interregnum

I'm mostly here for Oh Na-ra, but whoever this Jennie character is has real star potential.

Ha! The"HOW??????" cracked me up. Very good.

But, yeah, I agree. Definitely a "don't think about it" ending. Based on what we see, she remains Mong-woo forever so that they can have their relationship remain unburdened by the rules and responsibilities of her being a wife or concubine...and we take it on faith that all the power-hungry baddies are gone and so there will be no rumors that the king is cavorting with a chick dressed as a dude which would be a major problem except no one will say anything so it's fine.

Heh, if I've learned one thing about communicating on the internet, it's that you either need to be very pithy or need to make sure you say as much about your thought as you can in as clear a way as possible. So, if I came off as sane in my previous post, then that's a great relief. (And, on that subject: back atcha!)

So, as for the bulk of our discussion...I don't think I agree with you--or, rather, I think I do agree but also don't: I think we're mostly expressing the same things in a literal sense but assigning notably different significance to them.

For example: yes, Hye-won absolutely wants Hwi-hyun to chase after her (like he indicated he wanted to) regardless of whether or not she's giving him the time of day. I think she's doing this because she's still upset over how he dumped her, and it's expressing itself as needing him to really show her that he genuinely understands his affection for her--which is the excuse he had used to break up with her. Whether this is reasonable or not to put into practice, I think the feeling is completely legitimate. I don't think she's wrong to want this from him--because I think she wants to...how do I put it...not quite rekindle a relationship with him, but to pick up where things were and play them out more satisfyingly, whether that be a continuation of their romance or a more acceptable ending to it, one that makes more sense than "I don't know what love is" and--importantly--isn't based on their situations forcing/"forcing" them apart.

Again, I don't know that this is something she can put into practice--but, if she were to give it the best possible try, she'd have to sit him down and explain the whole thing plainly and directly...and I think it's clear she's both too hurt/angry and too passive? unsure of herself? to be that objective and rational about it. (To say nothing of how it is only now, after the reveal of the exes, that they could have comfortably carve out time to have this kind of conversation.)

Which is why I'd say you're right that a lot of Hye-won's interactions with Hwi-hyun (that we see, of course) are outward facing and skew neutral to negative: her core feeling is heartache, and she can't express it well or directly, so she keeps asking him emotional questions thinking he's going to understand what she's really trying to get across. "Why are you doing XYZ?" is her trying to seek reassurance that she can let herself like him, that she can trust his feelings. She wants to tell him how she feels, but she's hedging, hoping for a clear indicator that it's safe to reveal. Which is not ideal. And it only gets worse or harder to do the more frustrated she gets, and it's spilling out now that she feels like she doesn't have to worry about hiding conversations from everyone else.

(SIDEBAR: this is a silly example to point to, but it might be a good analogy: when Hye-won was alone with Dong-jin after texts in Ep 13, she asks him how his text message to her managed to be the perfect response to the one she sent him...but she initially asks, "Did you get my text?" People do this kind of thing all the time, asking questions that lack the necessary information to convey the actual question, and then have to follow it up with an explanation or a reworded version of the question that actually asks what they want to ask. I see much of her chatting with Hwi-hyun done in this way.)

Again, Ep 13 was a bad look for my girl, and it's the first time I've felt like she was in the wrong rather than just a part of a difficult situation. And, in the end, I think Hwi-hyun--perhaps only because he wanted things wrapped up so he could sleep--managed to both drag a little bit more of the truth out of her and come up with a solution (if that's the right word for it) that will probably be best for resolving things. To his credit--though he did it in the most roundabout and ambiguous way he could.

Because, and this is the other point we clearly see differently, I don't think Hwi-hyun's just being considerate of the other party's feelings, hoping not to burden them. I think he's too nervous or passive or unconfident to make moves unless he's given the okay--essentially, looking for what Hye-won is looking for, but coupled with a fear of being the bad guy by making his feelings known. That is, we know he's only interested in Seo-kyung, but he is afraid to make that clear--not just to Seo-kyung (though, Hye-won gave him a (backhanded?) assist with that one), but to Sang-jeong and Hye-won. He's afraid of making himself vulnerable to rejection, sure, but he also doesn't want to reject the other girls. None of which is a wrong feeling to have, but it is definitely a problem in this setting. (And probably other settings, too, but we don't typically find ourselves in love quadrangles, so I think it's fair to consider this an exceptional circumstance.) There's a way to be honest without being the bad guy, even if the other person gets hurt. And there's a way to express being unsure without being vague. He's not doing either of those things. (And, dammit, Dong-jin--get in there and sway Hye-won! Help us all out!)

(SIDEBAR: As a comparison, I'm not a Yu-jung fan--not because I think she's a bad person or anything like that, but because she's consistently been unconcerned with the romantic feelings of the other contestants. Is this a bad trait? No--or, rather, in real life it's more than fine: she has no obligation to the romantic interests of people she doesn't have romantic feelings for. You keeps those doors shut, Yu-jung! As a part of the show? Don't love it.)

(FURTHER SIDEBAR: Sang-jeong is awesome, and I'm still mad that no one likes her.)

Now, all of that said, I think it is INSANE that people would be mad enough at Hwi-hyun (or Hye-won (or, heck, even Kwang-tae)) to want to attack him online. Criticize? Of course. Criticize passionately? Sure. But there's a clear line between, "I think this 'character' on this reality show did a stupid thing and here's why" and "This person is ugly and I'm going to figuratively hurl tomatoes at his head for being the worst person who's ever lived." And that people can't distinguish between the two...well, that takes us back to sane communication on the internet, doesn't it.

Though, admittedly, Seo-kyung being like, "You know the internet is going to come for me by comparing me to a pop star, you jerk!" was pretty funny.

But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong.

So, just to clarify, part of your defense of Hwi-hyun is that he’s not the kind of guy to give a definite yes or no to pursuing someone...but Hye-won is “gaslighting” him by telling him that he’s being wishy-washy and that it upsets her.

I’m not saying Hye-won came off looking good after the text messages in Ep 13 (because she definitely did not—and I love Hye-won), but I don’t think it’s fair to say that one person is allowed to be ambiguous but the other is not. If it’s okay for him to not purely pursue or reject the girls (including Hye-won), then it’s okay for her to not commit to either choice as well. It’s unproductive, sure, but it’s still a valid choice.

Now, her problem is that she’s trying to get him to commit in one direction or another and isn’t accepting the fact that he isn’t going to give her what she wants. She started the show still hurt by (and angry at him for) their breakup, but she was also very clearly only doing the show because she had unresolved feelings. So, after their conversation at the cafe, she assumed Hwi-hyun was going to pursue her directly...and he didn’t. He gave an ambiguous try—and then went in other directions (which he’s allowed to do). This is why we get the whole “why did he bring me here?” crying session. She initially paid attention to the other boys (which she’s allowed to do), which was not encouraging for Hwi-hyun—and she definitely wasn’t giving him anything to work with in the pre-show meeting. But he also gave up at the first sign that she was going to be difficult to woo...and then immediately became ambiguous when she started drifting towards him.

Again, she’s not going to get what she wants. And to keep going after him like she was in Ep 13 (especially in the middle of the night!) makes her the “bad guy” for this particular battle of their war. But neither of them can communicate with the other, and with the exception of that one time they texted each other at the end of the night, they have not been on the same page at all for the whole run of the show. There’s blame aplenty for both of them, and until one or both of them admits it’s not going to change (and maybe a date is the thing that will do it, who knows), they’re just going to spiral into a less explosive Hee-doo/Na-yeon situation—and no one wants that.

Hoo-boy...Episode 13 got real Season 2 real fast.

No--or, at least, not to us. Which is either a very bad sign or something that's going to be more relevant to the story if they show it later.

Yeah, there is certainly the question of what our shady seonbae was really up to, this whole time. I mean, he was seated pretty much with the gangsters at the trial, and I don't think it was just to be a potential red herring for when the cops came in to arrest the dead girl's uncle. (Unless, as you say, we're just in for filler for the next 6 episodes. Which, if it's cute dating stuff, I will enjoy...while also wondering why thr murder plot was even there to begin with.)

Just want to give a little shine to the editing decisions for S3. I'm really enjoying these little three-episode arcs the season seems to be breaking itself into. I think it makes the overall slower pace and less-dynamic turns of the season feel fresh and engaging. Well done, production.

Now, if we could just tighten things up a bit by editing out anytime Kwang-tae is on screen, I think we'd really be humming.

Technically, he wasn't strictly in line for the throne, though the whole mess with his son not officially being named the brother's heir muddies things. But our guy was commanded by the dying king to make sure his son--who had previously not been made his official heir--be crowned king. Since he instead declared himself king, assuming the throne was usurpation.

The part I'm a little hazy on is whether or not he took the throne with a plan for the son to eventually be king or just for himself. He feels guilty, per his talk with Mong-woo, but if he is a usurper for non-selfish reasons, his explanation of his guilt (the "you'd spit on me" part) doesn't really make sense. That Mong-woo is the one to tell him his taking the throne was all in service of his brother's wish for his son, confused me, because our guy didn't seem like he'd considered that prior to, well, recent events if not that exact conversation. Which, if true, would mean he took the throne solely for himself, which would make him even more pointedly a usurper.

That's a good assessment: we've either been told too much or not told enough--that is, the story would be better served either hiding more of (for example) the king's POV so that Mong-woo's journey of discovery (of what thr king is really up to) could be our own, or showing us everything so that the drama is focused around the tragedy of both sides working off of assumptions about being in conflict when they might not be.

I mean, Mong-woo's revenge scheme is still stupid (and/or poorly explained), but that's a separate issue.

Oh, I know that YJ and SK are #1 and #2 on the looks department--I'm just surprised that all of the boys are still so gripped as to not have drifted from that initial pull: unless it's been edited to hell, YJ is pretty clearly shying away from showing interest in most of the boys; and SK's all over the place and confusing. Meanwhile, there's a literal kpop idol, a girl made of personality, and an introspective cutie, all of whom get overshadowed even after good dates. I get that romantic interest doesn't run on pure logic, but...certainly from my couch, these seeming also-rans look like way better options than the other two. (Though, admittedly, if all the other dating shows I've watched have taught me anything, I'm being wildly naive.)

Yes! Taking that info card (as if no one else could need it). Using her perfume...

Man, they are really keeping us off-balance, this season. It's both brilliant and infuriating.

Hye-won remains my number one girl, and I continue to be heartbroken that the boys don't see how great she is...but I'm going to need to be shown the math on why Sang-jeong hasn't wormed her way into everyone's heart. (Like, I can make an argument that Da-hye and Hye-won were giving off "still love my ex" vibes, at first, so the guys were turning away from that, but when has Sang-jeong been anything but a firecracker of charm?)

Hey, I'm with you: pound for pound, Yu-jung is probably the bottom of the pack for the ladies, as things stand--yes, because the men being stupid (which is not her fault) makes for bad TV, but also because she's been so unconcerned with how the others feel (what you not inaccurately called haughtiness) when she makes her decisions. Is that the wrong way to approach things? Not technically--but it doesn't look as good on screen to be as...particular as she is, as decisively closed off to the guys as she's been, however normal and non-controversial it would be for her to do so in real life.

She's nowhere near as bad as Kwang-tae, though, who needs to be voted out of the house.

I’m not sure I understood what this movie was going for—potentially because I’m not sure the movie knew what it was going for. I didn’t need it to just give me live people doing the anime adaptation, but I was hoping it would give me...something. Very disappointing, regardless of anything else I could say.

LOL--yeah, I guess that's an explanation for her whole bag. A little less of an explanation for why the writer thinks we should buy literally any of it, but her being crazy would certainly explain why she thinks doing what she's doing makes a lick of sense. (Small example: antagonizing Court Lady Dong is such an obvious mistake that will only come back to bite her--which would be a totally believable mistake for her to make out of romantic jealousy...but will the writer have it boomerang back on her like itnshould or let it pass because Mong-woo has protagonist powers?)

Oh, yeah, the "she's a dude" aspect requires a good amount of disbelief suspension, especially after the time jump (and especially-especially after dozens of people are made aware of "him"), but the interesting casting choice is probably the least difficult thing to get past. As many people have pointed out, the revenge scheme STARTS on wobbly legs and has only gotten less sure-footed with time. And the issues just cascade out from there. (...unless it involves our leads desperately trying not to kiss each other, in which case I can't hear the silliness over the absolute crackling of chemistry.)

The envoy from Qing who played budak against Mong-woo.

After 10 episodes, I think it's safe to say this show is cruising on the strength of the romance and getting a pass on the silliness of its plot. I've been rolling my eyes and throwing my hands up in disbelief at pretty frequent intervals...but dammit if I don't fall for the longing stares the leads give each other every time.

I initially thought I was still feeling residual anger at Single's Inferno 3 and being oversensitive about KT being nothing but "moves," but it turns out my instincts were right. He's probably the only one in the house I wish we didn't have to deal with. (...but I'm happy to spend the rest of the show watching DJ and HW slowly realize how broadly they're smiling about each other.)