Little Women: Episodes 5-6
by alathe
New opportunities are cropping up for our heroines like mysterious blue orchids. Our eldest sister has a shiny new job — provided she can be exactly who her employer wants her to become. It’s almost as good as the shiny new family our youngest has gained! Meanwhile, our middle sibling is at the mercy of her Great Aunt’s generosity. All the while, a dark conspiracy closes in around them…
EPISODES 5-6 WEECAP
So — Hwa-young set up another new life, sealed with In-joo’s stolen signature. But, why her? And, why Singapore? The answer lies four years in the past, when the two shared a vacation there, originally intended for Hwa-young’s mother. Despite Hwa-young’s bereavement, In-joo was the first to dissolve into tears. After her divorce, she thought she’d never enjoy herself again. But in that moment, eating kaya toast in the sunlight, she knew that if she could live here, wealthy, for just one day, she’d die happy. Hwa-young, who presumably did not die happy, took those words as gospel.
In-joo’s not the only one with unfinished business in Singapore. Her first duty as Sang-ah’s assistant is to prepare for her employer’s spur-of-the-moment trip abroad — and to keep it under wraps from her husband. In Sang-ah’s absence, In-joo’s primary task is to throw an entire pharmacy’s worth of medication at the anxiety-prone Hyo-rin.
Back at the mansion, Hyo-rin and In-hye giggle uproariously over last week’s revolting TV interview. It’s touching, inasmuch as it’s the most fun any of these characters are going to have over the course of two whole episodes. It’s also short-lived. Whilst TV-Jae-sang waxes saccharine about how he adores his family, the real-life Jae-sang swings a golf club at the screen, raging over Sang-ah’s disappearance. His daughter quietly hyperventilates.
Later, Hyo-rin insists she’s fine — but it’s a sad state of affairs when a teenager talks about the ER like it’s an old friend. With one hand in In-hye’s, and one holding a hesitant In-joo in place, she matter-of-factly cycles through her breathing exercises.
It’s too much for In-joo. Do-il catches her storming out, announcing that the entire family is insane. As if to prove her point, he ushers her out of the way of one of their omnipresent security cameras.
Do-il is still determined to exchange the incriminating ledgers for Hwa-young’s 70 million won. His talk of wealth, escape, and far-off villas overlooking the Aegean Sea are like a siren song to In-joo. But, as ever, she’s loath to trust him, especially since Jong-ho recognized him as a notorious money-launderer. In a charged moment — and an equally charged analogy — Do-il asks her to imagine she’s on a galloping horse, about to scale a tall fence. He’s that horse. They must both believe in one another to make the jump.
Meanwhile, In-hye sneaks a shaken Hyo-rin to the orchid room in the basement. Bathed in the tree’s eerie green glow, Hyo-rin confesses that when her parents fight, it frightens her — to the extent that she used to cut herself to calm down. But, In-hye has a cure for fear: whenever she imagines something dark, she paints the image in her head. The question is, what scares Hyo-rin the most?
The next day, In-kyung follows Aunt Oh to her office. When she’s announced as the company director, the only one more astonished than her new colleagues is In-kyung herself. Still, resistant as she is to let her Great Aunt write, direct, and produce the entire course of her career, In-kyung never met a stack of data she didn’t immediately plow through — and the numbers tell a sorry tale. The company is flirting with collapse. Aunt Oh seems spectacularly unconcerned: with some well-placed property redevelopment, five years down the line, she’ll be on the up. Long-term investment is a privilege of the wealthy.
Sang-ah returns home to her husband, drunk and full of elegant rancor. She has plenty of excuses for visiting Singapore — the claustrophobia of her home life chief amongst them — but Jae-sang is coolly adamant she’s lying. He tears through her suitcase; she screams. It’s clear why Hyo-rin fears their fights.
For what is certainly not the first time, Hyo-rin watches the CCTV as her mother drives away. She can’t protect her. All she can do is take In-hye’s advice, and paint what frightens her the most. In-hye, impressed by her morbidity, peers over her shoulder to see a hanged woman in bright red heels.
Elsewhere, In-kyung and Jong-ho play detective once more. Last episode’s address leads them to the out-of-the-way Jeongnan School, where they pose as a horticulturally-inclined documentary crew. Founded by none other than Sang-ah’s father, General Won, the school does indeed possess its own blue orchid. Moreover, it’s as creepily propagandistic as one would expect from a primary school whose patron ran security for a dictatorship.
The students have been drilled to recite General Won’s personal mantra: I can reach the highest place, even if I’m from the lowest place. It’s exactly what Dal-su said prior to his death. And, amongst the notable alumni? In-kyung’s colleague, Ma-ri.
Meanwhile, the General’s daughter plays dress-up with In-joo, swathing her in stern black designed to radiate efficiency. This is pretty ambitious for our self-confessedly ditzy heroine, but not to worry! Sang-ah is excited to sculpt her into the perfect assistant. (I, for one, am worried.)
In-joo’s not the only one playing against type. Sang-ah views her own gleaming gown as an elaborate, self-deprecating jest; masquerading as the frivolous socialite makes her husband look all the more competent. In reality, she’s quick to realize they’re being tailed by Jae-sang’s detective, spiriting In-joo away to hide in Hwa-young’s old flat.
Here, Sang-ah collapses and cries over the woman who stole from her — the one whose friendship she hopes wasn’t a wholehearted lie. The hem of her dress rides up, revealing a series of ugly scratches on her thigh. She confides that she is a failed actress. Her lack of success onscreen convinced her to convert her reality into a new role: Jae-sang’s beloved wife. They both play their parts to perfection. If you tilt your head and squint, it’s almost like love.
In-joo is stricken; it’s clear that Sang-ah is being abused. But, Do-il smirks at the suggestion. Sang-ah, he’s certain, is playing In-joo like a fiddle. In-joo’s greatest charm, he observes — somewhat patronizingly — is her straightforwardness. It’s deeply exploitable.
In-kyung, for her part, considers Do-il himself bad news: a grim sequel to In-joo’s previous relationship disasters. In 2012, Do-il was caught in a car accident with his girlfriend in Mexico. The girlfriend’s body was never found; it was suspected she fell afoul of a Russian money laundering group. Moreover, Do-il too was a General Won scholarship student. But, In-joo is resentful of her sister’s meddling — and her baseless accusation that In-joo has a crush!
Later, In-kyung receives devastating news: she’s been fired from OBN. As if that could stop her. She explodes into action, crashing a press conference with Jae-sang. Here, in full view of the cameras, her colleagues, and the man himself, she reveals the truth she learned from her Great Aunt’s records.
Jae-sang’s father was not the pauper he always claimed. Far from it. He owned properties all over Korea, adding up to a net worth of eight billion won. For once, Jae-sang is rendered satisfyingly speechless.
In-joo, meanwhile, has made an unpleasant discovery: Hyo-rin’s hidden painting looks an awful lot like the scene of Hwa-young’s death. But, confronting a traumatized teen with a makeshift murder investigation works about as well as you’d expect; Hyo-rin clams up in horror. She doesn’t know. She can’t remember. But later, she’s found cowering in one of the extravagant cars cluttering the garage, as dashcam footage plays. The footage is from the night of Hwa-young’s death. It shows a stony-faced Jae-sang… heading towards the soon-to-be victim’s apartment.
As Hyo-rin comes back to herself, she recalls that terrible night. Abandoned in the aftermath of another fight, she cut herself, waking in a bloodied blur on a hospital bed. The image in the painting came back to her, clear as scent — but not for the first time.
She’s adamant on one point: the dashcam footage is hers. If In-joo takes it, she’ll kill herself. In-joo, in an act of shameless manipulation, swears to respect this — then, smiling, hands her sleeping pills. In-hye catches her sister attempting to steal the footage while Hyo-rin lies drugged.
In-joo is all indignation: she refuses to cover up a murder case. But, In-hye scoffs at the idea there’s been a murder at all. Boy, is our girl toeing the company line — she accuses In-joo of prejudice against the rich. Later, both teens seal their pact of silence by burying the dashcam card beneath the orchid tree.
In the wake of the disaster In-kyung has wrought on his campaign, Jae-sang receives a guest: Aunt Oh. Ever since she paid In-hye’s hospital bill, her company has been faltering. She knows who to blame. She’s not interested in Jae-sang’s denials — or his curiosity about how she managed to survive the General. She’s here to end the cold war brewing between their families. But, not without an elegant jab about how Jae-sang’s father — her friend — asked her for an anti-diarrheal drug before he died. He didn’t want to soil himself.
Do-il, meanwhile, is concerned for In-joo; with Su-im dogging their heels, he’s had to pretend they’re having a passionate affair to allay suspicions. He’s utterly unimpressed — and unsurprised — when In-joo brings up Jae-sang’s involvement in Hwa-young’s death.
The worst disappointment is when In-joo confronts him with his girlfriend’s death. He’s hurt! At least, as hurt as his seventy-billion-won-where-my-heart-should-be pose allows. The truth? He helped her fake the accident — and has proof that she’s thriving under a new identity. In-joo smiles. It’s plausible. She’s relieved.
Jae-sang may be a murderer, but he’s also a master of spin. It takes less than 24 hours for him to convert In-kyung’s exposé into a guaranteed swing in the polls. At an emergency press conference, joined by his family — and In-hye — he claims to have known nothing of the slush funds… but he’s committed to doing penance for the sins of his father. As such, he’ll be using every penny of the corrupt cash to provide scholarships for his foundation.
In-joo, watching the carnage on TV, is horrified to learn that Do-il was in on this — and, moreover, that it’s to her benefit. The money Hwa-young stole was Jae-sang’s campaign fund; it’s only worth trading for the ledgers if Jae-sang actually wins. Power comes at the price of principles.
Aunt Oh is living proof of this. When she calls In-joo, warning her to find In-kyung, it’s clear she was in on a scheme to make her grandniece suffer one last indignity. Back at the conference, In-kyung calls out to In-hye, who is trailing in Jae-sang’s wake. Sister stares at sister. Then, In-hye’s expression hardens. As In-hye turns her back, In-joo arrives just in time to pull In-kyung out of the thronging reporters.
Humiliation, Aunt Oh tells them later, is a helpful tonic. Stay low, and live to fight another day. Their enemies are everywhere; protecting her family — and company — is key.
But, how did Aunt Oh become rich? In-kyung has her suspicions — insider information. It all comes tumbling out: as a child, In-kyung wanted so badly to like her; she wished on every star that her Great Aunt would be good, but —
Aunt Oh cuts her off. She was born in the 40s, uneducated, married against her will, then divorced. In-kyung’s idea of “good” would have led to certain death. It’s time for her nieces to button up, embrace ignorance, and stay here where it’s safe. In-joo is half willing; In-kyung is outraged.
Aunt Oh’s right about one thing: our heroines are in grave peril. At a strategy meeting, Jae-sang crows about the fact that In-kyung can’t win: the more she reveals, the better it goes for him. Still, she’s outlived her usefulness — and Su-im, thug extraordinaire, is already fondly listing schemes to dispose of her.
Do-il’s pokerface visibly flickers when she suggests they take out two sisters for the price of one, murdering In-joo while they’re at it — but Sang-ah is appalled. That’s her loyal subordinate/bestie they’re talking about! It’s settled: In-joo lives; In-kyung suffers an accident.
Meanwhile, Sang-ah invites In-joo to the room where her father lies in a coma. As hospital monitors chirp, she instructs In-joo to attend the Orchid Festival in Singapore in her stead. But, In-joo must understand, this isn’t just about the flowers. It’s a money-laundering method of nigh-infinite capacity. She and Hwa-young started it together.
What, she asks, was In-joo’s childhood dream? Marry a rich man, In-joo admits, promptly. Laughing, Sang-ah hands her a sealed blue orchid. Keep it close when you sleep, she says. It’ll show you what you truly want. Incidentally, she doesn’t believe In-joo. She suspects that, like Sang-ah, In-joo yearns to succeed on her own terms. As such, if In-joo proves herself, her orchid will be added to “the Father Tree” as a member of something called the Jeongran Society.
In-joo is halfway seduced by the prospect. But, she’s intercepted by Do-il, for whom a blue orchid sets off distinct alarm bells. In-joo, primed by Sang-ah to crave independence, brushes him off: if she wants to huff a plant of dubious provenance, then she damn well will!
Meanwhile, In-kyung’s investigations hit a roadblock: Aunt Oh has shredded the evidence. She manages to piece together a photograph labeled as “Jeongran Society,” and with the help of Jong-ho (and nigh-lethal quantities of coffee candy), she looks into the former owners of Jae-sang’s father’s property. Dal-su is on the list. So are a number of familiar names in the conspiracy. All died unexpectedly… besides Aunt Oh.
That night, unable to stop thinking about Aunt Oh’s claim that one chooses to become rich, In-joo asks for her advice about the deal with Do-il. Aunt Oh issues a familiar warning: to handle 70 billion won, In-joo must become a completely different person. That’s fine. In-joo can cope with that. She almost welcomes it. What she can’t swallow is the idea of ushering a slimeball like Jae-sang to power. What if she can use her knowledge of the orchid murders to keep the money, and take down her enemies?
But, In-joo is visibly drooping. Lethargic, she sinks into a troubled sleep — haunted by visions of Jae-sang hoisting Hwa-young into her closet. Her eyes flash open. She treads through the house like a sleepwalker.
Meanwhile, In-hye is convinced that she and Hyo-rin must prepare for the future. She urges Hyo-rin to inhale the scent of the orchids, and remember where she saw the red-heeled woman. Hyo-rin recalls the stairs she used to climb as a small child. But, before our teen detectives can investigate, they’re caught — by Sang-ah.
In-kyung returns late, finding the door ajar. There, in the main room, sits In-joo, smeared with blood. Nearby is an iron bar. An orchid. And the body of Aunt Oh.
Alas, poor Aunt Oh! Your knowing smiles and cynical wit will be remembered fondly. Meanwhile, your warning that in order to be a billionaire, In-joo must become another person, will, I daresay, live on.
This week, identity is a key theme, and wow does it get gritty. In-joo seems to think she can shed personalities like a snake. But, does she really have what it takes? Part of her still seems to believe that becoming another person entails a change of circumstances, not character. Sang-ah knows better. Once you’re in, the only way to survive is to truly commit to the act. She’s spent years of her life prettying up a cardboard cutout of a relationship. The life that she flaunts before the cameras — Jae-sang’s perfect nuclear family — is no more real than the doll’s house In-hye so covets. And, here she is: a doll by choice.
Hyo-rin, who would kill for a little authenticity, can attest to how toxic all this smoke-and-mirrors business can be. But In-hye has already abandoned family for the sake of prosperity, and I wonder if In-joo will be threatened with the same choice. One thing’s clear: in this show, you’ve got to decide what you’re willing to sacrifice. For Do-il, it’s his principles. For Aunt Oh, it’s dignity. For Hwa-young, perhaps everything. As for our sisters — who knows?
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Tags: Eom Ji-won, Eom Ki-joon, Kang Hoon, Kim Go-eun, Kim Mi-sook, Little Women, Nam Ji-hyun, Park Ji-hoo, Park Ji-young, Wie Ha-joon
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1 jerrykuvira
September 19, 2022 at 3:55 PM
Alas, poor Aunt Oh! Your knowing smiles and cynical wit will be remembered fondly
I'm really sad this is the last episode we see her make jabs at Jae-sang. I hope she prepared one last jab in death. It really hurts to say goodbye to the one character that knows where to nitpick Jae-sang's thick skin.
Of all three sisters, In-hye impressed me the most this week. Despite being the youngest, she knows how to rise to the occasion. I know that this could spell doom because she would find it easy to sacrifice anything for her goals but it also means that she has the capacity and culpability to circumvent to a good degree whatever trap Jae-sang or Sang-ah has in store for her or her sisters in the future.
Her utilizing the effects of the orchid to focus on Hyo-rin's hazy scenario had me nodding in affirmative action that I like her now. Her sisters need to learn from her.
Now that Aunt Oh's gone, will In-kyung carry on her Aunt's work or let it go down the drain. I don't know how she's more of a reporter than the economist she wanted to be even when in the economist capacity. 'Take charge. You fight power with corresponding power' and I don't think she can find that in the press for now.
After all she's heard about the orchid, how In-joo still stubbornly went ahead baffles me. I get that she wants to find/prove her identity but I knew something would happen. I do hope she wades through this one because of all the sisters, she seems to be the one who loses it quite easily, and the last thing they'd need is a very dire consequence of her action if ever she missteps.
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Healer’s
September 19, 2022 at 8:19 PM
Did Aunt Oh really die? I hoped she was just seriously injured.
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sakuradaydream
September 19, 2022 at 10:37 PM
same shes such a good character I really wanted her to stick around
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jerrykuvira
September 19, 2022 at 10:41 PM
She did.
Just when I was feeling her presence and looking forward to more, Little Women says: ' It's okay, that's enough. It's time to go '.
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PYC
September 20, 2022 at 6:37 AM
While In-hye comes across as bratty and not appreciating her sisters, she has the smart those two lack. One can understand why she acts that way and she is far more pragmatic but strategic.
With Great Aunt’s passing, let’s hope In-kyung can learn her lessons and be strategic too. I still cannot see a clear sign as to when In-joo will make sense of what she’s in. That deer headlight look continues to bother me.
There are so many jaw dropping moments in these two episodes but the red shoes painting is the most shocking. I’m very sad to see Great Aunt go, she has all the wits and wisdom that the three girls need.
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2 Ammu
September 19, 2022 at 5:10 PM
Thank you for this recap, I've been looking forward to it!
What an intense set of episodes... the end of episode 6 really chilled me. I am a bit confused about what happened to In Joo at the end, did she get into a sort of trance after smelling the orchid? Because she definitely seemed in one the entire time she was with great Aunt Oh at the end. Also did she really... kill Aunt Oh... the ending was haunting.
In some ways I wish we could see the sisters more, in other ways I know they are each doing their own things. In Kyung I am also worried for, I do wonder if her role will grow even more now.
Do Il is an interesting character to me, I still don't fully trust him yet I also hope we learn more about him and they capitalise his nuances. I must say, I am really charmed by him/Wie Ha Joon, even his interactions with Go Su Im (who is so... terrible), he is so expressive even with the slightest flicker of a facial expression and I can't help but be charmed 😬
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3 Kafiyah Bello
September 19, 2022 at 5:58 PM
That was unexpected, but there was still the lingering dumb in all 3, although they seem to be getting smarter. In Hye is seemingly willing to trade anything to gain what she wants, yet she doesn't seem to fully realize she is disposable. These people are dangerous and insane and I don't think she has fully grasped that, even though she thinks she has. In Kyung on the other hand is an excellent investigative journalist but la KS the ability to read a room, she has no fear when should have at least a modicum of it. Fool child. Sigh, In Joo, has the longest way to go. She had some good sense, but then threw it all away with her gullibility. Half way through, what will the show throw out next.
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jerrykuvira
September 19, 2022 at 9:47 PM
In-joo really has the longest to go. The fact that her gullibility level has no end in sight has me baffled. Is this how you'll manage to fool a thug of 70billion won? She has me shaking my head with a little anger.
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4 Wise
September 19, 2022 at 6:54 PM
A lot of people despise the writing of the sisters because of their lack of common sense in handling a lot of situation, but for me, so far so good. It’s true the three sisters so far more likely to create problem instead of solving it, but I don’t think it’s because crappy writing from the writer. They are thoughtfully written that way.
In Joo is a naive I can’t fathom how she can keep going on. If I was in her position, I will locked myself in my rooms for months because my trust issues wouldn’t let me team up with anyone. The scene where she was backpacking 2 bilion won to meet someone who her dead friend said could be trusted seemed very stupid, it was stupid (for goodness, 2 bilion won on her back through public transport and places), but also shows how easy for her to trust someone. She is the kind of person who wants to believe in the best part of people.
In Kyung is an uptight character and somehow can be frustating. Her struggle is our everyday struggle, between doing what is right or compromise with evil to get what we desperately needed. From first episode to the last one, she is still my favorite. It’s admirable she is working hard to not lose herself and principles despite her situations. Maybe this charm too that could make people frustated about her because at certain situation we probably wanted her to bowing her head down so she could save herself or her sister. We wanted her to stop poking dragon in its lair. But In Kyung knows even if it’s not her who confronted it first, the dragon eventually will find its way to her and will burn her. The best defense is to attack.
And In Hye, In Hye doesn’t know. No matter how much she said she knows how much her sisters sacrifice for her to the point it becoming a burden to her, she actually doesn’t know how much is actually that “how much”. I’m so frustated by the way she acts, but again I remind myself everytime a sacrifice made for her, she, unlike us, doesn’t there to see it. What she know is only a tip of iceberg of what her sisters doing for her. She is poor, but yeah, she is spoilt. She might not given much in her entire life, but she takes the most precious things for granted. In other thing, her friendship with Hyo Rin is unexpected. The fact that their families are sworn enemies but both kinda wanted to escape from each own family somehow made them protect each other. There is something sweet about it though a lot of times it does looks like both of them trying to fight the world with bread knife in their hands. They are embodiment of youthfulness where the world is revolves around them and the certainty that they have all the way out of their problems without any counsel or help form adults.
I enjoy the characters just the way they are. They aren’t perfect, but their flaws seems very humane. The three sisters are inexperienced young woman who are facing problem they have never imagine would came to their way. I think it’s only fair to forgive them for mistakes...
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PYC
September 20, 2022 at 6:49 AM
I am impressed by how the three characters are constructed. They are certainly not your standard kdrama heroines. Each survives in their own but very different way. Raw is the word that comes to my mind (rather than dumb and dumber).
Will they become more polished or unite together in the end will be fascinating to watch.
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5 pliplipli
September 19, 2022 at 8:24 PM
enjoyed these episodes more than all the previous ones. I still can't grasp most of the plot involving money, laundering, slash funds... I decided to let go of understanding and just enjoy the thing that keeps me going: injoo and doil. I just really like their dynamic and tension and these episodes had a lot of them - I was hoping we would get some fake dating scenes jus to prove his fling comment to that awful woman. he's an interesting character where you can't really trust him at all, but just like injoo I'm just... charmed lol one thing I fear though is that they have this grand plan that promises us a big payoff to every terrible thing that man is doing at the moment and I'm afraid the drama won't be able to really gives us the cathartic moment by the end of it. the whole "I took this dirty money and build this foundation" cop out was infuriating to watch.
I thought the orchid thing would just be a style thing and not really a part of the plot like a hallucinating polen that makes people do things??? I can get orchids being used as money laundering, but I think the polen thing is just a bit too much to me lol
great-aunt will be missed. she was an interesting character and obviously a key person for this whole thing. I'm curious if doil will share that he saw the man who worked in her house to maybe help injoo to get away from murder accusations or if he will just keep this information to himself, for example.
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6 Doppelganger
September 19, 2022 at 10:37 PM
I felt like the writing jumped the shark in ep6. My brain hurt from trying to square up all the new developments. The blue orchid's hallucinogen properties sounds like ayahuasca, and the Jeongran Society sounds like the Korean Illuminati. The only thing preventing me from thinking the show has derailed is the writer's credentials. For now, I have faith that the writer is still in control of the narrative and everything will pull together as the episodes go on.
Injoo / Sister #1 might the most frustratingly naïve characters I've seen in a kdrama. She's the personification of the shocked Pikachu meme. She flip flops between wiliness (the goldfish ploy) and absolute stupidity (when she insisted on smelling the blue orchid despite repeated warnings about the flower). On the acting front, I wish Kim Goeun would stop using a halting pattern of speech because it just makes me feel like Injoo's mental faculties are lagging and she's having trouble processing information in real time.
The best things about this drama are:
1) Directing: I bow down to Kim Heewon; her directing is able to save and elevate questionable writing. Little Women's cinematography, music score, and production quality are so good they can hold together an otherwise crazy script and gloss over the plot holes. In less deft directorial hands viewers would already be churning from this show. No matter how crazy the show gets, I'm going to continue watching because the viewing experience is so beautiful.
2) Wi Hajoon: Wow, this guy is HOT. I had heart palpitations every time he came onscreen. How is he not A-list yet?
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jerrykuvira
September 19, 2022 at 10:49 PM
She flipflops between wiliness and absolute stupidity
Say no more.
In-joo is fresh in this kind of world. In-kyung and In-hye have a good idea of what it's like to not have to want money, and In-kyung definitely has counted more money than she has spent. So I get it when In-joo blacks out momentarily when she hears some things during a conversation.
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Healer’s
September 19, 2022 at 11:44 PM
Comment was deleted
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Healer’s
September 20, 2022 at 1:46 AM
In Joo acts as if she had someone very powerful to back her up.
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7 sakuradaydream
September 19, 2022 at 10:37 PM
Do-il making it real hard for me to not trust him >:(
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8 Nefret
September 19, 2022 at 11:07 PM
How practical and obliging that Park Jae-sang turned back towards the dashcam. If only all criminals did that, the police would be able to investigate much faster.
The Park family is really crazy. It didn't even take a day to drop the facade and demonstrate to In-joo how messed up everyone is.
The last few minutes of episode 6 were really impressively filmed. It gave me goosebumps.
P.S.: I really hope Jang Ma-ri gets a blue orchid soon (unfortunately, the chances are very slim).
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Kafiyah Bello
September 20, 2022 at 4:08 AM
I laughed at your first point because I said the same thing. He stared too, my hope is that someone else was in the car, that is why he turned and looked, otherwise it makes absolutely no sense.
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Jingbee
September 21, 2022 at 5:05 AM
I actually do that. I mean, I always look back at the car after parking. For many reasons, mostly because I was trying to remember the location where I park so I can get back easily, or because I wanted to check if I parked straight ( am OCD that way), or if I am trying to remember if I left something, so I look back while checking my pockets =). So maybe Jae Sang was just OCD like me. LOL.
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9 Kurama
September 19, 2022 at 11:58 PM
I love In-Joo! She's so funny. She got in the situation that she has never been prepared for but she tries for her sisters. But I think her lack of calculation will help her. It's good that Do-Il is there.
In-Kyung is like her sister, very impetuous and their poverty shaped her but in a different way, she accepted to be poor but she won't back away from them. I really hope that Ha Jong-Ho is good (Laurie was nice after all).
In-Hye is kinda weird. She doesn't want to be a burden to her sisters but think it's ok to live with the Devil...
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LT is Irresistibly Indifferent and reminded of the slow march of death
October 8, 2022 at 6:46 PM
In-hye has internalised the libertarian belief that poverty is a crime. The poor are criminals by being poor, therefore her parents are worse than murderers. There's a karmic aspect to this that the show hasn't touched on yet but comes with the territory - that the poor deserve to be poor because they're undeserving of being rich. Therefore wealth is indicative of virtue both socially and cosmically. It's not that she thinks it's better to be rich than poor, she thinks that you're better as a person if you're rich. This goes back to In-joo's point last week to In-kyung - that everyone is a thief, it's only the poor that get called thief.
In-kyung has learned the opposite lesson, that neither poverty nor wealth make you good or bad but simply your actions. Their parents aren't bad people because they're poor, they're bad people because they treated others poorly. But this is also because In-kyung is a natural forensic thinker. So she keeps thinking the truth matters. The truth doesn't matter. No wonder she drinks.
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10 flatwhite
September 20, 2022 at 3:39 AM
I watched the last 5 minutes of ep 6 with a gaping mouth.
All three sisters made many mistakes throughout the episodes. I watched them with insecurities like which sister will do which mistake next. Like they are on a roll.
As a result, they are vulnerable to manipulation by the Park family, their great-aunt and probably Do-il. And each of them thinks they are doing the right thing, which is very frustrating. Because I don't know what is right for them either considering all circumstances.
As a result, I feel very tired after watching each episode.
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11 emsel
September 20, 2022 at 4:52 AM
Contrary to popular opinion, I enjoyed the previous two episodes more than the current ones because nothing really happened, except for the murder of Great Aunt Oh, which is sad because she had a great presence in the drama.
Last two episodes had the viewers gain new insights, but these two episodes had the characters exchange the information among themselves, which I personally feel can be boring and similar to fillers.
I do not know if Jae Sang's family is a bad influence on In Hye or if she is a bad influence on Hyo Rin because she openly claimed that they need to hold power to be the true winners.
Since It is past halfway mark, it is too late for me to drop it. I hope the upcoming episodes bring back the initial charm.
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12 Britney
September 20, 2022 at 4:44 PM
The sisters are just so frustrating to watch (for me). Even if they do valid points or if they are doing things anyone in their position might do, they are just SO frustrating. I just keep feeling like "WHY?!" Why is does the middle sister keep resorting to embarrassing and/or humiliating her sisters? Why would the oldest sister just willingly keep a plant, that she's seen with her own eyes at scenes of death, by her bedside? Why not trust, however shallow, the guy who's been pretty much straight with you vs the people who are clear manipulators as you know because they used you and your sister during a medical emergency. The youngest sister... she just really makes me hate teenagers haha
It's weird but I like the money launder more than I do the lead characters. I also liked the great aunt more.
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Healer’s
September 21, 2022 at 7:00 AM
I hate it that the two older sisters do not keep their words. In-joo told Hyo-rin she wouldn’t take the usb without Hyo-rin’s permission but she did it that very night. Of course she failed. And In-kyung as you said, kept embarassing In-hye in public after that incident at the party. If I had sisters like those, I could still love them but I wouldn’t be able to trust them. Their actions are unpredictable.
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13 hmwtx
September 20, 2022 at 5:45 PM
I haven't quite finished these two episodes yet... I found myself stopping them multiple times to go watch something else. I needed relief from the overwhelming scent of the orchids, I guess...
There is a difference between gripping and suffocating. I don't mind being held tightly, but I don't want to be smothered. I'm *this* close to dropping this series... nothing has appealed to me enough to make me stay, yet. I will finish episode 6 at least but the rest remains to be seen.
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LT is Irresistibly Indifferent and reminded of the slow march of death
October 8, 2022 at 4:03 PM
It is suffocating, that's a good word for it.
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14 Evelyn
September 20, 2022 at 11:10 PM
This show has got me hooked gosh. I've been watching K-dramas since 2006 and in recent years, have never watched anything past 5 episodes except for 2 dramas. But this drama has got me waiting for the episodes to drop and watching each from beginning to end without checking the clock to see when it's gonna end. Impressive.
I'm super impressed with the cinematography, Director KHW is really doing fantastic work with the script. I love the writing/the writer's other works but I can see plot-holes and some scenes that are just plain plot devices because they are just too co-incidental. Like In-Joo comes out of hospital with the orchid, and Do-il just happens to be in his car and sees her? hmm.
I'm loving the other characters more than the 3 main sisters and was incredibly sad to see Grand-Aunt die. I really hope In-Joo didn't kill her in a orchid-infused hallucinogenic haze. Sang-A is an incredibly scary person. Do-il is so charming though I don't really trust him yet. Wi Ha Joon is just so hott, I hope we get more Do-Il scenes and abit more of his backstory.
The sisters, oh gosh. I don't like any of them lol, but I don't hate them either. Their actions come across really silly but honestly, it's how alot of people would behave in their situation.
In-Joo... I don't know if it's KGE's acting (never been a fan and she makes very odd facial expressions that has nothing to do with the scene at times) but I still can't really grasp her character. She seems very slow and ditzy but sometimes is cunning (that goldfish ploy with Su-im) yet she is told not to take home the orchid by Do-Il and still does it and sniffs it as Sang-A instructs... like? Why would you trust this strange, evil woman over Do-il? Yes, she wants to get out of poverty but somehow I don't detect much desperation or hunger to do so? She has no plan B and just goes along with everything that is suggested to her.
In-kyung - too righteous and uptight for me at times. But then again, I usually cant stand ppl who have to follow the rules all the time. Has no sense of fear when she needs that sometimes and doesn't read the room at times either. Telling Jae-Sang all that in a public press con, really? Does she not know the depths of this evil man's schemes and how manipulative he can be? zzz. She's already marked herself out to be targetted by him, and they are already plotting her death.
In-hye. I've disliked her all the way since ep 1 but these 2 eps have made me think she's the smartest out of the 3 sisters lol. BUT. She still hasn't grasped that she's just a pawn in this crazy family's schemes and will be disposed of when the time comes. I like that she's helping hyo-rin figure things out, but by staying with that family and rejecting her sisters constantly (gosh the hurtful things she's said to them)...isn't gonna get her where she wants to be. And she may be learning that painful lesson soon.
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Healer’s
September 21, 2022 at 7:05 AM
I don’t think In-joo killed Aunt, because the front door was open when In-kyung came home. I think someone else must have been there and In-joo just happened to arrive at the scene when Aunt had already been beaten.
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Evelyn
September 24, 2022 at 1:31 AM
Yeah I have a feeling it could be the butler whom Do-il saw escaping but it seems like in some pre-episode 7 stills, he doesn't tell In-Joo this. Hmm
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Athena
September 21, 2022 at 6:56 PM
I feel like the eldest two are both in over their heads and are both the proverbial bull in the china shop. They just blunder around half blind doing stupid shit in front of very scary people.
While In-Joo is arguably the most overwhelmed, In-Kyung is the stupidest smart person. She takes zero time to strategize, which is actually worse than her somewhat blundering older sister.
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15 john
September 23, 2022 at 6:39 AM
In-kyung Is the sort of reporter that stands out in the rain during a monsoon, hurricane, or typhoon . 🙄🌧
Blown about, battered by pounding rain. Get out of the rain fool . I loathe those reporters.
In-joo , covered in blood again, a theme ?
Crazy man with the Golf Club of Doom (Limited Interior Decor Edition)
Have a orchid sniffing encounter group, whoo wee bet that would be fun.
The girls need to go on the offensive. Why In-joo hasn’t had Go Su -Im whacked , especially after that Beating For Dollars episode, is beyond me.
What is the purpose of Ha Jong-ho? Is he the warm soft safe place for In-kyung when she isn’t drunk ? Do this puppy have ninja skills or something ? The Show is a bit crazy.
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16 Hanamana
September 23, 2022 at 2:06 PM
This orchids are so weird. Fantasy wasn't in the genres list; so why do I feel like it's fantasy??
Also about the sisters stupidity, I really don't understand In-hye. Doesn't she feel humiliated by Park family's charity? Is it natural for a high schooler to leave home and live at friend's house?
And In jo, I can't understand her character.She's really frustrating. How can she trust hyo-rin's mom? Why in the world she acts like this?
In-kyung is the most normal one. I like her stubbornness on finding justice. At least she knows what she wants and is consistent about it.
Aunt Oh was an attractive character. I'll miss her
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17 ramenqueen
September 25, 2022 at 9:25 PM
I really love this sentence, so my wit and sass haha "In Sang-ah’s absence, In-joo’s primary task is to throw an entire pharmacy’s worth of medication at the anxiety-prone Hyo-rin."
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18 LT is Irresistibly Indifferent and reminded of the slow march of death
October 8, 2022 at 4:12 PM
I don't know who this orchid metaphor is getting away from, me or the writers. But it's getting away from somebody.
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LT is Irresistibly Indifferent and reminded of the slow march of death
October 8, 2022 at 7:46 PM
Which is to say, an episode or two ago I was really digging this whole hypercapitalism thing where the orchid was brought into the country from overseas and didn't thrive there but a small elite group of people were able to grow it secretly and that same group of people have gathered all the nation's wealth and power so Korea was the tree and the orchid was the wealthy corporate elite sucking life off it. And it was beautiful and intoxicating but also deadly and so people who went after the orchid (wealth) ended up being destroyed by it.
At the same time, the orchid is a symbol of something that can only be owned and grown by the elite since it quite literally takes wealth to grow it. So it's both a metaphor for hypercapitalism and a symbol of wealth.
But how that ties in to In-joo potentially participating in her Great Aunt's murder under its influence is a mystery to me. I was wondering if the whole thing was a drug-induced hallucination until the final scene where they seemed to be saying it all really happened and she at minimum witnessed it.
And I'm not sure how this fits in to the metaphor of the orchid as a whole anyway.
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19 Charlotte
October 17, 2022 at 10:20 PM
As of these episodes it seems like the 'kids' have more restraint and level-headedness than In Hye's older sisters. In Hye of course left her family to get a rich education and achieve her dreams, but her friendship with Hyorin, Sang-ah's daughter, has become an important bond. Helping Hyori to understand her dark painting with the red shoes by focusing on the Orchid's scent was smart, not reactive like most of her sisters' decisions. Also, burying the dashcam footage showed In-hye's concern and support for her very frail friend. Right or wrong...they've formed an alliance of trust which doesn't include Hyori's evil parents or the obstinate self-focus of In-hye's older sisters. At this point I don't blame but admire In-hye, whose past is also a blurred wound, hidden from her by her family. From her viewpoint, her parents were childish and selfish, and lately her "wiser older sisters" have both sanctimoniously and publicly barged in to quote "save" her from looking poor in front of others, when it was their pride that made them both look pathetically poor and defensively proud. Understandable to many of us, but to In-Hye, 'how' they did it showed a lack of sensitivity or care about her interests. I know the older sisters will likely solve this grand chaotic mystery, but part of me wishes it would be our steady, wiser-than-their years teen artists that get this solved AND stay safe. I don't really care yet about In-hye and actually cringe whenever In-kyung gets on her latest high horse and rides in to unsuccessfully unmask the villain. She's much too stubborn about her self-righteousness. Aunt Oh was the only other one I liked before...but now I've only got Team In-hye & Hyori to root for.
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