. (They're engaged and they haven't even kissed?)

 

The next day, Dr. Evil takes matters into hand. He presses a plane ticket to Boston on Dong Joo and announces he's already put the paperwork into motion for Dong Joo's transfer. The younger man begs for just six more months in Korea. Dr. Evil falls to his knees and begs Dong Joo to leave Soo Wan alone.

 

At his closet-size apartment, Woo Chul thinks back to when he first started investigating the hit and run. He had been pressured by higher-ups to close the case early. Woo Chul's reminiscence is interrupted by a visit from Dong Joo. The doctor has dropped by with some stew to share. Not just any stew, though. Dong Joo had visited the restaurant newly opened by Woo Chul's ex-wife. The detective immediately recognizes his ex-wife's cooking.

 

Later, Soo Wan once again tries to connect with Dong Joo. He coldly insists she call him Dylan Park and to leave their old love back in the past where it belongs.

 

 

Dr. Oh (as in Oh No!) is delighted to hear Dylan Park will be leaving the hospital soon. She asks Dr. Evil to put her darling boy, Ji Woon, in charge of the ER department after Dylan is gone.

 

In the Spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of basketball and bromance. Ji Woon and Dong Joo have a rematch.

 

The next day Dong Joo packs his one suitcase (DramaKoreans always travel light) and says a final goodbye to his mother's grave, asking her spirit to keep watch over Soo Wan.

 

Dr. Evil receives another phone call from Choi Jin Sang. Oh, now I remember who this is. He was another doctor working under Dr. Evil back when Jung Hwa was brought in. He saw Dr. Evil allow Dong Joo's mother to die. I smell blackmail in the works.

 

Soo Wan learns about Dong Joo resigning from the hospital. She starts running all over town looking for him. Is she on duty? Is she just as bad as Dong Joo about leaving work? Anyway, she finds the flowers he left as Jung Hwa's grave along with the antique Ipod they used to share.

 

Soo Wan catches a cab and dashes off to the airport. During the ride she listens to the Ipod and all the recorded messages Dong Joo made to her over the years. "Forgot all about you" my ass. She runs around the airport searching for Dong Joo. Unable to find him, she pulls out the whistle necklace he gave her and starts blowing on it.

 

There he is, not ten feet away from you. You didn't need to blow that whistle after all.

 

 



Angel Eyes Episode 5

At the observatory (which is still oddly empty), Soo Wan wakes up from her drunken stupor. Dong Joo is nowhere around but he's left his coat draped over her. Meaning there will be a future scene of her returning the coat to him.

 

The next day, Soo Wan stops by the hospital to do just that. She watches from afar as Dong Joo/Dylan Park is caring for the baby that was pulled from the wreck in the last episode. He sees Soo Wan and thinks she's there to see the baby. He informs her the child will soon be going to the orphanage.

 

Also at the hospital is Cha Min Soo. She talks to Dong Joo over the phone but he's called away on an emergency before they can meet face to face. Will Min Soo recognize Dong Joo after twelve years?

 

 

Kang Ji Woon hears about the disagreement between his fiancée and his brofriend over the ER snafu. Ji Woon stops by the firehouse to talk to Soo Wan and convince her to try and get along with Dylan.

 

Soo Wan drops by the orphanage to check on how the baby is doing. She learns Dong Joo is already there, holding a free clinic for the kids. Soo Wan helps him out with a particularly uncooperative patient. Dong Joo still keeps up his prickly persona with her.

 

Dr. Oh, Ji Woon's mother, is starting to feel that the great and powerful Dylan Park will be stealing her son's thunder at the hospital. She's wanting Dong Joo to start shuffling off to Boston as soon as possible. (The theories are still going on that Dr. Oh is the mysterious hit and run driver of Dong Joo's mother. No confirmation yet so don't get excited.)

 

 

Ji Woon invites both Soo Wan and Dong Joo over to his apartment for dinner in an attempt to get his love interests on friendly terms with each other. During the really awkward dinner conversation, Dong Joo reveals he didn't always want to be a doctor. His first dream was to be a firefighter. Ji Woon says what a coincidence as Soo Wan's first love wanted to be a firefighter. The awkwardness continues as Ji Woon starts asking Dong Joo about his first love. Now would be a good time to fake a migraine, Dong Joo.

 

Down at the fire station, Teddy has gotten his first paycheck. He wants to treat his co-workers to dinner but they've all got plans. This gives me a good excuse to present this cute firefighter:

 

Teddy is so lonely at the firehouse that he dresses up Resuscitation Annie in red long johns and dances around with her. Teddy's boss says it all:

 

Worried that the young man is turning perv, chief Ki Woon Chan takes Teddy to his house for a home-cooked meal. There's some kind of back story concerning Woon Chan's wife. She's dead but he's not had the guts to break it to his young son, Jin Mo, so Woon Chan has lied and said mom is in America. He's even been writing fake letters from her. Totally not healthy.

 

There's been another hit-and-run accident. (DramaKorea is full of 'em.) Ji Woon is called in to perform the surgery, meaning he won't be able to meet Soo Wan at the movies as they planned. Soo Wan, already at the theater, runs into Dong Joo and invites him to use Ji Woon's ticket. The movie is an old one, remastered and re-released. It happens to be the one Dong Joo and Soo Wan watched back when she was blind and they were eating pumpkin porridge. Flashbacks galore.

 

After the movie, Soo Wan and Dong Joo must share a crowded elevator, forcing the pair to unintentionally snuggle for the Longest Elevator Ride Ever. Subconsciously, Soo Wan begins to suspect Dylan Park's true identity.

 

There's a very brief scene of Soo Wan's father, Dr. Evil, getting a phone call from a Choi Jin Sang. I'm not sure who this man is but I take it he'll play a bigger role in a future episode.

 

Unable to shake her feelings of deja vu, Soo Wan asks Dong Joo again if they've met before. In an effort to throw her off, Dong Joo gets all a-holey on her. "Hey, baby, you wanna piece of this pie?" Soo Wan runs away from him in disgust.

 

She wanders back to her old house, flashing back to her younger days when she pestered the new owners if there was any mail for her. (Dr. Evil was probably intercepting any letters from Dong Joo.)

 

 

Min Soo has coffee with Kim Woo Chul and asks him about this Dylan Park guy. The old man doesn't recognize Dylan's name but the hit and run case sounds sort of familiar.

 

A sick Soo Wan decides to report in to work and spread her germs to already injured people. She and Teddy get a call out to a high school. Soo Wan recognizes the name of the school as the place Dong Joo attended. The hysterical patient they've been called to treat is Dong Joo's old teacher, now the principal. He insists on being taken to the emergency room.

 

After bringing in the screaming patient to the ER, a sickly Soo Wan leans up against the wall. Dong Joo is on duty and he's torn between seeing to her and treating the loud principal. As Dong Joo off-handedly orders an X-ray for the man, his old teacher recognizes his favorite student and cries out, "Dong Joo!"

Angel Eyes Episode 4

Dong Joo has to go outside for a breather after experiencing a double whammy. First was seeing Soo Wan in the arms of another man. (How dare she move on with her life after not hearing from him for twelve years. How dare she!) The other whammy was after the attack when Doctor Evil came to check up on Soo Wan and Dong Joo learns for the first time that Doc Evil is her father.

 

I'm going to go off on a mini tangent here for a second. Why did it take Dong Joo twelve frickin' years to learn this fact? I mean, when you first start dating someone and are getting to know them (favorite food, favorite band, favorite color, etc.), the identity of the person's parents is like one of the basics. So why didn't Dong Joo ask? Why didn't Soo Wan mention it? What is wrong with you people?

 

Soo Wan sees the doctor sitting outside and she goes to check up on him. Perhaps he's still rattled after the drama in the trauma. As Soo Wan is bending over him, Dong Joo sees that she's still wearing a necklace he gave to her back when they were played by other actors. Suddenly he does the required wrist grab that denotes romance in a Kdrama. He drags her into one of the examination rooms. No, don't get excited. He just wants to treat the nick on her neck Soo Wan got from the mental patient.

 

Dong Joo goes back to his office for a flashback. Messy Doctor Evil has come to see med student Dong Joo. Doc is talking about his daughter (without saying her actual name) and his hopes that she will marry the neurosurgeon at the hospital. Wait, does this mean Soo Wan is engaged to Ji Woon? Oh my.

 

The next day the doctors are all talking about what happened last night and what a hero Dong Joo/Dylan Park was. Doctor Oh, the chairman of the hospital, gives extra thanks as she's the mother of Ji Woon. Doctor Oh wants Doc Evil and/or Ji Woon to get Soo Wan to quit her dangerous job.

 

Cha Min Soo takes Kim Woo Chul out for some nasty looking food. They discuss how Woo Chul was forced to retire or else he was going to get fired for accepting some money on the side.

 

Soo Wan and her emergency squad are called out to a high rise where a guy is threatening to jump. Third time this month. The squad leaders decide to send Soo Wan up the big ladder to get the jumper. After all, she's got experience dealing with crazy people.

 

 

Soo Wan rides the cherry picker up to the man holding on to the balcony railing. She chats with the guy, pointing out that there's no guarantee he'll be any happier dead than alive. He still refuses to move so she signals for the ladder to swing away. As it is taking her down, Soo Wan spots an elderly woman lying on the floor in her apartment. Soo Wan radios in a possible other emergency. The jumper is totally forgotten about.

 

Soo Wan and Teddy Roosevelt rush Grandma to the hospital where Dong Joo is on duty. Faster than Dong Joo can say, "I need a neurosurgeon," Ji Woon is there. Seems Soo Wan had called him earlier from the ambulance. To the other doctors, this is a breach in protocol. Who cares as long as Granny gets saved?

 

Knowing the other doctors are watching to see how he handles this, Dong Joo has to act (at least I hope it is an act) like a dick towards Soo Wan because she stepped out of line. Soo Wan follows Dong Joo in order to apologize over the incident. Then she asks if they've ever met before. Dong Joo answers yes, they have met before - when he asked her directions to the observatory.

 

Later, Doctor Evil again tries to talk Dong Joo into leaving this nowheresville hospital and move on to bigger and better things (away from Soo Wan). Dong Joo hints that he doesn't plan to stay long anyway.

 

Bromance time! Dong Joo and Ji Woon have a pickup game. Afterwards, Ji Woon takes Dong Joo to his apartment building. He drops Dong Joo off with the keys while he goes to buy some beer. Dong Joo lets himself into the apartment only to realize Soo Wan is already there. He ducks out before she can see him.

 

Dong Joo goes back to the steps where he and Soo Wan had their first kiss. He drinks beer by himself and broods over all the cute moments between Soo Wan and Ji Woon.

 

 

Ji Woon comes to pick up a hungover Dong Joo as they have a meeting this morning. He gives Dong Joo a thermos of fish soup (ick) that Soo Wan made last night. Ji Woon comments that it is one of her best dishes. Dong Joo knows the fish soup comes from a recipe his mother gave to Soo Wan.

 

Over at the police station, Min Soo learns that someone named Dylan Park has been asking for Kim Woo Chul and she decides to look into it.

 

Ji Woon and Dong Joo come upon a terrible car accident. A car is trapped beneath an overturned truck. As the emergency squad is in the process of freeing the people from the car, the truck starts leaking fuel. The responders are ordered to evacuate the area until it is safe. Soo Wan refuses to leave as a woman is still caught in the wreckage.

 

When the doctors hear their mutual love interest is in danger they leap into action. The woman is pinned in by some metal rods. Dong Joo notices there's a baby trapped beneath the woman. He's able to get the child out of the car and hand it off to Teddy Pendegrass. Then of course there is an explosion.

 

The fire chief demands everybody leave now as it is too dangerous for anyone to be here. Soo Wan still refuses to leave the woman. Ji Woon and Dong Joo strip off their jackets and get to work. We don't get to see exactly what they do as the scene jumps to Soo Wan's ambulance. Dong Joo treats the woman they just mysteriously freed.

 

The woman doesn't make it and dies on the way to the hospital.

 

Once again Soo Wan seeks solace in Ji Woon's arms as Dong Joo looks on.

 

Sometime later, Soo Wan goes to the observatory. In the lobby they have what they call a wishing tree. You write your wish on a piece of paper and hang it on the tree. Soo Wan hangs her wish up ("Hope you grow up strong" - probably for the now orphaned baby) when she sees the other wish ("Hope I find you") Dong Joo hung up earlier. He signed it with his real name.

 

Since no one else in Korea is named Dong Joo, it has to be her long lost love. Soo Wan starts frantically searching the observatory. She finds "Dylan Park" but fails to put two and two together. And of course he's already playing the Noble Idiot and won't confess the truth because he doesn't want to spoil her happiness with Ji Woon.

 

Still, Soo Wan invites Dong Joo to get drunk with her since they lost a patient. A tipsy Soo Wan tells "Dylan" about her two mothers: the one who died and the one who died. She cries for them both. Dong Joo cuts her off but not before Soo Wan also sheds a tear for her long lost love.

 

And then she passes out.

Angel Eyes Episode 3

Yoon Soo Wan, now played by Gu Hye Seon, is working at the fire department. Suddenly reveille is played signaling an emergency. (A much nicer alarm than the annoying screech from Emergency.) Soo Wan and her team move 'em up and head 'em out. Oh dear, they've gotten into a traffic jam and the TSTL civilians will not pull over! (You can get into big trouble in America for failing to yield to an emergency vehicle.)

 

When the crew finally gets to the sight of the call it is only to find a couple of punks were pranking them. (Again, you can get into big trouble in America for making a fake emergency calls.) But this isn't America, this is DramaLand, and all the punks get are empty threats from the fire chief. At least Jan Di - sorry, I mean Soo Wan - pours beer all over the head punk and then flips him over her shoulder.

 

Meanwhile Dong Joo is arriving at a hospital where I take it he's going to work. He barely avoids being hit by an incoming ambulance. While the paramedics rush a woman inside, they leave her crying son alone in the vehicle. Dong Joo comforts the boy with a bag of peanuts. Hopefully the kid doesn't have any food allergies.

 

The emergency room is in chaos. Dong Joo tries to give advice to the bungling doctors. Strangely, they don't seem to want to listen to a complete stranger who has just wandered in off the street. Security is in the process of throwing Dong Joo out when another doctor arrives on the scene and informs everyone Dong Joo is a new doctor to their staff.

 

Because of the whole punk-flipping thing, Soo Wan has to go to the police department where her old friend, Cha Min Soo, books her for assault. Say, Min Soo, why aren't you booking those punks for making a false report? Hey, even Soo Wan is asking the same thing.

 

Dong Joo goes straight into surgery on the woman from the ambulance. (Did anyone ever go get the kid?) The other doctors and nurses don't think the woman will survive the operation. We know better.

 

Icky gooey surgical scene. Dramatic music plays. The woman is saved.

 

Back at the fire station, rookie Teddy Seo arrives for duty. (I don't know who this Seung Ri is but all the viewers over at Viki are getting their squee on.) Soo Wan is put in charge of him.

 

Dong Joo is introduced to the other surgical doctors. Soo Wan's dad, Doctor Evil, is still working at this hospital. Despite twelve years having passed, Doctor Evil recognizes Dong Joo immediately even though Dong Joo uses his American name of Dylan Park. Also in the room is neurosurgeon Kang Ji Woon (played by that fine Kim Ji Suk).

 

And now the required rooftop scene. Turns out Doctor Evil knew Dong Joo because he's been helping (i.e. keeping the boy out of Korea) all these years with Dong Joo's medical career. Doctor Evil is upset that Dong Joo left a cushy job in Boston to come to this Podunk hospital. Dong Joo asks that Doctor Evil keep calling him Dylan.

 

Alone in his office, Doctor Evil looks at Dong Joo's note he had left for Soo Wan. It included the address of Dong Joo's aunt in America. (BTW, Hye Joo survived whatever illness she had and chose to remain in the USA.) Through flashbacks we see what I already suspected, that Doctor Evil purposely didn't do anything to try and revive Dong Joo's mother so the good woman would die and give her eyes to Soo Wan.

 

Racked with guilt and alcohol, Doctor Evil keeps tabs on young Dong Joo in America and helps pay for the kid's medical school tuition.

 

Dong Joo is walking by a scene of an accident (no rubbernecking or anything) when he hears someone call out Yoon Soo Wan's name. He just stands there and watches her in slow motion. Now that he knows his first love is working for the fire department, Dong Joo's stalking is made easier.

 

He finally goes over to where she's washing (and washing and washing) her ambulance but doesn't introduce himself. He's a bit disappointed she doesn't recognize him after not seeing him for twelve years. Dong Joo asks for directions to the observatory, hoping that will stir her memory, but it doesn't.

 

Detective Kim Woo Chul is still around although he's retired from the police force. Is he still looking for the hit and run driver? Or is he looking for his next bottle of soju?

 

There's a potential bromance brewing between Dong Joo and Ji Woon. Or a potential rivalry.

 

That evening Soo Wan and rookie Teddy Ruxpin are struggling to take a patient to the ER. The guy is literally mental and freaking out. He manages to get ahold of a scalpel and takes Soo Wan hostage. Soo Wan tries to talk him down. The man hears the police sirens coming near and freaks out even more. Dong Joo arranges to have all the lights turned off in the ER, giving Soo Wan the opportunity to break free of the man's grasp. The police move in and subdue the mentally ill man.

 

Dong Joo grabs Soo Wan and holds her in his arms. For one brief moment she's reminded of her long lost love. Then she goes running to Ji Woon's arms.

 

Ah, so rivalry it is.

Jang Bo Ri Is Here Episode 1

It's raining cats and dogs as a tight-lipped In Hwa (played by Kim Hye Ok) drives down the road. In the back seat is a sleepy little girl. Suddenly, for reasons I don't know, In Hwa does a Kdrama U-turn. It looks like she's racing (dangerously) to catch up to another car driven by Ok Soo (played by Yang Mi Kyung). In Hwa, perhaps accidentally, perhaps on purpose, causes Ok Soo's car to crash and flip.

 

In Hwa stops her car to go check out her handiwork. Her daughter, Eun Bi, looks out to see Ok Soo's husband appears to be dead. Panicking, the girl gets out of the car and starts running down the road. In Hwa gets back into her car and starts to drive off - without her daughter.

 

WTF is going on?

 

Cut from that weird scene to another weird scene. I take it this happens before the car crash. Eun Bi peeps into a room where In Hwa and Ok Soo, along with some other women, are packing up the king and queen's wedding clothes which are going to be exhibited at a museum. In Hwa and Ok Soo are the daughters-in-law of Kim Soo Mi, the woman in charge of the clothes. (Or is she Park Soo Mi? Dramawiki and Viki are giving me two different names. As if this show didn't confuse me enough.)

 

Soo Mi announces she'll be choosing her successor soon through a series of contests.

 

Eun Bi wants her mother to come to her school for a function but In Hwa needs to accompany the royal wedding clothes to the museum. Eun Bi's dad, Soo Bong (played by Ahn Nae Sang), also complains about his wife not doing enough with their daughter.

 

Elsewhere, a young boy tearfully sniffs his dead mother's clothes. Lee Jae Hwa's stern father, Lee Dong Hoo (played by Han Jin Hee) jerks the clothing away and orders the boy to buck up and be a man. Furthermore, Dong Hoo orders his dead wife's closet to be cleaned out. He doesn't want any reminders of her in the house.

 

At school, Eun Bi is heartbroken that her mother didn't come to the program.

 

Then there's some kind of drama with Soo Mi and some broken scissors and an attempt on Soo Bong's life. I don't know what's going on but I think Soo Mi is just now  beginning to realize that In Hwa is a total B. Soo Mi and Ok Soo go to the museum so the elderly woman can publicly shame In Hwa. I'm fast losing interest here.

 

Eun Bi is still moping over Mom not being at school. Her dad (who was there but doesn't get any credit for it) offers to get his daughter some Jjajangmyeon. Eun Bi is immediately cheered up by the thought of food and rushes home. Outside her house is that crybaby Jae Hwa. He and his late mother used to come here to visit Ok Soo. Eun Bi catches the boy crying and tries to invite him in for some noodles. Jae Hwa tries to get away from her and ends up stepping out in front of the delivery guy's bike. Delivery guy crashes and the precious Jjajangmyeon is spilled all over the street. Now its Eun Bi's turn to cry.

 

Soo Bong gets the chance to be a director at an art center in California.

 

Ok Soo's husband, Hee Bong, works for stern Dong Hoo. Apparently widower Dong Hoo has already moved on and has a thing going on with a woman down at the hair salon. Hee Bong tries to get his boss to tell Jae Hwa about the other woman. Dong Hoo tells Hee Bong to mind his own business. This "thing" may have been going on long before Dong Hoo's wife died as it appears he has a son, Jae Hee, by the other woman.

 

Young Jae Hee has problems of his own. He's being bullied by the other kids, plus he has a yellow streak in his hair. His mother, Hwa Yun (played by Geum Bo Ra) looks to be mighty pregnant again. That doesn't stop her from pulling some other woman's hair out in a cat fight.

 

Elsewhere still, a little girl named Yun Min Jung is trying to pass off a fancy house as her own. She's undone when her foul mouthed mother who works as a maid in the house blows the deception to Min Jung's schoolmates.

 

Soo Bong wants to move his family to America. In Hwa doesn't want to give up her chance to become Soo Mi's successor.

 

The first competition involves In Hwa and Ok Soo making hanboks for each other. After pulling an all nighter, Ok Soo goes to bed. In Hwa sneaks in to steal Ok Soo's work and throws it on the fire. Soo Bong witnesses what his wife is doing.

 

Jae Hee and Hwa Yun come to live at the big house with Dong Hoo. This little arrangement doesn't set well with Jae Hwa.

 

 

It's shows like this (not just in Korea, but here in the States) that make me wonder: if this is what made it to the screen, how bad are the ones that get turned down? Because this was pretty bad. 

Angel Eyes Episode 2

Dong Joo and Soo Wan exchange an MP3 player so they can learn about each other's tastes and favorite things. Things are going well for the couple although Dong Joo still hasn't quite won over Soo Wan's BFF, Cha Min Soo.

 

 

Messy Doctor Dad finally comes home to break the news to Soo Wan that there might be an organ donor and Soo Wan's name is up on the list. (I know I've seen this actor before but I can't recall from where and it is driving me crazy.)

 

It is Soo Wan's birthday and Dong Joo's family is helping her celebrate. Adorable but sick little sister Hye Joo as well as Dong Joo's mom have gifts for the girl. Dong Joo doesn't. Hye Joo is so upset she smears cake all over her oppa's face. Laughs all around. Laughs that need to be buzzkilled as Doctor Dad calls to tell his daughter the donor deal fell through. Nice birthday present, Doctor Dad.  :P   Thank goodness Dong Joo's Mom is there to give a hug and comforting words.

 

Dong Joo takes Soo Wan bungee jumping, something she's always wanted to do. And here's that darn song the show keeps playing over and over and over:

 

 

The next morning Dong Joo has a bit of a fever so Mom insists he stay in bed while she makes the porridge deliveries on his bike. Do I need to be worried about our favorite mother? Damnit, there's the White Truck of Doom again! Shew, it just missed her. Pedestrians have the right of way, asshole! Where'd you get your driver's license - a Cracker Jacks box?

 

And then a car comes along and hits her.

 

 

Dong Joo rushes to the hospital to be by his mother's side. Whoever was driving the car left the scene of the accident. Mom is awake but will need surgery. She has two requests of her son in case of a worse case scenario. First, if she doesn't make it, Dong Joo is to take Hye Joo to America for treatment of whatever it is the girl has. (I'm still not sure what Hye Joo is sick with.) Second, Mom would like for her eyes to be donated to Soo Wan.

 

Hmm. Doctor Dad is the one in charge of Mom's surgery. He sees on the paperwork where Mom has specifically asked for her eyes to go to Soo Wan. Hmm. Doctor Dad is acting rather suspicious. You aren't going to do something evil, are you, Soo Wan's Dad?

 

And then I have to look away as there's all sorts of graphic bloody surgery shots and I have a tender tummy.

 

A nervous Dong Joo waits outside the OR. The doctors exit and one of the assistant docs assures the boy the surgery went well and Mom will recover. (A sigh of relief on my part.) Doctor Dad has Mom moved up to one of the posh hospital rooms. I'm still not feeling that Mom is totally safe.

 

Dong Joo leaves briefly to go pick up his baby sister. As he's walking through the lobby, a mysterious suited man is speaking on his cell phone. He tells the listener about Mom making it through surgery but there's still the chance she'll wake up and talk about the car that hit her. Ah, so this guy must be working for the hit and run driver. I'm very, very worried about Mom.

 

Mystery Guy slips into Mom's room and injects something into her I.V. He slips away just before Doctor Dad comes walking by. Dad can hear Mom's heart monitor starting to beep crazily. He rushes into the room just as Mom flatlines. He begins CPR but then hesitates as he recalls this woman wants her eyes to go to Soo Wan.

 

He's just as evil as the killer in my opinion.

 

The crash cart is brought into the room and Doctor Dad tries to shock Mom's heart back. Dong Joo arrives just in time to hear the other doctors say it is too late to save her.

 

At the funeral home Dong Joo is approached Detective Kim Woo Chul who is investigating Mom's hit and run. It's been hard to find any leads as it was early in the morning dark and no witnesses. Detective Kim, though, is an old porridge customer of theirs and he swears he won't give up. He will find the culprit no matter how long it takes.

 

Dong Joo goes home to cry over his mother's brassiere.

 

Min Soo rushes into Soo Wan's bedroom with the good news that Soo Wan's gonna get new eyes. Soo Wan is taken to the hospital and prepped for surgery. Apparently Dong Joo hasn't been in touch lately to tell his girlfriend the all important news about his mother being dead. He left his phone at home and only now does he see all the missed calls and messages from Soo Wan. Suddenly he remembers the whole Mom donating her eyes to Soo Wan thing and he hurries back to the hospital. He gets there just as they're wheeling Soo Wan into surgery. He yells through the doors how he'll be waiting for her. Doctor Dad is nearby and only now does he put two and two together that this young man is his daughter's boyfriend and his dead mother is the donor. Feel the guilt, Doctor Dad. Feel it.

 

Soo Wan makes it through surgery but she's still knocked out. Dong Joo tells the unconscious girl how he's going to have to leave for America and be gone for a long time but he will always love her and will come back to see her. Since she's not hearing any of this, of course, Dong Joo leaves her a note on her bedside table. A note found first by Doctor Dad.

 

Doctor Dad, you're quickly becoming Doctor Evil.

 

Dong Joo and Hye Joo leave for America. An awake Soo Wan, who never got the letter, has to be restrained as she's determined to get up and search for Dong Joo. (Okay, had a LOL moment out of the blue. Doctor Evil is standing in front of a bookcase and a large book is labeled Hoof Problems.) Anyway, Doctor Evil has the note and locks it away in his desk drawer.

 

Twelve years pass and now Dong Joo is played by Lee Sang Yoon.

 

Angel Eyes Episode 1

Honestly, I've not heard anyone talking about this show. I go into it not knowing what it's about or who is in it.

 

 

We get a brief glance at two different, yet happy, families. A daughter and mother are driving along a mountainous road as they call Dad on the cell phone. (Dad appears to be wearing a lab coat so he must be a doctor.) The other family is sitting down to dinner and that Dad is whining because he's not getting what he wants to eat.

 

Mother and daughter are driving through a tunnel when - Holy Hannah, the mountain just collapsed on them! I was not expecting that.

 

Other Dad gets a phone call and must quickly leave home. Oh, Other Dad is a firefighter. He's part of the emergency response team going into the collapsed tunnel. Do I need to fear for his safety as well?

 

The Jaws of Life (at least that's what we call them here) are freeing numerous victims from their mangled vehicles. Firefighter Dad is leading the charge when he sees more huge cracks developing in what's left of the ceiling. He orders everyone to quickly evacuate. He's about to head out himself when he discovers the dazed Daughter crying for her mother. Daughter is handed over into the care of another firefighter as Firefighter Dad valiantly stays behind to try and free Mother.

 

Mother comes to just as Firefighter Dad frees her from the wreckage. He's helping her stumble down the tunnel when suddenly a car explodes which causes the fragile tunnel ceiling to pour down upon them.

 

And this is just the first six minutes of the show!

 

Time passes. Teenager Park Dong Joo, son of the late Firefighter Dad, is riding his bike and delivering... I don't know what he's delivering. He stops to watch Yoon Soo Wan, daughter of the late Mother, as she's standing out in her yard reciting something about the constellations. She doesn't see him from where she's standing, but we learn later that she can't see him at all.

 

At school we learn that Dong Joo is at the top of his class. His teacher tries to talk Dong Joo out of becoming a mere firefighter. With excellent grades like his, Dong Joo is meant for medical school.

 

Speaking of medicine, we see that Soo Wan's father hasn't recovered from the death of his wife. He's a mess.

 

Dong Joo's class gets to go on a field trip to the observatory. He sees that Soo Wan is also there and he thinks this is the perfect time to finally break the ice. Or not. Coward. Soo Wan is the one giving the presentation to the class. The speech she was reciting in her yard is the same one she's giving now coinciding with the video being played.

 

And now it's Cosmos with Neil Degrasse Tyson.

 

Oh no, Soo Wan didn't push the right button so the video isn't in sync now with her speech. Dong Joo quickly crawls over to her podium and whispers to Soo Wan about her mistake. She pushes the remote control and we're back on track again. After the show is over, Dong Joo hangs around thinking maybe now he'll break the ice. Soo Wan walks right past him.

 

Dong Joo is in the men's bathroom when he's shocked by Soo Wan walking in. He's too surprised to say anything (or finish zipping up his fly) as she washes her hands and walks back out.

 

Later at home, Dong Joo's mother is dancing around. He thinks it is because of his excellent report card but it's also because his younger sister, Hye Joo, is now going to be able to have her surgery. What surgery, you may ask. I dunno. She wears a cap on her head like that adorable little girl in Two Weeks so I'm going to guess she's got cancer.

 

Things aren't so happy for the Yoon clan. Doctor Dad, still a mess, confesses to a friend he can't go home because today is his dead wife's birthday. All alone, Soo Wan blindly puts candles on a cake.

 

Early in the morning, Dong Joo is back out making his deliveries of I Don't Know What. When he reaches Soo Wan's house, she's just leaving it. There's a spectacular meteor shower going on and she wants to see it (even though she can't). Once again she walks right past Dong Joo without acknowledging him.

 

Oh no, it's the White Truck of Doom! Look out, Soo Wan! Dong Joo grabs her just in time and pulls her out of the way. (You know, for a moment there I got the feeling Soo Wan knew the truck was coming and she purposely didn't move.) Only now does Dong Joo realize Soo Wan is blind. Only now do I learn it is porridge he is delivering. (Really? They have porridge delivery in Korea?)

 

Dong Joo, trying to understand her world, blindfolds himself and tries to go about his everyday business like she does.

 

Another day he helps Soo Wan to ride a bike by herself. (She doesn't know he's put training wheels on the bike.) Soo Wan invites him to watch a movie with her. As they eat pumpkin porridge (ick), he describes what is happening on screen. (I'm reminded of the Australian flick, Proof. Ah, my Russell Crowe days.)

 

Dong Joo is inspired to take Soo Wan to the movie theater where he works. She gets to listen to the movie while he works the concession stand. Suddenly the fire alarm goes off! Dong Joo fights the tide of people as he tries to get back into the theater where Soo Wan is. Only she's no longer there. She's stumbling around a hallway where the fire is.

 

Finally the sprinkler system kicks in and puts the fire out. Soo Wan sinks to the floor which is where Dong Joo finds her. And now it's time for the obligatory piggy back ride as he carries her out to the street. He takes the soaking wet Soo Wan to his house where his mother - well, mother's her; helping Soo Wan wash and change into some dry clothes.

 

Soo Wan, so used to living alone since messy Doctor Dad has issues, enjoys the warmth and camaraderie of the Park family. The kids - well, she's twenty so she's not a kid - continue to date. Soo Wan agrees to be Dong Joo's girlfriend. You know what that means, don't you?

 

Soo Wan is a cougar.

Hotel King Episode 1

It opens on a chilly night in 1991. Is this supposed to be New York City? That kind of looked like the Empire State Building in the background. Anyway, a couple of boys shiver as they beg for money. Yeah, I think this is supposed to be NYC, but where'd those cobble stone streets come from? 

The boys, along with other homeless kids, report back to their Random White Guy boss. It's Oliver Twist with a twist. (Oddly, the movie Oliver was playing on TV this morning. Coincidence?) The boys didn't come up with much and now must face punishment. The oldest of the two Korean kids tries to shield the young one from the blows. The evil Random White (Possibly Latino) Guy drags the youngest, Ji Won, away, leaving the oldest, Jayden, to cry after him.

Random White Guy beats Ji Won to a bloody pulp. Jayden is brought in to see the results. Random White Guy pulls out a gun and holds it sideways (a pet peeve of mine) preparing to shoot the bloody boy. Jayden throws himself over the child. Fade to black and a gunshot. When the lights come back on, Random White Guy is the one dead and Jayden is holding the gun (up correctly). How'd he get the gun away from the big guy? We may never know. 

Suddenly a door slides open and bright light floods the abandoned building. Jayden squints as out of the light steps a man with a cane. Is it Fagin?

When next we see Jayden he's just waking up in this super opulent room that's bigger than my house. By God, this is Oliver Twist!  Standing by the window is the man with the cane, Lee Joong Goo (played by the one and only Lee Duk Hwa). Fagin - I mean, Joong Goo, explains to Jayden how the boy is actually the son of a powerful hotel chairman, only his father tossed him aside for some reason. Luckily Fagin - I mean, Joong Goo, is willing to take Jayden away from all this begging and being beaten and take the boy into the luxury world of hotels.

(You may be wondering, what about Ji Won? Some think the boy was beaten to death. Not me. This is a Kdrama. Dead people are always showing back up alive, usually towards the end of the run.)

Time skip to Jayden, who has changed his name to Cha Jae Wan, being played by Lee Dong Wok. He's general manager of the Hotel Ciel, which is preparing to open its indoor water park. The chairman of the hotel, Ah Sung Won (played by Choi Sang Hoon), is disheveled and stumbling around the place. A couple of bellboys comment on how the old man has been falling apart lately. 

Later that evening Sung Won angrily confronts Jae Wan, accusing the younger man of stabbing the chairman in the back. Jae Won doesn't deny it and reveals he is the chairman's discarded son. Sung Won doesn't want to believe it. 

Jae Wan goes down to oversee the opening party for the water park. Alone in his dark office, Sung Won is on his phone tearfully telling someone he's sorry. A mysterious figure quietly sneaks in. 

Down in the water park the party is brought to a screeching halt when Sung Won drops in - through the roof. World's Ultimate Party Pooper. Jae Wan reports back to Fagin. Fagin scolds Jae Wan for disclosing his secret identity too soon. Now they'll have to deal with Sung Won's daughter, and Jae Wan's sister, Ah Mo Ne (played by Lee Da Hae). 

The news reports Chairman Ah's death as a suicide. Spooked customers are cancelling their hotel reservations left and right. Jae Wan hears a news report about heavy snow cancelling flights and stranding numerous Chinese tourists at the airport. Potential customers! Jae Wan has them bused in and charged three times the going rate for a room.

Ah Mo Ne has to sneak into the country on a cargo ship. She's disguised in a burka but is still chased by men in black as they race through a market and make a mess. The comedy continues back at the hotel as we follow a dominatrix with a General Patton complex. She's Baek Mi Nyeo (played by Kim Hae Sook) and is training manager at Ciel. 

Mo Ne finally arrives at the hotel and a general alert is sent out to warn the staff. She warmly greets Fagin like a second father. She continues to put on an act that she doesn't want to be involved in the messy business of running the hotel, she just wants the money it makes. Oh, and she doesn't really give a flip her father offed himself. But we know it's an act. Alone in her room, Mo Ne starts to investigate her father's so-called suicide.

The next morning Jae Wan has to deal with a crisis. Someone has hacked into the P.A. system and is playing an old speech by the late Ah Sung Won. In the dead man's office, the cleaning maids are freaked out by a hot cup of tea and paperwork on his desk. Jae Wan suspects Mo Ne of being behind all this but has no real hard proof.

Yet.