It is to provoke a provocation. In the Demilitarized Zone, the one who shoots first is the one violating the armistice agreement. Their goal is to provoke our military to use military force first in order to gain a negotiation card at the international treaty. - Lieutenant General Yoon
 

For a start, this precise analysis by Lieutenant General Yoon got me hooked up with whatever tactics the Special Force's Alpha Team was going to use in order to 'provoke a provocation'. Captain Yoo Si-jin(Song Joong-ki) and Sergeant Major Seo Dae-young(Jin Gu)  certainly garnered my attention as the fight scene started. The swift footwork and arm movements was just clean and well executed specially with the accompaniment of wisely filmed angles by Director Lee Eung-bok. The closed combat didn't seem too excessive nor did it seem lacking, it was just the perfect amount of push and pull backed with witty remarks from both South and North team leaders. And with how the production is trying to sell a storyline that is within a military official's mindset, I personally think that it was a great choice to have this as the opening scene because it simply shows how people from the army has vowed to protect their nation. When one doubts a soldier's ability to shoot due to his superior making sure he does not, it is just very refreshing to see someone prove that wrong. To the military, a command is close to being sacred but then he did not vow to protect that command, but vowed to protect the people of his nation, and that is something that Si-jin and the Alpha Team has captured as they were deployed to the DMZ. Only the first few minutes but has already captured people's interest with a patriotic and witty approach, the production team certainly deserves some plus points for that!

Now moving on to some time later, with the 2 male leads on their leave from military duty, a sudden chaos occurs outside with a young man named Kim Gi-beom(Kim Min-seok) being the root of everything. At first I thought that this was just a support to how Si-jin and Dae-young's military background was to be showcased but I was just proven wrong. With Gi-beom's continuous pursuit in trying to steal something after failing at being a coupon theif, he on the other hand successfully steals Dae-young's phone that led to a fluid flow of events that has brought us to the most awaited scene, the meeting of our witty doctor and the seemingly cocky in the eyes of that doctor, soldier. 

Instant attraction! A word that should be used to describe that scene where Doctor Kang Mo-yeon(Song Hye-kyo) and Yoo Si-jin briefly stared at each other before the curtain was closed. Gives you a cliched feel but it actually worked. It clicked. With that boyish grin that Si-jin flashed while obviously thinking about his earlier encounter with Doctor Kang, it made it cringeworthy.Cliche yet cringeworthy, not really a usual combination but it worked. Special mention to the musical score used, it just heightened up Si-jin's peaking interest with Mo-yeon, another plus point! PS. It was a cute comical relief, and I adored it. 

And then back with another fluid transition of adding another character to the bunch. The entrance of First Lieutenant Yoon Myeong-ju(Kim Ji-won) was unique. Not knowing that the man important to you's phone was stolen in which you suddenly hear news of him hospitalized along with a reunion with someone 'very dear' to you, it just had to be topped off with practically a rejection from the one you love. Harsh but it sort of keeps the story interesting, meaning there is more to come and comprehend. I mean with the ill-defined background between Kang Mo-Yeon and  Yoon Myeong-ju, a blossoming romance between Mo-Yeon and Yoo Si-jin, comradeship between Si-Jin and Seo Dae-young and an estranged lovers status between Dae-young and Myeong-joo, the production has obviously taken time in connecting the lives of the lead characters without the need to force any attraction between them. And with how this is totally hooking me up right now, I can't help but  feel a possibility that there is certainly something that went on between Si-jin and Myeong-ju. 

And as the episode ends, it seemed very real than reel. I must admit that there was that feeling of being sad that the two weren't able to go to their promised date but those thoughts were flushed out the drain because it wasn't fake nor was it the generic, we have a date my schedule is always free for you type of plotting. And with that in the minds of the viewers, mainly me, it just gives you more thoughts on how could they ever go on with their relationship with such circumstances or that of how the story was gonna be brought up after those events. Thus, definitely a lot more to uncover. 
 

Final thoughts:
The production has given much time and effort to make it seem very real and I commend them for that because along with the obvious efforts in research and pre-production, aesthetics-wise and musicality-wise, it was light to the heart and wasn't overbearing to commit to. And with how they have decided to dedicate this episode for character introduction and development, it was cleanly done and obviously not rushed. Starting from how they have opened up with a letting the viewers in on the mindset of a military official upto the fluid transitions between each introduction of chracters, it was hands on clean. And as a viewer, I hate to admit this but I stand corrected, maybe I can sympathize with some international action flicks. And well, this is just a start but I'm looking forward to seeing more episodes of Descendants of the Sun. 


Rose, signing out.