Pinocchio Episode 16 - Back Where We Belong

I had a lot of conflicting emotions with this episode.  First there was giddiness, mostly because Dal Po in love is one of the cutest things ever, followed by crankiness, acceptance, and then enjoyment.  I wonder if there is an official stages list for Pinocchio episodes?  It feels like things are starting to wind down and then I realized........ WE ARE ALMOST DONE! 

I don't know why I was thinking we had a lot of story left to watch, but we don't.  Next week is the last week (3 episodes will be aired to make up for the one missed for the award show) and then it is all over.  Now i am kind of sad since I have grown to expect my weekly Dal Po/In Ha fix.  But we are not finished yet so lets jump into my seven favorite moments of episode 16
#1 In Ha's Mind is In the Gutter
Our OTP is finally back on track.  Both have acknowledged that regardless by what name Dal Po uses or what their parents did back in the day, they are in love and that won't change.  YAY, lets shout from the rooftops that the misunderstandings have been resolved.  I am expecting smooth sailing from here on out and just bring on the cuteness! WOOT! WOOT!

Dal Po is chalk full of sappy grins and is exuding happiness from the tip of his head down to his toes.  But our poor leading lady is still limping from her previous blisters, forcing Dal Po into protective hero mode. Unable to catch a cab (can't they just phone one to their location?) he offers to fix her feet at his apartment, which is conveniently just across the street.  Hmmmm this is sure fateful.  As fateful as running out of gas in the middle of nowhere at make-out point hehehe.  Obviously In Ha feels the same since she looks at Dal Po with affront and crosses her arms about her chest.  BWAHAHAHA Can you really claim evil intentions when you had lived in the same house with him for 2/3rds of your life?  I personally am just happy that the show takes a break from all the reporting to let us have some sweet OTP goodness.  It has been sorely missed.

#2 Caught in the Act
Boy tenderly dresses girls blisters, boy stares gaga eyed at girl, they are in an apartment.......alone (imagine my eyebrows wagging suggestively).  What could go amiss?  One's grandfather and father could always show up unannounced and ruin the mood.  

Hahaha.  Dal Po and In Ha are obviously flustered since not only are they not ready to announce their relationship to the world, but she is alone in her boyfriends house.  Things do not look great if they are caught.  In Ha quickly hides in the closet and Dal Po is faced with lying to his Grandpa and Ahjussi all while In Ha hiccups in the closet.  It was truly an amusing scene, all the funnier when In Ha's father finds a long hair on the floor of the apartment and surmises that Dal Po is "entertaining" a woman so soon after breaking up with In Ha (I personally love how much Ahjussi ships Dal Po and In Ha being together.  So cute).

When Dal Po finally gets rid of the two men and checks up on In Ha, she is pulling a sleeping beauty in the closet.  He smiles and asks In Ha how she can sleep in that kind of situation while gingerly moving her to his bed.  The next morning In Ha awakes to the realization she had just spent the whole night at her boyfriends.  Mortified she tries to sneak out but is caught by Dal Po who chides her for being silly since they had lived together for 13 yrs.  He shoves her into the bathroom and then promptly gasps for breath since he also was obviously feeling the differences in their new relationship.  Let's just all have a joint grin of satisfaction that we get the cute OTP we had originally fallen in love with.

#3 UGH! Why are we Moving Backwards?
Just when you think everything is all  flowers and sausages, our leading lady puts a kink in the works.  In Ha tells Dal Po that until she can get her mother to apologize for her sins that they can not officially declare their relationship since she feels too guilty to Hottie Hyung and those that died in the fire.  UGH!!!!!!! Wae? Wae? Wae?  

I want cute couple moments in between the angst of taking down creepy smiley CEO and Ice Mom.  Why can't they fight for justice and truth while wearing couple T-shirts and matching scarves?  I felt a tiny bit betrayed at this point and began to wonder why we were going in circles.  Just move us forward already.

#4 Memory Like A Sieve
Our cutie couple did not keep it much of a secret since all of their coworkers started to figure their relationship status right away.  I personally would have expected more of a reaction due to the whole, mortal enemies with In Ha's mother situation.  But no, they kind of just marvel over it and go on, except for Ice Mom who seems shocked to find out her daughter is in a relationship with Dal Po.  I personally forgot that ice mom did not know they were dating.  I guess it is one of those things you assume everyone already knew.

Like myself, the nation's attention span is very short.  Just when things seem to be heating up on the "prove the truth of the fire" front, the Olympics begin and all of the news stations prepare for their around the clock coverage.  Our newbies are obviously upset as they see that the important work they had been doing was going to get thrown out the window and forgotten.  All four complain that the situation is unfair and that the public and families of the deceased deserve for the truth to come out.  They are all shot down and told that the public wants happy stories over old disaster news.

#5 Dal Po Schools the Other Reporters Like a Boss
It always makes me laugh when dramas unfold that old twisty fate that has rival groups, businessmen, couples, etc finding themselves eating at the same restaurant.  Not only that but in the same private (or semi-private) room.  Separated by only a partial partition our rival news teams discuss the impending Olympics and what this means for the fire story.  Dal Po's team (along with In Ha on the other side) argue that people deserve to know the truth and that is more important than being entertained.  Ice Mom argues back that people want to see the happy side of the world and that it is their job to give the viewers happy scenes of this major event.  Dal Po loudly asks his director what he would rather see on the news, necessary information or something happy.  Both sides are shocked when director supports Ice Mom's opinion.  Dal Po continues to stew for a few minutes then turns to his hairband coworker.  Dal Po informs him that he forgot to tell him some news that needed passed on and which did he want first, the good news or the bad news.  

Hairband coworker blankly chooses the former and Dal Po tells him that a Sumbae had dropped off tickets to a concert (which sends hairband into spasms of joy at the thought of seeing APink.  Hehehe).  Dal Po then tells him that his results came back from his physical and he has cancer.  Hairband's joy turns to despair as he wails that he knew it and all the coworkers wonder why Dal Po had not told him that first.  Dal Po calmly asks why? - The cancer news isn’t the news he wanted to hear, so why should it come first?  Everyone settles back as they realize that Dal Po had just publicly called out his boss.  Lucky for Dal Po this is a drama so his boss just looks reflective.

#6 A New Ship

I have discovered a new "ship".  That of yawn girl, Yoo Rae, and mentor Gyo Dong. I love her, I love him, I want them both to be happy and in an awesome relationship.  And Gyo Dong's reaction to her is just so fun whenever Yoo Rae shows up drunk in the reporters lounge.   I like to imagine in my head that the thumbs up he gave her at dinner was really Gyo Dong saying "You amuse me like no other.  I love you and your black plastic bag.  Lets marry and have cute reporter babies who can't hold their liquor". What? It could happen right?

#7 Psycho Hidden Behind A Smile 
How terrifying is smiling mommy CEO.  Not only is her nice persona a total facade, but she is openly all sorts of evil.  Brings up a good question for us to ponder.  At what point does the line get crossed of being a good businessman (or woman as the case might be) to where it is openly a crime?  I am sure that our mommy bad guy crossed that line a long time ago and obviously has no guilt over her actions.  I just feel so bad for Texting Hottie and the horrible realization he must come to in regards to his beloved mother.  I wonder which will win out for this momma's boy, justice or blood?  Should be interesting to find out.

My Thoughts:
While originally I was a little miffed that the writers were pulling us away from our OTP storyline, I came to a kind of acceptance.  While not being as sweet and romantic, the news/journalist storyline does bring up a lot of very valid points about society and their lack of focus.  It makes me wonder about my own feelings about the news and do I tend to ignore what I should be paying attention to?  Obviously the writers have had a moral story to tell throughout the drama and while we get those fleeting moments of OTP cuteness, it is in fact more focused on society and the media.  So I guess that I will just have to accept that the writers have stayed true to their artistic vision and just enjoy the romance when they dole it out.  After all, only happy couple moments does not a great drama make.

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