Rants and Weekly Raves #197 (RAWR)

JoAnne:  Ohhh, my goodness, it's hot here in the States. Too hot. So hot my glasses fog up when I get out of my car. AT EIGHT AM. I live in New England, not Hell. This is ridiculous!
Trotwood: So hot that I probably make tea inside my car. I sent people home early from work on Monday because it was over 90 in the office with fans and AC sorta.But relief seems to be on the way, at least where I live. I know people on my twitter feed where it's 115 degrees F! 
kakashi: Wasn't it just yesterday you guys complained about the cold?
Hush. Couldn't we at least have something that isn't EXTREME?
Panda: I have always preferred cold to hot weather so I am doubly pissed. I was cooking on the 4th block party we had.

KOREA

Partners for Justice 

I'm so glad that's settled, finally. Of course Baek Bom didn't kill anyone. Of course the deeply flawed investigation results in Kang Hyun resigning. But still, getting all that out in the open was twisty and interesting and it was a good story. Oh, one with a plot-furthering twist, of course. Looks like BB's first love isn't actually dead...
I enjoy this drama every time I watch it, but I'd be lying if I didn't say it requires serious suspension of belief when it comes to the workings of the departments involved. People are on investigations where they have personal involvement, investigators jump to conclusions so much they must have frog DNA, bodies get stolen left and right, evidence is tampered with, you name it. They should all be fired, really. But as long as they have jobs, I'll enjoy watching them break the rules.

About Time 

Do Ha figured it out! Now that you and Mika are fixed, please go crush CEO Bae's bones between your fingers, Do Ha. PLEASE. Update: DAMMIT, Mika. Why are you being so stubborn? Be with Do Ha. Just be with him! And then the two of you can gang up and crush CEO Bae's bones between ALL your fingers because that bitch is CRAZY and needs to be put down.

Ms. Hammurabi 

Okay, Judge Next Door and the Mysterious Stenographer are the cutest thing ever. 'Do you know? When a woman thinks a man is safe, then she can be ready to go on an adventure.' Girl reaches her hand out to the stunned boy and leads him upstairs to her apartment. Next day she can't stop grinning. I can't tell you how much I loved that! Or that her 'mystery' is that she writes very popular web novels and turns out every woman in the building (plus the market aunties) are huge fans.
I looooooove her and he is just the most awesome sweetheart, ready to fight everyone for their love, so precious. Still really enjoying this, it just feels like a good bowl of chicken soup.
Oh and our two baby judges...'it's okay if you inconvenience me sometimes.'  I LOVE them.
I'm only watching this on and off, but I had to tune in for this ep because I'm deeply invested in Mysterious Stenographer and her Judge Next Door love.

Are You Human Too?

No, forget that. I don't care. It doesn't matter. So what if you go to a mechanic instead of the doctor for your yearly check up? So what if you run on batteries and will always set off the security alarms when boarding a flight? I am Team RoboShin all.the.way. If that's what loving a robot would look like, bring me the WD40 because I am IN.
Good to know that Se Na is a little bitch just like her daddy, too. I was troubled that she was nice (if naive and pushy) but hey, now that's out of the way I'm ready for her to get fucked over. Big time. I hope ComaShin NEVER wakes up. Or he wakes up and he's a drooling idiot and she's saddled with him for the rest of her life. Oooh, yes. THAT.

Come and Hug Me 

..but first, put down that hammer.

No, seriously, why does Yoon Hui Jae keep saying Na Moo is the most like him? I mean, yes, we've seen Na Moo be SCARY COLD RAGE but it's always in appropriate situations. What is the thing? I'm dying to know. I'm also beyond happy that Hyun Moo is proving to be exactly what I thought he was, which is a puppy who bites not because he's mean but because he's scared and lost. I'm so thankful that his step mom and step sister see that, and I love that he's working just as hard to protect them as Na Moo is to protect Nak Won. Yeah, Na Moo is concerned about his family...but not to the extent that he's concerned about her, although that might be because he's not seeing the threat as clearly as Hyun Moo has seen it. And what about Nak Won's brother? Do you guys feel like he's poised for a break down, like I do?
Also:  do we really need the new lady, who clearly thinks she's Yoon Hui Jae's new love?  And how did he manage to get away from a bus plus 4 cop cars full of police while tied up?

What's Wrong With Secretary Kim?

Jeez, they're even cute when they fight. And that make-up kissing in the closet? Hoo Boy! (fans self) Park Seo Joon always has that in him, but every time he busts it out I get faint all over again. And now she knows he's really Young Hyeon, not Young Joon! Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat? At first I thought the parents switched the brothers' names but now there might have been a third brother? What is going on?
Have to say, kudos on the mystery as I am still really confused. Our OTP is so ridiculously cute and SIZZLING. When she called him Oppa and he almost fell though he was sitting and she teased him that she would never call him again, I laughed so much. I truly heart this. The cheesiness is just what I need plus the supporting cast is firing on all cylinders. My gosh how hot is Sec Yang!!! Those little smiles as he walked behind her were so adorable.

Your House Helper  (New) 

I watched the first two episodes and ended up sweeping, swiffering, vacuuming, and mopping. I dusted. I did the hurricane spinner in the bathroom. I folded laundry, took out garbage, and dusted. I scrubbed the kitchen sink and cleaned the garbage disposal after putting all the dishes away. I'm not really "getting" this show (besides the fact that Ha Suk Jin is hot and always has pants that fit very well). I'm also not sure I have the energy to watch much more if I clean like this every time.
I watched all four, and I could do without the animated household objects but I think I'm going to like the show just fine. So far what I get is that Ha Suk Jin was in a bad way and has somehow come back from that, and that organizing and cleaning were part of his recovery from whatever it was. Now he uses that to help others. I like it, and it motivated me to clean a little bit, which is good.

Sketch 

This show is killing me! So much heartbreak on both sides, and the interesting thing to me is that even though we are clearly meant to understand that one side is 'good' and the other is 'not good'...both actually have good intentions. Prosecutors Yoo and Jang are not men with evil hearts, or men who are out for personal gain. Their ultimate goal is worthy. Do Jin is a broken man, and he seems worse because he is so angry - but in the end, he's exactly what they are: a person who has suffered a deep loss, who is trying to stop the ultimate cause of that loss.

Lee Dong Gun is doing a great job as the mostly-silent assassin, but look at My Beloved!  Look how serious and manly and determined he is!


What I don't understand is why they don't think that the people they kill have loved ones who will feel exactly the same way - or if they do realize it, why do they believe that it's okay for them to suffer so that others won't?

Mr. Sunshine (New)

A qualified WOW. This is absolutely cinematic, visually. I could do with less slo-mo burning flags falling, but in all other respects it's gorgeously done. I think the story is going to be very interesting, too. If I ever knew about the Korean Expedition, I've forgotten - reading about it while watching this, I'm struck by the way that no one comes off particularly well, except for the poor Korean citizenry who are noted for their fierce defense and tragic deaths. The undercurrent of anger toward the ruling class is palpable, too. Twenty some odd years later Eugene returns to Korea and nothing much has changed, really. He is fiercely American, but I know we'll watch him struggle with competing loyalties. I think there's enough potential in his lady love to be, and the side characters, that this will be a rich experience. I could watch an entire drama about Ae Jin and her gunnery mentor alone.
My one complaint thus far was that the editing made everything unnecessarily confusing, even chaotic.  It's actually pretty simple, so far - we start with Eugene Choi in the 'present' of the story, then go back 20 years to see the beginnings of his and the other main characters' stories, then end up back in the 'present' and pick up from there.  But the way everything darted around it was hard to orient myself or tell whether something was past or present. We're only 2 episodes in, though, so I'm hopeful that by the end of next week's episodes it's all clear.

PS.  Scruffy, sarcastic, Japanese gang boss Yoo Yeon Seok is very, very sexy.  Suuuuper sexy.

Secrets and Lies

we finally get some of the backstory of why Woo Jung always puts Hwa Kyung first in their friendship. And Woo Jung's comments to her about how she can't stop being friends just because she didn't agree with Hwa Kyung's choice concerning her birth father actually made me like her. 
I was annoyed at how pushy she had been, but I can see how she is going to remain Haw Kyung's friend (at least for now) from the story about how Hwa Kyung was a person who made her feel like she was precious. It was also clear that Hwa Kyung was moved. We all knew that Hwa Kyung's adoptive dad was probably Woo Jung's real dad, but I didn't think they'd reveal that this early. His selfishness is going to the ruination of Woo Jung's family I think. But when did Hwa Kyung start liking Do Bin? I can see her being jealous if her own dad likes Woo Jung, but I didn't know she had any feelings for Do Bin but annoyance at his interference. SakiV?

Sunny Again Tomorrow

Unlike in Secrets and Lies where I can feel sorry for Hwa Kyung's situation, I'm not feeling that sorry for the heroine2, Ji Eun, here. Granted, she just became friends with the other female lead and yes, it has been more clear that she likes the male lead, but she has less reason to be jealous. The female has a crush on someone else right now. The male lead doesn't realize his own feelings yet. She is not going to lose an inheritance if the birth secret gets out; her parents are her parents. But now she is going down the route of being selfish to be the only person in the spotlight. Sigh. Also, neither of these dailies do good cliff hangers. I think I[ve been spoiled, SakiVI. I'm going back to rewatching eps of Happy Sisters with my breakfast.
Side Note: I can't figure out the real history of the relationship between Ji Eun's dad and the side dish lady (Ha Nee's mom)

CHINA/TAIWAN

Between 

So far Leyan is skirting the line of being an evil second lead. She says she is helping Chengkai and QiangXing by forcing them to remain professional in the office but...I've seen those looks she throws Chengkai's way. TBH, though...we're ALL throwing those looks Chengkai's way so...

Sweet Dreams (New)

Dilraba is cute and all but I'm tired of seeing her face and ever since that New Year's show I'm terrified she's going to break out and start 'dancing' again, so this will be a pass unless y'all convince me otherwise.

JAPAN

Miss Devil

Watched two episodes this week because it is completely subbed. We are getting more backstory about some of the characters involved in the hotel fire. It has been confirmed--did anyone doubt this--that Miss Devil is the daughter of the manager of the hotel and this company was responsible for the insurance, but clearly there is something shady here. Our hero's dad is somehow involved. I was hoping he was a good guy, but now I'm not sure and not sure about the mom either. This show really addresses issues about over work and the crazy dedication to work rather than family and the helth risks in Japan where we have a sub group sneaking off to work overtime but really are acting like cult members in one episode and the so-called "supporting women" who work while pregnant but merely adding to their stress was in another. I also love how, thought Miss Devil is scary, our hero Saito is starting to understand her methods and is learning to be more discerning. I just his parents don't break his heart.
This is pretty much what everyone thinks about her

WESTERN

Younger 

Younger did not air this past week, so we are deprived momentarily of the further tribulations of Charles and Liza. Personally, if Charles doesn't pull up his big boy panties and get ON with it soon, I'm going to stop caring about him at all.  Other than that he's deliciously tall and handsome, I mean.  I'll just move on to Diana and Enzo. Last we met, they seemed to be getting along quite well - and we know they already have...ummm...chemistry.

Reverie

This is a US series, introduced just this summer, and I've seen 4 of  5 episodes aired.  There are 10 expected and at this point, I intend to watch them all because I enjoyed this quite a bit.  Also, 45 minute episodes, yay USA!

We have a mysterious corporation with a really amazing product - you can create elaborate dreams and then go into them and 'live' there for brief periods.  The government is a secret investor so hello, shadiness.  Some people are so into their dreams that they refuse to come out, and so the company hires a former geeeeenius hostage negotiator to bring them out - staying 'in' too long will kill you.   

Our heroine quit that field when she was unable to save members of her own family from violent deaths, surprise, surprise.  She welcomes this work because it helps her to heal people, as we learn from their stories, but there's more to it than that, of course.  She's brought into the company by her former boss, now retired from the force and handling, I don't know, security? for the company.  I'm not sure if he's good or good going bad but it's the 'You're in Good Hands' guy so I'll listen to that voice all day long.  

Oh, there's also the possibility of romance:  Remember the hunky doctor from Heroes? Dr Suresh?  Yesss, he's in this. 

So anyway...interested in a KDrama without subs?  This is it: Big Bad Business, Friends with Agendas, Metaphysical Mystery, Traumatized Hero, Potential Romance.  Definitely a KDrama.  I'm watching on Hulu, but I think it's an NBC show.

Update:  At the end of episode 5 I can say that it will be definite weekly watch for me, and that all parties actively involved in the corporation or as a government contact genuinely have good intentions.  Also:  5 for 5, I spent some time crying.

Nailed It

Please watch this on Netflix and hopefully it will bring some sunshine and laughter into this increasingly mystifying incomprehensible place. 2 seasons, 8 episodes each of the funniest baking show you will ever watch.
Twins! I actually watched 1.5 episodes of this before I decided that no, Jacolate, I do NOT think the hostess is hilarious. I think she is TOO LOUD and while I might enjoy watching people cake fail, I cannot abide her and sadly, I will have to pass.