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

Currently recapping: Hwayugi

Radio Romance: I know the plot seems to be going around in circles (will he do radio or not?), but there’s something comfort-food-y about this drama for me. Making Su-ho a damaged person rather than one who’s simply haughty was probably where it got me invested, and I get a sense of satisfaction in watching him finally working past his arrested development and starting to grow. Plus I just find the couple sweet together (and could just watch the petty jealousy go on for days); their romantic growth gives me the warm and fuzzies.

Woohoo Waikiki: I’m still watching this, but it’s slow going because the cringe factor is so high, and my secondhand-embarrassment tolerance is so low. I do actually find the comedic gags really fresh and funny, but I just can’t bear to watch that much mortification in one sitting. Small bites.

girlfriday

Currently recapping: Hwayugi

Mystery Queen 2: I missed this hilarious crime-fighting duo. I’m not a fan of the time-jump between seasons though, despite knowing it was necessary to give the heroine time to move on from her last relationship. I just feel like important stuff happened offscreen, and I resent not being present for every single moment of development for our couple, especially when it comes to romance! But I’m glad that the heroine didn’t become a true cop, and is essentially still an ajumma with a nose for crime—that’s the way I like her, and I’m happy that we didn’t depart from that like I thought we would.

Radio Romance: This show only seems to have one go-to conflict in its bag o’ trick, and it’s whether the big star will or won’t do radio, no matter how many times he says he wants to do it, really, really. It’s too bad since the romance is cute, but nobody cares about the showbiz plotline, so I don’t know why we keep going back there.

Woohoo Waikiki: I’m behind on this show, but I’m loving the loose vignettes of this gang’s string of failures in life. Maybe there’s comfort in knowing that by comparison, my life can’t ever be THAT bad? Does that make me a bad person? The faux wedding was priceless and I was hoping it would continue into a faux honeymoon and faux marriage for the next decade. Or five.

mary

Mystery Queen 2: Waaah~ it’s here and it didn’t disappoint! I laughed out loud a couple of times during this week’s episodes and smiled a lot to see this squad again. Though I wish everyone from the first season were here, the new characters aren’t too shabby either. (Shout out to Kim Won-hae as the station chief that traps his subordinates into helping him with his literary contest entries.) But more importantly, our main gang didn’t get personality transplants. Ajumma is still smart and adorable and nosing around crime scenes. Wan-seung is still grumpy about being a step too late in the thinking department, though there is a bit of sweetness mixed with the harrumph-ing now. And Inspector Woo is still here and petty about every single thing. I just wish we can have all the episodes now. Why does the wait for next week feel longer than the whole year we waited for Season 2?

Woohoo Waikiki: It’s sad that the fake marriage arc didn’t last long, but Dong-gu and Yoon-ah still live in the same house and he’s still making bumbling excuses when attacked by the pretty. Who needs a marriage contract at this point? Joon-ki is still my favorite housemate though. Even if he causes a lot of trouble with his grand lies (or maybe because of it?), he’s the only one among our housemates so far we see working hard to reach his dream. It’s a wacky show, so I like the reminder that our characters are working towards a goal. Plus, his audition scenes are so over-the-top, you can’t help but root for someone who puts 101 percent effort into everything. Even in telling outrageous lies.

Laica

Misty: The immense amount of praise I’d heard about this drama meant that I went into it with both high expectations and none at all—since the only thing I knew about Misty when I started watching was that Kim Nam-joo wears killer pantsuits. (She does. I especially lust after that red one.) Three episodes in and I am completely enamored with this moody, tightly written, unusual drama about an antiheroine who is so fascinating to watch, I don’t even hate her. But I do wish she would stop breaking her poor husband’s heart; the man is a marshmallow and it wouldn’t take much to melt him if she really tried. (But does she even want to? What are her true intentions? I don’t knooooow! It’s so great!)

I’m Not a Robot: I know, I’m so late to this train. I’ve only watched enough to say that the leads are adorable, separately and together, and I am completely onboard.

Mystery Queen 2: I only had time to watch the premiere, but I cannot express in words HOW GLAD I am to be back with these two goofs and their adorable Scooby Gang (although I miss that young puppy). Inspector Woo! Earnest Cop! Young-mi and Captain Bae, officially baes! I’m a little miffed that Wan-seung is planning to move away before we’ve even got a proper chance to enjoy him being Seol-ok’s neighbor, but I can live with it since they’re joined at the hip and not-so-secretly pining for each other. Which is such a validation of the time I’ve waited for them to come back, shipping them in absentia. I’m not super excited about the return of Wan-seung’s Epic First Love, and I definitely miss last season’s director—this first episode leans a bit too hard on the comedic beats, and lacks the moody atmosphere I loved so much in Season One. But I have faith that this writer will stay true to the characters we love so much, while also finally having Sherlock and her Watson actually get together. ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎ ❤︎

TeriYaki

Radio Romance: I’m sure I’m in the minority, but I’m not feeling the romance in Radio Romance and find myself more interested in Su-ho’s battle to carve out a life of his own. His “mother” is an absolute vulture and I fantasize about her having it out with Su-ho in the radio booth with a live microphone. It would serve her right to unintentionally reveal to the world what a fake she’s been all along. That would give Su-ho a chance to branch out on his own, but that head pain that he experienced has me worried. At this point in the drama, I’m losing interest fast and I may end up hitting pause on this one.

Misty: I’m through Episode 7 and had to take a (temporary) break from the intensity. This drama is just so good, but the tension is constant (how does this drama manage to do that week after week?) and I realized that I would probably enjoy it more in mini-binges. Kim Nam-joo and Ji Jin-hee are terrific as a couple who can’t live with each other but can’t seem to live without each other either. Kevin Lee’s murder case has forced them from their limbo and it’s fascinating to watch them struggle with how they really feel about each other. I’m confident that they’ll find their way back to each other but I feel for Tae-wook, who’s convinced more and more that his love is one-sided. At this point in the story, I’m most interested to know what part Eun-jo played in Hye-ran’s past and what a reunion with Myung-woo will look like. Eun-jo is vindictive, especially towards Hye-ran, and her reasons must have their beginnings in their youth. The importance of that case grows with each episode and I can’t wait to learn what exactly happened 20 years ago.

 
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