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The Review Geek
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Head Over Heels – K-drama Episode 8 Recap & Review
Episode 8 Episode 8 of Head Over Heels begins with a flashback showing Yeom-hwa's strained relationship with Sung-ah's spirit mother and revealing their connection as spirit mother and spirit daughter. We also learn that Yeom-hwa had long been plotting to make contact with the evil spirit. Elsewhere, Sung-ah and Gyeon-woo share some sweet moments together, hiding their bound hands from the other students, while Ji-ho silently struggles with his feelings. On their way home, Sung-ah and Gyeon-woo talk about how they feel for each other and almost share a kiss—until Ji-ho interrupts them. Inside Gyeon-woo's house, they discover Ji-ho's action figure is broken, while Sung-ah's human amulet proxy remains intact. Later, Ji-ho comically confesses his feelings to Sung-ah while she and Gyeon-woo are still holding hands. The three agree to sort things out only after they've dealt with the bigger issue: Bong-su's possession of Gyeon-woo. That night, Sung-ah and Gyeon-woo go to bed unaware that during the 'Hour of the Ox' (between 1:30 a.m. and 3:30 a.m.), Bong-su awakens. We find that he also harbors feelings for Sung-ah, which is why he often ends up cooperating with her. During this time, Yeom-hwa visits him, asking him to prepare to become her patron deity. However, she grows annoyed upon realizing that Bong-su has no intention of doing so anytime soon. She also realizes that because she's spiritually bound to him, she has no choice but to wait. Sensing evil energy from Bong-su, Sung-ah's spirit aunt and her mother's elder spirit sister arrive and create a commotion in an attempt to get him banished. When they try to strike him, Bong-su lashes out defensively but falters when the elder chants a verbal spell. At that moment, Sung-ah touches him, and Gyeon-woo returns. Gyeon-woo tells Sung-ah to take control of the situation. She locks the door from outside and calls his phone, triggering the sound of gunfire, a sound that deeply traumatizes Bong-su. He breaks down crying, and this emotional response compels him to stop acting out. He apologizes to everyone. It's then revealed that Gyeon-woo's spiritual senses have begun to awaken—he can now hear ghosts. Eventually, his other senses (sight, taste, smell) will open one by one. Once he's able to smell ghosts, there will be no turning back—he will merge with the spirit world entirely. At the same time, Sung-ah finds out that Yeom-hwa was once her own spirit sister. Later, Sung-ah talks to Bong-su and makes him promise not to hurt humans. She discovers that he was searching for the memorial stone of student soldiers, which is why he insisted on using Gyeon-woo's body. Eventually, they find out the stones had been moved. Sung-ah also helps Gyeon-woo train for the competition by gently placing her hand on his back. Bong-su, despite everything, ends up helping Sung-ah find a solution so Gyeon-woo can compete as himself. Sung-ah draws a powerful amulet on his body that will allow him to be free of Bong-su's presence for one day. It's a once-in-a-lifetime spell that can't be repeated, and surprisingly, it works. The next day, as Gyeon-woo prepares for the archery competition, a bitter Yeom-hwa begins a counter-ritual, trying to merge her spirit with Bong-su's. This brings Bong-su back and opens Gyeon-woo's spiritual eyes, allowing him to see Sung-ah's spiritual energy for the first time as the episode ends. The Episode Review The plot of Head Over Heels is now officially all over the place. While the dynamics between Bong-su, Sung-ah, Gyeon-woo, and Ji-ho deliver some genuinely funny and enjoyable moments, the sheer number of subplots, sudden tonal shifts, and unresolved narrative inconsistencies continue to drag the story down. A perfect example of this inconsistency is how Sung-ah's spirit mother curses Yeom-hwa and is supposedly meant to be punished for it—yet later, she performs a cleansing ritual on Yeom-hwa without any consequences. It just doesn't add up. At this point, the story feels stretched, as if Bong-su was added midway just to create enough narrative material to fill the remaining episodes. His arc could have been far more effective if introduced earlier. His transformation from a supposedly dangerous spirit to a love-struck, helpful entity feels abrupt and jarring. While Bong-su adds an unpredictable and often humorous element to the show, the overall lack of structure, weak antagonists, and muddled storytelling prevent the series from becoming as impactful as it could be. Previous Episode Next Episode
South China Morning Post
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
How K-dramas are making shamanism cool for Gen Z and millennials
In the TvN fantasy romance drama Head Over Heels, high school student Seong-ah, who secretly works as a shaman by night, says, 'When life wavers in the face of crisis, people seek out shamans.' Advertisement She performs a ritual called cheondojae to send off spirits and holds exorcisms to drive away evil ghosts, but the overall tone of the drama is not entirely dark and gloomy. During the solemn cheondojae ritual, her watch alarm goes off, prompting her to hurry the ceremony, saying, 'If I can't finish the ritual in 10 minutes, I have to go.' As a ghost protests, she says, 'Today is the midterm exam. You know what it means for a high schooler to mess up their grades, right?' The drama, which premiered on June 23, depicts the relationship between Seong-ah (Cho Yi-hyun), a teenage shaman who can see ghosts , and Gyeon-woo (Choo Young-woo), a transfer student destined for an early death. Seong-ah strives to save Gyeon-woo, her first love, from his fate. The drama convincingly portrays the tensions between rituals and exams, shamanism and high school life, blending them naturally into a compelling coming-of-age story. A scene from Head Over Heels. Photo: Courtesy of CJ ENM There was a time when portrayals of shamanism on television were meant to evoke fear. It was typically used as part of a setting in remote rural areas or as the backdrop for strange ghost stories.
The Review Geek
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
Head Over Heels – K-drama Episode 4 Recap & Review
Episode 4 Episode 4 of Head Over Heels begins with the aftermath of Gyeon-woo's reciprocal gesture. Both Sung-ah and Gyeon-woo struggle to focus amidst the beginning of their budding romance. Later, Sung-ah assists her spirit mother in preparing another ritual to oust the evil spirit inside the house. It's also revealed that there are eight more days left for Sung-ah to continue protecting Gyeon-woo. While they're at the house, a duo of online streamers arrives to livestream from the haunted location. Sung-ah chases them off after warning them about the severity of their actions. However, they decide to sneak back in after the two shamans leave, and one of them is soon possessed and attempts to kill the other. The next day, Sung-ah creates a stand-in for the human amulet, a lip balm with eyes, a nose, and lips, so it can continue protecting Gyeon-woo even when she's not around. She ends up giving it to him in the most awkward manner possible. Later that day, Sung-ah keeps noticing a dog ghost following the school bully and blurts out, 'How cute.' Both Ji-ho and Gyeon-woo are shocked, thinking she's talking about the bully himself. She later explains to Ji-ho that she was referring to the bully's deceased dog, who keeps following him. Elsewhere, Sung-ah's spirit mother learns of the critical condition of the two men who entered the haunted house and decides to hold a small ritual to try and bring their souls back. She calls for Sung-ah, who leaves school immediately to assist. Later, Yeom-hwa visits Gyeon-woo and throws salt at him after calling him a 'newly deceased,' predicting his upcoming death. We learn that she had been hired by Gyeon-woo's parents to protect themselves from him. Unfortunately, Gyeon-woo places Sung-ah's amulet in his room instead of carrying it with him. The next day at school, students begin suspecting Sung-ah's identity as a shaman after someone notices a resemblance between her and the shaman caught on camera at the haunted house. Eventually, Gyeon-woo intervenes, angry that Sung-ah will not stand up for herself and expressing how much he hates shamans. Meanwhile, Ji-ho confides in Gyeon-woo that he taught Sung-ah to smile through her pain when they first met and admits he has a crush on her. As this unfolds, Sung-ah and her spirit mother attempt to cleanse the house. On their way back, they run into Gyeon-woo, who tries to remove Sung-ah's mask to prove to others that she is not a shaman. Later, Sung-ah changes and runs to meet Gyeon-woo. While they're together, the lights go out and the darkness begins to attract ghosts. During this moment, we see flashbacks of Gyeon-woo being mistreated, including Yeom-hwa throwing salt on him, and learn that he used to smile through the pain. He apologizes for projecting his pain onto Sung-ah, and she hugs him, warding off the nearby spirits. The next day, Sung-ah and Gyeon-woo share adorable moments together. Later, Gyeon-woo tells his coach he is not quitting archery and is assigned to run 50 laps between the school and the haunted house. Meanwhile, Sung-ah, while carrying props for the cleansing ritual, runs into Yeom-hwa, who is performing a ritual of her own. Mistaking her for one of General Dongcheon's shamans, Yeom-hwa removes Sung-ah's mask and encourages her to dance. As Gyeon-woo arrives at the haunted house, he sees Sung-ah dancing with Yeom-hwa, bringing the episode to a close. The Episode Review This episode is definitely more engaging, blending supernatural elements with the light-heartedness of a high school rom-com. We got some adorable moments between Sung-ah and Gyeon-woo, with Ji-ho watching jealousy in the background. There were also some great cinematographic highlights, especially the scene of Yeom-hwa and Sung-ah dancing together in the dark with their colorful outfits and lanterns. It felt meaningful, particularly since the episode hints at a mysterious past connection between Yeom-hwa and Sung-ah's spirit mother, though it does not explore it in detail yet. Of all the cast, Cho Ja-hyun's performance as Yeom-hwa stands out. Her portrayal of a shaman who does anything for money is both charismatic and unsettling. She brings out emotions with such subtle intensity that it becomes increasingly clear she is being set up as a malicious antagonist. Now that Sung-ah's identity has been revealed to Gyeon-woo just five days before his fated death, the story has taken a thrilling turn. With all the spiritual tension building up, we are looking forward to the next episode!# Previous Episode Next Episode
