Skip to main content

4.2 - Episode 2 of 25, 21

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 2 of 25, 21, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Kim Tae-ri as Na Hee-do and Nam Joo Hyuk as Baek Yi-jin. We discuss:

  • The songs we feature in this episode: Very, Slowly by BIBI and Shining Man by Shin Min Yong

  • The many encounters between Hee-do and Yi-jin in this episode

  • The contrast between cheerful and emotional Hee-do and the stoic, sad and burdened Yi-jin

  • How we learn more about Yi-jin’s life: how his family split up, his short stint in the military, his little brother, and how he’s been threatened by his dad’s creditors

  • How Hee-do has achieved her dream of transferring to Yu-rim’s school and now, Yu-rim is cold and hostile towards her

  • The encounter between Hee-do and Yu-rim from five years earlier, when Hee-do beat Yu-rim during a junior fencing competition

  • How we get introduced to the other characters, including Ko Yu-rim, Moon Ji-woong and Ji Seung-wan

  • The gold campaign and how it turns out that Hee-do’s mom did not turn in her wedding rings

  • The K element we saw in this episode is triangles, potentially lots of them!

  • Two other K Drama elements that we need to add to our list: 24) when two people turn out to have a connection from their past; and 25) the obligatory abs scene when a man’s amazing abs are displayed

  • Our favorite lines from the show

  • The song 25, 21 by Jaurim, which was played at the end of this episode, and how it maybe gives us a clue about how this show is going to end

References:

### 

K Drama Chat is a weekly podcast where we take one Korean (K) Drama each season and and recap and analyze each episode. K Drama Chat is available on Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotify and Stitcher.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

11.14 - Podcast Review of Episode 14 of When Life Gives You Tangerines

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 14 of When Life Gives You Tangerines , the hit K Drama on Netflix starring IU as Oh Ae-sun and Park Bo-gum as Yang Gwan-sik as young adults, then Moon So-ri as Oh Ae-sun and Park Hae-joon as Yang Gwan-sik as older adults. We discuss: The songs featured during the recap: “A Rock that never erodes in the sea of my heart” and “Just be a good son, that’s all,” both by Park Seong-il, whose work captures the sad, wistful tone of the episode. Our guest Kim Soomin from Virginialicious shares her passion for Korean food and the stories behind her food tours. How Eun Myeong’s storyline takes center stage, highlighting the painful dynamics of favoritism, ambition, and parental regret. The cultural and historical context of buncheong stoneware, how Eun Myeong’s life was turned upside by a single buncheon statue. Pawnshops, especially during the IMF crisis in Korea. The heartbreaking reasons Eun Myeong started his business, and his desperate need to be...

12.1 - Podcast Review of Episode 1 of Extraordinary Attorney Woo

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 1 of Extraordinary Attorney Woo , the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Park Eun Bin as Woo Young Woo, Kang Tae Oh as Lee Jun Ho, Ha Yoon Kyung as Choi Soo Yeon, Ju Hyun Young as Dong Geu Rami, Kang Ki Young as Jung Myung Seok, and Joo Jong Hyuk as Kwon Min Woo. We discuss: The songs featured during the recap: “Brave” by Kim Jong Wan and “Beyond My Dreams” by Sunwoo Jung-a. Kim Jong Wan is the lead of alternative rock band Nell; Sunwoo Jung-a is a prolific indie artist and producer in South Korea. The episode title in Korean, 이상한 변호사 우영우 (“Strange Attorney Woo Young Woo”), and how the English title "Extraordinary" reflects her character more positively. Woo Young Woo’s first words: quoting the Korean criminal code after her father is attacked, marking both her autism diagnosis and her path toward becoming a lawyer. The careful, touching portrayal of autism spectrum disorder through Woo Young Woo’s sensitivity to stimuli, love of ord...

11.10 - Podcast Review of Episode 10 of When Life Gives You Tangerines

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 10 of When Life Gives You Tangerines , the hit K Drama on Netflix starring IU as Oh Ae-sun and Park Bo-gum as Yang Gwan-sik as young adults, then Moon So-ri as Oh Ae-sun and Park Hae-joon as Yang Gwan-sik as older adults. We discuss: The featured song during the recap: “Theme of Ae-sun” by Park Sung-il, the musician who also wrote “Theme of Gwan-sik,” “Spring in a Heartbeat,” and “Two Faced Summer” from this OST. The Baeksang Awards wins for this show—Best Drama, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Supporting Actor—and how validating it feels to have picked a gem for Season 11 of our podcast! How this episode focuses on three mothers and their powerful love for their children: Ae-sun, Yeong-ran, and Chung-seop’s mom. The symbolic and cultural significance of white rice, and how Bu Sang-gil uses it as a weapon in his drunken tirade. Oh Seong’s boiling anger against his father and sister, and his tragic learned behavior from witnessin...