Week 5

I loved the way Yunjae was during the fishing trip because he genuinely was treating Jihun like he was Jieun, and when Minju was saying "Help the right person," that was just perfect because his actions were like he was saying, "What are you talking about? Of course I'm going to help my girlfriend”. He genuinely just sees him as her now. I just really love the way they showed that not only with Jieun but also with her grandmother.

I did not like the way they dragged out the telling of the grandma and mother’s story. I think that they stretched it out unnecessarily. When the parents came round, and he didn't have any questions for them that made sense (of course anyone’s mind would go blank under the shock and he was still processing), but there would have been a couple of things that he would ask off the top of his head because he would have thought about them so much over the weeks.

Having them go off and and stay at grandma's house that's fine, and I was glad they asked all the questions that the we have been asking ourselves for the last few weeks. So why switch it back to ‘here's the others on the dock?’ At that point it ceased to be circumstances getting in the way to ‘let’s stretch it out just a little bit more’. I just think that was disrespectful to the audience.

Also, I kept thinking with Yuri involved she would've have said something to stop Minju turning up, whatever it took, because that's what a proper friend would do. It's not an option for her to stay in the group chat so there is no way she would be included in the trip. I know it's a story and they just want to stretch out the conflict a little bit, but Yuri is a proper friend and there is no way Yuri would have allowed Minju to tag along on her watch. She even said that Minhyuk didn’t read the room she would have shown a flood light on the scene to help him see better😂 I'm so glad that they showed how protective Yuri was when she talked about “leaving the cat with the fish”. She stepped up and was clearly giving a clear message to Minju. Throughout the day.

However, the guardian scene was another example of that would not have happened on Yuri’s watch. I get Yunjae is closest to her but it would have made more sense for Yuri to have gone with her and then the three men stay behind to finish the work. There's just no reason why those two needed to go it not like Minju was unconscious so needed someone who knew her well to give her details to the booking receptionist at the hospital.

When Minju confessed her love to Yunjae and then she ended up kissing him, why was there cutesy music going on when he'd given a clear message he's not interested. Sometimes when I watch dramas I am pulled out of the scene by the music choice, because I am wondering, who are they playing this music for? Because if it was from his point of view, that music would not be playing if it was from her point of view it didn’t fit for me (the audience) because I am...

@nessa @isagc
And Also- He does say later that fell for her when he saw her eyes. But that was also in the context of looking directly at him/ not being pretentious or trying to impress/ being immersed in the peony cultivation

Wow, so happy for him and such vindication!
And that really sounded nightmarish

My fav L would always be Kenichi Matsuyama....this actor has an aura and force field all by himself. A squee too!

Agree! This drama became a confusing mess at the midpoint.

May your pillow never be cool no matter how many times you flip it. May you always dine with someone who chews loudly.
May you always hear that buzzing from the HVAC, always notice the ticking sounds of a clock, the thumping sounds of someone tapping their knee, nails on a chalk board…. the humming of silence when there’s no one left beside you.

… At the time, he probably felt like he couldn’t say anything else, not only because it was still the height of the pandemic and people had other worries— but because he probably felt whatever he said wouldn’t matter. In a way, I’m glad he kept his answer short and sweet, because in the years since— these last 5 years— he’s displayed in his actions how he’s dealt with things (acquired a really strong legal team to deal with this matter and more). He’s always been soft, gentle, kind, and low-key, but since this incident, I’ve watched him grow more mature, smarter, more resilient, and tougher. His gentleness, kindness and low-key M.O. still remains, but he’s now got that added quality about him that makes him appear more headstrong. I definitely think that the people involved in 227 making personal attacks against his friends and family was definitely the hardest part for him but which were also the things that made him tougher and more aware. He’s always said he knows for as many people who like him there will be just as many haters so he didn’t mind getting criticism and hate comments directed at him— just don’t make them personal and attack his personal friends and family—and this was truly put to the test from this incident.

In the years since this incident, Xiao Zhan has definitely become brighter and has risen higher than where he was before:
His endorsements and contracts have doubled, he is among the very, very few in Chinese entertainment who have the most “choosing power” (the projects and contracts come to him and he gets to pick and choose what he wants to do, who he wants to work with, and the projects he wants to participate in— he doesn’t have to go auditioning for or looking for endorsements or filming projects— they are sent to him and he is offered them). On a “watchdog” (political) level, he’s gone through a handful of audits from the government and all of the results from each audit have proven him to be as clean as a whistle, so that no one can every doubt him or pin anything on him. In regard to the people who he’s worked with in previous years (drama directors, producers, co-stars, production crew, people he’s met in passing to form connections, etc.), all have testified— some more than once— that Xiao Zhan truly is a standup person who’s kind and not just “nice”, honest, genuine, sincere, and a true friend (not just co-worker)— and that to me, as a fan, is the most important thing, a person’s character as a human being.
As a person who’s also gone through quite a bit in life, to have come out of it all and still have people stand by me and testify about my character as a person is a huge blessing and a privilege, so it warms my heart to see and to know that Xiao Zhan has such people in his life, too!

(*Long post ahead, feel free to scroll past*)

My SQUEE this week:

The 5-year (court) battle for Xiao Zhan’s lawsuit against those who headed the cyber-bullying and smear campaign against him and his affiliates has come to an end. Finally. And ofc, he won the case 👏🏻
Those responsible have tried to suppress this piece of news— by paying to get it delayed as long as possible— but I’m glad it’s finally coming out (it’s been a month since the verdict).

The incident, dubbed “The 227 Incident” comes from the date that the whole thing kicked off—February 27th, 2020 — but online records (“receipts” — screenshots of write-ups, plans, conversations, etc.) indicate that there was actually a really detailed plan in place with very meticulously details and step-by-step instructions, and said plans for this smear campaign were already in progress as early as November 2019, not long after Xiao Zhan’s drama, The Untamed had finished airing, the drama that catapulted Xiao Zhan into fame overnight.
This cyber-bullying and smear campaign wasn’t any run-of-the-mill case. It was the biggest cyber-bullying and intentional smear campaign against an artist that Chinese entertainment had seen in recent years. It was headed by 2 diehard fans of Xiao Zhan’s previous co-star, some anti-fans, and a few management agencies of other artists who also saw/still see Xiao Zhan as a “threat” to their own artisits.
The whole thing wasn’t done simply to defame Xiao Zhan because people saw him as a “threat” to their own biases and artists, but the ultimate goal was to actually drive Xiao Zhan out of the entertainment industry completely— by way of cutting off his income sources— and the tactics used were horrific. The brands that Xiao Zhan was affiliated with at the time (around 19 endorsements in total) weren’t simply told they would be boycotted en masse if they continued their contracts with him, the brands were actually being aggressively threatened into cutting ties with Xiao Zhan. All of Xiao Zhan’s endorsements—except one— ended up cutting ties with Xiao Zhan literally overnight. During the 10 months Xiao Zhan was being soft cancelled because of this incident, things got personal and not only was Xiao Zhan himself getting threats, his own friends and family were also being threatened— his friends and mother were receiving death threats daily and she got so stressed after a point she had to be hospitalized. His grandfather passed away around the same time also in a very stressful state of mind.

Even when Xiao Zhan made his comeback—being the low-key person he is and choosing his comeback appearance to be a charity event— when asked during an interview about how he’d killed time during his “time away” from the public (10 months), all Xiao Zhan said was “I got a hair cut” (which he did), he also downplayed the reason for his “time away” simply saying “we’re in the middle of a pandemic”. At the time, he probably felt like he couldn’t say anything else, not...

Aww! Like Flowers in Sand reunion with Kim Bora as his wifey!

Sooo ready for this show.

Looool... this is something. I'm cringing already.
I actually like Kim Woo Bin's long hair.
More long-haired guys in kdramas please.

This certainly looks thrilling! Haven't watched a political drama in a while yet I'm not really excited for that part of the story. Looking forward to see the cast and their acting chops.

I too know nothing, less than nothing, about gaming and find it inexplicable that so many dramas are built around gaming. But! You all convinced me to give this a try if only because Hyun Bin, for whom I've been lonesome. He's a different caliber actor.

The links are here:
Mr. Queen
The Possible Endings
Eller (vist, ikke redigere): https://1drv.ms/w/c/77e2e7a5b808004d/EaWBxvPGrU9Bkan3VIzR1msBKw-ybYVjnd4tGzJejBAU4Q?e=3XN4od
and then The So-Young Journey - a possible 2nd Season.
https://1drv.ms/w/c/77e2e7a5b808004d/EX-m84hhimVIo7ieVguAV7ABCi2v6f5llrxkTgPKow18ag?e=iRG0VO
With the Spin-off-ette The CULT:
https://1drv.ms/w/c/77e2e7a5b808004d/Ef4h4aSYkjNIonky8XjMzXsBMnz15iosPd420dfhIpVDVA?e=2aDKk9
3rd flow chart: Decades ahead.
https://1drv.ms/w/c/77e2e7a5b808004d/EacPrcXvDhdDqMubyByU7nQB6jkhkF8Ae8hveGENBcE9eA?e=wv2jZf

Mr. Queen Rewatchers and Les Taguettes
@ceciliedk @dncingemma @sonai @mazarin @unaspirated @kafiyah-bello @mmmmm @jhonsberger @dorotka @claire2009 @xococo @abalyn @23new2kdrama @amnesiayawns @minniegupta1 @joanna
@midnight @koalatown @nefret @isagc @bebeswtz @skiee @jls943 @amany @mazarin @redfox @lostpanda
@seeker @Reply1988 @coffeprince4eva @lapislazulii @Gikata @vienibenmio @nessa
@marysadanaga @sp2022 @darkcc @GhostofTim @zindigo

Yours, DK-drama.

Gifs for the Final:
The mutilated Lady was spying for revenge . She knows there is no mercy, but she also knows she has already harmed him, and she shows all her contempt in this bitter smile: https://imgur.com/aQLdOJT
She can't speak, and yet, she clearly says: "Yes, all this time I shared your secrets with your enemy. I have no regrets, even now."
Bong-hwan eating. The King, in love: https://imgur.com/u8rGpIN Also, as far as I remember even from what I have tasted in a kitchen, baked yam or casava tastes crazy good, (especially with butter). Made on a fire with that extra hint of smoke … I think it must really be orgastronomic.
All in, all yours: Bong-hwan will give all he has for this man, even his life. https://imgur.com/GnFK1gT
The Last Kiss
Bong-hwan suddenly feels like this is urgent, like this may be the last chance: https://imgur.com/Jt7TX0k
The Loss
He would think he is crazy. So-young doesn’t enlighten him, and just lets him believe she was also the one who ate yams straight from the fire, and the one hiding with him in that narrow wagon. This way of just taking over the credit from someone In order to gain love …. who does that remind me of?
Anyway, here’s the King who can’t understand how the (nice!) Queen lost her Muchness …
https://imgur.com/uXUXi0U
… This is where you hurry to the flow charts (links in a comment close to this) and Choose Your Favourite, and think up more beautiful details.

I have 50+ gifs on imgur for this entire drama and three three flow chart of how the ending and a second season could be, + a sidestory, or small spin-off, to the imagined Second Season.
I put the links to those charts again in the comments here, because all that choose your own adventure … I hope to hear your ideas to spinoffs and booktitles etcera.

Good title. Because nobody would make a wish involving either of those two :)

@quirkycase , I am a late arrival to your party here, but I still wanted to thank you for your work on recapping this show. Well done!