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Angel’s Last Mission: Love: Episodes 15-16

This drama has been raising a lot of questions lately, for us and for its characters. It’s been especially hard on our angel, who has kept faith in his deity for all this time, convincing himself that he had to remain patient for all the answers. However, his head and his heart are telling him that he has to go after the answers himself, no matter where they may take him.

 
EPISODES 15-16 RECAP

Yeon-seo finds Dan out in the courtyard, and she beams when he waves her over. The couple sit together on a bench, and aware that this is all a dream, Yeon-seo suggests they take photos until they grow old.

They do just that, smiling as a newlywed couple, a middle-aged couple, and finally, an old couple. They slowly lean in to kiss, which, to Yeon-seo’s disappointment, is when she wakes up. “If only I’d slept for a minute longer,” she mutters.

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A good reason to sleep

 

She calls herself crazy for saying that, but in the very next scene, she spends all morning making breakfast for Dan. She even practices how she’s going to present it, which augh, is so cute but so sad. Because Dan comes running in with bad news.

His expression serious, he tells her that he wants to quit and move out immediately. Taken aback, she asks what brought this on — how could he want to leave after reassuring her that she wasn’t alone? What is he afraid of? “My feelings,” he thinks. “And your feelings.”

She blurts out that she knows he likes her, reminding him of the night they went drinking. She’d been awake for his entire confession, to his surprise. On top of that, his warm actions toward her in the past speak louder than the words he’s saying now.

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Resigning for love

 

Dan admits that he did like her but that one or two months of romance is nothing against forever. He tells her to forget his confession, calling it a drunken mistake. Besides, he continues, she doesn’t need him now that she can dance on her own. Now angry, Yeon-seo yells that he can go ahead and move out then.

Chief Jung walks in as Yeon-seo continues that she never wants to see Dan again and then stomps off. Jung tries to stop Dan from packing, saying this is already the second time he’s moved out, but he states that it’s for real this time. He passes Yeon-seo, who’s too hurt to look at him, one last time before leaving the estate.

Meanwhile, Kang-woo calls Dan’s cell, wanting to meet up. Jung answers instead, informing him that Dan left his phone after resigning. Kang-woo wonders why Dan would leave after making such a big deal about sticking to Yeon-seo.

Dan heads toward the church, the only other home he has, but the thought of the angel Noel disappearing makes him turn the other direction. Hoo watches him leave with a sigh and then panics to see him walking straight toward Kang-woo. Hoo appears before Kang-woo, therefore letting Dan get away unseen.

When Kang-woo asks about Dan’s whereabouts, Hoo pretends he doesn’t know such a person. But Kang-woo just moves past him and into the church, irritated to find it empty. Hoo tells him that doubting and guessing will only make things harder for him, and Kang-woo agrees. So while Hoo has his back turned, Kang-woo grabs a candle holder and raises it to swing… And then Hoo turns the candle holder into a flower.

Kang-woo smirks, his suspicions of Hoo being an angel confirmed. He asks what Hoo plans to do with Yeon-seo, and when Hoo won’t give him the answer he wants, he grabs Hoo’s arm and seethes, “You think you guys are so special? Looking down on struggling humans and manipulating them with the snap of your fingers?” Hoo stares at him, confused as to why facing an angel has him angry instead of shocked or scared.

Kang-woo merely tells Hoo to deliver a message to his precious deity: If He has any intention to mess with Kang-woo’s plans, He better wake up. Kang-woo leaves, and Hoo kneels before the cross, asking the deity if Dan can really handle this.

At last, Yeon-seo faces Fantasia alongside Kang-woo, who congratulates her on her official return. She thanks him, but when she joins the other dancers, she realizes she may have entered the lion’s den. They’re still gossiping about her so-called sincerity and wanting to steer clear of her. Nina, at least, looks somewhat guilty.

Before practice, Director Choi and Luna show up to make an announcement. The auditions for “Giselle” will be in two weeks and Kang-woo will be off the judging panel. Eyeing Yeon-seo, Choi points out that Kang-woo is incapable of choosing fairly. If that’s the case, Kang-woo says, Choi should be off the panel too.

To be completely fair, Kang-woo suggests they let the dancers be the judges by having them vote. Though this makes Choi nervous, she agrees to compromise. The directors talk outside alone, and Luna warns Kang-woo to stop messing with them, using a menacing tone that even shocks Choi.

Practice commences, and a few dancers get passive-aggressive, constantly bumping into Yeon-seo. This seems to bother her, but she just moves away and continues to do her own thing.

Kang-woo wraps things up so they can discuss the “Giselle” story, and Yeon-seo can’t help but think of Dan. As she remembers their time together, she narrates that Giselle and Duke Albrecht met and fell in love. And Dan, currently on a bus, narrates that the two wanted to call their intense love destiny.

Kang-woo’s narration cuts in, saying that when Giselle discovered Albrecht’s true identity, the betrayal caused her to die of heartbreak. Dan: “However, even after death, they couldn’t forget each other.” Yeon-seo: “And they met again, like destiny.”

Kang-woo breaks Yeon-seo’s train of thought as he explains that he didn’t choose to direct “Giselle” to be predictable. So he’s going to change the ending and have Giselle’s spirit kill the very man who deceived her. (Real subtle, Kang-woo.) The dancers are unsure of this, but Yeon-seo nonchalantly states that she’s all for it.

Meanwhile, Choi’s softie henchman Mr. Park is on his way to give up evidence to Chief Jung — out of guilt — when Luna’s own henchman Black Cap rides by on a motorcycle and snatches the documents away. Black Cap delivers them to Luna and accepts her orders to keep watching Mr. Park.

That night, Dan visits Noel’s wife Mi-ok in the hospital, saddened to see that she’s still unconscious. A worker is curious about the husband’s whereabouts, explaining that he inexplicably appeared only a year ago. Dan is surprised to hear this, having assumed the couple were together for much longer.

Feeling lost, Dan stops by the hospital’s chapel to ask the deity what he should do next. And to his annoyance, Hoo appears and cheerfully answers that he should stay where he is and do some volunteer work.

Dan is furious that Hoo would dare show up here, but Hoo tries to keep things light — at least now Dan can focus on his mission. However, Hoo adds, he should avoid Kang-woo from now on. Refusing to listen to his sunbae any longer, Dan stalks off.

At home, Director Choi sneaks into Luna’s room and searches her desk, perhaps looking for an explanation to her behavior today. Luna then walks in, and a flustered Choi lies that she was looking for measuring tape.

She then tells Luna to come out and join her for a drink. Before Luna follows her mom out, she shuts the drawer that contains Mr. Park’s collected evidence.

As the two have drinks and fruit in the kitchen, Choi talks about the old days and how Luna would always look after Nina while she was busy with the company — how Luna never really had a life outside of Fantasia and ballet.

Luna asks why she’s bringing that up. Choi then narrows her eyes and asks, “Was it you? Were you the one who tried to kill Yeon-seo?” However, Choi only says this in her imagination. Out loud, she says that Luna should relax more and let her handle the company’s affairs. Luna smiles, which doesn’t make Choi feel any better.

The next day at practice, the dancers continue to give Yeon-seo a hard time. But when Chief Jung comes to pick her up, she lies that everyone treats her well. She imagines Dan there, catching her in her lie, and it shakes her up pretty bad. She tells Jung that she needs to go somewhere and runs off, with Kang-woo watching from afar.

Yeon-seo visits the church, and Hoo sighs at the sight of her, grumbling that Dan keeps bringing people here, haha.

Yeon-seo asks about Dan, confused as to why he would list his home as a church. Hoo vaguely answers that Dan was raised here, and Yeon-seo comes to the sad realization that she doesn’t really know anything about Dan’s life.

Hoo tells her not to look for Dan, firmly stating that this is the end for them. So she leaves the church dejected, wondering where else Dan could be. Someone then steps forward, but to her disappointment, it’s Kang-woo, not Dan.

Kang-woo takes Yeon-seo to the neighborhood bar, urging her to get over Dan once and for all. Kang-woo wants her to know that Dan isn’t the person she thinks he is, and that it’s possible that he’s deceiving her.

This angers Yeon-seo — she may not know everything about Dan, but she does know that he’s too transparent to be the deceiving type. Assuming this is about her lack of focus in practice, she tells Kang-woo not to worry; she managed after her parents died and she’ll manage now. With that, she storms out.

She wanders back to the park bench where she and Dan first met, and she desperately calls out, “Kim Dan, where are you?” She goes on to say that she feels like a mess without him, and we see that he’s actually standing behind the tree, listening. He clenches his jaw as she concludes, “I need you. I’m saying I need you.”

He comes out from behind the tree and tells her to get a hold of herself. She asks if it’s really him, thinking she’s imagining things again, but instead of answering, he coldly says that he never should’ve been nice to her.

Yeon-seo looks up at Dan, tears in her eyes as he continues that his feelings for her were a mere distraction — his way of dealing with the spoiled ice princess she is. So he suggests she find another guy who will actually stay by her side.

He turns to leave, but she clutches onto his arm. She refuses to watch him walk away again, so it’s her that’ll be walking away first. “Remember this,” she says, shaking with anger. “I’m leaving you. It’s you who will be left alone.”

Yeon-seo then leaves him there, only crying when she’s far enough away. And once she’s gone, Dan’s cold facade melts away to reveal his own heartache. He yells up to heaven, demanding to know what he should do and why no one is answering him.

Some time later, while caring for the grandma Mi-ok, Dan falls asleep and has another dream of younger him and Yeon-seo (though he’s still unaware that these dreams are his memories). This time, it’s about young Dan drawing a ballerina on a house with a blue gate. When he wakes up, he’s alarmed to see that Mi-ok is gone.

Dan finds Mi-ok outside in a field, trying to call her hubby on her voice-activated app (aww). When Dan approaches her, she asks him to lead her to that spot in the field. On the way there, she tells him of the day she prayed and Noel came to her. She’d worried she wasn’t as pretty as the “last time” they met, and he assured her that she was. The happy memory causes Mi-ok to collapse to the ground.

Mi-ok touches the grass before her, recognizing it as the spot where Noel disappeared. “Please return as a human in your next life,” she cries, clutching Noel’s handkerchief. “I’ll be your guardian angel.” Dan is surprised that she knew of Noel’s true identity — wasn’t she scared?

She replies that no one that kind-hearted could be scary. Noel had pretended to be the husband she lost thirty years before, playing along for the entire year they were together. Dan admits that he couldn’t do that; he ran away in fear of holding onto Yeon-seo and eventually hurting her.

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Goodbye is never easy

 

Mi-ok leans on Dan’s shoulder and gently says that she doesn’t regret anything, nor does she resent Noel. She weakly continues that she believes in fate, trailing off until she breathes her last breath. Seeing that she’s really gone, Dan holds her in his arms and cries.

After Dan says his last goodbye to Mi-ok by scattering her ashes in the field, he leaves town to figure things out. He wants to know what the deity’s ultimate plan is, and what He meant by sending him to Yeon-seo. He prays that if there’s just one reason for him to stay with her, that He help him find it. So Dan returns to the island where his dreams took place in hopes of finding something.

Back at Fantasia, it’s time for the self-judged auditions of “Giselle.” When it’s Nina’s turn, she dances with a blindfold on — one of teacher Elena’s ideas. However, Kang-woo stops her midway through, saying it wouldn’t work onstage. He has Yeon-seo go next, but he’s confused when she completely ditches the revenge theme and acts out Giselle’s heartbreak.

He asks her why she would portray the original Giselle, yelling that the character should be angry after being betrayed. However, Yeon-seo changed her mind, believing that the only way Giselle would’ve gone crazy was if she was sad.

“Because she loved [Albrecht] that much,” Yeon-seo finishes. She tells Kang-woo to watch for himself and then continues her routine.

As she dances, she channels Giselle’s emotions by thinking about Dan and how he’d cut their romance short when her feelings were still so strong. She turns to Kang-woo, using him as the Albrecht character, but all she sees is Dan.

With a sad smile and tears in her eyes, Yeon-seo reaches for Dan’s face and thinks, “I miss you.” She leans into him, which is when Kang-woo turns away and snaps her out of it. Confused but impressed with the performance, the other dancers slowly clap.

Meanwhile, on the island, Dan talks to some natives to ask about the house he’d seen in his dream. One native remembers the boy and the father who lived there, saying that they just disappeared one day.

Dan finds the house, now dark and empty, but immediately has to take cover when it starts to rain. He’s then hit with a memory of the boy running out into the rain and hiding behind a large jar.

The father, sloppy drunk, stumbled out with a club, knocked the jar over, and dragged his terrified son away. Dan wakes up, having seen all of that in another dream, and realizes that it’s morning. He goes over to the jar, curious, and opens it to find a gift box.

Dan remembers a young Yeon-seo throwing the box at the gate, upset that the boy wouldn’t come out to say goodbye to her. Dan opens the box and pulls out a photo of the two kids together, realizing that the boy is real — that the boy is him. He also pulls out a drawing depicting the day Yeon-seo first danced for him, the rainbow over her dancing figure.

As we see young Dan leaving his house to pick up the gift box, Dan narrates that he would get beaten whenever it rained. Because of that, he never went out after a rainfall, therefore, never saw a rainbow. That is, until Yeon-seo came along.

As Dan runs back to the beach, his narration continues that he wanted to be a grown-up for Yeon-seo and that he didn’t want to die. He reaches the pier, surprised to see Yeon-seo there. And then he sees the memory of young Yeon-seo asking his name.

“My name is…” he thinks, echoing the memory of his younger self. “Sung-woo. Yoo Sung-woo.”

   
COMMENTS

I think this drama is testing me, trying to see how many times it can break my heart in one episode. Because right now, all I can think about writing is This scene broke me and then that scene broke me and then, whoa, this freaking scene takes the cake. Yeah, you know which one I’m talking about. Somehow, that one short scene of Yeon-seo as Giselle made me feel the most sympathy for all four of our main characters. We had Yeon-seo imagining and longing for Dan; we had Kang-woo knowing exactly who she was thinking about; we had Nina having to witness an intimate moment between her crush and her rival. And then, of course, there was Dan in an entirely different place searching for a reason to stay. It’s scenes like this that make me forget any issues the drama may have.

The “Giselle” ballet was an interesting choice on Kang-woo’s (and the writer’s) part since our characters are pretty much acting it out in their real lives. It’s tough to see Yeon-seo so devastated because she was truly radiant when she was in her blissful state of love. For a while there, she seemed like a completely different person, always smiling and blushing. But she wasn’t different — Dan just happened to bring her old, sparkling self back. The old self that Driver Jo had so longed to see before he passed. And you would think that Dan snatching this blissful love away would make Yeon-seo as angry as Kang-woo wants her to be, but the only anger she’s shown has been a mask to her sadness.

I read up on the actual “Giselle” story, and it’s as lovely as the characters have made it out to be. For those who don’t know, after Giselle’s tragic death, she’s risen by these vengeful fairy-like creatures called the Wilis who wish to kill her lover Albrecht. However, Giselle’s love for Albrecht is so strong that she finds it in her heart to forgive him and try to save him from the Wilis. So going back to the drama, we know that Kang-woo is all for the vengeance and that Yeon-seo is all for the love. And now knowing the ballet’s plot, I worry that Kang-woo is going to embody the Wilis. Will he be true to his threats and really go after Dan? Will Yeon-seo have to jump in and do the saving? Or will our Writer-nim be like Kang-woo and spice things up by changing the outcome?

I was starting to doubt this writer once all the angel stuff became somewhat of a convoluted mess, but now that we’re getting more clarity on other storylines, I’m willing to hold off any judgment. For one, I kind of like where we’re going with Luna. She and Director Choi are still my least favorite part of the show, but now that we know more about them, I’ll admit it, my interest is piqued. Choi was into all the crazy scheming to keep something that she put her heart into, but what was Luna trying to keep? If Luna’s own mother is afraid of her current behavior, then that changes things. It makes me want to be afraid of her too. So good job, Show, you finally got me (sort of) into your villains.

I also think that the childhood storyline is going really well. The way the show mirrors the present with the past, the way the two eventually merge — it never fails to give me chills. The only downside is that this could lead to more suffering. Now, I didn’t want to say anything because I didn’t want to jinx it, but now that we’ve moved away from a lot of the comedy and into some serious drama, L’s performance is lacking. He’s great with the quieter emotional moments, but whenever he has to be cold or angry, I see him acting. I see the wheels turning in his head. It’s not enough to take me out of the moment, but it does make me wonder how certain scenes would be with a more nuanced actor. Still, I can’t deny the fact that I love him as Kim Dan. And I’m excited to see where he takes this character now that Dan has faced his past.

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My gosh that dancing scene was so so beautiful. The way it was shot, (the different angels showing Dan and the director), the music (the OSTs for this drama are pure love) and the acting (SHS is an absolute genius). I watched it like 10 times on repeat.

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Thanks @sailorjumun i have the same assessment for L, sadly. He was brilliant as the comedic relief in the earlier eps, and he broke my heart at the scene where he watched yeon so dance from afar in the cabin, but i felt like he wasn't the best in these last two eps. SHS honestly outshines all her costars. Im hoping L will get better.

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L is actually doing a far better job than in any previous role. But Shin Hye-sun is simply on a higher level than most actors and actresses. And in this show she is surpassing every performance she has previously done. There is simply no way for L to match that. Honestly, there a few actors who could come closer- but I cannot think of a single one who could match her.

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I agree! And i cannot picture any other actor playing Dan. But there are actors who are just as good as her. Yang Se-jong, for example, can act just as well as her (as shown in their last drama together Still 17. Park Bo Gum and Kang Ha neul also have the acting chops for it. (But again, i really dont picture them in the role and the latter was not even available at the time).

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I think that his acting is spot on. When L has to show the emotions and actions of a 10 year old boy in a twenty-something body, he is doing a remarkable job. He captures the innocence and naivety of a boy who, since his death, had no interaction with the human world. So, all his emotions are simple and on the surface. He also didn't understand the aunt's and cousin's lack of care and love for her niece, her cousin, because of his lack of human interaction the past 15 years. And I can see how frightening it was to learn to drive from a 10 year old standpoint. I was impressed with his acting in Miss Hammarubi. But, here, he really shines. What an outstanding performance in such a difficult role. Kudos!

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True! I'm agree with you and tbh if you try to be on his point of view during these past two episode he is started to be in a confused state... his mission, his feeling, and his memory that keep bothering him, he can't just let it go or do as Hoo said. But knowing that he try to find the answer to his dream (memory) i don't know again what will happen beside if i'm not wrong, from the teaser for next episode i saw him (Kim Dan not the young boy Seongwoo tho) like about to jump... I hope, i just hope that he will not try to commit suicide like Kangwoo~

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I agree, his anger actually worked for me. However there were some parts that were cringey. Like when he turned and walked away from Hoo after that dialogue? Idk, it felt like an angsty MV moment lol.

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I really liked the Giselle scene also. As a non-dancer, I can't tell if Shin Hyesun is dancing well or not, but it looks dang good to me. Also, does someone know, in ballet, can you just make up your own choreography like these dancers are doing? I thought there was a set choreography for each ballet.

I agree with you about L. He's actually one of my favorites, but when he does his characteristic flailing in a serious scene, it distracts me (for comic scenes, it's fine). When he can keep his body quiet, I think he's quite good.

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The choreography has to match the story and music- but in fact choreographers have a great deal of freedom in Ballet, which is why we remember great genius choreographers like Balanchine.

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I felt the same about L.. L'c character kinda reminded me of Son oh gong played by lee seung gi.. and ive seen how a mischievous character can be serious and heartbroken in the right actors hand ... sadly.. while i love his scenes particularly when the grandma died.. he is not up to THAT level.. the whole scene with him rejecting LYS just lacked.. that something.. still lets see what happens..
I think the preview dialogue " what do u mean he died" is about the young kim dan and not angel kim dan..
This episode was just heartbreaking an i am just HATING the director.. seriously does he think he owns her just cuz she looks like his dead lover? the way he is being too frank with her like he knows her..its so frustrating ugh..
KD is being a noble idiot.. and just to realize that KD has completely accepted that he will die and he ran away from her cuz she will sad when he does.. such a contrast from the earlier episodes when he just wanted to live
I think there is more to his mission.. cuz angel Ho was pretty shaken when he realized that Director is different from humans.. there is something else going on here and im just dyiiing of curiosity..
Just CANNOT wait for the next episode

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I actually wonder if the writer is simply having trouble with the God and all his Angels aspect of the story. You are right in pointing to Angel Hoo as exposing some of the problems here- As a higher order angel Hoo should now exactly who and what Kangwoo is.

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exactly.. especially since he knows his story..

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Angel's stuff is kind of confusing for me. Hoo couldn't recognize an angel in human body at the first sight? He has a lot of power like go back in time several times in a row, take the body he wants to, etc. So how did he know for Noel? And where Noel took his body? Kang Woo and Kim Dan's bodies were given for their mission : muse for human and cupidon but for Noel he didn't need a human body to guide the old woman to Heaven.

I miss so much their bickering, it was the best part.

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i know childhood tropes is sooo overused, but i really think it works for this drama! it reminds me a lot of 49 days and our grim reaper and his past life haha.

i still cant believe we're only half way in the drama? a little part of me is worried the 2nd half is going to be draggy as hell lol

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I'm glad someone finally brought up L's "acting." I started this drama but dropped it part way through because I really did not want to watch another drama where L overacted so many scenes. I hated it in the historical drama he was in and did not want to see it again. Maybe if he were an actor on the stage where it was okay to dramatically throw yourself into a scene it might be okay. But with television, people don't need or want to see that. It is much better to have the actor come across as natural and authentic in how they behave and how they move and perceive others. Their body language and facial expressions should fall within the limits of what we are expecting from people in that situation. But when I see L exaggerating his movement or his expression, it just feels embarrassing and makes me wish that Korea would stop using ordinary young people as actors. Young people that they have tried to turn into money making idols by teaching them to sing and dance and trying to teach them to become actors when they just aren't. Just because there is a large fan base for a person doesn't mean the talent to act is there. Singing and dancing in a group is one thing, but being a talented actor is something else entirely.

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I totally agreed, since the first episode i thought L is lacking but now there is more emotionally scenes and he has same expression every time...
SHS do all the work. I'm always impresse by her acting i'm addict to her... If Shin hye sun wasn't her i will drop this drama too.

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So this is it,shin hye sun is impressive as always, i think the two lead are just okay in their role maybe because i like the chem and ofc shinhyesun acting,no wonder im unable to be impressive with L performance..so there really is lacking somewhere. I can say this bcause never once i tried to watch L previous drama,this drama will be the only drama of him i'll ever watch unless he work with hyesun again. Thats it!!

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I really loved the opening scene where they took photos growing old together. It was sweet and sad and a little unreal, which is why she had to wake up before the kiss.

I cheered for YS when she cut Dan off during his rant in the park -- not only did she see right through him, but she also understood that it was time for him to see how it felt to be left behind. Dan has always come to this relationship from a point of superiority, and he has to come down to a human level if he wants to go one being with YS.

I thought the dance was amazing not just for the reasons that @sailorjumun mentioned, but also because KW for sure was seeing her as Seol-hee and struggling mightily to keep his composure. He saw her as someone else, and she saw him as someone else. This is a dead end for you, KW.

Last, it was moving to see Dan recover his sad memories and recover his gift from YS. The fact that it was still in that jar suggests two things: Dan died right after hiding it, and his abusive father died too.

The only big disconnect for me was Dan racing down to the dock after finding the box. It felt like he was running for his life or running to save someone -- what was that about? Show, why can't Dan take a thoughtful walk now and then? Even an impulsive young angel doesn't have to rush everywhere all the time.

I really wonder how he is going to explain that drawing. Is he going to admit to being that boy? Is he going to admit to having died?

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I didn't think I could stomach another childhood connection story, but since this one has me intrigued I will give it a pass (just this once though, lol!)

This was a tear jerking episode. Hopefully we will get a little relief from the sorrow next week.

I still can't believe that heaven punishes like it has been shown. There has to be something we are missing or that they are purposefully not sharing with the audience.

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Great review!! So far, I like where the drama is going. The soundtrack is also awesome, btw. It's going to be interesting to see if the writers will follow a similar ending as the original Giselle story. Now that we know a little more about Dan, I am curious about Angel Hoo and if he had any past human experience, particularly with Kim Dan. Like, who was Dan's abusive father? Hummmmmm....

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I hope that this dramaverse is not that perverted, to turn the abusive father into an angel-mentor. I won't be surprised if we come across him somehow but if he made it to heaven I will give up on this writer altogether.

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Thanks for the recap! I too am glad the aunt finally has a nuance—‘not a serial killer’ isn’t much of one, but ‘corporate shark freaked out by actual shark daughter’ is the most interesting we have got.

Love that Yeon Seo was waiting for Dan! ‘My beautiful timorous flower,’ she thought. ‘He is intimidated by the difference in our social status. HE PINES FROM AFAR. This is great news. I must trust him to overcome that so I may proceed to gift him with my hand in marriage and much luxury.’

L’s old white wig is like the sparkly gun of the angels, best forgotten!

I like that the angels find love with the elderly too sometimes! Noel got a year... it’s not nothing but it ain’t much. But I guess Dan wouldn’t even get a year with Hu right there giving him the beady eye.

Yeon Seo’s pining face when she danced for Dan! JW, finally doing the right thing pushing her away. Shin Hye Sun is SO GOOD. L I like—the only scene that stood out to me as awkward was the scene he had attacking that tree. But SHS I LOVE. She likes him sooo much and I can’t wait to see her huffily deny it.

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I'm just ignoring the Angel stuff for now. As SHS, she is a masterclass in acting and she is carrying this drama. Although, her dance wasn't particularly good the way she used her body and face to emote was exceptional. As for L, I will echo everyone else, he just was not up to par, unfortunately SHS makes it more glaring how amateur he is. That being said although I still roll my eyes at the childhood connection, in this drama it makes sense to use it as a loophole.

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I find it interesting how some people on this site seem to hate Myungsoo’s acting while Korean netizens are praising his acting. Is he at the level of Shin Hyesun? No. Is he a terrible actor? I really don’t think so. I think he’s been doing a really good job with this role. I personally love him as Dan so much. People have different opinions though. I’m just glad the majority seem to be admiring and praising his acting, especially the Korean public.

Anyways, Dan is really breaking my heart. I knew he was being abused but I hate that I was right. I’m nervous about how learning about his life as a human is going to change him in upcoming episodes... ;-;

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L has done a good job so far with what he's been given with his character. Though the scene with him grieving when the holmoni passed away was hard because he truly wasn't skilled enough to break our hearts. Maybe he will learn eventually the art of acting.
But right now I'm with you @moonbunny - I'm just feeling his lost, loving and honest feelings as Dan. Will save my critical thoughts and comments for other shows.

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agreed.. for me L is good.. he just lacks that taad bit of polishing .. otherwise he is delivering emotions well

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Ok, first off, that dancing scene was fantastic. I loved the way it was used to engage all the main characters emotions. So far I really appreciate the way dance is used in this show.

I usually hate childhood connection stories, but I'm not minding it here. I think because it's not an afterthought or used just to cement the fact that the OTP is "destined." Here, it's clearly playing into the greater picture and is weaved into the story nicely. Now that Dan is aware of his past, I'm curious how that will affect his view of both himself and his faith.

As for L's acting...it's nothing stellar, but I'm not bothered by it for the most part. Even though he comes off as still green, I do think he fits this role well enough that I can overlook it. The only time I couldn't was when he tried to act angry or cold, like @sailorjumun mentioned, but that goes against Dan's nature anyway, so I can tell myself it's that Dan's acting is bad 😉.

Lastly, I kinda love that Evil Aunt is scared of Evil Cousin. Karma.

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@ash27 Quirkycase, LOL, yes, it was Dan acting unnaturally opposed to his nature, since he's actually a positive, sweet and warm angel. Totally worked for me!

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The dancing scene was incredible (can't say enough about how amazing Shin Hye Sun is and that whole scene played out so beautifully), and I love how Yeon Seo totally shut down Kang Woo's complaining when she didn't go with the vengeful Giselle portrayal he wanted. I'm not familiar with the ballet, but sadness and forgiveness aren't weaknesses and the way she empathized with the character was more powerful than anything he had in mind.

I really love the development of the childhood backstory too. Most dramas just tack that kind of thing on as an afterthought, but here it's actually meaningful. I'm glad Dan figured things out so quickly too.

One thing that made me bust out laughing though is that scene with Choi and her husband. His somewhat pearl-clutching shock that his wife wasn't a monster who would murder her niece and Mr. Jo was silly and like, he just kind of goes about his day accepting that like it's a minor flaw.

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That scene between Evil Aunt and her husband cracked me up too. It was like he just took for granted that if there was a murder, his wife probably did it. 😂

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Exactly haha!

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How sad is that? smh. The husband and Nina just need to leave that household asap.

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Is it possible that Hoo Sunbae is actually Dan’s father in the past life? We didn’t see Dan’s father face... and the ajumma told Dan that the father and son suddenly disappeared one day....

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That would be cross. An evil becoming an angel?

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Yep, it's possible since it's K-drama. It could be a way to redeem his past mistakes. but we'll see... :)

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I don't think so... I mean look, Hoo is Dan Sunbae meanwhile young Kim Dan died before His Father, how could someone who died later become a sunbae and the fact that his father has been abusing him sooo...

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Question about Hu and KW scenes at the church. Why does Hu doesn't seem to realize that KW is not exactly a human being? Not sure what kind of being he is since it hasn't been revealed that part but seriously Hu? I thought he at least better than Dan since he is his superior.
So, I guess my theory about Hu actually the one who called all the shot aka the god himself can be thrown out the window~

I dont think KW can even muster an ounce of facade about his motive which is..not interesting... The way he acted, I feel like he'll snap even before he can achieve whether he wanted to do. I'm still not clear about that too tbh.

Luna suddenly becomes somewhat interesting but what exactly is her motivation? And can the villain duo coordinate with each other though?

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I thought he was god toooo.. i thought itd be a plot twist..like in goblin.. but after that i was like nope..

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So I’m not the only one who notices that we are moving on from real life imitating “Swan Lake”, to now, real life imitating “Giselle”, right?? 😅😅
I’m glad that DN is able to begin to find out about his past life, despite the childhood friends/lovers trope, and I’m excited to go deeper into finding out about how Dan’s past life, Yeon Seo’s childhood, the rain, and rainbows have an impact on Dan now as an angel.
Speaking of, I still feel that the most weak, cringe worthy—but mostly— the most off putting aspect of this show is, in fact, Hoo and the whole deity/God-but-not-really aspect..... Maybe it’s the writing, maybe it’s all the holes, maybe it’s the portrayal of it all, or maybe it’s just might be me being too sensitive being that I am a Christian, but this is actually the part of the show that just doesn’t have me invested 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

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@bebeswtz
By coincidence I was thinking about rain and rainbows and Dan's childhood too.

http://www.dramabeans.com/2019/06/angels-last-mission-love-episodes-15-16/#comment-3476744

How would you link real life to Swan Lake as opposed to now real life linked to Giselle?

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For Swan Lake:
- Yeon Seo, just like Odette, starts off not liking her own body and is actually extremely uncomfortable in it
- Dan, like the prince, is bound by a responsibility, and cannot justify abandoning said responsibility to be with the one he loves

For “Giselle” :
- Dan is basically being held back from loving Yeon Seo by otherworldly beings out of his control, and because of his constant denial of his feelings for her, Yeon Seo has feelings of betrayal

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I hate to admit it but yeah. You're quite right about Myungsoo's acting here.. Idk why but in Miss Hammurabi he was amazing in heavy emotional scenes with Go Ara, even when showing anger and pain. Here.. I noticed it right away in the first episode. I don't know but he was over acting at times in funny scenes. He reminds me of Lee Jun Ki in his earlier roles like in Iljimae. Lol.
Nonetheless, I'm still going to be here for this drama. I knew that Giselle performance was going to blow their (dancers) minds away. She remained true to her words "I'll make you love me" lol. Slay girl, slay.

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It pains me so much to know that Dan did indeed suffer from abuse as a child... 😭 did he die as a child though? If so, I wonder why he’s not a child now. He had wished to be a grownup so that he could protect Yeonseo. Maybe the deity changed him into an adult because of that? As for childhood connections in Dramas, I’m someone who doesn’t mind it at all even though I know it’s been overdone. I’m really enjoying it in this Drama because it has genuine importance to the plot and stuff. It’s not only for the romance between Dan and Yeonseo. There’s more meaning to it. Again, I don’t mind if it’s just for the romance of a story either though lol I’m such a sucker for romance. Absolutely loving Hyesun and Myungsoo’s portrayals of their characters as well. Obviously Hyesun is a fantastic actress but I do also think Myungsoo is doing a great job. His facial expressions and mannerisms and just the look in his eyes whenever he has to act out an emotional scene really tugs at my heartstrings. I know his acting isn’t everyone’s cup of tea on here but he’s definitely my cup of tea and has managed to make me tear up a couple times already in this Drama due to his performance. He keeps getting better and better with every Drama that he stars in in my opinion and I’m very proud of him.

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Thanks @sailorjumun
My thoughts on the rain, rainbows and names - re-posting my comments from another blog.

I’ve a theory that the rain is connected to significant times, to times of negative emotions or memories, including KW’s anger, negative vibes or whatever, and also in conjunction with Yeon Seo. In at least 2 instances, the 3 of them were near each other, or 2 of them were at loggerheads about Yeon Seo.

The first rain we saw when Dan was not yet assigned to YS was a rain that did not seem to wet both YS and Dan who sat on the same bench. Perhaps it was the advantage of being tuned towards heaven, and being more angel-like that kept Dan dry, and YS enjoyed that same privilege by being near him, but once he was given his assignment and made to become more human, he kept getting drenched.

As he becomes more human, the rain starts to bother him more, and from his memory, rainy days were when he was terrorized as a child. He said he never got out after the rain (maybe because he was so badly bruised!?) and so never got to see a rainbow, until that time YS danced for him on the beach.

The rainbow, as many probably know, has a lot of significance in the Bible. Not only is it beautiful, but it stands for the making of a covenant, (a promise that’s more than just a promise), the sign of a very close relationship.

On one level it is a sign of joy and clear skies again, but on a deeper level, it is a sign of the bond between YS and Dan.

When they were children, YS knew Dan by his real name, Yoo Seong Woo. It was a name that he no longer knew or remembered as an angel. He was given a new name, as he was called to a new role (also a Biblical thing). Now that he’s been allowed to remember and find his real name, I’m thinking the way is being opened for him to return to his human life. The advice given by the angel Noel seems to be giving him the way to go.

So back in childhood, the children knew each other by their real names and had a real bond, and the sky was clear and beautiful. By contrast, when matters are not clear or good between them, or with Kang Woo, the rain often pops up, or down, rather! This episode's last instance was when returned to his old home of frightening memories.

And I note that the photo had both Dan and YS in it with the rainbow overhead. Which begs the question, who else was there present, who took the photo?

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Could it be that simple -- that he suffered in the rain, he died in the rain, became an angel (in this dramaverse) because of his suffering and death, and so his angels wings react to the rain, reminding him of who he is now, like security against what happened in the rain?

Also -- good question, who took the photo? I hope it wasn't KW or Seol-hee. Maybe this question wasn't meant to have an answe?

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LOL that photographer question was just a random thought. Maybe has no significance. I'll just assume that Driver/Secretary Jo was taking care of YS and accompanied her on her rambles with Dan.

Yeah that rain thing is left to us to guess at. Your guess is as good as mine!

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@sailorjumun

Dan finds Mi-ok outside in a field, trying to call her hubby on her voice-activated app (aww). When Dan approaches her, she asks him to lead her to that spot in the field.

Over this scene, I feel that an important thing to also mention is not that Mi Ok merely asked Dan, but that she pretended to see Dan as Noel/her dead husband and because he too is softhearted and kind like Noel, he played along with her ... in that way, she got him to bring her to the reed field. Noel had done this for a year, and see where that got him!

My thoughts on understudys and substitutes ...

I was thinking that instead of having a picky artist that upset the muse that KW was, KW is now the picky muse, insisting that Yeon Seo should be the dancer inspired by him to dance his version of Giselle.

Definitely we can see that he’s aiming to groom Giselle to be Seol Hee’s understudy, but I rather think that he will fail, because YS is not about to just listen and obey, or play along the way Noel and Dan did.

Substitute husband - The old lady clung to Angel Noel, insisting on treating him as if he were her husband for a whole year, but after he was dissolved into the air, she does the same thing to Dan, deliberately speaking to him as if he were her husband. She gets him to play along being husband’s substitute so that he brings her to where she wants to go. Once he has served her purpose, she switches back to her coherent, rational self, showing that she knew full well who Dan was and who Noel was as well.

In other words, she was never demented or confused. It’s terrible, this disease of ruthlessly lying and deceiving, of using others as a substitute, and focusing obsessively on the substitute to attain certain ends. Then, without remorse or apology that her deliberate deception caused untold harm to the substitute, (Noel) she continues on her selfish way.

A foreshadowing of what YS will be in for if she dances to KW’s tune.

Ni Na no longer wants to be YS’ understudy or shadow. It is better that she has initiated gaining greater competence and confidence in dance to beat YS, rather than just crying over her lack of confidence, but it’s also concerning that she has chosen Teacher Elena to be her guide. Elena’s methods from hearsay sounded pretty extreme. Practically drowning Ni Na in a tub of water to get her to experience what she was to dance, might not be the most healthy sort of training.

(Hmm side note: So not only was YS and Dan almost drowned at some time but Ni Na was too?)

Show has not made it clear what KW’s ultimate aim is. Does he want to become mortal and die, or act like god in creating his own Seol Hee to live with on earth or what? If the long dark tunnel he was in for 15 years was life on earth without Seol Hee, then by saying that he sees the exit in YS, it sounds like the latter goal may be his intent.

His ballet, Giselle, will take revenge on Albrecht instead of redeeming...

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His ballet, Giselle, will take revenge on Albrecht instead of redeeming both him and herself. The ballet will not end in hope but in a total tragedy without hope of salvation, choosing in death to do wrong rather than forgive; in fact re-entering the tunnel with no exit.

(A different interpretation of how KW inhabits a character in Giselle) - The irony is that he is playing the role of Albrecht by luring YS into the ballet as his ‘prima ballerina’, when actually he sees her as Seol Hee’s understudy, and because his heart is already bethrothed to Seol Hee.

If anything, Seol Hee (being already dead) should be the Wilis that returns from the grave to kill him, not Yeon Seo. (Heh! Seol Hee's ghost should return to get him good for trying to set up YS as her understudy). But his ballet Giselle, is setting the stage to destroy no one else but himself. Does he not see it or is it his plan?

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Isn’t KW taking on the “role” of the queen of the Wilis, trying to get Giselle (YS) to dance a dance of vengeance and death, instead of a dance of love and forgiveness? KW is in rebellion against his deity, not trying to complete a previous mission, I think.

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That's a good one @hebang. Yes KW is no longer bothering about any mission except the one he has decided on for himself. I'm not entirely clear about what it is as yet, other than to get YS to replace Seol Hee as Giselle.. and then what? Does it to give him closure or something?

And yes, from different angles, we can interpret who's whom in Giselle differently. I liked the interpretation where (and here once again I quote 'Bitches':
"Giselle: the Dead Girl (aka Matilde) then, YeonSeo now
Duke Albrecht: Kangwoo
Hilarion: Angel Dan
The Real Fiancée: God"

LOL ... God entered the ballet as a character. KW, was 'engaged' to God. His job was to love and obey God. But he abandoned God for Giselle. Bitches says he went to the church with Seol Hee/Matilde to declare his break-up with God and he returned the handkerchief as a sign of leave-taking (and this next part is from me - although it's usually the female role) ... like how a girl returns the engagement ring at a break-up. 😆

Cute interpretation, huh? There's no wrong answer. We can all interpret anyone to be any character in Giselle as long as some parts of the roles fit.

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So, any thoughts on how the different threads of “conflict” will drive the middle part of this drama? We’ve had a wonderful introduction of the main characters and their relationships... in some ways, they seem like the standard tropes - chaebol politics for control of Fantasia, “love (obsession)” triangle Nina -> KW -> YS, second female lead possibly about to go off the rails (hope not!), ... various (so far) card board villains, ...

Wondering how they can keep the quality up?

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I like this theme of obsession (no matter how annoying it is as a viewer). We have people obsessing over power, over success, over loved ones.. I'm honestly surprised Nina or Kangwoo haven't snapped considering how tightly wound up they are. I think some major breakdowns are in their future..

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Although I really don't want Luna to go too far. Competition or not, she and Yeonseo could still be friends.

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Whoops meant **Nina.

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What's with the weird whispery voices whenever Luna has a scary moment, though?

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Whispery voices!!! I thought I was imagining it ... I heard it once in the last episode. Do you mean it has happened several times? Oh dear ... Luna only or both Luna and Ni Na?

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Omg! I thought i was crazy. But WTF was that?

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@drunkfairy12 @curious
That's scary ... smacks of the spirits possessing people in shows like The Guest!. Maybe Luna is possessed!

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or maybe just schizophrenic?

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Like I know the Aunt is evil and power hungry but Luna is just straight up creepy. You're right @growingbeautifully haha, she's probs possessed!

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I also think that this role was tailor made just for L, cause I can't imagine anyone else acting this role. And yeah I have been also reading about netizen praising Myung Soo's acting so it comes as a surprise to see that at least the critical ones are favoring him this time lol.
I'm with you on this. I love his performance and to me all the scenes of him seemed convincing and integrated to the story, may be cause I'm too invested in the story to think otherwise. But anyhow I won't go that far to call him lacking or 'acting' his scenes , he's way better than that IMO. It's the opposite for me. I was pleasantly surprised by his performance in this show, from the start. ( And I love the leads L-shin hye sun together, way more than the pairing from her last drama, where I thought the chemistry was lacking). I just think some people does show their expression/sorrow in a reserved way and I thought he is one of them. I especially like him in the silent mute scenes so I have no complain at least lol. Although the drama is going through the heratbreak phases now, since I'm a sucker for these type of scenes, I'm enjoying it as it lasts. ;)

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*My comment was in reply to @moonbunny -_-

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Ah so happy to see that you’re enjoying Myungsoo’s performance as Dan like I am! Yeah, I really can’t picture anyone else playing the role. I feel like it was made for him too! The chemistry between the two leads is absolutely amazing as well. For me all they need to do is simply look at each other and I get intense feels lol 😆

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It's been a while since I felt like that too, but it's true. I've said before, I came to this show for everyone but L, but he's really turned me around and now I find him one of the best reasons to watch the show.

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"The “Giselle” ballet was an interesting choice on Kang-woo’s (and the writer’s) part since our characters are pretty much acting it out in their real lives. "@sailorjumun

There's this director Carlos Saura and his Tango is a beautiful movie where there's the real life so entangled with that one on stage that when you know the meaning of the play or type of dance you can understand better the actual plot. He made the same with Ravel's opera Bolero and called it simply Carmen. I love these gems with beautiful music and it looks like that the writer might know this spanish director.

I don't mind the mythological and religious cocktail because there's only one main God at the end with different names. There's a huge difference between Old Testament and the New one, at least the new one doesn't call for bloody revenge and I will just enjoy it and see where writer's imagination can go.

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SHS's acting is just sooo powerful. Like for all or any fallouts of this show simply goes under the rug because of SHS. You can truly feel the longing, the grief, the happiness and literally every emotion she feels. She nails every scene. Hope she gets recognized for the work she's putting in. AND THAT DANCE.

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Luna was and is really creepy as hell ! Please KdramaGod make her pays for what she did if she is the real responsible of the sabotage which lead to Mr Jo death and every Yeon-seo accidents. I don't want the writer to forget that she is a murderer. The strange voice when she appears ... Is she possessed by some evils ?
I love this show but I am a bit frustrated because we don't see the main lead together a lot ...
Shin Hye Sun is marvelous *.*

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I really got annoyed this episode. As if company politics is not enough I thought the ballet troupe’s treatment of the owner of the company was too over the top and unrealistic pettiness and this started to ruin the show for me. I hope it won’t last long. Giving her the cold shoulder and making her unwanted is okay but do it subtly, there’s no need for the childish pushing and shoving.

The bait and switch from aunt to cousin as the main villain didn’t work for me either. It would have worked better if they made her ambiguous or sympathetic in the beginning.

At some point I got he impression that Kang Woo may have the same mission with Dan of making Yeon Seo love.

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Agree with you except the last point.

I think Kang Woo's mission is more like vengeance. Admitted I have not been paying much attention these past two episodes but my impression is that Kang Woo is resurrecting the ghost of Seol Hee through her doppelganger Yeon Seo. Through Yeon Seo, Seol Hee is going to dance on the big stage and sneer at the gods. It's not love but hate.

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“It's not love but hate.”
Absolutely! KW’s intentions are telegraphed by his attempt to change Giselle from a story of love leading to forgiveness to a story of hate and vengeance. At this point, KW is acting like the queen of the Wilis in Giselle.

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Not necessarily intentions but mission.... I realize it was something I saw in the preview that made me think that so we can discuss once we see it in context next week.

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KW's mission was to be a muse, then he quit. I don't think he could possibly have a mission now. He's made it clear he's on his own mission and God better not get in the way.

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Ooh, I think you may be right, and that's truly scary -- he doesn't just want YS to take SH's place, but he wants her to become a vehicle for SH herself? Very scary.

The only thing is, I doubt very much from what we've seen of SH that she would go along with it, and I even dare say that she would not love who KW has become in his quest for vengeance.

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I prefer this episode a whole lot more than the previous one. The story focused on the main 3 and less about the company politics.

Hopefully, we get more angels and love and mythos rather than company hot potato.

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The female in a ballet is always the lead, the superstar, the center. The male is there to support. I found that ironic in this drama as well. SHS is the lead and L is there to support. The show shines because of SHS.
It's the first time I watch these two in a drama and I would say this - I would go back and watch other performance of SHS. I can't imagine how hard she trained to play this role. I assume they use body double in some of the dance scene but there are scenes that SHS did her own (such as the ones in the studio).

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There are male superstars in ballet. At the height of his career Rudolph Nureyev was more famous than any ballerina in the world- and in fact one of the most famous performing artists of any kind in the world.

Even before this drama I have always that that Shin Hye-sun must have had some training in ballet. She has always carried herself like a ballerina (except for when it was inconsistent with the role) and she would naturally have been encouraged to take such training given that she actually has the body of a ballerina.

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Right when I thought I had this figured out the writer changed the story of Mi-ok and angel Noel. Frankly, I am disappointed. We were led to believe in the previous episode that Noel and Mi-ok were together for a long time- it turns out it was only a year.

At the beginning many of us wondered if one of the inspirations for this story might be the (very good) movie BLACK SWAN. Not so much, even if Yeon-seo’s cousin is named Ni-na. Now we are wondering if perhaps this is a twisted retelling of GISELLE, with a female Duke Albrecht (Yeon-seo). Whatever this is it is clear that the writer is having real difficulty melding a story about ballet, love, corporate and family struggles plus God and Angels into a cohesive whole.

I am left wondering at just how much the writer understands ballet. Supposedly Kang-woo is a genius artistic director. So why would he try to turn GISELLE into a story about vengeance? That is not a stroke of genius- it is the mark of a pretentious incompetent: It simply does not work because now the story no longer fits the music. Ballet choreographers have a lot of freedom and leeway- one SWAN LAKE can be very different from another SWAN LAKE, but whatever innovation or variation the director may want to make there is one absolutely inflexible rule that he or she must follow: The dance must be true to the music. What Kang-woo says that he wants to do violates that simple principle and would be a total disaster on stage, no matter how good the dancers are or how well they practiced.

The actual dancing in this show has been wonderful. Clearly the director has been assisted by someone who truly does know ballet. Watching Yeon-seo’s dance on the beach was a real delight. So was her demonstration to Kang-woo of what Giselle’s real feelings and motivation were. Ballet can be absolutely wonderful- and we are getting a taste of that. Perhaps some Beanies who have never seen a live performance will be inspired to go to one. I saw my first live performance when I was eight years old (it was SWAN LAKE) and I can still remember it.

With all of its flaws this continues to be my favorite drama. And with each episode I become an even bigger fan of Shin Hye-sun.

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i think, Runa want to kill Yeonseo because she want her sister Nina to still be main balerina?

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Does anyone know a website where I can get the background music? I'm not talking about the OSTs now... I mean those melodic instrument only music played when a special event is about to take place....

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I think you said it all but WOW Shin Hyesun's dance! Her crush on Dan had been cute so far but it's only then I realize how much he really means to her. The pain in her eyes was intense. im not liking Kangwoo but i felt bad for him there too. Amazing scene.

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