{Watch Party Wednesday #3} Idol I: Episode 5
Hello, Internet, and good mornight to you all!
My name is Taffryne, shoppekeeper of Midnight on Memory Lane, and it is my absolute delight to welcome you to the final post for this week's Watch Party Wednesday.
'Tis a pleasure, 'tis a pleasure indeed.
As the title of this post says, we're going to be talking about the fifth episode of the K-drama, Idol I. I humbly present my thoughts for your enjoyment and consideration. Accordingly, please mind that there will be spoilers ahead!
MyDramaList Link: click here!
Disclaimer: I apologize if there are any crucial cultural notes or nuances that I misunderstand or fail to recognize. I, unfortunately, must trust the accuracy of the translated text to accurately represent the story and characters.
Trigger Warnings: Discussions of Murder and Murder Accusations, Stalking, Attempted Murder, Angry Conversations, Emotional Turmoil, Self-Hatred, Police and Prosecutor Corruption, Bullying, Self-Deprication
Episode 5
Recollection
- Se-na's car got tampered with causing her to go offroad and crash; It was (to the shock of none) the two Stalker Girls from before and La-ik drops charges in exchange for them leaving Se-na alone
- La-ik is hurt on his forehead and Se-na is generic car-crash hurt alongside a wrist and foot injury, but they flee the hospital to avoid the gathering group of tabloid reporters
- Mr. Prosecutor gets scolded again for not delivering an open-and-shut case; Mr. Prosecutor Senior apologizes for the treatment of Hye-joo, but is also encouraged to meddle in the investigation as he "once did before"
- Jae-hee was caught on CC-TV and in hospital records as not being in the hospital the entire night, so he's now under investigation too
- La-ik is catching feels for Se-na admist helping her cope with her injuries and living in her house (even though she says she's fine)
- La-ik sees all the products in the fridge with his face on them an almost pieces it together...but then he misses the point
- Se-na confronts La-ik about his obvious self-hatred..it's even sadder than just plain self-hatred
- Lore drop of Se-na representing Mr. Informant against pick-pocketing charges three times prior
- Jae-hee has allegedly given the prosecution some sort of golden-goose context which leads to her boss trying to get her to drop La-ik's case, but Se-na refuses and says she'll quit if she has to (so proud of her)
- La-ik and Se-na go to speak with Young-bin about whatever Jae-hee could've said and confront him about lying about Jae-hee's alibi; He admits that Jae-hee did leave and told him to lie
- La-ik reveals that his and Jae-hees problems were a spiraling of small issues, immature arguments, and online-hate towards Jae-hee compounding
- Hye-joo shows up to Se-na's house looking for La-ik, but he refuses to go with her
Right off the bat, Hye-joo, girlie-pop...please, move on. I know not the depths of trauma and heartbreak the two of you went through because of the actions of the idol industry, CEO McBastardFace, and Mr. Tabloidman, but you need to let him go and get on with your life. You are an heiress daughter to a wealth conglomerate groupand presumably you're already high-up in the company. There is so much more you could be doing and someone new you could be loving. For your sake and his, stop this.
Moving on from her, the Tickle Tree story was such a touching sentiment for Se-na to share with La-ik. Regardless of how it was also a great avenue to gain his trust, I think it was just a great show of vulnerability and humanity on her part (especially admist the flashbacks to the parents urns). His caring for her when she was injured or his growing curiosity surrounding her life is also super sweet. It's making me feel more an more anxious for when she finally has to come clean to him about the idol-fan part. Her mask is already cracking in the info she knows about him (nice save with the background check). I don't know how much longer it'll hold, but I also don't think La-ik is going to figure it out beforehand. This man saw her fridge stocked with foodstuff that only had his face stamped on them, and his conclusion was...oh, it's just 'cause they're best sellers! Boy. You're the reason I have "HE'S NOT AN IDIOT!!! nope he's an idiot" in my notebook, now.
Mr. Prosecutor Senior, sire. Disrespectfully, what the hell did you do??? Clearly, right, the insinuation is that he meddled with a case before to get a conviction even if it wasn't 100% lawful or true. I don't care if it was just the one time or several times, that is a fucking disgrace to your profession. Additionally, since this is a k-drama, the case he meddled with is 1000000% going to be the case that claimed Se-na's father was a murderer. I'm already fuming at the suggestion; I'm going to be a bonfire when it gets revealed.
Mr. Informant, you are still my favourite and I understand your suspicions...but how exactly does one get accused (and assumedly declared innocent) of pick-pocketing THREE TIMES?! Are you just the most wrongly timed man to ever be in the wrong places? Please, Idol I, please give me this man's full dossier.
Jae-hee, your issues with La-ik make far more sense now. Immaturity coupled with the rath of internet hate is a feisty beast to try and get over. I don't condone your actions nor La-ik's side of things. I think the situation you're both in is just plain sad. If anything, Young-bin and Woo-seong are the unfortunate collateral damage. Part of me wonders if the three of them can repair their bonds even with the scars by the end of the series. The other part of me wonders if this is one of those bitter cases where it's best to cut your losses. Like La-ik was saying, report or not report, mend or leave; the problems are always there and you're damned either way.
Idol I, even in your jumps between lighter romance tones and darker trauma elements, I love how you keep me invested and empathetic to the characters. La-ik talking about himself as a product and distinguishing the "La-ik of Golden Boys" versus "Do La-ik" was heart breaking. I've never seen someone make the analogy of a jar of peanut butter so...hurtful.
Episode 6 Preview
Welp, episode 6 is going to suck I think. It's going to be all cutesy and fine and then Se-na is gonna admit her fan-past and then it's all gonna go to shit. Goddamnit...
Thanks for Reading!
I hope you've been able to watch and enjoy the story for yourself! If you haven't, that's okay too! My thoughts are here to keep you updated and entertained in the meantime.
This caps off this week's Watch Party Wednesday, so off into the nighttime we go in preparation for tomorrow! I hope you'll come back for the next Tokusatsu Thursday where we've got Kamen Rider Kuuga: Episode 3 and the delayed double-feature of Futari wa Pretty Cure: Episodes 2 and 3.
May we meet again when the clock strikes 12:00!