This was an unexpectedly full drama-watching week!

COMPLETED
Chicken Nugget - This was…okay? Had a few funny moments. Felt over-long even with 30 min. episodes but Ahn Jae-hong was unexpectedly charming.

ONGOING
The Chaebol-Cop Show - Quite a lot happened in these episodes. I love the way Yi-soo has integrated into the team slowly but surely.

Doctor Slump - Did not expect to feel bad for Kyung-min but the show managed it. Give me happiness in spades for the last week though!

Wedding Impossible - Oof I felt so bad for Ji-han. We'll get A-jeong realising her feelings next week so that should be interesting.

The Impossible Heir - We talked about this on the fan-wall but OMG save this show from its FL (and the writer). Love where we ended though. It's the kind of dumb, nonsensical, but delicious cliffhanger kdramas do well.

STARTED
Queen of Tears - I'm in the minority (?) who loved it. I laughed a lot. I'm even ready for the inevitable childhood connection, chaebol back-stabbing (sis-in-law is the culprit!), illness turning out to be a conspiracy, and more. Gimme (grabby hands)!

The Midnight Studio - I thought it was sweet and I liked everyone in the Studio. The episodic stories didn't really move me but I found the overarching story arc about Ki-joo and Bom interesting.

C-DRAMAS
Pegasus - Up to Ep. 16 and still enjoying it a lot. Will finish it next week.

Will start In Blossom over the weekend. Liu Xueyi 😍😍!

Trying to work up courage to also dive into the CGI madness that is Burning Flames.

LIVE WATCHES
Chicken Nugget
Hot tip: If your English is better than your Korean, try it dubbed. I'm not joking. Way funnier that way because you can pay more attention to the actors' faces and bodies. I keep thinking of lines and laughing. And yet, even though it was only five hours long, it was still two episodes too long somehow. How does that happen??

The Midnight Studio
It's gonna be a predictable, but wonderfully predictable, frightening and tear-jerking comfort watch, with Joo Won and Kwan Na-ra doing nice jobs (as are our 2MGs (ghosts)).

Impossible Heir
When these two male leads can't sell a drama, you know you're in trouble. I shall forego my bean, even, I think.

Wedding Impossible
I'm a convert. The writing is quite good, and I am ready for the happy ending now, writernim (**Beware Seon-ha's menacing glower**)

FxC
Banmal for the win between our male leads! That'll never cease to be adorbs, I'm afraid. Gang-hyun wants to trust I-soo. Squee. Gang-hyun's mom is momming I-soo. Squee. Kyungjin did it right and showed such adorable GLEE...SQUEE!! Also, the endgame is nigh, now that we're focusing on the chaebols and only the chaebols, and so far, so good. Twist was expected, but good.

Dr. Slump
Cha Eun-woo is, hands-down, both better looking and a better actor than Park Hyung-sik. Did I get your attention? K-dramas are fun.

LYOL
Last weekend! Please! Someone! **cough cough Tae-min** Live your own life!!!

FROM THE RESERVES
Sell Your Haunted House
I think I'm going to put this aside for a bit because Midnight Studio is so similar in theme but (shhh) that's in part because I think SYHH might be a slightly more entertaining show than MS and I'm gonna save it for a bit. In the meantime, I'm gonna enjoy my MS live-watch with some awesome Beanies.

Currently Watching
Chicken Nugget: 🐔(ep. 1-4) Welp, I guess I'm just about the only one who likes it!😂 It's weird like an avant-garde stage play, and the humor works for me: "The girl you're flirting with turns into a chicken nugget" Lol! And it works because of Ryu Seung-ryong and Ahn Jae-hong going ALL IN. Those two reacting and overreacting is everything! 😂 I guess I don't have to share my chicken nuggets with anyone else!

Wedding Impossible: 🤵‍♂️🚫👰‍♀️(ep. 5-6) It's official; I don't like Do-han - I find him cold, and his apology to his brother didn't cut it for me. At least Ji-han is sincere about doing sketchy things, and he and Ah-jeong have such fun, chaotic energy. I always enjoy seeing a ML begrudgingly smitten!! And I love the FL's sister and brother-in-law - they're hilarious! That in-laws dinner was FANTASTIC. Also, I love Ah-jeong's meta references to drama tropes, and how real her family seems!

Flex x Cop: 👨‍✈️ (ep. 12) Episode 12 was so exciting!! I loved hearing Gang-hyun tell I-soo she trusted him, stoic policeman take him out for drinks and speaking casually, and fanboy policeman giving him a hug after his ordeal. He's fully accepted by the team now, and FL's dad is vindicated and reinstated!! 🥹

Finished
My Man is Cupid Let's not beat around the bush: it was not good. But it was also compelling enough to watch to the end. Oddly enough, I was very into the mystery. It seemed more well thought out than the rom-com angle. Nana was good, particularly when she was given some comedy to work with. Jang Dong-yeon was also there. (*Sorry Dong-yeon, I'm looking forward to Like Flowers in Sand!*) The editing of time cuts (and time in general) was often nonsensical, to the point where I thought I accidentally fast-forwarded through something, clicked on the wrong episode, or spaced out for 5-10 minutes. But nope, that was their intentional choice. But I liked the ending! 💘👩‍⚕️🐕🧚‍♂️🪽👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨

I Am Nobody (C-drama) It was a chaotic, weird, suspenseful, funny, exciting modern wuxia! Highly recommend.

In-House Marriage Honey My first J-drama! My mom loved it and said, "you HAVE TO watch this," so I did! Not much substance, but it's incredibly, ridiculously sweet, and thankfully very short.

Live Watches
Doctor Slump: I was away last weekend so I couldn’t watch and I’m still catching up, but I gotta say: I was worried about how they would handle the accident but it wasn’t nearly as bad as I feared. No long coma, only a little self-blaming, and it actually all related back to our central story and left behind complicated emotions to work through. And Ba-da decided to become useful! It’s hard to be too mad about that.

Older Dramas
Sungkyungkwan Scandal: Finished! Ok, I have questions. What was the point of moving the capital? I don’t fully understand why that would equal more opportunities for lower class people. Is Yoon-hee still living in hiding at SKK? Her students seemed to be fawning over her as if they knew she was a woman, but she was still being called by her brother’s name and I’m honestly not sure. But she would have to be still pretending or there is no way she’d be allowed to teach, right? Seems like a dangerous situation to be in for your entire life. What happened to our beloved professor? I was hoping he would come in and be the head of SKK at the end instead of the bellowy incompetent guy. That would also help explain how Yoon-hee is able to keep up appearances so well, since she’s married to and living with another professor. Overall, it was fun and I’m glad I watched. I’m glad Seon-jun’s dad didn’t turn out to be evil to the core, the main couple was cute and fun and earnest, the king stayed ambiguous to the end, and my OTP (MJS ❤️ GYH) was perfection. (“Was that a confession? In front of me?” 🥰)

Chaebol
I like that the cases wrap quickly and that the main thread is Chaebol finding friends and his place in life. And, as every week, I hope he also mends his relationship with his father (please be good, Hyung!).

Wedding Impossible
This is my squee joy of the week and I'm not ff a second. 😊🍿
I also love scenes with Ahjung's family and brother-in-law is quickly becoming my favourite side character. 🙂 Though I admit... I'm enjoying even the chaebol funny evil couple. 😁 The only enigma is still Grandfather, I'm not getting him.

Queen of Tears
Wow, I was definitely surprised with the introductory week and I think we have still plenty of layers to peel (a dead sibling??).
We were thrown into the world of the rich - the world of intrigue, gossip and mistrust... filled with dark humour (anyone else having Heard it through the Grapevine vibes?) ...and burnout love of our protagonists. And I know many Beanies are probably fangirling over Kim Soohyun, but I'm here for Kim Jiwon and her terminally ill Hong Haein. I find the visualisation of the disease rather exquisite and there is melancholy and sadness seeping through all the glamour. Someone may need a hug.

Branding in Seongsu (Series review) - Mood progression: D / D+ / D / D / D- / D-
I wish I had nicer comments for this show but what can you say about a plot that starts off with one question and drags the answer through the middle before revealing that there was this whole other conversation going on? Oh, and we’ll reveal the answer to the original question with minimal buildup during the finale and rush our way to a happy ending. It’s just pathetic.

The Midnight Studio (Episode 1-2) - Mood: C
While I believe that the FL’s background could be tidied up a bit (ex boss is cliche and friend seems like filler), this was very solid for a premiere with the fantasy elements introduced to us alongside questions to ponder upon. The procedurals might be generic and the FL’s abilities may be a precursor to a past connections trope but we’ll see if the show has any surprises.

Queen of Tears (Episode 1-2) - Mood: D+
So you’re telling me you casted not only Kwak Dong Yeon but also Park Sung Hoon to play such incredibly superficial characters? And I haven’t even talked about the super-stacked supporting cast! The story is full of makjang and chaebol nonsense while the narrative hook is a terminal illness trope that shakes up the OTP’s dead marriage. Even though the ML has conflicting feelings and motivations, this isn’t the innovative second chance romance that the writer thinks it is?

Flex X Cop (Episode 11-12) - Mood: D+
That was a fast resolution for the FL as her father gets his honour restored just in time as chaos arrives on the doorsteps of the ML’s family. I don’t really have anything to say about the cult arc because it’s so generic it’s underwhelming, but I loved seeing Jun Young finally accept the ML and proving for once that male female friendships do exist (the ML doth protest too much methinks, though this show could do without a OTP romance). Tbh, there isn’t enough plot left for 4 episodes but idk.

Wedding Impossible (Episode 5-6) - Mood: D
We’re already halfway through the show and nothing interesting has happened: everything is either fillers or pure crap. And of course the 2FL confesses to the ML. Of course the ML spends a whole episode going through the 5 stages of grief. But it feels like the show loves its random comedy moments that do nothing to develop the story as Grandpa remains mysterious.

Doctor Slump (Episode 13-14) - Mood: D
Why was there a need to insert in a love triangle at the eleventh hour for the supporting couple? Even worse, if there had to be a conflict, it should’ve been something like the kids not comfortable with each other or their step-parent, which makes a lot more sense as both kids are young. As for Kyung Min, that isn’t how you write nuance. Not with all the makjang reasons!

The Midnight Studio: This was cute. I enjoyed it for the fluff plus heart that it wants to be, if it doesn’t veer from that, we are in business.

The Impossible Heir: This is bad. Not in an entertaining way either. It is bad, but I am the fool because I keep watching. I want to know the ending, why I am not sure, but I will be there until the bitter end of this nonsense and bad acting.

Chicken Nugget: It was just okay for me. I LOL’s a few times, but the rest of it didn’t really tickle my fancy. I finished it because it was 10 half hour episodes. So, a pretty short binge overall. There were a great many meta references.

Flex X Cop: Haven’t gotten to this week’s episodes yet, but as always, I look forward to being entertained. 4 more episodes, writer do not ruin this for me, I beg.

Doctor Slump: SMH, we are done this week. So at least I get my bean.

Queen of Tears: Please keep up the funny and extraness!!

Flex x Cop: 8.0

Dr. Slump: 6.5 Day 13 - Who are you and what have you done with the fun show I was watching a few weeks ago? End of 14 - Oh, there you are, finally.

Goryeo Kitan War: 6.0 The big final battle seemed worse than I expected, even after the preview in episode 1.

Queen of Tears: 7.0?? Started with very high expectations, then found the first 3/4 of episode 1 such a slog I thought maybe the Curse was more powerful than the writer. What curse? You ask. Let's just say... The last time I saw Kim Ji-won was in Arsedal. Before that there was The Heirs/Inheritors 😠😨😱😱😱😱

Wedding Impossible: 8.0

Midnight Photo Studio: 7.0 Master's Sun, much? Also, shows that make a big deal out of reaching a certain age need to clarify whether they're using traditional "Korean age" or new official Western style age.

Chicken Nugget: 6.5 Ep 1/3: those times early on when everybody just started laughing... I wasn't laughing.

I’m happy so much stuff seems to be released lately! 🥳

So, still watching DR SLUMP, and was mollified by last weekend’s episodes. I’m hoping this will wrap up nicely! 🤞

Started MIDNIGHT STUDIO, which I find surprisingly entertaining. I like the ensemble in this one, and have a feeling this will be my comfort watch on weekdays.

Also started OUR BLOOMING YOUTH (which I haven’t watched before) as a community watch and am really excited about it! 🤓 I enjoy seeing PHS in a vastly different character than his role in DR SLUMP.

I’d love to start CHICKEN NUGGET sometime this weekend, but I’m unsure if I’ll have the time! 😬 I’m a bit concerned about the “lack of love” this got on the fan wall so far (maybe just my impression, I didn’t read additional comments on there lest I spoiler myself), and I’m really hoping it can still live up to (my?) expectations!

I also watched one episode of QUEEN OF TEARS, and didn’t return to it the next day. 😅 Can’t say if I even disliked it. It just didn’t grab my curiosity much and I was confused about what it wanted to be. Satire? 🤔 Either way, I was definitely star-struck by the cast. Might continue when I have more time watching, but I’m enjoying my other watches more at the moment.

Currently watching:

1. Doctor Slump (14/16): At the time of this comment, we are having the penultimate and the final ep today and tomorrow. How happy I am! I love that it addresses the topics such as depression and PTSD in such a progressive way (at least in terms of depression; not sure about PTSD), and I love that the depressed FL has a very supportive family: The kind of ideal familial dynamics every depressed person should want one. I understand that the show is by no means perfect, but because it addresses something I can relate to on a personal level, it became a dear. It is fun to watch.

I really love PSH in this role; to me, this is her best role to date. Somehow, something changed in her and I view her now as one very talented actress. I love her vulnerable scenes. Can't believe I'm saying this, but I cannot see any actress top her in this role.

It is the first time I watch PHS. I had no expectation re his acting because I haven't watched one, so this is quite a nice surprise. Tbh, I don't know how to comment his acting: Let's say that I can relate to PSH's acting more. This, doesn't mean that he is bad; but I don't know how to feel about his character that kind of overdoes aegyo. Let's say that it kind makes his character less real to me compared to the FL.

Anyway, I find watching this show therapeutic (excluding the murder subplot), so I'm eagerly waiting for tonight's penultimate ep and tomorrow's final ep. I'll be sad having to say good bye to this show. Perhaps I'll rewatch it again soon.

2. A Perfect Story (a Spanish mini series on Netflix) (3/5): Well, well, I really liked the premise of the story, and everything is so beautiful to look at. The story is light-hearted with some real LOL moments. There are some really nice dialogues between the OTP (I think they are?) that made me feel happy watching it; however, it also has some graphic intimate scenes that I don't think they are that necessary. I think I'll continue with the last 2 eps, but @reply1988 told me to brace myself for more graphic sex scenes.

So I can't recommend this show yet; so far (3/5 eps), I think it is a nice watch.

Finished

1. Meet Yourself (40/40): I didn't feel like I enjoyed the show as much as others, but I think that's because I am not as confident and agentive as the FL so I couldn't identify with the FL that much. I have this similar feeling when I watched Run On. In any case, I think this one is a wonderful show and is worth watching. I think it depicts Asian culture well and also gives you a lot of food for thought. It's a very healing show.

Hero. Ah, and I can see why Lee Joon Gi's niche is action haha. I don't want to be too critical because comedy is hard and this is also a product of its time plus it's still relatively early days in his career. I did chuckle sometimes while watching because it's just so cringe or dumb to me haha but still if a comedy produces laughter, even unintentional laughter, then it must be doing its job. Also I kept thinking one of the cast members looked like Ji Chang Wook (but kinda different) and it WAS him! Aww young Ji Chang Wook haha. Well, everyone has to start somewhere. It amuses me that this project has two actors who will end up being known for their roles and ability yet there's not on display at all here haha. I thought the underdog story got better over time and I liked that. It kinda makes me wonder how a modern version would look since we're living in a time of even more misinformation, distrust, and scandalous clickbait headlines that the powerful manipulate for their own means. Funny enough, I think if it were released now, it would probably do about the same ratings wise (in the 5% range I think) yet it would probably be considered more successful now than it was then.

Midnight Photo Studio. I don't know how I feel. I definitely teared up during the final partings and then the living is left with a picture. Oh my heart! I kinda Move to Heaven vibes regarding the deaths so I'm not sure if it I can watch this cause that would mean alot of tearing up each week for like 8 weeks I think. I'm curious about the lawyer's ability to repel ghosts/spirits from him. I guess there's some kind of childhood connection at play. I wouldn't even be surprised if it went further back such as she's from a long line of people who have that ability but may not even know.
It made me chuckle when it was mention did child look like a girl because he has played a girl in the past. I think the premise is interesting but I think there may be some logic/practicality gaps. Fairly certain the main character is gonna survive but then I had Heartbeat flashbacks and thought he might really die and again, I don't know if I wanna get emotionally invested in something with a sadness. The humor is alright but it doesn't stand out to me as much as the partings which is argubly the best part yet the saddest part

I was considering Sword of Aramun solely for Lee Joon Gi but eh, I don't know haha. The main interest to me is that I saw he plays twins and I always think it's interesting when actors play double roles and have to differenciate the characters and personalities. That being said, the reasons I'm hesistant is because: not particularly into historicals, I haven't watched the 1st season of Arthdal Chronicles and I don't know if I would need to watch that to understand Sword of Aramun, I think it's war based/war centered.

This has been a busy week for me as I need to make sure my students submit their assignments, finish my online documentation duties and give lectures.

Currently watching

Queen of Tears:
Love the strong and sassy female and the romcom!

Wonderful World
The drama is getting better at each episode.

The Midnight Studio
I finally have something that suits me for Monday-Tuesday

Goryeo-Khitan War
Bye, show! I am going to miss you. You have been consistently good and eye-opening when it comes to Korean history.

Dropped: The Impossible Heir
So much potential but then it slowly went down the drain.

Dropped:

QUEEN OF TEARS
Yeah…nah
I get that it’s meant to be a black comedy, but I’m kinda over chaebols behaving badly. Most of the characters are varying degrees of awful, tho I do admit the FL slightly intrigues me. Anyway my wacko theory is that Park Sung-hoon is an undercover cop planning to take down the chaebol family 😁

DR SLUMP
Perfection.
Looks like I’ll be in a slump after it finishes. Only two episodes left 😢

The big downside for me in not doing live watches is that I don’t get to post comments and observations on individual episodes, in real time. I had a ton of thoughts and observations about the shows I watched this week that I would love to have shared as they were airing. Here are some general takeaways.

COMPLETED:

Death’s Game - Brilliantly written, with an ingenious, intricate plot that invites repeated viewings. Fabulous performances from a large cast of top-flight actors, with two exceptions: Park So-Dam (I always felt she was Park So-Dam acting the role of Death, rather than embodying Death), and Kim Ji-Hoon, who was a cartoon-villain psychopath. The ending was a bit sappy, which was easily forgivable given the show’s overall quality.

Doctor Cha - While the show wasn’t perfect by any means, it kept me engaged throughout, with a good balance of pathos and humor. (I can’t remember the last time I laughed as hard as I did during the team dinner scene!) I liked the many parallels and interconnections among the large cast of characters. Other than the dirtbag husband and his awful mother, I liked or at least had sympathy for all of them as they learned from their mistakes and became all the better for it. Plus, Kim Mi-Kyung as the FL’s mother.

As Dr. Cha Jeong-Suk, Uhm Jung-Hwa fully inhabited the role of the devoted but under-appreciated housewife who finally decides to resume her medical career after so many years of basically being the family servant. I loved her character’s self-confidence and determination; once she’d made up her mind, she didn’t let anyone shame or guilt her into giving up and going back to the kitchen. She also stuck to her guns when she decided to ditch her weasel of a cheating husband. The only false note was her Noble Idiot routine when she tried to refuse the organ donation.

I’m going to risk bringing down the wrath of the DB community by saying that the one thing I didn’t like about the show was Kim Byung-Chul. I think he’s a marvelous actor, especially in comedy, but his cartoonish, over-the-top performance as the smug slimeball of a husband was tonally and stylistically out of step with the rest of the show, and blunted the impact of his moral awakening and penitence at the very end.

Live watches
Wedding Impossible
An interesting funny watch is guaranteed each week. I am on the train and happy to go wherever it leads. (Please don’t have a second half drop off a cliff, I am begging you)

Queen of tears
I am fascinated by the rollercoaster of emotions the first two episodes evoked and I am really excited to see where this writer is going to go. Driving a steam roller through expectations seems to be top of the agenda.

Dr slump
Can’t believe we come to the end of the journey this week. I hope it finishes well. It’s been sweet. Definitely one I will recommend.

The impossible heir
So many questions raised, I am still looking forward to each week’s episodes, without irony.

Binge watch corner
The Producers

I am slow watching because I don’t want it to end however I have reached the last couple of episodes. What will be my palate cleanser when this is finished?

Completed

Final Fantasy XIV Dad of light - Japanese drama
Based on a true story of a father and his grown up son who don’t talk even though they live in the same house but they manage to reconnect through playing an online video game. The son enlists his online friends to help him reach out anonymously with a friend request for his dad so they can go on many adventures together. I really enjoyed this short drama that had unequalled levels of PPL for the video game but mixed the online action with real life events.

Between Him & Her
A hard won bean.

Book club:
The tale of Genji - Japanese classic from 11th century
Guess who just found out the book was in two parts totalling 74 hours of listening time😮 In a classic case of sunk cost fallacy I reluctantly started volume two. I also reminded myself I had to read The Canterbury tales in the original olde English so I should complete the historical world’s first novel as its been translated into modern English even though it cries out for the world’s first editor.

The Midnight Studio It felt like a mix of others dramas without anything of particuliar for now.

Wedding Impossible It's the winner of the airing dramas! I love the leads, they are so spunky when they're together. It's nice to see their feelings developing.

Between Him and Her It was boring the most of the time.

Doctor Slump I think I will always grieve the drama it could have been.

Wonderful World I fail to care or understand the FL.

Flex x Cop I really like how they balance the fun and the development of the characters. It's rare a drama that keeps his promises.

Queen of Tears It wasn't what I was expecting. But now, I understand it, it will be fun.

The Impossible Heir Platform's dramas always forget to develop their characters (feelings, growth, fears, etc.) and focus on the action. But at the end, it's so empty...

Pyramid Game It's interesting and thrilling. The girls are very smart!

Branding in Seongsu It tried a lot of things and ended up failing all of them.

Flex x Cop: My most-looked-forward-to watch each week and will be sad to see it end. The conclusion of the cult case was awesome with everyone teaming up and Kang-hyun's dad being proven innocent and given his job back. It's so nice to see Yi-soo being accepted as part of the gang. This next case seems like a good segue to into possibly addressing Yi-soo's past.

Queen of Tears Less rom-com and more black comedy. Absolutely tickled by the memorial scene and how the writer slyly called out the terrible crap women are put through during these family rites by gender-flipping it. I am intrigued by how our OTP is going get through this together. I'm not too worried about the tumor. I'm more worried about Hae-in finding out Hyun-woo wanted to divorce her and that he is now celebrating his impending freedom via her death (which is messed up).

Midnight Studio It feels like a relative of Master's Sun, which I really enjoyed, but the tear-jerking cases are almost too much for me. It was fun seeing Park Ki-woong as hot uncle to Joo-won here instead of hot brother.

Wedding Impossible Up to halfway through ep 6. I think I may have fallen out of like with his drama. I'm struggling to get through it and I'm starting to roll my eyes at all 4 leads to get a life. Maybe I'm just not in the right mood. I'm bummed that I can't participate in the live-watching joy.

Three Body: Cdrama. Up to ep 20. Even though I can sort of guess what is going to happen, I'm intrigued by the unfolding of it all. Never thought I'd be immersed in watching full episodes of avatars of famous scientists/philosophers just talking!

Blood of Youth: Up to ep 17. Binging this so hard. I've been in one of my cranky and anxious moods and this drama was able to distract me fully. It's got friendship, brotherhood, awesome fighting scenes (multiple per episode), choreography, gorgeous visual direction and effects, humor, and pathos. It really leans into the theme of young people exploring the world.

LIVE YOUR OWN LIFE (Ep. 48-49) The set up for the finale is so open ended anything goes now. There are so many Swiss cheese holes in the these last scripts you cannot tell if the show runners are going to tie things up or they gave up trying weeks ago.

CHICKEN NUGGET (Ep 1-10) It is a strange, weird story but not as surreal as one would have thought by the premise. It is more sci-fi com. It relied too much on flashbacks to tell its story. It would have been better if it was made as a chronological movie than a 5+ hour series. It posed several moral paradoxes against science, religion and human greed. But literally in the end, it was a cyclical story. Overall, it was not a bizarre as I thought it would be.

SHOGUN (FX) (Ep. 4) Blackthorne finds his men gone and uneasy secrecy in the village. He changes tactics to naval warfare drills to great results. He cannot fully come to terms of his new imprisonment (with better quarters) and his strong willed widow consort Lady Fuji. But he finds comfort and companionship with Lady Mariko, who has yet to reveal her family tragedy and revenge motive. Lord Toranga’s impetuous young son starts the inventible war by wiping out the Regents messenger envoy. Double-dealing Lord Yabushige now finds himself trapped on the wrong side of the pending battle.

HOUSE ON WHEELS 4 (episode 4) Rain and windy day does not dampen the campers. They quickly gel into a laughing group of new friends. Cooking is still the crown jewel of the series and this episode’s feasts no exception. Ha Neul relaxes enough to joke and be self-deprecating which is different than her totally focused actress-on-set vibe.

APARTMENT 404 (episode 3) It was better than other two episodes, but not really exciting. Blackpink’s Jennie has improved dramatically in her variety skills, but that is not enough to stop below average ratings to continue to fall. Despite its hype and cast, k-netizens find the show boring.

I recommend everyone to watch House of Ninjas on netflix! It was so fun and interesting 😁
I must say i kind of liked the first episode of Queen of tears but i didnt think the 2nd episode convince me to continue this drama… 😔
Now I think im gonna try bingewatch Twinkling watermelon, its on my list since i saw 2023 year in review bean count, i hope its a good watch

Loved every minute of QUEEN OF TEARS even though the terminal illness plot took me by surprise. Will all that comedy turn into a sob-fest? I hope not.

Poor Ji-han, I am pleased that he is now aware of his attraction to his future sister in law and is trying hard to get over it. Now it is A-jeong's turn. It was fun to see how she unconsciously takes any opportunity to talk to him, be near him. How long will it take until the penny drops for her, too and what will she then do about her contract? I am not pleased with Do-han in the way he keeps a distance to his little brother, the person who is closest to him in this dysfunctional family. I hope he will open up to Ji-han, soon.

That was a rather good cliff hanger in WONDERFUL WORLD. I think that it is entirely possible that these wild theories are true, that Seon-yul and Min-hyeok have switched places and that Seon-yul is really the son of the the hit and run driver who was killed by Soo-hyun, that the mistress in the photo is not the neighbour, but Soo-hyun's best friend. This would make the drama certainly more interesting. So far I struggle to empathise with Soo-hyun despite her grief over the son she lost. I do like that she confronts her husband about his conduct. Her brother should really be sacked from the hospital for giving out a patient's information!

FLEX X COP is still doing a god job. Jin I-soo has remarkable self confidence, but these new developments will crack this a little. As expected, the nice brother is shady after all - unfortunately.

Only saw two episodes of CHICKEN NUGGET and I am still waiting for the crack comedy. Best bit so far was the family fleeing from the obviously crazy guys and leaving their nuggets behind for them. The half hour episodes are a good choice for this kind of drama.

The ghosts in MIDNIGHT STUDIO are good, but not as good as Hong sisters ghosts, but it is a promising start so far.

Will only drop in for recaps for IMPOSSIBLE HEIR (if there are any more!). I find it impossible to keep watching.

What I am watching:

_ Wedding Impossible (6/12). Almost everything has already been said in DB about this pair of episodes. I really enjoyed them, especially the Episode 6 (pure and funny rom-com). This show is my happy pill these days.

_ Our Blooming Youth (4/20). It's quite interesting so far. I like that the plot is half comedy and half mystery. The OST is very nice.

_ The story of Minglan (12/78). I'm still amazed by the realistic beauty of every scene, but some dialogues are quite long and redundant. I'll keep watching it at my own pace.

What I have finished:

_ Captivating the King. What can I say? Very good actings, but unfortunately I never was very interested in the plot, and I didn't like the main couple. I didn't drop it because I wanted to know what would happen to some secondary characters (I'm glad their arcs finished well).

Movies:

_ Past Lives (2023). Intimate and delicate. I wish it had lasted longer. I'm too used to TV series now, and movies go too quickly. Btw, this is my first time watching Yoo Teo (because I was reluctant to watch Love to hate you).

Western shows:

_ The Last of Us. Season 1 (8/9). This show has all the good things of the early seasons of The Walking Dead, and some of the bad things too (I was very hooked to Walking Dead some years ago). Episodes 3 and 5 have been my favorite so far.

Starting:
Queen of Tears: Long awaited, hilarious, scary, surprising. I said, after having watched the trailer, that Kim Soo-hyun crying seemed to be used for comic effect, and you bet! Rarely have I seen such a funny ugly-crying scene, a satire on his own ability to look beautiful when pretending to be drunk and/or deeply unhappy. And on all of us for loving it so much. https://www.dramabeans.com/members/CecilieDK/activity/1547677/
Also, the show succeeded in planting everyone’s sympathy with one person in the first episode, and with another in the second; Now we are all ready to have black-and-white views on villains and heroes challenged. And have fun while doing it!

Extra-ordinary You: I am enjoying this show very much. When a girl goes full aegyo, it is such a relief to see her swear at it the moment she is released from the iron clutch of the author. The show is poking fun of tropes in a nightmarish vision of having to act out feelings dictated by an uncreative author, while poking fun of my own and other viewers’ will to still have the OTP end up together. Most likely, we will be allowed to have our cake and eat it.
Rowoon does not uhm… flex his funny bone (if that metaphor works?) very much here (so far), instead, the camera is so in love with him, he spends a good deal of time bathed in sunlight that falls in golden rays, infatuated with his upturned face. I am continuously giffing stuff from the show here: https://www.dramabeans.com/activity/p/1549706/
Jae-wook does his best bitter+hurt - if you haven't seen it, you def. should.
Watching Continued:
Doctor Slump: Last Weekend, this show came up from the low point of the previous week. The show continually makes the point that things are not so easily brushed aside. I like that. Before the show ends, we surely will have to deal with ML’s parents … and also with his fear of black men following him, I’m sure. Will we learn his parents have been spying on him?
Opinions can differ on whether the show is meticulous enough in its rendering of all those mental health problems, but it’s making a better job of it than most K-dramas I have seen until now, or maybe better than all K-dramas I have seen, so … let’s not let perfection get in the way of good.
Finished:
The Secret Royal Inspector and Joy: This ended up being the story of the villain, at least one of them, and to me, this was also the story of Gu Pal, both of whom were treated stupidly and heartbreakingly by the OTP towards the ending. I have giffed a lot about those two, and also about some references to the Bible made as half a joke. The links for those posts are in last week’s What Whe’re Watching, (or you can just scroll down on my fan wall) and a few more gifs and opinions have been added in the...

I'm just so relieved BETWEEN HIM & HER is over. I don't know why I stayed with it. FFing was my friend. I was in a drama Slump (sorry) for a while, and then I started MY SIBLING'S ROMANCE, the dating show where 4 sets of sisters/brothers are living in a house, with a slow reveal of back stories, jobs, and who is related. So far I am mesmerized. I've shed tears of both laughter and empathy. I hope the PD can keep the tone going, because I'm hooked.