drama
Dads Ruin Everything in “Gu Family Book,” Episodes 13-18
Spoiler warning.
Gu Family Book is structured so the audience knows almost all of the secrets before they are revealed to the characters. This is partly because of the enormous prologue; for example, one of the biggest reveals for Kang-chi in this arc was that Yeo-wool’s father killed his dad, but for the audience this is shown in episode two. The other issue is its sprawling cast and predictable story lines. When the mysterious merchant from Japan arrives hot on the heels of Kang-chi’s father’s appearance, the audience has a pretty good idea that she is Seo-hwa. In case we didn’t guess right away, it is confirmed for us in episode 14 that the merchant is Kang-chi’s mother, a full two episodes before any character even suspects who she is. We wouldn’t have had that information confirmed if the drama didn’t follow all of the characters around in their private baths, and we wouldn’t have guessed it if her arrival wasn’t so obviously timed.
These hints are great for making the audience feel smart, but their reveals to the other characters need to be handled with care, or else they become boring and dragged out. One of the most effectively done was the aforementioned example of Kang-chi finding out who killed his father. In order to build suspense and add depth to the characters, the show made our leading lady find out this information before Kang-chi. This worked in so many ways: Yeo-wool frets about how to tell Kang-chi, inevitably putting it off, forcing her to keep a secret from him when their relationship needs trust more than anything. It also makes her contend with the fact that her father, who she’s held in the highest regard, killed an innocent being and ruined Kang-chi’s chance at a (somewhat) normal family.
However, not all reveals are handled equally, and some are used for predictable filler. Another major arc is Kang-chi gaining people’s trust, which arises because of the mysterious killings in the forest. We all know that demon daddy Wol-ryung is behind them, so the inciting incident is no mystery for the audience. That the fellow trainees shun Kang-chi out of suspicion could be spotted a mile away, and even Kang-chi’s showdown with Jo Gwon-woong to prove his innocence is a repeated device by now. After four episodes of Kang-chi being an outsider yet again, the audience is ready to move on and get to the real story — Kang-chi and his father. It took three full episodes for Kang-chi to confirm this guy is his dad, which felt unnecessarily long. When the show falls into these dragged out, predictable bits for supposed suspense, any information revealed during them feels like it was long overdue.
The part that probably sustained people through these last six episodes was THE KISS between Lee Seung-gi and Suzy. Though not a surprise, the suspense was well built up and the payoff satisfactory. After several near kisses, the audience gets their moment in the most dramatic way possible, and in keeping with the strong women theme, Yeo-wool initiates a second kiss. Not every character got attention during this arc — even Jo Gwon-woong seemed to slip off to the side — but the romance between our two leads blossomed. This also brought out the secondary love interests, and with some disappointing displays of pettiness it looks like Chung-jo might be an obstacle after all. Tae-seo’s forced engagement at least made some sense, but Chung-jo attempts took away the maturity she had gained and felt superficial.
Finally, in one last reveal that no one saw coming, Gon’s character took on a much more critical role. No longer simply a friend-zoned bodyguard, Gon turns out to be one of the four masters. This gives his character much more independence and complicates his relationship with Kang-chi, because Gon finally has some power over him. As awesome as Gon’s character is turning out to be, Sung Joon’s comedic facial expressions steal the spotlight. He’s given some epic expressions that speak volumes, and while they’re a little over-the-top, they are always hilarious.
Watchers, what did you think of episodes 13-18? Favorite moments? What are your predictions for the last six episodes?
(MBC, iMBC)
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