lilili

I have a slightly different interpretation of that scene. I think Thyme IS capable of hurting Gorya and he knows it. He's able to stop himself in that scene but next time? Maybe not. It's the horror of understanding where things will lead if he doesn't stop himself that leads to the change. I think the message to take away is not omg he loves her so much he could never hurt her. No! He is 100% capable of hurting her and is desperately trying to get off that road, hence denouncing violence at the end.

Meteor Garden 2001 is set at a university

Your comment literally gave me chills, esp that last part about the war to take his rightful place as King. And it's not just taking his place as King but being the righteous ruler, the person who justly wields his power and doesn't abuse others. He is in a fight with his mother for his own humanity and it's compelling. I've never been invested in the ML's journey in any other version but in this one I am 100% invested in this character and I want to see him succeed.

I think it helps if you see the story as a metaphor for all women who are attracted to and want to partner with men. Because the reality is that it's kind of crazy that any woman would want to be with a man given the threat that men present to them. The power of the story is that the woman willingly chooses to engage with the beast on her own terms. It's also about women embracing the beast inside themselves and claiming their own power. So no, it's not a story about a woman who submits to a violent man or changes that man through her love. It's about a woman who is clear sighted about what she's walking into and chooses to do it anyway. It's about a woman fully owning her own desire.

I love this comment. Everything is on point. I loved this episode and I think the writers very deliberately wanted you to see Thyme almost completely out of control and what he could be capable of doing if he regresses. Its ugly on purpose.

"Nonetheless everyone is entitled their own opinion and of course it will differ depending on your own experiences or trauma. That’s valid." << This too. I'm angry at people I see arguing online with women who clearly have trauma histories.

I'm conflicted because I understand why people are so upset about that opening scene. It was freakin' ugly and traumatizing. But I appreciate that the makers were like we are not going to candy coat this dude and what's going on here. He is dangerous. When they had the honey badger in the previous episode it was a warning even though the stuffed animal is cute, the animal it represents is the most dangerous animal on earth. Also then Gorya flashed back to Thyme assaulting a student in the first episode. They were preparing us for what was coming.

I'm glad we had the explicit repudiation of violence at the end and Thyme blocking the entrance to the stadium. We absolutely needed that. Also FWIW I don't see the drama saying Gorya has to change Thyme. Gorya is a mirror for Thyme showing him his worst self and he hates what he sees reflected there. That's what's motivating him to change. She isn't changing him. He is the one who has to do the work.

The fur is a choice to show that he's a beast and acts from animal instincts but yeah poor Bright, you can see him dripping sweat in some scenes.

I understand why people are angry. I was shocked when I watched that scene. Was not expecting Thyme to get that scary and violent. And at the end of the episode Thyme and Gorya are officially together. So that's hard to take. I loved the episode but it also bothered me. I'm super conflicted about the whole thing. No it wasn't romanticized but it wasn't called out explicitly either and I wish it had been.

I also love how Taiwan handled it, esp. when she chooses to lose her virginity to him and then leaves for the US, it was poignant and I like how they showed he was moved by the encounter even if he doesn't change his playboy ways.

I'm really invested in Kavin and Kaning and kudos to the writers and actors for that. I absolutely loved it when he said something like some girls are pretty when they cry but being fierce suits you better.

I would love to hear from the director why they chose to make Thyme so violent and scary. It does raise the stakes in the story and it's in line with the previous adaptations and also in line with what we saw in part 1 ep 1 in the stadium. It also highlights exactly what Gorya is engaging with when she chooses to be in a relationship with Thyme - she has a viable alternative in Ren but still chooses to engage the beast. It's compelling but scary and I don't blame anyone who is upset or even traumatized after that first scene. It was heavy as hell.

Ugh you know I loved the episode and I'm still on board the ship but you are not wrong. This story is so wildly problematic and I struggle to get my arms around how I feel about it.

If you've seen other versions I think it's a boy who befriends Gorya to get to Thyme.

What's interesting to me though is that Gorya is violent too, like she beats up Tesla and slaps the F4 boys after their brawl. And during the zoo date she hits him and throws the stuffie at him. There's a reason she's drawn to Thyme and compelled by him. They both have a beast inside them. It's not healthy but it's comprehensible so I'm still on board even though my heart was literally pounding in my chest during those scenes.

Same, when I saw that teaser trailer I instantly thought "These people understand the story they are telling and they are going all in" and I was so excited to see how they interpreted the story. And wow wow wow

I created an episode playlist since GMMTV has failed on that for some reason: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfOfbDVSQAtPofdKm_SxozVZzwUpAqo5I

Real talk: Thyme scared the fucking shit out of me at the start of the episode and I wasn't sure I could continue being on the ship after that but somehow the director made it happen. I am seriously impressed with everything in this episode, the writing, the acting (shut up with Bright can't act, he killed it in this episode), the symbolism, all of it.

The Korean celebrities have to be so careful. One tiny misstep could end their careers. That's why you almost never know people are in relationships until the surprise wedding or baby announcement.

He tweeted about the significance of the honey badger stuffed animal and Ren's sketchbook. He's so damned smart and thoughtful, I'm just knocked out that he paid such careful attention to every detail of the production. And he paid respect to the audience of young women by trusting they would understand the symbolism threaded through every scene. I'm swooning over it.

Not just that, because we have a loving family for Gorya you also a) understand what gave her the strength to stand up to Thyme and b) understand why Thyme was so touched when he experienced a warm family dinner for the first time. It all just makes more sense and emotionally hits harder.

If you're on Twitter I strongly suggest you follow the director because he's been talking about creative decisions on the production and it's absolutely incredible how thought out every detail is.

https://twitter.com/parbdee/status/1489155009300549632?t=EDtlgPSKPlVYC8nga9GRLg&s=19