Angry Mom Episode 11. Terrific episode. No A becomes relevant in the fight against evil. Bok Dong and Gong Joo have my heart with their earnest interactions. And maybe…just maybe…good might defeat evil.
Our Mom, Jo Gang Ja (Kim Hee Seon) arrives at Dong Chil’s apartment and finds Ko Bok Dong (Ji Soo) beaten. Dong Chil appears and has words with Gang Ja. Park No A (Ji Hyun Woo) enters the room. He asks Gang Ja if indeed she is the famous defendant from the past.
Gang Ja’s silence tells him everything. He sees Bok Dong’s beaten face. He tells him he will take care of him from now on. Bok Dong is astonished. Dong Chil sneers. No A is a teacher that just got fooled by the adult Gang Ja. No A pulls Gang Ja away from Dong Chil and next to him. He tells Bok Dong to come with him. Dong Chil tells No A he is crossing the line. No A counters he must protect his students. In this tug-of-war over Bok Dong, Gang Ja tells him to come with them. Bok Dong rises. Don Chil realizes the boy may leave. He barks at Bok Dong that he fed him, clothed him and sent him to school. Gang Ja inserts Dong Chil did that to breed him not nurture him. Dong Chil asks Bok Dong if he wants to die. Bok Dong kneels in front of Dong Chil
BK: I also want to live now.
DC: What?
BK: Thank you for feeding me, clothing me and sending me to school, and protecting me.
He stands up, bows, and leaves with Gang Ja and No A.
Wow! Bok Dong’s words were respectful and Ji Soo delivered them perfectly. I was so impressed with Bok Dong in that moment. Yes, my esteem for this character rises. I was also surprised and pleased that this encounter did not leave to additional violence. Bok Dong was already the victim of Dong Chil’s fists, that was sufficient violence, even though it was off camera.
At the emergency room, Bok Dong listens while No A interrogates Gang Ja why she is impersonating a high schooler when she is 34 years old with a daughter. She explains that the legal route did not work, so she entered the school to find the evidence. Incensed that he’s when played Bok Dong, leaps out of bed. He asks if she enjoyed playing with him and stalks off. No A tells her they will talk later and follows Bok Dong.
Gong Joo can’t believe that Gang Ja’s identity is compromised so thoroughly. Gang Ja admits to be scared about the next move Dong Chil will make. Gong Joo agrees Dong Chil is the one to be worried about. Gang Ja decides she must transfer Ah Ran from the school. Gong Joo may have a way to do this.
No A’s father states he doesn’t think that Gang Ja killed Beom (Dong Chil’s brother and her boyfriend). But the evidence was clear. It was her knife. Dong Chil said she did it. Gang Ja did not counter that story. Unbeknowest to them, Bok Dong eavesdrops. He recalls Gang Ja telling him that taking the blame for Yi Gyeong’s death would burden him with guilt and shame. Now it makes sense why she said that. Gang Ja did the same thing over the death of Beom. He literally falls into the room. No A introduces Bok Dong to his father who is welcoming to him. Nice!
Bok Dong frets to himself that he liked Gang Ja. With frevor, he tells No A what Gang Ja’s deceit was wrong. No A doesn’t understand why Bok Dong is so upset. He tells Bok Dong not to worry. He surprises him by saying he plans to apply to be his foster parent. Bok Dong is trying to calculate Gang Ja’s age which will only further humiliate him once he does!
No A tells Gang Ja to withdrawal from school. Gang Ja refuses until she can transfer Ah Ran. She states there is a monster targeting her daughter and she will not leave her.
Chairman Hong Sang Bok (Park Yeong Gyu), Principal Do (Kim Tae Hoon) visit the construction site with Dong Chil and Gang Ja’s husband in attendance. Imperiously the Chairman orders part of the building be changed. Gang Ja’s husband protests. The Chairman kicks Dong Chil. Ha! Principal Do soothes him that they will make the change.
Meanwhile, presidential candidate the Minister of Education (and secretly Principal’s Do’s father) pledges to make the schools a safe, violent free place for the children of Korea. After the speech, Gong Joo rushes him, grabs his hair, claiming to be a fan. His men separate them. Hmm, do you predict a DNA test is forthcoming?
Yes, the lackeys are getting are hair at the gym from Principal Do.
Bok Dong visits his brother in prison. Not happy to see Bok Dong’s bruised face, he tells him to just let Dong Chil know who did this and he’ll handle it. Bok Dong tells him that he has left Dong Chil’s house. His brother tells him to go back to Dong Chil. He’s not the greatest guy, but he’s stood by them. Tears spring to Bok Dong’s eyes. His brother tells him not to cry. Man, that hurts to see Bok Dong upset by his brother’s words.
When he exits the visitation cell, No A is there. He sees Bok Dong is upset. He tells him is it ok to cry. He hugs Bok Dong. Ah, so sweet our gentle giant No A. Bok Dong sobs.
That was a simple and beautiful scene.
Over a meal, Bok Dong admits he did not kill Yi Gyeong. No A asks the question – who did kill Yi Gyeong? Bok Dong admits it was Principal Do. Gently, No A tells him to eat then leaves the table.
Outside he rages at what a horrible person Principal Do is. He vows to put Principal Do in jail. Wow! Standout moments for this character. He just became integral to the rest of the story. Frankly, I’m concerned whether or not he has the smarts to survive all the evil the rest of the adults ooze.
Principal Do scolds Dong Chil for losing control of Bok Dong. What if he confessed everything to his brother in prison? Dong Chil assures Principal Do that Bok Dong’s brother is completely under his control. Principal Do warns Dong Chil to manage the children well during his father’s election campaign. As Principal Do walks away, Dong Chil notes that for a person that was thrown away by his father, he invokes his father’s name often.
Man, that’s the beauty of this show. Dong Chil is a bad dude. But Dong Chil is smart and sees things the way they are (except for that massive blind spot about Beom’s death). He accepts his bad lot in life and keeps going.
Gong Joo shows Gang Ja the retrieved hairs from Principal Do and the Minister of Education. Gong Joo tells her these hairs “will flip Korea upside down”. Gong Joo will have paternity test done in Hong Kong. Gang Ja frets this evidence will be suppressed just like all the other evidence. Gong Joo believes the media will care, especially since one of these men is a presidential candidate. But they agree there is a possibility the media are controlled too. Gang Ja says it is time to transfer Ah Ran. She sighs that the world seems littered with poop.
I appreciate the Gang Ja no longer thinks that evidence will trump evil machinations.
No A glares at Principal Do.
Bok Dong does not accept Gang Ja’s apology. If she doesn’t leave him alone, he’ll tell everyone the truth.
The mean girls ask Oh Ah Ran (Kim Yoo Jung) where she is transferring to. Ah Ran is surprised at the question because she does not know about this. Looks like the mean girls are now 2 against 1, with Jung Hee (Lizzy) as the 1. As Ah Ran and the 2 mean girls exit, they cross over piles of dirt which collapse under them.
Jung Hee sounds the alarms the girls are trapped in a hole. Gang Ja, Bok Dong, and Sang Tae (Baro) gather around the hole with the 3 girls. It is telling when Bok Dog, pushes Gang Ja’s hand aside to help Ah Ran out of the hole. Ah Ran slips and calls Gang Ja Mom but then plays it off like she was just calling for her mother because of the situation.
At the hospital Principal Do arrives and apologizes to the mothers. He asks where Ah Ran’s mother is. No A looks at Gang Ja and lies that she is abroad. No A asks if the incident has been reported to the authorities. Principal Do counters consoling the mothers is the important task at hand.
Principal Do and the vice principal talk to the mothers. Gang Ja is hidden by a man. Principal Do offers to pay their hospital bills, compensate for psychological trauma, as well as adjust their grades and attendance records for the future. The mothers are stoked about the last item and agree.
No A drags Gang Ja away from without the others noticing. They overhear Principal Do telling the vice principal to keep the mothers quiet and fill in the sink hole.
In a beautiful setting, Gang Ja vows to No A she will not leave Ah Ran or the school until this mess is solved. No A says he will not stop her. He will not resign. He will capture the monster at school. In the earnest way he has, he is saddened that Gang Ja found him useless and that she could not trust him with the truth. Gang Ja admits that initially Ah Ran hide everything from her for the same reasons. No A asks if she trusts him now. She tells him she needs help and asks him to help her. No A agrees to help her.
The sunset lit them beautifully. Terrific scene between the two of them. A new page has turned in this story. No A is stronger and relevant. Gang Ja asks for help. A new team is formed. Are you looking forward to future No A and Gong Joo scenes? That would be fabulous!
My wish is granted immediately as No A and Gang Ja visit Gong Joo. He apologizes for his informal speech in their previous meetings. She shushes him saying to think nothing of it.
Gang Ja calls her husband at the construction site. He is adamant that sink hole was unrelated to the construction. Gang Ja tells No A and Gong Joo his denial was too adamant. There is a connection.
Operation Night is born. Gang Ja, Gong Joo, the lackeys and No A (who appears much to their surprise) check out the construction site. His ungainly rolls under the tape is not a good start. LOL!
No A is skittish as they check out the site. They see cracks in the walls. The find a man stealing the reinforcing bars from the construction site. He tells the Operation Night gang that they contractors are being paid almost nothing for the work. Stealing materials was his way of getting additional cash to keep his company afloat. They realize something is afoot in this $3M construction site.
Principal Do meets Ae Yeon in his office. He is confident he can beat the Chairman and the Minister of Education at their own game. They’ll blame him for the money laundering. He’ll beat them by become the whistle blower of the operation. That way he’ll walk away and they’ll go to jail. Ae Yeon asks him why his mother left. He chuckles and surmises the Chairman asked her to get the evidence from him. She confirms. He says he may tell her if she does well.
The chairman is overtly brutal. Principal Do is coldly brutal. Which snake will Ae Yeon stand by?
The gang finds Bok Dong waiting for No A still muttering about Gang Ja’s age. Sweetly he tells No A to come along, father is waiting. Gong Joo teases Gang Ja for attracting the poor boy. LOL!
Our sweet Bok Dong cries over his lost love…Gang Ja. No A is sweetly supporitve. Gosh these two are darling together. I ❤️ Bok Dong!
No A and Gang Ja (et all) rally the mothers to support an investigation into the matter. Not surprisingly many of the mothers hesitate, fearing reprisals for their children. Even Jung Hee leads students to post online about the construction issues.
Holy smokes, Sang Tae tells his father that the school construction did call the sink hole that hurt his friends. The chairman yells that there are no such things as friends in this world. Everything he is doing is so he can leave Sang Tae a legacy of power and money.
Ah Ran wonders if the mother will really come through with their support. Gang Ja says mother’s may be clumsy when they express it but they all want health and happiness for their children.
The mothers do not show. Dong Chil is stunned when No A has taken a key to a vehicle slowing the work. The vice principal tells Principal Do that the online postings cannot be tracked.
Just as Principal Do orders Gang Ja’s husband to call the police on No A the mothers show! Mom Power! Gong Joo tells Gang Ja she overcame their fear by rounding them up so they came as a unit. I ❤️ Gong Joo!
Wow! No A nails Principal Do and the vice principal with example of shoddy construction and materials. Gong Joo tells Gang Ja that No A “is pretty cool”. Principal Do says he will form a committee and investiagte the matter. No A wisely counsels this is not a victory yet. Who knows what the bad guys will concoct in private?
Principal Do yells at the vice principal to find a reason to fire No A that has nothing to do with the construction.
Principal Do tells Dong Chil to investigate Gang Ja to find out who is directing her. He believes Ah Ran is behind the student’s protest. Dong Chil is between a rock and a hard place on this one. Can he really put the bulls eye on his assumed daughter Ah Ran?
Ah, Sang Tae stops by Ah Ran’s room. Grandmother asks if she ever studies or does she only date?
Sang Tae visits Ah Ran. He claims as class president it is his duty to see how she is doing. Ah Ran is direct. The construction is shoddy and your dad is in charge. He tells her to watch her mouth and leaves. Sang Tae sees Gang Ja head into Ah Ran’s room and follows.
Sang Tae overhears Ah Ran call Gang Ja Mom. Gang Ja details they will take down Chairman, Principal Do and the foundation in one fell swoop. Sang Tae recalls his father’s words that he has no friends because people wait to stab the rich and powerful in the back. What will he do?
Comments:
* Another terrific episode. This show is hitting it’s stride. My opinions are evident in the recap but here’s the bottom line. For the first time I think there may be a chance that good will win over evil.
* Two supporting characters are elevating this show: Bok Dong and Gong Joo.
** Bok Dong’s earnest heartache over Gang Ja’s true identity was so sweet. His fortittude to walk away from Dong Chil was impressive. His interactions with No A were touching. I ❤️ Bok Dong!
** Gong Joo is the comedic glue of this show. But she’s more than that. She is smart and loyal and sassy and has the most fun outfits! I try to get an image of every fun outfit she wears during this show. The way she gathered all the mothers together so they would present a united front – brilliant! I ❤️ Gong Joo!
* Gang Ja (Kim Hee Seon) receded a bit as other stepped up to share the burden. I love that Gang Ja is more realistic that evidence can be swept aside. I love that No A earned her trust and she asked for his help. I love that she stood tall in the meeting and added her voice. Finally when she told Ah Ran that mother’s may not say it in a way that their children want to hear it, but a mother’s love is unwavering. She embodies this and I love her for it.
* Park No A (Ji Hyun Woo) finally became integral to this show. He was like a caterpillar to a butterfly. He is earnest passion seemed helpful now that he understand the game. His support for Bok Dong were lovely scenes. The sunset scene when he committed himself to supporting the fight when Gang Ja asked for his help – perfect. I worry for this character’s survival more than most. I hope he makes it through to the end. I love the idea of Gong Joo and No A. In many ways they are well suited.
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A really great recap. Love your comments and musings, too! So sad for Bok Dong, but he will survive and thrive! Look how many friend and supporters he has now.
When I love a show by I write more. This show is a fantastic find.
I too want Bok Dong to thrive!
Thank you for commenting!