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Team Dramabeans: What we’re watching

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…

 

stroopwafel

I Live Alone: I’m not a steady watcher of I Live Alone but when I heard Sohn Dam-bi would be guesting, I tuned in out of curiosity. I loved her performance in When the Camellia Blooms and wanted to see what her “off-screen” personality was like (well, as off-screen as someone can be for a variety at least). I was surprised by just how funny she is. She has this ditzy charm and is just so slow-paced when it comes to everything. It makes me want to see her as a regular in an outdoorsy variety, just to see her flail and fail while taking forever to do it. I think her appearance was a one-off, but I hope she makes some more appearances as I’d love to see more of her and her friendship with Gong Hyo-jin and Jung Ryeo-won. There was a little peak into their relationship in the most recent episode and it’s so wholesome. Right after Sohn Dam-bi managed to successfully start a fire on her own, she called up Jung Ryeo-won, who just happened to be chilling with Gong Hyo-jin and the group gave Sohn Dam-bi a congratulatory cheer for starting the fire. I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard while watching someone do simple tasks.

Chocolate: It hurts so good! I’m at episode 15 and I’m torn between wanting the last episode now and holding off so I have a piece of the drama to look forward to. It’s been such a poignant show and every episode usually leaves me teetering between sad tears and happy tears. I was expecting the sadness, what with the hospice setting and our protagonists’ backgrounds, but I’ve found that any sorrow has been balanced out by a sweet note that keeps things from being too soul crushing. Yes, there’s loss, but there’s also the love that remains behind. There’s quite a bit that I enjoy about Chocolate, and one of my favorite developments has been the growth of the relationship between our two cousins, Kang and Joon. I’d hope they’d make peace with each other, but wasn’t sure they’d get there until the last few episodes. I’m not a huge fan of their family apart from them frankly Now that they’ve gone from rivals to family (and allies), I’m excited to see where things go for the cousins. I won’t get my hopes up yet since there’s still one episode left but I’m hoping for a happy ending for Kang and Cha-yeon, as well as peace for Joon and the hospice family.

 

missvictrix

Crash Landing on You: I’m an episode behind (it’s a strategy), but that won’t stop me from gushing here about how much I love Kim Jung-hyun and his deepening story with our awesome heroine. I might just be a glutton for punishment, but I love him with Sohn Ye-jin. Their chemistry is really great and has a different feel to it than the megawatt star power of Sohn Ye-jin + Hyun Bin. That pair is delightful in their OTP way, and watching them is half the fun, but there’s something unpredictable about Kim Jung-hyun and Sohn Ye-jin that makes me want to keep watching (which is how I feel about Kim Jung-hyun’s acting on the whole, but that’s a topic for another day).

 
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-Completed-

PSYCHOPATH DIARY: I loved everything that happened after the Great Prison Escape (😂). It was so satisfying to finally watch the good guys get the upper hand! My favourite thing? That Dong-Sik gained confidence and found his true calling without getting a personality transplant or changing his hair. He was still the geeky, dopey, kind-hearted mushroom-hair guy in the end. Overall, Yoon Shi Yoon was so good in this role that I thought the character was written for him (I may be biased 💜).

-Ongoing dramas-

CRASH LANDING ON YOU (Ep.7-8): I swooned at the kiss. I don’t remember much else. 😍 The strange (winter) wind needs to take a break and let them film.

QUEEN: LOVE AND WAR (Ep. 3): I like it. It’s giving sageuk themes an interesting spin, and with a top-notch OST (gosh, I missed sweeping instrumentals). The drama also has a strong supporting cast, and Jin Se Yeon is bouncing off them quite nicely. She had very little to do in GRAND PRINCE except mope, which was just painful to watch, but she’s actually doing well here!

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I'm with you on Queen : Love & War.
It's a nice spin on things we've already seen done before, but it irks me how a street smart underground information agency running FL would so easily believe the 'friend' of her father & blame the king without trying to find out any information on her own.

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You're definitely biased, Toki. But no worries, I am right there with you! 😁

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CRICKET - England vs. SA - SA in trouble.

JAPAN -

Tonight is U-Shaped - 7.5 out of 10 - 20min for an episode. This kind of Manga translate pretty well into short tv dramas. Simple, smooth and view of life of an average human being. There exist and ongoing dozens of food-manga out there exploring day to day life of citizens and this one too.

Kotaki Brothers and Shikuhakku - 7 out of 10 - 30min for 1st episode. I'm expecting less time for next episodes. under 25min. Started slow and quite weird but as it progressed i started to enjoy it. like tasting some new food. Elder brother is so real and natural. His character really upped the show. Younger brother+ heroine are for weird quacks.

Jdramas value audience's time.

Love Lasts Forever 4/10 - Josei manga to live-action. Typical fluff. As said on MDL - mean hero, naive girl. powr of love and more nonsense. Headache. Dropped.

Love Concierge - 4/10 How to get into pants of someone or simply say how to score. 2017 drama getting translation now. 2omin episodes. funny is that Rabuho was trending on twitter japan few days ago and saw lot of starnge tweets of love-hotels.

Alive - yes got 1st episode translation - 15min watched. score next week

Where do i come from - 1st epi - 15min - rating next week

KOREA -

Money Game - 8 out of 10 - Such a good 1st week. They didn't tried to go into depth and i think they don' even need to. They need to lesson the buzzwords though. There are different models of economy and economists being less flexible ardently vouch for specific ones. Typical result - economists argue with each other. One after having power wants to instill his economical views and other advocating another model. Goal is same - People, nation and its economy but both see the similar path in different way and fight for my way or Highway.

Hot Stove League - 6.5/10 - This had the potential but writer is hack and running a gimmick. This show is a fraud scheme.

Diary of a Prosecutor - 7/10 - This was surely a disappointing week. Same old kdrama cheap trick of women issues. writers have commercialised it. This writer is also played around but I won't mince my words for such cheap theatrics. Still writer did better than others.
Same for bullying - Writer was pretty ambiguous here and left all on audience. Another sly move but overall a cheap trick. copout. or going for margins that taking a stand.

Trash Kim - 3/10 Above Japanese shoujo trash is open about what it is unlike this characterless one. Either every1 is snopping on others or roaming there like loafers. This isn't garden.

Trash Land - Is it 2000? Such dramas being bad name to whole industry.

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Sigh you make me wonder what kind of audience I am.

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As said on discord - There is no need for anyone to forcefully align their preferences with someone other.
They are just fictional shows about fictional characters trying hard to mirror real life. Someone's trash is other man's gold. No fast and hard rules.

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I love Cat-0-Cat's ability to call "bullsh!t#". The honesty and consistency allows me to know where our view diverge. Hence, even her tough reviews guide me to shows I hadn't considered.

I look forward to these every week and one of my must reads. I find Cat-0-Cat's views and bluntness some of the most simpatico, even though I know we would never mesh watching together.

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Not everyone has to like the same dramas, I’m loving Stove League and I think this week’s eps of Diary of a Prosecutor were brilliant.

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Adding this too -

Drama of the Week - U-shaped table and Money Game

Probable Potential of the season - Ship of theseus and Iteawon Class+Money Game(I'm investing in MG)

Trash of the week and probable season contender - Kim
Fluff nonsense of the week - Land+Love forever
Melodrama of the week - Hot Stove League

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I am curious about Money game now. Will watch it when I have time.

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Finished People with Flaws. Don't know if it was thanks to my decision to skip the first episode, but I quite enjoyed the show. Yes, the main couple got too much time in the second half (and if Joo Won sleepwalked through the second half of My Sassy Girl, then Oh Yeon Seo sleepwalked through the second half of People, though that's mainly fault of bad writing I guess). And yes, I'm still disappointed that Bodyguard Oppa and Sister had to follow this Asian (?) culture of no dating sibling's partner's family members... but... there was so much warmth between the family members (in both families) that I'm closing eyes to all imperfections 😊💕 And... I also quite liked the comedy 🙂🙂 (Ahn Jae Hyun found his forte!))

Crash Landing - I'm mesmerized by Kim Jung Hyun and his Goo Seung Jun, his manipulation veiled by his handsome face and appearing-as-caring whispering is quite scary...

Dr Kim - no time for ep.4 yet. Mainly there for our Doctor... and Ahn Hyo Seop (he is good here so far!!). Still waiting for Shin Dong Wook to have more scenes (and story). And somehow I miss In Bum.

Prosecutors on hold, no time since ep.4 😕

Please, Love Me - I'm a bit embarrassed that I'm watching this. But I needed something simple as Real Life brought some sad news... and sick kids. Contract relationship between a manicurist and a famous actor. Main lead is trying to be cold, but is failing miserably and is often funny 😆

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I also finished People with Flaws and really liked it after a disastrous ep 1. (Why was I finding Ahn Jae Hyun's weird little smile so adorable? I feel there's something wrong with me...)

Anyway, yes, I agree I liked the comedy too and the cousins' pushing & shoving into frenemyship never failed to make me laugh.

If the shows message was that it's okay that people have flaws and we can still love them, then I suppose it's okay for me to love this show with flaws too.

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Dont be embarrassed. I've been eyeing Please, Love me because I like contract relationships in romance. No bad days needed.
I hope things are better soon.

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Thanks...

PS Don't have high expectations from the show... the first episodes are quite weak... however, there is slowly seeping humor in here and there... and episode 6 has a hilarious karaoke scene 😁😁 (I just wish I knew all those dramas they use in Pictionary...😁 )

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where are you watching? I can't seem to find anything but raw eps after ep 3 :(

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You can try S u bs ce ne for srt files (and keep them open next to the raws... a bit clumsy, but works).

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dramanicein.com have until episodes 12 english subbed of Please Love Me

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Romantic Doctor Kim: I like season 2. I am actually surprised at how much I am enjoying Ahn Hyo Seop. He is coming off as really mature and believable as a doctor. I am not enjoying Lee Sung Kyung's Dr. Cha. She is awful and doesn't seem to realize she needs to take responsibility for her own actions. Also she thinks she can be a surgeon and not cut open a body is beyond me. As for Kim Sabu, perfection as always.

Diary of a Prosecutor: Continues to be cute, but my favorite episode was episode 8. The things a working mother goes through was highlighted beautifully.

Black Dog: Perfection, and I don't understand why more people aren't watching. It is so so good. If you like well written, acted, and directed stories with purpose, this is the one for you.

9.9 Billion Won Woman: The secret is out. How will they reconcile? Will they reconcile? What happens when she finds out about Leon? Her husband needs to die a horrible death.

Money Game: I tried the first episode and didn't like it. Lee Sung Min is best when he is playing a character that doesn't shout. He is shouty in this, so I am out. I also thought it would be more of a thriller than a melody, so yeah...

Stove League: How can a show about the most boring sport in the world be so riveting. I enjoy all aspects of this drama so much.

Chocolate: Sigh, there is so much unnecessary angst in this show. The hand tremble issue, useless, her senses lacking, useless. They didn't add to the overall arc to the story and it just makes the story tragedy porn instead of meaningful, at least we are at the end.

Crash Landing on You: Awwwwwwwwsss🥰🤩😍

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About Black Dog. To anyone who doesn't know much about the behind-the-scenes of academia, this stuff about course design and college admissions, etc., must seem totally duh. I left it and went back, left it again. Maybe I should admire the dramatist for the attempt to pump it full of significance but it bores me. And I got so tired of Seo Hyun-jin's character saying "Pardon?" "Excuse me?" "What?" to everything that's said to her.

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Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, but different strokes for different folks, hehe.

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For me it’s not just Lee Sung Kyung’s character but also her acting.. I FF her scenes to see AHS

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Chocolate - tragedy porn, well put. A badly done one at that.

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About baseball, "the most boring sport in the world," I agree with your assessment of the sport. However, I did love the movie, "GLove," which proved that some aspects of baseball can be very entertaining.

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Agree on AHS in Dr Kim, he acts amazingly well here as compared to when he was a male lead. LSK’s character is too unbelievable, there is no way she can pass a surgical rotation with her fear of surgery, who writes this crappy role?

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Stove League keeps on quietly hitting homers. I don't usually get emotionally involved with K-drama -- I always feel like they're jerking my chain. But that scene with the baby was . . . gulp.

Money Game. Right out of the gate we're at DEFCON 1. I would have expected a few episodes of jockeying and backstabbing before we got to murder over economics. There had better be some flashbacks (which I hate) to lay groundwork for all this rage. But that means the Go Soo character won't find himself for a while, and right now he's a nervous, uncertain type, no comfort to the viewer. The most interesting character so far is Shim Eun-kyung -- quiet and clever, scorned by her peers.

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I like what we’ve learned this week about SeungSook. It explained many things and was also heartbreaking. I also found that scene so emotional.

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We could all have had more of so many things in that show. I wanted more Jang-Mi and her family, which we never met, I wanted her to become private detective ehehhe. More of the brothers, more of the adorable Mi-Kyung and Hye Soo, one of my favorites best friends of leads! More explaining how everybody eventually dealt with their issues, SL reason behind his truth telling mania was actually weak, the explanation in my mind was so much better. More of those silly ML parents and his cute older sister forbidden romance kk

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CLOY - I get why people like this but it's so old-fashioned I can't seem to care about any of the characters. Despite the crazy premise this could have been better. Se-Ri is supposed to be this independent woman but sometimes she is like a teenager, her family is just a bunch of cardboard villains, second leads are obsessed with leads for no reason, the cute soldiers and nosy ahjummas get repetitive, it's been 8 eps, we still have no idea if the captain actually likes being a soldier in NK or if he is just trying to solve the brother's mystery.

Love with Flaws - My favorite romcom of last year had toilet humor. Even if it lasted for just a few early eps, that's really weird. Usually I run away if anyone even mentions wacky humor, but I'm glad I gave this another episode because it had a really nice ensemble of very likable and unusual characters which challenged so many kdrama rules. Like many have said, this feels like a weekender that was made to fit a romcom and because of that almost all the interesting side plots were not fully explored and felt rushed, but it had a nice ending.

Nagi's Long Vacation - What an amazing little drama. It's slice of life and emotional rollercoster at the same time. Every character feels real, I want them all as my neighbors. Except the parents. Nagi is already one of my favorite female leads, she is just adorable. Her evolution was so nicely done and her ex boyfriend’s too. The actors are great, subtle and so expressive. Also every time it seemed this show was going towards a cliche it turned around and proved to be so much better and really original. Every episode was a good surprise. Lovely drama.

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Yay for Nagi’s long vacation. Haru Kuroki is a treat.

I’ve seen her in a film, The Little House | Chiisai Ouchi and the drama , The Emperor's Cook | Tenno no Ryoriban.

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She is lovely and so absurdly pretty! In fact I kept thinking if maybe she wasn't too pretty to play Nagi who should have been maybe a more average woman, but maybe Japanese can consider her to be a common beauty? I'll search other things she did, first Little House because she got an award for this.

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..."so absurdly pretty"...

I don't think she fits the standard J version of visually "pretty". However, her real beauty on screen is her ability to make you feel what the character feels. (BTW, I am in your school, to me she is not only beautiful, but more, she is just compelling to watch on screen)

For me, she is one of a number of Japanese actresses who exemplify how the Japanese system (and beauty standards) is slightly kinder to women actresses as they mature than the South Korean. It allows them to retain their full range of mico expressions and doesn't diminish their ability to really pull you in to the world they create.

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@johnb @lixie

Haru Kuroki takes "Juhan Shuttai!" to another level. It makes you realise what such talent can do with small dramas.

"Mi wo Tsukushi Ryoricho" (2017) is a treat. Such interesting music choice. However her cooking demonstration at the end of each episode is to die for. I so want her to voice over all my cooking.

"Tenno no Ryoriban" is where you see her acting power. She has so little screen time in reality but wow so compelling on screen. She takes what in others hands would have been a side character and brings real pathos.

Her nose is a thing of absolute staging beauty. In "Tenno no Ryoriban" it is made up long and she is as if an ancient Japanese painting became flesh. In "Juhan Shuttai" the bridge disappears and all that remains is a little button of a manga drawing.

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Thanks for the recommendations!

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I'd like to add The Bride of RIP van Winkle on the list. The movie was a bit confussing, but Haru Kuroki was wonderful as always.

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i have loved her in all i've seen, Tenno no Ryoriban, Juhan Shuttai, The Little House, Nagi's Long Vacation...

tho i sometimes get her confused with Yu Aoi...

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I’m going to revisit Juhan Shuttai!, now that it’s finished. I had watched the first episode months ago.

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I keep saying I needed more of Joo siblings together. I know how you feel.

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I haven't found my 2020 k-drama (╥﹏╥) everything looks boring in my eyes.. Is it the side effect of being a long time k-drama viewers?

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Is it the side effect of being a long time k-drama viewers?

🚑 Yes, sounds serious. 😆😦😀

I’m watching fewer dramas in general, (not as much free time ), I do watch J dramas and C dramas which helps in finding something to watch. Have you tried watching older dramas ?

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I did try to find anything interesting outside k-dramas.. maybe new faces can help to refresh and revive my fangirl's heart 😆

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Same Keiru same 😭. I wonder is it drama burnout? I also think my drama interest is influenced by the drama cast (my favessss) on top of the story.

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Exactly what I felt for this past few months ! Most of the time, my faves have control over what I want to watch 😅

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At least that's what happened to me -- what years ago was fresh and new is now stale and old.
I turned to c-dramas and Taiwan dramas more, and have gotten very picky with k-dramas.

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Yes.. I feel dissatisfied with most current k-dramas 😭

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I'm only half joking when I said that INAR ruined kdramas for me. I'm tired and impatient of a lot of stuff that never used to bother me.

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I have been watching dramas for about 15 years and I am watching and rewatching shows exactly as I was in the beginning. They still make me happy exactly as they used to and I still expect of them exactly what I did back then. I guess I'm too lucky.

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I hope that's how it stays for me. I love kdramas and they make me happy and I hope it stays that way. And I hope to always expect the right things from them.

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Share your secret with mee~ I want to feel that way too 😆

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I don't know if I have any secret 😄 maybe just that my expectations of dramas are exactly the same as they were back then. I don't know, maybe not live-watching and watching and focussing on only one show at a time helps too?

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i think we're in another drought... the storylines are regurgitated and remixed, but still the same formulaic format and the endings are more stupid than ever -- because they try to tailor to the netizens, or they just have to close up stories that really had no original content?

Crash Landing on You is a cute refreshing drama! Chocolate is a very moody angsty love story that is a slow burn, but has some nice ensemble story lines.

i just finished watching Kim Ji Young Born 1982 -- the K movies are covering "new territory" and content (stirring controversy in South Korea)! excellent watch, as was Parasite.

i also watched Giri/Haji (BBC production) on netflix -- it was an interesting watch (yakuza story in London - japanese guys speaking english and a gay half japanese guy that has a fabulous british accent), but the nudity and graphic sex shocked me out of my chair as i am so not used to seeing that much skin and (ahem) humping even tho there were only a few scenes of that...
: [

i've become very much a prude or something? it doesn't add to the story, in my opinion...

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I think I need more show like Parasite, that movie was excellent from start to finish 👍

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AND they just won Best Ensemble Cast at the Screen Actors Guild Awards!!

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You could tell which Parasite reviewers had never seen quality K-dramas like My Ajusshi/Mister or Radiant/Dazzling (the vast majority of them). It was as though they had never seen a character-driven story about social inequality and the struggles of living in an unequal society before. There are unsuspected parallels between 'Parasite' and 'Misty', in that in both cases the characters are seduced by the trappings of power, are caught in a web of circumstance largely of their own making, and in both cases they're doomed.

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'War of Prosecutors/Diary of a Prosecutor' has the advantage of not being formulaic. The male and female leads are never going to fall into each others arms, there's no menacing chaebol heir waiting in the wings, there's no puppy-like second lead mooning over the female lead, no serial killer storyline, nobody's living in a 'rooftop villa'. It uses workplace comedy as a venue to tell meaningful little short stories illuminating society. A negative against it, though, is that *doesn't trade in formula*. Viewers have developed a Pavlovian response to K-dramas and expect romance between the leads, even when inappropriate!

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Slumps are interesting. I'm just coming off of a reading one that lasted around two years. Before I could switch up genres or sub genres and it would help, but this one was an actual reading slump not a book slump. I just couldn't get into reading anything. After a while I stopped trying to force it.
There was a silver lining in that i found dramas and then kpop which opened this fun new world.
So maybe it is the type of dramas and shaking that up might help or maybe watching is just not how your mind wants to consume entertainment right now.

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I am watching Heirs! Currently up to ep 3 😆. Some random thoughts: no one look like they are in school. Kim Tan is not tan enough. Eunsung should really get back to Korea. Kim Woo Bin's hair looks like a dumpling. Older bro is robot-like. There are too many characters. I have trouble figuring who is who and how they are all related. I hope they all gather in one place asap, I want more diverse character interaction.

I watched Master in the House and excited to watch tomorrows ep!!! Bring your pompoms out! Royal Hotness will be cheerleading with Dalgun, LSY, YSJ and YSH at a basketball match. But really, RH should be playing basketball too. Ahaha

I paused watching Stove League at ep 8. I don't feel like watching new eps yet. I might continue sometime in the future.

My colleague is persuading me to watch Crash Landing. I probabaly start watching to check out SYJ's outfit changes when I'm bored.

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Quit Heirs, quit it now, that drama is so so bad.

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I feel the say way about, "Boys Over Flowers," "Cheese in the Trap," and "Coffee Prince." Couldn't get through them.

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I thought I was the only one! Although I'm probably am the only one who couldn't get thru Descendants of the Sun...

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AS for DOTS, that was also bad, but the Song Song couple had great chemistry so I survived it. lol

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Me too but I want to give DOTS another chance!

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I can't as well. Came across ep 4 while visiting and that's just about it.

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BOF was my first drama so I did finish it, laughing at how bad it was until the end. I have never seen CITT, so no comment. But Coffee Prince is one of my favorite dramas, I love it so much, so I am sad if anyone dislikes it.

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I adore Coffee Prince, but like another one of my all-time favorites, City Hall, I was at first put off my the slapstick humor and the lack of depth in the characters. It took until about episode 5, each time, and then I was hooked for life. Now when I go back it's like seeing old friends. They always say and do the same things, but I'll forgive them ;-)

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Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim 2 Can they change the FL and take Yoon A-Reum who is good at doing her job and cute instead? I can totally imagine her in a love triangle with Seo Woo-Jin and Park Eun-Tak.

Diary of a Prosecutor I can't connect with the characters of this drama. The humor makes me feel more antipathy than empathy for them...

Black Dog Everything in this drama is perfect! The story, the actors, the directing, the feelings, etc.

Beautiful Love, Wonderful Life It's so slow...

No Second Chances Park Se Wan and Kwak Dong Yeon ❤

Stove League It's nice to see the ML ready to start to be happy :)

Chocolate All the tragedies brought us to a beautiful love story :)

Crash Landing on You I don't like Koo Seung Joon, so if somebody must die I would chose him over the ducklings!

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Stove League when he asked if it was ok for him to be happy at work.....my heart. Then when he was trying to be more expressive, lol. I love that this change is shown in little moments here and there.

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That scene with the baby was heartbreaking.

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This! But but I want Areum for Nurse Park. 🤣
I seriously don't know the logic of creating a character being a doctor by force and can't even go into surgery. A cardiac surgeon at that... dang!

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Not to mention a 2nd year fellow at that! You CANNOT get that far just by being book smart and not being able to operate. That is totally BS and I hate that the writer is making us fools when I just love the first season. I mean, the first season had some unbelievable moments too but not like this!!!

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@shichybot, @miracle23 Meheartisamusicbox,

Regarding the second-year surgical fellow, an even bigger elephant in the Doldam ER and OR is her addiction to Xanax. Doc Bones, Head Nurse Oh, and one of the senior nurses have all seen her falling asleep on her feet. Does she have to hit bottom and lose her medical license before being sent off to detox? In the mean time, she has no business being anywhere near patients. It's possible that RDTK2 has this particular character arc precisely because of drug addiction among physicians and other healthcare personnel. This story arc might be functioning as an extended public service announcement.

These articles are a few years old:

Op-Ed: Up to 15% of doctors are drug addicts. I was one of them
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-grinspoon-addicted-doctors-20160605-snap-story.html

Health Care Professionals: Addiction and Treatment
https://www.hazeldenbettyford.org/education/bcr/addiction-research/health-care-professionals-substance-abuse-ru-615

This piece on prescription benzodiazepines, which include Xanax (alprazolam), is from 2019:

https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/news/20190516/doctors-patients-struggle-with-benzodiazepine-use

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I think the worst part, it's at the end of the day, she was proud of herself...

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I am not sure they are going with the addiction arc here, Paka. It seems like she only takes them whenever she needs to go in the OR. As long as Kim Sabu keeps her out of OR, she'd be fine.

I am thinking they are recycling the trauma idea from season 1.

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@msrabbit,
I agree that it looks like another take on Doc Yoon's wrist trauma from season 1. Too bad they had to pick such an addictive anti-anxiety drug for Dr. Cha to pop whenever she has to go to the OR. She takes 5 of them, which suggests habituation.

I'm finding it very hard to believe that she can work in the ER but not in the OR. Does adrenaline make it easier for her to deal with blood and guts in the ER?

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@pakalanapikake
Re: ER vs OR. You and me both. 🤷‍♀️

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Watching War of Prosecutors, Black Dog and J drama You and I on the G string

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9.9 BILLION WON WOMAN: There are more greedy bear traps set between the characters than can be found at a major sporting goods store. Both money and the power achieved through it is the horrible truth of this series. It is an addiction that brings out the worst in people.
HOT STOVE LEAGUE: The firing then sudden return of the GM really did not make any sense as well as Kill's waiver of his military exemption since he needs to support his young family. The tangential corporate politics story arc seems bothersome at this point; I want more interaction with the office staff and players to turn the team into a winner.
CHOCOLATE: Probably still the best drama for the genre it has attempted to be . . . dark, sad, melo. With all the hard goodbyes at the hospice, I do not expect a happy, happy ending.
BEAUTIFUL LOVE, WONDERFUL LIFE: There is only one nuclear secret to be set off (the son's suicide) which should derail every single relationship between the families. In dramaland it will never happen, but each family should run away from each other to find a better life.
CRASH LANDING ON YOU: As the danger elements increase, the sweet comic moments (which we all like) decrease. I also think Seri is in intermediate danger (under Ri family protection) until her father steps up to save her.

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Why am I watching Heirs? I don't know. Am I enjoying making fun of its gazillion characters and the angsty male lead and sprinkler female lead? YES.

Episode 9 of Stove League broke me, but in a good way. It feels weird to see Seung-soo actually expressing himself and how he wants to start liking his work now. And I didn't expect to feel something for Kwon Kyung-min on episode 10, but he is also human so I still felt a little bit of sympathy for him.

And Black Dog still continues to amaze me. From the growth of the teachers at Daechi High to the changes in the students in Haneul's class. It's such an amazing and heartwarming show.

I've never seen a character so dumb, but after I've watched last week's episodes of No Second Chances, I have finally seen it all. How can someone forget and lose a baby as cute as Yeol-mu?

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THEY LOST THE BABY?!?!

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Forget him in a market.

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That will be a hard scene to watch.

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But unlike The importance of being Earnest, they found him!

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I've never read the play, just watched the movie adaptation. With the reminder I'm now thinking of whatever happened to Rupert Everett?

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@bcampbell1662 I saw him in last year's The Name of the Rose TV adaptation.

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HA! Loved this comment!

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@midnight my sister and I have this recurring sentence when we say we have lost something: Miss Prism!! Where is the baby? As in the play, which I looooooove.

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Phew. I am watching this just to take screencaps of Yeol Moo.

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In kdramas, such events usually foretell early Alzheimer’s disease. Hope our characters are luckier.

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Now that the husband has a job as baker, it would be really sad if the wife has Alzeimer :(

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It seems it’s going that way, considering what happened int his weeks episodes.

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I almost lost the losing Yeol-mu as I FF the baker and his wife. But at least that’s what brought Baek-Ha and HaeJoon together and I loved the way everybody said he was YeolMu’s dad.

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I ff everything that doesn't have Yeol-mu or his two "parents" in it, so at least I was watching that scene. I hate every plotline in this except the main one, not sure why I'm still watching.

Yes I do, Park Se-wan and Kwak Dong-yeon are just fantastic. Also, I do quite like the plotline about the golfer and the chaebol heiress. I just wish they hadn't been involved in her husband's death.

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I actually dont mind the other characters and find some interesting, except the chabebol granddaughter. I actively dislike her. If she was at least smart, hardworking, competent, witty, or something. But she is just unlikable. I'd say that the big bad in My Fellow Citizens should take her in and at least teach her how to be....something, but that after a minute in her company she'd just have her disposed of.
Sorry, she brings out my ranty side.

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Totally agree.

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In all fairness, something seems to be wrong with the wife. She is having trouble remembering a lot of things.

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Also watching: Diary of a Prosecutor (Episode 7-8)

Black Dog (Episode 9-10)
Wow, this drama got me so good. From the preview of the dreaded information session last week, I thought that we will head into the rich parent tantrum issue again that we have seen so many times in previous school dramas. But no, this drama is intent on showing its class and giving us a more realistic and dramatic view of how the school is a microcosm of society with its student-teacher relationships and working politics. I love how the drama uses flashbacks to enhance its current arcs as well as how the side characters are woven into the story. So looking forward to next week’s tension!

Crash Landing on You (Episode 7-8)
The thing with this show is that while my emotional side screams for the safety of the leads, my rational side tells me I need not worry because they’ve got more than enough plot armour at this point (cause yeah good luck doing romance if they’re dead). And that leads to a huge problem: Se Ri can never return to South Korea because that deflates all the dramatic tension that has risen the stakes of the Romeo and Juliet couple. And then I realised all the first half did was just drag Se Ri’s delay until she became common knowledge. It’s not impossible for rom-coms to be thoughtfully done.

Chocolate (Episode 13-14)
It’s a little too late to start side character development now with regards to the nurses, but there’s finally development in the story as our leads finally admit to their feelings and Jun realises how pathetic his struggle with Kang has been. I feel pity for the show itself as an entity because there’s close to zero probability that it’ll deliver good drama next week when it has cliche rich family politics as a final conflict for the hospice’s existence itself as well as those melodramatic elements of illnesses and crossed fates (my mom died to save you boo hoo!) to wrap up. We demand some bromance!

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Crash landing on you: there's definitely chemistry between the leads but I don't find myself emotionally invested in the drama. I had so much time the entire week but I still didn't watch ep 8 until last night. That too because I knew my uni would be in full swing from monday and I really didn't want to accumulate episodes. This really says a lot.

Stove league: Entertaining. I'm not sure I want a love line between Baek Sung Soo and our operations manager. I don't think we need a romance plot at all!

Diary of a prosecutor: The latest episodes were solid. Going strong.

Black Dog: A true GEM. The best of what I'm watching.

Never Twice: We need more Bak Ha, Hae Joon and Yul Moo scenes!

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Never twice: I hope this week's episodes contains plenty of them

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Stove League does not need romance. I never considered a love line between Seung-soo and Se-young because we didn't find out Jung-in was his ex-wife until the epilogue of episode 6. (We didn't even see Jung-in again since episode 1 until episode 6 when Young-soo got the job.)

Jae-hee's crush on Se-young is adorable, but I don't see a relationship developing because she doesn't like him at all. At least Se-young has finally realized Jae-hee's worth and that he is not a nakhasan, but she really needs to stop hitting him.

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I expect the GM to reunite with his ex.
I also expect Op Manager to fall for her crushing assistant, whose rich family will buy the team after a winning season.

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@welh Good predictions! I'd like the GM to reunite with his ex, actually, since they seem to still love each other. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if the assistant's crush remains unacknowledged until the end.

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I'm neutral on a romance between Seung-soo and at this point. If they go that route maybe I'll see it.
Between Jae-hee and Se-young it feels very sibling like. I'm not sure I see the chemistry. Even though it is sweet that she had a good impact on him and his catching practice to impress her I'm not feeling the chemistry.
I'd kind of hoped if they decided to have a romance line they'd maybe introduce one between Se-young and Yeong-soo. I find them both likable and similar in there approach, though she is more hot tempered.

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Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim 2: 7.7 I can get really tired of doctors arguing about whose scalpel is bigger and who the Potted Patient belongs to. FL's issues seem contrived and improbable. Otherwise entertaining. Oh, and any bets on whether the head loan shark has a medical emergency soon???

Touch: 7 Mostly harmless fun -- opponents/antagonists haven't been especially evil so far by kdrama standards, although day 4 seems to be setting up some future evil.

Queen: Love And War: 7.5

Crash Landing on You: 8.0 The novelty of the NK setting is fading, and so (gradually) is my rating for the show.

Diary of a Prosecutor: 8.0

Stove League: 7.9 Day 9: Enjoy watching how they manage, still don't much like watching the head office baddie. Turning around a losing team ought to be hard enough so they don't need too many extra problems from the boss?? Explain to me again why bad boss wants to abolish the team instead of cutting costs, turning a profit and/or just winning some games? And the family background & hardships felt like they were stuffed in because of the obligatory kdrama formula. Day 10 was much better 👍

Money Game: 2.0 Sigh, I wanted a Wed/Thu show, but this isn't it. For the record, the predictably obnoxious foreign lady being unnecessarily obnoxious was what killed it. #Kleenex. Bye.

The Fearless: 8.5 (Taiwan) One of my refuges recently whenever kdramaland didn't have enough good stuff to keep me occupied. Might have scored even higher if I hadn't kept losing track because I stretched it out over 3+ months. Anyway, a nice change from kdramas.

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My exact feelings about Dr. Romantic.
I hope FL learns the lesson Kim Sabu is trying to teach her: she can’t be a CS with her issues, so it’s rather overcome them or accept she can be an extraordinary ER doctor.

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Lord Cobol you have hit the nail squarely on the head about the gigantic plot hole in STOVE LEAGUE. Unless the corporate conglomerate owns the stadium AND there is a gigantic nugget of gold- to the tune of many thousands of tons and located directly underneath it- it makes absolutely zero financial sense to simply dissolve the team. That would represent a 100% loss on a major asset. If that is what the Chairman wants to do then the board of directors needs to remove him pronto if not sooner- because it is financially insane.

If the corporation views the team as a cash drain then sell the team and re-coup some of the losses. If you wait- and the General Manager delivers a championship- then you will get a much higher price.

My only explanation for this is the writers simply do not understand the economics of a sports franchise. You are right to see the corporate stuff totally unreal- which is in sharp contrasts to the rest of the show which is extremely real and human.

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I thought exactly the same: you sell it.
I could understand this only if my “dissolving” they mean selling, and thus it is important that it wins the championship as it would sell better.
For instance, in Spain, many football clbs don’t own their stadium, it belongs to the municipality and in thT context you can understand such a thing

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I'm still hoping they'll come up with an explanation for that. Didn't they at one point say that there would be too much backlash if they sold it, because of the links the corporation had with the local area?

That didn't explain to me why dissolving it would be better... but it makes me (naively?) hopeful that we will get an answer some point soon.

It reminded me a little bit of the sponsorship of a local cycling team in my home country. The bank who were sponsoring them had looked for years for a way out, but were worried about the backlash. Then there was a scandal within the team (it's cycling - there's always a scandal) and the sponsor immediately pulled out because now they could do that and keep the moral highground.

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Assuming that the team stayed in the same place there would be almost no backlash to selling the team- and the backlash to dissolving it would be just as great as moving it- so the explanation of avoiding backlash does not hold up.

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I don't fully understand what the Chairman's nephew means by disbanding the team or why he would wait a year to do so if he has no interest in improving the team's performance before then. As you mentioned, selling the team would make more sense. Even so, he seems to sabotage the General Manager's efforts simply because he thinks he's rude, even though it works against his interests and possible future profits, which are supposedly the only thing he cares about. Why not just ignore the GM's attitude, since the team is only going to be around for a year anyway and he seems to be an effective manager so far? It's frustrating when the writers reduce the nephew to a villain with an irrational inferiority complex, especially since the writers then have to use equally ridiculous plot contrivances to explain the GM's continued employment. I think he's going to become more sympathetic towards the end, though.

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My hypothesis is that some of the stupidity - like the 'cut the plyer's salaries by 30%' idiocy- why ultimately boomeranged on the Chairman- were really the idea of the Owner Representative's cousin. The irrational striking out at the General Manager was a response to the 'evil' representatives helplessness caused by his inability to strike at his real enemy- and the fact that the General Manager had had the temerity to find a lever in the situation which in turn caused blow back for which he the Owner Representative was blamed.

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DRTK2 I’m trying for Kim Sabu, but I find all this let’s take him down because he’s a fraud a bit tiring. Can we focus on the show, please, we’ve already had that in season 1. Mainly FF right now because I would never leave Kin Sabu.

I’m loving Diary of a Prosecutor and Black Dog so much. Let my comments on the recaps. This weeks episodes were real gems that touched delicate subjects. I just enjoyed every minute (not FF here).

People with Flaws. The ending was a bit bittersweet, some stories seemed to be rushed too much. I needed more or the siblings, still don’t know what JangMi was doing in this show (if you delete her character nothing happens), and I guess some scenes were altered after Cha In Ha left us. Still, I loved this room-com, I laughed a lot and cried as well. But I still have the feeling it should have been better.

Stove League. OMG that last scene with the baby broke my heart. I loved what we learned about SeungSoo this week.

No second chances. I NEED more of BaekHa and HaeJoon together. I need them to be honest with each other. Hopefully this weeks eps will have something of that according to the preview.

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I couldn't get through DRTK1--I think I quit @ episode 3 and never picked it up again.

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I loved season 1, but I'm not objective concerning Han Suk Kyu and Seo Huyn Jin (well, and Yoo Yeon Seok helped a little bit, tbh).

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I finished it but hated it.

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I am also staying for Teacher Kim but it really gets disappointing fast with the other leads. Something just don't click and the bad guys are just headless chickens running amok, it's no fun. I want to know more about Areum, our OS and Nurse Park. Now is the time for their backstory. Not a spoil girl who took up med so that mama won't be sad. The intention is wrong from the get go. How can she be campassionate after those years of forcing herself to succeed in medical studies? Not believable, at least to me. Both new leads became doctors for all the wrong reason, it annoys me to the point of no return.

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The whole discussion about who was assisting the Minister was even dangerous. He was having a crisis and they were all about whose one's bigger. Very, very professional, and I know this is a medical drama and blabla. Totally agree: headless chickens...

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My husband asked if we could just kill her character off. Lol. I just looked at him—she’s the female lead so.....

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Omg! That's definitely crossed my mind and I am not ashamed of it lalalalala

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I don’t really hate her, I just wanna think the FL is annoying and not the actress, but things have to change a lot for me not to follow your husband’s opinion. The whole thing with she falling asleep everywhere... yes, definitely I concur with your husband in just one comment 🤣🤣🤣

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Not just her trying hard to stay in the OR, but also her blaming everyone but herself and playing victim. Phuh....leaseee... 🙄

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@ally-le,
If FL keeps shoveling down the Xanax, she could do herself in. Problem solved. -- Or is it time to fire up the Bat Signal and hail Truck Of Doom for another photo op?!

We've also gotten a clue that maybe she's not cut out to be a surgeon, and should just work in the ER. For some bizarro reason she doesn't conk out at the sight of blood in the ER.

One thing I've got to say for ex-Dr. D'oh: at least he's consistent.

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I'm not watching this show but have read beanie comments and this is exactly what confused me. How is she ok there? I have been to the ER and there is blood EVERYWHERE!

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@midnight It's not the blood. It's the OR. Don't ask me how that's possible. I don't know. 🤷‍♀️

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@midnight it’s just not the blood, as @msrabbit pointed. When she was in Medicine School she had the problem while opening a corpse in Anatomy Class, so I guess it may be the characteristic smell of an OR, or the fact that you have to open wide a body 🤷🏼‍♀️

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I guess I am less blood thirsty. I just want the baddies to take the minister + FL and leave Doldam.

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I really miss the depth and maturity Yoo Yeon Seok and Seo Hyun Jin brought to the series. Ahn Hyeo Seop and Lee Sung Kyung are kinda still wet behind the ears when it comes to acting and they’re not as believable as doctors, to be honest.

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I missed the way yys and shj handled themselves as doctors who are passionate in their work. Like they are really really good in what they do and it shows! Right now newbies seem like putting a show. I am soooo sad for kim sabu. 🤧

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On STOVE LEAGUE the scene with the baby was an emotional punch in the gut- and tells us a great deal about our General manager's past.

PEOPLE WITH FLAWS was a show that I loved, even though it allocated too much time to wallowing in out main leads tragic history and trauma- to the point where we got tired of it. There was at least 3 hours too much of it- time that could have been spent on the other characters. You are right about Jang-mi- and this was one wasted opportunity- because her story could have been very interesting and could have been dove-tailed with Min-hyuk's story: As in a story where she has an accident and Min-hyuk is able to save her life because he is a doctor - so she falls for him and keeps chasing him until he finally surrenders. Which in turn is the best thing that ever happened to both of them. He discovers that he can be a doctor again and that he can truly be loved by someone and she gets a nice steady rock of a guy (and good looking too) - and they will both be really happy with each other. The picture of Min-hyuk now doing charity medicine like his parents was totally wrong, not because such work is not good and laudable but because Min-hyuk has been so hurt by his parents neglect because of such work that there is absolutely no way that he would ever consider it- and no reason why he should have to.

PEPLE WITH FLAWS was a nice show but the writers seriously needed an editor to prevent the wasted opportunities.

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@oldawyer OldLawyer,

Yes! In STOVE LEAGUE that scene with GM and Robert Gil's infant killed me dead, and confirmed my suspicions about ALONE IN LOVE vibes. It remains to be seen whether he and his ex-wife can get back together, but I truly hope it's in the cards.

Actually, GM's visit to Dad in the hospital was another punch in the gut.

As for PEOPLE WITH FLAWS, Min-hyuk's final resolution didn't register with me. I like your assessment -- his running off to do charity work makes no sense at all.

On the other hand, I was pleased with the way Won-seok's arc was handled. I thought I'd just completely missed the point of the photo of the Rockies -- and then it was finally explained. Ho-dol's greeting of Won-seok Appa's photo fulfilled Dad's request that WS introduce him to his future significant other -- who will hopefully be more garrulous. (Yes, he is.) And then Won-jae explained the significance of WS's ripping the photo in two to Ho-dol. Oof!

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I too appreciated the resolution of Won-Seok's story- it was elegant.

And I agree with you about the possibility of the General Manager in STOVE LEAGUE re-uniting with his wife. Count me in as another who is cheering for them. I just hope that the writers do not have some terrible reason planned for why that cannot happen.

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@oldawyer,
Re: DRAMA WITH FLAWS
The fact that Won-seok kept that photo where he could see it underscores how much and how long he suffered in silence. And only Won-jae knew its true significance. Dang.

I really wish we got to see more of these two -- and their baby brother, who's growing up to be a chip off the old blocks.

Re: STOVE LEAGUE
Is your spider sense tingling, OldLawyer? GM Baek has gotten such a raw deal that I shudder to consider the possibility of more bad karma coming his way. Yikes. His ex told him they wouldn't be getting together on their anniversary next year. That could be interpreted a couple of ways.

I'm also concerned that Seung-soo agreed to resign at the end of spring training. It makes me wonder whether the drama is limited only to the off-season, and we won't see GM's vindication. That would be a bummer. It's possible that he's figured out how to embarrass the owner into rehiring him when the Dreams proceed to blow away their opponents. However, I'm concerned that he's been quietly taking care of business and seeing to it that dongsaeng is self-supporting for a reason.

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Totally agree with you about what would have been between JangMi and MinHyuk, and the fact that he went to be a doctor in some African country after what he’s been through with his parents makes absolutely nonsense. A trip over the world to open his mind would have been better.

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Black Dog: I love it. I never thought I'd be on the edge of my seat over a college admission presentation but there I was lol.

Diary of a Prosecutor: I'm not invested in any of the characters, but I do like how the drama handles issues.

Money Game: I tried the first episode because of Lee Sung Min but it was a lot of boredom followed by a few seconds of WTF.

Chocolate: I became oddly invested in this drama despite all the unnecessary plot contrivances the writer likes to throw into her dramas.

Crash Landing: Still enjoying it.

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