I understand what you mean, but I also think that the point of the "made up" story held within in the first 10…
Thank you for your kind words! Yeah, I definitely understand how people could feel super cheated by this show. I felt that way with Black (not sure whether you've seen it), to the point where I was like "why the heck did I even watch this show in the first place???" I think probably because that one was pure fiction/entertainment, whereas this one had a message. It was trying to show (in my opinion) an imagined (and probably romanticized, but hey, it IS entertainment at the end of the day) view of what it's like to have alzheimer's. I think the reason I didn't feel cheated when the curtain was pulled back was because it was so poignant; the same frustration we might have faced for having everything we knew and loved taken away from us in the context of the show is probably what alzheimer's patients feel when they realize the reality they were living isn't real. I was definitely upset the characters we knew and loved weren't real -- or at least not in the way we knew them -- and that we wouldn't get to follow them to the end of their stories, but what was more heartbreaking than having them ripped away from us was the realization that they were ripped away from Hye Ja too and that the reality she lived in and came from was a lot meaner, sadder, and less exciting than the dream she had left.
Wow, I haven't seen either of those movies, but both sound interesting! It's funny how you sometimes stumble across a bunch of similar things coincidentally, isn't it? There's another kdrama about Alzheimer's that I haven't watched yet called Memory. Have you seen it?
Hm I have to say that this one really blew me away, and I feel like it's hard to beat it. That being said, I have some favorites in other categories: Reply 1988 Nobody Knows Stranger Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo Welcome 2 Life Angry Mom Big Issue Feel Good to Die Hyena Life on Mars Another Miss Oh Strong Woman Bong Soon Just Between Lovers Smile, You
Have you seen any of these? What are some of your favorites?
I'm always blown away by Seo Kang Joon's acting. In Are You Human Too, he plays the innocent, open, kind-hearted robot and the condescending, cynical human equally convincingly. He plays a great intense and driven anti-hero in WATCHER and a convincing gentle, quiet lead in that show about the rural bookstore and cello instructor played by Park Min Young that I can't remember the name of. He truly inhabits each role and is a super versatile actor. I look forward to seeing what he does in the future!
I'm always blown away by Seo Kang Joon's acting. He plays the innocent, open, kind-hearted robot and the condescending, cynical human equally convincingly. He plays a great intense and driven anti-hero in WATCHER and a convincing gentle, quiet lead in that show about the rural bookstore and cello instructor played by Park Min Young that I can't remember the name of. He truly inhabits each role and is a super versatile actor. I look forward to seeing what he does in the future!
In episode 3 (out of 36), I understand why So Bong is upset, but to say that he "made" her take photos isn't technically correct. He might have incentivized her to do so, but at the end of the day, it was her greedy decision to do it for money and that alone. It's not like he threatened her or her family to do it. He simply dangled the carrot, and she took the bait. Not to say I like her character any less (I know people really disliked her character early on, but I kind of love her honestly, flawed as she is) -- just saying that she's wrong in this instance. She can be upset that he set her up, but she can't justifiably say that he made her take the photos since she could have easily turned down the offer.
I'm up to episode 4 and although enjoyable I guess I'm not used to watching long dramas
Oh I haven't gotten into Jdramas yet, but I'm always so surprised by how short they are when I check them out haha. It's funny -- I've just started watching a few "family" kdramas (usually 50+ hours), and surprisingly, some of them are better paced than the typical 16-hour shows. They're definitely an undertaking, but time just flies by when the pacing is good lol. Good luck in your studies though! These are definitely difficult times to be studying in...Fighting!
Ugh I'm exhausted just thinking about it XD Ahhh but I'm such a sucker for friends-to-lovers because they already know and get along with each other so well...I guess I'll see what the ratings are like after it comes out and decide then...
Same I did a lot of fast-forwarding.. The only motivation I had for finishing it, was the 2nd lead.. I still wonder…
Also, the soldiers were 100% unprepared for SK. Like they had no idea what to expect or how to look after themselves. I know this was a secret mission and all, but I think NK intelligence actually has quite a lot of info on SK life and stuff.
Same I did a lot of fast-forwarding.. The only motivation I had for finishing it, was the 2nd lead.. I still wonder…
Yeah, with you 100%! I liked the bits about NK daily life, but half of the NK section of the show was about the machinations of Chul Gang, which was way less interesting to me. Also, I saw a good point come up in multiple reviews saying that Chul Gang was problematic because it made it seem like all the corruption and problems in the NK military and government come from "a few bad eggs" rather than a system that is inherently cruel and corrupt. I thought this was a good point.
Agreed, by all accounts the show should have been fascinating and exciting, but I was definitely bored. I actually quqite liked the other works by this screenwriter, so I'm not sure why this one didn't work out for me.
It was enjoyable when I was watching it, but looking back I definitely wouldn't enjoy a second viewing, nor do…
Oh that's interesting because some people were saying they really loved the last 4-5 episodes. Though on the other hand, there were a lot of reviewers saying they were only engaged by the first half of the drama, so I don't know.
Same I did a lot of fast-forwarding.. The only motivation I had for finishing it, was the 2nd lead.. I still wonder…
Yesssss this^!!! I was like wait, am I missing something? I actually started watching the whole thing at 1.25x speed, and I was STILL skipping ahead. I think I knew I had to drop it when I realized I really didn't care whether Cheol Gang killed Se Ri at the end of the day...It's kind of a shame because I liked the company of soldiers and the scenes of North Korean life like the train and power outages and whatnot, but I had such a hard time getting into the leads, and the characterizations felt really sloppy to me. Like Jeong Hyeok is such an upstanding, straight-laced man to a fault, but he kisses another woman and shares a (hospital) bed with her despite agreeing to a marriage with his fiancee? It would be one thing if he had asked Dan to break it off, but he went along with it and set the wedding date instead. I feel like his character would have harbored those feelings and felt guilty towards Dan rather than acting on them, no matter what the mood was. He was too moral and principled to openly cheat, even if he didn't have any feelings towards Dan. He had still made the commitment to her. Not that we need more wistful glances in dramaland as a result of him holding in his feelings...jesus, there are plenty of those already XD
Wow, all of the acting was excellent, but I was especially blown away by Oh Jung Se's portrayal of Moon Sang Tae. Even though he's not autistic himself (that I know of, anyway), and even though I'd prefer to have someone who's actually autistic play that role, I can tell just how much research, thought, and care went into his acting. Seriously, amazing work!
The mother's supposed death is honestly up in the air. Back then Ko Dae Hwan had tumors already growing in his…
Wow I didn't remember the drowning scene -- good memory! Lol that's all fair, but this still seemed a bit of a stretch to me. A person can only survive so much...haha
Good point about the memories being fallible. I still think a person like that wouldn't have been able to live quietly and peacefully taking care of patients for so many years, but I guess everything's kind of exaggerated and a caricature since it's a fairy-tale-like story. I think because I trusted and was so impressed by the story up until this point, I felt a bit cheated because this twist seemed less plausible than the story logic had been up until that point. It's like when you trust a screenwriter because they write so well that you have high expectations, so it's more disappointing when they don't meet them. This twist didn't disappoint me to that extent (like some of those dramas that are perfect but then have terrible, awful endings), but I did feel a little peeved honestly haha
I admit that that's quite the twist, but I'm not wholly convinced. So you're telling me this woman was pushed over a railing and fell one story, cracked her head open and bled out, was dragged to the basement where she stayed overnight and bled some more, then was packed into a zippered-shut suitcase and dropped into a lake, and she still managed to survive? Furthermore, she managed to get out, get medical attention, get enough money for plastic surgery without her husband noticing, get a nurse's certification, and then act like a "normal," non-psychotic person for 20 years (or however long), despite all the staff and patients who surely got on her nerves? She's the kind of person to ruthlessly kill anyone who gets under her skin, but there haven't been any mysterious deaths at this facility?? Also, given how aloof and haughty she was, it's highly unlikely she would have been able to fit in and have a normal rapport with all the staff like she did. Plus, even if she got plastic surgery, she has a completely different facial and bone structure and body type than before. And for the father whose suicide she aided (the one Mun Yeong tried to stab except Gang Tae stopped the knife with his hand), wasn't that in a completely different facility, one back in Seoul? How did she manage to visit him and give him the knife? There's no way she worked there for a bit since she's been at the OK Psychiatric Hospital for ages. Speaking of which, didn't it say Ju Ri and Gang Tae met a year ago at a hospital they both worked at for a bit? But then the director puts her in charge saying she's worked there the longest?? Am I missing something? Maybe there's a high turnover rate in psychiatric hospitals...
I understand what you mean, but I also think that the point of the "made up" story held within in the first 10…
I'm so sorry to hear about your grandmother. For sure, real life is often much more painful and difficult than what we see in dramas, even melodramas (even though melodramas are insane and can be super depressing), so I'll be sending you strength! It's hard to watch a loved one go through that, especially someone who probably always seemed so sure of herself and was a consistent, reliable presence in your life.
Hm I can't disagree with what you're saying because I think it's just a matter of taste -- some people will like the choice and others won't, and I completely understand both points of view. I guess for myself, the reason I liked it was because the details that "weren't important or relevant" helped me more deeply understand and get attached to the characters, the same way Alzheimer's-dream-Hye-Ja would have. I like that we got some slice-of-life events that weren't important but showed a little more personality for these characters.
I'm not sure whether you've heard of the idea that fiction can sometimes be more real than non-fiction, but I feel like that's the case here. Even if fiction is completely made up, the feelings it evokes in the reader/watcher are real, and fiction sometimes does a better job of evoking those feelings than non-fiction does. That's how I feel here. The random anecdotes help reveal depths of the characters you wouldn't normally see and makes you see the characters as more rounded, fleshed-out, "real" characters, possibly the way Hye Ja saw them and felt attached to them.
The moments of Hye Ja shopping and drinking with her friends, even if they weren't relevant to the plot, deepened my affection for and connection to the characters. I really felt for Sang Eun when we heard that she hadn't gotten anything -- a recording deal, or a song, or a debut -- for 10 years. When she finally gets discovered, it was such an amazing feeling, and we could celebrate with her and feel happy for her the way her friends would have.
When Hye Ja's brother gets locked in the trunk and stubbornly stays there just so he isn't left behind on their vacation, to the point where he's even accidentally shipped to Africa, it is not only funny, but also shows you another side of him and his personality. He's that stubborn and sneaky and really hates being left behind.
An episode that really stayed with me from early on and left me laughing so hard I was nearly crying was when he sold his blood for movie tickets that he traded for samgyeopsal that he passed out trying to eat in secret, leading everyone in the neighborhood to think he had attempted suicide. Sure, that didn't have any real bearing on the formal plot, but it showed just how poor they were and how desperate he was for meat and how far he would go, which I think showed a new depth of his character you wouldn't know about otherwise. That anecdotal knowledge of him informs how you view his character throughout the show, and it also informs the relationship he had with Hye Ja, whether he was presenting as her grandson, a stand-in for her actual older brother, or a blend of the two.
Yeah, I think part of it for me is that I just have a real fondness for slice-of-life, especially when they're interesting characters. Plus it helps break out of the typical drama cliches of conflict & resolution, usually helping or with the help of the male lead, all just to deepen the relationship between the leads. Anyway, sorry for rambling on -- I just really loved this show, but totally understand if it didn't resonate for you!
Couldn't get past episode 3. This is supposed to be romance between childish male and tough as nail vetrnan military…
Agreed -- I'm having a hard time believing that she's a 30-yr-old special forces drill sergeant given how naive, weak, and childish she is (just finished episode 3)
Wow, I haven't seen either of those movies, but both sound interesting! It's funny how you sometimes stumble across a bunch of similar things coincidentally, isn't it? There's another kdrama about Alzheimer's that I haven't watched yet called Memory. Have you seen it?
Hm I have to say that this one really blew me away, and I feel like it's hard to beat it. That being said, I have some favorites in other categories:
Reply 1988
Nobody Knows
Stranger
Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo
Welcome 2 Life
Angry Mom
Big Issue
Feel Good to Die
Hyena
Life on Mars
Another Miss Oh
Strong Woman Bong Soon
Just Between Lovers
Smile, You
Have you seen any of these? What are some of your favorites?
Agreed, by all accounts the show should have been fascinating and exciting, but I was definitely bored. I actually quqite liked the other works by this screenwriter, so I'm not sure why this one didn't work out for me.
Good point about the memories being fallible. I still think a person like that wouldn't have been able to live quietly and peacefully taking care of patients for so many years, but I guess everything's kind of exaggerated and a caricature since it's a fairy-tale-like story. I think because I trusted and was so impressed by the story up until this point, I felt a bit cheated because this twist seemed less plausible than the story logic had been up until that point. It's like when you trust a screenwriter because they write so well that you have high expectations, so it's more disappointing when they don't meet them. This twist didn't disappoint me to that extent (like some of those dramas that are perfect but then have terrible, awful endings), but I did feel a little peeved honestly haha
I admit that that's quite the twist, but I'm not wholly convinced. So you're telling me this woman was pushed over a railing and fell one story, cracked her head open and bled out, was dragged to the basement where she stayed overnight and bled some more, then was packed into a zippered-shut suitcase and dropped into a lake, and she still managed to survive? Furthermore, she managed to get out, get medical attention, get enough money for plastic surgery without her husband noticing, get a nurse's certification, and then act like a "normal," non-psychotic person for 20 years (or however long), despite all the staff and patients who surely got on her nerves? She's the kind of person to ruthlessly kill anyone who gets under her skin, but there haven't been any mysterious deaths at this facility?? Also, given how aloof and haughty she was, it's highly unlikely she would have been able to fit in and have a normal rapport with all the staff like she did. Plus, even if she got plastic surgery, she has a completely different facial and bone structure and body type than before. And for the father whose suicide she aided (the one Mun Yeong tried to stab except Gang Tae stopped the knife with his hand), wasn't that in a completely different facility, one back in Seoul? How did she manage to visit him and give him the knife? There's no way she worked there for a bit since she's been at the OK Psychiatric Hospital for ages. Speaking of which, didn't it say Ju Ri and Gang Tae met a year ago at a hospital they both worked at for a bit? But then the director puts her in charge saying she's worked there the longest?? Am I missing something? Maybe there's a high turnover rate in psychiatric hospitals...
Hm I can't disagree with what you're saying because I think it's just a matter of taste -- some people will like the choice and others won't, and I completely understand both points of view. I guess for myself, the reason I liked it was because the details that "weren't important or relevant" helped me more deeply understand and get attached to the characters, the same way Alzheimer's-dream-Hye-Ja would have. I like that we got some slice-of-life events that weren't important but showed a little more personality for these characters.
I'm not sure whether you've heard of the idea that fiction can sometimes be more real than non-fiction, but I feel like that's the case here. Even if fiction is completely made up, the feelings it evokes in the reader/watcher are real, and fiction sometimes does a better job of evoking those feelings than non-fiction does. That's how I feel here. The random anecdotes help reveal depths of the characters you wouldn't normally see and makes you see the characters as more rounded, fleshed-out, "real" characters, possibly the way Hye Ja saw them and felt attached to them.
The moments of Hye Ja shopping and drinking with her friends, even if they weren't relevant to the plot, deepened my affection for and connection to the characters. I really felt for Sang Eun when we heard that she hadn't gotten anything -- a recording deal, or a song, or a debut -- for 10 years. When she finally gets discovered, it was such an amazing feeling, and we could celebrate with her and feel happy for her the way her friends would have.
When Hye Ja's brother gets locked in the trunk and stubbornly stays there just so he isn't left behind on their vacation, to the point where he's even accidentally shipped to Africa, it is not only funny, but also shows you another side of him and his personality. He's that stubborn and sneaky and really hates being left behind.
An episode that really stayed with me from early on and left me laughing so hard I was nearly crying was when he sold his blood for movie tickets that he traded for samgyeopsal that he passed out trying to eat in secret, leading everyone in the neighborhood to think he had attempted suicide. Sure, that didn't have any real bearing on the formal plot, but it showed just how poor they were and how desperate he was for meat and how far he would go, which I think showed a new depth of his character you wouldn't know about otherwise. That anecdotal knowledge of him informs how you view his character throughout the show, and it also informs the relationship he had with Hye Ja, whether he was presenting as her grandson, a stand-in for her actual older brother, or a blend of the two.
Yeah, I think part of it for me is that I just have a real fondness for slice-of-life, especially when they're interesting characters. Plus it helps break out of the typical drama cliches of conflict & resolution, usually helping or with the help of the male lead, all just to deepen the relationship between the leads. Anyway, sorry for rambling on -- I just really loved this show, but totally understand if it didn't resonate for you!