E1 – What a surprising two episodes this has been! I’m hooked, everyone. 😁

When The Phone Rings Ep 1

I didn’t really know what to expect before I started this series, so I figured whatever the show had to offer I’d just go for it – almost as if I didn’t have any specific expectations I wouldn’t be surprised…?When The Phone Rings Ep 1

At least that was the theory, but it didn’t work out that way at all, as the show managed to surprise me quite a few times – and right now it’s just scratching the surface.

I wonder what the show has in store for the remaining episodes. 😁: When The Phone Rings Ep 1

One of the first things that surprised me is that Chae Soo Bin’s character, Hee Joo, is introduced as non-verbal; someone who uses sign language to communicate.

I hadn’t seen any mention of Hee Joo’s disability in the show’s commercials, and just the fact that she was a sign language interpreter surprised me.

Of course, I wondered if she was deaf, which the case is often when someone uses sign language to communicate.

But then I noticed that she could respond to speech cues, so I wondered if she could hear. Then Show suggested that Hee Joo had selective mutism.

When the phone rings ep 1 details

It was the first time I had come across the term, so I did some research and read online that selective mutism is an anxiety disorder that makes it difficult to speak in certain social situations.

This led me to believe that something traumatic had happened to Hee Joo that caused her selective mutism. It wasn’t until much later in the episodes, when Hee Joo visits her dad in the nursing home, that it dawned on me that Hee Joo was faking her selective mutism (because she only tells dad). Huh?

The whole time, I was also a little surprised by how little genuine affection Mom seems to have for Hee Joo. It’s only now, when Dad, who suffers from dementia, repeats his heartfelt plea to Mom, that I realize that Hee Joo is not Mom’s daughter at all.

(I take that back; Elaine and MC pointed out to me on Patreon that Mom is probably Hee Joo’s real mom, and she is, oh my god, awful! 😪)

Combined with the alleged selective mutism, it seems like Mom had Hee Joo fake selective mutism to… perhaps protect family secrets?

In short, nothing seems to be as it seems in this drama world, which, at least so far, makes for a very captivating and rather trippy viewing experience.

When the phone rings ep 1-2 details : When The Phone Rings Ep 1

And then we have our male lead, Sa Eon, who the series quickly establishes as a massively successful man who has quickly become the face of the Blue House and is respected and admired everywhere.

The series quickly reveals what a busy and important person he is, and judging by the sharp lines in his jaw, he is a very focused, straightforward and matter-of-fact man.

The series also quickly reveals Hee Joo’s relationship with Sa Eon – or at least her opinion of him – as she wags her middle finger at the screen in disgust while her colleague Yu Ri basks in the admiration of fangirls

Between the leg photo and hearing about a chance meeting between Hee-joo and an old (very handsome) college friend, Sa-eon is already primed for jealousy when his reporter friend suggests the supposed kidnapping might actually be an affair. So he’s even less cooperative when “the kidnapper” calls again. Hee-joo loses patience quickly, but the call is cut off by a loud noise, and that night Sa-eon doesn’t come home.

When Hee-joo turns on the news the next morning, she’s greeted with a recording of her own (voice modulated) phone call to Sa-eon… which is being used as evidence related to an office bombing last night.

While she’s still reeling, Sa-eon turns up looking disheveled and desperate. He’s struggling to reconcile the wife he’s “known” for three years with the clues he’s been picking up over the past few days, and he needs some kind of confirmation as to what she’s really like — starting with that mole on her leg.