The songs featured during the recap: “Even for a Moment” by CHEEZE, “My Past” by Park Sejun and Kim Min Ji, and “Heart Signal” by Kim Dong Hyeok, plus a fun mention of IU’s “Good Day.”
The theme of backups—literal and metaphorical—including cloud, device, and hard drive backups and what they signify about risk management and emotional safety.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): what it is, its key components, and how Samsan Tech uses CSR to fund their app for the visually impaired.
The evolving nature of NoonGil and how Seo Dal-mi and Nam Do-san combine image recognition and AI voice tech to empower visually impaired users.
Han Ji Pyeong’s initial rejection of the idea, and how storytelling plays a crucial role in business, as Seo Dal-mi’s pitch emotionally resonates with Han Ji Pyeong despite his pragmatic stance.
The concept of Daily Active Users (DAUs), viral marketing, and how NoonGil’s downloads explode after a social post from baseball star Park Chan Ho.
The powerful reveal of Choi Won Deok’s feedback notebook, and how this leads to Seo Dal-mi finally learning about her grandmother’s deteriorating eyesight.
The emotional gravity of the grandmother using NoonGil to hear a Bible passage, and the symbolism of her regaining a sense of independence.
The rivalry between Han Ji Pyeong and Nam Do-san intensifies, with two alternate endings showing different dynamics around the scrunchie.
Important language and etiquette notes: how Seo Dal-mi calls HJP “Han Jang-nim” and how he respectfully calls her “Seo Daepyonim.”
The storyline of Seo Dal-mi’s mother and her complicated motivations around reuniting with Won In Jae.
A deep dive into Silicon Valley’s Pay It Forward culture and the “five-minute favor.”
We spotlight Yoo Su Bin and Kim Do Wan—the quirky best friends in Samsan Tech—and discuss their careers, recent works, and breakout roles.
References
I LOVED this podcast episode.
ReplyDeleteIt was great fun to hear opposing sides. But, also to see things from different perspectives.
On the whole I found myself agree more with Sung- Hee. I do, however, agree with Joanna about the older sister sending Dal-Mi to her stepfather.
I had to chuckle a bit about what Joanna said “She sent her to the Lion’s den, knowing these two were snakes ”lol. Of course the meaning was clear to me, but I still found it funny :)
However, that doesn’t mean I am team HJP. I actually don’t have strong favourite, and I think this is the one thing this drama is doing really well.
The triangle is good, and it is really hard to guess the outcome with certainty although I strongly suspect it will be NDS, or none of them. Still, they both seem to have a decent chance. And, this is very rare in Kdramas.
NDS is certainly more likeable, but HJP wrote those letters. I have weakness for those who can write beautifully lol. HJP also wasn’t born with a silver spoon. And although he is harsh, he actually gives a lot of good advices, steps in when it matters, and if it wasn’t for him, the team wouldn’t have come so far.
The video guy earned his 1% in this episode lol. I wonder if the “Power Point Girl” (Malcolm, do I have to pay you every time I use this term? I don’t want to get sued by a Lawyer. Lol) will earn her 7%?
About that scene when NDS tells Dal-Mi. Interesting that you both liked it very much. I thought it was nice (but seen it before), but I somehow suspect it was done this way partly because Bae Suzy can’t really pull a nuanced acting.
I want to submit a request to add “overhearing something important” to the Kdrama elements.
Finally, I loved how you are promoting “No Other Choice”. I am also going to see it again when it goes on wide release in UK. I wasn’t confused about what was going on, but I want to enjoy this amazing film again.
That scene and sequence with loud music is my favourite one of last year, and one I think I will remember for decades. I watched it in the main Festival Cinema (around 2500-3000 people), and the auditorium roared with laughter.
Yeom Hye-ran almost stole the entire film with her short, but impactful screen time.
..and what about that shot of the drink? What an amazing camera work.
But, I just like to add, I think it is an amazing film even if didn’t win or have been nominated to a single award.
The awards are very haphazard business, and don’t reflect quality AT ALL in my opinion. Even if I agree with some of their outcomes.
Seven Seas, I agree that this is one of the least predictable Kdrama love triangles. The online debate about which ML would/should end up with Seo Dalmi was the reason I watched it the first time around.
DeleteThe other one that came to mind was True Beauty, although in that case there was an ongoing webtoon to add to the confusion and 'controversy'.
Are there others, I wonder?
Hello Seven Seas, it's great to have you back on the blog. I agree with both you and Doremi that this is one of the most unpredictable and complicated love triangles. It is interesting that Joanna and I naturally land on opposite sides of the debate. Wait until you hear episode 9!
DeleteSeven Seas, so glad to see you back on the blog!
DeleteGlad you liked this episode. Sung Hee and I are having so much fun. There is SO MUCH to this show, and we disagree on many things, which is really hilarious.
As for adding "overhearing something important" as an element, you are absolutely right! We need to add that! And if there were texting in the historicals, we would add "attempting to text, erasing what you write, trying again and again" to the list.
As for my mixed metaphors, egads! You are absolutely right. My high school English teachers would kill me. Haha. I will do better. Sung Hee catches me in another mixed metaphor in 13.9!
I want to compliment Joanna and Sung hee’s note of the touching scene where Do-san breaks the news of her grandmother’s pending blindness to Dal-mi. We don’t need to hear them, we know what he tells her, and it was artfully written and acted. The last time I remember noticing this was in the series The Crown. Elizabeth and Prince Phillip are touring Kenya and he has to walk out to the garden and tell her that her father, the King, has died. It’s doubly impactful because she is now Queen. We watch from a distance as the weight of all this lands on her young shoulders, and she collapses into his arms. No dialog is needed.
ReplyDeleteAnother plug from me for No Other Choice! I’m sure it will be available for rental soon.
I agree with you all, that was a very effective, artfully done scene.
DeleteEllen, that is high praise coming from you, thank you! I remember that scene from The Crown - gorgeous and well done!
DeleteAnd yes, No Other Choice is wonderful. Deep and dark, and really good.
Another great podcast episode, for a K-Drama that goes down easy in a complicated world. It reminds me of reports about stressed-out millennials evidently discovering and embracing the show "Friends." Televised comfort food. I did something similar during the COVID pandemic with "British Bake-off" despite the fact that, as a general rule, I never watch baking/cooking shows at all.
ReplyDelete"Start-Up" gives me those similar "comfort food" vibes -- the romantic triangle and the setting are interesting enough, things move along pretty good, and the stakes are relatively low by K-Drama standards -- no one is going to get their head chopped off by invading Japanese forces, or starve to death, or have a cruel, abusive grandmother throw beans at them.
Just like Start-Up's call backs to Cyrano, a number of old-timey plays had people "overhearing" things -- Shakespeare often had characters on balconies and stairwells and such, overhearing major plot points. Start-Up hilariously employs this trope multiple times within the same episode! (Joanna and Sung-Hee both laughed about the apparent absence of doors in Sandbox Land!) It would be funny to keep track of how many times it's already happened, and we're only on episode 8!
I know I took some snarky pot-shots at the spotty writing and bewildering plot holes last week, but in my defense, I had just been temporarily blinded by another exploding milk bottle (third time this year! When are they gonna put warning labels on these things?) and was still on the mend.
Jeff, I think you're right that "overhearing something" has to be a new element. It's cool to identify and name a new element. It's like finding gold!
DeleteI think we would all agree that these dramas have plot holes and unrealistic storylines, but that's why we love them, right? They are bigger, brighter, bolder, more exciting versions of our lives. I agree that Start-Up is just a comfortable, feel good show. My family just watched Made In Korea. It is wonderful BUT oh my goodness, so much violence and twists and turns. In Start-Up, I'm not worried that someone is about to be kidnapped or tortured.
Thanks for listening and commenting!
I really like the business analysis in the podcast! Especially from a CEO ;-) I've become conditioned to expect background and insights when I'm watching things now. I am part way through Idol I and don't think it's compelling enough to devote a Kdrama Chat season to but found myself thinking "would be good to get some legal analysis from Malcolm on this".
ReplyDeleteA couple thoughts on Han Ji-Pyeong. Admittedly he probably wasn't thinking about Seo Dal-Mi much during the intervening years, but he couldn't have really come back. I thought he and grandmother wanted to keep the secret. Also I thought it was good of him to support the idea by giving the list of CSR possibilities even though he didn't believe in it. Although I do wonder if you could use this as a stepping stone. Make a good product, have a good story behind it, get attention, and then Hyundai buys your company to get the tech for self driving cars. Also on Chan Ho Park - hard to overstate his fame in Korea. He was the first Korean born player in Major League Baseball. He was an All Star and had a long career. At the time (1990s) it was a big deal - people didn't think Koreans could play baseball at the highest level (KBO is not nearly as strong as MLB) and there weren't that many Asian athletes in the US. It's different now - I went to a Padres game and people were wearing jerseys with "김하성" written on the back (although unfortunately Ha Seong Kim has moved on and is with Atlanta). So connecting Samsung Tech with Chan Ho Park was marketing genius.
Otherwise I'm on episode 9 of "Can This Love Be Translated". Show made good use of Netflix budget and looks fantastic. All the leads look like a million bucks and they cast Japanese actors (not so much in Gyeongseong Creature). It is a bit funny to watch interspersed with Start Up because you can't help but think "Come on HJP you know you like her so get on with it!" There is a tonal shift midway but I'm still enjoying it quite a bit and hope the ending works well.
SDGuy! Thanks for saying that you like the discussion of business terms. We'll keep doing it, but we'll try not to overdo it! Thanks for the feedback.
DeleteI think you're right that Han Ji Pyeong wanted to keep his part in the letters a secret because it was fictional (up to a point), and that was part of his bargain with the grandmother. I keep coming back to the fact that for Han Ji Pyeong, his relationship with the grandmother is THE relationship in his life.
As for Asians playing baseball, wow! Shohei Ohtani is such a star! He's a star in the US and in Japan! When we were in Japan last March, every bottle of green tea had his face on it. It was so fun!
I haven't started Can This Love Be Translated yet. Too many shows to watch! And I have a podcast to prep for!
Love all these great comments, Seven Seas, Doremi, Jeff In Tampa and SDguy!
ReplyDeleteSDguy, agree that HJP couldn’t keep in touch without betraying the secret of the letters, which would be bad for Grandma.
I also agree with Seven Seas about the video guy earning his 1%! Inspired marketing move!
ReplyDeleteEllen and Seven Seas, the cousin certainly earned his 1% with the message to Park Chan Ho! Sometimes, inspiration hits and the stars align!
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