Highlights: "Heard It Through the Grapevine" Episode 10

In many ways, “Heard It Through the Grapevine” is the story of two marriages: the young, strong, passionate union of Bom (Go Ah Sung) and In Sang (Lee Joon), and the aging, weary relationship between Jung Ho (Yoo Joon Sang) and Yeon Hee (Yoo Ho Jeong). This week’s episodes have seen Bom and In Sang brought even closer together by their study of the law, while Jung Ho and Yeon Hee can’t seem to get closer to each other, no matter how hard they try. The older generation might have all the power, but it’s undoubtedly the younger generation that has the love.

These were my five favorite scenes of “Heard It Through the Grapevine” episode 10:

1. Jung Ho demonstrates the chokehold method of parenting

Goodness gracious. I don’t even know what to say about this scene, it’s so horrifying. In Sang overhears his parents (loudly) complaining about Bom’s inferiority, so he tells them that they should keep their voices down. He doesn’t even tell them off for such ludicrous rudeness, though I think he’d be justified in doing so. But even the little he does say causes Jung Ho to put him in a chokehold, get him on the floor, and beat the dickens out of him. At least Bom, bursting onto the scene in a bathrobe, has the presence of mind to frankly say, “This is domestic violence.” Of course, the only response she gets is a denial (it’s punishment, apparently!) and an upbraiding for wearing a bathrobe in front of her in-laws, but by now I expect no less from Jung Ho and Yeon Hee. So I repeat: goodness gracious. This family is a horror-show!

2. Yeon Hee misses Jin Young

Okay, this was genuinely sweet. With her children, daughter-in-law, and grandson out of the house, Yeon Hee feels lonely. So she goes to Jin Young’s room and plays with his mobile and smells his toys, and it’s really touching. I mean, it would be far more touching if she didn’t spend every waking moment making Jin Young’s parents’ lives hell, but I’ll take what I can get at this point. (During a subsequent scene in which Jung Ho also goes to Jin Young’s room and plays with his grandson’s toys, I was very careful not to feel even an ounce of compassion. I refuse to feel compassion for a man who beats up his teenaged son!)

3. The employees’ party

It’s official: the servants are stealing the show. The Han family’s employees take advantage of the empty house to throw a party and it’s a genuine riot. Secretary Yang puts on patterned leggings and an enormous sweater, Kim Tae Woo gets wasted and drunk-texts Min Joo Young, Secretary Lee and Teacher Park dance and get scandalously flirty… It’s all amazing. I would watch a drama just about these employees.

4. The battle of the screaming fathers

To be fair, if I were Hyung Shik, I’d be screaming, too. Jung Ho unilaterally decides that he doesn’t want for Jin Young and his parents to spend a night outside the house, so he sends a car to pick them up. No “please,” no request, just a decision that must be followed. He doesn’t care that it’s midnight. He doesn’t care about how long Bom has waited to visit her family. (I’m sorry if I sometimes seem too negative about Jung Ho—I think Yoo Joon Sang is giving a great performance, and Jung Ho is a really interesting character, but as a human being I just can’t stand him!) Hyung Shik and Jung Ho yell at each other a bit, but the outcome is already decided: of course Bom and Jin Young return home, while the immensely drunk In Sang basically passes out in Hyung Shik and Jin Ae’s living room.

5. In Sang spends a morning without servants

I’m such a sucker for rich kids having to fend for themselves, so naturally I adored In Sang’s morning in the Seo household. There’s a subtle sense of confusion running through the scenes: everything here is unfamiliar to In Sang, so simple tasks like washing one’s face or getting a drink require extra thought. He manages perfectly well, though, and even has the time to examine Bom’s room (looking for diaries with information on ex-boyfriends!) before heading out to a bathhouse with Hyung Shik. It’s a gentle and lovely set of scenes.

What did you think of tonight’s episode? Were you as annoyed as I was that Jung Ho and Yeon Hee’s fight interrupted the employees’ party? Let us know in the comments below!

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