Misty: Episodes 11-12 (Open Thread)

156 March 13, 2018March 13, 2018

by mary

odilettante: My favorite scene this week, hands down, was the shot of Hye-ran in her closet (which is definitely large enough for me to live in). My other favorite scene was Hye-ran getting all suited up because it was like she was preparing for battle, so now I’m considering her pantsuits like suits of armor.

mary: Those are very gorgeous and comfy-looking armors. But we need to crowdfund more of them for Hye-ran, because her enemies are piling up, and she might have found something she wants to protect now.

odilettante: Like *gasp* actually falling in love?

EPISODES 11-12 WEECAP

Hye-ran finally tells Tae-wook what happened nineteen years ago when Myung-woo found her leaving a loan shark’s place at night looking disheveled. Myung-woo, ignoring her pleas that nothing bad happened, ran in and stabbed the loan shark in anger, killing him on the spot.

In the present, Hye-ran admits to Tae-wook that she still asks herself “Why didn’t Myung-woo believe what I said? Then no one would’ve died, and he wouldn’t have gone to jail, and we wouldn’t have suffered all these years.”

When Tae-wook meets up with Myung-woo, he says he realized while in prison that he killed that loan shark for his pride, not for his love for Hye-ran. Myung-woo approached Tae-wook to observe if he’s protecting Hye-ran or just his pride. But Myung-woo already knows the answer to this, as he told Hye-ran earlier that Tae-wook loves her very much.

Tae-wook visits Hye-ran at work and takes back what he said earlier about regretting waiting for her. He loved her seven years ago and he still loves her now. Hye-ran kisses him back and they end up sleeping together.

Their happiness is very short-lived though, as Hye-ran finds a letter from court the next morning, informing her of her indictment and first hearing two weeks from now. She decides to accept her Vice President’s offer to steal Director Jang’s position and shorten the coverage of Congressman Jung’s scandal. In exchange, Kang Yool Law Firm must represent her AND win in the murder case. The deal is set and she’s immediately reinstated at work while Director Jang gets ignored by the Vice President. Jang begins to nitpick at her during staff meetings and piles work on her despite the looming trial.

Tae-wook hears about the trial and Hye-ran using a different lawyer than him. He asks to be put back on the case and reassures her that he’s fine with handling gossip about her affair, but Hye-ran admits that she’s the one who’s not okay with it. For once, all the accusations that she’s hurting Tae-wook are also hurting her — meaning she might be in love with him after all. She breaks up with him, not wanting to be like her mom who gets hurt over and over because of love.

Hye-ran misses Tae-wook after he moves out but she stays out of contact with him, and even Reporter Yoon is surprised that Hye-ran doesn’t act selfish as usual and hold on to what she wants (aka Tae-wook). But all that doubting is moot since Tae-wook joins Kang Yool instead to work on Hye-ran’s case.

It’s unclear if Kang Yool is trying to screw Hye-ran (and Tae-wook) over, but Kevin’s ex-manager Dong-hyun joins in to give his best effort. Consumed by guilt after his sister’s funeral and Eun-joo’s unlimited kindness towards him, Dong-hyun goes on a rampage and tries to run Hye-ran over. Eun-joo reports these attempts to the police — after being ignored by Tae-wook — and even Myung-woo joins in on hunting Dong-hyun down. But Dong-hyun goes even crazier after realizing Myung-woo and Tae-wook are working together. He ambushes Tae-wook on the morning of the trial, causing Hye-ran to panic in front of Detective Kang and drive like a madwoman to the hospital.

Thanks to Myung-woo’s help, Tae-wook escapes with a minor head wound. But the fear for Tae-wook’s safety is enough for Hye-ran’s composure to crack and hug him and call his name over and over. Myung-woo decides this is where his role ends, and he walks away, but not until Detective Kang gets a glimpse of him. Kang calls his hoobae detective for the timeline of Myung-woo’s release and rushes to tip off Prosecutor Byun about something.

The trial starts with Hye-ran’s side pleading not guilty to murder. Prosecutor Byun opens with his own witness, the one who claims to have seen someone fighting with Kevin Lee that night. Remembering Detective Kang’s tip, Byun asks the witness if Kevin fought with a woman. The witness says no, it was a man. The Dramatic Violins go crazy in the background, and everyone in court is shocked, except Tae-wook who stares intently at the witness and clasps his hands tighter.

COMMENTS

mary: How can a simple hand-clenching worry me so much? Tae-wook, please tell us you just ate a bad piece of egg for breakfast, and you’re not guilty of Kevin’s murder.

odilettante: I definitely joined the “Tae-wook killed Kevin” train this week, particularly when the show hammered into my head the parallel of Hye-ran insisting nothing happened and the men not believing her. Teenage Hye-ran (who looks an awful lot like a young Ha Ji-won) insisted she wasn’t raped at the jewelry store, and adult Hye-ran insisted nothing happened between her and Kevin. But Jail Oppa didn’t believe (or care) and killed the jewelry store guy anyway, so maybe history repeated itself with Tae-wook going in all rage-induced to kill Kevin.

mary: Also, what’s up with the prosecution’s witness saying a man fought with Kevin Lee? Wasn’t the indictment based on his statement? How the fork did they manage to get to the trial without asking that important piece of info? This is like the Ji-won-called-Kevin-last all over again! A sloppy case based on non-evidence. No wonder Tae-wook was so confident he’ll win this trial.

odilettante: Is this a real witness, though? Or was he planted by the prosecution? But then why would Detective Jang specifically request the prosecution ask the gender of the person fighting with Kevin, knowing it would reveal it wasn’t a woman? Is the prosecution now secretly on Team Hye-ran or are they really that just inept? I don’t know what to trust anymore!

mary: Speaking of broken trust, I never thought Hye-ran would engage in Noble Idiocy by breaking up with Tae-wook. Isn’t her M.O. Selfish Brilliance instead?

odilettante: I didn’t really think of it as Noble Idiocy. More like she could see that the people around her are getting hurt so in order to protect them, it’s better to distance herself from them. I also think she’s used to doing everything on her own, so it scares her to be vulnerable and need someone else. I mean, the last time someone came to her defense, he ended spending nineteen years in jail.

mary: Tsk… tsk… men and their useless pride. Do you think nothing really happened with the loan shark? Or did Hye-ran just want to forget things and move on to a better life? I feel I’m like Tae-wook. I love her, but at the same time, I keep doubting her.

odilettante: I actually think that while there might have been an attempt at sexual assault, nothing really happened — or Hye-ran managed to fight back enough to get her assailant to stop. I may have doubted Hye-ran’s earlier assertions that nothing happened between her and Kevin, but now I believe her that nothing happened beyond what we saw already (admittedly those kisses weren’t “nothing” but I now believe that’s as far as it went).

mary: I can never be sure how much of it is true. I’m not even sure if Hye-ran really declared war against Director Jang or they just hatched a secret plan to lull their enemies into complacency. Or, knowing this is Hye-ran, it could be a fake war to bring down Kang Yool and Hwanil, but she might be using it to get the Director position at the same time (which she deserves, to be honest).

odilettante: Yeah, I’m not sure exactly what’s going on with that, but I’m totally rooting for her to become the first woman news director, especially one who refuses to be bribed by rich powerful men and who then empowers her fellow news women to carry on her legacy after she smashes that glass ceiling with one of her exquisite stiletto heels.

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156

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26 zitaliam

March 14, 2018 at 10:56 PM

Okay, I was waiting to watch the last episode before I write the comment. If the timeline is right, I think it is Ha Myung Woo who killed Kevin Lee and Tae Wook knew about it. Otherwise it is back into the net for everybody's guesses.

The preview for the next episode is really a suspense but I think it has come down to Hye Ran on one side and the Golden Door on the other side. For this, I believe both Hye Ran and Director Jang are in cohort.

A lot of them was asking why the crucial details like the gender was not checked out before the trial. I believe it comes down to presumption. Because everybody is so bent to make Hye Ran guilty for their own personal and collective motives that they did not see this tiny important fact. Coupled with confidence that they can twist the opinion and ultimately the law to their advantages, they got complacent. The prosecutor did not bother with facts at all because he is out to make a guilty person out of Hye Ran even if he flouts the truth and the law for it. Such is a making of corrupted man and corruption. Besides he is given the backhand support by Kang Yool.

Come Friday and Saturday... I want to see the showdown!

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27 FiyaShady

March 15, 2018 at 2:43 PM

I know that I was late jumping on the bandwagon but better late than never right? What a waste of DF premium acc of mine 😅 (no time to watch). I was hoping JBL would be offline premium too (best drama 2018 so far).
I really loved Hyeran character, she is so me ( in terms of thinking). She's not a bitch but I preferred super strong female character despite she fell in hell of bottomless pit. Why always people in marriage always concern about others opinion/ pov rather than their partner in the first place? I like JJH oppa alot, but him as Taewook are so pathetic ( in first 4 eps, I guess). He should fight for his love ( thank dramagod) and honour his marriage vow just like 7yrs ago.
I marathoned in overnight for this drama, glad that I pick it up quickly (oppa JJH- saranghae) and Hyeran is one badass lady (😍😍😍😍😍 her wardrobe is impressive with her stubborness). Can't wait for next eps 😉

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28 mrsdimple

March 15, 2018 at 7:51 PM

Finally able to catch up. What a busy week for me. New episodes tonight! I can't wait. Agree with your takes on inept prosecutors. I mean, didn't they do questioning before the trials? A bit of prodding will reveal that a man fought with Kevin Lee and therefore making GHR a defendant void. I don't want either Tae Wook or Myung Woo as the killer. Pleasssseee show😢. Let my super girl has her happy ending😟

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29 Dani

March 17, 2018 at 8:46 PM

Ahhhh, I finally caught up with all the episodes and this show has my brain fogged. All the clues are hinting towards Tae-Wook but I have a feeling he's a red herring and the culprit is someone else.

rihdfjkdf

I just really don't want Tae-Wook to be the murderer but if I look at the show with the context of him being the culprit then all his actions make sense. If we had seen the story from Tae-Wook's perspective, it would've been a paranoid man who doesn't trust his wife, proceeds to make a bad one-off decision, then regrets and goes mad over his mistake throughout the show.

ruiejkfxcn NEXT WEEK COULDN'T COME ANY SLOWER

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30 missjb

March 17, 2018 at 9:15 PM

I'm sorry to offend anyone, But I watch it out of curiosity, until episode 5, for me one major flaw in this drama is the acting... seems less on fire compare to mother for example. It's not it's bad, they got the job done. but it's just lack subtlety and passion, which is a must in a drama like this who is suppose to be about drama full of passion and dark aspect of each character nature . It makes drama behind drama less engaging and the feels is abit lacking. The only important character who give the character depth is the actress who act as Seo Eun-Joo. I don't know if it's come down from the writing. But the script feels engaging and cohesive so far.

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outofthisworld 不愧是我 🏍

March 17, 2018 at 9:57 PM

If I were to compare, I'd say that the acting in Misty is less subtle and gets overly dramatic than compared to Mother. It's kind of weird because Mother is the type of drama which can easily become overly dramatic in execution and acting.

As much as I like Hye Ran and Tae Wook, there are times when I get frustrated. I'm not sure if it's the actors' fault or the writing. Hye Ran can be unnecessarily cold in instances which I'd rather see her being more natural. Tae Wook on the other hand seems too emotional.

The two actors who I find no fault in are the actresses who plays Seo Eun Joo and Hye Ran's friend. They seem to rise above the writing. I think it does come down to that more than acting itself and probably the directing also lacks the subtlety. Just compare the two detectives from both shows. In Mother, I had hope that the detective will fail in capturing Soo Jin and Yoon Bok but I can totally see where he's coming from. Here, the detective is the worst. I am not sure if a veteran like Ahn Nae Sang could have done anything about it.

I haven't watched the latest episode. I'm suffering a bit of fatigue over this "Did Tae Wook do it?" which the show is pushing too much. It also doesn't help that the court scenes aren't on par.

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Bob

April 11, 2019 at 11:50 AM

I think 'Misty' is being played as 'grand opera', the sweeping musical score indicates this is deliberate. The only past drama I can think of this 'operatic' is 'Secret Love Affair' from 2014.

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mary

March 17, 2018 at 11:48 PM

I don't understand how the acting can lack subtlety and passion at the same time .______. Unless you meant one actor is too passionate/overacting while another is too subtle as to look bland?

For me, Kim Nam-joo is doing well holding all these boiling emotions in check. If I had a brush with sexual assault and murder and am now being framed for a crime I didn't commit just because I'm fighting corruption in the government, I wouldn't stand there thinking dark thoughts in my gorgeous pantsuit. I'd be screaming bloody murder and holding all sorts of press cons to expose everyone (but then, I'm not a good strategist).

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missjb

March 18, 2018 at 5:14 AM

euw @mary and @outofthisworld, I'm sorry if this time we are not in the same shoes. Their acting make it abit hard for me to engage with their character fully. Kim Nam Joo is doing better though. Maybe I'm too grumpy. But I expecting too much from them with intriguing plot like this... That's why I've said, might be the character is written that way, there is lack of layer behind those facade. I'm in episode 8 right now, Thanks God, Kevin Lee is out of the picture and Myung Woo join the conflict (he is more fascinating so far ). I'm watching it for "Seo Eun-Joo" Jeon Hye Jin. Man, She is so good so far.. Adding layer to the character. That's acting I'm expecting from juicy role like this. I won't be surprise if she is a murderer! She is showing a hint!

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mary

March 18, 2018 at 8:00 AM

I was saving this for the Misty 13-14 thread but maybe I owe @outofthisworld a bit of explanation. I think the actors are doing okay. It's the writer that's a bit lacking which doesn't get obvious until later. The director (though makes gorgeous shots) tends on the dramatic side too, so everything gets this epic flavor even if it's just two characters staring at each other.

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outofthisworld 不愧是我 🏍

March 18, 2018 at 8:08 AM

The director (though makes gorgeous shots) tends on the dramatic side too, so everything gets this epic flavor even if it's just two characters staring at each other

LOL!

You've hit the nail on the head. I was trying to articulate the problem and I couldn't put a finger as to whether it was the writing, directing or acting.

31 outofthisworld 不愧是我 🏍

March 18, 2018 at 12:27 AM

It's possible to lack both subtlety and passion at the same time. Subtle is different from bland although the line can be thin at times. Same with passion. The acting can be very passionate but it's not the same as overacting. Not sure if I make sense. Anyway, I am not referring to any actor in Misty. Although I nitpicked on Kim Nam Joo and Ji Jin Hee in my comment, I still think they are doing a great job.

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mary

March 18, 2018 at 2:07 AM

My reply was for missjb.

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32 missjb

March 18, 2018 at 7:25 AM

Episode 9 take a big turn in episode 9. Now I know why they cast Ji Jin He. Now his character take a big turn into the story. He is being an angry person inside though he is still denying his other side of him and he is become more interesting to watch as a character and acting! This writer is so good so far...

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33 SapphireBlue

March 20, 2018 at 4:40 AM

I don't believe Hye Ran much either, her nothing happened could mean 19 years ago I wasn't raped but I did get money for sexual favors (the ledger the detective found with various sums of money over a period of time) Hye Ran was desperate to get out of the situation of poverty. Again ,nothing happened with Kevin Lee but she did kiss and make out with him, we didn't see what fully happened in that car.
Hye Ran hasn't really come clean about a lot of things she hasn't even told Tae Wook that she dated Kevin Lee ten years earlier (even as her attorney). Hye Ran is a survivor, I just hope the ending of this drama is consistent with the characterization we've got so far.

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Misty