Highlights: "Pinocchio" Episode 4

It’s time for our two aspiring reporters to see if they’ve got what it takes to earn a spot at YGN, and the answer is… maybe? In other news, Dal Po finally cuts his hair and puts on a suit, and it is possibly the greatest thing that’s happened in the history of television. Basically, this was yet another great episode of “Pinocchio”, in which we get to meet our enjoyably kooky second leads, and Dal Po and In Ha are confronted with some uncomfortable (and, for Dal Po, tragic) revelations.

These were my five favorite scenes from “Pinocchio”, episode 4:

1. The “brothers” have a talk

I find the relationship between Dal Po and Dal Pyung so fascinating, because it seems clear that Dal Pyung hasn’t accepted Dal Po into the family in the same way that In Ha has. So he’s stuck living with this kid who’s twenty-five years younger than him, and he has to call him “hyung-nim.” It’s such an uncomfortable dynamic, and that’s on full display in this scene, as Dal Pyung confronts Dal Po about his (incredibly obvious) crush on In Ha. This isn’t an aggressive or angry scene—I think a large part of Dal Pyung’s problem with the idea of Dal Po liking In Ha is that he still doesn’t really know Dal Po, even though he’s lived with him for thirteen years. But Dal Po makes it clear that his priorities are with the family—he has no plans to act on his crush. I love how real this fake family has become to Dal Po, to the point where he is willing to withstand a lot of emotional pain just to make sure that nothing happens to it.

2. Dad knew all along

As welcome and glorious as Dal Po’s makeover was, even better was the conversation on the bus between Dal Po and Gong Pil, in which “dad” admits that he’s known for years that Dal Po isn’t his real son, but he’s been pretending he is because he doesn’t want Dal Po to leave him. It’s such a sweet, tender moment, and it makes me so happy that even though Dal Po lost his biological father, he found a new father who loves him.

3. The toast fantasy

Oh wow. I nearly fell off my chair laughing during this scene, as Dal Pyung imagines a world in which Dal Po and In Ha are coworkers/a couple. His vision of a erotically charged, softly lit, domestic morning was just so delightfully bizarre. It also served as a very welcome moment of levity before the dark final act.

4. The debate

From the moment that they turned on the footage from that fire, I knew this scene would be hard to watch, but it just kept getting worse and worse. For Dal Po to find out that his father has been dead all along, in a situation where he can’t react in any way, was simply crushing. And then for him to have to sit and listen to all the applicants talk about what happened in such a dry and abstract way was even worse. To everyone in the room but Dal Po, what happened is a sad story, but it’s old news—a topic for debate. For Dal Po, what happened shattered his life, and he deals with the effects of that every day. And then for him to hear In Ha say that what happened was nobody’s fault… It’s understandable why he reacted the way he did. To be sure, it was really cruel for him to reveal that she’s a Pinocchio. But he was so upset—and so shocked from the news of his father’s death—that I’m willing to give him a pass (as long as he apologizes to In Ha!).

5. A revelation in the elevator

The final scene of the episode, which cut between In Ha’s realization that she likes Dal Po and Dal Po finally being able to grieve for his father, was so lovely. I love how generous In Ha is—she isn’t angry at Dal Po for revealing her secret, she’s just upset that he can’t be on her side, the way he always has been. She’s just become so accustomed to Dal Po always being there for her that her heart breaks when he isn’t. But she still needs Bum Jo to suggest that maybe part of why she’s upset is that she has a crush on Dal Po. It’s wonderful how those words are like turning on a light in In Ha’s head. Before, she had never thought of liking Dal Po that way, and she could comfortably say that she didn’t without hiccuping. But now, after losing his support so painfully, she’s finally ready to understand that she really does like him.

How did you feel about this episode of “Pinocchio”? Let us know in the comments below!

[tv] Catch up with Pinocchio on SoompiTV! [/tv]