"Answer Me 1988" Episode 11 recap

Ah, Deok-seon. She's such a girl. Her friends too. I don't mean that as an insult- I'm just surprised watching "Answer Me 1988" and realizing how rare it is to see teenage girls on TV act like, well, like dumb teenage girls, in the same way that teenage boys can always be relied on to act like dumb teenage boys. And in the case of Deok-seon, this is exhibited with her puppy-like ability to develop romantic feelings for any boy she thinks will reciprocate them.
With a backdrop like that it's highly appropriate that all the action this episode ends up being driven by a visit to the fortune teller. Initially it probably seems ridiculous that all these grown, reasonably intelligent women go to the fortune teller to get advice on college admissions of all things. But remember, this is 1988- back before every two-bit hack writer started coming up with guaranteed success tips to get your kid into the Ivy League. Compared to that, the fortune teller's advice isn't really much worse.
Although it definitely tends to be a lot more fun. While the fights Dong-il and Il-hwa have are usually just kind of annoying, the sheer absurdity of the set-up actually makes this one fairly amusing. Especially since Dong-il attempts to "settle" the argument once and for all with a test that does not end up going the way he's expecting. And of course after that whole crisis, what's left to do except to lean on the neighborhood family once again?
Even when there's not that much actually happening in "Answer Me 1988" the friendly tone is always absolutely wonderful. Mi-ran could be angry about unexpected guests, yet instead chooses to outdo herself. The adults in general could be mad about Jinju acting like, well, like a little girl. Bo-ra could be mad at Seong-woo for failing to understand her very basic conditions for dating, but for Seong-woo that's all worth it just so long as he gets to see her smile at the end.
Every little character development in "Answer Me 1988" is enormously sweet because of the way it builds off of these preexisting relationships. Everyone reacts predictably, yet as constant lifelong friends everyone lives too much in the moment to see the predictable moments coming, which lends an oddly comforting element of surprise. The way the mothers scoff at the fortuneteller's most obviously ridiculous prediction is the best example of this- it's only right at the end that Seon-yeong sees that possibility laid in front of her eyes.
Review by William Schwartz
"Answer Me 1988" is directed by Sin Won-ho, written by Lee Woo-jeong-I and features Seong Dong-il, Lee Il-hwa, Ra Mi-ran, Kim Seong-gyoon, Ryoo Hye-yeong, Hyeri, Ko Kyeong-pyo and Ryu Jun-yeol.

Copy & paste guideline for this article
Always put a link back to the source and HanCinema permalink