Pick the Stars - ep 13
Feb. 22nd, 2010 10:52 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dangermousieHave just finished watching ep 13 of Pick the Stars on viikii (the subbers are insanely fast) and how does this drama get better and better with each ep? How? I am going to go into mourning when it ends.
A few thoughts:
1. Pal Kang is in the running for the most awesome heroine ever. She is smart, tough, full of common-sense, and her own woman. I love that she doesn't get deceived much - when she nailed why Younger Brother was nice to her and told him to his face - OMG that scene was perfection.
2. I really like the way the relationship between Kang Ha and Pal Kang is progressing. He is much more smitten than she is, but that's because she is fighting any romance so hard, trying to stay pragmatic and children-oriented. They are so funny and comfortable together (the scene where they were re-writing the contract, with the teasing and physical proximity, was adorable).
3. Much as I love Kang Ha/Pal Kang scenes, I live for the scenes Kang Ha has with Parang (the one where Parang insisted on climbing into Kang Ha's bed to sleep even though he wasn't sleepwalking? I melted). They are so father/son it hurts. It's interesting because with his monstrous parents, Kang Ha basically has no role models as far as it comes to parenting but through all his emotional groping and without knowing it even, he's doing a pretty good job. The massage scene? I loled and loled and loled - for someone who doesn't like to be touched at all, he's totally fine with Parang making mincemeat out of his back :P
4. I love how Pal Kang with the help of her trusty friends is slowly unravelling the mystery of her parents' murder. You better quake in your boots, Korean Lady Macbeth, Pal Kang is FIERCE.
5. It's official, the Chairman irritates me. Help her out, moron. Ugh.
6. Whoa, the more I learn about Kang Ha's family background, the more I am impressed he's even functional - I don't blame him for shutting off his feelings before Pal Kang and her brood - the only way to function was not to have any. If Korea had Child Protection Services, hello, they should have been all over him asap - his mother's matter-of-fact story about how he came to find her in 3rd grade all beaten up and begged to live with her, but he wouldn't tell who beat him so she beat him for that and told him he was a weakling loser? RAGE. Burning RAGE. And then he finally told her it was his father who did it (and she clearly didn't do anything but sent him back). No wonder his issues have issues. I mean - WTF. Did the Golf Club Dad from Bali start a club or something?
7. Was Pal Kang gorgeous in the wedding dress or what? No wonder Younger Brother's mouth hung open.
8. It looks like evil Momster is out of the drama with this ep - of course, not before screwing things up for Kang Ha one more time. Gotta love consistency. And speaking of consistency, nothing Secondary Hag does surprises me any more (she could have hired a hitman to take out Pal Kang and kidnap Kang Ha, and I wouldn't have even blinked) so her attempt to blackmail Kang Ha into marriage by spilling the secret about Younger Brother that Kang Ha has been protecting all these years* (Younger Brother doesn't know they are halves - I guess he's been spared some of the family dysfunction) is not surprising. And neither is my reaction - WTF BITCH ARE YOU INSANE? This is a guy who can't stand to look at you and shudders when you touch him - and that is before you unleashed the full power of your evil on him. What kind of marriage would that be? Not to mention that (a) spilling the beans would hurt Younger Brother so much and you profess to be his friend and you know he loves you and (b) what kind of evil announces that your stalker object will consider marriage now to Younger Brother's face without any consideration? No wonder Kang Ha is hitting the sauce like they are declaring Prohibition tomorrow.
* Kang Ha certainly lives to his much earlier comment to Younger Brother that if you aren't prepared to take all responsibility for that person, you shouldn't meddle - see him with Pal Kang earlier but he's also actually been doing this for Younger Brother too - he's certainly protecting him like whoa.
9. Oddly, the more I learn about Kang Ha's family, the more I am OK with Younger Brother. I don't like him but I sort of get him. He's also a product of damage - for Kang Ha it resulted in locking any possible feeling so he wouldn't get hurt and an ingrained feeling of unworthiness underneath his capable manner (I have never seen a kdrama character so matter-of-fact about being totally worthless), plus a sort of OCD resulting from desire to finally have control. But for Younger Brother it resulted in never sticking his neck out and needing people to like him no matter the cost - it's almost pathological. And he seems to only go for very cold women who have no chance to like him back - thus making him both emotionally safe and trapping him in eternal cycle of seeking validation through them - probably reminding him of his cold family and putting all relationships in familiar dysfunctional patterns.
10. The last scene in the ep - Kang Ha is so tightly wound that even with all the stress (and he's really losing it) he can only really express what he feels when he's had alcohol in him - but when he hugs Pal Kang and holds on for dear life and tells her what is tantamount to a confession - OMG. But what really hit me was the way he phrased it - that he really wanted to try to live again. Because he really hasn't been before, not before Pal Kang and co. entered into his life.
A few thoughts:
1. Pal Kang is in the running for the most awesome heroine ever. She is smart, tough, full of common-sense, and her own woman. I love that she doesn't get deceived much - when she nailed why Younger Brother was nice to her and told him to his face - OMG that scene was perfection.
2. I really like the way the relationship between Kang Ha and Pal Kang is progressing. He is much more smitten than she is, but that's because she is fighting any romance so hard, trying to stay pragmatic and children-oriented. They are so funny and comfortable together (the scene where they were re-writing the contract, with the teasing and physical proximity, was adorable).
3. Much as I love Kang Ha/Pal Kang scenes, I live for the scenes Kang Ha has with Parang (the one where Parang insisted on climbing into Kang Ha's bed to sleep even though he wasn't sleepwalking? I melted). They are so father/son it hurts. It's interesting because with his monstrous parents, Kang Ha basically has no role models as far as it comes to parenting but through all his emotional groping and without knowing it even, he's doing a pretty good job. The massage scene? I loled and loled and loled - for someone who doesn't like to be touched at all, he's totally fine with Parang making mincemeat out of his back :P
4. I love how Pal Kang with the help of her trusty friends is slowly unravelling the mystery of her parents' murder. You better quake in your boots, Korean Lady Macbeth, Pal Kang is FIERCE.
5. It's official, the Chairman irritates me. Help her out, moron. Ugh.
6. Whoa, the more I learn about Kang Ha's family background, the more I am impressed he's even functional - I don't blame him for shutting off his feelings before Pal Kang and her brood - the only way to function was not to have any. If Korea had Child Protection Services, hello, they should have been all over him asap - his mother's matter-of-fact story about how he came to find her in 3rd grade all beaten up and begged to live with her, but he wouldn't tell who beat him so she beat him for that and told him he was a weakling loser? RAGE. Burning RAGE. And then he finally told her it was his father who did it (and she clearly didn't do anything but sent him back). No wonder his issues have issues. I mean - WTF. Did the Golf Club Dad from Bali start a club or something?
7. Was Pal Kang gorgeous in the wedding dress or what? No wonder Younger Brother's mouth hung open.
8. It looks like evil Momster is out of the drama with this ep - of course, not before screwing things up for Kang Ha one more time. Gotta love consistency. And speaking of consistency, nothing Secondary Hag does surprises me any more (she could have hired a hitman to take out Pal Kang and kidnap Kang Ha, and I wouldn't have even blinked) so her attempt to blackmail Kang Ha into marriage by spilling the secret about Younger Brother that Kang Ha has been protecting all these years* (Younger Brother doesn't know they are halves - I guess he's been spared some of the family dysfunction) is not surprising. And neither is my reaction - WTF BITCH ARE YOU INSANE? This is a guy who can't stand to look at you and shudders when you touch him - and that is before you unleashed the full power of your evil on him. What kind of marriage would that be? Not to mention that (a) spilling the beans would hurt Younger Brother so much and you profess to be his friend and you know he loves you and (b) what kind of evil announces that your stalker object will consider marriage now to Younger Brother's face without any consideration? No wonder Kang Ha is hitting the sauce like they are declaring Prohibition tomorrow.
* Kang Ha certainly lives to his much earlier comment to Younger Brother that if you aren't prepared to take all responsibility for that person, you shouldn't meddle - see him with Pal Kang earlier but he's also actually been doing this for Younger Brother too - he's certainly protecting him like whoa.
9. Oddly, the more I learn about Kang Ha's family, the more I am OK with Younger Brother. I don't like him but I sort of get him. He's also a product of damage - for Kang Ha it resulted in locking any possible feeling so he wouldn't get hurt and an ingrained feeling of unworthiness underneath his capable manner (I have never seen a kdrama character so matter-of-fact about being totally worthless), plus a sort of OCD resulting from desire to finally have control. But for Younger Brother it resulted in never sticking his neck out and needing people to like him no matter the cost - it's almost pathological. And he seems to only go for very cold women who have no chance to like him back - thus making him both emotionally safe and trapping him in eternal cycle of seeking validation through them - probably reminding him of his cold family and putting all relationships in familiar dysfunctional patterns.
10. The last scene in the ep - Kang Ha is so tightly wound that even with all the stress (and he's really losing it) he can only really express what he feels when he's had alcohol in him - but when he hugs Pal Kang and holds on for dear life and tells her what is tantamount to a confession - OMG. But what really hit me was the way he phrased it - that he really wanted to try to live again. Because he really hasn't been before, not before Pal Kang and co. entered into his life.
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no subject
Date: 2010-02-23 08:27 am (UTC)This will be the next drama I download. I need somethin fluffy after Aishiteiru anyway
no subject
Date: 2010-02-24 04:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-02-23 02:58 pm (UTC)I had some difficulties to start with them but the chemistry is getting better end better as you said.
It's nice to see a heroine who is NOT melting and keeps her head on! Yay! (Specially after being a crazy girl!)
Emma
no subject
Date: 2010-02-24 04:35 pm (UTC)