As Gertrude Stein wrote, “Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose.” To me, this line means that a word may APPEAR to be simple and common enough to be understood by all when in fact, it brings to mind many possible and different meanings, imageries and associations. Thus, it’s best to examine the presumptions and agree (or “agree to disagree”) on what that word means before proceeding to use it extensively in a discussion.

Now, in this kdrama I can point out that a prop is a prop is a prop is a prop. Not because I’m a genius poet (ha! I’m neither a genius by design nor a poet by profession), but because I’m a bitch and I detest it when the camera director trolls me with so many interesting props, I can’t danged focus on the plot.

So I’m going to do my famous bitch moves (i.e., analyze and obsess) and get all these props out of my system.

1. Virgin Mother Mary statue

Okay, I’m Catholic and you don’t bloody my favorite icon without reason, director!

See that? Three different angles.

But I get it. This story is NOT about mothers, virgins or otherwise. lol.

As the unnie/detective Jisoo pointed out, the fires were to cover up the murders of women.

I assumed the stabbed apartment ladies had no children because they were having an elegant tea at that time when most mothers would have been home attending to their children, like Lee Ahn’s mom who was at that time sewing him a puppy stuffed toy. Remember?

Sidenote: That’s why I was skeptical when Jisoo said (in Ep 4) that SungMo’s mother was one of the stabbed victims. It didn’t look right to me because SungMo was calmly leaving the building the night of the fire. If he lived with his mother, shouldn’t he be frantic or at least concerned about her whereabouts?

And this is creepy moment when you realize that he’d been chained as a kid. Somebody suddenly grabbing his ankle = exactly where he was chained = I’d faint if that had been me.

ANYWAY…

Jisoo also mentioned the three women in the Nursing Home couldn’t be moved because they had no family members. Then in the Luggage Case murders, one of the dead suitcase women couldn’t be identified because the victim didn’t have a family member, too.

No family members = no spouse and no children.

The women were easy to target since they had no families. However, if later on, it’s discovered that all the murdered women were indeed middle-aged women without families EXCEPT for SungMo’s “mother,” then Sungmo’s lie will be exposed.

It was convenient for him to identify the unclaimed victim as his mother, but it won’t be convenient to explain why his “mother” was the only EXCEPTION in the group of murdered women. Those women were targeted precisely because they had no family members.

2. The chalk art

I explained this, right?

link: He’s Psychometric: Eps 1 and 2 First Impressions

It’s an adaptation of Michelangelo’s work. The two people who were going to touch hands were Lee Ahn (or the god representative) and Jaein (or the Adam figure). The jarring difference between this chalk art at the rooftop of a high school building and the real fresco up in the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is that there was a puppeteer (or technical term, marionettist) drawn in the chalk art. The blue girl and the red soldiers are marionettes or puppets tied to a string. Two disembodied hands were making them move toward each other.

However, I say that if viewers really want that Michelangelo spark-of-life optics, then they should look at that fist-bump between the Big Brother SungMo and the Little Brother Lee Ahn.

That’s THE spark of life right there! SungMo saved Ahn from death but Ahn gave SungMo new life. But the distinction between creator and creation is still up in the air. Who really is the creator here and who’s his creation? To me, Sungmo and Lee Ahn are both creators and creations.

By the way, even their body positions here suggest the Michelangelo imagery. God and Adam finally met on top of a car and died = An Existentialist’s Crisis. OMG!

3. The Mask

I explained this already. It’s to contrast the two brothers who stood before the posters. One actually has a mask or a deep secret he’s masking from others. That’s the Hyung, in case people didn’t read my other post.

While the other guy is a … well, a clown. He’s wearing a clown-face, but actually he’s smart, too. Ditto what Jaein says here.

4. The bus poster

Children helping each other.

I already explained this, too.

5. The tarot card

I don’t believe in horoscopes, fortune-telling, tea leaves, and tarot cards. To be point-blank, I can never be friends with someone who believes in divination, fortune-tellers, occult and witchcraft.

Thankfully, I’m friends with google. And I googled “ten sticks” and this is what the search came up with:

“The Ten of Wands is a card highly associated with feeling an intense pressure and being over-burdened in some area of your life. Other possible things suggested by this card are feelings of being trapped, oppressed, or having no control over your circumstances. With an overall negative tone, the answer is no.”

https://www.trustedtarot.com/cards/ten-of-wands/

I interpreted the card as foretelling how that these two people would feel burdened by their connection with each other. Sure, Jaein was grateful for his financial assistance and wanted to repay him as soon as she could. But if if she truly knew how he’s embroiled in her life, would she consider him a “Daddy-long-legs”  or a real poisonous spider.

On the other hand, (if my hunch is correct that he’s covering up his mother’s existence), he must be feeling guilty for what he was making her endure.

But the trouble with this tarot card is it’s all open to interpretation. I’m sure if another obsessive viewer like me google the same card, she’ll come up with another name for it, and another interpretation. Go figure.

6. The delivery menu

Really! If Jisoo was a real detective, she could have called up that restaurant to find out when that poster was put up, and if that apartment had ever called in for delivery.

Right now, I don’t know yet the profound significance of the flyer (because I like everything profound) so I’ll settle for the flyer as indication that Jisoo finally had her way with SungMo. lol. She got the elusive Sungmo to go out and eat with her for breakfast.

Did I tell you that I love that gal? I’m rooting for her to snag Sungmo in the end.

7. The butterfly

This was from Ep 2. She wanted to meet with her sponsor.

Jaein: Someone sent us monthly allowances for the pat three years. And then you helped us find a house and school. How can I repay you? Can’t you ask that person one more time? I really want to meet that person.
Priest: You always get rejected but you’re asking again. I’ll pass along that message that Ms Yoon Jaein would like to meet you.

I think the incomplete butterfly symbolizes her. She’s an incomplete work of art. Kang Sungmo had a hand in creating her by making sure that she’s provided for but she’s still a work in progress.

8. Rock-paper-scissors, lol.

I know this isn’t a prop.

I want to give props to the director for this detail.

Whenever Lee Ahn thinks of shaking hands with Jaein, he holds himself back with a hand from the rock-paper-scissors game. Did you notice?

First, in Episode 2, he closed his fist. Like a rock.

Then, in Episode 4, when he was practicing how to greet her after two years, he threw a scissors.

lol.

I’ll laugh if, in the future, he’ll choose paper to shake hands with her, which is an open palm which is like the divine touch in Michelangelo’s painting which is the first contact we’re all waiting for so he can finally read her.

See that? As Gertrude Stein said a rose is a rose is a rose is a rose. Many of the imageries in this kdrama are fun to discuss and, obviously, there are other ways to interpret them. Go share with me what yours are if you want.

I’ve to clear my brain of all these props so I can tackle the next episode.

Onward, brain cells!