Stairway to Heaven: eps 3-4. This is my heroin!

[dangermousie]

Here is our update for eps 3-4.



Characters I do not want to bludgeon to death: Two (Jung Suh and Song Joo).
Characters who do not have some sort of mental condition: One (Jung Suh. Though I suppose that's only because of amnesia).
The distance between the Hero and a full-blown psychotic breakdown which probably would need hospitalization: 0.03 mm.
Times Psycho Bitch plotted something evil: 19,458
Times Hero ran like a desperate lunatic after Heroine only to have his heart stomped on: 3
Times dangermousie cried: 3 (see above).
Most Pathetic Character Award Goes To: Sister Luster.
Level of involvement of Korean population in possible assault or just a crazy person off his meds: 50%
Amount of times I drooled over Kwon Sang Woo angsting in suits: Not telling.

And now, on with the show!



This is the only time we see Daddy Useless get involved - to berate Jung Suh. Seriously, Father of the Year you are.



Stepmonster and Psycho Bitch planning entrapment of Song Joo. I am confused by bizarre thought processes. They are excited if Jung Suh dates someone else because then Song Joo would go for Psycho Bitch to which I say - bwaaaaa? It's not a binary proposition. There are more than two women in the world. If he doesn't end up with Jung Suh, it only means he won't end up with Jung Suh. It has nothing to do with him ending with Psycho Bitch.



Everyone is grown-up, Sister Luster still lives up to his name.





Grown-up Psycho Bitch. Whyyyy, Kim Tae Hee? You played arguably my favorite female character ever (in IRIS) so whyyyyy?



Trademark Crazy Eyes. I think it may be glandular.



Ahahahahaha, that would be Tree of Heaven, not this drama!



Sexy Hero is back and Jung Suh is off to meet him.





Not so fast, quoth Psycho Bitch! Yes, she runs her stepsister over with her car because she was goiing to meet a guy Psycho Bitch was sort of keen on. Sanity, you are doing it wrong!





Poor Sexy Hero is puzzled where did his Jung Suh disappear off to?



The answer he gets does not make him cheerier at all.







But Jung Suh isn't dead - Psycho Bitch left her id on a dead woman who was so battered as to be unrecognizable and then went to her father asking for help to dispose of the body. Awwww, family. We all depend on them. I often ask my Dad to help me hang various things around the house. Psycho Bitch asks her father for help in disposing of a woman she killed. Warms my heart!





However, Jung Suh isn't dead after all. That's OK, enter Sister Luster. Jung Suh has woken up with that most common of kdrama diseases, amnesia. Sister Luster sees it as a glorious opportunity to show his goodness and bring her back and expose his evil family. Ahahahahaha, who am I kidding? Sister Luster tells her she is named Ji Soo, was his girlfriend, and lost her memory in a fire. Probably the same fire I want him to perish in.





More time jump. Five years has passed and in an arranged marriage, Sexy Hero is engaged to Psycho Bitch. He has little interest in her, however. He seems to have little interest in most thing, being a charming flirt.





I like this cap. It expresses her inner evil.



Psycho Bitch refrains with great difficulty from getting out a woodoo doll when he tells her he is going to visit Jung Suh's burial site first and she should go home by herself.



Awwww, nice to know you care, Psycho Bitch! Seriously, is she the worst secondary girl ever or what?



I love this scene. He goes to the beach house they used to play at when they were little and where her ashes were scattered and she and Sister Luster end up on that beach and there are all these gorgeous near misses and I love how she is drawn to the house and him without remembering who they are. Also, he calls out her name and she wakes up from her dream asking if Sister Luster was calling her. THEY. ARE. MEANT. TO. BE. ELEVENTY.



















Bwahahahaha, Stepmonster is asking Psycho Bitch how far she and Sexy Hero had gotten (i.e. in bed). Clearly since 'he'd rather get leprosy than touch me' would not be flattering, Psycho Bitch tries to describe her unassailable purity. Hah! Sweetie, if he crooked his finger, you'd probably expire from joy. (Not that I'd blame ya :P)



She is all 'you never tell me you love me.' He: ...'and?' She: 'You can lie - tell me you love me.' He: 'I love you.' Loved that part.



I loved this scene so much. He sees Jung Suh in the crowd and his playful, laid-back manner is instantly swept away, and he chases after her like a madman through the streets and the subway - more and more desperately and breaking apart, while she, of course, is oblivious. I totally cried. I so wanted him to catch her.























He is commissioning a mural for the center his family runs and this is one of the submissions. Yes, Jung Suh put Sister Luster's work in.





This scene, you guys, this scene. It's the day of his engagement to Psycho Bitch so he is planning to let Jung Suh go (side note, Mom of Hero, if he's still hallucinating his lost love all over Seoul, maybe you should hold off with the wedding).







He is so happy to think it was an answer to his prayer and then...as he keeps seeing her...it dawns on him she is real. OMGOMGOMG I was clutching my pillow so hard and crying. Again. Also, I just love how for him everything else ceases to exist the moment he spots her - everything but the need to find her again. That is very very swoony.





















Jung Suh is, of course, totally puzzed by the good-looking lunatic.











Sister Luster uses the confusion to drag her away and yell at her when she says the guy could have known her in the past. How dare she doubt Sister Luster's sterling honor? Ugh, DIAF, douchebag. (The sad thing is, I think we are supposed to pity him. But after his little stunt which lasted for 5 freaking years, all I have is blistering hate).



Poor Sexy Hero has totally broken down.





But he recovers enough to chase after Jung Suh one more time. The guy really is getting a work-out.













Jung Suh escapes from the crazy and he actually keeps running and running after the bus.









(This whole sequence made me cry btw, you guys. Also, I was desperate for him to get on the bus but little good it did him).











You guys, I am so in love with this!

ETA: Am on ep 5 now and I really really yearn for Sexy Hero to pick up an Uzi and mow down every character in this story who isn't Jung Suh. How could they be surrounded by so many evil lunatics who need to go DIAF? They must have been mass murderers in their past life to get such lovely karma. Seriously, Sexy Hero, I am sure you can afford an illegal black-market gun. Go for it!

Comments

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

TO ADD TO THE ANGST HIS MUM IS ALSO TOTALLY CRAZY AT TIMES WHEN SHE'S 'NOOOOO, YOU MUST MARRY THE WOMAN I WANT YOU TO!'

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am on ep 5 and Psycho Bitch has just tried to drown herself to get hero to marry her. Why are both main characters surrounded with insane people?

[lesbiassparrow.livejournal.com]

I have no idea. Perhaps to entertain us more?

I think I hated Sister Luster more, though, given that they tried to make us sympathise with him a bit. DIE YOU HORRIBLE CRAZY FAMILY ONE AND ALL.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, at least they make no bones Psycho Bitch is evil. While we are supposed to pity Sister Luster - I am going to LAUGH when he kills himself. Her father isn't much better than the stepfamily. Actually, except for the OTP and the hero's goon squad, every character in this is insane. I want the OTP to run away to Canada or Australia and change their names so they could not be tracked down. Possibly after hero mowed down every character who isn't him or heroine.

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

I watched this ages ago, but as I recall - Psycho Bitch gets worse.


Interestingly, since it has been five years and Sister Luster was living with Heroine (I feel badly for him, again, because I saw ToH first. So, I spent the whole show thinking: 'Don't worry, Sister Luster, you get her in the next life. And, you stay really cute!') I often thought: Wouldn't it have been so much more worse (re: angstier) if they had married?! Or had kids?! Anything to torture Hero more. Now, that would have been an angsty early 2000s Kdrama. (Or an episode of Jerry Springer)


'I got anemia. Everyone thought I was dead. I was really living with my stepbrother and his dad. They told me I was dating my stepbrother. Then we got married and had a kid. But, then my childhood sweetheart returned, and he was engaged to my psycho bitch stepsister. Yet, he couldn't forget me. Things got a little crazy after that.' - That would be a drama I'd watch. Mostly because I'm a fan of angsty.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I think in most kdramas, once you are married that is it. Plus, I think any more angst and StH would collapse under the weight of all the tears wept by the characters.

I am still bitter Lee Wan grew into that.

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

once you are married that is it.

Sometimes, yeah. But, I just couldn't help but think that it could get worse. I watched this in my early days, before I knew how angst-filled dramas could be.



I don't think the actor is that bad; he's looked better in other things. It's just that Lee Wan is cuter.

[hollyxu.livejournal.com]

LOL CHOI JIWOO'S CRAZY EYES OF SHOCK.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

At least she's not punching the weirdo who keeps chasing and grabbing her. In her place, I would :P

[hollyxu.livejournal.com]

Yeah. I would have left him with (at least) a temporary inability to father children.

...

This reminds me, have you watched All About Eve? It has the other IRIS lady being an evil second lead.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

No, but I plan to get to it - it seems old-time melodramas agree with me.

[mishane.livejournal.com]

Oops, I thought this one was the one with other IRIS character (the one in Prosecutor Princess, I forgot her name) being the crazy secondary girl. I remember reading something which described her as the worst (as in BEST) Secondary Girl out there.

Interesting to note that both IRIS female stars have played Psycho Bitches. . .

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

Interesting to note that both IRIS female stars have played Psycho Bitches. . .


It's kind of how Korean dramas roll. Unless you start out as a teen/child actress or you start out with the "pure image" thanks to music, announcing, or modeling, you kind of have to play at least one psycho bitch secondary girl before you get the leads.

Sometimes, you're lucky and get to skip out of the Psycho Bitch roles, but that just means you get stuck in 'best friend/sister/supportive cast' roles for a few years.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Like walkswithheroes said, a lot of actresses start out as villainnesses (see LDH in Sweet 18) and guys as secondary guys. Luckily the good ones 'graduate.'

[kitsune714.livejournal.com]

I saw this drama years ago, which is why I can never watch anything starring Kim Tae Hee, ever. I mean, yes, I know that "Iris" is a great drama, but I can't seem to ever fully forget the fact that the heroine is, in fact, Crazy Eyes from "Stairway to Heaven". Tragic, right?

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

LOLOL she really is horrific, I am glad this is not the first role I saw her in.

[village.livejournal.com]

Sister Luster?! I don't even know.

This looks awesome. Pulling out hair, fist in my mouth, head banging against a wall, awesome. And that's just too much pain to self-inflict on myself. :P But I do love reading these recaps!

This is the drama that made everyone and their mother fall in love with KSW, right? I can see why. What a delicious hero.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

This might just end up as my favorite weepie of all time. In part because it's not angsty ALL the time. There is adorableness coming up (ep 5):





And yup, that's the drama that made KSW a Hallyu star. I can see why. Also, you go CJW! She managed to star in three classic Hallyu monster hits (this, Winter Sonata and Beautiful Days).

Also, a girl who loves MiSa doesn't want to watch this? Does not compute :)

[village.livejournal.com]

Also, a girl who loves MiSa doesn't want to watch this? Does not compute :)

Now, now, I don't really love MiSa like that. Especially not enough to watch it ever again. Hee.

You know I love angst. I'll eat up manpain and OTP tears for breakfast, lunch and dinner but only if I know I'm getting some kind of sunshine for dessert. Death by disease + OTP heartbreak until the very end is not how I roll. :P

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Death by disease + OTP heartbreak until the very end is not how I roll. :P


Umm, they get married and before she dies she gets to bang him like a drum? If we look on the bright side, that is...

[village.livejournal.com]

BWAH. Well that's one way to look at it.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

With this drama, you take all the happy you can get.

[er-mused.livejournal.com]

Argh, now I feel the need for a rewatch! But I'm already re-watching BoF!!! Except StH can be such an exhausting rewatch cos I cry all the time. Nothing has ever made me cry this much. Nothing!

Sigh, I've forgotten just how attractive KSW is. He cries and manpains like no one else. I love how he spends a lot of the earlier episodes going after her... AHHHHH

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I have literally been crying in every ep except for the first one. This is so good - it's the most romantic thing I've EVER seen.

And as to KSW - oh my God. I've seen him in other things and I've always liked him (not to mention found him droolworthy) but it was nothing like this - I am basically going into hyperventilation whenever he's on screen.

[slowandsilly.livejournal.com]

I totally wanted to burst out laughing at the screenshot that shouted ASSAULT!! HAHAHAHAHAH the subtitles are (unintentionally?) hilarious.

And agreed this drama is pretty awesome!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yuo, I had fun watching it.