Brimming with mental health lessons, Mental Coach Jegal continues to maneuver the struggles of national athletes to the program and the expectations set for them.
A new character is also introduced related to Ga-eul. No Medal Club closely monitors the case involving Coach Oh while Je-gal and Tae-man settle for an impasse.
abbyinhallyuland watches Mental Coach Jegal on Viu
Episode Recaps: 01 – 03 |
The Striking Building Featured In “Mental Coach Jegal” Is In Futuristic City of Songdo
Mental Coach Jegal Episode 3 Highlights
Accepting the help of her brother’s mental coach friend, Ga-eul (Lee Yoo Mi) secures a spot as a national team member in short-track speed skating. Coach Jegal is also accepted as the new mental coach for the athletes.
He also devised a ploy to push for the dismissal of the evil coach of the short-track speed skating team. Following Coach Oh’s assault exposure, a hearing was conducted by Gu Tae-man.
“You feel more afraid and intimidated because you think there’s no one. Look carefully. I’m right in front of you. On your side.”
Returning to the training center, Ga-eul gets surprised to see Coach Jegal who will be working as a mental coach at the national training center.
Meanwhile, Ga-eul trains alone as the rest of the team members train at their home school because of the ongoing investigation about Coach Oh.
Unfortunately, Jo Ji-young who publicly announced the detestable attitude of Coach Oh refutes her own statement leading to the coach’s reinstatement petition.
“There are these types of moments. The hand I held out for myself is for you to take. The action to heal another could comfort me instead. A moment where selfishness and selflessness co-exist.”
At the second hearing conducted to probe Coach Oh’s ill-treatment of speed skaters, the reinstatement petition brings back Coach Oh but the identities of the two skaters who confessed to being assaulted are yet to be revealed.
Coach Jegal struggles to build rapport with Ga-eul, but finally gets crucial information about the speed skaters’ situation. Accidentally stumbling on a secret involving a celebrated swimmer, Coach Jegal used it as leverage to strike a deal with Tae-man to protect the whistle-blowing skaters.
The latter realized the importance of the information provided by Coach Jegal as his situation as an athlete-turned-leader is also pushing him to the brink of annoyance currying favors to officers who belittle him frequently.
Back to whip more wickedness, Coach Oh sees Ga-eul and almost hits her if not for the interference of returning star swimmer, Lee Mu-kyeol (Moon Yoo Kang).
With Mu-kyeol’s return, the connections of the characters shake up to a new level. Coach Jegal knows just what to do and presents himself as the apt coach for him.
Initially mocking Jegal’s declaration, Mu-kyeol gets subdued when the former tells him straight to the face that he knows he is into drugs and he can only be saved by him.
Mental Coach Jegal Episode 3 Musings
Any person who has gone through the same harrowing moment of holding in something to protect a dream that requires more than luck and talent to achieve can relate to Ga-eul.
Like what Jegal and Tae-man discuss about breaking into pieces to understand life, it’s a reality worth pondering for its validity.
Based on the scenario presented about the speed skating team being treated badly by their coach, the efficient injection of how mental coaches matter to athletes is well noted. Teamwork is not significant to the girls but winning the gold medal which in a way places importance on the result rather than the process.
Let’s hope they come to terms that protecting their self-worth would benefit them in the future. Any physical or emotional abuse piles up and would impact a person, maybe not right away, but it will manifest eventually.
Mental Coach Jegal is beautifully written in a way that the characters are distinctly and vividly described. Resonating with them is easy because of the realness of their problems and reactions to those situations.
We can also notice the neat preparations of complications to materialize later on in the series. Hopefully, Coach Oh meets the ending he deserves.
Just when we thought, Ga-eul secures a place for her on the national team, she faces another hurdle with the upcoming race that will decide whether she will stay or not.
Knowing his maverick ways, we can also expect Coach Jegal to come up with brilliant moves now that he has Mu-kyeol as a powerful card.
Be inspired to succeed after accepting failures and setbacks as seen in the beautifully captured characters of Mental Coach Jegal. International fans can watch it on Viu and tvN Asia.
Photos: tvN Drama | SC Viu
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