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…
stroopwafel
Currently weecapping: Zombie Detective
Record of Youth: So this is the way Record of Youth ends, not with a bang but a whimper. I don’t know that the show ever figured out what it wanted to be, and it showed in the way characters and plotlines were (and weren’t) developed. I can’t even get worked up enough to hate it, it was that underwhelming for me.
Start-Up: I didn’t think I could enjoy any relationship more than the Ji-pyeong–Halmoni duo, but the Ji-pyeong–Flannel Trio combo may become my new favorite, you can tell Ji-pyeong already cares about them. Also, Do-san’s CODA acceptance video is the gift that keeps on giving; the more I watch the more I love it. (I really need all the laughs I can get these days.)
missvictrix
Currently weecapping: Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol, Start-Up
More Than Friends: I felt like poking my head back into this drama again, curious about what would happen, and ready for an episode of something light. But is this drama really light? Only kinda, because Episode 3 and 4 were more of our heroine being tormented/teased by our sexy photographer hero. I do love how she’s SO over him (for now), but his mouth says one thing and his actions another. I find myself swiftly boarding the second lead Kim Dong-joon ship. He’s equally sexy, but also straight-forward and doesn’t send mixed messages. I feel myself swooning just thinking about him. This means only heartache for me, right?
quirkycase
Currently Recapping: Tale of the Nine Tailed
Search: I don’t usually like military-themed entertainment, but I’m enjoying this one. It took into week two before I felt invested, but now I’ve started to care about the characters and not just the mystery. Krystal’s stoicism actually works pretty well here, especially in contrast to Dong-jin’s jovial persona.
Zombie Detective: That was a more open ending than I expected, but I felt it struck a good balance between happily-ever-after and cynicism. Things worked out pretty well in the end, and there’s hope for Min-ho’s situation to improve. I guess that applies to the whole drama, really. Throughout we had a great mix of light comedy and darker themes, keeping things fun and not too heavy. Up to the last episode, it never lost its zany humor. I cracked up when the Ghostbusters theme came on. This was a fun little drama that convinced me Choi Jin-hyuk should do comedy all the time.
Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol: Not cool, Joon. I’ve gotten over the shock of him being a teenager, but there’s no way I can be okay with the romance when Lala doesn’t know. He needed to tell her like yesterday. He can’t keep up the act forever, and it’ll be so much worse when she finds out later on and feels duped. Also, is it really necessary for everyone to have a past connection?
Start-Up: I hadn’t planned on watching this one since nothing about it sounded interesting to me on paper. But after all the rave comments, I decided to check it out. I have to say, I don’t think this one’s for me. The first few episodes didn’t hook me, although I LOVE Ji-pyeong and Halmoni. I’d watch the heck out of a drama about them. And In-jae’s story has potential too. The problem is I find the general plot and both main characters boring, so I don’t feel invested in anything involving Dal-mi and Do-san. This one goes in the dropped pile for me.
RELATED POSTS
- Team Dramabeans: What we’re watching (October 24, 2020)
- Team Dramabeans: What we’re watching (October 17, 2020)
- Team Dramabeans: What we’re watching (October 10, 2020)
- Team Dramabeans: What we’re watching (October 3, 2020)
- Team Dramabeans: What we’re watching (September 26, 2020)
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Tags: Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol, More Than Friends, Record of Youth, Search, Start-Up, What We're Watching, Zombie Detective
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51 HelenaCan
October 31, 2020 at 4:46 PM
This week, I barely had enough time for Spies who Loved Me, and the show still looks interesting. I like Yoo In Na very much, having been amazed by the Queen In Hyeun's Man (the neck tie scene was a nice nod to that drama). She is very capable here. Her character is pinned between a Shady Sleaze and a Monumental Jerk, so I am very curious how the story pans out. I do understand that the most probable outcome would be a sweet bike-ride into the sunset, but the road there might be bumpy and entertaining enough to keep me engaged.
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52 kdramaboo
October 31, 2020 at 5:03 PM
Hospital Playlist Throwback:
Week after week, I only love HP and the cast more and more!! As always, this week's throwback video was an absolute gem :D From awkward first greetings to them sharing stories openly to one another, I loved seeing the cast break the ice and slowly get closer. Not to mention, the lil montage at the end of them all laughing and smiling together on set gave me all the feels <3 I seriously can't wait for this big HP family to return in season 2!
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53 Jingbee
October 31, 2020 at 7:13 PM
After Do You Like Brahms? I have not found any other show that I would wake up early in the morning for to watch as soon as the English subs are out.
Now that I am back to my post-work, after dinner drama watching time, these are the ones that still keeps me invested :
18 Again - Deokjin is actually hilarious, I find myself laughing especially when he cosplays. LDH is so good that I actually see him as a 37 year old man in here so I had no issues with the kiss. On the contrary I was afraid how the show would handle the potentially icky situation with Shi-a.
Zombie Detective - it was a fun run, I was watching because of the cheeky dialogue and the parodies. That award acceptance speech was a hoot! Now I need to look for a show I can watch with hubby to replace it. I have started Search, and this might be a good candidate.
Start-up - beanies recommended it and now I am caught up with it. I am actually rooting for the second leads. I do not understand why the drama is portraying the FL as the one who needs vindication when she is not the victim here. She made her choice, she had grandma all along, and she had been loved. Her sister made a different choice but she did not have that same love, her mom was distant.Both FL and ML just had to grow up and get their heads out of the clouds. Hopefully that is what the show will focus on more and not the romance as otherwise my fast forward button will once again suffer the consequences.
So far,
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OldLawyer
October 31, 2020 at 11:15 PM
I am loving START-UP and actually appreciate the way the writer has changed things. For instance, I am beginning to think that the writer is not framing this story as having a first male lead and a second male lead or a first female lead and a second female lead. In this story I think that our writer simply has 4 leads- 2 male and 2 female. And I think that the interactions of all four people- and their growth- will be what our story is about.
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Jingbee
November 1, 2020 at 1:02 AM
I hope you are right. It would be great if it turns out to be an ensemble growth theme instead of the usual romance trope. It would then differentiate itself from the pack.
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soulsearch12
November 1, 2020 at 2:30 AM
Exactly, you hit the nail on its point! The show has 4 leads, or sometimes 3 leads (The two men and Suzy), but really its a character driven story. In order for us to care and/or root for them, one must care about the characters as well. The first episode did a great job setting up a foundation for the characters going forward. Now that its been set up, the interactions are so much richer for it.
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Kurama
November 1, 2020 at 2:41 AM
I don't think so. The way they filmed the teaser or the posters ( I don't remember) it was Suzy and NJH walking beside each other with the other actors being on the sides and a little behind. And a poster with Suzy and NJH sitting against each other.
The writer always has the same framework : her ML is a genius or has a super power, the FL is more the hardworking kind. The second leads helping the main ones and suffering in silence. :p
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Jingbee
November 1, 2020 at 3:13 AM
If this happens, then its a waste of big budget to just turn out to be a cookie-cutter story. I already dislike the slow-mo moments but I could forgive those if this turns out to be different. I will continue to watch until I can’t.
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OldLawyer
November 1, 2020 at 11:07 AM
I very much agree with you and I would point to some hopeful differences that make me think that this writer is trying to do something new:
First, both male leads are good looking and both have a 'super power'. Each has a different power but they complement each other- plus they are good at communicating with each other. At this point the writer has set up a 'bromance' situation. It helps that our second lead will not be suddenly removed from the action by a Spanish bullet (C'est la guerre). So both leads will still be standing at the end of this drama with their friendship hopefully still intact.
Second, Our female lead is modelled on a very strong woman- Rostand's Roxanne is not only brilliant and beautiful but very brave: In the play she drives a carriage through enemy lines in order to bring food to her favorite soldiers. So this is something more than just a deserving hardworking girl. The writer has actually demonstrated these Roxanne-like qualities by having our girl impetuously enter Sandbox by way of a hackathon and become one of the 40 designated CEOs.
Then the writer has given Dal-mi, our Roxanne equivalent, a sister who is just as brilliant, beautiful and brave as she is.
The drama has to resolve the tragic past of these sisters or the addition of the second female lead makes no sense.
Kurama is no doubt right about the writer but it may also be that this writer has made a decision to do something different this time.
54 Kairoskat 💐
October 31, 2020 at 7:15 PM
What I'm watching...
Kairos! obviously 😎. I watched both eps and enjoyed it. My 8 month wait was worth it for the acting, plot and directing in week 1 and also for all the goodies MBC gave: twitterblueroomlive and hashflags etc ahahaha~ hoping it remains solid throughout. You can do it show! Fighting!! 💪🏻
Penthouse...I had to watch Kairos competiting drama hehe. I looked forward to PH before when SSR was cast as Ju Dan Tae. But after watching week 1...I'm glad he had schedule conflict and withdrew 😅. It's kinda similar to Oh Tae Suk + Lee Hyuk but way way way worse. Anyways...I might continue watching. PH is so OTT it's a comedy 🤭.
Gumiho...still watching thanks to beans group watch on AD 🤣.
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55 tea rex
October 31, 2020 at 9:32 PM
Start-Up: I am loving it so much, it's so funny! And I'm genuinely interested in all the characters which is rare, I never feel the urge to fast forward through anyone's scenes. I also think Bae Suzy is doing amazing here - she does excellent in energetic roles and it's always a joy to watch an actor grow and improve.
DDSSLLS: This show is like fairy floss to me - cute, light and sugary sweet. Could have done without the age-gap tbh.
Going to pick up Tale of the Nine-Tailed this week and give it the ol' 4 episode whirl to see if I stick with it or not.
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56 💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜
October 31, 2020 at 10:52 PM
Somehow ended up live watching 4 SHOWS which I most certainly am not gonna keep up with, but yaknow;
Tale of the 9 Tailed- I think I'm trash for this show. I love it. I end up watching it twice a week cos of a live watch. There are so many things I can see wrong and want to shitpost but by the time the end of the episode rolls round I'm just excited for the next episode lmao.
I want to keep coming up with creative names for Twinkle Twinkle Little Star but I'm blanking this week- I'm behind.
Kairos- ALSO BEHIND lowkey hate time travel but picked this up because of @katakwasabi and Yoon and SSR and well I loved the first episode so...
The Spy Who Loved Me- I'ma be honest I was bored in the first week, but I'll keep going just in case.
Technically I also started Record of Youth but never got past episode 4 I think, mainly cos I was away, and then had other stuff to catch up on that was more interesting, and now can't see myself finishing so... guess that's a drop. Not much of an opinion on it, just cbb.
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57 MeSaya
November 1, 2020 at 12:12 AM
Curiously enough, 'Delayed Justice' that makes me stay.
I tried:
- 'The Penthouse: War in Life' but the excessive abusive scenes, from youngsters to adults, put me off.
- Kairos while intriguing for it has parallel universe, the nanny made me mad.
Hey, you supposed to watch the kid, not having fun for yourself. First, when she sipped the wine and got the kid rebuked by her father and might also be hurt by the glass, was enough to tell that this child needed extra attention. Second, you let yourself busied with text rather than looked after the kid, and dismissed it as 'oh, she just went to the bathroom'. By then it already too late. You had the blood of the kid and her mother on your hands, but you didn't show any remorse at all.
Nope, it just got me angry and didn't want to watch more. Maybe if I can overcome my anger, I will watch again. The story and the casts intrigued me.
- Search. I anticipated this drama with excitement. But, again, when it aired, it lost the fun.
- The Spies who Loved Me. Why did you marry another person while it very obvious that you still love your first husband? All the narrative about why you choose your second husband lost after only one episode. How you gonna convince me the rest of the story will be making some sense? Even topless Erick dancing on the pole didn't make me stay...
I haven't tried 'Start Up'.
So, yes, 'Delayed Justice' also has flaws. But, I love one grumpy and one more grumpier ahjusshi who get together to dethrone powerful politician + lawyer + media. It must be so good to be that crazy. I cringe here and there watching them trying, but a lot of little moments, body gestures, and their acting, those make me stay.
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58 jillian
November 1, 2020 at 6:33 AM
Record of Youth The show has ended and its very underwhelming. I am not ashamed to say that I just watched this for Bogummy and Park So Dam. They are the only reason I didn't drop this on its third week.
Tale of the Nine Tailed Things are getting serious now in the story but I don't mind.
Yeon, Rang, ShinJoo and Yoori are the reasons I enjoy this show. I will add our puppy boy to the foxes. Plus that ending! Yeon choosing Rang makes my heart hope for reconciliation between our bros.
Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol This show is such a happy pill. Although that kiss was a bit awkward for me (it was obvs in one angle that he kissed the side of her mouth). I sure hope Jun will come clean soon since Rara deserves to know the truth.Also I do not think that Dr Cha is DoDoSolSolLaLaSol but I am hoping its gramps.
The Spies Who Loves Me I am really enjoying this show. Eric and Yoo Inna are nailing their roles. I see how their marriage fell apart. At this point in the story I just want them to get closure on what went wrong with their marriage and learn from it. So if they do still feel something for each other, they can start something after Ah Reum ends things with Derek amicably. I do like that Derek knows who JiHun really is and he is jealous. He seems to care genuinely for Ah Reum but he is still shady. I do think that he is the one who killed Sophie so I can't like him even if he is played by Im Joo Hwan.
Private Lives I am not as invested in this week's episode. Joo Eun and Seung Hwan's time apart is too long and I just want them to meet up again like yesterday.
Start Up Do San and Samsan Tech boys need Ji Pyeong in their lives. Dal Mi is a point of contention though. Chalsan need to give Dalmi a chance but I understand his apprehension on her lack of job experience and educational background. I am still rooting for Do San. Now that Alex is in Korea, would be interesting what help he can do for our Samsan boys.
Search Okay the zombies are very agile and quite scary. It now looks like it will wreak havoc on the nearby village. Seems standard that they show us the town inhabitants first so we can care about them. Overall, the show is getting predictable so I am losing interest atm.
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59 Bob
November 1, 2020 at 8:42 AM
I just enjoyed watching episode 9 of 'More Than Friends' and... (spoiler alert)... they did something I've always wanted to see in a K-drama. The heroine rejects BOTH of her ardent suitors because they're both too darned annoying. That was fun to watch. At this point I'm expecting to see a developing bromance more than a romance. But there's still 7 (I'm assuming) episodes to go.
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60 Kwan
November 1, 2020 at 11:39 AM
The only presently airing drama that I can't wait to see is, "Homemade Love Story,"--I love it. I felt that way about, "Search," for the first 5 episodes, but now it's getting a little to ridiculous for me--I might not finish it. I started, "Tale of the Nine Tailed," but couldn't get past episode 1. It probably isn't the drama's fault, I just can't seem to get into Lee Dong Wook's dramas, I've only finished two of them. I'll keep looking, but I don't seem to find that many Kdramas I like right now.
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61 nikilann
November 1, 2020 at 1:55 PM
@quirkycase : don't give up after two episodes ! After 3 ^^ First two honestly suck a bit. It's like fine but super boring somehow. From episode 3 on it gets hilariously funny. Just one more :P
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