elderflowergin

[elderflowergin]

Back then, I was never sincere toward you, even for a moment. 

#it’s me. where are you? #sbs hyena #tams genius

[elderflowergin]

blood free v secret forest, a quick and dirty comparison:-

As someone who fell for Kdrama through Stranger, i loved it because it appeared seamless, grounded and weaved several systems and levels of privilege very elegantly. Most of all it seemed morally urgent, even if it was at its core a detective mystery. (Which, to be fair, Blood Free is as well.)

Secret Forest’s first success was that it held nuance for everyone in the middle of the road; LSY afforded so much thoughtful shading to those men. I often think they will never look as beautiful as they do on SF, and that’s only partly because of whoever did the lighting etc, but they’re not Kdrama glossy perfect; they’re real people trying to reckon with themselves and the moral calculus they have agreed to, and their dignity comes from the reckoning. Lee Chang-joon, Kang Won-chul, Lee Yeon-jae, even Seo Dong-jae for that matter, all have that advantage. LSY managed this for Jung Sung-il in the scant few minutes of screen time he had.

The second success was Cho Seung-woo and Bae Doona. If Secret Forest was a universe they were its gravitational field; it was their fierce sense of honour and morality that drives both seasons. And their moral decency is hard-won; it is tested constantly, and it’s burnished at each opportunity, which is why they are respected. It is a dream that people like that can influence or impact those around them, but you don’t question that they do, by the end of each season, and that’s the victory of writing, casting and the charisma of both leads.

That’s why that funeral scene in season 1 is so important (to me); it shows the gravity shifting. The prosecutors rely on their forest of secrets to keep the centre together, but Hwang Si-mok demonstrates how untenable this has become, how the roots must be pulled out so the weeds die; so new healthy things can grow. The chaebols are at the periphery, and they continue to be there because, most audaciously of all, they don’t matter if enough people shift their moral calculus. I think this gravitational pull happens to Lee Chang-joon in season 1 thanks to Hwang Si-mok and it happens to Choi Bit in season 2 thanks to Han Yeo-jin. They are easily some of the most powerful parts of the show.

On the other hand, we have Blood Free. I’m not sure who the moral gravitational field of this show is meant to be. Maybe it’s Yun Ja-yu and/or Woo Chae-woon. Maybe it’s Lee Mu-saeng. Maybe it’s about the ethical dilemma of experimentation and whether that’s a worthwhile price to pay for the scientific advancements in cultured meat and seafood. Perhaps we need more time to really see the middle of the road characters, but four episodes in there’s not much to go on: there’s Lee Mu-saeng, there’s Queen Dowager as a VP, here’s Jeon Seok-ho. There are three chaebols, all of whom seem like one-note characters to me. (Why ask a talented sketch artist to produce cartoons like these? Unless they’re not, but nothing seems to suggest otherwise.)

The most interesting insight from episode 4 was about Yun Jayu - when offered 72 trillion won for her company, she actually considers it because it means she doesn’t have to face investors and can focus on research. She has influence and money but these are means to an end, for her. I wish we could see more of that, and not necessarily through exposition alone.

When she gives deft, cool answers to reporters, did that come naturally to her or did she work at it? Is she the face of the company because she hated it a little less than Lee Mu-saeng did? If so, why? What comparative advantage did they determine she had? When she wears Chanel tweed skirts and smiles her way through presentations, is that a natural extension of her work or is that a mask she wears? Give me process, guys! Give us the backstory, the way the markets work, the environment for cutting-edge bio research in Korea, the reaction of Big Meat, the interplay of new rich and old rich, some indication of her actual influence (which must be considerably more than what we see on the show, although what little we see, while uncomfortable, is frankly not that inconceivable in a world where you’re constantly connected.) I am so interested in her, and yet I feel I am made to watch the story of her reacting to chaebols and to the mystery of corporate sabotage rather than her being the fulcrum of her own universe. And at no point does the mystery seem morally urgent to me, and it’s because 1) why does it matter if all this is is a giant M&A negotiation 2) why should we care if it doesn’t feel real to us? So what if there’s sabotage? Why on earth isn’t this company guarded like fucking Fort Knox? Why is this company ostensibly so influential, so powerful and yet capable of unusually amateurish errors that are the centre of the show so far and not on the periphery of it? Where is the moral quandary that is meant to grab us by the throat?

Is it a question of the writing? Have her interests shifted and did she want to do a show without having to do too much character work? If anyone has earned a vibes-only moment it’s Lee Soo-yeon, and I respect that for her. I hope the direction isn’t stifling the writing, because that means there is an arresting, politically trenchant drama underneath this dry procedural, and that’s upsetting to consider. We still have a ways to go and I think there is potential, but I have to remind myself not to expect something like SF, that maybe you can’t bottle that formula. That it’s the gold standard for a reason. But honestly, Disney, in the words of TikTok star imo_unusual, you’ve made this show like God was dozing off when the angels were working, now RELEASE US (and LSY writernim)

#sorry i didn’t finish life #and I didn’t include grid in the analysis #although that’s a good comparison to make too #but kudos to whoever costumed hhj #and gave her that expensive overcoat #that looks exactly like a doctor’s coat but in rich black #costuming is the only dept that has not been interfered with #blood free #tvn stranger

[elderflowergin]

Why did he help my mom? He's been waiting for me to crumble. The end was right there. So why?

#when in doubt #full scale amma sentiment will beat out romance #every single time #kdrama #wonderful world

[elderflowergin]

'chalka jaye jism se makhmali nasha, karde khali pi pi ke pyala ye bhara, katra katra mera bekabu ho raha, teri ijazat bina dil mera, tere dil main jhaake...' — tilasmi bahein | heeramandi, 2024, dir. sanjay leela bhansali.

#the way i can hear her sari! #outstanding #heeramandi #sonakshi sinha

[elderflowergin]

What do you mean the big, emotionally-stoic man didn't tell you he loved you?? His eyes literally went soft when he glanced your way??

[elderflowergin]

you have to stay alive. you're going to be such a beautiful middle aged freak. young freaks will see you in the street and know that things can be okay.

[elderflowergin]

GRID 그리드 2022, dir. Lee Khan

#you can tell why this relationship worked at first #and also why it imploded #and also why they still hold affection for each other #writernim may not have an interest in foreground romance #but her writing of complex relationships #is pretty peerless #grid

[elderflowergin]

HAN HYO-JOO as Yun Ja-yu JU JI-HOON as Woo Chae-woon BLOOD FREE 지배종 (dir. Park Chul-hwan)

You need the verification because you don't know whom to trust. Because your bodyguard could be your biggest threat. The same goes for bodyguards. We show the highest levels of efficiency when we develop trust with our client.

#the contrast between her public face #with the feminine silhouette and jokes about her greed #and the way she is in other spaces #is so smartly done #LSY is maybe not interested #in writing blunt force misogyny #for the sake of it #but she weaves it into the larger systems of power snd privilege #and that is always a pleasure to watch unfold #blood free #kdrama

[elderflowergin]

I came here to tell you this. I'll help your son. That's the least I can do. I'll give Seonyul's mother, not Giwoong's wife my word. So please, rest in peace.

Wonderful World (원더풀 월드) 2024

#for my money #the most intimate thing wasn’t a physical touch #its when they combine their knowledge #and find an answer to a long-standing question #soo hyun goes off in her car #seon yul follows her on his bike #and at an opportune moment #he skids his bike and cuts off the car following soo hyun #allowing soo hyun to continue #acting like a bulwark almost #it’s old school dramatic #but it’s a low key moment #that was so well-earned and satisfying #wonderful world #cha eun woo #kim nam joo

[elderflowergin]

I will never not advocate for a threesome. whether I think it would actually work out or it would crash and burn and every character involved would never speak to each other again, doesn't matter. there will be a threesome

[elderflowergin]

I’m representing the plaintiffs, Hong Chayoung of Jipuragi Law Firm. 

#this is a hong chayoung story #vincenzo #jeon yeo bin

[elderflowergin]

#get him again for me

#wow this show was so mile a minute #i fully forgot this ever happened #but good for her #jeon yeo been #taecyeon #vincenzo

[elderflowergin]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 연인 | My Dearest (TV 2023) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Lee Jang-hyeon/Yoo Gil-chae Characters: Lee Jang-hyeon, Yoo Gil-chae Summary:

A wedding night the night before a wedding.

#weekend reblog #my fanfic writing #mbc my dearest

[elderflowergin]

Still, call me if you get sick of ramyun.

#neither of these people have ever let a single ramen noodle #past their ethereally beautiful mouths #LIES? yes. RAMYUN? NO #wonderful world #cha eun woo #kim nam joo

[elderflowergin]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: 연인 | My Dearest (TV 2023) Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Lee Jang-hyeon/Yoo Gil-chae Characters: Lee Jang-hyeon, Yoo Gil-chae Summary:

A wedding night the night before a wedding.

#mbc my dearest #my fanfic writing

[elderflowergin]

Money Flower

#im not greedy #all i want is the twelve ep order #of forbidden romance #prolonged eye contact #and hand kissing #jang hyuk #lee mi sook #money flower

[elderflowergin]

Keita Morimoto (Japanese, 1990) - At Dawn (2021)

#keita morimoto