Dae Jang Geum (Jewel in the Place) 大長今

Dae Jang Geum (Jewel in the Place)

大 dà -- General, Great.
長 zhǎng -- grow, older, chief
今 jīn --- today, modern



I am the last person who was a candidate to watch a 54-hour tv soap opera/novelia. But a Korean roommate insisted that I had to see the first few episodes. I found it hard to follow at first. I don't think the English subtitles did justice to everything that was said, but I got used to picking up the hidden meanings. Thank God it wasn't dubbed, or I would have missed the original actors inflections and emotions, and the actress that played JG was probably picked as much for her voice as for her looks and acting. Actually, once I realized that everything wasn't being explained outright or in a linear fashion I started liking it. So I enjoyed the holes in my understanding and got addicted, and began to try to guess what was going to happen next.

Anyway, it worked. The quality of the story is outstanding. I started to look forward to the obligatory cooking preparation scene in each episode that has its own distinctive music. A good drinking game (even on the second viewing) would be to guess who was going to be featured as the cook in that scene. OK, ignore the sometimes stubby finger doubles. There are lots of close ups and classical looks from the Acme School of Classic Acting (I should note that the close ups were of interesting and often attractive faces and saved a lot of script). Many times the ladies looked like they were wondering if they had left the stove on -- or was it something else? And the bad characters employed eyeballs shifting from side to side to portray evil, which has been demonstrated as making a character shifty on more than one Simpson's episode.

At about episode 37, how could I wait 17 weeks to see the finish? Especially, when there is youtube. A long weekend watching the remaining episodes of DJG non-stop was quite an endulgence, but a very enjoyable one.

Time and time again the circumstances looked completely dire and impossible, and JG could be forgiven for wanting to give up. But of course she never did, and with the few favorable turns of fate that she is granted, got to achieve her title of "General/Great" that is in the title that starts the shows. Not a big spoiler -- they wouldn't waste 54 episodes on a bad ending, or would they? The body count is fairly large, and maybe they would turn the story into a tragedy. But anyway, after all the bad stuff that happened, and although this is a level so much above MacGyver, it is worth watching to see how she gets out of these sticky situations. The pressure that they built up surrounding whether JG would avenge the despicable treatment of her two mothers really became exhausting (but I think that was the goal). As the speed of final events accelerated into the conclusion, the payoff was very satisfying.

So here are some comments about JG:

1. Favorite scene. [Minor Spoilers] I don't know about you, but having the sack taken off your head in a forest at night, with a group of ghoulish eunuchs dressed in the same freaky robes and strange hats surrounding you, one clutching a bottle of poison, would freak me out too. Ok, that's the scariest scene. Favorite scene would actually have to do with crowd control (2x) in a village with an outbreak. Enough said.

2. Did JG ever eat in the show? I have seen her with chopsticks and she is about to put some food in her mouth, but the camera pans away. One time she was asked to drink some ginger soup to cure an illness, but this was not shown on camera. Even when her friends would make her food to celebrate an achievement, JG would not be there, but cooking for someone else. She did enough cleaning, laundry, dishes, and cooking to win the Good Housekeeping award every year that the show was supposed to be going on, but she was never shown eating. This must be deliberate, and perhaps is part of a cultural bias I don't understand. Or it is part of her noble, better than anyone else, traits (for example, I do not believe that JG never disrespected anyone in what she said.)

3. The main point of the show is to demonstrate the value of females. Oddly, what better way to do that than show these hard working woman who constantly cook, and demonstrate obedience and chastity? A major part of this valuing woman theme is valuing baby girls. The main female characters (the respectable ones that can have children) all have daughters. Furthermore, the main male character is willing to let his lover/wife have her mind and make major career decisions on her own. I think this is probably an untypical portrayal of a man in any culture, and a major statement about the goal of the program. Of course, he is often the cavalry, but it is not just to simply appeal to the fantasy of female viewers, as it is also directed at male viewers as well.....that would require meeting a JG.

So my take is that the author had another goal when this show was made -- he is worried about the abortion of baby girls. According to wikipedia, the natural baseline of the male:female birth ratio ranges between 103:100 and 107:100. Mainland China had a 117:100 ratio in year 2000, and Taiwan (110:100) and South Korea (108:100). With 50% of the viewing population of these countries watching JG, what a wonderful way to change attitudes!

The underlying theme of choosing between doing what is right for one's own soul versus choosing money & power confronts all, and woman are as capable of either decision as men.

4. I think Ayn Rand would be approve of this program. There is something brilliantly anti-government about this show. Or at least, it demonstrates that excellence comes from personal achievement and not from laws and corrupt government officials. I guess good government encourages personal achievements.

This show was an unexpected pleasure, although it made me depressed. What is my purpose in live?

The writer is a genius for interweaving such subtle and complex plot lines, and he achieves his aim of demonstrating the value of baby girls so that few will probably realize what he has done. Well done.