JLM

Agree, a small bunch of supporters will band together and emerge out of this cesspool situation. It's a drama after all lol

It's true the White haired witch is a sharp, savvy entrepreneur who has forgone her personal life for her business, and making money. However have you watched how she treats people, her secretary, Pyo, did you see her concoct the scenario with Woo, both of them knowingly inventing a scenario to utterly destroy SHJ, and smirking all the while. They know what it takes to annihilate someone in the Korean system. That's not excellent business practice, that's really dirty, and pretty evil. Woo is also partially blackmailing LMJ, by threatening him, and got him to spread the false rumours. She essentially backed him through his gross mistakes, doing for him exactly what she has accused SHJ of doing for LJH.
Having said that, SHJ and LJH have been exceptionally naive and made ridiculous business decisions.

Great ep!! Finally some really interesting action. Tbh I was getting a little bit bored with previous eps. The hyena analogy is fantastic, and everything is exaggerated due to SK cultural norms. I love that the director is showing the complex way the respect, hierarchical, accommodating behaviour in SK interaction does not obviate the usual "hyena" behaviour pretty common in most human societies. To my understanding competition for jobs is so fierce in SK it drives, students, parents, and everyone involved to extreme behaviour, clawing your way to the top, undergoing cosmetic surgery to look good, working insane hours, etc etc. This scenario is further complicated by bruised egos, bitterness, jealousy, everything goes into the mix.
SHJ and LJH just didn't play their cards right. They were very naive, LJH just pushed too hard without a sharp calculated examination of their situation, and SHJ despite her better judgement, just caved in for love, and she hadn't had a life really, or a love interest, so understandable. LJH would have been better off starting his career elsewhere, and in truth he did lean on SHJ, so he should be very responsible for this outcome. But like that Bobby Caldwell song "What you won't do for Love" - can't wait to see how they pull themselves out of this quagmire, my guess is they set up a new Hagwon, with the few remaining loyal crew.

Totally agree...maybe they should recall the "Stand By Your Man" refrain from one of APS previous movies, and I have to say I FF'd Pyo and LJH formidable teaching moments, too cringe for me .I wish we would have seen her as a savvy, sharp operator, stand her ground, but still fair etc. I think it would be a great plot twist for LJH to fall flat on his butt next few eps. Doubt it though. I'm still watching though.

Thanks for the interesting response. I really was also impressed about APS taking so much care of his crew, given the stories lately about SK celebs and their treatment by media and their agencies. I really hope Yoo Ah In can survive the crap he is going through.
Hope you enjoy Tender Light when you get a chance to watch. It really is very good, and deals with important issues. Not for everyone though.
For some reason I'm finding this current drama a tiny bit underwhelming, atm. But for sure I'll watch till the end. I just don't find myself really caring about their issues so much, as the show progresses. I'm finding the plot a little expedient.
I also really liked My Liberation Notes. Did you?

I think Pyo and the White Witch are potentially characters who become like rattle snakes when threatened or their ego is bruised. You have to handle those people very carefully IRL. I'm assuming the White Witch orchestrated the whole hiring of Pro, knowing about that controversial event with FL. She would have been badly insulted by FL when she turned down the offer and contract, especially when the White Witch even discussed the need to find a successor for her Hagwon.
I think we are shown enough evidence to see her as an abusive, manipulator (judging by the way she treats her subordinate and pulls stunts like the free lecture etc) who can't tolerate failure, or any threat towards her carefully orchestrated image. Similarly Pyo was fearful and unsure about his teaching position, but was immediately abusive towards his students, and FL. Regardless of her mixed motives in confronting Pyo, I wouldn't be listening to either of them for a clear, unbiased view. FL has just overlooked their appalling behaviour, and gone with the 'mea culpa' tag. As in many businesses, things can get tough, people vie for power, narcissists get really nasty, she initially looked like she had a lot of savvy in dealing with this stuff. What happened? I would really like to see her get on top of these dynamics, not crumble and get too emotional, as hard as it is.
On another note, it's amazing how many SK mums just barge into their son's apartment. God only knows what a 28 year old could be doing. lol

That's a very sweet interpretation, as I see it, it's the classic plot device used in SK dramas with the clueless, dimwit friend being gauche, without a filter, and basically dumb , always supposed to be a comic moment to interrupt some part of the plot.
In my opinion this particular plot interruption should have been something more tense that LJH could not get out of. LJH is a savvy go getter, confident and practically stalked FL for 8 eps relentlessly. Doubt that he'd interrupt something he really wanted, cause his friend cleaned the house. Not buying it. It's just a piece of bad writing.

Not sure that scene was needed. There was absolutely no reason he couldn't have said 'can we meet tomorrow pal' I'm about to sleep with the woman I've loved for 10 fricking years" surely the idiot friend would not have insisted on fried chicken and drinks, then he runs back sweating and stressed...for what???

Its like watching a black screen!

He wants her to stay, to work together, but also because he's infatuated...so he realised that those motives could be detrimental to her career.

I really hope you can find Tender Light, it's amazing, everyone on MDL raved about it, was totally engrossed, and absorbed into the story. It had fantastic reviews on MDL, but not very high ratings. Conversely, Q of T, had a lot of neg. reviews on MDL, but the highest ratings generally. Two drama reviewers I follow also raved about it, I felt like I was taking crazy pills lol.
Very funny.
One of those older dramas by Ahn Pan Seok, I think SITR had that song 'Stand by Your Man" playing ad nauseam through the show, like "Page 64" I'm not sure why APS does that, totally weird. I don't think he's up to speed with the soundtrack side of things. Otherwise, he's a very interesting, unique director.
I'm sending you an article about how APS worked like a maniac to create
the perfection of Secret Love Affair in terms of the music/piano side. I think it adds a lot in terms of understanding the dedication and intelligence that went into the making of this drama.
https://pianoconversations.wordpress.com/2014/05/28/directors-cut-ahn-pan-seok-speaks-on-sla-part-1-final/
Secret Love Affair, was one of my intro kdramas. I had never seen anything like in before. I think it got me hooked into watching asian drama,

Interesting...I just read some articles about the hagwon institutions in SK, and the potential to exploit anxiety driven students and families, pretty awful. This theme is not really explored too intensely in this drama. It probably should be. It's more a light weight examination of their internal politics, and the evolving love affair in that context. Although I feel the competitive machinations are about to rev up.

Ahn Pan Seok, is a highly regarded director in SK, In an interview I watched with Jung Ryeo Won, she said when she heard his name she jumped on the chance to be part of MRIH without reading the script. He has that kind of cache. I think his dramas are for a niche audience, I really get that this approach is not for everyone. His drama Secret Love Affair is extraordinary on many levels. You ah In learned to play classical piano for his role, the research that went into the selection of the musical pieces is insane. The depiction of how corrupt that musical institution was, and the complexity of the internal politics was amazing. It was similar to this drama in some respects, although a better and more intriguing story, more dramatic. Better researched I think. But it still showed the love of the art form of music, as this drama does about the love of knowledge and learning, despite all the political issues. I didn't really like SITR, and OSN by him.

It's true that nearly every drama will in some form examine some issue or other, political, social, psychological etc etc, ratings aside, people are just going to be drawn to whatever resonates with them, there are too many variables to even consider, age, gender, intelligence, culture, mood, and so forth. I don't think you'll ever get consensus, and fair enough.

Ratings are a result of a synergy of time of airing, actors, plot, script, some ineffable factor that resonates with a lot of people, money invested, topical issue, savvy distributers and so forth.

I will always check out ratings, but not necessarily go with that assessment. I could not watch Queen of Tears, despite the rave reviews, I tried a few times but was bored blind. Then I landed on Tender Light, with low ratings, I thought it was a masterpiece.

My point here is that all the points you make are interesting, but it probs won't change someones view that loves this show.

Agree, Queen of Tears would have had a massive budget, and it was marketed to an international audience on Netflix etc. It was total escapism, leads were coiffed and made up to the absolute max, high drama, beautiful locations, and sets it's a different vehicle altogether! The slow paced, reflective attention to detail, and the somewhat slower, conservative narrative of this director would definitely not appeal to mass market.

lol

Agree, but firstly he argued that if he didn't investigate 'no one else would' and also the fact that it's all secretive, withdrawal stuff is driving the plot. It would be fairly mundane without that part of the action tbh!

Secret Love Affair. (has the amazing Yoo Ah In)

That is typically how this director works, very slow, examination of small things, very atmospheric, subtle nuances, lots of conversation, often set against the dynamics of an institution or business, that's just his thing. And it's not everyones taste.

Sexy and mysterious (that's his MO in Little Women)

Agree

Yes not overly passionate, but for the last 10 years she's done nothing but work, so not much experience, probs improve in the next eps.