Sisyphus: The Myth / 시지프스: The Myth - [2021]

[ktcjdrama]

12 minutes ago, Chocolate said:

A question.

 

Sigma from 2035 looks quite mature. Maybe about 50+? So in 2001, he should be about teens/20? Who is he?

 

Or he should be younger, maybe about 30+ when he transported, and aged to 50+ in 2020 🤔

 

Maybe, he brought with him the anti-aging serum from the future. That's why he never aged!

@SilverMoonTea another great reason to travel to future and back beside the get-rich-quickly scheme.

[katakwasabi]

I suddenly wonder...how old is sigma in 2001? Is he a kid like Soohae or an adult like Taesul? 🤔

[abs-oluteM]

New stills...hmm would TS come face to face with Sigma?

https://sports.donga.com/article/all/20210317/105923034/1

 

Amusement park date

[Chocolate]

On 3/17/2021 at 6:37 AM, katakwasabi said:

I suddenly wonder...how old is sigma in 2001? Is he a kid like Soohae or an adult like Taesul? 🤔

 

I asked a similar question earlier. In 2020, he looked about 50+ to me. But in yesterday's episode, his complexion looked quite good! So he may be younger. Thus, 19 years ago in 2001, he must have been about 30 when he travelled back from the future. Means in 2035 = 30+.

 

So in 2001, his other self was either a baby or not born yet 😂

 

[Edit: We don't know when Sigma was uploaded. It could have been earlier than 2035.]

 

Regardless if the role required her to be mostly expressionless earlier, it's good to finally see some credible acting from PSH! 👍

 

 

Edited March 18, 2021 by Chocolate

[abs-oluteM]

I have yet to watch this week's . But I saw an interesting spoiler and Seo Jin ( the psychiatrist) is also from the future!

Preview from eps 11

 

[ktcjdrama]

2 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

I have yet to watch this week's . But I saw an interesting spoiler and Seo Jin ( the psychiatrist) is also from the future!

Preview from eps 11

Where do you see the spoiler for Seo Jin? 
If it’s from preview, nothing is said about her being from the future. 

I watched ep.9 already. After a couple of better episodes, we again see more SMH and eye-rolling moments first half of ep.9. I wanted so much to ffwd but oh well, I was folding my laundry so was multitasking anyways thus not really wasting time... 😆 The sentiments is rather similar to the (almost) plane crash incident. 

[Chocolate]

3 hours ago, ktcjdrama said:

Where do you see the spoiler for Seo Jin? 
If it’s from preview, nothing is said about her being from the future. 

I watched ep.9 already. After a couple of better episodes, we again see more SMH and eye-rolling moments first half of ep.9. I wanted so much to ffwd but oh well, I was folding my laundry so was multitasking anyways thus not really wasting time... 😆 The sentiments is rather similar to the (almost) plane crash incident. 

 

It's revealed at the end of episode 10. But is the Seo Jin who is asking for medicine to save her mother the "current" SJ, whereas "Agnes" is the one from the future, or are they the same (but Agnes is made to look older without makeup and dowdy dress)? If there are 2 versions, then they seem to have been able to co-live in the same time period for almost 20 years. I thought that it was mentioned earlier that 1 version would disappear over time...

 

Despite the eye-rolling moments (I think there will be more in the next episode because it seems Tae-sul will be doing some time travelling and TS and SH hooked up in those chairs look like Matrix) 😆, at least the story is moving along. We find out a few interesting things:

 

• SH's mother died trying to save them from the nuclear bomb.
• SH's father discovered about time travel in the present time and he met the future Seo Hae.
• When present and future are close to each other, they merge 😲
• Asian Mart Park is the Control Bureau Director's son-in-law?
• Sigma, Park and Agnes (Seo Jin) were the first batch that travelled back to the past.

 

Spoiler

Source

 

I'm confused though. When a future person is uploaded, my understanding is a copy is sent back to the past. The future person is still in the future. That's why there is a Seo Hae in the future who found her own grave and diary.

 

That means the future person does not actually "enjoy" the benefits of going back eg. a better life in a civilisation before the war or riches etc. The future person is still living the same life in the future. Then what's the point of going back to the past? Seo Hae had a reason - she wanted to prevent the war. What about Sigma, Park and Agnes etc.?

 

Edited March 18, 2021 by Chocolate

[ktcjdrama]

9 hours ago, Chocolate said:

m confused though. When a future person is uploaded, my understanding is a copy is sent back to the past. The future person is still in the future. That's why there is a Seo Hae in the future who found her own grave and diary.

Let’s see if I can confuse you further... lol

I assume the SH who found the grave is not after but before the time traveling (first scene ep.1)? But well, there are many ppl there, whereas when she was scavenging, supposedly there isn’t any other ppl. Okay except for the bad guys, and the ppl in hospital. And why only SH and dad being the ‘outcast’ here? Who are they hiding from? For what reason? The others can interact together yet the two of them are on the hunt? By whom? 

[40somethingahjumma]

I haven't seen Episode 10 yet. Have to wait for the rest of the clan.

 

For the most part I find this show entertaining and for the most part I can shut my brain off with all the nutty or inconsistent occurrences. Even when characters act stupidly I accept that it's par for the course considering the context. I don't even mind the budding romance. But the thing that makes this show feel that it isn't achieving its potential is the pacing. I think I commented on this early on and they haven't really fixed this problem. For a show that purports to be a sci-fi action adventure it moves rather slowly in the most ill-timed places. Maybe they are trying to cover a much bigger audience and because of this, they're trying to juggle far more moving parts. Or perhaps it's the 16 episode format that they're obliged to adhere to. I seem to find that the case with the odd numbered episodes which are often a mixed bag. One moment the show will move and then come to a complete screeching halt only to tell you things that you already know or that you would have guessed from information previously given. It's a similar problem I had with Awaken although this one is generally better. The entire sequence with how Seo-hae-s mum died went too long in my view and honestly I thought it was protracted calculated just to get a emotional response from the audience. It didn't add anything to the drama. Another one that went too long from another episode was when SH and Dad were scavenging and came under attack from violent renegade elements. It was interesting on some level to see what that dystopian future was like but the show isn't about that dystopian future or about her life. It's supposed to be a race against the clock to defeat Sigma and dodge the Control Bureau to save the future. But these extraneous scenes... I consider them extraneous, others might not... takes away from the urgency that's supposed to drive the plot.

 

Part of the issue I have comes from the fact that the most interesting parts of the drama involves Tae-sul. Even though the hospital "scam" and break-in took some time to execute, it involved Tae-sul and his trajectory towards superhero status. It was humorous and Lotto Boy got a look in. Tae-sul's a nerd superhero. His superpower is his brains and his ability to manipulate modern technology in terrifying ways. Luckily for the world he is a good guy. Plus he's a wisecracking smart ass. 

 

I can see people making the same argument for Seo-hae. That all the scenes involving her in the future sees her development as an action hero. Perhaps. But I do find her characterization less convincing especially in recent episodes. The writing has her essentially reverting back to a typical Korean female lead in recent days... rediscovering/revisiting her childhood. It's very tropey and often it keeps K dramas from going places.

 

That's my issue with the amusement park stuff. It wasn't unexpected because it had been telegraphed previously but yeah, again it's a K drama staple that something happens at an amusement park. Or that it holds certain kinds of memories etc etc. Why even bother with all that stuff?

 

I just think Sisyphus should be better than this... and above all this. For instance they should be exploring more of the cyberpunk elements like the hacking and the Asia Mart crew. 

 

[ktcjdrama]

1 hour ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

The entire sequence with how Seo-hae-s mum died went too long in my view and honestly I thought it was protracted calculated just to get a emotional response from the audience. It didn't add anything to the drama. Another one that went too long from another episode was when SH and Dad were scavenging and came under attack from violent renegade elements.

Couldn’t agree more on these two scenes. 
 

1 hour ago, 40somethingahjumma said:

it's a K drama staple that something happens at an amusement park. Or that it holds certain kinds of memories etc etc. Why even bother with all that stuff?

PPL? Besides memories for SH, also for TS, with his brother who always worked hard for him. Maybe also to give TS a chance to meet young SH? (Beware of people who will make the age gap a big deal for the romance aspect) That said, I love the park! It’s beautiful. The PPL worked, haha. If anyone knows where the place is, please share it here. Just another destination to add to my Visit Korea list. When will that day come? Sigh... 

[im0202]

 

[40somethingahjumma]

18 hours ago, ktcjdrama said:

 

PPL? Besides memories for SH, also for TS, with his brother who always worked hard for him. Maybe also to give TS a chance to meet young SH? (Beware of people who will make the age gap a big deal for the romance aspect) That said, I love the park! It’s beautiful. The PPL worked, haha. If anyone knows where the place is, please share it here. Just another destination to add to my Visit Korea list. When will that day come? Sigh... 

 

I guess for me amusement parks are a dime a dozen. I live about 40 minutes aways from 2 world class theme parks. When the kids were little I bought an annual pass so I had my fair share of doing rollercoasters and doing hair-raising rides. If I ever make it to SK, I wouldn't be wasting time at an amusement park. It'll be food and sightseeing baby! We were actually planning to head that way this year for our anniversary but Covid-19 madness struck and so no international travel for at least 2 years. 

 

_______________

 

I thought Episode 10 was better paced and we were privy to interesting revelations about Sigma, Dad, Hyeong-do and Seo-jin. It's about time that the Sisyphus theme come to the fore not just in terms of the time travel but also in terms of doing seemingly futile things needlessly and repeatedly. Would knowing the outcome necessarily stop anyone from making the choices that they do? Just because the war is "inevitable" does it mean that those in the know should give up and not try stopping it? This sorts of discussions are related to K drama favourite like fate/destiny. 

 

I guess for me I wonder if the war is inevitable. Or if anything is inevitable. Even if the war is inevitable for instance, is time travel a part of that package? That is the question that interests me.  Apparently they go together and so far the connection hasn't been made. Why is it that the invention of the uploader has to lead to war and the complete collapse of Korean society? That's the mystery.

 

I wonder what the criteria was for the choosing the first cohort of arrivals from the future. Money? Intelligence? The presence of Seo-jin seems to suggest one or the other. But they all seem resigned to the fact that they can't stop the war because they're not trying to. Sigma's agenda is also not entirely clear. Is it just time travel that he's after?

 

Seo-jin might not be likeable but she's a very telling example of someone who was willing to betray her two closest friends so that her mother who suffers from ALS can live just that little bit longer. Seems a bit futile if the war is inevitable and you hurt two people that care about you. The drug doesn't even take permanent effect. You'd think it might be better just to let nature takes it course. But perhaps it is a great metaphor of Sisyphus myth as it applies to human beings clinging on to hope even when it seems irrational to do so. It's the existential crisis. How far do you keep doing the same thing expecting a different result? Letting go and moving on can be much much harder than clinging on to an impossible dream.

 

The temporal loop ties in with all of that. The feeling of futility, going around in circles, and I'm sure there are those who benefit from the fact that they are in an improved position because of the war. It is in their interest to make sure that the protagonists go around in circles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Chocolate]

@Korean___Dramas

New #SisyphusTheMyth hints by JTBC!

 

Q: What happens when you defeat Sigma?

A: There will be no uploader, no war, no future Seo Hae.

 

This is why Sigma says "choose the world or the girl". There may still be future Seo Hae, but she won't know Tae Sul.

 

 

[Chocolate]

Sisyphus, who's still Sung Dong-il's mystery, the owner of the three million won account?

https://n.news.naver.com/entertain/article/609/0000416399

 

Source

 

[abs-oluteM]

I would like to sound intelligent but honestly I can't. What the heck is happening?  

My problem right now is that I am not quite getting the rules of this time travel or if there is one. 

 

First off , the Seo Hae that we see in the future - the one who took a risk to get meds for her dad and who found the grave is the Seo Hae we see now  - correct? We know this isn't her 1st time going to the past ( or coming to the present depending on how you view the starting point of the story) since she has her journal written. I am assuming the very 1st time she came was what we saw in eps 1 - where her father told her to eat all the things she want & to never go near Han Tae Sul. I am assuming now that he says that because the 2020 father sees how future Seo Hae's "dies" whenever she came to save Tae Sul. If the 2035 Seo Hae goes through the uploader, she is sending a copy of herself to the present . Technically if that is the case then , even if she dies in the present timeline of 2020, her 2035 self is still around. The only thing is that she will have no memories of her travels to the past (to 2020) . 

 

Downloading into 2020 ( or uploading - honestly whatever) is not without it's risk. So these future beings will have something changed - a limb , their looks ( like in Seo Jin / Agnes Kim) , their memories ( like Seo Hae) .  I am assuming people come from the future because the past is better or they want to correct some regrets they may have - but whatever for  when they know the nuclear war is going to happen? 

 

I think I am more confuse than before ! 

[abs-oluteM]

New stills 

 

[stroppyse]

@abs-oluteM, I'm with you on the confusion with how this drama is treating the time line as well as the issue of the paradox of having multiple copies in the same time. I haven't been watching it that diligently or anything, but have been watching here and there and feel that this drama is setting itself up to be an infinite loop of failure since they're not even showing us why this version of Seo Hae may succeed when previous versions have failed? And why did the Seo Hae who failed not tell her future self more info about the why she has to save Tae Soo, etc.? I mean, the Seo Hae who leaves herself the journal knew that there would be a future Seo Hae to read the journal, so wouldn't she have advised a course of action to take that was different then the one she took?

 

Time travel is such a paradox that the one thing that a production needs to do is be clear about the rules of engagement and existence, and I don't think this drama has done that very well. If anything, they seem to be playing fast and loose with their own rules. They've trapped their characters in an endless loop fail, but without giving any clues to us or to the characters about how to change their failure loop.

 

Plus, the Seo Hae/Tae Soo pairing is still not that believable as a romantic couple or comrades in arms or anything really.

[ktcjdrama]

Hopefully this might help... or not, haha...

I watched so much of time travel genre that I think so far this is the best explanation to understand some of the theories out there. 
 

 

[stroppyse]

In episode 12, the choice that TS has to make, and the reason that SH came to find and save him is finally clear. SH came to convince TS to not make the uploader. It's the existence of the uploader that allows Sigma to return and cause the world to explode by exploding a nuke.

 

However, not having the uploader in existence would also mean the probable disappearance of all the people who had come from the future, including HS.

 

So, TS' supposed choice is to make the uploader so that he can be with HS or to not make the uploader so that Sigma can't return to start the war.

 

And, since the romance has really started, it's a tough choice for TS for whom HS. Interesting that HS is the only one who seems to actually be able to change the timeline.

 

I still find the story to be rather nonsensical, and the various flashbacks that actually give us reveals can be a bit draggy.

 

I do think it's interesting how various characters are having to face their past actions, most of them with regret.

[ktcjdrama]

Finally had the chance to catch up. Agreeing with @stroppyse that some things have become clearer in ep.12... I have to say I'm a bit disappointed though that at the end of the day, we're only dealing with a psychopath. Still waiting for more reveals, hoping it will solidify the story/theory a bit more? But anyway, the child actor of young Sigma is amazing! Very convincing and a lot like the old Sigma. 

[abs-oluteM]

I just finished eps 11 ...CSW crying was pretty moving . Tae Sul going through his past was a reminder that he was a bit of a 1st class jerk when he finally made it. I was glad he got to see his brother again, though this would be the last time since the brother will be stuck on the continuous time loop.  I thought it rather convenient that Tae San had an extra syringe with the antidote. ...but okay I have stopped over-analysing these things. 

 

I have to be honest that the romance doesn't do it for me - dunno what it is that seems lacking for me. Nevertheless, it is an important part of this show -  the reason for the choices that Tae Sul makes.  So I will accept it as part of plot progression.  LOL!

 

Sigma is the actual boss of the Bureau too - not surprising. But does it mean that Agnes Kim and the AsiaMart boss who were the 1st batch of future beings coming to the present also work for him? So they all came here to ensure that the uploader is made? 

[stroppyse]

1 hour ago, abs-oluteM said:

Sigma is the actual boss of the Bureau too - not surprising. But does it mean that Agnes Kim and the AsiaMart boss who were the 1st batch of future beings coming to the present also work for him? So they all came here to ensure that the uploader is made? 

 

It felt as if they had all come together initially, but over time, it feels as if their objectives may have diverged.

[abs-oluteM]

Stills for eps 13

 

[Chocolate]

Sad to say, episodes 11, 12 and 13 were quite boring. And it is also not making sense. I have so many questions but wondering whether I should even bother to think and list them.

 

Like you @abs-oluteM I'm also not into the romance. In fact, I feel like slapping both of them frequently 😤😂 The only part that was touching was Tae-sul and his brother meeting in dreamland.

 

Quite a disappointment, this drama. Sigh...

 

[40somethingahjumma]

Although I don't find the show boring for the most part my biggest issue with the drama continues to be with the pacing. There are some good notions floating around somewhere in this mish-mash of sci-fi and politics but it suffers from heavy-handed storytelling. A plot in search of a script. I have wondered more than once if this wouldn't have been better off doing the 12 episode thing. Again, I have no problem with snapshots of dystopian Korea but some of those moments seem to go on rather unnecessarily. I am not sure if a lot of them are even necessary.

 

Those final moments of Episode 13 were downright frustrating. I was telling the family that this is why the good guys always lose. And lose to Sigma. He's absolutely right about them. He knows what's really at stake. They don't. Fine, they don't want to sacrifice  their family or any vestige of their humanity apparently but if they can stop the war, can't things be reversed anyway? I thought that was the whole impetus behind "stopping the war". Obviously Tae-sul hasn't really thought things through all that well especially what it would take for him to succeed against Sigma. This is what Spock (from Star Trek fame) says about the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one. 

 

What worries me and what will probably annoy me is if this show sets up this zero sum game now and then find a way of resetting and letting Tae-sul have his cake and eat it too despite the contradictions. This is what annoyed me about another time travel show from last year when it happily broke its own rules one after another.  What's the point of a big build up promising so much but delivering so little in the end if the showrunners take the easy route towards a happily-ever-after without ensuring that the leads pay the high price they've been asked to since the start.