Waverlyroot

Are you hoping that SPY will take Yoo Shin back? Why would you want that for her? The best outcome would be for him to stew in his own regret and jealousy as SPY soars. He'll have to nurse his mother-in-law/noona when she grows older, because A Mi won't.

I don't care for how LSE gets short shrift either. I had hoped that she would meet someone and move on (I don't think it will be Seo Ban) but that doesn't seem likely. Perhaps the professor will come back humbled. Is that the best outcome for her? She seems to have settled for comfort over joy. A pet dog could provide both.

Hmmm. What you see as two-faced I consider being human. The parents were not thrilled about the pregnancy initially, but as they got to know SW, they embraced her because she treated them with deference and genuine concern. She was comfortable to be with. BHR was a crappy wife and daughter-in-law. People know when someone's being fake.

The parents' dilemma was the same as PSH's. They were trying to maintain the marriage because they respected the vows and the institution, but they couldn't help but fall for someone who is just decent. You can't force feelings. If I like someone, I'm not going to hide it.

Also, I wouldn't call the in-laws' mild comments "berating". Surely, you have seen enough Kdramas to know how awful in-laws can be. PSH's mom was pretty cool all the way to the end, trying to preserve BHR's dignity and position. Yes, they compared her to SW - don't we do that all the time? Would it have been more humane for the in-laws to tell BHR what they really feel? That she's a self-centered taker?

As for the PSH's mom - yes, it was emotional cheating and she was able to persuade her husband to see things her way. It worked. (PSH's father had an idealized crush on Dong Mi, but nothing more. I think she was more upset about how she had been taken for granted all those years; I doubt she believed that her marriage was threatened.).

BHR could have done any number of things when confronted with the harsh truth. She chose to take the low road. Seo Ban and Lee Shi Eun think less of her as a result.

I wouldn't say SW is innocent or pure, but she's thoughtful and has learned from her own divorce and past mistakes. The difference between her and Lee Shi Eun, a character who had potential, is that SW recognized her own needs and desires and began to love herself.

While thinking about how impassioned people on this message board are about fictional characters (myself included), I realized that this drama doesn't have a Greek chorus reflecting community opinion (the press conference and the very first episode from Season 1 fill that function, I suppose). The nine main characters are somewhat hermetically sealed off, with only the mother-in-law, the professor's kids and A Mi's mother and father providing that kind of feedback. In the World of the Married, the women's association of Gosan was the Greek chorus. An online community rallied around Toy Crane in My Wife's Having an Affair this Week. Similarly, Mad for Each Other has office gossip and malicious online comments condemning the "Cheongdam-dong Mistress".

Perhaps the people on this board feel that they need to be that Greek chorus.

If it goes to season 3, I think BHR will end up worse off, honestly. This has nothing to do with my opinion of her, but she 's greedy and infertile. She evidently can't live alone. Maybe she'll marry into a wealthy family that doesn't have a problem with her not "wanting" to have kids. Maybe she'll end up marrying someone who is divorced, inheriting unhappy stepkids or a crazy ex-wife. Can't see a scenario in which someone so deceitful and broken can end up happy.

Good questions. I had almost forgotten about A Mi's dad. Instead of these meandering side plots, we could be seeing more of the professor's kids, for example.
As for Song Won, I wonder why you think she's hiding something? Don't we all know people in real life who have undergone personal tragedy and have emerged more enlightened?

I agree with you 90% :) I don't think PSH and his parents are terrible. They did the best they could to accommodate what could have been a tragic situation. They focused on the baby and fell in love with Song Won along the way. Who wouldn't? Seo Ban was smitten after meeting her just twice.
Lots of people here think BHR is a hero for that press conference, when we have two other examples of wives who didn't feel the need to poison the well. (BHR made out like a bandit too. LSE's financial status got WORSE and SPY didn't insist on getting the settlement she deserved).
Although SPY was not my favorite character, I love how cool as a cucumber she is, making her ex squirm without having to do anything.

Agreed. Filler characters like Seo Ban/Dong Ma and the ghost should have been resolved much earlier or eliminated altogether.

What do you suppose it means that BHR ditched her racoon eye makeup?

I would be angry too, of course. And didn't she have her moment already in the restaurant? But after a reasonable time to process it, it is better to move on. Wallowing in spite is not good for anyone. I pity people who warp their own lives to wreck others'. Life is too short. And nothing that Song Won/PSH did rises to the level of Monte Cristo revenge.

I had never seen Seong Hoon and Lee Tae Gon before - in fact, all of the actors except for Kim Bo Yun (MIL) and Jeon Soo Kyung (writer) are new to me. I agree that Lee Tae Gon is very attractive. I could listen to his voice all night. ;)

Yours might be the ONLY post on MDL to cite Moliere! Lol. Of course, the writer is no Moliere, but we would do well to remember that life is a comedy.
Would love to know what French viewers would think of the drama and this message. Thanks for making my day :)

There was an earlier discussion about the ring. it was either a parting gift (because they didn't think BHR would give in about the divorce), or a cover for her pregnancy.

Again, are we watching the same drama? It is still possible to have feelings for someone after ending things.

SW is shocked by the fallout, which is only natural. If anything, the press conference only confirmed SW's opinion of BHR as being vindictive and frankly, low-class.

I agree with your points, and I think that Sa Hyun represents a different kind of masculinity. He's sensitive and philosophical, and that doesn't make him less of a man.

Do you know the mathematician/category theorist Eugenia Cheng? She would use the term "ingressive" to describe the ambitious, overly confident, self-oriented character we associate with males or male-dominated realms. "Congressive" refers to collaborative, supportive, social-oriented people or style - "feminine". PSH strikes me as congressive, and that wouldn't be a bad thing if more men were like him.

What twisted reasoning. PSH did NOT know how conniving BHR was when they got married. He reserves the right to leave a toxic relationship for a healthier one.

There's no need to attack Truthie for sharing so vulnerably.

Thanks for your nuanced view of the characters. I keep saying it, and I'll say it again. Cheating is wrong, AND it is not the worst crime in the world.

No wonder this world is polluted.

Enjoyed this overall, but didn't love the man-hungry Dan Moon Hee character. Female characters who aren't as attractive as the FL shouldn't be the butt of jokes.

Speaking of tooth-rotting fluff, I loved that candy cane bear at the amusement park. How she picked it up from the ground and just ate from the back.