After rewatching, I realized this episode was all about Thyme’s redemption. The whole obsession subplot shows how Thyme’s actions have severe consequences. He destroyed Hana’s life by a mere, offhand comment on her appearance, because his word is so immensely powerful. Others will blindly follow his example, like the bullying squad at school, or even the teachers. This episode, it all blew up in his face, and he has to decide if he's really willing to put in the hard work it takes to change. Is it enough to say he's sorry and just move on? Or will he have to make up for it? In the end, Thyme gives us his answer. The system he created still remains and actively hurts people. He finally chooses to give back, to teach Hana the only thing that will heal her wound, compassion, and he bleeds for her. The realization of his guilt and the acceptance of it ultimately frees him to finally take action. We literally see his blood, sweat and tears when he saves Gorya. I hope there will be more to it though, and they'll show us how they repair the broken system within school. But we’re still at the beginning of his development, so more trials are expected. Him learning the weight of his actions will tie in with future plot points and make them more believable. For once, I am really looking forward to the second half of this story. Past versions always lost momentum for me, but here we just feel why they should be together, and this will only intensify the angst. Just thinking about it, I can’t wait! Their chemistry, honestly, it’s insane.
Loved your comment! To add, I think he’s somewhat of a foil for Thyme, both under this immense pressure to be…
Haha! I mean all the boys had already perfected their signature fashion style in kindergarten, so maybe baby Kavin just decided to go for it… like Thyme went for animal print and fake fur. 😂
In the first trailer there’s a glimpse of the iconic rooftop scene and he’s not wearing his glasses. That made me think it may have some significance later… like showing his true self to Kaning. Or… he just wants to try contacts for a change 😅
Loved your comment! To add, I think he’s somewhat of a foil for Thyme, both under this immense pressure to be…
Yes, exactly! It’s so cunning… That whole sequence has such a dark vibe to it. The way he stalks into the flower shop and orders her around, I didn’t find him charming at all and neither did Kaning, she’s concerned about how he found her. And another small detail that’s driving me crazy is how he doesn’t tell her to eat that dessert himself but let’s MJ do it because he knows she doesn’t trust him. I really hope they go the romance route though! If done right we would have two amazing enemies to lovers ships in one show! And I feel like Kaning is the first second female lead of the HYD cinematic universe who will truly challenge him.
So I wanna talk about Kavin as he's written and how Win is playing him because I'm loving what they're doing with…
Loved your comment! To add, I think he’s somewhat of a foil for Thyme, both under this immense pressure to be perfect, but while one of them turned into a wild animal lashing out, Kavin is always in control of his emotions. He’s more like a snake: seductive and smooth, but vicious once you poke it. That scene at his house with the desert was truly chilling. He was literally luring Kaning in, seducing her to eat the forbidden fruit… He’s shown to be quite emotionally intelligent (e.g. that little nod to the bullies in the pool signalling it’s safe to leave), and he is more dangerous because of that, as he will use it to his advantage, to manipulate. In this version his parents aren’t just in the cultural goods business but also high ranking government officials. He’s a politician and the F4 member most concerned with his image. That whole preppy British dandy look is all about status and keeping the beautiful facade. I doubt he even needs those golden glasses… I do wonder tough about his first love, because at the end of his monologue he says “nobody from a lower class can change you” and we as an audience understand this as a comment on Gorya and Thyme, but it felt a bit off. Why would he say that? And then he had that weird sad look on his face, before denying he’s talking about himself. I understand why he would try to scare Gorya off, though, she’s a variable he has no control over.
But him being a dumbass is a very important plot point in the other versions because at first he doesn't believe…
Yes! I hope they keep that conflict as well, there need to be trials and errors in his growth. Also, this is not just about silly jealousy. Her working as a hostess essentially disqualifies her from his mother’s approval forever and he must be aware of that.
This episode was my favorite so far! There were so many things I loved about it. Here’s a list because I need to get them off my chest, so I can focus again. This is going to be long… Sorry!
1. When they were stuck in that room and Thyme collapsed onto her and she pushed him to the wall, she actually apologized for hurting him and made sure he was okay. Such a small detail, but it made me love her even more and made their interaction seem more intimate somehow.
2. Speaking of intimacy… Why is nobody talking about the fact that she wiped his sweaty body like that? The way it was shot was quite… nice 😅 Very female gaze. And of course, as she was stripping off his clothes, she was stripping off his layers of deflection and arrogance as well. Have them pause and actually get to know each other better at that moment felt like such a natural progression of their relationship.
3. The comedy in general. Thyme calling that bear opportunistic and then immediately changing his mind to "Oh great idea, bear!" once he realizes the flyer is advertising a romantic sunset moment 😂 Also, when he’s having fever dreams: "I don’t want caviar!". Bright’s comedic timing is excellent, and his acting was at his best this episode. He’s got a great screen presence and charisma!
4. When Thyme saw Ren's handkerchief that must have stung and still he chose to be gentle with her and accept her feelings as they are (not a given in HYD). Him telling her the story about the doll at this moment was great because it showed us just how different Thyme is from all the other versions. He's a lot more self-aware and self-critical, showing his vulnerabilities to her. Very attractive! This is one of the defining emotional turning points for Gorya, the gate/door crashes down and she opens up to this new opportunity and a possible future with him.
5. Kaning and Kavin. Really looking forward to their interactions. It seems as if their conversation was a sort of wake-up call for Kavin. He’s been afraid of emotions ever since his first love, trying to keep it all superficial, even his facial expressions have been very mask-like up until now. But Kaning is too smart for his bullshit…
6. The overall theme of change and the metaphor of a 'gilded cage' that Mira introduced is reinforced nicely by Kavin and MJ in this episode. They tell us that their lives are predestined, no use in trying to go against it. There is a concept in clinical psychology called learned helplessness. If you've repeatedly experienced that your actions have no impact on adverse events, you will stop trying all together - even in situations you could actually make a difference. All the F4 are in this sort of apathetic mental state at the beginning of the story: immovable, unchanging and it is Gorya showing them that change is possible against all odds. We have seen this change start in Mira, Ren and Thyme already. Kavin, you‘re next! (See 5.)
Thinking more about Kaning returning the money to Kavin, I freakin' loved that she checks her bank account after…
Plus the misdirection: MJ smiling as she asked Kavin for his number thinking “She just wants to date him like everyone else…” and then her comeback and the bank account reveal. So satisfying!
The realization of his guilt and the acceptance of it ultimately frees him to finally take action. We literally see his blood, sweat and tears when he saves Gorya.
I hope there will be more to it though, and they'll show us how they repair the broken system within school. But we’re still at the beginning of his development, so more trials are expected.
Him learning the weight of his actions will tie in with future plot points and make them more believable. For once, I am really looking forward to the second half of this story. Past versions always lost momentum for me, but here we just feel why they should be together, and this will only intensify the angst. Just thinking about it, I can’t wait! Their chemistry, honestly, it’s insane.
In the first trailer there’s a glimpse of the iconic rooftop scene and he’s not wearing his glasses. That made me think it may have some significance later… like showing his true self to Kaning. Or… he just wants to try contacts for a change 😅
I really hope they go the romance route though! If done right we would have two amazing enemies to lovers ships in one show! And I feel like Kaning is the first second female lead of the HYD cinematic universe who will truly challenge him.
In this version his parents aren’t just in the cultural goods business but also high ranking government officials. He’s a politician and the F4 member most concerned with his image. That whole preppy British dandy look is all about status and keeping the beautiful facade. I doubt he even needs those golden glasses…
I do wonder tough about his first love, because at the end of his monologue he says “nobody from a lower class can change you” and we as an audience understand this as a comment on Gorya and Thyme, but it felt a bit off. Why would he say that? And then he had that weird sad look on his face, before denying he’s talking about himself. I understand why he would try to scare Gorya off, though, she’s a variable he has no control over.
1. When they were stuck in that room and Thyme collapsed onto her and she pushed him to the wall, she actually apologized for hurting him and made sure he was okay. Such a small detail, but it made me love her even more and made their interaction seem more intimate somehow.
2. Speaking of intimacy… Why is nobody talking about the fact that she wiped his sweaty body like that? The way it was shot was quite… nice 😅 Very female gaze. And of course, as she was stripping off his clothes, she was stripping off his layers of deflection and arrogance as well. Have them pause and actually get to know each other better at that moment felt like such a natural progression of their relationship.
3. The comedy in general. Thyme calling that bear opportunistic and then immediately changing his mind to "Oh great idea, bear!" once he realizes the flyer is advertising a romantic sunset moment 😂 Also, when he’s having fever dreams: "I don’t want caviar!". Bright’s comedic timing is excellent, and his acting was at his best this episode. He’s got a great screen presence and charisma!
4. When Thyme saw Ren's handkerchief that must have stung and still he chose to be gentle with her and accept her feelings as they are (not a given in HYD). Him telling her the story about the doll at this moment was great because it showed us just how different Thyme is from all the other versions. He's a lot more self-aware and self-critical, showing his vulnerabilities to her. Very attractive! This is one of the defining emotional turning points for Gorya, the gate/door crashes down and she opens up to this new opportunity and a possible future with him.
5. Kaning and Kavin. Really looking forward to their interactions. It seems as if their conversation was a sort of wake-up call for Kavin. He’s been afraid of emotions ever since his first love, trying to keep it all superficial, even his facial expressions have been very mask-like up until now. But Kaning is too smart for his bullshit…
6. The overall theme of change and the metaphor of a 'gilded cage' that Mira introduced is reinforced nicely by Kavin and MJ in this episode. They tell us that their lives are predestined, no use in trying to go against it. There is a concept in clinical psychology called learned helplessness. If you've repeatedly experienced that your actions have no impact on adverse events, you will stop trying all together - even in situations you could actually make a difference. All the F4 are in this sort of apathetic mental state at the beginning of the story: immovable, unchanging and it is Gorya showing them that change is possible against all odds. We have seen this change start in Mira, Ren and Thyme already. Kavin, you‘re next! (See 5.)