Rants and Weekly Raves #194 (RAWR)
JoAnne: Are you all as surprised and pleased as I am at the variety of decent shows airing right now? And - surprising twist - are you watching as slowly as I am? You could usually tell how much I liked a show by whether I stayed current with it. These days I really only do that with one or two at a time and often that's connected to whether the subs are fast, not whether it's my favorite show. I don't like having to hunt down shows!
Trotwood: I feel as though my drama watching is down to a crawl. It's like I missed the bus that all the new shows were on and decided rather than rushing to take the next bus or hail a cab to catch up, I've decided to just stop and have a snack at the nice little cafe on the corner.
So you decided to take...the Subway?kakashi: I missed the bus and then the NEXT one too. And then, while pondering what to do, another one went by. So I might just walk somewhere.
Panda: Holla! I'm rushed off my feet. I'm in a new job, new state... I'm soo busy and still settling in... An ep behind on MissA, Sec Kim need to start Life on Mars and Fuyao!
That's okay though, because I'm going to talk a lot about MY beloved, Rain, because...for the first time in my entire KDrama career, I'm going to rewatch A Love to Kill and Sang Doo, Let's Go to School. I'm a little worried about the last one, because the end wrecked me. I almost quit KDramas six months in because of that ending. I'm thinking about whether I just want to do little blurbs here or do an actual post about them, periodically.
I'm not going to judge. Instead of watching anything new this week. I rewatched all of Whisper. It's so delicious in the shade thrown by all characters. I actually got to enjoy it more this time because I wasn't so anxious about what was going to happen.
I watched the 1st episode of ALtK and remembered the things that irritated me about the drama (basically, everything that wasn't Rain, and that was just because he confused me.) But when I watched the first episode of Sang Doo, I had to pause half way because I was already crying. There is so much in the first episode that jumps out once you know how the story ends...
Here, have a pic of My Beloved wearing an awful pubic hair beard but still managing to be delicious. This is from the opening segment of A Love to Kill, the scene where he ends up having to save some girl who jumped off a bridge over him.
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| The madness is about to start |
So you decided to take...the Subway?kakashi: I missed the bus and then the NEXT one too. And then, while pondering what to do, another one went by. So I might just walk somewhere.
Panda: Holla! I'm rushed off my feet. I'm in a new job, new state... I'm soo busy and still settling in... An ep behind on MissA, Sec Kim need to start Life on Mars and Fuyao!
MARK
Scratch that...it HAS started again.
There are MANY MORE lovely pictures of him. But these will suffice.
There are MANY MORE lovely pictures of him. But these will suffice.
I'm not going to judge. Instead of watching anything new this week. I rewatched all of Whisper. It's so delicious in the shade thrown by all characters. I actually got to enjoy it more this time because I wasn't so anxious about what was going to happen.
I watched the 1st episode of ALtK and remembered the things that irritated me about the drama (basically, everything that wasn't Rain, and that was just because he confused me.) But when I watched the first episode of Sang Doo, I had to pause half way because I was already crying. There is so much in the first episode that jumps out once you know how the story ends...
Here, have a pic of My Beloved wearing an awful pubic hair beard but still managing to be delicious. This is from the opening segment of A Love to Kill, the scene where he ends up having to save some girl who jumped off a bridge over him.
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| *puddle of goo* |
KOREA
Investigation Couple
Slowly, slowly, slowly our mismatched pair begin to appreciate each other. I'm behind, so currently our grumpy examiner and the annoyingly naive prosecutor are trapped in an exam room due to a MERS scare, and conveniently both are ill but supposedly not from MERS. Her loud sunbae has announced to everyone that he believes Grumpy is a murderer, so there's lots of talk. Of course he isn't.
About Time
This week was sad. I really liked his little hyung, with his sweet nature and forgiving heart. Such a nice man, so of course he has to die - and right up until the end, he was shut out of that family. Why did the dad bring him home if that's how he was going to be?
Ms Hammurabi
Only one episode this week, but packed full of information about our baby judges and their families. I love them more every minute. All of them, not just the our OTP. Well, maybe they won't end up together but I hope they do.
Are You Human Too?
I absolutely adore RoboShin and am having a lot of fun watching Kang Seo Joon switch back and forth between sweet innocence and studied boredom/arrogance. This week's highlights: definitely the swoony 'Disaster Mode' scene and forever and ever, making friends with the Roomba. As for the story, we've got a packed agenda: normal chaebol family inheritance/disinheritance issues combined with a patriarch suffering from dementia and a non-family exec with designs on taking everything for himself. Then we ALSO have the mama drama with the two Shins (I also love her friend David) and what about Team Leader Ji? Am I alone in thinking he might carry a bit of a torch for Shin? I also quite like the plucky, somewhat morally questionable Kang So Bong and her friend Reporter Jo...I might even like the PR Princess who thinks she's going to marry Shin. Eventually.
This show is fun to watch for both the good moments AND the cheesy moments (RoboShin crouched on top of the speeding, out of control car in the middle of Seoul, anyone? Complete with hair blowing in the wind and hero backlighting?) I was bothered by one thing in episode 3, which is the fact that this robot who can control anything electric or connected to the internet didn't immediately pick up on her clumsy surveillance equipment - but no worries there, it's resolved in episode 4. One thing that has me wondering...when RoboShin checks Team Leader Ji for lying and instead of answering his question, Shin passes their conversation off as a joke...that look he gave. For this and other reasons, I think Shin has a little more agency than maybe Mama realizes. Question for you: Do you think Gong Seung Yeon has training in MMA? Because her fight scenes looked pretty good!
Come and Hug Me
Only one night airing here, too, but I welcomed the break, a little bit. These two...they break my heart. All they have to do is look at each other and I'm crying. How could I have ever thought Na Moo would go bad? There's no way on Earth.
What's Wrong with Secretary Kim?
He is so crazy about her I'm not quite sure how EVERYONE doesn't realize it. Or maybe they do? I still think there might have been a time when she liked him and then shut that down, and so now would be a confusing time, for sure. Does he want her for her, or for her ability to make his life easier? (We know the answer.)
Park Min Young is FABULOUS. I'll have more effusive praises next week 😍😍
Park Min Young is FABULOUS. I'll have more effusive praises next week 😍😍
Lawless Lawyer
Now I know why we had to get the couple together so early--because we are going to rip their trust apart because of noble idiocy and a promise to someone's mom. Sigh. Still this show keeps surprising me. I would have never guessed the real person who sent Sang-Pil that notebook. And as much as I love our two leads, I have to commend Choi Min-Soo's Oh Ju. He is chewing up this role and spitting it out. Everything from his walk to the way he takes off his glasses to his speech pattern is such a detail character study. I need him to be punished, but I applaud him every time he's on my screen.
Choi Min-Soo is such a pleasure to watch, in anything. If I'd pick this up again, it would probably be for him.
He is tearing up the screen. You gotta make time for this. I'm going to start making note of his big scenes so you can at least watch them.
Choi Min-Soo is such a pleasure to watch, in anything. If I'd pick this up again, it would probably be for him.
He is tearing up the screen. You gotta make time for this. I'm going to start making note of his big scenes so you can at least watch them.
Sketch
Ooooh, the plot thickens! I like that we have a story that's interesting and not necessarily predictable, but that's just the cherry on top because I'm here to watch Rain be PERFECT for this role. And Lee Dong Gun, holy cow - I've never seen him this way. I like the tension between the two men - they have grudging respect for each other and sympathy for each other's pain, they are equally set on their paths and yet...dare we hope that at some point they work together?
Life on Mars (New)
Hearing really great things about this. Universal praise from my TList. It's hard to find, you gotta go down those back alleys (if you live in the US, anyway) but I definitely want to make time.
CHINA/TAIWAN
Moonshine & Valentine (Finale)
Episode 25 better be an ENDING because otherwise, that was ridiculous.
I feel like i lost interest in this. Not seen beyond 18 and in rare free moments, would rather watch the Fab Sec Kim.
I feel like i lost interest in this. Not seen beyond 18 and in rare free moments, would rather watch the Fab Sec Kim.
Meet Me @1006 (Finale)
I watched episodes 23 and 24 last night and will watch the final two episodes tonight. I was deeply grossed out by all the make out scenes between Han Wen and Ji Rou. Fine, okay, they're steps and not blood siblings but it was still gross. Plus I have always found him physically repulsive in general so his very enthusiastic kisses were just...UGH. His jaw is so big I felt like he could unhinge it and swallow her head whole.
Lego Lee starts off these finale eps looking like a snack and a half (as my youngest would say) and turning into the snuggliest snuggle Muffin I've seen. Like I almost fell off the treadmill adorable at the stove nuzzling muffin. I really enjoyed this show and really appreciated how they handled the time travel stuff. Was it perfect? No. Did I have to suspend a LOT of disbelief in these last two eps? Yes. But all and all I don't regret the time, and I hope that I don't have to wait as long as I did the last time for a good Lego Lee show. I would highly recommend.
I haven't watched yet...
Lego Lee starts off these finale eps looking like a snack and a half (as my youngest would say) and turning into the snuggliest snuggle Muffin I've seen. Like I almost fell off the treadmill adorable at the stove nuzzling muffin. I really enjoyed this show and really appreciated how they handled the time travel stuff. Was it perfect? No. Did I have to suspend a LOT of disbelief in these last two eps? Yes. But all and all I don't regret the time, and I hope that I don't have to wait as long as I did the last time for a good Lego Lee show. I would highly recommend.
I haven't watched yet...
JAPAN
Ms Devil
There were no subs last week, but I just watched ep 4, and another intriguing (and funny) episode, but I'm starting to get frustrated with how sringy they are with info about the big bad. WE know that Miss Devil has trauma from her past that involved the complete burning down of a swanky cliffside hotel and that the company had something to do with it, specifically the semi-retired pretending to be forgetful but really still in charge of everything chairman, his 2nd in command director, and the director of HR. However, after this week, I'm wondering how much she really knows because Mis Devil actually includes her in on the case of the week. I really like the rag tag team she put together, especially how they do not fall for the chairman's trick and how they love to teach our fresh-faced boy. We also get to see Miss Devil impress more girl power motivation with one of her roundhouse kicks.
Black Revenge
You know it is a good payback scene when you immediately go back and rewatch several times. We've had good revenge right from the very beginning in this show, but the pain and suffering continued with the editor behind all the fake stories showing himself with every episode to be so disgustingly toxic that you want to take a shower just watching his machinations. Right when I thought the heroine had hit rock bottom, it turns out it was another master performance to catch him in the act and expose him for what he is on national television. I cheered out loud. Now we have two eps left to figure out what the story is behind the woman who was behind this man, our manic psychiatrist. Had she harboring this hatred for our heroine since high school?
WESTERN
Westworld
OH MAN, Westworld is getting better and better. Who knew the Ghost would turn out to be something completely different than Maeve expected? 'This is the wrong world.' The hosts have built an entire mythology. It's like we're watching humankind develop all over again.
Younger
Arghhh! Liza doesn't know it, but Charles knows. HE KNOWS! It's killing him! Come to me, Charles. I will soothe your pain.
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| This is Charles. He's 6'5'' and beautiful and a really great guy. MINE. MINE MINE MINE |