Twinkling Watermelon: Episodes 3-4
by Dramaddictally
Playful, funny, a full of adorable band members, our drama is off and running with a Back to the Future-esque story that’s impossible to put down. As our guitar-loving hero begins to navigate the past, father and son get off on the wrong foot, giving us lighthearted fun smacked right up against heartfelt moments. I know it’s early, but I’m already expecting this to nudge itself onto my list of favorite time-slip dramas.
EPISODES 3-4
My adoration for this drama boils down to its vibe. It’s got tons of personality and it knows itself well. It’s a little wacky, somewhat quirky, at times sentimental, but it never strays from its overarching tone that’s geared to make us feel good whether it’s a comedic moment or a serious one. With that kind of vision, I can’t not love it — even when it doesn’t make total sense.
We start with Yi-chan’s perspective this week and see that when Dad was young, he was a bit of a slacker, a little dweeby, hilariously funny, and one heck of an optimist. What catches Eun-gyeol’s attention of course is that his father also had a big fat crush on someone who is not Eun-gyeol’s mom. In the words of our time-traveling hero: “I have so many questions, Dad!”
Last week, we saw Yi-chan approach his crush, Se-kyung, and announce he’s in a band now — feel free to swoon. This week, we see Se-kyung is far from interested but says she’ll be his girlfriend the minute he meets three conditions: it has to be a newly minted band (no piggybacking on a successful group). Yi-chan has to play an instrument (solos expected). And she gets to choose the song he plays (it’s 1995, so, Nirvana).
With unmerited fervor he accepts the challenge. Now, he just needs to drum up some bandmates. The group’s name is no problem since he’s already got that picked out: Fake First Love Memory Makers — because he’ll be every girl’s first love from now on (hilarious).
His first move is to recruit the school band, which already has three musicians and just needs a guitarist. But since Yi-chan has only learned the first few cords of one song, they kick him out until he can come back with a real guitar player.
And this is the leadup to the meeting between Yi-chan and Eun-gyeol that we closed with last week. No, it’s not because Eun-gyeol is a genius guitar player — it’s because there’s a total mix-up.
Yi-chan and his friend, OH MA-JOO (Ahn Do-kyu), set out to lure a promising young guitarist named Yoon Dong-jin to Seoul. Yi-chan lives at a boarding house, run by his grandmother (Go Du-shim), and he offers Dong-jin free room and board as a trade for joining their band. Dong-jin is all in, and so, he agrees to meet them on the very street corner where Eun-gyeol is about to land when he steps back through time. And that’s how Yi-chan meets Eun-gyeol and mistakes him for Dong-jin.
The kicker to this story is that we already know that by 2023 Yoon Dong-jin is super-duper famous and known as “the godfather of Korean rock.” We also know he trained with a guy called Oh Ma-joo. So, by meeting Eun-gyeol, rather than Dong-jin, the boys might already be changing the future (just my guess considering there was an allusion to the butterfly effect before this scene).
But what happens in the future isn’t the point right now. Instead, we get a laugh-out-loud funny meeting between father and son, where Eun-gyeol pretends to be Yoon Dong-jin — it’s easy since he’s a celebrity and Eun-gyeol can spout off facts about him to “verify” his identity. The funniest part of the whole meeting scene is that the drama uses the sound effects from Back to the Future, giving a meta nod to its own comedy. (I found this genius, even if it gets tired the third or fourth time they do it later.)
But after all the shenanigans, posing as Dong-jin doesn’t last long because the other bandmates know he’s not the right guy. So, Yi-chan is back to square one and refuses to believe Eun-gyeol can play the guitar. The two have a building animosity because both feel betrayed: Eun-gyeol lied about being Yoon Dong-jin, and Yi-chan started a band for a girl that’s not mom!
While the two boys sort out their feelings, a couple of things happen. First, Eun-gyeol realizes he has no idea how to get back to 2023. He receives a cryptic call at a payphone from the guy who bought his guitar last week at that mystical music shop (the one that appeared out of nowhere and he didn’t think it was at all weird). But the music guy (Jung Sang-hoon) is no help, telling Eun-gyeol to figure out for himself why he’s been sent back through time (which also gives us no info on the time-travel rules of this universe).
The second thing that happens is we finally get a proper introduction to Mom, also known as YOON CHUNG-AH (played by Shin Eun-soo in the 1995 timeline). We learn she’s a talented artist, born deaf, and that she already likes Yi-chan before he even knows who she is. The two have been acquainted in passing (he saved her from a stack of books that was about to fall on her), but while she developed a crush, he didn’t even remember her.
The two meet for real when she’s bullied and locked in a school storage room and he hides in the same room while being chased for sneaking into her school (he snuck in to see Se-kyung). Yi-chan doesn’t realize Chung-ah can’t hear or speak and covers her mouth so he won’t get caught if she screams. Her eyes light up and by the time they break out of the room, holding hands as they run, she is so clearly in love.
While it looks like Chung-ah’s backstory will be unfolding slowly as we go on, we learn a lot about Se-kyung this week. We already knew she’s from a rich family and is a mega-talented cellist. What we didn’t know is that she’s adopted and she learned to play cello like a pro so that her adopted mother would want to keep her. She narrates that she was a replacement (a gift from husband to wife) after her parents’ biological daughter died.
When Eun-gyeol runs into Se-kyung in the past, he recognizes her as the “ahjumma” who gave him the guitar in 2023 — who’s also Harabeoji’s daughter. When he asks her about her dad, she’s furious, not only because he’s calling her ahjumma, but because her dad is a physics professor, not a guitar teacher. (We get some hints that Harabeoji is her biological father.)
One really nice element is that Se-kyung is not a jerk. She wants these annoying high school boys to leave her alone, but she befriends Chung-ah, who’s otherwise a loner. When Se-kyung learns her family is moving to the U.S. soon, Chung-ah is the only one she tells. But this becomes an issue later when Se-kyung gifts Chung-ah a concert ticket, hoping to go together, and Chung-ah secretly gives the ticket to Yi-chan (saying it’s from Se-kyung). She does it because she knows Yi-chan likes Se-kyung and will be sad when she moves away.
As Eun-gyeol tries to wrangle his father into studying and going to class, Yi-chan breaks free to go to the concert. There, Se-kyung screams that she never invited him and he promised to stay away from her until he had a band (the whole point of her challenge is that he’ll leave her alone, since she doesn’t believe he can do it). But Eun-gyeol steps in, saying they already formed a band, and next thing we know he and Yi-chan are on stage performing.
Eun-gyeol is on guitar while Yi-chan does vocals and they’re great together. The crowd goes crazy and Eun-gyeol tells us that he’s living out a dream: Dad isn’t mute. Not only can he sing, he can hear his son playing guitar too. Afterward, they’re both so happy that it looks like they’re about to become friends.
As they walk, Yi-chan is almost hit by a car and Eun-gyeol pushes him out of harm’s way. This whole time he’s been trying to understand why his father never told him that he wasn’t born deaf and then he remembers that Dad had a giant scar on the back of one shoulder. He reaches over and checks Yi-chan for the scar. It’s not there yet. Guessing that the scar and the hearing loss are related, Eun-gyeol has a look on his face that makes me think he’s going to try changing the future.
What fun this drama is! I love all the little references to the future that make Eun-gyeol a fish out of water — like the huge stack of cash in his pocket that he can’t use because it hasn’t started being printed yet (or the time he cuts the line for the payphone because the “wi-fi’s not working” lol). His constant exasperation is half the reason I want to keep coming back. The other half is Yi-chan’s hilarity (Choi Hyun-wook is just so incredibly funny).
But the drama also has its heartfelt side, and Eun-gyeol’s realizations this week about how little he knows about his parents are just signs of all the growing up he’s going to do in front of our faces. The scene at the boarding house, when Eun-gyeol sees Yi-chan’s grandma (his own great-grandmother who died when he was a child) and cries thinking back on her, is a great example of how the drama moves from comedy to sincerity without missing a beat. We learn that Grandma checked regularly to see if he reacted to sound as a baby, and passed away “in peace” only after he started speaking (on behalf of his family). Gah, add to that the high-energy music we’re sure to be in for and this 90s drama is a keeper.
RELATED POSTS
- Premiere Watch: Twinkling Watermelon
- Seol In-ah poses a risk for Ryeoun in Twinkling Watermelon
- Ryeoun discovers his dad’s first love in Twinkling Watermelon
- When you meet your teenage dad in Twinkling Watermelon
- Ryeoun and Choi Hyun-wook sync up for Sparkling Watermelon
- Ryeoun starts a band in Sparkling Watermelon
- News bites: February 21, 2023
- D.P. 2: Episode 1 (First Impressions)
- Politics and peril in The Secret Romantic Guesthouse
- Jang Dong-yoon stands alone against the world in KBS’s Oasis
- Summer Strike: Episodes 1-2
Tags: Choi Hyun-wook, Ryeoun, Seol In-ah, Shin Eun-soo, Twinkling Watermelon
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1 Britney
October 4, 2023 at 3:34 PM
Because I like this show, of course I'm now obsessively thinking about it and even though we're only at week 2, I'm scared of what's in store; namely changing the future.
I don't know what to call the "Viva La Vida" guy but he said Eun Gyeol has to figure things out on his own but I'm thinking Eun Gyeol is going to is to take that to mean altering the future which I don't think is the point. I'm beating around the bush; I'm wondering if the show is gonna have a plot where Eun Gyeol tries to prevent his father from losing his hearing.
I don't really want that but I do understand the draw for potentially going that route.
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emsel
October 4, 2023 at 9:30 PM
I'm wondering if the show is gonna have a plot where Eun Gyeol tries to prevent his father from losing his hearing.
I wouldn't blame the show if it went down this cliche path because it would be in line with its "feel good" vibe, but then it would mean that the drama tricked audience into believing the drama is about a CODA child. It would sour the watching experience as people all loved the initial sweet family set up.
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2 Kairoskat 💐
October 4, 2023 at 3:56 PM
✨️🍉 is ❤!!!
I hope it remains cute. I don't really want Eun Gyul to make significant changes to the future like preventing his dad from losing his hearing. But I do hope Eun Gyul presence with dad and mum in 1995 can make all of them so happy, they will have the most sparkling youth memories that will live on forever.
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3 nerdy
October 4, 2023 at 4:13 PM
I love that nothing too significant is on stakes here. Contrary to what one might think, Eun Gyeol's dad is happy even if he is deaf. With that said, I hope everyone just has a good time in past.
On another note, with how much Han Yi Chan likes his own voice, it will probably take him another 5 episodes to realise that the quiet girl actually can't talk.
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kadota
October 5, 2023 at 7:36 AM
Oh man, I was so embarrassed for him when he kept talking at her.
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4 Dylan [Suffering from Judge from Hell brainrot]
October 4, 2023 at 4:18 PM
I'm enjoying this drama very much, especially this week. I found the first two episodes quite tedious tbh, but the humour in eps. 3-4 really hit hard, the emotional beats of the father-son relationships were touching and even the lower emotional points, such as Se-kyoung's backstory (jfc, it was so dark), were moving. Honestly, I was on my feet and cheering along with the crowd during their performance towards the end of ep. 4, it was that great imo. But aside from general pleasure, I don't really have much to comment on. I don't know why, but I'm struggling so hard to say something , anything, about this drama unless I really think hard. Like rn, for example!
That being said, I am a little curious about who Se-kyoung's first love is/was.* Traditional drama logic says the dad, but the way they played the scene where the son sees her for the first time, it could be him too. And is there really something to the theory going around, that somehow the Se-kyoung who they meet next week is actually her time-travelling daughter from the future? sounds very involved imo, but it could account for the rapid change of personality.
What I really liked from this week: 1) the actress who plays 1995!Mom is cute as a button, 2) the budding friendship between Sekyoung and 1995!Mom was so sweet and wholesome, it's sad it got cut short (?) 3) lmao, at the way son and dad sleep the same way, it's somehow very cute
What I didn't like: 1) ugh, bullying AGAIN 2) 1995!Se-kyoung was completely in the right for giving the "Reason You Suck" speech to 1995!Dad. My brother in Christ, stop looking like a wounded puppy, you are STALKING her.
* anyone remember the tense Douglas Adams came up with for timey-wimey matters? might come in handy for this drama
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Dylan [Suffering from Judge from Hell brainrot]
October 4, 2023 at 4:20 PM
Yes, ik I said I can't think of anything to say, but you must understand I love discoursing on and on. Sorry. Didn't think it would look like a wall of text before pressing the send button lol.
If I post anymore numbered lists, please free to call me Jenny Nicholson.
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lapislazulii
October 4, 2023 at 4:52 PM
I'm interested to see how Se-kyoung's first love is too! I thought initially that it might've been Lee Chan BUT now I'm thinking it might be the lead singer of the medical students band that played at the end? They seemed close and also future Se-kyoung's line about her first love being in a band or whatever would still line up if it was this guy.
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pliplipli
October 4, 2023 at 4:58 PM
I also think sekyoung will fall in love with our time traveller. it would be a twist to the really obvious back to the future storyline they are going for here (his mom wont be the one falling in love with him, but he will be in a love triangle with his own dad lol). I didn't watch the previews, but I have seen the still of SK with short hair. I was a bit sad at the possibility of SK leaving the story, even if it didn't make sense bcs I know the actress is one of the main cast and wouldn't be there just for 4 episodes. I thought maybe SK will run away from her adoptive family and go back to Korea or something bcs why would she be back so soon and with short hair? time travel stories usually have a second time traveller so I will be on board to see her daughter going to the past or something.
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lapislazulii
October 4, 2023 at 5:09 PM
From the very brief glimpse we got at the current relationship between SK and her daughter, it seemed like there was quite a bit of tension so I also think the second time traveller (i.e. SK with the short hair) is her daughter who's travelled back like EG when she was feeling super frustrated with her home life, or something like that. The fact that we also never got to see SK's daughter's face might also be because they wanted to surprise us down the line with her being the second time traveller (and if you factor in that line when older SK's like to EG "are you also here because you're in love with my daughter", it would make sense that her daughter looks just like her teen self and so is experiencing the same popularity with the boys as her teen mum did - if that makes sense?).
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🌸 Seeker 🌸
October 8, 2023 at 1:59 PM
The daughter as time traveller theory seems legit but it could unravel fast if not handled with a delicate touch.
I do hope we continue with the fun and zany vibe.
It would be sad if the love lines get unnecessarily messy.
Is a nice happy drama without messed up relationships too much to ask for ... huh.
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5 lapislazulii
October 4, 2023 at 4:49 PM
You summed up all my feelings about this week (and the show so far) too at the end there @dramaddictally! This is a really fun show with a nice equal serving of heart and fun, and so far the tones are blended in really nicely. I love the family aspect of it, and as I mentioned in a fan wall discussion, I think having that at the core means that no matter what happens to the plot it won't go too haphazard. Ryeoun and Choi Hyun-wook are killing it with the comedy especially, they have great chemistry and bounce off each other so well! The little throw-away lines that Eun-gyeol quickly mutters sometimes had me laughing at loud, like when he was almost talking to himself when he explained how he knew so much about Yoon Dong-jin or when he was trying to get his head around the current love-lines. But the best quick throwaway has to be MJ's defeated & tired "Bach was the father of music" line.
My one wish is that I want to see more of Cheong-ah and I want Eun-gyeol to meet her too. How heart fluttering are the crumbs we've gotten of her and Lee Chan, I think it's the fact that we know they end up together happy and in love that makes me even more excited to see how their love story develops.
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tabong is ironing the crosswalk
October 5, 2023 at 12:56 PM
The little throw-away lines that Eun-gyeol quickly mutters sometimes had me laughing at loud. Same!!
Those kind of moments are my favorites. Eun Gyeol always brings a smile to my face.
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6 pliplipli
October 4, 2023 at 5:03 PM
I love this back to the future kdrama
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sakuradaydream
October 4, 2023 at 6:39 PM
the song they played together towards the end of ep4 was so similar to the one in the first Back to the future too my HEART :')))))))))))))))
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pliplipli
October 5, 2023 at 8:45 AM
yes! everything is a nod to the classic movie, no way it was not intended, some type of reference or even a hommage (didn't read or watch any interview with the writers/pds or cast so maybe it was mentioned before). I'm here for it since back to the future is one of my all time favorite movies.
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7 Hlamy
October 4, 2023 at 5:22 PM
I'm in love with this show but for know I really wish they don't go down the 'prevent dad from losing his hearing' route. I hope the travel to the past will be more about getting to know and understand your parents and their decisions.
One thing that I didn't quite get was the meeting between 1995!mom and dad, when he saved her from the falling books. Are we supposed to know when did this happen? Why was he at her school? And in the library? I think I lost something...
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lapislazulii
October 4, 2023 at 6:17 PM
The book thing happened at the comic book store I think (and it very cutely highlights that they've got a fair bit in common too!).
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Hlamy
October 5, 2023 at 6:10 AM
Thanks! I think i might need to rewatch
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8 sakuradaydream
October 4, 2023 at 6:37 PM
I had the exact same thoughts about it sharing the same Back To The Future vibes!!!! I LOVED that trilogy so much!
I'm really enjoying myself with how unserious this drama is. They are portraying the young & innocent aspect of youth SO well.
I love how chaotic & unpredictable Yi-Chan & Eun-Gyeol are together (that scene where Eun-gyeol drags Yi-chan back to the lesson he's trying to ditch and he just watches him through the window I CANT) & I lose my mind at all their antics.
Shout out to Yi-chan's halmeoni as well for being a legend!!
My only gripe is that I want to see more of Cheong-Ah as they've been focusing quite a bit on the other 3 at the moment.
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FormAnOrderlyQueue
October 4, 2023 at 7:14 PM
I think Cheong-Ah's story will be coming our way soon. On top of that, I suspect that Eun-gyeol will meet her, start signing with her, and will become Yi-chan's tutor in signing so that he can start communicating with her on his own.
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9 hacja
October 4, 2023 at 8:06 PM
I like this show a lot, but there were a few minor things which slightly put me off. First was showing yet another school bullying. Of course, this time it was among the group most notorious for their bullying, female artists. If I had a painting by Frida Kahlo every time a high school girl painter punched a deaf art student and then cruelly left her locked away in the closet in hopes she would starve, I'd be a rich art collector, that's for sure!
Second, the sped up chase scene through the alleys was cute when it first happened, but repeating it a couple of times made it lose its charms and it felt a
Finally, is there a rock and roll version of Man in the Yellow shirt, that every Korean touring band would have known in the 1990s? So all you have to do is call out "Man in the Yellow shirt, rock and roll version" and the band would slide into the song. Maybe there is, and my cursory google search fell short. But if not, it was a little too convenient, though it fit nicely with the plot.
On the bright side, I'm pretty sure the past won't be altered in a way that is at all sad. Also, and I know this would be TOTALLY unexpected, but I'll bet that Se-Kyung's daughter, introduced in a closing scene, will look exactly like the Se-Kyung of the 1990s!
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hacja
October 4, 2023 at 8:07 PM
sorry--had a typing glitch--the later chase scenes felt forced.
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DancingEmma
October 5, 2023 at 1:42 AM
I kinda laughed a lot at the sped up chase scenes though. I’ll wait to see if and when I’ll get tired of them.
And, did you notice that at the initial credits for ep 3, they included “Frida Kahlo” as a cast member??? It was weird but funny. I forgot to check ep 4 to see if it was a one-off or not.
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hacja
October 5, 2023 at 10:13 AM
Yes, the first time it was funny--it was the 2nd and 3rd times that I thought it was a bit much. However, if they keep repeating it, making it a "running" joke, so to speak then I'll find it funny again.
I didn't notice Frida Kahlo in the credits, but I did notice the reference in the show's painting, which is why I made a joke about it, but I'm still ever so slightly annoyed at the girl artist bullying, even though it allowed the encounter with her future husband. I just wonder, if kdramas can ever show a high school scene without bullying? There are a lot of (overly)dramatic social interactions that happen in high school, that's the nature of that age--and also of its art, I say as someone who has attended a lot of high school art shows!
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10 💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜
October 4, 2023 at 8:13 PM
Lol the fingernails on the person actually playing in the acoustic guitar scene vs the cuts to Ryeoun. This show makes me miss my brother but I'm also inevitably guaranteed not to like it as much as everyone else because of the genre... fortunately Choi Hyun Wook still exists a dazzling, sparkling, sunshine watermelon boy. Bless.
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11 Kurama
October 4, 2023 at 9:07 PM
I like it but I'm not fond of it. There are a lot of déjà-vu with this theme and I don't think the actors really shine for now.
Yoon Chung-Ah is the character I'm the most interested in. I don't really like how everybody is speaking to her and she doesn't use sign language with anybody. Her mum doesn't seem very nice.
Yi-chan spends so much energy for a crush who is not interested in him, at this point I'm sorry for Se-kyung. And the running scene with CA felt forced.
Ryeoun doesn't really look good with a guitar, it doesn't seem he can play. He kinda looks awkward with the rythm.
I was happy to see Hee-Jun! He's a guitarist! He was trainee in FNC with Kwak Dong-Yeon and formed the cute band Kokoma. Then, he left and debut in an idol group KNK. But he always sang and played guitar as soloist. He didn't renew his contract with KNK, so I'm happy to see him in this drama.
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💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜
October 4, 2023 at 11:52 PM
He's definitely not playing lol. Maybe a few chords. Maybe one chord. Probably badly. The rest is all editing and it's noticeable. 😅
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Kurama
October 5, 2023 at 12:16 AM
I don't know if it's the editing but when he's moving to feel the music, it looks awkward.
It's sad because I'm pretty there are a lot of actors whou could have played better guitar. It's not like Ryeoun is a great actor who can't be changed 😅
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💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜
October 5, 2023 at 12:29 AM
I think it's a combo of both tbh.
And- Right?!
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Kurama
October 5, 2023 at 1:28 AM
I'm pretty sure there are a lot of actors who*
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tabong is ironing the crosswalk
October 5, 2023 at 1:08 PM
I feel the same about everything that you mentioned.
I kinda feel bad for Ryeoun. His character is supposed to be a music genius but he looks so awkward playing the guitar. In an interview he mentioned having a hard time with it. Poor kid.
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12 emsel
October 4, 2023 at 9:48 PM
The chemistry between the son and young dad is sparkling and I warmed up a lot more to Ryeoun's acting. He is good in scenes which does not require emotional depth.
Halmeoni's story of peacefully passing away after Eun Gyeol reached an age to converse with adults touched me more than Se Kyung's backstory. The girls, especially Chung Ah at the moment are falling flat for me because the story has been more focused on the boys.
I also do not understand why Chung Ah would fall for Yi Chan at first sight because he covered her from falling books. Their run from the gym hall did not evoke any thoughts of "Aww they should start dating".
Unlike other people, I am worried about the angst that would fill in the later episodes because this show is slated for 16 episodes. 12 should have been good enough to keep a tight script.
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💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜
October 4, 2023 at 11:57 PM
I'm dreading the angst. There's melo and Time lurking behind every corner. Help me! 😂
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emsel
October 5, 2023 at 12:08 AM
We'll cross the bridge(drop the drama) when we near it😉, but knowing you, you will drop it much sooner😂😂
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💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜
October 5, 2023 at 12:30 AM
I have a "review TW" note on my watch schedule at episode 6 and episode 8. 😂😂😁
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Kurama
October 5, 2023 at 12:17 AM
I hope Yi-Chan won't be interested in Chung-Ah only after he got hearing issues.
I don't know why she's interested in him neither... I hope there is more behind it.
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Kafiyah Bello
October 5, 2023 at 4:25 AM
Chung Ah falling for Yi Chan at first sight because of the books is old school kdrama crush 101. No surprise there, lol.
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indyfan
October 5, 2023 at 11:46 PM
Well, look what you did. Just generated a whole article on the trope. 😂 Maybe Chung Ah watched a lot of dramas and knew what was expected of her.
If we think of it less as falling for him at first sight, but as the first spark of interest, it makes more sense. And the feeling strengthens with rock music, his wearing the same T-shirt, the shared moment in the locked room, the handholding chase, his offer to stand up for her, his irrepressible charm... for a lonely teen, that's a lot.
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tabong is ironing the crosswalk
October 5, 2023 at 1:14 PM
Trying to understand why this kids keep falling in love with each other is impossible. LOL Maybe her case is like Yi Chan's (with SK)? She liked the nice view, the visuals?
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13 Isa is always time travelling
October 5, 2023 at 12:31 AM
As always, thanks for the recap!
This drama is too good to be true, I'm almost afraid it derails at some point.
I usually don't follow shows on air, but I was really looking forward to watching this, so here I am.
I love our two main leads, their are gold together.
The show knows how to be funny, how to make laugh, and how to move us (those scenes with great-grandma and baby Eun-gyeol were so precious).
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14 Britney
October 5, 2023 at 1:24 AM
There's just so much I like about the show so far.
-Yi Chan and Chung Ha. Honestly, I can't even fault Chung Ha for crushing on him haha. He did seem dreamy when he saved her from the falling books and then when they escaped the strorage room (I mean dreamy in both a swoony way and a bizarre surreal way because imagine all his actions on mute haha. He looks adorkable)
- I love that everyone tries to make Eun Gyeol verify things and don't just blindly trust him; he just happens to be able to answer things anyway haha. His great grandma giving him a timed quiz to make sure he was genuine tutor material was funny to me haha
-Chung Ha. Oh boy, I sense some messed up family dynamics which I'm theorizing may have brought/will bring Yi Chan & Chung Ha closer together because his family life is a fun chaos and even with the bickering, you can tell there is love and care there. Chung Ha's family life seems full of detachment and possible abuse and emotional neglect. I'm not following the chairwoman's logic of "I want her to toughen up so I enrolled her in a school where she is othered and should be lonely". What is the end goal of this "toughening up"? One person tries to befriend her and that's considered pity but students bullying her or trying to take advatage of her is just needed life lessons?
-I didn't notice Back to the Future musical cues. Saving his dad from a car was very Back to the Future though haha. Actually, a whole lot of this drama will have allusions to Back to the Future haha.
- I kinda wonder why Se Kyung wants to befriend Chung Ha. Obviously it's nice and all but they're definitely in different circles. Did something strike her as admirable or cool and she was like "wow, I want to know more about this person?". That incident where Chung Ha got the paint water on her can't have been their first interaction (well, it can't be the first time Se Kyung has noticed her)
- Technically, Eun Gyeol *does* have proof that he's from the future such as the money, the bus pass, and his phone. He also had all that knowledge about his dad but who would believe such a fantastical situation and I like that that's acknowledged. Eun Gyeol even mentions the situation is like a science fiction.
- I had wondered what name Eun Gyeol would use in the past and I was surprised he used his own name haha. This makes me wonder how the time travel logistics will work. Will the parents just have fuzzy memories of Eun Gyeol in the past? Will Eun Gyeol be named after himself? Haha (like the parents barely remember his voice or features but they had a good association with the name so they named their son that).
- Aww little Eun Gyeol. We already knew he had a lot on his tiny shoulders but to have to be that bridge at such a young age and at a funeral no less. The fact that he seemed so well adjusted and not bitter or resentful makes him endearing to me. I don't think I could/would handle things as well.
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15 indyfan
October 5, 2023 at 2:42 AM
Yup, it’s not perfect. And more likely than not, it’ll fall apart. But at this very moment, yes, that’s me, a smile on my face, a fullness in the heart. Well done show. I’ll savor you while I can.
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Kafiyah Bello
October 5, 2023 at 4:26 AM
Amen chingu!!!
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ladynightshade wants her own ryu sunjae
October 8, 2023 at 10:27 AM
The best mindset for any drama!
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16 tabong is ironing the crosswalk
October 5, 2023 at 5:28 AM
Twinkling Watermelon makjang version.
Se Kyeong's daughter never met her father because he's actually Eun Gyeol. SK got pregnant after EG came back to the present (2023).
So the kid is the same age as her father?? And she's dating her uncle?? And she pretends to be deaf like her uncle/boyfriend and grandparents??? 🤣🤣🤣 jk.
Okay, serious. 🤭
I have such a love-hate relationship with this show.
After these week's episodes all I see is Se Kyeong. And that's the biggest problem I have with the show. LOL
I love her, yes, but I feel like her story and her POV is the most relevant here.
She started the band thing. She's the one that started being friendly with the mom first. She's the one with a mysterious dad and a mysterious daughter.
And she literally connects all the other characters and stories!
Yi Chan met Cheong Ha because he was stalking Se Kyeong. And Cheong Ha got a friend because Se Kyeong randomly decided to pay attention to her. And the four main characters will probably become besties thanks to her.
We saw a little more into the parents' lives —apparently Cheong Ha has an awful mom and Yi Chan isn't going through all the band trouble just to make SK's life impossible, it's all actually for himself—, and that's great! But why is Se Kyeong the one that tells Yi Chan to start a band?
And why do we see Se Kyeong talking with Cheong Ha's mom about pity and superiority?
Wouldn't it be better to see the Yi Chan enjoy his life without excuses or apologies? Doing the thing he loves the most for a last time? Why use a girl he barely knows as motivation?
And wouldn't it be better to see Cheong Ha's POV when it comes to her relationship with her mom or Se Kyeong?
Why is everything about Se Kyeong in a show where a CODA kid travels back in time to when his parents where in high school? ...Maybe I am the problem? Idk. Overthinking much.
😶
Oh, Eun Gyeol, ma boy, didn't you watch Back to the future? If you want to make your father's life better, instead of erasing you and your brother from existence (because that's what happens when you mess with the timeline, kid), just help him win the lottery. Money can solve 99% of his problems. 😂😂😂
Sorry, Se Kyeong, Eun Gyeol is my favorite.
I. Am. Your. Son. 😆
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Isa is always time travelling
October 5, 2023 at 5:38 AM
You are right about Se Kyeong. I didn't notice so much time had been spent on her character (my less favorite in the show. Maybe because Seol In Ah is playing her too coldly? 🤔).
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tabong is ironing the crosswalk
October 5, 2023 at 12:22 PM
I don't think she's cold tho, I just think she makes it very clear when she dislikes someone. 😂 And since she has been chased by boys so much, she gets annoyed easily when random dudes approach her. And half of her scenes are SK getting chased by random boys so maybe that doesn't help? 🤔
Plus, she's a rich girl trying to fulfill the void left by her parents' biological daughter, and we all know how rich people with trauma act in kdramaland. And she's pretty and popular! She's actually pretty nice for her stereotype. 😂😂😂 jk.
She acts warmer with adults and friends (Cheong Ha and the other girl), if we get more scenes of her with CH, maybe we'll see more of her friendly side.
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🌸 Seeker 🌸
October 5, 2023 at 7:06 AM
👏 👏 👏
Thank you … you have expressed it so well. I had this niggle which I couldn’t pinpoint so precisely… less SK please.
Eun Gyeol is my favourite too.
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tabong is ironing the crosswalk
October 5, 2023 at 12:29 PM
When episode 4 started with her childhood I just couldn't understand why are we going so deep into her character when we know nothing about the parents.
But I think I'll never understand how this show works. 😂 I'll just try to enjoy the little moments.
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🌸 Seeker 🌸
October 5, 2023 at 12:55 PM
Same. 🤣
It took me a while to understand who was it and then I was like huh ... why?
I was only interested in the bit about Mr. Viva.
Hope we focus more on Eun Gyeol and his family.
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tabong is ironing the crosswalk
October 5, 2023 at 1:16 PM
Yes, please. More Eun Gyeol with his parents. 🙏
kadota
October 5, 2023 at 7:55 AM
I spent a good five mins deciphering the mechanics of that makjang version, what a ride! 😂
Since we already know that Sekyung has nothing to do with the family in the future, we don't feel as invested in her story. And I'm not interested in Eungyeol having a possible romance, his chemistry with his family and the band hijinks are fun enough.
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tabong is ironing the crosswalk
October 5, 2023 at 12:42 PM
Craziest makjang ever, am I right? 😏😆
Exactly!
Aww, same. I love Eun Gyeol with his family, I can't wait to see him reunited with his mom.
But his romance with ahjumma is inevitable. I just hope they don't waste the whole show on it. If they're going to focus on the romance at least they should make it about the parents. 😞
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kadota
October 5, 2023 at 2:27 PM
I don't think his romance will be with the ajhumma but her daughter. The theory goes that her daughter is also a time-traveller and looks just like her (will be played by Seol Inha).
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tabong is ironing the crosswalk
October 5, 2023 at 2:50 PM
My theory is that when adult Se Kyeong said "my first love was in a band" she meant Eun Gyeol.
I think there's two possibilities: she has a crush on him or they date. But since this is kdramaland and they are the main leads I bet it won't stay as a simple crush.
So I've read other beanies theory about Eun Gyeol dating the daughter but I choose to not believe it. Hahaha.
Since I assume we're having a love line between SK and EG in 1995, for me it sounds like:
A love line with SK and later with her daughter? And after (or while) the daughter dated his brother??? Why all the boys of this family fall for Se Kyeong and/or her daughter? I can't digest that makjang. 😂
17 KLove-16
October 5, 2023 at 7:57 AM
I at first thought that I would not like this drama at all. But the week it first started airing, I was bored and decided that I might as well give this drama a try because I really do enjoy watching drama's about musicians and I love fantasy. Boy, was I wrong. I was hooked within the first 5 minutes of the ep 1.
I've never seen Back to the Future movies, so I didn't get the references that are apparently made, but I am absolutely loving this drama so far.
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18 Ally
October 5, 2023 at 7:58 AM
I KNEW i would like this show immediately when I heard the premise. And it’s been nothing but absolutely enjoyable so far. Likable characters, love the signing, love the directorial choices too—the running around like Charlie Chaplin is a riot every time. And it’s easy on the eyes. I’m always leafy about kdramas pulling the rug out from under me, but if they can keep the fun going and make it more “Back to the Future” and less “My Perfect Stranger,” I think they’ll have a winner here. I would rewatch the heck out of this.
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19 AtypicalDramaWatcher
October 5, 2023 at 9:45 AM
It's riling me up coz YiChan is tone deaf!
Does Segyeong need to break her voice. She has made it pretty sure she don't want anything to do with him!
I need to drink some watermelon juice to cool down!
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tabong is ironing the crosswalk
October 5, 2023 at 12:45 PM
When he went to her house I almost scream "girl, call the police". LOL
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20 bbstl 🧹
October 5, 2023 at 9:22 PM
I’m loving four things:
Yi Chan and his endless energy and inability to be discouraged. The boy’s born to work in Sales.
All the slapstick running done by Yi Chan with others, it’s just funny every time.
The ice cream shop named Bestin Rabbits knocked off of the famous US chain Baskin Robbins.
The touching ost during tender scenes which is directly derived from the film works of the sublime Ennio Morricone, may he rest in peace. If you want to hear some of the real thing, I recommend the soundtrack of “Cinema Paradiso” as a good example.
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21 Asha13
October 10, 2023 at 11:22 AM
If Se kyeong is his haraboeji’s bio daughter, does that mean she is related to his mother?
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22 gadis
October 11, 2023 at 8:51 PM
This drama continued to subvert my expectation, and I couldn't be happier.
First of all, there is something very whimsical about this time-slip scenario. I just realized that it wasn't often that a time slip was triggered by something less dire than a life-or-death stake, but that was exactly what we got here. Life in the present timeline wasn't that bad for Eun-gyeol, except for his continuous struggle with his love for music. And so, for once, there was no sense of urgency about mission at hand for Eun-gyeol. Life in the past timeline flowed along peacefully despite his mere presence already unintentionally changing several important point in history.
I love how everything added to this feelings of surreality around the time slip. I couldn't be sure whether this was a journey meant to change certain point from his parent's past, or merely a chance for Eun-gyeol to get a glimpse into his parent's story. I even have a niggling feelings that this time slip was a gift of some sort for Eun-gyeol to get a spark of his childhood and teenage life back, to let him be the kid that he still is, instead of burdened by countless responsibilities.
As always, the best part about time slip drama that involved one's parents was the sudden realization that they already have a full-fledged life before they became a mom and dad. And Twinkling Watermelon is doing a wonderful job picturing that.
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23 Roman
April 8, 2024 at 8:56 AM
I also liked when they jammed, the song had a Chuck Berry intro and chords which is another nod to Back To The Future. Well played.
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