The songs featured during the recap: Prom Dance by Roh Young Sim and Brave by Kim Jong Wan.
How this episode is a cautionary tale about phishing and spear phishing, with a detailed breakdown of cyberattacks and how they work.
Attorney Jang's arrogance and failure as a leader, and how he nearly ruins the Raon case due to his insecurity and inexperience.
Choi Soo-yeon and Kwon Min-woo taking bold risks in court to argue Woo Young Woo’s theory, saving the case.
The disturbing courtroom suicide attempt by CEO Bae In-cheol and what drove him to such a public act of despair.
Woo Young Woo’s heartbreak and the poignant conversation where she reveals to Jun-ho that she’s afraid she’ll make him lonely.
Choi Soo-yeon’s confession to Kwon Min-woo, asking him to act with heart instead of strategy: “Because I like guys who are like that.”
The courtroom drama and the judge's precise nature, possibly reflecting traits similar to Woo Young Woo’s.
The revelation that Tae Su-mi’s son—Woo Young Woo’s half-brother—is the hacker behind the Raon breach.
CEO Han’s manipulative move to “protect” Woo Young Woo by orchestrating her temporary disappearance when the news breaks about her parentage.
The emotional significance of Attorney Jung’s surgery and his relationship with Woo Young Woo, who visits him in the hospital in her own awkward yet heartfelt way.
The shifting relationship between Choi Soo-yeon and Kwon Min-woo as they navigate tension, politics, and potential romance.
The societal and legal implications of holding corporations accountable for data breaches, including evolving privacy laws in Korea.
Korean surnames, pronunciation, and cultural insights into name origins, including the now-repealed law banning marriage between people with the same surname and ancestral origin.
The wonderful recommendations for season 13 of our K Drama Chat from our listeners!
References
My first comment, after enjoying the podcast for many months! I'm casting a vote for The Atypical Family, which I don't think anyone else has mentioned. It's only 12 episodes long and I found it absolutely engrossing. Superpowers, time travel, flawed characters who won me over and a great soundtrack.
ReplyDeleteA historical drama I've watched more than once is Rookie Historian Goo Haeron (sp?). Great ensemble cast, lighter moments, palace intrigue, examines Joseon's difficult relationship with the West. The romance subverts the usual fairytales, with the prince trapped in the palace, needing to be 'rescued' by our female lead.
Thanks for the pod, love it!
I liked Atypical Family - a couple things really stood out. Agree on the soundtrack, particularly “I See You”. One of the best songs at creating a mood and fitting a drama so well. Atypical Family also had one of the best endings that any Kdrama has ever had. It doesn’t make my top 5 of all time, of which “My Mister” and “Misaeng” do, so cool that Misaeng got a vote!
DeleteMeanwhile I’m trying to get caught up on “Bon Appetit” - I skipped it until now and didn’t know it was going to get a special podcast! Good choice - definitely enjoying it so far (3 episodes in). Im Yoona is good. It’s been a while but I saw “The K2” when I first started watching Kdramas and Yoona was underwhelming but it wasn’t really her fault. King the Land was popcorn from the little that I remember. Good for Yoona that she has a much better show.
It's hard for me to pit those dramas against each other as they are just so different. I appreciated Misaeng so much, but I really didn't like the 'bookending' of the slower slice of life story with the action scenes. Nice to see another Atypical Family fan. It was a cut above most kdramas in so mamy ways.
DeleteHaving said that, I enjoyed fluffy King the Land more than Bon Appetit!
I haven't seen My Mister, so I'd probably be watching along with Joanna and Sung Hee if they choose that one.
Doremi and SDGuy, thank you for these recommendations. Sung Hee has recommended Misaeng to me, and it's on the list. I started Atypical Family, then got distracted but I really liked it. No idea why I didn't finish. I guess I should go back to it!
DeleteI loved Bon Appetit and agree that Lim Yoona was so much better in it than her other shows, including King the Land. King the Land had so much promise and then it lost focus; for me, it didn't have that tension that other dramas have. I appreciate that it didn't go to Argan, however.
Thank you for listening and commenting!
Joanna, Atypical Family is definitely worth going back to. KTL should have been 12 eps too, maybe? It is a comfort watch for me, but yes, lost its way in the middle.
DeleteI had higher hopes for Bon Appetit, loved the first half, Yoona and the king, but I was disappointed with the pacing and I had too many unresolved questions about the return to modern times.
I’ve been listening to your show for the past year and want to thank you for your entertaining and well organized discussions. I found your podcast after getting a bit lost watching Mr. Queen (which, Sung Hee, I love). I think your show shines the most when you take on shows with complicated plot lines, so to that end, I have some recommendations for watches or show topics in your future seasons:
ReplyDeleteMisaeng (Netflix): I heard you considering Mr. Mister, which is an outstanding show. I think Misaeng would give you even more to talk about. Both shows are extremely well written and acted and centered on office drama. Misaeng has a much larger cast and a lot of plotlines centered on international trade, so each episode has lots of fodder for your podcast. Misaeng has more humor than My Mister, much of it coming from Byun Yo-han, who plays the office gossip and was so charming as the fiance in Mr. Sunshine. One caveat is that the first five minutes of the opening episode are an action sequence in Jordan which is completely incongruous with the subsequent episodes. You won’t understand the Jordan bit until much later, so don’t be put off by it. The series deals with sexual harassment, gender discrimination, workplace bullying and the grind of the hypercompetitive Korea workplace, but the characters are so complex, beautifully written and wonderfully portrayed that you get really invested in everyone and cheer the small triumphs.
My Dearest (Viki): This Korean interpretation of Gone with the Wind has gorgeous cinematography and wonderful Scarlett and Rhett leads. The Qing invasion of Joseon is the Civil War parallel. The show has lots of action and a wonderful romance. You would have a lot to cover in your podcast including the history of the Qing invasion and the treatment of Josean women by both the invading forces and their own families.
Under The Queen’s Umbrella (Netflix): Kim Hyeo-Soo ate this role. She reminds me a bit of the mother in The Good Bad Mother: tough, smart and so utterly devoted to her kids. Lots of palace intrigue and some issues not often covered in K-Dramas such as gender identity.
Because This Is My First Life (Netflix and Viki): The posters for this wonderful show make it look like a fluffy comedy. It is funny, but it’s so much more. It’s a thoughtful exploration of the meaning of marriage and love and hits on a lot of tough issues including sexual harassment and sexual assault. The slow burn romance between Jung So-Min and Lee Min-ki includes one of the best K-Drama kisses. The second leads Esom and Park Byung-Eun almost steal the show. The show does fall apart a bit in the last couple of episodes, but the rest of it makes up for that. Joanna, the OST is amazing!
Of the shows you mentioned as future prospects in your last few episodes, I agree that Move to Heaven is amazing. I’m planning to watch Signal, so I’ll definitely follow along if you choose that one. Startup is fun, but in a different league from Move to Heaven or any of the shows I mentioned above.
TripAndCatch, these are some fantastic recommendations, thank you! Yes, we are looking for shows that have fantastic story lines, great character arcs, great acting, lots of side stories, great cinematography, moving OSTs, great fashion - in other words, shows that have it all! Haha! Fortunately, there are so many shows that have all of these elements, which is why we spend so much time thinking about each season.
DeleteI am always in awe that there are others willing to go very deep with us. Listener Malcolm makes fun of us because sometimes, our episodes are longer than the episodes we're discussing! Haha!
Thank you for listening and commenting!
Two new great commenters! I now check this blog every day to see what others are saying, and it’s great, very welcome.
ReplyDeletePer this week’s episode, I’m truly puzzled by two things:
CEO Han’s motives towards Tae Su-mi. It has to be personal, more than just to check her ambitions, but maybe I’m wrong on that.
And why is Attorney Jang such a big shot in this supposedly top law firm? I worked for decades in two top companies in inflight entertainment for decades, and occasionally an exec would get hired that turned out to be an incompetent and self-important jerk like this guy. Within a year, they inevitably got fired, largely by popular demand. Why CEO Han would keep this guy escapes me. I hope Extraordinary Attorney Malcolm weighs in on this.
Ellen, I would say 'dramatic license', but for the fact that there are plenty of real-life examples of this kind of thing, in my opinion! Perhaps his connections are important to the company?
DeleteThat could be it, but then there’s how were they hired in the first place. In one of our cases, they were hired because they were experienced at our competitor. Turned out they were about to let him go when he got the job with us. That solved their problem, and they were delighted that now we were stuck with him! Not for long though.
DeleteEllen, we recorded 12.16 on Sunday and we wondered aloud what CEO Han must have against Tae Su Mi. It seems CEO Han's anger and resentment against Tae Su Mi are not reciprocated! What the hell happened?
DeleteAs for Attorney Jang, a lot of firms have some man (or woman) who we wonder about. How did he make it here? Why is he still here? Who does he know? The actor Choi Dae Hoon also played the village bigshot who was clearly an idiot in When Life Gives You Tangerines. Poor guy!