Just thinking about Will, in this exact moment, hearing and feeling Hannibal's heart pounding and finally knowing the answer to his question, "Is he in love with me?"—that raw certainty hitting him firsthand. Like damn.
Hello! I am here to once again harass this tag with my opinions.
I love this complicated character. I just want him to heal and live a happy life. I have so many feelings about him and because of him.
This post is another section of the essay (I have previously mentioned) where I lost all interest in being formal in the slightest. So, this doesn't read as a serious analysis of Dong Sik's character, more of a shit post. But nevertheless, it's written with good intentions and genuine interest. Again, this is an excerpt from a bigger piece, so it feels unfinished that will be the reason.
[Please note that Dong Sik and queer-coding are very intricate topics, I am not able to explore them fully with just this post. also: I use the word queer as an umbrella term when discussing the character's sexuality. It is not meant as an offensive term.]
~ Now that the disclaimers are out of the way, I hope you enjoy this absolute mess
Dong Sik on the other hand… There isn’t a big romantically coded scene for him, definitely not along the same lines as Joo Won's scene in the rain. We gain knowledge of Dong Sik’s thoughts and feelings for Joo Won through his facial expressions and actions.
We get to see it more often because - despite his tendency to mask his emotions behind the veil of other people's assumptions - he is a lot more forthcoming with his feelings. By nature, Dong Sik is an affectionate person with a lot of love to give. Within the show, he is the main character used as a vassal for the creators to explore the Ancient Greeks’ philosophy of the seven kinds of love. Here’s a quick breakdown of the love in Dong Sik’s life:
Eros: Han Joo Won
Philia: his friendship circle: Ji-Hwa, Jung-Je, Ji-Hoon, Jae-Yi, etc
Storge: his sister, his mother, Kang Min-Jung
Agape: music, food, nature
Ludus: Han Joo Won, Lee Sang-Yeob
Pragma: what his relationship with Han Joo Won was blossoming into
Philautia: he struggles with this one but we get glimpses of it throughout
Dong Sik is a bit of a tease, in the sense that he enjoys teasing people, and Joo Won is the perfect person for him to do that. I believe he was attracted to Joo Won from the moment he met him- no, from the moment he heard his voice.
That shot though, jfc. It is very common within visual media to use the suspenseful storytelling tactic of “look! The two main characters have met and this is important- pay attention to this”.
The story will stop in its tracks because the two main characters or the two love interests have met for the first time. Their interaction and the importance of this first meeting will be displayed by the characters either:
Stopping what they were doing
Becoming awestruck
The camera lingering on their reaction
Beyond Evil uses all three of these common visual storytelling tactics to tell the audience that this moment is important.
And… Okay… I know everyone stops what they are doing to pay attention to Joo Won’s arrival, as it’s a great way of other-ing him from the first episode… But if we look at it from the perspective of the character, Dong Sik is so affected when he sees Joo Won for the first time that he stops writing his police report. We had just seen how driven and motivated Dong Sik can be, he was going to write up that report and no one could stop him, not even the threat of physical violence could stop him.
The fact that Joo Won does cause him to stop could be interpreted as a (very) loose play on the trope of Distracted by Sexy or Love at First Sight. Either way, no one could stop him apart from Joo Won.
Through the visual language, this seems to be the creator's way of informing the audience of Joo Won’s immediate effect on Dong Sik’s life.
This sequence also plays on the (debatably) romantic trope of Stalker’s Meet Cute and Weaponized Meet Cute:
“When one party has arranged the "chance" encounter for the purpose of romance, it's a Stalker's Meet Cute. (This is very common.) When it's for dark nefarious purposes (i.e., not romance; usually a crime of some sort), it's Weaponized Meet Cute.” tvtropes.org, Meet Cute.
Joo Won has been "investigating" stalking Dong Sik for the purposes of his investigation. He takes photographs of Dong Sik at his workplace and when he is with his friends. Then purposely gets himself transferred to the same substation to get closer to him. Which signifies from the outset that the nature of their relationship is far from normal.
But it is how Dong Sik reacts to the new Inspector that is very interesting...
During my first watch-through of the show, I missed Dong Sik’s quick off-the-cuff remark of “he’s not my type” when speaking about seeing Joo Won for the first time. Which… okay, firstly, no one asked him. It is the first thing Dong Sik has to say about Joo Won. Also, this kind of language screams romantic undertones. To have a “type” is a phrase often used (in western parts of the world, at least) when describing a person you fancy, i.e find attractive.
It’s an odd thing to say and it could just be a funky translation. But Dong Sik decides to tell his best friends that the “handsome” (as other male characters had already noted), successful, fashionable and so painfully metropolitan new (boy toy) Inspector is not his type…
Which begs us to question: why did they use this kind of language? If the creators wanted us to know that Dong Sik and Joo Won weren’t going to get along because they were judging each other, another perfectly non-romantic way of telling us would be for Dong Sik to say: He’s just another Seoul detective.
This could then start a quick back-and-forth.
Someone could say: But you were a Seoul detective.
Causing Dong Sik to give us a reply along the lines: You know I was never like them.
(or something better than that)
If the conversation had been structure in this way, the creators would be conveying that there is a distinction between the city police and the police in this small town. Also, it would give us the insight that Dong Sik never felt like he fit in in Seoul and that he has a close connection to his hometown. [not confirmed as true]
Instead, we get “he’s not my type”. I believe this is the first time we see Dong Sik’s character being queer-coded.
“Queer coding is the subtextual coding of a character in media as queer. Though such a character's sexual identity may not be explicitly confirmed within their respective work, a character might be coded as queer through the use of traits and stereotypes recognisable to the audience.” Wikipedia.org, Queer Coding.
This framing, as well as other pieces of information about his character, supports the queer coding theory.
Firstly, let’s take the context into account: Dong Sik is a man in his early forties who has experienced deep trauma. He lives alone, is not married, is not divorced, has male and female platonic friendships and at no point in the show is the history of his love-life explicitly confirmed.
The only time in the show that Dong Sik himself talks about anything closely relating to his romantic life - or having a “type” - is when talking about Han Joo Won and talking to Lee Sang Yeob. Any other time Dong Sik’s sexuality or love life is brought up is by other characters, predominately by Joo Won.
Joo Won isn’t Dong Sik’s type. And perhaps not. Having worked (and lived) in Seoul for many years, Dong Sik has probably met many rich, good-looking, privileged, up-themselves Seoul boys. So, he would know.
So, if Joo Won isn’t Dong Sik’s type, who is? Do we get examples?
Yes but very subtly via the process of elimination. Throughout the show, Dong Sik only flirts with men. So that and other factors (which we will discuss later) rule out women as romantic love interests. He only flirts with men. Sometimes he does this because of genuine attraction or because he’s trying to unnerve them. He uses his ambiguous sexuality as a way to make other men uncomfortable when in a sparring match of intellect. The people he flirts with when trying to unnerve are:
Lee Chang Jin
Lim Gyu Seok
Kang Do Soo (very minorly: the good looks comment in episode 4)
Park Jung Je (very very minorly: although, they have a very complicated/ queer coded relationship)
These men often bristle or become uncomfortable when Dong Sik uses this tactic.
Do they have anything in common that could help us decipher if he has a type? Well, not really. They are of all different ages, stature, occupation, personality, looks, statuses, and financial backgrounds. They’re different. The only commonality they share is that at some point, they were getting in Dong Sik’s way. So, he used this proven tactic to deflect their gaze, so he can continue on undetected.
(what a whore)
There are two other people that Dong Sik flirts with aggressively, either because one) distracts them from the truth and two) because he seems to enjoy it:
Lee Sang Yeob
Han Joo Won
What is interesting about these two characters is that they don’t react the same way the other men do. So, how do they react?
Lee Sang Yeob shows quiet patience and (not unkind) indifference like he is used to it. In the situation they were in, he doesn’t let us know if he likes or dislikes it- there’s just silence. Which, within South Korean media, speaks volumes.
In South Korean media (like the majority of the world), when the male lead’s sexuality is questioned, it is common (and expected) for them to show disgust or make it into a joke, or both (Vincenzo has two very long scenes where Vincenzo has a paddy about having to pretend to date a man is a great example). Queerness is not treated seriously in the majority of the media. It is shown as something uncomfortable; to be mocked, or as a hurdle in the male lead’s journey. As a whole, it is not something that is explored with sensitivity or sincerity.
(there are obviously exceptions to this "rule". I'm speaking in more generalised tones.)
So, to have two male characters in a car together, and to have one ask the other if they are on a date and the reaction is silence, shows us how Beyond Evil approaches queerness in a very different way from the majority.
Dong Sik’s flirtations with Han Joo Won are a little more complicated. At first, Han Joo Won doesn’t seem to understand flirting, full stop. All signs of attraction and affection from anyone make him uncomfortable. But as time passes, he starts to accept it and then even starts to return the attention. Out of all of Dong Sik’s interactions with the people he flirts with, Joo Won is the only one to genuinely flirt back. Not only does he flirt back but he enjoys it, as does Dong Sik.
Other than this, do Lee Sang Yeob and Han Joo Won have anything else in common? Yes.
They are both (at one point in time) Dong Sik’s police partner.
They are the same age and thirteen years younger than Dong Sik.
They went to KNPU and were in the same year.
They are attractive, successful, from wealthy families, ambitious, stubborn, intelligent, naive; metropolitan (working/living in Seoul), and both are passionate and impulsive: going headfirst into danger. They both act like a “prince” and are “burdens”.
Later, they both cause Dong Sik unbearable amounts of heartache.
The most important comparison is that Dong Sik cares about both of them deeply.
So, there are two characters Dong Sik flirts with for the sake of flirting. They have similarities that go beyond age, race and gender. Through the process of elimination, we can say with a level of certainty that Dong Sik (on a basic level) does have a “type”.
According to him, Joo Won isn’t it. Personally, I believe that Joo Won was Dong Sik’s “type” the entire time. But because Joo Won is (in the beginning) a stereotype, Dong Sik is put off by his prickish facade. Also, Han Joo Won reminds Dong Sik of Sang Yeob from the get-go, and he doesn’t want to go down that route because it’s a deep trauma for him that he’s not over.
So, when Dong Sik says something so romantically coded as “he’s not my type”, it shines as false in the most wonderful way.
[Dong Sik interacting with three younger men. credit: 1, 3]
Dong Sik is... so into Joo Won.
As Dong Sik gets to know Joo Won, he becomes interested in this difficult man. Within the context of the thriller-mystery narrative, he decides to use Han Joo Won so he can bring the serial killer to justice. But over time, he starts to genuinely care for him. Which wasn’t the original plan.
One could justify this by suggesting that it just proves that Dong Sik is a protector by nature; he cares for those younger than him, and he fears losing people so much that he’ll even care for the little annoying prick that is Han Joo Won.
This is true but the thing about Dong Sik is that if he doesn’t want someone in his life, he doesn’t include them, or he waits patiently until he can move on.
Joo Won is not one of those people, which is proven by how he displays his feelings throughout the first act. Dong Sik proceeds to provoke, get up in Joo Won’s personal space, tease, flirt with him, actively pull him into his life, actively try to get to know him, and actively care for him, whilst trying to save that boy (toy) from himself and anyone else who may hurt him… And it only intensifies in the second act. He seeks him out and always has a (literal) open door for Joo Won to walk through because, despite the fact that Joo Won can be difficult, Dong Sik enjoys him and wants him in his life.
The fact that Dong Sik enjoys Joo Won’s personality is shown throughout the first act. Contrary to the fact that Joo Won gives Dong Sik many different reasons for him to run away screaming “red flag”, he does the complete opposite.
A brief list of just a few examples of Dong Sik enjoying Joo Won:
Episode 1: when he offers Joo Won a handshake and is rejected, calls him a "prince" (or something similar)
Episode 1: smiling when Joo Won is talking about his views on friendship, then proceeds to tease Jo-Won.
Episode 2: when Joo Won has the same thought as him (going to the shop in the rain scene), Dong Sik watches Joo Won walk away and smiles after Joo Won gazes back at him.
Episode 2: getting in Joo Won’s personal space (and making eye contact) to ask why Joo Won is “so interested” in him.
Episode 2&3: the entire interrogation scenes: yes, he's annoyed by Joo Won but come on, he's also having so much fun.
Episode 3: After Jung-Je has told Dong Sik that Joo Won knows that he’s put the case files back, Dong Sik is very non-plus about it until Jung-Je tells him that Joo Won laughed “like a madman”. Jung-Je is disturbed by the whole thing, which is a very normal reaction. How does Dong Sik react? He becomes excited, smiles, and then laughs, agreeing to stay at work (despite being traumatised by recent events).
(this look screams: I've got you all figured out.... and in retrospect, I'm like: Oh honey, oh no no no no, JW's better and worse than you think)
And so on, and so on...
Dong Sik was attracted to Joo Won from the moment he met him and could see through his pretty rich boy bullshit super quickly. We get to see Dong Sik's good nature and attraction to Joo Won, even from the first episode. There are so many examples (here's one)
At the beginning of the series, Joo Won is purposely unlikeable. He doesn’t want to make friends because he’s never had a friend that wanted just him before; they’ve always wanted something else from him.
Joo Won doesn’t trust people and doesn’t pick up on the majority of social cues, especially ones of genuine kindness - his lack of experiences and insecurities make him believe that people are being conceited, and by extension trying to control him. Joo Won doesn’t seem to believe that anyone could love or like him for him just being himself. So, he isn’t himself as a way to stop getting hurt. (Dong Sik really doesn’t let him continue that charade)
Dong Sik’s first act of showing… let’s call it a kindness (if we’re being optimistic) to Joo Won on a personal level is in Episode 1. It is so subtle that it went over my head on my first casual viewing. Dong Sik singles Joo Won out (obviously, Joo Won is the newbie of the substation) and tries to show him that his insecurity of “people only want me because of who my dad is” is not true for Dong Sik; and by extension, Manyang.
He does this by not taking Joo Won’s shit, physically touching him, and by actively poking fun at Joo Won’s dad. By saying, “I don’t give a fuck who your dad is or where you come from” in the subtext, he’s trying to tell Joo Won that he’s different (Manyang is different).
He’s not going to suck up to him, he’s not going to ask for favours, he just doesn’t care for any of that because he’s not like that. Manyang isn’t like that. From the get-go, Dong Sik is telling Joo Won and the audience that if at any point Dong Sik is kind to Joo Won, it is because it is genuine. And not for any other conceited reason.
(That is not to say that Dong Sik is always kind… ooooh no, for a lot of the beginning, he isn’t.)
Joo Won found it amusing though…
Despite all of this, despite every reason there is for the two of them to not get on (for Dong Sik to absolutely despise Joo Won), they don't. Far from it. I like to describe their chemistry are magnets and like all magnets, they want to attract. So without rhyme or reason, without their control or common sense, they turn and yield, and allow themselves to attract.
[Before I beat the horse dead, here is a link to the rest of this thought process, including some sexy screenshots]
[ I am losing steam here and getting distracted. So, I'll include a brief summary before I go. ]
A brief overview of Dong Sik's interactions with five younger men + one male of the same age:
Lee Sang Yeob: flirts with him, finds him annoying (affectionately), cares a lot for him, gives him heart eyes, nearly (does kill?) kills someone because they murdered him- Touch: his stomach to try to save his life
Oh Ji Hoon: teases him, has a laugh with him, protects him and tries to be an older brother/mentor. He sees himself in the younger man- treats him like a much younger brother- Touch: doesn’t, idk... maybe a brief touch to the shoulder (?)
Club man: Is aggressive with him because of the fucked-up shit the guy is doing. But still has a ~certain~ energy with him. Touch: pins him against a wall.
Lim Gyu Seok: finds him very annoying, doesn’t like him much but does have odd energy around him- similar to the energy he has with Han Joo Won. Touch: gets in his personal space and puts his lanyard around him in a very ~certain~ way, holds onto his shoulder- the same he does with HJW.
Han Joo Won: flirts with him, bullies him, protects him- he’s in love with him, let’s not pretend. Touch: all the fucking time mate, loves it. Can only think of two times he stops Joo Won from touching him.
Bonus:
Park Jung Je: Jung Je grabs Dong Sik’s arm once and it makes Dong Sik super angry. He yanks his arm out of the other’s grip. An odd reaction considering they’re best friends.
Dong Sik treats Joo Won differently only because Joo Won encourages him. It's this battle of ego and wit. They're both trying to be right, (both being dramatic), trying to impress and wanting to impress, wanting to be seen They enjoy being around the other; not being able to stop themselves from caring, flirting, battling, repressing, restraining, fighting, protecting... attracting.
Han Joo Won is very annoying. But Dong Sik likes him so much, he's just his type.
---
Dong Sik's queer coding is not shown through grand gestures or grand romantically-coded scenes. He isn't overly flamboyant or "camp". He only flirts with men and does have a type.
There is so much more that could be said about Dong Sik's queer coding. For one, we could talk about the religious symbolism throughout the show and Dong Sik is his most "religious" when he's falling in love with Joo Won. Please remember that this is from a larger piece that focused on the first half of the show, which is why the second act isn't explored.
There is sooo much to say about him. I feel like this overly long post is only scratching the surface and is probably unnecessarily long-winded. But alas, it is how I have chosen to approach it.
Thanks for sticking around this long. Ta ta!
In episode 2, the concept of Joo Won being a copycat is introduced by Dong Sik and then later supported by HKH- and it got me thinking...
Okay, so, like everyone else who has watched Beyond Evil/ 괴물, I have become obsessed with it. One of the things I noticed during my early rewatch(es) is just how many times Joo Won copies someone else (mainly Dong Sik lol).
I know I'm not the only one to notice but I haven't seen anyone compile them together. So, guess what I did...
[EDIT: 21/06/22. I have gone through this and added more details/ examples, so it makes sense and is easier to read.]
On purpose:
The whisper (DS: ep 4, JW: ep 5)
Basement scene: DS leaning in to whisper the Manyang gang's names into JW's ear
Basement scene: JW copies and whispers DS + JH's conversation back to him
Planting evidence (DS: ep 2, JW: ep 9/10)
The fingers: DS plants KMJ's fingers outside of her house to ensure the crime is investigated
The safe: JW plants false evidence in NSB's office to ensure that the crime of KJM's murder is investigated.
The "big mock"/basement scene (DS: ep 5, JW: ep 10 in his flat)
Basement: DS has had it with JW, and decides to pock and prod/mock him unit JW snaps and tells him the truth behind his interest in the Manyang case/ LGH
JW's flat: JW recites the same words DS said to him back at the older man to tease/flirt/make him open his eyes and question his community (The "did I expect too much of you?" conversations)
Zealous law use (DS: ep 1, JW: ep 5)
Gambling: DS recites the law code to the exact words when processing a crime others would have let slide
Fighting: This is the first time about DS that impressed JW (who also knows the law codes by heart) and he recites a law as a way of flirting defending DS.
The first time they touch: grabbing clothing at the same place on the body (DS: ep 1, JW: ep 3) - (then the rest of the show lol)
Reed field: DS grabs JW by the lapel of his suit jacket, JW taps his wrist and tells him to let go. DS sluttily lets him go/ readjusts his clothes for him.
Police station: JW then grabs DS by the uniform in the same place. DS grabs JW's wrist and has to forcibly remove his hand. Then sluttily bows.
Promise break(er) (DS: ep 8/9, JW: ep 14)
The garden: (Technically... DS didn't break his promise) DS promised JW that once all the victims (including his sister) have found, he will let DS arrest him. In ep 8/9, in a flashback, DS tells JW to basically piss off out of his life once KJM is found dead. JW takes this to mean the promise has been broken, breaking his heart in the process.
Post TV: Now, they're an official couple on live national TV, DS and JW made a pact, a promise, that DS will arrest on TV but JW will keep quiet so he doesn't get punished for his charges. JW goes against this to make a big point about how important promises are to him/their dynamic.
(Then JW keeps his promise, so DS keeps his promise)
JW: Goes to hell in his sted and brings down his father/everyone involved in the murder and cover-up of LYY.
DS: Let's JW arrest him.
Smiling at the CCTV (DS: ep 3, JW: ep 10)
DS: smiles at the dashcam whilst planting (more) evidence to get JW's attention/to help his alibi. LGH's phone: accidentally gets JW into trouble/exposes his terrible life choices.
JW: purposely smiles at the CCTV to get DS's attention/ take credit for planting evidence.
Using face recognition to open a phone (NSB: ep 2 or 3?, JW: ep 11)
NSB: does it to make sure JW isn't recording him
JW: does it to make a phone call
Listing the main group's names (DS: ep 4/5, JW: ep 10)
Accusing of killing someone they're indirectly responsible for: JW (LGH) + DS (KMJ) (ep 4/5, ep 9)
JW: Guided LGH into a situation that got her murdered- his sting operation
DS: Didn't save/wasn't able to save KMJ
"Are you worried about me?" (DS ep: 11, JW ep: 14)
Downward smile/not-so-hidden smile/laugh (DS: ep3, JW: ep14)
DS: Laughs and smiles whilst bowing to fuck with JW
JW: Smiles whilst bowing to fuck with LCJ
Physically stopping them from making a rash decision (DS: ep 8, Jw: ep 16)
Garden: DS stops JW from rushing off to save JY
Garden: JW stops DS from killing his father
Hair: JW copies DS's hairstyle as much as he can
Before (ep 9/choosing to embody his favourite parts of DS's personality):
After (ep 9/choosing to embody his favourite parts of DS's personality):
(with curl in the fringe)
Cinematic parallels:
Mini clothes rant: towards the end, JW wears a colour palette that is more akin to DS's. His silhouette also changes; throughout the show, his clothes become baggier, just like DS's clothes were baggy, to begin with, he also starts to wear layers. (Obviously, this is also used to show his confidence/feelings of self-worth are changing).
Before DS:
(screenshot from https://ninenovel.net/)
Joo Won wears suits even during his leisure time. The only times we see him wear anything else is when he's at home (which he will wear a jumper and trousers, pyjamas). His silhouette is form-fitting, tailored, sensible, and very... sexless (if you get what I mean); "model citizen" vibes. His colour palette is: black, white, navy blue, dark blue, grey, and one brown top.
After DS:
(screenshot from https://www.soompi.com/)
The seasons have changed/have gotten colder and with that Joo Won starts to wear layers, much like DS wore layers in the opening episodes. He doesn't wear suits anymore and starts to experiment with colours and textures (cotton, wool, leather, denim).
His silhouette changes quite drastically: he wears baggier and baggier clothes until he's wearing clothes that are outright just too big for him. This could be seen as him taking influence from DS (DS also wears clothes too big for him) and that his confidence has plummeted, so he's wearing baggy clothes to hide/ almost as a safety blanket.
Colours include: blue, black, white, grey, cream, brown, and green.
^ the image above is one of the most obvious examples.
[ DS starts to dress more like JW, especially after his promotion, his clothes become more form-fitting/are straight-up Joo Won's style (he might even be wearing JW's clothes). ESPECIALLY, the scene where he goes to intimidate LCJ in the holding cells with the baseball bat. He's wearing a white shirt, a jumper, a JW coat, and trousers THAT ARE TOO LONG FOR HIM, with some cute trainers]
They both wear a (Joo Won's) blue rain mac when the other breaks their heart (JW: garden scene, ep 8. DS: ep 15?/ the bloody hands scene)
(picture from https://xenews.ne)
Shhh (DS: ep 3, JW: ep 11)
Nervous laugh (DS: ep 4, JW: ep 2 & 15)
DS: at JY's shop, DS laughs maniacally whilst watching the fucked up smear campaign against KMJ, due to the stress of the situation
JW: laughs "maniacally" whilst in the records room. He laughs maniacally whilst he finds out that his father murdered YY and JW had once thought it had been DS. He laughs because of the stress of the situation.
His dad's mannerism: hand on hips (ep 2, ep 3)
"cops are only human" (Jae Yi: ep?, JW ep?)
Early in the show, I can't remember the episodes though.
The burden line (B: ep 7, JW: ep 10?) // tbh, I don’t remember what this line is haha
I think this might be to do with LSY being referred to as "Burden", and then later on in the show, JW refers to DS's mother/ (his own mother) as a burden.
Gun against a shoulder (JW: ep 4, DS: ep 16)
JW's gun against DS's shoulder during the basement/JW acts like a crazy person scene
DS's gun against JW's shoulder whilst they're arresting HKH
Fake handshake with HKH (DS ep:13, JW ep: 16?)
The lover's embrace (DS: ep 2, JW: ep 10)
DS: His mother holding her dead husband
JW: Holding DS the same way
This next bit, I believe may have been DS's suggestion-
Something the captain did: NSB deleted CCTV as a distraction from the actual reason he went to the station at like 3 am. (Ep 2ish) // JWDS uses the bribe scandal as a distraction, so they can plot to arrest JW during the hearing... (Seems a little unnecessary but they're dramatic bitches)
Anyway...
Han Joo Won is such a special idiot- what a funny little guy. What an absolute loser of a human being. I love him, he's one of my favourite pieces of fiction ever. Yeo Jin Goo was the perfect casting, that guy is so brilliant at subtle acting.
There are probably some more but these are the ones I could think of. Either way, my point still stands, Joo Won is a copycat. If anyone knows of any more and wants to add to this, feel free. I know I've used some shorthand when listing some of the events/characters' names, sorry if it causes confusion.
So, yeah, I love this show- it's even got me posting original text posts on tumblr. What year is this?
(my brain is as solid as pureed mash potatoes- so my reply won't be all that... much... y'know??)
I LOVE this so much! You really understood what I was trying to say. Joo Won's wardrobe/hair altering slightly over time shows how Manyang and Dong Sik are influencing him. But it is also a visual indication of how he's softening/growing and changing as a person.
(okay, let's just take a moment to think about jwds poor wardrobes. These silly men own so many items of clothes, it's ridiculous. People go on about JW but DS is just as bad. Who needs that many jackets?? If they were to ever share a living space... well, they'll two separate walk-in wardrobes)
I find the fact that Dong Sik's style also changes so cool. Yes, he changes for very practical reasons (the job promotion). But he really does take a lot of notes from Joo Won when choosing what he wants that style to look like. He could have easily chosen Jung Je's highly tailored, three-piece suits to be his influence. BUT NAH, he went for Joo Won's oversized silhouette, solid/singular/block?? colours, and expensive fabrics as his inspo (obviously, with his own twists added in).
This proves that they influence each other- it's not one-sided. They both experiment with textures, colours, and silhouettes. (Dong Sik's black turtle neck with leather jacket combo at the end of ep.16 is a very different man to the one we meet in ep.1)
Okay, I'm mainly joking when I say this but he looks slutty (who goes to arrest their partner's dad whilst looking that good??).
BUT I think it does show his confidence has grown. He's no longer stuck wearing clothes inspired by 90's sports athleisure (joggers/windbreakers, etc) like he's stuck as a teenager. No, he's wearing clothes that are more fitting for the next stage of his life.
(his jumper is super cute, i wished he wore it more)
vs
(excuse the terrible photo quality.)
This ep.16 outfit is one of my favourites of Dong Sik. It's so clear how he's taken influence from Joo Won but made it his own. I love how big his clothes are on him, his shoes, and how small and cute he looks. It's such a good contrast to how much of a sassy man he's being in the scene. (a silly part of me likes to believe they're Joo Won's clothes and Dong Sik is "borrowing"/stole them. I just don't believe he would own this kind of attire)
Joo Won changes his style as a way to explore and redefine himself; assimilate to his new environment/community. Whereas, Dong Sik changes his style as a form of cleansing or liberation. (you could say the same about Joo Won, tbf)
It's clever to have their styles become more complimentary of one another (i mean, they have been complimenting each other since ep.2: the scene where they find Min Jeong's fingers, they're both wearing a black and grey colour palette, just different textures and silhouettes) because it makes them visually more of a cohesive unit.
Considering they're been working undercover together since roughly ep.12, that's a lot of off-screen plotting/scheming scenes. It makes sense they would grow to take influence from one another.
One last thing... go back to the dinner date scene in Joo Won's flat (ep.10), look at the colours of Dong Sik's clothes and the colours of Joo Won's flat.... they're the same... Which just says so much.
Anyway... yeah, I'm not really saying anything new here. I'm just agreeing with you lol
I want to talk about the incredible nuance of this one line—the words spoken exactly the same yet in a manner so entirely different—by both Han Kihwan and Lee Dongsik to Han Joowon.
"Get out of the way, Han Joowon," Han Kihwan yells, raising his voice to the son he has always abused in the guise of being authoritative, commanding in the guise of being a coward, furious at how his son is protecting someone else instead of him—self-serving even in this.
"Get out of the way, Han Joowon," Dongsik says quietly, a soft plea to his partner that has come to matter more than anything, even more than the elusive justice he has sought for 21 years, as he begs his partner to not risk his life for anyone—not even Dongsik himself.
They are, in essence, telling Joowon the same thing—
Han Kihwan commands his son: Stop protecting him.
And Lee Dongsik begs his partner: Stop protecting me.
Both men are giving Han Joowon a warning—
Han Kihwan threatens: Step out of the way or I will kill you along with him.
And Lee Dongsik pleads: Step out of the way or he will kill you along with me.
Both men are essentially giving Han Joowon a choice:
Take my side and let us together destroy the man who is threatening to ruin my perfect life
or
Please let it go, let me be the one to finish this as my own life is already ruined, don't let yours be ruined too for my sake
And then, miraculously, Han Joowon does the one thing neither men could've ever predicted.
He stepped up, refused to take either of the choices they gave him, and made his own:
Let me be the one to destroy my own father so that his victim's family can be the one to deservedly serve him justice.
When Han Joowon calmly shoots the blank in the air, it surprises Dongsik, both with the way Joowon turns out to be proficient in handling guns, despite Dongsik needling him about it before—
And with the way Joowon knew that Dongsik never had the intention to outright kill or harm Han Kihwan because he was aiming with a blank in his gun.
And that this time, with the real bullet in place: Joowon does.
Dongsik is sharply reminded of the way Joowon once hesitated to shoot Dongsik, because there is no hesitation in him now.
He really will shoot his own father.
And with the look of utter shock on Han Kihwan's face, he arrived at exactly the same conclusion.
still sobbing my eyes out over this scene. dongsik has never been angry at joowon like this—not this raw and real anger. but he's angry now because joowon just nearly ruined his own life to keep dongsik safe, and dongsik is not the sort of person who can stand for such a thing. he'll let joowon go to hell, yes, but not without following him down.
it's like: how dare joowon run off like that and risk his hide for dongsik? how dare he not breathe a word of his plans, leaving dongsik to sniff the trail out on his own through sheer intuition? what would he have done if dongsik hadn't reached him in time, hadn't predicted what he was planning? did joowon know how absolutely terrified dongsik was when he ran off? did he hear the relief in dongsik's "han joowon!" when he finally emerged from the house? did he know dongsik was running through a hundred different scenarios in his head on the way there in which he failed to save joowon from danger, in which he would arrive and find joowon on the ground, choking on his own blood, just like lee sangyeop?
but joowon has never known what it's like to be the object of someone's care, of their worry. of course it wouldn't have crossed his mind that dongsik was scared sick for him, that if anything happened to him it would haunt dongsik for the rest of his days. and now he has to learn, and face dongsik's anger, and understand that he cannot afford to be reckless with his own life, not just because it is his to have and live, but because there are people who will worry themselves gray over him, who wouldn't be able to bear losing him.
In a deleted scene that was originally in the script book, Joowon actually disappeared for a week after the scene in the rain when he confessed to Dongsik about Han Kihwan’s crimes.
Their little Manyang family was getting worried about Joowon, but Dongsik reassured them that he knew he was okay.
It turns out that Dongsik had let him stay at the Okcheon residence, the one Dongsik had inherited from Nam Sangbae.
(Amusingly, it was also revealed that Joowon spent the entire time cleaning and organizing Dongsik’s home there, with Dongsik teasing Joowon that he doesn’t seem to have mysophobia anymore with how clean the house was)
It says a lot about how despite what Joowon has just revealed, Dongsik still readily forgave and accepted him, even allowed Joowon, remarkably, to stay in his home for a whole week. It says a lot that Dongsik cared for Joowon’s well-being knowing, despite everything, that Han Kihwan was still his father.
(What happened within that week and why that scene was deleted will now be up to fans and fanart and fanfic.)
lee suyeon reaching for han juwon and juwon stepping back
lee younghee reaching for lee dongsik and dongsik reaching back
it's the way, both mothers are below, reaching up for their sons, while their sons are on a higher, elevated place.
it's the way, there's a barrier too. for juwon, the barrier is on him. he had expressed want to go down, to cross the barrier, to go to his mother but decided against it, stepped back away from the barrier even. for dongsik, the barrier is on his mother, the gate, preventing younghee from properly reaching and helping her son.
or. there are barriers on all four of them. juwon with the railings. suyeon with the words she uttered just when juwon was about to go to her "will you let me go if i leave juwon here?" which she's the one who put that barrier. younghee with the gate. dongsik with the officers holding him back from reaching his mother.
Y’all wanna tell me how we all watched this same exact scene and some of you (a lot of you) still came out the other side not realizing you just witnessed gay pining on screen?
You all watched that scene specifically and STILL don’t think Choi Mujin is a gay man? Unbelievable.
my name (netflix, 2021) is a really great example of how the obvious answer/ending is not always a bad choice when everything else is done well, and this show is done well
The eclipse is hitting us with color symbolism for the fifth episode in a row and I’m in love. It’s simple but effective. Blue symbolises order and Red symbolises rebellion. Especially love the little props of Akk’s prefect arm-band and Ayan’s 1984 book.
And here is my favourite scene this episode:
Ayan running away from class and resting with the book. Thua going to him and trying to convince him to go back. Thua is entirely surrounded by blue. He is asking Aye to join him, enter the blue, follow the rules, go to class.
Ayan refuses and puts the red book (1984 is symbolic onto itself tbf) over his eyes.
Akk watches them from a distance, conflicted, between the two colours.
Bonus:
Aye buying Akk a red drink.
Bonus #2:
AkkAyan in their own world feeling safe on the red floor, while surrounded by blue.
Sad Bonus #3:
This shot breaking my heart. KanThua not being able to be themselves while they are wearing blue and are surrounded by blue. I am absolutely not ready to talk about this.
This is just my highlight but the episode is full of color splashes like this. For example every time someone uses a phone, the background is red. It’s so interesting to pick details like this, you can see that the show is made with care and love.
ok so as a continuation of my previous post on The Eclipse background OSTs and their symbolism, I present to you, the Ultimate Ep5 Playlist of Hidden Messages
☾ The vending machine scene:
Akk daydreaming about Aye, somehow feeling oh so different: Helmut Schenker - 'Different Clouds'
Ayan pulling Akk out of his daydream, eyes meeting, feeling things, wanting more: Helmut Schenker - 'Next Step'
Ayan catching Akk off guard 'deleting a pic' being absolutely smitten by Aye and crashing hard: Daniel Kadawatha - 'A Beautiful Crash'
☾ The post-conflict scene: Aye isolating himself, processing feelings, Akk finding him, being hesitant, feeling guilt and sorrow and oh so so much: Rand Aldo - 'Nana's Refrain'
☾ The hoodie scene: Akk getting closer and closer to Aye yet feeling still oh so far: Kevin Graham - 'Far Away'
☾ Tua's lament scene:
wishing never to have been: Anders Schill Paulsen - 'Dulcian'
a message from a friend you have(n't) met: Johannes Bornlöf - 'Serene'
☾ Tua and Non scene: Khan letting go, Tua walking off, alone: Trevor Kowalski - 'Etude Alone'
☾ 'Why does it have to be you' scene: Helmut Schenker - 'Parallel'
☾ AkkAyan closing scene: mesmerized, the world fading into nothingness when your eyes meet: Trevor Kowalski - 'All a Beautiful Blur'
blakekathryn
gummygunk
tangentwithtanner
snowghoul
jbbartram-illu
ellievsbear
discoholicmusic
andulkaphoto
pixelskylines
prguitarman
