My Name Is Kim Sam Soon, ep. 08-11

[oyceter]

This started out as a fairly standard-feeling drama, but the last few episodes have actually been pretty good, even in terms of gender dynamics. I mean, it is by no means close to feminist, but it also does not have me wanting to bury my head in the sand and go "lalala." Most of this is because Sam Soon has really come into her own. She doesn't let anyone walk over her, though she continues to feel what she feels, and she sticks with her own morals and beliefs the whole way through. I really like her a lot. Also, it helps that every single time I scream something at the screen, Sam Soon basically ends up saying it or doing it. Yay! Too bad the other characters won't follow my advice.

Spoil me and die!

Spoilers

Anyway, when I mean the first part feels fairly standard, I mean it has twists and turns and polygons and competing love interests and dramatic things about cancer and restaurants and whatnot. I don't know that much about kdramas, but given the shoujo manga, romance and soap opera tropes I know, it feels standard.

But now that Hee Jin is back in the picture and Jin Hun has basically broken it off with Sam Soon, things are taking a different turn. So far, it's felt like a very realistic portrayal of a breakup, particularly from Sam Soon's end. There are exaggerated elements, like her skanky ex, and Jin Hun is often stupid beyond belief when it comes to anything emotional, but the way he (and Hee Jin) try to first ignore Sam Soon and feel sorry without wanting to actually do anything, then the way he keeps trying to have it both ways... that feels very real.

Actually, what makes it all feel real is Sam Soon. Her reactions are great. Just... her hesitating after getting a text message from him, then vindicatively and sadly smiling as she deletes it, the way she stares at her phone caller ID when he calls and debates whether to pick up or not, all that is great. And I am so glad she has the self respect to chew him out every time he does something stupid, like follow her home, because she doesn't want a lying, cheating guy, and she knows her feelings are worth being returned honestly and openly. I love that she yells at him for lying to Hee Jin, I love that she yells at him for using her, and I love how she cries at home too.

And while I wanted to yell at her mom and sister for yelling at her when they found out, I love that they present a united front to everyone else and that both her sister and her mom go beat up on Jin Hun. Both those scenes were awesome. Also, I love that Sam Soon kicks him and slaps him, because he totally deserved that.

I am less annoyed at Hee Jin now, though during episode 8, I was yelling at both her and Jin Hun for being selfish and not taking Henry and Sam Soon's feelings into account. This is, by the way, not wanting someone to love someone else just because feelings should be returned. It's if you have people who you know are emotionally attached to you, I feel it is your duty to break up with them cleanly before going on to anything else.

And I like thta Hee Jin isn't being the insanely jealous girlfriend. She's jealous, yes, but for a pretty good reason, and I like that she's dealing with it by letting Jin Hun know.

And oh, Jin Hun. Every single time I start to like you again, you do something stupid like tell Sam Soon she's not your type because of her ugly hands. On the other hand, I don't want to slap you as much as I would normally because Sam Soon yells all my insults to you on screen. ("Yeah? Well, you're not my type either. I like honest guys, not lying guys who cheat.") It's great! I have nearly forgiven him because of the bathroom kiss, and I am awwww-ing inside, though me and my sister are both yelling at the screen still because hello! Break up with Hee Jin before you do that!

I actually have much more hope that the episodes will go how I want now! I am amazed! There is someone in the drama acting emotionally intelligent, and that person is the heroine! Are other kdramas like this? I don't actually know enough to know if Sam Soon is the norm or the exception. But dude, she is AWESOME.

Comments

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

In terms of spunk and not letting anyone walk all over her, Anna in Fantasy Couple wins at life. I was in awe of her throughout the drama. It's actually my favorite modern kdrama. Beyond that, in think the heroines in 1% of anything and My Girl stood up for themselves well, but not any others, off the top of my head(though, as I said yesterday, I'm very picky about what I'll watch)

I am excluding period dramas, of course.

[oyceter]

Oooo! Another kdrama rec, awesome! Maybe I will save it for Christmas when my sister visits so we can do another marathon.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, Fantasy Couple must be binged on. I also rec My Girl and 1% of anything, though not as rabidly. I'll be in the minority, but I absolutely don't rec. Goong, esp. if you want non-doormat heroines.

[rilina.livejournal.com]

I've completely stalled out on Goong myself, I'm afraid; I was mostly watching for the costumes and set designs and the completely awesome Queen Mother.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I forced myself to finish Goong because everyone loved it. I had...so very, very many problems with Goong. Shin spent the entire first half stalkerishly in love with Hyo-Rin and barely learning to tolerate Chae-Gyung, then was suddenly over Hyo-Rin and all about Chae-Gyung(and the fact that he basically encouraged his friends to be horrible to her and his little "i married you because i don't want the one i love to have to put up with this, but i don't care about you so it's fine if you're miserable" thing was really NOT attractive.) Chae-Gyung was painfully minimally written...90% of her personality seemed to be the actress's natural energy and likability, and the character was possibly the biggest doormat I've seen in a drama. There was possibly a third as much story as was needed for something as long or half as epic as that was...sigh...I could go one for a long, long time, but...

The costumes and designs were amazing, though, and I liked the bits with the contrast between formal and casual language, and, as you say, the ueen Mother was awesome...she, the queen, and Hyo-Rin were the only characters who felt like fully developed characters, and the only ones I really liked, because I could at least see where they were coming from, even when they were wrong. (Naturally, 2 of the 3 are the most hated characters in the show by most...)

[oyceter]

I wasn't too impressed by the random episode of Goong I saw, so I will probably be avoiding that one...

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

When I watched Goong, I mustered through it convinced that as rabidly as EVERYONE loved it, there had to be something to make it worth it...but there wasn't.

It seems that most heroines in k and tw dramas has to sacrifice all semblance of self-esteem and independence to be liked by drama fans, and then she'll be loved forever.

[calixa.livejournal.com]

Sadly, Sam Soon is the exception rather than the norm, as far as I know with kdramas. meganbmoore linked me to this and I just wanted to drop a comment to say I pretty much reacted and felt the same way you did while I was watching this. I personally enjoyed the ending, hopefully you won't be disappointed!

[oyceter]

Hi! Thanks for dropping by!

Alas, I am so sad that Sam Soon is more the exception, though I thought that would be the case. She is so awesome! There should be way more heroines like her!

[rilina.livejournal.com]

Samsoon is awesome! I also get the impression that she's rather an exception--the show was noticed for that when it first came out.

[oyceter]

I love Sam Soon SO MUCH! SO MUCH! She kicks him! She slaps him! She has absolutely no problem with telling everyone exactly what she thinks, and she wanders around and has romantic scenes in old t-shirts, house shorts and flip-flops! Her family is pretty awesome too.