Overcoming Adversity
Episode 14 of Racket Boys begins with Se-Yoon and the others racing to drive across to the NJSF tournament. They’re cutting it fine but Coach Ra is angry that the games have been scheduled in this way. Well, given Se-Yoon ends up stuck in rush hour traffic it doesn’t look good. Due to this, it falls to Han-Sol to compete on her own, where she heads out to the court without Se-Yoon. Han-Sol puts on a valiant performance, with all the kids breaking out into rapturous applause to encourage her. Coach Ra however, is worried. After hearing some kids berating her outside, she heads back in invigorated and gives Han-Sol words of encouragement. These include a solid game plan that includes keeping a volley going with Lee Na-Ra. Given she’s the second best player in the world, on the surface this looks like a mismatch. It’s here where we see flashes to the past, specifically with the growing ties between Se-Yoon and Han-Sol over the years. With Se-Yoon unable to make it to the games, before her match she managed to bring her Mother along for the ride to relay on a message about how much she cares for Han-Sol. Se-Yoon does eventually make it to the gym to cheer her best friend on from the wings. Teary-eyed, she watches as Han-Sol wins the match! After, she hurries over and hugs her friend, prompting the rest of the team to rush over and break into tears. It’s a really emotional moment, one that sees the crowd break out into applause. Na-Ra takes her defeat gracefully and thanks her competitor, hugging her. After the game, the Racket boys end up in a spot of bother with the Middle School baseball team. They surround the kids outside after an altercation at the launderette. Demanding an audience, Hae-Kang shows up and stands up for his team. He refuses to listen to their offer and eventually uses his fists to do the talking. Well, that’s the story he tells the others anyway. In reality, he just shows them a flip phone and hands it over. Hae-Kang admits the game is more important and walks away. Back home, Han-Sol and the kids show up with a cake and trophy for Coach Ra. She struggles to hold back tears as they all thank her for her hard work and helping to train them. It’s a really sweet moment, one that’s followed by a private moment between Hae-Kang and Se-Yoon. Only, they both spy Yoon-Dam and Han-Sol together, holding hands and growing closer. This seems to spark their romantic feelings for one another…which is interrupted by Han-Sol messaging. Hae-Kang finds himself caught in the middle of this triangle though, especially when Park Chan shows up with food for Se-Yoon. That’s a particularly trying kick in the teeth for Hae-Kang given he has a bag full of food for his crush to The next day, the semi-finals look set to begin. The stadium is half empty but the villagers show up with drums and signs, ready to cheer the kids on. Hae-Kang and Yoon-Dam win their game, while Hae-Kang and Seung-Heon then square off. There’s a really nice moment backstage between them too, as Seung-Heon softens in his approach. He realizes it’s okay to lose and the most important part here is having fun while playing. The match goes all the way to the wire, with Hae-Kang eventually coming away victorious. As an additional treat, the villagers cook up a whole feast for the kids to enjoy. When the villagers head back home, they learn about a big development project that several businessmen are trying to push through, involving a golf course. To add more drama to the fold, Hae-Kang admits to the kids that he’s struggling to see. Even worse, Hyeon-Jong gets the results back from the hospital, where it turns out the knee ligament damage for some of the players are worse than before.
The Episode Review
With the final up next and the kids all progressing through the badminton rounds, episode 14 adds more sport drama to the fold. Specifically, we’ve got Hae-Kang’s eye issues returning while the excellent subplot involving Han-Sol comes to a satisfying close. Seeing her rise up against adversity, strike back and come out of her shell away from Se-Yoon’s shadow is easily one of the most satisfying moments. The show has done well with these individual moments across the season, with the romantic subplot ticking away in the background. Racket Boys has been an enjoyable sport drama over the weeks, and although it’s not the best sport drama of the year, it’s a satisfying, light and breezy drama nonetheless, making for a decent watch.
