Oohlala Spouses Episode 5 Recap

  Yay, more people are in on the secret! It makes for more misunderstandings and hilarity, so it's a great development. A word of warning, though. There's lots of flip-flopping between bodies and spirits shown in various scenes. So, one minute you'll see the male version of Yeo Ok, and the next it's her female persona. I hope the screenshots aren't too confusing.

  Soo Nam and Ae Sook fall into the river and both start flailing around. Soo Nam panicks, but his body takes over and he swims back. Lawyer Lee yells at him for not saving Ae Sook, and he replies that he can't swim. Lawyer Lee points out that he just did. Lawyer Lee coaches Ae Sook on how to swim as he strips off his blazer and splashes himself before falling jumping in after her. 

  As soon as Ae Sook catches her breath, she starts screaming at Soo Nam for seducing her husband. "And even before the ink is dried on your divorce papers!" Soo Nam begs Lawyer Lee to explain, and Ae Sook starts beating her husband. Lawyer Lee finally realizes what's happening around him (you were in the water for, like, 20 seconds, dude) and tries to explain the body swap, but Ae Sook isn't falling for any of their lies. Soo Nam loses it and screams at her.

  Yeo Ok paces outside the hotel trying to decide what to do about her position. She realizes she's in over her head and should have taken medical leave after the accident. She turns and sees Victoria, who tears up and runs into her arms. She pushes her away, and Victoria comes right back in for the hug. Yeo Ok pushes her away again, holding her by the forehead. 

  Victoria says she heard everything about last night and getting scolded today, and she feels bad because it's caused by the amnesia. She promises to help recover the memories, and Yeo Ok smiles mockingly. Victoria puts her hands on Yeo Oks shoulders and says she likes that smile, and it's better than being sad or worried. She pushes her lips up into a smile and warns that she'd better not smile like that at any other female employees. 
  Yeo Ok is a little taken aback by her flirting and remembers back to a time when Soo Nam was laughing to himself in the mirror, getting ready for work. She came in and told him she hates it when he laughs like that. The memory makes her a bit sad at her treatment of her husband.

  Victoria comes up with a plan to jog her memory and grabs her arm. Yeo Ok jerks away, but she grabs her again, dragging her off. They pull up in a parking garage, and Victoria continues her arm-grabbing to take her to His and Hers motorcycles. Victoria asks if she remembers, and she thinks to herself "Do I remember?!" 

  Another flashback as a younger Soo Nam rides up to an abandoned shed on a motorcycle. A very pregnant Yeo Ok watches him as he rolls it inside, where 3 more motorcycles sit. He thanks the one he rode for a great day and turns to see Yeo Ok in the doorway with a shovel. She asks if he's been lying to her this whole time, since he promised to get rid of them for the sake of their "bright baby." He answers that she can't understand, since she hasn't ridden one, and she starts stretching and swinging her shovel. She runs toward the motorcycles and he stops her. 

  He promises to sell them all and never to ride again, and she starts crying. He begs and promises some more and starts doing deep breathing with her.

  Yeo Ok next imagines Soo Nam and Victoria riding the motorcycles along the river and having romantic moments. She runs off yelling and comes back with some long boards to smash them. Victoria stops her by saying they're rentals and it'll be expensive to pay for the damages. She asks to ride, but Yeo Ok refuses. "Don't you want to remember how sweetly we loved each other?" Yeo Ok refuses again, but the next thing we know, she's riding on the back of Victoria's motorcycle, glaring at the back of her head. She thinks of herself riding and yells in the wind.

  Soo Nam washes the dishes while belting O Sole Mio with the radio. Badly, I might add. MIL comes in and asks if he thinks he'll suddenly be more intelligent and refined by listening to classic music instead of the usual popular standards Yeo Ok listens to. She's always been embarrassed by her, and wouldn't have ever let her marry her son, if it weren't for the pregnancy. Soo Nam asks if she's always acted like this. 

  MIL changes the subject and asks for some money. Soo Nam argues with her and says that he knows that she gave up love for a rich husband whose parents always scolded her for being uneducated. They even blamed her for his early demise. "So why are you acting like this to your daughter-in-law?" MIL rushes out.

  Victoria takes Yeo Ok to a spot by the river with special meaning for her and Soo Nam. Yeo Ok asks to be reminded how it all started. Victoria was riding a scooter and almost crashed into Soo Nam's car. She fell off her scooter, and he helped her. Yeo Ok answers that is always starts like that, but she is just the beautiful and voluptuous type ahjummas want to beat up. She answers that she wasn't beautiful then, and Yeo Ok assumes she had surgery. She answers that she just got rid of some freckles and got a tooth implant. 

  Yeo Ok asks who did the seducing and Victoria admits that she wanted to, but she was just grateful to have Soo Nam in her life. As a baby she was adopted to Sweden, but she's been alone since she was 15. That's when her adopted father. . . . Yeo Ok fills in the blanks, horrified, and starts ranting about having scissors around for snipping. She asks if Victoria came to Korea to find her birth parents. Victoria says that the day she remembers that, she'll be cured of her amnesia, so she'll just wait for that day. 

  Victoria gives Yeo Ok a back hug and Yeo Ok imagines handcuffing her and keeping her at bay. Instead, Yeo Ok says she's had a very hard life. Victoria admits that "Oppa was always kind like a father to her and it's the first time I've felt that kind of love. . . . I'm grateful to have someone I can love more than life." Yeo Ok remembers cursing him for not helping and wanting to sell him to anyone willing to buy him, but here's someone who loves him more than life.

  Victoria says that even if the memories don't come back, she'll still love her oppa. In fact, she'll just love him more. Yeo Ok thinks that Victoria's more suited to him than she is, so after they switch back, she'll leave them to be together. She tells Victoria to hold on to her love. Victoria hugs her again, and this time, she lets her.

  She thinks back to when Hyun Woo broke up with her and how he said they weren't on the same level. She starts crying, and Victoria assumes the memories are coming back. Yeo Ok asks if she should just live like this and not switch back. She can have Victoria's love and that other person can spend his life cleaning and wearing rubber gloves. "That would be the perfect revenge." (I don't think you've thought through the whole "living with Victoria's love" thing. I'm not sure it's your orientation.) Poor confused Victoria.

  Yeo Ok's phone rings, and it's a hotel employee telling her that Hyun Woo keeps calling with complaints and asking for her. She screams at the poor messenger, and decides to go back.

  At the hotel she gets utterly lost using the back entrance. She tries every wrong door possible and even manages to lock herself in the boiler room. (At one point, she runs into the kitchen all flustered and tries to look casual when a cook walks by. Hahaha!) She finally collapses on the floor in a place she's passed several times and starts crying. A maid asks what's wrong and she pretends she's laughing at a joke a guest told. The maid agrees to lead her to the lobby.

  At the front desk the clerks say that Hyun Woo has already changed his room service order several times and is being exceptionally difficult. And he insists on seeing the manager. We see Jin Goo accompanying his food to the room, but the steak is overcooked, and Hyun Woo complains again. Jin Goo promises himself that he'll just keep serving him well no matter how much he complains. 

  Yeo Ok shows up just as Jin Goo is leaving and Hyun Woo tells her to find out what's wrong with his room. When she says he should just tell her, he slams his hand on his chair and says he's never stayed in such a filthy hotel. 

  Yeo Ok wanders over to the bed, and we see her female self grab a pillow and start whacking Hyun Woo with it. She tells him she's wanted to do this for 14 years and he should have lived happily in America instead of returning to her life. She delivers a final mighty blow, and he's out for the count. She yells "Oppa! Are you okay?"

  Aw, it's just a fantasy. She saunters back over and says everything is perfect. He's incredulous, but tells her that room service is her responsibility so she should see to it. 

  She goes to the kitchen, where the chef complains that his steak is perfect. He makes her try some, to affirm that it's medium rare. She misunderstands and hears medium leo. She wonders what a baby lion from fairy tales has to do with the steak. Jin Goo hushes the complaints and says they need to serve this customer until he's satisfied. Yeo Ok asks the chef to make a plate of fermented skate, but he answers that very few people like that. She insists that she'll take the blame if there's a problem.

  Jin Goo and Yeo Ok meet outside the room with their respective dishes and have a stare-off. Hyun Woo rejects the steak as having a bad flavor and Yeo Ok kneels and presents her dish. Jin Goo smirks and Hyun Woo asks what she's offering him. She answers that it's written all over his face that he likes skate, and says she's a ghost who finds out all the dishes guests prefer most. Hyun Woo orders everyone out, but keeps the skate. 

  Il Ran shows up to meet her brother, and finds out that Yeo Ok is in the bar. She goes in and finds her with a Ae Sook, who's touching her chest and marveling that she really does feel like a man. Ae Sook marvels that people can really swap bodies, and Yeo Ok says she thinks it happens a lot. Ae Sook asks about going to the bathroom and Yeo Ok whispers in her ear that she couldn't control it very well and got her pants wet. They laugh heartily, but to Il Ran it looks like they're shamelessly flirting. 

  Outside, Il Ran tries to make sense of what she's seen and decides that they're both having affairs and are covering for each other.

  Yeo Ok takes the subway and jostles her way to the last seat in her car, like a typical ahjumma (or so I've heard). She starts making small talk with the girl next to her, not realizing that she looks like a creepster. (If you happen to find yourself in a man's body, you just don't ask high school girls if they go to PC rooms, or compliment them on their uniforms. Ever.)

  Soo Nam serves dinner and Yeo Ok wonders why MIL isn't eating. Soo Nam sends her to get her, and Il Ran cringes to see them interact. 

  MIL says that she has no pride as a mother-in-law left, since Yeo Ok knows everything about her past. She's angry that she can't even sneak pocket money or nag her daughter-in-law a little. Yeo Ok laughs and says she can act up as much as she wants, because she's more than earned it. (plus, it's her own son, getting some comeuppance. Hee!) She mournfully thinks to herself  that she won't be around after they switch back anyways, and she'll have a new daughter-in-law then. 

  She admits that it was "Chan's mom" who secretly arranged for the pocket money, anyway, saying that MIL deserved that much for raising Soo Nam alone all those years. She tearfully promises that after the adjustment period they'll go their separate ways, and so they should be nice until then.

  At the dinner table, Soo Nam stuffs his mouth, but MIL grabs the meat and other best dishes before he can eat any and puts them in front of Yeo Ok. Il Ran can't stand to eat with them and leaves. Ki Chan tells Yeo Ok that he played soccer after school, but she smells cigarettes on him and knows he didn't. He refuses to tell the truth, so she threatens him with a bowl of water (despite protests by Soo Nam and MIL) until he fesses up. 

  Soo Nam asks Yeo Ok to help with the dishes, but she answers that he never bothered to help her, so it's only fair that he does them alone now. He tells her he's made an appointment with a hypnotist for tomorrow, and she answers that she's more curious about his past lives than her own, since he ended up with a girl like Victoria. He asks if she bullied her again, but she answers that Victoria's life is too pitiful. So when they switch back, he should marry her. They're already strangers, after all.

  Soo Nam sits down and asks about the hotel. Yeo Ok fills him in on the whole Hyun Woo situation and he realizes it's a surprise inspection to test them. He decides to take Yeo Ok to the hotel, but MIL and Il Ran asks where they're going. He answers that it's Lawyer Lee's birthday, so they might be out all night. Il Ran clutches her neck and Soo Nam orders her to do the dishes. Il Ran says she is the sister-in-law and shouldn't be ordered about like that. Plus, she knows what they're up to and won't let them leave. Yeo Ok yells at her to respect "that person" and storms out, dragging Soo Nam. 

  They get to the hotel and Soo Nam instructs Yeo Ok on the basics of dealing with VIPs, from having the elevators waiting, to bowing properly, to memorizing their preferences. Yeo Ok asks how many VIPs' preferences he has memorized, and he answers that it's about 100. He's pretty well known in the industry, and she's the only person who never acknowledges his talents. Hyun Woo shows John a list, and John circles the name Go Soo Nam.

  Soo Nam and Yeo Ok drink some wine and discuss their visit to the hypnotist in the morning. Soo Nam remembers the monk's words and wants to give it a try. Yeo Ok finally agrees, but when Soo Nam starts, she kicks him out of bed. She admits that in all their years together, she's never really enjoyed this part of their relationship. He keeps pestering her and she finally offers him a tip.

  "You need to sweet talk a woman if you want to really get her in the mood. You need to say things like 'You're Kim Tae Hee,' 'You're Jun Ju Hyun,' 'You're Kim Jung Eun!' (Hahahaha!) Even if you exaggerate, women will fall for it every time." He tries complimenting her eyes, but says he can't do this looking at his own face. She answers that that's exactly why she can't sleep with him. 

  He suggests they try closing their eyes, and she agrees. They imagine themselves in their own bodies, and he says sorry. "When I first met you, I thought you looked like a pretty ocean fairy. After we switched bodies, I realized how I made everything more difficult for you and that you felt lonely." They hug and he asks didn't she feel lonely? Was it difficult? She cries in his arms. 

  The next morning, Yeo Ok wakes up hopeful that it worked, but she feels her nose and realizes it didn't. Soo Nam snorts himself awake and is also disappointed.

  Yeo Ok skips through the halls to a meeting with John, Jin Goo—and Hyun Woo. John introduces Hyun Woo as the next General Manager. Hyun Woo shows photos he took of all the things wrong with his room and says that Manager Go earned zero points. Yeo Ok thinks to herself that he took her innocence and 14 years later she doesn't even get any points?! "But, you enjoyed the skate, right?" Hyun Woo says that he'll decide what to do about Manager Go and other unsatisfactory employees after he takes over. Yeo Ok, visibly restraining herself, asks again if he liked the skate. 

  Yeo Ok tells Soo Nam and they meet at the hypnotist's office. The hypnotist is none other than Wolhwa the All-knowing. (You'd think Soo Nam would recognize him by now.) He says they're going back to their past lives and uses the key word Red Moon.
  Comments: 
  Yeah, not so fast. They've still got so much more to milk out of this situation, and they've only taken one baby step closer to understanding one another. But I'm excited to see what they remember of their past lives. 

  I also really want to see what happens when Hyun Woo meets Soo Nam in Yeo Ok's body. I have to wonder if part of his reason for coming back to Korea was to meet her. It would be so hilarious to see him try to romance her, and to have Soo Nam resisting at every turn. Please happen soon!
  One thing that I have found interesting in this drama is how Yeo Ok represents the classic ideal of the Confucian wife. She has tried so hard to maintain the household while caring not only for her husband and son, but also for her mother-in-law and her sister-in-law. And when I say caring, what I really mean is humbly catering to their every, single, tiny need. They are quite helpless without her, and it makes me wonder how MIL managed to raise a son on her own. I don't wonder at Il Ran's ability to keep house, though, because I'm pretty sure she didn't do any of that while she was married.

  Anyway, I think Yeo Ok could have found great satisfaction in being a housewife and homemaker. Many people do (men included—except not so much the wife part of housewife). But I think that her dissatisfaction mostly comes from not knowing her own capabilities beforehand, or coming to that decision because it's what she wanted. It seems like it was the expectation that came with getting pregnant. And having to coddle MIL and Il Ran in addition to everything else made things that much worse.

  And yet, she has definite affection for MIL (I think for Il Ran, also, but not to the same degree). She was tearful at the thought of leaving MIL and has apparently always done little things behind the scenes to make MIL happy, like making Soo Nam give her extra allowance.  It's an interesting dynamic. (I'm glad someone can appreciate MIL, because I'm leaning more on the dislike side after this episode. I do feel pity for her struggle to have some kind of control or influence in her home, though.)

  I'm also really intrigued by her newfound compassion for Victoria. Although Victoria is the notorious Other Woman, she has depth to her and has overcome her own trials and difficulties. I still don't like her, but I love the way Han Chae Ah portrays her with such nuance and skill. There's more to her than the homewrecker, and Yeo Ok is seeing that. Plus, I love her desperate and puppyish attempts at skinship with Yeo Ok. And Yeo Ok's method  of holding her off. Heeheehee!