k-odyssey

so i'll just jot a few things down while sitting in front of the fan.

i wasn't watching this drama for the plot. to me, this is a character study more than anything else. and in that way i loved it. i was too busy enjoying the se gye & seo ri dynamic to try and decipher the meaning of the red comet or whatever.

so the idea that seo ri had to go back and alter their past ending in order to save present-day se gye? it makes sense for her as a character. i don't find it that compelling or novel otherwise. but it is a good excuse to watch se gye fall apart and be mended together at the sight of her healthy self. and heo nam jun does it so well.

one thing i loved about the writing was definitely when se gye was reacting as i would to supernatural phenomenons. like, he speaks to his therapist friend about seo ri when he's concerned. at one point, they speak about their memories together, and he's like "should we check in with a doctor just in case we're both crazy." i loooove that.

also i love that the ending is not a wedding and children. their version of a happy ending is:

getting revenge on mun do by putting on a show for the press etc. seo ri delivers a scathing speech to him as he's in prison.

she has a career and her independence, he remains the same jealous idiot in love and is trying to convince her to move in together. she hasn't suddenly changed tastes to luxury and still has the rooftop apartment.

they're planning out a simple future together. it's just like, spending every season together. and it really fits, as they've both been through soooo much. they know what matters.

this is definitely fiction and definitely fantasy but it still feels grounded somehow. i don't feel like i'm being sold a chaebol lifestyle. and the "villain" has a surprising piece of humanity as a father and idk. that can happen. someone could murder and manipulate and still want the best for their child.

ps: heo nam jun has a twin??? and the way he describes their dynamic feels so real.

but actually every single scandal so far has been artificially engineered by choi mun do. the engagement itself was just pr by tae hee. se gye buries a scandal with a worse scandal about someone else. and even seo ri/dan shim has managed to take control of the narrative.

also mun do used ai. said something like "who cares if it's true, if we put it out there people will treat it as such."

the writers are trying to tell us something. and the something seems to be "most of the news are a narrative pushed by an entity or person that benefits from your feelings."

kind of meta of a show that lives in that ecosystem and relies on the same pr techniques as everyone else.