where to begin

Lots of spoilers ahead ... proceed with caution.

I was so incredibly disappointed by this series. The stars I did give it were for Kang Hoon's acting, despite the character of Ju Yeon being selfish and frustrating. Also, a bit of the stars go to Jo Hye Joo's character Hye Yon, who was funny and unflinchingly honest ... which leads to her being reprimanded after she (grown woman) had a drink with a man (another adult) in her hotel room. She had to write an apology and got demoted. He? Nada. Nor did he stand up for her.

In a time when mental health is getting the attention it deserves, let's get it right. DID doesn't work that way. At all. DID is something that happens to a child who has experienced horrific, sustained abuse and trauma. It doesn't happen when a woman gets tossed aside by a cruel, manipulative asshole, who says he won't marry her and walks off. Does it suck? Absolutely. But I think we can give women a bit more credit in handling a break-up, no matter how brutal. F*ck that guy!

After that ... it's just a mess. What actually did happen to Hye Ri? Did she wander into the field and die? Get lost? Live in that random cabin, and assumably went somewhere to get the things she needed to survive? How old was she? Nine? Thirteen and at a pool party? Maybe I missed something. Somethings? Doesn't anyone tell Eun Ho that what happened was not her fault, poor kid? Where were the search and rescue teams? Helicopters? Normally, I love Shin Hye Sun. But what was going on with the character of Hye Ri? Why was she so infantilized, looking up through her bangs with her mouth slack, huh-huh-huh laughter, while covering her mouth. Going from complete shyness and naivité (crying and unable to even speak to her crush Ju Yeon) to a quirky, happy woman who can solve decades of animosity between Ju Yeon and his mother, by telling her it's good to be alive. What? The Hye Ri personality doesn't resemble the real Hye Ri in flashbacks at all.

One of the hardest things to watch (the acting lopsidedly in Kang Hoon's corner), was when Eun Ho decides that she and Ju Yeon should have a "good breakup," despite the obvious fact that he was in a shit load of pain, his heart breaking while she smiled, even laughed at one point, and insisted that they shake hands. Then cue over-protective pos boyfriend (whom she's taken back). He shows up, adds to the blow by also shaking Ju Yeon's hand, links arms with Eun Ho, and the two skip off laughing and flirting ... directly in front of Ju Yeon who is shattered. Kang Hoon has a flawless grasp on subtle emotions in his acting. So even though I didn't know what he saw in her, and he was a jerk for demanding that Hye Ri come back for his own sake, I could really feel his heartache in losing her.

And then ... Eun Ho is totally fine with the idea that Hye Ri might come back ... she'd be happy to see her. With actual DID, that would mean that she is facing something that has triggered her trauma to such a degree that her brain takes over and brings Hye Ri back to help handle it. Yeah, not a "happy" thing at all.

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