UnaSpenser

Interestingly, for all the flaws, I'm still enjoying it. I don't care about the eggs, at all. But, I'm curious to see how they resolve the two leads both being in relationships they don't have emotional investment in. Those are tricky waters and, in real life, rarely navigated well. Life is messy. But, good writers can offer helpful compasses.

So far, though, the writing hasn't been great. Can it be that the writers are better at the human relations than they are at the antics? I'm still willing to find out.

There are a lot of writing weaknesses in this story. The whole setup is a bit inane: rich guy manipulates space station mission just to keep his DNA in the species. Ugh. Just adopt.

Beyond that, though, I hope they manage to let the ML character show us more depth. For instance, once his career was utterly destroyed by the rich dude, he would have been feeling utterly powerless, depressed and cynical. Then, he is basically pushed, by the daughter of that same dude, into a relationship, because she wants it (likely for complex daddy issue reasons.) He's so lost and apathetic that he just goes along with it, even though he doesn't really have feelings for her. That can happen. Rebound relationships, where you're not recovered from a trauma and enter a relationship because the good feelings are better than what you're processing from the trauma.

Fine, we'll go with that. But, its not going to work, unless we see him regain a sense of self worth. (the mouse operation might be the beginning of that.) Yes, he's clumsy and kind of boring, because, well, he's lost and shut down. But, then, having him risk the entire crew and station in an extremely dangerous move to recover the eggs? It doesn't fit the trajectory.

Since when did he become willing to put himself on the line? Since when was he okay with risking other people's lives? Up until now, he's actually had a pretty solid ethic as a doctor. He just threw that ethic out the window? For the rich lady, who's trying to help the rich FIL who destroyed his life?

The writers couldn't come up with a better scenario for him getting the eggs back? Its a comedy. Couldn't they have found some comedic way for him to figure out the code? They did a huge disservice to the character here.

Let's get past the basic unreality of a dude being sent to space, because some family has insufficient sperm.

The other things, though: given the setting, they clearly have meaning. They are on a science mission that is all about reproduction in space. Also, scientists can be very competitive about findings. The flies and the operation would both be considered huge milestones in the field of human survival off of planet Earth. From a storytelling point of view, I expect that these will import later. The doctor whose career and life were ruined by a rich, narcissistic jerk makes a significant scientific breakthrough, even though he had been seen as an idle, moneygrubbing wealthy fiance who was just on a joy ride that no one else can afford.

How could this not have something to do with where the story will going?

agreed. highly risky move. I guess he was thinking that he learned enough to know he could make it happen safely. (there was no fire, just smoke) And he's desperate to get his career/life back, after what was done to him. But, still. You're on a f'ing space station, where any little thing can cost the lives of everyone. the writers couldn't come up with a less dangerous way for him to recover the eggs? they did a huge disservice to the character.

The "my eggs" part didn't get to me as much. He's connected to his patient, who wanted him to get the eggs back. I mean, the whole scenario is ridiculous. All this over having a genetically related child? I don't get the obsession with that. You're going to be dead some day and none of this matters. Just adopt. Anyway, as someone with a serious chronic illness, I do appreciate it, when my doctor is so invested in my care that he refers to things as "ours", related to my illness and symptoms, etc. Its far better than the docs who remain so detached that they can't even be bothered to run tests, because they can't empathize.

But wasn't that exactly what he was poking fun at, in the first episode? The manager who doesn't like him goes on and on about how he can't speak proper Mandarin.

Isn't his line delivery supposed to be "bad"? That's part of the humor. Wasn't that set up in the modern times scenes with his erstwhile new manager?

Anyway, I'm enjoying it, thus far. Its silly and entertaining. Very different from Joy of Life, which are both borrowing a time-traveling concept which has been around for ages. Dylan Want doesn't disappoint with his energy.

I wonder if they're people that Wen put at her side. They might be giving him info and/or involved in setting things up for him?

How come the other cops aren't noting that there is a huge conflict of interest, having the ML on the case? Everyone involved are his classmates; his girlfriend and her friends.

I know that in dramaland, we often see this, but it gets infuriating. He should not be on this case. He's the vortex at the center of it all.

Seriously. Two people have been murdered. She's been stalked with an attempted rape. But, she's "investigating" on her own: stalking and harassing a suspect of a violent crime, and taking zero precautions for her own safety.

I've been stalked before. I've been around many who have. This is not the usual behavior of a stalking victim.

Plus, she's not sharing what she knows with the police. She supposedly wants her friends' murders to be investigated, but she withhold vital information. Deng Man's state of mind and her conflict with the FL over the boyfriend are at the center of what happened to Deng Man, but she's not going to reveal that? She's kind of a jerk; hindering their investigation.

What I see happening is that he keeps getting typecast as the "good hero" type. Whether its military, police, fireman, whatever; they all feel the same. He's good at it, in a bland kind of way. He feels very natural in front of the camera. But, it gets boring.

I want to know: is he not a good enough actor to branch out and do other things? Be the villain. Be the nerdy, not physically dominant guy. Be a goofy, clumsy dude. Be a bombastic shit stirrer. Anything, at this point, to show that he's an actor and not a one-note commodity.

Is he taking lousy scripts because he can't get other work?

same. they are listed so close to the top that, all along, I keep waiting for the hints that they're behind some things. But, so far, they seem to be almost incidental characters.

Here's my why:

Its not a very serious drama, for sure. I like most of the actors, a lot. They are carrying their roles well. All along though, something has felt off about this story. First, it kinda lost me when the FL starts investigating a violent crime, without letting the police know what she's learned. Two people have been murdered ("driven to suicide" is murder) and she has been stalked, with an attempted rape. But, you know, keep things to yourself and go investigate on your own. Right...... I get that she's traumatized. Its actually refreshing to see a drama where someone who has been victimized the way she has is truly struggling with PTSD. But, the sudden will and ingenuity to stalk and harass someone she suspects of murder? It came out of the blue and feels out of character.

Also, that she has, for all these years, refused to mention the conflict between her and Deng Man. Its a major point regarding Deng Man's distress and vulnerability. Your friend's death is being investigated and you have meaningful info and you're not going to say anything? Instead, you're going to mysteriously end things with the person who cares for you? Without ever telling him what was going on?

Then, we have the creepy, "protective", cop/not-boyfriend who is disregarding the autonomous will of a woman and has surreptitiously moved in next door, surveilling her. He's watching her in her private space! No. She asked him to stay away. Its her prerogative. If she's in danger, she still has the right to make her own choices. Its so patronizing. If someone did that to me, I'd cut all ties, as they clearly have no respect for my boundaries.

Mostly, though, the story thus far has been about women becoming unhinged when they are rejected by a man. One damn man is the spark for all this violence? Give me a break.

In the real world, real women are assaulted and murdered every day by men who are rejected. Women have to walk in fear and be prepared for assault at any time, because men are so dangerously fragile. The cases of women hurting men who have rejected them are extremely rare, if there are any at all. So, why is this story playing into misogynist stereotypes about women? Are we returning to the "women are hysterical" era? Its disturbing that the writers chose this direction and that producers spent money on top stars to put this in the minds of viewers. Storytelling is powerful. We all know it. That's why authoritarian governments and people like to ban books and censor things. The producers and writers know that stories leave deep impressions and this is what they want to impress in our minds?

I'm sad that such good artists are being used this way.

I also found myself empathizing with the sister. She was treated as a second class citizen in her family; came to the family's rescue when the FL put them all at risk by disappearing; accepted her fate when she couldn't marry the prince that she actually would have liked to marry; and then is constantly put at risk by the FL's stupid antics. All the while, she remains calm and emotionally torn about what to do regarding the FL. In some ways, she's the only admirable character of the bunch.

The ML is temperamental and bossy. He uses the power inequity to control the FL when he wants to. The FL is just dumb as a post. She is supposedly "saving" her sister, who asked not to be saved. And then blames everyone else when she gets into trouble for messing around in the palace. She hides her identity, while getting angry if the ML withholds anything. The ML lords over his brother, who is the one with the military accomplishments, even though the "testament" which would rightfully name who the previous king wanted to ascend the throne hasn't been found, so his place on the throne is not considered "secure." The 2ML has a guard who keeps making moves which both kill people and make him look like he's vying for power, but he doesn't get rid of him.

Both princes, who have a lot of responsibilities on their plate and are supposed to be governing a country, as grown adults, are somehow just putting everything aside because they're falling in love with someone who is too dumb to survive and seems to be about 10. Not a good look.

For a girl raised in a military family, she sure is dumb.

Also, she's a girl. Not a woman. That's the only way one could even begin to explain the childish behavior and expressions. She acts as if she's 10.

The problem with that is that both grown princes are in love with a dumb child?

One can make a goofy romance without having the FL being so immature that its super uncomfortable to think of men pursuing her.

Ok. We can call it "wrong."

Sometimes we do the wrong thing, because we think its best. We don't care if others condemn us.

I'm not arguing in support of vigilanteism. I'm noting that, as an observer of the story, I could absolutely empathize with Gilho and see why he would make that choice. Its not as simple as whether or not it was "immoral". Whose morality? We tend to want to think that morality is universal, when it is not.

There are several things which make this story compelling. Gilho's anti-hero trajectory is one of them. If we're at all empathetic, we are forced to at least think about the conundrum a bit.

What I would hope is that more and more of us see that, if we let things go on too long, people are driven to darker places and their sense of morality shifts. He's a character who has absolutely no reason to believe there is any justice that will come "the system." He's not even in the system, as an undocumented person. So, he feels no obligation to adopt its morality. Especially, since he's witnessed what people in power, in that system, are truly like.

I guess, instead of jumping to call out the immorality of his act, I wish that people were more compelled to discuss how the social construct he's living in created him. That's a more important thing to explore than whether he was in the right or wrong.

https://apnews.com/article/nobel-prize-literature-han-kang-297f7ff96c29ced1cb8efe8528161c1f

I find it funny that people are complaining about the plot, or wanting more character development or fleshing out. It's based on real events. The plot was decided by history. The characters had whatever relationships they had. Those involved didn't have the time to stop and learn about each other's histories. You can't force them to be more involved with each other than they were. It's not a piece of a fiction where a writer is crafting all the details to suit a story aesthetic or theme.

For me, that's what makes the story so chilling. Real people. Some who are just trying to survive. Some who would do anything to make money. People crossed paths at this particular junction in life and, for those who survived, they simply had to keep going on with their lives. People who weren't connected before, had no reason to stay connected. There weren't any big personality changes or dramatic life re-directs. That's pretty much how it is in real life.

This was some brutal realism.

also, this is based on a true story.

and, that's the thing with real life evil. it's not as "interesting" as fiction, because a fiction writer sets out to tell a story for a particular reason. They have a theme or message in mind. Or they want to highlight a particular kind of relationship. So, the story is written to enhance what they want us to feel or perceive. Real life just happens. Often without any meaning.

To me, that's what makes it so much more chilling. This was a real life depiction of what people are capable of, simply for the sake of money. None of them had any big agenda beyond their personal gains or losses.

Is it morally wrong? A little friendly thought challenge:

That man was a sociopath and had already caused so many deaths. With all of his money and connections, he probably would have, at minimum, been able to flee the country and do more harm elsewhere.

He needed to die, for the sake of others. Gilho is more realistic than the cop, the prosecutor and the daughter, because he knows exactly what happens and that, with certain people, the only thing that will stop them is death. He's lived his entire life around the devastation of these people. Only those who have had a sheltered life and are somewhat distanced from it, have the luxury of citing "morality." He's willing to be the anti-hero in order to protect others.

If it doesn't costs the lives of people you know, its a bit easier to moralize and feel that its the high ground. Gilho doesn't have that distance. He's been dragged through the mire of their death cult for as long as he can remember.

so satisfying to see JCW in a meatier role. He seems more cut out for this than the goofy romcom stuff.