Rants and Weekly Raves #84 (RAWR)
kakashi: I can't believe Pied Piper is ending this week. I'm so sad! I didn't expect to fall in love so early in the year, or to fall in love at all... does it mean this is it for the year, I wonder? Or will I be lucky and find another Kdrama to love and cherish, until death us part?!
JoAnne: You know me - I always believe there's another one to love, right around the corner.
So much needs to be right for me to fullheartedly love...
We're missing so many folks right now :( Come back so it's not just me splashing red everywhere!
Red, red, the color of looooooove.
I can't believe you pretended to think about it. I still don't like it as much as Signal; however, I do love it and it's pretty close. I think the difference for me between this and Signal is that I feel closer to the leads in that show. I don't feel as close to Myung-ha as I did to Kim Hye-Soo's character, Cha Soo-Hyun, for example. However, this is a top notch show. All around everyone is doing an excellent job. It repeatedly surprises. It's intense, and it really makes me rethink assumptions all the time. Does anyone know what kind of ratings it's getting? I always want quality shows to get good ratings. I'd say it's the best show on television right now.
It's doing okay for cable, but nothing stellar. Because it started off with 3%, there are some people going "oh, falling ratings, a flop!" and stuff. I must admit, it pisses me off. This is a cable show, for the love of Hakyun. And that plagiarism article that DB thought was a good piece of news... what shit-stirring.
I understand why Trot prefers Signal because yes, you don't get (well Kakashi does) that visceral emotional reaction to Pied Piper as you do with Signal. But I understand why Kakashi thinks this will be her favorite drama, too. I do think it's the best thing on TV right now. I think that objectively it's a much better drama than Signal was. But somehow, yes, Signal wins in the category of emotionally connecting you to the characters. However... if I were going to re-watch a drama (which I really have only ever done once) it would be Pied Piper.
I agree with this. I'd rewatch Pied Piper (at least the parts that didn't make me cry), but I don't know if I could rewatch Signal because that would be too painful.
The vitriol is going to make me stay away. It already made me feel sorry for Ji Sung.
I'm confused. We all knew it was a story about a jerk of a man at the top who falls to the bottom and then recreates his life, complete with an emotional make-over. Do we not all understand the KDrama Code for 'hey, sure, we'll give you some laughs - but at least some of this will be dark' ? This was a decent start. You can get whiplash between Ji Sung's tears and his hyperactive glee, but hopefully that will settle out.
Now this! WOW. A Director's Cut! Lmao.
I feel like Alice, in Wonderland What am I missing? Did it offend Korean sensibilities somehow? Are there a lot of people jumping on a bandwagon?
Bless his heart, Ji Sung acts and acts and acts, and yet the show still sucks and sucks and sucks.
Also, miscast Hyeri much? If you had to have a Girls Day member, Yura or Sojin would've been more age-appropriate, let alone believable. I don't know if I even want to waste time on eps 3 & 4: it looks like we'll be tortured musically as well, just as in Persevere Goo Hae Ra.
I agree that Hyeri is miscast with Ji Sung, and that seems to be the pairing...but this does not suck.
We'll have to agree to disagree, because as far as I'm concerned, this show sucks. Oh wait, there was DotS. Never mind. This show is still really bad, though.
Darcy was in my mind too. YeonTae was a lot less sassy than Lizzie Bennett, though. Anyway, YeonTae is crazy: I'd kill for a handsome guy's Darcy confession. Of course, I'd laugh at him, but still, it would be fun to hear it and turn it back on him. Yes, the in-laws are irritating, but I think they never accepted their child's death. I felt their grief a lot in these last two eps. Once they settle that in their hearts, they'll be better about things. Or not. We do have 30 episodes.
And then, I continued watching Brain - I'm almost done and I still like it a lot. It's hard to stop, really, they're doing the cliffhangers right! Were the dramas overall better 5 years ago? I think so. Or ... is this the Hakyun effect?
I watched last week and this week back to back last night...interesting stuff for me, that he's discovered he's only vulnerable when near Chloe, AND that Amenadiel and Maze actually do like each other, and more about Lucifer's resentment of being saddled with 'evil'. I continue to adore The Therapist...and I'm relieved that Chloe's husband is actually NOT a bad guy. The line about him not being blond (Lucifer) made me laugh very hard and decide that I should probably try to read the comics. I hate reading comics. The page is so dense! I find that tiresome.
It's not just you. For a couple months now, I haven't actually raced to watch the episode when it popped up available for me - and especially now that she has Michael back, I feel meh. I was forced onto Team Michael by the writers, after all, and besides that, how many siblings can characters suddenly have to inject plot here? But the biggest thing of all: it was fine when Xo was the flighty dream-chasing mom who was maybe a bit too sexy for the other moms - but now that they've turned her into the alcohol-reeking mom who mortifyingly fools around with your friend's on again/off again boyfriends? No. Do Not Want.
JoAnne: You know me - I always believe there's another one to love, right around the corner.
So much needs to be right for me to fullheartedly love...
We're missing so many folks right now :( Come back so it's not just me splashing red everywhere!
Red, red, the color of looooooove.
Eastern
Pied Piper
I think this is now my all-time favorite KDrama. Let me think about it for a bit...... yes. it is.I can't believe you pretended to think about it. I still don't like it as much as Signal; however, I do love it and it's pretty close. I think the difference for me between this and Signal is that I feel closer to the leads in that show. I don't feel as close to Myung-ha as I did to Kim Hye-Soo's character, Cha Soo-Hyun, for example. However, this is a top notch show. All around everyone is doing an excellent job. It repeatedly surprises. It's intense, and it really makes me rethink assumptions all the time. Does anyone know what kind of ratings it's getting? I always want quality shows to get good ratings. I'd say it's the best show on television right now.
It's doing okay for cable, but nothing stellar. Because it started off with 3%, there are some people going "oh, falling ratings, a flop!" and stuff. I must admit, it pisses me off. This is a cable show, for the love of Hakyun. And that plagiarism article that DB thought was a good piece of news... what shit-stirring.
I agree with this. I'd rewatch Pied Piper (at least the parts that didn't make me cry), but I don't know if I could rewatch Signal because that would be too painful.
Lawyer Jo
I can't believe we left Park Shin Yang and Park Won-sang off our Ahjussi Lists - I went to look up their ages to confirm eligibility and PSY is Nov 1, 1968 (we share a birth day, though not a birth year) and PWS is Jan 7, 1970. I'll admit that this is my first real watch of PSY but I fell for PWS as Number Two in Last, and have enjoyed him in other things since. I'd rate them both pretty highly on our lists. Sigh. But about the drama - I love Jo. He's a little goofy at times but wicked smart, quick-thinking, and his heart is so good. I also love his relationship with Bae Dae Soo (PWS) his buddy the loan shark. Kang Sora is sort of negligible for me here, but maybe that will change. I am very curious how his wife turned against him, mostly.
Monster
I saw a bit more. He's grown up now and has gone to college and they've all made it through various levels of employment interviews to be accepted into the training school for Dodo Corporation. He's about to be framed as a corporate spy. I'm about to wipe it off all my lists, unless something happens soon to change my mind.
Jackpot
I've moved forward a few episodes, and my big take-away this week is saekshi, which sounds like sekshi, means wife, apparently. I derived a bit of amusement from thinking that Dae Gil was walking around declaring Dam Seo 'My Sexy.' Right now the show is funnier than I expected. Quite a bit funnier, in fact. I'm sure that will change soon.
Goodbye Mr. Black
I had an urge to go back to this and so I've watched up to episode 6 now - 4 episodes yesterday, so I guess that means I'm invested. It's true, I feel much more interested than I did before, but it's Kim Kang Woo's weak-willed villain who interests me the most, followed by Swan's personality. He commits to evil but then stresses about it in some areas and goes way overboard in others - and I find the fact that he often has no idea where anyone is very hilarious. As for Swan, she's caught between being a child and being a woman, in many ways - and every time we get a glimpse of just how neglected and unloved and alone she has been, it's almost a physical blow to my heart. Rim is looking good and I've missed him, so I want to see what he does - and now that Cha Ji Won has returned, (and oh my, is Lee Jin Wook handsome or what?) I'm looking forward to the battle...although it can't possibly be as good as that between Sung-chan and Hee-sung, can it? His return looks very different than I expected - he's not hiding at all. That's kind of interesting, all by itself.
Entertainer (new!)
My T-line exploded in hate for this one and I had to laugh. I didn't plan on watching it, but if this level of hate continues, I might have to.The vitriol is going to make me stay away. It already made me feel sorry for Ji Sung.
I'm confused. We all knew it was a story about a jerk of a man at the top who falls to the bottom and then recreates his life, complete with an emotional make-over. Do we not all understand the KDrama Code for 'hey, sure, we'll give you some laughs - but at least some of this will be dark' ? This was a decent start. You can get whiplash between Ji Sung's tears and his hyperactive glee, but hopefully that will settle out.
Now this! WOW. A Director's Cut! Lmao.
I feel like Alice, in Wonderland What am I missing? Did it offend Korean sensibilities somehow? Are there a lot of people jumping on a bandwagon?
Also, miscast Hyeri much? If you had to have a Girls Day member, Yura or Sojin would've been more age-appropriate, let alone believable. I don't know if I even want to waste time on eps 3 & 4: it looks like we'll be tortured musically as well, just as in Persevere Goo Hae Ra.
I agree that Hyeri is miscast with Ji Sung, and that seems to be the pairing...but this does not suck.
We'll have to agree to disagree, because as far as I'm concerned, this show sucks. Oh wait, there was DotS. Never mind. This show is still really bad, though.
Five Children
Interesting developments on a few fronts; we've had our Darcy confession from Sang Min and he's crushed now, because (obviously) he was rejected. Poor baby, I can't wait for them to find their way to each other! I'm way too irritated with the in-laws who seriously expect their son-in-law to never have another woman and consider it disrespectful to them, though. I get that their daughter is dead but they don't get to suck the life out of her husband in repayment. He didn't kill her, and they have no boundaries. Also, the potential for the ex-husband's wife and mother-in-law to get really rotten as she struggles to get pregnant is looming. She doesn't like the time he's spending with his kids, and as someone whose parents divorced early and has experienced a few different step-parents...this is a very quick way to piss me RIGHT the fuck off.Darcy was in my mind too. YeonTae was a lot less sassy than Lizzie Bennett, though. Anyway, YeonTae is crazy: I'd kill for a handsome guy's Darcy confession. Of course, I'd laugh at him, but still, it would be fun to hear it and turn it back on him. Yes, the in-laws are irritating, but I think they never accepted their child's death. I felt their grief a lot in these last two eps. Once they settle that in their hearts, they'll be better about things. Or not. We do have 30 episodes.
Vampire Detective
With the introduction of Lee Chung Ah finally, things have become more interesting. I'm still very puzzled about a 'vampire' whose only vampiric traits appear to be eyes that change color, the ability to see the last moments of a person whose spilled blood he smells, and the absolutely hilarious blood inhaler device. Although, to be fair, no one is calling him a vampire. No, since he has blood that absolutely cannot exist in this world, he must be a human experiment. Well, they aren't wrong.
Marriage Contract (Finale)
Well done, Show, well done! I had no idea we were near the end until yesterday and now here I am, all done with Hye Soo, Eun Sang, and Ji Hoon. I don't want to spoil the details, but I mean, you all know there's no way she's coming out of this alive, right? That's not a surprise to anyone. They handle it beautifully, of course, and Ji Hoon is now the man you want in any sort of health crisis, forever. I'd say more, but I'm actually still crying.Ode to Joy (new!)
I like it! I was watching when under the weather as seems to be my wont with Chinese dramas, and it was surprisingly engaging. Annoyed with one character, Qu Xiao, for sashaying about like she's all that, and all I see is someone super-annoying. Plus, she interfered with someone's new relationship! One of the girls had just started a new relationship, and Qu Xiao flashed her money at him, gave him her number all "to test him." BS. She just wanted to interfere because other people were happy and not her.Shin Ha-kyun Stuff
I'm obviously not done with watching my new love in many things. This week, I watched 고지전 (The Front Line), a 2011 war movie. A bleak, cynical, and anti-authoritarian war movie centered on a senseless mission: occupying Aerok Mountain, a small dirt hill between the North and the South that has been taken, lost, and retaken 30 times in 18 months. Everybody we love is in this movie (i.e. both Lee Je-hoon and Cho Jin-woong) and many, many die as they wait for the armistice to be signed ... and to take effect. It's a very touching and very sad movie and I can recommend it whole-heartedly, but be ready to cry. Never has war been portrayed as more pointless and less heroic.
Western
No westies?Lucifer
I'm still watching! And it's still not over! Haha, you know what bugs me the most about this show? How stupid the weekly crimes are. I mean ... why even have crimes if solving them is so easy! I still think this is a missed opportunity, because Lucifer Morningstar could have been such a good character if only they had tried to make him a little tiny bit more like his comic-counterpart.I watched last week and this week back to back last night...interesting stuff for me, that he's discovered he's only vulnerable when near Chloe, AND that Amenadiel and Maze actually do like each other, and more about Lucifer's resentment of being saddled with 'evil'. I continue to adore The Therapist...and I'm relieved that Chloe's husband is actually NOT a bad guy. The line about him not being blond (Lucifer) made me laugh very hard and decide that I should probably try to read the comics. I hate reading comics. The page is so dense! I find that tiresome.
Jane the Virgin
3 more episodes! It was once again very cute, everything. Those mother-daughter things make me cry. But ... the shows feels long. Or is that just me?It's not just you. For a couple months now, I haven't actually raced to watch the episode when it popped up available for me - and especially now that she has Michael back, I feel meh. I was forced onto Team Michael by the writers, after all, and besides that, how many siblings can characters suddenly have to inject plot here? But the biggest thing of all: it was fine when Xo was the flighty dream-chasing mom who was maybe a bit too sexy for the other moms - but now that they've turned her into the alcohol-reeking mom who mortifyingly fools around with your friend's on again/off again boyfriends? No. Do Not Want.
GAME OF THRONES!
It's finally back. I cannot believe it's back. I marvel at the phenomena that is Game of Thrones, because it feels like it never stopped airing, you know? So much discussion, so much excitement. The first episode picks up RIGHT where we left off, which means ... yes, Jon Snow is dead.