[Drama 2020] 365: One Year Against Destiny, 365: 운명을 거스르는 1년

[celebrianna]

@triplem thanks! That scene where GH upsets Lee Shin sounds priceless. I’ve been patiently waiting to see her shaken and that smug expression dissipate. 

[Guest]

1.HJ went to see LS...they talka about the reset ...HJ walked out not happy with her...

2. GH watches the news of SH going to jail

3. SH's table was cleared by the other detectives...the others in his team feel so sad...

4. GH takes Maru for walk ..remembers how she had met HJ there...he calls her ...

5. So sweet he brought her cake and a gift ...they celebrate together...it was her birthday...ahaha did she finally agree to sign his hidden killer book.

6. My stream skipped but after that HJ bumped into SH as he was going to the prison bus...something SH said bugged HJ...

7. GH calls HJ ...so now something suspicious about the cafe owner...so they go to some hospital and made some enquiry about him...he was some professor...( now I am not sure whether he is dead or not) but it is clear that he has been lying about who he is...

8. Omg ...he aint dead...LS goes into a room...bows her head in respect and greets him as a professor...

9. GH and HJ are still at the hospital ( I think this is where Cafe owner/ professor works)...someone came to invite GH and HJ see someone

10. In prison bus...SH thinks of something LS says about fate and how some guy will be linked to his fate or something...next thing you know some biker comes in front of the prison bus...major accident...bus turns over..all dead except Sun Ho

11. Sun Ho climbs out...and he goes to the biker who was injured...take his helmet ..it was the person that LS had shown him. SH rides off with the guy's back...

12. GH and HJ follow the guy to an office room. He gave them a box and left...HJ opens the box...( i need to check the YT cut to see what it was) .

13. The episode ended with SH's face

[lightbringer06]

Thanks @triplem .

 

Wow, looks like there's still a twist with just one episode left ~

 

Is there a preview, btw?

 

Well, at least it's nice to see a happy moment between GH and HJ. The cake and the bracelet . Look at HJ sitting and waiting for GH... haha...

 

[celebrianna]

@triplem, thanks for the episode recap. I guess it’s expected that Sun Ho would escape considering there are few characters left from the reset. I can’t say that it’s too surprising that the cafe owner turned out to be someone more significant. I was never comfortable with his clandestine meetings with Lee Shin’s assistant. Also, he was interacting with Lee Shin’s daughter quite freely which suggested a certain level of familiarity.

[Guest]

I missed bits here & there because the imbc player requires the page to be refreshed every 10 mins !!

 

Anyway this was the Sweet scene of them celebrating her bday . He gave her a couple bracelet to match with Maru . (  HJ don’t be an idiot - ask her out already )

Spoiler

 

 

But I think  this was at the beginning of the show , he came to see GH & broke down ! Poor HJ . 

 also last week when SH went to look for Gh , he just talked to her,  pretend to be checking on her wellbeing but he left after that

Spoiler

 

[Guest]

@lightbringer06 there’s a preview 

 

13 minutes ago, celebrianna said:

@triplem, thanks for the episode recap. I guess it’s expected that Sun Ho would escape considering there are few characters left from the reset. I can’t say that it’s too surprising that the cafe owner turned out to be someone more significant. I was never comfortable with his clandestine meetings with Lee Shin’s assistant. Also, he was interacting with Lee Shin’s daughter quite freely which suggested a certain level of familiarity.

Agreed . ...but I’m baffled how he’s still alive when I saw SH strangle him  must by something they’ll tell us tomorrow  

 ———

in the ending scene , they did not show what was in the box ( which I believe is from the professor) , just the concerned expressions of HJ & GH’s face 

Spoiler

 

 

[lightbringer06]

@triplem Haha.. yeah, MBC posted the preview on their twitter account as well. Thanks, anyway 

[000231846597]

Watched ep11 [or 21-22] with subs. Happy that we get some answers, eg, why SH started killing, the identity of "professor", etc. My brain is still processing the reason why LS enjoyed being a bystander of this reset, as analysed by GH.... some twisted minds are never meant to be understood by me, I guess.

  

7 hours ago, triplem said:

HJ had gone to see the Captain and told him what has been happening..captain and him planned this ( not sure why the captain believed him)

Though the details are not shown, I would assume the captain trusted the alibi HJ somehow gave him before they meet.

 

Some final questions before finale tonight:

• Why professor needs reset?
• Will the leads be able to change their destiny?? [I assume the box given to HJ & GH by professor's staff would be something related to their death]
• If there will be another successful reset to happen, who will be in it? Or that HJ &/or GH somehow will stop the next reset and let bygones be bygones?

Can't wait to see what the scriptwriters have in store for us at the end!

[taeunfighting]

This episode was so good! As many of us suspected, Mr. Hwang is indeed the professor, not just a mere resetter. He is also on the advisory board of Samo Pharmaceuticals. Will be interesting to finally know if his significance is to ultimately save LS’ daughter and/or if there is something more in the grand scheme of the resets. Based on how Hwang addresses LS and her daughter informally, they seem close - almost like family or it could be that they naturally grew close over the course of the resets. LS told Hwang that he will be safe until everyone else dies. So, I think the link between LS and SH is likely Hwang. He was probably one of SH’s later victims in past resets and they are trying to see if fate really can be changed. He tells LS that they should prepare for the next reset and he is wanting to enlist help from someone else. Is he referring to HJ - hence, the mysterious box? The assistant said he was asked to give it to HJ when he and GH came there.

 

P.S. It was so sad to see HJ so heartbroken over SH, but I guess the silver lining in all of this is that while he lost his hyung, he gained a friendship with GH. He would not have known the real truth if not for the reset.

[celebrianna]

I think the Professor might have HJ and/or GH in mind for the reset but I hope they survive and get off this crazy train now. It’s not worth it to live so dangerously again. Not to mention the Reset elites cannot be trusted. They’re full of lies and none of them turned out to be who they claimed. Their goal is also shrouded in mystery. 

[nrllee]

Hmm...haven’t watched yet but have read your recaps (thank you).  If it is true that they are trying to enlist the help of someone else, then based on the “rules” of the game, they have to be able to survive/avoid death till the end of 365 days.  And if the person does reset, it means they carry the memories of this reset with them to the next reset.  The person would know all about the serial killer SunHo and how each person dies.  If they take HJ with them to reset, potentially he (because he’s a detective) could gather evidence to put SunHo away for the previous murders he committed and thereby prevent him from killing the people in this reset.  Don’t know. I have to watch to get context.   

[nrllee]

But something has been bothering me for a while now.  When HJ said he would choose to die and save someone?  Something to that effect.  I think he said it to GH.  I remember my heart dropped when he said that (foreshadowing ).  I can totally see him sacrificing himself to save her so that she ends up being the one left to reset again.  And we’ve seen time and time again how intelligent GH has been to rescue herself from dire circumstances?  Whilst HJ would’ve been the obvious choice for LS/professor for the next reset, I would think given what we have seen of GH, we know that if she gets given this chance, she will find some way to thwart SunHo even if she isn’t in the Police Force.  
 

EDIT - @triplem merge this with post above if necessary.  Sorry for double post.  

[ktcjdrama]

What’s in the black box?!!  *pullinghair*

[taeunfighting]

@nrllee I am hoping that there is not another reset. If there is, it could be either HJ or GH (if not both) despite who Hwang is trying to recruit. I think SH’s weakness is his affection for HJ. If HJ plays it right, he can definitely nab him in the next reset, if not the current one. But, I also agree with you that GH is exceptionally intelligent and has proven her “detective/partner” skills so I would not rule her out either. I still remember her saying to HJ episodes ago that she saw people dying in her dreams every night. She could have saved them, but ultimately couldn’t. If she survives the 365 days, I could see her wanting to reset again to save everyone.

 

15 hours ago, triplem said:

Agreed . ...but I’m baffled how he’s still alive when I saw SH strangle him  must by something they’ll tell us tomorrow

 

You are not alone...I still cannot figure out this part either. The only thing I can think of is that Hwang told SH something convincing about his fate so he let him go. At least we will find out everything we have been wanting to know very soon. 

 

By the way, in this episode, LS' daughter brought up going train rides again, but LS told her that they need to go to the hospital instead. She also said that she will make sure she (herself) will live through this time. I wonder if there could be more to her story or if she simply meant that if her daughter lives, she has the will to live too.

[nrllee]

1 hour ago, taeunfighting said:

The only thing I can think of is that Hwang told SH something convincing about his fate so he let him go

That’s my thinking too.  I just finished watching.  If we go by the fact that LS lists the order of profiles of the people in the reset according to when they die, then it stands to reason that the next one to die is HJ and then finally GH.  I am wondering if Hwang has now given the 3 of them (SunHo, GH and HJ) their predicted futures...and he wants to see if they can somehow avert it.  In other words, he’s leveled the playing field for them.  But yes I feel like I don’t really want another reset...even if it means HJ dies in this one?  GH told LS that she should just accept her daughter’s ultimate demise and live on without her rather than going back to try to relive that time with her over and over.  I wonder if she will take her own advice should HJ die?  Will she accept his death and “move on” without him or will she choose to reset again?  
 

Time’s a-ticking.  The last time a date was shown it was 21Dec 2019 (the white clock time recorded at the end of the episode).  Train derailment was 31Dec/1Jan.  

[000231846597]

5 hours ago, taeunfighting said:

LS told Hwang that he will be safe until everyone else dies.

It seems to me it is what LS told SH?

 

1 hour ago, taeunfighting said:

You are not alone...I still cannot figure out this part either. The only thing I can think of is that Hwang told SH something convincing about his fate so he let him go.

@triplem I cannot rule out the possibility who Hwang plans to recruit is SH but not the leads. He might have offered the chance of next reset to SH, that's why SH let him go.

  

17 minutes ago, nrllee said:

I am wondering if Hwang has now given the 3 of them (SunHo, GH and HJ) their predicted futures...and he wants to see if they can somehow avert it.

One thing that I still don't understand is what LS have said, that no one was able to change their fate yet. I mean, she did already manage to save the reset-ers in the 6th reset, right?

[nrllee]

8 minutes ago, 000231846597 said:

One thing that I still don't understand is what LS have said, that no one was able to change their fate yet. I mean, she did already manage to save the reset-ers in the 6th reset, right?

Yup.  That was because she had foreknowledge about HOW and WHEN they were going to die.  None of the resetters know HOW or WHEN, just that they will die.  LS never gave any of them any additional information so they can’t exactly avoid it...just really cryptic clues eg next person will die a gruesome death, or the next person is Serin etc.  So she’s been observing them and she sees that even though they know they will die within the 365 days, none of them so far have escaped their predetermined deaths.  Plot hole is that if they REALLY wanted to avoid it, they could just take a plane and be away from Korea?  .  They all died in Korea yeah?  
 

Hwang’s the mastermind behind LS.  I think he gave her the opportunity to reset over and over so she can see her daughter again.  She’s probably just done his bidding all this time.  I am unsure as to why he wanted to conduct this “experiment” though.  It’s tied in to his work in Samo pharmaceuticals?  

[taeunfighting]

35 minutes ago, 000231846597 said:

It seems to me it is what LS told SH?

 

Ah, you're right. I missed the transition of her conversation with Hwang to SH's flashback of his prior meeting with LS while on the bus.

 

51 minutes ago, nrllee said:

I am wondering if Hwang has now given the 3 of them (SunHo, GH and HJ) their predicted futures...and he wants to see if they can somehow avert it.  In other words, he’s leveled the playing field for them.

 

35 minutes ago, 000231846597 said:

I cannot rule out the possibility who Hwang plans to recruit is SH but not the leads. He might have offered the chance of next reset to SH, that's why SH let him go.

 

It seems whomever of the three survives and is proven to be able to defy fate by the end of the 365 days is the one Hwang/LS will welcome to join the next reset. @nrllee If it is either HJ or GH, good question if they can accept fate as it is or unable to resist another reset in order to save the other.

[AC95]

5 hours ago, nrllee said:

 I can totally see him sacrificing himself to save her so that she ends up being the one left to reset again.  

 

@nrllee Yes, I feel we have to be mentally prepared, on the LJH thread we were just talking about this and a Looper-style ending  

 

~

Also, congratulations to the collective intelligence on this thread for nailing the Prof / Mr Hwang connection. Slam dunk.

 

1 hour ago, taeunfighting said:

It seems whomever of the three survives and is proven to be able to defy fate by the end of the 365 days is the one Hwang/LS will welcome to join the next reset.

 

@taeunfighting @000231846597 Might it be that the contents of the black box refer to this possibility?

 

Given the really fast (even choppy) pace of this show, I wonder if there actually will be a lightning reset in the last episode, but hopefully with Hyung-ju or Ga-hyeon in control. Edge of Tomorrow / Live Die Repeat Style.

 

I guess the only ending I really dread is one where it's completely virtual after all, given that the Prof is with a shadowy pharma company. I enjoy my share of brains in jars sci-fi and philosophizing about the nature of existence, but this story demands a good solid finish with bad guys subdued and the leads going for cake and long summer walks with Maru 

[pout]

I’ve yet to watch last week’s eps even, and here we are at the dawn of this weeks new eps already. If only the a week were longer. I noted down a lot of stuff I noticed from what time I had to rewatch some eps at the time (eps 6-8), since I’ve somehow avoided the temptation for spoilers until now. Some of this may be irrelevant/disproven already, or on the contrary confirmed, but (hopefully) still contains some interesting things to look back on. These are just the ramblings of someone who’s living in a timeline where only up to ep 8 exists, and hopefully doesn’t just make me look crazy (apologies if some things have already been mentioned) ^^;; 

 

Like many after the thrill of ep 8 (or ep 15-16)’s cliffhanger, I didn’t initially think that Hyung Ju were actually the killer. But the more I thought about what the psyche could be inside of the mind of the killer, the experiences of the various characters in relation to the deaths and events of the story, and that it could put the scenes between Hyung Ju and Lee Shin into an interesting new light (and there seems to be many cryptic messages conveyed), the more my thinking changed and I thought that HJ actually had the most context built around him to be the killer that I could think of (but there are other suspicious characters as well). To put iconic belongings of the victims on display gives a sense of power/control over the life of another, and HJ experienced extreme powerlessness and fear when he couldn’t do anything to save Sun Ho but only limp to his side. And at many points throughout recent eps, his behaviour shows signs of PTSD or other conditions that developed from trauma/stress such as relating to paranoia/anxiety (a prime ex being his behaviour when Lee Shin reappeared, and his subsequent outburst). Though his symptoms could’ve intensified after re-experiencing nearly losing SH as well (which could in turn be creating misleading behaviour from HJ instead). I would’ve probably liked to read up more about mental conditions if I didn’t spend so much time making crappy screencaps (please bare with me). When HJ had nearly lost SH again, it was Bae Jung Tae who beat him bloody and almost to death, and then he later finds out that Se Rin were actually responsible for creating those events and also lied to and hurt Ga Hyun for her love and attention. BJT then dies an even bloodier death, and SR dies alone and afraid. Both ways in which they died seemed to be forms of suitable “punishment”.     

 

One of the first/main things I noticed that made me think more on all of this were HJ’s strange/ambiguous expressions in ep 7, during scenes within his car. The first one while he’s in the car with GH is more vague, but by the 2nd time it becomes unusual, and clearly a strange smile?!? (one that’s hidden cleverly by editing. and he's alone this time). But if I knew anything from watching Designated Survivor, it's that Lee Joon Hyuk is hella good with expressing subtle and puzzling expressions. 

Spoiler

Another thing I noticed by coincidence was that Ace Factory (LJH’s current agency) may have been dropping hints with vague comments ~3 weeks ago, that could just as easily be passed off as casual remarks about his looks. They also posted a few more times after with the same “hiddenkiller” comment.

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some more things I noticed that may support this depending on what context one is viewing with in mind, and just interesting things in general. Mostly story related stuff (Just realized that twitter embed sucks, but all of the images are within the same twitter chain and if you don't see everything after opening on twitter, just click one of the posts or 'show this thread' if it's there):

Spoiler

--What seems to be suspicion and wariness of HJ from characters associated with Lee Shin. Some of the major examples being:

• When they confront Ms Song after finding out she sent the letters, she denies knowing anything about why they're dying and glares meets eyes with HJ briefly before leaving.
• There’s emphasis of Lee Shin staring at HJ for a moment after he asks if she knows the culprit behind Se Rin’s death.
• When GH confronts the old man on his presence at the scene of the explosion, the first thing he’s most worried about is whether HJ knows.

 

--Also, when GH and HJ find out who sent the messages, literally everyone connected to them disappears suddenly (possibly to protect themselves?). Lee Shin and Ms Song leave, and Seo Hye In (flower shop owner) “dies” in an explosion. Though I noticed that Hye In is the only one whose death we don’t really get to confirm, and only told to HJ through people on the scene while her body and face were covered (along w Park Young Gil as mentioned by others, who's probably alive as his “twin” as well), and the old man suspiciously observing the scene from afar only adds to this. We’ve seen Hye In and Lee Shin being in secret contact before (more than once?), and I’m guessing they ensured her safety (but her flowers being in one of the display cases of the "victim exhibit" probably means they didn’t create/plan the explosion as well?). When HJ and GH confront LS after the explosion, she seemed to be waiting nervously for something. And when they reveal knowledge on those involved in sending the messages, she becomes even more genuinely shaken up, and was probably one of the most down to earth/human depictions of her. Even her daughter pops up to reinforce the tone of the scene, and LS then looks cautiously back at HJ & GH as if protecting her.

 

--At the same time, there seems to be a strange tension between Lee Shin and HJ. She seems to be provoking and taunting him in particular to keenly observe, or so as to investigate him? And I believe he’s the only one she’s gone out of her way to initiate contact with herself, and multiple occasions at that after her return post time skip. Most times it’s the other characters seeking her out. It may be that HJ is the person she’s most suspicious of, for something that she seems to be investigating (and that she maybe were searching for someone/something amongst the resetters). Though I’m not sure if she really has the resetters’ wellbeing in mind…

 

--Many times, words of the characters though not to be taken literally, may have a certain grounding of truth to them and is telling us something else. Such as:

BJT’s conversation with Jae Young; that the motive behind these murders may be to punish them.

Then there is the old man shop owner, which I find to be subtly hinting and pushing GH to investigate in particular directions: to find out why the resetters were gathered, and wonder if there’s someone who knows everything and is watching them like this is some game. 

I also find it a bit strange that HJ has been following in Jae Young’s suit, calling this a “game” they’ve been invited to play, and that they’re being “tested”. Which seems to only be to skew our perception.

 

 

And more things that are based more around film/visual language this time, which should hopefully be interesting even if the plot related things are mostly revealed already (all images are within the same twitter thread again, except the last 2):

Spoiler

--While Lee Shin may be driving around a car advertising itself with its hyper red exterior, HJ’s car is the reverse w a steering wheel mostly bound in black and only a slight red peeping out. I have too vague/broad of ideas to try and guess what it might mean, but one interpretation could be that LS’s red exterior represents the powerful woman she’s posing as only on the outside, and/or possibly as a mother who’s protecting her daughter, and not necessarily a red that is of death (tho they’re not necessarily mutually exclusive...). The color schemes and set+costume designs are very meticulously planned and put together in almost every scene, and I’m no film expert to understand what can be readily interpreted differently based on relationships & nuances of the scene & circumstances...

--The many instances of HJ’s reflections always oppose one another. Which could mean vaguely that he’s not as he seems on the surface, or give double meanings/intentions to the particular scenes they’re tied to or just witnessed, and so on. Ex: 

• When HJ talks to Lee Shin’s former co-worker to investigate her, after having confronted LS abt Ms Song and her involvement in sending the flowers/messages. 
• When he visits Zian Clinic (lured by her lies/taunts earlier this ep) to ask why LS reappeared and if it were tied to Bae Jung Tae, and his reflection is clearly differentiated from GH’s 6 reflections in the same scene. 
• When HJ meets BJT at the hospital, after having followed him and Ms Song there and seeing him meet his sister, seemingly worried he may harm Se Rin after being released.

 

--There’s something with parallel red lines that seemed to appear around Se Rin and BJT’s deaths (and there might be more I don’t know of). Though I’m not sure what to make of them as I haven’t looked deeply enough to understand what ideas or motifs it may be building (along with other similar/related ideas such as w parallel/lines in general).

 

--The killer is characterized like a powerful predator(?) through being portrayed with a predator’s eyes/gaze. The camera follows their eyes as they followed Se Rin and BJT from behind; in the scenes where SR is kidnapped and BJT is killed respectively.

 

--^This could relate to the focus there often is on HJ’s eyes. Tho I feel this idea is a bit incompletely built from my impression so far (from only having rewatched some eps), or could be part of a bigger motif: 

• His eyes are often seen reflected in his car’s rear-view mirror; mostly when he’s following someone (Though I think I need to check this. I think there are broader ideas as well as I remember similar shots with both LS and BJT, though not nearly as many times as HJ) 
• The emphasis there is on HJ’s gaze that seems to reveal a lot about him (in various ways) including; 
  • Where he looks. Such as towards GH and Sun Ho, and he’s been looking at them increasingly from afar/with increased physical distance in recent eps. He also often looks away or down when it seems to relate to the deaths of the resetters or when he wants to hide his expression? That may just in general be behaviour that's telling of his fluctuating state of mind and re-intensified trauma. 
• Those that meet his gaze; Lee Shin and Ms Song that look at him with suspicion(?) at multiple points, and BJT who met eyes with the killer before his death as well.

--When HJ and GH are together, and especially their scenes in GH’s room, the yellow or warm colors (objects & lighting especially) tend to “favour” GH, in various ways or more subtle ways at times. And yellow seems to be more associated with her in general. While I find the blue-green and darker/more somber(?) colours tend to follow HJ more. Though it really depends on the nuances of the situation and events occurring. There’s also that HJ’s room is predominantly covered in dark green and has much less lighting in general. While GH’s room has a very colourful and diverse arrangement, as it serves as a meeting place for a variety of characters, but is quite bright/warm most times. I also feel like I’m a bit vague/unsure of this, and need to come back later and reorganize my mess (like the previous point as well).