Here are my Mr. Sunshine episode 10 thoughts because I’m always too impatient for the recaps. Compared to episode 9, number 10 really engaged me emotionally and brought back some much-needed humor.

-> I think it took me until last episode, but I finally realized that Lee Byung-heon’s mouth is a little lopsided. The right side of his lips is a little bigger than the left. Lip fillers that are unevenly dissolving away, perhaps? Or is his mouth just naturally like that? No hate, just an observation.

-> We all know the cinematography is top notch. But I wanted to reiterate how absolutely gorgeous the frozen lake scene was. Someone deserves an Oscar for these sweeping shots.

-> The little boy teaching Eugene how to write had me weak. What a reversal, with Eugene grumbling about having to sit up straight.

-> This emperor has a little more hutzpah to him than I originally gave him credit for. Too bad his refusal to appoint big baddie Wan-ik as the new ambassador of foreign affairs will likely backfire and cause some more deaths in the near future…

-> The fortune teller girl is so. Pretty. And appears to be mute??? What’s her story?! I want to know!

-> The slap. The. SLAP!

-> And then Dong-mae smiling so obviously that his right-hand man noticed… Dong-mae goes from hot to cold and back again so quickly, yet he stays in tune with his character. He got slapped by Ae-shin, but he didn’t lash out violently toward her. Instead, he continued with his negotiation, albeit fuming, and walked away without hurting anyone else anymore. Had anyone else slapped Dong-mae but Ae-shin, they would have died right then and there. It proves how much Dong-mae cares about Ae-shin’s opinion of him, be it positive or negative, and how much he dwells on what she thinks about him. He smiled because she wants him alive when during their last confrontation she’d wanted him dead. Dong-mae doesn’t necessarily seek her approval but does want her acknowledgement in any form.

-> The reluctant bromance is everything. I love the trio interacting and threatening one another so very diplomatically.

-> Gwan-su’s little happy dance when he saw Eugene! Kyle and Gwan-su make a great comedic duo. I hope nothing bad ever happens to them!

-> Like: Gwan-su having a coughing fit and saying to Kyle, “We got busted! Plan B! Plan B!” when Eugene saw right through their made-up story about getting robbed by bandits. LOL.

-> AND: Kyle having fun on the frozen lake and then falling down, drink in hand. “I’m okay! I’m okay!” You can really tell David McInnis is having a blast.

-> Eugene putting together why the size of their chickens got larger had me wheezing for air. It was just so unexpected and funny.

-> Dong-mae giving his candies to the butcher woman and her son… He still remembers his origins, the pain his family endured, and shows a bit of humanity at unexpected times. He carries sympathy and shows it on occasion, as well as immense sorrow that comes out to the world in anger. (I’ll refrain from writing another long essay on Dong-mae’s personality, but it’s taking so much effort not to!)

-> Now we have the mystery of Hina’s mother. If she’s alive, who will she turn out to be? This seems to be Hina’s only plot point at this time in the story besides being jealous that Ae-shin has hordes of gentlemen after her. Hina has a bad relationship with her father and is looking for her mother. This show really loves tragic mother figures, doesn’t it?

-> Hina collecting the bill from the emperor for his coffee — girl is a businesswoman through and through!

-> Snow, Sunshine, Star, Sky… Moonlight, Miracle, Mister… How poetic. It’s pretty heavy-handed, but it works. And together with gorgeous Kim Tae-ri shedding a big, fat single tear and the beautiful, silent snow twinkling like stars — this episode’s ending was absolutely breathtaking. And sad. A sad ending. It’s all coming together now!

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    Have been wondering about the backstory of the mute geisha since she graced the screen. She is very pretty. Had a feeling he saved her once and brought her in.

    I felt the slap was awesomely executed. And his controlled anger, her as well… this is what satisfaction means in drama-watching. Yujo was so dumbfounded with the after effects to his boss, he forgot he was supposed to converse in Japanese…hehehe

    Wish for that little boy as my personal tutor, most probably I will be more fluent now *sigh*… that scene reminds me of my own weird sounds trying to learn those vowels and consonants years back.

    Keep on writing about DM, dear. Many of us would be glad to read such delightful insights from you. Let it go…. let it go…. *wink*

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      Oh, you don’t have to worry that I’ll stop writing about Dong-mae, I will always have something to say about him!

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    The recent petition, do you think will affect the actor’s career. I have a bit of concern but I hope all gonna be well.

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      I also hope YYS and none of the other actors get personal/career backlash because of it.

      Koreans still seem very sensitive about the Japanese when they’re portrayed as anything but bad/evil. I don’t see this show as painting the Japanese in a good light at all, though — they’re power-hungry schemers and some are needlessly violent. I also don’t see a problem with Dong-mae’s alignment. As seen in previous episodes, he’s not exactly “warm” with any of the Japanese and just seems to put up with them for his own gains.

      While I’m not Korean and therefore don’t have all that history tangled up with my culture, I have an open mind when it comes to reinterpretation and storytelling, so I view the petition, which I believe also targets other historical inaccuracies, as a bit… over-dramatic?? (I’m sure there’s a better word, I just can’t think of one.) It’s a sensitive subject for some, but I feel like the international audience doesn’t have a problem with the politics of this show.

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    Thanks for the insight, Tim!

    I don’t know that much about Korea’s history prior to the Japanese occupation, but it makes sense that while the emperor wanted to keep Korea independent, there was just too much going against him.

    While I’d prefer Dong-mae to survive through the whole show, I do hope that if he is offed somehow, it’s very close to or during finale week. Dong-mae is such an important part of this story and without him there will be a huge hole. This will likely become one of Yoo Yeon-seok’s more notable/memorable roles. And I agree: if anything, people will remember Mr. Sunshine for him, the cinematography, and Kim Eun-sook’s (successful, dare I say that yet?) foray into the historical genre.

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