[Drama 2018] My Mister, 나의 아저씨 - Best Drama at 2019 (55th) BaekSang Arts Awards

[sadiesmith]

@the_sweetroad One thing I wish someone would write for the GMS fan site is a proper analysis on CEO Do Joon Young. We had plans to do this back in the day, but it fell through. We even had a title for it, "The Captain of the Ship."  So if you feel up to the challenge, please go for it. No need to use our title either. 

[sweetroad]

4 hours ago, sadiesmith said:

@the_sweetroad One thing I wish someone would write for the GMS fan site is a proper analysis on CEO Do Joon Young. We had plans to do this back in the day, but it fell through. We even had a title for it, "The Captain of the Ship."  So if you feel up to the challenge, please go for it. No need to use our title either. 

 

An analysis of DJY is a great idea!!

 

I love that title, though it took me a while to get it since I was thinking that "the ship" was Saman E & C. But I get it now and it is very clever!

 

Well, I have been thinking I should re-watch My Mister again from Episode 1....so I would love to take it on. Maybe after that, MM will be out of the system.

 

One day, when you're all up for it, should we do a group rewatch? (You all don't have to answer now. Just planting the idea. )

[sadiesmith]

6 hours ago, the_sweetroad said:

An analysis of DJY is a great idea!!

 

Thank you! I imagine you would have a lot of fun with it.

 

6 hours ago, the_sweetroad said:

One day, when you're all up for it, should we do a group rewatch? (You all don't have to answer now. Just planting the idea. )

 

Thefangirlverdict.com plans to host a group watch on Dec 8th. They are currently watching Secret Love Affair, and it looks like the weekly discussion open threads are quite active. 

https://thefangirlverdict.com/2021/10/06/announcement-upcoming-group-watches-2/#more-62471

[sweetroad]

On 11/5/2021 at 12:56 AM, sadiesmith said:

Thefangirlverdict.com plans to host a group watch on Dec 8th. They are currently watching Secret Love Affair, and it looks like the weekly discussion open threads are quite active. 

 

Thanks for the heads up. I'm a fan of her site so will check it out! Her adoration of Coffee Prince is what got me to watch it...then later I realized that the guy who played Han Sung in CP was actually the lead in MM....and the rest is history. It's all her fault. Ha!

[actionscript]

On 6/30/2021 at 12:36 AM, the_sweetroad said:

Yu Ra as spokesperson for Ji An.

 

Throughout the show, we see close-ups of the other characters’ hands. But I noticed Show doesn't focus on YR and KH's hands much…and I do think this is because the show wants us to pay attention to what they’re actually saying.

 

There were some key moments where what Yu Ra says out loud mirrors Ji An and Dong Hoon’s situation. Either it's a JA/DH situation that Show has already shown us, or it's a future JA/DH conversation and Yu Ra says something that foreshadows it.

 

Not sure if it was mentioned already in the thread, but in the last scene of Yu Ra where she was portraying a role in a movie and Ki Hoon was watching, she was made to look like Ji An -- tied hair, office setting, working on the photocopier with a heavy hand, while uttering the following words: "I will try to love you more passionately. Love is surging up." (based on Netflix's subtitles)

 

A couple of scenes after, we have Dong Hoon and Ji An's meeting at the coffee shop. Perhaps that was also mirroring and foreshadowing of what's to come between DH and JA? 

 

 

 

 

 

[sweetroad]

Welcome to the forum @actionscript!

 

19 minutes ago, actionscript said:

 

Not sure if it was mentioned already in the thread, but in the last scene of Yu Ra where she was portraying a role in a movie and Ki Hoon was watching, she was made to look like Ji An -- tied hair, office setting, working on the photocopier with a heavy hand, while uttering the following words: "I will try to love you more passionately. Love is surging up." (based on Netflix's subtitles)

 

A couple of scenes after, we have Dong Hoon and Ji An's meeting at the coffee shop. Perhaps that was also mirroring and foreshadowing of what's to come between DH and JA? 

 

Wow, great catches! I didn't notice that she was styled like Ji An and working at the copier.

 

And you're right, Yu Ra says "Love is surging up" and the next sequence (that doesn't have to do with Ki Hoon) is the coffee shop scene. I had wondered why YR's character in the movie would say something so strongly, but it makes a lot of sense that it's foreshadowing DH and JA.

 

Sigh.....so good.

 

 Did you just finish the show?

[actionscript]

27 minutes ago, the_sweetroad said:

Welcome to the forum @actionscript!

 

 

Wow, great catches! I didn't notice that she was styled like Ji An and working at the copier.

 

And you're right, Yu Ra says "Love is surging up" and the next sequence (that doesn't have to do with Ki Hoon) is the coffee shop scene. I had wondered why YR's character in the movie would say something so strongly, but it makes a lot of sense that it's foreshadowing DH and JA.

 

Sigh.....so good.

 

 Did you just finish the show?

 

Thanks! I started watching last week of August 2021, and had since watched it 3 times. Still can't get over it and had been scouting the net for more! I'm done with givemeslippers, dramabeans, ManvsDrama, and countless other youtube videos and blogs, and just when I thought I'm pretty much done, I found this forum! 

 

Btw, how do I insert a screenshot? I intended to paste the scenes I mentioned above but I can't seem to get it to work...

Edited November 13, 2021 by actionscript

[sweetroad]

6 minutes ago, actionscript said:

Btw, how do I insert a screenshot? I intended to paste the scenes I mentioned above but I can't seem to get it to work.

 

I upload images to imgur.com, then use the button "insert image from URL" below-right when posting here. The link has to start with https and end with either .png or .jpg (etc.) so sometimes I need to add .png or .jpg to the end of the link to make it work. Or I choose the imgur link that has it at the end.

 

All images on Soompi have to come from a URL, not from a personal computer.

 

And glad you found this forum! I only watched MM this year as well, and this whole thread is a gem.

[actionscript]

10 hours ago, the_sweetroad said:

 

I upload images to imgur.com, then use the button "insert image from URL" below-right when posting here. The link has to start with https and end with either .png or .jpg (etc.) so sometimes I need to add .png or .jpg to the end of the link to make it work. Or I choose the imgur link that has it at the end.

 

All images on Soompi have to come from a URL, not from a personal computer.

 

And glad you found this forum! I only watched MM this year as well, and this whole thread is a gem.

 

Thanks for the tip!     Will just backread some more and hope I could share some of my insights further as I go along. 

[sweetroad]

3 hours ago, actionscript said:

Will just backread some more and hope I could share some of my insights further as I go along. 

 

Would love to hear them. My Mister is like literary fiction; there's always something new to discover. Glad you're here!

[actionscript]

On 6/18/2020 at 4:34 PM, sadiesmith said:

This commenter (fama ahmad) on YouTube got all of it right about the slippers. I don't think I had ever read anything as thoroughly explained as she/he did there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyPmRiH9d7I

 

Here it is copied and pasted:

I always thought that scene after the restaurant one was little random but after listening to you I realize once more that there is no such thing as random scenes in this drama. I Have Little something to add. It's long but I do hope you'll read it and tell me what you think so here's my take on the slippers JA gifts DH. 

 

JA notices how worn out and old DH's slippers are. DH can afford new slippers yet he keeps these old ones. The old worn out slippers can be a metaphor for several things. His relationship with his wife. His heart. The him that keeps everything bottled up. JA buys DH a new pair of slippers which he keeps in his drawer. He doesn't wear them but frequently looks at them. He keeps wearing his old ones but reassures himself by looking at the new ones as if just their presence is enough for him.  The new pair of slippers can be a metaphor for several things. JA and her feelings, of which DH is aware at this point. A new beginning for DH, the healing of his heart. So while DH has still not decided whether to stay in his marriage or not, he won't throw away his old slippers because that's just who he is. He is an honourable man

 

Then DH goes to his monk friend and has a talk with him, the talk concludes  with the monk friend telling him to stop living a life of sacrifice all the time. DH comes back and does two things. Confronts JY and then Confronts JA. What exactly does he say to JA? He asks her about the slippers. Where are they? Why did she throw them? Is he not worthy of them? But while talking about the slippers he also says that he won't fire her. That he'll see her complete her contract and then she'll work at another company. 10 or 20 years later when they meet again, he'll greet her warmly. At the same he mentions how its okay for them to talk and meet because he's met her grandmother.

 

Now this is how I interpret this entire thing: JA gave him the slippers signifying her love. DH keeps the slippers but doesn't wear them. He doesn't throw them away. He keeps them in a drawer close to him where he can sneak looks at them. But he keeps his old ones too. Because he hasn't yet decided what to do about his marriage. What to do with the knowledge that his wife cheated on him. The slippers also represent the him that is all torn and worn out from within because of his way of living. And because of keeping everything within. Once he decides that he's not going to live a life of only sacrifice, he asks JA for the slippers. She threw them away which angers him because its like she threw the feelings she has for him away too. By asking her to buy him new ones and by not agreeing to fire her, he's telling her to wait. If he's worthy of waiting (worthy of slippers he might not wear right now) they'll meet again and he'll greet her 'warmly' (with love). He wants those slippers even though he might not wear them right now. He's asking her not to throw them away just because he's not wearing them right now. He might not be able to pursue a relationship with her right now, even if he does divorce his wife, since it would damage both. But in 10 years time, it won't be that strange. He's telling her that's how long it will have to be before he can pursue something with her. When she's 31 and he's 50 something, no one will bat a lash at them being together.

 

I thought the whole 10-20 years line, topped with him saying 'im begging you meant alot more than simply what he was saying. Because why would her working somewhere else mean that they wont see each other for 10 years? And why say I'm begging you at the end of such an ordinary sentence? Especially for someone as stoic as him. It's because that's the intensity of emotions finally showing. It's also the first selfish thing he does. For a man who lived a life of sacrifice, this is the first moment of selfishness when he tells her that he won't fire her simply because she has feelings for him. He also asks her to wait. Begs her in fact. For someone as emotionally closed off as him, it was pretty intense. 

 

Also he could have rejected her feelings. Multiple times in fact. But he never does. Whenever she tells him she likes him, he never belittles her or rejects her. He either looks away or (as he did in the subway) asks her why she likes him. He never tells her to stop and he never says he doesn't like her in that way. He prefers to hide or run away or ask other questions. Why? If a man like him can reject an invite to dinner or golf from chairman of his company, he can tell a girl he doesn't like her just as easily. That he only sees her as a friend. But he never does. This show is not an explicit love story but the subtle signs are there and I love that

 

Such a wonderful analysis of what the slippers symbolized! Hope it's ok if I continue the journey of the slippers..

Ji An's friend told her the police might be closing in on them and they have to run away. Ji An begged for another day before she will run away. What does she need the extra day for? To buy the slippers again as Dong Hoon requested and put it back in Dong Hoon's mobile cabinet. 

 

After Dong Hoon's panel interview for his promotion, he saw the slippers are back, and realized Ji An might be gone for good. I think it was at that moment that his feelings for Ji An that he had been repressing all along has surfaced at last. A classic case of not realizing what you had until you've lost it. He now places the slippers outside the cabinet, but is still not wearing them. His feelings for Ji An has now surfaced, he could no longer hide it from himself.

 

After his promotion, they celebrated at the bar and sang karaoke. Dong Hoon singing about missing someone is perhaps the first time he is expressing his feelings for Ji An. All those bottled up feelings finally coming to the fore. 

 

The next day at work, he moved to his new office as a new managing director. For the first time, he wore the slippers, symbolizing he is now accepting Ji An's love.

 

[sadiesmith]

20 hours ago, actionscript said:

Thanks! I started watching last week of August 2021, and had since watched it 3 times. Still can't get over it and had been scouting the net for more! I'm done with givemeslippers, dramabeans, ManvsDrama, and countless other youtube videos and blogs, and just when I thought I'm pretty much done, I found this forum! 

 

 

Welcome! It must have felt like you hit the motherlode when you found this forum.  Not trying to feed your obsession or anything, but have you checked on Reddit? Since Netflix started carrying My Mister, a new thread seems to appear every week or so. And how about mydramalist? I'm sure you've been there too. 

 

Looking forward to reading some of your insights.

[actionscript]

On 6/18/2020 at 4:34 PM, sadiesmith said:

This commenter (fama ahmad) on YouTube got all of it right about the slippers. I don't think I had ever read anything as thoroughly explained as she/he did there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyPmRiH9d7I

 

 

I've watched this youtube video from KDrama Couple and indeed I agree with her insight that the story arc template used in My Mister resembles that of a typical romance drama.

 

Here I tried to compare it side-by-side with Crash Landing on You:

 (CLOY spoilers ahead!!)

 

1.     The two protagonists start out on opposing camps.

CLOY: girl from south korea, guy from north

MM: girl hired to dig dirt on guy

 

2.     A scenario is created for the two leads to meet and interact

CLOY: guy hides girl at his home to protect her from authorities

MM: girl asks for dinner for a month, then bugs his phone

 

3.     There is a fake "first kiss”

CLOY: the leads had to kiss inside a boat to distract/mislead the inspector in ep 3

MM: Girl had to kiss guy to create scandal (also in ep 3)

 

4.     The middle episodes are about the two leads getting closer emotionally

CLOY: check

MM: check

 

5.     There is a conflict/hindrance to the leads’ budding emotional bond

CLOY: Boy and girl eventually had to separate as girl needs to return to the south

MM: Boy is married, and girl is also a subordinate at work

 

6.     Just as their bond comes to a peak, the leads have to part

CLOY: Boy is deported back to the north in ep 16

MM: Girl needs to leave for Busan for work, also in ep16

 

7.     Time skip and the two leads meet again. Previous conflict to a possible relationship resolved/worked out

CLOY: Boy and girl found a way to meet at a 3rd country

MM: Guy has divorced, and has left previous company

 

My Love from the Star is also another drama that follows a very similar story arc, including an accidental first kiss, the hindrance to their bond, the separation in the last episode, and eventual reunion.

[sweetroad]

20 hours ago, actionscript said:

He now places the slippers outside the cabinet, but is still not wearing them

 

Another great detail...I had caught that he puts them on in his new office after he becomes Managing Director, but I hadn't noticed that he brings them out of the drawer and lets them rest on his desk for his team to see (instead of stuffing them back in the drawer). Yes! His feelings are coming to the surface.

 

There was also mention somewhere in this thread or on the GMS site that JA and DH ride the subway quite a bit, but after Episode 14 there are no more subway scenes....which could also symbolize their love coming out to the open. (Of course, he needs to resolve his dead marriage first.)

 

7 hours ago, actionscript said:

I've watched this youtube video from KDrama Couple and indeed I agree with her insight that the story arc template used in My Mister resembles that of a typical romance drama.

 

Here I tried to compare it side-by-side with Crash Landing on You:

 

Love this breakdown! (And My Love From the Star is one of my favorite dramas, too. ) Just goes to show that PDnim and the writer incorporated things into the show for a reason. There are too many hints and symbols in MM that point to DH's growing feelings for JA. As Man vs Drama said when he analyzed their emotional goodbye phone call in Episode 14, "This is not how work colleagues say goodbye."

 

There's a depth and richness to MM that many typical romance dramas don't have. But the way the show has set things up and included little details on purpose (that they could have easily excluded had it been a strictly platonic relationship), a romantic relationship developing between a more mature JA and a happier DH at the end has got to be one of the more natural, logical conclusions.

 

Keep your insights coming!

[sweetroad]

Someone made a video of the photobook that was included in the My Mister box set.

 

I was surprised (but love) that they included a still of the kiss.

 

 

[sadiesmith]

11 hours ago, the_sweetroad said:

I was surprised (but love) that they included a still of the kiss.

 

Such a perfect shot, too. Goes to show that PD KWS was the biggest shipper of all. 

 

I'll never get over this drama and the characters who lived in it. 

[sweetroad]

4 hours ago, sadiesmith said:

Such a perfect shot, too. Goes to show that PD KWS was the biggest shipper of all

 

And we're so glad.

 

4 hours ago, sadiesmith said:

I'll never get over this drama and the characters who lived in it. 

 

Totally agree. Was just thinking about it this morning - if I had never found the GMS site, I would have persisted in thinking they just had a nice mentor/mentee relationship and I would never have needed to watch MM again.

 

Then, time-wise, I would have way more time on my hands now.

 

But heart-wise, I would've missed out on one of the greatest love (and life) stories ever.

[actionscript]

17 hours ago, the_sweetroad said:

Someone made a video of the photobook that was included in the My Mister box set.

 

I was surprised (but love) that they included a still of the kiss.

 

 

Yes that photo still from this video was also my first time to see that it was an actual kiss. In the show, the only still shot we could see was through the girl officemate’s screen when she found the pic through soompi, err, I mean through a “website the most indiscreet employee frequents.” But it was very blurry and even the faces aren’t that clear. For a while I even thought they could have used a body double for that shot. 

Edited November 16, 2021 by actionscript

[sweetroad]

9 minutes ago, actionscript said:

 

Yes that photo still from this video was also my first time to see that it was an actual kiss. In the show, the only still shot we could see was through the girl officemate’s screen when she found the pic through soompi, err, I mean through a “website the most indiscreet employee frequents.” But it was very blurry and even the faces aren’t that clear. For a while I even thought they could have used a body double for that shot. 

 

Check out this video that @sadiesmith found a few weeks ago:

 

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1HE411N7YP/?spm_id_from=333.788.recommend_more_video.1

 

The real takes start at minute 3:10....and they don't stop.

[actionscript]

38 minutes ago, the_sweetroad said:

 

Check out this video that @sadiesmith found a few weeks ago:

 

https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1HE411N7YP/?spm_id_from=333.788.recommend_more_video.1

 

The real takes start at minute 3:10....and they don't stop.

 

I did! Thank you @sadiesmithand @the_sweetroadfor posting those bilibili videos!! These are definitely one of the most precious finds so far in my post-My Ahjussi life. (Yes I now delineate my life into simply pre and post My Ahjussi. )

 

Also in this link (https://www.bilibili.com/video/BV1rf4y1E7hE/?spm_id_from=333.788.recommend_more_video.10) you posted, I find the rehearsals and iterations of the last scene (where they are now walking away after they parted, as shown in the last part of the above link) quite interesting.  It’s been a question in my mind if both Dong Hoon’s and Ji An’s turnaround look happened sequentially, or was there an overlap (which means both saw each other turning back). In the video, the iteration in the 37:50 mark showed they did look back sequentially, no overlap. In the 43:00 mark, that iteration shows there is an overlap, as Dong Hoon was still looking at Ji An when Ji An turned back to look. Looking at the way Ji An looked back in the show, it seemed it was closer to the 43:00 version. 

 

But I think the way they edited the scene in the show, it was meant to be sequential. Anyway, just an interesting thought. 

 

Edited November 16, 2021 by actionscript