ATHENA: Episode 1
by kaedejun
The elusive recapper is me. Might’ve been obvious to some, but let’s just say I couldn’t pass up the chance to end the year with the IRIS spin-off. 😛 It’s exactly how I started my last December. 😀
SONG OF THE DAY
ATHENA OST – Park Hyo Shin – “I Love You” [download]
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It’s nighttime at the Blue House, and our President Jo Myung Ho (Lee Jung Gil reprising his role) gets that oh-so-important-call in the middle of the night. He heads on over to his office to deal with the arising emergency, where Advisor Hong and Secretary Jung (Myung Ji Yun and Jung Han Yong) inform President Jo of the situation.
Three weeks ago, Hong Seung Ryong (also a nuclear weapons scientist) had died en route to South Korea. This leads to a particular flashback to episode 3 of IRIS, when T.O.P.’s Vic killed Hong after Hyun Joon (Lee Byung Hun) had handed him over to other agents. This also tells us about where we are in this particular world time-wise. President Jo worries about whether there is a leak. (As IRIS progressed, it was revealed that the leak was Advisor Hong, among others.)
Now, Dr. Kim Myung Guk, a nuclear physicist from North Korea, wants to defect. He was researching a new type of nuclear power, one that would not produce radioactive substances and would be a safer kind of nuclear energy, when he realized that North Korea had plans to develop it into weapons. He was originally going to attend a nuclear energy conference in Tottori, Japan, and then meet the South Korean agents that would extricate him. However when Russia found out, they kidnapped him. It’s a race against time to get him, since China, Japan, France, and the US all want Kim and his research for themselves too.
To head the mission, they get Kwon Yong Gwan (Yoo Dong Geun), a black ops agent who would never betray his country or his team. He meets the President and is made aware of the situation. He orders his right hand man (whom some may recognize as Cha Ye Ryun’s ex-husband in Dr. Champ) to call in his team – the Black 7 – from around the world: Greece, Russia, Spain, Hawaii, and within Seoul.
The agent in Hawaii, unbeknownst to him, gets trailed by Yoon Hye In (Su Ae). He gets into an elevator, and just as it is about to close, Hye In’s hand blocks the doors. He’s going to the 7th floor, she’s going to the 3rd. When it reaches her floor, she gets out and bends over. She’s also wearing a very short coverall dress, mind you… The man grins and reaches to close the door, but Hye In releases a small metal ball and throws it into the elevator at the last second.
It explodes within, and Hye In walks off. However, the doors rattle open – the agent managed to reopen the door, and he’s vomiting white goo. He stumbles out of the elevator and with a running leap, Hye In slams her knee into his chest, pins him against the wall, presses the elevator button, and with a swift jab up his nose knocks him back unconscious into the elevator.
Chu Sang Hoon (a mixed martial arts fighter playing himself) is a producer by day, black ops agent by night. He gets a notification – similar to that of his fellow agents – and makes his way out of the performance hall. As he descends the escalator, who but Son Hyuk (Cha Seung Won) ascends the escalator, reading the file on Chu Sang Hoon on his phone. He sees Chu, and back down the escalator he goes!
He meets Chu in the bathroom; Son Hyuk washes his hand, adjusts his jacket, and pulls out a pen. He aims for Chu’s neck, but Chu blocks it effectively and the poisonous dart hits the wall. Son Hyuk drops the pen, but also knocks Chu’s gun out of his hands. Weaponless, the two face off.
They kick each other, breaking mirrors, smashing heads of statues, and knocking each other into sinks and toilets. They grab each others’ jackets and worm their way out of them, tossing them aside. Interestingly, Son Hyuk (whom we should assume is the antagonist of the series) wears a white shirt under a black jacket, and Chu (who is working for the good guys) wears a black shirt under a white jacket. When both take off their jacket, it looks like the audience’s loyalty should lie with the white-clothed person…which is Son Hyuk.
When beaten to a pulp (equally) the two of them realize they are just inches away from their respective weapons. The epic question arises: which will win? The Pen? or The Gun? Grab. Aim. Fire. The bullet hits the wall, and Son Hyuk’s dart hits Chu in the neck.
Oddly though, after Son Hyuk leaves the agent for dead, Chu’s fingers twitch.
Tottori, Japan – Kwon enters a private room in a restaurant with his team, minus two agents. They have no time to mourn however, and must get to work on planning how to get Kim Myung Guk. They’re not the only ones though, as Son Hyuk’s team – with Hye In behind him – are also preparing for their own ambush. Both teams plot out the logistics, figuring out the best way to get to Kim Myung Guk.
I will now start nicknaming Kwon’s team – Techie goes down to a basement and fiddles with the wiring; Decoy dresses as a water cooler guy and enters through the front door; Lady gets on a rooftop across from the building with her sniper rifle, Kwon’s Right Hand Man enters dressed as someone from the firefighting department checking on security, Watcher is at the getaway car, and Kwon sits outside in his own car, waiting. Decoy goes up to each floor, replacing all the water bottles with a security guard escort; after he refills the bottles, a small pill is released into the cooler.
The escort prevents Decoy from going up to the tenth floor, which is restricted. Decoy hands a form to the guard escort to sign, but the pen he gives him activates the little blue pill; the bottles shatter, providing enough distraction for the security guards to be incapacitated. It also alerts the Russians keeping guard of Kim. Techie unlocks the doors so that Right Hand Man can get access to the tenth floor. Right Hand Man takes down the Russian guards and leads Kim Myung Guk out. Once Lady sees Kim Myung Guk with her team, she heads out; however, there’s a tiny red laser pointing at her torso. Hye In shoots her dead from another rooftop with her own rifle.
Watcher realizes the situation has turned for the worse and gets ready to move out, but a bomb placed underneath his car activates and blows him up. Decoy tries to make a run for it but is chased by security guards. He sets a timed detonator on the wall, attaches a harness on a doorknob, and leaps out of the window. The floor blows up above him, and Decoy releases the string to let himself down. But as he faces downward, Son Hyuk greets him from below. He aims his gun up and shoots Decoy dead. Techie tries to get in contact but Hye In fires a bullet right through his head.
Only Right Hand Man is left with Kim, and they escape to the underground garage, hiding behind a car. Son Hyuk’s team riddle the car with bullets, and Right Hand Man is barely keeping his defense. Son Hyuk tauntingly tells Dr. Kim to come out, but suddenly Kwon’s car swerves right in. He starts shooting, and Kim Myung Guk is hustled into the backseat. Right Hand Man starts shooting back at Son Hyuk’s men, and they put up a fierce fight, but Son Hyuk fires a bullet straight through the agent’s head.
With no more agents and no more backup, Kwon drives off and Son Hyuk makes chase. Outside the building, Hye In sees Kwon’s car speeding away; sliding the sniper rifle along the balcony railing, she shoots after the car – but to no avail. Son Hyuk’s team is ready for every scenario, as there are a couple of cars and agents waiting to block Kwon’s path. But Kwon swerves, and he takes another roundabout through a truck parking lot. When he emerges onto the main road, he finds himself being chased by none other than Son Hyuk himself.
Son Hyuk speeds ahead and then turns around, facing directly at Kwon. Time to play chicken.
Knowing there’s no way out of this, Kwon accelerates. Son Hyuk accelerates. They’re about to collide when Hye In appears out of nowhere in her car. She fires a bullet at one of Kwon’s tires, causing him to flip as Son Hyuk blazes right past him. Cheater. Son Hyuk and Hye In approach the car, where Kwon is a bloody mess, trapped underneath. A look at the backseat – and it’s empty. Where the hell is Kim Myung Guk!?
Well then, time for a torture session. They need Kim before he leaves Japan. A doctor gives Kwon a lot of serum that makes him convulse in pain, but he still refuses to divulge the whereabouts of Kim Myung Guk. Son Hyuk: “Fine. We have plenty of medicine. Let’s keep going.” Kwon: “OK – but can you inject on the other arm? My right arm can’t feel pain anymore…”
Son Hyuk receives further instructions from his American boss: if Kwon doesn’t talk, kill him. Son Hyuk orders Hye In and the others to prepare retreat, and he’ll deal with Kwon alone. He says farewell, that they will once again meet in the future.
Hye In hears two gunshots echo in the tunnel. She pauses, looking back, but her face betrays no emotion.
Three years later – and the National Anti-Terror Service (NTS) is a compound of three metal, round buildings in the middle of a lake. Beats a basement. We are introduced to agent Lee Jung Woo (Jung Woo Sung), who is interviewing a criminal (Park Chul Min) that has no idea what the hell NTS is. The criminal doesn’t want to talk, but he also doesn’t want to get beaten up. Jung Woo acquiesces; he will wear the handcuffs, and if the criminal can hit him in five minutes, he can walk out free. The criminal’s liking this plan, and he confidently says he’ll hit in in 3 minutes. But he’s all talk – as he tries to land a punch, Jung Woo blocks him. He kicks Jung Woo’s shins, but Jung Woo kicks him first. Handcuffed, he beats the criminal to a nice bloody mess.
Park Sung Chul (Lee Han Wie) works with Jung Woo as his team leader, and he squeezes out the statement from the bloodied criminal…’cept that guy doesn’t know much himself. He’s just in the middle man, and is supposed to meet his contact in front of the clock tower at Lotte World and get a cellphone.
Along with Sung Chul and two other backup agents, Jung Woo is set up as a decoy to meet said contact at around 2pm. Jung Woo isn’t entirely trusting the man’s statement, but they wait anyways. Someone does turn up in the garage, and it looks like it’s the contact. However, when he goes up the staircase, he is attacked from behind and knocked unconscious, his assailant grabbing his phone.
Of course, no one shows up, making Jung Woo believe that the criminal lied. He spies a group of kids playing with their balloons, and one of the boys’ balloons fly into a tree. The boy tries to climb up the bench to get it, but he falls…and Jung Woo comes in to catch him in time. Jung Woo bears the brunt of the fall, but when his eyes refocus, he sees Hye In worriedly leaning over him. Poor boy is now lovestruck.
With no one showing up, Sung Chul finally suggests that they head out. Jung Woo is all for it – except that means he’s going to go back and look for Hye In and her group of students. They’re gathered in front of a shooting game, where if they successfully hit the targets they can win huge teddy bears. Hye In pays for the game, and a little girl shoots; of course she misses. Jung Woo steps in – he expertly takes aim and shoots down every single one of the little figures. The guys running the game aren’t too happy, because that means he wins their toys. Jung Woo continues to play until every child has a toy, and every last big teddy bear is gone.
Of course this move wasn’t just to impress Hye In. Pshh… He asks if she’s a teacher, to which a student replies in the affirmative and that they’re from Jeollanam-do. Jung Woo awkwardly hands over the last doll he won; he’s too manly to be carrying a doll like this. But Sung Chul interrupts at that moment through his earpiece. Jung Woo steps away for a moment – what the hell does he want? Sung Chul is stuck in the bathroom – with no toilet paper.
In those precious few seconds Jung Woo turned away, the class and Hye In are gone. He’s afraid he’ll never see her again, since she works so far away.
The next day, Jung Woo and Sung Chul have to face the music – their operation was basically a failure, and their boss ain’t too happy about that. On top of that, the criminal has threatened to sue them for physically maiming him during interrogation. They get disciplined by their boss and report to the National Intelligence Service (NIS) building. Jung Woo lets Sung Chul go in by himself, making up the excuse that he wants to talk to someone else. But as he waits outside, he spots Hye In entering the building with another coworker. He thought she was from Jeollanam-do, but she tells him that she was giving the students a tour on behalf of the NIS Public Information Center.
Jung Woo shyly notes that it must be fate to be seeing her here, and he tries to ask her out. But Hye In politely declines, saying that if both are agents within NIS, dating would be forbidden. Oooh, burn…
Out on a coastal town, a little girl approaches a rusty boat after school and asks if they can eat – she’s talking to none other than Kwon Yong Gwan. They go home, but parked outside is Secretary Choi Jin Hee (Kim Young Ae), an acquaintance from the past and Secretary Jung’s replacement. She bears a message from President Jo: he needs Kwon right now.
At NTS, Jung Woo is idling by, playing games on his computer, and Sung Chul reprimands him on his shoddy report of the last assignment. He hands off another report to another agent, telling her to go to NIS with it. Jung Woo immediately leaps for it – he’ll go instead. He searches for Hye In and tries again to ask her out for a cup of tea. She coldly rejects him again. Oh Jung Woo, you’re adorkably love sick…
Kwon Yong Gwan meets President Jo with Secretary Choi. With the advancement of nuclear technology and the desire to protect the technology from other countries, President Jo had formed NTS – and he wants Kwon to be at the head of it. Kwon respectfully declines, citing his lack of qualifications. As he walks out with Secretary Choi, she hands him a file to look at – it’s a profile of Son Hyuk. Son Hyuk has become the head of the Asian bureau for US’ Department of Homeland Security, and is also at the forefront in the development of nuclear reactors for the States. He’s a potential enemy – and Kwon has another shot at taking this guy down. Yep – he’s taking the job.
But Kwon also has several stipulations – no interference from outsiders on the management of NTS, and that he will only communicate to the President, no one else.
Son Hyuk flies over to Seoul, and first order of business is to meet Hye In at a wine bar. They’re friendly, and Son Hyuk notes that they will be able to see each other more often now that he’s located in Seoul. Hye In’s smile looks a tad fake.
Hye In hands him a cell phone – it’s the one she stole from the contact that Jung Woo was supposed to meet at Lotte World. The contact was getting information about Kim Myung Guk and was going to hand it over to North Korea – perhaps using the criminal as the intermediary – but she had intercepted it. She asks what she should do now, so Son Hyuk says he’ll discuss it with their heads. But until then – he hands her a velvet jewelry box. “Happy birthday,” he says.
It’s a necklace with a snowflake pendant. She opens up her safe at home, and puts the necklace in – without taking it out of its box – along with all the other jewelry boxes, presumably gifts from Son Hyuk for previous birthdays. Girl keeps her emotions locked up.
Kang Chul Hwan (Jung Ho Bin) greets the new NTS director and they get to work, investigating the different agents at NTS. Kwon specifically recalls Lee Jung Woo, and it turns out Jung Woo is the son of an agent who was killed in a bombing in 1983. Hmmm….
Jung Woo is informed that he will receive an overseas assignment. His boss has reservations about sending Jung Woo, but since it’s an order from the top, he’s got no choice but to obey. Jung Woo’s going to Italy, and he will meet his partner there.
Wooh! Jung Woo can barely contain his glee as he flies off to Italy. He heads to the meeting place – a restaurant, and meets his partner. It’s Hye In. Carrying a briefcase that details their mission. She’s all businesslike, but Jung Woo can’t believe it. Is she really his partner?!
Well, if anything, they’re finally having a “date” at a restaurant.
Comments:
I am so loving this mindless action, badass cool drama – that’s what I need to end my year right. I have to say I wasn’t too keen on an IRIS spin-off/sequel/anything, so it took a lot of marketing and the right cast to get me really psyched for this. And psyched I am!
I don’t think this drama was aiming for the Hollywood-blockbuster styled drama that IRIS was, but it certainly is slick, well edited, and nicely shot. (Best scene to watch? Cha Seung Won’s fight scene with Chu Sang Hoon in the bathroom.) It’s hard to judge ATHENA right now without drawing comparisons to IRIS, especially in the beginning when IRIS characters showed up. However, I think the characters are all better drawn here, and I think it has to do with the actors’ portrayals. For example, Jung Woo Sung’s character is just as love sick as Lee Byung Hun’s character was, except he’s a little more earnest in an innocent way; Lee Byung Hun was cocky, which puts him immediately into that cliched male alpha lead category. Jung is just so adorkable. I especially loved it when he was playing video games in the office, and he was gritting his teeth and jerking his head around as though he were moving with his avatar – ’cause I do that too. Jung Woo also has the “parent’s death” issue that might come up later as a plot point, much like how Hyun Joon’s parents’ death linked him to IRIS the organization. I hope it doesn’t become too pathetic of a plot point.
Plot wise, I’m looking forward to some twists and turns, and the missions themselves. Son Hyuk and Hye In appear to be the enemy, but on the same side of NTS. Their descriptions say that they’re part of a black ops department that’s even deeper underground than Kwon and his team, and so they work for South Korea; however, they also have ties to ATHENA, which I assume is not on the side of NTS. I’m amazed that in one episode, we meet so many characters and hit several plot points. It is as if the episode was insanely long, but it went by very quickly. I hope it keeps up a brisk pace, and doesn’t dwell too much on flashbacks and romantic storylines that I think were the downfall of IRIS.
I can’t wait for episode 2! And that’s because for sure as hell I am not going to be writing that one. 😉
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Tags: Athena: Goddess of War, Cha Seung-won, Choi Siwon, featured, first episodes, Jung Woo-sung, Kim Min-jong, Lee Jia, Su Ae
Interview with Kim Yoo-jung
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1 Sandra
December 16, 2010 at 8:39 PM
Siwon's not on this one yet huh?
but i can totally see why this got such high ratings
soo cool
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joeydragonlady
December 17, 2010 at 2:00 AM
I was looking for Siwon in this Episode... It seems interesting enough.
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chel~
December 17, 2010 at 5:42 PM
same here,.. I thought Si won would appear in the first episode,..
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Misa
January 1, 2011 at 6:06 PM
I think most people were looking for Siwon. In know I was. Luckily I wasn't disappointed with the actual story. Only thing my heart feels sad and a little tricked. I mean he was on the poster right??? Hopefully he'll be more involved in the later episodes.
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js
December 17, 2010 at 2:36 AM
he will be appear in the 2nd episode ^ ^
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2 luraaa
December 16, 2010 at 8:39 PM
Thank you! *goes off to read*
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3 isamouse
December 16, 2010 at 8:43 PM
Thanks so much for the recap;).
My attention has definitely been piqued
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4 ktb
December 16, 2010 at 8:44 PM
Haven't watched this yet (tomorrow is my last day of finals, YAY!) but Su Ae looks gorgeous in the stills. I'm excited to see this...
Thanks for the recaps!
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5 ohemgee
December 16, 2010 at 8:45 PM
YAY YAY YAY!
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ohemgee
December 16, 2010 at 9:49 PM
i am REALLY hoping that both su ae and cha seung won turn out to be "good guys". i would love it if they are just taking out double-crossing agents!!!
plus, i don't know if my heart can take them being awful meanies.
i think that it the reason why i couldn't get into "IRIS"...i just like TOP too much. HAHAH oh wait-nvm. i think it was kim tae hee's acting that turned me off. BURN! LOL.
thanks for the caps! so glad dramabeans always delivers! kaedejun, a pleasure reading, as always...can't wait to see who your partner in recapping crime will be! :P
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6 maez
December 16, 2010 at 8:45 PM
I don't know if I should read this now or wait for the episode to be subbed. :'(
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7 hh
December 16, 2010 at 8:47 PM
I don't know why, but I simply knew that one of the recapper will be you! And who knows, you're going to team up with aberdeen_angus again? (Well.. since you guys are KSY's team, right? hehe ;D)
Anyway, thanks a mill for the recaps and looking forward for the next one!
Have a great weekend! Cheers! ;)
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8 holey moley
December 16, 2010 at 8:51 PM
HA. HAHA. HAHAHA. Kaedejun, just love you!!!
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girlfriday
December 16, 2010 at 11:56 PM
We love her too ~ !
Also, holy dead body count, Batman! I love the Cha Seung-won/Su Ae badass team. It's already better than IRIS.
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sunshine
December 17, 2010 at 12:06 AM
Ditto that. I always tend to like the baddies more. Once again, second lead love is not going to be fun.
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spark67
December 17, 2010 at 11:51 AM
Yes, yes and more YES! I admit, I haven't always been a fan of Jung Woo Sung, but he's making a believer out of me. All of these actors are FANTASTIC! I especially love the subtle vulnerabiliites that JWS is able to portray while being kick-butt macho! And Soo Ae...NOW we're talking actress!! When I watched IRIS, the only actress I could actually stomach was Kim So Yeon. Kim Tae Hee was so miscast, it hurt just watching...so I didn't; not her parts, anyway.
But this drama is not only visually stunning, it has the acting is incredible and even if the plot doesn't make sense, I think it'll be worth watching anyway. Woo hoo! Goooo ATHENA!
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anastassia
December 22, 2010 at 2:05 AM
But I can't stand CSW hair. It looks really lika a fake hair.
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Mel
December 22, 2010 at 9:03 AM
Yey, GF... that's great one great vote for Athena!!!
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9 missjb
December 16, 2010 at 8:55 PM
i'm glad you back, kaedejun. I've watched episode raw. And it's sounds promising. I can't wait for the next recap, too!
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10 endodo4ever
December 16, 2010 at 8:56 PM
I freaking love you. No, really, I do. <3 Congrats on tackling another recap project. I'm off to read!
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11 takekane
December 16, 2010 at 9:00 PM
Cha Seung Won!!! Oh how I miss you...
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12 danna
December 16, 2010 at 9:10 PM
you're not writing the nest one?...lemme take an wild guess...your famous partner in crime??
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indigowine
December 16, 2010 at 9:58 PM
might've been aberdeen_angus.. but whyyyyy do I miss samsooki's recap ?
Samsooki.. hello.. there's Jo Gook here...!!
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SL
December 16, 2010 at 10:49 PM
thank you for the city hall reference. made me smile(:
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swui
December 17, 2010 at 1:03 AM
I wondered abt Samsooki too. He's been off the radar for quite some time. Missed his recaps too. Though I guess his new baby might be preventing him from watching too many kdramas? lol.
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ohemgee
December 17, 2010 at 9:45 AM
OMG. jo gook-ie reference FOR THE WIN.
^_^
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13 D
December 16, 2010 at 9:11 PM
thank you - am not watching it live so im relying on you.
wait... does this mean we're gonna have KSY recapper duo back on DB?
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14 lil
December 16, 2010 at 9:11 PM
thanks for the recap!!!
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15 JD
December 16, 2010 at 9:13 PM
This looks kinda awesome! I might just watch it.
Thanks for the recap!
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16
December 16, 2010 at 9:18 PM
Thanks!!!!
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17 caryatid
December 16, 2010 at 9:26 PM
waaaahhhhh!!!! my early xmas present!!!!!^_^ thanks a lot!!!
off to read...
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18 myweithisway
December 16, 2010 at 9:39 PM
Bathroom. Fight scene.
Anyone else automatically think of the 007 scene?
Actually looking forward to this series, kind of awesome to be able to end the year sort of revisiting IRIS
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19 Dory
December 16, 2010 at 9:40 PM
Thanks so much kaedejun!!!!
I dont really watch action stuff but somehow athena got me excited. lol
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20 swui
December 16, 2010 at 9:52 PM
epi one is kinda cool...but I was also so confused by the number of characters that were shown -STILL MINUS Lee Ji Ah and Choi Si Won...lol
well, am looking fwd to recaps on ep2. Because it gave me a totally different feeling. Wanna see wat the majority feel abt it.
Athena is definitely not going the way IRIS went, which was drama from the first minute /epi. It's like it's slowly building up the plot, which is not necessarily a bad thing but might disappoint some IRIS fans...I just hope they have good and strong enough plot lines for Athena since IRIS used up quite a lot of good ones already.
Am hoping Athena do wel since I love the cast a lot.
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21 jen
December 16, 2010 at 9:54 PM
i'm waiting for secret garden to be done and i probably will watch this :D
i just can't watch 2 dramas at the same time T.T
my heart will just be split and i end up doing comparisons between the 2 dramas lol
plus i like to see the final judgement if it is good or not before i go to see the next drama
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22 Jasmin
December 16, 2010 at 9:57 PM
Still need to actually watch the show but DAAAANNNG Cha Seung Won sure is looking mighty fine. I'm just trying to control myself right now before I combust.
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Jasmin
December 16, 2010 at 9:59 PM
I won't even know what to do with myself as soon as Choi Siwon enters the story. I'm might need to watch this show with a defibrillator sitting right next to me.
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23 Lacus
December 16, 2010 at 10:02 PM
Thank you for the recap! Sounds like an interesting plot. Can't wait to read the Ep 2 recap and to see more Athena eps :)
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24 Getoba
December 16, 2010 at 10:04 PM
I think Athena has a better cinematography than iris; more movie, like dr champ. Dr champ use canon 5d, Athena use Red one. Both camera is the future of kdrama. Iris has make a mistake the last year to use a shitty camera.
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25 Kisa
December 16, 2010 at 10:05 PM
well the last statement on "flashbacks and romantic " seems to not be going away sorry but i do agree with you.
Thank you for the recap can't wait to read your recap for ep2
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26 caryatid
December 16, 2010 at 10:15 PM
love this JWS pic
http://i630.photobucket.com/albums/uu26/dramabeans/drama/2010/Athena/Athena01-00077.jpg
so dorky!!!! weeeeeeee!!!!:D
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27 amg01
December 16, 2010 at 10:17 PM
Kdj. As always thank you for your hard work!!!!
All I can say is that I am glad that the 2 Female leads are 100% better than "Kim Tae-hee", not that I want to bash Kim Tae-hee she is not as talented an actress as the "Girls from Athena", shes very beautiful tough.
I really like the first episode, Su Ae's character reminds me of Kim So Yeon's character, but a milder version of it, hopefully when Kim So Yeon appears she can have a "Proper Showdown" with Su Ae's characters!!!!!
: O }
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Vecchio
December 17, 2010 at 2:25 AM
I don't know. Lee Ejie doesn't compare to Kim Tae-hee and Su Ae (and other multitudes hot women in ATHENA will noname roles). I'm like, come on! Even the extras(?)/small role actresses in the show are better looking than her. She looks very blah. Thank god for Su Ae.
For me espionage and beautiful people go hand in hand.
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amg01
December 17, 2010 at 12:45 PM
I happen to disagree!!!!
"Lee Ji-ah' may not be as "Pretty" as "Kim Tae-hee", but there no way that Kim Tae-hee is a better actress than Lee Ji-ah, like I say Kim Tae-hee may be the prettiest of them all but acting wise IMHO she lacks way, way, way to much!!!!!!!
:O }
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Pat
December 18, 2010 at 11:52 AM
If everybody is beautiful its like watching a cartoon.
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28 ginnie
December 17, 2010 at 12:58 AM
Thank you for efforts! Been waiting to read this recap.
Can't wait to see who is the partner in crime!
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29 missK_dramaFans
December 17, 2010 at 2:06 AM
i kind of confuse here...dramabean will recap or not this drama?
today only 2 drama have been recap
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30 kit
December 17, 2010 at 2:21 AM
ooh this looks exciting. i wasn't too interested in iris, but this looks ... i dunno, more fleshed out. and i like the actors better this time round (my love for soo ae is never ending. basically anything with the haeshin/emperor of the sea cast i am willing to watch. >_>)
thanks for the recap! (oh and thank you and your partner in crime times a million for PP. i watched it all in one go a week ago when holidays started and ... +____+)
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31 LoveGFJB
December 17, 2010 at 4:41 AM
Cha Seung Won = hotness..* swoon...
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L'horreurD'Esther
December 22, 2010 at 10:45 PM
I thought I was the only one!...Ppl keep talking about Jung Woo Sung...it's the first I have heard of him or seen him. I don't think he's attractive at all. I also from ALL the characters he's just BLAH to me.
Now Cha Seung Won since "City Hall"....I cannot get enough of this man! He is just so smoldering....ugh. How can someone sizzle in such a sultry fashion. He's delicious.
Also his partner Su Ae...again never heard/seen her...but she's gorgeous in a sexy way, sophisticated way and an adorable way! She seems strong, calm, able and composed. Love it.
I cannot wait for Si Won! Again...ugh...hot!
As for Lee Ji Ah.....ugh....I saw and heard of her for the 1st time on "STyle" and she sucked sooooo bad...if it wasn't for Kim Hye Soo whom I just love to bits I would stopped way before ep.8. Also Ji Ah's nose bothers me and her voice ugh....I' giving her the benefit of the doubt for this drama...
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32 jojo
December 17, 2010 at 5:07 AM
Thanks for the recap Kaedejun. Said "WOW" after the bathroom fight scene...have hopes for this series...love CSW...
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33 dana
December 17, 2010 at 9:06 AM
thanks!
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34 Carinne
December 17, 2010 at 9:18 AM
Simple, I adore Jung Woo-sung's I desire, therefore I am look. So hot!
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35 Memei
December 17, 2010 at 9:50 AM
Ugh, bummer :-"
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36 le
December 17, 2010 at 11:14 AM
thanks. i like this cast better than Iris. how come the drama is on SBS not KBS like Iris, KBS World would be great now.
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37 vannie
December 17, 2010 at 11:59 AM
i would love to watch this but i haven't watch iris. i'm thinking i might miss too much references from athena since this is a spin off.
i was quite late when i started watching korean dramas but once i finished my first series i was hooked!
i guess i better start iris marathon soon!
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38 Dodo
December 17, 2010 at 1:03 PM
Most I watch Iris to be able to watch this drama?.
I relly relly like the cast in this drama, they have all the actors I like.
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kandy
December 17, 2010 at 3:38 PM
"Must I watch Iris to be able to watch this drama?"
I want to know too =)
Thanks for the recap K =)
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swui
December 18, 2010 at 12:32 AM
Well you don HAVE TO. But if you wanna appreciate the cross reference between the dramas (it IS a spin off), it is probably BETTER TO watch IRIS first. IRIS ain't that bad...watch it for Lee Byung Hyun if not for others...
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Dodo
December 18, 2010 at 7:34 AM
thanks for your replay and I will do as you said.
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39 gia
December 17, 2010 at 3:37 PM
lead actress is soso for the first 2 episode.
lead actors is stunning, hot
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40 moengk'i
December 17, 2010 at 4:12 PM
thank you very much for your recap, katie june, and in my very humble opinion, your recap is better than watching the episode (which i did)! that's a beautiful photo of su ae's jump, i wonder if she really did that? that's tremendous!
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Getoba
December 17, 2010 at 4:30 PM
It's normal if you seen it without subtitles, lol.
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41 ar
December 17, 2010 at 8:45 PM
Thanks for recapping this! It's good to use this as a reference guide when I watch the actual episode because so much is going on! It must have been really hard to recap!
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42 MsRetta
December 17, 2010 at 8:59 PM
CHASEUNGWON and Park Hyo Shin! Damn can't get better than that!! .
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43 lily
December 18, 2010 at 1:28 AM
hmm, so far it seems promising. Just like Kaedejun, I hope ATHENA won't dwell too much on flashhbacks (I hate flashbacks!!).
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44 sonje
December 18, 2010 at 3:20 AM
jung woo sung , jung woo sung, jungwoosung! * say for billion times! Major hotness.
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45 berrymonster
December 18, 2010 at 6:13 AM
cha seung won, Jung Woo Sung aja aja.
i love this song 'l love you' can understand Korean
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46 dalisay
December 18, 2010 at 6:41 AM
thank you for the recap! i can't wait to watch start watching it. i love all of the actors individually and seeing them all together in one series is just a dream come true. this is the most perfect way to end 2010. hehehe. athena *fighting* ^^
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47 aida
December 18, 2010 at 3:47 PM
Love it . . .
Cant hardly wait next epis0d . .
Even my siw0n n0t appear in first episod . .
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48 Eliza
December 18, 2010 at 7:17 PM
For some reason I find this show more interesting than Iris.
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49 Mel
December 19, 2010 at 2:51 AM
I was already hooked onto it within the first 15 min of watching! This is mega addictive! So good.
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50 fresh off the cargo
December 19, 2010 at 7:45 PM
from every perspective so far, this showl is head and shoulders above IRIS, the acting, the camera work, the overall appearances of the leads, the only thing that somewhat ticks me off is the fact it's a 'spinoff' of IRIS, the production should've made this a whole separate entity.
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Nancii
December 20, 2010 at 1:37 AM
i totally agree.....its like being forced to make connections with iris when it isnt!
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