[Drama 2018] Mr. Sunshine, 미스터 션샤인 - Winner of Critics’ Choice Award for Drama category

[aurelionsol]

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[rubie]

Haman Daek saves the day (or rather Ae Shin's diary), big time!

 

You're the best right-hand (wo)man! 

 

Thanks to goblin_mrsunshine

 

Thoughts of Ep17: It's a well-meant gesture of Eugene to visit Hee Sung's mother to let her know that he has nothing against her son. It's also for her to know that EC kept his promise, he wasn't the one telling HS about the past.. he never let slip not even one detail about the incident until HS found out about it by himself. The ornament was the last thing given to EC by his mother, although not her own, it became hers as Eugene held on to it for many years as a motivation for him to survive in America. I think Lady Yun is commendable for her action, she stood up owning the responsibility of what happened 30 years ago and bowed down to atone for their mistakes. That's why Eugene wants her to support Hee Sung, in reminiscence of his own mother protecting him to the end of her life. Even without his forgiveness, Eugene wants Lady Yun to have her closure as well.

[mistergenie]

13 minutes ago, rubie said:

RE: Eugene and Hui Seong's mother

 

Beautifully put by you. Thanks.

[rubie]

And now on to the commercial break, please do not change channels 

 

brought to you by goblin_mrsunshine

 

[charray]

The ending of episode 18 left me totally speechless and in shock! Gobsmacked is the word. Is he out of his mind or something? Need to wait for the subs from Netflix to know what is happening. Or can someone who knows korean can give some insights of what makes him do that?

[mistergenie]

@rubie I usually hate PPLs, specially any Subway ones, but the Matryoshka doll one is super cute and is kind of woven into Ae Shin's fascination with foreign stuff. Me likey.

 

@charray Speechless and in shock? My anxiety levels just touched the roof. Speechless shock due to good stuff happening or foreboding, dangerous stuff? Edit: nvm. just read the recap of the final minutes on dramamilk. Ooh boy!! I will have plenty of thoughts about this, none of which will be pretty.

[blademan]

What does that ending mean?!!! I know it’s pretty significant to cut your hair especially in those times and ESPECIALLY a noblewoman and to top that off!! He did it publicly!!

[charray]

@blademan  @mistergenie  This is akin to: humiliate and shame her in public. Why did he do that? She did not even do anything to him. She saved his life. Just when I was warming up to his character after episode 16, then this?

[jaimex]

Hi chingus, I have just started watching n loving it. Everything is so beautiful. I m impressed by the details of the production, including fluency of English n Japanese. 

Before I started, I saw negative comments about d age gap but a few episodes in, I m totally ok with it. 

 

Thanks for the analysis n insights. And in particular, thanks to @ahpheng8 for all the strips. 

[YongZura⁷]

Preview

 

Credit to the owner

[mistergenie]

20 minutes ago, blademan said:

What does that ending mean?!!! I know it’s pretty significant to cut your hair especially in those times and ESPECIALLY a noblewoman and to top that off!! He did it publicly!!

 

Dont't know exact cultural context but maybe humiliating her/shaming her/actually making her a flawed woman (by the definition of those times) so that she doesn't step outside the house/ hides away somewhere/ goes away someplace else? If I am being way too lenient with DM's motives - cutting off her hair to indirectly help her disguise herself better?

 

BUT, the way in which  DM takes away her agency in this, is infuriating. Nothing can justify this sh*tty behavior.

 

P.S: Is there some confusion about the episode count? dramamilk were saying so in the beginning of their live recap So, 22 episodes or 24? What is the correct number?

[soara]

@blademan  @mistergenie I think he did that to protect her in his own way. And his way for sure is not everybody's taste.

But i am pretty sure he did that for her sake. 

Guys i don't think of dong mae as villain and i am sure he will join the righteous army to protect joseon at the end too.

[elfvanvan]

This drama is not good for my blood pressure, and my stress level.. The wait for the next episode is real.. Haist 

 

[mistergenie]

4 minutes ago, soara said:

@blademan  @mistergenie I think he did that to protect her in his own way. And his way for sure is not everybody's taste.

But i am pretty sure he did that for her sake. 

Guys i don't think of dong mae as villain and i am sure he will join the righteous army to protect joseon at the end too.

 

But i am pretty sure he did that for her sake. 

DM can't keep justifying (even internally), anything and everything he does by using that excuse. So, Ae Shin has no say in this? He takes away her agency - she was powerless in that moment to stop him - and it is not a good feeling at all.

 

 

[YongZura⁷]

17 minutes ago, soara said:

@blademan  @mistergenie I think he did that to protect her in his own way. And his way for sure is not everybody's taste.

But i am pretty sure he did that for her sake. 

 

I think you're right.  In a way too, she will be free to be a sniper or whatever to support the RA.  People might think she's staying away from the public because of shame but she's not (to see the tears welling in DM's eyes.... guess I'll wait for the sub too)

 

 

Credit to the owner

[soara]

1 hour ago, mistergenie said:

 

But i am pretty sure he did that for her sake. 

DM can't keep justifying (even internally), anything and everything he does by using that excuse. So, Ae Shin has no say in this? He takes away her agency - she was powerless in that moment to stop him - and it is not a good feeling at all.

 

 

Yes it is not. And dong mae was aware it wasn't good either. But he thought it was the best thing he could do for her even if she hates him.

Don't think of dong mae as a normal person like others. For judging him we should see how he grown up. he grown up with hating everybody becuese all people see them as not human but animal and at the end even his family left him to protect him and died. i think sometimes his story was even more sadder than eugene. all good persons he had in his life were hina,  that girl and his guys.

but after a time being now i can see he is trying to become a better person especially because now he has hee sung and eugene as his friends too.

Actually i'm enjoying watching his changing.

I LOVE ALL 5 CHARACTER AND THEIR CHANGING IN THIS DRAMA.

 

[KDramaLogic]

Hi Soompiers!  I've still yet to watch Ep. 18; so I'm anticipating the outcomes today's episodes with trepidation!   I know I'll have to brace myself for the heartache and tragedy (especially given the ultimate Japanese colonization of Joseon Korea), but my heart still can't take the pressure! 

 

Standard disclaimer:

1. Apologies in advance for the long post AND multiple quotes. 

2. Please let me know if I've missed any significant plot point and/or characterization.

 

22 hours ago, mistymorning said:

@KDramaLogic, I watch this with Netflix english subtitle on sometimes just for the sake of checking subtitle accuracy and for the pleasure of seeing how some korean lines are interpreted in english, and it's not that bad. Sometimes it has some mistakes but not that many, and not to the extent that it'll disrupt the whole story progress. So I highly recommend you Netflix if you are watching this without subs as a non-korean speaker.

 

So far, I'm cool with pacing of this drama. I wasn't into KES drama before like this, so I cannot say KES track records with latter part of her series, but so far I think I got the good vibe. But, we'll have to see. 

 

 

Thanks for the advice.  Nowadays, due to my busy schedule, I haven't had time to browse and/or watch many dramas or movies, whether in Korean or English; so I didn't figure that I'd need a Netflix subscription.  But, as @lilyphenix,  @kansas424 and @meechuttso (and other Soompiers) proclaimed, Mr. Sunshine is a rare, one-of-a-kind gem that I would not expect from any K-drama writers, including KES.  So, I'll see if I should make an exception for this drama and subscribe to Netflix for a better viewing experience and understanding, instead of toggling between the unsubbed episodes and recaps/comments found in Soompi, Dramabeans (despite certain extreme biased comments and recap, the Dramabeans website does include as many details and major plot points with screenshots of the episodes), dramamilk, etc.

 

18 hours ago, lilyphenix said:

Random thoughts on episode 17 

- DM can't die yet: I'm not ready. (throws tantrum, wipes tears) 

- Exactly how many elders does AS' family have? That's not a family, that's a tribe! <3 

- Japanese soldiers behaving as if they own Joseon is 

- AS memorizing all the soldiers' faces...

- Just when I thought my heart was going to break, and was wondering where he is when we need him... Someone sure knows how to make a dramatic entrance.

- I thereby crown EC the King of Shades! ;-)

 

@meechuttso I read the beginning of your post (the popularity index; thank you!), but not the end yet. I will come back and read all posts after I finish watching last night's episode.

 

1. Like other major characters here, DM has yet to fully evolve past his trauma and misgivings in the midst of the imminent Japanese annexation.  He cannot die yet!

2. Well, AS' grandfather isn't addressed as nobleman Lord Go for nothing. 

3. Well,  Wan Ik is shown strutting in and out of any household affairs including the royal grounds (ugh, someone cut the b****** before he ruins/kills more lives!).  Not to mention that one Japanese ambassador was randomly shooting around the village while dragging the Joseon-spy-disguised-as-a-geisha in Ep. 7.

4. AS is about to cut the b******.  Btw, were you making a Game of Thrones reference regarding Arya Stark's making the list of the Freys and others responsible for her family's death/separation/etc.- hence' "memorization of all the soldiers' faces"?  If so, then Wan Ik and other Japanese (loyalists) better watch out: "The North remembers" and "Winter is coming". 

5. I'm all for AS (and HN) taking initiatives and defending themselves and their cause, be it with rifles (and a fedora to boot) or fencing swords (come on HN; show 'em how it's done!).  But that doesn't mean AS cannot use some help, especially when it makes a dramatic entrance in the form of EC aka Sunshine King of Shades!

6. Speaking of which, now we need Alpheng @Ahpheng to reappear again on Soompi and make  comics highlighting more of EC's trademark shades! (Off-topic, what happened with Alpheng on Soompi?  I could not link Alpheng's profile in the post.)

 

13 hours ago, rubie said:

Haman Daek saves the day (or rather Ae Shin's diary), big time!

 

You're the best right-hand (wo)man! 

 

Thoughts of Ep17: It's a well-meant gesture of Eugene to visit Hee Sung's mother to let her know that he has nothing against her son. It's also for her to know that EC kept his promise, he wasn't the one telling HS about the past.. he never let slip not even one detail about the incident until HS found out about it by himself. The ornament was the last thing given to EC by his mother, although not her own, it became hers as Eugene held on to it for many years as a motivation for him to survive in America. I think Lady Yun is commendable for her action, she stood up owning the responsibility of what happened 30 years ago and bowed down to atone for their mistakes. That's why Eugene wants her to support Hee Sung, in reminiscence of his own mother protecting him to the end of her life. Even without his forgiveness, Eugene wants Lady Yun to have her closure as well.

 

HI @rubie!!!!!!!!!  I (as well as everyone else here, as you can see here) am glad you're back!!!!  We appreciate your feedback and contribution to the Mr. Sunshine thread, and, given the trajectory and cliffhanger of yesterday's episode and the Ep. 18 preview, we need you more than ever for your thoughts, updates, and other info about the drama that we may have missed!

 

Also, sorry to cut/modify your post above; I don't know if I'm supposed to re-quote pictures/graphics.  But anyhow, this post is already long enough!

 

And finally, I'm relieved that EC managed to reassess and move past his life-altering, cruel trauma, visit and reassure HS' mother that he means no harm to HS just because of the tragic outcome of that fateful day.

1. As you stated above, HS' mother already acknowledged her father's (and, to a lesser extent, her and HS' father's) culpability in EC's parents senseless mistreatment and death- and EC's near-death chase as a child no less and begged for forgiveness.  I'm sure that if HS' mother were in EC's mother's (and DM's mother's and AS' mother's) dire position, she'd do anything to make sure HS escapes alive (at the expense of her own life/safety), even if it mean's holding the slave master's daughter hostage at knifepoint.

2. Now, EC starts recovering from the unresolved pain of his childhood trauma and forgiving HS' mother (don't know about HS' father though) for said trauma.  Of course we can't expect EC (or any characters suffering from life-altering traumas, especially as children) to entirely let go of the tragic past and/or forgive those responsible for his parents' sufferings and death, but, for his sake, it helps that EC can move forward with his unforseen future (hopefully with AS, but, given the historical context...).

3. Last but not least, HS' mother realizes that EC would not go so far as even revealing his past to HS, lest he holds HS more responsible for one of the many atrocities his family- namely, his grandfather- committed. 

[anipanch]

29 minutes ago, soara said:

@blademan  @mistergenie I think he did that to protect her in his own way. And his way for sure is not everybody's taste.

But i am pretty sure he did that for her sake. 

Guys i don't think of dong mae as villain and i am sure he will join the righteous army to protect joseon at the end too.

Thanks for sharing your opinion about DM, pretty much anyone here is very harsh when it comes to his character.

The way I see it, at the first glance, I concluded that he did so in order to actually give people one reason to talk about AS and stop all of the numerous malicious rumors that they spread about her. The possibility of DM cutting off AS' hair just so she can't leave her house seems to simple to me and I don't think he expects AS to just stay at home 24/7 because her hair was cut off.

Anyway, I understand why people find DM unlikable and are bothered by his actions but we also should remember his background and the fact that no one taught him any better. He was a lowborn and only saw bad things his whole life. I'm even surprised he isn't acting any worse and is clearly trying his best when it comes to AS.

The only reason one could hate DM for me is that at some point he betrayed his country and served Japan's interests. That is definitely something that should be looked down on. other things are only I'd say natural, he can't be any other way

[kingkong72]

Wow! E17 is full of memorable scenes. The breakup of Heusung and AeSin (could be considered as a one sided love). The shooting down of Dong Mae. The confrontation of former military buddies Eugene and the other american guy (didn't get the name) with both of them entering the place riding a horse adding to the suspense.

 

I hope the director will not kill Dong Mae in the next episode. He has a lot more to contribute to make this drama better. I hate Heusung because he took a lot of time to call for a rickshaw and some help. Why are Korean dramas always like that? No sense of emergency to help a bleeding person that is about to die. 

[andy78]

waiting to watch ep 18...let's hope we will have more otp moments next week....

12 minutes ago, KDramaLogic said:

 Game of Thrones reference regarding Arya's making the list of the Freys and others responsible for her family's death/separation/etc.- hence' "memorization of all the soldiers' faces"?  If so, then Wan Ik and other Japanese (loyalists) better watch out: "The North remembers" and "Winter is coming". 

i so like Arya...I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE IF OUR GIRL WILL TAKE THE REVENGE PATH TOO...