#search ocn

[ha-sunwoo]

Sneaky joon sung, i saw what u did there lol 👀 Trying to get more interested on mac since he knew the sniper guy wanted to pet it so badly and later goes "nope i wont pet it then" and smirk at the sniper guy who turned out already get that close to mac

[isisparker]

Which one you liked most: Search or Sweet Home? I was waiting for Search since the first casting announcement of Dong Yoon and Krystal. I wasn't dissapointed and ended up liking it even more than I thought. I think both shows are good because they aren't pretentious. SH may sound pretentious but I think they fully embraced, as Search did, the entertainment value, although I found the final episodes a little too anxiety inducing. +

+ Also, I sort of fell in love with Hyun Soo? Not romantic "in love" (obviously), you know... It's because I felt so much for him :( He is such a nice boy, what a pity everything he had to pass through! Really like the work of Song Kang, first time seeing him and he impressed me a lot.

Hello anon!

Huh... good question! I think, tbh, I’d need [literal] time to truly tell which one I like MOST because both Search and Sweet Home have qualities that I adore and found lacking. Maybe I’ll determine when more than enough time has passed and I rewatched both shows but, yeah, it’s truly difficult to tell because Search ended and it took almost a month for me to come to terms with the drama ending, then immediately Sweet Home dropped.

re: Search - I agree that casting is what made me initially give Search a shot because I like Krystal and Dong Yoon (in that order of preference). I quickly fell for it because despite the plot and mystery being exactly what I expected [seriously, my bar was low because it read B-horror thriller and I got that and more!]. and it was the characters and their connections to each other (specifically Dong Jin & Joon Sung, like the tragedy of their fathers’ past not defining their inevitable friendship. more so the tragic irony of Joon Sung saving the son of the man his father killed. MY HEART.) that compelled me to consider Search as That Gem of a show for me despite popular opinion. 

re: Sweet Home - this show was, initially, not something I was going to check out on my own. Despite being a growing fan of Lee Do Hyun (honestly, stand out actor with a, imo, stand out role), it wasn’t enough for me to say “Hey, I am BINGE WATCHING this drama the second Netflix drops it!” I had made plans to watch it (at whatever pace) with my husband, who LIVES for this type of horror supernatural action genre! Hell, he would have lived for Search too but he lived vicariously through me as I weekly recapped it.

... but episode one finished, Imagine Dragons’s Warrior still ringing through my head [despite yes I can see why it’s hella amusing to have THAT song as an action montage music queue] and the three biggest impressions made that forwarded me to binge it on my own belonged to the characters of Eun Hyuk, Yi Kyeong, and Hyun Soo. Eun Hyuk for how he handled that first monster and subsequently became that calm levelheaded person that I understand no one like but in a situation that they were in, he was needed to make the tough calls in order for their survival. Yi Kyeong’s boldness and bravery shocked and impressed me. And Hyun Soo... gosh he was certainly the tragic hero we certainly grew to love and want to protect, huh?

And I totally agree that one of the things that I loved and appreciated about Sweet Home was that, just like Search, they leaned into and embraced the horror and gore of the type of world they now lived in!

That doesn’t mean I won’t criticize either of or both of them because while I love both dramas, they weren’t perfect and definitely flawed. I mean, there are storytelling choices that they could have done better *cough* deaths that could have been avoided *cough* ... But  I am fond of both dramas and, as of this moment, it truly is hard for me to distinguish which one I prefer more.

[kookyeonsus]

park yoon's duality *chefs kiss* loved him in search and absolutely loving his role in birthcare center

[dorameiraxp]

[isisparker]

Searched (not pun intended!) for Lee Joon Sung on twitter and I found these images: /seobroS2/status/1328234601110671360/photo/1 just add twitter before the username *heart emoji*

OMG.

I

AM

DECEASED!

Anon please accept a virtual hug from me!

[like I know it’s the actors but after having rewatched Search today mainly for the interactions between those two, oh I am soo tempted now to actually go ahead with that analysis of Joon Sung’s relationship to Dong Jin]

[isisparker]

I would like to thank the anon [who I’m assuming found me through the OCN Search tags] for asking me that question about ships because if it wasn’t for that Ask and allowing me to actually ponder on it...

I wouldn’t be currently obsessing over the fact that Search unintentionally gave me a ship that had Lt. Lee Joon Sung been a female or if Krystal’s character was exchanged with the ML one’s BUT KEPT EVERYTHING ELSE THE SAME, it would have been read clearly (by viewers) as a tragic unrequited second lead story!

[this is also my reasoning for refusing to let go yet of this drama because I’m sad over Joon Sung]

[isisparker]

Re: Finale of OCN's Search

[Yep There Be Spoilers In This Post]

I personally loved it but also hate it because I was right (in most predictions) however I was [gladly] wrong on some.

First let's talk the things I happily got wrong:

Ki Hyung - He was the first of them to get shot... BUT HE LIVES. His wound wasn't fatal but ngl I legit was thinking Oh No This Is It. But the moment Ye Rim and Dong Jin pulled him into the bunker for safety during the fire fight, I immediately thought Oh Shit He Might Actually Survive To The End. And he did! Good for him!

Min Kyu - Listen I love this drama but I admit IT HAS ISSUES. Min Kyu's demise? Another issue to add to my list! I love that at the end he -- the one that was ultimately morally grey and could have followed on the same path as Lee Hyuk -- did the right thing for his teammates. My issue however is the way he died! He wasn't that close to the blast zone for the impact to affect him. I mean, if Dong Jin, who had probably the same distance as him, came out nearly unscathed by that blast, then Min Kyu should have been fine! Or at least not mortally wounded as he was! But yeah, hate how he died but really glad that at least in the end he did, in a way, come out a hero.

No cliffhanger ending! I mean they left it open (on a bittersweet happy note) for possible spin-off but with different characters and possiblity for cameos from those that didn't die, but they essentially wrapped up What Caused The Radiation ordeal and all that other science jazz. Ye Rim's exposition on it to Da Jung was a lovely summation for those still confused about the mutations and whatnot.

Second, Lee Hyuk:

He deserved that ending because he was the true monster in this entire drama.

What he didn't deserve was to mourn over... Well, we'll get to that in a moment.

That's it. Not gonna waste anymore words on that asshat.

Third, let's talk about the things I got right that I really REALLY wish I didn't:

Capt Jo (aka Dong Jin's father) - He being the one to ultimately take down Lee Hyuk was perfect... But goddamn did my heart break over his sacrifice in doing so! Especially since he reconnected (in his own way) with his son!

Min Kyu's demise - I was expecting it, but as I mentioned above I'M NOT HAPPY WITH HOW IT HAPPENED.

And finally *sniffles* Joon Sung - so let me preface that I didn't expect to get so utterly attached to his character like I did! I zeroed in on Ki Hyung but OMG Joon Sung came out of nowhere and captured my heart! And the way he died was everything I knew he would go out and then some! He not only saved his team... BUT HE DIED SAVING DONG JIN! Granted I was upset he didn't strap on the vest from the soldier he stole the gun off of because maybe that might have saved him, but it's very full circle how Joon Sung died saving the son of a man his father tried to kill years ago. Also yeah I rewatched it and some could argue he was jumping in front of Capt Jo, but I also think on some level he knew that Dong Jin was going to shield another innocent thus why Joon Sung had to shield him first! OMG my heart hurt watching his dying words to Dong Jin. Listen I could talk about how that scene played out and how dare the writers of this drama unintentionally gave me a tragic one sided ship (they didn't but the elements of one are there if you spin it as het), but that's a long ass post and I'm typing all this on mobile...

All of the remaining Polaris team gathering at Hee Ra's restaurant and having a meal together - I may or may not have shed a tear over that (briefly) empty seat next to Dong Jin (who had Ye Rim sitting on his other side) that could have been for Joon Sung but alas... Ugh tho I wish they raised a glass for their fallen comrades, but I'm happy they acknowledged them wistfully.

Search ended and I'm happy to report that it was essentially everything I thought it was and should have been. It's not a perfect or highly regarded drama, but I think it wouldn't have been enjoyable for me if it was pretentious or serious/somber. It leaned into the tropes that its specific genre is known for instead of shying away from it like most shows probably would. And because of its characters and how it played itself, Search ended up being one of my personal top five favorite dramas of 2020.

[isisparker]

Predictions for the finale of OCN's Search:

(mainly based episodes til now and on the preview)

[watch me be wrong for half of these]

Ki Hyung - I love you, but I'm afraid you won't get to make it to your wedding after all! I don't want him to die, but unless that gun to the back was a promo red herring, he'll be the first casualty in that asshole Lee Hyuk's attempt to erase Sector 21 and Team Polaris connected to it.

Joon Sung - first off BOY WHAT ARE YOU DOING GOING OUT THERE WITHOUT WEAPONS? I know you Special Forces but C'MON! And secondly, damn, the minute he put two and two and realized that his boy Dong Jin was in potential trouble, he goes a running! Which means odds are in his efforts to save Dong Jin (and his team) and make sure he goes home to his mom [sidenote: HE VISITED DONG JIN'S MOM. wtf. I don't mean to ship but the show isn't helping!], Joon Sung will sacrifice himself. Do I like that? No. I don't want him to die. He slowly became a fave of mine and doesn't deserve such an ending. But he will. He'll die doing what his cowardly ass father would never think of doing: protecting his people.

Lee Hyuk - Speaking of the chicken shit... He's the show's true monster. If his son dies yet he lives (without repercussions of his crimes), I'M THROWING SHIT. Either Capt Jo kills him or Dong Jin does it as retribution for what that asshole did to his family. Hell I'll even be happy if Min Kyu takes him down (death or courts, one or the other I'm not picky).

Min Kyu - He has a far stronger odds of surviving than previous three mentioned. He could die because I can see Lee Hyuk shooting him in the back (literally and figuratively), but I bet he doesn't go down easily. He's plotted and fought to make sure he doesn't get taken out of the fight. If he dies I wouldn't be surprised. Neither would I be shocked if he lives. I'm curious as to how his story plays out till end.

Dong Jin and Ye Rim - I put them together because lbr THEY'RE GOING TO SURVIVE. They're the show's leads, it's their story, they're the main pairing... They're going to survive. Them and Mac (because the show isn't that cruel to kill off TWO dogs... Right?).

Da Jung - Village badass former special ops mama will save the day! Or at least our two protagonists.

Soo Young - I'm worried that this is probably where we might get a cliffhanger epilogue (alluding to maybe a season 2?). Her scratches are probably a precursor to whatever has mutated Capt Jo into what he is now.

Again this is all predictions and specs based off episodes we got and that finale promo. Do I want a happier ending where all my faves survive and eat at Hee Ra's (Dong Jin's mom) restaurant? HELL YES. Ideally I want Dong Jin sitting between his girl and his guy Ye Rim and Joon Sung, and the rest of the surviving Polaris team. Would I be stunned if I get it? Fuck yeah I would be... But will I get it? Hell no. Because show's like this hate me. But damn do I still love this drama regardless.