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The song featured during the recap: A daughter becoming a mother like her own by Kim Hyun Do.
The powerful opening scene of Gwan-sik panicking during Ae-sun’s childbirth and the touching portrayal of new parent fears.
Ae-sun’s remarkable emotional radar when she realizes Geum-myeong is struggling just by how she packs fruit.
The dramatic family argument over Geum-myeong quitting her job and her business aspirations, revealing generational and emotional rifts.
Gwan-sik risking everything to start a seafood restaurant and Ae-sun’s unwavering support despite her doubts.
The emotional note and ultrasound photo reveal: Geum-myeong is pregnant, offering a beautiful full-circle moment between mother and daughter.
An intense childbirth for Geum-myeong, mirroring her mother’s experiences and bringing them closer.
The brilliant character arc of Gwan-sik and Ae-sun, whose hard work and diligence transform their struggling restaurant into a success.
The surprising reveal that Gwan-sik once saved a suicidal actress, Jeong Mi-in, who later helps boost their restaurant with a promotional video.
Geum-myeong starting her own business, named after her mother’s selfless mantra: Whoever, Wherever, Whenever.
Yeong-ran’s empowerment journey: she starts a real estate business and leaves her cruel husband, backed by financial and emotional support from her mother-in-law.
A cultural moment: Korea repays its IMF loans early, reflecting national pride and resilience paralleled in the Yang family’s journey.
References
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*This episode was brought to you by the Maternity Ward :)
ReplyDeleteJokes aside, I wouldn’t last 1 minute in the delivery room. I actually fast forward birth scenes. I am faint hearted.
I also liked when Gwan Sik told his son in law something like”Do you think I am asking about your daughter?” lol.
Eun Myeong complaining about his father behaviour on matters of money is the epitome of the saying “Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones on people”
I felt the actress bit was a big plot convenience, but I won’t dwell on it. This is a common thing in Kdrama. It is not my favourite, but not big deal either. Ultimately it has a nice message.
*About forthcoming season. Please don’t pick “Alchemy of Souls”. That is 30 episodes. Meaning it will last more than 7 months. And, while it certainly has a lot of entertainment, it is also super draggy and kept going in circles. It easily could have been wrapped up in standard 16 episodes.
I think certain series are fun to watch, but not worthy of deep dives. I mean I totally loved “Healer”, but I would never suggest it for episode by episode podcast.
From live series, Our Unwritten Seoul is really good one. Long episodes, but only 12. Also, I don’t think you have done Park Bo Young, who is really very good actress.
* A random question to Joanna: Do you know/like Lea Salonga?
Hi SevenSeas - i need to go back to the older episodes, but didn't Gwangsik saved someone from drowning and got an award because of it?
DeleteOn Alchemy of Souls - it may kill our hosts, but maybe they can do 2 eps per podcast again? lol
Super yes to a Park Bo Young series!
Seven Seas, we agree with Eun Myeong yelling at his dad about money was hilarious. And while I absolutely loved Alchemy of Souls, I don't have the stomach to do all 30 episodes; that would kill us. I loved Healer, but that's not on our list.
DeleteAnd yes, I know Lea Salonga! I actually saw her on Broadway when she played in Miss Saigon. It was such a big deal for me and my mom to see her on Broadway!
Tina, OMG, you are so right! Gwan sik did save someone and it HAD to be that actress! How did we miss that?
Thank you!
I enjoyed "Alchemy of Souls," so I like the idea of revisiting it. If 30 episodes are too many, perhaps you can double up on them. I would especially like to hear your take on the Season 2 casting change, which I hated at the time but eventually concluded was a sneaky good thing for injecting a disorienting element of WTF.
ReplyDelete"Vincenzo" would be a good choice, and so would "The Glory." I am looking forward to gaining a deeper appreciation for whichever show you choose to analyze next.
Gordon, thank you for your recommendations! Since we only analyze a few shows a year, we know our choice is a big deal, at least to us!
DeleteAlchemy of Souls is one of my favorite all time shows, but there are too many episodes. BUT, I do revisit it from time to time and I listen to the OST. But you already knew that!
Korean vocab - I agree with the phrases review so I can stack up vocab as well! Right now, I can only do curse words haha.
ReplyDeleteAbout your episodes being long - I personally don't mind. There were episodes where it ends and I say "is that it?' just to realize it's been over an hour. I think this happened a lot when I listened to Mr. Sunshine for the first time, since it was 2 eps per podcast episode haha (i'm asking for too much ig). But as always, I appreciate you doing a deep dive on each episode.
Malcolm's a trendsetter - so I'll share my recent watches as well
- Series: Tangerines (watching it along with you)
- Series: Our beloved Summer
- Movie: The Match
Next watch:
- Movie: Past Lives
- Series: Hi Bye Mama (my bff made a deal with me that she'll watch Mr. Sunshine if I watch Our beloved Summer and Hi Bye Mama. Questionable & unfair deal if u ask me, but both shows are good! Not for this podcast tho since they are too sappy)
Looking forward to next week's episode!
I agree with you Tina on the episode length.
DeleteI have even said that myself some time ago in one of the previous seasons.
I wish they were longer.
Thank you both for your support! We are relieved that you don't feel that our episodes are too long. In general, I would prefer to be shorter and leave the audience wanting more than to drag on too long and overstay our welcome. Well, we don't plan for length when we map out our discussions. We just talk about what we think is interesting or important and when we're done, we're done.
DeleteTina and Seven Seas, thank you for listening and for being such loyal listeners that you don't mind listening to a loooong episode. Be careful what you say coz 11.16 is LONG. Episodes with Ernabel are always long; we have to get them to the editor with plenty of notice. Haha.
DeleteTina, what do you think of Our Beloved Summer? I really, really loved that show. I felt like it was another one that represented real life. Nothing crazy, no time travel, no going to Argan, nobody gets shot - just love that gets lost. The acting is absolutely gorgeous!
“Move to Heaven” would also be a great show to cover! It touches on grief and healing, neurodivergence, second chances and social issues. Just make sure you warn people to have enough tissues when watching it.
ReplyDeleteHello MrsDJQ. You are so right about Move to Heaven! It is one of my top 5 favorite Kdramas of all time and it is definitely a perennial contender for shows to feature on the podcast. So many themes to discuss and such a moving story.
DeleteSo my first thought when watching this episode is that Eun-Myeong has a lot of ummm... nerve, telling his dad that he is not good with money. This kid should basically keep his mouth shut until he does something productive other than fathering two kids! Poor Ae-sun and Gwan-sik! This is what they get from their kids after all they’ve gone through! But I will say that the hospital scene where Gwan-sik gave Chung-Seob a look like “what would I care about the new baby” because he’s so concerned about Geum-myeong.
ReplyDeleteLove that you discussed the World Cup and Gus Hiddink! I remember the summer of 2002 very fondly because I am a huge soccer fan and fortunately that summer I was only studying for the bar exam. That meant I was able to stay up and watch all the games which kicked off at midnight, 2 am, 4 am and even 6 am! The US was in the same group with South Korea, Portugal, and Poland. We beat Portugal, tied South Korea, and lost to Poland. Only the US and South Korea advance out of that group which was a pretty big upset. The US then beat Mexico (our biggest rival) and then lost to Germany in the quarterfinals (due to an uncalled handball by Germany which would have been a US goal! – but I digress….). South Korea then lost 1-0 to those cheating Germans in the semifinal. For both the US and South Korea it was their best result ever. I would absolutely love it if the World Cup was ever held in South Korea again in my lifetime. Unfortunately, it seems only anti-democratic, authoritarian countries seem to be awarded the hosting rights, like Russia, Qatar, the United States, Saudi Arabia, etc. 😉 Anyway, love to see two of my favorite things – K Dramas and soccer combined in an episode!
I think you made a good point about how the actors who played Ae-sun and Gwan-sik were made to look older than their 50 years. The people in charge of the hair and makeup, costuming, and set designs in this show really knocked it out of the park. The actors that play Ae-sun and Gwan-sik are actually 50, but of course with celebrity Korean skin care they look like they are in their 30s in real life. Also, it’s really impressive that IU plays both young Ae-sun and adult Geum-myeong in the same episodes and you don’t really think twice about the fact that it is the same actress. That’s both a credit to IU, but also the makeup and costuming people. Similarly, the same actor that plays Bu Sang-Gil ages over the course of 30 plus years thanks to some great hair and make up.
I am on pins and needles about the show for next season. Something tells me Joanna and Sung-hee will throw us a curve ball and pick something that hasn’t even been suggested…. If you ask me, I have new recommendation: “All In” The show that was playing in the background of this episode. This show looks amazing. And it stars Han Ji Min AND Song Hye Kyo?! Check out this article of the two of them from 2003. They look like babies! https://www.soompi.com/article/1528514wpp/han-ji-min-talks-about-debuting-as-young-version-of-song-hye-kyo-in-all-in-despite-being-just-1-year-younger
Really looking forward to the final episode and Ernie’s guest appearance.
Oh, and since no one asked - WMW:
DeleteOut Unwritten Seoul on Netflix– Still amazing. One of the best shows of the year. Highly recommended.
Goodboy on Prime – I watched about an episode and a half of this show and gave up. The premise is good. Former national team athletes from various sports are combined into a special police force. However, the execution is not great and kind of hokey. But it does star Park Bo-gum if you need a fix of him after Tangerines.
Oh My Venus on Viki – I decide to give this one a shot because it stars Shin Min-a. It’s from 2015 and it was only OK. It doesn’t really have much of a plot. Shin Min-a is a lawyer who used to be beautiful but has put on lots of weight (she still looks amazing in fat suit) and So Ji-sub plays a secret chaebol heir who falls in love with her and helps her get into shape. Other stuff happens, but that’s basically the entire plot. Would not recommend unless you are huge fan of Shin Min-a or So Ji-sub.
Malcolm, you and I are on the same page about Chung Seob and Gwan sik's priorities. Hilarious.
DeleteThanks for the info on the FIFA tournament from 2002. I don't follow soccer closely but I could tell from my research that this was a big deal.
I am on episode 4 of Our Unwritten Seoul and am loving it. I have often thought that even though I am related to my siblings and grew up with them, sometimes I wonder if we know each other at all. And how creepy would it be to hear what others really think of you, good or bad!
I love Shin Min-A and will check out Oh My Venus. Bummer about Good Boy. It's on my list coz of Park Bo Gum, but maybe it's worth at least a quick watch. Thank you for sharing what you're watching and reviewing everything.
I'm currently watching Our Unwritten Seoul. I stalled on The Divorce Insurance. Just finished the latest season of The Great British Baking Show. Want to get back to The Light Shop.