5 Things I Loved About "Hyde Jekyll, Me" Episodes 17 & 18

This week’s episodes of “Hyde Jekyll, Me” were perhaps the sweetest yet, and we get some emotional breakthroughs for our lovers. Jang Ha Na (Han Ji Min) finds herself at a standstill, unable to act without hurting either Seo Jin or Robin (Hyun Bin), but her lack of action likewise hurts them. It’s a tricky situation, especially with Ha Na refusing to acknowledge her burgeoning affection for Seo Jin, but when they’re all finally honest with each other, we find our lovers in, perhaps, the best of all possibilities.

Whether the outcome is sustainable, or even fair, is a different question entirely.

But, for now, at least, there is a lot of cuteness, and many things I loved about this week’s episodes. In fact, here are five of them.

1. That Couch Scene

You know what I’m talking about. Cute kiss-y time, many feels, totes adorbs. If you’re rooting for Robin and Ha Na, this is for you! After the emotional rut that Robin has been in these last few weeks, it was nice to see him happy and relaxed again, and for us to see Robin and Ha Na be together without being fraught with guilt, worry, or apprehension. This happy couple is the one we like to see!

(And if you happened to get a little jealous watching that scene, don’t worry, you’re not the only one!)

2. Woo Jung Says Goodbye

I love Woo Jung (Lee Hyeri)  so much and I have loved her progress from fan-club president to circus-troupe part-timer, to a young woman whose life doesn’t revolve around her idol. Anyone who has “stanned a bias” knows that there will come a day when the illusion falters, the bubble is burst, and you see behind the curtain. It’s a tough day for even the most casual fans, and all the more worse if you’re a fan club president like Woo Jung.

What I love most about her character is that, yes, she may be young and impulsive, but she is genuine and cares about the people around her. Even at her most possessive, she still put Robin’s well-being before herself. She has had to live without Robin for the last five years, and carried the burden of making sure he wasn’t forgotten for all of that time. That’s dedication. And when she finds out who Robin really was? She didn’t throw a fit, didn’t lash out, or hold it against him. She very maturely talked with Robin and again, worried over him and wanted to protect him.

And when she realizes that Ha Na and Robin are for keeps, she acknowledges Ha Na in the cutest and coolest way, fitting for her title as fan club president. Seriously, Robin, you have the best in Woo Jung.

3. Friendly Ties

I seriously can’t get over this scene. At first, it seems like it is nothing to write home about, nothing out of the ordinary, everything boring. But… that’s just it. That it is everyday is the reason why I love it so much. Seo Jin and Ha Na’s relationship has been tumultuous for several reasons, and those reasons have been why the two have interacted for so much of “Hyde Jekyll, Me,” but now that they no longer really need to meet anymore, they still do. And it isn’t under the guise of anything else except wanting to share about an experience, a memory. I simply adore how Ha Na bubbles over talking to Seo Jin, and that he just calmly listens to her while watering plants. It’s so domesticated and full of friendship, respect, and trust. One of my favorite scenes of this drama, by far!

4. Robin Gets Acknowledged

The last couple of weeks have shifted away from Seo Jin’s storyline and have focused on Robin: primarily in his struggle to be acknowledged as a legitimate person. And it has been heartbreaking to see him want so badly to be recognized as himself and not just something created from Seo Jin’s childhood trauma. But this week, for the first time, we get Robin stepping out of the shadows, the public gets to put a face of the comic book artist, and Robin finally, finally, gets the acknowledgement he so desperately needs.

His joy is infectious, and how can you not be happy for him?

This is an important step in Robin’s character development, that he has a fulfilling life, that he is able to achieve his personal and professional goals, and if this feels like a sort of bucklet list, let us all just ignore it. Because, for right now, this is all about Robin and his much deserved happiness.

5. Ha Na Saves the Day (Again!)

I really wish that the writer(s) of “Hyde Jekyll, Me” spent even half as much time and effort with the female characters of this drama as they do on the male characters because I have wished for more Jang Ha Na–for her to do more and be more than the piece that gets passed around for the purposes of making Robin and Seo Jin more interesting, but alas.

That being said, she has had some stand out moments in this drama, and one big came this week when she figured out how Robin and Seo Jin could both exist in a real, public, way. The boys had been mulling over this problem for weeks, gears turning in their heads, but in the end, it was Ha Na that came through with the solution. I love that it was her who figured it out, and to be honest it always had to come from her, because she is the one looking out for the interest of all, is the only one who could have resolved the issue without hurting either Robin or Seo Jin…or herself.

Because at this point we all know that Ha Na’s unwillingness to admit that she loves Seo Jin stems from the fact that she doesn’t want her choice to love him to come at the cost of Robin’s life. No pressure, or anything!

It is a testament to her character that she has taken this all with as much grace and understanding as she has, because a person with a weaker heart would have crumbled by now, but Ha Na stands by both Robin and Seo Jin, now, unfazed.

That’s it for me and the 5 Things I loved about “Hyde Jekyll, Me” episodes 17 and 18. Next week we reach the end, so let me know in the comments what you’re most anticipating, or how you think this DID business will be resolved!

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