As far as premiere weeks go, this was such a delightful, old-school romance drama. I loved the setup, the characters, the acting obviously and the near-miss quality to the leads' interactions. It was zippy and well-written and felt somehow classic.

And while I will probably regret jumping on this ship so early (I want more, damnit! More!) I hope the rest of the show maintains this quality.

Although I intend to stick with this show until the end, I am not loving the echoes of Crazy Love here. The same suspiciously loyal and perfect-seeming assistant who might be plotting revenge for a dead sister. (Wait, was Segi’s sister dead or just disgraced in Crazy Love?) It would be an insult to this amazing cast to have the same storyline regurgitated here.

Nor am I liking At All the implied hidden (disabled? mentally ill?) sibling in the daughter’s friend’s house, the one with the stressed out lawyer mother, and how it will be forced into the story that will probably connect with the dead student. Yawn.

I just want to watch Jung Kyungho being a knucklehead for 2 hours a week, is that too much to ask?

I quite liked the premier episodes. I am glad they didn’t force more com than what was needed for the story. The first meet was fun and delightful. And JKH is fun in this role! He cracks me up.
When he fell off the chair I almost fell off my sofa laughing! I look forward to this show and more interactions between the leads.

I am happy to see JDY in a light role. I usually see her in serious roles (the last drama and some movies!).

Damn you stalker murder fella. Get lost! You are in the wrong drama. You are not needed here!

I agree with @leetennant that even though every element of this romance is standard--including the plucky heroine, the seemingly arrogant but actually decent guy male lead with a trauma, the joking supportive best friend, plus, somewhat to my regret, the element of dark threat--this was a pretty appealing start.
I liked the education setting with the competitive Moms--I've encountered a very toned down version of that in the U.S., both as a teacher and then with my own kids with the scramble to get into colleges. I agree with the regular high school teacher--that system needs reforming!
Of course, I'm also sympathetic with Haeng-Sun and found the scene where she was looking at herself at the mirror and musing about dating and marriage very poignant. I really like that, though she is of course attractive, she is not at all glamorous, and am looking forward to the relationship developing with the teaching heart-throb Chi-yeol.

Of course, as with all of these romance setups, there are many many ways this could go off the rails, especially when a pellet gun is involved, so let's hope it sustains its start.

Loved seeing all the female supporting roles all played by so many favorite supporting actresses!! Sad about Kim Mi-kyung's mom of the heroine role getting cut so short by the invisible car/truck of doom. The side characters don't feel one-dimensional.

Loved the mother-daughter relationship between Haeng-sun and Hae-yi. The flashback had me in tears. And the whole sequence of Haeng-sun getting that seat at Chi-yeol's class was heartwarming and hilarious. It would have been such a kdrama-ish thing for her to miss out on the seat by one place in line and have her slump off in her bad luck, but the reversal was gold.

Compostable lunchboxes!

Still - the sketchy-possibly-murdery subplot trend continues in 2023. *sigh* high school students and their exams are already enough stress.

With Crazy Love and this - so are there really idol-level academy instructors? I feel like I can buy most unexpected things (vampires and ghosts roaming around? only one coffee shop in seoul? sure) that kdramas show me, but for some reason, this trips me up!

Loved the 1st two episodes. I just wished all the episodes had been released in one go. Been dropping a lot of dramas lately and this one with 2 of my favorite actors feels very promising.

Crash Course in Romance knows how to make those big and small things count.

Haeng-soon's color changing from dejected to over the top victorious relief was relatable. Same with Chi-yeol finally eating without throwing up, what a relief. I wasn't surprised when he said he ate the meal in tears.

Can we not have the pendulum bob throwing at all. I guess lawyer momma is rearing a -path asides from her son. This was meant to be a romcom without killer angst rearing it's head in.

Yeong-ju's tease at Haeng-soon sent me straight back to my memories of Ruby Ring. It is just the exact replica except Ruby Ring's is with a secondary character.

I'm up for this to the end.

Since everyone seems to really want this show to work, I'll hold off on my baker's dozen of tropes that I remember in these two episodes.
On the bright side: no lawyers (oh wait there's the drinking mom) no chaebols (can't be self-made trillion won dude, right?) and no palace intrigue (I'm stretching here).
With @oldlawyer in not being able to figure out what this show is aiming to be.

Overall, I really enjoyed the first week of Crash Course in Romance. Reading just the premise, I wasn't sure this drama was going to be for me, but I had already made the decision to at least give this a try due to Jung Kyung Ho being cast.

This week was understandably a lot of setup, but I do like the foundational pieces this drama is starting to build. I hope that it is strong enough to keep us invested till the end. Only time will tell, whether the setup and foreshadowing will ultimately pay off. Honestly, I could have had more interplay between leads Jung Kyung Ho and Jeon Do Yeon. Nevertheless, looking forward to next week. I want more hijinks.

Regarding the end of ep 2, what are your theories on the pellet gun shooter? Is this one of his crazy fans? I am on the fence on whether I want this to be a large plot driver throughout the drama. I feel like some dramas pull of a bit of mystery really well (e.g. When the Camelias Bloom), but other times it tends to dilute the comedy.

I am wary. They have already started crime shenanigans. I feel it coming and I don't like it. However, I like the cast of characters and will stick to it, tropes, warts, and all.

I really liked the first two episodes. It felt like a breath of fresh air— literally that bus scene is embedded in my brain. I’ve been wanting a breezy show, and while this one has more emotional tones than I expected, they are a pleasant surprise and don’t seem to weigh down the story (as yet). Excited for next week. Going to try to keep pace with this one.

Well, at least it’s not exactly a childhood connection but it’s awfully close 🤦🏼‍♀️

Only ome wish for this show: Stay good like the premiere episodes.

Great write up of the first two episodes! I absolutely agree with you about liking the characters after the first two episodes. I know a lot of people get annoyed when there is a mystery underlying a rom com and when there must be some kind of childhood connection. That is just fine with me! The only thing that's weird about this one to me is the ages of the actors relative to the characters... maybe don't look them up, it will make it easier to continue to suspend disbelief.

I have been maintaining a crush on Jung Kyung-ho since Hospital Playlist and more after Prison Playbook but that idol-looking tutor is making my crush worse. Now I want to study maths in his class besides Hae-E.
I loved the premiere, the characters, and pretty much everything but what is with the whole stalker /hidden man/ past accident/ unaccounted-for guilt/ hidden student thing? Don't kdrama writers read the fan reviews? Didn't Cheer up and Summer strike serve as an example that unnecessary mystery ruins the show? Also, why am I getting crazy love vibes? Can't we have a smooth show with sweet romance, emotional plot lines, and lots of comedy scenes?
We have a truckload of interesting characters. Why don't we focus on them without going sideways for the umpteenth time?

Oooh the first week was interesting. Decent intro of the cast and the plot moved along well.

Both leads are mostly likable. Chi Yeol was a cool and charismatic teacher, not super mean and crazy like I was expecting. I like his advice and talks to his students. Dozing off vs napping. Omg, made me think of my high school years. I had a class that had substitute teachers fairly often so I napped. >.<

I like the foodie connection between the leads and that good food put him in a good mood. :]

Haeng Sun is a ray of sunshine. I love her energy and determination when she wanted to get Hae Yi enrolled in the academy. The sad background story of her and Hae Yi got to me. Kim Mi Kyung's cameo! T___T

Haeng Sun and Young Joo's friendship and banter is nice. Chuckled at their little puns/jokes like 'star' and 'moon' teachers. The banchan shop is cute and makes me wish I had one near me!

I never thought about attorney vs lawyer. I use them interchangeably, but this show had me googling their definitions. XD Excited to see Jang Young Nam in this drama!

There are multiple plot threads though and I don't see the romance yet. The drama may be spread too thin.

I eyerolled so hard when they introduced the FL as 'not Hae-ee's Mom, but Aunt'... like having a child makes you any less fit to be considered a worthy FL in a rom-com.... but come ep 2, I get the writing choices (yes, the FL's life was a shitstorm, and she's pretty much a hero for quitting her career for the sake of her daughter/ neice)... the point in fact being she didn't birth Hae-ee which doesn't make her any less of a mother or take away from her motherhood, is a really lovely narrative touch. So lovely, that I almost forgave the writers for killing off Kim Mi-Kyung's Mom in an offscreen truck-of-doom.
I also forgave them for the tropey childhood connection plot. The ML's trauma and ED do not seem perfunctory & the Mom-Club isn't a bunch of catty ladies, so that's refreshing already! I've seen JDY only in more serious/ adult roles, I honestly never thought she had a rom-com in her, but here we are! :D While I can pretty much guess what the 'big murder mystery' is, I would have preferred if the writers did not give in to the trend of mish-mash plots/ genres.

Who is this mysterious murderous ball bearing thrower? Don't tell me that there is a more crazy mathematician than that crazy girl stalker!

I felt a bit of ire when this mathematician couldn't place who Nam Haesang was , that he met her in the past. Anyways maybe he is very good with math but his brain can't store visual information of places , people and events.

Why do I feel such weird vibes from this lawyer mum!

I hope Ji Dong doesn't turn out to be the brother of that deceased student, trying to slowly poison Chi yeol to death or be so obsessed that he has to shoot metal pellets at people who go close to Chi yeol. That would suck.

For some reason, I really like the colour tones or whatever filter they're using for this drama.

I already wrote my comments while watching the episodes in eager anticipation of this episode recap (many thanks for your effort, mistyisles, and to Dramabeans in general for covering this show!), so sorry if I'm repeating many much-discussed points.

Episode 1

Didn't really feel the teasers but I nonetheless decided to tune in for the math teacher angle that reminded me of "Crazy Love". I definitely prefer that, in this case, there's no inherent power imbalance between the male and female lead. Both also seem to be sufficiently grounded in their respective realities and, so far, the classism aspect strikes me as potentially interesting (if done right).

What I liked:
- Haeng-sun's terrible mom jeans.
- The daughter, the chemistry with her male friend, and her school problems. The aunt reveal.
- The nagging assistant with asparagus fingers.

What I'm unsure about:
- The autistic brother, Jae-woo. I hope they'll use him as more as a more convenient way to force certain plot points. It worked in the first episode but, in the future, I'd like to see him connect with other characters on a personal level. Especially Chi-yeol, who has done him dirty and needs to apologize. I'm also mildly interested if Jae-woo and Chi-yeol could potentially bond over Chi-yeol's "pride" brand and slogan (= pride, as in "a pride of lions").

- Chi-yeol's student trauma. I'm just hoping it won't turn out too melodramatic and instead offers up some fitting psychology and backstory for our male lead. I'm also a little worried about his eating disorder. While I generally applaud any show that depicts a man having such a disorder, it's a serious subject that needs to be handled with responsibility and care.

All in all, I think the show has many promising pieces to build upon: Food, maths, complex family dynamics, two very different leads, not to mention the way academia and class privilege often unfairly intersect.

I likes these episodes. There were a lot of informations and characters. I think it will be fun!

Thank you for the recap!!!

There are many things I like about this show. The leads and side characters are mostly likeable. I love the lead actress’s acting: she has that special aura that effortlessly draws you in and make you relate to her character. I just love her acting so much. The concept of healing food never bores me. I love to see ML be able to eat and eat well. I love that both leads are interested in education.

Having said all that, I felt wary watching all these mystery subplots and potential revenge. I’d love it if we could take out all these unnecessary things and enhance what is already good in the show (which it has many). I also feel like there is no need to mention that FL is still a virgin and indeed not a single mom: I’d love it to take the real single mom route. It’s more mature and educational that way. The childhood connection made me roll my eyes. I know it makes sense for the story, but I’d prefer less of these tropes.

Really enjoying this show. Strong cast, good acting, likable characters, enough humour and classic romance. JDY looks much older than JKH but i'm liking their chemistry and looking forward to more onscreen interactions. JKH secretary looks so much like Kim Jung Hyun. Attorney's tall son has good boyish looks with a crossbreed face of several idols.

Promising start, I enjoyed the more in depth 'get to know you' for the main characters. The stalker schoolgirl scared me more than the person with the pellet gun though.

The Good

Jung Kyung-ho. This guy never fails to deliver and he seems to be having a lot of fun with his quirky character. He can do subtle fantastically, which is a quality missing in most kdrama actors. The rest of the cast is doing ok and seems to have potential.
The characters act like regular people, with one exception, and feel real which is also rare these days.
The humor was not exaggerated or absurd or grotesque, please keep it up drama.
I detest the concept of healing food and childhood connections but so far it has been done well, so again, don't mess this up drama!

The Bad

This FL is dangerously close to being the Perfect Role Model that so many dramas insist must exist everywhere. That's always boring and unbelievable. While the ML gets to have a huge amount of development we get a FL that has to be kind, hardworking and caring and that's about it. Sure, she never got a boyfriend! She has a hundred reasons to be much more stressed than him but she is so tough, she must always be a ray of sunshine, sure! Very realistic!
At least give her a temper issue drama!
These kids were boring so far and there was way too much time spent on them. One nice poor girl and one mean rich girl.
Whatever show, maybe at least give them a stupid teen love triangle.

The Ugly

The deadly rocks! What recent romcom could escape that random killer on the loose? This drama has so many great issues to deal with if it had any interest in doing it. Maybe stalker and silly flashback girl will be a quick plot device and be dealt with easily? I believe in you drama!

I'm really liking this so far, but man is it so much to ask for one romance drama that doesn't have a murder/crime mystery? Even so, I will be thrilled if this romance drama actually has romance--I feel like that's been lacking in so-called romance dramas lately.

Enjoyed a lot of this, but annoyed by some of the stupid regarding the FL's age and experience. First of all, Haeng-Sun is obviously in her 40s. (I say this not to insult the gorgeous Jeon Do-yeon, but because it's true and characters in their 40s should be allowed to be romcom leads.) Her daughter was about 3 when Haeng-Sun took her in and is about 17 now. That means that when Haeng-Sun made a decision to leave handball, she was around 30, not all that young.

Also, I get that she has always been busy with sports, family, work etc., but what was with the virgin comment?!?! Maybe she hasn't had any romance since she took in her niece, but again, she must have been nearly 30 by then.

Can we please just let the FL of a romcom be in her 40s and not utterly inexperienced, just with a long dry spell due to her family/work commitments?

Even though there are some serious topics here, I think the show is hilarious!

When Kim Mi-Kyung appeared in a very much similar scene from Agency, I actually thought Lee Bo-young was here xD

Really liked these two episodes! So far the show has great chemistry between the leads and good supporting characters with a lot of plot options for them. like some others have said, I am worried about getting attached and being disappointed, especially since this is a 16-episode arc. I'm not too keen on the mystery shooter/secret brother element either, its giving Cheer Up vibes.

For now i'm really enjoying it and I hope it stays a witty, heartwarming rom com (without the usual episode 14-16 quality dip)

I'm finally getting a chance to watch this! Enjoyed the first two episodes, and while I'm not at the "I-will-stay-up-all-night-binge-watching-this" stage, I do look forward to seeing how the rest of the show evolves.