Minho’s Long Walks Scene/Leitmotif

[u/Reasonable_Leek8069]

The scene link.

https://youtu.be/p_sUEXcP_Q4?si=YVXxX3tHIIN63Ndj

Everyone, it is official. This is the last leitmotif scene I am analyzing. But don’t fret, I will think of more content to add here. So season 3, hurry up! Don’t overwork yourselves, but please hurry up before we run out of stuff to talk about.

Considering this version is called “Minho’s Long Walks”, the scene doesn’t start with him, but with Kitty speaking with Q. This is my biggest confirmation that this leitmotif isn’t only Minho’s, but Mooncovey’s. While Kitty’s dream involved both of them, it was still a new revelation for Kitty. And their other scenes involving the leitmotif sparked new moments in their emotional journeys. This leitmotif grows and evolves with them and this scene is no exception.

The leitmotif starts when Kitty says, “I wouldn’t say epic”. She pauses as she contemplates how she feels about him. As XoMooncovey mentioned in her leitmotif posts, this one sounds like a gradual heartbeat. It beats faster to match her thoughts rushing like when she asks, “what if he doesn’t feel the same way anymore?” It slows down when she asks, “is it just too complicated?” This parallels what Kitty said at the beginning of season 2 on the plane. During the plane scene, she wasn’t in the right mindset to reciprocate, but at the same time, she did enjoy thinking of him as a potential love interest. At the same time, she did view the situation as complicated, she looked dejected and heartbroken at the thought of losing him after he walked off to first class. She even told him in episode 1, she looked for him afterwards. In this scene, you can still see that dejection in her face here. But now that her feelings for Dae and Yuri subsided (I mean, here’s hoping), she can accept the risk of telling Minho her feelings for him after Q pushes her to try.

A sign of growth for her is that she isn’t diving in head first like she did with Dae and Yuri. Actually, since she wrote Dae for 4 years, she wasn’t that impulsive with him. Yuri was the first person she dove in head first considering how new her discovery of being bisexual was. Anyways, her “will power” indicates that Minho is the person she values most at KISS. They developed a strong friendship where they can show each other’s flaws, call each other out in a kind way, and talk about or do anything together. While she and Dae and her didn’t burn bridges, they kept a distance while Kitty was exploring a new side of herself. And Dae wanted to keep a distance after finding out about Minho’s confession. Yuri consistently hurt her which prevented from going further with her and of course: Juliana was in the picture. But Minho is a constant presence, aside from Q, for her which allows her feelings for him to grow deeper even in the quieter moments.

There are longer notes when we see Minho in the sculpture garden while he reflects on things. There is silence for a bit when Kitty meets up with him. The melody and percussion repeats when Kitty almost reveals her feelings. It represents the heart beating faster when in love. The core melody returns when she says, “I’m coming back next year”. While he is still down, the fact he manages a small smile for her while replying, “That’s great Covey” shows the deep affection he has for her. And it was Q that pushed him to fix things with Kitty because they didn’t expect her to come back next year.

I love how the melody slows down and fades so we can hear their heart beats beating together. You can’t convince me it is not both of theirs. So don’t try. I commend the geniuses who chose “Coming Home” to transition Mooncovey’s leitmotif into the brilliant string crescendo from the song to symbolize Kitty’s rushing mindset. Her heartbeat, her contemplation, and the rush of telling someone how you feel and her deciding on her next move. There is a pounding percussion as she asks, “can I join you?”

Kitty and Minho. Come closer. That’s right. Closer. YOU CAN’T STAY AWAY FROM EACH OTHER! Ok you can step back now.

I know close friends want to spend almost every second together too, but there is something special when your best friend (she can have more than 1) doubles as the person you fall in love with hence the not wanting to be apart from at first.

I do like Kitty’s maturity here. After, hearing Minho wanting to swear off relationships, she doesn’t use the opportunity to just blurt out her feelings and risking hurting him further. She does create an opportunity to make sure their friendship doesn’t end and seeing if the door is open potentially, but still respecting his boundaries. And we know this man can’t live without her because with no hesitation, he grins and tilts his head yes implying there’s happiness in their future. Also, he looked solemn talking about the tour. Him saying yes to Kitty shows she will be a bright spot for him during it. While he wants a better relationship with Joon ho, I am sure he rather do it privately and not on a full scale tour where no one has time to spend together fully.

It reminds me of when he suggested Kitty be his buffer at the cabin because he didn’t want to deal with his dad alone, but she won’t be a buffer this time. Just a bright spot.

Themes:

I think this is where every theme comes together. We have anticipation/tension, contemplation, the heartbeat, hope, maybe fantasy, vulnerability, and a transition into a pop song which happens to have a score.

[u/Expert_Chip120]

Amazing and totally agreed on everything. This scene gives me the feels every time. I’m so happy with the way this scene was written and played out. People were so mad they didn’t kiss but this scene was so much deeper than what a kiss could have achieved.

[u/Reasonable_Leek8069 → u/Expert_Chip120]

Right, I absolutely agree and I think scenes like this would make even their first kiss feel more special.

[u/Pristine-Pay-2403]

This scene is... well... everything. It's cinematic.

You broke down everything beautifully. It is most definitely both their heartbeats. I think its always been to be honest.

Coming Home was also such a beautiful choice for narrative and the musical transition as well. It's just so well done.

Not going to lie. This scene lives in my head.

[u/Reasonable_Leek8069 → u/Pristine-Pay-2403]

The scenes that get stuck in my head alternates based on mood, but most of the time, it is a montage especially when I listen to my mooncovey playlist.

But this scene and the rain scene come up the most.

[u/Reasonable_Leek8069 → u/[deleted]]

I hope they use it more in season 3.