The thread is now open for comments, spoilers, analyses and discussions.
The winner for last week’s bingo is Welmaris! Congratulations to our eagle-eyed, trope-seeking Welmaris!!
Here’s the bingo card for this week. It’s slightly different from last week’s bingo. (lol. Is this a Tuesday night special?? I’m not promising anything…..)
The first person to spot 5 items (they don’t have to be in a straight line) wins! Don’t reveal your answers before you have all 5 items because other viewers are free to use the same answers, too. But if you want to be generous, go ahead and share your answers with us. It’s always amusing to see how we can interpret a scene in many different ways (for example, “revealed secret” and “jealousy” can refer to a number of things).
Remember: this is just for fun.
Let’s enjoy the show!
I’m a little disappointed with Episode 3, mainly because of the generally slow pace. There are only two real points of development – the possibility of Hye-jun’s grandfather getting work as a model and the growing relationship between H-j and his new agent. For me, the episode dragged ever so slightly, and I’m looking forward to a bit more energy in tomorrow’s episode.
@pm3, You have a knack for listing the tropes…so many to be found in one episode…
1) Revealed secret – JH lied in Ep2 about being a fan of HH when she is actually a fan of HJ and in Ep3 HJ asked :
HJ: Are you really Hae-hyo’s fan?
JH: Yes, I am.
HJ: I hate liars, you know. (walks away) Three, two, one.
JH: Fine, I’m your fan, all right?
2) Love Triangle – I think HH is getting interested in JH, he said “Once you get to know the real me, you’ll hopelessly be in love with me.”
I like JH’s reply though, she said “Is that so? That’s scary. I will never get to know the real you in this life.” But i am not sure too….because their interaction here feels off, like a challenge and a premonition of what is to come. That being a fan of your bias vs falling in love with him for real is complicated.
JH says: When your fantasy and reality crash, it becomes a mess.
HH: It’d be fun to see that mess.
I liked HJ & JH’s interactions so far though, like two people with similar outlook in life and growing comfortable enough to share their vulnerabilities, views and principles they live by.
3) Walking in the rain with an umbrella he bought for her. There was awkwardness, she was getting wet, and he pulled her sleeve so she will stand inside the umbrella and not get wet. (Not your usual saving the damsel umbrella scene but I enjoyed their conversations in this part)
4) Coffee Place PPL – dal.komm but no coffee but honey grapefruit bingsu ….darn makes me wanna go try it, just that they only sell the drink version on my side of the world.
5) Jealousy – between HJ & HH “I fooled myself that not comparing myself and competing against him was virtuous. Now I have no regrets.” The jealousy is not obvious, it might be hidden deep down because HJ said that he felt something flaring up deep inside. Even though HJ tells himself that he is doing the right thing, there is probably a sense of injustice or unfairness he feels…stemmed from the idea of why can HH get it and I can’t. I think at the same time HH might feel jealousy because AJ is HJ’s fan that they meet IRL.
6) Accidental skinship – bumped their heads lightly while going to look at photos of HJ’s grandpa when he was younger. HJ did say “Isn’t this too close?”
In another incident, while they were looking at a senior model video together HJ’s elbow touched (or almost touched) AJ’s hand and she asked back “Isn’t this too close?”
7) Cooking Ramen – ok…I’m pushing it here…does eating ramen count? They aren’t even the main characters but the only supporting characters that have a love line so far. They were eating ramen or instant cup noodles, I presume they had to cook it first? 😛
Bingo! We have a winner!
For the coffee place PPL, I wasn’t sure if the sponsor was going to be dal.komm or angel-in-us coffee shop so I settled for the generic “coffee place.”
You’re good with the cooking ramen answer. 👍 I original had it down as “ramen” but the word spacing was off inside the column so I added “cooking” to center it.
Was it a yellow umbrella? 😂 Bonus points for a yellow umbrella.
Okay, you get the trophy next time. 😂 Good job.
It wasn’t a yellow umbrella, it was a clear one😁
If rain stops for a couple of seconds while someone puts something on you, is that a trope too?
I’m definitely enjoying JA and HJ’s getting to know each other stage. Their pretty honest and they enjoy each other’s company.
I totally can see Grandpa modeling. 👍🏻
Hmm HH visits JA out of the blue and chooses her as his make up artist. Maybe that is the start of the triangle or just HH being jealous of JA as @grace said.
But when HH said that he’d like to see the mess of reality and fantasy clash, it sounded ominous. Maybe I’m just overthinking.
I got a bit disoriented because of some placement of scenes like when Noona Min-Jae talked to HJ about him not having a lot of SNS fans. It’s probably best to rewatch. 😁
I really like this drama. It has just the right amount of everything. It has heart. I like that it’s not MakJang? I love the interactions between HJ and JA. She’s a fan girl but she’s not ditzy? I like how they interact but even though she’s a fan girl, she doesn’t dissolve into a puddle or act dumbstruck around him. She so “normal”. 🥰. She has her own life apart from him (GyeoUl take note 😂). And they hit it off as friends. And they’re ever so slowly falling in love. It’s sweet. HH looks to be set for a fall. I am not sure about HH and why he’s suddenly taken an interest in JA. But it could be as @grace suggested.
Episode 4 was much more enjoyable than episode 3; the pacing particularly was so much better. I’m not sure which parts I enjoyed most, but I agree with @nrllee that the relationship between Hye-jun and Jeong-ha is unfolding very nicely. But what about that wonderfully comic moment right at the beginning when H-j’s mother seems to experience a deep moment of realisation when she suddenly stops trying to restrain her husband, releases him and says “There. I let go” and Hye-jun runs into his bedroom? A lovely bit of almost slapstick, but serious for the development of the big storyline.
Among the many sub-plots, my favourite is the growing relationship between Hye-jun and his agent Lee Min-jae. I think actress Shin Dong-mi is handling the Min-jae character brilliantly. I’m really looking forward to seeing how this pans out.
And the episode when the Hye-jun and Hae-hyo are tricked by Kim Jin-u into going to the clinic with him and getting vaccinated against cervical cancer. I thought it was a classic. The expression on Hye-jun’s face as he was getting the vaccine!
All of Episode 4 was excellent, and now I’m looking forward with considerable anticipation to Episodes 5 and 6 next week.
Aww thank you @packmule3 the bingo challenge was fun and I spotted more on ep4…will catch up soon since it is quite late over here…and I should sleep. You are like a kdrama fortune teller…all these are so expected in kdramas, I wonder if there are any that goes against the tropes.
Anyway I love ep4…and it looks like AJ is gonna resist liking HJ. I am sure HJ is developing feelings for AJ, it is very obvious.
I love HJ and MinJae’s banter and growing partnership. MJ is totally like a fan. Everytime she says to him “don’t look at me like that” because it makes her heart race faster or want to melt I want to laugh. Because she is not only the other fan but an active supporter of him. We all need someone like that in our life when we pursue something big and crazy.
The ending was awesome, like justice was served for what happened between HJ and that lead actor in ep1.
@Judith Rook, I’ve just watched Ep 4 and there were many good developments. I’m cheering Hye-jun as an actor. What a stroke of luck to get cast opposite his nemesis Park Do-ha. And the director is listening to HJ; a similar situation to Jeong-ha and her senior Jin-Ji.
I hope that HJ’s philosophy refuting the silver spoon vs. dirt spoon theory comes true. or if not, that he can be the exception to the rule.
I get the feeling that this character is close to PBG’s heart.
I just finished episode 4, and it is not hyperbole when I say I think it is one of the best episodes I’ve seen since I started watching Kdramas. Dialogue was witty throughout, between all the characters. There was humor, but deeper currents of human nature were also teased out for us to observe. Pacing was fast: many different storylines were rolled past us, but all served the larger narrative.
Watching HJ play a bad guy in the movie was the highlight of the episode. We didn’t get there by chance, but were skillfully led there by Writer and Director.
I need to do some thinking, rewatching, then more thinking to identify why this episode resonated with me to such an extent. Right now, I’m basking in the glow and can do little more than burble.
@welmaris I agree. I really like this drama. It has MakJang elements (like when dad threw the meat) but it doesn’t overplay it. I like the interactions, touching on very real family dynamic and work issues but at the same time it doesn’t allow the characters to wallow for long. It canters along at a nice leisurely pace. Not so fast that you can’t keep up. But not so slow that it feels draggy? All the characters have real problems but I like how they are hopeful and upbeat regardless. Facing them head on. I think it’s just the kind of drama that we need right now with all the gloom that is about in real life. And the OTP? The right balance of youthful exuberance and candour. I hate to use the KDrama word but it’s “healing” 😂.
@welmaris, I would love to read your reviews from this episode…I agree that this episode 4 really pulled a lot of the elements of the past episodes together…starting from the “meat throw” at HJ.
Bingo no.3) More walking in the rain and then seeking shelter outside a convenience store. There is going to be another scene of being being caught in the rain in the highlights for next week’s episode, what significance would this rain be pointing to?
Bingo no.8&9) Eating at the Pojangcacha and drinking soju. The drunk talking starting from there felt a bit dragged and I sense HJ’s slight annoyance even though he was bemused by her.
Bingo no.9) Catholic church – not direct but there was this part where HJ and AJ said at different times “I forgive you” and touching the head, right shoulder and lastly left shoulder, seemingly like the sign of the cross. I am not sure what significance there is because making the sign of the cross is more of a reverence than a giving of forgiveness. Did they get the idea wrong or what?
Did you catch that little bit of tension about going to each other’s houses for dinner because AJ said she does not eat out (to save money). I love that HJ is quite a smooth & smart talker in a lot of his interactions with AJ.
What I like about this drama is that there is some level of realness in it, that it is something that one may experience in life as a 20something aspiring to make a mark based on their values and principles they live by. It sends a positive message of being honest and true to yourself and the good principles that you want to maintain despite being trodden down by the world. The sense of hope that these values will shine is what makes us look forward to what will happen to our main characters. @nrllee, hopeful and optimistic is the word I would go for this show too.
I liked their accidental skinship 😂. Knocking heads. Hand touch grabbing the glass. And I loved the way time slowed (rain drops) as they stood at the bus stop in the rain. It’s just little things that the PD does. He’s very clever. It’s not overdone. Romantic and sweet but not so gushing that you feel like puking 😂. JA telling HJ off for being cheesy. 👍. I just love how grounded she is. She’s surprising as a character, refreshingly honest. I keep thinking like Baby Bear…everything is “just right”’ for now in this drama. I just checked. No wonder I like the directing in this drama – PD directed MOAlhambra and Stranger.
I like the characters of JA and HJ’s new manager (sorry I forgot her name). How can they maintain that kind of composure and normalcy when you’re in front of your idol!I would not be in my right state of mind if it happens to me!
I agree with most of you who said that this drama has the balance of everything. It’s nice to watch something light but where we could get life lessons that can penetrate deep in our hearts and minds. The realities of life are also present- rich and famous, good looks and the ordinary, limelight and the real world, etc.
Grandpa’s so cool and I wonder if he would be famous. HJ’s new movie role fits him, nice to see him doing bad guy scenes it shows his manliness more.
@Eureka and @ Welmaris, I agree that it’s good to see how well HJ plays the bad guy. I’m slowly getting over seeing Taek when I look at PBG. And let’s hear it for witty dialogue, snappy patter and even drunk talk that’s not over the top! When JA said she’s talkative for the first 1/2 hour after drinking, I thought ‘Then what?’ But HJ later tells her not to get drunk with anyone else besides him. ❤️😆
@Fern, after 30 minutes of animated chatter comes the drunk crying, I think. When JH slumped down to sit on the ground and started crying, HJ said something along the lines of,”I guess your 30 minutes is up.” Gotta love an actress that can do mood swings so well!
I know @Welmaris. It didn’t take long for her to snap out of it, either. But in fact she did have a reason for crying because the witchy jealous Jin Ju is making JA’s dream job a living hell. JA told HJ not to get involved, but I think he may later.
Waaaa! How good did HJ looked dressed as a rich man and having that confidence while walking towards the male lead of the movie? I was like wow! 🤩 He definitely looked bad ass!
I’m loving his manager-talent relationship with Noona Min-Jae especially when he said he wants to stay humble and modest and he’ll uphold his values no matter what! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
JH is too cute when she’s drunk. 😄 I love HJ and JH’s getting to know each other stage. I’m liking the rain whenever their together so I’m betting on a kiss in the rain scene. ☺️
😂 and when Noona agent MinJae says to HJ “don’t look at me with those eyes” Imma like, “yeah ditto MinJae, I’d say the same.”
And you gotta love a FL who tells her man, “stay out of this. It’s my fight.” 🥰
I really like BoGum in this role. I feel like he’s finally hit his stride.
Is BoGum acting well? I’ve to admit that during all the confrontational scenes in Eps 1 and 2, such as the scene with the top actor, his scummy manager and his dad, his acting left me cringing.
But I like Park Sodam. She’s on point.
Yes @nrllee to ‘don’t look at me like that because I’ll just agree to anything you want’ 🥰
JH is so admirable when she said it’s her fight and she’ll handle it. You go girl! 🙌🏻
I’m with you about PBG’s acting here especially with the bad guy role, he owned it and really looked the part. You can tell his determined and with Noona’s guidance he will become that big star. I was so happy when Mom said her piece about him following his dreams. ☺️
@packmule3 yeah I agree. I think he’s improved (if that makes any sense?). He’s still patchy at points but for some reason I find that he’s credible in this drama? At least to a point where I am not doubting him constantly. He’s still not as nuanced as KyungSoo. But so far this is the role that I find him least cringey? 😂. The only bits I find hard to believe are the times when he tries to act nasty or stand his ground? I just find it hard to believe that he can be? There’s something effeminate about him so when he tries to “man up”, it just doesn’t seem to come across right? And I don’t know if it’s because SoDam is so good that I just want to like him as a result. 😂. If she likes him then I should too?
@packmule3, I think his acting improved from the first eps. Hopefully an upward tangent!
😂 So, did you sense it too??!!
When he tries to fight the guys, like the top actor, his crooked manager and his dad, he doesn’t look convincing. He doesn’t look like a tough guy.
Especially that beginning scene in Ep 1 that showed his face as he was being kicked/punched by the top actor — that was crappy acting.
Come on now. Our Kyunsoo Do or Siwan Lee could do much better and they’re idols! Remember Kyungsoo Do? I didn’t even know he was an idol when I watched his movie. I thought he was a newbie actor. 😂
I think BG is not suited for action films. Which is odd. Because I seem to recall a clip of him playing a killer in one of the kdramas. 🤔
Will watch it tonight.
@packmule3 that was Hello Monster. BG starred in that and played a psychopath. So did KyungSoo in that same drama but as the younger version of another psychopath. DKS only appeared in 1 (?) episode here and there but he was chilling. And yes to Im SiWan who did a marvellous job in Strangers From Hell. Both idol actors have the capability to turn on the malevolence. PBG I find can’t seem to turn off his “niceness” so I can tell he’s “acting”.
Agree.
Both Siwan and KyungSoo Do radiate intensity from the inside. And they don’t have to contort their faces or do anything over-the-top.
The other young chap who can do that is that actor from “Extraordinary You.” Lee Jaesuk? I can’t remember his name now. I was waiting for his “Do Do Sol..” kdrama with Go Hara but it won’t be up till next month or something.
Lee Jae-Wook? Who debuted in MOtA and stole the show in search www? He can def go either good or evil. I think his acting is fabulous.
Do Kyung-soo seems very intense even outside of acting. He’s not a smiley person. He apparently has bad eyesight but can’t wear contacts. He didn’t wear glasses on stage or in public earlier, so had to glare at people. His group members found it disconcerting at first. -Grumpy young man type.
I have to agree on @nrllee on PBG not being able to turn off his “niceness”, which makes me want to see him in bad guy roles more. I remember SeoYeji saying in her acting of Save Me that it was so intense she almost went into depression, I want to watch that but it is not my kind of genre of shows. I think that is what it means by not being able to immerse into the character emotions. PBG’s nuances in facial expressions is what he does well but probably the real emotions of his character is not always connected enough?
For all those who think PBG is incapable of convincingly portraying a bad man, let me ask you: What does a truly bad man look like? What does he act like? The truth is that many evil people are capable of–even expert at–fooling the public. Can you think of anyone more wicked than serial rapist and murderer Ted Bundy? Per Wikipedia, Bundy called himself, “the most cold-hearted son of a bitch you’ll ever meet.” One of the members of his defense team in his last trial, Attorney Polly Nelson, wrote that he was “the very definition of heartless evil.” But that wasn’t his public face. When he was a psychology major at University of Washington, he was an honor student and well regarded by his professors. One of the definitive biographies of Bundy was written by a former police officer who worked alongside him at Seattles Suicide Hotline Crisis Center; she saw nothing disturbing about Bundy’s personality during that time and described him as being “kind, solicitous, and empathetic.”
I like watching Park Bo Gum as an actor. I hope in real life he’s as lovely a person, or even more so, than how he’s depicted in media. But if you think a vile person can’t look like him, you’re wrong. If you think you should be able to instinctively sense that someone is a bad person at their core, you’re wrong. The actor who can’t seem to convince you onscreen that he’s malevolent: that may be a very accurate portrayal of evil.
I biased towards Park Bo Gum so I may not be talking coherently. 😛 I have watched him in reality shows Youth Over Flowers in Africa and in Hyori’s Bed and Breakfast, and if i ever have a son in law like him in future he will win hands down. He consistently has this active helpfulness about him. There is a kind of sincerity, sense of gratitude and overall niceness about him. But looks can be deceiving, like @Welmaris says, still until he convince me otherwise I will keep fan-girling, like JeongHa. lol
@grace I agree about PBG in real life. I really like him in real life. He’s a bit like Taecyeon for me. I like both men in real life (they are upright, honest, dependable men). But somehow I just never quite appreciated their on screen presence. Taec is believable enough. BoGum I just can’t believe that he would be nasty. Maybe @welmaris is right in that I am blinkered when it comes to how I perceive someone “evil” should behave. But in BoGum’s case – when he tried to act as the evil Chaebol in Ep4…I just couldn’t buy it. Maybe I’ve answered my own question. 😂. I find him so nice in real life that I can’t see him as anything other than nice?