Giant - you make me so confused

[walkwithheroes]

With four episodes left, Giant is trying to wrap up its million plot lines and fill in all those damn plotholes. And while some of these things make me happy, it also makes me annoyed. Why? Because a lot of it seems rushed and half-ass.






Sung Mo finally gets some more character development. For ages he's been all about his two younger siblings and stalking Jo Pil Yeon for the revenge that seemed to never come. It was nice to see him breakdown in his younger brother's arms. After all SM has spent the last 20+ years of his life seeking revenge and never having a life. Now people he cared about are dead and he's no closer to bringing JPY down then he was when he was seventeen. It was nice to see him taking all that in. He's wasted so much time and because of that innocent people have died. It's good he knows that.


Min woo and Miju. . .wait, what? They had a whole thing of flashbacks. She still has the ring he gave her. They are still in love. He watches her from afar as she signs records. This can end in one of two ways: a quick reunion that barely makes sense (but will make me happy) or MW is killed saving someone. I cannot get over the idea that MW will die taking a bullet for one of the brothers, Miju, or maybe even someone else.


As for the rest - frankly I just don't care anymore. With four episodes left, I'm basically watching to see how the writer solves the MW/Miju stuff. Though I have a sinking feeling I'm not going to be happy: either because they don't end up together or they do, but in a totally 'Oh yeah, those two.' half-ass, last minute, sort of way.


In other news: episode 6 of Mary didn't air today because of the Asian Games. Funny, I thought it wouldn't air because of what happened at the boarder earlier. But, no, they canceled today's episode for swimming.

Comments

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I am glad at least Giant aired. Clearly both MBC and KBS are sort of insane.

After this and East of Eden, I think I am done with lengthy generational revenge sagas, at least until they are fully complete.

Because so far the pattern is consistent - really well-done and engaging until about halfway through when the writers seemingly decide "screw it!" and proceed to write the rest while drunk and high. Just as with EoE, I am in this for the OTP alone by now. Speaking of which, EoE handled the OTP better at least - whatever else I had issues with, I didn't with the handling of the couple. But by now, MW/Miju has been pretty ruined. If they live happily ever after together (though, like you, I can't shake the fear he'll take a bullet for someone), can you imagine a functional relationship. "I am OK with my husband going evil on occasion even to my nearest and dearest." "I am OK with my wife lying to me for years and hiding my child from me." Yeah.

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

I'd never even heard of the Asian Games until three weeks ago. But, it seems to be rather popular.


I think I am done with lengthy generational revenge sagas, at least until they are fully complete.


Same here. A lot of it has to do with the fans and the extensions these series often get. The writers, producers, whoever seem to think that in order to keep fans interested, they have to drag things out and add all sorts of makjang elements to it.


In terms of the OTP - it looks like the soompi fans - not sure about the Korean fans - are much more invested in the so-called Lead OTP. With MW/Miju, I can't really see how they'll end up together. Yet, I don't want either of them to die. There is a large part of me that wants them to get a happy ending, but after all the lies and all the shady business stuff, I'm not sure they can. I'm so confused!

[clairiere.livejournal.com]

re: the Asian Games:

It's not as fun as the Olympics or the World Cup, and it's mostly competition among the Big Three (China, Korea, Japan). But it can be as exciting, unpredictable, and tense as anything, and there's a reason some of the events pulled in 25+% in the ratings, like Park Tae-Hwan's impressive run in swimming or the women's archery finals opposite the Chinese team, when they were running neck-and-neck, fell behind once, came back to tie twice, then all three hit bull's eye to win the gold.

Yes, I enjoyed it too. :) Nerves of steel IRL can be as dramatic as any drama.

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

I've never been a fan of the Olympics or World Cup, but I know people go crazy for them. Glad to see its the same with the Asian Games. Even it if does affect my drama watching.

[(Anonymous)]

In Korea, the MJ and MW couple is the big thing. Everyone is rooting for their union. There was a SBS entertainment interview where the host begins the show quite humorously by declaring that the 'big' couple in Korea is not 'Brad-Angelina' or even 'Actor Jang Dong Gun and his wife" but ---- its about the "Wooju" couple -- or as he put it the 2010 big couple.

So yeah people love them, more than the main OTP. Soompi posters however are not very favorable of the MJ/MW couple, because they somewhat believe in the idea of 'realism' and perceives the MW/MJ couple to be otherwise. Which saddens me to some degree (that soompiers don't like them)

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

In Korea, the MJ and MW couple is the big thing. Everyone is rooting for their union.

Thank you. That is very good to know. Hopefully the writer will listen to that and somehow find a way to put them together in the end.


Soompi posters however are not very favorable of the MJ/MW couple, because they somewhat believe in the idea of 'realism' and perceives the MW/MJ couple to be otherwise.

Oh please! If you stop and think about the over half the plot-lines in Giant are unrealistic and have very little realism. There are more than three companies in Korea, and yet only these three are fighting for contracts weekly. Every week at least one company will go bankrupt if they don't get the deal or whatever. The way the characters keep finding each other after years - Korea's bigger than that. I could go on.

Honestly, I've stopped listening to the 'shippers at Soompi. They tend to annoy me with who they ship and how annoyed they get when people disagree.

[clairiere.livejournal.com]

I am glad at least Giant aired. Clearly both MBC and KBS are sort of insane.

It's all about ratings for all three networks.

For MBC and KBS, their dramas are doing so badly that the Asian Games pull better ratings for them. They could have aired news specials tonight, and odds are they wouldn't have done any worse than Mary or QoR.

SBS saw no interest from the outset in broadcasting the Games alongside the other two, and it also happens all their dramas are well-entrenched in their timeslots, so pre-emption for anything wouldn't have made much sense. They did pull out the variety shows out of respect for today's events.

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

That's very true. Giant's ratings are hanging around 29-30%. They are fine. While Mary is hanging around 7-8% and QoR isn't fairing much better. I'm sure the games are bringing in the ratings, which brings in sponsors, which brings in money. Still, apart of me finds it odd that they postponed the shows in favor of games and not news about what happened today. I'm glad to hear they pulled the variety shows, though.

[gwinna]

Hi, sorry for randomly commenting when you don't know me or anything, but I'm a Minwoo/Miju fan and Giant has been killing me with angst lately. I wasn't actually worried about the ending until around episodes 51/52 because it seemed to have a fairly upbeat tone and I just wasn't getting the feeling that it would end in tragedy. But since they started creating more obstacles for MW/MJ so late in the game (the fake DNA test results) , I've been really afraid that MW will take a bullet for someone, as you mentioned, and be redeemed only in death. I will be very, very upset if that happens, both because I hate that kind of ending in general, and because I'm so invested in MW/MJ. I try to tell myself that they won't kill Minwoo for Wooju's sake, since they've emphasized how much WJ wants a dad but... idk, I'm still worried.

That being said, although it's true the pacing has been a bit screwy since they announced the extension, I do still think it's possible for Minwoo and Miju to end up together in a believable way; for me it's just a question of whether or not they will make it happen. This week's episodes actually made me feel more hopeful since now that they are starting to wrap up some plotlines maybe they'll have more time to spend on MW/MJ. Anyway, I won't give up hope until it's over.

[walkwithheroes.livejournal.com]

It's cool - I love meeting new people who like the same dramas.


wasn't actually worried about the ending until around episodes 51/52 because it seemed to have a fairly upbeat tone and I just wasn't getting the feeling that it would end in tragedy. But since they started creating more obstacles for MW/MJ so late in the game (the fake DNA test results) , I've been really afraid that MW will take a bullet for someone, as you mentioned, and be redeemed only in death. I will be very, very upset if that happens, both because I hate that kind of ending in general, and because I'm so invested in MW/MJ.

I could not agree with this more. It's like you've read my mind.


How do you think it'll end for MW/Miju that could be good and make sense? I've been trying to think of a way, and I just cannot.