I’m somewhat mystified, but had to share: Lime just informed me that, among Korean fans of the TV series Lost, in online discussions the character Juliette, is (sometimes: see the comment section) referred to as 슴리에트 “슴리엣”, which for those of you who can’t read Hangeul sounds like “Seumniette.”
The “n” sound is a liason between the m in “Seum” and the “l” in “-liette,” so the latter half of the name, “-liette” obviously taken from the character’s name, but “seum” requires a little explanation if you don’t speak Korean. It’s the second half of the word “gaseum” (which could also be spelled “kaseum”) which has the same double-meaning as “breast” in English: that place where pain or joy can reside, or against which one rests one’s dreaming head, as well as in a woman’s breasts, the bosom, the “boobs.”
Apparently, Korean lost fans think that the most striking feature of the actress, Elizabeth Mitchell, is the size of her breasts relative to her overall slimness. So they’re calling her the equivalent of “Boobliette.”
As for me, I’m still puzzled as to why the people using this name are so impressed with her chest in particular… she doesn’t seem any more graciously-endowed than other actors on the show. Maybe it’s just that, as a Westerner, I’m just used to more prodigious equipage? I’m not sure, but anyway, I thought this warranted sharing.
It sounds like they’re more impressed with Elizabeth Mitchell than with Yunjin Kim, my personal favorite of all the cast, who is actually Korean, and plays a Korean character who speaks mostly Korean. But maybe that’s also just me as a Westerner ..
Yeah, I don’t know. There’s a lot of snickering about how messed-up all things Korean are on the show — the tiny Han “River” (it was a creek in one episode) and Jin’s horrible pronunciation for a long time, and so on. I’m pretty sure the presence of Korean characters has something to do with the show’s popularity here, but yeah, the exotic factor, plus the fact that the other main “pretty white female character” (Kate) is widely reviled here (for manipulation of Sawyer and Jack, and for her bedhopping) probably have made Juliette more interesting.
I don’t know if she’s a favorite, though. I do know lots of Korean fans also have taken to using the word “dude” in discussions online, in homage to Hurley, and he’s probably not a looker in many Koreans’ opinions. Also, I don’t know how widespread this is — it may just be on a few different web boards. In fact, Naver searches only show it up on DCInside, though I’m pretty sure Lime saw it elsewhere. So it’s not like it’s a Korea-wide thing… yet.
And yeah, I think Yunjin Kim is doing a great job on the show. I also like Sawyer and I used to like Eko, despite myself. But I think Sayid’s my favorite character at the moment.
I’d rather that Juliette’s character not exist. She’s just boring.
I loved Mr. Eko, my favorite characters are Sayid and Sawyer and Charlie before he died. Locke is close; I think O’Quinn is an outstanding actor in this role.
Really? I think it’s fascinating to watch Juliette operate… but then, I don’t really trust her, and I think Jack is being fooled.
Those are all good characters, though I still gotta say I enjoy Sayid the most, now.