6.3 - Review of Episode 3 of Gyeongseong Creature

01/26/24 • 53 min

2 Listeners

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 3 of Gyeongseong Creature, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Park Seo-joon as Jang Tae-sang, Han So-hee as Yoon Chae-ok, Wi Ha-jun as Kwon Jun-taek, Kim Soo-hyun as Lady Maeda, Jo Han-chul as Yoon Joon-won, Ji Woo as Myeong-ja, Jo Han-chul as Yoon Joon-won, and Kim Hae-sook as Nawol daek. We discuss:

The song we feature during the recap: Time by Baek A, the acoustic version
Whether or not we think Jang Tae-sang had an affair with Lady Maeda
Jang Tae-sang’s plan to re-enter Ongseong Hospital
The game mahjong
The drawing of Yoon Chae-ok’s mom and how it landed in Jang Tae-sang’s hands through the tailor
Jang Tae-sang’s encounter with the samurais who beat him up
How Sachimoto helped Jang Tae-sang and Kwon Jun-taek re-enter the hospital
How Yoon Chae-ok doesn’t hesitate to kill the doctor when she saves the children
The significance of fireworks to the Korean military and Korean culture
The amazing cinematography in this episode, particularly during the fireworks scene
How Dr. Ichiro is trying to train the creature
What anthrax is really is and Joanna’s anthrax story
What we thought about the title of this episode: Signal, Between Obsession and Perseverance
The amazing and beautiful Han So-hee

References

The song we feature during the recap: Time by Baek A, the acoustic version
Whether or not we think Jang Tae-sang had an affair with Lady Maeda
Jang Tae-sang’s plan to re-enter Ongseong Hospital
The game mahjong
The drawing of Yoon Chae-ok’s mom and how it landed in Jang Tae-sang’s hands through the tailor
Jang Tae-sang’s encounter with the samurais who beat him up
How Sachimoto helped Jang Tae-sang and Kwon Jun-taek re-enter the hospital
How Yoon Chae-ok doesn’t hesitate to kill the doctor when she saves the children
The significance of fireworks to the Korean military and Korean culture
The amazing cinematography in this episode, particularly during the fireworks scene
How Dr. Ichiro is trying to train the creature
What anthrax is really is and Joanna’s anthrax story
What we thought about the title of this episode: Signal, Between Obsession and Perseverance
The amazing and beautiful Han So-hee

References

Previous Episode

6.2 - Review of Episode 2 of Gyeongseong Creature

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 2 of Gyeongseong Creature, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Park Seo-joon as Jang Tae-sang, Han So-hee as Yoon Chae-ok, Wi Ha-hun as Kwon Jun-taek, Kim Soo-hyun as Lady Maeda, Ji Woo as Myeong-ja, Jo Han-chul as Yoon Joon-won, and Kim Hae-sook as Nawol daek. We discuss:

How we are grateful to our listeners! We have listeners all over the world and our audience is growing!
The song we feature in the recap: Forever by SUHO.
How the Japanese and Korean characters in this show speak both Japanese and Korean and it can be very confusing.
How knowing what language our characters are speaking gives you a sense of who has the upper hand in the conversation.
The sleuths, who are really good, because they figured out where Myeong-ja is and how she got there (she was sent there by Lade Maeda).
How Mr. Gu wonders if Myeong-ja is another of the many women and girls who have disappeared in Gyeongseong, a reference to the Japanese Army practice of kidnapping women and girls during WWII and turning them into sex slaves, or what they called “comfort women.”
How we now know that Lady Maeda had a powerful motive for getting rid of Myeong-ja AND she has some relationship with Dr. Ichiro.
The few lighthearted moments of the show, especially when Jang Tae-sang is dumbstruck when he sees Yoon Chae-ok all dressed up in the light blue suit and pillbox hat.
The secret hand signal that the Korean independence army members use to signal each other.
The significance of Manchuria because it shares a border with what is now North Korea.
The origin story of Sachimoto, including the fact that he drew Yoon Chae-ok’s mom!
How we know that the creature is Yoon Chae-ok’s mom through her swollen left eye and wooden flower pendant.
Our thoughts on why Jang Tae-sang decides to go back into Ongseong Hospital.
The K Drama elements we see in this episode, especially the triangle between Lady Maeda, Commissioner Ishikawa and Myeong-ja, and the umbrella scene with Lady Maeda.
The meaning behind the title: Mother, between longing and anguish.
How the intro scene at the beginning of each episode is NOT the origin story of Yoon Chae-ok’s mom. We made a mistake. The intro is the origin story of the first girl to swallow a najin, turn into a creature, and get captured by the Japanese.
The amazing and handsome Park Seo-joon, including how his last name is pronounced Pahk, not Pak and not Park.
How episode 3 has some gory scenes with the creature AND some scenes of cruelty by soldiers against prisoners and other soldiers.

References

Next Episode

6.4 - Review of Episode 4 of Gyeongseong Creature

1 Recommendations

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 4 of Gyeongseong Creature, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Park Seo-joon as Jang Tae-sang, Han So-hee as Yoon Chae-ok, Wi Ha-jun as Kwon Jun-taek, Kim Soo-hyun as Lady Maeda, Ji Woo as Myeong-ja, Jo Han-chul as Yoon Joon-won, and Kim Hae-sook as Nawol daek. We discuss:

The song that we feature during the recap: Time, electric version, by LEAFY.
We thank listeners who recently commented on the website.
We now know what Jang Tae-sang was really doing when he was goofing around Gyeongseong: playing mahjong, riding a rickshaw aimlessly, ordering a new suit at the tailor shop.
Why Sachimoto risked his neck and help Jang Tae-sang; we think it’s related to Yoon Chae-ok’s mom.
What we think of Kwon Jun-taek: where he came from, his relationship with Jang Tae-sang, and why he entered the hospital (to look for two comrades who were recently picked up by the Japanese Army).
Why Jang Tae-sang didn’t reveal who Sachimoto was when Yoon Chae-ok first met Sachimoto
The heartbreaking scene where Yoon Chae-ok talks to Sachimoto about his drawing of her mother. Sachimoto admits that he drew Yoon Chae-ok’s mother but he says he doesn’t know where she is or what happened to her.
How Sachimoto is the only person who has the full picture: where Yoon Chae-ok’s mom is and what happened to her.
Jang Tae-sang’s flashback of a boy in the snow.
How Jang Tae-sang changed his mind and helped the children escape the hospital.
Why Yoon Chae-ok continued to insist on looking for Myeong-ja.
The growing feelings between Jang Tae-sang and Yoon Chae-ok.
How Dr. Ichiro is trying to train the monster.
How the monster broke out of her prison and managed to take the elevator upstairs, killing scores of soldiers in the process.
We now know why Lady Maeda wanted Myeong-ja kidnapped: she wanted the baby!
The cliffhanger of an ending where Jang Tae-sang is face to face with the creature.
The K Drama elements in this episode, especially the brewing triangle between Col. Kato. Dr. Ichiro and Lady Maeda.
What we thought of the title of the episode: Imprinting, Between Causality and Fate.
We talk about the amazing and varied career or Jo Han-chul who plays Yoon Joon-won
Japanese honorifics, specifically the word “san” and “sensei.”