Presentation
Korean Title: 동백꽃 필 무렵
Aired in: 2019 (20 episodes)
Channel: KBS2
Grade: 10/10
Actors: Gong Hyo Jin and Kang Ha Neul
For more…
Gong Hyo Jin:
– The Master’s Sun
– Pasta
– It’s Okay, That’s Love
– Jealousy Incarnate
Kang Ha Neul:
– The Heirs
– Scarlet Heart: Ryeo
– River where the Moon Rises
Dramas written by Im Sang Choon:
– Fight for my Way
Analysis
Synopsis
Dong Baek is a single mother, who moved to Ongsan, when her son was young. She opened a bar/restaurant called Camellia there, but suffers from a bad reputation as a single mom and female bar owner. The neighborhood doesn’t really appreciate her. One day, Hwang Young Sik, a police officer a bit dumb and reckless, meets her at the bookstore. He immediately falls in love with her. While trying to pursue Dong Baek, Young Sik is also looking for a murderer called Joker, who terrorizes the neighborhood, and especially Dong Baek.
My Opinion (No Spoilers)
Amazing! I was not expecting more from the screenwriter of Fight For My Way! The intrigue, the thriller, the romance, everything was perfect! I really got attached to all characters and loved to see how the neighborhood evolved and how characters developed relationships or on the contrary cut them off.
Gong Hyo Jin and Kang Ha Neul, the main leads, came back strong on TV with When The Camellia Blooms. Indeed, they hadn’t appeared in a drama since 2016 after Jealousy Incarnate and Scarlet Heart! A real pleasure then to see them again!
In terms of ambiance, the drama reminded me of the polar genre: these dark movies or series of old times like the Black Dahlia. The drama in general is really particular in a sense that some actions and reactions are so unexpected, but this is so refreshing at the same time!
If you haven’t watched this drama, you should definitely get to it now! One of the best dramas of 2019!
Analysis (Spoiler Alert)
“Dong Baek doesn’t need protection”: This single sentence depicts the entire mood of the drama! Dong Baek (Gong Hyo Jin) can appear at first as a vulnerable and victimized woman, she is not respected by the members of the neighborhood; the customers treat her like a hostess and are waiting for favors from her side. Moreover, she has a son she needs to take care of on her own and is being discriminated against for being single with a child. In her past, she was also abandoned by her mother and the father of her child, which didn’t really boost her self-esteem. When I first discovered Dong Baek, she gave me the impression to be really shy and discreet. She had to get along with the men’s games in her bar and accept the criticisms to survive. She seemed to be very closed in on herself, living in her shell and avoiding confrontation.
Moreover, because of her “bad” reputation, she doesn’t try to connect with anybody, she doesn’t want any boyfriend or man to protect or take care of her; especially since she has been deceived by them and doesn’t trust any.
Even though she is mistreated, she still manages to remain a kind and generous woman, very open. She shelters Hyang Mi (Son Dam Bi), even when she knows that she is a thief and a liar. What I really loved about Dong Baek is that she always sees the best in people; she has a kind human nature and is always willing to help or forgive, if it means that people can become better. Moreover, her past hardships didn’t leave her any kind of resentment. She is not afraid of being vulnerable, accepting her flaws and others’.
Throughout the drama, Hwang Young Sik (Kang Ha Neul) is constantly trying to protect because he witnesses how bad the rest of the neighborhood treats her. He wants to be her knight in shining armor and shield her from criticisms and bad comments. However, the more he gets to know Dong Baek, the more he understands and sees how strong she is. She has been through so much in her life, that she has learned how to build herself a shell, protective shield that no one can crack. For that, Young Sik admires her and loves her even more. Nevertheless, he still tries and manages to earn her trust. Dong Baek never relied on anyone and never asked for help, but Young Sik demonstrates her that she can always come to him for support, if need be.
Both characters are (like in Fight For My Way actually) quite atypical. Young Sik seems to be completely dumb and naïve at the very beginning, reckless also and incapable of taking care of himself. Yet, he becomes a police officer because of his strong sense of justice (that put him in trouble in the past). Meeting and falling in love with Dong Baek enabled him to grow up in a way that he had to be more careful with his actions and less reckless in order to become someone she could trust and rely on. I found Young Sik to be really cute also, very clumsy and clueless but always sincere and honest in his feelings. He only wants the better for Dong Baek.
Dong Baek is also quite atypical. She is actually very wise in choosing whom she trusts, but romantically speaking she doesn’t open up to Young Sik right away. He actually needs to put a lot of work and efforts in wooing her. Still, Dong Baek is an excellent mother, an amazing friend and a good daughter; she thereafter becomes a solid lover. That being said, she doesn’t really seem to act in a very rational way and does sometimes things that I personally never expected from her. The ending in particular is, in my opinion, the perfect depiction of how irrational she can be. Anyway, no matter how irrational she is, I believe that it is a strength of her. She also surprises everyone and is always where we don’t expect her.
That’s why at the end, when Dong Baek discovers who Joker is, she is so pissed at him for killing Hyang Mi and making her life a living hell, that she goes after him in broad daylight, after he threatened her in her bar. Then, she literally hits him with a bottle and starts insulting him. While doing that, the police also discovers the whereabouts of Joker and rush towards him. The funniest part was that instead of rushing there to arrest Joker, they were actually going in order to protect him, because they knew that “Dong Baek doesn’t need protection”.
This scene was unexpected and very satisfying at the same time, proving that those doing you wrong, should also be on their guard if you are not afraid of them! Well done Dong Baek!
So, Dong Baek is a very strong woman and also very empathetic: a beautifully written character I think!
“You should stop pitying people”: Joker is mad at Dong Baek because he thinks that she pities him and he can’t stand being undermined by a woman with such a pitiful past. He decides to avenge himself by killing everyone close to her and haunting her every day. In reality, Joker is completely wrong in his reflection. Dong Baek never pitied anyone, instead she is very kind and empathetic. She recognizes those who, like her, suffered and can only empathize with them. Even though that turns her into a moving target, the final scenes prove that she has never once done such a thing.
The power of the neighborhood: The neighborhood made up off a few strong female personalities is very discriminating towards Dong Baek during most episodes. She is a single mother, who has a bar/restaurant and happens to be quite the beauty. Therefore, only men from the neighborhood go to the Camellia, to the point that other women are either jealous or unhappy with their husband’s behavior, that they blame on Dong Baek. She is thus very stigmatized by others and suffers from their constant criticisms. The neighborhood in Ongsan is a moving strength that seems to have agreed to bully Dong Baek. Young Sik sees it, just like everyone, and wants to protect Dong Baek from that. However, he struggles in that area and Dong Baek just keeps going on with what she has been used to live.
Even though, we might believe that all of the people are being mean towards Dong Baek, a twist happens at the end. The teasing and the bullying were “signs of affection” (I put it in quotation marks of course, bullying doesn’t show love!) from the ladies, who consider that Dong Baek is one of them and only they have the right to mess with her. So, by the time they learn that Dong Baek is in danger because of Joker, the entire female community (and I saw there some female solidarity in their actions) team up and protect her.
The neighborhood that first acted as a sword pointing at Dong Baek became a shield covering her up from dangers.
The drama was only very good at depicting the lives of people residing in small towns. Ongsan is a specific microcosm, in which everybody knows everybody, there is no such thing as secrets and life can easily become difficult if you are considered an outcast. I thought that these kinds of dynamics could be quite relatable and truthful. There is a certain realism on that part in the drama, making me like it even more.
Dynamics between characters: Apart from an overall synergy in the neighborhood, the dynamics between the different actors from the neighborhood were quite interesting.
No Kyu Tae (Oh Jung Se) has strong ties with the political circle of the town and expects himself to become governor. Thus, he believes that everyone has to respect him and treat him like a prince, because of these connections. He seems to be undervalued by his wife, who is a famous divorce attorney, and therefore needs to compensate by being valued by people from the town. He has a sort of crush on Dong Baek, especially because she resists him (just like his wife, can we see a pattern here?) and doesn’t want to be at his feet. This pisses him of and makes him want to try even harder. Yet, Dong Baek doesn’t give in and rejects him as much as she can.
The ladies of the neighborhood are a solid block of working ladies, who tire themselves out for their family, while their husbands go out and play at Dong Baek’s. They have also known each other for a very long time, so they are very much aware of how the neighborhood works and lead it. They are the leaders of Ongsan and are a force to be reckoned with.
The police officers represent another strong group of the community. They fight in order to protect citizens but also happen to confront themselves with them. Young Sik especially who acts as a protective force for Dong Baek.
It seems like many various groups constantly confront themselves, giving away either a funny or more serious vibe to the drama. Indeed, police officers, women from the neighborhood, men in the bar, the political circle led by Kyu Tae and his wife, give some real dynamism in their confrontations.
Minorities: What I loved also is that the drama gave a voice to some minorities, proving that those doing bad deeds or having a bad behavior are not necessarily bad people and can change for the better. Hyang Mi is the perfect depiction of that. She is a lonely person, trying to seduce men with money like Kyu Tae, stealing and taking advantage of others. Yet, we get to know her story before she unfortunately dies and we get to see a light of hope, when she decides to change.
Kyu Tae is also the kind of character, who wants to become better for his wife. He knows that he can be selfish and a shame for his wife. Yet, he decides to change for her, when she is about to ask for a divorce.
On the contrary, Joker has always received compassion from the others. In the end, it turned against others, because he was sick of it. Instead of trying to advance and go out of this difficult life, accepting others’ generosity, he preferred turning against them, compensating his self-pity by lashing out on others.
Other minorities are also depicted, reflecting some real problems in the Korean society. Indeed, single mothers are really stigmatized in Korea and some professions as well. For instance, if a man has a bar/restaurant, he will not be considered badly. However, if a woman happens to run one, she will become the talk of the town and be considered as a hostess, trying to seduce men to get their money.
Like I said there is a strong female solidarity vibe in the drama in my opinion, showing women as strong leaders and beings, proving that they can be excellent managers, mothers, friends… and fighting against the social stigma they are confronted with when alone, without the support of a man.
Romance: Relationships in the drama are very varied. Two supporting relationships are related to divorce Kyu Tae and his wife Hong Ja Young (Yum Hye Ran) who have a lot of differences and don’t seem to have anything in common anymore. The other is embodied by Kang Jong Ryeol (Kim Ji Suk) and Jessica (Ji E Suu). Jong Ryeol is Dong Baek ex-boyfriend and the father of her child. He has never forgotten her and tries to connect with her again, especially when he finds out he has a son.
I found a lot of common points between the two couples. Even though, they seem very distinct in terms of characters, background, situation… the fact that both men realize they might have feelings for another woman changes the dynamic of their marriage. The petty feelings that were present at the beginning of their relationships and that disappeared over time to leave place to routine, come back all at once. Women get jealous and want to understand the obsession men have for Dong Baek. They confront her and blame her for their relationship problems, but Dong Baek never admits she is reason enough to put an end to their marriage (because she is not). When divorce is put on the table, Kyu Tae and Jessica try to reconquer their respective partner, by letting go of some superficial behavior and prove that they can change for them.
The love story between Dong Baek and Young Sik is awesome so I will let you enjoy it properly! Young Sik is really devoted to Dong Baek!
Motherhood and fatherhood: Among the human dynamics between characters, motherhood and fatherhood clearly stand out. Dong Baek was abandoned by her mother because she didn’t have enough money to feed her daughter (that back story is by the way incredible, very tragic and cute at the same time), Young Sik’s mother sacrificed her life to properly take care of him, because his father died before he was born (by the way, the scene when both pregnant ladies meet is so heart-warming), Dong Baek is herself a mother, who tries her best to protect her son and avoid doing to her son what he mother did to her, Jeong Ryeol wants to connect with his son he never knew of, while having a baby girl with Jessica, Young Sik wants to be a proud step-father to Dong Baek’s son, Joker’s father protects him from the cops…. I can go on for a long time, since the theme is so present in the drama. It is an ode to parents and family in general, since sisterhood is also present through Dong Baek and Hyang Mi’s relationship.
Humor, suspense, passion: The drama is a mix of all of these genres. Humor is continuously present (cc baseball scene with Young Sik’s drone) and really made me laugh so hard sometimes. Thriller and suspense are also a dominant ambiance of the drama with the chasing of Joker and the revelation of his identity (cc the scene at the market, when Dong Baek is rescued by Young Sik). Finally, passion transmitted through baseball from father to son is incredible (cc the ending is so satisfying).
In a nutshell When the Camellia Blooms manages to describe us a blooming romance in the face of adversity (Young Sik’s mother opposes the relationship for example because Dong Baek has a son already) for all the characters, adding a touch of seriousness and gravity through the murder cases. All of this only emphasizing the importance of people and human ties.
P.S.1: OMG the OSTs of that drama were simply amazing, especially John Park “Foolish Love”! What about you, what did you think of that drama?
P.S.2: Don’t you think the scene of Kang Ha Neul and his drone is just hilarious?
Once Upon a Drama 