Happy New Year, Beanies! Wish you all loads of good health and happiness in 2023🎉🎉

COMPLETED
The Youngest Son of a Conglomerate - I was okay with the ending. One of my favourite dramas of the year.

Summer Strike - Awful people, terrible tragedies. This was not the healing drama I wanted.

Curtain Call - Everything wrapped up satisfactorily but it still felt unsatisfying. Wish we had seen more of real Rhee Moon-sung (and his wife).

The First Responders - My new year resolution is to not tune into S2 of this.

ONGOING
Alchemy of Souls S2 - Ready for some kick-ass Jang Wook action this week 🤲.

Unlock My Boss - The mystery is not much of a mystery but I'm interested in knowing how they get the Boss out of that hospital now.

The Forbidden Marriage - Pre-empted. Sadness.

I was planning to try The Glory and Island but the season split has made me hold off, which means my watchlist is super bare right now. Maybe it's time to binge some oldies or some c-dramas!

C-DRAMAS
Dropped Accidentally Meow on You. Still watching and liking Hi Venus and The Silence of the Monster.

Unlock the boss
Well thank goodness I now have a new way of dealing with tense moments as there were way too many in this week’s episodes. I loved the AR glasses idea and would definitely sign up for them. I hate shopping in person and they need to find a hassle free way to return online items so these glasses would be the best of both worlds. I can not wait to see how this all plays out as my theory that the boss is alive and well and this is an elaborate plan to show the benefits of the technology and remove the annoying Uncle who disagrees with modernisation does not seem to be so far fetched now.

The forbidden marriage
No episodes this week🥺

The rational life Chinese Noona romance
I am loving this drama. Exploring relationships when money, age, life decisions are all impacting. The toxic work environment and mum are put aside quickly so when they turn up it’s bearable.

Midnight diner
Started this one as I had to get Netflix subscription for a month to watch The rational life so trying to squeeze in the other dramas that I can only find on Netflix.

Three bold siblings

The lack of security around the top star’s family considering there is an annoying woman on the loose is ridiculous. The willingness to have physical fights regardless of the stage of life and risk to reputation always amazes me in K dramas. So now the pregnancy and baby’s father are known by the female lead is she going to breach confidentiality to be ‘helpful’ as the parents are getting in their own way. The barriers to them being a couple are not big ones as the families are getting on well now.
The nephew’s rage that his baby died at such a late stage of pregnancy, his inheritance was taken away and his issues with his mum all seem to be the justification he is using for his long game approach to financial and emotional payback. I hope this storyline is wrapped up soon. The other siblings ex needs a dressing down and I hope he gets it soon now the chairman is looking into him. I also want to see the growth of the male lead’s sister as her childish behaviour needs to go. I really hope she does not end up with the documentary director as that would be ridiculous as he is so mature and is getting over his crush on someone who is the opposite of the sister in every way.

Completed

New love playlist webdrama
Cute ending. It was nice to see most of the original ensemble cast were there for the ending episodes.

Buam dong Avengers
This held my attention enough to keep coming back to it even when I was binge watching Chinese and Japanese dramas (yes, looking at you New Life Begins, Silent and First Love) that stole my heart and kept me busy all hours of the day and night. I am so glad I watch dramas to the end of the credits to see if there are crew shots or random BTS clips or I would have missed ‘the real ending’. This drama wrapped up well with a good use of the time jump. Soogyum had his main adults still in his life and the main leads had all...

Forbidden Marriage - I love it when it is funny (and points for not showing the King in his final act after the drinking night and just showing the feasting fish 😄 ).
Episode 6 was unfortunately less funny and thus more ridiculous (and I don't have enough fingers to count how many times I said but this is stupid/impossible!). Well, all fingers crossed we will get some fun back next week. 🙂

Alchemy - I still love it (and Uk's black robe has changed to grey! 🎊), though... is it just me or the editing is getting choppier and choppier? I also feel that things are being rushed and actually wish for more episodes 😅 And I'm not much getting Yul and his martyr syndrome, however, Uk's not a single person will walk out of here alive may be a good compensation. 😁

Silent - I was worried that there would be no happy ending, but I was wrong! 💃 This was a beautiful healing drama about acceptance of the hearing loss of the Hero (not only by his surrounding, but mainly by himself) and about communication prejudices. I think I will rewatch it soon again. ❤️

No time for anything else (family times 🌲🥳).

Thank you Dramabeans for being here for (and with) us this year and wishing all a good and healthy 2023... with a lot of dramas to discuss! 😘❤️

Alchemy of Souls: I think you could start any comment about this show with “Poor Yul” and never be wrong. The guy has had the most rotten luck. Part of the fun of this show has been picking apart and theorizing about every new magical object or event we get, but in the end it’s just about a handful of people trying to figure out who they are, what the right thing to do is, and how they should feel about everyone else in their lives. I love it for that.

Unlock My Boss: I’m into the new recon mission for our cell phone boss, and very into the romantic developments for our OTP (and possibly budding secondary couple?) this week. The reveal that our loan-shark-turned-body-guard has been secretly texting our adorable 7 year old was amazing. More of them together please. Min-ah is going to end up with a much bigger family when all this is over.

What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim: In an effort to educate myself on some of the dramas other Beanies often talk about, I’m trying to watch at least one non-current drama while waiting for new episodes of other shows to come out, and this is first up. I’m honestly hilariously into it! I get why it’s a total romcom classic, and I’m finding Yeong-joon in particular a gift of a character. On the surface, he’s the chaeboliest chaebol who ever chaeboled, but I’m not even that many episodes in and I can tell there’s so much more there.

Island: Kim Nam-gil is baaaaack! And giving off glorious broody (dare I say Bulgasal?) vibes. His character introduction was (violent, yes, but) just amazing. I’m sufficiently creeped out by all the demons and I was impressed with how much I felt the secretary’s betrayal even though we only knew him for one episode. Cha Eun-woo is cracking me up in the best way with his absolutely wild drama-watching priest character and I’m excited to see more of him and honestly everything else.

Reborn Rich: I was really satisfied with the ending. It was a lot to handle, and a lot of hype to live up to, and I think they finished it really well. There will always be things to nitpick about, but I really enjoyed this drama start to finish.

Summer Strike (Series review) - Mood progression: D / D / D / D / D- / D-
What was supposed to be an easy breezy slice of life showcasing two introverted characters turned into this mess: 1st, Yeo Reum left Seoul to escape a toxic environment only to run into more toxic people in Angok, 2nd, Dae Beom had the family trauma befitting a drama lead which was predictable (actor playing cop was too experienced to play a bit part).

The Fabulous (Series review)
This show got so lucky it was dropped all at once on Netflix, because who in the world thought it was a good opener to have our heroine cheat in the 1st episode? Thankfully, the show somehow managed to pretend that never happened? It wasn’t good writing at all with some very eye-rolling moments but the enduring friendship within the quartet was great.

Recipe For Farewell (Episode 9-10) - Mood: B+
If not for the scamming car dealer guy and the pointless conflict between the son and his girlfriend, I would’ve given an A for this week’s episodes. I was quite impressed that the writer skipped past any nonsense about Da Sol finding out or the father/son learning about the hospice decision. And the supermarket guy is exactly what I love in a supporting role!

Missing: The Other Side 2 (Episode 3-4) - Mood: C
The writer should know that the birth secret doesn’t explain Wook’s ability to see the new village even if it’s true, so I’m hoping it really isn’t true. But I don’t want a romance between Wook and Jong Ah too since this show doesn’t need one and I would hate a damsel arc. On another note, I hope this season isn’t about another big evil again. Innovate, please!

Unlock the Boss (Episode 7-8) - Mood: C-
You know, the drama is pretty decent anytime it’s not dealing with the corporate shenanigans, what with the AI motif or the touching moments within both In Sung’s family and Sun Joo’s family or even Se Yeon’s and Ma Pi’s backgrounds. In a frustrating move however, the writer has continued starring Sun Joo’s Thriller. I get it’s the main plot but it just sucks?

The Interest of Love (Episode 3-4) - Mood: D
Ah yes, we love seeing the same old characterisations of a pure 2nd male lead and a manipulative 2nd female lead! An avid viewer would also recognise that the male lead’s father didn’t die naturally, which means we can anticipate drama if that death is linked to female lead’s brother. And to top it all off, we got a classic wrist grab + hug for the cliffhanger?

The Forbidden Marriage (Episode 5-6) - Mood: D
I don’t exactly know what So Rang saw in the King to become so enamoured with him in such a short period, especially with her life in peril, but if the show follows its own logic then she should be cautious of getting the same infatuation as Shin Won did. Too bad we already know how it all ends, with watching all the palace politics becoming tortuous as hell.

Summer Strike I needed more couple scenes and less misery

Curtain Call There was so much potential for this one. The result wasn't bad but just forgettable. But I really liked KNH in this role and his haircut!

Trolley I want to watch it. Now, my moral can handle so many sad, unfair, bitter dramas again...

Missing: The Other Side 2 I was happy to see the team back!

Unlock the Boss I don't really care about Baro 4 and the truth. It's too serious now.

The Interest of Love Communication is the key!

The Forbidden Marriage KYD is cute but how could he win an award for this role?

Alchemy of Souls 2 Jang Uk is kinda limited to his entrances with great fanfare. Yul's fight was more interesting because he's not a Deus ex machina>/i>.

Island I didn't care about the story...

It was a nice change that all was resolved so undramatically in CURTAIN CALL without yelling, police and arrests and terribly broken hearts (only a little bit broken). It also chose my preferred option, that grandma herself puts an end to the charade without putting too much blame on the people involved. I would have liked to see more of the real grandson, Noh Sang-hyun has such a strong presence and stood his ground so well among all these experienced actors.

TROLLEY is slowly revealing what the characters want to hide and I am sure all of them have secrets to hide. Is Kim Hye-Joo suspecting her husband of cheating, does she know of a darker side of him? Who is really the baby's father! There is chaos to come, the tension is certainly rising.

Missing the fun of FORBIDDEN MARRIAGE this week. It is good to see the king becoming more assertive and, well, kingly.

Finished the last episode of FIRST RESPONDERS, just to wrap it up, but forgot that there will be a second season. It is very unlikely that I will be watching despite the cliff hanger.

Watched the first episodes of THE ISLAND. Maybe it is the amount of CGI, but the fight scenes were becoming repetitive, predictable and a little boring. Hopefully it will get better. I dislike exorcisms, but Cha Eun-woo makes a very attractive priest.

Watching the first few episodes of THE GLORY reminded me why revenge dramas are generally not my favourites, even with Lee Do-hyun in it.

Wishing a happy and healthy new year Beanies !!!!

Alchemy of souls S1 (8): I love it !!!

Red balloon (3-4): It’s a huge mess. The only character I liked last week was Ba da when she replied back to her horrible MIL who hasn’t boarded her train from the ancient century. I actually loved the budding relationship between Nam chul and Eun san. I think they both found someone to talk to and I am not sure if the shows goes on to the romantic aspects of the relation but until then its beautiful. As much as I hate Tae-gi, I agree to few of his points. Watching their relationship makes me suffocated, so imagine being in such a relation. Eun Kang is so desperate to get out of her house that she doesn’t realize this.

Older
Love all Play (1-16): I enjoyed the first 8 episodes and ended up FF ing the next episodes esp the scenes between the leads. They became so boring and I had so many complaints for those episodes. It was fluffy and the set was good. I like Park Ju-hyun but after the return of Jun-young, the drama started going downhill. I wonder why JY was hyped so much in the drama. All we get to see was a icy version of her, tramping on all around her and eventually doing a 180 turn in her character out of blue in the last episodes. What exactly is inspiring about her? We see a lot of talk going on about her, but we get an insight into what kind of a person she was, before the incident. It made me hard to connect or empathize with her. Another thing that bothered me was how TJ never received an opportunity to let all bis bottled up emotions out to his family atleast once. And all through the drama I felt that most efforts are coming from his side. All throughout I had wished for TY to reach out to him atleast once. Her self sacrificing mode became exhausting to watch that I had to FF all her scenes between ep 9-13 and felt I missed nothing. One of the surprises of the show was the side couples esp the spring couple and the older couple. I loved the dynamic of the former and how Yumi handled each situation. I was worried about SW’s arc but I am glad that the show gave a positive ending to his and YS’s story. Overall it was a good watch. The 1st half was engaging an fun with a rom melo boring mid part and finally a decent ending.

Finished Reborn Rich
What a fantastic drama and a great ending! I sat in front of the TV applauding, openmouthed in astonishment or laughing out loud several times. Great storytelling, dialogues, acting all around, camerawork, set design, music – everything was top notch. I especially appreciated the hint at the romance at the very end.
Finished Curtain Call
Well, a sort of satisfying ending, but so much has not been explored or explained. It could have been so much better with all these accomplished actors, I blame the writing. Noh Sang-Hyun as Ri Moon Sung was a great discovery for me, but his role was wasted except for the last two episodes.
Finished Summer Strike
Different than what I expected. I found the first episode too harsh, the second one too quirky, then it was really good for a while… until the murder mystery turned up and took up way too much screentime. Still, a good ending with nice moments (the hug…).
Money Heist Korea
That was a fast watch in two evenings, and it was great for me. I was also applauding and openmouthed here, with all the twists and turns, especially in the last two episodes. Also, this season had more of what I missed in the first season: background about both Koreas, the business of the unification and back stories of the protagonists.
Unlock My Boss
Didn’t watch this week…
Started Run On on recommendation from my friend. I’m only at Episode 2, and so far the characters and their relationships feel grating to me, they treat each other so hostilely. I guess I will get to know and like them further into the drama…
KDrama friend project:
End of year mood: we didn’t watch any of the dramas we started or other worthwhile dramas, but Run BTS episodes and a lot of BL 😉. We finished About Youth, Choco Milk Shake, Happy Ending Romance; right now it’s Minato’s Laundromat, The New Employee, and The Director Who Buys Me Dinner – and we enjoyed them all. Our only complaint is that Korean BL’s are so short and that it’s hard to keep track of ongoing ones with only one episode per week ☹
There’s so much to watch right now: I haven’t even started Alchemy of Souls 2, Forbidden Marriage, The Fabulous, Trolley and Alice In Borderland, and now Island S1 and The Glory are out, too. I guess I’ll decide on a whim what to watch next…
Wish you all “Guten Rutsch” and a happy New Year, wherever you are!

ALCHEMY OF SOULS (Ep 5-6) It took to the end of episode 6 to finally get some tense fighting action but ironically it was from Yul in a fit of noble idiocy. The push-pull banter between Uk and BY2.0 is nice but where is the dark madness promised in the season 2 previews?

CURTAIN CALL (Ep. 15-16): There was a good story to tell but it was not told in a complete, unified and rational fashion. The pace, writing and style of Curtain Call should have been a family weekender. Every story thread had an ambiguous ending which was quite annoying. Another show that could have been much better.

Reborn Rich: 8.0 Ending was... Convoluted. Trying to be actually possible? Trying to have good & virtue triumph? But taking their management rights away like that was less likely than that asteroid ending from Fan Letter.

But did Song Joong-Ki use his knowlege from a past life to escape from Arsedal season 2? Or did he escape by using his mafia connections?

Forbidden Marriage: 7.5

Alchemy of Souls s2: 8.5 All the drought talk reminds me too much of California.

Unlock the Boss: 7.0

Alchemy of Souls s1 rewatch: 9.0 For days 4/15 this week.

Happy New Year, everyone! 🥳
𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗲𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹: This show does a great job of making us feel as if we are going through this crisis alongside the family. It captures the emotional highs and lows that accompany a long illness. When the son finally broke down, his sobbing was heartbreaking. 💔
𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗯𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗲𝗻 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗲: I finally upgraded my streaming device and was so looking forward to using it to watch episodes 7 & 8!! 😩 So, instead I rewatched episode 6. Poor So-rang! It must be terrible to have two hotties vying for your affection! What’s a girl to do?! But seriously, I agree with the other beanies, I hope they put some fun back in the show because that’s where it shines.

Happy New Year! I hope it’s a fun and safe holiday, however and wherever you’re celebrating!

Currently I’m watching:
Alchemy - inexplicable magic is the perfect description! It just works for me.

School 2017 - I didn’t watch it when it aired, and am halfway through and incredibly invested in these kids.

Just finished:
Extraordinary You - My first time watching it and I totally get why people loved it. Towards the end I really wanted the FL to quit going so hard with the cute/perky behavior. I loved her, but I would have loved her dialed down a bit more.

Dropped:
Curtain Call - This one breaks my heart because I wanted to love it so, so much! I was rooting for two of my favorites, KHN & HJW. *sigh* Maybe next time.

Completed:
Curtain Call. Satisfied with the ending. With a stellar cast it had possibilities to be a classic, but ended up a disappointment because of the meandering script.

Started:
The Glory. This is so dark. Revenge is not my cup of tea. But I'm curious how this ends.

Trolley. I just started so it's too soon to tell.

On hold:
The Good Detective. The above shows have kept me occupied. I savor crime dramas anyway, so I will take my time.

Curtain Call - There should have been more scenes with Grandmother and the real Rhee Moon-sung .... and certainly more should have been said between them. It's unfortunate this wasn't the case.

Trolley - Oh my gosh, this one is so interesting. There's this tension, but you want to keep watching.

Red Balloon - Watched the first episode, but that was enough for me.

Reborn Rich - I liked the whole show. Yes there were some details that were a little iffy, but that's ok. Outstanding performance by Lee Sung-min from beginning to end.

Alchemy of Souls 2 - Don't touch Yul!!

Island - Um, I know this wasn't promoted as a comedy in any way shape or form, but I was laughing while watching the first two episodes. That can't be a good thing. Love Kim Nam-gil though and his broody, mysterious vibe.

The Glory - Didn't plan on watching this and now I've watched the first 2 and a half episodes. Wow, those kids are awful. The adults are no better. Sad to know there are people in the world who act like this and consider it acceptable behavior.

Happy New Year dear Beanies! Wishing all of you a fantastic 2023! May we all have many more good dramas to watch in the coming year!

The level of toxicity in Red Balloon is alarming and dangerously high. Basically everyone in that show oozes out toxicity in them, even the ones played for comedic effect. This is one show I was expectantly waiting for on paper but I do not like at all on screen. However, I want to see how they all end up, especially Eun-kang's toxic boyfriend. Oh my gawd I want to yank him off the screen anytime he starts his what-have-you's except...he does it every single screentime. How can character be written to be that toxic?

Curtain Call - The one with a lot of lost potentials. This one isn't a drama with holes to compare to a swiss cheese. It was solid and tight yet succeeded in not delivering and underdelivering. I wish I had the writing pad so I can correct a few nonsense. The writing room did a very unsatisfactory job here.

Alchemy of Souls - Finally Park Jin is showing some gigantic growth in the romance department. That was some way to propose to Kim Yeon. Keep the 👶ies coming.
So-i's arc last week makes me wish and hope she survives the trauma that befell her. I'm was never ready to see her character exit AoS, and I'm not ready to. She's only a human, not a mage but she does and connects wonders.
CP Won taking a step back from Jin Mu gladdens my heart.
Songrim vs Cheonbugwan already heightens my thirst for this week's episodes. Add in a possible Seoho *Songrim vs Cheonbugwan and it is doubled. Except, I expect the Hong sisters to not deliver on that. I thought we'd get a Yul vs Jin Ho-gyeong standdown in episode 6 but we didn't.

Recipe for Farewell - After the premiere, I somehow forgot momentarily about this drama until this Monday. It was a nice trip bingeing through 5½ episodes of RfF in one fell swoop. A miraculous medical intervention is what I'm hoping for in this one. It doesn't have to make sense, just let them be whole.

The Forbidden Marriage - Unlike RfF, I didn't have time for this after 1½ episodes. Coming up to speed, I kinda get the vex thrown at Shin-won. What effontry. Cutting the robe of the King is little compared to that shit he pulled in the king's bedroom.
That Minister of War...his level of disrespect at the throne makes me want to do whisk him off on exile. What an interesting and annoying villain.

I'll get to Trolley before the week runs out.
Jung-do and Hye-joo, Writer Kang and Da-jung are my favorite couple for the moment and I can't miss this two shows for any reason. Not even a week's break will stop me.

ALCHEMY OF SOULS: This show is killing me in all the best ways. It balances the silly ("my chingu can't be your chingu!") with the angst (I'll miss you, So-ri! I really wish Ul had looked your way sooner!) very well. So much to love this week, from the CP obsessing over Jang Uk warming the water for his turtle, to Jang Uk's promise that no one will walk out alive. And LJW is a master of the head cradle move during hugs. Master Lee's line to himself about BY's body rejecting Naksu's soul was the only moment where I felt the writing stumbled. I don't watch this show for coherent, multi-layered mythology, but that seemed random and way too abrupt a change of direction.

UNLOCK MY BOSS: The corporate machinations can feel predictable, but so much else about this drama surprises me, from the characterization of the loan shark as a fully formed human being (so rare in dramas) to the excellent child actress playing Min. At this point, I'm mainly watching for the slowly developing loveline and not particularly interested in the main mystery.

FORBIDDEN MARRIAGE: The week off helped me catch up. Although KYD is doing well playing the King as a sweet man who is also a bit of a tool, I so prefer Shin Won! He's breaking my heart weekly with his longing for the woman who should have been his wife. And I love So-rang, but I'm not clear on when she fell for the King and why. Shin Won is so much cooler, woman! Plus being his wife would be way less stressful--no concubines and palace power struggles to worry about.

TROLLEY: A juicy, quiet, well written drama with compelling performances. There's a strong sense of foreboding that makes me tense while watching, but it's a small price to pay for the fact that this is a well done drama through and through.

INTEREST OF LOVE: As I said elsewhere, I don't know if I like any of these characters (and I'm not sure the ML cares for the FL as more than a pretty woman he wants to kiss, which makes it hard to know who to root for exactly). The toxic work environment is also extremely hard to watch at times because the FL is so powerless and yet has to swallow constant disrespect. But I'm here for the slow, thoughtful pace and lovely OST.

THE FABULOUS: I'm enjoying slipping in and out of this fictional world when I just want to turn my brain off and relax. The story is extremely predictable and characterizations are often thin and inconsistent, but it moves at a decent clip and holds my interest.

CURTAIN CALL: I know I'm in the minority, but I think this was a very successful drama in that it had a clear vision, stayed true to its character-driven roots without diving into makjang territory, and featured many nuanced performances. I would've liked to have seen more of the real grandson and his wife, though. Theirs might have been the best love story of the show.

My K-dramas have all stalled because they're frankly kind'a toxic and depressing (Unlock the Boss, Red Balloon, Summer Strike). I'm all caught up with C-drama 'She and her Perfect Husband', a low stakes contract marriage noona romance that has pleasant moments.

@mistyisles And I will stay alive to revenge both Yul and you!

Under the Queen's Umbrella: Enjoyed this, although the quick pacing and relatively short length meant less time to flesh out the stories of the various princes. I think I also prefer that period shows either draw at least partially on actual history or exist entirely in fictional universes - I know fusion sageuks have taken liberties with history for years, but it felt weird that this one drew on the surface details of the Joseon era without seeming to be anchored by any of the actual events of that era (feel free to correct me Korean history buffs if I'm wrong).

Hi Venus — all caught up on this show, still loving it. It’s the perfect fluffy romcom.

Alchemy of Souls — very annoyed with Sol-I’s arc. She was such a conniving schemer in S1, I expected more.

Live On — I was looking for something short to watch and picked this from the depths of my TBW list. The actor who plays Yul is the ML and while likeable, he’s painfully stiff and blank most of the time. There are so many actors who have moved on to bigger roles in this show — the FL from Young Lady and Gentlemen, the 2FL from Dali and Cocky Prince, LJW’s love interest from WTIF, and Hari’s little brother from Business Proposal. Picking all of them out is very entertaining!

Debating starting Flight to You due to my love for Wang Kai, The Glory, or Lighter and Princess as well.

My wife and I were experiencing a little too much Holiday joy, even though Alchemy of Souls is providing the depressing prospect of waiting to see which protagonists die in the next couple of weeks (my prediction—only Yul lives, because of a new universal law of soul shifting invented by the writers for the last episodes, that anyone without an intestinal parasite to anchor their souls is separated from their bodies.)

So we decided to explore the dark underbelly of Korean life, in Glory where brutal criminal gang roam, drugs are common, and men and women are beaten and raped daily. Yes, I’m talking about the Korean schools, which apparently teach one subject and one subject only: the art of bullying. Fortunately, they have the best bullying teachers in the world, also shown in this show.

In fact, not to reveal spoilers, but our heroine is about to apply to a teaching job and when asked why she wants to become a teacher, her answer is going to be “Because I love children, and I want to use them to wreak brutal revenge on their parents.” When I was in charge of hiring for history teachers for the high school I used to work, I got that on the applications a lot, and of course, I had to reject them, because no one goes into teaching because they love kids!

Seriously, though, and I’m sure I’ve written this before, is there a kdrama profession that is more vilified than teaching? I’ve seen crusading lawyers, noble doctor/lawyers, politicians that want to help people, prostitutes who are loving tutors for socially challenged judges, even brutal loan sharks with hearts of gold, but I’ve seen only one semi-positive portrayal of teaching. Of course, and this I admit, teachers are boring, whereas bullying allows 16 episodes of revenge!

Forbidden Marriage: Bummed that there are no episodes this week. Episode 6 was a drag. Sorang is really the heart and soul of the drama. Taking her away to be hurt and kidnapped ruins the fun of it. I'm also not feeling like it's all worth it just be by the king's side.

Alchemy of Souls: When the Hong sisters fall in love with their character, they hit it out of the park and into the stratosphere. How many grand entrances has Wook gotten?! Though I'm not complaining about his entrance to save Yul - that was pretty epic. And didn't realize how much I liked So-i until this episode. However, when the Hong sisters lose interest in a character, they really throw them aside. I wish they would be a more fair parent to all their characters.

On vacation, so binged some cdramas:

Silence of the Monster: (up to ep 20) Intriguing. The pace is quite slow and it seems like the movement and aesthetic of the shots, the music, and quiet moments are doing a lot of the heavy-lifting. The only puzzling thing is trying to figure out the characters' ages. Flashback seems to indicate the guys must be between 33-36, but they seems mid/late 20s..

Hi Venus (up to ep 11): The first few episodes dragged, but after that, I like it. I'm usually not too fond of Liang Jie's acting and tend to avoid her, but I think she works for me when she is not playing the ingenue. Down-to-earth and realistic seem more her speed. I really like the side characters. I hope to see the FL back as a pediatrician soon.

Dream of Splendor: (up to ep 25) catching up on this great drama that is focused on women's resilience and their steely strength under that beauty. Also, the OTP's eye-flirting is next level. It looks like Yin Zhang is going to get conned and abused again, which I'm not looking forward to it.

I had this entire week off from work, so I watched a ton of things but only want to talk about the first half of The Glory. Ahn Gil-ho has shot a beautiful drama (as expected), including some truly gorgeous yet depressing scenes. And I am very engaged in the story Kim Eun-sook wants to tell.

The thing I've enjoyed the most--aside from the lovely use of fog--is that the central character is not at all pleasant. She's not unnecessarily rude or mean, she's just not ever trying to make people feel comfortable with the darkness inside her--a darkness that's been forced upon her by her childhood tormentors. She just shows up all dark, mysterious, and indifferent and expects people to accept her (or not) as she is. I love that.

I also love that she's been able to gather people who are willing to support her fight for revenge, almost against her will. I'm hoping the story ends with her winning without the drama including a message about taking the high road or whatever. Taking the high road is not my style and also it ruins a revenge tale.

The only thing I do not like is that this drama is being told in two parts. It's very clear that--unlike the Hong sisters with Alchemy of Souls--Kim Eun-sook had one story with only one possible ending in mind. There was no way to break up her story into two comprehensive parts. This means that we end part 1 arbitrarily at the halfway mark, and it feels abrupt and unfinished with none of the suspense you might feel from a cliffhanger. Episode 8 made it all the more obvious that this is a Netflix money-grab and not at all a storytelling device.

Did not catch up on as many dramas as I thought I would this week. Reason: One of my Christmas presents to my son was the classic BBC show THE OFFICE. Guess what we ended up watching?

We did watch the most recent episodes of FORBIDDEN MARRIAGE only to be treated to a one-week hiatus: Where do I go to protest this?

I also made the crucial mistake of telling my wife about a Chinese crime and mystery show with a cat in it: THE SILENCE OF THE MONSTER. She loves it- and has put THE LONG RIVER on hold for the time being. As for other C-dramas: We are slowly still working our way through SHE AND HER PERFECT HUSBAND- and are enjoying it. I have also been enjoying the romcom HI VENUS.

We still have three episodes to go for THE FABULOUS, a show we are now reserving for those times when no real mental effort is required. But it is entertaining, and it is good to have a show that does that when you are otherwise exhausted.

On THREE BOLD SIBLINGS So-rim’s man did indeed save her from the the machinations of her evil Ex but it came at a huge cost to her: She now knows that her man’s grown daughter is dating the Ex. So, she decides to end things with Mooyoung, breaking both their hearts. Given the messed-up situation her decision is understandable, but it is also sad, and yet I cannot help but think that it is also out of character for her, as if she gave in to a momentary weakness that does not really fit who she really is. So now Mooyoung will have to step forward but first he needs to figure out why things have gone sideways. Did I mention that ML’s aunt has just learned that she is pregnant? Plus we found out that our ML’s embittered cousin has yet another legitimate grievance- and yet we still dislike him and have no sympathy for him at all. And the Evil Woman connected to the Birth Secret has just pushed our FL down the stairs, leaving her unconscious- Having seen many weekenders I would not be surprised if we are now about to be treated to an amnesia arc.

Wishing you all a happy and prosperous new year.

What I’m religiously watching in the past few days is Go Ahead- again, a C drama.

I got lured into starting it BHA very short, appealing teaser (if it can be called that) when my cursor is on its poster on NF. It showed a man making breakfast for 3 kids. I bought the premise right away. Men taking care of kids and food are something I can’t skip.

I’m still enjoying the ride mostly for the found family of 2 fathers and 3 kids. My head aches many times when some evil characters are on screen. I hope they get less screen time to take time having tea somewhere so our leads can just spend time together doing and feeling good. I’m at ep32 now and one very evil and selfish character seems to show up more and more regularly and I’m having a headache over that fact. But the found family and friend group are truly wonderful I can’t just drop it. The intro and ending songs are lovely, too. I don’t think I’ve intentionally skipped listening to them even once.

After this I plan on watching something light and fun. Maybe Hi Venus will be it.

Blood is the light watch that was possible during holidays with my family.
I enjoyed a lot Alchemy of souls, 2 and the discussion in the comments.
And we just started a new simultaneous watch with absurd Protect the boss.

Watched a decent amount of kdrama over the holidays so I'll comment on a few:

The Glory *6/10*
Had some genuinely tense moments, and some really creepy performances that kept me watching. I knew it was being split in half, and this might be the most egregious splitting I've seen in a while. I struggle to phrase it properly without spoilers so I'll leave it vague. If you haven't watched it yet, and plan to (it's solid, if you like the actors go for it) I'd suggest holding off until we at least get the ending portion to see how this all shakes out.

Alchemy of Souls 2 *8.5/10*
I'm loving the second half. I recognize that a lot of this is built off the feelings I had for the first half, but our FL is crushing it and I'm here for their particular dynamic.

Summer Strike *4.5/10* for the series
Eeeeeeeh. It seems like a lot of others, I was here for the small town vibes and melancholy feelings with starting over in a new place. What I got was gaslighting and misery, with a murder "mystery" shoehorned in for good measure. I really dug our FL's relationship with her found little sister but they really had to bugger that up with the rest of the "plot." I came in with low expectations, and sadly they were limbo'd under. Still, the performances themselves were mostly fine, so it's just below average in my books.

Island *7/10*
Kim Nam Gil AND Lee Da Hee...I was in right there. The actual show so far? Not bad. The action is different than what I was expecting, but I actually like that they're trying to make it a bit more unique. Way more high powered Dragon Ball Z esque movement than I was expecting it to have. Cha Eun Woo as a (potentially) not super quiet young exorcist is icing on the cake. I'll be happy if he's not EXACTLY the same as all his other roles (some of which I've enjoyed quite a bit, but dude gets one type of role only in my experience).

Alice in Borderland *9/10*
YEEEES, death game goodness. I really enjoyed the first season, despite a bit of that (unfortunately) standard jdrama "yelling feelings to show feelings" I still found myself along for the ride. Gripping drama amidst some brutal games. And an actual ending! I can respect the effort and restraint to take 2 seasons and just be done when the story is done. Would I have liked a different ending? More explanation? Yeah, probably. But can't say that I wasn't riveted during a large portion of my viewing.

At the end of the year, any beanie recommendations for me when it comes to jdramas? I'm pretty up to date on kdrama stuff, but I usually wait most the year to branch out unless something is getting a TON of hype. Recently been hearing about Silent specifically, that worth giving a shot?

Happy New Year, Beanies! Here's to another where we're all warmly ensconced in good dramas, and helplessly dragged along by bad dramas despite (because of?) our best efforts.

I'm rewatching Queen of Mystery at this very minute. I was trying to clear out my unfinished shows queue including Queen of Mystery 2, but I can't stand the heavy-handed suspense music that's so incongruous with the fun chemistry between the leads.

I am watching "Heard it Through the Grapevine" (a Sky Castle ahead of its time),

"Hi Venus" (a delightful romantic comedy, I didn't know the female protagonist who is very goodlooking and capable),

"Master of My Own" (Tan Song Yun is definitely not the most beautiful chinese actress but she has an extraordinary talent and always chooses excellent projects. Too bad only a few have seen this one),

"Midsummer is Full of Love" (fluffy romantic comedy that made me discover Yang Chaoyue's talent and beauty (although I suspect there is a lot of scalpel work!). Remake of Full House

and "My Liberation Notes" (I've reached episode 8 and for now it's almost at the level of "My Mister"). I love every character

Ah, the gory glory of All Of Us Are Dead...