Apparently I am fainthearted because I couldn’t get past Ki Ho getting beaten up. I will shore up courage and try again later.

The first episode hit a lot harder than I was expecting, for sure. But I like that all of our characters have healing to do and journeys to go on. And the teenage friendship/crush born out of adversity was just adorable. The look on Ki-ho’s face when Mok-ha started singing? Kid never stood a chance.

Based on the fanwall, I know a lot of Beanies looove Woo-hak, and he’s definitely growing on me, but I admit I didn’t love his character initially. I know people in real life who are as contrary as he is, and it’s so exhausting. He also seemed incredibly self-centered and slightly predatory when he exploited Mok-ha for her story, and I found that whole section a bit uncomfortable. But I liked him better once they got to the island and he came to her defense against the tattle-tale restaurant owner and his son, and he continued to shape up for the rest of the episode.

I’m very excited to get into the relationship between the two women, and I love the start that they got this week! Mok-ha is such a good fan, and I was just as touched as Ran-joo when she saw all the green balloons waving in the crowd. Park Eun-bin has clearly been working on her pipes, btw. I didn’t love her OST for Extraordinary Attorney, but she’s killing it here.

Great start. Both Mok-has lived up to expectations.

Ki-ho setting the fish free was a nice symbolism. Using upside-down umbrellas to catch rainwater was neat, and umbrellas are such a thing in Kdramaland they must have wanted an excuse to insert a bunch.

Girl floated 55 kilometers from the scene. Was she unconscious? Floating face down for hours without suffering any harm is easy in Kdramaland -- leads been doing that least since Time Between Dog and Wolf. If she was conscious and swimming, why not head for some more nearby land? And how did her father end up there if you have to swim to get there? Then there's a clip that seems to show her swimming with a certain (magic??) seagull leading the way. I expect a flashback but for now I'm going with mostly unconscious.

Meanwhile, dentist? Up-to-date vaccinations?

I'm too tired for another Team this, Ship That, Theory this, Makjang that, Fish this, Bait that.
I'm going back to Meok Ha's Island and stealing her umbrella collection, if anyone needs me.

I started it it for Pak Eun Bin, had my heart stolen, first by Ki-Ho and then Woo-hak. Aren't they adorable!!! Eun Bin proves again why she is the ace actress today. She blends in the naivity of a sixteen year old with the body language of a thirty year old seamlessly.
What I loved about the series it its pace. It pauses and picks up just at the right moments. This is off to a great, drama packed, emotional start.
I don't know who Ki-ho is, but I am suspecting it's the younger brother. And I can already see my issue - this would mean Woo-hak is second lead, and I am already rooting for Woo hak and Mok-ha.

'In PEB we trust' was my mantra heading into this drama and she didn’t disappoint! What a fantastic premiere week! That's got to be like one of the best written (directed and acted) first episodes I've seen in a long time.

Firstly the ML thing because ngl after ep 2 this has been occupying the most brain space : I physically sorted out all the signs that point to why either of our MLs could be Gi-ho (including a red herring spiral where I was like 'hmm they're being a tad heavy handed with the Woo-hak and Gi-ho comparisons, so it's got to be a red herring...OR is that what they want me to think 🤔) BUT I just remembered something that I think is almost airtight evidence for why Bo-gul is Gi-ho. End of ep 1 I believe we see Gi-ho waiting outside Old Seoul Station through high school, college and I think military service too (also blink and you miss it maybe, but did it look like he was in navy uniform there? Would be on brand if he did his service with the navy). We know that Woo-hak doesn't have any memories of middle school, so if he was Gi-ho then he wouldn't have known that Mok-ha was supposed to meet the agency guy in front of the station at 10 or whatever. So if Gi-ho waited there every year while he was growing up, he has to be the guy who didn't loose his memories. Also the amnesia thing would explain why Woo-hak doesn't realise that his younger half brother lived as Gi-ho on the island for years before he came to Seoul, and consequently didn't connect the dots when Mok-ha was out looking for Gi-ho.

Either way, two things are evident - I’ll be sad as if Gi-ho is not the ML because this is one instance where I think childhood connection trope should absolutely play out in usual drama style, and secondly I've caught feelings for Woo-hak so if I'm right and he is SML then we're headed for Achy Breaky Heart City on the romance front (which apparently might not be existent I hear?? 🤷‍♀️). But, I'll give Bo-gul the benefit of the doubt because he's been suspiciously off screen mostly this week so hasn't had a chance to woo me with his charms.... (continued in comments)

I have a feeling I will be an outlier in my sour opinion of this one. But why am I negative? The first two episodes were more about the guys than the 2 castaway divas. (the one "castaway" by the business)

We get a fuller back story on all the male characters than the female ones. The hero of the first episode was Ki-ho--all right, that's okay--he was abused himself, showed cleverness and devotion to Mok-ha. BUT the featured character in the second episode was the manipulative, self-centered Wo-hak. There were a couple of times this episode that he deserved a punch in the nose. If he becomes the ML (not sure about this) I'll be looking for Mok-ha to become the heavily smoking, hard-drinking washed up diva, beaten by Woo-hak as she was by her father-- just as "castaway" as her idol was, at the end of this show. In fact, that might be a good twist--ending with Eun-bin smoking and drinking heavily just like her idol was. Plus, it would be a big bonus for the Kdrama production industry,since recent shows demonstrate they eager to rake in PPL money from the cigarette industry and addict young women all over the world!

Fortunately, I actually think the adult Ki-ho was the half-brother, especially because he gave her shoes on her return But if so, why is he remaining quiet? He's a premature noble idiot? All the other minor male characters, with the exception maybe of the manager for Ran-joo, deserved to be thrown in jail.

As for the Mok-ha and Ran-joo. I get that Mok-ha has been away for 15 years, and would be awed by technology. But would she really be so child like? Still totally fixated on Ran-joo? She's a tough island survivor and lived long enough in society, was abused by her Dad, etc. that she would definitely be more adult.

And would, in the climatic scene of episode 2, Ran-joo actually be overjoyed that she can no longer sing and got adulation because of lip-syncing? Doesn't that make her even more pathetic?

As far as I'm concerned, if this show is called "Castaway Diva" then they have to turn the focus on the two women. If they do that, I'll be interested whether they go the "star is born" type of relationship, where a driven Mok-ha supercedes her idol and leaves her behind. (Probably unlikely.) More likely, the narrative will have her remain innocent, saving her idol from her disenchantment with the business. But if Wo-hak continues to be the focus, I won't be able to stick with this show.

These were the best premier episodes I've seen this year--engaging, heartfelt, perfectly paced--and I'm already dying to see the next set. I'm a little concerned that the "who is Ki-ho?" mystery will go on too long and start to feel as manipulative as the "who is the husband?" gimmick did in the Reply series.

Nevertheless, I'll play along: My gut says that Bo-geol is the real Ki-ho, although his seeming indifference to Mok-ha initially after her rescue gave me pause (even if he is in hiding from his dad and can't reveal his identity for his own and her safety, I can't imagine he'd be that unconcerned about her ending up homeless). But maybe we'll find out later that he was doing some things behind the scenes that would explain this.

The abuse was very hard to watch, but sadly and tragically realistic, especially the way the villagers immediately sided with the parents and assumed any problems in the relationship were/are the fault of ungrateful, selfish children. Another part that got me was those two owners of Mok-ha's father's fish store greeting Mok-ha after 15 years with such suspicion and harassment because of their own greed. This poor girl/woman; no wonder she wanted to leave her home island almost the minute she stepped foot on it again.

I like the two brothers together a lot, although I agree with Bo-geol that two (attractive, even with CJH's terrible hair) men in their thirties sharing a bedroom in their parent's house is a bit weird. I know that we're in k-drama land where young man apparently have no sex drive until they meet their soulmate, but don't they ever want some privacy?

I, as always, don't even know to start. I guess I'll go with "I liked it!" Haha

I was a skotch surprised when Ki Ho had taken his phone battery back because I thought he had his "thunderbolt moment" but I liked how they ended up sharing a genuine connection due to him filming her video. I thought it was really nice and touching.

I actually felt sick over the abusive dads. I *truly* hated that blabbermouth fisherman. And I get from an outside perspective, it would seem totally innocuous and even sweet (the guy was saying he wanted a son who would work so hard to buy him a gift), Ki Ho's desperation was clear as day when he begged him not to tell. That didn't trigger any spidey senses? At first I thought he didn't want his father to know because I thought the father was out of work and would feel ashamed or something like that. The reality was worse and it made me teary. I also thought the assault was being recorded and that's how Mok Ha would find out about it. So I was *not* expecting Mok Ha to also be a victim of abuse. Typically, I can't really get into the happy go lucky characters but for this character I could. Something about how her fangirling was a means of escape and inspiration just worked for me and was quite endearing.

The guy who played Mok Ha's dad was in something else I've seen but I don't remember what it was yet combined with this, he's one of those actors I have a negative association with. He can just look so dangerous and creepy and gross. AHHHH! I think he was the abusive husband in Big Mouth! See, yeah, I just can't with him.
Ki Ho's dad made me sick when he made an abusive father hug his victim even though she had visible bruises as well as was flinching and crying. And then he made her apologize to him! Ugh. See, this is why people can't trust authority figures. When Mok Ha broke down in class, I was once again teary eyed.
Once again I was disgusted by the fact that Ki Ho was the victim and yet he was labeled a bad and ungrateful son because he reported his father for abuse and ran away (stuff like this is why I don't have much faith in humanity).

I thought Mok Ha was gonna survive in part due to the stuff he had in his bag so once again was surprised all that stuff was left behind.

I was not expecting the dark tone in the first episode. It was annoying that no one helped Ki Ho when he was getting assaulted! An adult man brutally beating up a child in public. Ugh. Then, it was pointless because Mok Ha's father still got on the boat and went after her!

This isn't a makjang so her father's not coming back in the last hour, eh? >_>

I'm excited for the healing vibes and girl bonding. I was quickly touched when Ran Joo perked up and listened to Mok Ha's video with interest (and her headphones. Gotta get the full sound, heh).

I liked the uplifting song lyrics (both songs) despite the weird 'dream us' part. Ran Joo and Mok Ha's performance and their stunned, emotional reaction afterwards made me teary-eyed!

I came into this drama neutral about both male leads. I've seen Cha Hak Yeon in more roles and supporting ones though. He definitely was likeable after a few moves like helping Mok Ha with the restaurant guys and giving her a temp place to stay/sleep in Seoul. And blowing the balloons! His scenes with his father were cute. He's probably putting up a front, hiding behind his quick talk and acting like a rebel to his brother. Part of me wanted him to be the male lead, but I doubt he will be.

I wonder if Bo Geol is Ki Ho and went into producing after producing Mok Ha's video.

I have not watched this writer's previous work Start-Up. I thought it had generally good reviews, I'm not sure. I remember some fans were up in arms about the male leads... I'm not too invested in the male leads for this current drama. I'd rather see Mok Ha and Ran Joo have a good, satisfying story. The romance would be the cherry on top. I would need to see the chemistry between adult Mok Ha and Ki Ho and the gradual build-up of the romance too. I don't ship them only because they were childhood friends. They didn't have a long friendship.

Although it's mystifying why Bo-geol didn't seem to react when he came upon his brother and Mok-ha on the island, there is one dead giveaway that he is Ki-ho. Ki-ho said the first thing they would do when they got off the boat would be to buy her shoes, and the first thing Bo-geol did was buy her shoes.

As far as Woo-hak's amnesia goes, it's really convenient that he can't remember Bo-geol wasn't there all the time he was growing up.

I felt for young Moo-hak and Ki-ho. And the scene where Ki-ho's father brushes off the abuse as 8th grade syndrome was infuriating. Also I know it is the premise for Moo-hak to live alone on an island, but I really hoped they would make it to Seoul safe and sound. The annoying man blabbing his mouth off ruined everything both for Ki-ho before and for Moo-hak.

How has nobody brought this up yet:
Park Eun Bin’s voice!
When she sang Ran Joo’s song.
If that is really PEB singing- holy 🐮. That gave me shivers. I teared up by that unfriggingbelievable performance.
🙇🏻 🎤.
I thought PEB’s song in Attorney Woo was just okay, but this is next level. So much talent packed in that little body.

WOW, the first 2 episodes just hit it out of the park! The 2 young actors, Lee Re and Moon Woo Jin, were brilliant. PEB, well, I ran out of superlatives re this lady long ago. N was fun. Lee Seung Joon is taking turns playing nasty and nice in dramas, and he is convincing either way. Chae Jong Hyeop has not made much of an impression, but he is the best contender for Ki Ho as of now. Can't wait for next week!

The first episode was perfect, and honestly, I'm not expecting any less from Park Hae Ryun, I always cry watching her dramas' first episode.
I don't know who is Ki-ho growing up, I'm not even gonna try to guess, cause I hate the stupid guessing game and I'd like this trope to die forever. But if Ki-ho doesn't get the happy ending he so terribly deserves, I will personally find Park in Korea and give her a piece of my mind.
(Also, I wanted to kick myself when I did not recognize that was Moon Woojin as Ki-ho the whole time. It only dawned on me when he took his glasses off during the train station montage. My god, he's grown so much, where did the time go??)
 
Of course, PEB is perfect and I can't wait to see how her relationship with her idol unnie develops. I desperately need it to be a positive one. I love that, contrary to how media generally portray fangirls as crazy and rabid, so far the drama has been looking at Mok-ha's fangirling through a sympathetic lens, letting us see and understand how much Ran-joo means to her, not only as a favorite singer but as the only ray of happiness she had to hold on to during her traumatic childhood. This is one aspect of fan culture that I'd like the media to understand, that sometimes an artist is not only a favorite to someone, but they could mean so much more than that.
 
I find myself not liking Woohak very much. Big part of my dislike for him is his insistence on doing exactly the opposite of whatever his brother's asking him to do. I just don't get it, both of them are in their 30s, so why does he insist on sleeping in one room? And the pettiness is highly immature.  But whatever, I was going to give him a pass and go with it if his issues stayed within the family.  And then he went and ran Mok-ha story when his brother specifically asked him not to? He said he had no choice, but considering his behaviors until then, I highly doubt it.
I'm not going to write him off yet, since this is only the 2nd ep and he was getting less annoying by the end of episode 2. So I guess we'll see how it goes.
 
I don't have much to say about Bo-geol cause he barely had anything to do in the 2nd episode. There's one thing I'd like to point out: I think they purposefully hid his reaction to finding Mok-ha on that island, there's just one shot of his face with some sort of expression, so, if he turns out to be Ki-ho, I think we will be revisiting that moment at some point.
 
I liked the first week of Castaway Diva so I want to keep watching it, but since the incessant "team this, ship that" mentality that seems to start popping up, I'm not too optimistic. The pointless shipping war is the very reason I dropped Start Up. Is there any hope that CD won't go down that bad??

I liked the both episodes.

The child counterparts were great. I really want them to be happy.

I don't really care who is Ki-Hoon N or CJH, I just need more Potato Boy on my screen! And his smile...

Personnally, I didn't specially like Moo-Hak's behavior, he never listens like a kid. Clearly, Bo-Geol needs his own space. Like I already said, Moo-Hak reminded me the brother in What's Wrong Secratary Kim.

When I first read the plot, I always thought it won't be a real survivor story on island. So I don't really care how she did it and how romanticized they will explain it. At least, she didn't loose anytime to meet her idol and try to get back her life in the same time.

I'm not sure how making your idol a fake one is a good idea. I'm pretty sure that any singer that needs to lipsych because they can't sing anymore doesn't feel good about it if they have a professional conscience.

I was very surprised by PEB's voice. She never was so strong as singer. So I guess there was a little bit of magic in the postproduction. But she sounded very beautifully.

I'm very excited to see their friendship.

I think I will be in the minority for this one, so skip this if you only want feel good vibes :)
Okay, so this was the weirdest first two episodes of a kdrama I have ever watched .
I did not expect the childhood abuse and the darkness of the first episode.
The writer, I felt, didnt need to go there at all and was lazy, couldn't think of anything else for a traumatic backstory so we had two kids suffer the same abuse to make them bond. Really, it seemed like overkill.
But wait there's more, because one of the parents that is abusing one of these kids is also a police officer. Sigh, this has been done before.
The younger actors were excellent though.
Then the second episode is all light, fluffy, fairy floss.
The female lead is made out to be a ditzy character, a 16 year old in a 30 year olds body but somehow she has managed to keep herself alive for 15 years, stuck on an island.
I think she would have to be pretty savvy, resilient and more mature than most 30 year olds to actually do that.
It feels a bit condescending.
Also the SOS on the shore, I find it hard to believe that it was never seen for 15 years and yet suddenly a whole bunch of people turned up to pick up rubbish on a random island.
Sorry, I know this is a tv show and I should just go with it, don't think about it.
I'm here for Chae Jong Hyeop and his dazzling smile.

I really wouldn't have gotten onboard this drama if they had started with PEB because the kids were the one who sold the drama with their incredible acting. Both Lee Re and Moo Woo Jin were wonderful and I can't wait to watch them grow and lead their own dramas along with "Yuna" from "The Kidnapping day".

The abuse was hard to watch, but the worst was the police asking Mok Ha to hug her dad and apologise. I want him to serve jail time. Kdramas always used to show village as a clean, happy place and villagers as nice people, but this drama proved otherwise. I am so glad that both escaped from the hell of a place. How could not one adult come forward to protect the kids? Shame on them.

This writer always writes the best SML and no wonder I am starting to feel attracted to Woo Hak. Intentionally, she did not give both the MLs equal opportunity in the initial episodes, so one character appears to have more screen time than other. This is a criminal under use of the lovely Chae Jong Hyeop and his contagious smile. Someone mentioned that "romance" tag was removed from the MDL site for this drama and I hope it stays that way and spares me from any dilemma. I would be content with just the sismance between Mok Ha and Ran Joo and friendship between the brothers and Mok Ha.

I agree with the complaints that Woo Hak did not get permission to run Mok Ha's survival story, but clearly knowing that his brother is a rebel and would do the opposite of what is being said, I can't help but feel that Bo Gyeol is egging him on. I have a nagging feeling that he found out about Mok Ha's existence, planned to rescue her and provide her boarding at his house by using Woo Hak, so that Bo Gyeol does not have to reveal his real identity.

Park Hye-ryun is clearly following Reply 1994, and not Reply 1988, i.e., it's obvious who the husband (Ki-ho) will be. But what I'm really NOT looking forward to is the shipping wars of Reply 1994 plus Reply 1988 multiplied by the shipping war from HELL of Start-Up.

The premiere was unexpectedly heavy. When Ki-ho wore his winter uniform the morning after his father beat him, I thought, "We know why he wears it, but why does she?"... until we found out. I cried when Mok-ha broke down in front of their class, and Ki-ho shed tears while watching her, knowing her secret to be saved.

"Come to me. No matter what. I'm a very light sleeper." Damn, this kid is a heartbreaker. There was just no way that they could run away on a small island since someone was bound to recognize them. If Ki-ho had told Mok-ha about her father being at the port, then I know that she would've stopped him or gone out herself, but I wish that he had told her, "I'll meet you in Seoul" before getting off. Ki-ho was a transfer student and has a Seoul accent, so he must be from Seoul and could just run away again, but he did leave her his tin of money.

I was screaming at all those onlookers watching a child being beaten by an adult, yet no one called the police. How did Mok-ha's father even get on the ferry? Did he buy a ticket? I wish that Mok-ha hadn't dropped Ki-ho's backpack because it had food in it. I was terrified that her father had also drifted to the island, which he did, but a teenager having to bury her father alone is tragic.

The one saving grace of our annoying Guess-the-Ki-ho mystery is Bo-geol and Woo-hak are brothers, so regardless of which team you're on, you can't really hate the other guy. However, dare I say, the first episode will be the best episode in the entire drama because no matter who Park Eun-bin ends up with (it was Chae Jong-hyeop's silhouette), they will never be able to beat Lee Re and Moon Woo-jin's chemistry.

Loved episode 1! And so clear that this is the writer of Start Up - she knows how to get viewers invested in record time, and that it no easy feat. I'm pretty sure Bo-geol is Ki-ho and I really don't need a shipping war (interesting that this writer wants to keep playing with this idea after SU, but maybe she has her eye on the ratings!), but I NEED CJH to start smiling and I'm slightly worried that Ki-ho had, and has, little to smile about - abusive background, having to stay hidden to avoid detection etc. If they keep him moody till almost the end, that is a travesty. I love PEB's performance, but I wish they would show 31y.o. Mok-ha as more savvy - yes, please indulge yourself in returning to your fan-girling, but she's singlehandedly survived alone for 15 years and that makes her smart and capable in a thousand ways. It feels somewhat dissatisfying to bin all of that and make her a naive, exploitable adult (which was suggested in ep2). Hope we get past that quickly, but I have high hopes for this drama.

I hope this doesn't focus too much on romance and instead the relationship between the characters and how they have changed in the last 15 years. I am also hoping for a Mok-ha & Ranjoo friendship, some trailer scenes showed them getting along and becoming friends, i really really hope that holds true. The actors are all amazing so far, can't wait for future episodes! I do hope the younger actors get another time to shine, even if i don't like (too many) flashbacks all that much.

I don't think N's character is Ki-hoon, i think he is a red herring and it's his younger brother instead. Especially since they made it clear that Woo-hak doesn't remember his past but the Ki-ho we saw clearly goes to the train station every year or at least has done that for a few years. It's also interesting that Ki-hoon said he would buy Mok-ha new shoes as soon as they meet again and Bo Geol did just that!!

But it would be pretty funny if it IS him though. i don't think i've seen a role of N that doesn't have some kind of childhood trauma or other traumatic experience lol.

Thanks @quirkycase for a great weecap.
I love a drama that starts well and is complete in that I can enjoy the episodes but have questions that make me want to continue watching. This drama started really well and the child actors definitely need recognition. Child actors these days are being exposed to some really heavy material and I do hope they are supported with it so they don’t grow up too quickly and end up suffering the consequences of the show business life.

In the UK they have messages before programmes saying some scenes may be upsetting for some viewers and after the programmes that show abuse, drug use etc they provide details of appropriate helplines, I don’t know if they do that in South Korea and it’s just we don’t see it on the international release.

I am always caught out when I see excessive abuse without the warnings when I thought I was watching a rom com. Domestic violence and child abuse are prevalent in all societies and therefore multiple members of the audience are likely to have had or still be living in those circumstances. When there is no info in the previews or written material and it suddenly appears on the screen it does not allow them an opportunity to make an informed choice about whether to watch it or avoid watching in certain company. When the main message is that no one will help you and it’s ok to do this if the child’s behaviour warrants it, then a short shot of a man losing his job but not having a criminal record that does not encourage anyone to seek help or any abusers watching to reflect on the potential consequences. I know it’s entertainment but if we can have PPL on the benefits of recycling and drinking tap water I think there is some responsibility to address these issues in multiple ways too.

I guess I am the only one who felt the fist episode was too long. I liked the first two eps, but that first one, woof, lol.

Episode one was totally not what I expected. I would have never guessed the reason for her becoming cast away. The abuse was a tough watch but I really loved how it anchors the two characters for the reminder of the show.

As always, Lee Re was brilliant and I could have watched the entire show with her. The other boy did well too, looking at his MDL I see how much he has grown!

While watching Ep 1, I was half expecting Ran Joo to steal her song. Sorry! It’s years of seeing and hearing awful things about the entertainment industry that made me this paranoid. So I loved how this turned out to be. Not sure if the title is meant for both our female singers. Castaway Diva RanJoo and/or a castaway becoming a diva?

I wish they had spent a little more time on her being cast away. I would have liked to see her practice her singing, have imaginary concerts etc. I felt that part was rushed.

Also, I hate the whole ‘who is Ki Ho’ plot. It reminds me of all the ‘who is the ML’ in reply series. Not liking it one bit. I already feel like Bo Geol is the one with the new identity, he knows who she is but chooses to keep his identity hidden for good reason. He also told her to hide her identity when she leaves to Seoul so it makes sense he would have done the same.

Cha Hak Yeon is absolutely delightful here! And I hate that they are setting up his character this way. Prove me wrong show. Nah. Whatever.

This was SUCH an amazing first episode (but, then, so was Start Up). If Ki-ho isn't Bo-geol (who I am assuming is the ML) I'm gonna break stuff, lol. There are a lot of reasons that I think he is (see my fanwall for more specific thoughts), so I'm not too worried. I also didn't really like Woo-hak because he's so oppositional. I personally don't think Woo-hak can be Ki-ho because it's too early to show their cards on that. Also, as others have mentioned, Ki-ho clearly didn't lose his memories, unless he kept coming to the station and not knowing why. Additionally, I don't think that Woo-hak acts like someone with an abuse background. Even with the loss of memories, he would still have some conditioned behavioral patterns.

That island is awful, and why does it not have like any women? Do they all leave (who could blame them)?

I was so impressed by Lee Re's and PEB's singing.

Does anyone else think that the show was perhaps hinting at Mok-ha also having been sexually abused by her father? The way that he was trying to open the door so forcibly made me wonder.

The first episode was strong until the end. I was expecting a Tom Hanks “Castaway” story but we suddenly saw an unexplained Disney theme park Tiki set with brand new umbrella rain water collection available at the gift shop. It made no sense that a deserted island would have Amazon deliveries wash ashore on a weekly basis. Ocean debris is not pristine. Also, she would have been seriously tan after 15 years exposed to the elements. Then, the quick drone rescue meant that the castaway part was only a cut-away. It really torpedoed the fine build up and acting of the two teens playing the leads.

Episode 2 started off unexpectedly as well. She survived 34 miles in the open sea to “barely” survive for 15 years alone? The core premise was revealed that she is 31 but inside she is still 16. Why are we getting so many references to other k-drama shows? Are we supposed to make comparisons? There is an old adage that one should never meet your idol (you are bound to be disappointed.) But when Mok-ha meets Ran-Joo, it was a cathartic moment.

But I do not like the set up that Woo-Hak has a matter-of-fact amnesia trope when Mok-ha is going to search for Ki-Ho, who apparently has his own 15 year disappearing act. But we don’t know if he is alive or dead since his revengeful ex-cop father was on his trail.

I really don’t like the lack of social net on Mok-ha’s return to society. She was released from the shelter with zero money? Orphans who age out at 18 are given $5K. Then she goes back to find her home taken over by squatters claiming they are the true owners. Both the reporter and the occupants (and the writer) fail to clearly grasp the legal situation.

Korea follows a Torrens system for registering real estate ownership. Under the law there are only types of adverse possession:

A) The occupant is the registered title holder at the Real Property Registry, has occupied the premises for at least ten years and took possession with the intention of owning the real estate. The occupant must take possession peacefully and publicly, and with the belief that it has the legal right to possess the real estate. If, however, the occupant mistakenly believes through negligence (for example, by failing to check the Real Property Registry upon occupancy) that it has the legal right to real estate, it may not take adverse possession.
B) The occupant has peacefully and publicly possessed the real estate for 20 years with the intent to own it and with the belief that it has the legal right to possess the real estate, and after the 20- year period, it has registered itself as the owner.

Mok-ha has no money, so why would she naively give up her home for nothing? Why did she not start the inheritance process to collect any assets of the father? The show needs to give us a reasonable basis for her existence in the real world. One hundred percent charity is unrealistic.

And perhaps that is the point . . . the show is banking on being unrealistic.

@latebloomer findind her alive? Or her remains?

The chances she survived so long were minimal. Her father died after all.

Just want to mention I liked the Pinocchio callback with Woo-hak being a 'YGN News' reporter. Love these little titbits Park Hye-ryun always throws in.

Maybe I should rewatch because I certainly didn't notice the different uniforms or him being a light sleeper being related to his abusive household.

How can any of them be Ki-ho? I want to enjoy this drama without thinking much about that but the comments regarding this are making me curious. They can't be. Even if we ignore the fact the boy has a new face, let's do that, he would have to have amnesia and people would have to know about that. They never said anything like that. In fact I have no idea why WH was going on about being Ki-ho. The brother was completely distant even when nobody was looking at him, he can't be anyone other than regular Bo-Geul.

Certainly two strong opening episodes with an unexpected backstory. It’s hard not to be moved by the ending of Ep 2.

It gives me a strong 30 but 17 vibe - not a bad thing. And I’m quite sure Bo-geol is Ki-ho (with Woo-hak’s memory loss a convenient excuse for the guessing game). Just wish we don’t have a shipping war which is among the reasons my dropping Start Up.

A drama to keep, for now.

Wow, finally a real k-drama! I have had so many disappointments this year. But OK, I love the challenge for an older actor of playing the younger version of the character in an older body. That's not all that Park Eun-Bin is doing with Mok-ha. As an English speaker, I can totally hear the dialect. (Does that mean she's going over the top with it? That I don't know, because I'm an English speaker!) Furthermore, she's somehow contriving to look like Lee Re? Or maybe they're both playing the same person so well that they look alike? It's incredible.

I also found the "maybe I'm Ki-ho" thing totally bewildering. At least providing us a mysterious backstory for Woo-hak helps make sense of his strange place in his family.

For me, the thing that makes this so compelling is that they already made me cry more than once. They aren't just committed to accents or character quirks. They are all fully committed to bringing the whole story to life. When Mok-ha finds Woo-hak and his brother on the island, I was totally swept up in the moment of a person seeing another human after fifteen years. This is why I'm down to watch these shows and can live through the various ham-handed PPLs. Just wonderful.

@quirkycase, thanks for the recap !
I hope there is more singing .
Not the same song on repeat either, show.
Look forward to next week.

the casting for the young actors was amazing. the girl looks a lot like eunbin, their big smiles.

I didn't know what exactly I was expecting going into this show, but it definitely blew my expectation away.
I went in wondering if it would be able to grasp my attention enough to continue and came away fully invested. The first episode especially was so well done in terms of everything that my heart ached by the end of it. Thats a feat. The actors did such an excellent job that I was remiss to part with them.
Ki Ho's character especially was so achingly tragic that all through the second episode I wanted to know somehow he'd ended up in a better place.
The acting from the adults too is strong across all fronts that it continues to keep you interested and wanting to know more. N really nailed Woo Hak that you can't help but like him. And Jong Hyeop's Bo Geol is played in a way that clues you in that there's layers under there that you want to peel back (metaphorically). That said I do hope we get confirmation on who Ki Ho is soon.
Park Eun Bin continues to be a delight as Mok Ha and that ending of her finally making her wish come true after 15 years was just..beautiful. I can't wait to see her relationship with Ran Joo play out as she learns to be an adult!
All in all, well done Castaway Diva! I didn't expect much but you delivered across all fronts!