Team Dramabeans: What we’re watching

by DB Staff

So, what are we all watching this week?

What kept you reaching for more (or agonizing when there was no more), and what made you want to throw your remote through the screen? Time to weigh in…

javabeans

I’m Not a Robot: Oh my god, Yoo Seung-ho killed my heart this week. I love this show and how it warms my heart and makes me laugh out loud. When he realized his “robot” was his cure, I was giddy at the twist of how he’d HAVE to keep Jia around even after he discovers her deception. This show is really rocking the forced proximity trope, and I’m eating it up.

Mysterious Il-seung: I’m losing interest, although I feel like there’s just enough Yoon Kyun-sang to keep me hanging on… although after they offed Ddakji (nooooooo!) it was a blow. Now, if they just ramp up the partnership between Yoon Kyun-sang and Jung Hye-sung, I think it could keep me invested… but it’s a close call as it is.

Black Knight: Okay, I feel like I finally understand the mythology, and I don’t know why it came out in such a piecemeal and undefined fashion, because that made me so impatient and antsy. But here it is, for those of you wondering what the deal is: Shin Se-kyung and Kim Rae-won are normal human people, reincarnated from a tragic Joseon-era love when he was a young master and she was a young slave (owned by a jealous aristocratic young lady). They grew up in the present not remembering their past lives, but did have a teenage acquaintance. Seo Ji-hye and Jang Mi-hee have been living hundreds of years as penance, probably for being terrible people in the past (Seo Ji-hye was the awful jealous aristocrat). But while Jang Mi-hee hopes for the lovers to be happy in this life so they can break their immortal curse, Seo Ji-hye’s jealousy and possessiveness comes back. Man, I would have been happier knowing that a lot sooner.

girlfriday

I’m Not a Robot: Yoo Seung-ho and Chae Soo-bin really sell this connection, and I love that it starts from a place of genuine friendship. I buy the emotions, because he’s made me believe that this is a boy who truly loves his robot vacuum as a friend, and when he started to share those heart-fluttering moments with Jia this week, I totally swooned.

Jugglers: Aw, Daniel Choi is actually starting to seem more invested in this boss-secretary relationship than Baek Jin-hee, which I was not expecting. He’s just so adorably awkward and geeky, and when he quoted a comic book hero to defend her honor, I just wanted to hug him.

Two Cops: This love triangle is starting to get confusing, with body and soul in direct competition for the heroine’s affections. I’m on the cop’s side all the way, but I hope it doesn’t become like Oh My Ghostess, where you actually start to question which soul the love interest truly fell for. I just want my hijinks and my happy ending, okay?

odilettante

Smart Prison Living: I love how this show continually challenges our expectations of who people really are. Even though it still takes me awhile to get through each episode, I relish the quiet, slow way we’re getting to know everyone. I know most of the prisoners must be there for perfectly valid reasons, but it’s easy for me to forget that they’re “criminals” as I focus on their day-to-day adventures. I’m also enjoying figuring out all the various prison guards, too. Who knew Officer Paeng would suddenly be one of my favorite characters? I’d also forgotten how much I enjoy watching Jung Kyung-ho, since his last few projects hadn’t interested me. But now I’m reminded that he’s the king of bromance, since Jun-ho’s rekindled friendship with Je-hyuk makes me almost happy that Je-hyuk’s life has been ruined, if only because they get to spend so much time together again.

Just Between Lovers: What an absolutely gorgeous show. I love everything about it — the direction, cinematography, script, music, and cast (Won Jin-ah is a delightful discovery!). I especially love the muted way it deals with some very painful issues. There’s a restraint that keeps everything just at the edge of the melodramatic cliff without falling off it, largely thanks to a realistic look at how truly difficult it is to live with PTSD and survivor’s guilt. Which sounds depressing, but there’s a beautiful melancholy that feels so perfect for a midwinter drama, where I want nothing more but to lose myself in the quiet contemplation of our broken-yet-heroic, weak-yet-strong characters who are just trying to make it through each day the best they can.

chickachunga

The Most Beautiful Goodbye in the World: Oof. One can always count on screenwriter Noh Hee-kyung to deliver an emotional wallop that will wring your tear ducts dry, which is precisely what Goodbye did to me. May her words always be directed by PD Hong Jong-chan because the two together always results in a beautifully crafted, heartfelt story. The cast was pretty pitch perfect, with especially memorable turns from Won Mi-kyung and Kim Young-ok (who reprised the role she originated in 1996!). I’ll always think of the persimmon-tossing scene whenever I see the orange fruit at the supermarket, but will refrain from flinging! Don’t forget to grab a wad of tissues before viewing, and make sure your phone is near so you can call your elderly relatives and and see how they’re doing.

tineybeanie

I’m Not a Robot: It’s so cute. I can’t even. I’ve fallen in love with Yoo Seung-ho again. Rainbows and puppies can’t compare to the cuteness of Yoo Seung-ho caring for his Pretty Squad.

Mysterious Il-seung: Nooo. I wanted this to be so much better than it is now. Il-seung/Jong-sam has been intelligent by thinking up plans and backup plans and even more backup plans to his backup plans when his enemies catch on to him. I can’t understand how he had this naive side when it came to Ddakji. Of course they were going to kill him! Poor Eun-bi!! I have a feeling that now Jin-young will be the next Ddakji… but I’m done with all the former president’s intrigue business. It’s boring, and I feel like they’ve left so many loose ends untied that there’s too much evidence for them to not get caught already. I’m disappointed in the one dimensional villains.

mary

Go Back Spouses: BEANIES, I GET IT NOW. The second lead syndrome is strong in this one. Every time he shows up, I think “Oh so this is why the fan walls were flooded with Nam-gil and Ma Jin-joo screenshots” and “That’s why javabeans and girlfriday giggle in the vlog when they talk about Go Back Spouses.” Or at least, that’s what I’d think if I can think at all. Because I just sit there emitting a high-pitched squeal every time he’s on screen. I’m sure there were a handful of confused bats in my neighborhood this week. Surprisingly, I don’t hate the lead guy at all (so far). I just think their marriage is unfortunate and they both hurt each other in their familiarity. I’m hoping that by the time I finish this, the feeling is more like Best Love or Answer Me 1994, where you’re giving away a gal friend to a guy she loves and will love her back, even while you’re totally swooning for the guy she let go; and not like Who Are You–School 2015 where no amount of mental gymnastics can make you understand why it ended that way.

 
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