Early Access: Uncle E2

E2. I think I might be settling in for a good run with this show. This episode, it still feels like we're mostly in set-up, but by the time we end the hour, it feels like we're in position for a lot of delicious feels headed our way, and I'm ready for it.

There is some stuff I don't love, like the (not terrible but still there) toilet humor that Show serves up in the beginning of the episode. I get it; Show just wants to lean into Hyuk's more crass side, to show just how NOT a good fit he is, for the posh neighborhood that he finds himself in. I'm hoping that now that we've gotten the main set-up in place, and have established that Hyuk's rough around the edges, that we can move on.

Likewise with the humor around Hyuk's more inappropriate actions, like how he retaliates against Ji Hoo's defiance, by throwing the ball right at his head and then cackling over it, while all the other parents in the room gape at the odd way this "father" treats his son.

Honestly, I was just ok with all these beats. Rather than outright enjoy them, I just kinda put up with them, believing that these were all just a necessary part of the journey - to get to Show's really good stuff. Of course, it's perfectly possible that other viewers might actually find these beats entertaining and funny, so my lack of enthusiasm for these beats could definitely be a "just me" sort of a thing.

What I like, though, is that the more Hyuk sees of his sister's and nephew's lives, the more he can't bring himself to walk away - even though he keeps saying that that's exactly what he's going to do. He literally can't help himself, when it comes to these two, and that's one of my favorite things in this show.

The way he keeps coming back - from attending the parent-child thing with Ji Hoo, to taking him to buy new shoes, to going to seek out the shoe thief - is very endearing to me.

I feel like this is Show's way of chipping away at Hyuk's resolve to not have anything to do with Joon Hee and, by extension, Ji Hoo. It's hard to walk away, when you learn that your nephew's being bullied, and is having a hard time. And even more so, when you learn that both your sister and your nephew have been subject to domestic abuse.

The way Hyuk seeks out his ex-brother-in-law, and essentially threatens to kill him - violently - if he ever goes near Joon Hee or Ji Hoo again, is so fiercely protective.

Yeon Joo's dad has got it right on that point. "You and your sister are enemies? All family members are enemies. 5 minutes together is enough to make you want to kill each other. But if someone else messes with your family? You're on the same side. Don't complicate things. Just throw rocks at them."

Heh. I think I like him, quite well.

I also wanted to say, I am really liking how Jeong Hye Jin's playing Joon Hee. There's a distinct gentle femininity about her, and yet, at the same time, there's also a quiet steeliness that comes through, that I really like.

I was saddened to see her drowning her sorrows in soju, and I also found it heartbreaking, to see Ji Hoo trying to cover up his mom's alcoholism, because he sees it as the only thing that's keeping her going.

What a terribly sad couple of flashbacks, that inform that, 1, not only had Hyuk and Joon Hee's mom been an alcoholic, but she'd died in a traffic accident, because she'd been too drunk to cross the road safely. And Joon Hee, poor girl, had witnessed it with her own eyes.

Dang. That must have been so very hard for her. She was just a kid herself, and yet, she protected her little brother, from having to see his mom being knocked down by oncoming traffic.

I see Hyuk's decision to stay, as his way of repaying her that favor. She'd protected him then; he will protect her now. Ahh. I love that.

And I love that Hyuk basically moves in and greets them with a warm breakfast, that's ready and waiting for them, when they wake up.

What I love most, is that Hyuk's question, asking permission to stay, posed in song, is directed not at Noona, but at Ji Hoo.

A story hard to put in words
Should I just sing them to you
When I first met you
You shined so bright
I was too young back then too

I was too naive to know anything
So will you forgive me for stepping back
I still don't have anything
I still don't know how to do anything
If it's okay with you I'll be by your side
If it's okay with you I'll be by your side

I love the highlight reel that we get with this song, because, with the lyrics, it shows us that Hyuk's heart has always, always been for Ji Hoo, from the very moment he'd been born. Aw. That is so lovely and heartwarming, I feel like my heart is undecided on whether to melt, or burst, or both.

I've been curious about Lee Sang Woo's character Kyung Il, because he appears really nice and pleasant, and isn't like the other mean parents. For a while there, it even seemed to me that he might be drawn to Joon Hee, but by the close of the episode, it looks like he's got a darker mission than we know.

What is that bulletin board with all the neighbor's faces on it? He's definitely investigating something. Does it have to do with his loss of his wife? Did she.. die? Was she murdered? Does it have something to do with the snooty neighbors? It's definitely not something I'd expected, because with everything else that's going on, I hadn't expected what appears to be a covert investigation that possibly involves murder..

I could be wrong, though, and this could possibly be a red herring that Show's throwing out, so let's see.

I do rather like the idea that Show serves up at the end, that everyone has secrets; that all these people with the picture-perfect lives, have not so picture-perfect secrets that they feel ashamed of.

I mean, all of them behave really terribly, this episode, but this definitely humanizes them in my eyes, at least a little bit, and I'm curious to see if Show's going to go the route of redeeming all the snooty parents in our drama world.

Also, what's the story behind that baby sonogram that Hyuk finds in the cupboard, as he moves into Joon Hee's apartment? Is that Joon Hee's? That doesn't seem likely, since she's just moved into the apartment, and that's not a room she's used? So.. perhaps it belonged to the previous tenant..? I'm curious to know more about that too.

Next episode notes will be out on: Monday, 24 Jan 2022!