Lovecraft Country: Meet Me in Daegu Show Only
September 20, 2020 7:26 PM - Season 1, Episode 6 - Subscribe
In the throes of the Korean War, nursing student Ji-Ah crosses paths with a wounded Atticus, who has no recollection of their violent first encounter.
OK, this is going to drive me crazy. I didn't have a good view of the screen -- can someone please confirm that Atticus was the second of the soldiers who shot the nurses? He was the private who was called over, correct?
That's what I saw, and the Vulture recap says the same.
posted by oh yeah! at 7:46 PM on September 20, 2020
That's what I saw, and the Vulture recap says the same.
posted by oh yeah! at 7:46 PM on September 20, 2020
that was horrifying. but a truly fine korean rendition of besame mucho.
posted by 20 year lurk at 8:40 PM on September 20, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by 20 year lurk at 8:40 PM on September 20, 2020 [5 favorites]
OK, this is going to drive me crazy. I didn't have a good view of the screen -- can someone please confirm that Atticus was the second of the soldiers who shot the nurses? He was the private who was called over, correct? That's what I thought, but we've argued about it here.
It was. He was also helping to pull out teeth from a girl (who I assume is YoungAh) in the memory/future download that JiAh sees.
I was really impressed by this episode. The Korean spoken with American accents was distracting at first, but the pacing and storytelling really drew me in.
I think they really fleshed out JiAh pretty well, given the time allowed, and we now have a much fuller understanding of Atticus's character. I found myself thinking back to his reactions to different situations in previous episodes, and it all rang true in a satisfying way. And I believed that JiAh would empathize with Atticus, her own monstrousness allowing her to see past Atticus's crimes.
Also the mother character really nailed the different gestural tics that Korean mothers have, even with her slight accent.
posted by ishmael at 11:10 PM on September 20, 2020 [2 favorites]
It was. He was also helping to pull out teeth from a girl (who I assume is YoungAh) in the memory/future download that JiAh sees.
I was really impressed by this episode. The Korean spoken with American accents was distracting at first, but the pacing and storytelling really drew me in.
I think they really fleshed out JiAh pretty well, given the time allowed, and we now have a much fuller understanding of Atticus's character. I found myself thinking back to his reactions to different situations in previous episodes, and it all rang true in a satisfying way. And I believed that JiAh would empathize with Atticus, her own monstrousness allowing her to see past Atticus's crimes.
Also the mother character really nailed the different gestural tics that Korean mothers have, even with her slight accent.
posted by ishmael at 11:10 PM on September 20, 2020 [2 favorites]
Still loving the stories (and larger arcs). It must be the episodic format, but I'm still having a bit of difficulty with "person does horrible things look now we're maybe past it" moments. Montrose still has blood on his hands for one; the shock of the point-blank shooting was still in my head as Tic and JiAh's relationship developed. I guess they sort of addressed it outside the gate, but still.
posted by jquinby at 7:57 AM on September 21, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by jquinby at 7:57 AM on September 21, 2020 [3 favorites]
Another episode that had me enthralled from start to finish, though I do share jquinby's feelings about how it seems there ought to be some receipts due for some of the viler things various characters have done.
That said, this episode evoked some of the same feelings in me that Kiksuya, Westworld S2E08, did: it was so wonderful to watch an episode of American television where a non-English language was spoken for the majority of the time, meaning I actually had to focus more on looking at the facial expressions and body language of the actors to really "feel" what was going on. And as with Kiksuya, the actors really delivered. Most excellent.
Don't know if it's been mentioned in any previous episode discussions yet, but I highly recommend checking out Lovecraft Country Radio podcast after you've watched each episode. The latest includes an interview with Jamie Chung, the actor who portrayed Ji-Ah: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcoxAvV4C8g
posted by lord_wolf at 10:28 AM on September 21, 2020 [5 favorites]
That said, this episode evoked some of the same feelings in me that Kiksuya, Westworld S2E08, did: it was so wonderful to watch an episode of American television where a non-English language was spoken for the majority of the time, meaning I actually had to focus more on looking at the facial expressions and body language of the actors to really "feel" what was going on. And as with Kiksuya, the actors really delivered. Most excellent.
Don't know if it's been mentioned in any previous episode discussions yet, but I highly recommend checking out Lovecraft Country Radio podcast after you've watched each episode. The latest includes an interview with Jamie Chung, the actor who portrayed Ji-Ah: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcoxAvV4C8g
posted by lord_wolf at 10:28 AM on September 21, 2020 [5 favorites]
lord_wolf, I thought of the exact same Westworld episode, which is hands down my favorite one of all three seasons so far.
posted by jquinby at 11:39 AM on September 21, 2020
posted by jquinby at 11:39 AM on September 21, 2020
I found this ep much more gripping than recent ones! Along with Westworld, it reminded me of the Vietnam scenes in Watchmen.
posted by adrianhon at 12:20 PM on September 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by adrianhon at 12:20 PM on September 21, 2020 [1 favorite]
One thing I consistently like about this show is its attention to intersectionality. (It's why I like Christina so much as an antagonist.) A small moment in this episode brought that home again when Atticus, trying to be romantic and dramatic, ends up putting Ji-Ah in a dark room alone and confused on an army base full of hostile and sexually threatening men; one of the few axes of privilege Atticus has is male privilege, and it blinds him the way privilege always blinds people.
posted by Scattercat at 9:26 AM on September 22, 2020 [19 favorites]
posted by Scattercat at 9:26 AM on September 22, 2020 [19 favorites]
This episode was so much better than any of the others so far. And SO much freakier. More like this please.
posted by hwestiii at 5:18 PM on September 22, 2020 [3 favorites]
posted by hwestiii at 5:18 PM on September 22, 2020 [3 favorites]
Can we talk about the costumes for a bit? Those were some Mrs. Maisel level of coats/dresses. Absolutely beautiful.
posted by Gyre,Gimble,Wabe, Esq. at 8:20 PM on September 22, 2020 [4 favorites]
posted by Gyre,Gimble,Wabe, Esq. at 8:20 PM on September 22, 2020 [4 favorites]
Can we talk about the costumes for a bit? Those were some Mrs. Maisel level of coats/dresses. Absolutely beautiful.
I know, right?!!
The costuming department for this show brought their S-tier game, for real for real.
Somewhat like The Kingdom (medeival?) South Korean zombie series on Netflix), I spend a significant amount of time each episode drooling over the outtfits the characters are wearing.
posted by lord_wolf at 6:37 PM on September 23, 2020 [3 favorites]
I know, right?!!
The costuming department for this show brought their S-tier game, for real for real.
Somewhat like The Kingdom (medeival?) South Korean zombie series on Netflix), I spend a significant amount of time each episode drooling over the outtfits the characters are wearing.
posted by lord_wolf at 6:37 PM on September 23, 2020 [3 favorites]
I believe she was the princess of Barsoom in the dream at the beginning of episode 1.
posted by rmd1023 at 7:37 AM on September 24, 2020
posted by rmd1023 at 7:37 AM on September 24, 2020
(Am I the only one thinking that everyone’s count of how many souls Ji-Ah had taken was off by one?)
posted by thecaddy at 7:08 PM on September 24, 2020
posted by thecaddy at 7:08 PM on September 24, 2020
It’s just a general sense that if Ji-Ah needs to steal the souls of 100 men to regain her humanity, her mother and the mudang are miscounting somehow—they think she’s stolen 99, but it feels like they are miscounting and she’s already hit the target. (Either Tic still counts, or her mother is not counting the husband—which is the sense I get from the recaps.)
She is still a kumiho—not fully human—but she has regained her humanity already.
posted by thecaddy at 8:24 AM on September 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
She is still a kumiho—not fully human—but she has regained her humanity already.
posted by thecaddy at 8:24 AM on September 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
jonathan majors, trying to escape, killing and fighting for rights he wouldn't have, starring in this and 'da 5 bloods' is an interesting juxtaposition to chew on.
anti-communism is another kind of horror alongside anti-blackness, and even part of anti-blackness. it does seem like people have been reading the "Black Marxism" version of European history. This episode is like a flipside of "The Act of Killing."
Also, this show throws in those non-diegetic monologues the way that d 5 bloods throws in the Marvin Gaye lyric track--does anyone have a reference for that monologue?
posted by eustatic at 2:42 PM on September 27, 2020
anti-communism is another kind of horror alongside anti-blackness, and even part of anti-blackness. it does seem like people have been reading the "Black Marxism" version of European history. This episode is like a flipside of "The Act of Killing."
Also, this show throws in those non-diegetic monologues the way that d 5 bloods throws in the Marvin Gaye lyric track--does anyone have a reference for that monologue?
posted by eustatic at 2:42 PM on September 27, 2020
Also, this show throws in those non-diegetic monologues the way that d 5 bloods throws in the Marvin Gaye lyric track--does anyone have a reference for that monologue?
The monologue at the end? My wife identified it as Judy Garland which fits With Ji-Ah’s love of movies. Based on the content I’m going to say it was from “A Star Is Born”, but I don’t know that for a fact.
posted by hwestiii at 7:19 PM on September 27, 2020
The monologue at the end? My wife identified it as Judy Garland which fits With Ji-Ah’s love of movies. Based on the content I’m going to say it was from “A Star Is Born”, but I don’t know that for a fact.
posted by hwestiii at 7:19 PM on September 27, 2020
If there is a miscount, might it be the soul of the girl whose body she is in? If the mother thinks she’s still there, she might be willfully not counting soul #1.
I do think it’s more interesting for her to not need that last soul though, in that it brings in the question how yes, she has the potential to be dangerous, but how much of the being a monster was imposed on her by her “mother”?
posted by past unusual at 7:28 PM on September 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
I do think it’s more interesting for her to not need that last soul though, in that it brings in the question how yes, she has the potential to be dangerous, but how much of the being a monster was imposed on her by her “mother”?
posted by past unusual at 7:28 PM on September 27, 2020 [2 favorites]
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This was truly amazing. I will have to defer to anyone who knows better about Korean culture or the war, though.
posted by Countess Elena at 7:34 PM on September 20, 2020 [1 favorite]