In the second episode of ‘Twenty Five Twenty One’, Hee-do joins Taeyang High- Yurim’s school and encounters new people. Things don’t look as they had always appeared to be.
Recap
The episode starts in a present-day setting, with Min-chae admiring the rings her grandmother has gifted her. The backdrop gradually transitions back to her mum Hee-do’s time, who’s elated because she finally gets expelled (remember the bar incident?) and transfers to Taeyang High.
After arguing with her mum who insists to accompany her to her new school; we catch a glimpse of her rushing downhill, screaming with glee. She is so ready to step into Yurim’s world. Yi-jin sees her.
At school, she gets a really warm welcome because her mother is a popular news anchor. She overhears a couple (young teenagers somehow!) arguing about their relationship, making her realize that she loves co-ed schools! She also encounters Moon Jiwong- a classmate popular for skating and smitten with Yurim.
The most awaited moment arrives- the first-ever interaction between Yurim and Hee-do. It builds up only to end with Yurim berating Hee-do for not having even a single achievement. She calls Hee-do a mere way for their club to secure enough funds, thus mocking her for feeling special about herself.
Our main girl gets heartbroken- speculating that she was much closer to Yurim when she watched her from afar. Yurim keeps ignoring her attempts of getting closer to her.
We also realise that Yi-jin is familiar with Yurim; he belongs to a ‘chaebol’ (Rich Korean Family) sponsoring Yurim. The IMF has made them bankrupt, so he resorts to doing odd jobs.
The writers decide to spoil us- we get to see the very first match between Hee-do and Yurim. Aside from the fact that Hee-do wins, we get to know something from the past through Yurim’s flashbacks.
Through her talk with the class president, Hee-do realizes that Yi-jin is an alumnus of Taeyang High, who was popular for his Band. Things had gone downhill when his father- the owner of ‘Hanbo Steel’- became indebted.
Hee-do decides to visit Yi-jin, only to see him getting shouted at by the employees of his father’s company, who are struggling as well. They talk over a midnight drink.
The episode ends with them goofing around with water faucets, causing a fountain of water around. They end up running from a security guard.
Review
- The teenage sprit doesn’t stay amiss- the high school drama, smitten adolescents and determined girls add spark to the plot of ‘Twenty Five Twenty One’.
- Some moments have a really good build up- like the conversation and the exciting fencing match between Hee-do and Yurim.
- There are some light moments too- the conversation between Hee-do and the class president in the studio and the goofy hang out towards the end of the episode.
- This series makes a good use of the theme “comedy of errors”. This episode of ‘Twenty Five Twenty One’ was a mixture of adrenaline, sorrow and laughs.
Rating: 3.5/5
Also Read: Twenty Five Twenty One season 1 episode 1 recap & review