Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 3 of When Life Gives You Tangerines , the hit K Drama on Netflix starring IU as Ae Sun and Park Bo Gum as Gwan Sik. We discuss: The song featured during the recap: “Neoyeong Nayeong” by Ahn Eun Kyung and Eunyong Sim, a haunting blend of traditional and modern sound, sung in the Jeju dialect and about young love. How the show is beautifully infused with Jeju-specific language, culture, and music. Our heartfelt shoutouts to listeners, including Ellen’s birthday and Joanna’s meetup with Akiko in Tokyo. The folk tale of the honest woodcutter and its metaphorical significance for Ae Sun’s comparison of Gwan Sik to a steel axe. The heartbreak of Ae Sun pushing Gwan Sik away—not out of lack of love, but to set him free. The injustice of Ae Sun’s expulsion from school while Gwan Sik only gets suspended, a commentary on gender and social status. Gwan Sik melting down his doljanchi rings to make a ring for Ae Sun—rings full of cultural symbolism and materna...
Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 2 of When Life Gives You Tangerines , the hit K Drama on Netflix starring IU (Lee Ji-eun) as Ae Sun and Park Bo-gum as Gwan-sik. We discuss: The song featured during the recap: Ode to the Green Spring by Chu Da Hye, a hauntingly beautiful piece that blends traditional Korean folk styles with modern sensibility. The background of Chu Da Hye and her mastery of Seodo Sori, a North Korean regional singing style known for its mournful and emotive qualities. The incredibly moving moment when Gwan-sik silently puts Ae Sun’s shoes on her feet, a gesture of deep love, reminiscent of Cinderella and symbolic devotion. Ae Sun’s bravado and vulnerability during their walk through Jeju, leading to their emotional first kiss amidst the canola fields. Gwan-sik’s poetic confession and Ae Sun’s long-awaited admission that she’s been ready for love since she was 14. The complex family dynamics that drive Ae Sun to run away: her stepfather’s betrayal, her un...