Second Shot at Love – K-drama Episode 1 Recap & Review
Episode 1 of Second Shot at Love begins with Dr. Seo Ui-joon giving a seminar on Prevention and Treatment of Alcoholism. He talks about how South Korea is too tolerant about alcoholism. He mentions that anyone can be an alcoholic, even a smart and hard-working person.
It cuts to Han Geum-ju, a brilliant senior engineer at an automobile repair shop. She is an alcoholic and one night, she makes a fool of herself in public. The next morning, Ju-yeop, her fiancé gives her an ultimatum. She chooses alcohol over him and breaks their engagement.
Her mom, Gwang-ok berates her for it. However, Geum-ju points out that Ju-yeop dated her because she was a party animal and only started nagging once they decided to marry. She sees no issue with social drinking and believes it is needed to keep up relationships at the workplace.
Unfortunately, she loses her job and is unable to pay the rent. Her mother takes her home and spins the narrative so it seems that they broke the engagement because the mother-in-law is a diva.
As they arrive in their hometown, Bochun, they pass by Ui-joon who heads out to treat his elderly patients. He is patient and friendly, ensuring that the elders are taken care of. He even does the fieldwork for an old woman and entertains the rest of the ladies. He is a natural farmer and we learn that he used to help his grandmother.
At the Hans', Geum-ju arrives to her father, Jeong-su and her older, divorced sister, Hyeon-ju day drinking. Gwang-ok scolds them and we learn that they are responsible for introducing alcohol to Geum-ju and normalising drinking. Gwang-ok declares that there will be no more drinking.
Hyeon-ju's twins love Geum-ju and she takes them to the town park. As they play around, she rants to her friend about Ju-yeop. Unfortunately, one of the neighbouring ladies overhears and soon the truth of her canceled engagement spreads like wildfire. While some pity her, many look down upon her. She runs into an old friend, Seon-wook who scolds her as well.
They visit Young-woong, a mechanic friend who struggles with a car. Geum-ju thinks out of the box and fixes it. But she is annoyed to learn that it is Ui-joon's car. We learn that they were close but something happened between them. He was a hotshot doctor in Seoul and was welcomed with fanfare when he recently opened a clinic in Bochun.
A flashback to 2007 shows Geum-ju running into Ui-joon who is a transfer student. His cycle is broken and she offers to fix it. She is chatty and flexes that she is the town genius. He is shy but watches her with awe.
At present, she runs into him. He is cordial but she lashes out at him. Her grocery bag tears but she refuses his help. He plays along and runs off which annoys her. Once his face turns away from her, he looks sad.
Meanwhile, Gwang-ok overhears her friends gleefully gossiping about how both her daughters are a mess. She is further upset when she goes home and finds her husband and daughters secretly drinking.
She calls Geum-ju selfish and Geum-ju is upset that no one understands her. A flashback shows Ju-yeop having an affair. The mistress is pregnant and he vows to break off the engagement. It is why Geum-ju gets drunk at the beginning of the episode. She breaks off the engagement first because she wants to have control and save face.
The next morning, Gwang-ok drags Geum-ju on a hike to a temple and tries to donate 1 million won to stop her drinking. Upset, Geum-ju steals her phone and runs off. Ui-joon finds Gwang-ok running after her daughter. She asks for his help but he reasons that the first step to quitting is to be aware that one has a problem.
That night, Seon-wook and Young-woong set up a surprise reunion for Ui-joon and Geum-ju. Ui-joon arrives first and the three men talk about her alcoholism. Ui-joon had wished that when they met again, she would be a much better person. Having just arrived, Geum-ju overhears and runs off. She drinks and wishes she was a better person.
At home, it is her grandfather's memorial service. The extended family is present and Gwang-ok refuses to serve alcohol, blaming the family for ruining Geum-ju. But she believes in Geum-ju and is sure she will come to her senses.
Unfortunately, Geum-ju arrives drunk and makes a scene. A makgeolli bottle falls at Gwang-ok's feet. She explodes and tries to beat Geum-ju up while the rest try to separate them.
The next morning, Geum-ju wakes up and Ui-joon approaches her. Her top is missing and she is scandalised. He begs her to stop drinking.
In the Second Shot at Love Episode 1's epilogue, Geum-ju promises to fix Ui-joon's cycle in 3 minutes. It cuts to nightfall and he teases her. She sulks and he wipes the grease off her face. They are flustered and he tries to get her to leave. She refuses as she wants to prove herself. She finally fixes it but her scooter runs out of power. He takes her home on his cycle.
The Episode Review
Second Shot at Love Episode 1 introduces a sensitive topic but in a lighthearted manner. Which means this show can go either way. Given that alcoholism is a prevalent issue all over, but especially in South Korea, the K-drama has a responsibility to tread carefully. It is still too early to judge it but it seems that they are trying.
We get the perspectives of both parties and how they are affected by Geum-ju's alcoholism. While the first episode hashes out how it affects the people around her, particularly her mother and very likely her first love, it also explains why Geum-ju does what she does. It is clear that her father and her sister are her enablers and it has been an issue way before her fiancé cheated on her. However, it also shows Ju-yeop's hypocrisy with how he enables her drinking and then nags her for it to ensure that he gets a docile wife.
While all the subtext and nuances can create a heavy atmosphere, so far, Second Shot at Love has done a good job of balancing it out with the comedy. Even the difficult and toxic scenes like Gwang-ok beating Geum-ju during the memorial are followed by funny moments like Geum-ju finding herself at Ui-joon's place. The cast keeps it light and portrays likeable characters even though they are flawed and messy. We really do hope that the show is able to do justice to the story and its characters.
Next Episode
Expect A Full Season Write-Up When This Season Concludes!
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