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dangermousieAnd, surprisingly, it's not the final scene of the episode (though I loved it to bits).
The melancholy, the composition of it. Everything - regret, longing, 'wrongness' of the pairings as they are in this scene conveyed without a single word.
What I really love is that during this scene it's made both (a) objectively clear that JW/Seul and Oska/Raim are a more logical match and that (b) it ain't never going to happen.
If you think about it, JW and Raim are basically incompatible, worldwise. Can you imagine Joo Won knocking back drinks with Raim in some shack of a dive? His fastidious, neurotic self would probably have a breakdown. And can you imagine Raim ever fitting in the elegance and gilt of Joo Won's family surroundings? She would be stifled and uncomfortable. The irony of it is that, on paper, Seul is a perfect match for Joo Won - the proper family background and wealth, approval of his mother, even his ideal body type - she's both leggy and busty. Yet he couldn't care less if she flung herself naked on him - he's fixated on the 'wrong' Raim. In reality, JW and RI are absolutely the wrong match - both are in love with other people. Also even if Raim and Oska didn't exist, JW and Seul still wouldn't be compatible - Seul likes drama and headgames and Joo Won is highly eccentric, borderline Asperger's, with no tolerance or understanding of either. It would be a marriage that would make them both miserable. While Raim and Oska would be a recipe for disaster in another way. Oska is better adjusted than JW (though that is a very low bar) but, for good or ill, Seul seems to be the only one to breach his emotional walls. Plus, despite Raim fangirling him to death, she isn't crushing on him in a concrete sense at all - there is no charge the way there is with prickly lunatic that is Joo Won. Sure, she's kind and she admires him almost as much as he admires himself but that would be a relationship doomed to failure. He'd try his best and be sweet to her but I don't think he'd be able to deal with more than a couple of months of monogamy with her - her very simplicity and straightforwardness of personality would not work for him. He needs the headgames and messiness and drama of someone like Seul. He's a diva for a reason.
I am totally shipping Director with JW's sister. He's awesome and needs an OTP of his own. I don't think he and RI are a good match at all because they are both equally passive when it comes to relationships. Even if they did like each other, they'd never come out with it. Yeah, JW-as-RI told Director not to like her, but are you kidding me? Do you think something like that would have stopped JW? RI threw worse at him. The rest (JW, Oska, Seul, JW's sister) are active in pursuit of their romantic goals, even if in some cases, they are totally dysfunctional about them, but Director and RI are not - so they need someone to openly chase them.
If your heart did not melt at this, you have no soul. Of course, JW is little mermaid in this scenario (have you seen his house? It's as isolated, pristine, and blue, as an ocean - it has that underwater motif). And just as it was hard for Little Mermaid to get used to be on land and with legs, instead of tail, it's would be hard for JW to get used to living in 'normal world' and possibly without money. Oh, woobies, ILY.
The melancholy, the composition of it. Everything - regret, longing, 'wrongness' of the pairings as they are in this scene conveyed without a single word.
What I really love is that during this scene it's made both (a) objectively clear that JW/Seul and Oska/Raim are a more logical match and that (b) it ain't never going to happen.
If you think about it, JW and Raim are basically incompatible, worldwise. Can you imagine Joo Won knocking back drinks with Raim in some shack of a dive? His fastidious, neurotic self would probably have a breakdown. And can you imagine Raim ever fitting in the elegance and gilt of Joo Won's family surroundings? She would be stifled and uncomfortable. The irony of it is that, on paper, Seul is a perfect match for Joo Won - the proper family background and wealth, approval of his mother, even his ideal body type - she's both leggy and busty. Yet he couldn't care less if she flung herself naked on him - he's fixated on the 'wrong' Raim. In reality, JW and RI are absolutely the wrong match - both are in love with other people. Also even if Raim and Oska didn't exist, JW and Seul still wouldn't be compatible - Seul likes drama and headgames and Joo Won is highly eccentric, borderline Asperger's, with no tolerance or understanding of either. It would be a marriage that would make them both miserable. While Raim and Oska would be a recipe for disaster in another way. Oska is better adjusted than JW (though that is a very low bar) but, for good or ill, Seul seems to be the only one to breach his emotional walls. Plus, despite Raim fangirling him to death, she isn't crushing on him in a concrete sense at all - there is no charge the way there is with prickly lunatic that is Joo Won. Sure, she's kind and she admires him almost as much as he admires himself but that would be a relationship doomed to failure. He'd try his best and be sweet to her but I don't think he'd be able to deal with more than a couple of months of monogamy with her - her very simplicity and straightforwardness of personality would not work for him. He needs the headgames and messiness and drama of someone like Seul. He's a diva for a reason.
I am totally shipping Director with JW's sister. He's awesome and needs an OTP of his own. I don't think he and RI are a good match at all because they are both equally passive when it comes to relationships. Even if they did like each other, they'd never come out with it. Yeah, JW-as-RI told Director not to like her, but are you kidding me? Do you think something like that would have stopped JW? RI threw worse at him. The rest (JW, Oska, Seul, JW's sister) are active in pursuit of their romantic goals, even if in some cases, they are totally dysfunctional about them, but Director and RI are not - so they need someone to openly chase them.
If your heart did not melt at this, you have no soul. Of course, JW is little mermaid in this scenario (have you seen his house? It's as isolated, pristine, and blue, as an ocean - it has that underwater motif). And just as it was hard for Little Mermaid to get used to be on land and with legs, instead of tail, it's would be hard for JW to get used to living in 'normal world' and possibly without money. Oh, woobies, ILY.
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no subject
Date: 2010-12-20 07:48 pm (UTC)I love you...I truly do. Thank you so much for writing such beautiful analysis!
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Date: 2010-12-21 01:47 am (UTC)I am obsessed with this drama
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Date: 2010-12-20 07:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-21 01:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-20 08:26 pm (UTC)(Seul still gets the alligators)
momosan
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Date: 2010-12-20 08:40 pm (UTC)That's OK, they can visit Director/JW's sis kids on the weekend :)
Joking aside, I agree - they need to find a middle ground - they'd be miserable in each other's world (points to SG for this - usually a rich person is always ready to give up everything for love in dramas but habits of a lifetime are bound to be hard).
Btw, re: your other comment about Seul's insanity wearing what she did to the signing, I have only this to say:
That is my favorite kdrama actress, Lee Da Hae, playing a supposedly non-mentally-handicapped adult, wearing that plus pigtails.
Nothing a kdrama character wears can signify their mental state or lack thereof otherwise most every kdrama character will be committed :)
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Date: 2010-12-21 02:36 am (UTC)...And these eps need to be subbed soon. (I read the dramabeans recaps already :() Neeeeed.
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Date: 2010-12-21 02:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-20 10:40 pm (UTC)as for Seul, hehehe sorry dear, i am one of those who wants to feed her to alligators and sharks (if possible) veeeeeeeeeery slowly (once i dislike a character, it's very hard for me to change it). hehehe I envy her wardrobe though. specially the last eps. have to be fair and give her this.
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Date: 2010-12-21 01:49 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-21 03:09 am (UTC)that would be awkward...hehehehe
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Date: 2010-12-21 02:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-21 02:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-12-23 08:19 pm (UTC)The way you analyse the "foursome" in SG rings so true. That's why I'm wondering how the hell they'll wrap things up if we're to get a HEA. I can see how it would go if one of the characters died (please no!) but the road to a HEA is kind of hazy. Finding some middle ground like mentioned in a post above would be ideal.
I wouldn't want JW to choose to be penniless (I read a romance book once where the H/H gave up everything and sailed off into the sunset with only the clothes on their backs for possession and didn't find it very romantic. I like my OTPs to have a roof over their heads and to be able to feed themselves). I didn't know he was so dependent on his mother until she mentioned the "throwing you out of *my* house" bit. Maybe his sister's comment as to how she wanted to be financially independent is foreshadowing for JW? His middle-ground might be starting a business on his own and succeeding? He has all the qualifications for it.
Concerning RI's middle ground, her job as a stuntwoman is causing anguish to the two men that love her because of the danger factor. They love her enough to let her continue (despite what JW says I think she'd get her way in the end) but then if she has to find her own middle-ground, she'd need to move on to something else.
Wouldn't it be awesome if JW and RI could run an action-school together? He on the business side of things and she training recruits but staying (mostly) away from dangerous jobs?
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Date: 2010-12-26 01:10 am (UTC)The thing is, I have no idea how they will wrap it up either. For the secondary OTP, once they have a frank talk about misunderstanding and expectations, it's fairly smooth sailing - not only is Seul an acceptable bride for his family, Oska has his own money and can tell them go hang.
But JW and RI? Even if by some miracle evil mom keeled over tomorrow and JW decided to marry RI, RI would be miserable in those gilded, restricted surroundings. Not to mention the power dynamics in that marriage would be all on JW's side which is not healthy and would drive RI nuts. And yet JW giving it all up for love of RI is equally awful - I loved when he told her he couldn't because he lacked the confidence that he wouldn't start to resent her - that's realistic and true - he simply couldn't live her lifestyle, his own has been too ingrained (I've seen rich characters that could successfully adapt to poorer life, but it's not him). So what - hmmmm. Action school idea sounds brilliant!
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Date: 2010-12-26 02:12 pm (UTC)I'd forgotten about that line. I loved it when he said it as well and actually I can see quite a few couples I've watched/read about heading down that road eventually. I'm so glad that JW is aware of it and that the drama doesn't gloss over everything to give us a fluffly, unrealistic Cinderella tale.
The more I think about it, the more worried I am about the ending. I think it's telling that the fairy tale most referred to here in the very sad Little Mermaid and not Cinderella. Maybe they could live in a magic "Secret Garden" since this is supposed to be a Fantasy drama but even then what would they do? They'd be bored out of their skulls in no time.
So, yeah, crossing fingers for the action school scenario.
Btw, totally unrelated but I was wondering if you'd watched the drama Jyuui Dolittle with Oguri Shun and Inoue Mao? It's about a cranky vet and the girl who works for him in order to repay him for the surgery he performed on her horse. I don't know what it is about this drama. It's nothing special and full of clichés but it made me cry in several places and I don't even know why. Perplexing. Anyway, if you want to check it out, it just finished airing and all 9 episodes are fully subbed. I'm so into k-dramas that I'd forgotten how short the japanese ones are in comparison.
Forgot!
Date: 2010-12-26 02:15 pm (UTC)Chuno is n°1 but I don't yet know about Gloria and Secret Garden. I'll have to wait until they're over to see which will be n°2 and which will be n°3. And there's always the possibility that everything will go awry and that one of them might be knocked off the top 3.