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Modern Farmer: Episode 8

I’m pretty sure nobody in the entire town of Hadurok-ri makes it out of this episode uninjured, as they take on thieves, inanimate objects, and even Nature itself. But several citizens also manage to make forward strides in the relationship department — some of them risking life and limb to win the object of their desire, and some of them dragged kicking and screaming into love whether they like it or not.

EPISODE 8 RECAP

The day after Yoon-hee, Hyuk, and Min-ki drink together and stargaze, Yoon-hee is called to Man-gu’s farm to find that someone stole everything in the night. In-ki motions that someone stole his apples a few nights previous, and Uncle runs over to tell them all that his sweet potato field has been cleaned out. Yoon-hee determines that this must be the work of professional thieves.

The boys pass Man-gu on their way home from planting their seedlings (with their mouths covered in pea puff soot again, ha) and stop to offer him comfort. He sadly tells them that three years’ work was wiped out in one night. They arrive home to find Yoon-hee and Uncle planning night watch patrols, and Han-chul freezes when Uncle mentions his destroyed sweet potato fields.

From the footprints, Uncle knows it’s a man and a woman, so Han-chul sneaks away to warn Soo-yeon not to go out tonight and avoid the patrols. He heads to Sang-deuk’s family home and runs into Grandpa, who offers him peanuts. You’d think Han-chul had learned not to take any nuts this man offers, but apparently not.

Min-ki, Ki-joon, and Hyuk go on a patrol that night with Yi-ji and Sang-eun, wondering why Han-chul didn’t show up for patrol duty. It’s obvious the girls are mostly there to try to get in some skinship with Hyuk, who looks seriously nervous. I can’t blame him, as both girls are mighty young.

Sang-deuk is in another patrol group with his mother and Uncle, who tells him to go find something heavy, to use as a weapon in case they run into the thieves. Sang-deuk finds a pipe but before he can grab it, he’s scared half to death by Mi-young, who’s out for a walk.

Sang-deuk orders Mi-young to go home but she wants to talk, and tells him that she didn’t just go on as if nothing happened all those years ago. She says that she never forgave herself for what she did to him, and that she figures her divorce and her father’s senility are her punishment.

She offers him the tearful apology she’s wanted to give him for the last seventeen years, and Sang-deuk tells her that tears won’t change anything, but the anger has gone out of him. He hugs Mi-young, but suddenly sees his mother and Uncle coming back, and tells her to run. They end up in the taro field again, and of course Uncle decides to take a leak again, right where they’re hiding.

Han-chul goes looking for Soo-yeon and finds her digging in the sweet potato field again. He starts to warn her about the patrols but he’s too late, and they’re forced to duck between the rows to try to avoid being seen by Man-gu, his mother, and In-ki.

They nearly get away with it, but Han-chul’s phone rings and alerts the patrollers. Han-chul gallantly sacrifices himself by popping up and confessing to stealing the sweet potatoes. They drag him back to town, leaving Soo-yeon undetected, and at least she has the grace to look guilty for getting Han-chul into trouble.

Yoon-hee, her aunt, and Min-ho are at home watching television, and a news show comes on featuring the same musician that Yoon-hee saw online, that shook her up so badly. She stares at him for a long moment, then suddenly shoots a worried look towards Min-ho and turns off the TV. She orders him to bed, yelling a bit too angrily when he protests.

Her aunt takes Min-ho to bed, and Hong-gu, who witnessed the whole thing, asks Yoon-hee if that man is “the one,” saying that he still remembers him from before (and again I’m impressed by how observant this kid is). Yoon-hee sharply tells him to keep his mouth shut about it.

Min-ki wanders home after his patrol duty to find Yoon-hee struggling with a four-wheeler, intending to patrol on it, and he notices that she seems down. He offers to drive because of her bad ankles and she lets him, though she barely touches his coat with the tips of her fingers when he tells her to hang on.

They’re both grumpy as they ride — Yoon-hee because of the man she saw on television and Min-ki because she won’t talk to him. They stop in a park for a break, and Min-ki realizes that whatever is upsetting Yoon-hee seems serious. She still refuses to talk, but Min-ki tells her that she needs to learn to lean on others.

When Yoon-hee stays quiet, Min-ki says that he’s there to listen if she ever wants to talk, and she at least relaxes and smiles. They muse over how much older they are than when they used to play in this park, and Min-ki asks if Yoon-hee ever plans to get married. Yoon-hee thinks nobody would want to marry a single mother, but Min-ki says that she deserves credit for raising her son alone, and that he thinks she’s amazing.

He teases that she doesn’t look as good as she used to though, and tells her that she looks better when she’s happy, calling her an ahjumma. That finally snaps her out of her funk, and they horse around until he falls and hurts his butt.

Yoon-hee holds on a bit tighter to Min-ki when they board the four-wheeler to head out again, but he still grabs her hands and wraps them all the way around his waist. It’s not a flirtatious move on his part, but Yoon-hee is visibly affected by the closeness.

Suddenly Min-ki slams on the breaks and points out something in front of them – two men with their faces hidden, loading stolen produce into a truck. Min-ki wants to call the villagers but Yoon-hee tells him to go stop the thieves, taking away his choice by screaming at them to stop.

Min-ki tackles one of the men to the ground and gets a good look at his eyes, but the other man sneaks up behind him and whacks him hard in the head with a shovel, knocking him out cold. The men get away as a terrified Yoon-hee tries in vain to wake Min-ki.

He wakes up the next day in the hospital with a massive headache, and Yoon-hee waiting by his bedside. He’s fine, but Yoon-hee bursts into tears and clings to him, wailing that she thought he’d died. Min-ki can’t help but tease her later for her outburst, earning a punch in the stomach, and he blackmails her into buying him food by threatening to tell the whole village how hard she cried over him.

Han-chul is kneeling in front of Uncle to beg forgiveness for taking his sweet potatoes when Min-ki and Yoon-hee get home. Man-gu asks if Min-ki saw anything they can use to identify the thieves, and Min-ki tells him that he saw the eyes of one of them, and that they were very beautiful. HA.

Uncle is reminded that in movies they have a sketch artist draw a picture of the suspect, and his wife wonders if Soo-yeon could do it since she’s an artist. They call her in and she draws while Min-ki describes what he remembers, as the rest of the villagers look on in fascination. Hilariously, the finished sketch looks more like a manga character than a thief, though Min-ki swears he had big pretty eyes just like that.

Stymied, Man-gu stomps out to the orchard and finds a couple of women eating the apples. It’s true they were stealing, but he overreacts to their taking a few apples, and the boys arrive just in time to stop him from actually attacking the women.

Ever the peacemaker, Sang-deuk explains to the women about the thieves in the area and says that even if people only take a few apples, it adds up over time and hurts the farmers. The women apologize to Man-gu, but he’s still very upset and takes off without a word. The boys figure he’s too upset to teach them for a while, so Sang-deuk offers to check out their field.

Sang-deuk compliments their planting, but Min-ki notices an area that’s missing seedlings. Sang-deuk pegs elk as the culprits, going by the tracks. He suggests they put speakers out and play music, so the elk will be scared off, thinking there are people there.

The boys go one step further, and they take their instruments out to the field to play (their choice of “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses cracks me up). Min-ki soon realizes they can’t stay out here and play all the time, though the others admit it’s fun to play as a band again.

They’re short one member though, who’s currently working off his stolen sweet potatoes by literally carting Uncle around town in a cart full of sweet potatoes. He leaves Han-chul to pack up the produce, and Soo-yeon comes along and apologizes to Han-chul for getting him into trouble. He sees his chance, and asks her on a date as repayment.

Min-ki startles Yoon-hee as she’s mooning over the memory of riding the four-wheeler with him, and he asks her to make coffee so they can stay up and guard their field from the elk. She refuses, so he says she’ll regret it, but she jumps to stop him when he starts to tattle on her outburst in the hospital.

On their way back to their field, the guys pass by Bul-ja, and Ki-joon literally dives into some tall grass to avoid being seen. He ends up with a face full of mud, but defends himself by saying that whenever he sees her, weird things happen and he’s misunderstood. He declares with great feeling that he hates Bul-ja.

In-ki wanders past the boys’ cabbage field and stops to look at the instruments they left there, a strange look crossing his face. He approaches to gently touch Min-ki’s guitar, but the boys arrive and he takes off.

Han-chul leaves early the next morning for his date with Soo-yeon, apologizing over his shoulder for leaving his friends to work without him today. Soo-yeon waits for him, complaining to herself about how she got roped into this. She vows to use this chance to make Han-chul give up on her for good.

Man-gu, Sang-deuk, and Yi-ji ride in the truck while Yoon-hee and Min-ki get the truck bed, and Min-ki complains about how badly it hurts his still-sore butt. Yoon-hee contentedly tells him to hush and look at the sky, and he’s surprised by how pretty it looks.

The five of them head to town and come upon Mi-young’s coffee shop grand opening, and she invites them in for a drink. She complains that she can’t find anyone young to work for her (seriously, ugh) and hires Yi-ji on the spot when she insists that being a barista is her dream job.

Han-chul buys train tickets for his date with Soo-yeon, and asks her if she’ll wear the couple shirts he bought. She looks like she’d literally rather do anything else, but his disappointment is so obvious that she takes pity on him and agrees. On the train, he shows her the sweet potatoes and kimchi he brought, and Soo-yeon looks ill at the sight of the sweet potatoes. She refuses to eat any, but Han-chul is overly-enthusiastic and manages to drop the kimchi right in her lap. She thinks to herself that she needs to get rid of him as soon as possible.

She cleans up at a rest stop and starts to let Han-chul down, but he takes her “You’re too good for me” as a compliment instead of the rejection it’s meant to be. He notices a loose speaker just before it falls on Soo-yeon, and he shoves her away, getting brained by it himself. He’s knocked out with a bleeding head wound, and gets fixed up in the train station.

Han-chul asks Soo-yeon what she was trying to say before, but she’s distracted by the fact that his head injury is bleeding again, kind of a lot. Han-chul is all, “I’m fine, I’m fine,” as he smears the blood across his face, and Soo-yeon can’t bring herself to break up with a guy who looks like he needs serious and immediate medical attention.

Back at Mi-young’s coffee shop, she leaves the villagers to serve a couple of customers, but they get inappropriate and Sang-deuk jumps up when one of them puts a hand on her. He orders the man to let go of Mi-young but the guy grabs Sang-deuk’s hand and crushes it, causing Yoon-hee to enter the fray. She threatens to call the police if the men don’t leave, and the jerk pushes her down. Oh no he di’int.

That’s all it takes for Min-ki to lose his cool, and he attacks the man, and suddenly their fight turns into this weird slow-motion love scene. Their wrestling starts to look more like something a bit more, um, romantic — and when Min-ki locks eyes with the man, he suddenly realizes that he’s seen those beautiful eyes before.

The two of them jump up, and Min-ki uses a tray to hide all but the man’s eyes, and he recognizes them as the pretty eyes of the thief he grappled with a few nights before in Hadurok-ri. The two thieves run for it, with the villagers right behind them. They run into Grandpa and find themselves trapped, and one of the men makes the mistake of knocking Grandpa’s beloved candy bars to the ground. Oh, now it’s on.

Grandpa single-handedly kicks their asses, and the villagers get their stolen goods back once the police arrive. Mi-young thanks Sang-deuk for sticking up for her, and he grumbles that it was her fault, but she smiles happily anyway.

Han-chul and a miserable Soo-yeon take some pictures together, but he doesn’t even notice how unhappy she looks in the photos. She wonders how much longer she’ll be dragged around, and she gathers her resolve to let him down quickly. She grabs his arm to get his attention and knocks herself off-balance, but again he saves her by shoving her to safety and falling down the hill himself.

To make matters worse, he knocks a wasp nest down on himself and the wasps attack, stinging him repeatedly. Finally an ambulance is called for him, and the EMT tells Soo-yeon that wasp stings can kill. Han-chul refuses to go in the ambulance before he says something to Soo-yeon, and he confesses his love to her. The EMT yells at her to answer him before he dies already — under pressure, she agrees to date him.

Sang-deuk runs into Mi-young’s daughter back in the village and asks her name, but she’s a sassy little lady and refuses to tell him, schooling him on his manners. She asks who he is and he thinks to himself that he could have been her father, but tells her he’s her mother’s friend.

Mi-young comes along behind her daughter and Sang-deuk gives her a gift for her business, saying it’s just because they’re neighbors. Ha, it’s pepper spray to protect herself from jerks like the thieves, and Sang-deuk instructs her to spray anyone who bothers her then kick them where it hurts. He insists he just feels brotherly concern for her, but she clearly doesn’t believe him.

Han-chul is barely conscious but still insists on walking Soo-yeon home, and he thinks her for accepting his feelings. He cheesily says he’ll see her in his dreams, and she cringes. Dang, Han-chul has no game whatsoever.

The next day Min-ki relays the whole story of catching the thieves to Yoon-hee’s aunt, and she offers to make a special dinner to celebrate, to everyone’s horror. Man-gu’s mom comes to ask Yoon-hee to take a picture of Bul-ja, as a birthday gift for her mother back home. Yoon-hee’s aunt offers to fix her up a bit, and Ki-joon scoffs that she won’t be able to do much.

He couldn’t possibly be more wrong, because Bul-ja is beyond pretty — she’s absolutely gorgeous. Everyone is shocked at how beautiful she looks in a pretty dress with her hair up and makeup on, and Ki-joon is so surprised he can only stare dumbstruck at the pretty.

Yoon-hee takes pictures and Man-gu’s mom tells Ki-joon to go sit with her, to show Bul-ja’s mom that she’s making friends. Aw, they look seriously adorable together. Ki-joon can’t even smile for the camera because his heart is suddenly pounding out of his chest, aware for the first time of the lovely young woman next to him.

COMMENTS

My personal feelings about drama heroes only falling for a girl after she’s had a makeover aside, I’m glad that something happened to get Ki-joon to realize what a gem he potentially has in Bul-ja. They’ve been my favorite pairing from the beginning, and I’m willing to put my opinions about a guy only falling for a girl once she looks pretty aside in this case, if only for the shallow satisfaction of seeing his stunned expression in that last scene. That face made the moment worth the wait! The boy is toast, a complete goner, and I hope Bul-ja makes him really regret the way he’s treated her before she gives him the time of day again.

I know I keep coming back to the same thing in my comments, so I just hope I’m not boring you guys by harping on it. But I can’t help but be impressed over and over by how this show manages to be so much more than the simple comedy I was expecting, and I keep finding more reasons to love it beyond just being a show that makes me laugh.

This week I’m in love with the tiny moments that tell us so much about the characters, like In-ki caressing Min-ki’s guitar in this episode. Just that small beat, and the look on his face, transform what seems to be a simple situation — his daughter wants to be in music and he’s strongly opposed — from a stock overprotective-father setup into something with deeper meaning. What appears to be an overused trope, the child who dreams and the parent who wants to keep their child’s feet on the ground, changes in an instant from a cliché to something more personal. In that moment, we see that the father probably had unfulfilled musical dreams of his own once, and only wants to protect his child. It’s small moments like that, when my understanding of a character or situation changes in a heartbeat and I find myself thinking, “Oh now I understand!” that turn Modern Farmer from a cute-but-easily-forgettable comedy to a personal favorite. The characters become more than caricatures, which would be so easy to do in a show like this and still be successful, but instead are rich and interesting people that I want to get to know better.

And the show continues to surprise me this way again and again, such as when Hyuk told Yoon-hee that his deceased “girlfriend” taught him to play piano, and I suddenly stopped seeing him as the laughing playboy and realized that he’s been very deeply hurt. Another example was Min-ki’s outburst over Yoon-hee’s refusal to stick up for her son against his bullies, and how it revealed so much about Min-ki’s own childhood and his relationship with his mother.

As we get further into the run of the show, I’m starting to suspect that this was the plan all along — to show us characters that seemed to be funny and entertaining but not much more, then to slowly and methodically peel away their layers to the rich and realistic people underneath. The way these small reveals are parceled out is so deft and subtle, you almost don’t realize what’s happening until it’s too late and you love these people. There’s a plan here that I’m only just beginning to see, and we aren’t even halfway through the show yet. I’m fascinated to discover what’s ahead, and to learn even more about the people of Hadurok-ri and to fall in love with them even more.

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wow bul ja is so fucking preety.

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Min ki was so cute when pretty ahjumma asks him what food would he like to eat as reward for catching those thieves. the screech in his voice when he was happy about the thought of spaghetti for dinner then retracted when the others are gesturing for him to say no instead. but ki joon really steals the limelight from min ki with his facial expressions, and this guy is only 17! looking forward to Ki Joon in love. . so exciting!

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Wow! I was really mesmerized with Bulja's transformation. She is really pretty! Ki-joon's expression says it all. Whipped! Their story is my fave also...Soooo cute!

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It's not that big a transformation. Her hair was always over half her face, so basically, we only got to see half of it. But what we did see was pretty, and hinted at more pretty.

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Her name is Hwa Ran. XDDDD

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I so want to live in Harduroki.

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me too!!!

i wanna eat those fire-roasted nuts and hang out with them

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Me three!

I got a green thumb - just the other day - i had used only the green leaves of the green onion stalks - so i stuck the while bulb part into a small jar of water n now i have a bunch of fresh green onions for the picking!

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Can't live in Haduroki :(

I haven't raised a single plant. I can even kill a cactus :(

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Cool! I do think it's true that veggies and fruit taste different right out of the garden or off the tree...it has a certain super freshness :-)

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ManGu ahjusshi can help you with that :p

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yes, me too! plus I have a wide gardening knowledge! I can grow parsnip and kale!

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In the beginning I was not impressed with this drama, but I'm starting to warm up to it.

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It seems that the broadcasting company has a gem. I hope they can cut it the right way.

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I've been very quiet here, but can I just say I love this drama?

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Join the side-splitting club!

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I thought I'd die laughing at the look on Han Chul's face as the blood poured down!

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Tbh, I'm really not into most of these couples (and it does seem like a lot of them are rather fixed now). But if I ignore that, I'm still really enjoying this show. I really love the individual characters and their personal story arcs.

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Right? My least favorite is Han-Chul and Soo-yeon. As for the others they aren't my favorites but I can stand them (exception ki-joon and bul-ja. I looove them) that aside I still really love this drama

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Yeah, I'm pretty much only on board with Ki-Joon and Bul-Ja...although I do hope that since it's still relatively early in the show that their relationship will turn into something beyond him just realizing how pretty she is. I think they're adorable and have been routing for them the whole time, but Ki-Joon needs to move past teenager phase with girls.

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Crossing fingers for a Yoon Hee makeover in the near future. Lee Ha Nui is one of the most gorgeous women in S. Korea.

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I hope that she gets a makeover eventually at some point in the drama too. I can't believe she was a Miss Korean. She's one of my favorite characters in the drama.

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*I meant Miss Korea

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She's rocking this village cow farmer role. Love her.

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yes, so good

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spot-on conclusion.
this drama has import potential. real characters, real humor.

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i think that's why the cast Hongki lol. isn't he a hallyu star? i think Japan will buy this drama soon lol.

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Lol he is indeed a hallyu star with F.T. Island, my guess is Japan and China will buy it soon. They both love him (and China was the first one to buy Bride of the Century I believe)

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i hope they buy, but don't they like the cold chaebol type? he is so wild here maybe they might not like it?

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I agree that chaebol dramas seem to be more popular there but I also hope that the overseas market will buy this drama. Especially since the ratings aren't that high in Korea and these hard working actors deserve recognition.

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Well yeah. But Hongki was there all summer for solo fanmeetings...Hope those new found fans are faithful because Minki is a much more complex character than Kangju...at least for me.

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Thanks LollyPip!

EP 8 - Han-chul n Soo-yeon - WORST DATE EVER!

Mink-ki is a good friend to Yoon-hee. My take is that Min-ki has been mostly an accidental hero - he is just a coward at heart - witness his relunctance to get involve with the thieves in the fields n at the cafe!

The slow-mo fight at the cafe with the thief was hilarous! There was also that moment of breathless anticipation when Soo-Yeon revealed her sketch of the thief - that was LOL moment!

The ensemble cast is just knocking this drama out of the ball-park!

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It's so funny how they made that cafe fight into something sexual with interlocking fingers and everything. lol

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that was the best part for me :-)

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Yes! I could not believe Show was taking that route. It was hilarious. :-)

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they even making those inappropriate noises hahahaha!

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That sweet potatoes with kimchi scene took me back to Bride of the Century XD

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i really care about the characters in this drama a lot. like really, really care about them and their stories. well, maybe besides Mi-young lol. i think that's a sign of a good drama if you care about more than just 2 people in it.
p.s i don't think Hongki can really play electric guitar although he is in a band irl, but he's a lead singer lol.

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Yes, I too care enough that I don't even want to see San Deuk hurt again by Mi Young. She has to either convince us of her remorse or I hope there will be another addition that deserves him. In the beginning he was an alcoholic but always had the mind of reason. But he's been sober now and even moreso, deserves a good woman.

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He can play the electric guitar, but he's not great/amazing at it. Since yeah, lol he's the lead singuer and there are already two guitarists in the band.

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I've seen him play the guitar before at acoustic peformances. (Like their Budokan Concert back in '11 or last years Golden Disk Awards where he was MCing next to Sistar's Dasom.) He is not very good at it yes, but FT Island already has two guitarists, Hongki is a vocal.

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Hongki can fiddle... i guess?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9zGNtPxjeI
but, who cares if he can play the guitar or not when he got THAT voice to sing! XD

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Agree with you lollpip, the characters in this drama are really likable, even the initally annoying ones (maybe except for mi young).

These aren't 1 dimensional characters. Humour can be a way to deal with pain - a lot of comedians (Rosanne Barr, Robin Williams) had crappy childhoods or personal issues.
And we see with these characters that there's more underneath the humour.

Enjoying the characters, their story arcs, and the humour.

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I started this drama to cleanse my palate and it has done that and so much more. I hope the show keeps it light but still offer strong stories. I'm looking forward to more reveals.

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This drama makes me want more comedies.

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I don't care if you say I'm shallow. Can't wait for Yoon Hee to throw away her farmer style & have a makeover, making Minki or the trainee doctor (ok, trainer doctor already know she's a gem) at awe. She is after all former Miss Korea.

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i want a make-over too

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Me too :)

Btw, I'm on Hyuk's team. I hope they are not brothers or whatever in the end, because they look great together and they would make an awesome couple.
Min Ki is also nice but he looks like a kid in front of Yoon He. The idol girl suits him best and they have a beautiful story too.

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It seems most people agree with you but I'm not on board. We've had one makeover. I'd like for it not to take some stereotyped image to win over the guy. I want one storyline where the guy actually falls for the woman because of who she is. Minki already has his idealized woman....what he needs to see is that a 'real' woman is the better option. And not just because all of a sudden he can see she's hot.

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Not repetitive at all, I agree that it's the small but sincere character moments that make the show.

I just have to issues that were particularly glaring in this episode:

1. I'm really disappointed in Han-chul's storyline. Even if the twist ends up being that it's a false diagnosis, the guy thinks he's going to die soon, and all he can do is chase after the first pretty girl he meets because he doesn't want to die a virgin? Come on. As someone who's faced the prospect of my own mortality due to illness, can I just say that is so untrue to life. If they wanted to make his character a loser who only cares about getting out of forever-alone status, why the cancer storyline? It's a shame because the writer is doing so well with the other characters, giving them complexity and heart. Whereas I was just cringing through the whole "date" sequence. I also find Soo-yeon's whole character and plotline useless and annoying. But maybe others find it funny and I'm weird, I dunno.

2. I see the story going toward a Sang-deuk/Mi-young reconciliation, and all I can say is, PLEASE NO! I love Sang-deuk and I want him to end up with someone awesome. Doesn't Yoon-hee have a bestie? (I had a moment when I shipped him with Yoon-hee, tbh.)

Other than that, love the show to bits.

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I think they purposely went this route with the character Han Chul to portray dark humor. Because some guys ARE THAT SHALLOW afterall. If you'd noticed, he is the most annoyingly dumb character in the show, with no growth, yet.

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Yes, Han Chul's love line is pathetic. Making an idiot of himself.
If a girl doesn't like you, she doesn't like you. No reason required, so just move on.

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If they wanted to go for dark humour there were better ways to do that, especially with the borrowed-time thing. This is just stupid humour.

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I know how you feel. I watch another series in my country which made a comedy out of my 'condition'. Which is all gone (kind of) now but still its really annoying to see people using things like that and you want to scream at the screen because hell no, no one who spent that much time at the hospital or wondering why would never act like that... anyway thats my problem. But I think Hanchul hasn't really accepted his condition yet. - true or not we don't know yet- I think he is keeping this from his friends because a)he doesnt want them to suffer with him b)he doesnt want it to become a real part of his life. Which is understandable. We have 12 more eps to go there is still a hell of a lot space left for character development. Just wait.

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True, there is still time. Hopefully we'll see some layers emerge like we have with the other characters.

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It looks like Min-Ah can give Lee Min-Jung a run for her money as queen of facial expressions.

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While waiting for the next set of episodes I'm rewatching from the beginning. All the funny bits are still funny the second and third time around and have me cackling like a hyena!

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Yeah, me too. Actually, I find things funny that I missed the 1st time around. Also there are a lot of facial expressions and reactions that I miss the first time around - so I rewind some parts.

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Love the peacemaker Sang deuk! hahaha but somehow i don't want him to end up to mi-young. its just too much for what she did to him aghh.. really hate cheater.

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I've said this in earlier comments but i LOVE how Honey Lee isn't afraid to un-glamourise herself and play a role that requires her to wear practical country bumpkin clothes, and roll around in the dirt!

I'm really enjoying everything in this show - all the side characters make me forget they aren't the leads and make me want to root for them too. They aren't the supporting cast, they're a bunch of people whom I wish well!

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Now it's time for Ki Joon to eat his words. Gonna be so good.

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i want Bul Ja to ignore him and let him chase her like a love sick puppy! #sweetrevenge

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I really feel pitiful for Hanchul. As for the brief moment when Inki touched the guitar case something tells me that he used to be the owner of that guitar. So he must not been born a mute and something musically related has caused him to be like that. I think the writers are really now trying to focus more on the Minki-Yoonhee route with Yoonhee having a lot of flashbacks regarding the times Minki became a "man" in her eyes... There hasn't been any flashbacks regarding Hyuk's attempts at her which I admit are heart thumping. Despite the fact that Hyuk has a much mature face than Minki, he hasn't shown a lot to prove to her he's not just a jokester but someone who she can rely on to. Of course, the Hwaran-Kijoon couple is going for a change of pace now that her face is clearly shown and Kijoon can't explain his bliss. I still don't like Miyoung for Sangdeuk right now... lol

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I don't find myself moved by Hyuk's overtures since they're purely Oedipal. But I'm not really buying the Minki pairing either. Why can't they just live happily as noona-dongsaeng?

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Minki said in Ep. 1 he found that guitar on the hill(?) or something when he was a kid, so... in Hadurok-ri?

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Hey that's right. Hmmmmm very plausible.

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I just love this drama. The writer clever enough to give 'life' to all character & know how give them their own story every episode. Like others I also don't really like Miyoung & I hope Sangduek will end up with Soo Yeon & Hanchul with Sang Eun (I don't know why I ship them together).

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I like how the supporting casts are truly supporting the drama with everyone having their own sub-plots and how each one of them have enough depth in the story. They aren't just superficial characters unlike some dramas where some casts can be taken off in the middle of the story and no one would care much. This is set to be a heartwarming comedy that focuses on individual struggles and through frictions and interactions, they heal one another in the process of development and self-discovery.

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This was the weakest episodes so far in my opinion. The laughs weren't quite there and something in this episode didn't quite strike gold.

One of the problems could lie in the fact that this episode focused on Han-chul and Soo-yeon. While I find Han-chul hilariously endearing and silly; I CAN'T STAND SOO-YEON!!! I think she is the weakest character on this show and her acting is sub par to the rest of the cast. I just don't believe her character. While I understand her annoyance at Han-chul's over-fondness and über attentiveness, she is so insincere and shallow!!! Her facial expressions are horribly done... Grrr... Now this may sound silly to gripe about, but I think this can really explains why I hate the character and her acting, she cannot dig!!! I have never ever seen someone dig so pathetically.

(屮*ಠ益ಠ)屮 "Y u no dig right?!?"

She isn't even really digging just furiously throwing top soil around. I am sorry but if someone planted millions of dollars they sure as hell didn't bury it 10 inches down. I want to slap the actress and tell her to dig normally. Even if she has never dug in her whole life I am damned positive she has at least seen it in action. She does not use her brain!! If this guy planted money in a field it would have to be freaking deep otherwise the farmers would have dug it up already or he planted it somewhere a bit more strategic. She has no logic!! Grrr...If only she were DIGGING in the fields I would believe her, as it stands now she makes no sense...

End rant that I didn't even realize I was going to start.
(#ノ`д´)ノ ︵ ┻━┻

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Im totally agree with you!

Dis weekend episodes were kind of boring compared to previous superb episodes so far.
and it was totally bcoz of han chul and that digger girl. I dont like her character and acting skills at all. Grrr
but atleast im happy to see bulJa "full face". Haha
sooooo prettyyyyyy!!!! ♡♡♡♡♡

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Hehe She must have learned digging from Lee Hong Ki's character in Bride of the Century. Talk about pathetic digging! lol

Anyways, for an idol-actress I think her acting is pretty normal. Plus her character Soo Yeon is supposed to come off as shallow and insincere. She's playing a street-wise ex-hostess who's came to Hadurok-ri under false pretenses. I don't think you can play that character any other way.

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You are right, she cannot dig at all but it´s just comedy. She´s an ex-hostess trying her luck at the countryside, I don´t expect her to have those skills. There are many funny and over the top moments like this. I mean, for how long a guy can urinate? Honestly, these guys are like fontains.

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I agree to this to a point. Clearly we have seen that this is a pretty silly comedy (in a good way), but you need to ground any show in logic. They seem to take how to farm correctly pretty seriously, why not digging??

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Is she in AOA? I just saw a teaser video and one of the girls looked like her.

Anyway, I can't stand her either. I don't necessarily think it's her acting for me...it's just her character is pretty shallow and I'm not sure how else she could be played. I don't want her to have some sort of epiphany and start liking HC. I want him to see that she was nothing but a pretty face and move on with his life. (And yes, I'm still counting on him being falsely diagnosed)

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yes, she's in AOA girls group name Min-ah.

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Yes, she's Mina from AOA

Her character's digging bothers me too. But yes she is an ex hostess from the city so she shouldn't know how to dig properly. And maybe it's a pun.....that her character is shallow hence digging shallow haha

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Love your rant!! She digs like a chicken scratching in the dirt. They should have given her a metal detector. It would have implied that she had some plan of action. At this point she seems like a complete idiot.

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The thing I like most about this drama is how it treats the village characters as people rather than cliched country bumpkins. I was really moved by Man-goo's explanation about what his stolen ginseng plants actually mean to him. It's not just about the money he's lost. He has a relationship with them, greets them in the morning, has nurtured and loved them for 3 years. Like all the villagers, he's connected to the land and its stewardship in ways city people might find hard to understand. Modern Farmer is respectful towards the people who perform a vital function in any society. They are not fashionable, get dirty and don't tolerate bs from anyone but they are not figures of fun or foils for comedy.

I also like the way the female characters are depicted with a strong sense of self worth. Yoon-hee is wonderful as a countrywoman committed to her land, animals and village. It's not a glamourous life and she dresses the part without trying to make herself something she's not. I especially like the way she's raising her son with good values and moral fibre. It's gratifying to see Min-ho take down his bullies but he's cheated to do it and it's wrong.

Bul-ja likes Ki-joon but he's made it clear he wants her to leave him alone. She takes him at his word; she's not going to follow him around like a lovesick puppy hoping he'll notice her.

Even the less sympathetic women are not played as cartoon villains. Mi-young has done a lousy thing to Sang-deuk in letting him continue to support her with her education while cheating on him. But she's a country girl seduced by the big city who wants a different life for herself than returning to her village to become the wife of a farmer who already has a drinking problem. She didn't drive him to drink but her actions have given him the excuse he needs to continue drinking. I suspect it would have ended up a pretty miserable marriage had she returned after her schooling. She knows now she made a big mistake but Sang-deuk also has to come to terms with the fact he's been in an alcoholic stupor for most of his life.

Soo-yeon is a materialist and literal gold digger but at least she's doing the digging herself. It's crazily inefficient but she's the one working up a sweat to do it night after night. In a typical depiction of such a character, she would manipulate Han-cheol, who obviously is smitten with her and seems to be dumber than a bag of hammers, into doing all the dirty work and then betraying him in the cruelest possible manner. Instead she's going out on dates with him because she knows it's somehow the right thing to do.

When I first read the description of Modern Farmer, my first though was "Well, this is must miss TV". But it's tuning out to be one of my favourite K- dramas ever.

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I agree with you totally! Thank you for your insights! I also liked the part where they brought up the two ladies taking a few apples. I'm sure in reality people do walk by and pilfer without even thinking how much damage they are causing to farmers.

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For all his immature actions and cowardice, Minki does act like a man when he's needed. Even though sometimes the results don't go the way he intended.

I don't know but I don't really like Yoo-na. She seems-- artificial. Even if she's sweet and pretty and looks perfect.

Heh, the thief with pretty eyes was played by Kwon Oh-joong (he played Kim Rae-won's older bro in Gourmet and Dol-swe in Arang and the Magistrate). Other thief was that nosy reporter from You're Beautiful.

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I don't care for YooNa either. I think she is in some sort of arrangement with the CEO.

I wonder if there will be more cameos from other well known actors? That'll be good if they do.

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Plus, it seems that Yoo-na's always been on the receiving end so far-- I have yet to see anything that she's done for Minki, it's always him doing something for her, cheering her up and stuff. So I'm not really keen on him ending up with her. XD

Weird thing I just realized about our love triangle-- when Hyuk picked Yoonhee up, he dropped her because she was too heavy. But Minki has been carrying Yoonhee around a lot in the past couple episodes and it didn't seem to faze him!

Hmmm... we'll keep an eye out for other cameos. Who knows who will show up next? XD

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That was a good observation regarding YooNa always on the receiving end. I agree! And Hyuk unable to carry YoonHee whereas MinKi is able. Hyuk maybe tall and strong looking and MinKi childlike and looks physically weaker, but now we are seeing that looks are deceiving.

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I love that actor in Gourmet ^^

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I really like all, well most, of the characters and I want them all to be happy I just don't want any of them to be together.

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I accidentally stumbled upon this gem!!!! So glad I did. Im loving it!

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This show just gets better and better. It started out like Gilligan's Island but now that everyone's character is fleshing out (even all the neighbors and relatives too) I love it.

I realize it is a KDrama and not a documentary but has any one else noticed that they are filming in the fall but in the show it is supposed to be springtime? You need to plant cabbage in May - but all the trees have turned brown or dropped their leaves, everyone is dressed in warm clothes, and you could see their breath inside the greenhouse! Just thought that was funny...

Still love my Modern Farmers!

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Hahaha! Gilligan's Island! Brings back memories. The gangs' cabbages are still sprouts but filming is in fall when cabbages are harvested and made into kimchee.

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