JLM

fingers crossed, that's what she's always done before

I'm really enjoying this drama, despite what I just said, but for me she's capricious to such an extent that I find it hard to watch, how DX handles it all. I haven't read the novel so I'm assuming the great love affair is about to become two sided.

Yes kind of agree. 28 eps in and Simu is still all over the place in terms of her character, one minute a terrifying, fantastical, power force, one minute a flirtatious giggling girl smelling flowers and eating candy, one minute an indifferent, cold glacier, one minute a kind and concerned healer, obviously the narrative is shaped so that the almighty crescendo of her admitting her love for DX is looming, but her character arc is like a ball in a pinball machine. Even as we are supposed to understand her conflicted behaviour is of course due to childhood trauma, you can equally say the same of DX, but he has been loving and steadfast, understanding and pretty calm. He deserves a medal.

Part of the allure of these major celebs and actors is that fans kind of obsess about them, at times as if they have some kind of ownership, it's totally weird. and delusional . Management plays into this by dissuading pop idols/actors from engaging in relationships, it's often a really controlled, image operation, where every detail of these people's lives are groomed and managed, almost as if they're commodities! because their star attraction and single status brings huge amounts of money. A lot of idols try and have clandestine relationships, and when they're discovered, the whole thing has to be "clarified" by management and media. I feel this is changing a little bit as you see more and more Asian celebs openly having girlfriends/boyfriends and getting married.

Whether or not this is just another misdirection, and everyone claims it's just part of CSA'a latest movie, it's still pretty unusual to have the wife of a campaigning president doing erotic lesbian scenes in a movie.

That's exactly what I thought the next spin would be, orchestrated by BTS and Co.

In a way this could be partly solved by allowing the celebs to openly date, and marry, and not pretend to stay single because it's every sasaeng fan's fantasy that the person "could" be in a relationship with them in their delusional state of mind.

I agree, he's wonderful in this role. It's really demanding, there are so many facets to his character, the way he hides is vulnerability behind that smile. Must be a great director also.

Honestly, across all genres and cultures, I can't think of an actress with her star power, and unique presence. She's just amazing. She's so stunning, but her acting is just beyond, and she's capable of comedy, being coy and flirtatious, icy and remote, regal, what a range. Also the budget of this drama must have been through the roof, to enhance her role with costume, special effects, etc.

Totally agree. I can no longer see the character she plays, only PMY looking fragile and unwell.

Yes it had rave reviews

I'm so much enjoying this drama. For me it was a bit slow in the earlier part where Si Mu was either touching everything, then smelling everything, like a small child with DX happily exchanging his senses for her. The cinematography, set design, special effects and costumes though once they get to the void, are beyond, they just have to win an award for this alone. I watched DD in Love on a Turquoise Land and I was totally blown away by her acting. I feel the same about this one, she's just phenomenal. I have seen Arthur Chen now in L & P, Love Story in the 1970.s and this one, and I also think he's fabulous. For a guy of 25, he's killing it. I can see a lot of people are critiquing the casting but for me it's perfect, the whole experience of watching this drama is an amazing escapist trip, especially in the later eps. Also for me the fight scenes, both in the battle and street action are so well done. Arthur Chen is able to transition from a powerful, super confident general in the army to a boy who is totally infatuated, really so impressive. The plot is complex, and sometimes I have to take a minute to get what exactly is going on, there are a lot of sub plots. It's definitely up there with the best dramas I've watched in ages. Can't wait to see what happens next.

Yes true re apartment etc. I guess CSA has an agency, pumped up with money at one point from Lee Yang Mi. Who knows whether BTS has gotten payoffs on the side, he has a lot of dirty intel. about higher ups! I think your spin on the ending is interesting and I hope that's it. There's still a lot to be resolved, what happens to all the other main players? I feel the drama has changed pace, lots of chopping between past and present, and an uneven theme, switching from makjang to serious noir thriller and exposé/revenge arc. I'm really interested to see how it resolves, it sure has elicited some "interesting" responses on MDL!

She made Secret Garden in 2010-11, she lost her dad in 2016, and her brother sometime later. I think this is part of the reason she took a break from acting for a while. Her younger brother and fellow actor, Jeon Tae‑soo, died in January 2018 after struggling with depression, and his death dealt another devastating blow. Following his passing, Ha Ji‑won canceled all scheduled activities and essentially withdrew from the entertainment industry for a few years.

Also HJW's father passed away during this time, and also her brother who suffered from depression. So there were lots of issues.

Yes probably I agree with you, it was disgusting to watch him pander to one of the higher ups and bring a pack of cigarettes, and ignore what was obviously going on with JiSoo. I suppose there will be some clarification about that scene further on.

Oh great, thanks, I thought it was a small plot error lol

Thank you so much for saying this, I don't know what is going on with this particular drama, but some of the comments have been so aggressive and inappropriate. that I have blocked a couple. I also have rarely seen these kind of comments in MDL.

Yes, I would applaud these women for even trying, given the "Weinstein" nature of the business, although hopefully that's changing. I also think it's interesting how Cha Joo Young is female but also an enabler of sexual favours, to the Mayor, who is also female. That's what is fantastic about this drama, nothing is black or white. Admittedly there is a lot of violence/assault etc associated with the men who perpetrate the sexual assault of the actresses, it has actually made me sick to watch. I really get that Sang-Ah is sick with revenge and grief. The young guy actor who agreed to get with the mayor did it willingly as a leg up into the industry. Pretty sad also really. Personally the moral ambiguity extends to BTS also, he was possibly aware of what was going to happen to Jisoo, but looked the other way, he is also ruthlessly ambitious, but trying in the background to help his wife, with whom I believe he is very much in love. That's my take, see if it pans out.
This drama won't appeal to anyone looking for cute, formulaic lightweight entertainment. Sorry for the rant but I'm really impressed by Climax, I have so many theories, looking forward to see what happens.

It's also a challenging, confronting plot with a huge amount of intentional ambiguity, it's sophisticated and intelligent, and would not appeal to everyone.