The Midnight Romance in Hagwon Episode 10
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viola Hye Jin is such an interesting character to me because she's the kind you rarely see in dramas. That is, I feel like most dramas don't devote this much time to a character's internal struggles. Usually, there's some kind of external obstacle for our protagonists to encounter and react to, and eventually defeat. And while Pyo Sang Seob is an external force, a lot of the conflict Hye Jin encounters this episode is internal. You see it in the way Jun Ho responds to her shock. He's well-meaning, but ultimately puzzled by how distressed she is, because to him Pyo Sang Seob is just an obstacle. He has no emotional connection or moral obligation to him, and you can see that he believes that Hye Jin also doesn't owe anything to Pyo Sang Seob either. This conflicts with Hye Jin's belief, in that she feels guilt for what she thinks she's done to this man, and also guilty for being so "two-faced".It's interesting because Hye Jin always says one thing while really meaning another. Time and time again she's emphasized profit above all else, but then her actions show that she in fact has more heart than she lets on. So it makes sense to me why she's so shattered by the accusation that she's a hypocrite, because she ultimately cares very much, whether for her students or for herself.I liked how the director brought back the black and white flashbacks, with the flashback revealing more of the scene than we initially saw. In Hye Jin's case, she's clearly worried about it before, whether her actions are "right" or not, which means she's struggled with having principles and sticking to them in an environment that encourages the opposite.Moving on to Jun Ho and Hye Jin's relationship, the idea that Jun Ho could represent the parts about herself that she dislikes the most is intriguing, and I wonder how the drama will address this. I know that it has to be resolved one way or another for the sake of our couple, but I want to see if Hye Jin comes around to what Jun Ho represents, or if he'll see things her way instead.
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The Midnight Romance in Hagwon Episode 9
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I genuinely enjoy the way this drama is shot, and of course I really like the script too. Jun Ho and Hye Jin's first night together was comedic and sweet, and shot so naturally that it really just felt like two people who love each other, rather than two people performing together? They're very cute, but I will admit that I'm relieved that the episode didn't lean too hard into the secret relationship at the workplace heehee, and instead pivoted back to Pyo Sang Seob, who's been part of the plot since the first episode but has been pretty much of a non-entity these past few eps.The most interesting scene in this entire episode was actually between him and the temporary teacher. At first, I didn't quite understand the reason for her frustrations, but that's because of a lack of knowledge about the culture, rather than any fault of the script. Now that I've thought about it, I've realized that the temporary teacher was upset because Pyo Sang Seob's insistence on relying full stop on the textbook made it very easy for the students to pass the test, which makes her job harder when it comes to grading. You'd think that every school would be happy if all their students do well, but this is South Korea where ranking means more than anything in this society, which means there have to be students who do poorly so that the ones who do well shine all the brighter. That also means that the temporary teacher has to resort to the most banal deductions in order to preserve the ranking, and because of that, she also knows even more parents and students will complain. It's the kind of situation where no one wins: if you give every student a good grade, then the parents will say no one gets to be number one then, and if you don't, then the students who get penalized for the silliest of mistakes will get all the more frustrated that they're being punished, even though their answers are technically right. This is how I'm understanding it, at least.I would feel more for Pyo Sang Seob if, on upon being asked not to "do anything", didn't immediately jump ship to the cram schools. It makes sense for his character, because he's already established himself as someone who is motivated mostly by his pride. If he really cared about being the last bulwark of education or whatever, then he'd probably have taken the teacher's advice and ran for superintendent, because he'd want to change the system. Except, he's just someone who wants to be taken seriously and respected, and doesn't actually care that much about the institution itself. He just uses it as an excuse to justify his actions. Which is why him becoming the vice-superintendent aka taking what would have been Hye Jin's job if she accepted -- makes so much sense for him.And now he's probably going to pin the blame of the whole situation on Hye Jin. Very funny that as a teacher who apparently cared so much about education, he's now going to become someone obsessed with grades and satisfying parents first. It's pretty short-sighted of him, which is what we need in this drama, since the other characters are mostly good or intelligent.
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The Midnight Romance in Hagwon Episode 3
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Episode three is still going on strong, which is nice because most dramas kind of dip a little after the first two episodes. This time we have an introduction of a new character, Choi Myung sun, or the White Haired Witch, who is set up to be a potentially strong opponent for Hye Jin and Jun Ho. I think Pyo Chang Sub was equal to Hye Jin opponent-wise, so it's fun to have someone else who a.) can hold their own and b.) is familiar with how hagwons work. She's basically someone who understands the hagwon playing field, as opposed to Pyo Chang Sub.We got more from Nam Chung Mi as well, as one of the new hires along with Jun Ho and the English teacher. I think her frustration at not having the same opportunity as Jun Ho is quite realistic. She's been established as someone who works tremendously hard despite not being from SKY. I also feel for her frustration. She's also someone who wants to make waves, but she was given advice not to while Jun Ho is sailing on onward, so I definitely understand if she tries to undercut Hye Jin by teaching Chanyoung High because as the show likes to hammer in: every instructor is out for themselves. This is a cutthroat industry where no one is your friend.Seeing the teachers feel hurt and annoyed by the promotional advertisement is one thing, but seeing Hye Jin actively try to smooth their ruffled feathers shows that she's intelligent enough to try and not alienate everyone around her, while also being proactive about taking advantage of opportunities. I think she and Jun Ho match each other's drive, and they do have a good rapport/chemistry with each other, as both colleagues and potentially something more.
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The Midnight Romance in Hagwon Episode 2
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A good connecting episode. It built up a lot of what the first episode introduced and in a way that I felt made the characters a little more interesting, especially Jun Ho. He's clearly a very confident character, and his confidence does come across as arrogance, especially in the first episode, but with his interactions with Hye Jin and especially his parents, his determination really comes through? Like he's not someone who's just full of hot air or living with rose-colored glasses, he's also someone who is determined to make his way. He sets goals and makes promises that he's fully confident in carrying out. I think that makes him more impressive as a character, and it makes his potential journey much more interesting to watch because I absolutely would like to see how he fails and how he bounces back from that failure.I also liked Hye Jin's conflict in this episode. She's someone who's made it clear that she's pretty much concerned with results, but then her own thoughts and actions come out to be contradictory, because she was so concerned with Jun Ho as a person. I really liked the juxtaposition between her and Pyo Chang Sub. Chang Sub who looks down on her for not being a "teacher", and yet he's the one making his students' lives harder because of his own pride, while Hye Jin swallows her pride in order to let Jun Ho go his own way. So technically, you could say that she is way more of a teacher than Chang Sub is. I liked how we also got more from the hagwon Director, who has a strong relationship with Hye Jin. He cares about her as a person and as an instructor. He's also not from an educational background. I liked the small detail we learned that he used to make movies and he's only in academies because he pivoted from a previous failure. It makes his obsession with "star quality" make much more sense now.I enjoy the hagwon atmosphere because it feels familiar, but it's also different enough that it's not pulling me into terrible PTSD memories of after school studying. I do think it's interesting that we don't have a main "student" character, and instead are relying on more minor characters to relay the students' perspectives. I wonder if that will change in the future. But overall, a good second episode.
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imagine if they hinted at or referred to time travel even once in the earlier episodes. or at least have some kind of heavy emphasis on time. maybe then this random time travel plot point wouldn't feel so shoehorned in. im sorry chang hua sen you're great at your job but this han ba story line was by far the weakest (prob bc u only lived for like 2?? 3 episodes compared to the other two demons in the earlier arcs).
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gurl what!!! the way i was wondering during the beginning of the episode where exactly this one and the next one will take us!!! i'm glad for the joseon era callback. i was afraid that it would be tied up once seori realized who she really was because why else would she have any reason to go back or think of the joseon era and then the writer hits us with this!! diabolical but i obviously don't hate it.this episode was a lot better than ep 12 in terms of pacing and things happening and our couple getting both sweet and somber moments. i am a little confused at how easily they wrapped up mo tae-hee's purpose. i mean it's not like she ever had real feelings for him which was obvious from how she saw him as a status symbol/means to an end, so getting even more profit from a simple partnership with him vs having to marry a guy who doesn't even like you... it makes sense but i think we could have done a little more there.the aunts getting dust made me laugh like. i am glad that segye didn't give them the time of the day because in terms of usefulness they have absolutely zero to offer him. which goes back to segye's mindset that he only thinks of people in terms of allies or enemies. mo tae hee might have pissed him off earlier but she's useful and resourceful. his aunts just have shoddy business ability AND scandals.i liked the juxtaposition between segye's grandfather and seori's grandmother. they both care for their grandchildren, and they both went in such different ways to express that affection. segye's grandfather being pissed off that segye refuses to come to heel and then takes out his anger in ways that even he and mun-do acknowledge were messed up vs seori's grandmother who took seori in and raised her with all the love and care in the world. AND did the same to danshim presumably while danshim was in seori's body. speaking of danshim, i wonder if the hint of the past that hte shaman saw means that danshim will go back and live a life she likes aka being a peddler? that is i'm sure danshim will come up at some point, though hopefully not a major part of the finale. anyway im seated and excited to see how this ends. my god.
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If anything I think this drama is very good at endings. The cliffhangers never feel too much or confusingly head-scratchy. I think the ending with Seori realizing who she is made up for what could have been a lackluster episode. The thing is, this episode is still pretty well-paced and written, but since we've had such good episodes prior, it falls flat in comparison. Like in any other drama it would be one of the best, but in this one it feels a lot like an interlude meant to stretch out the plot. Which is a shame, considering the drama itself only has 14 episodes. Still, the highlights of this episode definitely were Seori and her grandmother. It's a good way to tie in their emotional relationship after the many scenes we've had with her grandmother gently encouraging her and caring for her. It may feel out of place for those primarily invested in our main couple. Still, if the prior episode was them stepping away from the mains to give a bit more time to our side characters, then this one focused mainly on her and her grandmother.There were hints throughout the series that Seori and Danshim were not a traditional body-swap. They did a pretty good job seeding in those hints, which is why I don't feel like this revelation came out of left field. I do wish now that I've finished episode 12 that we did stick with Seori being stuck in Joseon era for episode 11 instead. But I see why they chose not to do that if our Consort Kang has apparently always been Seori all along.We have so much to wrap up in these last two episodes. The whole Joseon era thing, Seori's two-faced actress friend, Choi Mundo, Mun Taehee as well to an extent, and also the grandfather who's also putting in a little acting time himself. It does feel a little contrived to have the grandfather step in from the shadows to help with the Mun-do situation when it should be Se-gye dealing with it himself but WHO KNOWS. I don't particularly enjoy the office politics part at this part because Seori is so removed from the situation. I mean she always has been and that's one of the reasons why she feels insecure when Mo Tae-hee pointed that out, so it makes SENSE but do I like it? No. Overall, this episode was a bit of a bump in the road but not one I actually dislike.
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I really did think that we would spend a whole episode with Dan-shim in Joseon before we got her to wake up again in the modern world, but I don't hate that she woke up early. Instead of the main conflict being her stuck in Joseon, she instead has to deal with returning at any second. I like that plot point a lot in terms of angst potential.This episode was spent more on our side characters, though at no point did I feel like our main couple was getting jilted from screen time. When your main pairing is so strong in terms of chemistry and relevance to the story... I think a lot of dramas should take note of this, especially those with side characters that eventually distract or even dominate the plot. Here, everyone serves a purpose, and I actually liked seeing our sides get a little more time. The beauty of a romcom is that it hinges on the chemistry of the entire cast, especially for a drama that's prioritized comedy so heavily throughout the show. You can't just have two people being funny. You need strong chemistry with everyone in order to make the jokes land, and that's accomplished with the writing and directing choices made when it comes to our side characters.It is very funny that Seori/Danshim and the grandfather have recovered already from the truck of doom but then again the truck of doom is a plot device solely meant to throw Seori/Danshim back into the Joseon era. We don't need anymore big contrived scares now that we've established that she can go back at any time. It's scary enough just knowing she can disappear! We've got confirmation too that Seori and Danshim are actually one person, what with Danshim suddenly remembering Seori's past -- something she did not have knowledge of in all the episodes prior. I do like that twist more than two souls in one body, because the show has not spent enough time to make the latter meaningful, so it's better that we find out that Seori and Danshim have always been one.
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the way we're moving out of the capital just as the political stuff gets interesting... i think the drama is on more solid footing after these seven episodes, especially with the onslaught of information and events they bombard you with in the beginning. better to find their footing later rather than never tbh. but i am looking forward to chu zhao when she's away from the court. i think her clever mind shines most when she's not restricted by court machinations, so i'd like to see how she does when she's out on her own in yunzhong and with xie yanlai. i think chu zhao's strongest trait is her desire to survive at all costs, so I'm curious to see how it will be tested in a different setting/environment.her father is clearly her most important emotional anchor so it'd be good to have her see him again too. we've seen chu zhao desperate, afraid, ambitious, motherly, and cunning. she's been vulnerable with xie yanlai for a few brief moments, but i'd like to see her let her guard down completely around her father.
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Less frenetic pace-wise compared the last five eps, which is fine. I liked that we got to sit in Jeju Island with our two leads, and as always, their chemistry is very good. We're also getting more movement from our villain(s), who seem to also include Mo Tae-Hui aka Se-gye's blind date. I do like how he's already figured her out. I also like how he already knows that Mun-do is the one behind all these schemes. Usually, the villains are just annoying caricatures or extremely incompetent at their villainy, so Mun-do actually being very efficient at his evil-doing AND also known to the main leads is what makes the conflict actually work in terms of the drama. As for our leads themselves, I think this small interlude before that final kiss scene at the end works for their relationship. I was afraid that they'd get together very fast and then have their relationship contested, so I like how it's more of a slow pace (at least towards Seori's end).
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That last scene killed me. It was both so funny and so cringe, which again, reminds me of older romcoms. I like that this show knows its theme and will stick to it. I was worried they'd go overboard with Segye chasing after Seori even after her repeated rejections, so I liked that instead he retreated from her because of his hurt pride because that makes more sense in terms of his character. Consort Kang's stubborn personality also finally gets some kickback at the set, which is far more interesting to see for her character. We also get a little bit more with Mun-do. You have to sympathize with a guy who's doing everything he can to take over a position only to find out that his uncle will always give it to the guy who doesn't even want it. But at the same time Mun-do is clearly also deranged, so....
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Genuine chemistry continues. Se-gye and Dan-shim shine together in ways that are already making me root for them. I did feel like the pacing of this episode was very fast and also the editing a bit all over the place. They shoved in as much as possible in this single episode, but luckily Lim Ji-yeon ties it all together with that final scene. Her frustration at her new life being so similar to her old one helps ground the episode altogether.I am surprised at how quickly the romance is proceeding, but it's not technically a bad thing, and it makes sense when you think about how hard and fast Se-gye has fallen. Now it's up to him to prove to Dan-shim that he actually likes her, and that it's not just out of a sense of pity.I wish we could have seen Kang Dan-shim/Seo-ri's reaction to Mun-do telling her to get together with his brother. Did she simply leave without saying anything? Did she refuse? Or did she agree? There were a couple of scenes where I wish they extended it a little longer, like Dan-shim's reaction when Se-gye says to his grandfather that he only helped her out of pity, but overall, I feel like I have enough emotional stake in this relationship regardless.
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but at least there's only ten episodes left so we're so close to being done. i wish tjr got to keep playing as ji ling because he is struggling so bad as chi wen. the problem with chi wen is that we as an audience keep seeing different motivations (which as gjm lacks subtlety like a brick, we can pretty much tell which ones are real) which makes him hard to connect with. i do wish wu yi wasn't being shafted into a corner in terms of character agency but yeah sure we need to devote time to chi wen crying at 0.25 speed for the sake of the plot and for egregious water sequence as yan an tries to act as well as he can in the water as he does normally (which is not at all).
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random side character death was actually so funny. gjm said YES we are reusing every story beat from fangs of fortune
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puts on my clown nose. i liked it. and i love my fox girlies. but also the bar is so low considering gjm's horrific track record. i'd rank this first episode leagues above fangs of fortune, but still below my journey to you. tell me why there had to be such a long fight scene. beautiful choreo obvs but also can we get some character time?
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