King the Land
I have no expectations for this show and let it entertain me after a heavy day. I laugh a lot... and I enjoyed even that stupid cliff scene 😆
It also brings back memories of my short stay in Korea - I trekked through Jirisan Park, starting in Piagol Valley, and slept in a hotel in Gurye.
My only complaint: Too little of Uri Flight Attendant.

19th Life
I think I'm more critical to 19th Life because I expect more from it. It feels scattered a bit and not everything clicks well. But it definitely touches my heart more.
My favourite parts: the past lives (integrated into the current one), Aegyeong, Ahn Bohyun as Soha... and the two sisters (Uri Sunshine is again great). Just... I don't like the approaching doom.

Vampire Taec, 3eps only
It's entertaining, but I'm losing interest.

Hidden Love
If the first week was about Heroine's crush and the second week about Hero's falling in love, this week was about their relationship... and how people around them reacted to it. Duan Jiaxu is so smooth and swoony 😊 and he manages to balance respect and wooing so well. ☺️ (I'm still blushing occasionally).
Though... it is the Brother who often steals the scene. ❤️

As of this week I'm live-watching 7 k-dramas AND 3 c-dramas and my brain feels a little fried. I think some of these will fall by the wayside soon…

ONGOING
Delightfully Deceitful - Moon Ga-young's cameo was nice and served an actual plot purpose!

King the Land - Jin Seon-kyu's cameo was even better and included him singing Taeyang's song 🤣!

See You in My 19th Life - Stairwell scene and impromptu confession were so cute. The sisters together are lovely.

Numbers - A street chase with cars of doom - who knew accountancy was so exciting?

Revenant - The ghost definitely has a sad story that's going to make me question my faith in humanity. Everything about the shaman sacrificing little girls is creepy af.

Heartbeat - Not a fan of the past storyline but present day is cute and funny. The actor playing the SML is really likeable.

Miraculous Brothers - The alternating scene between the book and the homeless man's murder was nicely done. What an evil group of men though.

C-DRAMAS
Completed Hidden Love. Adorable OTP and romance. Two 👍👍.

Twilight (till Ep.20) - I like the lead characters and their stories but the side characters are unwatchable. SO much fast-forwarding. It's 40 episodes so I might not last long.

The Longest Promise (till Ep. 14) - I think TTEOM may have finally cured my dislike of xianxia. The story and the ML character are good, FL character needs a little work.

Fireworks of My Heart (till Ep. 5) - Nightmare C-drama Mom alert! Is it okay to root for the leads to NOT end up together 😬? Watching for Yang Yang with a side of Vin Zhang (whose time is probably numbered).

Planning to watch The Legend of Anle if it comes out next week as scheduled.

KING THE LAND (Ep. 5-6) This week KTL slid a little backward on the enjoyment scale. The opening of the swoon scene was ruined when Gu Won said to Sa-Rang “I will allow it” when she was crying and continued when he refused to respect her boundaries and decisions. The over-the-top rescue scene was a dud moment. The element of Gu Won’s arranged marriage which should have given Sa-Rang an element of relief or suspicion about Gu Won’s motives instead of blind jealousy. The characters personalities appear to be warping to fit filler arcs. I think the overblown Knight in Shining Armor scenes took the wind out of the story sails.

This week the story was too trite and the humor dull. We have seen it time and time before. I think the chemistry is a roller coaster: either hitting high mark or falling flat. I hope her girlfriends interrogate Gu Won to give Sa-Rang some objective, protective feed back about him.

SEE YOU IN MY 19TH LIFE (Ep.5-6 Ji-Eum’s past memories come at a brutal cost. The inclusion of potential reapers to take away loved ones who find out about her reincarnation turns the direction of the series towards darkness. The rule is apparently if you remember you past life and tell someone from it about yourself, bad things will happen to them. In other words, the cost to balance the past memories with the present is if revealed someone from her past has to be taken away from Ji-Eum.

We learn that Seo-Ha’s mother got sick and died, but why was she erased from the family and her son? There appears to be a parallel to Ju-Won’s her life- - - he was the target of the accident. Was it to eliminate his mother’s past memories because she also was reincarnated with memories? Do-Yun’s father was confirmed to be the driver who also died which is the reason Do-Yun is “close” to Seo Ha’s family. There is a lot of misdirection on these mysteries.

The fantasy-romance is quickly turning in to a melodrama with the inclusions of grim reaper vibes. A cascade of villains will be leashed upon our leads which will hijack the original premise. The set-up has now changed to someone having to make a noble sacrifice in order to balance out Ju Won's reincarnation.

LIES HIDDEN IN THE GARDEN (Ep. 5-6) It took 6 episodes before KTH could show some emotion, but LJY continues to perform at a high level. She is now in survival mode after her life hit rock bottom. Again, this could have been a really tightly written movie as the series winds up. This is one of those shows where you really cannot root for any character because of their actions or for Joo-Ran her inactions.

The criss-cross revelations on what happened to Soo-Min by whom was rapid fire but telegraphed in early clues. We knew Jae-Ho was an awful person: gaslighting and drugging his wife, shady business deals, teen prostitution and now murder under the guise of protecting his family. That excuse is cringe to his own family (and the reason why Seung-jae wants to move out.) Sang-eun may be...

King the land
So far so good no murder mystery, just misunderstandings in the romance department and woman with too much money and power who does not care about anyone in the chaebol department. Happy with the business as usual in the office based romance drama approach but surely we should start to see the business brain coming into play after all that studying at a prestigious university in the UK. We don’t want the man to to come in from nowhere to take the glory for the sister’s hard work but we do want her to be more aware of the limitations of her ruthless approach to management so they can reach a happy compromise for staff and the business.

See you in my 19th life
Can’t wait for the confirmation re the two fellow ‘memory of past life’ characters and to see if they are friend or foe. Looking forward to seeing what comes next after the battery recharge hug❤️ love this trope; last seen in an art room between Hamin and Somang in Seasons of Blossom.

Sound Candy
They finally dropped three episodes this week after a gap of 2 weeks. Considering two episodes are released a week and it ended last weekend it is very frustrating trying to catch when the episodes will become available. For some reason they have only subbed until the 9th episode which ended with the female lead finally choosing one of the three men chasing after her. As per usual she chose the one who seemed to be the least compatible. Who knows when the final episode will be released with subs. I have been disappointed by this one but think the hazy picture quality combined with the subs delay has made it difficult to stay connected to the story.

In a desperate attempt to fill the emptiness of the week day viewing I have picked up two random Chinese dramas that I found by chance. They are both way too long according to the episode count so let’s see if they hold up or if I will drop and move on.

Master of my own - Chinese
It seems to be a mix of The rational life, for the discrimination in the work place dynamics and What’s wrong with secretary Kim and Nothing but you as the CEO doesn’t understand why his perfect secretary would want to have a life outside of supporting him to live his best life. So far, it’s ok and I have my theories about what will happen.

Make a wish - Chinese
This seems to be the female equivalent of Meow the secret boy. The cat who can turn into a human, knows how to speak one of the Chinese languages and can read is from a parallel universe and wants to return but first must grant a wish to the man who saved her life. Thankfully there is an ambassador from the cat planet who gives her tips on how to survive on planet Earth, yes it is that ridiculous.

CRICKET - Rain rain every place

A S H E S - Australia and England doing drama cup - controversial catches to laws and spirit of cricket.

point fingers at each other - try to justify things - All this makes for entry of PM of both sides - It's hilarious

The elite crowd showing - they are different class because skin colour and fiances -

Matches have been competitive because both teams are making silly mistakes and letting other side make a come back

ODI - Heartache n yes netherlands is up - Zim n scotland deserve to be too

See You In My 19th Life: 8.5 Nice that we keep seeing the child actors. Everyone seems to like their performances, and while I don't disagree I think part of their advantage is that they keep popping up in relevant flashbacks instead of disappearing in a puff of timeskip like Kim Yoo-jung always used to. Also, they're not as over-used (yet) as she was.

Numbers: 6.5

Revenant: 7.0 Mirror, mirror on the wall... Oh, wait. We have a character who can see ghosts in mirrors, and in another show we have vampires who can't be seen in mirrors. Would she see the ghost of a vampire in a miror?

Heartbeat: 8.0 Roughly every 30 seconds I have to fight off the temptation to send a screenie to "Caption This".

Delightfully Deceitful / Beneficial Fraud: 7.0 One good thing about this show is that it will be followed by Kim So-hyun's new My Lovely Liar. We'll be upgrading from just "deceitful" up to outright "liar".

Shadow Detective 2: 6.5

Inspector Koo: 8.5 Rewatch (days 11/12).

Lies Hidden in My Garden (Episode 5-6) - Mood: C+
Boo, come on Writer, this is supposed to be a thriller! How can it be as obvious as Sang Eun killing her husband and Jae Ho silencing Soo Min, the girl he prostituted? They were supposed to be red herrings! Man, I was getting myself so hyped up in the possibility of the son and Sang Eun’s mother being the killers? The directing and acting is still very good but I hope that the writing can salvage itself in the last week, though deep down I do suspect the damage has already been done. Oh well.

King the Land (Episode 5-6) - Mood: D+
Things look like they’re progressing on track for the classic episode 8 kiss, and I guess I’ll have to pretend the mountain arc did not just break the laws of physics since we were served with Junho aegyo? Anyway, the writer is trying to make us sympathise with the father and stepsister but yeah, anybody watching this at this stage isn’t caring about them one bit?

See You in My 19th Life (Episode 5-6) - Mood: C
If only the accident was truly an accident (inverting that Truck of Doom trope on its head) and there wasn’t any crazy hotel nonsense: we could’ve gotten much more fantasy world building and more interesting drama by now! The shaman would’ve been an interesting antagonist if the writer characterised him as some sort of fate-preserving deity but that’s not the case.

Heartbeat (Episode 3-4) - Mood: D+
Hmm, I accepted the random kiss because I guess things need to happen as a result of the cohabitation trope, but really, a romance is required to heat up the blood so that our protagonist can turn human? I also didn’t like the destiny of 2ML being a descendant of vampire hunters or that the cliffhanger with the 2FL doppelgänger means cliche drama will grace us soon.

Delightfully Deceitful (Episode 11-12) - Mood: D
It’s freaking hilarious how the writer has to force the 2nd leads into the story now, what with Yo Han’s job conveniently used to rescue Ringo while Jae In’s pretty much not doing her job anymore? The writer seems intent on making the president one who’s close to the main leads for drama but instead I’m feeling betrayed for Yoon Park who’s stuck in this bad role.

Also watched: Miraculous Brothers (Episode 3-4)

Currently Airing:
See You In My 19th Life: With the way Seo Ha's childhood trauma is framed, and with Ahn Bo Hyun's portrayal of his PTSD in the present, it's one of the most believable "drama traumas" I've seen. It feels completely emotionally logical, like "yep, makes perfect sense." It's indicative of the solid emotional logic that frames the rest of the drama, including the non-linear process of grief. I like that the FL is now struggling with how revealing her past life affects her loved ones, rather than only thinking about how it affects her. I adore Ahn Bo Hyun more with each ep - his smile during their dance; his quiet command during the loan sharks confrontation; the pleasantly veiled threat when he threw down the gauntlet to the icky hotel mistress! And then when he asked for a hug🥲❤️

King the Land: This drama is WILD. everything is so extra, including the episode lengths. The entire umbrella sequence and conversation in ep. 5 was funny to me (the umbrella save! tossing said umbrella aside! the umbrella metaphor! asking "is this about your love life?" - in case we didn't understand the metaphor! Lol). And then... that cliff dive! BUT, I continue to enjoy it. Junho being absolutely smitten and having absolutely no chill is delightful. He's trying to play a game he doesn't know the rules to... He's asking her questions to understand her, trying to do nice things, and saying the wrong things. "I'll give you my precious time" is one of my favorite line this week. Everything is so silly, but so swooooony. 🥰

HeartBeat: Yesssss this is 100% what I wanted.🧛‍♂️👍 If Taecyeon continues to swing between goofy physical comedy and suave superhero rescues, I'll be a happy camper. I kind of love that so far (before the love triangle/square kicks off), our vampire's nemesis is a jerky high schooler😂 I think the FL is a classic gothic heroine. Poor, with no connections, but instead of being a governess in a creepy mansion, she's a school nurse... with a dusty mansion. Love from beyond the grave and mist on the moors (oops - *Seoul streets*) completes the picture. Except I don't remember a Cat Man in any of the Bronte's works🤔 This drama really makes me laugh authentically, even in the little moments - like when the FL whacks Taecyeon in the face with her hair when she does a goodbye bow 😂 It's such fun!!

No longer being on vacation post-grad school/pre-job means I haven't gotten as far with my other (older) dramas and rewatches, but I'm still loving Dali and Cocky Prince. I love their chemistry, and that the ML is an honorable man of his word, who comforts the FL through words and actions. It's been a soothing rom-com watch for me! I'll probably finish it this next week.

I finished Summer Strike and I totally get why people were not happy with some parts of the show, especially of the alcoholic dad subplot in particular. I skipped through a lot of that though and I liked what the main leads had to offer and the journey they went on. Could we have done without the killer plot line - yes but I've just accepted that it's a kdrama staple now 😂

I'm now just watching Heartbeat , which I'm enjoying heaps, it's ticking all my favourite drama trope boxes, and When I Fly Towards You which I started after finishing Hidden Love and wanted more sweet love. Hidden Love OTP is one for the books - definitely in my top 10 - and the leads of WIFTY are lining up to do the same so far but this is also a solid nostalgic youth drama in general, I really like how all the characters are given room for development and aren't just there to fill in the space around the main leads! Would definitely recommend if anyone is looking for something to watch post Hidden Love.

King the land - needs a plot. If you would be kicked out of a hackathon for not having a problem to solve, why would I invest my time in you.

not interestested in 19th life. I dont care.

Heartbeat - chuckles, but it is mostly the execution that lags. Taec fits in here, though. also I would prefer if he was not heroic even once, just a doofus.

Devil judge - why imaginary Korea? be more bold. point out actual reality.
I need monsters. I need zombies.

I didn’t watch King The Land as soon as the new episodes came out, nor did I comment on the recaps. 😱 This is not good people. I will go pray on the altar of Junho for strength. My other much anticipated series, 19th Life is faring only a bit better. While I’m enjoying parts of it, at the half way mark, I’m already thinking what might have been.

It’s the dark horses that are winning my Live Watch. I like dissecting Revenant on the recaps, but when I’m in it, I’m in it. The hour just flies. And I can’t wait for the next episode. Heartbeat I never expected a low-rent campy vampire show to be such fun. It’s uneven, for sure, but when it’s good, it’s gold. If it’s a trope buster, I’ll be doing a little jig.

It makes me think if you go in with low expectations, you’re more likely to enjoy a show. That’s not all there’s to it, of course, but it helps.

Heartbeat: I liked this past weeks drama more than the first week. I laughed out loud a lot. I love how they lean into the absurdity of what is happening.

Delightfully Deceitful: It is moving along. Haven't really learned much, but the comments in the recap were interesting.

Numbers: I say it every time, but Yeo Na exists as a prop for Ho Woo and it is tedious. As for his sister/friend suddenly developing a crush on him, all I could do was sigh and laugh. They have really made the women in this drama mostly useless, but here I am still watching. At least Ji Soo wasn't terrible. Also I wonder if her man is a child?

Revenant: Poor San Yeong. Does anyone else wonder why Hae Sang is so casual about the evil murdering spirit. He just lets her be, if I know there is some evil wandering spirit I would watch it like a hawk. Also was the assistant lying, San yeong's evil spirit obviously saw him.

King the Land: I wanted more from this drama, but I was hoping for too much, so I will settle for the couple of chuckles I get and vague disappointment.

19th Life: We are more than half way through, so the romance will ramp up and so will the warnings.

19th Life Still liking it. Didn’t except it to get emotional and serious so soon but I quite liked it. I like all the characters.

King the Land
I am still watching. Recaps are more fun than the drama itself.

Lies hidden in my garden
It’s one twist after another. It’s ending next week and hope it doesn’t disappoint.

Heartbeat
Show is fun!! and also liked the ending/twist in ep 4. I don’t care for the Joseon backstory.

Celebrity
I binged it recently. It wasn’t bad. Definitely shows the ugly side and cost of fame. But didn’t care for the ending.

Hidden Love
Lovely drama. Gets all the feels right. At ep 9 now and looking forward to the next set of episodes.
I really loved how they handled her first heart break. Beautifully portrayed. Also we are finally getting to know more about Jian Xu.

Fireworks on my heart Yang Yang and Vin Zhang bromance was great. YY in uniforms is looking great. Still struggling with OTP. but ep 10 did something that makes me see the FL a bit differently. Seeing this from her POV was good.

The way you shine (tw) enjoying this show as it progresses. It feels like a makjang plot but it also feels real. I especially liked how they’re handled abortion. Probably first time I am seeing this in a drama.

In a very real sense, don’t we all sometimes feel like we’ve been left all alone in a Subway PPL when we were hoping instead to talk and connect with the person for whom we have deep feelings.

My apologies to Kdramas, but all my dramas are Cdramas right now.

Hidden Love
Hands down one of my favorite Cdramas ever. Was it flawless? No. Do I care? NO.

I definitely like the drama more than the novel. I appreciate that they toned down DJ’s dialogue. They kept him flirty and borderline shameless but changed certain scenes and dialogues that were awkwardly written in the novel (or maybe it just wasn’t translated well, I have no way to know). In any case, DJ was the stuff boyfriend fantasies are made of and I loved every minute he was on my screen. I seriously grinned like an idiot from start to finish of every single episode.

Here We Meet Again
Can I claim that I finished it if I FF through more than half of the drama?

Twilight
Pushed through to ep 9 then gave up because I loathed the so-called “brother” with the burning fire of a thousand suns.

Nothing But You
After the lovely review by TheFangirlVerdict I was even more eager to start this one, so I did. By ep 3 I was sold. I needed this after the disappointments of Flight To You and Here We Meet Again. OMG ep 15 when Song Sanchuan stops before their date to pump up his muscles then feels his pecs! 😂 😂 😂 Unlike FTY and HWMA, the non-romance portion of the story didn’t bore me and the only time I FF was during the half-sister’s early scenes because I found her annoying. But she grew on me once she started working at the tennis club. And I so much appreciate this drama giving us a couple being a couple, instead of one dramatic declaration and kiss and then they never touch each other again.

Fireworks of My Heart
Because YANG YANG and I’m shallow when it comes to him.

But okay, let’s be real. I’m studiously ignoring the fact that Vin Zhang’s acting makes YY’s stiffness more obvious. 😎 And I have no opinion on the FL just yet because in the novel, her character is pretty unlikable until more things come to light. Some of the fire scenes in ep 1 were OTT and I couldn’t take them seriously, especially when the FL - dressed in ALL WHITE - had nothing but a smudge on her forehead after tending to two victimes. 🤨 But then they had to give me cheeky, bad boy Yang Yang? I ‘bout had heart palpitations. I love angsty YY but cheeky YY is….probably more than my hormones can handle.

King the Land: Shameless enjoyment is how I would characterize this watch for me. That’s it. That’s the update.

See You In My 19th Life: I’m enjoying this overall, and certain parts are hitting correctly for me, but I’m also excited to get into more of the mechanics of this live-remembering-thing. The SML was my favorite this week

Heartbeat Our ML is delightful. I like him more the more I see of him, which I wasn’t necessarily expecting given how old-fashioned he could have been/is. Like him, I was touched when our FL stood up for him at the school, and I’m excited to see what his make-her-fall-in-love strategy is. Cat Man continues to be a legend.

The Uncanny Counter This is hitting all the right notes for me. I’m crying about once an episode, but not in a bad way, just because I’m so invested in everyones’ story and journey (and I can’t not cry when the grandparents cry). The action is also fun, and there is something really satisfying about watching our overpowered heroes not let a bunch of cruddy thugs push them around.

KING THE LAND - Every time I try to watch, end up falling asleep on my couch. But I like Junho, so I’m glad it doesn’t have the same effect on others and is doing well.

19th LIFE - This is the only show I wait for each week. However, I have a feeling things are about to take a dark turn and like @missvictrix, I have concerns.

NUMBERS - Didn’t think I’d like this show but it’s surprisingly interesting. I like the bromance they’re teeing up between L and CJH. And good to see Choi Min Soo again.

PAST LIVES movie - Finally went to see this a couple of weeks ago. It’s emotional, heartbreaking, and beautiful. Very Drama-y. That’s all I’m going to say so I don’t ruin it for others.

INDIANA JONES DIAL OF DESTINY- Against my better judgment, I let my bff talk me into this. I did not hate it, but I didn’t like it, either. It doesn’t have that Indy magic. And not trying to throw any shade at the geriatric crowd because I, too, am old (although not as old as @hacja!), but I don’t want to see my movie heroes age. I want to remember them in their prime.

Watching King the Land, but I think I dropped 19th Life. I was excited for it, but find it draggy. It just feels mismatched to me in terms of leads talent levels. If I can't sleep I may end up finishing it, especially if impressions here remain high. :)

More interested in Chinese dramas at the moment, with Begin Again occupying a similar spot to 19th Life in that group. I keep going back to it, but my attention drifts away quickly. Hidden Love was so enjoyable and sweet, and Longest Promise has me checking for new episodes every chance I get.

No internet for 4 days of last week, that was hard! Luckily, I have a couple of movie DVDs, so I watched The Suspect with Gong Yoo, The Clone = Seobok with Park Bo Gum and Gong Yoo and Rampant with Hyun Bin. All were good and Seobok was definitely my favorite, but after watching so many dramas, movies are just too short!
So, I didn’t get to watch King The Land or See You In My 19th Life, let alone pick up new dramas.
Instead, when I thought about what I wanted to watch first it surprisingly turned out to be Lies Hidden In My Garden. Maybe this is overambitious, it definitely is too short, but it is very tight and satisfying. Again, there were unforeseen turns in the story, and even if we are shown or told what people are doing, I’m not sure that’s the truth - yet. I see so many Hitchcock references: downing a laced drink, a passing train, black and white scenes with just a single color added, rain and fog, cut-off forms and people…
Next up was Delightfully Deceitful. What I enjoyed most here was Moon Ga Young’s guest role. She looked spectacular in Valentino, I liked that her role was queer and how she portrayed that, and when she talked flawless German, I was astounded – I had forgotten that she grew up in Karlsruhe like in her role 😉 (Usually, the German spoken in Kdramas is so bad that I as a German have a hard time trying to understand it…)
Before internet loss I had watched
Revenant
At the end of Ep.3 I had real chills from a smiling Kim Tae Ri, the acting is great here – not exaggerated, but so convincing. There is no gore or jump scares, but it is chilling nevertheless. Again and again, we see that it is people who are evil, and ghosts just take advantage. Special mention for the possessed fish…
I still like Durian’s Affair a lot. What a great way to introduce a lot of drama by putting two women from the past into the glitzy present and confronting them with the lookalikes of their past relationships but set up in a different way. The husband and the lover are now brothers, the evil mother-in-law is still there, the beloved son and husband is single, and so on. The makjang is not overwhelming yet, so I’ll keep watching. Special mention here: fish out of water humor, ghost lookalikes, and meta references about the waist long hair (“They must be playing in a drama that’s filmed nearby – but no, their hair is real!”) and the fruit durian.
KDrama friend project:
Just started with the first two episodes of Heartbeat and love it, of course 😉. Not much progress with BLs, either…

On to episode 16 of Mr. Queen. Still 5 more episodes to go, but I am not complaining. This drama continues to be a gem.

I kind of disliked Kim Jung-hyun as an actor (because of his cold treatment to his partner in a drama before) so I was relieved when I thought during the early episodes that he would not be the main male lead. So I was surprised with myself when I would get all squee-ful on his romantic scenes with Shin Hye-sun in the latter episodes. The good story did it for sure, but I have to acknowledge that KJK contributes to it (and of course SHS).

I just finished Celebrity. It had me from episode 1. It was more than just entertaining and fancy. It has a story - one that is relevant and resonating. Glad they made it only 12 episodes. I think it was just right.

P.S. The cameo at the end was a delight. Shame I was not alerted on a spoiler on that. Would have been more impactful to me with the element of surprise.

CURRENTLY AIRING

KOREAN

SEE YOU IN MY 19th LIFE: Finally caught up with the 6th episode. There are differences between the webtoon and the drama. I liked introduction of Ae-gyeong but am on the fence with other new characters. The bonding between the sisters is the best part both in the drama and webtoon.
FRUITS BASKET: Love the characters and the fact that the anime pays attention to the story arc of each character. The episodes dealing with bullying caught me raw as it reminded me of my friend’s daughter. Bonus- I can discuss the anime with my niece.
HEARTBEAT: Laughfest. I am giggling my way through this one, putting all the logic aside. Just perfect summer fare.
NUMBERS: I need the recaps to make sense of it.

OTHERS:

SWEET KARAM COFFEE Tamil serial on Prime video. Three generations of women on a road trip. I find myself nodding and chuckling at the mother-daughter relationship. Reminds of my own relationship with my mother.

WAITING:

KING THE LAND: It will come this week to my region. Am not sure of it but will at least check out.

Celebrity - the scene stealer in this entire drama was Kang Min-hyuk. I was literally holding my breath waiting for him to appear on screen and this drama without him would have been meh. Please get this man a leading role stat.

King the Land - wanted a light rom com and this does the job. I don't understand why it has 16 episodes as the ML is already all in and the FL is getting invested now 6 episodes in. If the writers are looking to do some tortured unnecessary separation I will be fast forwarding/skipping episodes. I have said it repeatedly and I will say it again…please drop the formulaic 16 episode format. Just focus on telling a good tight story and if that is only 8 episodes the viewers will be happy.

Finished:
Big Bet. I loved this show. I grew fond of Mu-sik but not surprised how he ended up, ironic that it was Jung-pal who did it. Loved the last frame where he shows up. Sorry to say that Son Suk-ku's character was not necessary. You can cut out the character, leave the Filipino cops and it still works.

Beef, non-Korean. My favorite show for the year. Must go and see more of Ali Wong.

Broker, movie. I love vague endings. It calls for a discussion or more thinking. I'd like to think that was Sang-hyeon in the van, with the hanging picture frame. It's a given that Dong-soo and Hae-Jin are invited to the park. And So-young was on her way. Nice take on the so called "family" trip.

Started: Stove League. Too soon to report, just started episode 2.

HEARTBEAT: I initially did not have high hopes for this show and thought it would be a likely drop. But this week, it was the one I looked forward to the most. Everything about it is utterly charming: Taec's over-the-top expressions (favorite one: his reaction to FL's hair getting in his face), I love that mansion (especially now that it's clean), and they totally got me with the cliffhanger at the airport. This is one of those shows where it feels like everyone involved is having fun, both in front of and behind the camera. Obviously, I don't know if that's actually true, but who cares? It makes me happy.

KING THE LAND: This was the week this show completely won me over. Naysayers declare that it's vapid, predictable, too tropey, and silly, and they are 100% correct. Some also say any appeal it has is due to Junho. That's meant as a dismissive statement, but to me, it gives him too little credit (and I say this as someone who sometimes feels he's a tad overrated). It takes a lot of talent and good humor about one's self to pull off a (thin, cliched) role like this. Yoo-Nah is doing great as well. Whether or not they're really a couple I don't know, but they certainly have on-screen chemistry strong enough to make nearly every moment they're together feel like romcom bliss to me. Favorite scenes this week: the acquisition and demise of the carp. I also continue to love the boss/secretary and friend group, but Da-eul's husband better not be cheating!

19TH LIFE: There is a bittersweet quality to this show that I find immersive and addictive. At the same time, I expect it to end happily. I hope that faith is not misplaced! This week, I continued to be charmed by the second lead's burgeoning romance (even if one of their scenes was in a Subway), and perplexed by how long Seon-ha can sit and brood at the bottom of pools. Unlike others, I like the little mystery--that scene where a seeming stranger calls Ji-eum by her name got me. I'm worried about the uncle, though!

DELIGHTFULLY DECEITFUL: When I watch this show, I generally feel that it is well done, but I've fallen behind nonetheless. The problem may be the platform on which I'm watching--I wish it was available elsewhere. I find the hints at romance to be believable (these two characters have spent enough time getting closer under intense circumstances for me to buy it); at the same time, it feels awkward. And I continue to love Yoon Park's character, even if he's a bit of a tool.

JOSEON ATTORNEY - I found the writing disappointing. I am not fond of episodic storytelling (case of the week), and the humor did not fit right. The cast was very good though. Besides WDH, I also liked the actor who played Young Master Yu. The actress playing the sister would have made a great princess.

JUMONG - let the surprise attacks with flaming arrows begin!

19th LIFE - lovely scenes between characters, but not much of a story.

Ok, so it seems I'm the only one who is not watching anything currently on air (as usual XD).

I'm watching:

_ C-drama "My love, enlighten me" (17 out of 24). I'm hooked because of the OTP, who have lots of chemistry. I love every moment when they are together, sometimes they seem a real couple.
I like the lightening, cinematography and art direction in this show too.

_ "School 2017". I've just started it, I have not watched all the first episode yet, but... I have met Kang Min-hyuk here (a little cameo, it seems). He is such a cutie.

Finished:

_ "Shooting Stars". What a nice drama. So many likeable people and funny moments. Maybe there is a subplot I find totally unnecessary and a little dragging, but... the rest is enjoyable.

Celebrity This show was addicting that I binge watched it a few days. It has everything that I like in a drama - underdog story, murder mystery, revenge, chaebol takedown, enemies to lovers and fashion. I think the story would resonate better of it had a more tragic ending. That almost tragic end for one particular character was such a copout to redeem that person. Despite that it was still an entertaining watch.
Revenant I got into this drama a couple of weeks late but despite the dark theme. I like this. I occassionally watch ghost themed dramas so I guess its my quota for the year. I always like police procedurals so it will be interesting how the two policemen will resolve the suicide cases.
Heartbeat my current favorite. Taec is good in this. I didnt know I needed a vampire comedy. Taec and Won Ji An has good rapport. I am not sure yet what the deal is with the reincarnation part of the story especially with the doppelganger joining the scene. I am here for it. I hope this show will continue to be good.
Delightfully Deceitful i am pleasantly surprised by Moon Ga Young's cameo. She and Chun Woo Hee has good chemistry. I feel bad that she didnt have enough scenes with Kim Dong Wook.
Lies Hidden In My Garden New revelation this week. I shouldve suspected his involvement but I was too focused on the husband. I am here for the final two episodes to see how the story will play out.
Happiness Batttle I am annoyed with Jang MiHo. She shouldnt be running around confronting suspects alone. With a murderer at large who has enough resources to cover his/her tracks, I am surprised that MiHo is unharmed. I wanted her to be badass since she is played by Lee El. I am disappointed but still watching.

Heartbeat It's really fun when the leads are together. Otherwise, I'm not interested in the others characters.

Delightfully Deceitful I hope the identity of the President will be more interesting than the killer in The Perfect Stranger.

King the Land That's when they want to flesh out the ML character.

Numbers I didn't watch the last episode.

See You in My 19th Life I like the 4 characters!

Cdrama :
Hidden Love and I Fly Toward to You The same writer wrote the novel but they were adapted by different crews. I didn't specially like Hidden Love. I liked the FL when she was young, she was spunky. But after, she used this cute voice and was very shy making the difference of age bigger. I didn't really understand why suddenly the ML was attracted by her. The story was too focused on them.
I loved the second one. The FL was cute but not too much and ML was totally "she fell first but he fell harder" type. I liked the story didn't forget to develop their friends too.

TW drama :
The Way You Shine it's kinda an old school drama. But I like the main characters.