Summary
A masterful episode with delicate themes and expert execution.
Episode 13 of My Liberation Notes has a clear intention of showing a very different side to Mr. Gu than what we’re used to. Sometime in the future, in Seoul, he’s ruthlessly running a failing club and losing himself in drink, thinking only of Mi-jeong and returning to her. Eventually, he gets his wish, and the episode cycles back to show what was going on in his absence.
Mi-jeong was waiting. But part of her waiting was developing a steely attitude that is exemplified by a wild dog encounter; it’s a cold, unfeeling coping mechanism. Chang-hee, meanwhile, is depressed, feels as though his father doesn’t respect him, and feels his hard work hasn’t been rewarded fairly. Je-ho is basically the stern working-class parent many of us have had, especially one who struggles to openly show emotion and keeps their feelings – and often themselves – at something of a remove.
And then there’s Gi-jeong, who begins to stand up for herself and grow closer to Tae-hun.
The clever aspect of this episode is that it doesn’t actually reveal how much time has elapsed between the opening flash-forward and the rest of the episode until Mr. Gu returns and discovers how much has changed in his absence. Hye-sook passed away. Gi-jeong, Mi-jeong, and Chang-hee have all moved to Seoul. Je-ho gives Gu an address for Mi-jeong.
Written down, it occurs to me that none of this sounds as clever and poignant as it actually is in motion, with a ton of meaningful formal tricks helping to get across the relevant themes and ideas. The eventual reveal reworks the context of previous scenes and conversations, retrospectively giving them a new power. It’s a crying shame that this weekend k-drama isn’t as popular as Tomorrow or Our Blues, since – in my humble opinion – it’s operating on a much more sophisticated artistic level than both. Tomorrow’s episode is sure to be a belter.
Read More: My Liberation Notes Season 1, Episode 14 Recap
