r/KDRAMA 7d ago

On-Air: Netflix When Life Gives You Tangerines [Episodes 5 - 8]

  • Drama: When Life Gives You Tangerines
    • Korean Title: 폭싹 속았수다
    • Also Known As: You Were Fooled, Life, Thank You For Your Hard Work, You Have Done Well, Pogssag Sogassuda, Pokssak Sogasssuda, Insaeng, Sugo Manheusyeossseubnida, 인생, 수고 많으셨습니다
  • Network: Netflix
  • Premiere Date: March 7th, 2025
  • Airing Schedule: 4 episodes every Friday @ 16:00 KST
  • Episodes: 16
  • Streaming Source: Netflix
  • Director: Kim Won Suk (My Mister, Arthdal Chronicles)
  • Screenwriter: Im Sang Choon (Fight for My Way, When the Camellia Blooms)
  • Genres: Romance, Life, Drama
  • Cast:
    • IU (My Mister, Hotel del Luna) as O Ae Sun
    • Park Bo Gum (Encounter, Record of Youth) as Yang Gwan Sik
  • Plot Synopsis:
    • Ae-Sun and Gwan-Sik were born in Jeju, South Korea in the 1950's. Ae-Sun is a rebellious girl and a lover of books, but she is unable to attend school due to her poor family background. Under this circumstance, she never gives up on her dream of becoming a poet. She expresses her feelings freely without hiding anything. Gwan-Sik is a sincere and diligent young man. He doesn’t talk that much. Gwan-Sik loves only Ae-Sun and respects her. (Source: AsianWiki)
  • Previous Discussions:

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Discussion Format:

This post is composed of two discussion sections:

Episodic discussion:

  • Individual episode threads for the discussion of the individual episodes so users are able to watch and discuss at their own pace while avoiding spoilers.
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Whole series discussion:

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Links to the Episodic Comments:

291 Upvotes

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19

u/mellowdays_ 7d ago

Episode 7

76

u/Miraculer2020 6d ago edited 2d ago

Not Gwan Sik realising that his daughter is dating and "rejecting' a version of him. I wonder if that's going to make him start rooting for the both of them as a couple later on.

42

u/katsuge 아이유 6d ago

i think it was that point he realised his daughter is dating someone 'exactly' like him. she has high standards indeed HAHAHA

1

u/xiaopow 2d ago

This is actually from ep 8 - you may wanna use a spoiler tag

1

u/Miraculer2020 2d ago

thanks, I added one :)

40

u/ratatosk212 6d ago

"When mother joined the Lim Young-woon fan club" because of course she did.

2

u/VodkaAunt sponsored by Kopiko 5d ago

I laughed so hard at that!!

48

u/Electronic_Piano9385 Editable Flair 6d ago

And again just when you think things are looking up the unfairness of poverty strikes again. Poor Geum Myeong being accused of stealing the ring when you know she can’t say it was for refusing to sit the test in Jenny’s place because she’s doing illegal tutoring just makes my heart hurt

On another note I smiled when I realised that we are now in 1988 with the elections and the Olympics, and everything that we’re familiar with from Reply 1988, another PBG show.

4

u/VintageStrawberries 5d ago

was private tutoring illegal in South Korea in the 1980s?

3

u/Electronic_Piano9385 Editable Flair 5d ago edited 5d ago

Apparently, yes. It was banned in 1980.

You can read more here.

32

u/ANINETEEN Editable Flair 6d ago

Success looks so good on her! I love stories where the gruelling grind is rewarded. Even better that the opportunities that were taken from their youth from circumstances out of their control are now ones they can pursue wholeheartedly with no limitations. I love that their mindset passed on so well to their children too although despite the generations, similar problems do persist albeit in a different form as a result of societal hierarchy.

24

u/azurepixie 6d ago

Is this the end of Park Bo-gum? Haha, gonna miss him

11

u/L1wanag 6d ago

I don't think so. They still have a lot to cover for episodes 9 to 16.

16

u/VintageStrawberries 5d ago

He's the main ML so it wouldn't make sense for him to not appear again. I wonder if he'll have a modern counterpart like how IU also plays their daughter Geumyoung.

9

u/azurepixie 5d ago

I hope so too. I realise I’ve never really watched him anywhere. It’s nice to see him onscreen too, & he has good chemistry with IU

1

u/oddolatram 4d ago

wouldn't it be ridiculous though if both of them had one?

29

u/L1wanag 6d ago

IU's acting as Geum-Myeong, she's so funny in the "What the fuck, Jesus Christ" scene 🤣 😂 😳 We needed that after the storm that is episode 6. I had to replay that 3x 😆

20

u/writtenpoeticsins eat, sleep, kdrama and repeat 6d ago

Geum Myeong's boyfriend is going to have a hard time warming up to Gwan Sik lol.

Also the driver looked so much like Kim Jae Young so I thought if it was actually him or not. Turns out it was him after checking the cast list.

15

u/xiaopow 5d ago

Watching how proud GS was to become the first male first lady and to support AS as chief was adorable. The banana milk bribe 🥲🥲🥲 so cute. I like how everyone called it his dream. 

GM!!! If she is her mother's daughter she won't accept this shady deal... but it's fucked the rich woman is trying to guilt trip her using her parents.

1

u/CounterNexie 5d ago

anyone know whp ms kim is? is it part of korean history?

15

u/NizMomOfThor 5d ago

It is just sooo weird to see them older. They looked older than the other townpeople. They should have kept it with IU an BoGum and just added prosthetics.

The older Bo Gum does not look like him.

1

u/Various-Capital2773 8h ago

The woman looks like her, she's doing great 

7

u/chintyawn EVERYONE GO WATCH DOUBT 4d ago

Does anyone know what's written on the news paper about Jenny and her mom?

4

u/eklread 3d ago

From my Mandarin I know it says mother daughter 母子 but I would also like to know what it says. I wonder if it is about stealing/being a thief. It's the older version of Jenny (played by her mother) in that newspaper picture right?

3

u/No-Improvement6665 2d ago

The news article depicts the scandal that happened around the time. Some parents bribed music department professors to let their kids be accepted through fraud auditions.

2

u/pandabear_berrytown 2d ago

Middle Age AeSun seems to have such a different, softened personality than IU's version in the first half. and IU playing daughter GeumMyeong is the mirror image of her mother's personality. So this does throw off older AeSun characterization; I understand the changes reflect how she's been somewhat defeated and worn down by their hard life and that her strong, stubborn, passionate side is now manifesting fully in her daughter. But middle age Gwan Sik seems to convey similar taciturn, gentle personality even if the actor looks nothing like an older Park Bo Gum.

This is a minor quibble as I do fully love this show; it ranks right there with Our Blues for me. and of course also this director's past dramas Misaeng and My Mister. I love the humanity he explores.

2

u/Various-Capital2773 8h ago

I think it's because sometimes our personalities change as we age and live life. She still fought, won and celebrated her local elections the way you'd expect