POWERFUL OPPONENTS Episode 3: The 27 Year Old Kid
Episode 3: The 27 Year Old Kid
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
In my past reviews, I have said earlier on that I cannot comprehend Soo Ho, our resident bad boy in this drama. He is the handsome president’s son who has deeply ingrained anguish. He remains to be a puzzle we are slowly piecing. The character has a lot of potential to be a very deeply-engaging one. But so far, he is written to be mostly campy and borderline one-dimensional. Lee Jin Wook, a charming and capable of an actor isn’t given with much to work on or chew on . This characterization is the main problem area in Episode 3. This is not a strong episode. I won’t call it an all out bad character layout; he does have his redeeming moments, if only he is fleshed out a bit more than just a writer’s caricature. But the redeeming moments of Soo Ho is what I cling to bit by bit.
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
Today’s episode starts with another action-packed scene that goes on for a few minutes too long again. I do not know if this will be a standard opening for the drama but I feel like they could edit a few parts of their stunts and badadadada action scenes, heh. Maybe it’s a testosterone drive thing? This is a shoot-em-up romance after all. BUT I believe toning it down a notch or two wouldn’t hurt the pacing of the drama.
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
So, we watch Gwang Pil and Young Jin have this crazy car chase with daredevil Soo Ho who can breeze through stairs with his Evil Knievel stunts. Only later to find him eating in a noodle house. Hardcore.
Boxing. Check. Random motorcycle stunts. Check. Sexy, ruffled hair. Check. Naughty smile. Check. Quintessential bad boy, all around. But it’s just not getting to me, or striking some sort of chord, it is hard to relate to nor does it come across as fascinating. It does not even come off as entertaining fare at times. It’s also not despicable enough… it’s just mildly annoying like your kid brother.
Part of the reason is--- we do know he is 27 years-old. He isn’t that much younger than Gwang Pil and Young Jin but he acts like a high school boy who is breaking his mom’s curfew. So we spend most of the episode like Young Jin and Gwang Pil--- dealing with him.
He spends most of his sweet time in the episode trying to get rid of the two bodyguards assigned to him. Like a true test, he focuses his attention to getting rid of Young Jin. The “weaker” one of the two. He calls her in wee hours of the morning to give her a dose of what he’s good at … become the biggest problem you can have.
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
He seems to show some sort of attraction to Young Jin, completely drawn to her little organizer and taunting her by inching close to her face.
Their love angle is still a bit of a slow brew, they do look good together and there is much potential for a bad boy meeting a strong-willed woman. Since bad boys if done right can be the ones we are drawn to like a moth to a flame. Hell, he can be our Mr.Wickham if only he grows up.
The whole pace of the episode is not as crisp and well-paced as the past two. The real character developments did not come in until more than 30 minutes into the episode. The humor wasn’t as charming as the previous ones. There were even some borderline silly moments that seem to be not intended…, the huge burly man chase is totally laughable right now.
BUT BUT BUT…
With all my rants, this whole angle isn’t that bad. Soo Ho’s character may not be such a caricature after all; Lee Jin Wook gives us glimpses of his character’s complexity. He did show force and then later, understated vulnerability when Young Jin finally unleashed her frustrations and spilled her emotions.
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
Chae Rim (THANK YOU!) really keeps you sane when you are watching, it’s like you realize that with all the silliness there is something potentially remarkable amid all this. She is like the constant reminder of that. Her great control in that scene gave me quite an affecting tug.
Actually the episode wasn’t void of emotion, poignancy and even bouts of humor; the little scenes in the episode kind of calmed in terms of expectations in the drama.
1.) The scene when Young Jin’s father holds on to her little shoe, with a sense of guilt and great love for his daughter. I actually really like his character, despite the fact that he often gets himself into trouble and seems to be satisfied by being a washed out dance instructor, the character is easy to love.
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
2.) The constant battle of the wits… or is it just a huge amount of bottled up sexual tension between Darcy and Bridget…err… Gwang Pil and Young Jin. Contrasting in their techniques, wants, and abilities… their chemistry seems to be one of the main draws in the drama.
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
Gwang Pil is so far removed from being your typical leading man, he seems to not possess any sort of sensitivity chip when it comes to Young Jin, and she sees him as one of her major dilemmas. He’s unexciting and mechanical. She’s feisty and filled with emotions---but they just work. He’s far from a romantic but when I catch him just sneaking a quick glance at Young Jin, I squee.
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
Now, Lee Jong Hyuk is not someone I thought I’d ever really like as a leading man or someone I’d really swoon over. I still had flashbacks of Green Rose when I heard he was going to be in this.
But he is just showing his brilliance in this role, he’s got great nuances. In Episode 1, when he watched Young Jin sit there on the steps and cry, we see just a slight change in the way he looked at her… a minor flicker of the eyes but it just changed the whole mood of the scene already. Same goes for his stares at Young Jin in tonight's episode.
And OHMYGAWD, he looks great shirtless… and uhm, he showed real good drama in this scene, but I was too distracted that he was shirtless and just posing like that!
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
Chae Rim (haha! how many times do I have to say I love her) who is showing immense emotional complexity and at the same time, an endearing kind of comedy really brings a good acting match for him.
3.) The final scene. though, I hated the fact that I thought I was being transported to “The Ring” with the whole cheesy, fuzzy TV effect (which I hope they wouldn’t do again… ever), it still had a very strong ending, keeping us on the edge.
The mystery of Soo Ho’s actions may have a deeper meaning to it, or at least I hope so.
When he suddenly heard the violins in his head… what is this all about? What is it that happened to him? What is wrong with him? I am inclined to believe the accident may have affected him mentally, maybe that is part of the reason he is acting like that.
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
His character isn’t beyond redemption; when he shows actual moments that are spirited with emotion rather than a writer’s caricature, he gives me hope.
Overall, even with a few disappointments in the episode, it still redeemed itself. I just hope the writer and the PD remembers that they are handling a romantic-comedy first and foremost. That was their charm in Episode 1. The drama did not pretend to be something that it is not. Its charm is in its heroine and how she reacts to her surroundings and the character interactions. The story is slowly unfolding, I just hope that it really isn’t a 27 year old kid we are dealing with but someone who has anguish not tantrums… someone who will be a real character and not just an archetype.
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
And this scene in the preview is too adorable:
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
In my past reviews, I have said earlier on that I cannot comprehend Soo Ho, our resident bad boy in this drama. He is the handsome president’s son who has deeply ingrained anguish. He remains to be a puzzle we are slowly piecing. The character has a lot of potential to be a very deeply-engaging one. But so far, he is written to be mostly campy and borderline one-dimensional. Lee Jin Wook, a charming and capable of an actor isn’t given with much to work on or chew on . This characterization is the main problem area in Episode 3. This is not a strong episode. I won’t call it an all out bad character layout; he does have his redeeming moments, if only he is fleshed out a bit more than just a writer’s caricature. But the redeeming moments of Soo Ho is what I cling to bit by bit.
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
Today’s episode starts with another action-packed scene that goes on for a few minutes too long again. I do not know if this will be a standard opening for the drama but I feel like they could edit a few parts of their stunts and badadadada action scenes, heh. Maybe it’s a testosterone drive thing? This is a shoot-em-up romance after all. BUT I believe toning it down a notch or two wouldn’t hurt the pacing of the drama.
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
So, we watch Gwang Pil and Young Jin have this crazy car chase with daredevil Soo Ho who can breeze through stairs with his Evil Knievel stunts. Only later to find him eating in a noodle house. Hardcore.
Boxing. Check. Random motorcycle stunts. Check. Sexy, ruffled hair. Check. Naughty smile. Check. Quintessential bad boy, all around. But it’s just not getting to me, or striking some sort of chord, it is hard to relate to nor does it come across as fascinating. It does not even come off as entertaining fare at times. It’s also not despicable enough… it’s just mildly annoying like your kid brother.
Part of the reason is--- we do know he is 27 years-old. He isn’t that much younger than Gwang Pil and Young Jin but he acts like a high school boy who is breaking his mom’s curfew. So we spend most of the episode like Young Jin and Gwang Pil--- dealing with him.
He spends most of his sweet time in the episode trying to get rid of the two bodyguards assigned to him. Like a true test, he focuses his attention to getting rid of Young Jin. The “weaker” one of the two. He calls her in wee hours of the morning to give her a dose of what he’s good at … become the biggest problem you can have.
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
He seems to show some sort of attraction to Young Jin, completely drawn to her little organizer and taunting her by inching close to her face.
Their love angle is still a bit of a slow brew, they do look good together and there is much potential for a bad boy meeting a strong-willed woman. Since bad boys if done right can be the ones we are drawn to like a moth to a flame. Hell, he can be our Mr.Wickham if only he grows up.
The whole pace of the episode is not as crisp and well-paced as the past two. The real character developments did not come in until more than 30 minutes into the episode. The humor wasn’t as charming as the previous ones. There were even some borderline silly moments that seem to be not intended…, the huge burly man chase is totally laughable right now.
BUT BUT BUT…
With all my rants, this whole angle isn’t that bad. Soo Ho’s character may not be such a caricature after all; Lee Jin Wook gives us glimpses of his character’s complexity. He did show force and then later, understated vulnerability when Young Jin finally unleashed her frustrations and spilled her emotions.
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
Chae Rim (THANK YOU!) really keeps you sane when you are watching, it’s like you realize that with all the silliness there is something potentially remarkable amid all this. She is like the constant reminder of that. Her great control in that scene gave me quite an affecting tug.
Actually the episode wasn’t void of emotion, poignancy and even bouts of humor; the little scenes in the episode kind of calmed in terms of expectations in the drama.
1.) The scene when Young Jin’s father holds on to her little shoe, with a sense of guilt and great love for his daughter. I actually really like his character, despite the fact that he often gets himself into trouble and seems to be satisfied by being a washed out dance instructor, the character is easy to love.
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
2.) The constant battle of the wits… or is it just a huge amount of bottled up sexual tension between Darcy and Bridget…err… Gwang Pil and Young Jin. Contrasting in their techniques, wants, and abilities… their chemistry seems to be one of the main draws in the drama.
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
Gwang Pil is so far removed from being your typical leading man, he seems to not possess any sort of sensitivity chip when it comes to Young Jin, and she sees him as one of her major dilemmas. He’s unexciting and mechanical. She’s feisty and filled with emotions---but they just work. He’s far from a romantic but when I catch him just sneaking a quick glance at Young Jin, I squee.
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
Now, Lee Jong Hyuk is not someone I thought I’d ever really like as a leading man or someone I’d really swoon over. I still had flashbacks of Green Rose when I heard he was going to be in this.
But he is just showing his brilliance in this role, he’s got great nuances. In Episode 1, when he watched Young Jin sit there on the steps and cry, we see just a slight change in the way he looked at her… a minor flicker of the eyes but it just changed the whole mood of the scene already. Same goes for his stares at Young Jin in tonight's episode.
And OHMYGAWD, he looks great shirtless… and uhm, he showed real good drama in this scene, but I was too distracted that he was shirtless and just posing like that!
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
Chae Rim (haha! how many times do I have to say I love her) who is showing immense emotional complexity and at the same time, an endearing kind of comedy really brings a good acting match for him.
3.) The final scene. though, I hated the fact that I thought I was being transported to “The Ring” with the whole cheesy, fuzzy TV effect (which I hope they wouldn’t do again… ever), it still had a very strong ending, keeping us on the edge.
The mystery of Soo Ho’s actions may have a deeper meaning to it, or at least I hope so.
When he suddenly heard the violins in his head… what is this all about? What is it that happened to him? What is wrong with him? I am inclined to believe the accident may have affected him mentally, maybe that is part of the reason he is acting like that.
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
His character isn’t beyond redemption; when he shows actual moments that are spirited with emotion rather than a writer’s caricature, he gives me hope.
Overall, even with a few disappointments in the episode, it still redeemed itself. I just hope the writer and the PD remembers that they are handling a romantic-comedy first and foremost. That was their charm in Episode 1. The drama did not pretend to be something that it is not. Its charm is in its heroine and how she reacts to her surroundings and the character interactions. The story is slowly unfolding, I just hope that it really isn’t a 27 year old kid we are dealing with but someone who has anguish not tantrums… someone who will be a real character and not just an archetype.
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image
And this scene in the preview is too adorable:
Reduced: 80% of original size [ 640 x 352 ] - Click to view full image