Episode 41: Evil MIL does not seem that evil. In fact, she seems quite reasonable in her opinion: her daughter went through a lot of hardship during the marriage, she accepts than Han raised her grandchildren well as a widower, but she will only allow dating but no remarriage (under the fundamental belief that marriage is a forever bond.) Han is more reserved around MIL than when he is around Gwang-Sook. Han and his wife met in college and presumably got married shortly thereafter. I sense the dynamic is that the wife’s family owned LX Holdings. Han can date, OK, but how he dates is really bothersome. Both Han and Gwang-Sook dated before but their childish interactions are tiring. They are experienced adults, act like adults: stop being teen cutesy and have mature, serious and meaningful conversations.

MIL’s prior suspicions are now primed from overhearing the lobby banter from Golf Pro (who saw him coming back into the fray?) Gold-digging does seem to add up in her mind. I suspect she will investigate and come to that conclusion. Perhaps that is why there is an extension of episodes: for Han to navigate what “sacrifices” he will have to make to keep Gwang-Sook.

Snake So Yeon is still slithering around the brewery looking for a pay day for herself. Chun Soo and his daughter keep telling her she is at fault but she will not listen. It is a deep black hole that mothers in the series (Snake, Silla Mom) have devoted their lives to helicopter their child to the best school, the best career, the best marriage. Mi-Soon was ready to give Chun Soo the $100k plus for his daughter’s Ivy League tuition, but stops short when she saw Snake leaning on him for comfort. Mi-Soon is street smart enough to know Chun Soo can be soft, naive and manipulated against his best interests.

Another presumption came true: Gang Soo figured out who his mother was without Beom-Soo or Silla Dad telling him. The clues and Silla Mom’s over-affection toward him (seaweed soup out of the birthday blue?) This puts Gang Soo in an existential crisis of a period of deep questioning about life's meaning, purpose, and his own identity, especially this blunt question: can he accept his brother marrying his half-sister?

Seri continues to idolize Ha Ni. Her alone time with Beom-Soo continues to be more formal than romantic which continues to beg the question who she is really in love with: her Professor or the baby? The pending custody battle continues to hang over week after week. This whole story line is like sitting on an airplane for a long time waiting for mechanics to investigate a problem to the point whether you will even get pushed back from the gate.

And speaking about ships ready to sail: Mr. Go masterfully reeled in Joo-Sil. When Joo Sil took aside Gwang-Sook for a private talk, I thought she would spill that she is dating Go, but instead asked about her marriage plans. Gwang-Sook wants to “go slow” which makes the most common sense in this entire drama.

Joo-sil finally confessed to Mr. Go. At least one side couple is making progress. I guess our middle brother is too- and we did not waste as much time on him in episode 41. The less the better.

Silla Chairman finally made a mature request (to his wife): He will be quiet about the birth mother but only if she agrees not to get Gangsoo involved in their family again, which means cutting off all contact with Gangsoo. This was so reasonable that one instantly knew that it wouldn’t last- and it did not but then again, because our Maknae is no dummy it was not going to anyway.

Bom’s Grandmother and Chairman Han had a little chat and she does not approve of Gwangsook because Gwangsook runs a brewery. Then she hears the Golf Pro loudly calling Gwangsook a golddigger. I am not surprised by this element.

The Snake has no idea how close she came to getting her daughter’s tuition from Misun. Do I see a deal coming? Yes, but it better be in writing.

What an end to Episode 41: “Don’t lay a hand on my mother”. Gangsoo put things together on his own and realized that Mi-ae is his baby mama. Anyone who passes through a good Naval Academy with flying colors has to be very smart indeed- and Gangsoo is probably every bit as intelligent as his Professor Brother. It would almost be shocking if he had not been able to do this.

So now Gangsoo has a new family landscape to navigate. He has always been the Maknae but now he has one in the form of Seri. Mi-ae had already asked him to treat Seri like a sister but how will he manage that? We saw a lot more of him in this and the last few episodes and it looks like that will continue and the family relationships become even tangled [If Bom and Gangsoo marry then Seri still gets to have Bom as a sister in law, for instance).

It has been nice watching Lee Seok-gi, who plays our Maknae, growing as an actor in this his very first drama. Earlier in this episode he had projected an image of real misery. Now, in this last scene he speaks with anger and yet there are literally tears coming down his face as the scene ends. Mr. Lee is not just a pretty face anymore.

At least Mi-ae got a chance to explain to our Maknae why she left him at the brewery. He is not happy and now he also now wonders what to do with Seri. But that is for a future episode.

Mi-ae has given Seri the green light with our Professor Brother, who is currently fairly distracted. Custody fight probably starts next week.

The Snake just gave up? Really? Maybe the show realized just how unpleasant her story was.

Our middle brother spent another night with our hairdresser. He makes a promise not to run away anymore. I think we know what comes next.

Our Silla parents had a major falling out because of Maknae, there is talk of divorce, but in the meantime, Dokgo Tak is going to go ahead with his premium makgeolli project despite warnings that it could be a financial disaster, simply to destroy Eagle Brewery. That is like Gallo deciding to take out Dom Perignon with a superior sparkling wine. He even plans on hiding the project from his major stockholders (this is a bad idea legally- but I will spare you a lecture on Corporate Governance). At the same time Tak took a call from the Lackey who is supposed to be hiding out in the Philippines (want to bet he is already back in the ROK?).

Joo-sil cannot help boasting- unfortunately to Bom’s Grandmother. Who tells Gwangsook that she opposes the marriage of her and our ML.

Episode forty-two struck me as transitional. The departure of The Snake, the reveal of Maknae’s birth mother (and Gangsoo looking through the convenience store window (asking “Is Seri my sister?”), Tak’s decision to go ahead with his stupid project even as he faces a legal threat because of the fake news story while we already know that the custody battle over Hani is about to begin. The night that our middle brother spent, etc. It all adds up to a serious re-blocking effort to have stories to fill out the four added episodes which this Weekender has just received.

In Episode 42 Snake sheds her skin to have an 180 degree personality change to agree to the divorce, release her narcissistic gas lighting and allow Chun Soo to move on with his life. It was not a redemption finish but an out-of-character capitulation. But there is another snake, no Serpent, in the show: Silla Mom. She has ramped up her actions for her own personal interests. She blesses Seri and the Professor in order for her to get into the Oh family to interact with Gang-Soo. (Beom-Soo’s reaction to the blessing was telling: his silence spoke volumes, his expression gaunt, and his words showed a lack of interest. Did he finally wake up to the situation?) Serpent Mom interacts with Bom to push her toward Gang-Soo so she can still get a child as the LX “heir” or future CEO. The divorce demand is to rid her of stupid Silla Dad so Serpent’s plans can go forward without his interference.

LX MIL may be the most reasonable character in the show. She takes information and hearsay to privately confirm her opinions and decisions. I think she realizes that Han’s actions with the Eagle Bros was for his benefit and plan and not Gwang-Sook’s. She is well within her boundaries to allow Han to have a love life but not to ruin the reputation of the family or harm her grandchildren. I also thought Gwang-Sook’s expression when told by MIL that marriage was not in the cards not shock but a mild form of relief from Han’s constant pressure on her to “speed things up” while she wants to take it slow.

It is still unbelievable that the four person brewery is now doubling export production without more staff, more equipment, etc. Joo-Sil and Mr. Go cannot keep their dating secret for long as worker Kim knows right away.

I could care less about the Heung-Soo comeback. But this bad couple is the only one showing actual dating intimacy.

I felt this episode was a placeholder type of filler as the main problems simmer on hold.