It’s weird how Missing You keeps my interest just enough so that I am curious what will happen but not enough where I care about the characters. I feel like the drama is written on a river of emotions and feelings but no one feels like real people. Aside from Jung Woo’s interactions with Soo Yeon’s mom, or the little moments between Hyung Joon and Soo Yeon where they are just hanging out like normal people, otherwise this drama just wallows in the extremes. It’s even odder to think this comes from the writer who did Can You Hear My Heart which went out of its way to develop the personalities and interests of the character beyond just dealing with their melodrama of the deafness and the poverty and the mentally challenged parent bit. I wonder if this writer needs to go back to the canvas of a weekend drama where she has over 30 episodes to flesh out her story? I also thought writer So Hyun Kyung really faltered in the early half of 49 Days (though the second half was exquisite), whereas she did much better with the pacing of Brilliant Legacy/Shining Inheritance.
I know I ship Hyung Joon and Soo Yeon because (1) it’s a much more emotionally solid ship with 14 years of foundation than one built on a few weeks plus a trauma, and (2) the onscreen chemistry between Yoon Eun Hye and Yoo Seung Ho is much better IMO. But I actually think neither relationship is really all that compelling on its face, and only works because of the actors selling it to us. Yoochun is emoting his head off and I feel bad for Jung Woo but in truth Jung Woo needs to move on with his life as well. Now that the rapist is dead and he knows Soo Yeon is alive and well, he’s paid his price for his mistake and there is nothing left for him with her. Except the writer keeps insisting he’s been subsisting on 14 years of unrequited love for her, and well that is just major stretch for me. I almost want this drama to cut out all the romantic angles and just have the three leads deal with their abandonment issues, trust concerns, vengeance for the betrayed, and penance for the wrongs done. But then the drama wouldn’t be called Missing You and will need to change its name to Flower Boy Therapy Store. I can dig it, even if the merest hint of Hyung Joon-Soo Yeon shippiness sends me swooning. Check out the latest preview for episode 8 with new scenes included.
Preview for episode 8:
“Except the writer keeps insisting he’s been subsisting on 14 years of unrequited love for her, and well that is just major stretch for me. I almost want this drama to cut out all the romantic angles and just have the three leads deal with their abandonment issues, trust concerns, vengeance for the betrayed, and penance for the wrongs done.”
Ditto. SY has major abandonment issues. I feel like she thinks that she feels abandoned because not only did JW just run away when they were kidnapped, but her mother nor the police dude (can’t remember his name) didn’t come looking for her.
“But then the drama wouldn’t be called Missing You and will need to change its name to Flower Boy Therapy Store”
Haha, that’ll be the new one in the Flower Boy series. 🙂
Honestly, this drama seems like a big mess. On a totally unrelated note, YEH’s lipstick seems even bolder in the preview and the father’s ‘stach seems even more absurd.
Thanks!
I seriously don’t think it’s love that keeps Jung Woo pining for Soo Yeon (even though that’s what the writer wants us to think). I think it’s just guilt, very deep-seated guilt.
Jung Woo needs forgiveness while Soo Yeon and Hyun Joon need to learn to forgive.
As someone who personally has experienced some kind of painful ‘abandonment’ myself, I thank you Brenda for pointing that out for the enligntenment of others.
It’s a ridiculous notion that JW still feels the same way as when he was 15 y.o. pre-trauma.
What you suggested, that the driving force of his strong feelings towards SY rests now largely on his massive guilt and pain, it probably what the writer intended to portray.
It’s something that he can’t just let go because it DEFINES him and he’s grown up and lived with this for 14 years, searching for SY and trying to bring justice to what happened to her (although he also was the victim that night).
He and SY have probably the same amount of romantic feelings towards each other, that is: very little. It’s the strong feelings of guilt and betrayal for both of them respectively that binds them together.
Hmm, Im not a melo fan, but for YEH im very interested. In that little commercial drama she did for the beer with 2pm, I got to see her not so good-girl side, and since then I always wanted her to play a not so nice character. Im watching just for her, I think the story is ok and I just want it to be ep 24 already, so all the pain is over. poor Harry Borrison (is that a typo BTW? Borrison? That makes no sense, maybe it was suppose to be morrison–thats what I call him).
I like YSH and YEH but not enough to make me watch this drama. So I’ll just settle for Ms. Koala’s recap along with YSH and YEH stills to satisfy my fascination with the two of them. I’ll just wish thay after IMY they will have another drama together, hopefully a rom-com with the 2 of them as the lead.
http://www.soompi.com/2012/11/29/drama-series-i-miss-you-to-be-dubbed-in-english
Saw this just after reading this post. Looks like they’re gonna dub this drama in english. Oh well, goodluck with this venture I guess.
I really don’t think JW is subsisting on 14 yrs of unrequited love for SY and I don’t think the writer intends to portray that either. Unless he resolves the issues concerning SY he won’t ever be able to let go of her not because of childish love but because it means that he will be forever haunted by his act of leaving her that night. It’s the combination of guilt and sorrow that’s been the main driving proponent of his deep emotional attachment to SY.
And as for SY as well, even if she chose to marry HJ, she may be able to live a semblance of a normal life but since she would still harbor strong feelings about JW and has effectively erased her identity, ties, and family she would never completely heal and actually be normal. Her dependancy on HJ would probably grow even more and worsen as time went on. Can you imagine having your entire emotional well being rely on one sole person for the rest of your life? It wouldn’t be right.
And anyway when SY and JW finally start properly interacting without any false pretences and address the issues they have with each other, the way their relationship will grow and develop after so long will be very interesting to watch. And plus, since they carry so much emotional weight and significance with each other, after they get past all the guilt and betrayal and what not, they’ll finally be free of those chains, and then they very much have the potential for an explosive romance after. 😀
like like like …love your positive thoughts girl.
@ santino
aahh *blushes* thanks a bunch! even though it’s a melo, today’s episode really made me happy because of JW’s cute antics and his adorable interactions with SY’s umma. Just seeing him treat her the way he does turned me into a puddle of goo! lol
here’s to hoping we’ll see something like that with SY in the future episodes >.<
soooo Agreeee!
I haven’t watched Ep7 yet. I decided I will only read your recap and wait until the drama finish airing first before deciding whether I want to continue watching or not. The Harry-Zoe screencaps are sure very tempting though, but I shall wait some more. Thanks, Koala.
Ms koala I was wondering when u would put up the next recap of miss rose because I’m totally relient on ur recaps for the drama cause i can’t find a website where they sub miss rose plz
Your words about this show, especially about the JW/SY’s mom interactions, are what I think.
I will go one step further, and say that his obsession, and the way he interacts with her, as if she never got raped is kinda creepy. How can they possibly go back to the umbrella days of their relationship? Why does he think he has “dibs” on her, when it appears that HJ and she are engaged and VERY HAPPY together?
Her is SY! I didn’t clarify.
I highly doubt that JW was actually acting like he had “dibs” on SY when he approached her at the end of ep 7. He had just found video confirmation that, without a doubt, showed that Zoe is in fact SY. When he realized the truth as he watched the CCTV footage replay her reaction to seeing her rapist, you could see how deeply affected he was by that. It hurt him to see her basically react as she did when she was 15 and he even got visceral flashbacks to those excruciating moments when she was getting raped as he watched the footage.
His behaviour DID change in what seems like an almost 180 degree turn from one where he treated her in a cold sort of way (because although he felt a connection to this stranger who so resembled SY, he did believe her story and claim that she wasn’t SY) to where he now approached her first and even advanced in a romantic manner.
BUT.
Before we take this completely different JW persona at face value, let’s look at the context. This man has been self-flagellating himself for his single act of cowardice for the past 14 years of his life and has devoted himself to finding SY and bringing her justice. Does it make sense, at least for his character, that once he now knows that Zoe IS actually SY that he’s just gonna flat out ignore the very reason why their lives have been changed forever? Of her rape and what happened to them that night?
Once JW took time to get over this information he made some important decisions (of which, we, the audience do not know the full explanation of at this point) concerning how he was going to reach out to SY. She took the initiative and set the charge when she decided to continue contact with JW in order to “torment him” as she put it. JW probably has already realized this and decided to follow along with SY’s charade. Hence his feigned advance towards her as “secret lovers”. He knows full well her relationship with HJ, so at this point I don’t think that he wants her romantically at all- remember he was uncomfortable being around her when she was still Zoe to him because of HJ?
I do honestly believe that what remains of their innocent pure love is buried VERY deeply within themselves. At this point, JW is propelled by his sense of needing to atone for his sin against SY and SY is acting out against him because of her anger and sense of betrayal.
You really don’t think he is interested in her romantically?
where do you guys watch this? viki doesn’t allow it in my region, so I’m swimming lost.
You can try dramacrazy.net. Or maybe dramafever.
I watch it here.
http://www.showboom.com/index.php
flower boy therapy store…?!
LOL
ms koala, u r really have a ton of uniqe phrasing..
i mean unique.. 😀
So here’s my take on this. YEH and YC can get together and I will keep YSH ALL to myself (and the other viewers of course!) But I guess I’m not adverse really to either side. I’m just not a fan of noona dramas. WAY too many now. There are plenty are cute girls the same age of the younger actors and plenty of more mature men for dramas as well.
On a completely unrelated note lol I wish someone was recapping My Love Madame Butterfly. I am OBSESSED with Yoon Se Ah! Not saying Koala should haha just someone.
thanks for the post koala sis. 🙂
my yoonie is looking so damn beautiful in this drama. i really really dont want her to end up with jung woo. i find it hard to believe that she would ever be able to be with the person who was directly connected to the worst day of her life. i do hope they can go down a road of recovery together because of this shared event but romance? im not feeling it. im also a bit annoyed that he is a bit forceful with her. you dont act like that with someone who you know not was raped…the wrist grabbing…big no no imo.
who you know was raped*
“The other theme of is the separation and gathering of family and the affection among the members of pseudo-family. While Lee Sooyeon has the relation with Harry as a sister and a lover, Han Jungwoo has a mother-son relationship with Lee Sooyeon’s mother. In fact, the love between Lee Sooyeon and Harry is close to dark and sticky love between near relatives. Somehow, the two look like sexless”.
Finally someone who understands what i feel…
i don’t see the chemistry with YEH and YSH! =/.. i mean they look like family but not lovers..
that was a tweet from a famous korean movie critic!
I completely agree with this movie critic… Off to watch episode 8!