Episode 3 dives straight into Ye-jin’s emotional core. This episode seems to linger longer than the previous ones as there are some quiet intense moments. Read on.
Sold Out On You Episode 3 has a runtime of 70 minutes.
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Sold Out On You Netflix Cast
Ahn Hyo-seop, Chae Won-bin, Kim Bum, Jo Bok-rae, Yoon Byung-hee, Go Doo-shim
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Sold Out On You Kdrama Director
An Jong-yeon
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Sold Out On You Series Screenwriter
Jin Seung-hee
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Original Title
오늘도 매진했습니다
Sold Out On You Episode 3 Review
What Happened In This Episode?
Episode 3 starts with a flashback revealing that the famous actress Myung-hwa, whom Ye-jin used to admire, is none other than her mother. Apparently, they’ve had a terrible relationship in the past, given that the mother and daughter had to meet only in secrecy. The public doesn’t know about Myung-hwa’s daughter, and so, she had to keep Ye-jin low-key. They only pertain to phone calls on Sunday night and not on any other day.
Even after Ye-jin grows up, this is the pattern they follow until one day, when Myung-hwa’s accident collapses. Out of worry, Ye-jin rushes to meet her mother and calls her “mom” in front of the public, only to be instantly denied by her own mother. This rejection becomes a huge trauma for Ye-jin.
Presently, Ye-jin keeps dialling her mother’s old number, only for the call to be connected to Matthew. Awkward at first, slowly, these calls with Matthew tend to make Ye-jin happy. Later in the episode, we are introduced to Jin-yi, the older sister of Som-yi. Som-yi’s scarred face is also shown, and we learn that it has something related to Ye-jin’s controversial beauty product sales.
We see more of Ye-jin and Matthew in this episode. Ye-jin learns that Matthew is Lee Hae-seok, the very man she’s been trying to find and sign the business deal. He isn’t just a farmer but a huge businessman who has come to live a life peacefully. Matthew shuns Ye-jin after he learns she knows who he is. Seeing how Ye-jin pursues even with broken arms, Matthew agrees to sign it only to reject it once again when Jin-yi comes.
As Ye-jin wanders in the wild with a broken heart, Matthew rushes to find her, and we see how their romance kicks off.
Performances
Ye-jin’s character stands out in this episode as we see how she is stripped of her basic relationship with her mother. Won-bin has pulled the character’s emotions really well. Given what Ye-jin feels is absolute betrayal, we as viewers can heavily relate, as it feels human. Her scenes where she speaks into the void, thinking it’s her mother, show how much she yearns for her. It is heavily sad to even watch.
Matthew’s character is finally unfolding. He isn’t just a farmer but someone extremely popular, so he had to change his name and seek peace. Hyo-seop has once again done a great job showing the duality of Matthew: a calm one and a brave guy. His romance with Ye-jin seems to build really well in a subtle way. The warmth he gives, even if he looks cold, shows how good an actor Ahn Hyo-seop is.
Themes
Abandonment and isolation are the two major themes that I recognised in this episode. The strained relationship between Ye-jin and her mother shows how cruel the cinema industry can be, in that if a woman reveals she has a child, her market value will die. Likewise, this affects Ye-jin the most as she was not able to have a normal childhood like other kids. She had to be abandoned to the point where she spoke to herself, thinking she was talking to her mother.
On the flip side, Matthew’s isolation proves that he’s on the run for peace despite the fact that he’s a wealthy man. He has all the riches to enjoy a quirky and fun lifestyle, but his heart decided to isolate himself and live a calm life. Why so? We’re yet to know that.
Direction and Editing
Much of the emotional storytelling is done in this episode. The flashbacks were needed to progress the story, and they were done well. The transitions between the past and the present seem smooth, so kudos to the editor. Transitions are extremely important to connect the dots. If they’re messed up, we will never truly see the difference in a character’s past and the current timeline.
The episode maintains a good aesthetic. The country life is cosy, the corporate life is rich, and so overall the episode seems to balance the colours well and good. The pacing still seems to be a bit off to me. Because the switch between corporate and country life is great, but since we’re constantly on the run, deep conversations are being missed. For instance, Eric’s parts seem to be a bit underdeveloped, and his character needs more light.
What is it missing?
The clarity is what the episode seems to be lacking. Emotionally, it is doing well, but when it comes to the corporate plots, the sharpness is lost. We see there’s something going on in the corporate scene, but we don’t know much about it. What happened to Ye-jin and Som-yi? Yes, in the next episode it’ll develop, but then why were we shown her early?
Additionally, Matthew and Ye-jin’s slow-burning dynamic seems fine, but sometimes their deep conversations make it seem like they’re already on the run for the spark between them.
Final Thoughts
Overall, episode 3 did a nice job of presenting Ye-jin’s trauma and Matthew’s true identity. It’s a bit cliché, but it’s okay, that’s how Kdrama rolls. The rich guy and the middle-class girl trope is something the drama fans adore, and I don’t understand why. So far, for the actors and the plot, the series seems rich.
Hopefully, it continues to build in this same manner so the lasting impression will be there. Additional casts don’t seem important at this point, so I hope they don’t add too many layers and flop the core plot of the series.
Sold Out On You is streaming on Netflix.
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