It’s here! The finale!
Please spare us from #nobleidiocy and #amnesia.
credit: Junghaesin’s tumblr
Let’s enjoy the final episodes!
69 Comments On “Psycho But It’s Okay: Eps 15 & 16 Open Thread”
Comments are closed.
It’s here! The finale!
Please spare us from #nobleidiocy and #amnesia.
credit: Junghaesin’s tumblr
Let’s enjoy the final episodes!
Comments are closed.
I want proper healing for GT and MY before they give me my happy ending. 🤞🏻
I can’t believe this drama is finishing already. Next thing we know Christmas is here. 🤦🏻♀️🤣
@agdr, please no Ch-word! 🙏🙏🙏😁
Best wishes for a satisfying ending of PBIO.
@Fern , I had to look back on my post to see which Ch word it is 😂🤭
Episode 15 – I think we just narrowly missed the noble idiocy and I hope it stays that way.
I still do not believe that woman is her mother, but she’s convincing! And why do we still not know what happened to POR… mystery for one more episode!
How does it happen that no one else gets hurt except GT?
ST is worth his weight in gold.
Jae Su’s gift of the gab came in useful.
I was embarrassed by the ending LOL.
The mum tree reminded me that the boys never knew what happened to their mother’s body. It was a tree that they didn’t know they needed, and MY needed too. A tree to offset the horrible shadow tree that followed MY around.
LOL the hospital patients thinking that GT should be warded as well.
I was shocked at the reason why MY’s mom killed GT/ST’s mom. I really thought there would be more to it than a remark. I guess for the story line that worked since it was meant to shock GT.
I really hope they break that table so hard =P
I’m wondering if POR is the backup in case Haeng-Ja failed. So there is a chance she makes an encore in 16.
Sang-tae was so brilliant. He’s saving everyone. I loved the scene where he was quoting Dooly, after MY rejected GT’s story about siblings.
ST: “‘I’m going to die now.
I have have so much resentment and regret.
There so much I want to eat.
I feel so bad for myself.
My…my pitiful youth.'”
GT collapses on the bed. “My gosh this is so hard. Whatever.”
ST: “You’re not popular because you’re so boring. Let’s be honest. BlackPink is the most popular. Let’s be honest about that.”
GT: WT?
John, yes about the table. That’s Gang-tae NOT being boring. 😈
Kudos to Ju-ri’s mom who knows exactly what to say to MY when asked, why is everyone being so nice to me? What a great scene and so well timed. Perhaps she SHOULD become director of the OK hospital. Let Dir O be a staff doctor. I loved seeing MY stuff her face.
Looking forward to tomorrow.
BTW, only female ginko trees smell. The males are just as pretty. Mrs Moon’s tree looks like a walnut sapling. They are slow growing. I don’t know if walnut trees have a particular meaning in Korea.
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/culture/2020/06/362_92893.html
@Fern 😂 I love how ST has these hilarious ripostes. Short, snappy but so pointed. No time to watch. Will have to wait till tomorrow I’m afraid. But I don’t mind spoilers. Here to read comments.
Other short random thoughts and questions on Ep 15
-that was the best use for the book of the World’s Best Fairytales. Fairytales can save lives LOL. Sang In has a deeper take on what fairytales are to MY. If they help her express what she cannot say, then when she can freely speak, will they no longer need to be written?
– Dir Oh gets the last word in with Haeng Ja who does not know what it means to be human. It’s okay to be not okay when we know that we depend on each other?
– GT’s long sleep brings out again our Romeo and Juliet reference and Sleeping Beauty. Was he stabbed by a syringe with tranquilizer in it?
– ST’s interpretation of the Tale of Two Brothers was the most appropriate for that situation, and to withstand eviction LOL.
– In the end, ST makes the far better ‘parent’ towards GT than MY’s mother ever did with MY. He’s able to say to GT, you’re all grown up now and can take care of yourself, ‘Bye!’ But MY’s mum can’t let go at all.
GB, about POK, Haeng Ja told Dir Oh that POK must be acting somewhere else. I hope HJ’s telling the truth, that POK is alive. I don’t want more murders.
Yes GT was stabbed by a syringe with tranquilizer Anzilan? (Is this a tranquilizer? Is the name right? Hahaha yeah)
John L hahahah I’m glad we have you here because I certainly also want the steamy actions and discuss them but they are less talked here in this forum hahaha. I wished GT should’ve carried MY straight into the bedroom, that way there is a greater probability that they finally did the deed 😂. What they’re doing in the library is prone to accidental disturbance, like ST finding them all that hahah yk 🤣.
It’s the final episode later 😭 I have such a fun ride with this series 😃. Thank you BoD for the amazing insights, Snowflower’s compositions, everyone here who shared their thoughts and opinions on PBIO!
Some plot holes/questions/comments from the last couple of episodes:
– I’m still not super convinced that Nurse Park is MY’s mom… Well, I guess they “convinced” me, but I’m not satisfied that it’s the truth. Didn’t really like how they used the typical plastic surgery route. Also, the climax was so anti-climatic. She had like 20 minutes of fun being deranged and then she gets arrested pretty quickly. In general, felt like she was a pretty 1D antagonist. The whole why she killed KT and ST’s mom? Seemed super random to me. I feel like it would have been better if she killed the mom because KT kept following MY around.
– Additionally, how the heck is she even alive? I hope there’s an explanation in the finale (like the difference between MY’s father’s memory and what actually happened). Also in one of the episodes, I recall that MY saw a lot of blood seep through the basement door. How did this happen? Whose body would that have been? The entire antagonist story just happened way too quickly and cleanly for me. Felt very rushed and poorly planned, imo. Wished there was more of a backstory to Nurse Park/MY’s mother.
– DHJ’s 10th book being published (which happened in episode 14)… will that explain anything? Does the content of that book explain what happened in the past? Kind of confused since it didn’t seem like it was used very well (initially, MY wanted to get her mom to come to her, but she ended up going to her mom anyway because of KT and ST).
– DHJ cutting ties with her family and dropping out of med school… will that be apart of the story? Seemed random to throw into the story… The only thing it explained for me was that maybe that’s how DHJ was able to be a nurse after she supposedly died?
In general, I love the drama and love the exploration of different psychological issues. I love the main character arcs and the way they were able to tie in a fairytale and the OK Hospital’s patient’s stories into the character development. Also, love the supporting cast and their role in helping the main characters find healing from their traumatic pasts. So my only main complaint is how weak the antagonist story seems to be… which is really important to the plot, imo. Also, it seemed like ever since episode 14, the plot just hasn’t been as strong as previous plots. A lot of fillers and sloppy tying up, to be honest.
Welp, what do you guys think? I’m still hopeful for a strong finale that will hopefully address some of these questions/plot holes.
ST and JR’s mom were definitely MVPs in this episode. The Wicked Witch got hit on the head with a fairy tale book- that’s poetic justice!
In my country the walnut tree is always described as having the best shade. Also, its branches are used to decorate the churches on Pentecost. The leaves smell very good.
I am still not very happy with the whole Evil Nurse=Psycho Mom reveal, but there were so many good things in this episode that I decided to ignore the plot holes and drink a shot of soju with a smile on my face.
I am planning to compose 3 more pieces to complete the set of 8 pieces (one for every 2 episodes). I already came up with titles and general moods for the compositions for Episodes 1-2, 11-12, and 15-16. Thank you for listening and stay tuned!
Sigh @LunaSolace yes that whole Nurse Park spin off was just unconvincing for me. Why go there? It would make so much more sense to just have POR be the antagonist (her character brief already has her doing plastic surgery?) and then you won’t have all the questions about health professionals being untrustworthy. POR could just be a stalker fan (and there are many of those) who took things into her own hands? DHJ’s death was already something everyone was accepting as fact. What did MY’s dad deposit into the lake then? If not her body? Unless that was his “brain tumor” talking? Just like his recollection of what happened to the mom? Him pushing her over the bannisters and her falling to her death? Even if she survived the fall, I can’t see how she could’ve crawled out of the basement, get herself out of that remote forest location, heal and then plot her revenge? She had to have had help? Unless POR is the one who saved her? 🤔
If the finale doesn’t answer these questions and just has Nurse Park being DHJ…well, all I can say is other than this rather glaring plot hole, the rest of the drama was enjoyable.
Hi everyone, Nurse Park used Ativan on GT. According to hubs it’s a sedative. Thankfully it wasn’t some poison or something!
@Fern I love ST’s quoting of Dooly! Always apt for the scenes. Also, we now know that whoever tries to mess with ST’s siblings gets a nosebleed lol.
@LunaSolace I think the show is leaving the big reveal to the last episode to end off on a big bang. Maybe we’ll find out the sister connection and how DHJ and Nurse are really linked, what happened to POR (I hope they don’t leave this hanging and give us those ‘to be continued endings for POR’!). I’m still wondering if KDH killing DHJ was a misunderstanding.
Perhaps what the show intends, is for GT and MY to heal and accept what has happened (or rather, what they think has happened)… and then find out later that it wasn’t as bad as it is (maybe POR was the one who killed GT’s mum etc).
@nrllee I hope they manage to salvage the nurse park situation, and re-instill some confidence in mental health professionals. You’re right, casting POR as the villian would have been simpler, and less damaging on many fronts.
@snowflower: You truly are on a roll. Looking forward!
What I loved about Ep 15:
1. GT finally cutting his own leash. Like how the Cheerful dog was tied to a tree, he was tied to certain ideas he had of his mum, giving birth to him just to be ST’s caregiver, as well as needing to atone for her death. He plants a real tree for his mother, realizes that he doesn’t need to be stuck in the role of caregiver, and also literally hangs their family portrait on the tree, showing how MY is also going to be accepted into their family tree, with his mother included. And he’s now able to walk away from the tree, to chase after MY.
2. ST again being the saviour of the day! And how he lobs nurse on the head with the book of fairy tales!
3. Everyone rallying together just to feed MY. Gosh Juri’s mum is really the best!
@John L That was a clever guess you made about POR being the backup for DHJ, I had assumed DHJ killed POR but it didn’t appear to be the case. Let’s see how it ends..
@JT7 I agree with that point and do hope that the finale will answer all these questions and sew the plot holes well. I do still think Nurse Park is DHJ’s sister (reference from the name of episode 14 – I think- about the tale of the two sisters) so it’s possible she’s just a deranged sister. But then how would they explain that? Hope to see it soon!!
Another plot hole: Nurse Park showing up to the old hospital KT worked at wearing a white nurse outfit encouraging the psycho man from episode 1 to kill herself. How did that even happen? Wasn’t she already the head nurse at OK Psychiatric Hospital? That seemed so random and unnecessary to me. Would have been much better if they didn’t explain how he died.
himself** sorry for so many comments D:
@LunaSolace, no worries. Your comments are great. Especially the plot hole of Nurse Park at GT’s former workplace. Really?!
To all who think Nurse Park shouldn’t/oughtn’t/can’t be MY’s mother, I agree. MY said that she would have recognised her notwithstanding plastic surgery. MY said that things would be revealed after Nurse Park was taken away. Might MY have asked for a DNA test?
I actually don’t want POR back. She was just as creepy as Nurse Park. I can’t tell if Nurse Park is telling the truth about her or not. In the flashback Nurse Park seemed to think differently about POR when her finger got slashed and she was positive that POR wouldn’t return. ‘Playing another role’ could have more than one meaning.💀
I like how so much of the dialog has come full circle, like GT shouting his love to MY and her stalking off.
ST reading the ‘Witch of the West’ book and finding it boring;he stopped at page 63. I wonder what happens after that? 😧
More ST fan talk: Showing MY his drawing of GT being happy when speaking of someone he liked. Genius.
He really liked saying the phrase ‘over my dead body’ and that he was going to win. Did that come up previously? I can’t remember. It sounds like something MY would say.
@Lunasolace Yes I agree DHJ is likely to be the sister of the nurse. There are so many references to that, from Bluebeard’s wife having a sister, the film a tale of two sisters, to the witch of the west being the sister to the witch of the east in some adaptations of the wizard of oz. And yes about that plot hole! So weird that she turns up there. The only reason I can think of her being there is that she was following MY and was hanging around for the book reading, and later stayed on to “finish the job” that she thought MY wanted to do.
@Fern thanks for pointing out about the phrase “over my dead body”. I didn’t recall it being used at all so far. Initially I thought it was one of those passing witty remarks from ST, but he did repeat it many times. Perhaps its a reference to the film “Over my dead body”? I did a quick check and it’s about folks stealing a body to recover a microchip, but it turns out they stole the wrong corpse, and the body they stole is actually another person who is faking his death to avoid loan sharks: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Over_My_Dead_Body_(2012_South_Korean_film)
If they are referencing this film, it may mean DHJ’s death may be more complicated that it was. Yikes.
Hey guys, silent reader here.
The actress confirmed she’s DHJ aka MY’s Mom in the BTS for Ep14.
@LunaSolace yes that made absolutely no sense to me at all. I think we did bring up the fact that the same knife was used when he committed suicide but we didn’t think to link it back to Nurse Park or DHJ. I felt it was unnecessary too? What would she have done if he decided he didn’t want to do it? He had a daughter he wanted to take with him? 🙄 The introduction of Nurse Park just threw everything out of kilter. Even if Nurse Park were DHJ’s sister, it really doesn’t explain all the events that transpired.
How come Head Nurse wasn’t wearing the butterfly anymore when they got to the cursed castle? She was wearing it when she went to see ST, right?
Does this mean GT has a scar on both his palm from trying to stop MY in hurting someone?
10 is the number of times saranghae can be said to convince MY. 🤣
That ending is such a tease! I was straining my back too waiting if it’s gonna happen. Who ends it there? 😏
@JT7, it’s possible that ST heard the phrase somewhere and simply really liked it, but never had an opportunity to use it. My younger daughter sometimes just repeats something she enjoys the sound of over and over. Drives us bonkers.🤪
@agdr03, I thought she probably took the pin off, otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to interact with ST as she did.
Wow, is the scar on his other hand? I didn’t notice. Like stigmata? 😮
@Fern 👋🏻 Yeah I’m pretty sure his first wound was on his right hand and then this latest one is on his left hand. But wait this last wound is a stabbed and not like holding a knife. I did think of stigmata too. 😬
Oh true about the butterfly pin. She should have put it on before GT and MY arrived. I guess Head Nurse is really her Mom per @J. I agree with everyone that it’s just weird that it’s her. I prefer her to be a sister or better it’s POR.
Only 1 episode left. Are we going to get answers to the plot holes? Let’s see. 🤞🏻
I think this is our ending? 😄
https://www.instagram.com/p/CDqPuxpJNZ6/?igshid=6fzw48zqxg5v
Thanks @agdr03 that was such a cute photo!!! Just exactly what I wanted to see, ie that their dreams and a story with a happy ending come true. 😍
Yes it’s a cute pic @GB! ☺️ And true, this story of their happy ending and living their dreams is the best way to end PBIO.
@agdr03, thank you. 😊 I can’t wait to see it tonight.
That finale was just *Italian kiss*
I will miss the Troublemaker Trio 😭
Episode 16 – Finding the Real Face
Well it was the sweet ending we hoped for and which the show more than delivered. It didn’t deliver on the reveals to fill up the plot holes, unfortunately.
I did like that MY’s tale wrapped up with the characters of the hospital interspersed in it, and that everyone received their due acknowledgement.
The best part was the organic growth and healing in the main characters, who still retained their flaws. MY’s last story tells us that they had lost not their real faces, but their courage to pursue happiness, and this they found again together.
This show is not perfect, but almost, with one of the best designs and many well utilised stories and characters, to tell just one tale of holistic healing. Bravo all actors and show!
@GB I definitely agree! While watching the finale, I almost didn’t mind that they didn’t fill up the plot holes. Really liked the sweet ending for this episode and it made me smile for most of it. I’m usually not that impressed with finales, but this one was amazing. This is definitely one of my favorite dramas for sure!
@fern, haha yes that’s probably it.
Ah, the finale felt like TKEM all over again: keep it light, and let the audience come to their own conclusions, while scattering breadcrumbs all over. 😏 And they even slyly poked fun at all of us who were agonizing over the true identity of nurse Park, by using the scene where CEO Lee was digging through the trash trying to find the manuscript for Book 10 of the Murder of the Western Witch. He’s shouting for the witch to show herself, and seung jae tells him he wasn’t going to publish the book anyway! They even predicted how the audience was going to be disgruntled at this non-revelation, by showing how no reporters or fans turned up for MY’s book launch. 😅
I guess it made sense that the identity of the witch didn’t matter much in the end, because MY, GT and ST found healing, whether or not the Nurse was really DHJ, or her sister. In a way, it meant better closure for MY, because she could meet with her “mother” face to face, and tell her she was different from her. However it does mean that poor KDH died with no peace after 20 years of mental torment, and we still don’t know what happened to POR.
I loved how the book launch was a way to bring back the discharged patients and show how they have healed, and yet they kept it from being too much of a fairytale ending by showing all the squabbling between MY and ST lol.
I still wish it wasn’t nurse park that was the villain, but all in all I enjoyed this drama very much. And it was made so much more enjoyable thanks to all of you here! 💕
I forgot to add: that bit when GT was throwing a tantrum because he thought the other 2 didn’t want to go on a trip was hilarious.
“Why eat if you’re going to poop it out anyway???” 😂
Great series overall though they never covered some of the holes regarding POR. I thought they did a good job with 16.
*MY got her closure and last word w/ her mother
*The new book that incorporate the patients they’ve helped along the way.
*Paraphrasing: “ST found a best friend and she got to meet the woman I love.”
*I felt sad and happy of the overhead scene where GT & MY drive away in the camper while ST leaves in the opposite direction. But it was very fitting they are moving forward in a positive direction *happy tears*
i wanted to share two observations from the last episode (which was, hands-down, a beautiful ending, even some of the loose ends were not fitfully tied up):
1. SeongJin City: transformed from a place they ran from as children because of hurts and fears growing up, to a place they found growth, healing and fulfilment as adults.
2. Both leaving and cleaving is growth: As MY learnt to let go of her solitary life and stick with GT, ST was determined to chart his own way without GT, unsticking himself.
PS: I also found it poignant that when MY saw ST’s caricature of a smiling sleeping GT, she said “I want it” echoing when she first wanted GT back in ep1. But her reasons for wanting have changed reflecting her growth as a character.
Thank you all for your analyses and comments, I really enjoyed reading them and learnt so much!
I still would have preferred for the nurse to not be MY’s mother, but I’m not the writer.
Plot holes notwithstanding, this is possibly my favourite ending of the dramas I’ve seen in the last 12 months and it exceeded my expectations. There were too many good points to list, but MY teaching ST slang and swear words may be a favourite.😈 Showing the new book to the Mom tree and that the book featured so many of the former patients is genius. -Even the book release fight which ended up on SM.
I think that everyone who was meant to link up did and also relationships of all sorts were promised for the future. No one really got left behind except MY’s mother who deserved it. Thank goodness for a director who doesn’t just let it all slide at the end! I feel chuffed to bits.
And I didn’t even include the kissing.
With a sweet ending like this I am willing to ignore the plot hole. I liked how the writer tied all stories together. It was good to see the patients finding healing as well. The manuscript of the crime novel getting ruined and thrown in the trash was another great example of poetic justice.
I wish there were more Jae So/Seung Jae scenes, but at least we know they like each other.
And MY is writing again!
And I am drinking another shot of soju with a smile on my face.
We did not get an angsty towel-free shower scene from Kim Soo Hyun, but we got some amazing kissing (and then some), so my shallow heart is at peace.😊
Awww I cried when ST was showing his Mom the book that he illustrated, when GT hugged Juri’s Mom, when ST said to GT that GT belongs to GT and that ending where ST was waving goodbye. 😭
What’s with MY saying she’s sleepy to GT? Is that a command to do something else? 😂
That’s a good book and great to tie up the other patients too. I thought it was a good ending and true, I will miss the trio of ST/GT/MY. ☺️
I rather wish that the manuscript had stayed in the rubbish or, poetic justice, that the ink would dissolve in contact with the liquid. I don’t know judicial processes in Korea, but surely some of the net profits would go to the author?
@Fern DHJ’s already registered dead right? So Park Haeng Ja was put into prison as Park Haeng Ja? So meaning the profit would go to MY still?
But who cares about that byotch! Also wow Seungjae hiding that stinking manuscript under her shirt and hiding under the blanket, she really endured it wow 🤣 Since the manuscript was like 20 or so years old, the ink would probably be blotted after that drink spill. Also the whole thing was at most disintegrating, I’m not sure if they could read that.
I enjoyed this series a lot. It was fun to analyse and actually be invested in the drama.
I was able to binge watch this drama and caught up to the final episodes this weekend. The reveal of head nurse being MY mother back from the dead did not make sense to me. Show made it clear that both MY father and MY had witnessed the mother’s death, then it was a sudden backtrack. I couldn’t buy that MY mother could survive both the fall and being thrown into the river while unconscious. If the writer wanted to have MY mother’s death be questioned, they should have made the manner of death more ambiguous.
Otherwise, really liked these final episodes. The ending was satisfying, although I kept waiting for a marriage proposal (hahha! The K Drama tropes have got to me) One of the best parts for me of the final episodes was that both the ML and the FL actually said the words “I love you” to the other person. So many times in dramas that does not happen-it’s usually only 1 person who says the words and no response back.(Or the other senario is the person says they love the other to a 3rd party-I really hate that) There was still no response back in this drama but the difference was that at least both ML and FL had scenes where they said the words to the other person.
And when Sang Tae left to go back and work with a new writer-what a great ending, and so satisfying.
I’ll miss these characters and bravo to all of the actors and crew. Special shout out to Oh Jung Se for his portrayal of autistic Sang Tae. I feel like he’ll receive another Baeksang nomination for this role, for sure.
Thanks to everyone here for all of your thoughts, analysis and discussions.
@Table122000 I heartily agree.
The writer should take your suggestion on making MY’s mum’s death ambiguous. She looked too dead to have been resurrected.
I found OJS’s portrayal amazing. His entire body changed in stature and shape to create ST. His expressions were consistent throughout. I was convinced.
@swiss_postscripts Good points.
To the leaving and cleaving I’ll add that Jae Su too needed to grow. He needed to ‘let go of,’ instead of ‘cleaving to’ the Moon brothers. Even with ST, he was clingy. I pity JS who’s the one ‘abandoned’ when he so wanted to belong to the Moons. It’s good that there’s the possibility of his having a girlfriend in Seung Jae. He wanted to be part of the Moon family, but he should really make his own.
– – –
LOL GT chasing MY all the way to the castle with demanding ‘I love yous’. Show has decided to end off with more ‘repeat action’ scenes. In the past it was GT who initiated an action and MY who repeated it at a later time. Now GT repeats what MY did like following her and shouting that he loves her. She did it as a means to manipulate him into coming back, he does it to make a sincere point.
He also imitates her at shouting at the deer: most uncharacteristic of him! This shows that they’ve rubbed off on each other and have grown in similarity. Then later on there’s a reversal again and MY is the one to tell GT to count to three and calm down. LOL.
@GB,
I like the role reversal too! I never thought that I would like a hero who yells, but every time GT raised his voice, I was so happy, because I thought that was his true self breaking through.
I think the new book MY is writing is the tale we heard at the very beginning of the show.
From the end of MY’s story “Find the Real Face’:
Sang Tae and Being Okay
Sang Tae is one character not wracked by indecision. He knows what he wants to do, ie to become a real book illustrator and so he prepares to pursue this. He completes the mural with not one but 3 butterflies. He gets a written memo from Sang In which guarantees that he’ll publish ST’s books. Then he resigns from working at Jae Su’s Pizza restaurant. The steps taken by an organised adult.
He has certainly inspired MY’s tale. He chose not to run away but to save his family. He is able to delay gratification by taking the road trip, while preparing to pursue his own goals. His farewell with GT where he chose to draw for those who needed his illustrations, rather than stay because he needed GT, shows how far he has come. His growth might have happened long ago in fact, (but it was hidden because of his fear of butterflies) and perhaps it was GT who was mistaken that ST needed him.
ST said to MY : “Butterfly is psyche, and it symbolizes cure. A butterfly that cures. It’s a kind butterfly.” – This is a far cry from the ST who ran from all butterflies. Now he is able to accept that just because something is a butterfly, does not mean it is bad. He included 3 butterflies in his mural, perhaps as symbols of the troublesome trio who had come out of their cocoons and taken wing. Drawing the butterflies was a fitting illustration of ST having deliberately removed the box that covered his head. We compare this to how with GT and MY, the mask and the empty can fell off them unexpectedly, in reaction to ST. They did not make the conscious decision to overcome their traumas, but in the process of choosing to care for each other, they did.
When the show says ‘Psycho But It’s Okay’ – In the same way that not all butterflies symbolize just 1 thing, it is erroneous to approach people with mental disorders as if they can be labeled and lumped together as one group, and dismissed with the common attitude of avoidance. They, as individuals, have the capacity to become more whole and even to heal themselves. We see that Dir Oh took no credit for ST’s improvement. He said ST did it by himself. In other words, he was ‘psycho’ but okay.
In my comment on the other show, Flower of Evil, I added that persons with mental health problems are not the issue. They are generally ‘okay’ with help, but the prejudice they are faced with isn’t. They are ‘okay’ when compared with what the general public thinks of them, which is many times false. In this regard, this show has enlightened me as well.
Mun Yeong and Being Okay
MY in her conversation with her mother : “Butterfly. You told me that the word ‘psycho’ comes from the word psyche. But to us it’s a symbol of cure. A cure that heals our soul. You should remember that.” – this brings to mind that there is duality in many things. Just as the butterfly can be interpreted in a positive or negative light, so too, with many other situations or persons. The butterfly of Park Haeng Ja (PHJ) was one of trauma. The butterflies of ST represent freedom to seek their own flight paths. That MY is able to stand up to her mother and point out her errors calmly, is the sign of MY’s healing.
It is the hallmark of healthy minds, that they can accept several ways of looking at the same thing. PHJ was not capable of thinking anything other than what was playing in her mind. She was the Shadow Witch but was also trapped in her own box. MY could recognise that she was not like her mother, and that by comparison, she was okay.
In MY’s conversation with ST over the butterfly on the mural : “You’re right. If you can’t erase it, you just need to cover it with something better. Right?” – This speaks of how we carry with us many things that cannot be erased, like our DNA, but these alone do not define us completely or determine who we can be. We are not trapped. We can choose to augment what nature gave us and make our own destinies.
In the story that MY wrote, the protagonists choose to leave their castle rather than remain buried without their real faces. Despite thinking that they had no faces/expressions (symbolising emotions), they interact with others as broken as themselves to cry and dance. Given a choice to run to save themselves or take a risk and save each other, they choose to let go of what fettered them (the box/fears/sense of being undeserving) and to help each other. By coming out of themselves for each other, they started on the path of healing themselves. They are able to laugh and make their own happiness.
Besides being the Shadow Witch trapped in a box, DHJ is also Zombie Kid.
I was listening to the instrumental tracks from the show, but could not find the music playing during the lighthouse scene in Episode 4 (right before “Breath” starts) and also the fight scene of GT and ST in Episode 11. Anyone have an idea?
Cupid only throws the Dart,
That’s dreadful to a Warrior’s Heart.
And she that wounds can only cure the Smart.
The words above are from one of the choruses of Purcell’s opera Dido and Aeneas. I sang in the chorus for this opera while I was in college. These words suddenly came back to me during the scene between Dr. Oh and GT and also the scene between MY and DHJ in the detention center. There was also a scene in an earlier episode between Dir. Oh and ST expressing the same idea. The mutant butterfly was an instrument of harm in the drama, but a different butterfly was the cure.
@Snow Flower, was there another new book that MY was writing? I thought she only wrote this last book on Finding the Real Face and that was it. Sang In said that she would stop writing for some time.
Yes to PHJ/DHJ being the Zombie Kid too… also the Monk Fish with the big mouth to keep devouring. MY said she only had appetite with no warmth.
My told ST that she needed him to illustrate her books. That was during the camping trip, after she had already collaborated with him on Finding the Real Face.I interpreted that as a sign that she is either already writing a new book or wants to write one.
@Snow Flower Could be … And the very first story you mention, are you referring to the animation?
I was thinking it ended nicely with the animation of GT and MY sitting on the roof of another house (Ju Ri’s?) and waving at us. A refreshing alternative to having a drone camera giving us an aerial view of the crew waving goodbye.
The actual ending with them getting back to the camper van to get coffee before driving off in different directions, was deliberately anti-climatic, but okay! 😀
Nugatory -> nugget. I love that wordplay. Kudos to the translator(s) because the original may have been something quite different. ❤️🏆
@Snow Flower, I think you are correct. MY won’t be the only writer ST works for, but they will still work together. I think that ST will end up being financially independent before his brother – he’s already thinking about his old age investments.
@GB, what good observations: 3 butterflies for the troublesome trio. What do you make of the 6 hearts on the dedication to Ju-ri’s mum? One big heart plus one each for her and her tenants?
@GB, you are correct. I was thinking about the opening animation. It is narrated by GT and MY. It was not part of the Real Face story, so it is probably another story MY is writing in the future.
I think I know why the show left all the plot holes gaping, and didn’t reveal if DHJ was the sister of PHJ etc. It wasn’t due to lack of time or oversight that we are not given the reveals. The writer had planned what exactly happened, and left us lots of clues using references to fairy tales/films etc. But she wanted to drive home a point: In fairytales, the dragon/witch exists only to be conquered, and what is more important are the protagonists choices and actions towards the evil that befalls him/her.
It’s just like the 2 evil witches in The Wizard of Oz, we see a little of what they do, and then they just… disappear. So I think the writer was telling us that whether DHJ was really PHJ, or if they were sisters, whether it was POR or DHJ who killed Gang Tae’s mum… these things are not of key importance. Ultimately what matters is that the main trio are able to conquer over evil, to rise above their circumstances, and this is what happens. MY, GT, and ST are able to heal and move on, even with the worst possible scenario in play (that DHJ killed GT’s mum, and that DHJ is still alive).
I think the scenes involving the the manuscript of Book 10 of the Murder of the Western Witch were also meant as a “meta” reference to our thoughts/reactions towards the plot regarding DHJ/PHJ/POR. Writer asks us to:
1. Make a choice between knowing what happens to the main characters and knowing what happens to the evil antagonists. Which is more important? (MY asking Sang In to choose between publishing her book or her mother’s.)
2. Think about whether agonising about the identity of the witch is is really crucial. (Sang In yelling for the witch to show herself as he digs in the trash. SJ points out to him that he wasn’t going to publish it anyway.)
I think the writer expected we were going to be debating and cracking our heads over these parts, and wanted to make a point (by keeping the plot holes unfilled) to bring the focus back to the growth and development of the main characters. She also anticipated we would feel cheated that the reveals were not made, like how no one turned up for the book launch save for the hospital folks, because the rest felt cheated that Book 10 was not going to be published. I admit I do feel a little cheated haha. Also I feel bad for KDH because a reveal of the truth (that PHJ was only the sister) might have helped him go in peace instead.
@swiss postscripts: Loved your point about leaving and cleaving!
Great points @jt7. I guess at the end of the day it doesn’t exactly change much for ST/GT – their mom is dead. As for whether DHJ is still alive or not, it may matter to MY (were she called once more to be guardian like she was asked to be for her dad?). Why don’t they just check her DNA? Fingerprints? Something simple like that? If MY has already accepted that both her parents are dead and she’s cut herself loose (like Happy Dog), it would a regressive step to try to find out. She’s probably decided she’s better off thinking of PHJ as just mentally ill and her real mother is dead. MY has already fought off the specter of her mom in her mind, and freed herself from her. It probably makes little sense to resurrect her in the form of PHJ and let her plague her once more in real life. Some things are better off dead and buried so you can move on. POR was an odd detour. I would’ve preferred just going with POR being the rabid fan or possibly DHJ after many plastic surgeries instead of dragging Nurse Park into it (and causing us to doubt health professionals). I think writer could’ve achieved the same end by using POR instead of using Nurse Park.
All in all I think it was a worthwhile watch. Loved the ending. ST was the real star here. Really he was. ST and the fairy tales (reinterpreted). Monk Fish (?) was the only one I found a bit too gory. I give the drama a B+.
Just want to say Sang Tae was thevg,ue that held it all together. Were itnot forSang Tae, GT would not be a csreguver, no onevwouldbhavd known about or met MY,Ju-ri, her Mom and Bestie restaurant owner would havd been superfluous(alleere oart of Sang Tae’s caregiving systemmor interests and GT would not have had to move around to various psych facilities ending jp at OK because of Ju-ri. And ST’sgift of illustration turnedbout yo be the ending I had hoped for him beckming an illustrator. For me, that was the beauty of this drama. Although I cared about the love storynof GT and MY, playrd so well by our stars, it was STmwho outrightbstole this drama. And our actor shojld wi it all. Although I found the ending a bit disjointed, it was satisfying overall. I loved the new book and was glad that the drama returned to animation. But oush come to shove, the most emotionalky satisfying ending gor me id what happened to ST. Overall, the beauty part of this series is that most of the chsracters were treated kindly and with dignity. Dr. Oh was as human as hisbpatients. And likeour Vietnam veteran, putting on his giftbof nes shoes, I could walk out of OK hospital feeling renewed and at peace.
I wrote a long post but somehow it disappeared after I posted it so here it goes again in an abbreviated form because I can’t type it all out again as I am bad at this typing in a handphone and remembering stuff 😬
Firstly A big sincere Thank you to all of you here who wrote such detailed and thorough posts. I gained new insights and knowledge from it 😊
…@GB @JT7 @nrllee @lunarsolace @snowflower (looking forward to your new pieces😍) @oldamericanlady and so many more. If I forget a name please forgive me.
Ok so I wanted to say I was abit miffed with how the background story and arc of MY’s mom was played out.
We were told she came from an educated and privileged family of doctors. She studied med school but dropped out and distanced herself from family and friends after that. Was she made a pyscho from that period or she was already one from birth hmmm…in the end she was psycho but its Not OK. For the rest everyone had an explanation and a pretty good ending. And I agree with someone here who said that this gave raise to suspicion to the medical profession especially psychiatric or metal institutions by having headnurse/MY mom as the psychopath.
But like what @JT7 said and I feel a bit better so i should try..Don’t sweat the small stuff!
Our precious trio all found their own escape door with the help of kind outsiders who considered them family and gave love and encouragement without judgement. Kudos to the actor who played ST. He deserves a win in this year BS awards! Hyung Sang Tae to the rescue he was the beginning and the end!
I just want to gush how good looking and cute the 2 leads are together. Their faces are so similiar. I love the costumes MY wore and how the nail polish changes with each pivotal scene. I am sure there is subtle meaning to her clothes too but that would open another whole new post 😂
I will go into YouTube to search for all their kissy
Scenes and lsugh st that darn interfering deer😆
Overall I enjoyed this drama except for those scary bits ..floating corpse and spooky waters …why bring those in 🤔 delusions of father’s tumor mind and MY’s young impressionable child mind …so there never was a Houdini escape by MY’s mom? 😅
@Carolstar, I posted a new composition last week. It is called Shadow Cast By Butterfly Wings. I just finished another one yesterday but have not recorded it yet. 2 more to go!
3 new pieces!
For Episodes 1-2:
https://soundcloud.com/user-858010722/your-eyes
For Episodes 11-12:
https://soundcloud.com/user-858010722/happy-birthday-juliet
For Episodes 15-15:
https://soundcloud.com/user-858010722/family-portrait
Oops! I meant Episodes 15-16. Thank you for listening!
Here is a list of all 8 compositions inspired by PBIO:
Episodes 1-2: Your Eyes
Episodes 3-4: Lighthouse in the Rain
Episodes 5-6: The Cursed castle
Episodes 7-8: Smile
Episodes 9-10: Missing You
Episodes 11-12: Happy Birthday, Juliet
Episodes 13-14: Shadow Cast by Butterfly Wings
Episodes 15-16: Family Portrait
Whoa! I didn’t realize you were composing for PBIO!! Thanks, @Snow Flower. I’ll update the thread reserved for your compositions later. Laptop isn’t with me right now.
Thanks!!!!!!!!!!
@Snowflower I only listened to the finale 15-16, that’s very pleasing to my ears. Though I must say that I’m listening with a different mood and feel, not like your title ‘Family Portrait’, your music has soul~ you are a talented composer! I would listen to all your PBIO compositions later 🙂
@snowflowerhow can I listen to the other PBIO compositions?
@2uke,
They are all on Soundcloud:
Your Eyes:
https://soundcloud.com/user-858010722/your-eyes
Lighthouse in the Rain:
https://soundcloud.com/user-858010722/lighthouse-in-the-rain
The Cursed Castle:
https://soundcloud.com/user-858010722/the-cursed-castle
Smile:
https://soundcloud.com/user-858010722/smile
Missing You:
https://soundcloud.com/user-858010722/missing-you
Happy Birthday, Juliet:
https://soundcloud.com/user-858010722/happy-birthday-juliet
Shadow Cast By Butterfly Wings:
https://soundcloud.com/user-858010722/shadow-cast-by-butterfly-wings
Family Portrait:
https://soundcloud.com/user-858010722/family-portrait
Thank you for listening!
@Snowflower,
Personally, ‘The Cursed Castle’ & ‘Family Portrait’ (lol in my head, it’s titled A Familiar Portrait’) strike a chord in me. I can’t bear listening to ‘Missing You’ becos I’m missing a someone and the music gets to me. Thank you for sharing your music n the links-The pleasure is mine! 🙂