It was okay. It was tonally all over the place. We shall see.

I just about lost it when the distinguished senior actor who played Ma Dong Chan's dad yelled "HYUNG!" and I realized he was his younger brother... who aged terribly and looks just like their dad now. That was hilarious.

They sure rushed through the 20 year freezing setup quickly and there's still some shady things we don't know involving the mysterious folks who sabotaged the doctor's work in the past. So, I don't think we're really going to get a true feel for this show for another week or two.

thanks for this @missvictrix!! <3 Honestly, the show as it's described here is what I came for---that mix of charming and fantasy and comedy and lightheartedness... but the show sort of missed the mark for me. Maybe I knew too much about the premise going into the show, but the first two episodes felt anti-climatic (like: yes, I know they won't wake up in 24 hours...you don't need to build up to that reveal). And unless the show intends to spend a lot of time back in 1999, I'm not sure there's a reason to show us *those* actors as fully as it did. (Also: is it just me, or did the show seem to be trying a little *too* hard to make the whole cryogenically-frozen-and-woken-in24-hours thing believable? Like, I feel like anyone who is watching this show has already agreed to suspend a little disbelief about the freezing process...but the show seemed to think we could not and that it had to prove something to us...which felt a bit tedious at times.) Anyway I fast-forwarded a lot, to be honest.

But there were also a few moments when I felt like the actors *really delivered* (JCW's comedic timing as he wakes up, definitely; also JCW watching WJA at the police station; WJA with her brother; WJA and her friends in the pre-instagram photoshoot in the park), so I'm going to stick around for another week. Plus, we didn't get to see much of the older cast yet, and they were a big draw for me in the first place.

Maybe this drama was slow to take off but will redeem itself in the next week? I certainly hope so! But if not, I'll just follow along via these recaps and imagine a show that's living up to its potential :D

I think this was pretty well the worst premiere for 2019 - or maybe the worst premiere ever.

Regardless of all the writer's usual idiosyncrasies - genre confusion, a tendency to slapstick - I just don't know what the show is about. For all its flaws, SWDBS at least attempted to be a discussion about power and misogynism. This show? So far I don't know.

I could talk about how a lot of this didn't make sense, I could roll my eyes at just how excruciatingly Candy the Candy was or how painfully Genius Chaebol was the Genius Chaebol. But what I can't get over is that the show has no heart. There was no emotional resonance to the things that happened in these episodes, no feeling of connection to any of the characters. Even if someone's being shot in the air or flailing around shrieking, I should cringe but I should care. I just don't.
Any moment that could have been powerful or even truly funny was undercut by weird tonal shifts and bizarre musical choices.

I can shitpost all I want (and for the moment will continue to do so) but this show was just... bad.

JCW, so glad you're back...just wish it was in something better. I honestly went into this drama with low expectations, and it was better than I thought, but still super slow and wonky storytelling. I personally loved Strong Girl Bong-Soon - there was sometimes outlandish comedy, but the romance and the story were serious and really well executed. I feel like the writer is now focusing too much on the comedy and not the storytelling. I will probably keep up with it because of JCW; I am interested to see how he does in a comedy (as missvictrix said his deadpan comedy and timing is fantastic). However, I have a feeling I won't be anxiously waiting for it to be translated as I did with "Her Private Life" - I might wait a few weeks and binge a few episodes at a time.

Maybe it is my unconditional love and excitement for Ji Chang-wook, but I have been waiting for this for a while, and I was not disappointed. I thought the premiere laid a solid foundation of characters and heart.

There was the girls' friendship. (Love those!)

There were moments for a protective, big sister and her little brother. (I hope they explore her reasons for doing the project because of her little brother. And the fact that this very reason made DONG-CHAN not want her to do it. ~ swoon. This means that DONG-CHAN is not one minded and can have some perspective.)

Then THANK YOU drama land! We finally had a realistic family/parent reaction to losing their children. So many times the parents are killed off so the hero and heroine are more alone, but a lot of times it seems like lazy writing.

They covered who these people were and what makes up their world. Then they showed the reactions to these people suddenly disappearing and what that meant for those around them.

Now there is so much story to tell. Why and how they got left for 20 years? What has happened while they were gone? Who are they, what are their goals/dreams as their life starts up again in 2019? And of course, how will the two main characters find each other?

I can't wait! It was everything I was looking for, and the cast is some of the best that K-dramaland can offer. Let's do this!!

i'm not sure how i feel about this one yet. i am a HUGEEE ji chang wook fan, and i know this drama was billed as a "rom com" but idk....the humor just seemed way over the top. i mean his last drama, suspicious partners, was also a rom com...but the comedy was just so so different lol

the first 2 episodes were a bit slow, way too much unnecessary flashbacks in my opinion. esp the scene where her ex boyfriend imaged her pregnant on the plane. lol

and i know dramas usually dont make sense (i mean come on- shopping king louie is one of my faves but the plot would never ever happen in real life) but for some reason i'm like really rolling my eyes at the logical-ness of this plot.....like how could they cover something up like that....how could the PD's girlfriend just keep quiet knowing what happened....how could mi ran's parents not know where she is....how did they just wake up from the chambers and go back to life like that........lol

It felt like the script for the show was frozen for some time, because a lot stuff seemed a little bit dated, especially execution and acting, it was pretty meh to me.

I think I don't have the same humor than the writer, I had the same issue with Strong Woman Do Bong Soon.

If I tried really hard I could spin these eps as a metaphor for how plot points and character types keep coming back unchanged after 20 years...

... but I enjoyed it, especially the fortune teller bit and when she told her boyfriend she would find true love after 20 years. Those parts are better if you see the FL's face -- see my fanwall or (gasp) watch episode 1.

I rate shows mostly by how good/fun the good parts were, not by consistency or plot logic or... let's just say some shows go 16 hours without anything I enjoy as much as I enjoyed the FL's facial expressions in day 1 here.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure the cheating boyfriend bit added anything to this.

On the positive side, Ji Chang-wook's absence from dramaland did not affect his ability to give "the look" and the director made sure we saw that.

It was a good start for my opinion especially JI Chang wook is back and I really love his acting. He changed his voice tone and I think that is how the way PD's speak to make him believeable that he is a real PD and I like it. I haven't watch any Wo Ji Ah's movie or drama but I think she is a good actress.. Can't wait for next episode all for ji Chang Wook :D

fully agree with some of the comments/remarks! always love JCW but so far the show feels uneven. i’m definitely not feeling the chemistry or spark betw the 2 leads yet. fingers crossed it does better soon

Wow, what a mixed reactions. I'll check out the first 2 episodes myself before making any decision then.

Like I said on my wall before some were brave enough to venture into ep 2. Not me. It was bad. Really really bad. Not those kinds of bad that you can roll your eyes through and watch anyway. Just unwatchable bad. Sorry Wookie and Jian. You guys deserved so much better.

To my ears Won Jin-ah has an unusually low voice for a petite Kdrama heroine, to the point where I started wondering if they're over-dubbing her. Did anyone else get that impression? On American TV we're used to some actresses onscreen dropping their voice half an octave for more 'gravitas'. But the Mi-ran character is hardly Hye-ran from 'Misty'.

It hasn't got me. I love the deadpan humor but slapstick can be a hit-or-miss, personally. I understand why they spent so much time in the past but I can't wait till they explore the negative side-effects of their experiment and how they adapt to the changes of 20 years. That is what was interesting to me about this show (and JCW)(a bit WJA).

I quite like the 1st 2 episodes so far. Now I have laid off Kdramas for awhile cos I now prefer watching Cdramas. But cos it's JCW, I gave it a shot. Frankly I was not excited after watching the teasers and wondered if it would be a disaster. But after watching the 1st episode, I didn't mind watching the 2nd. And after watching the 2nd, am quite looking forward to the 3rd.

I went into the show knowing that it will have the SWDBS vibe so I'm good with what I've seen. As long as they up the warmth and tone down the slapsticks, I'm okay. So far, it was the chaotic hospital scene where people were falling all over that made me cringe some but otherwise, I'm good with the rest.

I think everyone expected more cos it was JCW's premier after MS, but it wasn't THAT bad that some have said. It's just a differing taste in watching dramas. I think the direction is weak currently...let's see if it gets better.

I want to say this...if you watch this with your right brain and not activate your left brain, you may just like it. Haha.

I thought Ep 1 didn't capture me. It just didn't strike me as a good set-up episode to introduce the characters, the premise and the setting. The pace was slow and uneven, with some unimportant scenes being dragged out while some more important ones (at least to me) which were needed to set up the premise were skipped over quickly.

Nonetheless I gave Ep 2 a chance. Ep 2 did set up some anticipation for what is to come when both leads realize it's 20 years later, but alas the whole of Ep 2 was the opposite of Ep 1, in that everything was jumping around everywhere. Agree that the transition from the leads waking up in a lab in a remote place to somehow appearing clothed and in downtown Seoul was just head-scratching... surely more could have been explored there.

And... drama-watching requires some suspension of logic yes, but was anyone really bothered by the fact that the crazy-haired professor who was not cryogenically frozen somehow managed to stand up and walk immediately after so many years of being bedridden and unconscious? Muscle atrophy helloooo?

I do like both leads so far though, we shall see how it goes...

I have so many questions already. Why don't I care about anyone except our Candy? Why were only two of the frozen people awakened? Why am I watching this? Oh yeah, Wookie.

This?

This is the script that caught Ji Chang-wook's eye when he was considering his first post-military project? This?

I don't know man, but you need some better guidance for your future work because this is not good. Not good at all.

All the very things that I didn't like about SWDBS were here, in spades, without any relief. The only thing missing was the offensive caricature of a gay man, but I suppose there's still time for that.

Anyways, I'm out. If you liked this, I will not be raining on your JCW parade anymore, so enjoy, and I'm sure you'll get a glimpse of those Army-toned abs soon. Gotta wash off 20 years of frozen gunk while mulling over this strange turn of events.

I like the idea, somehow, but I feel the show is trying to be serious while trying to be a comedy at the same time, and it is failing. Either is serious, and the topic is serious, or it is a comedy.
I don't say it cannot be both, we have tons of dramas with a serious plot and yet bits of good humor here and there, but this is so far not working too much for me.
Nevertheless, because of Wokkie and Won Jin-ah, I will keep on watching.

I really hate incongruous storytelling (the same happened to SBDBS, so I am not surprised), but I would still watch, again, because of the main leads.

Ta for the weecap. I haven't watched yet, but I seem to be in a minority that really liked Strong Woman despite its jarring genre-bending, so am wondering if I'll like this one. Strong Woman had a great core fluffy and quirky romance plot, then a group of slapstick thugs and their guru, which I ended up laughing out loud at despite my initial doubt, then a really brutal and disturbing kidnapping plot - all at the same time. I should never have enjoyed this as much as I did, and have to say I think the actors and the director carried a really messy script to fruition. So I will be giving this tour episodes to prove itself to me. Nothing else is really appealing much to me anyway.

Oh, I was hoping this would be recapped. At least there is an open thread. Thanks Missvictrix!

As I wrote on the weekly ratings I think this show started quite slow. Getting the leads to wake up 20 years later then going with flashbacks would have been a better strategy. I did like Episode 2 better than 1 because it was funnier so got better ratings and I realized how much I missed Wookie. I am so happy he is back.

I do like the general concept and story. However, my logical mind asks why anyone would risk of getting frozen when only one person can thaw you? But I see it as a vehicle to get us where we are going – getting the leads to skip 20 years of their lives.

I did enjoy the meta of 1999 Dong Chan talking about variety directors one day directing dramas. 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I am glad that the exes are not in a position to create too much conflict. Mi Ran’s ex is a two-timing sleazeball, Dong Chan’s gave her boyfriend up for her own gain. Something I didn’t give much thought before the drama was how their situation would affect their family but I guess I didn’t expect them to disappear without a word. And who sent that message to Mi Ran’s family and why didn’t Dong Chan’s get anything? It did seem like one family got richer, the other poorer in the last 20 years (was it due to their search for Dong Chan?). I did like the fact that Mi Ran didn’t agree to the experiment for money but for the hope of helping her brother. Unfortunately this meant her brother had to live without her for 20 yeas. I did feel the most sorry for him.

Dong Chan’s 1999 family and his father’s birthday party were hilarious. Baro’s fantasy of Dong Chan and Mi Ran running together. 😂😅😂😅 How did they that shot that with a straight face? Wookie with that moustache!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣 And the spaghetti western music. 😅 Dong Chan discovering he is 52 years old 🤣.

The things that sort of annoyed me:
- 1999 fashions were not historically accurate. I didn’t see any difference than today
- Lee Hon Ki’s changing hair color from scene to following scene was distracting (and he just went to the army last week!)

Of course many actor changes happened between 1999 and 2019. I prefer 1999 versions as Mi Ran’s brother and Dong Chan’s hobae (Lee Hon Ki). For Mi Ran’s ex, I definitely prefer Shim Hyung Tak to Baro. The plane fantasy scene would be even funnier with him. I remember him in his hilarious role in Reach of Sincerity. I am indifferent towards the actresses playing Dong Chan’s exgirlfriend. They have the same exact vibe.

Honestly, I still can't seem to wrap my head around Mi-ran coming out of the den wearing a dress so clean and crispy like what even? And then Wookie comes out with his tux like how..??!!

Two (hour long!) episodes that could have been 30mins? Maybe? Tone all over the place, pacing? what pacing?... I skipped all of the lab scenes in both eps because they weren't needed.

I'm on the point of just watching it raw because you hardly need a word of Korean to understand what is going on... If it doesn't improve next week, I'm dropping it.

So far my only joy is from the support characters and cameos.

JWC is a bit more mature as an actor than I was expecting but his acting is, unfortunately, too subtle for the writing.
WJA is doing an admirable job with what she has been given... which is close to nothing.

I'm a little concerned about how the writing is going to bring the leads together... unless it basically scraps how they set up the relationship in ep1 --the dynamic was weird and not convincing for future romance... I have second female lead syndrome which has never happened before. Nevertheless, I trust the leads to pull the chemistry off...

I might just consider next week's episodes as 1 and 2, consigning last week to dark recesses of terrible starts to dramas that redeemed themselves.

(also, sorry, but this whole "JWC!!! is back!!! OMG!!! OPPA!!!" as a reason to watch is getting on my nerves. I get it, I really do... but this might just prove to be JWC's Heirs... rather than his DOTS soz, not soz)

I haven't started this drama yet but your comments make me want to asap lol

Ohmagahd, whhhhyyyyyyyy JCW! Was so disappointed in the first eps. Had to fast forward a bunch. After being a bit skeptical of the plot but willing to keep an open mind, it was shockingly bad. WJA is a fine actress but is struggling with the comedy. So much of it seems forced and kind of meta in that she's made to do all these outlandish stunts to land a lead in this hot mess of a rom-com (?). Am feeling bad for both leads and hoping against hope the writer grows a brain, gains focus, finds a story, something! JCW, duh K2 and now this, you need a new agent, friend.

I watched this while my roommate was sleeping...bad idea. Stifling laughter is not fun at all. I did get lost every now and again especially when Mi-ran and Dong-Chan started wandering the streets when we weren't shown how they escaped the bunker. Maybe they'll bring it up later but for now I'm staying for the laughs...and Wookie Oppa. I missed him on my screen.

I thought I would drop after EP 1. I didn't. I like it so far

Hongki! I wasn't planning on watching this, but stopped by to see what the Beanies were thinking. And after reading the comments, my plans are not changing. But I will definitely watch the first episode for this Hongki cameo that I wasn't expecting. He sure squeezed in a lot of activity before enlistment.

Thank you for the weecap @missvictrix. ☺️

Despite it's deeply cringey moments (genre issues, awkward comedy, etc) - this is by far not the worst drama I've seen. Didn't even realize it was the same writer as Strong Woman, but after reading that, it does make quite a lot of sense.

Ultimately, it's basic, mindless fun with pretty strong leads (seriously, I suspect they'll be carrying this whole thing on their shoulders), and enough nuggets of intrigue that could theoretically keep the flow of a story going.

Is it perfect? Nah. Award-winning? Def not. Third-part-shame inducing? Maybe more than generally acceptable. But it does have enough redeeming qualities that I'll be back for a little more to see where it plans to go.

Yes,the shifts were quite jarring and I am 1week behind. But in hands of veteran comedic actors I do hope show improves itself in upcoming episodes.

I want to see how the characters react to it being 2019 and older by age and not body. #awkward.

this is my first time use dramabeans . How to catchup episode of this drama?

OH THANK GOD I found this review here of MMS ..

MissVictrix .. how well you describe MMS and put into words the very reason I too was happily seduced into the show in the first few scenes itself.

Just delightful -- deadpanning Wook and the entire cast of comedic characters.

It's the first Wook Show that he's had me rolling off my couch laughing .. as did so many of the supporting cast.

LOVED LOVED LOVED this side of Wook and his goof potential .. I man WOW .. Healer / K2 / Empress Ki ... and now this!!

Well I did chuckle at the bratty yet adorable Paeha Ta Hwan that JCW pulled off great comedic panache!!
You are right he's pulled it off ..