Rants and Weekly Raves #141 (RAWR)

JoAnne: So these 30-minute episodes, with two released per evening giving us four episodes a week... it doesn't bother me so much. How about you guys?  So far, the only side effect for me is that Lookout, of the new shows I've seen so far, doesn't do it - and I'm left feeling a little disappointed that I don't have two more episodes to look forward to even though I know I'm getting the same amount of show!
Trotwood: I thought Fight My Way/Third Rate My Way was the show that didn't. Trying to catch up and recover from the endings this week.
It doesn't either, but at the time I hadn't seen it.
Hi, I'm kakashi and I'm still not watching anything. Plus, I have no energy to recap, so don't request any shows, thanks.
SakiVI: I'm too exhausted to write about anything as well because I have sooooooooo much writing for work to do!  But gosh, this Jaehyo picture is refreshing...

KOREA

My Secret Romance 

Not too angsty for not too long. I like these little cheese puff dramas mixed in with other shows; they don't last too long, give us plenty of laughs and swoons, and resolve well. Keep 'em coming, and may Sung Hoon star in all of them! Next up, please: a noona romance.
He would KILL IT in a noona romance, especially since he is not really a puppy but someone who I can really imagine with an older woman. SO much fun with the bonding between him and what he thought was his kid but completely disappointed in the turn it took this week. Why didn't he speak up when she asked him if he only said those things because he thought the kid was his? I blame shoddy lazy writing for this. There were so many ways that this could have been complicated w/o using the "keep silent" trope to create misunderstanding. It's also not consistent because he was completely in love with her before it even occurred to him that the kid could be his.

Tunnel (Finale) 

Now this was a satisfying ending! Bad guy: caught! Romance: secured! Touching family and friends farewell: with tears! And then, that little bit at the end where you see what some of what happens 'after' - and it's happy and exactly what you'd hope for. The ending episodes were suspenseful and properly climactic and there was just the right amount of time for tying up the little ends. One thing I found particularly emotional was when Team One went out to to let each family know that the killer had been caught. That bastard killed 25 people, sometimes just for smiling at a man - I can only imagine how heavily that would weigh on the police who had been chasing him, some of them for 30 years. Another thing I loved was how the two Park Kwang Ho's did have a connection, beginning and end. I really liked this drama. It was cohesive and well-paced and stocked with just the right mix of characters. It felt very complete. Well done!

Whisper (Finale) 

After the whiplash-inducing reversals of the previous episodes, the ending felt a bit sedate. There's a little bit of the Evils trying their best to do their worst, but in the end all is as it should be. This was a very satisfying watch, all in all. I found out just recently that a lot of people dropped it because of that initial video and her use of it to trap him but I suppose I don't see that as any worse than anything anyone else did in the drama, and I do think the drama gives weight to the wrong-doings of our 'good guys', for the most part. It's very easy to draw the parallels between our mostly-good and our mostly-bad guys, I thought. The drama does a very good job of illustrating how you start on that path, and where it leads if you don't get off it pretty quickly. Special shout out to Secretary Song, who MUST join the annals of outstanding secretaries that Trot is maintaining. He was fabulous to the end. And of course, the cameo appearance by Jo Jae Hyun appearing as his Punch character was perfection.

I was as relieved hearing Secretary Song's verdict as I was hearing Dong Joon's. He was perfect through the end. He had put up with so much crap and had his loyal heart broken and deserved the kind of revenge he got. He had great lines, too, and I loved his negotiating for food. I would have been doing this,too. 
I was prepared for it to be less snarky and twisty from what people had been saying, but I thought it was twisty up until the end. I did NOT predict Jung-Il's last pitch to get out of a murder conviction. As much as I wanted him punished, I admired him for thinking this up at the end. I'm wondering though whether it was because the writers realized that they had made him too sympathetic by having him fall for Soo-Yeon's tricks.
I also am not bothered at all by the romance between Dong Joon and Young-Joo as apparently some people are. It seemed very organic to me and not shoved in like some have said or not up front enough. They both were busy. I have to say my heart broke a bit when he looked so happy to see her even when she was coming to arrest him. 

Third Rate My Way (New) 

Love them already. I mean come on, they're the best anyway, and together? Magic. It's going to be so much fun, and they'll make us swoon, too. Especially that Park Seo Joon, right? Man, he looks good in a tee shirt. And I love.his.face. Just give me his face, making faces. Smiling all crinkly-eyed. Or sad, he's good at sad, too. I love Park Seo Joon. Everyone does, though, don't they?
I started this merely because of my love for Park Seo Joon. I wasn't sold on the first episode. Perhaps it's because I was more like the Moo-Bin character in high school and as an adult. I also completely having to give up on a dream but finding new focus, so I wasn't liking how it seemed to make them pathetic. I also don't understand why Seol-Hee and Joo-man can't be open about their dating when everyone knows that other girl likes him and there is no indication that it's against company rules. However, I stuck with it because of Jo, and I was completely won over by ep 2, especially how Dong-man immediately comes to help Ae-ra when she's in trouble and fell in love with her (like Moo Bin does) when she takes on ALL the creeps at the police station. I love their friendship so much that I'm actually worried that the love part will mess it up.

Lookout (New) 

Wow, did this start off great! I have high hopes, please don't let them be dashed. Both Kim Young Kwang and Lee Si Young are killing their roles so far, and everyone around them (Kim Seul Gi!, Key! Kim Tae Hoon!) are actors that are must-watch for me, so I really, really hope this continues as well as it started. As usual, I paid very little attention to the info about the show before it started beyond noting the two leads. I didn't even really know the plot, this time. So for me, the reveal of a key character was a great twist - I think that added to my enjoyment but it's a one-time thing, unless this is like Cruel City and every damn body turns out to be an undercover cop. (Not that I minded that, it's one of my favs forever.) I look forward to next week very eagerly. 
Will start commenting here next week. I couldn't watch the tragic set up.
It was unbearably sad.  Except that I watched it, so I guess it was bearable, sort of.
I felt your tears through my twitter feed.

Circle: Two Worlds (New) 

I'm intrigued. I like the brothers in 2017 and hope they continue making us wonder if the one twin is crazy, or if that woman really is an alien. I mean, I think it's obvious it was an alien when they first met her, and it was an alien who went off with their dad - but is the girl now, that girl then? I love when a show has me wavering on answers like that. And in 2037, who here thinks maybe that The Gloved Man is that crazy twin from 2017? Or THEIR FATHER? I like both halves of the show, and I like going back and forth from past Normal Earth (which is normal) and future Normal Earth (which is a wasteland) and Smart Earth (which is super Sci-Fi.) Again, looking forward to next week.

 

Queen of Mystery (Finale)

Wait, is that really the end? Are they bringing it back for a second season? I mean, I've heard of open endings but come on, this is ridiculous! We don't know why Seo Hyun Soo died or who she was or who's behind Ha & Jung, for starters, and that's the whole freaking story, really. And what happens with our girl and her cheating husband? He shows up and talks about Jeju, did he get reassigned? (I might have missed something, so don't shoot me if that was explained in an earlier episode.) How can I talk about a drama as a whole when it doesn't feel whole? Okay, fine: I loved our little gang of detectives, amateur and otherwise. I didn't hate her family situation like so many did because it was always clear to me that they did love her and care about her. MIL was doing what MILs do in dramas, and by comparison wasn't all that bad; she's just a complaining woman who criticizes everyone and cares deeply about appearances, but she loved Seol Ok and Seol Ok knew that. The thing is, I think her husband loved her too, and that whole bit with the other woman was never explained at all, so I'm frustrated. I also thought Wan Seung's confirmation that his father was behind Hyun Soo's disappearance/death was a bit understated. It just doesn't feel FINISHED. It feels like I was ramping up for a big sneeze that just disappeared. And that girl, Jung Ji Won. How did that end up? Come ON. I'm not happy.WTF?!?!?!?! When I was watching the 2nd to last ep, I thought, how are they possibly going to conclude this in one ep. There were still so many parts of this story. I couldn't enjoy the last episode because I kept stopping to check the time and realizing that not only was I not getting answers to important plot points but they were actually giving us new things/options to consider.  And then it just ended. I am one of the people who couldn't stand her family and only softened a bit towards her sister-in-law at the end. I was so angry at them sobbing at her bedside. What was the whole other woman thing because even though I was mad about the bedside anger her husband exhibited, he looked like he was really sorry in their meeting at restaurant. But then again NOTHING about the past story was explained. Why were parents framed and murdered? What did Hyung Soo know? Why did Wan Seung's dad want her out of picture and who is he working for? I just want to smack people until I get answers. UPDATE: Apparently there are some negotiations for a second season and they were planning for it, but there is no indication that this is done deal--more beggin on their part. Seems like an arm twisting maneuver though but I don't know if ratings were really there for them to have any power in this negotiation.

 

Suspicious Partner 

I like this a lot. It might not be something where I'm dying to find out what happens next - and I can tell you the reason why in a minute - but I really like getting to know all of these characters. Our three childhood friends and their awful situation, I can understand the feelings of all of them; I like our heroine very much with her awkwardness, and am appreciative that she mostly seems NORMAL in that awkwardness. They aren't going crazy making her dress weird or be too strange. She's a smart girl who has confident and not-so-confident days, and her clumsiness around Ji Wook is not irritating at all. I've yet to feel much investment in solving whatever overarching crime there is in the background, mostly because they don't really give us much. Is it specifically about them, or are they all randomly drawn together because of the crimes? Is that kid really the mastermind behind all of it? Who knows? Not me. I don't even have enough to make a theory about it, so that's why I'm not on pins and needles to get to the next week.
I am really enjoying this, too. My favorite character is Eun Hyuk. The love story I'm most invested in his love story with Ji Wook, which says something since I'm generally the last person to forgive cheaters, but he is clearly so broken by this loss.  I was hoping that Yoo-Jung wouldn't turn out be the stereotypical ex-girlfriend who assumes she will get her boyfriend back, but they are going in that direction. She seems too smart though, and we already have Ji-Hae in the bitchy 2nd lead role anyway.

 

Ruler: Master of the Mask 

There is a lot happening in this show, but it mostly feels coherent. 'Chun Soo' and Ga Eun are off doing good things for people and, in Chun Soo's case, biding time and building a power base. Meanwhile poor Lee Seon is a puppet king forced to do Dae Mok's bidding or die; if he doesn't play along, Dae Mok withholds some sort of antidote to a poison he forced Lee Seon to take. That's gotta suck - the poor guy even contemplates suicide just to avoid having to do Dae Mok's bidding. He makes a friend, though, and reveals his secret. Hopefully this friend will be as awesome and supportive of Lee Seon as Chung Woon (my love) is for the real Prince Lee Seon. I'm interested in Hwa Gun, because she truly seems to care for the prince even to go against her grandfather Dae Mok and his Pyeon-soo Hwe; also her trusty Gon, who doesn't do or say much beyond fighting but still manages to give off a vibe that he cares about Hwa Gun and maybe even the prince, too. It wouldn't be crazy - the prince is a genuinely good person.

Father is Strange 

This show just makes me smile - right now we have a lot of happy with Joong Hee finally hitting his stride as an actor, plus his developing friendship with Mi Young and his chance to live out childhood dreams with his (fake) dad. Hye Young and her Sunbae are back together, and I don't think all the parental disapproval will sway them much. I don't even mind spending time on the bully's troubles at work now that everyone knows she's pregnant, because even if she's a bully that's something a lot of women face and I would like to see how she deals with it. And any minute I can spend watching that adorable puppy Ahn Hyo Seop stare lovingly at the camera, I will take.

Chicago Typewriter 

This is becoming really emotional. Shin Yool is coming to terms with his ghostness being permanent, and that he's almost out of time to even be present in the ways that he is. He's desperate to solve the mystery, sad to watch his best friend and first love fall for each other, and terribly afraid of what's coming. It's really heartbreaking. Who knew watching a ghost slowly die could be so sad?

Man to Man

I kinda figured at some point that we'd get a nasty surprise and one of the ahjussi's would be a bad guy, and I like how they're handling it because it's really a question of how you look at things, right now. Maybe he is, maybe he isn't, but maybe he is because he has to be for a greater good in the end, who knows? Maybe it's not really the guy we think it might be, and is instead the other playing a really long game? One of those things. And this whole 'Lover's Tactic' allowing K to be the things he deep down wishes he could be with Do Ha - I think at this point he's even dropped the pretense of tactics with her. It is what it is, but he's honest as he can be about his life and that there's probably nothing more than this in their future, and I think she reads him loud and clear, too. She's a big girl and she knows what she's doing and she's willing to pay the price if she has to. I like them, together and apart, but more together. I hope it works out.

Bad Thief, Good Thief 

No more kids. Kim Ji-hoon is here.

NOT-KOREA

Ten Thousand Comments About Mark Chao

What's he doing with his thumb? 

My Girlfriend's Boyfriend

This is charming in a small-dose kind of way. I've seen the first four episodes and have grown to like poor Ah-Zhai, who accidentally buys a male Luv Robot and then, when he gets a female, she imprints on the male. I'm sure it all works out in the end. There are some cartoony visual and audio elements, but they aren't annoying - in fact, I like the occasional drawn scene with live actors. We'll see. PS. Pretty actress, she sort of reminds of Princess Weiyoung. Ah-Zhai is one of those guys who is attractive the second time you look at him (really love his nose) and the male robot has a pretty smile. I don't think I've actually seen them in anything else, but so far I like them fine.
I was watching Ah Zhai's nose too, but I got fed up because, come on, they're robots.  Just get them disconnected or smash them up with an axe or something.

Lucifer 

Maze is awesome. I don't think I can say it enough. I love her fierce loyalty to her friends, her insistence on honesty, her general state of kick-ass readiness for anything. I love Dr. Linda, too. Believing in Lucy and being friends with him and Maze is kind of destroying her life, and yet she does what she thinks is right, over and over again. Chloe can set aside her heartbreak and confusion time after time to do what needs to be done, too. Charlotte..well...I understand she operates with a different set of principles and on a different scale, and sometimes that makes her pretty unlikable; I do think she loves her children but I know that won't stop her from using them. What I don't know is if she is right or not. In general, though, I see Lucifer surrounded by some pretty cool ladies and this was really their week to show it off, I think. Or maybe it just clicked for me this time, for some reason. But in many ways, I watch this show for them, more than him.

Harlots (Season 1)

I finally got to watch this and loved every bit. London, 1700s, two rival bawdy houses; at first you think one woman is a monster and the other is just trying to make it, but it becomes apparent that they are both terrible people with one willing to go much, much farther than the other. In addition to following several women (and some men) try to establish their independence, we have murder, corruption in the courts, religious zealots, drug use, interracial relationships, homosexual relationships, a dominatrix, slavery...they covered a lot, and I thought very well. I look forward to season 2.

The Get Down Pt 2 

In Season 2, Marlena and Ezekial find greater success in their chosen fields, with mixed results for their families. The Get Down Brothers do succeed in freeing themselves from Fat Annie (and the clutches of disco), which made me happy - also, hearing the names of real DJs from back then and snippets of songs that I recognize, plus learning some of the history that I didn't know - that was great. I'm not so sure things will end up great for Marlene, though. On the face of it, she's moving forward - and on her own terms - but they didn't really let us know how she'll manage the long term effects of finding out the truth about her father, and the suicide of the man she thought was her father. The visuals again were a bit distracting, but I thought the season moved things forward well and I do look forward to a Part III, if there is one.