Hometown Cha Cha Cha Episode 3 Review
Corey Hawkins and Leslie Grace for In the Heights Movie
"Ssshh. Let me listen to my block."
The opening sequence of Cha Cha Cha's third episode reminded me of Nina's line in the "In the Heights" movie. Where as Nina's block sounded like car honks, street sweeping, and the neighborhood singing, the sounds of Gongjin were the clanging of wind chimes, the waves gently touching the shore, the fish grilling, and the ships arriving on the port. Either way, it showed how even simple everyday sounds tell a story. I always say that we don't really think old songs are better. We just prefer them because we associate them to precious memories we all keep in a corner of our hearts.
It's nice how we get short sequences like these in the beginning. It doesn't just set the mood for the episode but it also serves as a piece of the puzzle which is the Gongjin community. This episode, we focus on the wind chime. It's Grandma Ga-rim's story.
The morning calm gets shattered by Hye-jin's ringing door bell. Doo-shik who's working every job on rotation has been coming to her doorstep everyday with packages for her. She's supposed to go to a friend's wedding but can't seem to find the right outfit. She resorts to buying clothes online due to the island not having a department store. Delivery is really quick though and I'm so jealous.
At this point, I'm not sure how long Hyejin and Mi-seon have been living here but it seems that they are getting a steady flow of patients now. Mi-seon also seems friendly with their neighbors, taking a liking to resident police officer Eun-cheol. Hye-jin on the other hand seems to still find it bothersome to interact with them.
Doo-shik helps her out with this by surprising her on the day she's headed for Seoul to attend a wedding. "We're coming too!" With him are our three lovely grandmas who all have some errands to do in Seoul. Hye-jin hated the whole drive there. I've mentioned this before but she seems to only do things that will benefit her or will make her life more comfortable. I can see the whole situation as Doo-shik trying to get her points from the grannies but Hye-jin thinks they're just being annoying. I feel like Hye-jin's life would be so much easier on her if she learns to enjoy things, especially the things she can't do anything about. The drive to Seoul would have been so much more fun if she enjoyed herself too. I mean they do have to stop at every rest area because the grannies have to go to the bathroom so often but take it as a chance to tour all the rest stops! Perspective, girl!
She finally arrives at the wedding and like any other gatherings or reunions in dramas, people start comparing themselves to others in the disguise of catching up. I don't like these reunions because they tend to put those already having a hard time even deeper into their misery. It recently happened in You Raise Me Up as well. However, Hye-jin didn't let these ladies step all over her and she confidently defended her decision to open her clinic in Gongjin. This is one thing I like about Hye-jin. She doesn't let people bring her down.
The ride back home with Hye-jin and Doo-shik in the car was rather interesting. They both mention things they miss about their hometowns but it just sounded like them contradicting each other's thoughts.
We see a glimpse of the other characters' day like how someone keeps littering so Yeo-jin and Doo-shik had to storm the town hall to demand CCTV installment. Lee-joon also celebrates his birthday with his divorced parents. It's funny and at the same time sad to see the child be more mature than the parents.
Grandma Gam-ri was forced to go to the dentist after Doo-shik realized she was having a hard time eating because of her teeth. Hye-jin tells her getting implants is the best thing to do but Grandma Gam-ri strongly rejects it after seeing how much it would cost. Doo-shik said he'd pay for it but Grandma just told him to get lost after giving him a water bomb to the face.
It's really hard for people who have lived their lives caring for others to care for themselves. It always feels like it's a waste to use money on yourself because you could have used it for your children. Parents are so guilty of this! My mom would always say even if it's food she's about to eat, she'd give it to me if I ask for it. Grandma Gam-ri's plight was something I could relate too. Just like what Doo-shik said, "People don't change easily, huh?" It's funny because it's true for everyone in the show, probably even for us in real life.
We can see how much Doo-shik lovesp Grandma Gam-ri when he met Hye-jin. He said he'll pay for the implants and asked to keep it a secret to Hye-jin. She declined because it's not aligned with her values. Besides, Grandma doesn't want it. I was just as frustrated as Doo-shik until Hye-jin said that if parents really care, they will be healthy and not die fast. That made me stop. Wow. I was judging Hye-jin again without knowing where she's coming from. She seems to be upset and jealous that her mom passed away when she was only a child. We did see her stare longingly at her friend's loving exchange with her mom at the wedding.
I really love how both of them realized something after that conversation. They have strong points and values but their minds are not closed for other possibilities. Hye-jin kept thinking about the issue after that and even checked how chewy squids are and realized how hard it would be for Grandma to eat. She goes to her house and was welcomed with food. They ate dinner together and Grandma showed her the tv show she appeared in two years ago. I love how they didn't really talk about what happened. They just enjoyed each other's company and by doing so, understood each other. No need for words. Before leaving, Hye-jin told Grandma that she still thinks it would be in her best interest to get the implants.
This made Grandma change her mind and she headed for the dental clinic the next day carrying the full fees in cash. I loveeeeeee it! At first, I thought she will decline again after she talked to her son on the phone. Her son says maybe she can get dentures for now since they're tight on cash. I can't even blame the son because I get it but then I also know he'll regret not treating his mom better when she's gone. Still, I'm glad Grandma decided to treat herself this time. It's a tough decision considering how selfless she's been all her life but it was the right thing to do. I've had my share of self-care workshops and the thing they always say is that you can't give what you don't have. You have to love yourself and let others love you so that you are recharged before you give love too.
I was already happy and full from this episode but they topped it off with the ending scene. Hye-jin was saying sorry to her shoe in the beginning of the show because it's other side is missing, probably floating on the vast sea. I thought that later on, Doo-shik will find it and her shoes will be a complete pair again and so are they. I didn't think it would happen this early! It was so perfect though! Omg! I literally screamed when I realized what's going on. Then as soon as she put the shoes on, the lights came back on! Awwww so cute! This is why I watch dramas for lol. It was perfect.
It seems that we are going to see someone's story every episode which I already expected. It's typical storytelling but I'm always a sucker for it. Grandma's story was touching because it's true. We do forget to treat ourselves better because we were busy taking care of others. It's a nice reminder. I also love what Hye-jin said to her in her house. "Toothaches are tough. It hurts but nobody else knows how much it hurts but you." Toothaches are awful but so are things we keep to ourselves and never tell anybody else.
Doo-shik seems to have this as well. When he went to Seoul, he headed for a building with a dental clinic, a urology clinic, and a psychiatric clinic. I don't think it will be about his teeth and between the urologist and psychiatrist, I'll bet on the latter. We do see him wake up in the middle of the night in cold sweat. He's carrying something by himself but we didn't get to see what it is yet. What I'm thinking is that it happened two years ago. In Grandma's video from two years ago, Doo-shik was dressed up nicely like he's going to a regular job (unlike his part time jobs right now). He might even be working in a bigger city back then. Something happened then that still haunts him to this day. My friend sent me a screenshot of picture frames where Doo-shik is with a woman, kind of like wedding pictures. Did the woman die? Did she abandon him? Divorce? I don't have enough clues for now but I think Doo-shik came back to Gongjin for the same reason Hye-jin did. He's hurt and needed the comfort of the seaside.
Another thing that made me go hmmm was when Bo-ra came to Hye-jin's house to visit her hedgehog. She told Hye-jin that you can get along with hedgehogs and they will lower their spikes so you can hold them. Hye-jin thought of it as a bother since Bo-ra will take it later anyway. Bo-ra said "It's nice to form a bond while it's still here though." Ha! It's like she's telling Hye-jin that but not about the hedgehog. She'll probably go back to Seoul later and she'll miss Gongjin more than she thought she would and then regret not spending more time with the people there.
Anyway, HomeCha is shaping up to be a really good drama. The dialogue is beautiful, subtle yet insightful. The acting is great and the scenery is to die for. Kim Seon-ho has basically taken over my life at this point. My phone lockscreen and homescreen got changed to his photos. I'm sorry Luffy and BokuAka! Prayer circle for me to meet a man like Hong Doo-shik please!
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