We discuss:
The songs featured during the recap: My Rosa, and My Sang Wol by Nam Hye-seung and Park Sang-hee, Time In My Diary by Nam Hye-seung and Park Sang-hee, and Come Back Home by Nam Hye-seung and Go Eun-jong. We also discuss Go Eun-jong’s contributions to many beloved K Drama OSTs.
The heartbreaking story of Hyeon Sang-wol and Kim Rosa, a decades-long tale of friendship, sacrifice, loyalty, and love.
How Kim Rosa’s secret identity is exposed to the public and the devastating impact of public judgment and shame.
The ethical debate between Ho-su and Lee Chung-gu about the role of lawyers, justice, and whether the powerful and powerless should be treated equally under the law.
Mi-ji’s greatest strength: her bias toward action and her refusal to abandon people who are suffering.
Kim Rosa’s moving final letter and her faith that one day good people would come to help Sang-wol.
How Mi-ji and Ho-su work together to secure a suspended indictment for Sang-wol and uncover the truth behind Rosa’s scholarship donations.
Korean tiger symbolism, lucky dreams, and why Mi-ji’s dream about fighting a tiger mattered so much.
Mi-rae’s determination to continue her sexual harassment complaint and pursue evidence of corruption despite enormous pressure.
Han Se-jin’s surprise proposal that Mi-rae join him in the United States and what it reveals about their relationship.
Ok-hui’s painful relationship with her mother, Bun-hong’s wisdom, and the memorable line: “You have to be loved to know how to love.”
Ho-su’s sudden hearing loss, why he walks away from Mi-ji at the end of the episode, and what this could mean for their future.
The meaning of the episode title “Reading You,” plus filming locations from this show.
Upcoming special episodes, including a K Drama 101 and review of the the Oscar-winning film Parasite.
References
K Drama Chat is a weekly podcast where we take one Korean (K) Drama each season and and recap and analyze each episode. K Drama Chat is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, and Pandora.
This was one of my favourite episodes. Certainly the most memorable.
ReplyDeleteWhile the backstory of Kim Rosa wasn’t that surprising in its general vibes, it was still very touching and heartbreaking.
I remember one of the biggest debates at the time of its airing whether the two were friends, or romantically involved, but because it was a K-drama didn’t go the full distance.
Personally, while I acknowledge that K-drama is still conservative in that regard (and I myself criticised them for not going the full distance in another series, but I won’t say which to avoid spoilers), on this occasion I am in the friendship camp.
I think Western viewers, or those who grew up watching mainly recent Western shows, have tendency to devalue friendships in favour of romance. Romantic relationships are seen as top of the pyramid. Even strong friendships between men started to be known as “bromance”. The implication here is that it is as good as romance.
I am most likely in minority, but I think genuine friendship (not the casual use of the word. I once read that friend is the most abused word in the English language lol) is actually equal to romance, maybe even a tad higher.
We are programmed to seek romance. It is required to the survival of the species. But, genuine friendship is a choice without the influence of biological needs.
It is not uncommon that people sacrifice a lot for friends. I think it is more about the person than the relationship they are in. Some people are more giving than others.
I am like Joanna thought that Sejin would offer to stay if Mi-Rae joined him in the farm, and was plesently surprised they went into a more realistic route.
I don’t use paper job adverts, but I still don’t have a Linkedin (or facebook) account despite everyone around me telling me I should create one. My answer is always the same. So far I managed to find jobs without it. Also, I really dislike the idea of linking everybody I know in one place.
I don’t want all my friends/acquaintances/work colleagues to know each other
Currently not watching any Kdrama. After 3 consecutive ones, I am taking a break. I am watching the last season of Hacks (American show). It is a legacy multi-seasons series. Also, it has really great friendship (but of course the audience have been “shipping” them since S1). Episodes are short. Also the World Cup has started, so I am watching that a bit, and I am VERY busy at work.
So, very little watching.
Phew! So nice to hear from you, Seven Seas and Jeff in Tampa. I was worried about you guys for a second.
DeleteI agree with Doremi that Sang Woo had more than friendship feelings for Kim Rosa, but it's likely nothing physical ever happened between them. They were great and beautiful friends who loved each other very much. I am here for it.
I am on LinkedIn in a pretty big way because of work. I'm also on Facebook but I treat them very differently and the people I connect with are pretty different, although there is of course overlap.
I just finished My Royal Nemesis, so I'm going to go back to Phantom Lawyer, which I love. I also enjoyed My Royal Nemesis very much.
Hi Seven Seas, nice to hear from you. I think I know which kdrama you are talking about, but there are probably several which fit the bill.
ReplyDeleteI did think Sang-wol was in love with Kim Rosa, but wasn't sure if it was (romantically) reciprocated. I thought the previous storyline about Gyeogeong was a kind of foreshadowing, and so that Miji and Hosu were clearly defined as people who would understand Sang-wol's deep love for Rosa.
I agree that friendship bonds can be very powerful. It has been interesting to me to note which of my friendships have stood the test of time, geography and circumstance. I don't devalue the ones that have waned, though, and still think fondly of those people.
Ha, Linkedin. I only joined recently after a career transition, but it's been nice to reconnect with people from my former working/studying lives. Many roles I've been offered have emerged from personal connection with people who reached out to me.
Remember propinquity? Some friends are friends because they are close geographically, like the people in your dorm or street. Once you move away, the friendships wane, but we don't harbor bad feelings.
DeleteAnd then of course, some friendships stand the test of time, like my friendship with Ernabel and Sung Hee.
Seven Seas, I agree about the Kim Rosa friendship -- their connection and commitment as lifelong friends was certainly the most powerful part of their relationship. Whether one or both was/were "in love" with the other seems almost beside the point.
ReplyDeleteAnd don't get me started on "bromance!" A thoroughly useless word. When I first heard it used and saw it popping up in popular culture I asked "so it's romantic feelings between male friends?"
"No, no, of course not! It just means they're very close friends, not romantic."
"So...friendship?"
"No, it's BROMANCE! It rhymes with romance, but it's not that."
"So...close friends? Friendship?"
"Exactly!"
Oy vey. I think it's just a fun-sounding word that people enjoy saying, but the lack of specificity and ultimate meaninglessness of the term drives me batty.
I loved this episode (and this series). Once again the scenes with the mothers floor me. And I l liked what Joanna mentioned about characters "retreating into themselves." We see it over and over again. The fear of connecting.
There are so many scenes where the conflict and tension is related to characters unable or refusing to share and communicate with each other. Every time a phone rings and they stare at the screen for a few minutes I'm now shouting "just pick up the d*#n phone! Sheesh!"
Or I think it was a few episodes ago, the twins are FINALLY having a phone call and one says something to the effect "we are so STUPID! Why didn't we just talk to each other about all this?" and I'm like "YES! Seriously -- why didn't you just TALK to each other???"
Jeff, love all of your comments! I think perhaps bromance was created because a lot of people are uncomfortable with the idea that two men can have a true and real friendship between them, so we have to call it something different. I'm glad my husband has some really good male friends. I like to say he has playdates with them on a regular basis. They climb, they work on computer projects, they fix things together.
DeleteAs for Our Unwritten Seoul, yes, the moms are the best! Wow, talk about great acting!
It's late, but thank goodness the sisters are talking to each other again!
What I loved about this episode is that Mi Ji and Mi Rae are finding their courage to be their best selves. Growing up with such a fierce mother benefits them in that way; they know how to stand up for themselves.
ReplyDeleteIt never occurred to me that two girls growing up in an orphanage together were romantic, more like sisters and the only family that either one had. If that element was there, I didn’t see it. I’m with Seven Seas and Jeff, that people try overly hard to read more into a true friendship.
And I love Mi Ji being hustling to get all those petition signatures to help her cause. Thank goodness our world has people like that!
Hi Ellen, it's my day off (hurrah!) so I went back to Ep.10 to find the scene which (to me) implied that adult Sangwol had fallen in love with Rosa. It starts around 44:40.
DeleteThe English translation includes the words 'What felt natural to us seemed flawed to the rest of the world' [worried expression as young Sangwol notices developing relationship between Rosa and future husband] 'I was the one who was flawed. To me Rosa was...' [dreamlike expression and long silence as the camera pans to Miji, who makes a silent 'Oh', and Hosu with his big eyes full of compassion].
So I don't think it's about reading something into it that isn't there, it's about the script/actors/director deliberately allowing for this to be at least one possible interpretation.
It *could* be that Sangwol's 'flaw' is being illiterate and that 'to her, Rosa was...' her dearest, deepest friend and saviour. But it's not going out on a limb to fill in those blanks with romantic love on Sangwol's part, which would also have been seen as a 'flaw' to the rest of the world.
Miji's little look of realisation sealed the deal for me.
On another track, I love that Rosa describes their relationship to the photographer as 'twins'. Sangwol and Rosa are as different as Mirae and Miji, but with a bond that is at least as [or more] special as sharing genes. Oh, for more plotting/writing like this in dramas!
Finale podcast, here we come. :)
Doremi, thank you for this. I felt it as well in episode 11 that there *could* be something romantic between Sang Woo and Rosa. I don't think it's a stretch at all. Now, it's possible that Sang Woo felt something more than deep friendship for Rosa, but Rosa did not feel the same way; we shall never know.
DeleteI totally agree with you about the writing in this show. It is absolutely moving and gorgeous!
Oh boy, the legal ethics of representing the powerful over the powerless….. I could speak to this for hours. But let me just say that this is more a societal issue than an issue with the legal profession. In other words, I don’t think it should fall on the choices of individual attorneys or the legal profession in general to be wholly responsible for what ensuring equal representation.
ReplyDeleteAs for Rosss and Sang-wol’s relationship, I think the writers did a pretty good job of presenting it as ambiguous. My take is that it was not a traditional romantic relationship, but maybe as close as possible. It certainly an unusual relationship given conservative Korean society at the time. Both women would have been expected to be married to a man at that time. I think they formed a real family with love for each other. Whether that is a romance…..
As for WMW:
I’m watching Doctor on the Edge or Netflix. It’s sort of Hometown Cha Cha Cha with a doctor who is serving his military service on a remote island as a public health doctor. Great acting, pacing, and a great second couple.
Gold land on Disney/Hulu. I needed more Park Bo-young! She stars in this thriller where her boyfriend steals 100 gold bars from the mob. Not the type of k drama I watch, but pretty compelling.
It's funny, this word 'romance'. I don't think of Sangwol and Rosa's relationship as a 'romance', even though I think Sangwol was in love with Rosa. Interesting.
Delete