On the surface, The Potato Lab seems like a TV show that is pure fun and maybe a little bit stupid. However, despite it being a simple story with a lot of comic relief, it’s actually worth a watch because of how humanized its characters are. The Potato Lab is a healing drama because it depicts true friendship, a realistic romance (even with all the drama), and a healthy self. Mi-Kyung and Baek-Ho are both great characters, each with their own trials and tribulations. This show is clearly made for those who feel lost in their early 30s, and it drives the point in beautifully. If you’re feeling down or need some sort of motivation to keep going, give this show a try because it’ll remind you that, when life gives you potatoes, you can make an entire plethora of dishes. With that said, though, let’s jump straight into episode 11.
Spoiler Alert
Do Baek-Ho and Mi-Kyung break up?
The Potato Lab episode 11 begins where episode 10 left us, with Mi-Kyung learning that it was Baek-Ho who led to her most heartbreaking days 6 years ago. Baek-Ho is a very honest man, and he could never have kept such a thing to himself, despite his pure love for Mi-Kyung. Before he can apologize, she leaves him behind and returns home. She immediately trashes the few things he’s bought for her and makes the bear he bought her face away from her to feel a little bit better. How could the man who brought her so much happiness have caused her so much pain? Mi-Kyung shuts Baek-Ho out without a word because she needs some time to herself. But she has a surprise waiting at work. Now that everyone knows she’s been fired, she gets special treatment from all her colleagues, who truly love having her around. Her boss even tries to get her another job because this isn’t just work, they’re a family.
Meanwhile, people at work still believe they’re together, so they keep talking about their dating and their possible marriage, which just leaves Baek-Ho uncomfortable. He lashes out at some of the women, telling them that he and Mi-Kyung have broken up. The news, of course, reaches everybody, which leaves them walking on eggshells around Mi-Kyung. When she confronts Baek-Ho about it, he realizes he’s been inconsiderate towards her yet again. What’s worse is that Mi-Kyung never said anything to him about breaking up.
Back at home, Mi-Kyung tells Ong-Ju that she doesn’t know how to trust people anymore because, yet again, she’s been betrayed by someone she really liked. This makes her feel pathetic and like she’s plain stupid, but all she needs for now is rest because it’s not fair that she has to cry her eyes out about it. However, she’s left missing the guy. The next day, Mi-Kyung wakes up in a cold sweat and with severe stomach cramps. She doesn’t go to work, and everybody worries about her. Ki-Se gives her a call because he still wants to be in her life, but he realizes she’s really sick. She tells him that she doesn’t want to hear from him and that he should just let her rest. She tells him that her life’s just been a mess ever since she met him.
What Did Ong-Ju Do?
On the other hand, Baek-Ho realizes how many people he’s fired for no reason, heartlessly. Sure, it was never him being heartless; it was just him trying to do his job, but he’s only just realizing how problematic it’s been and how he may have been used by higher-ups at work. Ki-Se shows up in Baek-Ho’s office and tells him Mi-Kyung is sick. He also wonders what he could’ve said that made her actually physically sick. Baek-Ho immediately rushes to give her some abalone porridge but realizes she won’t accept it. Instead, he gives her brother the porridge and asks him to pretend it’s from him. Mi-Kyung realizes immediately that it’s not from her brother, so she puts on a brave face and confronts Baek-Ho. He tells her he can’t help but care for her and that she should do whatever she likes with the porridge because he can’t eat abalone.
Later at night, Ong-Ju asks Mi-Kyung if she’ll cut her out of her life if she learns that Ong-Ju hid something from her too. Ong-Ju did something hurtful to Mi-Kyung, because she knew Ki-Se was cheating on her, but he begged her to keep it a secret so that he could tell her himself. If she’d just told her, Mi-Kyung wouldn’t have had to go through all of what she went through at Wonhan. Mi-Kyung tells Ong-Ju that if it weren’t for her, she may not have survived through that time. She’d been a really good friend to her back then, looking after her, making sure she ate, and taking her out. It was never Ong-Ju’s fault.
On the other hand, Hee-Jin visits Baek-Ho, asking him to have a drink with her because she worries about him but also needs it herself. She still thinks she has a chance with Ki-Se, but I don’t know if he ever truly cared about her. Baek-Ho asks her if she knew that Ki-Se had been with another woman while they were dating. Hee-Jin says that she did know and that Ki-Se had wanted to break up, but Hee-Jin held on to him because when you’re so sure of love, the only real fear you have is losing it.
Later, there’s a problem at the lab, and some 500 tons of potatoes were accidentally frozen. While this seems like an impossible thing to rectify, Mi-Kyung wants to try and save their lab’s reputation and asks Baek-Ho to give them that chance. He also joins them in going to find extra potatoes. The duo get into a competition at the storage facility, but when a ladder is about to fall on Mi-Kyung, Baek-Ho protects her and gets hit himself. This is when their emotions take over, and they start to fight. The rest of the team decides it’s best to take their lunch break then, lock the two in the room with a first aid kit, and leave.
At the end of The Potato Lab episode 11, Mi-Kyung cleans up the wound on Baek-Ho’s head, and he finally tells her how he really feels. Baek-Ho admits that he’s in love with Mi-Kyung, and he wonders if she can forgive him for everything he’s done. He asks her if she can take him back despite everything. In the epilogue, we see Mi-Kyung eating the porridge and liking it. We’ve always known Baek-Ho’s a good cook. Of course, Mi-Kyung will take Baek-Ho back, because even if she’s hurt by what he did, she knows that it wasn’t entirely his fault and he truly cares about her now. Plus, she’s got to put her happiness first, and he makes her feel at peace. Just like she went through the trash and got back all the stuff he gave her, she’ll take him back. The final episode is definitely going to give us some sweet and loving moments.
