betun

Something in the game's AI and the way it connects to the human subconscious is just plain wrong. Seju, having designed it might know what code and know areas of the game people at JOne don't know about. That may be key to resolution.

You are right. However, a stock arrow swishing sound and intense pain could still be fed directly into the brain. The game is literally controlling the subconscious based on its own algorithm and the user's movement. The person shot will imagine an arrow because that is what he believes an arrow to be. If he has no idea what arrows are, he would imagine a knife or just be bewildered by the pain. It is diabolical, really.

This is probably one of the first dramas in which we are even trying scientific theories which is a compliment to the script.
If Marco or Se Joo obtained beta versions of the lenses as official testers (or clandestinely obtained from J One) it is an explanation but this has to be explicitly stated.
The hijacking of the senses need not be just for sight, it could include all 5 senses and maybe just pain and physical damage are different in 'elimination mode'.
Sensory hijacking actually happen daily in dreams. The eyes are active during sleep and behave just as if objects were in front of it but there are no real objects. This could also happen for other senses. For instance, the information of how an ice cream tastes could be relayed directly to the brain in a dream without actual ice cream touching the tongue.

Good questions, Domi. Hypothesis: Difference is in degrees, the normal game mode simulates reality to an extent with sight, sound and smell etc. simulated but much lesser simulation of pain. So, users feel but not that intensely. The, let's call it, 'elimination mode' once triggered simulates the senses fully. The trigger could be human duels or quests. It may have been inserted maliciously by one of the code writers, (Marco?) or may be due to AI consciousness. While levelling up, Jin Woo was probably playing normal mode with all NPCs but the former human NPC- Cha Hyun Suk.
Once the game is first played or perhaps after the first trigger of elimination mode, the game can access the player's mind and play in any mode. If in server range, it can use new NPCs. If out of server range like in the US, only past human NPCs( or NPCs already in the player's subconsciousness) can be played with. The access to the server is a possible plot hole as electronically the lack of a receiver in the form of the lens would prevent server access. It is inconsistent why Jin Woo could see Cha outside server bounds in the US but couldn't see him in Seoul when the server was shut down.

What do you folks think about my explanation for the plot?

Overall theory: The dying in game would have the same explanation as used in 'The Matrix' movies. When simulated reality is indistinguishable from reality, death in the game kills the mind and the non-functioning of the nervous system kills the body.
Only theory I have for Se Joo's disappearance would be the game using reflection (as used by magicians) to give the illusion of transparency where his physical body was at the Granada station. Since then, he is probably at some hard to reach physical location that is well concealed by optical tricks.

Detailed Explanation: If anyone remembers the original Matrix movie, Keanu Reeves had blood coming from his mouth during fights in the virtual reality of the matrix. The matrix body was not real but the mind made it so. Thus, a limp in real life disappears in game life. The body is strong enough to lift heavy rifles and carry them for hours. The extent of the improvement in physical ability would depend on the coding of the game because the game does physically exhaust the player.

Once the barrier to make the subconscious believe that a non-existent sword exists, shutting down the electrical pathways in the brain that are related to normal functioning and making a person dead is just another step. In fact, the detailing here is even more advanced as effects of bleeding were detected after Cha's death. This effect was probably due to the effect on the neural pathways being identical to a bleeding case and the subsequent organ failures happening the same way. so different game deaths would have different physical ramifications internally; the neural pathways affected and causing death would be different and we can see in the latest case, the effects are like that of a haemorrhage. Non-fatal stabbings or gunshots in-game would trigger the same pain receptors and would feel identical to real ones. Mental pain is not different from physical ones, being heartbroken causes physical pain the same way as from physical impact.

Park Shin-Hye is finally getting some scenes where she is not in tears. Episode 11 certainly is the best she has had in the drama so far. She was very likeable in this. This is the first of hers I have watched and though her character is painfully weak at times, it is believable. I am looking forward to her having more of a place in the script and have a feeling that she will have a part to play in the game.

It was definitely a classy one. Wish the camerawork did not intrude as much but performance-wise it was really good.

No fear, dear sir. No fish were harmed during the making of Episode 11.

Characters like him are also often arrogant in real life. The hostel sucked big time and she deserved some of the feedback she got from Hyun Bin though it is also true that she dissuaded him from staying there. I don't think his character is intolerably arrogant though he is way too aloof generally. Still, that makes his rare emotional connects far more meaningful.

The way i see it, she was shocked and insulted and started crying. This would be far less of an emotional crying scene than one because of long term pain or anguish. Frankly, I saw little reason to cry at all in that context. The crying has less depth to it and so cannot involve intense acting. So, just having tears and looking with an insulted face is enough here.

Ha Ha, I doubt the effects will be limited to Korea

Prudish Thais? Now, that's an oxymoron.

I liked JH a lot too and the ethics of taking a secretary on a potentially lethal mission is dubious as that is not his job role. I think JW did not think the risks through and not till he got separated at the station did he realize it, hence the will being sent then as against before the flight. I fully agree with your views on the stupidity of mass sacrifices of life for one person as I have felt the same myself. I don't think it is the same thing here as JH was added casually as an ally initially and JW refused to add further allies. Furthermore, in case the game truly assumes greater unknown powers over reality, finding the creator is crucial to resolving the intrinsic problems of the game or declaring it a public threat. Even if the server is shut down, someone else at a later date could launch it upon unsuspecting users and cause a crisis of epidemic proportions.

He probably does not want to devote too much time to acting. Till acting (rather than music) becomes a priority , mystery characters work best for him.

I don't think he is dead as that would leave much lesser room for development in the plot as well as no motivation to keep playing. His body has not been found unlike the others. That does not mean that he cannot die at the end of the series as part of some twist but i think they will end that part on a happy note. Just my gut feeling.

Apart from the evolving AI theory that Kate mentioned, the other possibility could be that quests have special rules wherein everything has real world consequences, for instance, rescuing Master would have a real world result.

That is actually a decent theory. AI would be a nice thing to blame upon from a writer's perspective and technically, once the barrier of a virtual sword feeling actual in the hand is broken, the simulation of lethal pain or hurt could be done the same way. the technology involved would be the same.

With the DNA test already having confirmed paternity, I wonder whether there is enough material for that. My own guess is that it will be something new. It might also be something related to Park Shin Hye and Hyun Bin but honestly I am stumped this time.

Hope it doesn't end in extensive bloodbaths like Mr. Sunshine though.

What do you think is 'the amusing story' that the professor heard?