FoS season 2 finale: I’m over the moon and currently coming down from the emotional rollercoaster that is this episode. More SPOILDERY thoughts in the comments below so beware!!!
I will continue to sing praises for this show forever and ever, and here are a few scattered thoughts my brain is able to sustain today. (Warning for saltiness and extreme biases since I have ~strong~ opinions and feelings about FoS).
I love both seasons equally and I keep saying this, but I think that in order to really appreciate season 2, we need a lot of information from season 1. And season 2 is not so much as a sequel but a continuation if that makes sense. So much of what gives the emotional weight to a lot of the scenes in season 2 (as related to character developments) is a built-up from what we saw in season 1. I truly want to wax poetics about our duo, Yeo-jin and Shi-mok, but that’s another topic for another time. Briefly, it’s that I freaking love them – I love everything about their partnership, about the progression of said partnership, and how that progression affects and shapes each of them personally and professionally. Season 1 was a weight on Shi-mok’s shoulders, and season 2 was a weight on Yeo-jin’s. And in both, we see them stand up for each other and support one another. Gosh, they are the definition of a fucking dream team, folks!
I absolutely cannot wait to rewatch both seasons now, and will most likely gush about them on the beanies wall. You have been warned. I wonder how that might change my feeling about the pacing of season 2, especially the middle episodes where most folks think nothing was happening. I would argue that that feeling was invoked on purpose – but feel free to cancel me if you disagree.
I’m glad that our weasel survives and continues on with his dramatic ways. Never change, Seon Dong-jae.
Shi-mok’s dream, the dinner with Yeo-jin, and Yeo-jin’s visiting Mr. Yoon in prison – that whole sequence makes me cry and I’m not even mad about it. These PREVIOUS NUGGETS. *sniffles*
(I just want to write a paper on this show, and this sequence, instead of my art history project. But I guess life isn’t always about what you want. SIGH.)
more coherent thoughts coming later when my brain gets back online. thnx folks.
ALSO what Prosecutor Kim said about how Shi-mok and Yeo-jin’s partnership should be the model for collaboration between the prosecution and the police is of course spot on and common knowledge at this point LOLS but also telling that he immediately followed that comment with how things didn’t work out so well between Chief Choi and Chief Woo. Buddy, that’s because Woo is a sleazy sleaze bag and Choi is a product of working so long in a misogynistic environment that convinced her that she would never get anywhere AS A WOMAN and without connections/favors to call in.
Both Shi-mok and Yeo-jin are very confident in their abilities, re. Yeo-jin’s comment to Choi Bit outside her apartment – “don’t underestimate yourself”. DAMN IT.
OK. I’m good now.
I would like to formally apologize for thinking and suspecting that Prosecutor Jung Min-ha was just there as SDJ’s affair simply because she was trying to be so helpful and also seemingly have things to hide.
The moment she pointed out the connection to the drowning case, I was like oh yea oopsie I was wrong. She was trying to get her voice heard and her opinion taken seriously in this male-dominated workplace. It warms my heart that Shi-mok sends the Segok station case to her.
Yeah, I spent a good part of the drama thinking SDJ might be having an affair or his wife might be having an affair. In fact, SDJ was just trying to be a good mentor (out of regret over Eun-seo) and I was just holding it against his wife for not reacting exactly the way I expected (this is of course the drama’s way of pushing at our expectations and of the “fog” which law enforcement operate; tellingly, the things that seemed shady for most of this drama — the suicide, the team members from the police station, the uncle, SDJ’s relationship with the junior prosecutor, SDJ’s wife’s behaviour, the couple from Tongyeong, etc. — turned out not to be as shady as we thought whereas the kidnapper/murderer was somebody really unexpected and who seemed super sympathetic at first).
No, I also agreed that she was fully aware of her own choices, but sometimes it’s hard to realize why you make the choices you do beyond the surface-level of “bc i want that” kind of answer. You’re shaped by your environment as much as anything else, and I think this aspect of Choi’s downfall is from that. It doesn’t mean that that is the only reason that leads to her downfall, but oftentimes that’s what’s forgotten when we look at someone’s motivation.
Agreed. I think Choi Bit is a complex character. Her downfall is, in many ways, a product of characteristics that, in other circumstances, would be admirable.
By contrast, Woo Tae-ha was always disreputable and we knew he was a bad guy from the outset. However, the interesting thing is that, although Kim Sa-hyun initially seemed very similar to WTH, it turned out that KSH was significantly better (although even KSH ends this show as a bit of ambivalent character). It goes to show that these things only become clearer with time, as details little and big accumulate.
One character whom I wished got comeuppance was that Superintendent General who was present at the police-prosecutor councils. I felt like that guy was just like that Intelligence Director who sacrificed Choi Bit.
another thing I would add is Yeo-jin’s conversation with Yoon in prison. She had an inkling that he might commit suicide or done something drastic based on Shi-mok’s dream. And what she said to him – something along the line of your one bad decision doesn’t determine who you are as a person – really sums up how the writer creates these characters.
It’s not enough to simply peg someone as a villain or hero. it’s more interesting to make them complex/multifaceted with considerations to their upbringings and environments.
Really, I was confused about why Yoon was standing with LCJ and Eun-soo until I saw his face when Yeo-Jin came to visit.. it was a brilliant sequence. I first thought the dream was just about people who compromised to pursue their own form of justice, but when LCJ stopped SDJ from coming over, I didn’t know what to make of Yoon standing there since he was still technically alive. Really well done..
When she heard of the dream she needed to go and see Yoon to let him know that the victim needed him to live so that he could be reconciled to him and to what had happened. I loved how she put that obligation on him and he got it. Yoon looked so bad and so despairing, and she did it to save him. She also didn’t let on to SM. It was so subtle and smart.
(ALSO TO ADD TO MY COMMENT ABOVE: Woo is also the product of his environment in terms of like the belief that he deserves all the fucking good things he ever wanted because of his position, of his gender, his connections, etc. If no one ever calls you out because of your seniority and power, you’d never realize how fucked you are until it’s too late and you’re fully immersed in this corrupted system. Look at the way he walks to Shi-mok and how he justifies his actions over time. It’s always about what others did that compel him to react to maintain the common good. No thank you, you douche.
This in relation makes Kim So-hyun an interesting character and makes the case for his “ambivalent” stance at the end. (I’m all for this outcome for his character btw. this is not a negative thing in my book.) KSH screamed at Woo earlier and was all freaked out once he realized there are REAL consequences, but he’s also not one to be the trailblazer like Shi-mok and bulldozes over anything that is corrupted.
After all, evil is banal and a lot of times the line between good and bad is really blurred or so thin you blink and you’ll miss it. )
strawberry
October 4, 2020 at 10:34 AM
FoS season 2 finale: I’m over the moon and currently coming down from the emotional rollercoaster that is this episode. More SPOILDERY thoughts in the comments below so beware!!!
strawberry
October 4, 2020 at 10:53 AM
HOLY SMOKES.
WOW.
I will continue to sing praises for this show forever and ever, and here are a few scattered thoughts my brain is able to sustain today. (Warning for saltiness and extreme biases since I have ~strong~ opinions and feelings about FoS).
I love both seasons equally and I keep saying this, but I think that in order to really appreciate season 2, we need a lot of information from season 1. And season 2 is not so much as a sequel but a continuation if that makes sense. So much of what gives the emotional weight to a lot of the scenes in season 2 (as related to character developments) is a built-up from what we saw in season 1. I truly want to wax poetics about our duo, Yeo-jin and Shi-mok, but that’s another topic for another time. Briefly, it’s that I freaking love them – I love everything about their partnership, about the progression of said partnership, and how that progression affects and shapes each of them personally and professionally. Season 1 was a weight on Shi-mok’s shoulders, and season 2 was a weight on Yeo-jin’s. And in both, we see them stand up for each other and support one another. Gosh, they are the definition of a fucking dream team, folks!
I absolutely cannot wait to rewatch both seasons now, and will most likely gush about them on the beanies wall. You have been warned. I wonder how that might change my feeling about the pacing of season 2, especially the middle episodes where most folks think nothing was happening. I would argue that that feeling was invoked on purpose – but feel free to cancel me if you disagree.
I’m glad that our weasel survives and continues on with his dramatic ways. Never change, Seon Dong-jae.
Shi-mok’s dream, the dinner with Yeo-jin, and Yeo-jin’s visiting Mr. Yoon in prison – that whole sequence makes me cry and I’m not even mad about it. These PREVIOUS NUGGETS. *sniffles*
(I just want to write a paper on this show, and this sequence, instead of my art history project. But I guess life isn’t always about what you want. SIGH.)
more coherent thoughts coming later when my brain gets back online. thnx folks.
strawberry
October 4, 2020 at 10:59 AM
ALSO what Prosecutor Kim said about how Shi-mok and Yeo-jin’s partnership should be the model for collaboration between the prosecution and the police is of course spot on and common knowledge at this point LOLS but also telling that he immediately followed that comment with how things didn’t work out so well between Chief Choi and Chief Woo. Buddy, that’s because Woo is a sleazy sleaze bag and Choi is a product of working so long in a misogynistic environment that convinced her that she would never get anywhere AS A WOMAN and without connections/favors to call in.
Both Shi-mok and Yeo-jin are very confident in their abilities, re. Yeo-jin’s comment to Choi Bit outside her apartment – “don’t underestimate yourself”. DAMN IT.
OK. I’m good now.
strawberry
October 4, 2020 at 11:05 AM
WAIT ONE MORE THING:
I would like to formally apologize for thinking and suspecting that Prosecutor Jung Min-ha was just there as SDJ’s affair simply because she was trying to be so helpful and also seemingly have things to hide.
The moment she pointed out the connection to the drowning case, I was like oh yea oopsie I was wrong. She was trying to get her voice heard and her opinion taken seriously in this male-dominated workplace. It warms my heart that Shi-mok sends the Segok station case to her.
Maq
October 4, 2020 at 11:47 AM
Yeah, I spent a good part of the drama thinking SDJ might be having an affair or his wife might be having an affair. In fact, SDJ was just trying to be a good mentor (out of regret over Eun-seo) and I was just holding it against his wife for not reacting exactly the way I expected (this is of course the drama’s way of pushing at our expectations and of the “fog” which law enforcement operate; tellingly, the things that seemed shady for most of this drama — the suicide, the team members from the police station, the uncle, SDJ’s relationship with the junior prosecutor, SDJ’s wife’s behaviour, the couple from Tongyeong, etc. — turned out not to be as shady as we thought whereas the kidnapper/murderer was somebody really unexpected and who seemed super sympathetic at first).
Maq
October 4, 2020 at 11:42 AM
Agree that there is a component of misogyny to CB’s downfall, but I think this potentially downplays her own role in her fate.
strawberry
October 4, 2020 at 11:56 AM
No, I also agreed that she was fully aware of her own choices, but sometimes it’s hard to realize why you make the choices you do beyond the surface-level of “bc i want that” kind of answer. You’re shaped by your environment as much as anything else, and I think this aspect of Choi’s downfall is from that. It doesn’t mean that that is the only reason that leads to her downfall, but oftentimes that’s what’s forgotten when we look at someone’s motivation.
Maq
October 4, 2020 at 12:10 PM
Agreed. I think Choi Bit is a complex character. Her downfall is, in many ways, a product of characteristics that, in other circumstances, would be admirable.
By contrast, Woo Tae-ha was always disreputable and we knew he was a bad guy from the outset. However, the interesting thing is that, although Kim Sa-hyun initially seemed very similar to WTH, it turned out that KSH was significantly better (although even KSH ends this show as a bit of ambivalent character). It goes to show that these things only become clearer with time, as details little and big accumulate.
One character whom I wished got comeuppance was that Superintendent General who was present at the police-prosecutor councils. I felt like that guy was just like that Intelligence Director who sacrificed Choi Bit.
strawberry
October 4, 2020 at 12:44 PM
another thing I would add is Yeo-jin’s conversation with Yoon in prison. She had an inkling that he might commit suicide or done something drastic based on Shi-mok’s dream. And what she said to him – something along the line of your one bad decision doesn’t determine who you are as a person – really sums up how the writer creates these characters.
It’s not enough to simply peg someone as a villain or hero. it’s more interesting to make them complex/multifaceted with considerations to their upbringings and environments.
Maq
October 4, 2020 at 2:13 PM
I mean Yoon did more than one bad thing tbh. He did several bad things. But I agree otherwise.
asterell
October 4, 2020 at 2:15 PM
Really, I was confused about why Yoon was standing with LCJ and Eun-soo until I saw his face when Yeo-Jin came to visit.. it was a brilliant sequence. I first thought the dream was just about people who compromised to pursue their own form of justice, but when LCJ stopped SDJ from coming over, I didn’t know what to make of Yoon standing there since he was still technically alive. Really well done..
dramalover4ever
October 4, 2020 at 3:45 PM
When she heard of the dream she needed to go and see Yoon to let him know that the victim needed him to live so that he could be reconciled to him and to what had happened. I loved how she put that obligation on him and he got it. Yoon looked so bad and so despairing, and she did it to save him. She also didn’t let on to SM. It was so subtle and smart.
strawberry
October 4, 2020 at 2:03 PM
(ALSO TO ADD TO MY COMMENT ABOVE: Woo is also the product of his environment in terms of like the belief that he deserves all the fucking good things he ever wanted because of his position, of his gender, his connections, etc. If no one ever calls you out because of your seniority and power, you’d never realize how fucked you are until it’s too late and you’re fully immersed in this corrupted system. Look at the way he walks to Shi-mok and how he justifies his actions over time. It’s always about what others did that compel him to react to maintain the common good. No thank you, you douche.
This in relation makes Kim So-hyun an interesting character and makes the case for his “ambivalent” stance at the end. (I’m all for this outcome for his character btw. this is not a negative thing in my book.) KSH screamed at Woo earlier and was all freaked out once he realized there are REAL consequences, but he’s also not one to be the trailblazer like Shi-mok and bulldozes over anything that is corrupted.
After all, evil is banal and a lot of times the line between good and bad is really blurred or so thin you blink and you’ll miss it. )
strawberry
October 4, 2020 at 2:04 PM
*talks
jeeze i’m not emotionally stable enuf to write anything coherent