KDrama Club: Terius Behind Me Chat with TheKThree & DramaMilk

Welcome to our weekly KDrama Club Meeting!  This week we are discussing So Ji Sub’s recently finished KDrama “Terius Behind Me.”  If you love talking about So Ji Sub, Jung In Sun, Terius Behind Me, or our favorite topic…Korean Dramas! then you are right at home.

As a fun surprise, this week we are joined by two special guests, Karen from TheKThree and V from DramaMilk!”  We are especially excited to have these fabulous ladies with us since we began “Terius Behind Me” as a live chat discussion together on YouTube and Twitter.   (We will be doing another a live chat for the premiere of “Memories of the Alhambra” on December 1st at 7pm CST.  Please follow us on Twitter for updates (DramaCurrent, TheKThree, DramaMilk).  We hope you can join us then!)

If this is your first time to DramaCurrent’s KDrama Club, welcome!  Just like a book club, in the KDrama Club everyone is encouraged to freely join in with their thoughts and ideas.

[bctt tweet=”I participated in DramaCurrent’s #TeriusBehindMe live chat! #SoJiSub” username=”dramacurrent”]

How to participate in the “Terius Behind Me” Club: 

Step 1. Take a look at the list of questions below.  If one, some, or all spark your interest then…

Step 2: Pop down to the comments section and leave your response.  (Please include the question number so we know which question you are answering.)

Step 3 (optional): We’d love it if you’d choose to respond to other fans’ comments.  This is the perfect place to have meaningful KDrama conversations…or just fangirl like crazy.  Either way, please remember to “choose kind” when you respond.

Bonus:  If you have a comment about “Terius Behind Me” that isn’t an answer to one of our questions, please feel free to say it anyway.  Think of our questions as conversation starters, not limiters.

Let the commenting games begin!

Warning: Spoilers are not only rampant, but they are encouraged.  We want this to be a free, open chat where you can feel safe talking about any part of the drama.

Discussion Questions for “Terius Behind Me”

Click to jump to my response or the comments section

1. 1. How did you like “Terius Behind Me?”
   2. Who was your favorite character? Why were they your favorite?
   3. If you could change something about “Terius Behind” what would it be? 
   4. Despite the danger, Go Ae Rin often investigated on her own (such as breaking into the bag vault or discovering the King’s Bag’s Secret Lair.) How did this trait affect your like or dislike of her?
   5. Which scene(s) stood out as your favorite(s)?
   6. How do you think the Joon-Joon twins and their mom changed Kim Bon?
   7. In what way did the KIS crew affect the story? Were they just filler?
   8. How did you feel about the ending?  Was it the ending you wanted? 

Jump to Comments

1. How did you like “Terius Behind Me?”

DramaCurrent Unni’s Comment:

The teasers for this drama promised a light-hearted mash-up of Mommy mayhem and James Bond fun, and it really delivered.  This was not a drama you could take seriously, and that was why I liked it — give me Nose Kisses and Spy Princess Makeovers over angst and monologues any day.  Although it won’t make my top 10 list, I really enjoyed this drama and would recommend it in a heartbeat.

DramaMilk V’s Comment:

Loved it. I did not like the first hour of episodes but the Ajumma team and SJS kept me in. The second hour of episodes was a bit better, but it was still a big question mark. I probably wasn’t fully pulled in until the 5th week?

TheKThree Karen’s Comment:

Oof – as a diehard So Ji Sub fan, there is a heavy bias in effect, and any opportunity to see him in something new twice a week is awesome! Once I realized that this show wasn’t matching my high expectation of a great mix of spy thriller + comedy, I was able to enjoy its ongoing silliness much more. The shifts in tone and story felt really jarring, but the laugh out louds made up for it…mostly. I just wanted the show to be excellent, and it only rates “pretty good” in my book.

Jump to Comments Section

2. Who was your favorite character? Why were they your favorite?

My Comment:

If you could have seen me squealing and laughing during every babysitting scene, you’d know how much I fell in love with the Joon-Joon duo.  Yes, they could be insanely obnoxious when they spilled drinks or got a USB drive confused with a pencil (which BTW, is the worst leap of logic that this drama made.  This is the 21st century.  What kid nowadays doesn’t know what a USB is?  Puh-lease.)  But even though they had their moments, in the end, they brought the warmth and humor to the drama.  I adored how their child-like innocence and sweetness shone as they “took care” of injured Kim Bon or offered him their treasured toys on his birthday.  I really believe they were the main reason that Kim Bon was able to heal from his sorrow.

DramaMilk V’s Comment:

The Ajumma team were my favorite by far! I loved them so much. In fact, I want a spin-off where they have their own show.

TheKThree Karen’s Comment:

Who was your favorite character? Why were they your favorite? Son Ho Jun as CEO Jin stole the show. He struck the balance between gravitas and lightness, from anger at having a plan go awry, to total arrogance in assuming that Ae Rin, of course, has a crush on him because of his amazing good looks. The moment where he shared his KDrama trope-ic “tragic backstory” about why he became a con artist especially stood out, because his character was completely self-effacing, admitting basically that, “Yeah, I know we’ve all got our sad stories, but this is mine and why I am what I am.” It’s not heavy and sob-inducing, which fits a scene where he is recovering from an attack wound in an unused patient room at an OB/GYN clinic.

Jump to Comments Section

3. If you could change something about “Terius Behind” what would it be?

My Comment:

I’m torn about this one.  On the one hand, I hated the commercial like Quiznos scenes (they just seemed heavy-handed, especially in the last episode.)  But on the other hand, there were so many of them that they became their own bad joke.  “And now we’re back at Quiznos…and now we have an awkward scene of the actors trying to say their lines through a mouthful of sandwich.”  Cringe.

DramaMilk V’s Comment:

The husband storyline was strange and awkward and not handled all that well. I don’t even think the kids ever found out (at least not on screen) that he was not on an extended business trip? It would have been better to have started the drama with him already dead and Aerin working several jobs and getting a lot of help from her ajumma friends to make ends meet. She could have gotten a job at the purse place and the story could have started there with her figuring things out due to being a bit too good at her job and finding out way too much about her boss. I really just don’t think the husband storyline needed to be there.

TheKThree Karen’s Comment:

Following from Q2, I think if the writers of the show had followed the balanced tone Son Ho Jun found to incorporate serious seamlessly with comedic, the show would have been better for it.

Jump to Comments Section

4. Despite the danger, Go Ae Rin often investigated on her own (such as breaking into the bag vault or discovering the King’s Bag’s Secret Lair.) How did this trait affect your like or dislike of her?

My Comment:

At first, this part of Go Ae Rin’s personality REALLY got on my nerves.  Yes, she’s smart and inquisitive, but she has two small children relying on her.  Why is she putting herself at so much risk?

But later, I sort of got it.  Yes, Go Ae Rin desperately loved her children, but she must have also been stifled by her role of mother.  She worked a bazillion jobs and when she wasn’t working she took care of two rambunctious kids by HERSELF.  It would be natural for her to crave any opportunity to throw caution to the wind.  I get it.  Not saying that I agree with her choices, but I do understand them.

DramaMilk V’s Comment:

This trait would work well with my rewrite, lol. It super annoyed me at first. But then it became her thing so I ended up liking it.

TheKThree Karen’s Comment:

Oh my gosh, is it just me??? I’ll just start by saying that Jung In Sun is a very talented actor to portray a character who ANNOYED ME SO MUCH!!! I was dumbfounded every time she cocked her head to the side with a “I wonder what’s in/over/out there…?” thought and then proceeded to break every rule of her job/common sense to “investigate”. ESPECIALLY when the actions she was taking were dangerous, if not only to her livelihood, to her life, and she was now a single mother to two small children. Her behavior certainly set the example for her kids, though, since they also proceeded with disobeying every rule presented to them and causing mayhem (and tears when they got in trouble for it) on a consistent basis. Again, props to those two young actors, because those kids were obviously adorable from the behind-the-scenes footage, but they played bratty and whiny SO well!

Jump to Comments Section

5. Which scene(s) stood out as your favorite(s)?

My Comment:

I freaking loved the “Ahjumma” Yong Ji Tae hospital scenes.  Watching him sit there in a pregnancy gown was one of the best things I’ve seen all year.  So Ji Sub, too, did a great job playing off the role of “the father.”

On that note, I was surprised by how much I actually came to like Young Ji Tae by the end of the show, especially considering how much of a scumbag he started out as.  I loved how we see him evolve as he observes and learns from Kim Bon.  Bon is probably the first guy in his life who has demonstrated what it means to be a strong yet caring man, and the more they interact the more we see Ji Tae try to live up to his bro’s expectations.  The saying goes that “love conquers all,” but for Young Ji Tae it was “bromance conquers all.”

DramaMilk V’s Comment:

The English language scene with the girl fight and the water shooting from Eun-ha’s head was my absolute favorite. I LOVED THAT SCENE. I also loved it when the ahjummas were able to use the KIS to find Aerin’s kids. That was so solid. Third is probably when the Ahjummas went to King’s Bag to help Aerin sell the bags and posted photos all over social media. Actually, all the ahjumma scenes are probably my favorite.

TheKThree Karen’s Comment:

Which scene(s) stood out as your favorite(s)? That’s a toss-up between So Ji Sub opening the trunk of Range Rover to reveal the four North Face bags containing *winter coats for the whole family!* and the scene where he and CEO Jin are discussing the plan for “the good-looking man to distract the butler at the house of the bad government official” (Eps 27-28, I think?). When CEO Jin realizes that the team is *not* referring to him as the good-looking man and tells Kim Bon he’ll fail, So Ji Sub replies in stride, “There’s a 51% chance I’ll succeed.” Love that inside nod to the philosophical inspiration behind the name of his production company. [Ref: http://51k.com/51k/  – “51K Vision”]

Jump to Comments Section

6. How do you think the Joon-Joon twins and their mom changed Kim Bon?

My Comment:

As I said before, I believe that the Joon-Joon duo was one of the major reasons that Kim Bon was able to recover from his sorrow.  He had been broken, depressed, and obsessed with his mission,  but they burst through his barriers with reckless innocence.

But I think Bon really wanted that sense of family and belonging too.  Although immensely talented at the lone-wolf schtick, Kim Bon was pulled a bit too easily into the lives of Joon-Joon and Go Ae Rin.  Did he really need to “infiltrate” their family by becoming their babysitter?  I don’t think Agent K would have done it that way.  He could have used hidden cameras, trackers, mics, or any other number of spy tricks to get intelligence, but he instead chose to expose his identity by becoming their sitter.  It is possible that he chose this method because he was drawn to their lives, first out of curiosity and then out of longing?

DramaMilk V’s Comment:

The Joon-Joon twins and Aerin made Bon a lot softer and filled his home with warmth. I love how they depicted Bon’s emotions opening up by the number of things in his apartment that were there for the kids. It started with the fish tank and then ballooned from there until his entire place was only for the kids. But that also reflected how much space they took up in his heart.

TheKThree Karen’s Comment:

Kim Bon has an amazing urge to protect, an instinct that was certainly quashed when the North Korean asset under his care (with whom he also fell in love) was killed. I think Ae Rin and “Joon-Joon” reminded him of that desire to protect, and also opened him to connect with his fellow human beings on a personal level, not just professionally. I think that stood out during the scene when the KIS arrives for a “welcome back” party, where they’re all seated around the table eating, and Bon takes a moment to look at all of these new friends he’s come to realize he has.

Jump to Comments Section

7. In what way did the KIS crew affect the story? Were they just filler?

My Comment:

Some of my biggest laughs came from the KIS crew, so I can not think that they were just filler.  But they also had moments that they frustrated the heck out of me.  I know the Ahjumma squad was supposed to be this incredible badass force taking down the neighborhood crime, but they would have all DIED capturing Agent K if the cops hadn’t happened to walk by at that precise moment.  Seriously, people, you are parents.  Do not go chasing down clearly dangerous men in the middle of the night.

Although I loved the lightness and fun they brought, I don’t know that the KIS actually did very much for the story, except to explain why Go Ae Rin and Kim Bon could be away from the kids for any length of time.  Correct me if I’m wrong, but I can not think of anything the KIS did that affected the ultimate outcome of the plot.  (Maybe, rescuing Joon-Joon from the kidnapper??)  Still, I’m glad they were there since the story would have been much darker without them.

DramaMilk V’s Comment:

THE KIS GROUP WAS THE STORY. I loved them so much and would have dropped this show if the were not around.

TheKThree Karen’s Comment:

KIS should have been consistent throughout! Who’s with me?! Story-wise, they could and should have been the comedic foil to the serious “spy stuff” the NIS was doing at all points throughout the series — thwarting bad guys (like using social media to catch the kidnapper in the beginning), stumbling upon clues, tripping up more bad guys. It seems like a great set-up that was not capitalized on consistently, especially with the comedic chops of Kang Ki Young and Kim Yeo Jin. More KIS!!!

Jump to Comments Section

8. How did you feel about the ending?  Was it the ending you wanted?

My Comment:

For me, the wrap up of Operation Candy felt very fulfilling.  The pacing was good (my biggest complaint about KDrama endings,) and for the most part, we didn’t have too many loose ends.  The one part of the story which wasn’t fully wrapped up was the take-down of the rest of the Cornerstone network.  From what the ex-director said, the network was very large and they were only one part of it.  I presume we are supposed to believe that the year Terius/Kim Bon was away he spent taking down the network, but we were never really told.

Also, I’m torn about the fact that Jin Yong Tae lived.  The logic side of my brain keeps telling me that it doesn’t make sense that EVERYONE could survive their horrific accidents during the Cornerstone takedown.  But then my sentimental side keeps shouting at my logic side to shut up.  Who cares about logic?  We need a happy ending.

Finally, I’m not quite sure how I liked the last scene.  It was sweet that “Alice” and “Terius” got to ride off into the sunset on another mission, but knowing that they were leaving without me just made me sad.  Could we maybe get a season 2???  Pretty please??

DramaMilk V’s Comment:

The ending was a bit rushed. I actually didn’t even realize it was the finale. I would have personally enjoyed it a bit more if it didn’t turn into a spy TV show once again (like the opening episodes) and just kept that playful WTFkery of the middle episodes. But I am happy with the ending. I am impressed that the writer managed to wrap up a lot of the storylines (all of the storylines?). They even managed to wrap up that red shoes debacle with Sang-ryeol and his wife. It was a horrible wrap up, lol, but at least it was there.

TheKThree Karen’s Comment:

Will let you know when finished – lol! At this point, I’ll just take as much new So Ji Sub as I can get. : )

Thanks for the chat, DramaCurrent!!!

Jump to Comments Section

Please leave your comments about “Terius Behind Me” below.  Don’t forget to add the question number to your answer, so we know which one you are answering.  Happy Commenting!  ~Unni

We hope you can also join us for our next KDrama Club Meeting: Lee Min Ki and Seo Hyun Jin’s “The Beauty Inside” on Saturday, November 24, 2018.  Can’t wait to chat more with you then!

Other KDrama Club Meetings:

• Devilish Joy
• 100 Days My Prince
• KDrama Club: Healer
• Complete List of KDrama Club Meetings

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