I like this episode.  It really sets the tone when the client, Judge Park, is immediately engaged by Magnum about holding him in contempt for not disclosing information to her during his testimony for a case in front of her court.  The subtle smirk on her face was very nice, and Magnum’s explanation to Higgins of “You were in Kenya”, just seems to give the vibes of, “Well, you weren’t around, so I ended up finding a little good trouble”.  I like that Judge Park is honest about her past with Magnum and Higgins, and they fully disclose that if something has been digitized and put online, it is nearly impossible to completely erase every copy and prevent it from being seen. 

I’m not sure who told Rick that a papaya is about the size of a newborn, but that papaya was really small to be a kid...

I like the banter at La Mariana though, leading Higgins and Magnum to the Madame.  This leads to the realization that they have a ‘fixer’ at play here, and Magnum points out the timing was before Judge Park’s nomination to the Hawaii Supreme Court...and then the following conversation with the Judge reveals that the blackmail is about the case currently in the Judge’s court.  And apparently the fixer was noticed by Judge Park in her courtroom.  I do like Magnum’s statement to Park, “Stay calm, do your job.  We’ll do ours.”  That really was all that needed to be said, but still hopefully settled Park and gave her cause for optimism.  Magnum really is good with people.        

I am conflicted about Gordon’s story about his interaction Maya, the fixer, a few months back.  If the fixer is deliberately being shady as hell because she’s being paid a lot of money, and guilty people could go free, then that’s garbage.  But, if she’s being paid a lot of money to find out that HPD made a mistake, then the mistake should be fixed, but that makes Gordy and HPD look like they don’t know what they’re doing.  And with the stuff that’s happened this season with Lia, I want HPD to be successful and competent.  Especially Gordon.  But HPD as a whole. 

For someone as smart as Magnum, (after all, SEALs have a minimum IQ level and Magnum has demonstrated that he is quite capable and perceptive), breaking into the lawyer’s office was dumb.  But hey, drama.  And Magnum know’s the shorthand for the plea deals.  Hmmm.  Do I sense a noodle incident or four?  But still, especially dumb idea because Higgins has just gone through some crap and managed to get her visa and immigration paperwork in order to stay in Hawaii (and NOT be deported), so a felony B&E might not look too good...just saying.

Jail banter between Thomas and Juliet was a little weak, but still funny.  Kumu coming for bail and bringing breakfast?  She’s good.  And a little judgey...but not as judgey as Gordon.  I love that Higgins and Magnum know not only who they can call to help bail them out of jail, but who is going to be comparatively judgey about it.  But yeah, Gordon also would have demanded answers to some questions that Magnum and Higgins won’t answer.  Kumu was a good choice.  Plus, Kumu’s just cool.  Providing breakfast with the old chestnut, “Last time I was in the clink, I was starving.”

I am impressed with Magnum working Maya (the fixer) with the ‘pay-to-drop-your-case’ ruse and guesstimating how much money she’s getting paid.  That gives them a better picture of who has the resources and incentive to afford her.  They worked Maya, used the Judge (willingly) to help flush the client out, and get them both implicated.  Though since Maya has recordings of the wife admitting to killing her husband, Maya won’t see the inside of an HPD cell for longer than she has to. 

I really like the Ohana helping Rick.  He goes a little overboard trying to make changes to La Mariana with the ‘efficiency expert’.  I really am not impressed that the advice the expert gave was basically to completely change the character of the place, but maybe that’s what made the Ohana help feel so good.  Kumu and T.C. hook Rick up with Kaya (spelling?), the architectural historian, and hopefully end up getting La Mariana declared a historical landmark.  But they’re just looking out for him, financially, physically, mentally.  It all just drives home how great a group they are, and how important they are to each other. 

Judge Park.  I really like her.  Higgins’ analysis about her is spot on, that her honesty and integrity about this whole thing make her more trustworthy.  She has nothing to be embarrassed about.  Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t particularly care if she worked for an escort service for three months, years, days, whatever.  She found a solution for a problem she had, and now, has put herself in a position where she’s incredibly well-respected and a leader in her field.  One of my favorite quotes is Dr. Manhattan: “Without condemning or condoning, I understand.” 

One of the things that stood out for me about this episode, interestingly, is Magnum’s refrigerator.  Well, and the smell of the guest house.  But at the beginning of the episode, Higgins is looking in Magnum’s refrigerator and finds it pretty much bare.  While he was dating Lia, he had started keeping it stocked with healthy and nutritious food.  And the candles were gone.  So it seems like Magnum has gone back to messy bachelor habits?  But no!  Wait for it!  When Higgins comes to talk to Magnum at the end, she shyly points out he’s stocking the fridge and there’s a non-bachelor scent in the air.  When she slowly asks if Magnum and Lia are back together, he gives her the line that since Lia isn’t the only person that comes to the guest house, he should/could make it nice for everybody.  Implying Higgins, especially?  Maybe I’m reading that into it because I want to.  And on top of that, he asks Higgy if she wants to hang out and watch a movie, but she has to go over their paybooks so she takes the rain check. 

Another Friday, another chance to rank our favorite red flag tops in BL Manhwa. 👀 From Chang-gyeon's savage manipulation in The Heart of the Lotus to Simon's betrayal in The Bad Life, these guys are serving red flags on a silver platter. 🚩

How I be every morning 😴💤🥱

overall it's been ok. just ok.

i think i got through this series mostly because of the art. i think it's pretty. and it makes some of the romance feel more palatable.

but the story does have issues.

i was a bit iffy on starting this series because i don't love prisons being settings for bl. i know it's an easy setting because prison is a setting where people are forced to rely on each other and build relationships. but the few prison bls i've read tend to be smut heavy, and doesn't spend enough time actually developing the relationship. i think this series didn't do enough of that either, as yoonwoo's relationship with heowoon existed before they went to prison, and soohyeon wasn't even a prisoner. to be honest, i started this series because of the second couple (alejandro and taeseo) but i still wouldn't say their relationship was that developed either. i'd say that the relationship that somewhat explored prison politics the most was warden lee and andrea, but only barely because they were just background characters.

i haven't read many stories with an actual love triangle so this was a bit of uncharted territory for me. i wasn't sure whether yoonwoo would end up with heowoon or soohyeon and it kind of gave me anxiety because i did not want him with soohyeon. not because i liked heowoon that much, but because soohyeon straight up terrified me. and i think it goes back to the coercive nature of prison politics. i guess this was less a problem but more of personal preference, but i guess the storyline of yoonwoo going with soohyeon for a better future for his kid, and then going with heowoon because he realized he liked him more just didn't hit with me.

speaking of which, it felt like heowoon's arc came out of nowhere. before he went to prison with yoonwoo, i didn't get the sense that heowoon liked yoonwoo in particular, and was just flirting with him. i felt like more seeds could have been planted prior to them going to prison. because otherwise, heowoon being the kid that yoonwoo knew from juvie just kind of came out of nowhere.

soohyeon straight up terrified me. first of all, he coerced yoonwoo into sex the first time, then promised to get him a sentence and didn't follow through so yoonwoo had to take things into his own hands and commit vandalism on the car. then in the next chunk of the story, soohyeon was trying to court yoonwoo. he claimed that he liked yoonwoo, but i didn't believe this. none of his behaviour was all that convincing to me. like yoonwoo, i was on edge and i felt like soohyeon was using yoonwoo as a pawn. later in the story, soohyeon claimed that he wanted to know what love was like and that was why he was interested in yoonwoo. and again out of nowhere, we found out that yoonwoo and soohyeon had met once when they were kids.

we're in a good place now with yoonwoo and heowoon as a happy family, but it doesn't really feel earned. i don't feel like their relationship went through anything. it was just yoonwoo realizing that he was comfortable around heowoon. but heowoon didn't go through any development at all. their relationship never went through any doubts because yoonwoo didn't even tell heowoon he was going to marry soohyeon.

onto the alejandro and taeseo story line, this story did have some good tropes but i didn't think they were utilized to their full potential. taeseo was born an alpha but being exposed to drugs messed him up and that was why he was growing omega reproductive organs. we didn't get any introspection as to what taeseo thought about it. he had no gender dysphoria which seemed unrealistic.

alejandro just got whitewashed as a puppy. how did he fall in love with taeseo? we'll never know. he's supposed to be some drug lord and yet he doesn't seem as sharp as andrea, nor does he feel as invested despite the fact that they were partners. so we get that alejandro was born into the business so that may be why he's in it despite not being invested. to be fair, we did see some anguish and conflict over him leaving the family business. but the rose tinted lenses were way too strong for me to find them believable. like this guy is a drug lord, don't fool me with the puppy image.

like i said, andrea and warden lee were the most realistic, with andrea using his body to get favours (mostly to protect alejandro because he was getting into trouble). it seemed warden lee did actually like andrea, but andrea was more focused on his business. also, warden lee never saw any conflict of interest? any abuse of power? in his actions. again, despite this relationship having the most to do with prison politics, it avoided a lot of the issues that come up.

don't get me wrong, i appreciated the friendship between seyeon and yoonwoo, but seyeon seems a little too well-adjusted. he's got everything under control, he's a good parent, he has a loving partner. we don't even know why he's in prison. he turned it around that easily? not to mention him being into omegas and sleeping with an alpha and then getting pregnant. no conflicts? there must have been shock. seyeon and gon might as well not even have been in prison.