'Reply 1988' Ep. 17-18 Discussion Post

[rachellovee.livejournal.com]

Set in the year 1988 at a neighborhood in Seoul, South Korea. Five families live on the same alley road.

Cast: Sung Dong Il, Lee Il Hwa, Hyeri, Park Bo Gum, Kim Sung Kyun

Where to watch: Dramacool, Dramafever

Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3
Episode 4
Episode 5
Episode 6
Episode 7
Episode 8
Episode 9
Episode 10
Episode 11
Episode 12
Episode 13
Episode 14
Episode 15
Episode 16
Episode 17
Episode 18

source: AsianWiki, Dramabeans

ep 18 made me scream so much my neighbors probably thought i was being robbed. our neighborhood crew has grown up, matured, and somewhat found peace with their younger selves. yet after so long, some realize that what they still want is what has always been there. personally for me this episode had the absolute best BGM. only 2 eps left :( also can we pls discuss how GREAT ryu junyeol's acting was in this episode?? the fate narration/ring monologue/angst in the jeep!! everything!!!!!

Comments

[kjc48.livejournal.com]

RJY does his best with what he's given, which is pretty much a pile of crap post ep 6-ish.
I can't at this husband hunt going down exactly as I predicted it would -_- #teamtaek IMO tyvm!!!!!

In the beginning I understood why people thought JH was the lead/husband, but now he is literally textbook second lead. Nothing he does makes sense. DS will never know about all his manpains~ unless he has some super detailed diary lying around lol

In other news: YAS @ all the side couples getting back together, yes at DS moving on from her some with JH and not spending years playing "will they won't they", lol @ hyung actually getting into college.

I miss my 94 couple tbh

[turtles-tszx.livejournal.com]

Reply 1994 used to be my fav until the freaking PD played with everyone So i learn not to ship anyone in reply series and it was one of the best decision i made lol. But tbh i wish she end up with DR, i mean they were funny together and DR would have confessed to her ASAP. Taek and Junghwan are so frustrating especially JH, 6 years and nada? nothing? She wasnt like Najung who clearly has eyes on trash only, both of them have equal opportunity to get her.

#bitterchilbongfan

[kicking-tenshi.livejournal.com]

lolol also dont ship anyone therefore not crying or angrily writing passive aggressive letters on tumblr. If there was a reply series that had the dubious distinction of doing the guess my hubby game best, it would be 1988. I like that its a pretty even playing field - even that both guys played ~noble idiot~ by not confessing early on to preserve their friendship.

lol I'd cackle if DR is still forever alone present day.

[hpn88.livejournal.com]

I was legit screaming at my computer like you OP at that driving scene cause I had a feeling that he wouldn't make it and then cried for JH - balled up fetal position in front of my computer for like 20 minutes after that confession scene.

Maybe b/c I identify with him and his lack of courage/fear of rejection, but I can't with him and his livelong crush. That post-confession montage slayed me. Being a JH shipper since Episode 1 with the smirk he gave when watching her on the TV, this episode was sort of soul crushing for me. He is perfect, wonderful, caring and it pain me that he is in pain over his unfulfilled 1st love. not that taek isn't cute too in his bumbling way, but JH just gets me in the feels every time.

And RJY KILLED that confession scene. I mean KILLED IT. I have a feeling that he will head off into movies after this show, but I can't wait for him to hopefully come back to dramaland sometime so I can stare at his face again.

[3677.livejournal.com]

are subs out yet? i hate waiting till monday for them to be available at dramafever

[rachellovee.livejournal.com]

i'm not sure where to watch with eng subs (help, anyone???) except df, but if you can read chinese, there are subtitles out REALLLY soon after each airing @ maplestage!!

edit: dramacool usually has them up pretty fast

[mayuyu.livejournal.com]

So im mad at what has happened to Junghwan as a character. It's like they made him a fan favourite only to have him do barely anything for god knows how many eps and now they make him almost pathetic. Although I must admit I do like seeing Junghwan's more vulnerable side.

This husband search is really starting to frustrate me because I was really hoping that in the last 4 eps we could see Deoksun and her husband dating but now there are only 2 eps left. (I'm obviously rooting for Junghwan though). It's Deoksun's choice in the end but tbh I have no idea who she likes. Although I really think she doesn't believe Junghwan's confession is a joke considering in 88/89 she knew he liked her.

There seems to he so much that needs explaining and not enough time like Taek's pill popping and Junghwan's nose bleeds (I haven't fully watched the last 2 eps though so idk if they explained that there)

[natywentz.livejournal.com]

Rjy is the reason i keep watching the drama. Hes so good. it pains me what they did to junghwan. But after this episode im done. I cant do it anymore.

[yohan94.livejournal.com]

link to eng subs?

[marsinblue.livejournal.com]

There's real-life heart-break and then there's Junghwan =/

ugh, why do I feel so sad and depressed?
Junghwan def deserved better character development and a happier storyline.

Ryu Jun Yeol's acting is on point though. So little lines over the last episodes yet every time he appears there is so much feeling in his voice, mannerisms and especially his eyes.

[oppasamaaa.livejournal.com]

Fuck my deoksun x junghwan ship just sank didn't it?

And I was so sad during the time skip.. my babies are all grown up and working now ;__;

[pseudo-shigure.livejournal.com]

ugh where are u guys from!?!?!? where do you guys watch it from!! i can't watch from dramafever and can't open dramacool anymore :\

edit: oh. this post is for those of you who watch it raw. ok, i'm out.

[mayuyu.livejournal.com]

Dramacool moved to dramacool.cc so try that!

The writter doesn't fool anyone at his point

[cafetin99.livejournal.com]

He/she/they want the audience to believe that JH is CH Nº2 just for ~suspense, mistery!!~, but we'll see that in the remaining episodes DK will end up w/JH.

[tabascoyummo.livejournal.com]

If Taek is the husband, it'll ruined the family tree since i am a hundred percent sure that Bora will end up with Sunwoo.

But yah..

[kjc48.livejournal.com]

I don't think Taek and SW are registered on the same family tree (it's an official thing in Korea/East Asia). They're both on their dads' tree so on paper they are unrelated,, unless JJ was officially adopted and moved from SW's family registry to Taek's.

[burningleaf.livejournal.com]

i'm cautiously hoping its team taek but eh, the entire korea will implode imo if that happens

so tired of ppl shoving deoksun behind their screens to pick a guy. let the girl breathe. either hyeri isn't showing us the nuances or deoksun is a majorly huge sacrificial lamb after being conditioned for it her whole first 2 decades of life

.. of course i havent watched the latest eps, and barely held myself back from reading dramabean's entire recap. i tried to only read db's comments at the end. it was hard to stay focused and not wander page up lol

[ah0000.livejournal.com]

I haven't watched it yet, I usually do watch raws but I'm just going to wait for subs tomorrow this time so I know what's going on. I did see the spoilers tho on tumblr, and man RJY is such a great actor. I love him so muuuuch. Also wow he looks SO good in 1994.

Maybe I need to watch these episodes before I say anything but I do NOT understand how Taek could be the husband simply based on the future husband's personality. Even taking out all other clues and hints that just doesn't make sense. Unless they end up changing the future husband's personality too it has to be Junghwan.

I think it's funny that a lot of people are still saying it could be Dongryong lol.

[hurtmybones.livejournal.com]

I'm not even watching this but wtf @ the writer leaving everything at the last minute. they had 18 1+ hour episodes and whatever the main couple is gonna be they'll only have 2 episodes as a couple? mess... y'all have my condolences

[bubblyshades.livejournal.com]

Dude... DUDE you don't even know. We got so many great couple-y moments between Trash and Najung in AM1994, and now I'm going bald waiting for a kiss!! JUST A KISS!!! #thestruggle

[kicking-tenshi.livejournal.com]

soooo... JH liked DS before that alley incident... but w/ the reply series I don't know if that's on purpose or just a chronology flub. I lean towards JH in the hubby dog fight but damn, DS's relative lack of rxn+ checking the door after his confession.

What about his grad ring??

[reasontowander.livejournal.com]

Junghwan and his nonconfession-confession is killing me T_T JUST TELL HER YOU LOVE HER YOU IDIOT

has he really been the second lead in disguise all along? really drama, really??
lol though really I still think he's the husband, he's just being really stubborn about it and living out a melodrama in his own mind.

[miwa201.livejournal.com]

fucking reply. 1997 still remains the best one. taek is the dullest character alive and i'm sorry but if he turns out to be husband then it's obvious the writer changed it halfway

[takaki.livejournal.com]

Right it's clear as day Junghwan was supposed to be the husband but I'm afraid that they saw how popular Park Bo Gum was getting so they decided to change shit up. There is a reason 1997 will always be the most superior season and it's because the writers weren't focused on how to fuck over the audience since that's exactly what they're doing right now.

lol this season's motto seems to be #The husband is ___

[shocko-o.livejournal.com]

I don't think Taek is the husband. Jung Hwan's character is more fleshed out, and if the climax is him losing the girl, then giving one last hurrah (ehem but much like Chilbong), the result of that may be that we see Deok Sun may respond to his sort-of-confession. She looked pretty disappointed when he pretended it was nothing.

That last montage of images of DS-JH has me thinking that it could be saying goodbye to this ship D: Good job for the writers for making both guys seem like equal contenders at this point. I think both could hypothetically be in a second lead situation - Taek is the one who's good at almost everything but loses his first love; Jung Hwan is the thoughtful daddy long legs who is too chicken to step it up and loses his first love.

The clues in the present do point to facts we do know about Taek so far, but going off of previous seasons, they could be red herrings. If there is a clue that for sure rules out one guy, then I haven't seen it yet. This week, there are hints that DS may be falling for Taek, but she also reacted during Jung Hwan's confession, so who knows??

Re: lol this season's motto seems to be #The husband is ___

[oppasamaaa.livejournal.com]

`That's the motto for every season tbh lol. I feel the same about the montage as well since the title of this ep is "goodbye first love" nooooo. But but but it could be the writer trolling all of us tryna confuse and fuck with everyone's feelings so the impact will be stronger when the husband is actually junghwan all along??? If so they're doing a pretty good job cuz I was devastated and unable to function whole day yesterday lol.

[chanqsun.livejournal.com]

so like is 17 and 18 even subbed yet..?

[takaki.livejournal.com]

FUCK THE WRITERS AND FUCK THIS SEASON TBH.

These two episodes pissed me off SO MUCH that I actually couldn't even fucking sleep last night because I was raging so hard and kept thinking about how angry it made me because they just keep fucking Junghwan over and over again. I actually like Park Bo Gum/Taek has a character but I can't even stomach his scenes anymore because I just get too mad when watching them so I just skip over tbh or else I'd break my laptop in pure rage.

I'm also incredibly annoyed at how much Sunwoo/Bora there is when they're not even the fucking main couple. I got sick of them so quick and they're just so boring to me even though they were cute at first. At this point they are the main leads and Deok Sun and her husband are just supporting characters because the writers are too busy focusing on how to fuck the viewers over for the sake of their dumbass husband hunting game.

Ryu Joon Yul is just too good for this show. :/ I can't even tell what Deok Sun is feeling bc Hyeri's acting is just not there.

[purekpopology.livejournal.com]

This might be an unpopular opinion, but if after this last episode the husband is Junghwan I'll be furious. The whole life lesson here (which is what many of the episodes have tried to be about - life lessons) is that fate and timing only make up so much of what happens to you. Choices have just as much impact. If Junghwan wanted Dukseon he should have done something about it, at some point, in the LAST 6 YEARS. I have little sympathy for him. Is confessing to the person you like really, really hard? Absolutely, but it was just as hard for Taek as it was for Junghwan, so why shouldn't Taek get the girl when he was brave when he needed to be? Even till the very end, when Junghwan could have decided to confess honestly, he chickened out!! Why do people think Junghwan should be with Dukseon just because he pined for her???

Not to mention, whenever he's with her, he's an asshole. Is that suppose to be cute?? It'd be one thing if he was just reserved and aloof, but he's actively rude and insulting to her. Since when is omona into the "boys are mean because they like you" crap?

That said, I could completely see Korea rewarding the noble idiocy and endless pining, and making Junghwan the husband.

[iznanassi.livejournal.com]

i agree with this 100%, like I feel bad for Junghwan here but...he lost. he played himself and the only person he has to blame is himself. i am so so soooooooooooo tired of men in kdramas doing the bare minimum (sometimes even abusing the female character) and still getting the girl at the end bc some inexplioable love.

after 'she was pretty' i was so angry and it's my problem with 99% of kromcoms, it's so goddamn annoying.

[engraved-16.livejournal.com]

Ahh man i have no idea what knetz were complaining about with junghwan's confession. To me he didnt seem pitiful at all by saying it was a joke because what matters is that he confessed seriously and that deoksun took it seriously as well (you can tell by her reactions that she knew he wasn't joking). So whether or not he played it off as a joke to the other guys shouldn't matter because in the end he finally made his confession

Personally to me it seems like deoksun has moved on... her expressions while he was confessing were nostalgic as she reminisced from those times and you could tell she knew jungwhan was serious but in the end it kinda seemed like it was too late and she doesn't like him like that anymore (maybe back then but yeah junghwan missed his chance) i think she's interested in Taek now the way she kept looking at the door, her beeper and just last week's ep of her being disappointed she got blown off by him and that moment where he carried her while she was injured.

Not sure how it'll turn out the next eps (writers could still pull a 180 and have the husband be junghwan) but to me rn it seems like she likes taek :)

[lechuza-yoya.livejournal.com]

the thing is the we really dont know who DS likes , in reply 1994 I think the chilbong will make najung like him, that how they set it, it didn't happen, with this, we really dont know, the only solid clue was the husband in today time, and its was JH, I dont know who they gonna pick for DS husband maybe will see her point of view her confession to some of this two, she seems to like JH, but we just see how the potential husband feels, I hope the last two be about her, I only know the a Lot if people it gonna say was sooo sooo obvious who the husband was, and the we just see what we wanna see.

[iznanassi.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed the last two episodes but honestly the audience reaction is starting to ruin it for me, every season it seems like there's a LOT of projection...and then anger when the projection doesn't go your way?? A lot of things people are saying are assumptions they've made, decided they're truths and then get mad because things aren't fitting into their assumptions. The drama isn't even over like...relax. There's enough scenes of Taek yelling at Deoksun, teasing Deoksun, and parallels between Taek and his Dad that make it entirely plausible that Taek is the husband. It's one thing to be surprised or whatever or for there to actually be poor writing but if people deliberately ignore things to fuel their own opinions...what is the point of watching the show.

The only argument I think is fair is that since there's been an intense focus on JH's feelings it doesn't make sense to suddenly flip it in Taek's favour unless we FINALLY get things from Taek's side, but even that imo is weak bc Taek's actions are a lot more subtle than JH's actions.

/end rant

Anyways I really like Hyeri's 90s look, I hope GsD stylists go for Deoksun's styling a bit more in the future for Hyeri. She's looked gorgeous throughout the entire series.

I miss Jinjoo

EDIT: Obligatory fuck Sunwoo

[winegums.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed the last two episodes but honestly the audience reaction is starting to ruin it for me

This is why I'm glad the db recaps/discussion are usually over and done by the time the engsubs get posted - probably the only time I'm actually grateful to dramafever for the lateness of the subs, otherwise I'd be tempted to go in and actually discuss shit with some REALLY annoying people (and people don't usually get that way on db but Reply somehow brings out the crazy since 2013).

Hyeri looks gorgeous as Deok-sun, both past and present. The costume designers/stylists made a good decision to give her 80s clothes but avoid the worst of 80s hair and just stick with a bob - which is her most flattering hairstyle anyway.