Hello everybody!
As we speak I’m sharing my episode 1-2 notes on When The Telephone Rings, as a result of I’m utterly sucked in immediately, and I used to be questioning if you happen to’d like to hitch me? 🤗
These are my episode 1-2 notes, precisely as they seem on Patreon, ie, with out screenshots (I’m saving these for the precise assessment).
I hope you all take pleasure in, and I hope you’ll think about becoming a member of us over on Patreon, for the remainder of the discussions! ❤️
ALSO – I’m presently having a Yr Finish Sale with 20% off all membership tiers on Patreon (particulars right here!), so now’s a good time to hitch! 🥲❤️
Episode notes:
E1-2. What a stunning pair of episodes these turned out to be; I’m fairly darn nicely sucked into this one, my associates. 😁
I hadn’t actually recognized what to anticipate, coming into this present, and so, I’d figured that no matter Present served up, I’d simply roll with it – virtually like, if I had no particular expectations, I shouldn’t be shocked..?
A minimum of, that was the speculation, however that wasn’t in any respect the way it went down, coz Present managed to shock me on a fairly common foundation – and it’s simply establishing its premise, at this level.
It makes me marvel what else Present has up its sleeves, for the remainder of our episodes. 😁
One of many first issues to shock me, is the truth that Chae Soo Bin’s character Hee Joo, is launched as non-verbal; somebody who makes use of signal language to speak.
I hadn’t come throughout any point out of Hee Joo having a incapacity, in Present’s promos, and seeing her be an indication language interpreter, in itself was a shock to me.
I naturally then puzzled if she was deaf, as a result of that’s usually the case, when somebody makes use of signal language to speak.
However then, I noticed that she appeared to have the ability to reply to vocal cues, so I puzzled if she might hear, and that’s when Present acknowledged that Hee Joo has selective mutism.
That was the primary time I’d come throughout the time period, so I seemed it up, and the web tells me that selective mutism is an anxiousness dysfunction that makes it troublesome for an individual to talk in sure social conditions.
..Which made me assume that one thing traumatic had occurred to Hee Joo, to trigger her to endure from selective mutism.
It’s solely a lot later within the episodes, when Hee Joo visits her father on the nursing dwelling, that it dawned on me that Hee Joo was actually solely pretending to have selective mutism (as a result of she blurts it out, to Dad). Like, what?
All this time, I’d additionally been considerably puzzled over the best way Mom Dearest appears to haven’t any actual affection for Hee Joo, and it’s solely at this level, when Dad re-enacts his earnest request to Mom Dearest, in his dementia, that it comes collectively in my head that Hee Joo isn’t Mom Dearest’s daughter all.
(I take that again; Elaine and MC identified to me on Patreon, that Mom Dearest could be very probably Hee Joo’s actual mom, which, gosh, she’s terrible! 😪)
In reality, it appears that evidently Dad had despatched Hee Joo to Mom Dearest, in a bid to present Hee Joo the most effective future that she might have, that he couldn’t give her.
Placing that along with the supposed selective mutism, it appears to be like like Mom Dearest had probably made Hee Joo fake to have selective mutism, for the sake of defending.. household secrets and techniques, maybe?
All that to say, it actually appears like nothing is because it seems, on this drama world, which makes for a really absorbing, fairly trippy kind of watch expertise, no less than thus far.
After which there’s our male lead Sa Eon, whom Present establishes in a short time as a really profitable man, who’s rapidly turn out to be the face of the Blue Home, and is well-respected and admired, wherever he goes.
Present establishes in a short time, what a busy, necessary individual he’s, and judging from the onerous traces of his jaw, he’s a really targeted, no-nonsense, all-business kind of man.
Present additionally establishes in a short time, the sort of relationship that Hee Joo has with Sa Eon – or no less than the sort of opinion she has of him – through the best way she disgustedly provides his picture onscreen the finger, whereas her colleague Yu Ri basks in fangirl admiration.
Fairly rapidly, we get to the a part of episode 1, the place Hee Joo will get attacked, and I’ve to inform ya, I used to be completely creeped out with the best way Attacker Dude had her whole automotive below management.
Like, eep, this appears to be like and feels like a believable actual hazard, with how good vehicles are these days, and the way that signifies that they are often hacked, identical to another laptop.
I discovered the concept somebody might doubtlessly management my automotive, such that I had no means to manage the place my automotive took me, and even whether or not I might unlock the doorways to get out, completely unsettling, and I can solely think about how terrifying it have to be, to be in Hee Joo’s sneakers.
After which that second, when Attacker Dude really will get into the automotive, regardless of her effort to lock the doorways, felt much more terrifying than the rest that had gone earlier than, and I used to be utterly horrified and terrified, on Hee Joo’s behalf. 🫣🙈
The factor with Attacker Dude calling Sa Eon and making calls for of him, whereas holding Hee Joo hostage, is that Sa Eon has each purpose to be suspicious, as a result of I’m certain he comes throughout all types of potential scammers and different threats, notably in his line of labor.
Heck, any common individual dwelling on this planet right this moment, will get spammed with all types of rip-off messages, too, sure?
And so, after Sa Eon hears from Mom Dearest the (pretend) info, that Hee Joo is safely with Mom Dearest, having dinner, it makes full sense that he would act powerful with Attacker Dude, and be all unbending and provocative, in response to Attacker Dude’s calls for.
It’s really unlucky although, that Hee Joo hears each heartless phrase that Sa Eon says to Attacker Dude, as a result of I can solely think about how a lot worse her impression of him will get, and the way distressed, shocked and enraged she should really feel, to listen to him act like he doesn’t care about her security, to the purpose that he would even dare her attacker to solely name him, when he has a corpse.
Ugh. I actually really feel for Hee Joo, as a result of all of these items put collectively – the stress of being in a present marriage, the shock and trauma of being held for ransom, and the shock and horror that Sa Eon would devalue her very life – is actually sufficient to make her lose her thoughts.
I used to be actually each impressed and bemused, that Hee Joo would have the ability to behave in such a standard method, upon reaching dwelling.
I imply, Attacker Dude had not solely tried to strangle her with a rope, he’d additionally stabbed wildly at her headrest (which in itself is terrifying), and had left a gash on her neck.
Ack. The stuff of nightmares, really.
Hee Joo’s composure after this terrifying incident actually makes me marvel what different horrors she’s needed to endure in her life, to have the ability to stay so calm, after going via one thing like that. 💔
At this level, the factor that intrigues me about Sa Eon, is that he does appear to care about Hee Joo’s security – however he appears intent on not displaying it?
Like, he makes association for her safety and safety, however then is curt and businesslike when he tells her about that he’s organized for her to attend the occasion on the British Embassy as an indication language interpreter.
On this second, there’s even a fast second the place he tenses his jaw after saying his piece, proper earlier than he turns to stroll away, and that tensing of his jaw, vibes like annoyance to my eyes.
I’m relieved, although, that no less than Hee Joo finds out from Mom Dearest, that Sa Eon had been below the impression that Hee Joo had been with Mom Dearest.
A minimum of this fashion, she has some perception into why Sa Eon may say such horrible issues, with out regard for her security?
The curious factor, although, is that we do get a touch that Hee Joo won’t have all the time felt so negatively in the direction of Sa Eon.
In that scene on the workplace, when her director Jin Yi (Yang Jo Ah trying verrryy totally different from her current outing in Romance within the Home; eyeliner makes such an enormous distinction! 🤯) walks in on her working towards to a video, and reminds her that she’d used to love Sa Eon’s briefing movies, saying that they have been like textbooks to her, and that she needed to be onscreen with Sa Eon, even when it was only for a quick second.
That makes me assume that there was a time when Hee Joo had really preferred Sa Eon, and had needed to win his coronary heart. 🥲
I’ve to say, the scene on the occasion, on the British Embassy, the place Sa Eon and Hee Joo speak with the Ambassador and his spouse, was fairly cringey. 😅
For one factor, I might have anticipated that somebody like Sa Eon, who clearly would have a number of worldwide interactions as a part of his work, would have higher spoken English, and wouldn’t want a translator.
For an additional, I assumed it the tone of the dialog between Hee Joo and the Ambassador’s spouse was odd.
ALSO. Is Present attempting to say that the Ambassador’s spouse makes use of Korean Signal Language? As a result of the web tells me that Korean Signal Language and British Signal Language are totally different.
Sure, I’m being a bit nitpicky, it’s true; it’s simply that particulars like these do take me out of the story, considerably, and I assume I’d had increased expectations of Present, that we wouldn’t get a lot of these issues, that might require suspension of disbelief.
Anyway. I assume the entire level of this scene, was to indicate us that Sa Eon will get flustered when he realizes that Hee Joo’s advised the Ambassador’s spouse that she has no private relationship with Sa Eon in any respect.
So sure, we do get a number of glimpses at cracks in Sa Eon’s armor; he positively cares extra about Hee Joo than he’d prefer to admit.
The massive twist in episode 1 – that Hee Joo’s obtained Attacker Dude’s cellphone, and is now calling Sa Eon, pretending to be Attacker Dude – completely took me unexpectedly.
I used to be like, Wait. WHAT. 😱🤯
I completely hadn’t seen that coming! 😅
And but, when Present places it in context, that Hee Joo had virtually misplaced her thoughts with anger, on the issues that Sa Eon had stated to Attacker Dude, after which had managed to take Attacker Dude’s cellphone, I can see why she may assume that this was her probability to get out of a really sad, suffocating scenario.
As an apart, I actually do need to marvel what occurred to Attacker Dude, that evening?
I imply, we see that he’d suffered a knock to the top and handed out in Hee Joo’s automotive, so.. what occurred to him after that?
Clearly, she hadn’t known as the police, and so he hadn’t been arrested or something, however.. he additionally wouldn’t simply conveniently vanish into skinny air, proper?
I really feel like Present’s not telling us what occurred after that time, earlier than the tow truck got here to tow Hee Joo’s automotive. Hrmmm. 🤔 Very curious to know what had transpired then!
It’s actually fairly arresting to see how incensed Sa Eon is, when he hears of how Hee Joo had really been at risk, the evening of the assault.
The truth that Sa Eon punches the wall so onerous that his knuckles get all bloody, and the best way he can barely management his voice, whereas the colour’s drained from his face, say lots, really, about how Sa Eon feels.
That stated, it’s fairly complicated, the place this anger is coming from, notably given how businesslike and virtually terse we’ve seen him be, with Hee Joo.
As Hee Joo rationalizes, it might be a territorial factor; like, how dare you lay a finger on one thing – somebody – that’s mine.
On the identical time, it is also indicative of Sa Eon’s emotions for Hee Joo, which, from the assorted clues that we’ve been given, are there; we simply don’t understand how sturdy these emotions are, but.
No matter it’s, although, all of that emotion makes for a really electrical scene, when Sa Eon pulls Hee Joo into that darkened room, and asks her, voice low and quivering, concerning the accident.
All that emotion prices the complete scene, and that interprets into sooo a lot stress that I’m holding my breath, as he undoes Hee Joo’s neck sash, to verify her wounds.
Dang. I felt like I might reduce via the strain with a knife. 🔥
After this, for a superb chunk of episode 2, I used to be on tenterhooks each time Hee Joo makes use of that cellphone to name Sa Eon, as a result of Sa Eon’s decided to trace down the caller, and is pulling out all of the stops with a group working to hint the decision each time it occurs, and I’m sooo nervous that he’s going to seek out out that it’s Hee Joo. 🙈
As it’s, Hee Joo hasn’t advised Sa Eon something about Attacker Dude taking management of her automotive, and so, it’s even attending to the purpose that Sa Eon’s arriving on the utterly inaccurate conclusion that Hee Joo might need let Attacker Dude into the automotive, because the CCTV footage reveals Attacker Dude getting into the automotive so simply.
After which we’ve the introduction of Heo Nam Jun’s character Sang Woo, who, by all accounts, appears to be a genuinely regular man, who simply occurs to have a mushy spot for Hee Joo, from their time collectively at school.
I’ve to confess although, that after seeing Heo Nam Jun play a fairly unhinged kind of character in Your Honor, I can’t assist eyeing Sang Woo with some suspicion.
Like, might he be associated to the assault? I don’t assume he’s Attacker Dude, as a result of Sang Woo’s voice could be very distinctive and Attacker Dude sounded nothing like that within the automotive, however nonetheless. I can’t assist questioning if he’s concerned one way or the other. 😅
Additionally, I’m wondering if the chilly case that Sang Woo’s taking up, has something to do with our primary story (by Drama Regulation, it most likely does).
Later within the episode, we even have Sang Woo operating into Yu Ri and even catching her in a princess maintain, with sizzling espresso dripping onto his arm, whereas he doesn’t even flinch, ha.
I’d recommend that there’s a possible loveline available between these two, however for now, it appears that evidently Sang Woo’s far more eager about Hee Joo, so I don’t assume that’s probably, no less than for now.
Of key curiosity, in fact, is the truth that Sa Eon will get all unsettled and jealous on the thought of Hee Joo smiling with one other man, heh. Sure, your Jealous Husband facet is displaying, Sa Eon. 🤭
After which we get that complete factor the place Hee Joo takes that image of her naked thigh and sends it to Sa Eon, whereas saying issues to impress him, about Sa Eon possibly not recognizing his spouse’s thigh, as a result of he’s by no means seen it.
That is clearly not very rational considering on Hee Joo’s half, particularly the half the place she dares Sa Eon to confirm it by checking his spouse’s thigh, so clearly, Hee Joo’s shifting in a way more emotional kind of house right here.
She retains pushing Sa Eon to agree to go away his spouse, as a way to get herself out of this pretend marriage, however on the identical time, she’s additionally taunting him and getting him riled up – thus placing herself in a precarious scenario, the place Sa Eon would probably enter her room and stand up shut and private along with her, which she supposedly doesn’t need.
Additionally, can I simply say, the strain between Sa Eon and Hee Joo is persistently sparky, however after we get moments of hyper-awareness and hyper-proximity, it’s constructive electrical.
Like when Sa Eon enters her room, presumably to attempt to verify the mole on her thigh, and she or he resists his pull on the covers, and he finally ends up thrown ahead, hovering over her, eyes blazing, breath ragged.
Ahem. 🔥 It’s all very tantalizing, not gonna lie. 😅
It’s fairly fascinating, actually, to contemplate the place Hee Joo’s coming from, and attempt to decipher precisely what she’s considering and feeling.
Proper now, it looks like there’s part of her which smarts from being rejected by Sa Eon, and possibly even kinda desires him to appreciate what a catch she is, and what he’s lacking out on, by rejecting her.
I additionally discover it fascinating, that Sa Eon would deal with Hee Joo in such a chilly, distant, brusque kind of method, when, within the flashback, we clearly see him smiling on the manner she’s fallen asleep on the eating desk whereas ready for him.
Is it as a result of he doesn’t belief her household and thinks that forming a real connection along with her would jeopardize his profession plans..?
However.. within the current, he nonetheless cares sufficient to make her breakfast. Innnteresting. 😁
As we shut out episode 2, there are two key issues which have my curiosity.
1, it looks like Attacker Dude’s set hearth to Sa Eon’s workplace?
However.. how is it that the information has a recording of the so-called threatening cellphone calls? Plus, if I’m not mistaken, the report is credited to the reporter dude who’s working with Sa Eon?
I’m beginning to assume that that is all a set-up, to lure Attacker Dude out of hiding?
For the document, I do assume we nonetheless should be cautious of him, despite the fact that Hee Joo’s the one making the cellphone calls recently, as a result of, how does he even know that Hee Joo’s married to Sa Eon, because it’s such a well-kept secret?
After which we’ve Sa Eon, trying all roughed up with soot and blood, staggering into the home, decided to verify Hee Joo’s thigh, gulp.
How will this land, and what’s going to Hee Joo do, in response?
2, We get that flashback to three years in the past, when Hong In Ah had threatened to show all of Sa Eon’s household secrets and techniques, if he didn’t name off the marriage – and Sa Eon had requested, as an alternative, upon listening to that Hee Joo was set to marry some trash dude, that they modify the bride, to Hee Joo.
Woah. That’s fairly the reveal, as a result of all this time, I’d assumed that Sa Eon hadn’t recognized of Hee Joo previous to Hee Joo taking up In Ah’s place, however now, that doesn’t look to be the case in any respect.
Simply what was Sa Eon’s prior connection to Hee Joo, that he would need to save her from being married to some trash dude?
After which, if he’d had constructive emotions in the direction of Hee Joo, why would he be so decided to maintain her at a distance?
It’s absolutely not simply because he doesn’t need to see her power herself to attempt to be an actual spouse to him..?
Given Present’s means to tug off surprises to date, I wouldn’t be too shocked, actually, if all of my guesses are incorrect, heh.
No matter it’s, I’m actively trying ahead to extra episodes of this, to see what else Present has, up its mysterious sleeves. 😁
*This present is being lined on the Early Entry Plus (US$10) Tier on Patreon*
To view episode 1-2 notes in Patreon, together with everybody’s feedback, you may go right here!
Yow will discover my Patreon web page right here, and for all future episode notes for this present you may click on right here.
Episodes 3-4 notes will likely be out quickly! I hope you’ll think about becoming a member of us!
It’ll be a method to have enjoyable, and help me on the identical time? 🥲❤️
PS: For extra info on what the Patreon expertise is like, you may like to take a look at my Patreon replace publish for December, which you will discover right here!
Associated