Only mildly relayed to kdramas, but Carl Reiner just passed away and I just realized he was in a real life noona romance—his wife was 8 years older than him and he pays a nice tribute to her.
Actor and comedian Carl Reiner has died at the age of 98. As part of his #BriefButSpectacular take on his life and career, he told us in 2016, "Those people who have a sense of humor get through life more comfortably than those who don't."
Aw, really loved ep. 3 of IOTNBO. Loving the psychiatrist whose just a bit nutty himself to my favorite mature actress playing another mother figure, adopting the three boys into her home, and Kwak Dong-yeon just absolutely having a ball with his character with bipolar syndrome. He gravitation to slightly unhinged characters is a treat for me to see. They were the highlights for me this episode. And some emotion from Kim Soo Hyun, whoa. Looking forward to him really coming out of his very tough shell.
This has to be the role where he has brought his A game so far. Don’t know about others think but I think he has done more than just serving looks in the first 4 episodes. I saw a depth of emotions and I liked how he portrayed them.
I finished the Romance of Tiger and Rose! And I think I’ll have to rewatch it knowing the end. Won’t spoil it but it was pretty clever! Now, what is clever enough for me to notice the second time?
I was way too spoiled(what with tencent themselves releasing the last scene before the non vips could access it) so that destroyed the watching experience for me. But I think it made total sense and even if rushed, wrapped up the show nicely. Especially after seeing Avenue X’s video it was more clear how the actor Han didn’t remember a thing of the future when he was in the script.
I think he was trying to get out of the script/story just like she was. How else can you explain the last couple episodes when he’s totally fine with her telling him she’s from another world and how she knew everything? He doesn’t even bat an eye. He realizes that getting her out of the script effectively gets him out of it too which is why he encourages her to walk the flower path or whatever. But when he wakes up, he can’t admit that he “lived” in that dream (because that would be crazy) and at first just thinks it’s a dream and thinks she’s just there to talk about the script when she’s there to see if he really existed in that world with her. This goes along with what they’ve struggled with the entire show—one person knowing something but not telling the other—and then when he slips about the orange, you immediately know he was there. I totally jumped out of my chair and said “he knows!” But also, he probably just woke up too and still is trying to get his bearings as to where he is and what he’s doing there and if he’s really outside his dream or was it just a dream again just like she did. His little quip about modern medicine also gave us an early indication in that conversation that he was there too. So now I wonder when in his dream he really falls for her because he realizes he’s in the script she wrote too and probably thinks he’ll die if he dies in the script. How many times was he close to death or placed in jail about to be beheaded!?! I’m totally going to watch from his point of view next. It makes everything he does out of his own free will make sense because he’s trying as desperately as she does to just survive until the end. But then when he realizes that she has some permanence in his dream and sacrifices himself for her, he does it for the sake of the script as well. I think he ends up not just loving her but the script and story too, so does what he can to make it worthy of his death/sacrifice in it. He’s as much a writer of that story as she is. Such a cover way to write this. I didn’t think they would make him also live through the story like her, but it was a happy conclusion for me that they did!
Omgggg this does make sense, but I think it makes me too sad – I’m too bought into the idea of these characters make their own decisions and therefore the message is, ppl are more than their characteristics and we shouldn’t judge a book by their cover and people can change so we should be ready to re-evaluate our judgment too. I did find it weird that Han Shuo so easily accepted the concept of them living in her script.
As for the ending, I took it very surface level which is that they both had the same dream, except the POV was different and while Chen Xiao Qian dreamed herself as an active participant in rewriting the script to survive, Han actor simply “watched” the plot unfold the way we as an audience did. They didn’t actually need to participate in the dream at the same time. I know this requires a stretch of the imagination, but then again so does the idea of someone getting stuck into their own script. *shrugs.
And of course Han actor identified with Han Shuo since that was the character he was supposed to play and the character looks like him in the dream any way.
No! Dujun just got back from the military and will be releasing an album in July. The i there’s are still in their mandatory service. One did resign from the group due to the burning sun scandal, unfortunately. He wasn’t directly involved, but he may have had incriminating messages on his phone from those that were.
I’m really glad he’s back. It must have been a tough time treating and recovering from his cancer.
I only watched him in The Heirs, and he and Kim Mi Kyung were the only good things on it, so I’m looking forward his coming back in dramaland.
Smiling, right? I must admit, even though he’s not my favorite actor, he makes my top 5, and mainly because he reminds of my husband and my son. The only dimples that could ever compete with theirs.
I’m up at 0130 watching Find Yourself and I have so many issues right now!!! But can’t stop watching…@saya and @missvictrix definitely have some ‘splaining to do. (Good thing they already did!)
Me too!!! As the show progressed, I liked pretty much all characters. They all felt mostly real.
Ally, which episode are you at?? hope you get your explanations from them. Haven’t read their blog yet.
I finished ep 7 before finally making myself go to sleep—it took every ounce of will power I had though! I’m always acutely aware of inappropriate relationships at work and struggled with the boss-insubordinate set up here. I kept watching to see how it would be handled. Apart from not liking that—and how Yuan Song basically threatened her for rape if she didn’t agree to date him (doesn’t matter if it was supposed to be a joke that’s the elephant in the room, right?), I do really like the couple here, and they are selling it, hook, line, and sinker! I keep wondering where I’ve seen this guy—does he look familiar to anyone else? Looked up his filmography and I don’t think I’ve watched anything else he’s been in. Oh!!! I just figured it out. He looks like the kpop idol on Her Private Life! That was bothering me! Glad I got it settled. Lol. So, forbidden secret relationship ups the ante for me and adds the conflict that I can’t say no to. So it’s like I’m totally against the set up, but like it anyway. Kind of like the main FL. Lol.
Initially it did bother many of us. The way I understand is that they have a relationship outside work (even before he joins the company). Even though they are not close, they know each other and there is a blur. And technically he doesn’t report to her. From what I remember he is part of the design team while she is administrative head. It’s up to his manager to get him to do his work and report on time.
I completely missed the threat part. 😱. Have to rewatch. I think they both have a playful teasing side that comes out when they are together. As a couple they both were flawed and have a long way to go.
And personally I liked the drama a lot more after mid point. (I can’t spoil it for you). You will know when you get there.
Btw, some of us call our ML ‘Little Fox’ :))
I also thought he looked familiar but thought he looked like a young Jerry Yan. But now that you said the kpop idol, he does! But with better posture and while both scrawny, he looks more fit for some reason lol.
I have extreme mixed feelings about that show 😂 I agree re: the realistic issues and relatable characters; the dialogues were well written too and most characters are likeable, no evil SL here – just a very annoying one. But the FL took a really long time to mature, and every scene and overall conflict drag 4 more episodes than they need to. Would love to hear your thoughts after you finish! My favorite character is the psychology professor friend!
She was also my favorite. I loved the scene when they were eating dinner at the FL house and she was explaining her thoughts about marriage and women’s roles to the mother who has a very classical/archaic thought on the matter.
I’m so surprised that everyone is so charitable of the SL, to me he was evil and the fact that everyone basically thought what he was doing was appropriate was actually the biggest gripe I have with the show.
I agree he was manipulative but don’t think he is evil. He believed he is the right choice for her and that she would eventually choose him. He was confident about his choices and actions because the society aligned with him( I think that’s what the show was highlighting). He would never hurt her and make her miserable for his own sake. You could see that he was not happy when he eventually found out they both cannot be happy.
She was not an object that he wanted to possess. He wanted her to love him. His methods were clearly questionable but I never thought he was evil.
Towards the end you can see how good of a friend he became to her, with his quirks et al. He made mistakes and he grew. He annoyed me but I never hated him.
OK, I agree evil is not quite the right word. But he is one detestable MF of a character if I ever saw one. He isn’t any better to me than any of the archetypical 2nd leads. He undermined the main couple from the get go (he was the one who suggested a secret relationship) under the guise of being helpful. Sure, he believed himself to be the better fit for the FL and others also let him get away with his dirty tricks because they also believed that (another gripe of the show tho I think it also stemmed from the fact that FL never actually bothered explaining her own feelings so people just piled assumptions on her), but it doesn’t actually excuse his manipulative behavior and his actions indicate his fundamental belief that the FL is incapable of making the best decision for herself and he needed to save her. GOD THE MISOGYNY. Sure he realized in the end, she couldn’t be happy with him and he chose to let go, but that’s both for himself and for her and he never really apologized for his manipulation. I can’t forgive the fact that no one held him accountable for his dirty tricks. And in the end, the FL still didn’t realize she had been treated with such disrespect and still defended him as a good person. Gahhh, he makes me so mad! The level of patronizing is so unbelievable. If he wasn’t such a good uncle, I don’t know that I could have finished the series.
And how do many of his actions is also a huge disrespect to the ML, like him buying the necklace for the FL to pretending to be the actual boyfriend in front of her college friends. Maybe this is something personal to my own preferences, but I HATE and cannot condone people whose treatment of others is so arbitrary. Who cares if you treat those you like nicely? Anybody is capable of that. It’s how you treat others outside of that circle that speaks volumes about your character and his character is rotten.
wow I guess I ff-ed too much and erased much of this from my memory haha but agree with you. His kind of scheming is not confrontational, maybe that’s why I didn’t associate him with the evil SL archetypes at first, but the consequences are the same!!
You definitely had a different response to the 2ML compared to me. I am with @mayhemf on this one that he was not evil but a very flawed character that grew and learned as the drama progressed. He made huge mistakes and did some very wrong things but by the end he realized his errors and matured. One of the themes of the drama was learning and maturing and that’s what I liked about the drama. All the characters were quite flawed (some more than others) but each character developed and grew and matured as the drama progressed. I loved that he gracefully bowed out at the end because he realized he couldn’t make her happy and them being friends was the best for her and himself. That alone showed how much he had matured and developed from the beginning of the series to the end.
@trinpie@mayhemf I admit I could be overly critical of 2nd ML, and I also do appreciate that all the characters are flawed and a huge theme of the show was growth. It is true that in the end, he bowed out because he realized he couldn’t make her happy, but is it really growth if he still doesn’t believe (or at least this was never made explicit) that he did anything wrong ? That he believes the only thing wrong with his approach was that he was barking up the wrong tree? And not how underhanded his tactics were or how misogynistic his intentions were (eg. believing the FL can’t think for herself)?
I think you have to decode motive – in drama and in life – before writing people off as definitely bad or even definitely good. In reality, we’re all inconsistent mixes of our good and bad qualities, and some things are very bound to personality traits, as I think is the case with LM. Apparently one of the benefits of age (lol) is that I’ve learned to accept that people are super complicated, and so my feelings about them are allowed to be, too.
I can understand how you feel though – I initially had a really strong reaction to him as well, and I am still O_O about some of the drama’s moments, but after talking it out for a long time and being shown other sides of it, my attitude to LM has mellowed and I can appreciate that he’s a really well-drawn character, even if I was yelling at him for half the show.
I think it’s also worth keeping in the back of your mind that these various relationships emerge from a prevailing cultural paradigm (and one that is distinctly non-western) – one the show openly sets out to challenge. I think that it’s very difficult for a drama to 100% get it right, but FY did a great job and I found it very personally relatable!
Oh you can definitely be critical @myriver as that’s the joy of drama watching, we all have different opinions and experiences as we watch. You just have a different opinion and there is nothing wrong with that!
@saya thanks for sharing your thoughts. i never said he is a bad person, i just find him detestable and manipulative and lament the fact that no one really held him accountable for his behavior. i do agree that this particular character trait is something i am especially sensitive to. is LM as a character realistic? 100%! if i knew him in real life, i would cut him out because his actions would be a deal breaker especially because he never once thought what he did was wrong (he just gave up because he realized he couldn’t make the FL happy). i guess i just wished someone on the show at least shared my view point (well, i guess technically YS and stepmom do, though it was never very explicitly stated).
to be fair, i binged watched this show in like 2 days, so clearly other parts of the show made up for my dislike for LM’s actions towards the OTP. i understand everyone has their own perspectives of the show. tbh, i loved the brother and niece relationship and wished the drama developed their story more but i know it’s not a popular opinion lol.
@myriver it’s okay, we can all like what we like, and every drama pushes different buttons for different people. I acknowledge I’m an outlier with these kinds of dramas, because I relate to them from weird and obscure angles.
I’m more shocked you did this in 2 days!!1?! I watched non-stop and it still took me 5 days!!!
I agree, although my husband says this is totally in line with what most men would do if they REALLY liked someone.😆 I was interested in someone else when I met him and he spent his time basically stalking who the guy was, what he did, and then seeing if he stacked up. He thought he had a chance and so asked me out, knowing this. Turns out, he did! The big difference is that he didn’t masquerade as a friend, he was honest and said he was interested from the start.
My laugh out loud moments so far are all because of the second ML though. Like when he’s doing tai chi in the face mask certainly jealous of of the FL. I was rolling.
My patient today—whose Korean given name is Young-Kwang—made me think of this lovely boy (KYK) and so I have to show him off in sunglasses and bonus HJH!
So one day maybe six years ago, myself and @geowriter were on a walk to Durdle Door (like Lizzie Bennett we are excellent walkers and we decided we should write 'Pride and Prejudice on Facebook'. But we never did. Until lockdown. Here it is….
ALLY I LOVE THIS SO MUCH.
I love Eric, “I was on this show a few years ago. It was called “Daddy and Me? Father and I? I don’t know. Something.” I love that he legit just…has no idea what the name of that show that he was on. And this whole side topic about how much they love their dad. Nam Bros. You are adorable. Shush.
Watched the first two episodes of The King and I can see me watching more of it. But it’s nothing, not even a minutia, of what Goblin was for me. But I love Kim Go Eun in this. That ponytail flick!
The initial reaction to COVID19 in Korea, the absolutely seamless coordination between their health departments and the federal government made me write on a physician only group that I was totally crushing on the Korean government. When really, in truth, I just crush on anything Korean. But I can only say that here.
March music, day 28… Today is my sister’s birthday. We couldn’t celebrate it together, but I sent her this gorgeous rendition of Ave Maria by Korean American, David Kim, concertmaster of the Philadelphia Symphony. Symphonies can’t perform right now in much of the world, but their musicians are still making beautiful music in solidarity.
@ally-le,
Thanks for posting that luminous performance by Philly concertmaster David Kim accompanied by daughter Maggie. What sweet, uplifting music, mindfully performed.
While visiting his website, I watched several interesting clips. The first two deal with his training and education as a musician, and the role his pianist mother played in getting him started as a violinist. What an inspiring story, told with great warmth, humility, and gratitude. Highly recommended.
Hi peeps! If you all are tired of reading about COVID19, I just uploaded all my Dramabeans writings (those published and unpublished) on my wordpress blog, Freethekimchi.com! And some music… #goblin https://youtu.be/D1MwdbTWd0g
I’m fine! Just trying to stop a tsunami it feels. Much better than other parts of the country and hope we’re going to have enough of everything to treat everyone we need to treat.
Ally
July 1, 2020 at 4:15 AM
Only mildly relayed to kdramas, but Carl Reiner just passed away and I just realized he was in a real life noona romance—his wife was 8 years older than him and he pays a nice tribute to her.
tsutsuloo
July 1, 2020 at 4:38 AM
@ally-le—I’m so grateful that you shared this. What a guy.
bbstl
July 1, 2020 at 8:31 AM
He’s always been so wonderful and I will miss him ❤️
larelle79
July 1, 2020 at 9:32 AM
I loved me some Carl Reiner. And he has told that story about he and his wife before and with each delivery it was always awesome.
Ally
June 28, 2020 at 11:26 AM
Aw, really loved ep. 3 of IOTNBO. Loving the psychiatrist whose just a bit nutty himself to my favorite mature actress playing another mother figure, adopting the three boys into her home, and Kwak Dong-yeon just absolutely having a ball with his character with bipolar syndrome. He gravitation to slightly unhinged characters is a treat for me to see. They were the highlights for me this episode. And some emotion from Kim Soo Hyun, whoa. Looking forward to him really coming out of his very tough shell.
Playstore
June 28, 2020 at 11:38 AM
This has to be the role where he has brought his A game so far. Don’t know about others think but I think he has done more than just serving looks in the first 4 episodes. I saw a depth of emotions and I liked how he portrayed them.
Ally
June 25, 2020 at 8:05 PM
PBG’s enlistment will be a cakewalk. He had to do a piano and singing audition to get in. Don’t know what I think about this. Should I roll my eyes or give him a hug? https://www.soompi.com/article/1408940wpp/park-bo-gums-military-enlistment-date-confirmed
bebeswtz❣️Xiao Zhan is my happy virus
June 25, 2020 at 9:23 PM
Well, he has been playing piano since kindergarten (age 8 in Korea), so he has the skills 😅😅
Ally
June 28, 2020 at 11:17 AM
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Ally
June 28, 2020 at 11:24 AM
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Ally
June 24, 2020 at 7:14 PM
I finished the Romance of Tiger and Rose! And I think I’ll have to rewatch it knowing the end. Won’t spoil it but it was pretty clever! Now, what is clever enough for me to notice the second time?
_my.river_
June 24, 2020 at 8:16 PM
So I was one of the dumb ones who actually didn’t think too much about the logistics of the ending lol, will share more when you’re ready!
Ally
June 25, 2020 at 4:44 AM
I wrote a long reply to wapz below about the ending.
wapz
June 25, 2020 at 12:36 AM
I was way too spoiled(what with tencent themselves releasing the last scene before the non vips could access it) so that destroyed the watching experience for me. But I think it made total sense and even if rushed, wrapped up the show nicely. Especially after seeing Avenue X’s video it was more clear how the actor Han didn’t remember a thing of the future when he was in the script.
Ally
June 25, 2020 at 4:44 AM
I think he was trying to get out of the script/story just like she was. How else can you explain the last couple episodes when he’s totally fine with her telling him she’s from another world and how she knew everything? He doesn’t even bat an eye. He realizes that getting her out of the script effectively gets him out of it too which is why he encourages her to walk the flower path or whatever. But when he wakes up, he can’t admit that he “lived” in that dream (because that would be crazy) and at first just thinks it’s a dream and thinks she’s just there to talk about the script when she’s there to see if he really existed in that world with her. This goes along with what they’ve struggled with the entire show—one person knowing something but not telling the other—and then when he slips about the orange, you immediately know he was there. I totally jumped out of my chair and said “he knows!” But also, he probably just woke up too and still is trying to get his bearings as to where he is and what he’s doing there and if he’s really outside his dream or was it just a dream again just like she did. His little quip about modern medicine also gave us an early indication in that conversation that he was there too. So now I wonder when in his dream he really falls for her because he realizes he’s in the script she wrote too and probably thinks he’ll die if he dies in the script. How many times was he close to death or placed in jail about to be beheaded!?! I’m totally going to watch from his point of view next. It makes everything he does out of his own free will make sense because he’s trying as desperately as she does to just survive until the end. But then when he realizes that she has some permanence in his dream and sacrifices himself for her, he does it for the sake of the script as well. I think he ends up not just loving her but the script and story too, so does what he can to make it worthy of his death/sacrifice in it. He’s as much a writer of that story as she is. Such a cover way to write this. I didn’t think they would make him also live through the story like her, but it was a happy conclusion for me that they did!
_my.river_
June 25, 2020 at 10:50 AM
Omgggg this does make sense, but I think it makes me too sad – I’m too bought into the idea of these characters make their own decisions and therefore the message is, ppl are more than their characteristics and we shouldn’t judge a book by their cover and people can change so we should be ready to re-evaluate our judgment too. I did find it weird that Han Shuo so easily accepted the concept of them living in her script.
As for the ending, I took it very surface level which is that they both had the same dream, except the POV was different and while Chen Xiao Qian dreamed herself as an active participant in rewriting the script to survive, Han actor simply “watched” the plot unfold the way we as an audience did. They didn’t actually need to participate in the dream at the same time. I know this requires a stretch of the imagination, but then again so does the idea of someone getting stuck into their own script. *shrugs.
_my.river_
June 25, 2020 at 10:51 AM
And of course Han actor identified with Han Shuo since that was the character he was supposed to play and the character looks like him in the dream any way.
하데스
June 25, 2020 at 5:37 PM
I took it at surface level as well. Was still confusing, but I just let it slide tbh.
하데스
June 25, 2020 at 5:36 PM
🤯
Ally
June 25, 2020 at 6:37 PM
Glad you approve, @hades! 🙂
Ally
June 23, 2020 at 2:50 PM
June 23, 2020 at 2:44 PM
menu
My secretary just asked me for my Spotify Kpop Playlists. Her indoctrination is complete.
Maq ❤️ Yoo Yeon Seok
June 23, 2020 at 5:45 PM
Is that Highlight/Beast? Have they disbanded now?
Ally
June 23, 2020 at 8:59 PM
No! Dujun just got back from the military and will be releasing an album in July. The i there’s are still in their mandatory service. One did resign from the group due to the burning sun scandal, unfortunately. He wasn’t directly involved, but he may have had incriminating messages on his phone from those that were.
Ally
June 23, 2020 at 9:00 PM
And impressed you knew it was Highlight from this!
Maq ❤️ Yoo Yeon Seok
June 23, 2020 at 9:23 PM
I was going to guess the song as well (“Plz Don’t Be Sad”?)!
Ally
June 24, 2020 at 4:30 AM
Yep! Such a great song!
bbstl
June 23, 2020 at 6:47 PM
Whooaaaa! Congratulations on your success! I’m jealous, I can’t get anyone interested 🙁
Ally
June 20, 2020 at 10:39 PM
Looking forward to Kim Woo Bin’s return. An actor I only knew because of Reaper using it as his alias—lol. However, this was a good article. I love that he’s interested in botany now! https://www.soompi.com/article/1407837wpp/kim-woo-bin-talks-about-starting-next-chapter-of-life-with-a-new-mindset-returning-after-hiatus-with-1st-film-in-4-years-and-more
Eazal
June 21, 2020 at 12:37 AM
I’m really glad he’s back. It must have been a tough time treating and recovering from his cancer.
I only watched him in The Heirs, and he and Kim Mi Kyung were the only good things on it, so I’m looking forward his coming back in dramaland.
Ally
June 20, 2020 at 8:57 PM
I guess I’m on board too. So good job everyone…this show has it all. Dark, sexy, beautiful. #itsoktonotbeok
Eazal
June 21, 2020 at 12:40 AM
Sexy!! Lots of it!
Ally
June 16, 2020 at 11:00 AM
For @kiara and my other saguek beanies who love Disney! https://www.buzzfeed.com/cathyngo/disney-characters-in-korean-hanboks?utm_source=dynamic&utm_campaign=bffbbuzzfeed&ref=bffbbuzzfeed&
sirena
June 16, 2020 at 1:58 PM
I love her art! ♥
kiara
June 16, 2020 at 2:18 PM
Thank you so much for sharing <3.
Disney needs a Korean princess.
KdramaAhjumma
June 16, 2020 at 5:29 PM
They absolutely do!
bbstl
June 16, 2020 at 8:15 PM
What a treat!
Ally
June 17, 2020 at 11:22 AM
Gorgeous, right?
Ally
June 12, 2020 at 1:07 PM
Smiling, right? I must admit, even though he’s not my favorite actor, he makes my top 5, and mainly because he reminds of my husband and my son. The only dimples that could ever compete with theirs.
tsutsuloo
June 12, 2020 at 3:30 PM
Dimples! Must of been a ridiculously cute baby.
_my.river_
June 12, 2020 at 5:57 PM
Awww your son is so cute!!
stpauligurl
June 12, 2020 at 6:01 PM
your son is adorable – and Hyun Bin is almost as adorable!!! Who can resist dimples right?
beesgiggle
June 13, 2020 at 12:26 AM
CUTEEEE!
spazmo
June 13, 2020 at 3:21 AM
adorable!
bbstl
June 13, 2020 at 7:23 AM
. . . not your favorite actor??? 🤷🏼
Ally
June 13, 2020 at 8:08 AM
I leave that title to you! But as you can see, he could totally be my son too! 😆
bbstl
June 13, 2020 at 12:58 PM
😉
Mimu
June 21, 2020 at 11:17 PM
Your son is too damn cuuuuute.♥️♥️
Ally
June 22, 2020 at 7:26 AM
Thanks! This was several summers ago when he was really tan!
Ally
June 6, 2020 at 11:32 PM
I’m up at 0130 watching Find Yourself and I have so many issues right now!!! But can’t stop watching…@saya and @missvictrix definitely have some ‘splaining to do. (Good thing they already did!)
Trin Jiejie 🍆
June 6, 2020 at 11:41 PM
I really liked FY! It handled some real world issues really well while remaining entertaining. All the characters were also very likeable!
Blue (mayhemf)
June 7, 2020 at 3:56 AM
Me too!!! As the show progressed, I liked pretty much all characters. They all felt mostly real.
Ally, which episode are you at?? hope you get your explanations from them. Haven’t read their blog yet.
Ally
June 7, 2020 at 6:07 AM
I finished ep 7 before finally making myself go to sleep—it took every ounce of will power I had though! I’m always acutely aware of inappropriate relationships at work and struggled with the boss-insubordinate set up here. I kept watching to see how it would be handled. Apart from not liking that—and how Yuan Song basically threatened her for rape if she didn’t agree to date him (doesn’t matter if it was supposed to be a joke that’s the elephant in the room, right?), I do really like the couple here, and they are selling it, hook, line, and sinker! I keep wondering where I’ve seen this guy—does he look familiar to anyone else? Looked up his filmography and I don’t think I’ve watched anything else he’s been in. Oh!!! I just figured it out. He looks like the kpop idol on Her Private Life! That was bothering me! Glad I got it settled. Lol. So, forbidden secret relationship ups the ante for me and adds the conflict that I can’t say no to. So it’s like I’m totally against the set up, but like it anyway. Kind of like the main FL. Lol.
Blue (mayhemf)
June 7, 2020 at 10:49 AM
Initially it did bother many of us. The way I understand is that they have a relationship outside work (even before he joins the company). Even though they are not close, they know each other and there is a blur. And technically he doesn’t report to her. From what I remember he is part of the design team while she is administrative head. It’s up to his manager to get him to do his work and report on time.
I completely missed the threat part. 😱. Have to rewatch. I think they both have a playful teasing side that comes out when they are together. As a couple they both were flawed and have a long way to go.
And personally I liked the drama a lot more after mid point. (I can’t spoil it for you). You will know when you get there.
Btw, some of us call our ML ‘Little Fox’ :))
_my.river_
June 7, 2020 at 11:21 AM
I also thought he looked familiar but thought he looked like a young Jerry Yan. But now that you said the kpop idol, he does! But with better posture and while both scrawny, he looks more fit for some reason lol.
dokutokunaneko
June 7, 2020 at 5:29 AM
I have extreme mixed feelings about that show 😂 I agree re: the realistic issues and relatable characters; the dialogues were well written too and most characters are likeable, no evil SL here – just a very annoying one. But the FL took a really long time to mature, and every scene and overall conflict drag 4 more episodes than they need to. Would love to hear your thoughts after you finish! My favorite character is the psychology professor friend!
Trin Jiejie 🍆
June 7, 2020 at 10:13 AM
She was also my favorite. I loved the scene when they were eating dinner at the FL house and she was explaining her thoughts about marriage and women’s roles to the mother who has a very classical/archaic thought on the matter.
_my.river_
June 7, 2020 at 11:23 AM
I’m so surprised that everyone is so charitable of the SL, to me he was evil and the fact that everyone basically thought what he was doing was appropriate was actually the biggest gripe I have with the show.
dokutokunaneko
June 7, 2020 at 11:54 AM
Haha I would agree even if my terminology is different lol he is so manipulative!!!
Blue (mayhemf)
June 7, 2020 at 12:50 PM
**ALLY DONT READ**
I agree he was manipulative but don’t think he is evil. He believed he is the right choice for her and that she would eventually choose him. He was confident about his choices and actions because the society aligned with him( I think that’s what the show was highlighting). He would never hurt her and make her miserable for his own sake. You could see that he was not happy when he eventually found out they both cannot be happy.
She was not an object that he wanted to possess. He wanted her to love him. His methods were clearly questionable but I never thought he was evil.
Towards the end you can see how good of a friend he became to her, with his quirks et al. He made mistakes and he grew. He annoyed me but I never hated him.
_my.river_
June 7, 2020 at 1:19 PM
**SPOILER**
OK, I agree evil is not quite the right word. But he is one detestable MF of a character if I ever saw one. He isn’t any better to me than any of the archetypical 2nd leads. He undermined the main couple from the get go (he was the one who suggested a secret relationship) under the guise of being helpful. Sure, he believed himself to be the better fit for the FL and others also let him get away with his dirty tricks because they also believed that (another gripe of the show tho I think it also stemmed from the fact that FL never actually bothered explaining her own feelings so people just piled assumptions on her), but it doesn’t actually excuse his manipulative behavior and his actions indicate his fundamental belief that the FL is incapable of making the best decision for herself and he needed to save her. GOD THE MISOGYNY. Sure he realized in the end, she couldn’t be happy with him and he chose to let go, but that’s both for himself and for her and he never really apologized for his manipulation. I can’t forgive the fact that no one held him accountable for his dirty tricks. And in the end, the FL still didn’t realize she had been treated with such disrespect and still defended him as a good person. Gahhh, he makes me so mad! The level of patronizing is so unbelievable. If he wasn’t such a good uncle, I don’t know that I could have finished the series.
_my.river_
June 7, 2020 at 1:25 PM
**SPOILER**
And how do many of his actions is also a huge disrespect to the ML, like him buying the necklace for the FL to pretending to be the actual boyfriend in front of her college friends. Maybe this is something personal to my own preferences, but I HATE and cannot condone people whose treatment of others is so arbitrary. Who cares if you treat those you like nicely? Anybody is capable of that. It’s how you treat others outside of that circle that speaks volumes about your character and his character is rotten.
dokutokunaneko
June 7, 2020 at 1:52 PM
wow I guess I ff-ed too much and erased much of this from my memory haha but agree with you. His kind of scheming is not confrontational, maybe that’s why I didn’t associate him with the evil SL archetypes at first, but the consequences are the same!!
Trin Jiejie 🍆
June 7, 2020 at 5:22 PM
You definitely had a different response to the 2ML compared to me. I am with @mayhemf on this one that he was not evil but a very flawed character that grew and learned as the drama progressed. He made huge mistakes and did some very wrong things but by the end he realized his errors and matured. One of the themes of the drama was learning and maturing and that’s what I liked about the drama. All the characters were quite flawed (some more than others) but each character developed and grew and matured as the drama progressed. I loved that he gracefully bowed out at the end because he realized he couldn’t make her happy and them being friends was the best for her and himself. That alone showed how much he had matured and developed from the beginning of the series to the end.
_my.river_
June 7, 2020 at 9:46 PM
@trinpie @mayhemf I admit I could be overly critical of 2nd ML, and I also do appreciate that all the characters are flawed and a huge theme of the show was growth. It is true that in the end, he bowed out because he realized he couldn’t make her happy, but is it really growth if he still doesn’t believe (or at least this was never made explicit) that he did anything wrong ? That he believes the only thing wrong with his approach was that he was barking up the wrong tree? And not how underhanded his tactics were or how misogynistic his intentions were (eg. believing the FL can’t think for herself)?
Saya
June 8, 2020 at 7:58 AM
I think you have to decode motive – in drama and in life – before writing people off as definitely bad or even definitely good. In reality, we’re all inconsistent mixes of our good and bad qualities, and some things are very bound to personality traits, as I think is the case with LM. Apparently one of the benefits of age (lol) is that I’ve learned to accept that people are super complicated, and so my feelings about them are allowed to be, too.
I can understand how you feel though – I initially had a really strong reaction to him as well, and I am still O_O about some of the drama’s moments, but after talking it out for a long time and being shown other sides of it, my attitude to LM has mellowed and I can appreciate that he’s a really well-drawn character, even if I was yelling at him for half the show.
I think it’s also worth keeping in the back of your mind that these various relationships emerge from a prevailing cultural paradigm (and one that is distinctly non-western) – one the show openly sets out to challenge. I think that it’s very difficult for a drama to 100% get it right, but FY did a great job and I found it very personally relatable!
Trin Jiejie 🍆
June 8, 2020 at 9:02 AM
Oh you can definitely be critical @myriver as that’s the joy of drama watching, we all have different opinions and experiences as we watch. You just have a different opinion and there is nothing wrong with that!
_my.river_
June 8, 2020 at 7:40 PM
@saya thanks for sharing your thoughts. i never said he is a bad person, i just find him detestable and manipulative and lament the fact that no one really held him accountable for his behavior. i do agree that this particular character trait is something i am especially sensitive to. is LM as a character realistic? 100%! if i knew him in real life, i would cut him out because his actions would be a deal breaker especially because he never once thought what he did was wrong (he just gave up because he realized he couldn’t make the FL happy). i guess i just wished someone on the show at least shared my view point (well, i guess technically YS and stepmom do, though it was never very explicitly stated).
to be fair, i binged watched this show in like 2 days, so clearly other parts of the show made up for my dislike for LM’s actions towards the OTP. i understand everyone has their own perspectives of the show. tbh, i loved the brother and niece relationship and wished the drama developed their story more but i know it’s not a popular opinion lol.
Saya
June 9, 2020 at 7:55 AM
@myriver it’s okay, we can all like what we like, and every drama pushes different buttons for different people. I acknowledge I’m an outlier with these kinds of dramas, because I relate to them from weird and obscure angles.
I’m more shocked you did this in 2 days!!1?! I watched non-stop and it still took me 5 days!!!
Ally
June 8, 2020 at 5:16 AM
I agree, although my husband says this is totally in line with what most men would do if they REALLY liked someone.😆 I was interested in someone else when I met him and he spent his time basically stalking who the guy was, what he did, and then seeing if he stacked up. He thought he had a chance and so asked me out, knowing this. Turns out, he did! The big difference is that he didn’t masquerade as a friend, he was honest and said he was interested from the start.
My laugh out loud moments so far are all because of the second ML though. Like when he’s doing tai chi in the face mask certainly jealous of of the FL. I was rolling.
_my.river_
June 8, 2020 at 7:22 PM
Yes, that is a huge difference – that he was honest about it!
Saya
June 8, 2020 at 7:35 AM
personal taste cannot be explained XD
…even if you use 10K words
Saya
June 8, 2020 at 7:37 AM
Folks ’round here still curse Temp of Love, yet I will defend it to my dying breath!
(actually I won’t, because I don’t think subjective things need ‘defending’, but you know what I mean!)
Ally
June 8, 2020 at 1:12 PM
I couldn’t continue TOL. Sorry! Lol. I loved it at first and if they didn’t shoe horn the mom’s in there, I would have been fine with it.
Saya
June 8, 2020 at 4:36 PM
haha, exactly – taste is inexplicable and subjective!
Ally
June 6, 2020 at 6:44 AM
Absolutely charming! #romanceoftigerandrose
strawberry
June 6, 2020 at 7:01 AM
I’ve watched this a couple of times already and darn – still haven’t noticed the editing mistake bc, darn – Han Shou’s pouts and sad eyes.
Ally
June 6, 2020 at 7:08 AM
Look behind him at the end of the scene—when he’s totally disarming yet playful—you can’t look at him! Which is hard—very hard. Now, do you see it?
_my.river_
June 6, 2020 at 8:03 AM
I also can’t see it!!!
Ally
June 6, 2020 at 8:43 AM
Think about where they were when the scene started and it looks totally different behind him now. Like a deserted road.
strawberry
June 6, 2020 at 9:43 AM
bahaha! that took me an embarrassingly long time to realize! :3
Ally
June 3, 2020 at 8:16 PM
My patient today—whose Korean given name is Young-Kwang—made me think of this lovely boy (KYK) and so I have to show him off in sunglasses and bonus HJH!
Water Hyacinth
June 4, 2020 at 6:35 PM
Miss you Ally!! I hope you’re safe and well!
Ally
June 4, 2020 at 7:54 PM
I am, thanks! Just not enough time to participate here as much during a pandemic.
Maq ❤️ Yoo Yeon Seok
June 10, 2020 at 10:41 PM
What are they eating?
Ally
June 11, 2020 at 4:21 AM
No clue. Looks like frozen yogurt or something similar.
Ally
May 13, 2020 at 4:48 AM
Twitter is sometimes amazing. This made my day…
bbstl
May 13, 2020 at 8:06 AM
Oh god, thank you! I laughed my head off. Boy, I needed that. White soup!
isa: I'm not a serial killer I'm just really passionate about things
May 13, 2020 at 10:56 AM
This was hilarious! Dude stop taking pics of women at balls!
ship-happens
May 13, 2020 at 4:58 PM
The AITA reddit forums were a nice touch
Bunny Bean loves Uppa
May 15, 2020 at 9:21 PM
OMG!! That was truly hilarious!!!
Ally
April 24, 2020 at 8:21 AM
My new favorite thing: https://m.community.com/cuH6JkowHzghaEP
#nambros
isa: I'm not a serial killer I'm just really passionate about things
April 24, 2020 at 2:03 PM
ALLY I LOVE THIS SO MUCH.
I love Eric, “I was on this show a few years ago. It was called “Daddy and Me? Father and I? I don’t know. Something.” I love that he legit just…has no idea what the name of that show that he was on. And this whole side topic about how much they love their dad. Nam Bros. You are adorable. Shush.
Ally
April 24, 2020 at 2:05 PM
It’s AWESOME! Just what I need right now, between his and Jae’s podcasts, I’m happy.
isa: I'm not a serial killer I'm just really passionate about things
April 24, 2020 at 2:16 PM
Did you listen to Jaes ep on the Placebo effect?
Ally
April 24, 2020 at 4:37 PM
No! I need to right?
isa: I'm not a serial killer I'm just really passionate about things
April 24, 2020 at 5:01 PM
You do! Hes such a doof!
Ally
April 24, 2020 at 2:30 PM
@yyishere needs to listen to the first 10 minutes. Not telling her why though.
YY Chats with Toast Between Bites
April 24, 2020 at 6:11 PM
That decsription of Hyun bin at the gym? Delicious.
Ally
April 24, 2020 at 9:14 PM
Lol. IKR!
YY Chats with Toast Between Bites
April 25, 2020 at 4:38 AM
I could feel my heart fluttering.
YY Chats with Toast Between Bites
April 25, 2020 at 4:39 AM
“HE WAS TALL, LIKE REALLY, REALLY TALL…” *swoons*
Ally
April 25, 2020 at 5:31 AM
Me too! I don’t care as much for him as, you know, but I think if I ran into him in the gym, I’d be like, Hello! Nurse!
Ally
April 18, 2020 at 9:40 PM
Watched the first two episodes of The King and I can see me watching more of it. But it’s nothing, not even a minutia, of what Goblin was for me. But I love Kim Go Eun in this. That ponytail flick!
purplesheesh
April 19, 2020 at 5:22 AM
Same. It was ok but it’s nothing something I would miss sleep for. I love Kim Go Eun and how badass she is. 🙂
Ally
April 18, 2020 at 9:37 PM
The initial reaction to COVID19 in Korea, the absolutely seamless coordination between their health departments and the federal government made me write on a physician only group that I was totally crushing on the Korean government. When really, in truth, I just crush on anything Korean. But I can only say that here.
isa: I'm not a serial killer I'm just really passionate about things
April 19, 2020 at 5:37 AM
Ally everything in this statement is awesome: Just like you!
Ally
April 13, 2020 at 3:06 PM
Doojoon is back! #allhighlightallthetime #justintimecuzialmoststartedstanningericnam
RaOnAh loves Yugyeom and Jaebeom 💚💕💚💕💚💕💚
April 13, 2020 at 3:23 PM
#stanEricNamtoo! #he’sgreat
purplesheesh
April 13, 2020 at 6:03 PM
Dojoon is making me fat with all his food adventures.
Ally
April 13, 2020 at 6:39 PM
And with the stay at home orders, everyone is eating because they’re bored!
IamPilgrim
April 14, 2020 at 2:22 AM
DOO-JOON!!!!!!!
Ally
April 4, 2020 at 3:41 PM
#6wordchallenge…Hemmingway
Hemmingway had a Havanese—me two.
Ally
March 28, 2020 at 6:59 PM
March music, day 28… Today is my sister’s birthday. We couldn’t celebrate it together, but I sent her this gorgeous rendition of Ave Maria by Korean American, David Kim, concertmaster of the Philadelphia Symphony. Symphonies can’t perform right now in much of the world, but their musicians are still making beautiful music in solidarity.
Ally
March 28, 2020 at 6:59 PM
@leetennant @snarkyjellyfish @bebeswtz @msrabbit @kat23 @hebang @ndlessjoie @lugirl131415 @tspmasala @willow @moomoomoondog @carmen @hotcocoagirl @coffeprince4eva @suriyana-shah @pinklolipop @kimbapnoona @justme @greenfields @wishfultoki @raonah @moana @anothernicole @khalessymd @oppafangirl @bammsie @natzillagorilla @acacia @sweetiepie54 @waterhyacinth @isthatacorner @fatcat007 @tsutsuloo @maybemaknae @rukia @pineapplegongzhu @eazal @babybeast @thetinyl @yyishere @stpauligurl @ayaan @outofthisworld @mmmmm @rueffie @flyingcolours @sensationalfantasy @pickleddragon @bcampbell1662 @edgarpordwed @ally-le @bdxpelik @katakwasabi @february @pakalanapikake @lcaro13
Eazal
March 29, 2020 at 1:19 AM
I loved it, and it’s a beautiful present to your sister.
You’ll celebrate when this is over.
*sends hugs*
PakalanaPikake
March 29, 2020 at 5:29 AM
@ally-le,
Thanks for posting that luminous performance by Philly concertmaster David Kim accompanied by daughter Maggie. What sweet, uplifting music, mindfully performed.
While visiting his website, I watched several interesting clips. The first two deal with his training and education as a musician, and the role his pianist mother played in getting him started as a violinist. What an inspiring story, told with great warmth, humility, and gratitude. Highly recommended.
http://davidkimviolin.com/?page_id=43
#1 The Inside Voice
#2 Finding the Orchestra
#3 Being a Concertmaster
#6 The Violin and Bow
sirena
April 2, 2020 at 1:02 PM
@ally-le Happy belated birthday to your sister!
Diana Hansen
April 24, 2020 at 2:59 PM
oh THANK YOU FOR THIS! so beautiful!
Ally
March 27, 2020 at 7:04 PM
Hi peeps! If you all are tired of reading about COVID19, I just uploaded all my Dramabeans writings (those published and unpublished) on my wordpress blog, Freethekimchi.com! And some music… #goblin https://youtu.be/D1MwdbTWd0g
Ally
March 27, 2020 at 7:05 PM
@leetennant @snarkyjellyfish @bebeswtz @msrabbit @kat23 @hebang @ndlessjoie @lugirl131415 @tspmasala @willow @moomoomoondog @carmen @hotcocoagirl @coffeprince4eva @suriyana-shah @pinklolipop @kimbapnoona @justme @greenfields @wishfultoki @raonah @moana @anothernicole @khalessymd @oppafangirl @bammsie @natzillagorilla @acacia @sweetiepie54 @waterhyacinth @isthatacorner @fatcat007 @tsutsuloo @maybemaknae @rukia @pineapplegongzhu @eazal @babybeast @thetinyl @yyishere @stpauligurl @ayaan @outofthisworld @mmmmm @rueffie @flyingcolours @sensationalfantasy @pickleddragon @bcampbell1662 @edgarpordwed @ally-le @bdxpelik @katakwasabi @february @pakalanapikake @lcaro13
bbstl
March 27, 2020 at 7:55 PM
Hi ally! I was wondering how you are doing in this insanity ❤️
Ally
March 27, 2020 at 8:47 PM
I’m fine! Just trying to stop a tsunami it feels. Much better than other parts of the country and hope we’re going to have enough of everything to treat everyone we need to treat.
bbstl
March 27, 2020 at 10:35 PM
I feel like I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop, I can’t imagine how you and your staff must feel. Phew.
FlyingTool
March 27, 2020 at 10:38 PM
Thank you for your efforts, and stay healthy!
하데스
April 6, 2020 at 5:36 PM
I too was wondering how you were doing. Hope you are still doing well during this crazy time.
javinne
March 31, 2020 at 10:19 PM
Hi, Ally. I bet you have crazy lots of work because you are in the health area.
Please, take care of yourself.