Summary
Another consistent installment that furthers the narrative between two intertwined characters.
This recap of the Netflix K-Drama series Our Blues season 1, episode 10, “Dong-seok and Seon-a 3,” contains spoilers.
Read the recap of the previous episode.
Our Blues season 1, episode 10 recap
As Eun-hui winds down following a hard day at work, she ends up interrupted by a couple of people. At first it’s a call from someone over money, but then Mi-ran, who claims she wants to visit her friend when she returns from Paris, takes over in a kind display of affection.
Next, Dong-seok and Seon-a continue their refurbishment of her old house, making progress towards ensuring it’s liveable inside. Eun-hui does interrupt things, however, curious about the identity of the woman he is with, in addition to whether or not he will be attending the market where his customers are waiting.
Shortly after, Dong-seok hatches a plan to ride to Seoul by horse due to Yeol’s liking of them, but Seon-a is not interested at all. Even when presented with the option face-to-face she remains unimpressed, but does find herself enjoying her friend’s riding session that she is made to film. So, in time, Seon-a gets a picture with the horse to show her son, complete with a genuinely happy expression.
Bonding together over strife, both past and present, the two share a ship ride to Seoul together. Dong-seok also imparts his wisdom for his friend to look backwards when things get suffocating, knowing that behind the crashing waves are something picturesque.
When at the destination, Seon-a searches for a toy horse while Dong-seok buys wholesale items to sell. When they reconvene, the divorced woman is faced with a call from her ex, who is upset over her impromptu visit to see Yeol, despite it being his birthday. There’s no time for moping though, as the pairing are swiftly tasked with trying to find a horse cushion, an event which comes with more than its fair share of drama. Fortunately, and after Dong-seok goes to dramatic lengths, such an item is purchased.
Nervous to meet her son, Seon-a struggles to feel calm ahead of the pick-up from pre-school. Luckily, everything does go well when it’s time, and the two share a warm embrace ahead of a trip to an aquarium to celebrate the child’s special day. When there, the picture of a horse is shared, something which highly impresses a jubilant Yeol. Meanwhile, Dong-seok catches up with old friends.
At night, Seon-a misses the agreed time to drop Yeol off, frustrating Tae-hun who had his family around to celebrate the birthday with his child. It all leads to a confrontation, which culminates in a desperate Seon-a tugging at Yeol, hurting him in the process, in the hopes that he will come with her for the night. Dong-seok manages to intervene in the nick of time though, stopping the crying woman from obstructing the hospital visit.
Sadly for Seon-a, Yeol refuses to see her at the hospital due to the hurt she has caused, deflating the mother as Dong-seok drops her off at the place she is staying. He instructs her to rest up, knowing that the trial is tomorrow, while also subtly reassuring her about the fact he’ll still be around in Seoul if needed. Upset, Seon-a sees her friend off, watches the world around her lose light, and finds herself breaking down in a sweat-filled panic completely alone.
Waiting outside of family court, Dong-seok sits in his van, while Seon-a talks candidly about her intentions for Yeol with Tae-hun. It proves to be a painful day, however, as it’s made obvious in the next scene that she lost the trial, with her muted tears all the evidence needed. Dong-seok proves to be little comfort too, doing very few things to quell Seon-a’s worries over her child’s potential resentment of her. It’s not for a lack of effort though, as he consistently wants to change the mindset of a depressed person who is all too stubborn, but wants help.
After misinterpreting signals and kissing Seon-a, he helps in time, taking the depressed woman to the arcade in a bid to take her mind off the trial. It takes a while, and some failure, yet when she breaks down once more and confesses her willingness to die, there’s a breakthrough. Instead of comfort, Dong-seok antagonises her about the lack of joy in her life, wondering who would care if she is dead, while candidly slipping in the fact that all she’d be doing by committing suicide is repeating the same thing her mother did to her, to Yeol. “You can feel sad and cry. But make sure you eat and sleep too,” Dong-seok says, hoping that she’ll allow room in her life for some happiness too, as opposed to complete self-destruction.
The ending
When things are calmer, Seon-a tries to explain her depression to Dong-seok, saying that it’s like a drenched blanket covers her body, and that everything is dark in spite of light. “It’s just an illusion,” the reckless friend says, wanting her to feel the same way. She does reveal that she’s going to have therapy, fortunately, and the two soon shift into a more tender tone, enjoying each other’s company as Dong-seok attempts to work on his announcements.
As the sun rises, the pair verbalise their wishes to be happy, hold hands, and walk slowly together. In tempered happiness, the episode then ends.
What did you think of Our Blues season 1, episode 10? Comment below.
