shamrockmom
-
Posts
722 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Events
Posts posted by shamrockmom
-
-
Couple of random thoughts on Ep. 3 & 4. I thought this was HW at her finest 4-star general moment, as she visited SJ in jail, didn't make her presence known, but thought out how to get him out of there and pacify Kang at the same time..and like @mdj101 said, Kang was so pleased with himself..you know he can only think of how he will benefit from having SJ as his student. As a viewer, if you didn't despise this character before this, this would have been a good starting point.
The ick factor of HW passing some cash to the server (soup ahjumma?) at the restaurant to set something up with the Chairman. I didn't understand that the first time around, nor did I get the whole HW/YW club scene on the first watch either. Really a shame the writer did not flesh out the YW character more than in the earlier episodes. She could have really provided another level of angst and drama-rama for HW, or she could have changed and left her messy life of buying boy-toys and been a help to HW. P.S. YW's children are mentioned here...who is taking care of them? Not their mom & dad...and they are not in Korea, they are in another country from what I could understand, maybe Germany?
-
-
Before the chat today, please indulge me as I spazz....
So I got tickets yesterday to the end of season Pacific Symphony concert in Irvine...I talked one of my non-Kdrama watching friends into going with me....Rachmaninoff's variation on a theme of Paganini is on the program, the one SJ played in concert! OMG I get to hear the whole thing live,so cool, and Pictures at an Exhibition, which I played the flute part in back in the day, so that's awesome too! And then Monday tickets go on sale for Martha Argerich at the LA Phil in Feb. 2015, she comes to the US like every 5 years or so, and she's gonna be in LA ! I loved that Fantasia in F minor that she played with Evgeny Kissin (video on the Piano Conversations blog). I know that was something the writer/music director/PD for SLA had to have seen before they shot the scene with HW/SJ. I will probably have to go by myself to that one, tickets are uh..pricey...but hey it's a bucket list deal for me, I won't get this opportunity again to see her perform in person.
.
-
-
One other observation I had, and I am interested to hear everyone's opinion on this--After hearing different pianists play the 4-hand Schubert's Fantasy in F minor, does anyone else notice that it sounds different if 2 guys play it, than when a man and a woman play it? Is it just me? I have rolled thru YouTube, listened to multiple performances, and it doesn't seem to matter if the woman plays the lower notes or the upper notes, it has a different sound and tempo than if it's 2 guys.
-
-
ktomato said:
galpianistsaid: I just realised that HW conveniently sat on SJ's bed during her first visit to his home with Kang which I find weird because I'm always awkward when I'm at someone's house especially when it's my first time there and you don't just sit comfortably on someone's (that you have only met twice) bed just like that?
-
dualnon said:
shamrockmom said: Question: The motorcycle SJ uses in this episode is not the same one they ride on in Ep. 6 or 9, right? That one looks smaller...more of what I would call a scooter rather than a motorcycle. -
Question: The motorcycle SJ uses in this episode is not the same one they ride on in Ep. 6 or 9, right? That one looks smaller...more of what I would call a scooter rather than a motorcycle.
-
galpianist said: I just realised that HW conveniently sat on SJ's bed during her first visit to his home with Kang which I find weird because I'm always awkward when I'm at someone's house especially when it's my first time there and you don't just sit comfortably on someone's (that you have only met twice) bed just like that?
-
I swear it feels like years ago I watched Episode 1 and 2. My former life is gone now.....I almost gave up after Ep. 1 (I couldn't keep the characters straight) but the music pulled me back in, then after Ep. 2, it was like the old saying "crack wishes it was that addictive." SJ's mom looks so young and pretty, I didn't pay attention before. And how easily SJ tells his mom and Da Mi he loves them, and hugs them. P.S. Did anyone notice that Kang's assistant is wearing what looks like the same b/w plaid shirt (the one we've discussed to death in Ep. 13) in Ep. 1? (about 19 min. in)
I watched one whole episode at the beauty salon while getting a pedicure today.
I should get ironic brownie points for this -
Out of curiosity, I showed three different screencaps of the outfit SJ is wearing to my older 2 kids and my daughter's boyfriend this afternoon. I gave them 2 questions--What is your first impression of the shirt/pants this character is wearing? Did a man or a woman select this outfit for him to wear or did he pick it out himself?Remember, these kids have no background on SLA. I wanted to see what they thought about it without the emotional baggage I bring along. Oldest son age 22 (currently wearing pajama pants) who dresses like SJ on a daily basis, "That's hideous. I wouldn't be caught dead in it. A man picked it out. No woman puts something like that together."Daughter age 24, former manager of a teen girls clothing store: "OMG. It's awful. That plaid...I have no words. And it doesn't fit him correctly, it's too tight. The person who designed that shirt should be (edited for violent content)."
However, the best comment came from the Daughter's boyfriend.
Boyfriend is 26, Latino, musician and a History major at university. He said," The way the stripes are different on the cuffs make it look from the picture like he's wearing handcuffs around his wrists. The horizontal stripes look like metal straps restraining him. That's horrible..repulsive... it makes me want to look away...whoever picked this out for him is a sick and demented (Richard Simmons)." -
@gretac--I am confused. I thought Kang picked SJ's shirt out but lied and said HW did it.
From the script:
HW: I picked out your outfit to go with mine.
JH: Won’t you pick out one for Seon Jae as well?
HW: I don’t think he needs my help. He picked the one that suits his unique style. …Okay.So I took this as HW didn't pick out the shirt. SJ wears his own clothes to the house, which he does. But when he gets to the house...
From the script:
Seon Jae goes in behind Joon Hyung, he is numb… (their bedroom…)
Joon Hyung points to a tidy set of clothing on a hanger on the sofaJH: What do you think of this? My wife picked it out.
**************************************************************
BTW, that black/white shirt looks horrible with the tan pants. On the surface, I can not buy into the idea that HW picked that combo out because she has more fashion sense than that. Subconsciously, if she did pick out that outfit, that's another matter entirely. And I completely agree with you. HW knew what she was asking of SJ. She had to know how sadistic Kang could be. The fact that SJ could still care for her after that, and that SJ asks (in the madhouse scene) if Kang is ok, is so amazing to me. I know SJ broke down afterward, but in the moment, where does he find that kind of strength?
-
Post cut for space---
@seungshinl wrote: Agree with all these great observations.
What surprised me the most, from having the benefit of the Script, is that Joon Hyung really really intentionally wanted to mentally torture Seon Jae. He doesn't say words to this effect, it is what he is thinking in his head in the Script. So we did not know this when we didn't know this bit (totally love this part of having the Script).
Moreover, he enjoyed torturing him. He also obviously enjoyed having Hye Won 'perform' in public too. Torturing her and enjoying it too. And still he was willing/wanting to stay married to her and keep Seon Jae as a student. This is more than a little off of the normal behaviour for someone found in this situation. I just didn't think his character would be that psychotic and this Script convinced me of that. And I found that quite disturbing.
***********************************************************************************************************************
Maybe this shows how messed up I am, but the fact of Kang wanting to mentally torture SJ (and HW as well) was crystal clear to me from the 1st time I watched that scene. All about power and control from his perspective, and he couldn't possibly let such a great opportunity go to waste. It's so obviously entertaining to him. He's completely power/control hungry, it's fair game in his book to use HW (she's mere property to him anyway) and SJ (since SJ dared to steal his property) to feed his ego needs. Picking out SJ's clothes to maximize how uncomfortable SJ is--big power trip there. Kang makes darn sure every little gesture, every word, like putting his arm around HW, touching her cheek, and the absolute worst, the conversation about being like "hot" lovers and trying to have children (Kang is fully scraping the bottom of the barrel here, so wretched), and oh yeah-I almost forgot--the line in the Madhouse scene where he's completely wasted drunk and wants HW and him to take SJ home in the car like one big happy family-- is sickening and calculated to cause as much pain as possible to SJ and HW. And remember... Kang is a Christian...LOL, right! Kudos to Writer-nim, for exposing Christian hypocrisy at it's finest and highest moment. Almost as indicting as the "3-16" reference in the jail, which I interpreted not as a ode to grace and forgiveness, but as a backhanded slap at Christianity and the hypocrisy contained within the church. I know, I am a pretty cynical Christian, sorry if anyone is offended. Just my thoughts... In my eyes, SJ, given all his other imperfections, looks like a saint by this point, showing serious restraint and not punching Kang out when he desperately deserves it. Edit---remember when Kang asks HW for Alimony? Again, it's Kang, wanting to torture HW (and SJ indirectly) even after the divorce by having her pay him $$. He's gotta have that power/control over them and he will take it any way he can. -
gretac said: dualnon said: seungshinl said: dualnon said: Translator and Author: @seungshinl
Videos and Subtitles: @blinddSecret Love Affair Script: Episode 13 – The Happy Couple
-
@gretac. That's interesting because I felt that there were many cynical messages the writer wanted to get across especially regarding marriage. Christianity too, but to a lesser extent.
-
gretac said: shamrockmom said: @gretac--I wish I knew the answer to that question, it's been on my mind for 2+ months. All the neat and tidy pigeonholes I try and put this drama in do not fit. Maybe that is indeed the message of the show, it just depends on your perspective what you think the message is. 10 people=10 differing interpretations. It also depends on your outlook on life, positive or negative. I completely concede that my life experiences make the ending of this show a bigger problem for me than others.
-
@gretac--I wish I knew the answer to that question, it's been on my mind for 2+ months. All the neat and tidy pigeonholes I try and put this drama in do not fit. Maybe that is indeed the message of the show, it just depends on your perspective what you think the message is. 10 people=10 differing interpretations. It also depends on your outlook on life, positive or negative. I completely concede that my life experiences make the ending of this show a bigger problem for me than others.
-
Post cut in the interest of space--shamrockmom: Green part--I respectfully disagree. That speech in the courthouse is a speech of concession. HW, armed with the flash drive of doom, cut a deal with the prosecutor, right? Then the first thing she says in the courthouse speech is that she doesn't care about what sentences the Chairman/Madame/Lawyer Kim will get. If she didn't care about them getting punished (and getting a break herself) , why did she bother to go to the prosecutor with the flash drive? Of course she is going to say something conciliatory, it looks good for the court/judges/jury if there is a speech like that. And best of all, it appeases SJ, and makes her look better to him. That was HW's smile at the end of the courthouse scene. "Did I do ok?" Appearance and pride is everything to HW--we agree on that. Right to the end, she has to look "cool" regardless of the cost. Worst part--SJ seemingly goes along for the ride, not sure when he changed and valued coolness over being honest.
dualnon said: We see things so differently. There are several statements and actions that contradict this interpretation. HW tells SJ she won't negotiate for a lighter sentence. She tells the prosecutor she has no intention of negotiating because if she did, she'd feel like their dog forever. In the conversation between SJ and Prof Jo, Prof Jo knows she has no plans to negotiate. The prosecutor tells her he will proceed in a way that has the most impact so she knows there will be a level of accountability. She states that she is being selfish in going to him with evidence because she doesn't want the Kim's to get their hands on everything and that she considers the fact that everyone is scared punishment. SJ has repeatedly asked HW to give up her corrupt life but he never asked her to turn herself in. Rather he asked her to run away with him. He wants her to be honest with herself, not the State. In his conversation with Prof Jo, he says he considers her current stance a problem.
HW is a criminal. Her crimes are numerous, substantial, calculated and perpetrated over many years, and not without victims. She could've gotten away with them, continued to benefit from them, or leave them behind. No one asked her to turn herself in the way she did. But she chose to throw away her pride and concern for appearance, be honest about them, and take full responsibility for them regardless of what happens to the others involved. And she did it believing there was the additional cost of losing someone she loves deeply. She did all that because she decided her life was the most important thing out of everything. **************************************************************************************************************
Ok, I agree to disagree with you, but the part in blue is the sticking point for me. She had her pride and concern for appearance right up to the end, and especially at the prison visit with SJ--their conversation is all about pride and concern for appearance.I can hardly buy that HW, who calculates every move, did not completely calculate that courtroom speech, with regard to how it made her look to SJ, the judges, the people in the courtroom, and the Seo/Han/Kim group. Her statement of I won't negotiate and will take whatever sentence I get from the court is a contradiction to the fact she brought in the flash drive to the prosecutor in the first place. If she really wanted to throw away her pride and appearance, she would have dumped the flash drive in the river. let the SeoHanKim group get away with everything, and take a 10+ year sentence "Full responsibility" for her crimes. But she didn't do that. She found a calculated way to punish the SeoHanKim clan and lighten her sentence indirectly. You concede that HW says she's being selfish by bringing the flash drive to the prosecutor. How is that selfish act in agreement with throwing away her pride? -
ktomato said:
seungshinlsaid:
ktomatosaid:
shamrockmomsaid: Part 2 of the lunchtime post--I was typing on my phone, so slow...
More reasons I believe HW has been abused: Abuse victims minimize the abuser's actions. Case in point--HW asks SJ to drive her around after YW throws the mah jong tiles at her. He sees the cuts on her face. Instead of telling SJ the truth, she gives him some Richard Simmons line about being hit by a falling star. Another example--HW is held down and has her hair cut by the unnis in jail. SJ sees this when he visits her in jail, but she again minimizes the whole deal (on the surface, so he won't worry) and says that the unnis cut it, but she had it fixed at the hair salon at the jail! And then he plays along and says it suits her. He doesn't really want to (or know how to) deal with the truth either. OMG! Even at the end, she can't just be honest and tell him the truth, no matter how hard it is or how much he probably doesn't want to hear it. How does that play out in any future relationship they have? Will she ever be truthful with SJ, or herself, or anyone else? Insert face-palm here. When someone has been abused for a long time, it's really hard to admit the truth, that the abuse is happening or has happened. I patched a lot of walls that my ex put his fist through, so no one would know about his temper, let alone all the bruises I covered up with clothing or makeup or made excuses that I tripped on something and fell.The abuse victim is also used to covering up for the abuser's actions. Example--Kang throws a tantrum in episode 14 and knocks all her cosmetics on the floor. Who cleans the mess up? HW of course. She can't possibly let the housekeeper see the mess Kang made (housekeeper might ask questions, and what would she think? The Housekeeper might tell someone and then the secret is out), and if HW doesn't clean it up before Kang wakes up, he's gonna see the mess and get mad all over again and/or yell at HW to get it cleaned up, since it was "her fault"--she made him do that. Abusers make their victims responsible for their actions. My ex still believes to this day that everything that happened in our relationship is my fault--I "made" him mad, that's why he hit me. One last thing--I know it's probably a figure of speech, but how many times does HW say she will take care of the dirty work, or take responsibility or take the beating or something like that. (One of my rewatch goals is to document this) To me, it may be a figure of speech, but there's a kernel of truth in there. Another way to cover for the abuser.
-
Part 2 of the lunchtime post--I was typing on my phone, so slow...
More reasons I believe HW has been abused: Abuse victims minimize the abuser's actions. Case in point--HW asks SJ to drive her around after YW throws the mah jong tiles at her. He sees the cuts on her face. Instead of telling SJ the truth, she gives him some Richard Simmons line about being hit by a falling star. Another example--HW is held down and has her hair cut by the unnis in jail. SJ sees this when he visits her in jail, but she again minimizes the whole deal (on the surface, so he won't worry) and says that the unnis cut it, but she had it fixed at the hair salon at the jail! And then he plays along and says it suits her. He doesn't really want to (or know how to) deal with the truth either. OMG! Even at the end, she can't just be honest and tell him the truth, no matter how hard it is or how much he probably doesn't want to hear it. How does that play out in any future relationship they have? Will she ever be truthful with SJ, or herself, or anyone else? Insert face-palm here. When someone has been abused for a long time, it's really hard to admit the truth, that the abuse is happening or has happened. I patched a lot of walls that my ex put his fist through, so no one would know about his temper, let alone all the bruises I covered up with clothing or makeup or made excuses that I tripped on something and fell.The abuse victim is also used to covering up for the abuser's actions. Example--Kang throws a tantrum in episode 14 and knocks all her cosmetics on the floor. Who cleans the mess up? HW of course. She can't possibly let the housekeeper see the mess Kang made (housekeeper might ask questions, and what would she think? The Housekeeper might tell someone and then the secret is out), and if HW doesn't clean it up before Kang wakes up, he's gonna see the mess and get mad all over again and/or yell at HW to get it cleaned up, since it was "her fault"--she made him do that. Abusers make their victims responsible for their actions. My ex still believes to this day that everything that happened in our relationship is my fault--I "made" him mad, that's why he hit me. One last thing--I know it's probably a figure of speech, but how many times does HW say she will take care of the dirty work, or take responsibility or take the beating or something like that. (One of my rewatch goals is to document this) To me, it may be a figure of speech, but there's a kernel of truth in there. Another way to cover for the abuser. -
-
deleted--cat jumped on keyboard. Sorry
-
Re: live chat rewatch. Saturday or Sunday works for me....I am on the west coast (Pacific Time) but morning EST works for me because I will want to get up and do this early before the day's events take over. I have daughter moving and father moving within the month, so I am not sure of my full commitment, but I will do what I can.
@gretac and @telzey: I knew the divorce was started, Kang had to file the paperwork because of the adultery charge but I just couldn't figure out if it was actually completed or not or if we (the viewer) was supposed to just infer that it was completed. This was an issue for me as I considered the validity of the 'prison visit proposal'.The military service thing has me in a knot. Didn't SJ start his military service (I'm thinking about SJ with the shovel in front of the ballet school before he had a breakdown listening to the bad piano playing of the ballet teacher) *after* his mom died? So if being an orphan is an exemption, why would he go in for his service at that point? There is something I'm missing here..
[Drama 2014] Secret Love Affair 밀회
in k-dramas & movies
Posted
dualnon said: gretac said: It really bothered me that HW didn't go in to see SJ at his mother's memorial.
Really? Because it hurt her too much??
I'm not sure whether to take that at face value or not. It seems so wimpy, and inconsiderate of SJ.
Of course, I know she's not used to dealing with genuine feelings - I think that's why she gets so derailed by hearing I'mAGenius's confessions - but, still. She was railing at him for being a "coward" to not show up for the enrollment audition, and she can't even go offer her condolences?
Imagine how much better he might have coped if his Muse had offered her support at that time.
But then, we might not have had our story.
But still. Really??