The Joker Strikes Again
Dongbaek and Ms Kwak then discuss the recent events in her marinated crab restaurant. She tells Dongbaek that she should watch her son for a while before deciding what to do about it. Dongbaek explains that she misses having someone around and asks if she would accept her if she chose to be with her son. Ms Kwak tells her that it’s difficult as Yong-Sik would be raising a child who isn’t his. Yong-Sik takes Dongbaek to have dumplings soon after where she finally admits that she cares about him. Sadly, she also tells him that she’s not sure she wants a relationship as she’s still worried about what Ms Kwak and Pil-Go think. After some deliberation, she decides she wants to take it slow and see where things lead naturally for now. The next day, Dongbaek finds the camellia with a sign saying that the lease is up and the place is available. Ja-Hyeon helps her with her case while Mr No is teased by the women of Onsang, telling her no one is going to vote for him with the charges hanging over his head. After looking for Dongbaek’s ledger everywhere, Mr No confronts Dongbaek about the charges and tells her he’ll press some against Yong-Sik as well. She tells him to apologise and after much debating, he finally does. Meanwhile, at the police station, Yong-Sik and captain Byun continue with the investigation, looking at the footprints found in the alleyway. Yong-Sik decides to leave him to it and carry out an investigation of his own by speaking to the women of Onsang. They tell him that the one person who made money is Mr No. After the murder of Dongbaek’s friend, he ended up buying the building for next to nothing. Jessica confronts Jong-Ryeol about the speeding ticket from Onsang and decides to find out what he was doing there. She goes on to tell him that she’s going away for two years to study modelling in Milan, which shocks Jong-Ryeol as she’ll be leaving her daughter behind. As they drive, Jong-Ryeol asks her to wait a few years before going as their daughter will be a bit older. He also reminds her who she really is; she’s not even that famous or a professional model. However, being her usual selfish self, she decides to go anyway. Dongbaek has a meeting at school with Pil-Gu’s teacher who tells her he’s not doing well in math while Jong-Ryeol watches his son, realising even more that he wants to be in his life. After failing to teach Pil-Gu some baseball, Dongbaek arrives and decides to take everyone for some ice cream. She discusses Pil-Gu with Jong-Ryeol and believes he should quit his reality show for him. Yong-Sik reports his finding about Mr No to the captain but the latter doesn’t believe he would have done it. In the evening, Jong-Ryeol decides to take Yong-Sik our for dinner to discuss Dongbaek. He tells her that he shouldn’t pity her. Yong-Sik replies that he knows he’s Pil-Gul’s dad but also that he lost his chance with Dongbaek and her son. Unlike him, he will put everything on the line for her and do his best to make them happy. As Yong-Sik meets with Dongbaek for their usual walk, Yong-Sik vows to be different and that if they get into a relationship, he will make her more happy than she has ever been. After sharing a few touching and funny moments together, they both head to the camellia but the mood suddenly changes when they find an ominous message written in red on the wall: “I told you not to be a joke and I have been watching you every day since that day”. As Yong-Sik holds Dongbaek tightly, we leave the episode hanging on a cliffhanger. When The Camellia Blooms’ latest instalment has some touching moments, especially between Ms Kwak and Dongbaek. The older lady really seems to care for her and if her son and Dongbaek do end up together, I’m holding out hope that she’ll accept them. Dongbaek’s character has certainly evolved too and this episode shows another stronger side of her which is refreshing to see; it seems that Yong-Sik has managed to bring that side out of her. While the episode was a little slower this week, it still remains enjoyable and ends on an another cliffhanger, showing that, as feared, the joker has been watching Dongbaek all along. This little twist definitely helps making this slower episode more intriguing and should keep fans coming back for more.
