Hyde, Jekyll and I Episode 9 - The Old Switcheroo

The pace finally starts to pick up as we discover a new big bad to contend with, not to mention all that messy Ha Na dating a personality business.  As Robin and Ha Na become closer, the emotional stakes become higher on the eventual fallout.  It is one thing to be a friend and keep the whole multiple personality secret, but as a boyfriend it ups the coverup to a whole new level of evasion. 

We left episode 10 surprised that hot doc is not just your run of the mill, turtleneck loving, hypnotist.  Nope, in fact he is Seo Jin's childhood BFF and the other boy who had been kidnapped when they were young.  Is it wrong that I was actually glad that he turned out to be the bad guy? Otherwise his underuse as a second lead would just be tragic.  Not only that, but now there is a logical explanation why he wears those ugly turtlenecks (he has a scar on his neck he is hiding......or at least I am going to assume that is the reason.  It is the only thing that makes that horrible look make sense).

I love how Hot Doc has to tone down his crazy look into a bland smile before he opens the door to Ha Na, although we see his facade crack just a tad when Robin/Seo Jin pops up next to her.  Needless to say Hot Doc is very confused over the open sunny smile that Robin is sporting.  His confusion only grows as Ha Na claims that this is Seo Jin's twin brother Robin.

They sure are playing fast and loose with this whole twin brother thing. Don't you assume that eventually someone will come out and say, "I was there at the birth and there was no twin brother."?  OK, that might be an exaggeration, but the amount of people that are finding out is slightly staggering.  And let's just say that our hot doc is no idiot and knows there is no secret twin.

As usual, Ha Na hypnotist session ends in failure. It really is a shame that the bad guy is in charge of extracting memories of himself out of your brain. My guess is they are going to remain hidden for a while.

After the traumatic session, Robin and Ha Na go back to the circus office for some cutesy couple time (GAG.....Team Seo Jin 4ever).  Ha Na continues to worry about Seo Jin, but her concerns are shoved aside by Robin.  It amazes me how self absorbed Robin is. I have to admit I was a little ticked off when Robin told Ha Na to leave Seo Jin alone and not worry about him anymore.  Not sure if it was jealousy, possessiveness, or just him thinking that Seo Jin needed to be alone.  Either way, Robin's lack of apathy of Seo Jin's situation is kind of annoying.  Robin did not even realize the pain Seo Jin had been in when he was a child.  He finds out that Seo Jin had been contemplating suicide for a year before that fateful night on the Bridge where he was "born" and I am shocked that he didn't know the depth of pain his other self was in.  Robin explains (using his drawings which was a nice use of props) that the one who was committing suicide was actually Seo Jin, but the one who saved her was Robin.  Ha Na focuses on the drawings of Seo Jin and Robin again tries to tell her that Seo Jin is OK and survived.  Seems to me that a certain personality needs to realize that just because someone survived, does not mean they are OK.

I have a slight gripe to make at this juncture (relax, for once it is not Robin focused.)  Yet again we are forced to watch a kdrama where the cops are portrayed as one track minded idiots. Due to the fact that a hypnotist declared that their suspect (the guy who is not Lee Soo Hyun) has been mind hacked, they deduct that the only person who could have done it is in fact the missing Dr Kang.  SIGH... really that is the only solution you could come up with?  Let's ignore the fact that Ha Na came upon her body, bloody and unconscious, and that someone attempted to kill her afterwards.  In this whole wide world only one person came upon this concept of mind hacking?  Why don't you take a look around you? For example, at the hypnotist that always seems to be around that is spouting off the term "Mind Hack".

If I had one other complaint about this episode, it would be that there was just not enough Seo Jin. At least we got some really solid time with him and Ha Na (Quality over quantity) to make up for it.  Being the do-gooder she is, Ha Na cannot handle leaving Seo Jin alone and in pain.  She sneaks into his room to check on how he is doing, only to find Seo Jin on the floor frantically looking through psychology articles and thesis.  Terrified that Dr Jang really did attack him, Seo Jin is trying to find evidence one way or the other.  Poor boy does not even notice that he sliced his finger while aggressively turning pages in a book.  Ha Na grabs his hand and applies a band aid telling him to calm down, that Dr Jang did not betray him and to just trust.

Poor Seo Jin yells back: "My own father did not save me.  Who can I trust?"  Ha Na tells Seo Jin the story of how she would go to the bridge every night and watch him.  Then she says "Trust in yourself.  If no one else trust what you feel."  Seo Jin is left to contemplate her revelations but mutters to himself that it is just to late.  Overwhelmed Seo Jin faints/passes out on the floor amid his research which is how Robin finds himself when he awakens.  Robin comments to himself that "Seo Jin is acting unlike himself".

Loved this scene and for once I genuinely felt a connection between the two leads.  A huge difference from what I feel when watching Ha Na and Robin "date".  To me they feel like love in elementary school.  You send notes to each other behind the teachers back, you say you like each other, hold hands, all that fun cutesy stuff.  But at the end of the day your "boyfriend" could go home, have a glass of milk served to him by his mommy, and decide that girls are yucky and go play with his Legos.  There is just no depth to their relationship beyond Robin being a nice guy who is comfortable. 

It seems that Seo Jin (the personality) has decided to take the day off.  Waking up the next morning, Robin is shocked, well, to find himself conscious.  It is Seo Jin's time and by all normal accounts, he should be in charge of the body.  Usually this would not be a huge problem, but with the all important board meeting scheduled for today, Robin is in a pickle.  Haha, its time for Robin to learn what it is like to be Seo Jin for a change.  He has to throw away his easy going hair, his Peter Pan ways, and step up to the responsibility plate.  I about died laughing at his first attempt and secretary just cried "It's just Robin wearing glasses.  Don't worry, we still have the hair part."  It is interesting that Robin had just as much problems becoming Seo Jin, as Seo Jin had trying to smile.  They just don't see eye to eye on anything. Which is ironic considering they share the same eyes.

Robin succeeds in hiding his identity from everyone at the board meeting except for his ever critical father.  His father, in true jerk fashion, demands that Robin resign and leave immediately if Seo Jin is gone.  Robin objects and tells his father that he can't ruin Seo Jin's life that way. Just because Seo Jin is hiding right now does not mean that it is permanent.  Jerk Father is obviously not convinced but he let's the topic drop (at least while Robin is in the office).  Anyone else get super angry with jerk dad?  Especially upon learning that all of Seo Jin's problems stem from loving money more than his son.  Sometimes when he is on screen, I like to think up mean things to yell at him because someone needs to yell some sense into his thick skull.

The interesting thing about having an emotionally disturbed psychiatrist bad guy is that you can never have a straight forward wham, bam, I hate you just die situation.  Instead Hot Doc decides to be a very overachieving villain and play with Seo Jin like a cat with a mouse.  He calls Seo Jin (currently Robin pretending to be Seo Jin) and orders him to go to the haunted house.  This is the place where Seo Jin and Hot Doc got abducted in their youth.  A place that Seo Jin would never venture into voluntarily.  But Robin has no such hangups and goes bounding into the creepy attraction.  Having seen Seo Jin walking through the park, Ha Na follows and when she witnesses his entrance into the Haunted House starts to get concerned.  I am sure we are in for a trip down memory (at least Seo Jin's memories) lane tomorrow and look forward to what evil plan hot doc has cooked up this time.

My Thoughts:
Thank goodness the show has finally started to find its footing.  Unfortunately, it is probably too late to win back viewers, but hopefully this will help it in its long run viewing numbers.  I am finally invested in the romance (as long as Seo Jin ends up being the dominate personality) and I am totally in love with the over the top bad guy Hot Doc.  I love his complicated plotting and his extreme evil expressions when he is doing his monologues.  It is as if a young Bond Villain found his way onto the scene and is starting his world domination attempts on the small scale of Wonderland/Seo Jin.

For a drama that was limping along, Hot Doc's sudden influx of cheesy evil scheme's is a breath of fresh air and this ahjumma is loving it.  The only thing I could do without is the turtlenecks.  Lets trade them in for a black jeans, low V T-shirt, and a black cap, the official outfit of a true kdrama villain.  I am sure the women viewership would all be appreciative.

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