K Drama Chat Joanna and Jen

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 23 of Mr. Sunshine, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Lee Byung-hun as Eugene Choi, Kim Tae-ri as Go Ae-shin, Yoo Yeon-Seok as Goo Dong-mae, Kim Min-jung as Hina Kudo, and Byun Yo-han as Kim Hee-sung. We discuss:

* The beautiful songs during our recap, especially Glory by Nam Hye Seung and Park Sang Hee, the duo responsible for so many instrumental songs on K Drama OSTs
* How we’ve lost so many people in this show: Gunner Jang, Hina Kudo, Ms. Haman, Mr. Haengryan, Hong Pa, Go Sa-hong
* How Eugene has finally found a way to be with Ae-shin
* How Eugene saves Ae-shin from the rubble of the hotel and ends up treating her wounds; he’s saved her again!
* Why Hina Kudo made the decision to blow up the Glory Hotel
* How Dong-mae is back, he takes over control of the Musin Society, but he knows he has just a few days until more samurai arrive to kill him
* Hina Kudo’s sad confession to Dong-mae that she loved him and waited for him
* How Dong-me and Eugene are working together to protect Ae-shin
* How the Musin Society is based on the Black Dragon Society, which was a prominent paramilitary, ultranationalist group in Japan
* Hui-seung’s underground newspaper and how he’s committed himself to documenting the Japanese atrocities
* How the world has abandoned Joseon; the US ignored the Treaty of Peace, Amity, Commerce and Navigation, also known as the Shufeldt Treaty, the Korea signed with the US
* The K Drama elements we see in this episode: piggyback ride, food, alcohol, crying
* The shows we’re considering for Season 4 of K Drama Chat

Today, we’ll be discussing Episodes 21 and 22 of Mr. Sunshine, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Lee Byung-hun as Eugene Choi, Kim Tae-ri as Go Ae-shin, Yoo Yeon-Seok as Goo Dong-mae, Kim Min-jung as Hina Kudo, and Byun Yo-han as Kim Hee-sung. We discuss:

* The beautiful song “And I” by Nu’Est W.
* The agonizing scene where Ae-shin asks Eugene to take her with him to America, but what she really wants is to go to Japan.
* The equally heartbreaking scenes when Eugene gives Ae-shin a ring and when Ae-shin asks Eugene for a matching ring.
* How Ae-shin loves Eugene but she loves Joseon more; how can she possibly go to America when all the people she loves are in danger and Joseon needs people to fight for it?
* Whether or not Eugene would have gotten on that boat to America.
* How we have finally met all of the men in the photo from Tokyo because Song Yeong saves Ae-shin, receives the bank certificate, and organizes the plan to save Lee Jeong-moon from the Musin Society.
* How Kyle Moore once again does what he can do save Eugene.
* How Hina Kudo organizes the plan to save Ae-shin; it’s amazing that she can just call the King.
* How the geisha who was forced to escape Joseon is now key to freeing Lee Jeong-moon.
* How Eugene holds up his promise to Go Sa-hong by killing Col. Takashi Mori. Once again, it’s Eugene, the American soldier, who does the killing.
* How Dong-mae is like a kitty cat with nine lives. He is slashed by the head of the Musin Society, and falls into the ocean, but somehow, he survives, ends up in an opium den in Manchuria, and returns to Hanseong.
* A brief history lesson of the Korean Empire
* The crazy end of episode 22 when Eugene and Dong-mae are back in Hanseong, at the time when Hina Kudo and Ae-shin decide to blow up the Glory Hotel.
* The five royal palaces of the Joseon kings.

Today, we’ll be discussing Episodes 19 and 20 of Mr. Sunshine, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Lee Byung-hun as Eugene Choi, Kim Tae-ri as Go Ae-shin, Yoo Yeon-Seok as Goo Dong-mae, Kim Min-jung as Kudo Hina, and Byun Yo-han as Kim Hee-sung. We discuss:
* The beautiful song Paramour by Kim Sejeong, who is a prominent singer and actress; she is the lead in Business Proposal!
* How Ae-shin has lost her grandfather, her family and her home, so now she is going to devote herself to the Righteous Army.
* Ae-shin loves Eugene but she is more devoted to Joseon, so she is going to use Eugene, Dong-mae and Hui-seung in the service of Joseon.
* Dong-mae’s loyalties are shifting; he wants to protect Ae-shin at any cost. The Musin Society is starting to get suspicious of him.
* Major Moore tells Eugene that the picnic is over and sends Eugene back to the US.
Ae-shin finally gets her revenge against Lee Wan-ik, a death that Hina Kudo covers up by killing Dr. Matsuyama and forging a suicide note.
* Hina Kudo is a secret agent for Joseon and Lee Jeung-moon is her leader, who has been kidnapped and taken to Japan.
* Col. Mori is bent on killing the Righteous Army members, including and especially Ae-shin. He killed Hong Pa, Gunner Jang’s wife, so now Gunner Jang wants to kill him.
* The King is in a tough spot. He is in a weak position but he wants to protect his people and country.
* The Joseon kings, including the kings who we’ve seen in some of the saeguks, including
-- King Gojong in Mr Sunshine
-- King Jeongjo, the prince in Red Sleeve cuff
-- King Cheoljong in Mr Queen, the King immediately before King Gojong
-- King Wang So in Scarlet Heart RYEO
-- Our favorite lines and the K Drama elements in these episodes

Today, we’ll be discussing Episodes 17 and 18 of Mr. Sunshine, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Lee Byung-hun as Eugene Choi, Kim Tae-ri as Go Ae-shin, Yoo Yeon-Seok as Goo Dong-mae, Kim Min-jung as Kudo Hina, and Byun Yo-han as Kim Hee-sung.

* That a solar eclipse has special meaning spiritually and in astrology: this is a time of radical change, you are being called, be ready!
* Hui-seung’s annulment of his engagement with Ae-shin and how it’s really an act of love.
* How Hui-seung, Dong-mae and Hina Kudo are answering the call to be someone else and become a protector of Joseon.
* How Lord Go’s petition to the King was historically correct. During the Joseon dynasty, there would be peasant uprisings and petitions to the King by bowing in front of the King’s palace.
* How the King is protecting the protesting nobles from the Japanese by locking them up, in much the same way that Eugene is protecting Ae-shin by confining her to the legation.
* How Dong-mae is shot and lots of people rush to protect and help him, including Hui-seung, who got him to the hospital, and Hina Kudo, who threatened Dr. Matsuyama should Dong-mae die.
* How Eugene’s lowborn status is now fairly public because he has now told the King and his advisor, Ae-shin, Dong-mae, and the cadets at the military academy.
* How Lee Wan-ik is losing influence and he’s getting more dangerous as a result.
* The K Drama elements from this episode: food, alcohol, clothing, flowers.
Our favorite lines from the episodes.
* What is happening at the end of episode 18, namely Dong-mae has just cut off Ae-shin’s hair, and Col. Mori now knows that Ae-shin had Eugene’s music box.
* The Hallyu wave across the globe and the enormous popularity of Korean music, dramas, food and movies.

Today, we’ll be discussing Episodes 15 and 16 of Mr. Sunshine, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Lee Byung-hun as Eugene Choi, Kim Tae-ri as Go Ae-shin, Yoo Yeon-seok as Goo Dong-mae, Kim Min-jung as Kudo Hina, and Byun Yo-han as Kim Hee-sung. We discuss:
* How Ae-shin and Eugene are spending a lot of time together at the start of episode 15 but by the end of episode 16, Ae-shin was asked to kill Eugene and then they’re forbidden from seeing each other.
* How Ae-shin and Eugene’s relationship has suddenly become very public.
Eugene’s decision to stay in Joseon because he’s being pulled deeper into Joseon’s affairs and he wants to protect Eun-san and Ae-shin.
* How Lee Jeong-moon and Eun-san order Eugene killed, and then Lee Jeong-moon asks Eugene to become the Drill Instructor for the Imperial Army.
* How Eugene goes through Joseph’s affairs and discovers a box from Song Yeong, which further proves that Joseph was deeply involved in Joseon affairs and was likely running letters for the King for some time.
* Dong-mae’s release, how he kills Diplomat Suzuki, and how he warns Ae-shin’s grandfather that someone destroyed his letters to the nobles.
* How Hui-seung finally learns Eugene’s story, he decides to cancel his engagement to Ae-shin, and his decision to start a Korean language newspaper.
* How this whole show is about forbidden, unrequited love.
* The continuing bromance between Eugene, Dong-mae and Hui-seung, who are united in their desire to protect Ae-shin.
* Of all the K Drama elements, the most important is the plum blossom flower, which means resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity.
* The Korean Empire and the Gwangmu Reform enacted by the King.

Today, we’ll be discussing Episodes 13 and 14 of Mr. Sunshine, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Lee Byung-hun as Eugene Choi, Kim Tae-ri as Go Ae-shin, Yoo Yeon-Seok as Goo Dong-mae, Kim Min-jung as Kudo Hina, and Byun Yo-han as Kim Hee-sung. We discuss:

* How the chameleon plant, which represents change and transformation, is a metaphor for these two episodes.
* How we go from Ae-shin and Eugene spending time together at the ocean, to Eun-san asking Ae-shin to kill Eugene; how did we get here?
* How Eugene has figured out who all four men in the photo are; this investigation is threatening The Righteous Army.
* How Eugene pieced everything together using the letters from Hamgyong province, the telegram from Hamgyong, and Joseph’s death.
* How Lee Jeon-moon and Eun-san see Eugene as a weakness for Ae-shin, as well as a threat to The Righteous Army, so he needs to die.
* We learn more about Ae-shin’s parents and how they died, as well as the reason her grandfather betrothed her to Hui-seung.
* How Hui-seung and Ae-shin’s grandfather both want Hui-seung to protect Ae-shin, but via different means.
* Dong-mae’s imprisonment and subsequent rescue by Eugene.
* The shifting loyalties and identities of Ae-shin, Eugene, Dong-mae, Hui-seung and Hina Kudo.
* How Eugene, Hui-seung and Dong-mae are all now actively helping each other.
* Our favorite lines from the two shows.
* The saeguk (historical) genre of K Dramas and why they are so popular.