#the eighth sense theory

[wen-kexing-apologist]

Was chatting with @waitmyturtles last night and she sent me this screenshot from the Instagram story of The Eighth Sense director

And I'm reading too much in to the choice of My Strange Addiction being the song here, and like yes granted "addicted" is part of the original post but between this and the post from @starsickkk with the Insta story about how this specific poster is the only one the production team wanted to run and they said there is meaning behind it all, and because @frietesmetmaajoo asked someone to overanalyze it, I took it upon myself in my COVID-ridden state to start looking at psych meds that are pink.

And God, I feel like I am causing problems for myself at this point because I said I was going to stop speculating about this show before we maybe get some fucking answers in Episode 7 but man oh man is it fun to speculate about this show. While in real like I do not think someone asking for an extension of their prescription is automatic grounds in any case for assuming they have a drug addiction, this is fiction. They have limited time to say what they want to say and so it is much more likely they had JaeWon ask for more drugs because he is misusing them.

So anyway without further ado, a list of psych medications that can pink according to the WebMD Pill Identifier website:

Amytriptyline: anti-depressant

Buproprion: anti-depressant and smoking cessation

Citalopram: anti-depressant

Clonazepam: treats anxiety and panic disorders

Vyvanse: Treats ADHD and severe binge eating disorders

Aripriprazole: Anti-psychotic for schizophrenia and bipolar

Dextro-amphetamine: Treats ADHD and narcolepsy

What medication JaeWon has been taking has been plaguing me, I don't think that he has ADHD or narcolepsy so we can cut out Vyvanse and dextro-amphet. I don't think he's psychotic, so I'm going to cut out Aripiprazole. I think it is more likely that JaeWon has depression than anxiety so let's cut out Clonazepam as well. Leaving us with the anti-depressants amytriptyline, buproprion, and citalopram. JaeWon is still smoking so let's cut out buproprion.

Citalopram is used to treat major depressive disorder, and has been shown to be a potential treatment for PTSD when in combination with other medications.

Amytriptyline which can be used to treat major depressive disorder and which is a tricyclic antidepressant and can therefore ALSO be used to treat PTSD (x)(x)(x)

Both citalopram and amytriptyline can be addictive, and both say not to mix with alcohol, but when I think about the stark contrast in color between the Episode 6 title card and all the others, all I can think about is how pink it is.

Citalopram:

Amytriptyline:

Title Card of Episode 6:

All of this to say, putting aside the reality/delusion discussion we've been having over the last week. I think that JaeWon is misusing his medication, and I think the medication he may be prescribed is amytriptyline (I know this is a Korean show and not a Thai show but as a fun fact, amytriptyline is what Aye was prescribed in The Eclipse). Amytriptyline which has side effects such as blurred vision, weight gain, and can cause drug dependence because it is a sedative and can cause feelings of euphoria (x) and which can be fatal if you overdose.

JaeWon has said in the show that he is trying to watch his weight, and I am constantly being haunted by the blurry camerawork especially around JaeWon. I think JaeWon is misusing his medication, and I think we are seeing a suicide attempt by JaeWon before the end of this series. Or at the very least an intentional or unintentional overdose.

#the eighth sense #the eighth sense theory #the eighth sense meta #t8s #tes #jaewon #jihyun #jaewon x jihyun #I need someone to come and cut off all my fingers so that i will stop posting about this show before the next episode airs #this is a joke i need my fingers please dont actually cut off my fingers #tl;dr i think jaewon is addicted to amytriptyline

[chicademartinica]

Did you like Blueming (2022) ? Watch The eighth sense Greening (2023) ! The cinematography said LUCKY COLOR/NEW BEGINNINGS ONLY !

#the eighth sense #blueming #cinematography #color theory #green aesthetic

[waitmyturtles]

SOME GOOD SHOWS THAT I LIKED IN 2023! (AND SOME THAT I DIDN'T)

I watched A LOT of stuff that did not originally air in 2023 by dint of my Old GMMTV Challenge. This list is inclusive of this recognition!

THE BEST SHOW I WATCHED THIS YEAR: HE'S COMING TO ME

I have no other words: this is my favorite Thai BL of all time. Perfect length, perfect plot, perfect celebration of Thai culture, perfect acting, the greatest coming out scene of all time, the BEST of the best BL moms. Perfection.

THE OTHER BEST SHOW I WATCHED THIS YEAR: BAD BUDDY

I don't even want to think about how many words I've written on Bad Buddy this year, but they're well deserved for this REMARKABLE show. I've got a thing for shows by Aof Noppharnach that feature Ohm Pawat, what can I say!

THE MOST INFLUENTIAL SHOW(S) I WATCHED THIS YEAR: LOVE SICK AND SOTUS

The influence of Love Sick and SOTUS can be seen in SO MANY Thai BLs, even through today. Without having watched these two shows to start my OGMMTVC project, I wouldn't have the context for what later shows like Bad Buddy and Theory of Love were commenting on by way of their content and structures. Love Sick in particular was a HELL of a lift -- but I am damn glad I watched it, and I certainly feel nostalgia for it today.

Honorable mentions of influential pieces that had impacts on Thai BLs: Love of Siam and Dew the Movie

MY OTHER FAVORITE OLD SHOWS I WATCHED: UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN AND THEORY OF LOVE

BANGERS!!!

If New Siwaj ever tops Until We Meet Again, I'll fly to Bangkok and give him a gold medal. That long-ass show, 17 EPISODES, I WANTED MORE! OhmFluke's chemistry was great, the story delved SO deeply into historical homophobia and how culture and acceptance changes over time -- scrumptious. Theory of Love, man, the way this show ate up implicit compassion bias and gave it right back to us. I loved it. KHAI FOREVER!

THE BEST SHOW I WATCHED THAT ACTUALLY AIRED IN 2023: MOONLIGHT CHICKEN

Not only was Moonlight Chicken my first real live fandom experience on Tumblr, it was a hell of an amazing show, incorporating so much of what I love particularly about Thai BLs, and how many Thai BLs do not shy away from celebrating Asian cultural touchpoints. From exploring Jim's internalized homophobia by way of his rural upbringing, to juxtaposing Pattaya's spiritual symbols with growing development that upends older strains of local culture, Moonlight Chicken offered a lovely commentary on what it means to be queer in an ever-changing Thailand.

THE OTHER BEST SHOW I WATCHED THAT ACTUALLY AIRED IN 2023: WHAT DID YOU EAT YESTERDAY?/KINOU NANI TABETA? SEASON 2

BRILLIANTLY ACTED by literally the best actors in the Asian BL game: we are blessed that Nishijima Hidetoshi and Uchino Seiyou have given so much to this franchise. It's hard to write about this show because it's so perfect -- it needs no extraneous words. Plot, pacing, acting, character development, gratuitous food shots. It has it all.

THE OTHER OTHER BEST SHOW I WATCHED THAT ACTUALLY AIRED IN 2023: I CANNOT REACH YOU

Just like Bad Buddy looked at Thai BL tropes in the eye and said, "over my Nong Nao," I Cannot Reach You asked Japanese BLs about the efficacy of almost every trope we've gotten used to, and questioned them with efficiency. The biggest shocker for me? REAL COMMUNICATION, encouraged by the CIPHER, Hosaka, that allowed the two lead protagonists to confirm their love and understand each other. It was straightforward and FUCKING GOOD.

A SHOW THAT AIRED IN 2023 THAT I HAVEN'T WRITTEN ABOUT YET, THAT I NEED TO REWATCH IN CHRONOLOGY, THAT ALSO DID SOME TROPE/GENRE ASS-KICKING THAT I'M STILL THINKING ABOUT: LA PLUIE

La Pluie was FEARLESS. The show had a LOT to say about romance and soulmates not being as much of a realistic thing as content-makers... and, frankly, majority society would like us to think. La Pluie made its characters WORK for love and understanding, and had us viewers face our implicit biases about how romantic content should and could work. I watched this show out of order of the OGMMTVC watchlist to see it it was one of the best of the year, and it certainly is. I'm planning a deep rewatch for early 2024 to pen my words on it.

A SHOW THAT ALMOST TOPPED MY 2023 LIST BUT GOT DOCKED BECAUSE I ENDED UP LIKING THE NOVEL A LOT BETTER: I FEEL YOU LINGER IN THE AIR

@neuroticbookworm and @lurkingshan know that I flipped THA FUCK out over this show -- FABULOUSLY acted by Nonkul Chanon and Bright Rapheephong, FABULOUS cinematography, great story up until the end of the series. My fangirling led me to read the original novel by Violet Rain, and -- I found out that Jom was a lot more damn sassy than we got in the show! Tee Bundit's penchant for sadness won. This is not to dock the show, but the novel had more than enough material to carry the series through without repeating themes in the end. So it fell on my 2023 list, womp womp. BUT I STILL LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS SHOW, DON'T GET ME WRONG.

TWO SHOWS THAT I'M SUPER GLAD I CAUGHT UP WITH WHILE THEY WERE AIRING: THE EIGHTH SENSE AND BE MY FAVORITE

Be My Favorite looked at Krist Perawat's checkered past as a BL idol and said: we are going to examine this and make an honest BL out of inspiration from it. It wasn't a perfect show, the time travel shit didn't end up adding up in the end, BUT -- excellent acting from two GMMTV VETS made up for those tangles, and I loved the contextual philosophical references throughout the series. The Eighth Sense looked at the tug-of-war that Korean BLs have with K-dramas and their tropes and said, actually? We will have these dudes full-frontal kiss, and placed that energy against commentaries on mental health, both topics that Korea hasn't quite embraced as quickly as other countries.

HONORABLE MENTIONS OF OTHER AWESOME SHOWS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE AIRED IN 2023

Make It Right, Our Dating Sim, Dark Blue Kiss, Gay OK Bangkok, Dirty Laundry, 10 Years Ticket, I Told Sunset About You, I Promised You the Moon, 3 Will Be Free, Lovely Writer (underrated?!), Our Skyy 2 x Bad Buddy x A Tale of Thousand Stars (UNDERRATED!), and Manner of Death.

And the shows that are airing that I know will stay with me well into 2024: Last Twilight and Cherry Magic Thailand.

I had fun!

WHAT ELSE, WHAT ELSE: THE "NO" SHOWS: THE PROMISE AND STEP BY STEP

I'm not even hyperlinking my thoughts on these shows, nor gifting them with gifs. Insert Bugs Bunny NOOOOOO gif here! We got Man Trisanu, though.

THE SHOW I WAS THE MOST OBVIOUSLY DISAPPOINTED BY: ONLY FRIENDS

Despite my passionate disappointment for this show and how it ended: in the context of the OGMMTVC, Only Friends is still an incredibly important inclusion to the list. Some amazing Tumblr bloggers offered commentary that the bias against sex that OF contained within the show was actually importantly and culturally contextual to the still-conservative state of acceptance that Thailand is currently in (here and here for more reading).

Only Friends reminded us that despite any kind of marketing that we here on Tumblr, as a majority non-Thai audience, may receive about a Thai show -- that we are still not fully plugged into the non-verbal expectations of what a show like OF could promise to do, and to be okay when it doesn't reach those heights. In light of the seemingly pro-sex marketing blasts that previewed the series before its airing, OF ultimately seemed to want to take casual sex, chew it up, and spit it out. There might be reasons why that happened that we just don't know about as outsiders to Thailand. But as an Asian-American viewer that was hoping for neutral -- and maybe even supportive -- commentary on single folks having casual sex without judgement, OF did not deliver for me.

I'm ending the year reading Dr. Thomas Baudinette's book, Boys Love Media in Thailand, the first book-length ethnographic study on the impact of BL on queerness, media, and more in Thailand and across Asia. Baudinette comes from the world of Japanese queer media studies -- as someone who came to Thai BLs this year from Japanese BLs, I appreciate his trajectory. It's clearly a necessity for me to read this book in the context of the OGMMTVC, to understand how Thai BLs have changed over time, and to understand the incredibly larger impact of heterosexual/heteronormative media and themes on Thai media as a whole, as larger and larger swaths of Thai, Asian, and international societies welcome and watch BLs with open arms.

All of this feeds into my ever-growing body of knowledge about the impact of Thai BLs, both in Thailand and across Asia, as Baudinette writes about, and how these shows have and are developed/developing over time. It's been an AMAZING YEAR of watching old and new dramas for me, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the genre grows even more in 2024.

I also made AMAZING FRIENDS on Tumblr -- y'all know who you are! What a year of growth and discovery for me: this has been a fabulous experience, and I'm looking forward to even more growth in the new year!

#my favorite shows of 2023 #bl superlatives for 2023 #he's coming to me #bad buddy #love sick #lovesick #SOTUS #moonlight chicken #what did you eat yesterday? #kinou nani tabeta? #until we meet again #theory of love #the eighth sense #be my favorite #i feel you linger in the air #ifylita #i cannot reach you #la pluie #only friends #only friends the series #turtles catches up with old gmmtv #the old gmmtv challenge #ogmmtvc #best of BL 2023

[lemonfreshlysqueezed]

You can not convince me this boy does not own a pair of wireless earbuds?! He pulled out the wired ones on purpose to have an excuse to sit close to his boy

Gif by @forcebook

He looks so happy with himself:

Gif by: @thii-nii

#the eighth sense series #that smugg smile #he so satisfied #happy with his choices #being a menace #i also have a theory he brought these to be able to have an eccuse not to share with hus friends if he would want to take a moment #you might ne kess inclined to share eatbuds if they are wired togheter #knowing is ‘friends’ theyd just pull one if those wireless obes out of his ears and listen to what he is listening too #or its a total oversight of yes hus dad has money that does not he us rich and has nit bought a wireless pair of earbuds #the eighth sense #the eighth sense the series #kdrama #k drama #asian bl #bl series #queer media

[tending-the-hearth]

little high school freshman dallas winston who was part of the jets during his time in new york, who was close friends with tony, who looked up to riff more than anyone.

dallas winston, who lost both of his friends in a terrible way, and was changed forever.

dallas winston, whose family moved to oklahoma hoping to find a new place and him praying that he would not have to face the pain of losing someone he loved so much again.

dallas winston, who looks at johnny and ponyboy and sees an innocence that he once had, an innocence he wants to so desperately protect.

dallas winston, who loses his little brother in all but blood because he was trying to help other innocent kids, who watches the innocence drain out of ponyboy the night of the first rumble, who can't take the pain anymore because if he sees any of his other family members die he's going to lose his mind.

dallas winston, who wanted so desperately for things to end up differently, but hoping, as he lay dying, that maybe, just maybe, the cycle would break with ponyboy.

#dallas winston i want to study you like a bug #GUESS WHO IS BACK TO HYPERFIXATING ON THE OUTSIDERS #finally started reading the outsiders with my eighth grade students today #and i'm so focused on my theory that dally was part of the jets #bc it specifically says that he lived in new york #and LISTEN #ik pony says the boys grew up together #but it would still make sense #the outsiders #dallas winston

[mare-sanguis]

Jihyun and Jaewon at the library

The whole scene with them together at the library touched my soul but the one that really tugged at my heart the most was when Jihyun waved at Jaewon with such a big fond and happy smile.

And yet again, besides its beauty, it has so so many hidden meanings. From the way they sit in the shadow or the light, to how the camera is placed and how much focus is put on Jihyun.

We see Jaewon sitting across his ex- all covered in a dim light, sun catching the left side of his face. Paired with the things he says, or doesnt say, to his ex its as if he is trying to leave the mask behind he so hates to wear. The light is searching for him.

We get a shot of him from the side, where he is illuminated by soft golden light- his clothes and movements dimming the scene, showing us clearly how he continues to struggle with his mental health. But still, theres something on the horizon foreshadowed by the light shining on him.

Right after this, we get to see Jihyun sitting on the other side of the library- we get to see how happily he waves at Jaewon, with that adorable smile. The scene? Bright, not really colorful but white and clean. The color of innocence, purity and most importantly?

Hope.

Jihyun is bathing in the sunlight- in white. He is Jaewons hope

The track towards Jihyun is straight, without any obstacles- except the shadow on the left side to the corridor- its what they both need to overcome to meet face to face. For the scene, they again picked the OTS/TPS (over the shoulder/third person shot) they picked for the shower scene- to make it clear we are Jaewon. To make us feel what he feels.

Above Jihyun hangs a painting, representing both characters very well; its colors are:

Blue- for Jihyun its the color of trust, security, loyality, honesty and reliability. For Jaewon its the color of depression and passivness.

Green- for Jihyun its the color of harmony, safety, growth and health. For Jaewon its the color of jealousy

Yellow- For Jihyun its the color of happiness, optimism, inspiration, creativity and warmth. For Jaewon, its the color of fear, betrayal and cowardice

Orange- For Jihyun, its the color of youth and upliftment. For Jaewon its the color of insincerity and pessimism

The painting is a sunrise. The very thing Jihyun represents in Jaewons life

Its not just a cute and adorable scene, but also highlights so much about their characters, shows their personality and inner thoughts without even saying anything. And with the scene having no background noises or music, except the light buzzing, paper rustling and Jaewons soft laugh, its as if we're watching something so intimate, almost holy.

Its truly beautiful and next to the shower scene my favorite one so far

In this post, I mentioned how Jaewon sees Jihyun in a dim light- notice how it shifted to something light over the past episodes? Jihyun already helped him overcome some shadows

#the eighth sense #bl drama #korean bl #bl series #bl drama review #queer drama #queer drama review #korean bl review #lim jisub #jaewon #oh juntaek #jihyun #the scene everyone waited to be analiyzed? #um i tried to not go too deep into color theory i didnt want the post to be super long #its not as long as i thought it would be but perhaps i will make a longer one once all episodes are out #and i can watch them all back to back

[starburstfloat]

The Inescapable (and Comforting!) Queer Lens of Moonlight Chicken and The Eighth Sense

I've watched quite a few BL series over the last few years, but something that's struck me (and others I've noticed from tumblr discourse!) is how two recent series Moonlight Chicken (Thai BL) and The Eighth Sense (Korean BL) both embody not only characters and a plot that centralize on real queer experiences, but also a distinctive lens that makes them so achingly and relatably queer that it would be a disservice to not dissect and analyze!

(Please bear with me as we tackle some foundational background info *cracks knuckles* so--) The lens is a really cool means to understand a piece of media because it's an artistic approach from the filmmakers to show us the world through a controlled perspective. The lens has a certain focus (also dubbed focalization). In Looking in: the art of viewing, narrative theorist Mieke Bal describes focalization as the relationship between point of view in a story alongside the vision/meaning that the observer consumes of said pov. So not only does the lens convey certain emotions, but it's the observers (aka audience watching the show) who add additional meaning to it.

This relationship gets really interesting to look at when you consider that traditionally a lot of BL has been created for straight women as a sort of fetishization of gay men (I'm generalizing here, but consider a lot of BL that feels like a straight couple dynamic).

But with these two recent series, the lens feels different. It feels like it's been filmed not only in a way that conveys queerness, but for a queer audience. This focalization creates a really special dynamic between the media and its relatability. It's one of those things where I feel like you just have to be gay to understand it, and that's probably why so many of us have found solace in these two series!

For these two works in particular, there's an undeniable focused aesthetic examination of how queer people see the world and interact with it. There's an artistic emphasis on how one's queerness is inescapable and omnipresent, and how it paints our character's world.

Let me stop rambling and try to show what I mean.

In Moonlight Chicken, this omnipresence is observable in the way the characters Wen and Jim meet in episode one. Wen gets drunk at Jim's restaurant, trying to stall on going home to his ex. The way the camera work plays out during this scene perfectly captures how queer people find and recognize one another without having to overtly express their queerness. Consider the first conversation they have after closing hours of the restaurant: the lens is focused on how subtly they are drawn to each other. There's the wide shot of both of them sitting and talking, something that may be dismissed as nothing more than a two-person shot, yet the way their bodies take up so much of the frame welcomes us to notice their body language and how open they are to one another. This, coupled with the alleyway shots later that cut to individual close ups of their faces, sometimes briefly scanning the other's, a mixture of hesitancy and recognition shaping their reactions, is so queer coded!!! Like!!!!! Hello??? I love how it all culminates to Jim saying "I don't have a wife yet...I'm sure you know my preference" like LMAOOO my dude.....it's been more than obvious but I'm glad you're saying it out loud.

I guess what I'm getting at here is that the way this has been filmed is so beautiful and comforting because it depicts how queerness is inextricably tied to how we process our world. It's in the way we instinctively tag others as being in or out of the community and find solace in that recognition, all while teetering the boundaries of our attractions and carefully assessing a situation to see whether the feelings are mutual, misinterpreted, or if it's safe to express who we are.

Moonlight Chicken manages to embody all of that in the most mind blowingly subtle ways across ALL OF ITS CHARACTERS!!!! I've never encountered any other show like it - it's simply stunning, and it's set the bar way too high now.

We also witness this comforting queer lens in The Eighth Sense. So far only two episodes are out, but the way this show has been filmed is already so much more mature, graceful, and emotionally relatable than most other BL shows I've seen. And again, I think this is because the filmmakers have utilized a lens that conveys how queer people see and interact with their world in a way that other BLs have failed to accomplish. The narrative focus is so strongly centered on our protagonists living in a straight world while they navigate and (in Jae Won's case) want to hide their queerness.

Here, the queer lens resides in the way the camerawork establishes a sense of evaluation and hesitancy. It's the way the camera lingers on how Ji Hyun shrinks a bit when the surf instructor lady jokes "you came here cause of the pretty girl on the poster didn't you?" or the way we get close up shots of Jae Won's annoyed face as he demands his friends stop asking why he broke up with his ex girlfriend. As a queer audience, these subtle clues are just so relatable. It's a reflection of our own lived experiences, of bottling up our inner selves and constantly having to monitor our reactions and behaviors in a straight landscape.

These shows aren't just giving us gay characters who Meet Cute and fall in Love and deal with some turmoil and live happily ever after - they are filmed in a way that forces us to see and be seen.

And I can't get enough.

#there's still so so much to say about both of these shows #but consider this a preliminary brain dump #tagging this under #rebecca should have minored in film studies or queer theory #moonlight chicken #the eighth sense #queer theory #film analysis #media analysis #여덟 번째 감각

[boyfriendsmalec]

I am a firm believer that episode 6 was not a dream sequence (I'm not saying certain scenes couldn't be, but the episode as a whole is definitely not). People can theorize as they choose but every theory that seems to say it's a dream thinks it's to do with the lighting choices and the way scenes are cut.

I think the lighting choices and cuts are intentional but not indicating that it's a dream sequence, rather they're either editorial/directorial preference or it may be that we're supposed to be seeing from Jaewon's point of view. Perhaps episode 6 being very dreamy is because it is a dream for Jaewon. I don't mean a literal dream. I mean that this trip with Jihyun is like a dream to Jaewon because he gets to be entirely removed from reality. The whole episode is practically the two of them together without any outside influence. Jaewon feels lighter by the water, happier, it's his safe space, and Jihyun has become his safe person.

The lighting is soft and light, in contrast to near constant darkness that was in the latter half of episode 5. Also while we do see Jaewon talk about getting medications in the end of episode 5 (which was actually part of a flashback from episode 4), we never saw him take this medicine on-screen yet, and to be honest I think it'll be reserved for a later episode (probably ep 8/9) where this will come more into play.

Other reasons I don't think episode 6 is a dream (below the cut because this gets long):

Jaewon's conversation opening up to Jihyun about his brother -- that whole conversation is a dream? A hallucination? Him telling Jihyun about his dream of being a photographer? I find it a bit hard to believe all of this was part of a dream sequence.

This would be a complete backtrack of their relationship and from everything we've seen in the trailers (Jihyun and Jaewon lying in Jihyun's dorm room together cuddling, them holding hands in the car during the scene driving through the tunnel + the voiceover of them agreeing to start a relationship despite the fears they have, Jaewon wrapping a jacket around Jihyun [which sidenote, it just occurred to me that Jaewon does this because Jihyun complains about getting cold easily, so sweet!])

Given we only have 4 more episodes left my best guess is episode 7 will be pretty fluffy with them in a relationship together, episode 8 will be focused on building up tension again (with Jihyun's friends and family), episode 9 will be the climax with Jihyun's actual drowning scene (I've said before in other posts but I think the hotel scene [maybe] and drowning scene take place together in a separate trip during a flash forward), and episode 10 will be the fall out. I could see the timeline being altered a little but this is the format most shows would play. If episode 6 was a dream, they would have to do a re-do of Jaewon and Jihyun's relationship building that they just did in episode 6. Which frankly, seems kinda odd for a show that's already got a limited runtime (10, 30-minute episodes is more than most KBLs, but it's still a short show overall)

Again with the above point, relationship building between our two leads was such an important element in episode 6, and to take that away and essentially retcon the whole thing to being a dream/hallucination of Jaewon's would really make a lot of the audience upset (including myself to be honest). I really don't think the writers would have characters enter a relationship and undergo so much character/relationship development to just do away with it. For what purpose? Dream sequences can happen in a show yes, but a whole episode? That means 10% of this show's season would be used for a dream sequence. Most writers wouldn't do that because a whole 30-minute dream sequence episode like this would serve ultimately no purpose. And this doesn't seem to be the type of show to spend their runtime on an episode that accomplishes nothing for the overall plot/story/characters.

While people have talked about the character development of Jaewon in this episode, it also had a lot of character building for Jihyun too. We finally find out why Jihyun never swam before and why he seemed in the beginning of the show to be a bit scared of the ocean. I highly doubt Jaewon would make up a story in his head about Jihyun getting hazed in the water. Or make up such details about Jihyun like him having a tendency to get cold.

This may be the strongest contender for why this whole episode is not a dream sequence: Jihyun talks to Jaewon about his interactions with Aeri and says she taught him how to take photos. Jaewon had no idea about that!

Another major reason why I think episode 6 is definitely real is: Taekyung asks Jaewon in the trailer why he would go on a trip with Jihyun when he barely knows him. Why would Taekyung ask Jaewon this if the beach trip isn't real?

Also about the gear of the camping trip: I know people say it has to be a dream/hallucination that they suddenly had all the gear they needed. But to me I just personally thought that Jaewon had all this stuff in his trunk already. I get a feeling that Jaewon has run away to the beach before by himself. Like yes he had to chairs, but besides that he only had one sleeping bag that they had to share, so he likely has camped out by himself before.

As for the rest stop guy, I don't know what to tell you guys but to be honest I didn't think much of him when I saw it. Like yes he gave things away for free but they seemed like random things he had in the back. Like random old songs on a USB? That didn't seem a big gift or anything to me. Most likely something no one ever purchased. Plus lots of Korean dramas have funny little side characters like him so it didn't seem anything out of the ordinary to me.

Anyway feel free to share your thoughts!

#the eighth sense #the eighth sense theories #the eighth sense speculation

[electronicfoxnerd]

I still can't comprehend that The Eighth Sense is actually ending next week. It feels like yesterday I was screaming about how wonderfully it's been shot after watching the first two episodes. This is the show that made me start posting on Tumblr again.

#the eighth sense #jae won x ji hyun #kim jihyun #seo jaewon #It's been one hell of a ride #A ride which is ending #which I don't want to think about #I'm seriously gonna miss this fandom #and all the theories after every two eps I look forward to

[blmpff]

So, The Eighth Sense ig account posted these throwback photos to all previous episodes, all with captions "season 1 episode x". *puts tinfoil hat on* does that mean there is a chance of season 2 then?

#the eighth sense #conspiracy theory #i guess we'll know more after today's eps #blmpff rumbles

[wen-kexing-apologist]

Eighth Sense Ep 2 Rewatch

Ok, listen. Am I watching this show and playing video games at the same time? Yes. Does that mean I am missing a lot? Yes.

But! The facial blurs when it comes to JaeWon seem very intentional and is especially evident when they are in the water:

Now, okay, there is 200% room for argument here that all the blurriness is because the cameraman is most likely filming in the water with a go-pro and has little to no control over the video quality. And that is totally something that can be true. And that is also totally something that would disguise any intentional, purposeful point of the blurriness in this moment.

And there is something else I noticed, the colors in this scene. Thanks, as always to @respectthepetty for turning me into a color monster.

The way the light refracts off of JiHyun's wetsuit makes the colors seem distorted.

Camera issue? Sure! But could it be another indication of JaeWon's altered mental status? Why the fuck not! I mean, we don't know how his brother died yet. Personally, my theory is that he drowned. Because so much of this show is water centric, because of the fish tank and the fact that our title card for Episode 2 is literally JaeWon surrounded by a fish tank as if he is under water.

I think it would be extra super spicy sad if it was when JaeWon was teaching his brother to surf. Just for the ~trauma~, and cause if that is true, then the blurriness and the distorted colors here once again is intentional, and is brilliantly capable of being written off by the audience as just difficult filming conditions.

So again, if that is the case, the blurriness is the altered mental status. And we can take that however we want, medically induced alteration, cognitive dissonance, anxiety, dissociation, all of them.

If the water killed JaeWon's brother, then being in the water would make him feel close to his brother and also be a great punishment for JaeWon. If his brother died learning to surf, then to teach a person the same age as his brother would have been would remind him of all that he had lost but give him that moment of soft remembrance to the person he loved most in the world.

And GOD we see this blurriness, much less obviously, but very rapidly cutting back and forth in the shower scene in Episode 3.

Out of focus

In focus.

Back and forth and back and forth every couple seconds like the camera isn't quite able to stick on his face. JaeWon wants to be present in this moment, JaeWon is fighting to remain in his body, tied to his emotions, tied to this person, so he is slipping in and out of focus because he's trying to fight the numbness and the brain fog.

And again, you cannot tell me this man is not dissociating. I'm sorry but those are some dead fucking eyes. This man is shut down, this man is not present in this conversation with his ex. Why would he be? Why would he try to be? He has no reason to fight the numbness he feels.

And we're back on the color train for JaeWon with JiHyun, with this soft pink light around his head when he joins JiHyun on the beach for their late night kiss conversation about fear.

Methinks JaeWon fears feeling anything, hence the hint towards drug dependence in Episode 6. I think it is so much easier for him to just be numb to the world so he doesn't have to feel the pain of the loss he suffered.

Anyway, the more I watch this show through the lens of mental illness, the more the camerawork is standing out to me with how and when they blur faces, and how it really only is JaeWon whose face is blurred when he's supposed to be in frame. Obviously there are instances where character's faces are going to be blurred because they are in the foreground or background, or they are not the focal point of the conversation. But JaeWon goes blurry far more often than anyone else does.

#the eighth sense #t8s #i'm sorry bengyio i know you want it to be real #i think maybe it is real #but i am stuck on the mental illness train and cant get off it now #jaewon #jihyun #jaewon x jihyun #the eighth sense theory #the eighth sense ep 2

[chicademartinica]

Did you like Blueming ( 2022) ? You will love The eighth sense Greening (2023) ! Part II: The beach trip an exposé in four parallels.

#blueming #the eighth sense #cinematography #korean bl #kbl royalty #the parallels #jae won x ji hyun #Da un x Si Won #hwang da seul #THE BLUES #THE GREENS #color theory #by the sea #Interrstingly in Blueming heartbreak is GREEN

[jjsanguine]

I had suspected that Ji Hyun was dead because I thought the therapy sessions were flashbacks but that wasn't the case so I was like phew, but these silent credits on episode 6 ? ? ?

#people that think tragic endings are more artistic #i am not among you. i would like to have my theory debunked please #the eighth sense #ji hyun

[thasorns]

I know we’ve all been in distress and agony because of the last episode but in my theory it didn’t happened... He said he doesn’t want to make a rash decision to make him unhappy which was the scenario to the episode what could’ve been and what could’ve happen. A trauma is a heavy thing to deal with and it’s more difficult to deal with throughout your childhood, your teenage years into your adulthood. It’s a load of baggage you bring into a relationship and he’s scared to let anyone in deep enough to lay out his layers into the open, to feel the same pain again which was so unbearable that it scarred him for life. He doesn’t want to lose another loved one which makes so much sense, which I can relate so much to... He even keeps his ‘friendships’ on the surface because of this. At this point we can bet that no one knows about his brother. The scene with him alone at the beach is the truth (which is only in my theory) but do I think he wished hard enough that all this closeness with Ji Hyun would become reality? Yes. Because even he deserves some kind of happiness even though (again my thoughts) he doesn’t think like that. The way he wants to tell Ji Hyun everything because he really wants to be close to him without any layers around him, how his face lit up when he talked about him in therapy. Jae Won wants to risk it with him but at the same it scares him so much. He just knows he found someone who’s worth risking it for, I don’t know if he knows but he feels how Ji Hyun has this affect on him, which can make him comfortable and ease his pain and thoughts, he’s that person who he can forget everything with, the stress from college, family, friends... etc, even if it is just for a minute, a second, at this precise moment he forgets his baggage and is happy.. but again we’re responsible for our own happiness and we’re also the ones who prevent ourselves from our own happiness.

#caddi watches #the eighth sense #apparently I have much to say these days which I never intented to... #but the last scene with him alone at the beach made me think a lot about it #again everything what I wrote is only my theory... #tes is truly a masterpiece which breaks my heart every week... :( #zey rants

[vegaseatsass]

I wish I had my laptop on this trip because mainlining a bunch of extremely joy-sparking gay tv after months of job hell is really such a recipe for just. Hysterical levels of fandom euphoria. I need everyone in the world to hear about homewrecker Tay Tawan the satanic cult leader, and how past me watched Midnight Museum incorrectly, Boon actually did nothing wrong. It's not his fault he was more slavishly devoted to his witch god than Khatha and probably singlehandedly invented queer identity in 1820 just so he could affirmingly incorporate dick into his nightly worship duties.

See this is just word salad, I can't use the phone to express myself properly. Not at all. but tldr I'm fandom feral right now. I am having too much fun and the happy chemicals in my brain are popping off and it is gonna be tough to come back down to earth in two days. I'm so glad fandom exists. Thank you gay tv and thank you communal gay tv mind palace. (More word salad. But EYE know what I'm trying to say and it's quite sincere ok)

#dear diary #i am so sleep deprived and i am so giddily in reality escaping mode #midnight museum rewatch on taygun mode + history3 kiseki eighth sense and some playboyy will do that to ya #tomorrow im figuring out how we can watch supanut the ghost uncut so help me god #then its over for me hoes #i just know there is something maladaptive about the mood/brain extremes im flipping between #from last week to this week to next week #but im having fun. such cringe but free fun #and cringe but free is where i shall remain until im forced to return to the bleakness of the Real World #if you understood even 3 or 4 words of this post lml #lmk* #i would be pleased to know if any of this is intelligible or if i really sound as unhinged as i feel #midnight museum #(sorry if you track that tag but also i do for real want to discuss post canon boon theories)

[thedaughtersoflilith]

If they do some kind of "oh he was all by himself, and took the medication" trope for Eighth Sense, I'm yeeting myself off of the nearest cliff.

Because HELL NO!

#eighth sense #looking at theories is giving me hives #i'm not going to look at anything else anymore #the eighth sense