LA_Drama Fan

What is this kdrama about is a GOOD question. It's very different from the last several weekend KBS dramas.

I don't think we'll really know until it's over. Right now, I think it's about the corrosive influence of money on otherwise good people. And everything else is just a sideshow.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, ALL!

He SHOULD get a nomination for Lead Actor for the upcoming KBS awards, but since this series extends into next year, I'm not sure if he's eligible for the 2024 awards, or has to wait until 2025???

in Ep 28, although the scene between GJ & his step-father/chairman has been rightfully praised here, one other scene stood out for me:

When CR barged in on our leads' microwave meal, GJ did the smart thing, and backed off to let the girls eat in peace (never get in the way of a hangry woman). He knew that DR can make more headway with recruiting her sister than he could (he already promised her compensation and full control over design). He would then excuse himself to talk to his stepfather. A tiny little scene, but really smart and well-written.

She was living such a cloistered life, that TW was one of the few males she was exposed to, and he treated her kindly. Again, she's so immature for her age that she would naturally fall in love with him, not understanding her feelings or motivations brought on by her hormones. I think it was really just a teenage infatuation on the part of a 20 year old, as ChaRim said.

I don't know how it works in SK, corporate life IS different there than in the US. Here, while a company can "refuse to accept" someone's resignation, it's more of a show-thing. The employee leaves and the company moves on. The bigger issue is if the employee signed a non-compete clause in their contract that they cannot get a job in direct competition with their old employer for a specific amount of time. However, I think this has been challenged by the courts so I'm not sure of it's legality anymore.

Nexe, you've basically said everything I was going to post.

It's funny to me that, again, they left the best scene for the last, just like in Ep27, and once again it involves GJ and his calm (seething?) ability to hold back his anger yet still make his point. KJH is killing it with this series!

I can only hope that Seogang puts a dent into Jiseung's sales and this is why DR needs to trust GJ's business decisions on pricing...he's trying to increase sales volume rapidly...why? Not only to make a name for the company, but to do it at the expense of Jiseung's bottom line. Furthermore, CR needs to wake up and join the family company...with GJ giving her free rein on design, it's what she's always wanted anyways.

So much happened in 28 that I need to rewatch it to catch what I missed. Does the Chairman have a point with the talent-grab by GJ? Yes, but that's business, and his now-estranged stepson owes him nothing. The Chairman needs to remember that he fired AND fined the stepson too, and without a non-compete clause in GJ's contract it's TOUGH LUCK for Jiseung Group.

As far as the money goes, I don't think it will be resolved until maybe Ep 35? The show is really about the money and how it's driving the plot. If they resolve it too soon, what then?

It's nice to see a show actually picking up 2/3 of the way thru, instead of falling apart like the last several weekender's have done. Good on KBS for the decision to shorten things up.

I'm not sure about Korean Culture, but in the west it means "I'm waiting for your response". He's basically telling GJ to answer him NOW (and establishing a superior to inferior relationship).

Good catch on the foot-tapping!

Going back to the first ep, it's pretty clear that he was always 'under her skin' (if you'll pardon the expression). Even years after their one-night stand, she instantly recognized him based on the clicking sound of the lighter (BTW, what happened to the lighter???) Her social ineptitude/immaturity prevented her from dealing with her feelings for him, and all she allowed herself to feel was anger for him for standing her up. Remember how she refused to use all the canes he bought for her? The spark for him was always there, it just needed a breeze to make it flame and that was when he returned the money to the grandparents.

I do wish this had happened earlier, as they make a nice couple and have good chemistry. But it happened when they needed it most, so I'm good with it.

I've not seen 28 yet, but I just re-watched 27 and wanted to add this:

As good as the last scene was between our leads (and it was one of the best KBS has aired in quite some time) I really liked the scene just before it as well:

While his mom is lecturing him about DR, KJH's acting is SUPERB. He sits there quietly like some kind of Moray Eel waiting to strike.....you can feel the anger building in him as she rails on and his concern for DR mounts...yet he keeps strangely calm and if I didn't know the character better, he was almost 'malevolent'. A differently-written GJ would have just grabbed BJH by the throat and demanded "did you make her cry?" But not our GJ, who does love his Mother. Instead we got one of the most intimidating scenes from a calm male actor I've seen in a KBS weekender.

I'll say it: This was the best episode to-date of the show. For me, it completely redeems the writers, at least for now.

That whole scene with him taking his mom to the station was odd. First he cuffs her (why? she's no flight risk, and he never told her she was under arrest) which I think was mostly for shock value for us, takes her to the station and rightfully berates her for her actions despite knowing what her son does for a living. Her (and her in-laws) complete disregard for him was shameful and she deserved to get his wrath. And we FINALLY get to see some emotion from this actor. Then, he lets her go! So he's going to risk his career for this? And not even 'bother' to register his marriage? I have no issue with the dialog in the scene, but it was just structured oddly. When she got out of the car and stumbled away, I thought, "so, why bother then?" He should have just taken her around the corner and talked to her in the car first.

Ep 27 stood out for me. Fast-paced, lots of moving parts, and a believable, but disappointing arc for Ms. Kim. No laughs in this one, but the ending made it worthwhile as DR finally faces the truth and her feelings. BRAVO to the writers for the final scene.

You beat me to the punch! Yes, the green light, at a crosswalk, no less was a great way to end the episode, and a glimmer of hope for us that the writers ARE thinking and have something up their sleeve.

You're welcome! At the risk of going off-topic by discussing TRHC, there was a LOT of speculation as to what happened with the series....that discussion board here had over 17,000 posts by the end of the series! Everyone had their own conspiracy theory, myself included. Whatever happened to the leads left them awkward with each other as evidenced in the last KBS awards show when they won Best Couple award (!) If you can find the awards show online, watch their behavior together....I recall this was discussed at length too on that discussion board. But, when the show was good, it was REALLY good.

Happy Holidays!

I'm as frustrated as anyone else here with the glacial pace of the Leads romantic arc. DaRim's actions drive me crazy at times, but it's Christmas, so I'm inclined to give the writer the benefit of the doubt: he painted himself into a corner with DR's blindness since her early teens. She's so socially immature because of her isolated life due to her vision limitations (and her mom's shielding her) that she's now acting like a teenager with her first love. Uncertainty, playfulness, vindictiveness, acting-out, and temptation have her acting like a lovesick 15-year old, not a woman in her late 20s (or whatever her age is).

So I guess I can accept it, begrudgingly. I'll give GangJu credit for his patience with her...I'm not sure how I'd react with her: a gentleman can only lead her so far. And let's face it, if she had jumped into his arms before she found out he returned the money to her grandparents, it would have been tacky and not fitting for her character.

From the review I left on TRHC, there's this:
"So, for the new viewers asking if this show is worth watching, be forewarned. You can approach it as a limited edition series and watch from 1-32. But you’ll have to accept the fact that the show is essentially unfinished. 33-49 is basically No Mans Land: DO NOT WATCH. If you wish, you can watch Ep 50 for the finale. But be warned that the FL does not act as you expected her to from the first 20 episodes or so. And that some characters are missing..."

If you don't mind the unfinished nature mentioned above, the first 32 are clever, funny, and sweet. Unfortunately, the back half is like a completely different series and alienated its fans here on MDL.
My full review has semi-spoilers, and there are a couple of really good reviews there but they are spoiler-ridden.

TRHC had one of the best 32 episode runs of any weekender I've seen, then it fell apart. I was also thinking of It's Beautiful now, which lasted 37 episodes until, ironically, Park Ji Young's character took over the show and ruined it, for me.

This show is interesting to me because the plot is so different from what we're used to seeing. With just a few tweaks it could really be great.

They know who each other are, but Bom pretty much gives her the 'stink-eye' when she sees here. I recall MY did try to talk with her but didn't get anywhere. Maybe Bom is being influenced by her Grandma?

What a disappointing weekend of shows. The only entertaining parts was the drunk-fest party outside the convenience store and its aftermath, and seeing BongHee get her hopes up (again with the false-hope theme of this family) thinking she got a Booty-call from the Chairman. HA HA.

Otherwise, the only thing accomplished was having MuRim figure out what is going on. His question to his mother of 'dont you realize I'm a detective' was the best line of the weekend. And while he & the actor playing TU may be accomplished in their own right, I guess we have to blame the director for their wooden expressions and lack of emotions (with exception of seeing MR's tears as he confronted his mother).

Otherwise, I feel like we're stuck in the spin-cycle of this drama, going round and round and going nowhere. We've seen this from so many KBS dramas in the past, I'm starting to think it's what the domestic audience wants/expects??? Otherwise I wish that SOMEONE at KBS would have some oversight on the scripts and storyboards when these shows are pitched to the network, to keep the plot moving along. Oh well...I'll still watch to the end as I still appreciate how 'different' this series is and my hope that GJ will get his day in the Sun.

after a string of failures in their 50 episode weekend dramas, KBS decided that beginning with this one, to try to shorten them to 36 eps....the quality of the writing just hasn't been able to support a 50 episode drama. It sounds logical on paper, and would have solved a lot of problems with their earlier dramas that fell apart after 35-ish episodes, but this show has been stumbling since episode 1, so who knows if they will continue.

The fact that she was going to the hotel to hook up with that clown and he ended up just asking her questions was the one funny part of this weekend. Serves her right...