[Drama 2015] Answer Me 1988 응답하라 1988

[__jesse]

The Confession or Lack Thereof

DS didn’t suddenly fall in love with Taek in ep 17. Like Chinese herbal medicine, her feelings were brewing steadily over slow fire until they culminated in a moment of epiphany during the bridal swoop. Even though DS wasn’t consciously aware of her feelings, her actions revealed her inner feelings.

I love the way things panned out in the hotel. Neither DS nor Taek made a verbal confession, because it had come to a point where an old-fashioned confession speech wasn’t necessary at all. The feelings were mutual, and they both knew it.

The writer started setting up for this scene in ep 18, back in Taek’s room.

SW: Deoksun, you should sleep here too.
DS: Are you trying to ruin my future plans for marriage?

I have no idea how conservative Koreans were back in the ‘90s, but this dialogue suggested that members of opposite genders should never snooze in the same room, and if word got out, it would affect their marriage prospects. Side note: the way JH-DS-Taek were seated here clearly illustrated the love triangle's relationship map.

Now it becomes obvious what Taek was really saying in the hotel lobby.

Taek: Come to my room and sleep
DS: (blinks)
Taek: (blinks) I said, come to my room and sleep

He told DS to go to his room and sleep. It wasn’t a question; it wasn’t even a suggestion; it was a command. He understood the gravity of this proposal, and yet he repeated himself again. Taek was claiming responsibility for DS’ future.

Taek: Go sleep in the room, I’ll sleep (on the sofa)
DS: It’s OK, I’ll sleep on the sofa. You sleep in the room – you must’ve not been sleeping well.
Taek: How can I sleep, knowing that you’re sleeping on the sofa? After I eat medicine, it doesn’t matter if I sleep (on the sofa) or in the room

Despite having just staked a claim for DS, he offered to sleep on the sofa. How can anyone not love a man like that? Besides being such a gentleman, he also made it clear that she was his priority.

DS: You’re taking so many (sleeping pills) these days?
Taek: My body has become dependent on them

Taek had always been taking sleeping pills. It was nothing to be surprised about. Moreover, the pills came packed in white sachets. DS wouldn’t be able to notice any difference if she hadn’t been paying close attention to his medication over the years. And Taek’s following reply triggered a very important switch in DS’ love mechanism – her maternal instinct (which I’ve previously discussed in TK-DS’ shipping thread here).

DS: I heard that if you take too many, you might end up sleepwalking at night. Aren’t you afraid if that happens?
Taek: Hey, it’s not that serious yet. But if that’s the case, you must make sure you lock the room tonight. Who knows what I will do after taking these pills?

Here, Taek was openly flirting with DS. What he said was so suggestive. She warned that he might lose control of his physical body. He warned that he might lose control of his feelings, which he had kept under wraps for so long.

This naturally reminded DS of the last time Taek did something that crossed the line after taking sleeping pills. She let slip the kiss.

DS: Why, are you planning on kissing again?
Taek: So… it wasn’t a dream. Why… did you lie?
DS: I was afraid. We were friends, weren’t we? What if things became awkward? I don’t even dare to imagine what it’d be like if things became awkward with you.
Taek: (puts the pills down) What about now?
DS: Things may become awkward too now, right? But…

For 6 whole years, she kept it a tight secret. She couldn’t imagine living without Taek. But in light of all that just happened in the hotel that night, it was plain as day that their feelings were mutual. No words were needed at all. And I love how Taek put the pills down. He didn't need sleeping pills anymore because he has DS now. Awwwwwwww.

 

PS: Junghwan wasn’t Jungpaled, that’s a nasty word to use. DS didn’t mislead or torture him. That’s why she didn’t even need to give him a rejection per se. Junghwan was the one who chose to hesitate, to distance himself from DS, to confess for closure, and finally to give TK-DS his blessings. And he seemed happier and contented in ep 19, don’t you think?

[nat_phoenix88]

jungpal just got chilbonged more than chilbong himself (rainyday2909 on tumblr)

Totally agree with this one. At least Chilbong is better, he kissed NJ, he's honest, although we all know NJ doesn't love him but he did confession. Junghwan ah, too bad you just gave up like that ㅜㅜ

I know it's a drama, but drama is also cruel.

Still remember clearly, I couldn't enjoy the rest of Reply 1994 eps after heartbroken.

[onimenoniken]

I've got this from Wikipediaaa

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-4E9BPcvWX1U21vZ2pDVERHM2M

Taek is Deok Sun's Husband..... 

No more hopes for Jung Pal 

어남류 ㅠ ㅠ

[Cappadocia]

1 hour ago, hushhh said:

Five Stars on Dramabeans. The Jungpal shippers haven't gotten there yet.

http://www.dramabeans.com/2016/01/answer-me-1988-episode-19/

 

Don't worry. I'll still give it a 5 for every Junghwan scene alone
Can't deny the story is good. We just need time to accept it. Right now heart overrule the head.  

Congrats for all of taek shipper 

[hushhh]

2 minutes ago, pi2tni4ng said:

 

Don't worry. I'll still give it a 5 for every Junghwan scene alone
Can't deny the story is good. We just need time to accept it. Right now heart overrule the head.  

Congrats for your the taek shipper 

Thanks for your grace!

[like I have any thing to do with with this or any right to thank you] But anyway, your graciousness is  a relief.

[Cappadocia]

21 minutes ago, hushhh said:

Thanks for your grace!

[like I have any thing to do with with this or any right to thank you] But anyway, your graciousness is  a relief.

 

Just give us time to release all the pain.
It really is painfull, feels like we are the one that going through all of the heartbreak.
It won't be soon, so how many clues or reasons or anything people make will not make sense to us right now.

I was junghwan, fall for a boy since elementary school and can only get rid of that feeling at the end of high school. And it still left lingering feeling because I opened up to no one. 

Thank god, I was prepared for this outcome, but I cried and it's still  so painfull. 

Can't imagine for my fellow who put their bet 100% on junghwan. I hope all of us stay strong. Serious pain this show give 

and to all taek shipper I humbly ask to not kick a dead horse when it's already down, there is no need to come to jh-ds thread to rub it in their face. 

 

 

[nearsea]

Lol I am sorry for directly quoting the images from 'kkuljaem'...but this is exactly the things we *can maybe restrain from doing next time Reply is back on screen..

Mod edit: Pictures not related to the drama

 1. Reply 1997
"Should I not meet her?"
 

 

 Me: Huh? He must be the husband..
 

 

 2. Reply 1994
When it was revealed that Trash isn't Na Jung's biological oppa
 

 

Me: Huh? He's not her biological oppa? He's 100% the husband 

 

 

3. Reply 1994 

When Kim Jungpal cracked a smile watching Deoksun as an Olympic picket girl 

 

 

Me: Ya~hoo, that dude must be the one this time
I say EoNamRyu, You say confirmed~

--And the title was 'Husband confirmation scenes in Reply dramas'.

- I mean the last Reply came on '2013,so the fact that they took two years break,just makes me suspicious that the writer worked on her script for nearly one year or so,or else all these intricate clues/details would not have worked out.There's  this thing I remember we used to do in school,that is Arrange the sentences in correct order.So,I would always having a tough time to relate one with the other.My point is on this drama,have not we always gone back and forth with different missing hints to connect to the story? This won't have been possible and won't make sense if the writer did not have the answer in her mind from the start.Like look at this quote from dramabeans..that we hear from Deok Sun in the voice over..

'Deok-sun narrates: “Time flows and leaves behind parting and regret. If you love someone, you need to say it now. You have to say it before the time spent breathlessly living turns into regret. Perhaps the biggest gift left by time is the memory of having loved. So before it’s too late, overcome your embarrassment and confess: ‘To you, the one I love.'”[Ep:7]

And then when we later came back to JH's narrative,we saw how much that voiceover seemed like screaming his actions so far...

 “But fate and timing aren’t just coincidences that find you. They’re moments like miracles, that arise out of choices made because of ardent desire. Surrender and decision, without hesitation—that is what makes timing. He was more ardent, and I should’ve had more courage. It wasn’t the red lights, nor the timing that was bad… but the countless times I hesitated.”[Ep:18]

See that? It was always arranged this way from the beginning.Except that the writer interrupted the Order of the incidents.So that's why,when we see Deok sun is doggedly pursuing JH to go on concert with her,at the same time she's spending time with TK in china,managing his wardrobe,even wearing his own clothes as her own.Because of the conventional tropes of Kdramas,we missed the connection,the message writer tried to deliver.So I won't so easily state that writer has readily changed the script,influenced by audience pressure,or for sticking up to the success of this drama.Rather I would take her determination,and tenacity of 'living by her words that she wants to do what she wants..and write the story as she thinks it should be' as a source of inspiration here lol.It does take a huge amount of courage and confidence to do so and come out delivering.

[mimo11]

i don't like taek as the husband, i don't like it, but i know i have to accept it. time will heal, time will heal, time will heal me (try to believe). even if i feel cheated by the writer right now, when the next reply series is announced (if they ever make one again) i know i will be hyped to watch again (i guess the husband wrong twice now). 
i wish we will get something different for the next one, maybe a wife hunt. and i would love if the husband is someone with character like dongryong.  

well, congrats to taek shipper. 

[short64]

Its fun when i read all of posts. I have few ideas to share. 

1. There are few posts said that TK and DS have not much scenes together. Well, there are not much scenes of JH and DS either. Reply 1994 seems to be more focus on families than who is the husband. Even you can see the limit of 2016 scenes. And i love how the drama give us the love from family, and friendship, the love of young and old and the differences. I enjoy all of their dreams and how they try to find their dreams. 

2. During drama, i was hoping TK will be one-side love. It has own beauty. And like JH said in ep 18, fate is not everything, time is more than that, and he knows he has lost a lot of time because of his hesitated. I saw its as a beauty of JH, how he grow up and how realised what he should have done. He gave up in the good way. I love to see people have one-side love, they have something deep in their heart and it always beautiful. 

3. Seriously, i dont really get it why people get too deep into JH-DS and TK-DS relationship. The whole picture is more than that. The heartbreak and the love are the message from write, at the end drama is the way writer try to communicate with their audience. See what you was crying and laughing for every week. 

4. I vote for SW's mom and TK's dad. They are so cute! 

[nanaya]

Is anyone live streaming tvn atm?  Am I the only one getting sound but no picture?  Does anyone have a working link?

[darafangirl29]

2 hours ago, Shorti Inji said:

I'm live streaming tonight!!!!!!!!! (my first time for this drama.)

Mod edit Off topic

it will be a fun experience to livestream

watch out for the following CF.. you will love them.

 

 

 

thanks @Phuong Tam Nguyen for the links. 

 

 

 

[kimyoungah]

Just have opened this account for posting in this thread ^^ I have been a silent reader of Soompi for a very very long time, perhaps since 2011 or so. I rarely stream live due to bad internet access, but today decided to try. Could anyone please PM me stream links tonight? ^^ So much thank 

[hushhh]

This is not meant as a dig at any of our full-hearted shippers.

But now that I see the deeply broken hearts littered across this forum I have a better understanding of k-drama mother's who won't approve (usually) their son's marriage no matter how good the girl or how deeply their sons love those girls because those girls were not the end game they knew in their hearts their sons will achieve.

[Intimate]

13 minutes ago, nanaya said:

Is anyone live streaming tvn atm?  Am I the only one getting sound but no picture?  Does anyone have a working link?

Same since I tried to use it  15 minutes ago it's still not working.

[moonkeeper]

Thank you @Meliere for defending TK -DS shippers..Hands down ^^..... I understand some JH shippers are not prepared to see the worst possibilities that might happen on their SHIP...it becoz they never had a single doubt that JH is not the husband and its not really advisable to do so coz even in real life there such thing "Impossible and Possible "..It exist...

People tend to make a mistakes, we're humans its normal, if your judgement is wrong, accept and learn from it.. don't blame to script, writers, producers, or even character.. they work hard to entertain, educate and inspired us, if this drama is not beneficial for you..just forget it..

TK, DS, JH, SW, DR, BR- Thank you for inspiring us...

and now for TK-DS shippers 

TAEKTANIC is now  TAEKING OVER

We don't know who you are. We don't know what you want..What we have are a very particular set of skills; skills we have acquired over a very long career. Skills that make our post a nightmare for a shippers like you. If you will accept that Taek is the husband now, and stop bashing anyone that'll be the end of it. We will not look for you, we will not pursue you. But if you don't, we will look for you, we will find you, and we will give you the right clues.”  LOL..^__^

Taek is Taeken now... Nice catch DS ^^

gifs-credit to @hafunohane

^____^ for more clues and information , please visit TK-DS dangerous room..hihihihih..

[unnie_moonie_stv]

15 hours ago, haesi said:

 

After the kiss in the hotel, in the present day interview, you can hear DS and the husband talking, even though you can't see them. DS scolds her husband that he said their first kiss was in 1989, because back then, she was still in high school and he should think about his image, because he is a public person and the people think he is like a saint or something. The husband says he is sorry, he forgot that back then she was still in high school, because he didn't go to school himself.

Well, that's pretty much it with the husband hunt, I guess.

I  will be never sure until the last minute of the final episode. The writers seem very good at trolling viewers like me

[Cappadocia]

For me..even if I know that taek is the end game, and I forced my self to watch the drama again using taek shipper google,

No matter the amount of clues, evident, reasons or anything that is make sense in this worlds, I will still always..always..always choose, cheer on, liking , loving and cherish junghwan. Heart goes where hearts want to go. 

Taek can get ds, having the best time of his life with her but I just don't care, not as much as I  care for Junghwan.

I want all the best things for him in his kdrama life. A soulmate, a happy family, a happy life. 

Most of the JunghwanxDs shipper now are team JunghwanxHappiness.....

(From  the jhds forum and the group chat that I follow, None of the more vocal (major) junghwanxds shippers want ds for junghwan now.. They don't want it at all)

 

[kpopjunkie]

The normal stream link I use has sound but no video. 

I found another better stream link, PM and I'll send it to you

x 

[tara97]

there's still 1 hour left , but i opened the live streming but ep 19 is on ... is it always like that ? do they show the previous ep before the new one

[Nikkaquarian]

sorry for the long post 

Reasons why reply 1988 is a drama that will always be unique to me:

1. Poverty

This is the first time i have watched a cable drama that portrays being poor so realistically, not the typical, "oh-i-work-part-time-and-is-extra-poor-but-i-got-the-latest-samsung-phone-and-expensive-set-clothing" we see the characters struggle like what normal people experience,i especially empathized when DS didn't even had to ask an extra pair of shoes because she knows they can't afford it, or that how i had to work hard to get things i wanted (her walkman) and how desperate i was to get it because no one would just hand it to me like the rich kids. When SW's mom was crying of how can they be so unfortunate that they're losing their house, i was bawling my heart out. Because me and a lot of people know well what's it like to have nothing and even lose more than that. It hurts even more to feel so helpless, and they covered that area so perfectly.

And This is the first in the reply series where they started not financially stable. 

97' :they had a big house and she had her own room and the dad was a famous baseball coach the mother cooks unbelievably large portions 

94' : the dad was still a famous baseball coach but this time they have a boarding house full of kids who live well, the mother cooks unbelievably large portions 

but 88': the dad only has a highschool diploma, worked for a bank for thirty years and they live in a basement, fighting over who gets the fried egg. 

 

And yet despite all these hardships, struggles and shed tears, all of them were able to push through, bora became a lawyer, deoksun became a flight attentant and sunwoo became a doctor who recieved a scholarship. It shows that your situations dont determine your fate, it's how you handle them.

2. Quiet Love

 

is anyone else here a lot like jh, mi ran and bora when it comes to expressing how they feel? Not just romantically, but from their friends to their parents. You ever appreciate their existence but never say "i love you" but do things that would show exactly that. When JH's mom awkwardly hugged him so stiffly i laughed my heart out because that's exactly how i am with my family. We're never the type to hug and kiss and say i love you three times a day, and they really showed that type of love that i've never seen before. i find it too cheesy to tell my parents i love them face to face, but i give them gifts and do things that would help them to let them know and it's so comforting to see it represented.

3. Historical Activism 

 

I've said it before and I'd say it again: Bora is a unique a character that you won't ever see again in a decade. Not just because she puts herself first, is strong willed, smart with a great common sense but because of her patriotism and activism. She's a significant character that represents activists during her time who shaped korea today. She's actively done something. My country also has a lot of activists during that era, but i wonder, why don't I ever see them on tv? Seeing her was like a breath of fresh air, finally! a character that changed her country and did what she can in every way that she could!  and this isn't the typical "i will fight the rich mother in law BY THE POWER OF LOVE" she fought for something REAL. Something you read on history books, something you hear from professors and koreans in real life, she risked herself for a movement. and that, well, thats .....amazing. 

 

4. Respect for Mise en scene 

this was one of my assignments when i studied basic filmmaking, to look at the settings. That alone can determine how good a drama can be.  And what I noticed the most on a lot of cable dramas on any country, is that if the character's rich, they'd give them a nice clean home, with stairs and everything so splendid and clean and spotless, and if the character's poor, well there's a cabinet and mat then we're good. But in the entire reply series, they just, how do i explain this, they're perfectionists. Their props are limited because it has to be historically accurate, and yet absolutely all of it has a significance and we know why they're there. The old exercise posters at ds' room? it's because she looks at it the morning and follows this routine, and we see scenes of her exercising.  the sewing machine on SW's house? because his mother makes her own clothes so on and so on. And it's so accurate to the point where i get nostalgic, because the setting is respected and researched.

5. Healthy Relationships

Every single character and their connection with one another had no factors of it being toxic. Mi ran gets depressed and we have Jh's dad putting his arm around her and saying nothing, fully respecting and understanding her melancholy. DR runs away and all his friends dont even think twice on getting there to help him. SW goes to BR when he needs advice, and she goes to him even when she thinks she doesn't need it. JH and JB love each other that doesn't even need words, they admire each other in a whole different level. And  DS and TK caring for each other in everything they do, seeing one another grow and with maturity and respect as they develop to deeply love one another. This portrayal is what we see everyday, we experience it, live through it, see it on other people . the encouragement of it is just something i find very rare on dramas, how each of them don't feel the need to complete one another, because they're already whole as individuals.

 

-------

Thank you for reading the whole post, this is my last long post/ enumeration/ analysis on this thread, I'm posting this now because i'll be livecapping later and will probably be crying to even type anything when it ends. so now we only got 1 hour left before the final episode, and after everything is done I have to go back to working on my college work as a design student, (i had to put off 2 projects to focus on 88' this is the impact this show has on me) and will probably not go back on soompi until another reply franchise emerges.

It was a wonderful ride seeing all of you smart and analytical men and women come together in one drama.  Let's have our long discussions in two years again guys!