FOS2 is all about manipulation – whether it is Choi Bit and Woo Tae Ha trying to manipulate their hoobaes, or whether it’s Lee Yoon-jae manipulating the Sungmoon CEO (the opening seconds of That Scene gave me JBL feels, though), or whether it is Weasel desperately trying his hardest to manipulate anyone or anything that comes his way, or whether it’s Lee Soo-yeon – showing off her craft – manipulating the audience with that cliffhanger of an ending in ep 6. 

I’m in deep here, and loving it (even if my avatar doesn’t seem to be – her sweater’s cute, though!)
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    I got JBL whiplash because of that scene as well!

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    It’s all about trust.
    I had a very hard time watching Yeojin struggling.
    I don’t like Choi Bit or WTH. They are up to nothing good although they keep speaking about the organization greater good, while they are only defending their positions.
    It was heartbreaking hearing Yeojin confession that you can’t stop crime: you get one criminal and two pop out the minute after. It’s just like a gigantic Hydra of Lerna.
    I hate to see our favourite couple struggling this much, both are exhausted. Where is my enthusiastic Yeojin? Even ShiMok noticed… you haven’t been drawing lately…

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      Hmm. I don’t dislike any of the characters yet, especially CB and WTH – they are still in the grey territory, I feel. They are in power, and also powerbrokers, and doing everything to secure their own positions and their legacy. I am seeing their manipulations in that context, which makes it all very real. But well said about Yeo-jin – she’s the manifestation of the disillusioned idealist. So is Shi-mok, of course, but he doesn’t show the emotional range that she does.

      In that sense, they are *all* everyman. Whether it is in the self-preserving machinations of the bosses, or the naïveté of the hoobaes, we have all been (or will be) there at some point in our lives. The show is holding up a mirror, and asking us to decide where we want to be, for ourselves. I love it! It’s demanding so much introspection from all of us.

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        Exactly. When Choi Bit tells YeoJin that one day you can sit in this chair, I could totally feel how YeoJin was not motivated at all to take that seat.
        She knows (as I know) that if you sit there you will have to sell many things, because even if you want when you are in a position of power (little, middle, big, it doesn’t matter) there are certain things you have to do or do not, whether you like it or not.
        I know because I’ve been there. I had for some years that power (I was a team leader) and I suffered so much, because I couldn’t do for my people what I wanted, and I couldn’t be the boss I would have wanted to be. I’ve always complained about bosses looking the other side, but even if I tried hard, there were things I could not change and HAD to look the other side, and it was killing me. So the minute I was told there would be a restructuring and I would be demoted, that was one of the happiest days of my working life.
        And Yeojin knows, like I know, that taking that seat would not change things, but only change her.

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          So well said! That scene also made me wonder what Yeo-jin’s long game actually is (and Shi-mok’s as well). Do they want to stay in this system, or are they going to be too disillusioned to want to remain in it? Like you, will Yeo-jin be happy when she goes back to her beat-cop life with her buddies?, or will she regret having lost out on the opportunity to take control and bring about the changes she knows the system needs. I’d love if the show actually answers these questions.

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      Because of her nature, YJ absorbs things more emotionally and personally. Constant fight of crime and corruptions is taking its toll on them. We all experience time when we feel lost and unsure about our career or life in general. The best thing about SM-YJ friendship is they are each other anchor to help them to stay true to their beliefs.
      When CB said to YJ “ you have no ideas how you are dragged into thing” I really feel for her. There often times when we feel obliged to do certain things either for our company, group or even friends as we are all part of the collectivism, more so for CB in a male domination field.

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        So true! Where is the line between individual agency / free will, and collective / circumstantial compulsion? The CB-YJ dialogue highlights this dilemma well.

        That friendship between SM and YJ is written so well, and so subtle but beautiful. I wish LSY sticks to friendships – it’s her strongest suit when it comes to writing relationships that I have seen so far

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