I’m going to buck the trend and say that I didn’t like the episode. Here are my reasons:

1. My expectation of a YiJin+Heedo happy ending took a nosedive.

Baek YiJin isn’t Minchae’s dad if she doesn’t recognize his face in the pictures. So there goes that theory that Baek YiJin had a name change.

Grandma to Minchae: Look at how young Back YiJin is.
Minchae: Grandma. Tell me who is Yijin?
Grandma: (naming the faces) Yurim-i. Jiwoong-i. Songwan-i. Your mom. And he’s YiJin-i.
Minchae: Ah. So that’s Baek YiJin.
Grandma: That’s right. Do you know him?
Minchae: Me? No. I don’t know him.

It seems to me that Minchae is familiar with Yurim, Jiwoong and Songhwan because her Grandma didn’t need to explain them to her.

Later, Grandma tells Heedo that Minchae went through the album and saw their group picture.

Nope. I’m not going to fall for that “25 21” engraving on the chest of drawers. They aren’t a couple.

Heedo: When was this? We all look so young.
Mom: At that time, I thought YiJin looked pretty mature. But now that I look at this, he was just a kid.
Heedo: (smiling) He was only 22 back then.

Mom: I met him last month.
Heedo: (looks at her)

So YiJin’s alive. But he isn’t in contact with Heedo.

Mom: (sighing) I can’t believe how much time has passed.

Mom: (then switching topic) I see you’re here eating with Yurim. Were you two close back then?
Heedo: (smiling) No. This was when I absolutely hated her.

Interesting reaction.

a. Heedo smiles while looking at the picture of Yijin when he was 22. Same with Yurim’s picture. But her smile disappears at her mom’s report that she met Yijin recently.

b. In the same conversation, her mom mentions Yijin and Yurim. But she asks nothing about the other two friends.

2. I found the episode too…how do I say this… preachy for me.

In almost every scene, there’s a line that conveys a message or an aphorism. Typically, I don’t mind five or six of these quotes per episode.

But when I’m bombarded with quotable lines every 10 minutes or less, like in this drama, then I get the sense that the writer is using the dialogues do the heavy lifting, instead of letting the actions speak for themselves. I find no subtlety in the dialogues. Neither is there any continuance or connection between the lines as the scenes unfold.

For me, in a well-written kdrama like “Our Beloved Summer” or “Reply 1988,” there’s one thesis (i.e., life is beautiful) that’s introduced in the beginning then developed and expounded until the end. The writer will revolve the story around that statement, weaving it in and out of the main plot and the side plots.

That one line/one idea acts like the glue of the whole episode.

In this drama, however, there’s a hodge-podge of ideas, some of them under-developed, some of them contradictory.

I’ll list 17 of these quotable quotes so you’ll understand what I mean.

a. Timestamp 4:35
Jiwoong commenting on Seunghan’s secret hideout: Image is important.

Got that? Seunghan’s good girl image allowed her to create a hangout room for herself. Later in the episode, you’ll see that Jiwoong also uses his good boy image to win over Yurim and the old lady in the bus.

b. Timestamp 8:12
YiJin: I believe in gravity. The only thing I believe that will be constant in this world is gravity. I don’t believe that anything stays the same forever. Because believing in something like that sets expectations for how things should turn out. However, gravity is constant regardless of any expectations. That’s why I only believe in gravity.

This is the writer’s warning to the viewers not to expect a happily-ever-after for YiJin and Heedo. How many times does he/she have to warn us? The title of the kdrama itself is named after a song lamenting the evanescence of love and time.

In the season where flowers wither in the wisping wind
I can still feel the touch of your hand
At that time, I couldn’t deeply understand
Even then, the flowers were still beautiful
Oh, your fragrance carried in the wind
Oh, I thought it would last forever, twenty-five, twenty-one

Source: lyricstranslate.com

The problem with YiJin’s line however is that he contradicts him later when he tells Heedo that she gives him hope and that he wants more for you. In effect, he believes in her (and not in gravity alone!) and is setting expectation for how things will work for them.

c. Timestamp 10:23
Coach to Heedo: You think of fencing as a sword fight. You’re wrong. Fencing is a game of wits. You have to be able to read the game. That is strategic thinking.

Okay….so how do we see this “strategic” thinking in practice from her? She criticizes Heedo yet she offers no concrete remedy.

d. Timestamp 15:49
Heedo to YiJin: Don’t try to comfort me. I just want you to make fun of me….That’s right. It feels better when I turn my tragedy into a comedy.

Frankly, this line sounds forced and phony to me.

This mindset doesn’t sound at all like Heedo’s. It sounded more like the screenwriter trying to inject some words of wisdom into the moment. Look: if Heedo really feels this way, then why did she cry about the “Full House” her mother ripped? She should have turned that tragedy into a comedy, right? Also, if she really feels this way, then why did she whine about her mother’s devaluing her efforts? It was no laughing matter to her.

e. Timestamp 17:16
YiJin to Heedo: I heard that every tragedy in life is a comedy if you see it from afar.

Yes. This is more like something Yijin would say.

That said, if Charlie Chaplin’s estate had a dollar for every time this line is quoted in a kdrama, it’d be rich.

Heedo’s response: That means we have to live as if we’re seeing ourselves from afar.

It was hard for me to believe their romantic vibes because the writer was bent on pushing these little musings on life on me.

Heedo: Your dream was to be in space. Let’s live as if we see ourselves from there.
YiJin: I’m happy to watch from where I am. You’re fun to watch even when up close.
Heedo: That’s good to know. It’s only been a month ago when I was told that the times we live in took my dream away. Then, recently, I heard that the times had given me an opportunity. So if you think about it, there’s on such thing as a pure tragedy or comedy. Still, I hope that the road ahead of us is filled with more comedy.

Nope. This again doesn’t sound like Heedo. She sounds preternaturally mature here.

f. Timestamp 25:24
Heedo to the bully: I need your guidance! The fencing team is united! Please let train together.

g. Timestamp 27:41
Old lady in the bus to Jiwoong: Student, you have a pretty face and a pretty heart.

Jiwoon is like Seunghan in the sense that he too has a good image.

h. Timestamp 34:11
Heedo to YiJin during their joyride: What’s so wrong with misspelling a few words? You still understood everything I wrote?

This quote epitomizes her expectations of YiJin. She expects him to understand where she’s coming from. And when he doesn’t, she schools him.

She’s pleased when it starts raining because for her, it’s their chance to be happy when they’re alone. She enthused, “I love getting wet in the rain.”

Who wouldn’t fall in love with her here?

This is a nice interlude for them. It’s all fun and games for them until someone loses an eye …err… cries his eyes out.

i. Timestamp 45:16
Mom to Heedo while looking at the first group picture: At the time, I thought YiJin looked pretty mature. But now that I look at this, he was just a kid.

Isn’t this the theme of this drama? Every adult was once a kid, and if we look hard, the heart of the kid is still inside the adult he (or she) has become.

j. Timestamp 48:53
Heedo to Jiwoong: Now I know why Yurim’s fencing is so elegant. And why coach wanted me to dance.

A bit of addition here. Later in the episode, Heedo tells her coach that she mastered the dance, and that she learned that rhythm is what elevates Yurim’s style of fencing from hers.

That’s true. However, there are other things that dancing taught her, like footwork, spatial awareness, and timing.

Dancing requires attention to footwork. In fencing, footwork allows the fencer to quickly move in towards her opponent during her offence or scramble away during defense.

Dancing also teaches spatial awareness. The dancer knows where her hands, arms, chest, knees are positioned while dancing. In fencing, the fencer must be aware of her stance and the positioning of her body. Heedo needs to angle her body so that she’s only exposing a little bit of her body to her opponent. If she presents her full body, her opponent will obviously have a bigger target.

Also in dance, perfect timing is crucial. The dancer no longer needs to count the beat of the music but her moves are in sync with the rhythm. In fencing, timing is important. The attacking fencer sets the tempo and chooses the right moment for the surprise attack. If the attacking fencer tries to poke his opponent at a random moment, she’ll cede her right-of-way and be counter-attacked. Timing her surprise attack wins the point.

So it’s not only about rhythm.

k. Timestamp 51:17
Yurim to her dad: What if that is the only gold medal I’ll ever have in my entire life? What if this isn’t the star of my heyday and it has already come to an end?

The point of this line is to show that Yurim fears that she’s already a waning star at such at early stage in her career all because Heedo appeared in the horizon.

As much as it’s easy to hate on Yurim because we’re rooting for Heedo, it’s good to remind ourselves that she’s only 18 years old, too. She has her own problems to deal with: financial support, personal insecurity, public expectations of success, bullying, first love, and so on.

Dad: Well, then let it be. Remember, not many people win a gold medal in their life. I respect you, not as your dad, but as a person. Your mom and I are already so proud of you.
Yurim: But I want to do better and provide you and Mom with a comfortable life.
Dad: Hey, then we will have to walk on eggshells around you, and I don’t want that.

I’m glad that her father’s answer indicated unconditional love. Surely, somebody who’s loved like this wouldn’t turn out evil.

l. Timestamp 53:26
Jiwoong to Yurim: But I don’t date my fans.

This is a good rule.

m. Timestamp 57:33
Heedo’s mom to the head of her news network: We have to embrace the times we’re in.

I think it’s ironic that her daughter was oblivious to the times they’re in, while she, as newscaster, was very aware of the times. Also, it’s thanks to her that Heedo was largely protected from the vagaries of the economic crisis.

I like her argument here.

Mom: Some things just have to change.
Head: Even so, our test isn’t some joke. We can’t let high school graduates apply to be a reporter at our network.
Mom: Didn’t you watch the news I covered yesterday? Due to the IMF crisis, at total of 450,000 college students have taken a leave. They will lose out on an opportunity if we limit our openings only to college graduates. I’m not sure what talent we could in that pool, but if it doesn’t matter, go ahead.
Head: I get your point. But this is unprecedented in the history of our newsroom.
Mom: To be honest, what have undergraduates been doing? They neither study nor manage grades. They would just party and date. But they were still wooed into major companies after they graduated. Does the bachelor’s degree matter? (standing up to leave) It’s time for the news.

n. Timestamp 57:55
Heedo’s mom: Does the bachelor’s degree matter?

This is obviously a foreshadowing. YiJin’s a high school graduate but he’s smart enough to pass the difficult test and screening process.

o. Timestamp 1:01:07
Heedo to Yijin: I can’t stand how we’re here like a scene from Romeo and Juliet.

Foreshadowing, much?

p. Timestamp 1:08:58
Coach to Yurim: Hey, you now that an athlete’s ability doesn’t develop steadily. It hits them out of nowhere. That’s what’s scary.

Since Yurim was already scared of being a one-hit wonder, I’m sure the coach’s words just made her more anxious.

She didn’t want to be like the band Aha who had a one-hit wonder, “Take on Me.”

But this is a foreshadowing, too.

q. Timestamp 1:09:43
YiJin to Heedo: That’s called having a mental fortitude.

Touché.

THAT’s the chief difference between Yurim and Heedo, not rhythm. If it were ONLY about rhythm, then all fencers would take ballet classes or hip-hop lessons to improve their fencing.

What sets the two rivals apart is the mental fortitude. Yurim is intimidated by success, while Heedo isn’t. She just loves to fence.

YiJin: Everybody wants to be as strong-minded as you. They don’t want to be scared of losing and failing. (smiling at her) Sometimes I wish I could take it from you. I think that explains why I miss you when I feel mentally weak….You are by far the most experienced fencer when it comes to losing. Those losses were blocks to build yourself stairs leading up. Think about it. Now, you’ve got the highest staircase. Take your time to climb it and take whatever you want.
Heedo: Why do you root for me? Even my mom doesn’t.
YiJin: Because you give me hope. And I want more for you.

There you have it: 17 passages from the episode.

That’s what I mean by cramming the episode with quotable quotes. You’ll find it hard  to choose one line that encompasses the whole episode.

3. It had the wrong standards on what constitute a good coach.

Read here (or not): On Bad Coaches and Coaching

Question: why am I sticking around with this kdrama when I’m not impressed with the writing?

Answer: Because I want to see cancel culture in action. lol. I want to find out how this writer will cancel all these lovey-dovey moments of Heedo and YiJin, and convince us that their feelings for each other are nothing but a temporary mental weakness of being 25 and 21 years old.