CIL is a show that shows us what happens when a stormy cloud latches on to a gloomy front and electrifies it. It brings together the manic and the depressive in nature's way of bringing balance to the force. Sim Woo-Joo hates her father, who had abandoned them (her, mom, sister/Sim Haesong, and brother/Sim Ji-Gu) for his mistress (THAT woman) years ago. Watching her is like watching the backstory of a supervillain. If she had a theme song it would be The Rolling Stones' Paint It Black. She attends dad's funeral. (in a leopard dress and red spiked heels) and lets it be known. Han Dong-Jin is a slumped pile of suffering on long legs. He exudes depression more than Joni Mitchell or Radiohead. More than Eeyore, even. His one love is camping. His company brings together vendors for outdoor living fairs and exhibitions. (He does all the work and his partner does all the golfing). He is also the son of THAT woman. Crashing the funeral wasn't enough. SWJ decides she's bringing HDJ down.
Soon, SWJ realizes she'll have to queue-up to bring HDJ down. He's down already because of his ex. The only thing he has going is his company. The crows and raccoons have rifled through most of that already. As she's implementing her plan she grows more uncomfortable with her goal. HDJ is not the bad guy. All the critters around him are. Though morose, here's a handsome, perfectly good man. He's been dropped in the dirt, but all she needs to do is brush him off alittle. To begin, all she needs to do is take his hand...
CIL is a 2023 release that is rated 90 on AWiki. It is 1 season consisting of 16 60ish-minute episodes. The directors are Lee Gwang-Young (The Secret Life of My Secretary) and rookie Kim Ji-Yeon. The writer, Kim Ga-Eun, is another rookie. If this is what they can do right out of the gate, we can look forward to great things from them.
SWJ is played by Lee Sung-Kyung (She's marvelous in Cheese in the Trap as the borderline Baek In-Ha). SWJ let heartbreak make her hard and mean. She decided to be hateful. Sis, Haesong, put her efforts into becoming lovable. She looks to boyfriends as substitutes for her father's love. Brother, Sim Ji-Gu, is played by Jang Sung-Bum, who has a voice like an angel. He's the baby and is somewhat insulated from the pain by the women in his family. He dreams of a singing career while SWJ insists he spend all his time studying for the Civil Service exam. THAT woman is portrayed by Nam Gi-Ae. She's a force. Playing #313 guest in 2015's Oh My Ghost10 led to 25 mostly bit parts. Next, she is the ML's mother in When the Weather is Fine9 & quite a different Oma in 2020's Flower of Evil8.9. Since then she's been in 19 not-bit-parts >8/yr. I'm not the only one who thinks she's capable. HDJ is played by Kim Young-Kwang. His hands are often bleeding. He's always getting cut. His mother abandoned him when he was a kid and his GF dumped him a few years back. He's been slowly bleeding out for most of his life.
The Romance is a tranquil campsite with a warm kindling fire... And a river of lava flowing 10ft beneath the surface. The two leads are under a weight of grief. There's a China-sized wall between them. She's been out to destroy him over his mother's transgressions. He promised himself he would not be hurt, nor would he be abandoned, ever again. Will we get to see them smile freely? The audience knows her secret, and we know that the truth will come out. As we get to know all the characters more, the more wary we are of the truth being told - It is going to hurt. The more we know, the more we know it will hurt. Romance is in the eyes, more than anywhere else. In ep15 he manages to go from gloomy eyes to lovey-eyes - he does it better than my cat, and that's saying alot. My kitty has the best lovey-eyes. In ep16 we get to see some smiling eyes.
CIL is a thoughtful commentary on human relationships. The show is quiet. The viewer feels like s/he is watching the grazing heard from the quiet of the woods. Wolves are prowling while the prey are tending to their daily routine, mating up, and vying for power. The themes revolve around hurt, revenge and weakness - and the enslavement those bring - but also endurance and forgiveness, with the freedom they bring.
Revenge. 'Do you crash your ex's wedding?' He sincerely wants to know. Her: 'Yes, you get revenge by any means possible. You trip your ex if you have a chance.' Him: 'No, you'll have to live with that horrible memory and that empty feeling the rest of your life." Oprah is attributed with stating that if you're 40 and people call you "nice" there's something wrong. "Nice" is often substituted for "weak", and weakness invites aggression. She tells him this. She tells him people are trying to take him down and pick his bones because he's too easy. He's been focused on pain. Endurance. Pain. ENDURE! "I keep going back and forth." "Just deal with it," she says. Athletes know all about it, she'll tell us. So does he.
CEO Shin let wounded pride fester inside of him. He, perhaps unwittingly, let a desire for 1up-manship take over his life. He was the original malefactor. HDJ simply reacted accordingly and left his company. CEO Shin then let a desire for "revenge" take over his life. He allowed HDJ to live in his head which prevented him from moving forward freely. HDJ enslaved himself in grief. SWJ enslaved herself in rage, grief, and vengeance. CEO Shin enslaved himself in pride and vengeance - false vengeance, at that, as he had no valid complaints. "I've been living like a crazy person as if I was possessed by something. I ended up coming this far. I wanted to stop, but... I don't know what else to do with life. I'm so terribly sorry." In the end he was left with regret, which leads us into ~>
Forgiveness. CIL is satisfying and inspiring and as good as it is because it has a true and positive message. It offers solutions that we all can use. All of our protags are called upon to forgive. They aren't called on to forgive small things, either. We see how forgiveness brings release, Forgiveness doesn't mean we let go of justice or proper punishment - That is not a requirement. Forgiveness is us releasing ourselves along with the offender. It's stepping out of the cage of bitterness and hate. It is freeing ourselves, though it ain't easy. I find that trail too rocky and difficult without a lot of prayer and divine help.
Our leads are no lazy slouches and neither are the directors. The filmcraft is excellent. CIL drops tasty tidbits along the trail to keep us following along. There's connections made with good use of dialogue, camera shots, and the actors themselves. Many lines have double meanings. Juxtaposition is used cleverly. CIL is often accompanied by pensive, somewhat melancholy piano and the whole show is like a concerto of such music. It's sad, hypnotic, emotional, and oddly relaxing. What Can I Do, by Hyunji, is Spotifyable. They do some fun shadow animation as HDJ conjures up some of his favorite camping memories. The well-off people drink at a bar that looks like it's on the inside of a cob of roasting corn. "I think I'm going to cry," Haesong says happily, because she sees SWJ holding a man's hand. The camera pans to a woebegotten pharmacist... In one episode, Haesong is wearing a top that has two fabric straps hanging from her left shoulder, and her work name tag is pinned in such a way that they make a big "A" on her chest, resurrecting Hester Prynne from The Scarlet Letter. Haesong has dated alot of men. She is looked at, by some, as tarnished. By ep15, Jun and Haesong are unconsciously matching their clothes. Quality touches such as these turn a good feature into an excellent one. CIL is excellent.
As moody and methodical as the pace is, there's smiles to be found. "His house is big, but there's nothing in it. Just like him." HDJ's misery is reinforced to the point of humor throughout the show. "How could you 3 make so much drama every day? You guys make trouble one after another. It's almost like teamwork, " remarks Jun. SWJ isn't much of a people person. "I'll pretend being ignored is all in my head," is cheerful CEO Sun-woo's response to her non-response. 'It's good to be gathered with you all - You who trust me least in this world, but cherish me most,' Jiju quips at one point. It's all good for regulating the pressure valve and providing sufficient release.
HDJ and SWJ are seen walking alone in every episode. One beautiful irony is that his mother had been an obstacle in all of his relationships, but she ultimately brought him together with SWJ. She is the broken road that led them to eachother, and forgiveness paved the road. God bless that broken road - They don't have to hike alone ever again.
QUOTES📢
Do you know what the most loyal thing in the world is? A sense of foreboding. Animals know that an earthquake will happen and take shelter. Even animals are able to protect themselves.
If an issue can be solved with money and time then it's not a problem.
Nobody cares about loyalty anymore, so why should I? It only stabs you in the back.
〰🖍 IMHO
📣8.3 📝8.5 🎭8.5 💓7.7 🦋7 🌞6 🎨6 ⚡1 🎵/🔊7.8 😅3.5 😭4 😱2.5 😯4 😖2 🤔6.4 💤1 🔚8.5
Age 13+ with the following cautions: This is an adult romance that is mostly quiet and respectful and conservative. The benefits outweigh the liabilities. Not much physical contact is even depicted throughout its entirety, but we do see couples kissing in bed. A man invites a woman to spend the night. There is violence that is depicted without being fully shown as the screen goes black. The ML's mother always has a man in her life. Language: PG-13 here and there.
Rated TV-14: Parents Strongly Cautioned.
Re-📺? Very likely
🎰
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