Booksandtrees

From my limited memory, breast cancer and pregnancy are rare but yes targeted chemotherapy is found to be pretty safe for both the mother and fetus if started within 12-14 weeks not before. His wife will probably cause more harm to herself and the baby due to her emotional state and how could she not be emotional for the entire duration. What was interesting to me though is that she has a malignancy to the lymph nodes and the cancer cells can grow during the pregnancy because of hormones so even at a Stage II is it still wise to continue with the pregnancy. No couple could make such a speedy decision about the best course of treatment without weighing all the pros and cons for some time but I guess given that there are time constraints in made for TV world, it was truncated. To me, this storyline should have continued into the next episode.

This week's episode packed a lot in. I think the scene with Jae Hak discussing his childless marriage with Jun Wan would have been better served to me as a viewer, after she received the pregnancy news. It was just a wee bit random. There is nothing I hate more than the constant need to insert mindless "coincidences" in dramas. What are the odds that she would end up pregnant right after that lengthy conversation about her already accepting that she would never bear a child. I am not sure how I feel about Dr Yang showing them the ultrasound of the baby when they had not yet made a decision on whether or not to keep it. I mean what woman would not feel the wonderment after seeing a fetus already formed and a beating heart. What surprised me though is that she was willing to give up on her life for the sake of delivering the baby. But I guess her emotions were all over the place at that point. Tough decision either way. So we finally have confirmation that Gyeo Ul's mother is a domestic violence survivor. I can't say that I blame the fiancée of her brother from walking away. That would concern me too if the apple did fall far from the tree or not, but that Gyeo Ul chose to bravely lay it bare to Jeong Won leaving nothing out was a surprise given that her brother regretted sharing the information with his fiancée. On a lighter note, I am expecting that at some point we will know what the "rain" connection between Ik Jun and Song Hwa is in the form of a flashback. PD Na's cameo was a hoot.

I know the world is made of all kinds of kind and every pot has a lid but....I always wonder what a woman could possibly have seen in a man like Yi Cheng's father and in this case to bear 5 children with him. From the 1st episode, his mother came across as a gentle kind soul so maybe it was a case of opposites attract or he was so dynamic that she fell in his trap. Ugh!

I second that. Part of the awesome for me is the location of some of the scenes. It hurts my heart that China (as well as Korea) tore down a great number of the "old towns" for new and shiny. Historic conservation and preservation unfortunately does not seem to be a popular alternative. So whenever I watch a Chinese modern drama, if it is set in Shanghai, I can be sure to see some of the old cobbled stone neighborhoods at least.

I second that. Part of the awesome for me is the location of some of the scenes. It hurts my heart that China (as well as Korea) tore down a great number of the "old towns" for new and shiny. Historic conservation and preservation unfortunately does not seem to be a popular alternative. So whenever I watch a Chinese modern drama, if it is set in Shanghai, I can be sure to see some of the old cobbled stone neighborhoods at least.

He gives the word Leech a bad name.

I wonder if Sanli's reluctance to commit to Yi Ding is because of the trauma of almost being raped as a young girl.

The only one I can think of is Like a Flowing River. Set in the 1970s China through the 90s when modernism began to unfold due the country's reforms. Visually, it is a fascinating watch. The main actors/actress are all familiar faces and I am pretty sure the drama is adapted from a novel. I watched Season 1 almost a year ago and have been waiting for Viki to release Season 2 for a while now.

....and what is sad is there is a saying that girls marry their fathers. With him as a role model and a terrible example of what a man should be, it is actually a blessing that Yi Cheng raised them and never fully left them alone.

So far this is giving me Like a Flowing River vibes and I like it. This father is the worst of the worst....but the Second Aunt is not too far behind him.

I almost missed out on Go Ahead (having dropped so many bad modern Chinese dramas) but was so glad I took a chance on it.

Agreed....it needed 8 more episodes.

I look at the stills of Do You Like Brahms that you posted and remember what a flawless and effortless dresser Chae Song was. Every outfit just hung perfectly on her. Unfortunately, the wardrobe budget did not extend to the other main female cast members but a beautiful drama nonetheless.

The first time I saw Shin Hyun Bin was in the 2018 movie Sunset in my Hometown with Km Go Eun. For that role I had no reason to come away thinking she was a bad actress. In fact, the part suited her fine. The movie itself had it's own issues. For the role of Gyeo Ul , maybe watch the following link where she first meets Writer Lee and PD Shin for the first script reading. In the video, they explain how difficult it is to find an actress after many auditions to play the role of Gyeo Ul because of the character's wooden and bland nature but ultimately they decided on her because she was perfect for the part even though it would be the hardest of all the castings. She is almost unrecognizable in the audition. So I would argue that if she is as flat with her lines as you say, then she is executing the role exactly as the Writer and Directors envisioned.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6qQJMEBzc4&list=RDCMUCQ2O-iftmnlfrBuNsUUTofQ&index=1

Sounds a bit like Kang Ae Shim too

She did in S1, when she came back to ask Ik Jun for the divorce...through a series of events involving her and UJu, Ik Jun found out that she had been cheating on him with her best friend's husband.

👍

Wait...I thought Jae Hak's wife moved back home so they could save money? Is Paju that far from Seoul that it is considered long distance? Point taken about boundaries between friends. Not to beat a dead horse but the point I wanted to make about Jun Wan and the ring is that by asking her about it ultimately put on her on the spot of having to say yes when she wasn't ready to be that committed. Aren't couple rings considered a big deal in Korean culture akin to engagement rings in Western culture.

I guess that your take supports the argument why men and women cannot be friends as someone is going to end up liking the other, a prevalent storyline in Asian dramas.

Yes...part of her guilt has to be too how she dismissed her mom's chronic complaints as her been a hypochondriac. The Transplant patient of Ik Jun's (from S1) who was re-admitted under Jun Wan, hope he makes out OK.