I am currently re-watching this from the start and noticed one thing: Mrs Yeom's mobility/health problems are very subtly hinted at from the start. You see her painfully getting up from the floor or struggling with her back when the family is in the fields harvesting chilis. It is always Chang Hee who notices her discomfort and he comments a few times, sometimes he just throws her an exasperated or worried look. Mi Jeong usually rushes to help her Mum and Gi Jeong is often oblivious or too lazy to lend a hand. In episode 1 there is a very quick shot of a surgery scar on her knee, a meaningful image relating to a later scene where Chang Hee is the one to decide to take back her artificial knee after cremation and then he buries the artificial joint in earth together with his two friends... I find re-watching very rewarding.
She treated stray cats better than how she treated her son. From the recollection of Dong Seok, imagine being…
I can't wait to see what explanations we are going to see for this weird, unkind behaviour of hers... It's very hard to watch but I would be very surprised if there isn't some kind of twisted reason for her abandonment of her son... I found the two old ladies' behaviour atrocious... They were so obviously unconcerned about the time constraint they must have planned to miss the ferry and to go for breakfast (and a heart-to-heart- chat??) first... I still found their behaviour grating.... Ordering poor Dong-Seok around like a servant.... ;-(
Excellent show. Makes you wonder what really goes on behind closed doors in politics. Can you imagine Trump's White House? The staff must have been scrambling to make up for the president's faux pas all the time... Anyway. This was a very good show - complicated and scary plot, with excellent actors... 10/10 from me!
The actress with Down Syndrome was amazing! Why can't I find her name on the MDL cast list??
It's still not the norm everywhere to have disabled actors play disabled characters in TV and film and I applaud Our Blues for going there! This storyline was very unexpected for me and quite well done. (Apart from some scenes between Park Jung Joon and the disabled sister (can't remember her name, sorry, and as mentioned before - SHE IS NOT LISTED IN THE CAST LIST!), they were a bit cringey and forced since the actor seemed uncomfortable and his main reaction to anything she was saying was to laugh....).
I would like to think that Mr Gu take the money to settle Hyeong Jin (?) gamble debt instead. Before he took out…
I didn't understand this scene at first. The enigmatic phone call, why was he taking money from his stash and what was he going to do with it? Now I think like you: he is going to help and pay off his buddy's debts with the 'Chairman'. That makes most sense.
I am still digesting the last episode and trying to collect my thoughts. First impressions: The last episode was 1 hr 20 min. long but I was never bored and time slipped by unnoticed. I was surprised (and almost disappointed) when the end credits started to roll!!! I honestly got up to check if this was really the end and that 1 . 20 hrs had passed!
The last episode was very true to the entire tone this show had set out from the start: realistic, unshowy, observant but non- judgmental, serene.
I had a few moments of tense anxiety, worrying whether MLN will go the usual way of Kdrama (i.e. dramatic deaths, accidents, deadly illnesses) - but, thankfully, it didn't! (I was sooooo worried for Mr Gu when he went to pick up that coin from the sewer grill..... 😨 I was like " please, please, please.... don't let him be run over by a car and die beautifully and tragically on the street...!!!! "😊) I needn't have worried. The writer of MLN would never have given the characters and the audience such a trite, cheap, boring end!!!
Chang Hee's story was wonderful! I never took too much interest in this character but he is the one who really underwent some fundamental changes throughout the period depicted here. His was a real story arch - maybe a bit too happy-endy in the end (?) - but it was so satisfying to see him sitting in that classroom, finally realising that he had a calling, a talent, something that made him special and that will point the way to him receiving satisfaction from a job that not many people want to and can do.
The actor did an amazing job of portraying his feelings and the slow realisation that he had stumbled by accident right into a classroom where he belonged.
10/10 points. I will re-watch the entire show again to pay more attention to the amazing camera work and other things I did not notice watching it for the first time.
He will be homeless because he will be kicked out by the chairman bec of his alcoholism..
Yep, reading your comment, that's plausible... It could be a very clever, difficult, long-term plan executed by Gu! So Gu lets himself go and drinks like a fish somewhat on purpose so that he will be fired or abandoned by his boss. When Gu is no longer of use to his boss, neglects his duties, makes mistakes, maybe he will finally be let go of and liberated from the loan-sharking world....
If only Gu's liver will hold out until this plan comes to fruition..!!. It would also explain why it took him almost 2 years to contact MJ again! This plan would take some time to develop and work... And we have already seen the 'Chairman' gave him a (worried?) pep talk about his drinking problem, so we might be close to the point where Gu is no longer useful to him ...... and then he would be *free*.
When Gu said that he had always been “one”, as compared to “many”, it made me think that Gu knew how alone…
Great interpretation and thoughts! Thank you - I never have that many ideas or insights into the characters. That's why I love reading other's comments here. They provide so much food for thought!
Maybe i'm weird but i genuinely dont find this show depressing. I know for sure that there are a lot of parallels…
Totally agree with you! I was at first a bit surprised and deflated seeing that apart from a change in location, not much has changed to the positive in the siblings' lives. (Apart from Mi-Jeong, she seems much happier and smiles a lot more than we saw before...)
Then I thought, yes, this is brilliant, and exactly how real life usually plays out. People change jobs, partners and countries in the hope of escaping something - the mundanity of life, a horrible colleague, financial strife - only to discover that things won't magically change because "everywhere you go, there you are." (i.e. you are always taking your emotional baggage with you and have to confront your problems/issues, no matter where you go) The screenwriter behind this show is a genius with a lot of insight into the human condition.
Maybe i'm weird but i genuinely dont find this show depressing. I know for sure that there are a lot of parallels…
Totally agree with you! I was at first a bit surprised and deflated seeing that apart from a change in location, not much has changed to the positive in the siblings' lives. (Apart from Mi-Jeong, she seems much happier and smiles a lot more than we saw before...)
Then I thought, yes, this is brilliant, and exactly how real life usually plays out. People change jobs, partners and countries in the hope of escaping something - the mundanity of life, a horrible colleague, financial strife - only to discover that things won't magically change because "everywhere you go, there you are." (i.e. you are always taking your emotional baggage with you and have to confront your problems/issues, no matter where you go) The screenwriter behind this show is a genius with a lot of insight into the human condition.
Hated the potrayal of stray animals and how they demonized them for the story and normalized, that abondoned pets…
I can sympathise with you. I thought those dogs were beautiful, looked like German shepard dogs, there was a lovely white one... But, I also live in a country where there are next to no stray dogs, so I have no idea how dangerous they are.
I loved the fact that Mr Gu seemed to care for them, however! Fed them and provided a sun shade.
But he just abandoned them, apparently without regret when he left for Seoul.... (Just like the Yeom family) So did he really care or not?
I do believe the writer inserted that name change with a specific purpose. 1st, as you pointed out, the topic…
Maybe this is just to show Gu' s callous side when he is back in his life as club manager in Seoul. In his Seoul life, he is 'bad' - uncaring, bossy , calling his subordinate by any name that comes into his mind.
He is unlikely to have shown this side of his character in Sanpo, where he and his life was 'good'.
I do believe the writer inserted that name change with a specific purpose. 1st, as you pointed out, the topic…
What you wrote is very interesting. To be honest I didn't get what this name change was all about. Found it very odd that Gu just shouts out any name and his underling comes running...
I thought it's more an expression of power - the guys' position is so low and insignificant, his superiors cannot even be bothered to remember or bother about his name...
But it's still a weird scenario... I'm still puzzled ....
This movie was on TV last night in my country and I nearly missed it. Beautiful, moving story with brilliant, unshowy, understated acting by the two main protagonists. 9 points from me. Highly recommended!
Wow! That is some complicated stuff...I don't reckon it's that difficult to follow the timeline as I remember…
I can't wait to see how things actually played out, how the siblings moved to Seoul and finally left Dad/liberated themselves from their stifling childhood home. Will they live together just like Tae Hoon and his two sisters after his divorce or will they have moved in with partners or ...?
K-Drama 
Mrs Yeom's mobility/health problems are very subtly hinted at from the start. You see her painfully getting up from the floor or struggling with her back when the family is in the fields harvesting chilis. It is always Chang Hee who notices her discomfort and he comments a few times, sometimes he just throws her an exasperated or worried look.
Mi Jeong usually rushes to help her Mum and Gi Jeong is often oblivious or too lazy to lend a hand.
In episode 1 there is a very quick shot of a surgery scar on her knee, a meaningful image relating to a later scene where Chang Hee is the one to decide to take back her artificial knee after cremation and then he buries the artificial joint in earth together with his two friends...
I find re-watching very rewarding.
I found the two old ladies' behaviour atrocious... They were so obviously unconcerned about the time constraint they must have planned to miss the ferry and to go for breakfast (and a heart-to-heart- chat??) first...
I still found their behaviour grating.... Ordering poor Dong-Seok around like a servant.... ;-(
Anyway. This was a very good show - complicated and scary plot, with excellent actors...
10/10 from me!
What a cast! Choi Min Shik and Son Suk Ku.....
I'm already intrigued...
Why can't I find her name on the MDL cast list??
It's still not the norm everywhere to have disabled actors play disabled characters in TV and film and I applaud Our Blues for going there! This storyline was very unexpected for me and quite well done. (Apart from some scenes between Park Jung Joon and the disabled sister (can't remember her name, sorry, and as mentioned before - SHE IS NOT LISTED IN THE CAST LIST!), they were a bit cringey and forced since the actor seemed uncomfortable and his main reaction to anything she was saying was to laugh....).
Now I think like you: he is going to help and pay off his buddy's debts with the 'Chairman'. That makes most sense.
[only joking]
First impressions:
The last episode was 1 hr 20 min. long but I was never bored and time slipped by unnoticed. I was surprised (and almost disappointed) when the end credits started to roll!!! I honestly got up to check if this was really the end and that 1 . 20 hrs had passed!
The last episode was very true to the entire tone this show had set out from the start: realistic, unshowy, observant but non- judgmental, serene.
I had a few moments of tense anxiety, worrying whether MLN will go the usual way of Kdrama (i.e. dramatic deaths, accidents, deadly illnesses) - but, thankfully, it didn't!
(I was sooooo worried for Mr Gu when he went to pick up that coin from the sewer grill..... 😨 I was like " please, please, please.... don't let him be run over by a car and die beautifully and tragically on the street...!!!! "😊)
I needn't have worried. The writer of MLN would never have given the characters and the audience such a trite, cheap, boring end!!!
Chang Hee's story was wonderful!
I never took too much interest in this character but he is the one who really underwent some fundamental changes throughout the period depicted here. His was a real story arch - maybe a bit too happy-endy in the end (?) - but it was so satisfying to see him sitting in that classroom, finally realising that he had a calling, a talent, something that made him special and that will point the way to him receiving satisfaction from a job that not many people want to and can do.
The actor did an amazing job of portraying his feelings and the slow realisation that he had stumbled by accident right into a classroom where he belonged.
10/10 points.
I will re-watch the entire show again to pay more attention to the amazing camera work and other things I did not notice watching it for the first time.
So Gu lets himself go and drinks like a fish somewhat on purpose so that he will be fired or abandoned by his boss. When Gu is no longer of use to his boss, neglects his duties, makes mistakes, maybe he will finally be let go of and liberated from the loan-sharking world....
If only Gu's liver will hold out until this plan comes to fruition..!!. It would also explain why it took him almost 2 years to contact MJ again! This plan would take some time to develop and work... And we have already seen the 'Chairman' gave him a (worried?) pep talk about his drinking problem, so we might be close to the point where Gu is no longer useful to him ...... and then he would be *free*.
Thank you - I never have that many ideas or insights into the characters. That's why I love reading other's comments here. They provide so much food for thought!
I was at first a bit surprised and deflated seeing that apart from a change in location, not much has changed to the positive in the siblings' lives.
(Apart from Mi-Jeong, she seems much happier and smiles a lot more than we saw before...)
Then I thought, yes, this is brilliant, and exactly how real life usually plays out. People change jobs, partners and countries in the hope of escaping something - the mundanity of life, a horrible colleague, financial strife - only to discover that things won't magically change because "everywhere you go, there you are."
(i.e. you are always taking your emotional baggage with you and have to confront your problems/issues, no matter where you go)
The screenwriter behind this show is a genius with a lot of insight into the human condition.
I was at first a bit surprised and deflated seeing that apart from a change in location, not much has changed to the positive in the siblings' lives.
(Apart from Mi-Jeong, she seems much happier and smiles a lot more than we saw before...)
Then I thought, yes, this is brilliant, and exactly how real life usually plays out. People change jobs, partners and countries in the hope of escaping something - the mundanity of life, a horrible colleague, financial strife - only to discover that things won't magically change because "everywhere you go, there you are."
(i.e. you are always taking your emotional baggage with you and have to confront your problems/issues, no matter where you go)
The screenwriter behind this show is a genius with a lot of insight into the human condition.
I loved the fact that Mr Gu seemed to care for them, however! Fed them and provided a sun shade.
But he just abandoned them, apparently without regret when he left for Seoul.... (Just like the Yeom family)
So did he really care or not?
In his Seoul life, he is 'bad' - uncaring, bossy , calling his subordinate by any name that comes into his mind.
He is unlikely to have shown this side of his character in Sanpo, where he and his life was 'good'.
Thus: Seoul Gu = bad
Sanpo Gu = good
I thought it's more an expression of power - the guys' position is so low and insignificant, his superiors cannot even be bothered to remember or bother about his name...
But it's still a weird scenario... I'm still puzzled ....