Yang Guo tries out her new hair clip
The drama essence present in any Taiwanese drama appears again in this episode. Teeming with emotions of love, hatred, and anger, the characters question the meaning and expression of different kinds of love, from parental love, to romantic love, to love between friends. A limited amount of comic relief was incorporated in this episode. A love hate-relationship has blossomed between YuPing and Yang Guo. Although YuPing is attracted to Yang Guo, he refuses to acknowledge his affections, mainly due to the fact that he believes she’s a lesbian. Instead, YuPing tries to keep Yang Guo close to him by making ridiculous and spontaneous requests. And with a little criticism and mockery, Yang Guo always leaves confused and frustrated.
Perhaps this is YuPing’s way of showering her with love. Perhaps it’s his way of hiding his affections by not acknowledging them. He pushes Yang Guo away from him, but keeps her close enough for him to see her again if needed.
Yang Guo also has a way of revealing her feelings towards YuPing. She is immensely interested in YuPing’s love life. Although she disapproves of him dating six girls at once, she defends the girls whenever she can, most likely to retaliate YuPing’s inhumane treatment towards them. She immediately becomes curious at any HuiFan-related news. Good thing that she does not need to search far, because the news comes to her. Just the one of the many privileges a person gets from being close friends with the friends of a star. In addition, although Yang Guo hates YuPing because she can’t understand him, she does not push him away when he’s trying to make up with her. And YuPing, in turn, is willing to do anything for her forgiveness.
As for KeZhong, he is starting to have more appearances in the drama, and has clearly established himself as the individual to seek help from whenever faced with a love dilemma. Perhaps, because of his aloof but kind personality, he resembles a care-taker, and is thus is easy to talk to about deep and personal feelings.
For instance, in a conversation with KeZhong, although YuPing seems to be a nuisance in Yang Guo’s life, he actually understands a lot about her. He reveals that, in his perspective, Yang Guo is a caring and thoughtful individual (he definitely rarely reflects this perspective in his interactions with her). KeZhong sensed that YuPing has become different after HuiFan left; that YuPing might have a deeper understanding of Yang Guo that borderlines between a close friendship and a love relationship.
Yang Guo runs into her long lost father, and later brings her sister Yang Duo to meet him
Ella Chen is extremely talented in developing the complexity of her character Yang Guo. Yang Guo sympathizes and quickly forgives people; she’s easily amused and always brightens the mood with her humor and naivety. Despite the humor and comic relief she provides, Yang Guo is serious and whole-hearted in her relationships (hence, she disapproves of YuPing cheating on six girls at once). While most would hold a grudge against their parents, Yang Guo is able to forgive her father even after he orphaned and left them with a huge debt. Father and daughter are reunited in a tearful, sympathetic reunion years after separation. One would have to struggle to ignore the empathy felt from watching the lead actress struggling to speak and hold back tears as her face contorts and her voice cracks.
However, HuiFan is different. Unaware of his change of heart, she returns to Taiwan in attempt to get back together with YuPing. Although she states that YuPing is her encouragement and the reason why she pushes herself in the acting realm, YuPing remains cold and indifferent. However, towards the end, his expressions change: he becomes annoyed, and seems to be mentally questioning why he’s having this conversation with HuiFan.
HuiFan is unable to convince him and ends up sounding flustered, yet confident that he’ll choose her. However, when he doesn’t choose her, she cracks because she cannot accept reality. Despite her position as the-persistent-ex-girlfriend-that-anyone-can-hate-with-a-burning-passion, Chen ZiHan cannot make the audience sympathize with her. She cannot cry whole-heartedly when the situation calls for it. Instead, she complains and rejects reality with a broken heart; she still hopes to get back together with YuPing even after his repeated rejections. HuiFan is a simple character: although she is persistent and stubborn, she’s also fragile and powerless, and desperately in love with YuPing, which is hypocritical and despicable of her.
Highlights from the show
The Epic Break up
YuPing calls out Yang Guo to help him break up with his
One of the few comic relief moments in this episode. YuPing finds himself in a relationship with an overly enthusiastic and clingy woman who wears exaggerated, flowery clothing. YuPing is clearly uncomfortable in every interaction he has with her, and purposely ignores her if possible. But, how can you possibly begin to distance yourself to someone who’s so obsessed with you that she’s already planned out your future with her? DWL offers a possible solution: call up your best girl-friend and present her as your actual girlfriend.
“Wanna come to my house after work?”
YuPing attempts to convince KeZhong that hiring Yang Guo as a maid will be a big mistake
KeZhong offers Yang Guo another job: a maid at his house. YuPing envisions Yang Guo cleaning KeZhong’s house. However, there is a twist: he imagines Yang Guo, in a cute maid outfit, massaging KeZhong as he relaxes along with other various sexual implications. As he comes out of his daydream, YuPing attempts to convince KeZhong that hiring Yang Guo as a maid will be the biggest mistake of his life:
YuPing: NO! *grabs Yang Guo’s mouth*
Yang Guo: What are you doing? *swiping away YuPing’s germs*
YuPing: KeZhong, you can’t be serious about making Yang Guo go to your house to clean, right? Last time at my house, she was cleaning the drapes. You know how she cleaned them? With the vacuum cleaner! The whole thing came crashing down! My God! And another time, she’s cleaning the windows, she broke the frame. And you know what happened? It came crashing down on the Obasan who lives downstairs! And is the Obasan still alive?
Yang Guo: Wei! I already fixed it, ok? And that Obasan is still alive…
YuPing: I don’t care. And you know what else? I have a huge statue in my house. You remember right?
KeZhong: Yeah. David.
YuPing: That statue’s hand fell off! I think your house has more precious items than mine. You don’t want your priceless antiques to turn into…GARBAGE, right?!
Yang Guo: Wei! I already explained the statue thing. And you accepted the excuse!
YuPing: Then what about my socks?
Yang Guo: The cat took it.
YuPing: And that underwear with a hole in it?
Yang Guo: A cockroach ate it.
YuPing: And…oh yeah. Once she was washing my Cashmere…She washed my Cashmere until it shrank to…
Yang Guo: AAAAHH! *picks up tray and hits YuPing*
Note: The whole tray part actually didn’t happen; it was all part of Yang Guo’s imagination. We have no idea how the conversation really ended.
A Patch of Sunshine 