[drama 2008] Robbers 불한당

[canyayasis]

Sorry, I didn't have a chance to watch last night because of wine class (poor me), and then I nearly dropped dead, so I needed to get some sleep (5 hours - yay! ) - will catch up tonight!

The Mortimer Mortician's Make-up ain't working...

Well, I had an idea you might be tired , hjkomo -

because I had to travel over to the HONG GIL DONG Soompi thread to track you down!

EDIT: hjkomo - look below - it's only YOU and ME ! ahhahaha

pretty funny - you and me swapping posts~! and both of us at work -

P.S. regarding ep. 11 -

You can't watch this episode and not realize that Jang Hyuk is going to be an adorable first time father -

-his giggles with SoonDae in this episode are priceless...

P.S.S.

another thought about this episode -

When DalRae and Oh Joon go to Mother-in-law for her blessings - she goes ballistic...

but if she (the mother in law) gets involved further with the boss man of the "little gang that could"

who also bought her that little cafe' -

Then isn't she just as involved with the same circle of gangsters -

-and don't you think eventually it MIGHT come out that

Mother-in-law's dead husband had SOME involvment in money lending too -

ALL of their circles are getting smaller and smaller as to who-knows-who -

and who knows what about what - yada yada....

and eventually it will become something like....

"let he who has no sin - cast the first stone" OR

"people who live in glass houses - shouldn't throw stones...."

[Guest o-cha]

Robbers Ep 11 - Streaming links

A: http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/fqGoSshi_OE/

B: http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/a96N4LkO2co/

C: http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/gxjfiOjlYSY/

credits: baidu

thanks ripgal! So tonight I can watch streaming as I d/l..hahaha..yes I am pathetic.

Jill4675 : thanks Jill..I feel better today so I'm confident I can catch up Robbers tonight...hehehe.

canyayasis, imogene_af : I can't wait to catch up with you guys and talk about eps 11.

[Guest lilyrose]

o-cha, I hope you are feeling better! The weather is just crazy, especially when traveling around the country. I called in sick today, so I am catching up on the episodes. It's good timing on my part.

I skipped ep. 10 and went straight to ep 11 (just so I could join in the conversation). So, it appears that we have a pretty raucous dorm room here with canyayasis, hjkomo, and imogene_af drunk (the former two on wine, the latter on tequila). I am beating all of you on the drunk scale because I am swigging Nyquil. So my point is that I will make very little sense, but here goes.

First of all, as files were downloading, I went through the threads and closely read what I had skimmed during my trips (business, not the mental ones), and I just have to give out shout-outs to all of you (and you know who you are--you articulate, dedicated, infectiously-hilarious/humorous group of outstandingly women...I am assuming we are all women here) who really make this a rock 'n' roll thread. A special shout-out, with no intention of undermining others' contributions, to hjkomo for her translations (hjkomo, I should have warned you to not go to the JH thread when your hubby is around!). Your translations made those scenes lodge in my brain more solidly than any number of viewing, and that attests to your power and care (Did that statement make any sense? Nyquil is clouding my brain, so in my head what I just said made total sense).

Okay, so, quickly,

Ep. 7-9: I loved the scene after the movie date (the aborted movie date) when DR looks behind her in the street and find OJ gone (he had slipped into a late night store). That scene--the circling camera work, the adroit way the disappearance is executed without it seeming like a preconceived (although it is obviously because it is coming from a script) ploy to elicit the deepest and darkest spaces of DR's fears, the fears of being abandoned--suddenly and without notice, and, more importantly, in the middle of a moment when she is the most vulnerable: In this case, a dark, deserted alley, and in her last case, while she is pregnant. OJ's response to her is perfect. He has been around scared animals (himself being one, to some extent) enough to know how to "feel" her panic and how to genuinely reach out and bring her out of that space. I have watched that scene several times now, and it leaves a lump in my throat every time.

I really have so many scenes I want to list! How did JG land just a hot wife??? I like his apology because it is an acknowledgment of where and how he failed to recognize her as a person, with her own dreams of having a child. Also, because I never liked that old man (JG's father)--I think I characterized him as oppressive and abusive once--I was happy to see JG apologize for not standing up for his former wife. I can just imagine what a pain in the @ss of a father-in-law he must have been. More so now that we know that he is the Chairman of Thugs.

I will come back to these eps., if anyone is interested in chatting about them, but I do want to state unequivocally, even though it may make me as many enemies as OJ , that I am very glad that yoon ah was speedily dispatched with from the storyline. Her means of taking supposed control (calling OJ to meet her and talk with her in the car, her revealing aspects of OJ to DR, her suicide) all point to what made her so diametrically different from DR's character. YA was weak not because of the men in her life, but because of her own anger--suicide as an act of anger against self--and her inability to recognize her own role in the messes she found herself in, which lead to her perpetuating them.

DR is the strongest on this continuum. DR has been dealt no less heavy blows in life, and yet, in almost every crucial scene, she understands that the tragedies are not about her or about someone else. What is beautiful about DR (and props to Lee Da Hae because I cannot see anyone else in this role at all!) is that she stores little to no anger. Yes she is sad, lonely, scared--evidenced in so many scenes--but she doesn't have the lack of self that could have turned her into a pitiful and, finally, a doomed character. Two scenes that really made me impressed with DR: One is when at the temple her mother-in-law blames her for her son's death and her words are just vicious. DR says that she will date and be happy just to stop her mother from saying things, things that she does not mean. That statement says so much about DR's ability to separate fact from fiction when it really matters. She is naive, but she is wise in so many more important ways. The next scene was when she talks about her universe being small or dirty or flawed and asks if OJ will still date her, regardless. What beautiful writing. Of course his response in coming back to her after he has cleaned up his universe a bit and only then asking for a kiss is what connects the two. They have fractured or stained universes, but they want to work within that knowledge, and not try to escape and create fantasies.

So, to wrap this up, I am so glad (from what I can tell about ep. 10) that YA is given a nice farewell and apology but that she is not allowed to hang over OJ by burdening him with misplaced guilt. I was worried--with the knowledge of the pervasive penchant in arts for using suicide as a way to romanticize characters--that this would be made into a bigger storm than it needed to be. As a matter of fact, what I have liked about the drama is its refusal to romanticize just about anything. Death is too easy a plot device to use to garner sympathy, and so far, and I emphasize "so far," this series has not done that.

Until ep. 11, that is...

I want to quote and quote comments already made but that will make this long post longer. canyayasis, your humor has had me rolling on the floor...you have such a straight-faced delivery--I just love it. imogene_af, are you poet in real life?

Okay...

I am furious about the last shot. It makes no sense to me why there are scans of OJ's brain (unless I missed some comment on ep. 10 that clarifies how he may have ended up in the hospital AND then been given brain scans. I haven't seen ep. 10, so this makes no sense to me. He has the dizzy spell in the restaurant (what a great scene) and then suddenly he is in the hospital with brain scans, scans that ARE MRIs, which are not that easily taken. That is, you don't just walk in complaining of dizziness and get rolled into an MRI machine. I am only complaining about the logistics here because this series has not depended on tremendous leaps of faith to sustain its improbabilities.

So it is not the logistics so much as the easy turn Robbers is now taking. Instead of using MISA as irony, it is using MISA literally. Really, that is weak storytelling. Even though all the signs heavy-handedly pointed to a tragic end, I had hoped that the shades of gray would prevail, thus allowing for the story to be more mellow than melo- in its drama.

If we are going the brain tumor route, is there any chance that the MRI is of DR's brain? Not that I want her to die, but it will at least make me feel like the writers are trying to do something other than MISA. There is that comment from her mother-in-law about her not wanting DR to come visit her husband's ashes after 5 months. So there is a time table here, and if it is DR with the tumor, then maybe there is a...oh damn, I can't even formulate a possible alternative. I am so incensed.

On to happy thoughts: What has me delirious (beyond the high fever)-ly delighted about the episide is the scene of Jang Hyuk minus a shirt. I must have passed out during that scene because I had visions of him doing thumb push ups, high-kicks with a heart-stopping Bruce Lee-like cut body (right, cholo?), and back-flips and head stands. All this while shirtless. It's like someone heard imogene_af's prayers . This scene was like the obligatory shirtless shots of KSW that I waited for in Bad Love before I switched away from that series.

Aside from that scene, which should rate high for everyone, even OJ-haters, my absolute favorite scene has to be when OJ comes back to DR in the boxing gym. I will write more about that later, maybe, if I can stay awake long enough tonight.

--

In conclusion (I feel like I am in college and writing my 5-paragraph essay), while I watched 5 episodes of Robbers back to back (6, 7, 8, 9, and 11), I realized again just how refreshing this series is. It has all the hallmarks of melodramatic formula. It does not even purport to be anything but a typical formulaic drama. And yet, it is so originally executed that I found myself often wracking my brain to find equal or similar comparisons. I love that I started watching this. And I especially love the fact that I am getting to watch it with you all.

We should plan to move, en masse, to another GOOD show after this one ends.

[Guest imogene_af]

canyayasis the parrallelisms of all the con-men being interrelated made me think that yes, "Robbers" seems to be an apt title.

o-cha, I hope you are feeling better! The weather is just crazy, especially when traveling around the country. I called in sick today, so I am catching up on the episodes. It's good timing on my part.

I skipped ep. 10 and went straight to ep 11 (just so I could join in the conversation). So, it appears that we have a pretty raucous dorm room here with canyayasis, hjkomo, and imogene_af drunk (the former two on wine, the latter on tequila). I am beating all of you on the drunk scale because I am swigging Nyquil. So my point is that I will make very little sense, but here goes.

Okay...

I am furious about the last shot. It makes no sense to me why there are scans of OJ's brain (unless I missed some comment on ep. 10 that clarifies how he may have ended up in the hospital AND then been given brain scans. I haven't seen ep. 10, so this makes no sense to me. He has the dizzy spell in the restaurant (what a great scene) and then suddenly he is in the hospital with brain scans, scans that ARE MRIs, which are not that easily taken. That is, you don't just walk in complaining of dizziness and get rolled into an MRI machine. I am only complaining about the logistics here because this series has not depended on tremendous leaps of faith to sustain its improbabilities.

So it is not the logistics so much as the easy turn Robbers is now taking. Instead of using MISA as irony, it is using MISA literally. Really, that is weak storytelling. Even though all the signs heavy-handedly pointed to a tragic end, I had hoped that the shades of gray would prevail, thus allowing for the story to be more mellow than melo- in its drama.

If we are going the brain tumor route, is there any chance that the MRI is of DR's brain? Not that I want her to die, but it will at least make me feel like the writers are trying to do something other than MISA. There is that comment from her mother-in-law about her not wanting DR to come visit her husband's ashes after 5 months. So there is a time table here, and if it is DR with the tumor, then maybe there is a...oh damn, I can't even formulate a possible alternative. I am so incensed.

On to happy thoughts: What has me delirious (beyond the high fever)-ly delighted about the episide is the scene of Jang Hyuk minus a shirt. I must have passed out during that scene because I had visions of him doing thumb push ups, high-kicks with a heart-stopping Bruce Lee-like cut body (right, cholo?), and back-flips and head stands. All this while shirtless. It's like someone heard imogene_af's prayers . This scene was like the obligatory shirtless shots of KSW that I waited for in Bad Love before I switched away from that series.

Aside from that scene, which should rate high for everyone, even OJ-haters, my absolute favorite scene has to be when OJ comes back to DR in the boxing gym. I will write more about that later, maybe, if I can stay awake long enough tonight.

--

In conclusion (I feel like I am in college and writing my 5-paragraph essay), while I watched 5 episodes of Robbers back to back (6, 7, 8, 9, and 11), I realized again just how refreshing this series is. It has all the hallmarks of melodramatic formula. It does not even purport to be anything but a typical formulaic drama. And yet, it is so originally executed that I found myself often wracking my brain to find equal or similar comparisons. I love that I started watching this. And I especially love the fact that I am getting to watch it with you all.

We should plan to move, en masse, to another GOOD show after this one ends.

WAAAAAAAAAAAH! Glad to see you back in the game. *high fives* So we can call each other the Red Wine, Patron and Nyquil club? Oh yeah, O-Cha said she got beer. College party indeed.

I love your description about Dal Rae and how she comes to a point not making it HER tragedy that is so true. And no, I'm no poet in real life, I do drink tequila in real life, though.

Okay on to the question about the last scene:

I believe he has taken those MRI scans before. The scan was the reason why the doctor chased after him in Episode 3. He was running away from her because she was a past victim. No wonder she seemed kind to him even at the fact that he swindled the hell out of her once. It is because she has these scans. I believe she called Dal Rae (through Oh Joon's phone) a few times when he was in jail, so it was not done in three minutes of an MRI scan. He comes to the hospital thinking the doctor just needs him to apologize. Not knowing there's a way bigger problem in store.

And I'm still bitter over this twist.

[Guest vkkkim]

Mortimer mortician's beauty supplies! ahaha

OK - serious question - WHAT DOES JIN GOO's FATHER SAY TO Kwon oh Joon at the Japanese restaurant with all the mob's rank and file sitting and watching?

Oh Joon must have been blown away to be called in by the Big Boss for a meeting about DalRae-sshi?

but earlier, around 10 min. when JinGoo goes to the gym to see DalRae -

what was he screaming at her about - i can guess - but did it include any new revelations about Oh Joon?

At the gym, DalRae asks how JinGoo knows she’s there, and he tells her that people who work for his father are very resourceful. DalRae then knows that he has opened the envelop that carries info of Oh Joon’s sin. JinGoo goes on to ask if DalRae knows OhJoon is heavily in debts, that she’s one of the women OhJoon has conned, and now that OhJoon has been arrested, why would she still want to visit the gym. DalRae asks JinGoo if people who work for his father also found out why OhJoon became a conman and how he has changed for a better person recently. JinGoo questions again why DalRae still wants to visit the gym if she already knew what OhJoon really is. DalRae tells JinGoo to have a little respect cos she’s going to marry OhJoon, JinGoo asks if she’s out of her mind. When DalRae tells him not to worry as it’s none of his business, JinGoo gets pissed and starts shouting at her. Even though he tries not to think of DalRae and not to be worry about her, she’s all there is in his head. DalRae thanks him for the fondness he holds of her and tells him that she cannot accept his love. Even if he goes on to find out more of OhJoon’s wrong doings, she’s not going to be surprised. JinGoo then asks if she really knows of everything, and if she also knows that one of OhJoon’s moneylenders is owned by his father. He can and he will “fix” OhJoon even if that would hurt little SoonDae’s feelings. DalRae does not believe that JinGoo would do anything that childish. JinGoo says he has come to like himself more than before. He has now changed to a new person. He gets very uptight all day; he will do things that he never thought he would before, skiving off work to come to visit DalRae like this. The new person that loves DalRae and hates OhJoon is the one that he wants to be, the one that can do anything for DalRae. He’s not going to sit tight and watch her fall.

- a very heartwarming statement, but does that mean wuli JinGoo will turn into some evil character ?

At the Japanese restaurant, the Boss asks if OhJoon knows who he is. OhJoon then only knows him as the moneylender. The Boss goes on to lecture him that he shouldn’t borrow an amount that he needs but unable to repay. By doing just that, redemption by his body may be the only resolution. The Boss then offers to write off the debt if OhJoon is willing to give up DalRae. OhJoon is stunned and appeared hesitant. The Boss then further offers a sum of money, any amount that OhJoon names. He then reveals that he’s JinGoo’s father. He’s the ruthless moneylender, an uncaring father, and one that delivers what he promises – only if OhJoon leaves DalRae. OhJoon started to help himself with the food and then said that he will never give up DalRae. The Boss says that this is most unfortunate, and tells OhJoon to enjoy the meal, as it may be his very last. OhJoon replied that if he took the money and left DalRae, would the Boss think DalRae would go to JinGoo? He does not think so cos it only shows that JinGoo is not even good enough to fend for himself and has to seek help from his father to get the woman he wants. If the Boss is willing to write off the debt, OhJoon would be grateful, and if there was also a gift of money, he would have to thank the Boss, but then again if he took up the offer, DalRae would not be there of him.

[canyayasis]

vkkkim - you ROCK!

thank you so much -

I knew those 2 exchanges were important -

and hjkomo needs her sleep!

i've been whining to her about it every 2 hours!!

Thank you again vkkkim!

*p.s. to hjkomo - get some shut eye - we'll live to sip wine another day!

and silver patron - a sapporo beer -

besides - over at HGD we've got 2 new sets of subs to watch...9 and 10 are out.

[Guest BayByOjaH]

Watched the 1st episode and it's SOOOO fun!!! Gotta go watch more!

[Guest lilyrose]

imogene_af! *high fives!* all around for the Red Wine, Patron, Beer, and Nyquil club. I will switch to red wine once I get over this cold, but I may chase the wine with some tequila.

Before I pass out...

thank you for explaining the MRI scan scene. Lol. I was so off base on the issue. I remember thinking then, during that earlier episode, how nice a person the doctor was, even though OhJoon deserved more of a kick in the shins, but I chalked that up to the doctor still having feelings for him. Now it makes sense that it was because she knew about the ticking time bomb.

So this pretty much solidifies the arc of the story. OhJoon is going to die. As long as it doesn't happen while he is riding a motorbike with blood gushing out of his nose, I guess I will have to live with it.

This is so unfair to DalRae. She deserves so much better. She has gone to hell and back, and she gets handed this new death sentence? I am more angry for DalRae's sake than for OhJoon's. Who will take care of her?

About canyayasis's observation about the circle of thieves, so true. Compared to JinGoo's father, OhJoon and others are such small-time crooks. I am curious now where then the circle of karma should find its bullseye? Should it center on OhJoon and his brain, and thus, onto DalRae's heart? That doesn't make sense. Poor DalRae.

vkkkim, your translations hit the right spot!

I was also wanting to know about that first scene you translated.

I couldn't read JinGoo. I couldn't tell if he was being the typical k-drama third wheel, with its stalkerish overtones, or if he was being more heart than threat. My jury is out on this issue because he has the potential to be evil, especially because he knows so much more about his father's evil means to their wealth than I had previously thought he did. He turned down his father's request in ep. 7 or 8 to play the stock market for their own gain, but now, here, he seems willing to use his father's lowest instincts to get DalRae.

In the end, like most third wheels, he will not hurt DalRae. I am sure of that. His ability to hurt OhJoon is a moot point. Because of that tumor, OhJoon is on a collision course with fate, irrespective of what anyone does.

Sad.

[Guest hjkomo]

OMO. OMO. I laughed. I cried. I nearly fainted. ~ From all the swooning. :blush:

I don't have time to read all the posts right now, since the hubby's waiting for me to go to a basketball game (gotta support my alma mater - damn those season tickets!), so I'll just give canyayasis a quick translation of the Godfather scene. The rest will come later.

OJ & JG's father at restaurant:

Godfather: Do you know who I am?

OJ: Yes, the person who lends money.

GF: Why aren't you paying back the money?

OJ: But I am paying it back.

GF: This is a saying about money. You don't borrow how much you need. You borrow how much you are able to repay. If a man, who isn't able to repay, borrows the amount he needs, he ends up having to give up his "Five Vital Organs and the Six Viscera" (from my dictionary). If you separate from Jin Dal Rae, than I'll erase(?) that debt. If that's not enough, then I'll give you ???, so you're not sad/sorry.

OJ: What kind of "situation" is this? (Jang Hyuk, practice your Engrishee! )

GF: I lived my whole life earning dirty money. Lending my dirty money to guys like you, I've been dirty, too.

OJ: Uh, sir...

GF: I'm the person who lent you money, and I'm Jin Goo's father.

OJ: Huh?

GF: While I've earned money earned in a dirty way, I'm a father who's turned his child's eyes inside out (idiom - gotta ask mom, but you get the drift). To me, there's no such thing as ???. I do what I say I'm going to do. I'm telling you to leave Jin Dal Rae.

OJ: Sir, I'm really too hungry. Is it alright if I eat while we talk? Oh, this tastes good....pepper..but there's no ssam-jang (dipping paste)...oh..this is spicy!...

I can't do that. I won't do that, by any means.

GF: Is that so? That's too bad. Eat plenty of food before you go. Who knows when you'll be able to eat like this again?

OJ: Yes, yes, I will do that, but...I have one question. Of course, I won't do what you want, but if...just..if I go away from Dal Rae sshi, would she go to your son? In my opinion, your son...he has an air of ??, he has no ??, and because he can't get a woman's heart by his own efforts, he sends his father like this. Is he an elementary school student?

GF hits OJ with his cane.

OJ: If you repay my debt, that would be good. And if you give me ??, than I would say "Thank You" but then I wouldn't have DR next to me. I will let it go just this once, but if you appear before me again, then I won't stand idly by.

Sir...ah, Chairman.

GF: This isn't good/didn't turn out well.

Ahh, I'm late!!

[canyayasis]

She rushes home - she grabs the keyboard - types as she crosses mid-court -

she's at the top of the key = the dialogue almost completed, she steps into the paint -

she shoots.....she SCORES!!!! yeah! hjkomo

you did well !

komowyo!

[Guest puela]

Episode 11 Shinhwa HERE

[Guest babymarzy07]

Phew that was a whole lot! Thanks for the trans vkkkim and hjkomo!

Now those explanations given by imogene_af , make more sense to this equation...I thought it was a loophole or something. Sigh. Its like waiting for something we knew was coming. But maybe I turned a blind eye to it and pretended that it wouldnt anymore? I mean right from the get go, we know things would be dramatic to say the least. But wow.

Agreeing with lilyrose,

I think this is really unfair to DalRae. I feel bad for her, all that stuff she had to go thru and here it goes again. The blow I feel is harder this time around. I just dont like it. How Can u do that? Btw, like ur analysis about MISA theory coming into play.

Im really still reeling. I cant accept it. Im bitter. Makes me sad.

[Guest provocateur]

oh lord. i'm only on like episode 8 and i read through all the spoilers. can't help myself.

[shirley]

I believe he has taken those MRI scans before. The scan was the reason why the doctor chased after him in Episode 3. He was running away from her because she was a past victim. No wonder she seemed kind to him even at the fact that he swindled the hell out of her once. It is because she has these scans. I believe she called Dal Rae (through Oh Joon's phone) a few times when he was in jail, so it was not done in three minutes of an MRI scan. He comes to the hospital thinking the doctor just needs him to apologize. Not knowing there's a way bigger problem in store.

And I'm still bitter over this twist.

er i think she really run up to him just purely she recognise him it has nothing to do with the scans but just a preview of how you can see the link between her and him . he never leave a contact no so if the results were released .they wont be able to find him but only her .she saw him .

..

MRI results do not come out so fast .she only realised it later ..that MRI belongs to Kwon oh joon . that scene at the hospital was to create a situation where you will have him taking the MRI . it is pretty expensive to do .so oh joon will never had done it unless well he has something to gain out of it ..--;; ..or he can get away with paying . .well i think he run because he saw the doctor though .

ya

he did a MRI ..because he was trying to seduce a pretty nurse ..so he did the MRI to have a more longer chat with the nurse .but run off without paying for it ...so the doctor realise the Kwon oh joon who has the MRI should be him since the date was pretty close ...and called for him to come

er i am sorry to say i was wrong about the operation ..what she was saying is operation is diffcult .

he has Aneurysm, something to do with his blood vessels in his brain: it is technically an abnormal widening or ballooning of a portion of an artery, related to weakness in the wall of the blood vessel. er he has a few of them --;; right in his brain

.In addition , because he suffered from constant beating on his head .which created bone fracture in the skull [[ this remind me again of that 90 days when KJH keep getting beaten by his father in his head and i always think boy , he going to suffer serious damage to his brain ! !! ] and there is also traces of bleeding .

*Doctor : do you suffer from ablot of beating

OH joon : well , i kinda of do alot of things that deserved alot of beating .*

Doctor : how much beating did you took to end up like this ! [ sign you know why she say this , because you really have to suffer very huge impact in order for your skull to fracture .]

.she was surprised why didnt he realise something was wrong because it must have hurt like hell his headache

but he said he had it for so long it doesnt seem to matter too much to him .

right now because there are pieces of bone fracture left in the area and also internal bleeding ., though it is possible to remove the bleeding in the vessels , but .operation is difficult as the surface of damage is too wide . i think she is speaking his arteries affected is too many --;

==

after he heard this ..i think he was still caught up in not registering the total impact .and asked ..So what do i do now ? do i need to take medicine ? i dun really like to take medicine .

the doctor : are you still joking around now ! .What Oh joon si can do now is to PRAY for those blood vessels which will just burst any minute NOT TO burst ! . what i am saying is ..the monent you leave this room . if there should be any mishap , you can die once your blood vessel burst . You fool!

================

in other words

Kwon oh joon has a time bomb in his head : once the blood vessel burst , that's it .

more cruelly ...for dal rae

it meant ...he can just disappear any minute ..like her husband did

this remind me so much of bok so in Ruler of your own world. .

everytime he has headache , we were scared his time bomb was going off

[Guest vkkkim]

You ching-gus are welcome. Am glad to be able to contribute to the thread. Been lurking around a lot but didn't have time until this Chinese New Year break.

I guess all along that something unpleasant is going to happen at the end, but still feel bitter about the latest development.

I love the storyline esp. the virtues that it portrays on the various relationships: the friendship between OhJoon and ManDoo (thou ManDoo may have his own reasons to be close to OhJoon); the family tie amongst DalRae, SoonDae and MIL, and between JinGoo and the Boss. Very sweet and heart warming . . .

Hope to contribute more whenever I can

[Guest hjkomo]

Thank you vkkkim for the translations. Please continue to contribute! I didn't have a chance to read your post when I got home from work, and I just went ahead and translated because someone *cough, wine drinker from the Rockies, cough* tracked me down this afternoon with the request. (Btw, we won the game!!)

lilyrose, your welcome. Hope your cold gets better. I like liquid Tylenol Cold (tastes horrible, but good for congestion) or Theraflu (add lots of honey, then it tastes like lemon tea & it's really soothing on the throat) I was miserable over the holidays and a couple weeks after. Maybe, we need to make up some spells and chants to ward off the viruses.

In conclusion (I feel like I am in college and writing my 5-paragraph essay), while I watched 5 episodes of Robbers back to back (6, 7, 8, 9, and 11), I realized again just how refreshing this series is. It has all the hallmarks of melodramatic formula. It does not even purport to be anything but a typical formulaic drama. And yet, it is so originally executed that I found myself often wracking my brain to find equal or similar comparisons. I love that I started watching this. And I especially love the fact that I am getting to watch it with you all.

We should plan to move, en masse, to another GOOD show after this one ends.

Yes, this show is certainly refreshing because it is anything BUT typical and formulaic. I just hope they can continue in this vein.

I, unfortunately, haven't watched MISA yet and only know about the parody and that

So Ji Sub dies.

(I know, where have I been? And I call myself a kdrama addict? Ha!)

shirley's right about the MRI. (You're back from celebrating. Yay!) Are the Chinese subs out already, or do you understand that much Korean?

Here's my recap of the last part of the episode:

The MRI was taken before when OJ brought DR to the hospital and had a nosebleed. OJ took the MRI to try to seduce the pretty nurse and left without paying. The doctor said she didn't call OJ about the payment. She said the nosebleeds could have been from anything - stress, etc. This is something different. (It sure is!! Thank you writers for another anti-cliche moment: a non-terminal illness explanation for nosebleeds.) She was organizing MRI films and noticed his name. The date corresponded to the date that she ran into him at the hospital, and no other Kwon Oh Joon's had been at the hospital around that time. She tried not to have any concern for him, but in the end, she was a doctor, after all. She describes the x-ray (medical mumbo jumbo) and asks if he has lived while getting hit a lot. He says yes. She asks just how much was he hit that it resulted in this? -Quite a lot. The issue is that surgery would be difficult - it's too big. The pain must have been severe - how did he endure it? He got used to it.

OJ: What am I supposed to do? Take medicine? Ah, but I hate taking medicine.

Doc: Are you joking/playing around right now? The only thing you can do right now is hope that the blood vessels, that could burst at any moment, won't burst. You could walk out that door, and something could go wrong at any moment and you could die, you idiot!

I know that this was a serious, whack us with a bat and drop a ton of bricks on us scene, but I just couldn't help noticing one thing:

The doctor must have also been a serious fan of JEM...

[Guest sohapilee]

that shirtless Jang-hyuk in pic was so cool!!!

heehee

[Guest babymarzy07]

in other words

Kwon oh joon has a time bomb in his head : once the blood vessel burst , that's it .

more cruelly ...for dal rae

it meant ...he can just disappear any minute ..like her husband did

this remind me so much of bok so in Ruler of your own world. .

everytime he has headache , we were scared his time bomb was going off

thanks shirley for clearing that up! omg!! poor dalrae its so sad.. i feel so bad for her... oh joon ahhh, u ignored all the pain.. and yes, its reminiscent of ROYW.. sigh...

Yes, this show is certainly refreshing because it is anything BUT typical and formulaic. I just hope they can continue in this vein.

I, unfortunately, haven't watched MISA yet and only know about the parody and that

So Ji Sub dies.

(I know, where have I been? And I call myself a kdrama addict? Ha!)

really? many people avoided MISA because it was too depressing and yeah the whole SJS dying.. bad stuff.. major heartache..

I know that this was a serious, whack us with a bat and drop a ton of bricks on us scene, but I just couldn't help noticing one thing:

i cant agree with you more.. its like all of sudden a ton of bricks falling..

[Guest lucky_moon]

Did they show Ep12 yesterday cuz I couldn't find it anywhere..

[Guest o-cha]

I'm caught up with eps 11 now..so my stubby fingers are anxious to type now..hahaha

first of all vkkkim, hjkomo, shirley...thanks for explaining more on the dialogues..it really helped.

lilyrose : yaaaayyyy...you're all caught up now...gosh I should do the same one of these days a marathon of Robbers watching...hehehe.

imogene_af : dang girl..you are so eloquent with words..I get swept away reading your review.

cute girl : no eps 12 on Thu due to Lunar New Year programming...eps 12 will be playing next Wed instead.

hjkomo : hahahaha...major Jem fan for sure!

okay so now my jumble of thoughts from eps 11….

First of all I want to say that I really enjoyed episode 11. It definitely made me cry and laugh and I had a great time watching…so much so that I missed Lost…

Holy friggin goodness...the kitchen scene at Dal Rae's house is soooooooooooooo sweet. To tell you guys the truth I shed a happy tear over that. I almost feel guilty watching that scene...almost like I'm peeping into a loving family's house. In that scene my absolute favorite moment was when right after their rice finished cooking Dal Rae nudged Oh Joon to get the bowls. Right then Oh Joon stood in front of the sink and let out a small sigh, showed a little smile as he took 3 rice bowls. In that moment I can feel how happy Oh Joon was to be in that situation....he is now part of a family. He no longer has to eat alone and he can eat jib bap ('his own' family food). I just thought that is exactly the kind of things that I like about the drama…subtle yet memorable moments. This special moment was sandwiched in between the adorable cake eating scene and the ‘family’ dinner scene. I love the look on Soon Dae’s face as she absorbs the happiness of for the first time in her live eating with her mom and a father figure.

Gosh I can’t stop gushing over the chemistry between Oh Joon, Dal Rae and Soon Dae. When the three of them walked hand in hand together and when Soon Dae proudly showed off her ahjussi infront of her friends…love it! The three make such a lovely family together.

What else do I love from this episode? The scene of Dal Rae sitting in the gym listening to Oh Joon’s voice over and over was beautiful. She wanted to know how Oh Joon live his life….she wanted to understand what Oh Joon meant when he said he liked being at Dal Rae’s house because of its warmth (implying his house is cold). Strangely though with Dal Rae there, even by herself , the gym suddenly doesn’t look so cold anymore. Dal Rae is such a positive force that she brightens up everything around her. Okay I’m guessing this is probably all camera work but I can’t help noticing the different feel between the gym when Oh Joon was there versus when Dal Rae was there (and I’m not just talking about the gym being clean lol). And of course in the scene where Oh Joon came back Dal Rae’s face just lit up like a Christmas tree. The two hugged and it was such a happy, innocent hug. Somehow when I watched that scene it felt strangely like I was reminiscing of my childhood crush, first love, and all that is innocent and sweet. Isn’t it kind of ironic that we describe their hug as innocent even though Oh Joon is a con man? But that was exactly the impression that I got from that scene…innocent love.

I have given Jang Hyuk plenty of props in the past for his acting…and he sure did a good job again in episode 11…but I was really impressed with Lee Da Hae’s performance too. In the last few episodes she has impressed me with her acting skills. I can safely say she owns the Dal Rae character now. Having said all that about Jang Hyuk and Lee Da Hae…the episode clearly belongs to Kim Hae Sook in my opinion. Her portrayal as a woman in love and as a mother was dead on. She was able to bring out Soon Seom’s girly side (as a woman in love) and that of a mature woman (as a ‘mother’ to Dal Rae). I thought her dialogues were cleverly written and she delivered on her performance. I feel like I can understand her feelings when she learned about Oh Joon..okay the throwing the water at Oh Joon was way over the top and very clichéd but besides that she was absolutely wonderful this episode.

Now let’s not forget about Jin Goo. Truthfully I’m a little concerned about the development of his character in the future. Jin Goo is beginning to look pathetic now..what with all the threats towards Oh Joon. I wish they wouldn’t turn this character to be evil..because frankly that would be just out of character with this drama. I did enjoy his heated exchange with Oh Joon. The two guys were clearly sizing each other up and neither are willing to back down. Jin Goo with his money and Oh Joon with his physical strength. I admit I enjoyed the thumb push up scene..but who wouldn’t? hahaha.. Amidst all the posturing from the two guys I think deep down both of them felt insecure somewhat. Jin Goo feeling insecure because well…he is not good with women…and most importantly he can’t get Dal Rae’s love. Oh Joon on the other hand feeling insecure because he has no money and no education…he knows he can’t give Dal Rae anything else besides his love. The only thing that made Oh Joon confident to stand up to Jin Goo is Dal Rae’s love..that’s why I think he kept on saying things like “I can do this because of Dal Rae.” He doesn’t feel the cold because Dal Rae is with him; he could hit the heavybag without a glove because of Dal Rae; he could do the thumb push up because of Dal Rae; he could do all the other things because of Dal Rae. When I watched that exchange between Oh Joon and Jin Goo I get the sense that Oh Joon actually felt very insecure. He knew that Jin Goo would be a better match for Dal Rae but he still refused to accept the fact…instead he ended up doing all the silly stunts to try to make himself believe that he is the man for Dal Rae.

One thing that bugged me from this episode..and it seemed like it is the same thing that bugged everybody else…. the hospital scene…. I don’t like it. Yes I’m prepared for that but I was a bit disappointed in how they delivered that news to us. I don’t know…I can’t give any suggestion on how they should’ve done it..but somehow it didn’t feel right.

Now to end my thoughts on episode 11 --- a very enjoyable episode except for the hospital scene…it just felt out of place for me. But like I said I really enjoyed episode 11 and can’t wait for episode 12 next week.

Okay now I see people posting about the 'illness'...yeah how so convenient to say the nosebleed isn't from anything important...to think I researched webmd for nosebleed..hahaha. So me being the webmd snoop went back to that site to look for symptoms of brain aneurysm and sure thing nothing about nosebleed. I'm guessing maybe originally they wanted to do leukemia or cancer but decided to go with something a little different--hence brain aneurysm? Anyway if anyone is interested in finding out about brain aneurysm here's the link: http://www.webmd.com/brain/tc/brain-aneurysm-topic-overview