elpis

My only 2 small complaints would be Minaguchi being written as the usual over emotional, impulsive woman character - she was a detective but kept reacting emotions-first in a lot of early episodes jeopardising the team/operation, which was annoying, and the other Hatano shooting Sara - he had already downed Togashi, no point in shooting Sara so that seemed out of place.

For a change, a sequel that largely retains the vibe & quality of the original. I liked the first a bit more as it was more intense but this wasnt half bad. The resolution of the cliffhanger of S1 was reasonably well handled and made sense. A good watch overall

Just here to vent: The build up to the grand reveal about Jae In's true identity to Do Yun's mother just left me rolling my eyes.

I mean someone was already sending specific messages so it was just a matter of time it was done more directly. Do Yun (who should have really known better, knowing his mother) and Jae In spend 2 episodes debating (that too idiotically) about who it could be instead of taking damage control measures like Jae In leaving house. Which - as I've ranted earlier as well - she should have done once the moment she was stabilised in her job. Esp when the DY's mother told her specifically that even just hearing about YL Group is horrifying to her.
So this reveal plotline was a massive writing fail in my eyes. Because of how contrived and predictable the confrontation got set up. I wish the writer has made Jae In's actions less stupid.

Whatever the real "truth" - currently even Ja Young believes she killed Do Hee, so Jae In cosily living in that house once she was stable mentally and financially was just awful and I cannot fault DY's mother. I too would have reacted with horror that someone whose family member killed my daughter is being sheltered by me. I am no saint ; I may not actively hurt them but for sure, will have nothing to do with them.
I am amazed at people saying here about how this is not acceptable - must be cultural, cos i am Asian and I understand DY's mom in this matter(not opposing divorcee bit though!).

I have started FF-ing for the first time in this daily - the noona romance and the Mi Ran re-romance are irritating and yucky (respectively) to me. So skipped large parts.

Mi Ran, ah yes, she continuous to be vicious, vindictive and petty. If she was all that concerned about Jae In living in that house, she would have informed them the moment she found out. But no, she uses it as a revenge card for Ja Young hurting Seung Woo. She continues to be the vilest of them all in my eyes - the evil couple are at least straightforward now about being evil.
Mi Ran will be written to have a redemption arc and I hate the idea of it.

--End rant for the day --

Random reactions to get off my chest:

- YG got her redemption arc - but her requesting Jae In for testimony for her divorce the very next day after continuing to lie and cover about her husband's involvement in the kidnapping shows the level of her selfishness and shamelessness. Had her father not stepped in she would never told the truth. JI is a better person than me in how warmly she talks to YG

- I see no reason why the flashback scene where JI's mother upbraids Se Ri & mother has sympathetic BG music and why JI apologized for her mother. What Se Ri did was objectively harmful and criminal

- I kinda agree with Mi Ran in that the uncle seems to still have a thing for her - he never lets an opportunity go for engaging on a personal level with her despite loudly asking her not to do so

- The punch was unexpected but a welcome nice touch!!!

- JI calls Do Yun's house a sanctuary but the truth will devastate the peace of that house... as the "truth" stands now. Anyone but a kdrama character would feel bad to keep staying on

- Do Yun's mom has sensed his interest in JI - and we are in for the standard kdrama trope of opposition to dating divorcees. It'll "spice up" the romance -Do Yun having to go against not only this objection but also JI being a YL group family member AND the temporary one of being the "killer's" daughter. A disappointing predictable development plotting wise - I expected better of the character, too old fashioned!
As an aside - anyone with eyes in that house could not miss his interest given how explicit he has become in recent episodes, except of course Jae In herself.

- The dementia plotline is to keep the truth from coming out right away but I am irritated by it.

- Aarrgh, noona romance incoming :(

Nearing the half mark so things are starting to get revealed/resolved - albeit in small ways- a good sign in terms of pacing & writing. Jae In outsmarts GC for once, FINALLY YG stands her ground. And finally JI as the new DH designer will have the upper hand.

Mi Ran turning out to be the more infuriating villain than the evil couple wasnt what I'd expected! Despite its flaws I will be missing the drama's characters when its done!

I was reminded of the drama Someday or One Day's early episodes while watching this show. The FL here as well is soaked in grief and melancholy. Very well expressed and brought out.
The sorrow of the unlived life and love , the feelings of guilt and ,longing seep out. I wasnt expecting to but I still got emotionally wrought by what could have been. Like Hee Wan said, they might have had an entirely ordinary relationship ending in a break up but everything so cruelly cut short, no surprise she was trapped. It was good to see Hong Seok point out her selfishness in thinking she alone was hurting and her refusal to move ahead. But I guess deep grief and guilt can do that.

The fantasy elements of what the Grim Reaper did in the last episode to save her made no sense to me so im ignoring that part. That apart - I loved the pacing and the mix of comedy and emotional melo, which was done skillfully so tone shifts didnt feel abrupt. 30 year olds as high school kids always bothers me, but the chemistry managed to make me overlook it.

I picked the drama because of Kim Min Ha (she was decent in Light Shop) and she has done a great job here, but I must say, Gong Myung was outstanding. Lot of small expressions that brought out the character's feelings subtly. The scene I ended up tearing was where Hee Wan apologies to Ram Woo's mother. The loss was so large for both of them.

We seem on track to get a noona romance plot which I'll FF through (YG pisses me off, I dont like noona romances in general).

Mi Ran's character & plot line is interestingly done(strong, assertive, makes selfish choices for own goals but unhappy marriage, pain from loss of son etc) but I really really dislike her, as well as any attempt to humanise her - still i say 'well done' to writer. Similarly, im not sure the mother CJY deserves a redemption arc but that her redemption arc is with Do Hee's mother is an interesting twist I did not forsee but seems obvious in hindsight! How else will there be any reconciliation later unless they get to 'know' each other.

More angst for Jae In incoming. Cant wait to see the smug expression wiped off Se Ri though we are very many episodes away from it- the actor's doing a good job then!!!! I am super curious about the exposer - Seung Woo is who I am thinking for now. Lets wait for more clues.

Oh me too! Unless its a new character altogether (eg. the new designer ?)

My fave romance trope makes an appearance: woman is oblivious that the man is falling for her. Jae In's personal attention is completely on Bo Ram and then the mother and so she's missing the cues. The scene where Do Yun asks Jae In to address him in a more intimate manner (implying closeness) was a nice touch to indicate the shift in him. These are the small nuances that I enjoy in kdramas!

Ah so that's why Do Yun was studying finance courses. So now the stage is set ...lets see if the pace picks up again. Its gotten a bit slow which is natural as the foundation for the revenge is being laid.
The predictable blow up waiting to happen is Do Yun's mom finding out Jae In's identity - obviously Se Ri is going to make that happen. This week? Next week?

Se Ri merrily lying her way through everything without any consequences is getting annoying ,which of course is the point!!

I started this drama, drawn by its plot, late 2024 and finally finished it couple of days ago. I think that tells you how disengaged I was. The dramas has the elements of a good thriller with some interesting cases, but does not work in its entirely. Many reasons - no subtlety(writing & acting), predictable "twists", loud and obvious narrative style, and one-dimensional characters. I finished for Sakai Masato of whom I'm a fan. Serious thriller watchers, avoid.

PS: this possibly provided the seed idea for Taxi Driver 1 (vigilante+pvt prison)

To be fair (to the writer & Jae In), there is a convo in an earlier episode between the doc and her where he asks her to stay on as her "punishment" until he makes up his mind regarding her. That is the reason she is still here. But yes, he should have let her go asap.

I hope the writer has something planned for Jae In's mom as a character. I initially thought she'll add some spice to Jae In's revenge being smarter than Jae In. But she's turning out to be the dumbest and most annoying character, serving absolutely no purpose right now towards any plotline. Her idiocy & entitlement just gets me irritated. I cheered YG for the first time during that breakfast convo.

Glad to see the end of Geum Ja. That character was useful imo - it gave Jae In a way to enter the YL environment unnoticed and observe her "enemies", subsequently allowing her an opportunity to get back in. But happy we didnt suffer her hair for more eps - Jae In looks so chic now!

We are settling into the revenge building phase. The pace is still fast-ish given that the Do Hee household is coming to know of the truth already but not as much as before. Or will they stop the reveal because the mom is genuinely fond of Jae In? We shall know soon!

For me, a major issue with this drama is its lack of snappy/biting dialogue in the confrontation scenes - eg that last scene between Jae In & the aunt should have been more fiery. Similarly the scene where the mother asks Jae In if she regrets ignoring her warnings was also weak. BTW, the mother KILLING someone because of her misunderstanding should have featured in that scene.

Regardless, the mother being shown to be so blase about murdering someone is just baffling, even for a makjang.

At every turn the aunt uses SW as an excuse and acts against basic decency. GC & Seri being outright evil somehow makes me less mad than the aunt's selfish choices! I hope SW turns against her when the truth is revealed. However mad it makes me, I think this is an interesting way for the writer to weave in the mandatory makjang plotline of birth secret.

Yes, the substitution as a plot point was being set up since the beginning but makes no sense. Surely the earlier chairman's inner circle would have attended Jae In's wedding even if it were not a public affair .... so this is silly. But to enjoy/keep watching makjang dramas, one should leave logic at the door.

Jae In could have never pulled off the expose so I didnt think it was her - but who else knows so much AND has the smarts to arrange it?? I cant decide - possibly some character we have not yet met? But the cast list is complete???

Lastly - the drama is yet to hit double digits ratings, but seeing Kopiko make an entrance does tell me its not doing so bad as well 😂

Her really OTT disguise , the attention drawing with the perfume, plus Na Ra almost clocking her - is making me speculate that the intention was to deliberately make Geum Ja so loud that people overlook her physical likeness to polished Jae In. She looks really weird & not sure it passes imo, but i acknowledge the writer's efforts towards making the plotline work by leaning into it. 😂

So her mother does realise her pathetic state but refuses to accept it, instead clinging on to her older ways to feel better.

Whatever the drama gets wrong, I am really really pleased and appreciate that the writer made GC's laptop password protected. In most dramas people just waltz by someone's work computer, open it blithely and get what they want!

Thanks for posting these updates regularly - the drama has been inching upwards gradually; will it reach double digits is the question now. I suppose with the revenge plot kicking off officially and all deaths (hopefully) done with, more people are tuning in.

A fairly decent watch primarily because the FL & the ML were mostly mature and genuinely seemed to cherish each other. Enjoyed Bai Jing Ting's little comedic bits and general acting as well. The FL 's aegyo was a bit forced in places but otherwise she did a fine job. Fortunately, the FL was written as having a distinct character and remains genuinely strong throughout not turning into damsel in distress after a point. Somewhat rare.

Lost interest in the 2nd couple after she pursues him repeatedly despite being rejected - I didnt find it in any way romantic that he doesnt "realise" he likes her. I just skipped thru all their scenes. I did like the 3rd couple - Wang Yang is a charmer; unfortunately their relationship got the least development sadly for me.
Between skipping the 2nd couple and the propaganda police scenes the drama goes by faster!!!!

Finally, we see the beginnings of the revenge plot! Jae In not rushing to confront GC is indeed the first sign that she is evolving from acting thoughtlessly. Poor Do Yun - the dilemma he already was in must be complicated by his mother & niece taking to Jae In. I hope Jae In and Do Yun share info and not work at cross purposes.

The mother being tricked utterly by Gi Chan is somehow the funniest thing. She thinks she's so smart! Despite telling Jae In repeatedly that its all for her, her lack of concern for her daughter shows how terribly self centered she is. Its a surprise Jae In grew up to be such a nice - if a pushover - person. It even funnier that she thinks she has done her daughter a favour when she killed Do Hee, when in fact shes got even that wrong!

The aunt Mi Ran continues to enrage me - what gall to offer money Jae In. I hope she is thoroughly deceived by GC and left with nothing. Seung Woo seems to do nothing except barge into conversations he has no business interfering in. That scene in ep 29 left no doubt who Seung Woo's father is - so if Jae In gets together with DY, her cousin would be her in-law as well!!!!

I would like the pacing to slowdown and dwell on some parts but for a daily its fine. Nothing's new.

Ahhh I hope Eun Ho is not paying the ultimate price for Se Ri's grudge against Jae In.

SPOILER FOR Heaven's Promise : I was so upset when Na Yeon's daughter died I hoped it wont happen here as well....but looks like Eun Ho is gone.
If so, this will be the turning point for Jae In's character. She will - hopefully-stop being so naive &short sighted. That press conference being blocked was something she should have expected as a chaebol's daughter. She can hardly go up against a large company when she has no power of her own. It was also so naive of her to think Se Ri will yield regarding EH after getting her arrested. No judgement of persons, no judgement about situations. Still she has so far lived a life protected from struggle and misfortunes, so its understandable. Hopefully she'll smarten up now.
Will Monday see us bid goodbye to EH? That damn white truck of doom!

Looks increasingly like posters speculating about the aunt and Seung Woo were right - everything she's doing seems to indicate that.
So many betrayals! Now I'm having a tough time choosing the worst one - the Aunt's or YG's!!! Jae In shading YG by saying she was the one wallowing in misery was the perfect comeback.
As I was expecting Jae In is going to live in Do Yun's house and become a quasi/substitute mother to Bo Ram, making it a perfect setting for them to get together!!!!