Some comments on Episodes 14 and 15.
1. Aren’t you glad you’re not married to Hyun Bin?
It must be emotionally draining for Hyun Bin to film these scenes.
Playing JungHyuk, he has to access deep emotions from personal experience and memories, and express these emotions onscreen, on cue. When he comes home at night after shooting, he may not have ample time, space, and energy to separate his personal self from his character. He’ll have an emotional “hangover” from the effects of playing a demanding role all day.
So if you’re married to this guy, you should be prepared to be content with whatever’s left of him after a long day.
2. Hurray for Hyun Bin’s (non)nudity clause!
See? I’ve been saying this since forever. A top artist does NOT need to sell his body part to a) create a buzz, b) give a great performance, c) get hired again, d) determine the success of his show.
An A-list actor can reject a role with nudity, but a B-lister can’t walk away.
If I were a kdrama actor, I would consider any clause stipulating that I expose skin or engage in sexual acts demeaning. It would signify my lack of star power if a production company could dictate the terms.
I hope the fangirls who sobbed that they didn’t see Hyun Bin’s man-titties will realize how sexist and degrading their demands are for their oppa.
3. Seri’s flashback of 10 happy moments…
When Seri got shot, she said in a voiceover, “Because they say that one sees the flashback of the best moments in her life for a moment before she dies. I think this will be one of those moments.”
Then, JungHyuk narrated in a voiceover, “Next year, the year after that, and even the one after that will be good. Because I’ll be thinking of you. I’ll be grateful that you were born into this world. I’ll be grateful that the person I love is still breathing.”
And Seri had the last words, “JungHyuk, to be honest, what you had told me was enough for me. I got to enjoy the happiness that was given to me.”
@Mae kindly listed 9 of her happy moments for us. Thanks!
1. He tied her hair.
2. The bicycle scene through the lane with trees.
3. The candle in the market.
4. The train stop scene where they slept under the stars with a bonfire.
5. Hospital kiss.
6. The 1st meeting in SK.
7. The soju, I am drunk, if you are drunk, I will confess.
8. Her birthday party with F5
9. The bridge scene where she discovered he was the man she took picture of and indirectly prevented her suicide.
But Mae, there were actually 10. We didn’t SEE the 10th but we heard it. 😊
It was JungHyuk’s birthday thanksgiving.
For Seri, this 10th memory was pivotal because it made her realize that she had other best moments in her life. She became thankful of those other times in her life when he had been with her.
4. Brother #1 and Sis-in-Law #1
They’re harmless. He’s like the big brothers I know who are cursed with having a younger sister who’s far brilliant than them. lol. I thought this was funny when his wife was gushing over the paparazzi’s illegal pic of Seri and JH.
SIL: Honey, take a look at this. My goodness.
Bro: She’s unbelievable indeed.
SIL: I know. It’s unbelievable.
Bro: How could she date someone even when she’s ill?
See? He’s protective of her. Like an oppa.
SIL: That doesn’t matter. I mean his back. Look at this. It’s so broad that she can’t even have her arms around it.
He looks at her oddly. He’s a bit jealous here.
SIL: It’s daebak!
Bro: (elbowing her away) My gosh.
SIL: This back seems somewhat familiar?
Brother turns slightly to show her his back. He wants to let her know that he has a broad back, too. lol.
5. Overrated confession
“I love you. I was really scared that I wouldn’t be able to tell you this.”
6. Underrated confession
“I was scared too. I had a long dream, but I couldn’t find you there. I wanted to wake up from it so badly.” She had said early that it had been really difficult for her to wake up.
I thought her confession here revealed how much she feared being without JungHyuk. She was in a coma but she willed herself out of it because she couldn’t find him in her unconsciousness.
So…what more if JungHyuk once returns to North Korea? She will find the reality of his absence just as scary. But this sort of nightmare won’t be something she can wake herself from.
7. “He can do better than that.”
Yes, I understand why Seri’s comment would raise the hackles of some viewers. She appeared to be judgmental and shallow because she was judging Dan on appearance. She sounded jealous too because Dan had a guy who she was attracted too. She dismissed Dan as second-rate because she believed in the superiority of her taste.
However, these viewers don’t realize the irony of her circumstances and of fate.
Seri thought JungHyuk could do better than Dan. But who did JungHyuk chose to replace Dan?
Seri.
Seri is not any better than Dan. In fact, she’s far WORSE than Dan. JungHyuk could do NO WORSE than her. She’s the WORST possible girl for JungHyuk. She’s a South Korean heiress, and he’s the only son of the North Korean Director of Political Bureau.
Remember their conversation in the old schoolhouse on Christmas Eve? From Episode 8.
JH: Are you worried that my engagement might be broken?
SR: I’m worried that your life might be.
Meaning, no, she’s more worried that his life, not just his engagement, would be broken. Broken life >>>> broken engagement
SR: Your life here might be shattered because of me.
And remember how I said that JungHyuk’s army hat being squashed flat by the army jeep of ChulGang was a foreshadowing of his military career being ruined by ChulGang? He was rescuing Seri from being discovered by ChulGang
In this sense, he was better off with Dan, and worse off with Dan.
Think of Seri’s current situation as sort of cosmic revenge for dissing Dan.
lol.
1. Aren’t you glad you’re not married to Hyun Bin? – Yes, I’d rather be married to Son Ye-Jin … I mean Se-ri.
2. Hurray for Hyun Bin’s (non)nudity clause! – So are you saying SJ is a B-lister? He had to be topless in Ep13 (I think) when Dan & NK villagers walked in after bathing. LOL. I am not made though; I wish I was that defined.
3. Seri’s flashback of 10 happy moments… – Loved! 10 makes it perfect, right?
4. Brother #1 and Sis-in-Law #1 – I’ve grown to really like them. Yes, I totally agree they are harmless. I really like how SIL always tries to support her husband and I find their interaction to be endearing and funny. I find them to be more relatable too b/c you see vulnerable sides of them. Whereas, Brother #2 and Sis-in-Law #2 are just cold.
5. Overrated confession – Is it though? For JH I think it was a big deal since I do not recall him ever saying those words to her. He isn’t a man of many words (unless drunk); more of a man of action. So for him to finally confess this is extraordinary—especially being sober. Theatrically, I get it b/c “I love you” is used so frequently that we are kind of desensitized by it and it seems underwhelming.
6. Underrated confession – What she said broke me. The shear will to wake up to find him again.
7. “He can do better than that.” – This could probably be wildly debated. In terms of his career, Dan was the better suited for his life in NK. The obvious downside is being in a loveless marriage. In terms of his emotional state, SR was the better choice b/c he learned to love again. I think in EP.14 he goes on to talk about him choosing to not think about the future—not think about love, laughing, playing the piano, etc. Wow, to actually make the decision to live a dreary, soul-less life. Sadly, their love was a forbidden love. What is the quote … “Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” Let’s not say Dan got her karma moment just yet … till Ep16.
Thank you, @packmule3. Ref: 1. Aren’t you glad you’re not married to Hyun Bin? When Son Ye-jin was hospitalised, I was thinking that she probably had emotional stress as well.
I can neither agree nor disagree about marriage to Hyun Bin. Pass. 😊 Possibly better than being married to an emotionally drained non-Hyun Bin.
I so agree with Seri’s underrated confession. That is, I thought she said so much in so few words. The subconscious is so difficult to analyse – is it truth coming out, or a wish, or just some random neurological connection formed over the course of the last month? The thing that struck me is that finding him in her comatose state was a priority for her. Not succeeding made her struggle back to reality, even if that reality is eventually without him.
Re. Seri’s underrated confession, what you said about dreams in the OST, part 2, thread applies.
You wrote, “Thank you for this OST list, @packmule3. I don’t know how they could be any more appropriate. The song by Crush makes me think of Seri’s dreams. Bad dreams because she can’t find him or bad dreams because he is there but won’t be when she wakes up.”
She had to find him so she woke up. No kiss from Prince Charming needed. 🙂
😂 If you noticed, I purposely left out the actor who played SJ to avoid hurting his fans’ feelings.
But yes, he’s a B-lister.
🙂 In the dialogue I cited, it was Seri herself (not me) who said she wasn’t good for JH because of the trouble she was going to cause him.
Dan said it too, in the beginning of the same episode, when she met JH on his way out of the hospital. She warned him that he was going to lose everything in his life because he hid an enemy.
And that’s the whole point of conflict in this kdrama, right? Seri just wasn’t good for him bec of her nationality, and vice versa.
Everything else about Seri was fine. But their nationalities were the sticking point. She was the forbidden fruit bec she was SK.
1) I’m with @Fern. We’re surrounded with emotionally drained non-hyun bins and non-Seo Ye Jins (not married to all of those thankfully. But there is no dearth of emotionally drained individuals sadly).
2) I watched the confession again after your posts. Umm. I still liked it. More so because as @John L observes, he’s not the one to talk much. The show has gone to painstaking lengths to convince us that he doesn’t care about his physical pain, doesn’t want any sympathy, would not divulge his personal struggles or pain to anyone and had been through a lot – physically (although SWORD wound in 21st century? – ref MoA again ?) And emotionally. He probably has only two soft spots. His brother and Seri. He seemed so sorry to have had to say something that will make her even more sad once he leaves.
3) Not just us, even JH realized the weight of the little that she said. If he was trying to withhold his tears before, now they were in free-flow. More because of the pain she will be in, I suppose given the character portrayal.
4) I completely agree with you regarding the objectification. What does it say about humans as a society if one has to have a certain status to be able to deny disrobing? Or that humans gather as a large group (fans! Ha!)and demand disrobing of another human as a way of entertainment? Not only that, they seem to feel entitled to it. Like why is he still clothed? As if he’s denying them some right of theirs. Ridiculous.
5) An addition. Have you noticed clothes of female k pop stars and actors including Seo Jin in winters? They must be freezing! Why can’t they wear regular puminos and dress like viewers themselves pray tell? Humans were better off as tree jumping apes. The planet would not have needed saving is an added advantage.
@Arihsi, I am with you on all points, although I was teasingly objectifying Hyun Bin ref. No. 1. I would add his men to No. 2.
About winter clothes, when I lived in a place that had proper winters, there were always a few show-offs who wore fewer layers to let their outfits be seen. However, they mostly went straight from their offices into the 1st level car park or into a waiting car. Not into the number 32 bus.
I’ll marry an emotional and emotionally drained Hyun bin haha then again it’s not the emotions, I probably can’t deal with such a husband where the whole world will want a piece of. He’s probably also very vain because I don’t believe people wake up in the morning and look like that. He probably checks himself 1000 times before he heads out. And I can’t take that
Look at those bts of Seri always holding a mirror in between crying scenes- she looks beautiful when crying because she’s constantly making sure she does. It makes a good film but reality will drive me nuts.
As for underrated confession, I like to add the open arms hug request – to me that was very real. In relationships we often do this when you need the person when you are at your lowest or weakest. It’s a hug but it’s one that you can ask of or open your arms too comfortably and easily.
I agree too about non nudity clause. I’ll say wake up to the fan girls, gone are those days that he will show his bare torso to satisfy viewers. Oppa does dramas only if he wants to now and if you like it you take whatever he is willing to give. (Eg 3 unbuttoned buttons and a glimpse of that collarbone) Same goes for kisses.
A man with a non-nudity clause … Hyun Bin, you surprise me every day. Because, why, pray tell, do we need to see his abs when he is baring his heart, through the tears, more & more with each episode. Seri’s arms asking for a hug … Junghyuk quietly giving her a hug and whispering, “I love you.” A hug a husband gives to a wife …
They just finished filming 2/13. Just know these writer, actors, & team will not disappoint. There was a point to the delays … CLoY finale on Valentine’s weekend!
On the final point: “He can do better than that”
I’d like to quote @pm & @Mae:
“And Seri had the last words, “JungHyuk, to be honest, what you had told me was enough for me. I got to enjoy the happiness that was given to me.”
@Mae kindly listed 9 of her happy moments for us. Thanks!
1. He tied her hair.
2. The bicycle scene through the lane with trees.
3. The candle in the market.
4. The train stop scene where they slept under the stars with a bonfire.
5. Hospital kiss.
6. The 1st meeting in SK.
7. The soju, I am drunk, if you are drunk, I will confess.
8. Her birthday party with F5
9. The bridge scene where she discovered he was the man she took picture of and indirectly prevented her suicide.”
I think it goes the same way for RJH. There are happiest and memorable moments that are engraved in his heart. These moments open his heart again after a long time penalizing himself and being too hard on himself for not being able to do anything to prevent his brother’s death.
In that sense, he’s better off being with SR than with SD.
My boss at work is ABK (American Born Korean) whose family is heavily involved with the Entertainment industry in Korea. He told us that Hyun Bin lives a low profile life with almost zero scandals and it would be hard to maintain a life with him as his spouse (in Korea.) His spouse will be scrutinized by his crazy fans! So I told my boss that I will wait for him to age and marry him in America instead -:)
Also, he’s a pleaser in real life. It must be tiring to put people first and lives for others! It’s a constant sacrifices on his part. When does he get to just live a little is what I ponder?
😂 I agree. Just marry him here in the US. Don’t stay in California or other areas with a large Korean community though. He’ll be recognized and people will think “Hmph! He can do better….” 😂😂
@hugs@packmule3 -:)
That’s why I need to ask the best cosmetic surgeon in Korea to make me look like Seri first -:) before I proceed just kidding -:)
Happy Valentines Day to all!
I’m going to hope for the best and expect the worst for the last two episodes as they already casted a set of twins and there’s a photo of an-expected-Seri looking and holding a baby girl! A girl for Seri and twins for Mr.Ri (??????)
You could be Ms Universe and his fangirls would still think “He can do better.” 😂
No. I wouldn’t want him for my daughter. He’d probably have too much going on that my daughter would just be an appendage or sidekick to him, rather than a partner.
In real life, I would prefer a Pyo Chi Su for my daughter. Less complicated, minus crazy fangirls and boys, and still a man with talent.
Good point. It works both ways. She’s better off with him, and he’s better off with her. Isn’t true love supposed to bring out the best in each other?
I would have included the clambake, too.
Yeah but Pyo Chi Su doesn’t give off Oppa vibe. His looks doesn’t make the general population hearts’ fluttered. But the man is witty, sincere, loyal (especially the minute he is invested in your cause) and he is fun to be with. He is romantic too without being over the top.
Can you imagine JH having that kind of banter like Chi Shi and Seri has or even mundane arguement? Toilet seat anyone? My biggest peeve with JH is that this man seems to be too good looking, too Mr Over-achiever, too much of a doormat to Seri. But I am in Kdrama land and I am in Ahjumma age bracket by Korean standard, so I will let this slip. It is good entertainment. But if and when I do watch this drama again together with my daugther when she is older, I would tell her to date a JH but marry a Chi Su. JH has too much emotional baggage and family issues. We marry the family, not just the man.
My biggest peeve with Seri…she is still a damsel in distress. Is this a kdrama female heroine trope? On a first glance you find her to have a strong personality, sassy, bold, quick in thinking on her feet, blah blah blah. But you peel all those layers off, the poor girl has 1. Mummy issues, 2. Family issues, 3. Men issues. And all this is because she is emotional. Too hormonal? I blame it on the sleeping pills. Damsel in distress emotionally. Dear Writer, I want my Seri with a bit more grit, and is a survivor. If the relationship is not meant to be, let her find strength to move on. Not do an underrated confession. Honestly if JH is prepare to move on and even accept his fate or live without Seri, Seri should too. She should be emotionally strong to move on. To make the break. To be okay. Stop the subliminal message that women have to be damsel in distress either physically or emotionally to be attractive.
Now this is an opinion of a mom with a daughter. The girly part of me is like oh swoon JH is so sweet. The mom part of me is like *roll eyes* lol. Sorry to bored you @packmule3.
Had mutton varuval and naan for Valentine dinner and too much food in my stomach. Hence this long rant due to sleeplessness on a Saturday morning and dreading another long day at work/training.
Enjoy the last weekend of CLoY everyone! Take care and stay healthy.
P.S. I think the Writer might give us a sad ending. It would have been much more romantic. But then again, I am crap at this prediction business as evident in your earlier posts so we might get the awwwww so sweet ending.
Ooooh. I love your post, Mae.
Let me think of a good response when I get home.
“It must be emotionally draining for Hyun Bin to film these scenes. Playing JungHyuk, he has to access deep emotions from personal experience and memories, and express these emotions onscreen, on cue. When he comes home at night after shooting, he may not have ample time, space, and energy to separate his personal self from his character. He’ll have an emotional “hangover” from the effects of playing a demanding role all day.”
In addition to watching Kdramas, I’ve been watching Lee Dong Wook’s new talk show, Because I Want to Talk. The first two episodes, his guest was Gong Yoo. They chatted about their friendship in addition to their careers. At one point in the show, Lee Dong Wook shared about having to take time away from acting after finishing a role: he needed to recharge after being so immersed in a character. After several months’downtime, Lee Dong Wook thought he was doing well, but when Gong Yoo reached out to him, concerned about his friend’s mental well-being, Lee Dong Wook realized he wasn’t as okay as he thought.
I can imagine that repeatedly pulling up emotions to bring life to a character is draining for actors, especially those who can tap into themselves deep enough to convince us viewers that those emotions are real. I know I feel wiped out after a good cry. Also, it is my understanding that the process of filming a Kdrama is arduous, with long days on the job allowing limited sleep for cast and crew. So, yeah, with as much anguish as both Ri Jeong Hyuk and Soon Se Ri emoted in episodes 13 and 14, I’d think Hyun Bin and Son Yi Jin would be wrung out in mind and body.
@welmaris thank you for sharing that. It never occurred to me how being so immersed in a character can also affect the mental being of the actor. I always applaud the skill but never understood how much it also takes away from the person playing the role.
Glad to see Point No 2 discussed here. Objectification happens both to women and men. There’s one poster in Reddit who seems to have made it a personal advocacy to remind everyone he/she needs to see HB shirtless in CLOY, inserting in almost every thread a comment about how broad his shoulders are and how the writer should be obligated to make a shirtless scene happen. So much so that the poster has repeatedly complained why RJH has not broken of the engagement with SD. To the poster, this plot hole is the obstacle as to why SR and RJH has not had any intimate, steamy, or skin-showing scenes.
@themanwashere I agree with you on your Point 2. Honestly why should there be an obligatory shower scene, or shirtless scene? On one hand the fangirls and boys are fawning over their Oppa’s acting chops, on the other they are not happy he didn’t go half naked for them.
This come back to my peeve on how you objectify your partner not just your Oppa. We have been bombarded by the media that
Sex = Intimacy = Love
Sorry mate. In reality, if that is your equation, your relationship is doom from the start. Because your partner is more interested in your physical attributes than who you really are. The minute your lust subsided, where do you go from there?
I do think the lack of physical intimacy is appropriate for JH and Seri for their age.
@Mae what a good post!
1) Stop the subliminal message that women have to be damsel in distress either physically or emotionally to be attractive.
Would you believe I was rejected in real life (before I met my own Pyo Chi Su – He’s not JH. 😂) because I was “too independent” whatever that means? I do not farm my own wheat or pump my own petroleum. I am just capable enough to mind my own money and should you wish to leave, capable enough to not have to grovel at your feet. Apparently, that makes me unsuitable.
2) Seri as a damsel in distress
I can’t add anything here. I so annoyed. Seri was my favorite character in the initial episodes because of her gutsy, courageous boss lady appeal. She was ready to do whatever it takes before EP 14.
3) the Writer might give us a sad ending. And it would be more romantic.
Yes to both. First, because it needs to be shown that there is life (and sometimes love too) beyond unsustainable relationships. You CAN survive. And thrive. And sometimes find other partners too (this is not a romantic idea but young people really need to stop killing themselves over this – we have more pressing issues to weep over – climate change! Wars! Refugees! World hunger!)
Secondly, yes, Titanic probably wouldn’t have become a legend if not for a dead Jack. 🙊
@Arishsi
1. Good riddance of the man before your Pyo Chi Su. I had the same experience too before I met my Pyo Chi Su. It took me a while to realize once the physical attraction is gone, how do you sustain your relationship? My husband told me it is the witty conversations and how independent I am that keep him staying attracted to me. That should anything happens to him, our daughter still has a strong mom to carry on. The brain is always the sexiest part of the body.
2. Not holding my breath she would revert to her sassy and strong self after Episode 14. Not after that underrated confession. And heaven’s forbid, please do not have kids if she is not strong enough to live without JH.
3. Titanic. That is gold. Agree with you. If Jack did not die, it wouldn’t be such a hit. Rose has gone on to live her life to the fullest. Now Seri please take note.
You all are really funny and insightful. I admit I’ve fallen for Hyun bin’s character in CLOY but It’s the character – not the real HB. He is a brilliant actor. I trained in acting many years ago. I certainly never had to dig into old emotions – I acted. I can cry real tears at the drop of a hat but I don’t actually feel it iykwim. It’s acting. Method actors do the whole digging into old emotions etc. but most actors don’t – eg Judi Dench, Maggie Smith. Method acting isn’t that common I would have thought. In Europe there are v few method actors. I don’t know of any anyway but I took a different career path so I’m out of the loop. And 30 years have passed. So hey! I could be wrong. I don’t think that Korean actors are method. Doesn’t appear so from the bts footage. Quite the opposite. So you can rest assured that HB would not be that wrung out coming home to you!!
Btw has anyone else noticed how RJH treats the “hot soldier” badly- that poor guy never gets thanked. He defused the land mine and got a grunt. He got shot and got no sympathy whatsoever. He got RJHs phone fixed and wasn’t thanked. RJH isn’t perfect.
Btw HB isn’t a method actor. He doesn’t actually have to feel all the emotions to play the part. He just acts.
Ahem.
I know method acting, too. Stanislavsky’s method. I was once asked to act like a bacon.
🥓 🥓 🥓
So I dug into the wellsprings of my emotion and writhed on the ground in agony. Viola! I was a strip of bacon being fried to a crisp on a pan.
😂😈😂
I had it easy. My boyfriend had to play a potted plant. 🤪😂
But where’s @hushhh when I need her here? She’s an acting coach.
And yes, we’re all really smart and sassy bitches around here. I know when to take things seriously and when to shoot the breeze. But it’s up to you to figure out which one of me you’re reading.
In regard to method acting in contrast to classical acting, there’s a legendary exchange between Dustin Hoffman and Sir Laurence Olivier. I got this blurb from a November 11, 2015 post by the New York Film Academy, “Method to the Madness: 3 Actors That Took Method Acting to the Next Level”:
…It’s Hoffman’s performance opposite Laurence Olivier in Marathon Man that illustrates his madness for method acting. As legend has it, Olivier (a classically trained stage actor) and Hoffman had the following exchange during the shoot.
“How did your week go, dear boy,” Olivier said.
Hoffman told him that he had filmed a scene in which his character was supposed to have been up for three days straight.
“So what did you do?” Olivier asked.
“Well, I stayed up for three days and three nights.”
Laurence Olivier then uttered this famous line, “Why don’t you just try acting?”
In relation to Kdrama, I’d like to highlight a few other actors’ thoughts on their craft: method or not, I don’t know enough to say. These actors are speaking for themselves, so I cannot fairly extrapolate that Hyun Bin experiences after effects of his work that he might end up bringing home with him.
As the very first words of the very first episode of his talk show (so, pay attention, because they’re very important to him), Because I Want to Talk, Lee Dong Wook’s words are: “Have you ever thought there would be another world that we’re not aware of…by any chance? There exists a world that’s totally different from this world and we’re living there in totally different shapes…. But I’m an actor, and in every work, I act as a different person in a different life. When I’m immersed in my role, it sometimes feels like I’ve become that person. Maybe an actor could be traveling through different parallel worlds.”
Further into the episode, in a pre-filmed clip (shot in November 2019) during which Lee Dong Wook and his guest Gong Yoo are driving on Jeju Island, they have this conversation about Goblin:
LDW: You know, Eun Tak is about to die, so you’re allowed to meet her for the last time, where you cry your eyes out and all. Prior to your filming that scene, I was so concerned about you.
GY: That was a bit rough back then.
LDW: Because you had pulled an all-nighter so much and was tired then.
GY: I was.
LDW: I couldn’t help but look at your direction, concerned for you. When I saw you sitting in the corner, far away, listening to music with earphones, I went up to you, patting you on the shoulder. “Hey.”
GY: Yes, you did.
LDW: “Are you going to be okay?” You said: “Sure, I will be fine,” as if it’s nothing, in a grown-up manner. The director said: “Action!” And you started crying your eyes out.
LDW: I was standing next to you then. I got so emotional.
(There’s a pause in their conversation as they both look reflective.)
GY: It’s so saddening. Stop talking about it.
LDW: That’s right. I feel like that even now.
GY: It gets you thinking about it.
The scene they were talking about from Goblin was filmed in January 2017; almost three years later, reminiscing about filming that scene still brings up emotions that affect Gong Yoo.
Episode two of Because I Want to Talk continues Gong Yoo’s visit with Lee Dong Wook, including more of the segment that was shot during their trip to Jeju Island. Because Gong Yoo loves fishing, they go out on a boat to fish, accompanied by another friend, the actor Park Byung Eun. (I loved the character he played in Because This Is My First Life.) This is a conversation the three of them have:
LDW: Byung Eun, what do you think it is that makes fishing attractive?
PBE: I think it’s good that fishing doesn’t make you think. He’s done it already. (Gesturing toward GY.)
GY: Yes, we have similar reasons.
PBE: I don’t have to think. You only think of catching a fish. You’re just so absorbed in it.
LDW: You have one goal.
GY: It’s good for actors like us to have that one hobby. You can soothe that empty feeling after a film or drama.
PBE: Right.
GY: In that sense, I think fishing is perfect for actors.
These three actors, at least, agree that there’s an emotional toll from the job they do. It does not sound like they can turn it off or leave it on the film set once the cameras stop rolling.
A further conversation Lee Dong Wook and Gong Yoo share in this episode makes me wonder about the current mindset of the actors of Crash Landing on You, now that their show has wrapped.
LDW: So I just got curious. It took you a while to start the next show after “Goblin.” What was the reason?
GY: Well, to be honest, it was a time I had to rest. I couldn’t not rest. But it was such a huge success.
LDW: Yes. It’s hard not to feel burdened after that.
GY: You just can’t. It was too big of a success. Everyone went crazy. I was welcomed everywhere…
LDW: Yes.
GY: …and I got so many more fans and foreign fans. But I don’t think I, myself, enjoyed that every moment completely.
LDW: Were you also scared?
GY: Yes, of course. I also felt weighed down. Maybe that’s how much I can take. I was so thankful and it was such a great thing, but I kept thinking that it was beyond what I could take…which made me cower down. I stopped going out as I didn’t want my feelings to be seen by others. It made me avoid people.
LDW: So you had a rough time. And it happened to me the year after. After getting affected mentally, I also stayed at home for about a month and a half without seeing anyone.
GY: Yes.
LDW: And you know how I felt back then.
GY: I do.
LDW: You’d call me at night and ask me to come out.
GY: And you’d tell me that you were lying on the living room couch.
LDW: We’d drink soju near my place.
GY: This isn’t just a problem for actors.
And in saying this, they imply that it is a problem for actors.
Thank you @welmaris for the enlightening and educational posting. CLOY actors must be drained too, can’t believe they’ve been filming for six months and had to endure harsh winter conditions. The lack of SYJ in the later episodes is probably testimony to that. I am a big fan of the JH/Seri couple and saw some footage when both actors seemed to have a very carefree friendship before CLOY. Now that everyone is scrutinizing their every movement like the NIS, hope they don’t fall into a funk like the goblin actors. They are both wonderful actor/professionals.
About 6) The Underrated Confession: SPOILERS ahead maybe …
We see later that once again unconscious, (EP 15?) Seri dreams, and this time she has to decide whether to go paragliding, while knowing the end result of her adventures. This time she is certain that she will meet JH and how, and it’s noteworthy that Seri’s Choice is not to avoid giving him pain, risking his family and their lives or to avoid ending up shot herself, but rather that she chose to go paragliding ie go through it all again, just to have him in her life. Interestingly this courageous embracing of life, and joy with pain, this time, does not get her to regain consciousness, but results in her letting go, because she flatlines at this point.
I admit that I expected that decision to mean that she’d choose to wake up if she could, but perhaps living in the past only to come back to the same point (and over and over again) is akin to stagnating, ie choosing death.
Or to use your point, she thought that returning to life where JH would ultimately leave her to return home, to be so unpalatable, that she chose to die. (Something about her unwillingness to see him for a last goodbye also flew past in my mind, might be connected or not, but nevermind.)
Just a thought or two that your 6) got me mulling over. I think it’s good that I’m only coming by after the show is over, and perhaps I see now from hindsight, what I’d never have thought of before. 😄
And that’s why I’ve been missing you. 🙂
We like to reflect on the existential significance of a character’s action or decision. What does that paragliding dream indicate to us about her desire to live (or die) without him?
I haven’t watched Eps 15 and 16, so I’ll get back to you on this. All kdramas/cdramas were on hold this weekend because of a wedding.
@Welmaris
Thank you for that lengthly, translated into good English transcript of the conversations between our great Goblin actors. It was enlightening. It brings on greater appreciation for those who give so much of themselves to us, in their craft.
I know that when I was watching Hyun Bin’s and Sohn Ye Jin’s expressions in these last 2 episodes, especially at the emotion-heavy scenes, I felt that they looked so authentically conflicted or in pain. However they got there, it was great acting, and deserving of much applause.