dangermousie | Padam Padam - episode 3 (Reply)

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!