A Piece of Your Mind: Eps 2 to 6 Open Thread

Since I’m still undecided (and way behind) and I’m opening this thread for you to discuss the kdrama don’t want to drag y’all.

@nrllee and @welmaris, the thread is all yours. I’ll join in when I can. 🙂

I must say that I’m liking Chae Soo Bin’s character here. She’s one of the actresses I normally avoid because I can’t stand her aegyo. But since she’s doing none of that, I can tolerate her acting.

gifs: leekangdoo’s tumblr

 

30 Comments On “A Piece of Your Mind: Eps 2 to 6 Open Thread”

  1. Just finished ep. 5. I had to rewatch a number of scenes because the camera focused tightly on faces and I couldn’t see expressions as I was reading subtitles. So I watched once to read subtitles, then watched a second time to see the actors inhabiting their characters. Chae Soo Bin is doing an outstanding job bringing Seo Woo to life, in my opinion. I believe her emotions and reactions. Jung Hae In is harder to read in his role, as his facial expressions are not pronounced. I know from watching him in Prison Playbook that he is capable of looking angry, or deeply moved. There have been a couple scenes so far in this drama when he’s seemed like he’s holding in anger–when in the studio with his cronies trying to retrieve the deleted files of Ji Soo’s voice, when Seo Wan scolds him saying that Ji Soo’s misery is nothing because she no longer exists–but his face hardly moves. Is it the actor, the director, or the writer that is masking emotions? The blurb describing this drama on the Viki website say of the character Ha Won, “…he’s also known as a kindhearted, rational thinker, who never gets angry and never loses his cool.” So the lack of visible emotion may not be Jung Hae In’s fault. I don’t know who wrote the Viki blurb, but I think they got some things wrong. They described this as a fun, romantic romp. Nope, maybe, nope. This is a character-driven versus plot-driven drama. I enjoy watching it (so far) because it has made me care about and empathize with the characters. I want to see how they are influenced and changed by each other.

  2. I thought it was funny when HW was asking SW how JiSoo came out again on the device, what were they talking about and SW couldn’t give him a direct answer because what she said to JiSoo was how she’s enthralled at how HW looks when he wants to know something. AI-JiSoo said to SW it’s an unrequited love. 😁

    I’m liking their interactions now.

  3. I’m skipping parts just to catch up with you. What episode is this?

    Maybe I should just leap over there??😂

  4. Episode 3. Come, come! 😂

  5. lol. Okay. I’ll fast forward ep 2 then.

  6. It’s amazing this connection that JiSoo and Seo-woo had while she was still alive because you can feel it in their conversations now between AI-Jisoo and SW.

  7. I love their interactions. SW and HW are pretty different. SW can’t hide her feelings even she’s trying, her face betrayed her. HW doesn’t care about people knowing his feelings, he never was shy about his love for Ji Soo, but he has really good poker face, all his reactions are pretty subtiles but nice to watch.

    This drama is really about conversations between the characters.

  8. I liked episode 5.

    HW was able to talk to AI-Jisoo and he told her what he wanted to say, ‘“Jisoo, Jisoo, Jisoo, Rest In Peace.” He said calling her name 3-4 times was him giving her a hug.

    I’m not sure how he’s able to talk to her again because she only agreed once and that was because SW asked her to do it.

    I’ll rewatch it again tomorrow. ☺️

  9. You’re fast!

    I’m skimming so I don’t understand most of the scenes (or they’re not in context). Did Jisoo leave them pictures all over the place? I think I’m beginning to understand why. I’ll have to write about the moon again because I see more references. Two references in Episode 4. I thought somebody mentioned it, too. Was it nrllee? or Welmaris? I didn’t read her post because I didn’t want spoilers back then.

    I’ve to watch Episode 2 now.

  10. Yes she did leave pictures of places and the cactus. 😊

    I thought it might have been @Welmaris.

    Sorry, I think it’s best if you watch from episode 2 because I’m trying to figure out what Jisoo’s husband did to make her life miserable and the need to apologise to HW about it. I’m sure you’ll figure it out. 😉

    Also is there a connection about the fire that killed SW’s parents and Miseoryung, a special place for HW and JiSoo. Sorry not sure about the spelling.

    Is there a love line for HW’s ‘niece’ and Jisoo’s husband? They keep meeting each other.

    Waaa. Sorry, so many questions. I’ll rewatch tomorrow.

    Laters! 👋🏻

  11. Did anyone else watch this week’s episode of 60 Minutes? It had a segment that relates to the premise of this drama: using artificial intelligence to preserve a person’s memories and present them in an interactive manner to people in the future.
    https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/holocaust-stories-artificial-intelligence-60-minutes-2020-04-05/

    One comment stood out for me during the segment, and I paraphrase: You have to realize with artificial intelligence that it’s artificial, and not very intelligent. The interactive holograms that are shown being created required a week of full time days of interviews consisting of thousands of questions, then intensive effort to index the interviews and compile a variety of questions that will link to key words that will flag responses.

    In comparison, what we see in our drama is a fantasy. A hand-held personality and emotional response device that thinks for itself (rather than responding to key words with stored data) is beyond our capabilities at present, which is why it is referred to as revolutionary in the drama. Could it be real in the future? Maybe. I remember being awed while standing in the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral and learning that our typical mobile phones today have more computing power than what was used to send men to the moon. So for me to fully buy into the storyline of APoYM, I have to suspend disbelief.

    As for AI being able to see things, the Drama shows that it can interface with the camera feature of cell phones. There is a Bluetooth symbol on the side of the AI unit, under the volume controls and the power button. I’m guessing photos can be transferred using that technology.

  12. “ So for me to fully buy into the storyline of APoYM, I have to suspend disbelief.”

    I agree. It’s not terribly scientific. So far I am getting the gist that because AI JiSoo is pretty much programmed by HW, it is heavily skewed towards how he’s perceived her and the data he’s inputted. That coupled with the AI interactions with SW is the sum of AI JiSoo. That’s why the AI version is devoid of the misery that the real JS has (it’s bright and cheerful). Neither HW nor SW is privy to the real reason why the real JS was miserable so AI JS wouldn’t have that “programmed” into her.

    Sunsets from above. Another motif. JS said her “goodbye” to HW at the top of Miryeong (? Is that how you spell it?) as the sun set on their love story. In Ep5, he said his goodbye to JS at the overpass as the sun set (he didn’t get the chance to as she had passed in Norway). It was actually beautifully done. AI JS had requested to be told before she would be turned off and the signal would be “rest now JS-ssi”. AI JS agreed to talk to HW and when HW finally found the words he wanted to say to her, it wasn’t anything spectacular. It was something only they shared. He called her name a few times and as he stood at the overpass and as the sun set, he finished it with “rest in peace” and turned her off.

    **Spoiler – IW (JS’s husband) hid a secret from her. In his youth whilst in Norway, he lied about something which led to the death of Grandmother Moon. He revealed this to JS some time after they were married and it resulted in a rift. She wanted to tell HW about it but IW was against it. IW is obviously jealous about HW and fearful that JS would leave him for HW. I think he mistakenly believes she ran away to Norway as a result of HW? Something to that effect.

    And yes @agdr03, I do sense there’s something brewing between ditzy gardening lady and IW (JS’s hubby). I find her a tad annoying but not as bad as Maggot. 😂

  13. Yes. I agree. I’ve been skimming through Ep 4, and I can see (correct me if I’m wrong) that whatever JiSoo told SW in confidence, like:

    Her depression
    Her decision to make plates
    Her argument with husband
    Her reason for running away from HW (bec he said to call him when she’s feeling miserable)
    Her return to Norway
    Her last words in Norway
    Her last conversation with SW where SW said that nature makes mistakes too (what a foreshadowing, right? Even the microphone dropped)

    wouldn’t be included in the deleted files that HW recovered to create the AI Jisoo.

    Sunsets (young Ha Won) are for Jisoo
    But sunrise (Mr Dawn) is for SW.

    I’m guessing that since JS didn’t tell HW the identity of her husband, only the husband will recognize HW. Is that right? He’s the jealous one, isn’t he?

    Wait. Is Grandma Moon dead? I thought it was HW’s mom who died? Wasn’t Jisoo visiting the HW’s mom’s grave?

    On the grave stone: Im Suok born 1965 died 2005. She was 40 when she died. Too young to be a grandma.

    The pianist had a part in his mom’s death.

    But Grandma Moon is blood-related to the ditzy gardening lady, but not to HW.

    It’s her grandma Moon. Grandma Moon took in HW because “he came alone” (whenever that was, I guess after mom’s death?) and Grandma Moon is (was?) a patroness of the arts. The Ditzy Gardener was sent to look for HW at that okindong Jonongfong address. That was in 2013.

    So his mom died in 2005.
    Grandma Moon was also in Norway in 1997 to 2005.
    2013 when he was in college, Jisoo told him he was getting married.

    Grr. I hate how this writer plays fast and loose with the time. It’s not possible for HW to just suddenly show up in Seoul after she texted him. It’s still a good 12 hours.

    Same thing with flight from Seoul to Norway. It’s still at least 10 hours. And I’m not counting immigration customs travel time to her destination.

    It makes everything so unreal and unbelievable when the writer does. Like I just have to “feel” the whole time.

  14. Thanks for the clarifications. 🙂

    Yes, only the husband will find out who HW is. He thought JS actually had contact with HW because of that phone number that he found from her things but it’s SW’s number.

    I agree with the flight time differences, she texted him and voila, HW is next to her. LOL.

    But I thought AI-JS only agreed to talk to HW once. But he was able to say his goodbye at the overpass.

    I thought Miryeong was a place with mountains and where HW and JS viewed the sunset together and where she said to HW that she’s getting married. It’s near SW’s hometown where her parents died from the forest fire.

    The ditzy gardener is taking care of the eucalyptus plant already that IW bought for JS, which he did not see when he went back to the studio for a meeting with the sound engineer peeps.

  15. Yeah I am a bit confused about the mother/grandma. So I think you’re right @packmule3. IW the hubby caused the death of HW’s mother? The relationship between HW and ditzy gardener is convoluted. Made even more confusing coz she insists on referring to him as her uncle. Grandma Moon was a diplomat and had the habit of adopting Korean Diaspora from around the globe? That was the impression I got. So she had a lot of “children”. She’s very musical and JS was her student? So was IW?

  16. “ Sunsets (young Ha Won) are for Jisoo
    But sunrise (Mr Dawn) is for SW.”

    Yes to this 🙂. A new dawn.

  17. @Packmule3: “Grr. I hate how this writer plays fast and loose with the time.” Says the one who’s skimming through the drama.
    *ducks again*

  18. Sigh… I guess the low ratings spelt doom…official announcement by TvN that the 16 episodes will be cut to 12 now 🙁.

  19. Bummer! I was looking forward to the build up of their relationship. 😕

  20. 😈 Remember YOU asked me to review this when I wanted to drop it. I’m not the writer whose #2 job is to make her story coherent.

    It’s also the director’s fault. The winter scene in Ep 2 for instance. She was out walking in the snow with leather boots. No. She needed snow boots. She wouldn’t have felt her toes walking 30 minutes in those shoes. Her boots would have to be the thick, padded, insulated, fur-lined snow boats.

    Then touching the gravestone without gloves and laying her head on it. No no. Not in winter. Unless she wanted frost bitten hands and face.

    It was too dramatic. 🤪 I wanted to wring Jisoo’s neck the whole time because she was endangering herself. It was a hare-brained idea to visit the cemetery without her own transport or alerting anyone.

    She reminds me of those mountaineers who try to climb Mt Everest and end up killing themselves or being rescued because they were unprepared for the trek.

    But then I reminded myself that it’s the writer’s fault. She wants to kill off Jisoo and, just like with coincidence-laden story, she’s going about it in a sloppy way. 😈

  21. “official announcement by TvN that the 16 episodes will be cut to 12 now 🙁.”

    Reminded me of the same thing that happened to drama Beautiful Mind 🙁

  22. 🙂 I think it could be condensed to 12 episodes.

    That means we’re already at halfway point now. What’s left for the writer to do?

    1. set up the meeting between pianist and HW (Why drag this out? This should be easy with “coincidental meeting.”)
    2. explain death of HW’s mom
    3. have HW and SW fall in love
    4. introduce Grandma Moon (Is she even essential at this point?)
    5. have Ditzy Gardener and pianist fall in love (is this a good idea, considering that he had a part in HW’s mom’s death. I don’t really want more airtime given to Ditzy Gardener and the pianist. And to be honest, I’m NOT interested in that story of the pianist. He has a slump? Get over it. He had 15 years to own up to his role in HW’s mom’s death.)
    6. explain who that Mystery Lady is and why she was dropped into story (What’s the point, writer??)
    7. finish up the romance of the roommate and landlady
    8. launch AI product

    Yes. 12 episodes should be more than enough. 🙂

  23. I think the mystery lady will be the one to use the final AI. HW and his workmate visited the lead doctor at the hospital and that’s when she first showed up. If I remember it correctly.

  24. Yes. I saw that scene. In Episode 4, she’s the patient of the doctor who’s helping out with the research project. She’s the one who drew the sign of the moon.

    I believe she’s grieving for her dead daughter. The doctor said she was there because of a “daughter’s will.” There was something in the will that weighed heavily on her.

    My wild guess,
    Dead daughter = JiSoo

    I’ve to check Kissasian subs later.

  25. You’re probably right. I wouldn’t have known that the soup man was her son and he’s Jisoo’s brother. 😁

    I’ll leave it here. By the way, The Great Seducer has seduced me. I’m loving Shin-yeon and Tae-hui together.

  26. Are Shinyeon and Taehui the main leads? Yes. That WAS a sweet coupling. I like how the guy was more broken up about the girl than the girl was. lol.

    Remember, the soup man’s blood relationship to Jisoo is only a *wild* guess.

    I’m trying to check out his last name but I can’t remember where to find that scene when he walked in with his luggage and introduced himself. That’s the easiest way to kinda “verify” a relationship: if they both have the same last name. If he’s NOT a Kim like Ji Soo, then my guess is instantly rejected. But if he’s indeed a Kim, then we’ll have to wait and see if there’s blood tie there somewhere. IF EVER THERE’S ONE. That’s only my guess now.

  27. Yup, their the main leads. I definitely can see Shin-yeon being more heartbroken than Tae-hui.

    Try episode 3? For the scene with the soup man just arriving at the boarding house. Yes we’re not sure yet if he is Jisoo’s brother.

  28. Oh. It was in Episode 3? lol. That’s the problem when I hurry through the episodes to catch up with you all. I can’t properly place the incidents in order. Let me check if he mentioned his full name.

  29. @Packmule3, you’re suffering through APoYM for me? That’s big. Thank you. I get hints from what you write that you’re a busy person with many people and things making demands on your time. I hope my aegyo requests for help don’t contribute to a total waste of your time. And yes, I am being enlightened by your posts and am grateful for it.

  30. Yes. work is crazy right now. Some tasks are time-sensitive and require clearance, and some meetings can’t be done by teleconference because they have to be secured. It can’t be helped.

    Oh well. I need a light and fluffy drama to relax. And my tulips to feel that all’s well with the world.

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