From the beginning, even before @nrllee shared an article on this drama, I already sensed that this kdrama would be revisionist.
From what little I saw, @OAL, I expect this kdrama adaptation to be the antithesis or subversion of the original novel.
This set-up is perfectly fine for me, because, you see, the original author, Louisa May Alcott, had also REVISED her family’s history.
“Little Women” is SEMI-autobiographical. While Ms. Alcott based her novel on her adventures growing up as one of four girls, she rewrote many elements of her life story to “soften” her perspectives and criticisms about her family life.
Take for instance, her stance on marital bliss. She was a spinster. From what I read, she adamantly did NOT want to marry. In my opinion, her aversion to marriage is the reason Jo and Laurie did NOT have their happily-ever-after ending.
And I’m still bitter about it. Like @nrllee. 😂
As the heroine of the story, Jo deserved the best, and the best boyfriend material in the story was hands-down Laurie. But since Alcott was opposed to marriage herself, she nixed Jo’s happy ending with the intention of patterning Jo’s future after hers.
When the fans demanded a wedding for Jo, methinks Alcott decided to spite her readers and dash their expectations. That’s why Jo ended up with that booby prize and geezer, the Professor. 😵💫
Me to Louisa May Alcott and her proxy, Jo.
lol.
Let’s look at another example: her father.
In the book, the father, Mr. March, was away fighting in the American Civil War. In real life, however, Alcott’s father was said to be more a dreamer than a doer and a fighter. The reason she began writing was to feed the family which Mr. Alcott, with his failed endeavors, failed to provide for.
In the book, Alcott’s “avatar” was Jo. But in this kdrama, I say that Alcott’s goals have a lot in common with InHye’s ambitions, the youngest daughter. InHye is obsessed with the life of the rich and famous, and she wants to use her artistic talents to gain access to the upper echelons of society. I’ll write more about this later.
The way I see it, Alcott wrote the “wholesome” version of her reality, and this kdrama screenwriter, Jung Seo Kyung, rewrote the original story to undo that. It’s not surprising then IF Ms. Jung ended up with a version that was closer to Alcott’s truth.
It’s like Alcott did a 180 and reversed her life story, and screenwriter Jung came along, did another 180 and reversed the story. With the 360 turn, Jung brought the story full circle. lol.
Moving on.
I’ll go through the main characters in the drama and compare them with the original characters. I’ll limit myself to five characters: the three sisters and the two boyfriends.
Their comparisons will by no means be exhaustive. I’m not a literature graduate, as I keep saying. And I’m a slacker, as you know. Until now, I’ve only watched parts of Episode 3, and none of Episode 4.
Remember by 8 Episode Serial Dating Rule™? I allow myself to go out on “dates” with a kdrama for 8 episodes before deciding whether to drop it or commit myself.
Please come back later. I’ve a zoom meeting to prep for.
And just an FYI for the newbies about the password-protected posts. Don’t panic. It can mean one of two things:
A. I’ve shared it with the people I’m comfortable with. This is my personal blog, my private outlet. I bare my thoughts and dance naked only to those I want to.
B. I’m not done writing, adding screenshots to make a point, mulling over a connection, and editing my work. Just go on with your daily chores and check back later.
Or you can practice JOMO (“joy of missing out”).
Either way, please know that I’m NOT doing this for click-baits or to frustrate you. It is what it is.
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
1. The oldest daughters: Meg v InJoo.
If you’ve been following my comments then you know, I’ve been dithering about InJoo’s character. I couldn’t make up my mind whether she’s Meg or Jo in the original novel.
But then I found this clip on Youtube. It’s a scene from Chapter 9 of the book.
If you’re interested in reading this chapter, here’s a link:
Did you see the similarity? Here, I’ll help you.
a. Meg was the odd one out in the room. All the girls were rich, and they were attending Sally Moffat’s debut or “coming out” party so they dressed up in their best silken dresses for the evening.
This is like InJoo being treated as the “outcast” in the office. All the other girls were rich.
b. Belle — who I believe is the older sister of Sally — offered to dress Meg up in fine clothes. She ordered their French maid to replace Meg’s clothes and get her into a chic evening dress. They’re that rich that they could afford an in-house couturier. 🙂
This is like the scene in Episode 1 when Unnie dressed up Injoo on their way to their dinner. She removed the garish-looking flower from InJoo’s pink sweater then gave Injoo her “Velvet Orchid” pair of shoes and her black jacket which I’m assuming was a Chanel.
Unnie was dressing up Injoo to look rich.
And InJoo liked that. She liked pretending to be rich. Remember? InJoo had once brought a fake Birkin bag to office and Unnie scolded her about it. She said that bookkeepers need to look shabby to stop people from talking.
Unnie: A bookkeeper must see money as just numbers, like how a doctor sees his patients. So what does it say about you if you carry knockoff bags? It makes you look poor and obsessed with money. How can a company trust a person like that with their money?
InJoo: (pouting) Then I give up. I’ve always been obsessed with money and men.
Lol. This was so Meg, too.
There was scene in the movie adaptation of “Little Women” when, as a newly- wed, Meg bought silk that she and John could hardly afford. She realized belatedly that John would have to go without a winter coat so they could pay for her silk.
c. Meg became a big hit at the party. The guys were flocking around her. She liked the attention, flirted with the men like she was born to be in the limelight.
This is like InJoo receiving a compliment about her pair of shoes. She lied so easily that the shoes were given to her as a gift.
And remember when Do-Il arrived at the office and invited her to lunch? She wasn’t at all a shy girl.
d. In the Youtube clip, Meg was approached by Laurie at the ball.
He’d been ordered by Jo to keep an eye on Meg. Jo couldn’t attend this party. I don’t think the family could afford to dress up two ladies at the same time. But this kind of party was Laurie’s milieu. He was rich like the other people.
Laurie however was appalled to see Meg’s appearance. The decolletage on Meg’s dress alone shocked him, and he called her out for showing her cleavage. Naturally, Meg was insulted.
But she knew that he’d reason to chastise her. She herself felt that her dress and appearance were over the top.
She hid to remove her lipstick but Laurie found her. He apologized, and she admitted that he was right. They promised not to tell others about their shameful encounter.
To me, this scene reminds me of InJoo feeling at a loss with newfound wealth.
She didn’t know what to do with 2 billion won, much less how to spend it inconspicuously. She hid the money in the kimchee containers. She filled up their fridge ice cream bars. And she bought tons of makeup.
e. This is noteworthy to remember but it does NOT appear in the clip, but in the chapter that I just linked above.
In the book, Meg is called “Daisy” by the Moffat family. The Moffats, like the rich people of that time, were into anything French.
Meg is short for Margaret. In French, her name would have been Marguerite. And in French, marguerite (small letter “m”) is the word for daisy. That’s the reason the Moffats referred to her as Daisy.
It was so recherché to use that name rather than the common Meg.
What’s my point here? What’s the connection to InJoo?
This is like Unnie – and the CEO of Orchids E&C – referring to InJoo as a flower, the “Princess of Thieves” orchid.
From Episode 3:
Ex-CEO: Hwayoung once told me that you resembled Princess.
InJoo: What?
Ex-CEO: You may not look like much now, but once you bloom, you’ll be more dazzling than anyone. Let’s say that I’m curious to see you in bloom.
To them, InJoo was no ordinary girl.
I’ll add more when I finish watching Episode 3 and 4.
2. The second oldest daughters: Jo v InKyung
3. The dead: Beth v the baby
Can somebody do this? @nrllee?
I’m not sure now if Beth died of scarlet fever or she survived scarlet fever but it weakened her heart and her general constitution. She died eventually.
As for the baby Oh, did she die because of a congenital ailment or did she catch a disease?
All I knew is that in the book, Beth’s death was a galvanizing moment for the March family. They gathered together again and became closer as family unit.
In the drama, however, there was an opposite effect. Right? (I’m skimming through the drama now) Only InJoo seemed to recall what happened that night. The other sisters forgot. I think the baby’s death tore the family apart. The mom did bring the picture of the baby with her when she left with the 2.4 million won.
4. The spoiled youngest daughters: Amy v InHye
Here are some things you should know about Amy. These are some of the reasons why my inner 12-year-old wants to scratch her eyes out.
a. Amy stole Jo’s manuscripts and threw it in the fire. Thanks, @nrllee, for reminding me about this!
Her behavior is not unlike Park Jaesung’s confession to InHye that he stole toys and doodads from Won’s son out of sheer perversity.
However, since I’ve a theory that this kdrama is a 180 reversal of the novel, I don’t think InHye will steal something from Jo. She may betray her in some other way, but not by stealing something that belongs to her.
b. Amy stole Jo’s skating time with Laurie when she fell through the thin ice in the pond. IIRC, she was told that there was thin ice but nooooo…she just had to tag along.
This accident annoyed me because her destruction of the manuscript was just glossed over. After the accident, Jo forgave her so she didn’t need to learn to atone for her action.
Hopefully, InHye won’t be forgiven so easily. If she betrays InKyung, I don’t want some tragedy/accident/illness/amnesia befalling her and absolving her of her guilt. If there’s justice in the world, she should get her just desserts.
c. She stole Great Aunt’s affections from Jo.
Jo used to be the old lady’s favorite one, but she finally wore her out with her rebellion. Jo didn’t know how to toady up to her, and Amy was a born sycophant.
I can see that InHye sucks up very well to the Park family.
d. Amy stole Jo’s opportunity to go on the European trip as Great Aunt’s companion.
InHye was offered a trip to Europe by her sisters, but she prefers to go to study at the Boston School for the Arts on the Parks’ dime.
e. Amy stole Laurie from Jo. She could’ve married that other rich guy courting her in Europe, but she just had to have what Jo had. Her his sibling rivalry down pat.
I don’t know if there’s enough time in this drama for InHye to grow up and marry InKyung’s beau, JongHo, though.
I don’t ask much from this kdrama, but can’t InKyung and JongHo end as OTP??
I think in this drama InHye’s target of envy is not her sister InKyung but Mrs. Park. She wants what Mrs. Park has: a loving husband and happy marriage. So she’ll do anything to please Park Jaesung, even if entailed betrayal.
f. Amy stole Jo’s happily-ever-after (with the author Louisa May Alcott’s blessings).
Whatever.
I’d like to think that in the end, she was still with an ugly nose. Her snub nose was one of her complexes but since nose jobs weren’t done during that era, she used clothespins at night.
source: Project Gutenberg
This is so like InHye and her obsession with Ariadne aka Mrs Park’s nose.
Will update this when I’m done watching watching Eps 3 and 4.
5. John Brooke v Do-Il
All I could remember of John Brooke was that he was Laurie’s tutor who fell in love with Meg. Unlike Do-Il who plays a pivotal role in the kdrama, Mr. Brooke didn’t leave much impression of me. I had to go on youtube to refresh my memory.
I found this, “Jo’s distressed about Mr. Brooke’s interest in Meg”
You should note these things:
a. Jo didn’t like Mr. Brooke because she didn’t want her family broken up when Mr. Brooke married her sister.
b. Jo was upset that Mr. Brooke “stole” one of Meg’s gloves and kept it in his pocket. I can understand her horror. To Jo, a glove was a very intimate item. It would have her sister’s sweat and scent on it. To her innocent mind, stealing Meg’s glove was scandalous and nasty. If I were Jo I’d wonder what he was going to do with it. Sniff it? Stroke it while fantasizing about Meg? Kiss it? Eww.
c. Their mother thought Mr. Brooke was an upright and decent man. Despite his poverty and lack of connections, she didn’t disapprove of the match between Meg and Mr. Brooke.
d. Her only condition was that they wait three years before marriage.
What can I infer from this scene? Well, if I go with my revisionist theory, then:
a. InKyung will like Do-Il’s company. She’ll think that Do-Il can protect InJoo or at least rescue her from her Park Jaesung and his minions.
But then again, InKyung may end up despising Do-Il, too, if she finds out that Do-Il is endangering InJoo.
b. To be determined.
I don’t know what Do-Il intends to steal from InJoo since I’ve only seen a couple of scenes in Episode 3: the Ariadne scenes.
c. Do-Il is not a decent man. Because of his poverty, he learns to act in dubious ways, and gets involved in nefarious activities.
d. I predict that Do-Il and InJoo will enter a fake marriage or a marriage-of-convenience to fend off Park Jaesung. lol. Isn’t that kdrama’s answer to everything? A contract marriage?
We’ll have to wait and see if real love develops between the two, or he’ll betray her, too, like Theseus did.
Will add more later.
6. Laurie v JongHo
Annyeong 🌼
@Pm3 i know you’re not done here, but first off, just wanna say i already learned something new i didn’t know before about the backstory of LMA. Will have to google her now 🙂
in that regard, i agree about the 180 full circle from author LMA to our JSK screenwriter.
i am interested in the character of Do-il for sure. i feel wary (like you said, he’s not a decent man – i’m keeping my eye on him (i’m watching you emoji).
I’ve updated InJoo v Meg. It’s based on what I’ve seen so far in Episode 3. Let me continue watching.
-pm3
Done with InHye’s comparison.
pm3
Done with Beth and baby comparison.
pm3
I think my confusion about whether IJ or IK is Jo is because of the actresses? NJH as an actress just never gave me fiery? Meg had always been “milder”. NJH’s way of speaking and mannerisms just didn’t align well with the Josephine March that I had in my head. That’s probably why I got confused. But you’re right. As I watched Ep3 and 4 it was obvious that IJ was patterned after Meg and IK was Jo.
When I remembered the manuscript burning by Amy and PJS’s question to IH whether she would betray the person she loved most, my first thoughts were the ledgers. Would IH destroy them?
Beth died of complications from scarlet fever. She was the kindest of the sisters (which is why I loved her). She went to look after a poor family’s baby who had scarlet fever and she caught it from the baby. Baby Oh (InSeon) died because she already had a congenital ailment (similar to IH). The family was destitute after their father’s failed printing business and had to live rough. The baby stopped breathing one night and was dead on arrival to hospital. Grand Aunt had refused to loan money to Father Oh because she didn’t believe in throwing money at failures. She was riddled with guilt when she found out their baby died because they didn’t have the money to give her the care she needed. Hence her decision to take in young IK. I had the impression that IH wasn’t born then. And she found out about the dead sister because their loser of a mother told her the story as a child. As she nursed and carried IH she would be reminded of the lost baby so she repeated the story to her and thereby irrevocably linked poverty with death in sensitive IH’s mind.
Oooooh, great connection, @nrllee! You’re on to something there.
Manuscripts = ledgers!
Can you tell by the family picture (shown in Ep 1) if there’s a big age difference between InKyung and InHae? IIRC in the book all the sisters were close in ages. Like two years apart? But if the Baby Oh died as an infant, then IH wouldn’t have been born yet.
@packmule3 if you watch Ep4 (although I had to rewatch it to piece the history together) you will get the story of IS (baby Oh). They called her an infant but there was mention that she was more of a toddler? 2 or 3yo was brought up. IJ was 8 then and IK was 6.
Which photo were you referring to?
This one at opening credits
https://i.ibb.co/WFDPPr1/E43-BE7-B0-FC82-46-A8-ACA0-E71-B17-AE79-F2.jpg
Or these 2 (we won’t realize the significance of the baby photo till after the reveal in Ep3/4 about baby Oh). The photos Mother Oh looked at and packed when she stole the money and dashed off to Philippines.
https://i.ibb.co/XW8r6Rn/2017-B0-ED-5-C22-435-B-AC7-A-CE4-ED19-BA934.jpg
Problem with the family photo in the frame was that the camera didn’t focus on the photo at all. It was glossed over quickly so I can’t make out the faces clearly.
It would make sense that IH wasn’t born yet because when baby Oh died, Great Aunt took IK in to raise. IJ stayed with her parents I think. That’s why she had to recount the story in the beginning of Ep1 to IK about the candle on 5 eggs for her birthday and how they had to brush their teeth with salt. IK wasn’t there. She was living with Great Aunt. Great Aunt took the youngest child to raise. She disliked IJ as a child. We learn of this in Ep4. She thought IJ was too “smiley”. IK I guess was more circumspect so she preferred her? And I guess IH came later.
I am keeping my eyes on older male chief editor who seems to have a soft spot for IK? He keeps stepping in to protect her against the other female journalist? Is he going to be Prof Baer? 🤔
The pieces are coming together because by the end of Ep4, Great Aunt had stepped in to pay for IH’s surgery and I get the feeling she will also pay for her expenses to Boston. Just like the Alcott version where she sends Amy to Europe instead of Jo. Great Aunt wanted to get IK to study stocks/trading but she refused and took up journalism instead. So I guess that parallels Jo’s missed opportunity.
It’s so hard to finish watching Ep 3!
I keep getting distracted.
The winter coat that InJoo mentioned had a novel reference. I think I mentioned it already. Meg bought silk for a dress, leaving them without sufficient funds to buy John Brooke’s winter coat.
Hwayoung is dead.
The ex-CEO thinks she’s dead. He said her death could have been avoided if she had the ledgers, though. Even Do-IL thinks she’s dead. He said she could have been alive if she had asked for his assistance.
Funny how that works out. Both of them promising InJoo that will continue to live if:
a. She uses the ledgers.
b. She avails of Do-Il’s services.
And that Count of Monte Christopher book? Does the ex-CEO see himself as that priest who helped Dantes escape from the French version of Alcatraz? 🧐
The priest died, but not before telling Dantes were the buried treasure was. He “helped” Dantes escape by switching bodies. Corpses were thrown off the island and Dantes pretended to be the priest’s cadaver or something like that.
I’m now at the baby scene. IJ is at yoga class and she’s remembering the night their baby was rushed to the hospital. I don’t think she’s a baby, though. More like a toddler.
Ah…so the blue orchid is another flower. Not the Princess of Thieves. Epipogium aphyllum or Ghost of Vietnam. It failed to breed, leaving only a handful of offsprings.
Significance of that data?
Uh oh. InKyung discovers the money.
@nrllee,
The baby Oh wasn’t a baby. I’m at the scene now when IJ and IK are talking about the death. Accdg to IJ, she was “two to three years old.”
I get what you mean about the actress playing Jo/IK. She was the actress in “100 Days, My Prince” and she has this same imbecilic expression that she tries to pass off as confused, bewildered. 🤦♀️
Her character really bugs me.
I remember this part about their mom losing her mind (i.e., grief) and dad starting to drink. IJ went to school, but IK went to the Aunt. No mention of Amy/IH so I’m guessing she wasn’t born yet.
So that’s the value of money for IJ. Survival. Better to steal money than to die due to poverty.
(Yes. That’s Meg’s character. Meg hated being poor because she liked but couldn’t afford frills, material possessions. But she still married the poor Mr Brooke because of love.)
But it’s the reverse for IK. She doesn’t mind poverty as long as she doesn’t lose her integrity. Better to die of poverty than to steal.
Same here. I thought that older boss of IK could be the Professor. Oh gawd noooooo! It’s going to give me nightmares again. 😂😂😂
How did InJoo know that InHye knew about dead sister?
Re. the Opening Credit, @nrllee.
So we know:
1. The master puppeteer is female.
Viable suspects
Mrs Park ⬅️ my money’s on her
Hwayoung, but I’m ignoring her, unless she turns up alive. She’s the Bookkkeeper of the FUTURE, anyway.
Grandma, but highly doubt it. As she said, she doesn’t waste time on the failures. She cut losses.
Mrs March who ran away, lol.
2. The things found inside the birdcage:
The blue orchid = Ghost of Vietnam
The death notice left at the victims’ cars and Unnie’s apartment.
Car ✅ = refers to IJ’s Director Kim and IK’s informant
I already triangulated their deaths. Park JaeSung is their connection
Soldier = refers to the toy that Park JaeSung stole from ex-CEO/oppa of Mrs Park
But what’s the reddish orange box referring to?
And what’s the yellow ball/marble all about?
The puppeteer flicks the cage and everything tumbles out.
3. The toy car explodes.
4. The Princess of Thieves blooms.
5. IJ is swimming in money.
Yes, she’s now spending the money. Interestingly enough, she makes “snow angel” or money angels on the pile of cash.
6. A drop falls on IJ and she turns into a cup.
7. Beside the cup are tequila bottles referring to IK’s alcoholism.
8. Then IH is painting the Last Supper. It’s the last supper because Judas is about to betray Jesus that night.
You’re right @nrllee. IJ is at the spot for Jesus. The faces of the men in suits are covered with paintings. We can recognize the paintings: from left to right:
The Ariadne doll
The backpack loaded with cash?
The toy soldier
The cheap pink shoe with the broken heel
The orchid Called Ghost of Vietnam
The parrot
The orchid called Princess of Thieves. Steal from the rich to give to the poor.
The Velvet orchid pair of shoes
The money
We don’t know the last one yet.
On the floor, kimchi that mom prepared for them before leaving.
9. The three sisters in front of the dollhouse, with puppeteer’s folded hands folded resting on the dollhouse
That why I think the puppeteer is Mrs Park, @nrllee. Not only is it HER dollhouse, but again if I triangulate this, she’s the one who knows and has encountered the three sisters. She can spin her web of deceit around them, pitting the sisters against each other.
Hwayoung only knows IJ.
Great Aunt doesn’t care for losers, only winners.
And the mom? She’s too weak and powerless to do high level crimes.
10. The last light in the dollhouse is the room with the birdcage.
The orchid wallpaper caught my eye. I know the Unnie has orchid wallpaper. Does Mrs Park do as well?
@pm3 “How did Injoo know that Inhye knew about their sister?”
When Injoo came to Mrs. Park’s house and gave her money (they were talking abt InHye’s schooling) Mrs Park mentioned the painting of a dying sister. She thought Inhye was referring to Injoo, but Injoo realized that Inhye was referring to the dying infant/toddler. That’s why she looked perplexed when Mrs Park was talking “do you always go such lengths for inhye?” Injoo also looked liked she was spacing out, maybe remmbering that past memory and experience of hers. Then, she went to yoga.
As for the Count of Monte Cristo, I thought his line when Do-il arrived was so apt “For heaven’s sake, Edmond Dantes just managed to escape.” since InJoo just escaped thru his window. Or, He can be Dantes and Injoo as the priest who’ll help her escape his prison (psychiatric ward).
Thanks, @Jhan. I went through that painting scene quickly with the intention of returning to it later to study the paintings more closely.
Yeah, I heard about the interpretation of Monte Cristo. I just don’t think the parallelism works as the priest NEVER left the island. He died there, and Dantes escaped.
If InJoo = priest, then I’ll take it as omen that she’ll die in the end to get the ex-CEO out of the psychiatric ward. I didn’t think that the ex-CEO wanted her to die for him. No.
It was Do-IL who planted the idea in her head — and the viewers’ heads — that the ex-CEO plans to use InJoo for his escape. He’s lying. 🤦♀️
Do-Il is working for Park JaeSung. But he’s in it for himself, too. I tell you right now, he’s Theseus. But I don’t know if he’ll end up throwing Park JaeSung under the bus or InJoo. As he said, InJoo is a game changer. What he meant by that was if he could get rid of PJS with the help IJ, then he’d side with her. If not, he’d continue to throw in his lot with PJS.
He isn’t a nice character, I tell you. He’s like Grand Aunt. He only sides with the winner.
The ex-CEO is already resigned to his captivity. The fact that he went up against his own dad and his dad’s cronies (Park JaeSung included) and exposed the corruption within his company at the COST of his own freedom, means he’s on the good side.
And A. the Unnie trusted him, making sure that she left a note for IJ to introduce him as an outcast like them. There was also more proof, in the form of OLD letters, tucked away in the pages of the diaries. Those couldn’t be faked at the last minute.
In comparison, Unnie did NOT say one word nor leave a note about Do-IL. Do-IL just walked in the office and introduced himself to IJ as a close colleague of her Unnie, and she believed him. Tsk tsk tsk. He’s playing her like a fiddle.
Also don’t forget that Director Shin ENTRUSTED the ledgers to the ex-CEO, not Do-Il. Didn’t YOU think that was strange? He, the Unnie, and Do-IL worked together on projects. He should have gone asked for Do-Il’s help if he was in trouble.
Instead, remember what Director Shin told IJ as he was fleeing that night. He said, “Go tell this to Choi DoIL. Illegal overseas gambling, smuggling foreign currency, illegal currency exchanges, and embezzlement. I’ll take the full blame and get locked up for five years. But don’t go any further. I’m not the type who goes down alone.”
He left the message for DoIL.
That statement alone should tell you that Director Shin didn’t trust him as far as he could throw him. He trusted the ex-CEO.
Ex-CEO >>>> Do-IL
@packmule3 Well…Mrs Park has a basement full of all the blue orchids (which her father snuck into the country and cultivated). One of which she “gifted” to IH. Which she then “took back” for safe keeping. Eek… with all that happens for those given the orchid, it’s not a gift that IH should covet. It’s like saying, this orchid has your name on it. And when you receive it next, you’ll be dead. 😬
Not sure what the yellow/orange ball is or the box/brick that were originally in the bird cage in the opening credits.
I have pinned down my frustration about NJH as IK. When you look on paper, the audience should be in her corner. She has the logos and ethos down pat (she’s standing on higher moral ground in her arguments against IJ taking the money). YET…because she fails on pathos for me, I am instead sitting in IJ’s corner (KGE). All because of her delivery of her character IJ? I am sympathetic and drawn to her story even if her argument is flawed and morally reprehensible. And that’s what frustrates me the most. 😂
Aww…I was rather hoping that Choi would be “good”. I was hoping he was some undercover agent for the government trying to bring to justice PJS’s nefarious deeds.
PS I thought the reference to Dantes was twofold. One was the escape. Dantes = IJ. Which to be honest left me rather incredulous (for some strange reason I had a dejavu moment to Healer? 😂). And the second was the new “identity”. Now that IJ had the ledgers, she had taken on another “identity”. Just like Dantes assumed a different identity as a rich Count after his escape.
As an aside I thought it was rather brilliant that they had IJ cart the money around in that oversized backpack. She thought it was liberating but instead it was a HUGE burden she had to shoulder.
Kalimera!
@Packmule3 I read your unfinished edit yesterday and I really liked your comperative analysis! Just now I saw that you uploaded some more. Let me read this and return to read your comments!
P.S. I haven’t still finished Episode 3, but hopefully I will do so tomorrow.
Choi DoIL CAN still change. You know, if he falls in love with her or something.
The way I see it, he’s on the fence, waiting to see where he’ll have the most advantage
Obviously, with IJ because she’s foolish.
She doesn’t understand the enormity of the situation. She clings to the 2 billion like it’s such a big deal when he’s talking about 68 billion (and more by now?).
He thinks it’ll be easier to “work” IJ because she’s clueless and gullible. It’s like taking candy from a baby.
For instance, she’s fixated on the division of the money. Really, who cares if it’s a 50-50 split or a 60-40 split? They’re still talking about divving up a whole lot of money ($48 million) that they can’t possibly spend in a lifetime.
She reminded me of a Jaguar owner complaining that the price of premium gas costs $4.50 a gallon instead of $4.00. 😂 If an individual could really afford to buy a luxury car in the first place, then he/she shouldn’t be losing sleep over dollars and cents.
That’s why Unnie lent her the 1.2 million won and gave her the 2 billion won. For her Unnie, it was just “tip.”
Yes, it would be nice if Choi was an righteous government agent pretending to be a double agent. That could still be a possibility. But as of Ep 3, he doesn’t look good.
Let me get started on with Ep 4 before I leave for work.
The “comparative analysis” as you called @Cleopatra it is taking me long because I’ve to go look at some old YT clips to juggle my memory.
Kalimera @Packmule3!
I totally get you. When I was doing mine for an essay for my greek literature module, I had to study for at least two weeks, in order to write my essay. So, I definitely understand you.
The reason I am not commenting yet is that I haven’t watched the episodes and I cannot say much. I am reading all of your comments instead. 😊
Good analogies. I agree, @nrllee.
In both the escape and ensuing identity change, Dantes = IJ.
Actually, that backpack (camping rucksack?) made my eyes roll. IJ entered a high security psych ward and NOBODY questioned her or asked to see what was inside it?
Huh?
And why did she have to bring all the money with her? Why not just take a few bundles if she REALLY needed to show hard evidence?
But I got it. I got it. It’s a nod to the Count of Monte Cristo. Dantes escaped in a sack.
There are other parallels that point out that IJ is Dantes, and NOT the priest.
priest inprisoned for life =ex-CEO left for dead inside the psych ward
priest educating Dantes on history and
the arts and science = ex-CEO counseling IJ on how to live with this new wealth and easing her guilty conscience
Priest and Dantes forming a deep bond of friendship in the prison = ex-CEO telling her that she’ll soon the orchid in bloom and to visit him
Dantes with the knowledge of where the secret treasure is (the priest told him where) = IJ with the ledgers (given by the ex-CEO)
Dantes being dropped by the prison guards into the sea for his prison escape (from a cliff? I can’t remember) = IJ being forced to go through the window and rappel down the side of the building to escape the Do-Il and the guards
COUNT of Monte Cristo, Edmond Dantes = PRINCESS of Thieves, Oh InJoo
They assumed a royal identity.
😂😂
Seriously now. How could we confuse IJ for the priest and the ex-CEO for Count of Monte Cristo? Didn’t we read the book?
People cannot just watch kdramas without knowledge of great literature or else the analogy, mythology, reference points, themes, message, etc will just go over their heads.
Good luck, @Cleopatra, on your studies. I envy you. You’re studying literature.
Let me get started on Ep 4 or I’ll never finish.
@packmule3 🙄 yes about the backpack. It was ridiculous to see her carrying it with her. I think that’s what led me to think the writer had to be using it as a metaphor. It was ludicrous otherwise. 😂
@Packmule3,
Thank you, but I am during a hiatus for now. I will persue a Msc Degree in Theatrical Studies but in due time.
Do watch and we can talk whenever you can. I will be around here somewhere!
Enjoy the episode!
And great acting by Kim GoEun. It really looked like she was straining under the weight of the backpack.
I agree with what you said about the IK actress. At first, when the press release came out, I was disappointed that KGE didn’t get Jo role, but Meg part. But I get it, too. If this kdrama is a rewrite/subversion/anti-thesis of the original one, then it makes sense that Meg aka InJoo takes the central role. She’s the Jesus in the “Last Supper.”
It would really be fascinating if the screenwriter somehow resurrects the Unnie resurrect and makes her the puppeteer. I even toyed around with the idea that the Unnie changed her face to look like Mrs Park. That way, she could easily switch and take over as the wife. It’d be the perfect alter-ego for her.
But on second thought, I don’t want the Unnie taking the fall for Mrs Park. Mrs Park is scheming, too. She should do time for her own crimes.
@packmule3 the only reason I toyed around the idea about Unnie faking her death was all that talk about a “new face”. But it could just be a nod to IH’s fixation on Mrs Park’s nose.
Yes to the alteration in the Meg part here. In Alcott’s books, Jo was the main protagonist. Here I feel like IJ is the FL. Her screen presence just dwarfs everyone else’s, even if they get similar screen time.
I am still trying to work out why the Yeolmu Kimchi (that their mother made for IH’s birthday) is featured in the opening credits on the table of the painting of the Last Supper. Any thoughts? Is it because it’s representative of their “Last Supper” as a family unit? Before their mother left for the Philippines?
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