Mary Stayed Out All Night - Episode 2
Nov. 9th, 2010 08:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
walkwithheroesMary Stayed Out All Night is one of those shows where the leads are everything. It feels like a true romantic-comedy in the sense that the plot revolves around the leads; the leads don't revolve around the plot. What I mean is, a lot of the plot is the plot because it helps in bringing out two leads together - and, I'm not saying that's a bad thing.
Mae Ri, Moo Kyul, and Jung In are three people that should and would never meet in the real world, but because this is drama world, they meet. And. It. Is. Wonderful. Moon Geun Young and Jang Geun Suk have this amazing chemistry - it's like watching an adorable couple go on their first dates. Jung In is very cool, and his first interactions with both Mae Ri and Seo Joon are classic K-drama.
With this episode we got the answer to the million dollar question: How can Mae Ri be married to two guys at the same time?
It turns out that Jung Suk (Jung In's dad) and Wi Dae Han (Mae Ri's dad) are old friends. They were both in love with Mae Ri's deceased mother, and through that rivalry formed a friendship. Dae Han still feels badly that Mae Ri's mother picked him, because she had a hard life and died young. Jung Suk has an obsession with wanting to make Mae Ri happy and keep her safe, because he couldn't do that for Mae Ri's mother. So, the two men come up with a plan:
Jung In and Mae Ri will marry!
Jung In is a producer in Japan, but he wants to try his hand at a Korean drama (that will star Seo Joon). So, Jung Suk tells his son; "Go to Korea and film the drama. It must be a ratings hit. Or you fail, and you might as well do nothing if you fail. Oh, and you have to marry a girl while there. I've picked one out for you." Jung In, being a good son, replies; "Okay."
Mae Ri isn't haven't any of this. She wants her dad to get rid of his debts, but basically selling her into marriage is so not her idea of a good time. When she tells her friends and Moo Kyul's bandmates (the group is hanging out)about her problem, the crafty group comes up with a solution: Moo Kyul and Mae Ri will take wedding photos, send them to Mae Ri's dad, and tell him that she's married to/about to marry Moo Kyul, so she can't marry some guy she's never met. They do just that. . .and all is well.
Well, not really. See, in all the happiness (debt free!) Dae Han registered Mae Ri and Jung In as being married. He stole her identification card and registered the marriage with a little help from Jung Suk. So, by being married to Jung In on paper (and in the eyes of the government) and being fake!married/engaged to Moo Kyul - Mae Ri's committing adultery. She goes to get a divorce, but learns that she has to say why, and when she starts to say its because her father registered the marriage without her consent, Mae Ri realizes her dad could be arrested.
Not to worry - the two fathers have come up with a plan. Mae Ri will stay married/engaged to both men for a period of 100 days. She'll spend Monday-Friday with both (9-5 with Jung In and 5-10 with Moo Kyul), Saturdays with Jung In and Sundays with Moo Kyul. After 100 days, Mae Ri will pick one of them and stay married to the one she picks. Jung Suk will pay off Dae Han's debts. All will be well.
Mae Ri informs Moo Kyul of this, and tells his he just has to pretend to be with her during those hours. She won't even bother seeing him. In fact after the 100 days, she plans to divorcee Jung In and try to get back to college. Moo Kyul doesn't seem very interested, but we all know he'll go for it - as long as she doesn't fall for him.
There you go. The plot is, admittedly, silly. It really doesn't make much sense. But, watching the leads play and work off one another, well, it really makes you forget that the plot is (as of now) rather thin. This is a Korean drama, so you can expect the real plot to kick in around episode four or five.
That said, I really have to admire the way the show allows itself to poke fun as its own genera and silliness. I love love that people keep commenting that Moo Kyul looks like a girl! I loved the way Mae Ri even told him that she finds him pretty, but could never think of him as a man because he's too pretty. I love how smart Mae Ri is - she comes up with the best ideas. I love that she's a drama-watcher and would rather watch a drama than be with a handsome man. I love that Mae Ri is smart and yet totally innocent and adorable. I love that Moo Kyul is so loyal and clearly has some hidden issues that could quickly turn him into a mess. I love that Mae Ri is so unsure of people that she has them sign contracts saying they won't sue her. I love that Moo Kyul always calls her "Marry Christmas" and that Mae Ri often responses with "Happy New Year" - and how confused it makes other people (they already have an in-joke!)
Basically I love this show. It's such a romantic comedy, but that's really okay. It's a nice replacement for Playful Kiss. It really is a fun little drama - I could watch Mae Ri and Moo Kyul hang out all day; they do the most boring and ordinary things, but in such a fun, unusual, and adorkable way. I'm currently watching several angsty or dramatic Korean dramas: Giant and Gloria, so this type of drama is just what I need.
Also - who doesn't love a show where the OTP spends their nights getting drunk, then walking home holding hands and hugging or giving piggyback rides. Cute!
Mae Ri, Moo Kyul, and Jung In are three people that should and would never meet in the real world, but because this is drama world, they meet. And. It. Is. Wonderful. Moon Geun Young and Jang Geun Suk have this amazing chemistry - it's like watching an adorable couple go on their first dates. Jung In is very cool, and his first interactions with both Mae Ri and Seo Joon are classic K-drama.
With this episode we got the answer to the million dollar question: How can Mae Ri be married to two guys at the same time?
It turns out that Jung Suk (Jung In's dad) and Wi Dae Han (Mae Ri's dad) are old friends. They were both in love with Mae Ri's deceased mother, and through that rivalry formed a friendship. Dae Han still feels badly that Mae Ri's mother picked him, because she had a hard life and died young. Jung Suk has an obsession with wanting to make Mae Ri happy and keep her safe, because he couldn't do that for Mae Ri's mother. So, the two men come up with a plan:
Jung In and Mae Ri will marry!
Jung In is a producer in Japan, but he wants to try his hand at a Korean drama (that will star Seo Joon). So, Jung Suk tells his son; "Go to Korea and film the drama. It must be a ratings hit. Or you fail, and you might as well do nothing if you fail. Oh, and you have to marry a girl while there. I've picked one out for you." Jung In, being a good son, replies; "Okay."
Mae Ri isn't haven't any of this. She wants her dad to get rid of his debts, but basically selling her into marriage is so not her idea of a good time. When she tells her friends and Moo Kyul's bandmates (the group is hanging out)about her problem, the crafty group comes up with a solution: Moo Kyul and Mae Ri will take wedding photos, send them to Mae Ri's dad, and tell him that she's married to/about to marry Moo Kyul, so she can't marry some guy she's never met. They do just that. . .and all is well.
Well, not really. See, in all the happiness (debt free!) Dae Han registered Mae Ri and Jung In as being married. He stole her identification card and registered the marriage with a little help from Jung Suk. So, by being married to Jung In on paper (and in the eyes of the government) and being fake!married/engaged to Moo Kyul - Mae Ri's committing adultery. She goes to get a divorce, but learns that she has to say why, and when she starts to say its because her father registered the marriage without her consent, Mae Ri realizes her dad could be arrested.
Not to worry - the two fathers have come up with a plan. Mae Ri will stay married/engaged to both men for a period of 100 days. She'll spend Monday-Friday with both (9-5 with Jung In and 5-10 with Moo Kyul), Saturdays with Jung In and Sundays with Moo Kyul. After 100 days, Mae Ri will pick one of them and stay married to the one she picks. Jung Suk will pay off Dae Han's debts. All will be well.
Mae Ri informs Moo Kyul of this, and tells his he just has to pretend to be with her during those hours. She won't even bother seeing him. In fact after the 100 days, she plans to divorcee Jung In and try to get back to college. Moo Kyul doesn't seem very interested, but we all know he'll go for it - as long as she doesn't fall for him.
There you go. The plot is, admittedly, silly. It really doesn't make much sense. But, watching the leads play and work off one another, well, it really makes you forget that the plot is (as of now) rather thin. This is a Korean drama, so you can expect the real plot to kick in around episode four or five.
That said, I really have to admire the way the show allows itself to poke fun as its own genera and silliness. I love love that people keep commenting that Moo Kyul looks like a girl! I loved the way Mae Ri even told him that she finds him pretty, but could never think of him as a man because he's too pretty. I love how smart Mae Ri is - she comes up with the best ideas. I love that she's a drama-watcher and would rather watch a drama than be with a handsome man. I love that Mae Ri is smart and yet totally innocent and adorable. I love that Moo Kyul is so loyal and clearly has some hidden issues that could quickly turn him into a mess. I love that Mae Ri is so unsure of people that she has them sign contracts saying they won't sue her. I love that Moo Kyul always calls her "Marry Christmas" and that Mae Ri often responses with "Happy New Year" - and how confused it makes other people (they already have an in-joke!)
Basically I love this show. It's such a romantic comedy, but that's really okay. It's a nice replacement for Playful Kiss. It really is a fun little drama - I could watch Mae Ri and Moo Kyul hang out all day; they do the most boring and ordinary things, but in such a fun, unusual, and adorkable way. I'm currently watching several angsty or dramatic Korean dramas: Giant and Gloria, so this type of drama is just what I need.
Also - who doesn't love a show where the OTP spends their nights getting drunk, then walking home holding hands and hugging or giving piggyback rides. Cute!
