ToGetHer recap - Episode 8

[dramasoliloquy]

It's competition time! Mars vs. Jia Sen, who will win Momo's heart? Or who will annoy her less?

(Mars asks Momo about her plans, Jia Sen finds the perfect gift for Momo)

 

Alone and bored, Mars receives a call from an old friend of his, Hao Zhi, who tells him he and the gang (Mars' old band) are back in town and they arrange to meet for their annual get together. Mars makes sure Momo doesn't work that night.

Meanwhile, Jia Sen's searching for something very important and sees a necklace shaped like wings and thinks back on his meeting with Momo and how he thought of her as an angel.

(Mars introduces Hao Zhi, Momo and Yi Zhi watch Mars perform)

Mars takes Momo to eat and watch as he plays with his old friends, introducing her as his landlady. Yi Zhi comes along as the band starts playing and tells Momo she must be someone special to Mars as he never brings anyone else along.

Momo denies it, but then Yi Zhi lets slip that Mars even paid back part of the debt. Oops! After the performance, they all proceed to have a game of truth or dare, either telling the truth or taking a drink (dare). It's all done to ferret out Mars feelings towards his landlady and vice versa. Momo is not at all pleased and I wonder if this friendly heckling reminds her of the bullying she's been through in the past.

Mars helps her out by drinking a bottle for her and refusing to answer. They part ways and Mars and Momo walk home together. At home, she pauses to ask the $20 million dollar question, why is he so nice to her? Why did he take her to the reunion, why, why, why?

(A jealous and innocent Jia Sen)

Mars plays it off, it's fun, but then answers seriously by swooping to kiss her. And an enraged Jia Sen comes flying at him, causing Momo to have to separate the two. Inside, hostilities continue between the two as Jia Sen asks if they're in love. He goes on to say his mom told him people in love kiss, which gets Chu Chu's attention. They were kissing?

Jia Sen starts throwing things at Mars exclaiming that he hates him. And Mars has to be held back. He goes to his room pissed at Momo for supporting Jia Sen when he's the one who got hurt and an angry Jia Sen goes home pissed off as well.

Momo apologizes to Mars, defending Jia Sen by saying he's not dumb, but that since the time she met him, he just never matured. She adds that Jia Sen's her best and only friend.

Elsewhere, Momo tries to talk to Jia Sen, but he's giving her the cold shoulder. Finally, they both end up fired from their job when Momo accidentally spills a customer's water and he yells at her, causing Jia Sen to pick the man up and forcibly remove him.

(Jia Sen, come out the closet! A hug for Momo.)

As they're walking home, Momo again attempts to reconcile with Jia Sen, but he tells Momo he loves her and shouts it loudly. His parents worry about Jia Sen when they find him hiding in the closet crying and even his fellow teammates on the swim team can see something's wrong with Jia Sen.

Jia Sen comes to see Mars and throws down his gauntlet, er, lollipop, he wants to challenge Mars. And so it starts. It's fitness test time for the students, and Jia Sen and Mars goes head to head in sit ups (Jia Sen wins), push-ups (Mars wins), and running (Jia Sen wins). Momo ends the foolishness by telling Jia Sen to stop and he hugs her.

Momo chides Mars for his immaturity as he's treating his aches and pains, and leaves. On the way home, she gets propositioned by Jia Sen, a dinner date, and Mars, who wants to take her home. She chooses neither. Dinnertime, Jia Sen's copying Mars' every move, the funny thing is that Mars' matches Jia Sen in immaturity and he doesn't even have an excuse, except perhaps that he's never been in love before.

(Copycat Jia Sen, Mars turns on the aegyo to alleviate Momo's anger.)

Filthy drunk after competing with Mars in drinking, Jia Sen stays the night and the next morning the battle for Momo continues. Momo bears it patiently, even when Jia Sen comes to her class and sits next to her.

After school, he tells her he wants to be her boyfriend and Momo is shocked. She's can't respond the way Jia Sen wants her to and so a hurt Jia Sen shakes her off and goes.

Mars is moodily eating with Yi Zhi when they see the news of Shi Jia's arrival in Taiwan after staying abroad for years. She's now a big star being courted by many companies, but Yi Zhi's more interested in the news then Mars, although it's clear they both knew her.

(Jia Sen's biggest childhood tormentor, himself.)

Jia Sen's locked himself in the room, and flashbacks to scenes where he was bullied and called names as a child. We see a young Jia Sen calling him "stupid" as well and Jia gets increasingly upset, denying it until he finally ends up smashing the mirror and then bashes his head against it repeatedly until he knocks himself out.

The doctor fixes Jia Sen's physical injuries, but tells Jia Sen's parents that he can't do anything much for Jia Sen's mental condition. Because of Jia Sen's condition, he'll react violently in times of stress. The doctor suggests putting Jia Sen into a special care unit, much to the horror of Jia Sen's mom.

The next day, a surprise visitor for Momo, Jia Sen's mom.

Subbed by Billasub

Final Thoughts: George Hu, the actor who plays Jia Sen, does a fine job in his scenes and I'm glad that he gets to be the main lead in Hayate the Combat Butler. While physically Jia Sen has matured, mentally he hasn't and I think his love for Momo is merely a deeper extension of the boyish love he felt for her when they first meet. It's also obvious that Momo's feelings for Jia Sen haven't changed as well.