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Post by Alexa on Mar 10, 2005 11:18:02 GMT -5
Can someone please give me a quick summary of the first 2 episodes?
Thanks
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Post by TheBo on Mar 10, 2005 12:58:58 GMT -5
ooh, that's a tough one, Alexa, because a lot happens in a short space of time. I'll start, others can add on, hunh?
A classy, stylish young lady (Jiyeun) stalks into her mother's clothing salon and verbally abuses her for neglecting her needs in the marriage department. They exchange brilliant insults on the level of a European salon; it is clear that this is their normal method of communication. The girl is tall, beautiful and clearly spoiled, but very smart, which is also a good description of the mother (but she's short and not spoiled, I think).
In another part of town, a disheveled, ratty-haired young woman (Hana), who has obviously had a "bad night," is arguing with her own mother, abusing her for neglecting her needs in the marriage department. In addition, Hana is resentful that her mother has remarried (or is remarrying). These two, also, exchange insults, and clearly always communicate in this manner. However, their insults are not nearly as clever and are, in fact, remarkably crude. They go out to the car, at which time we see that Hana has dressed in a straight black wig with bangs and some hip outfit; she looks like a London model.
We follow their arguments as they (separately) make their way to a restaurant (on the way, Jiyeun's mom purchases expensive books for her and complains that her nose is always in a book and how does she expect to get married. We learn that JY is studying for her PhD, but she is not above bringing up superstitions about why she does not marry, like that her mother moved to the wrong side of the mountain, to which her mother gives a proper "Tcha!") The restaurant is owned by Hana's mother. They are meeting to celebrate the new year together. We learn that Hana and Jiyeun regard each other as sisters and have grown up together with their single mothers. (Jiyeun's is divorced; I believe Hana's is widowed, but don't quote me.) JY and HN continue to abuse their mothers over the table, and receive the same in return.
Next, we go to the family villa of the Kim family. I'll come back later, or someone else can go from here, maybe with less detail (I'm sorry, I don't know how else to do it) so others can fill in. Don't worry, Alexa, we'll help you.
Bo
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Post by bettyboop on Mar 10, 2005 23:37:03 GMT -5
YAY! thanks very much, Bo! ;D i am definitely going to remember to record the episodes this weekend... thanks again~!
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Post by TheBo on Mar 14, 2005 14:21:17 GMT -5
Okay, Alexa, looks like I'll have to rein in my natural volubility (like, sure) and give you a real summary while I wait for #62 Cocoa Infusion to cure. (Tired of not-quite blonde.)
What I will do is jump around and give you info that seems pertinent, even if it happened later in the two episodes. I'll consider this a character sketch, too, which I have been meaning to do.
Okay. Those two girls? They get an apartment (#302) in the villa owned by a grandfather patriarch (let's call him Head Grandpa). The apartment really belongs to his oldest grandson, a veterinarian (Grandson #1), when he gets married, but that looks unlikely. The reason is, they are a large, traditional family and women are not looking for that kind of work any more. Head Grandpa did not want to rent #302, but his younger brother (also called "Younger Grandpa" in this show), a ne'er-do-well failed singer, stole his seal, sealed the deal with these girls, and ran off with their rent deposit. They don't want to kick the girls out onto the street, so they let them stay for the nonce.
Head Grandpa is married to a grandma (not shown in Ep 1 or 2) who has run off to her family in anger over Younger Grandpa borrowing a bunch of (other) money from Head Grandpa. HG's wife stepped in to raise the grandsons for her widowed son (the Executive). Head Grandpa, grandma, the Executive, and Grandson #1 live in the top two floors of the villa (one two-floor apartment). Head Grandpa is a scholar who keeps trying to get into university; he owns a "toilet seat shop" (plumbing supplies) that supports the family. The Executive is a vice president trying to get ahead; he is widowed and his sons are unmarried. Grandson #1 runs a pet hospital on the first floor; it turns out he dated Ji-yeun (remember her?) some time before, but was too scared of her to show up for their second date. He is very sweet, and when under pressure, stammers a great deal. He has three employees, a woman and two men, who probably have stories of their own later.
On the third floor (in #301 opposite the two new girls) lives Head Grandpa's younger sister (3d Floor Grandma), who is widowed with two grown, unmarried daughters (one about 35--Younger Aunt, one about 40--Older Aunt) living there, too. 3d Floor Grandma is quite mean-tempered to her two daughters, and she's spoiled rotton; she just makes demands of them left and right and throws her food down when she doesn't want it any more--what a pain. (She makes funny comments, though, about those "stupid daily dramas"--how useless they are.) She is in a singing society, and her friends all make fun of her for having two unmarried daughters, even though they are obedient and beautiful. Older Aunt has just been to a meeting with the man who threw her over (his name is Cha) when they were young sweethearts, because his family forced him into an arranged marriage. He's now widowed and wants to date Older Aunt, who is having none of him. (She's a dentist; I don't think they say that in these early episodes.) Younger Aunt (Kyun Mi-ree, by the way) is sweet and lovable, and both of these daughters are very obedient and respectful to their mother but seem to do whatever they want to do, behind her (nasty, rude) back. Younger Aunt runs a cafe (tea/coffeehouse) on the ground floor of the villa (opposite from the vet shop).
I'll do another post--these get rejected if they're too long.
Bo
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Post by TheBo on Mar 14, 2005 14:35:18 GMT -5
Okay. There are two more grandsons. Grandson #3 is a loudmouth and quite crude, but he is not afraid to say anything that pops into his head, unlike the rest of the boys and his father. He's a student. I think he must be the missing grandma's favorite, because he speaks with no fear, even though he's youngest. He also seems perfectly content to help around the house with "women's work."
#1 and #2 live together in an apartment that is on the 4TH floor. #2, the handsomest son, smokes. Nobody else seems to do that. He appears more worldly than the other brothers.
Grandson #2 is some sort of executive at a place that does model homes or show apartments--I can't quite figure it out. Something to do with construction. He gets a call from "a friend" who tells him, "Goeun is sorry to you. Please call her." Goeun turns out to be his exgirlfriend, who has returned from the States with her toddler son. She is living with her parents, who run a vegetable stand and seem like the kind of straightforward, proud people who have worked hard their entire lives and expect to continue doing so until they die. Goeun is making her living as a translator. Grandson #2 calls her to meet him for an update; he is late because of his job; she leaves the restaurant; he goes to her house; he meets her there and she demands he feed her soup. They go to a soup restaurant, where she proceeds to drink heavily of soju but eats no soup. She tells him, her husband frauded her. She found out, when she was married for only 3 months, that he had a five-year-old child because the mother came and gave the kid to her to raise. She tried to make the best of it for two years, but then another woman called her and said, "Leave. I'm 9 months pregnant with his child." Also, he had promised to help support her parents (this seemed to be the reason she had thrown over Grandson #2 to marry the rich guy) but he really ran himself into bankruptcy by overspending, so had no money to give her parents. Finally, she divorced him and returned to her family in Korea. After she tells her story, she tells Grandson #2 to leave her the heck alone. He does not tell his family any of this.
We find out at the end of episode #2 that both Ji-yeun's and Hana's moms have gone to a hot springs together to commiserate over their useless daughters. Both daughters have told the mothers to leave them alone, but they secretly have long conversations with their respective mothers because they miss them terribly.
Then, we see that Head Grandpa has gathered everyone together for some reason. (Channel 28 ripped up the episode, so I only was able to see this by slowing down the tape a LOT.) That's the end as I know it.
Bo
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Post by Lucy on Mar 14, 2005 15:02:40 GMT -5
Hi, Bo. Thanks for explaining the family relationships. About the grandsons--do only the two oldest live together? Because #3 seems to live there, too, I thought--when he was studying and #2 was smoking . . . remember?
After 4 episodes, I'm still confused by who's who, but I think I'm getting it. The Go-eun/#2 plot thread is especially confusing. After her explanation, I thought that baby was the other woman's and she was just raising him. I love "Lady Choi" in this; she's so cute as a quilting, even-tempered homebody. (She's even nice to her mother, that awful acid-tongued thing.) I can't believe she's supposed to be in her 40s, as Hana said in episode 3 or 4, and her sister is in her 50s.
I really like the oldest brother ("the double eyelid"--love the way they've made that attribute into a byname). It's so funny that they had that extended discussion over his supposed gayness. What a family! You've got to have a tough skin to survive with these people. I have a weakness for veterinarians, so, even though he's not that good-looking (in fact, he's got a real weak face, I think), he won my heart when he told his brother to close the door to the vet clinic because "it's cold for the children" (the animals). Awwww!
P.S. How do we know the older daughter is a dentist? The characters keep saying that, but I don't see any evidence. Her office looks like, well, just an office.
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Post by TheBo on Mar 14, 2005 15:23:28 GMT -5
Hi, Luce. I hear you were ill. I hope you are feeling better now.
1) I refuse to believe those women (2 aunts) are over 45, so I just adjusted their ages to fit into my own little fantasy idea. (LOL) The older one is a dentist. Rrrrreally (you see her practice later in series--not a spoiler, eh?). She's just not in her 50s. (Hee, hee)
2) Grandson #1 (veterinarian) is oldest; he lives on the 4th floor with Head Grandpa etc. Grandsons #2 & #3 live together in the apartment on the second floor. I don't know why they did that, except they expected #1 to get married, so they gave him Apt 302, so maybe he was waiting until he had a wife to move in there.
If you are having trouble telling the hierarchy of the family, you can go by what floor they live on: Head Grandpa & fam: Floors 5&6 two younger grandsons: 4th floor Grampa's sister & her fam: 3d floor Oldest Grandson (where Hana & Jiyeun live): 3d floor
Edit: I watched ep 3 and found out I was mistaken about the order of the floors. I guess oldest grandson was on the bottom of the heap, eh?
On the second floor, there is the eldest aunt's dentist office.
Bo
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Post by TheBo on Mar 14, 2005 15:24:15 GMT -5
I'm going to anchor this at the top, to give people the beginning summary if they get lost. Later, maybe I'll post a family tree.
Bo
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Post by Lucy on Mar 14, 2005 16:12:57 GMT -5
I'm going to anchor this at the top, to give people the beginning summary if they get lost. Later, maybe I'll post a family tree. Bo Looks good. From what you've said, maybe you could make it a "family apartment building" paradigm rather than tree. Ending, of course, with all the little "children" on the ground floor. Speaking of which, that's some high-tech animal hospital, huh? Wire cages that let the germs and air blow through from one animal to the other, sitting out there in front where the animals can be stressed by people coming and going, not to mention the arguments over pizza. Yes, I'm feeling better, thanks, Bo. Just in time to return to work! I hope you are now out of the doghouse with BmB.
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Post by TheBo on Mar 14, 2005 17:00:45 GMT -5
You're quite, right, Luce, about the animal cages. Very sanitary. I'm glad you are feeling better. Yes. I'll do a Villatree. Most excellent. Bo PS - He's never happy. He's a man.
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Post by BungalowDweller on Mar 16, 2005 20:08:53 GMT -5
Thanks Bo! What an outstanding summary. Despite my best intentions, I missed the first episode and your description fills in a lot of questions for me as I've seen this series (tho not entirely)before. I now realize what "Happy House "is. I used to call this series Happy House because I didn't know the name. "Happy House"is the name of the vet's biz.
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Post by Lucy on Mar 17, 2005 11:47:01 GMT -5
Can't wait till tomorrow to see what's going to happen. Though this beginning period is confusing, it's exciting to have a new drama to get into. And, call me weird, but I love the opening credits, with that peppy theme song--what is it? country-influenced? Latin-influenced? I'll need to hear it again to characterize it more accurately.
At first I disliked many of the characters, because I don't like to hear people talking harshly to each other. It was quite a change from all the soft looks and pining of "Winter Love Song." But now I can see the humor in it.
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Post by galacticchick on Mar 17, 2005 14:00:05 GMT -5
I love the story line between Goen and Brother #2. I find him soooo handsome. Probably because he's always wearing a suit. He must have been so hurt when she originally broke up with him. He certainly didn't beat around the bush when he told her in epi. 4 "Don't worry I still hate you, and I will hate you until I die, but I feel I have to do something for you." I wouldn't know whether to be flattered by his chivalry or kick him for saying he hates me. p.s. Goen's hair is ugly right now. p.s.s. Alexa are you watching this show? We haven't even started a "who's cute/who's ugly" discussion yet
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Post by TheBo on Mar 17, 2005 14:11:45 GMT -5
I'm just doing a little sketch of the characters that have appeared in the early episodes. As others are introduced, you'll be able to work them in. I hope this helps. (I've made some corrections since I first posted this.)
Villatree:
Kim family: Grandfather: Duk-bae His wife: "Grandmother" (can't find name--will watch for it) Father: Hee-gap (executive) Grandson #1: Yoon-sik (vet, lives on floor 4) Grandson #2: Hyun-sik (exec, lives on floor 4) - ex girlfriend Goeun Grandson #3: Sang-sik (student, lives on floor 4) Younger Grandfather (on run): Duk-jin
3d floor family: Younger Grandma: Duk-ja Older Aunt: Park Kyung-hwa (dentist) - ex boyfriend - Cha Myung-hwan Younger Aunt: Park Kyung-jo (cafe owner)
3d floor tenants: Oh Ji-yeun (student, sharp-tempered woman) Mother - No Choo-hee Lee Hana (model/loud, foolish woman) Mother - Inae
2nd floor: Kyung-hwa's dental office (elder aunt)
1st floor: Cafe run by Kyung-jo (younger aunt) AND Happy House veterinarian shop run by Yoon-sik, eldest son.
Other than that, there are some people working in the shop downstairs, but I think you'll figure them out as you go along, and of course, there are Goeun's parents (the people who own the vegetable stand) and Goeun's son, Joon.
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Post by Lucy on Mar 17, 2005 14:20:19 GMT -5
Thanks, Bo! Nice work.
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