T-Drama Review: When I See You Again Episode 11

I know I said episode 10 had lots of character development, but episode 11 may have it beat. We got more insight into our characters' actions and one secret that I know we have all been guessing from the beginning. Let's get to it!

You Qian and An Xi continue to be cute, especially You Qian since he's made the biggest change in terms of actions visible to those around him. He's answering phone calls during meetings (and not being upset about being interrupted), spending more time with Grandpa, and he's smiling! He seems more easy going although he's still good at being his professional self and being dedicated to his work. However, him being cheerful is what's concerning those around him especially Yong Qing. I guess it's a valid concern since he's never been like this since she's known him, but she doesn't really understand that she never actually knew him. You Qian's entire cold personality that Yong Qing came to know was completely manufactured by her and how she wanted him to act. Yes, he was colder after what happened with An Xi, but his reactions were based on whatever she wanted at the time.

She claims both You Qian and Grandpa are hard to get close to when An Xi is proving her wrong, which should show her that it isn't that they are hard to get along with when it's actually her. Grandpa even says he doesn't like her because he knows how manipulative she is, I kind of want him to tell her this or for You Qian to figure out how he ended up at that event years ago that landed him his current job. Yong Qing used him for her own benefit and is now upset that he doesn't have the time for her anymore, if she indeed liked him then she should have worked hard to date him instead of using him when she needed him.

Which makes me concerned for Yan Ze, what is his true motive? First he aides in getting our leads together, but now he's telling his sister to basically go for what she wants? I believe he's one of the most vulnerable characters on the show at the moment and despite his shady intentions, he is actually pretty honest about his life and upbringing. His mother left his father for a rich man (Yong Qing's father) and then his dad abandoned him so he feels like an outsider in his own home, he wants to accomplish something to make him appear useful, but he has an inferiority complex when it comes to You Qian. Yan Ze honestly has low self-esteem and he's using this nice guy facade to hide his pain, it's quite interesting since he's quite sincere when he speaks yet he doesn't get too close to people, You saw this when he was rejecting Ya En, he didn't lie to her and frankly said why he couldn't accept her heart; He can't be loyal which is pretty honorable for someone who puts on an act in front of others. According to his character bio, he begins to change thanks to a simple girl which I am assuming is An Xi since she knows the most about his background, but I am hoping they make that person Ya En. She's already opened up about her feelings to him and out of most, he seemed the most sincere towards her. My ship still has a chance to set sail, so fingers crossed the writers go with this rather than the cliched option of An Xi. Although I wouldn't mind it being her if he were to use his change and go to Ya En.

A major reveal which was shocking to no one was that You Qian's boss being An Xi's runaway mother. It was obvious for at least a couple of episodes when they made it obvious his boss had an issue with him going off to Pu Lang Village and was dealing with his first love. Tbh None of that is her business, but they obviously wanted her to see his loyalty to her may be tested a bit if he's running off to do what he wants and puts off a case that he's been working on. What I did find surprising was how quick Yan Ze was to figure this out and not letting on that he actually knew. When CEO Luna questioned whether An Xi was running the hostel alone and asked about her dad even I didn't notice [until after he mentioned it] that he never gave any real details on An Xi or her father, the dad was never mentioned until Luna said something. She basically gave herself away at that point, but then she got emotional about it all so I wonder what made her leave her baby and husband behind? Was she from a rich family that didn't approve of her life in Pu Lang Village and struck some sort of deal with her? Did she not tell anyone that she had a baby and said she'd return as soon as she could, but that turned into 30 years? This should make for a very interesting story arc since only 2 people (who don't know the other one knows) about An Xi's mother, I wonder if she'll attempt to get to know her through You Qian without making it known who she really is. If she does then this should go swimmingly for her since of course, her other employee knows and how would she be able to truly hide it when An Xi is now in front of her.

I know I talk very little of some things regarding the characters' personalities and whatnot, but I do love how many layers everyone has. I spoke of Yan Ze and how deep his scars run, but Yong Qing is built in a similar way. We've seen hints that tell us she's been hurt by someone in her past and I speculated that may be the reason why she keeps You Qian around so long and why she insists he play her boyfriend when she gets herself in difficult situations. She's holding onto something that reminds her of her past and is attempting to make him like the other guy, but now that he's slipping away and thinking for himself she's not sure how to handle it. I don't think Yong Qing actually loves You Qian in that way, she loves the idea of him, but her feelings aren't strong like that. While her brother plays nice guy to keep his distance, Yong Qing acts arrogant which is her own defense mechanism. In her mind, if she acts cold towards people then she won't get hurt. She may appear to be your typical bitchy second lead, but she's so much more than that so I really can't wait to see her grow as a person.

Our hostel staff are also complex characters, but as of now we've only gotten to know Ya Lu and Ya En more than Shi Lin and Me Wen. Ya Lu feels almost indebted to An Xi for allowing him to go off to college while she took care of his sister, he does like her, but their friendship means more to him than anything else. Ya En is sick and she is much more stronger than she appears, but she's very careful as to not worry those around her. When she went to the beach with Yan Ze, she was very honest about why she doesn't usually ask to go anywhere, but you can tell it makes her a bit sad that she can't be that open with her brother and An Xi. She doesn't want to worry anyone, but she also wants to live a little more, which is why I believe Yan Ze would be perfect for her. Of course she needs to stand on her own, but their interaction was perfect and showed that she could do other things without getting hurt. I hope she'll be able to tell others how she feels rather than acting as if she's fine all the time.
Given how all of our characters aren't just simple and predictable, each episode surprises us with something new.
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