Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Bride: You shouldn't act that way!


Even our sassy ghost is pouting!
And so we enter the part of the story that makes me cringe. The everyone-acts-like-an-idiot-just-to-whip-up-the-tension part. It happens over and over in Dramaland, so I’m not surprised. Just annoyed. And it’s not even everyone. Mainly Doo-rim. But I’ll riff on that later. Let’s examine who was acting out this week.
You shouldn’t act that way . . . offscreen
He put the pieces together in one episode. That's a plus. But would it kill the writer to show us Kang-joo zeroing in on the differences from the start? In his defense, Kang-joo said his new bride was acting weird. So I can create a scenario in my head that had him picking up strange vibes all along. But we never got to SEE him noticing that. How long would it take? 30 seconds at the most, for him to say, “Are you okay. You seem kind of off today?” He spent hours following her around the mall and she never once yelled at a stranger, pinched or punched him, or fell in a clumsy heap on the polished floor. Obviously this isn't your wife. Why couldn’t the writer show us one scene of him giving her a suspicious look BEFORE Roo-mi’s “no ring hint”?


You shouldn’t act that way . . . period
This set-up drives me crazy. Some villainous, manipulative female tells the heroine to back off for the good of the man she loves. So she does. The end. Excuuuuuuuse me! Does anyone else see the logic fail here? It happens over and over again. Why are K-ladies always so gullible? I get that Doo-rim feels guilty for her lies, and responsible for Oppa’s coma, and worried for her family’s safety. But how does that justify condemning her true love to a lifetime of unhappiness with Malicious Mama Ma and her Smirky Spineless Daughter? Doo-rim knows from first-hand experience that these two are capable of murder. But she still hangs her wedding ring on a potted plant and thinks he can be happy with them. Even the ghost is dissapointed in her! *Sigh* A few episodes ago, Doo-rim railed at Kang-joo for not having the guts to face death with her, but now she’s doing the same thing to him. It’s like she was offered Door #1: Fade off quietly and no one gets hurt. Or Door #2: Make trouble and we’ll take down everyone you ever cared about. Who said there were only two doors? Or how about kicking a hole in the wall? She didn’t even try to find a way to beat these psychos. Where’s the fighter we all know and love?

You shouldn’t act that way . . . INHUMAN
This . . . *Shudder* What should we call her? She’s definitely not a lady. And person seems too kind a word, as well. Doo-rim hit the nail on the head when she talked about people who only pretend to be human. She’s a very Mwahahaha kind of villain, that doesn’t seem to have any kind of normal emotions or relatable characteristics. She’s the bad guy, because the story needs a bad guy. I can live with that. But she’s just so evil. With a capital EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

You shouldn’t act . . . no wait, you should!
Roo-mi won her redemption card this week. She is now allowed a happy ending with anyone she chooses (other than Kang-joo, of course). Maybe she can marry Younger Brother, and she and Doo-rim end up BFFs for life. I wonder how many viewers were on the edge of their seats for that terrace scene, thinking “Tell him! Tell him!” I like how she didn’t fill him in on every detail, and draw him a map to where Doo-rim was. She just let him know that his wife was exactly the kind of caring person he always thought. With that one simple gesture, she wiped out every bad feeling I had for her. There’s hope for her, yet.

You shouldn’t act that way . . . but I love it
Admit it. The sudden return to pigtail pulling Kang-joo made no sense amidst the cesspool of betrayal and lies swirling around them. But who cares! This is the stuff that made me love the show in the first place. What a welcome relief to see him needle and pick on Doo-rim like the good, old days. And then see her verbally smack him down like she always did. I love the scene where he reserves the restaurant, takes a bite of the food, and starts to gag, all while his wedding ring is cheerfully shining on his finger. It’s very telling that he never once took it off, even when he felt the most wronged. Unlike his wife, he plans to push back against this malevolent fate bearing down on them. And I say a big – FIGHTING!

8 comments:

  1. Is it wrong that when the actress who plays the lead cries I kind of cringe. I don't know why but it always feels similar to when a little kid fake cries. I just get the same feeling. However I do like how there is so obviously a lack of chemistry between him and his fake wife. There is a very clear difference even now between the two girls and even with time it has not blurred.

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    1. I think I noticed the bad crying when she was begging Oppa to wake up. But her ability to turn the chemistry on and off like a faucet is definitely impressive.

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  2. Just once, I'd like to see, instead of noble idiocy and the otherwise awesome female lead turn spineless, just once, can't there be some stuff a sock in it and take a flying leap toots? That's my man, now back off! Am I asking too much?

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    1. I only remember one time in "Smile, You". The hero spent years crushing on the disinterested older sister, and when he finally moved on to the younger, feistier, way more awesome sister, Unni changed her mind. But Baby Sis didn't back down, she very nicely, but firmly let her know that you snooze, you lose.

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  3. Doo Rim, Doo Rim, Doo Rim. Like Pooh, warm and cuddly but definitely a bear of little brain. I'm not really sure how her thought processes work, but somehow lies are OK if you are willing to die for them, and marrying someone under false pretenses is OK if you promise to go away afterwards, and all the bad things you do are OK as long as you do it for love and keep it to yourself. Sigh.

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    1. Ha. Not to mention when she faked an injury to get Oppa to pay for her Grandma’s medical bills, or when she tried to slip the ring back that Jin Joo stole without anyone noticing. This girl’s a cute, cuddly, con artist at heart.

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  4. I guess I have to stick up for Doo Rim a little. Remember, she honestly feels she is not his social equal, and she has the threat of harm to Grandma and her best friend by the Evil One as well. What I'd like to see is some surreptitious recording of the Evil One, and a quick trip to court for charges and damages. That way, Doo Rim could redistribute some of the wealth in her direction, and she could marry whoever she wants. She who laughs last...Ha Ha!

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  5. Got to say thanks for turning me on to this drama. It's a lot of fun. I just started watching " Secret Love Affair" which I would highly recommend to fill the gap that this one leaves. Older woman-younger man. Very interesting and well-done!

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