REPLY 1988 - EPISODE 16

Jung Hwan's mom, in her ill-fated National Singing Contest performance

Today you have K-Pop Star but back in the 80's you had 'National Singing Contest' and the KBS show is coming to town. The moms ponder about trying out, remembering what happened the last time... where they were so nervous they began drinking and passed out by the time they were called to audition. Jung Hwan's mom decides to give it a shot, and it ends up being a train wreck because she grabs the wrong cassette for the background music. There was one person from the block who did win: Deok Seon's younger brother No Eul, who sang a ballad while a classmate played guitar for him.

Dong Ryong first believes he can win the dance-off, till he sees his competition (who, amusingly enough, is J.Y. Park�aka JYP). Eventually, he enters the 'National Singing Contest,' and is eliminated after singing a single line.

Bora's parents tearfully see her off as she heads out to live in the dorms. Bora is strong at first, not one for emotional goodbyes, but she breaks down after Dad hands her a care package with meds, as well as giving her food money.


Dong Ryong and friends, after seeing the competition for the dance-off.

On the lovers' front, Jung Bong is busy folding origami cranes, believing that if he folds a thousand of them he will be granted a wish (as in the folk legend), and give Mi Ok anything she wants.� Taek's dad asks for his son's permission to date, and Taek says he wants his dad to be happy. Dad almost confesses to Sun Woo's mom, but chickens out at the last second.

Taek asks Deok Seon to keep her Saturday open, but at the last minute he calls her to say he can't make it. She's disappointed, but reassures him and says they'll do the movies another time. A flashback reveals why: he found Jung Hwan's wallet in his room, with the picture of Jung Hwan and Deok Seon at the concert, and decides to step aside for his friend. Jung Hwan just stares at the wallet when Taek drops it off, and doesn't quite know what to do when Deok Seon walks past him into the library, imparting the bad news about her and Taek. The baduk badass takes quite a few pills and settles into sleep...


Taek sheds a tear, knowing it wasn't meant to be between him and Deok Seon

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The bromance between Taek and Jung Hwan, while touching sometimes, is quite infuriating. There are occasions where you just want to shake one of them saying "tell her how you feel!" But Jung Hwan is too embarrassed to take the first step, and Taek is, well, Taek. He's got a big heart, but doesn't want anyone to really know. It's nice that they want to protect each other and be supportive, but now it's coming to a point where they just need to figure out their relationship with regards to other girls. I'd like to see Deok Seon get more dating action, but it seems like the people who are likely contenders keep getting in their own way. �

Jung Bong with�the cranes was a really cute moment. I can't find any Korean info on this practice, but Japanese legend states that the person who folds 1,000 cranes will get a wish. I'm familiar with it, though I've never done it. I think it was seriously sweet of him to do this. I just hope he can get past "scary dad" and actually talk to her on the phone.


Four years ago, the moms drank too much before their audition

The singing competition was pretty funny, and it was interesting to see everyone get all competitive and worked up about it. True, I have zero interest in watching those type of shows, but Reply did me good and made it watchable and funny. The only thing I didn't like was the Dong Ryong part of the story as it felt a bit tacked on. Besides, we've seen a lot of him lately, and he's rarely cast in a good light. I would have preferred him in a support role, maybe a co-manager for Jung Hwan's mom or something.

What kinda bothers me is Taek and all the pills he takes. He takes them for headaches, he takes them for sleeping, and who knows what else? What's worse is they constantly mention it in the show, reminding him or others to ease up on the dosage or the frequency. I just hope this isn't leading up to a hospital stay or something worse for the guy. He works hard, and I've come to care for him over the last few episodes, and I have a sinking feeling he's headed for a crash.


Bromance blossoms under the pink blanket

Reply 1988 is taking a break next week, so the filming can catch up with the fast moving story. Too often we see dramas get bogged down like this, and there are storylines that don't work well because they're thought up at the last minute. I'd like to see a move toward having the shows film for the entire season beforehand and then air. It'd give the cast and crew some breathing time, rather than trying to crank out an episode immediately. But, you can binge-watch all 16 episodes if you just can't stand being without it for a week. Of course, it would take you 3 days, even viewing it for 8 hours a day, so, um, maybe not.

Anyway, here's an MV for you to tide you over:

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