The Why of Why Why Love...

[dangermousie]

I think I can pinpoint the exact moment when Why Why Love, the Taiwanese drama about a plucky poor girl played by Rainie Yang, and her entanglement with two very different but very desirable half-brothers (played by Mike He and Kingone. Though if anyone thinks Kingone got a chance, they haven’t seen any dramas ever) went from being ‘funny and cracky’ to “OMG, mad love. MUST WATCH MORE.’


It was one scene late in episode 2. At this point Jia Die (Rainie) has been suckered into being Mike He’s maid of all work for a week (long story: he bought a coupon to that effect from her and she being stubborn will fulfill it or die trying). Basically, Huo Da (Mike He’s character), had his legs broken in a bike accident and is temporarily in a wheelchair, and she is supposed to clean his house and similar. And he is giving her a hard time and being a brat because when he was in the hospital, he saw her be curt and refuse to pay her uncle’s hospital bills, thus triggering all his abandonment issues, as his father, whom I hate, wouldn’t even care if Huo Da expired in front of him. Seriously, I am amazed at how normal HD is. He is bratty but very sweet which is a surprise with a dad like that.

So he basically thinks she is a callous, family-abandoning money-grubber. Of course, he doesn’t realize that she is in tremendous debt and her family is feckless and leechy and horrible (I want them all to die, seriously) and the Uncle’s injury is self inflicted because he wanted to extort money. And so he is basically making a mess of the house to make her job harder but even then, you can see that he is, at odd unguarded moments, totally amused and bemused at her and her rants. He has to remember to be annoyed. He is bored, and recuperating, and lonely (no one ever seems to come to visit) so that doubtless helps his days.

And I am enjoying it but no mad love is there but then comes the scene that completely won me over. Because she is mopping the floor and he is watching TV and (to make her job harder) throwing popcorn out of the bag on the floor. And then he rolls outside in his wheelchair and she follows and tells him, matter of factly (paraphrase): “Look, if you want to get back at me and make my job harder, fine. But you shouldn’t waste good food doing so. I know you are well off so hunger is an abstract concept to you but…” And you see this totally arrested look on his face which she doesn’t notice (this drama has very anime acting on purpose, but it has these lovely quiet subtle moments too) because she is right, he never had to think about food like that and I think he is beginning to realize that he might have been wrong, that she isn’t just a heartless money grubber, but also that she is poor, money understandably means a lot to her so their perspectives might be different.

And she goes back to sweep the floor but she is grumbling about good food wasted and then she sees a dollar on the ground and she picks it up and her face lights up and she is so desperately broke and in need of money but you see her wistfully close her hand around it and go to Huo Da and stretch her hand out and say that she found this and it must be his, and OMG, that previous puzzled-tender look returns on his face times seven and he tells her it’s hers as she found it, and finders keepers and she does the childish ‘you are not allowed take-backs, OK?’ and I love that you see that once again, he is struck by how poor she is (something almost unthinkable in his world) and also by his misjudgment because she was going to give $ back to him anyway, her honor stronger than her need for $. And of course his total attraction which he doesn’t realize at all. And she continues cleaning, this time happily, and she finds some more $ and is totally gleeful and you see him sit there, with his face still turned away from her, and he is very quiet with still the same look on his face and the cute song (I love the OST) ‘welcome to my heart’ is playing.

People are saying WWL is like Devil Beside You, another Mike/Rainie drama, but it’s not really. It’s DBY done right. All the problems I had with DBY are ironed out here: there is genuine conflict, and genuine issues for both protagonists (her poverty and awful family, his parental issues and his crush on evil secondary girl), there is a balance of power between him and her (she is no pushover and their yelling matches are equal) and I don’t get bored by the secondaries. There is genuine conflict and development in the relationship of the leads. And they both have what the other needs: she needs financial stability desperately but also to put her first, and he needs someone to really care for him and want him. If you haven’t checked it out, do so!

Also, I have a huge picspam of Time between Dog and Wolf coming up :)