New K-drama Alert: Jealousy Incarnate Review

Jealousy Incarnate premiered a couple of weeks ago, and I went into it this weekend with a pretty clean slate. I hadn't watched any trailers or read any reviews beforehand, and I ended up watching the first four episodes in one sitting. And I fell in love. Then I started looking around at some of the early episode recaps to see everyone else gushing about it—and they didn't.

Here's why I'm totally in love with this show even if no one else is. I don't care what you think! I'll watch it ALL ALONE if I have to! (But please watch it with me anyway, okay?)

What it's about: Pyo Na Ri (Gong Hyo Jin) is a weather caster with dreams of becoming a news anchor. She nurses an unrequited crush on star reporter Lee Hwa Shin  (Jo Jung Suk) for three years, until he comes back from an assignment abroad to find that she's moved on to his best friend (Go Kyung Pyo). There are also a million side characters with very complicated side stories that it'll take some time to sort through.

Episodes watched: 4

Thoughts so far: I love it. I really, really love it. But I also get why others are skeptical. I went into this drama knowing that it came from the writer of Miss Korea, which, to me, is one of the most underrated female-focused K-dramas out there.

Many of the complaints I'm seeing so far revolve around a few main points: the unbelievably long and repetitive chest grabbing bit, the career women slapping each other, and Na Ri and Hwa Shin seeming like "typical" K-drama characters.

Honestly, none of those things bothered me all that much (okay, I maaaaybe shouted "Just TELL HIM" during those chest grabbing scenes) because Miss Korea did similar things at first. As longtime readers of this blog may recall, I actually had no idea what to think during the first few episodes of Miss Korea. Was it feminist? Anti-feminist? Thoughtful? Boring? Who knows? 

As it turned out, the writer knew exactly what she was doing, and she used that dissonance and confusion to flesh out characters who felt real instead of feeling like an after-school special meant to teach us all a clear lesson. I'm trusting the writer to do the same here. Even within the first four episodes of Jealousy Incarnate, what seemed like a weird slapstick gag (Na Ri awkwardly feeling up her colleague) led to several discussions on illness and masculinity in Korean culture. It also opened up some beautiful, quiet moments of emotional vulnerability between our leads, even though the show is only beginning.

Similarly, while I didn't love seeing professional women getting into a catfight at work, I trust this writer above most others to treat ambitious female characters with care and to give them satisfying arcs. It also doesn't hurt that Lee Mi Sook was an absolute boss in Miss Korea, and I almost squealed when I saw her reuniting with this writer.

Finally, while I can see critiques that Gong Hyo Jin's character is similar to her other dramas or that Hwa Shin is just a rude jerk, I also trust these actors. Say what you will, but Na Ri is no Master's Sun copycat. When she announced "Whether or not we kiss is up to me," I literally clapped my hands and squealed. She's downtrodden, but she's not a complete doormat. I also really, really like Jo Jung Suk's take on Hwa Shin so far. He always puts just enough conflict into his expression to show vulnerability, insecurity, and fear underneath his jerk-ish moves. Plus, I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out that he had feelings for Na Ri all this time. More flashbacks, please!

Dear Show: You sure know the way to a viewer's heart, don't you?

Yes, I was scratching my head for the first two episodes trying to figure out who all of the characters were and how they're related. No, I still don't really understand where hot chef ahjussi fits in. Yes, I might be giving this writer too much credit, and this drama might end up more like Pasta than Miss Korea. Only time will tell.

But for now, I'm happy to give these characters the benefit of the doubt. Tally ho, my lovely little love triangle!

Please tell me I'm not the only one loving it, right?

Where to watch Jealousy Incarnate:

DramaFever

New K-drama Alert: Jealousy Incarnate Review

New K-drama Alert: Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo Review

First things first: Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart: Ryeo is an absurdly long title. I can envision a boardroom full of guys in suits, unable to pick the best title, so they just went ahead and used all of them. I'm going with Scarlet Heart to keep myself from getting typing arthritis, okay?

So how's this massive fantasy sageuk packed with flower boys shaping up? Not quite how I expected.


What it's about: Scarlet Heart is a remake of the hit Chinese historical with the same name, which was, in turn, based on a novel. It follows a young woman (IU) who accidentally travels back in time to find herself in the body of Hae Soo, a lady living during the Goryeo dynasty. Lucky for her, that particular time period was full of incredibly handsome princes who like to bathe with their shirts off. (No? That wasn't the point of the series?) She particularly finds herself drawn to the wise and kind 8th Prince, Wook (Kang Ha Neul), and the volatile 4th Prince, So (Lee Joon Ki).

Episodes watched: 5

Thoughts so far: The first episode was bad. I mean bad. Cringe-worthy dialogue and wooden acting that felt completely unnatural coupled with insanely close close-ups and weird music choices. In fact, the only reason I made it past that first episode was Lee Joon Ki's hair. That mane is so magnificent that it deserves to win the Daesang at next year's SBS Drama Awards.

Still, Lee Joon Ki's hair got me past the first episode, and somewhere along the line, I got swept up in this series. It became epic and heartfelt and beautiful in a way I didn't expect. Lee Joon Ki's hair continued to pull its majestic weight, but beyond that, as the story settles in to focus on our three main leads, I'm finding myself increasingly intrigued. Yes, there are still tons and tons of close-ups, but when it's a close-up of Kang Ha Neul's emotion-filled eyes, I'm somehow more willing to let it slide.

Do I laugh? Do I cry? Why do you do this to my heart?

Each episode is surprising, and that's what's keeping me watching. I expected a cute, lighthearted fish-out-of-water romcom that focused on Hae Soo's experiences suddenly thrust into a new world. Instead, the series is shaping up to be much darker and more morally complicated than I anticipated.

While I do wish that Hae Soo had to take more time to adjust to the ins and outs of her new life (the same complaint I had with the time traveling hero of Queen In Hyun's Man), I appreciate that she has to adjust on a deeper level. She's suddenly faced with a violent world where gender and status determine your worth as a human, and it completely throws off her set worldview.

From that perspective, I'm glad that the writer didn't tone down the to male leads to make them more palatable to modern audiences. Am I having a hard time "shipping" Hae Soo with either the married guy or the killer who's legitimately on the wrong side of insane? Yeah. But for me, this show isn't really about the shipping. So and Wook are both heartbreaking, complex, intriguing characters, and Lee Joon Ki and Kang Ha Neul are making me care for those characters. (I also think IU is doing just fine, though Hae Soo isn't as complicated so far.) I don't have to "ship" Hae Soo with Wook in order to appreciate the beautiful melancholy in their mutual longing. I don't have to excuse Wang So's violence in order to appreciate that he's a brutal (albeit mesmerizingly beautiful) man trying to survive in a brutal world.

I guess that underlying conflict and tension are what kept me watching and really captured my interest, and now I'm completely invested in this messy, epic love triangle. And the fate of Lee Joon Ki's hair.

No, but seriously. BEHOLD THE GLORY.

What's your reaction so far?

Where to watch Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo:
DramaFever

New K-drama Alert: Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo Review

New K-drama Alert: Doctor Romantic/ Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim Review

Medical dramas are not my thing by a long shot, but if you put Yoo Yun Suk and Seo Hyun Jin in a room together, there's no way I'm not going to tune in for at least an episode or two to see the sparks fly. Enter Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim (shortened to the only slightly less ridiculous Doctor Romantic on the international version). How's it faring so far?

What it's about: There are two talented surgeons (Yoo Yun Suk and Seo Hyun Jin) who both have tragic pasts and both end up in a tiny hospital in the boondocks with another talented, but very weird surgeon (Han Suk Kyu), who, I assume, will mentor them all out of their emotional wounds. 

Episodes watched: 2

First impressions: 

Episode 1: "WHAT did I just watch?"

No, seriously. It's like they crammed the plot of an entire series into one episode. Within the premiere, we got to see all of the following things (Do you need a spoiler alert if it's all within the first hour?):

• A traumatic childhood
• Several people's lives saved in the most dramatic ways possible
• Approximately 273 gallons of spurting fake blood
• Spurting fake butt juice (ewwwwwww)
• A (very steamy, but also semi-problematic) kiss
• A love confession
• A proposition of sex
• A proposal of marriage (not all from the same person)
• A cheating lover
• A massive accident
• A dead main character
• Another dead main character!
• A disastrous jaunt in the woods
• A mysterious mountain man

Phew! Yeah, the first episode wasn't even messy; it was just plain insane. All of these dramatic things kept happening every 30 seconds, but there was no time for the emotional beats to land. If they had split it over at least 2 episodes like most shows do, it probably would have worked better.

Hoooo boy, they sure don't waste any time, do they?

The there's episode 2, where the pace makes a lot more sense and we finally get to meet all of the characters, but I'm still not really sure what to expect from the weird mishmash of tones.

That being said, I loveloveloveloveloved Seo Hyun Jin's character, Yoon Seo Jung, especially in episode 1. She's smart, fun, charming, confident, and a badass at her job. I was sad to see her so tame in episode 2, but I'm hoping it's just a matter of time before she gets back on her feet as her former fiery self. 

Even though I didn't like the forced beginning of the kiss, I also see a lot of potential for solid chemistry between our two leads. They both do romance very well, and Yoo Yun Suk, like Seo Hyun Jin, is immensely charming when given the chance. Toss in Han Suk Kyu, who you know will be interesting, and it's a pretty irresistible combo, regardless of the wacky writing. With lead actors like these who are all so charismatic, it's hard not to want to give the show the best shot possible.

Do I know what to expect? No. Will I keep watching just for the acting and the promise of better kisses down the line? You'd better believe it.

Where to watch Doctor Romantic:

DramaFever

Viki

New K-drama Alert: Doctor Romantic/ Romantic Doctor, Teacher Kim Review

New Drama Alert: Cinderella and Four Knights Korean Drama Review

Image source

Cinderella and Four Knights premiered this week, and it's exactly what it promises to be: a completely cheesy throwback fairytale in the style of old-school K-dramas like Boys over Flowers or Goong. But does it work? Yes and no.

What it's about: Eun Ha Won (Park So Dam) is a hardworking young woman who lives with her selfish and unkind stepmother and stepsister. She ends up getting mixed up with three absurdly wealthy cousins (Jung Il Woo, Ahn Jae Hyun, and Lee Jung Shin) and their grandpas' stoic bodyguard (Choi Min) all of whom will most likely fall for her.

Episodes watched: 2

Thoughts so far: I know that I often complain about reusing old, cliche plots and characters over and over in dramas, but this show is just so unabashedly cliche that it kind of works. It's not trying to be new. It's not trying to be creative. I mean, even the music felt like it came straight out of Boys over Flowers!  

Honestly, the first episode was kind of a hot mess with abrupt edits and weird tone. (And the hair—if every cast member is going to have matching haircuts, why, WHY must they be messy mushroom cuts?!?!) By the second episode, though, it fell into a more comfortable rhythm and found its footing a bit more. Somehow, even though I cringed at the wooden characters and completely obvious plot, I found myself enjoying that second episode way more than I should. 

Is this going to be a good show? No. But it's so unashamed about what kind of story it is that it manages to feel nostalgic rather than stale. In some ways, this drama feels more reminiscent of a Disney Channel Original Movie than a modern K-drama. It's cotton candy fluff that embraces the fairytale setup in very literal terms (like her sleeping in a closet or dropping her fancy heel for one of the "knights" to find), and it plays up the feeling of familiarity at every turn. It's silly, but it's comfortable, and sometimes comfort cotton candy is exactly what you need.

It doesn't hurt that the cast is immensely likable. I can totally see why Park So Dam is everywhere in Korea these days, and even wooden Ahn Jae Hyun seems perfectly at home in this drama with just the right level of cheese to sell his lines.

One other thing I will say for the show is that, cliche as it is, the few tweaks it does make work particularly well. There have been a couple of instances where the male lead tried to intimidate or humiliate the female lead. Instead of showing her crushed spirits or deer-in-headlights timidity like you would in other dramas, the show waits just long enough for the moment to sink in before flipping it. I almost cheered when Jung Il Woo's character tried to embarrass Park So Dam's character, and she ended up smacking him in the head and calling him on his nonsense. It makes me think that maybe there's just enough self-awareness in the script to make it work.

Moral of the story? If you go into this wanting a lot of character development and depth, don't bother. But if you're looking for a fun throwaway watch that you might be slightly ashamed to admit that you enjoyed, we can shame watch it together!

Where to watch Cinderella and Four Knights:

DramaFever

New Drama Alert: Cinderella and Four Knights Korean Drama Review

New K-Drama Alert: Lucky Romance

Image source

Lucky Romance was the drama I was waiting for all spring. When drama after drama failed to catch my interest, I kept thinking "At least there will be Lucky Romance!" Quirky plot, Ryu Joon Yul soothing my broken post-Answer Me 1988 heart—what more could I possibly want?

As it turns out, a lot. Sigh.




What It's About: Shim Bo Nui (Hwang Jung Eum) is convinced that she leads an unlucky existence. In order to bring more luck to the life of a loved one, a shaman tells her she must sleep with a man born in the year of the tiger. Enter Je Soo Ho, a smartypants game designer who just so happens to be born in the year of the tiger.

Episodes watched: 4

First Impressions: I know I already said this, but sigh. I wanted to like this show so badly, and I just...don't. It's not that there's anything actively bad about it. There isn't anything particularly good about it, either.

It's an MBC romcom that feels like it copied and pasted the scripts of the last five MBC romcoms to make a dull, unimaginative Frankendrama. Every single scene and character feels like it was pulled from another series, making it difficult to connect with the characters and leaving me wondering if tvN might have been a better fit for the premise.

Take Bo Nui's storyline, for example. It's bad enough that the drama opens with her literally wearing a Cinderella-esque kerchief over her hair as she washes floors, just in case we didn't catch the message that this is yet another poor, hardworking heroine. (To be fair, it turns out that she's a genius computer programmer, which is cool, but she's still the epitome of the Candy character in more ways than I care to count.)

Juuuuuust whistle while you work...

Oh yeah, and she's also the most nurturing human on the planet, so when her super creepy new neighbor keeps trying to bust into her apartment, she immediately forgets how creepy he's being the second she spots a tiny cut on his hand. It's almost like I've seen Hwang Jung Eum being a poor hot mess exploding with mothering instincts somewhere before....(In case you don't catch the drift, it was She Was Pretty. Remember how she clipped her boyfriend's nails for him, just like his mommy used to do?)

Then, of course, we also have Mr. Richey McGrumpygenius, who is so rich that he can win a bunch of money and not even care, and so grumpy that he can't give more than mono-syllabic responses to anyone. And a math genius, of course, because falling in love with a regular billionaire is so passe in Korea these days.

Sure, the setup is a cliche, but it's not like I don't watch and enjoy other dramas that follow traditional drama setups. What makes this series so disappointing is that it never quite moves past the lazy premise to give us anything to set this series apart. Where Another Oh Hae Young, for example, excels in making its characters feel real with troubles that strike you in the heart with their familiarity, this drama (at least so far) relies on external plot devices to try to get us to care. Everyone—and I mean EVERYONE—has a sad backstory. It's like the one-upmanship of pain. Oh yeah, your dad may or may not have abandoned you as a child? Well, I apparently killed my parents and almost killed my sister with my terrible fate!

Don't forget to feel sad for me! I'm too talented at things, and I don't know how to swim!

That's a lot of words to say this show is boring. I'm just so disappointed in what could have been. They had a solid cast and source material that sounded funny and sexy—so why is it so unfunny and unsexy so far? It's a shame, but I think this might be a cautionary tale on what happens when the powers that be decide to play it safe.

Where to watch
Viki (Viki Pass only)

New K-Drama Alert: Lucky Romance

New K-drama Alert: Another Oh Hae Young/ Oh Hae Young Again

Image source

If you read our Marriage Contract review, you know that I haven't exactly been keeping up on the K-drama scene of late. From a brief look around the comments sections of various K-drama sites, it looks like I'm not the only one underwhelmed by Dramaland's current offerings, either.

Fortunately, summer is just around the corner (or so I kept telling myself when it rained for 3 weeks straight where I live), which means it's almost fluffy romcom season! Kicking off the summer season is a little drama that somehow took me completely by surprise. I remember being intrigued by the casting a few months ago, but I swear I heard absolutely nothing about Another Oh Hae Young (aka Oh Hae Young Again) until I suddenly saw that it premiered.

What it's about: Okay, so one of the reasons I forgot about this show might be because the plot description was so random. The series is about two women who share the name Oh Hae Young (Seo Hyun Jin and Jeon Hye Bin) who always interrupt each other's lives. Oh yeah, and there's a guy named Park Do Kyung (Eric Moon) who sees the future. *shrugs* That's Dramaland for you!

Episodes watched: 4

First impressions: I think it's probably a good thing that I forgot this drama premiered until after the second episode aired because if I had only watched the first one, I don't know if I would have been motivated to keep going. For one thing, the editing in the episode was kind of weird, so the characters didn't really gel for me right away. Second, (minor spoiler) I was actually pretty disappointed to learn that Oh Hae Young wasn't the one who broke off the marriage. Here I was, hoping that we had a completely new take on a female lead, and she just ended up being your typical heartbroken sad sack after all.

That being said, this drama is gradually worming its way into my heart. Once we learn a little more about Oh Hae Young, I quite like her. Sure, she's a typical drama lead in a lot of ways, but at the same time, she's not quite the happy-go-lucky sweetheart we're used to seeing. Sometimes she's lazy. Sometimes she's a gossip. Sometimes she says nasty things to and about other people. I don't know anything about Seo Hyun Jin, but she has a magnetic screen presence that makes me wish Oh Hae Young and I were friends in real life, flaws and all.

It doesn't hurt that they frame her in such pretty scenes.
Who cares if it's raining for 3 weeks if places like this exist?

...And then, of course, there's Eric, playing the anti-K-drama lead in Park Do Kyung. It took me three episodes before I finally realized how few lines Do Kyung actually speaks. I don't know if I've ever seen a male lead quite like him. Instead of the angry, entitled jerk or even the recent trend of sweet second lead types in first lead roles, Do Kyung is a creature all his own. He has a temper, but he's also thoughtful and incredibly gentle. Eric is the perfect pick for his role, with his soulful eyes speaking volumes in every scene.

Not gonna lie, I might still watch this show if it were just Eric staring silently for 16 hours straight. 

What's really making this series work for me is the combination of the two. Hae Young is always talking, but never revealing her true self, and Do Kyung is always listening, recognizing beauty under layers of noise. Their interactions are sweet and simple. Of course, it also doesn't hurt that I'm a huge sucker for any drama that uses the forced cohabitation trope....

That's not to say that the show isn't without its issues. The most glaring is the supporting cast. I love Hae Young's parents, but everyone in Do Kyung's immediate circle is a little too over-the-top and slapstick to really earn my interest. I keep wanting to care about his sister, but when she's forced to be the butt of so many jokes, how can I? Don't even get me started on his brother, her girlfriend, or their mom.

Also, I just need to say that the way the central conflict happened drove me nuts. Life lesson: If you're going to ruin someone's life, at least take 3 minutes to Facebook stalk him first and make sure he isn't engaged to someone else. BOOM. Problem solved.

All in all, Another Oh Hae Young is definitely the most promising drama airing right now (that's not saying much, though), and it has enough positives to keep me watching. I'm happy that I stumbled upon it. 

Who else is watching? What do you think so far?

Where to watch Another Oh Hae Young:

DramaFever

Viki

New K-drama Alert: Another Oh Hae Young/ Oh Hae Young Again

New K-drama Alert: One More Happy Ending, Madame Antoine, and Signal

Am I the only one who feels like I'm suddenly drowning in new drama options? Holy smokes! There I was, minding my own business with my new BFF Cheese in the Trap, and suddenly BAM! Four new dramas premiered within one week!

Realistically, there's no way I'm watching more than two dramas at once with maaaaaaybe a third one on the backburner for days when I'm bored, but I did my best to give at least 3/4 shows a fair shot. (Sorry, Neighborhood Hero. Better luck next time!) Writing about that many shows at once is overwhelming, so I'm limiting myself to 3-sentence first impressions—and not James Joyce Ulysses style sentences, either. Let's get to it.

1. One More Happy Ending

Source

What it's about: Former girl group member Han Mi Mo (Jang Nara) runs a successful matchmaking service for divorced men and women as she tries to find her own second chance at love. Song Soo Hyuk (Jung Kyung Ho) is a tabloid reporter and single dad who finds his path crossing with Mi Mo. 

Episodes watched: 4

First impressions: The first episode was sexy and fun, and I suddenly discovered that Jung Kyung Ho has a crazy magnetism about him that I can't quite pinpoint. Unfortunately, the romance quickly devolved into yet another humdrum K-drama love triangle of people who magically knew each other as children. If I keep watching, it will be for the core group of girl friends, whose individual stories are far more nuanced and interesting than Mi Mo's sudden crush on her ER doctor.

2. Madame Antoine

Source

What it's about: Choi Soo Hyun (Sung Joon), a supposed psychology genius, gets thrown together with psychic Go Hye Rim (Han Ye Seul), who claims to speak to the spirit of Marie Antoinette. After she becomes his employee, he decides to run the least scientifically sound, most unethical experiment in the world by having all three men who work at the office try to win her affections.

Episodes watched: 3

First impressions: Ummm, I hate to break it to you, Mr. Stanford PhD, but no peer reviewed journal is going to accept a "study" about you trying to get into your assistant's pants (or designer skirt, as the case may be). Sometimes dramas can get away with a nonsense premise if the lead couple has enough chemistry (Sensory Couple and Oh My Venus come to mind), but considering how often I want to punch Soo Hyun in the face, I'm not exactly tripping over myself to watch the romance. This feels like a sinking ship, and I'm jumping out while I can.

3. Signal

Source

What it's about: Profiler Park Hae Young (Lee Je Hoon) discovers a two-way radio that mysteriously allows him to communicate with a detective from the past (Jo Jin Woong). Together with the help of lead detective Cha Soo Hyun (Kim Hye Soo), they work to solve some of the nation's largest cold cases.

Episodes watched: 2:

First impressions: Is it appropriate to use a cat with heart eyes emoji for a show about serial killers. Stop watching whichever nonsense romcom you halfheartedly decided to start this week and watch Signal instead. If the rest of the series maintains even a fraction of the writing, directing, and acting trifecta we got in week 1, it will be well worth the watch.

Which new shows are you watching? Are you as bored with the romcoms as I am? Are you as in love with Signal as I am? (If not, is it because you haven't started yet? Because you should probably take care of that.)

New K-drama Alert: One More Happy Ending, Madame Antoine, and Signal

When Ratings Trump Narrative: Answer Me 1988/Reply 1988 Korean Drama Review

Source

I have composed this review in my head approximately 11,454,697,239 times, and it still feels like a mammoth undertaking. Maybe it's because Answer Me 1988 was 20 episodes that each ranged from an hour and a half to two hours each. There's so much content to cover that I don't really feel like I can talk about all of it This is why I don't watch long dramas, people!

So, instead of being a responsible blogger and talking about each and every aspect of this show, I'm going to do what I want, which is to rush through the majority of the show so that I can get on my soapbox and vent my very intense feelings about how this series ended. At least I'm giving fair warning, right?


On the whole, Answer Me 1988 was a beautiful, nostalgic, slice-of-life show. While I admit that the production team could have edited some of the scenes more efficiently (less isn't always more), I mostly didn't mind the narrative's leisurely pace or the focus on the mundane.

Instead of the absurd amnesia plot devices, what really drove this series was its heart. Yes, there was a love triangle (and oh boy, I'll get to that in a minute), but really, this series was more about the individual trials of every member of the neighborhood than it was about the puppy love blossoming with the three "main" leads.

I love how, more than any other Answer Me installment, this series was about community, and the adults all had their own lives and trajectories. I often had a hard time choosing a favorite character or storyline. (Cheetah Ahjumma vs. the Bear falling in love? Don't make me choose!) The neighborhood came to life, and the way I resonated with the various narrative threads really made me feel invested in the series.

Before the drama began, the writer said that there would be no "husband hunt" this time around, and, if that had been the case, this series would have been practically perfect in every way.

That initial promise ended up being a dirty, dirty lie, and I feel far more trolled than I ever did in the previous Answer Me shows. While the love triangle certainly wasn't front and center for most of the series, the way it was woven into the last few episodes of the drama really made it impossible to ignore and—for me, at least—ended the drama on a bit of a sour note.

SPOILER ALERT—HERE BEGINS VIVI'S ANGRY SOAPBOX, IN WHICH I DISCUSS THE OUTCOME OF THE SERIES. ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Is it safe to begin?

To be perfectly candid before my rant, I was pretty solidly Team Jung Hwan from episode 1, so I was obviously going to be a little disappointed if Taek was the husband. However, I said from the very early episodes that all of the guys had their pros and cons as potential spouse material, so I could have been okay with any outcome.

I'm still not entirely convinced that Dong Ryong isn't Deok Sun's true soulmate, but that's a discussion for another day....

When I saw the last few episodes of the series, I liked the sweet moments between Deok Sun and Taek, and I loved seeing how tender their relationship is as adults (or the episodes 18-20 version of them, at least). I was completely convinced that they ended up as a perfectly content couple, and I could even see why Deok Sun would choose Taek (something that doesn't always happen when I'm rooting for the guy the female lead doesn't choose). It's also refreshing to see the second male lead type win out every once in a while, and I've seen several dramas where a twist in the endgame romance worked immensely well.

So far, all of these are good things — why, then, was this one of the least-satisfying drama endings I've seen? Frankly, my complaints aren't about the outcome of the romance so much as the handling of the romance. To be honest, it felt as though the writer sold out her narrative for the sake of ratings.

I'm sorry—somehow I missed the part where I signed up to watch Sherlock Holmes: '80s Romance Edition

I guess whether or not the last few episodes are satisfying depends on what you enjoy out of a romance. If you're only in it for the surprise, then this drama is probably fantastic, but I, at least, watch romances not to see who gets together, but rather to enjoy seeing how they fall in love. In this series, the writer kept Deok Sun's feelings hidden for so long in order to preserve the mystery that we really didn't get to see much romantic development on her side until the very end of the show.

Similarly, while I get that "future husband" dropped equal clues for Taek and Jung Hwan (though it seems odd that she married Taek only for him to grow up and act like Jung Hwan), the narrative structure itself favored Jung Hwan because it showed us so much romantic development from his perspective.

The perfect example here is the concert in episode 18. This was a pivotal moment not only in Jung Hwan's feelings, but also in Deok Sun and Taek's relationship. But whose perspective do we see? The emotional focus of the scene is on Jung Hwan and his race to declare his feelings.

If Deok Sun/Taek is the romance we should be watching, the scene would have felt much more satisfying if we saw it from Taek's perspective as he leaves the match and races to her (and then we could see Jung Hwan's perspective in a flashback or something). Alternately, we could have seen everything from Deok Sun's view, where we feel her rising disappointment building up until we see her relief at seeing Taek.

What kind of monster wouldn't be happy to see this face?
The kind of monster that just watched Jung Hwan stuck at every freaking red light in Seoul, that's who.
(Sidenote: Park Bo Gum's gigantic smile makes me feel like I'm playing with unicorns in a field full of flowers.)

When scene after scene focuses on the love triangle from Jung Hwan's lens, of course it's going to feel like a massive letdown when his romance putters out with one of the most beautiful confessions in K-drama history, only to have it turn into a joke that never gets mentioned again. We also distance the audience from Deok Sun and Taek's relationship in order to preserve the mystery, thereby doing all three characters a disservice.

I don't even cry when people die in K-dramas, but I swear Jung Hwan's earnest face makes me feel like a tractor is driving over my heart.
I'm not crying—I just have very dirty eyeballs that need to get clean!

While I would have preferred that Jung Hwan and Taek just talk it out back in 1989, I could have settled for more clear resolution after Jung Hwan's confession. Did you notice that after the confession, Deok Sun and Jung Hwan never make eye contact again for the remaining two episodes (four hours) of the series? Would it have killed them to have a little more closure after six years of one-sided love?

All I wanted was a clear indication that Deok Sun was choosing Taek over Jung Hwan. Some sort of recognition that she knew his confession was sincere would have sufficed. Instead, we get that scene between Jung Hwan and Taek where he's basically saying, "No, no no, good sir, you take her," which makes all this waiting for Deok Sun's feelings seem like a moot point. Sure, she chose Taek, but she also didn't have any other options.

I wanted to see Deok Sun falling for Taek, understand how she felt during their years of separation, watch them announce their relationship to their friends and family, etc., but hanging on to the husband mystery undermined all of that.

I read some fan comments basically arguing that it's Jung Hwan's own fault for being too passive and letting Deok Sun get away, but that makes Deok Sun way too passive for me. So she's only there to be passed around by the male characters? If she's really an active agent in all of this, why not let her know everyone's feelings out in the open so that she can make her own choice? If the only thing keeping Deok Sun and Taek apart was Jung Hwan's passiveness, you clearly didn't have a convincing romance in the first place.

Then, to add salt to the wound, we completely drop Jung Hwan off the face of the planet for the end of the series. Not only does he have zero one-on-one interaction with Deok Sun, but he has a grand total of maybe three minutes of screentime in the entire last episode. Every other Answer Me series gave us glimpses into the future for the entire friend group, but both Jung Hwan and Dong Ryong get ditched in the end. I didn't need to see them getting married, but it's like they didn't even exist.

Again, I read some fan explanations saying that it's natural that Deok Sun and Taek would lose contact with their old friends over time. I've also read people arguing that the romance wasn't the point of the show, so we shouldn't get hung up on the romantic outcome.

Unfortunately, neither gives a satisfactory explanation for the omission. If the series wasn't focused on the romance, then why are the romantic couples suddenly the only ones who matter at the end of the show? It shouldn't make a difference if Deok Sun hangs out with Jung Hwan or not because she wasn't the only main character to begin with. Remember how we totally ignored her POV for five episodes so that you could string our emotions along? Yeah, you can't take that back now. Give me my Dong Ryong! Give me My Jung Hwan! GIVE ME JIN JOO OR GIVE ME DEATH! (Too much? Fiiiine, I'll tone it down.)

How DARE you ignore this face?

Part of me suspects that the writer was worried that keeping Ryu Joon Yeol and his insane on-screen charisma around would be a distraction from the Deok Sun/Taek story, but maybe not. Maybe the writer genuinely believed that the romance was all that mattered all along, and it was the rest of us who were fooled into thinking we were watching a community narrative instead of Deok Sun's Husband Hunt.

Ultimately, I can't help but feel that the writing hurt both the characters and the plot development. The only benefit to some of the narrative choices was keeping people glued to their screens, and that's exactly what happened. With the record-busting ratings for this show, the writer got her reward—at the expense of the ending.

Conclusions

Does a bad ending ruin the show? For this series, I would argue no. The conclusion certainly left me feeling upset and cheated, but there were also so many beautiful community moments woven throughout the drama, including in the last few episodes, that I don't think you can write off the series for the romance.

Where to watch:

DramaFever

When Ratings Trump Narrative: Answer Me 1988/Reply 1988 Korean Drama Review

New Drama Alert: Answer Me 1988/ Reply 1988

There's a new installation in the nostalgia-filled Answer Me series on the block! In spite of my hesitations about yet another trip back in time to guess the husband, it's shaping up to be a comfortable little drama that stands on its own merits.

What it's about: The year is 1988, and five childhood friends from the same neighborhood learn to navigate all the emotional ups and downs of transitioning from childhood to adulthood, including first loves, family strife, and undying friendship.

Number of episodes watched: 4


Thoughts so far: Having watched both Answer Me 1997 (which Coco reviewed) and Answer Me 1994 (which I reviewed), I honestly wasn't sure if the third time around could maintain the charm of the first two. I also wasn't totally sold on the idea of Hyeri carrying a show, which made me hesitant to even start it at all. With 20 episodes that are each at least 90 minutes long, it's a big commitment!

As it turns out, I shouldn't have been worried about Hyeri. If there's one thing the Answer Me series consistently does right, it's choosing the cast. While I can't always say that they choose the best actors or actresses to fill the roles, they always, without fail, choose the right ones. Hyeri makes Deok Sun come alive, and it's impressive that the director saw that potential and insisted on casting her in the face of criticism.

In terms of the plot, I'm also pleasantly surprised. While I really loved a lot of things about Answer Me 1994, the long episode length and the determined focus on the husband question did the series a disservice. When I found out that the writer/director team went back on their word about not having a husband guessing game this time around, I was somewhat annoyed, but at this point in the show, I'm okay with the direction the series is headed.

Even if the flashback framework places a huge emphasis on guessing the husband, that element was never really what drove either previous series for me. What keeps me watching series after series is the cozy, relatable feeling they give. Answer Me 1994 spoke to me because my own love story was so similar to the one in the drama. Similarly, Answer Me 1997 reminded me of all the fangirl wars my friends had over N'Sync vs. Backstreet Boys in the '90s. The central friendships and the throwback nostalgia suck me in every single time, regardless of who the husband is.

So far, Answer Me 1988 is, if anything, even more relatable than the other two were, at least for me. I love that this time around, we're seeing stories from the entire neighborhood, so there's a character who speaks to everyone. From the first few minutes of the first episode when all of the kids were running back and forth with their various side dishes, I realized that this series was on to something special. It's a full community packed with characters who live and breathe, and within minutes, I was already laughing and crying with all of them.

Is there a love triangle (or square or pentagon) on the way? Yes, obviously. But the inevitable shipping wars don't bother me right now because there are so many other threads to enjoy. Hopefully the series can focus on those human stories instead of narrowly focusing in on the one thread of Deok Sun's husband.

As long as I continue to feel like I'm part of the neighborhood, this drama will be a success in my book. What about you?

Ok, ok, but I'l admit finding the husband is a little bit fun too.

Where to watch:
DramaFever

New Drama Alert: Answer Me 1988/ Reply 1988

She Was Pretty Korean Drama Review, Or, A Tribute to Siwon's Face

From what I can tell, a lot of people really, really loved She Was Pretty, making it one of the most popular dramas of the entire year.

Fair warning: I was not one of those people. If you adored the drama and would rather not hear negative things about it, stop reading now.

You have been warned. Now let us proceed.

If I had my way, this is the review I would give, as told by Siwon faces:

No? I can't get away with a million pictures of Siwon? Very well, then. Allow me to elaborate.

First of all, let me make this very clear: I started the drama for Park Seo Joon. I finished it for Siwon. Siwon stole the show, and I say that as someone who didn't go into the series as a blind Siwon superfan.

I never really had strong feelings for Siwon one way or the other, but this character was perfect for him. He's definitely become more natural as an actor since his Oh! My Lady days, and, although his character was mainly comedic, he was able to drive home a full range of emotions over the course of the series. I may have clutched my heart once or twice. (Dear drama writers: WHY did he tell her to answer the phone???? That was just cruel.)

Seriously. My heart!

Siwon's scenes were easily the highlight of the series, but there were some other things that I generally enjoyed, like the friendship between Ha Ri and Hye Jin or the members of the Most team. Overall, though, aside from the revelation that was Siwon, the series felt pretty bleh overall.

Considering how overwhelmingly positive most of the feedback on this series was, I tried to pinpoint exactly what it was that didn't gel with me as a viewer. Here are some of the biggest issues as I saw them:

Issue 1: The lead characterizations: I love love love love loooooove Park Seo Joon, but his character might as well have been a cardboard box for the interest he generated. I don't mind cliches when they're used in interesting ways or if the actors inject the characters with some extra spark (lie in Marriage, Not Dating, for example), but his character did none of those things. He was a typical terrible rich guy lead who magically changed overnight through the power of love into a completely bland, smiling paper cutout. 

There were glimpses of delving into his background and giving us a better look at how the sweet, chubby boy became this angry, wounded man, but we never really got there. Instead, the drama focused so narrowly on his love with Hye Jin that he turned into a dull boyfriend-bot without anything really compelling to keep me watching.

Hye Jin had glimpses of better moments, especially at first, but after her makeover, she also became the ideal, tamed Candy girl we've seen a billion times before. I honestly feel like the writer was following the K-drama playbook so closely with these two that we could easily copy and past 80% of their dialogue into an entirely different drama without anyone noticing a difference.

Siwon and I feel the same way about lame characters.

Issue 2: Why is she with him? No, seriously. I think we were all so worried about whether Sung Joon loved Hye Jin as her present self that we forgot to ask ourselves the same question in reverse. Aside from the fact that he was her childhood friend, what reason does Hye Jin really have to fall for him in the first place?

I know this is going to make some people upset, but for the vast majority of the series, I honestly got a more motherly vibe from Hye Jin towards Sung Joon than a romantic one. Yes, she mothers everyone and that's just her personality, but if Sung Joon is supposedly her true love, shouldn't he be different? Even consider the romantic gesture of cutting his nails for him. Why does he like it? Because that's what his mom did. Cute gesture, but no. Just no.

Gross and weird. Cut your own nails.

Issue 3: Wasted potential: At the beginning of the series, there were quit a few things that grabbed my interest, and I saw them as a chance for the writers to try something new. Unfortunately, the writer completely dropped the ball on most of these interesting threads and forgot they existed. For example, Ha Ri was a really interesting character at first. Even when she was dating her best friend's first love, I thought she could be a well-rounded, intriguing character. Instead, she just got pushed off to the side after Sung Joon discovered her secret. I mean, I'm happy that she found herself and all, but it kind of felt like the script ignored her as much as possible after episode 10.

Okay, okay, I think that's enough bagging on the show for now. It wasn't actively bad. It just didn't really give me any reason to keep watching.

In case you wondered what the other people in the show look like, this is them.

Conclusions

On a narrative front, She Was Pretty didn't really work for me. The characters weren't unique or interesting enough for a character-driven drama, and, for the first time ever, I was so uninterested in the central pairing that I found myself tempted to fast forward through their cute scenes together. That's really saying something.

That being said, I'm glad I watched in order to discover Siwon. This was his perfect army sendoff, and he has at least one new fan looking forward to seeing what he does upon his return from enlistment.

Surely you won't begrudge me just one more Siwon for the road, right?

Where to watch:

Viki

DramaFever (concluding next week after a 2-week delay)

She Was Pretty Korean Drama Review, Or, A Tribute to Siwon's Face

New K-Drama Alert: Cheer Up/ Sassy Go Go

Source

Update: Final series review

You know how I was just complaining that there's nothing to watch? Well now, in the space of a couple of days, I'm having trouble deciding what to watch first!

I ultimately decided to go with Sassy Go Go aka Cheer Up! For the record, Sassy Go Go is the literal Korean title, while Cheer Up! is the official English title according to KBS and also the original Korean title. I'm just going to go ahead and stick with Cheer Up since a) it's shorter and b) Sassy Go Go is awkward and kind of makes my eyes bleed. Cool? Cool.



What it's about: Kang Yeon Doo (Jung Eun Ji) is the leader of her school's dance team, a ragtag group of outcasts who rank at the bottom of the academic barrel. Kim Yeol (Lee Won Geun) is the number one student at school, and he leads the "cheerleading club," which is really a study group for the top 5%, both academically and financially. The two eventually find themselves forced to mesh their two teams into one. Can they make it work? (If you've ever seen a sports movie, the answer is almost certainly yes, but only after some sweet training montages.)

Number of episodes watched: 2

Thoughts so far: I generally need four episodes to really get a feel for a series, but I didn't see reviews on the bigger recapping sites yet and and want people to talk about it with me, so let's just jump in a little early and chat together, shall we?

I have to admit that I have a soft spot for cheerful high school dramas, and I have an especially soft spot for cheerful high school dramas where people dance or sing or otherwise perform. Maybe it's because I inherited oh-so-awkward Finnish dance moves from my father (and by "moves," I mostly mean flailing off beat), so dancing of any kind is like watching wizardry to me.

No, really, is this magic?

In any case, I was already primed to like this series before the premiere, and so far, it's hitting exactly everything I want from this type of show. When done well, high school dramas manage to combine the lightheartedness and the angst of youth in a way that feels nostalgic and heartfelt rather than obnoxious. I would point to Answer Me 1997 as the gold standard of high school dramas, but even shallow fluff shows like Dream High can get away with being shallow fluff shows because they're filled with so much joy, energy, and friendship.

When done poorly, high school shows only dwell on the angst and forget the exuberance. Heirs strikes me as a perfect example of high school students spending way too many episodes dwelling on their annoying high school student angst without any kind of tongue-in-cheek recognition that having an angry love triangle face-off at the end of every episode is maybe a little bit silly.

What I like about Cheer Up's opening episodes is that they draw you into the emotion of high school when everything feels so raw, and yet the show does so in a way that feels natural to teenage life. I loved the moment in episode one when Yeon Doo burst into tears at the dinner table because it reminded me so much of the way I felt at 16. There's some nuance there that makes the series feel like it's populated with some living, breathing high schoolers instead of soap opera adults trapped in school uniforms OR one-dimensional cuties who have nothing to do for 16 episodes but look nice for the camera and go on dates.

We're only two episodes into the series, but Eunji really deserves a lot of the credit for making me feel so invested in Yeon Doo already. I know some people complain that Eunji tends to play similar characters over and over (if you can even make that kind of claim for someone who's only had 4 roles), but I don't really mind. Yes, her characters are similar, but they're also intensely likable, and they all go through such a full range of emotions that it never feels like she's playing a caricature.

Thus far, this is Eunji's show. We've seen glimpses of character depth in some of the other players (and my heart is already breaking — again — for poor Ji Soo), but they haven't really had enough screen time to show us what they're all about.

I swear if you make me cry one more time,Ji Soo...

Personally, I want to see much, much more of Kim Ji Suk's sympathetic teacher. How much do you love him? Because I love him a lot.

I'm particularly perplexed by Lee Won Geun's Kim Yeol. Why is he always smiling like that? Is it just arrogance? Does he have some secret reason for liking Yeon Doo? (Please tell me they are not long-lost first loves because I will throw my computer.) Is it just stiff acting from an inexperienced actor? I guess only time will tell. Lee Won Geun does seem to be a bit wooden so far, especially next to the firebrand that is Eunji, but the script hasn't given him a ton to do yet, so I'm willing to suspend judgment for now.

It's a perfectly nice smile and all, but why?
Years of drama watching has made me suspicious of any man who isn't glowering in episode one.

Even if he ends up being a little stiff, I can't say that I necessarily mind. Under normal circumstances, being pleasant and having a nice smile aren't enough to cover bad acting, but if there's anywhere to get some practice in a lead role before really jumping into the big leagues, it's a teen drama. I mean, Taecyeon and Suzy weren't exactly Academy Award-winning material in Dream High, but that never hindered my enjoyment like it would in a different genre.

We have some hints that Cheer Up can be more than just a fluff cheerleading piece, taking on some of the more serious issues that students face. If it can keep up the balance between serious and joyful, I think I'm going to enjoy this ride very much.

P.S. I know this series got abysmal ratings for the first episode in Korea, so let's all keep our fingers crossed that it doesn't get cut short, shall we? Please tell me that there are more people in the international audience watching this one! I'm not watching alone, right? ...Right?

Where to watch:
DramaFever
Viki

New K-Drama Alert: Cheer Up/ Sassy Go Go