I am really loving the narration and how it applies to all the main characters even though it’s all from Mi Ji’s point of view.
“We are our worst enemies”

And we can see how good Mi Ji is in comforting others but fails when it comes to herself. She had been the one closing the doors on others.

I am not happy that Ho Su is still in the dark. It’s weird that he catching feelings for the other twin. It’s just not something I can enjoy. Unless the show tells me he knew all along and is just going with the flow.

I also doubt Ho Su’s mom has caught on to the swap.

SIGH, I was really hoping she would tell Ho Su she was Mi Ji, but that was wishful thinking. I feel bad for him. The gaslighting isn't kind. That being said, I am glad we are getting to know Mi Rae better. I am also glad they are getting to know each other, themselves, and the lives they have lived.

Still great. Scene with Grandma had me crying. Can really relate to it as someone who's been in hermit mode. It's like Grandma was speaking to me. I needed to hear those words. Can also relate to those feelings of guilt. Oof.
Grandma's words also reminded me of how nice it is to hear comforting words especially after being hurt by others.
Glad Hosu quit his job. Hoping he realizes it's not a failure and that there's no need to work at the "top" and "best" law firm. Having integrity is the epitome of success.

Don't like: lying about the twin swap
Also don't like how there's not a fuller picture here. I do not like how Kdramas do this thing where they just set people up with one other person (in a romantic/sexual relationship) (as I'm assuming they're going to do with Miji/Hosu and Mirae/farmer). I understand their coworkers and former classmates suck, but I would've liked for them to have someone outside of a romantic/sexual interest. Friends maybe? I would even approve of the Miji/Hosu and Mirae/farmer pairings as friends.

I have been enjoying this despite Jinyoung’s acting not working for me which surprised me as I have liked his other dramas. He was so memorable to me as the young version of Yoo Jitae’s character in When My love blooms but here, it isn’t working (for me). Probably also because I find the younger actor playing him not evoking him in any shape or form so it is discordant.

I was so disapointing she denied she was Mi-Ji and he didn't push it a little bit more! Poor guy, he will be confuse with being in love with Mi-ji and feeling attracted by the fake Mi-rae.

Mi-ji and Mi-rae experencing the life of each other makes them learning so much about themselves.

OK, last week I told you I thought Ho-su liked Mi-ji. Here are my predictions based on this week's episode. (I know sometimes they are tricky on these shows, so I will not be upset if I get it wrong. I just need someone else to know when I get it right!)
1. The time we saw Ho-su and Mi-rae hugging in the stands at the track meet in high school was when he told her he liked her sister.
2. Ho-su knows this is Mi-ji. He was not fooled by her denial.
3. Ok-hee can tell her daughters apart.

Ok-hee's scene where she loses her temper with her daughter was so relatable--both roles. I teared up.

I really related to Mi-ji locking herself in her room for years. I’ve done that too, maybe not for as long, but the feeling is the same. The more time you spend isolated, the more your mind convinces you that the world is against you. It’s like your brain builds walls not just around your body, but around your trust and hope too. That part about us being our own worst enemy? So true.

Thanks @quirkycase for the recap. And before anyone starts getting angry at the twins for not revealing their switch, let’s not forget: switching identities like that is a literal crime. Ho-su is well versed in law he would know all about that lol.

What I liked the most:
- Surprised it was Mi-Ji who actually suffered from major depression. (I don’t think she was suffering from agoraphobia but anxiety that often accompanies depression.) This was very well depicted and unmistakeable. The tendency to berate yourself and feel guilt and shame for your mere existence is on point. This brought a new dimension about her character that really endeared me to her. This girl suffered a lot, overcame it, and continued to live a purpose-driven life based on positivity and devotion to her grandmother. This is a feat at her age. Even if she continues to think she’s a failure, she’s far, FAR more accomplished than she gives herself a credit. We finally see the origin of the phrase she keeps repeating (don’t remember the exact wording) “yesterday was yesterday, tomorrow is unwritten, today is what matters.” Concentrate on what you can do today. Don’t have regrets about the past. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Atta girl!

Things I disliked:

- Ho-Soo can’t seem to catch a break. Everyone is gaslighting him to an extent, especially his mentor. He’s going to be wrung out emotionally by the end of the series.

- what’s the point of 12 episodes when it’s basically 16 episodes packed into 12? These extra 15-17 minutes they pack on are so extra. It feels draggy at times.

- Ro-sa subplot is not interesting, I’m sorry, even though as a character (poet in incognito) she should be.

- Three years of high-school switch? I wish they made it clear that Mi-jie’s injury was most likely toward the end of high-school. Cause Mi-Rae managing double of high-school workload stretches the realm of imagination, especially since she was preparing for notoriously difficult entrance exams for the university.

- Mi-Rae is not interesting. I’m falling asleep whenever she appears near the farm. I don’t find anything remotely to connect with her.

- They don’t exchange notes by phone whenever awkward situation arises? Or at least before bed? I’d be texting the storm to my twin with all the questions and challenges I had.

- Romance is rather uncomfortable, mostly because of what it does to our poor Ho-Soo! I LOVED that he quit but boy this whole confusion about his feelings to Mi-Rae is going to hit him hard once he finds out the truth.

Continue watching it primarily to see Mi-Jie growth arc (she’s a complex and interesting character) and Ho-Soo’s mom. That neighbor ajuma dishes out a LOT of very wise and sensible advice.

Really loving the healing themes in this show 💖. The idea that we can be 'our own worst enemy' and fall into self-sabotage through insecurity and self-doubt, is one that most self-aware, reflective people can relate to.🤛

As challenging as this trait can be, I still much prefer it to the kind of narcissistic personality that can see no fault in themselves - however blatantly obvious it is! 😬

It's interesting that the idea of self-belief is present in a number of other characters as well, including Ho-soo's (ex) boss and the lovely poet/restaurant owner who thinks no one cares about her scholarships...I love how they are finding support and being buoyed by how others see them and their worth.

I had one question though (I might have missed something). I didn't understand why Ho-soo wasn't interested in working for the part of his law firm that took on the public interest/pro bono cases. He is obviously not suited to the cut-throat win-at-any-cost approach of his boss, so that seemed like a good option. Can anyone enlighten me? (I mean beyond the obvious, it happened because the writer needed him to be free to work with poet lady!)

(I also didn't understand why he was surprised that he wasn't getting any call-backs for the jobs he applied for. I mean his boss literally told him he was going to be vengeful and petty and block him from working anywhere else....)🤷‍♀️

“It closed.” The drama portrays this recurring theme in Mi-jis life that Knock Knock Open Your Heart as ep 3 title seems fitting. I just finished 3, staying up late for 4(no surprise, night owl here)!

Episode 3 continues Mi-ji’s work struggles as she tries to act like Mi-rae to convince Restaurant owner Ro-Sa to sell her land for redevelopment. It is a struggle because she has no corporate experience. Only when she starts being herself in speech and actions does she melt the cold shell of Ro-Sa. We see at the end Ro-Sa’s bitterness is attributed to the lack of recognition of her accomplishments and past kindness. Ho-Su’s appearance to thank her for his scholarship is the turning point in the lives of many of the characters. Ho-Su screws up one settlement deal so he is cast out like Mi-Rae. When he pushes to go see a client, he finds himself in a group blind date. LOL. But it brings in an old classmate, Ji-Yun, in the picture as a mutual friend of Mi-ji/Mi-Rae. She does not understand why Mi-Ji stopped being her friend in HS (after her ankle injury) but even little things can hurt hard and longer than big ones. But just as Ho-Su is getting back in his mentor’s fold, he drops the bomb that he quit his law firm. He is now ready to help Mi-Ji.

Back at home, Mi-Rae gets the backstory of regret from the strawberry owner. Her mother gets the same life lesson from the principal about carrying for her mother instead of Mi-Ji. Mi-Rae starts to get an understanding of Mi-Ji’s life when her ex-BF attempts to re-start the relationship (and blocked by Se-Jin, whose haplessness in farming and driving a manual transmission shows how out of place he is in the world . . . which mirrors both sisters‘ plights.

Episode 4 packs in all the harsh and regretful moments the Twins have bottled up for years. After losing her ability to run, Mi-ju goes into a three-year deep depression. The only person who understands is grandma. But when she has a stroke, Mi-ju is unable to get help for her because she cut herself off from the world. She finally realizes that she is her own worst enemy. It also explains why she was grandma’s caregiver, out of guilt. Mi-Rae also regrets her failure on the civil servant’s exam causing her own isolation and regrets. She built her own shell to keep the outside from hurting her again. But she was not strong enough to overcome (like her sister). It takes the swap to realize that the traits each twin has is needed by the other in order to be a complete person.

Ho-Su quitting the law firm knowing his mentor would sabotage any lateral move was totally out of character. But he, too, has had regrets about the path of his life. He was never comfortable with the win at all costs career. He is a humanist not a gunslinger. Once he quits, he is ready to take on Mi-Rae’s harassment case (we still don’t know Mr. Park’s accused crimes). Here is the fatal flaw all k-writers fall into: they pen lawyers as unethical beasts that switch sides in the middle of a case. In SK, lawyer ethics and license requirements call for client loyalty, even after leaving a firm, from representing an adverse party to their client.Yes, the writer is setting up the...

Random thoughts:
- I'm sure that there's a non-romantic explanation for Ho-su and Mi-rae's embrace, but whatever it was, it still sucks that he was late for her race and not paying attention when he was there.
- Mi-rae must have done a lot of research on strawberries.
- I really, really don't like their mom. Not only for how she treats her daughters, but also how she treats the principal. The principal seems like a nice enough woman even if her bragging about her son is annoying (but isn't that also what mothers do, at least in dramaland?) What a different life those girls would be living if their dad hadn't died.
- Are we supposed to find Mi-ji's friend sinister? I told my husband he was being too pushy, but my husband pointed out that the real Mi-ji would have pushed him right back so that's probably what he was expecting.
- I loved the theme of being your own toughest critic. So true.

The twins arguing over taking care of grandma was most relatable!!
Aww both of them are hard on themselves!

Thanks for the recap @quirkycase

This show is very good. We are getting some great slice of life healing dramas this year.

The relationship between Miju and Hosoo was so sweet when they were at school. I loved how they both were trying to time their meet ups so it looked like pure chance.

The twins’ mum would be in the top three for worst parent contender but she is beaten by Tangerine's mother in law and grandmother double whammy for the female lead who is in turn beaten by the skillfully headed off at the pass mother-in-law in the daughter’s generation in Tangerines.

We often see the golden child and the forgotten sibling hidden in their shadow but this drama went with the double spotlight of super bright with sickness as the only weakness. The mum not able to see her second child was terrible to watch. Thank God Miju had a grandma for those days when she was barely surviving.

Finally this drama filled in the missing link re the significance of the rainbow bridge on Heavenly ever after. They showed it as the entry point for the dogs to reunite with their owners in heaven and I didn’t get it.

I love it when the dramas weave in poetry especially when it is something really special that captures the moment. So what is the story on Rosa she is a poet so I am assuming she can read and write unless it was all dictated to someone who wanted to give voice to those who used the spoken word to share these gems. If she can read then is did she forget the note she had taken off the door due to dementia?

Am I the only one worried about the ‘thoughtful’ man at work. Is he her equivalent who stood by the senior who eventually left the firm after being targeted or is he trying to play good cop to the others under the radar bad cop routine? I worry she will let her guard down and then he will stab her in the back with a smile on his face.

I love that Drama!

1) Crying
Trophy of Tears goes to Park Bo-Young She doesn't just show someone crying or not crying, much better: it shows how different personalities cry in different ways.
What a scene: both sisters hugging each other after horrible incident:
Yoo Mi-Ji cries at the top of her lungs, as children do, out into the world, heartily, roaring.
Yoo Me-Rae as (same actress!) doesn't cry at first and then joins in, following the lead.

2) Best dialogue, most emotional relationship for me: Ho-su and his boss Lee Chung.
Both men Park JinYoung and Im Chul-Soo aka Ho-Su and his boss are simply the best in their scenes with each other.
More intense than the romantic relationships.
Let's talk about what they have in common:
Our ML in the romance isn't just ML in a romance with a hearing aid.
His boss isn't just a boss in a wheelchair.
Both physically challenged male characters are the top performers in their professional environment.
And by the way: incredibly good looking (Ho-Su/JinYoung) and already proven GOOD (Chul-Soo: our Master Lee in Alchemy of Souls).
Yes, that helps to forget.
In the job interview with his chosen boss Chung-Ku, Ho-Su answers the question of what he hates the most: himself.
We know from the flashbacks that he hates being physically impaired.
He shouts it in his own words: he is a cripple.
As viewers, we are not protected and can pretend that the physical impairment is irrelevant.
Because it is overwhelmingly negatively relevant for Ho-Su. And his strongest emotion.
I like his boss: when he wants to make a point, he stands up. He straightens up, gets out of his wheelchair and stands at eye level. Whoever had the idea of having him stand up in these scenes has understood what ‘at eye level’ means. That's why we crouch down in front of a child, look them in the eye when we want to reach them. And an adult? Chung Ku, in his intellectual superiority and position, will never want us to squat down to reach his eye level.
And his boss has the finest antennae of all: he acts in a very differentiated way: he praises/thanks Ho-Su clearly, but without humiliating his colleagues (the avoided trial and the lip-reading). He knows exactly what kind of personality he is dealing with in Ho-su. He even builds him a bridge and offers Ho-su the chance to switch field ('accidentally' despising it - but so what! He reads Ho-Su correctly). Chul-Soo is not good or bad, he is honest.
One episode dealt with open/closed doors.
Ho-Su's ‚door’ to his boss was wide open from day one.
The most intense (and JinYoung's best scene yet, where he shows himself at his most vulnerable) takes place when Ho-Su explains to furious Chung-Ku that disability is not the reason he chose him/this law firm. It's HIM, who of course wouldn't be the same without the disability. His words are far more heartfelt and respectful than mine.
Chung-Ku doesn't believe in equal opportunities but victory despite a poor starting...

… despite a poor starting position.
I really liked the subtle interaction between the two men before the fall-out: considerate and free of pity
I hope the two will somehow find their way back together.