I was really hoping the special would be chock full of deleted scenes, but what we got instead was a speedy review of how Ya Nuo and Zi Feng fell in love. Once I got over the initial disappointed however, I found myself enjoying the hour quite a bit.
Dang, I have forgotten how great this show was at creating heart skipping scenes back when our two leads' feelings were still unconfirmed.
One scene I really appreciated was when Zi Feng found out about Ya Nuo's secret and connecting that particular scene to him comforting a sobbing Ya Nuo. I remembered back when I watched the scene of Ya Nuo sobbing over Zhe Rui's "betrayal" it didn't make any sense how Zi Feng would pop up out of nowhere to comfort Ya Nuo but with the two scenes connected it makes a whole lot more sense now. Still, I was REALLY hoping the writer would at least give us some scenes of Zi Feng's reaction after he finds out Ya Nuo is a girl but no such luck.
Just when I despair thinking that there weren't going to be any deleted scenes then the show did end up giving as a few clips. Deleted Scene#1 I believe this one is where Zi Feng took Ya Nuo to a night viewing spot. In the original scene I don't remember all the other couples around so there were of course no scene of Ya Nuo getting shy either.
Deleted Scene #2 While Na Na and Qing Yang are out shopping for their bunny Na Na's leg suddenly starts to hurt and Qing Yang ends up having to piggy back her home. Na Na's illness coming back was kinda sudden so this scene makes it a lot more reasonable.
Deleted Scene #3 I think this scene was a deleted one...at least I don't remember it but then I am not the most attentive when it comes to Na Na and Qing Yang's story. Worried about her ability to really promise Qing Yang a happy ever after when her illness could come back anytime, Na Na confesses her concerns to Qing Yang. Kneeling down in front of Na Na, Qing Yan assures her that even if tomorrow is uncertain at least they have today to be together.
Deleted Scene #4 This one is just a small scene of Ya Nuo and Zi Feng's friends showing up with their wedding clothes.
The best part of this special is probably the BTS. How hilarious is that Megan Lai was so shy when the director AND Baron Chen keep trying to teach her how to be more fierce during the last kissing scene.
Tired after practicing their kissing repeatedly down the hallway, Baron Chen gets in a fun mood and has Megan Lai do a impromptu horror movie with him. Crawling on the floor, Baron Chen tells Megan Lai to drag his feet and imagines that the door to their hotel room would crack just a bit with his hand reaching out. However, before he could escape to freedom another hand would suddenly drag him back into the room and the door would slam shut.
I guess this is really goodbye! Sob... ps. I didn't catch this the first time through but the hotel room number during the last kissing scene actually had a meaning. The room was 1314 which sounds like "For life and for ever" so a truly a happy ever after for Ya Nuo and Zi Feng.
Taiwanese Daily: The Love Song (????) Episodes: 70 + Synopsis: Our heroine isa very lonely married woman who is reunited with her collage ex-boyfriend after 10 years and finds out that her ex-boyfriend is actually gay. The gay part is a misunderstanding but it looks like it will be the reason that makes our two leads become friends once again. Episode 1-3 Recap By Ninja
Exasperated yet happy when her long time boyfriend Shao Qi proposes to her during a bungee jumping trip, Xiao Qian's (heroine) is elated to think that she will never be lonely again. On the day of Xiao Qian's wedding Shao Qi suddenly gets a phone call from his boss informing him of a work promotion that will grant him the dream job he has always wanted...all the way in China. Forcing herself to smile when her husband excitedly turns towards her, Xiao Qian comforts herself with the thought that a long distance relationship can't be so bad.
Waving goodbye to her husband the day after their wedding, Xiao Qian begins to fill her life with various classes that will make her a better wife...for an absent husband.
Jubilant when she shows up at the airport to welcome her husband home, Xiao Qian suppresses her disappointment when Shao Qi is soon called away on yet another company meeting. Pleased by Xiao Qian's "of course your work comes first" attitude, Shao Qi rushes off once again.
Dismayed when she finds out that her collage ex-boyfriend He Quan is actually working with her husband, Xiao Qian pretends to be causal acquaintances with He Quan in front of Shao Qi. Despite being puzzled by Xiao Qian's determination to hide their past relationship, He Quan nonetheless goes along with her decision. Just to clarify, I changed the hero's name from He Xiao Quan to just He Quan because I thought it would be really confusing if the hero and heroine's names are only different by one letter. Heroine: Xiao Qian Hero: Xiao Quan The hero is a film maker and is working with Shao Qi on a project.
Xiao Qian and He Quan are each other's first loves during their collage days. Like all young loves, their romance were sweet AND bitter at the same time. After going through several breakups and getting back together, the young romance suddenly ended when He Quan disappears from Xiao Qian's life.
Convinced by her best friend that her reunion with He Quan after 10 years is a golden opportunity to solve the mystery of their breakup, Xiao Qian shows up at He Quan's office...just in time to see him in a passionate kiss with another man. The kiss happened because He Quan's best friend Ding Ya was trying to get himself out of trouble when his THREE girlfriends showed up together. Faced with three angry women, Ding Ya decides to plant a big-o kiss on He Quan in order to convince the women that he is gay.
At first stunned to realize that her ex-boyfriend actually likes men, Xiao Qian's best friend soon convinces her that He Quan must've been in so much pain while he was forcing himself to like women back in their collage days. Her empathy working overtime, Xiao Qian ignores He Quan's protest that he doesn't like men and offers to give him a hug of encouragement.
Since we are dealing with a T-daily here, so the side stories are going to be pretty prominent. The first two episodes were focused on the two leads but the third episode will mostly be on the secondary characters' romance. Looks like there will be a least two other couples in this show. The first one is He Quan's brother (Xiao Kang) who will be starring in He Quan's short film. By the "strong" request of his sponsor, He Quan had no choice but to use the sponsor's daughter, Xu Tong as the female lead in his movie. Xu Tong had terrible acting skills, but thanks to Xiao Kang's help she was eventually able to channel some emotions into her acting. An interesting side note is that Xu Tong seems to know Xiao Kang from before but he has no memory of meeting her.
The second couple is our hero's best friend Ding Ya who will be paired up with the heroine's best friend Yi Qing. One of Ding Ya's disgruntled girlfriend had filmed his "passionate" kissing with He Quan and posted on the web. Shocked to find out her youngest son is gay, Mama Gao drags Ding Ya to a therapist for help. Yi Qing, who is the therapist, praises He Quan's courage to love beyond gender boundaries and convinces Mama Gao to accept her son's choice. Speechless by everyone's refusal to listen to his protest, Ding Ya find himself unable to tell the pretty therapist that he was just a big jerk who was trying to get away from his many girlfriends by pretending to be gay. First Impression
The Love Song is surprisingly cute and funny. I am a bit leery at the fact that our heroine is married and the hero is NOT her husband. The leeriness increases when you figure in the fact that the heroine's husband by all signs seems to be a really decent guy. Granted, the decent guy lack some basic observation skills in noticing the very obvious loneliness in his young wife, but at the end of the day Shao Qi seems to genuinely love Xiao Qian.
The literal translation of this show's Chinese name would be "Adult/Grown Up Love Song". I think the title does give a clue to the theme of the story. In the first two episodes, Xiao Qian keeps telling herself and everyone else that she is a grown up and thus much more equipped to handle what life throws at her and the emotions that comes with it.
True to her words, Xiao Qian has done "the mature thing" from dealing with her lonely marriage to her reunion with her ex-boyfriend. Of course, as our heroine's therapist best friend points out to her, Xiao Qian's idea of acting mature might just be plain self denial of her true feelings. So it begs the question: What is the mature thing to do?
All in all, an intriguing story thus far and while episode three was definitely less engaging than the first two episodes since it was mostly focused on the secondary character I still think this Taiwanese daily have some good potential.
The Love Song (Taiwanese Drama, New, Daily) This new T-daily should have plenty of familiar faces to those who watch Taiwanese dramas. There are no big names necessarily, but is still fun to see Vivi Lee and Darren Chiu who usually get stuck in the supporting roles to be the leads this time. Vivi Lee plays a very lonely married woman who is reunited with her collage ex-boyfriend after 10 years and finds out that her ex-boyfriend is actually gay. The gay part is a misunderstanding but it looks like it will be the reason that makes our two leads become friends once again. I will be writing a first impression on this one soon.
The Lovers Lies (Chinese Drama, New) I checked out this one's long trailer and it looks like birth secret with a whole lot of angst... skip!
The Love of Happiness (Chinese Drama, New) Another C-drama that I am planning to skip. This one sounds like a light family daily about a newly married couple whose dreamy life is rudely interrupted when the hero finds his biological family. I don't expect a lot of angst in this one but the plot is just not piquing my interest.
Please Come Back, Mister (Korean Drama, New) This has been one awesome week for K-drama with two VERY promising dramas premiering. I am not sure if this one is going to be addicting yet, but with how much fan service they are doing with Rain's body I think the chance is very high. Anyhow, the story is about two middle age men who by sheer of will "convinces" the heaven to give them a second chance to wrap up some unfinished business after their death. Hijinks ensue when the two middle age men's souls are dumped respectively into Rain and Oh Yeon Seo's body. The acting has been awesome up to this point and the story is simply hilarious so don't miss this one.
Descendants of the Sun (Korean Drama, New)
I am declaring this one addicting after just two episodes. I have always thought Song Joong Ki to be attractive before but boy, the man is on fire in this show. The whole war setting does have me a bit worried...but the great story thus far and the chemistry between our two beautiful leads have me tossing my concern aside. Sigh... I kinda wish I could wait until this one finished before I start watching it because it is so painful that I have to wait a whole week for the next two episodes.
Bromance (Taiwanese Drama, Just Finished!)
Very happy with how this one wrapped up. I am sure going to miss this little gem!!!
Nie Xiao Qian (Taiwanese, New) This is the show that replace Marry Me or Not? I was kinda disappointed with the first episode but I am holding out some hope that the show might get better. Oldies but Goodies
The Innocent Man (Korean Drama, 2012, 20 episodes) Guilty confession: I didn't watch this one...but I am thinking very strongly about watching it just to help me get through the week until the next two episodes of Descendants of the Sun.
I have to be in the right mood to watch a revenge show so I guess back in 2012 when The Innocent Man aired I just wasn't quite feeling it then. However, after watching Song Joong Ki in Descendants of the Sun I am definitely in the mood now.
Song Joong Ki plays the hero that goes to prison in order to save his girlfriend. After serving a five year prison time, our hero is no longer the promising medical student he once was but has become a man who is skilled at seducing woman to get what he wants. Forced to use his medical skills to save a rich heiress (heroine) on the plane Song Joong Ki's character is surprised when the heroine's step mother walks in and is none other than his ex-girlfriend.
Rushing to the police station when he gets a phone call informing him that someone has turned over evidence that proves Tae Seok is still alive, it doesn't take much for Jin Eon to figure out that Hae Gang must have been the one to track down his brother-in-law once he sees Baek Seok. Perhaps frustrated by Hae Gang's determination to protect Jin Eon with complete disregard for herself, Baek Seok reminds Jin Eon that despite Hae Gang's smiling face she is secretly crying in pain. Furious as he realizes Hae Gang has only been putting on a brave act in front of him while showing her pain to Baek Seok, Jin Eon can hardily suppress the fury in his voice when Hae Gang calls him on the phone.
Ignoring Hae Gang's smiling face, a rather angry Jin Eon pulls out the wedding ring he had bought for her and demands to know why Hae Gang is once again hiding her pain from him. In angry yet pleading tone, Jin Eon begs Hae Gang "Cry, cry in front of me. Don't cry in front of someone else. You are hiding something. Just tell me. If you tell me then you can wear this ring. If you don't we will fail again like we did before. We will make the same mistake again." Shaking his head when Hae Gang starts to tell him that she was only depressed from the many things that has happened, Jin Eon tells her "Even though I don't know what you are hiding, but I know you are lying. Contact me when you are ready to tell me the truth. Come quickly because I hate waiting. Even now, I feel like I am about to explode from my anger."
Unfortunately for Jin Eon, the call he has waited so desperately for came in the form of a brief text from Hae Gang bidding him goodbye and promising that she will wear his ring in one year. Running out when he finally figure out why Hae Gang is saying goodbye, Jin Eon arrives only in time to see Hae Gang being ushered onto the prison bus. One Year Time Jump!
So tired he is about to puke after playing racquetball with Jin Eon, poor Hyun Woo begs his best friend to just drink his sorrow away instead of torturing both of them with endless physical activities. Sadly, it doesn't seem like Jin Eon is about to change his stress reliever method...or companion any time soon. Stoic as Hyun Woo reminds him that Hae Gang is about to be release from prison the next day, Jin Eon tells his very frustrated best friend that Hae Gang is just a stranger to him. Feeling quite bad for Hae Gang, Hyun Woo complains that since Jin Eon has not paid Hae Gang a single visit when she was in prison the least he could do is to go pick her the next day but Jin Eon just insists that he will not have anything to do with Hae Gang anymore.
On a good note, it looks like Seol Ri had used the past year to get her life on track. Dismayed when a man accidentally splash water on her shoes, Seol Ri looks up with surprise and nostalgia (because Jin Eon did the same thing before) when the guy immediately takes off his own shoes to offer it her. I know it's suppose to be romantic... but my first reaction was "eww". Oh well, at least I am glad that Seol Ri can finally move on with a new romance.
Still the ever faithful lighthouse, Baek Seok's hand seems to have made a full recovery judging by the hand exercises Lawyer Ha does with him. Smiling when yet another client shows up at his office by Hae Gang's recommendation, Baek Seok greets the woman while Lawyer Ha mutters under her breath "Why is she giving out law advice in prison!" I really thought Lawyer Ha would've got Baek Seok to return her obvious crush by now...
Sent by Hae Gang to figure out if President Choi's second confession is really written by him or not, Baek Seok pulls into Cheon Nyeon Pharmaceutical just as Jin Eon is walking out. Still insisting that Hae Gang is a complete stranger to him, Jin Eon tells Baek Seok that he has no intention of picking Hae Gang up from the prison the next day. Hae Gang had found out that President Choi took some sleeping pills the night he supposedly wrote that second confession therefore should've been unable to leave the house to meet with with the prosecutor. There are some clues that Hae Gang probably suspected the truth for a while and could've had Baek Seok work on getting her out of prison but instead had wanted to serve her full prison sentence as a way to repent for her sin.
Eagerly waiting for Hae Gang in front of the prison wall, Baek Seok is surprised when the guards informs him that Hae Gang left early that morning. Unable to find Hae Gang anywhere, Baek Seok ends up calling Jin Eon with the hope that maybe Hae Gang is with him. Despite Jin Eon's repeated declaration that he doesn't care about Hae Gang anymore, Hae Gang's mysterious disappearance immediately has Jin Eon sitting on pins and needles. Clueless that both of our male leads are worrying about her, Hae Gang had rushed off to an orphanage the moment she left the prison to care for a sick little girl. Her heart breaking for the sick little girl and her falsely imprisoned mother, Hae Gang tells an incredulous Baek Seok that she is planning to go work at a Chinese restaurant where the real murder is at. Hae Gang had gotten to know the little girl's mother in prison. I Have A Lover Episode 48
Thanks to Hyun Woo who was able to find out Hae Gang's whereabouts from Baek Seok, a perplexed Jin Eon allows his friend to drag him to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. Utterly stunned when he looks up from the menu to see Hae Gang in a Chinese dress, Jin Eon shocked expression soon turns cold as he answers Hae Gang's emotional greeting with "Do I know you?" Seemingly not too surprised by Jin Eon's attitude nor Hyun Woo impassioned plea to do something about his best friend, the ever smart Hae Gang chatters on under the disguise of having a conversation with Hyun Woo when in reality she is saying everything she wants to say to Jin Eon. Frustrated by Hae Gang's tactic, Jin Eon storms out of the restaurant without touching his food.
Sitting at a bar with Hyun Woo who is trying hard to convince him to just get back with Hae Gang, Jin Eon confesses "She is hiding something. Something that she has to hide from me. I am afraid that it's about my father. If I ask, then everything might come crushing down..."
Finally stepping into her house after finishing her shift at the Chinese restaurant, Hae Gang is surprised to find Jin Eon passed out in her living room. (Hyun Woo is there as well.) Patient as a drunken Jin Eon alternate between calling her "wife" and telling her "I am really mad at you," Hae Gang finally settles Jin Eon down in her bed. Gently caressing Jin Eon's sleeping face, Hae Gang cries with contentment as a sleeping Jin Eon pulls her to him in an embrace.
The next morning, a very hung over Jin Eon wakes up to find his best friend sleeping right next to him. Speechless as he watches Jin Eon trying hard to remember if Hae Gang was the one that took off his coat for him, Hyun Woo sneers "Since you can't remember, just believe what you want. How much did Hae Gang take off?" Wearing a dreamy smile, Jin Eon replies "My watch, my socks and my coat." Grinning when Hyun Woo asks "Your heart is trembling over that? You are upset because you can't remember?", Jin Eon nods. Curious, Hyun Woo asks "Why do you like her so much?" Thoughtful, Jin Eon answers "My twenties, my thirties, my forties, she has it all. I am trembling. She still makes my heart tremble. Even yesterday, I thought my heart would stop." Glaring at Jin Eon with disgust, Hyun Woo asks "So annoying. What happened to that woman has nothing to with me?" Thoughtful again, Jin Eon replies "I know, right?" Scoffing when Jin Eon declares that he is going to make Hae Gong come to him with a white flag, Hyun Woo laughs "You will? A punk like you? Yeah right?"
Grumpy as she accompanies Baek Seok to the orphanage to visit Hae Gang the first thing in the morning, Lawyer Ha's eyes light up as Hae Gang suddenly mentions "My husband." Left alone with Baek Seok once Lawyer Ha takes the little girl out to play, Hae Gang informs him that President Choi didn't betray her after all. Infuriated that the prosecutor had fabricated a false confession, Baek Seok is surprised when Hae Gang merely laughs and tells him "he will be out of a job soon."
As a fugitive, the last year hasn't been good for Tae Seok at all as he is forced to cut off all contact with Jin Li (in fear she would be followed by the police) and work menial jobs to support himself. After a whole year of worrying, Jin Li sobs in relief and concern when she finds an unconscious Tae Seok at her door. Unable to take the sick Tae Seok to the hospital, Jin Li hides her husband in her bedroom to take care of him.
Noticing Jin Eon parked in front of the Chinese restaurant when she showed up for work, Hae Gang tries to open the passenger door but Jin Eon childishly locks the car door. Promising Jin Eon that this is the last day she will be working at the restaurant, Hae Gang tries to convince him to leave but a grumpy Jin Eon just asks "Who are you? I came to eat. I am only waiting because the restaurant is on a break right now."
Desperate to find the evidence that would exonerate the little girl's mother, Hae Gang forces herself to be calm even when her boss (the murder) calls her to his office. Reacting quickly when her boss advance towards her menacingly, Hae Gang kicks the man and runs away with his glasses in hand (that's the evidence she needed).
Rushing to Hae Gang's aid when she trips as she runs out of the restaurant's door, Jin Eon quickly escorts Hae Gang to his car and drives away as the murder yells furiously after them. His anger building with every glance at the bloody wounds on Hae Gang's hand and knee, Jin Eon pulls to the side of the road and tells Hae Gang to get out. Sighing, Hae Gang promises to contact Jin Eon when his anger subsides, but Jin Eon just drives away after saying "Don't. I have deleted your number."
Standing on the side of the road, Hae Gang watches as Jin Eon speeds away ...then screeches to a stop. Allowing herself the slightest hint of a smile, Hae Gang waits as Jin Eon backs the car to where she is.
Tending to Hae Gang's wound carefully, a still huffy Jin Eon tells Hae Gang to stop when she starts to caress his head. Ignoring Jin Eon's protest, Hae Gang teases Jin Eon "What to do? I don't like man who is nice to all and every woman. Especially the kind that is nice to a woman he can't even remember."
Not amused by Hae Gang's teasing, Jin Eon stares at Hae Gang and announces in a very serious tone "I am going to sleep with you tonight." Sigh! So sexy...yet so hilarious. Not too surprisingly, Hae Gang doesn't seem too opposed to that idea as she answers Jin Eon's declaration with a small smile. Thoughts Dang, Jin Eon sure holds a grudge for a looooong time...well, I guess he can hold it as long as he doesn't see Hae Gang because once she shows up then it's game over. One of my favorite scene was when Jin Eon walks in to find his mother complaining to his imaginary father about a past incident when she tried pay Hae Gang to leave her son but Hae Gang just turns around and pulls out all the money in her wallet to get Mama Choi to stop her son from following her around. Breaking out in a grin as he listens to the story, Jin Eon assures his mother who keeps complaining about how little Hae Gang thought her son was worth that Hae Gang had gave everything she had back then.
I had really expected the whole prison thing to be a lot more painful than it was but surprisingly the show had done a great job in making the whole experience into one that finally allows Hae Gang to put the past behind her. Granted, there is the argument Jin Li raised about the fairness of it all for Hae Gang to think she can move on from her past but then I think Mama Choi had a great reply as she tells Jin Li that she has come to the conclusion that life is too short to dwell on who's to blame.
Ah... I am pretty sad that I Have A Lover is wrapping up next week but in a way I also feel like it's time to finally sent our character off to their happy endings. I just wish the writer will let us see more childish sides of Jin Eon because they are just simply hilarious.
