Scenario 1, 2, 3
In the latest episode of Forecasting Love and Weather, we follow the progress of Typhoon Mangkhut as it barrels towards Taiwan. The office is in an uproar, with workers running to and fro, poring over the data and wondering how bad things are going to get. ..
Ha-Kyung, who remains in limbo over Si-Woo and her own feelings, decides to stay at the typhoon center for the time being.
At the office, rumors abound for Si-Woo and Ha-Kyung’s relationship. The trio in question unaware that the pair have broken up over the marriage situation. It turns out all the workers have had their suspicions that they’ve been dating in secret, stemming back to the spring sneezing and the moments they were spotted in the car together. ..
Um decides to keep quiet about what’s going on because he overheard the trio talking and he’s actually oblivious to what they’re talking about. Instead, he believes they’re on about his divorce.
Ha-Kyung is shocked to find out the Director of the Typhoon center is indifferent about Si-Woo’s injury. It turns out this is a regular occurrence though, with many of the workers there sporting some form of injury. Si-Woo’s is no exception. Then again, Si-Woo rocks up at work absolutely fine, having recovered quickly and with no eye-patch either. Well, that’s that then. So much for his dramatic injury.
At the head office, the typhoon report is uploaded but the file uploaded happens to be a giant penguin gif that Tae-Kyung sent Seok-Ho just prior to this on the work computer. Flustered, Seok-ho apologizes but it’s Um who gets the brunt of Ha-Kyung’s wrath, given he’s the senior in charge. Myung-Joo speaks up and points out that Um is about to get divorced so his frame of mind is frazzled. Um, who is about to get divorced, gets angry at Ha-Kyung for uploading a penguin gif onto work computer instead of a typhoon report. Myung-Joo tries to defuse the situation by pointing out that Um’s divorce may be stressing him out. ..
Ha-Kyung stands up for her workers in the face of adversity, pointing out that everyone is going through a lot of problems. She tells Director Sung to stop picking sides and be more empathetic. And after staring at one another, Sung gets back to work.
Yu-Rim is hesitant, but Ki-Jun is persistent and she eventually agrees to go with him. They head back to Seoul and Ki-Jun tells her that he loves her. She doesn’t believe him, but he assures her that he means it.
Um heads home and speaks to his ex wife, asking for a grace period of three weeks. He wants to show how much he cares and how he can acknowledge the family and his dedication. She rightly points out that 3 weeks won’t change much. So instead, she gives him 2 months to show whether he’s really changed.
Elsewhere, Ki-Jun and Yu-Jin discuss their marriage and try to hash out their problems. Ki-Jun points out that married couples all go through rocky moments, but for Ki-Jun he’s struggling to look past the fact Ha-Kyung is his ex and Si-Woo is Yu-Jin’s. It’s hard to sympathize with them to be honest, and after, an utterly bizarre tonal shift when Yu-Jin’s father jumps in to reprimand Ku-Jin.
Eventually, the pair go to bed without resolving their problems. The pair do head home together in the morning, but in doing so they get a shot of Yu-Jin’s bin where iron supplements happen to be. It looks like she may be pregnant!
Ha-Kyung volunteers herself to launch a weather balloon from the water. With the typhoon closing in and the office’s need to get accurate data, she volunteers herSelf for this job. Si-Woo refuses to let her go alone though and joins her on the boat.
The typhoon seems to be causing damage along the southern coast, so Ha-Kyung sends this information back to HQ and takes full responsibility for the differing press release. This is in line with Ha-Kyung’s previous statements, which were cautionary in nature.
While Tae-Kyung and Seok-Ho grow closer together in this season’s better subplots, Myung-Joo is crushed to learn her husband is not sticking to his regime. He’s down at the batting cages, messing about with his friends. That’s obviously awful, given how hard Myung-Joo has been working. So she gives him three scenarios - either divorce, go back to work or study like hell to make it. Him slacking off and ripping their family apart like this is not part of the plan and she won’t stand for it. ..
Ha-Kyung and KMA come to the realization that they need to break up due to the weather incident. They agree, but the KMA is met with criticism for their analysis. The hurricane is missed by the media and Ha-Kyung is met with backlash from their friends and family.
Um and Si-Woo sit in the work cafeteria and shout out unprofessionally in front of everyone that they are dating. As everyone turns heads, Si-Woo bolts out and back to see Ha-Kyung, warning that everyone now knows they were dating. Oh no! And if that wasn’t enough, Ha-Kyung’s mum is there too with an incriminating photo of the two from the past locking lips.
The Episode Review
So far this season, the storylines have been disappointing. The blindness plot with Si-Woo went nowhere and was a waste of time. Unfortunately, this has been a theme for a lot of the drama this season. The whole issue involving Ku-Jin and Yu-Jin – the two cheaters who had an affair – is being made into a redemptive arc and takes up screen time that could have been better used to flesh out the characters. ..
The drama’s finale is looking like it will be a quick resolution between Ha-Kyung and Si-Woo. Si-Woo doesn’t want to get married, so the two are not compatible and should not be together. The drama ended with Ha-Kyung’s mother getting involved, which seems to suggest that the pair will be reconciled in the finale. This seems like a superficial solution that could cause more harm than good. There are only a few episodes left in the drama, so it looks like this issue will be resolved soon. ..
The boat sequence in this episode is up for some potential drama. The weather balloon is needed to send Ha-Kyung and Si-Woo to do the mission, but they only have one boat. This leaves the boat empty, which could lead to a conflict between them.
The subplots are okay and while some are quite well written, it’s the Seok-Ho and Tae-Kyung story that’s the biggest surprise. These two are so cute together and the comedic levity from seeing that giant penguin up on screen was just right for breaking up what’s otherwise been a very melodramatic series.
The writing in this one has been inconsistent. The early episodes had a romantic vibe, but the later episodes have been a far cry from that. The whole Ki-Jun and Yu-Jin story drags and the bizarre moments of comedy thrown in haphazardly just reinforce the tonal confliction this show has. ..
For now, Forecasting Love and Weather looks like it is on course for more stormy weather ahead.
