THE EIGHTH SENSE (2023) Episode 2 Dir. Baek Inu And Werner Du Plessis

a quick sherb i drew for a friend 📖🥀

Different Stories Resonate with Different People

Clair de lune, Claude Debussy

what makes the eighth sense so soooo good storytelling-wise is that it clearly has direction. so many korean web dramas are short and scattered with little to no plot or barely any/minimum character growth because a) they are either made to be the baseline for product placement or b) engineered to be these snippets that in the end will get slapped together like a compilation and called a film. in contrast, the eighth sense reads so much like a film because it is one, it was made to be one *one that screams CINEMA* it has already premiered (and is on its second week of release in megabox theatres) so the series is more like the extended version, the directors cut so to say, of that carefully constructed story. the creators are, quite honestly, absolutely insane for crafting and putting out a work of such quality. they are so bold with the editing choices bc they trust the audience. t8s is a show that doesn’t underestimate its viewers by thinking they require everything to be spoon-fed to them. the opening scene of ep3? (one can argue that it is in medias res but is it if we regard it as a whole with ep2 already out? would it be necessary to start from when they talk on the beach and ease into the feelings and vibes of the scene?) the point is the uncertainty, the surprise, the double take that makes, both the characters and us, freeze up and hold our breath the ending scene of ep3? the tonal change compared to the rest of the episode, the visual representation, the skip that isn’t shown... these are not drawbacks nor the results of missing something. these are the signs of faith poured into the audience over a piece of media that puts a whole world into existence. even if we don’t see all that’s happening, the sincerity and details that are constantly given, the delicacy and meticulousness of the parts that are shown of these characters living in front of us is compelling enough to get a full picture, to understand the unsaid just as much as what is stated. it is, once again, all about showing and seeing and I’m enraptured by it

equal parts embarrassed and smitten 🐇💕

THE EIGHTH SENSE EP 2

I have to start with the scenes after the intro. In the first ep Jaewon sat with his back to the fish tank

this shot feels so oppressive. First, the focus is on the fish swimming in the tank, then it shifts to the therapist lady meanwhile Jaewon remains out of focus with his back to the viewer, blocked in by both sides. The lights in this shot are insane, it’s like the different sides of a coin.

Fast forward to the second ep

Now Jaewon faces the camera but he won’t look up and he is shown through the fish tank. It’s like he’s in the deep now, up until the moment he stands and leaves, kind of scaring the fishes that scatter for a moment. Once again, note the reflection of the lights.

Episode two is just as solid as the first one. Finally a drama where the extreme close ups are incorporated into the story for a reason and not just to be aesthetic (which ofc they still are) (I’m totally not side eyeing Nevertheless,) Could the shower scene be that insane without the extreme close ups? Nope.

There’s so much to unpack here. Like Jaewon being so soft around Jihuyn. I mean it only took them one (1) bus ride to the sea to act like bffs yet the moment Jihyun wakes up Jaewon has the nerve to pretend he doesn’t know what his name is and ask him again….boy you’re such an unbothered chill sunbae *cackles* Never have I witnessed such a tragedy going down over the assignment of rooms. The sheer disappointment of not sharing a room with the freshman you’ve only just (presumably) learned the name of... Jaewon really had to pause like that before (and after) reading Jihyun’s name, huh? pls chill

Can we take a hot second to appreciate that in Free Bird’s promo shots and posters (so in the past when Eunji and Jaewon were presumably together) Eunji is always seen wearing a blue suit while Jaewon wears black. And when Jaewon takes Jihyun to the shop, he deliberately chooses two identical black suits for them so they would have that couple look match. Aaand Eunji also wears a black suit now (trying to match with Jaewon) but it’s one she chooses herself not like the one Jihyun wears that Jaewon chose for him.

I’m completely normal about the dressing scene just like I was completely normal about the phone strapping scene in The crossing. (Although I have to mention that Jaewon is still so soft around Jihyun it kinda hurts, all heart eyed and shit)

Jaewon taking care of Jihyun, telling him he must be cold so warm up like Jaewon himself wasn’t in the same sea and couldn’t possibly feel cold. At this point, he’s still taking care of Jihyun like a good sunbae but he’s doing all that multiplied by 10000. He’s running the extra mile every given time and I’m not sure he’s even aware of it. Sometimes it’s a conscious decision but other times it’s just his curiosity and attraction to Jihyun. Like when they play the ‘I like you’ drinking game, Jaewon stops clapping the second he utters Jihyun’s name. Unlike the others, he doesn’t stop because Jihyun won’t continue the line and the game stalls, he turns to Jihyun, waiting for his reaction and his system crashes. It crashes a lot around Jihyun.

Jihyun is such a complex little bean, not enough people talk about him. He says he’s afraid of a lot of things but that never stops him. When he talked with his boss about the places people coming to live in Seoul visit he said he only went to the Gangnam station area once. His boss lady asked 'Have you ever gone on subway line 2?' and Jihyun said he didn’t. They talked about the Han river parks and the next time Jihyun visited a park by taking subway line 2.

He joins the surf club even though his roommate and hometown friend can’t understand his reasons for joining (and, even though he can’t swim which made me go BOI the things you do for a hot dude) Although he acts like he wants to spend time away his roommate and messes up by visiting the Han river park an hour away from their university, he still calls his roommate, sends a text to his mum, keeping in touch with the familiar people in his life. He also does that on the beach like an anchor in times he’s in need not to feel scared and that’s so precious. He does things his own way, going through the process of trial and error, constantly trying not to be scared.

I’m still loving Yoonwon to bits. Besides Jaewon, she’s the only member of the club genuinely happy that kwiyomi has joined. She welcomes him and keeps being nice to him. Her singing at the bonfire healed my soul and I don’t even like singing in films but she’s magical.

Yo, the confrontation scene between Eunji and Jaewon? The fact that after Jaewon tells her he has zero feelings for her (neither good nor bad) a club member comes out and passes between them saying 'It’s cold, so cold'. That’s how you put down the groundwork for a scene. I think Eunji is so pissed because she knows something’s up. But then Jaewon says 'Let’s give each other that basic courtesy.' He means it both ways. He won’t tell others about why they broke up (from an outside perspective, it would be Eunji’s fault). In turn, Eunji should back off and not question the inner workings behind their breakup. But then she does, and Jaewon literally logs out of that conversation, and it is ridiculously in-your-face. He rather chooses to go to Jihyun than speak with his ex for another second. In that scene, before Eunji leaves, her looking at Jaewon looking at Jihyun is so powerful. Her eyes tell that she knows.

I’m having such a ride. Can’t wait for next week.

Dying Wish

Some parts of my room ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

the moon to my stars