The Problematic of the Unproblematic

kakashi: I don't even know where to start... so many things happen in this (long! It takes me hours to recap!) episode. From breaking-up to missing that person like crazy to old feelings being rekindled to the revalation that this is not about just one bad guy and his accomplice but that a whole fucking criminal operation is part of the picture. JoAnne: Thankfully for us viewers, the writer is handling all of these details pretty skillfully. In lesser hands I think that particular addition would really have just sent the whole story off the rails.

kakashi: This episode is defined by love and heartache. It made me realize that the one character who we are told cannot feel or recognize emotions is the one calling out all the emotions and accurately at that. This episode is also defined by lies. The only character who seems truly committed to truth is Hae-su who gets away with murder so easily so far, it makes me wonder what else the show has in store for her. JoAnne: I don't get it. He clearly feels emotions. I think he's more reserved than most, but for those he loves, he shows what he feels. He always loved his sister, even as a child. I'm not saying he doesn't have some issues but I think that diagnosis was wrong.  

kakashi: I wouldn't want Ji-won as my enemy. She's damn scary.  JoAnne: She IS, isn't she. I still think there's something about her we don't know.

kakashi: We continue down the rabbit hole of ugly reveals and new twists, near-hits and not-quite misses. I'm still impressed by the quality of this script AND the acting of our two leads. JoAnne: I'm with you - it gets better every week and with a story this twisty usually it we'd be seeing some WTF moments but nope - this story and the people telling it are terrific!

kakashi: Shit hits the fan and blood begins to flow. Something tells me it's not the last time I'm going to say that before the end of this drama.  JoAnne: We are in deep doo doo, it is true. But I am left feeling that this drama will now become Wifey helping Hubby reclaim his good teenage name and I am ALLLLLLLLLL about it.

kakashi: Nice. Just fool us, drama :D The tables turn, then turn again. Feeling as dizzy as I am?  JoAnne: I just keep focused on the belief that Hyun Su is misunderstood. Well, not misunderstood, but badly treated and ostracized and backed into corners. Having a personality disorder does not make you a killer. Having a crazy, serial killer father does not make you a killer. I'm staking my heart on him being a peaceful person at his core.  

kakashi: For the entire length of this episode, my heart beat way too fast. Goddammit, what a ride! Things aren't what they seem or are they? The plot thickens but then again... not at all.  JoAnne: I love another damaged JoonGi creation. Is anyone even the least bit surprised? He's a bit like your wolf here, right?   Poor pup . Yes!  *sobs*

kakashi: Hm, I might be wrong about everything I said at the end of episode 2. Our Male Lead might well be a psychopathic serial killer for all we know. And yet, the drama manages to make me pity the young him. How mean everybody was... JoAnne: I'm with you. Well, he's certainly the son of one at least and the whole thing about his emotions? Could have knocked me over with a FEATHER.

kakashi: The older I get, the fewer weaknesses I have, but Lee Joon-gi remains one as does Kim Ji-hoon. I'm going to recap this drama anyway because they're both in it even though it's tvN (= very long episodes). With episode 1, we're off to a swift start , have no clue what's going on and meet a ton of characters. I'm intrigued. JoAnne: That's funny - I find I indulge myself a lot more, return to things I liked as a child, even.  Dollhouses, sewn toys, all that. I don't have much time these days but I do love a good Joon Gi drama and Kim Ji Hoon is always a treat, and I have missed working on KDramas with my dear friend here.  The story could suck donkey (insert your word here, there are several) and I would still jump to participate. In fact, the bad ones are the ones we have the most fun on! (But this one is not bad.)

It's been a while since my last Top 5 post. Yes, I was busy with other stuff! With Lee Jun-ki, for example. But now, it's become quiet in KDramaland - and I will have to wait for new episodes of my two current shows. Time to do some deep thinking about ... things. After trees, permed hair, and snow, I want to tackle something serious for a change: Female Characters. Me, myself, and I are totally in agreement with this selection. Yes, it was super easy and very harmonious: We knew within 10 seconds who would go on this list. It's quite obvious what all of these characters have in common: they are atypical, independent, strong, sometimes rebellious women that go against the grain of society. If you want to use the term 'feminist' in relation to KDrama, these characters are as feminist as they come. Though they do not openly fight for a bigger feminist cause, they fight their own micro-battles against men, against women, against conventions that want to shackle them...

Cheongdamdong Alice is about all sorts of love. First, and obviously, its story is. Second, it is also making me love (the story, the drama and Park Shi-hoo). And third, some sense that there could be too much love ! What happened to "Park Shi-hoo and Moon Geun-young have no chemistry at all"? Well, that statement was trending yesterday, but all of a sudden, fans are suspicious that the two might be getting too friendly ! "It was also shown that these two actors looked happy talking and reading the scripts together. The two kept laughing when Moon Geun Young had to give peck on Park Shi Hoo’s cheek. Many noted that the two looked warmly at each other “too often.” Uh-oh... Quick, somebody do something!  In comes Moon Chae-won and saves the day: Mash Up Story (Nice Guy + Princess' Man) (c) Tumblr.com  Oh wait ... No! that was not what we wanted! EPIC FAIL!!! (see you later tonight for more gifs ~~^^)

"Ah, this ending is giving me such a headache!"  And once again, it's: ♪ *Time tooooooooooo, say goodbye* ♪ lalalalalaaaaa You're thinking I am a bit late with this farewell post? Yes, I am. I lost a whole week of my tightly scheduled KDrama-watching-life stalking Lee Jun-ki across Switzerland (in vain, as you most certainly know if you have been following this blog) and then being heart-broken for days over not seeing him and his porcelain-white, perfect skin (as I imagine it) and these amazing, fantagorastic eyes. In any case, I have now finished Nice Guy and it has made my already sour mood go even more sour. I can't get over the fact that, once again!, they managed to mess up another perfectly fine drama. You simply cannot show misery and heartache and bitter revenge for 19.5 hours and then, suddenly, switch to a happy, light-hearted, and cute mode, where every single storyline gets wrapped-up in the fluffiest, but also the most unlikely and ...

Coffee, cars, mobile phones, clothes, shoes, food, ... there is So.Many.Things.In.KDrama that I covet. I guess I'm the perfect victim for product placement. And boy, is there a lot of that in KDramas! Starting to look out for product placement (PPL) is not advisable, however. You know why? It is a certain recipe for spoiling any innocent viewing pleasures you might otherwise have. Once you start looking, you cannot help but notice. So: Do not try this at home! It was my current hate-love Nice Guy that gave me the idea for this post. Episode 8, in fact; where PPL is so thick, there's hardly anything else but products. And heartbreak. But Nice Guy is not the only show that does it, far from it. What I'm presenting you below is just the tip of the iceberg. If you happen to be a media or communication studies student looking for a topic for a Master thesis: this would be one. You can do hours and hours of drama watching, all in the name of science. Clothing / Shoes In...

I'm currently marathoning this heart-breaker, despite all my trepidations. Man, it's good ... The writing is superb, as is the acting ... and I am simply not one to resist Song Joong-ki. The smiles ... that turn into those stone-cold looks ...the kisses ... with the stone-cold look ... them eyes ... the pain ... the pain ... the pain ... I've just recently realized what an amazing voice the guy has and now I cannot stop listening to it... And he deserves his recent rise to super-fame: in terms of acting, he might be one of the best in his generation (by generation, I mean the 25-30 year old out there, all the Lee Min-hos and Jang Geun-suks and Lee Seung-kis, aka the ones who have not yet gone to the military but will have to go soonisher than we might want ...). Moon Chae-won is also quickly making it onto my Top 5 list , because her character is so wonderfully (or rather painfully) different from what we usually get in KDramaland... I am very much enjoying this...