Secretary Life of My Secret Episode 11 and 12
So as much as I wanted the lie to end several episodes ago I think there is some merit in them taking it this far.
1. Use of conflict. Yes we have to suspend all kinds of disbelief that he didn’t figure it out earlier but I think this is one of the better ways to have conflict between the leads for so long.
Let’s compare to other dramas for a second.
In WWWSK they had this weird shoehorned side plot about being kidnapped as a child and his trauma and their childhood connection. Once that was resolved there was NO tension in the drama at all. If you can stomach sickening sweet fluff and fan service for half a show, fine, but if you’d rather there was actually even the bare bones of a story this is incredibly boring and annoying. WWWSK had a terrible use of conflict.
In Stranger Living In Our House, he married her mum to save the house, then there this whole backstory with her dad and his life in a gang. The latter from what I remember is resolved fairly painlessly, and then for some reason for the last five episodes they decide to drag out the whole marriage to the mum thing and it’s a way bigger issue than it needed to be and nobody does anything and it’s boring. Except for Jo Boa. She saves it. SLIMH also does not handle it’s conflict well.
Healer feels like a 16 Episode show. (It’s not it’s 20). Why? Because OF ITS USE OF CONFLICT AND TENSION. Ahem. It’s fast paced, never boring (at least for me), and all the stakes seem important and like they should belong where they do. The main couple has a period of not always being able to see each other (because he was framed for murder and is wanted not because she doesn’t believe him/noble idiocy. Ohmygosh healer I love you). Anyway at around the 16 Episode mark, our couple is together but facing real not forced conflict produced by the plot and it’s good and it works! And it holds out for 4 more episodes! It’s done really well. The conflict to the romance is ofc maintained mostly because healer is not a rom com, but I guess my point is Healer has a good use of conflict because it’s plot is not stupid and carries it all the way. ROM coms, take notes. Anyway next example.
In HPL, there is also this like past trauma and childhood connection trope which is supposed to drive conflict (ugh). However in this show, you didn’t actually need it. It felt forced, and only really existed to get us to 16 episodes not because it works in the story at all. Also it never was an issue between our leads so why was it there at all. Shades of WWWSK. HPL has bad use of conflict but not as bad as some shows.
INAR, has one of the better uses of holy shit our lead has an trauma/phobia/thing driven conflict because for him it’s actually fatal. It’s important to the story, it always is and it never seems out of place. Any conflict that comes between the two is based in the story and not shoehorned in or prolonged to get to an episode count or shock factor or unnecessary angst oh my well done INAR, you get high marks for use of conflict! Woohoo!
My overall point of this is that despite this show’s other flaws, and that yes this lie COULD have been resolved earlier I think it may actually be a good thing for the show. Because it’s a conflict that, while absurd in parts, makes sense (at least as much sense as the rest of this drama does). Gal Hee’s actions are backed up by her character. Veronica’s actions are also backed up by her character. Min Ik’s REactions are backed up by his character. The lie, that is the conflict, while terrible, is based in the story, that is Min Ik’s face blindness. (The weird side murder fish cult story idk about yet. It’s not the main source of conflict though for which I am grateful because THAT would be forced).
And guys, most of us aren’t bored yet, are we? (Some of us might be but) I’m not. It’s annoying as heck but it’s not as bad as the bad examples I mentioned previously. I’m still invested in the story. I was thinking I might ffwwd episode 11 but then I didn’t need to. Wow. I also think that if they’d resolved if earlier, then either a) this would drag so much more, because they would have got together way earlier and it’d be gross fluff for ages or b) they’d have to have pulled more of the family status conflict thing or noble idiocy or something else entirely and honestly nobody needs that. This direction, whilst still silly in a lot of ways, avoids all that. No, this show doesn’t have the best use of conflict at all, but it could be worse and I think dragging out the lie here actually works in its favour.
2. He gets to fall for Gal Hee as herself in spite of the lie. He chose Gal Hee his secretary over the Veronica he thinks he knows and likes. He chose her as HER, not her pretending to be someone else. I think this is really important because if she’d told him sooner, it may have seemed like he only fell for her because she was His Veronica. Instead he gets to fall for Gal Hee as Gal Hee in spite of everything else, which means his feelings for her as herself are genuine and I really like that. As he says, he fell for “Veronica” BECAUSE she was so like his Gal Hee.
The fallout hurts even more because we know Gal Hee is the one he trusted with his face blindness and his heart, yes, but I’m glad he fell for her authentically, because that will be a big reason why they make up. (Instead of something like Oh My Ghostess which despite the acting I can’t finish because he basically falls for possessed her and not the real her)
3. Gal Hee learns just how awful this lie is and how much it hurts him and her and has to suffer the full consequences for her actions. That two minutes with Veronica in her office in yesterday’s episode (11) and Gal Hee breaking down saying she couldn’t do it was superb. At first when Veronica pretended to be her secretary and kept encouraging the lie I was like that’s a bit mean, but wait why don’t I hate her? And then it became more clear. Gal Hee needed to know just how bad this whole idea was. She’s wanted to tell him for ages but because it kept being thwarted she was like.. well one more time right? Just? One more? Until she couldn’t even face him anymore. She likes him too much for that. I think that’s really important. If it hadn’t addressed this then it would seem like they were encouraging a little lying here or there, or they may have tried to write it away with him never knowing.
I actually really enjoyed episode 12. I wasn’t sure of how they were going to do the reveal, and part of me still wishes to have seen her confess everything properly once and for all, but first of all seeing Gal Hee stick to her guns about wanting to confess whether or not Veronica would support him as president, and then seeing him slowly (finally) realise and watch him break down over the course of the episode was oh so painful but oh so good. I do really hope they give Gal Hee a chance to confess and explain, but since we still have four episodes left there is plenty time for angst and make up. (and also the Secretary Fish Cult drama to make an appearance)
The way it happened means Gal Hee can’t escape this lie at all. She can’t confess and then just run away, she has to face everything head on. And *fingers crossed* as long as they conclude this well *Cynical Me is Screaming* I think this is a really good step in the final development. She knows she took it too far and now she knows exactly what she did to him. Honestly I’m digging the angst now. It’s so JUICY. And KYK is so bloody good at crying.
*shoutout to @madkdr and @coffeprince4eva for watching 23+24 (aka 12) with me today; twas fun!!!* *tagging @inkcityxx cos you mentioned something similar in the recap*
ooh thanks for the tag *heartu* i agree with your post 100% and i LOLd that the comparison dramas are PMY’s dramas. It’s hard to think of shows which have used angst in a logical way that is true to the dramas theme. Healer is a perfect example of pacing in the romantic development, which i’m glad you mentioned, that had enough real angst to keep it interesting and INAR which was done oh so good and tugged at my heartstrings.
that entire outing scene was acted so well and both of them crying really made me feel for them because the betrayal was felt on both ends (Gal Hee knows how much she hurt him and wanted to tell him her reasons but couldn’t because his outburst made her lose her thoughts).
as much as i think i like fluff these kind of shows have proven that i don’t, because i’m in for the juicy angst and PAIN!
It wasn’t on purpose that they were all PMY dramas I swear… hahaha
Yes this drama really kills it in the main acting rolls. Story might be weird and wacky and questionable at times but one cannot deny they are acting the heck out of it.
Angst done well is just so satisfying. Angst done badly is tear my hair out worthy haha.
You nailed it @Sicarius – yesterday at one point I was thinking that they had to do this reveal in the way they did so that he would find out who it was that he loved.
You wrote this better than I can – but this show has really kept everyone’s attention so far. Now I think we can see why.
But add to his his sense of betrayal by his best friend – auggh.
Poor Min-ik – he really is hurting…..
Great post anyway!
This is spot-on, Sic. I never knew I would enjoy the angst part in a romcom this much, but you’re right that this particular angst is so juicy. I was worried about the revelation, but the writer and PD nailed it. Min-ik’s slow realization and subsequent breaking down in eps 12 was super stress-inducing, yet I couldn’t look away. I hope they can maintain it for the last 4 eps.
Yay! for Healer!! I do so agree with you @sicarius over why the other rom-coms failed with the lack of conflict or the forced conflict.
Actually, although I knew it was ridiculous that Min Ik couldn’t recognise Gal Hee’s voice, the long lie never bothered me. He may have lost so much confidence that he didn’t trust his other senses which told him that the similarities meant that this girl was the same girl as Gal Hee.
That yellow, folded over band aid on her finger should have given the game away immediately, but he still chose to believe that the girl in front of him was not lying to him. And this from a guy who’d been changing secretaries each year out of fear of betrayal. He also trusted Dae Gu regardless of what the police found out.
It really says something about his character that he chooses to trust, when evidence is against it. He’s one eminently likable ML although he did have his moments when I could have knocked him on the head. He became a better guy, which is all I ask for in all my shows.
Now that we’re on the other side of this drama, I can fully appreciate the decision to prolong the lie.
I definitely was starting to get frustrated somewhere before he ran into her at the jjimjilbang (although the whole bit at the jjimjilbang is one of my favorite parts, lol), because if it had been me, I would have ended the lie long before that. But then I started misreading some of the subtextual hints the drama was dropping and interpreting them as him already knowing/suspecting, and I stopped feeling frustrated like everyone else was (a blessing in disguise, probably). Now I look back at that part of the drama, and I realize just what the writers were trying to do, and I honestly think they achieved their goal.
The main problem with romance themed Asian dramas is most writers just don’t know how to create meaningful plot development After bringing their couple together. The main conceit is, obviously, the romance, and the writers don’t think much past that. Thus most romance themed dramas rely on drawing out the conflict as long as possible, because they don’t know what else to do. This is also part of why dramas like Healer are so good, because the writers took the time to think Beyond the romance and ensure it wouldn’t be a hindrance to the overall plot/they weren’t afraid of letting their couple be happy together and let other aspects of the story drive the conflict. It’s something I wish we saw more dramas do. I get tired of every romance themed drama keeping our leads apart until the final hour. I don’t want to never see it again, because when done well it’s enjoyable to watch, but I would like to see writers branch out from that a little more.
The thing about Healer is that it’s not first and foremost a romcom. It’s an action movie with crime, thriller and romcom elements. So it’s main concept of not the romance, it’s the big story behind the plot.
The other thing about Healer is that it balances all its bits VERY well. Better than most other shows of any of its subgenres.
It has a good back story, bolstered by the good writing so that the plot isn’t hampered by many plot holes. It has good pacing and it knows when to have romance heavy episodes, action and thriller heavy episodes and character heavy episodes for emotional investment.
I think more shows need to do what healer does too, except that it’s VERY HARD and most romcoms don’t fit a side plot of action, in fact many try and fail miserably. (Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, WWWSK).
Alternatively you need a romcom plot which is interesting on its own (rare), or go for a diff style (say, slice of life)
You’re right, and Healer might not be the best example, but I do feel like most rom-coms still usually have some sort of secondary plotline outside of the romance that could get a little more focus in the last few episodes so as to take some of the burden off creating more conflict in a romance that is usually way past due being resolved, and I think if more writers did that, you might see fewer dramas where the romance is great…until they throw an unnecessary wrench (amnesia, time jump, alien abduction) into it at the end.
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💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜
June 12, 2019 at 2:06 AM
Secretary Life of My Secret Episode 11 and 12
So as much as I wanted the lie to end several episodes ago I think there is some merit in them taking it this far.
1. Use of conflict. Yes we have to suspend all kinds of disbelief that he didn’t figure it out earlier but I think this is one of the better ways to have conflict between the leads for so long.
Let’s compare to other dramas for a second.
In WWWSK they had this weird shoehorned side plot about being kidnapped as a child and his trauma and their childhood connection. Once that was resolved there was NO tension in the drama at all. If you can stomach sickening sweet fluff and fan service for half a show, fine, but if you’d rather there was actually even the bare bones of a story this is incredibly boring and annoying. WWWSK had a terrible use of conflict.
In Stranger Living In Our House, he married her mum to save the house, then there this whole backstory with her dad and his life in a gang. The latter from what I remember is resolved fairly painlessly, and then for some reason for the last five episodes they decide to drag out the whole marriage to the mum thing and it’s a way bigger issue than it needed to be and nobody does anything and it’s boring. Except for Jo Boa. She saves it. SLIMH also does not handle it’s conflict well.
Healer feels like a 16 Episode show. (It’s not it’s 20). Why? Because OF ITS USE OF CONFLICT AND TENSION. Ahem. It’s fast paced, never boring (at least for me), and all the stakes seem important and like they should belong where they do. The main couple has a period of not always being able to see each other (because he was framed for murder and is wanted not because she doesn’t believe him/noble idiocy. Ohmygosh healer I love you). Anyway at around the 16 Episode mark, our couple is together but facing real not forced conflict produced by the plot and it’s good and it works! And it holds out for 4 more episodes! It’s done really well. The conflict to the romance is ofc maintained mostly because healer is not a rom com, but I guess my point is Healer has a good use of conflict because it’s plot is not stupid and carries it all the way. ROM coms, take notes. Anyway next example.
In HPL, there is also this like past trauma and childhood connection trope which is supposed to drive conflict (ugh). However in this show, you didn’t actually need it. It felt forced, and only really existed to get us to 16 episodes not because it works in the story at all. Also it never was an issue between our leads so why was it there at all. Shades of WWWSK. HPL has bad use of conflict but not as bad as some shows.
INAR, has one of the better uses of holy shit our lead has an trauma/phobia/thing driven conflict because for him it’s actually fatal. It’s important to the story, it always is and it never seems out of place. Any conflict that comes between the two is based in the story and not shoehorned in or prolonged to get to an episode count or shock factor or unnecessary angst oh my well done INAR, you get high marks for use of conflict! Woohoo!
My overall point of this is that despite this show’s other flaws, and that yes this lie COULD have been resolved earlier I think it may actually be a good thing for the show. Because it’s a conflict that, while absurd in parts, makes sense (at least as much sense as the rest of this drama does). Gal Hee’s actions are backed up by her character. Veronica’s actions are also backed up by her character. Min Ik’s REactions are backed up by his character. The lie, that is the conflict, while terrible, is based in the story, that is Min Ik’s face blindness. (The weird side murder fish cult story idk about yet. It’s not the main source of conflict though for which I am grateful because THAT would be forced).
And guys, most of us aren’t bored yet, are we? (Some of us might be but) I’m not. It’s annoying as heck but it’s not as bad as the bad examples I mentioned previously. I’m still invested in the story. I was thinking I might ffwwd episode 11 but then I didn’t need to. Wow. I also think that if they’d resolved if earlier, then either a) this would drag so much more, because they would have got together way earlier and it’d be gross fluff for ages or b) they’d have to have pulled more of the family status conflict thing or noble idiocy or something else entirely and honestly nobody needs that. This direction, whilst still silly in a lot of ways, avoids all that. No, this show doesn’t have the best use of conflict at all, but it could be worse and I think dragging out the lie here actually works in its favour.
2. He gets to fall for Gal Hee as herself in spite of the lie. He chose Gal Hee his secretary over the Veronica he thinks he knows and likes. He chose her as HER, not her pretending to be someone else. I think this is really important because if she’d told him sooner, it may have seemed like he only fell for her because she was His Veronica. Instead he gets to fall for Gal Hee as Gal Hee in spite of everything else, which means his feelings for her as herself are genuine and I really like that. As he says, he fell for “Veronica” BECAUSE she was so like his Gal Hee.
The fallout hurts even more because we know Gal Hee is the one he trusted with his face blindness and his heart, yes, but I’m glad he fell for her authentically, because that will be a big reason why they make up. (Instead of something like Oh My Ghostess which despite the acting I can’t finish because he basically falls for possessed her and not the real her)
3. Gal Hee learns just how awful this lie is and how much it hurts him and her and has to suffer the full consequences for her actions. That two minutes with Veronica in her office in yesterday’s episode (11) and Gal Hee breaking down saying she couldn’t do it was superb. At first when Veronica pretended to be her secretary and kept encouraging the lie I was like that’s a bit mean, but wait why don’t I hate her? And then it became more clear. Gal Hee needed to know just how bad this whole idea was. She’s wanted to tell him for ages but because it kept being thwarted she was like.. well one more time right? Just? One more? Until she couldn’t even face him anymore. She likes him too much for that. I think that’s really important. If it hadn’t addressed this then it would seem like they were encouraging a little lying here or there, or they may have tried to write it away with him never knowing.
I actually really enjoyed episode 12. I wasn’t sure of how they were going to do the reveal, and part of me still wishes to have seen her confess everything properly once and for all, but first of all seeing Gal Hee stick to her guns about wanting to confess whether or not Veronica would support him as president, and then seeing him slowly (finally) realise and watch him break down over the course of the episode was oh so painful but oh so good. I do really hope they give Gal Hee a chance to confess and explain, but since we still have four episodes left there is plenty time for angst and make up. (and also the Secretary Fish Cult drama to make an appearance)
The way it happened means Gal Hee can’t escape this lie at all. She can’t confess and then just run away, she has to face everything head on. And *fingers crossed* as long as they conclude this well *Cynical Me is Screaming* I think this is a really good step in the final development. She knows she took it too far and now she knows exactly what she did to him. Honestly I’m digging the angst now. It’s so JUICY. And KYK is so bloody good at crying.
*shoutout to @madkdr and @coffeprince4eva for watching 23+24 (aka 12) with me today; twas fun!!!* *tagging @inkcityxx cos you mentioned something similar in the recap*
seoul_searcher
June 12, 2019 at 2:37 AM
ooh thanks for the tag *heartu* i agree with your post 100% and i LOLd that the comparison dramas are PMY’s dramas. It’s hard to think of shows which have used angst in a logical way that is true to the dramas theme. Healer is a perfect example of pacing in the romantic development, which i’m glad you mentioned, that had enough real angst to keep it interesting and INAR which was done oh so good and tugged at my heartstrings.
that entire outing scene was acted so well and both of them crying really made me feel for them because the betrayal was felt on both ends (Gal Hee knows how much she hurt him and wanted to tell him her reasons but couldn’t because his outburst made her lose her thoughts).
as much as i think i like fluff these kind of shows have proven that i don’t, because i’m in for the juicy angst and PAIN!
💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜
June 12, 2019 at 3:21 AM
It wasn’t on purpose that they were all PMY dramas I swear… hahaha
Yes this drama really kills it in the main acting rolls. Story might be weird and wacky and questionable at times but one cannot deny they are acting the heck out of it.
Angst done well is just so satisfying. Angst done badly is tear my hair out worthy haha.
RenOIshi
June 12, 2019 at 3:43 AM
Yes about Healer. Yes about Oh My Ghostess. And yes about everything else 😃
stpauligurl
June 12, 2019 at 4:45 AM
You nailed it @Sicarius – yesterday at one point I was thinking that they had to do this reveal in the way they did so that he would find out who it was that he loved.
You wrote this better than I can – but this show has really kept everyone’s attention so far. Now I think we can see why.
But add to his his sense of betrayal by his best friend – auggh.
Poor Min-ik – he really is hurting…..
Great post anyway!
gadis
June 12, 2019 at 8:01 AM
This is spot-on, Sic. I never knew I would enjoy the angst part in a romcom this much, but you’re right that this particular angst is so juicy. I was worried about the revelation, but the writer and PD nailed it. Min-ik’s slow realization and subsequent breaking down in eps 12 was super stress-inducing, yet I couldn’t look away. I hope they can maintain it for the last 4 eps.
Mani-chan
June 13, 2019 at 4:49 AM
KYK crying is goosebumps and so JKJ. They’re both pretty good in their crying skills
growingbeautifully
June 30, 2019 at 5:25 AM
Yay! for Healer!! I do so agree with you @sicarius over why the other rom-coms failed with the lack of conflict or the forced conflict.
Actually, although I knew it was ridiculous that Min Ik couldn’t recognise Gal Hee’s voice, the long lie never bothered me. He may have lost so much confidence that he didn’t trust his other senses which told him that the similarities meant that this girl was the same girl as Gal Hee.
That yellow, folded over band aid on her finger should have given the game away immediately, but he still chose to believe that the girl in front of him was not lying to him. And this from a guy who’d been changing secretaries each year out of fear of betrayal. He also trusted Dae Gu regardless of what the police found out.
It really says something about his character that he chooses to trust, when evidence is against it. He’s one eminently likable ML although he did have his moments when I could have knocked him on the head. He became a better guy, which is all I ask for in all my shows.
OhSoEnthusiastic
July 3, 2019 at 7:48 PM
Now that we’re on the other side of this drama, I can fully appreciate the decision to prolong the lie.
I definitely was starting to get frustrated somewhere before he ran into her at the jjimjilbang (although the whole bit at the jjimjilbang is one of my favorite parts, lol), because if it had been me, I would have ended the lie long before that. But then I started misreading some of the subtextual hints the drama was dropping and interpreting them as him already knowing/suspecting, and I stopped feeling frustrated like everyone else was (a blessing in disguise, probably). Now I look back at that part of the drama, and I realize just what the writers were trying to do, and I honestly think they achieved their goal.
The main problem with romance themed Asian dramas is most writers just don’t know how to create meaningful plot development After bringing their couple together. The main conceit is, obviously, the romance, and the writers don’t think much past that. Thus most romance themed dramas rely on drawing out the conflict as long as possible, because they don’t know what else to do. This is also part of why dramas like Healer are so good, because the writers took the time to think Beyond the romance and ensure it wouldn’t be a hindrance to the overall plot/they weren’t afraid of letting their couple be happy together and let other aspects of the story drive the conflict. It’s something I wish we saw more dramas do. I get tired of every romance themed drama keeping our leads apart until the final hour. I don’t want to never see it again, because when done well it’s enjoyable to watch, but I would like to see writers branch out from that a little more.
💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜
July 7, 2019 at 5:24 PM
The thing about Healer is that it’s not first and foremost a romcom. It’s an action movie with crime, thriller and romcom elements. So it’s main concept of not the romance, it’s the big story behind the plot.
The other thing about Healer is that it balances all its bits VERY well. Better than most other shows of any of its subgenres.
It has a good back story, bolstered by the good writing so that the plot isn’t hampered by many plot holes. It has good pacing and it knows when to have romance heavy episodes, action and thriller heavy episodes and character heavy episodes for emotional investment.
I think more shows need to do what healer does too, except that it’s VERY HARD and most romcoms don’t fit a side plot of action, in fact many try and fail miserably. (Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, WWWSK).
Alternatively you need a romcom plot which is interesting on its own (rare), or go for a diff style (say, slice of life)
OhSoEnthusiastic
July 22, 2019 at 9:35 PM
Late reply is late, lol.
You’re right, and Healer might not be the best example, but I do feel like most rom-coms still usually have some sort of secondary plotline outside of the romance that could get a little more focus in the last few episodes so as to take some of the burden off creating more conflict in a romance that is usually way past due being resolved, and I think if more writers did that, you might see fewer dramas where the romance is great…until they throw an unnecessary wrench (amnesia, time jump, alien abduction) into it at the end.