The Expectation:
The Kiss by Gustav Klimt, credits: Klimt, of course, and europosters
The Reality:
😂😈🤪
Seriously now.
I’ve to admit that I started this episode expecting lip-action because I’ve been conditioned by Hollywood, Klimt and Rodin to equate love to an amorous and physical display of FEELINGS between a couple.
But I stayed for the family values.
It’s refreshing to be reminded, especially during this holiday season, what love truly means.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
lol. That’s the REAL reason I asked a few days ago if Yoon EunHye was Catholic. (She’s Christian.) I wanted to understand her state of mind and/or her core values that influenced her decision to work on this particular project.
If you stop and ponder for a second here, you’ll see that the whole plot can be interpreted and analyzed using this Christian definition of love. Love is patient, love is kind….
When WooHyun and YooJung were children, they reasoned like children, hated like children and resented like children. But when they grew older, they began to see clearly what really happened during that unfortunate time in their lives.
And both of them have been kind and patient with each other and their loved ones. Come to think of it, even with the people like Wannabe Wife and their Ex, they’ve shown generosity and patience.
Hence, I firmly believe this kdrama closely reflects Yoon Eun Hee’s priorities as an artist and, more importantly, her values as a person. It may not appeal to many viewers but I certainly respect her for choosing this project as her first comeback over other hmmm… more flashy show.
Which brings me to this…
In my opinion, YooJung’s conversation with her assistant over her wedding outfit had a double meaning. On one level, they were talking about the bridal gown.
She said, “Sora, it’s all pretty but too flashy. Since I’m having it in a greenhouse garden, I want it to be simpler and classy.”
Sora grumbled, like most YEH fans would grumble, “I want to see you wearing something luxurious and flashy.”
And Yoon Eun Hye replied, “I’ve worn then in projects already. Like this one and that one. Can you look into it one more time for me?”
Sora then obliged, “I got it. I will look into it and come back.”
On another subtler level, I interpreted this conversation as the actress telling us that, for her comeback, she also wanted something that was unlike the other glitzy (ex. Goong) and ground-breaking (ex. Coffee Prince and I Miss You) projects that she did before.
She wanted something simple (but not simplistic) and classy (meaning decent and uplifting, not sexy and provocative). Of course, there were fans who didn’t understand her choice and grumbled like Sora.
And this is the project that SHE chose to ease her way back in the entertainment industry that shunned her three years ago. It was a gamble she was willing to take, and I — who wasn’t even her fan before this — have supported and respected her for it.
♥️ 🙇♀️( <– an emoji of me bowing down)
My madcap/highlights will probably show up later (like a Grinch). I’ve to go to work now and clear my desk before Christmas. Cheers!
Well-said.👊🏽
Thanks for that insight to what this drama means to YEH.
I would wait for the subs to appreciate the whole episode.
One thing for sure, this show had me grinning from ear to ear whenever WH and YJ are together… They definitely give off that warm fuzzy feeling that makes you want to fall in love 😍 too.
I love your interpretation!
I loved what you wrote, I am a big fan of Eun Hye Yoon and I thank her for choosing Love Alert for her return after 5 years.
PS: How do I edit the comment? It came out duplicated.
No worries. I already edited your post. 🙂
As her long time fans I thank you to your dedication for YEH comeback drama despite (maybe) it’s not live up to your expectation. Having follow her for year I come to an understanding that her priority has change after she’s devoted to her religion thesedays. So what you’ve said above didn’t surprised me at all. Somehow deep down I understand her reasoning for choosing this drama, which couldn’t always be understood by most (viewers & bystanders). So to know that someone, who not even her fans, could understand her (her thought) in such a short time is quite a relief.
You’re a special person Packmule. My hats off to you 🎩🙏
Hats off for all the analysis!👏👏
I am an avid and silent reader of this blog since the beginning (of FW/LA). And I like/love on what you write😁 related to this drama. Watching the drama then reading an insightful perspective brings more meaning on what the drama trying to conveys.
This drama made me realized and reflects a few things in life that sometimes I overlooked and maybe being ignorant. I am a sucker for a good words/quotes and scripts. That’s why I liked this drama alot even others find it boring (less skinship:read as less hot kiss). It’s a bonus if they have a hot skinship 🤣. But, for me, I am very picky on watching kdrama since I don’t have much time to spare on watching tv (priorities). The chemistry between the OTP and how the actors convey the emotions (with and without scripts) compelled me to watch this kdrama.Or maybe it is YEH (this actress is so good😍 with emotions).Other dramas looks so stiff and even fake even it is full of star-studded actors 😁.I find that mostly recent kdramas only good for the eyes and does not make sense to my brain lol.
Again, thank you packmule for this wonderful analysis on FW/LA.Keep writing😁.
Sorry for the long comments.
No worries about your long comment. Didn’t YOU read my long comments and long blogs, too? So it’s my turn now. 😀
I don’t care much for the opinions of people who prejudged this kdrama as boring when they haven’t even watched an episode or watched the latest with subtitles. I think instead of criticizing the kdrama and the writer/director’s problems, they should focus on THEIR bigger problem as viewers which is their lack of ability to DISCERN what’s beyond the SUPERFICIAL aspects of the kdrama.
hahaha.
Many viewers complain about how boring the show is or how puffy the face of YEH is or how boring WooHyun is. Really???! If their opinions are valid, then why is it that I wasn’t bored at all with the show? And how come they only understood so little of the characters’ motivations and the plot development? Why didn’t they observe the things I did?
Why should I believe THEM and not my own analysis of the show? Why should I allow them influence MY perception of the show? They’re shallow viewers.
See that? That’s what I want you to do, too. If you like something, make it meaningful to you. Analyze it, study it, obsess over it. Bitch about it. hahaha. That’s why I do best here. I bitch over dramas. That’s why this blog is named bitchesoverdramas and not I-heart-dramas or drama-fan or drama-llama. (although I like the sound of “drama-llama.”)
Really? She’s been active in her church and faith lately? That makes sense.
For me, I knew her as a “great kisser.” When @agdr03 and I joked about her kissing skills, it’s because @agdr03 has watched her before while I’ve heard of her reputation as a good kisser unlike Park Shin Hye (ha!)
Thus, when there’s a deliberate avoidance of kissing scenes, I thought that it had something to do with the actors, NOT the director. Of course, any director and writer would have wanted a kiss in the script because lip contact (especially a passionate one) is a guaranteed rating booster. Who wouldn’t want to boost their ratings, right?!
I suspect that the decision to eschew kisses was made upon the demand/request of the actors themselves. Probably they had a kiss-clause in their contracts (just like actors have a shower clause in the contract indicating how many showers they’re required to do in a drama, lol) and the director respected that.
Wait…no shower scene? No lengthy kisses? No torrid bed scene? And there are still people who watch it and ship the OTP? What has the world come to? (I kid) 🙂
Hooray for actors who take a stand for what they believe in! The discerning audience applauds and approves. Bravo 👏
😀
No shower scenes because he doesn’t have a nipple.
(Just kidding!! He had a surfing accident and almost lost/really lost a nipple. I don’t know and I don’t want to know.)
No bed scene except the bed scene with Unnie. And I joked about having the wrong couple in bed!! Little did I know…
No lengthy kisses but YJ told her dad she was going to ask him to babysit her children.
I’m assuming YJ is NOT another Blessed Virgin Mary who conceived a baby without knowing man (in the biblical sense, hahaha) so yes YJ is expected to procreate with WH … not just in front of us viewers and her Tree Mom (I hope).
And yes, people still watched it and shipped it. Because the fluttering moments (whether visual or contextual) were worth it.
Beside the lead actor is a cutie and YEH is still a darling.
To be honest, I don’t know why the critics are squawking when they haven’t even watched the episode(s). From the looks of it, the noisiest viewers are those who 1) stopped watching halfway, 2) didn’t get the point of the dialogues and relied on visuals, and 3) are kdrama neophytes. Seriously, before they start complaining about the finale of this kdrama, they should watch The Third Charm which ended last month. Now THAT is TRAUMATIC. The two leads separated in the end. Viewers thought they were watching a romcom when the kdrama was all about a break-up… or how to break three times.
The title “Third Charm” actually meant that the third try is lucky. It’s lucky because that’s when the ill-matched couple finally got lucky and walked away from each other. 😀
@packmule3 one of the best things that came out of the lack of recaps and reviews for this drama is… I found your blog!! Thank you!!
The analysis shared by you and other bloggers made watching this drama so enjoyable and memorable.The drama officially became one of my favorites because of the sweetness, great acting and the in-depth analysis for each episode!
Bitching over dramas is so addictive and fun. Now that the drama has come to an end, I feel a sense of lost… What to bitch about next? Hahaha
Yup, she’s into her religion thesedays. She’s even doing many church activities, one of them is as art teacher for the kids. I think somehow it’s also influence her decision in choosing acting project.
Regarding the kiss-clause, I’m not that familiar with it. But if it’s YEH who asked about it I won’t be surprised. Just curious, if that is the case, how come she got CJM to agree with it ?
Btw, her next project is a short (trilogy) drama by CGNTV (a global Christian TV channel)
She does?? Well, if she is working with kids on a regular basis nowadays then yes, I would think that she would want projects with a positive image. She’d want to be a “role model.”
🙂 The kiss-clause is purely speculation. I don’t know what is or isn’t included in YEH’s contract. But remember We Got Married? It was a variety show featuring actors and idols in a virtual marriage. Of course, many viewers wanted the couple to have skinship right away and all the time. 😂 but the actors’ and idols’ companies have a vested interest in protecting their images (like Joy of Red Velvet or Taemin of Shinee) so the kissing and skinships were regulated. 😂😂 I don’t think Joy was kissed by her “virtual husband” on the show and I read fans complaining that SM wouldn’t allow it.
As for CJM, did you notice the guy??!!😂 He’s so goody-goody. I’m sure he would agree to the terms if the they were reasonable.
And note this too. A couple of YEH’s male co-leads had scandals off-camera.
1. Her Goong partner? A druggie.
2. Her Lie to Me partner? Wasn’t he the one photographed sleeping in bed with an unknown woman? I recall reading rumors about prostitution. Lol
3. I Miss You partner? Mickey “Toilet” Yoochun Park.
These actors were at the height of their fame when these scandals came out. Just like her and the designing clothes scandal came out.
Look. If you went through her experience and witnessed other occasions with other close colleagues when adoring fans suddenly turned against you, it would be understandable that your life’s priorities and perspectives would change dramatically.
I’m glad she found God along the way.
I’m also glad I found you, @tsutsuloo and the others, and was reunited with my gal pal, @agdr03. Hugs!!!
It’s always fun to bitch about something when we know that we’re just being “discriminating” and “sassy” bitchy instead of plain mean and stupid bitchy.
We all enrich the discussion when we dig in deeper and see things from another point-of-view. Fluttering Alert isn’t perfect but so are a lot of hyped-up kdramas (I’m looking at 100 Days My Prince and Hwayugi) but one thing I can’t complain about is the heart-fluttering moments of our couple. They were all so innocent and sweet, like how First Love should be.
And YEH and CJM made it believable even when we knew they were in their 30s. 😂
As for the writing, I didn’t find anything inconsistent with the characters. I may disagree with the writer’s execution and timing, but his/her characters were well-nuanced. Like WH’s father. He didn’t really have a change of heart. He was consistent. But it’s WH’s perception of him that changed, and as WH changed, we changed too, because we were looking at the father THROUGH WH’s EYES.
We largely misinterpreted the father’s intentions because we were siding with WH. And was it @tsutsuloo who said that WH was flawed too? 🙂
I’ve been debating whether to do Sky Castle because of @nrllee and @cooleet but I think it’s not something I should comment on since I know next to nothing about Asian and in particular, Korean’s educational angst.
I’m only aware of the stereotypes and my contributions to the discussion would probably come off as contributing or feeding the stereotype. 🙂
Pacmule3, I love your blog not because I’m a fan of Yeh but because of your gift in words. Your analysis made me realize that the drama has layers. I love your wit and the insights of others posting here.
To be honest I was so shocked & sad due to sharp & strong criticisms against the Love Alert. I watched the episodes in live streaming but I never judge the drama and others (dramas) without subs. I’m one of those who find the drama not great but still fine and enjoyable (not boring) and happy to see Yeh.
What made me feel so sad when I read that she/he lashed back at people who said that the drama is fluttering (even writing the word vomit). I hope people know how to respect others who like the drama.
That’s why most of the time, I reserve my opinion/dislike in other dramas because I respect each viewers’ taste.
By the way CJM is Catholic & baptized Constantino.
I don’t know if YEH has clause but I noticed that she has no passionate kissing scenes in Mary Him if You Dare and Love Alert, maybe the passionate kissing scenes are not necessary in the scripts there.
By the way, CJM is Catholic and he was baptized Constantino.
hi there, @curiousyeh. I haven’t said thank you for posting my blog’s links on soompi. I always forget so thanks!!!
Yes, it is annoying when people lash out at the drama because they find it shallow, dumb, boring, vomitrocious (lol. That’s a word my sons used when they were little to mean that something is so ATROCIOUS, it induces nausea and vomiting. hahaha.) especially when they haven’t a CLUE to what they’re talking about.
But oh well. THEIR comments really say a lot about their insightful, penetrating, perceptive and intelligent minds.
Whatevvvverrr.
Let it go. Just stay here and post here if you want to rant. I’ve been blocking spammers … and idiots.
Without torrid kissing scenes, the moments between the OTP are fluttering. In fact, I find the kissing gentle and sweet.
Oh he is?? That’s too funny!!
Well, that makes sense then that he would respect YEH’s wishes (if ever she did make one) for non-contact sports… errr… non-contact acting. We really can’t have a Catholic and a Christian fighting over kissing, eh? Especially when Catholics and Protestants should already “KISS and make up” after that great religious schism in the 16th century. hahaha
But I can’t imagine CJM as Constantino. I have to switch my image a little bit here.
True, @curiousyeh. I like that scene in the beach cottage, when he suddenly turned her around WHILE SHE WAS STILL LAUGHING, and kissed her.
That reminds me of my kisses in high school. pwahahaha. The memorable kisses are the unexpected one… when you’re both laughing or grinning at each other, and he lands you a nice pucker (without his lips landing on your teeth because you’re grinning!)
Anyway, I think the real “wedding scene” happened at the beach when they made the vows (I wrote about this) to be with each other. Then the honeymoon is that night at the beach. And their first “marital” spat was their fight the next day.
So… if I look at the plot like that, I’m fine. The REAL wedding already took place in Episode 9. Letting the family know and getting the family involved were just the “secondary” aspect of the wedding.
All’s good…but all can get a whole lot better if we just get the subs. (WE. MUST. BE. PATIENT.)
Someone is complaining why there is no exchange of wedding rings during the ceremony. I think it is okay because they are already wearing wedding band during their beach vacation.
Again thank you pacmule and the rest of gals here
Same here. The beach vacation was an elopement; they got married; they exchanged rings; they danced at their wedding; they had their kiss; they slept together. lol.
See that? If they really wanted a private wedding, then that beach day was as PRIVATE as they could get. It was just themselves and their God. 😀
Howdy! I miss it here! 😘
I haven’t seen both episodes yet but I’ve seen a clip where our Milk Couple were writing their vows? My heart fluttered when WH was looking and smiling at YJ! I’ll never get tired at seeing those 😍
I’ll be back once the festivities are over. 😊
No matter what other mean people say, I did get my heart fluttering moments and I’ve enjoyed this drama even without my kiss scenes 😉
May Christmas give you joy, peace and love! 🎄🎄🎄 Cheers to you and the other ladies here! 😘
grrr!!! I haven’t watched the vow part. Wait, I’ll try to watch before leaving for brunch.
Am putting on make-up to go to brunch with my sons and their GFs. hahaha.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
This was one of the readings when I got married 15 years ago so I love this 😍 I have watched episode 16. I am happy that after 1 year they finally did get married. During that whole year our couple had faith that their feelings won’t change, they hoped that everything will fall into place and most of all their love no matter the distance will never waver. How fitting that YJ was surprised with WH’s proposal at the end of episode 15 and WH was surprised by having the wedding at the end of episode 16.
I’m sure the distance made them miss each other so much 🙂 I bet Unni’s wedding gift will be put to good use right away after the ceremony. 😁
I love what you wrote there!
We can make variations of this “Faith, Hope and Love.”
Another example: They had faith in each other, they hoped to see each other soon, and they loved each other every day.
Lol. Those tickets!! If these were Hollywood characters, those two wouldn’t have allowed the interrupted wedding ceremony stop them from spending a few days together. 😈😂
Ooh I love what you wrote too! 😉
YJ had faith that no one will take WH away from her. WH and YJ’s career hopes were well received. Their love gave them the patience to wait for the right time.
Since you said it here, I’ll just imagine that they did go away just for 2 days after Aboji was confirmed to be ok after the operation. They ate, went surfing, did some dancing and slept together (innocently) 😉😍