Oh, for goodness' sake!

[dangermousie]

Hong Sisters, are you telling me that a 40-yr-old man who is not developmentally disabled needs a heart monitor to inform him whether he is in love or not???? He is not five, for God's sake!!! The whole "my heart monitor is going fast, I must be in love. Oh wait, it's not going fast, so I am not, even though my emotions are the same as when monitor was going into overdrive" are not cute or interesting. They are insane!

If we are supposed to feel bad that he may lose AJ over this, the writers are insane - if he had IQ above fridge temperature or a modicum of emotional sensitivity, this wouldn't have happened - his rote stupidity and self-absorbtion makes it hard for me to care.

I think this is why romcom is my least favorite kdrama genre - there are usually little plot or genuine obstacles so the writers are often tempted to create heroes with the emotional maturity of a cucumber as a source of conflict. In a period drama, they'd last about two minutes flat.

Comments

[algelic.livejournal.com]

It's bugging me too! Not just Dokko, but AJ too! Two idiots! She's such a doormat, her inactivity is starting to bug me...

Also... Woori in "Can You Hear My Heart" has been annoying me for a while. She's 25!! How can she be so dumb and childish?! It becomes even worse when she stands to the ~pure awesomeness~ that is Dong Joo!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I still like Woori (though am a few eps behind) but AJ - ugh.

[karened.livejournal.com]

Actually, I buy the whole heart monitor thing.

As it is, he has lived the past 10 years wearing that heart monitor, so it becomes like a habit to use it as a gauge of his heart condition, linked to his emotions. Being so conditioned to seeing a high pulse rate when he feels the extremes of happiness or sadness, it makes sense that he look to the heart monitor for a 'unbiased' opinion on how he's feeling towards her.

And, as he had explained, he was really ill before the surgery, so I think his interactions with others would have been limited. Coupled with his pride and unwillingless to show his weak side, I guess his development in the emotions/relationship department is quite stunted.

In this particular case, he was already quite puzzled about his interest in the shabby and unpopular Gu Ae Jeong. So, it's very tempting to rely on the heart monitor, an objective measurement of his emotions, to show him readings that back his claim of having gotten over her. He would then be able to say that although he sensed his heart rate changing, it must have been his imagination, because the machine says otherwise. "Yes, she doesn't affect me anymore. Of course! I'm Dok Go Jin! I won't fall for her, for someone who says she won't ever like me back!" But when the palpitations overwhelm him like at the end of ep 9, he finally acknowledgees that he is still very much affected by her.

[karened.livejournal.com]

Oh gosh, are you on the latest ep of Lie To Me?

It is getting better, isn't it? At least it's improving...And I hope Soran and A-Jung will patch up and support each other!!

[puion.livejournal.com]

Couldn't said it better myself! Thank you!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

But even if he was in the hospital since he was 5, he interacted with other people, read books, etc. Plus, he's been living in the world for a decade. Just can't see it at all.

[kaena.livejournal.com]

I gave up on the drama exactly because of that. I remember that originally Dokko was planned as a lot younger, but still... His character is defying my suspension of disbelief and feels like the hero of a video game. Also I don't think the leads have any chemistry at all.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yes - he doesn't seem real at all.

[valkyriesailor.livejournal.com]

This heart monitor thing sounds like a lakorn kind of thing. X3

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

LOLOLOL at least there is no rape.

[ambergold.livejournal.com]

wait what episode are you on? cause if you're on 9, I want to know where you found the subs so fast!

everything else...sigh I agree, but I'm a little more willing to suspend disbelief just because the acting is so great

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Nine :) Yeah, I just can't, I give up.

[hollyxu.livejournal.com]

I think it's the 'com' part that's giving you the trouble, maaaaaybe. Because Ripley's a romance melodrama, and people seem to be able to think straight. Mostly.

(AHHHH BB YOOCHUN OR HOT OLDER MAN LDH WINS EITHER WAYYYYYYY *envies)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

True. It's in romcoms where maturity and realism usually die.

[aentee.livejournal.com]

Sigh. This is exactly how I feel, I know the Hong Sisters love hammering the audience with metaphors and symbolism, but this particular gimmick with the heart monitor got old very quick.

*rewatches My Girl to remind self of why I liked Hong Sisters*

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I know, MG was so understated and sublime and then we got this...

[singing-tree.livejournal.com]

They kind of lost me there at that point.
Here I thought, finally a Hong sisters drama about actual grown ups. But now it seems in their world even 40 year olds behave like toddlers.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Basically. Ugh.