twenty five twenty one: all my thoughts on episode seven
OH MY GOD WHAT GLORIOUS CATHARSIS. i want to hug the director, the writer, the post-production team, and the actors for nailing every second of this episode. i haven’t had such deeply emotional fun watching a tv show in what feels like years.
once again, the show did a brilliant job of interweaving a meaningful flashback sequence with a tense fencing showdown, achieving an impactful narrative climax while amping up the excitement for the match’s result. not only was the emotion at an absolute height, but the match was presented in such a way as to allow us to fully understand the central point it occupies in hee do’s life journey, making her victory all the more poignant and intimately felt by the audience. i also adore the fact that the final moments of the match were won through hee do’s decision to enjoy the game and let her passionate and fun nature carry her forward, making her victory all the more satisfying because she achieved it by leaning into the essence of who she is as a person: someone who never lets fear take away her enjoyment of life. hee do remains a huge inspiration and i’m savouring every second we get to spend by her side.
what a brilliant choice to bring in tension!!! there were many roads the show-makers could have taken to bring angst in order to keep the audience fully engaged after hee do’s triumph, and they hit the bullseye with such a relevant conflict! as a former journalism student, i intimately felt yi jin and hee do’s frustration with the media’s overblowing of the controversy for ratings. i love how the show brings conflict in such natural ways that are taken directly from real life, instead of through the more far fetched scenarios a lot of kdramas seem to favour.
in the wake of the russian figure skating scandal during the olympics, hee do and yu rim’s dispute over the medal offers the audience a dramatized glimpse of what goes behind the curtains in high profile athletic controversies.
the acting of the female leads was insane as always, and the conflict once again highlighted the disparity between hee do and yu rim. yu rim remains unable to let go of her mental image of hee do as an usurper who doesn’t deserve the place she’s earned in the fencing world, clinging to her delusion with such ferocity it turns into honest belief. while hee do empathizes with yu rim’s loss when she sees her crying after the match, yu rim doesn’t give a second thought to the suffering she’s causing hee do by instigating the controversy from her more privileged position as a well-known and beloved gold medalist. it’s really impossible to support yu rim despite her hardship and poverty - she not only has the support system that hee do lacks from both her family and the nation, but continues to be cruel to hee do while closing her eyes to hee do’s honest efforts. hee do is so easy to understand in her frustration and anger, in the tears that are both for the futility of her win and the grief of what her dream was corrupted into. by running away, she briefly asserts control over her life’s narrative again, and when she does, there’s finally someone on her side.
i need a moment. make that ten thousand moments i’m literally on the floor
the connection between hee do and yi jin throughout this episode is so palpable it’s like an electric current igniting a light. although yi jin told hee do that he’ll root for yu rim at the match, it was beyond obvious who he was rooting for the entire time. the support they keep giving each other both in times of trial and triumph is so incredibly healthy, and the look they exchanged after the match demonstrated that they do have the same destination: the happiness of the other.
the contrast between hee do’s mom’s and yi jin’s response to the negative publicity about hee do also invites closer examination. although hee do’s mom is a senior broadcaster, it wouldn’t take anything from her work integrity away if she simply phoned hee do to congratulate her and ensure her that the things she reads in front of her camera reflect her work assignments, not her beliefs. by contrast, yi jin, who has to prove himself in front of the station if he wants to keep his job and his future, chooses to take hee do’s side even before he’s certain of the truth, because he puts his heart above the brainwashing of his colleagues. even when yi jin was scolding hee do for running away, it was easy to tell that his heart was in the right place. it’s not natural to give up human relationships in the pursuit of a career, and i’m sorry hee do’s mother is unable to feel that.
this show continues to deliver with memorable and profound romantic scenes that absolutely blow me away. the fencing demonstration felt so intimate, a meeting of minds when the characters were able to experience the same emotion in the same breath. its position as the scene where not only yi jin, but also the audience are able to understand who the true winner of the match is makes it even more impactful.
kdramas are masters of blending genres and balancing tragedy with comedy, and after such a touching episode the ending felt exactly right, like a scoop of ice cream after a good cry. hee do getting locked in the storage room was a brilliant way to bring yi jin back right at the end, and the tape recording between him and his ex-crush was introduced with perfect timing to offset the solely positive mood between the couple and introduce fresh tension. i’m practically gleeful at all the relationship drama ahead, as the knowledge of yi jin’s dating history is likely to prompt hee do to truly examine her feelings for him for the first time.
also, hee do playing yi jin’s tapes again because she was feeling sad??? parallels are my weakness and i’m crying again.
the next episode seems to be refocusing on the relationships between the characters, and bringing refreshingly lower-stakes teen drama to hee do’s life. i simply can’t wait to see where the journey will take us next.
kianamaiart
gummygunk
izzy806
areudirty
titsay
