latteholic

I'm getting Miss Korea vibes from Lee Mi Sook's role here, and I'm all for it! :D

He is North Korean and likely pro unification since his family still lives in the North. That makes him more personally invested in reunification and makes Mun Ju’s peace speech personal for him, not just political. On top of that, the show frames Mun Ju as someone with a natural pull. Even her MIL points out she has a certain charm that draws people in. So I interpret it as on top of her charm, she also represents an ideal he quietly hopes for, and he's trying to protect that ideal.

From her side, she saw him save her from being shot. After that, he didn’t pursue her, she was the one who grew curious about the man who saved her and went looking for him, even when the police warned he was shady (I think he said his plan is to make her think it's her idea to make him her bodyguard?). He’s also staying at the church her husband often visited, and he seems to be trusted by the pastor her husband also trusted. That adds another layer of familiarity and makes him less of a stranger in her eyes.

I'd like to say she’s good at reading people’s intentions since she's a seasoned diplomat, but the scene with the President kinda cancels that out, lol.

I don't think Mun Ju was being stupid when she handed the letter to the president. Ep1 shows they were close, and both were pro unification, so she expected support. The twist is seeing the president flip and use her husband's death as political leverage instead of helping her investigate it.

1. Bad guys show up easily --> I think generally, political thrillers often show you the villain early. The tension is in how dangerous they are once revealed.
2. Motive out by ep2 --> I think that's deliberate. The submarine plot and possible war are the backdrop. The real drama is how each side maneuvers now that we know the stakes.
3. Mun Ju making mistakes --> I think it's important to remember that she is a diplomat, not a spy. Her forte is negotiation, but she is out of her depth in survival mode (despite being very fit). The mistakes make her human, not weak.
4. No mystery left --> I disagree. We still don't know who the client is, who ordered the assassination, or why. Was it just because her husband knew about the US attack plan, or is it part of a bigger setup? The mystery is less "who pulled the trigger" and more about motives, cover ups, and power plays, and I think that is still wide open (unless I miss something?)
5. She trusts ML too fast --> I get that, but I don't think it's blind faith. She is targeted and followed around, and he’s the one keeping her alive/helping her escape. Survival speeds up trust.
6. Random dialogue --> Fair point. Some lines are clunky, but it’s mostly just exposition to set up the political context. Messy, but it gets the point across.
7. The letters are everywhere --> True, I also thought Anderson told him to burn it, lol. But really, it's only been shown to 2 people so far: the pastor and the teacher/author. Mun Ju showed it to the president, who, as she said herself, is a seasoned politician. She could already read the situation and had intel pointing to a US attack and possible war after Jun Ik’s assassination without seeing the letter.

I think the "flat" emotion is intentional. Mun Ju isn't the type to break down. She’s a diplomat who compartmentalizes, and I think the show leans into that. Her restraint is about survival in politics.

Jun Ik's stance was anti unification, but I think he also didn't want war on the Korean peninsula. You can be against unification and still oppose a reckless US attack. His death looks less like him changing sides and more like him becoming inconvenient to both camps once he knew too much.

My understanding is that Mun Ju is pro unification. But when Madam President (the country's most powerful person and well known as pro unification too) used her husband's death as political leverage, Mun Ju saw the truth. If the president wouldn't expose the cover up, she would have to take power herself and become president. The show is about peace ideals collide with cold political games when nuclear war and foreign powers are involved.

I get where you're coming from, but I think part of the disconnect is in expectations. If you go in looking for a mystery whodunnit, it can feel frustrating. But the summary makes it clear this is a political thriller. I'll put my response to your points in a spoiler so it won't ruin things for others

I don’t think it’s just about the assets. Munju mentioned that her MIL had been preparing her son to become president for decades, only for him to end up assassinated. So I feel it's also about the MIL's ambition and all the work she put in going to waste. The assets matter, sure, but by giving up the assets, it also showed the MIL just how committed Munju was to pursuing the presidency.

Maybe he said yes since it’s just 9 episodes? Much easier on the time front...

She literally just lost her husband, so jumping into another relationship right away would be kinda awkward. That said, I think I squeed a bit too much at the train scene, iykyk, lol, and at the little moments: him putting an arm around her shoulders to get her away or touching her face... Honestly, I wouldn't mind if they only get together at the end, the romantic tension is half the fun.

And maybe it’s just me, but I'm loving the MIL + DIL dynamic. Didn’t expect the MIL to back her after ep 1, but the way ep 3 opened with those two women teaming up to make things happen was so fun to watch.

Binged all 3 eps after work and I'm in! Unpopular opinion, but I like that it's only 9 episodes, hopefully that keeps the story tight. My only worry is if they push the romance too fast....

Admittedly, I kinda hesitated to start this because Twelve's first episode showed me that a great cast and fun premise don't always make a drama enjoyable. But the initial impression for this seems promising, so I'm letting myself get my hopes up. Can't wait to binge the first 3 episodes tonight and over the weekend...

This premise is straight up Black Mirror level shit. Just finished the first 2 episodes and I’m kinda hooked. Aside from some inconsistencies, it's thought provoking and unsettling in the best way so far.

The one from last week, when KJK announced that he’s getting married.

Thanks! So he only shows up in a photo... no wonder I missed it!

I agree. It makes more sense to let viewers rate only the episodes they've seen (like what MDL has now in episode guide) so others can get a sense of the initial impression. Then those who finish the entire drama can provide the overall rating. i.e. like how Storygraph doesn't give star rating to books marked as DNF.

I don’t think episode ratings actually change the overall score. Like, ep 1 has 8.9 and ep 2 has 9.4, so you’d expect the drama’s score to be higher than 7.8. But that 7.8 is just the overall rating. I guess MDL wanted people to rate each episode for first impressions and reactions, but in reality most folks just rate the whole thing, even if they only watch 1 or 2 episodes and drop it. I remember Mask Girl getting dragged down that way, since some people thought the theme was too dark or didn’t like certain 18+ scenes.

Yeah, at this point it’s probably better just to block and move on. No sense giving them the reaction they’re fishing for 🙂. I'm doing that now...

Jang Dong Yoon Running Man episode put this drama on my radar, and I didn’t realize it had the same director as Black Out until No Sang Cheol made a cameo! I also just found out that Byun Yo Han had a cameo too, but I skimmed through Ep 1 again and didn’t see him...?

Thanks for that info! Yeah, I haven’t been watching the show regularly since Gary left, when it used to be my Sunday variety show along with 1N2D. I watched some episodes here and there before JSM left, but I don’t think I’ve watched a single one since, now that I think of it.… I didn’t even know that Kang Hoon was a rental member until I checked the cast list again. lol. But I’ve been catching a few episodes back, and I’ve enjoyed seeing Choi Daniel’s interaction with the members, his welcome episode was really fun!

KJK’s wedding announcement episode brought me here because I wanted to check if Choi Daniel is actually a new member (I stopped watching RM religiously after Gary left). And apparently he is (even if it’s just "temporary")!

Anyway, I’m just happy KJK is finally tying the knot! No more nagging him about it!

Maybe we define "sympathetic portrayal" a little differently because I think I've seen you in Rebel Thief discussion :), but I loved how RTWSTP made him layered without sugarcoating. Same for Jang Noksu (huge credit to Kim Ji Suk and Lee Hanee). He was awful, esp in those last two years, but you also see what pushed him over the edge, by the end I still felt a little bad for him, and for Jang Noksu too.