The Shawl
It’s Okay To Not Be Okay returns this week with another meaningful episode showing how to let go of past burdens and moving on from the pain. Episode 7 of It’s Okay To Not Be Okay starts where it left off with Kang-Tae finding Moon-Young sobbing in her bed. He quickly comforts her though and and tells her he won’t leave. He then stays by her side all night and ends up falling asleep next to her. In hospital, the staff members have a meeting with the director to discuss the recent events between Moon-Young and Eun-Ja. They decide to temporarily stop her class until they find out just what she said to the patient. Meanwhile, Kang-Tae decides to take the day off and takes Sang-Tae to work with Jae-Su. On his way to the chemist he rings Mr Lee to let him know that Moon-Young is not very well. Back in the mansion, Moon-Young remembers her mum forbidding her to cut her hair and shouting at her for not answering. In the present, she takes the scissors but just as she is about to cut her hair, she hears a voice saying “Save me”. Mr Lee then arrives and finds her sitting on the bed, telling him that she tried to cut her hair but her mother stopped her. Mr Lee asks if she had sleep paralysis again and tells her that the hallucinations will destroy her. Upon hearing this news he starts to pack up her stuff. Only, things quickly go awry prompting Mr Lee to be kicked out and Moon-Young taken outside for some fresh air and a meal. In the evening, Moon-Young and Kang-Tae walk together. She takes his phone as she wants him to focus on her and when Ju-Ri rings him, Moon-Young picks up to tell her that Kang-Tae took the day off to spend with her. After hanging up, she suggests that they date. Mr Lee stops by a convenience store where he finds a drunk Ju-Ri despairing about Kang-Tae. When Ju-Ri finds out who he is, she slaps him and blames him for everything as he should have convinced Moon-Young to leave. The next day Kang-Tae gets called in to the director’s office. He asks Kang-Tae if Moon-Young has a boyfriend as he wants to introduce his son to him. When mentioning the incident with Eun-Ja, the director explains that Moon-Young’s mother was a famous author who wrote a book series called “The Witch of the West.” The day she finished the last book, she disappeared and was declared dead 5 years later. Kang-Tae heads to the padded room to see Eun-Ja who is having a lucid day. She tells them that the shawl she is wearing was a gift from her daughter but they ended up fighting about it as she was angry her daughter spent so much money on her. That day, her daughter walked out upset and was killed when a car hit her. In the evening, Kang-Tae brings drinks to Jae-Su which they share on the rooftop. Kang-Tae thinks of his mother and wonders if she regrets treating him the way she did. Ju-Ri joins them too and tells him to cut his mother some slack. As Kang returns to the mansion, Moon-Young berates him for being late and drunk. She then suggests that they drink together but Kang-Tae refuses. He instead gives her a nightmare doll called Mang-tae, something he originally made for his brother. He explains that she should sleep with it in her hands as it will collect all her nightmares. Kang-Tae joins his brother in his bed and suggests they eat Jjamppong where they used to go with their mother. Sang-Tae reminds him that their mother used to take them there because Kang-Tae was the one who loved it so much. In a flashback, we see a more caring side to their mother as she made sure both their sons ate. One night, she cried and apologized to Kang-Tae while he slept. The next day, Moon-Young arrives at the hospital but becomes angry when she finds out her class has been cancelled. She rushes outside to find the director but he runs off when he sees her. Eun-Ja approaches though and apologizes for putting her in a difficult situation. Kang-Tae joins Moon-Young inside as she looks at Sang-Tae’s mural. It turns out his brother has been reading another one of her books called “The Cheerful Dog”. After hearing more about this story, Kang-Tae then tells Moon-Young that she did great as she helped Eun-Ja cut herself free. At home, Moon-Young finally manages to cut her hair. When Kang-Tae comes home, he is surprised to see her so she tells him that she’s cut off her leash. He then helps her by evening out her hair. This seems to make her very happy as Kang-Tae tells her that she is pretty, which is where the episode closes.
The Review Write-Up
The latest installment of It’s Okay To Not Be Okay showed some important developments for Kang-Tae as his brother made him realize and remember that his mother did care for him. From what we’ve seen through flashbacks she must have struggled greatly raising both of them which could explain why Kang-Tae sometimes felt left out. The mystery surrounding Moon-Young’s mother deepens as we are still unsure just what happened to her. Did her husband kill her? One thing for sure, she was very abusive to her daughter and perhaps even to her husband. The connection between our protagonists has really been intriguing to watch evolve and I would imagine that both will end up helping each other with their issues. So far It’s Okay To Not Be Okay has really been an interesting and unusual Korean drama. Each week it brings a different tale which is often shown on-screen by some fun and creative art, making this quite the original drama to check out.
