Thankfully the Oppa Law does not apply to me and so I was able to drop this show. I did watch episode 7 on account on YY's begging and apart from the nekkid scene that was quite funny, we then got an hour of contract signing, guest fire fighting lectures, and exposition on the effect of wind speeds of mountain topography.

If this show would just embrace its trash, I'd stick around. But trash shouldn't be So. Damn. Boring.

Apropos of nothing, I do hail from a very Sunburnt Country and the show's use of fire and firefighting is tone deaf to the point of offensiveness. I am the wrong person in the wrong place in the wrong time to be watching something this insensitive. This is the most tone deaf a drama has been since Vagabond set a romcom in a shipping container straight after the Essex lorry deaths.

I am out. Fare thee well.

Stay silent, clams. Stay still. Your time will come.

Great summary, with ironic asides. I'm enjoying this, especially everything that the forest represents in all its complexity, but I have had to overcome some irritation with Young-jae's character. Surely k-drama heroines have moved on from screaming at lizards. I'm from a sunburnt country too, and I am finding the fire scenes in the forest both apposite and cathartic. (Korea also experienced horrendous fires last year.) This drama explores many different competing and complementary perspectives on the forest.

Even as a hate watch, this farce is getting harder and harder to take. They spend more time talking to themselves than anyone normal. What it is with k-dramas and all this out loud talking to self? I can only assume so that random people can overhear you and make wild speculations.

Regarding separate heaters for each shower: probably each shower has its own small tankless water heater right on the wall by the showerhead. Popular in Asia and Europe.

Hey, Oppa. Looking good. Still flaunting your new Oppa look, I see...shirtless, laundry basket in place of boxers. Cool, Oppa, cool. I know you're not shy anymore, but still...I mean, it's good that you're not shy anymore, but to actually SHOW me week after week how much you've changed, it's kind of like too much of a good thing, if you know what I mean.

The part you almost kissed her was bizarre. I mean, you were leaning in, and then you catch sight of her open laptop, and geez, you could decipher everything in there from such a distance, and I don't know how you could be READING when your mind should be clouded with lust - I mean, love - and the next moment, you're angry and mad and you stomp out and my head is reeling and what is this?????

She goes to sip the spring water, and it's all quiet and peaceful, and she turns around, and whoa, the place is on fire. Like raging with fire. So. Bizarre.

The end scene. Oppa, it was so weird. They let you go down to rescue her even though you're a newbie. You rescue her, and you're hugging her and the whole place is in flames and you're not wearing a mask but you're fine. What???? She gets hoisted up and she's shrieking to you and I'm laughing and you're stunned and you're breathing fine, no smoke inhalation issues, you're just frozen and it's so funny and I'm cackling.

Forest animal sightings:

One adult squirrel
Sex: Undetermined
Location: Tree, upper branches. Middle forest.
Status: Live. Lively.

Ok, so that other "doctor" who "works" at Miryeong Hospital (using " " because, seriously, the doctoring and working are truly nonexistent) .... he's just so annoying. Half-way thorough this thing and I don't even know his name nor do I care to. He does absolutely nothing ..... and he adds nothing to the show.

In this last set of episodes the story actually improved, although the technical/scientific side did not. Our young doctor did not need to 'taste' the water because she has very good reason to think there is a problem- a doctor would understand that she just needs to fill up a few containers with the stuff - from the tap- and send it off to the labs at public health authority- with a note saying she has good reason to suspect toxic chemicals.

Nor should our young doctor be tracing the waterpipe- that is Oh Bo-mi's job.

Oh Bo-mi and Choi-chang are the anchors of reality in this show- their romance is blossoming to the point where Choi-chang has actually asked Oh Bo-mi out.

While I say that the story has improved I do not mean to say that the writing is OK- things are still too disjointed.

Thanks for the weecap again. I must admit I'm enjoying this show as well as the comments here.
Yes yes, it doesn't make a lot of sense - but Oppa is just. so. beautiful to look at. sigh - I'm shallow I know.
To be honest I watched the episodes before they were fully subbed on Viki, and that might be the best way to watch this show.
I just FF through the corporate scenes and I can follow the rest.

Maybe this is really a show about Climate Change and that's why Oppa was so anxious to get it out there.
I mean, those clams are really important right?

smirking a little.....

So, a question for those watching more closely than I am. Why was there an explosion that started the fire? What were the men up to that they had explosives with them?

Beanies! We really hate having to delete mean-spirited comments, so let's keep things civil -- even when we have strong opinions on the excellence and/or crappiness of this drama. ^_^

So what sort of nefarious goings on in the forest is poisoning the water? Guesses, beanies?

Illegal mining, e.g. for gold, would lead to serious pollution down stream.

Illegal crops, such as marijuana, would lead to pollution from fertilizers and pesticides.

Dumping of hazardous materials would lead to serious pollution.

What else?

I myself think its funny how I still find myself lurking around this thread 🤣 hahaha
I think, Im still finding a reason to watch this but as the week passes by I am discouraged. Haha. I think I read this and be amused that all of us here think its really funny (and weird) how ridiculous sometimes our kdramas are. Haha. Though, I really do think they make a decent pair! 😉

My favourite part of the week is reading the comments on the weekly Forest threads

Hello everyone,

I've been an irregular here at Dramabeans for at least 6 years maybe longer. I rarely comment or read more than the recaps but this thread makes me laugh.

Re clams: Option 1. One of the writer's or producer's of the show is trying to drum up interest in a relative's clam business. By including the clams as a relevant or irrelevant side plot perhaps people will want to eat the delicious soup people make with the clams. I did some research into Korean freshwater clams and there are an impressive number of them. Option 2. The clams are mother-of-pearl/freshwater pearl mussels and they all gonna be rich!

Re: Electrical short. What the heck was that all about? Admittedly I skipped every thing in every episode leading up to that, but still.

Re: The editing. I can't decide if the editor is valiantly trying to save us from the excrescence that is the script or if the editor is a diabolical minion of evil flaying the writer's beautiful and subtle script into dreck. It doesn't matter I guess. Dreck's dreck. But I'd like to have a clear cut hero behind the scenes.

Maybe they are all out to get us.

Reading comments about Jo Boa's character....probably she did ate the magic mushrooms offered in ep 3. Hua3

"… but instead the next time she looks up, she’s surrounded by roaring flames" - I think this is not a mistake she is hallucinating after drinking polluted water. She and San-hyuk are having shared psychosis (Folie à deux) about fire.