The Problematic of the Unproblematic

kakashi: This is what I thought: with RL picking up speed quite brutally, I am not even too sad there's only one episode to recap this week. But, oups, we were all fooled! Because episode 6 did air as planned and now I need to hurry up and get my act together! We're on a tight schedule here! It helps that I am really excited about the adult cast - and also quite curious. You know: can he? JoAnne: I guess I was really worried because the amount of relief I feel after watching even just a part of this episode was kind of staggering.

More kisses! More secrets! More adorable Uhmforce! It is so nice to see two people falling in love without the usual KDrama obstacles. And it is very nice to see that Jung-wan is wavering ... wavering a lot. She is still not quite ready to date anyone, but who could resist this force of nature? The love of this man is like a tsunami. But far less destructive, I hope.

JoAnne: Look! Look how pretty! It's Cutie Soo!!!!!!! Ok we have to call him Aoki but that's a cute name too, so I feel aoki-doki about it. (Had to do that, sorry. I'm just so HAPPY with this collection of pictures. I love Kakashi forever!) kakashi: Thank you. I love you too.  JoAnne: And this scene.. my goodness. Don't ask me how, but I completely forgot that Yoon Hyun-Min was going to be in this and when he appeared I just... I was very excited (understatement...) . And if you go by Tumblr/ Twitter/ Dramabeans, which pretty much makes up my KDrama universe, everybody else felt exactly the same way. Cutie racked up a LOT of fans in Heartless City and apparently we're all watching Age of Feeling, too!

Who was worried that Sun-mi would get uri Oh-boy? Well, if you were, it seems it was quite unnecessary (at least for the time being). Oh Kyung-soo is a bulldozer when it comes to love - or a tank! Nothing can stop him as he steadily makes his way towards his goal, which is Jung-wan. Sun-mi seems to shake him about as much as a coughing ant would. In other news, things get a "bit" heated between another couple (yes, that one!) and go completely cold between the third.

Ah, the tension ... will they continue to the end (aka episode 16) or maybe not!? Our steadfast "friends" at the WillKinn Media production company know how to keep us on the edge of our toes! We are 4 episodes in, and we have just lost the two lead actors. Also lost: any kind of storyline, sound, editing. Also ... money. And reason. bcook: And hope and dignity and I'm pretty sure Chris lost his virginity to alexa last episode. (It's ok because they're bf and gf now) But ... do not fear, BfF fans! There was an audition for the roles of Liam and Zoey on the 25th (that's 5 days before the next episode is supposed to air ... plenty of time, then!) - and Zoey#3 and Liam#2 have been found a short while after.  Yes, "casting went amazing", WillKinn Media confirms and we are so happy. JoAnne:  Wow, how very fortunate for them.  What kind of person would join a train wreck IN PROGRESS? kakashi: Uhm .... very desperate people? I mean ... there...

JoAnne: I'm still on a bit of an adrenaline high after the events in Episode Three, so let's hope that Four continues the excellent work. Still, we've now laid out the crux of the problem between the young lovers, so how long can it be before we time jump to the adults? I'd say four episodes is plenty for backstory, but I really just want to stay here for a while longer...   kakashi: I usually HATE the backstories in sageuks. I get so bored by the same-old-stories and want to get to the real deal (i.e. main cast) more quickly. But not in this drama. This isn't just a backstory that explains why our hero is the way he is (though it also is, of course), but much more to me. I guess it is the mysteries that we get introduced to? This is a rich and exciting world and understanding it has only marginally to do with the hero and so much more with all the characters around him. In fact, I like the "backstory" so much, I hope we will go back to it occasionally ....

kakashi: This, my dear friends, is Joseph Almani and Dawn Morrow's farewell episode. It may also be the very last episode of the USBoFiasco ever, so let's totally enjoy this one! Like ... even more than usual!!! bcook: on this sad and gloomy day (hold on I can't type i'm laughing so hard) let us take a second to go over all their wonderful moments...or we could just...you know... watch the 15 minute recap. kakashi: Since we last blogged about this "show", this happened:

JoAnne: Week Two is finally here!  For a drama that isn't about an alien and a wacky actress I am curiously eager to watch these next episodes, and I am already completely enamored of the Dobi Hyungs and Jung Tae with his little Scooby Gang and the mysterious Japanese and the gorgeous scenery and just ALL.OF.IT.EVERY.BIT.OF.IT.  I am mining the whole show. Forget wasting time on any one of ten or twelve handsome men in it (not that they could every be a waste of time, no sir.) But the whole show. Mine. kakashi: It is surprisingly good. All of it. Which is strange, considering other shows that are currently airing are also good. What happened to KDrama all of a sudden?! I am not sure I can trust this. That is why I watch this show with a sense of foreboding. Also ... several of these wonderful characters will die. I'm crying already.

Episode 5 made me all giddy. That kiss!! Ahhhhhhh! One of the best KDrama kisses EVER. Simply perfect, all of it! I love it! Love it! Love it! This episode on the other hand ... well, it actually makes me a bit worried for our OTP. The road to True Love is long and stony and we get many such stones in the form of "entanglements". You know that relationship status you can choose on Facebook, the "it's complicated" one? This is what is happening to all our characters: their relationships are becoming more and more complicated.     This is the title song in English, by the way: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIRP50YjMjY

JoAnne: Hello, yes, it's true. We're going to stick it out. Slight change in the players. Maybe not as noticeable, say, as changing out actors, but then again, who knows. Anyway!  So glad you're joining us for what promises to be a slow, painful death. Drink up! And rejoice, for the mullet is gone. kakashi: Yeah, we're still here. And we are really enjoying this show. Sure, we're crazy, but we already knew that. By the way, JoAnne, don't get too attached to the mulletless-guy. I'll tell you why later. Oh, and: We have started to call this show the USBoFiasco. 

Heart, be still! Or thank goodness for Korean cable TV. These are adults and their feelings are adult and the skinship is adult and ... I AM IN LOVE! I must admit, I have been in a KDrama crisis (aka Kdrama slump) ever since Heartless City ended last year. Nothing grabbed my attention for long or truly warmed my heart, all the countless and ever-same issues with KDrama (mediocre idol acting! unsatisfactory scripts! sudden makjang!) even made me turn away from them completely over the Holiday Season. This drama on the other hand makes me remember why I loved them in the first place: So. Friggin. Good!

kakashi: Let's see how our "Fist Fighter for Love and Family" fares in the 2nd episode! I am curious: Will we see more of the older version of Jung-tae and will he speak? How will the love triangle develop? (there's going to be one, right?) And, most importantly ... will Kim Jae-wook appear???!!!  JoAnne: Yes, when? And even MORE most importantly: Will he be another  $&#%^ ghost?

kakashi: Checking this out, 1, 2, 3, for SqueeCappibility! Yo, JoAnne, are you with me? JoAnne: If it's squeeable, sure! kakashi: The big questions for me before I press the play button are: will I feel this? Will it inspire me? And ... will I be able to remember all the names of all the people who are in this drama? Cause ... have you seen the cast list?! Sweet Baby Cheesus. I am counting on you, JoAnne, to come up with memorable names, as you always do. JoAnne: Holy crap. I have no idea who anyone is, there's so many of them. This will be a challenge! I am UP TO IT.

In episode 4, the OTPs are getting closer. Well, at least two of them. One probably still doesn't know it is the OTP. But who knows, this show might also do multiple OTPs, since every woman has at least two potential men? Oh well, probably not, but the road til the end is long (though I have no clue how many episode this baby will have) and heartache there will be a lot. much better hair than someone!

The clearest message from this drama so far is that being almost 40 sucks. Let me tell you (as someone who is almost at almost 40): it does not. But it is indeed true that the big 4-0 does something to human beings.  As does the 3-0. But while turning 30 is almost always a GREAT thing because you really come into your prime then and people start taking you seriously as a professional, the 4-0 is a different animal. At 30, there still is so much potential. At 40, most things have become routine. You look at your life and go: huh, that's it? Quite naturally, then, the 4-0 are a time of crisis.  But, here it comes, crisis isn't only bad. A crisis is also always a new beginning, a time for catharsis. From the (disappointed or even shocked) "huh, that's it?" you can venture into new territory, into where you have not yet ventured but really want to go. Self-awareness is a wonderful thing: If this is your life, then decide what aspects of it you like - and which a...

Trust jtbc to deliver another real-life, real-adult-people, real-good drama, and one that is even subbed very quickly (that, unfortunately, didn't happen with Your Neighbor's Wife , its predecessor drama I really wanted to see last year). Of course, I'm talking about Can We Love ! Or Could We Love . Or 우리가 사랑할 수 있을까 (Wooriga Saranghal Soo Iteulka). At this moment in time, I've seen two episodes and I'm all in. I doubt I will have the time to properly SqueeCap this one, but let me at least do a brief summary/review of what we've got so far.

bcook: Hello Guys. I'm writing this with a lot of reluctance fear. I'm afraid I'm going to watch this show till the end (oh yes, you will!) . Because the badness is so compelling. It's like watching a plane crash land on a train carrying baby refugees which is then derailed and runs into a bus full of cancer survivors. Utter horror and fascination. I'm going to do it though because kakashi threatened, pleaded , encouraged me to recap the second episode for closure. So this. I do for you. (Actually I saw the number of post views and got greedy. I'm a writer... I crave validation).   kakashi: bcook, I KNEW you wanted to do it. You didn't need any "encouragement" at all! This is indeed hard to stay away from. I admit, I even looked forward to it!!!  JoAnne: Oh I'm watching. I'm watching to the final credits. This is must-see TV, this is.  Simply because if you don't see it, you won't believe what we tell you it's like.

bcook: Watching bad dramas so you don't have to. If you haven't heard, an intrepid group of kdrama fans (aka people on kickstarter who should really know better) decided to make an American/western version of the kdrama catastrophe classic that is BoF (Boys over flowers, Boys before Flowers, the drama where LMH has permed hair, oh and KHJ is in it too). JoAnne: Seriously, how could this be a bad idea?

On we go! I'll do one Nikita, one GEoDiL episode in the future so that people needn't complain :) This story develops in baby-steps, but there's still enough funny in every episode to make it a sufficiently fun watch. Episode 9 Mijin is on her knees, begging. The whole Lee family turns their back on her - and violent Boknam even kicks her out, into the alley! Poor girl.

On the one hand, this episode has a strong 24 feel with regards to it's main terrorist plot and the often shown timer racing towards zero. On the other hand, there are a lot of funny moments, when Section's über-serious guys (Michael and, to a lesser degree, Operations) keep clashing with a man-child, who is key to stopping a nuclear detonation. Most importantly, we are reminded again (after "Treason") that Nikita’s "weakness" (aka her humanity) isn't only an annoyance, lowering her efficiency, but can in fact be highly valuable for resolving certain cases.

Oh dear, it's been a while since I watched anything Korean! My La Femme Nikita binge-recap is such a satisfactory business, I have indeed forgotten all about that other world. Okay, almost forgotten: I know I have 47 episodes of GEoDiL to recap, don't you worry! Forget Kim Ji-hoon? Impossible! Episode 8 Dooly has woken up in her (ex?) boyfriends house. Mortified, she flees as soon as his mother turns her back on her. When she creeps out, she does that rather funny thing with her head; and has absolutely no chin! It's quite fascinating. See?

Michael is shot during a mission and promptly abandoned by Section. Bastards. He struggles to stay alive in a desolate Eastern European country, managing to do so with the help of a kind and brave soul. When all seems lost, two women come to get him after all: Nikita and Madeline. But are they really here for him or something else? This superb episode shows us, once again, how little Section cares about its operatives; but it also shows us a different Michael. One that is far less composed and far more compassionate: Somewhere beneath that cold exterior, a kind heart seems to be beating. 

Nikita keeps dreaming her dream of a normal life, stubbornly believing that she can make it work, despite several warnings from different people. In the end, the awakening from her dream is brutal, and Nikita realizes that her actions have consequences - sometimes for people she cares for deeply. Michael remains a puzzle: is he jealous, is he not? He protects Nikita once more by saving someone's life - and in the end, Nikita probably realizes that he is the only thing in her life that she can care for - at least professionally.

In this episode (Part 1 of 2), something extremely valuable gets stolen from Section. In an attempt to get it back, Nikita gets a taste of normal, boring life - and falls in love with it immediately. Madeline utters a warning, but Nikita doesn't listen. Michael on the other hand is suddenly confronted with the possibility that Nikita might fall in love with another man - and doesn't seem to like it too much. It's hard to tell though. You know: poker face.