Xizhou suddenly remembered that he was supposed to be evil again. Okay. One step forward and five steps back.
Mother dearest is doing a superb job as Maleficent. Gaslighting and emotional blackmail 101. At this point I'm hoping either the men in white coats throw her into a padded cell or the boys in blue throw her behind bars.
I think they're both excellent in this. It seems it's only those favoring one actor who feel the need to make…
I tend to agree more with your perspective of Gi-cheul. I also think his trajectory is fascinating because it's far more unpredictable. But the impact of Eui-jeong is another variable that will shake things up for him emotionally which could impact his relationship with his inner circle.
i might be in the minority but i am rooting for junmo and euijeong. half the tiktok community wants her with jgc…
Really? People are actually rooting for Eui-jeong and Gi-cheul? That's the stuff of fanfiction. I love Wi Ha-joon more than most people but there's no way Eui-jeong is ending up with Gi-cheul. He's done so many terrible things and at best he will end up behind bars.
That makes no sense since he's the one who started the current drugs operation in Gangnam. He also staged a bloody…
Where is the evidence of that? Is there even the slightest hint of her corruption? ;) The thing about plot twists is that they need to be logical and consistent with the rest of the story. They need to be built on what we already know. So far we don't know enough about Eui-jeong to say definitively that she's dirty although it is far more likely that she isn't. If however your friend thinks that Eui-jeong's father and brothers are corrupt, I'd say they have a higher chance of being right because it's a common K drama trope. They are also rather stuck up about being "elite cops". One of them could possibly have a relationship with Gi-cheul since they probably went to church together. But it's very unlikely because he still doesn't know who Eui-jeong's real husband is.
What if Ki-chul turned out to be a real cop at the end, he's also on undercover operation 😂.. one my friend…
That makes no sense since he's the one who started the current drugs operation in Gangnam. He also staged a bloody coup because of it. But it also doesn't explain what he would be going undercover for in the first place. What was the crime? And what about his buddies from high school that followed him into the "business"?
I know the law enforcement in SK is often depicted as highly incompetent but for the prosecutor and the cop not to know that there's another undercover agent already in place would really take the cake. :D
The thing important thing to remember in the dynamic among the trio is that Eui-jeong married Jun-mo despite opposition from her family. There's a reason why the show has been stressing that point right from the start. She married him because she loves him very much despite his family background which her dad and brothers despise. She also inserted herself into the investigation because of him. Therefore she is wholly invested in their relationship. So what does this tell you about Eui-jeong? Once she makes her mind up, she will follow through. She's also not fooled by Jung Gi-cheul either. She knows exactly what he's become. He's not the choir boy she used to know. She's not the one still living in the past, he is. It's a honey trap not nostalgia on her part.
I'm sure Ruan ruan means to divorce Xizhou but really she comes across as child throwing a tantrum rather than an adult dealing with issues head on. Silent treatment is a terrible response to the situation. She's still so immature and has learnt nothing from this entire experience. There's realisation but no growth at all. I'm not unsympathetic to her point of view but she chose to marry Xizhou after going after him for years. She knows his backstory and why he's emotionally closed off. Yet she was fixated on him. Perhaps her mother spoiled her but her mother also warned her about marrying Xizhou. Bluster aside, her dad was wrong also for encouraging this union when he knew that it was a mismatch. Right now he's only concerned about losing face which isn't helping matters. He is right about one thing though -- choices have consequences and she's trying to dodge them. She's also unilaterally asking for divorce without trying to talk him into seeing her perspective.
I don't think the relationship is unsalvageable if both sides are willing to thrash it out and accommodate. But it will be fun to watch Xizhou jump through hoops this time to get the girl. It's only right that he has to work hard to win her back -- only then will he have skin in the game. The man needs to do this otherwise the woman will not feel secure ever.
The leads on the other hand are doing heaps better. They are both making the effort despite their hectic schedules. This is what commitment looks like and they're accommodating each other because they prioritize the relationship.
I know this is a soap opera but why do some of these women behave like they're living in the Qing dynasty indulging in harem politics still? I already have a hard time connecting to Zhizhi. Her mother has to come along and add fuel to the fire. This behind the scenes manipulation is getting tiresome. It's short-term thinking.
I agree with you, this novel is pretty much carbon copy of the novel, INCLUDING pacing. I've been told the novel…
As I said earlier, I don't mind the romance especially because the leads have got good chemistry but if I had to choose between romance and world building in a show like this, I prefer they work on world building. It's the same thing in a police procedural. If I had to pick between a tightly plotted intriguing mystery and a romance, no prizes guessing which one will win out. Again, romance isn't needed to humanise Ye Liuxi. Being with other people in the team and experiencing life and death moments with them can do that just as well. Or more efficiently.
Ultimately the issue rests on the writer's skill and how well they are able to combine the genres.
I agree with you, this novel is pretty much carbon copy of the novel, INCLUDING pacing. I've been told the novel…
I suspected that the show was just pretty much doing a scene by scene of the novel. It feels like it. Thanks for confirming it for me. :D
When I say the romance isn't necessary what I mean is that if there were no romance between Chang Dong and Ye Liuxi, it wouldn't make a single difference to their character arcs or to the plot itself. They could be a platonic duo and still achieve the same things together leading the team. In Bai Yu's previous drama with Yang Mi for instance, the romance is kind of important because it changes him and makes him a doctor with better bedside manners. Here the leads are already smart, strong, and they command other people's respect.
4 
Mother dearest is doing a superb job as Maleficent. Gaslighting and emotional blackmail 101. At this point I'm hoping either the men in white coats throw her into a padded cell or the boys in blue throw her behind bars.
I love Wi Ha-joon more than most people but there's no way Eui-jeong is ending up with Gi-cheul. He's done so many terrible things and at best he will end up behind bars.
The thing about plot twists is that they need to be logical and consistent with the rest of the story. They need to be built on what we already know. So far we don't know enough about Eui-jeong to say definitively that she's dirty although it is far more likely that she isn't.
If however your friend thinks that Eui-jeong's father and brothers are corrupt, I'd say they have a higher chance of being right because it's a common K drama trope. They are also rather stuck up about being "elite cops". One of them could possibly have a relationship with Gi-cheul since they probably went to church together. But it's very unlikely because he still doesn't know who Eui-jeong's real husband is.
I know the law enforcement in SK is often depicted as highly incompetent but for the prosecutor and the cop not to know that there's another undercover agent already in place would really take the cake. :D
There are too many moving parts that don't fit.
I don't think the relationship is unsalvageable if both sides are willing to thrash it out and accommodate. But it will be fun to watch Xizhou jump through hoops this time to get the girl. It's only right that he has to work hard to win her back -- only then will he have skin in the game. The man needs to do this otherwise the woman will not feel secure ever.
The leads on the other hand are doing heaps better. They are both making the effort despite their hectic schedules. This is what commitment looks like and they're accommodating each other because they prioritize the relationship.
I know this is a soap opera but why do some of these women behave like they're living in the Qing dynasty indulging in harem politics still? I already have a hard time connecting to Zhizhi. Her mother has to come along and add fuel to the fire. This behind the scenes manipulation is getting tiresome. It's short-term thinking.
https://40somethingahjumma.substack.com/p/the-worst-of-evil-2023-first-impressions
https://40somethingahjumma.substack.com/p/my-dearest-2023-episodes-7-10
Ultimately the issue rests on the writer's skill and how well they are able to combine the genres.
When I say the romance isn't necessary what I mean is that if there were no romance between Chang Dong and Ye Liuxi, it wouldn't make a single difference to their character arcs or to the plot itself. They could be a platonic duo and still achieve the same things together leading the team. In Bai Yu's previous drama with Yang Mi for instance, the romance is kind of important because it changes him and makes him a doctor with better bedside manners. Here the leads are already smart, strong, and they command other people's respect.