[[Drama 2014/2015] Healer 힐러]

Watching Healer Ep. 17 with subs and...  at 23:10 and following when Secretary of Death is speaking with Evil Elder... is that a picture of MOTHER THERESA in the background at Evil Elder's house?  Now THAT'S what I call a contradiction...  >-)

[[Drama 2014/2015] Healer 힐러]

@ceecile - "I think you misunderstood me. I didn't mean why someone killed him in the drama. I meant storywise I understand why the writer chose to kill him off, that it wasn't just for shock value."

Oh, sorry, I did misunderstand.  I thought you had some insight into who ordered the hit and why.  I don't know if I understand why the writer chose to kill Teacher off.  I can't see MS ordering this hit even after Teacher said he would protect the "cubs".  Evil Elder did this and I've said it over and again in this thread, he has lots of hands and deep pockets in that police department and I, for one, am becoming frustrated with these baddies who make the Seoul police look like Keystone Cops.  But I don't understand why EE ordered the hit.  Secretary of Death knows Jung Ho is Healer because he saw his face in that garage, so why kill Teacher?  For myself, I assumed Teacher had never really left Jung Ho and was hanging around watching and waiting for this day.  I also assumed he would eventually claim to be Healer to give Jung Ho the opportunity to start his life over and his parting message in the interrogation video confirms this.  I wonder who was the woman he loved... Detective Jo, perhaps? 

Have a nice week!

[[Drama 2014/2015] Healer 힐러]

@ceecile - "Nah Teacher is dead. And yes it's really sad (though I didn't quite feel it until I saw JH's break down) but after watching episode 14 I completely understand why he was killed off..."

Good Morning, friend.  Then will you share?  I only watched eps. 13 and 14 raw so I have no idea what was said.  I know, based on something I read in this thread, that once he realizes he's been poisoned, Teacher begins to spill the beans about Moon Shik but I think he would have kept quiet about everything as long as he was in police custody to try to protect Jung Ho so killing him seems unnecessary.  What I took from Teacher's death was remembering back to that scene in the junkyard where Jung Ho's Dad (I think) tells Moon Shik, who is sitting net to MH watching YS's Dad, that he needs to tell her how he feels about her or "it will destroy us all..."  Well, I guess he didn't have the courage to speak up and, in the end, MS's obsession for MH and his subsequent bedding with Evil Elder is killing them all and, I think, in the end will also have us mourning for Moon Ho since once he goes after his brother he will be getting too close for Evil Elder's comfort. 

Just another thought that perhaps someone else in the thread came up with (you guys are moving way too fast for me to keep up), in Ep. 14 when MH tries to stop JH from going to confront MS, I'm not sure what was said but I had the definite impression that MH is trying to teach JH that "the pen is mightier than the sword" for lack of a better way to put it...  JH is all about brawn, about using his fists...  MH is all about revealing the truth and putting it out there for public scrutiny.  I think he wants to show JH that there is another way to fight, a better way to fight the bad guys.  Just a thought...

[[Drama 2014/2015] Healer 힐러]

@akumi99 - "I swear by all that is Holy that if the ending is a City Hunter ending, I'll start a riot and ban all action romcoms from my list, at least until it's finished airing and I can peak at the ending. I don't know if I can handle it...they could both just go to that island Healer is going to buy and live off the land and make adorable babies..."

Amen, my friend, amen!  Stellar posts today.  I was waiting for someone to comment on the memory thing... not surprised its you.  Perhaps JH's desire for that private island two hours from the coast of Panama is a subconscious desire to return to the "Secret Secret Island" where he was with JA...  And perhaps JA's desire to be a hard-hitting investigative reporter like Arianna Fallacci and Moon Ho is a subconscious desire to emulate her parents.  Just want you to think about the following...  I don't think Moon Ho has the lack of moral fortitude to be his brother.  When he makes that comment in Ep. 12 about learning everything from MS, I think he's speaking from frustration, anger and guilt.  The worst thing he has done is tell Korean Detective Clouseau that Healer would be hanging around YS and he did that to protect her.  Revealing JA's and JH's true identity is probably the best way to protect them.  For some reason Evil Elder's Empire wants these kids quietly gone and that's why Moon Ho has to bring them back.  I may be wrong but I think when all comes to light, JA and JH will be the true owners of Jaeil News.  I think Moon Ho wanted to tell MH about YS first and for some reason she's unable to handle this truth and this I think is a flaw in the character--what mother would prefer that her daughter be dead than to wonder how she has lived without her mother all these years... no mother thinks that way.  This woman (MH) is so courageous and loving in so many ways--her reception of JH really touched me--but when it comes to the possibility of her own daughter being alive, she's like a bowl full of jelly.  Doesn't ring true.  But before MH causes yet more upheaval and trauma in YS's and MH's lives, he needs to make sure they can physically, emotionally and psychologically handle the truth... and this may be what he is doing, causing them to take the steps to unravel the mystery and find the truth slowly themselves rather than to just tell it to them straight out and cause perhaps yet more trauma in their lives...

Great posts today, though.

[[Drama 2014/2015] Healer 힐러]

@akumi99 - Your analysis makes sense.  This is what I've been thinking... and that's why I love this drama... makes you think and then comes up with a scenario you haven't yet thought of...

Moon Ho says he feels guilty to MH.  We know he used to babysit the kids.  For a while I've thought he was in charge of YS when something happened and she ended up missing and then reported as dead.  But I thought I also read somewhere about a car accident and--why was Moon Shik bloodied and why would Evil Elder offer the best medical care for MH.  Obviously he knew she was his soft spot so he must have done his homework.  Evil Elder had to have been behind it and this is what I've been thinking of recently... Why.  Why these reporters and why kill them off?  And why is Moon Shik keeping MH on a short leash.  How about, the original publication Healer became the basis for Jaeil News, or whatever Moon Shik is in charge of today.  Like maybe Evil Elder needed some way to manipulate the press on his rise to the top of the dung heap so he tried to kill off the three "owners" of that original gorilla news organization in an effort to take it over and so only MH remains alive of the original owners and, of course, JH and YS if they are found which is why the baddies don't want them found... at least not alive.  And how about all the corrupted cops on Evil Elder's payroll... There were more cops surrounding JH and putting him in an interrogation room than I've seen in the whole drama and the security clearance thing for his father's file--that takes clout.

I thought MH covered well, pretending that JH wasn't the person she saw that night since she knew Moon Shik brought him there to confirm his identity.  His mother's words must have got through to her but, boy, I wouldn't want to play poker with her... that lady has some poker face...

[[Drama 2014/2015] Healer 힐러]

@akumi99 - "I do really think Moon Shik could be that evil. In the flashbacks he always resented Ji An...  She was the daughter of the man who had what he wanted, Myung Hee... (Ji Ahn) would be a reminder of her dead husband... At no point has he truly shown he's cared for another life other than Myung Hee's and occasionally his brother. I honestly think his own brother is expendable in his mind... I do think he's too far gone to be brought back."

I think you're spot on, my insightful friend, and this is why Moon Shik will lose everything (and everyone) in the end...  Regarding your response to @valsava, I could be wrong but my understanding of the drama so far is that there was a car accident and as a result of that MH was paralyzed, YS was reported to her as dead and MS was injured and the promise of the best medical treatment for MH is what Evil Elder used to lure him to the dark side...  so it seems, to my mind, that Evil Elder must have been behind the accident, the murder of MH's husband and the framing/murder of JH's father.  But I agree, it looks like MS abandons YS at that rest stop when he finds her missing from the car.  He did that all himself...

@sheza - "She may have to go through the angst of hating Jung Hoo because she thought Jung Ho's dad killed her father as probably reported in the old newspaper as she tries to find out more."

I agree.  Seems Ahjumma is about to reveal Healer's identity to YS/JA and I'm with the people who think original Healer is about to confront the bad guys.  That detective is just worthless.  He sat in his car watching the bad guys assemble, perhaps watching JH's mother be kidnapped and did what... tried to catch Ahjumma?  What about confronting the bad guys or just calling 911 for backup.  Talk about having your priorities messed up.  I knew there had to be a reason Teacher came back and I figured it would be to eventually take the rap for JH but that Yo-Yo guy and Sleazy Secretary saw JH's face.  Hoping YS/JA finds JH before he bleeds to death, though. 

Too much to catch up on...  You guys are moving too fast...

[[Drama 2014/2015] Healer 힐러]

@rrmski - "One more thing, that defective scares me. Even more than Elder and MS. His gaze and the way he likes to snoop around gives me a bad feeling."

I'm with you, Chingu...  Ahjumma is great and that Detective gives me the creeps...  If I understood Ep. 11 raw, BS/JH/Healer gets into police archives and tries to dig up his father's cold case file and... its empty, which means... someone on the police force is in Evil Elder's pocket.

@valsava - Regarding the hand-holding, my question is, as curious as YS is, I don't know HOW she managed to resist the urge to look...  Seems BS/JH/Healer was prepared, he took pains with his grooming the way one does before going on a date, so, I'm not sure if he was glad or sad when she didn't search him out but... what a gentleman... an escort home and everything.  Where do I find these guys, again?  )

[[Drama 2014/2015] Healer 힐러]

Now watching Ep. 11 raw and... boy I didn't see that coming... Healer revealing himself to Moon Ho... but I have to confess to absolutely loving how the relationship between them is budding and the fact that they now have each other--and YS--to hold on to...  they are no longer alone...  Also love how YS seems to be getting jealous of all the time the boys spend together... but from the clips for Ep. 12, it looks like shortly YS will know everything...

[[Drama 2014/2015] Healer 힐러]

juzluvpink said:

Moon Ho wants to make use of Healer and Healer agrees. So my take is that Moon Ho wants to use Healer to hook onto Elder and Healer will take this opportunity to dig up dirt on Elder and also KMS. But if Moon Ho does not know that SJH is the son, how will Moon Ho be able to trust Healer?

Good morning, Friend...

Did this happen somewhere in the drama or is this what you think will happen in the future?  For my part, while there may be speculation on Moon Ho and Young Shin's part, I think the person who will figure out that Healer is Seo Jung Hoo will be Moon Sik and Moon Ho finds out indirectly either from his sister-in-law or because/after/when that Slimy Secretary goes after him.  That detective, once he checks his e-mail, will also figure it out.  The question is, who figures it out definitively first.  I also think the phone thing can be easily explained away.  YS told BS that she lost the phone on the roof of that building.  All BS has to do is say he went to find it for her and since he has already declared his feelings for her, it will make complete sense (at least to me) that the guy who is trying to win her affections will go in search of something that has so much sentimental value for her.  I don't think the phone will be the key to revealing Healer's identity.  I think it will be YS's mother/Moon Sik since she has seen his face and since Moon Sik is already suspicious.  Evil Elder has said elsewhere that Moon Ho has been after him/on his heels for a long time but just hasn't uncovered his identity which is why that guy was thrown off the train--he apparently had video footage showing Evil Elder taken in LA doing something evil and Moon Ho was trying to get that tape.  Ultimately, this drama is about Moon Ho trying to uncover the identity of Evil Elder and take him down and I think this is all related to that group of five... that Moon Ho believes Evil Elder corrupted his brother and is responsible for the dismemberment of that group and the death, pain and misery that followed and his own being "stuck in time" unable to move on because the truth has not yet been revealed.

In the end, Healer is going to have to be a group effort.  Its going to take our three heros, the staff at Some Day news, Ahjumma, Teacher and probably the girl-Healer-wannabe and the former gangsters at Dad's coffee shop to take down Evil Elder's Empire.  That's my guess, anyway.

@maddymappo - Good Morning MaddyMappo...  Regarding Teacher's travels... you know, I'm thinking Teacher said he went to the South Pacific but in fact we don't really know that is the case.  He could just as easily have been hanging around Seoul watching out for Jung Hoo behind the scenes.  Also, you know, boys become men when they go on that quest alone and slay the dragon.  Since Teacher couldn't very well kick Jung Hoo out, he left so Jung Hoo would have to figure it out and become the man he is today and I think he did the right thing.  Take it from me... my parents didn't push my nephews out when they should have and now I'm stuck with two almost-30-year old guys who have no qualms about staying in bed until Noon so I'm thinking of doing a Teacher--leaving to force them to do the right thing and for my own sanity.

Everyone - Have a great weekend in anticipation of Healer Ep. 11....

[[Drama 2014/2015] Healer 힐러]

@azzurri - Great character analysis.  My interest is first and foremost the story.  I'm not so familiar with the actors.  But I agree with your assessment here.  That Ahjumma is a trip, a very versatile actress.  You usually see these "colorful" characters played by men but in this drama, perhaps because its written by a woman, the colorful character is a woman...  And you can see a difference between the Moon Ho character and the Jung Hoo character... one eudes maturity, confidence, intelligence and a calm courage, the other youthfulness, not so sure of himself, intelligent and athletic and full of bravado.  If anything, what stands out to me is how athletic the Jung Hoo actor is.  It looks like he does his own stunts so he must be part gymnast, part long-distance runner and part martial arts epert.  All I want to add is that its really a shame that Hollywood actors make way too much money for looking good while reading lines that others write for them while these actors earn far less the hard way.  My opinion.

@sia3 - Wonderful!  That's it.  I, myself, wondered whether Min Joo could mean something other than a person's name but because I've heard it as a name I thought maybe it was some personification of something but what you're saying makes sense, so they were calling out for "democratization of the press" so it could do what the free press is supposed to do, shed light and raise awareness of government's and society's failings.  Thank you.

[[Drama 2014/2015] Healer 힐러]

@carmens - "why in  a drama that has the title Healer, there is a character named Healer, which is present from the very beginning of  broadcasting, in fact the story is not about the Healer but about the mission of the press and the journalist, to be the healer of community?"

Greetings - For what its worth, here's what I think.  I wondered the same thing you did until I read Dramabeans' review of Ep. 10 in which they translate the subtitle of the "Healer" publication Bong Soo finds in Min Ho's apartment but which wasn't translated in the subbed episode I watched.  According to DB, the subtitle of the magazine reads "the media eists to diagnose and heal this society's pains" so the initial Healer is a metaphor for the media, but a free, unbiased and courageous media unencumbered by the influence of money and power.  In Ep. 1, the group was broadcasting and publishing illegally because, apparently at that time, the media in Korea was not free but a government mouthpiece, they make reference to more than 2,000 journalists, copywriters and editors being fired by the current President. They were calling for "that kid (Min Joo)" who right now I'm thinking is a personification of some courageous person who would bring about freedom of the press or a call for more aspiring journalists to join their mission.  When they are at the table and Moon Ho takes their picture, they call for Min Joo and then they say that they are all Min Joo.  That group seems to have been a youthful, completely idealistic group of friends and aspiring journalists and I'm guessing what we haven't seen yet is what happens to break them apart. 

Whatever it is that breaks the group apart results in Teacher going to prison, JH's and YS's fathers dying, YS becoming an orphan, JH becoming fatherless, then motherless, then also an orphan and YS's mother ending up in that wheelchair and dependent on Moon Shik.  Its worth noting that in that initial group, Moon Shik isn't a journalist, he's driving the truck.  Each of the journalists in the group ends up dead or close to death. 

What we're seeing in present day isn't what Healer was but what Healer became when it went underground and I talked about this at length above.  If the goal of that early group of journalists was to "epose and heal society's pains" then the person doing that in present day is Moon Ho.  So Teacher and Detective Jo seemed to have kept the codename Healer (and so I don't understand why this didn't ring a bell with Moon Shik, but I digress) and over time the role of Healer became different.  Again, there is a lot of information missing so we can't tell why Healer transformed from a champion for truth to someone who "acquires" information without regard for ethics (JH is very clear about this point when describing who he is and what he does) for the right fee.  So there is a lot of corruption and co-opting that has gone on here and I'm guessing the rest of the drama will be about eposing what happened and healing that and everyone involved in the process. 

In Ep. 1 Moon Ho talks about being stuck in the past.  In Ep. 10 Teacher tells JH that there was a sith member of the group, everyone's little brother and Ji Ahn's oppa.  Because of this, I think the dismemberment of the group had a significant impact on Moon Ho.  So significant that all the unrealized dreams of those three in the back of the truck are being realized in the little brother.  Look at it this way, I read somewhere that this drama is supposed to span three generations.  In the present day, Moon Ho is the three journalists in the back of the truck and Jung Hoo is the guy on the bike and Young Shin appears to be the person Moon Ho is grooming to be the net generation journalist.

I'm finding Healer to be an incredibly smart and well-thought-out story even apart from the eye candy.

@namyo - "what I'm afraid is that one of our leads might get hurt..."

I'm afraid you're right.  First and foremost this is a hero epic with a really upright and idealistic hero trying to take down an incredibly evil, powerfully entrenched bad guy and avenge his hyungs.  And the hero usually ends up dying in those stories, or I should say, ends up sacrificing himself, to take down the bad guy.

@maddymappo - "The screen writer  Song Ji-Na has her roots in journalism.  This is such a great drama. So many layers!"

Happy New Year, my friend...  See the above.  "Healer" was the title of the underground publication that Jung Hoo finds in Moon Ho's apartment.  The subtitle of that publication said, according to Dramabeans, "the media eists to epose and heal society's pain".  So the initial Healer is the media that eposes and heals... Today, for the first time since I started watching dramas, I actually looked up the writer's bio because I was so impressed with Ep. 10.  I do have to say, however, that unfortunately a lot is getting lost in translation.  I usually read the Dramabeans review before I watch the drama online because those ladies don't miss a thing and, in today's case, and for me, that translation of the subtitle of the Healer publication that wasn't translated online is what made the pieces start coming together in my mind. 

[[Drama 2014/2015] Healer 힐러]

Greetings.  I've been reading this thread for a while but had nothing to say until today having watched Ep. 10 with subtitles, and the translation from Dramabeans of the subtitle of the Healer booklet that Bong Soo finds in Moon Ho's apartment--"the media eists to diagnose and heal this society's pains"--

If this is the case, then isn't Moon Ho the real Healer, or rather, aren't there several different healers in this drama (I'll get to that in a minute)...  If the original Healer was the underground publication intended to put the truth out there to heal society's ills, then isn't that eactly what Moon Ho is doing and isn't that why he has such integrity as a reporter.  Also, I now "get" what the kids were broadcasting from the back of that truck as it was speeding down the alleyways looking for "him" or "the kid" as they called him, they were looking for the Healer, that person who would courageously put the truth of society's ills out there for all to see and begin to heal.

It seems the original Healer dream got co-opted by Evil Elder and corrupted by Moon Shik's obsession with his friends' wife so it went underground, preserved by the Teacher and Detective Jo--and I'm wondering what her connection to the original team is, like was she investigating the death of Bong Soo's Dad or is she the person who sent Teacher to prison?  But she seems to have long history and familiarity with this group and its past.

But I digress...  So the Healer goes underground and here the metaphors abound.  The purpose of the media is to bring to light, to epose, the things others would like to keep hidden.  The image of going underground is the opposite, shedding no light, keeping things hidden and the role of the Healer transforms from a hero for truth to a "night courier" with no ethical standards ecept money.  Oh how the mighty have fallen!  As Bong Soo so aptly put it, (with Healer going underground) his father becomes a murderer and he becomes a thief.

And this is why there is and are so many opportunities for a Healer in this drama.  Before this group can heal society, it must first heal itself.  The death's of Young Shin's father and Bong Soo's father and the aftermath need to be brought to light and dealt with and I think this is where Moon Ho is trying to go and where his brother is determined he will not go.  If not for Teacher, who knows where young Jung Hoo would have ended up.  It was teacher who raised him to adulthood and trained him and this is a kind of healing.  What is Ahjumma's role in all this?  Is she rebelling against some injustice in the legal system that she thinks needs to be healed?  And, obviously, Jung Hoo and Young Shin both need to be healed of their pasts, their loneliness, their apparent lack of roots and, of course, the evil perpetrated on them by, I think, Evil Elder. 

Anyway, it seems to me the key here is what Moon Ho appears to be after, solving the mystery of what happened to that original Healer group and when and how and why... and isn't that what good reporting is all about....