Baek San and Sa Woo escape from the NIS and plan to assassinate the South Korea prime minister for going ahead with the summit. The NSS search for Baek San, Sa Woo, and Vick. The presidential secretary Hyung Joon dies in an explosion for suspecting an IRIS member.
In episode 18, the plot uncovered another secret – Kim Hyun-jun was not the only kid raised by Baek San, so is Choi Seung-hee (and she appears as a part of IRIS, what a surprise!!). However, Kim lost both her parents and grew up in an orphan, whereas Choi still had her mother accompanied with. Korean seems to have a lot of broken families which leads to many “Unloved” and innocent children. This is related to what we learnt in class regarding Korean orphans. It used to be said that South Korea’s biggest export were babies – Korean children unwanted in their own land, were adopted by loving new parents outside the country, particularly in the US. What surprised me the most was that many of the children were abandoned while both their biological parents alive. For so many years, Korean told the world that all these kids’ parents died because of the war, which was ended in the 1960s. However, it appears that the highest number of kids “exported” was during the 80s and 90s. As of now, more than 90% of adopted babies are the children of unwed mothers, who fear of being rejected by a socially conservative society.
ReplyDeleteTrying to Remember Mi Jeong
ReplyDeleteFirst, a thank you to episode 18 for confirming my suspicions about Seung Hee and Baek San. Sorry, Sun Hwa, I think you concluded wrong about why Seung Hee was in that folder about IRIS though.
Second, I am really disappointed with the way the drama portrayed Mi Jeong’s death. The colleagues of NSS mentioned how her death was cruel and unforeseen, but didn’t seem to express any sort of real sympathy for her. It felt like everything about Mi Jeong’s death was rushed which didn’t allow time for the viewers to experience any sort of sadness for her. It was brushed under the rug as soon as her body and her computer files gave way to any helpful information. Mi Jeong’s colleagues all reacted the same way at the news (shocked and in disbelief) but none of her friends (or her tech analysis partner, Tae Sung) shed a tear for their dear friend. Heck, Hyun Kyu’s “grievance” and “crying” sounded more like a laugh. I do have to give them some credit that the situation the NSS were in was tense and they had other things to worry about (Baek San and Sa Woo escaping). But that did not mean that Mi Jeong’s colleagues would not garner any tears for her. I just hope that Mi Jeong gets the memorial service she deserves from her friends at the end of the drama.
Everything about this episode seems rushed (maybe to consider and finish everything before the drama ends in two episodes). The rushed story leads to it feeling forced and disjunct from the story. Much like how Mi Jeong’s death was rushed, Seung Hee’s sudden and overt suspicious behaviour feels out of place and does not line up with any other previous behaviour. Like this, viewers (like me) have a hard time connecting the dots and believing the events of the plot are coherent and not something thrown into the storyboard just to spice things up at the end.
I would like to give a huge shout out to the writer of this drama for making them go on another vacation, so in total they were able to promote two tourist locations: Akita, Japan, and Jeju Island in South Korea. I am pretty impressed with the writer for this, as this is an action and espionage drama, but they were able to promote so many places. Korea has been achieving more pride through Korean media culture, so the promotion of attractions can benefit Korea economically. Viewers like to visit scenes found in dramas, and this not-so-subtle promotion of Jeju Island can help the island attract more tourists. At first, non Koreans probably cannot figure out where they went on vacation (unless I missed them mentioning it), it only showed very nice scenery, as well as a fancy hotel. It showed a lot of scenes inside and outside the hotel as well, so I think it was trying to promote this hotel more. In a few scenes, the hotel name, Haevichi Resort Jeju, was even visible (but not too readable, it took me a lot of squinting to read it). Normally, if they are filming at a location with brands in the background, they would either blur it out or film shots that don't show the brand names; but it is clearly visible in the background here, so they were obviously endorsed (if it wasn't obvious enough from the numerous shots of the interior). With a scene like this in the drama, they can hit two bird in one stone by promoting a tourist attraction and a hotel at the same time, while still being able to somewhat convey their plot line.
ReplyDeleteyou made me laugh.
DeleteIn this episode, we see some visibly distinct foreigners (specifically Westerners) in the team that broke Baek San out of captive. Foreigners are often portrayed in Korean contemporary media as mysterious, aggressive and almost exotic beings. For that reason, foreigners often play the role of the aggressor of conflict (as we previously saw with Mi Jeong at the club), or the specialized assassin (as we see in this episode). The foreigners in this episode were portrayed as cold blooded, ruthless killers as they were seen shooting up the transportation vehicles when they first appeared in the episode. Audiences later learn that the leader of that team was trained in the American military, and the rest of the team was trained at a “secret military camp”. This is in line with the stereotype that Western anything is superior to that of Asia. Because foreigners are often portrayed in this “mysterious” and “aggressive” light, a stereotype may form around how foreigners actually act. The one-sided roles that foreigners portray in Korean dramas reflect the polarization of Westerners.
ReplyDeleteIn this episode, we see the departure of Sun Hwa from South Korea and Hyun Joon. Prior to leaving, Sun Hwa and Hyun Joon share a brief moment together confessing each other's gratitude toward one another, and we see an atmosphere of love between the two. Despite both parties understanding the fact that Hyun Joon is inseparable from Seung Hee, there is a mutual feeling that surpasses a mere friendship. Us as viewers whether we are watching from South Korea at the time of this drama's release, or nowadays as a foreign viewer scrolling through netflix, we see this humanization of a North Korean character that contradicts the depiction of a North Korean released on the news. At a time like now where we are constantly reminded of this tension between North Korean leader and the rest of the world, people don't associate north koreans as an ally or a friend. However, a North Korean character like Sun Hwa being portrayed as a character whom we all feel for and appreciate, it has an impact on our views of north koreans. I believe dramas like IRIS along with other dramas that have dealt with North KOrea in their plots can have an impact on shaping the viewer's idea on the subject regarding North Korea.
ReplyDeleteThe clothes the IRIS team stood out to me because they all seemed to have the outfit of a long, dark coloured coat and sunglasses for the non-important people. The uniformity of all the members depicts their alliance and order. The monochromatic dark colours embody professionalism while the sunglasses and gloves convey a sense of mystery. One could also argue how darkness symbolizes evil. Suits, leather jackets, fur trims, and long trench coats all add to the image of a badass villain organization. Furthermore, holding giant guns seem to create an intimidating factor. The IRIS member who greets Baek San sports long hair, a stereotypical delinquent look, and a pinstripe suit, in which the stripes can represent the rigidity and strictness of his character. On the other hand, David Lee McInnis, who plays the delta force character, has a shaved buzzcut, raised eyebrows, and a prominent jawline. The buzzcut is used to give an army effect and with his facial features, it is no wonder why he is often cast in military roles, later in IRIS 2 and most notably, Descendants of the Sun.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I had a problem with this episode is the lack of punishment for Hyun-Kyo, the person who does the autopsies for deceased people. After the death of Mi-Jeong, it was revealed that Hyun-Kyo had given her the server access card which had confidential details. These details falling into the wrong hands may cause a breach in national security. In the end, the details of Sa-woo and Baek San’s transportation plan falls into the hand of IRIS which leads to their escape. During the scene where they confronted Hyun-Kyo, he just apologized for lending his access card to a lower standing worker. I believe that just an apology is insufficient due to the large crisis that this security breach has caused. I am surprised that no further action has been taken like firing him, suspending him from work, or imprisonment. Someone who trades confidential national documents and plans for personal gain should not be trusted, especially in a position which deals with national security.
ReplyDeleteI think imprisonment would be a little harsh for an old man like Hyun Kyo but I have some reasons why I think they wouldn't punish him. Firstly, it may be because there isn't enough time left in the remaining episodes to focus on him. They seem to be rushing the plotline already. Even the NSS knows there are more important matters at hand than dealing with Hyun Kyo. Secondly, I feel like his guilt in knowing that he played a part in Mi Jeong's death is punishment enough. He didn't know that she was going to download information and simply gave her his keycard so he could gain access to his stocks. I wouldn't blame him and say it's mostly on Mi Jeong for being blinded by love and acting recklessly. Wouldn't most people question how their boyfriend knows they work for a secret company and want to know Baek San and Sa Woo's transport route? I believe Hyun Kyo's behaviour by almost laughing at the situation (in reference to Karen's comment) shows his disbelief, the first sign of grieving. Lastly, I think the seniority that takes place in typical Korean workplaces is the same at the NSS. Hyun Kyo has been there longer than most of the other executives and therefore has more leeway when it comes to these matters as reprimanding an elder would probably be an awkward situation for a younger employee.
DeleteLike Karisa has mentioned above, the IRIS team that broke out Baek San and Sa Woo out were a mixed group of individuals of different races. In this scene, the people who look like foreigners become the aggressors that kill the soldiers and it is shown in a violent matter as well. From the two times the viewers have been introduced to foreign people in the setting of South Korea of the show, they are doing harm that cause a discomfort to the viewers. For example, when Mi Jeong was getting harassed by the two foreigners which is especially uncomfortable for female viewers but also the male viewers possibly might not like that foreigners are taking Korean females. Also in the process of breaking Sa Woo and Baek San out, the IRIS foreigners are killing multiple Korean soldiers which is a strong importance to South Korean males since every male is enlisted to serve in the army unless there are physical/mental issues that limits them to serve. Foreigners are often mistreated in South Korea, especially with the older generations. Instances that happen are when people moved from their seat when they are sitting down because a foreigner sits beside them. It is unfortunate to see that the foreigners in this show are portrayed as enemies and as a possible solution, it would be for them to work in the NSS directly or in a higher position in the show.
ReplyDeleteNoted.
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