4 Points From Episodes 3-4 Of "Melting Me Softly" That Have Us Wanting More

After spending most time in 1999 during the premiere episodes, this week’s “Melting Me Softly” puts us firmly in the present day of 2019, where our two newly defrosted test subjects Ma Dong Chan (Ji Chang Wook) and Go Mi Ran (Won Jin Ah) reunite with their families and ease back into life as they know it. It’s not always easy — they don’t make chargers for circa-1999 flip phones anymore — and everyone around them is now unfamiliar, but they’re slowly making progress.

Personally, I’m still not loving the pacing of the show, but the tone this week has settled in a bit more compared to last week, and things are starting to look up! So here are a few things from this week’s episodes that have us excited for more of down the road!

Warning: Spoilers for episodes 3 & 4 ahead.

The different family dynamics

The respective families of Mi Ran and Dong Chan could not be more different! When Mi Ran finally reunites with her family, it’s a tender moment filled with gratitude — the mother is thankful Mi Ran came back to them, whereas Mi Ran is thankful that her family has been living well despite the circumstances. Cut to Dong Chan and his reunion, and we see Dong Chan’s (hilariously) exasperated-slash-horrified expression that his formerly upper-class family is now running a barbecue restaurant.

The one relationship that has been continuously wonderful to see is the one between Mi Ran and her younger brother Nam Tae. Even now, 20 years later, Nam Tae still has the whistle Mi Ran gave him and uses it to find her on campus. And in a sweet reversal, Nam Tae is now the one who gives Mi Ran a piggyback ride. With the show having so many “loud” relationships, it’s this sweet, grounded one that makes the show sparkle.

These two lines totally got my tears flowing! 

The mystery-related reveals

This week, we see Dr. Hwang (Seo Hyun Chul) waking up from his coma, only to be diagnosed with dissociative amnesia (of course there’s amnesia involved!). He remembers nothing about the cryogenics experiment, which is going to be a huge problem moving forward. The first test dolphin has since died from hypothermia, and they need the doctor to find a solution so the same fate doesn’t befall Dong Chan and Mi Ran (who aren’t privy to this piece of news yet).

Speaking of the cryogenics experiment, we get a bit more information as to who tried to murder the doctor, and apparently the CIA and a Russian senator are all somehow involved, though I can barely make sense of it all. The even bigger reveal is that one of the test subjects still in the capsule looks exactly like our Big Bad (thusly named because I don’t know who he is). I can only deduce that they’re not the same person since they’re both in 2019, and if so, just who is this look-alike? Did Dong Chan’s sister Dong Ju accidentally hit the nail on the head when she mentioned cloning?! (C’mon, we are in sci-fi territory here. Everything’s up for grabs!)

The intricate web of relationships

The characters spent much of this week skirting around each other, and I really wish that the pacing would pick up a bit and dive in head first so we can finally get a move on with things.

Re-enrolled in university, Mi Ran ends up in Byung Shim’s class (he’s now a Psych professor), though he thinks the Mi Ran he’s seeing is only an illusion. This doesn’t stop him from following her around though, and that… really is all he does. By the end of the episode, it still hasn’t quite him that she is real, and she doesn’t realize who he actually is, much less who he’s now married to. (Awkward!)

Thankfully, the Dong Chan-Na Young couple make a little more headway. The two agree to meet each other at a cafe and even have a little heart-to-heart. My heart absolutely fluttered when Dong Chan admits that he is still romantically interested in her. And while this is all good and nice, I’m looking forward to when Dong Chan realizes that she sold him out after he went missing. C’mon, this girl needs some drama to this drama, so lay it down, Dong Chan!

And the thing we all really need? More interactions between Dong Chan and Mi Ran! We’ve barely gotten any good scenes between them, but the times we do, it’s just so teasingly good. The two certainly look good together and have good chemistry, so spending more time with the two can only be better for the show.

The major WTF moments

The show really doesn’t skimp on the WTF moments, ranging from the hilarious to the facepalm. I’m tempted to make this a regular entry on these weekly reviews, where we list out the silliest moments and see if any Soompiers can provide reasonable explanations! Last week, our major gripe was with how Dong Chan and Mi Ran could easily find clothes after waking up 20 years later. And while some readers mentioned it was the clothes they were wearing when they went to the facility, I (and many others) still maintain that it’s improbable that the clothes would be so easily found, much less be in such good condition (surely there would be a few moth-eaten holes by now, right?).

This week, the most hilarious moment has to be the “shampoo commercial”! I thought it was a commercial of some sort that the someone from the broadcasting team was shooting, but it turns out the long flowy hair is courtesy of our Dr. Hwang! LOL!

Because you’re worth it! 

As for the more nonsensical side, here are a few questions for us to consider: Just how qualified is Dr. Hwang’s assistant Jo Ki Beom? Does he really think that shoving Dr. Hwang’s hands into ice will trigger his memory about cryogenics? I mean… really??? Also, Dong Chan’s car is still in driving condition 20 years later?! Discuss!

Are you sure you’re scientists??

Watch the latest episodes of “Melting Me Softly” here:

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How are you enjoying the drama so far? And be honest, at this point, are you more interested in the romance or the mystery? Let us know in the comments below! 

Belinda_C can’t wait to see more of Golden Child’s Bomin! Talk “Melting Me Softly” and SEVENTEEN with her on Twitter!

Currently watching: “Melting Me Softly”
All-time favorite: “Kill Me Heal Me,” “Defendant,” “Hotel Del Luna“