How we are grateful to our listeners! We have listeners all over the world and our audience is growing!
The song we feature in the recap: Forever by SUHO.
How the Japanese and Korean characters in this show speak both Japanese and Korean and it can be very confusing.
How knowing what language our characters are speaking gives you a sense of who has the upper hand in the conversation.
The sleuths, who are really good, because they figured out where Myeong-ja is and how she got there (she was sent there by Lade Maeda).
How Mr. Gu wonders if Myeong-ja is another of the many women and girls who have disappeared in Gyeongseong, a reference to the Japanese Army practice of kidnapping women and girls during WWII and turning them into sex slaves, or what they called “comfort women.”
How we now know that Lady Maeda had a powerful motive for getting rid of Myeong-ja AND she has some relationship with Dr. Ichiro.
The few lighthearted moments of the show, especially when Jang Tae-sang is dumbstruck when he sees Yoon Chae-ok all dressed up in the light blue suit and pillbox hat.
The secret hand signal that the Korean independence army members use to signal each other.
The significance of Manchuria because it shares a border with what is now North Korea.
The origin story of Sachimoto, including the fact that he drew Yoon Chae-ok’s mom!
How we know that the creature is Yoon Chae-ok’s mom through her swollen left eye and wooden flower pendant.
Our thoughts on why Jang Tae-sang decides to go back into Ongseong Hospital.
The K Drama elements we see in this episode, especially the triangle between Lady Maeda, Commissioner Ishikawa and Myeong-ja, and the umbrella scene with Lady Maeda.
The meaning behind the title: Mother, between longing and anguish.
How the intro scene at the beginning of each episode is NOT the origin story of Yoon Chae-ok’s mom. We made a mistake. The intro is the origin story of the first girl to swallow a najin, turn into a creature, and get captured by the Japanese.
The amazing and handsome Park Seo-joon, including how his last name is pronounced Pahk, not Pak and not Park.
How episode 3 has some gory scenes with the creature AND some scenes of cruelty by soldiers against prisoners and other soldiers.
References
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Sadly relevant to your discussion regarding nitrogen to control the creature: https://apnews.com/article/nitrogen-execution-death-penalty-alabama-699896815486f019f804a8afb7032900
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing. Sadly relevant, as you say. Nitrogen will suffocate a person until they die.
DeleteI assume you are likely to talk about Han So-Hee in the next episode. I wonder if you will discuss the backlash from Japanese fans over her posting a photo of the Korean freedom fighter Ahn Jung Geun.
ReplyDeletehttp://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/106338664.cms?from=mdr&utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
https://www.allkpop.com/article/2024/01/han-so-hees-firm-response-to-japanese-hate-comments-what-can-i-do-if-thats-what-i-think
It might be interesting to discuss how Japanese culture and society in many ways has not come to terms or even has revisionist views of its imperial history (like for example Germany) - although that might be an entirely different podcast!
I find so many of the historical K-Dramas either focus on or allude to Korea's history with Japan (how could they not). Obviously true with Gyeongseong Creature and Mr. Sunshine. But also alluded to in Mr. Queen and many others. Even historical dramas that predate the Japanese often focus on Korea attempting to survive or preserve its independence in the face of larger more powerful countries. For example, the new Captivating the King - which I have many thoughts on!
Looking forward to the next episode.
Thank you for sharing! I had not seen the controversy over Han So-hee posting that photo. I will definitely check it out and we can talk about it next week. Sung-hee is Korean American and I am Filipino-American. There are still so many aspects of WWII and other time periods in Asian history that have not been full processed and overcome. I think both Korea and the Philippines have unresolved issues with the Japanese government. This is clear from the movies and shows that continue to be made in both countries. Haven't started Captivating the King Yet! Please let us know what you think of that show!
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