Circle: Episode 5
by tineybeanie
After being led around in circles about who the villains may be, we get some solid answers at last! The momentum definitely slowed down a bit this episode, but it was a good break to let us catch our breaths and process all the information being thrown our way. As the mystery in Part 1: Beta Project is slowly being revealed, it seems like the intrigue in Part 2: Brave New World is only growing deeper.
EPISODE 5 RECAP
Part 1: Beta Project
A student, PARK MIN-YOUNG (Jung In-sun), walks warily down the street, suspicious of every CCTV and phone camera. She pulls up her hood to avoid exposure, but that doesn’t stop two students from taking a selfie in front of her, leading her paranoid self to believe they’re recording her.
She arrives at the gates of Handam University, convinced that she’ll find the answers she’s looking for here. She beelines toward a public memorial shrine for one of the recently deceased students, and begins telling the people nearby that this is part of a series of murders, not an isolated suicide.
With her frantic eyes and rapid speech, it’s no wonder that the students, including Sunbae Lee, conclude that she’s a lunatic and begin taking photos of the spectacle she’s making of herself. Although she yells for them to stop, they keep clicking away, but just then, Bum-gyun steps in and shields her from the crowd with his jacket.
Bum-gyun tells her that he believes her and that he knows the culprit is an alien. As they escape underneath the protection of his jacket, the two introduce themselves in a sweet moment.
That was a while ago, and now Min-young insists to Woo-jin on the existence of aliens, and that Han Jung-yeon is one of them. When he becomes frustrated with her, much like how he was with Bum-gyun, she shows him a picture of Jung-yeon with a suitcase that has a little toy star on it. His eyes widen immediately—to him, this is proof that Jung-yeon is really the alien who lived with him and his brother when they were younger.
After leaving Min-young, Woo-jin returns to Jung-yeon, who’s waiting nearby, and grabs her by the shoulders to demand answers. He shows her a picture of himself as a child with his brother and that alien, Byul, and insists that Jung-yeon is that same alien.
However, plot twist: She has amnesia. Jung-yeon admits that she has no memories before the age of eighteen—she was in a car accident that left her in a coma for a year and caused her amnesia. She recognizes the resemblance to Byul but denies that it’s her, saying that there’s no way she would have looked like that ten years ago.
However, Woo-jin is firm in his belief that she wouldn’t age since she’s an alien. He tells her to smash the toy star if she really wants to confirm that she’s Byul. Jung-yeon angrily says that the star has meaning to her, and that he’s crazy if he thinks she’ll break it just for him to prove a point.
Woo-jin scoffs at the amnesia line, and that sets off her temper. She fires back that she’s undergoing psychotherapy for this, which is a source of pain for her. “This isn’t something you can carelessly mess with!” she screams.
Even so, doubts have been stirred regarding the backstory of her life that she’s been repeatedly told. Later that night she asks her father, Professor Han, how she came to have the star. He replies that she made it with her late mother in elementary school.
Almost immediately, she goes to Woo-jin’s house, where he’s still regretting not believing in his brother. Jung-yeon tells him that she’s confirmed with her father that the star is an object she made with her mother, and that it’s one of the few remaining possessions she has of her.
Woo-jin only tells her that he believed her over his own brother because he didn’t want to be pulled in by Bum-gyun’s alien conspiracies, but now he’s realized he should have listened to his twin.
The next day, Woo-jin puts on Bum-gyun’s “don’t-follow-me” baseball cap and surreptitiously follows Jung-yeon to her therapy session. He peers in through the window, only to find her in the hallway in front of him, knowing that he’s followed her trail. She tells him to stop being suspicious of her because it could be a series of unfortunate coincidences.
His response is to ask her how this could be coincidence for email handle to be bluebird. She says that Bluebird was her favorite storybook when she was younger, but he counters that bluebird was Byul’s first word. Again, he tells her to break open the star if she wants to verify the truth.
Woo-jin goes to the lab and takes advantage of it being empty to rifle through Professor Han’s desk before he’s almost caught by Sunbae Lee. He isn’t able to get any clues, and then Professor Han and Professor Park also arrive. Full of suspicions, Woo-jin just stands there awkwardly staring at the head professor until prompted by the younger professor to mind his manners.
Sunbae Lee is a huge suck-up to Professor Han, so Woo-jin decides to try to the other professor for information. He buys coffee for Professor Park, trying to butter him up to find out more about Jung-yeon’s supposed memory loss. However, just the mention of Jung-yeon’s memory loss stops Professor Park cold, and he shoves the cup of coffee back into Woo-jin’s hands.
Later, when Woo-jin secretly searches through Professor Han’s things again, he only finds a single father-daughter photo. However, on the desk there’s a pen with the Eun-sung Mental Hospital logo on it. He remembers that’s where Jung-yeon went last time to follow up on a lead before being attacked by Min-young.
He goes back to Eun-sung Mental Hospital, where he calls out to Min-young. She crawls out of her hiding place when he arrives, and she explains to him that a bright light flashed in the sky before someone kidnapped Bum-gyun. They explore the dark corridors, looking for more clues, and freak out when they’re caught up in a bright light. But it’s only Chief Hong, who is also there investigating the case.
Min-young’s taser makes Chief Hong assume she’s the culprit, but Woo-jin explains that she’s just a witness. Min-young jumps in and provides more details on her story, starting to talk about aliens and UFOs. At that point, Chief Hong hints to Woo-jin that he thinks Min-young may not be all there upstairs, but she whips out her student ID, shocking them both with the fact that she’s a medical student from a different university.
They search the spooky hallways together, when suddenly Woo-jin saves Min-young from stepping on broken glass—and mixed in with the glass is a pool of blood, still red and wet, indicating that it’s fresh.
The trio follow the trail of blood, slumping in disappointment when they come to a dead end. The men are skeptical when Min-young starts tapping the mirror mounted at the end of the hall, until the knocking betrays hollowness behind it.
They push the sliding mirror backward to reveal a secret passageway, and finally, that dank cell where we’d seen Bum-gyun being held captive. It’s empty now, with more fresh blood and signs of a struggle, and Woo-jin runs outside in hopes of catching up to the culprits.
Back at her house, Jung-yeon goes through her childhood belongings, including the bluebird storybook she was told she loved when she was younger. She notices a sticker on the front page, and when she peels it back, she discovers a child’s writing hidden underneath, which reads “Byul noona.” Seeing this, she immediately breaks open the toy star with an angry slam. Inside she discovers a scroll of paper and, written on it, “Byul ♥ Woo-jin.”
Woo-jin and Min-young race outside the abandoned mental hospital, and find an ambulance that wasn’t there before, with a bluebird logo on it. The ambulance starts to drive away, and Woo-jin takes off running after it, very nearly reaching its rear doors.
Woo-jin shouts out for his hyung, and a bloodied hand appears in the window. Then Bum-gyun’s face appears, and he shouts for his brother.
But the ambulance continues to speed along, and Woo-jin can’t keep up. He starts to fall behind as Bum-gyun is yanked back away from the window by an unseen force. He’s forced to stop running, and his brother is carried away.
Part 2: Brave New World
In the empty room where they once lived together, Joon-hyuk has an emotional breakdown, regretting not having listened to his brother Woo-jin when he expressed his burdens. Joon-hyuk reveals that he’s Bum-gyun, to the surprise of Jung-yeon (aka Bluebird), who watches from her surveillance screen, and Ho-soo, who spies at the door.
When Ho-soo reports back, Deputy Chief Lee reveals that he also knows who Bum-gyun is. As soon as Joon-hyuk leaves the premises, Jung-yeon texts him to meet at a predetermined location, and Ho-soo continues to follow him surreptitiously, on orders from Human B.
Joon-hyuk waits for a while in front of a merry-go-round in an empty amusement park until Jung-yeon shows up in person, not seeing that he’s being observed by Ho-soo, Chief Deputy Lee, and a group of Human B goons. But just as they start to discuss important matters like the location of Woo-jin, they’re interrupted by those Human B goons, who race toward them.
Jung-yeon tells Joon-hyuk that they need to split up in order not to get caught, and promptly runs away. She escapes to a small corner of the amusement park, where she sets up a temporary computer system that she uses to hack into the electric grid of the amusement park. She shuts down the power just in time, throwing everyone into darkness before they get to her.
It gives her a comfortable head start on an escape, but the goons are still in pursuit. Ho-soo drives up in his car and identifies himself, telling her to either come with him or go with Human B. She gets in the car, and it drives off just before the goons get to it.
When they’re safely away, Ho-soo gives her an ultimatum knowing that she’s the legendary hacker Bluebird: Block his memories again, or he’ll call Human B. She tells him to have Human B block his memories again, and he argues that she’s unblocking them without people’s permissions. She retorts that he’s willingly making this choice to forget, so she won’t do it for him. What she’s seeking to do is restore the memories of the Smart Earth citizens, thereby giving them back the ability to choose for themselves.
When Ho-soo asks her why she’s doing this, Jung-yeon answers that it’s because everything began with her. When she refuses again to do as he asks and erase his memory, Ho-soo hits the alert button on his phone to call Human B.
Jung-yeon pulls out her gun and levels it at Ho-soo’s head, keeping him frozen in place until she can safely escape.
Later, Deputy Chief Lee reveals to his secretary that he knows who Jung-yeon is because they went to university together. A memory of himself, Woo-jin, and Jung-yeon surfaces, revealing that he is Sunbae Lee. Aha!
When Chief Hong and Joon-hyuk debrief back at Ordinary Earth HQ, the younger detective says that he was surprised to learn that Bluebird was Jung-yeon; he had half-expected and half-hoped that Bluebird would be his brother. But now that it’s been outed to Human B that he’s acquainted with Bluebird, it’ll be harder to freely move around Smart Earth, which causes a round of sighs.
The woman doctor who performed surgery on Park Jin-gyu is revealed to be a grown-up Min-young. She sits by his bedside when he asks for a full recovery of his memories, and warns him that taking the Care Chip out in and of itself is a dangerous procedure. Even if it were successful, it would leave behind a scar.
She shows him the back of her ear, bearing a similar wound to Joon-hyuk’s. She explains that the wound isn’t recent, maybe 20 years old, and back then it wasn’t a Care Chip, it was a blue bug.
Detective Oh and Dong-soo chat outside the building, and the detective wonders about the latest gossip regarding the strange chemistry between Joon-hyuk and Dr. Min-young. When Dong-soo begins talking about their long-time sometimes friendly, sometimes familial relationship, Joon-hyuk walks up behind Detective Oh who expresses disbelief that there isn’t more going on between them.
He thinks it may be because Dr. Min-young is way more attractive than Joon-hyuk, and he begins rattling off his senior’s negative qualities. Dong-soo’s eyes grow wide, knowing that Joon-hyuk is right behind him, and he tries to mitigate the damage (at least for himself) by excessively complimenting all of Joon-hyuk’s qualities. They both end up being bopped on the head and scolded by Chief Hong.
Team Ordinary Earth gathers to discuss the Bluebird problem, and Joon-hyuk says that he may know someone who can get him back on Smart Earth, despite Human B’s attempts to limit his movements.
He means Mayor Yoon, and drops in to confer with him. He says pointedly that most Smart Earth citizens think that the mayor is the CEO of Human B, rather than the mayor of their city. Clearly, it touches a nerve, and Mayor Yoon gives Joon-hyuk permission to continue his investigation in Smart Earth, while also warning him that Ho-soo may be working for the other side.
Later, Mayor Yoon meets with Minister Park at a sushi restauarant, and we see that it’s a silver-haired Professor Park who’s clearly moved up several pay grades since 2017. In their small talk, the professor acts like the human trash he is, gloating about how he procured the rarest and most expensive organic fish through his connections, and how he finds it funny that Ordinary Earth kids color their skies yellow because they’ve never known a world otherwise (due to pollution that isn’t present on Smart Earth).
Mayor Yoon looks uncomfortable, but he forges on to make his request. Minister Park guesses his intent and emphasizes the incredible amount of money that is on the line, with all this foreign interest in the Human B system. The mayor points out that all the money in the world won’t be enough to solve the problem if this issue gets out.
The mayor therefore requests Minister Park to obtain a search warrant for him, so they can investigate the claims of Human B blocking people’s memories. After some considerable wrangling, Minister Park agrees when Mayor Yoon tells him that there have been criminal incidents occurring on Smart Earth (but I don’t trust his nefarious motives for giving the search warrant).
Deputy Chief Lee asks the chairman what to do after apprising him on the latest information that Bluebird is Jung-yeon. He receives a reply in an unintelligible robotic message, only understood by him.
Afterwards, he has a holographic meeting with Ho-soo, who thought that he would now be relieved of the troubling memories that are gradually returning to him. However, Deputy Chief Lee coerces Ho-soo into spying on Joon-hyuk a little longer. Although Ho-soo is angry, he realizes that they may keep using him until the end, he wants to rid himself of those memories so much that he acquiesces.
Staying true to his efforts, Ho-soo approaches Joon-hyuk the next morning and asks him out for a meal together. They’re about to leave when he receives a text from Human B, so he leaves after making his excuses to Joon-hyuk, saying that he has an emergency situation to deal with.
However, when he arrives at Human B, he realizes that the text was not sent by Deputy Chief Lee, which means that he was duped by Bluebird. He rushes out, back on his way to Joon-hyuk, who has just received a text from Bluebird.
It’s a picture of Woo-jin in March 2022, looking dapper in a suit at an art gallery. Joon-hyuk hears the doors slide open and Jung-yeon appears, getting to the point immediately: “Woo-jin is on Smart Earth.”
COMMENTS
Where could Woo-jin be? Option A: Lying comatose in a sterile Human B basement prison like Kim Tae-hee in Yong-pal. Option B: He’s the hermit CEO who has convinced himself that involuntary memory loss will save humankind from suffering. Option C: Dead but buried in Smart Earth, having been murdered during the Beta Project for getting to close to the truth. Option D: None of the above—he just commandeered Byul’s UFO and went to space for a while when catastrophe struck Earth. In any case, I just want some closure for Bum-gyun/Joon-hyuk, who always seems so close and yet so far from finally reuniting with his twin.
While I am interested in knowing what the end goal of Human B’s CEO is, it’s more of a cerebral curiosity that’s completely different from the gut-driven reactions I’m feeling in Part 1: Beta Project. Yeo Jin-gu is really shining in this drama as Woo-jin, and I knew he’d be fantastic but he’s outdoing even my expectations. In every shot, his expressions change constantly and display far more complex nuances than would be expected of most actors of his age and even many older. It’s actually fascinating because Kim Kang-woo, who is no lightweight actor himself, is actually paling in comparison in terms of raw emotional energy and committed delivery. However, on the comedic front, I think Kim Kang-woo, with all his years of experience, does have the cocky attitude and timing down flat which makes the second part enjoyable to watch as well.
In terms of the mystery, now we know for sure that the professors are up to no good, and that their first successful living, sentient subject was probably Jung-yeon/Byul. Professor Park obviously capitalized on his being at the right place and the right time, and became a wealthy public official. Meanwhile, Professor Han has not been seen in Part 2, so he could still be the unidentified chairman. And maybe he’d let Bluebird roam free to wreak havoc on the Human B system, out of some leftover fondness or guilt for his adopted alien daughter. We still have gotten nowhere with the Min-ji case though, and I wonder how it’s all related to Woo-jin’s disappearance.
There’s a tightness in the storytelling in the Beta Project that’s not present in Brave New World, and that may be one of the reasons that I’m more invested in 2017 Woo-jin’s story. There’s a clear past that’s driving the present, whereas the plot in Brave New World wanders, and the story arc has loose threads. Nonetheless, I’m enjoying the themes of corruption and conflicting corporate and public interests that are being shown to still be present in the utopian, pristine future of Smart Earth. For surely where people exist, there’s bound to be friction and clashing ideas that may lead to greed and pain but also leads to growth and hope. It’s just not natural—the Care Chips—removing what makes us essentially human: our emotions.
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Tags: Circle, Gong Seung-yeon, Kim Kang-woo, Lee Ki-kwang, Yeo Jin-gu
Interview with Kim Yoo-jung
Hello Dramabeans series
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1 cozybooks
June 7, 2017 at 6:08 PM
I'm going with secret option E: he's had his memories erased and doesn't know what a huge part he has to play in all this. It feels too easy for him to be the chairman, I think it's a red herring. Such a great show!!
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yuyuu
June 7, 2017 at 6:15 PM
I totally agree with you, I feel like the hints that point towards WJ being the chairman are a red herring.
Or the show wants us to think it is a red herring and he actually is
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saturtledaisy
June 7, 2017 at 6:19 PM
"Or the show wants us to think it is a red herring and he actually is"
It might go back and forth for a while
I would just prefer that he isn't 'just' the chairman because he got traumatized and somehow believes memory erasure will save the world. There has got to be more to it!
*fingers crossed*
I BELIEVE.
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Mungbeanie
June 7, 2017 at 7:41 PM
I don't want him to 'just' be the chairman either. I can't believe it but I'm kinda hoping for more memory loss. Ha!
My ideal answer = WooJin is the chairman, (any lesser character wouldn't suit his comeback imo) but he had a carechip at one time and the evil professors removed and destroyed it, so he has no memories of his younger self. They told him it was all his idea and trained him in the ways of the darkside. But when his hyung and Byul meet him again, they have to convince him he's actually a good guy. (I'm seriously flashing back to Fitz in agents of shield)
But wouldn't that all just be so emotional :) anyway, enough crazy talk, off to watch ep 6 which likely contains none of the above.
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Mungbeanie
June 7, 2017 at 7:58 PM
And Dad tried to save the alien from his evil colleagues experiments, but was caught and killed so his sons team up and exact revenge!
Why is this drama so short -_-
bk201
June 7, 2017 at 8:53 PM
"WJ had a care chip at one time and the evil professors removed and destroyed it"
I think instead of destroyed it, the chip may be kept away and later discovered by the police. That's where they get the footage of his memory for Joon-hyuk to see.
cozybooks
June 7, 2017 at 10:00 PM
@mungbeanie, unless our alien isn't really an alien... have we ruled out android yet? My bet's on 'Android' for her, or something similar. Except she was cut with glass in the past and bled, so... back to alien, I guess.
Mungbeanie
June 12, 2017 at 12:58 AM
@cozybooks ooo android would be fun, but I'm gonna go with alien, yet, is it possible she's not alien at all, Just a human experiment? and that was some kind of exaggeration in the boys memory.....eh I don't know! I still wanna go with alien. Haha
michykdrama
June 7, 2017 at 6:30 PM
YES! I thought so too.
Except with this Show I really can't decide if I'm being misled, or I'm being a smart ass and thinking too much. *pulls at hair*
Is he or isn't he???
I bet the writer is somewhere cackling about how clever he/she is, and how we are all being led around by our nose, thinking up conspiracy theories....
But if he/she really manages to surprise me every week, then, it will be an amazing feat!! I can't wait!! Please keep it up Writer Nim!
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nanabot
June 7, 2017 at 8:24 PM
Lol Writer nim must be having fun haha
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CrimeFighter
June 9, 2017 at 3:26 AM
writer-nim must be enjoying himself/herself playing with our minds every episode !!
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Ek Ladhki Thi is Kim Eun-sooks no 1 fan
June 7, 2017 at 8:32 PM
There's like 5 writers writing this show, probably as a team, I went to look it up and I couldn't find any past works of any of the writers.
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klurker
June 7, 2017 at 9:14 PM
You couldn't find any past works because their identities have been altered. For all we know, they also have care chips in their bodies, with their memories blocked, and controlled by a robotic writer. ???
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redfox
June 7, 2017 at 10:27 PM
I buy this. I´ll buy anything by now.
Lord Cobol
June 17, 2017 at 4:57 PM
@redfox - then be careful how many commercials you watch :)
Chips in the head aren't the only way to do mind control.
iza
June 8, 2017 at 11:07 AM
The two main writers, Kim Young Hyun and Park Sang Yun, wrote "a tree with deep roots" and "six flying dragons". That was the reason this show got me interested from the very beginning, along with Chuno those are probably the best sageuks out there.
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kiara
June 8, 2017 at 12:57 PM
They were linked to the drama as producers. Until recently wiki added them to the writer list.
Now that would be a total of 6 writers if they are really involved.
kurazo4
June 8, 2017 at 1:01 AM
I am also thinking about that. But I remember in Episode 1 that the chairman was holding a smart phone with the twins on it. And with this detail, it's driving me nuts! I don't want Woo Jin to be the chairman!!
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cozybooks
June 8, 2017 at 7:02 AM
Right?! I've been wracking my brains trying to figure out who else could have the phone, and that's what does make me sway to him being the chairman. But it could also be that someone knocked him out, stole his phone and then lost track of where Woo-Jin was after they erased his memories. Wouldn't that be something, if both sides were on the hunt for Woo-Jin?
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2 YM
June 7, 2017 at 6:10 PM
Thanks for the recap!
I love how this drama brought together the same group of people from the past into the future and everything still sound very legit and believable
The casting is great too, the future characters really resemble those in the past in terms of looks ?
And again, every episode is so suspenseful and leave me wanting more !
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nanabot
June 7, 2017 at 8:27 PM
Yyeess!!! The cast really do look alike! Min Young young and old - its believable!
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YM
June 7, 2017 at 8:47 PM
Deputy chief Lee also looked like his young self. My jaw actually dropped when I found out he's the sunbae from before, like omg yes they look so similar I should have thought! Haha
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boomboompow
June 23, 2017 at 10:38 PM
Future Min Young's acting really bothers me for some reason, then I found out she's the same frantic girl we saw in the past (present?) and her acting makes more sense.
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3 saturtledaisy
June 7, 2017 at 6:11 PM
I just caught up with this because there's just too many things airing I want to see... And I'm enjoying it!
Currently I'm still going back and forth as to which timeline I want to watch more. At the end of each episode I'm left wanting for more of Bum-Gyun in the future so I'm a bit annoyed they start with Woo-jin. But then halfway through the new episode I get annoyed at them for taking Yeo Jin-Gu away from me.
WHIPLASH. But in a good way!
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cozybooks
June 8, 2017 at 7:04 AM
I find that I'm more emotionally involved in the past, but more plot involved in the present--Woo-Jin sells the emotions so well, and then I love getting just bits and pieces of the puzzle in the future as we figure out how Human B ever came to be.
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saturtledaisy
June 8, 2017 at 3:58 PM
Now that I think of it, that probably explains how I feel best as well! Emotionally connected to the past but enjoying the future/present's plotline more.
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4 yuyuu
June 7, 2017 at 6:12 PM
I've been thinking... how exactly are the two timelines connected?
Is 2037 a timeline set in stone, and we’re just going to watch the 2017 events happen naturally and lead to 2037…and the conflicts will be resolved there? Or is it like an alternate universe of how things might become if all the mishaps of the past are not prevented? (I don't exactly know where I'm going with this)
That being said, I have a new theory:
In last week’s episode when that professor Park tried to convince Professor Hwang to kick WJ off the team, Professor Hwang’s response was “I need him”. That either means he genuinely needs him on the team, or he needs him for an experiment. But since he’s Dr. Shady Mc. Shady, I’m guessing he might have an ulterior motive for wanting WJ on the team… maybe he actually knows that WJ has had prior contact with Jungyeon, and he thinks WJ might play a role in unlocking her memories? Or he wants WJ as an experiment, because of his intelligence?
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SuzieBee
June 7, 2017 at 6:19 PM
I also don't think WJ is the chairman. It is too easy. But then again drama land can be that way - see Tunnel. When everyone guessed the doctor was the villain.
I like your observation. I paid attention to that part too. What if WJ is somehow related to the aliens? Or he has is also an experiment? I think his dad somehow is related to the alien. I remembered on the first episode it look like the dad was looking for Han Jung-Yeon and not the twins, but it also happened that the twins were in the same location.
I also want to know how are the two timelines related. That is why I think Kim Joon-Hyuk is WJ and not BG. I think BG died and he lived, but was part of the experiments and had the chip implanted and lost his memories. Ahhh so much to think about it!
My only complaint is about Min-Jin. Such a plot hole if they don't address it and soon. It will make it go from a really good drama to an okay drama with that plot hole.
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Mungbeanie
June 7, 2017 at 7:54 PM
Yeah, I want to see what MinJin is up to. I know that No.1 and No.2 were the ones involved in her kidnapping but I was kinda expecting a No. 3.
And now that you mention him....where the heck is Dad?
*plays Vader theme song*
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michykdrama
June 7, 2017 at 6:34 PM
I think Prof Han needs Woo Jin for another reason, but it's a mini spoiler for episode 6 so I shall say it then XD
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bk201
June 7, 2017 at 7:49 PM
Your first guess about the timeline is correct. The two timelines are linear in a same universe. Whatever went wrong in 2017 cannot be fixed in 2037. They never mentioned about fixing the past. What they are trying to do now is to find Woo-jin who went missing and to find out what happened to him between those 20 years.
For Professor Han saying he needs Woo-jin, I think it's because they share the same idea of relieving human from suffering: by removing the memory associated with the painful past. Professor Han may want to persuade/manipulate Woo-jin into joining his research on that.
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Peridot
June 8, 2017 at 7:02 AM
It could be that the Professor needed Woojin for the latter's ideas and also to be a subject of the former's experiments. The experiment aspect is very possible because we've seen that a member of the the professor's team (one of the student assistants) has already died under suspicious circumstances. So I guess the professor is not worried about using those who are supposed to be working for and with him.
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winter
June 8, 2017 at 8:57 AM
Right now I believe that he wanted WJ for his intelligence. Maybe WJ is not the chairman but the chairman (I'm guessing Prof. Han)'s right hand man. Maybe he managed to get his hands on him and erased his memories, then told him whatever he wanted like "I am your father!" and got WJ to work for him and create Human B with him.
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5 Kimbap?
June 7, 2017 at 6:13 PM
Yeo Jin-gu has such a charismatic and mesmerizing screen presence which intensifies the story of the Beta Project even more so. I find myself disappointed each episode when Part 1 ends!
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yuyuu
June 7, 2017 at 6:26 PM
Riiiight?! He's so captivating and emotionally genuine, that I always sit a little straighter when he's on-screen.
That last scene of Part 1 when's he's running after BG in that car was just amazing, I was lost for words. He deserves a standing ovation.
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UmbrellaMan
June 7, 2017 at 6:29 PM
That scene was so emotionally raw. Brilliant.
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blubluskye
June 7, 2017 at 7:47 PM
I agree, the chase when the gang caught on to the blood trail. So wonderfully filmed! I was pacing the whole time
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boomboompow
June 23, 2017 at 10:39 PM
That scene is heartbreaking.
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kiara
June 7, 2017 at 6:32 PM
Need more of him in the Brave New World even if it's flashback.
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kurazo4
June 8, 2017 at 1:07 AM
that will be awesome! More of Yeo Jin-gu pleaaaase!
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missjb
June 7, 2017 at 6:43 PM
man... I'm such a pervy ajjuhma watching this. Yeo jin Go you're responsible for my health heart right now.
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Kimbap?
June 7, 2017 at 6:46 PM
I think that the PD made the wrong editing choice of clearly separating the 2 parts into equal halves of the hour. I cannot take my eyes of the screen during Beta Project and finds my attention drifting in Brave New World. The pacing of the story might be better served by intertwining the 2 stories more tightly so the plot shifts between the Woo-jin's intense hunt for his brother vs the philosophical commentary of corporate ethics in the Brave New World.
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bk201
June 7, 2017 at 7:59 PM
That's what I thought at first. But then doing that may break the tension in Beta Project. From what I see, the two parts have different feel/atmosphere to them, so intertwining them may end up with disconnected shifts in style throughout the show.
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Kimbap?
June 8, 2017 at 7:22 AM
You are absolutely right! I wound never want to jeopardizing the intensity of the storytelling. It is true that my lament is mostly motivated by my desire to savior Yeo Jin-gu onscreen presence as long as possible!
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ultramafic
June 7, 2017 at 8:25 PM
Guys there are so many times I miss the subs because I can't bring myself to look away from YGJ's face because his acting is so powerful . And sometimes it doesn't even matter because you can practically read the line on his face.
It's so good to see him in an excellent dama again. Seems like it's been ages.
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Ally
June 8, 2017 at 4:01 PM
I thought I was the only one that did this! Yes, I have to rewind to catch everything and it takes me twice as long to watch Beta Project than Brave New World (LOL)!
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6 jillian
June 7, 2017 at 6:25 PM
I am invested in both Beta Project and Brave New World. Both are interconnected and makes the other come alive. Now I know people are guessing that WooJin is the chairman but I do not think it is that obvious. It can be someone else entirely and one we have already met.
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yuyuu
June 7, 2017 at 6:29 PM
If the chairman is not WJ, the only other possibilities I can think of are (a) Professor Hwang or (b) The twins' dad.
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Adal
June 7, 2017 at 7:16 PM
Yeah that's what I think as well. For some reason, I think Woo Jin may have traded himself for his brother's release, and after finding that his father worked on this project, became more interested in it, aligned himself with their philosophies and became Chairman. I can't forget that he suggested for his thesis, that the best way to make a patient recover from their trauma is to make them forget it. It's a reach, but I'm thinking it's a likely scenario.
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Peridot
June 8, 2017 at 7:05 AM
I get the feeling that the father died, so my choices are the professor, followed by Woojin. But the show is making us think, more and more, that Woojin is the one. I don't know if it's a mislead, since there is still quite a bit of story to tell.
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7 ramenqueen
June 7, 2017 at 6:28 PM
I feel like the first 4 eps were so good that it made the plot holes of this episode really noticeable, like the whole thing with bluebird showing her face to so many Human B employees for no reason after hiding for so long. Then she whip out a really cool computers (?) and type a bunch of stuff just to turn off the lights?? A little excessive , wouldn't it be faster to just run? Then joon hyuk was running so fast all over places , how was Joo Soon able to catch him so fast? HE was even able to pick up the phone, talk THEN caught up and found joon hyuk in that apartment. AND yes lastly no one even care about min ji case or what happened to that poor girl anymore. It's just like a convenient plot to introduce bluebid..
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littlecat
June 7, 2017 at 6:31 PM
Agreed! :)
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Kimbap?
June 7, 2017 at 6:56 PM
I also don't understand how Bluebird was able to surveil Joon-hyuk throughout the city and into the hallway of the old apartment but at the same time failed to notice that he was followed by Ho-soo which would give her a huge red flag about meeting each other in person.
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jillian
June 7, 2017 at 9:15 PM
I agree. She is not as omniscient as I would have thought. I guess there are limitations as well to what she knows. But as a hacker hiding from Human B she would have atleast been extra cautious. I mean they were hardly stealthy in tracking JoonHyuk.
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Kimbap?
June 7, 2017 at 9:39 PM
Yes! There was literally an army waiting for them in the amusement park (that a police detective also failed to notice btw) and her backlit sunbae was standing not so inconspicuously right in front of the second story window!
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kurazo4
June 8, 2017 at 1:11 AM
Also, if she's an alien, I think she should have, at least, something different from the humans, right? Not just being a hacker but because she is an alien, she had to have something special in her.
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ramenqueen
June 8, 2017 at 5:20 AM
Agree! WE have not seen anything "alien" about her. No explanation on why she can cry and bleed now but didn't before?
Kimbap?
June 8, 2017 at 4:32 AM
I am really enjoying Circle, and appreciate that there is an excellent Kdrama in the sci-fi genre, and it is this very same reason that intensifies my lament of logic fails in a beloved show!
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Peridot
June 8, 2017 at 7:07 AM
Yes, I agree. How did she not notice Hosoo tailing Joonhyuk? That piece of writing felt sloppy to me. We went from no one knowing Bluebird's identity to everyone learning it on the same day.
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kuya
June 7, 2017 at 9:50 PM
I'm still holding out hope for the Min Ji case, since they still haven't completely discarded the kidnapper slash uncle out of the screen yet. I hope they do plan to do something with him and the case, it's an interesting representation of how bringing back someone's memories can turn their life upside down and gives an argument why keeping their memories blocked is better, more so than Ho Soo case imo (which seems like the face of the issue atm)
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vardinihaeyo
June 8, 2017 at 1:37 AM
And if you look closely, its the brave new world which has these plot holes. Beta project is going strong!!
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vivi
June 8, 2017 at 7:09 AM
i suspect they are written by different writers, as it seems like a team.
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Jools
June 8, 2017 at 9:41 AM
Completely agree! It was shocking when sloppy writing became so apparent in this episode. It's as if they switched writers on us. Not going to spoil anything about episode 6, but the lazy writing continues and becomes even a bit worse. I still really like the show and want to figure out its mysteries, but it has lost some of that shine from the earlier episodes. Kinda feels like when W's script suddenly lost its smarts...
But still like the show!
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8 UmbrellaMan
June 7, 2017 at 6:28 PM
I am glad they quickly revealed that Deputy Chief Lee was Woo-jin's sunbae. I figured it was him, so it was smart of them not to hold this info back. Knowing this I am assuming the doctor is the crazy med student from the 2017 timeline.
That pic of Woo-jin was taken 5 years in the future. Something happens in between that time where Jeon-yeong and Woo-jin must leave Bum-gyun behind.
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9 littlecat
June 7, 2017 at 6:30 PM
Oh my goodness, thanks for the quick recap!! I have to agree with the differences you noted in Part 1 and Part 2. I think the writing just has to be tighter in Part 1 because it all has to lead up to Part 2. Love the acting from our kiddos in Part 1! Was super frustrated that Woojin didn't immediately take out his phone and snap some photos of that ambulance.
I loved the comic relief bit with the detectives in part 2. Thought the amusement park bit was hard to follow... (or maybe just me being confused) wasn't Bluebird standing just a few feet from the railing? Couldn't they see her? Would it have been that hard to tackle her or something?
Why did she meet in the amusement park? Thought it looked like the same location as the N. Korean amusement park in King 2 Hearts, which was described as an open area that would be difficult to defend. lol.
And then why did Bluebird go with HoSoo? I thought the set up for that and the "threat" that he gave was not super convincing logically. (why wouldn't you run into the bushes when you hear a car driving up behind you? couldn't she have just punched him in the face or something?)
Cool technology with the Rubik's cube and floating screen though.
Cheering for Smart Earth Mayor at the end, and totally didn't recognize Professor Park. Thought he kind of looked like SuperJunior's Siwon?
By the way, thought that bloodied hand in the ambulance was Bum-Gyun reaching out?
Anyway, yep, loved the episode overall! Can't wait for next recap! :)
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10 paterciaa
June 7, 2017 at 6:30 PM
I'm really curious about Byul though. Where did she come from? Is she really an alien? Or was she also an experiment? If she is an alien, why is she here? Did she not come with anyone else? Why is no one looking for her? The future has no mention of aliens whatsoever and if Byul is an alien, shouldn't that also be reflected in the future? And an alien being a good hacker isn't really cutting out. I mean, yes. She doesn't grow old but aside from that, we didn't really see any signs of her being an alien. Sure, she was basically emotionless in Part 1 and did not seem to feel pain, she drew that galaxy/universe map thing. But nothing more. It'd be interesting to see what she really is and what she can do and will do.
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kiara
June 7, 2017 at 6:40 PM
We are on the same boat. The only reason why I'd think that she is an alien is the fact that she doesn't age. The other 80% says she is human and she was probably part of an experiment and the twin's dad was involved in it.
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gadis
June 7, 2017 at 7:39 PM
Yup. At first I'm 100% certain she is an alien since she doesn't age and at first didn't show any emotion and couldn't speak. But now, seeing how no one mention about alien in the future timeline, the odds that she was one of the first experiment subject by the twins' dad are higher.
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yuyuu
June 8, 2017 at 10:37 AM
It's plausible that she might not be an alien after all, but how do we explain what the twins and their dad witnessed in the first episode? She seemed to quite literally come out of a UFO.
Hallucination?
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Kimbap?
June 7, 2017 at 8:43 PM
I am wondering if she might be A.I. -a robot who has to learn human emotion in order to mimic?
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kiara
June 7, 2017 at 9:04 PM
It's possible but she was bleeding from her wound.
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kuya
June 7, 2017 at 9:58 PM
At this point I gravitate more to the theory that she's not, simply because the shows seems not interested in asking the most basic questions like 'why do aliens are coming to earth?' or 'what does it mean for humanity?' etc
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11 Muzeeka
June 7, 2017 at 6:35 PM
The mystery is gettin more interesting
I cant predict it. I love it! ??
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12 michykdrama
June 7, 2017 at 6:40 PM
This Show is really hard to comment on because I have more questions than answers, and after having watched episode 6, I'm scared to give away spoilers...
But suffice to say I hope that all the threads come together and we get more answers every episode! And somehow a Happy Ending, if not for Byul, then at minimum for Woo Jin and Bum Gyun please! Ok Show? Writer Nim don't disappoint me!
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yuyuu
June 7, 2017 at 6:43 PM
I do like how we always get new bits of information in every episode...but those always lead to more questions. It's a vicious cycle (but I'm loving it).
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gadis
June 7, 2017 at 7:42 PM
I'm also fervently hope for happy ending for the twins and Byeol. A goal that I think will be easier to achieve in the future timeline. I just couldn't see how the story in 2017 doesn't end up in tragedy.
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13 missjb
June 7, 2017 at 6:56 PM
up until episode 6 and I'm still more invest in 2017 period. Not only i feel the two world feels written with different writers. the character in 2017 IS MORE i can relate to abit more somehow. i love Yeo Jin Goo, Ahn Woo Yeon, Jung in sun so much. here.
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kiara
June 7, 2017 at 7:18 PM
I'm guessing that the 4 writers are split between the 2 timelines. Two for Beta and the other 2 for the New Brave/Smart World.
We are pretty much invested in Woo-jin's journey because of Yeo Jin-goo's raw acting.
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missjb
June 7, 2017 at 8:40 PM
man i agree with you. I'm so drawn to YJG as Woo Jin make me wish this drama is just focus on his char arc haha. i actually love the acting fr the young actor in 2017. not as nuance as YJG, but still that passion!
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boomboompow
June 23, 2017 at 10:46 PM
Kim Kang Woo is a good actor but for some reason, the supporting casts in Brave New World are disappointing - I don't know is it because the characters are written more poorly, or more for comedic relief, but I cringe on the scenes where Lee Ki Kwang appears, or the future Min Young. Their acting are a bit over the top and even more apparent when compared to the kids' solid performances in Beta.
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14 Adal
June 7, 2017 at 7:10 PM
Gong Seung yeon is really hitting all the right notes with her performance in Circle: from blank alien, to innocent, cute and confused college student to grim and determined badass hacker (it's amazing what eyeliner can do). I hope she explodes when Circle is over because she really honed her craft in this drama.
Circle is crack! So addictive and unpredictable, I've given up trying to figure things out on my own, now I just enjoy the ride and am at the edge of my seat. It helps that the writing is tightly woven, and you can see the same characters in present day 2017 and then aged 20 years in the future. Which begs the question, what does present day (2037) Woo Jin look like?. For some reason the answer to that question is the one I'm most interested in finding out. I wonder what actor will play him?
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Kimbap?
June 7, 2017 at 7:45 PM
I love Yeo Jin-goo performance so much that I am hoping that he will play Woo-jin in 2037. Makeup, speckled grey hair, and most of all his acting would make it totally convincing!
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weaselking
June 7, 2017 at 9:05 PM
Yes please! He was able to play a grandpa in a music video at the age of 17, and his voice is deep enough to make it convincing. Or better yet, don't make him age. I feel like the only person to give future Woojin's acting justice is still Yeo Jingoo himself.
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s9313071e
June 8, 2017 at 2:46 AM
I think it might be possible, if the technology applied to Byul is used on him. But I don't think he will have speckled gray hair because JH himself doesn't have any.
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jillian
June 7, 2017 at 8:04 PM
That kohl-eyed look of Bluebird reminds me of Cate Blanchett in Thor: Ragnarok. Less manic version. ?
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boomboompow
June 23, 2017 at 10:48 PM
In this make up, she reminds me of Michelle Trachtenberg. She's hella gorgeous!
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kiara
June 7, 2017 at 8:08 PM
I love her Byul! I'm rooting hard for her to turn the table on those who are using her and others for their own benefits.
I don't want another actor to take over Woo-jin's part. I'd prefer if they'd age Yeo Jin-goo.
I would've been done with Jackpot if they brought in a new actors to play the king. He was kingly enough to take it to the end.
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missjb
June 7, 2017 at 8:52 PM
same here. please don't change the actor. please do whatever it takes to make Woo Jin ageless *lol* or find a reason to make YJG playing Woo jin again in 2037. I can't take another actor playing an older woo jin.
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ultramafic
June 8, 2017 at 12:06 PM
As much as I love YJG (and it's tons) it would be distracting and take away from the credibility of the story to have all the other young adult actors portrayed by older actors in the future timeline except for him.
Unless of course he's become ageless like Byul. Which would be cool and I'm all for!
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kiara
June 8, 2017 at 1:35 PM
They need to stop making him play younger counterpart to anyone. It's freaking hard to let him go.
Yea totally understand your concern but I'm hoping that he and Byul were part of the same experiment and that's why Professor Han is interested in both of them.
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boomboompow
June 23, 2017 at 10:50 PM
To go along with other actors, future Woo Jin should be played by older actor, but they better find a really good actor that is as good as YJG!
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15 gadis
June 7, 2017 at 7:13 PM
Okay, so now we finally confirmed everyone's identity in 2037. Or mostly, since the chairman is still a big question mark. It's interesting that the mayor practically has no power over his city and overshadowed by the chairman.
So far, smart city seemed like a big commercial experimental field for Human B. I wonder though if monetary gain was the only goal for that corporation, or if there is something more sinister going on. Whatever it is, I'm happy that Byeol now has joined in on the operation to uncover Human B's secret. Hopefully Ho-soo will have a change of heart soon and decide to help Joon-hyuk. Since he still has to live through pain of returning memories whether he obeys Chief Lee's order or not, working against him seems to be the more satisfying option. Just sayin'.
P.S. How come Chief Lee is the only one who understand the Chairman's garbled speak? Does he have some sort of special built-in translator?
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michykdrama
June 7, 2017 at 7:24 PM
Yeah, I did wonder about that. Maybe Chief Lee's chip is special? Seems like nobody really knows who he is and he wants to keep it that way...
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nanabot
June 7, 2017 at 8:41 PM
Aahh, i felt that the garbled speech was a way of the showmakers hiding the chairman's identity from us...wjo knows...if he really is woojin and its yeo jin gu still playing him in the future...
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ultramafic
June 8, 2017 at 12:07 PM
That's what I thought, nanabot. That he doesn't really sound like that but it's a trick of the showrunners to keep us from knowing for sure ... maybe because the Chairman's voice is distinctively low..?? Gah, I wanna know!
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16 weaselking
June 7, 2017 at 7:48 PM
Yeo Jingoo's acting is just so amazing in Part 1 that I want him so bad to be in Part 2. He's just way too good, I wish he didn't age. My heart breaks seeing how tough things are going for him, and his acting exemplified those hardships extremely well. The last part where Yeo Jingoo was running after the ambulance was so sad. Same with the part when Jungyeon came to his house to prove she's not Byul, and he was just so tired to argue and he just desperately wants to find his brother. Ugh, I really don't have enough words to praise his brilliant acting. But bless his stamina for all the running he had to do in this drama.
Bluebird's escape in the amusement park did look a bit silly and unnecessary to me. I wish they didn't make her undergo all through that trouble and just made her run for it. Also Human B needs better goons. :D
So this episode shows that Minyoung was one of the victims of this experiment as well, hence she knows the deaths aren't suicides but murders. That short introduction to her and Bumgyun's meet up was just so sweet. I love how the moment they found each other, they immediately gave the trust both characters needed so badly.
And I agree about Minji... I hope they will conclude or lead some answers to that subplot already. She is a murderer on the run and they have easily forgotten about her...
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17 nanabot
June 7, 2017 at 8:07 PM
Okay so there are no spoilers at all, these are just my thoughts a while after watching ep. 5. I'm doing this because I want to know if anyone has the same theories as me.
Since we've now confirmed that: 1) Removing the chip could cauae you to lose memory (thus probably how our elder twin lost his and ended up in the hospital). 2) Sunbaes identity in 2037. 3) That the doctor is MJ...who else also thinks that :
Chairman of HumanB = Professor Han.
HoSoon = WooJin (which ive been suspecting for a while now but on closer inspection of the poster idek....i mean young WooJins shoulder legit extends into 2037 so....)
(oh and I've taken a fancy to Byuls piercings!!! ...Only me? Okay...moving on)
My reasons being that Hans personality
seems perfect for that really. I mean the chairman is practically in charge of smart earth and I suspect he has all his memories intact too. Thats probably what helps him keep HumanB running and smart earth in check (Imagine having the power to tamper with the memory of anyone who gets in your way/pisses you off - you could subtley control them like that right?
Woo Jin - I think He's Ho Soon. A behavioral trait that I noticed is his desperacy for what he wants to be...to actually be. Like when he was vehemently denying the existence of aliens, when he realised byul was byul, i can somehow correlate it to Ho soons desperacy (is this even a word lol) to supress his memories. Truly WooJin would have painful memories to supress (like being all alone...finally getting his hyung back and then losing him that night in the ambulance, also maybe smth happenes to byul soon after and they got separated etc). Maybe he has a subconscious fear of all the emotional pain he's been through.
Aahhh...maybe he lost his adolescent memories through a glitch in the system.
Aaannndddd Shoutout to @Omotoferankdrama I'm suspecting you're yoruba haha and I wanted to confirm.
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bk201
June 7, 2017 at 8:12 PM
But.. Ho-soo in 2037 and Woo-jin in 2017 is about the same age. So HS could not possibly be WJ?? Unless Wj turned into an alien somehow.
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nanabot
June 7, 2017 at 8:50 PM
Oh they're around the same age?? Hhmm... But then again what if Byul isn't actually an alien but an experiment (like some of the commenters above have stared) and the same technology has been used on woojin? (lol im stretching it I know haha)
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weaselking
June 7, 2017 at 9:01 PM
I'd like this to be true, but that Yeo Jingoo will still play himself. :D
Hosoo can't be Woojin since his backstory is in a completely different trajectory. Also Hosoo's age in 2037 is 26. We just saw Woojin's picture in 2022, by that time he would also be 26 years old.
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Katy
June 7, 2017 at 11:57 PM
SOMEONE AGREES!!!! Alright so when we didn't know who the cop was, I remember thinking his PERSONALITY fits Bum Gyun even if there were red herrings pointing towards him being Woo Jin. I think the same is for Ho Soo! There are red herrings pointing for Woo Jin to be the chairman, but I really think he's Ho Soo because he's so similar. Also he's legit on the front page guys...like come on! Also they had a 19 and 26 year old play TWINS like I don't think they care about age lolz.
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ShaRi
June 8, 2017 at 2:54 AM
Honestly i don't want woo jin to be ho soo! anyway Woo jin should be 41 right? even if Woo jin did not age Jin Goo himself can act his part... Unless he did a plastic surgery, erased his memories and started a whole new life again lol(and somehow managed to stay young)!
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weaselking
June 8, 2017 at 7:58 PM
It really is honestly reaching for Hosoo to be Woojin unless the writers suddenly decide to pull a makjang reveal on us. :D
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18 Dahlia
June 7, 2017 at 8:19 PM
Thank you for the recap!
I LOVED the focus on Jungyeon/Byul this episode. What a startling and frankly terrifying revelation to discover you may not be human, after living as a relatively normal college student for years. I can't begin to imagine what that must feel like, to know that not only your 'father' likely isn't who he says is and has been lying to you, but you may not even be of this world. And you can't remember. Oof. Good stuff, Circle.
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gadis
June 7, 2017 at 8:40 PM
It's terrifying indeed. With the basic of her existence is practically a big lie, I imagine it must felt like the world as she knew crumbles around her. And when she finally knows just how bad her adoptive Dad turns out to be, I can't imagine what a heart break it would be.
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19 Alessar
June 7, 2017 at 8:25 PM
I think Kim Kang-woo might be "holding back" a little to temper his performance as someone who is damaged/has pieces of himself missing. He also probably didn't have access to see his co-lead's performance in the separate storyline. However, he probably did 100 crunches upon seeing Yeo Jin-gu's abs last week. My god....
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weaselking
June 7, 2017 at 9:06 PM
We should all take a moment to thank the PD who thought of adding that scene the moment he found out Yeo Jingoo has been training his body.
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kiara
June 7, 2017 at 10:13 PM
Forget the abs, I have a thing for broad shoulders.
That comes after his acting chops of course lol.
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Ally
June 8, 2017 at 9:07 AM
I was just going to quietly lurk this round, until these comments. He's got a swimmer's body for sure, which puts him in the top body echelon in my book (warranting me taking the effort to sign in and stating so)! But really, it would be a farce not to let him play Woo Jin in the future timeline because his acting is stellar. Maybe the professor has figured out the alien's fountain of youth and gave it to Woo Jin because he was his star pupil. We do know that he's likely a genius. Which means, more abs and shoulders in the 2nd timeline. Haha!
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20 ert
June 7, 2017 at 8:25 PM
As a kdrama, this show is great. But as a scifi show, it's overrated. I want to like it, but I've already seen so many scifi movies/shows that nothing surprise me anymore. But I commend their effort to adapt a genre that comes from the west and change it so it fits to korean society.
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blnmom
June 7, 2017 at 9:01 PM
Really, you don't like it? Aw. I've watched all of the Star Trek series and movies, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, and Firefly, and I'm loving Circle! I've heard some people think the 2037 props look cheesy, but that doesn't sway me one way or the other, I just like a good story.
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21 etrenelle
June 7, 2017 at 8:52 PM
I really like the idea of the chairman being Woo Jin whose memory ahs been tampered with heavily. But I also love the idea of it being the twins dad. I am probably not the only one on this idea path. But I just think it would be a lot more interesting than the chairman being Woo Jin.
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Peridot
June 8, 2017 at 7:11 AM
The dad sounds interesting, but I just feel that the he is dead. Something might have happened to him the day he left with Byul.
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Kimbap?
June 8, 2017 at 7:48 AM
I also like the idea that the chairman is the twins' father. Maybe that is the reunification with his father as the chairman is the reason why Woo-jin is able to smile in the photo 5 years after the tragic disappearance of his brother.
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winter
June 8, 2017 at 9:06 AM
I'm going with the "Woo Jin whose memory ahs been tampered with heavily" theory, that would be nice. If it should be so I'd love to see YJG play the future part too just to see WJ remembering and wreacking havoc XD
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22 apple
June 7, 2017 at 8:59 PM
Apparently everyone under 21 from 2017 got complimentary plastic surgery with their care chips . And in a plot twist, the mayor of New Earth is really Woo Jin.
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23 gumgum
June 7, 2017 at 9:02 PM
Deputy Chief Lee turning out to be Sunbae Lee is a minor reveal but makes me lean towards Chairman being Prof Han. But if that is the case where does this place Woo Jin? Why does the show want us to think he's the Chairman? As a distraction? How does he fit with the Human B project, did he help put it up or was he against it? (Lol I want Woo Jin to still be Yeo Jin Gu even in 2037 but highly unlikely haha)
So far the show has answered some of our questions, and I agree that this week it's letting us breathe and take in what we just learned (or believed from the start haha). Seems like we have a long way to go, but I can't believe we're halfway through :(
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weaselking
June 7, 2017 at 9:12 PM
Reading all the comments, I love how everyone wants Yeo Jingoo to still be the one to play Woojin in 2037. He's just so frigging good.
And yes... I can't believe we only have 3 weeks left and yet there are still many questions that need answers to. I really hope they would be able to address all of it.
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24 growingbeautifully
June 7, 2017 at 9:15 PM
Thanks tineybeanie.
Such a fun 'conspiracy theory' feel to this series. I agree that the 2nd half is not as tight, but I'm feeling stressed with all that stress-inducing music and possible reveals, so a looser, slower 2nd half is also a relief!
I guess it's a dramatic ploy to have the younger 2017 characters all played by different actors in 2037... it's actually not likely that they all should look different, (or were they all forced to go through plastic surgery to hide their identities?) But I like that this show gives us the fun of playing 'guess who' each character is in the future and guess who the good guy or the bad is, as well. Based on the personalities of a couple of them, I think we can hazard some pretty good guesses. The
An episode or 2 ago, I was doing guesswork that the very intelligent Woo Jin, who told Prof Han that the solution to PTSD was to forget, might be the very one who involved in the memory repression of Smart Earth (as Chairman or assistant??). Seems like this is still possible.
There are still other players who might take the role of Chairman or be working for Human B ... Han, Sunbae Lee, and Woo Jin's missing father.
And Chief Hong, Dr Park Min Young and Bum Gyun had a connection in 2017, so I wonder how come they did not know or tell Joon Hyuk that he was Bum Gyun (totally different appearance got them too?).
Aside from that, it's still an interesting ride, waiting to see which guesses are right!!
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Namu
June 7, 2017 at 10:35 PM
And Chief Hong, Dr Park Min Young and Bum Gyun had a connection in 2017, so I wonder how come they did not know or tell Joon Hyuk that he was Bum Gyun (totally different appearance got them too?)
Imo, they know.. But not reveal it to us, viewers.. Because after JH's confession that he is BG.. The show becomes clear to point out the missing twin in 2037 timeline is WJ
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weaselking
June 8, 2017 at 4:11 AM
Yup, exactly. This episode tells us that Joonhyuk, along with Det. Hong and Minyoung are aware of his identity as Bumgyun although Joonhyuk didn't have memories of being Bumgyun.
They just didn't specify it on the first 4 episodes, otherwise there would be nothing to reveal by the end of Ep 4.
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25 Snowflower
June 7, 2017 at 9:18 PM
I was wondering for a long time what the"Circle" reminds me of, and now I think I can pinpoint that: the "Bluebird" book. I remember how it felt when I read it as a child: mysterious, cold, and yet enamoring and poignant. A boy and a girl looking for an elusive blue bird in the cold world full of selfish and powerful enemies. Maybe that is one of the reasons why I enjoy watching this drama so much.
Another reason if the awesome acting of the female lead, Byol/ Cheong Yeong/Blue bird. Whether it's her make up or lighting or just her awesomeness, but she looks like 3 different people wearing the same unaging face.
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winter
June 8, 2017 at 9:10 AM
There's actually a book called like that??
The female lead really is Daebak (also the lighting and make up), Cheong yeong and bluebird do look alike, but even knowing that Byol is the same person she looks like a different person to me lol
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Snowflower
June 15, 2017 at 2:06 AM
Yes there is a book... it was a play written by a Maurice Maeterlinck.
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26 weaselking
June 7, 2017 at 9:19 PM
I wonder if it's possible that Woojin is the same kind as Byul.
- The way the professor stressed that he needed Woojin for the project. I feel like there's more to it than just his intelligence or his theory.
- The timer that has a camera surveillance on the twins. Maybe the dad really isn't their dad.
- Just let Yeo Jingoo be part of 2037, yeah?
Oh, and one more thing, I wonder if we'd hear more from the grandma. Would she know anything about this mystery? As far as we know she took care of the kids after the dad left and is now in a nursing home in 2017.
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Namu
June 7, 2017 at 10:40 PM
Just let Yeo Jingoo be part of 2037, yeah?
Yeah for me Yeo Jinggo as WJ is irreplaceable .. That makes me wonder if it is better for him to die and showed up in 2037 timeline as a flashback or being ageless
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weaselking
June 8, 2017 at 4:07 AM
Perfect setup for me would be to have ageless Jingoo in 2037. :D
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27 Pampimpum
June 7, 2017 at 9:43 PM
If memory can be deleted,does it means it also can be inserted? How about completely delete one's memory and inserted someone else's memory? A dead mean for example. If it possible then does it means that the first person became 'shadow' or 'second body' for the second person?
If it possible, can the first person maintain his/her ability for ex: intellegency, strength, agility etc. or will completely lost them and acquiring those posessed by the second person?
I just have strange thought that it is possible for woojin became second body for prof. Han and became the chairman..
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Peridot
June 8, 2017 at 7:17 AM
The idea of memory tampering/deletion/ and insertion has been discussed in previous threads. I think your idea of a body becoming a vessel implanted with another person's memories sounds interesting. A similar idea came up when some of us initially thought that Joonhyuk was not one of the twins.
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28 SuShin
June 7, 2017 at 10:37 PM
Now I know that the comedic vibe comes directly and purely from Chief Hong..the way he defined UFO with Min-Young was hilarious.
I dont think the HumanB President would be Woo-Jin, Deputy Chief Lee is too polite with him. My money is now on Professor Han.
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missjb
June 7, 2017 at 10:47 PM
Park Min Young's reaction fr chief Hong is hillarious also. like she is always this weird assumption that it's perfectly normal to believe strange think like UFO and find people who don't believe it is a strange person lol
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blubluskye
June 8, 2017 at 2:14 AM
I too have a feeling the chairman is Prof Han. Sunbae Lee has been serving Prof Han in the 2017 timeline like a dog who obeys his master, and from the way I see it, he is still serving him in the 2037 timeline.
I will not accept Woo Jin as the chairman. I cannot. My take is that he is involved in the beta project (human beta aka human b), but probably at the expense of protecting Byul. This is my theory.
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SuShin
June 8, 2017 at 4:58 PM
Joon-Hyuk always says that HumanB exists because of/for 'that child'. So your theory makes a lot of sense. Woo-Jin involved in creating&developing it to 'help' Byul.
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29 redfox
June 7, 2017 at 10:44 PM
when I look at the drama, I see the Good Old Filmmaking the way it is done Hitchcock Rear Window style, making us see and believe what is not there, making our brain fill in the gaps. I am not the best to analyze camera, lighting, editing, but the writer or writers must be experienced in movies, they know how to line up things and play with timing, lighting, music etc. especially the use of music here. very movie-like. I just think perhaps the hospital scenes and the blood and stuff could have been more subtle and tamed, more psychological and suggestive than something so physical.
I really want to gush about B but that would be a spoiler.
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redfox
June 8, 2017 at 12:01 AM
I think I have read a science fiction novel which had something similar to the re-planted memory. City and stars? People get "recycled" and reborn with the same memories or they can choose to delete them and start anew.
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30 ShaRi
June 7, 2017 at 11:10 PM
OMG Yeo Jin Goo that running scene at the end just gave me goosebumps! I have been a fan for few years now and he never has disappointed me, like many of the fans i want to see Jin Goo playing Woo Jin in 2037 as well! <3 And This drama is brilliant! It's my favorite these days! and the only kdrama i watch currently. Keep up the good work Circle and Jin goo (Nice 8 packs btw :D )
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ShaRi
June 7, 2017 at 11:58 PM
and i wonder what if they are not twins! And Woo Jin is not the biological brother of bum gyum after all but is a result of some kind of experiment of his dad (they look really different and i know all the twins are not supposed to look alike anyway.. )?! another reason prof.Han wants him? Then we might be able see jin goo as ageless woo jin in 2037 as well? But sure he grew up to be an adult from that child in 2007! idk lots of question! that's why i love this drama i guess!
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weaselking
June 8, 2017 at 4:05 AM
I thought of that as well. What if they aren't really twins and Woojin's part of the experiments himself. There's just something about the Professor's adamant interest on Woojin that makes me curious if there's more to WJ's identity.
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ShaRi
June 8, 2017 at 8:14 AM
Yeah and the prof. Han never really tried to hurt him either, at least until this time. He sure must have known that Woo Jin is looking for his brother and have seen his brother being kidnapped and soon might find something about him as well! Woo jin and Byul seemed to be very close with each other as well even when he was little. Is it because they are somehow connected? can't wait for next episode! Monday Please come fast <3
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31 wakimary
June 8, 2017 at 12:38 AM
Circle,please continue surprising me every week, I dont mind the subsequent headache after watching each episode!
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CrimeFighter
June 9, 2017 at 3:07 AM
my brain goes in circles after watching it, just like its title...LOL
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32 kurazo4
June 8, 2017 at 12:56 AM
What can I say? This show is super cool! It never fail to surprise me with its awestruck revelations and more mind-buggling questions!
-What happened with Beom Gyun all those years? How did he ran away from the Professor?
-Who is the doctor? Is she one of the experiments too? Saying she was tasked to take care of hyung(?) before Jung Yeon left and disappeared means she was their on 2017.
-The right hand man of chairman is the Senior?! (sorry, I didn't remember their names)
-Professor Park is in Smart Earth as Minister Park? So he has a higher rank? Is it good news that he is the minister or will he be one of the villains? In 2017, it seems like he knew what was the villain Professor is keeping. I am thinking his character is shady.
-Is it safe to say that the Mayor is on our(Beom Gyun's) side?
-Where is Woo Jin, really?
Ugh, they kept on stalling the answers! But what can I do, it's the way the show keeps on saying, 'keep on watching, we are heading there.' and I'm on with it!
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weaselking
June 8, 2017 at 4:03 AM
The doctor is Park Minyoung - the girl Bumgyun met at the beginning of the episode. She is the one helping Woojin find Bumgyun along with Detective Hong in the hospital.
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33 dramaDee
June 8, 2017 at 2:28 AM
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34 dramaDee
June 8, 2017 at 2:33 AM
I am not a big fan of sci fi but this show has me excited, esp the first half. Yeo jin goo is amazing! Captivating and emotionally raw. The last scene where he chases the ambulance had me in tears..what a talent !
I go with option b- woo jin is the ceo. He must be the one earasing memories cause he believes memories to be the root cause for his brothers troubles.
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alua
June 8, 2017 at 7:36 AM
<he believes memories to be the root cause for his brothers troubles
He did, but he now too thinks that Jung-yeon is Byul. Which makes his brother – everything he did – a lot less crazy...
Mind you, he might still be the chairman or believe that the best way to deal with troublesome memories is erasing them.
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35 Jael
June 8, 2017 at 2:42 AM
Aside from the story, I can't help but agreed with tiney's comment over Yeo Jin Goo's acting. Don't think about the serious emontional expression yet, but realized that even for YJG being a third person in a simple fun UFO/alien conversation of medi student and detective chief was just so natural and precious... showing the frustraion and embarrassment.. .. 100 out of 100
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36 sirena
June 8, 2017 at 7:51 AM
I'm curious if the show will explain how "old Earth" reached its current state of toxicity? I realize that the writers may not think that this is an important detail to discuss, but I'm still curious. How has "New Earth" been spared from the devastating effects of twenty plus years of pollution and other environmental factors? I almost picture "New Earth" as a landmass encapsulated by an invisible dome. Lastly, the first episode seemed to suggest that travel between "Old Earth" and "New Earth" requires a train ride and then a plane ride. However, in the past few episodes we've seen characters go from one to the other will relative ease and speed.
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Peridot
June 8, 2017 at 9:14 AM
Regarding the your last two sentences: sometimes the writing of the second part gets a little sloppy and we lose consistency.
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37 Livii
June 8, 2017 at 8:05 AM
Yeo Jin goo, what a gorgeous actor, in both ability and appearance. I greatly look forward to his and byul's interactions, there's so much heartbreak and tension there.
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38 RC
June 8, 2017 at 8:58 AM
people, this is a drama. I'm pretty sure that Woo Jin is Ho Soo! Don't you think so??
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39 aklr
June 8, 2017 at 9:14 AM
This drama is getting better and better!
I hope WJ is not the CEO of Human B because that would be so easy.
This time Part 1: Beta Project is more interesting than Part 2: Brave New World.
Thank you for the recap. ^^,
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40 Peridot
June 8, 2017 at 9:23 AM
I wonder if the audience will be given a reason for Byul's arrival on Earth in the first place. Did other aliens come to Earth around the same time? Why did her spaceship appear to be following the twins as they raced through the woods and into the streets? And why did their father just happen to appear at the scene (I mentioned earlier that I do not believe that this was a coincidence)? I also got the feeling that the woods (where we see the twins in the opening scene of episode 1) were adjacent to a college campus, perhaps the same campus where many events from part one were taking place. Just what in the hell was going on?
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kiara
June 8, 2017 at 1:53 PM
Sometimes I think this alien incident was planned by Professor Han and the twins' dad. Who the heck keeps a real alien around his kids? This is not E.T.
Didn't Min-young said something about bright light and UFO's in regards to Bum-gyun's disappearance by the mental hospital?
Something is just not right with this alien story. I'm having a hard time buying it.
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Peridot
June 8, 2017 at 3:43 PM
Yes, bright lights were mentioned a couple of times. Many times UFOs are actually (very) human objects.
About the alien story: when Byul/the alien first appears, she/it has an an androgynous alien body that changes into the body of a young woman. This change takes place very quickly. How do other Beanies interpret this? Does this not suggest that the being who landed on Earth was an alien? Is this part of the story unreliable, as it it comes from the perspective of the twins, who were children at the time?
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41 Lunabird
June 8, 2017 at 9:54 AM
I'm still more invested in the Beta Project story. Those professors are getting under my skin and I wonder if they were the ones who created Jung Yeon. Its no accident that she "lost" all of her memories of the past and ended up looking a lot like the mysterious alien girl who happens to have a connection to them. But then, there are so many good theories out there and I really appreciate this writer's intense plot. Yeo Jin Gu is awesome as always and Gong Seung Yeon is making a very good impression. Hopefully, more will be revealed. Lastly, thank you to the recappers. I don't think I can watch any more episodes until tests start and are over.
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42 Pampimpum
June 8, 2017 at 10:06 AM
Completely agree with you abbout yeo jin goo's acting!! He is explosive!
I must confess, while i'm a fan of yeo jin goo since a long time, it's been a while since i really completely, completely lost and blown away by his perf- since his Giant's young Gangmo really (my personal fav of his). Of course since then he already done lot of great perf like in moonsun for example. But in others prev drama since moonsun- i somehow felt he overkills, and i really afraid that he'll lost the natural rawness of his acting and become too forced. Or maybe it because the lesser quality of storytelling/directing. Definitely not here though!! Here is the case of great storytelling + great directing + great on point acting = Ultimate watching experience!!
I'm soo happy go witness what yeo jin goo is really capable of!
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kiara
June 8, 2017 at 11:24 AM
He basically set the bar really high for himself from a very young age.
"Giant" was probably the role that made him wants to pursue acting. The two directors brought the best out of him because they realized that he has raw talents.
My recent favorite was "Jackpot." Watching him transitioned from boy to man (prince to king) was amazing.
Here, he has great control and on point like you are saying.
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ShaRi
June 8, 2017 at 7:25 PM
His Yeongjo in jackpot sure is one of my favorites! I think i loved his kingly parts more.. and Hwayi in the "Hwayi, the monster boy" movie is one of my all time favorites as well <3
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weaselking
June 8, 2017 at 8:28 PM
Yes to both Jackpot and Hwayi!
For Jackpot - he was able to portray his character's growth extremely well throughout the drama from Yeoning-gun to Yeongjo. And that scene where he was mourning for his mother would just forever stay with me.
For Hwayi - that scene with his mother once again hit me really hard. I showed the movie to family and they were also in awe of his acting. That part where he looked kind deranged for a moment and was just plain growling in grief.
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Pampimpum
June 9, 2017 at 6:33 PM
I havent watch jackpot yet. Is it 'okay-ish'? I've heard some strange things about that drama &became afraid lol. My friend says the logic in jackpot storytelling is like those in Ruler or leejunki's bbjx remake drama= zero. Lol.
(Damn i'm still salty about those two drama. Not even ysh & ljk can save those crap dramas)
Agree re- yjg's great control in here. Like wooden acting, uncontrolled acting bothers me. Not every sad scene needs catastrophic/deranged emotion delivery. That's why i loathe moonsun although he is great in there- because it sets up some of his later perfs that still has trace of his seja's crying over yeonwoo's death.
None in here!! In here i dont see anyone except woo jin. I dont even see yjg or yjg as woojin. Only woo jin. And that is what a real acting is.
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weaselking
June 8, 2017 at 8:19 PM
Ah yes YJG as Gangmo is one of my favorite performances of his. Just the way he was able to pull off such a heavy performance at a really young age was really amazing to watch. A pity they didn't award child actors back then at the 2010 SBS drama awards... He would've easily bagged it.
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ShaRi
June 9, 2017 at 7:06 AM
yeah i watched only YJG's parts in giant! After they grew up i also gave up :D
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43 chana500
June 8, 2017 at 9:56 PM
I don't think woo-him is the ceo in the future because the deputy chief has way too much loyaty to the current CEO . In part one, the deputy chief hates woo-jin with passion that hate will never go truely way specially if he hates joon kyuk who I think is save to assume he never meet. I hope he is not dead but he might be.
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44 CrimeFighter
June 9, 2017 at 3:04 AM
I'm still 2 epi behind this drama, binged watch epi 3 and 4 last night sacarificing some of my sleep time...haha, but no regrets, since it is such an awesome drama....
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45 zaradeamor143
June 9, 2017 at 4:44 AM
@tineybeanie Just curious, Will you update the recap for Ep.6? ive been waited for so long lol
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46 ShaRi
June 9, 2017 at 7:04 AM
you are working so hard recapping! But the wait for ep 6 recap is just too painful <3 :(
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47 somegirl
June 30, 2017 at 8:09 PM
"For surely where people exist, there’s bound to be friction and clashing ideas that may lead to greed and pain but also leads to growth and hope. It’s just not natural—the Care Chips—removing what makes us essentially human: our emotions." - I know I'm a few weeks late to share my thoughts during this episode but I have the same conviction. We shouldn't be afraid of pain because it helps us grow and our emotions make us essentially human. We aren't robots, we're supposed to think, feel, rationally (or sometimes not) but at the end of the day, no matter how painful, whatever we face and how we react is what makes us human.
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48 typicalanj
August 22, 2017 at 2:39 AM
I'm going for option B. When asked by a professor in which would Woo Jin think be the best alternative for PTSD treatment, he mentioned something about forgetting and removing bad memories in episode 2 but I don't really know anymore. All I know is this drama is driving me crazy and I love it.
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49 LeeT
August 26, 2017 at 4:09 AM
i still think he's Woo Jin but find it hard to believe that Min-young wouldn't know the difference between the two, especially when they're clearly fraternal rather than identical. So unless she's lying, he is Bun Gyun. That's a bit disappointing. I know that Woo Jin first came up with the idea of removing memories to deal with trauma but I find it hard to believe he's the head of Human B.
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