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[Completed tvN Drama] 'My Mister' - Lee Sun Kyun, IU, Lee Ji Ah, Park Ho San, Song Jae Byuk, Jang Ki Yong, Kwon Nara


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Undoubtedly the BEST reviewer of this drama imo is @Liddi over at the Soompi thread. She's freaking brilliant. Both with insight and writing talent .. I mean, if she isn't doing this professionally or on the side on her own blog, she totally should. Dramabeans who?!

 

Here are her reviews for the previous week:

 

EPISODE 5:

 

 

Ep5 belongs to PDH, and we see first hand, how his inherent integrity keeps him true to himself and extends to his compassionate treatment of others despite the abuse that life has heaped on him, and I ache so unbearably each time I see him kicked down. Through LJA, we hear the broken voice, the laboured breathing as he controls his sobs, our window to the rawness of his emotions that he reveals to no one, all of which cuts me to the core and has me railing on his behalf at the utter injustice that life has dealt him. As such, I gritted my teeth in frustration when, even after knowing so much and hearing the lengths to which he protected his brother and mother, LJA still ran to DJY with the intel regarding the phone call logs, her cynicism and pragmatism refusing to let her see beyond her own prejudices.

 

Continues in spoiler

However, nothing could stop her defenses from being slowly chipped away, as fate continues to throw them in each other's paths. I believe the turning point was his kindness to her grandmother, extending his help without being asked, not questioning the eccentricity of her actions, even returning the shopping cart on her behalf. His words "You're a good person" are simple yet profound, acknowledging her and her love for her grandmother in a form of camaraderie without judgment or pity. In that moment, she is shaken, being recognised as a person, a decent human being rather than just an inconsequential faceless tool, and that, more than anything else, cracks the barriers that she has erected due to her own harsh existence. At last, she begins to involuntarily care for the wellbeing of the man she has been systematically trying to bring down, and her actions after are propelled by this change, furious to the extent of slapping someone on his behalf, giving him the hint about payphones, and rushing after him because I believe she is concerned for him, in what he might discover even as she is furtively helping him uncover the painful truth about his wife and DJY. 

 

This drama continues to take measured, almost leisurely steps which crushes the soul yet imbues a glimpse of hope in the long, lonely tunnel ahead. It is such an intimate look into the lives of the two main characters and the gradual unfolding of the slowly but surely changing dynamics between them, that oftentimes I find myself holding my breath as we walk quietly with them, seeing them through each other's eyes, living through their pain, and grasping on to the sliver of comfort that they unconsciously derive from each other's presence. Beautifully, poignantly delivered both on a cinematic and narrative level, I catch my breath and find myself immeasurably moved as they touch each other's lives without even realising it.

 

 

EPISODE 6:

 

"How can I play if they don't pass me the ball?" A seemingly simple statement that speaks of so much more than just a simple game - that his whole life has been one where he never had the upper hand, never been given the chance to grasp the reins. From his family, to his marriage, his work - he had been stamped underfoot all this while, and it is high time that he finally wrests the ball from those who are determined to keep it from him.

 

In Ep6, we are given insight into the gradual deterioration of his marriage - her dissatisfaction that he would not prioritise their nuclear family over his mother and siblings, her achievement which made his lack of advancement all the more disparate. Their marriage is one of literally no communication - he chooses to numb himself and shut himself down without ever opening up to her, and she finally ends up not caring anymore either. It is obvious that their marital problems stem far back to the early years of their marriage even to when their son was still a baby, and that they were merely going through the motions, her (and most probably even his) perception of his inferiority in the face of her success, and his refusal to set aside the well-being of his family pushing them further and further apart. As such, I have to wonder whether there is even love any more between them, long before she begun her affair, or had everything between them corroded the love that was once there. 

 

Continues in spoiler

The dynamics between PDH and LJA have at last begun to change, but at present, it is still a lopsided relationship. Previously, she always had the upper hand, with her insights into the deepest recesses of his life, particularly those which he holds tightly to his chest, allowing no one to see; as well as her dispassionate, consistent inroads into ensuring his downfall, backed by his powerful rival. He was always at a disadvantage, with only his innate decency saving him thus far from being irrevocably trapped. This time though, their places are reversed.

 

He now holds the upper hand, even though he does not even know it. He has become her lifeline, the one she runs to, for him as well as for herself. Unexpectedly, without either of them realising it, he has crept in and taken a foothold in her life, becoming the one ray of light in the midst of her existence, the sliver of hope she looks to from within the deep dark well that life has thrown her into. Bound by fear, desperation, unable to move forward and outrun her past, her fear of judgment the moment anyone she meets finds out about her past, she had built up well-nigh insurmountable walls to protect herself, letting no one in. How ironic then, that this stick-in-the-mud she once despised, this man whom she began listening in to plot his downfall, is now the presence that she reaches for, drawing solace, even in just the sound of his breathing, the quiet timbre of his voice. It is telling that she has become so immersed in his world, that she, who has always been on the alert, would have been caught unawares by LGI breaking into her home. It is heartbreaking, that she, having suffered at LGI's hands, could only derive comfort from the bleakness of her life in his words of acknowledgment, which she played over and over and over again, reminding herself once more that she matters. Nonetheless, while my heart aches for her, I am glad that, after so long, she has something she could turn to, to cling to, to make her life that much more bearable. As such, I really hope that one day, she who has been fighting the world alone for so long, would at last gain an extended family - one that is quirky, but full of warmth and unconditional support - with whom she could let down her defenses and feel safe, secure and protected, just as she has been protecting her only family all this time.

 

On his part, his instincts tell her that she knows so much about him, and he is afraid of being laid bare for all to see, vulnerable in the eyes of the world. In the exact same metaphor as the expensive underwear, he somehow knows that she sees his pain, his suffering, his humiliation, and since he has no control over how she knows it, he only asks that she feigns ignorance. What a truly truly desolate request from the man who has suffered so much, currently even living through the hell of realising his wife was having an affair with the man he hates most, to ask only that she helps him maintain his final vestiges of dignity in that way. For now, he sees her as someone who is an enigma, prickly yet unexpectedly standing up for him when he was put down, and he trusts her enough to be able to make that achingly honest appeal. As such, I already hurt for him, knowing that down the road, he would be hurt yet again, when he finds out her initial duplicity, simply because I can't bear for him to be hurt any more. Nonetheless, if the preview is anything to go by, he finally snaps, and I can't wait to see that happen, and for him to at last fight for himself, refusing to be downtrodden and played for a fool anymore.

 

 

I mean, she's an absolute treasure for these incredible reviews. 

 

 

 

Edited by soojsooj
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wow it has been so so so long since i've been on tumblr but i had to log back in cos i just know some beautiful soul is making beautiful gifs of beautiful jky (okay so no one made gifs so we'll settle for screen caps) 

 

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I don't know how to feel about the loan guy, you can't say he is "bad" at all, neither Ji-An on the first episodes trying to make PDH get fired, both were doing the same things, trying to survive stepping on whoever get on their way, the difference is Ji-An falling in love and correct her mess

 

Also I can understand why he hates Ji-An, she killed his father so he doesn't want her to be happy, and we like Ji-An cause we see how she struggle in life and be threated like trash so we pity her and want her to smile, but if someone kills your parents, would you want him/her to be happy?

 

The guy is not a nice person but I pity him too

 

Aaaaaand that Yoo-Ra is so annoying, sorry but I really get bored everytime she is on screen idontthinksobetchplz.png

Edited by Geassu
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I don't know how to feel about the loan guy, you can't say he is "bad" at all, neither Ji-An on the first episodes trying to make PDH get fired, both were doing the same things, trying to survive stepping on whoever get on their way, the difference is Ji-An falling in love and correct her mess

 

Also I can understand why he hates Ji-An, she killed his father so he doesn't want her to be happy, and we like Ji-An cause we see how she struggle in life and be threated like trash so we pity her and want her to smile, but if someone kills your parents, would you want him/her to be happy?

 

The guy is not a nice person but I pity him too

 

Aaaaaand that Yoo-Ra is so annoying, sorry but I really get bored everytime she is on screen idontthinksobetchplz.png

 

there is a difference between physical violence and invasion of privacy. I pity gwang-il too but I'm not interested in a redemption arc for him, nor do I think the drama should try to justify his violence. jian is morally ambiguous but at least in the case of gwang-il's father, she acted out of self-defense. there's no excuse for gwang-il's continued physical and psychological tormenting. he is not doing it to "survive" or for a greater reason other than to inflict pain on jian, which is very different than what motivates jian's actions.

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there is a difference between physical violence and invasion of privacy. I pity gwang-il too but I'm not interested in a redemption arc for him, nor do I think the drama should try to justify his violence. jian is morally ambiguous but at least in the case of gwang-il's father, she acted out of self-defense. there's no excuse for gwang-il's continued physical and psychological tormenting. he is not doing it to "survive" or for a greater reason other than to inflict pain on jian, which is very different than what motivates jian's actions.

 

That's why I said he is not nice person, I should correct this for "good person" cause I'm not saying all the things he did are justified, there is a reason but there is no way a reason can justify that kind of threat to people, but it happens, that's what the drama shows, Ji-An get beaten, you pity her, she is a victim but not a good person too, she actually said it to Gwang-ill, she can kill him too if he exceed the limits

 

Something about the dad is true, it was self-defense, Gwang-ill wasn't guilty but it affected him, he also continued the loan business, who knows why? Survive? Probably that's the only way his dad found to do it (Still not a good job), that's why I said he step on whoever get on his way

 

Script wise, Ji-An is the one who be redeem while the guy probably gonna get his sh*t together, especially because the physical abuse

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when you stay up for subs and they're out of bloody sync ...... FFFFFFUUUUU

I just want to cry and be healed already! I'm in need of a serious weep. 

Edited by soojsooj
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has anyone seen today's eps? your thoughts? im about to watch but write them anyway!

This week the brothers' scenes seem a bit draggy, not as funny/interesting as the past weeks. The imaginary funeral scene was hilarious though.

 

I still very much can't stand the wife. At least Do Joonyoung embraces his evilness. She is a horrible person but convinces herself her actions are justified/cosplays as the victim, which is much much worse. Urghhhh I just really can't stand her.

 

I cried along with Jian at the last scene. It was so painful watching her cry like that. I love IU's acting here: her crying seemed to have 2 layers: her face started distorting already when she heard Kwangil revealing her killing his dad - that would be crying because he probably is the last person she'd want to find out about the murder. And she fully broke down when she heard Donghoon's reaction to the revelation. This scene hurts so good. Her crying, both sound and facial expressions, remind me so much of a puppy crying. At that moment I just wanted to give her a warm hug while she lets it all out :(

 

Edit: I could do with less background music. The "suspense" sound is sometimes kinda over the top. I absolutely love the heart-tugging OSTs at the emotional scenes though.

Edited by ohooo
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Excuse me who authorized this. I was not prepared for the tears.

I was expecting (though I should have given the benefit of the doubt given how good this drama has been) a black/white moral puritanism (it's where most dramas would go, I think, or they would drag out PDH's conflict for at least another couple of episodes) but then he got up and said that, and coupled with Jian's crying (so good) the waterworks just began to flow. 

For me, a perfect episode--felt like half an hour. 

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