TVN’s latest K-drama Our Blues, which is simultaneously airing on Netflix, started on a happy note and introduced us to the lives of the people living on Jeju Island. The omnibus format of the series has episodes dedicated to each story, which sometimes overlap with each other. A continuation of the first two episodes, the third also deals with bank manager Choi Han-soo (Cha Seung-won) and his childhood sweetheart Jeong Eun-hee (Lee Jung-eun). The fourth episode, however, is on a new note with Park Jeong-joon (Kim Woo-bin) and Lee Young-ok (Han Ji-min) in the spotlight. Meanwhile, Min Seon-ah (Shin Min-e) makes a brief appearance.
spoiler ahead
Before diving into Han-soo and Eun-hee’s journey, the third episode begins with a man sending a message to Young-ok and telling her that he has missed her. She replies that they can meet “on the second Saturday of the next month”, but the anonymous person calls her a “b***h” instead. We then quickly turn to the main characters of this episode.
Han-soo takes Eun-hee on a trip under the pretext of missing out on his childhood days and lies about his divorce from his wife. In Mokpo, where they previously visited as children and kissed each other, they talk about the dreams they had given up because of poverty. Eun-he, who is not rich enough to support himself and his family, has no idea about his friend’s financial situation and complains about begging others for money. This makes it even more difficult for him to ask for her favor. She shares that more than love or relationships, she cares about money and reveals that she broke up with her ex-boyfriend because she feared he would have to support her poor family.
As they walk through the streets of Mokpo, we are shown flashbacks to their simpler childhood days together and how five friends had to share two cotton candies because they couldn’t afford more. Now that they can afford one each, Eun-hee draws comparisons with her poverty-stricken past lives and says she always wanted to avoid it. Han-soo’s dilemma is hidden from her but it becomes clear to us as it becomes difficult for her to ask for much-needed money. On the other hand, her daughter, to whom she sold her house, is fed up with her parents’ woes and decides to give up golfing and return to Seoul from the States.
Back in Jeju, word spreads like fire that Justin is with a married man. His friends also learn that he lied about his divorce and is in dire need of money. They connect the dots and warn Eun-hee that the only purpose of this trip is money. Heartbroken, she confronts him and he doesn’t lie. This enrages him and accuses him of using his feelings to his advantage. She beats him with a pillow and asks him to leave.
Before leaving, he tells her that he didn’t ask for the money right away, the only reason he didn’t want to spoil her good memories. He apologizes and goes back to Jeju. Here, Eun-hee gives evidence of his generous personality. Although cursing people for only contacting her for money, she tells her friends in Jeju that they have failed even as friends because they are talking behind Han-soo’s back. The next morning she tells him about their behavior before she needs the money. However, by that time, he had already submitted his resignation and left Jiju to live with his wife and daughter in Seoul. He immediately returns the money to her and tells her that the next time he meets her and her old friends, she will have a treat. The episode ends on a flirtatious note with the two enjoying their respective lives. This briefly ends Han-soo and Eun-hee’s chapter.
The next chapter headlines Captain Park Jeong-joon (Kim Woo-bin) and Lee Young-ok (Han Ji-min). However, it begins with a glimpse into the life of Min Seon-ah (Shin Min-e) with her husband and child. It has been shown that he suffers from depression for reasons as yet unknown. She is sometimes disconnected from reality and her husband is clearly upset about how his behavior is affecting their family. He also suggested that she take medicines and counseling for her depression.
Back in Jeju, Young-ok is partying with Captain Bey at a club. He constantly puts up posters asking her to rent a motel for the night as he is too lazy to go back home. However, she takes him back home despite promising to stay in a motel. On the way he meets Captain Jeong-joon. He follows them to her house where he helps her get rid of the drunk Bai.
After a short commotion, Bae reluctantly leaves and Jeong-joon and Young-ok go for a walk. The latter talks about her past boyfriend and relationship which worries the former a bit. He asks himself if he can be with a woman from the past. He writes down his thoughts on the bus he stays in which he sees later. Meanwhile, the island elders are apprehensive about Young-ok’s presence as they learn that she is lying about her past. She is late for their dive which further enrages them.
More trouble is when she dives in but does not return at the command of the captain. This leaves everyone concerned about his safety and is later ambushed by the elders. They also ask him to leave. She does apologize though.
Meanwhile, an important plot point begins to unfold simultaneously. Jung Hyun and Young-joo appear to be lovers but their respective fathers are enemies. The latter tells the former that she is late for her period and asks her to be ready if she is pregnant. He fails to buy a pregnancy test kit because he is interrupted by his classmates.
The episode ends with Yeong-ok meeting Jeong-joon and getting on the bus he lives in. There he finds inscriptions about him and later tells him to go out. She replies that she must have been hurt, to which Jeong-joon calmly asks not to hurt her. She moves towards him and it appears as if she is kissing him and the screen turns black.
The third and fourth episodes had more energy and nuance than their predecessors. The stereotypes of the elderly are challenged by the young and independent Yeong-ok, while money and adulthood destroy centuries-old friendships. The more the story progresses, the more we understand how closely connected the people of Jeju Island are. And that’s when Eun-hee’s description makes sense—people in Jeju even know their neighbors’ underwear numbers.
Mental health and teen pregnancy may emerge as important themes in the upcoming episodes. We only hope that subjects are not explored through the stereotypical lens of the people of Jeju Island and receive a much needed sensitive and mature treatment.
Our Blues, starring an ensemble cast of actors, is streaming on Netflix.
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