The thread is open.
Here’s your note from @GB!
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Start Date: Saturday 7 January 2023
Start Time: 13.30 UTC which is Saturday5.30am PST
8.30am EST
9.30am Caracas
1.30pm London
2.30pm Paris
3.30pm Athens
9.30pm Singapore, PerthBitches interested so far: @WEnchanteur, @Feifei, @Old American Lady, @Cleopatra, and @Growingbeautifully. We hope to include anyone who cares to join us!! 🙂
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To lurkers and newbies who are interested in joining this rewatch, please post a comment before Saturday, so I can preapprove you. Just say hi and introduce yourself.
I may not be around on Saturday to retrieve your first postings from the to-be-moderated/spam box. Thanks!
Enjoy the rewatch, y’all!
source: imdb
Thank you for setting this up so promptly @pkml3!
I enjoyed reading your notes on this show. It made rewatching it more sensible!!!
Take care of yourself now. 😄 🤗
Hi!! I’ve never watched this one. I may be lurking to see if I can hang with you all.
Hi @Carolina, come and watch with us. And then I hope you’ll delurk from time to time. I’m sure you’ll find things you will want to say or ask as you watch. I know I was probably doing eye-rolls and scratching my head during my first watch. LOL.
Hi, Memories… was one of my early K drama viewings and remember my delight in discovering BOD’s discussions and explanations about it. The religious elements surprised me as religion is taboo in most US dramas unless depicted in negative way. I credit BOD for my growth as a K drama viewer. Planning to rewatch on Saturday.
Hi there @Lootie Lyn, that’s great! We are happy to welcome your joining our party. I hope the time suits you well.
Yes, trust @pkml3 to see the religious elements in a highly high-tech, augmented, fully immersive, virtual reality game LOL. That was a real eye-opener!
See you on Saturday!
Hello! Here for my drama of the week.
And damn good one. I don’t know if I will be able to comment so much.
I’ve never done a rewatch so I need to know how to comment along the way. This is new for me and I also guess that there is ongoing discussion for me to read too. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
@OAL, about how to do the Rewatch – I just posted this yesterday on the WWAW thread. I’ve copy-pasted it below … see if it helps.
You can use “2 devices, but I use a wide screen PC that enables me to keep refreshing emails on one side while I let the episode play on the other.
We all start watching the same episode at about the same time and check out each other’s comments/reactions each time we refresh emails. We respond to what the others say and add our own thoughts if any. It’s a polite but frenetic free for all, with each of us trying to watch and comment at the same time. However, I do pause to read or type from time to time, so we may not always be watching in sync, but that’s OK.
Because I’m the tedious kind of watcher, I also choose to do a pre-rewatch of episodes and make notes. You don’t have to do so,… however I find that this enables me to mostly ignore the show because I’ve already caught the details. This way I can pay more attention to the comments of others.”
@WE, do you mean that you’ll be so entranced by the show that you’ll forget to comment?
@GB, That was very helpful. 8’ll keep my tablet with me while wTching.i think it will be fun and a little frenetic. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
@AOL, Hi. Maybe two screens? I use one, but big enough. So I shrink BOD on the right and shrink a bit the video player on the left. So I can even refresh BOD while watching. click click click. But as soon as I read comments or even more write somes, I loose track of the action. I can’t concentrate on two things.
@GB, Yes, I worry to be glued to the drama. I watched it twice. Or maybe three times (I don’t remember because I rewatched scenes here or there). But now it’s quite a while.
@Welmaris, Thanks for your viewing tips. I guess it will be trial and error for me but I am looking forward to watching it. When I was in my twenties the first airplane trip I took was to Paris and when I landed I took the railroad to Madrid(figuring that I could get along in Spanish). In my travels I went to Granada and visited the Alhambra(so beautiful and historic). So this drama attracted me on so many levels(not to mention our ML and FL who both ended up marrying their costars/college friends at different parts of the same year and who both had babies. I am looking forward to the discussions and the fun. 😀
Hi – I’d love to try rewatching this one! I loved it the first time around, but it was before I found BOD and some other K Drama fans to help me understand the finer points. Please add me to the list? Thanks!
You’re in @libmama. Hope to see you tomorrow.
Hi @libmama! We’re happy to welcome you to our Rewatch Party. I hope to see you later!!
Hi all! I will be trying to join tomorrow as well. When I was traveling West this fall, 7:30 am. switching to 6:30 am switching to 5:30 am as I traveled by car through multiple time zones did not work well (especially since I was sharing a hotel room), but this time I will be in the comfort of my own home and have easy access to a fresh cup of coffee. I think this will be interesting. I have not watched all of this series. The first time I watched it I got stuck on the gaming aspect of it and having watched too many times the attempts over the years of my sons to ‘beat the boss’, I was not attracted to even an entire episode along those lines. But in the interests of BOD I decided to do my own mini rewatch and very much enjoyed the humor the second time around. So, I might do what @GB does and watch the episode earlier in the week and rewatch it with you guys. See you tomorrow!
Hi there @salteddust!! I’m glad to know you’re back safe and sound from your road trip.
Yes, I, too failed to appreciate MOTA the first time around. I didn’t like the frequent appearance of Hyun Shik, or the leveling up killing… it was tiring. It bothered me that Hee Ju was mostly out of the game and often in tears. I was impatient to know her purpose or the overall purpose of meshing the game with reality. There was a lot more symbolism than I gave this show credit for, which I didn’t see for the ‘game’.
A rewatch with discussion is therefore called for!!! 🙂
Hello, I would like to join as well,is it just the first episode? I understand that you said you may not be able to add on the day ,if not its absolutely okay:)
You’re already in, @iamsarang.
Thanks 😊
Hi there @iamsarang! I’m glad to know you’d like to join us as well. The more the merrier.
It looks like we’re having quite a good pool of Bitches for this Rewatch.
Partying are:
@WEnchanteur (WE)
@Lootie Lyn (I may call you Lootie for short!)
@OAL
@libmama
@iamsarang
@salteddust
myself
Trying out … to lurk or to watch before joining in:
@Carolina
@Cleopatra
@Kelley C are you joining us for this rewatch?
Anyone else just jump in here if you wish to party.
See you in less than 8 hours time!
I’m just leaving a note here to say that I’m online. The party will start in about 8 minutes time!
Ding dong, I have arrived.
Hello all. I have my morning coffee. Ready to start.
Hi there @FeiFei, glad to see you. You’ve been quiet on the threads.
-2F here and with the full moon, the snow sparkles. The moon shining in my bedroom window woke me up this morning, it was so bright. Which was a good thing since I forgot to set an alarm.
Hi @salteddust! Good to have you here bright and early in your part of the world. We’ll start in 1 minute.
Back here!
@GB, yes been quiet but reading. We start now.
Hello everybody !! (group price)
Just on time @WE!!!
We begin now! Play your videos everyone!
Am online.waiting for start…
It started. 🙂
credit, big music.
with some image not always really related to the drama. LOL.
We begin with Se Ju on the phone. At this stage we don’t know to whom he’s speaking and from whom he is running. So exciting!!
Hi @OAL, just start now and join in with the conversation whenever you wish!
SPAIN… With awesome background music
goosebump
Hi @WE, long time no ‘see’. Nice to meet you @Feifei. Eerie first scenes with everyone moving in slow motion initially. Don’t get a good look at the young man’s face, really until he gets on the train. Really sets the stage for a thriller.
@WE, I found the music of MOTA more impactful than W-2World’s music. Gave me more chills.
A guy running for his life.
Without any visible reason. 🙂
Can you wake me up ?
(no anwser)
Thank you.
aaahh, seriously.
The set up is so good that from the very beginning we expect something terrible to happen, but we have no clue what.
I felt that Se Ju as the program developer, should have guessed that in Granada, the thing he was running from would be just as bad or worse, since the game server operated there.
A bit bad CGI for the train. But I don’t care.
The music, rain, sounds… so real. Augmented reality taken to it’s limit. There is not difference from real life! I was so blown away already at this stage in the train. I thought it was real.
Suspense begins. Complicated sequence to film.
@GB. I agree about the music. And the opening photography is wonderful. The early moments on the train, after he has settled in the train carriage are beautifully photographed (as is the introduction although it morphs into graphic design). We see the boy still sitting tensely on the carriage bed.
Let’s enjoy the guitar music now. 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Just one time among sooooo many.
The news is reporting the new lens developed by J One.
Here we could guess. With the tourist.
Where are the blood on the floor ?
This show has loads of complicated sequences all in non-sequential storytelling. It’s amazing.
And now we get the voiceover of Jin Wu so that we realise that we are watching the past. Everything we see is a memory… The Memories of the Alhambra is absolutely right. They are the memories of Jin Wu.
@GB every time I see rain now I think of MOTA.
@feifei, yeah, a way to not loose lines in useless things. lol.
@salteddust, the look of the show is very good. I liked the rich colours and the way the scenes were shot. All very deliberate and evocative.
@GB, the director and actors definitely need aspirin, the first time they read the script. lol
I was so confused the first time with the change from the peaceful morning scene to the thunder and the rain. And the imposition of the Spanish guitar music, so peaceful, on top of the inexplicable and frightening switch makes the scene even scarier.
At this point we do not know why Jin Woo insist on staying in Hostal Bonita.
@feifei, that rain was scary! Guitar music also got from time to time. LOL.
JW should have settled for the dorm. He’d have had an easier time of it living in the hostel and (later) he’d not have hurt his foot so badly.
The room has to be 6th floor.
But with that, it retrospectivly give funny scene of conflict now with the boss acoustumed to luxury and PSH.
@WE, I don’t know how SJJ can manage all these intercuts. I’d get myself tied up in knots trying to write in all the scenes when they jump across times and places.
@GB, alchemy of a story coming in a coherent whole. It’s a bit like magic. 🙂
That staircase shot is dizzying. And the dorm room shot is funny. But the best I s rich man climbing the stairs with suitcase. Funny music says it all.
@salteddust, yes the great contrast between what should have been relaxing with the reaction of fear raised the scare element. It was effective in highlighting the menace that was following the protagonist.
@GB. I agree. I didn’t really pick up on the humorous aspect until I watched it a second time.
MOTA is a bit more slow paced than W. With extra scenes/characters.
The writer got a real problem in W. Doing a 17 episodes script when it was a 16 episode drama.
I guess she was more cautious on MOTA and wanted to be sure to not break the time limits.
Ah, fun voice over from PSH when he reads the text on the toilet. ahaha, I take notes. 🙂
@OAL, @pkml3 wrote an insightful piece on that staircase and the fact that JW had to climb it over and over again, but first with a burden. He begins this part of his life weighed down by a great deal which we can’t see yet, instead show gives us the ridiculous state of the room and a blocked toilet. At least the mouse had a proper place to live in but our rich, Jin Wu is stuck with a dreadful room, no electricity and no toilet LOL.
The assistant takes a shitload. ^^
Hit send too early. Like Shakespeare with tragedy , the humor accentuates that the frightening aspects.
He bends down, even on the phone, lol
Loving the comic relief after the frenetic v start. The dirty toilet and clogbreminder is a hoot. Then we get ML’s actual living arrangementAlso grandma’s knockoff comments….
Here, you know SJJ got holidays in spain (yes, it’s true), because this detail: knowing that the electricity standard is different, and no way to load the phone.
Damn, I want ramen now.
I have to order it this week on a online grocery. With soju and kimchi of course !!
I am amazed that he spends so much time cleaning. And who would stay in a room where a rat ran across the floor if you could afford anything better. It makes the choice that much less explicable.
Ajusshi: clean up!!
The girl order to do it NOW!
aahhhhh.
This big guy has to learn how to live in a simple way!
He actually mentioned that guests may fall from the stairs and die. Bet he didn’t imagine that he will fall from the stairs himself.
Now we go in the central scene of the episode.
“I came to see something more amazing than the Alhambra”.
Love the lack of v electricity and no cost ramen.then the kid. Great class juxtaposition. Jw washing dishes in pink rubber gloves. …Now let the games begin.
@salteddust, yeah given the state of the room I cannot believe anyone would sleep on the bed.
The camera do close up on the horse, details.
So we understand that he see how much is detailed and looking like real the CGI of the game.
Of course, when rewatching, because first time it’s a bit mysterious.
Also a detail difficult to get first time. Other people in the street do like there was nothing.
@feifei. I had the same thought when I watched it the first time. I would never assume that the sheets were clean if there was that much dirt on everything. I do love the way that everyone in a Korean drama knows how to make ramen; even the CEO (well maybe not Lee Min Ho in Boys Over Flowers).
Emotions of Jin Woo is there to say us how much this game looks like real. Because he KNOWS it’s augmented reality. But even with that, he’s scared.
The AI stuff happened before its time. Technology has developed so quickly. We now live in a world of deep fakes. And the dramatic music-wow. They must have had a huge CGI budget..
@WE. The first time I watched this sequence with the horse and the knight, I thought what time travel? A middle of the night festival? What?
When was he in game mode? From the minute he walks out of the hostel?
And of course, a war. What is happening!
Barmen will remember him as “the toilet lover”. 🙂
As usual, I have fallen behind. The first time I watched it and saw him take the ‘contact’ out of his eye I was so confused. The eery music combined with the fact the man is drinking implies he is dangerous or making difficult choices.
@OAL, so true about the technology way ahead of its time. Now the scenes that still blow me away. The game starts. Not only Yang Ju but I too get chills down my spine.
LOL JW has to dies sooooo many times.
Jin Woo will visit the toilet so many times. @WE I see “toilet lover”.
@Feifei, we don’t know at the beginning that he’s in game mode with the AR lens on. We only see later that he removes the lens, but not that he put them on beforehand.
@WE, oh LOL that music and JW dying over and over again while Yang Ju and Park Sun Ho give advice and grumble at him.
At last we see the AR character actually land on a real car, causing it to dent. It’s amazing. How can a program be so good!
I think it was the weapon gathering mode where I started getting irritated the first time (especially, with all the descriptions); again my bias against weapons based gaming (ha ha). So fun to see him trying out the sword in the bathroom.
I wouldn’t mind seeing the waiter in another episode (lol)
Now I know what is meant by Narid and Aragon …. hahaha after visiting Spain.
@salteddust, I was the one feeling so tired for JW as he goes on fighting over and over again and still dying.
@GB I love the backseat quarterbacking though (‘He’s close to 40 now, so physical activities can be a challenge”). Definitely am appreciating the humor more on the re-watch
Loving JW’s tech guys. Small details in this drama are so good. Love the hidden ear piece, that the techies went for coffee, tha5 we see JW’s exhaustion., the drunk street observer. All the observers who are looking at a seemingly weird man. And the make-up artists are grest-everyone looks natural-their skin looks great.
Hah! JW just offended the hostel owner who also has ownership of the game. Look at his dimples and smile as contrasted to Hee Ju’s tears and frown LOL. What a pair!
We’ve come to the end of Episode 1. How’s everyone doing? I enjoyed it although I did nod off due to fatigue.
I guess this is the Mom in me but I can’t imagine a huge group of young males swinging imaginary swords in a city center would be anybodies idea of a great outcome (lol) even though JW is entranced by the idea.
I rewatched a part about the ending because there is a whole mic-mac.
He goes out, come back, load the phone, etc…
all this to make sure there is an argument when she’s on the table.
@salteddust, I actually found the concept of people fighting unseen opponents rather dangerous. Even just walking with mobile devices, people get into so many accidents. A whole bunch of people jumping around in a bunch sounds like a nightmare.
Finished the episode, the music/background sounds moves the emotions while watching the drama. It is so good.
@WE, it’s an interesting decision to have her on the counter top looking down at him but he’s the one below doing the scolding. In the end she was always the one correctly on the high horse, so to speak. She did ‘no wrong’ and was guileless as opposed to his underhandedness in tricking her to give up her ownership of the game.
I am so impressed with the logistics of this production.I was very involved with plot the first go round so the details here were tremendous. Also on a superficial note, loved Hyun Bin’s suede shoes. As they say-they looked like butter(butter in New York speech).
Fun fact-Not related to plot but isn’t it ironic that our two leads got married to fine actorswithin a year of each other and the two couples had baby boys….
@feifei, Yes, the fast pace plot and music go well together.
I liked the voice over of how HJ is likened to the innocent princess in fairy tales who didn’t know she lived in a dump and had opened the door to a wolf. A blending of several tales in one! But an apt analogy. He rather welcomes the thought of being that wolf!
@OAL, yes, a ‘cute’ coincidence in their real lives. I hope their marriages can last.
@GB, Now that he knows who she is, he has to turn on the charm. Must change his chaebol ways.No more, Do you know who I am. This is so satisfying on so many levels…
So happy I joined this rewatch…
Whew! Even on the re-watch so much happens in the last few minutes. @AOL. I agree about the plot. On the first watch of this episode I was very confused, trying to sort out the real from the not real. And I agree the details (and photography) are tremendous. The opening sequences reminded me of the Netflix series Sense 8. Just gorgeous photography, not always found in a series, even a kdrama.
It’s time for me to go beddy-bye. I’ve been feeling tired. I’ll see you all next week same time!
Thanks for a great rewatch, everyone. It’s great to have more of us doing this rewatch together!
Glad to know you enjoyed our party @OAL!
@GB good night, see you same time next week!
Time for a late breakfast! Looking forward to next week everyone.
Great rewatch. Thanks for the helpful hints before this.made the rewatch so much fun. Time just flew by.
@salteddust, enjoy your breakfast. Time for me to go to bed too.
See you all next week!
Good Afternoon Ladies, I am so late but will try to catch up and be in real time for the future.
Hi @Kelley, Believe it or not this was my first rewatch. It was a blast. The hour went so fast and the comments were great fun, interesting, educational and reflected on some original impressions. It was a new kind of experience that I would do agzin.
Finished the episode and it normally isn’t the type of drama I would watch, a little too suspenseful, but will try to hang in there. It’s very beautiful scenery and the plot and actors are equally attractive.
Hi @ OAL, yes, time flew by, didn’t it? It was hectic what with reading and watching and typing LOL. But it was fun stress. Add oomph to my Saturday drama nights!
See you next week!
@GB, Looking forward to it.My alarm will be set for a wake up
See you next week @feifei!
About Jin Wu’s prediction that someone would fall from the stairs… it’s one of the themes, I feel. He made predictions in his arrogance in the beginning of the series and by the end of the series, we will hear his voiceover ruefully admitting that he was only partially right. But the area in which he was right took place but in the wrong or in an unexpected way.
So just as he was right that he predicted that someone would fall from the stairs… he didn’t expect that it would have been him.
So too, he was right about the game taking off and seeming magical to players, but he didn’t realise that it was going to consume him literally (he became a game character with only 1 means to exit) and become not magical, but a nightmare for him, for his friends and ‘family’.
He began in the game thinking that he’d be great in it, that he’d make big bucks and his J One would rule the world of gaming, but the fact that he had to die sooooo many times, just to get out of Level 1, was an indication of how presumptuous he was.
We wait to watch his trajectory and whether he got to achieve what he set out to do.
Hi there @Kelley, glad you’ve come along anyway. We still come back to the ReWatch threads even after the party to read what else anyone may have posted. It’s all good.
Yes, I had a bit of a hard time with this series when I first watched it. Too much suspense for long stretches and killing, killing … I prefer to play those games where we search for treasure or go on a quest and without hurting anything along the way.
I hope you can join us at the time we’re on next week, but it doesn’t matter if you don’t. See ya!
Yeah @OAL, and the best thing about a live rewatch is that we’re talking to each other from across the world, all at the same time, sharing in a hobby we love. How great is that!!