Dali is my drug

The King’s Affection: The Prince is so lonely and starved for affection. (I just realized the double meaning in the title, ha) I understand why she couldn’t kill him, first she isn’t as desperate as her mother and second she also doesn’t seem to have the killer instinct. I’m curious as to how everyone is going to find out, it is obvious her cousin knows, I wonder how he found out and if he realizes his boy cousin is gone.

Lovers of the Red Sky: LOL, this drama. Didn’t Moo Young have powers, I swear I remember him spiriting himself away, so why didn’t he do it again? Oh well, we have the last two left. So the old man is the ring or is the spirit in the ring. He must be a God too, that is number 3, I think. The tiger spirit isn’t a God, right? Who knows, lol.

High Class: I can’t believe he killed Na Yoon like that. I was honestly surprised. She would have done anything for him, why murder her. Now that poor sweet child is left motherless. What a mess. We have 3 episodes left, we shall see what Yeo Wool does, I’m rooting for her.

Dali and the Cocky Prince: What in the actual hell was that in episode 10. For why, did that lead to the kiss scene. He called her a slut, she slapped him, and passionate make out session. WHAT?? It is like they supplanted the writer with someone else to write that scene. It didn’t make sense and was weird as hell. They could have had the kiss scene when they were in his office or literally at any other time. It was WEIRD. I still love the drama though, they came back from it.

Reflection of You: So now we understand what is happening. This drama is a full Soap. I assumed it wouldn’t be so soapy, but here we are. The only satisfaction I get from the show is knowing that child isn’t related to that horrible grandmother. Affairs, secret children, and revenge. It still hasn’t captured me completely, but I will give it two more episodes.

Hometown: It is has gotten boring again. We get it Guru can control everybody, blah blah. There are only two episodes left, so I will stick it out.

One the Woman: All the secrets are out and everyone still likes everyone. Mi Na seems to have returned. So maybe she will shale it up a little.

Lost: I can’t even speculate on the next two episodes, but I foresee a time jump. I hope only happiness for BJ and KT. I don’t know if it will be them in a relationship or them separately, but I feel like I will like the ending.

Jirisan: I hope it is good. I haven’t seen a JJH drama since My love for another Star. I didn’t bother with her last two (technically, Kingdom being one), but will try this.

Hometown Romance - while I loved the Romance (and the general breeziness and summer feeling) during the first half of the show, I have to admit that the last two weeks it was mainly the Hometown and its inhabitants who kept my interest... and grabbed my heart. I especially liked Hwajung, regardless whether she was being a mom, a friend... or a women with a broken heart (and I also liked her closure with Cho Hee). The main romance somehow started feeling more and more flat... and like a CF... and this week I definitely preferred the romance of Cop and Misun. I was also quite annoyed with how the show glossed over Dushik's trauma and how Dushik was blamed till the end even though none of the tragedies was actually his fault. What I did like was the reveal how Dushik became the village handyman - that the villagers wanted to help him out of his depression.

Dali - while I gradually lost my interest in the main couple of Hometown, my interest and love for Dali and Muhak is not only still there, but it is even growing! They COMMUNICATE and even COOPERATE!
Taejin is shooting himself in the foot with his behaviour and mocking talks. I only wish he wasn't revealed as the Hidden Schemer, there was enough for Dali to see Taejin with more realistic lenses... and enough to see who she loves NOW.
(And who she kisses now, we shouldn't forget the kisses 😁)

COMPLETED
Hometown Cha-cha-cha - I thought the last episode was lovely despite the rather convenient happily-ever-afters for Seung-hyeon and Hwa-jeong. It might not be my favourite rom-com ever but I did love watching and meeting the people of Gongjin.

ONGOING
Lovers of the Red Sky - I think this show has lost its ever-loving mind. The story is bonkers and so is the CGI but I'm fully invested in a happy ending for our OTP.

Dali and Gamjatang - This show (along with LOTRS) is the perfect example why entitled second leads need to be a thing of the past in kdramaland. I love our OTP though - the way they communicate, the way their relationship has progressed and the fact that both of them aren't perfect but accept each other with their flaws.

STARTING
Jirisan - the first episode is out but I'll wait till tomorrow and watch both episodes together 🤗

C-DRAMAS
The world of c-dramas is too bare right now…

Yumi’s Cells: The aegyo episode and writing stuff kind of dragged, but I did love the Endorphin concert. My Housework Cell is lazy too. I’d want to marry Woong as well just so he’d organize my bookshelves.

The King’s Affection: I liked the first week but struggled a bit getting through the episodes this week. Park Eun-bin is doing a good job but as far as gender bending roles go, this isn’t the most convincing. That’s why I like that Hyun seems to know her secret. I’m more interested in him than the male lead though I did like the lotus seed test.

Reflection of You: I was on the fence during the first week but this week I appreciated it more. I’m really impressed with Shin Hyun-bin. It’s hard watching past Hae-won who was so bright and full of life. I hate that she threw her life away because of Woo-jae. I can’t get onboard her revenge plan because she’s just continuing to hurt herself.

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha: The scandal took the shine off the drama but it had a nice ending. I liked that despite the large cast, everyone felt real and developed and had a moment to shine.

Reflection of You (Episode 3-4) - Mood: C+
With Woo Jae’s appearance, the setup is finally complete and the drama can truly begin next week. I must say, it’s very disappointing that the foundation of the story appears to be an actual affair between Hui Ju and Woo Jae, precipitated by an abusive mother-in-law: the narrative would’ve been more interesting if it was an emotional affair instead with the focus on the leads dealing with forbidden feelings. So far, I’m not a fan of any of the side arcs: the rich family mess is a cliche we’ve watched to death while characters like the bar owner or Hui Ju’s brother are still shrouded in thick clouds?

The King's Affection (Episode 3-4) - Mood: C-
It’s so easy to create conflict with the gender-bender setup: the fact that the “king” can’t produce an heir is enough for trouble with her own family, so why do we have the same-old lame palace politics? Of course, our second leads are the most stereotypical characters ever: the 2nd male lead adores the female lead from a distance and silently protects her while having a bromance with the male lead, also, the 2nd female lead falls in love at first sight with the male lead. Will it be too much to ask that they don’t become villains out of jealousy? And there’s also the possibility of LGBT elements!

Yumi's Cells (Episode 9-12) - Mood: C- / C
Woong hasn’t really learnt his lesson from the whole Sae Yi debacle, hasn’t he? To quote him in his own words, he’s the epitome of stubbornness, which unfortunately means for the plot that we’re most likely headed towards noble idiocy as soon as he thinks that the white lies can’t hold out any longer. As for Bobby, I can’t help but feel that he’s just Sae Yi v2 and yet another example of cliche external romance conflicts and overdone second lead character archetypes: it could be so much more interesting if he was developed to be Yumi’s 1st genuine male friend but webtoon has gotta webtoon?

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (Series review) - Mood progression: C- / C- / C- / D+ / D+ / D+ / D / D
While there’s no doubt that the show could have cemented someone’s fame (major oops), it’s my opinion that it was an absolute critical disaster. I mean, a Truck of Doom wasn’t enough for the finale week: they added in yet more nonsense with the PD also being connected to the tragedy, a last-minute separation plot device, Hye Jin being Du Sik’s saviour. It was a wafer-thin romance plot that failed to develop the supporting cast. Unfortunately, I don’t believe this was a good project for either Shin Min Ah or Lee Sang Yi but I hope the exposure gives them better quality scripts!

Also watched:
- One The Woman (Episode 9-10) - Mood: C-, They teased Mi Na during the epilogue but she’s MIA?
- High Class (Episode 12-13) - Mood: D
- Dal-li and Gamjatang (Episode 9-10) - Mood: D+
- Lovers of the Red Sky (Episode 13-14) - Mood: D-

CRICKET - T20 International world cup is going on.
Like it or not is a big question.
Warms-ups - always.
But teams fighting to qualify in the world cup itself does good for such small teams but for the tournament not so. It confuses t.he largest part of audience.

WOW moments when Nambia and Scotland has are now in. Big moment. small inexperienced teams winning a match alone is a big thing but being apart of world cup is big. Cricket and that too T20 provides the best opportunities for no-name countries and teams to do the biggest upsets.

Live - Good good match going on between South Africa and Australia.

every week I wait for the day I get to see new Dali episode, ugh

Hometown Chachacha. Happy I finished watching before the KSHgate. I liked the drama, liked both leads and the acting, even the villagers. It was nice and warm and predictable, but I enjoyed every episode.

The Veil It got better. I mean episodes 9 and 10 were really enjoyable, with lots of actions, things happening, and just when you think it’s over, well… it isn’t and we have two more episodes. NGM is just an amazing actor. I knew it, but gosh, he really carries this drama on his shoulders alone. Big broad shoulders, I have to say.

Lost / Human DisqualificationI don’t want to let you go, drama. I’m half agony half hope regarding the finale week, because while I expect our leads to find the path to happiness and enjoying life, I am afraid something can happen to ruin it all. I want them smiling. They are precious.

Lovers of the Red Sky. Even I’ve enjoyed every single minute of this drama, I’m a little tired of everyone telling CheonKi what to do, because all of them know better. She knows she hasn’t made a deal with Hwacha so her sanity is not on stake. Also… why is everyone so stubbornly insisting on her painting the portrait of someone who is dead and has not MaWang inside. And finally, the old man in prison is a God, obviously, which one? Who knows… a water god? The balance God MaWang ate? He made the King strong enough to wake up and meet Haram and join forces with him to turn down evil prince (what a pity). I have a question here: if Haram has this grudge against all the royal family, why did he seem genuinely happy to see the King recovered?

Reflection of you. I admit all possible suggestions about what is happening because after four episodes I still haven’t got a clue. Do you want to know what’s funny? I’m not really liking the drama but I am so confused I want to check more because I want to understand what the hell is happening. And we have another super coma guy after Flower of evil: the guy who’s been in a coma for years until a couple of weeks ago is now at the cocktail of his first exhibition in Korea. Wow. And just one thing… how can HaeWon manages to be EVERYWHERE?

Mad Dog (2017). This is finally available in my region on Netflix and it has been forever on my watch list. It’s funny because I work in a insurance company and, believe me, pursuing frauds is not as funny as this. LOL. Having fun while watching episodes 1 and 2.

As three of the dramas I’m watching will finish this weekend and next week, I’m planning to watch Jirisan and Would you like a cup of coffee, and maybe trying The King’s Affection (now that Netflix has decided it’s not necessary for dramas to finish to stream in my corner of the world).

THE VEIL (Ep 9 & 10): The unreliable narrator gets validation then muddies the water. Just as we are told who the evil rat is, there is a more evil rat in the shadows. HJH false memories and flashbacks continue to be a nuisance in unraveling the original mystery. It seems that most of the chess pieces have been taken off the board, leaving a classic American Western showdown climax between two flawed and mentally unstable agents.

HIGH CLASS (Ep 12-13 ): Damn, the writer has put all the rich men in the scum pond. Ji Yong is the monster I thought with his end game to take his kids and destroy their mothers. However, the ending to Episode 12 was jarring and Episode 13 unnecessarily sad.

Variety:

HOUSE ON WHEELS 3: A new season, a new youngster and a lively, easygoing guest actress. I like the “field trips” that the show occasionally puts into episodes. The cave trip was interesting.

RUNNING MAN: Cashing in on the popularity of Squid Games is fun.

Reflection Of You: So many questions. I do not like any of the characters yet but I continue to be fascinated by...whatever is happening.

Three Meals a Day: Doctors: Ep 3 subs are out! This variety show is making my HP sepanx easier. One of their recent meals is a tomato curry which I wanna try too, it looks so yummy.

I'm almost done with Money Heist Part 5. It's more guns at this point than actual heist-ing but at least I am entertained, although it hurt to see my favourite character go through so. much. brutality.

The King's Affection My new happy pill! Even if the story is not so happy. But I love PEB in this role, her character is so interesting and has so many mixed feelings. Ji-Woon is her weakness because he's her first love, he saw her as a girl (even if he hasn't made the connection yet), he won't accept to be the pawn of anybody. And he's handsome :p

Lovers of the Red Sky The main characters are the borest ones. They're not very well developped. Haram sounds stupid with his revenge plans, HCG knows nothing about Haram but she's ready to sacrifice herself... Fortunelaty, there is Yul!

Dal-li and Gamjatang Where is the art? I didn't sign for drugs, politics,...

The Veil Waiting for the last episode and watch in one run.

Human Disqualification I'm just here for the actors because the story is so unclear... After 14 episodes, I still wonder what happened in the past.

Yumi's Cells It's nice to see a couple acting as normal.

Jirisan I will test it tomorrow.

Hometown Cha Cha Cha I will miss this couple, they were so cute! I loved their bickering. I will miss Gongjin and its residents too :)

Yumi's Cells
I enjoyed last weeks episode more than the ones from the week before. Although the aegyo made me wince a little, I'm glad that Ruby is becoming one of Yumi's work friend. Also, I can't lie that I am glad that we got to say "bye bye bye" to Saeyi. She was indeed disposed of once she fulfilled her purpose. At least her purpose was to make Yumi value herself more in a romantic relationship.

Strangers from Hell
Since Halloween is coming up, I decided to watch this horror drama. All I can say is that I am now officially a fan of Im Shiwan. He was phenomenal as the unhinged Jongwoo. The story was unsettling but when you think about the fact that it occurs within two weeks...it is kind of funny. Then again I wouldn't have been able to last as long as Jongwoo in that hellhole. I would have lost my mind on day 2.

I am halfway through Kairos and I am enjoying this thriller so far. Thank you for the Beanies who recommended it to me when I shared my love for time travelling dramas and movies a few weeks back.
The mechanics of the "time travelling" in Kairos reminds me of Signal, which was a drama I really enjoyed back in the day. However, Kairos seems to have much more rules and restrictions when it comes to our leads communicating with each other. I'm also getting some serious Gone Girl vibes. I might eat my words later but I'm weirdly also rooting for Ahn Bohyun's character. I think he is also a victim in this whole mess.

Does anyone else have a Autumn/Halloween watch-list or reading-list? If so, what's on it?

Dali and Gamjatang: The second lead shenanigans are annoying, but the main couple continues to be delightful (they . . . gasp . . . actually talk to each other about stuff).

The Crowned Clown: Not breaking tons of new ground plot-wise, but so far it's well acted and stylishly directed.

Yumi's Cells: 7.5 The humans remain boring. The novelty of the cells has worn off a little. In danger of becoming a yawner "show about nothing" like HomeCha.

The Veil: 8.0 Tip of the Day: when you see someone start to pull a real-looking mask off his face, remember -- he'll be blind for a second or so and that's your chance to hit him. Quickly, before he - you know - hangs you or something.

My Name: 8.4 (ep 3 / 8) Nothing new but kept my attention. Girl K was similar but better.

One the Woman: 7.5 Lookalikes + amnesia = mistaken identity. Same formula as School 2015 which incidentally I liked better.

Hometown Cha Cha Cha: 4.0

King's Affection: 8.1 When did the FL learn to swim? Did she also learn CPR?

Lovers of the Red Sky: 6.0

Dal-li and Gamjatang: 8.5 The baddies and their plots are so-so. Dal-li seeming all sophisticated and proper and then teasing Moo-hak for being conservative and not ready was 👍👍👍👍🤣.

Hometown: 4.5 At least there's only one more week.

DALI AND GAMJATANG is simply fabulous. My only complaint is the slow subtitles on Viki. But this is unquestionably our favorite show right now.

This week my wife completed the Chinese costume drama JUN JIU LING and found it very good and worthwhile, She also continued watching the Chinese costume mystery/fantasy drama CHONG MING WEI. She is also loving THE KINGS AFFECTION- with Park Eun-bin as the female lead how could she not?

For lighter C-drama fair we are now far into ACCIDENTALLY IN LOVE as well as GO INTO LOVE. Fluff is good.

The new weekend family drama YOUNG LADY AND GENTLEMAN is now well under way. Things have now blown up for our poor family and dad has now landed in the hospital after a construction site accident. On top of that things are about to go south for our titular Young Lady. Meanwhile her ‘stepbrother’ (strictly speaking her legal half-brother) has been forced to part from the girl he loves- and seriously needs to get his life together. Did I mention that our Young Lady’s birth mother is now on the scene (but not revealed as such yet)? This weekend family drama is venturing quite close to outright makjang- I am loving it and cannot wait to see more- no wonder its ratings are climbing.

We are loving the LOVERS OF THE RED SKY. Half the fun is simply trying to figure out the supernatural angles, deities, etc. It is a messy show- I do not believe that this show would work at al if it did not have Kim Yoo-jung as the female lead just as it took Shin Hye-sun to make a good show out of a deeply flawed script in ANGEL’S LAST MISSION. Both are fabulous actresses and they are my favorite actresses because they always deliver a top notch performance.

HOMETOWN CHA CHA CHA ended and we will really miss it. But everything wrapped up nicely.

I am looking forward to WOULD YOULIKE A CUP OF COFFEE? which will be on Viki. The world needs healing dramas right now.

Did anyone see Work Later Drink Now that aired yesterday? Are there any subs available yet?

Hometown cha cha cha (15-16): What made me tear up a bit was the acting more than the story. KSH really acts well in emotional scenes. I expected the death of Gam ri but it still felt sad. Atleast Doo shik found a companion. The arc of EC and MS was also wrapped well although I wish they had a lil bit more screen space. Overall it's a drama that was relaxing and warm and I will search it again when I need something soothing

Police university (13-16): It started off well but lost steam halfway. I completed it for the bean ( with lot of FFs). The story became a bit predictable and the last episode was more like the epilogue.

Lovers of red sky (8-14): * Frustrated sigh * !!! Why everybody is fixated on the Old portrait when Ha ram is having the demon. Is it really hard to think that way? Or Am I missing a point? So the man inside the cell is a deity ( possibly !!!). ? Why did he have to wait for the chaos to start to heal the king? And I am glad that somebody finally noticed Ma Wang's fixation on CG's eyes. The writers have really lost the direction of story but only two episodes are left and I am just waiting to see how all these questions will be answered.
On last not, although it was expected, I was sad to see the death of CG's father and the sacrifice of the bodyguard.

King's affection (3-4): Loved the development. Dam yi's insecurities and the related tantrums was a bit annoying to watch. I mean I get her reasons but it went a bit too far and I was happy when it didnot stand long. I wonder if there will be enough story to sustain the 20 episodes. I like Ji woon too and the comic relief his character brings to the show. I feel like Hyun knew the real gender f our crown prince. I mean he literally Heart Eyes every time he looks at Dam yi. I am preparing myself to hit with SLS in the future episodes because I already love Hyun and his dimples.🤩

Reflection of you (1-4): It looked like a slow burn with great potential. I was surprised to see myself enjoying it. Another wonder element was Shin hyun bean's character and how different it is from her previous project. I have not watched go hyun jung in anything other than Queen seondeok and she is so far doing a wonderful job. The story is confusing and exciting enough for me to continue watching.

Yumi's cells (1-7): I was really wary to start this wondering if the concept of cells will be too cheesy but I am really enjoying it. The portrayal of cells is a great way to know the inner thoughts behind every action. Esp with Woong. That scene during Yumi's birthday was the greatest example regarding the difference in communication between men and women. We often perceive men as less emotive but their thought process was so portrayed so well. Woong is a gem of a person. He is just breath of fresh air. And who would have thought Ahn Bo Hyun can be this adorable. I liked his acting in IC and Kairos, but never in my dreams I expected him to just rock a role like this...

Dali & Moo-hak: love how they communicate with each other & how Mi-ra is overprotective of Moo-hak. Somewhat wish they had picked a different side-plot with Tae-jin and well, most of the antagonists.

Lost: was not expecting that I would deeply adore this drama. There are a good number of things still to wrap up which makes me anxious and excited.

My drama-watching has been a bit out of focus lately. I find myself falling asleep or scrolling on my phone with a drama going on the background - even worse, watching YT videos, who'd tell I could multitask like that 🤣-, so there's been a lot I've been watching without really caring. Yes, when I say a lot, I mean mostly Lovers of the Red Sky. Also, I'm sad to report that I liked all the earning and staring at the mobile on eps 13 and 14 of Lost, but I find all the side-stories a bit meh and phone-scrolling-friendly
Besides LRS, I've been watching My Name over the week, mainly because I see Lee Hak Joo I press play - and invariably I feel disappointed at how underused he is. Dramagods, for reals: give this man a proper role. He's looking sternly at you in wait.

But I was also pleasantly surprised by Han So Hee. In Nevertheless (yup, I watched it and didn't even bother to report it here on DB because it's the dud I expected it to be) she really wasn't given much to do besides mope and overthink and get artist's block, but here she went all in for the role. She really delivers on the physicality (amazing fighting sequences) and even if she still has room to grow to become more expressive, she is solvent and carries the drama effectively. Same goes for Ahn Bo Youn - btw, he's doing do well on Yumi's Cells, squee!
Of course, the shiniest star in this is Park Hee Soon. He makes a very hot ahjussi gangster. I have a big quibble, though: like, if you're a criminal organisation, is it really wise to tattoo a big-ass snake on all your members' chest, including the ones infiltrating the police forces? And to get an even more corporate feeling for you crime syndicate, you even put the same logo one on the large painting presiding your capo office. Man, I don't know... These little things really get me out of the drama 🤣 Killer OST, btw!

I watched the shorter drama Growing Seasoning this week, and I recommend it if you want to watch a more realistic young adult drama. It handles the topics of young adults very well. It also has one of the best breakups that I've seen in kdramas: sad, thoughtful, mature, loving. Only ten 25-minute episodes so it's a quicker watch.

Hometown Cha Cha Cha: Whew! A good ending. I wish there were more dramas like HCCC. Sure the OTP doesn't make me ship them like crazy, but I like how we still get a cute OTP and lots of great supporting characters with their own stories and beating hearts. The show isn't groundbreaking, memorable storytelling, but it felt like such good company. I'm going to miss weekends with the Gongjin gang.

Lovers of the Red Sky: The usual penultimate week curse as we stall (suddenly all these important magical objects and extraneous deaths) until finale time. At least the episodes move quickly and the visual and music gets my heart pumping. Still irks me that the royals+officials (including shaman) who did jack regarding the Ma Wang thing for the last 20 years and now they want this and that pronto. I hope Chun-gi can make a divine painting to trap the whole lot of them and install a new dynasty.

King's Affection: Beginning of ep 3 had me rolling my eyes half a dozen times. But after that, it was great! Park Eun-bin may be petite and have a woman's body, but the air around her Crown Prince character has the swagger and arrogance of a crown prince. I like Ji-Un and don't want to since I think it would be great if Damyi kills him off to stick it to his terrible dad

Dali and Gamjatang (a week behind, caught up with ep 7-8): Lots to enjoy for this drama, but I feel really annoyed by all the bland, unsupportive supporting characters and the show putting Dali in a dangerous situation by making her do the senseless thing. Can't the drama just be Dali, Moohak, and that delicious Won-tak?

I'm way behind, always the one late to the party.
I'm watching D.P. I like the format, new story every episode.
I am amazed with Yeo Jin-goo in The Crowned Clown and I hate for this to end. Hotel Del Luna is on my watch list. I'm re-watching When the Camellia Blooms. Kang Ha-neul has such great comedic timing that I'm not sure I can watch him in a serious drama (although I did enjoy his latest movie - Waiting for Rain), Kong Hyo-jin looks so beautiful in simple attire; and the cast from the two moms, the ex, the kid, the part-timer, the landlord and his lawyer wife were wonderfully cast. Maybe I'll try to jump onto the bandwagon and watch Squid Game since I lost my subscription to Viki.

Currently watching: Dali and Gamjatang and Yumi's Cells (both are among the least pretentious k-drama rom-coms I have ever seen).

Recently finished: Into the Ring (loved it!) and Friend, Our Legend (really hard to watch, but it's all-around well made television).

About to start: One the Woman (only just noticed it on Viki, so I'm pretty far behind)

Current
DALI - Continues to be fun
ONE THE WOMAN - only a couple of episodes in but enjoying, although there is HEAVY use of filters/makeup and it is distracting. Please let Lee Sang Yun look like himself.

Older
WHEN THE WEATHER IS FINE - I found this hard going at first (lots of thoughtful gazing) so it’s kind of my drama to watch when I have nothing else, but it’s starting growing on me.

Really really older
INFAMOUS CHIL SISTERS - this was Lee Seung gi’s first drama and I have not previously seen it because a) it’s hard to find and b) it’s a million episodes long. I’m only semi watching the other storylines but I am deeply enjoying Extremely Young Seung gi as a tutor who scandalously has got his student pregnant 😱 I particularly enjoy that his character’s ringtone is his real life debut song. It does make me wonder how many of those kind of jokes I miss though because I’m not familiar with the reference.

Red Sky:

Man it would’ve been so nice if this had like… not done the expected and give in to complete and utter lore inconsistency and actually delivered after episode 6 … and maybe also if it were just a documentary on traditional Korean painting, with multiple full episodes dedicated to dancheong… yeah that would’ve been nice.

It's not that the pieces of this couldn't work it's that they're just put and mixed together terribly.
And sometimes there's cayenne pepper in the mixture when there should be cinnamon… You know?
If you refer to the Fantasy Sageuk Recipe I haven’t written, that is.

~

King’s Affection:

It’s… alright.

I have two... more acute concerns.
1. This is 20 episodes long and I have little hope of it successfully completing its runtime without going off the rails.
2. Perhaps, under certain circumstances, I would be in the mood for a hero to become morally corrupt for sheer tragedy, but that would have to be written in a very specific way, and right now I am not in the mood. So, if they a) screw over the ML’s character and make him give up on his values (especially for stupid reasons) and b) do the same for the SML but for jealousy reasons … y’all I just… I might commit a crime. Is all I’m saying.

(love all the hanbok colours but what’s new)

~

My Name:

The problem is, these basic revenge arcs of generic people-trained-to kill are just not that compelling to me because I have a not-so-generic person-trained-to-kill story, and it’s written by me FOR me, and they’re going to have a very hard time living up to that character archetype, when the one in my head is just so much better, and tailored specifically to my tastes and narrative demands. Especially when revenge stories bore me and have been done a million times a million times better before.

I think I'm just gonna have to stop watching anything. I just don't think I can handle seeing someone pull out the sharp pointy thing they've been stabbed with one more time. I think I might go insane. Please. I'm fading. There's a long tunnel. I can see... a light…*shitpost pending*

Oh the leads both had nice hands. Not that that has anything to do with the plot.

~

The Veil: *yet to watch finale*

The problem is, these basic revenge arcs of generic people-trained-to kill are just not that compelling to me because I have a not-so-generic person-trained-to-kill story, and it’s written by me FOR me, and they’re going to have a very hard time living up to that character archetype, when the one in my head is just so much better, and tailored specifically to my tastes and narrative demands. Especially when revenge stories bore me and have been done a million times a million times better before.

Namgoong Min, his impeccable supraorbital tori and pronounced zygomatic arches are all that’s keeping me going.

~

Dali:

I would add another entry to the...

Watching Lost, Jewel In The Palace
A movie, Karma (2006) , which I really enjoyed.

Absolutely love Dali. I've watched the last two episodes IN KOREAN (how sad is that!) but let me tell you the acting is so good you can almost follow it without subtitles. I don't agree that the ex-boyfriend is the bad guy - I think there is somebody much worse above him. But now I'm not sure whether Taejin really cares about her or is just after money. After all, he dumped her once days before their wedding and as someone mentioned he was a "divorced man" I'm assuming that he dumped her for somebody who was more useful and then regretted it. I love the ML and I think the shouting is in character, he shouts when he's cross. Dali is a a wonderful actress. Also love her policeman brother, is far too handsome to just be the third lead. This is the best drama in a while and I really look forward to it.

Tons of pressure at work and yet my response was to check out all the kdramas that are ongoing and available in my region. LOL! I watched all up to the requisite 4_eps rule then trimmed down my list to : a) shows I must watch the morning it becomes available : Dali and Gamjatang Prince, King's Affection, One the Woman, HTCCC to b) will watch as leisurely as when I have the time : Yumi's Cells, The Veil, High Class. Dropped : Lost (too depressing, despite my love for RJY), Reflection of You (too convoluted for me), LOTRS (dropped at ep 10 - even more convoluted).

I still watch variety shows too: Running Man and 1D2N, plus added 3 meals a day:doctors now that sixth sense has ended.

Gosh, the documentary "FOUND" on Netflix about adopted Chinese girls finding each other through DNA testing was very moving.
Earning my bean with Red Sky but not really caring. I know the horse has Sat-nav but does he?
Enjoying Dali + Prince way more than I expected. Hoping King's Affection can go the 20 ep distance.
Rewatching Hotel del Luna with hubby did not translate to My Ajusshi as hoped but the first 8 eps of Hot Stove will do just fine.

Home Town Cha Cha Cha: Well there was that. I actually didn't mind when the show didn't seem to have a very strong plot and maybe leaned more towards episodic. When it let go a bit on feeling like the heroine was in the Town to learn very important lessons and focused on her finding a community and a love line it was an easy and enjoyable watch. But then it went to over the top fluff that dived right into over the top trauma. Just very .....meh. But I did enjoy having a Saturday/Sunday drama.

Dali: I look forward to this one all week long. Often watch bits of it before it is subbed and constantly refresh even though I know it won't be subbed until the next day. It sometimes feels like the answer to any time a viewer has asked, "But what if they just talked to each other?"

Yumi's Cells: Psused but may go back. Paused just because of the multi season aspect and not sure when the next season is to air. It took Mr awhile to get used to Korea's one season shows but now I prefer it. Not that I'm completely against multi seasons, but I like that many are structured like a stand alone novel.

My Fated Boy: Came back to this C drama. I've been waking up an hour before my alarm each morning for whatever reason and instead of tossing and turning have been watching an ep. I'm enjoying it though not as much as the enthusiastic rec for it had me hopeful for.

The Great British Baking Show: I do wish that the last bake of each ep wasn't becoming so reliant on the presentation. I know that is part of the showstopper, but I dont need Ace of Cakes here. But it is still just a fun watch and we will be getting the holiday eps soon and that usually includes the charity celebrity ep and everyone was going crazy over James McAvoy's appearance. Can't wait.

Along with the watch I'm 50% into Battle Royal by Lucy Parker. She is a great CR writer and this one centers around two bakers, a royal wedding cake, and a baking show. I always enjoy her dialogue and humor. Though this one also deals with grief.
Plus, I just found a podcast by The Ringer that is recapping each ep, so I guess I'm sort of wallowing in this show this season.

To watch....too many. I guess just where ever the mood leads me. Did find out that Hogu's Love is on Amazon Prime and have been curious about this one for awhile.

Hometown (Ep 9&10) - I'm curious as to how does the hypnosis thing work here. Who is the ghostly manifestation that struck fear in those people that lead them to embrace Guru as their savior? Why does Jung-hyun seems unaffected under the hypnosis compared to her friends? My wildest thought here is that Jung-hyun might be the actual Guru instead :P Yes finale, I'm ready for you hahaha

The Veil (Ep 11&12) - And so it ends with no surprises as to who is the final big boss. Two silly things that I find from the finale:
1) Pointing a gun at the surface of a machine at the back of a truck?? You've already seen it's a machine...it's not gonna bite your head off
2) If you want to be a hero and throw yourself on a suicide bomber make sure other people are evacuated ASAP first. That scene is so ridiculous that I just can't stop laughing sigh....
On a serious I felt that this series touches a bit on a lot as aspects in life....power, greed, sacrifice and loyalty which culminates into the saying 'the end justify the means'. All these aspects can be positive or negative depending on what the goal is. I watched this for NGM but I noticed from the 1st ep that his character (facial expression and demeanor or the lack of it) are similar to Awaken lol. I'll probably avoid his next project if it's the same genre :P

The Veil: 5/10 for the series - Average show overall. Never really reached the intensity of the first 4’ish episodes, and kind of petered out towards the end. ML gave a solid performance with what he had, but not a show I’d recommend to others. There’s better shows in the same genre, and just in general.

Dali: I am still enjoying this one, but I can’t be the only one that found that kiss scene weird right? That’s one of those moments where I’m wondering “Has this person met humans before?” I’m usually pretty good at putting myself in the shoes of characters but that writing decision just baffled me. Predictable baddy is predictable, nothing surprising there.

The Reflection of You: Only managed to start this one, with the first episode. But it’s a solid start with interesting characters and a bunch of actors I really like.

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha: 5/10 for the series - Sad to say another average series in the end. The series always had fairly common tropes throughout, but the performances were solid, and the side characters quirky and interesting. Finished off with 0 surprises (except maybe how horrible some of the people formerly around our ML are) and one of my least favourite tropes in kdrama. Finished this one for the bean.

Fallen behind a couple shows, including One the Woman, and Lovers of a Red Sky and I can’t say I’m missing them terribly. Not sure I’ll go back to either at this point.

My Roommate is a Gumiho (2x16): Fun fun fun. ML was in My Mister but I didn't recognize him! I didn't know FL, but she is really fun and talented.

Backstreet Rookie 10x16: Show proceeds without any failure. I hope for a grand finale!

Instead of Tipsy Why Not Get Drunk (7x25): Fluffy, absurd and enjoyable. FL is sweet and nice.

Dal Li & Gamjatang : Cried bucket when Won Tak revealed about the truth behind why Na Gong Ju was hired.. And I also found it the slap-kiss scene wasn't that smooth. It shouldn't end with a kiss. But overall, I love both episodes.

Misaeng : I hate the office bullying parts and had to fast forward it. But I love the ending; it tells us getting fired or resigned from a big company is not the end of the world. Being a self-employed after resigning from an established big company myself, I understand this and feel relatable. I wished there'll be a kdrama or Misaeng season 2 to tell the adventurous story about how Oh Sang Sik & Geu Rae team building up their company. No, Itaewon Class is too slow & for me it's not that adventurous enough. And no, Start-up is not the kdrama for it.

Sell Your Hounted House : I love this show because it shows that the woman is strong and brave, and I read spoilers ahead it has no romance, and it's funny & very warm. They do exorcism and they also helped the victims who are wronged. Currently at episode 3.

Mad Dog : Had to rewatch this for Woo Do Hwan 😂

DALI AND GAMJATANG: I really like this show. The villains are a bit too simple and greedy for my taste and I'm sad Tae-jin turned out to be one of them, even tough I'm not in the least surprised. Sometimes I feel the show takes some strange inconsistent turns but on the OTP complement each other well.

DINNER MATE: Finally finished the white pants galore show! I liked the OTP, I liked the OST, I liked the food a lot but mostly I liked Lee Ji-hoon. He made me feel compassion with a character of profound fast-forward material and considering the creep-factor of Jae-hyeok, that is no minor feat.

After seeing the positive reviews of JUN LUI LING on Viki, I also took the time to watch the first four episodes the last couple of days. Promising intrigue and I already love the leads.

It’s been a while since I’ve done this.

Dal-li and Gamjatang: The show is always just shy of being great and it’s very frustrating that it isn’t. It’s still very enjoyable for the most part, but some of the choices the writer makes are baffling. Take that kiss scene in episode 10. The kiss itself was fine, but that buildup is awful. I can’t believe I had to watch the male lead (who is usually quite nice, if a bit too brash) literally slut-shame the female lead and all he gets in return is a very light slap and a make-out session. Just terrible writing choices all round. I honestly don’t care for much of the plot anymore either. Only hanging on for Kim Min-jae and Park Gyu-young’s wonderful characters and chemistry (when the writer isn’t actively ruining them).

Human Disqualification: I just want Kang-jae and Bu-jeong to be happy. Preferably together. But given how the show is like, I’m afraid the writer will hit me with some last-minute agony.

The King’s Affection: My new favourite! I’m absolutely loving Park Eun-bin in this role. I already knew she’d be fantastic as the crown prince, but I’m still in awe of the nuances and cadence of her performance. She can probably be a strong contender for a Best Actress Baeksang nomination, if not a win. I’m desperately hoping they don’t make the hot, dimpled cousin into a romantic second lead just because he’s hot and has nice dimples. He’s her cousin ffs. Can sageuks please drop this trope from their plots? Especially since Joseon didn’t allow incestuous relationships anyway. Rowoon is hot enough to be the sole love interest, thank you very much.

Lovers of the Red Sky: *deep, tired sigh* I knew this was going to happen, but I have to finally admit it: the show has lost its goddamn mind. Everything is absolutely nonsensical and illogical. The OTP is the only likeable part and even that is because of the actors, not the characters.

One the Woman: I can’t believe I started this and I’m even more shocked at how much I like it. The show is completely ridiculous, but in the best way possible. It never gets very serious nor take itself too seriously, and I think that’s the sort of energy I need in my life right now. Honey Lee is a treasure.

Yumi Cells: I still like the actors and think their performances are good, but between my lack of time and the lack of anything truly interesting happening in the show, I’ve lost interest. I’m a little behind and maybe things change, but I’m tired of most of the women in the show (except Yumi ofc) being portrayed as unlikeable man-stealers. It’s such a tiring trope and not one I’m willing to waste my precious time on. I hope the show does better.