PINOCCHIO EPISODE 13 - CAN'T ESCAPE THE FAMILY DURING THE HOLIDAYS

I am pleasantly surprised that we once again were able to escape the usual kdrama OTP (One True Pair) meltdown. Dal Po (am going to continue calling him that since he seems to be having problems becoming Ki Ha Myung himself so how can they expect us to make the jump) and In Ha continue to overcome their trials together, while still remaining separated. That is hard for a drama to successfully accomplish without delving into deep melodrama waters, so consider me a happy viewer. Also in lieu of my usual on topic Memes, we are going to brave uncharted waters (or more like waters that the usual non kaddict person charts) by enjoying some hilarious and often cheesy holiday memes. Do they always have a relevance to the plot? Not really, but it is 11:30 Christmas day and I am still feeling festive with no outlet. Soon all the holiday lights and decorations will be coming down, so I am going to get some last Ha Ha Ha's out while sharing my top 7 moments of episode 13. So lets get this party started!

1. Why did it have to be you

We left off with Hottie Hyung choosing to go to jail and allow Dal Po to continue on the good fight to destroy Ice Mom in his stead. Awww the family that revenges together stays together........oh wait........oops, too late for that one. Poor Dal Po seems to be lacking family. His real brother is in jail, his niece is his ex girlfriend who he is avoiding, and his father and brother have been pushed to the side all in his quest for the ultimate revenge. A revenge that seems to consume him as Dal Po obsesses with how to destroy Ice Mom's career. Lucky for him, the metaphorical tool he can use to destroy Ice Mom's credibility is busy picketing the TV station.

It seems that many years previous a man fired an employee over a stolen .60 cents. Ice Mom had covered the story, and due to her scathing expose, the owner of the bus company was forced to declare bankruptcy when the public boycotted his business. Now that Ice Mom is in the hot seat, he is accusing her of making up facts and that the deceased had actually died of natural causes and not the suicide she had declared in her report. If this story could be proven it would officially be the end of Ice Mom's career and credibility. Everything was going smoothly. Dal Po, texting hottie, yawn girl, and In Ha were working together to prove that Ice Mom was a bad reporter. The only fly in the ointment was that In Ha found out that the whole scheme was a fraud. An attempt to distort money from the tv station and revenge against Ice Mom for her involvement in the man's bankruptcy. Witnesses were bribed and people where cahooting, and unfortunately for Dal Po, it was In Ha who discovered a discrepancy in the death certificates. Infuriated, Dal Po lashes out, crying: "Why did it have to be you who found it?" Poor In Ha just gazes at him in sadness and when he begs her to pretend she never saw the death certificate In Ha agrees. WOW that is dedication. To be willing to see your own mother destroyed (even if she deserved a bit of it) and instead helping the man you love to find peace. However, the second she agrees to stay silent In Ha begins hiccuping.

2. You Can't Choose Your Family

I was so worried that Grandpa would get angry at Dal Po and agree to the separation of the family. I am still a bit verklempt over last weeks family fallout. But I should have realized that such talented writers would not jerk us around with the unreasonable family breakup, or at least not for too long. Grandpa and Brother Ahjussi arrive at Dal Po's doorstep ready to inspect the suitability of the house of their beloved family member. Grandpa tests the heating capability of the floors while In Ha's dad introduces himself to the property owner as Dal Po's young brother, bwahahaha, and if there are any emergencies concerning his brother, to please contact them ASAP.

Dal Po just looks on quietly, his heart in his eyes (oh the feelz!), obviously happy that his family has not completely deserted him. He follows them out and Grandpa informs him that it is not possible to dissolve the adoption any time soon and to be safe. Dal Po walks them down the lane until In Ha's father tells him to stop following them and if he took one more step then they would not be back to visit. I about cheered when Dal Po stopped walking and consciously did not take another step. Is there a term to indicate a triple family romance? If not then there should be because that is what we have here people. A three way bromance/dadmance is sending out happy vibes to all.

3. Truth or Revenge

It sucks that sometimes the bad guys (to be honest I am using that loosely in regards to Ice Mom) don't always do the bad things they are accused of. It is up to Dal Po on whether he follows through on his revenge by letting the bad press destroy Ice Mom's career or take the higher road and reveal the truth of her innocence. The writers and director yet again create a masterful scene as Ice Mom is faced with her accusers as well as the press in a way that is very reminiscence of Dal Po's experience as a child.

We flash back and forth between the past and the present as Ice Mom receives the same treatment as the young Dal Po. Behind the mob we see a sad In Ha gazing at the scene hiccuping away. Dal Po also notices In Ha and her hiccups, which finally pushes him to do the right thing and bring forth the truth of the edited Death Report. YAY!!! I knew that Dal Po could not fall to the dark side. Cheers for all even if Ice Mom did not learn the lesson that was being taught. Or maybe she did, as Yawn Girl says: "You can never tell her feelings because of all her botox". Hehehe.

4. Confessing in All The Wrong Ways

Why did sweet texting hottie Seo Bum Jo have to go all territorial second lead on us? I guess that it is not as bad as most second leads, but I really kind of wanted to enjoy his character in a one sided crush kind of way. Not a "I want to win the girl even if I have to get sneaky" way. Upon hearing that Dal Po and In Ha had broken up, Bum Jo decides to immediately make his move. He convinces In Ha to go to dinner with him for his birthday and confronts her with his unrequited love, as well as his secret identity as her texting buddy, all in one fell swoop. This does not really put him in second lead mode, but the fact that he has Dal Po listen in on the whole discussion kind of left a sour taste in my mouth.

Thankfully In Ha was very straight forward that she had no interest in him that way, or even an interest in progressing their friendship with the thought of any possible relationship in the future. But the damage was done and Bum Jo had no problems trying to weasel his way in between our OTP. My favorite moment with all this jealousy going around had to be when Dal Po told Bum Jo to back off and not try to link their breakup to his conquest of In Ha. Well said Dal Po, you just be jealous and get your booty back to where it belongs, right beside our heroine. Preferably sooner than later since I need my cute OTP fix.

5. When Santas Attack

I found it interesting that the next case would involve a part time Santa who had stolen a $800 backpack for his son. As a parent myself, I always kind of shake my head when these type of story lines come up in my dramas. For me, as a middle class ahjumma, and mother of three, I can firmly say that my kids can take their embarrassment and turn it around to their own ambition. I don't care how much I love them, they are not receiving any $800 dollar bag, or in this case backpack. That is when you just suck it up and accept that you are not currently in that social class. Its part of life that you will not always have everything that everyone else has and a child needs to learn how to deal with that problem head on rather than have a parent commit a crime to give one's child this symbol of entitlement. What I can't believe is that everyone seems to understand and sympathize with the father (which I can kind of understand, but really??? No consequences?) and is ready to let bygones be bygones.

Just one kdrama concept that obviously clashes with my upbringing. But I digress. Here we have a sad dad Santa who we meet as he tries to escape the police station and is halted in his attempt to flee by In Ha and a well thrown shoe. This just angers the Santa (seriously is this guy on some kind of medication because his actions make little sense?) who charges In Ha with a plastic sign in his hands. This gives Dal Po the opportunity to rush in and save the day, fly kicking the perp and standing between his love and danger. Santa dad is re-apprehended by the police but Dal Po is too busy holding In Ha and brushing her cheek in concern to notice. Awwww, our OTP is slowly coming back together now that some of Dal Po's revenge angst has been worn off. Let's cross our fingers for a full reconnection soon.

6. A Drunken Christmas Miracle

It is official. Drunk Dal Po is the absolute most adorable thing ever in the history of this drama. It is Christmas Eve and Dal Po is alone, which is especially sad when he could be with his family if he would ease up on his revenge plans. But Dal Po remains as one with his guilt and is determined to remain alone as penance. At least he is determined until he gets plastered with his cop buddy Chan Soo. Dal Po talks about how horrible it is if he feels to be happy since it is a betrayal to the pain his brother went through. He continues to share drunken feelings as he fills his pockets up with the snacks provided on the table. Next thing we know Chan Soo is piggy backing an almost comatose Dal Po to In Ha's house. When they arrive Dal Po smiles a sotted smile to his brother and father handing them snacks as Christmas presents and then promptly passes out. In Ha sits at his bedside brushing her hands through his hair, and when Dal Po slightly awakes and assumes it is a dream, she does nothing to correct him. He tells her how happy he is to be with her and that she needs to not move on because it hurts to much. Awwwwwwww.

The Next morning Dal Po awakens, cuddling Chan Soo (hehehe), and is forced to do the walk of shame out of his old room. Grandpa, In Ha, and Brother Ahjussi just tell him to eat the hangover soup and not ruin Christmas morning with any talk. It was so sweet seeing all of the family together again, even if it was just a very tentative shift in their current reality.

7. More Then A Doting Mother

I knew that a Chaebol Korean mother could not be as nice as Bum Jo's appeared. It goes against all the laws of the kdrama. Although I have to admit that I am shocked that this was suddenly sprung on us. It turns out that the person suing the daddy Santa for theft is none other than coddling mommy. Against everyone else's opinion she made sure he was arrested (not cool that it was in front of his son) and that the news was spread out to the reporters. Bum Jo of course is in full defense mode of his mother and takes it personally when Dal Po and his news team is interrogating the mall's staff. The two boys almost come to blows until In Ha breaks it apart telling Dal Po that he is in the wrong and can't accuse anyone before they have all the facts. You can tell that a little bit of Dal Po is devastated at what he perceives as In Ha's support of his rival.

My Thoughts:
WOW, I still can't believe that coddling mom might turn into an evil mastermind. Things are getting exciting again now that we have a new threat and focus for the storyline. I still hope that In Ha and Dal Po patch things up soon. You can feel an easing of the tension between the two and I think it is only a matter of time til they get back together. I also wonder if it will be when Hottie Hyung gives Dal Po his blessings for the relationship. Talking about Hottie Hyung, it seems that prison has done him good. The angry tension and hatred he had previously been carrying has seemed to have dissipated. This is one instance where paying for one's crimes was the right thing to do emotionally.

Feel free to leave your ideas in the comment section below. Or come follow The Crazy Ahjummas on Facebook or Twitter for info on all our newest recaps, posts, and to join in our kdrama discussions. https:/www.facebook.com/pages/The-crazy-ahjummas/336988683021748?fref=ts