[ASKKPOP] allkpop TV Guide: 'Oohlala Couple' (Episode 3)

Official Synopsis:
How much can a wife endure when her good-for-nothing husband is a womanizer who embarrasses her at every turn?Na Yeo Okis fed up with the infidelity of her hotelier husband,Go Soo Nam, during their 12-year marriage and demands a divorce. However, a major accident causes the unimaginable to happen – their souls are switched into each other's bodies. As the couple bumbles around in each other's identities, will Yeo Ok and Soo Nam develop a deeper understanding of each other?

Ratings:
KBS2TV's'Oohlala Couple' (starringKim Jung EunandShin Hyun Joon) dropped slightly from 14.5% to 14.0% viewer ratings for its third episode.
Meanwhile, SBS' 'Faith' (starringLee Min HoandKim Hee Sun) rose from 9.5% to 10.5% for its seventeenth episode.
MBC's 'The Horse Healer' (starringCho Seung WooandLee Yo Won) dropped dramatically 9.7% to 6.6% for its third episode.

Recap of Ep. 2:

In episode 3, we learn that Yeo Ok may be holding a very, very old grudge.



[Note- in order to avoid confusion, I'm going to call the characters by their names, not by the names of the bodies they're inhabiting- i.e. Yeo Ok is Yeo Ok, even if she's in Soo Nam's body.]

We start with the daySayuridies.Soo Namholds her dead body and says that, had he known how things would end, he would have never loved her at all. Her spirit (unheard by him) responds:

"Don't be in pain. I have no regrets. How many people in the world love someone enough to put their life on the line? Without you, my life would have been empty. I am happy."

He finds a note tucked in her kimono- the one she read before killing herself. As he reads the last line about living happily as husband and wife, he drops her and jumps back. Her spirit continues on, telling him "Come quickly, I'm waiting for you". Ahh, so *she* wrote that letter! He says he's sorry- he can't go now. He wants to, but he has many things to do. He needs to help save the country. He explains that he must die for his country, not for love. Sayuri's spirit looks on in shock, saying she can't forgive him for that. She tries to beat him, but her ghost arms go right through him. The wind from her sleeves sends the letter flying out the window.

In the present,Soo NamandYeo Oktry to figure out how to switch back to their original bodies. Soo Nam insists that the tree they hit must have caused the switch, and convinces Yeo Ok to repeatedly run into the tree, head-first, with him. It doesn't do any good.

The next day, Yeo Ok has to go to work in Soo Nam's place. She freaks out- she's never been to the hotel before, she doesn't know anyone, she doesn't know her way around, and she's sure she can't do it. Soo Nam gives her a quick rundown in the car, and tells her that all she has to do is go to a meeting, deliver a message about the English guests, and then go home. He's made an appointment for the two of them to meet a monk who's an expert in controlling souls, and they can see him after work.

She does her best, but things start going wrong the minute she enters the hotel and seesVictoria- Soo Nam had told her she wasn't an employee! Victoria follows Yeo Ok to the office, going on about how worried she was about Soo Nam the night before, and then asks about divorce court, thrilled when Yeo Ok answers, "Your wish came true". In her mind, Yeo Ok thinks about how Victoria won't feel so lucky once she's stuck being the housewife.  She goes to her meeting, where she manages to insult the wrong person and accidentally call the English guests American. Afterwards, Soo Nam rips into her for messing up, but she answers that "they all look the same anyway!" He keeps yelling at her, so she dishes it right back- he didn't tell her about Victoria! He makes a comment about Victoria being "a patient", but Yeo Ok brushes it off and he doesn't elaborate.

They visit the monk, who explains that the accident affected both their bodies and souls. Their souls were flung out of their bodies, but were so discombobulated that they got lost coming back, and wound up in the wrong bodies. A man's wife and mistress swapped bodies five years before, and he tried to put them back, but they couldn't handle the treatment and failed. "Even if it's so painful that you can't even breathe, you must put up with it." The monk starts their treatment by pelting them with handfuls of dry beans. When his arms wear out, he loads the beans in a machine that shoots the beans at Soo Nam and Yeo Ok.

At home, Soo Nam attempts to teach Yeo Ok the ins and outs of the hotel. She says that she still won't be able to run it. He says that she keeps claiming to be smart- she reminds him that he says she's ignorant and incompetent. He suggests she get help from Victoria while she's working, but she refuses to seek help from his mistress. He changes tactics, saying that if she ruins this opportunity, he'll change everything back to his name before they switch back, leaving her penniless.



Later, Yeo Ok gives him a heartfelt confession about her state of emotions and what she has been experiencing. Soo Nam says he's sorry, but Yeo Ok isn't hearing it- "If you're sorry, switch us back!"

That night, when they're getting ready to sleep, Soo Nam suggests that they take the monk's most recent advice to "create a way for their souls to interact" by sleeping together. Yeo Ok is completely repulsed, shoving him off the bed several times.

The next day, Soo Nam's mom sits next to Yeo Ok, thinking her son is asleep. Earlier, she'd tried to throw Yeo Ok out of the house, but Yeo Ok had convinced her to let her stay until the divorce was finalized. Mrs. Go wonders out loud about how hard it must be to have a wife that's having an affair. Yeo Ok, in Soo Nam's body, sits up, singing her own praises and asks Mrs. Go to stop judging her so harshly and be nicer before rushing out of the room.

At the hotel, Yeo Ok gets a call from "woman". When she answers and it's Soo Nam, she realizes that that is how she is programmed into his contacts list. She freaks out- she's not honey, sweetie, or wife? Just "woman"? She starts crying and hangs up, deciding she won't help him anymore.

She goes out to the lobby, where she sees a man. In her head, she says, "Oppa..." and then walks over to hug him. The staff and guests stare at the two men embracing as the episode ends.



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contagion's Thoughts:

[ Note : This post reflects the opinions of the author, not necessarily those of allkpop ]

So maybe the past-life romance wasn't as perfect as we've been led to believe so far? Could Yeo Ok unknowingly be holding a grudge against Soo Nam for not dying with her in their last life? And Victoria's definitely sick? And who is "oppa"? So many questions!

I'm starting to miss Yeo Ok's take-charge personality. While I totally understand why she would be freaking out right now, I hope that she starts to get her confidence back soon. Even scared, though, she's quite the force to be reckoned with, and I still love her to death.

I do hope the actors settle into their roles a little better, as right now the body swap isn't quite believable- for example, we never saw Yeo Ok flutter her eyelashes and whine when she was in her own body, so why would she do so in her husband's body? That said, there are lots of little things that I do appreciate- Soo Nam not knowing what to do with his hair and being annoyed by his bangs amuses me to no end.

So far, I'm still impressed with the story and excited to see where it goes, but I have one major complaint- can our main couple please, please, PLEASE stop hitting each other all the time? There are ways to portray without resorting to spousal violence. It actually took away from the humor most of the time, even though we were supposed to think it was funny.

Speaking of funny, I'll leave you with this- in my opinion, Moo San's "Shake, shake, shake... everybody!" entrance was the funniest moment of the show so far. We need more Moo San!