ty as always for the recap!! youre speaking better for me than my state rep! soooo correct on the unfortunate dismantling of my lesbian agenda. plus fraud fam are NOT. CUTE.

they want scam family to seem relatively harmless, but there's nothing about them that is endearing in my eyes. "mom" literally blackmailed an underaged orphan into putting their body, mind, and life on the line to swindle (you know the official word for that? SLAVERY). grace would've killed donghee in that push off the balcony if she were a normie. plus weirdo hunk being portrayed as some kind of softie when he's clearly used to threaten dahae, what w the stalking and aggressive obedience to "moms" toxic whims. show had better shape up and commit to proper villainy or a proper redemption arc bc they're playing in my face rn.

the character development aspect looks almost stagnant for everyone in comparison to gwiju's. he is living his best life rn and hope is a phenomenal look on him altho almost unsettling w how abrupt the change occurred. (but isn't it devastating to think that his happiness forever hinges on another person??)

dahae is. who she is. bitter and flawed person doing bitter and flawed things. she has little to no autonomy in her life tho so i cant bash her sucky life decisions. will note that she doesn't seem to fit as seamlessly in the narrative as other characters but im not sure if thats writing or acting.

donghee might actually be my favorite character bc she is SO brilliant and wont let anyone step on her... except for herself!! she is her own greatest enemy and i appreciate the uniformity of her message: her mental health weighs her down. also if she was gonna settle with anyone i wanted it to be grace SO BAD. this duo got the most chemistry of them all and encompass a decently satisfying enemies-to-lovers. that was until the heinous murder attempt... cries

lastly, smooches to the ina-dahae shenanigans <3 they're genuine with each other and its shines bright on my screen. (bc it sho as hell doesn't look like she'll be getting that care from pops anytime soon! she's gone missing how many times now??? its triggering me lol)

> When Man-heum mentioned that the mutation of the family’s superpowers always comes at a price, maybe the price she was referring to is my sanity because I am so confused right now. <

This. 😵‍💫

I am not even trying to think, im just floating with the currents(eses)

For whatever reason I keep coming back every week. Maybe it’s for Ina? Or maybe for the amazing moody OST? I don’t know. I just keep coming back. Most of the time I have no coherent thought while watching. I still hate everyone. Except for Ina.

Thank you for the recap.

Undoubtedly I-na is my favorite. The way her smile lights up her face is so precious.
- When she wears her new expensive specs sponsored by Da-hae. A hilarious case of a con getting conned by a kid!! 🤣 But then Da-hae has always had a soft spot for I-na. Even if she desperately tried to hold onto the credit card while offering it for payment. Heh.
- Playing games with sauna samchon and killing it, as well as his forehead with awesome finger flicks. I'm amazed he was still able to think for her to be able to mind-read. 🫨
- Mind-reading Gwi-ju when he denies being with Da-hae. That soft secret smile was so so cute.

She's a treasure but I'm not sure the *magic remedy* to her woes is having a blended family with the sauna mom & co.

While Da-hae's interactions with the Bok family seem strangely genuine (for an alleged con), her relationship with I-na and now also with Gwi-ju are deepening despite herself. I can feel her desperation when she asks the sauna mom to help her stay away from Gwi-ju so that she won't be swayed. Her attempts at snagging a fourth husband with patented tricks were effectively foiled by Gwi-ju. He didn't fail to comment how sincere those same tricks used on him were.

I'm feeling the chemistry with uri OTP. But how in Lovely Runner did that family ring become one plus one.

Also the plus one on their "date" - sauna samchon blowing soap bubbles, preparing a picnic basket to make Gwi-ju happy. 🤣

I hope those school girls get a lesson in kindness but then I'll be happy not to have to see them again. Sigh, same for sauna mom and Grace but I think that is not happening anytime soon.

I'm liking Man-heum less and less as we progress in the drama. Hope both Soon-goo and Dong-hee gain their respective "powers".

I'm excited for how the drama will deal with present day Gwi-ju and future Gwi-jus can be more than one right!?

This show is Kaa (from Jungle Book) and I'm the victim, unable to look away while it sinks its fangs into me (with that hypnotic music playing in the b/g).
As I've droned on before, it's possibly the production design, the direction, acting, many things. But in all likelihood, it's also Gwi-Ju's face. I can spend hours looking at it. I suck at figure drawing, but this man I can see in a painting in the style of Egon Schiele. Self portrait with Striped Shirt or Seated Woman with Bent Knee. Ah he's beautiful. His and Kim Jae Wook's faces were made to be painted.

Back to the show. Everyone, except for darling I Na and her crush, is such a red flag! I want to reach through the screen and smack Gwi Ju for ignoring that dear child, when he has all the time in the world to time-travel for the FL. All the characters are so messy and frustrating and impossible to like that I'm a screaming mess by the end of every ep, and yet, and yet... it's arguably the most intriguing show I've watched in a while.

Interesting, I had somewhat the opposite emotional reaction than the redoubtable @unit in terms of sympathy with the families. With the exception of Yi-na, not only the most genuinely superpowered, but probably the most mature, (and in my opinion, played the best actor in this production), I'm liking the con-family a lot more than the other atypical family. Of course Grace's shoving Dong-hee off the balcony was not exactly an act of love, but I really think she was convinced that that Dong-hee would fly. (None of the characters in this show is portrayed as being too brilliant). And I think she was genuinely trying to help Dong-hee with her jerk of an ex. But Dong-hee has other issues that Grace could help her resolve if Dong-hee stopped obsessing about her weight (I hope that is the lesson of her character development.) As for Gwi-ju, to me he remains a self-centered jerk who is pretty unlikeable. The sauna bro was a little more charming with his "romantic" picnic assistance

I appreciated two things about these episodes--how the time traveling by Gwi-ju in these episodes, the recollections of Da-hae, and even the recollections of the ex stirred by the perfume was about the emotions associated with memories (much more than the original time traveling by Gwi-ju, which was just about him trying to change the past. )

And even though I disagree with Unit about which family is more sympathetic, I do like the fact that these characters represent two bizarrely dysfunctional "families" that will somehow be linked in the future.

Well, the show made it challenging for me care about any of these characters - but it has. I loved both the emotional developments of episode 7 and the crazy proliferation of time-traveling Gwi-jus popping up like dandelions in the lawn. I don't think they're in love yet, but Da-hae does like and miss both him and I-na. @unit notes that Gwi-ju just wants genuinely to be there for people who need him (EXCEPT I-NA, WHY DUDE?), and now has hope that he can be, but Da-hae’s despair stems from believing she can’t be that kind of person. He represents a life of relative decency and honesty and comfort in which she can genuinely help people who need help (and be helped by them) instead of taking advantage of their vulnerabilities to scam them. She’s never been able to receive anything that doesn’t come at the cost of selling her misery, and she hasn’t been able to give in a way that isn’t directly tied to exploiting someone. She is both mentally and physically trapped in the Sauna Family, but she wants to rescue him and I-na from both screwed-up families rather than wanting him to rescue her.

I’d prefer to see Sauna Family in jail where they belong and not in some kind of contrived redemption scenario, but even a show that’s doing a number on the tropes is unlikely to give them the comeuppance they deserve. Sauna Mom is charming in her way but has done nothing, I mean nothing, decent or good or without self-interest, and I hate the idea of I-na being anywhere near her. I appreciate the way the show is revealing that Man-heum is the same. I continue to find Dad/harabeoji sus as all hell.

The OST is the real star of the show.

I don't really like or care for any characters. They're all in this situation because of their own actions.

I found the way they portrayed Yi-Na's power a little bit weird. She needs to watch people in their eyes to read their mind, but they're making it like it was instant and she could be overwhelmed by people thoughts. But she's perfect fine with the family of scammers where the mother locks her daughter in a room... But in the same time, they're the only ones who cares about her food, her bullying at school...

I didn't recognize Noh Hyeong-Tae as the proctologist of Hit the Spot, very different role.

Grace totally felt remorse - she was genuinely startled and scared that Dong-hee seemingly just fell.
Seemingly. She didn't get hurt at all, and her brother only hurt his arm slightly, because what happened was that Dong-hee landed just above the floor, exactly like the last time, and then fainted from malnutrition. That's why her only treatment was an IV drop.

I like all the characters except 1) Man-heum 2) Sauna-mum (she has a charisma I could like, as a hardened person who had encountered too much harsh reality to believe in kindness, but her hitting Da-hae, locking her up and even manipulating her to believe she ought to be thankful - I can't like that, ever) and 3) Ms. Popular.
And Ms. Popular could have a redemption arc. Maybe her thoughts are worse than she is herself - most of us have selfish thoughts that we don't act on because we also have decent thoughts. Maybe she ends up being creeped out by Yi-na anticipating her thoughts, we don't know that yet. Why would she want to be friends with Yi-na in the first place?

Show has brought me back to kdramas and thus dramabeans. Been tired of the usual, typical shows lately so I am glad this came along. I also find it refreshing to see JKY smiling in these episodes.

I think that the show is implying that a way to overcome the 'Bok family lifestyle diseases' is through 'Hope'.. which is a message I like.

Anyways, still love the show, all of the characters are so unlikeable and yet I can't help but like them.

Different perspectives. Suana Uncle was protecting a business investment not saving Yi-na. I'm not going to lie though, his playing Cupid was kind of cute and comic relief.

Gwi-ju is saving Da-hae from the terrible life she endured and is now trapped in. Just like the room she was trapped in during the fire. Her con-mom has no intention of letting her go.

For me the show really hit its stride with these eps - I enjoyed them the most to date and had less moments of wanting to throw rocks at my TV 😁

It's amazing the difference active characters can make! Seeing Gwi-ju making a plan, taking charge of the situation and proactively going to the Sauna team with a proposal was amazing.

As was finally seeing his teeth (he smiles!), and doing more fun things, like disappearing in the photo booth with the shaved ice and leaving his Sauna Bro(in law) bamboozled. Heh.😆

I definitely feel really conflicted about the Sauna crew overall, because I'd like to see Grace and Dong-hee team up (and get payback on the crappy ex) - there's a great dynamic between them . But then we get scenes where Grace is frothing at the mouth at the idea of forcing Da-hae to exploit the Boks, and I don't know how the filmmakers want us to feel about these characters. 🤔🤨

The drama has more than a touch of the absurd and this is likely the main reason I like it so much. And the music.

The superpower family is pretty arrogant, knowing that they can use their powers to their benefit, making them superior and wealthy. But the superpowers are in decline and it looks as if the awful, mean crook family can reverse this, not through their usual means, but by being 'nice' for a change, be it reluctantly. Naturally they want a cut of the fortune, but the two families need each other for the better.

Sauna uncle has very few lines to learn, I actually thought he was not given anything to say at all - until he did utter a few sentences. I-na clearly enjoys the company of the crook family, because she cannot be fooled by them due to her powers, but they are not as aloof and self absorbed as her own family and they do the basic things like food and company much better.

For a change I also like the time travel element, it really adds to the story. The romance is not that convincing, but I love Dong-hee! Hopefully she stops being hung up about the dreadful fiancée, soon.

I have now hit the point where I am rewatching episodes after they air, as well as reading discussion on MDL in addition to Reddit and here. All of the signs that suggest that I am definitely in love with this drama.

The more I learn about Da-hae's past, the more my heart breaks for her. This poor girl has been overlooked and neglected and used. She didn't care about the shaved ice itself, she cared about the meaning behind it, and that's why she smiled when Gwi-ju brought it to her--because he went out of his way to do so. This scene is even more powerful if you rewatch the fire flashback in ep 5, where the mean girls taunt Da-hae that no one will miss or look for her, and end up being proven right.

The sequence where Gwi-ju tells Da-hae he'll never see her again, and then a future version of him shows up and tells her to hold onto him, and we as the audience have no idea what led to the turnaround, but we know we'll find out. And when we do find out, we get more perspective to show us how Da-hae was actually feeling - a consistent theme in this drama: Da-hae is closed off, Gwi-ju reacts negatively, but eventually learns how she was really feeling or the context for her behavior, and then returns to offer an olive branch. I haven't loved a scene like that in a while. And when he comforted her at her dad's funeral? That was so powerful - and now I'm wondering if Da-hae remembered him. I get why she might not have, because it was so long ago and she was pretty caught up in her grief. But this is a Kdrama where people have eidetic memories, so it wouldn't shock me if it turns out she did remember him.

Poor I-na is trying to please people but only ends up with the opposite effect. It's hard to watch. I love her relationship with Da-hae. I get that Ki-ho likes her but I wish he'd realize the difficult position he's putting her in.

The sauna mom is complex, and I like that. I still think she's a better person than Mama Bok, scamming and using Da-hae as a debt slave aside. Mama Bok is awful and, as I said on my fanwall, maybe she has insomnia because she's literally trying to sleep during the middle of the day. I don't even blame her husband for looking at another woman, even if it was just an emotional affair - and probably him being scammed.

And my precious Dong-hee. I thought they might try to reunite her with Ji-han, but not anymore. I hope she gets another man at the end. I know she doesn't need one, and I'm sure she'll learn that, but it'd be nice. I'm hoping for a cameo by a hot famous actor in ep 12 like we got with Kwon Yul in Love is For Suckers.

Last but not least, the show seems to be hinting that Gwi-ju will die saving Da-hae from the fire. I think it's confusing if that happens, because nothing but Da-hae should be able to touch him, right? I also think that if a kdrama is making something seem like it'll happen in an obvious way, it's usually a red herring. I hope so, because I want Da-hae to...

This drama was so good that I marathoned it in a two days! I-na won me over the second she was on screen, and it’s always such a delight to watch her scenes!

I’m probably the only one that kinda ships Grace and Dong-hee. Yeah they are toxic but imo Grace beats Dong-hee’s asshole boyfriend/fiance any day

I also think like Da-hee, Grace and (maybe) Uncle Sauna might’ve had “debts”/ were extorted to pay to the boss lady as well

This was my favorite week, too, because everything seemed to be clicking. All the characters (with one exception I'll discuss later) make sense to me now, even if I don't like them; the humor emerges naturally and at key moments that need levity (my favorites: Sauna Uncle getting flicked in the forehead by Yi-Na, setting up that romantic picnic no one wanted, and sitting dazed after watching Gwi-ju disappear and return with an empty ice bowl); Grace finally seemed like a human being rather than a Sauna Mom Wannabe; and the romance between the leads still isn't fire (even with the confirmation that Gi-ju saved Da-hae after all), but there is chemistry and believable affection between them now.

I love the quirky but consistent tone and the way the plot does predictable things in unpredictable ways. It makes for a very satisfying watch.

The only thing that continues to bug me is Man-heum, and I've decided that I think a large part of the problem is the actress, who I believe was miscast. I simply don't buy this woman as the matriarch of a superhero family and although other characters are certainly unlikeable, too, the fact that I can't warm up to Man-heum at this point has to be at least partially due to the fact that the actress isn't a good fit for the role. I mean, Sauna Mom is pretty awful, but that casting was brilliant; I absolutely believe who she is even if she's morally repugnant, and her time on-screen in compelling. Not so with Man-heum. I hate the way she treats everyone, whines about her situation, and expresses her so-called love and affection for her family (I see none of either; she truly only seems to care about herself and whether or not her abilities will continue to exist).

But I do love the burgeoning motherly bond between Da-hae and Yi-Na; it feels real to me that Yi-Na would seek out a con artist who can't lie to her. The way Da-hae keeps her at arm's length and yet continues to protect her also makes sense considering Da-hae's own messy parental relationships. Oh, and I loved Gwi-ji comforting her at her father's funeral. His genuine selflessness and her vulnerability in that moment did a lot to deepen their bond in a way that resonated with me.

Finally, I feel bad for Dad. He's ignored and mis-treated by most of the family simply because he has no powers and now he was swindled by another couple. I'm wondering if out of his mess will emerge the realization that he does actually have powers, too.

Also I like the fact we have imperfect characters. There isn’t a black and white good guy and bad guy. Gwi-Ju with his hero complex neglected his family. Then again having such a power is a double edged sword, travelling back in time but unable to change the past is beyond cruel. And the sauna crew, yes they are con artists but that’s not their whole personality which I like. Grace may be morally dubious at best but she doesn’t deserve to be sexually harassed either. Bok Man-heum too isn’t the most likeable character. And well all this feels like life, not everyone is saint and not everyone is purely evil either.

I actually like the storyline with I-na and Da-hae, and tbh at least the idea behind the main couple. Are there any other good dramas or movies with this family dynamic? wholesome bond between step-parent and the kid? romance between single dad and someone new in their life?

(not watching this drama, mind you, just following along with recaps)

The time travel mechanism is making my mind burst.😂😂 Still, it is the only good thing in the show other than I-na. I have already deemed the con family and the boks as lost causes even Dong-hee is turning stupid. The characterization can't be any worse.I can get behind Da-hae at least because she is genuinely caring for I-na. But Gwi-ju needs to step up his game.

I thought it was obvious that the ring will be gone in the future and that's how it can exist at the same time because the time for him to give her the ring hasn't come.

Like most other characters I love these characters. And I love that the writer is slowly building the story & trusts us to root for them even if they aren't perfect.

Small point but, knowing that people hate the fat suit, I think it's a plus they've always made Donghee super stylish and chic regardless of her size,

I think one aspect of the time travel that works really well for me is that mostly Gwiju only goes back a few hours/days. It makes my head hurt less than when a time traveller changes the course of people's lives by going back years. We'll probably have to contend with that with the fire though.

I watched all eight episodes of this drama in the past week, mostly in the last two days. I should not do that. Anyway, I really like it so far! The main thing I like is the emotion between the main leads. I find Park So-yi, the young actor playing Bok In-na, AMAZING. The character is so difficult--shy with her peers, assertive with adults-- and she's doing a great job.

I still feel the sismance (I love that! Thank you!) between Grace and Dong-hee--even with Grace shoving her off the top floor like that. Or maybe that's just what I want! I am very uncomfortable with putting a slim person in a fat suit and then humiliating her character repeatedly. I don't know whether the character deserves better, but we in the audience absolutely deserve better. You're giving me Claudia Kim, with her beautiful voice, and telling me I should be OK with watching her character getting pushed off a balcony? Plus so many other humiliations I don't want to see.

I think there is still time for the sauna scam "family" to be transformed--not to mention the Bok parents, who are really not good to each other or their children. There was such great dramatic irony in that scene in episode 5 (?) when Sauna Mom told Mrs. Bok that just calling someone a member of your family doesn't make them any less an employee. Good point, lady.

The lottery ticket: From the future, Gwi-ju brings a winning lottery ticket for the lottery drawing on July 1, 2023. It's not clear to me when this occurred, but it was AFTER the drawing because Da-hae confirmed the numbers.
That means that PRIOR to that scene - in a scene not previously shown to the viewer, Man Heum presumably dreamt of the lottery winning numbers and someone purchased the ticket. So, who purchased the ticket prior to July 1st? How did Gwi-ju get it? And it's not clear to me why he gave the ticket to DaHae (to save her from her family of crooks?) Did I totally miss something important as I watched in 1.5 speed?

I'll say it - it wouldn't distress me if he dies in the fire. His obsession with "saving" someone eventually led to his wife's death (he disappeared at a critical moment) and his daughter's trauma that he ignored for 7 years. He drank himself senseless - all because "I can't save anyone." I've disliked the character from the beginning.

But . . .I enjoy watching all of the other characters, even the twin evil "mothers". I like the family of crooks because they actually act like a family. I like his father, his sister, I-na and, of course, the only honest-to-God male hero in this show, namely Han Joon Woo.😎😎 So, I'll keep watching simply to see how their stories play out

Someone commented that Gwi-ju looked like a self-portrait of Lucien Freud, and I went to look. It is so accurate, the early self-portraits, they have Gwi-ju energy. I can't find that comment and tell them so, but I am happy to have been sent out internetting for those portraits. And it's a really good way of describing why I, too, think Gwi-ju is a snack (a tall snack, and a bitter snack, but you know. Maybe like 96% dark chocolate that doesn't melt right away and has bitterness and all sorts of other tastes slowly evolving. (And please don't think of this in sexual and certainly not in skin colour terms. I am talking personality and maybe looks, not p*rn)).
I only knew the later works of Lucien Freud, the "the skin is so spotted and greenish that maybe this person has actually been dead for some time" paintings, and they are good, but do not have Gwi-ju or complex dark bitter snack energy.
Thank you, fellow Dramabean with art knowledge!

I can deal with unlikeable characters but they need to be a bit charismatic, maybe have some humor. unfortunately, none of them are like that in this drama, so I watch ffing only for ina and his crush scenes.

the romance could make up for me, but I find them dry. no sparks, no tension, the angst doesnt angst.

Just wanted to say that Dong-hee and Grace are presented in flying colours, so to speak, on my Fan Wall.
https://www.dramabeans.com/activity/p/1589828/
and some of these https://www.dramabeans.com/activity/p/1589828/
Furthermore, that this story is told backwards, and most likely there is more to Da-hae than the first, second, and third impression.
I also don't think she met Gwi-ju by accident, and I think that she too, and not just Gwi-ju, are making this story be told backwards.
And also, I hope the story stays a little complicated until it all goes up in the end, and doesn't just ignore all complications. But I also hope it ends well for almost everybody (mothers maybe excepted) and it would be fun to learn that The Pillar of the Family started out as a scammer and gold-digger, too, and fell in love with the angry, interesting Man-heum. Probably not. But it would be fun, right?
Also, as for Ms. Popular whom nobody talks to anymore, it was obvious that she hesitated because she was hurt (literally, but mostly metaphorically) by Yi-na, and remember that she never asked for the shoes, e.g., but just thought about it. I don't completely get why she wanted to befriend the most unpopular girl earlier, but I hope (and trust, honestly) the show will not recommend that the girl be punished forever. Also, Yi-na could use a friend her own age, not just the school heart throb.
I have no idea how they will make it end happily with Gwi-ju's then wife.
She loved him originally. She seemed like a sweet mum when she comforted Yi-na. It was unfair with ultimatums about something he couldn't control, but she held out for many years first.
Also, I had forgotten there were only two episodes left. I could easily use a couple more.
This drama with all it's special characters is the best. I hope they do not patch up Dong-hee with Sauna Uncle.
I hope there is a sweet future for him, too. That Loan Shark With a Heart of Gold.