Rants and Weekly Raves #44 (RAWR)
If a squeecapper sings out loud to We Like 2 Party in an empty post, will Disqus track comments?
kakashi: Absolutely
My apologies, then.
JoAnne: Episode 4 began to interest me a bit with the sacrifice of PAG (Pretty, Asthmatic Gangster) and the introduction of Ghost/Mermaid... but they're still doing such patently stupid things that I'm not sure I can continue. One more episode. You might say this show and I have a month-to-month lease.
Yeah, it got a tiny little tiny bitty-bit better in 4 but then, they sacrificed their best character. But this is it for me. No more. My time is too precious.
I haven't even tried it yet this week. Not sure I ever will, but then the Bummie brows, they call to me…
becca: I haven't watched episodes 3 and 4 yet, but I did thoroughly enjoy the first two episodes for what they were: popcorn action. It tries to look cool without a lot of substance, so each episode is basically your typical Hollywood action flick, with a lot of hitting and posturing. If that's not your preferred genre, I'd suggest steering clear. I've always had a soft spot for the genre, personally, so I'll keep watching for now.
Hmmmmmm.... watched raw. VERY GOOD. It is recap-worthy. Will I recap? Still thinking about it.
Oooooooh.
Okay, it's a deal. It's going to be recapped. Where are the damn subs?!
Yes, where?! I want to watch, too!
THEY ARE OUT! (Dramaflu has them)
I feel like Mask is on the cusp of greatness, and kept thinking that le bon shit was about to hit le fan in this week's episodes, but it never quite got there. Please, please, Mask! You've got an awesome setup, so let's dive into the follow-through, 알아 지?
I am so ready for Min-woo to learn the truth. Also for them to just make out already.
I'm still watching!! And I felt like the pace finally picked up a bit this week! Jae-Min still doesn't know that Ma-Ri is a phampire in the Joeseon timeline, and I suspect we won't get into the hard-core, dramaverse-altering drama until he does. But Shi-Hoo had a lot of personal drama, trauma, and discoveries this hour, building up to what may be a pretty momentous end-of-episode cliffhanger for everybody. It seems like things are about to get very exciting, but I've been fooled before, so...
I've started watching Jdorama Doctors' Affairs. I waited on this one until it finished its run, and maybe even later due to some confusion over whether it would be 11 episodes or 12. (Viki now has 11 episodes and hasn't added any in a couple weeks, so hopefully that means that's all they made.) I do love Takumi Saito as the painfully earnest Dr. Morita, but the show itself somehow manages to be both tawdry and sappy, and is accompanied by a distracting, Love-Boat-esque soundtrack. I've noticed a similar dissonance with other Jdorama soundtracks, and wonder if it explains why I never got all that into Japanese TV even after living there for nearly two years, but fell so hard for KDrama after only one episode of Gaksitaaaaaal on Hulu? I have always felt that the soundtrack can make the difference between a good movie and a great one, and it seems like KDramas often use soundtracks that pull at me exactly the same way as my favorite Hollywood flicks. In any case, I'm sticking with Doctors' Affairs for now, even with the weird musical accompaniment, because Takumi Saito.
He's delicious. I saw the ad for Doctor's Affairs a while back, and on the strength of his face alone, wanted to watch...then I did, and his face was not enough. It just didn't capture me, I guess. But I was happy to figure out where I knew him from - he was Sunbae/The Other Man in that Haruma Miura wheelchair drama that was sooooooooooooooooo very good. But I never remember the names of J-Doramas. Anyway, I will look for something else to watch him in.
I suppose I should mention that I watched several episodes of Aquarius, the recent David Duchovny miniseries about Charles Manson. As expected, it's dark and creepy. It was also quite well done, I thought, and I would have kept watching if the episodes on Hulu hadn't expired so soon. It's not the kind of show I'd want a steady diet of, so I didn't make the effort to rush through them before they were gone.
kakashi: Absolutely
My apologies, then.
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| Awww, it's my weird little baby boy |
Hidden Identity
kakashi: Meh. It's so draggy. And then, I fell asleep. And then, I had to fastforward a lot to not again fall asleep. I tried, I really tried! Bummie makes the same face all the time, the cops are stupid, the writing is ridiculous, and neither the Ghost or the Mermaid really interest me. I think it's a drop.JoAnne: Episode 4 began to interest me a bit with the sacrifice of PAG (Pretty, Asthmatic Gangster) and the introduction of Ghost/Mermaid... but they're still doing such patently stupid things that I'm not sure I can continue. One more episode. You might say this show and I have a month-to-month lease.
Yeah, it got a tiny little tiny bitty-bit better in 4 but then, they sacrificed their best character. But this is it for me. No more. My time is too precious.
I haven't even tried it yet this week. Not sure I ever will, but then the Bummie brows, they call to me…
becca: I haven't watched episodes 3 and 4 yet, but I did thoroughly enjoy the first two episodes for what they were: popcorn action. It tries to look cool without a lot of substance, so each episode is basically your typical Hollywood action flick, with a lot of hitting and posturing. If that's not your preferred genre, I'd suggest steering clear. I've always had a soft spot for the genre, personally, so I'll keep watching for now.
My Beautiful Bride
It is being subbed by the Dramaflu! I'm very curious about this one. Maybe it's even recap-worthy?
Oooooooh.
Okay, it's a deal. It's going to be recapped. Where are the damn subs?!
Yes, where?! I want to watch, too!
THEY ARE OUT! (Dramaflu has them)
High Society
This show becomes more interesting week by week. There is SO MUCH social commentary here. The various intersections of class/gender/age/family position, even employment status...very little of it handled in a 'standard' way, all of it interesting and fluid. You might be forgiven for not realizing just how loaded it is, considering the off-the-charts charisma of the Changsoo/Yi Ji couple. Joong Ki and Yoon Ha are completely overshadowed. That's unfortunate because Joong Ki in particular is a fascinating and subtle character. I'm not sure we'll ever be able to decide if he's good or bad. I think, in the end, we'll just say he's human. Capable of both. Yoon Ha, as written to date, is confusing and unrealistic. I like UEE but I think Yoon Ha might need someone more skilled to carry it off. Right now I'm struggling to reconcile her overnight transformation - currently lumping it under she's tired and broken-hearted over Oppa, so she's just collapsing onto Joong Ki. It's hard though, because that does not feel like something she'd do. Maybe it will smooth out, who knows. I am very much looking forward to next week, when all the friendships blow up.
Yay for blowing up friendships!! I mean… uh… conflict and plot movement. I really like High Society. I want to love it, but I can't quite get there at the moment. I'm tempted to blame the direction, though I'm still working out why. It just seems… a little lacking. Like it could be adding more to what's in the script, but it's just showing everything word-for-word. I don't know. Still trying to figure it out.
Yay for blowing up friendships!! I mean… uh… conflict and plot movement. I really like High Society. I want to love it, but I can't quite get there at the moment. I'm tempted to blame the direction, though I'm still working out why. It just seems… a little lacking. Like it could be adding more to what's in the script, but it's just showing everything word-for-word. I don't know. Still trying to figure it out.
I Remember You
Remember when we thought Gapdongi was going to be an exploration of the mind of a psychopath? We might get some of that here. Episode 1 was a little odd, but by the end of Episode 2 I am IN this for Gukkie. Firmly on the 'not a monster' side of the fence, I am, and absolutely rooting for him to get whatever he needs to make up for the horrible injustice he suffered as a child. DO was perfectly cast as the first Monster, but the one who ACTUALLY creeped me out was the little brother. Check this out, if you haven't already. I think it's going to be fun.
I'm having flashbacks to Bad Guys and Jo crying, "He's a GOOD BOY. He IS." And just like those days, I'm inclined to agree with her. The mystery and characters are interesting, and I'm in for now, as usual. Hopefully the show will hit its stride this week. Also - Lee Chun-hee is here! And he's hilarious! I suspect something sinister underneath, though we haven't actually been giving any indication of that. Maybe I'm too obsessed with trying to figure out what became of Lee Joon-young and little bro (who was creepy, too, yes).
I'm having flashbacks to Bad Guys and Jo crying, "He's a GOOD BOY. He IS." And just like those days, I'm inclined to agree with her. The mystery and characters are interesting, and I'm in for now, as usual. Hopefully the show will hit its stride this week. Also - Lee Chun-hee is here! And he's hilarious! I suspect something sinister underneath, though we haven't actually been giving any indication of that. Maybe I'm too obsessed with trying to figure out what became of Lee Joon-young and little bro (who was creepy, too, yes).
Warm & Cozy
If these two do not learn how to argue like adults there is no hope for them at all. I just want to slap the both of them! Even so I cried in Episode 14, and not just for my poor underwear model. It's good that The Black Pearl and his Hae Shil continue to be a complete delight every moment they're on screen. Who besides me thinks that it was Geon Woo's mother who ran over Hae Shil's husband, and President Jin just took the fall for her because she was too drunk to even remember? What an awful woman. President Jin's sad face just makes me want to pat his shoulder and tell him it will be okay. I had that reaction to him in TBDaW, too.
Mask
This continues to be crazy fun! Ji Sook's brother knows she's not dead, but her husband doesn't know she's not who he thinks she is...although he IS falling for her hard. And she for him, but sadly. Vampire-in-law kicks his game up a notch - he must be having a blast on set, really. I love this! But I want Seo Eun Ha to just TELL Min Woo who she is, form an even stronger alliance, and kick every other ass. Then ride off into the sunset (en route to a really fluffy white bed where they can have lots of sex.)I feel like Mask is on the cusp of greatness, and kept thinking that le bon shit was about to hit le fan in this week's episodes, but it never quite got there. Please, please, Mask! You've got an awesome setup, so let's dive into the follow-through, 알아 지?
I am so ready for Min-woo to learn the truth. Also for them to just make out already.
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| These two have it in them to be bad*ss allies. Let it happen, Mask! |
Orange Marmalade
I have decided to put this on hold until it finishes. Are any others of us watching?I'm still watching!! And I felt like the pace finally picked up a bit this week! Jae-Min still doesn't know that Ma-Ri is a phampire in the Joeseon timeline, and I suspect we won't get into the hard-core, dramaverse-altering drama until he does. But Shi-Hoo had a lot of personal drama, trauma, and discoveries this hour, building up to what may be a pretty momentous end-of-episode cliffhanger for everybody. It seems like things are about to get very exciting, but I've been fooled before, so...
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| Awww, poor Shi-Hoo-yah!!! |
The Time We Were Not In Love
Wait, is this already airing? Oops...I still had it in the Looking Forward To section!
Seriously, KDrama. Stop it with the title changes. How am I to keep up?
Ha Ji Won is not the Queen for nothing, and Lee Jin Wook is adorable in this. I love them both. In fact, most of the core players in this are actors I love to watch. It opened just right - good pace, gorgeous sets, lovely sound track, just enough reference to the original. Which I admit, I haven't watched past episode 2 or 3, I think, and that was years ago.
Seriously, KDrama. Stop it with the title changes. How am I to keep up?
Ha Ji Won is not the Queen for nothing, and Lee Jin Wook is adorable in this. I love them both. In fact, most of the core players in this are actors I love to watch. It opened just right - good pace, gorgeous sets, lovely sound track, just enough reference to the original. Which I admit, I haven't watched past episode 2 or 3, I think, and that was years ago.
Masked Prosecutor
I'm glad Detective Pi isn't dead. I was sure he was a goner last week. And the Dae-Chul+Ho-Shik couple is still adorable, but I'm starting to worry that they aren't terribly bright. I'm also getting really tired of all the Just Prosecutors Society politics and the related web of corporate machinations. But worst of all, our OTP still isn't being honest with each other, and at the rate they're going I can't even envision a satisfactory resolution to their storyline (or any of them in this drama, really) in just four more episodes. Who knows? Perhaps Masked Prosecutor will surprise me with its awesomeness for the next two weeks, but it hasn't really so far. Sigh. |
| Cute but dumb, am I right? |
Other
The Whispers got pretty entertaining again this week, yay! I'll probably check out Dark Matter and Mr. Robot tomorrow...I heard about a show called Humans that, oddly, stars robots called Synths that I might want to look at, and then of course I'm assured by everyone that I should give GoT another chance. And I really want to watch True Detective. Update: I watched Mr. Robot. Oh, this is good. It's soooooooooo good. How good is it? It got renewed for Season 2 before the pilot aired. That's how good it is.I've started watching Jdorama Doctors' Affairs. I waited on this one until it finished its run, and maybe even later due to some confusion over whether it would be 11 episodes or 12. (Viki now has 11 episodes and hasn't added any in a couple weeks, so hopefully that means that's all they made.) I do love Takumi Saito as the painfully earnest Dr. Morita, but the show itself somehow manages to be both tawdry and sappy, and is accompanied by a distracting, Love-Boat-esque soundtrack. I've noticed a similar dissonance with other Jdorama soundtracks, and wonder if it explains why I never got all that into Japanese TV even after living there for nearly two years, but fell so hard for KDrama after only one episode of Gaksitaaaaaal on Hulu? I have always felt that the soundtrack can make the difference between a good movie and a great one, and it seems like KDramas often use soundtracks that pull at me exactly the same way as my favorite Hollywood flicks. In any case, I'm sticking with Doctors' Affairs for now, even with the weird musical accompaniment, because Takumi Saito.
He's delicious. I saw the ad for Doctor's Affairs a while back, and on the strength of his face alone, wanted to watch...then I did, and his face was not enough. It just didn't capture me, I guess. But I was happy to figure out where I knew him from - he was Sunbae/The Other Man in that Haruma Miura wheelchair drama that was sooooooooooooooooo very good. But I never remember the names of J-Doramas. Anyway, I will look for something else to watch him in.
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| I rest my case. |
Looking Forward to...
Everyone thinks the teasers for Vampire Who Walks at Night look good. I do not (neither do I)... but you know I will check it out anyway and am really hoping for good - too many actors I like! I also want to see Last, and Oh My Ghostess is coming soon, too!
I do!! I nearly yelped with excitement in the bus when I saw the new Walks the Night trailer! I reminded myself that Joseon Gunman looked pretty awesome, too, then turned out to be so forgettable, but I'm still cautiously optimistic this time. Same goes for Last and Ghostess. I'm planning to try The Time That I've Loved You, because I super-heart Ha Ji-Won.
Aside from being unimpressed with Scholar's teaser, I'm generally less excited for that show than I thought I would be, considering how I'm ALWAYS excited for a new Lee Junki drama. I'm still looking forward to it, of course, but I'm much more excited about Last. Please be good drama, please be good! And please, for the love of all that is soft and cottony, give us a decent teaser!!