[Drama 2019] He Is Psychometric, 사이코메트리 그녀석

[lclarakl]

I started this drama because of the high reviews on VIKI, but I have to say, for me, it's disappointing. It's disappointing in that it's not written in any logical sense. I waited until the drama had been completely loaded so I could marathon.  I'm on episode 11, and having a hard time finishing it. My issues that keep repeating themselves;

 

1) The male lead is depicted as either lazy or not smart; but the writer would depict him as very intelligent. Then he's depicted as a punching bag, but later he's shown as an excellent fighter.

 

2) His personality doesn't fit that of someone who witnessed the death of his parents and raised in an orphanage: always very happy and doesn't take things seriously...can't put clues together to save his life--simple 1 plus 1 type clues. Out of all the actors, he seems so immature when life would have forced him to grown up quickly. He doesn't really have a job and no desire to really support himself. 

 

3) I truly have no idea at this point why the secondary male lead wants LA to be able to read him. It only makes me wonder at this point if he's the one who killed everyone. It makes no sense, IMO, for the "killer father" to have killed those women in the apartment. It only makes sense if it's SM especially in light that a body was found to be his mother that was burned up, his mother had to have an opportunity to get out of the apartment before it exploded, and there was no real reason for the "killer father" to kill those women.....as of episode 11 that I could find. Also, SM is a mixed bag of culprit--maybe good guy--maybe bad guy with lots of secrets.

 

4) I also think the writer failed in a couple of ways. Just because someone is a psychopath, it does mean they have killer tendencies or can't live successful lives. The mother trying to teach SM the dictionary definitions of "love, hurt, pain, etc." was a little over done. 

 

5) there are so many scenes that had me rolling my eyes....very illogical in nature. I guess I will find out later why the police chief was willing to let an innocent man go to prison and let a serial killer roam the streets.  Not sure what real police chief worth his badge would every do such a thing.  

 

6) Our "Psychometric" I guess will finally get his reading abilities down, but at ep 11--it's still  ridiculously ineffectively; him finding JI after her being captured by killer father was an act of suspending all realms of believe and logic. The same as when he was stabbed by the killer and had to undergo surgery, but he's sitting in bed eating tons of junk food--really? He and JI "celebrating" in the autopsy room...where is the respect for the deceased; especially one who had died a horrible death and stuffed into a suitcase.

 

I'm trying to muster the energy to finish it this drama, but must give it a pause. I can see where some would find it appealing and really like it. 

[thistle]

2 hours ago, lclarakl said:

I'm trying to muster the energy to finish it this drama, but must give it a pause.

 

If you haven't spoiled yourself on how this drama ends up, you probably should.  It will make it easier to decide whether you want to continue.  

 

I will try not to repeat myself on how I felt by the conclusion except to say that I am still

Spoiler

angry and disappointed.

 

 

 

[lclarakl]

3 hours ago, thistle said:

 

If you haven't spoiled yourself on how this drama ends up, you probably should.  It will make it easier to decide whether you want to continue.  

 

I will try not to repeat myself on how I felt by the conclusion except to say that I am still

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angry and disappointed.

 

 

 

 

@thistle, thanks for the warning. I tried to give it the good fight and continued on to ep 13, and it has confirmed what I had suspected all along about SM. The writer tried to depict these people as complete unfeeling robots.  That's not the case at all. I decided I can't take another second of this drama. A trained detective facing a known killer is not going to have a weapon and not use it. Frustrates me beyond belief. I can't take another second of this drama.

 

[fitzsimmons]

To be honest, I tried to tune in, and it just didn't interest me. The 9.8 rating on Viki is confusing me to be honest....Maybe the lead actor is just really popular with international fans?

[Ignatius]

On 5/1/2019 at 2:08 PM, frozentundra said:

The part I didn't like so much was the ending. Just...the point of the story, as some of you have said. That simply put, the guy was born as a monster's son, and he turned into a monster, too. That no matter how much other people loved him, he could never succeed past that point. Which then made me question the point of the whole drama. Because...he didn't change. He simply let people catch him. He developed feelings--when it was too late. I guess I just disagree with the main point the writer was trying to make. Also, like some of you said, it was a little weird to be all happy go lucky, couple-y at the end, after all of that. 

 

On 5/8/2019 at 11:32 PM, thistle said:

The second female lead JS was murdered and died for absolutely nothing, even though she tried to convince the second male lead SM not to be evil  Unfortunately, SM (LA's "hyung" and JI"s daddy longlegs) was already evil since turned out to be the person who murdered three women and set the apartment fire that killed LA's parents and that JI's dad was framed for committing.  For years, SM appeared to support LA and to encourage JI but all he was really doing was using them.

 

Instead of observing the message of the show, I feel as though many people are upset with the ending just because it did not match their idealistic fairy tale conclusion lol. Of course, Jisoo and SM getting together would have been a delightful finish but if you want to watch a series -> cue in the more cringy romantic comedies like Whats Wrong with Secretary Kim, Touch Your Heart etc.

 

The show was trying to explore a much more sinister side of emotions and often irreversible effects of trauma. Whilst LA and JI both suffered terrible experiences, I think being locked up 9 years since birth has considerable larger effects on your long-term mental health. Also LA and JI have met and let in lovely people in their lives - JI became best friends with the guy from school and Jisoo whilst LA has a lovely affectionate aunt. SM has much more physiological issues to deal with, such as compartmentalising that your dad is an absolute pyscho. 

 

Jisoo's death was not pointless - it showed the impossibility of dealing with loss when you have already lost so much. She sacrificed herself to safe SM but her death also catalysed and strengthened SM's pessimistic view on life which he explains to his mum on the balcony in the 15th episode. The premise that we can become better people and change is of course an enticing thought. But what if you are a good person but evil and cruelty in life follows you at every corner? what if you are emotionally so tortured that even the kindest people turn to violence? 

 

On the other hand JI and LA have lost their parents but  they have the memory of their lovely parents whilst LA has the hope and belief that her dad is innocent. It is why LA's ability to read memories ties so well with the whole drama. The memories tie down so much of Lee Ahn. His ability to read other people's memories makes him understand what sympathy, what makes a person truly evil etc. For LA the public's memory of her dad as a criminal, gives her the resolve to keep on fighting. 

 

Finally SM did not have any of that. He had no option out (his dad continued stalking him) and he had an extremely messed up childhood. The only one thing that made him a good person was his mum. The only option he saw was murder to safe his mum. It is a tragic story but realistic story. In life you do not always get happy endings. 

[Ignatius]

10 hours ago, fitzsimmons said:

To be honest, I tried to tune in, and it just didn't interest me. The 9.8 rating on Viki is confusing me to be honest....Maybe the lead actor is just really popular with international fans?

Ignore what people are saying about the ending. 

 

they are upset it did not go down as they wanted it. 

It had a great ending that differentiated itself from the cliche. Please watch it. 

[thistle]

1 hour ago, Ignatius said:

Ignore what people are saying about the ending. 

 

they are upset it did not go down as they wanted it. 

It had a great ending that differentiated itself from the cliche. Please watch it. 

 

If you had read my previous posts you might understand that my dissatisfaction with this show is that it went one way for the first 12 episodes and then it took a sharp left for the last 4.  

 

I can live without a happy ending.  This particular ending ticked me off because the show was inconsistent--it lead right up to us believing that people could be salvaged and then smashed the lid down hard in showing that some couldn't. 

 

Actually, I was offended with the fact that there were three happy couples at the end of the show because that seemed like a mockery of the death of JS and the ruin of SM.

 

 

[Ignatius]

29 minutes ago, thistle said:

 

If you had read my previous posts you might understand that my dissatisfaction with this show is that it went one way for the first 12 episodes and then it took a sharp left for the last 4.  

  

I can live without a happy ending.  This particular ending ticked me off because the show was inconsistent--it lead right up to us believing that people could be salvaged and then smashed the lid down hard in showing that some couldn't. 

 

Actually, I was offended with the fact that there were three happy couples at the end of the show because that seemed like a mockery of the death of JS and the ruin of SM.

  

 

 

Why are you offended by it? that is absurd. The couple did not work out because SM clearly had a more messed up childhood. The other three couples you mentioned did not have the same background as SM. The scene at the bridge clearly showed he rejected Jisoo's help, the same way he rejected help when he was a kid from the dad of LA (cant remember who exactly anymore). The point of the drama was not to have a happy ending for everyone. Also the Aunt and Daebong (LA best friend) were side characters to the show and were more there for comedic relief. 

 

Because we like the idea of having someone salvaged or us being able to heal from our wounds. From the beginning it is hinted at that SM was emotionally unavailable. Also the fact Lee Ahn could not read SM through psychometric was a metaphor for his emotional sufferings. The same way Lee Ahn cannot see SM's memories, we as the audience and people around SM cannot understand what he is going through. I agree the pacing was off a bit and maybe a bit rushed but there were hints there. It was definitely not inconsistent. 

 

[frozentundra]

I see where @thistle is coming from. It has nothing to do with requiring a happy ending or not. It is more that I felt the writer promised one thing (ie the story will be about this guy who we KNOW has good qualities, fighting off the monster inside him, as evidenced by SM wanting the lead to do a psychometric read on him--as if he was asking for help)--and then took a completely different turn in the end. There are stories about a person whose ultimate tragic end feels right, like a fulfilled promise, and yes, then what you are left with is a discussion of all of those things @Ignatius mentioned. (Ie what if you are a good person but evil follows you wherever you go?) 

 

I *like* surprises in stories, but they only work when you can look back and see that all the clues to prove it were there, and you just didn't realize it at the time. I didn't feel that the ending was backed up by the clues given earlier, so for me, it wasn't satisfying. 

 

However, there are obviously multiple ways for a person to watch and interpret this drama, and it's interesting to read how other people saw it. For me, the clues didn't add up, but for others, they did. So if it sounds at all interesting, then take a look at it and decide for yourself. Just because one person likes or dislikes a drama should in no way impede another person from their own interpretation of it. 

[lclarakl]

@Ignatius, since I didn't watch this drama to the end, my displeasure had zero to do with the ending. This drama is an emotional "hodgepodge". I don't know if SM is supposed to be a psychopath, sociopath, or suffering from CIP (Congenital Insensitivity to pain).  All SM's actions seemed like the writer just pulled behaviors out of the air. Which also explains why she had the lead with the maturity level of  a 14 year old despite having suffered such tremendous tragedy in his life--tough fighter one moment, weak punching bag the next--not to mention--completely clueless and for the most part only took a surface interest in most things. I could go on and on. I got frustrated with the inconsistencies.

 

 

 

 

 

[anng]

I don't understand why they chose to end the drama in this direction. His motive for killing was not a very strong one and the ending seems a bit forced to me. I actually had to skip the last 6 eps because I had a feeling that it was heading towards a strange path and the actual finale with the lovey dovey and comical parts is not really necessary tbh.

[nrllee]

On 5/14/2019 at 10:51 AM, lclarakl said:

 I got frustrated with the inconsistencies.

 

That was what frustrated me most about how it all played out.  Not that SM ended up being the killer but the fact that for the life of me I cannot piece together the jigsaw that the writer had portrayed in the earlier episodes.  If the writer was trying to pen a redemptive arc for SM in the end by having him sit in jail for 13years and doing some studying, I am not buying it.  If his father was handed the death sentence, I feel like SM should’ve gotten the same if not life imprisonment.  After all it was his killing of the ladies and the fire that seemed to be the trigger to his father’s copycat murder/arson in the HanMin home?  

 

I watched the last 2 episodes rather hurriedly so my dissatisfaction could be unfounded.  Here is what doesn’t “add up” for me

 

- Stalker dad kills one lady, burns her face(?), stuffs her in a suitcase and heads up the apartment, presumably to kill SM(?), take the mom and start the fire so police would think they BOTH perished in the flames?  The suitcase contained flyers about the fire hazard that the apartment was AND lighters.  He removes the jacket off a sleepy JI (why do this unless he wanted to pin it on JI’s dad?).  So he had it all worked out.  

 

- He then goes upstairs, finds an empty apartment...in so doing he walked past the apartment where the ladies are and SM is tying his shoelaces.  He storms off in a rage, leaves the suitcase with the dead body, drops the jacket In the apartment (?huh?).  He does something with the knife?  Presumably he drops it as well for SM to find?

 

- SM then conveniently goes back to his apartment, finds the dead body in the suitcase and then works out his father’s dastardly plan and decides enough is enough, Imma gonna kill those ladies next door and set up the fire to protect mom?  When did the killing of the 3 ladies factor in on his father’s plan?    He dons JI’s dad’s jacket and heads next door.  Why not just take the body out in his apartment, and start the fire there because that’s what his dad was planning on doing?  Why add murdering the 3 ladies?  Like that would’ve just surfaced as a “good” plan?  Had he killed before so it was a piece of cake for him?   His reasoning was that it would compel the police to dig deeper into the case?  Huh?  I mean there were 3 ladies to murder?  Not just the one at the door?  He knew that because he had just been next door?  Failure rate increases threefold when there are 3?  Maybe he wasn’t thinking straight?  But he had to be because he staged the death scene, cut the gas hose and then planted the lighter in the microwave (who would’ve thought of that?  Wasn’t like his father gave him a blow by blow of how to plan a murder and hide it with arson?). There was intentionality there?  It’s not something that “comes to you” at the spur of the moment?  I would’ve just started the fire by lighting the curtains or something?  And I certainly would not have had the presence of mind to stage the death scene.  Especially if I didn’t “mean” it?  Minor or not, there was intentionality, it was murder, not man slaughter.  

 

- Then there was the whole slow reveal to LA and hiding the truth from everyone who cared about him.  Even his mom.  I presume SM was also the one who called the hit on the other 2 ladies in the suitcases (to tie up loose ends)?  And this was AFTER the “guilt” of killing the 3 ladies?  Did he really feel remorse?    The whole thing about wanting LA to hone his skills so he could read him?  Totally unnecessary?

 

- Why didn’t he just kill his dad?  The whole spiel about wanting him to suffer?  Die a slow death?  From what?  Sepsis?  Hey he killed the 3 ladies (who weren’t exactly nice neighbors but surely they didn’t deserve to die), why not his dad who was the monster?  Actually I would’ve been less dissatisfied if he performed a murder/suicide and redeemed himself with death by his own hand?

 

- The whole HanMin fire scenario didn’t exactly make sense to me either.  If SM was there to rescue his mom, and so was KGT,  his dad was overpowered then?  Why not take him out?  SM was already the Prosector (and he had clout)?  Why just drive away with the drugged out mother?  Perfect chance to pin the murders and arson on stalker dad and end their fugitive days?

 

I loved the acting by the 4 main characters but honestly the story left much to be desired. 

[thistle]

This is very sad:  the actress who played SM's mom has passed away.

Update: Jeon Mi Sun’s Agency Releases Official Statement Regarding Her Passing