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Memorable kdramas have over-the-top scenes which become iconic. Who can forget that parachute meet-cute in “Crash Landing on You” or Lee MinHo sitting astride a white horse in the middle of Gwanghwamun Square in “The King: Eternal Monarch” or the moment when the female lead in “W: Two Worlds” saw the ominous words “To be continued” being scribbled in space?
I’m still waiting for that iconic scene in this drama. Please tell me if I already missed it.
Let’s enjoy the show.
Thanks @pkml3.
I’d hardly call it iconic, however FL speeding up the exercise machine so that ML literally gets thrown off it onto his face, was a painfully cute meeting of sorts? LOL.
Hi all,
I’ve worked out that Yoona reminds me, a little, of the young Kate Jackson, one of the original Charlie’s Angels.
Episode 5 is the most enjoyable yet. Because their relationship is warming up and brings some heart to the show.
If you focus on the CP it’s cute in this episode.
Junho and Yoona are doing a nice job despite the things we have noticed about the somewhat formulaic plot etc
An especially nice dialogue – after a meal out when he is asking for another meal together – about who needs to be comfortable with whom for them to have meals together.
Cute moments.
Kalispera Everyone,
I enjoyed this episode and I really liked that they are warming up with each other.
The things that stood out for me was the following though, how problematic is Gu Won’s family. The father is not worried about his daughter, when he found out that his son in law has an affair. He is worried about the articles and the money he has to spend. The daughter is even worse because of the notion that the money moves people around.
Yes, the money moves people around but a human being is more than money. Something they seem that they have forgotten.
Gu Won is different. He has been away from S.Korea for so long, studying and living abroad and has different notions about it. I am not talking about his snobish facade. I am talking how he reacts when he listen to this notion his family has about what really matters to them.
I do hope his mother is alive somewhere. I do hope she is not dead OR send to a psychiatric ward. Let us hope…
I think their “meet cute,” unfortunately, was her sitting on his toilet with diarrhea. Or maybe that was the meet cute part two if part one was her speeding him up on the treadmill.
I’ve put this drama on hold for now until SYIMNL has finished since it was too confusing. I’ll be curious about how you all will rate this one. If it’s worth going on later, let me know!
Greetings all! I enjoyed this episode as well. Lots of cute interaction and dialogue at restaurant of Yoona’s choice. The heart made out of egg on grill was a worthy romcom moment for sure. Perhaps JunHo literally jumping off cliff when discovering Yoona’s mishap is the iconic moment. I know I was caught by surprise at his impetuous and dangerous act!
EPISODE 5
Hi @BethB, to avoid being confused by ’19th Life’, I will just watch and comment on 1 episode of KTL before I go on to watch and comment on 1 episode of ’19th Life’. I’ll be using all the wrong names of characters otherwise!
Hi @Kate, @Cleo, yes Episode 5 is better. We get to know the fuller reason why Gu Won hates smiles, we see our OTP spending time together and we even get to see GW smile.
Taken as a deliberately over-the-top, full-on tropey, fun romp in teaching a clueless Gu Won everything about how ‘normal’ people live and fall in love, this is a pretty watchable show.
I felt the pain of child Gu Won, whose mother suddenly disappeared. So now we know why he hates smiles. They were the sign of a horrifying charade being played on a powerless child: a sign that something terrible had happened, but that Gu Won was never to know and that all adults around him were conniving to pretend that everything was okay when they knew he was suffering.
As a result of the collective denial that something had happened and lack of acknowledgement of his loss, he would never get any answers, or the help he needed to heal this trauma of inexplicable loss. He would never be allowed to grieve. He was expected to fake being alright when he was far from it. It’s a wonder he didn’t suffer greater mentally, but retained his sense of justice and a warm, caring nature.
Perhaps part of the ‘fake smile’ setup was to keep him cocooned, sheltered, ignorant, even naive. His lack of knowledge about so many things that we just pick up and know about in life is colossal. He’s never seen life from the perspective of others before, or realised how others fare in relation to himself. I like that Sa Rang was able to school him more than once in being more considerate of others, less wasteful, less whiny… and that he took that all with good humour.
For fun I may start ‘counting’ or listing the OTT Tropes. I won’t go backwards to remember them but the most obvious ones this episode:
* Being sheltered under the umbrella of the true love.
* Tripping to fall into the arms of the guy.
* Throwing away the umbrella to run after the love interest.
* Getting cared for when asleep in car.
* Getting the girl new clothes and shoes with a fresh twist (I like that instead of a dress-up makeover this was a dress down practical event to exchange dry clothes for wet ones.)
* Thoughtfully getting a cake for girl’s birthday.
= = =
Hwa Ran
While she’s not likable in her attitude and dealings with GW, we can understand why. The fault lies with their father who pits them against each other, who does not value his offspring for themselves but for what they can do for business.
It was chillingly cold of father to tell Hwa Ran that she should keep her husband’s affair(s) under wraps, not because he was concerned about her, but because he was concerned about wasting money blocking the articles about her husband if news got out. I actually felt sorry for Hwa Ran.
= = =
Scenes between the guys, GW and Sang Sik make me laugh out loud. They are so childish together. Sang Sik is the friend he never had as a child.
There was unexpected pathos when GW told SR that he had no friends. However he did not seem to even realise that he is lonely. He does not seem to be sorry for himself, which makes him both more pathetic and likable at the same time.
He had so much fun experiencing a new kind of meal and draft beer, that he wanted to eat with SR again. LOL how he ignored her protests that she would not eat alone with him because it was uncomfortable. As long as he does not cross the line like her ex-bf does by refusing to understand her dumping him, I’m okay with it.
I was relieved that she still had her phone signal on on Mount Jiri. After watching Jirisan, I feared landslides and flooding in the mountain rains!
What a cool rescue jump to save the girl. Even in sweats GW/Junho just looked sooo cool. LOL.
Hello everyone!
Yes the rescue jump – as @LootieLyn and @GB highlighted… I keep thinking of that moment… will he crash land on her or land gracefully as per his parachute jump??
@GB – great list of tropes – keep ’em coming!
I liked the scene where we saw GW carefully assessing SR’s shoe size and then alighting on the perfect pair of sneakers – almost Cinderella style.
I liked your analysis of our hero. Because he is a bit unknowable from the get go in this show…so much needs to be revealed of his background- the things we do discover are either illuminating or delightful or give us compassion for him.
@Cleo’s point about his time in the UK is interesting too – GW is someone the viewer has to get to know and read + he is an anomaly in his own family.
The draft beer and all that went on at the popular restaurant as he lets his guard down with SR – what fun!
@GB – Also continuing to enjoy the Private Secretary interactions with GW! That is one of the things that feels fresh in this show. The show injects fun and silliness via their exchanges. SS has his Shakespearian actor moments too doesn’t he? He makes these abject speeches about his aspirations for GW and himself, by extension. He really hams it up wonderfully.
ps @BethB – I am trying to forget the early meet not cutes! I keep thinking of GW wrinkling up his nose slightly as he walked into the hotel suite where SR was seated…
Kalimera Everyone!
Episode 6 was way better. The show is gearing up, while giving us *swoony moments*.
I loved their chemistry and most of all I loved that we got to see our Halmeoni Kim Young-Ok.
Gu Won peeling onions was a great sight! He even cried…LOL. One thing I can say about Lee JunHo is his ability to do facial expressions that are spot on!
The spotlight of the episode was when Sa Rang got jealous! LMAO… Let us see how this will go.
P.S. I won’t forget how Gu Hwa-Ran reacted when Gu Won begged her to give him the chopper. I mean seriously? One of their employee was in hazard and she was talking about money? He was right of course. If they cannot value a human life, they cannot make their “kum” / dream come true. It is a mirage.
I think from now on Noona will find her Dongsaeng’s true nature. The hurricane she didn’t know he was hiding… I am ready!
Definitely the leap off the cliff (which I did NOT see coming)
last week we had the comedy gold of Agony Aunt-Traffic Warden love advice scene, this week the scene that moved me the most was his dinner conversation with father over a hot bowl of gukbap.
It was on why saving just one person was always the hardest, because we start to question: was it even worth it? Those pregnant pauses, the look of poignant regret, and so much left unsaid.
Kalimera Everyone!
@Empress new clothes!
I wanted to write about this scene and I forgot. Yes, that bonding scene between Gu Won and his father was everything. Truths that are being revealed and acknowledged and emotions that are unveiled over a hot bowl of food. Priceless.
I have not finished episode 6 but I’m loving this weekend’s episodes. This two has had a lot of opportunities to be together, first was the island when they were scammed and now in the mountains saving her and the ginseng. I especially enjoyed the afternoon in her town with her and at her grandma’s shop. He seemed to have let down his guard and also be forced to doing things he is not used to and eventually totally drawn into what he never tried before.
This show is warming up on me. I’m loving their interactions even though he is not always so straight forward with her, and thus being overtly abrasive with her when he reacts instead of thinks. I know there is more to come, and I’m kinda expecting him to change the hotel around and dig into the history of his family and mother.