Kim Sam Soon: a mixed bag

[dangermousie]

I have finished My Name is Kim Sam Soon.

Hmmmmmm.

I have decidedly mixed views on this drama. It was entertaining but not going anywhere near my Top 10.

Yes, I realize I risk being disowned by flist, but here it is.



LIKED:

Doctor Henry! OMG. Seriously. Not only is he hot and sweet and wonderful, but he wants to work with starving children in Africa (is it Medicin sans frontiers?) Oh God. And all that without being cloying.

Henry/Hee-Jin. YESSSSS! Seriously. She is all upset he is leaving for MSF and OMG OMG she wants to go with him and he kissed her!!!!! And OMG, Henry/Hee-Jin, awesome together and will be going to Africa together once she gets her degree. YES. They are perfect. I ended up profoundly not caring about Jin-Heon/Sam-Soon, but Henry/Hee-Jin more than satisfied any OTP cravings I had.

The Chef and the Older Sister. So funny.

Sam-Soon's mother really amused me.

Hyun Bin's acting in his quiet moments. I can see why they thought to cast him in Snow Queen. He is OK in the loud, comedy scenes, but it's in the wordless, still ones where he really shines.

Hee-Jin. I have rarely liked 'the other girl' in a quadrangle. But forget 'like.' I ended up loving Hee-Jin. Which is more than I can say for Sam-Soon.

Which brings me to:

DISLIKED

Sam-Soon, Sam-Soon, Sam-Soon. Someone on my flist didn't like her (who was it?) and I totally agree. I ended up not liking her at all. I mean, I didn't hate her or anything, but she irritated the heck out of me. That is rather unusual, as normally I adore kdrama heroines, and often prefer them even to male leads. I couldn't identify with SS at all, but more importantly, I didn't like her. Part of it is her age. I am a lot more forgiving of someone being silly and immature at 19, than someone being silly and immature at 30.

Also, it's the constant surprised, puzzled, and 'what is going on' expression on her face. It didn't make her look smart. In fact, I ended up thinking she is a bit of a slow thinker, and somewhat dim. Now, I don't need my heroine to be a Nobel Prize winner (I adore Chae-Gyung in Goong, and she is not the sharpest knife in the drawer) but it helps.

She was also vaccilating, high-maintenance, and rather rude. Not in an endearing fashion but in a 'come on, you are old enough, behave' fashion. The whole scene with misdirected postcards and her treatment of Jin-Heon? If I was supposed to be on her side, it failed. The usual puzzled expression didn't help.

But the thing that I think really put the nail in the 'liking Sam-Soon' coffin (up until that point, I was somewhere in between indifferent and mild like, but not after that) was when she became that loathsome type of woman who is OK with dating someone who has a GF. When she told Jin-Heon she'll sleep with him when she loses some weight (WTF? that was so stupid of her, God, she is a nutter) and appeared OK with dating him, instead of telling him no sex and no dating until he breaks up with Hee-Jin? I lost any like, respect and even tolerance for her. She didn't even mention it to him! It worked out eventually because Jin-Heon didn't want to two-time, but that is no thanks to her. Seriously, ugh. After that scene...she was fictionally dead to me.

Jin-Heon didn't emerge unscathed from the above either. I ended up not caring for them both, especially when you add in his immaturity and her silliness.

But Hyun Bin is a better actor than the lady who plays SS (who is she?) so I think I ended up liking him more sheerly because of that.

Oh, also: the attitude to love was not one I approve. The whole 'you love someone for a bit, the shine comes off you move on, ad nauseam?' Nope. Sorry. According to this logic, everyone should be marrying serially, a la Elizabeth Taylor. You have a relationship, and you work on it, and you keep loving. I love my husband more now than when I met him almost eight years ago. My grandparents have been married for almost 60 years and still love each other etc etc. I wouldn't mind so much if the drama presented it as merely Hee-Jin's mistaken view of what broke up her relationship with Jin-Heon (after all, in reality, there wouldn't have been room for separation if she didn't leave and they grew apart) but the drama itself seemed to endorse that view. And Sam-Soon at the end? In the future, maybe we'll break up, maybe we won't. But I learned to love myself. Yeah, you really love him, girl. I am convinced. So convinced. Not how it works, sorry.

A lot of kdramas go one way into silliness: love that makes R/J seem like cheap nonsense. That's unrealistic. But this isn't how it is, either. When you love, you can't see the end, not in a smug, self-actualized tone. I can't root for them, because they break up? So what? Get the next person and the next and next. It's meaningless.

Anyway, I wouldn't mind watching a drama about Henry/Hee-Jin but got one about JH/SS instead.

Comments

[grey-fuzzy.livejournal.com]

I looked back on my post about it, and it mostly consisted of me listing negative adjectives for Sam-Soon "needy, jealous, immature, self-pitying..." By the end of the drama I couldn't enjoy it anymore because my dislike for her was too strong.

I would much rather have heard the Henry and Hee-Jin story in more depth, as they were a million times more endearing than Sam-Soon and Jin-Heon.

Also, I think the ending was supposed to be "realistic" and "open," but it really didn't do much for me either.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yes!!!! Sister!!!! :) (At least in fictional tastes).

I agree with your adjectives. I was trying to think of how to describe her and what bothered me succinctly, but couldn't, but you encapsulated it all.


I would much rather have heard the Henry and Hee-Jin story in more depth, as they were a million times more endearing than Sam-Soon and Jin-Heon.

Oh yes. They were actually intelligent, mature, and dealt with their feelings. Jin-Heon remained an immature jerk and Sam-Soon? As you put it, immature, needy and self-pitying. Forget 'self-pitying,' how about 'wallowing?' Ugh.

Neither of them ended up having 1/10th the strength or graciousness of Hee-Jin and Henry.

This is so rare for me. It's rare enough for me to prefer the secondary OTP to primary one (the only time I can think that happened was in Devil Beside You) but to actively dislike the main OTP? That's a first (in DBY, I liked main OTP well enough for most of the drama).

The ending is not realistic, it's just silly. Not in a good way. All it did is convince me they didn't have strong feelings for each other and were not capable of profound love, anyway.

Seriously, I would have loved to watch a drama called 'My name is Yoo Hee-Jin' all about Hee-Jin and her moving past her ex and finding love with Henry.

[fivil.livejournal.com]

I think the deal with the way SS acted was ..well, for the lack of a better term, human to me. She's always portrayed as this very ordinary, flawed lady who's not gorgeous and not model thin and saying the wrong things and cursing too much, but she has attitude and I think the point of the drama is the fact that just that takes her far enough.

I don't even recall the scene that you had a problem with, though, so I won't like, try to sway you to think differently. It's not awesome to be the odd one out, to think something sucks when others love it, or simply to think something is over-rated, but hey, happens.

The ending, for me, was a show of realism. It's not amazingly starry-eyedly romantic, but it's sweet enough. It's also a part of the drama's philosophy, I think - that relationships are not necessarily there to provide happily ever afters, in the end it's about growing up and realizing yourself. SS and JH may not be the perfect couple, his mother might not approve of her, but they love each other and they want to be together and they work it out like that. It's possibly it's not for an eternity, but what matters more is their happiness now.

I can see where you come from, too, but this is just how I saw it.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Oh, I can see where you are coming from, but the way grey_fuzzy felt about it is how I saw it so...

Re: the ending. Nah, it didn't strike me as sweet or even realistic. I mean, I am married, I am in a relationship, so are most of my friends and family members (married or in a relationship). And that's not how it is at all. For the few people I know it is, it's because those are not viable long-term or worthwhile relationships and usually are either unhappy or we end up helping them find someone for whom they have more definite emotions.

possibly it's not for an eternity, but what matters more is their happiness now

But when you love, really love, you can't imagine it ending, even if rationally you know it might. And even if you can imagine because you know relationship is dysfunctional, you are not so matter of fact smug about it. All it conveyed to me is that she didn't really love him.

But ehhh, Sam-Soon is so not my thing. She is dimwitted and weak-willed and while I can overlook lack of brains, the combo is not appealing, especially when she really is old enough to know better. IMO, of course.

[fivil.livejournal.com]

Curiously, I was thinking about what I mentioned as "the philosophy of Sam-soon" and realized it was almost a quote from the Que Sera Sera synopsis (they share a director). On the other hand, QSS doesn't really boil down to "you fall in and out of love, relationships end" as much as it comes down to "the one you love the most is an awful asshole, which kind of sucks because you still love him, and he also really loves you, and anybody either of you are with in the meantime is also kind of a selfish prick/bitch". I really should finish that drama because I wonder now if I'd fall out of love with the OTP .. as hurty and difficult as everything is with them, they had an odd charm.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

the one you love the most is an awful asshole, which kind of sucks because you still love him, and he also really loves you, and anybody either of you are with in the meantime is also kind of a selfish prick/bitch

That doesn't sound very promising :)

[alexandral.livejournal.com]

I liked Sam Soon very much because I could relate to someone being not perfectly beautiful ( I always had a big thing about the way I am so UGLY that only went away not very long ago) and someone of no brilliant intelligence. I think I liked her not because of her good or bad qualities but because she was "just like me" where quite often heroines on TV make me feel as if only long-legged and clever to the bargain girls deserve happiness.

I remember your "worst scene" and I actually liked it because Sam Soon fought for her love. I also remember this wasn't two-timing for me because she openly "declared" that she is going to fight for her love to Hee-Jin.

The thing with the attitude to love bothered me too, I 'fess. The ending wasn't at all my cup of tea but I was fine with it because I liked the drama. It was not a "traditional" Asian drama but rather something quite Western and I really don't like partner swapping stories I see so often on TV. I am more of a "love forever" girl.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

s wasn't two-timing for me because she openly "declared" that she is going to fight for her love to Hee-Jin.

But that is not the same, IMO. If I come up to a married lady and tell her I want to steal her husband away, that doesn't mean I get cart-blanche to get her husband to cheat (or boyfriend, or fiancee).

It wasn't the looks, about her (She was pretty enough, IMO). It was the lack of intelligence combined with whininess. Looks are given to you by God and there are limited things you can do about it, absent plastic surgery. But your brain and personality? Definitely depend on you. Heck, even her atittude to weight was annoying to me. There is nothing wrong with being not stick-skinny, but then:

a. either be OK with your body whatever it is OR
b. if you don't like your body, then fix it by exercising and eating right.

it's not like she has some disorder that prevents her from losing weight. It's entirely in her control and if she likes her food more than she likes being skinny, then it's her choice, and her option and entirely in her control. She shouldn't whine about it as it depends entirely on her.

[fivil.livejournal.com]

Well, hey, a lot of dorama leads are assholes .. but for what it's worth, I forgave him for being an asshole a lot of the time for he was so frank about it, and didn't pretend to be a nice guy. The drama had some very devoted fans. It's hurty but I must also emphasize that it was about the only drama where I liked the hurtiness. But this is why I also need to finish it - to see if I can like it until the very end.

[ameyadevi.livejournal.com]

imo, I don't really agree with it not being realistic. Doramas and Bollywood and stuff are so *unrealistic* that I only watch them because the fact they're somewhere seemingly exotic to little american me, that it it's just fantasy. and of course soul mates and fate exsist in fantasy.

But in RL Look at the divorce rate (in america at least, i know about 50% of custodial parents are divorced), and the rate people break up. Relationships aren't happily ever afters as much anymore. I'd love to have a relationship like my (maternal) grandparents, but even my paternal grandparents seperated. People change, and fall out of love. Not all people, and those exceptions are very lucky (especially if they keep the happily part and not just the ever after). But i found SS very realistic in that point. I watch so many of the people I know go starry eyed and talk about forever, and they are the ones who seem to break up/divorce the soonest. Usually it has something to do with unrealistic expectations.

I love my boyfriend, and he loves me, but at the same time we can both imagine not being together anymore, though interestingly enough, it's pretty obvious to us that we'll end up married. Love is not oxygen (though coming out of ewan mcgreggor's mouth it's almost believable 8D). of course i'm very against the idea of living for another person anyway. If something happened to "us" there would be others eventually. there always are. Maybe this has something to do with the belief in "soul mates" or some such thing (though i dont know anyone elses opinion on it), i think that for most people relationships were a cultural and/or religious institution. If you ended up loving your spouce more like a friend or a sibling than a lover (ala KANK, though she was like that going in, so not perfect example), or if they misstreated you, or if you couldn't get along peaceably living in the same room, you had no other options but to stay with them. and staying together was expected of everyone, regardless of anything. These days that isn't quite so.

of course this is also why i only like sappy love stories in other languages. it gives it a fantastical quality that alows me to accept soul mates and fate. But it real life, it usually doesn't work. Brad and i discussed this the other day, as he hates my bollywood because love stories are so unrealistic, which is also why i generally don't like (modern) english love stories that are supposed to have happily ever afters.


yeah, this is all just imo, but it's the reason why i can't watch too much of any of these kinds of things at once and it makes me sad. they make reality so much more depressing.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

That's a very interesting and valid post. Thank you for it.

It made me think of how much of our own views we bring into these dramas (or movies). Because I am the starry-eyed, soulmatey kinda gal: I met my husband when I was 21, he was the first man I loved etc etc etc. I can't imagine my days without my husband. When he comes into the room, the room is a little brighter. When I have to go on business trips by myself, I miss him like mad. And there are no divorces in my immediate family at all (parents, aunts, grandparents, cousins). We have a second cousin who is divorced, that's about it. So I bring that sort of view into my dramas.

But I don't demand movies or dramas to have that, but the thing is, whetever the ending of SS was, it didn't work for me, because, let's face it, the rest of SS, just like most dramas, was hardly kitchen-sink realism.

Re: divorce rate. That's not correct, I think. Only 25% of first marriages end up in divorce. It's just the people who get divorced once, tend to divorce more than once, pushing the average rate up.

[ameyadevi.livejournal.com]

i'm glad i didn't come off offensive! I of course didn't mean to be but i almost felt it was.

The divorce rate number was from
"As of 2003, 43.7% of custodial mothers and 56.2% of custodial fathers were either separated or divorced. And in 2002, 7.8 million Americans paid about $40 billion in child and/or spousal support (84% of the payers were male)."
from here: http://www.divorcemag.com/statistics/statsUS.shtml

yeah the numbers aren't incredibly huge all over, because, my guess, the big numbers of traditional people and older people in the us. Of course that's not all of them! I'm definately not meaning to say that everyone ends up in divorced , but most people around seem to. Growing up, out of all my friends.. only 2 of my friends had their parents still together. I met a couple more in high school.. but that's literally about 3 kids there, and i went to a school of 2,600 kids (not that i knew everyone but you get what i'm saying).

And yeah we definitely bring our own perspectives into it. The interesting thing is that my parents, even though divorced, loved each other like mad til he died (well, and still) but they still had to get divorced. So where I believe in star crossed love thing on occasion (i don't actually know anybody in RL that i would say has a match made in heaven), i still don't see happily ever afters a part of that. it's very depressing! I'd like to. And I definitely hope I end up with that, and not be like everyone around me, but I can't really carry any expectations, and watching doramas and bollywood (though i obviously do and love them) breaks my heart because i do wish it'd be like that.. i always am saying (or yelling sometimes, haha)- and not just at the REALLY hilariously impossible parts- THAT DOESNT REALLY HAPPEN or I WISH or YEAH RIGHT or OMGZZ MARRY ME SHAHRUKH/ABHISHEK AND SING TO ME ALWAYYYZZZZ. ;D

i think this is a big reason why say, bollywood is known for it's love stories (observe their culture) and we're known for our action movies (see our culture).


yeah i dont know if i'm making sense. it's kinda a 'stream of conciousness' reply.

[catdecember.livejournal.com]

i think my most favorite part, in the ending, was when hee jin realized how much love she has for henry - who has just been there for her - when he mentioned his "doctors without borders" thingy (sorry, mind warp, kind of sick today). that was just...wow. i love that.

i was disappointed with the ending kiss, i expected more out of it. :(

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

when he mentioned his "doctors without borders" thingy (sorry, mind warp, kind of sick today). that was just...wow. i love that.

Oh yes. She finally realized just how much he meant to her and how much she loved him when she was faced with the possibility of losing him. Ohhhhh...And the way it's lit really really brightly, when he is kissing her. Ohhhh again (you know, when she told JH that Henry saw her at her worst, and she used to yell at him, and hit him, and everything, when she was so sick, but he was still so good to her, I ended up thinking of 'Snow Queen.' It seems like Henry/hee-Jin drama would be sort of a variation on that, only with a happy ending).

Re: last kiss with JH/SS. Yeah.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Btw, feel better!

[carviangli.livejournal.com]

Very interesting.

I can't really comment much because I haven't completely finished sam soon(endlessly lending my DVD out to friends or getting attached to another drama) but I do agree with you...on some points.

Well, I ADORED MNIKSS(what I've seen of it...which is almost all of it) however I DID NOT adore KSS...

I guess it was the age thing. I'm 16...so trying to relate to a 30 year old about being too old to date(personally I don't think 30 is old but whatever...Korea has different views). SS was relatable because yes, I still think I'm "ugly" just like most normal girls(well teenagers do) so it was a little bit refreshing to see an actress(it's Kim Sun Ah btw) who was not this rail-thin, perfectly polished, doll-like innocent caricature who was plucky,beautiful but when it comes down to it a very typical kdrama heroine.

SS was different- I think. I liked that. That doesn't mean I LOVED SS to bits-but I did love Sam Soon/Sam Shik...I thought it was cute.

Oh but I completely agree about Henry. I drooled every time I saw him and I loved that he was this sweet, caring guy who wasn't vain or a player but was devoted to Hee Jin and just wanted to be with her. I admit I fell in love with Henry more than I fell in love with Sam Shik.

Well, MNIKSS is certainly one of my favourite dramas but truthfully it has little to do with the characters(although I do adore all four to various extents) I just love the food(yum!), the music, the humour,the twists-everything.

I just like it because it's the "package" and just delivers overall-hmm...I think I might go finish it now:P

[miss-dian.livejournal.com]

Interestingly, I really like the ending kiss between Henry and Hee-jin. She has this blissful look on her face when she finally realises just how important he is to her. It was quite satisfying for me :D

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Oh but I completely agree about Henry. I drooled every time I saw him and I loved that he was this sweet, caring guy who wasn't vain or a player but was devoted to Hee Jin and just wanted to be with her. I admit I fell in love with Henry more than I fell in love with Sam Shik

Oh yeah, definitely.

Also, MNIKSS made me hungry :)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I thought catdecember referred to final kiss with JH/SS and not Henry/Hee-Jin's.

But yeah, I love the Henry/HJ kiss. So awesome.

[miss-dian.livejournal.com]

Ah! You're probably right! :) It's been a while since I watched Samsoon, but I remember that I like the dorama as a whole. I can understand why you're pretty peeved about Samsoon as a character. I think she worked for me because since the beginning of the story I felt kind of sorry for her being so awkward and unlucky. She was foul mouthed, I grant you that, and at times annoying, but somehow those annoying parts of her character could be overlooked by her boldness and strength in winning JH over ^^

It was actually Ji-heon that was rather lacking for me. I thought he was pretty immature most of the time.

Hee-jin was lovely and cute, but I couldn't stop saying "wake up and look who's right beside you, dummy!" My fave character of all, of course, was dr. Henry. His smile/warmth/attention, and the way he "knew" her perhaps more than she knew herself... Man.... it's heart-melting \(^0^)/

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Hee-jin was lovely and cute, but I couldn't stop saying "wake up and look who's right beside you, dummy!" My fave character of all, of course, was dr. Henry. His smile/warmth/attention, and the way he "knew" her perhaps more than she knew herself... Man.... it's heart-melting \(^0^)/

Oh yes, exactly. Agree with every word.

[angelajewell.livejournal.com]

I remember being pretty indifferent to this drama too... in fact, when I remember it, it's not any scene with the two main characters that I remember... it's when Henry is trying to cheer up Hee Jin, and he tells her that she shines... that's gotta be one of the sweetest moments ever. In my opinion, their love story was much more endearing and mature, so I completely understand your point of view. ^_^

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Ysy, I am not alone!

The 'shine' scene was my favorite in the drama.

[autumn-yaar.livejournal.com]

Henry pwned in this drama.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Oh yes he did.

[ladysaotome.livejournal.com]

I wasn't too sure about thia drama & I think I heartily agree with your review & wouldn't like her. Much as I love my dramas, when they fall in love too instantly & with no foundation I get annoyed. And the idea that love expires is too exasperating. That was one of the awesomest things about Dal Ja's Spring because the male lead's parents appear to be on a fast track to divorce & the dad realizes he's responsible for his marriage falling apart, woos his wife & they end up all adorable together again.

That's so great that your hubby was your first love. Mine's the only man I ever loved/dated, too, & we didn't meet until our early 20s either. I even sometimes feel cheated that he had one girlfriend before me. That temporary attitude toward marriage is increasing though. Did you hear about the Bavarian politician who wants marriages to expire every ten years?

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

The more I read about Dal Ja, the more I want to watch it.

I even sometimes feel cheated that he had one girlfriend before me.

Oh, I feel that way too, about mine. I really wish he was the first man I kissed!

KSS really ended up not working for me at all.

[ladysaotome.livejournal.com]

Dal Ja's Spring was adorable. I posted a wacky picspam on it a while back. The female lead is in her 30s in that one, too, but she's naive/innocent - not a ditz.

Oh, I feel that way too, about mine. I really wish he was the first man I kissed!

My hubby is the only man I've ever kissed. It's something I treasure but I'm not so sure about his feelings on it... I feel cheated because I know how head over heels/rediculous he was for his first girlfriend & he never treated me quite the same. Something about how first love's are special and since I have none before him, I can't relate. But then again, she treated him like trash when she dumped him (cheated with his best friend) so he was reasonably super cautious while our relationship was developing.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am so glad it worked out for you guys!