Rants and Weekly Raves #181 (RAWR)
JoAnne: Oops I forgot to start a RAWR
Trotwood: I just thought you were in shock after taking my challenge of "Really Jo, you are watching nearly every show on the planet" and realized you are currently watching 18. I counted and I have far too many (21) that I want to be watching, and that isn't even counting the upcomimg shows (like Pretty Noona Brings me Food) for which I'm excitedly waiting. I'm dropping and/or not starting a bunch. I'll just have to read about them here.
SakiVI: I am just not interested in any of these new shows, save for Untouchable Lovers, and have instead been marathoning Schitt's Creek. It's hilarious.
panda: Sick, so will be very pithy
I was wondering if this one would get you. I enjoy every episode so much. Go Hye Ran has much to recommend her, but also much that makes it easy to judge her. Still, she is not a 'bad' person, to me. Yet. I still don't think she murdered the asshole (yes, he is SUCH AN ASSHOLE) but now I am back to thinking it was Tae Wook, and if so...he sure let the wife he loves go through a ration of shit for a murder he knew she didn't commit. That just makes me think he and Go Hye Ran are even better suited than expected, though. Unless...maybe it really was an accident after all. Wouldn't that be hilarious?
I am up to ep 6 and this is good. GHR is a really interesting protagonist, very very flawed. I like that she uses all she has got but I just can't seem to let go how she took such an important decision without informing her husband before the act.
Trotwood: I just thought you were in shock after taking my challenge of "Really Jo, you are watching nearly every show on the planet" and realized you are currently watching 18. I counted and I have far too many (21) that I want to be watching, and that isn't even counting the upcomimg shows (like Pretty Noona Brings me Food) for which I'm excitedly waiting. I'm dropping and/or not starting a bunch. I'll just have to read about them here.
SakiVI: I am just not interested in any of these new shows, save for Untouchable Lovers, and have instead been marathoning Schitt's Creek. It's hilarious.
panda: Sick, so will be very pithy
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| Mr. Lovely looking lovely, as usual Lovely Hans Chung land. Thank you. Who this? Nope, not for me. How could Did you just call me "anyone"? Nope. I did not. It was a global anyone, but since you mentioned it, I narrowed it down to you, because you are our wonderful leader and have such excellent taste. |
KOREA
Radio Romance
I know that there are people who are bored by this drama because for them it seems like every good girl helps rich cold guy heal story. I still like it because I like our couple and I'm invested enough to want to see Sooho escape from the horror that is his family. I also like how there really doesn't seem to be any sustained misunderstandings with the couple. What I find annoying is that there are quite a lot of things sprinkled in that would make this show distinctive, but the writers seem to want to ignore them. We are still unsure about his mother and what her real deal is. The 2nd female lead is so underdeveloped that I'm not sure that they even have to pay her the full price because she doesn't have any new lines ever when there could be something really interesting between her and the lead and Joon Woo. And Jason's characteristics change so often that he either is a split personality or there is a different writer that does his lines for each show. Still, I love Sooho and GeuRim, so I'm staying.
I look at it this way: there's only so many stories out there, and some of them get more play than others. All you can change are the details. Radio is new, not being a Candy is new, him being so dedicated to sharing his thoughts is new, Lee Gang's whole approach is new, not knowing what the fuck is up with Jason is new, having the dragon queen retain some human emotion is new, etc etc etc. Well, replace 'new' with 'a fresh take' maybe. I mean sure, we've seen it ALL. We weren't born yesterday, so we've seen EVERYTHING seven different ways to Sunday. But I find these particular characters different from and more layered than many of the very many other warm girl/cold guy stories, and I'm going to root for them. I think the pacing of some of the secondary stories could be improved, but I'm quite happy with the main course.
Should We Kiss First
I feel like I watched this a million years ago. This was the set of episodes where we find out he's dying of cancer but hasn't told anyone, and where he invites her to live with him when he finds out she's lost the apartment and moved to a gosiwon?
A little terminal illness goes a long way!
A little terminal illness goes a long way!
The Great Seducer (new)
Sloppily written and directed. If it was a book, I'd say I'd put it down after the first chapter. As it was, I stopped after the first episode because yawn.
People seem to really be loving this show. I'm not watching because the French original and it's 18th-century British counterparts led me into a nasty fight in graduate school about why I was disgusted not sorry or intrigued by the ruination of a woman for sport. They are all so pretty in the stills though.
I saw Cruel Intentions well after it had its theater run. I wasn't even aware of it when it was out, truthfully. So I watched it one rainy weekend without any idea of what it was really about other than bitchy rich kids. I thought, ooh, shiny. I thought ooh, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Reese Witherspoon and Selma Blair. It really made an impression on me. To me, violence is understandable. I can wrap my head around people getting mad and getting in a fight, people losing control, people doing terrible damage in the heat of the moment. That seems human, at least, if reprehensible.
People seem to really be loving this show. I'm not watching because the French original and it's 18th-century British counterparts led me into a nasty fight in graduate school about why I was disgusted not sorry or intrigued by the ruination of a woman for sport. They are all so pretty in the stills though.
But the idea that other people simply matter less than I do is utterly shocking and always has been. I cannot fathom things like making bets about whether you can take a girl's virginity or not, so I was fascinated. I remained fascinated through all the rewatches, and I watched the John Malkovitch version, too, though it didn't have the same impact. I do not think this version is boring or sloppy. I think they've made the Unholy Threesome more human. I have more sympathy for Soo Ji than I did for Katherine. I believe I'll feel pain when we watch her downfall, and I cheered to see Katherine's humiliation. I felt the same scorn and disgust her classmates did, but I think with Soo Ji I'll just feel sorrow. Si Hyun's misery stands out to me more than Sebastian's did. I will absolutely mourn his death. I don't know why I'm inviting misery but I'm hoping this will be a harder watch than Cruel Intentions, because I think we'll actually care about these kids before they ruin their lives.
I couldn't care less about any of them. And dangerous liaisons is overdone, anyway. In the end, the show has to make me care, and it didn't.
I couldn't care less about any of them. And dangerous liaisons is overdone, anyway. In the end, the show has to make me care, and it didn't.
That Man Oh Soo
People seem to be really enjoying this...I only saw the opening episodes and I'm not sure I'll get back to it. It was okay and I do like the actors but I've got a lot of shows I'd much rather be watching.
Mother (Finale)
I thought I was going to watch a thriller about a woman who kidnapped a little girl and somehow made me like her anyway. I assumed she'd be mentally unwell, somehow, and that despite her misguided choices we'd still see affection develop between them, but in the end, everyone would return to their rightful places and life would go on. What I ended up watching: an incredibly moving and nuanced meditation on what it means to be a mother, what it means to be a daughter, and how families are made. This will stay with me a long, long, time. I can't recommend it highly enough.
Seems to be a great show.... that I won't watch because it will make me cry and I don't want to cry.
Oh yeah, there were lots of tears. Some for them, some just thinking about life and mothers and such. BUT it has a very good ending.
Seems to be a great show.... that I won't watch because it will make me cry and I don't want to cry.
Oh yeah, there were lots of tears. Some for them, some just thinking about life and mothers and such. BUT it has a very good ending.
Return
I want to first thank Return for getting me through increased distance training today. I was tired, but watching the show while cranking up the hill quotient on the treadmill (because I was getting so angry) really helped. I know I have said this before, but this show contains some of the most vile characters I have ever seen. I've been trying to figure out why I hate Tae Suk and Hak bum so much. It's not like we haven't seen spoiled rich people grow up spoiled rich and rotten and believe that they can get away with anything (including murder) because they do, so I really can't put my finger on it. Maybe because they seem so gleeful about it? Maybe because they find every new horrible discovery funny like it's a game? I find it interesting how this week's episodes are so much about confession and forgiveness. I wonder whether Na Ra will be able to forgive Ja Hye now that she knows her true identity. I want her out of this completely. I like how In Ho was this close to turning it around and turning himself in but couldn't do it and then made it worse for himself in the end. I'm still hoping Druggie will finally be able to confess. New News: There has been a two episode extension! Grrr.
I forgot I hadn't seen this this week so watched last night, but late, and I think I nodded off for a few minutes here and there. She turned herself in to the cops and I thought wow, so what's left? She'll cooperate with them to bring down the Freaks, do her time, and live out her remaining days somewhat at peace? But I'm not so sure, because even though she sincerely had a moment out there in the garden of that man...I think her turning herself in is all part of the process. Maybe not from the beginning, but it definitely seems like a calculated move based on the things that have been happening with her since. In Ho. In Ho, In Ho, In Ho. In the end, you're really nothing but trash. Maybe Druggie will have the strength to continue on the path of redemption...
Mystery Queen 2
Another show that seems to be making fans angry and disappointed. Ironically, I think I might be enjoying this season more than the first even though I know that this one is NOT nearly as good as the first. I'm enjoying the relationship between our duo, and I especially enjoyed this week's mystery because it sheds light on the cram school culture in South Korea and the creepy/sad yet cool study places that you can find to study for all sorts of exams. It's important to show that the 14-hour study rule isn't just about trying to get into university but for any kind for civil exams and for companies like Samsung.
I must be in minority because I am enjoying this a lot. The first 2 episodes were a bit odd but subsequent ones have been a treat. My grouse however is, I need to see more of her friend than a 15 sec cameo in police training school though that was a fun scene. Any guesses as to who killed Mr Chairman? My guess isn't even in any of their 3 suspects.
I must be in minority because I am enjoying this a lot. The first 2 episodes were a bit odd but subsequent ones have been a treat. My grouse however is, I need to see more of her friend than a 15 sec cameo in police training school though that was a fun scene. Any guesses as to who killed Mr Chairman? My guess isn't even in any of their 3 suspects.
Misty
In an unprecedented attempt to take procrastination to the next level, I started Misty on Friday! The episode length is ridiculous and this would be so much better with snappy, 45 minutes episodes each, but I'm on episode 6 now and am planning to continue, so it's doing something right. No spoilers for me, please (well, not that I don't already know everything from twitter :), but I feel very sad for Go Hye Ran. How pointless to cling so desperately to this lousy news anchor job, where a woman's beauty is basically all that counts. Personally, I do not understand how somebody could abort their child for this kind of job, but just my opinion. It makes it really hard to like her, doesn't it. And even though she says it's ultimately for a "just world"... nah, don't believe her. Plus, Kevin is SUCH AN ASSHOLE.
I am up to ep 6 and this is good. GHR is a really interesting protagonist, very very flawed. I like that she uses all she has got but I just can't seem to let go how she took such an important decision without informing her husband before the act.
Children of a Lesser God (new)
I have only been able to find one episode subbed and 6 are out now. I will keep watching this one if they continue to be subbed at least for a bit. I'm really curious to see how the ratings for this one will be because I said to myself at the end of this one whether they have decided what they want this show to be. It isn't really like anything I've seen on Korean drama. Usually with a plot premise this dark, the police drama is consistently dark. It has that Voice vibe to it with Kim Ok Bin's police officer character able to visualize people's deaths. However, along with the grim storyline, there are this weird humorous characterizations. Then it hit me. This show reminds me of a Japanese police show not a Korean one. Kang Ji Hwan's investigator makes me think of the lead in IQ246, flamboyant and silly but also deadly serious (see comment in a previous RAWR about this show). There are other funny touches like those in that show and in Himura Hideo (see below).
Grand Prince
If I'm being honest, I'll probably never watch episode 2. In a very surface-y way this just seems like a repeat of Queen for Seven Days and they are NOT going to do as good a job, and I just really don't have the will to sit through the Broom.
My Husband Oh Jak Doo
What the hell did Seung Joo do that her mother thinks it's Seung Joo's fault the family has no means of support other than Seung Joo herself? It's bad enough she clearly values the son over the daughter, but that certainly happens in lots of families around the world - what's worse is that she seems to view Seung Joo as ONLY a bank account. And what was that with the aunt visiting her as a young girl? Did Seung Joo get left at an orphanage? They didn't really explain that in the fight.
If I were Jak Doo I'd be feeling really protective of Seung Joo, also. It's going to get really swoony at some point, I think. One thing: I can buy that 15 years turned him into a bumpkin, but in the beginning wasn't he holding on to that love and waiting for when she'd return? If so, why'd he tell her he let her go long ago? For the sake of Seung Joo? If so, especially when at this point he still looks at that marriage as a very temporary thing - that was beyond self-less. I think it's more likely a weakness in the plot, though.
Marry Me Now?/Shall We Live Together (new)
Oh, maybe I found my new long weekender? (Excuse me, you need to watch Kim Ji-hoon starting next week!) I saw the first episode only, but: four families (I think?) - a widowed cobbler and his grown children (who are variously employed, married, or trying to get started in careers), a wealthy widow (that I LOOOOVED) with a grown son who's an ass, some other wealthy family that the cobbler's middle daughter married into (they're the 'bad' family) and then...oh, right - another family kind of in the middle, economically (hacker ahjumma is the mother! but she's not particularly likable). So these families have friends and employers of course to round out the cast and there's a cute little girl, and naturally there'll be connections and intermarriage and all that. I do love a good multi-generation, multi-family, multi-socioeconomic Korean weekend drama, as long as the people I hate are in a definite minority and are fun to hate, not stress-inducing, and as long as the screeching is kept to minimum. There wasn't any AT ALL. I'm hopeful.
I've started it. I hope wealthy divorcee and cobbler get together.
I am pretty certain that's the plot, yup. I look forward to it! But OMG I'm beyond excited to be doing a soapy Kim Ji Hoon drama with Kakashi again...Jang Bori, Goddess of Marriage...those recaps were so much fun!
I've started it. I hope wealthy divorcee and cobbler get together.
I am pretty certain that's the plot, yup. I look forward to it! But OMG I'm beyond excited to be doing a soapy Kim Ji Hoon drama with Kakashi again...Jang Bori, Goddess of Marriage...those recaps were so much fun!
Good Witch
I was liking Ryu Soo Young in this, although not Lee Da Hae (The Destroyer of CHUNO) so much (as either sister), and I'm not all that interested in the mystery that needs to be solved so...this is probably a drop.
Happy Sisters
I feel like I say the same thing this week, but damn this show knows how to do cliffhangers. In the last five minutes our male hero shows up and says "I have proof that HoeJo threw herself down the stairs to fake a miscarriage; however, no miscarriage because she was never pregnant." We all know that not much is going to come of this because we have at least 40 more episodes, but still I love the confrontation. The second couple are finding their way back to each other because Contract dad softens completely over his wife's surprise for his daughter's birthday. He also loves her mother, too. I see problems though coming not from the guy who has fallen for her btu from his manager who is jealous but claims she is only worried that people will misunderstand his friendship with a married woman. I love how he asks her point blank whether she will stop visiting him when she gets married. Little does he know that she probably thinks she will marry him.
Manager did admit that she likes the singer, but he did not shut that down like he should have done. The show is throwing us hints that HoeJo was once a decent human being until the doctor she is in cahoots with ruined her life and her reproductive health. So, she turned full-on evil like a sort of Harley Quinn character, except less charming.
Manager did admit that she likes the singer, but he did not shut that down like he should have done. The show is throwing us hints that HoeJo was once a decent human being until the doctor she is in cahoots with ruined her life and her reproductive health. So, she turned full-on evil like a sort of Harley Quinn character, except less charming.
CHINA & TAIWAN
Untouchable Lovers
Terrible acting, but terrific storyline! I'm eagerly awaiting episode 7 as I type this. I'm not going to blame the lead actress in particular because, let's face it, all the cast suck at their jobs. But the writers, wow, good job there! I seriously want to know what is happening next at the end of each episode.
See You in Time
I love these two. Hans Chung is so lovely to look at and then he's so adorable. He literally made my toes curl when he kept nudging her with his nose (an action Jo lovingly called "nose boops" on twitter). Our leads are so happy together that it is easy to forget how much pain Mr. Twisted is in even when we watch his last hope of being an ordinary even happy human being gets crushed before his very eyes by being friendzoned for the person whose very existence seems to erase his. His relationship with Ms Twisted is so twisted that I didn't feel as badly as I ought to when he comes right out and tells her that she is suffocating him. Everything he says is the truth though he should have been kinder. I don't know if he could have with the life he has lead with his father. I really blame their father for all of this.
Ahhh, they are so adorable. I forgot to mention last week that the reason he could send HER a future message was because in the future he created, HE's the one that's dead. Now finally they're in it together, and that alters things so much that even future her starts having brand new memories of the past, and I think the preview shows them even communicating back and forth, past and present both aware of each other. I'd worry that it means they BOTH die, but uh....she's there in the future so that can't be it. I did feel bad for Twisted because I know he's in real pain...but I also think there's something he's gotten wrong about the whole kidnap piece. Still, like you - I put blame on the dad. Even if it's really not what it looks like, I think Dad didn't handle things will with Little Twisted or Teen Twisted, and now Grown Up Twisted is going crazy.
All that snot . . . who wouldn't be crazy?
Lion Pride
Okay. QiangDa has known QiangWei's various personas for a while, and he knows Old Yan's role in both sets of parental tragedies, and he'd decided not to compete against his friend Tie's interest in QiangWei (because he doesn't know QiangWei likes HIM, not Tie.) Now this week, QiangWei finds this all out too - except for the bit about him liking her. The interesting thing was confirmation that Side's father, now a wealthy politician, was ALSO part of the group that did the robberies and murders. That's going to hurt since since Side is a nice woman and she's been making friends with the room-mates. I like the actor playing the robber who spent 19 years in prison - he was the foster brother to Aaron Yan in that drama with Beatrice, and I think he's better suited to being a criminal than a businessman.
My Dear Boy
This was a painful episode to watch but a necessary one in character development. With Quing Hui off to do his (4-month?) military service, everything seems to be at status quo. But our too perfectly nice second lead finally realizes what we all know. Xiao Fei isn't that into him, and she is working really hard to like him because he is a good person, but she isn't really interested in him making him nervous around her all the time. She even comes up with a lame excuse so he won't come to QUing Hui's going away party. He comes to break up with her and tells her this, but he also tells her something else we all know. She really is her best most relaxed happy self with Quing Hui. Duh. This leads to her not going to his going away party and completely ignoring him during his entire stint in the military while he worries about her. I'm not sure what the point of the weird subplot was with the delivery girl and her nice but juvie boyfriend, but QH doesn't find out about X?F being in Beijing until he gets back, and he finds out from 2nd lead that she is gone and they've broken up. Sigh. I wonder how long she will avoid him
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| What the FUCK did they do to Wolf Boy's HAIR OMG |
Old Boy
Tried and got so bored. Lead actress was annoying - why are lead actresses annoying 75% of the time? - and that stupid cliche of the teen boys being into music was just lame. Old boy wasn't even that old.
I don't find Ariel Lin annoying, although I'm not a huge fan of her looks. I think her character here is a little annoying at times, but not enough to make me not like her. As for him...he's old to be living his life like a boy, I guess that's what they mean? I didn't find him particularly boyish at all. He takes his job and his principles seriously, but he wants to be left alone to do as he pleases otherwise. Pretty typical for a committed bachelor. He's clearly got a decent heart - even though he tries to be selfish, he really can't do it.
I don't find Ariel Lin annoying, although I'm not a huge fan of her looks. I think her character here is a little annoying at times, but not enough to make me not like her. As for him...he's old to be living his life like a boy, I guess that's what they mean? I didn't find him particularly boyish at all. He takes his job and his principles seriously, but he wants to be left alone to do as he pleases otherwise. Pretty typical for a committed bachelor. He's clearly got a decent heart - even though he tries to be selfish, he really can't do it.
I like the look and feel of this, and the way they're focusing on him and the boy at the moment. (By the way, love the kid.) She keeps bumbling into and out of his life, but the kid lands there like a bomb and he's not going away, so I think it's fitting. We all know what's coming next, right? She sent that young woman off to Australia, the boyfriend will leave her for the chit and that will leave her open for the eventual blossoming of a relationship with new dad of her student. They approach life very differently, so there should be some interesting conflict. I look forward to next week.
JAPAN
Final Cut
Waiting for the two-hour finale!!!!!
Unnatural
I didn't love this episode as much as I loved the others, but I do love our team as much as ever. I think it is because this is the penultimate episode, and the writers had to set up the final confrontation with the killer of Nakado's girlfriend. The flashbacks we finally get of the two of them and how they met were so sweet, and how the team rallies around him to help him with the last push is even sweeter. We always knew that the UDI was on shaky ground, but it looks like someone is trying to purposefully put it out of business. I also want to know what the heck is the reporter Shishido's deal. He was presented as someone who was trying to expose Nakado at first but then he was trying to trick him and then it turns out he knows the real killer?
The reporter is just weird... So the serial killer is actually out to frame Nakado? I enjoyed the penultimate episode as usual and I am not curious to see how they wrap up all the threads.
The reporter is just weird... So the serial killer is actually out to frame Nakado? I enjoyed the penultimate episode as usual and I am not curious to see how they wrap up all the threads.
Repeat
This show gets crazier and crazier with each episode to the point that I'm relieved that next episode is the finale. I don't think I could deal with much more. No one died this episode, but finding out why people keep dying was both a relief even if seemed like a bit of a cop out. We all knew that Kazama was crazy, but he really finds joy in playing god and watching people either live or die as a game.
The serial killer here was a cop out as you said although it makes sense. But now I am really curious as to how it will all end. Kazama is not going to let anyone tamper with his precious repeat. I was a bit pleasantly surprised how Omuri changed tracks. Good for her.
The serial killer here was a cop out as you said although it makes sense. But now I am really curious as to how it will all end. Kazama is not going to let anyone tamper with his precious repeat. I was a bit pleasantly surprised how Omuri changed tracks. Good for her.
BG: Personal Bodyguard
Woohoo. Finally, subs for another episode. I sort of wished I had waited to watch it all at once not because this is one of those shows where the cliffhangers make you breathless for the next episode but because this is one of those shows that I think would benefit from close watching to remember the relationship changes in the underlying overarching story that flows through the specific mystery/challenge of each episode. The newest ep involves a story about relationships between parents and children, which shows how our hero utilizes his personal life to inform his professional. I still don't get the huge animosity between the Secret Police and our professional bodyguards, especially in this episode when the BG was picked because the SP were taken off the job by the government. I also hate our female politician for fanning that flame.
Need to watch.
Need to watch.
Rinshou Hanza Gazuka Himura Hideo no Suiri/Criminologist Himura and Mystery Writer Arisugawa
This show is the reason why I am behind on everything else. Everyone who follows me on twitter knows that I literally got sucked in by the magic of Saito's hair, which i think had its own lighting director because it always looked glorious. I will not post all 22 hairs pics I have from this show, but I do encourage people to watch it if you are interested in Agatha Christie/Murder She Wrote type show that has this weird combination of creepy and funny bits laced with teen murderers and a psycho political cult. Our hero, played Takumi Saito, is a professor of criminology who is often called by the police to help with cases. His best friend, Masataka Kubota, is the writer of mystery novels that plays the Watson to his Holmes. They've known each other since unversity days, and I'm on the hunt for the prequel that tells us how they met and became friends because the previews show them both with really different hair!
WESTERN
Lucifer
I watched the 3 episodes - the high school reunion one was a little funny, the next one played to my closed eyelids, and I saw bits of the last one, where Amenadiel and Linda break up and then later Lucifer comes to some kind of realization and bursts into Linda's office to say he's made a huge mistake. I'm assuming the realization is that he loves Chloe since whatever came to him came when he saw Chloe and Pierce head off to a concert, but this show loves to make it not be the obvious thing so who knows.
He cried, did Lucifer. Or something like it.
He cried, did Lucifer. Or something like it.
The Walking Dead
oooooh, stuff is HAPPENING. That Savior guy with the mustache is really angling to ditch Neegan and he thinks he's got his chance now, but Rick's comment about the Garbage Pail Kids was a shock to Neegan since those deaths were directly against orders...Mustachio Mike is gonna pay for that, big time. Unless of course Jadis kills Neegan first...
Schitt's Creek
I started watching this show because of a Vox.com review that said it was the best show I wasn't watching or something like that. And now I've marathoned nearly 4 seasons in a week and it has been worth every moment. Of course, I have pesky questions like why adult children are being forced to live in Schitt's Creek with their parents when they could, I dunno, get jobs in NYC with their connections, or why $500 million was all in the hands of one dodgy business manager, but if everything made sense, I wouldn't get to see this hilarious family. The best part, of course, is seeing them all adjust to life in this small Canadian town with totally Canadian humour, which, no matter what anyone says, is not British, but is still very dry and very funny. Seriously, I'm going to be so sad when season 4 ends.