Team Dramabeans: What we're watching » Dramabeans Korean drama recaps

220 October 12, 2019October 11, 2019

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…

My Country: The New Age: I’m loving all of the great sageuks that 2019’s brought us and My Country doesn’t disappoint. While I normally gravitate towards lighter fare, having a serious sageuk is a pleasant treat. The show managed to upend some of my expectations by giving us revelations and even breaking our young leads’ friendship very early on. It’s definitely served to up the tension for the better and I’m dreading seeing the outcome of their clash. Another unexpected treat was Kim Young-chul’s portrayal of Yi Seong-gye. He’s so compelling and manages to communicate so much in just a few scenes. I cannot wait to see him with Jang Hyuk. I’m two episodes in there’s nowhere near enough Jang Hyuk yet by the way. Getting a few fleeting glimpses of the man isn’t cutting it for me. Speaking of cutting things, I wish I could trim off Yang Se-jong’s bangs. I get it, he’s poor, and Goryeo hairdressers are probably expensive, but those bangs are so awful.

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Melting Me Softly: I really wanted to like this one, but the story feels a little messy and there’s too much hysterical screaming in the first few episodes. It’s a shame because I like both of the leads, so I will probably continue for at least a few more episodes. Hopefully it gets better? On a completely side note, I started reading the webtoon version of Rugal today (it’s super addictive!) and I kept thinking wistfully, what if Ji Chang-wook had taken the lead role for the drama version of Rugal instead of Melting Me Softly. Not that I think Choi Jin-hyuk isn’t a good fit, but I just want more for Ji Chang-wook :(.

Extraordinary You: Kim Hye-yoon is adorable. She does a great job of delivering the scripted comic book lines while cursing herself on the inside and I love the meta commentary on tired narrative tropes and poor character development. Speaking of which, Lee Jae-wook, please Show, tell me he’s going to be redeemed because I can’t bear to continue watching him be a jerk to Dan-oh. Yes, he’s playing the token bad boy and his dad is a monster. But still, can’t he just be a little more nice to her? I do wish the story could have better explained how Dan-oh and the others developed self-awareness because it just happens without explanation, and we kind of just have to go with it. Still, the drama has been a really fun watch so far and hopefully it keeps it up!

Little Forest: What happens when you put actors Lee Seo-jin, Lee Seung-gi, Jung So-min, and comedian Park Na-rae together to run a low-key summer camp for a small group of kids in the country side? Lots of cute, basically, with a little dash of humor in seeing the cast deal with situations they’ve never dealt with before, having never been parents yet. My favorite part was watching grumpy-pants cool guy Lee Seo-jin being awkward but growing fond of the kids, especially the twins, and being so sweet to them. Unfortunately, the show was only planned for 16 episodes and I’m sad that it’s now over.