Hyun Jun explains his past and about IRIS to Seung Hee. As Gi Hoon is about to be taken away by the South Korean government, Vick shoots him for the sake of IRIS. Baek San and Sa Woo are arrested. Hyun Jun and Sun Hwa find the bomb but are then confronted by the North Korean terrorists.
Gwanghwamun was first built in 1395 as the main gate to Gyeongbokgung Palace. I is the landmark and symbol of Seoul’s long history. After 1592 Japanese invasion, it was destroyed by fire and left in ruins for over 250 years. Gwanghwamun was reconstructed in 1867 by the order or regent Daewongun during the regin of Emperor Gojoing. The Korean War completely destroyed the wooden structure of Gwanghwamun. The destroyed wooden structure was rebuilt in concrete later after the war while the sign on Gwanghwamun was written in Hangul by Park himself, and remained as that till late 2006. The most recent restoration project was since December 2006 and was finished in August 2010. It was disassembled and moved back to its original location, and its wooden structure was again reconstructed in wood. I find it amusing that after the Gwanghwamun has been destroyed so many times that IRIS would use it as a part of their scene to have it potentially destroyed again.
ReplyDeleteThe Single Tear
ReplyDeleteLet us compare the single tear that Sa Woo finally sheds in this episode with the many single tears shed by Hyun Jun throughout the drama. What these two guys have in common is that their masculinity created an image that they are strong, tough, and rugged—they are too manly to cry. However, Hyun Jun firsts breaks this illusion when he is the first to shed a tear. It adds to Hyun Jun’s character and makes him more attractive to the viewership (especially with the females). The female audience finds him attractive because he is strong manly man who is not afraid to show his emotional and soft side. Hyun Jun fits the image of the ideal boyfriend who can protect and still be true to his feelings. Sa Woo is not an example of this because he does not shed his single tear (ergo, show his emotional side) until episode 16. Unfortunately for Sa Woo, viewers would not find him appealing like Hyun Jun. Another thing I noticed between the way Sa Woo and Hyun Jun shed a tear is the psychological meaning behind the tear to help develop their character. The single tears shed by Hyun Jun throughout the drama have various meanings that all deal with an emotional release (sadness, anger, distress). Because Hyun Jun has done this several times, it is easy for him to get sympathy from the supporting characters and the audience. Due to the situation in which Sa Woo shed his tear this episode, it suggests that it is a tear that appears forced and only begs for sympathy from Seung Hee and the audience to realize his character’s good and real intentions.
In this episode, I think Sun Hwa was finally able to address and finish her one sided love for Hyun Joon. She knew that she did not belong when Hyun Joon and Seung Hee finally reunite, and Sun Hwa waits outside as a lookout. She notices Sa Woo and his men while she was outside, and runs inside to tell Hyun Joon and Seung Hee. Seung Hee then said she will stay behind and still Sa Woo, as he would not dare to shoot her. Upon Seung Hee saything this, Sun Hwa turns away, as if she can't stand Seung Hee saying that she will be the one saving her and Hyun Joon. They make their escape and Sun Hwa finally reveals the fact that she knew Seung Hee was alive. When Hyun Joon asked why she did that, she had tears in her eyes and couldn't speak. Hyun Joon then understands that Sun Hwa likes him. Instead of pushing her away, he hugs her. It is kind of cruel how he did that, but he probably values their relationship as a close sibling like relationship. This gesture also shows that he accepts her love, but there is a mutual understanding that it won't move on. The way this situation was handled will cause no hard feelings for anyone, and avoids any awkward situations. Many other dramas typically have their first and second female lead wanting to rip out each other's hair trying to fight for the male lead, and the male pushing away and hurting the second female lead, but I really like this resolution as a way to approach a triangle relationship.
ReplyDeleteI believe this episode really brings out the human side of Chul Young. Before he was seen as the villain trying to kill Hyun Jun but now they’re working together against the greater evil, IRIS and the terrorist team. We even see his civility and respectfulness as he bows towards the prime minister of South Korea despite being North Korean. When he goes back to the North and holds the family as hostage, I wondered if he would really shoot the mother and son but predicted he would fake a shot. After the sound of a bullet being fired, I was in disbelief until I saw the mother’s mouth being covered and understood why they blindfolded all of them. This shows the compassion Chul Young possesses as he easily could’ve killed them without giving a second thought but instead spared their lives.
ReplyDeleteConnecting to the idea of “face” we discussed last week, Park Sang Hyun helped Baek San preserve the little face he had left when he got arrested. As the director of NSS, Baek San’s arrest caused many agents to gather around in curiosity, which may lead to embarrassment on his end. When one of the officers approached Baek San to put handcuffs on him, Sang Hyun stopped him. This can be interpreted as an act of giving Baek San “face” and an attempt to prevent Baek San from feeling even more embarrassed. Although Baek San is not a particularly liked character in this drama, Sang Hyun still has respect for him since he is his senior, which may be why he decided to help Baek San. This act of respect also shines light on the type of person Sang Hyun is, since at the time of Baek San’s arrest, he was relieved of his duties and so was technically no longer Sang Hyun’s senior.
ReplyDeleteIf there is something that I have seen more in this Korean drama than Western television shows, it would be tears. Episode 16 has the most people crying as it includes Hyun-jun, Seung-hee, Sun-hwa, and Sa-woo. I will be building on what Karen has previously written but mainly focus on the tears of Hyun-jun and Sa-woo from this episode. Man tears in Korean drama are nothing new as it has been used artfully by the actors. As Karen has said, these two men are portrayed as really masculine people and crying would be out of character. In this episode, Hyun-jun is crying when he is reunited with Seung-hee without having the terrorist present. This alone time with the two main characters meeting face to face causes streams of tears to flow down their cheeks. These tears from Hyun-jun are both happiness and shock. From thinking that he lost the love of his life in Hungary to finally meeting her freely he is overwhelmed with emotion. These tears of joy show how much he misses Seung-hee and it is reciprocated by Seung-hee. On the other hand, Sa-woo’s tears do not display the same emotions and meaning. Sa-woo confronts Seung-hee and pours out his heart to her. He confesses his love and is promptly rejected by his crush. These tears by Sa-woo show sincerity of his words as he wants Seung-hee to understand what his feelings are and to show him sympathy for his actions. However, this is not the case as Seung-hee refuses to forgive him for what he has done to her and Hyun-jun. Man tears are a common occurrence in Korean drama and they are used to exhibit the emotional side of men despite their masculine portrayal.
ReplyDeleteThe past couple episode reveals this low key protection by Baek San on Choi Seung Hee. We can see this when he goes out of his way to contact his senior in order to make sure Choi Seung Hee isn't harmed by the terrorists, or when he instructs Sa Woo to search and return Choi to NSS when Choi tries to investigate further into the location of the terrorists. I have a strong feeling that there will be a big plot twist, or a surprise in the relationship between IRIS member Baek San and Choi. Often times, Korean dramas or movies will have some sort of a plot twist and many of the successful movies/dramas have done a good job of keeping that element a mind-blowing secret with small bread crumbs of hints along the way. Although the relationship between Choi and Baek might not be as obvious as it seems, I believe this is one of those things that will be an element of surprise. Like Choi could even be Baek's seceret daughter. I have no doubt that Korean dramas can develop such an obscure relationship and surprise its viewer at the end. Why is Baek so protective over Choi if she was merely just an employee of NSS. Could she potentially be part of IRIS as well?
ReplyDeleteIn this episode, Baek San is finally caught and it is right before it happens we see a Baek San who we have yet to see which is at a low mental state. In all the scenes so far, he seems like he is always a step ahead and plotting what's next. However, he is shown in this scene as someone who has given up and suicidal suggesting from the gun that he pulled out of his desk. Baek San decides to put the gun away and like Karisa mentioned above Sang Hyun saved Baek San from dishonor as his pride isn't affected as much as he isn't handcuffed. I'm surprised that IRIS directors put in this scene and it might be to address the situation that Korea has with the country having the highest suicidal rate in the world. The situation Baek San is bad where he has betrayed his own country but I find that killing himself is extreme in this matter or in any matter. I hate that this is even shown in the episode because it should not be a solution in any type of situation. This is reality in how South Korea is addressing suicide as it has been known in the past that South Korea has not made any big efforts to change it for the better. The government could help more by funding psychiatric specialists and raising awareness as a whole to make it better.
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