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handlewithkara · 4 years ago

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Thanks, I hate it

So, I was trying to rewatch season 3 again and wow, I remembered why I hate it (and particularly 3B) so much. Maybe hate is the wrong word. There is good things in there. Things I can appreciate.

But I feel like my biggest gripe with it, more than shipping, more than characterization is that it is really hard to watch a show when you very fundamentally disagree with a position the show takes.

And I think I knew that that was going to be the case I think from the moment Mon-El has his revealing conversation with J’onn in 3x13. J’onn is a character we are supposed to like, so it was pretty clear to me, that in this case, the position he took in this conversation was a position the show takes.

Here is goes: Supergirl Season 3 firmly takes the position that it is the morally right thing for Mon-El to do is to not tell Kara that he has feelings for her.

(the show also takes the position that it is honorable of Kara not to tell Lena her secret identity, situations that are paralleled on occasion. I think the situations are somewhat different, but still think that in both cases the position of the show is questionable or at least something I really disagree with)

First: What I think they were trying to achieve with this

1.) One of Mon-El's character flaws was arguably lack of restraint. Showing him holding back on telling Kara shows that he has matured.

In this area I feel like the biggest disagreement is likely one of taste. If one likes Mon-El, one might argue that yes, lack of restraint and consideration was a character trait and flaw of Mon-El's, but "curing" him of this flaw arguably makes him at lost less entertaining as a character.

The other problem is that Mon-El still has certain moments which the show itself characterizes as lack of consideration. Seems kind of late for him to still be learning this lesson on the fly? Rather than just struggling with it? Still, one can argue the fact that he was struggling with this issue on a relatively high level is a way of showing that he has changed a lot and is in a very different place.

2.) Telling Kara about his feelings while she is still hurting and confused especially when he is unsure himself, yes would arguably be shitty.

Now, this I partly get. When Mon-El comes back Kara is in a lot of emotional pain, she is distraught, she is confused, she is dealing with a lot.

If at this point Mon-El goes to her and tells her that he's still into her (but there is still a chance that he still wants to honor his commitment to Imra more) that would cause her a lot of additional pain.

Not that I think it would have changed a lot in how Kara would react or how much would have happened between them, but the same decisions would likely have caused her a lot of additional anguish. That would have been jerking her around and playing with her feelings by my defintion of things and in that case, I agree, he shouldn’t tell her.

Getting her hopes up just to leave again would so not be cool.

3.) Talking to Kara about how he is struggling too might hamper their ability to fight Reign.

Now granted, this is just my personal feelings, as this wasn't really a topic that the show brought up itself. Still, this is something I could at least picture being a concern for these characters, that they want to put their feelings aside till Reign is defeated. (and in a way... that is what happens on the show, Karamel start getting a lot shippier in the time when they mistakenly think Reign has been defeated)

Second: Why I think it's wrong

The show over and over goes over the concept that it is wrong to tell somebody the truth just to make yourself feel better. And I keep thinking... why?

I agree with the concept that it is morally wrong to cause pointless pain to Kara by telling her. The thing is ... is it really pointless?

I fully agree that if Mon-El had fessed up to her at some point late into the season, it would have temporarily made Kara's life more confusing... but .... wouldn't that be worth it? Simply in the interest of things being more honest between and the information being out there?

And why isn't "it would make Mon-El feel better and lift a weight off his shoulders" a totally legit and fair outcome? Why does that have to be cast as "that's selfish and so he should never do that"?

I can maybe get that in the beginning when Kara is still super raw and emotional, but later on? Kara is a strong person, with a great support system. And I get that it's immoral to draw her into messy marriage issues.

But I don't see how just telling Kara what his emotional state is does that. He could just tell her "I'm really struggling too, but I'm trying to hold it together. This is hard for me in particular because I’m dealing with a lot of additional political weight being placed on my shoulders".

And yes I can envision a world where that makes communication between them even harder and it makes fighting Reign harder. But I still think it would be worth it for the benefit of things being more honest between them. And I would have said that both characters are emotionally strong enough that they could handle it.

Third: Why I’m beginning to think that they genuinely believed that

You know, for the longest time I thought, okay, maybe they just disliked Mon-El and wanted to get rid of him, so maybe they gave him a shitty story and that's all there is too it.

But the longer things go on, the more I get the impression. OMG they were actually serious about that?

In season 3, they draw strong parallels between it being honorable of Mon-El not to tell Kara and it being honorable of Kara not to tell Lena her identity. This is most explicit in The Fanatical where Mon-El says exactly that in a traditional "he gives advice about Lena, but he's actually talking about himself" scene.

Well, if you tell [her] the truth, you'd be doing it to make yourself feel better, not her. So maybe, in this case, it's, uh... Not telling her the truth is the noble thing. It's a sacrifice you're making to protect her.

(Bless Chris Wood, I think he looks entirely unconvinced by his own dialogue here)

Fast forward to episode 100. The big anniversary episode. The one that celebrates Kara and her influence on people. And this episode is full of people assuring Kara that her motivations were noble AND it ends with Kara embracing this point of view and putting her foot down (and no, I don't think that the writers intend to take that back and portray that as Kara misunderstanding something when this is the big celebration episode)

Executing The Premise

Either way. The whole season consisted of people preaching to Mon-El that he shouldn't tell. So Mon-El tries to do the right thing and keep his feelings mostly close to his vest.

And then it just ends!!!!

I'm sorry, this just feels wrong. It feels like there is something missing. Like either Mon-El should be rewarded for holding back (either by him realizing that loves the future best anyway (instead ... the opposite of that happened) or him actually getting a better chance with Kara somewhere in the future when the circumstances are better). Or in lieu of that, a storyline that makes it explictly clear that Mon-El was being a dumbass, did exactly the wrong thing and that is what costs him his chance with Kara. Except that didn't happen either.

Instead he disappear uncommented into nothingness and the only other glimpse we see of him is till an episode that actually doubles down on the message of 3B.

Summation

So my deep, fundamental gripe with season 3 is that I just deeply, deeply disagree with the central thesis the season puts forth (keeping things from people is not just understandable and excusable, but actually morally good) THE SHOW DIDN'T EVEN DELIVER PROPERLY ON THE STAKES AND MORAL STANDARDS THEY BUILT UP.

That's why season 3 was frustrating and hard to get connected to on multiple levels when it comes to these central story tenants. You have these characters discussing and debating and going back and forth and here I’m sitting, watching them and going “Yes, but this moral conundrum is stupid” (I had this reaction during pretty much any Mon-El scenes in regards to telling the truth and during any of the Kara and Lena arguments). I think even if the show had told a "clean" story with their premise, I still would have been sour on it when I just so fundamentally disagree with the premise on a personal level.

And that is in addition to the entertainment level of "I just don't think that it's very entertaining to watch characters who are constantly holding back to be heroic and moral and honorable" (compared to holding back for personal reasons like insecurity, something that is way more interesting because that is compelling characterization a lot of the time and casts telling the truth as characters facing their fears or seeing things weren’t as bad as they imagined it).

I disliked that honorable holding back in Kara/James and I disliked it again in season 3. [yes I think it’s marginally better set up in season 3 simply because Karamel had an actual relationship as the basis rather than just the potential of a flirtation, Mimra were married and there was a political reason why it had to stay that way rather than Lucy in the end being just a nice girlfriend/boyfriend relationship ... but just because it is a slightly more solid version of that trope doesn’t change that that trope is bad and boring to me]

Look, this isn't about morals. This isn't about me thinking the show would have been better if Kara would have thrown herself at James in season 1. It's just that those stories are (to me) fundamentally boring to watch and there was a reason why I preferred the chaotic back and forth of season 2 Karamel. So in a way, I felt fundamentally betrayed by the story even without the ending, because to me the season betrayed a lot about what I liked about Karamel in season 2 and made them more like Kara/James whose story I often did not care for for a reason. I'm not claiming that season 3 was devoid of good things, outside of Karamel or within (and I will try to make posts on that), but in regards to Karamel, a lot of these things were new areas, new themes or side aspects compared to what their strongest threads were in season 2.(for what it’s worth, I think the normal, “soapy” way to tell this story would have been not that Mon-El tells, but that Mon-El keeps it quiet, but somebody else blabs out the truth and Kara finds out anyway and is initally mad at Mon-El. Would still have been a cop out compared to how I see this conflict, but it would have been a more normal story compared to “everybody tells Mon-El not to tell and he mostly doesn’t”)

But I can put my shipper values aside. I can try to appreciate a story for its craftsmanship or for what it is trying to do even if things don't go my way. But it's really hard to get invested in a show if you just don't see eye to eye with one of the core themes the show proposes.

And that’s why I have a lot of animosity left towards this aspect of season 3.

#supergirl #karamel #kara danvers #kara zor-el #mon-el

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eventyrstuff · 5 years ago

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Every Kdrama I’ve watched under the cut, to keep track and for recommendations.

Warning: Spoilers, few unpopular opinions ahead, please bear in mind: to each their own.

2009

· You’re Beautiful – 16 amusing episodes (Finished)

o Is the plot interesting? This was the era of female leads pretending to be male (Hana Kimi, Ouran etc), but I still loved it. We follow the story of the female lead (who was a Nun at the beginning) who pretended to be her twin brother and become a part of the country’s current hottest band because her twin had a cosmetic surgery mishap (lol). It’s mostly trying to fit in and try not to get exposed but of course our male lead discovered her true identity thus begin her suffering and second also knows but did not admit it thus begin his unrequited love and comic relief and best character in the series was left in the dark thus begin questioning his sexuality 7/10 o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? YES. Park Shin Hye is love and Jang Geun Seuk’s smile is freaking adorable. 9/10 o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? JEREMY AND SHINWOO AND JOLIE YES. 10/10 o Are the OSTs compelling? MOST DEF. I fell in love with PSH’s “Lovely Day” and “ Without Words”, ANJELL’s “Still” and “Promise” though I prefer Lee Hong Ki’s version 8/10 o Would you rewatch? I’ll definitely rewatch, I would love to compare my opinion back in my tween years and opinion now o Favorite Episode/Scenes: Episode 6 – Shin Woo and Mi Nam’s pseudo date (totally heartbreaking for tween me) Episode 11 – supermarket scene was the best, Episode 13 – Cooking scenes was hilarious, every scene with Jeremy, TAE KYUNG AND THE PIG o Words Association: GO MI NAM, Pig-Rabbit, JOLIE!, Fly me to the moon, “hyung, vinegar?” o Yes it has overused plots, common conflicts and family drama but the characters and their dynamics are truly worth watching this and if you need a good laugh (this drama has a looooot of funny scenes), this one is for you. 8/10

2011

· Heartstrings – 15 forgotten episodes (Finished)

o Is the plot interesting? It’s a college drama involving modern and traditional Korean music. I honest to God forgot the whole drama, I think there was rivalry between the main leads? 6/10 o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? Not sure, but if it’s Park Shin Hye, I guess so, sorry I’m shit at remembering this drama o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? I forgot so I guess not? o Are the OSTs compelling? I am pretty sure it got an amazing Osts with having Park Shin Hye and CN Blue’s Yong Hwa but the only thing I remember was the song “Byeul” or Star and it was sung by the secondary character but it was really catchy o Would you rewatch? Looks like I need to rewatch since I mostly forgot this drama o Will rate once I have rewatched but if you shipped Yong Hwa and Park Shin Hye’s characters in You’re Beautiful, this one is for you.

Then after years of Jdramas, Anime, Mangas, YA books I returned to Kdramaland in…

2018

· Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo – 16 charming episodes (Finished)

o Is the plot interesting? College athletes’ coming of age drama, added a dash of love and friendship and dreams. Strong female lead and affectionate male lead, sign me the fuck up. 9/10 o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? I AM EMOTIONALLY INVESTED WITH THE LEADS PERSONAL AND LOVE LIVES. YES. 10/10 o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? YES EVEN THE CAMEOS (Hello Lee Jong Suk who I haven’t watched any of his drama yet at the time and Ji Soo) 10/10 o Are the OSTs compelling? I downloaded 2 of their OSTs (You&I and Dreaming), it was the first Korean songs in my playlist 9/10 o Would you rewatch? Absolutely o Favorite Episode/Scenes: “BOK JOO, WATCH OUT!”, “YOU DIE, I WILL KILL YOU”, Snow kisses, the gang in the amusement park, THAT SCENE WITH JISOO AND JOO HYUK o Word Association: SWAG, Messi, Chicken, Samgyupsal, WHAT, Chubs o I totally recommend to everyone, it has a unique plot, still not over the main lead’s chemistry, you’ll fall in love with the whole story. 10/10

· The Heirs – 20 clichéd episodes (Finished)

o Is the plot interesting? It’s your typical rich man poor woman plot, high school setting oozing with alpha males and lots of trope scenes, if only female lead was also an heir or they develop more on her character it will be memorable, I can’t really differentiate with other dramas with the same plot – well except the male lead’s mother is not your typical mother who absolutely hates the female lead 3/10 o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? No, not really more on the secondary characters, both male and female leads are meh 2/10 o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? With the mute mother and FL’s bestfriend and his girlfriend yes, everyone else is forgettable 3/10 o Are the OSTs compelling? I only remember “Love is a moment” because it was used by fanmade crack videos on youtube ahahaha 2/10 o Would you rewatch? Probably no. o I guess if you are a big fan of Boys Over Flowers and looking for the same genre this one’s for you, this did not really age well for me, probably would have loved this if I watched back when I was in highschool – reminds me of wattpad days. 3/10

· W: Two Worlds – 16 enthralling episodes (Started 2018 Finished 2020)

o Is the plot interesting? The plot is what compelled me to watch this drama, male lead is a webtoon character created by the female lead but made famous by her father. Male lead does not have your best childhood experiences but became really successful as an adult but there are mysterious instances that put his life on danger, the female lead (doctor) was drawn in on the comic and saved his life, unknowingly her actions changed the course of the story and it reflected on the comic in the real world – this was truly a good concept 9/10 because I actually forgot I started this drama last 2018 then rewatched and finished this 2020, I am still confused. o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? THE CHEMISTRY WAS ON THE ROOF ON THIS ONE. I DIDN’T EVEN CARE ABOUT THE OTHER CHARACTERS 10/10 o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? I was actually more focused on the main leads, did not exactly give much attention to other characters 3/10 o Are the OSTs compelling? I only liked “Where are you” but it was sung by that guy who was jailed among other things so I don’t know how I feel now. Still the opening was lit o Would you rewatch? Yes, I will try to fully understand what the mechanics or rules of being a webtoon character and being alive in the real world o Favorite Episode/Scenes: KISS IN THE JAIL was the first thing that came to my mind, also real life scenes to comic scenes and vice versa- kudos to the artists, slap and kiss scene, the flashing scene, 4 romantic concepts scene, the adorable scenes recreating the illustration book, the transition when yeon Joo dropped her ring, the hospital bed scene o Words Association: #4, handcuffs, all the winks, sudden “saranghaeyo”, ring, bus stop, “to be continued” o This drama was amazing for the first 10 episodes then became complicated after, I loved the chemistry between the 2 main leads but unfortunately overpowered the whole story – don’t get me wrong I love love stories, but my reaction was the same as those who read the comics – too much cutesy stuff they forgot the storyline, I wanted them to explore the W show, but they focused on filling the plothole for the murderer which created more conflicts and confusing scenes. The line between the comic and real word created plot devices and more questions. This drama has flaws but cool premise though, I hate amnesia plot on any drama but it was well incorporated on this one. 8/10

· Goblin – 16 amazing Episodes (Finished, rewatched 2020)

o Is the plot interesting? A general in Goryeo dynasty got punished by the Gods to be immortal and his sword still in his chest only the Goblin bride can take it off so he can be at peace and die. Immortal lead with a side of grim reaper as best friend, charming female lead with a confident female boss – a story with reincarnation and ghosts, scenes that will tug your heart – yes, one of Kdrama Masterpiece 10/10 o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? At first no no with the age gap but yes, I say while crying o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? HELL TO THE YES, DEOK HWA, GRAMPS, SECRETARY KIM, HELLO CUTIE TAE HEE, SUNNY AND GRIM REAPER 10/10 o Are the OSTs compelling? HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFUL OSTS, particularly “Round and Round”, “I Miss You”, “Stay with Me” and even without lyrics I still worship “When the time stops” aka the music that speaks to your soul 10/10 o Would you rewatch? YES ALREADY DID BRUH WILL DO AGAIN o Favorite Episode/Scenes: Every bromance scene, I got hooked by the scene in the first ep where Eun Tak celebrated her birthday with her ghost mother, epic goblin and grim reaper modelling in the highway, everytime sunny flips her hair, grim reaper and his guests in the tea shop o Word Association: Canada, sad love, candles, rain, chicken, tea, car crash *sorry not sorry* o Totally recommended, well-deserved on its popularity. Will make you laugh and cry, at the same time. Acting skillz man. 10/10

· Strong Woman Do Bong Soon – 16 whacky episodes (Finished)

o Is the plot interesting? Female lead has super strength which was actually passed down to every woman born in her family, she wants to be a game developer but instead got hired as bodyguard of our male lead who is a ceo of a gaming company 8/10 o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? I remember that I did, I was? I need to rewatch haha o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? I remembered I did not like Ji soo’s character and don’t really remember other characters… o Are the OSTs compelling? Can’t quite remember so I need to - o Would you rewatch? Yeahp, will do o I’ll do a rewatch before rating

I had a watch list back in 2018, but then I became busy with work and life until…

2020 (Details will be more longer since every Kdrama is still fresh on my mind)

· My ID is Gangnam Beauty – 16 pretty episodes (Finished)

o Is the plot interesting? Basically, female lead deems herself ugly and undergone a plastic surgery to fully change her face before attending the university – but a popular guy back in highschool (junior high?) was also attending the same uni and recognized her – it’s a mellow sort of drama tackling Korean beauty and it’s extent, still cute story tho 7/10 o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? We must protect Mi-rae at all cost, Cha Eun Woo’s character is a little bit emotionally constipated but Eun Woo is *swoon* 8/10 o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? I am all for Mi-rae’s family and childhood friend, Kyung Seok’s sister, Yoo eun was very notable as well, I love how her character is completely fair and understanding 7/10 o Are the OSTs compelling? “D-day” and “True” is a bop to listen to, everytime I hear “Something” all I remember is Cha Eun Woo’s slow mo glance, other OST is a bop but not enough for me to put on my playlist 6/10 o Would you rewatch? Probably but not right now o Favorite Episode/Scenes: New face dance, bathroom scene with Kyung Seok beating the shit out of their senior, whenever Kyung Seok is annoyed with Soo-A but total heart eyes mode with Mi Rae, Cinema pseudo date – eating popcorn using straws, when he changed the color of his hair, Kyung Seok’s ID when he was a waiter, their high school date, and that last sweet scene in the final episode o Word Association: gangnam, perfume, plastic, umbrella, soju o I wasn’t planning on watching kdramas again after a long time but this quarantine just makes you do things and no regrets at all, MIIGB probably isn’t the best of the best but it definitely made me want to watch more kdramas and lo and behold more kdramas watched in a span of 2 months than in a year back in 2018. I love how it tackles on true beauty and female oppression and how idiotic alpha male trope is 7/10

· While You Were Sleeping – 16 not enough episodes (Finished)

o Is the plot interesting? A prosecutor, a reporter and a cop can see the future when they sleep, which helps them in solving cases and do their best to change it. Every case is fascinating makes you say “ohhhhh” when they present their defense and I am like *chef kiss* I love the premise and the supernatural part of the story. 10/10 o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? YES. JAE CHAN AND HONG JOO ARE ADORKABLE AND HAS INSANE VISUALS 10/10 o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? HAVE YOU MET JUNG HAE IN, THE PROSECUTOR TEAM WAS THE BEST. YES. EVEN THE SIDE CHARACTERS ON CASES AND THE VILLAINS 10/10 o Are the OSTs compelling? I usually don’t hear the OSTs while focusing on a scene but boy oh boy, OSTs stole everything, I am obsessed with the whole album. The melody and tune is very captivating everytime you hear it you just want to embed it on your brain. If you are still having second thoughts watching this drama, listen to it’s OSTs the feels they give is the same feels when you watch 1000/10 o Would you rewatch? I’ve watched it again after finishing it so yes, 100% yes, need more episodes still having withdrawal syndrome, still watching fanmade videos on youtube o Favorite Episode/Scenes: Every episode lol, the opening sequence, the outro scenes in episode 2 and 3 (with that background music), everytime “It’s you”, “You belong to my world”, “When night falls” and “I love you boy” is the bg music, every Jae Chan and Hong Joo parallel (Episode 2 and 16 particularly), OT3 scenes, the shadow picture, KISS IN THE RAIN, IN THE SAKURA TREE AND THE ALMOST KISS IN THE CAR if I list down all of my fave, I will be writing the whole summary of each episode. Hmmm. o Words Association: Snow hug, sakura kiss, batman and robin, scarf, JUST ICE, choir, seatbelt, samgyupsal, femme fatale, lip balm o I HIGHLY RECOMMEND. ULTIMATE FAVE. I AM BIASED SHUTTUP. JUST WATCH. NONE CAN COMPARE. NUFF SAID. 100000/10 SOMEONE FANGIRL WITH ME

· Pinocchio – 20 important episodes (Finished)

o Is the plot interesting? This whole drama is about mass media and its major influence on anyone’s life and it is so powerful. We have a male lead whose family has experienced the impact of misguided news and it is painful to watch because this really happens irl at worse, this is due to a reporter which is our female lead’s mother. Now our female lead has Pinocchio Syndrome hence the drama title, she can’t help but hiccup when she lies, it’s very interesting to know why both leads wanted to be a reporter given their situation 10/10 o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? YES, I JUST WANNA HUG THEM. Imagine having a condition that forces you to tell the truth, you can’t keep your feelings, privacy or secrets at all and to add an indifferent mother who did not care for your dreams but more on publicity. Imagine having a dream and working hard to reach it but after college you fail every job interview and it’s so realistic I just ashfdsjfha (Except the Pinocchio syndrome part but come on) Imagine experiencing a childhood where you don’t know what happened to your firefighter father, is the news about him running away true because it was his fault all those other firefighters are dead? Imagine your brother doing his best to hold your family together because your mother is on the verge of nervous breakdown to the point of pushing her to choose death, pulling you to a hug and just jump? Imagine this male lead fighting every chance to not love this girl who is the daughter of the reason why his family is gone now and could not leave her because she is also the reason why he decided to fight for the injustice done to his family and to others victims of fake news and they are so supportive of each other. It freaking hurts and I’m sorry I just have a lot of emotions for these two 1000000/10 o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? YEEEEES, GRANDPA AND FATHER, I LOVE THEIR FAMILY DYNAMICS SO MUCH WHEN GRANDPA CRIED I CRIED! EVEN JA MYUNG HYUNG who has not enough episode in THEY DESERVE TO BE TOGETHER NOT JUST FOR ONE EPISODE. EVEN BEOM JU, YOO RAE, NITPICKER JANG, CAPTAIN, BOTH CAPTAINS ACTUALLY, CHAN SOO AND HIS FAMILY EVEN I LOVE TO HATE THE VILLAINS 100/10 o Are the OSTs compelling? I was too focused on the intensity of the story but I do love the bg music –“First Love”, “The Only Person”, “Pinocchio” are few notable OSTs 8/10 o Would you rewatch? YES FREAKING YES, I REWATCHED AFTER WATCHING IT o Favorite Episode/Scenes: Episode 16 as a whole, because main lead conflict with each other was resolved and that dinner scene is one I always rewatch, of course episode 1 introduction for Dal Po is freaking hilarious, Episode 2’s “Because I like you” damn feels, snow kiss, all the grandpa scenes and brother scenes, that scene when In ha remembered being drunk, that scene where Dal Po meets his brother again and I just ahjasgdjhsdgf, the intense debate and paralleling it in the seminar, the Christmas episode pyung pyung pyung my heart huhu o Word Association: Six Degrees Separation, rumor, button, MSC/YGN News, traffic cones, hiccups, piggy banks, text messages, family o EVERYONE SHOULD WATCH THIS. I LOVE EVERY PART. IT WAS ON MY WATCHLIST LAST 2018 WHY DID I NOT WATCHED IT THEN. THE ACTING THOUGH YOU JUST FEEL THEIR INTENSE EMOTIONS THROUGH THE SCREEN. FEELS EVERYWHERE. 100000/10

· Romance Is A Bonus Book – 16 heartwarming episodes (Finished)

o Is the plot interesting? It’s about romance and books! Lee Jong Suk is on it what more can you ask for? Kidding aside it tells a story of a 30 something mother who to go back to work after 12 years which left a huge gap on her resume, she also got recently divorced and experiencing the repercussion of that, all of the job she applied for has focused on her work gap instead of her skills (which by the way as an HR a very hard truth). She applied as a support role on a publishing company and got hired but by omitting a lot of things on her resume. Oh and her childhood friend, our male lead is actually a co-owner and editor of the company. And he is also in love with her since high school. 9/10 but the fluffiness of the whole series is worth 10/10 o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? YES, Dan-I is totally relatable and Eun Ho is lovable. I love their relationship so much they are each other’s home. 10/10 o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? With Hae-rin (COME OOON UNREQUITED LOVE AGAIN WITH LJS CHARACTER?), Seo Joon, President Kim, Manager Seo, and our very own Gangnam Leopard YES. Others not so much. 8/10 o Are the OSTs compelling? The OSTs are feel good, the kind of playlist you want to hear when you read or travelling, point to “Rainbow”, “Walking on Sunshine”, “Happy End”also the heart churning feels when “You’re Beautiful” and “ A Story I couldn’t see” begins playing in the bg 10/10 o Would you rewatch? YES over and over and over again o Favorite Episode/Scenes: The first episode with the wedding visuals, so aesthetic with the running in the highway, the power dance was so out of place but it was adorable, the scene where Dan-I reminisce her married life and it just breaks your heart, the essay part of her application is just motivating and sad, WHEN EUN HO WAS DRUNK AND WENT TO DAN-I’s PLACE BECAUSE HE ALWAYS GO THERE WHEN HE MISSES HER AND I JUST AHGSHJAGDKJGHJ, “If that’s love, I love her then”, GANGNAM LEOPARD CLUB SCENE, the subtle Snow confession (what’s with LJS and Snow???) the long brown overcoats comes out I’m there, when Eun Ho rejected Hae Rin so nicely I cry, movie date, the day Dan-I and Eun Ho spent together at their house, all the book pages at the end of each episode o Words Association: THE MOON IS BEAUTIFUL, noona, power pose, love letters, books, seasons change, cucumber allergy, April 23 o This drama is literally a warm blanket on a rainy day. Recommended if you want a pure love story with almost no conflict and mellow storyline – just the thought of finding love and home in the same person is truly heartwarming. For aspiring writers and book lovers! Love the quotable quotes in it and the warm feels it gives 10/10

· Extraordinary You – 16 extraordinary episodes (Finished)

o Is the plot interesting? We follow the story of the extras in a comic book. Get it? EXTRAordinary you, haha okaaaay, anyway, its fictional characters becoming aware that they are fictional characters and trying to change their fates, having a life of their own outside the “stage” and all around creating chaos – breaking the 4th wall if you will. We have your cliché high school filled with rich kids and an elite group called A3 (which was funny bc it was almost mocking F4), then we have the female lead who thought she was the main character of the story but was only the love bridge extra for the main characters. And our beautiful male lead who does not even have a name. Very attention-grabbing 10/10 also just found out the drama was based on a webtoon, so it’s a webtoon inside a webtoon nice. o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? Dan-Oh is a fun character to watch, her range of emotions and the way she acts in and out of the stage deserves a standing ovation, I don’t mind Ro Woon’s visual too haha 9/10 o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? Yes to Lee Do Hwa (Because violin playing cutiepie), Joo Da (girl became aware and finally got claws at the end) and Dried Squid Fairy and Su Hyang (because their history is interesting) , not really into Bae Kyung or Nam Joo (who was 2dimensional character until the end) 8/10 o Are the OSTs compelling? I loved all the instrumental background music especially “Highschool Runway”, Also “My Beauty” which was very kdrama-esque ending song 7/10 o Would you rewatch? BIG YES o Favorite Episode/Scenes: Every Dan-Oh and Do Hwa’s internal monologue and their bromance, every time Dan Oh breaks character but the page flips, every time she curse and criticize the writer, checking the male population’s back, when Dan-oh opened the umbrella and we got to see Haru’s face *dokidoki*, every reaction when they transition from stage to shadow, I mean kudos to Kim Hye Yoon’s acting from crying to laughing then from head over heels over Bae Kyung then cringing at herself , “It’s Bae Kyung Time”, the scene where Haru and Dan-oh was holding hands and here comes third wheel Do Hwa the way they reacted with Dan Oh’s “Annyeong Lee Do Hwa” made me rofl o Word Association: AYUUU JINJJA, HARUYAAAAA, stage, shadow, page flips, October 10, secret, flower o I love the concept and how it felt like writing fanfiction, you put your favorite characters in alternative universes or different setting and watch them fall in love all over again – in this case destiny also plays a huge part since the writer continuously separate them but they still fall in love with each other outside the stage. It’s fun to see the other side or the fillers whenever characters are not on acting on stage, they have more character depth and development. I definitely love the Sageuk and College AU part. 9/10

· Graceful Family – 16 wild episodes (Finished)

o Is the plot interesting? It’s a drama full of Makjang so we are riding on a rollercoaster ride, I am here for all of it gimme gimme that outrageous plot with a dash of crazy family on the side and a group of people who cleans up their messes 9/10 o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? SEOK HEE IS THE BEST FEMALE LEAD YET FREAKING BADASS BITCH QUEEN. Yoon Do is okay but really overpowered by Seok Hee’s strong personality 10/10 for Seok Hee o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? I am very interested in Ms. Han and the Top Team’s deal unfortunately it was not addressed further in the series, wouldn/t mind a mini sequel with them as the main characters, Choi Na Ri and Seo Jin is loooove, and I love Wan Soo with all my heart even after everything that happened 9/10 o Are the OSTs compelling? “Liar” is on my playlist solely for me to feel as badass as Seok Hee and “Black Diamond” because it plays with your emotions 8/10 o Would you rewatch? Solely for all the WTF moments o Favorite Episode/Scenes: ALL THE DINING TABLE SCENES, opening scene in the first episode got me hooked, all Seok Hee scenes made me stay, Wan Soo’s hilarious scenes, that whole hanbok shop scene, whole jail fiasco, when Seok Hee fights head to head with TOP management, PICASSO’S FUNERAL SCENE, Episode 9 when Choi Na Ri moved in, episode 15’s biggest plot twist, Episode 16 and it’s whole 1 hour and 45 minutes of drama o Word Association: Home sweet home, Cannes, Picasso, power vacuum, kingmaker, Auntie o It has a lot of flaws, plotholes and characters you wished was fleshed out but man what an exhilarating ride it was. I love all the dirty secrets in the closets and plot twists (won’t spoil just watch it!) but Seok Hee is definitely the show stealer for me. Soo Hyang’s character here is starkly different with her character in My ID is Gangnam Beauty and it’s really amazing. 9/10

· Hi, Bye Mama – 16 heartbreaking episodes (Finished)

o Is the plot interesting? This is all about mother’s love and the life she left behind. Our female lead died in an accident and has been a ghost for five years watching over her family especially her daughter, she watched how her family moved on – her husband remarried and her daughter grew up with a different mother. The Gods has given her a chance to live again if she gets back her place within 49 days – this means she get the chance to become human again and finally meet her daughter. 9/10 o Am I emotionally invested on the Main Leads? I AM EMOTIONALLY INVESTED IN ALL OF THEM. 10/10 o Did I grew attached to the secondary characters? SEO WOO YAAAAAA, Min Jung, her whole family and best friends even the other ghosts and their painful stories YES. 10/10 o Are the OSTs compelling? I was busy crying and could not really hear the bg music because all I hear is my heart breaking a million times. But “Happy” made me happy and sad at the same time and the haunting “Same Town, New Story” instrumental is love o Would you rewatch? I am not sure if I’m ready to cry again o Favorite Episode/Scenes: whole episode 8 is where I broke down crying – I know this whole series is about mother’s and their unconditional love but episode 8 showed fathers and their incomparable love to their daughters and I just asjhdajksd the epilogue in this episode just made me cry nonstop – I am actually crying just remembering that scene, every epilogue will make you ugly cry, every time Seo Woo smiles, Episode 11 and that epic showdown in Kid’s café, when Yu Ri became human again and how happy she was she can hold Seo Woo, every scene with her and Seo Woo bonding, Gang Hwa and the egg, the list of things she wants to do, when Seo Woo finally called her MAMA o Words Association: mother, stepmom, ghosts, “I am happy”, shaman, egg, 49 days o I am emotionally exhausted watching this show, I cried on every episode, this definitely hurt me in every way possible. Highly recommended if you want a good long nonstop cry 10/10

Dramas I did not completely watched sans a few episodes, finished by skipping scenes or reading drama reviews. Warning: total unpopular opinions

2009

· Boys Over Flowers – we all know Hana Yori Dango is superior, I just got bored of recycled scenes and I really don’t like LMH here, sorry

2018

· Scarlet Heart Ryeo - Plot is very interesting but Sageuk dramas are not my cup of tea, reminds me of Fushigi Yuugi which I hated when I was a kid dunno why haha, will look for my motivation to watch the whole drama · Oh My Ghostess – got spoiled, skipped and just read episode summary

2020

· Hello Monster – did not even finish 1st episode, skipped through episode 2 -3, too many plot holes, just read last episode spoilers · Hotel De Luna – finished 7 episodes got distracted by work and life. Plotline is interesting and characters look promising, will rewatch but I already know the spoilers and ending · School 2013 – just read the dramabeans episode reviews, may watch but reminds me of Gokusen concept (which I do love but very repetitive) so may not · Suspicious Partner – I liked the plot but unfortunately did not care too much on the main mystery of the whole show which was who the actual murderer is, did not like the shared childhood trauma, but acting still was good, its just the storyline · Doctor Stranger – I seriously would have loved to finish this because LJS’s acting skills on point (how can he be that seriously angry in North Korea then be clumsy adorkable in South? Howww) but alas, the female lead storyline is cringy I stopped at episode 6, read reviews and it would have been 20 wasted episodes for me · What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim – full of stereotypical tropes I could not finish, too romcom for me and could not invest too much about their history

Watchlist (2020)

· Hospital Playlist · Crash Landing On You · Kill Me, Heal Me · I Am Not A Robot · Sky Castle · Love Alarm

Hit me up with your recommendations, better yet your favorite kdrama and reasons why it’s your fave!

#kdrama #kdrama list #You're Beautiful #Heartstrings #Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo #W: Two Worlds #goblin #strong woman do bong soon #the heirs #my id is gangnam beauty #while you were sleeping #pinocchio #romance is a bonus book #extraordinary you #graceful family #Hi bye mama #eventyrstuff

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odanurr87 · 5 years ago

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2019: My year in K-Dramas - Part 1

I’ve been getting into kdramas for a few years now, but I usually only watch one or two at a time. This year I watched a lot more (and that’s not counting The Bride of Habaek, which I dropped when it became clear it was a very bad adaptation of the manhwa; Crash Landing on You, which started airing a couple of weeks ago; nor Tomorrow With You, which I haven’t yet finished, what’s probably not a good sign), a few being rewatchs of old shows that I like. Seeing as it’s unlikely I’ll ever write up full reviews for each like I did for Goblin (you can read my review here), I decided to compile this list to tell you what I liked and didn’t like about each, what I feel worked and what didn’t. I’m also including a qualitative metric (Rewatch meter) that tries to gauge how likely it is that I’ll find myself returning to the show in the future (Low, Medium, High). Naturally, your very own meter may differ from mine.

For future reference, these are the shows I watched in 2019 and that I aim to cover in this series of posts:

While You Were Sleeping (2017)

W (2016)

My Strange Hero (2018)

The Secret Life of my Secretary (2019)

Angel’s Last Mission: Love (2019)

Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon (2017)

When the Camellia Blooms (2019)

Bring it on, Ghost (2016)

One More Time (2016)

My Girlfriend is a Gumiho (2010)

My Love From The Star (2014)

Descendants of the Sun (2016)

Regardless of which show did better, overall, I find myself drifting more and more towards Korean dramas than your run-of-the-mill American TV show, save for a few bright exceptions, such as The Expanse. Heck, they’re better than most Hollywood movies nowadays.

Since I’ll probably end up writing a lot, I’ve decided to split this review list into two parts. Let’s start with the last kdrama I watched and work my way backwards... if I can remember, that is.

WARNING! There will be spoilers so read at your own risk.

While You Were Sleeping (2017)

Bae Suzy as Nam Hong-Joo, and Lee Jong-Suk as Jung Jae-Chan.

Release Date: September 27 - November 16, 2017

Episodes: 16

Available on: Viki

Summary: Nam Hong-Joo is a young journalist who has had bad dreams about the future since she was a kid, but she has never been able to change the outcome. Jung Jae-Chan is a rookie prosecutor who moves in across the street with his younger brother. When Jae-Chan has a prophetic dream of his own about Hong-Joo being involved in a car accident, and the tragic events that follow, he makes an impulsive decision to interfere, changing Hong-Joo’s fate and that of police officer Han Woo-Tak in the process. When the three of them start having dreams of one another, they realize their lives are somehow entwined. Together, they decide to use their knowledge of the future for good, but changing someone’s fate is never straightforward, and the consequences for doing so may be more than they can handle.

What I liked:

The concept and writing. This is the second show I’ve watched, in chronological order, with Lee Jong-Suk as a lead where I’m really attracted by the concept. Imagine if you could take the precogs from Minority Report and give them (relatively) normal lives inside a kdrama. This is the result. Even better, having Hong-Joo and Woo-Tak have different and often contradicting dreams about the future makes for an interesting twist, as we see prosecutor Jae-Chan struggling to navigate these prophetic waters in search for the best outcome. Curiously, the show makes a point early on about how Jae-Chan’s the variable upon which their dreams diverge, but nothing really comes off it. Naturally, the concept of multiple diverging futures gives the show’s cinematography a chance to play around a bit, often comparing the same event in alternative timelines, or in the same timeline but at different moments in time. It may sound complicated, but it’s pretty to grasp once you start watching. Furthermore, the writing’s pretty tight all around, what’s not a mean feat when you’re juggling multiple realities, with some very emotional payoffs as the show draws to a close. Perhaps its weakest point is exactly how this prophetic dream ability is transferred from person to person (a theory is put forward which doesn’t entirely convince me), and the unnerving (and unexplored, fortunately) implications should someone less honourable were to have these dreams.

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When The Nightmares Started. This is the best track in the entire show and if it’s not the main theme, it damn well should be. It has moments of calm, a hint of romance and hope, and that awesome shit-is-about-to-get-real cue starting at 1:38 that never fails to make a scene tons more epic. Your dish-washing experience will be 100% more epic playing to this track, guaranteed!

The Justice League (and friends). This show could’ve probably gotten on my bad side real fast if it had created a villain with the same superpower as the heroes (depends on the execution to be honest) and, indeed, I thought that was the direction it would inevitably take, revealing at some point that (evil) defense attorney Lee Yoo-Beom also had prophetic dreams and had been using them for his benefit all along, muahahaha! Instead, the show gave us three average people, connected by their prophetic dreams, who decide to team up and use these visions for good. It’s not always easy to change the future, as it has many ramifications, and therein lies the show’s narrative potential that it manages to exploit, perchance to its fullest. Even in the very last episode there’s a hint that maybe the people they’ve helped throughout also have dreams of their own that they use to help others, sort of a pay-it-forward chain. It may be somewhat unrealistic, but it’s a good note to end the show on all the same.

Kim Won-Hae as Choi Dam-Dong. Easily the best supporting character in the show, delivering a stronger and more rewarding performance than in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon, where he played two characters (he was pretty funny as the over-the-top head of development planning at Ainsoft), veering towards the more serious/dramatic/emotional end of the spectrum, although with some comedic elements mixed in. I was surprised by how strong his arc turned out to be, and my respect for his character went up by several points when his arc comes to a close and we finally put all the pieces of the puzzle together. This man can do both comedy and drama, so kudos to him.

What I didn’t like:

Mr. Perfect (also known as Han Woo-Tak). It’s not that I dislike him, far from it. Woo-Tak is so good, smart, selfless, and even good-looking, that he kinda undermines the OTP just by existing. He’s really setting unreasonable standards for any man to compete against. I mean, he even plays Cupid for the OTP... while also being in love with Hong-Joo! On the plus side, the show doesn’t really try to push the romantic triangle angle, what usually has mixed results. The one thing I did mind is how the show hints at him potentially being a better attorney/prosecutor than the main lead since that’s kind of Jae-Chan’s thing. I mean, if you take everything that makes the lead special and give it to someone else, is he still the lead?

OTP: A stronger performance from Lee Jong-Suk than in W, complemented by a relatively (and I cannot stress this word enough) weaker performance by Suzy in some aspects (I think Han Hyo-Joon’s Oh Yeon-Joo in W does sad love better than Suzy as Nam Hong-Joo, but it’s a matter of preference), results in a better pairing with more chemistry. Suzy is great and lovable at being the quirky Nam Hong-Joo (watch the video below if you’re unconvinced) and Jung Jae-Chan is a lot more vulnerable than Kang Chul ever was, but I was left wondering at times whether this couple would’ve gotten as much traction were it not for the strength of their past connection (especially with Mr. Perfect around).

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Verdict: What can I say? While You Were Sleeping was an excellent show from beginning to end. If I were to nitpick, I would’ve chosen the end wedding to be the one between Jae-Chan and Hong-Joo since that honestly makes more sense, and maybe I would’ve made Woo-Tak more of a bro than a somewhat-but-not-entirely romantic rival (think Seo Dae-Young in Descendants of the Sun).

Rewatch meter: High

W (2016)

Han Hyo-Joo as Oh Yeon-Joo, and Lee Jong-Suk as Kang Chul.

Release Date: July 20 - September 14, 2016

Episodes: 16

Available on: Viki

Summary: W is a bestselling webtoon by cartoonist Oh Seong-Moo that follows the adventures of Kang Chul, an Olympic gold medalist framed for the murder of his family, who’s eventually acquitted and becomes a multi-millionaire who fights crime (think Bruce Wayne but without the costume). Tired of his creation, Seong-Moo decides it’s time to kill the protagonist and put an end to the series (much like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle decided to kill Sherlock Holmes at the Reichenbach Falls). Oh Yeon-Joo is Seong-Moo’s daughter, a doctor and passionate fan of W, who is one day mysteriously transported to the world of the manhwa, where she sees a dying Kang Chul and saves his life. Intrigued by his mysterious saviour, Kang Chul decides to learn out more about her and Yeon-Joo finds herself constantly returning to the world of the manhwa. Will Kang Chul learn the truth about her and his world? And if so, what will be the consequences?

What I liked:

The concept. It’s not an altogether original concept, and I’m reminded of Schwarzenegger’s Last Action Hero (Who Framed Roger Rabbit before that), but it’s also not one that you see often on the screen, big or small. The idea of being able to enter the world you’re reading about and meeting the characters you know and love is extremely appealing and there is some fangirling from our protagonist initially. Naturally, since she knows everything about this world, it’s good fun to see her inadvertedly reveal something that she couldn’t possibly know and deal with the reactions/consequences. What’s better is how Yeon-Joo tries to figure out the laws of the manhwa world by applying the real-world concepts of cliffhangers and dramatic revelations, often to hilarious effect. Seeing how the manhwa continues to write itself to reflect events in W’s world, and the reactions by readers (and by Yeon-Joo) in the real world is really entertaining, especially those from the more passionate W fans.

The transition between animation and live-action. I love the blend between animation and live action, as in the example below. There are more subtle transitions, like when a character’s hand oscillates between the real world and the cartoon world. Perhaps it’s a very simple filter but it looks good. Also, what little we see of the manhwa is very well drawn.

Han Hyo-Joo as Oh Yeon-Joo. Despite the fact that Yeon-Joo’s character becomes less proactive in the second half of the series (as I will discuss below), she was the one who really carried the show for me, certainly on the emotional side of the spectrum, where Kang Chul felt a little flat throughout (to be fair, he’s more the analytical type and he’s a manhwa character). She was also able to convey humour quite well, especially in the earlier, funnier, episodes.

The execution (of the first half). The first episode doesn’t waste a second setting up the story and there is never a dull moment. Watching Yeon-Joo read the latest episode of the manhwa and witness her reaction as she sees herself in the comic was gripping and I was eager to see what the next episode would bring. The show was also fairly consistent with the rules of travelling back and forth and what one could and couldn’t do in the cartoon world. We were witnessing an epic struggle between the cartoonist who wanted to kill his creation with his stylus and the daughter who wanted to protect him so much that she had willed herself into his world (if that’s not a good setup for a love story, I don’t know what is). And all the while, Kang Chul was putting the pieces of the puzzle together in his universal and unrelenting search for truth. Every episode brought something new to the table and, much like the manhwa, ended with some revelation or cliffhanger that kept you on the edge of your seat asking for more. Unfortunately, I think that was also its downfall.

What I didn’t like:

The execution (of the second half) and the overall pacing. I think the (relative) downfall of this series was trying to do too much too early. It worked for the first half because the show had a lot of material it could burn through and, in a way, it was refreshing that it was willing to do so. Sadly, my thoughts eventually turned from, “What’s going to happen next?” to “What can even happen next?” The story was moving so fast that I began to wonder where exactly it was going, and that’s when some of the flaws started to seep through. Episode 9 focused on the aftermath of Yeon-Joo resetting events, thus making Kang Chul forget all about her. While I certainly felt for her when she met her amnesiac husband, this was largely thanks to Han Hyo-Joo’s performance (and good track selection), for Kang Chul had been her husband in name only. Had we previously seen more episodes of their life together, this scene would’ve been a lot more impactful, and her desperate crying outside the operating room more heartfelt. Then, the plot thickens as we move into the (overly) dramatic second half of the show, with the introduction of a villain who knows about the real world and starts manipulating events in the manhwa for his benefit... by possessing cartoonist Oh Seong-Moo! What? This was never established as even remotely possible! (not to mention it doesn’t make sense) As you can imagine, this is whereabouts the rules of this universe start to break down and anything goes. Furthermore, when this villain is defeated in Episode 13, the show suddenly remembered it already had an antagonist perfectly cast for the part and finally decided to put him to use, although too little too late for my taste. As if that weren’t enough, a character is killed because drama, since any other explanation would make no fucking sense. This death is entirely nonsensical and I was beginning to conclude the show should have ended a lot sooner.

The amount of flashbacks/dreams/recaps/plans. I don’t mind a good recap or a flashback every now and then, but there came a point where the show started abusing this narrative device a little too much. The show spent a lot of time either: going over things we already know; featuring lengthy dream sequences that are very transparent and serve no purpose (although, incidentally, would make for a better ending); or laying out how events are supposed to go only for them to go in a completely different direction. While they are sometimes necessary, most of the time they were just padding that actually detracted from the story.

How secondary the supporting characters in the manhwa truly are. I know Kang Chul is supposed to be the protagonist but his bodyguard and secretary aren’t given a whole lot to work with throughout the show. I wish they had been active participants in learning the truth of their world rather than passive bystanders.

How Yeon-Joo becomes less proactive in the second half. Maybe it’s just a feeling, but I think our female protagonist became more reactive and less proactive in the second half, with Kang Chul being the one who mostly directed the course of events. It didn’t help that she kept fainting every now and then, what meant she had to spend some time in bed, what was a shame since she was the more interesting character. To be honest, I think the whole father arc should’ve been over and done with in the first half, with Yeon-Joo stepping up to be the new cartoonist.

OTP: Undercooked, but Han Hyo-Joo manages to almost convince me.

Verdict: It’s hard not to say W is one of the most refreshing shows I’ve seen in a while, even despite its more prominent flaws in the second half. I don’t like how powerful the drawing tablet became, especially after it was established that the manhwa could, at times, overrule the will of the real world, as clearly depicted when Kang Chul refuses to commit suicide. I’d rather the manhwa characters had resolved things on their own, aided by Yeon-Joo, without having to resort to some ultra-powerful plot device. Furthermore, I think the show should’ve taken things a bit more slowly rather than try to surprise us every episode, and use that time to build the relationship between Yeon-Joo and Kang Chul. Another thing I feel the show didn’t exploit to its fullest was the fact that Yeon-Joo knows just about everything that’s transpired in W’s world, what maybe could’ve aided Kang Chul in his investigation (sadly, this is undermined by the fact that the murderer really has no identity, what I find odd). Last but not least, Kang Chul never remembering his “past life” was a missed opportunity.

Rewatch meter: Medium

My Strange Hero (2018)

From left to right: Jo Bo-Ah as Son Soo-Jung; Yoo Seung-Ho as Kang Bok-Soo; and Kwak Dong-Yeon as Oh Se-Ho.

Release Date: December 10, 2018 - February 4, 2019

Episodes: 32

Available on: Viki

Summary: When Kang Bok-Soo was a high school student, he was falsely accused of committing acts of violence and ended up expelled from school. Those who brought the accusations against him were his first love, Son Soo-Jung, and a fellow student, Oh Se-Ho. Nine years later, Bok-Soo saves Soo-Jung’s life and suddenly finds himself a mediatic sensation. In order to improve the school’s somewhat tarnished image, he’s invited back to finish his studies. Bok-Soo hesitates, but when he learns Soo-Jung is a teacher there and Se-Ho is the new director, a latent desire to get revenge surfaces. Will Bok-Soo finally get his revenge on the people who wronged him nine years ago? Or will he spend most of his time doing anything but? The latter.

What I liked:

Teacher Park. He’s the kind of teacher everyone would like to have in high school and an example of moral rectitude that Soo-Jung tries to follow. You can tell he really cares for all the students and always tries to be fair and just, no matter the personal cost.

Soo-Jung’s arc. Probably the character who experiences the most growth throughout the show, in no small part thanks to her starting point. She’s the only teacher who stands up for her students, is willing to expose the corruption in the school, and goes so far as to quit her job because she feels she didn’t earn her spot fair and square (despite Oh Se-Ho telling her she was hired because of her qualifications). It is worth noting that when Mr Park gives the other teachers the chance to own up and resign honourably nobody does.

What I didn’t like:

The series meanders a lot early on. Initially, I watched till Episode 14 and dropped it because nothing was really going on. Bok-Soo says he wants to get revenge but his heart really isn’t into it. He certainly doesn’t have a plan like, say, Edmond Dantes in The Count of Monte Cristo, or Emily Thorne in Revenge. In fact, for those first 14 episodes, it only seemed he went there to suffer some more at the hands of the same people who wronged him all those years ago. What leads me to...

Son Soo-Jung isn’t a very likable protagonist initially. I don’t know if this is done on purpose to get us to side with Bok-Soo, but it doesn’t seem like a very smart strategy to have us dislike the lead’s main love interest for almost half the length of the series. I mean, that’s what the antagonist is for. It seems like at every opportunity she twists the knife on Bok-Soo’s back a little more, so much so that a hurt Bok-Soo outright demands, “Why don’t you just ask me what happened instead of constantly making assumptions?” (I’m paraphrasing) Her response, basically telling him to fuck off, didn’t win her any points in my book. That’s about when the writers probably realized their mistake and started filling us in on how Soo-Jung’s life was also miserable after Bok-Soo was expelled so please don’t hate her. They also pull a 180 when she stands up for Bok-Soo during a disciplinary hearing, what I thought was quite out of character for her at the time. The two seem to patch up their relationship awfully fast, what struck me as odd as they didn’t seem to have much chemistry. Having said that, Soo-Jung’s character certainly grows after Episode 14 and has a very satisfying arc, ultimately being the only teacher worth a damn in this school, other than Mr Park.

“Is Kang Bok-Soo’s revenge finally starting?” After I initially dropped this show at the Episode 14 mark, a video popped up in my YT feed with that title (only they used the actor’s name instead of the character’s). It was a scene where Bok-Soo went about exposing the many deeds of corruption within the school. Great, I thought, shit is finally hitting the fan... in Episode 26. I resumed watching from that mark until the end. The series had finally managed to get me invested, almost as it was over, and I decided to watch the episodes I’d missed.

OTP: There are some cute moments but I still didn’t feel the chemistry (what, ultimately, is my entirely subjective take).

Verdict: I don’t feel this is a true romance drama like others on this list, if ever it tried to be, what’s decidedly strange because there are many episodes dedicated to exploring the relationship between Bok-Soo and Soo-Jung with little else going on. Instead, I see it as more of a critique on the Korean education system and the immense pressures students are subjected to in order to meet unreasonable standards, with some romance elements sprinkled on it so that it’s not too depressing. That’s my take on it anyway. As such, it has some enjoyable aspects to it, like seeing Bok-Soo share nuggets of wisdom every now and then, or the students standing up for Bok-Soo and their school, or the revenge/investigation finally kicking into high gear. It’s just unfortunate it took so long to get there and didn’t really encourage me to do so.

Rewatch meter: Low

The Secret Life of my Secretary (2019)

From left to right: Koo Ja-Sung as Ki Dae-Joo; Kim Young-Kwang as Do Min-Ik; Jin Ki-Joo as Jung Gal-Hee; and Kim Jae-Kyung as Veronica Park/Park Ok-Sun.

Release Date: May 6 - June 25, 2019

Episodes: 32

Available on: Viki

Summary: The story follows Do Min-Ik, a prominent director at T&T Mobile Media, and his secretary, Jung Gal-Hee, as together they deal with the onset of an illness that prevents Do Min-Ik from seeing faces, the result of a possible attempt on Min-Ik’s life by some unknown party. On the corporate drama side, this undermines his shot to succeed his (jerk of an) uncle as Chairman of the company, and we see Min-Ik and Gal-Hee struggling to hide the truth of his illness and overcome the many obstacles set on their way to chairmanship. On the romance side, his inability to recognize faces causes him to mistake his secretary for Veronica Park, a rich heiress and leading figure in the film industry, whom he eventually falls in love with... what is kind of a problem since the real Veronica Park develops a crush on Min-Ik’s best friend, Ki Dae-Joo (also a director at T&T), while Gal-Hee falls in love with her boss. And, just in case we didn’t have enough corporate drama, we learn early on that someone may be embezzling from T&T and all the signs point to Dae-Joo. How will this all turn out?

What I liked:

Do Min-Ik and Jung Gal-Hee working together. Min-Ik is one sharp boss, and the moment he’s unable to recognize faces, he starts devising other strategies to recognize people, such as identifying them by their height. Gal-Hee pitches in with the different directors’ hairstyles, and eventually Min-Ik is even able to recognize them by their specific tics. Another example is the first stockholders’ meeting where they team up to prevent Min-Ik’s dismissal. Everything goes so smoothly that it prompts Veronica Park to ask Gal-Hee, and I’m paraphrasing here, “Did you write the script to this play?”

What I didn’t like:

The deceit lasting so long. Min-Ik doesn’t start as the best of bosses, we see that in the first episode, but that very same episode opens the door for him caring for Gal-Hee more than he’s willing to let on. The show does a good enough job of explaining his rather rude behaviour towards his secretaries and why he always fires them within a year, what makes the deceit all the more hurtful. However, the problem I have with Min-Ik not realizing Gal-Hee was pretending to be Veronica Park, is that this happens for 24 episodes! That means we only have 8 episodes left for him to feel betrayed about the whole thing yet also recover in time to start dating Gal-Hee. I don’t feel this was enough time to successfully explore their relationship.

How weak/bland every other story is. The attempt on Min-Ik’s life and the police’s investigation of it is handled abysmally, with the detectives only appearing from time to time to create what some writer thinks is drama. They’re so useless that the perpetrator actually has to turn himself in! I thought Dae-Joo was a bland character throughout, so I had zero interest in his relationship with Veronica Park. The same goes for Gal-Hee’s family. Even Min-Ik’s mother somehow pulls a 180 out of the blue. The only other plot thread that caught my eye was the possible embezzlement and that was wrapped up horribly, what leads me to...

No one facing the consequences of their actions. No matter how much the writers want to frame this secret organisation within T&T as Robin-Hood-like, the fact remains that they were stealing. Not only that, but they can be directly tied to the assault and attempted murder of Do Min-Ik, among other crimes. Sure, they’re all fired at some point, but they all get hired back thanks to Min-Ik. Nobody faces any jail time except for the guy directly responsible for Min-Ik’s accident who actually apologizes to him and turns himself in. The leader of this shadowy organisation comes out unscathed and has her machinations to see Dae-Joo become chairman of T&T rewarded when...

Dae-Joo becoming the chairman of T&T. What a payoff. The blandest and most uninterested character in the entire show becomes the chairman when the character we’ve been rooting for throughout, the only one who’s willing to put everything on the line to help the downtrodden secretaries, gets the short end of the stick. I guess it’s true when they say no good deed goes unpunished.

OTP: There is some chemistry there and I wish we had seen more of it, but sadly the (official) relationship between Gal-Hee and Min-Ik takes place a little too late.

Verdict: Usually, most of the kdramas I’ve watched and liked, to some extent, have some scenes that are imprinted on your mind (much like Gal-Hee’s face is imprinted on Min-Ik) and that you find yourself returning to from time to time. With this show, I honestly had to struggle to recall any such scenes, even with the aid of YouTube playlists. This is not helped by the fact that I can recall none of the music used, and that’s not a good sign. Memorable scenes and songs usually go together, as the next show in my list will prove. Ultimately, The Secret Life of my Secretary, while entertaining enough, didn’t live up to my expectations and, as such, it’s unlikely I’ll be rewatching it any time soon.

Rewatch meter: Low

Angel’s Last Mission: Love (2019)

Shin Hye-Sun as Lee Yeon-Seo, and Kim Myung-Soo (Infinite L) as Kim Dan.

Release Date: May 22 - July 11, 2019

Episodes: 32

Available on: Viki

Summary: Kim Dan, a troublemaking angel with a kind heart, is 24 hours away from Heaven when he meets the beautiful, talented, yet cynical and arrogant, prima ballerina Lee Yeon-Seo. Recently blinded by an accident during a performance, Yeon-Seo somehow manages to spot Kim Dan, who should be invisible to any human. His curiosity sparked, he follows Yeon-Seo around and eventually, in a fit of impulsiveness, saves her life in a car accident. However, for having interfered and saved a human’s life, Kim Dan is fated to turn to dust... unless he’s willing to undertake one final task. His mission? He must help Yeon-Seo find true love, but will he be able to keep from falling in love himself? Obviously not. And, naturally, Yeon-Seo has some evil relatives who are out to get her, because it wouldn’t be a kdrama otherwise.

What I liked:

The songs. I can’t vouch for the entire OST for I haven’t listened to it all yet (Correction: I’ve now since listened to all of it and it really has a lot of good tracks), but there are at least a handful of songs that will stick with you like glue. I can’t say if I like the songs more because of the scenes in which they play, or if I like the scenes more because of the songs that are used, but I can say the songs play an important role in engraving these scenes into my mind. Songs like ‘Sweeter’, by Jess Penner, that play when we’re playfully exploring the relationship between Yeon-Seo and Kim Dan; or ‘Pray’, by KLANG, when some important relevation or dramatic scene is about to transpire; or ‘Oh My Angel’, by Chai, that plays during the more romantic moments; these songs have made it into my Spotify list and are a must-listen on a daily basis for now.

The humor. Beyond the interactions between Kim Dan and Yeon-Seo, which sometimes make for very humorous situations, my hat’s off to the characters of Archangel Hoo, Dan’s senior (played by Kim In-Kwon) and Chung Yu-Mi, Yeon-Seo’s butler (played by Woo Hee-Jin). The former has dozens of opportunities for humor as he’s able to take the form of any human and keeps surprising Kim Dan by keeping tabs on him. The latter is probably the closest thing Yeon-Seo has to a mother (or maybe an older sister), and can be playfully mischievous when she starts noticing our leads may have feelings for each other. There are two scenes that perfectly embody the show’s humor that I would be remiss if I didn’t direct you to. Be aware they contain spoilers.

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The leads and their chemistry. You cannot make a kdrama work if the leads don’t have some sort of chemistry (well, I suppose you could but it would be a bit of an uphill battle) and Shin Hye-Sun and Kim Myung-Soo have that in spades. This shows not only during the more romantic scenes, what’s expected, but also during their fights, what’s even better (if that makes any sense). This isn’t the first time I’ve seen L acting, in fact, he played the character of Yoo Tan in the short kdrama One More Time, with actress Yoon So-Hee playing his love interest, Moon Da-In. He sold me on that show then, as did Yoon So-Hee, but I feel his acting’s improved in this, or maybe the script and length of the show allows him to flesh out his character more, showing us more sides of his personality as the show draws to its end. And it’s really amazing to see how effortlessly Shin Hye-Sun can don the skin of the strong, cold, and harsh Yeon-Seo in one scene, and then swap it for the playful, romantic, and vulnerable Yeon-Seo that Kim Dan falls in love with in the next. Just watch more of those KBS World TV clips if you don’t believe me. These two steal every scene they’re in, but I feel Shin Hye-Sun is really the standout here. (At the time of this posting, Shin Hye-Sun has won the Top Excellence Award (Female) in KBS’s 2019 Drama Awards for her role in this show, so congratulations to her on an award well deserved!)

What I didn’t like:

How the show meanders towards the end. I laid out the plot in the most succinct way possible, but it’s hardly that straightforward. Dan’s mission should, in theory, be over when Yeon-Seo learns to love again, but then the show would then be over a lot sooner than Episode 32. The writers know that so they move the goalpost, at some point revealing that Dan also had to learn to love for the mission to be truly over. Not only that, but they both had to be willing to sacrifice everything for their loved one in order for God to believe their love was sincere or something, what leads one to think they need to commit suicide and the other to think they need to commit murder. I don’t know, by this point the show’s either stretching things out to reach the 32-episode mark or they’re milking each scene for every ounce of drama they can get, probably both. This problem gets compounded by the fact that...

Some (other) things don’t make a whole lot of sense. To start with, the theology and consistency on this show is all over the place. The same God that apparently ordered a couple of angels to shoot someone, gangsta style, because an angel broke the rules and fell in love with a human, is moved by our lead couple’s Romeo-and-Juliet love story and by Yeon-Seo’s ballet performance. Oh, and by the way, shooting someone is not how unruly angels are dealt with, God can simply pull a Thanos and have them vanish into mist, so why did he decide to use a gun that one time? Because drama! God also decides that the best time to send Dan to Heaven is when Yeon-Seo is lying commatose in the hospital (what a dick), to which Dan says, “Fuck it, I’m staying here,” and God lets him return as an angel so he can help Yeon-Seo wake up, interfering once again and thereby ceasing to exist... except he’s still an angel an episode later! What the f*** is going on here?! Archangel Hoo broke the rules once and he got the Thanos treatment, so how come Kim Dan gets so many second chances?

Some characters are either superfluous or their arcs are unclear. As an example of the latter, there’s the character of Ji Kang-Woo (played by Lee Dong-Gun), Yeon-Seo’s ballet instructor and Kim Dan’s rival for Yeon Seo’s affection. It’s revealed early on that he’s an angel-turned-human after breaking the rules and falling in love with a human himself... whom the gangster angels promptly killed. It’s never explained why she had to die while Yeon-Seo and Kim Dan are allowed to stay together, but apparently Kang-Woo is satisfied that his pain was necessary so he could help them trick God or something. I’ve no idea. But the award for the most superfluous character has to go to Ni-Na’s secret ballet instructor who only appears when the script dictates and is not developed at all. I can’t even remember if she had a name! What was her point even?

OTP: Probably one of the best pairings of the year (says the guy who’s watched maybe 4-5 2019 shows out of who knows how many).

Verdict: This is a case of the pros outweighing the cons. There’s simply too much that works for me, so many scenes and songs that stayed with me thanks to the strong performances of our leads and some of the supporting cast. I was never unaware of its more glaring flaws, what prevents this show from reaching Goblin levels of quality, but I could easily find myself rewatching it from time to time.

Rewatch meter: High

Strong Woman Do Bong-Soon (2017)

From left to right: Park Bo-Young as Do Bong-Soon; Ji Soo as In Guk-Doo; and Park Hyung-Sik as Ahn Min-Hyuk.

Release Date: February 24 - April 15, 2017

Episodes: 16

Available on: Viki, Netflix

Summary: Do Bong-Soon has a secret: she is insanely strong, a superhuman ability that has been passed down to the women in her family for generations. She also aspires to create a video game with herself as the main character. When Ahn Min-Hyuk, the CEO of gaming company Ainsoft, chances by her as she’s beating up half a dozen thugs, he’s instantly mesmerized by both her beauty and strength. The recent target of anonymous threats, Min-Hyuk decides to hire Bong-Soon as a bodyguard (she ends up being more of a secretary) and she accepts with the promise of joining the planning department of Ainsoft once the culprit is caught. Meanwhile, detective In Guk-Doo, Bong-Soon’s secret crush and childhood friend, investigates a series of strange kidnappings and murders in Bong-Soon’s neighbourhood. When the culprit targets Bong-Soon’s best friend, Bong-Soon and Min-Hyuk find themselves involved in the hunt for the criminal.

What I liked:

Gangster Bong-Soon. Okay, maybe saying she’s a gangster is a bit too much, but after beating a bunch of school bullies into submission, they soon look up to her as their new boss, taking orders from her and even looking out for her so that her secret isn’t exposed. It’s pretty funny then that Bong-Soon has to save her crew from being harassed by the new neighbourhood bullies, acting the part of a gangster for a short while.

The need for training. I appreciate the fact that Min-Hyuk foresaw the need to help Bong-Soon have full control of her strength, although he also created routines to bolster up her endurance, not to mention some of the moves she learned could have come in handy when she was depowered (sadly, she doesn’t use them). And all of this training does indeed pay off, as we see Bong-Soon fight smartly and using only as much strength as is needed to get the job done, as opposed to her Episode 1 self who used way too much strength with hilarious results. You can witness the results of Min-Hyuk’s training in the fight with the “new bullies” I mentioned previously, as well as the one at the beginning of Episode 9. Beyond fighting, her training also had positive results in her everyday life, like now being able to hug people without worrying about choking them.

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The leads and their chemistry. The chemistry of these two is off the charts (it’s over 9000!!!). Everything about Park Bo-Young as Do Bong-Soon screams cute, from her short height to the way she talks, and even her glares of disapproval when Min-Hyuk does something he shouldn’t have. She’s also confident when she needs to, but not afraid to show vulnerability around the people she loves. I could shower similar praise on Park Hyung-Sik as Ahn Min-Hyuk, especially where the vulnerability department is concerned. Male leads tend to be more stoic (like In Guk-Doo), so it was quite refreshing to see how devastated Min-Hyuk was when he learned the identity of the one threatening him, or how crazy-in-love he is around Bong-Soon (she’s his kryptonite). Min-Hyuk is never afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve and it shows in every single scene. These two can just stare at each other in silence and convey more emotion than any spoken word.

The humor. I’m not talking about the dumb hospital scenes that feature humor more similar to what you’d find in a crappy Hollywood “comedy” (peeing jokes, really?), but things like Hyung-Sik’s ad-libbing throughout the show (he’s having a blast), or the more funny interactions between Min-Hyuk and Bong-Soon, even the ever-changing Romeo and Juliet scenes as Bong-Soon’s feelings for the different characters evolve.

What I didn’t like:

The sudden disappearance of Min-Hyuk’s family. Initially, the show has two distinct storylines: the string of kidnappings/murders, on the one hand; and the threats to Min-Hyuk, likely related to the question of who in his family will become the new Chairman of Ohsung Group. As expected, Min-Hyuk has several brothers who are a bit jealous of his success with Ainsoft and intuit their father will name him the Chairman, so it makes sense one of them is behind the threats. Once the storyline is resolved however, Min-Hyuk’s family is completely out of the picture, even during his marriage, what I find extremely odd.

The randomness of the depowering rule. Very early on the show explains that, while the women of the Bong-Soon family are blessed with superhuman strength from birth, they can easily lose this ability should they try to use it for less than honorable pursuits. It can be something as simple, and apparently harmless, as using this strength to become an Olympic weightlifting champion, as Bong-Soon’s mother soon found out, but it’s usually tied to using this ability to hurt innocent people. Naturally, once this rule was made known, it was only a matter of time before Bong-Soon would lose her powers as well, and this did indeed happen towards the end of the show. The problem I have with it is two-fold: its execution and its consistency. Bong-Soon doesn’t purposefully hurt an innocent man, she’s tricked into doing so by the villain. One could argue that whatever higher power granted this ability can’t tell the difference, except that argument falls apart entirely when you realize Bong-Soon has already purposefully used her power to hurt innocent people, like that one time she crushed Min-Hyuk’s foot to keep him silent (among multiple examples). That this event is played for laughs should have no bearing on the outcome. Furthermore, we later see Bong-Soon pleading for her strength to return so she can save Min-Hyuk, so it would appear that whatever higher power was listening is intelligent. At the end of the day, we all know this happened because the writers didn’t want to limit the fun possibilities of Bong-Soon abusing her power a little bit, saving it for the right moment to amp the drama. So, in reality, I was aware of it, and decided to roll with it.

OTP: Cuteness overload.

Verdict: This is one of the strongest shows in this list (no pun intended), more so given how much it’s able to pull off in 16 episodes as opposed to other shows’ 32, which is why I’m more lenient in terms of its writing. This is simply a good, fun, show, easily rewatchable thanks to the cute OTP. While its soundtrack may not be on par overall with the one from Angel’s Last Mission: Love, it still features some solid, memorable, songs (’Heartbeat’ by SURAN being the most obvious, but also ‘Double Trouble Couple’ by MAMAMOO, or ‘Super Power Girl’ by Every Single Day), not to mention a highly effective and comedic use of sound effects. Definitely one of my favourite shows.

Rewatch meter: High

And that brings us to the end of Part 1. I hope you had a good time reading through this post, maybe even found a show to your liking. What were some of your favourite shows in 2019? Stay tuned for Part 2!

#kdrama #while you were sleeping #kdrama w #my strange hero #the secret life of my secretary #angel's last mission: love #angel's last mission #strong woman do bong soon #strong girl bong soon #netflix #viki #kdramas

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cravesfreedom · 5 years ago

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rules: pick 5 shows and answer the following questions (don’t cheat) & tag people

scream tv series

the magicians

nancy drew

sweet/vicious

supernatural

who is your favorite character in 2?

margo !!!!!!

who is your least favorite character in 1?

kieran, way before the ~reveal~

what is your favorite episode of 4?

hmMMM i really liked ‘fearless,’ the campus lock down ep, my fave trope !

what is your favorite season of 5?

but there’s so many ??? IDK !! like, i genuinely can’t pick LMAO anything from kripke era and i weirdly loved s9 bc alex’s intro and gadreel

who is your favorite couple in 3?

lisbeth duh, but like, non canon ship nancy/george pls

who is your favorite couple in 2?

wickoff !!!!!!!

what is your favorite episode of 1?

i love so many tho, this is hard !!! i guess it’s between s1e10 or s2e7 bc braudrey 4 life (but s1e7 and s2e5 are runner ups)

what is your favorite episode of 5?

oh my god, idk tall tales is still so funny to me.

what is your favorite season of 2?

pretty sure it’s s3?? the magicians kept getting better until s4 dkjfskdjf

how long have you watched 1?

p much as soon as it hit netflix. i didn’t think i’d like the show tbh, but i was hooked & regretted not watching s1 live w/ my friends

how did you become interested in 3?

listen !!! i have been a nancy drew fan since i was very young so ofc i was immediately interested until i saw who they cast for bess (no shade at the actress i’m just disappointed they erased yet another fat character). i was still intrigued tho, so i was going to spite watch it but I ENDED UP LOVING IT hate that.

who is your favorite actor in 4?

AISHA DEE!!! LOVE hEr

which do you prefer: 1, 2, or 5?

honestly scream and spn both have a special place in my heart. like spn was how i became best friends w/ my now girlfriend and scream was the reason we actually got together 8 years later so....

which shows have you seen more episodes of: 1 or 3?

scream. even when nd has a second season, the amount of times i’ve rewatched scream would probably still win.

if you could be anyone from 4, who would you be?

oh god idk probably ophelia JUST so i can have her cool apartment and green hair. or maybe kennedy bc i love her so fking much

would a crossover between 3 and 4 work?

omfg, i think it could work?? i mean, i’d watch it even if it didn’t LMAO

pair two characters in 1 who would make an unlikely but okay couple

just “okay” ? excuse u, i’m never lukewarm abt ships. braudrey is my life and yeah they’re unlikely even if their chemistry is OFF THE CHARTS !!

overall, which has a better storyline: 3 or 5?

oh god idk, spn has been around for a long ass time and nd just started so right now nd ofc seems cleaner and more together but i’m gonna say spn for now

which has better theme music, 2 or 4?

i ... don’t think either of them have theme music but if they did i just Know sweet/vicious would win.

Tagged by: @strongofheart ily Tagging: @ineveryvein, @croianam @awesomegaydar @jedichosen & @lingeringscars

#what are my tags lmao #idk !!!#* ooc. sad vibes only

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beepbeepliv · 7 years ago

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ST rant (kind of an evil Billy rant idk)

so I’m kinda mad and just need to vent rn.

This was a rant about ST and lazy writing but it kinda morphed into a Billy rant which I’m ok with.

unpopular opinion but I feel like the Duffer brothers really slipped in Season 2 especially upon rewatching from the pilot till current episodes.

It’s full of unfinished story lines and seemingly unimportant character arguments and accidental homoerotic tension. Then hearing the news that Billy gets worse next season was like a kick in the gut bc they had set him up so well for redemption.

It mirrored the whole Asshole s1 Steve > amazing s2 mother of 5 Steve and I was so excited to see how the party could help Billy but if he gets any worse he and his actions will be indefensible and he’ll just morph into his father which is such an awful waste of potential and really upsets me greatly.

now don’t get me wrong I LOVED s2 and I’m in no way a professional critic but it felt like they jammed way too much in. with the mind flayer, D'art, Billy’s existence and El’s journey of self discovery it all felt like too much.

I feel like the whole thing with El and Kali should have been at the finale to set up for s3 because that one episode felt like a wierd filler when binge watching (this is deff just me nitpicking)

ALSO why was Max even in this season?? what did she add except a token girlfriend for one of the main characters (I liked her but fr did they just feel they needed another girl). she of all people had potential to help Billy who is being PSYCHICALLY ABUSED BY HIS FATHER

(to anyone who forgot and disregarded him as just a dickhead. like ik he’s a dick and I get where the antis are coming from but all of his dickish actions can be explained by his fear of and anger towards his dad. and that in no way justified his actions but I figured most people would be hoping he gets a chance to be better in s3 not just full on hate him bc he seems like he’s having a tough time but that’s just imo)

Max knows abt the abuse right? she has to. I avnt fully remember is she sees or hears but they live in the same house so she must…. know? she’s like 13/14 right. she’s past the age of ignorance. yet she also just disregards her brother as a dick even tho he gets beat on the daily bc of her actions. (not hating or antimax obvs she’s a little girl I don’t expect her to jump in from of her step fathers fists and ik Billy doesn’t really take well to her advice and is a dick but a simple ‘he’s going through a lot’ says a wholeeeee lot without needing to say very much at all)

Billy could be such a good addition to the party and use his anger and shit to desecrate demodogs like easy. like I can legit see him taking down 5 on his own and all the kids being like wtf… but no. we ain’t getting that apparently.

//and I HATED the fact that Will danced with that girl that called him zombie boy wtf. like if you’re an outcast/been bullied you shouldn’t just forgive it all bc a pretty girl wants to dance w u at prom (andwillisgayanyway) but I digress.//

I don’t know if I’ve made any sense but if they continue with this level of production value then s3 won’t be great and it will feature a Billy that didn’t get the help he needed and is a VILLAIN and I’m not sure if I can handle that bc I’m a weak bitchhh and I hate seeing villains that had the potential to be good bc it makes me lose faith in the world.

s1 was amazing. s2 was crowded. it’s like that cover of Perfect by Ed Sheeran and Queen B. I absolutely love them both and thought it would be my dream, but I prefer the original bc it didn’t gel like I thought it would.

lastly. and omg this is so long I apologise bit I saw a theory on Tumblr that speculated that Billy had powers. I feel like that’s not cannon bc the dudes said they wanted a human antagonist but if it is I hope y'all know that he’d deffo be a villain and El and Kali would have to whoop his ass. ✌🏾✌🏾

//in this vid the guy explains the sitch with a lot less emotion and a lot more clarity so maybe check him out >> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfD_sOJnn3c&feature=youtu.be //

(ps it’s late and I probably haven’t worded this as well as I should but I just wanted to get a few thoughts out)

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themostrandomfandom · 7 years ago

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Hi JJ! First things first I want to thank you for your fabulous blog, it has really made rewatching glee much more interesting! I also have a question, I just watched 2x14 "Blame It On The Alcohol" and I noticed that 1. Brittana seem a lot closer in this episode than in the previous ones, and, 2. that Santana doesn't participate in the game of spin the bottle. I was wondering what you thing the reasons for both of these things are. Thanks!

Hey, @tryingtoohardddd!

First off, thank you! I’m glad you enjoy my blog.

Second, I find that Brittana’s apparent closeness during thisepisode and Santana’s unwillingness to participate in the Spin the Bottle gameare interrelated phenomena, both having to do with the fact that, at the timeepisode 2x14 takes place, Brittana are essentially in uncharted waters when itcomes to the status quo in their relationship.

If you care to join me for some rambling, it’s all under thecut.

_______________

First, let’s recap some Brittana history up to this point:

I promise we’ll eventually circle back to your questions.

Sometime prior to the start of S1, Brittana commence asecret sexual relationship.

Within the confines of said relationship, the girls aresweet, affectionate, and doting with each other. Brittany, who is a highlykinesthetic person, interprets this physical intimacy, demonstrative as it is,to mean that she and Santana are in love. However, whenever she tries to broachthis subject with Santana, Santana verbally shuts her down, claiming that theirsexual encounters are emotionally meaningless and that she and Brittany are platonicbest friends, not girlfriends.

Though Santana is adamant about the supposed insignificanceof her and Brittany’s sexual encounters, Brittany can’t help but feel in her heartthat Santana is wrong. She can tell by the way that Santana treats her whenthey’re alone together that Santana is in love with her—the same as she knowsthat she is definitely in love with Santana.

Unfortunately, at this point in her development, Brittany isstill highly submissive to Santana, and she fears that if she pushes the issue,she will scare Santana off, losing her entirely. She knows she has to play bythe unwritten but binding set of rules Santana has imposed on theirrelationship and that, if she steps out of line, Santana will freak out.

Santana’s rules for their relationship are perhaps equallyconvoluted and simple:

Sex is not dating, and they are not girlfriends, just bestfriends who like to have sex.

The sex doesn’t mean anything.

Still, no one should know that they have sex.

If anyone does know that they have sex, then they should derive some socialbenefit from their secret being out: girls should be intimidated, guys shouldbe titillated, and everything should add to their cool “slutty, popularcheerleaders” mystique.

Sex with each other is allowable as long as they both also have sex with malesexual partners on the side.

Said male sexual partners should be superior or equal to them in popularity.

Everyone should know that they are having sex with these male sexual partners.

Everyone should know that these male sexual partners are completelyreplaceable.

They’re not to be monogamous with any one boy.

All dating needs to stay casual—nothing steady or committed.

They’re not to allow their relationships with boys to interfere with theirrelationship with each other.

Don’t get pregnant.

Don’t fall in love.

Take down female rivals for boys not from jealousy but because boys are socialcapital and robbery is a crime.

Don’t give socially inferior boys the time of day.

Remember that appearances are paramount.

Brittany spends S1 acquiescing to Santana’s demands.

Santanasays sex isn’t dating, so Brittany agrees that sex isn’t dating. Santana says thatin order for them to sleep together, they also have to date boys on the side,so Brittany dates boys on the side. When Santana wants herself and Brittany tobe close, then they’re close. When Santana panics and wants distance betweenthem, then Brittany backs off and watches Santana flail, throwing herself atNoah Puckerman and Finn Hudson in a desperate attempt to reassert her“heterosexuality.”

The same cycle repeats over and over again ad nauseum:

Santana fights against her true nature, forcingherself to have sex with boys, even though she isn’t really interested in them.

Brittany follows Santana’s lead because that is whatSantana encourages her to do.

Because she is generally uncomfortable in herrelationships with men, Santana tends to treat her male sexual partners with baselinehostility.

This stonewalling between Santana and her malesexual partners complicates and eventually destroys her relationships withthem.

Santana, in her frustration and upset with boys,eventually turns to Brittany for comfort.

Because the girls aren’t in the habit ofdiscussing their feelings openly, the only means by which Brittany can comfortSantana are physical.

The girls have sex.

Sex with each other proves much more satisfyingfor them than does sex with random boys to whom they are not emotionallyattached.

For a time, Santana forgets herself and happilyfalls into her relationship with Brittany.

The girls secret themselves away, becomingincreasingly affectionate with each other in private.

Inevitably, something happens to remind Santanathat “straight girls like her” shouldn’t prefer sweet lady kisses with theirfemale best friends to sex with male partners.

Santana panics and attempts to prove toherself—and, by extension, to Brittany—that she doesn’t value her sexualrelationship with Brittany over her sexual relationships with boys.

In her panic, she verbally downplays herrelationship with Brittany and attaches herself to whatever socially acceptableboy will have her.

Santana fights against her true nature, forcingherself to have sex with boys, even though she isn’t really interested in them.

The cycle continues, as before.

Because we don’t know when exactly Brittana start sleepingtogether, we can’t say for certain how many times this cycle plays out betweenthem in total. However, we see it unfold at least a couple of times during S1,notably in microcosm between episodes 1x13 and 1x15.

The cycle starts anew in episode 1x15 but interestingly doesnot progress as it has previously.

Instead, between the end of S1 and beginning of S2, Brittanaget hung up on steps #9 and #10, going for a very long time without datingboys.

In fact, we have no evidence to suggest that Brittany sleepswith anyone other than Santana between episodes 1x10 and 2x03, and the onlyboys she “dates” during this time are ones with whom her relationships areinherently nonsexual (i.e., Wes Brody, a child, and Kurt Hummel, a gay man).

In the meantime, Santana’s sexual relationship with NoahPuckerman cools off circa episode 1x13, and after her one-and-done sexualencounter with Finn Hudson in episode 1x15, she has no other male sexualpartners that we know of throughout the remainder of S1 or beginning of S2,meaning that between episodes 1x16 and 2x06, Brittany is most likely also Santana’sonly sexual partner.

If we overlap those two windows, then it would appear thatBrittana are most likely sexually monogamous with each other between episodes1x16 and 2x04, a timeframe which encompasses the end of their sophomore year,entire summer vacation, and the beginning of their junior year, over the courseof several months.

Because the girls are monogamous with each other for solong, Brittany starts to feel as if maybe Santana is coming around to the ideaof them being girlfriends. She has been burned for getting her hopes up in thepast, but she can’t help but wonder if this time won’t be different, given thattheir patterns have shifted.

In episode 2x04, Brittany musters her courage and suggeststo Santana that they make their relationship more official, albeit in aroundabout way (“We should do a duet together”). She is cautious about askingfor what she really wants, but she also believes that she has good grounds onwhich to ask, Santana’s recent affections considered.

Of course, she is devastated when Santana shoots her down inthe harshest way possible (“I’mnot making out with you because I’m in love with you and want to sing aboutmaking lady babies. I’m only here because Puck’s been in the slammer for about twelvehours now, and I’m like a lizard: I need something warm beneath me or I can’tdigest my food”).

In that moment of rejection, Brittany’s heart breaks, andshe realizes that she can’t keep going on in the same way that she had gone onbefore.

For the first time, Brittany takes Santana at her word.

If Santana doesn’t want them to be dating, then they’re notdating, and that means that Brittany is free to date somebody else—in thiscase, Artie Abrams, whom she seduces, has sex with, and subsequently breaksup with, all in episode 2x04.

Note that when Brittany starts dating Artie, it representsthe first time in Brittana development that Brittany has initiated anattachment to a male sexual partner sans Santana’s prompting, another deviationfrom her and Santana’s typical cycle.

Brittany’s original motivations for dating Artie have moreto do with getting a rise out of Santana than they do any genuine attraction orinterest in Artie on her part. However, after Brittany learns that sex ismeaningful to Artie, she starts to reconsider her whole approach torelationships and realizes for the first time that there could be other peopleout there willing to meet her needs if Santana can’t or won’t.

That said, at this point, Brittany is still deeply in lovewith Santana and relatively emotionally unattached to Artie, so when herinitial relationship with Artie crumbles, she is more embarrassed than she isupset or regretful, and she happily returns to Santana for the next severalepisodes, scarcely giving Artie another thought.

But for as easily as Brittany gives up on Artie, Artiedoesn’t give up on her, and as her relationship with Santana takes a dip backinto steps #11-15 on the cycle (circa episode 2x06), Brittany becomes more opento the idea that she might like to be Artie’s girlfriend if she can’t beSantana’s.

Even though Brittany doesn’t feel the same way about Artiethat she does about Santana, in episode 2x08, she starts dating him in earnest.

Honestly, though he is by no means her first male sexualpartner, he is very much her first real boyfriend, and her relationship withhim differs from any relationship she has ever had before. In time, she growsto value the transparency she has with him. That she and Artie can beopenly affectionate with each other, talk about feelings, and acknowledge thesignificance of their sexual encounters means the world to Brittany. UnlikeSantana, Artie actually seems proud to have Brittany as his girlfriend, and hedoesn’t try to foist her off on other people no matter how real things getbetween them.

To Brittany, their relationship comes as a breath of freshair.

Unfortunately, the fact that Brittany even has arelationship with Artie is misery for Santana.

Despite her initial jealousytowards him in episode 2x04, Santana never really considers Artie a rival forBrittany’s affections prior to when he and Brittany officially start dating inepisode 2x08.

Sure, Brittany had had sex with lots of boys in the past, butshe had never had a real boyfriend or even acted like she wanted one before sheand Artie became a thing. Both she and Santana had always remained emotionallyaloof from the boys they had hooked up with. That was their basic mode ofoperation. They could fool around with however many football players theyliked, but they always went home to each other at the end of the day. InSantana’s mind, that was the way things had always been and the way they wouldalways be.

Consequently, after Santana quashes the early Bartierelationship, she figures that she has made her point and that things will “goback to normal” between her and Brittany thereafter. She never expects thatBrittany and Artie will start dating in earnest, let alone that Brittany willdevelop feelings for Artie. Seeing Bartie not only together but happy comes asa total shock to her. She has no coping mechanisms to deal with losing “her girl”to a male rival, and especially a socially undesirable male rival like ArtieAbrams.

Brittany dating Artie breaks all of her and Santana’s rules.Artie isn’t popular, so he doesn’t boost Brittany’s social cred. He also isn’treally a side thing, so Brittany being with him isn’t a corollary function toher and Santana’s relationship. He quickly becomes Brittany’s main partner,supplanting Santana, which is something that has never happened betweenBrittany and Santana before.

When this great shift occurs, Santana feels jealous andhurt, but she doesn’t know how to express her feelings, not when, by herestimation, she isn’t supposed to even be feeling said feelings to begin with.

Her inability to process her frustration and griefconcerning Bartie eventually translates into her displacing her negativefeelings about them onto other happy couples.

Since she can’t lash out at Bartie in the way she longs to, Santanagoes after Finchel, Fuinn, Fabrevans, and Pizes instead. Between episodes 2x08and 2x12, she acts as a force of relational devastation, waging physical,emotional, and even biological warfare against various couples in the glee club,cutting down egos and hearts left and right, exposing infidelities, and sewing distrustand discord wherever she goes.

While to everyone else, and even the general viewingaudience, Santana’s actions look like haphazard villainy perpetrated for noother reason than that she is a bully with a mean streak a mile wide, Brittanyknows what really underlies her destructive tendencies.

Santana is hurting, and because she’s hurting, she wantsothers to hurt, too. She thinks she is going to be alone forever, so she can’tstand to see other people paired off in romantic relationships. She feelstrapped inside an iron closet, frustrated by the fact that she can’t be withthe girl she loves, and convinced that if she tries to come out, she’ll loseeverything she needs to survive, from her popularity to her fierce reputationto the love and acceptance she gets from her family. She is sixteen years old,and she is already certain that she will never know what it is to be happy—thather life is essentially over before it has even really begun. Underneath allthe anger, what she really is is heartbroken. In her mind, her true love is lostto her, and, at the end of the day, she feels she has no one to blame butherself.

Seeing Santana suffering in that way does a number onBrittany’s heart. For as rewarding as Brittany finds her new relationship withArtie, Santana is still the love of her life, and Brittany’s impulse is alwaysto uplift Santana in whatever way she can.

—and, at this point in their relationship, the only way shecan is through physical intimacy.

Brittany and Santana are not yet to the place where they cantalk about their feelings, so the only way that Brittany can think to showSantana that she still cares about her and that she’ll never leave hercompletely alone is through making love to her.

By my best estimate, the cheating probably starts sometime circaepisodes 2x11 and 2x12.

While both episodes see Santana in stressful situations, episode2x12 in particular represents a true emotional low point for her, a day whenshe is surrounded by happy heterosexual couples doing cutesy things witheach other while she is alone, and the people in her social circle repeatedlytell her that she is both unwanted and unlovable.

Under this emotional duress, Santana lashes out, not onlyattacking Lauren Zizes and sabotaging the Fabrevans relationship but going on atirade against the whole glee club, making herself wildly unpopular with theNew Directions.

She is in a downward spiral, and no one seems to noticeexcept for Brittany, who rushes to her side to comfort her (“Maybe try rockingback and forth. People do that in movies”).

It doesn’t require a stretch of the imagination to supposethat this scene segues into more intimate encounters between the girls, andespecially as we know that they are already back in the habit of sleepingtogether by the time episode 2x15 takes place.

Now.

Recall that circa episode 2x06, Brittana complete yetanother one of their cycles, returning from step #15 to step #1, with Santanarunning back to Puck in response to the gay panic she felt following the eventsof episodes 2x04 and 2x05.

Brittany starting to date Artie then seemingly fits as step #2.

However, as discussed above, as the Bartie relationshipprogresses and develops beyond any of Brittany’s previous hookups with boys,for the first time in their history, Brittana start fully deviating from theircyclic patterns.

Not only does Santana fail to maintain even a superficialrelationship with Puck or any other boy beyond episode 2x06, but Brittany doesn’tdrop everything to be with Santana once Santana makes herself sexuallyavailable to Brittany again.

From episode 2x08 forward, Brittana move “off script,” nolonger following their former steps.

This move occurs early on in the season, meaning that by thetime episodes 2x12 to 2x14 take place, Brittany and Santana have completelylost their bearings.

By this point, Santana is scrambling, frantically trying toget back to the way things used to be.

While Brittany was dating Artie and she was single, Santanadidn’t know how to cope. In general, she was standoffish with Brittany, unableto even maintain a friendship with her while their sexual relationship was nolonger viable. Now that she is back to sleeping with Brittany again, Santanareturns to what she knows. She is “allowed” to be with Brittany if she alsomaintains a sexual relationship with a boy, and maybe if she maintains a sexualrelationship with a boy, her relationship with said boy will offset Brittany’s relationship with Artie, and she and Brittany will once again becomeeach other’s primary partners.

Santana wants to get her and Brittany to get back to steps#1 and 2 because that’s what she knows and that’s something she can live with,so in episode 2x13, she starts dating Sam Evans.

Sam is not necessarily the most popular boy in school, buthe is the most popular boy Santana can get at the moment, and he’ll do in apinch. He’ll allow Santana to sit in his lap and make out with him in public,so even if they aren’t having sex, the madding crowds will mistakenly believethat they are, a misconception that Santana can work with from a PR standpoint.Sam is also fairly submissive, so Santana can push him around when she needsto. Since he is on the out and outs with Quinn and Brittany is off the market,Santana is the most popular girl he can hope to land—and he does care aboutpopularity at least on a superficial level—so he’ll have to put up with hershenanigans or else be single, which is an unattractive option to him.

Going after a boy in order to establish equilibrium in herrelationship with Brittany is a familiar move on Santana’s part and somethingshe has done many times in the past.

However, in this case, the formation of Samtana doesn’tactually reset the Brittana cycle as Santana supposes that it ought to. Eventhough she and Brittany have resumed sleeping together and both of them haveboys on the side, their relationship still isn’t exactly how it used to be,largely because both of them are still breaking their old rules.

For one thing, Santana isn’t actually sleeping with Sam.

In later seasons, Sam claims that he lost his virginitywhile working as a stripper in S3, which means that he most likely didn’t havesex with Santana in S2.

For another thing, Brittany is still dating Artie, not justfooling around with him.

Furthermore, neither girl is deriving much social profittheir respective relationships with their male sexual partners.

In the past, the girls only associated with boys who wereequally as popular as they. Now, they’re both dating boys who are inferior tothem in popularity.

Moreover, for the first time, their male partners have theexpectation of monogamy within their respective relationships.

Brittana are also not weaponizing their sexual relationshipwith each other for social gain. Instead, they’re keeping their sexual encounterswith each other a secret for fear of upsetting their boyfriends.

Again, the whole situation is “off script,” which makes thisperiod of time a particularly volatile and transformative one in Brittanahistory.

Between episodes 2x12 and 2x15, the girls are playing anentirely new ballgame.

Never before have they both had actual boyfriends, andespecially not at the same time. They have also never been each other’s “sidedishes.” Previously, they were always each other’s main relationship, with anyand all relationships with boys functioning as secondary to their own. It’sstrange to them to have to negotiate their relationship around therelationships they have with boys, as opposed to the other way around.

Consequently, they have never felt their friendship asstrained as it currently is. Even though they’re back to having sex, it isstill difficult for them to figure where they stand in terms of their bestfriendship.

Santana, in particular, isn’t sure that Brittany valuestheir bond as much as she does, and she fears that if she asks Brittany torecommit to her, she risks Brittany choosing Artie over her. Her sense thatArtie may be more important to Brittany than she is causes her to feel nervousin Brittany’s presence, and especially as she becomes increasingly aware of atruth she has long attempted to suppress in herself—namely, that she is deeply inlove with Brittany and doesn’t know how to be happy without her.

The situation compounds itself.

The more Santana feels she needs Brittany but can’t fullyhave her, the more miserable Santana becomes. The more miserable Santanabecomes, the more Brittany attempts to comfort her. However, since the comfortBrittany offers always has to be maneuvered around the Bartie and Samtanarelationships, it ultimately contributes to Santana’s sense that she can’tfully have Brittany and is “losing Brittany to a boy.” That sense causesSantana to feel miserable, perpetuating the pattern again.

This stress and misery come to a head for Santana in episode2x14, which brings us up to the limens leading into the Hurt Locker, and,finally, to a place where we can answer your questions.

Let’s start with the second question first, as its answer ismost straightforward.

Why doesn’t Santanaparticipate in the Spin the Bottle game at the Rachel Berry House Party Train WreckExtravaganza?

Santana’s unwillingness to play this game very much relatesto the fact that she is currently operating “off script.”

At this point in her development, Santana looks at allsituations in terms of potential gains and losses. When faced with the choiceto take action, she considers if she will win, lose, or draw, and she typicallyonly proceeds if she feels that she can win or at least come out even.

In her mind, the purpose of party games is to accrue socialcapital. In order to maintain or advance their social statuses, popular kidshave to show off their ability to hold their liquor. They also have to make outwith the right people where others can see them doing so and exude a certainnonchalant vibe, demonstrating a willingness to break rules and hang loose. Theway they behave at drinking parties is all highly calculated, a balancing actinvolving well-measured risks and payoffs.

As Santana sees things, this particular game of Spin theBottle provides her with no opportunities for social advancement, mostly due towho is involved.

Barring Quinn and Brittany, she is the most popular girl atthe party, and she is already dating the most popular boy available to her, soit is not as if kissing anyone in the circle will help her to climb the socialladder. The glee kids already view her as a rule-breaker, and they know thatshe is willing to make out with both boys and girls, so there would be no shockfactor involved in her playing.

Best case scenario, she would end up having to kiss someonewhose popularity was on par with her own, like Finn Hudson, Quinn Fabray, or NoahPuckerman. Worst case scenario, she would end up having to kiss someone shefound abhorrent and/or who was infinitely less popular than she, like LaurenZizes or Artie Abrams. More likely, she would end up having to kiss a “nobody”somewhere in the middle, like Mike Chang or Mercedes Jones, whose popularity pHbalance runs neutral. Popular, unpopular, or neutral, none of thosepossibilities would help to boost Santana’s street cred in the way she’d like,so why risk having to kiss a loser—and especially when, if she were to join thecircle, she might also end up having to kiss Brittany in public, which, at themoment, is something she is emotionally unprepared to do?

Back in the day, prior to their early S2 shakeup, Brittanawere willing to make out with each other in front of an audience, insofar asthem doing so would benefit them socially (see episode 1x15). They probablyattended at least a few bashes where they kissed each other to titillate otherpartygoers. In those situations, the kissing was all part of their PR campaign—somethingthey did to prove that they were sexually adventuresome, rebellious, cool, andfun. The kisses they shared then were undoubtedly different than the sweet ladykisses they shared in private, all about the sex and not about the feelings.They were engineered for the male gaze, and both Brittany and Santana knew howto use them to achieve maximum social profits.

That kind of kissing was “on script.” It fit within Santana’srules. Both Brittany and Santana understood what it meant and didn’t get ittwisted.

But now they’re “off script,” and Santana isn’t sure thatkissing-for-an-audience is something they can still do. For one thing, they bothhave boyfriends now, so they don’t really have a reason to titillate randomboys. For another thing, Santana has been finding it harder and harder tocontrol her emotions around Brittany lately, and especially in situations wherethey are being physically intimate, so she isn’t sure that she could “be cool”kissing Brittany, even in front of a crowd. If she kissed her too passionately,people might take notice. Then again, if she kissed her too weakly, peoplemight also notice, and Brittany might confront her about it (“What gives?”),and things could get weird. She’d be damned if she did and damned if she didn’t,and all because she can’t obfuscate or suppress or ignore her feelings in theway she once tried to.

As I discuss elsewhere,

Before the events of episode 2x08 or even episode 2x04, Santanacould make out with Brittany at parties and not have to worry about what itmeant that they did so. They could just be them—friends who occasionally fuckedeach other—without Santana having to wonder about feelings and futures.

But after episode2x08, when Brittany gets a boyfriend?

Santana does haveto wonder and she does have to worry about what public kisses between themmean. Yes, Brittana have a private sexual relationship going again by the time episode2x14 rolls around, but “dancing in the dark” is one thing, while putting theirinteractions with each other on display in front of a crowd is something elseentirely.

Whereas before, Santana knew the exact meaning of Brittana making outin public—i.e., that it was a social gesture which functioned to accrue themsocial capital—now she has no way to categorize such an interaction.

While Santanafeels comfortable taking body shots off Brittany’s abs in this situation, shedoesn’t feel comfortable with the prospect of kissing her. She can know for certainthat body shots are a purely sexual thing, whereas a kiss would mean somethingmore, and, moreover, something more infinitely unmeasurable.

Perhaps ironically, when Santana felt assured that her sexualrelationship with Brittany did mean something but wasn’t yet ready to admit asmuch, she could pretend it meant nothing. But now that Santana isn’t sure whather sexual relationship with Brittany means and she stands on the verge offinally admitting that she wants it to mean something, she durst not pretendthat it means nothing, for fear that that might actually be true, in Brittany’scase.

In the past, Santana always maintained that theirbest friendship and their sexual relationship were two completely separatethings, and that neither one of them had anything to do with romantic love(“I’m not making out with you because I’m in love with you and want to singabout making lady babies”); however, the fact that Santana could not maintain abasic friendship with Brittany once Brittany started dating Artie speaks to thefact that, for Santana, a link exists between sex and friendship with Brittany—essentially,at this point, she cannot have one without the other.

So.

Given that she stands to make no social gains by playing the gameAND that playing the game could lead her to have an awkward and emotional publicencounter with Brittany, Santana decides to abstain.

Her goal is to hang back,acting too cool for school until the activity shifts.

Unfortunately for Santana, even though she’s not playing, the gamestill takes a troubling twist when Brittany and Sam end up kissing.

Santana’s reactionto their kiss is kneejerk, and it reveals just who it is that Santana is reallypossessive of between the two blondes.

Hint: It’s not Sam.

Watching Brittany and Sam kiss upsets Santana on multiple levels,not only because it draws attention to the fact that the old rules for theBrittana relationship aren’t being adhered to but also because it causesSantana to feel deeply insecure. Brittany obviously likes kissing boys, and shecan—in Santana’s view—be happy bouncing from partner to partner. But Santanaisn’t like that. She is miserable kissing boys, and she languishes being apartfrom Brittany. Seeing Brittany smile into a kiss with Sam “Trouty Mouth” Evansis agony for her. Despite her protests, when she slaps at Sam’s head to breakup the kiss, it isn’t him she’s jealously protecting.

It’s Brittany.

So cut to our next—your first—question.

To what can weattribute Brittana’s increased closeness during episode 2x14?

Back when S2 was originally airing, fans viewed episodes2x08 to 2x11 as a “Brittana drought,” with the girls having so few interactionsduring that time. Eventually, episode 2x12 brought a single but poignant Brittanainteraction, though episode 2x13 saw things cool off again. Finally, episode2x14 marked the full end to the drought, with the proverbial floodgatesopening, and Brittana everywhere.

Not only were Brittany and Santana back in their two-shot,but Santana was taking shots off Brittany’s abs and Brittany was comfortingSantana on stage after the “Blame It on the Alcohol” performance. Fans wereoverjoyed to see the ship back together, but we also wondered how to accountfor Brittana’s sudden new-old closeness, which had been so noticeably lackingfor most of the season to date.

The answer lies in the emotional patterns behind Brittana’scheating behavior, which we have previously discussed.

By episode 2x14, Brittana have resumed their sexualrelationship—only this time on the DL, behind the backs of their respective boyfriends.

The cheating is a poor fix to their problems.

Santana is miserable because she wants Brittany all toherself but can’t have her, and she can’t bring herself to acknowledge herwant, not when the implications of her doing so would be so staggering.

Of course, Brittany is equally distraught because she isaware that Santana is miserable and has a good idea as to why, but she feelsthat she is stuck in a holding pattern, unable to change the situation, one wayor another.

Brittany can only offer Santana physical comfort, knowingthat what she is offering is ultimately not what either one of them reallywants. This physical comfort then complicates the Bartie, Samtana, and Brittanadynamics, all in different ways.

Santana encourages Brittany to rationalize their cheating,so Brittany does, even though, in her heart of hearts, Brittany knows that what they’redoing is wrong. She just can’t bring herself to pull away from Santana, notwhen they’re still in love with each other, never mind that, at this point, shealso has feelings for Artie (albeit different from those she has for Santana).

The worse both girls feel, the more they turn into eachother, convinced that it is better to not have enough rather than to have nothingat all.

In short, everything between them is messy.

—and alcohol only compounds that messiness.

The Rachel Berry House Party Train Wreck Extravaganza istruly a watershed moment in Brittana history, as it brings so many feelings tothe surface for the girls.

Brittany sees weepy, drunk Santana socially flailing,throwing herself at Sam even though she doesn’t really want him, sobbing abouta “blonde and awesome and so smart” girl who is eclipsing her. Brittanywants to be able to say, “Santana, I’ve always been yours, and I’ll be yourgirlfriend if you’ll let me,” but, honestly, she has had her heart broken alot, and now Artie’s in the picture, and she isn’t sure what she should do.

In the meantime, Santana watches helplessly as Brittanykisses first Artie and then Sam, seemingly flaunting an attraction to boys thatSantana is all too aware that she has never herself felt. The drunker she gets,the more she realizes that she is destined to end up alone with no boyfriendbecause she can’t keep a man and no girlfriend because she is too scared to admitthat she wants one.

By last call at the Berry’s minibar, Santana is thoroughlyin crisis. She just wants Brittany back, but she is so scared, not only of thepotential social consequences for coming out but also that Brittany will rejecther.

Deep down, Santana fears that she is unlovable, just likeeveryone has always said she is.

Cut to the next day and the “Blame It on the Alcohol”performance, when we see Brittana at peak closeness—and, by no coincidence,also at their peak distress.

As I describe elsewhere,following their routine, the glee club assembles onstage to face Mr. Schue. Ashe talks to the kids about their performance, Santana starts to break down, andhere’s the play-by-play of why and how she does so:

Phase 1: Santana notices thateveryone else on stage seems to be paired up with each other while she isalone.

Phase 2: Santana notices that Brittany and Artie are paired together inparticular.

Phase 3: Santana tries not to think of how she’s so lonely and nobodywants her and she’s going to be alone forever. She fails.

Phase 4: Santana starts to cry.

Phase 5: Mr. Schue says something about death rates, causing Santana tocry harder.

Phase 6: Brittany runs her fingers through Artie’s hair, and Santanasees her do so. Everything gets worse.

Phase 7: Santana’s crying becomes uncomfortably visible. Mr. Schue asksif she is okay.

Phase 8: Santana is not okay.

Phase 9: But Santanaclaims she is okay because what else can she do?

Phase 10: Brittany knows that Santana needs her, so she pulls Santana infor a hug and kisses Santana’s cheek, never mind that they are in public withboth of their boyfriends watching.

Phase 11: Brittany tries to impart to Santana that she wants Santana andthat Santana isn’t going to be alone forever because Brittany will always be there for her.

Phase 12: Some part of Santana gets it. Kind of. She relaxesinto Brittany’s arms. It is a temporary placation but still highly significant,as Santana is starting to realize that she can’t live without Brittany and thatmaybe it is time to face her fears so that she can have a chance at beinghappy.

So that’s the closeness that we see in this episode: BothBrittany and Santana are arriving at their breaking points. The center cannothold in their relationship. They can’t keep being each other’sgirls on the side. They have to address the feelings that they have for eachother. They can’t keep pretending that everything is okay when it’s not.

They’re both scared, so they cling to each other.

It will take until the next episode—none other than episode2x15—for Brittany to summon her courage and ask Santana to talk to an adultabout their situation, and, by that point, Santana will finally be ready to sayyes.

Anyway, I’ve talked a lot now. Thanks for the question! Hope this helps.

#Crazy Brittanalyst answers #tryingtoohardddd #Brittanalysis #Brittanalyzing #2x14 #BIOTA #This is one long jabber kids

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