Jump to content

[Drama 2018-2019] Children of Nobody/Red Moon, Blue Sun, 붉은달 푸른해


larus

Recommended Posts

Well... wow.

 

Okay, so let's unpack the stepmother.

 

She knew all along that when Woo-Kyung is talking about seeing hallucinations of a little girl in a green dress that she was seeing the original Se-Kyung. In response, she kept yelling at her that WK was crazy, even saying cruel things like, "This is why your husband left you!" or "Keep acting crazy and you will lose custody of your child!"

 

When confronted with the facts, she lies that: (1) she lost the original Se-Kyung while shopping; (2) original Se-Kyung was sent away to another family; (3) she had no idea original Se-Kyung would just never wake up after her bath. We know this is a lie, too, because the bruises on the child's arm in the flashbacks show that this girl was beaten severely.

 

I understand that when you kill a child with your bare hands, maybe you don't want to admit that, perhaps even to yourself - but wow, the way her lies escalated was despicable.

 

*sigh* I don't know how to wrap my head around this. I'm still so upset about this.

 

I thought a powerful moment was when Dr. Yoon was finally caught by the police (while trying to kill stepmother), and while he was initially upset, he looks at WK and says, "Good job." He knows that his life is over, but he does in fact care about WK in his own way, and respects that she made the hard decision - to not let her rage take over - that he could not.

 

I guess my final impression of the show is that this was an incredibly grueling watch, easily the most difficult K-drama watching experience I have had. (And I've seen Voice, which is ultra-violent.) This show had violent elements, but it wasn't the physical violence that was shocking, but the emotional violence. It was truly and deeply upsetting.

 

And the most powerful thing for me was how Woo-Kyung had deep wells of fury and rage, but she somehow overcame them. She chose to live and try to heal, and to try to help others heal.

 

Also, I liked that the show didn't sensationalize the reveals of who Red Cry was - the clues were there, and the reveal was matter-of-fact - no dun-dun-dun music goosing up the action. This wasn't a thriller, it was just a really dark and dreadful meditation of what can happen to people who suffer unimaginable trauma, but the show ended with some true, well-earned sense of hope.

 

--

 

Final note: the final episode contained a lot of talk of "hell" (ji-ok) - but the Viki translators clearly chose to avoid saying "hell" - instead, replacing it with "pain" or at one point, "inferno." So obviously this was some kind of editorial decision.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 1.1k
  • Created
  • Last Reply
3 hours ago, chickfactor said:

Final note: the final episode contained a lot of talk of "hell" (ji-ok) - but the Viki translators clearly chose to avoid saying "hell" - instead, replacing it with "pain" or at one point, "inferno." So obviously this was some kind of editorial decision.

 

Their subtitles for public channel dramas are not done by volunteers, but the one who outsource to Kocowa (their partner) and VIU. All these three have exactly same subtitles. The only difference is VIU's subs have no line breaking. I re-watched it on OhK TV Asia channel and they use the word "hell".

 

I handle withdrawal from this drama by watching SKY Castle, and already done catching up to latest episode in 2 days. It is indeed a good one to replace Children of Nobody. It will be real withdrawal to handle when it ends next week.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

27 minutes ago, Ahmad Kamil said:

 

Their subtitles for public channel dramas are not done by volunteers, but the one who outsource to Kocowa (their partner) and VIU. All these three have exactly same subtitles. The only difference is VIU's subs have no line breaking. I re-watched it on OhK TV Asia channel and they use the word "hell".

 

  Hide contents

I handle withdrawal from this drama by watching SKY Castle, and already done catching up to latest episode in 2 days. It is indeed a good one to replace Children of Nobody. It will be real withdrawal to handle when it ends next week.

 

I succumbed and started watching that too today... despite having other things to do :sweatingbullets:

 

What do you mean "their public channel"?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

32 minutes ago, ktcjdrama said:

 What do you mean "their public channel"?

 

Not "their public channel" but "their subtitles for public channels".

 

Since Viki has partnership with Kocowa, and Kocowa subbing SBS, MBC and KBS shows, all shows with subtitles from those three on Viki come from Kocowa (with "This content is provided by Kocowa" at the end of video).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, chickfactor said:

understand that when you kill a child with your bare hands, maybe you don't want to admit that, perhaps even to yourself - but wow, the way her lies escalated was despicable.

 

*sigh* I don't know how to wrap my head around this. I'm still so upset about this.

I know what you mean. :sweat:

I could not believe the writer would end this show in 'forgiveness' all round when it is a thriller not the 100 odd episodes daily show. It is not true forgiveness from WK, yet, but it seems to go in that direction.

 

The stepmother and her daughter doing things happily together and WK's little girl doing her cute performance for a murderer ... that was really painful to watch. While the stepmother got away because of some legal loophole, WK should just cut off all ties instead of using how much her daughter loved the awful woman  to keep things unchanged.  The stepmother was not even vaguely remorseful for killing her sister.

She 'suffered' for 30 years! She claimed she was just bathing the girl who did not want to bathe. She had been abusing the kid, for goodness' sakes!!  If the writer had made SK hyperactive or autistic, the stepmother might have some credibility when she said how difficult SK was.

 

The father saw the bruises on SK's body and he knew she died from abuse, yet he kept the abuser and colluded with her to fool WK? Awful man.

 

I don't like the ending with WK saying that living has possibilities - what? For the abusive unrepentant woman to feel remorseful if she lives long enough. But I do think that WK did the right thing by saving the stepmother from Red Cry. Only, it is  mindboggling how anyone could stay around the murderer of one's little sister. Some people may consider SK's death was unintentional, perhaps  if that was the first time she was hit. Since SK was continually abused, how could it be unintentional? 

 

I was looking for a thriller to replace the ' the guest' and found this show more than halfway through. I enjoyed the guest despite the obvious attempts by the writer to confuse us with the identity of the 'host'. There was no message, just pure shock fest. This show seems to have a message, living has possibilities, such as? My guess is that WK staying around  the stepmother and her daughter is meant to be a catharsis, a step towards healing. Absolutely illogical. I would feel so disloyal to my dead sister, even though she had stopped me from bashing her murderer.

I enjoy watching the show but the ending disappoints me.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Onto the interview with Lee Yi-kyung [OSEN, StarNews], translated version, source from here.


Q: RMBS ended after hard work in the story as well as actors' acting wise.
Lee: Among all the projects I've worked, time flied the quickest with this project. When I told Kim Sun-ah sunbae-num, she said time past really fast for her too. I prepared reading the scripts so much that pages torn apart, and I had lots of advice from Sun-ah sunbae. It was a project I had so much affection and efforts. I thought I am the type who can step out well from the character I play, but I couldn't this time. Director-nim also said "You are just Kang Ji-heon."

 

Q: How did you take on the role in this project?
Lee: I have comical image to the public because I've played some comically strong characters in the past. I received the RMBS scripts at the time I was confused thinking if I was fit for funny characters because many people said so. I was in Paris for filming "Borderless Food Cart" and I read the scripts on my cell. I was not confident. I had fear trying this new character thinking I lacked to digest the role with doubts if I could do well. I discussed with people in my company- I said if they make Waikiki 2, I should do that first, but they said I could show more in the process of going forward for bigger picture. We talked a lot about what I can do and what I should do. I think I was the most sensitive when I did this project. I had to prepare a lot for filming and mentally prepared to have many hateful comments. Considering that, I had happy ending.

 

Q: You left strong impression to the viewers playing Kang Ji-heon who felt hesitation to punish the murderer Red Cry at the end, showing complicated side of the character while portraying the image of ideal and rules-abiding detective.
Lee: The comments made me the happiest were "I feel that real detective like him exists.", "He is a real detective.". I think this is the beginning. It gave me confidence. There is uncertainty whatever I do since there is no answer and no good/bad in acting characters.

 

Q: Were you disappointed at ratings which stayed in 5%, considering how hard you've worked giving emotional acting?
Lee: Maybe I am an optimistic person. Although there were strong dramas like "Boyfriend" and "Last Empress" at the same time slot, we could keep the mania fans without wavering in ratings. If ratings went down even just once, or if it fluctuated, I would feel conflicted, but I was glad it kept 5-6% to the end. Sun-ah sunbae-nim said "You will not regret doing this project. Didn't I tell you our project is good?" which eased my mind.

 

Q: I feel you were the mood maker on the set.
Lee: I tried to make the atmosphere happy with the thought "you don't laugh because you are happy, you are happy because you laugh". Filming was tight and there were loads of things to prepare due to its genre and the schedule for broadcast preponed, so everyone had hardships. I took upon "playing cute" part and Sunah sunbae-nim laughed a lot. I was grateful when she said "I want to meet Yi-kyung in the next project too."


Q: What help did you get from Kim Sun-ah who played Woo-kyung?
Lee: When I tried to understand my character I discussed with Sun-ah sunbae-nim the most. Before filming started whenever I felt confused or couldn't find the likelihood, I called her like at 4am and talked about my character for 1-2 hours at least. I think I can't forget sunbae-nim went that far to help when she must've been busy playing her character.


Q: As the show told heavy story throwing thoughtful messages about child abuse, it seemed not easy to attract new viewers in the middle of the show.
Lee: First, the script itself was very difficult. It was not the script you could act after reading once or twice. Because it so hard when I read that I had to discuss a lot with director-nim and Sun-ah sunbae-nim. That was the part we paid the most attention, and we tried to act so that the viewers could accept more comfortably. The writing was very fun like a novel. But we had to realize it through acting. It was difficult process to portray the novel. As deliberating with Sun-ah sunbae-nim, there were times we acted after changing the order of conversation to make watching easier for the viewers. And the amounts of lines were overwhelming too.

 

Q: How was acting with Cha Hak-yeon who played Eun-ho?
Lee: I talked with director-nim about this also- he is very sincere person. About the part he prepared, he said "Hyung, how about this? How about matching up our lines?" We coordinated our lines together a lot. Since even with same script everyone shows different acting style. I like live style, and Hak-yeon likes to act exactly in the calculated situation, so it was fun harmonizing. He is a person with natural sense. I think I am blessed to know Hak-yeon. Even today I talked in the chat room.


Q: What you two talked about?
Lee: He thinks I am very fun. He says just seeing me kills him from laughing. His character ended early with his death, you know. So when I asked what he was doing, he sent the text "I am lying down now.", "I ordered the chicken delivery." with pretty selfi he took of himself. We spend every day having fun like that. We have group as well as personal chat room.

 

Q: The identity of Red Cry was the main mystery. Did actors act without knowing?
Lee: Nobody knew who Red Cry was. I only found out later when I saw the actor's name written on the schedule. Sun-ah sunbae-nim mentioned a few candidates and he was one of them. I felt that it was Sun-ah sunbae-nim. A few people asked me if I was Red Cry. I think director nim didn't tell us on purpose maybe because he thought it was better for us to act without knowing.

 

Q: It must not have been easy acting carrying such heavy tone.
Lee: I cry easily. I think Ji-heon would be the most painful character I've ever played and play. I had a few NG because I teared up acting. There was a scene in finale ep. RC was talking tapping the pen, and I was not supposed to cry. When filming I cried even with having nose run, so it made NG. I think I immersed in that scene the most. I still have lingering feeling that there are many things I want to ask writer-nim, but I wonder I should not ask if I want to step out from the drama quickly.


Q: You must have gotten interested in the subject of child abuse.
Lee: I've never had a chance to think about the matter. Since I don't have any child even though I have nephews. When I asked director nim he said there are even more terrible victim cases in real life.

 

Spoiler

 

Q: You work without taking a break because you are to film for Waikiki right away. Are you ok physically?
Lee: Doing this project I took Omega for the first time. I go to the same gym as Park Seo-joon(What's wrong with secretary Kim). As we talked about dietary supplements, he told me to take milk thistle. I seem to get exhausted less maybe because it protects liver. btw I am not trying to sell it.


Q: You originally majored sports in the college.
Lee: Since I use my body when I do a comedy, I find out how my body is used and I feel my experience in sports helps. Even my mother acknowledges my physical strength. The filming finished yesterday morning after pulling 3 all-nighter, and I didn't have time to sleep because I had other schedules too. I slept for the first time after 3 days but I feel fresh now. I really feel ok.

 

Q: Any changes you had with new year?
Lee: Taking the supplements diligently, first of all. I became more cautious. In the past I moved my body first, but now I think first before acting. I think I gained knack (behaving) within the angle for sure.


Q: You return with Waikiki season 2. How do you feel?
Lee: I thought "It is such strong character. Do I have to play it again?" But I wondered/hoped if my own brand can be created doing this. Writer-nim said "Because there are so much you left behind, I hope you can work with us again." Filming began already and I have to start soon.


Q: What was it like meeting new members in Waikiki 2? Do you feel responsibility and burden leading the new members because you are the only actor who appear in both series?
Lee: They are very good people. Everyone is character who flows into the show naturally. I think that I stay together with them, but in an episode I am out and support new characters. At first I thought "What is my position?", "I am disappointed.", but as I view the project as whole, I find it is the right way to go. Everybody's acting breath is really good.

 

Q: You've played both cheerful and serious character. Is there any genre you want to challenge?
Lee: I want to try a romcom. I wonder if it will show clear line as an actor if I do a romcom since I've done other contrasting acting.


Q: If there is a goal in 2019?
Lee: I have to move as soon as possible. That is my highest priority. And since I wanted to do music for a while, I am thinking about that too. I want to play piano and compose. There is emptiness an actor feels when he finishes a project, but I feel with music there is something fulfilled after the work is completed. There are people who are willing to help me. Also I did oil painting in the past, which I want to continue. So I want to do more on learning things like that. I also want to try different sports. I also recently wrote 3 scripts. It is not up to the level to be made to a project, but they were reviewed favorably. So I am happy thinking I am a person who can be used in various areas.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lee Yi Kyung Talks About Working With Kim Sun Ah And VIXX’s N On “Children Of Nobody”

by C. Hong
6e46cec3b85649e1bc2698056bfabe7a.jpeg?s=

Actor Lee Yi Kyung recently gave a long interview about his career after the finale of MBC’s “Children of Nobody.”

After talking about his upcoming role in the second season of “Waikiki,” Lee Yi Kyung touched on the topic of his co-stars in “Children of Nobody.”

“I saw Kim Sun Ah for the first time at a café in the Shinsadong neighborhood. I’d just finished filming ‘Pocha Beyond Borders’ and was neatly dressed and very nervous. She thought it was cute. Maybe because of that, she smiled a lot during our first meeting. Afterwards, I liked to try and make her laugh.”

He continued, “I received a lot of advice about acting too. If I sent her a long text message, she would reply with a phone call and gave me a lot of help about characters and acting on set as well. It must’ve been hard for her just to play her own character, so I was grateful that she took the time for me.”

About Cha Hak Yeon (VIXX’s N), he said, “The director and I talked about this as well, but Hak Yeon is very earnest. After he prepared something, he would ask me if it was okay and reviewed our lines a lot.”

more https://www.soompi.com/article/1295139wpp/lee-yi-kyung-talks-working-children-nobody-cast-including-vixxs-n-kim-sun-ah

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I will miss this drama a lot. Even if I felt that the ratings did not give this drama justice, Children of Nobody was my favorite drama of all. I won`t care the ratings if I love something. Just like Lee Yi Kyung said in his interview, I am glad it kept the ratings till the end, through. Nobody regreats doing this project because this drama was good. The writing, the directing, the crew,  the cast did a great job. Kudos to all. It was a drama that touched the soul. The writer knew exactly how she wanted to say and developed all the characters and situations/ dialogues with care. It had a poetry in motion, it had pain and hope in the same time, it had mystery and things/issues to talked about. I will definetly watch the next project of Do Hyun-Jung writer-nim. 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

children_photo181120161109imbcdrama11.jp

 

This was a great thriller.  The drama maintained the suspense from beginning to end, and kept me at the edge of my seat as the story unraveled.   As always, Kim Sun Ah did a superb job of portraying the tragic heroine Cha Woo Kyung.  

 

Ok, having said that, I have a few gripes with the writer in that, the story did not delve deep enough to shed a light on how Yoon Tae Joo became the monster, Red Cry.  Because Red Cry was the central character amidst  all the savage killings, the writer should have provided a backstory of Yoon Tae Joo, what happened to his childhood from the time he was abandoned.  Did he have a traumatic experience that became the catalyst for turning him into a vicious killer as well as manipulating his brother and others to commit those vicious killings?  He was well educated, he seemed to have had a normal life in the States so I can't reconcile the fact the he suddenly emerged as a killer and therefore I conclude that he was nothing but a depraved serial killer and that protecting the children was his excuse to go on a killing spree.  

 

I also could not reconcile the fact the Cha Woo Kyung, after learning that her stepmother killed her sister, continued to have a relationship with her.  After all the built up angst, she really did not do much to avenge her sister's death, like banishing her stepmother from her and her daughter's life.  It's beyond creepy that she allowed her daughter to have a "normal" relationship with her grandmother just because she happened to like her.  In my opinion, this weakened the narrative of her dedicating her life in pursuit of finding out what happened to her sister.  Not only that, she was emotionally crippled throughout her adulthood as a result of being abused as a child.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, sheherizade3 said:

I also could not reconcile the fact the Cha Woo Kyung, after learning that her stepmother killed her sister, continued to have a relationship with her.  After all the built up angst, she really did not do much to avenge her sister's death, like banishing her stepmother from her and her daughter's life.  It's beyond creepy that she allowed her daughter to have a "normal" relationship with her grandmother just because she happened to like her.  In my opinion, this weakened the narrative of her dedicating her life in pursuit of finding out what happened to her sister.  Not only that, she was emotionally crippled throughout her adulthood as a result of being abused as a child.  

 

Yeah, that was... tough to swallow.

 

I like that she "chose life." She picked up a hammer to bludgeon the stepmother in her (fully justified) moment of rage, but she chose to stop because the specter of Se-Kyung pulled her back. Obviously it's her subconscious that was holding her back. If she went ahead and killed her stepmother, then she crosses over to the dark side. She will lose her ability to live her life, to help others, and her daughter will lose a mother.

 

I think she loves her sister, Se-Kyung #2, who is a victim just like anyone and did not do anything wrong. She maybe wants to give Se-Kyung #2 a chance to have a real relationship with her mother. (They obviously had a bad one while she was growing up.)

 

Her actions are continuing to allow stepmother to remain in the lives of Se-Kyung #2 and Eun-Seo. Stepmother has another chance to live, and perhaps one day, a chance to atone. By being a good mother to them, perhaps she will have a chance to make up for having been a bad mother in the past.

 

They haven't reached atonement and forgiveness (I like that the show ends on an ambiguous note) - but Woo-Kyung is giving them a chance because "life is a possibility."

 

Possibility for healing, I suppose? I guess it is comforting to know that people can heal, or at least hope to heal - from anything, even the most unimaginable horrors.

 

I don't know, I'm still trying to work this out in my mind. It's tough. I honestly don't get it, but ultimately, the message is to forgive and try to heal. The show ended with Woo-Kyung and Specter Se-Kyung embracing each other, and it was really lovely and powerful.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Lee Yi Kyung Reveals What He Learned From Co-Star Kim Sun Ah

by S. Park
45c546b701704ff881922f8159d2991b.jpeg?s=

Lee Yi Kyung expressed his respect for Kim Sun Ah.

The actor recently appeared on the MBC drama “Children of Nobody.” This mystery-thriller told the story of a woman who searched for the truth using a series of poems as clues.

In the drama, Lee Yi Kyung appeared as detective Kang Ji Hyun who believes that a person who commits a crime needs to be judged within the framework of the law no matter what.

Speaking about “Children of Nobody” in an interview, Lee Yi Kyung said, “I relied a lot on Kim Sun Ah. I’m really thankful.”

He continued, “I learned about the attitude I should take on towards a drama from Kim Sun Ah. She’s really different. ‘Children of Nobody’ is a thriller and a drama that requires effort so that the viewers can easily understand it. So Kim Sun Ah even made a headband to wear [to promote] at the press conference and said that the actors have to actively promote it.”

He added, “Kim Sun Ah said that the actors must be enthusiastic and continued with that energy until the very end. I learned a lot while watching that. I realized that this is the kind of strength necessary to lead a drama until the end.”

“Kim Sun Ah brings question to our drinking meetups,” said Lee Yi Kyung. “She said that she would ask first since she forgets. There’s a lot I learned while seeing those kinds of actions. I want to be like her.”

https://www.soompi.com/article/1295477wpp/lee-yi-kyung-reveals-learned-co-star-kim-sun-ah

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, sheherizade3 said:

Ok, having said that, I have a few gripes with the writer in that, the story did not delve deep enough to shed a light on how Yoon Tae Joo became the monster, Red Cry.  Because Red Cry was the central character amidst  all the savage killings, the writer should have provided a backstory of Yoon Tae Joo, what happened to his childhood from the time he was abandoned.  Did he have a traumatic experience that became the catalyst for turning him into a vicious killer as well as manipulating his brother and others to commit those vicious killings?  He was well educated, he seemed to have had a normal life in the States so I can't reconcile the fact the he suddenly emerged as a killer and therefore I conclude that he was nothing but a depraved serial killer and that protecting the children was his excuse to go on a killing spree.  

 

I also could not reconcile the fact the Cha Woo Kyung, after learning that her stepmother killed her sister, continued to have a relationship with her.  After all the built up angst, she really did not do much to avenge her sister's death, like banishing her stepmother from her and her daughter's life.  It's beyond creepy that she allowed her daughter to have a "normal" relationship with her grandmother just because she happened to like her.  In my opinion, this weakened the narrative of her dedicating her life in pursuit of finding out what happened to her sister.  Not only that, she was emotionally crippled throughout her adulthood as a result of being abused as a child.   

 

I do actually agree with the fact that we probably did need a bit more backstory on YTJ. I mean, what we have is enough to make it not completely out of left field, and the story still works well enough, but yeah, just what was his deal? Wookyung even mentioned that while a lot of people would mentally assent to the idea that someone deserves death, when a gun is placed in their hands, they wouldn't be able to pull the trigger. So what made YTJ different? Or was it because he WASN'T the one actually doing the killing that he was able to keep his convictions for so long? It's definitely messed up that he used and manipulated other people - including his own abused, traumatized brother - into doing his dirty work for him by utilizing his knowledge of the human psyche, and only resorted to killing when he had no more minions left. No matter how good his initial intentions might have been, he seems like a pretty awful person when you get right down to it, and I have little sympathy for him. Maybe I'd feel differently if we had a little more to go on, but just judging from what little the series showed us, that's my impression of him.

 

I didn't get the impression that Wookyung wanted a relationship with her stepmother at all after finding out what had happened. As for allowing Eunseo and her stepsister to still have a relationship with her, I think it had more to do with what Sekyung #2 said when telling her mom she would be a stem cell donor. She has to live and actively try to make up for the years of terrible treatment Sekyung #2 had to endure; dying won't solve anything, and it's the cowardly way out. It's way harder to face up to your mistakes and look at the people you've hurt every day than to just die and get it over with. Now stepmom knows that Wookyung knows what she did, and she'll be reminded of it every time she looks at her stepdaughter. I highly doubt Wookyung would ever leave Eunseo in the room alone with her grandmother, either, despite her decision to still allow them to interact. So it's not as if the narrative is saying everything is happy sunshine and rainbows and everyone skips off into the sunset hand in hand, there's still a LOT of baggage that everyone has to work thorough.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My shipper heart thanks LYK for putting up that photo of him and KSA and for the soompiers who put it in this forum....:wub:

 

the back story of YTJ was partially alluded to in his adoptive Father’s article...

he was almost 10 or 11 when he was adopted and there was a hint of abuse in his childhood and of course he was also in the orphanage....

he then went in to becoming a doctor but his rage surfaced when he met his Brother and learned of what happened...

and he had survivor’s guilt....so unlike CWK he went over to the dark side and used his skills to extract memories and exact revenge...

with his superior intellect...he probably then developed a god complex...

they did however rush the last episodes...which was why I felt that SY’s story, JH’s story were kinda swept under the carpet or given a few choppy scenes which broke the flow a little in the last episode...

 

Nonetheless...it was an amazing series otherwise and I’m happy to hear that KSA was so generous in her support of her hoobaes and gladly gave of her time and advice to bring this fantastic drama to the small screen...

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, chickfactor said:

Her actions are continuing to allow stepmother to remain in the lives of Se-Kyung #2 and Eun-Seo. Stepmother has another chance to live, and perhaps one day, a chance to atone. By being a good mother to them, perhaps she will have a chance to make up for having been a bad mother in the past.

Well I can see your attempt to take the high ground here :) it is like a mountain to climb for me. To my mind the woman is a murderer, little that she does in future can atone for it. She may repent or regret but redemption is not in this life. She killed an innocent child who meant no harm to her. Nothing less than 20 years of prison is her deserved punishment.

 

Having to take care of her own child whom she was not allowed to acknowledge is a punishment?  Eerrr, this is even more mindboggling - that was what her daughter said to her, she must live and take care of her ( the daughter) as a punishment for treating her badly.

 

Anyway enjoyed watching it and thank you everyone for coming up with guesses on the identity of Red Cry. Entertaining.

Catch you all in other shows. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It has taken me so long to articulate how this drama made me feel... and I'll probably end up not being able to express it coherently anyway, but just to give it a go...

 

What an perfect, perfect conclusion to a stellar drama... one which remains faithful to the narrative and characterisations - painfully true to life and all the unfairness of the world, yet ending on just enough hope to believe in a better tomorrow.
 

"Thank goodness it wasn't me."

This potent, telling admission highlights the one victim often overlooked amid the pitiful victims of abuse - those who escape the literal abuse, but live with the scars of survivor's guilt thereafter, unable to forgive themselves either way. Here lies the crux that led to the genesis of YTJ as Red Cry. The devastating inability to forgive himself for the instinctual self-preservation that kicked in, in the face of the hell that his brother suffered, and by extension, the inability to forgive anyone who wrought such suffering in others. Finally, we understand why there is such adamant insistence of unworthiness to be forgiven - how much self-hate and guilt he must have carried that, buoyed by the terrible ensuing fury, vigilantism became the only option available for both him and his brother to save those who were suffering, taking it upon themselves to putting a definitive end to those who deserve no mercy. Through Red Cry, he finds some measure of redemption for his guilt and his brother's torment, some way to move on - saving others and in a small way, themselves. And herein lies the reason for his vehemence that he personally ended the demons that plagued the similarly afflicted Siwan and CWK despite the fact that his identity is all but exposed to the police. I feel that there is a sense of fatality in his last two missions... knowing that his days are numbered, but determined to see it through and bring reprieve to them in the only way he knows how, however misguided.

 

"Well done, Woo Kyung"

It is fascinating to note that upon realising CWK's choice despite the guilt and betrayal she felt over her little sister, YTJ's last words to her is the familiar "Well done, Woo Kyung", one we have heard many times during his sessions as he counselled and guided her. This time, we see him transition once more from the avenging fury of Red Cry, back to the psychiatrist whose goal is to heal and save. In that moment, despite her having chosen her own path to healing and redemption, one that diverges from what he firmly believes to be right, YTJ the psychiatrist and friend gives her one final word of approval, encouragement and perhaps even respect, for the next page of the uncharted journey that she has chosen to take, one he had not been able to take in his own life.

 

The hand that stayed the doors of hell

At the crucial moment as CWK stands at the brink of hell, how apt that little SK - the source of her guilt-ridden outrage from not protecting her before, and starting the fight that would finally end in her death - would be the one to stay her hand and keep her from falling into the abyss. At last, in the face of the child's unconditional comfort, love and compassion, CWK can finally ask for forgiveness from the one she had wronged in her heart, and take the first, faltering steps to healing for her tortured self. And I believe that she is finally able to choose the path less taken in giving her stepmother a lease in life in spite of her own resentment and anger, because she has experienced acceptance and forgiveness herself despite what she believes herself guilty of. In doing so, she grants herself a new lease in life as well - one that will hopefully, be free of the emotional torment that she has lived with for so long.

 

"Give me a call"

CWK's steps to her own redemption and healing, while not necessarily quick or easy, is now, if not a certainty, then at least a very real possibility, with two unlikely sentinels by her side - a constant presence and a faithful friend... ready to pull her back from falling. How moving that this woman, who lost everything throughout the course of the long, lonely journey we took with her - her family, her self-worth, her very identity - is no longer alone as she finally take her steps into the light, leaving the darkness of her past further and further behind.

 

which brings us to...

 

The epilogue

The story of Red Moon, Blue Sun finally reaches its closure in a poignant, poetic narration that brings home the full extent of the themes that have been woven so seamlessly into this breathtaking drama through the folktale.

 

The moon, frightened of the dark night

wept every night.

"Older sister, I am afraid."

The older sister, worried for her younger sister,

decided to change places with her.

So, a blue moon

began to shine at night,

and a red sun

began to shine during the day.

It was thus that

the red moon became the sun

the blue sun became the moon

   -- translated from C-subs

 

The theme of sacrifice and deliverance is prevalent throughout, and comes full circle in the finale. We see it in the unlikeliest of places - the motivations that drive Red Cry - both LEH and YTJ - to take the mantle of executioner upon themselves, and save those in need. But more than that, as I mulled over the allegory of the Red Moon and Blue Sun in CWK's personal arc, I find myself second-guessing myself over and over again, until at last... I can only come up with one conclusion... that CWK and little SK are reflected in both the one who sacrificed and the one who was delivered. CWK, alive and living in the light, who willingly takes on the long, tortured journey to finally uncover the truth and bring her sister's fate to light - literally (with the unearthing of her remains, kept buried so long under the fireplace) and metaphorically, with the reveal of the terrible truth of what happened. 

 

By the same token, little SK who forgoes her claim to any wrongs she have suffered, choosing instead to draw her tormented sister towards the path of healing and redemption, a path that is made possible with the compassion and forgiveness that only she could have given. 

 

Thus... how fitting that the drama ended on that final note... with the two sisters, though separated by life and death, but never apart... a constant, ever-present source of comfort and love, the balm to the void only the other could fill... each the Blue Sun to the other's Red Moon. Perfect.

 

jdQIXdIJMPVtXm1VDk50Vumo3FrKrJDnL3IjAsqTTPq-Sv6bRJNOc7I_JDZNOeGDnfQTYXn08vKlKR8d0Ti5vbLzpH081N5ZHZNvOVUDBrCtZcNjvj4RkeNp02uQs1m6NOF_6L20Cx1YBND3X5fCYVwg5pqdiaZhAMSOrE_6Jw3LFE1WUVWciKDHjEpibJgtd_sVv_hI1KktRQU7ea9kxd4QP9Ccql9qRzADq5J64bN0XwcsY_6qSBcpy7drhgrXUgMX3E4SXO0fspPkvfH2woxUBmPDdFlnmGb8rXUXBj_OvaxlcbBGJvOdd8YuO8yQF62vDLTvQIzjXpGWb3Kq2Bw6XWwlr5sRJ259AEU3YF-1MpekYI2hH5ozxoBF03bMiJ-erk7cj8LGQz0iOQVYxbN5CxWDSuBYuWixKKBrPMhf-4PClp8O5kXeqvkTjmTon4Goc_BxP6XHyu6TYryiR_T21LB5lu4O3YKoV3cbt1hT6INAPY89Se-eyrx63ebd4K3rdEuGVLVJrwFX-9tM7spSVC8LwH2Bpk7C-ClHMOpIR8TzMaHmmynSA96pvx18Ve4UXaNXbpV093cNvHVVQYT0KB8pZig1lNTRmpHCmtTqxMySKOWaUPuFtL6Mddcw8Ee4yPHsIqTMTE12Yc_34WtS8K9hWKcZ1Z5yLV9HWXT5mju_nxf1WTQ=w600-h338-no

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, chickfactor said:

 

Yeah, that was... tough to swallow.

 

I like that she "chose life." She picked up a hammer to bludgeon the stepmother in her (fully justified) moment of rage, but she chose to stop because the specter of Se-Kyung pulled her back. Obviously it's her subconscious that was holding her back. If she went ahead and killed her stepmother, then she crosses over to the dark side. She will lose her ability to live her life, to help others, and her daughter will lose a mother.

 

I think she loves her sister, Se-Kyung #2, who is a victim just like anyone and did not do anything wrong. She maybe wants to give Se-Kyung #2 a chance to have a real relationship with her mother. (They obviously had a bad one while she was growing up.)

 

Her actions are continuing to allow stepmother to remain in the lives of Se-Kyung #2 and Eun-Seo. Stepmother has another chance to live, and perhaps one day, a chance to atone. By being a good mother to them, perhaps she will have a chance to make up for having been a bad mother in the past.

 

They haven't reached atonement and forgiveness (I like that the show ends on an ambiguous note) - but Woo-Kyung is giving them a chance because "life is a possibility."

 

Possibility for healing, I suppose? I guess it is comforting to know that people can heal, or at least hope to heal - from anything, even the most unimaginable horrors.

 

I don't know, I'm still trying to work this out in my mind. It's tough. I honestly don't get it, but ultimately, the message is to forgive and try to heal. The show ended with Woo-Kyung and Specter Se-Kyung embracing each other, and it was really lovely and powerful.

 

redmoon2900125a.jpg

 

I agree with you that bludgeoning her stepmother would be stooping to her level... that of a murderess.  One cannot right a wrong by committing another wrong.  I was actually cringing watching the scene while silently screaming "don't do it."  

 

I understand your premise of healing but without atonement on the part of her stepmother first, there will never be healing.  As the drama concluded, there never was any form of atonement from the stepmother.  So that is my problem with her character.  She's narcissistic, self-absorbed,  lying and cruel woman proven by the fact that, even after she killed Woo-Kyung's sister, she continued to treat her grown stepdaughter and her own daughter with the same cruelty sans the physical abuse.  In spite of Woo-Kyung's attempts to win her love, she never reciprocated and insulted WK every chance she gets.  She even connived with WK's ex husband to have custody of her daughter.  She may even be suffering from a personality disorder.   First step for WK is to ensure that her stepmother get counselling, maybe even check her in a mental institution.  At the same time, WK should give time for herself to heal, let her sister mend physically and mentally, allowing her to rid herself of all the hate and resentments she felt for her mother.   As a mother myself, I will never allow my daughter to be exposed to this poor excuse of a human being.

 

I'm surprised that there's statute of limitation for murder in South Korea.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Do check out Kim Sun A's IG for a plethora of BTSes that she has recently uploaded... which just makes me miss them even more.

 

Never before seen footage of KJH's desperate attempts to save LEH... proof that he went to all lengths to do so! :lol: 

 

The victim... the murderer.. and the nosy parker... irrefutable proof who killed GSH that night :sweatingbullets: :D 

 

 

@sheherizade3 There is no statute of limitations to 1st degree murder in Korea. However, in the stepmother's case which is possibly classified as manslaughter or death by accident, the statute of limitations remain at 25 years, which has already exceeded in little SK's case.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue..