Relationships continue to be strained, and the past comes back to the forefront in episodes seven and eight of "Secret Mother". Eun-yeong faces Yoon-jin's trauma head on, and Min-joon's repressed pain shakes his mother's resolve. The Daechi-dong trio are now fully on board the efforts to get rid of the admissions tutor, while Jae-yeol's own connections to key figures start being built.
It looks like my assumption on Se-yeon's (Son Seung-woo) malpractice case being Hyeon-joo (Ji An) was wrong, although her connection to the case is still on the table for me. Putting aside a possible deeper connection to the mystery, Jae-yeol (Kim Tae-woo) seems attracted to her, which will just become an additional burden for everyone. The family is going through difficult times, so I can see how he would succumb to a way out, even if a temporary one.
What personally makes me a bit suspicious about him for the first time, however, is the revelation that he is pushing Yoon-jin (Song Yoon-ah) back to work at his mother's request. It could be a win-win situation where he can give Yoon-jin a break and help his mother as well, but I do wonder about his own take on things. That being said, he clearly loves his son, and his emotions for his wife seem genuine. Their conversation is a heartbreaking scene.
It also shows us how Yoon-jin is changing due to Eun-yeong (Kim So-yeon). Everyone has been tiptoeing around her trauma and the bouts of aggression stemming from it, and although her first reaction is to lash out, Eun-yeong clearly gets to her. Just as Yoon-jin asks for Jeong-wan's (Song Jae-rim) help because she is not invested in his emotional well-being, Eun-yeong is someone she can freely show her weaknesses to without hurting a loved one.
I expressed my wish to see the Daechi-dong mother trio become more involved soon, and we now have a motive for them wanting the woman they know as Lisa Kim out. I do think they are a red herring for her assault, but we do not know if we have a Big Bad alongside people with various crimes here. More importantly, I wish to see these women and their families go beyond the caricatures they currently are.
We also get to have a proper introduction to Hyeon-joo, a pivotal character in the mystery. I do not know if the story is still built according to the original versions of the character descriptions, but if it is, we have several characters who would want her gone. I just hope that "Secret Mother" can balance between keeping the mystery going and providing us with adequate explanations at the end of it all.
"Secret Mother" is directed by Park Yong-soon, written by Hwang Ye-jin and features Song Yoon-ah, Kim So-yeon, Kim Tae-woo and Song Jae-rim.
Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.