Rants and Weekly Raves #163 (RAWR)


Trotwood: This week left me a bit drama cranky. So I decided to read this weekend instead of catching up. Then I realized that I had watched everything but Mad Dog and my still darling Avenger's club (no subs yet for me).
SakiVI: I feel like I read too many subtitles in addition to all the documents I read for work. So I'm pleased for you that you took time to read.
kakashi: Getting tentatively excited for Hunting Ground.
JoAnne:  Meng!  My Meng!

KOREA

Temperature of Love 

I am this close to dropping this show because I realize that even though I really like the love between the OTP, the only character in the show I really like is Kyung, the assistant. (I do love the puppy chefs, but there isn't enough of them in this show and they are going to have to suffer, too, apparently because everyone must suffer) I guess I don't like our OTP enough to watch them suffer at the hands of incomprehensibly hateful/spiteful characters who seem to be hateful just for the sake of being hateful. I will watch this week and see, but it looks as though I may just skim recaps so I know what happens.
I don't like his spoiled brat mother but I think her mother was unspeakably rude to the woman and that irritates me.  Kim Jae Wook being That Guy irritates me.  Hong Ah being a brat irritates me.  I need Kyung to stop with the squealing.  I want to punch Jung Sun's mother for acting like she has every right to use CEO Park as her personal piggy bank, and I want to punch Jung Sun for feeling like her doing so is putting a debt on him.  They're grown ups.  She's A, Park is B, and Jung Sun is C:  not part of the equation.

20th Century Boy and Girl 

I do not want the brothers to be pitted against each other.  They're both very nice men, and now we've seen what happened with Ji Won's engagement.  I can't imagine that his brother would put him through similar pain, knowing that story.  In all other ways, this story is easy-peasy, rosy-pink, wrapped in cotton-wool, a soothing bed time story guaranteed to deliver sweet dreams.

Witch's Courtroom 

So mad that girl died.  
Our heroine's work makes me more and more nervous. She is bating a bull, and though I understand why, I'm worried for her. At least her boss is cool and calm (though she's seething with anger the entire time--love her). I feel badly for Cutie Soo who knows his mom is lying.
I want to hug them both and push them together to kiss the way I used to mash Barbie and Ken into each other.
 

This Life is Our First 

Congratulations to the viewer who noticed our stalker guy from earlier scenes--on boss and even at wedding--I so wasn't paying attention to this. I laughed out loud at the "how to avoid damaging a motorcycle" bit, and that laugh made it more poignant when he did damage the bike on purpose. I'm glad we got through their miscommunication and her pushiest (and resulting passive-aggressive behavior) because of it.  I'm more worried about Soo Ji and Sang Goo. I see why he is so surprised at her behavior, and though she is harsh to him, he really just doesn't understand her world. She has decided that she needs to rise up. Unfortunately, that means she has to put up with crap in a toxic work environment. I think it was important for the drama to show us how even her female co-workers blame her for being complicit in the harassment. No wonder she has no romantic fantasies.
We don't call him OMGLeeMinki for nothing...I do love their awkward, teeny tiny steps toward each other, and the shy happiness that each can put in the other's eyes.  I'm so impressed that Shaggy Puppy was always there and we never noticed him.  They're laying on the 'bad guy' so thick though that I feel like we're getting trolled.  I like the other couples, too, and I think Ho Rang's 'logical outcome' approach to Won Seok's confession of uncertainty is hilarious.  Of course it's not the PC approach but this IS a rom-com, after all.
 

Mad Dog 

Not caught up.
I am loving this.  Our vigilantes understand and support each other now, united against a common foe: two of them, really.  May they rot in jail forever!  Also, I was so focused on the claims adjuster friend, thinking he was a double-agent, that I was a bit blindsided by the detective friend.  Stupid mistake - the minute they mentioned he had a sick kid it should have been obvious he could be bought.

While You Were Sleeping 

I was mad at her mom for being so mean even though I get it. Still, her daughter is a grown up, and he hasn't treated her badly at all. I'm also a sucker for a moving court speech about justice, and this one--though hitting all the tropes--was a good one.  I like how Ji Gwang and Woo Joo bonded over this case and her son and the difficult choice she made to support what she thought was right even though her son was at risk. I'm not sure I would've done the same. Woo Tak is still my love though.
Woo Tak belongs to all.  Sunshine like Woo Tak cannot be contained.  I understood the mom, too - it's not just her daughter, it was also her own feelings.  She knew it wasn't his fault that she was feeling that way, but what are you going to do? He reminds her of bad times.  Anyway, in the end she caved, just as we knew she would.
 

Buam Dong Revenge Club 

This show is best semi-binged. So, I'm waiting on the subs for 7 and 8, and then I'll watch them with 6. And then the last four episodes together. 
I don't think I'll be able to watch this before RAWR goes out this week. This is a show that if it keeps up, I will probably marathon watch all together again from beginning to end during my winter break.
Actually, watching it all over Thanksgiving sounds a good plan. 
This week's episodes were very sad; so much pain in those lives. And the husbands are closing in!  Bok Ja Club isn't exactly a well-kept secret, although I do find the running joke that Soo Gyum is some sort of high school gigolo a hilarious interpretation. 
 

Go Back Spouses 

It was good to see them working on something together - and yay for bringing down that sleezebag! - but they seem to do so well with their second chances at first love that I'm not sure how this is going to resolve for me.

The Package 

Loving the romance in it, and you all know I don't care much for romances.  I also love the family relationships in it. So So's family are so sweet and I think I cried a little at how Soo Soo's future in-laws brought him soy milk when he was released from prison. And we have Elf Ears. 

Black 

Can't get into it.  
That's too bad - it's pretty good!  There's a lot going on, the writer is doing a pretty good job of keeping it all straight and moving in the right direction, and the actors are doing very well.  Black the Reaper is melding with Moo Gang the sweetheart, so we're getting the capability of one with the heart of the other, and it works for me.

Revolutionary Love

Forgot about it. Sorry, Siwon. Do better next time.
Yeah, I'm with you here.

Sweet Enemy

I have official renamed this show Painful Chef because basically I watch Chef Dimples be awesome and in pain watching the love of his life become his stepsister and now they can't be together. They are trying "not to be greedy" and want anything else and the show keeps fanning the flames. They give us this. . .

And then her saying that she will be content just to be his sister while they play romantic music.  In the last of last week's episodes, they even only had our blander than bland lead in the episode for about five minutes. What is this show doing? 

Today, our boring lead bored like he was boring for his country in the Boredom Olympics.  And he and Chef discussed how they will settle for a sibling and friend relationship with Dal Nim.  Both annoyed me. DN, get an option 3.

NOT-KOREA

Smark 

 

Lucifer

I watched it ... and forget immediately what it was about. Ah.... pudding. It was the pudding episode. And the bigger message was ...
Too much pudding is bad for you?  No, redemption.  Second chances at doing right with your life.  That's what this is about.

The Good Place (midseason finale) 

Janet decides to own her feelings about Jason and just let them resolve themselves, so that stops the glitches that threaten everyone.  But now Michael's boss is in town, and that's never good news.

The Exorcist

Wow, it's getting creepier by the minute.  The little girl who doesn't exist is MAD, and she's starting to do stuff.  John Cho is trying not to go any more crazy, but it doesn't seem to be working.

The Walking Dead

Morgan's going off the deep end, Darryl's popping people off left and right, and it's definitely all shaking out into a 'are we men, or are we monsters?' season. 

Hunting Ground (new) 

We don't get this until November 13th.
I bet you Hu Ge is HAPPY this is finally airing! Is his hiatus over by the way?  
I just want to touch . . . that jacket.
Hello old friend!  Can't wait to see you in action - but lose the tacky jacket.

Attention, Love!

So much kissing!  And I completely love Mouse Face now.  That bitch Bai Bai is making it look like Shao Xi is a thug who goes around beating people up for no reason, and I want to pop her in her smug stupid face.

Alias Grace

Wow, that was spooky, disturbing,  and satisfying all are the same time.  And based on true events! I'm still recovering  from episode 6. The possession scene fairly freaked me out.