Author: Susann McGovern from ECI
Photo Credit as tagged
WARNING: If you haven’t watched this episode, please be aware of spoiler from reading this article.
‘Beautiful Man (Bel Ami)’ has been like delving into a large, beautiful box of chocolates. From Episode 1 when the first chocolate candy was unwrapped, and we started to explore each of the characters, I have been captivated by Dokgo Ma Te and his journey from a beautiful, self-absorbed young man to the man that he evolves into. We are carried through each episode watching the upfolding and blossoming of a strong, intelligent, self-sacrificing man, who will give up everything to protect the girl he loves.
I will now look at a few meaningful moments in Episode 15. I especially liked David walking, dejected knowing BoTong is MaTe’s password and thinks back why she likes President Dokgo and she says: vegetarian Oppa that likes kalbi, I just do, just how I like my mother and brother. She can’t explain the all-encompassing feeling of loving another person… She just accepts it and does.
Dokgo Ma Te painting Bo Tong’s toes was a meaningful step for him expressing that he wants all of her without saying it in so many words. She understands him completely and is overjoyed.
I feel for David, he looks at BoTong’s huge photo, he can not accept or face the reality that he will never have her by his side. He covers up his feelings with laughter which at times is too much. But we all try to deal with life’s curves in the best way possible, and this is Davids.
Ferrino’s shoot, this is our boy at his most charming and the “wink”… we see our confident, assured Ma Te. A complete success for SS, all products sold out. And we see during his press interview that through Ma Te’s efforts, he has gained the consumer’s trust with his inventive marketing strategy.
Yeo Mim coming to Ma Te to warn him about Na Hong Ran and sharing her personal birth information how her mother was raped and she was given up for adoption. This was poignant, how she tried to show him his birth mother’s feelings would be similar to her own mother’s pain in being raped. Warned him not to go to businessman’s party. Ma Te goes and gives Na Hong Ran a weapon… Ma Te had said he has nothing to lose, but he had someone precious to lose.
The kidnapping of BoTong at vacant amusement park and Yeo Mim sending David as the prince to the rescue. At the hospital Ma Te realizes that he cannot continue to be with BoTong. In order to protect this new found love of his, he must walk away from everything that has meaning in his life to protect this love. We see the personal growth of Ma Te from a beautiful boy into the truly Beautiful Man. He has evolved full-circle. His mother would be extremely proud of the thoughtful, responsible man he has become. When he arrives at his apartment, he confronts BoTong waiting for him. He is like ice to her, she doesn’t understand, to hammer the point home, he takes his beloved photograph of his Mother and Chairman, Park Ki Suk and tears it into bits. She is destroyed and leaves. The ultimate sacrifice has been made to protect his love.
I really liked Chairman, Park Ki Suk. He is trying to put everything back in its proper place. Ma Te finally telephones him and says he has the password and will bring her to him. When MaTe fulfills his Mother’s wish to bring Chairman the password (which is her son’s happiness) then she had asked Chairman to treat him as a son. I think he will do this. He is very ill, I believe, he will give Ma Te all of his shares in MG.
He also visits Drop Top to see Hong Yu Ra. I believe that he is trying to tie up all the loose ends before he dies. He recounts how when his son, Park Moon Soo, first introduced them, he thought she was an angel, both kind and pretty. It is now time to rest, it is important to live while loving because time won’t wait. Yu Ra can do this now because she did everything to protect her love i.e. her daughter is smiling, holding her father’s hand.
Before Yu Ra leaves, she makes her apologies to Ma Te with a series of notes ending with BoTong’s picture at Drop Top Cafe.
Lastly, I loved Ma Te sitting on the couch talking with BoTong’s mother and what she wants in a son-in-law for her daughter. Love and someone to take care of her, this triggers thoughts of his mother and finally he realizes that BoTong is his password. He goes out to the alley and meets her coming back with chestnuts for him. He reaches out and draws BoTong to him and whispers BoTong, his password. The expression on MaTe’s face says it all…. heartfelt joy, he has found his home.
There is one last layer of chocolates to unwrap in Episode 16 before we close the box. Each chocolate had it’s own character. It’s own tale to tell. It’s own reasons for being but in the end each and every bite into this box of Beautiful Man Chocolates has been rewarding and thought provoking.
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Thank you the chance to express my thoughts on this captivating drama, Beautiful Man, which could be played by no other than Korean actor, Jang Keun Suk.
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Thank you for a beautiful recap of our Beautiful Man.
I enjoyed every flavor in the chocolate box.
Craving for more now, what shall i do?
On painting the toe nails, a quote: “But I love your feet only because they walked upon the earth and upon the wind and upon the waters, until they found me.” – Pablo Neruda
Life is like a box of chocolate…you never knows what’s in it..made famous by Forest Gump…and aint it the truth..
Every one is sweet but has it’s own distinctive taste, sometimes very very sweet and sometimes with a bit of bitter or it has hard nuts etc..just like life
Thanks for the recap Susann
I still have to watch ep 15 en 16 with subs…but I already cried rivers so…
The acting was superb….I want to watch and savor the last 2 episodes when found quiet time this weekend..
Love your thoughts on this Susann! There are so many scenes in this eps that Sukkie captured beautifully. I hope to see more of such talent in his future works. IU is simply adorable and im really pleasantly surprised that shes a natural too. Too bad they stopped at 16 eps as they could hv developed the characters and scenes with much more depth.
this drama shouldnt be 16 ep drama.seriously..i dont know who’s to blame?the scriptwriter?? or the production team?? dont get me wrong..i love this drama..but too bad..*sigh..
Thanks for the recap I am glad that you could see so much positive in it. In most things I like to look at the bright side but when it comes to relationships I am a little cynical because I’ve seen the damage that can be done. I always hope for the best but prepare for the worst, watch what people do not what they say.
I found it a little disturbing that while this guy is at his worst and is looking for support Bo Tong actually acts “high” from the attention, no connect to the actual situation. It’s unfortunate that they could have used this episode to confront her behavior but instead they used mom, who at this point seems to be the only adult in the whole show anymore, as the bad guy and make Bo Tong a helpless victim.
I couldn’t buy the whole ending with Yu Ra, that kind of ingrained character does not change like that. To put everyone through so much only to abandon your kid in the end? For love? Don’t even get me started on the chairman and what he does “for love”.
I don’t think that word means what you think it does.
I’m allergic to nuts so I have watch which chocolates I pick out of the box. I wish I could enjoy them all but I can’t.
i think the scriptwriter had a hard time to digest into drama with only 16 ep.overall..the drama is good but there are many question unfold..so..no option.just use our own brain to conclude them. for example the women character after kim in joong are not well developed..just assume that mate had became smart and the women didnt have to show much.and for “why the chairman didnt get punished?” just assume he’s not a womaniser..maybe..it just rumour since he have a wife before NHR.We never know..
A beautiful man, nine beautiful faces and a great talent. Talk about the rest after seeing ep.15 and 16 translated.
Thanks Susanne for your beautiful work.
bel ami very awesome drama. all in one (life’s growth, love story, fun, life’s lesson and everything). i will be repeating all from ep 1 – 16 a thousand times i think…hehehhe. i love everything in this drama, from the casts (specially JKS he really made me cry though i seldom cry watching dramas), the writer is the best not even lost from the simplest detail, everything were all answered and taken up with closure, the director who made it more lively and interesting and the set is very adorable, the scenery. wow, i’ll give you 99.9%. it could have been a 100% if this was made 30 episodes. part 2 please!!!!
Thanks Susann for the recap! 🙂
Thank you dear Susann for your thoughts and recap on Ep15. Personally this episode is my fave because it had our Mate discovering love and how to express it in one moment, dashingly modelling in the next with extra knee-weakening wink, and then suddenly fighting tears amidst rage and pain in the next! All these shifts drove me to extreme feels! ^^ However it is true that I cannot discount the fact that the ep felt so rushed. HYR’s closure felt more like she learned from the Chairman Park instead of from Mate, and build-up of Lady #7 to have deep concern for our lead Mate was lacking in depth unlike the first few characters.
Still I agree with you that somehow the writer pulled it off by giving second male lead a new girl! David Oppa deserved it!
And lastly, to our dear Sukkie who bravely took on this role, thank you. IMO the character of Mate could not have been remotely humane if not for your precious acting! ❤ you so! ^^
can you post all hairstyles of Dokgo Ma Te in Bel Ami ? make it into 1 picture 😀 and tweet it to @bloomsyaz
i agree…superb acting by our prince…you see him as different characters in the different episodes…he really is a great actor and so handsome too…i love how he reacted when he realized in the hospital that vice president was behind the kidnapping..he was in deep pain, yet he looked sooo cute…sigh…i love bel ami.the storyline is good,with many insights to be learned…at the same time,we get to see many different faces of our prince…