My Girl must rule the world
Yes, I have Battlestar Galactica thoughts. One word: awesome. For longer review, tune in later in the weekend.
I am on episode 5 of My Girl and yes, it's better than Full House. It's even better than Goong!
First off, Gong-chan/Yu-rin/Jung-woo are totally an OT3. I think they should move somewhere very liberal and live in eternal bliss. Because, OMG! Much as I ship Ging-chan/Yu-rin (and I do I do I do I do. They are one of my all time OTPs), there is nothing as glee-inducing as the scene of the three of them together in that bar! Jung-woo and Gong-chan are talking about Gong-chan's ex now back-together gf and doing their guy fun, and then Gong-chan sees Yu-rin to which Jung-woo points out he called her because 'she's fun. You know, you are not the most fun guy in the world.' And then I am madly in love and squee like a maniac, when the three of them are at the bar, drinking together, and teasing each other and Gong-chan and Jung-woo are bickering back and forth about control issues (Gong-chan's) and womanizing (Jung-woo's) and it's just much too fun. And then they end playing pool. By playing, I mean Yu-Rin wipes the floor with both of them. It's just PERFECT.
I just love that all the relationships are interesting in this one. Not just the OTP, but the guy friendship (OMG, if this was a mainstream US show, there would be SO MUCH slash written on this. Hello, squash match!), and all the familial relationships, and even the comic relief ships like the aunt and the family servant (My Girl WINS AT LIFE for that gorgeous, tongue in cheek 'Umbrellas of Cherbourg' reference. And yes, that movie IS amazing btw).
My favorite character? Yu-Rin. It's interesting because in Korean doramas, I usually fall madly for the heroines, which is not something I ever do elsewhere. In the other doramas (or shows or movies or whatever), I might love the heroine but my POV, and the character I root for most, is the lead guy (the one exception is Mars where I love Qi-Luo and Ling equally). But not in the Korean doramas. Oh, make no mistake, I love the male leads in them, but it's the girl who becomes my POV.
And Yu-Rin is such a darling. She is clever and not too concerned with conventions, but she is really good-hearted and she's had a rough life. After all, watch how she is quietly being good to Gong-chan. When Sae-Hyun (his ex) is about to leave and Gong-chan is sitting there, frozen, not sure what to say or do, she tells him she is going to fix it, and she honks his car horn and Sae-Hyun sees it and doesn't go away and Gong-chan gets out of the car and there is hugging and they are back together (but the look on Yu-Rin's face! It's clear she's fallen for Gong-chan herself). Or later, when the family is celebrating her fake bday and Gong-chan invited Sae-hyun but they don't want to see her, it's Yu-Rin, who gets them to get her to come in.
And I love that Gong-chan appreciates it. And OMG, I love how he sort of unconsciously tries to make up to her for her lack in childhood. When she casually mentions she never went on a school trip because she and her Dad had to go on the lam the night before, he all of sudden goes 'let's go on a trip now!' And goes to buy 'trip appropriate' food. And when he finds out she doesn't know when her real bday is, he thinks to himself it was horrible of him to ask her to celebrate a fake bday.
The thing is, if I love Yu-Rin, I adore Gong-chan. He is just such a good guy. And he is also that rarity among dorama heroes: mature and grown-up and comfortable in his own skin. I just love love that. He doesn't have growing up left to do. He is a bit serious and I think that tendency only got much worse after all the stuff two years ago, but he is not a stick in the mud. And his issues, are both normal and understandable: two years ago, both his parents died in a car crash and that caused his Grandfather to collapse, and the business was very bad as well so it was all at once and horrible. But he is not PTSDing about it, and he actually tells Yu-Rin about it, rather steadily but not with any self-pity. And OMG, when he just mentions that he's never gotten used to it (his parents being gone) but he still feels like they are just away on a trip? But he is not weeping or anything but quiet. OMG. I love him.
But that is why he is so desperate about his Grandfather. He doesn't want to go through the loss again. And I just love the scene of his finding Yu-Rin on the street, and he is desperate, and he asks her to pose as the Granddaughter and he is so distraught (the Grandpa is about to die). And OMG, the look on his face when she tells him she won't do it (later) and you seem him at Grandpa's bedside about to tell she hasn't been found and then Yu-Rin steps in (and I love that she does it because she keeps remembering how distraught Gong-chan was).
And then he cries by his Grandfather's bedside. OMG.
I also love how she goes to fetch some coffee and when she comes back, she's passed out asleep, still sitting up and she looks at him and thinks he looks cool even asleep, no leaning or drooling :)
Gong-chan is so cool and unflappable and hot. But you know what's the best thing? His understated sense of humor. He is always so amused by Yu-Rin and it totally checking out her reactions (just notice his reaction when he hears her extacy about the size of her room). And he is always relaxed when she is around. And he loves teasing her. And they can get under each other's skin. Heeee. Love her mentioning Sae-Hyun (before she knows they were exes) and how the person ditched by her should be so miserable, he wouldn't even be able to drink water, and he retorts, all defensive that he doesn't know about that. He can drink water, and liquor and even eat meat :P
And OMG, when she falls in the bathroom and hurts herself, so he goes in and 'sees everything' ROFL. And then he carries her to the car, wrapped in a blanket. And on the way back, she asks him 'did you see?' and he replies 'It was impossible not to' to which she retorts he should have lied so he goes 'Fine, I didn't see anything' and her response? 'Should have said so at first, and saved face for me.' His reaction? 'I don't lie' to which she tells him he should so then he leans over and goes 'it [her body I assume] was totally awesome and now I am really into you' and she just glares at him goes 'Nope. Just average. See, that's a good lie.' :P
Then there is the scene where they get lost in the mountains and more teasing and OMG, she wraps a muff around his neck as if to mock him for all the scarves he wears. And he is actually having a blast in that village and she takes a picture with her camera and you see her fall for him (she was alrady, gradually).
And of course, he really likes her too. He has a good time with her around, and she is fun, and he is totally impressed by her spirit. I love it when he snaps at her when she pretends to Sae-Hyun to get SH out of jam, that she should have stayed put. It's because he is so worried for her. And watch him nip the servant's inquiries about her in the bud.
And the looks they give each other? OMG.
And when he leaves at at the 63 bldg because he has to go to SH and he feels so guilty later he can't even knock on her door and apologize (and I love that YR is annoyed but she is much more of a tough person that Ji-Eun in Full House so she is hurt but I don't feel as devastated for her).
And we also find out what caused the break between him and Sae-Hyun. Two years ago, when all this happened (and it must have been AWFUL), she just walked out with no notice to go to her tennis thing and hasn't contacted him since. No wonder that even after Gong-chan takes her back (and I love that he is quietly bitter with her when she first tries to get him back, telling her 'You abandoned me'), Jung-Woo cuts her. (And for once, Jung-woo is completely serious. She tells him: "I am glad to see you, it's been a long time" and he doesn't even stop but continues walking as he tells her "It's been too long a time for me to be glad.") And then he points out to Gong-chan if he was still crazy about SH, Jung-Woo's coldness won't matter. And then later quips 'fine, tell her to come here. I'll welcome her with one open arm.' LOVE LOVE LOVE.
That's the thing with Sae-Hyun. She is not awful, but she is completely selfish. It's not even that she abandoned Gong-chan at the worst time in his life. Fine, she has her own dreams (though I'd hope, whatever your gender, someone you love is worth a sacrifice). It's the fact, she didn't even tell him. And why? Because she thought she'd feel horrible if she saw him when he was that devastated. And then she didn't contact him because she was afraid he'd be angry. It's all about what she wanted and about her not feeling guilty or bad, not about helping Gong-chan or making it better for him. Just as when she comes back, she doesn't feel guilty, she just feels bad she lost him. Ugh. It's quite a contrast with Yu-Rin, who does put people she cares about ahead of herself: her father, Gong-chan (when she honks that horn and thus saves his relationship with someone else other than herself).
One of the things I really love about My Girl is that all the characters are well-rounded and interesting. Even someone like SH is an interesting character in her own right. And you know what? I don't hate her in the least, even though I think what she did was unforgivable and Gong-chan's family and his best friend (Jung-woo) are completely right to be cold her.
But you know who I also love? Jung-Woo. I love that he is perceptive enough to tell Yu-Rin is crushing on someone (and the more she denies it, the more sure he is) but of course he doesn;t know it's Gong-chan because he thinks they are cousins. I love her initial mistake, thinking he is a gigolo and telling him 'I am sorry, I can't afford a gigolo' and how he is so totally amused. And he does take her to see a view of Seoul after thr 63 building with Gong-chan falls through and tries to put trademark moves on her but it falls through. She is too practical to be swept away like this and I think this is why he is finding her more and more intriguing. I can tell he is going to fall for her for real and get his heart broken. Love the bit where he gets her a mini snowman (aaawwwww) and then takes her hand and puts it on his heart and says that's her bday present, him, and she is totally unimpressed. :P (And later she is 'I can see why they are friends. One is Mr. Testy and one is Mr. Player. What a pair!)
But then of course Gong-Chan comes into her room. And of course this is my fave scene: she is sitting in her room and he is knocking (it's after her running as SH and their mini fight because he was freaking out about her). And when she doesn't open (as she mutters 'for what? No thank you' because she thinks there will be more fighting), he comes in anyway and makes her roll up her pants and sees the cut on her knee and just sucks in his breath. And he has the first aid kit, and he puts the iodine on her knee and then he blows on it and it's so hot and you can see she is so acutely aware of him. And then he puts a band-aid on it and OMG she is so sensitive to the fact that he is touching her. And he tells her how grateful he is. The whole scene is awesome! He tells her he will celebrate her real bday for her. And she tells him she has no idea when he real bday is so they just used to say whenever it snows is her bday because snow was what anyone remembered. And he looks up at her (because he is kneeling at her feet GUHHH) and smiles and tells her, very gently, 'I'll remember and it will be your birthday when it snows.'
I LOVE THIS DORAMA
In completely unrelated news? I am still in love with Mars, by far the best dorama I've ever seen. If you only watch one, watch this one. Maybe it's the story of two irredeemably messed-up people finding salvation with each other that just so gets me, but it really is amazing.
Here's a MV of it:
I am on episode 5 of My Girl and yes, it's better than Full House. It's even better than Goong!
First off, Gong-chan/Yu-rin/Jung-woo are totally an OT3. I think they should move somewhere very liberal and live in eternal bliss. Because, OMG! Much as I ship Ging-chan/Yu-rin (and I do I do I do I do. They are one of my all time OTPs), there is nothing as glee-inducing as the scene of the three of them together in that bar! Jung-woo and Gong-chan are talking about Gong-chan's ex now back-together gf and doing their guy fun, and then Gong-chan sees Yu-rin to which Jung-woo points out he called her because 'she's fun. You know, you are not the most fun guy in the world.' And then I am madly in love and squee like a maniac, when the three of them are at the bar, drinking together, and teasing each other and Gong-chan and Jung-woo are bickering back and forth about control issues (Gong-chan's) and womanizing (Jung-woo's) and it's just much too fun. And then they end playing pool. By playing, I mean Yu-Rin wipes the floor with both of them. It's just PERFECT.
I just love that all the relationships are interesting in this one. Not just the OTP, but the guy friendship (OMG, if this was a mainstream US show, there would be SO MUCH slash written on this. Hello, squash match!), and all the familial relationships, and even the comic relief ships like the aunt and the family servant (My Girl WINS AT LIFE for that gorgeous, tongue in cheek 'Umbrellas of Cherbourg' reference. And yes, that movie IS amazing btw).
My favorite character? Yu-Rin. It's interesting because in Korean doramas, I usually fall madly for the heroines, which is not something I ever do elsewhere. In the other doramas (or shows or movies or whatever), I might love the heroine but my POV, and the character I root for most, is the lead guy (the one exception is Mars where I love Qi-Luo and Ling equally). But not in the Korean doramas. Oh, make no mistake, I love the male leads in them, but it's the girl who becomes my POV.
And Yu-Rin is such a darling. She is clever and not too concerned with conventions, but she is really good-hearted and she's had a rough life. After all, watch how she is quietly being good to Gong-chan. When Sae-Hyun (his ex) is about to leave and Gong-chan is sitting there, frozen, not sure what to say or do, she tells him she is going to fix it, and she honks his car horn and Sae-Hyun sees it and doesn't go away and Gong-chan gets out of the car and there is hugging and they are back together (but the look on Yu-Rin's face! It's clear she's fallen for Gong-chan herself). Or later, when the family is celebrating her fake bday and Gong-chan invited Sae-hyun but they don't want to see her, it's Yu-Rin, who gets them to get her to come in.
And I love that Gong-chan appreciates it. And OMG, I love how he sort of unconsciously tries to make up to her for her lack in childhood. When she casually mentions she never went on a school trip because she and her Dad had to go on the lam the night before, he all of sudden goes 'let's go on a trip now!' And goes to buy 'trip appropriate' food. And when he finds out she doesn't know when her real bday is, he thinks to himself it was horrible of him to ask her to celebrate a fake bday.
The thing is, if I love Yu-Rin, I adore Gong-chan. He is just such a good guy. And he is also that rarity among dorama heroes: mature and grown-up and comfortable in his own skin. I just love love that. He doesn't have growing up left to do. He is a bit serious and I think that tendency only got much worse after all the stuff two years ago, but he is not a stick in the mud. And his issues, are both normal and understandable: two years ago, both his parents died in a car crash and that caused his Grandfather to collapse, and the business was very bad as well so it was all at once and horrible. But he is not PTSDing about it, and he actually tells Yu-Rin about it, rather steadily but not with any self-pity. And OMG, when he just mentions that he's never gotten used to it (his parents being gone) but he still feels like they are just away on a trip? But he is not weeping or anything but quiet. OMG. I love him.
But that is why he is so desperate about his Grandfather. He doesn't want to go through the loss again. And I just love the scene of his finding Yu-Rin on the street, and he is desperate, and he asks her to pose as the Granddaughter and he is so distraught (the Grandpa is about to die). And OMG, the look on his face when she tells him she won't do it (later) and you seem him at Grandpa's bedside about to tell she hasn't been found and then Yu-Rin steps in (and I love that she does it because she keeps remembering how distraught Gong-chan was).
And then he cries by his Grandfather's bedside. OMG.
I also love how she goes to fetch some coffee and when she comes back, she's passed out asleep, still sitting up and she looks at him and thinks he looks cool even asleep, no leaning or drooling :)
Gong-chan is so cool and unflappable and hot. But you know what's the best thing? His understated sense of humor. He is always so amused by Yu-Rin and it totally checking out her reactions (just notice his reaction when he hears her extacy about the size of her room). And he is always relaxed when she is around. And he loves teasing her. And they can get under each other's skin. Heeee. Love her mentioning Sae-Hyun (before she knows they were exes) and how the person ditched by her should be so miserable, he wouldn't even be able to drink water, and he retorts, all defensive that he doesn't know about that. He can drink water, and liquor and even eat meat :P
And OMG, when she falls in the bathroom and hurts herself, so he goes in and 'sees everything' ROFL. And then he carries her to the car, wrapped in a blanket. And on the way back, she asks him 'did you see?' and he replies 'It was impossible not to' to which she retorts he should have lied so he goes 'Fine, I didn't see anything' and her response? 'Should have said so at first, and saved face for me.' His reaction? 'I don't lie' to which she tells him he should so then he leans over and goes 'it [her body I assume] was totally awesome and now I am really into you' and she just glares at him goes 'Nope. Just average. See, that's a good lie.' :P
Then there is the scene where they get lost in the mountains and more teasing and OMG, she wraps a muff around his neck as if to mock him for all the scarves he wears. And he is actually having a blast in that village and she takes a picture with her camera and you see her fall for him (she was alrady, gradually).
And of course, he really likes her too. He has a good time with her around, and she is fun, and he is totally impressed by her spirit. I love it when he snaps at her when she pretends to Sae-Hyun to get SH out of jam, that she should have stayed put. It's because he is so worried for her. And watch him nip the servant's inquiries about her in the bud.
And the looks they give each other? OMG.
And when he leaves at at the 63 bldg because he has to go to SH and he feels so guilty later he can't even knock on her door and apologize (and I love that YR is annoyed but she is much more of a tough person that Ji-Eun in Full House so she is hurt but I don't feel as devastated for her).
And we also find out what caused the break between him and Sae-Hyun. Two years ago, when all this happened (and it must have been AWFUL), she just walked out with no notice to go to her tennis thing and hasn't contacted him since. No wonder that even after Gong-chan takes her back (and I love that he is quietly bitter with her when she first tries to get him back, telling her 'You abandoned me'), Jung-Woo cuts her. (And for once, Jung-woo is completely serious. She tells him: "I am glad to see you, it's been a long time" and he doesn't even stop but continues walking as he tells her "It's been too long a time for me to be glad.") And then he points out to Gong-chan if he was still crazy about SH, Jung-Woo's coldness won't matter. And then later quips 'fine, tell her to come here. I'll welcome her with one open arm.' LOVE LOVE LOVE.
That's the thing with Sae-Hyun. She is not awful, but she is completely selfish. It's not even that she abandoned Gong-chan at the worst time in his life. Fine, she has her own dreams (though I'd hope, whatever your gender, someone you love is worth a sacrifice). It's the fact, she didn't even tell him. And why? Because she thought she'd feel horrible if she saw him when he was that devastated. And then she didn't contact him because she was afraid he'd be angry. It's all about what she wanted and about her not feeling guilty or bad, not about helping Gong-chan or making it better for him. Just as when she comes back, she doesn't feel guilty, she just feels bad she lost him. Ugh. It's quite a contrast with Yu-Rin, who does put people she cares about ahead of herself: her father, Gong-chan (when she honks that horn and thus saves his relationship with someone else other than herself).
One of the things I really love about My Girl is that all the characters are well-rounded and interesting. Even someone like SH is an interesting character in her own right. And you know what? I don't hate her in the least, even though I think what she did was unforgivable and Gong-chan's family and his best friend (Jung-woo) are completely right to be cold her.
But you know who I also love? Jung-Woo. I love that he is perceptive enough to tell Yu-Rin is crushing on someone (and the more she denies it, the more sure he is) but of course he doesn;t know it's Gong-chan because he thinks they are cousins. I love her initial mistake, thinking he is a gigolo and telling him 'I am sorry, I can't afford a gigolo' and how he is so totally amused. And he does take her to see a view of Seoul after thr 63 building with Gong-chan falls through and tries to put trademark moves on her but it falls through. She is too practical to be swept away like this and I think this is why he is finding her more and more intriguing. I can tell he is going to fall for her for real and get his heart broken. Love the bit where he gets her a mini snowman (aaawwwww) and then takes her hand and puts it on his heart and says that's her bday present, him, and she is totally unimpressed. :P (And later she is 'I can see why they are friends. One is Mr. Testy and one is Mr. Player. What a pair!)
But then of course Gong-Chan comes into her room. And of course this is my fave scene: she is sitting in her room and he is knocking (it's after her running as SH and their mini fight because he was freaking out about her). And when she doesn't open (as she mutters 'for what? No thank you' because she thinks there will be more fighting), he comes in anyway and makes her roll up her pants and sees the cut on her knee and just sucks in his breath. And he has the first aid kit, and he puts the iodine on her knee and then he blows on it and it's so hot and you can see she is so acutely aware of him. And then he puts a band-aid on it and OMG she is so sensitive to the fact that he is touching her. And he tells her how grateful he is. The whole scene is awesome! He tells her he will celebrate her real bday for her. And she tells him she has no idea when he real bday is so they just used to say whenever it snows is her bday because snow was what anyone remembered. And he looks up at her (because he is kneeling at her feet GUHHH) and smiles and tells her, very gently, 'I'll remember and it will be your birthday when it snows.'
I LOVE THIS DORAMA
In completely unrelated news? I am still in love with Mars, by far the best dorama I've ever seen. If you only watch one, watch this one. Maybe it's the story of two irredeemably messed-up people finding salvation with each other that just so gets me, but it really is amazing.
Here's a MV of it: