Run On [2020-2021]

[mademoiselle]

BTS (Oops... is this perhaps just a compilation of all of the BTS?)

 

Edited February 8, 2021 by mademoiselle

[TRaNz]

Well...lots of insights and input in the last week from people for the last 2 eps. Thanks for that. Its covered most of what was on my mind.

I mean, couldn't get the full happy ending I wanted but this is good enough.

I dunno, bit of a roller coaster of emotions for me in the last 2 eps. Dunno why i feel a tiny bit unsatisfied......hmmm....

 

I will say though....I have an interest in Dyson house hold appliances now.....LMFAO

[abs-oluteM]

3 minutes ago, TRaNz said:

Well...lots of insights and input in the last week from people for the last 2 eps. Thanks for that. Its covered most of what was on my mind.

I mean, couldn't get the full happy ending I wanted but this is good enough.

I dunno, bit of a roller coaster of emotions for me in the last 2 eps. Dunno why i feel a tiny bit unsatisfied......hmmm....

 

I will say though....I have an interest in Dyson house hold appliances now.....LMFAO

Do you feel like buying the vacuum now ??? 
——

KTO as artistic as YeongHwa 

 

[TRaNz]

12 hours ago, abs-oluteM said:

Do you feel like buying the vacuum now ??? 
——

 

HAHAHAHAHAHA, maybe....or a hair straightener....LOLJKZ.

those product placements....geezzzzz.

Them Samsung laptops and phones vs Dyson appliances.

Heck what brand is the portable gas stove that came in the pretty white box. I want in !!!! AHAHAH

 

[40somethingahjumma]

It's clear especially from those final episodes that the drama ultimately was an unabashed celebration of individualism (of sorts) in a world that's rapidly modernizing/ westernizing. While I wouldn't go so far as to say that nothing happens in this show, it is a drama that remains largely in the realm of low stakes... although occasionally it gives the impression that it might hurtle into the makjang abyss but it never does. Perhaps that is part and parcel of the parodic impulse of the drama messing around with the audience. For the most part it has worked. And I agree with @JenL that this isn't really a slice-of-life drama in the usual way and at the end of the day, it's (to my mind) about how a group of individual lives happen to intersect (even in a city of about 10 million) because the world apparently is a small one. I've concluded after the finale that the show is really about these intersections/connections rather than the characters themselves. Growth doesn't come in big packages here because this is a drama about acceptance more than change. For this drama's storytelling it's a double-edged sword. 

 

What I liked most about this show is that it actually doesn't really do anything absurd about the romances. Characters might be nutty, pretend to be nutty and allow unfiltered ramblings to fall out of their mouths but the relationships (surprisingly) seldom leap into high drama. It's almost the opposite of most rom coms whereby ordinary people seem to end up in mad, out-of-this-world situations and they are driven... by the plot... to make ridiculous over-the-top choices. In this drama, on the other hand, characters have uncommon occupations (they're not your average wage earners or office drones) but their lives are fairly ordinary and they muddle through things like the average Joe or Jane. If you like a lot of hijinks and big dramatic moments in your K dramas, I'd venture to say that you probably wouldn't like this one.

 

That said, I'm not entirely at ease about Mi-joo and Seon-gyeom's romance. While the chemistry is there in spades and it's oozing with cuteness, there is something about their dynamic that rankles At least from my outsider's point of view. Over the years I've been witnessed to all kinds of personal partnerships and I've seen even the oddest ones work in unexpected ways so I hesitate to be too critical. Seon-gyeom seems to be okay with it... for the most part because I do sense some frustration. Still I am a tad uneasy at the way Mi-joo "mothers" him. The way she praises him for doing a good job and commends him for making strides. (The stamp at the end of his diary was a bridge too far IMO) She's proud of him indeed but it feels more like a case that she's Little Johnny's mother and she's darn excited that Little Johnny has grown up. It's fun (and only appropriate) that she gets Seon-gyeom's idiosyncrasies but even though he might be eccentric on a superficial level (he certainly beats to a different drum) there's an otherworldly maturity/depth to him. Despite his upbringing or lack of... his moral compass is quite sound.

 

The show tries to mitigate that issue by getting Mi-joo to state quickly that there are things they won't ever understand about each other. Now, I'm not sure if that's just a case of something lost in translation but "understand" seems to me to be a poor choice of wording here. It is true that gaping personality differences between couples can be lived with and even enjoyed in a long-term relationships. The word or the concept that I'd be happier with is "acceptance". Differences can be understood... quite easily... over time. But successful partnerships accept and even embrace differences because of the principle of complementarity. It isn't just a case of tolerating the other person's weaknesses etc. 

 

There are many reasons why I rooted for Yeong-hwa and Da-na to be together in the end despite all the obvious disparities between them. Who knows, when the relationship plays out completely, they might go their separate ways. (That's perhaps for another drama) But what YH wants is the chance to let it play out completely and I supported that notion. On paper, they might not be a good fit but in their encounters (boy meets girl stuff)  something magical happens when they're together. The most important reason why I thought those two should be together (and the show demonstrates that) is because Yeong-hwa loves Da-na gleefully and unashamedly. Surprisingly (despite age and background differences) he is actually a really good fit for her because he is nothing like anyone else she knows. Da-na is difficult to like much less love and yet he likes her for who she is, warts and all. His artistic gaze is able to penetrate into her soul and capture its essence. On an esoteric level their pairing could work and maybe that's enough for Da-na whose only real need is to be loved and understood. 

 

In the discussion about mismatches a fact that is often forgotten is that people can change. For better and for worse. They can also change their minds. Of course I agree with the experts that we should never go into serious relationship with the intention to change the other person. That's a recipe for disaster. But when I hear Da-na and YH disagree about marriage and kids, I smile because I know more than one person who has changed their mind about that. I remember an older colleague (now retired) bemoaning the fact that her daughter will never have kids. I remember commenting that people change their minds and getting a non committal grunt in response. These days she's the grandmother of 2. Heh. Already we see that DN has changed her mind about many things and that includes being in a relationship with YH so nothing is ever beyond the pale.

 

I liked how the show concluded with almost everyone sitting in the cinema watching the movie. The symbolism in the seating arrangements and brief interactions was rich and suggestive. It beautifully encapsulated all the key relationship dynamics we'd seen in the drama whether romantic or familial. It was a good summation of what these characters had arrived at and it's obvious the show wanted to give everyone their happily-ever-after. Even Despicable Dad who is learning to re-prioritize. 

 

As I've said elsewhere that the fact the show is centred around agents is indicative of its individualistic bent. Individualism not selfishness. I feel I can get behind the message that the world is made up of individuals and families but not tribes. It certainly champions the right of individuals to choose the kind of lives they want to live after they've wrestled with the decision making process and negotiated key relationships. Negotiation being the operative principle. It seems as if the show eschews a rigid determinism and yet there's no denying the experiences of the past in shaping one's choices. But in various instances throughout the story, it's also clear that one doesn't have to be prisoner of the past or current circumstances.

[abs-oluteM]

Enjoyed reading your post @40somethingahjumma! 

------------------------

I hope this gets subbed

 

[abs-oluteM]

This twitter subs a lot of the BTS and this was for the final interview

 

[abs-oluteM]

Someone translated a nice write-up from DC Gallery

 

[mademoiselle]

@TRaNz

5 hearts for you from Soo Young here lol

[TRaNz]

OMAAGAAHHHh @mademoiselle

SooYoungiieee wass soo ccutttteeeeeee

 

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Spoiler

 

 

[mademoiselle]

One more @TRaNz

 

[TRaNz]

@mademoiselle i rewatched just that heart scene so many times with a goofy smile. HAHAHAHAHAHA

 

Funny how YH (KTO) knocked over the tower both times

Not gonna lie before i watched it I expected him to be the one to fail. hahahaha

[mademoiselle]

BTS of DVD Commentary

@abs-oluteM @TRaNz

[TRaNz]

@mademoiselle omg noooo, i need english subs bcoz im babo.... .ill have to wait a little longer...omg soo keen to watch itttt 

[mademoiselle]

@TRaNz Soo Young's fan clubs will sub it right, right?

I love how Siwan kept teasing Shin Se Kyung for being overly excited with the food.