jd50
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Posts posted by jd50
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1 hour ago, Ondine said:
I've seen it mentioned several times here, about KJW being a "method actor." Is this something he said so himself fairly recently? Does anyone have a link to such an interview? Google isn't turning anything up.
I don't think KJW has literally said he is a method actor, but he does put a lot of work and research into becoming his character. He spoke about working at a transgender bar to prepare for Hedwig and going to gay bars for his role in Antique Bakery when he was on Life Bar with Jo Jung Suk:
So while he may not method act in the completely technical sense (otherwise Mo Tae Gu would be very problematic!), he does seem to try and fully embody his characters. A few blogs here and there do refer to this, but they are not expert sources on acting techniques. In any event, I can imagine that being Ryan for three months and falling in love with Deok Mi may very well require a shedding of the character in order to return to real life.
My two cents because none of us can truly know what he or PMY is experiencing.
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5 minutes ago, Aziraphale said:
Also, does Shi-an moonlight as a psychic?
I'm slightly unclear what Shi-an exactly knows. When Shi-an finds his Mom weeping and breaking down in the hallway, he looks like he knows why. But when he talks to Ryan, he seems like he didn't know but had an intuition. The whole show I've thought that Shi-an is either on to everyone's game or the acting was off.
19 minutes ago, Shine Son said:One more thing to be revealed, at least to Shi An, is that Sung curator is actually "Shi An is My Life".
I'm actually looking forward to Ryan trolling Deok Mi in front of Shi-an with the whole "Shi-an's thighs are her welfare" and preferably in the Elevator of Fate!
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15 minutes ago, Gin Nietschze said:
How was LGBTQ even relevant in the drama? please enlighten us because the drama did not even touch on this.
I was referring to the way Ryan, while misunderstanding Deok Mi and Seon Joo's relationship, treated it with respect (not judging them, giving them his room). Also, in Episode 5 there was the story of Writer Nam and Photographer Tae-Hwa. Episode 5 still stands out to me as one of the best episodes of the series by treating the love between the writer and photographer with delicacy and respect.
Thank you to @tensaitekikuroneko and @TheRoadtoPMY for also answering this question.
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Hello! Delurking to join this lovely thread. I appreciate all of your insights and humor .... nothing like a bed scene debate!
I found Ryan's discovery of his mother well executed, even if it changed the pace and tone of the drama. I was anticipating it because LGBTQ issues were nicely woven into the drama earlier and like @Dramageek, I've done some reading on adoptions in Korea. KJW did a fantastic job acting out the emotions of an adult finding a parent they thought abandoned them. It was natural to me that he didn't take her at her word right away. I also love that Deok Mi was there to help him sort through his thoughts and look at things more positively.
But something is bothering me and the drama probably won't address it because it looks like Ryan is past his mother trauma: Did Ryan's mom keep looking for him? Deok Mi did not find his name in the missing persons index. I understand she tried to find him after recovering from her accident, but what about in all the intervening years? This thought makes me a little bitter still towards Ryan's mom.
How lovely was KJW's voice when he said, "Sarang haeyo"? He has this way of lowering the volume and pitch of his voice to delicious effect. And yes, yes, I also hope that Episode 15 winds back to before our OTP is lying in bed fully clothed. We were teased a fair bit and I get the feeling KJW knows his way around!
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59 minutes ago, jadecloud said:
One thing I dislike though, is how they would 'lick off' each other's food remnants from either the mouth or near of it. BS did that to HK and she returned the favor, in an earlier ep when HK was YK2. Now SJ will be doing it to BS in upcoming ep. Gross...to me
I can take the kiss off the mouth of coffee froth, but food remnants? yucks How do you guys feel?
8 minutes ago, NitaA said:SJ is coming very strong to BS. BS usually did the first move to HK I wonder if he finds it refreshing and succumb to it. And licking crumbs of his mouth is just gross. I still can't take the candy kiss from IRIS 1 from years ago....
I can't stop laughing! I didn't even notice her weird glasses because I was so grossed out by her eating off his face!
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3 hours ago, airgelaal said:
And I'm not ok with this, until SR say sorry to HK. She not only was a mistress, but she let HK die. And can't say simple "sorry" until now. So no redemption for her.
@airgelaal I would LOVE to see SR kneeling in front of HK, apologizing and begging for forgiveness, but I don't think the writer is going to give it to us. And in the time left, I'd rather not see SR. No offense to PHB, but I can't stand SR and I fast forward through her parts. You know what would make me feel almost as good? If HK would open up and tell JE that SR left her to die on the pavement.
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3 hours ago, iamtaken said:
@jd50 I think Hae Gang would stick in BS's throat since he kept insisting from episode 10 - 23 that HG was YG. It was sort of this war between him and JE where JE insisted she was HG and he insisted she was YG. BS says it in episode 25, the puzzle-board I was giving you to solve yourself was wrong, the puzzle-board CJE had put forth is right. HG herself says call me On Gi to BS so that he can claim a part of HG as hers since in BS's mind, HG was all CJE's. I think a part of JE empathizes with BS which is why JE does not yell and scream when he hears On Gi. It is also a testament to the bond between HG and JE that except for that one scene in the hotel room in epi 32 - even in that scene JE is dying of jealousy but still says to HG that I know you are staging this for my benefit. They know each other very well - JE has never suspected anything more than friendship between HG and BS. He gets mad when HG confides in BS and not in him because it makes him feel excluded from her wounds and fears. As he says in episode 48, he wants all of her. The good, the bad and the ugly.
@iamtaken I completely forgot that HK is the one that told BS to call her "On Gi", so thank you for the reminder. I do remember JE calmly saying in one scene, "So, that is what you call her?" It was my perception that JE accepted it out of guilt that HK ended up hurt and amnesiac because of him and out of gratitude that BS took care of her. JE doesn't feel he has the right to object. I agree with you that JE has never taken BS as a serious romantic threat, too. As for whether HK and JE know each other well, I think it depends. They really do in ways and they really don't in others. The death of their child, the affair, the amnesia, the family issues never broke their love bond but their tendencies or perceptions of each other almost do. JE is hot headed and does not know that HK feels more than she shows, while HK coddles JE and tries to go it alone. I also think that BS' use of "On Gi" in the last couple of episodes got under my skin because he is being used to highlight these trust issues and the way he says "On Gi" to JE has a touch of possessiveness to it, like he is closer to and knows HK better than JE. So, now that JE and HK clearly understand that he wants all of her, does HK let BS keep a part of her? I hope BS is shown not needing that anymore.
7 hours ago, jadecloud said:The past, till HK's jail time, showed us what made a couple 'miss out on each other's togetherness', how a couple will end up with 'misunderstandings and ultimately, wrong understanding of each other even if the consideration for each other were of good or loving intentions - if there was no communication, lack of communication or non-communication. In other words, a couple has to be OPEN and TRUTHFUL to/with each other.
I agree with some, these - how HK's dad died, if it was really MH's doing, and what HK did for CNP that sent her to jail, and then what JR and TS did, what prosecutor Kim and his dad driver Kim did - all should be out in the open. Even if it didn't come from HK herself. Both HK and JE are clearly at fault for the state of their relationship and its ups and downs, by not being open and truthful with each other.
@jadecloud I hope to see these issues out in the open too. I think JE can take it, it will help their relationship going forward and I just really want to know the answers to some of those questions!
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5 hours ago, lenet said:
@jd50, enjoyed reading your povs which is enlightening
It helps to explain the possible reason for the polarity between why some of us see JE more positively while others more negatively as well as HK's unceasing love for JE.
@lenet Thank you for the compliment! Early on in my viewing, I dropped in on this forum to see what others thought about IHAL and there was intense debate about the relative merits of BS and JE. I was impressed by many voices, and I remember liking your posts. I didn't know enough to join the fray or have the courage, but I admired the polite tone everyone took even when they were completely polarized.
@jadecloud I am in awe of your knowledge of IHAL, your linguistic abilities, your talent for technology, your insights, etc. Thank you for answering my queries about the writer.
So, days before the finale, I don't want to anger BS fans, but I have a question. Is there a "nails on a chalkboard" effect for other people too when BS refers to HK as "Ong Ki", particularly when he's talking to JE?
@Kfan7172 nicely laid out HK's emotional development and HK is now like her birth name, but as @lover7 pointed out, BS is sort of HK's ex-boyfriend. I wouldn't like another woman to have a name she alone calls my husband. And I wouldn't be able to call my husband another name 20+ years into our relationship. Is HK going to use "Ong Ki"or will she be Ong Ki in spirit but not name?
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@Kfan7172 So, JE's new CEO haircut didn't magically transform him in your eyes?
To give JE some credit, he is an extraordinary researcher and his new drug (that I think got FDA approval in record time!) has saved CN from doom. Also, the death of his father has forged a new maturity in JE. Actually, I think the death of MH has not been given enough credit for some of JE's blindness to HK's sufferings and her treating him with kid gloves in those episodes. The death of such a domineering father is devastating. While I was watching 45 & 46, I couldn't figure out why there was such a rush to get HK back in the big house. I understood why at the end of 46. HK had to go to prison, so instead of her letting JE grieve a bit and then approaching him, the writer had HK on his doorstep pronto. Granted, his mother has dementia, but they do have helpers and it seemed forced to me until I realized that the writer had HK bound for prison.
I agree with your curiosity about where HK's arc will take her in the end. I'm happy that HK has had such a huge emotional evolution (both her and JE have parental issues) but I would like to see her intelligence and abilities fully employed whether she is working, volunteering or caring for family.
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@Kfan7172 Your post is helping me puzzle through some of my thoughts about IHAL. Thank you also for not being repelled by my analytical tendencies. I drive my husband nuts when we watch movies at home and he constantly has to pause while I ask why something is happening.
I am also a romantic so I was drawn into IHAL because of the OTP. KHJ and JJH are amazing actors and have unusually good chemistry. They are mature and I don't like idol dramas. Honestly, I probably would have dropped IHAL after a while without them. I'm invested and I've endured because of them, but the extremes you mentioned also pull me out at times. I keep myself from throwing my hands up in total exasperation by rationalizing weird character behavior as theme based.
I noticed from your post about BS and the new lawyer that you are a man. I looked it up and the writer is a woman. Do you think she has a bit of trouble writing the male leads? JE's issues are frequently hashed here and I find BS sort of off myself. I don't know any man that would propose nearly 1,000 times to a woman who recoils when he tries to kiss her. It brings to mind the anecdote that Jane Austen wrote almost no dialogue solely between men.
I tend to dismiss BS, but I want something out of JE that the writer hasn't given me yet. I see why you call him self-centered. For me, JE isn't exactly that because he cares for others (Pudoxin victims, his mother, MIDO family) but he is perplexingly blind and incapable at times when it comes to HK's feelings. He's terrible at recognizing her distress (she does hide it) and doesn't know how to reach out to her. JE was absolutely right when he confronted her with the ring that their second marriage would fail unless she confided in him, but he's clueless about getting her to open up. He has consistently said he is "not patient", so I guess that's the problem?
As for HK, when you mentioned her crumbling when she thinks she's going to lose JE, I get what you mean. HK feels weirdly desperate in these scenes. I've explained it to myself that JE was the person that first broke through HK's walls. He persistently pursued her, supported her and loved her when she was a very solitary person. HK can't live without him as her mother says in one scene. It is more logical to me than JE's end of things. I've come to terms with the affair (death of Eunsol, HK losing her soul to the company), but the back story of JE having doggedly pursued her from the day he met her and HK being the sole, obsessive love of his life doesn't jive for me when JE is all over the place from "I'll never leave your side again" to "I can never be with you" to "I don't know you and never want to see you!"
In the end, I want to see balance between HK and JE. I'm hopeful they are moving towards that conclusion, yet slightly fearful that HK will lose some of the qualities that made her one of the best heroines I've seen. I hope she is still fierce. I don't want to see her giving JE her "best face", not that I think that's what he wants. And both of them need to stop trying to handle things alone and live life together.
@jadecloud You are right. It wasn't exactly revenge. HK was seeking justice for the Pudoxin victims and her sister and then trying to wring the truth out of MH. So, I'm not sure what the writer is saying when HK feels unsettled and maybe even regretful when the dust starts settling. I attributed it to revenge not being satisfying, but that's probably not accurate. HK sees the love SH has for MH as he is dying, so is the moral then that love is the only thing that matters in the end?
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@ihyw I like your post very much! While I prefer JJH in manly mode, I also like the caring, sensitive and good JE.
50 minutes ago, ihyw said:And--is it just me--doesn't the actor JJH have beautiful feet?
No, it's not just you. I noticed that too, but he also has an amazing profile that is striking to me when he's lying down with KHJ. Her profile is stunning, as well. Such an attractive couple. So in conclusion, we need to see them lying down!
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I'm a late comer, but as always, I enjoy everyone's thoughts in this forum.
IHAL drew me in like no other K-drama, but it isn't perfect nor are the characters. It is complex, frustrating and inspiring all at once. Along with brilliant areas of writing and acting, I have observed:
Pacing problems
Both time jumps were a relief to me. The destruction of the marriage and the revenge line went on too long. Both could have been handled in fewer episodes and as much as I enjoy IHAL, it probably could have been a 40 episode drama and felt considerably crisper. My personal opinion is that the character of JE is also the hardest to bear in these two time periods. In the first nine episodes, I identified with HK as a female. With little background on their love story, JE was a weak jerk. During the revenge plot, JE was neutered by his father's past actions and understanding HK's desire for revenge. While he did counter MTS, deal with the MIDO family, and catch the henchman, he spent a lot of time sobbing.
Exposition of themes=frustrating character behavior
I won't try to list every theme or moral the writer is trying to convey, but they drive her/his writing. Learning these lessons through the life of HK has meant that no one in the show is perfect and nearly everyone is going to get a chance at redeeming themselves. It has also resulted in head scratching or annoying character behavior to get the writer's points across.
You love who you love. I have always supported the OTP, but I recognize that JE was cowardly, put his head in the sand and can be stupidly hot-headed at times. He is not the perfect hero you might find in a shorter, simpler drama. HK was an overly ambitious cold-blooded lawyer that could not say she loved her husband nor grieve for her child openly. BS served the purpose of both humanizing HK and demonstrating you can't choose whom you love. He is a very good person, but all the forcing in the world wasn't going to make HK choose him as her lover. I would argue that BS is overdone as a character to get this point across.
Love alone is not enough. Over and over, we see that HK and JE truly love one another, but they can't reunite. A lot of it is due to the amnesia, cheating, and family issues, but near the end, with those problems resolved or starting to resolve, they still cannot be together until they learn to communicate and trust one another. Unfortunately, that meant that JE acted more angry and petulant than a normal human, HK treated JE like a baby, and BS hung on to HK until nearly the end of the show to reinforce the couple's trust issues.
Revenge will not bring about happiness. HK understandably wants revenge once she gets her memories back and finds out that MH may have killed her father. As I mentioned before, this goes on a really long time. Revenge consumes HK and she first pretends to not remember the last four years, then decides she still can't be with JE, etc. This results in HK acting like an ice princess, then a woman who wants a one night stand with JE, then she's cooking one last supper for JE and then she realizes too late that revenge isn't what it's cracked up to be. After a while, I found HK fantastically frustrating and I wanted to knock some sense into her stubborn head.
You must act to redeem yourself. For HK to be redeemed for her sins, the writer seemed to need HK to go to jail. HK is washed clean when she comes out. Obviously, the writer also used the jail sentence to create another obstacle to HK and JE's reunion. I didn't need HK to go to jail, but the writer did and JE got to act like an angry block head to make it romantically interesting.
There are other morals and examples that can be found in IHAL, but I can't think of them all and this post is long enough! I would also like to add that while I find KHJ's acting brilliant, JJH is most compelling to me when his character is "manly". Shallow of me to be sure, but JE is best when he is strategic at CN or jealous and/or in pursuit of HK.
So all in all, IHAL isn't perfect, but it's given me so much entertainment and enjoyment that I'll be really sad when it ends next weekend.
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On 2/22/2016 at 1:40 PM, mdj101 said:
Monday --- February 22, 2016 --- Afternoon.
@jd50 --- That 3rd mole
I had completely forgotten that! Thank you for the reminder. Such a cute idea!
@mdj101 I hope it was clear I was joking! I'm not sure how a 3rd mole "reveal" could be done tastefully
, but this writer is very clever and likes past references. Never before while watching anything has a mole check seemed so desperately important to me and all those comments on Viki about HK needing to check herself in the mirror! So, I always mused about JE and that last mole! I also found that I don't seem to have a problem with SR being "rehabilitated." JE spoke to JR about seeking redemption through acting as a better person. I guess turning over her recording of MTS was SR's good act. Part of me wants more, but the rest of me is fine with SR not having too much screen time as IHAL ends.
@jadecloud I am honored to have gotten it right about HK being the true main character. The poster for the show is telling: BS and SR in the background, JE holding HK with his eyes closed and HK looking straight ahead.
I too, detected sadness in BS when HK mentioned discussing matters with JE as her husband. Can he move on already? Thanks for the analysis of that situation, @Kfan7172.
I'm onboard with little Hana falling asleep on her own. Plus, I hope there's time for a wedding!
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12 hours ago, myonenonly said:
I hope to see good visuals of their love making. (I mean a decent one) It would be a bonus if we see hugging & kissing the morning after.
please give us a beautiful ending!
I'm hoping for something sweet and passionate, but now that @juntan mentions it, HK does have a promise to keep, so I'm worried it will be delayed again. It's not like I'm asking for confirmation of HK's third mole, I just want some tender moments.
This is a k-drama after all. It was the scene where I learned the word "byuntae"!
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Thank you for the translations and information, @jadecloud @chubbychub1966 @gerrytan8063
What salty and humorous dialogue at the Chinese restaurant! @berny I agree that JE was a bit much and rather petulant in the last couple of episodes, but it's not the first time I've felt his character, in particular, to be sort of illogical or all over the place. I have not watched a huge number of k-dramas, but I've wondered if his character "inconsistencies" are a result of IHAL really being HK's story? His relationship with her is certainly a large part of IHAL, but JE is in essence a vehicle for HK's development. If he had visited her or wrote her letters, it certainly would have been more realistic and mature, but having them meet for the first time in a restaurant by surprise, with her wearing the short cheongsam that drove him nuts, was a much more dramatic bit of storytelling.
I love Hyun Woo. Why is the character with the most wisdom about love all alone?
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@ihyw @jadecloud @mdj101 (I figured out how to tag people!)--thank you for your thoughts on HK's declaration at the end. After watching it again (and again), I do think she is reassuring him after having heard his drunken declarations the day before. And there is the element of soothing him and placating him after their dangerous escape. To clarify, I didn't think she was submissive in that moment, but I wasn't sure I agreed with what she was promising to do in the future as his wife.
I also agree that JE would not want her to be submissive. He did say to her a few episodes back that he wanted her to continue being a lawyer with BS because she was so good at it. I also agree that HK is not a submissive person. It's good to hear from @jadecloud that she plans to communicate with JE and is only on suspension. My hope is that there is some demonstration in the couple hours we have left of this new realization that she needs to confide in JE and not BS, or to not go it alone. It took her a very long time to get there and for a drama that was so richly drawn or "realistic" in ways, it would be a shame for HK and JE not to demonstrate a new level of communication and trust. It is as vexing to me as some of the loose ends!
In any event, I'm looking forwards to Episode 49. Give me the decisive JE any day (he certainly communicated well in that last moment)! Loads better than the crying phase.
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Before IHAL, I was an occasional k-drama viewer. The acting of KJH and JJH, the interesting script and the visuals drew me into my first live viewing and my first drama over 20 episodes! Thanks to the insights, translations and previews, etc. of this forum, I remain moderately sane as we near the end. I also enjoy the civility of your discourse. So, thank you for all of your posts. I barely can figure out this comment system, so I will not tag the many posters I admire!
My first foray at a real comment is to wonder at what HK said at the end of Episode 48.
4 hours ago, tambui said:HK said I'll give my all to you. Before this, she said she won't make him headache anymore, will do as he wishes, and will hold his hand.
She cannot be completely serious, can she? I'm hoping there is something more nuanced about this declaration to JE. The first thing she does when she comes out of jail is go undercover for justice and she is now promising JE to not be troublesome and to be a submissive partner? I realize HK has undergone an emotional evolution and she is also placating JE post dangerous escapade. But I really hope we don't have a conclusion with her all smiles and "yes, yeobo" and JE going to run the company. And is that even what JE's truly angry about? JE is angry that she has not had enough faith in him to share her burdens. That's what I hope to see from her in the next two episodes and had thought we would see 10 episodes back when the revenge scheme/struggle for CN Pharma was going on. One of my frustrations throughout the series was HK's view of JE as being fragile or somehow incapable of savvy or strategy.
I don't have an exhaustive memory of the drama, but how many times has JE saved HK in one way or another? I'm pretty sure I missed a few!
- HK's suicide attempt
- Siren escapade
- Beating by mother of Pudoxin victim at the hospital
- MTS elevator scene right after urn reveal
- Mido CEO in parking lot
- Parking lot knife attack from MTS' henchman
- Prosecutor's list (and probably another deal JE made with MTS that I can't remember resulting from hacking info)
- Chinese restaurant
While I want a lot of happy scenes (with a baby!), I also really hope we see the OTP improve their trust and communication issues. As someone said, they really could have used couples therapy!
Edit: How could I forget the Jesus ICU moment! He really saved her there. lol
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This drama has exhausted my love! Even so, I try to withhold judgment without subtitles. It seems JE did not forget about HK at all. The secretary handed JE speeding tickets that he got driving near HK's prison.
Google translate seems to indicate that at least:
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I'm slightly unclear what Shi-an exactly knows. When Shi-an finds his Mom weeping and breaking down in the hallway, he looks like he knows why. But when he talks to Ryan, he seems like he didn't know but had an intuition. The whole show I've thought that Shi-an is either on to everyone's game or the acting was off.
I can take the kiss off the mouth of coffee froth, but food remnants? yucks
How do you guys feel?
I had completely forgotten that! Thank you for the reminder. Such a cute idea!
[Drama 2019] Her Private Life 그녀의 사생활
in k-dramas & movies
Posted
I enjoyed reading this thorough and thought-provoking take on HPL, the themes explored or not, the handling of Ryan's adoption/childhood trauma. etc. Plus, tribute to the art that is KJW!
https://usagitoneko.wordpress.com/2019/06/15/her-private-life/#more-2536