EPISODE 12 - END SEASON 1 (10 Feb 2009)

Okay… now that i’ve finally gotten a hold of my senses and i was able to watch the previous parts that i missed from today’s episode, allow me to give my first impressions about Episode 12 of Boys Before Flowers… the unsubbed version… (hehehe!)

Call it brilliant marketing ploy or what i personally call “whet your appetite” advertising but seriously, i think the production of Boys Before Flowers should win some sort of medal for the psychological warfare that they are bombarding loyal fans of the show with…

I absolutely credit the think tanks of this show because of the push and pull strategy that they have employed in creating this series and i think that’s precisely the reason why ratings are soaring… People are tuning in because they really want to know what would happen even if some of us already know the story like the back of our hands…

Just when you’re about to give up and you start to question the strength of characters and the believability of the storyline for some parts of this series, the PD comes up with another episode which is just chockfull of the very things that you were griping about on the previous episode and voila! You’re hooked once again… (I’m speaking from my own personal experience)

The start of this episode alone already activated my waterworks The scene where Junpyo was beaten up by Jaeha’s gang was well played by both Goo Hyesun and Lee Minho that you can’t really help but feel for them at that exact moment… Jandi’s love for Junpyo had never been more evident than in that scene when she’s looking on helplessly while Junpyo gets beaten to a pulp… it was all quiet tears and silent pleadings from Jandi that you felt that really, she does not need to shout just for the audience to feel the silent torment that she might be feeling at that exact moment… and when she threw herself in front of that chair to take the hit for Junpyo? The moment that happened… all my trust issues regarding Jandi’s character flew out the window… I mean it was expected since it is the way it is in the manga and in previous predecessors but actually seeing her do it? The effect was absolutely overwhelming… like I just want to straight out jump out of my seat and say… finally! THAT’S HOW YOU SHOW YOUR LOVE, WOMAN!

I also felt the importance of every single scene of this episode… there was not a scene that was included just for comic relief or to add on to an already overburdened storyline… The scene where the two mothers faced off was absolutely needed in order for the next scene when Jandi returned the money be played with much more conviction… I’ve never stopped raving about how well casted JunPyo’s mom is for this series and it is proven again in this episode… She exudes quiet elegance and graceful calm but underneath that cool exterior lies the soul of a calculating, shrewd businesswoman who would sacrifice everything for the sake of their family name… It is a welcome change also to see Jandi’s dad in all seriousness and we are given somewhat a glimpse into the father-daughter dynamics that Jandi and him share… and somehow it makes the viewer empathize more towards the flaws that Jandi’s family have… they may be poor but always, even if they appear silly or plain money grubbers at times… they always have their child’s best interest at heart and maybe that is just the way they express themselves…

As for Jandi, let me count the ways that she vindicated herself in this episode… She returned the “blood money” that Junpyo’s mom was offering (which would surely solve all of her family’s financial problems in exchange for Junpyo) and she bravely took Kang President on… this is such a bold and brazen move for someone whom people first describe as indecisive or fickle… I’ve never seen her more determined than at that moment… next, she does not shy away from Junpyo’s advances now but rather initiates it… (She asked him to huddle together with her inside the coat… not once but TWICE! I think she even showed some disappointment in that part where Junpyo sneezed instead of giving her a kiss)… Third, she looked for that necklace in that snowstorm, proving that she does not want to do anything more that might hurt Junpyo (not intentionally anyway) and lastly… that lunchbox date and the way she cried over Junpyo’s leaving absolutely broke my heart into a million pieces… IT WAS A LONG TIME COMING BUT BOY! When Jandi finally sees the light, she basks in it! All that waiting for her to express her feelings was absolutely worth it…She loves Junpyo not in a half baked way and not in an unsure kind of way but the kind where it took her awhile to realize and when it hit her… THERE’S NO TURNING BACK… Makes me want to look on at her like one proud momma and say… My, Jandi how you’ve grown from yesterday’s episode… wahahaha!

And Jihoo? How long will the guy suffer in silence? I’ve never stopped raving about how good of a friend he is to both Jandi and Junpyo to sacrifice personal feelings over those of the people he loved but acting wise… Hyun Joong has really come to terms with this character… He expresses his feelings in a very calm Rui like way (which is very hard to act out, IMHO) and yet he is able to convey the depth of the emotions that he wants to portray at that exact moment… the way that he glared at Ginger when he realized that she’s the one who took the necklace, stopped me in my tracks and made me freeze in terror… You can somehow feel his power seething underneath the calmness of his voice… that he could crush people if he’d only choose to… the anxiety that’s present on his face when Jandi got lost in the snowstorm and the silent battle with himself when Woobin and Yijung was stopping him from leaving and looking for Jandi had me mesmerized… I can see the internal struggle between wanting to be there for the girl he loves and yet he can’t because his friend is the rightful person who should rescue her and not himself… and that ending scene when Jandi was crying on his shoulders after Junpyo left? I don’t know whether my heart breaks more for Jandi or him at that point…

Now, we have that text preview to think about and the possibilities seem endless as to what would really happen from this episode forward… I AM ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT and awaiting for more surprises that this show had to give on it’s last 12 episodes…

SEVEN DAYS SEEM LIKE A LIFETIME TO WAIT…