The songs featured during the recap.
Triangle by Bang Kyung Ho
Vice Versa by Bang Kung Ho
Ban Ji-eum’s confession to Moon Seo-ha that she was Yoon Ju-won in her past life and his stunned reaction.
Moon Seo-ha’s discovery of the hidden key and the booklet Yoon Ju-won left behind for him.
The long-awaited reunion at the amusement park, where Ban Ji-eum waits all night for Moon Seo-ha to show up.
The emotional weight of Ban Ji-eum telling Moon Seo-ha to be happy, as both Yoon Ju-won and Ban Ji-eum.
The beautiful yet haunting imagery of Ban Ji-eum walking across the bridge, reliving her past lives.
The idea of immortality as both a gift and a burden, explored through Ban Ji-eum’s experiences.
Hanna’s farewell and her cryptic message about moving on from past lives.
The shocking revelation that Moon Seo-ha’s uncle ordered the truck accident but that Seo-ha was not the intended target.
The tension-filled confrontation between Moon Seo-ha and his uncle, leading to the uncle’s confession and arrest.
The fallout from the uncle’s confession and how it impacts MI Group.
The growing romance between Ha Do-yoon and Yoon Cho-won, complicated by social class differences and Ha Do-yoon’s personal struggles.
The parallel reveals of Moon Seo-ha uncovering the truth about his uncle and finally accepting that Ban Ji-eum is Yoon Ju-won.
The stunning cliffhanger where Ban Ji-eum relives a memory from her first life, revealing an ominous event on the bridge during a fireworks display.
Filming locations featured in this episode, including Mujinjeong Pavilion, where the bridge scene was filmed with traditional fireworks.
References
To me, until this episode, I thought Seo-ha was wooden and detached, but now I see that he has such a big heart, and that his kindness was what drew Ju-won to him when they were children. He is falling in love with adult Ji-eum for the same reason, recognizing that they’re both tough, yet kind. They’re so much alike, pragmatic and problem-solving, and willing to fix things for everyone rather than hold grudges. Love this couple!
ReplyDeleteEllen, thank you for your comments! I hope you don't mind that we read your comment in episode 10.10! It's great to see Moon Seo ha come to life!
DeleteOf course I don’t mind, I’m honored!
DeleteLoved this week’s episode of the Existential Chat Podcast! LOL
ReplyDeleteObviously, Seo-ha should have been skeptical of Ji-eum’s claim to be reincarnated as his first love. If it were me, I would totally think this person was trying to scam me for some reason. However, I think the most convincing evidence that she actually was Yoon-ju was her playing that song on the piano. Everything else could have been faked or staged or figured out by a clever scammer. That lock on the jewelry box didn’t seem too secure, and someone could easily replace the lock and key. And since Ji-eum is already close to Cho-won she could have easily learned all kinds of stuff about him. But that’s just me….
Yoon Cho-won! Girl! Stop! Ha Do-yoon’s insecurities are a massive red flag waving right in your face. Move on!!!
So, I had a thought during this week’s episode. Isn’t a bit strange (even inappropriate) that Yoon-ju/Ji-eum basically fell in love with a child?! Obviously, she was in a child’s body, but if she remembered all her past lives she was basically an adult. I wonder if this would be viewed differently if the genders were reversed and a reincarnated man in a boy’s body fell in love with a 10? 12? year old girl?! Would we find it as charming and romantic? I guess its fine because they are all adults now, but you’ve got to admit that a strange starting point.
I hate to be THAT guy, but I did a little research on the Mujimjeong Pavilion and learned that it was built in 1567. Now I’ve never been good at math, but if Ji-eum is almost 1,000 years old, there is no way she could have been there in her first life! Still, it looks pretty…..
And again, because no one asked, here’s what I’m watching.
Love Scout – Final next week!
Motel California – Final next week!
When the Stars Gossip – Still cuckoo banana pants crazy! But I love the cast!
Study Group - Everybody was a kung fu fighting in this weird series.
Singles Inferno 4- Season Finale Tuesday!!!! Why are you not talking about this DRAMA!!!!????
Loved your observations. I thought the kids were true soulmates, which can happen between friends not romantically attracted to each other, but you’re right, the reverse story would be creepy.
DeleteImagine if I, a 52 year old man, decided I was soulmates with a 12 year old girl! Now a 30 something year old Korean actress, that's a different story.... LOL
DeleteI thought it was a little creepy when Ju won would show up in the same scene as adult Seo ha. Thank goodness they weren't touching. That would have been weird.
DeleteHave you all seen Goblin? He's a 900+ year old man hitting on a high school girl.
Or Hotel Del Luna, which has a 1300 year old woman hitting on a 20 something.
Malcolm, good catch on Mujinjeong Pavilion being built in the 16th century! And thanks for sharing your list. I'm always looking for show recommendations!
Maybe if we stop associating soulmates as romantic partners it would not be as creepy, but can't help it, this is a rom-com!
DeleteAm so glad it's the young actors that acted the skinship part. That would be weird if it was adult Seo Ha and young Juwon.
I thought it was such an elegant choice to have Ji-eum play the song that Ji-won had previously taught to Seo-ha (and composed in a previous life) to very simply convince him that she is Ji-won reincarnated.
ReplyDeleteAnother choice I loved in this episode was Ji-eum walking across the bridge and the figures of her previous lives walking in a line behind her.
As so often in Kdramas, I get more than I expected in some ideas to ponder, i.e., the downside if someone was actually immortal. Thanks for the discussion about the human obsession with seeking immortality. Takes me back to my original fascination with vampires in Dark Shadows--and that is so dating myself!
You may think you are getting a light romcom. But often Kdramas give us another layer of meaning and shine light on some big life questions. I have literally had revelations about my own life watching the plot play out in a Kdrama, e.g. a really major one from a subplot in Castaway Diva.
Cindy, I agree 1,000% with you! The whole reason for the podcast is to explore the many layers of a K Drama. For every show that we do, Sung Hee and I are often amazed at how much more there is to a show when we discuss it in depth each week.
DeleteAgree with you that Ban Ji rum playing Remember was a beautiful choice for comforting Moon Seo ha. And the scene of her walking on the bridge, followed by her past lives was so moving!
Let's talk KCon. I'm in Philly area, but willing to make the effort if this will soothe my Kdrama obsession. I'm BTS ARMY but not interested in KPop otherwise. I know that last year Rowoon and Kim Soo-hyun were LA hosts. How much of KCon is music and how much are "All Things Hallyu"? Based on last year, will there be beyond musical performances?
ReplyDeleteBack at you, Cindy on these questions and your observations. I’m in SoCal and would love to meet up with you guys.
DeleteCindy and Ellen, I'm a light Kpop fan. I love BTS, Black Pink, ad Stray Kids, but I can't name many other bands and certainly can't name their members. I certainly love the KDrama singers and musicians! For Kpop, it does indeed look like most of the lineup is KPop, but if there's a chance for some K Drama artists being there, I'm in. Plus, if it means a chance to connect with you all, I'm doubly in! KCon is on my calendar and I'm going to start looking at hotels, just to make the reservation!
DeleteThere was interesting article in the NYT about the Dept of Perceptual Studies (DOPS) at UVA that concentrates on studying reincarnation. Interestingly, the highest number of reincarnation reports are from children in Southeast Asia, where Buddhism is widely practiced.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/03/style/virginia-dops-reincarnation.html
OMG, what an amazing find, thank you so much for sharing! I'm gonna have to contact that department at UVA to see if someone would come on the podcast!
DeleteFINALLY, I’M BACK! I missed you—huhu.
ReplyDeleteI am LOLing at that CEO Jang x JiEum interaction! But it felt like it was cut too short. It was heavily implied that CEO Jang is a mistress, but with the next episodes, i don't think she is/was. She was just chummy with the Chairman.
Regarding the "unclean" class, it reminds me of the caste system in India. The people society casts aside are the ones doing the work others refuse to—so why deny them respect? Also, the idea of forcing butchers to become executioners, as if killing animals somehow makes them fit to take human lives as well—it’s just infuriating. But this is one of those moments that make me grateful to be living in the 21st century. Different problems on misogyny and racism, but at least we now treat people who cuts the pig carcass for samgyupsal equally.
This all seems rooted in humanity’s need for control and its fear of change and the unknown. In societies with high social mobility, class distinctions tend to blur as people focus on more immediate concerns. But once that chaos clears, and individuals have settled into their 'places,' we instinctively retreat into our tribes. It feels safer, it protects our resources, and it gives us a sense of order in a world that might otherwise feel unpredictable.
I feel like they missed a huge opportunity to showcase all 18 people (yes, I’m a demanding fan):
1 - woman
2 - A child from a wealthy family
3 - An orphan
4 - arak maker
5 - general
6 - non-Korean girl in a tree
7-9 - n/a
10 - A mother who lost her baby during the Imjin War
11- n/a
12 Korean merchant
13-14 n/a
15 - flamenco dancer
16 - A rickshaw driver
17 - Ae-kyung’s uncle
18 - Ju Won
19 - Ji-eum
As for Witch of the West—isn’t that basically a reimagined Elphaba? She’s from The Wizard of Oz, and that book/show is pretty popular. I haven’t seen either, but that’s the only connection I can think of.
Hi Tina, great to hear from you!
ReplyDeleteYour thoughts on "unclean" castes intrigued me. I'm wondering if denigrating these people has to with the idea of contamination. Which is why the word "unclean" is often used. I would think that in the days before refrigeration and good preservation methods, working with animal parts probably had to do with a lot of decomposition and rot, and so these people might have been considered contaminated by association (or because hygiene wasn't as easily accessible either.). I remember my grandmother had an extremely strong sense of cleanliness. She practically cooked with sterile technique. I'm sure it was a protection against disease, but it probably also had the additional consequence of labeling people as well as things as "unclean."
But you have a good point that those who do this work, for the benefit of everyone else, should be rewarded, not punished. Unfortunately, though, it's obviously not how things work.
I love the way you laid out all of Ban Ji Eum's lives in order as we have seen them in the show. I definitely felt that they should have put more characters in that line that followed her across the pedestrian bridge, but it was a beautiful depiction nonetheless.