[2022 Year in Review] A drama (or two) for each month

by Unit

Despite the many disappointing offerings in the 2022 drama landscape, I happened to have watched more dramas this year than I did last year. It might be because I have slightly more time on my hands now, or I was just ready to come out of my mini drama drought. Whatever the reason, just like how each month of the year holds a different meaning for me, I had varying feelings for all the dramas I watched this year. And for my year in review essay, I decided to compare my feelings about each month to the dramas I watched, so here goes nothing.

January

The first month of the year signifies new beginnings and it’s also when I make multiple resolutions (and end up fulfilling none of them… but that’s not the point here). Being the first drama I covered here on Dramabeans, Shooting Stars is the quintessential new beginning for me. Previously, I watched dramas solely for entertainment purposes, and while I still do, mostly, I have developed a more analytical approach to watching dramas now. Similarly, It’s Beautiful Now has a spot here, as it’s the first weekend drama I watched in full after a two-year break. KBS weekenders have lost the majority of their appeal these days, and I think this is one of the most decent ones in recent times.

 
February

Just like its number of days, this month translates to short, sweet, and straight to the point for me. Once Upon a Small Town and Please Send a Fan Letter sit comfortably on this table as two of the most stressless dramas I watched this year. Both dramas were not ambitious; they knew the story they wanted to tell and didn’t stray far from the plot. And based on episode count and run-time, they’re just perfect for a short and relaxing binge. So what’s not to like about that?
 
March

Maybe because it’s sandwiched between two incomplete months, March gives off an initially larger than life vibe, but on a second glance it’s just a pretty ordinary month. It’s like Red Heart, for instance, which is a lesson on beautiful cinematography not always equaling a good story. I came in expecting a The Red Sleeve Cuff-esque drama and for the first few episodes, I was really into it. But at some point I was muddling through, bored to the point of frustration by Lee Joon’s endless tears and Jang Hyuk’s undulating dialogue delivery. In the end, Kang Hanna’s amazing performance as Yoo Jung was the only reason I completed the drama.

 
April

In the Easter spirit, even the most undeserving of dramas get a shot at my forgiveness. And first on the list is Love in Contract which was not a standard rom-com, nor was it a full-on makjang or melodrama. Half the time I didn’t even know what I was watching, but I loved it anyway thanks to Go Kyung-pyo as Jung Ji-ho, who was the sole redemptive factor.

As for The Sound of Magic, it had so many undertones that I had to use a hundred percent of my brain to properly understand all the themes the drama tried to cover. And I like to switch off sometimes. But the songs redeemed the drama for me, especially Hwang In-yeop’s rendition of I Mean It to the female lead. Seriously, I dare you not to fall in love while he serenades you in the middle of a field.

 
May

I always have mixed feelings about this month, because I can’t seem to make up my mind as to whether I like it or not. That’s the exact feeling I have for Curtain Call and Moonshine, the two dramas that I wanted to like more than I actually did. Still, I faithfully tuned in every week, so maybe they grew on me or something. And as for Summer Strike, how can a “healing” drama have so many unlikable characters? But then thinking about the fabulous four leads, I’m inclined to give the drama a grudging pass.
 
June

For some reason, this month just gives off heavy vibes. Like Our Blues, which had me in tears for most of its run, and Through the Darkness which is just full-on depressing. I have never related so much like I did to Kim Nam-gil when his character (Inspector Song) decided not to return to his job as a criminal profiler. His mental health was in shambles, and so was mine. And to think the cases in the drama were based on real life ones. The horror!

 
July

This rhymes with lie, and it’s basically, the month of expectations vs. failed reality. Hello, Poong the July Joseon Psychiatrist. Where was the fun drama you promised in your promos? And WTF was that unexpected cliffhanger? Then you have the nerve to tell us to anticipate a S2 — which I’ll most likely watch because: officially, I need closure. But really, it’s all about Kim Min-jae. And his smile. And his voice. And I’m a lost cause.
 
August

I reply to the most messages this month (hi there, birthday wish from aunt I haven’t spoken to since Christmas), and the dramas that generated the most conversation and banter between me and my drama-watching friends were: Rookie Cops, thanks to the Kang Daniel fans among us, Remarriage and Desires, for the lack of chemistry between Lee Hyun-wook and Kim Hee-sun, and Behind Every Star which had us swooning over Noh Sang-hyun a.k.a Glasses Oppa, and discussing the weekly cameos and meta jokes.

 
September

This is easily my least favorite month as there’s nothing special about it, and it merely exists to fill in space. It’s just like Today’s Webtoon which had too many things happening in the drama and not a strong enough thread to link them together. Speaking of links, Link: Love, Eat, Kill is a weird enough title on its own, and rather than the actual mystery of the drama, I was more interested in when Yeo Jin-goo’s character was going to open his restaurant.

On the plus side, for the first time in forever, Yeo Jin-goo actually had some chemistry with his female lead — which is more than I can say about Mental Coach Jegal with a good plot on paper, but a dragged out execution, and one of the most unconvincing love-lines ever. Of course, September will not be complete without mentioning Artificial City. There are many dramas I wish I could erase from my memory so I can relive the feeling of watching them for the first time. But this is one I wish I could erase because it’s such a waste of brain space. I mean, I could have used the space to store more tidbits about Kim Soo-hyun or something. Pfft.

 
October

Did someone say hallowed horrors? Well, this year’s theme is (un)spooky season, and I’ve got Ghost Doctor and May I Help You on this list. I enjoyed them way more than I expected to, especially May I Help You which had really good writing, a coherent plot, chemistry between the two very mature lead characters, and features what I think is Hyeri’s best performance after Reply 1988. It was one of those low-key gems, and it should have stayed that way. Unfortunately, it got infected by the pandemic that is 2022 drama endings, and it skipped off the rails at the last three episodes. Sigh. Why do dramas do this?
 
November

As the year gets to its eleventh hour, I eagerly count down to the festive season. And while I’m not a fan of Mondays, I looked forward to it for six whole weeks just to watch a new episode of Business Proposal. I watched a ton of fan edits on social media, blushed multiple times during all the kisses, and curled my toes at the cheesy dialogues spewed by the Archaeopteryx. “Do you know what my love for you and this credit card have in common? They both have no limit.” Squee!!! *dies in chaebol*

PS: I also looked forward to new episodes of Young Actor’s Retreat while it aired. And yes, I know it’s not a drama, but since it’s based on dramas I watched in the past, it has to count.

 
December

Santa is probably stuck in a chimney somewhere, so in a classic case of saving my best for the last, Extraordinary Attorney Woo and Reborn Rich are dramaland’s gifts to me this year. My feelings about Reborn Rich can be summarized in three syllables: Lee Sung-min! I knew I was in for a powerhouse performance when he commanded the last few minutes of episode one without a single word! Goosebumps, I tell ya. Add that to a fast paced plot and three episodes per week, and I was sold! Episode 16 ended up being anticlimactic (which I dislike even more than bad endings, sometimes), but hey, it could have been worse.

As for Extraordinary Attorney Woo, most of my thoughts have been sprinkled throughout my coverage of the show. But as an add-on, it was refreshing to see that the show didn’t ascribe an infallible or “robot” tag to Young-woo, seeing how she lost some cases and had a moral dilemma on some of the others she won. There was the needless noble idiocy and terminal illness trope, but that didn’t stop it from being the highlight of my 2022 drama watching experience, and a drama I’ll remember for a long time. In the meantime, here’s me counting down to 2023, and starting a prayer circle for K-drama writers to stick to their promised plots, and give us better endings to their stories in the new year.

 
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