6 pivotal takeaways from When Life Gives You Tangerines Volume III

Starring IU and Park Bo-Gum, When Life Gives You Tangerines has been the talk of the town lately for the way it leaves us with so much to think about! Here’s what resonated with us the most from the recent few episodes!

No, you’re not the only one crying like there’s no tomorrow while watching this show! IU, Park Bo-Gum, Moon So-Ri and Park Hae-Joon’s When Life Gives You Tangerines has the whole K-drama fandom weeping every weekend! This show is a slice of life that constantly goes back and forth between Oh Ae-Sun and her daughter Geum-Myeong’s journey and everything that life throws at them. From facing unimaginable grief, finding true love, to facing poverty, heartbreaks and just surviving the day, the show has covered every aspect of one’s life.

The reason why the show is trending today is because all of these arcs resonate with so many of us! We experience these very emotions and face all kinds of circumstances that life throws at us, hence this series doesn't feel unrealistic or out of this world. Mayb that's why this story makes us want to be grateful for the life that we have and give our parents the tightest hug for everything that they’ve done for us whilst never making us feel the weight of it.

Also Read: When Life Gives You Tangerines Volume I review: IU and Park Bo-Gum will make you weep, laugh and root for them in this roller coaster of a story!

Here's what When Life Gives you Tangerines Vol ||| left me with!

Nothing can beat a mother’s instincts

Ae-Sun saving Geum-Myeong from fatal situations throughout her life is proof that our mothers just have some next level sixth sense. The scene where she just knew she had to go visit her daughter in Seoul because her nerves said so, is what saved Geum-Myeong from dying of gas poisoning. It just makes us feel grateful for our parents for literally keeping us alive on some days and a lot of that goes unnoticed. 

You can fall in love with the right person during the wrong circumstance and it’s totally okay for that to not have its fairytale ending

Geum-Myeong and Yeom-Byeong seemed like the perfect couple on paper. He loved her ever since the day they met in college and a lot of his words were similar to how Geum-Myeong’s parents fell in love too. But even a passionate love like theirs ran its course when self worth and respect came into question. They became an example of how your first love, who you thought you’ll end up marrying, sometimes just does not get its happy ending because of circumstances. In another universe probably Geum-Myeong and Yeom-Byeong are deeply in love and happily married without his mother hell bent on ruining their lives.

Someone even better might come along and show you how you can be loved right

While we all thought Yeom-Byeong was the guy for Geum-Myeong, Park Chung-Seob turned out to be the surprise male lead we didn’t know we needed. Yeom-Byeong said all the right things but Park Chung-Seob let his actions speak louder than his words. He is an absolute 'acts of service' kinda guy and Kim Seon-Ho playing this character just adds to the excitement. He instills hope for all the heartbroken ones out there that someday the right person will come along and show you the unconditional love you deserve!

Healthy parenting results in high self worth and setting high standards

All her life, Geum-Myeong has seen her father be head over heels in love with her mom. Not just that, from working as a fisherman day and night, sending his daughter to Seoul Nation University to selling his house so she can study abroad, he left no stone unturned to give her life beyond his means. So it’s pretty clear that the standards were set high for her since her childhood. Even though she loved Yeom-Byeong with all her heart, it just wasn’t enough to give away her identity and live as her mother-in-law’s shadow. She knew she was marrying into a toxic family and more over handling a mother who thought her son is the best in this world and there is no match for him, especially not someone like her who came from a lower middle class family. But Geum-Myeong’s parents hadn’t raised her to be a doormat or someone's unpaid househelp; they raised her to be a strong, independent woman and hence she does not go through with the wedding even though it meant breaking her own and Yeom-Byeong’s heart. 

No matter how much we run away from it, we all have a bit of our parents in us!

Ae-Sun works hard so that her children have a better life than her and don’t end up living the same life as her. But no matter how much you run from it, there are certain things we inevitably inherit from our parents anyway! From Eun-Myeong and his girlfriend having an intense moment in the same way Ae-Sun and Gwan-Sik confessed their love for one another to Geum-Myeong eating the leftovers at the family dinner, both her children picked up traits they had grown up seeing as kids.

Be as excited about making plans with your parents as you are with your friends 

The scene where Gwan-Sik wakes Geum-Myeong up at 4 am to go on a boat ride with him hits rather close to home. In the beginning, you see her want to sleep in and not go along but she introspects a bit and comes out of her room. She says she used to happily wake up at 4 am to go on trips with Yeom-Byeong but she hesitates before doing that with her own father. The scene is a reminder to spend as much time with your parents as possible before it's too late. They’re growing older each day just as we are!

What are some of your take aways from Volume III? Let us know in the comments below!

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