The Problematic of the Unproblematic

'Is he dead? No, he can't be. But ... this is TEN, we're talking about. He could very well be dead. He could be. But they wouldn't do this to us! Or would they?! Is there a 3rd season? Do we know who's in it?! Gaaaaaah, save me!' These kinda questions and thoughts went through my head, after I watched Episode 11 raw and had to wait a whole week for the final episode (also raw). I must say, it was torture. But now, it is here ... the end of the end. It gives us closure, in a good way (and I am glad it is not a cliffhanger like the cliffhanger after Season 1), but it also opens up the next chapter, in a good way. It is terrifying, it is heart breaking, it is very sad - but it is also hopeful, sweet, and full of warmth. What a ride! Special Affairs Team TEN 2 - Episode 12 (Final) 박민호 납치사건 Part 2 - Park Min-ho's Kidnapping Yeo Teamchang-nim, standing on a rooftop at night, narrates: "Once again, I couldn't save him. All this pain ... it started...

And so it begins ... the beginning of the end. This is Part 1 of the final and it is no easy ride! I will be honest, parts of TEN2 have been mildly disappointing for me (many of the "filler" episodes were only okay and not particularly great). In particular, I take issue with the fact that we haven't really gotten much character development for a while now. Sure, the team interactions remain cute, I am utterly in love with Ji-hoon, and I would adopt Do-shik and Min-ho and Ye-ri anytime, but I fear the writer(s) have been a bit too lazy in between. And what about F??? That is the biggest surprise for me ... the final? Not about F at all. But still very, very good.  Special Affairs Team TEN 2 - Episode 11 박민호 납치사건 Part 1 - Park Min-ho's Kidnapping We are in the corridor of a hotel - or is it an "establishment"? I am not entirely sure, but I am sure about the screams and the shots that are fired: many of them. A crime is in the making...  With Vi...

Are we there yet? Are we there yet? I cannot wait for the final! Episode 10 is the last one before the double-whopper and maybe that is why I got a bit impatient with it all. The "filler" episodes are good and nice and all (at least some of them), but what I am really interested in is the main story. There has been no advancement in the main storyline for a while now, we know that Ji-hoon will have to face the truth eventually (as in next episode), and the case didn't exactly rock my boat either. All I can say is that it is about mistrust and guilt and the TEN Team solves it very, very smoothly. Onwards we go!   Special Affairs Team TEN 2 - Episode 10 15 년 - 15 Years There is a white car at an otherwise empty lakeside. We hear that somebody is calling 911 and a female hoarsely and slowly whispers: "save me ... save me ..." - but too late ... she is already dead, her eyes wide open. In the conference room, boss-boss Jeong shows Yeo Ji-hoon some slides ...

Now that Gu Family Book is drawing to a close *sigh*... ( Little Recap: DaddyHo comes back hotter than ever, his heart is small and black but his hair is full and his posture good. Kang-Chi and Yeo-Wool KISSS!!!! and then make googley eyes at each other for the next couple of episodes. Bad Guy *boo. hiss.* is exceedingly evil but kinda dumb and keeps getting thwarted. There's noble sacrifice and noble idiocy and HEA??? Episode 24 is airing as I write this so TBD. ) EDIT: $?# GFB crashed and burned in episode 24. I almost don't wanna watch...infact! I think I'm going to watch the last 10 minutes of the episode coz I wanna see LSG with short hair and green eyes.  Major thanks to GF at dramabeans.com for this pic (I have neither the skill nor time to take screenshots)

After a confusing episode 8, episode 9 is as straightforward as TEN ever gets. It is about a biological virus that is like a criminal and a criminal that is like a virus, and in which antibodies, be they biological or more psychological, promise salvation from pain. The TEN Team continues to function as one and the bonds between them seem as strong as they were last season, before ... you know, THAT happened. But, alas ... we all know that two of the members know something that has the potential to destroy this harmony ... and may well endanger the bonds once again, even destroy them forever. But what to do with such a secret? Do we protect the people we care for by concealing the truth that we know will hurt them? Or do we trust in love, healing, and coping abilities, the antibodies of human life? TEN 2 is slowly coming to the end of its second season and I am certain: it will not be pretty. Special Affairs Team TEN 2 - Episode 9 감염 - Infection Cars with sirens flashing are r...

The title of this episode is Elegy (from the Greek word for "lament"), which is a mournful, melancholic or plaintive poem, especially a funeral song or a lament for the dead. I guess that this also explains the melancholy and quietness of this episode, which is almost entirely taking place in a closed space. I liked that it was slow and relatively unexciting - because it fit the mood. The team feels comfortable with each other and everybody seems at ease with themselves ... at least for the time being: Let's see how long that lasts. It is not a very hard case for the team to solve, but it is still a case that allows for reflection on human nature, especially on love ... particularly blind love. And also fear ... fear of the dark, literally, but also figuratively. Special Affairs Team TEN 2 - Episode 8   열레지 - Elegy We are entering a club called Sound Holic. The rain is pouring down hard. There's a shaky, blurry camera ride through the different room...

This episode is heartwarming ... until it isn't. The team is finally together as one, and thanks to their collective genius , they solve this case fast an efficient, like the champions that they are. Speaking of cases, this week's whodunnit didn't excite me much. Not twisted enough for my taste! But I guess it serves its purpose ... it shows us how ugly human beings can be (and if I am not mistaken, (almost?) all of TEN's cases are based on true stories) and serves as background for wonderful team-interactions. Do-shik is in love, Min-ho wants to be in love, Ye-ri constantly watches Ji-hoon (and it is his heart that is on her mind), while Ji-hoon is now finally ready to reach out to other human beings again. And the human beings that are close to his heart are and always were his team members... So he cooks them coffee that is too sweet and learns again how to smile. But then, an ugly secret wants out ... and it really needs to come out, does it? But when is the right ...

This is a difficult episode. Not because of its content, but because of (imho) some choppy writing paired with sloppy subs, with an emphasis on the latter: There are a few confusing inconsistencies in the subtitles. Also, CJ Entertainment (the official subs-deliverer) has suddenly started to use an "Americanized" style for names, putting the family name last and not first. That confused the heck out of me until I figured it out. So: I hope you are not going DF on us, CJ, thinking we don't understand "hyung" and similar words? [end rant] Apart from that, this is an episode mainly centered on Baek Do-shik. He is somewhat back with the team, but it takes a while until he fully gets there. Overall, this is an episode about love and obsession. It shows that you find love in unexpected forms and also in unusual places. And it also shows how closely related love and hate are and that acts of love may very well be considered acts of hate by others.  Special Affairs T...

We continue our journey into the depth of the human soul in Episode 5 of TEN2 . This episode is Part 2 of a double episode named "Addict" (Part 1 is recapped here ). In Part 1, Ji-hoon and Do-shik positioned themselves against each other, with Baek Do-shik going after the prime suspect (Kang Jong-yoon) with a vengeance, mainly due to the history he shares with that guy, and Yeo Ji-hoon firmly believing that Kang is the victim of a set-up, trying to prove Do-shik wrong (and winning this battle against him at the same time. Cause .... boys. Nuff said). While continuing the case and ultimately solving it, TEN2 keeps circling around the central themes of "forgiving and forgetting", and in particular, engages further with the aftermath of Ji-hoon's egoistical mis-use of the friendship and trust he shared with his team (or rather, his team shared with him). In this episode, these issues are finally brought into the open. Getting over them is part of the healing of ...

This is part 1 of a double-episode and I guess it was necessary to spend a slightly unexciting hour to set the stage for a fantabulastic episode 5. At the center of this episode is uri Viper Do-shik and we finally find out where he has been hiding (and partly why he has). We are still cleaning up the damage done by Ji-hoon and his egoistic decisions over the Tape Murder Cases and forgiving/forgetting remain the central themes of TEN2. The most exciting bits for me were when Ji-hoon and Do-shik butt heads, forcefully. But it hurts to see them that opposed to each other ... solving this case is not going well because of it and I really hope they get over their egos and resolve their differences. You love each other, guys! Everybody knows that!!     Special Affairs Team TEN 2 - Episode 4 Addict, Part 1 4 years ago, at dusk. A man drives a small truck up a windy road. He talks to his wife on the phone and she expresses unease about him "heading over there". He al...

And on we go with recapping this delight! It seems that brevity is not my specialty ... I am working on that. Even though I don't really see the point in being brief about this show. It is too good to be brief about ... TEN has interesting cases, of course, but TEN is so much more: It is about a set of complicated characters and their relationships and each episode reveals a little more about one or several of them. This episode is mainly about Yeo Ji-hoon again. We are back to his past, but way before the F cases. And we are back to the here and now and his attempt to move on. Let's see how deals with that ... Special Affairs Team TEN 2 - Episode 3 A feather falls. A man speaks: He is giving a lecture in front of a room full of policemen. "When you see the rotten body of a child", he says, "it is hard to show respect or manners. You will start treating people like objects. But the moment you lose your composure when facing a culprit is the moment the i...

Thank you, show, for making it a pleasure to think about you for a long time. The more KDrama I watch, the more I appreciate the gems. And this one definitely is that: a gem. Warning : If you have not yet seen TEN2, don't read this post. It contains major *SPOILERS*!  With Episode 2 of TEN2 , the Green Duct Tape Murder-arch has come to a (temporary) end. 'Temporary' because we know that the real F is still out there - but 'end' because Yeo Ji-hoon's nemesis is behind bars, and Ji-hoon has decided to 'move on'. But also 'temporary' because this moving on will not be easy for our sheksi detective, that much is already clear from episodes 3 and 4. And 'temporary' because the real F could strike again any time ... (and probably will?). Still, this temporary end invites some rumination - and ruminate I shall!  Cause to ruminate I like! What I value most about the TEN series is that the show does not waste a single character. All ...

I must say, recapping is a lot of work. I suspected that, being smart an all, and that's why I tried to keep away from it. Couldn't resist this one, though ... I do wonder how some people (*looks at Dramabeans*) churn out recaps a few hours after the episode aired? And like ... almost every day?! That's insane! (I mean insane in a good way). That said, I am quite glad that TEN2 is my first recapping project: It's both short and exciting. Very much so. Okay, and it's also suuuuper complicated, my goodness! But doing these recaps also helps me understand what is going on. Or at least helps me try to understand ; with all my might. Yes, understanding the plot is the main aim, which means lengthy, lengthy descriptions (and forgive me for doing some spazzing on the side, too). What I really wanted to say is this: I am sorry this is so epic.  Special Affairs Team TEN 2 - Episode 2 Understand, Part 2 We open with a very depressed team in a semi-dark office that ...

So, I've done it: I have in earnest decided to do a recap. This is a big moment, because I once swore there would be no recaps on this blog - mainly because I wanted this blog to be revolutionary different from other blogs (yeah ... good luck with that) - and because there are so many awesome recappers out there already (Marketing 101: don't compete in fields where you have nothing much to offer). Good thing I only swore this to myself so that breaking the vow comes with zero consequences. And breaking it was almost natural, not least because of how much fun working on the When A Man Loves SqueeCaps is. True, true, I'm only the giffer there, but still ... What, you don't care about all this at all? Yeah, figures. Stop justifying that you're recapping this to yourself, kakashi. Nobody cares. Special Affairs Team TEN 2 - Episode 1  Understand, Part 1 We are back to where we left off before the epilogue last season - the abandoned warehouse, a terrified Ye-r...

Opening scene. Yeo Ji-Hoon (the oh-so-delicious Joo Sang-Wook) runs after someone at night, across a room full of laundry, up some stairs, into a hotel. The man enters a room, Yeo Ji-hoon follows him, but the room (with the number 101) is empty. Yeo Ji-Hoon voice over:  "Well ... Since I have been searching for you for a long time, I find you in all the criminal cases. It is like falling into a trance. I feel like I disappeared and ... only you exist in this world. Wherever I am you're there. Not a strange feeling. I think I met you without knowing. Really ... Who are you?" Again outside the room, Yeo Ji-hoon sees the one he's been chasing at the end of the corridor. He runs after him anew, agitated and emotional, and finally catches up, in front of a closed door. And the culprit turns around, slowly ... and it is himself. A cold and scary version of himself, looking at him (and us) with these evil, challenging predator eyes. Yeo Ji-hoon startles awake from his...

If you are anything like me, you are mightly confused by all the new dramas that are about to start. This post is my way of ensuring I don't miss anything I don't want to miss. So lucky to have a blog for such moments of confusion. Yesterday, I shared my love for Special Affairs Team TEN2 , which premiers on April 14, and I guess there will be more about it on this blog very soon. Not sure how many episodes there will be, but I'm guessing 9-10.   >>Will definitely watch. In fact, cannot wait!    This weekend, on April 6, I Summon You, Gold is starting. Love the title ... NOT. I'll keep an eye on it, though, cause one of my favorite Korean actors is in it. Yes, it's Mr. Vampire Prosecutor, Yeon Jeong-hoon! I'm pretty sure the drama is crap, but I've watched a lot of crap just for some actor I like. And I can be very determined if I want to be. This drama is planned for 50 episodes. WTF, 50??! >>Will probably watch, but only after a ...

I am super excited about the imminent start of Special Affairs Team TEN , Season 2 (TEN2)! Oh, it feels good to be so excited about a drama after such a long time ... And they're all back: The Monster who Catches Monsters (Joo Sang-wook), The Lie Detector (Jo Ahn), The Venomous White Snake (one of my favorite ahjussi actors Kim Sang-ho), and cutsie Power Ranger (Choi Woo-shik, who is growing up mightily fast...). And just as importantly, the same creative team is also on board: director Lee Seung-young and writer Nam Sang-wook. I also hope they have the same cinematographer, but judging from the teaser above and the character blurbs below, this is, indeed!, the case.