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dangermousieHave finished ep 2 of Cinderella Unni and it's official - if there is one Spring drama I will be following, it's this one.
So very good - understated with these glimmers of deeper emotions and all these damaged individuals. So good.
My feelings towards Eun Jo (Moon Geun Young) are very unusual for me with a drama I already love - you see, I don't love her character. I understand why she is the way she is (she has had such a dysfunctional, awful childhood and teen years it makes me want to shudder) and I don't blame her for being the way she is - she is not a good-natured person and possibly not even a good one. But Eun Jo is, nontheless, deeply sympathetic and even more deeply interesting. And MGY acts the hell out of the role - I have to say I finally understand the fuss about her. Previously I have only seen her in 15-yr-old Bride and let's say nothing about that movie impressed me. But the way she is fierce yet vulnerable, little girl lost and a very cynical 50-yr-old, seeking reassurance desperately and refusing to come out of her shell - those dualities keep me hooked - she makes a character that could have been just off-putting or a miserable victim or a harpy a relatable, living human being.
My favorite character so far is actually Ki Hoon (Chun Jung Myung) - an employee of Eun Jo's new stepfather. Ki Hoon is a little older (college age, I believe) and very very affable - Eun Jo's new stepsister Hyo Sun is very attached to him and he humors her and pets her like one would an indulged younger sister or a spoilt child. But under his often-smiling guise (at one point Eun Jo snarls at him about it) seem to lurk demons as big as Eun Jo's own. He is the only one among all the people we have seen so far who not only seems to connect to Eun Jo but to actually get through to her. He is clearly drawn to her - I am not sure whether it's romantic or not, but drawn he is. And at first I could not see why - he is such a good guy and she is a lashing-out prickly mess who doesn't give an inch but he keeps being incredibly patient with her. But then I realized that he sees himself in her - he tells her in that many words that he's been exactly where she was - whatever his background is, isn't very clear, but from brief glimpses we got it was horrible too (I've seen only 2 minutes of his family and I already want them all to DIAF). So I think he is drawn to her as a fellow survivor and wants to help her. Probably why he can get through her as well - he can put himself into her headspace. I love their interactions the most in the drama so far - he is gentle but he is very good at making her do things she should in his quiet way - like insisting she say please and thank you and talk politely to him if she wants a favor etc. It's like he is making a human being of her because someone has made one of him. And of course they also have chemistry to burn. Oh God, do they.
Hyo Sun (Seo Woo) is this story's Cinderella. She is naive and silly but incredibly good-natured. True, life hasn't thrown anything bad her way but still - plenty of people who are from well-off, nice families are rotten spoiled jerks, so I give her points for it. I confess I worry for her the most - Eun Jo and her mother are ultimate survivors and Ki Hoon can take care of himself. But Hyo Sun is so unworldly - she is the one who helped get her father and stepmother together because she so wanted a Mom and the thought of this turning to bite her when her father dies is pretty horrifying. I confess I am on her side in all her interactions with Eun Jo - Eun Jo is so surly and once again, I know why she is the way she is, but I am on the side of the well-meaning, sweet one there. I actually won't be sad if she ends up with Ki Hoon or otherwise 'wins' over Eun Jo. Not unless Eun Jo gets to be a better person - coming from bad circumstances doesn't need to make you horrid - look at Ki Hoon. So I hope, EJ shapes up soon or I will be rooting for Hyo Sun.
Kang-Sook (Lee Min Sook), Eun Jo's mother and Hyo Sun's stepmother is an interesting character - a selfish vain woman with a string of loser boyfriends she cannot believe her luck about marriage. But she is also strong-willed and cunning and in a way, genuinely fond of her husband. I think if Eun Jo doesn't watch out, she will end up like her mother.
So very good - understated with these glimmers of deeper emotions and all these damaged individuals. So good.
My feelings towards Eun Jo (Moon Geun Young) are very unusual for me with a drama I already love - you see, I don't love her character. I understand why she is the way she is (she has had such a dysfunctional, awful childhood and teen years it makes me want to shudder) and I don't blame her for being the way she is - she is not a good-natured person and possibly not even a good one. But Eun Jo is, nontheless, deeply sympathetic and even more deeply interesting. And MGY acts the hell out of the role - I have to say I finally understand the fuss about her. Previously I have only seen her in 15-yr-old Bride and let's say nothing about that movie impressed me. But the way she is fierce yet vulnerable, little girl lost and a very cynical 50-yr-old, seeking reassurance desperately and refusing to come out of her shell - those dualities keep me hooked - she makes a character that could have been just off-putting or a miserable victim or a harpy a relatable, living human being.
My favorite character so far is actually Ki Hoon (Chun Jung Myung) - an employee of Eun Jo's new stepfather. Ki Hoon is a little older (college age, I believe) and very very affable - Eun Jo's new stepsister Hyo Sun is very attached to him and he humors her and pets her like one would an indulged younger sister or a spoilt child. But under his often-smiling guise (at one point Eun Jo snarls at him about it) seem to lurk demons as big as Eun Jo's own. He is the only one among all the people we have seen so far who not only seems to connect to Eun Jo but to actually get through to her. He is clearly drawn to her - I am not sure whether it's romantic or not, but drawn he is. And at first I could not see why - he is such a good guy and she is a lashing-out prickly mess who doesn't give an inch but he keeps being incredibly patient with her. But then I realized that he sees himself in her - he tells her in that many words that he's been exactly where she was - whatever his background is, isn't very clear, but from brief glimpses we got it was horrible too (I've seen only 2 minutes of his family and I already want them all to DIAF). So I think he is drawn to her as a fellow survivor and wants to help her. Probably why he can get through her as well - he can put himself into her headspace. I love their interactions the most in the drama so far - he is gentle but he is very good at making her do things she should in his quiet way - like insisting she say please and thank you and talk politely to him if she wants a favor etc. It's like he is making a human being of her because someone has made one of him. And of course they also have chemistry to burn. Oh God, do they.
Hyo Sun (Seo Woo) is this story's Cinderella. She is naive and silly but incredibly good-natured. True, life hasn't thrown anything bad her way but still - plenty of people who are from well-off, nice families are rotten spoiled jerks, so I give her points for it. I confess I worry for her the most - Eun Jo and her mother are ultimate survivors and Ki Hoon can take care of himself. But Hyo Sun is so unworldly - she is the one who helped get her father and stepmother together because she so wanted a Mom and the thought of this turning to bite her when her father dies is pretty horrifying. I confess I am on her side in all her interactions with Eun Jo - Eun Jo is so surly and once again, I know why she is the way she is, but I am on the side of the well-meaning, sweet one there. I actually won't be sad if she ends up with Ki Hoon or otherwise 'wins' over Eun Jo. Not unless Eun Jo gets to be a better person - coming from bad circumstances doesn't need to make you horrid - look at Ki Hoon. So I hope, EJ shapes up soon or I will be rooting for Hyo Sun.
Kang-Sook (Lee Min Sook), Eun Jo's mother and Hyo Sun's stepmother is an interesting character - a selfish vain woman with a string of loser boyfriends she cannot believe her luck about marriage. But she is also strong-willed and cunning and in a way, genuinely fond of her husband. I think if Eun Jo doesn't watch out, she will end up like her mother.
