The Problematic of the Unproblematic

What happened in episode 9? The short version: a lot of running around and hurt feelings, with a little baby-saving and attempted murder on the side. Oh, and we finally  get to the big competition everyone's been talking about for what seems like forever. But yeah, a lot of running around. As if to make up for the it, though, this episode is especially pretty. So many great screenshots unused, ladies. It killed me. JoAnne: Email them to me in a plain brown wrapper, please.  Call it Vitamins or something. bcook: There's nothing that says we can't do a screenshot post. It's your duty to the public.

This episode, narrated by Min Woo, shows the roommates as they continue to settle into their everyday lives, entertain guests and bond over Korea's soccer team. There is a lot going on in Episode 8, but we're slowly getting a clearer picture of the roommates' personalities - some for the better and some for the worse. Warning: None of us are afraid to give our honest opinions! JoAnne: Shit's gettin' real. bcook: *rubs hands together*

Hello, everybody!  kakashi: How is everybody? My life consists of book writing, book writing, book writing, with football all around me. Let's just say I'm looking forward to a normal life again, it's exhausting (and I promoise to bitch about it soon. I do). I'm still not watching a lot of KDrama, which makes me appreciate Jangbori all the more. I'm so glad Kim Ji-hoon delivers, I'm so glad the drama is much better than I expected, I'm so happy about the sweet love story! I'm so glad it will continue until the end of September! So much KimJiLove! JoAnne: Yes, I like this part, the growing awareness of attraction to each other - it's very sweet. And Bi Dan, you can put her on my screen any time. kakashi: And now, I will watch Joseon Gunman raw... 1 second in and I already like it. Oh yes. 5 minutes in I have tears of joy in my eyes. It is good. It is really, really good! And now stay that way, will you? Thanks! Shuk: Did you watch it subbed?

It's time for musical surgical teams! The plot advances a little, but mostly this episode is all about doctors switching teams because they're jealous, spies (both international and in-hospital), being threatened, paid, or cast aside. Thankfully, we get some great character stuff to keep it interesting. JoAnne:  And then there's the really important thing - dem BOYZ. bcook: I'm on ship bromance. KRS (Korean Royal Ship) HoonJoon

Ohhhhhh, YES. In this episode, Min-jung's evil reign really seems to be coming to an end and we're edging a tiiiiiiny liiiiiittle bit closer to the big Eun-bi = Bori reveal. Jae-hwa still thinks his heart is broken but he also seems to have fully accepted that he is very much interested in this woman, who loves her kid so much it breaks his heart just to watch. Twice. He must be in love for the first time, right?  JoAnne: Gotta be. And this episode made me SOOOOOO happy.

Shuk:  Argh.  The story gets muddled in all sorts of ways as the stuff hits the fan, we finally get our Big Reveal, and our characters come face to face with hidden truths and exposed lies. JoAnne: I can think of some hidden things that should be exposed.  None of them involve Huan Huan or Leo. Or Lance.  Or Whiny for that matter.

All-clear, people, all-clear! This drama isn't as fast as we thought it was last week, so all is in order in the world of crazy weekend dramas. And! We now begin the road of incredibly cute falling-in-love ... well, they're already in love. But they will have to realize that they are. It's my favorite part of any drama, hands-down - I'm so happy! So are the Koreans, this drama steadily increases its ratings and now ranks 2nd in its time slot. JoAnne: Yep, this is the sweet spot. I enjoyed this episode so much that I actually texted you about it and said I was looking forward to the next! And these long weekend things... they can be hard for me, so that was saying something! kakashi: It's totally a good drama! I like it very much!

They're back! And in the best possible way. This episode, narrated by NaNa, had me smiling from start to finish.  Bom departs for the Phillipines (I love how they say it. Pilleepeen. Love it.) , and as we focus on the remaining roommates and their activities du jour, it is more hilarious than ever. We are even introduced to a new member, Kang Dash Man. Thank you, Roommate, for upping up the awesome level once again! bcook: What's with all the cats? I know the internets like cats but this is a bit ridiculous. 

Hi! *waves madly *This is JoAnne! In my delirium last week, I had a moment where I thought, 'gee...what if we had a post where we could share brief thoughts on OTHER things we're watching, the things we don't have time to recap, or that don't fit our (admittedly rather nebulous) feel for what makes a good squeecappable show. Or stuff in English! Or movies! I tossed it out there and the others didn't laugh me down, so we're going to try this out. kakashi: I almost wished for more deliriums (= good ideas), but of course I want you to be sane and healthy! Uhm ... just healthy in fact.  Shuk: My computer is back, newly christened Lazarus, and I'm happier than a zombie at a nursing home. Of course, like any good/bad drama, it came back from the wars with a sadly altered personality and severe amnesia, but I'm convinced with a little loving care, it will love me again... The idea is pretty loose: we'll contribute or not as our schedules or interest

We are nearing the end, which means more paaaaaain for our cast and kokoros. Prepare to be jerked around by the roller-coaster of squeeing and rage in this 8th Jeob. (And hold tight to that Kei-cat in your kokoro. You'll need it for the tough times ahead.) JoAnne: With all this kokoro holding I have realized I need to be more flexible. You know, as a responsible KDrama watcher. kakashi: Ladies, I have something to tell you ... EPISODE 8

Shuk:  I had a rough time with this squeecap, mostly because I didn't understand the reasoning, motivation, or just plain logic of anything anybody did.

Not so faaaaaast, drama!!! Slooooow down, you have 30 more episodes!!! All of a sudden, all our precious secrets are revealed or about to be revealed as all our characters re-connect. Thankfully, there's a few more secrets established right away. Can't have none.   JoAnne: If we solve the central mysteries now (well they were never mysteries to US, of course, just to the characters) what does that mean for the future? Perhaps they develop some sort of Hanbok nuclear fission. No! I know! Hanbok Therapy! They develop a wardrobe of Hanbok that address myriad emotional complaints.

Oh, I really liked this episode! Full of fun and craziness! I love them all! Apart from the ones I hate, but those, I love to hate! Also, I think I must apologize (or maybe not). I went absolutely Kim Ji-hoon crazy in this recap, there's no end to pics and gifs. I don't know what has come over me. Okay, yes, I know. This came over me. OMFGIMAMARRIEDWOMANGOAWAY! JoAnne: I can admit it - this show is growing on me. I mean, there was definitely funny stuff along the way so far, especially when it comes to The Seriousness of Sewing, but I'm  uh...actually getting a little emotionally invested, now. (I'm glad, JoAnne)

BIG things happening this episode: Hoon finally gets a clue about what's going on, we get a few more hints about Jae-joon (yay), and just as Soo-hyun starts eyeing my ship, I'm eyeing the one she started out on. Because let's be honest, Hoon has a few too many issues to be healthy. I still love him, but I'm not sure she should. Still. They're So. Cute. bcook: I'm right there with you. The KRK*  SooJae is the healthier ship... well as healthy as you can get in this drama. (*korealand republic of korea) JoAnne: Ha, because I'm sort of shipping SooJae too. They have done too good a job of making us understand why he wants to be the villain, and I totally swoon over his feelings for Soo Hyun in a way I just can't for HoonHee.  Becca: HoonHee is that ship you squee over as it passes by. SooJae is the ship you book a one way ticket on. Because there's no going back.

This week Bom finally tries to get some revenge on everyone for their constant harassment of her when she walks in the door every day. She and Min Woo decide to set up a "fake relationship" scenario to see how the others respond. Some of the guys don't take being fooled lightly, and decide to do a prank on their own.  Does this make for a fun episode?  The opinions on that are divided. JoAnne: I didn't mind it - I think it could have been edited better to make it more entertaining, but I didn't think anything was offensive or mean. bcook: They should have done a long con. An entire week before they confessed. That would have been awesome. The episode starts with Bom and So Ra at a restaurant, and So Ra is questioning Bom about a text she sent over Kaotalk (that according to the producer, turned the house upside down in utter confusion) announcing she and Min Woo were dating.  We then see Bom explain that she was angry for the pranks they pulled on her and d

Politicians and spies continue to weave their plans around our oblivious hero, while he remains consistent in his single-minded fixation on his first love. In some ways I envy him because the world must be so much less confusing without trying to understand all the agendas. My head hurts. bcook: There's this thing called belief that you have to suspend when you watch this show. There's also the matter of trying really hard not to ask questions. JoAnne: Ask the questions! Ask them! We must expose WTFery at every turn!

YOU LADIES, SONG JAE RIM HAS A DRAMA. An honest-to-goodness, real drama where he is part of the main trio and not just a random guy getting beaten up in Episode 1 (thanks, Big Man) and not a side character, bartender-time-keeper-angel (thanks, Secret Love). The working title for his drama is 잉여공주 (ingyeo gongjeu) literal translation is Surplus Princess which is a pun on 인어공주 (ineo gongjeu) or The Mermaid. kakashi: Yes, mary. He might even be the lead? JoAnne: So he's the mermaid? Or the princess or whatever? Starring Song Jae Rim, Ohn Joo Wan, and Jo Boa the story is a parody/mature take on The Little Mermaid. This time, the mermaid must find a real job within 100 days to become completely human. O.o sounds WTF and fun . Surplus Princess will be on cable (expect kisses!) tvN, to be exact (expect awesomeness!) and by SNL Korea's production team (expect fun!) The drama will take over Rude Miss Young Ae Season 13 timeslot every Thursday 11 PM. (Wow... that intro sound

You could think that having Kim Ji-hoon on my screen for more than two hours for 27 weeks would satisfy my Kim Ji-hoon cravings? Wrong. It makes me more greedy. And while I wait for my next Jang Bori craziness, I suddenly remembered that I have SO MANY more episodes of GEoDiL to recap. Just lovely. Unfortunately, this episode is extreeeeeeeeemely boring. But it looks like the wedding is next! Yaaaaay!

A lot in this episode could be considered "filler", but I really don't want to use that word for anything related to Kim Ji-hoon. No, my Kim Ji-hoon is never just a filler! Also, people, the time jump is here (at which point things cease to be a filler)! And with it comes the new hair! It's a new world and I will not lie, I'm very excited to get to know more about it. Other people are excited too, Jang Bori now reaches 16.9% viewers in Seoul (TNmS), which puts it at 2nd place on Sunday (or 3rd, if we were to go by AGB Nielsen). The crazier the better. Keep it rockin! JoAnne: It's still a very weird show, Kakashi. kakashi: It is?  

Hi Squeeglets! I'm back like Song Jae Rim! Meaning, I come back for one measly cameo then disappear for a long time, then pop-up again for one episode in a mini-series . *grumble grumble* But hey, let's not look a gift horse in the mouth! Unless horse = Song Jae Rim and look = kiss. kakashi: mary is back, mary is back, maaaaary is backbackback! JoAnne: I should go away for a while. Look how happy she is. AND she's wearing my color. Before we start, check out the trailer for KARA's mini-series Secret Love , where Song Jae Rim seems to be playing some bartender-cum-time-travel-angel (Yes, JoAnne) who gives Seung Yeon a chance to go back and change her dead boyfriend's past. kakashi: Hahahahaaaa, awesome. Will you squeecap it? You should. JoAnne: What? That's totally the correct usage for that latin term. I am not giggling.

If episode 4 left me feeling a little empty, episode 5 went a long way to fill up my soul.  There are so many nice gestures extended between roommates that my cup runneth over.  The women of the house continue to open up to each other and form what seem like real and deep friendships. On the other hand, it's fairly heartbreaking to see just how insecure and lonely these idol/actors can be.  It makes me wonder how they can go for years in the business and be in the same idol group yet not form any friendships. Bom, I love you more and more--can I adopt you, too?  By the end of this show, I will have quite a bevy of adoptees. bcook: I agree with you on everything. But I'd just like to take this minute to rant about the deceptive editing we got last episode. PDs made us think Bom was crying about Min Woo when it was really about something sweeter and more meaningful. I didn't not like that. JoAnne: I am totally buying that these are genuinely nice people. Every single one of

This is a serious episode, with lots of break-ups of not-yet-formed couples. We're sloooooooowly edging towards the truth, but the steps are so small, it's hard to notice. Also: new hair is in our future! In general, I demand more Jae-hwa - and more Jae-hwa/Bori interactions. In general, this week's episodes don't really deliver on that. Oh well, there's over 30 episodes left, so ... JoAnne: I'm going to be so old. I'm going to be so old and so dead by the time anything happens that I want to see, like Jae Hwa be sexy, or Bori learn to modulate her tone of voice, or Big Kang put major mack daddy moves on Auntie, or that goddamn hateful Min Jung midget falls into a man hole that leads straight to hell.

Shuk:  We have finally reached the Stalker Edition of the story.  Truthfully, does anyone have a chance at a normal relationship anywhere in this storyline? Is this really how they think people should behave when they are attracted to someone?  Wait, I just remembered the previous episodes, and respectfully withdraw the last question… JoAnne: This is rapidly becoming the OTP of my nightmares, and when you consider how much I like Aaron, realize how deeply distasteful I find Tao Zi's general attitude of despair, depression, and angst. We all needed to drink for this one.

The search for Jae-hee is back on! Ya.....ay? We don't get any definitive answers about what happened to her, but we do get a few more questions to fuel our wild conspiracy theories. So, that's fun. JoAnne:  When I watch this show I come up with THE most outlandish fanta...errr...theories.   bcook: I've never laughed in disbelief so much in my life. 

Ah! We get a load of cute and then, the drama turns daaaaaark on us. Fairytale dark, with loads and loads of misunderstandings and drawbacks for Bori. Well, she most certainly will grow through it! I also get the feeling that there is another time jump coming ... JoAnne: I hope so. And I hope that in that time jump, Veggie Ahjumma gets turned into veggie mush by a truck of doom. That wicked, hateful woman.

I never knew I liked crazy makjang so much. I also see why people say this kind of weekend drama is crazy addictive ... crazy because it's SO BAD and addictive because it's SO GOOD. Does that make sense? No? Thought so. Of course, it helps to have Kim Ji-hoon/Jae-hwa on screen, and him falling hard, and most likely painfully for this country bumpkin.  JoAnne: This is NUTS. But watching him fall for her ( really, he's doing it so fast and so hard it's actually more like he's PLUNGING shit everything sounds sexual but I don't mean it that way. He's just bonkers over her, like, overnight. It's fun to watch.) (Don't forget that she is his first and only love from WaaaaaaaaaaaYYYYyyyy back. He has been in love with her for half his life)

After a complete dud of an episode (13 must have been the absolute worst), we get a sweet, positive, healing episode next. It's still boring as hell in my opinion, but the sweet kinda makes up for it. Better we have sweet and pointless than bitter and pointless. Yeah, alright, maybe I'm too mean ... it's actually getting really cute again. JoAnne: Pfffffffft. Someone needs a nap. kakashi: It's morning here, but thanks!  

It's my turn this week! I'm in a stinky mood. I'm tired. I'm vicious. Alright, drama, you wanted it - and now, you get it! --- is what I thought. But then, surprisingly, this episode wasn't too rage-inspiring. Only extremely boring. Though Asshat is still around. JoAnne: I am exhausted because I ran away with Aaron Yan this weekend. It was so worth it. So Polar Bear better watch out and Ji Yeon too, probably, but my love for the puppy and Cutie is still intact because Aaron... that's a different kind of love. Much sweatier. Much.

Episode 4 was narrated by Mama Shin, which should have been a promising start, but his words were rather prophetic as he told the other guys "After Dong Wook leaves it will be really boring." You got that right, Mama Shin! I found this episode not only a little boring, but also more than a little sad.  Good thing we had your cutie face to look at every now and then! JoAnne:  I didn't think it was laugh out loud funny but I wasn't bored, either - it was interesting to see them go off in their little groups and start getting to know each other better.  PS Mama Shin I love you.  I love you.  I love you. bcook: Back off lady! Jeesh! no respect for property. :

Doctors are encouraged to play with lives and relationships are put to the test, all in the name of competition. In other words: just another day at Myung Woo Hospital. WTF, Doc? JoAnne: Oh look, he just noticed me. bcook: hehe

Shuk:  This episode left me with a bad taste in my mouth. All my shows seem to take a dive into WTFkery this week, but the decisions made by our folks here made me wish I had a cat, just so I could throw some cat toys at my screen.  I started using other languages when I ran out of synonyms for "idiot". JoAnne:  So you have a situation, and you have the right way to correct the situation, and you have the less right way to correct the situation, and then you have the absolute wrong way to correct the situation.  If you are a boy, which one do you choose?  Is that even a question?