The Problematic of the Unproblematic

kakashi: Hm, interesting. This episode was still made under the old crew (or wasn't it?!), but it does feel like a new chapter. Shanghai is very different from the rural world of Shineuiji, not only visually: it gives off a completely different vibe. The stakes? Much higher. Our hero? Definitely grown up. There's so many new characters that we are introduced to, and new relationships, good ones and bad ones, that we must learn to understand. This is like starting into this drama all over! JoAnne: It's the drama within the drama!  I'm sad to lose so much of what we loved, but this new stuff looks pretty interesting, too. I don't like the new ending music, though.

kakashi: Two more episodes with the old team of writers and two more episodes without "less violence". I'm so in. And hey, even if the new head-writer destroys this drama (that's a possibility), I still say: 9 (or possibly 10) incredibly good episodes, that's more than I got from many, many other KDrama. Let's not be greedy! Embrace it while it's still good! And if it turns bad ... drown our sorrows in alcohol. JoAnne: I'm drinking already at today's news. Have you heard? New writer in, Kim Jae Wook out. I think they (or he) decided his character arc wouldn't get enough attention. We've been sort of complaining about the lack of favorites every other episode... Tightening up might not be bad, but damn. No Kim Jae Wook? I was waiting for that bromance! Yo! Mo? Whoaaaaaaaa.   kakashi: Shiiiiiiiit! That's some major WTFuckery ... I guess we'll never know what made him do it, but my guess is KJW felt neglected. Happens with such a larg...

Show is picking up speed at a pretty steady space and like Kakashi, I'm starting to brace myself for the body count to rise. Since there are so many people we love, this can only be a painful journey. Bring me chocolate, someone... although I think that by the end of NEXT week only booze will suffice. kakashi: This episode killed one of my favorites (even THE favorite?). I've watched it four times ... I cried once. I cried twice. I cried a third time and then, I fast forwarded through that scene the fourth time, cause I didn't want to cry again. But I still cried. So I really, really love this show and I really, really hate it right now. 

JoAnne: I don't know about you, but I could not WAIT for it to be Wednesday. I watched this episode for the first time when it was at about 1% subbed, which means every time someone entered a room and said hello, they put that sub on the screen. kakashi: Yes, I watch this raw, of course. That either means I really, really like a show, or it means I really, really hate a show. When I really, really like a show, I watch it once raw, once subbed, and once to do gifs and screencaps. when I really, really hate a show, I watch raw AND fast forward to be exposed to it as little as possible. JoAnne: And then I wrote what you will see is a book, because I couldn't bear to skim over anything. Sorry. Not really. kakashi: When JoAnne writes a book-length SqueeCap, it's either because she is delirious with fever (happened last year with an epic Heirs recap ) or because she's delirious with love. (It's love.)

kakashi: Things are starting to go really bad for Jung-tae in this episode ... I guess this is the beginning of a lot more to come. And it's going to hurt. His obsession with finding his sister is getting him into all kinds of trouble and he is losing allies left and right. The upside: there is Cutie Soo in uniform. And there is Leader Mo, being wacky-delicious-dangerous. A shame he lives in another city - cause that probably means we will not see him all that often. JoAnne: Perhaps this will trick us and turn out to be a forced-cohabitation drama and all the pretty men will be roomies?  Who shower a lot? kakashi: Oh ..... *lost in thought*. I would like that. If it doesn't happen, we'll write an alternative version for you all, right? There's not enough fanfiction on this blog. 

kakashi: This is what I thought: with RL picking up speed quite brutally, I am not even too sad there's only one episode to recap this week. But, oups, we were all fooled! Because episode 6 did air as planned and now I need to hurry up and get my act together! We're on a tight schedule here! It helps that I am really excited about the adult cast - and also quite curious. You know: can he? JoAnne: I guess I was really worried because the amount of relief I feel after watching even just a part of this episode was kind of staggering.

JoAnne: I'm still on a bit of an adrenaline high after the events in Episode Three, so let's hope that Four continues the excellent work. Still, we've now laid out the crux of the problem between the young lovers, so how long can it be before we time jump to the adults? I'd say four episodes is plenty for backstory, but I really just want to stay here for a while longer...   kakashi: I usually HATE the backstories in sageuks. I get so bored by the same-old-stories and want to get to the real deal (i.e. main cast) more quickly. But not in this drama. This isn't just a backstory that explains why our hero is the way he is (though it also is, of course), but much more to me. I guess it is the mysteries that we get introduced to? This is a rich and exciting world and understanding it has only marginally to do with the hero and so much more with all the characters around him. In fact, I like the "backstory" so much, I hope we will go back to it occasionally ....

JoAnne: Week Two is finally here!  For a drama that isn't about an alien and a wacky actress I am curiously eager to watch these next episodes, and I am already completely enamored of the Dobi Hyungs and Jung Tae with his little Scooby Gang and the mysterious Japanese and the gorgeous scenery and just ALL.OF.IT.EVERY.BIT.OF.IT.  I am mining the whole show. Forget wasting time on any one of ten or twelve handsome men in it (not that they could every be a waste of time, no sir.) But the whole show. Mine. kakashi: It is surprisingly good. All of it. Which is strange, considering other shows that are currently airing are also good. What happened to KDrama all of a sudden?! I am not sure I can trust this. That is why I watch this show with a sense of foreboding. Also ... several of these wonderful characters will die. I'm crying already.

kakashi: Let's see how our "Fist Fighter for Love and Family" fares in the 2nd episode! I am curious: Will we see more of the older version of Jung-tae and will he speak? How will the love triangle develop? (there's going to be one, right?) And, most importantly ... will Kim Jae-wook appear???!!!  JoAnne: Yes, when? And even MORE most importantly: Will he be another  $&#%^ ghost?

kakashi: Checking this out, 1, 2, 3, for SqueeCappibility! Yo, JoAnne, are you with me? JoAnne: If it's squeeable, sure! kakashi: The big questions for me before I press the play button are: will I feel this? Will it inspire me? And ... will I be able to remember all the names of all the people who are in this drama? Cause ... have you seen the cast list?! Sweet Baby Cheesus. I am counting on you, JoAnne, to come up with memorable names, as you always do. JoAnne: Holy crap. I have no idea who anyone is, there's so many of them. This will be a challenge! I am UP TO IT.

Shuk:  We have finally reached the end of the show. Almost everything was completed last episode, with the exception of bringing our canon couple together: the bad guys are incarcerated, and our beautiful Oppa is now a glitter angel.  The final drinking game: a shot for every time a plot point or dialogue is recycled from a previous episode. Let’s get faced and see how it all finally pans out! bcook: *Just downs the soju bottle* It's the end! It's the end? Right? No surprise extensions right?

The final week of episodes, and almost guaranteed to be a tear-jerker thanks to the very large roadsigns put in our path by Writer-ga. bcook: I'm just glad we're coming to a close. YEAH!!! So my predictions for this episode.. Somebody dies.   

Shuk:  Is Hyung-joon still alive somewhere?  Will Director Moon be brought to justice in two episodes? Will the writer do anything to surprise us? bcook: I'm in shock. It's like writer is reading our recaps? I know we spoke about this scenario before but I can't believe it's actually happening. Episode 14 Shuk:  Prosecutor Park lays it on the line; the body identified as Detective Lee Hyun-joon may not be the real body.  And Shi-on finds out Ghost Nurse isn’t dead.  bcook: WEoF all around!! Shuk:  She sits with the nurse’s mother, and hears the entire story.  Six months ago, she was injured in an ambulance accident. (And personally having been in four, I can tell you they aren’t fun).  She’s been in a coma ever since. bcook: four? How d'u end up in four ambulance accidents? Shuk: My nickname was "Crash".  One drunk driver, two who weren't paying attention, and one where the ambulance rearended another vehicle. Only one...

Shuk:  We now know what odds are intrepid team are against; Big Bad is the head of their Division, which is why everything has been stymied from the get-go. Shi-on is in the hands of our crazed Death Flunky, while Gun-woo gets his chance at Wide Eyes of Fear (time for a shot!) bcook: I'm all out of soju. The store won't sell to me anymore coz I buy so much every week. (jk)

Shuk:  Poor Detective Choi Moon-sik, screwed over by life.  Wait, he killed his protégé, slammed a fellow officer into a six-year coma, and set up the next generation of cops for heartache. Nevermind. bcook: He might actually be the most fleshed out character in this sorry mess of a...what genre is this anyways? On the plus side...blood effect is very good. And now for a moment of cute before the crap-tango begins.

Here we are, one step closer to solving all the little niggling mysteries that make this quiet drama a subtle masterpiece....[pfftt  HAHAHA]  Sorry everyone, I couldn't keep a straight face on that one. But I did try. bcook: *clap* you kept it for a long time. It's episode 11!! That means there's only five episodes left!! *sob* That means there's five episodes left to watch *bawling*

EPISODE TEN Shuk:  Our past passionate couple looks at each other and cry, and Detective Ears jumps up and down like a madman in front of a CCTV that no one is watching.  He tries to call, but she’s not picking up either. bcook: Why? Coz she's hanging out with her Ghost Oppa that's why. Dead guy is better than big ears. Shuk:  FINALLY - the puzzlebox.  Ghost Oppa nods that this was the reason he asked her to meet up with him that night, and we get to see the real story behind what happened during Y6I. bcook: Open the bloody thing!!

Shuk:  The kiss has finally happened, and it’s awkward times at the precinct. It recently struck me, though, that even though she is physically the older person in this couple, her personal growth has been stunted after six years of coma. So I guess it makes sense they are about the same emotional level. We also get some story movement, but it still feels like the pacing is too slow.  At least we have more Ghost Oppa! bcook: That kiss scene and the multiple replays just made my fingers curl and not in a good way. yuck yuck yelch yelch. eww.

BAD NEWS FOR WHO ARE YOU SQUEECAP READERS: Due to circumstances (translate: stupid computer crash), gifs will be seriously curtailed.  I will try to sneak in a few as I am able to kick my lappy into generating them. CMS Shuk:  The ghosts of the week wisp away as we focus on our hottie dead detective Ghost Oppa. Which is, really, what a lot of us have been waiting for.  Shi-on is becoming aware that she has a link with this spirit deeper than that of his Hand of Justice.  She is also aware of growing feelings for her loyal underling.  Can we not break Oppa's ectoplasmic heart too badly, Show? bcook: I refuse to even consider this 'growing of feelings'. Such a forced thing. Anybody have any examples of actors trying to convince us they belong together? Apart from Benniffer (Jlo and Ben Affleck). I'm very happy that Ghost Oppa is getting more screen time. Actually can the show just follow him around? I think it'll be much more interesting.

So her memories are back...or are they?  Is her shock knowing he's an officer that died?  Or knowing he is her lover that was murdered? bcook: Don't think she remembers that he's her lover. But she probably senses the connection. Also watching the show is more fun with viki comments on.  FYI Shuk: pfui.