[Drama 2019] When the Camellia Blooms, 동백꽃 필무렵

[htk9207]

2 hours ago, ktcjdrama said:

I think I watched through episode  15 mostly with tears in my eyes and a stuffy runny nose... 

 

I think I'll just wait so I can watch this and tonight's episodes in one go. I hope the ahjummas will show up tonight in full force. 

[ponderings]

Hello chingus! I've been silently reading your posts every time I finish each episode. 

I love how this drama quietly consoles my evenings. The storytelling is wonderful and unique, showing perspectives in the characters' eyes. Because each character, even a minor one, has been fleshed out with dimensionality, I understand what and how the character intends to live his/her life. Empty words don't always reflect upon the character's life, but we understand how the character (e.g. Hyang Mi) came to be. The underlying of the storytelling reminds us to not judge and perceive people so quickly.

 

I think the exchange of communication between Dongbaek and Hong Ja Young in penultimate episode sums up everything that the writer intends to tell. Here it is, 

 

DB: Well, I gave up on being openly happy a long time ago. 

HJY: Why is that? 

DB: What people think of me is their problem. I used to think of happiness as something like a test score. I used to look up at the scoreboard others made and thought about where I stand. No matter how hard I looked up though, I couldn't find an answer. So why would I stick around looking for one? I dismissed their scoreboard as their own game and scored my own life based on my standards. Being happy by my own standards is all I need in life, right? 

HJY: It seems like your heart has its own flowerbed. Meanwhile, I aced the SAT, went to a prestigious law school, but no flowers bloomed within me.

 

Dongbaek's character is truly endearing. She stopped perceiving happiness in other people's eyes and chose to seek her own "requirements" in living. Living isn't all about scoring 100 on a test. The way of living need not be measured. I think the way of living tends to be measured because we attach it to grades, salary, investments and wealth. The perceptions and attachments are what make Dongbaek and her mother similar and different at the same time. Dongbaek smiles and grinds through life while her mother suffered and lived in misery for awhile. But her mother came back...to Dongbaek's warm and kindness. 

 

In addition, I love the reference to flowers blooming in the heart. I just learned that Camellia means compassion and understanding, which sums up the drama's message in the shortest way possible. 

 

I am waiting to see what camellia means to Dongbaek personally. Or have I missed the detail significance of quick scenes of the flowers blooming? 

 

 

Side note...

IU's new song unlucky reminds me of how Dongbaek and Yongsik define "luck" 

 

 

[ponderings]

8 hours ago, Latte_Anyday said:

     Mothers really are something, they do so much & at times we as children fail to understand why. I lost my mom a year ago so this ep. hit too close to home for me.. It is only now I truly see what drove her to do the things she did. I used to think my mom was overdramatic (and she was LoL) but everything she did was to prepare me for what's ahead.. 

 

hi @Latte_Anyday, I love reading your thoughts! I'm sorry that you lost your mom last year. Sending virtual hugs to you! 

As I grow older, I have a clearer sense of what I want in the present. But there are moments when my clarity clashes with my mom. We have arguments that tear my heart away. I get annoyed at my mom for seeing the future and planning for what will come in the next 30/40 years. It can be excruciating because I am trying to live in the moment and figure out how my life will pan out. 

I guess one thing to take away is to understand my mom's perspective and see where she's coming from. 

[40somethingahjumma]

I'm tired... so bear with me.

What a tearjerker of an episode. I was all sooky a la Yong-sik for most of the episode. Oh dear... (people chopping onions everywhere) but I wouldn't have had it any other way.

I am so glad that the drama took the time to answer those questions that were still at the forefront of everyone's minds. 

 

We had an inkling somehow that giving up DB was never easy for Ms Jo. Despite her aloofness and curtness... callouses from when an exceedingly difficult life... she was tracking DB's life and her return marked her need to farewell her only existing family. In these past weeks I have really come to respect the woman... her initiative,  insights, calculations and her desire to give the very best to her daughter right to the bittersweet end. This has allowed us to learn more about both mother and daughter.

 

I don't really consider her choice to reject the kidney transplant noble idiocy although the desire to survive reasserted itself strongly, showing the tension between fight and flight. The word I prefer in this instance is "self-sacrifice". Sure it seems unnecessary in terms of what modern advancements in medicine are capable of achieving but by this final act of love, she came full circle... to give her daughter the best quality of life she was capable of giving. Of course we all want to live as long as possible... it's a natural impulse... but as it is consistent with everything else she has done, she wanted DB to have a much more secure future. Personally I find it both challenging and inspiring.

 

(I am still a bit curious about the other family she "adopted" but that's perhaps for another day)

 

This will be hard for DB to accept. Just when she was beginning to be reacquainted with her mother and understand the circumstances behind her "abandonment", her mother exits unceremoniously once again. It seems unfair but I hope ... like her mother... that she will get some kind of closure knowing that she was always loved and watched over. She was never abandoned.

 

(Who keeps cutting onions around here??!!!)

 

Although I did think Heung-sik did aid and abet his father's crimes, I did feel sorry for him. It was a dilemma every child dreads. An unhinged father who killed people because they did something to make him feel terrible about himself... HS apparently didn't have the heart and perhaps the courage to do the right thing.  Still, this entire thing could have been stopped early on. Lives could have been saved when HS knew what his father was doing. But I note that he was abused at a young age which goes to explaining some of that dysfunctionality in that dynamic.

It's not necessarily a bad thing too for HS to move and live elsewhere. To get a fresh start somewhere where no one knows who you are can be remedial. But seeing that he has been exposed publicly that may not be possible anyway. 

 

Heroic YS steps in once again and saves the day.  Why not use the homeground advantage if you can. I especially enjoy the part when KHN gets serious... he actually sounds dangerous. 

 

The OTP not being together is really such a wet blanket. Even while both are trying to move on with their lives... there's still such an farcical aspect about the whole thing IMO. From my perspective it's as if they've sucked the fun out of this show. It's not that the episode was bad... not at all... but there was a cloud of gloom hovering in the background. And there's PG. Where was he most of the time. He was the main reason for the breakup so where's his reaction? There's no follow-up. It just makes the break-up feel all the more meaningless... to me at least.

 

I know I'm being whiny about the OTP here. It was always so much fun seeing them together. Sigh. But there were some really fun moments to be found elsewhere... YS' interrogation of HS's dad and then the reveal that he was co-opted by the detectives. Ja Yeong drinking at the pub and GT picking up JY from the pub. 

 

JR's cute rant to the baby at the start was fascinating insofar as it highlights a kind of simplistic worldview that some of the characters hold to. It isn't just him that's for certain. I see that in DB as well. No wonder her mother calls her a "half-wit". When he said he didn't think marriage needed much work or that he held the expectation that the people he cared about would always be around, my first thought was... "Huh? Really? Are you that naive?" But then I thought he might be on to something. A key to making sense of KJR, Jessica, GT, DB JY. It isn't just that he took things for granted with deliberate malice but he never considered possibilities, alternatives. There's obviously a yearning for simplicity in a situation where there will never ever be one. 

 

People are variously clinging on to an idealized past that in most cases never existed. And even if it did, there's no going back to recapturing the "good o'l days". The past is a conflation of memory, illusion and longing. But it is not the present... it is not present reality.

 

The best part about JR in this episode was seeing him take responsibility for the failure of his marriage... his eventual realisation that divorce and starting again with DB was never going to be an option or the answer to his problems. Yes, divorce would be a great escape from a dysfunctional marriage but it wouldn't necessarily deal with the underlying issues that drove it to this point of deterioration. While Jessica clearly played a part in its failings with her self-indulgent ways, he wasn't exactly a nurturing spouse that actively looked out for her. Their relationship is one of dire communication and neglect.

 

It's noteworthy that he believed he could pick up where he left off with DB because they had a son together. In his memories, their life was good (certainly better than what he's having with Jessica). They liked each other and there were many good times. That's how he remembers it. But DB's memories of the past are somewhat different. There were good days but there were days when she realised that she didn't come out a winner especially in relationship to his career.

 

The past is a mixed bag for DB. The part that stings the most is the day she was abandoned. Her memories of the event are naturally incomplete. As the gaps are being filled, her entire perception is changing and so her relationship with her mother shifts to a different level.

DB wants to go back to what things were like before YS came along. When there's was just her and PG. Then HM came along. But of course that's not possible. A number of variables have emerged and changed her entire perception of what's possible with regards to happiness. Pretty soon, it will be back to just DB and PG. HM's gone, Mum's gone and she broke up with YS. If I were a betting woman, I wager on the fact that going back to just DB and PG won't have the same simple joys that it once did. They have been touched by others along the way. The camellia is no longer a shrinking violet. She is blooming. When she tells her mother that she is happy to live for PG because he is her saviour and her god... it comes across a little unconvincing. (Not to mention unhealthy)

 

Divorce for JY seemed to be a much needed release from a dysfunctional situation. When she signed the papers and walked away, she could gleefully give the two most troublesome people in her life a good tongue-lashing. Despite gaining that bit of satisfaction, there's a vague feeling of discontent. The victory brings with it a kind of hollowness. A change of dynamic was needed... definitely... but divorce itself did not resolve the longings of her heart.

It wasn't because she didn't care about GT because she still does. She obviously didn't like what he had become or what the two of them together had become. They were barely communicating and the harridan that masquerades as her mother-in-law was manipulating her. However, the divorce made her a free woman but not necessarily a happier one. 

GT was an insecure, miserable loser and although the divorce did contribute some small part in his "self-awareness", it was really being a murder suspect that put him on the road to redemption. It wasn't that he didn't love his wife but he didn't know how to gain her respect. 

 

This is what I was saying the last time. We all want simple answers to life's complexities where there are none. If people hate us on social media, is that the measure of our worth? A mother leaves her child at the orphanage... does that mean she doesn't love her child? Your marriage is on the rocks, is a quickie divorce the answer? Well, it depends on what the question is. You think your child doesn't like you dating... does that mean a break-up will return things to normal (whatever that means)?

Negotiation is such an important part of life. Not everything has to be a zero sum game. It doesn't have to be PG vs YS. It can be PG 1, YS 1 and DB 1 but that means hard work making it happen. Relationships are hard work in general. Very few of them just happen naturally. When the will to invest and cultivate is there, one can reap desired results.

 

This goes back to what JR says... "I didn't know I had to work on marriage"... Well, yeah.  What seems obvious to the rest of us is revelation to him. Better late than never I say.

 

 

 

[Josh Marquez]

This episode broke my heart into million pieces. It was such a heartbreaking episode  Good job to everyone involved in this drama, truly outstanding especially to dongbaek and her mom such great actors. 

[bedifferent]

3 hours ago, ponderings said:

Dongbaek's character is truly endearing. She stopped perceiving happiness in other people's eyes and chose to seek her own "requirements" in living. Living isn't all about scoring 100 on a test. The way of living need not be measured. I think the way of living tends to be measured because we attach it to grades, salary, investments and wealth. The perceptions and attachments are what make Dongbaek and her mother similar and different at the same time. Dongbaek smiles and grinds through life while her mother suffered and lived in misery for awhile. But her mother came back...to Dongbaek's warm and kindness. 

 

I think Ja Young has always been curious about DB's charm.  The bar visit (love it by the way, well worth our wait LOL) was almost like a pilgrimage for Ja young.  She wants to know DB's secret to not only attract her own ex-hubby, but the source of jealousy of the neighbors and the men's attention.  What she discovered was DB's lovely attitude and personality.  All attributed to her outlook on life and happiness.  Life is what you make of it.  Happiness is relative to the person, to your expectations. 

 

2 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

 

I don't really consider her choice to reject the kidney transplant noble idiocy although the desire to survive reasserted itself strongly, showing the tension between fight and flight. The word I prefer in this instance is "self-sacrifice". Sure it seems unnecessary in terms of what modern advancements in medicine are capable of achieving but by this final act of love, she came full circle... to give her daughter the best quality of life she was capable of giving. 

...

HS apparently didn't have the heart and perhaps the courage to do the right thing.  Still, this entire thing could have been stopped early on. Lives could have been saved when HS knew what his father was doing.

 

 

To start, we have to understand Jeong Suk's disease to see why she has to make the difficult decision of rejecting the kidney transplant.  I am glad that the drama gave an explanation of it.  Abnormal genes caused polycystic kidney dz (where cysts develop in your kidney, multiply, causing your kidney to swell up and lose function) which means parents can pass the abnormality to their children.  Jeong Suk has autosomal dominant form giving Dong Baek a 50% chance of inheriting the same kidney disease.  If DB were to give one of her kidneys to save her mom, she would be left with only one functional kidney to sustain herself.  In a normal person, one kidney could essentially be enough but if she develops PK, she may even have complications and rely on dialysis earlier than JS.  I think her refusal is to benefit DB long term.  Not only was it for DB's health but think of what it means for Pil Gu, not have to take care of his mother or even lose her to the disease.  It's the last and ultimate sacrifice for a woman who sacrificed her hard life to give DB a better life.

 

I am also sympathetic to HS's difficult life and I wish he had the "luck" to have the right people in his life.  DB kept a lot of people at a distance in the beginning when she believed that she was cursed with bad fortune as an orphan.  Even when she got lucky to get adopted, she didn't sustained this good fortune because of JS's past working history at the bar.  She eventually ended up at Camellia because of JR's fond mention of Ongsan.  Is is luck again we wonder?  Must be cuz she found her place in this lovely community of strong women and met the love of her life.   So a life that many others considered unlucky in a traditional sense as a poor orphan is in fact a life loved by many when looking through a different lens.  Had HS somehow have the courage to confide in someone early, he could have gotten guidance to help his father and prevented all the murders.  But in reality, he couldn't because he was a victim of his father's abuse.

 

If there is one thing DB learned from her mother I hope it is that it's good to share your life with someone. Don't chose to live for your children over your own.  Love openly so that your children don't have to learn about it after you die.  Don't reject love!

 

 

 

[Latte_Anyday]

@ponderings

You do..?? Aww~thank you, bless your heart. I didn't think my thoughts are all that great tbh LoL, just a bunch of nonsense but thanks all the same! 

     Yea I miss my mom terribly.. It's still pretty raw but gettin' better. My dad is comin' close to his 15 year anniversary (of his death) & my beloved pet dog 'bout 4 years prior to my mom's It looks like everyone I love leaves what're you goin' to do but tread on with life right? (shrug) 

     I'd be honest. I didn't get along with my mom.. She had me late in life & I guess there was a generational gap etc. Also she's not keen on how I kept talkin' back or disagree with her; which was often LoL

     She did admit much much later that she was harsh on me as girls need to be equipped with additional armor more so than men. As the world does not look kindly toward weak women & such. 

 

You & I share the same opinions ha-ha & that's to live in the present & take each day as it comes~ Especially after losing my loved ones this statement rings more true to me.. 

So sorry for the sad topic ha-ha. 

I loved Dong Baek's Mom's parting message which reads.. I loved you every single day, you are much stronger than you think. Don't be intimidated & underestimate yourself - the gist of it anyway Dong Baek's an incredibly damaged individual isn't she LoL?! Like I said before she needs to trust herself more & as her mom sagely advises.. Yong Shik's mom & Pil Gu are just small hurdles to a bigger picture. She needs to stop crying for goodness sakes LoL & fight for her love.. Heck if not for herself, do so for Yong Shik at least. He definitely deserves that much~

 

Sending massive virtual hugs back to you too! @ponderings

[bedifferent]

@Latte_Anyday  you made me want to text my parents!  Hug and keep moving!   

 

 

 

 

 

 

There will be a special OST When Camellia Blooms released today.

 

Kim Yeon-Ji - Mom (OST 11)

 

 

Spoiler

* The word for “mom” (맘) can be interchanged with “heart”

---

Mom, why was I the only one who didn’t know?
Now I think I know, please don’t go

 

The words, I miss you, I love you
Why were you the only one I couldn’t say it to

 

Mom, you’ll never change
You’re the only one so you’re so precious

 

Even when I couldn’t see you, you were by my side
I could feel you, my mom

 

My mom, you know me better than I know myself
My first love was you

 

The words, I’m sorry, thank you
I should say those words but why are you saying it?

 

My mom, rest comfortably now
Have only good dreams and smile

 

Rest for a bit and then let’s walk together
Then I’ll stand right in front of you

 

Source

 

[htk9207]

6 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

From my perspective it's as if they've sucked the fun out of this show. It's not that the episode was bad... not at all... but there was a cloud of gloom hovering in the background. And there's PG. Where was he most of the time. He was the main reason for the breakup so where's his reaction? There's no follow-up. It just makes the break-up feel all the more meaningless... to me at least.

 

That cloud of gloom is the very reason I'm hesitating to watch right away. I'd rather watch it with the final episode to sweeten my viewing experience.  The breakup is a huge deal for me and knowing that their relationship will be taking a backseat for two episodes is a real downer for me. The focus obviously will be on DB's mom and on why she let DB become an orphan at age 7.  Worse, she is dying and she knows it. This episode is going to be hard to watch since DB mom reminds me so much of my mom. Sigh. I really need my favorite ahjummas in the finale to lighten up the mood. 

 

6 hours ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

When she tells her mother that she is happy to live for PG because he is her saviour and her god... it comes across a little unconvincing. (Not to mention unhealthy)

 

She could have just worded it as Pilgu is her inspiration for living. And that having Pilgu in her life saved her from thinking dark thoughts. 

[40somethingahjumma]

1 hour ago, htk9207 said:

 

 

She could have just worded it as Pilgu is her inspiration for living. And that having Pilgu in her life saved her from thinking dark thoughts. 

 

Of course it's only my interpretation that she sounded a bit unconvincing.

 

Although there is a lot of sadness in the episode, I do feel that there's a strain of triumph in this. I don't necessarily feel sad that her mother made that final choice not to undergo transplantation. The sadness I felt was really about her life. She did the best she could under the circumstances, searched for her daughter until she found her, protected her from afar and yet she was racked with a lifetime of guilt and regrets. 

 

One of the things I learnt from my mother's passing over a decade ago now was how much I relied on my mother. We were close and she babysat one day, sometimes even two days a week for me. Things got really hard after her death. Amidst feelings of grief and resentment, I soon realised that my reliance on my mother had prevented me from growing as a person and a mother. It was liberating to know that I could get stronger doing what was hard. 

 

I just wonder too... if DB needs this untethering. She will grieve deeply and express many regrets about what might have been but I think her mother really wanted her to start a new life with a new family formed with the man she loved, unencumbered by the past. The past certainly had its impact on her but it doesn't need to define her future. Ms Jo was a really wise woman and she was always proactive... buzzing around with plans in her head, carrying them out in her indomitable way. Plus she didn't want to carry around more guilt knowing that she will become a burden. It's not "her style" as they would say in SK.  

 

I'm glad that even if DB didn't inherit her brains, she did inherit her entrepreneurial spirit.

 

Just my 2 cents.

 

@bedifferent Ah... just saw your post. Thank you for the medical perspective. Yes, I knew that being a transplant donor means a hard road ahead for all concerned so that made the decision a no-brainer on some level. Anyway, I've blathered on plenty about this already.

[rubie]

November 21, 2019

"When the Camellia Blooms" Gets Two Special Episodes after Its Finale

 

Source: KangHaNeul.org via HanCinema.net

 

 

"When the Camellia Blooms" will get two special episodes that will broadcast on 27 and 28 November!

 

According to KBS, the special broadcast will be a condensed version of the twenty episodes. It will mainly cover the key points in the drama: the Yong-sik (Kang Ha-neul) and Dong-baek (Gong Hyo-jin) love story, the heartwarming relationships in Ongsan including the mothers and the Ong-Vengers, and the mystery about the identify of Joker that brought about tension throughout the TV series.

 

These additional episodes were produced due to KBS's high satisfaction and confidence in the drama that consistently dominated the viewership ratings scoring 6.3% on its premiere to over 20% to date. In order to maximize the results, KBS decided to postpone the first broadcast of the subsequent TV series, "Woman of 9.9 Billion". 

 

A drama official said, "It is a small fan service prepared by the production team for viewers who have been enthusiastic about the drama from episodes 1 through 20". He added that new scenes scenes will be added in this special broadcast.

 

"When the Camellia Blooms" will air its final episodes on 20 and 21 November on KBS 2TV Korea. International fans can watch it via Netflix.

 

By Michelle

[bedifferent]

 

 

 

 

Spoiler

 

 

[lollyminx]

Episode 20

 

Final episode. Here we go. 

 

Favorite Scenes

• Deoksun taking care of Pilgu
• "You have to protect the Joker." - the Captain 
• "You can come inside if you have the guts" - Drunk Hongjayeong  
• Gyutae and Jayeong's dating history. Their story could be one standalone drama and I'd watch the hell out of it. 
• Gyutae entering the house. Hahahahahaha Oh Jungse is the best
• Jayeong pulling Gyutae... seriously these two
• OMG... the Captain in love with someone... 

Thoughts

• Dongbaek's mom talking to Deoksun. When she said "free mom," I cried again. Did it two days in a row. I love the way she communicates. 
• I love Yongsik's lines in this episode the most. He's the one leaving viewers with the best takeaways: (1) it's the heroes in all of us that make this world a better place, and (2) there are more good than bad guys. I find these good reminders considering how bleak the world is today. Dongbaek's line, "sometimes one person can be a miracle for someone" is also good. It's inspiring. All these lines taken together, we can be heroes by being a miracle to even just one person.
• I don't know how to feel about Jongryeol and Jessica's ending. On the one hand, good for them. On the other hand, I believe these two don't belong together and they need time apart and alone to grow lol
• Pilgu's ending. He could be the only 8 year old with a headache when he was younger, but after the growing pains, he's the most loved. 2 grandmas, 2 dads, a mom, a stepmom, a bald stepsister who poops a lot (not anymore), and neighborhood ahjummas looking after him. 

 

What a great series. This is the best drama this year for me. It's unforgettable. Also, I feel like this drama has satisfied my need to watch an unforgettable and meaningful story that I can manage not to watch anything more for the rest of the year and early next year until the few dramas I'm keeping my tabs on start airing. 

[1ouise]

Wow!!!  I am completely satisfied with the ending.  So full of charm.  Too many highlights!

 

 

 

황고운 ... sister for Pil-gu!!!

 

 

 

[ktcjdrama]

24 minutes ago, lollyminx said:

What a great series. This is the best drama this year for me. It's unforgettable. 

Mine too... What a lovely wonderful amazing drama! Love it to the bits and pieces!!

 

Great finale that had me feeling fearful (HS at Camellia), triumphant (beer mug smash), ROTFL (protect the Joker), bawling (when it snowed), and then just grinning and smiling till the end.

 

So YS did plan the biggest wedding at a hotel although we didn't get to see it and I love how Yeong-Sim is still mentioned even into our last episode

 

I'm gonna miss our visit to Ongsan Village so much...

 

황고운 ~ they named their daughter after Hyang-Mi's original name, nice touch.

[multiloverssss]

i glad we got happy ending....i so happy that pilgu change his name to hwang go un....i thought it would be happen and the writer do that.

this writer truly gem.

i will wait for this writer next drama.

[multiloverssss]

22 minutes ago, lollyminx said:

• What a great series. This is the best drama this year for me. It's unforgettable. Also, I feel like this drama has satisfied my need to watch an unforgettable and meaningful story that I can manage not to watch anything more for the rest of the year and early next year until the few dramas I'm keeping my tabs on start airing. 

i agree....this drama the best drama in this year.All element we found in this drama....

i hope this drama would won awards at KBS drama award at the end of this year.

[lollyminx]

19 minutes ago, ktcjdrama said:

I love how Yeong-Sim is still mentioned even into our last episode

Hahaha I love this part too, and she even has a happy ending. 

[ayamom]

Thank you for your post and thought @lollyminx. I came here before watching the final episode just to get your spoiler . I skipped at least 4 drama's last episode lately because I just couldn't let those last episodes break my heart. I can watch peacefully now .

 

 

 

 

[ktcjdrama]

Just for the love of this drama, below is the list of episode titles in Netflix

 

Episode - Title

1 - The Woman with the Germanium Bracelet

2 - The Good, the Bad, and the Cheap

3 - The Mutt's Strategy

4 - The Country Boy

5 - A Wish, an Affair, and Turmoil

6 - 1986.08.29 Born to Be a Hippo

7 - The Ongsan Fairy

8 - The Lynx of This Area

9 - I Will Welcome Anyone

10 - Nice People Can't Get Lucky

11 - The Hero Appears at the Last Minute

12 - Don't Forget Me

13 - The End of All The Flirting

14 - My Mom's Age Lines "And That Is How My Mom Aged"

15 - Mother

16 - Switching Offense and Defense (Fet. One Who Steps On the Accelerator)

17 - The Ongsan Avengers

18 - Life of an 8-year-old

19 - 7 years and 3 months of Motherhood

20 - Do Miracles Happen?