kdrama: Hello Miss eps 1-3
Apr. 3rd, 2008 01:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meganbmooreSu Ha, 38th heir to her clan, and maintainer of the clan estate, Hwa Ahn Dang, is barely scraping by making ends meet to maintain the upkeep for her clan's home. The place is falling apart, the banks won't grant any loans, and the family elders in Seoul don't provide enough money. Dong Gyu is the heir to a powerful corporation, and his grandfather wants to buy Hwa Ang Dang so he can spend his final days there(he says this in a very dramatic fashion, despite appearing to be very healthy.) Dong Gyu thinks the answer is simple. Su Ha thinks hell will freeze over first. Not helping matters is the fact that, while grandpa claims he wants to buy the estate because he was once a servant there, and he made the family fortune when he seet out for Seoul with his pay of a cow and a sack of rice, the truth is that he STOLE the cow and the rice, a tale that has very much been passed through the family.
There's also Hwa Ran, a model who seems to have a past with Su Ha, and Chan Min, Dong Gyu's playboy cousin who seems to be romantically interested in both Su Ha and Hwa Ran.
I'll be perfectly honest and say that, if it didn't star Lee Da Hae(Su Ha) I probably wouldn't have checked it out. While it sounded fun, I haven't heard much about it, and I'm very picky about my kdramas. However, I really liked LDH in My Girl, so I decided to give it a try, and so far, I really like it.
I will theoretically gift you with screencaps tomorrow. I spent far too long typing this up.
There's also Hwa Ran, a model who seems to have a past with Su Ha, and Chan Min, Dong Gyu's playboy cousin who seems to be romantically interested in both Su Ha and Hwa Ran.
I'll be perfectly honest and say that, if it didn't star Lee Da Hae(Su Ha) I probably wouldn't have checked it out. While it sounded fun, I haven't heard much about it, and I'm very picky about my kdramas. However, I really liked LDH in My Girl, so I decided to give it a try, and so far, I really like it.
What I like:
Dong Gyu is probably the nicest kdrama hero I've come across. He has none of the angst/big misunderstanding that's typically used to excuse the hero's being something of a jerk and/or rude to the heroine. In fact, he's visibly smitten with her from the moment they meet, but not in a way that makes him silly or mushy. When's he's angry, demanding or overreacts, there's always (so far) a good reason. He's also amazingly well adjusted, and seems to have a very healthy family life. There's no apparent rivalry between him and Chan Min, both of his aunts, while far from perfect, seem to be good family influences, and while his grandfather may be a bit of a demanding drama queen, he seems to be a good boss and family head altogether. The closest he comes to the typical kdrama hero angst is that he sometimes switches positions with his secretary in public because he gets tired of being the third generation heir.
Then there's Lee Da Hae's Su Ha. I really liked her in My Girl and think she did a great job, but she's come a long way as both a comedienne and an actress since then (which is only natural, as I think My Girl was her first big comic role.) She does both the slapstick and serious parts very well, which is good, since most of the drama of the show is centered around the pressures on her as the family heir. She's been raised to be the perfect traditional daughter, but not to deal with the "real world," something she has to cope with, not to mention her difficult family situation.
Side Note: Maybe someone can help me here: This is my first time encountering the "family heir struggling to hold on to home" trope in a modern context, and I'm a little confused by some things. First of all, Su Ha is apparently the head of the family, but seems to have little control: she makes appearances at the elders' behest, and not only does she have no apparent financial control, but she also seems to be on an allowance, and it doesn't seem that anyone ever checks to see if that's enough. In addition, she seems to have been raised apart from her immediate family, and it also seems that her older brother was passed over as heir in favor of her. The last bit was actually discussed, but since I'm not familiar with the traditions behind it, I'm afraid I didn't understand it as well as I should have(not the shows fault, I'm sure the target audience understands all this perfectly.) If anyone can fill me in on this and a little about the whole clan heir/estate/traditions thing in modern Korea, I'd really appreciate it.
But back to the main event...
I also get a real kick out of the My Girl references. If you haven't seen My Girl, you won't even know a reference is being made, but if you have, they're great. I think the best was when Su Ha cupped her face in Yoo Rin's "totally innocent" way and said "does this look like the face of a liar?" (For anyone reading this who hasn't seen My Girl: Lee Da Hae's character, Yoo Rin, was a compulsive liar. In fact, I think the tagline for the character was "the charming liar" or some such, which she was.) Another thing is that, while I really liked Yoo Rin, the only real problem I had with the character was that she didn't always stand up for herself. While there were valid plot reasons for it, and she was far from spineless, it was incredibly frustrating when she would stand there and let people talk down to her, either implicitly or explicitly. Anytime anyone tries anything with Su Ha, she rips into them right then and there, no matter who they are, and this has actually cut off a few Big Misunderstandings. Sometimes she can take it a bit too far, but I'm perfectly willing to handwave that as her not being overly experienced in the world outside the family estate. Also, I forgot how cute Lee Da Hae is. Not cutesy, like so many of these actresses, but genuinely cute and charming.
I also really, really like Hwa Ran. Now, there may be a bias there, as I almost immediately recognized Yoon Mi Joo, who played by beloved Hussy in Lovers. Hwa Ran is arrogant and seems to have a lot of issues, and somehow, I feel I shouldn't like her as much as I do, yet I love her. She comes across as amazingly cool and collected, and it seems that most of her arrogance comes from confidence and not wanting to be bothered, as opposed to bitchiness. A lot of it probably has to do with Yoon Mi Joo herself. Both Hwa Ran and Hussy are characters who should be immensely unlikable and even villainized, yet both are very likable and appealing, if difficult.
I didn't like Chan Min(note: I keep typing that as "Chin Man"...I'm sorry, Chan Min) at first, but he's starting to grow on me, though I doubt I'll ever like him as much as I do the other three. He seemed really skeevy towards both girls initially, and I still think he deserves a punch for some of his behavior and comments to Hwa Ran in the first two episodes, but he's starting to seem to be more of a nice guy who's also a spoiled brat who can't keep it in his pants than the total creep he initially seemed to be.
The drama is also(so far) devoid of the two biggest things that turn me off so many kdramas: The Love Square Of Doom(especially the complete villainization of at least one party, usually female) and the villainization of parental figures. Su Ha's relationship with her family is strained, but that seems to be from lack of familiarity, not because they're secretly controll freaks, and, as I mentioned before, Dong Gyu's family seems very healthy. In addition, not only is Hwa Ran not remotely being set up and a romantic rival for Su Ha, but NO ONE IS. (This subject to change over the next 13 episodes.) Plus, while Chan Min is currently more interested in Su Ha, it doesn't seem that he's being set up to really fall for her and get his heart broken. Actually, the series seems to be indicating that he and Hwa Ran will eventually hook up. (A potential pairing I'm actually not sure I'll like if it does happen, but we'll see how it goes if the show goes that route.)
Things I don't like:
1. The unreasonable bitchiness of Su Ha's sister. Yes, I get that she's jealous of Su Ha's status, and that it's because she doesn't understand Su Ha, but these levels are just...unreasonable. It's like they felt the need to compensate for not making the secondary female lead evil.
2. Some of the humor is a little too close to "funny because it's humiliating." Lee Da Hae manages to keep it from reaching that part, but why I'm ok with characters being embarassed, or their goofs being played as comedy, I don't like humor that's centered around the humiliation of a character. It's why I dislike most comedy movies, and why I quit watching Himitsu no Hanazuno(sp?) not 40 minutes into the first ep. Fortunately these scenes aren't overly abundant, but there's enough to make me sigh.
3. Dong Gyu's business-like aunt as a sexual harasser. I'm sorry, but a woman grabbing the butts of her male subordinates is no better than a male grabbing the butts of his female subordinates. Yes, they've brought up the fact that it's wrong, and that it is harassment, but there's almost a feeling of "it's not as bad if a woman does it" and supposed comedy element to it. Plus, it's a blemish on an otherwise great character.
4. Su Ha's friend. I normally like the cute/girly BFF's of the heroines in kdramas, but this girl seems to serve no purpose but to keep causing trouble for Su Ha so Dong Gyu can help her.
5. THE FASHION! Now, mind you, we aren't quite to Goong-at-it's-finest moments(Polka dot shirts, I say! Hero wearing girly shorts in dramatic reuinion with heroine, I say!) or even some My Girl moments. Now, I will cheerfully handwave Su Ha's fashion crimes. The little girl pigtails? Lee Da Hae is gorgeous, but she has a very small face, and I suspect doing hairstyles for her is a pain. She looks best with straight, loose hair or a single braid, but that doesn't suit her character. Her non-hanbok wardrobe? Appalling, but I'll buy into my own story that she seems to have been fairly isolated. It is entirely possible that she thinks pretty colors and things that can be individually cute will work when combined. But the rest? All the women are being murdered by ruffles and feather-type things. The outfits Chan Min's mother wears are a crime against her...she's far too lovely and dignified a lady to be forced to suffer that. AND THE LIPSTICK. Korea, men aren't meant to wear that much lipstick. WOMEN aren't meant to wear as much lipstick as you force your male dorama actors to wear. Only Lee Seo Jin and Oh Ji Ho are manly enough to conquer the lipstick you make them wear, and even they shouldn't have to.
Dong Gyu is probably the nicest kdrama hero I've come across. He has none of the angst/big misunderstanding that's typically used to excuse the hero's being something of a jerk and/or rude to the heroine. In fact, he's visibly smitten with her from the moment they meet, but not in a way that makes him silly or mushy. When's he's angry, demanding or overreacts, there's always (so far) a good reason. He's also amazingly well adjusted, and seems to have a very healthy family life. There's no apparent rivalry between him and Chan Min, both of his aunts, while far from perfect, seem to be good family influences, and while his grandfather may be a bit of a demanding drama queen, he seems to be a good boss and family head altogether. The closest he comes to the typical kdrama hero angst is that he sometimes switches positions with his secretary in public because he gets tired of being the third generation heir.
Then there's Lee Da Hae's Su Ha. I really liked her in My Girl and think she did a great job, but she's come a long way as both a comedienne and an actress since then (which is only natural, as I think My Girl was her first big comic role.) She does both the slapstick and serious parts very well, which is good, since most of the drama of the show is centered around the pressures on her as the family heir. She's been raised to be the perfect traditional daughter, but not to deal with the "real world," something she has to cope with, not to mention her difficult family situation.
Side Note: Maybe someone can help me here: This is my first time encountering the "family heir struggling to hold on to home" trope in a modern context, and I'm a little confused by some things. First of all, Su Ha is apparently the head of the family, but seems to have little control: she makes appearances at the elders' behest, and not only does she have no apparent financial control, but she also seems to be on an allowance, and it doesn't seem that anyone ever checks to see if that's enough. In addition, she seems to have been raised apart from her immediate family, and it also seems that her older brother was passed over as heir in favor of her. The last bit was actually discussed, but since I'm not familiar with the traditions behind it, I'm afraid I didn't understand it as well as I should have(not the shows fault, I'm sure the target audience understands all this perfectly.) If anyone can fill me in on this and a little about the whole clan heir/estate/traditions thing in modern Korea, I'd really appreciate it.
But back to the main event...
I also get a real kick out of the My Girl references. If you haven't seen My Girl, you won't even know a reference is being made, but if you have, they're great. I think the best was when Su Ha cupped her face in Yoo Rin's "totally innocent" way and said "does this look like the face of a liar?" (For anyone reading this who hasn't seen My Girl: Lee Da Hae's character, Yoo Rin, was a compulsive liar. In fact, I think the tagline for the character was "the charming liar" or some such, which she was.) Another thing is that, while I really liked Yoo Rin, the only real problem I had with the character was that she didn't always stand up for herself. While there were valid plot reasons for it, and she was far from spineless, it was incredibly frustrating when she would stand there and let people talk down to her, either implicitly or explicitly. Anytime anyone tries anything with Su Ha, she rips into them right then and there, no matter who they are, and this has actually cut off a few Big Misunderstandings. Sometimes she can take it a bit too far, but I'm perfectly willing to handwave that as her not being overly experienced in the world outside the family estate. Also, I forgot how cute Lee Da Hae is. Not cutesy, like so many of these actresses, but genuinely cute and charming.
I also really, really like Hwa Ran. Now, there may be a bias there, as I almost immediately recognized Yoon Mi Joo, who played by beloved Hussy in Lovers. Hwa Ran is arrogant and seems to have a lot of issues, and somehow, I feel I shouldn't like her as much as I do, yet I love her. She comes across as amazingly cool and collected, and it seems that most of her arrogance comes from confidence and not wanting to be bothered, as opposed to bitchiness. A lot of it probably has to do with Yoon Mi Joo herself. Both Hwa Ran and Hussy are characters who should be immensely unlikable and even villainized, yet both are very likable and appealing, if difficult.
I didn't like Chan Min(note: I keep typing that as "Chin Man"...I'm sorry, Chan Min) at first, but he's starting to grow on me, though I doubt I'll ever like him as much as I do the other three. He seemed really skeevy towards both girls initially, and I still think he deserves a punch for some of his behavior and comments to Hwa Ran in the first two episodes, but he's starting to seem to be more of a nice guy who's also a spoiled brat who can't keep it in his pants than the total creep he initially seemed to be.
The drama is also(so far) devoid of the two biggest things that turn me off so many kdramas: The Love Square Of Doom(especially the complete villainization of at least one party, usually female) and the villainization of parental figures. Su Ha's relationship with her family is strained, but that seems to be from lack of familiarity, not because they're secretly controll freaks, and, as I mentioned before, Dong Gyu's family seems very healthy. In addition, not only is Hwa Ran not remotely being set up and a romantic rival for Su Ha, but NO ONE IS. (This subject to change over the next 13 episodes.) Plus, while Chan Min is currently more interested in Su Ha, it doesn't seem that he's being set up to really fall for her and get his heart broken. Actually, the series seems to be indicating that he and Hwa Ran will eventually hook up. (A potential pairing I'm actually not sure I'll like if it does happen, but we'll see how it goes if the show goes that route.)
Things I don't like:
1. The unreasonable bitchiness of Su Ha's sister. Yes, I get that she's jealous of Su Ha's status, and that it's because she doesn't understand Su Ha, but these levels are just...unreasonable. It's like they felt the need to compensate for not making the secondary female lead evil.
2. Some of the humor is a little too close to "funny because it's humiliating." Lee Da Hae manages to keep it from reaching that part, but why I'm ok with characters being embarassed, or their goofs being played as comedy, I don't like humor that's centered around the humiliation of a character. It's why I dislike most comedy movies, and why I quit watching Himitsu no Hanazuno(sp?) not 40 minutes into the first ep. Fortunately these scenes aren't overly abundant, but there's enough to make me sigh.
3. Dong Gyu's business-like aunt as a sexual harasser. I'm sorry, but a woman grabbing the butts of her male subordinates is no better than a male grabbing the butts of his female subordinates. Yes, they've brought up the fact that it's wrong, and that it is harassment, but there's almost a feeling of "it's not as bad if a woman does it" and supposed comedy element to it. Plus, it's a blemish on an otherwise great character.
4. Su Ha's friend. I normally like the cute/girly BFF's of the heroines in kdramas, but this girl seems to serve no purpose but to keep causing trouble for Su Ha so Dong Gyu can help her.
5. THE FASHION! Now, mind you, we aren't quite to Goong-at-it's-finest moments(Polka dot shirts, I say! Hero wearing girly shorts in dramatic reuinion with heroine, I say!) or even some My Girl moments. Now, I will cheerfully handwave Su Ha's fashion crimes. The little girl pigtails? Lee Da Hae is gorgeous, but she has a very small face, and I suspect doing hairstyles for her is a pain. She looks best with straight, loose hair or a single braid, but that doesn't suit her character. Her non-hanbok wardrobe? Appalling, but I'll buy into my own story that she seems to have been fairly isolated. It is entirely possible that she thinks pretty colors and things that can be individually cute will work when combined. But the rest? All the women are being murdered by ruffles and feather-type things. The outfits Chan Min's mother wears are a crime against her...she's far too lovely and dignified a lady to be forced to suffer that. AND THE LIPSTICK. Korea, men aren't meant to wear that much lipstick. WOMEN aren't meant to wear as much lipstick as you force your male dorama actors to wear. Only Lee Seo Jin and Oh Ji Ho are manly enough to conquer the lipstick you make them wear, and even they shouldn't have to.
I will theoretically gift you with screencaps tomorrow. I spent far too long typing this up.
