[Drama Recap] Make A Woman Cry: Episode 15

Deok-in's struggle with her birth mother continues. It's a bit of a heartbreaking situation, because "Let the Girl Cry" is delving into the reality of what these reunions usually mean for people. There's no magical moment of understanding- just this lingering sense of regret that this was how life turned out because for whatever reason, a mother was not able to be a mother.

Even though Deok-in and her mother are mostly on the same page in the ambiguity department, that doesn't make their meetings any less awkward. The mutual lies are the most uncomfortable part of that scene, because both women obviously mean well. Technically speaking Deok-in doesn't lie at all- it's just that this really is not the time to be discussing her own personal problems. We don't know to what extent Deok-in's mother is lying but that doesn't really matter. The older woman, too, is mainly concerned about not making Deok-in feel bad about the situation. It's a sweet gesture, circumstances notwithstanding. Anyway, on to the main storyline. I wasn't terribly impressed by the " scandal " involving Deok-in and Jin-woo. And I appreciate that they aren't bothered by it either. What's really interesting is that Jin-woo knows he should feel bad about it- but apparently a life lived with his family has mostly dulled Jin-woo to the impact of petty gossip.

All Jin-woo has to do is think about his late wife and all of a sudden any other problem he could have seems insignificant. From the rich family's perspective, this actually ends up coming off a lot better than might be expected. Jin-woo being apparently the only sympathetic character in the household, everyone else struggles to try and be a bit more helpful. It's a telling contrast to how they treated Jin-hee's concerns. Technically it's the exact same situation- but because Jin-woo acts maturely, rather than as a spoiled brat, everyone is actually reasonably interested in resolving the issue. All in all this was a pretty decent episode. The only very mild complaint I could have is the way the sad music played when Hyo-jeong showed up. Yes, her situation isn't enviable, but be that as it may her problems are relatively minor. "Let the Girl Cry" is at its best best when the story has a good sense of perspective- when the characters themselves appreciate the difference between solvable problems (Jin-woo) and unsolvable problems (Deok-in). It makes their struggles quite easy to empathize with.

Review by William Schwartz