Padam Padam - episode 3

[dangermousie]

Padam Padam continues to be amazing with episode 3. What I love about it is the unhurried pace which, nonetheless, manages to cram in so many emotional interactions, complicated relationships (the relationship between Kang Chil and his mother is probably my favorite at the moment), and spectacular conversations, that I feel as if I am peeking through a window at real people. Jung Woo Sung's damaged, angry, immediate, oddly childish character continues to draw me in, but everyone else is equally good. And I am especially happy to see Kim Bum do so well - his scene with Jung Woo Sung in the restaurant was my favorite scene of the episode.



This scene between Ji Na and Kang Chul was amazing - unpredictable, off-beat, perfect. She is incredibly closed off but by being so incredibly forthright about what he thinks and without emotional shields to hide behind, he manages to draw her out without even knowing he's doing it. She can't help but respond in kind. And I do love that she is forthright back. I think he's about the only person in her life who throws her off-kilter. She's frozen a large part of herself off a long time ago due to her dyfunctional background - if he reacts to his trauma by lashing out, she reacts to hers by withdrawing in. Also, when she bodily tugs him on the chair to fix him up is so beyond cute - she's so tiny and he's such a giant of a man, and she's pretty much completely the boss :)






































Here for the view :)

















This scene, where he asks to borrow money to fix his mother's house and his mother puts some meat on his plate, really got me. Both of them are incapable of showing affection in healthy, open fashion, due to their brutal lives - she may not have gone to jail as a frame-up, but she was married to an abuser who killed one of her kids. So any little sign of caring really is huge.











If you think about it, the "angel's" story is pretty heartbreaking. In his different way, he's just as messed up as Kang Chil.





I ship them so much.








This scene was so incredible - heartbreaking, to the point, incredibly acted - that I honestly can't meta about it. The concept of unjust world (and that the seeming angel has as much anger and hurt as anyone) was done so well.


















































And I also love how PP is able to effortlessly switch between heartbreaking and giddy. What I especially love in this scene is how her reserve cracks and she starts to giggle. He lives entirely in the moment (understandably) and she needs some of that spontaneity and feeling things as they happen before life passes her by.












































"What's your name?" OMG cannot breathe...And their little interplay about her age (when he adorably mutters 'is it still rude to ask a woman's age?' OMPH).






































His mother defending him from a fellow seller calling him a gangster and his yelling that is because she is one and 'should a gangster be called a teacher?' Ohhhhh.








His interactions with his mother are just so complicated and loving and cautious and angry and close and they are better at expressing caring when the other person can't hear ---- aaaaaaaah best drama of the year.











She's hired him to fix her vet clinic. (The mother peeking in, shining to see her son do normal work like a normal person, is what really makes this scene for me).
































Kang Chil: "Excuse me. You know...I'm asking because I don't know. There's a guy I know. He's around my age. His whole life was unfair. He's older but not like he's ever gone on vacation. He's never earned a ton of money and spent it like crazy. He's never even been with a girl properly. Anyway, the guy's never lived as a human before. Can a guy like that...Still date a girl like other normal people?"

Way to go out by making me cry, drama!



















































Oddly, I am happy with getting two eps a week. If I had to marathon it, I'd not be able to emotionally stand it, I think.

Comments

[rectherapyfreak.livejournal.com]

Agree with everything you said. Yea I'm thinking this is becoming my favorite drama of the year too!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am so glad I checked this one out.

[vert-gazon.livejournal.com]

I could honestly care less about the 'why is the prosecutor setting him up subplot' (at least it's being introduced slowly) but I love the plotline of how he is learning to re-adjust to society and the challenges along the way.

Am I the only one who despises the main girl's ex? He seems like a manipulative controlling jerk.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am interested why he's being set up, but the thing that interests me most is his reintegration to normalcy, I agree.

Haven't seen ep 4 yet but so far the ex doesn't bother me. Don't love him but he seems harmless enough.

[sisterjune.livejournal.com]

I really didnt expect to enjoy this so much but I'm glad I do because I cant just watch rom coms all the time! It'll get boring at some point lol. Its like I can enjoy a serious drama but like I'm picky as hell about it. The family and brother dynamics and watching this damaged volatile but sweet man trying to re enter society is really fascinating. I think it would be more fascinating if he really had ran with a rough crowd in his use and was in prison for accidentally killing someone but i guess that would be too flawed a hero? I dunno how is korea about anti heroes? lol. but anyway the scene in the resturaunt where he kept saying "why me? WHY ME?" omg i was like that got me man, it was intense shit and i loved it. i will seriously bawl my eyes out if he dies at the end, that would be too horrible. i want him to find happiness. and his mother, and gook soo and icy heroine. they all suffered and i want them all to find some joy and be able to move on from their hurts. I guess cause I've been in bad places I always get really moved by dramas that say yes terrible shit can happen to you but you can move on and be happy. you dont have to be miserable your whole life. I feel there is hope in this drama, and life. So I'm looking towards an uplifting or even tentatively hopeful ending. (ugh and the acting so far? awwwwwesome all around)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Well, while he didn't kill that guy, it's clear he was a thug in his youth, so he's not pure saint or anything. (I've seen a drama or two where the hero accidentally killed someone - Crazy for You was one, but it's not common). I do find it more relatable that he didn't. Plus, I think the reason he has to be innocent is for the whole 'why is he being framed' subplot.

I love the scene in the restaurant! And when Gook Soo basically asked him if it would have been better if it was his mother or any of the other innocent people - basically the implication being he's not the only innocent person awful things happen to. Wow.

The acting is so good. So so uniformly good.

Oh, and I am worried by the fact that it seems KC's father is alive. This can't lead to anything good.

[sisterjune.livejournal.com]

Yeah I forgot about the subplot, mostly cause I dont care about it lol. But I will say, who exactly was kang chil framed for killing? i was watching the drama and didnt quite get it.

Yeah the part where gook soo says "why cant it be you" i was like wooow. cause its so true! I know whenever i wanted to feel sorry for myself i told myself that i am not suffering alone and that others have it worse. Its really emotionally resonating.

Oh yeah about the dad, thats totally chekov's gun, he's gonna come back and be horrible and kang chil will flip out and almost kill him i know it. i can see it already. oh man and when he finds out his dad killed his brother? oh boy that will get UGLY.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

He's framed for killing the much younger brother of the heroine's Dad.

I know, I can only imagine how hard it will be for KC to see his father.