[Drama 2017] Save Me, 구해줘

[AlexandraReid]

[HanCinema's Drama Review] "Save Me" Episode 16 Final

 

The Boat to Salvation is a slippery devil and the time has come for a solid shake on its not-so-divine structure. All of our characters choose their alliances and enact their final wishes as our heroine marches to her salvation and our heroes steel themselves to help end this once and for all. There are no ideal endings in this world, but perhaps small victories are enough.

 

I already expressed my thoughts on the obvious rush to the finish line in my previous piece and the drama's finale is the only reasonable extension of it. We never did find out who tried to kill Dong-cheol (Woo Do-hwan) in jail, why the political part of the series mattered, whether Guseonwon's water was drugged and more. There are many threads which I wish we had seen developed and which we did not.

 

Spoiler

 

 

On the other hand, certain things seem like decisions made for a happy ending when it comes to our heroes. Everyone gets a parent back, including Dong-cheol and this particular outcome feels like audience pandering more than a decision deeply rooted into the narrative. At the same time "Save Me" never had an idealistic approach. Spiritual Mother Kang (Park Ji-yeong) and the ever pathetic Joo-ho (Jung Hae-kyun) march forward along with every other lost soul that will never escape.

 

There is character consistency here. The ones who would sacrifice their children to an invisible god built by a depraved narcissist will not face their actions , because faith is such a strong tool of denial, even for the non mentally disturbed. We never find out the true past behind our villains, but their actions are ultimately what makes them. The adults of Muji have plenty to be ashamed of, but I am glad that many decided to do the right thing, even if Sergeant Woo (Kim Kwang-gyoo) is the only one willing to pay for his corruption.

 

 

Faith comes in another form and Sang-mi (Seo Ye-ji) can express it better than anyone; the hope and strength to go on come from the knowledge that there are people out there who will reach out and pull you out of a fiery pit. Whether sent by a deity or not, the world remains hopeful because of them. This is a great message to wrap the series up with and an appropriate one given its themes.

 

Few regretful issues aside, "Save Me" has been an overwhelmingly great adventure. It has taken viewers to the edge of despair and repulsion and then delivered much needed relief quite masterfully. It is a story which I feel will stick for a long time and I hope Korean drama produces more of its kind and quality in the future.

Our wishes will be fulfilled. I believe it. 

 

cr

[kawaiibooty]

@stroppyse Girl, thank you, I love you! You really have made our days many times.

 

Now I can dies in peace! I can makes all the head canons I want now that Yeji stated that the last line meant to confirm that her and the F4 were friends by the end of the drama... well, they are friends by the time Sang Hwan goes to the army but who knows what'll happen in those two years he's away between her and Dong Cheol  ;))))))) Especially that Dong Cheol is now pretty close to her mother ^^ About the fact that "there was absolutely no love line" uuh right yeah okaay!!!! It might be what they intended but they scr**ed royally Imo. Honestly Having Sang Hwan mention to his mother that he liked Sang Mi was unnecessary. Having Dong Cheol look clearly smitten by her was also unnecessary...but they still made it that way. I guess it's normal for Muji boys to have a crush on the new pretty Seoul girl but .... Also they might not have intended the sizzling chemistry between YeJi and DoHwan and were taken aback by just how good they looked together and how shippable they were. I'm pretty sure the director told Yeji and DoHan to tone it down by the 4 last episodes because they had those scenes where it could easily turn romantic if they just Idk looked at each other longer or differently or said lines like "be carful" or "don't get hurt" in a certain way, but it didn't have those sort of feelings and so I thought, Oh! I think that they don't want us to focus on them and ship them even harder....Well! It's tooo late! haha I know a love line would have interfered with Sang Mi's emotions but it would have then still made an amazing love story, a very beautiful painful and dark love story...Oh well! They can just start a beautiful, healthy and sweet love story now that they are out of guseonwon ^^ 

[anng]

I can't watch other dramas the same anymore because I keep on comparing it to Save Me. It will take a while for another drama to hook me the same way again. Need to catch up on my sleep now because of all the binge watching from this!

[AlexandraReid]

Rescue Me: Episode 15

 

 

Our heroes’ hard work is finally paying off as their plans to take Guseonwon down begin to fall into place. But they’re not out of danger yet, as Sang-mi, Dong-chul, and Sang-hwan each make choices that show just how much they are willing to sacrifice in order to accomplish their common goal.

 

 
EPISODE 15 RECAP 

We rewind a bit to the end of the last episode, where a drugged and beaten So-rin stumbles to the river to meet Sang-hwan. Seeing headlights ahead, she waves to the vehicle to stop, but instead of Sang-hwan, Disciple Jo stops the van and gets out, commenting on his good luck in finding her.

So-rin tries to flee, but Disciple Jo grabs her by the hair and drags her into the nearby river as she screams and tries desperately to break free, losing one of her shoes in the process.

Spoiler

Disciple Jo forces her head under the water and keeps it there until she stops struggling. “I hope you go to paradise and gain salvation,” he says to her lifeless body, still face down in the water.

Sang-hwan arrives on the scene, but when he can’t find So-rin, he texts Dong-chul, concerned that something might have happened to her.

Walking back to his scooter, Sang-hwan’s phone rings. On the other end, a voice struggles to say his name. “Mom?” he asks, his eyes going wide.

Meanwhile, Disciple Jo carries So-rin’s corpse over his shoulder as he makes his way down the road and into the woods, keeping a lookout for possible witnesses.

 

Back at Guseonwon and dressed in her all-black Spiritual Mother attire, Sang-mi meets with Dong-chul in the hall. He whispers that So-rin escaped, but he’s worried because she hasn’t met up with Sang-hwan yet. “For now, let’s wait until he calls us,” she responds.

After Dong-chul leaves, Sang-mi takes a breath, tidies her hair, and enters the sanctuary, where the congregants are already seated. One of them asks if Sang-mi has seen Disciple Kang, who is supposed to lead the day’s vigil, but Sang-mi replies that she will be leading the service today.

 

====Read more: http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/09/rescue-me-episode-15/

 

 

 

COMMENTS

My head is still spinning from everything that happened in this episode. It was gratifying to see so many players working together to fool Disciple Jo into incriminating himself for So-rin’s murder, even though he seems to be on the loose again. It’s this kind of teamwork that has gotten our heroes this far, and the different roles that each of them play will be essential to bringing about Guseonwon’s destruction.

Sang-hwan has learned from his mistakes over the years and draws strength from his desire for justice. He is now adept at thinking ahead and outsmarting his enemies, and is still by far the most demonstrably emotional of our heroes. When he lost his temper with Father Baek after the failed search for captives in the Guseonwon, Sang-hwan exposed the fine line he walks between his emotions moving him to action or getting him into hot water.

Dong-chul, unlike Sang-hwan, is better at keeping his emotions hidden, and has so far successfully convinced the Guseonwon members that he is a true believer. His acting skills have allowed him to stay at Guseonwon and serve as the vital communication link between Sang-mi and Sang-hwan.

I find it amusing that although Dong-chul and Disciple Jo are different in almost every way, they both have the habit of putting on goofy smiles in order to fool others, only to turn back into scowling badasses as soon as no one is looking. I am curious and nervous to see how Father Baek and Disciple Jo will react when they find out Dong-chul’s true identity.

 

Spoiler

 

Sang-mi has proven to be the most enigmatic of the group, because in her quest to destroy Guseonwon, she has all but completely taken on the role of Spiritual Mother. We know her true feelings, but when she appears before the congregation, she is chillingly convincing.

Even so, Sang-mi had remained steadfastly defiant of Father Baek and the other leaders of Guseonwon until recently, so it would be surprising to me if they have been completely taken in by Sang-mi, despite her convincing performances. Perhaps Father Baek is so sure of his own power that he believes that has convinced her to change, whether through faith or intimidation.

On the other hand, Disciple Kang’s desperate belief in the Spiritual Mother bringing about salvation for her and her daughter has been steadfast, and she so far seems satisfied with Sang-mi as long as she does what she is told to do. But now that Disciple Kang realizes that Father Baek used the same lines on Sang-mi’s father that he had used to convince her to let him wed her daughter, this gives some hope that she may have a change of heart. Plus, now that she knows Dong-chul is an imposter and has heard what he has to say, it will be interesting to see what she will choose to do.

As we approach the final episode, Sang-mi and her friends are ready to give everything they have to take Guseonwon down for good. We will have to wait to see exactly how, and if, they can accomplish what they set out to do.

 

 

[OppasSlyFox]

Re: HanCinema's review

 

I think putting drugs in the water would absolve the followers and their delusions than anything. The fact that blind faith can drive people to pure insanity to sacrifice their livelihoods and loved ones is enough and a reality to many of us. And the concerns about the living water was already addressed in a very clever way; it's just father Baek mocking them, because he's got them drinking his feet water for salvation.

 

i always assumed the power union leader whose son became disabled tried to kill D.C. In jail

[AlexandraReid]

new clips posted

 

 

 

[AlexandraReid]

Team Dramabeans: What we’re watching

 

 

javabeans

• Rescue Me: The show was so heart-pounding through its whole run that the ending was almost anti-climactic for me, although I can’t say I minded notfeeling tied up in knots for once, since all I wanted was to see that cult to go down in flames and to save the people I cared about. I appreciated that I got closure in the ways I wanted, even though the story didn’t tie up everything neatly and deliver a bow-wrapped ending for everyone, like the fragments of the cult left behind. I wished for a tiny bit more closure between Sang-mi and her saviors, but the ending felt realistic and true to the characters. And now we’ll all look up Woo Do-hwan to see what he’s doing next, yes? (Hint: It’s Mad Dog.)

 

girlfriday

• Rescue Me: I’m a little disappointed in the ending, just because the entire season was a tense, amazing buildup to this one climactic rescue, and I wanted more by the time it was done. Maybe no finale can live up to that kind of buildup? I just thought that if they had taken this long to plan their rescue, the moves would be more complex and twisty, and less smash-grab-run! But I’m satisfied with where our characters end up, and in my mind Sang-mi bakes Dong-chul a cake, because that’s the least you can do for a guy who joins a cult to save you, and then he asks her out to jajangmyun and the rest is history.

 

 

chickachunga

• Rescue Me: I started Rescue Me (my first OCN show!) to see who this rising talent Woo Do-hwan is, and I am so, so, so smitten! I can’t wait to see him in Mad Dog alongside Yoo Ji-tae whom I’ve missed since his steamy turn in The Good Wife. I binged Rescue Me, and I thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish. It was steadily paced with very little fat, and the story felt complete. Sang-mi is one of the most compelling heroines I’ve seen in a K-drama, and it was so refreshing to see not a damsel in distress, but a total badass of ironclad will and determination. The Muji bumpkin boys may have been instrumental in her escape, but she was the one who made it happen. Looks like I’ll be paying more attention to OCN’s shows from now on!

 

mary

• Rescue Me: I believe this show made us suffer for a reason. I believe we have seen hell so we can meet Sang-mi and Dong-chul and the rest of the gang who will show us the light and the way to paradise. I believe that this show is a gift from the Drama Gods! I believe that this team will make more shows of this quality in the future! Samalamalamala shalallellolelelalalalalalala~

cr

[AlexandraReid]

Rescue Me: Episode 16 (Final)

 

This is the moment of truth for Sang-mi and the boys—after weeks of planning and a multitude of failed attempts, they know that they won’t ever get another chance to overthrow Guseonwon. The stakes are higher than they’ve ever been before with both Sang-mi and her rescuers willing to put everything on the line, and no matter what the outcome, their lives will be irrevocably changed.

 

 
FINAL EPISODE RECAP

Spoiler

We open on Father Baek preaching to his devout congregation with a lighter in one hand and New Heaven’s Bible in the other. “Now watch and see what is real and what is fake,” he commands as he flicks on the lighter and sets the Bible on fire, much to the believers’ consternation. Dad stutters in shock to a speechless Disciple Kang, and they watch with the rest of the congregation in growing horror.

Father Baek solemnly looks out at his distressed congregation and drops the flaming Bible to the ground before displaying his unharmed hand: “Do you believe that this charred Bible is the truth, or do you believe in me, who the fire did not harm?” The shocked believers immediately rock back and forth in frenzied prayer as he cries out, “From now on, I will be with you. I will spread the truth through you. I will lift your hand and bless you.”

 

We cut to Sang-hwan waiting for Ji-hee at the boys’ riverside hangout spot. When she arrives, he demands to know where she hid his mother, but she feigns innocence and claims that they moved his mother for her own sake. “Using helpless people to satisfy your own greed makes you no different than that cult,” he seethes. Ji-hee doesn’t even bat an eye as she replies, “You’ll understand later on that what’s real and fake isn’t different in this world.”

Ji-hee reminds him that she told him to bring the damning recording (in which Yong-min confessed to pushing Sang-hwan’s mom) if he wanted to see his mom again. “Your mom seems to miss you,” she remarks with a chilling smile, before turning heel and walking away. Sang-hwan glares after her with gritted teeth as an angry tear slips down his cheek.

 

=== Read more: http://www.dramabeans.com/2017/09/rescue-me-episode-16-final/

 

 

 

 

COMMENTS

It’s been a long ride filled with small victories and heartwarming moments, but mainly frustration at a malicious organization that abuses its daunting power to prey on the weak. It’s strange though, because now that it’s over, I feel nothing but pity for the once hateful leaders of Guseonwon. Father Baek died in a horrifyingly gruesome way, and it’s ironic that the after all the effort he put into pretending that he’s fireproof, he died in a fire. It’s almost as if some infuriated heavenly being was punishing him for playing God.

The scene with Dad alone at the end, with nothing left to sustain him but an all-consuming need to serve New Heaven’s God, also tugged at my heartstrings. I despised him with a passion while he neglected to care for Sang-mi properly, but once stripped of his power and control over Sang-mi, he’s reduced to a pathetic lunatic who means nothing to the world. It’s like he’s taken it upon himself to be a martyr and bear a cross, especially to make up for the fact that he failed to make Sang-mi the Spiritual Mother. I don’t doubt that in his sick, twisted mind, he genuinely thought he was doing what was best for his daughter, and now that he’s supposedly let her down (by not securing her salvation), he’ll push himself beyond his physical limits due to guilt.

 

Although the cross on his back and the sign on his front may weigh him down physically, I believe that they serve as a shield between him and the “sinful” real world. Guseonwon took him in when he was at his worst and gave him a purpose and the chance to have a happy ending; holding his faith near to him ensures that he still has a shot at that happy ending. I don’t think he’s ready to let go of that psychological safety blanket yet—if ever.

 

Spoiler

 

On the other hand, I’m amazed by Sang-mi’s resilience. She experienced unspeakable horrors during her time at Guseonwon, and the fact that she’s able to smile so radiantly is a testament to the strength of her character. It also shows how important it is to have even just one person believe in you; the boys’ loyalty broke down the walls of mistrust and suspicion she built up around herself, and she’s able to see good in the world because they showed it to her in themselves when she had lost all hope.

While the ending of the episode was cute and made me feel all warm inside for our protagonists, I’m still left with a vaguely dissatisfied feeling. There was so much buildup and tension escalating since the beginning of the show, and the finale felt anticlimactic to me. Maybe part of the reason is that there were storylines that were never completed—what happened to Dae-shik and his mom, and also to Joon-gu and the friend who betrayed him? What about So-rin—was her body ever found?

I didn’t expect a perfect ending all wrapped up with a bow, and this episode could be argued as staying true to the tone of the story, but I needed more from the show to be able to justify the hours of frustration and angst I felt while watching it. I needed more closure on the nefarious deeds that were being carried out at Guseonwon and more answers from the writers. Perhaps I’m asking for too much, but I feel like Rescue Me had the potential to be a more complete show.

 

 

[Veronica Park]

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Ahjummamshies/photos/?tab=album&album_id=842904855890921

[violina]

Hello.I dropped in to invite you all to Seo Ye Ji's soompi thread.It has been updated now.You are all welcome to come over and spazz, get to know more about her,  and show some love to the gorgeous and talented Seo Ye Ji  whenever you are free. Click the link below:

 

 

[AlexandraReid]

"Save Me" will be returning for Season 2! 

 

cr: http://www.newsen.co...901241515394110