Are you saying Mok Ha is lying? And if so, who is she lying to? What is she lying about? I'm not sure I understand…
@Nachi Okay, I think I see what you mean now. Yes, there is a lot of lying, though I don't think the screenwriter ever glorifies it? Over and over she's shown the consequences that come from it, even those lies that come from a thoughtful, not-malicious place? And just because the characters make mistakes doesn't mean we can't still root for them? Because it's a part of the growth she writes for them. And the lying portrayed here is still heaps better than the painful lying engaged in in Start-Up. 😖
I have wondered if the man swooping in to save the woman in Kdrama is actually not a cultural Korean thing but a Western trope assimilated into Korean culture due to the audience (mostly women, I think we can agree)? I am definitely NOT claiming to have expert knowledge or anything, haha, but here is my reasoning based on things I've observed. I wonder this because:
1) When I visited SK and Japan, I noticed on public transport and in general that men don't give deference to women because they are women (like giving them a seat, holding the door, carrying heavy items, etc.), as the only deference of that kind is paid to people older than you (so, age based rather than sex based). These are things you will still see some men do in the West even though it's being pushed back on heavily in recent years and dying out (same is true for the treatment of women in Western entertainment until more recently).
2) I read an article recently that highlighted interviews with Korean women (in Korea) who said the main reasons they are not marrying or in relationships (the interviews and research was prompted by the birth rate drop) is because many were abused while in relationships or had domestic abuse from men in their families. (And oddly, this is one of the few dramas to really address it head-on, and maybe it doesn't crop up more because it's too close to home...).
These two things make me wonder if this trend in Kdrama is creating fantasies of the kind of men women wish they could date, and a kind of longing for traditions or norms that foster men valuing and respecting women that have been appropriated from the West (also, Kdramas are gaining a lot of momentum with Westerners and these stereotypes still exist there for sure). These are the men women wish they married, fell in love with and raised a family with. I think the West is largely moving away from these longstanding stereotypes (not saying that it's a good or bad thing, just something I've noticed) for men and women, but cultures that have not opened up more opportunities for women yet and are just starting to move on from older cultural norms are still working on new ways to portray women, I think. I've started to see it a bit more in Korean dramas, but to be fair, even the West is still pretty lousy at it because they end up falling to extremes rather than being really thoughtful about it (I mean in TV and movies, specifically). And obviously we have a lot of women and families being mistreated here (in the West), too, but legislation and protection for it in Korea seems to be more slow in coming. I imagine it will take time since cultural norms are deeply rooted in up to centuries of tradition and societal routines.
Aaaaanyway.... just some of my musings based on what you were picking up on! I know I've over-generalized and over-simplified a ton... 😏
I find lovers reunited dramas are so complicated and often uncomfortable, doesn't mean I don't like them, but…
I think they CAN be trickier to hit the right note than a typical linear romance. I felt like Beloved Summer, for instance, drew more heavily on the past than it should have so I felt like a piece of their story was missing, which meant I didn't get to know the characters fully, even with the flashbacks. So it felt more wistful and sad than I anticipated and that feel I wasn't a fan of. This one seems more lighthearted?
I'm curious to see how they will show the relationship between the sisters since Kdramas rarely show families with more than two kids. I like watching chaotic and endearing sibling dynamics, so I hope they're cute! 🤣
the stepfather is so sweet in this one but then i remember his character in strangers from hell, the duality 😆
Yeah, he plays a completely different character in the 2nd season of The Good Detective! And funnily enough, the actress for Ran Joo was one of the villains in that one, too. Though she looks completely different; I didn't recognize her at all.
One thing I love about Bogeol as a Kdrama ML is that he doesn't drink or even smoke ~And Koreans LOVE their sojus/alcohols..…
I know some guys that don't, but it's true, they're a rare breed. :) I found out that in Dublin drinking alcohol is losing a ton of momentum with the young people (DUBLIN of all places), and I've seen mocktail sections on menus cropping up more and more. Some interesting trends I've observed/heard about!
And Bo Geol has seen firsthand what it (alcohol) can do to people and how it can twist them if abused.
I'm trying to remember if in any other show from other series it was like second nature to the characters to lie.…
Are you saying Mok Ha is lying? And if so, who is she lying to? What is she lying about? I'm not sure I understand how that connects to needing a man and not being a strong woman? I'm genuinely interested in knowing what you mean, not trying to pick a fight. :)
Just an advice for the new watchers: don’t binge watch it just watch like one or max two ep per day it’s more…
💯 It's also kind of impossible to binge because it's so long, haha; it's like the compromise between a typical 16 episode drama and a 40+ episode family drama. 😂
why it's hard to complete??? I'm still stuck 10ep....I didn't find interesting 🥲
It also took me time to get into it; after Episode 5 or so I started to get into more (though here and there I did skip some scenes that I just couldn't get into, usually with the parents when they were all together). After finishing it, I realized that the emotional punch of the end draws heavily on the seemingly "boring" parts from the beginning as hindsight transforms them into something beautiful and never-to-be-had-again. Kind of similar to how the seemingly mundane and consistent elements of our childhood that felt commonplace at the time (and which we took for granted) become precious memories that awaken a longing to return to those simple, sweet times when they are remembered years later. But we never can.
As for this drama, the feels just snuck up on me in the last few episodes and made me want to weep several times. I was a teary mess in the last 10 minutes or so in particular (and I rarely get emotional watching dramas).
I just realized that the cast list here on MDL doesn't give you ANY hints about who Deok Sun ends up with 😂(unlike most dramas with romance on MDL, which are pretty obvious based on the cast list set up and tags so you can decipher easily who is endgame). Kind of maddening, since they draw out the mystery of who she ends up with for most of the drama, too. Buckle up, newcomers, and keep an open mind; it's a long ride! 🤣
After 4 episodes.The series is great, but I am SOOOOOOOO ANNOYED by that goat noise they add. I normally don't…
I did, too, at the beginning, and kept thinking, "What the heck?" and then I got used to it and by the end I thought it was funny. Don't know how it grew on me. 😅
I have wondered if the man swooping in to save the woman in Kdrama is actually not a cultural Korean thing but a Western trope assimilated into Korean culture due to the audience (mostly women, I think we can agree)? I am definitely NOT claiming to have expert knowledge or anything, haha, but here is my reasoning based on things I've observed. I wonder this because:
1) When I visited SK and Japan, I noticed on public transport and in general that men don't give deference to women because they are women (like giving them a seat, holding the door, carrying heavy items, etc.), as the only deference of that kind is paid to people older than you (so, age based rather than sex based). These are things you will still see some men do in the West even though it's being pushed back on heavily in recent years and dying out (same is true for the treatment of women in Western entertainment until more recently).
2) I read an article recently that highlighted interviews with Korean women (in Korea) who said the main reasons they are not marrying or in relationships (the interviews and research was prompted by the birth rate drop) is because many were abused while in relationships or had domestic abuse from men in their families. (And oddly, this is one of the few dramas to really address it head-on, and maybe it doesn't crop up more because it's too close to home...).
These two things make me wonder if this trend in Kdrama is creating fantasies of the kind of men women wish they could date, and a kind of longing for traditions or norms that foster men valuing and respecting women that have been appropriated from the West (also, Kdramas are gaining a lot of momentum with Westerners and these stereotypes still exist there for sure). These are the men women wish they married, fell in love with and raised a family with. I think the West is largely moving away from these longstanding stereotypes (not saying that it's a good or bad thing, just something I've noticed) for men and women, but cultures that have not opened up more opportunities for women yet and are just starting to move on from older cultural norms are still working on new ways to portray women, I think. I've started to see it a bit more in Korean dramas, but to be fair, even the West is still pretty lousy at it because they end up falling to extremes rather than being really thoughtful about it (I mean in TV and movies, specifically). And obviously we have a lot of women and families being mistreated here (in the West), too, but legislation and protection for it in Korea seems to be more slow in coming. I imagine it will take time since cultural norms are deeply rooted in up to centuries of tradition and societal routines.
Aaaaanyway.... just some of my musings based on what you were picking up on! I know I've over-generalized and over-simplified a ton... 😏
And Bo Geol has seen firsthand what it (alcohol) can do to people and how it can twist them if abused.
EDIT: Episode 1 is also fantastic. Another one that stands out amongst the hundreds I've seen.
As for this drama, the feels just snuck up on me in the last few episodes and made me want to weep several times. I was a teary mess in the last 10 minutes or so in particular (and I rarely get emotional watching dramas).