Wouldn't anyone with some semblance of respect and logic feel reassured about their own personal opinions when professionals of the subject express the same?
We are all the same, "haters" pop up when they hear evidence that reassures them just as much as supporters will pop every time the viewership rating rises and call for the "haters" to shut up as done and reassured when the court concluded that they have no jurisdiction to cancel freedom of expression.
If JTBC planned to sue everyone who opposed this drama they would loose millions in legal court proceedings just to file each and every one. Not to mention it would imply suing victims who spoke out like the Lee Hanyeol memorial or Park Jeong Cheol's family, and that is not a good look for JTBC.
The scholars simply wish to talk with the creators and Disney in regards to Korean History and it's rightful interpretation in the future, that is all. They aren't trying to cancel the show or "ruin" this.
They are doing their profession which is to offer their knowledge so that Disney a company with executives who do not know the history gain a better understanding on how to handle such.
Just because someone chooses to be critical of a drama does not mean they are hunting it down. People need to relax. The drama is not being taken away from anyone. People just see critical judgement and instead of hearing immediately try to argue that they have some vindictive purpose. They aren't gaining anything from this, if scholars chose to formerly address this it's not based on stupid hate. These are academics, we must think very low of them if we believe they are just after a show for zero reasoning.
Also, there have been official statements from victims who of course lived through it, in fact I think it what started it all in a big scale.
if you have any disagreements and wish to call anyone ignorant I suggest you take that towards the scholars. Those are the ones you disagree with, not me. The letter shares the worry of the scholars that they had tried to name her such at all, expressing that they are not pushing for the canceling of the drama rather they have a wish to provide guidance to the creators who clearly made some historical interpretations they don't agree with.
When you think of tragic love stories to surface from this specific time period any Korean would instantly think of Yeong Cho, probably why they decided to name the character as such in the first place (decision that made many question why dumb her down to a love story girl and as a result was changed), trying to have the plot be reminiscent of the actual relationship she had with her husband during the real history.
The effect that they had initially named her such and gave her such a strikingly similar relationship (her husband was framed of being a NK spy) makes anyone question the ethics behind the creators, initially trying to make a love story out of the very lie that got the real woman's husband killed. That in turn leaves us with the same prospect, you have now a changed character but you are still doing the same thing, portraying a South Korean female student, like Chun Yeong Cho, falling in love with a North Korean spy, what her husband was framed as.
The incongruence of other aspects of her life with that of the character can come into suggestion as an effort the creators made to distance themselves from the major mistake initially made. Others aren't privy to such fictional interpretations or efforts to distance themselves from the real ones.
The letter points out characters as well as interpretations of the relationship between Germany, SK and NK and they're not quite fictional, but rather inaccurate choices. I believe that fake names does not imply the erasure of the ramifications of basing themselves on them and on false propaganda, it is too deeply rooted to fix with a name switch up.
The harsh truth is that the problem is the intention of the creators behind the drama. Already having stated that they wanted the NSA to be portrayed from a "neutral point of view". You see all of the similarities -- the employment of false propaganda, the initial usage of a real person's name and as a historian and an expert one is bound to question the credibility of those who want to call it simply fiction and more importantly the intention behind such strange choices, that when faced with backlash had no where to run except the shield of fiction, after already making the entire drama based on real contexts.
There is no need to be so defensive over scholars who aren't threatening ANYTHING. If you want to fight that is your en devour to take. They aren't pushing for this drama to be canceled and you can freely watch it .
That does not mean I can't look at this with a critical eye and be subjective regarding the actual matter that seems to offend even scholars, now THAT would be ignorant.
Over 30 professors and scholars of Korean studies gather to submit a petition to Disney Plus regarding historical…
Regardless of personal opinions and desires for this drama, we must put respect on these people's names. EVERYONE here should read the letter (quite short) before deciding to mindlessly tell people to shut up. It's like watching a movie about space and refusing to read the comments of astronomers and astronauts about it.
Scholars do not sign their names on a paper lightly. What I do love about their letter is when they said this: "Moreover, while we understand the defense that fiction has a right to explore creative narratives, that defense can also feel hollow when a show uses numerous, specific details that reference actual people and incidents from recent history."
I can't understand the people who consistently claim that it's just fiction. It is not and if you aren't willing to see that Jisoo's character is modeled greatly after Cheon Yeong Cho's life who she was initially named after. That by itself should show clearly how much the writers based themselves on Yeong Cho, a woman who cannot speak for herself and give her thoughts because after her husband was tortured for being falsely accused of being a North Korean spy and later died from the effects, got into a car accident that left her brain damaged and basically completely mentally retarded.
I personally wonder if when the drama was written and originally had named Jisoo's character Cheon Yeong Cho if they had contacted and spoken with her family and friends for approval? As often is done when naming real people.
Over 30 professors and scholars of Korean studies gather to submit a petition to Disney Plus regarding historical concerns over the drama 'Snowdrop'
Jointly composed by professors of Korean studies from institutions like Ewha Womans University, Pusan National University, The George Washington University, and more, as well as Ph.D candidates from Princeton University, Harvard University, University of Toronto, etc, the petition addresses two major historical concerns within the drama 'Snowdrop'.
The petition began by stating,
"We are not writing to request that you stop streaming the show. Rather, we write to request that your company seek experts.. to carefully examine the historical references made in the show, and consider for yourselves the way those historical references are used. We make this request because we do not believe that Disney Plus as a global platform is aware of the historical and socio-political context in which this show exists, and we believe that platforms should make an informed decision when globally broadcasting a show set in recent, still-relevant Korean history (1987)."
The petitioners' first concern addressed the reference to the real-life historical figure Cheon Young Cho in modeling the the female lead character, an issue which previously made major headlines even prior to the drama's premiere. The petition also went on to discuss potential references to Cheon Young Cho's husband, Jeong Mun Hwa, another democracy movement activist.
The second concern addressed the character Eun Chang Su (played by Heo Jun Ho), father of the female lead Eun Young Ro (played by BLACKPINK's Jisoo). The petitioners pointed out that the character Eun Chang Su may have been modeled after another historical figure, "military officer Park Jun-byeong, who commanded the 20th Infantry Division into Gwangju in May, 1980, and led them to commit one of the worst massacres of civilians in modern Korean history."
Currently, JTBC's 'Snowdrop' is available via Disney Plus for users in the Asia-Pacific region.
Episode 7 feels like it wrapped up one season, where Gye-shik was the main villain, and now we’re venturing into season two, which will be all about Soo-yeol confronting his past and gearing up to face Boss Yong.
Although, now that I think about it, it’s really been organized into three sections, each with its own main villain: Assemblyman Do, Gye-shik, Boss Yong. (I’m grouping In-bum together with Assemblyman Do, since they were related.) And it’s possible they could add in a fourth villain for a few episodes before turning to Boss Yong in earnest. But the point is, this was definitely a clean turning point in that we wrapped up the entire first half of the show and are now heading into new territory on all fronts.
Gye-shik as a character was present from the very beginning, even though we didn’t realize at first what a huge role he would play. And the conclusion to his arc brought so many things full circle. We literally came back to the same locations, both the abandoned building and the interrogation room. Soo-yeol learned to accept and rely on K’s help, and then was able to do the right thing on his own, without K’s help. Not to mention the parallels between Gye-shik and Min-soo falling from that ledge, and the reigniting of the romance between Soo-yeol and Hee-gyeom.
But it makes sense too that Gye-shik needed to be dealt with and moved out of the way – along with all these other external conflicts – before Soo-yeol could really face his deepest internal struggle. And, possibly, before K would be ready to work with Soo-yeol on addressing the past. Because I’m guessing he knows exactly what happened during those missing six months.
I really like a lot of what it’s grown to be over the past seven episodes. It’s not at all what I expected, but it’s a lot more fun than I expected, and I just really like the central characters. Which, for me, is really important.
I’m so glad Hee-gyeom got to have her moment and personally arrest Gye-shik, even though it killed her to do it. He betrayed her trust on such a personal level, and for a moment I was afraid he was just going to fall to his death and she wouldn’t have the chance to follow through on her vow to bring him to justice for it. I’m glad she did.
And, disappointed as I was in Chan-ki last episode, I’m glad he finally confessed and found peace, too. There was this tiny little moment that I absolutely loved where Kyung-tae explained to Jae-sun that Chan-ki looked relieved to get it all off his chest, and you could see so much understanding and compassion on Kyung-tae’s face. That capacity for empathy is a particular strength of Kyung-tae’s – it’s what made him so dogged in his pursuit of answers about Yoo-na’s case, and I’d argue it’s what allows him to think of solutions that others don’t. It also just makes him a lovely person, and no one better hurt him ever again, or I will be glad to see them fall from the fifth floor.
Episode 7 - I was laughing so hard when Soo Yeol and K ended up being stuck in another truck and being stuck together squished between boxes.
With the temperature rising rapidly, K insists on stripping off his outer layers and gulping down an entire bottle of water despite Soo Yeol’s already full bladder.
While all our other found family members redecorate the house, rejoice over rice cookers, and bond, Hwal is still at Sang-eon’s throat (sometimes quite literally). The two head out on a multi-day trip, and Hwal’s goal is to dig into Sang-eon’s most recent past life in the 1970s, and get some of her memories to come loose.
We learn that in this 1970s timeline, Sang-eon was known as Kim Hwa-yeon. She lived in a small village with her parents and little sister; they and their neighbors died in a huge and tragic fire, which Hwa-yeon escaped. Hwal is operating on the premise that Hwa-yeon set the fire to get Ok Eul-tae off of her tail, coldly sacrificing her family (and others) in the process. But here’s where we get one of our many twists this week.
Even though she remembers nothing, the pieces of the mystery are starting to come together for Sang-eon. She visits the woman, KIM GO-BEON (Lee Young-ran), whom she and Si-ho sought refuge with 15 years ago. They went there because Sang-yeon seemed to share a secret with her and sure enough, we get this revealed: Grandma Kim is actually Hwa-yeon’s little sister! *Chills!* She survived the fire that Hwa-yeon supposedly set. (More on this later.)
There’s another secret survivor of that fire, though, and that’s our shaman, whom we’ll call Aunt Lee. Her backstory in the current timeline is told: she was saved from a fire as a small girl by Hwal, who saw that she was taken care of at an orphanage. We learn that she was the neighbor of Hwa-yeon and yet another victim of the fire she supposedly set; this is also confirmed for us by Si-ho. And here’s my second squabble for this week’s action.
Si-ho has been pretty tangential up until this point. We know she’s precious to Hwal, and that her pregnancy might have more to it later on, but mostly we see her used as leverage, and interacting with Detective Kwon and Do-yoon (all of which is adorbs).
Now, though, we learn that she has the ability to look into peoples’ pasts, which she’s long shied away from doing. (Are they really just telling us this now, or was it hinted at before and I’m forgetting?) Regardless, she confirms Aunt Lee’s story, and also seems to re-activate the shaman-prophet button in Aunt Lee’s soul. Pretty soon she’s prophesying to everyone in the house about the death and destruction to come when “the person with no memories” finally recovers them.
This is all well and good — my issue is that Si-ho and Sang-eon have a heart to heart, during which Si-ho confides that she thinks she can not only see people’s pasts, but past lives. She even offers to do it for Sang-eon. Sang-eon refuses, as Hwal’s constant pressing (and the prophecy) have her terrified over what she may truly be — or become. The plot squabble is this: did Si-ho have this ability all along and the two never thought to use it during their 15 years on the run?! (I hope this is explained a bit better as we move forward.)
We also saw a lot more growth in Hwal and Sang-eon’s relationship this week — or perhaps softening is a better word? Hwal is as harsh as ever, with his angry, “we’re not leaving till you remember something!” and carrying her with annoyance like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder.
But for all of his pushing Sang-eon to remember what a demonic beast she was, she continues to protest and claim innocence. She cries over what her past incarnations have done; she even cares for Hwal in quiet moments (like covering him with a blanket while he’s sleeping; a sure drama sign of affection).
In contrast, Hwal wishes agony over her while she’s sleeping — and yet, his mouth says one thing and his actions seem to say another. Everyone might not agree, but I still feel some serious chemistry between these two, even in their most antagonistic moments. It’s getting harder to deny that these two might have a deeper (and romantic) story in the past.
Speaking of the past, while on their memory adventures, Hwal and Sang-eon come in contact with more monsters from the past. There’s the fire-starting monster, who we learn was actually responsible for Hwa-yeon’s fire, and was hunting her along with Dark Hole. In fact, there’s so much info dropped, and so many reveals around this fire and timeline that I’m kind of impressed how much detail this drama really has, and how interwoven everything is.
The dealings with the fire monster confirm the connection that Sang-eon shares with Ok Eul-tae; he see him writhing in agony when Sang-eon is attacked. All his agony and waiting are a bit strange; he can’t do anything to Sang-eon and continues to wait on Hwal to join forces. But, sadly, there’s another twist here — our puppy Do-yoon is actually working with Ok Eul-tae (nooooo!). Everything that took him to Hwal’s house was staged, and he’s acting as a double agent. He also hangs out with Ok Eul-tae and plays board games. Hah, this drama is so weird.
As we near the end of the week’s episodes, the pitch of everything seems to reach a crescendo — and it also gives me these Snow White vibes (the shiny red apple, Sang-eon’s hood) which I actually love because it confirms the Grimm’s fairy tale tone of this entire drama.
Hwal is as tortured as ever, as he’s just seen his past father reliving his cursed fate. Then, he has to deal with the fact that Detective Kwon is fearlessly following Ok Eul-tae and winds up hanging from a tree, thanks to Eul-tae’s right-hand woman (this woman is actually the dueoksini Hwal killed in the past — another awesome reveal and tie-in).
Hwal is poisoned and his neck is slit, but he’s determined to save Detective Kwon. The ever-enigmatic Ok Eul-tae turns up and actually saves the two from the dueoksini. And as if that tension wasn’t high enough, Sang-eon also joins the scene.
Sang-eon has just returned from a secret visit to Grandma Kim, where the rambling memories of Kim Hwa-yeon and the fire form into another great reveal. Grandma Kim says, “The man with the scar was after you because Dark Hole killed his family and made it look like you did.” OMG! This is basically the reveal we’ve been waiting for. Sang-eon doesn’t waste a second to announce this new gem of knowledge to everyone, and hot damn what a cliffhanger!
This ending scene is so good I forgave the show for the plot slippage and the monster-of-the-week feeling I was getting. We’re definitely going to move forward now with this knowledge, and I’m going to repeat myself and say: there’s definitely more history here and I can’t wait to travel even farther back into the past. I always wondered why the Sang-eon bulgasal took the dagger for little boy Hwal, but the puzzle pieces are starting to make more sense…
Finally, I’ll just say that this drama is not only oh-so-fun because of the epic, sweeping, super-angst it delivers, but because it also knows how to hang on to its best moments. I love a drama that knows what it does well, and appreciate when those moments are mined for all they’re worth (I’m looking at you, epic piggyback and cliffhanger scenes!). Suspending strong moments only increases the tsunami of emotion, and heck, that’s why I’m here.
I’m completely baffled as to how Sang-mok survived the fall and managed to walk away. He looked like a straight-up zombie and when I saw the way his head was lolling about, I legitimately thought this drama was going to go all Kingdom on us. Considering how many turns this story has taken so far, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if they added zombies...
Those who prefer their medical shows to be grounded in reality should probably steer clear, but as someone whose initial interest was solely based on the cast, I found myself enjoying the zany premiere and our oddball duo.
On the surface these two men are complete opposites, but their shared cockiness, which has them fighting for escalator dominance, also hides their inner gooey sides. This sets them up to have an epic bromance as they learn to work past their personal biases and discover common ground. And, yikes! They are going to need to buddy up soon because the hospital is rife with bad guys.
I should have known when HAN SEUNG-WON (Tae In-ho) showed up dressed in all black looking like Al Capone’s accountant, that he was going to be up to no good, but I was a bit surprised by the drama’s shift in genre. Shady, underhanded hospital politics are a given with most medical dramas, but it’s rare that someone tries to outright murder a doctor rather than ruin him professionally.
Even though the costuming department practically sewed an “I’m a villain” sign on the backs of our evil doers’ wardrobes, I’m kind of digging the attempted murder plot. I mean, given the overall silliness of a comatose doctor performing surgeries through body possession, it seems fitting that the external conflict for our bromantic leads would be comically threatening.
My main disappointment, though, is with how the scenes leading up to Young-min’s car accident were cut together. The transition from the surgery to the car accident in Episode 1 was very abrupt, as if they realized they were running out of air time and had to skip forward in order to end the episode with Young-min possessing Seung-tak. I’m not a fan of unnecessary flashbacks, so my personal preference would have been for them to have revealed the events linearly, ending Episode 1 with the car crash and saving the body haunting shenanigans for Episode 2.
Timeline aside, I really appreciated what followed the possession, particularly Seung-tak’s reaction to his memory loss and unexplained ability to perform the surgery. There was something endearing and heartbreaking about him sitting alone outside the ER, reciting multiplication tables as a coping mechanism while he tried to suppress his panic and confusion. His reaction was also a nice foil to Young-min, who pouts and channels his own anxiety by lashing out at those around him, even when they cannot see him.
The mystery surrounding Young-min’s accident definitely has me eager to watch more, but the biggest question for me after this premiere week is: Who the hell is taking care of Young-min’s sugar glider while he is in a coma!?
Much to my dismay (and also amusement, because the drama loves to not tell us things), we expressly don’t pick up with the beautiful kiss scene where we ended last week. We don’t even check in with our leads in a meaningful way, either. Instead, we head first to our trusty second lead, Ji-woong.
Ji-woong’s story continues to resonate with me though. We see the wall he put up years ago to not only hide his feelings for Yeon-su from both her and Woong but also from himself. The narration is great here — we get insight into his “tactics” like avoiding chance encounters with her, resisting his urge to be in her sphere, and basically renouncing all things Yeon-su. He says that she’s a risk he can’t control. But at the same time, we see how current circumstances are pushing him towards her again, and it feels very much like the energy he’s spent on renunciation is starting to weigh him down.
Our only clue is Yeon-su fleeing the scene, and running into Ji-woong on the hilltop. What happened before? After? In between? Will the drama ever tell us?
Woong has his fever, is comforted by his mother, and in the end, comes to a conclusion as he exits his cave. “I can’t go on without her in my life.” However, he also refuses to date her (to her face!) and has a bit of a wild suggestion: “Should we be friends?”
Actually, the friends zone doesn’t strike me as a terrible idea for these two right now if it means some actual communication, but it comes at a horrid time for Yeon-su. She’s been doing her own navel-gazing and had marched over to Woong’s house to (ostensibly) confess. Or something. At least she knows she has feelings for him, and has admitted it both to herself, and to Sol-yi.
Rather than balk too much, Yeon-su becomes Woong’s “friend” as if someone flipped a switch. She trolls him to death, calling him “chingu-ya,” inviting herself to sleep over, borrowing his clothes, and basically trying to drive Woong crazy. Her real plan, of course, is to find out what he really feels while being friends. They’re even “caught” by Ji-woong during their weird platonic sleepover, and it’s a little hilarious.
Yeon-su eventually goes home, and she’s replaced by Ji-woong (he’d die if he knew he was taking her place on the couch, and using the same blankets she used the night before). Poor Ji-woong is turned upside down by the arrival of his wayward mother; he also has a work hoobae that adores him, but he can’t seem to notice.
Yeon-su invents a silly excuse to return to Woong’s house to retrieve her “precious pouch,” cementing the fact for us (and her) that she’s really crushing on him. But it’s Woong that winds up bringing the pouch to her, and after an awkward dinner with granny (omg the zucchini), Yeon-su and Woong actually have what I’m considering their first truly authentic moment together.
They’re outside of her house, and Woong rubs his belly, complaining how much he ate. The two share a giggle and a nice moment, and it’s just lovely. However, Woong’s takeaway is that they can be friends, while Yeon-su’s is how much she truly likes him. As ever, these two are not on the same page.
It wasn’t until that precious moment Yeon-su shares with her granny that the episode’s focus on maternal comfort really hit me. Earlier we saw Woong nursed by his mother and the tender moments they shared; now, we see the same with Yeon-su and her own mother figure, and it’s just as precious.
Then there’s the contrast, and that’s Ji-woong. He’s the character that’s missing that nurturing and affection, and it’s really starting to show how much it’s affected him. We see the difficult times he had in the past, and how he always relied on crashing with Woong to escape dealing with his mother. I love these two boys as friends and how they support each other as much as they razz each other.
We see Woong offering a lending ear to Ji-woong in the present, but importantly, Ji-woong also confesses a bit of his trials to Yeon-su as the episode closes. It’s his birthday, he’s just had a heartbreaking cry because his mother doesn’t even remember that he’s deathly allergic to peaches, and when he accidentally encounters Yeon-su in the street, he can’t hold back.
It’s a direct contrast to how we opened the earlier episode: how he avoids her, and opening up to her. Now, finally, he does just that. And though we’re not quite sure where it will lead yet, surely it’s a good thing for this boy to start addressing all the stuff that has been weighing down his heart.
I am waaaaay too into this show, and I love the direction we took this week — with the fate and hate and tension and fear and yearning practically bursting from each scene. High drama! It was also especially great to have more of Lee Joon on screen finally. His performance this week left me slack-jawed. (Why is he so good at being a deranged villain in Rococo-esque suits and settings?)
Much to my satisfaction, we revisit the murder of 15 years ago, and see how the whole scene played out. We’ve had so many bits and pieces of this, but this time, we get the whole thing. This includes the Lee Joon bulgasal brutally killing Sang-yeon, and even more importantly, the wisdom that she shares as she dies. The bulgasal chuckles that her soul was split in two, but that he’ll just kill both of them — however, Sang-yeon says that he won’t be able to kill her sister. She continues that “the dark hole won’t go away” and that her sister will “put everything back in its place.”
Dark hole references aside, this is making a lot more sense now. Sang-eon definitely seems to be a wild card in this centuries-long fate. Perhaps she’ll be changing the direction of that fate once and for all?
The story doesn’t make us wait long, and I kind of like the aggressive way the Lee Joon bulgasal thrusts himself into the story. In fact, we learn he’s been around for a long time; he has hunted down all of Sang-yeon/Sang-eon’s past reincarnations and killed her. Now, he literally calls up Hwal for an opulent lunch and asks him to join forces.
The most moving part about this show, of course, is all the echoes of past lives that our characters either remember with pain and longing (Hwal) or only feel strange echoes of familiarity (like when Detective Kwon first sees Si-ho in the present). Similarly, Si-ho senses something about Hwal, but always shrinks when he’s around, hiding behind her sister, who is taking the lead here in more ways than one.
Most of the emotion is with Hwal in these scenarios — it’s positively heartbreaking to see him greeting the man that was a beloved father in the past and that’s now after him; or, to watch him cope as his wife and his mortal enemy are living as sisters in his house. While I’m not sure how Hwal truly feels about Sang-eon, it does seem clear that he still reacts to Si-ho as he would his wife in the past: risking anything to keep her safe (which he failed at so many centuries ago).
Each character’s true identity still seems shrouded in mystery, as is the real genesis of this evil fate. And now that we know something different is going on in this final reincarnation with the twin sisters, I wonder what it means for the future. I’m not expecting a happy ending or anything — rather, I’m almost getting the feeling that where we started at the beginning of the drama wasn’t truly the beginning. Perhaps there’s more to tell there, too.
Ep. 6 - Sigh, Kye Sik. Sigh, Chan Ki. I was really hoping that they weren’t as corrupt as they seemed, because Hee Kyum seemed genuinely happy and fulfilled working with them, and I really wanted her to have a reliable team supporting her. Of course, there’s still Soo Yeol and the others, but I thought we’d get to see the two squads cooperate, not go against each other. Though I suppose it’s realistic to have corrupt cops in the mix. I can see why Chan Ki turned tail at the last minute, given Kye Sik’s threats and previous unflinching murder of Jong-gu that demonstrate how he won’t hesitate to turn against his underlings. Still, it was a cowardly decision, and I hope Chan Ki’s conscience convinces him again to do the right thing going forward.
To be honest, I’m somewhat disappointed by the villain reveal of Kye Sik — it’s too obvious and predictable, and I suspect a number of viewers already saw this coming like I did. It also feels like a wasted opportunity, since I think it would have been a good opportunity for character development if more time was given to Hee Kyum’s reaction upon learning of the betrayal, as well as the subsequent fallout. Instead, it felt almost glossed over in favor of moving straight to the action.
(On that note, why does everyone in this drama like to announce their plans to the bad guys! Knowledge is an advantage, so it’s sometimes frustrating to watch the characters give away their upper hand so easily.) Anyway, while I don’t fault the drama for focusing on what it does best, I do wish we were privy to Hee Kyum’s thoughts as she parsed through her emotions and formulated her game plan. She’s been through the wringer both in and out of prison, and I think she deserves to be more than a chess piece in the battle between the hero and the villain.
I thought the conflict was finally being spiced up with the hint of a conflict between Boss Yong and Kye Sik, but unfortunately that didn’t seem to amount to much more than a push for Kye Sik to hunt down Chan-ki and foil Soo Yeol’s plans yet again. Hopefully, the show continues to expand on the discord between the two villains — it’d be a lot more interesting to watch the villains begin to turn on each other in the pursuit of their own self-interest. (Though admittedly, I’m biased; I’ve said before that Boss Yong is an enthralling, enigmatic villain, and I’d love to learn more about what makes her tick.)
Kye Sik’s question of why they have to risk their lives for a measly salary stood out to me, because isn’t that part of why Soo Yeol used to give in to the temptation of boot-licking? When people around him are advancing thanks to clandestine deals and unscrupulous methods, leaving him in the dust, it’s easy to fall prey to the devil on his shoulder. Perhaps that’s what leaves Soo Yeol so shaken in the face of Kye Sik’s atrocities since that’s what he could have become if he’d continued down that path. Thankfully, he has K to nudge (or rather, smack) him onto the right track.
Anyway, I’m so glad Kyung Tae is now officially part of the team! Gimme more of Jae Soon handing over his dinner to those puppy eyes. I especially love the running gag of Kyung Tae repeating Jae Soon’s words about the sandwich— it reminds me of a baby duckling imprinting on an exasperated but fond human, and it’s adorable.
Ep. 5 - I like that Kye Sik’s case is being revealed to have so much more significance to the overall big picture instead of being a throwaway characterization moment. There’s nothing wrong with the latter, but this makes everything that much more cohesive, and it draws our core characters closer together within the plot.
My heart breaks every time Hee Kyum expresses how much she trusts that Kye Sik will come through for her. It must have been crushing enough to realize that one of the only people who spoke up in her defense was actually responsible for framing her in the first place, but it will be even more devastating when she learns that the real mastermind was her beloved mentor.
I also loved seeing Soo Yeol’s response to Hee Kyum’s plight because I don’t buy that he was only motivated by the promise of getting rid of K. There was genuine tenderness in his voice and eyes when he was forced to arrest her, not to mention how much Kye Sik’s apparent inaction angered him (even before he found out about Kye Sik’s betrayal). He may have buried it deep, and perhaps even convinced himself otherwise, but he definitely still cares about her in some capacity.
The fight scene in the abandoned junkyard was one of those times I kind of wished Soo Yeol and K were two separate people. And when it was harder to suspend disbelief and view them as two personalities in one body. I couldn’t stop wondering what it looked like to the guys they were fighting, for one thing. That said it was satisfying to finally see them working as a true team and playing off each other, even taking turns stepping back and letting the other take the reins, so to speak.
I don’t expect Soo Yeol’s decision to leave Jae Seon and Kyung Tae out of the investigation to last long, but I am looking forward to more teamwork between Soo Yeol and K before the full team comes together. Maybe even some getting each other into and out of trouble, and willfully switching places to play on their individual strengths.
I’m also curious to find out more about Soo Yeol’s past. Clearly, there is something he’s suppressed or forgotten (or something too traumatizing to recall again), and it appears K might know something about it. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a secret link to Boss Yong and/or her cartel, either by blood or by circumstance. Maybe he ran away from whatever happened, and his feelings of guilt caused him to create a persona that wouldn’t run away from ensuring justice is done. But, as others have pointed out, if that’s the case, then why did K only appear now, so many years later?
According to an exclusive report from Osen, actress Kim Mi Soo has passed away at the age of 31. The cause of death has not yet been revealed. Her funeral hall has been set up at the Sungsim Funeral Home.
Her agency Landscape Entertainment has confirmed the news of Kim Mi Soo’s passing in their statement released to Star News.
We are here to deliver heartbreaking news.
Actress Kim Mi Soo suddenly passed away on January 5.
The bereaved family is current very heartbroken due to the sudden sad news.
We sincerely ask that you refrain from spreading rumors or speculative reports so that the bereaved family, who is in shock and full of sorrow, can remember the deceased.
Her funeral will be held quietly behind closed doors according to the wishes of her family.
Please pray for her, and we send our deepest condolences once again to the deceased.
We are all the same, "haters" pop up when they hear evidence that reassures them just as much as supporters will pop every time the viewership rating rises and call for the "haters" to shut up as done and reassured when the court concluded that they have no jurisdiction to cancel freedom of expression.
If JTBC planned to sue everyone who opposed this drama they would loose millions in legal court proceedings just to file each and every one. Not to mention it would imply suing victims who spoke out like the Lee Hanyeol memorial or Park Jeong Cheol's family, and that is not a good look for JTBC.
They are doing their profession which is to offer their knowledge so that Disney a company with executives who do not know the history gain a better understanding on how to handle such.
Just because someone chooses to be critical of a drama does not mean they are hunting it down. People need to relax. The drama is not being taken away from anyone. People just see critical judgement and instead of hearing immediately try to argue that they have some vindictive purpose. They aren't gaining anything from this, if scholars chose to formerly address this it's not based on stupid hate. These are academics, we must think very low of them if we believe they are just after a show for zero reasoning.
Also, there have been official statements from victims who of course lived through it, in fact I think it what started it all in a big scale.
Source: https://dailynaver.blogspot.com/2021/12/an-nsa-torture-victims-family-reveals.html
The Lee Hanyeol memorial also speaks in behalf of all victims not just him. And some of the scholars are also people who lived through the tragedy.
When you think of tragic love stories to surface from this specific time period any Korean would instantly think of Yeong Cho, probably why they decided to name the character as such in the first place (decision that made many question why dumb her down to a love story girl and as a result was changed), trying to have the plot be reminiscent of the actual relationship she had with her husband during the real history.
The effect that they had initially named her such and gave her such a strikingly similar relationship (her husband was framed of being a NK spy) makes anyone question the ethics behind the creators, initially trying to make a love story out of the very lie that got the real woman's husband killed. That in turn leaves us with the same prospect, you have now a changed character but you are still doing the same thing, portraying a South Korean female student, like Chun Yeong Cho, falling in love with a North Korean spy, what her husband was framed as.
The incongruence of other aspects of her life with that of the character can come into suggestion as an effort the creators made to distance themselves from the major mistake initially made. Others aren't privy to such fictional interpretations or efforts to distance themselves from the real ones.
The letter points out characters as well as interpretations of the relationship between Germany, SK and NK and they're not quite fictional, but rather inaccurate choices. I believe that fake names does not imply the erasure of the ramifications of basing themselves on them and on false propaganda, it is too deeply rooted to fix with a name switch up.
The harsh truth is that the problem is the intention of the creators behind the drama. Already having stated that they wanted the NSA to be portrayed from a "neutral point of view". You see all of the similarities -- the employment of false propaganda, the initial usage of a real person's name and as a historian and an expert one is bound to question the credibility of those who want to call it simply fiction and more importantly the intention behind such strange choices, that when faced with backlash had no where to run except the shield of fiction, after already making the entire drama based on real contexts.
There is no need to be so defensive over scholars who aren't threatening ANYTHING. If you want to fight that is your en devour to take. They aren't pushing for this drama to be canceled and you can freely watch it .
That does not mean I can't look at this with a critical eye and be subjective regarding the actual matter that seems to offend even scholars, now THAT would be ignorant.
Scholars do not sign their names on a paper lightly. What I do love about their letter is when they said this: "Moreover, while we understand the defense that fiction has a right to explore creative narratives, that defense can also feel hollow when a show uses numerous, specific details that reference actual people and incidents from recent history."
I can't understand the people who consistently claim that it's just fiction. It is not and if you aren't willing to see that Jisoo's character is modeled greatly after Cheon Yeong Cho's life who she was initially named after. That by itself should show clearly how much the writers based themselves on Yeong Cho, a woman who cannot speak for herself and give her thoughts because after her husband was tortured for being falsely accused of being a North Korean spy and later died from the effects, got into a car accident that left her brain damaged and basically completely mentally retarded.
I personally wonder if when the drama was written and originally had named Jisoo's character Cheon Yeong Cho if they had contacted and spoken with her family and friends for approval? As often is done when naming real people.
Jointly composed by professors of Korean studies from institutions like Ewha Womans University, Pusan National University, The George Washington University, and more, as well as Ph.D candidates from Princeton University, Harvard University, University of Toronto, etc, the petition addresses two major historical concerns within the drama 'Snowdrop'.
The petition began by stating,
"We are not writing to request that you stop streaming the show. Rather, we write to request that your company seek experts.. to carefully examine the historical references made in the show, and consider for yourselves the way those historical references are used. We make this request because we do not believe that Disney Plus as a global platform is aware of the historical and socio-political context in which this show exists, and we believe that platforms should make an informed decision when globally broadcasting a show set in recent, still-relevant Korean history (1987)."
The petitioners' first concern addressed the reference to the real-life historical figure Cheon Young Cho in modeling the the female lead character, an issue which previously made major headlines even prior to the drama's premiere. The petition also went on to discuss potential references to Cheon Young Cho's husband, Jeong Mun Hwa, another democracy movement activist.
The second concern addressed the character Eun Chang Su (played by Heo Jun Ho), father of the female lead Eun Young Ro (played by BLACKPINK's Jisoo). The petitioners pointed out that the character Eun Chang Su may have been modeled after another historical figure, "military officer Park Jun-byeong, who commanded the 20th Infantry Division into Gwangju in May, 1980, and led them to commit one of the worst massacres of civilians in modern Korean history."
Currently, JTBC's 'Snowdrop' is available via Disney Plus for users in the Asia-Pacific region.
Link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/e/2PACX-1vST2pd9klWR_w0iXy9lQyEOUBqAQyrMhpMY4vF_lJxAtmoQLKIM6xs4keFnh1vsuBHBz7JOIhUyOnk3/pub
Although, now that I think about it, it’s really been organized into three sections, each with its own main villain: Assemblyman Do, Gye-shik, Boss Yong. (I’m grouping In-bum together with Assemblyman Do, since they were related.) And it’s possible they could add in a fourth villain for a few episodes before turning to Boss Yong in earnest. But the point is, this was definitely a clean turning point in that we wrapped up the entire first half of the show and are now heading into new territory on all fronts.
Gye-shik as a character was present from the very beginning, even though we didn’t realize at first what a huge role he would play. And the conclusion to his arc brought so many things full circle. We literally came back to the same locations, both the abandoned building and the interrogation room. Soo-yeol learned to accept and rely on K’s help, and then was able to do the right thing on his own, without K’s help. Not to mention the parallels between Gye-shik and Min-soo falling from that ledge, and the reigniting of the romance between Soo-yeol and Hee-gyeom.
But it makes sense too that Gye-shik needed to be dealt with and moved out of the way – along with all these other external conflicts – before Soo-yeol could really face his deepest internal struggle. And, possibly, before K would be ready to work with Soo-yeol on addressing the past. Because I’m guessing he knows exactly what happened during those missing six months.
I really like a lot of what it’s grown to be over the past seven episodes. It’s not at all what I expected, but it’s a lot more fun than I expected, and I just really like the central characters. Which, for me, is really important.
I’m so glad Hee-gyeom got to have her moment and personally arrest Gye-shik, even though it killed her to do it. He betrayed her trust on such a personal level, and for a moment I was afraid he was just going to fall to his death and she wouldn’t have the chance to follow through on her vow to bring him to justice for it. I’m glad she did.
And, disappointed as I was in Chan-ki last episode, I’m glad he finally confessed and found peace, too. There was this tiny little moment that I absolutely loved where Kyung-tae explained to Jae-sun that Chan-ki looked relieved to get it all off his chest, and you could see so much understanding and compassion on Kyung-tae’s face. That capacity for empathy is a particular strength of Kyung-tae’s – it’s what made him so dogged in his pursuit of answers about Yoo-na’s case, and I’d argue it’s what allows him to think of solutions that others don’t. It also just makes him a lovely person, and no one better hurt him ever again, or I will be glad to see them fall from the fifth floor.
With the temperature rising rapidly, K insists on stripping off his outer layers and gulping down an entire bottle of water despite Soo Yeol’s already full bladder.
It can't get any better than this!
While all our other found family members redecorate the house, rejoice over rice cookers, and bond, Hwal is still at Sang-eon’s throat (sometimes quite literally). The two head out on a multi-day trip, and Hwal’s goal is to dig into Sang-eon’s most recent past life in the 1970s, and get some of her memories to come loose.
We learn that in this 1970s timeline, Sang-eon was known as Kim Hwa-yeon. She lived in a small village with her parents and little sister; they and their neighbors died in a huge and tragic fire, which Hwa-yeon escaped. Hwal is operating on the premise that Hwa-yeon set the fire to get Ok Eul-tae off of her tail, coldly sacrificing her family (and others) in the process. But here’s where we get one of our many twists this week.
Even though she remembers nothing, the pieces of the mystery are starting to come together for Sang-eon. She visits the woman, KIM GO-BEON (Lee Young-ran), whom she and Si-ho sought refuge with 15 years ago. They went there because Sang-yeon seemed to share a secret with her and sure enough, we get this revealed: Grandma Kim is actually Hwa-yeon’s little sister! *Chills!* She survived the fire that Hwa-yeon supposedly set. (More on this later.)
There’s another secret survivor of that fire, though, and that’s our shaman, whom we’ll call Aunt Lee. Her backstory in the current timeline is told: she was saved from a fire as a small girl by Hwal, who saw that she was taken care of at an orphanage. We learn that she was the neighbor of Hwa-yeon and yet another victim of the fire she supposedly set; this is also confirmed for us by Si-ho. And here’s my second squabble for this week’s action.
Si-ho has been pretty tangential up until this point. We know she’s precious to Hwal, and that her pregnancy might have more to it later on, but mostly we see her used as leverage, and interacting with Detective Kwon and Do-yoon (all of which is adorbs).
Now, though, we learn that she has the ability to look into peoples’ pasts, which she’s long shied away from doing. (Are they really just telling us this now, or was it hinted at before and I’m forgetting?) Regardless, she confirms Aunt Lee’s story, and also seems to re-activate the shaman-prophet button in Aunt Lee’s soul. Pretty soon she’s prophesying to everyone in the house about the death and destruction to come when “the person with no memories” finally recovers them.
This is all well and good — my issue is that Si-ho and Sang-eon have a heart to heart, during which Si-ho confides that she thinks she can not only see people’s pasts, but past lives. She even offers to do it for Sang-eon. Sang-eon refuses, as Hwal’s constant pressing (and the prophecy) have her terrified over what she may truly be — or become. The plot squabble is this: did Si-ho have this ability all along and the two never thought to use it during their 15 years on the run?! (I hope this is explained a bit better as we move forward.)
We also saw a lot more growth in Hwal and Sang-eon’s relationship this week — or perhaps softening is a better word? Hwal is as harsh as ever, with his angry, “we’re not leaving till you remember something!” and carrying her with annoyance like a sack of potatoes over his shoulder.
But for all of his pushing Sang-eon to remember what a demonic beast she was, she continues to protest and claim innocence. She cries over what her past incarnations have done; she even cares for Hwal in quiet moments (like covering him with a blanket while he’s sleeping; a sure drama sign of affection).
In contrast, Hwal wishes agony over her while she’s sleeping — and yet, his mouth says one thing and his actions seem to say another. Everyone might not agree, but I still feel some serious chemistry between these two, even in their most antagonistic moments. It’s getting harder to deny that these two might have a deeper (and romantic) story in the past.
Speaking of the past, while on their memory adventures, Hwal and Sang-eon come in contact with more monsters from the past. There’s the fire-starting monster, who we learn was actually responsible for Hwa-yeon’s fire, and was hunting her along with Dark Hole. In fact, there’s so much info dropped, and so many reveals around this fire and timeline that I’m kind of impressed how much detail this drama really has, and how interwoven everything is.
The dealings with the fire monster confirm the connection that Sang-eon shares with Ok Eul-tae; he see him writhing in agony when Sang-eon is attacked. All his agony and waiting are a bit strange; he can’t do anything to Sang-eon and continues to wait on Hwal to join forces. But, sadly, there’s another twist here — our puppy Do-yoon is actually working with Ok Eul-tae (nooooo!). Everything that took him to Hwal’s house was staged, and he’s acting as a double agent. He also hangs out with Ok Eul-tae and plays board games. Hah, this drama is so weird.
As we near the end of the week’s episodes, the pitch of everything seems to reach a crescendo — and it also gives me these Snow White vibes (the shiny red apple, Sang-eon’s hood) which I actually love because it confirms the Grimm’s fairy tale tone of this entire drama.
Hwal is as tortured as ever, as he’s just seen his past father reliving his cursed fate. Then, he has to deal with the fact that Detective Kwon is fearlessly following Ok Eul-tae and winds up hanging from a tree, thanks to Eul-tae’s right-hand woman (this woman is actually the dueoksini Hwal killed in the past — another awesome reveal and tie-in).
Hwal is poisoned and his neck is slit, but he’s determined to save Detective Kwon. The ever-enigmatic Ok Eul-tae turns up and actually saves the two from the dueoksini. And as if that tension wasn’t high enough, Sang-eon also joins the scene.
Sang-eon has just returned from a secret visit to Grandma Kim, where the rambling memories of Kim Hwa-yeon and the fire form into another great reveal. Grandma Kim says, “The man with the scar was after you because Dark Hole killed his family and made it look like you did.” OMG! This is basically the reveal we’ve been waiting for. Sang-eon doesn’t waste a second to announce this new gem of knowledge to everyone, and hot damn what a cliffhanger!
This ending scene is so good I forgave the show for the plot slippage and the monster-of-the-week feeling I was getting. We’re definitely going to move forward now with this knowledge, and I’m going to repeat myself and say: there’s definitely more history here and I can’t wait to travel even farther back into the past. I always wondered why the Sang-eon bulgasal took the dagger for little boy Hwal, but the puzzle pieces are starting to make more sense…
Finally, I’ll just say that this drama is not only oh-so-fun because of the epic, sweeping, super-angst it delivers, but because it also knows how to hang on to its best moments. I love a drama that knows what it does well, and appreciate when those moments are mined for all they’re worth (I’m looking at you, epic piggyback and cliffhanger scenes!). Suspending strong moments only increases the tsunami of emotion, and heck, that’s why I’m here.
On the surface these two men are complete opposites, but their shared cockiness, which has them fighting for escalator dominance, also hides their inner gooey sides. This sets them up to have an epic bromance as they learn to work past their personal biases and discover common ground. And, yikes! They are going to need to buddy up soon because the hospital is rife with bad guys.
I should have known when HAN SEUNG-WON (Tae In-ho) showed up dressed in all black looking like Al Capone’s accountant, that he was going to be up to no good, but I was a bit surprised by the drama’s shift in genre. Shady, underhanded hospital politics are a given with most medical dramas, but it’s rare that someone tries to outright murder a doctor rather than ruin him professionally.
Even though the costuming department practically sewed an “I’m a villain” sign on the backs of our evil doers’ wardrobes, I’m kind of digging the attempted murder plot. I mean, given the overall silliness of a comatose doctor performing surgeries through body possession, it seems fitting that the external conflict for our bromantic leads would be comically threatening.
My main disappointment, though, is with how the scenes leading up to Young-min’s car accident were cut together. The transition from the surgery to the car accident in Episode 1 was very abrupt, as if they realized they were running out of air time and had to skip forward in order to end the episode with Young-min possessing Seung-tak. I’m not a fan of unnecessary flashbacks, so my personal preference would have been for them to have revealed the events linearly, ending Episode 1 with the car crash and saving the body haunting shenanigans for Episode 2.
Timeline aside, I really appreciated what followed the possession, particularly Seung-tak’s reaction to his memory loss and unexplained ability to perform the surgery. There was something endearing and heartbreaking about him sitting alone outside the ER, reciting multiplication tables as a coping mechanism while he tried to suppress his panic and confusion. His reaction was also a nice foil to Young-min, who pouts and channels his own anxiety by lashing out at those around him, even when they cannot see him.
The mystery surrounding Young-min’s accident definitely has me eager to watch more, but the biggest question for me after this premiere week is: Who the hell is taking care of Young-min’s sugar glider while he is in a coma!?
Ji-woong’s story continues to resonate with me though. We see the wall he put up years ago to not only hide his feelings for Yeon-su from both her and Woong but also from himself. The narration is great here — we get insight into his “tactics” like avoiding chance encounters with her, resisting his urge to be in her sphere, and basically renouncing all things Yeon-su. He says that she’s a risk he can’t control. But at the same time, we see how current circumstances are pushing him towards her again, and it feels very much like the energy he’s spent on renunciation is starting to weigh him down.
Our only clue is Yeon-su fleeing the scene, and running into Ji-woong on the hilltop. What happened before? After? In between? Will the drama ever tell us?
Woong has his fever, is comforted by his mother, and in the end, comes to a conclusion as he exits his cave. “I can’t go on without her in my life.” However, he also refuses to date her (to her face!) and has a bit of a wild suggestion: “Should we be friends?”
Actually, the friends zone doesn’t strike me as a terrible idea for these two right now if it means some actual communication, but it comes at a horrid time for Yeon-su. She’s been doing her own navel-gazing and had marched over to Woong’s house to (ostensibly) confess. Or something. At least she knows she has feelings for him, and has admitted it both to herself, and to Sol-yi.
Rather than balk too much, Yeon-su becomes Woong’s “friend” as if someone flipped a switch. She trolls him to death, calling him “chingu-ya,” inviting herself to sleep over, borrowing his clothes, and basically trying to drive Woong crazy. Her real plan, of course, is to find out what he really feels while being friends. They’re even “caught” by Ji-woong during their weird platonic sleepover, and it’s a little hilarious.
Yeon-su eventually goes home, and she’s replaced by Ji-woong (he’d die if he knew he was taking her place on the couch, and using the same blankets she used the night before). Poor Ji-woong is turned upside down by the arrival of his wayward mother; he also has a work hoobae that adores him, but he can’t seem to notice.
Yeon-su invents a silly excuse to return to Woong’s house to retrieve her “precious pouch,” cementing the fact for us (and her) that she’s really crushing on him. But it’s Woong that winds up bringing the pouch to her, and after an awkward dinner with granny (omg the zucchini), Yeon-su and Woong actually have what I’m considering their first truly authentic moment together.
They’re outside of her house, and Woong rubs his belly, complaining how much he ate. The two share a giggle and a nice moment, and it’s just lovely. However, Woong’s takeaway is that they can be friends, while Yeon-su’s is how much she truly likes him. As ever, these two are not on the same page.
It wasn’t until that precious moment Yeon-su shares with her granny that the episode’s focus on maternal comfort really hit me. Earlier we saw Woong nursed by his mother and the tender moments they shared; now, we see the same with Yeon-su and her own mother figure, and it’s just as precious.
Then there’s the contrast, and that’s Ji-woong. He’s the character that’s missing that nurturing and affection, and it’s really starting to show how much it’s affected him. We see the difficult times he had in the past, and how he always relied on crashing with Woong to escape dealing with his mother. I love these two boys as friends and how they support each other as much as they razz each other.
We see Woong offering a lending ear to Ji-woong in the present, but importantly, Ji-woong also confesses a bit of his trials to Yeon-su as the episode closes. It’s his birthday, he’s just had a heartbreaking cry because his mother doesn’t even remember that he’s deathly allergic to peaches, and when he accidentally encounters Yeon-su in the street, he can’t hold back.
It’s a direct contrast to how we opened the earlier episode: how he avoids her, and opening up to her. Now, finally, he does just that. And though we’re not quite sure where it will lead yet, surely it’s a good thing for this boy to start addressing all the stuff that has been weighing down his heart.
Much to my satisfaction, we revisit the murder of 15 years ago, and see how the whole scene played out. We’ve had so many bits and pieces of this, but this time, we get the whole thing. This includes the Lee Joon bulgasal brutally killing Sang-yeon, and even more importantly, the wisdom that she shares as she dies. The bulgasal chuckles that her soul was split in two, but that he’ll just kill both of them — however, Sang-yeon says that he won’t be able to kill her sister. She continues that “the dark hole won’t go away” and that her sister will “put everything back in its place.”
Dark hole references aside, this is making a lot more sense now. Sang-eon definitely seems to be a wild card in this centuries-long fate. Perhaps she’ll be changing the direction of that fate once and for all?
The story doesn’t make us wait long, and I kind of like the aggressive way the Lee Joon bulgasal thrusts himself into the story. In fact, we learn he’s been around for a long time; he has hunted down all of Sang-yeon/Sang-eon’s past reincarnations and killed her. Now, he literally calls up Hwal for an opulent lunch and asks him to join forces.
The most moving part about this show, of course, is all the echoes of past lives that our characters either remember with pain and longing (Hwal) or only feel strange echoes of familiarity (like when Detective Kwon first sees Si-ho in the present). Similarly, Si-ho senses something about Hwal, but always shrinks when he’s around, hiding behind her sister, who is taking the lead here in more ways than one.
Most of the emotion is with Hwal in these scenarios — it’s positively heartbreaking to see him greeting the man that was a beloved father in the past and that’s now after him; or, to watch him cope as his wife and his mortal enemy are living as sisters in his house. While I’m not sure how Hwal truly feels about Sang-eon, it does seem clear that he still reacts to Si-ho as he would his wife in the past: risking anything to keep her safe (which he failed at so many centuries ago).
Each character’s true identity still seems shrouded in mystery, as is the real genesis of this evil fate. And now that we know something different is going on in this final reincarnation with the twin sisters, I wonder what it means for the future. I’m not expecting a happy ending or anything — rather, I’m almost getting the feeling that where we started at the beginning of the drama wasn’t truly the beginning. Perhaps there’s more to tell there, too.
Really, really like this drama!
To be honest, I’m somewhat disappointed by the villain reveal of Kye Sik — it’s too obvious and predictable, and I suspect a number of viewers already saw this coming like I did. It also feels like a wasted opportunity, since I think it would have been a good opportunity for character development if more time was given to Hee Kyum’s reaction upon learning of the betrayal, as well as the subsequent fallout. Instead, it felt almost glossed over in favor of moving straight to the action.
(On that note, why does everyone in this drama like to announce their plans to the bad guys! Knowledge is an advantage, so it’s sometimes frustrating to watch the characters give away their upper hand so easily.) Anyway, while I don’t fault the drama for focusing on what it does best, I do wish we were privy to Hee Kyum’s thoughts as she parsed through her emotions and formulated her game plan. She’s been through the wringer both in and out of prison, and I think she deserves to be more than a chess piece in the battle between the hero and the villain.
I thought the conflict was finally being spiced up with the hint of a conflict between Boss Yong and Kye Sik, but unfortunately that didn’t seem to amount to much more than a push for Kye Sik to hunt down Chan-ki and foil Soo Yeol’s plans yet again. Hopefully, the show continues to expand on the discord between the two villains — it’d be a lot more interesting to watch the villains begin to turn on each other in the pursuit of their own self-interest. (Though admittedly, I’m biased; I’ve said before that Boss Yong is an enthralling, enigmatic villain, and I’d love to learn more about what makes her tick.)
Kye Sik’s question of why they have to risk their lives for a measly salary stood out to me, because isn’t that part of why Soo Yeol used to give in to the temptation of boot-licking? When people around him are advancing thanks to clandestine deals and unscrupulous methods, leaving him in the dust, it’s easy to fall prey to the devil on his shoulder. Perhaps that’s what leaves Soo Yeol so shaken in the face of Kye Sik’s atrocities since that’s what he could have become if he’d continued down that path. Thankfully, he has K to nudge (or rather, smack) him onto the right track.
Anyway, I’m so glad Kyung Tae is now officially part of the team! Gimme more of Jae Soon handing over his dinner to those puppy eyes. I especially love the running gag of Kyung Tae repeating Jae Soon’s words about the sandwich— it reminds me of a baby duckling imprinting on an exasperated but fond human, and it’s adorable.
Ep. 5 - I like that Kye Sik’s case is being revealed to have so much more significance to the overall big picture instead of being a throwaway characterization moment. There’s nothing wrong with the latter, but this makes everything that much more cohesive, and it draws our core characters closer together within the plot.
My heart breaks every time Hee Kyum expresses how much she trusts that Kye Sik will come through for her. It must have been crushing enough to realize that one of the only people who spoke up in her defense was actually responsible for framing her in the first place, but it will be even more devastating when she learns that the real mastermind was her beloved mentor.
I also loved seeing Soo Yeol’s response to Hee Kyum’s plight because I don’t buy that he was only motivated by the promise of getting rid of K. There was genuine tenderness in his voice and eyes when he was forced to arrest her, not to mention how much Kye Sik’s apparent inaction angered him (even before he found out about Kye Sik’s betrayal). He may have buried it deep, and perhaps even convinced himself otherwise, but he definitely still cares about her in some capacity.
The fight scene in the abandoned junkyard was one of those times I kind of wished Soo Yeol and K were two separate people. And when it was harder to suspend disbelief and view them as two personalities in one body. I couldn’t stop wondering what it looked like to the guys they were fighting, for one thing. That said it was satisfying to finally see them working as a true team and playing off each other, even taking turns stepping back and letting the other take the reins, so to speak.
I don’t expect Soo Yeol’s decision to leave Jae Seon and Kyung Tae out of the investigation to last long, but I am looking forward to more teamwork between Soo Yeol and K before the full team comes together. Maybe even some getting each other into and out of trouble, and willfully switching places to play on their individual strengths.
I’m also curious to find out more about Soo Yeol’s past. Clearly, there is something he’s suppressed or forgotten (or something too traumatizing to recall again), and it appears K might know something about it. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a secret link to Boss Yong and/or her cartel, either by blood or by circumstance. Maybe he ran away from whatever happened, and his feelings of guilt caused him to create a persona that wouldn’t run away from ensuring justice is done. But, as others have pointed out, if that’s the case, then why did K only appear now, so many years later?
I guess there’s only one way to find out.
According to an exclusive report from Osen, actress Kim Mi Soo has passed away at the age of 31. The cause of death has not yet been revealed. Her funeral hall has been set up at the Sungsim Funeral Home.
Her agency Landscape Entertainment has confirmed the news of Kim Mi Soo’s passing in their statement released to Star News.
We are here to deliver heartbreaking news.
Actress Kim Mi Soo suddenly passed away on January 5.
The bereaved family is current very heartbroken due to the sudden sad news.
We sincerely ask that you refrain from spreading rumors or speculative reports so that the bereaved family, who is in shock and full of sorrow, can remember the deceased.
Her funeral will be held quietly behind closed doors according to the wishes of her family.
Please pray for her, and we send our deepest condolences once again to the deceased.
— Landscape Entertainment