[Drama 2017] Circle 써클

[hmseen]

Yikes!!!!! I am still behind trying to play catch up with Circle... and yet to finish my Lookout! and the other dramas towing in line... I need more time... ...yelp yelp!

[craptelly]

Finally finished watching Ep 2 with subs...

Ep 2 pretty much established that Woojin is Joonhyuk (unless it's some very elaborate red herring) - with the rubik's cube, his friendly relationship with Dongsoo and the habit of pinching his eyebrows, the way he gives Dongsoo deadlines (10mins vs 5days), Joonhyuk's flashback... His flashback is kinda tricky though because it showed both Bumgyun and Woojin's POV based on the camera angles. 

I do wonder if the return of Joonhyuk's memories was triggered by going to the Smart Earth or has it always been on-going. The symptoms were indeed similar to Kim Minji's.

[Michelle Gonzalez]

On 5/25/2017 at 2:49 AM, craptelly said:

Finally finished watching Ep 2 with subs...

Ep 2 pretty much established that Woojin is Joonhyuk (unless it's some very elaborate red herring) - with the rubik's cube, his friendly relationship with Dongsoo and the habit of pinching his eyebrows, the way he gives Dongsoo deadlines (10mins vs 5days), Joonhyuk's flashback... His flashback is kinda tricky though because it showed both Bumgyun and Woojin's POV based on the camera angles. 

I do wonder if the return of Joonhyuk's memories was triggered by going to the Smart Earth or has it always been on-going. The symptoms were indeed similar to Kim Minji's.

I think is more maybe is similar to kim min ji. Woo Jin is Joon hyun the evident prove it but i think on teaser ep 3 said about blue bird and the alien. His trying to find his brother.  The chairman i think more of the father but the skin look st a young man near the gloves.  The guy reporting look nervously to him. Also i think the chip was make by woo jin.

[larus]

First Impressions: “Circle” Proves To Be Epic Sci-Fi Drama That’s Not Afraid To Be Dark

arianakwelsh May 24, 2017

If, as a K-drama fan, you haven’t decided to suddenly live under a rock and forgo all news of Korean entertainment, then you’ve probably heard of the new K-dramas coming out, all with tough characters and adrenaline-racing plots. One such K-drama is “Circle.” I’d already seen the posters and read the synopsis, which looked amazing. However, as a “My Love From the Star” fan, I assumed I’d get a cute K-drama vibe with a cool alien that had difficulty understanding the human race. Instead, I got an entirely unique K-drama with a mysterious sci-fi plot that terrified me….at least, in a good way.

More https://www.soompi.com/2017/05/24/first-impressions-circle-proves-epic-sci-fi-drama-thats-not-afraid-dark/

[larus]

I did not watch yet the first episode. I am excited to start watching this drama.

I am glad more people has joined the discussion.

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Circle" Episode 1

http://www.hancinema.net/hancinema-s-drama-review-circle-episode-1-106232.html

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Circle" Episode 2

http://www.hancinema.net/hancinema-s-drama-review-circle-episode-2-106292.html

[AlexandraReid]

Circle: Episode 1

 

Circle began with a literal bang this week, and after months of trying to find a fix for my drama slump, I’m almost hyperventilating at how good it is so far. I was nervous because I didn’t know whether the two timelines would mesh, or whether the whole dystopian future would be executed well. But, almost everything, from the fast pacing to the rich background stories to the high-quality acting, is on point. So without further ado, I give you Circle.

EPISODE 1 RECAP (Part 1: Beta Project)

In the year 2007, two young children walk alone in the woods with a bike between them, moonlight guiding their way through the dark. The younger brother asks his older sibling: “How did you find me? Twin telepathy?” The older brother scoffs at the idea and tells his younger brother not to go wandering off into the mountains anymore.

The younger twin, KIM WOO-JIN, keeps telling his older brother, KIM BUM-GYUN, that this time, he’s sure: He’s convinced that aliens and UFOs are real. Bum-gyun asks for evidence, and Woo-jin is happy to oblige: Exhibit #1 is the fog, but the older brother explains it away by temperature difference. Exhibit #2 is a burnt pine cone, but this is similarly explained away by the presence of local lumberjacks who also work in the area.

Spoiler

Suddenly, a white light beams from the sky, seeming to chase them menacingly. They get on bike to flee, but it keeps following them. Faster and faster, Bum-gyun pedals as streetlights burst when they pass along the street. A truck almost runs into them because of the bright light, but it misses them by a hair and crashes.

The bike falls when a light from the other direction comes toward them — but it’s the headlight of a car that stops in front of them. It’s their father, KIM KYU-CHUL (Kim Joong-ki), who comes out of the vehicle, and he runs to save them from the strange bright light.

Spoiler

 

After the ball of light descends from the sky, a huge supernova-like blast occurs, blinding the family trio. When they finally open their eyes, they see that the light contains a humanoid figure. And as it materializes, it crystallizes into a naked human female form (Gong Seung-yeon).

She walks toward them, and Woo-jin says that his final evidence is “Exhibit #3: an alien.” She collapses, and he approaches her fallen form as his father and his twin call him back.

Spoiler

Ten years later, a college-age Kim Woo-jin (Yeo Jin-gu) walks past the crowd of protesting Handam Science and Technology University students while another classmate calls after him. He ignores the calls and makes his way to a classroom where only he and Professor PARK DONG-GUN (Han Sang-jin) are present, and he proceeds to take an exam.

As soon as he walks out, he’s confronted by his some other classmates, who heckle him for not upholding their boycott of the exam. The boycott was to show support for the protest that’s happening outside to urge the school’s president to step down for condoning brutal academic competition and fostering a harsh learning environment. 

 

However, Woo-jin isn’t having any of it, because as a scholarship student, he needs to stay at the top of the class to maintain his free tuition. So he sarcastically quips back a thanks for an easy first place exam when the others try to make him feel bad for his choice to take it. As he leaves them, a phone call from his grandmother’s hospice reminds him that he’s late on this month’s payment. 

We next see him adjusting his makeup in a mirror, since it turns out that he’s working a part-time job as a female ghost in a haunted house. He scares one child who begins to cry, and immediately feeling guilty for scaring him, Woo-jin begins making funny faces with two lollipops. But this only serves to make the elementary schooler cry harder, and so Woo-jin gives him both candies as he scientifically explains the fear of supernatural entities away. 

 

Read more:: http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/05/circle-episode-1/

---

Im enjoying this drama so far eventhou theres a lot of confusing scenes 

[craptelly]

Lee Jungjae and Yeo Jingoo were guests in a KBS radio show to promote their movie, Warriors of the Dawn. At the end of the show, Lee Jungjae made Yeo Jingoo promote Circle <3

 

[AlexandraReid]

Team Dramabeans: What we’re watching

by DB Staff

 

 

javabeans

• Circle: Swoon. I’m in sci-fi nerd heaven. There’s so much here that gets me excited: the mystery connecting the two time periods, the whodunnit case, the false utopia with the sinister government putting “Care Chips” in people’s heads to keep them “safe,” the dystopian wasteland outside the Smart Earth, the brilliant performance by Yeo Jin-gu, rascally Kim Kang-woo… The show feels fresh and innovative—it’s not reinventing the wheel, but it’s bringing something new to dramaland, which excites me; what feelings of familiarity it did evoke were all positive ones. The future storyline reminds me of the Asimov stories I cut my science-fiction teeth on, with its vaguely Caves of Steel-like puzzle of how crime arises in a place where crime isn’t supposed to be possible. I am all in on this one.

 

girlfriday

• Circle: I’m still warming to this split-episode storytelling where the two timelines are told as separate parts. It’s jarring at first, and in the premiere I got mad that we weren’t with Yeo Jin-gu anymore and still had half an episode left to go. But now that the connecting threads are starting to show, I’m slowly becoming more invested in the two worlds; plus, the human experimentation in the future world is starting to creep me out in a good way.

 

HeadsNo2

• Circle: I like it. Yeo Jin-gu is amazing in everything, and I really dig a show that’s trying to be something we’ve never quite seen before. It just so happens that Circle is a little bit of everything we’ve seen in sci-fi before (I’m getting Equilibrium vibes more than anything, but name any dystopian future movie and you won’t be too far off the mark), but it’s trying, and it just may pay off dividends. I’m all in either way, though I have no idea where it’s going just yet. And that’s probably the best part.

 

tipsymocha

• Circle: Yaaas. This is everything I wanted it to be. The mysteries are compelling, the pace is intense, and best of all, it’s completely unpredictable! This is the kind of sci-fi you don’t find often enough in dramaland, so I’m going to savor it as much as I can while it lasts.

 

source

[larus]

On 5/25/2017 at 1:00 PM, Michelle Gonzalez said:

 The chairman i think more of the father but the skin look st a young man near the gloves.  The guy reporting look nervously to him. Also i think the chip was make by woo jin.

 

I think the chairman is someone close to Woo Jin too. The father or the brother will be more twisted but maybe he is the famous Bluebird or one of the professsors. I am curious how the twins got separated and what happen with Bum-gyun.  Joon-Hyuk is Woo jin and he had the cip too.Does he remember what happen to him?  How did he escape? The father disapairing with an alien woman and never comes back, now the brother is missing. I am curious how will be the meeting between Joon hyuk and Han Jung-Yeon in the present. 

I find funny the slow-motion coat flipping scene when detective Hong was entering the scene with the western movie soundtrack "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" in the background.

[jongski]

 Thanks for all the updates everyone here! <3<3

Because eps 1-2 has been sub, I'm about to watch this right now.  This kind of drama is better to watch with the sub as it's new concept and to fully understand. I mentioned in the first few pages of the drama, I am confused 2017 / 2037 and I've been wishing since the start for YJG and KKW to have confrontation scenes.  About to start now.. I'll share my thoughts once I'm done.

 

[rittoo]

I must be the only one who's unhappy with the drama. It's only been 2 episodes till now so everything is still possible and I'll give it time obviously. Maybe I'm only dissapointed because the second parts seem better than the first. In a drama you need suspence and depth but also a bit of a comic relief to be able to breathe, of course there are also stories that are only dark but then the story needs to be deeper and the characters more relatable so that the viewers can bear the tension and constant low that makes it hard to breathe. The part ones of this series seem like a mess to me right now, Yeo jin goo's character seems to be running around in despair all the time, never calming down for a minute, looking like somebody is chasing him with a gun 24/7. I wonder whether it's his acting or whether the director wants him to be like this, I feel like ever since orange marmalade his superb and diverse acting has been reduced to looking haunted and stressed all the time almost throughout all this works.

[larus]

Circle: Episode 2

by festerfaster

So, this is what it’s like to have your expectations exceeded… and then blown away. Circle is a science fiction thriller out of my dreams, and the storytelling is so confident that I’m instantly reassured. This tale is less about aliens as we think of them — UFOs and long-limbed humanoids — and more about the consequences of freely giving up a part of yourself so that you can live without pain and misery. Who would refuse such a gift? But the show seems to be asking us: Is it such a blessing after all?

more http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/05/circle-episode-2/

[jongski]

@bebebisous33@larus

Just finished Eps 1-2.  I actually enjoyed the drama..well 2017 parts.

I have my theories. who's who. But I could be wrong. The unanswered  questions or confusion  lies in 2017 parts and scenes .

Also. I'm a bit unsure about main theme though we know it's  humans and aliens and a brave new world / future 2037 and how life exist.  But in 2017 it's more of, a young man's obsession about proving that  aliens exist amongst the humans and that it should be  eliminated and another young man's quest to seek the truth which will actually make for a good story sans 2037 parts.

First thing that came to mind with last scene of ep 2 - chairman is the father... or one of the two professors. I thought of the  BG as well but I also thought WJ is JH because of habits we saw.  But then I change my mind because in one of the scene, the other detective said to WJ he needs to solve the case of the missing twins. But who knows what's going on with the writer's mind, right?

  2037 part. 

I'll be honest I ff some scenes. I got bored in a way with 2037 smart world/ smart earth / care chip / stable care.  The humor felt out of place in some scenes.

For the care chip, 1)  does it control emotions  and actions of the population of smart earth? because of that care chip, the world they inhabit is free from crime- but it's not to besince  somebody was kidnapped-- in smart world. 2)  WJ has care chip embedded? 3), they don't trust him?

2017 part.

YJG! I want to see him more more more. See his acting skills!

I like and prefer this part. It was more exciting, more mysterious, more drama induced  emotions. I guess.  JH always felt like the older bro instead as he has to care BG.  I felt his cold lonely existence. The dad left.  But since it's vague why,  I (or we?) assume the alien girl took him? he went with her and left the kids? This early, I'm gonna say BG as a kid was always right all along that and growing up, he wanted to proved to JH that that aliens exist, that he's not crazy person.

Overall, I enjoyed  the drama and the intrigue, though not the type  I would heap praises over the moon. However the concept and story is something fresh to kdrama viewers. so good for the network to try something out of the comfort zone of viewers. Though this type of drama, is something I'd likely see in jdrama, I suppose.

@rittoo

I'm no drama purist but I get you. YGJ is always top notch acting! I've not watched his last two dramas but I want see him in old  fashion kdrama. A very good story and  really well written 16- 20 eps family drama and be amazed with his wonderful excellent acting!

I'll be checking  eps 3-4.  and if I still like it. I'll continue. And I'm not sure about others, but knezt/blogers/reviewers doesn't influenced how I feel about a drama.

 

[bebebisous33]

@jongski I haven't finished watching the episode 2 yet, but I have to say that I loved the first episode. Both parts are intriguing. Striking is how KBG is determined to prove that aliens exist and they are dangerous, while his younger brother is denying their existence, although he was the one who believed in the existence of aliens in the first place. Yet, after being rescued by the alien, I have the impression that for KJW, it was not important if she was an alien or not, as she had saved him. Basically, she acted on her emotions to a certain extent. I do agree that his brother is blaming the alien that their father abandoned them, yet I sense that KBG could be wrong about this. I'll write more later about it.

[jongski]

5 hours ago, bebebisous33 said:

@jongski I haven't finished watching the episode 2 yet, but I have to say that I loved the first episode. Both parts are intriguing. Striking is how KBG is determined to prove that aliens exist and they are dangerous, while his younger brother is denying their existence, although he was the one who believed in the existence of aliens in the first place. Yet, after being rescued by the alien, I have the impression that for KJW, it was not important if she was an alien or not, as she had saved him. Basically, she acted on her emotions to a certain extent. I do agree that his brother is blaming the alien that their father abandoned them, yet I sense that KBG could be wrong about this. I'll write more later about it.

  Yes,  alien in the form of the  girl, saved JW from the cars crashing  right thru the restaurant.  You're right about the emotion part. because in 2037, I asked if emotions rule and control  especially after being embedded with care chips. From how I understood the  2037, everyone has care chip hence the  smart earth is free from all crimes as it rules their emotion.  I cannot really eloquently put my thoughts but  it' something to that effect.

I'll wait for your thoughts.  Always love to read  them <3

[larus]

“Circle” Cast Members Reveal Their Ratings Promise

U. Kim May 27, 2017

 

The cast members of tvN’s “Circle” will be doing something special when the drama hits 3 percent viewer ratings!

“Circle” premiered on May 22 and recorded 2.9 percent ratings, while its second episode gathered 2.3 percent ratings.

On May 28, the drama’s production team revealed images of cast members Yeo Jin Goo, Kim Kang Woo, Gong Seung Yeon, Highlight’s Lee Gi Kwang, and An Woo Yeon holding up signs that read, “When ‘Circle’ exceeds 3 percent ratings, we will give out coffee to 300 people.”

 

/

more https://www.soompi.com/2017/05/27/circle-cast-members-reveal-ratings-promise/

[bebebisous33]

@jongski @larus @MiAmour To me, the chairman seems to be the lost brother Kim BG and not the father but it is not 100% sure. First, it is quite clear that Kim Joon Hyuk is Kim Woo Jin and then we see that the chairman has the cellphone of KBG, another clue that he could be the brother. In my opinion, this drama could be about a fight between two brothers. The beginning of Circle shows us how KBG and KWJ used to be very close, KBG would always know where his brother was aso. Yet with the appearance of the "alien" and the departure of their father, KBG was so hurt that he started blaming the alien for this. For KWJ, KBG is suffering from PDST and he wants to do anything to stop his brother from becoming obsessed with the alien. He is the one who mentioned that erasing memories could be the best way to treat PDST. In the preview, when KWJ tries to search for his lost brother, he mentions that he doesn't care if KBG would be sent to jail or to the mental institut, as long as he would be found. His wish reveals that he sees his brother as kind of delusional therefore I believe that KWJ is the one who wanted to create the chip in order to use it as a treatment on his brother. I have the impression that KBG realised it and used the chip against his own brother. He implanted it in KWJ. He made sure that his brother would lose his memories (like f. ex. he felt that taking care of his older brother was very burdensome) so that he would forget how his brother had been in the past.

However, we can see that the chip card is defect. It can only suppress memories for a while, but at some point the brain remembers. That's why Kim MJ was suffering from headaches and the memories would resurface. The second man who was attacked was indeed involved in the kidnapping. We saw the memories from KMJ and there was a man standing behind the first victim. @craptelly I believe that KJH has been suffering from the headaches for quite some time because he already had a bottle full of pills. Moreover, the detective mentioned that he should look for his sibling!! So he definitely knows that KJH is related to KBG and KWJ but he has not regained his entire memories. They are little by little resurfacing. However, he has forgotten his true identity.

Since he had a chip in his head, we can assume that KJH used to live in New Earth but he escaped from it. The detective must have recognised him but he decided to help him hence he gave him a new identity.

Sure, there is another possibility that the professor could be somehow involved in it and he used the brothers in order to get what he wanted. Then he could be the chairman too. Don't forget that one of the students who committed suicide was working for that professor. There is something going on at this university that's why HJY is investigating the brother KBG as she thought, he could be involved in the mysterious deaths at the university. Moreover, the professor could have known about KWJ's past and family as well. The bullying student mentioned his brother, which indicates that it is well known that KBG has been sent to prison and a mental institut.

Maybe the woman appearing in the beginning (the so called alien) was sent there to start the whole thing (New Earth), since the title of this drama is Circle! Interesting is that for KBG, the existence of the alien is connected to the departure of the father (hence he resents the alien), whereas KWJ's memories are connecting the alien to the rescue. She saved his life therefore he doesn't judge her in a bad way.  This underlines that memories can have a different impact on the life of people. While KBG wants to prove its existence in order to have a scapegoat, KWJ is acting the other way because he feels indebted towards her. He doesn't care about her existence as she saved his life.

As for Lee Ho Soo, I am wondering if he didn't suffer from PTSD as well. Notice his reaction, when he sees a dead or an injured body. He can not control his emotions. In my opinion, he is very sensitive, when it comes to violence indicating that he might have witnessed something terrible in the past. Interesting is that LHS keeps his flat so clean, unlike KBG who left his belongings on the floor. As you can see, LHS could be the missing brother and the chairman is someone who used the brothers (then the chairman would the professor).

Now, there is another person: bluebird!! Who is it? This could be the father... No one has ever met him but he was mentioned in 2017 and 2037. While in 2017, people seems to suspect him to be involved in the suicides, in 2037 bluebird seems to be working against New Earth as he has access to the Supercomputer and can read chip cards.

What do you think? Which supposition do you prefer?

[Netka85]

Knetz reaction after episode 1 appear

 

tv Report via Naver: 'Circle' Yeo Jin Goo X Ahn Woo Yeon go missing... can Kim Kang Woo find them in 2037?

 

1. [+841, -72] Wow it's been a while since I became a fan of a tvN drama ♡ The content is refreshing, suspenseful and the directing of the future scenes is daebak

 

2. [+706, -48] Yeo Jin Goo is a visual genius, acting genius, voice genius. The drama was marketed as a sci fi but it's still vague to call it sci fi at this point.. seems like a thriller but like a sitcom tooㅋ But what genre it falls under isn't important, it's one of those stories that people will either like or dislike but I love the cast and the plot is pretty clever

 

3. [+606, -59] Kim Kang Woo is one of the brothers

 

4. [+385, -41] I love that the story is moving so fast

 

5. [+152, -12] When they shifted to year 2037, wow that was scary.. the directing is jjang

 

6. [+154, -22] Yeo Jin Goo and Kim Kang Woo's acting is proven to be great... Lee Kikwang took me by surprise ㅋㅋㅋ

 

7. [+139, -18] The acting is pretty good overall. Especially Lee Kikwang, I forgot for a moment that he was a singer. But Gong Seung Yeon didn't have that much screen time, I hope they give her more in coming episodes

 

 

cr. the oryginal owner, tranl. kkul-jaem.blogspot.com

[bebebisous33]

@larus @MiAmour @jongski I have a new theory: I have come to realise that this New Earth's function could be something much more terrible. What if it was created to hide crimes so that perpetrators can escape from the justice system? 

KMJ was living there and her memories from her kidnapping had been erased. So if there is no charge from the victim, the criminal can not be condemned for his crime. We saw KMJ's memories in which we could distinguish that two persons were involved in the kidnapping: GMW got arrested but in the end, he was not condemned. I suspect the friend of KMJ's father was in reality involved. Let just say that officially, New Earth is promoting her world that there is no crime, but unofficially the perpetrators can use that system and ask the administration from New Earth to erase the memories from the victims and their own as well so that no one can ever claim that a crime has been indeed committed. With no witness and without memories, it is impossible to prove that something bad happened.

Sure, for that the criminals must pay a huge price!!  All the cold cases are somehow connected to the New World. I have the impression that KBG did witness something terrible: a crime, yet no one would believe him. Especially, when it comes to the so called "suicides" at the University, this would definitely fit in: the mastermind had to find a method to cover up his crimes.  

[larus]

2 hours ago, bebebisous33 said:

Now, there is another person: bluebird!! Who is it? This could be the father... No one has ever met him but he was mentioned in 2017 and 2037. While in 2017, people seems to suspect him to be involved in the suicides, in 2037 bluebird seems to be working against New Earth as he has access to the Supercomputer and can read chip cards.

 

Woo Jin was teaching a young man and that boy became a famous hacker. I am sure that he is Bluebird, as I remember the young actor being mentioned to play a hacker. It makes sense.

Spoiler

 

 

It is too early for me to try to put the pieces of the puzzle on the table or to come up with a theory. We`ll found out soon other informations. So far, I have a few questions/ curiosities. Why the father left? What was the purpose of the alien to take him away from his family and where the alien took him? The students that are dying at the University, are subjects of an experiment? The professor is involved in all this? They are trying the alien technology? If the air in Normal Earth is soo poluted, how it is possible that only that island/ New Earth to have a good air? They have a technology to filter the air? It seems that the microchip is not without faults just like any device out there. About the chairman.... my first thought is that he could be Beom-Gyoon but I really don`t want that. Everything is possible at this stage. It is too early to say. Thinking about this, the chaiman must be someone who orchestrated the whole thing, to mastermind behind using the alien technology and that`s not the twin. If it is Beom Gyoon, that means he was caught and then controled by this teqnology. I have a feeling, Han Jung-Yeon is not the mastermind, she is a tool as well.

We will find more informations. Joon-Hyuk aka Woo Jin will find Bluebird in New Earth? Maybe he will help him to find answers.