Netflix’s latest K-drama, When Life Gives You Tangerines, is a 16-episode series that releases four episodes every week, so we can wait in agony to find out what happens next. The first volume of the show is split into two timelines, basically Ae-Sun’s childhood and then later on, her conversation with her daughter in retrospect about her life back then.
The show begins with 70-year-old Ae-Sun having to write a poem in what looks like a nursing home or possibly a senior retreat. At this point, we don’t know, but all Ae-Sun ever dreamed of was becoming a poet in the 1950s on a small island called Jeju. But right now, she can’t seem to write anything; instead, she colors her canvas blue, like the ocean she hated so much as a child. Soon, we are transported to the 1950s, where 10-year-old Ae-Sun calls her mother, who is out diving for abalones. This is where the story begins, and it seems like this is where it will end, but I don't want to cry about it just yet. But with that being said, let's get to know Ae-Sun's life in this When Life Gives You Tangerines recap.
Creator: Kim Won-seok
Stars: Rich Ting, Park Bo-gum, Kim Seon-ho
Despite living in the 1950s, Ae-Sun's mother has had two husbands, and Ae-Sun is the one who passed away. Her stepfather is very accepting of her, but her mother tries to send Ae-Sun to her uncle because she is a fatherless child, and this is what will help her in the future. But Ae-Sun loves her mother too much, and there really is no one else in the world who can give her the care that her mother can. After crying in front of her mother because her uncle won't even give her fish to eat, despite her mother's literal job being to dive for abalone.
Despite wanting the best for her daughter, which would mean keeping her away from her, Ae-Sun's mother eventually brings her back home after the girl throws a tantrum. It turns out that Ae-Sun's mother has been sick, an occupational hazard that has affected her lungs, and shortly after Ae-Sun moves home, she passes away at the deeply disconcerting age of 29. Before she dies, however, Ae-Sun's mother is able to read the poem that Ae-Sun wrote for her, and also makes her promise to never become a Haenyeo (the female divers of Jeju Island).
Soon, Ae-Sun is basically left in charge of raising her two stepbrothers. Ae-Sun's stepfather is not a bad man; In fact, by the standards of the time, you could say he's one of the good ones, but he basically keeps Ae-Sun with him as a nurse for his very young children. She basically becomes a mini-mom to them, helping around the house, selling cabbage for her stepdad, and working hard to keep the house alive. But this means that he has to neglect his studies, so his dream of going to a university on the mainland is a long shot. However, Ae-Sun's stepdad promises to sponsor him before she comes home one day and sees him with a new woman.
I guess the most adorable encounter is when all the Haenyeos in the village are waiting to see you married to the guy who's been following you around since you were 10. Ae-Sun promises to never marry Gwan-Sik whenever they hang out together. But, by the time they're 18, they're basically engaged because of how much they seem to be joined at the hip. He sells the cabbages from his stepfather's field, drives her everywhere, and even changes her shoes by hand. However, despite her feelings for him, she can't help but wish that she could go live her life on the mainland, a rich life.
However, when Ae-Sun realizes that her stepfather can't finance her big dream, she has nowhere to go because her uncle is also unwilling to take her in, so the only person she can turn to is Gwan-Sik. But there's another problem there: Gwan-Sik's family doesn't approve of Ae-Sun because she's an orphan and a bit poorer than them.
This is unacceptable to them, even though their son has basically been Ae-Sun's daughter Mary's little lamb. Realizing that they have no other choice, the duo decide to run away to Busan. Before they leave, they rob Ae-Sun's stepparents and also Gwan-Sik's family, and take the ferry to Busan. It seems their plan is doomed from the start, because they have no documentation to prove they are adults.
Ae-Sun and Gwan-Sik, barely a couple, end up in Busan, completely lost. They find themselves in a motel that promises free accommodation, food and drink for the night if they can pay the next day, but it's all a scam. "Busan's hospitality is (not) the best." Soon, their bags are stolen and the motel owners threaten to take them to the police, but Ae-Sun and Gwan-Sik are eager to stay and make things work.
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