lilili

Team Thyme, I'm > 30 and I think you're on to something with the age thing from what I've seen.

FWIW, this is the only version where I'm wholeheartedly team Male Lead. I had second lead syndrome so bad with the Korean version it's not even funny. I did love Jerry Yan's performance in MG 2001 but he was so violent I couldn't really ship him with the FL.

It won't be until the last week of Feb because we're having trouble getting everyone's schedule together. But we'll be about halfway through the show at that point so we'll have lots to talk about!

But the shirt is also red which is the color Thyme wears whenever he's expressing love for Gorya (the family dinner scene and the scene where he rescues her from bullies) so it's showing her mixed emotions.

Amazingly she loves F4T which really speaks to what an incredible job the writers are doing with this adaptation.

We did a podcast episode on Korean Boys Over Flowers that is our most popular by a mile (half our listens are from that one episode and that was true before F4T dropped). And in that episode we got deep into how the story is about how women who desire men reconcile that desire with the fact that the man they love is also the most likely to assault and/or kill them. I think you're right that it's a bit sublimated in this version because they are working hard on Thyme's redemption arc but it's still very much present. It's the same reason Twilight was such a massive hit despite being soul crushingly awful in some ways.

The understanding I got from the monologue is that Mira didn't break up with him, he left because he realized he couldn't be part of her world or help her in any way. So she didn't reject him, he stepped aside and made room for the man who could be fully a part of her future. Which means Mira stays gold and Ren becomes even more tragic, sob.

Your whole comment is brilliant but pulling out a couple of points:

"She will be the ‘collateral damage’ if it all goes wrong, not him" <<< Did you notice in the first scene the mother (and Tia!) refer to Gorya as collateral? It's chilling. She's right to be hesitant.

"Accepting that he’s not just bothering her, that she actually does like him, would imply accepting those parts within her that want him despite the danger he poses to her, and she’s still in denial. This is all very coming of age, sexual awakening, and I love it." <<< I love it too, so much. This has always been the core of the story.

I had the same question but someone pointed out to me that when she's looking for Ren she goes to the rooftop and when she was in the cafeteria area for the first time it was with Thyme.

One of my podcast partners just said this and I think she nailed it: If the badger is Thyme, it's showing us that even though he's trying to be softer, he's still got an edge that wounds her.

I rewatched the episode before reading your comment and that's when I noticed the line about her saying she wants to go on the double date and that does seem to be less pressure than an "F4 date" so I'm coming around on that scene.

You are right about the physical threat and I've always said that a huge part of HYD is women grappling with the reality of male violence. Like how do you deal with being a woman who loves and sexually desires men and yet the person you love is the person most likely to assault and kill you (statistically speaking). That's been backgrounded a bit in F4T until this latest episode. I do not blame Gorya for being conflicted, not one bit. Her monologue at the zoo cut with scenes from the brutal Ep 1 bullying is an incredible illustration of why.

But I'm still struggling with the pinprick and blood and exactly what's being communicated there.

Question: What do you think was the significance of Gorya pricking herself and drawing blood when she was punching the plushie that Thyme bought for her at the zoo? I wasn't quite sure what the show was trying to say there.

BTW, my podcast partner thinks the plushie is a honey badger and if that isn't the same energy as Thyme omg

I don't want to respond to every comment you've made, just saying I agree with everything you're saying

How very dare you. Mismatched prints, fanny packs and khakis are the height of fashion (says Thyme)

When Ren said he would go on the date if Thyme didn't want to, ugh. How about some loyalty to your friend?

I know! Especially when they had this fantastic dialogue at the zoo with flashbacks to the first bullying scene in ep 1: "I used to think that you're becoming a better person. But it's a false hope. You know why? Because you're still the same. And I hate this kind of person." So why not frame it as I want to believe this guy is better but I have doubts instead of her saying she went on the date to avoid trouble? Ugh.

So I went back to the episode and this exchange between Gorya and Kaning bothered me so much, it's upsetting me. It's so uncool and unnecessary to write the date this way. Women shouldn't feel pressured to go out with men to avoid trouble wtf.

Gorya: I wanted to say no [to the date with Thyme]. But I could imagine a world of headaches that follows. If I say no there'll be more trouble from him.

Kaning: You should just go out and get it over with.

Ep 7 preview is out but no English subs yet sob https://youtu.be/HYYvpQLpREQ

The mother says "Make sure everything is put back in its rightful place" and in ep 1 Thyme tells Gorya "Things that are not placed correctly need to be disposed of." I loved that parallel and what it says about Mama Paramanantra's values and how Thyme is evolving away from them.

I adored Thyme in this episode which made the whole pressuring/forcing thing even more upsetting. I have such high expectations for the show's writing at this point that I feel incredibly let down when they miss the mark.