Squid Game: I’m five episodes in, and it is intense. The premise isn’t new, but I think the drama is doing a good job with it. I’m a sucker for this genre though. The sets are really cool. If I was gassed and then woke up as a contestant in a game run by guys in masks, I would have run and not looked back, but desperate people are driven by their circumstances. I like that the games are simple, childhood games. Who knew watching characters cut out dalgona or playing tug of war could be so tense.

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha: This drama continues to be charming and fun. I loved the festival and all of the performances. The father-daughter side story was sweet. It was nice of Hye-jin and Doo-shik to help Ju-ri, but I had secondhand embarrassment at their dancing lol. By the time the finger guns came out, I was dead. I enjoyed the PD’s scenes with Doo-shik.

High Class: This drama really is quite similar to the recently concluded Mine. The Na-yoon reveal was the least surprising plot twist ever. The moms feel more like archetypes than actual characters.

Hospital Playlist 2: With a two hour finale, I think they could have given more focus to the side characters, and seemed like a lot happened offscreen. Still, I was fairly satisfied with the episode and the season as a whole. My favorite scenes were Jun-wan’s and Do Jae-hak’s. I’m glad Jae-hak got his money back from the scammer and his wife had a healthy baby.

Yumi’s Cells: They did an okay job with the animation, but I didn’t find the cells cute, just distracting. Maybe it worked better in the webtoon.

One the Woman: I enjoyed the Fiery Priest parody, but that’s about it. Messy and boring. Honey Lee is basically playing her Fiery Priest character. For a comedy, I didn’t laugh once.

The Veil: Nope, not for me.

Brooklyn 99: One of my favorite sitcoms ended this week, and the finale was perfect. Loved all of the callbacks. One last heist. Nine-Nine!

Police University -I am not sure I agree with the decision for him to go rogue, but here we are. I am sure he will succeed. The question is when does everyone find out he is a hacker. What will the fallout be?

Lovers of the Red Sky: The competition was pretty cool. The look on Prince Yangmyung’s face when he realized it was Cheon Ki was hilarious. You could see him screaming internally, not my crush. Sweet man. Her drawings were so nice. Also, I was so surprised at that kiss, I was like it is early in this drama, then I remember they already kissed as children and their characters are close to or in their 30s. I am so enjoying this drama, honestly I think because it is light on the political machinations. So, it is more about Ha Ram’s revenge, her drawings, and the weird fantasy elements.

High Class: So Na Yoon was the ex-lover?? Maybe she is related to him, but I’m thinking romantic partner. Her hatred is really strong. Everyone has an end game and poor Yeo Wool just wants her kid to be happy. I am liking where this drama is headed, everyone seems to have a modicum of intelligence. So villains and good guys have good storylines.

The Veil : Can’t wait to start this, but currently binging another show.

Hospital Playlist 2: Wasn’t this just wrapped up in a little bow. The ending was nice and lovely. I am most happy Jae Hak got his back and his family is doing well. Everything else was just the cherry on top.

Squid Game: Currently binge watching this. I have two episodes left. I love it. I think I would have preferred without the Western investors, but I guess you need that sort of thing for something on this scale. The creepy millionaire gay man was unnecessary and weird. If they were going to make him disgusting, go all the way gross and have him gross to everyone men and women. It really reinforces unnecessary stereotypes about gay men. Also, his nails were long and gross. (End rant) The rogue cop was random too; I have no idea what is happening with him. He seems to be really creative at both evading capture and getting the information he needs. Also, for a Korean cop, he murders easily. That being said I am enjoying the show and I love the characters. I love Ali, Il Nam haraboji, Sae Byeok, and Mi Nyeong. Also, when I say I hollered when I saw Gong Yoo’s chin, I was like Gong Yoo and immediately became happy.

Human disqualification: I love the layers on these characters is lovely. Bu Jung literally leaving her husband to go follow this man is a metaphor for something. The question now is whether he will take the job or not. They are pulled towards one another without knowing the reason why.

Hometown Cha Cha Cha: what will our new guy’s presence bring. Will DS make a move now, will we find out about his nightmares, will he stop lecturing our girl? Will HJ be able to just be? Will she not have to be embarrassed in order to move the plot forward? Lol.

Yumi’s Cells: This may be my last viewing of an SJJ drama. I’m hoping...

Oh, September, you are making me so busy that I'm managing to keep up with only Dimplestown and Hospital. Still love(d) both, though for me personally season 1 of Hospital was a better watch. Beside some of the patients' stories (the two Moms!), the highlight remains the main quintet... and their (band)scenes. And I have to admit that from all the couples and lovelines my favourite was Rosa and Jongsoo (and Joonwan and Jaehak 😁💕).

I also managed to watch first two episodes of cdrama Definitely not Today - (so far) a hilarious blackish comedy about one guy who wants to quit everything (his life included) and one scammy girl.

Looking forward to Dalli and Gamjatang.

CRICKET - not good 10 days -

5th test was cancelled -

New Zealand team arrived in Pak to have few international matches and because of last minute security check all tour cancelled.
England team have a tour in pak too and then most probably will be cancelled too.
Sri Lankan team had faced the bullets of terrorists so it makes sense to not play there but situation was getting better after 10+ years.

Just week before that i had talked cricket being softpower political tool and then these few things actually played out.

Riddled with cliche to begin with, WOWOW’s Enjiya goes into an absolute frenzy of box-ticking in its 6th and last episode. Parents killed in traffic accident? Tick. Their child out for revenge? Tick. Avenger meets another wronged but more forgiving person? Tick. Avenger brought back from the brink by ragtag surrogate family? Tick. Including obnoxiously cute moppet who keeps asking avenger when they’re coming home? Tick with bells on. The previous episodes were only slightly better. When your "bad mother and her evil boyfriend" storyline is more predictable than those of procedurals like Keiji no Manazashi and Aibou, let alone better shows like Hitori Shizuka and Poison Daughter Holy Mother, then maybe it’s time to go back to the drawing board.

To get the bad taste of Enjiya out of my mouth, I re-watched Hitori Shizuka and marvelled once again at the way the anti-heroine is rendered even more fascinating by being presented obliquely, from the POV of other people. Like Higashino Keigo’s Journey Under The Midnight Sun, the drama (from a novel by Honda Tetsuya) forces us to piece together the protagonist’s circumstances, thoughts and feelings ourselves, a process that somehow heightens the dread and the pathos.

The great shaman Ga Doo Shim. We know now who the evil spirit is and that Do Shim will try to be the bait… I really didn’t see the teacher twist coming, although it makes sense. Anyway, still regretting I didn’t wait until it is over to watch. *very big sigh*

Lovers of the Red Sky. I’m in love with this drama. As much as I am confused about the mythology and why deities keep changing the rules or whatever. But even so, our OTP is super sweet and I enjoyed the painting contest. As someone who can barely draw anything I am always amazed by how skilled artist can make easy doing what requieres lots of technique.

Hospital Playlist. S2 never gave me the feelings I got from S1, I missed more patients stories, more Uju and ER team. But I also got SeokHyong smiling, lots of Minha (although I wasn’t totally fond of their love story, tbh), JaeHak and JunWan moments, and when Rosa and Chairman Ju arrive to Santiago I will be there to great them and invite them to the most typical Galician meal. Overall I liked it, although I wished I could have loved it more.

Hometown Chachahcha. So we are having a tragic past and that’s the reason our ML doesn’t want to get involved with our FL, even if it’s quite clear they are attracted to each other, and there is also some kind of health condition… we all knew it wouldn’t be easy. Even so, as much as I like them both, I wish DongSik would make things a bit more comfortable to HyeJin, because he is the one who knows both parts (that he likes her and she likes him), while she is just wondering what is going on.

Confession (2019). Even if I feel I’ve already watched this drama (the innocent falsely accused, the political conspiracy), I’m enjoying it a lot. I still wonder why I haven’t watched before.

I continue my rewatch of Be Melodramatic and find it even better than the first time. I love that now I can pay attention to all those little details I wasn’t aware the first time. It’s heartbreaking, healing and funny in equal parts. Such a wonderful drama.

I will give it a try to Yu Mi’s cells and even to The Veil even if I’m really conflicted with the presence of Lee Geung Young on it, I need to give it a chance because of NGM. Just hope his part is really minor.

Hospital Playlist 2 (Series review) - Mood progression: B+ / B+ / B / B / B- / B / B- / B- / B / B / B / B
Shin-Lee are certainly a great team but even this partnership has faced difficulty producing and writing for a show that has multiple seasons: as compared to the first season, this season struggled the most with the romantic developments that were simply way too cliche even if there weren’t any stupid love triangle shenanigans. Also, there was a significant decrease in supporting character development, exacerbated by the fact that they added so many residents midway. I’ll still be willing to watch a Season 3 if it happens but I’ll also be fine if it concludes right here: time for a fresh new show!

High Class (episode 3-4) - Mood: C
I’m very confused as to how Na Yoon thinks that Yeo Wool murdered Ji Yong: shouldn’t it be very obvious from the chat they had at the beach that Yeo Wool’s practically clueless about her husband? Maybe it’s just completely cliche writing for a villain but can you imagine the absolute plot twist if Yeo Wool did actually murder and the foundation was sniffing her out by bringing her to the school? I was hoping that Danny’s character would be his own faction but he seems to be working independently for the foundation, though I’ve an inkling that he would flip over to Yeo Wool’s side in the future?

Lovers of the Red Sky (Episode 5-6) - Mood: C-
When Ha Ram kissed Chun Gi and then had demon trauma mid-kiss, my first thought went to Secretary Kim: it was the same thing then! And of course they referenced the worst narrative device as well: noble idiocy. Like, what was the point of revealing yourself to her if you wanted her to forget it all? But that wasn’t even the most confusing moment this week: how did Chun Gi’s father get into the painter gathering unassisted while blind? This show had the cliffhanger where Chun Gi got blocked at the entrance last week so there better be some explanation: maybe the green-eyed god?

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (Episode 5-6) - Mood: C-
It’s probably exaggerated a little for drama’s sake but I find it horrifying that the show is essentially glorifying stalking: I would’ve definitely called the cops on those townsfolk for harassment! And Hye Jin had a right to be offended over that irritating gossip but I guess the show just wanted Du Sik to continue moralising as he’s done previously. We also have a truckload of tropes with drunken mistakes, past traumas and people falling over themselves: it’s so formulaic! I fear for the bromance: it’s clearly written in preparation for some conflict when the triangle starts and things will get very ugly?

Also watched:
- The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim: Poor Hyun Soo died so that the leads could race to the bottom in an exam?

You leave K-dramaland for one weekend...and you are two weeks and five shows behind!🥺

Check out the Event (4/4): If you have never encountered Noble Idiocy before, watch and learn from this one.🙄At least the girl attempted to call him out on it? Predictable from the first minute, but it was an ideal watch when my mind was mush the other day.

The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim👻👧(9/12): Poor Hyun-Soo!!!😭

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha🌊🦷(6/16): 🎵Lalalalalalalalala, Romantic Weeeekeeend🎵 Sung-Hyun, how will we ever find each other if we both are rubbish with directions?😲 I knew only evil Sang-Yi until now, but what an adorable smile!😍 Police Officer Eun-Chul is not bad either.🤭 To balance it out: I dislike Nam-Sook for her gossiping and the town chief for wanting to rekindle his first love. The elementary teacher seems uncomfortable around him and more interested in rekindling friendship with Hwa-Young, so he should stop.

Next on my list: Lovers of the Red Sky, maybe Yumi's Cells, waiting for Dali and Gamjatang.😊

ONGOING
Hometown Cha-cha-cha - There are moments when the show seems very cute and then there are moments where I'm just left fuming at the leads. The 2 male leads were funny together.

Lovers of the Red Sky - Most random romantic interlude ever. I'm with Cheon-gi - why did he kiss her?! The painting competition on the other hand was very well done. I just wish more time had been spent on the 3rd round.

The Great Shaman Ga Doo-shim - Poor Hyun-soo 😢

Hospital Playlist - Have felt no desire to pick this up again. I'm not going to call it a drop for now…but it's going to take effort to finish the last 3 episodes.

TO WATCH
Had a lot of "to watch" on my list like Squid Game, The Veil, etc. but I'm full to the brim with violent, dystopian shows this year so I didn't touch any of them yet.

C-DRAMAS
Still watching Forever and Ever, which is very good.

Started Cute Programmer which is NOT good but is mindless enough to fill my plate for now.

Police University I really have doubts about how Cha Tae-Hyun is picking his projects...

Lovers of the Red Sky And There you go, I'm more interested in the 3rd Prince than Haram... The painting contest was really good.

The Veil I'm keeping it for the week, without Red Sky and PU, I need dramas for my train ride!

Hospital Playlist 2 It kinda gave me GoT's bitter feelings, not that much but the feeling that the production sabbotaged their own project while they had the freedom to make everything they wanted...

Human Disqualification After 4 episodes, nothing much happened except Ryu Jun-Yeol's hair.

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha I love this drama! It's the perfect rom-com for me, good balance between humor, cringey, romantic, sad and serious scenes.

Yumi's Cells Nice dream 😂

Squid Game Not tested yet.

HOSPITAL PLAYLIST: If there are plans for season 3, I don't know if I will eagerly await it just as I did for season 2. The fever rush I felt when season 1 ended last year is high compared to this year's season's end. I honestly crossed my mind over Ik-song couple, I wanted them to just have a platonic relationship just like Rosa and Jung-soo. Their romance story, I think, was rushed, I can't believe I waited for a year and half to get them bond over an accident. Kdramas should give me a break over all this baseless tropes. The only highlight that deserved the spotlight was Joon-wan and Uri Jae-hak relationship, they made my 24 hours count.

HOMETOWN CHA-CHA-CHA: All fingers are crossed this weekend, the SML is a good man so I don't really know what to say. Du-shik better own up to his feelings before The unpopular SML syndrome take me away. Treat our Queen like an adult and embrace her imperfections, that's all I'm asking.

It's been a long time since I write here.
- Penthouse S3 - middle of S3 is so draggy
- DP - done! Koo Kyohwan!
- Lovers of Red Sky - seeing Yoojung still as a kid. I'm liking the fantasy aspect.
- Squid Game - reminds me of Alice in Borderland. I'm in Ep 2 now. Is there really a Squid Game as explain in ep 1?
- Hospital Playlist - I love how we get closure for each ship.

Yeah. I am not liking Squid Game. It has the budget. But the script is not there.

There are no nuances in the writing I mean, it doesn't give you much to interpret what they are showing on screen. It's very explicit, just like the violence.

Feels like a normal makjang dramas with all the shouting. Not a very good drama so far for a Netflix original.

Lovers of the Red Sky Ep. 5 .
I am loving the painting contest. Unlike quirkycase I think the childhood connection is important, because they are both victims of Ma Wang's curse and Sam Shin's whatever plans. In a longer sageuk we would have had 5-6 episodes with the child actors and learned exactly what happened to the parents. That would have made me more invested in Ha Ram's Revenge™.

The Story of Ming Lan Ep. 16/78
This is a strange drama. It's so artistic and detailed in its characterizations, like a slice-of-life family drama set in Song Dynasty. But it's asking me for a LOT of patience. I can't stand the father and the scheming concubine. I do not like the male lead. He has a mistress and two children but is looking for an official wife... I don't want him for Ming Lan! So far the moral of this story is that weak men with several wives is a recipe for disaster for the family and the women who get caught in between. Men can survive and move on.

HomeTown Cha3X: The lovable actors are doing heck of a job, saving the not-so-perfect and sometimes even outright-ly unlikeable leads. The pace, genre and style of the show are doing a LOT for me, and so are the dimples, so I continue looking forward to it every week. The heartfelt, touching platonic-bonding scenes instead (like the single-Dad and fangirl-daughter this week), has me by the heart! <3
Itaewon Class: Gosh, one of the better webtoon adaptations, I guess? Till about ep 10, I loved *every* little thing about it. The last 6 went terribly downhill (aka cliche). This is why I have trust-issues. Had it been about how they grew IC from that alleyway-pub, it'd have been a 10/10 for me. This is also why I average out final ratings, these days. TT
Beauty Inside: The first 2 episodes didn't catch me, and I felt the conflict b/w the leads was... manufactured? Resumed watching, and I'm hooked! The strength of the show is really in its mid-run (about 6-9?). I LIVE for whenever poker-faced Min-Ki's characters crack a smile. So, SO MELTY, istg!
The Allen Ren & Bai Lu Show: Yes, still watching both One & Only + Forever & Ever (cuz I'm too poor to afford iQiyi!). Re-incarnation plots are my jam, but I'm devastated to see all those angsty bits from recollecting one's past life memories has to be cancelled, cuz ~censorship~. Also, the modern-day version is just two people doing the most mundane dating-activities, like eating cereal, talking about the weather on a sofa, more eating, looking pretty in Qipaos, strolling on the streets, picking wedding invites. I guess I'll watch Allen Ren narrate a Nat-Geo documentary at this rate. xD
Oh My Sweet Liar: A cute costume c-drama, that flew completely under the radar. The FL is cracked, istg. Surprisingly, nice cinematography for a cheap web-drama! The wedding-scene was stunning, looked high-budget and very detailed! :')

Lovers of the Red Sky: the painting contest was very fun! Loved that they got almost everybody in the same setting, and the "star painters" were fun too, showing different philosophical stances towards painting, he! It's clear that the drama made a point at showing the techniques, themes and different styles - all in all, super educational and entertaining. I'm still fearful that this drama will take a left turn and gets taken over by noble idiocy and bearded conspirators, but at this point I'm just having so much fun with all the prettiness that I don't even care. Still, was kind of disappointed that Haram didn't turn all cray-haired demon with that kiss... Just saying
Squid Game: nothing new here, it's a battle royale. Still, the characters are interesting, it is well acted and it's super well produced. Those sets are wild! Love the Escher-esque pop-coloured stairs. And that dalgona game just brought me back to my state exams - performing an unexpected and delicate chore under extreme time limits is just the same kind of stress (no, you don't get shot in state exams, but your mind tricks you into thinking that your future depends on it because you've already invested so much effort in preparing and there's no telling in how many years there will be another chance to sit for the exam)
Beyond Evil: on ep 9 now. Such a great ride of a show! Now I've got over the paranoia of the first stretch and kind of suspect who are the Big Baddies in this, but am still bracing myself for the next twists and turns. Great drama!

Hometown Cha Cha Cha: 6.5 😴 💤 Perhaps I'm suffering from dimple-blindness?

Police University: 7.0 Still hoping against hope that the evil supervisor is not the ultimate baddie and that the secret evil mastermind lurking around the university will be a student. Or one of the cafeteria staff.

Lovers of the Red Sky: 7.9 Butterflies! At least they have both wings.

The Great Shaman Ga Doo Shim: 8.5 Doo-shim's new plan is fitting but not surprising.

Squid Games: 7.5 (ep 1 / 2)

The Veil: 8.0 I know I've seen all these things before, but I don't recall exactly where -- gee, do you think... ?

One the Woman: 7.5

Yumi's Cells: 8.5 Making fun of Noble Idiocy in the first few minutes got them off to a good start.

So I Married an Anti-Fan: 2.5 (days 9/10) Despite Dramabeans heroic but misguided attempt to move The Veil up from Fri to Wed, I still have no current Wed/Thu shows to watch and had to kill time with this lame 💩. I had Thursday off from work but because of time-machine malfunction couldn't use that extra time to get a head start on all the Friday shows. Sigh. Meanwhile, Sooyoung is ok but I'd be happy to never see any of the other major cast again, and I'd be delighted to never hear the ML sing again.

HOSPITAL PLAYLIST came to a nice end. I really enjoyed both seasons, so well balanced and well written. And Song-Hwa's singing - marvellous!

Loved the painting competition in LOVERS OF THE RED SKY. The artwork was beautiful. The childhood romance is a bit overdone, it could have worked well without that.

Looking forward to the next 2 episodes of HUMAN DISQUALIFICATION. The husband is so dreadfully spoilt and selfish, maybe even his mother is starting to recognize it now, although she might be the one responsible for his lack of compassion.

The last episode of HOMETOWN was so toenail curling cheesy it made me cringe. If it continues like that, I am afraid I will drop it.

POLICE UNIVERSITY still fine, I like that all of the teachers are back into suspect status, although I have my own theory as to who the main villain is - it needs to be a good, seasoned actor!

Only seen the first episode of THE VEIL. Looks like a classic spy drama. Hoping for a few new twists, otherwise will drop it.

Hospital Playlist 2
The last episode was great but did not feel like a grand finale. Maybe Season 3 is still a possibility down the road? I'm simply happy that my precious Jaehak got his well deserved happy ending and my ship finally sailed (the only one I truly cared about). I wish we could have seen more of Uju and his nanny. She's such an underrated character.
I will miss our big Yulje family.

The Great Shaman Goo Doo Shim
I heard there will be a season 2?! I hope that if this season ends on a major cliffhanger that it will mean that season 2 will not be too far away.
My only complaint about this drama is how it loves spoiling itself. What's the point of a cliffhanger if it will unhang itself in the preview?

Rackey Boys
I'm loving the show. Haekang is such a great character. His ego is hilarious. All the kids are great. The friendships are everything and the romances are just the sweetest. I also love the villagers and their friendships.

However, this drama does have its flaws (don't they all). Aside from the racism in earlier episodes, I hated how the arc of the abusive new coach was wrapped up. I don't even know how to describe that scene except that it turned a serious issue into a weird parody. It was cringe inducing.

That said, I am still enjoying Racket Boys because when it does hit the right notes, it is oh so good. I only have 2 episodes left!

HIGH CLASS (Ep 3 & 4): Episode 3 fills in the blanks about the reception night but adds to the intrigue about Yeol Woo’s husband’s apparent multiple infidelities. The police do not believe he committed suicide but he is “presumed” dead which I thought was a long shot. When he told Yeol Woo to “trust” him, she did not agree to set up as a diversion for his escape from justice.

Episode 4 puts the mom group under pressure, flushing out their true selves. Nam Ji Sun, the over-controlling leader of the parent group, is another suspect tied to Yeo Wool’s husband; this time as an investment banker and possible lover. The chairwomen puts her in her place saying that they both need Yeo Wool in the school as she must be the key to recouping possible millions in lost funds. Hwang Na-Yoon “frenemy” status was quickly confirmed as she wants to destroy Yeo Wool while pretending to be her friend. Each having the same green dress shows the connection between Na-Yoon and Ji Yong: I suspect that he had two wives: one in Hong Kong and one in Seoul. (Which would mean that Yi Chan and Jae-in are siblings).

I like the direction when you can tell a relationship without having to clog up a scene will dialog. I have to note the remarkable casting of Seo Jung Yeon as Jae-in’s market grandmother. Na-Yoon returned to Jeju but spurned her poor family. Her reaction to Jae-in talking to Seo Jung Yeon told the story. The family resemblance between the three actors confirmed it. Na-Yoon’s back story may be worse than Yeo-Wool’s.

There are a lot of moving pieces to the story line, but they appear to be orbiting around Yeo Wool’s husband’s business and moral choices. None of the rich elite people are what they seem; it seems like a flock of frauds have roosted on Jeju.

The undercurrent theme is clear: money cannot buy you happiness but it can mess up other people’s lives.

Variety:
RENT MY HOUSE ON WHEELS (Episode 1): The cast of Pirates 2 take over the day camping of the show. It brings back early HOW episodes when the city actors had to learn, the hard way, how to camp. Kwang Soo’s clear occupational disease of unable to stand still from his RM days is both funny and sad.

DOGS ARE INCREDIBLE: With pet ownership skyrocketing in Korea, this show teaches many valuable lessons about dealing with pets and their issues. The biggest take away about dog training I already knew: you have to first train the pet owner.

THE SIXTH SENSE: The production added two additional episodes. The choices are getting harder to determine the fake business. The chemistry between the main cast continues to be stellar.

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (up to ep 6): Drama just puts a smile on my face every day it airs and the episodes fly by so fast! I appreciate how the drama seems to depict the passage of time. Like days can pass between scenes. Seems more natural and gives time for the characters to realistically settle in process things.

Red Sky (up to ep 6): Got a late start, but binged to catch up. It's a lot better than I expected and I'm really enjoying it. I like how all the genres are nicely balanced. Child actors for the OTP (and Ho Ryung) were seriously impressive! All the actors are killing it. I loved the painting competition and how we got to see so many paintings (the production must have hired a lot of artists for this). I thought the eye-catching side characters, scholarly dialogue, and steely, clever heroine reminded me of Sungkyungkwan Scandal and was pleasantly reminded that SKKS's author wrote the novel behind Red Sky.

Great Shaman Ga DooShim (up to ep 9): Can't stop watching and tortuting myself over the shortness of the episodes. I really wish this was a longer drama, then we can incorporate Hyun-soo more too.

Hospital Playlist: After two days of mulling over the last episode, I think I can now say that I’m content with it. It didn’t make me wail No, please don’t leave me like a kid hanging onto her mum’s office skirt, but it simply made me feel thankful that this show happened and that I got to spend time with the characters every week. (It didn't seem like a *real* finale though. Or I'm just reading too much into it.)

I felt robbed though: I wasn’t looking for weddings or proposals, I genuinely expected a Lee Il-hwa cameo. But my WG heart is full — I waited all season for a scene like the staircase conversation so that’s enough for me. I’m also happy to see a happy Gom giving fingerhearts, a healthy Rosa and Chairman Joo, the severe scolio boy finally sleeping properly, Jaehak and his string of good news (he deserves the world), the 99z friends not buying Ikjun and Songhwa’s relationship… The only thing missing was Uju and Wang imo.

Lost aka Human Disqualification: I know it's a dark and heavy show but the twin suicide invitation caught me off guard. I really hope Bu-jeong will manage to pull herself out of the black hole that is depression.

On the Verge of Insanity: Nearing the end, and the acting and writing remain excellent. I continue to be struck by the fact that while Lee Sang Yeob could probably have had a very successful career playing inoffensive nice guys, he really excels at creating awful characters who are skin-crawlingly terrifying in very specific ways. Every time Han Se Gwon shows up on screen I want to run screaming from the room and hide behind furniture.

Hometown Cha Cha Cha: Continues to be an easy somewhat cheesy watch. That's fine as it suits my mood.

Lovers of the Red Sky: Probably my favorite right now. It has a solid dramatic/comedic/romantic mix that keeps me interested and entertained.

The Veil: I feel like this is the same spy in from the cold with amnesia concept borrowed from a bunch of other movies/books/dramas. I'm gonna give it a few more episodes to see if the suspense makes it worth while.

The Great Shaman: It's fine and i will continue but I definitely don't love it like others. Seems like others that have come before but the short episodes keep it zipping along.

Netflix: Lucifer - I never jumped back in for the 2nd half of season 5 and now a shortened and final season 6 is here. I took the plunge and have been binging and I feel like they have time to get everything tied up with a bow though overall think they probably should gave concluded this show earlier. Overall it's been entertaining through the years and am glad Netflix saved it when it got dumped by the network.

I struck it rich this month with 2 older kdrama comedies, both clever, funny, fresh, well written and wonderful casts:
FIGHT FOR MY WAY
THE PRODUCERS. Am at episode 9 and there's no sign of it collapsing yet. I get just enough of the references in it to be able to appreciate the parody. Kim Soo Hyun with his dazzling face that makes the rest of the cast look homely is surrounded by better actors, but still I'm finally liking him in a drama.

I finished exams yesterday though I am still not yet free for a week. Police university is on hold for now.

Currently watching:
The Devil Judge: Eps 1-8 I didn't expect the drama to blow me away but I didn't expect it to bore me either. Sadly despite what the gifs made me think I did not enjoy Kim Min Jung's character either. As much as they try to make me sympathise with Kang Yo Han it doesn't work on me.

Finished:
1. Seven first kisses: Seeing all the actors in one place wasn't as fun as one would expect. But of all the actors the MC could end with it was LMH? Come on. This is a joke don't kill me. Seriously speaking this short drama was as bad and silly as expected. I just watched this as a distraction before my real exams started.

2. The Boy Next Door: Took me a year to watch this after I was recommended this back when I finished Where your eyes linger. Finally, after it was on my Youtube watchlist all this time, I decided to watch it. It's a fun short web drama that I would recommend too.

I wanted to post this last week and should have even earlier but here are the full thoughts on the dramas I mentioned last week:
https://allthatdrama9201424.wordpress.com/2021/09/18/disappointing-dramas-part-2/

Hometown cha cha cha (5-6): Still enjoying this. I have my bad moments with our leads but nothing unbearable enough to drop. Now that the SML is in pic it's going to be more interesting.

Police university (7-12): I like that the plot is becoming a bit dark and deep. Otherwise I did a lot of FF. The initial interest is slowly fading and I have to tolerate two more weeks for he bean. Hopefully this new investigation might spice up things a bit . And finally what is the point of having Min hyu? He has so role apart from a one sided lover.

Lovers of red sky (1-2): I love it. The leads so good and I am enjoying the story despite the funny CGI. The child actors were so good.

HP 2 (12): I will miss this. But I hope they wont go for another season. They wrapped up it up fine and adding one more seasons will stretch things unnecessarily l. Felt happy for JH and his wife. He got his money back and also a little one. The gomgom couple was the main highlight for me. Who would have expect our bear to finally initiate a kiss and that too such a steamy one . I happy for them. Finale was overall warm and lovely. I will always remember the series for its warmth and happiness it gave me.

OLDER
Mine (9-16): So to avoid the penthouse withdrawal symptoms on friday I binged this series. I was okay but in the end all I could feel was pity and sadness for HJ's character. Loved how the SIL's supported each other. It was overall decent. The side characters were bland.

Her private life (7-16): Its surely fluffy and light. And the chemistry between leads is no joke. There is no much plot. After around epiosde 10 I felt the plot was simply dragging. The childhood connection was totally unnecessary and it contributed nothing to the plot. Appreciated the character growth for Candy and her pairing with EG was so cute.

Planning to check out the new dramas if time allows.

I am watching other dramas now, but I am a tiny bit disappointed with Hospital Playlist 2. I would prefer if it was a 20 episodes drama, rather than a season 1 and season 2.

Season 2 had a good start, but after a few episodes, I am sadly to say, even a good/refreshing drama, like Hospital Playlist was, it didnt manage to escape the k-dramas trophies. I was really disappointed with the stories lines. And I hated how fast everything was solved in the end. It took us 5-6 episodes to deal with Jun-Wan and Ik-Soon storyline, for them to fix with everything in a 2 minutes hug? Gyeo-Wool problems with her mom and, she had to be there for her family to end up going to the USA? Yes, I understand, but she had all these things going on, having to take care of her mom, being there for her, to in the end, leave her alone? But my biggest disappointment has to be Jae-Hak. I already posted about it, how rushed was. One episode he is talking about how he loves to spend time with his wife, of their everyday life, to 15 minutes later - in the same episode - she has cancer and is preggs. And the last episode, oh boy. I am happy he got his money (from the first season) back, but it was so rushed. There were so many things we could get from these stories, but in the end, it was just....

Hospital Playlist is where you have stories developed in a slow, beautiful flow. While we had moments like that in the second season, there were so unnecessary storylines crossing each other that the end was kinda bleh.

HOSPITAL PLAYLIST delivered its final episode for this season. There will probably not be a third season. We really enjoyed it but the first season was better.

BE MY DREAM FAMILY is now well into the final story arcs. Everyone in the family now knows about the return of mom’s cancer and mom has been pushing her daughters to marry. I have really enjoyed this show and will miss it when it ends.

We really like LOVERS OF THE RED SKY. And every single time we watch my wife will comment on how pretty Kim Yoo-jung is- it has become a bit of a habit. There are a LOT of fantasy elements to this show- if you are confused by them I will refer you to Sicarius The Queen of Melonia’s Fan Wall: She has performed a very valuable service with a very substantial analysis of all the elements in the first six episodes- including possible inconsistencies and as yet unanswered questions- so that if you are still wondering about something you at least know why. She obviously put a lot of time into this- probably as much time as I had to put in writing a Reply Brief this week. Given that DB is doing a first episode re-cap only for this show her guide is all the more valuable to the perplexed viewer.

We are also really loving HOMETOWN CHA CHA CHA. This drama is really good. And fun. Having lived in a seaside town for a year I also have to say how authentic the setting is- even to the constant grime, which is the natural effect of sea spray and the wind.

So, we went ahead and started HIKARU NO GO (Japanese title but actually a Chinese show). It is really good. We also got back to watching MOONLIGHT. But this means that other shows are now on hold.

But not THE GREAT SHAMAN GA DOO SHIM. Great show, too short- just as everyone else has also been saying.

I really like what I've seen so far from the Cdrama “The Longest Day In Chang'an” (16/48), if I have to describe it with one word it would be Intense. After starting to see several Dramas with "dreaded generals" all so thin and in post-adolescence, I think it has been a good change.

I am watching way too much stuff right now…

Great Shaman Ga Doo-shim: Doo-shim’s plan to be bait is…questionable. Every week, I regret not binging it after it ended. These bit-sized episodes are not enough!

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha: This is the perfect seaside weekend holiday for me. It’s gorgeously shot and very relaxing to watch. I do wish it would slow down on moralizing Hye-jin over her every action. She’s not even wrong most of the time (emphasis on most!). Du-shik definitely comes off as condescending and domineering at times and I hope the show recognizes that and does something with it. The actors are killing it though; I wouldn’t care for either leads if it weren’t for the good performances. Shin Min-ah and Kim Seon-ho are national treasures and their dimples will bring world peace.

Human Disqualification: That wedding scene was just, *chef’s kiss*. I love how the leads are inexplicably drawn to each and it’s portrayed beautifully. I have to wonder, why the hell did Bu-jung and Jung-soo get married? They are so woefully incompatible that it seems baffling.

Lovers of the Red Sky: I absolutely loved the painting competition. As someone who can barely draw a straight line, it always amazes me how artists are able to make such beautiful and complex pieces. The lead couple are also beautiful together (Prince Yangmyung was 100% correct when he said Ha Ram looked like art), although I’m with Cheon-gi in being frustrated over why he kissed her if he was gonna pull a noble idiocy™ anyways. But man, was that kiss scene a feast for the eyes…

Squid Game: I still have a bit left to go but I’m…not enjoying this as much as I wanted to. It certainly delivered on the gore and violence and I do like the characters for the most part so I’m not dropping it. But something’s not clicking for me. And the creepy gay character was really, really unnecessary. We’ve had some surprisingly good LGBT-rep this year in dramaland so seeing something this grotesquely homophobic was not welcome and very uncomfortable as a queer viewer.

The Veil: Started and had to pause at around the five minute-mark because real life got in the way. Definitely gonna watch it though because Namgoong Min.
…..
Hospital Playlist is over. I’m very happy for Jae-hak and his family, his happy ending was very much needed. I’m also happy for Min-ha. Overall, it didn’t give me the serotonin I got from season 1 but was still enjoyable for the most part. It needed less romance and more U-ju. Jung Kyung-ho was the highlight of the season for me (but not all parts of his storyline). I’ll be okay if there is no season 3.

I’m watching a million different things at the moment but notably…..

DESCENDANTS OF THE SUN - I cannot remember the last time a heroine has annoyed me this much. Would it have hurt to give her a hint of common sense? You are going to an earthquake disaster recovery, woman. You have time to gather medical supplies, then you have time to CHANGE YOUR SHOES. I don’t care if it means we lose the heroic imagery of bashing off the high heels. Why did you even bring those shoes to volunteer abroad?

HOMETOWN CHA - is nice and cute.

POLICE UNIVERSITY is there and I am watching it but it has lost the joy of the earlier episodes for me.

I am rewatching THE GREATEST LOVE for the first time in ages and it’s still really good. I get more of the jokes every time I see it. I cannot overstate how much I enjoy Cha Seung Won’s super over the top performance 😆

And rewatching BEGIN AGAIN KOREA, which is really nice. It’s so strange seeing the early pandemic, it feels like actually years ago.