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Tsk tsk tsk. Zero originality.
This fish tank scene was ripped off from that iconic scene when Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo met Juliet in Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo + Juliet” (1996)
That moment when Leo raised his eyebrows at her (1:13) is what makes him a great actor. He can do these extra facial expressions that capture his thoughts and moods without requiring any lines said. Remember now: he wasn’t actually looking at Claire Danes; he was looking straight at the camera and flirting with it. He was nonverbally communicating, “Hey there, girl! Do you like what you see over here? Me?” This extra swag of his made thousands of female viewers swoon over him.
Now, compare his expression with Bo Hyun Ahn’s and Shin HyeSun’s faces. They merely stared at each other, leaving the viewers to interpret the characters’ thoughts and moods as they please. Oh well…
Let’s enjoy the show.
Hi @packmule3, It’s not a rip off but a homage in movie talk, wink wink nod nod. I think that we see this kind of “borrowing” all over the place, especially in car chase scenes that generally bore me.
What I like about this drama is the way they talk about reincarnation and the irony of what would happen if one truly remembers all of one’s past lives. The early montage was fun when they put it all on the child version of the FL. She was like a little old lady at times and there was a feeling of cognitive dissonance in those scenes. I thought that stuff was one of the most interesting parts of the drama. I hope that they are able to explore this more before the show turns into a standard K Drama. I also want to see how much they give Shin Hye-dun to work with. I’m a fan and I know she has range.
And on another note, I think directors, writers and PDs use a lot of short hand to convey what they want to say because they know that their audiences are in on the game. It could be considered the lazy way out. As you pointed out here the execution could be better and fresher. But as my old English teacher said, every writer is copying Shakespeare.
Thanks @pkml3!
Heh! I’m beginning to see what Bitches are talking about. I haven’t watched that many movies or shows so I miss the meta references, but it does begin to look like the Easter Eggs in this show could be the times it deliberately copies a scene from some other show. It would be a hoot to see just how differently they are done and the diverse feels they evoke! And those like myself who don’t know what shows they are pilfering from will just enjoy watching for the OTT Ji Eum and the hapless Seo Ha. 🤪😂
Dear @OAL, Always a pleasure to read you 😀 .
I still remember that one as we brought our teenager cousin with us. Our family comes from Maracaibo: Oil-rich state with boisterous, hilarious people with a “go for it” attitude… so I guess we would be (probably) Texans XD . She was enthralled the whole movie because DiCaprio was hot and cried rivers in the dead scene because DiCaprio’s Romeo “Was too hot” so it was a waste. O good old times -_-U .
As everything is just a copy of Shakespeare, well… I have this funny idea that we human beings have a very particular brain wiring (so to speak) so we have found just a relatively small bunch of solutions and ways of living that are the “correct” ones, in tune with our nature.
During the pandemics I found myself reading Boccaccio’s Decameron (in English!!!) and the description of the plague in the book was wayyy more elegant than the actual grown of black bulboes and all the symptoms present during the Black Death our party is flighting from.
It turns that a lot of medieval literature is derivative… but much like in actual Human lives, the execution is everything!!! 😉 . But much like in one of the books by Haruki Murakami (I think “Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World”) having spent a fortune on a couch does not correlate on it being comfortable. To select a good couch you really need good taste and discernment.
On a lighter note, you know that the series have a big budget when a Subway Product Placement is present 😉
We will see 😀
I see a theme now: both leads have a crooked father and an absent mother. Had to look for friendship and understanding out of their consanguine relations. ML with his friend/secretary and his uncle, the FL with her former niece.
Hi @FGB,
Heh! I noticed the Subway PPL at once. Lately the shows I’ve watched didn’t collaborate with Subway, so it’s been a while since I’ve seen actors eating sandwiches and saying how the food was not bad.
I like what you say about our brain wiring. What’s true is true, regardless of how we try to play about with language. Human experiences are many but yet subsumed under a few similar themes, so that stories are re-writes of Shakespeare.
I’ve just watched Episode 3. It’s got moving scenes that got me tearing up and with a runny nose.
SPOILERS
SPOILERS
I like the sisters’ having the chance to be together again, but now with their comparable ages reversed. However Ji Eum still looks older than Cho Won.
What sad occasions Seo Ha’s birthdays are. Forever blighted, and likely it was due to an attempt at murder. I’m guessing it was more likely that Seo Ha was the target but it was Ju Won who died. Our suspicions naturally turn to Jang Yeon Ok, the woman who insinuated herself into Mun Jeong Hun’s life and MI Group.
Regardless of how SH feels about seeing Cho Won, he should be professional about letting her landscape the hotel since she was shortlisted for her work based on merit and not connections.
The Yoon girls are pretty straightforward in confessing their feelings, and do it rather early! Cho Won was only in middle school when she met Ha Do Yun, and when alive Ju Won was only 12 when she told Seo Ha that she’d stay by his side.
Kalimera Everyone!
The last scene from Episode 3 was so sad and powerful. Ji Eun wanted to hug her Omma and she couldn’t…
Also, we get to see how are all involved. Seo Ha and Ji Won along with Do Yun’s father were in the same accident. Do Yun’s father was their driver and along with Ji Won passed away, while the only survivor was Seo Ha. Also, we now know that their accident was foul play, aka a murder.
I really like this show for the subtle meanings. Can we imagine how Ban Ji Eun is feeling while watching her loved ones from afar?
Hi @Cleo! I liked Ep 3. So much to feel with our increased understanding of the relationships, and seeing how the characters get on with each other.
Seo Ha knew of the son of his father’s driver… that’s why he ‘ordered’ him to help pass the umbrella to Cho Won. It’s interesting that just because the boss’s son knew his name, Do Hyun agreed to do it. It showed that the boss’ son was not too proud to know the family of his servants, which Do Hyun appreciated.
Kalimera from Caracas dear @Cleo!!!, loved that scene too. Longing was palpable. A funny thing is that the Female Lead that started with a face being a mask in episode 1 is starting to melt and reveal a much more complex and nuanced person behind. It is a show don’t tell situation. That actress is going places!!!.
And I get why they have become so close in that simple scene: RESPECT is the language of love between men.
I approved when the driver’s son endured mistreatment for the sake of his friend (not making him lose face), approved even more when the richer friend stood up for the sake of him, and outright cheered when the defended called out his friend because he could handle the situation (I am stron enough to endure, thank you very much.) yet his friend swooped everything under the rug (its no big deal – what are friends for?).
Hey Unnie!
Yes episode 3 was pretty good. I like the rhythm of the show. It gives us information little by little.
Seo Ha is connected with Do Hyun over the accident. As he is also connected to Cho Won but he doesn’t want to see her, because he feels awkward. He feels awkward because he might wanted to die with them. Some survivors have guilt, that they survived instead of the others. So, I understand him, but at the same time, he should try to listen to what Cho Won told him as well. She misses her Sister as well and she misses him as an Oppa aka / as a presence in her life.
Kalispera from Athens @FGB!
Yes the dynamics between the people of the show are palpable!
Respect is imminent between those two and I believe that Do Hyun is not betraying Seo Ha to his father. At the same time, his father might be acting like this because he knows who is responsible for their accident.
I do hope they will go into that route. I don’t want another dad with a mistress and issues all over again.
Yes, the fact that we get to see JE peeling her emotions like an onion is remarkable. The actress knows exactly what she is doing. I really like how she asked him out without losing her pokerface. I mean seriously…LOL
I liked the imaginary mom hug scene. I hope that the FL will get to hug her 18th life mom for real.
What’s with the father and the brother of JE? I had forgotten about them, but it appears that they will play a part in the story.
Intrigued by the potential murder mystery as well.
So far the first 3 episodes feel like series of disconnected scenes, like individual puzzle pieces. It is still not possible to see the big picture. Hopefully the puzzle pieces will start falling into place as the story progresses.
Kalispera,
I just finished Episode 4 and here is my theory for now. I repeat that I haven’t read the Webtoon, so below is my thoughts from what we have watched so far. Fantasy Mode On!
The girl with the short hair is -in her previous life SeoHa’s mom. She put the glandiolas in that vase like his mom did. Hint #1.
Also our new entrance is Lee Chae-Min as MinKi. He is obviously a Shaman and he seems to possess a power where he can recognizes those who were reincarnated. I think he knows more than what meets the eye. Since he is also young, we might have another case of reincarnation.
Why all those people are coming together? Maybe they were met in one of the first lives of Ji Eum? There is a reason obviously… (I channel here my inner thoughts from Bulgasal! *winks* )
That’s all for now!
@Cleo, I still have to watch episode 4.
When I see characters that are unidimensional caricatures my heart sinks a little as I know that those are the signs of bad writers trying to put external forces in motion. That is why I hate both the nefarious classmate and the mistress.
For me just the tension and longing of one person being awake, knowing the people yet being unable to reach them and loving them as their former lives did is such a beautiful source of conflict. That is why the scene of her crying alone in the street longing for the 18th’s mother is so poignant. That is why I love the 10th being able to be herself around the 18th’s niece is such a comfort.
And yes I thought the same when I saw that random lady changing correctly the flowers. Also remember that Seo-Ha’s mother was particular in presenting her son to the 18th. Also we see her making arrangements for what is to happen after she dies with a calmness more akin of someone going to travel for a while than someone facing an all-consuming darkness. She knew!!!. And given that the in-drama logic tells that people that reincarnates early must have been murdered in their previous life. She does not seem much older than Ji-Eum. Of course everything in this paragraph is mere speculation 😉 .
@Cleo, is the girl with the short hair the same girl, Hana, who was dancing?
I agree that the shaman is probably reincarnated. He was probably a shaman in every one of his lives.
@FGB, that’s true about the source of conflict. I feel that source is more powerful than the side characters who exist to merely provoke or block the smooth flow for Ji Eum and Se Ha.
Kalimera @Unnie!
Yes, Hana is the same girl with the short hair. I took an interest in her when she put in the vase the glandiolas.
I read a spoiler about him on MDL. I don’t know if you want to know about it, but as it seems my theory above is correct 🙂
Kalimera @FGB,
I don’t focus on the side characters. I notice them only when they become a medium for the main character(s) to do something = act.
So, far the conflict is there in every scene that involves BJE.
Yes, you are right about what you have written about Seo Ha’s mother. She was calm, indeed. Did she know? Most likely she did. If she did, then she also realized that Ju Won at the time, was a person who had many reincarnations and remembers it. Her mother validated that to her when they were talking about the changes she noticed in her child.
I really like that we get to see a more complex scenario. At first, that was not poignant, but now those little things are draw you more in.
@cleopatra: i came to the same theory as you regarding hana and the shaman.
btw, “hana” incidentally means “flower” in japanese, and gladioli flowers symbolise remembrance (among others). seoha had those in his bouquet too – and he had intended to replace the artificial flowers with his bouquet only to find out that someone else had beaten him to it (with exactly the same flowers and in the same colour).
i believe hana, who beat him to it, was trying to say “remember me, seoha?” and in parallel, seoha’s statement through his bouquet (if placed in the lobby) would be a definitive memorial for his mother, and to signify the beginnings of a rejuvenation of the hotel (a fresh start/bloom?). i love flowers so i look forward to seeing how cho-won will also furnish the hotel now that she won the landscaping contract.
as for the shaman, his bells gave the creeps. i recall those bells from the Alchemy of Souls, which could be used to control souls :p
Hey @swiss_postscripts!
It is good to see you here! Yes, I agree with your analysis about the flowers.
Hana is looking out for her son and Seo Ha is remembering his mother.
You are not the only one who wrote something about the bells. Although, Jin Mu’s bells were different than the ones MinKi has.
I think we are going to be entagled in a web of people who have met each other over and over again, but don’t recognize each other, because they are not getting near.
We shall see, who Hana really is and what is her connection not only with Seo Ha, but also Ji Eum. Definitely MinKi will play a role.
Also, the more I see Cho Won the more I like her. I think she will recognize Ji Eum. As their mother will too…
hullo @cleopatra! thank you! i’m watching both king the land and see you in my 19th life, but the latter got me more emotionally-involved from the end of ep3 (where ji-eum was dream-hugging her mom) to want to post some thoughts.
i am looking forward to being entangled! the appearance of hana and the shaman got me thinking about who else gets/got reincarnated and remembers, (like ji-eum), and why.
and noted on those bells, i shall go rewatch that.
on cho-won, even in her drunken stupor she sensed a deep familiarity/kinship with ji-eum with the way the latter stroked her hair in the taxi, and remembered this the next day as well. so i hope as you do that cho-won will eventually recognise her sister, and so to their mother, for real and in a good way.
btw, when the Mysterious White Truck appeared out of nowhere to crash into the two children, i groaned inwardly. that being said, the trauma inflicted on seoha is horrific as we continue to see manifestations of it being played out in his behavior/reactions to more varying extents.
@Swiss_Postscripts, nice to meet you!.
This Post is pure speculation, but what if there is a secret society targeting reincarnates?. Maybe Yoon Yoo Won was the real target and Seo Ha and the drivers were just collateral.
I haven’t read the webtoon so I am watching the Drama as a standalone piece.
@FGB4877, interesting theory about reincarnates being targeted. Or could another incarnate, an enemy from a previous life, be hunting Ji Eum? When talking about her 19th life family, Ji Eum did say that a former enemy could become family member.
Ugh! Ji Eum did the right thing, running away from her drunken, spendthrift, greedy father and living with her niece from her 17th life. I wonder if Ji Eum’s 19th dad will have been the driver of the White Truck of Doom that killed her 18th self. He’s the kind of lowlife that’d be hired for such a heinous task, caring more for the money he can earn, and spend, than the lives he’d be destroying (the living, and the dead). And Ji Eum’s younger brother is also a nasty character. They way he fought with her in public, grabbing her by the hair, is outrageous! But only slightly less vile, in my opinion, were all the people standing by, doing nothing to help a person being attacked, just capturing the conflict with their phone cameras.
These two episodes, 3 & 4, had me in tears multiple times. I am touched when show lets us see the trauma and grief endured by those who remain after a life is cut short. We also see how hard it is on Ji Eum, still loving the people from her past lives, but not able to connect with them in the same emotional way. I felt so bad for the little peasant boy, desperate to come back to Eomma’s loving arms, but being rejected and dragged away because the new life is a form detestable–poor and dirty–to the wealthy mother of the past. It’s no wonder Ji Eum is cautious about approaching the people from her 18th life in her 19th form, especially since she’s again gone from wealth to impoverished and rough upbringing.
@Welmaris, watching the 17th’s niece bleeding from her mouth like her uncle did made me realize a sad thing about her kind of immortality: that she lives with all those memories of loved ones long gone… then they are cut-off maybe forever. Unless the niece reincarnates as someone able to retain her memories and actively searches for Ji Eum they will remain oblivious to each other. Different bodies and not a single thread of memory to link them.
Imagine a small 9 years old girl screaming “Uncleeeeeee!!!” around a decade later to Ji Eum XD XD XD XD XD XD .
Also, it is kind of funny that the ghost that Seo Ha still loves and Ji Eum still has to dethrone is herself.
A tall task if you ask me 😀