Castaway Diva season 1 episode 8 recap & review: First Fan vs. First Fan

Open Go TV / November 20, 2023 / Reviews

In the eighth episode of Castaway Diva, Mok-ha spends some quality time with the Kang family before looking for Ran-joon. The episode is now streaming on Netflix.

Recap

While looking for Mok-ha, Woo-hak asks Bo-geol about their past. When they were young, Woo-hak tried to save Ki-ho, who is Bo-geol now, from their father and ended up losing his memory. Their father was then assigned to work on Chunsam Island.

As Woo-hak was unconscious in the hospital, Mr. Jung went to the island with Bo-geol, whereas Ms. Song stayed behind with Woo-hak. Before Bo-geol left, she gave him some money and asked him to escape whenever he got the chance.

Bo-geol managed to run away from Mr. Jung and Chunsam Island. He found his mother, who had acquired new identities for herself and her two sons. Bo-geol got to start afresh, but he never stopped waiting for Mok-ha.

Now that Woo-hak knows everything, he wants to ask Mok-ha to give up on her dream of becoming a singer and lie low, as he does not want Mr. Jung to find them through her. Woo-hak then sees Bo-geol and Mok-ha together and gets upset.

He tries to tell Mok-ha to give up on her dream, but he cannot bring himself to do it. On the other hand, Bo-geol takes Mok-ha’s autograph and asks her to become a famous singer, just like he did in the past.

Instead of taking Mok-ha home, the brothers take her on a camping trip with their parents. Woo-hak observes Bo-geol and Mok-ha together and asks them whether they have feelings for each other. While Mok-ha denies it, Bo-geol admits that he still has feelings for her.

When Mok-ha returns home, she finds out that Ran-joo has left their shared house. Mok-ha resolves to find and apologize to Ran-joo. Woo-hak helps her as much as he can, but since he knows that Bo-geol likes her, he tries not to come in between them.

Woo-hak’s parents question him about his feelings for Mok-ha. The question frustrates and angers Woo-hak, but he admits that he did develop feelings for Mok-ha when he thought he was Ki-ho.

Mok-ha meets President Hwang to inquire about Ran-joo’s whereabouts. He tells her that Ran-joo needs to sell less than 20,000 albums to get the shares. He also gives her the contacts of all the people who want to work with her after her appearance on Heyday Again. Like so many other agencies, President Hwang wants to sign Mok-ha.

The old woman who had been telling Ran-joo’s story turns out to be Ran-joo’s mother. She is mentally sick, which is why she thinks that she is Ran-joo. When Ran-joo visits her, she is told that her mother gets better whenever she reads articles that praise Ran-joo.

Meanwhile, Bo-geol visits Chunsam Island. He introduces himself as Ki-ho but lies about his profession and life to the people there. He hopes to mislead Mr. Jung, as he knows that this information will reach him in no time.

President Lee meets Mok-ha and tells her that he wants to sign her. Mok-ha refuses the offer because she wants to help Ran-joo get the shares first. She will become a singer but only after Ran-joo sells 20 million albums.

Mo-rae eavesdrops on this conversation and figures out that Ran-joo has cut all contact with Mok-ha. Ran-joo switches on her phone and sees Mok-ha’s messages as well as the messages of all the people who want to work with Mok-ha.

Mok-ha tries to contact Ran-joo using Woo-hak’s phone, and it is Ran-joo’s mother who answers. As Ran-joo’s mother believes that she is Ran-joo, she goes to meet Mok-ha at her house.

Ran-joo comes to know that her mother is with Mok-ha and follows her mother there. Mok-ha finally apologizes to Ran-joo. She promises that she will never leave again, but Ran-joo does not believe her.

Ran-joo is no longer willing to bet her life on Mok-ha. She calls President Lee and tells him that she is ready to terminate her old contract, even though she is so close to achieving her goal. She claims that she is tired of looking after a talentless girl.

Young-ju contacts Woo-hak because she wants to meet Mok-ha, her childhood friend. When Woo-hak goes to see Young-ju, he finds out that Dae-woong visited Mr. Jung before his accident.

When Mr. Jung’s friend on Chunsam Island tells him about Ki-ho’s visit, Mr. Jung is not fooled. He knows that Ki-ho is trying to distract him and continues looking for Ki-ho. Due to this, Bo-geol decides to visit Mr. Jung and reveal his identity.

Bo-geol even thinks about killing Mr. Jung, but he drops the idea when Mok-ha makes him promise not to ruin his life. He settles on meeting Mr. Jung and telling him that he is Ki-ho.

Review

Not much happens in this episode, but it still manages to keep the audience invested. The episode sets into motion all the events that will lead to the climax.
The episode also introduces Ran-joo’s mother. Whenever the show details Ran-joo’s circumstances in life, it becomes easy to understand why she feels so hopeless and alone.
It is not just Mr. Jung’s violent nature that makes him a dangerous antagonist; it is all his cleverness. The show justifies his family’s fear of him by depicting him as a sharp man who cannot be misled.