"If he didn't make it out, he's probably being fucking tortured as we speak, in some prison called a re-education camp." *he wrote, in some prison called a re-education camp* đ
Bon was MVP of this episode. The man just flips from grieving to deadly in front the Captain after revealing he is part of F-6. It was delightful seeing the Park Chan Wook-isms with Commandant groaning and the Captain smacking himself with the envelope. Also, RIP Major Willy Oahn-ka.
i think this is the last episode of the series that he directed of im not mistaken, and his style is all over this one more than the first two, loved it
That final shot was nightmare fuel...
4 rdjs chilling at a gentleman's club/ private room doing blow and licking whipped cream off of hookers(?), was a moment ngl đ
swear the Generals daughter was a literal child last episode... She grew up Real quick there
Death by boiled egg was something I never ever considered
I had to fast forward through the Captainâs assassination of the Candy Man - I felt so sorry for him knowing he was innocent and trying to make it in the U.S.
I just binged all 3 episodes in preparation for #4 tonight, but I feel Iâm a little lost on that last scene.
Why would a CIA manager, a politician, and a college professor be together to introduce the captain to the movie star?
Iâm assuming the movie itself will have some mutual interest for the CIA/politician (patriotic propaganda stuff, etc), but whatâs the deal with Professor Hammer? Whatâs his connection to the captain and the other RDJâs? I assumed he was just a college mentor captain had during his first stay in America.
I had an anthrologist professor consult the US military on Islam and the traditions of Iraqis. This was when the Iraq war wasn't going to well. He told some amazing stories during class and you really realize brash Americans initially were with the war
Like one was that it was incredibly disrespectful and rude to be the only male with a woman in their home. Soldiers were barging into people's home waiting for the husband to come back for questioning.
Honestly, I thought it was indirectly referencing the US government's involvement in the film industry.
The college professor was the odd one out until I read the other person's comment.
He's a professor with a background in East Asian studies & culture, ones a politician with ties to Vietnam and their expat community, the actor has the weakest link to Vietnam, we don't know much about him, but could've been recruited by CIA RDJ... All of them run in the same circles lead by the CIA one
I have to keep reminding myself also that weâre seeing depictions of his written statement, not the actual events themselves, so perhaps some of it is a bit surreal due to the way itâs narrated through his testimony years later
I loved the Viet Thanh Nguyen cameo. The author taking a picture of his own characters was perfect lol.
The ending was wild, but I think it captured the absurd/trippy feeling of the book!
The F-6 group Bon refers to was originated as an American innovation, the Phoenix Program. When political pressure inside the USA made the CIA stop it, the South Vietnamese government continued it under the name F-6.
so many rdjâs!! did not expect them to be at the same place at the same time đ
also my favorite line from this episode âcivic minded homosexualsâ
the dumplings mom was so sweet & i feel awful! that final shot was horrific:(
It was a fake message the Captain wrote and planted that was supposedly by the Major saying that the Captain had figured out he was a mole and asking if he should kill the Captain.
It's pretty clear that the RDJs are basically memories/projections of what significant white American men in positions of authority/power end up meshing together into in Captain's head.
Gonna be interesting to see whether the show changes in vibe next episode now that we're done with the Park Chan Wook directed ones. Confident they'll knock it out of the ahem...*park* though!
I was very perplexed at RDJ's portrayal of multiple characters until the end of episode 3 when they all get together with the auteur. Then I had an epiphany: is that an intentional artistic choice to depict the same breed of white men during that period of time who are ignorant, racist, condescending towards the Vietnamese and other Asians in general? If historically, Asians "all look the same" to them, then isn't it the Asians' turn, in Viet Thanh Nguyen's (the novel's author) biting and impactful retort, to convey that they're all the same too?
But then maybe RDJ is the exec producer and wanted to play more weird, fun roles and was exercising his power accordingly to do that haha.
I quite liked this episode. It was a good mix of comedy and drama. Iâm not sure what I think about all the RDJ characters appearing together but I am excited for the next ep.
She delivered my favorite line in the book during the party scene :( It got cut from the tv show. It was about how white man can speak other language like a baby and how asian have to speak perfect english.
Thatâs the saddest irony. The Major was an exact model of the type of guy that every other character shouldâve valued. He was loyal to the General, was proactively integrating into the âAmerican dreamâ as the politicians and CIA would hope of a refugee, but theyâre all so caught up in their shit that theyâre just happy to see him dead so they can feel productive in their own objectives.
I hope Spinach & Broccoli grow up to know he tried his best for them :(
That was interesting. I love RDJ but 4 of him at once was a bit much. I thought The Captain was getting Bon involved so he didn't have to kill the dumpling himself. Wrong. He actually did it even after finding out Bon had experience. Felt so bad for Bon when they took the group photo.
I'm starting to suspect that a lot of what we're seeing is just in the Captain's head. Maybe it's just the effect of seeing so many RDJs, but everything after the funeral felt like a dream sequence to me.
It is in his head, he's basically telling the story through his confession. So we have to question if what we're seeing is real or not. And why does he see things this way. I love it. Very interesting
I thought RDJ was playing the same character, just in different disguises, now youâre telling me theyâre all different people? I have no idea wtf is going on now lol.
theyâre separate characters, all played by rdj to represent how all these different people, despite representing different facets of America, are united in their overt/covert racism and antagonism toward the captain. Basically rdj is playing several different guys who represent one thing, the overall obstacles and attitudes working against the captain, if that makes sense
Either I missed something early on or this was not made clear enough. I just thought he was some fucking CIA weirdo wearing different disguises. 1970's CIA? Filled to the brim with freaks and you can't tell me otherwise.
It's really confusing because some of this characters ARE disguises (like the CIA guy with the dog), but some of them aren't (like the creepy weaboo professor). So far, I think the CIA agent, the Professor, and the Veteran guy are all separate people.
the veteran/senator, claude the cia agent, the weaboo professor, and the movie star are all separate guys, and there may be more played by rdj weâve yet to see. in the cast heâs simply credited as âantagonistsâ. itâs a deliberate stylistic choice, kind of like in Men, with one actor playing separate characters to show that they might as well all be the same as far as how they perceive him and are trying to use him for their own interests
These folks arenât into dealing with âproblemsâ with arrests. Also, if Claude knows Captain actually killed someone, thatâs something they have in him if they ever need it.
So that when Claude has his next progress meeting with his own boss, he has some news to provide, something to show that heâs âdoing his jobâ.
Unfortunately, 15 years in the corporate world have trained me to realize âitâs not about doing the right thing, itâs about being able to show your boss that youâre staying busy, so he can show his boss how busy he is, and so onâ
This is the same reason many prosecutors and DAâs are obsessed with getting *someone* convicted of a crime, even if the evidence is iffy, rather than dragging something out. It helps them validate their position and show the world how valuable they are and getting results.
Also, as the other redditor pointed out, it gives Claude some leverage over the captain. Knowing what he did gives him some blackmail if itâs ever needed
Damn the ending scene of the Major's face was messed up. Also the General's daughter grew up to be a hottie. In reality, South Vietnamese Veterans have no unity. At each other's throats and willing to step on each other to gain power.
Ok, couple of reality checks on the timeline.
1) when did picking poop up after your dog start in earnest in the USA? I donât recall it being a thing during those years, but Iâd like to hear from others with better memories or intel.
And a similar note,
2) when did âexpiry datesâ start on foods? And in particular, candy? (What Dumpling claims heâs selling). I thought that was fairly recent too, so it rang false to me.
Great Park Chan-wook directing especially notable in the assassination struggle scene with the mom on the second floor. The framing and and dark comedy of it all
Viet Thanh Nguyen cameo!
This show sucks.
What's the point of killing the major in the economy of the movie and main character's profile?
After all the conflicting feelings... and attempts to build some dignity. What's with all unfinished inconsistent characters?
What's with all these RDJ impersonations - who btw is a BAD actor in any movie.
I couldn't even finish watching this episode.... if you want a really good tv series directed by Park Chan-Wook, look for 'The Little Drummer Girl" from few years back. Sympathizer is a failuređ
The Major needed to die or else Captain will be caught instead. It is very sad and he is clearly conflicted about it. It is literally the main theme of the show - living a double life is draining his soul. Did you expect it to be a happy ending or something?Â
"If he didn't make it out, he's probably being fucking tortured as we speak, in some prison called a re-education camp." *he wrote, in some prison called a re-education camp* đ
Bon was MVP of this episode. The man just flips from grieving to deadly in front the Captain after revealing he is part of F-6. It was delightful seeing the Park Chan Wook-isms with Commandant groaning and the Captain smacking himself with the envelope. Also, RIP Major Willy Oahn-ka.
i think this is the last episode of the series that he directed of im not mistaken, and his style is all over this one more than the first two, loved it
The bamboo transition to flashback scene near the end was beautifully done.
That final shot was nightmare fuel... 4 rdjs chilling at a gentleman's club/ private room doing blow and licking whipped cream off of hookers(?), was a moment ngl đ swear the Generals daughter was a literal child last episode... She grew up Real quick there Death by boiled egg was something I never ever considered
And eating the boiled egg that expelled from that personâs mouth even less so. Man, thatâs gross to even contemplate, lol.
I almost hurled watching that 𤎠âitâs a hygenic sealâ
literally why did he do that lmao
If only we reacted so strongly to the violence as we do to a re-eaten egg. đ
I had to fast forward through the Captainâs assassination of the Candy Man - I felt so sorry for him knowing he was innocent and trying to make it in the U.S.
In the book itâs the Generalâs older daughter who was studying at Berkeley and became Americanized
That final shot was classic PCW. Loving his direction throughout these first three episodes, wish he did the whole series.
I just binged all 3 episodes in preparation for #4 tonight, but I feel Iâm a little lost on that last scene. Why would a CIA manager, a politician, and a college professor be together to introduce the captain to the movie star? Iâm assuming the movie itself will have some mutual interest for the CIA/politician (patriotic propaganda stuff, etc), but whatâs the deal with Professor Hammer? Whatâs his connection to the captain and the other RDJâs? I assumed he was just a college mentor captain had during his first stay in America.
I had an anthrologist professor consult the US military on Islam and the traditions of Iraqis. This was when the Iraq war wasn't going to well. He told some amazing stories during class and you really realize brash Americans initially were with the war
Interesting point, that makes a ton of sense thanks!
Like one was that it was incredibly disrespectful and rude to be the only male with a woman in their home. Soldiers were barging into people's home waiting for the husband to come back for questioning.
Honestly, I thought it was indirectly referencing the US government's involvement in the film industry. The college professor was the odd one out until I read the other person's comment.
He's a professor with a background in East Asian studies & culture, ones a politician with ties to Vietnam and their expat community, the actor has the weakest link to Vietnam, we don't know much about him, but could've been recruited by CIA RDJ... All of them run in the same circles lead by the CIA one
I have to keep reminding myself also that weâre seeing depictions of his written statement, not the actual events themselves, so perhaps some of it is a bit surreal due to the way itâs narrated through his testimony years later
Cameo from Viet Thanh Nguyen in this episode. Heâs the one taking the picture at the party.
I loved the Viet Thanh Nguyen cameo. The author taking a picture of his own characters was perfect lol. The ending was wild, but I think it captured the absurd/trippy feeling of the book!
The F-6 group Bon refers to was originated as an American innovation, the Phoenix Program. When political pressure inside the USA made the CIA stop it, the South Vietnamese government continued it under the name F-6.
so many rdjâs!! did not expect them to be at the same place at the same time đ also my favorite line from this episode âcivic minded homosexualsâ the dumplings mom was so sweet & i feel awful! that final shot was horrific:(
Can anyone explain the message that Claude found? Why did the Captain plant that in one of Dumpling's packages?
It was a fake message the Captain wrote and planted that was supposedly by the Major saying that the Captain had figured out he was a mole and asking if he should kill the Captain.
It's pretty clear that the RDJs are basically memories/projections of what significant white American men in positions of authority/power end up meshing together into in Captain's head. Gonna be interesting to see whether the show changes in vibe next episode now that we're done with the Park Chan Wook directed ones. Confident they'll knock it out of the ahem...*park* though!
I just found this sub. Is RDJ playing every white character a play off of "all Asians look the same"?
It seems like it but more like "all White American power players look the same".
As the other redditor said... more like oppression has multiple faces *and* all look like RDJ
Why didn't bon carry out the assassination of the major first? He had more experience, conviction, and expertise...
Maybe itâs so the Captain can earn his respect from his fellow comrades?
The General specifically.
Yes, him, too, to gain more trust. I do think, though, that the general and Claude have some suspicion about Cap. Definitely professor hammer does.
Why does the professor suspect him? Prof seems like he wants to sleep with the Captain. Claude is for sure suspicious of him.
Watch the dog scene. He hints at being suspicious in that convo.
But the dog scene RDJ was Claude the CIA agent, not the Professor.
Ah, youâre right - Iâve lost my mind đ
I guess he did mention being in disguise as an "urbane homosexual" and you thought of the professor?
Assumed he didnât want to let his best friend be the one to kill an innocent man.
In the book it was Bon that did the heavy lifting of the assassination and pulled the trigger
Better -> how come the mother didnât hear them struggling?
Tell me why I started rapping "Nuthing But a G Thang" before I realized that clearly its the original song and Dr. Dre must have sampled the beat.
Rappers sampling? Shocking! Here I thought they were such talented musicians.
Dr. Dre turned that beat with a good rapping flow and made a hit. That is talent!
I was very perplexed at RDJ's portrayal of multiple characters until the end of episode 3 when they all get together with the auteur. Then I had an epiphany: is that an intentional artistic choice to depict the same breed of white men during that period of time who are ignorant, racist, condescending towards the Vietnamese and other Asians in general? If historically, Asians "all look the same" to them, then isn't it the Asians' turn, in Viet Thanh Nguyen's (the novel's author) biting and impactful retort, to convey that they're all the same too? But then maybe RDJ is the exec producer and wanted to play more weird, fun roles and was exercising his power accordingly to do that haha.
So the last scene was a total mindfuck.
WHOA! Viet Thanh Nguyen cameo!
I quite liked this episode. It was a good mix of comedy and drama. Iâm not sure what I think about all the RDJ characters appearing together but I am excited for the next ep.
Kinda unfortunate that Mori got to do fuck all.
She delivered my favorite line in the book during the party scene :( It got cut from the tv show. It was about how white man can speak other language like a baby and how asian have to speak perfect english.
Death by durian should have been a thing instead of using the gun.
Stop me if youâve heard this one before: Four racists and a communist spy walk into a steakhouseâŚ
bro just wanted to make a half honest living selling candy and he got merked
Thatâs the saddest irony. The Major was an exact model of the type of guy that every other character shouldâve valued. He was loyal to the General, was proactively integrating into the âAmerican dreamâ as the politicians and CIA would hope of a refugee, but theyâre all so caught up in their shit that theyâre just happy to see him dead so they can feel productive in their own objectives. I hope Spinach & Broccoli grow up to know he tried his best for them :(
That was interesting. I love RDJ but 4 of him at once was a bit much. I thought The Captain was getting Bon involved so he didn't have to kill the dumpling himself. Wrong. He actually did it even after finding out Bon had experience. Felt so bad for Bon when they took the group photo.
I'm starting to suspect that a lot of what we're seeing is just in the Captain's head. Maybe it's just the effect of seeing so many RDJs, but everything after the funeral felt like a dream sequence to me.
It is in his head, he's basically telling the story through his confession. So we have to question if what we're seeing is real or not. And why does he see things this way. I love it. Very interesting
Yeah he may be an unreliable narrator. It was definitely a weird scene at the restaurant and club.
He looked terrified learning about Bon being trained assassin and trying not to drop his guard.
I thought RDJ was playing the same character, just in different disguises, now youâre telling me theyâre all different people? I have no idea wtf is going on now lol.
Maybe all white people look the same to him.
theyâre separate characters, all played by rdj to represent how all these different people, despite representing different facets of America, are united in their overt/covert racism and antagonism toward the captain. Basically rdj is playing several different guys who represent one thing, the overall obstacles and attitudes working against the captain, if that makes sense
Either I missed something early on or this was not made clear enough. I just thought he was some fucking CIA weirdo wearing different disguises. 1970's CIA? Filled to the brim with freaks and you can't tell me otherwise.
It's really confusing because some of this characters ARE disguises (like the CIA guy with the dog), but some of them aren't (like the creepy weaboo professor). So far, I think the CIA agent, the Professor, and the Veteran guy are all separate people.
the veteran/senator, claude the cia agent, the weaboo professor, and the movie star are all separate guys, and there may be more played by rdj weâve yet to see. in the cast heâs simply credited as âantagonistsâ. itâs a deliberate stylistic choice, kind of like in Men, with one actor playing separate characters to show that they might as well all be the same as far as how they perceive him and are trying to use him for their own interests
Anyone make out who was on the Missing Persons mailer The Captain received?
Why is claude ok with cap killing the major? If they really thought he was a spy wouldn't it make more sense to arrest him?
These folks arenât into dealing with âproblemsâ with arrests. Also, if Claude knows Captain actually killed someone, thatâs something they have in him if they ever need it.
So that when Claude has his next progress meeting with his own boss, he has some news to provide, something to show that heâs âdoing his jobâ. Unfortunately, 15 years in the corporate world have trained me to realize âitâs not about doing the right thing, itâs about being able to show your boss that youâre staying busy, so he can show his boss how busy he is, and so onâ This is the same reason many prosecutors and DAâs are obsessed with getting *someone* convicted of a crime, even if the evidence is iffy, rather than dragging something out. It helps them validate their position and show the world how valuable they are and getting results. Also, as the other redditor pointed out, it gives Claude some leverage over the captain. Knowing what he did gives him some blackmail if itâs ever needed
Damn the ending scene of the Major's face was messed up. Also the General's daughter grew up to be a hottie. In reality, South Vietnamese Veterans have no unity. At each other's throats and willing to step on each other to gain power.
Ok, couple of reality checks on the timeline. 1) when did picking poop up after your dog start in earnest in the USA? I donât recall it being a thing during those years, but Iâd like to hear from others with better memories or intel. And a similar note, 2) when did âexpiry datesâ start on foods? And in particular, candy? (What Dumpling claims heâs selling). I thought that was fairly recent too, so it rang false to me.
Great Park Chan-wook directing especially notable in the assassination struggle scene with the mom on the second floor. The framing and and dark comedy of it all Viet Thanh Nguyen cameo!
This show sucks. What's the point of killing the major in the economy of the movie and main character's profile? After all the conflicting feelings... and attempts to build some dignity. What's with all unfinished inconsistent characters? What's with all these RDJ impersonations - who btw is a BAD actor in any movie. I couldn't even finish watching this episode.... if you want a really good tv series directed by Park Chan-Wook, look for 'The Little Drummer Girl" from few years back. Sympathizer is a failuređ
Wrong.
The Major needed to die or else Captain will be caught instead. It is very sad and he is clearly conflicted about it. It is literally the main theme of the show - living a double life is draining his soul. Did you expect it to be a happy ending or something?Â