Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
“I’d rather deal with ghosts. People are much worse”
Teen Shaman Seong-ah (Cho Yi-hyun) is still ‘Head Over Heels’ for her handsome new classmate Bae Gyeon-woo (Choo Young-woo), but can she save him from the clutches of evil spirits and ghosts constantly tying to harm him? Well, at least she has her friend Pyo Ji-ho (Cha Kang-yoon) on her side and together, maybe they can save the brooding hot new guy from what seems like certain death due to his unfortunate fate.
Recap of ‘Head Over Heels’ Episode 2: Seong-ah and Ji-ho invite themselves to Gyeon-woo’s house for food so she can slip protective talismans around the home to shield him from evil spirits. At school, rumors swirl that Gyeon-woo, a top archer, was expelled from his previous school for arson despite his excellent athletic record. In an unfortunate coincidence, a fire-based malevolent spirit is attracted to Gyeon-woo on the new campus, and the student finds himself trapped in a storeroom fire.
Seong-ah rushes to help Gyeon-woo, trying to ward the ghost away, although ultimately it’s Ji-ho who saves them from the blaze. Once again, the blame for the fire falls on Gyeon-woo, but he is fiercely defended by the duo who came to his rescue.
In an unexpected tragic twist, Episode 2 of ‘Head Over Heels’ ends with Gyeon-woo’s beloved grandmother dying. Seong-ah learns about the incident while at work, so she rushes to the funeral in her shaman attire. Gyeon-woo is furious to see the shaman (who he still doesn’t know is his chirpy, overly friendly classmate due to the veiled costume), and that’s how the edition ends.
Episode 3 of ‘Head Over Heels’ introduces a mysterious new shamanic character, an evil one who serves bad spirits, unlike Seong-ah and her spirit mother, Dongcheon (Kim Mi-kyung). For horror fans expecting more supernatural content, this chapter offers an intriguingly eerie sequence of General Dongcheon traveling to a nearby village to cleanse a creepy haunted house of a strong evil spirit.
However, the central focus of the episode remains Seong-ah’s attempts to befriend Gyeon-woo and fend off the ghosts trying to kill him. Grieving his beloved grandmother’s death, the athlete sinks deeper into depression, drawing the attention of a dangerous spirit and fast-tracking his death timeline. Luckily, Seong-ah’s spirit mom Dongcheon gives her new advice to save her “first love.”
Cho Yi-hyun is absolutely adorable as the chirpy teen protagonist, completely “Head Over Heels” in love with the good-looking Gyeon-woo. She makes her super-creepy stalking look cutesy, and poor Gyeon-woo doesn’t know how to complain when a pretty girl like her is constantly following him like a love-lorn pup. Poor Ji-ho is more embarrassed by the way Seong-ah sticks to the newbie than anybody else, although he continues to have her back through thick-and-thin. Ji-ho is serving major ‘friendship goals’ in ‘Head Over Heels’ and he also screams ‘boyfriend material’.
I am here rooting for both the romance between Gyeon-woo and Seong-ah, and the potential bromance between Gyeon-woo and Ji-ho. Although, given how graciously and selflessly Ji-ho always has his eccentric shaman friend’s back, if he is actually in love with her, I am team “Ji-ho and Seong-ah” already. Gyeon-woo can be their third-wheeling best friend, although obviously, we all know that’s not going to happen.
Overall, this episode of Head Over Heels was well-paced, entertaining, and packed with cutesy, funny moments. Sure, we’re only three episodes in, but the show is showing great potential as a teen-fantasy-romance set against the backdrop of high school, ghosts, and demons.
Watch ‘Head Over Heels’ on Prime Video.
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