Damo: Strong women, conflicted men...

I think it's about time for me to rewatch Damo.

A 14-episode drama, Damo was one of my earliest Korean dramas, and all these dramas later, remains one of my favorites (I don't love it as much as Legend, and probably not as much as Hong Gil Dong, but it is still psychotically good).

Filmed like a movie and written better than most movies ever get (and, at 14 eps, with no slow spots or pacing problems), Damo possesses not only a complicated story, amazing battles, and characters I grew to love madly, it also boasts the strongest female character I have came across in dramas: the protagonist Chae-Ok, after whom the drama is named. A Damo is a tea-servant in Korea of a Joseon period, and Chae-Ok is, ostensibly, a tea-servant at a police precinct, a slave of Commander Hwangbo Yoon, the 'boss' of the division. She is also an investigator for the department and one of its best fighters. She can do this as she grew up with Yoon, and the Commander, an outsider himself (he is a bastard child of a nobleman, not a truly 'proper noble' by birth), treats her as a sister or maybe more...

The story is about a counterfeiting ring that might be the cover for a rebellion, about Chae-Ok's method of coping with living in a society that is almost unbearably rigid, and her emotional involvement with two very different yet oddly similar men: Hwangbo Yoon and the charismatic rebel leader Sung-Baek.

Damo is one of the most gorgeously filmed, emotionally devastating, incredible dramas out there. All three of the main characters are outsiders trying to cope with the system that does not allow deviations, and their emotional struggles to define themselves are even more interesting than the overarching plot.

Also, "Then I will humble myself" has got to be one of the most swoon-worthy things ever said in a drama, in context.

Here is a rare non-spoilery vid to lure you:

( Cool ones but spoilery. Go watch the drama )

Damo: Strong women, conflicted men...

I think it's about time for me to rewatch Damo.

A 14-episode drama, Damo was one of my earliest Korean dramas, and all these dramas later, remains one of my favorites (I don't love it as much as Legend, and probably not as much as Hong Gil Dong, but it is still psychotically good).

Filmed like a movie and written better than most movies ever get (and, at 14 eps, with no slow spots or pacing problems), Damo possesses not only a complicated story, amazing battles, and characters I grew to love madly, it also boasts the strongest female character I have came across in dramas: the protagonist Chae-Ok, after whom the drama is named. A Damo is a tea-servant in Korea of a Joseon period, and Chae-Ok is, ostensibly, a tea-servant at a police precinct, a slave of Commander Hwangbo Yoon, the 'boss' of the division. She is also an investigator for the department and one of its best fighters. She can do this as she grew up with Yoon, and the Commander, an outsider himself (he is a bastard child of a nobleman, not a truly 'proper noble' by birth), treats her as a sister or maybe more...

The story is about a counterfeiting ring that might be the cover for a rebellion, about Chae-Ok's method of coping with living in a society that is almost unbearably rigid, and her emotional involvement with two very different yet oddly similar men: Hwangbo Yoon and the charismatic rebel leader Sung-Baek.

Damo is one of the most gorgeously filmed, emotionally devastating, incredible dramas out there. All three of the main characters are outsiders trying to cope with the system that does not allow deviations, and their emotional struggles to define themselves are even more interesting than the overarching plot.

Also, "Then I will humble myself" has got to be one of the most swoon-worthy things ever said in a drama, in context.

Here is a rare non-spoilery vid to lure you:

( Cool ones but spoilery. Go watch the drama )

Damo: Strong women, conflicted men...

I think it's about time for me to rewatch Damo.

A 14-episode drama, Damo was one of my earliest Korean dramas, and all these dramas later, remains one of my favorites (I don't love it as much as Legend, and probably not as much as Hong Gil Dong, but it is still psychotically good).

Filmed like a movie and written better than most movies ever get (and, at 14 eps, with no slow spots or pacing problems), Damo possesses not only a complicated story, amazing battles, and characters I grew to love madly, it also boasts the strongest female character I have came across in dramas: the protagonist Chae-Ok, after whom the drama is named. A Damo is a tea-servant in Korea of a Joseon period, and Chae-Ok is, ostensibly, a tea-servant at a police precinct, a slave of Commander Hwangbo Yoon, the 'boss' of the division. She is also an investigator for the department and one of its best fighters. She can do this as she grew up with Yoon, and the Commander, an outsider himself (he is a bastard child of a nobleman, not a truly 'proper noble' by birth), treats her as a sister or maybe more...

The story is about a counterfeiting ring that might be the cover for a rebellion, about Chae-Ok's method of coping with living in a society that is almost unbearably rigid, and her emotional involvement with two very different yet oddly similar men: Hwangbo Yoon and the charismatic rebel leader Sung-Baek.

Damo is one of the most gorgeously filmed, emotionally devastating, incredible dramas out there. All three of the main characters are outsiders trying to cope with the system that does not allow deviations, and their emotional struggles to define themselves are even more interesting than the overarching plot.

Also, "Then I will humble myself" has got to be one of the most swoon-worthy things ever said in a drama, in context.

Here is a rare non-spoilery vid to lure you:

( Cool ones but spoilery. Go watch the drama )

Lobbyist: now with 200% more awesome

*meep* Lobbyist.

Now I know which scene my icon came from!

And it's AWESOME.

( spoilers through ep 8 )

ETA: Am now watching ep 9, and it's official. This has finally replaced Time between Dog and Wolf as the most hurt/comfort drama I have ever seen (well, technically, only 'hurt', as both this and TODAW are mighty short on comfort). I never thought anything could beat TODAW but oh boy...Whoa.

Also, TANGO. I approve.

Lobbyist: now with 200% more awesome

*meep* Lobbyist.

Now I know which scene my icon came from!

And it's AWESOME.

( spoilers through ep 8 )

ETA: Am now watching ep 9, and it's official. This has finally replaced Time between Dog and Wolf as the most hurt/comfort drama I have ever seen (well, technically, only 'hurt', as both this and TODAW are mighty short on comfort). I never thought anything could beat TODAW but oh boy...Whoa.

Also, TANGO. I approve.

Lobbyist: now with 200% more awesome

*meep* Lobbyist.

Now I know which scene my icon came from!

And it's AWESOME.

( spoilers through ep 8 )

ETA: Am now watching ep 9, and it's official. This has finally replaced Time between Dog and Wolf as the most hurt/comfort drama I have ever seen (well, technically, only 'hurt', as both this and TODAW are mighty short on comfort). I never thought anything could beat TODAW but oh boy...Whoa.

Also, TANGO. I approve.

Lobbyist: so much hot manpain should be illegal. It's bad for my health...

filmi_girl came over and I started showing her Damo. We watched two first eps and, my God, I've forgotten how incredible this is. This definitely belongs in my Top 5 kdramas. Prepare for meta and caps (am dling eps for capping right now).

But this post is not about that.



LOBBYIST

LOBBYIST

LOBBYIST.

I love episodes 10 and 11 more than chocolate ice-cream.

What do I love? Maria being tough as nails and successful and aggressive and this not being portrayed as a bad thing. That girl is Hard-Core: she can fight, she can bargain, she can think. YES.

What else do I love? Harry's deep humanity. In a way, he is totally unsuited to his life, the way Maria is not. Maria has a hard edge to her a mile wide. But Harry? He can be incredibly tough, true, but he is a total softie under all that. I loved the scene where the guerilla leader sends him some anonymous young woman to 'take care of his needs' and he just gently buttons up her bra for her, and ends up talking to a mercenary, who thinks him foolishly soft-hearted, that she is too young and he has a sister her age.

What do I love more than those put together? WHEN THE GUERILLAS CAPTURE MARIA AND TIE HER TO A POST AND FORCE HARRY TO SHOOT HER OR ELSE THEY WILL KILL HIM AND KILL HER ANYWAY. Yes, this deserves caps. OMG. I sort of forgot to breathe. That whole scene, and Maria's steadiness, and Harry's desperation and just...GUH.

And how he promises to take care of her (later) and how they escape and how he is shot protecting her and just...

MY FAVORITE SCENE IN THE DRAMA HAPPENS THEN.

( Come see my favorite scene behind a cut, full of hurt/comfort and OTPness )

Lobbyist: so much hot manpain should be illegal. It's bad for my health...

filmi_girl came over and I started showing her Damo. We watched two first eps and, my God, I've forgotten how incredible this is. This definitely belongs in my Top 5 kdramas. Prepare for meta and caps (am dling eps for capping right now).

But this post is not about that.



LOBBYIST

LOBBYIST

LOBBYIST.

I love episodes 10 and 11 more than chocolate ice-cream.

What do I love? Maria being tough as nails and successful and aggressive and this not being portrayed as a bad thing. That girl is Hard-Core: she can fight, she can bargain, she can think. YES.

What else do I love? Harry's deep humanity. In a way, he is totally unsuited to his life, the way Maria is not. Maria has a hard edge to her a mile wide. But Harry? He can be incredibly tough, true, but he is a total softie under all that. I loved the scene where the guerilla leader sends him some anonymous young woman to 'take care of his needs' and he just gently buttons up her bra for her, and ends up talking to a mercenary, who thinks him foolishly soft-hearted, that she is too young and he has a sister her age.

What do I love more than those put together? WHEN THE GUERILLAS CAPTURE MARIA AND TIE HER TO A POST AND FORCE HARRY TO SHOOT HER OR ELSE THEY WILL KILL HIM AND KILL HER ANYWAY. Yes, this deserves caps. OMG. I sort of forgot to breathe. That whole scene, and Maria's steadiness, and Harry's desperation and just...GUH.

And how he promises to take care of her (later) and how they escape and how he is shot protecting her and just...

MY FAVORITE SCENE IN THE DRAMA HAPPENS THEN.

( Come see my favorite scene behind a cut, full of hurt/comfort and OTPness )

Lobbyist: so much hot manpain should be illegal. It's bad for my health...

filmi_girl came over and I started showing her Damo. We watched two first eps and, my God, I've forgotten how incredible this is. This definitely belongs in my Top 5 kdramas. Prepare for meta and caps (am dling eps for capping right now).

But this post is not about that.



LOBBYIST

LOBBYIST

LOBBYIST.

I love episodes 10 and 11 more than chocolate ice-cream.

What do I love? Maria being tough as nails and successful and aggressive and this not being portrayed as a bad thing. That girl is Hard-Core: she can fight, she can bargain, she can think. YES.

What else do I love? Harry's deep humanity. In a way, he is totally unsuited to his life, the way Maria is not. Maria has a hard edge to her a mile wide. But Harry? He can be incredibly tough, true, but he is a total softie under all that. I loved the scene where the guerilla leader sends him some anonymous young woman to 'take care of his needs' and he just gently buttons up her bra for her, and ends up talking to a mercenary, who thinks him foolishly soft-hearted, that she is too young and he has a sister her age.

What do I love more than those put together? WHEN THE GUERILLAS CAPTURE MARIA AND TIE HER TO A POST AND FORCE HARRY TO SHOOT HER OR ELSE THEY WILL KILL HIM AND KILL HER ANYWAY. Yes, this deserves caps. OMG. I sort of forgot to breathe. That whole scene, and Maria's steadiness, and Harry's desperation and just...GUH.

And how he promises to take care of her (later) and how they escape and how he is shot protecting her and just...

MY FAVORITE SCENE IN THE DRAMA HAPPENS THEN.

( Come see my favorite scene behind a cut, full of hurt/comfort and OTPness )