TVN’s latest K-Drama Our Blues, which is simultaneously airing on Netflix, started off on a pleasant note and introduced us to the lives of the people living on the island of Jeju. The omnibus format of the series has episodes dedicated to one every single storyline, which sometimes overlaps with each other. A continuation of the first two episodes, the third one too deals with bank manager Choi Han-soo (Cha Seung-won) and his childhood lover Jeong Eun-hee (Lee Jung-eun). The fourth episode, however, stars on a fresh note with Park Jeong-Joon (Kim Woo-bin) and Lee Young-ok (Han Ji-min) under the spotlight. Meanwhile, Min Seon-ah (Shin Min-a) makes a brief appearance.
Spoilers Ahead
Before diving into Han-soo and Eun-hee’s trip, the third episode begins with a man messaging Young-ok and telling her that he missed her. She replies that they can meet on the “Second Saturday of the next month” but the anonymous individual calls her “b***h” in return. We then quickly shift to the main characters of this episode.
Han-soo takes Eun-hee on a trip on the pretext of relieving their childhood days and lies about his divorce from his wife. In Mokpo, where they earlier visited as kids and kissed each other, they talk about the dreams they gave up due to poverty. Eun-hee, who is not rich enough to support her and her family has no idea about her friend’s financial condition and complains to him about others begging her for money. This makes it even harder for him to ask for her favour. She shares that more than love or relationships, she cares about money and reveals she broke off with her former lover because she was afraid she had to support his poor family.
While they navigate through the lanes of Mokpo, we are simultaneously shown flashbacks of their simpler childhood days and how the five friends had to share two cotton candies as they couldn’t afford more. Now that they can afford one for each, Eun-hee draws a comparison with their poverty-ridden past lives and exclaims that she always wanted to escape that. Han-soo’s dilemma is hidden from her but it becomes clear to us as it becomes difficult for him to ask for the much-needed money. On the other hand, his daughter for whom he sold his house, is fed up with her parents’ crisis and decides to leave golfing and return to Seoul from the States.
Back at Jeju, word spreads like a fire that Eun-hee is with a married man. Her friends also get to know that he lied about his divorce and is in dire need of money. They connect the dots and warn Eun-hee that the only purpose of this trip is money. Heartbroken, she confronts him and he doesn’t lie. This enrages her and accuses her of using her feelings for his benefit. She bashes him with a cushion and asks him to leave.
Before leaving, he tells her that the only reason he did not ask for money right away was that he did not want to spoil the good memories she had of her. He apologises and drives back to Jeju. Here, Eun-Hee gives proof of her generous personality. Although bashing people for contacting her only for money, she tells her friends in Jeju that they have failed as friends as well because they are talking behind Han-soo’s back. She schools them over their behaviour before wiring him the money he needs the next morning. However, by that time, he has already submitted his resignation and left Jeju to be with his wife and daughter in Seoul. He returns the money to her immediately and tells her the next time he meets her and his old friends, the treat will be on him. The episode ends on a bittersweet note with both of them enjoying their respective lives. This brings an end to Han-soo and Eun-hee’s chapter for the while.
The next chapter puts Captain Park Jeong-Joon (Kim Woo-bin) and Lee Young-ok (Han Ji-min) under the spotlight. However, it starts with a glimpse of Min Seon-ah’s (Shin Min-a) life with her husband and child. She is shown to be suffering from depression for reasons yet unknown to us. She sometimes dissociates from reality and her husband is clearly troubled with how her behaviour is affecting their family. He also suggests that she takes medications and counselling for her depression.
Back at Jeju, Young-ok is partying at a club with Captain Bae. He continuously posters her to rent a motel for the night as he is too sloshed to travel back home. She, however, drives him back home despite promising that they will stay in a motel. On the way, she meets Captain Jeong-Joon. He follows them to her house where he helps her get rid of a drunk Bae.
After a small commotion, Bae unwillingly leaves and Jeong-joon and Young-ok take a walk. The latter talks about her past boyfriend and relationships which makes the former a bit concerned. He asks himself whether he can be with a woman with a past. He writes down his thoughts inside the bus he is staying which is later seen by her. Meanwhile, the elderly of the island are apprehensive about Young-ok’s presence as they discover that she is lying about her past. She turns up late for their dive which angers them further.
More trouble arises when she goes on diving but doesn’t surface back on the Captain’s command. This causes everyone to worry about her safety and she is later verbally ambushed by the elderlies. They also ask her to leave. She however apologies.
Meanwhile, an important plot point begins to unfold simultaneously. Jung Hyun and Young-Joo seem to be lovers but their respective fathers are sworn, enemies. The latter tells the former that she is late for her periods and asks him to be ready in case she is pregnant. He fails to buy a pregnancy kit test as they are interrupted by their classmates.
The episode ends with Yeong-Ok meeting Jeong-Joon and visiting the bus he lives in. There she finds the inscriptions about her and the latter asks her out. She replies that he will get hurt to which Jeong-Joon calmly asks her not to hurt him. She moves toward him and makes it appear as if she is kissing him and the screen fades to black.
The third and the fourth episodes carried more energy and nuance, compared to their predecessors. The conservativeness of the elderlies is challenged by the young and independent Yeong-Ok, whereas money and adulthood destroy age-old friendships. The more the story moves forward, the more we understand how closely knit the people of Jeju Island are. And that’s when Eun-Hee’s description makes sense- people in Jeju even know the number of underwear their neighbours have.
Mental health and teen pregnancy may emerge as important themes in the upcoming episodes. We just hope the subjects are not explored through the conservative lens of the people of Jeju Island and receive a much needed sensitive and mature treatment.
Our Blues, starring an ensemble cast of actors is streaming on Netflix.
