Friday, December 27, 2013

You From Another Star: The Alien. In the Library. With the Candlestick.


Remember the debate about whether this was a rom-com or a star-crossed lovers tragedy? Turns out we have another hat to throw in the genre ring. Murder mystery. This episode moved our characters around like the pieces on a game of Clue. So please allow me to pull out my metaphorical magnifying glass and examine the evidence.

Mystery #1: Who’s wearing the sparkly shoes?
Status: Solved


Kudos to the writer, who plotted this episode like an Agatha Christie novel. Feeding us a little information at a time. Jumping ahead 60 hours, then back to the cruise ship, and fast forward again. Yet, nothing felt rushed or confusing. I think we all knew it wasn’t Song-yi in those shoes. There’s still 16 episodes left, after all. But it didn’t lessen the enjoyment of finding out how she survived the Worst Wedding Reception Ever. I wonder if anyone asked for their gift back?

Mystery #2: Will Yura make it out of the show alive? 
Status: Solved 

Talk about an obvious NO. She was a goner the moment she tried to blackmail Smiling Psycho to the altar. At least she got to have an epic vogue-off with her rival before she slept with the fishes. And having Song-yi witness the hallway conversation between Yura and Evil Oppa, and then unknowingly carry off the hard drive with the incriminating evidence adds a delightful layer of suspense. Will she be the next victim on his hit list? Talk about an obvious YES.

Mystery #3: How many people want to kill this girl? 
Status: Under Investigation 

So far we have her careening off a cliff, kidnapped and tied up in the woods, shot at with arrows, and choked by her own mother. It’s been a rough two weeks for our child widow. Even with an alien superhero as her protector, it’s little wonder that she doesn’t make it. The only mystery remaining is how. Min-joon once referred to it as an “accident”, which makes it sound like it wasn’t one of the murdering horde that are lining up to off this poor girl. And he still feels sorry to her four hundred years later. Is this because he failed to rescue her again, or because the accident was his fault? We last saw the sageuk savior poisoned, tied up, and surrounded, so I don’t think this mystery will be solved anytime soon.

Mystery #4: Does Hwi-kyung really have a brain? 
Status: Under Investigation 

Well, looky here. Even Mr. Clueless can recognize a perv when he sees one. How much did I love his swooping in to save Se-mi from the clutches of the lecherous director? I’m glad he knows she’s alive. There was some doubt up until now. And, later, he knew enough not to out himself in front of the reporters camped outside Song-yi’s door. So there’s hope for him, yet. Now if he can just figure out that he’s wasting his time chasing Ms. Never-Gonna-Happen, and refocus on Miss Longsuffering Sweetheart. Is there really grey matter in that well-meaning blockhead of his? More clues must be collected.

Mystery #5: Was Casablanca right? Is a kiss really just a kiss? 
Status: Solved 

Lip contact achieved! What a relief. And they only made us wait four episodes. This bodes well for things to come. *Everyone does a little happy dance* Saliva doesn’t kill Min-joon or the other person, since they’re both alive and well the next morning. Then what does it do? Were there any after-effects from the cruise ship liplock that we still haven’t seen, yet? He interviewed that this was his first, so he must have learned the saliva rule from something else. Sharing food, perhaps? (That whole communal soup bowl thing they do in Korea took me awhile to get used to.) But who cares! We got a kiss. *Another little, happy dance*

So this Alien-Sageuk-Romcom-Murder Mystery show is really floating my boat. It’s smart. Tight. And gorgeous as all get out, both actor-wise and camera-wise. It may be the best thing I’ve seen all year. I’m still collecting evidence, and will let you know when the case is solved.

1 comment:

  1. Loved your format on this post. So cute. Will check back next week for more recaps.

    ReplyDelete