[Drama 2019] When the Camellia Blooms, 동백꽃 필무렵

[Dumdoc]

 

I’m not sure but the lady Gong Hyo Jin hugs is the writer, right? 

[htk9207]

6 hours ago, Whisper2 said:

Actress playing DB's mom is just 10 years older than GHJ..

 

GHJ is 10 years older than KHN..

 

I also didn't realise she is older than Jo In Sung, Kim Ji Suk and Go Kyung Pyo she previously paired with..

 

How is all that possible? Teach me unnie

 

No wonder she's called Gongvely, her looks just keep getting better as years go by. I think she is now at her prettiest.

 

Her pairing with KHN has surprisingly won me over. Because I thought nothing would come close to her chemistry with So Ji Sub at all. 

 

And that 10 year gap with Lee Jung Eun, who plays DB mom,  on paper it would be incredulous to have two actress, with only a 10 year gap in age, to portray mother and daughter realistically. But seeing them on screen together, you would believe they really are mother and daughter. Incredible isn't it?

 

I first watched LJE in Oh My Ghostess and was immediately a fan of her acting. So when I realized she's playing DB's mom, I admire her even more for pulling it off.  Also happy that she just won an award as Supporting Character in Parasite. Shows just how good she is.

 

I must say the PD really did a fantastic job with the casting. It isn't just the leads who are perfect for their roles, even the actors/actress playing the supporting characters are just terrific. When the Camellia Blooms is .

 

I just hope I don't have to wait another 3 years to see GHJ back on the small screen again.

[YongZura⁷]

4 hours ago, chickfactor said:

 

A few interesting points:

 

- "Im Sang-Choon" is a pen name. She deliberately chose a name that wasn't gender-specific.

- No one but her family and close friends know that she is "Im Sang-Choon"

- She wants to only communicate with her audience through her dramas, she doesn't give interviews.

- Her father is sad because he wants to brag about her success to others but he can't.

 

Thanks for the interesting points.  I know I can trust them to wrap it all up nicely (plus ...I've watched the writer's other drama "Fight My Way" before) This drama will be on my list of dramas that should be watched.  

 

Congratulations to all the actors, actresses, director, writer, staff and everyone who were involved in the production.  Job well done.

 

Looking forward to next week special episodes.

 

 

 

Credit to the owner

[IsabelDI]

does anybody know what does it say in the banner, where Yong Shik is selling dumplings? Netflix didn't sub that part 

[ktcjdrama]

9 hours ago, 1ouise said:

I don't feel bad for giving Heung-sik the benefit of the doubt (even though he was already under suspicion at episode 4).  Maybe that makes me dense like Dong-baek, but I can wait until my next life to be cold-hearted.  She didn't like people making assumptions about her and wouldn't make them about other people.  Compassion is never out of place.  After the facts are clear, justice can be served.

Very well said. 

I too, until the last episode was still feeling bad for HS to have a father who is a murderer, even though a part in me was still wondering how innocent he is, actually ever since he was listed as one of our suspects. 

[bedifferent]

10 hours ago, 1ouise said:

 

I don't feel bad for giving Heung-sik the benefit of the doubt (even though he was already under suspicion at episode 4).  Maybe that makes me dense like Dong-baek, but I can wait until my next life to be cold-hearted.  She didn't like people making assumptions about her and wouldn't make them about other people.  Compassion is never out of place.  After the facts are clear, justice can be served.

 

I think it might have been HS's dad whom Hyang Mi talked to one of the nights.  He knows HS has been out at night feeding the tainted cat food, perhaps he follows his route to switch out the cat food.  His hands are not burned from the pesticides, only HS, so for sure he didn't kill the cats. I believe it might have been him who took her home.

 

HS' case is frustrating from his father's standpoint.  I feel bad, somewhat sympathetic toward him.  As a parent, he wrestled with guilt of whether it was his fault for failing to parent HS. He was busily working to provide for his son (we don't have a full story of where his wife is).  He was the opposite of Deok Soon who was the definition of a helicoptering parent.  He tried everything he could to stop HS. The regret will always be there cuz he did see the early signs of a psychopath, HS's liking to fire and killing animals ... did he think HS will grow out of it?  Did he fool himself to thinking he can control HS or that the boy will outgrow a stage?  Their conversation about the root of evil in men is as dark as the night.  HS' dad never could never changed him because he was too sensitive to sounds.  Taking away on the clocks so that sounds wouldn't annoy him still couldn't change the monster that is his son.  The regret HS' father have for not surrounding him with any guidance, a friend, anyone that might have intervene.  It will haunt him for the rest of his life.  I feel sorry for the people of Ongsan, for the missed opportunity of intervention,  but I do fault his father for not having the courage to do the right thing and alerted the authority.  That's the hard job of being a parent, discipline the child and ask for help when there is still time to make a difference.  He jumped off the building when HS was on his crime spree years ago.  What I am not sure is if he thought it would forced HS' attention toward him thus away from killing or was it his easy way out because he was fed up with his son.  I believe was the former cuz HS was angry that he didn't know his father has recovered.  HS' behavior, letting his father take all the blame was just absolutely devastating to the man.

 

Bless YS for having a keen mind and a photographic memory. HS' ego was what did him in.  By giving HS the glasses and earplugs, HS was touting YS, like an intelligent psychopath that he is who likes playing game.  Their conversation toward the end helps us see why empathy, kindness, friendship all that we believe is good in humanity will triumph over the small and big acts of evil, where it be the next terrorist attack or school shooting. It does take us extending a hand to those who need our help and work together to benefit as a community. 

 

 

18 hours ago, Latte_Anyday said:

 

I'd say When the Camellia Blooms is right up there alongside My Ahjusshi. 

 

Ahhh, they are alike, both dramas.   There are so much more floating inside my head but for now, I just want quote the drama HAHA

 

Be diligent, work hard, love your family.  Be happy and thankful for the life that you have.  

 

Quote

You don't chase after happiness, you savor it. Put your feet on the ground you are standing and look around.  There are flowers everywhere.

~ Dong Baek

 

Persevere. Believe in yourself in hard times. It's no big deal! Dong Baek can vouch for it.

 

Quote

Cheers to all of you who are the strongest, the toughest, the most splendid, and the most praiseworthy in the world and who are making miracles everyday by overcoming many obstacles in life.

 

[INJINFAN]

Loved, loved this drama!  Heartwarming is the perfect word.  Loved the whole team of actors, especially the leads.  Last episode reminded me of the movie "Love Actually", with a little bit of Christmas mixed in.

[rubie]

November 22, 2019

"When the Camellia Blooms" Ends With a Big Bang

 

Source: KangHaNeul.org via HanCinema.net

 

 

"When the Camellia Blooms" has successfully concluded its run on 21 November 2019 with a happy ending and its highest rating ever of 23.8%.

 

This heartwarming TV series has become KBS' highest rated drama in 2019 when it comes to viewership ratings after it surpassed "Liver or Die" (22.8%) that aired earlier this year. 

 

Furthermore, it has also received the honour of achieving the highest viewership ratings among miniseries aired in 2019 on terrestrial broadcast networks which include KBS, MBC, EBS and SBS.

 

According to Nielsen Korea, "When the Camellia Blooms" rated 19.7% (episode 39) and 23.8% (episode 40) on 21 November. This new record came about even with the broadcast of the 39th Blue Dragon Film Awards that aired on SBS at the same time.

 

The KBS 2TV drama has also consistently taken the top spot as the most watched drama on Wednesday and Thursday nights for the whole duration of its run.

 

As a tribute to the viewers, KBS has scheduled two special episodes to broadcast on Wednesday and Thursday next week. The specials will be the condensed version of the 20-episode drama and will feature scenes that will be revealed to the public for the first time.

 

Leading the cast of "When the Camellia Blooms" are Gong Hyo-jin as Dong-baek and Kang Ha-neul as Hwang Yong-sik. The drama was directed by Cha Yeong-hoon ("Are You Human Too", 2018), with screenplay by Lim Sang-choon ("Fight My Way", 2017).

 

Meanwhile, MBC drama "Extraordinary You" which also aired its finale ended with 2.6% and 3.6%, and tvN's "Psychopath Diary" scored 1.5%.

 

By Michelle

 

Camellia flowers in full bloom

 

This photo, taken on Nov. 22, 2019, shows children walking along a path lined with camellia flowers in full bloom at a park in the city of Seogwipo on South Korea's southern resort island of Jeju. (Yonhap)

[Whisper2]

On 11/23/2019 at 2:46 AM, Dumdoc said:

I’m not sure but the lady Gong Hyo Jin hugs is the writer, right? 

Yes i think she is the "not so secret now" writer, notice that director-nim pulled her to the center when they are blowing the cake.

Edited November 24, 2019 by triplem
Pls don’t quote images including IG . Thanks

[rubie]

November 23, 2019

 

Son Dam-bi Enters Acting Limelight at Last with Latest TV Role

 

By Kim Su-kyung The ChosunIlbo

 

It looks like singer-turned-actress Son Dam-bi is entering the prime of her acting career, almost a decade after she made the transition from singing.

 

She has grabbed the spotlight with her role in the latest TV series, "When the Camellia Blooms," which ended on Thursday.

 

In the romantic comedy, she appears as a bar hostess in a small rural town who was neglected by her parents as a child and grew up hungry for love. The character eventually falls victim to a killer.

 

A year after making her debut as a member of a girl group, Son launched her solo career and rose to stardom with the hit "Crazy" in 2008. Although she gradually shifted her career from singing to acting starting the following year, many continued to regard her as more of a singer than an actress. But after her latest project, that has well and truly changed.

 

"I used to play characters that may seem unapproachable or cocky. This time, it was just the opposite. So I went the extra mile to look as dowdy as possible."

 

The role wasn't without its challenges. "My character drawls when she talks, whereas I usually talk quickly in real life. I don't think I've fully escaped the role -- I still talk slower than before. The role has caused me to slow down and appreciate my life more," she said.

 

Source: Soompi

 

 

 Excerpt from soompi's lengthy article (click link above to read)

 

“I let some of [Hyang Mi] go while dyeing my hair, but I think she’s going to linger for a while,” she said. “I’m going to Copenhagen next week for a pictorial shoot. I feel as if I’m going to achieve a dream that Hyang Mi wasn’t able to, and I think that it might be a bit easier to let her go after returning from the shoot.”

[Whisper2]

@rubie thanks for sharing this! Sniffling again while reading this paragraph:

 

"For the scene before going on the last delivery with Dong Baek on the scooter, I cried so much that my chest hurt. I began crying thinking about why Dong Baek took care of someone like me. The script was also unable to be said without tears, and the tears that I had held back all came out at once. I remember that scene the most.”

 

My heart...

[lollyminx]

11 hours ago, chickfactor said:

- She wants to only communicate with her audience through her dramas, she doesn't give interviews.

- Her father is sad because he wants to brag about her success to others but he can't.

Respect! She's really talented. I remember watching Fight For My Way and she made me cry watching that too. It was the scene where Choi Aera was rejected after an interview and she was crying on the bus on her way home thinking about the other wealthy ones who got to study abroad and therefore land jobs. I love that the writer creates characters that are just like us and mirror genuine human struggles, not just made up ones just to create drama (although for me, the break up scene was just like that, I'll just choose to ignore it lol). 

[40somethingahjumma]

All good things... so says the Bard... must come to an end.

 

It's been a great 8 weeks following this amazing drama... perhaps my favourite since Prison Playbook and the marvellous adaptation of Life on Mars. Although I loved both Doctor Prisoner and Chief of Staff from this year's crop of dramas, there is something uniquely heartwarming about Camellias that reminds me of the utter wonder that is Prison Playbook. In the way that this was for me a show about women and how they band together, PP was a drama about men and male camaraderie. 

 

I came for Kang Ha Neul and I stayed for Yong-shik and the storytelling. I was immediately attracted to the quirky vibe. This one pulled me in right away with its plot, sweetness and larger than life characters. I will miss it but am delighted that it finished on a high.

 

Although I didn't need a wedding to know that the OTP would have their happily-ever-after, I would have liked to have seen it. LOL. I can just picture YS getting onto the podium giving his speech with his boisterous proclamations and ridiculous laugh, effusively thanking his beautiful bride and embarrassing her with his outpouring of love. I will miss him greatly. As a rule I'm fond of the quiet ones but the loud and over-the-top YS has managed to find his way into my heart pretty much from Day 1. Maybe it's just KHN, maybe it's how he was written. Maybe it's both I loved his honesty, determination and surprising ability to make sound judgments. His childishness belied a man of strength and warmth. Many of my favourite scenes in this drama features him being quite heroic in rather unexpected ways but ordinary ways. "I'm a man with a drone" deserves to become a classic but then almost everything that came out of his mouth were gems. He did really have the best lines.

"If this river isn't meant to be disturbed, don't dip your feet in it."

"If your kid is that precious to you, other people's kids are precious too."

"Let's end all the flirting. Let's get married."

"How can a human beat a goblin?"

"Me? I'm an active player."

"I think I have the right to say this to you considering what we did together."

"If you're going to talk nonsense, go peel some garlic instead."

"Dongbaek, how many guys have you dated? KJR is not the only guy in the world. I'm not like him... If you think I'm no different why are you seeing me?... So don't compare me to some lousy punk and say I'm similar to him when you don't even know anything about me."

 

Before this turns into a YS tribute... I should move on... LOL. Anyone would think I was a YS fangirl. 

 

In truth, the person in this production that I'm the biggest fan of is the writer. It was she who created the hilarious metaphors, penned the incredible lines that made us all fall in love with these characters. She was able to weave this glorious tapestry where human flaws like prejudice interacted with notions of community, romance, personal responsibility and crime. It's hard to believe that such a heartwarming drama contained such a dark element: A serial murderer who was a member of the community. But for some reason it all came together with flair. Aspects of it were bleakly humorous. When I grow up, I want to write something as good as this.

 

To be honest I wasn't sure about the KHN and GHJ combination when I first heard about this but hats off to whoever came up with this because it was adorably bewitching. For some reason... GHJ just has the midas touch with her leading men. It always works. I don't know which is my favourite (maybe with JJS in Jealousy Incarnate... maybe) but they're all different and the magic happens every single time.

 

At the risk of sounding grumpy, I still don't think the break up was necessary... unless it was to prove to DB irrefutably that she needed YS in her life. And... that YS is the salt of the earth for waiting. Ms Kwak was right in this instance of course... echoing things that I'd said for a couple of weeks. There's no doubt that DB is a good mother... there was no need for her to prove that although apparently she felt the need to. Giving up a man she liked wasn't something she had to do to prove something to her son and herself. Objectively speaking, that is. But the insecure DB is cut from a different cloth. Even PG knew that she needed someone else in her life to be something to her that he can't be. He understood quickly something that his mother didn't. He's not a selfish kid. He does want his mother to be happy and he knew that somehow she was different and happier with YS. 

I'm glad the show took a more positive spin to all of this without heading into melodrama territory. Still, poor longsuffering YS had to wait just a bit longer to walk his bride down the aisle. It is so like him to book the biggest hotel in Ongsan to get married to the woman of his dreams.

 

The interesting part about JR is that he finally contented himself with contributing financially to PG's upbringing and career aspirations. There was no demand for custodial rights or access. I'm sure the adult PG became better acquainted with his father in those ensuing years but the important thing is that he became a well-adjusted individual under the roof of the blended family with his step-father.

 

I am thankful too for the director and the rest of the production team for bringing us this wonderful drama. It's always such a joy to see a well produced K drama where so much care is taken with casting, storytelling, editing, and production values. It's been a fantastic ride.

 

See you around...

 

[chickfactor]

I'm still not in love with the entire serial killer plot line, I feel like this show would still have been great without it.

 

But I don't hate it. Ultimately, it didn't have anything profound to say about the pathology of serial killers - in fact, it made sense that Heung-Sik's reason for killing was so banal - feeling disrespected. The garden-variety indignities that everyone endures at some point in their lives.

 

I did think it was interesting that DB showed Heung-Sik nothing but sympathy and he interpreted that as scorn. What can you do? Ultimately the answer remains the same as YS's words - who cares what goes on in a psycho's head? It doesn't make sense anyway.

 

The show does have some remaining threads:

 

- The "daughter" who showed up demanding $$ from Jeong-Sook

- What's with setting the fires, Joker? (Answer: he crazy. The end)

 

But ultimately, I don't care enough about these things.

 

I will miss this show. I'll miss all of you! Hope to meet you all dissecting the next K-drama masterpiece!

[lollyminx]

43 minutes ago, chickfactor said:

- The "daughter" who showed up demanding $$ from Jeong-Sook

- What's with setting the fires, Joker? (Answer: he crazy. The end)

 

Oh yes! The daughter! They didn't explain that fully but I guess since Dongbaek's mom worked as a... I don't know what to call her job, is "hostess" correct? Maybe she met a man and they got married? Same as you, I'm not really bothered they didn't explain this fully.

[ktcjdrama]

9 hours ago, IsabelDI said:

does anybody know what does it say in the banner, where Yong Shik is selling dumplings? Netflix didn't sub that part 

I have it in the Chinese subs. I may not translate it well but here it is roughly in English:

 

New Menu

Filling is Dong Baek’s spicy pork + Wrapping is Dumpling Hwang 

A dream(y) combination 

Pork Dumplings for sale 

 

I think there is a play of word with Dumpling Hwang, but sorry I don’t know what. 

 

 

[IsabelDI]

5 hours ago, ktcjdrama said:

I have it in the Chinese subs. I may not translate it well but here it is roughly in English:

 

New Menu

Filling is Dong Baek’s spicy pork + Wrapping is Dumpling Hwang 

A dream(y) combination 

Pork Dumplings for sale 

 

I think there is a play of word with Dumpling Hwang, but sorry I don’t know what. 

 

 

Thank you!  I was curious about that because they stopped for awhile at the name.

[htk9207]

18 hours ago, lollyminx said:

I don't know what to call her job, is "hostess" correct? Maybe she met a man and they got married?

 

I thought she worked as a maid for that woman's family for many years, and later on, married the father. Which is why the daughter looks down at DB's mom and keeps calling her a gold digger. Only when she got her hands on the insurance letter, she decided to look for DB omma; thinking that whatever money could be had is rightfully hers. Thankfully, the show didn't waste any more precious time on her since she's not that really relevant. At least for me.

 

Has everyone already moved on? I think I'll have to wait for January or February for PD Shin's Wise Doctor Life aka Doctor Playbook. 

[40somethingahjumma]

Reading the comments on DB about the necessity of Joker arc spurred me to make my way back here. TBH, I never really thought the crimes were ever the main thing. The show was always about the social commentary. 

 

Ultimately I don't think the Joker arc was ever just about the mystery of a serial killer prowling around the neighbourhood. The entire arc was firstly tethered to DB's growth from being a timid single mother to becoming less of a pushover and blossoming into a dragon. This is evident from the way he targeted DB specifically. Moreover, she was the one that got away because that night someone stepped in and interfered. We now know that HS had a terrible inferiority complex which saw him acting out in terrible ways. He took insults very personally. Deep down Heung-shik was something of an insecure, absurdly sensitive young man with a bloodlust. Instead of standing up to his "critics" or brush off petty slights like most people would, his answer to being wounded was to take the life of the person who injured his self-esteem whether it was their intention to do so or not.

 

I thought it was interesting that he was making veiled threats in Camellia until DB's phones ran hot. The moment he realised that she was no longer a lonely fringe figure but had people who cared about her, he walked out of the bar. He was a happier man when she was nobody special or particularly well-liked ... she was at the bottom of the food chain like he was. He was insulted that she would pity him because that meant that he was at the lower rung of Ongsan hierarchy than she was. 

 

I don't think there's anything especially rational about how HS thought. He was just a loser who didn't like people insinuating that he was one. When they did he didn't have the self-control to stop himself from hitting back. He became the social outcast that he hated being talked about as being one. In that way he serves as a contrast to DB who was treated badly but gradually won her way into the hearts of the people of Ongsan.

 

Secondly, the arc served as a contrast to other parent-child relationships featured in the drama. It's the dark side to parents protecting their kids. It's one thing to protect your kids of perceived danger and to want them to have a better life like Ms Jo or Ms Kwak. It's another thing to aid and abet them as they commit murder... and to clean up after their criminal enterprises. Should parental love extend to such atrocities?

[htk9207]

Hello. I've found an English subbed video about Kang Ha Neul as an actor.

 

 

And an extended interview of the cast during the wrap up party. It's in Korean. I wish it was subbed in english.