Trolley: Episodes 3-4

by missvictrix

Though the suspense is dialed down a notch in our second week, Trolley continues to weave an interesting and carefully-told tale. It’s hard not to fall in love with our assemblyman and his wife — which makes me only more worried about what awaits them down the road. Because things aren’t staying quiet for long.

 
EPISODES 3-4 WEECAP

After hinting at it in our premiere week, Trolley opens this week with the eponymous “trolley problem” played out as we see Yoon-seo in class having to tackle this ethical problem. She seems disturbed — and she’s not the only one. The drama is doing such a fine job of building tension and setting up high and heart-wrenching stakes. One such setup is hinted at this week, too, when Joong-do is asked if he would choose his wife or his political career, if he could only have one. The question is left only vaguely answered, which draws more attention to it, and has me bracing for impact. That being said, this week’s episodes are a bit quieter than last week, and much more about the aftermath of what has already occurred. And there’s so much aftermath!

As our couple grieves the loss of their son, we get to know them a little more, but soon there’s grief added onto grief. Joong-do, and then Hye-joo, learn about the suicide of the medical student whose case Joong-do mentioned on TV, and they’re both heartbroken. Joong-do has to play by the book for his career, which he manages, but later in the day he turns up at his wife’s studio and breaks down. He cries in her arms, feeling responsible for the death of the student, which is doubling his own pain. It’s such a tender and touching scene.

As if I didn’t already fall in love with our devoted couple last week, this week makes it clear: they really do love each other that much. While Hye-joo is comforting her husband, we get a long and absolutely delightful flashback to when the two first met. They were both youths at the time, volunteering and helping in the neighborhood, and there was a certain ~something~ between them. But kudos to the drama for showing a deeper and soul-level connection too, on top of the attraction, because this flashback — and the next flashback of when Joong-do asked for her support to start a political career — shows us how true-hearted these two are.

But in case we needed more confirmation that Joong-do really is who he seems to be, we see him being generally wonderful, yet again — attentive and loving towards his wife, committed to doing good for the citizens, and even more committed to keeping his promises.

Joong-do has to deal with his grief and the pressures of the upcoming election, but Hye-joo has her own burdens as well. She, too, is grieving for Ji-hoon — but we also get a slow and careful cadence of hints as to her backstory (viz., why she wants to live a quiet life, and why Joong-do makes her a solemn promise that he won’t let the peace in her life be broken). The first hint comes from Perilla Grandma and a mention of Youngsan, which triggers flashbacks of young Hye-joo attending a funeral and getting screamed at. We were expecting it, but there’s surely a big mess of tragic and dangerous secrets lurking in her past.

In the middle of all this we are introduced to a new set of characters that soon prove to be intimately connected to the story: first, a woman named JIN SEUNG-HEE (Ryu Hyun-kyung) who’s returning to Korea after disappearing overseas for three years. Then there’s her estranged husband CHOI KI-YOUNG (Ki Tae-young), who has been living with his (awful) mother-in-law. She’s the real estate mogul of Youngsan, and the drama makes sure we know the reveal of this character is a big deal. The woman in question is LEE YOO-SHIN – and the fact that she’s played by Gil Hae-yeon, who is so good at being complicated and terrifying, tells us much of what we need to know about this character.

Circling back to the earlier idea of the aftermath of Ji-hoon’s death and the spiral around it — well, our couple’s grief and agitation and political consequences (however positive) aren’t the only things they have to deal with.

Thanks to a photo snapped at Ji-hoon’s funeral, a picture of both Joong-do and Hye-joo is now circulating on the interwebs. And apparently that’s not a good thing. Seung-hee, trying to sleep off her jetlag and deal with her horrible mother, recognizes Hye-joo right away. And so does her husband.

How does it all connect? We’ll have to wait and see next week, but the players are all in position: when our episodes end, Seung-hee has arrived on Hye-joo’s doorstep to confront her (using her real name), while Ki-young has set up a meeting with Joong-do, as his political dealings have gotten his mother-in-law in a huff.

We might not know how these interactions will go down, but what happened in the past is becoming a little more clear: the funeral that Hye-jo attended (or tried to), is likely that of Yoo-shin’s son JIN SEUNG-HO. We learn that he died twenty years ago. And we also learn that the family holds Hye-joo responsible.

Now, what we know about Hye-joo makes this virtually impossible, and I’m sure we’ll discover there is much more to what went down. But for now, we know that Hye-joo’s scars are real, and that frightens me a bit. For all her attempts to stay hidden, it looks like that’ll no longer be possible, and she and Joong-do might be heading from the pan to the fire.

Also woven through all this unfolding action is our mysterious and maybe-pregnant Soo-bin. She is even more sus than when we first met her, because in addition to her hidden cellphone and some morning sickness that I don’t know if I can believe, we see her being very calculated with her actions.

This is particularly important when it comes to Hye-joo — who’s uncomfortable around her, but trying to be caring. She even takes Soo-bin to her studio one day, explaining her work to her. Here, Soo-bin asks some pointed questions which made me more than a little worried — but more than the questions, it’s her statements. She’s pulled the old “Ji-hoon told me” card one too many times for my liking, and each of her statements has a way of cutting right into Hye-joo, however innocent they might seem. I don’t trust this chick one bit (nor her lip balm). And neither does Joong-do, who’s basically ignoring her. And neither does Woo-jae, who is mighty forceful with her in an attempt to get her to admit she’s a prostitute or something. Woo-jae is way too rough, but at least someone is keeping a watchful eye on her?

And I can’t close this week’s coverage without a word on the head of Joong-do’s party — CHAIRWOMAN WOO JIN-SEOK — who is played by the not-playing-a-mom Kim Mi-kyung! I love her in anything, but it’s quite fun to see her here so far, keeping a watchful eye on her political progeny, and being as sharp as ever. I love that she’s so strongly on Joong-do’s side, and I hope it stays that way. The same goes for the family friend and supporter Yeo-jin, and her troubling headaches. And also Woo-jae, who I desperately want to trust, but still kind of don’t. He watches Joong-do’s every move with such care — but it doesn’t seem good-hearted as much as it does calculating and motivated. I think Joong-do needs someone like Woo-jae on his side, but I’m not sure where this dynamic will take us.

In short, this drama has way too many excellent actors. It would be a treat to watch regardless, but Trolley’s plotting is so deliberate, and the characters so compelling, that I’m loving everything about it.

 
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