Heartless City (Moojung Doshi) - Episode 12 (A SqueeCap)
JoAnne: This is Episode 12. Of at least 20. I think the tension will kill me before then. Do you think that these actors finish a scene and then just clap for each other as the freaking geniuses that they are? Also. There's a lot to cover in this episode. I barely get to squee because I'm so busy trying to keep the basic plot movement outlined and this gets really long. I'm sorry. Not really.
Episode 12
JoAnne: This opening scene, the whole thing, from the cafe to the parking lot - this was fantastic. His face. His resigned delivery. Her anger and her sadness. That moment of surprise in his eyes when they discuss what it meant when he shared his name, and he realizes that for her, it was the beginning of a real connection. Ugh. For him it was a goodbye. They are so going to break my heart into a million tiny pieces.
kakashi: Better yours than each others. And better than sticking little blurry knives into each other's hearts, too. But I agree ... I love their interactions. It's all wrong, cause these two ... they have no future together. And it's all right, cause the attraction is so big and the feelings are so raw. He restrains everything, she has never learned how. She blurts it all out, he keeps it all in. Fire and ice.
Shuk: I'm not convinced he considered it an ending back then. His silence in the car was him coming to terms with his shock and disappointment that he couldn't secure even a tiny drop of personal happiness. And who's to say they can't have each other in the end? Okay, probably every other character in the show, and the writer, but still.
JoAnne: PS. I hate her skirt.
kakashi: Ah ... is that what this is? The biggest wonder for me are the shoes, though. I cannot wrap my head around the fact that there are women who can walk in such things.
Shuk: When Baksa starts looking into her past, what will he think when he discovers the link between his first love and his true love? And Neanderthal, tainting them both. I'm sensing a monster showdown there.
JoAnne: Jin Sook verifies with Min that Safari is police, and angrily accuses Min of only approaching her to spy on Safari in the first place. He tries to insist that it started that way, but now... And the funny thing is, I do believe him. I've always believed that his heart belongs to Jin Sook. She's too pissed to listen, but she really is hurt by the revelation. I mostly want to know what Safari did that caused Min to hang him out there like that.
kakashi: I don't believe him a single word. He may want this woman, but sincere? He isn't.
Shuk: And her tears as she drove away, were they for Safari? Min? Herself?
ShukNote: Now that I've had a few drinks and completed a long day at work, my mind is doing loopy stuff. I got the thought that Min is handling his life similar to Baksa: the uniformed officer, and the suave suit-wearing gentleman. Different personae defined by couture. Except that I have nothing but a vague distaste about uri Min, whereas I have naughty thoughts about Shi-hyun in black leather.
JoAnne: Thighs brings Min up to speed - long and short of it is that Baksa is going to do a deal with Pusan and give them the distribution. Min calls Baksa and rages because he didn't hear it from Baksa himself, and Hotness and I are a bit confused because - isn't this what Min expected? Min hears the crazy as it comes out of his mouth and tries to calm down and work out the next steps.
kakashi: The raging is a bit scary, cause it seems Min is losing control now and that isn't a good thing for anybody.
Shuk: [shivers]
JoAnne: Baksa is realizing that his boss/father figure/advisor isn't necessarily as trustworthy or supportive as he might hope. How long before he starts to wonder if maybe Safari ISN'T as guilty as Min says he is?
kakashi: You are forgetting to squee, JoAnne (I get it, it's all so intense). But let me do some. Baksa all tormented in the blue-green light of the Bak Cave? Hmmmmmmmm ... what a sight!
Shuk: Part of Min's rage is that he wants to finish this and get back to wooing Jin-sook without all the pesky side-characters to muck things up. And, yes, kakashi, a tormented Baksa is a smexy Baksa.
JoAnne: I thought I mentioned somewhere that this whole episode had Baksa looking pretty damn hot...
JoAnne: The Scooby Gang gets together to plan their next move, given that they have to do this deal with Pusan. Jin Sook and Cutie Soo bicker and snipe like kids, insulting each other and questioning each other's logic. Jin Sook thinks not doing the deal means they'll be dead. She's not interested in starting a war. Cutie Soo thinks the terms of the deal offered are so onerous that they might as well be dead (implication being, might as well go to war.) Baksa just wants them to shut up and listen, because Daddy has a PLAN. He's going to enter Pusan's organization, and Cutie Soo is going to head up distribution. This is surprising to the children. (Side note: Baksa is looking PARTICULARLY good throughout this episode, but in this scene he's rocking the Jun-Pyo look and I giggle a little bit.) JoNote: I DID say it.
kakashi: I laughed my a$$ off at the bickering. When she tells him off for not even greeting her and he acts all surprised, pretending he didn't recognize her because of all the wrinkles and stuff? Buahahaha, man, whoever wrote this: genius!
Shuk: LOL. I'm sure he feels like a school teacher between unruly students, especially with their juvenile behavior.
JoAnne: Baksa and Cutie cross the enemy moat and the music, while not intrusive, certainly amps my anxiety. I thought Cutie was dressed conservatively, but on second glance his slacks and waistcoat are patterned in cammo? cabbage roses? something ugly. But well cut at least, because that butt deserves it. Baksa has on a vomit-colored tie but is otherwise fly as fuck, per usual.
kakashi: Yes, we need to call it. Cutie Soo has a criminally bad sense of fashion. But the bromance is strong with these two.
Shuk: Aww, I liked most of his fashion choices, andfondle-y fondly remember the white pants....
JoAnne: White pants + good butt = kryptonite
JoAnne: Pudge is effing creepy. I can't figure out if this is an act he puts on to keep people off balance, or if he really IS this creepy man boy who lives in a very, very sick world. He starts out by telling Cutie to kill Baksa, since he's no longer needed if Cutie is Distribution Guy. Then he laughs and says it's just a joke, and Baksa does this surreptitious finger tap to keep Cutie from going all Fight Club on Pudge. Instead of sensing that his life was just saved, Pudge proceeds to put Baksa in his place, which Baksa allows - because we know who's REALLY gangster here - and he just calmly asks for a place in Pusan's organization. He gets a 'maybe' and then SCALE walks in looking relatively fly - can anyone else see this guy in a Nudie Suit? Cutie looks surprised, but Baksa's cool as ever.
kakashi: Another great scene this one. My favorite part? The finger tap. Jo-Pudge is so fucking creepy because he really IS deeply rotten and bad. We know that. He enjoys seeing people in pain and he likes torturing people. Bu what do you think ... is he less or more evil than his father?
Shuk: Pudgie is such a creeptastic psychopath, there is no way he could have held the organization together. Daddy is just indulging him a little. The real chess-master hasn't revealed himself yet, I'm sure. And Cutie-soo looks like he's wearing a soccer ball barrette in the final screenshot of the gif! [giggle]
JoAnne: Meanwhile, Thighs is questioning Prosecutor Ahn. Is it true that Scale is out? I'm not sure how they worked this - or who THEY even is, at this point - but Scale is out because someone from Donghae Construction confessed to being the actual boss of the drug organization. Hyung Min brings up the 'No confession without corroborating evidence' rule we learned in last week's IHYV. Ahn says they found the production facility AND drugs, so it's all good. Thighs and I both sit there with a dumbfounded look on our faces, and then we flip back to the House of Pudge, where Scale is introducing himself to a REALLY confused Cutie Soo who is just trying to figure out what's happening. So am I.
kakashi: I don't remember, didn't we see that they went to a production facility in one of the earlier episodes? Or am I confusing this with another drama ... oh, wait ... could be Time Between Dog and Wolf, actually! Anyway, if Ahn is either lying (which would be good for Baksa) or not (which would be bad for Baksa). We don't really want the production facility to be gone, right?
JoAnne: Fortunately, we get a flash-back of the rest of that visit that Baksa paid to Scale last episode. Turns out he's got Scale's kid hidden away where no one can find him, so if anything happens to Baksa, Scale's shit out luck in that regard. And thus, a brilliant plan is born, but again we don't hear exactly what it is.
kakashi: As happy as I am with these light-filled Baksa-as-saint shots, I have issues with how Scale is written at this point. I just don't find his sudden change of heart believable. Sure, Baksa has his son ... but he already had or could have had him the first time round, when Scale betrayed him.
Shuk: And if he betrayed him once, he is going to do it again. Darnit, Baksa, don't trust him!
JoAnne: Still, as the pretty boys leave Pudgy Town, Jr. congratulates Sr. on making things interesting, and confides that this is why he always sticks with him. He makes life interesting. He sure as shit does, Cutie. And if my heart were any higher up in my throat, I think I would be able to taste it.
kakashi: These two should get a spin-off show, in which they would forever strall through pretty parks in suits, putting different hands on each other's shoulders. They could also pat each other's arms, hands, etc.
Shuk: Bromance for the win. Cutie kind of swings his arms funny, don't you think? Or is it just me and my limoncello-induced blurry vision?
kakashi: Or me and my slightly fast gif?
JoAnne: There's a scene where Soo Min is mopey and Hyung Min tries to be nice then ruins it with a fake gift. Oooh, it's another magic lipstick. This one is a listening device. There is a weird editing moment where we see Soo Min looking for a place to hide the lipstick, and then flash back to their conversation after the failed zoo deal. I guess it's meant to show her inner conflict about spying on Unnie, but she drops the lipstick while she turns it on, and then can't find it again before Unnie returns and deepens the guilt Soo Min feels by explaining that she doesn't tell her everything because she trusts her and wants to protect her. But oh by the way, if anything happens to Jin Sook, Soo Min is totally the only person who could take her place. So, I don't know, isn't that an argument for NOT keeping her in dark?
kakashi: The writer is making her look a bit too dumb for my taste. Or maybe not outright dumb, but really inept and so incredibly naive.
Shuk: All these years and Jin-sook has never had an assistant or a second-in-command? And her automatic trust of Soo-min is ridiculous. A potential employee of a legitimate company gets at least a cursory background check, which in this case would show the link between Baksa, the dead cop, and even Jin-sook.
JoAnne: My Squee Sisters are nobody's fools.
JoAnne: World's worst bodyguard rushes in to tell Jin Sook to get out NOW because Pusan is there, but too late, because, um, Pusan is there. In this very creepy and ominous scene, Jin Sook says everything as if she realizes that the room is bugged, and we get to see just how seriously messed up Pudge is.
JoAnne: Also, he's always horny. Always. Soo Min, introducing herself as
Areum, saves Jin Sook's ass a couple times and totally puts herself in
harm's way with sicko Pudge. I'm surprised at the relatively nice
singing but then I remember Nam Gyu-ri was an idol before she was an
actor.
kakashi: You liked it? I really, really didn't. I hated how she tapped the rhythm with her hand on the mike and I hated that she cried. Why? I might not understand the references here since I don't know what song she sang and why it made her sad.
Shuk: I was gagging with Creepy McCreeperson's touchy-feelyness during this scene to even pay attention to the singing.
JoAnne: I just assumed the tears were for the grossness of Pudgie Pudding Face feeling her up and down and everybody acting like this entire disgusting evening was a normal event.
JoAnne: Jin Sook is holding back, but she wants this man dead. Yesterday. Still, the evening ends with her promising to deliver 'Areum' to Pudge at his place tomorrow. Once Pudge leaves, Jin Sook makes a phone call, and Hyung Min is listening to the whole thing through the magical lipstick.
kakashi: Hm. Another thing I'm not very happy about, writing-wise. So now, suddenly, there is bugs? Cause someone incidentally dropped a lipstick? And Jin-sook never checks her place for bugs? Cause she trust her stupid bodyguard?
Shuk: The whole security thing at the Basement Boudoir has annoyed me since our Police Beast and our Beauty Mole first discussed their plan before doing the bed scene.
JoAnne: Next we have a stupid bit where Hyung Min tells Soo Min to follow Jin Sook and find out who this dude Safari is that she's meeting. Doesn't he already know who Safari is? Of course Soo Min loses Jin Sook because she hasn't been taught how to tail, and Thighs tells her well, he understands that but please try harder because if this all she can do, what is the point. Believe me. I am asking the very same question. At least he was polite about it.
kakashi: Right? Doesn't he know who Safari is? Or doesn't he know that's his nickname? Confused. Stupid scene. Filler. I don't know. Bleh. I don't like fillers.
Shuk: [Rummaging the kitchen to look for some snacks]
JoAnne: Jin Sook meets with Safari. She starts by slapping his face and ends by asking him where his loyalties lie, in a sense, by asking who is he right now. She sure hopes he's Safari, because she wants Pudge dead, and since that's what Safari wanted, she can help him do it. I'm just wondering why someone the gangsters KNOW is a cop is still alive, still with gangsters, not tortured and dead, or running and alone. I'm glad, don't get me wrong. But I'm puzzled.
kakashi: I guess you survive in the CCity universe if you are still useful to somebody. And Safari is still useful, to many people. Otherwise? Not very good writing. Oh, am I getting too critical?! Noooooo! I love this show!
Shuk: And he is staying at Meth Kim's Vertical Horror Room. And Meth Kim was with Pudgie when Safari had to run...[shrug]
JoAnne: Surprise! Detective Suh is back! This gives me hope for Halibut. Min goes to visit Suh at her rehab place and we learn that HE told her to do whatever Kang said, she really WAS an innocent in all of that. And now he's telling her to return to the team and help Hyung Min catch Baksa Adeul. I do not understand at all - does he WANT them to catch Baksa? Or is he just ACTING like it to cover something up. Because he has to know that Shi Hyun is Baksa, right?
kaakshi: [not being critical]
JoAnne: Meanwhile Thighs gives Do Hoon a file and tells him to investigate Safari and find out who the cop was who put him undercover and why. Ahn strolls up, per usual, and wants to know what's going on. They lie and tell him they're looking for Meth Kim.
kakashi: And the idiot believes it. And I don't understand why this scene is necessary. Oh, sorry. Not being critical. And I totally like Ahn's haircut and glasses.
Shuk: [Finally finding a half-tub of hummus and some Ritz Crackers.]
kakashi: Oh. Gimme!
Shuk: No! You have to finish your Ochsenmaulsalat first!
JoAnne: I am going to make some zucchini crisps today. Mouth already watering - or would be, if I wasn't picturing the disembodied jaw of an ox nestled artistically between mixed greens.
JoAnne: And then Min walks in with Suh and distracts err'body. When Hyung Min complains, Min points out her hacking skills. When that isn't enough to make Thighs forgive her for getting his baby mama killed, Min points out, very reasonably, that Suh just thought she was following a lawful order from Kang, which she couldn't actually disobey anyway, and she feels terrible. Which we had posited as a theory way back, so yay for us, although it turned out to be a lie. Still, those morning donuts in the team room are going to be choked down with a lot of heartburn and awkwardness, I'm thinking.
kakashi: I'm keeping quiet.
Shuk: Please tell me that she serves some sort of...err...purpose? And is worth my time??
JoAnne: We interrupt this episode with a message from our friends at 'Caring, but Not in a Kind Way': Reporter Cha is basically a zombie in her room after getting roughed up the other day, because she saw her mom die in a car accident when she was younger. I, and everyone else watching, fail to see the connection. But anyway. Thighs rushes over and gives her the tough love speech and she responds by saying he couldn't possibly understand how she feels. I guess she forgot about his dead fiancee and baby.
kakashi: Oh, they remembered they had this other side-side-character without a purpose, too. Why make her "basically a zombie"? Could have made her a full zombie in the wheelchair! In the rehab clinic with Neanderthal's brother.
Shuk: With all his verbal abilities with the opposite sex (Soo-min and Reporter Cha), it's a wonder how the Dead Baby Mama fell in love with him.
JoAnne: One word: Thighs. Another word: Arms. Yet another: Chest. Shall I continue? Just because it don't work for Kakashi don't mean it don't work for a million others...or just me, really. I'm ok with that.
JoAnne: In the Bak Cave, our boys get matching phone calls. Cutie Soo is summoned to the deal location, and Baksa instructs him to play it straight. Baksa gets a call from Pudge, requesting the honor of his presence. Baksa understands immediately that this is so that he doesn't try to pull anything re: the deal. He has to explain it to Cutie, and Pudge has to explain it to Scale. If Baksa shows up, their intentions are good. If Baksa doesn't, well... then they're up to something.
kakashi: Oh. This is getting interesting again. Good, good!
Shuk: Our boy is treading on the razor's edge, here.
JoAnne: At the bar, Jin Sook is giving Soo Min instruction for the evening. She's sending her off to Pudge, but she clearly doesn't feel right about it. She gives her a snazzy red car and something else 'in case it doesn't go right.' She ain't talking about the car, neither.
Shuk: She might be. Two "thu-thunks" with the wheels and Pudgie is 'retired'. [snicker] I am sooo funny sometimes. But, seriously, who drank the rest of my drink? [looks around suspiciously]
JoAnne: This reminds me: my liquor store sells St. Germain, which is elderflower. Who's up for a Hugo?
kakashi: Seriously. Jin-sook is a biatch. She knows exactly what a freaking FREAK Jo-Pudge is. He probably kills women for fun. And she sends her young, clearly vulnerable and inexperience dongsaeng?
JoAnne: Oh my God is this it? They're both heading to the same place. Is this where she finds out that Mr. Gangster is actually Baksa Adeul? I have heartburn so bad. Baksa is headed toward Pudge on one of those boardwalks when he notices Soo Min approaching from another direction. Is it just me? Do those paths increase and change direction each time we see them? They're both flustered, but Soo Min tries to push past. He's worried, but oh, she is PISSED.
kakashi: Yeah, she's hurt cause he said he didn't have time to like her. Just a liiiiittle bit childish, but okay. I forgive her. Cause I'm a bit distracted by the carpet she is wearing.
Shuk: His expression is less "Oh Snap" and a lot more concern for her, even if she is too angry at him to notice. And they both know exactly what kind of person they are dealing with. When he phone-convos Jin-sook, my sub translation states Jin-sook called her 'a present' for Psycho-Jo. Since he knows Beauty Mole sucks at the whole evil thing, is he thinking she's a willing sacrifice to make sure the deal goes down? Does this change his perception of either woman?
JoAnne: Soo Min continues past and is hanging out with Pudge and Scale when Pudge gives the All Kill on Baksa and Friends, since Baksa hasn't shown up yet. What the hell? He's THERE. Where is he? Scale heads out and Soo Min AGAIN asks who is Baksa Adeul but Pudge says she should really only be worried about him right now.
kakashi: ... and takes her to a room "upstairs". I must admit, this made me the most anxious. That's how much afraid of him I am.
Shuk: She is almost too naive and stupid to leave. Does she really think she can get out of this easily? Is she thinking at all? And it's not even Shi-hyun distraction; she is just going along like it's an everyday event.
JoAnne: Scale meets up with Baksa right outside the house where guards are walking around and would never notice anyone suspicious and asks if Baksa wants to strike now. Baksa won't go in there because SHE'S there, right? This does not feel like it will end well. He freaking LEAVES. In the car, he calls Cutie. Oh, shit. I know what's coming. He tells Cutie to hide, but it's too late, because we see a car pull in. DAMN. I do love how they start fights, though. But...what does this mean for Cutie? If he dies here, it's because Baksa was trying to keep his identity from Soo Min. That won't add to his guilt, or anything. Oh, it's even WORSE. He keeps thinking about something, and does a U-turn. He's headed back to Pudge's Pleasure Palace because he just cannot quit Soo Min. I guess he has no idea that Cutie is not headed toward the Bak Cave.
kakashi: Oh NO! CUTIE SOO!!!!! Okay, I was really angry at Baksa for not going in there to kill this super-creep-fatguy just because he doesn't want his cover blown. Seriously. The U-turn was super cool though and it stopped my anger right away.
Shuk: Baksa's decision just turned the whole thing into a cluster-fuck of epic proportions. This is going to cascade on everybody and everything. Including his cobbled-together family. I'm not convinced Cutie-soo can overcome the odds.
JoAnne: There is a very disturbing scene where we realize just how twisted this fat little fuck really is, but in the end Soo Min gets him knocked out and lying on a bed like he's dead. Then she goes to open up the gate and I literally CHEER to see Safari, Kim Eun Soo, and Meth Kim stroll in. Kick ass, Bad Good Dudes. Sort of Good Dudes. Bad Dudes on My Side This Time. Anyway. I am really so very, very happy to see these guys. This show, it messes with my head.
kakashi: Did anyone understand why the drops didn't work on the sick-creep like they should have?
Shuk: Maybe you have to be human for them to work.
JoAnne: Cooperative Bad Dudes fight their way in from one direction, and Conflicted Hero Baksa fights his way in from another. He still fights cool.
kakashi: My favorite gif of this SqueeCap coming up!
Shuk: His expression is so clinical, it's just HAWT. [fans self]
JoAnne: Meth Kim and Safari let Kim Eun Soo have her revenge on Pudge. Oh, Scale's there, too. All three are a bit weirded out by her. What kind of gangsters ARE these people?
kakashi: Right?! I thought, maybe, they felt a bit for him, dying at the revenging blurry knife of a woman. Though if I were this woman, I would first have cut off something before stabbing him.
Shuk: I would have thought she would want to give him pain first, but whatever. I will say: a punch in the jaw causes blood spray; a stab through the heart and her white jacket stays white? Totally happy to see him dead, by the way.
JoAnne: And now I'm confused again. Safari has Kyung Mi's phone and he turns it on and leaves it at the scene, telling Scale 'Doctor did this.' What is in his head with the saving and then the framing and all this. And is Scale going to stay loyal to Baksa? Thighs is hanging by the lipstick's receiver waiting for someone to tell him what's happening so he can get there just past the nick of time, and his phone rings. It's Detective Suh, telling him that Kyung Mi's phone has been activated. He takes a jog through the park and then gets in his car to follow that phone! I guess he just wasn't parked near the house because it's at the top of a bunch of stairs but the parking situation in Seoul always confuses me anyway.
kakashi: It was all about the running, JoAnne.
Shuk: Maybe Safari is trying to keep Baksa alive in prison versus dead and outside? I confess I didn't get it, either.
JoAnne: Baksa bursts into the room where a resigned Scale sits watch over a very dead Pudge. He knows right away what Safari intends, but he's got a better idea. Let's hope, shall we? Sure enough, when Hyung Min gets there, Scale is alone with the dead body. It physically causes Scale pain to do it, but he tells Hyung Min that the body is....Baksa Adeul.
Shuk: Is sad to think that after 20 years of Safari, and eight years of Shi-hyun, that law enforcement has no clue what anyone in the top of the drug cartel look like.
kakashi: Creepy circle-lense Baksa-alien below.
JoAnne: Hyung Min ain't havin' that, and I am just sitting here with my mouth hanging open. I mean ok it's not GENIUS but still. I didn't expect it. Ahn gets there, avec minions, and has them pull Thighs off Scale. I giggle because they're scared of The Great Wall, and damn...he's just one solid dude. Yum.
kakashi: I admit that I am fascinated by the muscles in his arms. But that's it. The rest? Not pushing any of my buttons.
Shuk: It must be frustrating to think you have it all figured out, and the bad guys don't just fall in line with your expectations.
JoAnne: Baksa rushes back to Jin Sook's and man, he's pissed that she killed Pudge because now it's a war, and she started it. She insists it's their opportunity - what does he think Pusan will do when he finds out that Safari killed his son? Oh but wait, Auntie...let Baksa fill you in on the juicy details. Oh, yeah, she wasn't expecting that, was she. Why would she think that Safari would try to save his own neck when she was so eager to hang it out there?
kakashi: Now I am confused. Right, Safari wanted to frame Baksa, but Baksa knows that Scale will pretend the dead guy is Baksa, right? So ... he just wants her to know/believe Safari is a backstabbing ass? Wait ... but she already knows that, right? so ... what's the point here? If it is to have a sexy scene with him being angry, I'm all fine with it.
Shuk: Because Safari's original intent was to frame Baksa for the murder which will: (a) get him locked up by our local Idiots In Indigo; and, (b) get him out of the way for Safari to slide into the main role (both cops having the same idea of starting over with Pusan). For Baksa, it's a way of getting Jin-sook to disengage from Safari and hopefully put in place where he can protect his noona.
JoAnne: Baksa's sitting in the car thinking deep thoughts when he sees Soo Min leave House o' Babes. I'm going to take this moment to share that I think this is the single most ugly outfit she's worn yet. From her necklace right down past that godawful dress to those fugly shoes, just purely awful. She metaphorically girds her hideously clothed loins and drives off somewhere, having received a call from Hyung Min earlier.
kakashi: Is anybody else also surprised she can drive? I don't know ... is it because she looks like a 12 year old girl that I think her incapable of it?
JoAnne: She meets up with Thighs at the park so he can yell at her in person for not calling in. They are conveniently situated out in the wide open in some paved area that can be looked down upon. I am grateful, because while it may not be a rooftop, Baksa is once again up above, watching the scene below with an inscrutable look on his face.
kakashi: Can't tell you how glad I am at least one of the "secrets" is out in the open now.
Shuk: But poor Shi-hyun, watching his girl and thinking sad thoughts...
Final Thoughts:
JoAnne: We haven't had a lot of really cool Baksa the last couple episodes and I get why but I'm glad to see him back. Kick ass, Tiny Hotness, kick ass! I love this show beyond words. I am so engrossed in what's happening that I don't try to think ahead and so each twist is a genuine joy, and I'm not JOKING when I say it's giving me heartburn. Even if it ends badly - how could it not end badly - I just mean, even if there's a WTF ending...this is my ship. This is the best one I've seen, and my OTP turns out to be me and the Cruel City. In the back of my head, by the way, a tiny voice is worrying about Cutie Soo and that cute driver.
kakashi: I don't know why the very obvious plot-fillers are bothering me so much this week. Both episodes 11 and 12 are full of it and I really hope there will be less WTFery next week. Re Cutie Soo and his gang? Oh yeah ... he might be a bit bloody again next week. Or maybe he'll wear another bandage only + suit jacket. That was kinda hot, so I'm not complaining.
Shuk: Or Cutie-soo may end up a fishmonger in Haeundae with amnesia. All cards are on the table, but he fights best with his Battle Brother beside him, and that was an awful lot of black-suited bad guys. In spite of everything, I think Baksa is in a tiny bit better position job-wise than at the beginning of the episode. With the death of Jo The Creep, the fallout and ripples may be an opportunity for him to get the better hand over Safari. [fingers crossed]
JoAnne: I was standing at my kitchen sink this morning, looking out at the misty, green backyard while I waited for my coffee to brew. It's a pretty view. But what I was SEEING was Safari, and what I was thinking about is how glad I am that he's still part of this show. And then I realized something. We liked him because he was fun to watch, with his crazy and scary behavior. Yet somehow, so naturally that we didn't even realize it was happening...over the last couple of episodes, Safari changed. He was still scary but now you could see that he didn't really want to be, and that he was vulnerable around Jin Sook and Baksa Adeul. And then we even forgot to be scared of him, for a while. Now we wholeheartedly worry for his safety and how this will all work out, and we hate someone new for revealing a bit more of their twistedness. Will we end up sympathizing with him as well? Realizing this about Safari fills me with horror because now, just a little bit, I understand what it's like for him, and for Baksa. They go in thinking these are terrible criminals and then, somehow...they learn to see the people, and love them. What a terrible position to be in. And us - we are being moved along a path and we don't even see it until we look up and the view has changed. I'm afraid of the ending of this show.
Shuk: [gulp]
kakashi: Oh shush. It'll be alright. It'll be alright. It'll be ........ o_o
Episode 12
JoAnne: This opening scene, the whole thing, from the cafe to the parking lot - this was fantastic. His face. His resigned delivery. Her anger and her sadness. That moment of surprise in his eyes when they discuss what it meant when he shared his name, and he realizes that for her, it was the beginning of a real connection. Ugh. For him it was a goodbye. They are so going to break my heart into a million tiny pieces.
Shuk: I'm not convinced he considered it an ending back then. His silence in the car was him coming to terms with his shock and disappointment that he couldn't secure even a tiny drop of personal happiness. And who's to say they can't have each other in the end? Okay, probably every other character in the show, and the writer, but still.
JoAnne: PS. I hate her skirt.
kakashi: Ah ... is that what this is? The biggest wonder for me are the shoes, though. I cannot wrap my head around the fact that there are women who can walk in such things.
Shuk: When Baksa starts looking into her past, what will he think when he discovers the link between his first love and his true love? And Neanderthal, tainting them both. I'm sensing a monster showdown there.
kakashi: I don't believe him a single word. He may want this woman, but sincere? He isn't.
Shuk: And her tears as she drove away, were they for Safari? Min? Herself?
ShukNote: Now that I've had a few drinks and completed a long day at work, my mind is doing loopy stuff. I got the thought that Min is handling his life similar to Baksa: the uniformed officer, and the suave suit-wearing gentleman. Different personae defined by couture. Except that I have nothing but a vague distaste about uri Min, whereas I have naughty thoughts about Shi-hyun in black leather.
kakashi: The raging is a bit scary, cause it seems Min is losing control now and that isn't a good thing for anybody.
Shuk: [shivers]
kakashi: You are forgetting to squee, JoAnne (I get it, it's all so intense). But let me do some. Baksa all tormented in the blue-green light of the Bak Cave? Hmmmmmmmm ... what a sight!
Shuk: Part of Min's rage is that he wants to finish this and get back to wooing Jin-sook without all the pesky side-characters to muck things up. And, yes, kakashi, a tormented Baksa is a smexy Baksa.
JoAnne: I thought I mentioned somewhere that this whole episode had Baksa looking pretty damn hot...
kakashi: I laughed my a$$ off at the bickering. When she tells him off for not even greeting her and he acts all surprised, pretending he didn't recognize her because of all the wrinkles and stuff? Buahahaha, man, whoever wrote this: genius!
Shuk: LOL. I'm sure he feels like a school teacher between unruly students, especially with their juvenile behavior.
kakashi: Yes, we need to call it. Cutie Soo has a criminally bad sense of fashion. But the bromance is strong with these two.
Shuk: Aww, I liked most of his fashion choices, and
JoAnne: White pants + good butt = kryptonite
kakashi: Another great scene this one. My favorite part? The finger tap. Jo-Pudge is so fucking creepy because he really IS deeply rotten and bad. We know that. He enjoys seeing people in pain and he likes torturing people. Bu what do you think ... is he less or more evil than his father?
Shuk: Pudgie is such a creeptastic psychopath, there is no way he could have held the organization together. Daddy is just indulging him a little. The real chess-master hasn't revealed himself yet, I'm sure. And Cutie-soo looks like he's wearing a soccer ball barrette in the final screenshot of the gif! [giggle]
kakashi: As happy as I am with these light-filled Baksa-as-saint shots, I have issues with how Scale is written at this point. I just don't find his sudden change of heart believable. Sure, Baksa has his son ... but he already had or could have had him the first time round, when Scale betrayed him.
Shuk: And if he betrayed him once, he is going to do it again. Darnit, Baksa, don't trust him!
kakashi: These two should get a spin-off show, in which they would forever strall through pretty parks in suits, putting different hands on each other's shoulders. They could also pat each other's arms, hands, etc.
Shuk: Bromance for the win. Cutie kind of swings his arms funny, don't you think? Or is it just me and my limoncello-induced blurry vision?
kakashi: Or me and my slightly fast gif?
kakashi: The writer is making her look a bit too dumb for my taste. Or maybe not outright dumb, but really inept and so incredibly naive.
Shuk: All these years and Jin-sook has never had an assistant or a second-in-command? And her automatic trust of Soo-min is ridiculous. A potential employee of a legitimate company gets at least a cursory background check, which in this case would show the link between Baksa, the dead cop, and even Jin-sook.
JoAnne: My Squee Sisters are nobody's fools.
kakashi: You liked it? I really, really didn't. I hated how she tapped the rhythm with her hand on the mike and I hated that she cried. Why? I might not understand the references here since I don't know what song she sang and why it made her sad.
Shuk: I was gagging with Creepy McCreeperson's touchy-feelyness during this scene to even pay attention to the singing.
JoAnne: I just assumed the tears were for the grossness of Pudgie Pudding Face feeling her up and down and everybody acting like this entire disgusting evening was a normal event.
kakashi: Hm. Another thing I'm not very happy about, writing-wise. So now, suddenly, there is bugs? Cause someone incidentally dropped a lipstick? And Jin-sook never checks her place for bugs? Cause she trust her stupid bodyguard?
Shuk: The whole security thing at the Basement Boudoir has annoyed me since our Police Beast and our Beauty Mole first discussed their plan before doing the bed scene.
JoAnne: Next we have a stupid bit where Hyung Min tells Soo Min to follow Jin Sook and find out who this dude Safari is that she's meeting. Doesn't he already know who Safari is? Of course Soo Min loses Jin Sook because she hasn't been taught how to tail, and Thighs tells her well, he understands that but please try harder because if this all she can do, what is the point. Believe me. I am asking the very same question. At least he was polite about it.
kakashi: Right? Doesn't he know who Safari is? Or doesn't he know that's his nickname? Confused. Stupid scene. Filler. I don't know. Bleh. I don't like fillers.
Shuk: [Rummaging the kitchen to look for some snacks]
kakashi: I guess you survive in the CCity universe if you are still useful to somebody. And Safari is still useful, to many people. Otherwise? Not very good writing. Oh, am I getting too critical?! Noooooo! I love this show!
Shuk: And he is staying at Meth Kim's Vertical Horror Room. And Meth Kim was with Pudgie when Safari had to run...[shrug]
kaakshi: [not being critical]
kakashi: And the idiot believes it. And I don't understand why this scene is necessary. Oh, sorry. Not being critical. And I totally like Ahn's haircut and glasses.
Shuk: [Finally finding a half-tub of hummus and some Ritz Crackers.]
kakashi: Oh. Gimme!
Shuk: No! You have to finish your Ochsenmaulsalat first!
JoAnne: I am going to make some zucchini crisps today. Mouth already watering - or would be, if I wasn't picturing the disembodied jaw of an ox nestled artistically between mixed greens.
kakashi: I'm keeping quiet.
Shuk: Please tell me that she serves some sort of...err...purpose? And is worth my time??
kakashi: Oh, they remembered they had this other side-side-character without a purpose, too. Why make her "basically a zombie"? Could have made her a full zombie in the wheelchair! In the rehab clinic with Neanderthal's brother.
Shuk: With all his verbal abilities with the opposite sex (Soo-min and Reporter Cha), it's a wonder how the Dead Baby Mama fell in love with him.
JoAnne: One word: Thighs. Another word: Arms. Yet another: Chest. Shall I continue? Just because it don't work for Kakashi don't mean it don't work for a million others...or just me, really. I'm ok with that.
kakashi: Oh. This is getting interesting again. Good, good!
Shuk: Our boy is treading on the razor's edge, here.
Shuk: She might be. Two "thu-thunks" with the wheels and Pudgie is 'retired'. [snicker] I am sooo funny sometimes. But, seriously, who drank the rest of my drink? [looks around suspiciously]
JoAnne: This reminds me: my liquor store sells St. Germain, which is elderflower. Who's up for a Hugo?
kakashi: Seriously. Jin-sook is a biatch. She knows exactly what a freaking FREAK Jo-Pudge is. He probably kills women for fun. And she sends her young, clearly vulnerable and inexperience dongsaeng?
kakashi: Yeah, she's hurt cause he said he didn't have time to like her. Just a liiiiittle bit childish, but okay. I forgive her. Cause I'm a bit distracted by the carpet she is wearing.
Shuk: His expression is less "Oh Snap" and a lot more concern for her, even if she is too angry at him to notice. And they both know exactly what kind of person they are dealing with. When he phone-convos Jin-sook, my sub translation states Jin-sook called her 'a present' for Psycho-Jo. Since he knows Beauty Mole sucks at the whole evil thing, is he thinking she's a willing sacrifice to make sure the deal goes down? Does this change his perception of either woman?
kakashi: ... and takes her to a room "upstairs". I must admit, this made me the most anxious. That's how much afraid of him I am.
Shuk: She is almost too naive and stupid to leave. Does she really think she can get out of this easily? Is she thinking at all? And it's not even Shi-hyun distraction; she is just going along like it's an everyday event.
kakashi: Oh NO! CUTIE SOO!!!!! Okay, I was really angry at Baksa for not going in there to kill this super-creep-fatguy just because he doesn't want his cover blown. Seriously. The U-turn was super cool though and it stopped my anger right away.
Shuk: Baksa's decision just turned the whole thing into a cluster-fuck of epic proportions. This is going to cascade on everybody and everything. Including his cobbled-together family. I'm not convinced Cutie-soo can overcome the odds.
kakashi: Did anyone understand why the drops didn't work on the sick-creep like they should have?
Shuk: Maybe you have to be human for them to work.
JoAnne: Cooperative Bad Dudes fight their way in from one direction, and Conflicted Hero Baksa fights his way in from another. He still fights cool.
kakashi: My favorite gif of this SqueeCap coming up!
Shuk: His expression is so clinical, it's just HAWT. [fans self]
kakashi: Right?! I thought, maybe, they felt a bit for him, dying at the revenging blurry knife of a woman. Though if I were this woman, I would first have cut off something before stabbing him.
Shuk: I would have thought she would want to give him pain first, but whatever. I will say: a punch in the jaw causes blood spray; a stab through the heart and her white jacket stays white? Totally happy to see him dead, by the way.
kakashi: It was all about the running, JoAnne.
Shuk: Maybe Safari is trying to keep Baksa alive in prison versus dead and outside? I confess I didn't get it, either.
Shuk: Is sad to think that after 20 years of Safari, and eight years of Shi-hyun, that law enforcement has no clue what anyone in the top of the drug cartel look like.
kakashi: Creepy circle-lense Baksa-alien below.
kakashi: I admit that I am fascinated by the muscles in his arms. But that's it. The rest? Not pushing any of my buttons.
Shuk: It must be frustrating to think you have it all figured out, and the bad guys don't just fall in line with your expectations.
kakashi: Now I am confused. Right, Safari wanted to frame Baksa, but Baksa knows that Scale will pretend the dead guy is Baksa, right? So ... he just wants her to know/believe Safari is a backstabbing ass? Wait ... but she already knows that, right? so ... what's the point here? If it is to have a sexy scene with him being angry, I'm all fine with it.
Shuk: Because Safari's original intent was to frame Baksa for the murder which will: (a) get him locked up by our local Idiots In Indigo; and, (b) get him out of the way for Safari to slide into the main role (both cops having the same idea of starting over with Pusan). For Baksa, it's a way of getting Jin-sook to disengage from Safari and hopefully put in place where he can protect his noona.
kakashi: Is anybody else also surprised she can drive? I don't know ... is it because she looks like a 12 year old girl that I think her incapable of it?
JoAnne: She meets up with Thighs at the park so he can yell at her in person for not calling in. They are conveniently situated out in the wide open in some paved area that can be looked down upon. I am grateful, because while it may not be a rooftop, Baksa is once again up above, watching the scene below with an inscrutable look on his face.
kakashi: Can't tell you how glad I am at least one of the "secrets" is out in the open now.
Shuk: But poor Shi-hyun, watching his girl and thinking sad thoughts...
Final Thoughts:
JoAnne: We haven't had a lot of really cool Baksa the last couple episodes and I get why but I'm glad to see him back. Kick ass, Tiny Hotness, kick ass! I love this show beyond words. I am so engrossed in what's happening that I don't try to think ahead and so each twist is a genuine joy, and I'm not JOKING when I say it's giving me heartburn. Even if it ends badly - how could it not end badly - I just mean, even if there's a WTF ending...this is my ship. This is the best one I've seen, and my OTP turns out to be me and the Cruel City. In the back of my head, by the way, a tiny voice is worrying about Cutie Soo and that cute driver.
kakashi: I don't know why the very obvious plot-fillers are bothering me so much this week. Both episodes 11 and 12 are full of it and I really hope there will be less WTFery next week. Re Cutie Soo and his gang? Oh yeah ... he might be a bit bloody again next week. Or maybe he'll wear another bandage only + suit jacket. That was kinda hot, so I'm not complaining.
Shuk: Or Cutie-soo may end up a fishmonger in Haeundae with amnesia. All cards are on the table, but he fights best with his Battle Brother beside him, and that was an awful lot of black-suited bad guys. In spite of everything, I think Baksa is in a tiny bit better position job-wise than at the beginning of the episode. With the death of Jo The Creep, the fallout and ripples may be an opportunity for him to get the better hand over Safari. [fingers crossed]
JoAnne: I was standing at my kitchen sink this morning, looking out at the misty, green backyard while I waited for my coffee to brew. It's a pretty view. But what I was SEEING was Safari, and what I was thinking about is how glad I am that he's still part of this show. And then I realized something. We liked him because he was fun to watch, with his crazy and scary behavior. Yet somehow, so naturally that we didn't even realize it was happening...over the last couple of episodes, Safari changed. He was still scary but now you could see that he didn't really want to be, and that he was vulnerable around Jin Sook and Baksa Adeul. And then we even forgot to be scared of him, for a while. Now we wholeheartedly worry for his safety and how this will all work out, and we hate someone new for revealing a bit more of their twistedness. Will we end up sympathizing with him as well? Realizing this about Safari fills me with horror because now, just a little bit, I understand what it's like for him, and for Baksa. They go in thinking these are terrible criminals and then, somehow...they learn to see the people, and love them. What a terrible position to be in. And us - we are being moved along a path and we don't even see it until we look up and the view has changed. I'm afraid of the ending of this show.
Shuk: [gulp]
kakashi: Oh shush. It'll be alright. It'll be alright. It'll be ........ o_o
