Quick Post...

[dangermousie]

I am obsessed with Cinderella Unni. Chuno-level obsessed.

Checking soompi for spoilers (alas too few to be had), reading flist for CU comments, and rewatching various scenes obsessed.

So, what's your favorite scene so far?

Everyone is (justly) raving about the scene of Eun Jo running away and Ki Hoon accidentally catching her hairpin, making her hair spill around her shoulders and his stopping, dumbstruck (see alexandral's wonderful picspam of it), but my favorite scene is actually another one - it's the scene in ep 2 after Eun Jo tells Ki Hoon, so fierce and fragile at the same time, that she has to study as much as she can now, before they get kicked out again and she loses the chance, and runs off and he follows and they sit next to each other in the cellar, and he quietly tells her he is sorry and won't interrupt her study time again. I don't know why it got me so, but it did.

Things I want to know:

1. Are Eun Jo and Hyo Sun ever going to get close or, as is more likely, will they grow to dislike each other, and if so, what will be the catalyst?

2. Time Jump. We have to have one in order to have that baseball-obsessed kid turn into adult of the main story - and it has to be a big one. How is it going to come in and when?

3. What did Ki Hoon do to make his family hate him so?

4. Is Eun Jo ever going to smile?

I l love this drama so very much - it's such a realistic portrayal of a wounded young woman. There is nothing wrong with stories where heroines come sunny through hardships - I've loved plenty of those. But I think it's realistic that a teen in Eun Jo's circumstances - no homes, no stability, having to be the adult as compared to immature, selfish mother, living with a series of 'fathers' all of whom are low-lives, abusers, alcoholics etc (and yet EJ and her mother are dependent on them), seeing your mother beaten (and going back to such men) and worrying about being raped yourself (I am not sure whether EJ suffered any sexual abuse herself - the drama leaves it unclear - but it's pretty clear that at least the fear of it has had to be pretty constant for her - when she tells her mother she was afraid of it every day she was at that drunk's house or when she snarls at Ki Hoon who invites her to come over and sit by him whether he wants to forcibly take her (and thus is luring her, I presume) - it's really depressing. No 17-yr-old should think this way) - that is going to leave you an emotional cripple, scarred and too cautious to open up.

ETA: Oh no, apparently this scene was only filmed for the promo MV and isn't in the drama? Boooo! I want!



Anyway, am obsessed.

Comments

[hollyxu.livejournal.com]

My favourite scene is when papa Gu asks her why she needs tutoring in math when she's getting full marks and she shows him that entire notebook of memorized problems. Oh bb. My heart broke then and there.

Also, your post is ♥

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

That really was heart-breaking - not just because she wants to study, but this little show of her pride - not wanting others to know her ignorance. It must have taken an enormous show of trust for her to admit her need of a tutor.

[hollyxu.livejournal.com]

Re: 1 - Hyo-sun will apparently pitch a massive grudge fest because Ki-hoon obviously loves Eun-jo while continuing to interact with Hyo-sun as a little sister. Also, the stepmother stops being nice once papa Gu dies. (Which is less of a factor because the time jump apparently takes care of that? Boo unclear text previews.)

DEAR PROMO TEAM, YOU'RE FIRED.

SINCERELY,

THE FANS.

(Fic is up, am hiding face in shame.)

[seven-trees.livejournal.com]

I'm also wondering if Eun Jo and Hyo Sun are ever going to get close. You know that Hyo Sun's dad is probably going to die soon so she'll be left with her stepmother and Eun Jo, and Eun Jo has her mother, but that relationship is so toxic for her. I hope that even if they do grow to dislike each other that they'll eventually patch things up.

And can I just say how happy I am that our heroine isn't all sunshine and rainbows. I'm so tired of happy go lucky chicks. But I gotta say that it's so strange to see a character that in another drama would probably be male and thus be labeled the Icy Woobie of the story. I LOVE IT.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I really hope the stepfather doesn't die but I am sure he will - that is probably where the time-jump is going to come in.

I really hope they will eventually patch up but I can see bitterness from whichever way Stepmom will behave once Dad dies. But this writer is very good at allowing its damaged characters to find happiness (I loved the endings to Piano, Robbers and Spring Day) so I have hopes.

Yes, it's a total gender reversal of the icy woobie trope. The writer had done it before actually, in Piano and even a bit in Spring Day (both the protagonists in that one were so damaged - and the heroine went for her OTP because he made her laugh) - I like that. I've seen this type of heroine in other dramas sometimes (Lobbyist - heroine is damaged, tough, on revenge quest) but they are pretty rare.

I am also impressed by MGY - it's a hard role to pull off without appearing crazy or bitchy. Tbh, I myself AM more judgmental of a heroine like this than I would be of a hero because I am shallow and can be swept by hero's sex appeal. But she makes it truly work.

[vert-gazon.livejournal.com]

I am also obsessed with this drama. Amazing characterization with grey areas? I am so on board.

I like the significant glances scenes which seem to be running throughout Eps 1 and 2. So many people looking at people who are looking at other people scenes. Like with the shaman, and then Eun Jo looking at her mom hugging Hyo Sun while the step-dad is looking at her, and the end of ep 2 of course.

When the step-mom approaches the two women again there's this parallel with how she was in ep 1. She's dressed much better and more expensively this time around and there's nothing timid about her approach. I look forward to her characterization and what she'll do in the future. She is much more sympathetic than the step mom in Brilliant Legacy.

1. The quote from the preview might be telling but it could also be misleading. "Unni even if you hate me, I'm not going to make you like me. So unni don't try to make me hate you too." Even Hye Sun has a breaking point and I don't think they'll end up getting close. Maybe they'll mutually tolerate each other but they'll probably just keep their distance. Hye Son can't give Eun Jo the space she needs and Eun Jo can't really let her in because she thinks their relationship would be only temporary.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I honestly think Eun Jo is just too damaged to have any functional healthy relationship without some major therapy help - the only possible exception is someone like Ki Hoon who can enter into her headspace due to his own background, but even then it would be hard work and take a while. So someone as sunny and coming from such a different place as HS doesn't really have a chance. Plus, the longer you keep your walls up against someone, the harder it is to pull down. If EJ were in the household for 10 yrs even, objectively it might be long enough for anyone to realize it's permanent but for her - she wouldn't be able to take the walls down by that point. And no matter what, the girls just cannot relate to each other - their life experience have been so vastly different it's as if they speak alien languages.

I really love that Eun Jo isn't necessarily likeable - the self-pity gets a bit much to tolerate at times, the prickliness is not endearing either - but she is so understandable and I feel such pity for her because no child should be like that, and feel admiration too - she managed to keep her smarts and a certain kind of desperate dignity intact despite it all.

The stepmother in BL was truly awful. This woman - she may not be good but she is understandable - you can see why she is so desperate to claw to the top.

[vert-gazon.livejournal.com]

Eun Jo is a heroine that kdrama really hasn't seen in awhile. Actually, she would be more of an anti heroine which makes it more interesting. In terms of Cinderella, Hye Sun slowly being ignored by Ki Hoon is telling because no one tells Cinderella that there might not be a prince for her at the end. The tale is becoming skewed to show that Cinderella isn't always the fairytale that some girls hope for.

I see Eun Jo as the kind of person who may seem off-putting at first but when she cares about someone she comes through for them at the important moments. Hye Sun seems to be the opposite. She may be nice to you and be the perfect friend, but when you need her she can be flaky. I don't think she means to be this way intentionally but a lot of people love her too much for her to really appreciate it.

In the future, Hye Sun could turn out to be like Daisy from The Great Gatsby. She can put on airs of girlish ignorance but really harbor bitterness that you don't always get the perfect life even when you're rich and beautiful.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yes, I like the subversion of normal Cinderella norms here.

HS as Daisy - I can see that. EJ could help someone she cared for, I agree - but I don't think she would be an easy person to deal with in everyday circs.

[shinystory.livejournal.com]

ETA: Oh no, apparently this scene was only filmed for the promo MV and isn't in the drama? Boooo! I want!

Promo team fails! Big time.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am verrrrry grumpy about that :)

[shinystory.livejournal.com]

I just saw the first episode and it was really good. I love how there's a lyrical touch to it--with the music, and Hyo-sun's strange happiness at getting injured, and that chase scene.

The promos made it look so morose when it's really layered and more than a little smarter than how it's made to look.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yes - the promos were so wrong. The second ep is even better :)

[homocoucho.livejournal.com]

Hello, I had to delurk to share my love for this drama.
I was actually happy to find out that the MV was a whole different thing, because I did not like it. With the exception of the back-hug (which I'm sure we'll get somewhere down the line, and maybe something better), the MV was just out of beat with the atmosphere the 2 episodes had.

Is it okay to friend you?

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Friended you back :)

Yes, I didn't care for the MV either - it was so ridiculously overwrought. I almost didn't check the drama out because of it. But the drama itself is so nuanced and delicate.

[(Anonymous)]

I do think Eun Jo had gone through some form of sexual abuse. In episode 1, when she said she was afraid, usually one would connect it to being afraid of losing her mum. But for her mum to just latch on to the conclusion that the man had done something to her... it seems like something happened before. Just my thoughts...

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yes, that would make sense - who knows what kind of men her mother shacked up with before - they all seem appalling. And certainly her very wary attitude to men would bear it out.

[csfan.livejournal.com]

I am in love with Cinderella Unni! I cannot wait to watch next week's episode..

Sadly, I do think Eun Jo had been sexually abused by her mother's previous boyfriends.. I did read some statement about that in soompi... Argh I am so disturbed by that, I feel so much for Eun Jo that I hope she finds happiness at the end...

I cannot wait for the time leap to happen.. I am really curious to know how the girls are going to live together (harmoniously or not) after the stepfather dies??

P.S- I HOPE we get something better than a back-hug btw EJ and KH!!!

[homocoucho.livejournal.com]

We do get something better than a back-hug!
[spoiler]During the Press Conference on March 24, one of the questions asked was "Are there any kiss scenes?"
Then CJM answered: In the scripts that we've received so far, there's a kiss scene. Eun Jo who was drunk kissed Ki Hoon. But Eun Jo doesn't remember anything about it the next day and this causes a misunderstanding between Jung Woo (Taecyeon) and Ki Hoon (CJM).[/spoiler]

[mishane.livejournal.com]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

...YES!!!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

OMGOMGOMGOMG I want this scene NOOOOOOOW!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I read that statement on soompi too but it was only in an ep review so I don't think the drama makers said it one way or another. So I am still not sure but it wouldn't surprise me if she was.

I hope she finds happiness too - nobody deserves such a miserable life.

[timescout.livejournal.com]

Everyone seems to be quite taken with CU. I'm waiting for proper subs because I have far too many things to watch right now and can't add anything more. That goes for all the other new dramas that just started.

Oh, I'm feeling so left out! *g*

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

You must watch this. :D It is really good! I know you are not a shipper, but - there are lots of background mysteries, ganstars and all such things. And it is filmed beautifully.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

It's very good with a lot of awesome non-shippy things going on. If you watch one spring drama, make it this one (and I say that as an OML fan :P)

[boginje.livejournal.com]

I`ve decided to avoid Family Honour watchalong and other posts of my interest cuz I have 4 days to review for an exam BUT I can`t resist posting.
Every kdrama writer has his own little habits and preferences. Kim Kyu Wan has a habit of writing about people with personality disorders. AND HE IS GOOD AT IT. He has definitely taken more than a few courses of psychology.
HE WILL INEVITEBLY SOMETIMES DIVERT FROM THE ACURATE CHARACTERISATION CUZ THIS IS A KDRAMA AFTER ALL– but I have to give him props for the awsome writing in the frist 2 episodes.
MGY -no one can dispute her talent BUT once again I have to mention that she is way too thin .
Chun Jung Myung is doing great and Seo Woo is not a bad actress(But I am seriously distracted by how PLASTIC her face looks)
SONG EUN JO HAS CONFLICTED AVOIDANT SUBTYPE OF AVOIDANT PERSONALITY DISORDER.
Eun Jo avoids physical contact because she associates it with different unpleasant or painful memories (I don`t think she was sexually abused , but she was definitely physically abused ).
Also even if they were not abused people with AvPD deeply mistrust others because of the way they perceive themselves. Eun Jo is 17 and she had not received any affections , she had never been cared for, she had no stability in her life and she is not even going to school. When someone grows up in those circumstances, one develops a belief of not being worthy of being loved or being friends with(one develops serios inferiority complex and a habit of putting up a front as a means of concealing it).
People with AvPD are preoccupied with their own shortcomings and don`t associate with people who lead a fairytale-like life. There is this scene in the bathroom when Eun Jo doesn’t` know how to use a tap –we can see she feels UNEQUAL and is agitated with herself AND Hyo Sun because of it-typical reaction of CONFLICTED AVOIDANT person.
Eun Jo was comfortable with the fat kid cuz she didn`t feel inferior to him, they were both in a same situation, she could relate to him BUT she will NEVER be able to have that kind of a relationship with Hyo Sun- Eun Jo wants Hyo Sun to leave her alone cuz she does not like the feeling of inferiority. Even (if) when Eun Jo grows up and grows into a competent and successful person she will still feel inferior to Hyo Sun (even though she will have no real reason to feel that way).
Eun Jo doesn`t trust Hyo Sun`s father words until she is completely sure he means well (when she overhears his conversation with that old lady). PEOPLE WITH AvPD CAN FORM FUNCTIONAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHERS ONLY IF THEY BELIEVE THOSE PEOPLE MEAN WELL. She was able to ask Hyo Sun`s father for a tutor because of it. Also people with AvPD prefer ONE ON ONE interactions (notice for example that Eun Jo was in „an attack is the best form of defence“ state of mind when she was approached by TWO fellow students) . She also asks for ONE ON ONE tutoring instead of going to cram school- she is self-conscious so she knows she needs a tutor to accommodate to her own pace and her needs.
If they feel uncomfortable in a certain environment or situation AvPD sufferers resort to self -isolation and the world of fantasies in order to interrupt painful thoughts . We`ve seen this in Eun Jo`s case when she when she leaves the wedding party and studies in the storage room(?)- studying and dreaming about finishing her education is her way of dealing with emotional pain.
Eun Jo is bound to like people like Hyo Sun`s uncle (cuz he is very sensitive to who people really are-notice how he does not have a good feeling about Eun Jo`s mom , and yet does not feel the same way about Eun Jo).
It is also no surprise she will fall for Ki Hoon - Ki Hoon obviously will be able to deal with her insecurities and emotions and make her SMILE (conflicted avoidant AvPD sufferers like Eun Jo are ambivalent towards themselves and others –their romantic partners need to be understanding and patient but strong-willed).
BTW Eun Jo `s mom seems (we don`t know enough about her to be 100% sure) to have accommodating dependant subtype of accomodating personality disorder.
P. S. Sorry about my bad engilsh-my style(of writing)sucks and last time I reviewed my english grammar was 8 years ago.

[homocoucho.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the thorough analysis.
I assume you're a psych major, if not a psychologist, so I'm rather curious as to how you'd explain the future episodes. It would be awesome if you'd make a weekly psychoanalytical write-up. Just saying :)

[boginje.livejournal.com]

I`ve taken more than a few psychology courses but I am not a psych major(I am studying dentistry ) BUT my aunt is watching this drama with me - she is a psychologist.

[homocoucho.livejournal.com]

I forgot to thank you for mentioning the uncle. I was curious about that scene in episode 2 when she asked where her stepdad was. I thought that that bit of interaction had potential, y'know, for the grumpy-old-man-who-cares trope.

[village.livejournal.com]

Really interesting perspective. Thanks for taking the time to do that.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

This was the most amazing post I've read in a while. Thank you for taking the time to make this analysis. It explains so much about EJ. I do hope she gets better.

[boginje.livejournal.com]

Personality disorders are not rare, but are often undiagnosed. AvPD occurs in approximately 0.5% to 1% of the general population. It is seen in about 10% of psychiatric outpatients. But conflicted avoidant subtype is really rare(hypersensitive avoidant, phobic avoidant and self-deserting avoidant are more common)- but conflicted avoidant people have a good chance of being diagnosed . AvPD are always aware they have a disorder (unlike people with some other disorders) but hypersensitive avoidant, phobic avoidant and self-deserting avoidant usually avoid asking for professional help. Conflicted avoidant can`t avoid it cuz most of them at some point suffer atypical depression- when depressed they seek professional help.
BUT EUN JO WILL PROBABLY AVOID SUCH FATE CUZ THIS IS A KDRAMA AFTER ALL. On the other hand if Kim Kyu Wan actually decides to take that path (if Eun Jo ends up suffering from atypical depression which is possible cuz Ki Hoon will not always physically be there for her) – that would be so nice cuz I don`t think I`ve EVER seen realistically written character suffering from any type of depression in kdrama. Korea is still very traditional and quite uneducated about people suffering from any type of mental or neurological problems (that is part of the reason why suicide rates in Korea are sky high).

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I think I am getting Chuno-level obsessed too (which is so welcome - I felt as if something was missing when it finished).

But nooooooooo! No back-hugging scene! I was re-watching the MV like mad and was waiting for this to happen (the way he was so vulnerable hugging into her, hiding his face in her hair!!!). NOOOOOOO!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I loved the back-hug. Maybe we'll get it some other way.

My favorite scene

[(Anonymous)]

My favorite scene is in episode 2 in the girls room. When HS did'nt stop chatting about Some boy who never replied to her text messages and at a moment EJ glared at her and said "Are you Idiot ?" HS expression is PRICELESS ! I cannont stop laughing at this scene each time I watch it. Natural acting delivered by the two girls. They are so OPPOSITE. I think this is the most interesting thing in this drama.
The soundtrack is great. I love this one we hear during the tutoring scene when HS looks for EJ and KH or during the chase scene between EJ and KH.
Great drama.

Re: My favorite scene

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Oh, that was hilarious. Their worlds are a universe apart. For HS this is her biggest worry.

I loved it when EJ went over to that guy and demanded he answer HS.

Re: My favorite scene

[(Anonymous)]

Yes their worlds are...extremly different. In the last scene of episode 1 when SW character, happy to have a new sister say brightly "AGNAN !" and EJ was glaring at her my first word was "Aie != OUCH !". I can't wait to see the development of their relationship in the drama the most.

Seo Woo

[(Anonymous)]

Am I the only one who is not disturbed by so called "plastic" SW face and think she does not look her age and she does a good job as a 15 years old too brighty girl and very different from her Unni ? The girl is beautiful as MGY is in the drama. Her features are more standout - beautiful big lips, beautiful eyes, young looking, she is not skinny...- than MGY ones.

Re: Seo Woo

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I think she looks beautiful and acts age-appropriate too.

But I am a bad person to recognize plastic surgery (never do) so I am not sure I am the person to ask.

I do love Seo Woo and her character.

[biases.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love it to bits as well. I went into it expecting it to be okay but I was really moved by a lot of the little things - the hair scene is beautiful, and Moon Geun Young is hitting all the right notes as a prickly, damaged girl who is too afraid to trust, let alone love. I'm so looking forward to Eun Jo's relationship with Ki Hoon and how she will change - the twist on the standard "jerky hero changes for plucky heroine" tale is extremely welcome, and I love that KH seems like such a gentle, affable guy but actually has demons of his own.

ARGH WANT MORE.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I really had no expectations - the promos really were not my thing and I never was a fan of MGY (I wasn't an unfan - I just was indifferent). I just checked it out because I was checking out all the new dramas and then I fell utterly in love.

Yes, I love that it's the guy who's the saner of the two (but my inner angst junkie likes that he ISN'T just this pleasant person - he has issues - and that, actually, these issues enable him to understand her).

[village.livejournal.com]

I love it so the waiting in between is going to suck. I'm very interested in the three mains and how everything will happen in terms of HS going "bad", EJ & KH's relationship, etc.

I'm also really curious about KH's family. Do we know if he's an illegitimate son? It might not be the fact that he did anything to his family but perhaps they've treated him like a second class citizen all his life which has caused him to grow up with a huge chip on his shoulder. I'm totally speculating here but the way they treat him is really strange. I can't wait until they disclose more about his background.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I don't think there was anything said that would indicate he's an illegitimate son and he's named the way the rest of them are (first name starting with Ki) but that doesn't mean anything - father just could have taken him in as an infant. I could totally see them picking on him for his whole life and he finally blew up, dropped out of college, came to rice wine factory. The life-long treatment rather than 'oh, they were OK family and then he did something' is what I get a lot more from their interactions - not to mention if he's had a bad life with them, that could explain ow he understands EJ so well.

I am going crazy waiting for next eps. I am watching and enjoying OML and Prosecutor princess but I am totally fine with waiting for those eps. CU I must have now!

[vert-gazon.livejournal.com]

This website has 15 pages of episode stills.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[boginje.livejournal.com]

just realized I completely forgot to answer about my favorite scene.!!!!
My favorite scene so far is the bathroom one(when Eun Jo tries to turn on the faucet but fails)- vert_gazon liked it too:
http://vert-gazon.livejournal.com/21744.html

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I love that scene - such a brilliant way to highlight the differences in the two girls' lives.