The songs featured during the recap: Love Letter by BOL4, In the Same Way or Another by Park Sejun, and Without Your Letter by Lee Nyeom.
The fallout of the 2STO deal and how Samsan Tech’s lack of legal, financial, and strategic guidance led to a contract that technically worked, but failed them completely.
Han Ji-pyeong’s crisis of conscience and how his absence at Demo Day changed everything for Dal-mi and Samsan Tech.
Why Seo Dal-mi didn’t bring the contract to Ji-pyeong for review, and how excitement, pride, and emotional distance all played a role.
The brutal moment when Dal-mi and Jung Sa-ha are let go, revealing who 2STO actually wanted and how “acquiring a company” doesn’t mean protecting its people.
The heartbreaking confrontation between Nam Do-san and Han Ji-pyeong, culminating in a physical fight and the devastating reveal about Dal-mi’s grandmother losing her vision.
Ji-pyeong’s visit to the grandmother at her corn dog stand, the meaning of the word “순딩이” (gentle soul), and why this hug becomes his emotional breaking point.
The quiet late-night phone call between Dal-mi and Do-san, the recorded confession, and the realization that love alone cannot be a shared dream
Why Dal-mi breaks up with Do-san on his birthday, and how humiliation, pride, and unequal trajectories force her to let him go.
Dal-mi’s decision to apply for a Strategic Planning Manager role at In-jae Company, swallowing her pride and reframing what leadership and vision look like after failure.
The episode’s closing questions: the uncertain future of NoonGil, Do-san’s reluctant departure for Silicon Valley, and whether Ji-pyeong is finally ready to step into the role he’s been avoiding.
The two unforgettable dads of Start-Up: Kim Won-hae, who plays Nam Do-san’s father, and Kim Joo-hun, who portrays Seo Dal-mi’s father.
What we’re watching now, including Pro Bono and Can This Love Be Translated.
The exciting interview with a real-life venture capitalist next week!
References
Thank you Joanna and Sung-hee for the more accurate translation of the Good Boy label. It makes a difference, because 'Good' is a moral judgement, but 'gentle', 'kind' and 'softhearted' are more about temperament/personality.
ReplyDeleteHJP has had to be tough to survive his childhood and to make it in business, and I think his tears come when he realises how much he has strayed from Halmeoni's assessment of him, as much as from distress over her failing eyesight.
Also, I thought there was an element of self-protection in SDM's rejection of NDS. I don't think she wanted a relationship based on being someone's 'dream'.
Doremi, you’re right about being someone’s dream; I shuddered when I heard that. She must have felt the burden of that under the circumstances.
DeleteThey all made a mistake in not being more careful with the contract, so there’s plenty of blame to go around on that, including HJP.
Doremi,
ReplyDeleteI agree a LOT with your first two comments.
Interesting take on SDM decision. I must admit that didn't cross my mind. That is in essence the same theme of being the bearer of someone's expectations.
I still lean towards the more straightforward "letting him free", but I like this new angle.
I find SDM's decision interesting, because it's a twist on the standard 'noble idiocy' trope that is used to separate couples after they've had a period of happiness together.
DeleteIn this case it's either simply 'noble' or 'noble and complex'. Whichever, SDM isn't foolish enough to let NDS sacrifice the 2STO opportunity to stay 'by her side' as they say in kdrama translation land.
Why a long distance relationship isn't even considered is never explained. Such practicalities (like the whole visa thing) would just get in the way of the story arc and character devt.
Doremi and Seven Seas, I agree that Nam Do San and Seo Dal Mi didn't have to break up. But, I think she felt humiliated and didn't want him to see her like that. And she probably thought that keeping him in Korea would make him resent her in the end. I don't believe this, because he wasn't after money, he just wanted to code and be with her.
DeleteI really liked this episode, but I don't have much to add to what our hosts said.
ReplyDeleteI found my self agreeing with most of what Joanna said (I was nodding really hard when she mentioned that recording lol. And they made it even worse that the recording was few hours long, which meant it was on purpose).
I have something to throw though. I think this should have been the last episode. I believe the story reached a reasonable point. All our main characters have learnt from the events of the series, and they are all having a new start and different perspectives.
It is a nice open ending with a promise for our leads.
Ellen, thanks for volunteering to help monitoring the blog.
Seven Seas, oh gosh, no, this is still so much more to this show! As you will see in episode 13, so much happens in three years, and yet so little happens as well!
DeleteI was honestly surprised by the ending, and I agree with Seven Seas that it would be a reasonable point to conclude the story. However, I understand this would be deeply unsatisfying for many k-drama viewers!
ReplyDeleteI think the show has made it clear which of the two characters are destined to "get together!" This is my first time watching Start-Up, and I strictly watch one episode at a time and then listen to the podcast episode. So of course I'm very curious about what happens in Episode 13! Will we actually see our characters living their lives in the U.S? Or will they skip that part altogether, and fast forward in time a few years? It will be interesting how they choose to handle it.
I feel like Joanna and Sung-hee have gone much too easy on Mr. Revenge himself Kim Yong-san! We continue to think of him as the other goofy, loyal, loveable friend, but the REVENGE thing was actually very weird. The "Revenge" post-its were quite unsettling, and physically attacking your mentor in the elevator seems like an action that would get a person kicked out of the SANDBOX. It's perfectly understandable to be devastated by the loss of your sibling, but making the reasonable-but-harsh comments of one judge the focus of your brotherly Revenge Tour is nuts.
The show spent several episodes building up this spooky subplot -- "who is seeking REVENGE? Is there a potential killer loose in Sandbox? Will everyone make it out alive?" The explanation seemed like a cop-out: "silly dears, he only meant REVENGE against his mentor's bragging about having a perfect record...or something."
But since this Start-Up (and Kim Yong-san is not part of the love triangle) all of this madness is never referred to again and everyone moves on as if it never happened!
Jeff,
DeleteAbout the revenge. I must say that I am actually happy it was a minor thing.
But, I get your sentiment, and to a certain extent I agree with it.
The series is still at 75%, so major things could still happen (I am like you, watching this for first time, and sticking to the schedule), but at this point, I must say it is very wasteful of its time.
We have already watched 16 hours, but I would say there were only 8-9 of them worth the time.
There were only few scattered good threads outside the triangle.
I don't know whether this is an objective evaluation, or after almost 75 Kdrama, I am no longer that tolerant to lots of things.
Given the kdrama trends from the time Start-up was written, we'll be lucky if KYS doesn't turn out to be a serial killer after all. :)
DeleteJeff, I think you're right that we should have talked about the whole Yong San and revenge thing a little more. We were just so relieved that nobody died, that the whole Yong San thing was important BUT not because any violence was involved.
DeleteSo much more happens in this show! Keep watching and commenting!
I want to mention the complications of the H1b visa requirements as a factor in the hiring of the three programmers, and how unlikely it would have been to bring Jeong Sa-ha and Seo Dal-mi along. From my experience in California tech, companies have caps on how many of these visas they can obtain, and save their applications for certain skill sets.
ReplyDeleteSo I think that Alex Kwon knew all along that they wouldn’t be included, and HJP would have told them that had they checked with him. But they spurned his advice. As to Seo Dal-mi going with him and getting a job after arrival, that would have been very tough too without fluent English and a specialized degree, because her employer would have had to sponsor her visa. I’d love to hear what others think, but the show leaving these issues completely out of the picture did bother me in an otherwise fine show.
The lack of detail didn't bother me because, plot/character development-wise, we know all Alex cared abt was benefitting 2STO, and we know that NDS and SDM would have benefitted from HJP's advice.
DeleteThe important thing for the show is splitting up our two erstwhile lovebirds and making space for more personal growth/another potential romance to flourish.
(And going to Silicon Valley is better than going to Argan!)
Hi Ellen, agree that it would be difficult for SDM or JSH to get a visa. Even H1B would be no sure thing - there's a global cap and you can only apply once a year, and then wait 6 months if you get in through lottery. They could go on an O-1 visa since they won the Coda competition though. But no such justification for SDM. It also does point to how devastating this is for SDM. In the US, maybe someone like her gets another chance? In Korea, not so sure. No degree, learning on the job. Samsan Tech was her big chance and meant more to her than any of the others. Otherwise on your other comments - agree being someone's dream is not great for a relationship!
DeleteThanks, SD guy! Always enjoy your takes on everything.
DeleteHey everybody, be sure to comment on the Instagram questions too, such fun! We’re a bit more serious/analytical here on the blog, but we have more provocative questions coming up, so let’s hear your two cents!
So honored with the community manager designation, hoping to.help our Joanna and Sung hee a lot.
Ellen,
DeleteI am willing to bet serious money that the writer has no idea what is H1b visa. :)
Just for the record, it’s spelled H1B, and you have to have a degree to get one. As of this year, employers have to pay the US 100k for a new one!
DeleteEllen, thank you for pointing out the challenges of bringing in people who are not US citizens. My company has never sponsored H1B workers; too hard, too expensive, too much paperwork. We did have Canadian citizens working for us from Canada and that was easy because of NAFTA, although who knows what the situation is today.
DeleteEchoing some earlier comments - thanks Sung-Hee for the translations! NDS mom saying "if you hang out with those dogs" was LOL funny. Korean parents can be very expressive. And interesting comments on what if they ended the show here. I think TripandCatch said last week that it would be interesting if SDM went her own way. Unfortunately I can hardly remember a kdrama that had the courage to do that, and there definitely were shows where you are screaming at the FL "dump them. dump both of them!"
ReplyDeleteThanks Ellen for managing the community. I hadn't been over to Instagram until now and am enjoying the posts.
For other shows - I liked "Can This Love Be Translated" despite the tone shift / Arganish aspects. But there were some unusual things. I think it was episode 6 that Joanna referred to - I watched one of the scenes (it was pivotal) multiple times and still had trouble figuring out what was going on. Also the English vs. English cc translations were sometimes quite different, which given the topic was somewhat ironic. Probably needs a rewatch to sort out what to think of the handling of trauma/mental illness, but I think it would be worth it. Otherwise, I started watching "My Love from the Star". Normally I don't watch shows of that vintage but it's quite good, and it was so popular it probably established some of the kdrama elements. Very well done - great actors. I think "Tempest" was the first thing I saw with Jun Ji Hyun, and of course she's good in this as well.
My Love from the Star is a classic and well worth watching. I'll be interested to hear if you like the ending, SDGuy.
DeleteSDguy, agree with you re: Can This Love Be Translated! Every episode has misunderstandings and then the second half of the show is very different from the second half. It went to Argan-ish, I think. The Olympics have prevented me and hubs from watching the last two episodes, which we hope to watch this weekend.
DeleteMy Love from the Star is on the list. Thanks for the recommendation!