mawang (the devil) ; episode 10 and thoughts
so it's been a while since i last watched the devil (sadly /cries) but i finally picked it up again today. and wow. this drama just gets better and better and goes deeper and deeper with each episode.
the thing that makes mawang stand out to me as a drama is that it's not afraid to delve into darker topics and themes. guilt, paranoia, mistrust, self-doubt, and humanity are all expressed in each episode. for me, this episode was really the kicker so far.
thoughts on seungha:
first of all, can i just say that joo jihoon is gorgeous/amazing/flawless in this drama? there's this quiet energy that kind of simmers on the surface of his body, calm smiles and even expressions. this, to be honest, scared the hell out of me in the beginning, because it made him seem like a cold-blooded killer. however, though he portrays seungha as someone who can be extremely cruel and evilly brilliant, he shows humanity within seungha's conscious. the scenes shot in seungha's apartment, in which he mediates and continually reminds himself why he's enacting such a revenge plan, show his loneliness and the way that he's torn between his conscious and his selfish desires. seungha's guilt is shown in the scene where he speaks with sora's mom, an innocent lady who he dragged into this conflict and used her to kill one of his targets, when she states the distress of her mental state because of the accidental murder she committed. she breaks down and says she "hates him," whoever gave her the weapon and the temptation to use it. joo jihoon's use of body language, the stiffness of his posture, the downcast eyes that can't meet hers, portrays the internal conflict seungha possesses. i especially loved the scene where he goes to the church to confess his sins, but ultimately ends up walking out saying nothing. there's so many layers to seungha, the cruel wickedness of his revenge plot to the way he cannot bring himself to open up to haein because he believes he doesn't deserve to have someone that loves him. he's presented as not merely a inhumane villain and rather as human, someone who continually struggles with want and righteousness. basically, he's screwed up because of the murder of his brother that keeps him living in the past, unable to move forward.
thoughts on haein:
the casting in this drama just splays my feels all over the place. shin minah really fits this role to a t, just every smile and the gentle concern she has for both the sinner, seungha, and the cop who wishes to reform, ohsoo, really eases up the tension that builds up in the drama. haein provides a shelter and support beam for both seungha and ohsoo. with ohsoo, she reassures him and acts as a guide. she helps him from destroying himself by his lack of self-confidence and over thinking tendencies. however, her relationship with seungha is just really intriguing to me. though she doesn't realize it, she makes seungha feel both better and worse. better in the sense that her bright nature cheers him up and worse in the sense that he feels that he doesn't deserve to be with someone so kind, so good, as her. what kills me most is that haein, despite her affections for him, doesn't push him to anything and remains patient with him. and have i mentioned the off-the-charts chemistry shin minah and joo jihoon have with each other?
thoughts on ohsoo:
personally, i think ohsoo is really adorable and precious. he's awkward (especially around haein), gets jealous easily (especially when haein hangs out with seungha), likes to be right, and just one of those people who are so just and righteous that they make you feel guilty about yourself. however, the best part about ohsoo is that you realize that he had the willpower to reform himself after his mishap murder as a high-schooler. ohsoo's shame for his attitude in the past and the shame he has for his former impulsive actions lead to him questioning a lot of things and doubting himself. if i had to describe him in three words, i'd choose passionate, unpremeditated, and focused. he's extremely devoted to his police work and cares deeply for the people close to him and would do anything for them. however, he often acts without thinking i.e nailing suspicious suspects against walls and grabbing them by collars to yell in their faces. ohsoo's focus in what he does leads him to these intense, rash actions as well as exhibiting confusion and doubt when he turns out to be wrong. i feel like the guilt ohsoo has of his past makes him stronger at times, but weaker in the sense that it sometimes makes him wonder "why am i where i am now when i committed such an atrocity?" uhm taewoong is just a powerhouse in depicting these conflicting emotions within ohsoo, and i consider him the anchor out of the three main characters.
thoughts on sukjin & sunki:
ugh, watching these two is like watching a car crash happen in slow motion, especially in sukjin's case. why did you have to get into a relationship with your boss's wife? sunki really expresses the stagnant nature that some possess, that no matter how many bad things one does may teach them no lessons. sukjin's ultimately is just destroying himself. however, putting these two together (having sunki be the one to first see/know sukjin's "girlfriend" and having him put together the pieces that they're committing adultery) is just really dynamic. they're high school friends who don't seem to really get along, probably never really did get along. so, sunki has no guilt on having something to hold over sukjin, one of the people who continually look down on him for being so low-class. sukjin expresses paranoia and mistrust in his interactions with sunki, often stumbling with excuses and performing abrupt actions to save himself.
what's most fascinating about mawang is that all the main characters are so messed up/conflicted because of one event from the past that connects them all. the different reactions to the murder led to the people they have presently become. however, i'm curious to see how far seungha will take his revenge plan, especially since it seems like he wants someone to stop him by sending tarot cards and warnings each time a crime is about to take place.
the thing that makes mawang stand out to me as a drama is that it's not afraid to delve into darker topics and themes. guilt, paranoia, mistrust, self-doubt, and humanity are all expressed in each episode. for me, this episode was really the kicker so far.
thoughts on seungha:
first of all, can i just say that joo jihoon is gorgeous/amazing/flawless in this drama? there's this quiet energy that kind of simmers on the surface of his body, calm smiles and even expressions. this, to be honest, scared the hell out of me in the beginning, because it made him seem like a cold-blooded killer. however, though he portrays seungha as someone who can be extremely cruel and evilly brilliant, he shows humanity within seungha's conscious. the scenes shot in seungha's apartment, in which he mediates and continually reminds himself why he's enacting such a revenge plan, show his loneliness and the way that he's torn between his conscious and his selfish desires. seungha's guilt is shown in the scene where he speaks with sora's mom, an innocent lady who he dragged into this conflict and used her to kill one of his targets, when she states the distress of her mental state because of the accidental murder she committed. she breaks down and says she "hates him," whoever gave her the weapon and the temptation to use it. joo jihoon's use of body language, the stiffness of his posture, the downcast eyes that can't meet hers, portrays the internal conflict seungha possesses. i especially loved the scene where he goes to the church to confess his sins, but ultimately ends up walking out saying nothing. there's so many layers to seungha, the cruel wickedness of his revenge plot to the way he cannot bring himself to open up to haein because he believes he doesn't deserve to have someone that loves him. he's presented as not merely a inhumane villain and rather as human, someone who continually struggles with want and righteousness. basically, he's screwed up because of the murder of his brother that keeps him living in the past, unable to move forward.
thoughts on haein:
the casting in this drama just splays my feels all over the place. shin minah really fits this role to a t, just every smile and the gentle concern she has for both the sinner, seungha, and the cop who wishes to reform, ohsoo, really eases up the tension that builds up in the drama. haein provides a shelter and support beam for both seungha and ohsoo. with ohsoo, she reassures him and acts as a guide. she helps him from destroying himself by his lack of self-confidence and over thinking tendencies. however, her relationship with seungha is just really intriguing to me. though she doesn't realize it, she makes seungha feel both better and worse. better in the sense that her bright nature cheers him up and worse in the sense that he feels that he doesn't deserve to be with someone so kind, so good, as her. what kills me most is that haein, despite her affections for him, doesn't push him to anything and remains patient with him. and have i mentioned the off-the-charts chemistry shin minah and joo jihoon have with each other?
thoughts on ohsoo:
personally, i think ohsoo is really adorable and precious. he's awkward (especially around haein), gets jealous easily (especially when haein hangs out with seungha), likes to be right, and just one of those people who are so just and righteous that they make you feel guilty about yourself. however, the best part about ohsoo is that you realize that he had the willpower to reform himself after his mishap murder as a high-schooler. ohsoo's shame for his attitude in the past and the shame he has for his former impulsive actions lead to him questioning a lot of things and doubting himself. if i had to describe him in three words, i'd choose passionate, unpremeditated, and focused. he's extremely devoted to his police work and cares deeply for the people close to him and would do anything for them. however, he often acts without thinking i.e nailing suspicious suspects against walls and grabbing them by collars to yell in their faces. ohsoo's focus in what he does leads him to these intense, rash actions as well as exhibiting confusion and doubt when he turns out to be wrong. i feel like the guilt ohsoo has of his past makes him stronger at times, but weaker in the sense that it sometimes makes him wonder "why am i where i am now when i committed such an atrocity?" uhm taewoong is just a powerhouse in depicting these conflicting emotions within ohsoo, and i consider him the anchor out of the three main characters.
thoughts on sukjin & sunki:
ugh, watching these two is like watching a car crash happen in slow motion, especially in sukjin's case. why did you have to get into a relationship with your boss's wife? sunki really expresses the stagnant nature that some possess, that no matter how many bad things one does may teach them no lessons. sukjin's ultimately is just destroying himself. however, putting these two together (having sunki be the one to first see/know sukjin's "girlfriend" and having him put together the pieces that they're committing adultery) is just really dynamic. they're high school friends who don't seem to really get along, probably never really did get along. so, sunki has no guilt on having something to hold over sukjin, one of the people who continually look down on him for being so low-class. sukjin expresses paranoia and mistrust in his interactions with sunki, often stumbling with excuses and performing abrupt actions to save himself.
what's most fascinating about mawang is that all the main characters are so messed up/conflicted because of one event from the past that connects them all. the different reactions to the murder led to the people they have presently become. however, i'm curious to see how far seungha will take his revenge plan, especially since it seems like he wants someone to stop him by sending tarot cards and warnings each time a crime is about to take place.