IRIS: Episode 3

47 December 4, 2009January 24, 2016

by kaedejun

My fave bad guy

Hello everyone! I’m kaedejun – and I will be doing the recaps for IRIS starting with episode 3. I know that it was the biggest competition against the much beloved You’re Beautiful – of which I am completely addicted to and love as much as Coffee Prince. However, I can’t resist the appeal of Kim Seung Woo (he he he), and so even though I am a You’re Beautiful supporter, I still want to watch IRIS.

Thanks a lot to Javabeans for letting me recap this series. I hope that it does not disappoint, and that there is something more to this drama than just the flash-bang-pizzazz that seems to draw in such high ratings each week!

Episode 3

We begin with Hyun Joon staring at the painting in the President’s office. He begins to have flashbacks of when he was a young boy with his parents visiting the then-President of Korea. His parents were nuclear scientists, and they were murdered by an unknown assassin.

Hyun Joon is troubled by these flashbacks, but keeps his emotions under control. Just then the President arrives, and thanks them for saving his life. Sa Woo informs him that they are from the NSS, but the President is not aware of the existence of NSS.

An advisor later informs the President the history of NSS. Established in 1976, Korea’s central intelligence had double agents working with the CIA. Since the former President was developing a nuclear weapons program, and wanted to keep it a secret from the US, he established NSS to oversee this nuclear program. Now, they not only safeguard the President but also protect the nation’s secrets.

The President wonders whether the NSS is still necessary, and his advisor suggests that the organization may prove useful to him in the future.

Meanwhile, a brooding Hyun Joon goes to a bar – he replays his memories of his parents’ accident, lost in thought, when suddenly Seung Hee arrives. She teases him about being nervous in front of the President (according to Sa Woo’s stories), and he deflects by asking her out on a date.

They go to the orphanage where Hyun Joon was raised since he was 7 until high school. Seung Hee did not know he was raised in a religious orphanage, as she was not given his background information from before he joined Special Forces. He tells her he has no memory of his childhood before he was 7, and now he wants to find out.

He greets the Father, who calls him Michael. Hyun Joon asks the Father if he knew anything about his parents. The Father mentions that this is the first time he has ever been curious. Hyun Joon finds it strange himself that he never once wondered what happened to him.

The Father tells him that he was brought in by a city worker, and there was no information about him. Because he was so traumatized, Hyun Joon had not uttered a single word when he first arrived, and it took him a year to adjust to the life at the orphanage. It is strange that neither the orphanage nor the NSS have information on his background prior to his joining Special Forces.

Seung Hee asks the statue of the Virgin Mary if it is ok to love someone full of secrets. When Hyun Joon asks her what the Virgin Mary’s response is, Seung Hee answers, “She said what difference does the past make?” It’s a sweet way for her to show how she accepts and still loves Hyun Joon despite his past, and they walk down the center aisle out of the church like a married couple.

The Father calls up a mysterious person and informs him that Hyun Joon had visited asking about his past, that he did not seem to know anything. The next shot reveals that the Father was talking to (OMO!) Bureau Chief Baek San! (Obviously the all-knowing chief had to know something). Just then, Sang Hyun comes in and informs the chief that the President wants to see him.

The President confronts Baek San, and asks if he thinks the NSS is still necessary. Baek San says that he is not in a position to make such a decision; the NSS merely follows the orders of the President, even if it means putting their lives on the line. But they do not get involved with politics. The President then asks a final question: “How far did we get with the nuclear arms technology program? Is it true we did not get far?”

Baek San answers that he understands it to be true, that because of the change in administration and the desire to win the favor of the US, the weapons program was abandoned. However, the President (so ever sharp that he is), asks where the information for building nuclear weapons is, because even if the projects were not completed, the information could not have just disappeared.

Baek San says he does not know where the information is, as it was not under his area of expertise. However, based on his expression after the meeting, it is clear he does.

Sang Hyun informs Hyun Joon, Sa Woo, and Seung Hee that they have all been granted vacation for their work in saving the President. Sa Woo is excited, and Seung Hee and Hyun Joon exchange mischievous glances.

As they walk out of the building, Seung Hee passes Hyun Joon a piece of gum; the writing in the wrapper suggests a trip to Japan. As Sa Woo is distracted by a call from his mother, Seung Hee asks if it is ok; Hyun Joon makes a cute gesture and hand signals an “O.K.”

Seriously – how cute is that!?

Shanghai, China: Vic receives his next target: Kim Il joong. As Kim Il Joong tries to relax with a lady friend, one of his guards calls him and is shot dead as soon as Kim picks up. Kim’s guards fan out, and see the elevator coming up. The four guards strike their coolest, most bad-ass poses, and as soon as the doors open, they shoot like mad…at the corpse of the first guard.

One by one, each guard gets picked off by Vic, and I have to say, that assassin has quite creative ways in killing his prey. One is dragged over a stairway railing and neck snapped; one is strangled by a string as Vic hangs over him in the air vent; another is karate-chopped to death; the last two, guarding Kim, are shot to death behind a sheer white curtain in front of Kim.

Kim calls his contact; they are going to have to put all of their hope in Hong Seung Ryong. TOP comes up behind Kim and says, “Give me the IRIS list you have.”

Kim denies any knowledge of it. TOP shoots him in the back of the head, execution style. Finding nothing, he has no choice but to track down Hong Seung Ryong next. He sees the dress of the lady friend, discovers her hiding in the bathroom, and instead of killing her gives her the dress and leaves. (Aw. He has a heart – that is totally going to pay off sometime in a future episode, I bet.)

Baek San is given an urgent call in the middle of the night: Hong Seung Ryong, the head nuclear researcher from North Korea, is the new target. He has defected and is seeking political asylum, heading for Hungary first. Sang Hyun has the agents called back from vacation.

Akita, Japan: Seung Hee and Hyun Joon are enjoying a wintry vacation in Japan. They ask for directions from a school girl named Yuki to the nearest hot springs, and the girl is infatuated with Hyun Joon from his first smile.

At the hot springs, Hyun Joon and Seung Hee are expecting to be enjoying exclusive hot spring pools, so when they both come out of the locker room leading to the same hot spring, they are shocked to see each other clad in only a towel. (Come on, are we REALLY supposed to believe that the two of them have NOT seen the other with less than a towel on?)

They realize that the one pool is a co-ed one, and so they change into their yukatas, too shy in front of each other to take off their clothes and soak in the pool.

Seung Hee says she’s going to soak in, sparking Hyun Joon’s delight at the possibility of seeing Seung Hee naked. However, they are interrupted by the presence of Yuki, who appears to be working at that hot springs, and she delivers them sake.

Hyun Joon thanks the girl and strokes her cheek, which causes Yuki’s heart to flutter with excitement. (Again, REALLY – Lee Byeong Hun – do you think that by doing that a girl would NOT fall in love with you?)

Back at headquarters, Sa Woo is surprised and wonders why Hyun Joon and Seung Hee aren’t around. Sang Hyun tells Sa Woo to go to Hungary first and get his assignment there. Sa Woo becomes suspicious that it is both of them who are missing.

In a weird homage to Winter Sonata, the two lovebirds walk around in the snow and throw snowballs at each other. Seung Hee tackles Hyun Joon and while she’s on top of him, she asks:

Seung Hee: Why did you kiss me so suddenly that day? Was it a challenge or was it love?
Hyun Joon: I think…it wasn’t just a kiss, but because from those beautiful lips of yours, crude words were pouring out. I just wanted to shut it for a bit.
Seung Hee: Then…I will have to say lots of crude things from now on.

And she kisses him. The two of them are so cuddly it’s amazing they’re both tough NSS agents.

Balaton, Hungary: Sa Woo delivers room service to where Hong Seung Ryong is staying. He is stopped by a bunch of European bodyguards, who inspect the dishes. A strawberry topping on a cake whizzes out of its place and turns on – gas fills the room and knocks out the guards.

Sa Woo, protected by a gas mask, brings a spare to Hong and helps him escape. He kicks a few guards’ butts, then shows off his motorcycle riding skills as he evades the guards. They reach a dock, and Sa Woo and a stunned Hong escape on a small boat far from the guards.

Back to the lovebirds.

Hyun Joon enters a store to purchase something, leading to Seung Hee to smile ridiculously and demand that he give her the contents of the bag during dinner. Hyun Joon doesn’t understand what she wants – it turns out, he just bought some pairs of underwear!

Seung Hee is miffed that he did not get her anything – not even candy for White Day. She refuses to talk to Hyun Joon, prompting him to leave the restaurant. Seung Hee pouts, and expects him to come back, but he doesn’t.

She waits outside the restaurant, wondering if he’ll ever return for her, and soon enough, he comes around the corner, STILL empty-handed. Seung Hee is annoyed, but he grabs her face and kisses her. As he does, he puts a piece of chocolate in her mouth.

Back at the hotel, they sleep on their own sides of the large bed. Hyun Joon is itching to get it on with Seung Hee, but he has to act cool. First, he lays his arm under her chin, but she doesn’t respond. He gets on top of her – she doesn’t respond.

He leans in for a kiss – she opens her eyes, and he immediately rolls over to her other side and says that he would feel a lot more comfortable sleeping on her side of the bed. His tactics are obvious, and she gives in to him.

All I can say is, Lee Byeong Hun has one hell of a muscular body.

Park Chul Young and his right-hand-woman Kim Sun Hwa arrive at Hungary and see the dead bodyguards. They are not pleased.

While waiting, Sa Woo approaches Hyun Joon from behind and asks him where he went for vacation. Hyun Joon admits that he went to Japan with Seung Hee. He’s gleeful, but he does not see Sa Woo’s heartbroken face. Hyun Joon tells him that he plans to marry Seung Hee after the assignment is over, and get her to quit.

Baek San meets with the President and his advisors about granting asylum to a North Korean nuclear scientist, and advises the President to wait for their conclusions regarding Hong’s intentions to defect North Korea.

Seung Hee questions Hong inside a chapel, forcing him to talk by showing him a picture of his family. She reports back the assessment to Baek San, and they await the President’s decision.

Turns out, the President wants to grant asylum – despite the political fallout – because…he is interested in developing nuclear arms himself.

Back in Hungary, the three agents receive word and escort Hong to go back to South Korea. Suddenly they find the local police on their tail and after some swift maneuvering, Sa Woo gets them all safely to an airfield, where they transfer him over to other agents and then leave.

This Hungarian can’t believe the mess the local police made on his street, so to solve this headache, he drinks his beer.

As the agents and Hong head over to another, more private airfield, the driver is immediately shot dead. Another agent steps out of the car and is immediately shot in the head by a sniper bullet far away – it’s Vic.

Vic eliminates all the agents around Hong, and he goes over to the car. He asks for the list from Hong, but Hong does not understand his request and does not say anything.

Too late, TOP shoots Hong dead as Hyun Joon broods over the rosary Hong handed him in the chapel.

Comments:

Ok, I think I will comment first on the acting.

I have to give some credit to Kim Tae Hee because she did improve a bit from the last I saw her. However, she does always have a bemused expression when she says her lines, similar to how Hilary Duff would recite her lines – always with a twitch of a smile. It is not befitting for a serious NSS agent that she’s supposed to be, but it does fit her character as someone constantly surprised and amused by Sa Woo and Hyun Joon.

The whole Japan escapade was a bit too long, as though it was just a montage to show how amazingly pretty Japan is in the winter time. I guess it was necessary to show how Hyun Joon and Seung Hee grew closer and closer, because there were a lot of moments that showed the other side to their characters as romantics or cuddly people. Lee Byeong Hun is funny in this part because you can totally tell he has one thing on his mind. He’s cute when he collapses from traveling in the hotel, but perks up at the suggestion that the two of them wash up – he thinks they’re going to do it together.

Lee Byeong Hun definitely looked like he was having fun – he has the funniest expressions that he makes Kim Tae Hee and Jung Joon Ho look wooden. Except Jung Joon Ho’s face is so expressive…

But the most fun part of this entire episode was seeing TOP!!! He doesn’t have much to act with – but my God he is cool. I have never heard him sing before, or seen him act before, so for me, this is a complete surprise. I loved the way he killed off the guards for Kim Il Joong (haha at the name…can a pun be any more obvious?), and how he just coolly shoots people down. If there ever was a believable assassin that exists in this series, it’s TOP. He is like the killers that chase Bourne in all three movies – the silent, cold-blooded killer who is just good at what he does. They need to give the man more lines.

Kim Seung Woo and Kim So Yun – I hope these two have more prominent roles soon, because I can feel they are such delicious characters.

The only thing I don’t like about the series is how everything seems to be episodic. So ok, TOP needs to get this “list” – but he kills everyone that knows about the list. So where the hell is he going to get it now? It basically allows for Vic to kill another target that NSS is somehow simultaneously searching for.

This drama is also trying too hard to balance the romantic drama with the action drama. I’m watching it for the action. I want to know more about what the hell IRIS is and why people are killing other people. I don’t care for whether Lee Byeong Hun is going to get his girl or not (frankly, I love Jung Joon Ho more and this is a rare moment where I’m actually rooting for the second male lead to get the girl!)

There are a lot of loose threads that I feel can be easily tied up. For one, I think Baek San might have been involved in the death of Hyun Joon’s parents and was actually the assassin that shot them dead. I also think that the IRIS list and the rosary that Hong gave to Hyun Joon are connected; I may be wrong, but just the way that the episode was cut made it seem like they are connected somehow. These two storylines can easily be done in two more episodes. I’m wondering if these threads can really last the entire series. I hope that the mysteries are going to be fully fleshed out and a lot more complicated than they seem to be right now.

Next episode brings us back to the present in Hungary, where Hyun Joon gets his assignment to kill the North Korean ambassador. FINALLY! Let’s get to the present and move forward!

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1 Amylemonzzz

December 4, 2009 at 11:12 AM

yay for top in the opening pic! :]

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2 amktsy

December 4, 2009 at 11:15 AM

Is this drama NC16?

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3 Alain

December 4, 2009 at 11:26 AM

I've watched IRIS up to episode 15 and so far I am very impressed with its storyline, big budget production, and great acting! This show feels like a 20 episode movie and I'm enjoying every minute of it! Thanks for the recap. Check out the IRIS OST here.

http://koreanmusicblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/iris-ost-kbs-tv-drama-soundtrack-2009.html

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4 'cille

December 4, 2009 at 11:30 AM

uhm, i can't seem to want to start a new drama after YB - but i just saw ninja assasin this week and it's inspiring me to watch more action drama/movie.. so if i were to start watching IRIS, at least now i know there's a recap so that i can feel more inspired to watch.

LBH is one SUPER HOT MAN! his muscles are over the top, but it seems like he's put in a lot of effort to look that good - so i will continue to look. lol

as for TOP - well, i don't necessarily think he needs to have more lines.. but he has fierce expressions. love that tough, cool and collected persona he's trying to bring out.

job well done kaedejun! keep up the good work

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5 JesSIN

December 4, 2009 at 11:49 AM

What epi is Top kissing the girl? That's what I want to see. Thanks!

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6 Agent Darwin

December 4, 2009 at 11:50 AM

Thanks for the recap. I just finished watching episode 16.

Well, the plot is not bad if you are watching it light-heartedly, and not too concern about the nuclear stuff.

If you know a bit about nuclear technology and NPT related issues, then you will find IRIS is kind of mickey mouse, and the whole NSS operation, and especially its staffs are kind of too naive, ignorant and rookie to effectively embark in any counter terrorism work.

Imagine you have your special agents going around divulging secret about what they knew directly to the suspects, and even try to interrogate the suspects alone!! Wow!! That's too outrageous. Don't they have certain operational procedures to follow i.e. gather as much information (documentary, ocular and verbal evidence) before starting any interrogation, that's common sense.

LBH is a good actor and I enjoy every minute when he appears, but KTH I am always vey nervous seeing her. Really hope the director can kind of "kill her" off in Season 1. She is a real spoiler to the entire IRIS!!

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7 marie

December 4, 2009 at 12:58 PM

I agree with everything you said and I feel the same way about KTH i just cannot warm up to her she actually puts me off the show sorry to all her fans.

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8 shaz81

December 4, 2009 at 1:05 PM

kaedejun!!!!!!!!!!

Your such an A.N.JELL (pun intended:P) !!!!!!!!!

I am so bogged down with work and Christmas and college that i dont have time to watch ANY drama, SO big thanks for being a god send and recapping this !!!!

Shari Xx

PS thank you, thank you, thank you.

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9 JesSIN

December 4, 2009 at 1:20 PM

Okay, here is the Extended Kiss Scene from Top that NEVER aired...Hmmm I wonder why

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zr9mk6PIHVo

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10 Henzy

December 4, 2009 at 1:50 PM

Awesume! i dnt have the time to catch up with this, but im gna be following hte recaps! :D With KTH, im in the same boat, maybe thats why i havent made time for IRIS subconsciously (give or take with spellin there lol)

Henna

PS.. shaz?! lol :P

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11 le

December 4, 2009 at 2:29 PM

thanks for the recap, i didn't know if anyone would recap this since it is really long like over 30 eps, i love reading recaps especially for a long series, so please continue to. luckily this week Iris started on my KBS World channel, and i have to say i usually don't like action dramas, but the 1st 2 episodes were surprisingly pretty good and funny. LBH is a great actor, i never really saw any of his other dramas or movies.

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12 Molly

December 4, 2009 at 2:54 PM

*squeals as if she just saw Lee Byung-hun on the street*

Thank you so much! I'm looking forward to reading and filling in the blanks from the past episodes. :) Soompi can only help so much, you know?

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13 xiaoSxin

December 4, 2009 at 3:27 PM

I gave up watching this drama because I felt so confused with the story.. There are a lot of things that just did not make sense. And it all started when HJ escaped the hospital in Prague (after being presumed dead for 6 months). I am just reading the recaps and summaries on soompi.

I mean, how did he managed to leave Prague without a passport? Money? How did he enter Japan without a visa? Where did he get the money to establish his "hideout".. I mean he has some high tech gadgets there.. with his own computer/laptop with internet. that hideout looks like a shack or garage in the middle of a snowy mountain too. and the guns too?

I was trying to overlook some of those inconsistencies and kept watching it just because the drama looks freakin good. I mean you can really see the funding in the drama. Big scenes, explosions, and really good production sets/locations. But then I just followed the drama on the thread based on the summaries.

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14 pabo ceo reom

December 4, 2009 at 3:34 PM

I disagree with the last point....I thing the romantic storyline actually HELPS the drama be more than the "flash-bang-pizzazz" that you talked about in the beginning. Yes, it's an action drama foremost, but that doesn't necessarily mean all I want to see is shooting, assassinations, and stunt work. l like seeing what else the characters do away from their jobs and it so happens that the romantic parts provide a perfect reprieve from that.

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15 dramalover

December 4, 2009 at 4:34 PM

ok all the YAB fans, this is not a place to criticize IRIS ok? This is a recap and you are free to comment on the episode but not spill out stuffs like "I gave up watching this drama blah blah blah.." The purpose of a recap is to talk about one specific episode and therefore a recap's comment section is not the place for you guys to criticize the whole production and how you were disappointed with it. are you gonna repeat the same things in the next recaps? don't you feel tired? get over it, we've talked about IRIS production enough already and there's no need to go to a recap and repeat the exact same thing.

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16 Kgrl

December 4, 2009 at 5:21 PM

I agree with pabo ceo reom, the drama may have it's kaboom moments, but there is a lot of character development and more subtle themes. What I like about this drama is it's pacing, transitioning, and balance. Even the sub characters are given appropriate back stories and time onscreen so as to not stray from the focus of main characters but also add diversity to the story.

So far everyone is doing so well in protraying the characters, even the sub casts, or I should say, especially the sub casts. Often times, there are a few sore thumbs that stick out, but I have yet to see one that's been poorly protrayed.

Glad, I started it only recently tho, cause I loved marathoning it - don't know if I could have handled the suspense if I had started earlier. lols.

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17 Kgrl

December 4, 2009 at 5:31 PM

Men are sexually attracted to TOP when his hair long so i worry about him,b/c
hes been harassed before.LBH fron wqhat i saw in interview attrcted to TOP gross feel bad for TOP hes seen as meat among guys when its long not even girls.Watch any BB where it long check to see if guys attracted to him.One male actors that guy w/ the short-haired lady bit his lip at TOP.ugh

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18 sucker for Seok

December 4, 2009 at 5:53 PM

Yes!! Ever since YAB finished, i have become a V.I.P!!!! I ADORE T.O.P!!!!!!!! Thanks for the recap!!!

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19 SlightlyAnnoyed

December 4, 2009 at 6:12 PM

I am slightly annoyed at how YAB biased this recap was. Let's not try and compare the two. I don't think you have seen IRIS enough to realize how much the drama's fans yearn to see some light of happiness after 5 weeks. Episode 3 basically marked the end of happiness in IRIS. Everything just goes downhill from there. So if you're tired of IRIS because you think it's too lovey dovey...well start thinking again. This drama isn't about that.

The cast is amazing, main and sub.

And this drama isn't just about TOP. In fact, if you ask me (an avid watcher of the drama), I would say he is the weakest. No, it's not KTH. It's TOP. You can be a cold and heartless killer but you don't try to get the girl with those expressions.

I'm not sure if this recap was a way for people to stay away from IRIS or what but I was expecting more...

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20 marni

December 4, 2009 at 6:43 PM

Thank you for the recap(s). IRIS gets better and better after episode 4 and 5. KTH broke my heart in later episodes.

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21 moochi

December 4, 2009 at 6:45 PM

I totally agreed with SlightAnnoyed

Seriously...why are we comparing YAB with IRIS? They are two completely different genres, but then most of the IRIS bias is from the commenters..seriously people get over it and put your fandom in the YAB threads (like in soompi forums). I don't think you are supposed to watch IRIS light heartedly. Later in the episodes I agree that there are many parts that are excluded like how he escaped from all those countries and such and how he got the money, but I didn't think there was a need to explain them...I mean how the hell did he reach the VOICE by always using the payphone...NOW THAT'S THE QUESTION haha.

Anyhow I think the acting for this drama is superb. I'm not sure why everyone is not satisfied with Kim Tae Hee..she might not be astounding but her acting suits her character. In fact I think the writing made her character a bit too boring which is why some ppl find her less attractive as opposed to the rest of the cast. TOP was well casted in this drama, his charisma and aura totally owned! It's no wonder he has such few lines, it wasn't needed haha.

But LBH hands down the best actor in this drama. If it wasn't for him I don't think IRIS would have been as successful..I'm still watching and is currently on episode 14!

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22 Andromytta

December 4, 2009 at 7:38 PM

Great recap. LOVED your captions on the pictures. And REALLY loved the picture of TOP. The man is a hot bad ass, that is FOR SURE!

WARNING: Episodes 5 & 6 are really illogical and don't make a whole lot of sense, but the show does redeem itself later. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and see if you think the same thing I did during certain scenes!

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23 mimmay

December 4, 2009 at 8:37 PM

Finally! IRIS recaps. I think episode three is a little slower because of the focus on the romance and not much action, but I did enjoy watching HJ's and SE's love blossom in such a beautiful location. For me, seeing snow is romance in itself. I definitely need to visit Akita, Japan.

I don't know why people are criticizing TOP for. He's not even on screen for that long and he had very few lines. He's just suppose to look cool while running around shooting people. LBH is the real star and he's totally killing it with this role (as always).

As for KTH, her acting isn't great compared to LBH and KSY but I don't mind it. I actually love how both of the main female characters are portrayed in this drama - beautiful and tough.

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24 vien

December 4, 2009 at 8:54 PM

TQ TQ TQ for your recap. Really love this drama. Hope you will post the next recap soon.

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25 hahahah

December 4, 2009 at 8:57 PM

HAHAHA. IRIS sucks! Look at its bad english. I can't stand the spelling mistakes made. Only watching it for TOP, but he has such little screentime! Did the director put him in just to attract younger generation????? so cunning, give him more lines!

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26 zero2303

December 4, 2009 at 9:38 PM

This is one drama where the supporting actress outshine the lead.

Till now, KTH character isn't very interesting, perhaps the writers do know her limitation of acting range as compared to KSY killer character. lol

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27 Molly

December 4, 2009 at 10:08 PM

@mimmay,
"I don’t know why people are criticizing TOP for. He’s not even on screen for that long and he had very few lines. He’s just suppose to look cool while running around shooting people. LBH is the real star and he’s totally killing it with this role (as always).

As for KTH, her acting isn’t great compared to LBH and KSY but I don’t mind it. I actually love how both of the main female characters are portrayed in this drama – beautiful and tough."

I agree that it seems that people are criticizing TOP too much - isn't it his acting debut anyways? I don't know; I've never heard of him until IRIS lol. I actually thought that he was pretty scary, and I've seen a fair share of action movies. Because he has few lines, everything depends on his expressions, and so far, I feel that he's done a decent job of looking tough.

It's true that Kim Tae-hee's acting isn't as charismatic as her co-stars', but at the same time, her character is a foil to Kim So-yeon's, so I think that it works. She could be more expressive and conflicting in her acting, but at the same time, I can't picture another Seung-Hee. She's tough in different ways from Sun-hwa, so it all works.

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28 Abie Lee

December 5, 2009 at 1:10 AM

You knew how to get people interested in this recap by posting TOP's pic! He was the only reason I was interested in this drama. But after watching ep 1, I found myself just wanting to fast forward to the scenes where he's in. He definitely has the right expressions for his character. I liked Lee Byeong Hoon better in GI Joe. Maybe it was his outfits. I think TOP is pretty similar to Tae Kyung's character. He's always got that same expression that makes him so hot. Thanks for posting.

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29

December 5, 2009 at 2:00 AM

same as you, I am a big fan for You're beautiful, but still watch Iris because of the good performance of Kim Seung Woo, and also Kim Soo Yeon. Thanks for your hard work!

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30 Bogoshipda

December 5, 2009 at 3:16 AM

I love IRIS .. i'm not sure why there are so many criticisms on this show... i'm on episode 14.. it has been very entertaining and every episode has been full of suspense and i thought the characters played their roles really well..and not to mentioned LBH is a dream...haha.. his acting skills are good... KTH skills have improved as well and i can't imagine KTH without LBH...

I like You are beautiful as well...

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31 dramalover

December 5, 2009 at 4:12 AM

why the hell every single commenter here has to say at least something related to YAB? This is getting annoying.

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32 lala

December 5, 2009 at 4:32 AM

BECAUSE YAB IS GOOD. HAHA.

IRIS is not bad too! (: It's very subjective, people like different things. I'm a huge sucker for romance comedy, so I prefer YAB, but I still watch IRIS nonetheless, because of TOP. Yeah that's like the only reason. -,-

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33 SlightlyAnnoyed

December 5, 2009 at 8:01 AM

If we're going to compare the lead and second lead actress, we have to think about how much screen time both has. Until ep.5, Kim Soo Yeon didn't have that many. In fact, I think the writer wants to tell us more about the character Sunhwa than Seunghee...well at least until now. It was until ep.13 did KTH start to have more prominent screentime. Trust me, she will have a turn over. For the time span of 16 episodes, we have learned about HJ, Sunhwa, Baek San, and part of Sawoo's character, the rest are still a mystery.

As for why episodes 5 & 6 were confusing. They were meant to be. Think about it a bit more. Those two episodes created the entire sequence of what happened afterwards. Those confusions were also HJ's confusion. And because of them, he tried to find the answers. We didn't get an answer for what happened with Seunghee until last week. So....there is definitely more to it.

If you are trying to promote a drama by doing recaps on it, at least get someone who actually understands the drama. I'm not sure how much this particular writer has seen of IRIS, but your post and comments show that you haven't seen much. Or at least understand much.

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34 jane

December 5, 2009 at 10:34 AM

@SlightlyAnnoyed, agree with both of your comments

judging from the comments, people watching Iris because of TOP, you're in for the wrong reason. The show is much more than that. In a way, he's lucky to be casted in this big production for his 1st acting attempt

I'm loving Iris and looking forward to each episode, with sub off course

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35 Biased

December 5, 2009 at 11:12 AM

"This Hungarian can’t believe the mess the local police made on his street, so to solve this headache, he drinks his beer."

^ How is that relevant?

How hilarious this recap is. This wasn't a recap. It was storytelling. "Ah here is a cap. I will tell you what happened in this cap." If you're going to do that. At least pick the right ones! Worse than that, your comments did not make sense. It had no substance whatsoever. It looks like YAB is slowly taking over the once-somewhat-relative Dramabeans.

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36 diane

December 5, 2009 at 12:37 PM

I've already finished watching Ep. 16. IRIS does have it's flaws, but overall I like it. It is action packed. I wasn't crazy over the romantic interlude in Japan. I thought it was a bit awkward and immature.

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37 sukispop

December 5, 2009 at 12:47 PM

Let me just put this out there, first-

I watched You're Beautiful, and like many others, I loved it. So, yeah, you can count me in as a loyal YB fan.

With that said, I agree with others here who feel that comments comparing IRIS to YB in this IRIS recap are rather pointless and inappropriate. They're of two completely different genres that only share entertainment as a common purpose. The many YB articles and recaps, here on DB, have enjoyed lots of comments and responses from YB fans...and, to my recollection, there've been no interjections from folks about dramas from other genres, comparing YB favorably or otherwise. I hope that my fellow YB fans will respect IRIS and its fans in the many discussions held here...especially since many YB fans also happen to be IRIS fans(like myself).

I also hope that my fellow IRIS fans realize that, of the many, many YB fans, here, only a very few individuals have chosen to interject comments about YB in these IRIS discussions...and that their actions are not representative of YB fans as a whole. Let's please be respectful, everyone. It's supposed to be fun doing this stuff. =)

I liked this recap very much, and thank kaedejun for providing it. Thank you.

I'm up to episode 10, so far, and find IRIS to be extremely entertaining...and love its super high quality production values. As someone already posted, it's like watching a big screen movie that has many episodes. Kudos, IRIS!

I think that KTH has done a pretty nice job in her role...but, I also think that Kim Soo Yeon has done a fabulous job in her role...and I find her absolutely stunning.

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38 Lumi

December 5, 2009 at 9:58 PM

Ok, I admit I was interested in watching this drama when I heard TOP was in it, but I'm totally hooked on it now even if I don't see TOP in every EP. I love all the action+suspense. I don't over-analyze the plot too much or think bout the nuclear things and all that stuff.

I haven't seen TOP act before, but he's such a good, scary assassin!

I really like LBH too. It surprised me that I could still have laughing moments during this action-packed drama because of him. He's cute, funny, and handsome. =D

I just finished EP 1O earlier; dying for more, hehehe. ^^

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39 Agent Darwin

December 6, 2009 at 2:33 PM

Can someone please tell me who is TOP? What is his real name? Is he a new actor?

BTW, can someone also please tell me who is/are Wonder Baby or Wonder Babies? Thank you

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40 muddie

December 7, 2009 at 12:11 AM

@Agent Darwin [39]:

T.O.P. is one of the members of a Korean boyband called Big Bang. I'm not sure what his real name but you can google it yourself [:

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41 chabe

December 12, 2009 at 2:02 PM

For me, the "Candy" scene was the most ROMANTIC expression of Love so far in Korean Dramas

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42 melica

December 13, 2009 at 11:56 AM

Seems silly for the TOP character to be killing off everyone who knows about what he is looking for.

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43 LiteratiTempo

December 14, 2009 at 8:26 AM

TOP's real name is Choi SeungHyun and he is the rapper for Big Bang, he was also in I am Sam ( I Am Your Teacher).

Onto the episode. Episode 3 was very cute with the white day kiss and Japan in general. I also enjoyed the killing scenes (how odd I wonder if TOP had anything to do with that). I know that the list is rolled up inside that rosary (Cruel Intentions anyone SMG's coke rosary FT Spoiler ). For the first time I'm a fan of the leads getting together I'm not liking his friend as a love interest right now. I agree TOP isn't a very good interrogator... he could've at least tortured the guy a bit before killing him... he might've gotten a bit of info out of him. I'm still waiting for IRIS' training camp for baddies w/ shirtless tire pulling.

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44 Naruto Shippuuden

January 16, 2010 at 8:25 PM

Hi there, spend quite a while to finish reading this article, happy 2010 too

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45 sheena

December 5, 2010 at 12:05 PM

Anyone know where to watch it online, I started watching it on drama crazy, but now its telling me to watch it on wat.tv which does not work :( I'm only on episode 2, but im loving the drama soooo much!!!
Please help
xxx