Nobody has commented on my favorite show to hate - Penthouse - so I will do it so you don't have to :D
As per usual, almost nobody has any redeeming qualities - I am not even sure I trust the dog at this point. Insane parents galore trying their best to destroy their kids and each other. I am however disappointed that the body count seems to have slowed down. And oh yeah, they just HAD to toss in a couple of those utterly stupid ghost scenes. Makjang to the max - on of those shows that is so bad it's great.

I feel like I can’t settle on anything much at the moment. I’ve been watching lots of bits of variety shows based on my sister’s recommendations - am enjoying Begin Again even with no subs, though I barely understand a thing - the songs are great.

Dramawise, the LSG marathon continues - Over halfway through Korean Odyssey the feeling of impending doom is strong.

Six Flying Dragons - still enjoying. I watched an old episode of Master in the House a while back where the master talks about reacting to something the camera can’t see at the end of every episode of a historical drama and now I can’t unsee it 😅

Start up is on hold because I started watching Strongest Deliveryman, which is grittier than I was expecting.

DO DO SOL SOL LA LA SOL was my happy pill until the last episodes. Like Stroopwafel, Quirkycase and a LOT of other people I was astounded at how thoroughly the writer of the immortal SHOPPING KING LOUIE proceeded to completely destroy this story. I have seen this once before when the writer of one of my favorite romcoms- MARRIAGE NOT DATING- proceeded to totally lay an egg with SHY BOSS. For anyone who has not watched this yet I have a very serious recommendation: Watch it through episode twelve and then stop.

In sharp contrast to DDSSLLS is the wonderfully written START-UP. The acting, direction and even cinematography are good. Our characters are wonderfully flawed and so achingly human. Want a good numerical measure of a shows impact? Check out the ‘open thread’ for this show- in only 5 days 476 comments have been posted. The show has a very successful writer who seems to have put in an exceptional effort to what is becoming a real masterpiece.

Meanwhile TALE OF THE NINE-TAILED is back. Yippee. My wife was excited to learn that there will be another gumiho story coming in a few months (FRIGHTENING COHABITATION).

The weekender HOMEMADE LOVE STORY has now has its dastardly evil villian in full operational mode. That he happens to be the father of our main female lead character is an unusual twist. I am also still re-watching the classic SMILE YOU and it is as great as I remember it.

I have started PLEASE DON’T DATE HIM but the subtitles on Viki are unusually slow. So far I have only seen one episode so I do not have a real sense as to how good this show will be.

My wife finished SCARLET HEART and is now watching the currently airing C-drama LOVE AND REDEMPTION. It is a good show. She is also watching the latest season of the British mystery show GRANTCHESTER. She loves mysteries. She will probably love the mystery costume drama NEW SECRET ROYAL INSPECTOR when it airs.

We continue our study of Chinese history- our course has now taken us up to the beginning of the Song Dynasty. I am going to have to see if we can find similar courses for Korean history and maybe Japanese history as well. I have realized that I know far more about the history of Central Asia then I do about Japan.

I need to get back to THE SPIES WHO LOVED ME but with so much going on I seem to be stuck. This does not mean it is not a good show because it is- I would recommend it to anyone with access to it.

Finally, I do take a look at short episode web dramas from time to time. Most are eminently forgettable but their are exceptions (Like NOBLE MY LOVE). The new show GADURI RESTAURANT is quite watchable. It is good to have such a show for when you only have a limited amount of viewing time.

Also watching:

- You are my destiny - Chinese version.
And it is actually quite good. I like the emphasis in family values.

- 100 days my Prince (on hold. I don't want to have my characters suffer).

- Flower boy ramyun shop (2011)
Ep.2. But I already like it very much.
I am spoiled, for I checked the recaps years ago, but still... It feels a pleasure to watch even though I know what will happen.

Finished Airing

THE KING: ETERNAL MONARCH: Oof, this episode was tedious to watch. I’ve been watching this on and off since the original air date, if that tells you anything. (ep. 9)

EUN JOO'S ROOM (2018). Completed. What a sweet drama. At only 12 episodes, it had a relatable female lead, Kim Jae-young, useful DIY lessons, friends-to-lovers story, and a positive message. Definitely recommended.

MARY STAYED OUT ALL NIGHT (2010). In the dumpster. Or in the luggage. Or the freezing cold. Anywhere except her own room. The show is crazy and the frustration in the recap threads is palpable. Reading them 10 years later, comments like "I should have watched SECRET GARDEN instead" remind me of current fanwall rage. 😂😂

Tale of the Nine-Tailed: I may need to rewatch episodes 13 and 14 because I was too busy taking screenshots. Gosh, 2 weeks was too darn long a wait.

Start-Up: The triangle hullabaloo is... interesting.

I'm also planning to watch the first week of Uncanny Counter since it's on Netflix and see how it goes from there. Also sending my sympathies and hugs to all the Beanies affected by
Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol, I hope you're all okay.

Start Up (Episodes 1-6): For some reason I was hooked ever since I watched the first episode. The poignant backstory created a solid foundation for what’s to come. Not to mention, whenever Dal Mi’s grandma appears, I always find myself sniffling from the feels. Currently rooting for Ji Pyeong, but am unsure how the love triangle will play out. Side note: I love that dramaland decided to feature the tech industry in this drama! An interesting change of scenery.

Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol (Episodes 6-8): Although the show seems overly cutesy at times, it’s still pretty relaxing to watch. A few alarm bells went off at the recent reveal of Jun’s background and I also don’t really appreciate the inclusion of the stalker plotline. However, I am watching this show with a few friends who are surprisingly really into it, so I hope the show doesn’t let us down in the end… (judging by some beanies’ recent comments, it’s not looking too good at the moment)

KAIROS - i like that this show is delivering all the suspense and i am still invested. I just hate the FL's crying style here (the child actress cries better than her here) but I am still invested.

REVENGE (Hera, Goddess of Revenge) - i started this after reading the premiere recap here in DB and glad I did. It is indeed a no-frills show (aka no top stars,.no big budget production) which means the story has to carry the show. Which is good so far. No damsel in distress here, the FL fights eye to eye (hidden camera to hidden camera), and the ML is no knight in shining armor , though he appears to be helping FL (for now).

I voluntarily went to a KSH rabbithole, and so far, no need to save me.. LOL. 2D1N is my happy pill now, and I love the real KSH. Whenever he ends up losing his dinner or sleeping outdoors, I always feel like I should fly to SK and save him. LOL

For non KDrama, I have started binge-watching The Crown and had also started The Alienist.

seriously, what were the good dramas this year ? I think i haven't finish any kdrama... I need recommendations... I don't know if the year is bad or if i just haven't try enough stuff.

I stopped watching DDSSLS after episode 2, so I am feeling wonderfully vindicated by the Beanies reactions to the last episode. It was a "must drop" when she drove so badly, she hurt her doggo. There was no coming back from that for me.

I've just finished Graceful Friends which was a full-on binge watch. I loved every minute of it. It was funny and clever, with lots of shades of grey. Bae Soo-bin is fantastic. I had so much sympathy for him in spite of all his evil deeds. And Yoo Jun-sang was superb. The plot kept me guessing right up until the last minute.

Two more episodes to go with Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo. I'm braced for the inevitable.

Han Ji Pyeong deserves better. Han Ji Pyeong deserved better.

Penthouse - Everything and anything can happen in this show, so nothing, no matter how outrageous, should be a surprise. I'm currently wondering if more hateful, awful people will be joining the show which is already filled to the brim with them. Interestingly, you just can't look away!

Private Lives - Actor Lee Beom-soo!! A total surprise to see him show up at the end! ..... What a pity he couldn't show up around episode 4 to turn this ship around!

My Dangerous Wife - What an unexpected treat this turned out to be. Both serious and funny all at once. ..... I have a bit of an issue with how things ended for the cheater husband and for his mistress, but that ending is what the wife wanted even after everything that happened. Kudos to Choi Won-young who just didn't disappoint in this show, he was fantastic!

DDSSetc. had the most insulting ending of any drama I have ever watched - what, not a word for 3 years and suddenly he comes bouncing up the street, without even a change of hairstyle, and presumes that such a lovely girl will have been waiting all that time for him? And his mother lied about his death? Come ON, that really is lazy writing. You deserve to have your pen broken in half and thrown out of the window! You created a fabulous cast of amusing and interesting people, then you turn your hero into a child and then give him a fake death AND I CRIED!!!!!. Lazy, sloppy, immature writing. I wasn't at all happy to find he was so alive, I was torn between genuine outrate and absolute fury, and from now on, I shall check the writers on the upcoming dramas and avoid anything you write. Did this writer do Melty as well? AAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've spent the last couple of days going through My Unfamiliar Family. I have just the last episode to go, finales can go any way, but still, I love this drama! I'm especially enjoying reading Beanies' comments on the recaps. I love the idea of this drama, the amnesia trope used in such a unique way. The characters are at the same time frustrating and loveable, ughh some of those misunderstandings, and the regret of not having worked them out earlier, it was all real, and definitely gets you thinking about aspects of your own life- theres something for every viewer in this drama I guess. Its nice to see them all smiling more in the later episodes. The actors are all fantastic, the casting was so right, they all actually do look like family. Shouldn't say it too soon, but this is going to be a favourite.

Also watched SF8: Baby Its Over Outside. Nice title. Just thinking about the male lead going through the same situation again and again and again, how dull. Hope something changes in one of the loops. Atleast the end of the world is beautiful, took screenshots of those scenes.

Also got my sister to watch The School Nurse Files with me last weekend.. as she loves Nam Joo-hyuk and its just 6 episodes. The first episode took some effort.. and we haven't continued since. We either haven't had time or haven't had the mood to continue it.. but I'll complete it sometime.

Before the year ends I really want to watch Flower of Evil. I want to watch so many more dramas but its impossible. Even so its been a good drama year for me.

Watching C drama Jiu Liu Overlord Watched a couple of SF8 &KBS 2020 Drama Specials My wife is watching C drama The Legend of Xiao Chuo
I have seen enough to know who is who and what’s going on.

I think I will give In to the Ring a chance.

Tale of the Nine Tailed: I got a bit bored for a while in the middle of this show so I decided to paused at Ep 10 and will wait for the finale this week to binge watch the remaining episodes.

The Uncanny Counter: Just finished Ep 1 & 2...quirky and seems ok so far :)

New Drama to watch: Awaken...gives off an intriguing impression :P

Considering the disappointment from the recent trending dramas, I turned to older dramas for a rewatch.

Current Dramas that were a disappointment:

DO DO FLUFF GONE WHAT THE FUCK?

Ratings: -10000/10.

This was my fluff drama. What the hell happened to the sweetness and entire adorability of it? This wasn’t my headache, this was the medicine to my headache. So far when Joon stole Rara from the wedding, that’s the end of it. I don’t care, the rest of the drama didn’t happen. This was a 12 episode drama for all I care. I love Lee Jae Wook and I absolutely adore Go Ara, and their chemistry was over the moon. But they could’ve done with a better writer and a better plot. It’s like the author mixed up all the clichés in Kdramas because he/she couldn’t choose. Worst ending ever.

MIXED-UP

Rating: -1000/10.

I expected a drama about four individuals who wanted to be successful and win the world but ended up watching a makjang drama with a love triangle, a paper-cut villainess, a wasted second lead, a hero with much more potential than fall into one of the most terrible love stories and a heroine, who could honestly win, but is loosing instead. Why did I watch this trainwreck? Oh yeah, it was just after Nam Joo Hyuk’s success in School Nurse Files.

Second rewatches:

#ALIVE

This movie was the best horror/zombie movie after Train to Busan. And I loved it just as much (maybe a little less) as TTB. The horror and the fact that I watched it while we were stuck at home in a pandemic situation just makes it much more realistic. Yoo Ah In and Park Shin Hye portraits two sides of the same coin in this epic movie and I tremble not because I’m afraid but because of how well it resonates with the current situation all around the world. A simple touch could basically bring the whole world to its knees.

SCHOOL NURSE FILES

My favorite Nam Joo Hyuk drama after Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo. This drama just made me soft for all the wrong reasons. Who knew the imaginary world of a school nurse would be filled with so much fun and danger. And how hot was Nam Joo Hyuk with that limp? He was the most adorable little professor ever. I’ll never get over the “Zumba” too. Ever. This was such a hidden gem and I’m glad people are starting to watch it. This deserves so much recognition just because of the entire absurdity of it. Also they had chemistry. The handhold to regain energy is such a cute way for skinship. I only remember Master’s Sun going to that much extremes for that.

HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE

The only horror story that made me shed tears. That and the second installment: Haunting of Bly Manor. A story about family and how one event could make an entire family fuck up big. I love how they show the difference between the Then and the Now because of how much the family had changed. The siblings are the five stages of grief as shown in many articles. Steven who doesn’t believe in ghosts...

I picked up Strongest Deliveryman and zoomed to Kim Seonho's parts mostly. The drama isn't my cup of tea but it's feel good and makes you wonder if there are more nice people out there, today's world would certainly be better.

I've pretty much no more excitement with Start-up. Apart from the sunken ship of JiDal which to begin with I didn't even hope for, the business side sort of lost its touch.

I should probably pick up More Than Friends again. I love both Seongwu and Dongjun, and the friend group, but I'm afraid I'll get hit by the SLS again. Any thoughts on this? No spoilers though please.

KDRAMAS:
1. DODOSOLSOLLALASOL- A certain someone commented "your finale sucks" on the KBS IG Account and is still gaining hearts from thousands of people who hoped for a great ending. I hope LJW chooses a project with a clear script (and ending) for his sake.
2. KAIROS- Slowly watching this because I fear for the safety of my phone. I want to throw it every time the evil Hyun Chae appears on screen.
3. START UP- I refuse to join the fanwars because it sucks the fun out of watching. For me, there are only two clear ships: #DoDal and #PurPyeong and nothing can change that. Also, watching this with other Beanies makes the drama 100x more enjoyable!

CDRAMAS:
1, BEGIN AGAIN- I love the OTP despite Stiff Simon on my screen. Their chemistry (along with their adorable son) makes the waiting worth it.
2. MEETING YOU- Another adorable OTP. I love angst-free shows and this one fits the bill.
3. HIKARU NO GO- Slowly watching this as well as I have no VIP pass on Iqiyi anymore.

JDRAMAS:
1. CHERRY MAGIC- WAAAAAAAAAAH! Adachi is so adorable and pure that I want to hug him every time he's on screen. These two are unbelievably adorable together!!!
2. SHANAI MARRIAGE HONEY- Having only 7 eps (with 30mins each), this is a cute watch if you're into marrying a stranger just because.
3. MARRY ME- I don't know why I'm watching too many marriage contract dramas. This drama allows me to shut off my brain and just enjoy the cuteness that FL brings. The screen brightens up whenever she smiles.