Remember—Son’s War: Episode 7
by dramallama
The war begins, and Jin-woo discovers just how steep his downhill ride can be, trying to win this fight against the infamous Nam household. He’s stealthily made progress for a chance at a retrial thus far, but with a rich powerhouse as his enemy, he’ll need much more than his own willpower and memory. Although Jin-woo may seem untrusting, knowing the truth comes at a price, and he’s not willing to put others in danger for his own war.
EPISODE 7 RECAP
After entering the bar with Yeo-kyung, Jin-woo greets Gyu-man with a knowing smile. Gyu-man tries to deflect his familiarity, but Jin-woo follows him to return his cellphone. As Jin-woo hands over the phone, he gets close and whispers a warning that they’ll meet again soon in court. Dong-ho watches them silently.
Though Gyu-man leaves with his signature smile, he drops the façade in his car, noticeably angry about Jin-woo’s interference in framing the vice president. Dong-ho reveals the hand behind the framing job — President Nam — and Gyu-man seems surprised that his father would jeopardize his beloved vice president. But Dong-ho explains that President Nam has been doing everything to ensure that his power be inherited by his son. Gyu-man best be on his game. Then, Dong-ho gets a call from Joo-il asking to grab a drink.
When Jin-woo returns to his office, he’s cautiously approached by Boss Ajumma. He tells her that he coincidentally ran into Gyu-man (without divulging his premeditated plans), but just as everything is about to begin, his father can’t remember who he is. And he doesn’t want to force recollection, since it will only put Dad in more pain.
Boss Ajumma tries to comfort Jin-woo as he cries, telling him that memories last in the heart, not the mind. She believes that Dad remembers Jin-woo in his heart, even if he can’t recognize him. But those heartfelt words don’t stop Jin-woo’s sad tears.
As Dong-ho shares a drink with Joo-il, he sings a few lines of Cho Yong-pil’s “Dreams”: Where the world is a forest, where it is a swamp / No one says . Joo-il knows that Dong-ho is referencing Jin-woo and warns him to stop Jin-woo, since it’s no use trying to stop Gyu-man. But Dong-ho can’t stop a son from saving his father. Joo-il sternly reminds Dong-ho that the enemies of the Nam household are also their enemies.
At the breakfast table, Gyu-man starts to ask his father about the vice president case, and President Nam updates his son with a life lesson: People are just tools — when they become old, you have to change them. Case in point: VP Kang’s resignation has been processed.
The Nam siblings walk out to see their father off to work, and Yeo-kyung looks at her brother curiously when he opens the car door for their father. After President Nam leaves, Gyu-man tells his sister to avoid “that bastard Lawyer Seo,” but Yeo-kyung refuses, claiming that he’s a serious and skilled lawyer. She leaves him with a reminder that their father always tells them: Don’t lose your normality.
VP Kang hands Jin-woo the USB files with all of Il-ho’s secret funds, which is the payment they had agreed upon. He’s decided to leave the country, since his 30 years of loyalty to Il-ho resulted in betrayal. After all this lost time, he wants to be a real father and real wife to his family.
Jin-woo receives a phone call from an old man who saw the reward posters for witnesses in Dad’s framed murder case. He rushes to meet the man, who claims to have seen Dad looking lost with a bag in his hand on the day of the murder. He’s only now come forward because he’s been away at his son’s house and didn’t know the case was still unresolved. Jin-woo looks ambivalent, but the old man seems more interested in the reward money.
Gyu-man signs a major contract, which gets highly publicized. Afterwards, he asks Secretary Ahn why he thinks he invited all the big trustees to this event. It was to show his father that he’s capable of heading the company’s business deals. He’s a big boy now.
Lawyer Song asks Boss Ajumma how he got to know Jin-woo, and she laughs as she recollects what a rude scoundrel he was when she met him as a student. Their conversation is interrupted by In-ah, who drops by with flowers to congratulate Jin-woo on his new firm. Lawyer Song and Boss Ajumma peek through the blinds and hide away just as Jin-woo arrives.
In-ah greets him and asks what he’s been doing to cause the scratches on his face. Jin-woo responds by commenting that her worry for other people’s business is the same. He tells her that he’ll be filing for a retrial, now that he’s found a witness to confirm his father’s alibi. “I’m going to prove my father’s innocence for that noona… that noona…” Oh no.
Jin-woo abruptly stops mid-sentence, and In-ah finishes it for him. “That noona… you mean Jung-ah?” He snaps out of his thoughts and tells In-ah that he’s busy before leaving her downstairs.
Later that night, Jin-woo hides away the USB in one of his books, Boss Ajumma asks why Jin-woo didn’t tell In-ah everything. He says that he doesn’t want her to get hurt, especially since she was the only person to believe him and his father. This is his war.
Jin-woo runs into Prosecutor Hong after filing for a retrial and tells him that he’ll find the real culprit in this retrial. Prosecutor Hong seems to mock his young passion and lets him go on his way — he must be busy preparing for this trial.
Yeo-kyung catches the elevator just as it’s about to close, but she’s met with In-ah. They don’t seem too fond of this coincidental encounter, and In-ah asks when she became so close to Jin-woo. She comments that everyone’s interested in him nowadays. Before she leaves, Yeo-kyung takes a jab at In-ah’s loss against Jin-woo, thinking that was the reason for her interest.
Gyu-man summons Dong-ho and tells him that he’s still unsettled by Jin-woo. He wants Dong-ho to follow Jin-woo and keep him away from trouble. But trouble’s already on its way, as Judge Seok-gyu looks over the request for retrial. Seok-gyu sets up a meeting with Dong-ho through Gyu-man to ask about the murder trial, since Dong-ho was the lawyer on the case then. Though Dong-ho doesn’t comment further on the case, Gyu-man is clearly irked by the turn of events.
In the car ride back, Gyu-man regrets that he won’t be able to live nicely because of Jin-woo. With those scary eyes of his, Gyu-man yells at Secretary Ahn to order his guys and track Jin-woo’s trial progress.
In-ah visits Jin-woo’s father and introduces herself as a friend of Jin-woo. But he doesn’t recognize Jin-woo’s name and rejects the fact that he has a son. Shocked by the progression of his Alzheimer’s, In-ah storms into the prison doctor’s office to demand proper care of the prisoners. They’re human too, and she won’t let this malpractice slide.
As she walks out, In-ah runs into Jin-woo. He suspects that she visited his father, but she lies that she has no reason to — his father wouldn’t know who she is anyway. She leaves, and Jin-woo gets a message form Boss Ajumma about a key witness’s whereabouts. He immediately gets on his way.
It’s Dad’s co-worker who lied on the witness stand, and it seems that she’s been out of contact after immigrating to China. She’s staying with her daughter temporarily for surgery, and while the daughter runs back to the store, Jin-woo approaches the witness about correcting her wrongs against his father. She refuses to admit any wrongdoing, so Jin-woo spots her daughter and gives her a business card in case her mother changes her mind. Secretary Ahn watches the interactions from afar.
Gyu-man meets with Prosecutor Hong and the detective who forced Dad’s admission of the murder. Dong-ho enters the room and doesn’t look pleased to be at the same table with his once-enemies. The detective and Prosecutor Hong ensure Gyu-man that he has nothing to worry about while Dong-ho sits silently, giving them both a long glare.
As they walk out, Dong-ho tells Gyu-man that no judge would be willing to overturn such a drastic case, but Gyu-man worries because he knows the judge. Seok-gyu wouldn’t let anything stop him if he believed that something was true.
Next, Dong-ho comes face-to-face with his archenemy, Prosecutor Hong. Dong-ho finds it amusing that they both now work under someone, since Prosecutor Hong used to use that against Dong-ho. Although they were once enemies, they both work under President Nam now, so their partnership must be fate, Prosecutor Hong claims. But the looks in their eyes show that not a thing has changed about their rivalry.
Now, Dong-ho’s off to meet Jin-woo, which comes to a surprise to his assistant. He explains in the car that Jin-woo was a secret enemy to Gyu-man, but now that he’s publicly announced his retrial, Gyu-man won’t let this unfold. Jin-woo’s basically set up his own trap.
Jin-woo considers the second witness in his web of connections, and he’s met with Dong-ho when he exits his secret alcove. Dong-ho tries to persuade Jin-woo to stop making himself a target and explains that his father’s trial was set up to the very detail. There was no way to win. But Jin-woo isn’t about to show sympathy for Dong-ho, who faced no repercussions from losing Dad’s trial since Dad was poor and powerless.
When Gyu-man returns home, Secretary Ahn updates him about Jin-woo’s progress. Jin-woo’s found their witness who agreed to give a false testimony to frame his father, and Secretary Ahn hints at the slight chance that this woman could force a retrial. Gyu-man casually concludes that they should kill her and orders him to take care of it.
But Secretary Ahn refuses to kill anyone, even if it’s just by hiring a mercenary assassin. Gyu-man grabs a crutch and slowly walks towards Secretary Ahn. Beckoning him closer, Gyu-man throws a hard slap against his face and walks closer with his stick. Secretary Ahn begs, “Just hit me, if that will release your anger. But don’t kill anymore.”
Gyu-man smiles and asks, “Anymore?” He beats Secretary Ahn yelling anymore and beats him some more. When Secretary Ahn tries to convince his friend to stop, Gyu-man scoffs at his insistence that they’re actually friends.
Prosecutor Hong summons In-ah to scold her for interfering in cases with what she believes is the truth. Her ruthless claim about Seo Jae-hyuk’s (Jin-woo’s father) health has impacted the prosecutor’s office, and he punishes her by forcing her off all her current cases.
In-ah ends up with boxes of old unsolved cases. Her boss, Prosecutor Tak, erupts with anger, but In-ah calmly accepts that someone had to resolve these anyway. Over coffee, In-ah asks her boss about Prosecutor Hong. He tells her that Prosecutor Hong does however he wishes, especially after the Seo Jae-hyuk’s trial. Now he and the judge on the case have been promoted to hold even greater power. No one can confront that power easily.
In-ah admits that she wants to help in Seo Jae-hyuk’s retrial, since she’s learned that a prosecutor’s job is also to reveal falsely accused crimes. She still believes that he’s innocent, but Prosecutor Tak tells her to forget it.
Jin-woo approaches the witness’s daughter again and asks her to convince her mother, whose conscience should know that she’s committed a wrong against an innocent man. The witness overhears the conversation and looks conflicted.
Joo-il enters Gyu-man’s office, where company officials clearly older than Gyu-man are punished on their knees with their hands up. Gyu-man scolds them like small children and belittles them to do their homework. After they leave, Gyu-man greets Joo-il and asks for a favor, since the deed he’s requesting would leave make his hands dirty. Joo-il offers to forget this encounter, but Gyu-man knows his Achilles’ heel: Dong-ho.
Gyu-man laments that he’ll have to toss this deed to Dong-ho if Joo-il doesn’t comply, and no one would want that, would they? They’ve worked so hard to make it to this point, and they should know that their fates also lie in Gyu-man’s hands. Gyu-man threatens Joo-il with a smile, and it seems that he’s got no choice for Dong-ho’s sake.
Secretary Ahn meets Dong-ho’s assistant, who gasps at his friend’s bruises and instinctively tries to makes his way for Gyu-man. But Secretary Ahn holds him back, and Assistant Peach Fuzz acknowledges that he would lose. To lift his spirits, he forces something into Secretary Ahn’s hands despite his protests and tells him to stay strong. Then Secretary Ahn sees that it’s a free stamp card, not money. HA.
Joo-il enters an empty clock shop and asks for a repair job. He suspiciously hands over a thick envelope of money and pictures of our witness. The clock shop man has a blue lobster tattoo on his hand and clearly offers more services than clock repair.
Our witness gets a visitor at the door (ahh, don’t answer it!), but thankfully, it’s just Secretary Ahn. He talks to her in his car, putting on his best threatening face. He warns her not to meet Jin-woo, but she’s clearly divided on the issue.
Both Jin-woo and In-ah look over the trial documents through the night. Jin-woo lays in bed thinking back to a memory with his father: Dad asks Jin-woo to pull out his white hairs, and they bicker about the price for each white hair. Jin-woo agrees to do the job at half price, and the happy memory only makes present Jin-woo hold his mother’s ring necklace tighter.
The next day, Jin-woo visits Dad with homemade food. He’s close with the jail warden, who takes the taped envelope on the bottom of the lunch box as if it’s a regular deal. The jail warden tells Jin-woo that his girlfriend caused a ruckus the last time she came, and Jin-woo assumes it was In-ah who caused the scene.
Jin-woo introduces himself to Dad as his lawyer for retrial and offers the food. Dad seems reluctant but digs right in when he’s given permission, commenting on how everything fits his taste. Then, he asks Jin-woo about who he was. “In this place, they don’t remember the person, but the crime. I’m not the person, Seo Jae-hyuk. I’m number 3729, a criminal on death row. But I don’t know what kind of person I was.”
Tears brimming his eyes, Jin-woo tells Dad, “Seo Jae-hyuk, you were the world’s greatest father.” Dad seems shocked that he has a son but asks Jin-woo to relay a message to his son — that he’s missing his son every single day. Jin-woo cries, and Dad blissfully continues to eat.
The witness gets a call from her daughter about her overtime shift and promises to buy her dinner. Behind her, Blue Lobster Hand silently enters and pulls a string out of his watch.
Dong-ho greets In-ah in the courthouse, and she tells him that the truth he ignored will win in the retrial. But Dong-ho claims that the truth is subjective and dependent on those in power. There’s no such thing as an undeniable truth. But In-ah begs to differ, since Jin-woo’s father’s innocence is the Truth. Dong-ho shakes his head and says that in order to reveal the truth, one must have power. That’s reality.
Dong-ho waves goodbye, and In-ah turns to find Jin-woo, who’s overheard this encounter. At a café, Jin-woo confronts In-ah about her causing a scene at the prison. She admits to it, and Jin-woo laughs at her hotheaded actions. He’s already tried getting medical help through the prosecutor’s office, but he knows it’s no use. He thanks her for helping, but retrial is the only method left.
Jin-woo gets a message from the witness, agreeing to tell him what he wants to hear. He rushes to her apartment and finds the door slightly opened. He walks in to find the witness on the floor with a red line across her neck. She’s not breathing, and Jin-woo barely has time to process everything before the police arrive at the scene.
It’s our corrupt detective who greets Jin-woo and announces his arrest as a suspect for this murder. But Jin-woo knows he’s innocent and won’t fall for the detective’s act. Thinking quick, Jin-woo runs for the window, breaking the glass and landing hard on the ground. He gets up and makes a run for it, and a police chase ensues.
Jin-woo manages to lose the police trail, but he’s already been targeted as the suspect. His face appears on the news, and Dong-ho watches with shock, as does In-ah and Yeo-kyung. His law firm is the next target, and Boss Ajumma desperately calls Jin-woo. The police break into the firm and start searching the building.
Lawyer Song argues that the police are searching their firm without consent, surprisingly not stuttering as he makes his point. Boss Ajumma seems more worried about Jin-woo’s hidden alcove and demands that they go to the police station for an official search agreement.
As they leave the building, Lawyer Song complains that they have no need to agree to the search, but Boss Ajumma knows what she’s doing to divert attention. Jin-woo’s been waiting for the building to clear out.
As soon as they leave, Jin-woo runs into the firm to pack his things from the alcove. In-ah arrives right after and discovers his hidden room. She finds him scrambling for his things and sees the map of connections on the wall. She realizes that Jin-woo has been preparing to fight against Gyu-man since the trial, but Jin-woo has no time to explain. “I think I’ve been caught Nam Gyu-man’s trap.”
Dong-ho also arrives at the firm and walks in. When In-ah hears footsteps, she runs out of the room and closes the entrance before Dong-ho sees a thing. He finds it curious that she’s also at the firm after hearing about Jin-woo, and he asks where he is. Jin-woo silently waits from his hiding spot, and In-ah glares at him accusingly.
COMMENTS
I had such a bad feeling about Jin-woo’s approach to this retrial. Knowing Gyu-man’s perpetually angry self and anger management issues, I could only see Jin-woo’s attempt at retrial going downhill. The moment those crazy eyes come out, I know we’re in for a tough time. I wasn’t expecting a clean fair game by any means, but I don’t know how this can be fair for Jin-woo no matter how dirty he plays. He simply doesn’t have the means, the money, or the power to make the strides that Gyu-man makes with one scary smile. I guess that makes Jin-woo the ultimate underdog, but I actually want a bit more darkness in his approach to makes things more even. Go to hell and drag that crazy-eyed murderer with you!
I do find the turn of events more interesting, since Jin-woo will have to make moves on the run. I’d like to see Gyu-man and his crew be blindsided by the sudden attacks Jin-woo has prepared, since it would make their attempt at capturing Jin-woo counterproductive. I’m starting to see more cracks in Gyu-man’s rationale, especially since he’s trying to model his father. He’s already a weak and broken human (if he’s even human), and I pity how hard he tries to please his father. In his attempt to meet these lofty expectations, he’s definitely losing some loyal “tools,” as Papa Nam would call them. I applaud Secretary Ahn for standing his ground and choosing not to follow orders to kill. It made Gyu-man’s nonchalant attitude towards killing an innocent person all the more ridiculous, and I think he hit Secretary Ahn out of anger and possibly a bit a shame. If Jin-woo really knew who to target, he’d definitely be hitting up our poor abused Secretary.
On the downside (of many downsides), that small hint at Jin-woo’s memory loss had me freaking out because things could not be getting any worse for this one. But that’s just the moral of this vendetta: Just when you think things could not get any worse, Jin-woo can prove you wrong! *cries*
Oh my goodness, Dong-ho, please do something. You’re dropping some real advice like the jaded lawyer sage you are, but I need you to do more. His words to In-ah about gaining power to reveal the truth ring so true, but he doesn’t seem to be taking his own advice. I know his appeal is his moral ambiguity, but when he’s doing absolutely nothing to fulfill his promise to Jin-woo after claiming that their contract was still valid, I start to doubt his word. He’s already in this war, but if he refuses to make any moves from his position of power, might as well just sit on the sidelines.
RELATED POSTS
Tags: featured, Park Min-young, Park Sung-woong, Remember—Son's War, Yoo Seung-ho
Interview with Kim Yoo-jung
Hello Dramabeans series
![[2022 Year in Review] The Bean Count](https://www.dramabeans.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/beancount_2022.png)
Required fields are marked *
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
1 4drama
January 10, 2016 at 3:15 AM
True to your comments about everything! I'm worried for Jin woo and In ah, scared of Gyu man's lunatic tendencies. I actually cringes when he beat up his secretary.. I don't know if I can handle the dark sides of this drama.
Required fields are marked *
2 pw
January 10, 2016 at 3:36 AM
this drama is unlike the other great dramas this season.
it does not offer redeeming events within the week. you have to wait for the next week's episode to see something great happen.
it's unlike six flying dragons that presents problems and fully or partly resolves the problem while offering something new for next week. there's always something great or a redeeming moment in every episode of six flying dragons that you wouldn't feel depressed after seeing one.
Required fields are marked *
3 sonatine
January 10, 2016 at 4:10 AM
Reposting here my comment from the OT.
I need to rant here about people commenting about Jin Woo (Yoo Seung Ho) being too young for In Ah (Park Min Young) because it’s really starting to piss me off. He is a 22 years old young man (both in the drama and irl), not a teenage boy anymore no matter how baby faced he is and she is 29. If it was a 29sth guy with a girl in her early 20s, no one would bat an eyelash so the double standard is really getting on my nerves. I could understand when Yoo Seung Ho was 18/19 and acting with an actress nearly 10 years older than him but right now he isn’t a teenager anymore as hard as it seems to be accepted by some people who knew him as a child actor. Should a 30 years old actor with the face of a 15 years old never act with an older actress? At the end of the day, it’s all about double standard when it comes to older man/younger woman and the opposite and it needs to stop. Also, I don’t know about South Korea but in my country, you can be a lawyer at 23 (a friend of mine joined a lawyer office at that age) so it really doesn’t bother me but here as well, it seems that some people have a hard time buying it. Same with the young judge who seem to be in his late 20s (you need to be 28 to be judge in my country, so here again, no problem for me, he looks the part). Remember is far from being a perfect drama and there are tons of things that don’t work that can be pointed out (especially this week’s episodes which legit gave me an ulcer with how stupid both IA and JW acted) but the comments about Yoo Seung Ho’s age have to stop. He isn’t the little boy in the Way Home or the cute teenage guy in God of Study. 22 years old is the age most people finish college and start working. And about the romance aspect, here again, having my best friend (in her late 20s like me) who dated a guy 6 years her junior, it really doesn’t bother me and shouldn’t bother anyone. Personally, I don’t want too much romance in that drama but a good partner relationship with some obvious romantic undercurrents like Jang Nara and Choi Daniel in School 2013 would work really well here, especially since JW is a deeply hurt young man who really needs someone by his side. End of rant. I really hope the writers get it together by next week because the 6 first episodes had a lot of potential and I hope they don’t ruin it. Also, I’m really impressed by how much better PMY became. I never had anything against her but she was pretty bad in City Hunter, no matter how much I loved Kim Nana, especially in intense scenes but now I find her to be consistently good, so it’s nice. Same with all the actors so far, there is no weak line.
Required fields are marked *
marybethany
January 10, 2016 at 6:28 AM
wow... i loved you here, simply for waht you wrote.
sonatine!
finally, someone that share my view and can wrote that well.
i am NOT YSH's fan. so i am speaking very objectively.
i used to watch him playing his usual teen roles, so i know how well he acted before. and the lad truly breakthru with this role. I truly hated those comments that rant on his "excess crying".. which i found nothing really wrong. in fact YSH has this gift in delivered very sincere and low-keyed tearing scene.. he don't bawl like those Pop-star turned Actor hunks.. he don't delivered too dramatic scene.. in fact i loved the way he quielty gasped in pain when dad wouldn't even remembered when the necklace was shown ...
and KD land are so expert with Noona romance, is this the first time that we are introduced with Noona romance? Nope... and we really seen terrible pairing before in the past.
bot PMY and YSH? seriously? Must YSH always be paired with some girl-band group cute little pretty things? nope. i think his acting has matured to such length that he is able to measured beside a seasoned actress in the light of PMY, and i will kill anyone who say PMY looks old...! in fact i find PMY and YSH looks even more awesome than the King of all Noona Romance "I Can Hear your Voice" acted by Lee Bo Young and Lee Jongsuk. the only fault i can find in Remember is Writer didn't create much OTP moments to spice up a more developed natural process of what they develop feels for each other. both OTP are apt to emo in depth.
PMY has proven herself in Healer, to hell with anyone who doubted her abilities to act passionate realistic scenes. and YSH is damned good in kissing scenes... you just need to google.
Required fields are marked *
marybethany
January 10, 2016 at 6:35 AM
when the show just started not long, about 4 ep... some people ranting that IA looks like following him around, characters like not really developed,... some said its not realistic that she trust him so completely when bearly knew him...
ok, my takes is, they have been neighbours for many years. .so much that both parents actually knew each other, and IA has grew up very close to her dad, when Dad told IA that he doesn't believe that JW dad is guilty , somewhat that does help in convincing IA to trust the Seos. and when she witnessed herself the egg-throwing saga when mob nearly lynched JW.. .sympathy developed. sometimes love can originated from sympathy, and when they did communicated well. to know a person, you did NOT many year acquaintance, neither do you need a lot of talking. its all about how open you are to each other. and trust is just like love,, its something you can't explain. you can't explain why you love a person, jsut that you can't explain why u trust someone..
Required fields are marked *
marybethany
January 10, 2016 at 6:41 AM
Sonantine, you said "especially since JW is a deeply hurt young man who really needs someone by his side."
so right, because he is such a wounded soul. the more we wanted someone to love him as he is, to fill that gap in his heart. its not a Rom Com where we just laugh and forget the story. Thriller has this power to make you think some times after the show over. i want to believe that if such a person as JW exist, i truly want him to have a worthy love line.. because HE NEEDS IT>
i also have issue with people who promote, thriller dont' need romance. okay. normal thriller don't need romance. but when the Lead is as wounded as JW. i will hate the show when it over, if found that JW will be left alone, emptiied, even if he won the case saved the dad...he needs love and tender care to be complete.
ok, my rant also over. thks for hearing me.
Required fields are marked *
Tami
January 10, 2016 at 7:28 AM
Very well said and explained @marybethany, I just shrugged off the so many so called expert writers comments here. It's just like this If you you don't like the show then go on... Find another program that suits your taste. It's called a KDRAMA for Christ sake where unrealistic events are glamorized. It's all for entertainment purposes. If your not entertained anymore go watch Mr. BEAN
marybethany
January 11, 2016 at 11:50 PM
Tami,
when i gotten too discouraged, i wander to soompi forum "Remember War of the son" forum. there are more like minded chingus there. what happened to the good old beanie world...sad.
LOL... i liked your "go watch Mr Bean."
http://forums.soompi.com/en/topic/378228-current-drama-2015-remember-%E2%80%93-war-of-the-son-%EB%A6%AC%EB%A9%A4%EB%B2%84-%E2%80%93-%EC%95%84%EB%93%A4%EC%9D%98-%EC%A0%84%EC%9F%81-wed-%E2%80%93-thu-2155-kst/?page=75
camvan
January 10, 2016 at 7:31 AM
Oh you are talking my language! In Ah is 27 and Jin Woo is 23, which makes sense to YSH and PMY's looks in here.
Hope writer-nim develope more romance bwtween our OTP, too.
Btw, i do like YSH's action scene at the end of this episode when he jumps from 2nd storey o the ground to escape from the police.
Required fields are marked *
4 prettysup
January 10, 2016 at 4:16 AM
I literally did a double take when JW jumped out of that window, I was like what? He really jumped out? Am I seeing things?
Required fields are marked *
5 BA
January 10, 2016 at 4:17 AM
I saw ep 8 As well. I cant take this drama any more. I gave up on Yong Pal and never regretted and will do same with this. Did writers forget to research Alzhheimer's. Father remembers his fav foods but not his son? Ep 8 was even more frustrating to watch. RIP Remember. ?
Required fields are marked *
sonatine
January 10, 2016 at 4:26 AM
Didn't the dad say that after he had a taste of the food?
I don't have too many issues with the way they handle Alzheimer. From my experience with an old family member who suffered from that illness, it's definitely not clear cut. But anyway, my main issue with the drama so far, besides the fact that the writers don't give us any light in sight for JW, is things like NGM and his dad being way too one dimensional cartoon villains (even if the actor playing NGM does a very good job) and also repetitive flashbacks between JW and Dad who are way too cliche and cheesy. I don't have any issue with their meetings in the current timeline, but the flashbacks to how happy they were and how perfect things were need to stop. I'll keep on watching this drama, no matter how frustrating it becomes, because I hate NGM so much, I need to see him dead or in jail. And I really hope Dongho does something big to redeem himself, because right now he is seriously pissing me off.
Required fields are marked *
bmore
January 10, 2016 at 5:35 AM
EVERYTHING you said
Required fields are marked *
Miranda
January 10, 2016 at 10:00 AM
The food thing didn't bother me, both because he basically says "this is just how I like it" and because food is a constant that gets reinforced every day in a prison routine. It's very likely he's been eating a variation of some of those dishes and knowing he doesn't like the taste (Alzheimer's doesn't impact taste buds, as far as I know).
That said, I've decided that if at any time I think "This is just like Yong Pal" while watching a drama I should stop watching that drama immediately. Saves brain cells.
Required fields are marked *
mardybum
January 10, 2016 at 3:09 PM
And remembers his prisoner ID number.
Required fields are marked *
NewFan
January 11, 2016 at 5:26 AM
I've had a worrying number of relatives with Alzheimer's or dementia. My grandmother couldn't tell you what she did 5 minutes ago, but she could tell you everything that happened in elementary school. Only her short-term memories were affected. And if you were around her often enough, like daily, she had an idea of who you were, but not your name or relation. I had an aunt with several moments of lucidity, mixed in with total confusion, similar to Jin Woo's dad. It was a much slower progression.
Where they fail, and I think this is more with writing than research, is that people who get Alzheimer's young like dad did generally go downhill faster. So the fact that he's still more or less ok 4 years later (and even more, since he was showing signs before he got arrested) in jail where he's not being properly treated and there's all kinds of stress is weird.
Required fields are marked *
6 Pony
January 10, 2016 at 4:19 AM
I was worried that Jin woo would fall into another lawsuit that is of his framed crime of murdering the witness ajuma. Thank goodness the plot is a bit clever to let Jin woo to escape out of an arrest, then put him into living in the dark. With this clever twist, the drama has found a way to get out of a series of continuous lawsuits. I thank that.
I have conflicted feeling about Dong ho's lying low. The drama has revealed his lost in his youth where his father died and his being alone left after that. Should Dong ho understand the feeling of Jin woo in the same sorrow as him? Then why didn't Dong ho do something, I mean something of the kindness that he is still able to do rather than just only watching. The only thing I can find reasoning for his obedient attitude is that he was raised up in a world of gangsters where he even got caring but that world needs to survive no matter how.
Required fields are marked *
7 Emmygold
January 10, 2016 at 4:43 AM
Good to be back in drama land! This show is killing it... Just love every bit of the action! It keeps me glued to the sofa!
Required fields are marked *
8 Bongsookie?
January 10, 2016 at 5:14 AM
I'd like to give this show the benefit of the doubt for now since I'm still enjoying it. Hoping it doesn't turn out like Yongpal. Going to stick and watch more episodes before I can judge whether to drop or continue. ^^
Required fields are marked *
marybethany
January 10, 2016 at 6:13 AM
don't drop,,, dear Bongsookie.
its worth it. i actually went back to rewatch from ep 1... and confirmed it's worth it.
Both OTP are awesome, its just some weakness in the part of the a little rookie Writer.
so bear with the show, and support PMY and YSH. Jaebal!!!!
Required fields are marked *
Bongsookie?
January 10, 2016 at 10:24 AM
@mary
Lol, I am not dropping the drama yet since I like the cast and I trust the writer. It's the same writer who wrote The Attorney, and I happened to like that movie. It depends on my enjoyment, right now I enjoy it so I hope it gets better. After all I stuck with Scholar Who Walks the Night from start to finished despites the glaring plot holes.... So who knows. I only dropped Yongpal after episode 2 because I couldn't stand the unrealistic-ness of the medical side of things since I'm from that background.
Required fields are marked *
Bongsookie?
January 10, 2016 at 10:25 AM
^sorry for the multiple typos above
Required fields are marked *
9 Sajen
January 10, 2016 at 5:35 AM
Wasn't Jin-woo developing Early Onset Alzheimer's like his father in the promotional description? His hints at memory loss shouldn't really be surprising.
Required fields are marked *
10 marybethany
January 10, 2016 at 6:11 AM
Ahjummah: “Inah is worried a lot about you. Why didn’t you tell her everything?”
JW: “I don’t want her (that person) to get hurt. She’s the only one who trusted me and my dad. This is my war.”
JW should have told Ahjummah more info about how supportive was IA in the past, and the extra miles that IA ever went thru standing beside him. It always helps, to take a mature caring third party standing beside to see things more clearly, that she can sensed InAh’s genuine concern for the lad.” If anyone knew JW’s pressure and sacrifice to reach this stage where he can even own a company and 100% success rate in winning cases… its Ahjummah. I am counting on Ahjummah in the future to wake JW up in cases where he fall back to noble idiocy, and back off from IA.
and i'm also counting on Ajummah to be the light to shine upon IA in cases why JW couldn't remember anything crucial and even to tel IA of how important she is to JW. just like how important is Kim Mi Kyung Ahjummah in Healer played her role , in a very crucial way to bridge Junghoo and Youngshin... i want this ahjummah to be the bridge when needs comes.
Required fields are marked *
11 Juliette
January 10, 2016 at 6:27 AM
There's one part I don't really understand. Jin Woo was talking to In Ah in his office and he suddenly thought about this 'noona'. Is she Jung ah? Sorry I'm just confused as to why the special shocked face at that part.
Required fields are marked *
sonatine
January 10, 2016 at 7:47 AM
It's because JW forgot Jung Ah's name and it's a hint to him progressively losing his memories (which is a side effect of his hyperthymesia). It will obviously make things even more complicated for him if he starts forgetting more and more stuff and it's a pressure for him to act quickly (which may in fact explain why he acted so rashly and OOC in both episodes this week, now that I think about it)
Required fields are marked *
12 marybethany
January 10, 2016 at 6:43 AM
dear Warriors of the son<
no matter how disappointed we are at some developments,, please stay on... be patient. the actors and actress splendid acting really worthy of our supports.
it won't be as Yongpal.
Stay, please! Jaebal !!!!!!!!
Required fields are marked *
13 fanwho
January 10, 2016 at 7:58 AM
I was frustrated with JW this ep.
btw I just watched King of Mask singer (ep41), And what do you know- Kim Jin-woo (cute judge in Remember) sang so well -Daebak!
Required fields are marked *
14 Violeta
January 10, 2016 at 8:12 AM
I'm really liking this drama so far. The only thing that's bothering me and is a bit annoying is the portrayal of the whole justice system as bad, corrupted and one that puts innocent people behind bars if they don't have any connections or money - these days that's the only image of Korea's justice system being shown in dramas (I'm hoping it's not like that in real life).
I really detest and hate the character Nam Gyu Man - he's a real monster. Having seen many of "good" characters actor Nam Goong Min has played in other dramas, I'm really fascinated with him and admire his ability to show such a different person.
Required fields are marked *
15 ladyagnes
January 10, 2016 at 8:53 AM
U should follow remember on instagram,because he really jump from the Windows,I was shock,
Required fields are marked *
sonatine
January 10, 2016 at 9:14 AM
I saw on twitter and I thought it was really stupid from the staff to have Yoo Seung Ho do that dangerous stunt himself. If he hurt his body or his face, that would be a very bad thing for the whole filming. I'm all for actors to do their fighting stunts themselves because there is very low risk of serious injury but things like this week's scene should be handled by stuntmen.
Required fields are marked *
16 ladyagnes
January 10, 2016 at 9:10 AM
@BA,I don't know why u r complaining bt dis drama is far better than yong pal,u should RIP(am not calling death for you,LOL)
Required fields are marked *
17 NattieyNats
January 10, 2016 at 12:09 PM
Kim Nam Gyu is the face on the box of Evil Wheaties...
Required fields are marked *
18 sel
January 10, 2016 at 1:14 PM
This is such a disappointing drama. It has a few great actors - first and foremost NGM who is arresting, Park Sung Woon, PMY, and Lee Shi Un - but this script/story is inexcusably bad and JW (acting wise and as a character) is too weak to overcome the drama's issues.
There's logic missing everywhere (story wise, character wise), the drama writers apparently care nothing about the law despite writing a drama that's all about law & lawyers.
Like, the law is abominable, yet the show concentrates on it. All the lawyers' 'aha' moments are not as smart as they claim/want to be. Like the wedding ring defense - to pretend "but my client always wears his ring!" is a convincing argument is sad. And stupid. (And the drama treats it like it's a moment of brilliance.) ANY more effort might’ve made it better. They could've used the tan line on the client’s finger and suggested the hand in the faked video doesn't have that marking. Anything, they could've done ANYTHING, to make that scene less absurd without changing the plot – and yet.
Story-wise, the details are so weak. I feel like the writers care all about the “what happens” and not at all about HOW it does. But their not caring makes the drama fail, even when it doesn't need to. I.e. the story explains the incarceration of JW's dad so cartoonishly that no eye roll (however powerful) made watching it better - even tho it's not hard to believe that a powerless, underprivileged man is unjustly convicted of a crime he didn't commit. But they went 200% overboard.
Drama’s Reasoning for dad’s conviction: 1) policemen are corrupt 2) cabal of corrupt cops threaten him at gunpoint into false confession 3) prosecutor is corrupt 4) his first attorney literally CANNOT COMMUNICATE in courtrooms (wtf) 5) second attorney is corrupt 6) doctor-witness is corrupt 7) coworker-ahjumma-witness is corrupt -> innocent man jailed.
Wow, shit luck. And way too pat. Corruption in this show isn't even cool or interesting, it's just Evil Dad throwing money and stuffs around while having tea with everybody in sight. So ‘corruption’ really means 'Evil Dad controls everyone' and isn't that just a diluted deus ex machina? Or as clumsy as. Can't incompetence have a bigger part in this? Or just some subtler depiction of corruption that's less ham fisted and simple? Like when this episode had the cop and prosecutor dining with evil dad at Table of Corruption...why not just start a club & get buttons.
It seems risky that Evil Dad is so brazen/sloppy about his rather simple bribing methods. Imagine if Dong Ho was as streetwise as his pimp suits make him out to be and bothered to record their luncheon back in ep 3. Or if one of the many cops from the forced confession went to the media with shocking news on this high profile case.
Required fields are marked *
Youngmin
January 10, 2016 at 6:14 PM
@Sel I actually agree with everything you said. The writing is inexcusable. The chemistry between the leads lacking. I too enjoyed IHYV and Pinocchio. I think the biggest difference is Park Hye Ryun is an excellent writer who knows how to write a compelling script from ep 1 to ep 18. This writer however seems to have lost the plot along the way.
As for Nam Goong Min’s character, its hard not to compare it to Yoo Ah In’s in Veteran. Having seen it last year, it seems this writer probably saw it too and was duly influenced to create his own version. For viewers who have seen the spectacular movie, I find him his character to be a cheap copy. Its like copied down to the scratch - a secretary who cleans up after him, rich good looking chaebol who mistreats women etc. Only thing is Yoo Ah In is so good in recreating dozens of expressions. His Jo Tae Oh remains untouchable.
Required fields are marked *
sel
January 11, 2016 at 5:24 PM
Ooh interesting. Yoo Ah-In is beautiful and his acting is brilliant, Veteran sounds cool. I don't see many k movies, but if it's subbed I'll totally give it a watch, thanks for the rec!
Required fields are marked *
19 sel
January 10, 2016 at 2:32 PM
(2/2) (Okay this totally became a rant, sry guys.)
But yeah the sheer number of people taken in by Evil Dad is just staggering. It might've been more efficient to just bribe the judge, or the entirety of the jury, or both. (Feasible too, since odds of moral bankruptcy are strong in this one.)
Character-wise, also sad tale. TBH, I think JW is one of the weakest parts of the drama, acting-wise and just as a character.
What JW is supposed to be, I don’t buy. I can't believe him as a talented lawyer because the script can't support it (e.g. he won the latest court case replayed in the beginning (whyyyy) via an emotional play and the grace of drama-gods). And the complexity parts of his adult-character aren’t explained or given time or just done well.
I think YSH's acting has the same simplicity that the drama-world has. He's sad in the sad moments, tearful in the (hundred million) tearful moments, angry in the angry moments, etc. I feel like YSH only shows one emotion at a time, so his performance becomes cartoonish and lacks depth. He also just doesn’t work as an adult lawyer for me - he still feels like a kid, just in self-assured suits.
And just as a character, honestly I found him hard to root for by epi 5. I kinda hope he goes down now. They introduced him as an adult as this unscrupulous guy. In 5 when he brought down that family seemingly w/ no regard and told the crying girl to blame her lawyer - how is that different from the corrupt prosecutor on his dad’s case? It’s hard to pretend he’s sympathetic when the story is saying he made a career doing to others what was done to him (albeit likely on a smaller scale) in order to amass the power he needs.
This not idealistic-JW could be more complex if executed well. But there’s no time spent on his moral failings, and it’s played in such a one-note way. Even tho the depiction of Dong Ho’s betrayal had a shitton of problems on its own, we at least got to see moments of his internal conflict and regret alongside the resolve to do the bad thing. And that's what makes the character more complex and layered when he does do the immoral and betray his client.
But JW--he has a simple mask of partial-villainy in that scene, and nothing else. So more than create a complex character, it just makes him an asshole for a scene. A hypocritical asshole, which is more unlikeable. Like every time JW is indignant and bangs on about his injustice, it’s considerably less effective and actually makes me like him less since he is (with awareness it seems) becoming more like the ppl he used to hate.
Required fields are marked *
sonatine
January 10, 2016 at 3:08 PM
You're really trying to find faults to JW to justify your own hate. What villainy are you talking about? He may have been harsh towards the girl but his entire argumentation stood (both during the trial and what he said to her). He's a jaded young man who had to grow up too quickly with a dad on death row who can't remember him, if that isn't enough depth to explain him becoming darker, to you, then I don't know what you need. I read a few days ago that the drama was written with YSH in mind, precisely because they wanted him to be on the brink between innocence and maturity, whether you find his acting compelling or not, doesn't mean he's miscast. I agree with you on a lot of points you raised though but I still want to trust the writer. I hope that by next week, we will see more clearly where things are heading. About the VP's ring though, I thought the whole argument was that when he was arrested, he had the ring on him (and honestly, isn't it farfetched to think he would put it away just to rape a girl, because he fears his ring will give him away on camera and not everything else?). Once again, I think you're trying to find reasons to justify your own will to drop the drama (which by all means you should do if it doesn't do it for you). I have watched too many dramas in my life to count them all (both jdrama and kdrama btw) and while at one point, I couldn't take them seriously anymore because of how repetitive some things became to me (which I never noticed as a newbie), after taking a break from dramas for a few years, I came back with fresh eyes once again and can now enjoy them more. Maybe that's what you should do.
Required fields are marked *
sel
January 10, 2016 at 4:08 PM
I dunno, I don't think I'd hate JW, or want to drop the drama, without reason! Lol. I have no issue with JW becoming darker, I just think there are consequences to a character becoming darker, and that's losing some moral ground. More than that though, I think it's just not depicted/executed well, writing-wise or acting-wise.
And on his villainy, maybe I did overstate it - it's not like he made things up to frame that girl's dad or anything. But that thinking he displayed when he told her so coldly that if she's upset she should blame her lawyer, who lost - that response is both callous and philosophically problematic, like it's a game, and the right thing to do is win. Like, you can easily imagine the prosecutor of his dad's case having that same philosophy, and it wouldn't make much difference in his character. So things like that make JW a little villainous at least, I think.
His backstory explains his turn, sure, but I'm saying the depth isn't portrayed by the actor. Like with DH, when he betrayed JW, he wasn't a flat villain-guy, he was a morally complex guy who made a bad decision. We see that in the moment cos we see his conflict, and multiple emotions. But with the prosecutor or cop, for example, who are more cartoonish villains imo, they do the bad thing in this flat way with just an evil looking expression (cop) or like no expression (prosecutor). I feel like YSH's acting is flatter, and goes more the route of the cop and prosecutor. It doesn't show the depth he might have, which is why I'm saying I don't see it.
Your point about him being on the brink of innocence and maturity is really interesting, but my problem with YSH isn't his age, it's his acting chops.
About the ring, it's not like the VP was arrested immediately after the crime - we see Hana go to the police with a battered body. I assume there were at the least a few hours in between before they made the arrest, so having the ring on him (even if he didn't have it before) isn't inconceivable.
The ring didn't have to be put away cos he's raping a girl, but it could've slipped off, he might've put it in his pocket without reason, etc. Plus isn't it more farfetched to say the man in the VP's car is actually a VP double with a wig impersonating him in order to frame him, and you can tell because the double isn't wearing the wedding ring? I feel like believing the VP took the ring off or that it slipped off, etc. would be much easier to believe, esp. since it's just the VP and his attorney who say he never takes his ring off.
Anyway, I totally am articulating reasons why I feel like dropping the drama, but that necessarily doesn't mean I'm creating them where they don't exist. For me, analyzing drama is part of the fun. I see what you're saying about how you got jaded about dramas and felt better after a break, but I don't think being critical is a bad thing! It doesn't even stop me from enjoying a drama I'm critical of...
Required fields are marked *
sonatine
January 10, 2016 at 4:30 PM
The thing is that I disagree with you about YSH because I at least can see a lot of different emotions in his eyes at crucial scenes, even the one where he is pressuring Hana to say the truth which I just went and watched again after your argument and you can see the hope/expectation/doubt in his eyes while he's waiting for her to do the right thing. He is far from being my favourite actor (way too young for that since I started watching drama and Asian movies literally over a decade ago) but I think he has some of the most expressive eyes among the young actors of his generation. Something that Lee Jong Suk (my tall baby which I discovered and loved immediately in Secret Garden) doesn't have (I'm mentioning him since you mentioned ICHYV). I really think there is something of Won Bin in the way his eyes talk but of course he still hasn't reached his level (and may never, who knows). And don't come at me Won Bin's fans, I'm a huge Won Bin/Kang Dong Won Kimura Takuya/Fukuyama Masaharu's fan, so any mention of one of them by me, is a huge compliment to the recipient but in no way meant to discredit any of these 4 actors of great talent and charisma. Anyways, I said I wouldn't reply to you, but still ended up doing it but now I really have to go or I won't be able to wake up for work tomorrow.
Required fields are marked *
sel
January 10, 2016 at 4:17 PM
Shit I'm wordy.
Anyway, I Hear Your Voice had a lot of law aspects that were wayyyy less than stellar, but I still love it to death and enjoyed the hell out of it, and I think there were plenty of things it did really well. Pinocchio is a drama that I think had a lot of similar problems that this one has, but I enjoyed watching that one too and I know it had plenty of things going for it.
I think what I'm trying to say is that every drama does stuff wrong, and that doesn't stop me from loving it. It's just that in this drama I think the wrong parts overwhelmed what I like and still appreciate about it (eg most of the acting, a few great characters, the general thrill of wanting to see a few despicable ppl going down, etc.).
That all said, I do really appreciate your arguments/response! I have to thank you for bothering to read my giant rant LOL. <3
Required fields are marked *
sel
January 10, 2016 at 3:21 PM
(3/3. No excuses I APOLOGIZE)
Plus, Dong Ho is shown as a morally dubious guy and treated by the story as such, and by JW as a villain. JW is and was the hero we’re expected to root for. The drama can’t say he turned a little bad and keep him as the good guy - that’s like keeping ur cake and eating it too.
JW's own moral failings seem like they're set up to be excused. But we only see him helpless, crying at injustice for four episodes, and then suddenly as an unscrupulous adult. The sympathies I have for victim JW are with epis 1-4. Now, I’d like his dad out of jail and I wanna see In Ha succeed, and I want the girl from episode 5 to study law and come back in 4 years to target annoying-JW.
(Also, just a personal thing, but most of JW’s emotion-heavy scenes just annoy me now. I feel like I watched this guy cry so many, so many times, and it got tiring. And now I sorta wish he'd cry on the inside. Like with the replay of the court scene this epi, the actress playing the minor role was great in that scene, but I'm surprised that JW's (inappropriately) impassioned delivery left any space for her emotion to exist at all.)
Sighh. I was not happy, clearly. Watching this show pisses me off now, mostly by its incompetency and stupidity but also just by being ethically terrible - like the shittiness of the Hana case in epis 5 & 6, which I felt like had the implication that sexual harassment is impossible if the parties are romantically involved.
And I just don’t get so many things - like why that terrible stuttering lawyer is now working with JW (it’s hard to even look at that guy without hating him, so they should really explain how JW buried the hatchet with him), or why Dong-Ho, when he changed his mind cos his case got a little tough & betrayed JW, went and phoned in the ENTIRE rest of the case, sitting quietly like a total moron, which is basically telling the prosecution ‘TAKE IT ALL.’ Surely he could’ve lost better? The Evil Dad wanted a conviction of someone other than his creepy son is all. Couldn’t DH have lost smartly and at least tried for a more lenient sentencing then death row? Even if his efforts didn’t work - after being presented as a brilliant, world-savvy lawyer, I figured he would at least try that much. Like wth DH. I thought u were a creative rogue lawyer with a secret beating heart. You didn’t have to go the extra mile to screw over ur sad client.
Anyway, the show has at least Gyu Man to boast about, who’s a really, really great villain I think. Terrifying, believable, well fleshed out, and he feels fresh. (Credit for that should most likely go exclusively to NGM.) Soo-Bum is also pretty great, or Lee Shi-Un is at least. PMY is solid as usual, utterly lovable. I do hope they do more interesting things with In-Ah and Yeo-Kyung, who could have a cool rivalry. Yeo-Kyung in general I think has a lot of potential.
Required fields are marked *
sonatine
January 10, 2016 at 3:34 PM
Lol, Nam Gyu Man is everything but a good villain and that's not the handsome Nam Goong Min's fault because as most have said already, he's doing a great job with what he's given which isn't much. Which depth are you talking about? Dad beat him as a child and was harsh to him, so it explains him becoming a psychopath who can rape and kill people without batting an eyelash? Then, damn there must be a lot of rapist and killers out there. You want a good villain character, take Jin Pyo from City Hunter, a man you can never read, who you think has no heart left but still does, who can do the worst things in the name of revenge. That's a compelling villain to me, not that sorry excuse of a bad guy chaebol papa boy. Same with the detective, who makes no sense at all. Among the 'bad guys' I enjoy only DongHo and his hyung, because you can see in their eyes the doubt but also the determination. They do terrible things and you hate them for it, but you still understand. Anyway, I won't change your opinion, but about the stuttering lawyer, we are only on episode 8 and just like we were finally given some backstory for JW and the manager's relationship, I'm sure the writer will explain how JW came to work with that guy.
Required fields are marked *
sel
January 10, 2016 at 4:54 PM
I think he is a good villain! He's not necessarily like super complicated in the moral sense, and no his dad hitting him doesn't make him sympathetic. He seems pretty clearly sociopathic, but I think there's good explanation for that - not just his dad beating him, but the perverse philosophy he teaches him, the atmosphere of the home with the regularity of brutal violence, the treatment of underlings like they're subhuman - that's enough for me.
Plus I feel like they show his insecurities in a great way. Like he's introduced as having beat this guy up in a rage after the guy punched him or something, and Gyu Man basically says the guy embarrassed him in front of his friends, and that's why he's thirsty for revenge. His rage directed at the girl too happens after she cuts him - I feel like that shows consistently, and NGM shows so well, how dangerous his insecurities are and how destructive his rage is. And I feel like what makes him go crazy when he's hit isn't the blow but the insult which is kinda a challenge to his power.
It fits with his dad since it's obvious Evil Dad doesn't care at all about kindness or values most people think are important - he cares about power. He only punishes his son for doing something that makes his position tenuous, but not for committing a wrongful act. And Gyu Man clearly idolizes his dad.
There's nothing to ever rein him in because he's lived his life with an excess of power and isn't often punished for going too far, it's his privilege to go as far as whims desire.
I think there are subtle consistencies in Gyu Man's character that really show his thinking, however warped. It's not in your face but all his scenes work to make a character that I buy.
It's not that the idea of this horrible spoiled rich kid with daddy issues is groundbreaking, but I think it's done really well and really believably, especially the acting. Plus in most TV/dramas, if the chaebol guy is the villain then I feel like he tends to be more of this psychopath, feel-nothing variety who tricks people with all this charm. So this villain, who doesn't trick everybody around him, is more fresh-feeling to me and just fun. Like Soo-bum says flat out in this episode "it's not just a bad temper, the guy has a disorder," which is a great alternative to the villain that somehow tricks everybody, and it's consistent with Gyu Man who clearly can't keep his shit together and control his emotions and rarely bothers to.
Anyway, he's a good creation I think, and NGM more than pulls it off, he's captivating in this role.
Jin Pyo is a fucking fantastic villain (one of my all time favorites, along with that drama, so no arguments from me there) but he's a totally different sort of character/villain. Maybe he's more complex, and he's certainly someone who keeps you guessing, but moral complexity isn't necessary for all good villains. Some can, I think, straight up be bad. Just has to be done well.
Required fields are marked *
sonatine
January 10, 2016 at 3:49 PM
"Also, just a personal thing, but most of JW’s emotion-heavy scenes just annoy me now. I feel like I watched this guy cry so many, so many times, and it got tiring. And now I sorta wish he’d cry on the inside. Like with the replay of the court scene this epi, the actress playing the minor role was great in that scene, but I’m surprised that JW’s (inappropriately) impassioned delivery left any space for her emotion to exist at all."
Well, now I know for sure, you're just hating for hating and it will be the last time I reply to a post you make even if you come in future threads. That whole scene was great because it allowed both JW's passion and Hana's emotions to exist. You can see on her face, how things happen, especially once he has finished talking and she turns to look at VP's family and then sees her dad. Did you miss that part of the scene? I really feel you watch this drama on fast forward and misses a lot of elements and then complain they don't make sense or complain about things that can still be answered later without being contrived, seeing as the drama heavily relies on flashbacks. As for Hana's case, the point was that she lied in a previous case as well and settled for money which obviously would be used as an argument against her in this case. Women like her, as much as I pity her and am happy she was able to get her mom surgery, are the reason women who are real victims of sexual violence often don't come forward because of the fear they won't be believed. Each time, a woman lies about being raped, she makes it that much harder for real rape victims somewhere in the world. Anyways, I posted way more than I intended in this thread and now am off till the next episode.
Required fields are marked *
sel
January 10, 2016 at 5:17 PM
HAHA things took a turn.
Well I'm not hating for hate's sake, I really just got tired of seeing him cry... Negative reactions are valid too.
Everything about her dad, yeah I saw. I didn't watch on fast forward unfortunately, but only cos I didn't have the foresight to realize it'd save me a headache.
That emotion of that worked fine, I said before i think her acting was great in that scene. But JW's passion in that scene seemed kinda silly, not to mention unprofessional (as shown by the judge condemning him like 6 times in the background to no effect...as tho the judge is just ceremonial role). I also think JW banking his case on the hopes that she'd react to his needling and admit she lied cos of her conscience adds a lot to the silliness.
On Hana's case, they never proved that she lied on the previous case - that was my issue. They basically said she was involved in another sexual harassment case which had a settlement - which shouldn't be used against her, because settlements do not mean that one party lied. It means there was a settlement. Assuming as JW and most the court did that she lied in the previous case just because she was in a relationship with the professor and there was a settlement is deeply problematic.
The rape victim thing is a lot to go into, but obviously it's a horrible thing to lie about. But it's also an extremely rare occurrence, despite how popular it is on tv.
Required fields are marked *
maryofbethany
January 11, 2016 at 1:07 AM
sonatine, dear Warrior, (yes, you're almost a Warrior on the Son's behalf)
okay, i have been reading and not joining in the "anti-ranting" saga... as it rolls on... till its too enormous a snowball... then i decided, no point throwing in pearl to "****", my 2 cents worth is useless when people just set their mind up long ago... so, Sonatine, quit it.
and welcome to join the Soompi forum site where like minded chingus still apprecate the Son and his warriors... the show is not without flaws, in fact many are cited here... but you and me knew, the Actors and Actress alone worth the patient to stand by and give the Writer a chance.
Sonatine, if you read this, please come and chat together at Soompi... Dramabeans is my "original homeland" where i find refuge and swoon KD, i always read and seldom shares..... but not like this. whatever anyone shared, if the Actors and actresses are awesome, it will NOT change the fact, and there are OTHERS OUT THERE
Required fields are marked *
maryofbethany
January 11, 2016 at 1:14 AM
whatever anyone shared, if the Actors and actresses are awesome, it will NOT change the fact, and there are OTHERS OUT THERE who will appreciate them. so ,
let's agree to disagree.
my one plea to the Others chingus... kindly just be patient and sit thru the vigil, don't go yet. you know yourselves are gracious enough to give Remember some more chances, who knows, you may change your mind and will be glad that you didn't really drop "him" after all.
anyway, sorry for intrude.
(huh... i am not YSH's fan, just like sonatine herself, I just think YSH who acted JW at this moment, deserve MORE THAN THIS!)
maryofbethany
January 11, 2016 at 1:16 AM
sonatine, for you:
http://forums.soompi.com/en/topic/378228-current-drama-2015-remember-%E2%80%93-war-of-the-son-%EB%A6%AC%EB%A9%A4%EB%B2%84-%E2%80%93-%EC%95%84%EB%93%A4%EC%9D%98-%EC%A0%84%EC%9F%81-wed-%E2%80%93-thu-2155-kst/?page=1
maryofbethany
January 12, 2016 at 5:27 AM
to a Warrior of the son, sonatine, shared this with you, something i wrote somewhere....
some condemn JW's acting or IA roles redundant, or Writer's incompetence, condemn Noona romance.... but the very thing we condemn may actually be something that really hit at someone's thorn in the flesh, salted their weak spot. Noona romance is something real and present in our daily life, i believed some among this site may even experience some noona romance or noona marriage and truly enjoyed it themselves, or even been a victim of society's discrimination against noona romance once. personally i find noona romance a part of us already. i am surrounded by very capable matured single ladies, its something very real and a thorn in "our" flesh.
i am rewatching the whole thing to prove to myself, that i do not want to side the OTP or their acting just for favoritism.
found i esp liked that scene at ep4, JW filmly insisted on paying respect to JungAh's dad, he braved the mob and broke down in choked coarse voice, whispered, "I’m really ….really…really sorry…I’m really sorry. I’m sorry….” just a few simple words repeatedly whispered... he was sorry, he wouldn't catch the culprit for Jungah, so much so that even ahjusshi had to die with regrets not knowing the truth... just this weeping scene alone. he delivered it with great taste, and class, and sincerity.
speed to 4 yrs later, some said these scenes where he visited dad was "cut and paste" scenes very boring? seriously? can we not take one scene at a time, and digest it....
each visit, was re-digging into his Open Wound, and another round of acting happy and normal... those who doesn't act happy constantly infront of people for survival, will not understand, sometimes to ask you to smile and laugh infront of your loved ones is worse than cry before them. His weeping is even more refined than those loud/dramatic wept displayed by many K A-listed hunks.
the One that he came to comfort don't even needs his comfort, to be step by step forgotten by your dad, to have memories little by little drained away, and waiting that impending horror of his complete lost into another realm. It's like. today i entered into that visitation room, will today be that day , he finally wouldn't ever remembered me?
every mentioned of "do i have a son?' is a stab into his heart. to ask a 22 yrs old actor to deliver such scenes. that every one of these scenes, to have self controlled, not to be overly dramatic, to achieve "Act Less for More effects". to make every crying scenes more and more intense... Ask ourselves, can the awesome idols that we always loved delivered such delicate emo? i start watching Remember because my Chae Youngshin in it, then i discovered YSH actings alone, worth ignoring all the flaws Remembers carries and fight the war alongside him.
20 BA
January 10, 2016 at 2:36 PM
@Sei Agree 1000%. So many lapse of logic!. That is why I gave up after 8th. And JW, I have seen him act better in prv dramas. He does not fit his role...way too many crying scenes even after he became "all grown up".
Required fields are marked *
sel
January 10, 2016 at 5:20 PM
Right?! LOL I'm probably heartless, his backstory is tragic enough to explain all the tears...
But there too many. I'm like desensitized to his sad eyes now, despite how puppy dog they are.
Ik most frustrated ppl probably stopped watching already, but I'm glad we've like mind haha! ^^
Required fields are marked *
ET
January 10, 2016 at 9:43 PM
You are not heartless or it just makes us two. I confess I felt strange about feeling the very opposite to what drama wants to milk from me. This is the first time I have such a reaction to an actor crying. Usually if he's bad at crying, I will laugh at the fake tears or over the top face scrunch. If he is good, be it straight out bawling or restrained crying, even on the inside, my heart feels ripped.
I think YSH cries easily and that in itself is a happy problem. What he needs to do is to restrain himself. And for goodness sake, don't scrunch those eyebrows! We know you are sad. Very Sad. Let's take those meetings with Dad in prison. How about try some stoic expression, barely giving away the torrent of sadness beneath, a little tremor in the cheeks or chin?
Maybe it is the PD's fault? A good one should be able to guide the actors. I still think YSH has potential, he just needs guidance and not encouragement in the wrong direction.
Required fields are marked *
Airen95
January 11, 2016 at 6:06 AM
Cant agree w you more . I normally found it " fake" when seeing crying sence , but this is the first time , i really had a goosebum at YSH crying !!
Required fields are marked *
Adal
January 11, 2016 at 7:23 AM
@ET LOL.
I find it hilarious that everyone is as ticked off at YSH's crying scenes as I am.
Honestly, pre-army, I was practically in love with the boy. But the crying scenes are dulling my love for him - somewhat. I still have hopes though.
I would've dropped this drama if it was anybody else but him playing the role of the protagonist. And the plot is doing NOTHING for me, the whole thing is becoming deadly dull. Fingers crossed that the writer will redeem himself/herself in later episodes.
Required fields are marked *
sel
January 11, 2016 at 4:52 PM
"I find it hilarious that everyone is as ticked off at YSH’s crying scenes as I am."
LOL exactly my reaction, this is great.
@ET "How about try some stoic expression, barely giving away the torrent of sadness beneath, a little tremor in the cheeks or chin?"
Also amazing. Ik ur being serious but this detailed suggestion cracks me up. Ur right tho, it's not that he's bad at crying, it's more that the amount becomes less effective after a while.
21 Julzevias
January 10, 2016 at 2:45 PM
This drama always seems to be missing the spark that makes others fly, and this may not be the actors fault but good actors forced into unsuitable roles. I don't know.
I feel like they spend waaaay too much with the setup(they really don't need to contribute one entire episode to introducing characters and letting enemies bark at each other). This puts a damper on the whole show and slows it down considerably, especially when we're waiting for Jin Woo to bust everyone evil up.
I suppose the one interesting fact is that Jin-woo IS practically in a corner and it'd be interesting and amazing to fight himself out of that. However, when that time comes, the plot'd better be believable.
As for In-ah, I've mentioned this in a previous comment but I was afraid she would become too much the side character. Granted, this is mostly about Jin Woo's mission rather than, say, romance, but wouldn't it be so much interesting if In-ah actually did something? Like something important? Pretty please?
In regards to the memory loss, I'll admit I don't remember the parts where they hint at it, but anyway, Jin Woo has Hyperthymesia, a disorder which can allow him to recall every single detail in his life. I'm not sure if they're going to base the show off the real disease, but if they are, his memory loss can be attributed to two things: 1) he may "lose" his memory because usually, super memory starts at around the age of 10-11, and he could have no recollection before that, or 2) he goes into stress overload(more fictional than fact). Thoughts, anyone?
Required fields are marked *
22 Adal
January 10, 2016 at 3:53 PM
I was hoping that the plot wouldn't be driven by the stupidity of the protagonist, so for Jin woo to fall into a murder conspiracy plotted by Mr. Crazy pants is a big blow. Note to self: be careful when walking into an apartment with its door wide open, you never know what's on the other side.
Required fields are marked *
23 camvan
January 10, 2016 at 4:38 PM
it's interesting that Yoo Seung Ho killed detective Kim in Missing You, whi is his dad in Remember.
And what? He fights against the same evil dad in both series! ^^
Ep 8 is more intersting than ep 7. I hope that it will become more interesting this week.
Required fields are marked *
24 Shannie
January 10, 2016 at 6:29 PM
Honestly, the plot needs some work. I'm just worried that the scriptwriter is going to dig too big a hole to come out of.
However, I still enjoyed the drama and I look forward to it next week. I hope the drama will work out the kinks in the end.
Required fields are marked *
25 ET
January 10, 2016 at 7:30 PM
@sel, thank goodness for your rant, lengthy or not. I have not been reading recaps and comments about this drama so I have no idea what has been raved or ranted. All I know is that my frustration has been growing every week and I thought I was alone.
I am very forgiving on drama plot holes, plot conveniences, lapses of logic etc. This drama surely tests my limits. Let us take this episode for example. Why does Secretary Ahn stick to psychotic Nam Gyu Man? It would be so much better if the drama shows why he is in this job even though he risks being beaten to death every single day. Is he being paid 100 times the market rate? Is he in debt? Is he secretly in love with his master? Will he get killed if he resigns? I want to conclude at the last reason because Secretary Ahn seems to be a morally decent bloke. Yet, drama shows very little of his inner struggle except to tell his master not to kill anymore. He is always cheerful or scared of being beaten. I am forced to conclude that Secretary Ahn is stupid. He is like most of the characters in this drama - one dimensional. Although this is just a side character, it shows how lazy or bad the writing is. It would be a lot more interesting if the drama made Secretary Ahn as someone who is currently powerless and doing Gyu Man's biding but will turn at any good opportunity. I don't find the scene of him and Sang Ho funny. The fact that the drama made light of the situation show their poor sense of humor or lack of taste.
The villains in this show are so flat. I think Nam Goongmin is doing a good job but he has so little material to play with. The drama does not bother to develop any character and this is why as a viewer, I cannot feel for them even for the good guys.
So, I wasn't the only one to get turn off by Jin Woo's excessive crying? It appears that the drama wants to manipulate viewers' emotions by wringing tears but it is not working for me. There are dramas in which the characters cried less and I bawled like a baby. Part of the blame goes to the writing which is totally heavy handed. The rest goes to Yoo Seung Hoo.
As @sel said, his acting is simplistic. It makes his character, Jin Woo harder to root for. It is already bad enough that drama has written Jin Woo as half dumb and half genius. Initially, I thought it was because YSH has only one or two expressions. @sel really hit the nail on its head when she said YSH has one same expression for each emotion. In his scenes with Dad, it is always Jun Kwang Ryul who makes me feel sad. Even the happy moments in the flashbacks have less impact because Jin Woo flashes the same wide smile. Tone it down, vary it and the results would be so much better. Let the scene speak for itself.
Park Sung Woong is fast becoming wasted in here. My frustrations with Dong Ho is growing by leaps and bounds. That slimy, color blind, fashionista wannabe rogue lawyer was what enthralled me in the earlier episodes. I am persevering just to see him...
Required fields are marked *
ET
January 10, 2016 at 7:31 PM
I am persevering just to see him kick some ass. He better start soon because my patience is wearing thin.
What is this comparison with other dramas? I Hear Your Voice is far better than this drama although the legal bits were just as unbelievable. I am ambivalent about noona-dongsaeng relationships as long as it works. Visually, I do find that YSH and PMY look good together but the problem lies with the acting. It is not so much that YSH looks like a boy but rather, his acting in this role makes his character juvenile. For In Ha, I could sense the change in the character from a flighty schoolgirl to a grown up serious prosecutor. For Jin Woo, he is still the same. Only his wardrobe has changed.
Required fields are marked *
pearl
January 10, 2016 at 8:11 PM
I agree. I'm so pissed off by the crying scenes. Non stop crying and over the same thing over and over again like a broken record.
PMY has always been a fine actress so she holds it on her own despite the shallow script she has to put up with. YSH I really do like him but they created a dud character for him and frankly no amount of good acting can redeem a shitty script.
One of the posters above said that his/her fears the writer might have dug for him a hole too big for him to crawl out of. I agree 1000%. I don't know how they plan to let him address a crowd, be safe after the crap they just dumped on him.
I'm dreading the Alzhemers theme coming up. How much more dung do you want him to eat. And I thought that was a stupid premise to begin with... with the writing in the last few eps... stupid becomes ludicrous.
I HATE THIS WRITER. STICK TO SHORT FORM PLEASE.
Required fields are marked *
pearl
January 10, 2016 at 8:13 PM
Better still... please hire some help while the ratings are clinging on barely to the top spot. This writer - CMI
Required fields are marked *
sel
January 11, 2016 at 5:07 PM
@ET Oh good point about Secretary Ahn. I'm not that turned off by his character yet, maybe just cos I feel like he's being played so well, but I do definitely want answers eventually. To add to ur questions, I'm also curious about how he feels covering up the murder of the girl, cos she was there thru him right?? Weren't they friends?
I'm in the tiny minority who likes the spoilt shit-kid villain! (I mean likes as a villain...not in any other way, gross.) I think I just love this archetype being fleshed out better. Sometimes I just like a good vanilla villain - nothing complicated, just straightforward guy-to-hate. Idk tho maybe I'm really just tricked by the great acting...
Also great point about In Ha, the adult version does lack the flightiness she had before. I still think she's adorable. TBH I totally want her to get with the judge guy LOL. He could easily be bland, but I'm not feeling bland yet and I love the little we get of him as this sweet & idealistic man.
Required fields are marked *
sel
January 11, 2016 at 5:09 PM
Also, yes, I've been dreading that from the start! There are so many problems already! I'd way rather go for depth not breadth, and dive deeper into the existing shit then drudge up more. (Lolll how much dung indeed.) All these problems are overwhelming.
Required fields are marked *
sel
January 11, 2016 at 5:17 PM
(@ET also you are the sweetest, thank you!! <3 For reading any of the giant rant and like generally agreeing/disagreeing w/ me without hating me, I appreciate it.)
Required fields are marked *
ET
January 12, 2016 at 7:53 AM
LOL, no need to thank me. We are just discussing dramas, aren't we?
Required fields are marked *
26 lemonysnicket
January 11, 2016 at 1:19 AM
I finished both Yong-Pal and The Time We Were Not In Love. I think I'll be sticking with this drama to the end. LOLOLOLOL.
And it's not THAT bad, really. YSH is a good actor (oh , the horror that I think so!) and I'm hopeful there will be some good stuff revealed as to why Dong Ho is acting the way he is acting.
Required fields are marked *
27 Affie
January 11, 2016 at 9:07 AM
I really like this drama! I was gaga over Yong Pal too! I'm smitten with PMY here than I ever was in City Hunter or Healer. YSH is cool enough thus far. The drama is really entertaining me thus and I love to be entertained...even if things get a bit mindless!
My comment about the age gap is that it's pretty obvious... And I think it's YSH's fault. I find him and his actions quite impulsive and foolhardy thus far... He should know by now that Nam is a piranha... And that he needs to find some sharp teeth of his own if he wants biting NamGyu Man to hurt real bad! Plus, speaking on the OTP moments, YSH and PMY do have enough chemistry to sizzle up the screen but I believe the writer isnt giving us enough OTP moments becos YSH has become very much obsessed and occupied with his father's vindication. And it's a bit unnatural for YSH to keep under appreciating everything that PMY on one hand and saying he doesn't want her to get hurt on the other hand, without betraying fondness for her. So basically, he needs to step up his concern and I'm sure that's gonna happen in upcoming eps!
I love that the underdog nature of YSH is as apparent as a forest fire in the drama but we need to feel a sense of him being able to accomplish something in the end!
This is where Dong Ho can really impress me! Seeing Jin Woo as a youngin.. He has teach some new tricks or better tricks...a protege absolutely will greatly help with our re-assurance that the devil will get his due, than his current one-leg-in, one-leg-out pretence of a facade!
All in all...I'm enjoying this enough and sticking it out! Thanks for the recap! Can't wait for ensuing eps! :)
Required fields are marked *
marybethany
January 11, 2016 at 11:59 PM
"YSH to keep under appreciating everything that PMY on one hand and saying he doesn’t want her to get hurt on the other hand, without betraying fondness for her. " you said.
yes, i think i knew all along something is missing here... that's the thing, OTP natural consistent flow.. while we don't really needs sizzling hot moments of OTP physical contact... we needs to see a steady flow of affection growing.. need to see the fondness development... need not be too wordy.. but enough leaves to imagination, some longing gazes, or waiting for phone calls... some getting jealous moments.. these are what KD expertise in , and is what missing here.
while i just hope JW will appreciate IA a little more, and allow her to know, that JW is not without feels.
and this OTP is far from incompetable. both Leads are very seasoned Pro actor/actress who ever delivered very affectionate emotional scene before. that little age gap is nothing compared to those very ill-paired ones in the past. JW can emote well, and when he got serious, he will look years beyond his actual ages. actually i read this very role was tailor made for him.
Required fields are marked *
28 Kween Ramyeon
January 11, 2016 at 12:08 PM
This drama confuses me. The tone is all over the place in extremes. It's a legal drama but the court and the law are shown as preposterous. There's a secretary that gets beaten severely, but then goes on to have a comic scene talking about it. And so on... Someone needs to put down that rabid dog of a mad rich boy...
Required fields are marked *
29 ryanlee
January 11, 2016 at 9:22 PM
Love him, Seo Jin Woo
Required fields are marked *
30 ryanlee
January 11, 2016 at 9:23 PM
I like Remember very much. It has good story and excellent actors .
Required fields are marked *
31 angelajungxx
January 11, 2016 at 11:28 PM
OMGGG
Badass *squeals so hard*
[want more romance with the OTP ] !! ! !!
Jin Woo is so hot and In ha is so pretty
I love the epic action and all but i wish there was maybe one ep with a calmer tone and more cuteness!
Brings back the vibes from City Hunter !
Cant wait for the next episode and next recap ahahahah
Required fields are marked *