Another Stranger

https://youtu.be/pfrrUuWWJ5E?si=tPzhWjgbGmDy-FzV

I felt the same about both the scenes. I think In Ah & Jae Yeol have been working together for a long time. They might scout the ML directly or just use the ML’s research on the pharma deal to damage the Chairman’s side. JY is definitely in an arranged marriage but did he date/ like Ah Jeong before or after this marriage? And why does he trust In Ah? JY & the ML both choose the same tie. Is this some sort of foreshadowing about their love lives or just a hint that both of them have similar preferences/ values/ goals?

Also at the end of the meeting, when JY insists on going home for dinner with his wife, Ah Jeong is visibly upset & bites into a dessert on JY’s plate with an ambiguous expression. Is it an innocent crush (like she understands his pain & wants to stand by him) or a mutual longing for a real bond irrespective of their identities & the masks they wear.

Same here. This version is the best of the lot & it is the only version which had me in tears. In this version the relationships feel more palpable & the story has a poignant phase which hits really hard. The ending arc was also done beautifully with a mature take rather than an angst filled one.

Exactly. The fact the GC wants only JI (& not his mom) by his side during his last moments says everything. Maybe JI was the only person who loved him sincerely & he realised it too late.

Kang Se Ri wants to get back with TO? This woman doesn't have a bottom line. Never came across such a cheap villain who doesn't have a shred of dignity.

Gi Chan is a jerk, a criminal & a fool but he is the ML of this drama. You can't convince me otherwise. His thoughts & vulnerabilities are well drawn out. He not just carried the Hwang family but also the plot on his shoulders. We get to see a full spectrum of his emotions & barring the criminal acts, his character is relatable.

TO living in JI's house is bound to make DY jealous. I don't know why they are dragging this unnecessary love triangle. I just hope SR doesn't kill anyone else.

If I was in DY's mom's position I would definitely feel uncomfortable with Mi Ran. She's the only character who got away scratch free despite harming others intentionally. Yu Gyeong resigned as a doctor for a relatabily minor & passive offence but Mi Ran still remains the director & de-facto chairperson. She also shameless stays at DY's place to experience warmth of a family. Does she deserve it?

😂 You found the right word for him!

I really wish that Tae O appeard earlier. He looks dapper in his casual suits & I like his grey character.
I think Gi Chan might have cancer (the doctor asking him to undergo a detailed examination was foreboding).

Gi Chan regretting his choices & drowning in guilt is satisfying. He deserved that slap from his mom but his mistake was trusting SR & not JI.

I can't understand the shameless audacity of SR, marching confidently & making deals either by threatening or begging the very people she tried to kill.

DY should stop playing the abandoned puppy. Even TO is being bold about his feelings. This is a drama so ultimately they'll end up together but in real life he would be friend-zoned if he's too bland/ passive. I understand that he cares for her & wants her to feel comfortable but he shouldn't supress/ bottle up his feelings like the typical 2nd ML.

So Gi Chan has a terminal illness? Is it stomach cancer? They are trying to make his character pitiful & portray him as a 'victim of his circumstances'. I strongly disagree.

Gi Chan's regret is justified but he can't blame his mom or poverty. DY's family faced a similar situation but never resorted to immortal means. He promised JI's mom about cherishing JI but after marriage he betrayed JI, harmed her family, threw her into a mental asylum & whispered into her ear (like a devil) "Your 1st mistake is marrying me". NOW he has the audacity to say that he loves her. Excuse me you're nuts.

He was already a lawyer, JI loved him & they had a bright future ahead. But no, he blames his mother for his greed & JI's mom for his inferiority complex, which led him to Se Ri & all the mess thereafter.

Being ambitious isn't wrong but choosing unethical & evil methods to achieve anything is unforgivable. He consciously & shrewdly choose this road so he isn't any victim/ pitiful guy. He just realised that he is doomed & regrets losing the game despite having the best cards. What if his plans worked out & he lived happily with Se Ri? Would he think of JI? I doubt.

Exactly. He trusts his own judgement over his mother's & he's absolutely right.

DH, DY & SW would have been a lovely trio growing up together as siblings. Through Mi Ran, DY & JI would also meet much earlier.
I agree with DY's mom, Mi Ran can't be forgiven easily. She's not a weak women who didn't have a choice.

I think ML's mom refers to DY's mom

I know that I'm not supposed to but I feel pitiful towards GC. If only he had the right parents to guide him. He is beyond redemption now but I can see him repenting for his sins unlike SR who never acknowledges her mistakes.

Instead of apologizing to Tae O for faking his son's death & using their son to climb the social ladder, she justifies her selfish act by saying "your son died but in my heart". What do you mean?

I loved the contrast b/w the two "home made dinners" in today's ep.
In both instances the "hidden" fathers long for their son but the mood was miles apart. One was an affectionate, caring & comfortable meal (intending to make good memories) while the other was a self-serving & materialistic affair (intending to make deals).

DY's family is grateful towards JI's family as SW grew up to a fine kid & is blessed to have warm & loving families on either sides. GC's family is cold, dysfunctional & broken as there's no trust or morals left & JH though cared for physically, is largely deprived of healthy emotional support. He has no role model to follow & if EW was alive, JH would be pitched against EW in an extremely unhealthy competition for everything ranging from food to his father's love.

Tae Oh is right - not everyone is qualified to be a mother. She is toxic & JH needs to be rescued.

P.S. I love the cheerful, high pitched voice of JI calling "Bo Ram-aaa" It's endearing 💕

She's an extremely ambitious person desperate for quick (rather than sustainable) success. She doesn't care about the means if they meet her ends so everyone in her life (yes, her son too) is a stepping stone for her.

She dated men for money since high school & saw them as mere ladders for climbing up the fortune pyramid. If a taller one appears the shorter one is kicked away. Her ex husband wasn't rich enough for long term commitment & she didn't anticipate Tae O's success - so she tossed them away like a used tissue.

GC on the other hand was eyeing the YL group (her achilles). He could satisfy her personal as well as social definitions of success. She couldn't ask for more I guess.

If he hadn’t meet SR, half of his troubles wouldn’t exist. He’s apparently talented so sooner or later he would’ve been the kingmaker (if not the king) of the so called YL Empire. People trade pawn for the queen in chess but GC traded the Queen (JI) for a pawn (of unknown colour - SR). Now the same pawn is wreaking havoc for him left, right & center. He’ll regret this move even in his grave. That ONE blunder, (leading to a chain reaction of events) turned his life upside down.

Lee Tae O should have appeared much earlier. He could've been the classic second male lead/ friend-zoned charming guy. I love his buttery voice, debonair look, dewy deer eyes & cute dimples. His smile is just heart melting 🫠

Do Yun's confession was endearing & I would love to see Jae In back with DY's family. GC is pretty much screwed by now but when he discovers Ji Ho's identity he'll be shattered. As JI rightly pointed out, he kicked his own luck into to the gutter.

You are right. But I feel like Jeong O Seong will be deeply hurt. He was deprived of his kid's childhood & nothing can replace it. SW & his dad are so cute & endearing together. I want them to be happy. Mi Ran is still a grey character for me. She's trying to escape her problems through her emotions but it's high time that she acknowledges & address her problems by seeking the support of her partner.

What was SW trying to do? Is he forcing his mom to friend-zone his dad?
Love the bold version of JI. I don’t know what made her so meek & naive in the past despite being in a position of power but I liked her character growth.
I thought GC or his mom would question Ji Ho’s identity after the entry of SR’s ex but they didn’t. Seems like the writer passed the ball to Gi Man, who will tighten the noose around SR’s neck until she spits money. The good thing however is that Ji Ho’s dad is a decent person. Thank God.

JI & DY winning by using the tactics they once succumbed to is delightful. “To think that ONLY they can install bugging devices is pure arrogance” - DY
The villains vanity stems not from their abilities but the disability of the other side to stand up for themselves or play offence instead of “diplomatic” defence.
SR’s ex-husband’s entry is like the last nail in the coffin, GC will never trust SR again. Oh no! GC is yet to know that he isn’t Ji Ho’s biological father so that’ll be the last nail. Waaaaait, we almost forgot that SR attempted to kill Gi Man twice, so that’ll be the last nail or SR can outperform herself & create more chaos to expedite her doom.

SR being sent to a mental healthcare facility is beyond perfect. I thought JI would do that to GC & whisper in his ears "Your 1st mistake..... was underestiming me"

GC is optimistic to the point of foolishness. He still thinks that he's the player but he's long been a chess piece in JI's game. She was a ruthlessly discarded pawn who resurrected to be the Queen & now she promoted herself to be the player. She is destroying them inside out by infiltrating the enemy camp & is conspicuously playing their own moves against them.

I think she realised that they weren't smart but just shamelessly bold. By playing right into their tactics, she precipitated their mental breakdown & caused them to turn against each other in chaos. She knew that those selfish & impatient people would instinctively choose to blame eachother & would prioritize themselves over their relationships.

DY's family & YG's father are like the official punchbags/ emotional trash bins/ selfless caretakers of this drama. DY's mom's plight is unmatched. The writer must hate her. At this point GC's mom being in jail is a blessing rather than punishment. I hope that she goes crazy & lives her life in fear of persecution; barely hanging on by sticking those yellow shamanic talismans & praying for forgiveness by kneeling down at a temple & crying at the church everyday.

I'm not interested in Mi Ran or her son's love story. They are selfish & emotionally deprived, so they will be demanding partners. I feel bad for YG & DY's uncle as they have to make sacrifices but if it makes them happy, then so be it.

Ji Ho & Bo Ram suffered the greatest collateral damage. They'll have a happy ending but no one can compensate their loss.