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dangermousieIn ep 4 we go from this:
To this:
Episode 4 was the best so far - the first word that pops to mind when describing Swallow the Sun is solid. The acting is solid, the pace is solid and the writing and character development is rock solid. It's less ambitious then e.g. East of Eden (which tried to cram in politics and revolution and unions in) but unlike EoE it is also not wildly uneven. It's a very good, occasionally dark, twisty story about betrayal and revenge and twisted relationships and redemption.
Oh, and after this episode I want the Mob Boss, his Secretary and Rich Boy to all die die die die die die die die PAINFULLY and HORRIBLY. I was yelling at my screen.
Hero is left brooding on Mob Boss' considerate offer to have Hero kill someone for Mob Boss. I really love how he struggles with this issue for most of the episode - the fact that he can even consider this shows how damaged and 'not good' he is, but the fact that it is huge is never hidden either - you can see his internal freak-out.
He continues his internal debate when meeting his friends. They all have jobs in Mob Boss' organization thanks to him.
He tells Secretary he will do it, looking sick, and I want to scream!
Meanwhile in Seoul, Heroine and her Roommie are adorable together.
And she is still being wooed by Rich Boy.
Early in the morning after his decision, Hero drives to the orphanage where he was brought up.
He remembers first seeing Heroine - she was a little rich princess at the time, doing a bit of charity and he was a violent messed-up little boy who threw the food he was handed out down and stomped all over it.
Dimple!!!
Head orphanage person comes out and Hero actually gives her a huge chunk of money he earned so far. Awwwww. His duality continues - he is willing to do murder but he cares for those in his circle fiercely.
Ahhh yes, Mob Boss. In his ginormous house he has an atelier and is painting a woman's portrait which for some reason leads him to have a total breakdown/ragedown and trash his studio. No, I have no idea.
Mob Boss meets Hero and hears from his own lips that he agreed to commit murder. His comment? "With this, I am buying your soul." Ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh die die die horrible scumbag. He then adds that he will make it worthwhile for the Hero, but somehow I doubt that.
Heroine comes to Jeju and Rich Boy calls Hero to pick her up and escort her.
She is excited to find he is a native and asks him to drive her to a pretty remote, obscure spot. When he asks why, she tells him it's her parents' death anniversary and that is where they are buried.
She does her duties by the graveside and he waits. And they have a conversation - they find it easy to talk to each other. We find out that not only did her parents both die in a car accident, but somehow after it gradually all their wealth disappeared - all their house and land. But she means somehow to get it back. (In a way even if they started differently, they are equals - both broke orphans with determination to succeed). She wonders a little why she told him all this because she never even talked about it to her best friend. Yup, they definitely click. Also, I am just betting Mob Boss was somehow implicated in their deaths!
Later, Hero sneaks into a casino where his target is. The man, nicknamed Jackson, is a mercenary, so won't be easy to be rid of (Mob Boss wants him whacked as a favor to a lender. Lender hates this guy because lender's daughter disappeared after being involved with Jackson). I have a confession to make - I really like Jackson from what little we've seen of himand I peeked ahead and he's part of an awesome secondary OTP.
Rich Boy arrives on Jeju with his scummy friends and they all, plus Hero and Heroine go on a yacht ride.
While rich idiots are fishing, Hero and Heroine chat - I have never seen either one this happy before. Oh, and she asks him to teach her to swim. Please please please, drama, give me a scene of him teaching her, please!
Too bad the pleasant jaunt ends on a horrible note - one of Rich Boy's rich friends tries to molest Heroine and also offer her his 'protection' once Rich Boy tires of her. Ugh.
Rich Boy is in an ugly mood because Heroine left pissed off and shoves his friend hard against a fountain. Oops, he kills the man. That's right, freak, let your inner psycho out.
Guess who gets talked by Mob Boss and Secretary to take the blame for the murder. Guess. Guess? RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGE. They are all 'now, Mob Boss will REALLY owe you. And we'll find someone else to do the murder.' (I wonder if, in part, Hero agreed so readily because it freed him from committing actual murder?)
Detective who knew Hero from childhood is heartbroken.
I want Secretary to die in a pit! Even though it was him and Mob Boss who organized the frame-up, he implies to Secondary Girl (who not only harbors some feelings for Hero but, more importantly, grew up with him in the orphanage and they are as close as siblings and she owes him a lot) that if she sleeps with him, he will do his best to help Hero in exchange. Ugh ugh ugh ugh - and the worst is she does it.
Another part of Mob Boss' and Secretary's evil plan is this - guess who they got as replacement killers? That's right, Hero's friends. They lured them by saying in exchange they will do their best to get Hero out. The evilness of it just boggles my mind. Boggles. Hero is desperate for them not to do it but they are all 'for you, anything' and argharghargh.
Oh, and the Old Grandma who dumped Hero all this time ago is dying and Detective takes Hero to meet her and reveal finally the name of his mother and her picture.
Next episode promises me a haircut!
To this:
Episode 4 was the best so far - the first word that pops to mind when describing Swallow the Sun is solid. The acting is solid, the pace is solid and the writing and character development is rock solid. It's less ambitious then e.g. East of Eden (which tried to cram in politics and revolution and unions in) but unlike EoE it is also not wildly uneven. It's a very good, occasionally dark, twisty story about betrayal and revenge and twisted relationships and redemption.
Oh, and after this episode I want the Mob Boss, his Secretary and Rich Boy to all die die die die die die die die PAINFULLY and HORRIBLY. I was yelling at my screen.
Hero is left brooding on Mob Boss' considerate offer to have Hero kill someone for Mob Boss. I really love how he struggles with this issue for most of the episode - the fact that he can even consider this shows how damaged and 'not good' he is, but the fact that it is huge is never hidden either - you can see his internal freak-out.
He continues his internal debate when meeting his friends. They all have jobs in Mob Boss' organization thanks to him.
He tells Secretary he will do it, looking sick, and I want to scream!
Meanwhile in Seoul, Heroine and her Roommie are adorable together.
And she is still being wooed by Rich Boy.
Early in the morning after his decision, Hero drives to the orphanage where he was brought up.
He remembers first seeing Heroine - she was a little rich princess at the time, doing a bit of charity and he was a violent messed-up little boy who threw the food he was handed out down and stomped all over it.
Dimple!!!
Head orphanage person comes out and Hero actually gives her a huge chunk of money he earned so far. Awwwww. His duality continues - he is willing to do murder but he cares for those in his circle fiercely.
Ahhh yes, Mob Boss. In his ginormous house he has an atelier and is painting a woman's portrait which for some reason leads him to have a total breakdown/ragedown and trash his studio. No, I have no idea.
Mob Boss meets Hero and hears from his own lips that he agreed to commit murder. His comment? "With this, I am buying your soul." Ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh die die die horrible scumbag. He then adds that he will make it worthwhile for the Hero, but somehow I doubt that.
Heroine comes to Jeju and Rich Boy calls Hero to pick her up and escort her.
She is excited to find he is a native and asks him to drive her to a pretty remote, obscure spot. When he asks why, she tells him it's her parents' death anniversary and that is where they are buried.
She does her duties by the graveside and he waits. And they have a conversation - they find it easy to talk to each other. We find out that not only did her parents both die in a car accident, but somehow after it gradually all their wealth disappeared - all their house and land. But she means somehow to get it back. (In a way even if they started differently, they are equals - both broke orphans with determination to succeed). She wonders a little why she told him all this because she never even talked about it to her best friend. Yup, they definitely click. Also, I am just betting Mob Boss was somehow implicated in their deaths!
Later, Hero sneaks into a casino where his target is. The man, nicknamed Jackson, is a mercenary, so won't be easy to be rid of (Mob Boss wants him whacked as a favor to a lender. Lender hates this guy because lender's daughter disappeared after being involved with Jackson). I have a confession to make - I really like Jackson from what little we've seen of him
Rich Boy arrives on Jeju with his scummy friends and they all, plus Hero and Heroine go on a yacht ride.
While rich idiots are fishing, Hero and Heroine chat - I have never seen either one this happy before. Oh, and she asks him to teach her to swim. Please please please, drama, give me a scene of him teaching her, please!
Too bad the pleasant jaunt ends on a horrible note - one of Rich Boy's rich friends tries to molest Heroine and also offer her his 'protection' once Rich Boy tires of her. Ugh.
Rich Boy is in an ugly mood because Heroine left pissed off and shoves his friend hard against a fountain. Oops, he kills the man. That's right, freak, let your inner psycho out.
Guess who gets talked by Mob Boss and Secretary to take the blame for the murder. Guess. Guess? RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGE. They are all 'now, Mob Boss will REALLY owe you. And we'll find someone else to do the murder.' (I wonder if, in part, Hero agreed so readily because it freed him from committing actual murder?)
Detective who knew Hero from childhood is heartbroken.
I want Secretary to die in a pit! Even though it was him and Mob Boss who organized the frame-up, he implies to Secondary Girl (who not only harbors some feelings for Hero but, more importantly, grew up with him in the orphanage and they are as close as siblings and she owes him a lot) that if she sleeps with him, he will do his best to help Hero in exchange. Ugh ugh ugh ugh - and the worst is she does it.
Another part of Mob Boss' and Secretary's evil plan is this - guess who they got as replacement killers? That's right, Hero's friends. They lured them by saying in exchange they will do their best to get Hero out. The evilness of it just boggles my mind. Boggles. Hero is desperate for them not to do it but they are all 'for you, anything' and argharghargh.
Oh, and the Old Grandma who dumped Hero all this time ago is dying and Detective takes Hero to meet her and reveal finally the name of his mother and her picture.
Next episode promises me a haircut!
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no subject
Date: 2010-03-23 02:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-03-23 02:18 pm (UTC)In a way, it's what East of Eden should have been and wasn't.
Plus - Ji Sung. I have such a thing for him!
no subject
Date: 2010-03-24 02:05 am (UTC)Mob Boss raged because he couldn’t recall that woman’s feature. Not until… (I won’t spoil it) did he can complete the painting.
IRIS(2009),SWALLOW THE SUN(2009),THE KINGDOM OF THE WINDS(2008) and LOBBYIST(2007) are all created by writer Choi Wan Kyu and his team(or Choi in charge, other writers specifying the details). So you can assume what you can get from this drama.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-24 12:48 pm (UTC)I loved every single drama you listed there so ooooh, I am in for a treat!
no subject
Date: 2010-03-26 10:12 pm (UTC)In his ginormous house he has an atelier and is painting a woman's portrait which for some reason leads him to have a total breakdown/ragedown and trash his studio. No, I have no idea.
Was the portrait not his baby mama? Mi Yeon?
I'm actually finding him quite sympathetic (for a mob boss) because he so clearly parallels Jung Woo -- messed-up criminal driven by circumstance to become worse than he actually is. He's like Jung Woo's future if Jung Woo doesn't shape up.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-26 11:58 pm (UTC)Was the portrait not his baby mama? Mi Yeon?
Yes it was but we weren't supposed to know it yet :P
Re: Mob Boss. I see the similarities with JW but I don't know - I still don't like him - he's clearly evil. He loved Mi Yeon a lot but as a person he's so very rotten. There may have been hope for him 25 or however yrs ago but there isn't now.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-27 01:06 am (UTC)But there was no one else it could be. (Or maybe it just seemed obvious to me because I'm still shipping him and Mi Yeon, death be damned.)
You know, I hadn't realized until this comment just how much the first ep messed me up -- seeing Jung Woo's parents' OTP and shipping them so hard without realizing they were doomed -- it's made me connect with them so strongly I'm almost more into the vestiges of their story than what's happening with the current generation. I loved the younger MB and his strained morals and friendships and lovesickness and I'm fascinated with how it's still affecting his character to this day. He made a kingdom in a place where he could get anything he wanted, except the one thing he wanted most, which was gone forever. D'you think he knows Detective Guy is the one who busted him? Or that Mi Yeon had a child at all? I'm wondering if he came back to Jeju post-makeover, grand and rich and ready to start anew, only to discover the love of his life had died years ago. MY HEART. ):
I see a loooot of similarities with him and Jung Woo, right down to their unwillingness to kill (when young!MB couldn't even kill the soldier who abused him so badly) and the ambition to better themselves by whatever means necessary. The only difference, so far, is that Jung Woo keeps getting lucky breaks whereas MB didn't.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-27 01:55 am (UTC)I don't think he knows about Mi Yeon having a child - it was a total secret from everyone - only the cop knew whose kid it was and I doubt he went telling. I cannot wait to see when he does discover it.
The only difference, so far, is that Jung Woo keeps getting lucky breaks whereas MB didn't.
But it's all relative - nobody made him become an opium dealer in Vietnam and kill bunches of people. And certainly, once he became rich he didn't have to keep on doing all that stuff. It's sort of like IRIS - everyone and everything tried so hard to make HJ into a monsster but they couldn't - it takes a certain kind of person to become so totally ruthless and uncaring.
I feel quite sympathetic to Young!MB but the older - I find him interesting and I do feel some pity for him occasionally (he is clearly brainy and his life is a waste of potential in some ways) but I mainly loathe him - he has done so many unforgivable things. He is a fascinating character though.
How far in are you, btw? I am wondering if you got to JW's confession to SH yet - I bawled like a girlie girl.
ETA: back to Jeju post-makeover, grand and rich and ready to start anew, only to discover the love of his life had died years ago. MY HEART. ):
That totally must have happened. Ugh. Now I am sad.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-27 02:44 am (UTC)So yeah, that was traumatic. XD
It's sort of like IRIS - everyone and everything tried so hard to make HJ into a monsster but they couldn't - it takes a certain kind of person to become so totally ruthless and uncaring.
That's definitely true, and it's not that I think MB is a great guy (or even a good one) but I think a lot of his villainy was because of circumstance and tough breaks rather than an evil core. He didn't get any of the convenient saves Jung Woo has -- I think Jung Woo is only a hero at this point because of twists of fate rather than actual moral fiber.
I'm only through ep 4 though, for all I know MB starts kicking puppies. But at this point I just feel terribly sorry for him and I want him and Jung Woo to get a happily ever after, father to son. (And I know the chances of that happening are 0.00001 percent and it only makes me feel sorrier.)
no subject
Date: 2010-03-27 02:07 pm (UTC)She didn't die in childbirth though - she died when hero was 5 - I think they mentioned she drowned on one of her diving trips.
I'm only through ep 4 though, for all I know MB starts kicking puppies
I have yet to see any puppies in this drama, kicked or otherwise. So rest safe :) OK, maybe I am influenced by later stuff where you see just how ruthless he can be and he does things that JW would never do - could future JW do horribly ruthless things if his life went differently? Perhaps but the thing is, somehow JW started a lot more adjusted - I could never see JW really selling out any of his close friends - he would stop whatever it is in order to protect them - but MB doesn't have any friends whatsoever - I think he lost a capacity for friendship. I have no idea if I am making any sense - I think even back when he met Mi Yeon, he was a lot more gone than JW was but it is the man he is by now I don't really care for.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-27 04:15 pm (UTC)the thing is, somehow JW started a lot more adjusted
I see that as luck, though -- JW is only better adjusted because fate keeps conspiring to keep his hands clean -- I don't mean to sound like a broken record, but I'm continually struck by the ways JW and MB get put in the same situations yet JW always gets an out whereas MB didn't. Thrown in jail? JW is released, MB is sent to a brutal labor camp. Beat up by thugs? JW gets a job, MB gets carted off as a prisoner and his pregnant girlfriend gives birth alone. Etc etc. Jung Woo has made a lot of truly dubious moral choices, selling his soul to the mob, willing to become a hitman, and it's only luck that he keeps being spared the worst of it.
no subject
Date: 2010-03-28 12:05 am (UTC)Though one note about prison - to be fair, when MB went in, he was genuinely convicted for some hardcore crime (not that anyone deserves the kind of treatment those prisoners got, of course). JW at that point hadn't done anything criminal at all and is there to take the blame for someone else. So I don't have the problem with him not getting as badly treated - if he was as badly treated as MB was, that would be even more unfair. Re: killer for the mob - I don't think he ever would have carried it out (he prevents his friends from carrying it out on his behalf later).
All I know is that I now want to watch a drama set in a horrible prison camp and some girl involved in a rescue. Sadly the only one I know is Seoul 1945 where hero and heroine both end up, as communists, in a horrible torturing labor camp. That does not end so well.
ETA
Date: 2010-03-28 03:39 am (UTC)