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Drama Reviews
Posted by eric_r_wirsing Monday, June 22, 2015

[Drama Review] 'Orange Marmalade' - Episode 7

AKP STAFF
Seolhyun, Jonghyun, Yeo Jin Goo
ORANGE MARMALADE - EPISODE 7


At Joseon Dentistry, we care about your smile.

The war between the vampires and humans explodes, even as our characters are caught up in their own drama:

Shi Hoo watches Jae Min help Ma Ri out and realizes they're crushing on the same girl. Jae Min's dad shows up and castigates him for taking up with a butcher. The next morning, Jae Min seeks out Ma Ri and confesses to her. She tries to reject him, so as not to make a bigger mess of things, but Jae Min stands firm. Eventually, he makes plans to leave. Shi Hoo pilfers the silver and goes out vampire hunting that evening. That night, Jae Min also takes off to meet our heroine. He is brought back by Lady Yangpyong, his servant and nursemaid, who braved the weather and the night to find him. A young vampire, Jae Hee, stays with her until she finds Jae Min. Jae Hee appears moved by Lady Yangpyong's actions. The next night, we see an induction ceremony: the Soldiers of the Silver Blood accept Shi Hoo and a few others, and they are given weapons of silver. Jae Min tries to break it off directly with his intended, Ah Ra, which causes her to go to the vampires for help, betraying the Soldiers of the Silver Blood -- as long as they get rid of Ma Ri. Jae Hee objects, but is overruled, so he heads out to protect her, knocking her out with a pressure point. Shi Hoo shows up and fights him, believing Jae Hee is trying to kill Ma Ri. When Jae Min shows up, Jae Hee takes off, leaving Ma Ri in Shi Hoo's arms. The two boys glare at each other...


But wait! There's more! You also get this fine knife and spoon set absolutely free! But you must act now!�

We've been teased by it for a bit, and now, finally, we're getting some action. Shi Hoo pounds on these guys like the badass he is, putting the smackdown on vampires in smart ways. I love how he uses the silver, not only to truss them up but also to kick a ball into one's mouth for good measure. I love how ruthless the vampires are, too. They don't look kindly on failure and punish it severely. I've said it before, vampires are nasty and evil. They all don't have to be, which makes for good character conflicts, but rather than making them angsty, give them a more brooding and dark quality. All the vampires in this drama are entirely believable.


And the award for Most Obvious Peeping Tom goes to...

The fight scenes are, frankly, awesome. We've seen teases of it here and there, and in this episode they pull out all the stops. Shi Hoo kicks and punches and flips his way through the whole show, borrowing a good bit from martial arts films of the past, notably 'House of Flying Daggers' and others. Being derivative isn't a bad thing, as long as it's done well. Here, the action sequences are solid. And we get three well-done fights this time in a show that runs just shy of an hour. Best. Episode. Yet.

And this is likely where the rivalry between Shi Hoo and Jae Min heats up. I knew it had to, even as I was hoping it would not. There's not much of a connection between them in the modern day parts, but there's a lovable bromance in the Joseon sequences that I hoped they weren't going to mess with. If I thought they were watchable before, it's here where we get characterization and just overall feelgood drama. It's a shame they had to throw a giant monkey wrench into it.


It must have been the onions.

You have to feel for Ma Ri. She's probably the most tortured character right now. I can just imagine what she's thinking: "Here's Jae Min, this hot guy that I like. And he likes me. Oh wait, he can't like me, because his family doesn't approve and he's supposed to marry someone else. But he says he wants to marry me. But I can't because it's not proper and doesn't fit my station. Did he really just compare me to an animal? Oh, he kissed me!"�They kind of pull her around like a child's wagon, moving her this way and that. And almost any action she takes would be believable, given the push and pull of the romance.

I have to say, they're shaking things up. And I like that, for the most part. We finally get the war between the vampires and humans into full swing, and I hope it takes even more of a central role. It's been in the background a lot, and I want something I can sink my teeth into (yes, I know, that was very bad).

What do you guys think?

SEE ALSO: Netizens have mixed reactions to EXO's Baekhyun holding his own birthday cafe events for 'profit'

  1. Seolhyun
  2. Jonghyun
  3. Yeo Jin Goo
  4. ORANGE MARMALADE
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