Welcome to the Spoiler Zone, everyone!
This is for those of you who want to discuss spoilers, from a “I’ve seen the show and WOW now I’m noticing all these other details in retrospect” sort of angle.
Here’s a Spoiler Zone for you to dig as deep as you’d like, into spoiler territory, WITHOUT the need for spoiler tags or other warnings.
My only request is, PLEASE BE EXTRA MINDFUL OF WHERE YOU ARE COMMENTING. Meaning, please don’t get mixed up, and start talking spoilers in the Open Thread, which could seriously mar the watch experience for a new viewer, OR, a viewer who would really prefer to have the rewatch feel as fresh as possible.
Other than that, READER BEWARE: SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
For the main discussion of episodes 3 & 4, which only deals with spoilers up to the point of the group watch, go here.
ENJOY YOUR SPOILER ZONE, MY FRIENDS! ❤️
Hi everyone, it’s been a long time since I’ve joined any kind of watch forum and I feel like the new kid in the cafeteria asking to sit at your table but I’ve been catching up on the many comments – you guys are very prolific!
This is my fourth (?) Healer rewatch and it remains my favorite. I only started watching kdramas two years ago.
The first time I watched, in the roof scene in episode 2, I thought that Young-shin was making up this story about her past to talk Yeon-hee off the roof. I think because the writers had set her up as a clever girl who could think quickly on her feet. Did anyone else wonder about this on your first watch or did you take her at her word?
Every time I see Myung-hee and her theme song kicks in, I’m conditioned for big tears to start rolling down my cheeks. Do Ji-won is so elegant and really knows how to channel emotions from her eyelashes to her collarbone. Jung Hye-in (younger Myung-hee) reminds me of Kristin Kreuk from “Beauty and the Beast” (2012-2016 US series). (see comparison img) Their wide smiles seem genuine and warm.
I love that this show gives such great roles to mature women. (I am Gen X.) I appreciate the hard choices that these women had to make for the sake of family. My mom was the only breadwinner for a bit and I didn’t spend as much time with her as I guess most people would consider normal. I’ve also had to work long hours or at a distance from my kids so I sympathize with women who don’t have the nature or opportunity to put their kids over their careers.
That’s all. On to the next eps. Thanks for letting me sit at your table!
Welcome Ellerbee! I don’t remember thinking Young shin was being creative in that moment. (It was 2014 when I first watched so…) I think because we’d just found out she was adopted, and the story was such a stark contrast with how awesome she and her adopted Amazing Dad are together, plus her sincere voice break when she talked about how much it hurt because her ribs were broken – that I believed her right then.
Hi! Thanks!
Yes, for sure, her voice and her tears were incredibly convincing and on my rewatch(es) I read those scenes differently. I would say just about anything to talk someone off a ledge and I’d probably be crying also.
I think there was something about the way she was embellishing and acting out the scene with her dad the next morning that had me wondering if she was telling the truth.
The flashback scene at the greenhouse made me understand that she was speaking from life experience and it wasn’t a story she made up to talk Yeon-hee out of jumping.
Welcome, ellerbee! Do Ji-won does such a fantastic job with the role, doesn’t she? I love seeing her wake up to suspicion about her husband. She does it very subtly and believably. I haven’t seen her in anything else.
@the_sweetroad – trivia fact –
I first saw Do Ji won when she portrayed JCW’ mom (who has the mentality of a small child) in the daily Smile Donghae aka Smile Again. Here’s a link to the description https://asianwiki.com/Smile_Again_-_Korean_Drama
Oh fun that they were mother and son. I see that Alex was in this drama, too. I love him in Pasta, though, of course, Lee Sun Kyun gets the girl 🙂
Pasta has been on my list forever. I always here people rave. To be honest, I never liked Lee Sun kyun very much until My Mister.
I’ve never seen Alex in anything else other than Smile Donghae. His character was very young and so I thought he was a youngster and I assumed he was probably a singing idol because of his use of a mononym (?)
name. I’m surprised he was actually old enough to be a second lead. I just looked and Pasta was made only one year before Smile Donghae! I really believed that he was a young kid in Smile Donghae!
If you watch Pasta let me know! I love food and restaurant slice-of-life shows and movies so this one was up my alley.
And LSK’s character in Pasta is an alpha-male, completely opposite of Park Dong Hoon in My Mister. I like him in both (though My Mister is what really captured my heart), and it’s pretty entertaining to see him take on such different roles. After his nice-guy role in Coffee Prince, Pasta was a different experience of him!
I believe Alex is still an idol, yes. I just looked it up to refresh my memory – he’s the vocalist for a group called Clazziquai. He’s Korean-Canadian. That’s too funny that Pasta was only a year before Smile Donghae. In Pasta he’s a bigwig, and definitely an adult! LOL.
These Healer threads really are quite wide-ranging, aren’t they? It’s cracking me up.
@the_sweetroad – over the years, this is how I always find out about those hidden gems dramas!
Glad I’m not the only person who thinks that way, especially after watching Jack Reacher
Hey you guys – I think I see the Elder with his hair (and eyebrows)dyed black in episode 4 at 10:10? It’s during the meeting when Moon shik & his cronies try to recruit Moon ho to join their big newspaper/politics. He’s sitting in the center directly across from Moon ho.
I’ve never noticed him before because his hair is completely black at this point. This guy is definitely in charge as he controls the conversation and waves his hand to dismiss/shush what the other men around the table are talking about.
Bringing things back to Healer 😆, it is sad that all the main characters, and even some of the side characters, have such traumatic backgrounds. Right now I’m thinking of cyber ahjumma and the death of her child and breakup of her marriage. The way she knits all those little colorful things for her hole (and they are basically the only splashes of color in that dark cave of a place) is heartbreaking. You wonder what her future could be like. And do we think that Jo Han Chul’s character (the detective) was in love with her? Or just a professional crush on a cool noona?
Also, the guy who plays the evil pimp-y guy (Jae Kook), Jung Hae Kyun, is a great actor. Healer was the first time I saw him, and I hated his character. Then I saw him in My Mister and loved his character there (well, he grew on me). And he’s also in Signal, too. So KFG has recently been doing re-watches of three of his dramas!
@the_sweetroad – yeah. Poor Ahjumma is messed up too. I never really thought about it like that before (too focused on the OTP) because my love for my kid meant nothing – NOTHING – BUT NOTHING! was put in front of him. When my kid was small, I explained life’s priorities to him b this way to him this way “Sweetie, family is the most important thing. Sometimes the job may seem as if it comes first but only because that job provides a roof over your head and food for you to eat. But you are more important than my job.” But Ahjumma, as much as I sympathize with her, I cannot and will not empathize with her. She made the mistake that I saw many of my co-workers make – thinking you’re the only one that can do that job. And even if you are (as I was), you’d better believe, the company will train or hire somebody quick (within a day if it’s that vital) to replace you. One of my co-workers was so dedicated that when we had a deadline (and she was the only one in our entire firm who knew how to process WIPO patents (patents that cover that iffy place between national and international), she didn’t go check on her elderly mother like she would usually do. Her mother spent 3 days on the floor with no food or water until my co-worker finished the project and went by her mom’s house. Aint No Way!
But that’s why I wanted a group watch discussion is so people can point out things that I overlooked or wasn’t paying attention to. Ahjumma in that dark room, knitting baby clothes. 😥 but she really did it to herself. I’m not saying she could’ve changed her child’s fate but she sealed her own. If she had been there with her family, maybe she and her husband would still be together. And maybe even would’ve had anther child. Maybe not but for sure, the guilt is eating her up. After all, it was Cyber crime. It couldn’t have been more than financial rip off or those pain-in-the azz virus makers. I might could understand if it was a serial killer who would get away and go on to keep murdering people, but it wasn’t.
As for the Cyber Detective, yes, I think it was a crush but I definitely think he wanted it to be more. But after all, Ahjumma was married at the time so he couldn’t expect too much. (That’s based on me assuming Ahjumma would not be a cheater and Cyber Detective probably would think that of her too.) So my opinion is its an innocent – but strong – crush.
After all my harsh talk about Ahjumma here, I still luff 💘 her despite my criticism of what I believe was the wrong choice.
That’s true, she was married at the time, so I’m sure detective couldn’t expect anything. Good point. And yes, it’s too bad she felt like she was the only one who could lead that bust of the cyber criminals. She needed more support, or more confidence that the people under her could take care of things.
@the_sweetroad – Wellll, they all (including Cyber Crush Detective) were rookies, but still… dying child trumps catching cyber criminal in my book.
Agreed! I mention it to highlight she was in a very tough spot. Especially when you consider that in a communally-oriented culture like Korea you really don’t want to let people down. But I agree with you….she should have gone to her sick child and her husband. 🙁
@beez, It couldn’t have been more than financial rip off or those pain-in-the azz virus makers.
i think, if i remember correct, at a later point ahjumma tells the detective (and yes, he was in love with her), that if they would have been allowed to arrest that perpetrator ( i think he’s now in the DS group, the brain behind that group kind of what ahjumma does for healer), so she tells him that if they would have stopped him then, there would be less deaths. and i think she left the job because of this incident.
@eda – oh wow. I didn’t remember that. But it still doesn’t change my mind that she made a bad choice. I picture an ill toddler, dying, reaching out for his mommy and she’s not there. Oh no! I’m making myself tear up.
@beez, i agree, at this point the choice should have been her child. and i don’t think the detectives at the police were rookies, they did find the perpetrators, but because of some political corruption (or something like this), they were stopped from pursuing this issue and were not allowed by the higher ups to arrest. that was the reason ahjumma left her job as a very good detective, from what i gather. also, there was some connection to healer senior in prison (if i am not dreaming, it’s kind of foggy in my memory now). does anybody remember?
Ahhhh. I don’t remember (kind of glad because that’s something fresh for me). But that makes sense because it tells us how Senior Healer knows Ahjumma in the first place.
But I’m pretty sure the other cyber detectives were rookies. I know Crush Cyber Detective certainly was and was being trained by Ahjumma.
There was something about her visiting the original healer in prison 3 times. I do not remember anything else being said.
@mon mor – Ohhhh, yeah! Forgot about that
Terrible story about your coworker and her mom. She couldn’t even call?
I agree about importance of a family. I wonder how realistic this story is: a woman is chasing cyber criminals, while her child is dying in a hospital. At least your caseworker didn’t know what was going on with her mother…
I think Ahjuma is the saddest, because she lost her child, and she is not young, like Healer and his girl. Great observation about knitting. I hope Ahjuma returns to the world of the living, so to speak ( there is one detective…😉)
I’m not sure about being in love, but the detective definitely had a thing for her. It wasn’t purely professional.
I agree about Jung Hae Kyun. Amazing transformation.
Yes, let’s think of her in the land of the living once the show has ended. If Healer and Ji An have a happy ending, and Mun Ho as well, then we can deduce that ahjumma isn’t as isolated and alone anymore.
And actually, Ji An’s dad IS out there. And so is that ahjussi! And the detective, of course. 🙂 Lots of options in Show’s world. 🙂 🙂
Ha! That’s true. Lots of options.
But the detective is a better candidate: he is younger. She should go for it!
Can I ask you guys a favor? Can we refer to Healer’s Jian as Young shin? For one, she was never really called Jian on the show except a few times by her bio mom and Moon ho. But mainly because I think you guys are talking about MM again until my slow brain catches up. 🤣🤣🤣
Haha, good point! Sure. I do know one of the most emotionally loaded moments is when Moon Ho calls her “Ji An-ah” on the rooftop when he’s so worried about her. I think that just stuck with me. But Young Shin it usually is!
Thanks @the_sweetroad! One less thing for my brain to work at.
I have a question of my own:
Does it bother anybody that Healer wears a eyeliner?
I sometimes have to make an effort to not see it.
* wears eyeliner
I could never, not even once, edit my posts! I don’t understand what’s wrong with my phone…
Not me. The lipstick on the other hand…
Ha. You are joking, but it seriously distracts me. The girl isn’t wearing eyeliner, but our bad-ass Healer is. For me it’s worse than that wig.
Guys can’t wear eyeliner? ! Who came up with that crap rule?
Well, they can. But it doesn’t look good. 😆I wish the BTS members wouldn’t wear so much makeup. It’s not as attractive as when they’re just going natural.
Ji Sung in Kill Me Heal Me begs to differ!
No amount of begging will make me think that it looks good on Healer.
It DOES work on him in this character. I haven’t watched Kill Me Heal Me yet but I’ve seen photos of him, looking like this, floating around. But I still think he looks even better in Secret (Love). Au naturel!! 🤣
Funny that our spoiler zones on Healer have devolved into fashion and makeup. LOL.
I know! Especially the ep 1-2 spoiler zone.
It’s like: Healer? Healer who?
It’s probably better to do it here, so as not to scare off Healer newbies with walls of unrelated text!
good point.
Ha! You know my mind always goes back to My Mister, but it strikes me that these Healer threads are more lighthearted…and the My Mister threads were more serious. One reason is of course that the leads in My Mister were going through some serious stuff. (In Healer they have gone through things, too, but as of now neither Young Shin nor Healer know the extent of it.)
You are right. Also, MM threads were all about MM, because there was so much to discuss or disagree about.
There is less ambiguity and interconnectivity in Healer, so there are fewer disagreements, and it’s easier to wander off.
Agreed. When I first watched Healer I watched it twice in a row just to see how the backstory actually pieced together and fit in with the present-day story. But beyond that there wasn’t too much else to look for. I just enjoyed the ride :).
Speaking of wandering….anyone going to try watching Money Heist with Yoo Ji Tae as the Professor?
It’s been on my anticipated list since it was first announced, yes. Supposed to be this year, but I don’t think they’ve announced the debut date yet.
Hello Trent, I think you’re right, they haven’t announced the actual date yet, though they did release a teaser recently. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5OebHUQOzo for those interested in seeing it)
After watching YJT in Healer, I’m interested in seeing him in the iconic Professor role. Glad he got the gig.
I might. I haven’t seen the Spanish version yet.
nope! i am faithful to the asians. can not even think of any other productions, meantime at least. i am a loyalist.
Eda, the new remake of Money Heist (originally in Spanish) is a Korean remake, with Yoo Ji Tae (Healer’s Mun Ho) as the star. So if you are faithful to the Asians then go for the remake, coming out soon! 🙂 🙂
Also, since you love cdramas – but I think you like the historical ones, right? – have you checked out Reset? It is very good. It’s not historical (takes place in today’s world) but very engaging.
thanks. i’ll add it to my list.
just looked it up, director and cinematographer sun mo long is the one from both nirvanas in fire and will be on nirvana 3, which is in the works. so of course, i must see it.
Nice! I didn’t know that! I need to watch Nirvana in Fire and Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms. Have heard so many good things about both. But the super long list of episodes always intimidates me 🙂
You can find Reset on YouTube, too. That’s how we’re watching it. Look for Reset Episode 1 Eng Sub or something like that.
if you have not seen nirvana in fire – that’s like a mandatory for anyone who wants to belong to this “club”. nirvana in fire 2 is also good, but not as good, and do not watch it right after nirvana 1.
sweetroad have you checked out Reset?
i have been mia lately for personal reasons+ , so i have not seen any of the kfg’s comments or anything else. trying to get back, but might take a few more days. but… wanted to tell you that i watched reset and must thank you greatly – i truly enjoyed it. although i am not a fan of any “parallel universes” (my mind is not able to cope with all the pot holes, lack of logic or sometimes pure stupidity, etc). -they just annoy me. and that is why i did not enjoy one day some day or signal. but somehow reset is so kind of precise (for lack of another word), incredible editing, tight plot, very good acting that it totally took me by surprise, that i actually CAN enjoy this sort of production, it was that good. and to my greatest delight i found my most adorable actor and character from the rise of phoenixes bai jing ting (gu nan yi) playing the ML in reset. since i saw him in TROP i was really wanting to see some of his other acting, and somehow it never happened, so i was literally over the moon from this unexpected discovery. there were also quite a few best of the best from nirvana actors, so it was an additional bonus , like liu tao (princess ni huang )liu yi jun (marquis xiu yu). and i would recommend it to everybody, if i could enjoy it, all can enjoy it, since those kind of movies/dramas are not appealing to me.
so sweetroad, thanks again.
by the way, reset is o viki.
That’s so great @eda harris!! We just finished the last episode a couple days ago, too! Like you, I was really impressed with the acting, the tight writing, and engaging plot. I didn’t laugh too much (except for Lu Di’s impossibly long superhero cat name) but I was totally engaged from the 2nd or 3rd episode on. I can’t believe the female lead is only 19 years old right now!
And I’d never seen Bai Jing Ting in anything but now TROP has risen immensely on my watchlist and I look forward to seeing him again.
At first I was taken in by the FL and ML, but after the halfway point I couldn’t wait to see Capt Zhang and his second in command, Jiang, onscreen as well. The way they respond to the crisis even without being in the time loop is great. And the guy who plays Capt Zhang is a wonderful actor! Nice to know he’s also in Nirvana. I liked his subtle expressions. He also is very disciplined – he doesn’t move very much when he’s on camera.
SO glad you watched it and we can talk about it! 🙂 You said the director and cinematographer from Nirvana in Fire did Reset?
Also, are all the buses in China that colorful? 🙂
sweetroad, I can’t believe the female lead is only 19 years old right now! is she? really? i must admit, she’s pretty good. that’s mind bugling, but then the ML in nirvana in fire 2, the young prince is also 19 at the time of filming, and his role and the drama itself is way more complicated, lengthy and demanding for sure. but he was absolutely AMMMMAZING! it’s interesting that china is willing to take chances with very young actors, i appreciate it. haven’t seen it in korean productions, or is there?
And I’d never seen Bai Jing Ting in anything but now TROP has risen immensely on my watchlist and I look forward to seeing him again. if you have not seen him in TROP, get ready for the ultimate satisfaction of an actor’s performance. hurry up, and watch it, get over the fear of the multiple episodes. and then we can talk about it.
And the guy who plays Capt Zhang is a wonderful actor! Nice to know he’s also in Nirvana. same thing i can tell you about the actor playing capt zhang – he’s very good in nirvana, but then EVERYBODY is good there. must watch.
the “buses” – they are in line with lu di’s cats – something for everybody, LOL.
sorry, i thought you were talking about the spanish, i didn’t even know about the koreans. so of course, i love yoo ji tae. can’t wait, now that i know.
@eda – I haven’t watched the original Money Heist either. I haven’t watched anything other than Korean shows (and a couple of Japanese and Chinese dramas because of urging from you and phl1rxd). I do watch one holdover American sitcom that will be going off the air this year and then – nothing western. It’s funny because when I see an ad for a new movie or tv show, I’m shocked at how much the western actors/actresses have aged! I shouldn’t be surprised cause I’m aging right along with them. But it’s just that I haven’t watched them continuously so as to slowly see the aging so it’s shocking.
Count me in for Money Heist Korean remake. I haven’t seen the original Spanish one but my partner raves about it. So I am faithfully waiting for the Korean version as I have a special place in my heart for Yoo ji-tae because of his character in Healer. And I am yet to catch up on Mad Dog as well where he seems to have a great tole as well.
Same here! My husband has seen all 5 seasons of the Spanish one. I only watched the first couple episodes of the first season and the suspense/ hostage situation got to me. But with Yoo Ji Tae in the K-version, I will check it out. And I’m wondering if the K Money Heist will finally be a Korean show hubby wants to watch…instead of just reluctantly watching other k-ent with me. Haha.
@the_sweetroad – I always recommend Chuno! or Six Flying Dragons (but especially Chuno! to get hubbies & boyfriends to sit and watch a Kdrama)
Yes!! After reading KFG’s review of Chuno and knowing how much she loves it, it’s been on my list for a long time. But as of now it’s not on my accessible viewing platforms so I’m waiting! My first and only Jang Hyuk drama has been Fated to Love You (what a crazy laugh!) and I’m looking forward to seeing him in such a different role in Chuno when the time comes. Thanks for the reminder!
@the_sweetroad – Do you never venture over to the dark side? We don’t mention it by its exact web address for fear of KFG’s site getting banned
[Sorry ladies, I’ve redacted the name of the illegal streaming site. Just mentioning the name is risky, apologies. ~KFG]
There’s only been maybe two very old dramas that I’ve ever searched for that they didn’t have.
Granted, I only go there when none of the five subscription platforms that pay for has a drama that I want to see.
I have been there! But some of the really old ones (like Miss Korea) I haven’t found.
Sorry KFG!
except this “dragons” is nowhere to be found! so annoying.
@the_sweetroad, @eda
I found Six Flying Dragons, Miss Korea and even Dal-ja’s Spring and Que Sera Sera on a website that I, unfortunately, can’t name. So, keep looking. The video quality of some of them is not very good though. But they are there.
By the way, I think Eric Mun and Lee Min Ki looked absolutely stunning, when they were young.
@eda – But I have her directions to TThe Dark Side. If she’s willing to go there she can see it.
@beez, ondemand korea has it, but no english subs. i did find quite a few things there with no english translations. is there any way to get those on that site, to switch to english subtitles? does anybody know?
Trust me, there isn’t. I’ve written to them about it and they responded.
Good Luck 🙂 #Fighting
just wait!
@the_sweetroad – check out Ji Sung in this image from Defendant. Of course there’s still makeup because they’re filming but he looks 1000 times better to me than in Heal Me Kill Me.
I know one show is fantasy and one is realism but I’d rather see the no-make-up-look make up than the thick and colorful. Many times the lipstick makes them look like clowns (sorry BTS; sorry my love, Rain)
Yes. He looks great here.
By the way, is this not THE best subtitle ever? (From Secret (Love).
Hehehehehe
Oh my goodness, the_sweetroad! 😆 And he looks very handsome there. I’ve been wanting to watch Secret but isn’t that the show where his wife/lover takes the fall for him and goes to prison? If so, I don’t know if I can stand it.
It is! She takes the fall for her fiance and goes to prison since he accidentally killed Ji Sung‘s fiancee in a hit-and-run accident. Ji Sung’s character becomes obsessed with revenge against her, and makes her life in prison and out of prison a living hell. But then he falls for her. It’s so bizarre! Total makjang. The acting is superb, though, and even though Ji Sung borders on crazy and abusive you somehow sympathize with him and want him to win the girl over. (??!!?) Even typing this out it sounds unhealthy and dysfunctional. But it’s worth watching.
sweetroad, this was one of ji sung’s dramas (secret love) that i almost disliked, mainly because of the FL who was a total rag to wipe the floor with, even more than the FL in something in the rain. it just too horrible to see women like this, i just could not stomach it. but the acting is was of course good, as always with these two.
I agree….it took me a long time to get into Secret because of the way the FL was being mistreated and abused, AND the stupid choices she was making! So much heartache and pain there. But the payoff was pretty good at the end. Ji Sung and Hwang Jung Eum delivered throughout the show.
@the_sweetroad! I’m so glad that this thread went off in these directions because now I can finally watch this drama! What was making me hesitate is I thought Ji Sung was FL’s boyfriend who she took the fall for. How could I root for an OTP like that! So for all these years of thinking that’s an interesting synopsis but…
That’s great, we never know what these wandering threads will yield! 🙂 And yeah, I wouldn’t have rooted for an OTP like that, either, although the show DOES paint Bae Soo Bin (Hwang Jung Eum’s fiance who kills Ji Sung’s fiancee) in a good light at first. You watch his slow descent into madness (it’s not pretty). And you watch Ji Sung grow out of his revengeful, obsessive beginning.
This was my first and only Ji Sung drama so far, and my first Hwang Jung Eum drama as well. I was pretty impressed with both of them. Chingus over at Soompi Forum roped me in to watching it :).
And now I’m in the middle of Mask, written (or directed?) by the same person who did Secret. It has the same vibe and melodramatic touches. And the FL is, once again, SOOO dumb sometimes! In Mask it’s the 2nd couple that are an amazingly hot, mesmerizing mess. If anyone else has seen it, I’m on Ep 14, where the 2nd couple are now working against one another. I can’t take my eyes off of them. 🔥🤪
sweetroad, i love ji sung – he’s absolutely an amazing actor – i was on a trip to watch as much as i could of him and his professionalism is way above what is usually expected. my favorites: kill me heal me. and devil judge (some people did not like this drama, i loved it, especially because of the phenomenal performance of ji sung and kim min jung.
@the_sweetroad – I rarely ever watch melos unless it has actors/actresses that I really like. I prefer the rom-coms and saeguks.
@beez you’ll have to see how you like Secret (Love) then. It is definitely not a romcom :). But it does have Ji Sung :).
Usually it irks me when they translate something that I’m like “that needs no translation!” when it’s not even a Korean word but a grunt, groan or sound of frustration. But that subtitle is golden. 😂
Yup. I laughed so hard, then I had to rewind and grab this screenshot. I mean….just gold.
This was on Viki….in case you ever want to watch the show. 🙂
@beez, but beez, in kill me heal me, ji sung has different looks for different multiple personalities. when he is cha do hyun (the initial, main character) – he has NO eyeliner or lipstick, as well as a few other personalities. the personality shin se gi was totally asking for additional features enhancing and stressing the specifics of that particular personality. it was an exaggeration of sorts, but totally necessary. not like healer or some prince in ancient china – to look at them with an eyeliner or lipstick is “gag me with a spoon”.
@eda – I know it was for the character but instead of “bad boy” it looks like clown (to me)
interesting… not to me. i thought it was a very well thought out costume and make up, portraying the craziness that was going on.
Not a good example, Merij. 🤣🤣🤣
I woke up late at night, so I grabbed the first one I saw. Mostly I was trying not to read about Ukraine.
@merij – I just meant Ji Sung himself, made up as Seulgu/New Century, is a bad example, not the particular pic that you choose. He has a very manly face and piling on that make up – the eyeliner and the heavily caked foundation – just looked ridiculous to me instead of the “bad boy” effect they were going for.
meri, about Ukraine.
horrific. i thought i’ll never see such images in my lifetime. being from eastern europe, even that i left it long ago, my heart is in my stomach and my stomach is upside down. the world is crazy, can not learn from history.
meri, yes, when the character is asking for it, like in kill me heal me. that was part of his personality, and he looked great with all the make ups (whoever did this, was professional) and clothes – all designed to enhance the different personalities.
Ahjumma Ji Sung! 🤣🤣🤣 I’m sorry but if someone saw this picture with no backstory…
@the sweetroad – Amen! Although for me, with BTS, again it’s the lipstick moreso than the eyeliner
I can’t handle the lipstick, eyeliner, eyeshadow, OR dangly earrings. 😑 Their little hoop earrings are OK.😀Of course, this is all just me.
in kill me heal me ji sung wears eyeliner, but only for that one specific character, and it goes very well with the rest of the presentation of this personality. so of course, sometimes the plot needs some kind of make up, including lipstick or eyeliner. but when it’s a guy like healer, or if it’s a prince in ancient china – gag me with a spoon.
meri, Who came up with that crap rule? same rule that men do not wear dresses or skirts, or they will be considered cross-dressing.
“same rule that men do not wear dresses or skirts”
Fashion history is complicated.
meri, Who came up with that crap rule? same rule as men do not wear dresses or skirts (unless you are irish), it would be considered cross-dressing.
Gotta be honest. I hate rules.
@merij1 – Not all rules are bad. We need them.
@MariaF @eda_harris @beez
Ha. Not a single comment I have made on this eyeliner thread was serious, including that photo from Kill Me Heal Me.
(Or only half-serious at best, since I do think gender expectations are weirdly rigid in our cultures. This notion that men should be “manly” and never act “like a girl,” when clearly we’d all be better off if more men did exactly that…)
But mostly I’m just trolling you in bemusement!
@merij – you beast!
“when clearly we’d all be better off if more men did exactly that…”
How very true but you know me, Merij, I’m attracted to the exact opposite of what’s good for me.🙄
It’s the ol’ broccoli vs french fries argument (or maybe I just made that up, but either way, I bet everyone understands what I mean) 🤪
@beez – “Freedom Fries,” I believe is the correct term. Or has that need passed?
@merij – I’m not familiar auth the term. But if it’s not a term and you’re just trolling again, I’ll have you know the need for “freedom fries” (which I take it means “bad boy attraction”) -well then the “need” may have passed but my eyeballs’ taste hasn’t changed! So there!😋
@beez – I was joking. After France opposed us on some foreign policy issue, a few brainiacs here thought that renaming French fries as Freedom Fries would teach them a lesson. (Hard to make up nonsense like that.)
But I digress. And this a politics-free zone, so no need to comment further!
@merij – for the record, I always think your teasing. So because of that, if you ever do get serious, or want me to take you seriously, you’ll have to tell me. 🤣🤣🤣 Maybe we need you to choose a particular emoji so say, for instance 😈 means you’re serious. 🤣🤣🤣
@beez – yeah, but you know me well.
@eda_harris sort of knows me, but @MariaF and I are relatively new to each other.
And my humor does run dry.
Also, I don’t do emojis. But if the need arises, I will def alert you, one way or another!
@merij1
I just saw your comment.
Am I to understand that your “good points” response to my comment about Healer’s personas in the open thread was just a joke, and you didn’t really mean it?
@MariaF – Ha. I think I’ll allow you to keep wondering about that.
Because #AmbiguityIsSoUnder-ValuedTheseDays
@merij1
No wondering is necessary.
If I like what you say about my comment, I’ll think you mean it.
If I don’t, your sense of humor will be appreciated.
Exactly!
or means”you are the devil” he he (may be it’s the color red an association .)
I hate rules.
get you. so do i, but sometimes, being an “anarchist” will actually work against you.
Yes. Like wearing eyeliner.
I thought you guys might enjoy this Esquire piece claiming The 2010s is the Decade We Finally Stopped Obsessing Over How a Man ‘Should’ Dress:
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-2010s-is-the-decade-we-finally-stopped-obsessing-over-how-a-man-should-dress?utm_source=pocket-newtab
I’m going to take a wild guess you prefer the look on the left side of most of these celebrity examples!
@MariaF @eda_harris @beez @the_sweetroad
I’m going to take a wild guess you prefer the look on the left side of most of these celebrity examples!
Haha, yes. The left side is definitely more attractive to me. Some of the outfits on the right side look so garish!
How about you, @merij1? What do you prefer?
@merij @the_sweetroad – I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m definitely a “left side” girl.
So sad the article days “The Mad Men tend has passed.” Nooooooooooo
@the_sweetroad — left side for sure! Some of those right-side outfits are hilarious! Well beyond “metrosexual.”
What eyeliner on Healer? What wig?!!!!! I missed all of these things…and now I don’t really want to see them. Or are you talking about Bong Soo’s wig in Young Shin’s cafe?
Yes. That wig. He wore it once, and his job kind of required it, so it was just funny.
But eyeliner – not funny! It can be seen all the time. And sometime one eye is worse than the other. Who did his makeup?!!!.
That wig was so unattractive! That was when I knew this show had a creative sense of humor, to make their star look so BAD. Haha.
I also love Young Shin’s dad and the ahjussi in that cafe. The way they protect her and glare at this timid boy named Bong Soo is so endearing and funny.
And the dad is so good at dancing.
Yes! That whole scene is fantastic, from their dancing (and PMY’s complete ease) to Bong Soo’s incredulous face and terrible costume.
I am dead serious. Totally. It’s such a turn off. (Although JCW and Song Joong ki manage to not have it super glossy or thick so I can look past it on those two but all the other guys – 🤢)
I think it really stands out to me because when you look at actors from older dramas, their lips are a beautiful natural color (except Lee Dong wook whom everyone gets mad when I call it out and they claim that’s his natural lip color. 🙄) But hey! All you have to do is look at the color of these guys nipples. Dark nipples do not = pink lips. Scientists will tell you that a person’s lips are the same shade as their nipples. 😆
I didn’t realize you were serious. But you are right: lipstick is worse. I wish you didn’t tell me: somehow I didn’t notice it before, and now I’ll be looking for it.
Also, I didn’t know about correlation between nipples and lips color shade. Very interesting.
I can’t either, on phone or computer.
When you hover over your recent post, you don’t see this little cog to the lower right of your comment?
Not sure about MariaF, but I do see it, and when I click on it I get a message in my upper-right corner that says something like This action can longer be performed. I’ll try it again now to see the exact message.
“Sorry, this comment is no longer possible to edit” in a red pop-up box is the message.
That sucks. It’s supposed to be editable for 15 minutes.
I see your lovely flower icon, so I take it you do have a WordPress account?
Yes! I have a WP account. (Mostly so I can contribute to the My Mister fansite 😀)
@merij1 – I lost the ability to edit months and months ago. At first it would say “too much time has gone by”(or something like that) even though I’ll have just hit “send” but realized I have typos or want to add something. Then recently it won’t do anything when I click on the edit button. I don’t want to bother KFG with it. I can live without it.
@beez, I lost the ability to edit
i guess i am the lucky one here, i didn’t even know that a thing like this exists, so i forgive myself my typos, although it is annoying, i must admit. (but my computer abilities are already stretched to the limit!)
@eda – I’m always swyping on my phone. (Swyping is where you don’t have to lift up your finger to type but drag it from letter to letter on the keypad) So I have lots of typos. (And my phone sometimes autocorrects something even after I’ve proofed it. It will sometimes “correct” words (that I’ve already changed back after it had previously “corrected” it )as soon as I hit “send”.) If I waited until I got my laptop out, I’d never get around to checking KFG’s web site. And let’s not even talk about my swyping when I’m tired.
So please bear with my swypos guys.
@merij – I keep going into my word press account and adding my icon/avatar but it only lasts for a minute and then some genetic avatar appears. Got any advice?
@beez – Sorry, no. That’s strange. I’ve only been in my account three times, since all the settings held.
Doesn’t work for me…🙁
maria, Healer wears a eyeliner? does it bother me, o yes, big times. i also saw it on other actors, koreans as well as chinese. but most of them have very attractive faces that do not need any enhancements, so why do they need to do it? and it is not done in all scenes, only some.
Every time I saw eyeliner on Healer, I looked at the girl. None there. Wouldn’t it make more sense the other way around?
I’ve noticed that the majority of Korean actresses don’t wear eyeliner or, instead of eyeliner inside the lid, they use a very soft, thin but smudged, brown eye shadow brushed outside the eye (guys use this technique too). Yet, I notice that they do use “regular” eyeliner in photo shoots that are done for magazines or commercials done for foreign brands (meaning mostly other Asian countries). Song Hye kyo is a good example because she has so many endorsements that you can really see the difference in her make up for dramas (Although she does use “regular” eyeliner in dramas, but she wears it more like we’re used to seeing in her foreign ads.)
I don’t know if it’s because they consider it making the eye appear more “open” or if it’s just a trend. If it’s a trend, it’s lasted a very long time. 🙂
Could it be that the eyeliner is part of making Healer like a super hero? It’s very light when he’s Park Bong soo, isn’t it? Or do I need to switch to watching on my big screen tv in order to see it?
@beez, i don’t know, i try not to get hung up on it, as it is a distraction to me. but sometimes he has it and sometimes he does not. i did not really examine it closely.
I have noticed as well that sometimes the lipstick on men is very noticeable and other times not there at all, on the same character. Huh? I do not like the lipstick being obvious. In some older kdramas I have noticed their lips can be very dry ? Maybe just some lipbalm!
Park Bong Soo definitely wears eyeliner. Like when SY was having a panic attack in the office in ep. 7, and BS gave her the pills.
By the way, that scene is one of my favorites. The way he looked at her!
That does it! The big screen from now on so I can look closer. lol
Earlier today I went back to watch the scene of Young shin on the rooftop (because I’m trying to find a version with the same subs that KFG has). Anyway, I was watching on the big screen tv and as Moon ho played back the tape of Young shin talking about her abused childhood, he shed a tear! But I didn’t notice it before! So big screen from here on out!
maria, why do you even question? i saw this weirdness on chinese actors and koreans, as well as lipstick. but do not understand why they need that kind of enhancement. it actually is a distraction.
@Eda – You are right. I probably should stop asking questions. I asked an innocent question about Healer/SY outfits (a dress vs a coat), and look what’s happened to that thread.
@MariaF – I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m more than fine with what happened to the thread. Where else can we talk about and learn more about these things? (My family sure doesn’t want to talk about Korean dramas.)🤣
@beez and maria, pure fun. no regrets.
Hello everyone!
The chemistry between Ji Chang Wook and Park Min Young is so watchable, even in these early episodes when they’re still getting to know each other. Both as Bong Soo and as Healer, his interactions with Young Shin are just so “full” and good. Like many of you, I love his dual roles, both as completely dorky and bumbling Bong Soo and as brooding, withdrawn Healer. I don’t know which one I like more, really.
Also, it’s fun to see him right now as two distinct people, and to know that later on his Bong Soo character will transform into a more classy, smooth guy that’s totally smitten with her.
These early episodes move along nicely, too. I feel like there’s some drag in some of the later episodes (like when they spend a lot of time in the Elder’s house, just talking! Where did all the baddies go?!) but these first few episodes are written so tightly.
By the way, @eda harris, @MariaF, @actionscript and others….I’m not sure if you talked about this in Spoiler Zone Eps 1 and 2 (joining this party late) but I just realized that discussion is moving from Lee Ji An (My Mister) to Oh Ji An (Healer)! 😀 Ji An remains on the brain.
Hello the_sweetroad!
I’m glad you are joining us here.
I’m not sure if you talked about this in Spoiler Zone Eps 1 and 2
There are 300 posts in that spoiler zone. Nobody knows for sure what we talked about there. The conversation somehow wandered into fashion and other subjects…
It’s interesting about Ji An. Is it a common name in Korea? Although it’s quite possible that the meaning of the name is different here. In MM it was “find comfort”, right?
Thanks, MariaF!
Haha, there are A LOT of posts in SZ 1 and 2! I subscribed to it only last night, and then my inbox got flooded. LOL.
I don’t know if Ji An is a common name in Korea, but since it shows up in 2 of my favorite dramas, it must be. 😀