The Raven Review

Initial Thoughts: Ghost (SBS)

I checked out the new So Ji Sub Drama called Ghost…

Yeah, so this premier episode was actually pretty good. The acting is good, though we haven’t gotten much back-story for the characters except a little for two of the male leads (So Ji Sub and Daniel Choi) and their relationship. Their relationship is already shaping up to be the most interesting to me. From what little I saw of him, G.O. from MBLAQ was fine too; his screen time was small so there’s not much to build a true opinion of his acting. The same can be said of the female stars Lee Yeon Hee and Song Ha Yoon, though Song came out on top with a more colorful character personality so far. We’ll see as the story progresses.

The mystery is shaping up to be interesting. I’m actually glad to see that the mysterious hacker Hades was revealed this early. Knowing who he is already means that there will be a lot of tension on the character relationship side and not just on the mystery/investigative side of the Drama.

Action, mystery, and/or crime dramas hinge just as much on slick and engaging cinematography as they do on tight writing and dynamic acting. The cinematography for this drama has a few fun tricks so far when capturing the essence of hacking, technology, and information flow but I think it could be improved to heighten the suspense of the investigations themselves. Director Kim Byung Soo (Vampire Prosecutor and Queen In Hyun’s Man) really set the bar high for me when it comes to this. Ghost needs to step up it’s game some more to really impress me.

The music director needs to do something else too. While the music isn’t too jarring, it is kind of underwhelming. Such that I don’t even notice it. Sometimes music fades into the background because it’s doing its job of enhancing your viewing experience but sometimes it fades because it’s not that memorable. This was the latter. When I did notice it, it was when it kicked in at a strange time (too early or too late). Get on that, music director!

This next bit was probably all on me and my obsession with the musical so it’s not really a fair complaint but more of a lol moment on my part…They used music from The Phantom of the Opera for one scene and it was so recognizable to me that I was immediately pulled out of the drama and suspense. All I could think of was a half-masked phantom leading me into the darkness in a gondola.

Anyway, that’s all for now. I’ll check back in after episode 2.

News

So I’ve decided to do an new run of short reviews expressing my initial thoughts after watching something. Titled and tagged exactly the way you’d expect. lol Because they will be based on surface thoughts after a movie/TV episode they won’t be in depth and will likely hold very few spoilers but, as per my blog policy, I do sometimes discuss spoilers so don’t be surprised if you see them.

The King 2 Hearts at War…

(Note that this analysis is using logic contained mostly within the story given. IDK if this would fly in the real world but it works within the K2H universe the writers created. Also, please note that my real life military knowledge is nil and this is mostly conjecture based on logic. I also tried to stay as objective as possible while I wrote. Please do not take this essay as an estimation of my opinions on war and the military.) 

Since some people were confused, here’s a little explanation of the tensions as they were conceptualized in K2H eps 19 & 20. The reason the North decided to attack the South was because they believed the South to have aligned itself to the US in the wake of the fake terrorist attack in Michigan. If the US bombed Pyongyang, they would attack the South because it is an easier target to hit and an ally of the enemy (the US). This is not discounting previous tensions between North and South which would add to this decision.

The use of the wedding to stop the near war was my second favorite part of this episode behind the actual tense negotiation scene. Let me just go ahead and lay out my interpretation of that scene, Jae Ha’s wedding solution, and why it’s my favorite part…

This drama has done a fantastic job of keeping it’s characters consistent. They may change, mature, or evolve according to the events in the drama but at the core they are themselves from beginning to end. The moment Jae Ha opened his mouth and asked Hang Ah “What are you doing May 24th? I’m getting married to you.” I burst out laughing. OMG! It was just such a Lee Jae Ha thing to say, not King Lee Jae Ha but Douchey Crown Prince Jae Ha. He basically ignored all the tension in the room and just said what he wanted. Here’s the crucial part, though: he is actually seriously thinking about how to stop the war. The problem, of course, is that his solution is a gamble. 

Let’s think about Jae Ha’s mindset here. Tensions are high between North, South, and the US. His main concern is that nothing blows up between them and that the Koreas remain united, or as close to united as they’ve come to be. The only way to do that is to prove to the North that he has a way to prevent the US from firing on North Korea. So he lays out the truth: NK and SK can neither afford to go to war and that the cost for both countries is too high. So he cheekily proposes his wedding solution and he makes sure to say that the wedding will be loudly proclaimed and extremely public for all the world to see.

If the entire world, including US citizens, sees that North and South Korea are seemingly at peace and  even having a wedding, the plan to bomb them will not work. How does it look for the US to publicly bomb a peaceful wedding that is paving the way for future peaceful relations with North Korea? Especially considering all the flack the US has gotten over bombing the Middle East. 

Admittedly, the US could just change the attack date or even do it as a black operation and keep the US from being connected to the bombing but that defeats the purpose of having a retaliation strike in the first place; they are supposed to be shows of force to prove that the originating country is not an easy target. However openly bombing a peace forum is like political suicide and it would be hard to say the US didn’t know it was a day of peace for the Koreas because the entire world was made aware of the wedding date via CNN. Thus, the US elected to back down instead of publicly making themselves out to be warmongering bullies. They also covered their tracks by saying they were never planning to attack and that it was a baseless rumor.

Now, I would have tightened the plot a little by having Jae Ha threaten that one slimy US general with the US operation report, saying he’d use it to go public that the US planned to bomb a peaceful political wedding. Then that would have been the direct reason that US general backed down on the operation and cut ties with Bong Gu without it seeming as random as GF pointed out. Also, I would have thrown in a line to explain that the Michigan terrorist bomb was deemed to not have originated from the North despite the initial reports. (Another example that this drama was definitely not perfect when it came to plotting.)

As I said before, this was all a gamble. Then again, Jae Ha has always been a gambler: he gambled on Jae Kang not making him run the full 60k, he gambled that he could finish planting the bombs during the WOC, and we can’t forget when he gambled that the North wouldn’t shoot him dead when he forcibly crossed the border to get Hang Ah back when she miscarried. I’m not saying he flips a coin and carelessly makes decisions. Instead, he tries to predict how people will react and then acts according to his suppositions. Where Jae Kang would have backed down and spent time changing paths, Jae Ha boldly continues with faith that he has made the right decision. Sometimes he’s wrong but sometimes he’s right. 

I hope that was coherent. I’ll stop here instead of rambling any more. lol :)

*Images are from Dramabeans.

Jesus, King 2 Hearts…It’s literally this show’s mission to take my heart from my chest and stomp on it.

*Spoilers up to Episode 19.

Read More

On Kim Hang Ah…Then and Now.

*Spoilers up to Episode 12.

I read an analysis by the user rearwindow on Dramabeans and it helped me formulate my own view of Hang Ah and her evolution over the course of the show. Often we get people commenting on how different Jae Ha is from the beginning but not a lot about Hang Ah. I want to take a minute and talk about her now.

Hang Ah’s changes are much subtler compared to, well, everyone else. And of course the reason those changes were so drastic and sudden was because the catalyst was so traumatic and sudden: the Assassination.

The Royal Family nearly fell apart after Jae Kang and Hyun Joo’s deaths along with Jae Shin’s injury. Jae Ha suddenly was King, Jae Shin suddenly was paralyzed, the Queen Mother suddenly had to resume her previous duties as Queen AND take care of her children. Not to forget that there is now a gaping hole in each of their hearts where Jae Kang and Hyun Joo used to reside. With their grief and these new responsibilities, they had to make a change immediately or fall to the wayside emotionally and politically. (In some ways, Jae Shin took the longest to recover but her trauma was more than just grief and responsibilities. It was also wrapped up with her new paraplegia, PTSD, and Bon Bon’s ongoing terror attacks. Her delayed recovery is completely understandable to me.)

Now, on a personal level Jae Kang’s sudden death did not affect Hang Ah in the same way as his family. The reason Hang Ah was afforded such an understated evolution was because of her slightly removed relationship with the old King and Queen. I won’t say that it didn’t affect her but, let’s be honest, she knew him for maybe a few months. While they had a very affectionate relationship building, it was only budding when he died. For her his loss was more like a good friend with familial connections that never had the time to grow as strong is it most likely would have been. She hadn’t known him her entire life as the others had. That’s why she has a much quicker “recovery time” and is able to become a pillar of strength for the Royals in their time of need.

So while suddenly the Queen Mother went from inactive to active, Jae Shin went from vibrant and cheery to depressed and fearful, and Jae Ha went from slacker to leader, Hang Ah simply began tapping more into her HBIC personality that we’d already seen from the WOC training days. The others seemed almost like new people to us. (Not completely since you could still see glimpses of their old lives.) Hang Ah, on the other hand, seemed to grow firmer in who she was already. For that reason I think some assumed she didn’t have a change as well but I think differently. There is a significant difference from her HBICness during the WOC training and her HBICness during the Royal Crisis and I postulate that it had a lot to do with Jae Ha.

Remember the scene in Episode 2 when Jae Ha patted Hang Ah’s back while she fell asleep? Just before he told her that she needed to yield and learn to accept others. Even though he was playing her then, he struck somewhat on the truth. In the beginning Hang Ah had a problem melding her unyielding soldier side with her gentle caregiver side. It’s not that she was too strong/independent but that she could not yield to others. Prime example of her rigidity was her botched date with that first guy who she instinctively choked out when he went for a kiss despite her trying so hard to become intimate with him.

Dealing with Jae Ha and his douchebag shenanigans allowed her to get a crash course on when to yield and when to be firm. Unlike her first date, who I think she went out with just for the sake of dating, she had a reason to try to yield/accept with Jae Ha. She had no intention to date Jae Ha and he was a complete dick but she felt extreme attraction to him anyway. That attraction made her keep trying to open her heart to him even during the rough assholery he kept giving in return. From that experience, painful though it was, she learned and was able to begin to meld her two halves into a whole after the Assassination. (Though she doesn’t truly complete her change until after her miscarriage and final acceptance of Jae Ha in Episode 12.

Wow…That got way longer than I intended so I’ll just stop here. Hope it was coherent. I just poured out a bunch of my Hang Ah feels all over the place. lol 

*Sigh* Rooftop Prince…Really though?

*Spoilers up to Episode 18.

I don’t really post about this show much because I’m not that excited by it anymore. The acting and the music are the only things keeping me entertained at this point. It started off strong and then tumbled into a tangled mess of chaebol machinations, near-death (and one actual death) experiences, amnesia, mistaken identities, birth-secrets, you name it…Blegh.

But this was the episode that made me want to give up hope that this drama will turn itself around before the end. I had hoped by episode 18 we’d have explored way more of the Chosun mystery, the Chosun incarnations Hwa Yong/Bu Yong, and that the Attendants Three would be more fleshed out instead of mere plot devices/comic relief. Instead I get crazy makjang story-lines filled with 50% plot-holes, 50% coincidences, and 100% Ugh. Makjang is all well and good when done right but this show didn’t handle it correctly.

___________

So many WTF!moments in this episode:

1. How the hell did Lee Gak teleport from the cell to the hall? I don’t remember that being a perk of fading back to Chosun. I’d have preferred if he’d faded and then walked through the wall. :/

2. No one has brought up the DNA issue again with all these “You’re a fake Tae Yong!” accusations flying around?

3. Why in the world would Tae Yong be stuck in jail because Tae Mu didn’t corroborate his alibi? What about the bartender/wait staff that served the cousins all their drinks? Were there no other patrons in that entire bar who can verify that you two were together? No security cameras? Come on!

4. Why not tell the police about the car black-box theory?

5. How many coincidences will this drama rely on? Coincidentally Se Na exited the house right during a car accident, coincidentally that car had a newfangled black-box installed, coincidentally Lee Gak stepped on the accident debris…This is not even including the many “coincidences” from previous episodes. At this point the most believable part of the drama is the time-traveling reincarnation magic stuff.

6. Apparently Bak Ha has forgotten when she slapped Se Na across the face, threw water at her twice, and declared them no longer sisters. And that was before all the shiestiness with their Bio-Mom, getting her fired, and actively interfering with Lee Gak and Bak Ha’s relationship. Apparently Se Na needed only to shed crocodile tears and Bak Ha caves. :/

7. So is no one ever going to do a daring rescue from an oncoming car where they shout “LOOK OUT! A CAR!” and leap for the other person while allowing the inertia to carry both bodies out of harm’s way? No? I guess a weak cry, a light shove, and a deer-in-the-headlights (literally) expression will have to do…

8. How maniacal can Yong Dong Man’s laugh get before people start looking at him funny? 

___________

Also about Tae Mu…This might be an unpopular opinion but based solely on his work performance he deserves the company waaay more than Tae Yong. He is an exceptional businessman and he’s been working for that company for much longer with continued success. At times he seems like the only person who actually gets shit done in that company. 

In the beginning of the drama, before all the shenanigans (read: attempted murder) in NY, Tae Mu’s only fault was that his grandfather stepped out on Grandma and had a bastard child who then had Tae Mu. Um…What? So two generations later you’re punishing this kid for what his grandfather did? Even though he is clearly the better businessman. Ok, Grandma, I see your sharp and analytic business mind is at work.

I don’t excuse his heinous crimes—he should def go to jail for them—but part of me admits that if he wasn’t a psychotic murderer, I’d be rooting for him to get the company, hands down.

IDK…Usually I can find nuggets of cute/funny/sweet in the midst of the ugly in this drama but not today. *sigh* Maybe next week will be better. (Not likely.) Either way I’m stuck on this ride until the bitter end.

Ugh, I have too many K2H feels tonight!

*MAJOR spoilers for Ep. 17. I urge you to watch before you read.

Ugh, so much to love about this drama! I spent the entire episode with my eyes wide and my hands covering my mouth to hold in my horrified squeals.

Right now the biggest thing I’m grateful for is Jae Shin’s memory reveal. OMG! Firstly, I am so glad they DID NOT go the sexual assault route. I don’t mind that story line if you want to explore the topic but never as a shortcut for character (usually female) development because that almost always trivializes the topic…even unintentionally.

But, dear lord, Jae Shin’s little frantic screams as they dragged her across the floor and forced her to spread charcoal in the fireplace just about broke my heart. Now I understand why she was so afraid that she suppressed the memory. What a secret burden to carry on your heart…

It also informs my thoughts on Jae Shin’s decision to jump off of the cliff. I’d always wondered why she decided to do that. It wasn’t a major concern of mine but the question did sit in the back of my mind for a while. I guess I dismissed her choice as simply that Royal Jae Bravado she and Jae Ha have in spades. That relentless refusal to bow before their enemies, I mean. Now, however, I think her decision to jump was simply an extension of her feelings of guilt, pain, and self-hatred. 

To feel, deep in your heart, that you killed your brother and sister-in-law…Well, it drove her to the brink. We know, of course, that she is not really responsible for Jae Kang and Hyun Joo’s deaths. Clearly Bong Gu and his minions are to blame but it makes sense to me that Jae Shin does not think this way. While it has truly hurt to see the princess’ will so broken, it is completely understandable why. Still, now that she has regained her memory we can finally begin to see her heal from it.

The King 2 Hearts, Ep 11. Mwah! You are so beautiful to me~

ravens-nest:

I definitely loved this episode. Pregnancy/miscarriage is really hit or miss in TV shows and movies. I know some people hated the introduction of it in K2H but I always withhold judgment until I see the result and I thought the writers have handled it really well so far. I really liked that they had an entire episode after Jae Ha sent Hang Ah away for him to regret it and feel guilty about it. And for his mother and sister to scold him in their caustic fashion too. lol 

I’m glad that they showed Jae Ha feeling lonely and guilty the moment he sent Hang Ah away. They had him readily regretting that ridiculous choice, expressing that to his sister out loud, and verbally saying he’s trying to get her back. Only then did the writers add the pregnancy/miscarriage reveal. Now we know that Jae Ha’s guilt had already begun because of Hang Ah and the loss of the baby just added to his list.

Because I don’t like characters who marry based solely on whether someone is pregnant. Or rather I don’t mind if the premise begins with that but I need a deeper emotional connection to tie them too. Marrying someone simply because you’re having a baby is not a solid foundation for a lasting relationship and I don’t think it’s best for the child either. So I like that Jae Ha’s regret, loneliness, and desire to be with Hang Ah is present before the pregnancy so that you see that his motive is about Hang Ah first and foremost. Otherwise it would have made it seem like the only reason he would’ve gone to get Hang Ah back would’ve been because of the pregnancy. Like if Hang Ah hadn’t been pregnant he wouldn’t have gone to apologize. Now we know that he was already working on getting her back by trying to make it politically safe for her too. The miscarriage just made him do it more recklessly and in a way that is potentially politically damaging.

Enough of that. Now I will express my absolute adoration of Ha Ji Won, my spiritual goddess and the owner of my soul. She has been my favorite Korean actress for a long time and—WHAM!—she nailed this episode. Ugh…her pain, anger, and guilt was spot on for the entire episode. From the initial detachment over her miscarriage, to watching her friend cradle her own baby, to the anger over the North officials trying to force her to become a propaganda tool, to the overflowing emotions in her conversation with Jae Ha. Mwah! She is magnificent. I will love her until my dying breath.

Ah, Jae Ha…this boy…

ravens-nest:

*Some spoilers up to episode 10.

You know…I can only feel so bad for Jae Ha. I do feel a little twinge for him because Hang Ah was brutal. I mean she went for his jugular when she whipped out, “You’re trash.” At the same time, he did the same thing to her way back in episode 2 when he was like “You’re not a woman to me” after she confessed all her insecurities about that to him. (And now that conversation, as said during her testimony in court, is now a fond memory for her of their contentious but invigorating relationship.)

But all I can think is that there’s more at stake now. Before, they were just two people teaming up for a competition. When they fought at the training camp, there was nothing to hold them together except duty to their countries. When they fought and walked away from each other, it was understandable.

Now, however, there’s all that they’ve been through, emotional connections, love, their engagement, his family, etc. so there’s all the more reason to work shit out when you fight instead of acting rashly and lashing out, yeah? But naaaaw…when they fought this last time and he kicked her out, my jaw literally dropped. 

But thanks, King 2 Hearts, for operating in reality because next we see the Queen Mother and the Princess saying the same shit I was saying to my laptop screen except they can say it right to his face. (Though I’ve decided to dictate it in my words anyway. ^_~)

“Like, really dude? Really?! She called you trash and hurt your itty-bitty royal feelings, so you had her deported? Are you fucking kidding me right now?! You have lost your goddamned royal mind!”

Yo, yo…After the major shit that went down with Hang Ah at the end of episode 10, he’s going to need to do some major groveling next episode. Jae Ha, you had better approach this bitch on your knees, boy.

I’mma be straight with y’all…I can’t really like Jae Ha right now.

raven-review:

*Spoilers up to Episode 13.

What. The. Actual. Fuck?! How is it that he really didn’t anticipate what Bong Gu would do?

It’s really obvious that this dude is off his fucking rocker. And he’s evil! He’s off his rocker and he’s evil! At the very least he was gonna beat the shit out of Tara. 

It wasn’t right. Jae Ha didn’t kill her personally but he is just as responsible for her death. He sent Tara into a dangerous situation with a known psychotic murderer without telling her everything that was happening. At the very least he should have told her what he was doing before letting her go back to Bong Gu so she could make a decision herself.

And I think I’m even angrier at the mocking and condescending “Don’t kill her.” message he sent too. So you’re telling me that it did occur to him that Bong Gu might kill her but he went ahead with this plan anyway? Why? Because she’s just collateral in this dick measuring contest between them. And guess what? It ended with her getting riddled with bullets.

It wasn’t right. And the reason that shit went tits up was because Jae Ha did not discuss this plan with Hang Ah. Hang Ah would’ve told him that this was a dangerous plan and could get somebody killed.

Whatever…fuck him. I can’t even right now with Jae Ha. His callousness is completely in character but it pisses me off sometimes…

Addendum-

I think Jae Ha did, in fact, discuss this with Hang Ah. I’d forgotten about her call to her father asking for Bong Gu’s address last time.

So I guess I’m supposed to chalk this plan’s go-ahead to general militaristic pragmatism in what could be considered a battlefield. *sigh* I can accept that. Doesn’t make me like the plan but it does make me understand how it went forward. 

PS. I’m still mad.

(via ravens-nest)