I’ve been taking what seems to be an eternity to come out with the next few recaps (I’m almost done with Episode 11), so in the meantime, feel free to discuss whatever you want about the show here. If this thread is empty, whatever, but I thought it would be nice to give a space for people to talk about it, even if there’s only a few of us out there that actively follow it.
So have at it! 😀
Update: Let me know if you would like a new post thread, or if what is here is fine. Thanks! (BTW, Soompi has a great forum, but I think the direction here will be far more analytical than most other forums.)
A Splash of Inspiration 
Confession must be made: I totally ship Seo-yoon and Tae-joo. What the heck is wrong with my brain?…
Okay, let’s amend that statement. The above is true when said drama is of the throw away kind that banks on an OTP. Unfortunately, the actors can’t convey anything remotely close to that either, so my confession sounds more like a fanfiction in the making.
This is not cool for a drama that was written to be so much more, because I should neither be “fantasizing” a romance out of a business drama, nor should I be making up the chemistry Go Soo and Lee Yo-won are supposed to have naturally. I’m sorry Park Kyung-soo, I’m sorry that it had to become this way.
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Episode 14, by far was the best! I can’t begin to say how much I love this drama! You definitely have to put yourself into a certain mindset of watching and paying attention to detail. The actors are doing such a great job in projecting their feelings through looks! Especially Go Soo! He is amazing as Tae Joo. It is rare to watch a drama where even the ones you are rooting for are not lily white clean!! Love it. Will be back to rant later. So far, I have nothing to rant about because, for this genre of drama, it is perfect.
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My twinnie NewKDramaAddict is here, probably the only person who gets my recent obsession with EoG. Let’s face it this isn’t perfect drama, but dang it’s perfect just the way it is right now. I always liked business dramas when I get romance it’s win win to me.
I have to agree with twinnie, ep 14 is still the best. Interesting, I root for no one, everyone are grey.., still wanna see TJ&SY together, strange.., just they have that hidden energy that makes every contact so intense. You just can’t not to fangirling about them. SJ is still my darling…
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As much as I complain about this drama, I’m still invested enough to recap and talk extensively about it. So I guess it’s tough love? Haha.
I agree, EoG is great the way it is despite its flaws. I wasn’t very happy with some of the acting, but when I tried to come up with actors that could replace the ones we have, I couldn’t come up with anyone. Go Soo has the right smolder and cockiness, Lee Yo-won has the right amount of dignified presence and strength in her stare (she’s unshaken, always), and even Jang Shin-young has the right amount kindness that even her most annoying moments can be overlooked. When I put aside my rather high-browed expectations, EoG is a very addicting show and does perfectly fine with the actors it has.
I watched episode 14 more times than I’d like to admit. It’s the most fangirl worthy episode.
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Join the “Watched Ep 14 Multiple Times” Club! So did we!!
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I am so excited to see this open forum of this drama that I am really enjoying. I have not much English language discussion of it so it thrills me to find you guys. I agree that this drama is really retaining its focus on the business and that is precisely what gives the scenes with TJ and SY so much energy though I have to say that TJ’s character is taking a turn (those comments about make-up and pink towels) that I am finding a little disconcerting. Is he hoping to seduce SY for his revenge? That would be out of character in my view though it is also clear that SH is not his love or anything like that. If TJ falls for SY anytime soon in a traditional sense, I will be sad. Their pairing works because because each is trying to out-think the other. That is SEXAAAYY! The question the love of SY’s life is her Dad and she married someone like him… I totally get that. He was forced to marry her — how will the show resolve this lack of balance?
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I’m basically Seo-yoon’s number 1 fangirl, so TJ’s make-up and pink towel comments made me angry to a degree I’m not proud of, considering that they’re all fictional characters.
TJ’s (awful) attitude is consistent so I give the writer props for doing that, but boy is he a hypocrite. SH wears at least five-times the make-up that SY wears, and he doesn’t seem to have any problem with that. Also, doesn’t he not even use the same bathroom that SY uses? How would that bathroom having pink towels have anything to do with SY? Honestly, TJ’s attempts at dissing SY are childish at best and I dread the day that SY falls in love with him. I pray to the drama gods that he falls for her first and works to win her heart, because she deserves nothing less than the best; which btw, currently is not TJ, as good looking as Go Soo is.
Oh dear, now I’m talking like I’m SY’s mother or something XD
As a side note, how is everyone so sure that TJ doesn’t love SH? I was convinced he does.
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I’m all for TJ falling first. Because he is still in the revenge mode so the humbling experience of falling for SY first is what is needed.
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I believe Tae-Joo’s relationship with Seol-Hee hinges on her loyalty not love. His declaration that he would bring Min Jae and Seo Yoon to their knees and share his life and wealth with Seol-Hee once she does her time was expected but he still is making her be the scapegoat for his crime, bear the humiliation and hard time in jail. Would a man who truly loved a woman let that happen to her? That’s why I have zero respect for Seol-Hee and don’t even feel any pity for her. Maybe she’ll come to her senses after she gets released and realizes that her self sacrifice didn’t make Tae-Joo love her more but less.
I want to see Tae-Joo fall head over heels for Seo Yoon. He has been this uber tough, cutthroat businessman bent on revenge. He’s ripe for a rude awakening when he is faced with his love for her vs his need for revenge. Thrown in the mix is Seol-Hee who sacrificed her life for him, and we get a pretty convoluted triangle.
Watching Tae-Joo and Seo-Yoon partner up was a hoot. As he said, he’ll be the shadow and she will be the light….a perfect combination to outwit their enemies. I also thought his comment about make-up condescending considering Seol-Hee but Seo-Yoon brushed it off in a way saying….I don’t spend a lot of time on that stuff anyway or use superficial enhancements to conduct my business.
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Episode 15 was totally unexpected!!! But made perfect sense! What did Tae Joo say? Trust me? No, trust the documents!! That was flawlessly handled!! Flawlessly executed!!
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The PPL in this show… I love it XD. It’s so unfathomable that seeing it is like comedic relief: Choon-ho eating Papa Johns pizza (it wasn’t even in Korea in the 90s!) at Eden while talking on the phone, People suddenly getting smartphones in the 90s…
Oh, and here’s the evidence I’ve gathered so far for TJXSH:
1. The Elephant in the room, the murder and the aftermath: TJ’s actions may not be justified, but what he has done fits within the context of him loving SH. First of all, he is not the one who asked SH to go to Congressman Kim, and was actually extremely angry and worried once he found out. In fact, a guy who is as arrogant as possessive as TJ is would most certainly be furious at his love interest for “giving herself away to another man.” The turning in stuff is a result of that initial anger, as well as the shock and fear that came out of murdering a man.
2. He didn’t choose to marry Seo-yoon, Seul-hee did. TJ did everything in his power to avoid that fate, and even after losing his last straw, he only goes to SY (who is the one character he hates PURELY out of Envy) when SH asked him to.
3. In the prosecutor’s office, and in the airport, TJ says himself that on the second floor of their house is “OUR bedroom.” Who would make that kind of statement if it’s just loyalty between the two? He also chooses to take SH to the Philippines when he could have easily taken care of her like Choon-ho and Pil-joo.
4. I think that a site mentioned that with the cake thing in Ep. 16, TJ said something along the lines of “(SH is implied) is the only woman who I would like to smile with me/make smile.”
5. He makes multiple “sly” confessions in Eden, plus there was one at that dinner with Dong-jin and Min-jae.
6. Pil-joo ships them.
7. He talks about how he can’t marry SH because he knows he can’t provide a stable household for “the woman he loves.”
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All your evidence points to TJ & SH marching off into the sunset so EOG better start giving me more TJ/SY personal connection soon, otherwise whatever “love” develops between them won’t be believable or honorable. I’ll just consider TJ’s affection a moot point. In fact if their relationship continues the same for many more episodes any romance between them should be scrapped.
Just leave the Sung Jin Group to Seo-Yoon. TJ/SH can fly off to the Phillipines, live in that two story house and mow the lawn for the rest of their lives.
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One more point….I don’t want Seo Yoon to settle as 2nd best. She deserves a true love and right now I’m not feeling anything for TJ as “The One”. It’s too bad there is no one else in the series for her. Everytime TJ throws out one of his hints regarding SH it makes me cringe. Do I really think TJ will be satisfied with the domestic life after the fight for Sun Jin group and the mental sparing with Seo Yoon?
Fat chance.
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I totally, totally agree. It’s even worse when TJ sounds like he’s playing SY (“Did you miss me? I missed you.” and “I won’t leave you alone next time.” in that disgusting tone) because I want to outright throw-up, rather than just gag. His visual mannerisms, like slouching, yawning, clapping etc., are totally repulsive and polar to SY’s own that the only thing making romance possible is how synergized and powerful their brains are and their dual presence on screen (at the breakfast table, even I get intimidated).
But even then, I’m wary of SY/TJ.
Let’s say SY/TJ actually does happen (and done right; he should be dragging after her), what are the chances that she’ll be Chairman and he becomes second fiddle as owner of Eden or a Sungjin director?
Unfortunately, next to none. Patriarchal TJ will never change. I can’t accept that ending.
“Perfect” ending: SY runs over TJ so he and SH can rot in jail, becomes Chairman, retires to become a college literature professor, and lives a wonderful life with her forever kind brother SJ. I also hope Pil-joo and Choon-ho turn out okay, because they’re ultimately nice people, so the two of them can have Eden. Dongjin can live peacefully at Hampyung, which he already is doing.
I don’t care two cents about anyone else.
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You are so right on. That habit of clapping…did he always do that? No matter…it was totally annoying. He was practically sitting on SY’s lap in the final scene, almost like a lap dog….especially weird since they were the only two sitting on that huge sofa. They have TJ yawning too much and its lost its effect already. Maybe he’s having too many sleepless nights sleeping in the same room as SY…..serves him right….:-)
I’m also with you about who should be the last one standing in EOG. I’m still bewildered by the reasoning by the writer for all this SH love. Most fans of the show don’t like it and are getting irritated that TJ & SY have yet to acknowledge any feelings for one another besides the fierce corporate battle struggle. Fans have a tendency to drop out if their favorite character isn’t getting what was promised. All the synopsis for EOG clearly states that TJ/SY fall in love. Well….if that is what is supposed to happen, the writer is sure doing a lousy job leading us there.
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Lol.
As for “All the synopsis…,” whoever wrote the synopsis must have been on something, because it’s the one that told me that Jang Hee-joo was an important character, made Han Jung-hee a third rate character, wrote off Pil-joo as a gang boss enemy of Tae-joo’s, and reduced SY to a “chaebol heiress,” that falls in love with TJ rather than a legitimate competitor.
Yeah, lousy synopsis. I don’t trust it.
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You read my mind! I don’t know how many vague and incorrect synopsis’ I have read. Imagine my many disappointments watching something expecting something else.
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WHY SY may already like TJ?
what about the poetry people? the fact that they complete each other’s lines? the first time it was him giving her a line, episode 15 it was her giving him a line. they are both brainiacs and we know she loves literature so i am sure they are getting off on that. i think SY is already a little hot for him… this is my feeling. She is amazing and smart and beautiful but she seems to have had no experience with men or love at all. Her main relationship has been with her Appa and Sung jae. Don’t you think a woman like that would become vulnerable to a flashy, smart, ruthless guy like TJ who is on top of it like her DAD? Everytime she has to look past his ruthlessness, she remembers her father as though using her Dad to make it okay to be with him. Recall her defense of him to Min Jae and recall as well her interactions with SH which were a little edgy beyond the context. When TJ refused to speak on the phone with her and confirm he was not lying to her, I sensed rage but also disappointment since I think she was prepared to believe that he was not a murderer.
TJ is so angry and hungry right now, that I just do not see him yielding first. He is the opposite of Dong Hui and will not be the poor guy who toes a rich woman’s line.
In any case, I wish Go Soo would pull himself together and act better as TJ. His laugh, yawns, claps are so so so annoying and doing a real disservice to Tae Joo’s obvious charisma. What happened Go Soo oppa? You look good but perhaps you need to act well too?
I have not seen episode 16 so I could be all wrong here….
S
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Yes, the single thing that makes SY/TJ possible is how they complete each other’s lines (even quotations) like soul-mates. If not for that, I would have stopped caring about the “romance angle” altogether. You’re right on the money with Seo-yoon’s feelings starting to crack in Ep 15 (I haven’t seen 16), as much as I hate seeing it. She said herself early on in the show, “I only know about love from books,” so clearly this is all new to her, and she’s bound to have a twisted perception of it. Also, since Lee Yo-won changes her facial expression so sporadically, the only thing we can figure out about her feelings is from the dialogue.
But if Lee Yo-won is just sleepwalking through her role, then Go Soo is running a tractor trailer through his (i.e., the acting is crap, despite physically suiting the role). He’s gives no sympathy to the character besides being a business/crime genius. Thank goodness Jang Shin-young only needs to act half dead (and SH is in jail), because if I hear “smile!” one more time…
Honestly, I don’t know if all of this discussion and speculation is a mark of good writing or bad acting. I’m so confused right now.
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