Whew, am I behind on episode recaps or what? And it’s DTR! We all know how much I love this series. How dare I neglect Karlyle and Ash. Anyway, since I’m covering four episodes in this post, the episode recaps will be very brief. (In fact, I’ve been rethinking if I even need to do episode recaps and just stick to my takeaways. Ah, but that’s a topic for another day.)
Episode Recap
Episode 75 – Ash agrees to go with Karlyle to see his grandfather, so later in the day, Karlyle arrives at Ash’s workplace. He meets up with Ash and his colleagues, where Ash clarifies for his co-workers that the two of them are indeed an item and that he said there was nothing between them because they weren’t dating yet. Then, Karlyle takes the initiative and introduces himself to Ash’s co-workers with a beaming smile. Ash hurries the both of them out the door.
Episode 76 – In the parking lot, Ash confronts Karlyle about potentially hiding his smile from only him. They discuss the possibility of Karlyle locking Ash up at home and keeping him all to himself, which Karlyle gives some serious consideration to. Ash reminds him that keeping him at home means Karlyle wouldn’t be able to leave either until he’s satisfied. Before the two of them are delayed further, they start driving to Marquis Frost’s mansion.
Episode 77 – Karlyle and Ash have arrived at their destination but are still in the car. Ash can tell that something is bothering Karlyle. Karlyle’s concerned (and rightly so) how his grandfather will treat Ash. Ash tries to allay Karlyle’s worries and suggests that if things go wrong, the two of them can always run away to Marseilles. They eventually go inside and find that Karlyle’s grandfather isn’t alone: Marquis Gordon is with him. Ash steps forward and introduces himself directly to Karlyle’s grandfather.
Episode 78 – Marquis Frost responds in a lukewarm manner towards Ash, which is still more cordial than Karlyle thought he would be. As he speaks, Ash kowtows to Marquis Frost, which internally upsets Karlyle. He doesn’t feel it fair for Ash to have to pander to his grandfather like he’s royalty. Then, Ash experiences first-hand how callously Marquis Frost treats Karlyle. He reminds Marquis Frost that Karlyle is not only a great person whom he doesn’t deserve but he’s the marquis’s grandson and should be treated as such. Marquis Frost then turns to Marquis Gordon and begins discussing the couple as if they aren’t there. Karlyle’s grandfather implies that Ash’s bold speech speaks volumes of how he comes from a lowly bloodline. Upset at the mention of bloodlines, Karlyle defends Ash, telling his grandfather not to hold his own flaws against Ash.
My Takeaways
Ya’ll know how much I love this manhwa. I absolutely adore both Karlyle and Ash. They’re in my top 3 favorite webtoon couples of all time. With that said, the smile discussion was cringe. Absolute cringe. If I had overheard a couple have a conversation like that in public, I would’ve rolled my eyes so hard they would’ve popped out of my head. That or I would’ve given a look to an imaginary fourth wall camera a la The Office. I get that it’s supposed to be cute. Of course, it’s supposed to be cute. It just didn’t come off that way to me.
I feel like the author could have emphasized the beauty and rarity of Karlyle’s smile without having a lightweight yandere conversation between the two leads. I did think it a little funny how Karlyle gave keeping Ash at home some serious thought, but that’s about all I enjoyed about that conversation.
Going back a little bit to Karlyle visiting Ash’s workplace in episode 75. Karlyle wanting to overwrite his negative memories of the place is a big step for him. I’m sure he doesn’t realize it (I don’t know if the author is aware either), but what Karlyle did is an intervention from Cognitive Behavior Therapy in dealing with anxiety. Essentially, it’s a form of confronting what makes you anxious, and in this case for Karlyle, it’s confronting the place where he and Ash originally broke up. Anyway, with my own personal experience with CBT, I really appreciated seeing that scene and thought process in this webtoon.
In episode 77, when the two are in the car, I really like how Ash tells Karlyle directly “you tend to say you’re okay when you’re not.” Hearing that is important for someone with Karlyle’s personality and habits. It’s another way to say, “hey, I see you hurting and I’m here for you” and for someone who has been taught to internalize everything, that’s so necessary to hear for Karlyle’s growth.
And in episode 78, when Ash starts defending Karlyle and Karlyle realizes that this is the first time anyone has ever supported him like this, my heart broke. Despite having so much material wealth, Karlyle’s life has been devoid of healthy, emotional connection, so witnessing him experience these firsts just tugs at my heartstrings. What’s interesting, and I don’t know if we ever get another look into Ash’s past, but Ash also didn’t have the best childhood growing up. Not only did his mother die tragically, but it’s stated that his father didn’t support him and that his older sister Natalie cared for him most. So Karlyle assuming that Ash grew up in a whole and loving household is off the mark, but I wonder if it’s ever actually addressed in the series.
I’ll end with saying this: these four episodes could have been two. It pains me to say it because of how much I love DTR, but it’s true. If you remove the parking lot conversation and shorten the discussion in the car, it really could have been two, maybe three, episodes. I love my Karlyle and Ash moments, but these episodes pushed it very close to feeling like the series is dragging. And I would hate to feel that way about my favorite webtoon.
