The Vineyard Man 1: Everyone dreams of being on HSN
Another installment of recaps from a random drama that no one has really seen. This time: THE VINEYARD MAN.
I'm going to go ahead and put this out there: Vineyard Man is anything but brilliant. It's your standard rom-com storyline of the city girl sent to the countryside and the farmhand she falls in love with. I'm not spoiling anything here. The production values are low, the plot is weak, and I'll completely understand if you don't care for it. I, however, find it infinitely charming. Yoon Eun Hye and Oh Man Seok are both funny and touching in turn and just have lovely chemistry. They hold this mess together with sheer willpower and charisma. I love it and I hope you do to.
Bear with me for at least the first three episodes. The first two are like the exhaust that pours out of an old engine when you start it up. Let it clear and see if you like it then.
Introductions! Lee Ji Hyun is a 26 year-old part timer with dreams of becoming a fashion designer. When we first see her she is gazing longingly at a designer dress. It's beautiful, and perfect, and so far out of her price range. She can only wear it in her fantasies and dream of the good life, but she can take pictures of it with her camera phone. The sales clerk doesn't appreciate that, and sends her on her way.
You'll find that Ji Hyun is prone to fantasies. Sometimes they are even metaphorical. All other women have a head start on her in the RACE OF LIFE. They are talented, pretty, and smart. She's not really any of those things, and even when she sprints ahead the giant rubberband of fate snaps her back. MEANINGFUL.
Ji Hyun returns to the store with her friend and a plan. The sales clerk scoffs at her, but Ji Hyun (very slowly) signs the reciept for the $3,500 dress. Her friend is very excited about the joint custody possibilities of the dress. Time to get a man!
Ji Hyun has other plans though. She is going to take the dress apart to see how it works. Designer dresses have a different feel from the crap they normally buy, and she needs to understand that if she is going to be able to create something similar. Her friend is horrified, but then relieved and amazed when Ji Hyun puts it all back together again, perfectly.
Meanwhile, across town her mother realizes that her credit card is missing. The jig is up!
Taek Gi is pulling into Seoul with her truck full of grapes and notices a girl on the side of the road having some trouble with her suitcases. Being a nice guy, albeit clueless, he insists on giving her a ride. She's a little creeped out, but goes along with it.
With the newly assembled dress, Ji Hyun goes back to the store to return it and get her money back. They have some lame sob story about how she needs the money to pay for her mother's chemo, but the clerk is more interested in finding a flaw in the dress.
Sure enough, there is one. One ramen noodle courtesy of her moron friend.
Which mean, Ji Hyun now has a debt of $3,500 that her mother isn't exactly pleased about. Understandable.
Taek Gi's passenger is getting more wierded out by the second, which I get, but you didn't have to get in the truck with the guy you've never met before. Taek Gi thinks she is looking for the lever to adjust her seat and goes in to show her. That's the last straw and she freaks out.
Taek Gi still doesn't understand the problem, but he goes on his way.
Back at home, Ji Hyun is still getting reamed by her mother. Her dad tries to step in and pay off the debt, but Ji Hyun's mom won't have it. Ji Hyun will have to pay for her mistake.
The next day Ji Hyun stops by a coffee shop before work to find that all the men in line can't take their eyes off of her. Convinced it's her beauty, Ji Hyun smiles demurely.
Then, the object of her first crush and the man she turned down all date offers for walks in. Kyung Min.
He then takes his sweet ass time informing her of the reason all the men are staring.
Horrified, Ji Hyun makes a hasty exit and heads straight for the bathroom. She calls her friend who berates her for not getting Kyung Min's phone number, but when she returns he is gone.
It's back to work. Ji Hyun is a temp at a designer. She's the office monkey responsible for coffee and toner, but she loves it.
The visual is kind of lost in cap, but her chair sinks whenever she sits in it. She dreams of one day having the corner office and bitching at her assistants.
Before that, though, her design has to be chosen from all the submissions by employees. If she wins, then she can become a full-time employee.
DESIGN MONTAGE
Just a quick note here. Stuff like this:
DRIVES ME INSANE. I hate crap like that. If you are over the age of 14 don't own anything that has Looney Tunes or Mickey Mouse on it. It's so white trash. I may be unreasonable about this, but I really just can't stand it. Okay, back to the plot.
Ji Hyun finally finishes her design, which her boss admires in passing. Hmm, if you smell trouble you are right.
Ji Hyun wants to get people's reactions to her outfit, so she wears it out to the club. Which is a stupid idea, because you are just asking for something to happen when you do that. Plus, that's like ALL silk. There will be no cleaning it.
Oh ho ho, boss lady is there. This can't end well.
What follows next is a really bizarre sequence of the women on the dance floor spinning Ji Hyun around and feeling her outfit all the while mouthing things like "Where did you get that", etc.
Ji Hyun makes a hasty exit when they get a little too feely. Ignoring the fact she was just assaulted on the dance floor by four women, Ji Hyun is far more excited that they liked her clothes. Success! I guess?...
With this reaction she is one step closer to living her dream. Her dream of BEING ON THE HOME SHOPPING NETWORK.
Oh to be so lucky. Now, I know you can make a lot of money off of those channels, but as a designer wouldn't your aim be for your own show or something?
Then, the bubble is burst and when her friend leaves, Ji Hyun gets pulled into a bathroom by two goons.
She's terrified and the whole scene is so out of place in the entire scheme of this show it doesn't really work. It's a little dark in comparison to everything that follows, but it's a means to an end.
They strip off her clothes and make their getaway.
Ji Hyun calls the police and scares the next guy that happens to walk into the bathroom.
Time passes and she dresses herself in what I believe is a newspaper and calls the cops again. It's been a few hours and they still haven't showed.
Taek Gi happens to be walking into the bathroom at the same time mumbling "I am almost there" to whoever he is speaking with. Mistaking him for a police officer, Ji Hyun hangs up and calls out to him.
Not thinking they are speaking to him, Taek Gi ignores the disembodied voice and continues on with his business. Desperate at this point, Ji Hyun exits her stall and begins removing his shirt.
Then the pants! They tangle and, of course, end up on the floor when the real police walk in
Things don't look good for Take Gi at this point.
Meanwhile, Ji Hyun's great-uncle is in town for a visit and wants to speak with her. No one knows where she is though. They just assume she is working late getting her design ready.
Taek Gi tries to plead his case to anyone that will listen. He really has no idea what is going on, why some girl tried to steal his pants, and why he is being arrested for assault.
The cops have a pretty good idea of how it all went down:
Taek Gi insists that isn't what happened, but no one is really interested in listening to him. Ji Hyun just wants to leave because she needs to remake her entire outfit by morning.
Back at the house, her great-uncle announces that he wants to give Ji Hyun his vineyard. She must first come and live and work the farm for a year. There are dollar signs in her parents eyes.
More concerned with her design than the man she had falsely arrested, Ji Hyun calls her friend to go buy fabric.
The detective tries to get the story out of Ji Hyun but she keeps just asking to leave. It was at this point that I almost turned this show off because she was just being so selfish. Maybe she did think that Taek Gi was trying to take advantage of her situation, but if she did then she never mentioned it. All she cared about was leaving.
Finally, the truth comes out when the detectives ask her what happened to her clothes. She says she doesn't know and she wishes they would go out and find the guys that took them.
There is a beat, and both the detectives turn to her.
OH, SO IT WENT DOWN LIKE THIS:
Taek Gi jumps in at that, because for him that is a far closer version to what actually happened. It's Ji Hyun's turn to answer a few questions:
That's the end of Episode One. Stay tuned.
Vineyard Man Screencap Spotlight #1
(In which I choose a cap from the episode of Yoon Eun Hye being adorable. I can't wait until we get to the vineyard and I can use pics of her in her farming clothes. Suspenders, flowered pants, and pigtails!)
ETA: MOOD THEME SUCCESS.
I'm going to go ahead and put this out there: Vineyard Man is anything but brilliant. It's your standard rom-com storyline of the city girl sent to the countryside and the farmhand she falls in love with. I'm not spoiling anything here. The production values are low, the plot is weak, and I'll completely understand if you don't care for it. I, however, find it infinitely charming. Yoon Eun Hye and Oh Man Seok are both funny and touching in turn and just have lovely chemistry. They hold this mess together with sheer willpower and charisma. I love it and I hope you do to.
Bear with me for at least the first three episodes. The first two are like the exhaust that pours out of an old engine when you start it up. Let it clear and see if you like it then.
Introductions! Lee Ji Hyun is a 26 year-old part timer with dreams of becoming a fashion designer. When we first see her she is gazing longingly at a designer dress. It's beautiful, and perfect, and so far out of her price range. She can only wear it in her fantasies and dream of the good life, but she can take pictures of it with her camera phone. The sales clerk doesn't appreciate that, and sends her on her way.
You'll find that Ji Hyun is prone to fantasies. Sometimes they are even metaphorical. All other women have a head start on her in the RACE OF LIFE. They are talented, pretty, and smart. She's not really any of those things, and even when she sprints ahead the giant rubberband of fate snaps her back. MEANINGFUL.
Ji Hyun returns to the store with her friend and a plan. The sales clerk scoffs at her, but Ji Hyun (very slowly) signs the reciept for the $3,500 dress. Her friend is very excited about the joint custody possibilities of the dress. Time to get a man!
Ji Hyun has other plans though. She is going to take the dress apart to see how it works. Designer dresses have a different feel from the crap they normally buy, and she needs to understand that if she is going to be able to create something similar. Her friend is horrified, but then relieved and amazed when Ji Hyun puts it all back together again, perfectly.
Meanwhile, across town her mother realizes that her credit card is missing. The jig is up!
Taek Gi is pulling into Seoul with her truck full of grapes and notices a girl on the side of the road having some trouble with her suitcases. Being a nice guy, albeit clueless, he insists on giving her a ride. She's a little creeped out, but goes along with it.
With the newly assembled dress, Ji Hyun goes back to the store to return it and get her money back. They have some lame sob story about how she needs the money to pay for her mother's chemo, but the clerk is more interested in finding a flaw in the dress.
Sure enough, there is one. One ramen noodle courtesy of her moron friend.
Which mean, Ji Hyun now has a debt of $3,500 that her mother isn't exactly pleased about. Understandable.
Taek Gi's passenger is getting more wierded out by the second, which I get, but you didn't have to get in the truck with the guy you've never met before. Taek Gi thinks she is looking for the lever to adjust her seat and goes in to show her. That's the last straw and she freaks out.
Taek Gi still doesn't understand the problem, but he goes on his way.
Back at home, Ji Hyun is still getting reamed by her mother. Her dad tries to step in and pay off the debt, but Ji Hyun's mom won't have it. Ji Hyun will have to pay for her mistake.
The next day Ji Hyun stops by a coffee shop before work to find that all the men in line can't take their eyes off of her. Convinced it's her beauty, Ji Hyun smiles demurely.
Then, the object of her first crush and the man she turned down all date offers for walks in. Kyung Min.
He then takes his sweet ass time informing her of the reason all the men are staring.
Horrified, Ji Hyun makes a hasty exit and heads straight for the bathroom. She calls her friend who berates her for not getting Kyung Min's phone number, but when she returns he is gone.
It's back to work. Ji Hyun is a temp at a designer. She's the office monkey responsible for coffee and toner, but she loves it.
The visual is kind of lost in cap, but her chair sinks whenever she sits in it. She dreams of one day having the corner office and bitching at her assistants.
Before that, though, her design has to be chosen from all the submissions by employees. If she wins, then she can become a full-time employee.
DESIGN MONTAGE
Just a quick note here. Stuff like this:
DRIVES ME INSANE. I hate crap like that. If you are over the age of 14 don't own anything that has Looney Tunes or Mickey Mouse on it. It's so white trash. I may be unreasonable about this, but I really just can't stand it. Okay, back to the plot.
Ji Hyun finally finishes her design, which her boss admires in passing. Hmm, if you smell trouble you are right.
Ji Hyun wants to get people's reactions to her outfit, so she wears it out to the club. Which is a stupid idea, because you are just asking for something to happen when you do that. Plus, that's like ALL silk. There will be no cleaning it.
Oh ho ho, boss lady is there. This can't end well.
What follows next is a really bizarre sequence of the women on the dance floor spinning Ji Hyun around and feeling her outfit all the while mouthing things like "Where did you get that", etc.
Ji Hyun makes a hasty exit when they get a little too feely. Ignoring the fact she was just assaulted on the dance floor by four women, Ji Hyun is far more excited that they liked her clothes. Success! I guess?...
With this reaction she is one step closer to living her dream. Her dream of BEING ON THE HOME SHOPPING NETWORK.
Oh to be so lucky. Now, I know you can make a lot of money off of those channels, but as a designer wouldn't your aim be for your own show or something?
Then, the bubble is burst and when her friend leaves, Ji Hyun gets pulled into a bathroom by two goons.
She's terrified and the whole scene is so out of place in the entire scheme of this show it doesn't really work. It's a little dark in comparison to everything that follows, but it's a means to an end.
They strip off her clothes and make their getaway.
Ji Hyun calls the police and scares the next guy that happens to walk into the bathroom.
Time passes and she dresses herself in what I believe is a newspaper and calls the cops again. It's been a few hours and they still haven't showed.
Taek Gi happens to be walking into the bathroom at the same time mumbling "I am almost there" to whoever he is speaking with. Mistaking him for a police officer, Ji Hyun hangs up and calls out to him.
Not thinking they are speaking to him, Taek Gi ignores the disembodied voice and continues on with his business. Desperate at this point, Ji Hyun exits her stall and begins removing his shirt.
Then the pants! They tangle and, of course, end up on the floor when the real police walk in
Things don't look good for Take Gi at this point.
Meanwhile, Ji Hyun's great-uncle is in town for a visit and wants to speak with her. No one knows where she is though. They just assume she is working late getting her design ready.
Taek Gi tries to plead his case to anyone that will listen. He really has no idea what is going on, why some girl tried to steal his pants, and why he is being arrested for assault.
The cops have a pretty good idea of how it all went down:
Taek Gi insists that isn't what happened, but no one is really interested in listening to him. Ji Hyun just wants to leave because she needs to remake her entire outfit by morning.
Back at the house, her great-uncle announces that he wants to give Ji Hyun his vineyard. She must first come and live and work the farm for a year. There are dollar signs in her parents eyes.
More concerned with her design than the man she had falsely arrested, Ji Hyun calls her friend to go buy fabric.
The detective tries to get the story out of Ji Hyun but she keeps just asking to leave. It was at this point that I almost turned this show off because she was just being so selfish. Maybe she did think that Taek Gi was trying to take advantage of her situation, but if she did then she never mentioned it. All she cared about was leaving.
Finally, the truth comes out when the detectives ask her what happened to her clothes. She says she doesn't know and she wishes they would go out and find the guys that took them.
There is a beat, and both the detectives turn to her.
OH, SO IT WENT DOWN LIKE THIS:
Taek Gi jumps in at that, because for him that is a far closer version to what actually happened. It's Ji Hyun's turn to answer a few questions:
That's the end of Episode One. Stay tuned.
Vineyard Man Screencap Spotlight #1
(In which I choose a cap from the episode of Yoon Eun Hye being adorable. I can't wait until we get to the vineyard and I can use pics of her in her farming clothes. Suspenders, flowered pants, and pigtails!)
ETA: MOOD THEME SUCCESS.