I’ll quote Growing_Beautifully’s summary and post comments here and there.
@nrllee @pkml3
Lt Lee gives some prelim results of a clinical trial to HTS – something seems to be working. 72% of the severly ill patients have longer cycles (of being human) and fewer frequencies of their symptoms.
Back in Episode 7 (time stamp 1:00:17), LtCol Han ordered Lt Lee to run SaeBom’s blood sample at a level 3 biosafety lab because SaeBom woke up despite getting injected with a tranquilizer. Since she quickly recovered, he suspected that the virus could have already gotten into her brain. When Lee pointed out that her test came clean, Han replied that her body must have working antibodies. He warned Lee to their work under wraps from the higher-ups. He didn’t want anybody going after SaeBom before they can develop the cure.
I like to keep to keep track of the info Han communicates to different people, because he modifies his responses depending on who asks him. For instance, he didn’t tell YiHyun that SaeBom fought off the sedative he administered to her.
YiHyun: So why did you cut into Kim Seung Beom’s brain? Are you looking for an antibody?
Han: I told you that the Madman Rabies virus affects the brain, right? When we test the blood of a diseased dead, sometimes we find an antibody. It’s just that it can’t penetrate the brain. The antibody is in the body, but it can’t penetrate the brain. That’s the problem.
Meaning, the virus can get to the brain, but the antibodies can’t.
YiHyun: So that’s why you penetrated the infected people’s brains. To see if an antibody was in their brain. How about SaeBom? Were you going to penetrate SaeBom’s brain, too? (shocked)
Han: (sighing) No. We have to take her blood. And we can experiment with her blood.
YiHyun: Can you develop the therapeutic with SaeBom’s blood?
Han: A new type of monoclonal antibody was discovered in Yoon SaeBom’s blood. We have to examine further, but… there’s a chance that it can penetrate the barrier inside the brain and get to the brain.
YiHyun: That means SaeBom is a crucial person for our country right now.
To me, SaeBom has an additional value to the military. She isn’t simply a “source” of the cure, but she’s also the first sample or a prototype of how “Next” could be utilized by the military to make better combatants (i.e., they don’t feel pain and they heal faster) as long as the zompire tendencies are suppressed by immunotherapy.
Han: That’s possible.
YiHyun: Then give us a few weapons. To protect SaeBom.
Han: Will you be okay?
YiHyun: What about?
Han: The existence of an antibody isn’t for sure yet. Yoon SaeBom can develop symptoms at any given point.
At this point, Han should have come clean with the tranquilizer’s inefficacy on SaeBom.
YiHyun: That’s why I should be next to her. So I can watch her. Right next to her.
I think Han understands YiHyun’s sentiments because he too has a sick wife that he watches over. He knows from personal experience that it’ll be difficult for YiHyun to watch over SaeBom should she develop the symptoms. But he can’t share this info with him.
Then, in Episode 8 (timestamp 16:18), Lt Lee reported that #13 potential matter showed promise. This is what @GB mentioned above.
Lee: #13 among all the materials for the clinical trial seems to be working.
Han: Give me the numbers.
Lee: Seventy-two percent of the severely-ill patients have longer cycles, and fewer frequencies of their symptoms.
Then, they entered the room of SB’s colleague to check on him. I’m assuming that SB’s colleague was one of those ill patients given #13 potential matter.
We see SB’s colleague still handcuffed but eating meat and drinking water. He reports that he barely gets thirsty. However he’s changed from being a vegetarian to one who likes rather rare looking meat. He might be recovering.
Han was correct when he said that once the infected had a taste of blood, it was hard for him/her to suppress the thirst. However, suppressing the thirst wasn’t impossible.
So far, here’s the short list of infected people who have managed to hold off from biting others:
a. SB’s colleague. He replaced his desire to drink blood with a more acceptable behavior of eating red meat.
b. the Elderly Woman. She’s been practicing self-control the longest. Prayer and meditation help, too.
c. Na Writer’s brother.
d. SaeBom. She has the virus but she’s no desire to chomp on an exposed neck. I do notice that she’s been snacking a lot lately. Stress eating?
That’s how YiHyun knew that the Gym Guy wouldn’t hold out for long. Back in Episode 6, he asked the Gym Guy how he felt during an episode.
Gym Guy: I only took it twice because it was supposed to help if you feel tired.
YiHyun: Why did you go outside?
Gym Guy: (flashback of him scavenging for the pills) To look for leftover pills. It helps me focus better when I take it.
YiHyun: While all this is going on, you were still thinking about taking pills?
YiHyun was amazed that the despite knowing the outcome of taking the drug, Gym Guy still wasn’t deterred from popping one. He and the Old Wife were the exact opposites. She knew what was going to happen so she practiced self-restraint.
Gym Guy: I really only took it twice.
He sounded like a junkie. A junkie lies about his addiction to avoid shame, confrontation, and consequences.
YiHyun: Can you remember the moment symptoms surface?
Gym Guy: A little…a little bit. The ahjussi from the sixth floor said something to me so I tried to hold back. But he kept saying stuff, so –
YiHyun: I suggest you hold yourself back more from now on. The more often you turn, the harder it’ll be to get back to yourself.
Gym Guy: I told the ahjussi about the drug earlier. That it’s inside the gym car.
YiHyun: (inhaling) I’ll take care of that. (changing topic) Were you happy? Do you feel happy when you’re having an episode? Does it feel exciting and exhilarating?
Gym Guy: (no answer)
YiHyun: (walking away) I guess he won’t be able to hold himself back too long.
YiHyun knew that the Gym Guy was a goner. He couldn’t control his appetite.
And that’s what Han said in Episode 7 when he mumbled that they couldn’t feel too sorry for the infected. “They can control their thirst. As long as their willing.”
HTS wants to hide the fact that SB’s blood is still being analysed but to leak that SB’s colleague seems to be progressing. Lt Lee protests that they don’t have enough data but HTS wants to lie that the clinical trial is over.
Here’s the conversation between Han and Lee in Episode 8 (timestamp 18:08) after they walked out of the room of SB’s colleague. This was D-2.
Han: Yoon SaeBom’s blood analysis isn’t completed yet, right?
Lee: Right.
Han: Proceed with Yoon SaeBom’s analysis in secret and report #13 potential matter to the higher ups.
Lee: We’re still at the beginning of clinical trials. We need a little bit more data.
She was talking about SaeBom’s blood sample, of course.
Han: That’s why I’m telling you what I said. Because we need more data. Drop hints about how the clinical trials have ended and we just have to finalize it.
Two things here:
a. He was buying time for Yoon SaeBom, and protecting her.
He diverted the attention of the Pharma Boss and his cronies to #13 potential matter, so they wouldn’t eye the results of SaeBom’s blood analysis. The #13 was a decoy.
Remember, he told YiHyun back in Episode 7 that there’s a need for secrecy because “many rich and powerful people are infected, too….they’ll want to be the first ones to heal.” Should the word got around that SB had the cure, these people would have no compunction targeting her, even if that meant drawing the last drop of blood from her. He also deadpanned that the development of therapeutics would be delayed, ergo his profits, should these rich and powerful people get cured first.
b. He was talking about two different clinical trials.
SaeBom’s therapeutic was just about to begin clinical trials and they need more data.
However, I think he already had an inkling that #13 wouldn’t completely work after seeing SB’s colleague. SB’s colleague didn’t stop wanting blood; he simply redirected his dangerous urge to bite someone’s neck into a more acceptable practice of dining on raw beef.
I think he ordered Lee to spread misinformation so he could kill two birds with one stone. First, he wanted to catch the Pharma Boss and his cronies in the act of stealing the “cure,” and then, he wanted to punish them. But he wasn’t sure who the Pharma Boss’ cronies were in the government.
Han: There were many more infected than I thought. Did you all take NEXT?
Pharma Boss: I feel much better with this shot. Good job. You should hurry up and give it to your wife, too.
Han: I should.
Pharma Boss: I heard manufacturing #13 potential matter is pretty difficult.
Han: Yes. We can’t produce much of it.
Pharma Boss: I think it’ll be good to maintain martial law for now. We should distribute the drug after decreasing the number of infected by prolonging the quarantine.
He wanted to prolong the lockdown so more people would naturally die by biting each other.
Pharma Boss: (continuing) Those morons who might have killed people, if you keep them alive, there may be more issues in the future.
The lack of self-awareness of this Pharma Boss is astounding. He was one of those morons who might have continued to kill people because LtCol Han kept him alive.
Han: You’re absolutely right. Whether the situation is revolved or not, it’s better to get rid of the problematic people quickly. (looking all round him) Just like all of you.
Pharma Boss: What the hell are you talking about?
Han: Didn’t you sneak out the potential cure that just began clinical trials using your power and money? You should be accountable for your wrongdoing.
Pharma Boss: So, what do you plan to do? (signaling his bodyguard)
Han: (punching the bodyguard until he bled) Thanks to all of you, it’ll help me greatly in data gathering. (walking away) Have a wonderful time.
What data-gathering was Han talking about?
a. He proved his theory that blood was an acquired taste. It was difficult to resist the sight of blood but entirely doable for those with a strong will could do it.
b. He discovered the identities of the corrupt allies of the Pharma Boss were.
That’s why he wasn’t surprised when Lt. Lee reported that a group of high-ranking politicians was infected. She was clueless so he explained to her.
Han: #13 potential matter. They snuck it out and injected themselves.
Lee: (reminding him) That one failed at the second clinical trials. The entire line is currently being discarded.
Exactly. When Han told her to report to the higher ups that the clinical trials for #13 ended, and they were just finalizing it, he knew that they would naturally assume that #13 was successful. As it turned out, he didn’t lie. The clinical trials ended because the second trials failed. And the clinical trials were indeed finalized when they disposed of the failed drug.
Meanwhile, the clinical trials for SaeBom’s blood samples were just beginning and he just bought time for them to gather data on that.
Han: (laconically) I guess they didn’t know. They’re high-ranking officials. Tell them not to kill them but to capture them alive. We can bring them in and use them for clinical trials.
I thought Han looked cool in this scene.
The quarantine/lockdown, as expected does not end at D-Day but martial law is extended indefinitely. So no electricity or water all the time?
I know, right? That people simply complied without raising a fuss is a wonder to me. What sheeple!
I would have expected non-infected people in Seoul to demand basic necessities and hold their government officials accountable to what was happening in Seyang.
I was about to complain in the previous episode that YH had carelessly left the Next in the car, but it turns out he had replaced the Next with his digestion pills. He caught dear Killer Oh on the dashcam taking the pills. I guess this together with his inadvertent ‘confession’ is supposed to be enough to indict him.
Same here. YiHyun looked like he wasn’t going to do anything about the “Next” pills that Gym Guy left in the car so I was happy to see that he took preemptive action. Good for him.
On a different note, I was hoping that the duffle bag that he asked from LtCol Han had some firearms. But it seemed like all he got was:
More snacks for his wifey
A couple of stun grenades
A couple of handcuffs
And a walkie-talkie (is this really a walkie talkie?)
That’s it?! I’m sure there would have been more interesting things to be found in Andrew’s his tool belt, and inside the Penthouse Guy’s condo.
Speaking of the duffle bag, there’s more deleted scenes from Ep 7. At 1:57, YiHyun was feeding SaeBom chocolates after she “donated” blood. I wish somebody would translate the whole conversation though…
The nice people are still nice and the ones we can do without are still as tiresome as ever. There’s someone (Elderly Mum?) making loud bang sounds in the building. Their beloved son abandons them for the 2nd floor, taking all their food to buy his way into the cleaner’s apartment.
Re. the son, I sense that the writer is making a statement about the shallowness and narcissism of Youtube influencers with his character. Even the supermarket girl showed more compassion and loyalty for his parents than he did. What a son! After they fed him all these years, he was ready to run away with the water and food in the house to save his own skin.
Elderly Dad Kim is still irritating. He wants the cleaners to stay on the 2nd floor to be the first to fed off the zompires before they get to his 3rd floor.
I said this before. The Old Husband is all bark and no bite. He’s a complainer alright, but he listens to his wife. For instance, the burger. He groused about buying her a burger. But to his credit, he did try to buy her one. Then, in this episode, he wanted the Supermarket Girl to leave their unit, but when his wife said that he was a heartless man, he changed his mind and invited the Supermarket Girl back in.
He also told the Supermarket Girl to leave the apartment because he sensed that his wife would turn into a zompire soon. So, although he’s annoying curmudgeon, I’d rather him that his bum of a son anytime.
Rep Oh takes credit for leaving water for all to drink when it was Killer Oh who did it to infect everyone. It’s revealed that she’s there to be the Apartment Rep and to embezzle the public funds collected for the building maintenance, etc.
I also thought it was ironic that Rep Oh looked down on the renters like Writer Na and SaeBom and YiHyun when their households had more income than hers. The renters can afford to furnish their apartments comfortably like a real home while she looked like she was squatting in somebody else’s condo.
Weakling Officer Kim now has religion and goes up to pray with Rep’s husband and is persuaded to turn against SB and YH.
Sigh. I had such high expectations of Officer Kim. I hope YiHyun has a backup plan because he stopped SaeBom from going after Rep Oh.
Lawyer has started playing around with the Mistress Sang Hee and Killer Oh has figured it out.
The lawyer’s pathetic. He’s acting like he’s such a hotshot lawyer yet he fell for the oldest trick in the book: a woman’s seduction.
2nd floor people are charging $200 for each bottle of water.
What do you expect? 🙂 Rep Oh constantly looked down on them and treated them like dirt because they were poor. Of course, they would strike back when they had their chance.
Writer Na’s brother is hiding on the 11th floor but seems normal.
Yes, I guess the moral lesson here is that blood is thicker than water. Despite their squabbles, the brother didn’t want to harm his sister.
The cleaning lady and Andrew seem good to each other. Andrew notes that people are getting meaner but he gives Cleaner an apple. No new zompires come around.
Yes. Andrew had reason to say that, especially after YiHyun got mad at him for drinking from his water bottle — or was it SaeBom’s? Fact is YiHyun doesn’t trust a lot of guys around SaeBom. His protective instinct just goes on an overdrive.
I think he’s right, though. Andrew didn’t have to be drinking rainwater from that water bottle since there were plenty of water bottles in their condo.
Note: YiHyun also glanced at Andrew when Andrew took a bottle from the cooler that Killer Oh left in the gym.
I also thought that this blocking of the actors looked curious.
They formed a triad (or a love triangle, lol). YiHyun definitely has a relationship with Han, but what does Andrew got to do with either of them? If I were YiHyun, I would have asked Han to check up on Ahn Guk Jin. Date of birth: 1996 07 20.
YH confesses to SB that what helped him continue after he was not able to play baseball was her. She’s embarrassed.
Yes, that moment was cute, @GB, but I laughed here.
Hah! This is cute. Thanks @pkml3!
What a nice break in the middle of the work day, on a very hot, bright afternoon. Working from home means I have to put on my own a/c which ups my electricity bill…sigh. Just a couple of days ago it was raining cats and dogs and had become cold for a few days. Unpredictable tropical weather.
Now to read with a greater degree of thoroughness until something else crops up at work.
@pkml3
About SB and her eating. From the beginning she’s a great eater. She wanted more meat or something at the canteen when we first saw her eating there with her colleague. He passed her his share of the meat. When she had to go off suddenly, she told him to watch her food. So she’s been extremely pleased to get food, as much as she can, anytime at all. That’s why it was totally consistent of her to go into #1501 Kim’s apartment just to look at or eat the combat rations.
About
It seems with martial law going on, if there’s no President who’s the commander-in-chief of the military, and if the pharma bosses are the bosses of HTS, that then, he becomes the overall ‘authority’ and can put them away for the crime of stealing #13 potential matter. As long as martial law continues, and he commands the military, he can pretty much do what he wants?
Sorry for my lack of understanding, but why is it necessary to intentionally cut electricity, water, cable, Internet, mobile connection? Where cutting Internet and communications are concerned – are they considering the protests of the public something like anarchy and civil war and are trying to keep people from banding together?
But why cut electricity and water? They are holding their own people under siege?
Thanks @PM3 and @GB for this! LOL, love the last photo! I am really enjoying the show and highly anticipate the upcoming episodes (more than Jirisan!) as we have characters we love to hate (and throw at the zompires), those we root for, and those we question the motives and values.
It seems that they have the ability to test and detect if people are afflicted (comment on SB’s blood being clean). Shouldn’t they start doing that and at least keep the essential services up and running like electricity and water and internet. And put military people to guard the key spots. Having a Testing strategy while waiting out for the cure is one of the things we should have learned with Covid. Although I don’t t really know what to do if a person tested positive to zompire sickness. They should lock themselves in a room and quarantine indefinitely until cure is available?!
My take as to why they cut off electricity, internet, TV and water to the apartment complex
– electricity. Reduces movement. They are less likely to move around 24/7 (both zompires and uninfected).
– internet and TV. To block out all news coverage and cut them off from the outside world. I have a feeling it’s worse outside than it is in the complex. It slows the descent into hopelessness. If the residents expected outside to be “better”, then they would more likely hold out as they cling on to that hope.
– water. Zompires will have reduced access to free flowing taps to satiate their thirst which results in them turning. If the uninfected control the water rations, they can control the “turn rate” 😂
Thanks @nrllee. What you say does make sense and give more to think about.
While we do see would be zompires getting thirsty, drinking water and later manifesting their zompire-ness, it didn’t occur to me that satiating their thirst made them turn. Or rather, being unable to satiate their thirst made them realise it was blood they wanted.
If HTS wants the residents of Le Ciel to be kept from hopelessness, then it’s probably in order to keep SB, in particular, in a good state of mind, so that he can get her cooperation.
It’s not clear if the rest of the country is also without internet connection, water and electricity. We only saw a couple of episodes ago, that HTS, himself, was not affected.
@GB I think that’s the initial response? The increased thirst. If they allow that to take over, it seems to then snowball into a thirst for blood. When you get to the stage that CEO and his friends were, they just develop a thirst for blood? At which point it’s almost a point of no return. We see those that manage some semblance of control eg old lady and SB’s friend who have yet to taste blood. So whilst they do turn, it appears they can control the frequency of it by controlling their thirst? That’s just how it looks to me 😂. Could be totally wrong of course.
Yup I agree that it’s just the complex that’s had those things cut off. I think SB would be fine without it but it does buy them time because they have less crises to deal with when it comes to the others.
We experienced some form of martial law in our country with COVID when they enforced curfews. The army patrolled the streets as did the police. It wasn’t fun. Thank goodness it didn’t last long.
I’ve just started watching this and delighted to see write-ups here on BOD! I’d normally avoid any horror/ghost/zombie shows like a plague but watching it for HHJ.
I’m watching version with Chinese subs which seem to include the deleted scenes but skip on others? The flow does seem a little disjointed at times so maybe I have to re-visit some episodes with English subs.
What struck me first was similar to what GB mentioned in a separate thread/post- the lack of emotions and calmness of most people with this madman disease. Maybe the general public is somewhat jaded after experiencing Covid, but personally I’d be so afraid of these zompires?? My first reaction would mirror Penthouse guy by stockpiling then go full on lockdown mode if I could afford it.
Was it explained how the pharma boss got infected- was he bitten/scratched at some stage? How/Why are high ranking officials affected as well if they know Next is a problematic drug, have I missed something? With Killer Oh’s wife- did she also take Next pills which infected her right before she was killed with the golf club by her husband? She was soaked in blood when SB found her in the bathroom- did she bite someone or those were her own when she was clubbed to death? Killer Oh and his mistress are both crazy- how did/could they have even lived in the apartment having a zompire in the bathroom…?!?
On the romance department- quite surprised to see many viewers are rooting for them given it’s so low-key. There’s definitely cute moments but didn’t think there were any heart fluttering ones! Somehow I have the nudging feeling that there’ll be someone sacrificing for the greater good, particularly SB as she seem to be the key to the cure/vaccine.
Welcome to the blog, @TheWanderer.
The Pharma Boss became infected because he took the Next drug. So did the high ranking officials. Same thing with the wife of Killer Oh. At first, Han insisted that the virus was spread only by getting bitten or scratched by an infected person.
But after YiHyun proved that the wife became a zompire because she was taking the drug Next, and not because she was bitten or scratched by an infected person, Han focused on the drug distribution. I believe I already explained this in one of my posts. 🙂
The wife never bit anyone. It was her own blood when she was clubbed by her husband.
I like the romance here precisely because it’s muted. I’d clobber the writer if he tried to instill nauseating aegyo moments ala-Hometown Cha Cha Cha. 😈 Those lovey-dovey moments would be out of place in the middle of a zompire apocalypse. I can’t pretend to know what many viewers are gushing about in the drama, but for me, I like that romance between SaeBom and YiHyun is shown as a meeting of two minds, a mutual understanding and commitment towards the same objectives in life. I like that they’re mentally connected to each other that one glance from YiHyun could restrain the impetuosity of SaeBom. I like how he ordered her favorite noodles on their move-in day, how he was amused that she cheerfully woke up in anticipation of the military meal, and how he filled his supply bag from Han filled with snacks for her.
I like that no matter how hectic their day was, they managed to snatch a few minutes at night to talk to each other. It gives an “old marriage” feel to their honeymoon stage.
I like that she ran and embraced him when she realized that she was going to be locked in but she wasn’t alone. That told me that she’d been showing a brave front earlier with Han, and she also needed to feel safe and secure in this uncertain time. 🙂 I can relate to that. At work, I have to show calm and strength. At home, I can break down because hubby is there.
I like that YiHyun makes her wear his catcher’s face mask and she obeys. I like that he’s proud of her strength and martial skills, but he still protects her.
I like that he has a bum knee that ended his baseball career, but he could still run like crazy to chase after SaeBom and leap over a car to get her. We don’t need Superman.
I like how emotionally attuned he is to her feelings that at the sight of her glancing at her wounds, he wordlessly reached out to hold her hand. 🙂 He knew she worried whether she would turn into zompire, too.
That’s the second time, you know, that we’ve seen this sort of hand-holding. Han also touched his wife’s hand in Ep 8, and the Director spotlighted that by focusing the camera on it.
What’s the message there?
It’s rather low-key. Nevertheless, it suffices to those who can pick up subtleties.
Love in kdramas doesn’t always mean acting cutesy or spilling your heart out in poetry or rubbing lips together vigorously. In its simplest form, love is a soul connection. When the couple is fully in touch with each other — or being “in the moment” together — then the viewers can sense that the love story is grounded. The romance doesn’t have to be shallow, fickle nor childish just because we’re watching an improbable story like a zompire apocalypse.
Nice, @nrllee. I agree.
In reality, however, light instead of darkness would have reduced crime. The rational for the martial law was that there was an increased incidents burglary, assault, and lawlessness in the city of Seyang. Turning off lights would have just allowed criminals to do their crimes unseen.
But I do get it. Han said that the zompires were in the power plant, and the military couldn’t take over. I assumed that as a result the city was experiencing a power shortage and the government didn’t want to divert electricity from somewhere else to help out. The city was left to cope with its power outage.
In real life, though, water supply, power supply, cell phone towers, hospitals, etc., are first on the list of essentials for any crisis management team to secure. (Lol. That’s why I’ll never give up our land line phone, although I’ve only used the phone three? four? times this year. In an emergency, it’s still the most reliable method of communication.)
Re. Internet and TV. 😂 People survived Covid lockdown bec of the internet, and kdramas. But yes, I agree. One way to stop the news coverage and isolate the city of Seyang is to cut off TV and internet. It’s similar to marooning people on an island. Doesn’t this drama remind you of Survivor Island? Or “Lord of the Flies”?
As for water, yes, zompires need it to activate their zompire-ness. However, it’s a draconian policy to cut off supply simply because 20%, 30%, 40% or 50% of the population is infected. What about the rest then?
But I get it, too. The writer wants to use this water shortage to show us how people would react.
Killer Oh took advantage of the crisis to turn the residents into zompires. He’s the incarnation of Satan. Always tempting people to do the wrong thing.
Rep Oh also took advantage by claiming to be the benevolent water donor.
The Cleaners started charging for water.
Andrew drank from YiHyun/SaeBom’s canteen.
YiHyun became suspicious of Andrew.
Penthouse Guy gathered water, too, and offered to share his water purification tablets.
The little girl worried that SaeBom wanted her to leave and join her parents so she said she’d only consume little amount of water. Awww.
I’d be like SaeBom, though. She wanted to get the rainwater to flush the toilets. 😂
Hi @The Wanderer, welcome here!
Thanks for the explanation @pkml3. It’s strange that in many Shows, I accept that foolish, unreasonable, hard-to-explain things take place to serve the plot. But in this Show I find myself shaking my head so much.
The low-key, OTP couple moments, plus the way they take care of Seo Yoon, are the most realistic, overall among the interactions that take place. It’s always a pleasure to see our couple together, and with Seo Yoon.
🙂 The thought did cross my mind, @GB, that this drama hits too close to home for you, and you’re seeing the drama through the prism of the whole harrowing Covid experience. Which is natural.
Me? I’m just doing the broad-view approach. I said this before: I’m looking at what this writer is telling me about life, about society, about living in a society with such imperfect, greedy, obnoxious individuals, with or without Coronavirus.
I know that some measures LtCol Han took wouldn’t stand stand up in court. He assumed broad powers under the guise of exigency. Normally, his mandates could be contested and blocked by injunctions since constitutional rights are being violated, here and there, right and left. 🙂 Like, the presumption of innocence. That man in the trunk that Han shot three times? What harm did he do, really? Aside from turning into a zompire?
🙂 Can you imagine if every time there’s a national emergency, the government (and the military) can simply move to abrogate laws? What’s stopping it then from inventing a crisis to expand its powers? There are limits to what the government (and its arm, the military) can do, and legal protections that citizens can invoke, even during a national emergency.
But the problem in this story is that the attorney, who typically should be a voice of reason here, is such a lowlife that he lost all moral credibility and authority to speak up. 😒 Oh well…
Anyway, to continue…
I view this drama as an ALLEGORY on how easy chaos can ensue from a fear of the unknown. That’s why I can ignore the nightmarish aspects of the drama and wait for the hopeful message. Already, we’re seeing signs of it from Writer Na and her brother.
They were squabbling over money, but once he got bitten, his first thoughts were his sister’s welfare. He preferred to stay outside in the garage, then in the rain, because he didn’t want to endanger her. He asked YiHyun to protect his sister.
Same with Writer Na. She pitied her brother and let him in. She spoke up to defend him. It took them the zompire incident to learn what really mattered in life. Who cares if she got a scar on her head because of him or that he had to miss school for a year because of her? They were all they got in this world.
If you were to simply focus on how stupid the plot is, @GB, then you’ll miss out on the message here. I said this before: once you put a face on the problem, a human face, a face of a family member, a face of a loved one, then the problem ceased to have a cold-blooded, one-size-fits-all solution. The solution has to become humane and compassionate, because the problem is personal. It hits too close to home. 🙂
That’s it isn’t it @packmule3? To remain humane and compassionate. Who’s the more humane? The rabid zompires who bite humans but actually show remorse when they are sentient? Or people like Killer Oh who is uninfected and presumably in control of his mind yet chooses to act selfishly and do evil? Some have become their better selves as a result of the crisis. Others have become their worst.
Agree pm3 🙂 I see the zompire stuff are just gimmick. The key attraction for me is to see how goodness can shine through adversity. It hits home to see people’s reactions. The good ones and the bad ones.
As we discussed before, it throws us to think it is not people’s fault to be infected.
The next level is what is the accepted reaction for all sorts of safety measures? What is the right thing to do to protect our love ones? When is it too far? When is it OK?
HTS has to deal with it at a marco view with a loved one he needs to cure. The politics and the big businesses. He can be ruthless. He has an acceptable level of loss of faceless lives.
YH and SB and residents are the micro view, we see the writer’s take on the interactions of:
1. loving young couple
2. loving old couple
3. Lawyers and doctors
4. Money grabbers
5. The poor
6. Fractured relationships, affairs.
7. A child’s position in this.
8. Social outcast
9. People who store supplies
I have to stand firm on my position on how to protect my young kids when vaccinations aren’t yet available for them. I stick to all the government restrictions. I am more inclined to be like the penthouse guy when it comes to masks and social distancing. However I can been seen as an over protective parent from my MIL’s perspective and have to bear her harsh criticism. When it is the safety of someone very close to your heart, the reactions are different! I don’t even want to take a 1% risk for my kids. COVID brings us to have conversations/moral issues/safety decisions we didn’t need to deal with before.
The attraction of this show is to see how the motives inside affect their decisions and actions. Sometimes, it resonates so well.
Yes, @Viva, good points.
I’ve got to admit if I were in Han’s shoes, I’d wouldn’t approach the problem much differently. I’d view the crisis as a warfare and the survival of general public is paramount duty. All these deaths are merely collateral damage.
However, if I were a human rights advocate, I’d demand proportionality and distinction.
Proportionality means that the force used to subdue or remove the zompire’s threat should be proportional to the zompire’s aggression. Like, I’m not going to beat the Elderly woman with a baseball bat should she turn into a zompire, if I can just use a pillow to hold her down… like SaeBom did with the pillow to the Wife in Unit #601 — which looked stupid but was actually a fine point.
Distinction means that reasonable effort should be made to differentiate between an aggressive and killer zompire from a confused and frightened zompire. Like, they’re all scared of Writer Na’s brother when the real murderer who actually attempted to poison them was Dermatologist Oh. If only they knew!
As for you and Covid, I hope you also considered estate planning? I’m sometimes amazed that so many young parents have never sat down to create a will. That’s one of the first things we did when we had a child, and one of the first things we revised when we had our second child. We wanted to make sure that guardianships of our children are settled, and the properties and assets are secured. Think about that.
So far, I think the screenwriter is making a good case. That’s why I’m not turned off by the zombie theme. I think most of us aren’t into zombie show but we stayed to watch because it is NOT just a zombie show anyway.
My dear @pkml3, I do appreciate your taking the time to write to me about how you see the Show and why you can accept its lack of realism. And that you wish to help me enjoy the Show from a different perspective.
I guess I’m missing the forest for the trees, when matters here and there feel so wrong/abnormal. Perhaps dystopian is too strong a word, but I feel I’m watching a parallel universe with a different system of governance. You’re right in that I should put on a different pair of glasses to watch this as an allegory.
@nrllee @Viva @pkml3
I agree that Show needed to present a microcosm of society, to put a bunch of characters, representative of people from different walks of life, on a ‘desert island’ in order to make its point. Its steps in getting them into this state were chunky, but effective.
It needed also to isolate and simplify the all-powerful’s decisions for easier analysis, hence they were over the top, like caricatures.
However, the individual reactions of characters ring true. It will be good to see who redeems themselves, or who goes on their own habitual roads leading to heaven or hell.
I just ran through Ep 6 and saw/recalled that the Pharma Boss was the one to decide on cutting the power and water, to let the infected die slowly on their own. He was also cutting down on funding the maintenance of the zompires, I believe.
Before and After
I do note that there is an immediate, ironic juxtaposition of before and after for the Na siblings. Before her brother was bitten Writer Na had just accused him of trying to kill her, even when they were kids -she showed him the scar on her forehead, cause by a fall because he had pushed her. Then we see that after he was bitten, he didn’t want to hurt her at all, and she didn’t think he would either, so she let him into the apartment.
Before HTS’s wife was bitten, he was perfectly fine about hiding the truth and ignoring the infection. Immediately after this, he’s caught in the situation he’s just ok-ed, and has to work his way out, while saving his wife.
Just 4 more episodes sounds about right, to wrap things up.
@GB I am quite liking the snappiness of 12ep series. I used to think 16 was fine (down from 20). But for some reason this pandemic has seen me wanting quick resolutions and there have been few dramas that I can last the full 16eps whilst watching live 😂. Looks like the pandemic hasn’t made me more patient but less so? Happiness may just be the ticket to get me back on track to find my better self and not deteriorate to my worst.
@nrllee, I believe I’ll like a 16 or even a 20 episode series when there’s a lot of meat to chew. If not, sitting through filler will be too onerous. That being said, however, I too am tending to like the shorter series, as long as there’s enough time given to character and plot development, that really contributes to our understanding of what’s going on.
I’m very happy checking out the OTP character interactions in Red Sleeve now, and so wouldn’t mind it being its full 16 episodes to give the characters a proper rounded off ending. Although I’d prefer a happy one, I’m usually okay with a realistic one. As you can tell from my comments on Happiness … I prefer decisions/events to make sense, which might mean a sad ending.
@nrllee,
I wrote a long reply to you and @carolina but my iPhone ate it. I can’t find it in the spam box. 😡 oh well…
Same here. The abbreviated 12 episode run is fine with me. I just hope we’re not being set-up for season 2. 😂
I also want a quick resolution to the story. And since the relationship has been established between the leads, I don’t have to watch the usual misunderstanding, break-up, and getting back together sequence found in a live story.
@Carolina,
I was writing a long reply but I’ll just make it short bec I’m heading to bed now.
1. Yes, South Korea has a history of authoritarian rule but…
2. The memory of the 1980 upheaval and government’s deadly response to pro-democracy demonstrations is still fresh in the Koreans’ memories. The president was assassinated; a general led a coup; the military declared martial law under pretext that North Korea was invading them (national emergency!!). To quell the protests demanding for free elections, soldiers and tanks were sent. Hundreds of civilians died.
Just google Gwangchu massacre. And Gwangchu butcher.
3. The general aka butcher who ordered that massacre ended up president. His name: Chun Doo Hwan. Under his rule, the humans rights were violated and abused; political dissidents were arrested and tortured; opposition media was suppressed. (Sounds familiar?)
If you ask me, Chun’s presidency was pretty much like the dictatorship in North Korea. The major difference is that there was an economic growth under Chun’s rule. (Yes, money made the difference.)
4. Last Tuesday, on November 23, Chun Doo Hwan died. If you read his obituaries, they all mentioned that he never once apologized for the atrocities done during his term.
What’s my point?
I doubt that, in real life, South Koreans would accept martial law in such relative calm and compliance as displayed by the characters in this kdrama. Honestly, it would be appalling if they accepted martial law without a fuss, because it would signify that:
a. they never learned from history and
b. they don’t appreciate the blood shed and sacrificed so that they could enjoy their present-day liberties.
@packmule3 I don’t think we are being set up for S2. PHS has already been cast in another drama with Han SoHee (I am ambivalent about this actress – she played the Crown Princess in 100DMP. She’s beautiful but I always feel she suits the femme fatale role more? She’s the it girl right now, especially after No Name).
https://www.soompi.com/article/1501000wpp/park-hyung-sik-and-han-so-hee-confirmed-to-star-in-new-romance-drama-by-vincenzo-director
^sorry I meant My Name not No Name 😂.
Han So Hee? Wow. She works non-stop, doesn’t she? This must be her 4th drama in the span of 16 months? “World of the Married,” “Nevertheless,” “No Name” and then this one. In comparison, Kim SoHyun has done two. “River Where the Moon Rises” and “Love Alarm.”
I looked this up. This drama with Park Hyung Sik only has 4 episodes. 🙂
I don’t know if she’s the “It” girl, but for me, she’s the “Jaw” girl. Her jaw looks like it has been contoured. 😂
No Season 2 then for “Happiness.” Glad to hear that.
O is it only 4eps? 😂. That’s even shorter. Jaw girl? That works too. 😂. Yes to her working non stop. I guess she needs to strike while the iron is hot. She has always been second lead until now.
I know what you meant by femme fatale. Maybe a Black Widow? Let’s see. She might turn out to be good playing the girl-next-door.
I can’t believe it’s December already. Haven’t looked at the kdrama offerings this month yet.
It’s Han So Hee’s mouth/lips for me. They look too taut and it annoys me. The reason I dropped nevertheless at episode 1—didn’t want to watch her bad decisions and pursed mouth.
I wouldn’t want a sequel to Happiness, but maybe a prequel— just watching the friendship develop with SB and YH. They seem to know each other inside and out and extended family situations. I would love to see how they navigated school/training/life with each other before.
For me, watching something that plot wise seems foolish is tolerable as long as the character reactions are logical/understandable. If the characters are behaving in a way that’s unrealistic or too frustrating for me, I jump ship. With this show I’m able to see a multitude of reactions to the situation and they all seem plausible for the personality each character has. I actually wish there were even more characters in the apartment that we can see interact since there’s so many ways to face this type of situation none of them necessarily all right or all wrong.
Han’s problem solving strategy doesn’t seem most ethical but I don’t have any difficulty getting into his head and understanding why he chose to do what he’s done so far.
As far has how South Korea would handle martial law in 2023?? I think they would have more of a problem with it. If the way they’re reacting to just the advertisements for Snowdrop is any indication, the wounds are still hurting and the people don’t want to go back to that time and certainly not have it romanticized. I still haven’t decided how I feel about it.
Oh and @wanderer
I can sympathize with the feeling of scratching your head at everyone else talking of a grand love while you just don’t see it. I was that way for Sisyphus. No one will EVER convince me that they developed the type of dying for you love they
displayed starting at the beach goodbye in any of the timelines we were shown. However, in this show, it’s plain as day to me. Which maybe that says more about how you and I and all the viewers interpret love. We can pick it out of the dramas based on what we consider lover-like actions/interactions.
@birdie007
I didn’t want to watch “Nevertheless” because I don’t slow down while driving to gawk at accidents, protests, and other distractions.
I read the previews, and I’m not into bimbos, train wrecks, codependency and other dysfunctional relationships so why should I aggravate myself further?
Yes. From what I’ve read about reports on the state of SK politics and past elections, and from what I know about kdrama and the “Snowdrop” furor, martial law should be an abhorrent proposition in real life, in real time. But in our fictional drama, “Happiness,” when martial law was imposed, the characters bristled for about two minutes, then fell in line.
I wasn’t sure if the writer was making a statement there or not about society, but my take there is that,
a. in any security emergency, people will give up their individual liberties in exchange for temporary safety.
b. ironically enough, the person who demanded that his civil rights be respected is the murderer. He’s the one walking around with impunity, without fear of punishment.
c. as long as the apartment residents are fragmented, disorganized, and self-centered, the problem will worsen. They have to come together as a community.
But it’s been fun watching the characters because each one cleverly represents a segment in society. The child, the elderly, the middle class like Writer Na, the underpaid working class, the truly rich Penthouse Guy who could seclude himself, the jobless social influencer, the autistic Andrew who’s perceptive enough to notice that people were getting meaner, the useless police, and so on.
Thanks @pm 3. 🙂 A good reminder, I bought that up with hubby last night. It seems so far away but yes you never know. We should really look into that. Normally it is the legal fees that scare me, but on the grand scheme of things it is worth it. Just need to get on with it!
December has a lot to offer! I am waiting to check out The Silent Sea, Snow Drop and On Beloved Summer. Not to mention I was going to check out Light the Night. Where will I find the time to watch it all…
@pm3 Thank you so much for taking the time to explain the historical background for SK in the 80s. Yes it does sound very familiar even to the economic growth. It’s very interesting to read the events.
Makes sense why SK citizens should be against martial law, but I wonder what made the show go this route (is it just for the show set up? is it in itself a commentary?), but you make a good point about temporary safety and individual rights.
Because this show does a good job of the micro view as @viva highlighted I do not care much for what is happening outside, although I am curios how the show would depict if they wanted/could considering the historical background.
@thewanderer welcome!!! I consider myself a newbie contributor here and I’m not a writer but aspire to be a bad ass BOD like the ladies here =)
Great discussions here! Like most of you, I’m not watching the drama for the zompires but for showing this building and its residents as microcosm of our society. And I’m all for the slow burn understated romance of the OTP, it’s actually very refreshing. I love seeing SB shielding YH and YH admitting SB is a better fighter! And the hugs and holding hands. And no aegyo!
Still swamped with work so i don’t have much time to post comments. I am excited for the weekend and the back to back shows.
And welcome to @thewanderer! Not all who wander are lost… and you’ve found BoD! Cheers!
Kalispera everyone!
I wanted to comment on this thread, but my week has been hectic so far that I somehow forgot it.
Thank you to everyone (@GB, @Packmule3, @Nrllee, @Viva, @Carolina, @TheWanderer @Janey) for your comments! The whole conversation is really food for thought.
I need to applaud @Packmule3 because what she has written as a response to @TheWanderer (welcome on B.O.D!) are all the things I am loving about #HyunBom. Also their interactions with Seo Yoon, I agree with @GB Unnie here, they are everything they should be in a dire situation.
I also agree that “Happiness” is an allegory – and I may from what we have seen so far, a very good one – about the things that make us happy even in extreme situations, but also a comment that stresses how society and especially a microsociety in an apartment block is working in such a dystopian setting.
@Viva, your comment was up to the point!
I am hopeful that we have a realistic ending. Hopefully, a very good one for the people who remained humane, loving and gentle in a very dangerous world.