The thread is now open for spoilers and discussions.
The List of OST is here: Twenty-Five Twenty-One: List of OSTs If there’s a new song out, just post the YT link or the lyrics there and I’ll update the thread. @Moonstar512, my computer won’t allow me to open the link you sent me. 🙁
Gifs from cuddlybitch’s tumblr
Hmmm… Is this kdrama like that American sitcom, “How I Met Your Mother”?
Maybe the daughter Min Chae will be instrumental in bringing Heedo and YiJin together again in the present time.
Three noteworthy things:
1. She doesn’t seem to spare her father (dead or alive) a thought.
2. She doesn’t display signs of jealousy when reading about YiJin in her mom’s life. And I think that’s odd.
Look: her mother was writing about her feelings for YiJin. If YiJin is NOT her father, then I expect her to feel some sort of repulsion, indignation or disloyalty that her mom was writing about ANOTHER man.
The young Heedo was upset when she (incorrectly) assumed that her mom sold her Dad’s wedding ring for the “stupid gold-collection campaign.” Her mom answered, “Don’t be over-sentimental. It was just a lump of gold.” She came back with, “It wasn’t just a lump of gold. It was Dad’s.” She thought her mom wasn’t honoring her dad’s memory.
Heedo’s reaction is normal.
Typically, daughters (and sons) personalize the romance between their parents. The cheater doesn’t only break the trust of the spouse, but also the trust of their children. The children also feel betrayed when they discover one parent’s infidelity or disloyalty toward the other. Hence, the children always sympathize and align themselves with the aggrieved parent.
But so far, Min Chae has yet to say anything about her father (dead or alive) being wronged by her mom’s feelings for YiJin. In fact, she identifies with YiJin. In Episode 3, she imagined YiJin rescuing her and giving her the passcode to the restroom.
She’s rooting for YiJin when I expected her to be impatiently awaiting for her father’s debut in her mother’s life.
Weird.
3. I wouldn’t be surprised if the adult Heedo is married to adult YiJin but they’ve hit a rough spot in their marriage. That may explain Min Chae’s rebellion against her mom.
Gifs from mostlyfate’s tumblr
Let’s enjoy the show!
Thanks @pkml3! You’ve raised the question that passed through my mind but which I forgot. I did wonder why Min Chae (and granny) and Hee Do, never once spoke of her dad. His absence was a total non-issue with everyone. I was thinking that HD may have had Min Chae out of wedlock and everyone was just cool with it.
So far, we have not been in Min Chae’s home (only her mum’s workshop). So we have no opportunity to see photos of the family. At granny’s, I didn’t notice, but there were probably only pictures of Hee Do as a child. Or of Granny Shin. We know that decades earlier, they both abhorred the idea of having a photo together!
Show has been deliberately keeping the dad a ‘dead secret’, and I wonder if he is actually dead.
As for being jealous for her dad, Min Chae has actually behaved over the boyfriend thing, as if she’s an independent observer and not part of the family reading about her own history. She’s been more interested in the romance, as a romance novel.
However, when it came to her mum’s success, she admitted being touched by her effort, as if appreciating her mother more. There is a strange dichotomy in how Min Chae reacts to the diary entries.
Her surname is Kim Min Chae so who’s her dad?
I was in stitches at this BTS because Kim Tae Ri couldn’t stop laughing at herself. From the moment she comes to sit next to boyfriend in front of Nam Joo Hyuk, she’s trying to control her laughter. I loved it!
And NJH with puppies is just lovely to watch. No English subs yet, but we know what’s going on.
My theory given the nonchalance about Minchae’s dad is that he is dead (or was told he is dead). That’s the only logical thing since she seems to not be looking for her dad, I assume she knows her dad and he is gone.. I also feel that Minchae may be instrumental in being Heedo and Yijin back together in present time after reading through their history. I also believe she know about Yijin as her mom’s 25/21 inspiration.
Anyhow, I’m not as focused on that. I’m ready to see Heedo win (or lose) and be friends with Yurim soon. I want the squad scenes on the beach. ☺️
@Janey, I was thinking that at the Asian Games, Hee Do will be a good loser and that’s how she and YR can end up being friends. To HD, being up against YR is already her dream come true, since her dream was to be her rival. Therefore HD has already ‘won’.
Still, if by not winning and still rooting for YR is possible for HD, that would be a win-win situation.
I’ve done pretty well avoiding falling into the “guess who the father is” rabbit hole. It seems like it would be a waste of time because I am either awful at picking up this writer’s Easter eggs and/or red herrings or the writer is really not giving definitive clues so we won’t focus on it.
The romance so far seems beside the point… which is fine since I’ve got The Business Proposal to fill the romantic comedy void.
Spoiler??
I have come across one theory that points out they are the ages 25 and 21 during the year 2001 so there may be some connection to 9/11. I don’t know why Yejin would be at the World Trade Center as a reporter but I do actually think these writers could handle a sensitive topic well so I wouldn’t mind seeing how they choose to write it in. Now that I think about it, I’m not sure I’ve watched a drama where it’s mentioned. Is there one?
After watching Thirty-nine, I wondered if Minchae was adopted. But that would also raise the question as to why HeeDo adopted her.
It didn’t seem like HeeDo or Yijin married and had Minchae, something is off like @GB said, she seems like an independent observer.
The part where granny Shin mentioned about runnning into Yijin and HeeDo not know about it. I am still trying to read HeeDo’s reaction on that. So the big question that is making us so curious and wanting more of the show is…what happened such that HD & YJ do not communicate anymore?
On another note: Kim TaeRi was diagnosed with covid but there will be no delay with the episodes
https://www.soompi.com/article/1515344wpp/kim-tae-ri-diagnosed-with-covid-19-twenty-five-twenty-one-addresses-changes-to-filming
@grace, I actually wondered if Hee Do was adopted because of the cold way her mother treated her – as if she were an unpleasant step-mother rather than her real mother. I don’t think Min-chae is adopted.
As to Min-chae’s father, I think
1. Either he was never around and Hee Do is a single mother
2. He is dead and Hee Do is a widow
3. It’s YJ, but they are separated, as @packmule3 thinks.
In any case, it would be nice to have her get them back together. If the translation is correct, the mother Shin said that she saw YJ; not his grave, not his ghost, not his photo somewhere else. The mother doesn’t seem to have dementia or any hallucinatory flukes, so he must still be alive? Hee Do’s reaction to that news was strange – a quick glance as though surprised, but no questions.
I don’t think that they are separated, unless it was when Min-Chae was tiny because she should have recognised him in the photo, I think.
I’m trying to work out the timeline for this show. Hee-Do would be 18 in 1998/91, so 21 in 2000/2001. The show starts in the near current time – 2021 or 2022, so 20 or 21 years have gone by. Min Chae is only 18, so she wasn’t even an embryo in 2001 plus the ages are in Korean years, and I always get confused by that.
I think if Yi Jin’s presence in Hee Do’s life predates that of her real father, she wouldn’t feel aggrieved or jealous of him. Only curious.
I remember finding a photo of a handsome man in my mother’s photo box. She said they went steady. It was obviously so long before she and my father started dating that it was only interesting. I wish now that I had asked more about him. Same with a photo found at my grandmother’s of my dad dip-kissing a lady who did NOT look like my mother. I asked an aunt. Apparently she broke up with him for moving too slowly. Again, very interesting – the secret lives of our parents before they got married!
Hi @Fern, thanks for calculating their ages and the years for us. I did always make the assumption that it’s about 20 years later when we see adult HD. Where Min Chae’s age is concerned, though, I believe she’s 15, (can’t recall where I got that idea, though) so definitely not even an embryo in 2001.
The possibility that Min Chae’s dad died is pretty high, in that we’ve been shown that HD’s life mirrors her mother’s in some ways. So perhaps also in the area of losing a husband. Min Chae did feel a bit bad for young HD, when HD was angry with her mum for giving away dad’s wedding ring. Therefore she understands the concept of warm sentiment between a married couple, of keeping a memory, stuff like that. Therefore her own childhood must have been ‘normal’. She’s not chafing at not having a dad, but accepts that he is not in her life.
I’ve been feeling that I need to do a quick rewatch of all scenes in the homes to look for photos!!! Were there no suggestive photos anywhere? Only medals and newspaper cuttings?
Correction, now that I look at Min Chae again, I think she’s nearer 13-14 years of age only. She’d been doing ballet for 5 years. We saw her on stage as a rather young child, say, 8 years old?
I’ve also noticed the irony of how Mum Shin tells young HD that she was a public figure who needed to lead by example. HD had retorted that her Mum should live as an anchor who leads by example for society, since she does not do that for her family anyway. However, HD may really have followed in her Mum’s footsteps as an adult.
@Growing Beautifully, I will have to rewatch the 1st episode and try to get some dates rather than making assumption based on my rather dodgy memory. There was a lot to take in.
@Fern, I’ve been trying to do that… but Show has been amazing in keeping secret, the actual dates where Min Chae is concerned. I’ve looked at all the walls, shelves and table tops in homes and there is dearth of family photos everywhere (not only Hee Do’s place or Mum Shin’s but even in Yi Jin’s, YJ’s Uncle’s home, Yoo Rim’s and Seung Wan’s homes)!!! The only photo that looked like it might have been a family one or parent-daughter one was totally out of focus (I think it was in Hee-Do’s room on a dresser or table).
The props team has been briefed to only put up posters, art, awards etc things all over the place but not a single family photo!
I’m about to scan Ep 6 now, but I don’t think there were any home scenes in that one. Interesting, isn’t it!?
I have to say that the boyfriend/Sweetie Pie’s outfit looks oddly in fashion right now. Looking at his sweater vest, I didn’t think the oversized look was happening in the late 90’s.
(I just remember hoodies were becoming a fashion item in the States and everyone was wearing flannel shirts and gore tex, but that was Seattle rather than Seoul and fashion is a repeating cycle or spiral.)
I saw the actor who’s going to play the adult YiJin. Spoiler alert!!!
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Spoiler alert
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It’s Joo Won! The lead actor in Bridal Mask and Sassy Princess. 👍👍
He’s got eyes, nose, mouth and ears. I guess they resemble each other. 😉 But seriously, I hope he provides continuity in acting terms.
@packmule3 eh?? JooWon? Like in Alice JooWon? Okay. I hope there aren’t too many scenes of mature YJ and mature HD together. I am not appreciating the actress that plays mature HD. I can’t imagine her being the mature version of the HD (KTR) that’s lighting up my screen now.
@nrllee @Fern @pkml3
I can’t think of Joo Won being old enough to be 4 years older than Kim So Hyun (1975) ie 47 years old/adult Hee Do. Surely they’ll have to age him quite a bit. Joo Won is only 34.
Closer to the ‘right’ age would be:
Cha Seung-won (right height)
Lee Byung-hun
Jang Dong-gun (right height)
Ji Jin-hee
Lee Jung-jae (right height)
Jung Woo-sung (right height)
Joo Jin-mo
Lee Sun-gyun (right height)
Yoo Ji-tae (right height)
Oh Ji-ho
Kwon Sang Woo (right height)
Song Seung-heon
So Ji-sub (right height)
Gong Yoo (right height)
Hyun Bin (right height)
I think the director and writer were going for:
Image: no scandal associated with actor because NJH is squeaky clean
Personality: quiet shy type. Plus when NJH smiles, he has this “lost boy” look.
Body type: lanky
Stage presence: can’t overwhelm the mousey adult Heedo
Budget: cameo fees
With that in mind, I’ll go over your list, GB.
Cha Seungwon. No, too flamboyant. Plus he’ll overwhelm the actress playing adult Heedo.
Lee Byung hun. No x 100. 👎The Santa scandal. NJH’s persona and his character are squeaky clean.
Jang Donggun. No. Wrong face. Too rugged. Wrong body type. He’s a square while NJH is lanky.
Ji Jin hee. No. Too handsome. And wrong body type. He’s solid.
Lee Jung Jae. No. Too old-looking for the actress playing Heedo.
Jung WooSung. No. Too distinguished for the actress.
Joo Jinmo. Nope. 👎 Phone hacking scandal. NJH’s persona and character are good boy type.
Lee Sunggyun. Nope. He looks pedestrian, common. NJH looks like a rich kid.
Yoo Jitae. No. Too stocky. NJH is lanky.
Oh JiHo. Nope. His ex-girlfriend scandal, remember?
Kwon Sang Woo. No. Wrong height. No personality.
Song SeungHoon. 😂 No budget for his cameo fees. Sigh. I liked this guy but he can’t act.
So Ji Sub. No. Wrong body type. Shoulders too broad. Plus he dominates the screen.
Gong Yoo. 😂 No budget for cameo fees. Plus A-listers won’t do this.
Hyun Bin. 😂 No budget for cameo fees. Plus A-listers won’t do this.
🌸🌸🌸
That’s why Joo Won fits.
Image: he has a good boy image.
Personality: he doesn’t dominate. He’s quiet and reserved. Plus, have you seen him smile?
Body: ✅ Tall and lanky
Stage presence: he’ll let the actress take the lead.
Budget: they can afford him. 😂😂
Wait. Haven’t you seen the teaser, @nrllee? Did I imagine it? Is it April Fools already? 😂😂
It popped up on my YT. Probably because I was looking for all their OST videos.
Heh! @pkml3… I had a longer list of 40+ year old actors but I removed a few who were not of the right height. I didn’t look into their build.
Well, I’ll take what they give us, but Joo Won opposite a 47 year old actress (or ok, let’s say Hee Do is probably in her early 40s) seems so wrong for a 4-year age gap. Wonder if I’ll cringe if I see them together. 😬 🤔
My sense is this drama was written with NJH (and Kim TaeRi, too) in mind. The personality of YiJin was based on NJH’s personality/persona.
Just like “Our Beloved Summer” the character Ung was based on the actor Choi Woo Shik.
So when looking for the adult YiJin, the director was looking for an adult NJH. The height, the built, the personality, the smile.
None of the actors you listed resemble NJH. 😂 Those men are dominant alpha types, and NJH is NOT alpha. He plays the tough but leading-from-behind heroes.
As for age, 😂 I never saw this drama as a noona romance because the ages of the actors were a non-issue for me. I saw Kim TaeRi as a teenager because she acted it. Except for those moments when there’s a flash of maturity, then I see the 30 year old actress. Kim TaeRi’s acting as a teen was convincing.
The script called for a 22 year old and 18 year old characters, and that’s how the actors performed their roles. Their real ages didn’t matter.
As for the adult HeeDo, I’m a lousy judge of Asian age. I have her pegged as someone in her early to mid-30s although I know she has a middle schooler. 😂
Hee Do was probably born in 1980 or 1981, and Yi Jin in 1976 or 1977. The daughter is about 13-14 years old, so maybe she was born around 2007-2008.
Well Ep 7 was an exceptionally emotional episode and so full of movement.
We get a reveal about Min Chae’s dad. He’s away but is expected back, and having to quarantine as well, during our current pandemic. So there is a dad and he’s alive and he also dotes on Min Chae the way we’ll see HD’s dad doted on her.
I love the end twist. I almost expected to see Min Chae sit up in shock, if she were reading the diary.
Good to see that YJ retains his integrity, thinks in a more mature way and looks to be getting on.
The best are all the scenes with HD. We can follow her on the roller coaster of emotions.
@GB – Ep 7 was a tear jerker for me. I usually don’t cry much in all these kdramas, but this episode, I cried especially when she was on the train coming home by herself and remembering her father at the station buying her noodles when she was young. Also her acting was superb❤️❤️. It was sad to see her mother reporting the news and how her mother did not explicitly support her own daughter both physically, or emotionally.
The unsportmanship of Yurim was also something that brings to light that irrespective of a medal one should not behave in that manner and dissing the referee is a BIG NO NO. It was disgusting behavior.
Loved the picture where HD and YJ were talking to each other on the street with the big green tree in the background with the colors of the tree, lighter green on HD side and darker green on YJ side depicting the maturity of the two at that point in time.
Who won the match? Yurim or Heedo?
I’m 2 episodes behind.
Don’t be too hard on the mother. There used to be a time when lead reporters had to show impartiality, and report the news as-is. 🙂
Plus, she must have been fighting sexual discrimination in the workplace. All eyes would have been on her (and Heedo) had she displayed emotions, favoritism and attachment. Her being a woman would become an issue.
The mother’s priority was clear. Her profession > family. I know it seems ridiculous now, but that was the environment back then. Women had to make a choice to sacrifice family life if they were to break into a man’s world. They were held to higher standards because they were “career women.” 🙂
But because of those hard choices and difficult sacrifices, women nowadays can enjoy so much more.
Spoiler alert!!!
Since you are asking @PM3, Heedo won but it was a close call. Referee decided the point to her but Yurim contested the decision. Now there were insinuations that referee was bribed and Heedo stole the gold from Yurim. Public opinion is bashin her. I cried with Heedo on the train and then at the restaurant. How sad that her supportive and warm dad had to pass away. We see a lot of snippets on how the dad influenced Heedo and she was lost when he died.
I like the way Heedo explained to Yijin how she knew she was faster. This was shot on a lonely road with green rice fields on both sides. I also like the tree shot @angelswingsf!
So Minchae has a live dad! Since she does not know Yijin, then dad is not him? Is the dad still married to Heedo? Again I’m not so focused on this but I guess it’s intriguing what the end game is.
I like the sense of justice of Heedo and Yijin! Heedo speaking up for herself and Yijin doing research. And this propels them to move forward in their professions and their strength of characters, too.
More squad time in the next episode pls!
SPOILER *******
@packmule3 – Na hee do WON the match fair and square. YR appealed the decision. She cried on the podium and made a fuss. She literally disagreed with the referee’s decision.
When they had the news conference everyone called YR a victim and point blank asked HD if she would give back her gold medal. Also, they were questioning if she knew the referee. I think the writer was showing a great act of un-sportmanship in this episode. Both by HD and YR. The coach was absolutely horrendous. Hated him the most because he showed favoritism and looks like his gamble did not work out.
What you say about HD mom is 100% true. Times were like that and in some industries (esp broadcasting) they were treated that way. Have been there and experienced it first hand. I think I always was family > job in my case since I always believed that if you don’t work on it, it will fall apart and cannot be put back together.
I didn’t care about the factual reporting by her, but would have wanted to see a softer side as a mother rooting for her child irrespective of the result to give some self esteem to her child. We are shown that she is proud and is rooting without anyone watching her, but giving a wrong impression to a teenager can actually make or break them. Looks like she had to keep up appearances being a widow and had to keep her job being the breadwinner of the family. HD turned out well even without that support, but in reality there are many families where children face the most problems and take the wrong path without being taught what is right or wrong making assumptions about the love from a parent.
I couldn’t resist. I watched the match. Heedo (or the fencer playing Heedo) was a few seconds quicker, and she lunged. I told you, right?
Right-of-way is critical. She was attacking Yurim.
And the lunge is important.
When she lunged, she displayed that she knew the exact DISTANCE to attack Yurim. She was striking her. Yurim’s saber just happened to touch her because it was close enough to reach Heedo.
It’s the difference between a person bumping you on purpose vs by chance on the street.
Also, there’s this thing called momentum. Heedo had momentum on her side after she scored her 14th point. Heedo knew it; Yurim knew it. Fear set in that she could lose it because the underdog caught up.
Aren’t you glad we had the fencing 🤺 mini-lessons on the blog? 😂 It makes it easier to talk about the drama.
Thanks for the mini-fencing lessons @PM3! They add so much value to our enjoyment of the show. I also like the hop-lunge style of Heedo. Hop-hop as her dad said!
With Heedo’s mom, I understand her wanting to maintain a professional stance at work (like Yijin’s sunbae insinuating he is close to Heedo and that clouds his judgement) but it should be different at home and 1 on 1 time with her daughter (As opposed to Yijin’s relationship with Heedo and finding a way to bring her to justice). Heedo is smart enough to understand the pressures of her mom’s job but it should be clear to her that her parent supports her especially during tough times.
I feel so bad no one fetched her at the airport, mom probably did not call or congratulate her or asked how she was even though she has a cellphone. I feel like it’s more than her profession. Does the mom blame her for the dad dying or something?
The tide was turning when Heedo scored 13 points. That was good counter attack and timing. She jumped then parried YiJin’s thrust, and quickly attacked. When Yurim broke her sabre after that, Yijin’s boss asked him if he’d memorized the questions. He could sense that shift in momentum. He told Yijin that Yurim’s confidence broke. It showed when Heedo tied the score at 14.
Don’t judge Heedo’s mom too harshly now. 🙂 As I pointed out, professionally, her hands were tied.
But we’re getting a teenager’s BIASED perspective of the mom-and-daughter relationship. And Heedo’s been proven wrong twice? thrice? already.
I’m only on Episode 4…I skimmed through Eps 5 and 6 to watch this fencing bout.
First, Heedo was wrong about the ring. She accused her mother of selling it. And her mother didn’t correct her. She let her think the worse of her.
Second, Heedo assumed that she got into her new school on her own when her mother actually worked it out with her fencing instructor. Considering that enmity between the two, the mother asked for a big favor there.
Third, her mom checked on her clothes. She knew it reeked of cigarettes from the night club. She wasn’t oblivious.
About her solo trip home, Heedo probably did NOT tell her mom that she was kicked out of the athlete’s training center. Her mom worked long hours and Heedo came in and out of the house on her own. (Which to me is not an ideal thing — but hey! I always worried about my boys getting kidnapped so yes, I had nannies, au pairs, and a housekeeper. Wouldn’t know what to do without them!!)
So we might be seeing only one side of this mommy-daughter bond. I know it’s easy to hate on the mom because she seems to be wall off her daughter but there’s bound to be more to it than meets the eye.
We got a back story on how HD had enough French to speak with the Japanese fencer in Episode 6. Her mother was based in Paris for a while and HD and her father came there as well.
It’s sad that Hee-Do and her mother are further isolated. I understand that she has to keep professional distance, but she could have contacted Hee-Do, as Janey said. I agree that there seems to be something behind the distance between them.
I was proud of Yee-jin for his tries to set the record straight to stop the emotional reaction by the Korean public. He used a lot of ingenuity to get the interview with the referee and to be able to broadcast it in a way that could stop the controversy without blaming either athlete.
It was great as well that Seung-wan realised that Hee-do needs to be protected from controversy.
Ha, that old tape in the club house! I laughed about that – why would he record a date/tryst? Fool. Can’t wait until tomorrow!
Thankful for the @pm3 fencing lessons and last point of the match breakdown.
My favorite scene in episode 7 was HD and YR demoing pret allez and first touch. HD knows she touched first and her explanation to him of how she knows *chefs kiss*. And his defense of her..still not biased, just neutral facts.
I feel for HD mother..I feel God created man and woman to be partners in raising children—she had her husband in the past to be a cushion where she could not and she’s probably also feeling his absence in this situation. I feel like the actress did a great job after the match when she kept asking the question “was it a bad call?” It felt like she was desperate for a definitive answer because she needed a FACT to report so she could support her daughter.
I also liked the adult HD more in this episode, the way she talked to her daughter about ballet. And also how the daughter was more open to hearing what she had to say and maybe more receptive to it after learning more about her earlier struggles
There is an adult Yi Jin? Oh, Yi Jin could be the father of Min Chae then… Yi Jin might have needed to change his name for some reason and adapted Kim as his last name? Even if Yi Jin and Hae Doo fell in love at 21 and 25 as the trailer says, it does not mean they got married right then. They might have dated for a few years before getting married and having Min Chae. It’s fun to speculate but I’m enjoying the episodes as they get released. I’m sure the writers have more surprises. Weekends can’t come fast enough.
Episode 7 is both emotional and hilarious. Kim Tae Ri is so believable as a high schooler.
@packmule
that video of Joowon is a fan edit, I saw it going around twitter as well
What I love about this drama is that it doesn’t feel formulaic. The pattern with kdrama is usually the first half is comedy, and second-half is tragedy.
But the writer managed to so far gave us both comedy and tragedy from the beginning. And the relationship between Hee-do and Yi-jin feels different, the connection and friendship they built is organic and pleasing for me. The way they see each other for who they really are. I can’t wait for the romance to begin later.
😂 April Fools came early for me, @Ella. 😂
I tried to look for the YT video but couldn’t find it. That’s when I suspected I got punked.
Oh well. That means my favorite is still in the running: Lee Kwangsoo… err… Jo In Sung.
Yeah I was a bit harsh on HD’s mom initially but I can see where she’s coming from now. Given her professional situation – she was the only woman in that newsroom. She’s in a male dominated terrain. She has to “prove herself” more. Any missteps on her part would be blown out of proportion. With the death of the dad, she’s now the sole breadwinner. She probably made huge sacrifices (family wise) to get to where she is. She knows the game and what she’s up against. It’s a different time to now. HD isn’t exactly subtle or model of discretion. I can imagine she wouldn’t be particularly careful to keep her mom’s identity a secret 😂. So I can imagine there was one point in HD’s mom’s professional life where she just had to choose her profession over being the “supportive parent”. Even with her granddaughter she seems to have the same approach? She’s not one to hug or molly coddle. It’s just that HD is so hot headed that she storms out of every conversation or leaps to conclusions.
Thanks for all the spoilers. I will try to catch up with the ep. If not I will wait for early next week to binge 7 and 8 together
I think she’s different with her granddaughter. 🙂 Look at the way her granddaughter “ran away” from her house and stayed over at her grandma’s place.
Then her conversation with her grandma:
Nana: I heard you’re quitting ballet. Do you want to do something else?
MC: Do people always have something they want to do?
Nana: Weren’t you doing ballet because you wanted to? You did it for five years already?
MC: I don’t know anymore. I need to do something to look like I’m doing something.
Nana: (observes her) Not something you have to do. What’s your dream?
MC: Adults never accept it if we say we don’t have a dream. Do we need to have one? People only talk about getting a job.
Nana: (nodding head) You’re right. These are the times you’re living in.
She was acknowledging the generational differences. Her times and her world were different from MC’s. It was fine for MC not to be driven or goal-oriented at such an age.
And then consider the facts.
1. Heedo’s room. Remember what Welmaris said? This mom preserved her daughter’s room the way it was. Heedo already had her own household, but the mom preserved her room the way it was when Heedo lived there.
If she hated Heedo, she would’ve boxed up all her things by now.
— And I just saw this in the beginning of Ep 5. Heedo informed her mom that she was going to try out for the National team. She also told her that she was going to do her best for herself, because only she knew how hard she tried.
🤪😂🤦♀️🙄 Spoken like a teenager! I bet her mom knew. She looked worried, almost teary-eyed, when Heedo walked off.
2. When Heedo got transferred schools, she wanted to take Heedo shopping for uniform right away.
3. When she saw Heedo’s picture, she scheduled a pictorial. I thought she was going to brag about it. But no. She kept quiet. And I like her better for it. She was going to use her child’s rising fame to bolster her career.
4. Also, the thing with the coach? The mom was right. If the coach was taking bribes, then yes, she had her duty to the public to expose it. She told the coach in Ep 1, “I never meant to be nasty. I wanted to be understood though.”
When I think about this, the mom is worried about Heedo but she doesn’t know how to communicate it because Heedo was closer to her father. There could have been a role reversal/non-traditional setup in that marriage: the dad was the primary guardian and caregiver while the mom was the working parent.
She’s a working single parent in the 90s. She’s definitely not perfect. And she’s dealing with a hot-head hormonal female teenager. You know how that is. 😂 You won’t be able to get survive an argument without being labeled Cruella de Vil and bane of her existence.
Gotta sleep now.
@Packmule3, you have a good point about Mrs Shin’s professional behaviour. I agree with your thought that her marriage had a role reversal of sorts. We saw that in the scene in Paris when her husband took HD for her first fencing lesson. She was in Paris for work, he and HD accompanied HER.
HD’s father seemed be familiar with fencing terminology – else why would he have selected that as a sport for her to try? Could there have been an element of envy in her feelings about the relationship between her husband and HD? I also think that while Ms Shin has good professional behaviour, her interpersonal skills were lacking. She loved her daughter but couldn’t show it.
I was also thinking back to the 90’s and work for women. For a single mother, making the job a priority was essential – damned if she does (the child is in care for most of the day) and damned if she doesn’t (can’t provide basic food and shelter for child and herself.) –Even harder in a male-dominated profession where she has to be a super-woman.
I worked as support in both law and science in the 90’s. Law was VERY tough on women lawyers, but science was nearly as bad; in both it was bad form to get pregnant, even if married. The mothers were back to full-time work within weeks or they looked unreliable. I remember researchers from Europe complaining about how short U.S. maternity leave was. One post-doc in our department simply left once her maternity leave was completed.
Ha. I was Cruella de Vil last week. I couldn’t get ANYTHING right. Are sons easier?
I woke up thinking about Ji Seung-wan’s character. Not only book smart, but she is emotionally intelligent as well. How amazing was she with her own pirate broadcasting show and that she could give good advice to other teenagers over the air? And the way she explained to YJ that she brought Ji-woong along to divert the security guard when they came to rescue HD, because she recognised that HD needed to avoid controversy. She might make light of her role as Head-girl of her year group, but she is good at shepherding her classmates. I wonder if she might go into broadcasting as a career as well – a potential colleague of YJ?
On the mum’s report on the news, I felt she was objective. She reported as is.
“The fifth day of the Gyeongju Asian Games has come to an end, and many unexpected incidents occurred. The referee’s final decision determined the winner of the gold medal. Many believe this decision was in error. The public is saying that Na Hee-do stole the gold medal. Seo Jung-hyuk reports…..”
There is a kind of distance in the reporting. Who said this, who said that. It was quite straight forward but Heedo would have loved to get the comfort from her mum like how Yurim had from her dad but alas her mother was at work…reporting the news that hurts to listen to.
I would understand how Heedo is so much closer to her dad than her mum since her mum had such a demanding job. Seems like being a new anchor is quite a feat and isn’t an easy role to get into. So I wondered if Heedo’s dad gave up or pared down his work to be there for his daughter more than her mum did. Maybe he used to fence or reported about sports, otherwise why would he bring her to a fencing school in France? Where did he get those connections?
Also, I find it uncanny and interesting that my the years and ages as @snowflower listed out of Heedo and Yijin and MinJae is so similar with my life……I don’t have a story like theirs for sure 😛
Kalimera Ladies!
I just finished Episode 7 and as I was writing in last week’s thread :
I don’t like Yu Rim.
It is okay to lose. It is okay if you don’t believe that you lose.
You don’t start a controversy just because Hee Do was the one who won over you! Seriously, Yu Rim’s EGO is enormous!
She is lying to herself and to others. She was the one who stole the Gold medal from Hee Do and Hee Do was right to say that into her face.
Yu Rim likes to be a victim. It is her choice. She is not fencing for herself, as her father pointed out, she is fencing for her family. So, in contrary with Hee Do, she doesn’t really love or having fun with fencing. She is doing it in order to happy her folks!
I was so sad for Hee Do. I am glad we got to see those flashbacks with her own father. Back Yi Jin truly cares about her and I really like that aspect of their relationship. He used his wish in order to protect her from herself! The Episode was crafted pretty well.
Now, let me read you all!
@packmule3 yes she’s definitely mellowed but she’s still not the type of warm and cozy grandma who knits sweaters 😂. But yes I can see how she loves and is “proud” of HD in her own way. I am thankful that both my children are past the teenage phase and we can talk rationally as adults now. 👍.
I loved the last revelation about the old flame 😂. How cringey was that moment caught on tape? And the carved names on the wooden chair? I remember someone told me my brother’s name was carved into a science lab bench back in high school. 😂. I thought it was so lame. But hey, Cutie Pie hasn’t got a leg to stand on after her display at the restaurant with her 2 week bf. She was just as guilty. 😂
@grace, I wondered if HD’s father had fenced as well. You said he might have been a sports reporter like YJ. It could be how he met HD’s mother?
I liked how HD explained progress to Min-chae at the beginning of episode 7. The graph she drew, and her question, “Did you enjoy ballet or the compliments. If you liked the compliments, you can quit. But if you liked ballet, think it over again.” She was passing down her father’s wise words. “Do you like being complimented or do you like fencing?…Later on, even if things don’t go your way with fencing, remember this one thing. Your skill doesn’t improve consistently, but in steps.” In the flashback HD makes her father promise that he will come to her next competition, but the adult HD’s voice tells us “Dad could not keep his promise.” So I think adult HD is telling the whole story to her daughter.
HD’s father’s mention of steps of progress was similar to YJ’s advice to HD think of failures as block to make a high set of steps. This familiarity of this advice must have meant more to HD than the words alone.
While YR was in her father’s truck driving home, he says that her skills were intact despite the ruling at the end of the bout. He encourages YR to fight for herself and not out of duty for her family. To me, this was like HD’s father saying, do it for the love of it and not for other reasons.
All of these paternal words are in contrast to HD’s mother, who encouraged HD to quit because she wasn’t winning in episode 1.
I had to laugh at Coach Yang. As a commentator, she was too excited and too biased towards Hee Do. Her co-commentator kept trying to keep her toned down. I thought she balanced the National Coach who only cared about Yoo-rim. The national coach barely complimented HD on her win. It made me wonder if he had made a bet on YR – he would have had his bonus anyway, with either of his athletes getting gold and silver.
We also see that at HD’s first lesson, the inside of her grip was coloured blue, as it is at the Asian Games. That is why she chose the colour. It’s very poignant that her thoughts at the competition were for her father.
BTW, I can hear the word Olympic in the dialog, but the translation I have never says it. They refer to Asian games or International games.
As is usual with shows I like, I did a fast watch before I hit the sack and then a rewatch the next day (today).
@angelwingssf @Janey – I too found myself tearing up over the flashback scenes of HD and her dad, and when she cried at the restaurant while the ahjusshis were sweetly showing her that they were on her side, acknowledging her hard work and her win. I loved that one of them requested that she led Korea fencing into the future. That was a lovely sign of trust.
Yoo Rim is such a big disappointment. The problem is, that she thinks she’s a nice person, and that she’s entitled, plus she’s hiding her fear of HD’s abilities behind her nastiness. As Injeolmi, she assured the unknown Ryder37 that she was always on her side… but guess what, the one who stole the medal from Ryder37 was none other than Injeolmi.
@Fern Yes, I too liked the sense of justice that both HD and YJ displayed. It went against the grain for the unfairness to continue.
@Fern, @grace I enjoyed all the backstories. And @Cleo, you were right about HD’s dad being the inspiration and the supporter of Fencing in HD’s life. From the fact that he knew the Korean person in the French Fencing school, I take it that he was closely allied to the sport and may have fenced, himself.
@Ella, I appreciated the comedy when the worst of the emotional upheaval was over and HD could relax with a recording of YJ’s broadcast. I liked how Ji Woong had no choice but to kowtow to his senior in the Band, and to allow himself to become a stepping stool. And LOL the accusing look in HD’s eyes when she heard YJ being lovey dovey in the recording. One would think she was his girlfriend!
@Cleo, yes I liked that YJ used his wish so wisely, to protect HD and not for his own benefit. His more developed character is one I can really get behind. I’m glad his sunbae, who was doubtful about his objectivity, praised him 3 times “Well done!”
@Fern, I loved Coach Yang’s full support of HD. Yes, it was a great balance against the male Coach’s favourtism. I wonder if the competitors cannot hear the commentary? So HD wouldn’t have known that Coach Yang was rooting for her. I really liked that as a young child, HD already looked up to Fencer Chan Yang Mi, never thinking at that time, that the’d become mentor and mentee.
@Growing Beautifully, I think that HD could hear the coach. She was pretty loud. But she could also hear the crowd cheering for YR and the National Coach as well.
I agree that HD looked pretty accusatory when listening to YJ’s recording with Da-eun. How could she not have heard that over the months that she listened to his tapes? What a contrast to his pretty philosophy just before that! I wonder who will turn the recorder off first – YJ or perhaps Seung-wan?
The Right Distance
@pkml3 spoke of the right distance for the lunge in fencing and I was writing a long piece on it generally in the earlier thread. This episode we are once again reminded of the distance between the public figure and the subject, or the public figure and the audience, between strangers, family and between friends. Oftentimes the right distance is determined by the circumstances.
Sunbae observes YJ looking upset. He asserts : “The news relays the situation. What’s the problem?”
YJ : “It doesn’t look like we’re simply relaying it. I feel like we instigate at times.” (Nowadays it happens much of the time!!)
Sunbae : “You’re mistaken. Do you know why you’re mistaken? You failed to keep a distance from the subject. You know Na Hee Do.”
Sunbae takes a step towards YJ : “A public figure must not get too close to or too far from a civilian. A journalist must maintain a distance from the subject being covered.”
We see that HD’s Mum Shin has really kept that distance, par excellence. Even at home, she has maintained a distance with HD. What strikes me over and over again is that no one outside of a few here and there, knows that Hee Do and Anchor Shin are mother and daughter. They never care to acknowledge their relationship. Yi Jin does not know that HD’s mother probably had a hand in hiring him or that his news debut report about HD, took place under her Mum Shin’s news reporting.
Mum Shin never revealed how she felt when she heard about the public sentiment that YR was the good, poor girl whom people wanted to see winning, while HD was considered the upstart who interfered and upset the apple cart. Perhaps by continuing to never acknowledge HD’s relationship to her, she was better able to protect HD. At least HD didn’t have to live up to being Anchor Shin’s daughter and no one could accuse her being prejudiced in favour of HD in her reporting. Still it would have been nice if HD would have considered calling her Mum over her win, or vice versa.
===
Hee Do observes how YR has a dad to pick her up and give her a comforting hug. The right kind if distance that she never had with her Mum. She herself wanders around, losing her cell phone at the pharmacy.
Hee Do calls her own mobile number to get her phone back and finds YJ on the other end of the line. At the end of the day, they somehow had a direct connection with each other. He comes in a cab to bring her phone to her. (Where’s his red car? Didn’t he just drive her in Gyeongju in that car, that day?)
YJ maintains his adult role in lecture mode, which HD does not appreciate. But it was the right distance to keep with her, since she was angry and he had not yet found a solution to help her. In their matter-of-fact relationship, it would have been weird if he’d comforted her with soft words, the way that Ji Woong did with Yoo Rim.
Also he rightly pointed out that she had failed to keep her right distance, as a public figure, in the press conference. She had reacted emotionally and tarnished the image of Korea on international TV.
YJ to HD : “Running away isn’t the solution. You’re on the national team. Do you think your attitude at the press conference was acceptable? You left without telling the team, didn’t you? You know, you can be disciplined for this.”
HD : “Are you done? Then leave. I could have gotten my phone back myself, so I won’t thank you.”
HD walks off but stops when YJ asks : “What will you do in a town that you don’t know?”
HD : “I ran away because I didn’t want to hear that garbage. Don’t you get it?”
The tree that appears between them, shows that they are divided at that moment.
However, we see that division start to melt away along the lonely road, with YJ walking behind, HD to keep an eye on her.
HD : “I told you not to follow me.”
YJ stops to think and says : “People say Ko Yoo Rim is a victim. I think you’re a victim too. Even if the referee’s decision was a bad call, you’re still a victim.”
HD : “It wasn’t a bad call.” And she demonstrates with YJ so that he can see what she means when she said that the fencer always knows who was faster.
YJ : “Who asked for an explanation?”
HD : “You’re a reporter. Would you have come here looking for me otherwise?”
YJ : “What do you think? Tell me.”
HD has to say honestly : “You would have come. Regardless.”
YJ : “As long as you know. Let’s go back.”
She refuses so he uses the wish that he won.
YJ : “Your face was on the news on every channel. Don’t cause any more trouble. Let’s go back, Hee Do-yah. That’s my wish.”
By being the responsible adult friend towards HD, YJ maintained the right distance. HD also had to acknowledge that with the kind of friendship they had, YJ’s coming to look for her was natural and expected.
===
YJ had been coincidentally in the right place and time to become acquainted with Referee Alan Smith. He used this acquaintanceship, and kept the right distance, to persuade the Ref to listen to him. I noticed how he literally stood a distance away from Ref, so as not to crowd or intimidate him.
I liked Ref’s interview statement… he too was speaking of the right distance that the public should have. We also get to hear Mum Shin’s objective introduction to Ref’s assertions.
Anchor Mum Shin : “The referee’s decision during the fencing finals of the Asian Games last night is being disputed. This has led to unreasonable assertions such as claiming the referee was bribed. We met with referee Smith, who is at the centre of the controversy. Baek Yi Jin has the exclusive.”
Alan Smith onTV : “Athlete’s can be confused when they are worked up. Even if the cameras can’t give you a clear picture of what happened, would it make sense to say that what I saw was inaccurate, since I was right in front of the action? If you want the athlete you are rooting for to win, go watch a movie. That is not the nature of sport.” (A good diss against the emotional Korean public who couldn’t keep the right distance, since they wanted a sporting event to play out like a movie with their preferred happy ending).
YJ on TV : “Referee Smith asserted that his decision at the match was fair. The young athletes had to bear the weight of overly emotional speculation. What should have been the happiest moment became a piercing wound. I’m Baek Yi Jin of UBS News.” (The reporters’ and public’s prejudiced speculation had robbed the gold medal of honour, and the win of glory.)
HD who had wanted to leave the restaurant stays to hear the full report. When she sits, she finally finds herself crying, because at last others had stood up to acknowledge the unfairness towards her. Yi Jin, Ref and her Mum had to speak objectively. But when the ahjusshis started taking her side, her tears flowed all the more.
Ahjusshi stranger : “You must have been so hurt. Life throws you some nasty curveballs, doesn’t it? You’ve been through a lot. Here, have a drink.” (She tells them she’s too young to drink.)
“Na Hee Do, you were amazing during the match yesterday. Congratulations on winning the gold medal. It must have taken such hard work to make it there. You must have cried so much in secret and suffered so much pain.” Hee Do covers her face and cries in earnest.
“Goodness. You did great. Please lead Korean fencing going forward, okay?”
This was the right distance, supportive of the facts, ‘untainted by emotions,’ that should have been the public response towards a public figure (HD).
===
YJ reports to his sunbae : “That interview wasn’t because I was too close. The news criticising her went out yesterday and we feigned innocence as the public criticised her. It was an improper attitude for the news. That was why. If you say I did it because I knew her, I have nothing to say.”
Sunbae : “You did good.” YJ is surprised so sunbae repeats : “You did great. Remember how you felt as you rushed to the airport today. Congrats on your debut in the news.”
YJ : “Thank you.”
And one more time for good measure: “You did good.”
YJ : “Thank you.”
YJ smiles.
Episode 8 – Super interesting.
We see the seeds of why HD and YJ may not end up together, at least for long.
Confused, complicated emotions in the case of more than 1 person and another good twist for the end.
👏👏👏 Brava, @GB.
I’ve given up trying to catch up with you all. I don’t have time to sit down and watch all four episodes this weekend.
So I’ll re-post this on the blog and sign off on it as the “official” 😂😂 statement on the importance of keeping the Right Distance.
Yes, the Referee had the right distance for the match. We the viewers did too; if you’re watching on Netflix, you can actually slow down the speed when you replay and see that Heedo (or the fencer playing Heedo) was half-a-step quicker than Yurim.
And Heedo’s jump-riposte (I don’t know if that’s the right word for it) to score her 13th point made an impression. It meant that
a. she still was fighting,
b. she still had energy. Fencing requires sudden spurts of energy.
c. her footwork and timing were great.
Yes, referees do decide bouts. And unlike judges in figure skating who judge the aesthetics, 🙂 referees in fencing are looking for the fight in the fencer. Fight means tenacity, resistance and competitiveness.
The truism is referees don’t like cowards.
In fact, there’s a rule made about four? five? years ago about non-combative fencers. Previously, there were matches when the fencers refused to fight when they were on the piste. They’d stand there or bounce up and down. They didn’t want to risk getting hit so they’d wait.
So the rule was made.
Under this non-combatting rule, if the fencers don’t fight or score a hit in a minute 😂 then the ref will halt the bout and card the fencers, depending on the rank. The burden is on the lower-ranked player to score a point to avoid losing the bout.
The match is essentially decided by the ref.
Anyway…
You know who else didn’t act professionally? The fencing club coach. 🙄
What a fool.
I’m sure many viewers thought she was funny. But I told you all, she’s nuts.
She was totally out of line when she started blabbering about “shitty etiquette,” and the amount of rice Heedo eating, and also addressing Heedo from the podium, “Na Heedo, you! This is your last chance!” 🤦♀️🤦♀️
She was a commentator for the sports. Not the cheerleader. Not the coach.
She did NOT at all know how to maintain the right distance.
Frankly, she’s partly to blame for Yurim’s unsportsmanlike conduct.
She TRAINED Yurim to view Heedo as someone to be feared. I said that it was bad coaching to inculcate in her mind that Heedo was an enemy out to grab her Number #1 spot. I said the coach failed to teach them how to cope with eventual rivalry. Instead, she encouraged pitting one against the other.
So I wasn’t surprised by Yurim’s conduct. The coach tolerated bullying in her club because “That’s the way the world is. Seniors just gotta bully. Juniors just gotta deal with it their own way.” 🤪 So when Yurim (aka the Senior in the ASEAN games) decided to “bully” her way to a gold medal with that stage tantrum and disrespect of the referee, that’s on the coach. Yurim was acting out what she learned from her club: that bullies got their way with emotional blackmail.
The coach didn’t train her star player well. 🤷♀️
Hi ladies, it is so fun to read all of your comments.
@GB,
As I watched eps 7, the “right distance” note from Packmule was on my mind too. Thank you for writing the beautifully 🍀🍀
@packmule3
Wow another lesson about fencing, thank you so much!! I also thought the jump that Hee Do made to score her 13th point was amazing, i feel like i can see what she meant by “Na Hee Do’s fencing”. She is a fighter and she showed it to the world.
P.S: thank you for informing about the link. I will post the english translation lyric on the ost thread.
@GB,
To be honest I didn’t expect that twist at first. Another misunderstanding is coming in the way.. I remember I read somewhere that they hurt each other at 23 and 19. I am afraid that this misunderstanding will be one of that many reasons. They are at that age. Before they fall in love to each other at 25 and 21, we have to see them hurting each other first..
I am trying not too get invested by who is minchae’s father, or whether yijin and hee do end up together or not since I really like the youth stories and I just want to enjoy the ride from the writer and the director. However, seeing Packmule’s note about How I met Your Mother.. Suddenly I had this idea. It could be one of the many possible paths too. Here are some of my note about this:
1. Yijin is alive. He is somewhere not too close with the adult heedo but he is keeping contact with her mother. He is keeping the right distance with Hee do still.
2. Minchae has a father who seems to be busy with his works, involving biztrip from abroad.
3. There is a possibility that minchae’s father is not Yijin, but another man. He is still alive too, but the parent’s relationship is still in the dark. If Minchae is not that upset about Yijin (she even said her gratitude that Yijin supported her mother back then) probably, their parent’s not in a passionate phase of love. Is it possible that they are already divorced somehow, and Minchae is already accepted it and move on from this. So, seeing her mother writing about another man other than her father doesn’t really make her upset in any way.
4. Well if it’s gonna be the HIMYM path, probably, it is Minchae who will make her mother realized that Hee Do’s relationship with Yi Jin is not something that could be forgotten easily. Maybe even Minchae will encourage her mother to pursue Yijin again. (Remember the last word from episode 8: I have to have you — saying to baek yi jin, hahahaha)
5. Above scenario would only happen if Yijin is still single somehow, and if Hee do’s actually divorced with her husband. Lol. Anyway.. doesn’t matter how it would be. I will still head over heels for this show.
Just one thing that annoyed me. When will Yurim and Heedo mend their relationship. Same like @Janey, I want to see the beach scenes already…. 🥺🥺
Kalispera @GB Unnie,
Thank you for mentioning that my comment about Hee Do’s father being her anchor or inspiration and supporter in Fencing. I was pretty sure that she loved fencing as much as she loves her dad. That’s why she was not giving up. She was not giving up on his memory as well…
Yi Jin is a revelation over here. He grew up fast (and that rings a bell to me) and we see that he has become a person who doesn’t like injustice and lies. I am glad that Hee Do has found him, or should I say, I am glad they have found each other?
As for Yu Rim. I have written she has a inferiority complex. I will now add she has a martyr syndrome and a big Ego that surpasses her logical brain.
P.S.
Thank you @Packmule3 for explaining about the rules in fencing and @GB Unnie for the right distance part.
I am glad we get to know these details that can make us understand more the plot!
@packmule3, thank you for your mention of Coach Yang’s poor sportsmanship in regards to her athletes. As @GB said, she should have kept a professional distance. She didn’t do either of the girls any favours by making those comments on air. I was waiting for her to mention that she was Yu-rim’s coach as well, but it never happened.
Likewise, about Yi-Jin. His colleague said that he was too close to Hee-do, but YJ could have replied that he was close to Yu-rim as well. I wondered why he didn’t say that.
@Growing Beautifully, I’ll have to re-watch episode 8. It seemed to have so much packed into it. I’m relating to all of the main characters including Yu-rim. I understand @Cleopatra’s comments that she has a big ego and feels sorry for herself, but she has had a run of bad luck. Yet another official scolded her and told her that if she can’t win, they don’t need her. In other words, she has little worth if she can’t perform. I can’t say that I wouldn’t feel sorry for myself in her shoes.
It’s interesting that the coach has picked up on HD knowing YJ before Mrs Shin. I know that she’s wacky, but she did the right thing by giving the medal to Mrs Shin so she could offer it as an olive branch to her daughter. She wants them to have a closer relationship.
I know that the mother is very professional and all, but I still think she’s a piece of work. I know she was angry with YJ, but kicking and hitting him? Then later telling HD that he was in fact right to hang up rather than fumble a report. The only good thing is that he will be more prepared in the future, should there be another emergency. Considering how she views him in retrospect – that he was just a boy and new to the job – I think she over-reacted.
Oh, that twist at the end. As soon as I saw the rose, I knew what would happen. YJ must have been kicking himself for insisting on coming along. I know he doesn’t want HD cause any further distress, and I don’t know how he will convince her, but he needs to stop that train.
Hi @pkml3, I’m sorry to hear that you won’t have time to catch up. I’d of course love to be hearing your takes on the episodes, and discussing them with you as they/at the time they roll along, but I know we have to JOMO too.
I hope you do manage to watch the episodes ultimately. I find this show such a gem. Everything works. The pacing is just right, a sufficient amount of time is given for the feels and the comedy kicks in at the right time.
I really liked the editing, interspersing the scenes of the past and present once again, while child HD and 19-year old HD are on the piste and memories of her Dad come along. That was great storytelling without exposition. We understand her love for her dad, her motivation and her joy in fencing all in a few minutes.
The mise-en-scène of characters in conversation, in anger, in silence continues to be consistent and effective. I like how tiny HD and YJ looked while walking that lonely road. They were distant from us and from each other. HD was feeling small and badly treated by the big, big world, with no one to support her, except YJ. He did so not by pulling her along, but from behind, letting her lead the way in which she would go, at the pace she chose to walk.
He gave her time to be come back to be reasonable (when she admitted that he would have come to her, regardless), and see what justice called for, ie that there was a time to be angry but also a time to take care of oneself and to accept the consequences of one’s actions.
A truly endearing show that will be much beloved by me.
Unfortunately I’ve to JOMO now. I’ll be back later!