Summary
Strong Girl Nam-soon introduces some complications to its core dynamics which keeps the show highly watchable heading into the back half of the first season.
One should always be suspicious of so-called “sports drinks”, and that’s probably more true of Strong Girl Nam-Soon Episode 7. But drugged isotonic beverages aside, there’s also a dietary concern emerging with Nam-in. So, lots to consider in this enjoyable little K-Drama, which is continuing to maintain its interest and energy with surprising aplomb.
Anyway, let’s get into it, though do beware of spoilers, as ever.
We’ll start with the obvious, which is where we left things in Episode 6 – the surprise knife attack by Hwa-ja on Nam-soon. Surprising absolutely nobody, the latter is able to disarm the former just in time, and Hee-sik arrives to arrest her. Hwa-ja’s dislocated ankle means she’ll be sent to the hospital first, but justice awaits her after her recovery.
In the meantime, Geum-ju pays cards with Shi-o. She takes the opportunity to play to his sense of excitement by insisting he grants her whatever she wants if she happens to win. And, of course, she wins. Her request is to become Doogo’s company financier, which is a surprising enough request that Shi-o has to take some time to think about it.
In the meantime, Shi-o learns about Nam-soon stealing from the warehouse and wants to meet her. She sees it as a way to get more information on him, but there’s a clear third-lead dynamic creeping in here. Shi-o is immediately and predictably taken with the young woman, and they exchange numbers. He later watches her play around with Hee-sik from his office. It’s not exactly a fruitful romantic scenario.
One of my favorite ongoing comedic threads in Strong Girl Nam-soon is Nam-soon’s family trying to essentially force Hee-sik into having a baby with her, or at least being in a relationship with her. That comes up again for a good chunk of Episode 7 when Geum-ju invites Hee-sik to a private family party.
At the party itself, Jun-hee and Hee-sik are forced to introduce themselves to everyone present, and while Jun-hee is quite happy to say he’s dating Joong-gan, Hee-sik is a bit more mysterious, claiming that he and Nam-soon simply need each other at present. Awkward!
Funny, though, which is what counts. Nam-soon and Hee-sik are organically becoming closer, though slapstick-y circumstances keep conspiring to keep them platonic for now. It’s classic K-Drama stuff, but it’s well-executed and charming enough.
Whereas most episodes of the show thus far have ended with a cliffhanger, this one doesn’t go that route, instead relying on the power of suggestion.
Shi-o getting closer to Nam-soon – he asks her to be one of his lobbyists and invites her to a secret place to test her powers – threatens the central odd-couple dynamic, which is probably what the show needs at this point.
The interplay between the drug plot, the romance or at least the relationship between the leads, and Geum-ju’s vigilantism is what’s keeping us watching, as well as Nam-soon’s storied lineage, the connection of which is painfully reiterated when Nam-soon overexerts at the episode’s end.
Then there’s Nam-in, who hasn’t been eating since taking the pill. Are his problems also related to Doogo and the drugs? Something else entirely? It’s anyone’s guess at this point, which is always a good way to keep viewers invested.
