Live Watches
Miss Night and Day: The mystery thickens, the romance thickens, and we got a legitimate kiss! I’m glad that our investigator’s marriage was really just a sham (feel kinda bad saying that) so that Ga-young isn’t crushing on a married man. And how often does Yoon Byung-hee get a loveline? Not often enough.

감사합니다: Our chaebol brothers are starting to show who they really are and I remain interested. I’m still hoping to see if our auditors will discover that the best policy is somewhere in between Cha-il’s and Han-su’s approaches, and that a cautious trust in people is okay. Regardless, this show is entertaining!

Is it fate?: Beanies say they want a romcom without a serial killer, but time after time when they recieve one they are unimpressed 🤷‍♀️. But I really liked it! I thought it was cute and fun and I’m anxious to see what progress we make next week especially given the short episode count. Also looking forward to CJH flashing his signature smile at shortening intervals as we go along.

Recent Dramas:
Chief Detective 1958: (finished!) A fitting end to a fun and heartfelt drama. No easy answers to the bigger issues, but hope in our detectives doing what they could every day to make individual peoples’ lives better. Lee Je-hoon was charming as ever, especially in his new coat, and the final scenes shot in present-day were heartbreaking.

Uncle Samshik: I’ve been watching this slowly with my partner, and we finished it this week. I still don’t know how I feel about San (but kind of in a good way?) but I ended up with a love and respect for Doo-chil himself. He was so clearly struggling against his lot in life the whole time, and in another context he could have been an incredible leader. It was a really good drama that actually stuck the landing that they had set up, but I sort of wish I had found it more addictive. I have renewed respect for both main actors and I’m excited for their next projects.

Current/recent: Catching up after a week in the mountains without internet, which was wonderfully de-stressing until I came home to headlines that made me feel like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue. Even the makjangy-est drama feels like a documentary about ornamental carp now. 😵‍💫

Miss Night and Day: I’ve found Choi Jin-hyuk’s physical imperfection: he runs like Fred Flintstone. The mystery is far more interesting than the romance at this point, and I was openly cheering for the idol until he started being unable to keep his paws off Miss Day despite her visible discomfort - and then where the heck did he go all of a sudden?

The Auditors: Fascinating study of the role of fast cars, weaponry, and snappy comebacks in forensic accounting. Halfway in, I still can’t be sure there’s a correlation between hairstyle and villainy, which is a good indicator for the show maintaining interest to the end. I wonder how many of Jin Goo’s and Shin Ha-kyun’s zinger exchanges are ad libs.

My Lovely Mobster: The moony, saccharine FL has not been honest about her interest in Hyun-woo Oppa because it would be too embarrassing, even for her, to admit that she watched What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim at an impressionable age and has imagined herself into the identical “looking for childhood oppa” scenario. Mi-ho and her Prince Charmless are a perfect pair, since neither of them will tell the truth to the people they’re allegedly closest to until forced by circumstance. Poor Dong-hee’s backstory seems tragic and guilt-laden all out of proportion to the rest of the show. The only other interesting character left is Chanel Mobster - and those pearls aren’t just pearls, they’re a choke chain. Literally. Limping toward the bean, with lots of FF, but this might be a late drop.

Red Swan: Back to being preposterously entertaining, and I’m glad the past few episodes cut back on the slow-mo. There’s no point in showing Rain “reacting” at one-quarter speed when he’s about as reactive as lead. I’m still hoping for screeching MIL’s olfactory detective powers and moonlight rituals to make a comeback, but the PPL massage chair moonshine treatment was a pretty good stand-in. The dog house and the back shrapnel are nominees for Inanimate Object of the Year - I haven’t laughed that hard since week 1. And if none of that made sense to you, I can only assure you it makes more sense than this show.

Serendipity's Embrace: This is good enough, I guess. I disliked the drunken antics, but not as much as I expected, being forewarned. The thrill-ride stills from the amusement park were funny. Chae Jong-hyeop commenting on his own smile felt very meta. It’s hard to see my beloved Yoon Ji-on playing a jerk, though.

Bitter Sweet Hell: Gaslighting raised to an art form. Although the last 1.5 episodes were more talky and less twisty than the masterpiece that this show had been, it’s still close to the top of...

Hi Beanies! 👋 I've been away for a bit with life stuff and am behind on my dramas... but it's good to be back!

Currently Watching
Serendipity's Embrace: 🤗 My BB is back!!! Loved the premiere week - it's soooo sweet. I love the ensemble of the friend group, and it's great to see Lee Won-jung again.

My Sweet Mobster: (11-12) This drama has done things with Ji-hwan and Eun-ha's relationship I really love: it's shown them getting frustrated with each other and having real, normal arguments about petty things; it's shown them talking about their feelings with each other and with others; it's shown them apologizing; and it's shown them being joyful and playful with each other. I love it. It's also become the funniest thing I've seen all year thanks to the deerlings, and has made me do something I'm calling "giggle-shrieking."

The Auditors: 🏗📈 I'm still enjoying this drama, but wow; Han-soo is the most annoying ML I've seen in many moons. Unprofessional, spies on his boss... smh. On the other hand, Shin Ha-kyun and Jin-goo are faaaabulous, and I just want to know MORE about Dae-ung. Seo-jin is a truly competent hoobae, but where do her loyalties lie...? I love her!!

**I'm also snacking my way through multiple C-dramas at the moment, including Strange Tales of Tang Dynasty, My Journey to You, Story of Kunning Palace, and Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms/Eternal Love.**

Finished
The Legend of ShenLi: Finally finished - this was an excellent xianxia with one of the nicest happy endings I've seen in any costume drama. Fantastic chemistry between the leads - wowww 🔥

In other news... Much to my surprise, Mom watched The Pork Cutlets! Her verdict: "It wasn't as funny as it should have been." She also watched Imitation, which she called "not significant" 😂 She's watching Secret Garden now. My friend finished and loved Like Flowers in Sand and followed it up with My Liberation Notes. She also watched Unlock My Boss, and is now watching Because This is My First Life. I think Ghost Doctor is up next. She's hooked now, you guys!!! Yayyyy!!!

Serendipity’s Embrace: I loved it. I love that it is just regular. There is hopefully no weirdo trauma. Just a guy who liked a girl, who didn’t like him back, and now he has a chance. I love it. It is also a quick 8, so it is tight too. I’m excited.

My Sweet Mobster: I thought there would be more angst for woori maknae, but I am glad it was resolved well. Our OTP are still adorable and I continue to enjoy them and their little tiffs.

Good Partner: Choi Se Ra’s audacity is CRAZY. What is wrong with her. SMH. Ji Sang is also trash, but I genuinely feel bad for Jae Hui. Unfortunately for Eun Kyung, in pursuit of her career, she hasn’t been a great mother. Jae Hui should be with the parent who she wants to be with, the fact that Ji Sang is a trash husband doesn’t make him a trash father and Eun Kyung has to understand that despite her revenge.

Miss Night and Day: I smell angst and a separation because plot coming. Meh.

The Auditors: Or should I say The Supreme Team HR: Where boxes are their superpower. Let’s tackle workplace bullying and tangentially relate it to some form of embezzlement, so we can justify the name, lol.

Red Swan: Sigh, the writing for this show is so bad, but an 18 trillion won slush fund is nothing to sneeze at. How do you even hide away that much money? Lol. Well, since Rain is still around, I will continue to watch until the end!!!

Serendipity’s Embrace (Episode 1-2) - Mood: D
A first love merry go round is not only downright cliche, it barely has any narrative depth for a movie, much less 8 episodes. If that wasn’t enough, the characterisation is horrible and it’s not even just the shameless 2ML. Drama veterans would also have groaned at the foreshadowing of the forced separation trope with the US business. Oh well, the show can only go up?

Good Partner (Episode 3-5) - Mood: D
Yeah, this is just going downhill. Now we know why the two male leads are in the show, with one being used to drag out this stupid affair nonsense while the other makes a random confession out of nowhere after a classic drunken hookup moment. It’s also poor planning on SBS’s part to pause programming due to Olympics, but I guess that’s more bad luck for the show.

Miss Night and Day (Episode 11-12) - Mood: D
A episode 8 kiss in episode 12? That kind of sums up all the dragging the drama has done, as we head into the penultimate week with a happy OTP and hidden secrets as well as hidden killers (surely that can’t ever be a narrative mess). I guess it’s somewhat bittersweet that the hospital director senior intern was actually a red herring, but there’s just too much negative.

My Sweet Mobster (Episode 13-14) - Mood: D
Ah yes, of course it had to be the 2ML who had to pay for his sins for discriminating against the ML and sacrifice himself to save the FL. And of course we’re getting hints of noble idiocy in the preview for the finale with the dreaded breakup. I’m not one bit interested in who all the hidden spies are on both sides but I suppose that makes a splash as well. One more week?!

Good Partner (3-5): This show is great at cliffhangers... Which I now hate because I have to wait 3 weeks for the next episode.

Reply 1988 (12-20): Loved the show overall, but I do think the show meandered a bit in the second half, and not much was actually happening. It was only in the last 4 episodes that the show suddenly pushed on the gas pedal, and suddenly a lot of things were happening. I genuinely just feel like the time jump should've happened a few episodes earlier so the show had more time to explore those things, instead of it just happening all at once. But I really loved most of the characters, and the families. Deok-sun was the worst at studying, but the best at caring for people (seriously, she had the biggest heart, and I love her). Sun-woo had great storylines with his family and his romance with Bo-ra. Dong-ryong was everybody's best friend (wish we got more of him & his family). Taek was a mysterious puppy with serious game. And Jung-hwan… was there for me to laugh in his face at the end (sorry not sorry, he was my least favorite, loved his brother though).

Encounter (1-2): I blame Park Bo-gum's smile. Bonus points for having Kwak Sun-young & Jeon So-nee in supporting roles.

One Spring Night (5): There's a certain kind of tension between the leads here, and it's starting to drive me insane. Like, if this doesn't eventually lead to a full-on make-out session, then what was the point?

My Perfect Stranger (14-16): Well, that was stupid. As anti-climactic as the whole killer thing was, at least everything else was still great. But as soon as they get back to the present, the whole thing basically collapses when you think about it for longer than 2 seconds. I don't expect everything to make sense in time travel, but I do expect basic logic. And if that wasn't the focus, why randomly introduce the son to "explain" it (and thus creating 500 more questions). And then why have your leads go back to the past at the very end? I know basic logic went out the window, but doesn't basic logic state that they're going to run into their past selves?

Come and Hug Me (1-9/32): If I had a nickel for every time Jin Ki-joo fell in love with a guy whose father is a serial killer who murdered her family, I'd have 2 nickels. Which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.

THE AUDITORS (Ep 5-6) The investigations are getting faster to complete while the President is getting more shady by the week. But the idea that someone is stealing the tech program came out of left field as another dramatic gear shift from one issue (poisoning food for revenge) to corporate espionage. Again, why are glorified accountants doing such an investigation when a major company has an advanced security team to handle such allegations? We have clarity now: Yoon’s mother is VP’s older sister. VP seems to have had his own plan to protect the company (and change it) before eldest brother’s accident. Current President wants the company go back to where it was (corrupt) before VP joined the executive ranks. But subcontractor chief Pyeon’s drastic demotion alerts us that the villains have a backstabber in their midst. The Batman and Robin crime fighting continues unabated.

TAROT (“Going Home” episode) Kyeong Rae (Go Gyu Pil) is another down-on-luck character who lost his job, has a nagging wife and an equally annoying mistress. After a motel fling, he gets in a taxi in the middle of the night, far from home. He is engulfed in fear and anxiety about the taxi driver being a killer. The set-up fails to deliver. The story was incomplete; it did not set the lead’s life in the beginning and it just became a series of anger filled impulses. There was no clear ending to this short story.

TAROT (“Please Take This Away” episode) The producers advertised heavily reality show star Dex’s acting debut for this episode. The set up was simple: Dex is the Delivery King until he meets an obsessed customer. There is really no plot or character development, just gore and an unresolved finish (shock value, if any, is not a story finish).

DISCOVERING SPIRITED AWAY (Midnight Kotaku YT) A short documentary on the actual sites used by Director Miyazaki for the film. A blend of many eras of architecture was used to create the unique world building. But the host tracked down an ancient annual festival for spirits that was the clear inspiration of the Bath House story.

Also popping up on YT feed were several Car Camping videos. Both were set in heavy rain storms. Outdoor 5 (463k subscribers) was about a young Japanese couple living in a minivan and their 10 reasons while they enjoyed their freedom. It is an amazing look at how such a small space is utilized so well. Also, the portable power generator looks cool. Another was Kirin’s Camp (605k subscribers) where a Korean woman sets up a 5 star Hotel Air Tent. It is a huge L-shaped tent that is inflated by air pump and held up with integrated tent poles, It has large windows so at night it looks like a cabin. She brought so much stuff it was like she was furnishing a house, including a wood fired stove. It made me think that I need to finish watching HOUSE ON WHEELS 4.

GOOD PARTNERS (EP 5)
Viki said the next episode will come out in a month?!! Whaaaaat?! Look I’m gonna be honest and say I don’t care about the divorce and really want Eun-kyung and Woo-jin to hookup. He IS her office husband and I desperately need these two be endgame okay?! Also I’m thoroughly enjoying the womance/ mentor-mentee relationship between Eun-kyung Yu-ri. Jae Hee (played by the incredible Yu-na) should be in full custody by Kim Myeong-jun instead, yes we deserve KIDNAPPING DAY S2

SERENDIPITY’S EMBRACE (EP 1-2)
I fully acknowledge I have no taste, so I can say without any shame that I thoroughly loved the premiere episodes! Yes first love stories have been done to death and I do think Chae Jong-hyeop is somewhat awkward especially in the present day timeline, but I seriously don’t care, this my current dopamine hit

EMPEROR PENGUIN’S RECKONING (Ep 13-14)
Definitely not a perfect show by any means, but I still tune in weekly and enjoy it. I’m just gonna say while I loathed Ji-hwan’s possessiveness in the previous episodes, I don’t particularly care if his romantic relationship with Eun-ha is his first and only. Him not being attracted to anyone before doesn’t make him unrealistic. And that’s what I like about this representation, he is who he is regardless of his sexuality, and that doesn’t make him less of a man. I like that there is no stupid reason, sorry but that was one my major gripes in DREAMING OF A FREAKING FAIRYTALE. I also enjoy that Eun-ha is the one initiating. Men don’t have to sex-crazed and women don’t have to be or pretend be to less sexually experienced.

Happy Saturday, Beanies!

STRANGE TALES OF TANG DYNASTY 2: TO THE WEST: I'm a bit behind – missed few episodes from the start of case #4 due to being busy – and having to write this and weekly playlist for OT instead – but from what I saw, this still remains the show I fell for in S1. Sometimes to a questionable degree – there are some... how to phrase it properly... suspiciously common elements in terms of plots and tropes between two seasons, with first 2 cases especially mirroring the old ones. It's not bad per se, but you can see it as authors sorta repeating themselves, likely due to never expecting S1 to be the huge hit it was and not planning ahead for possible sequel. I'm gonna cut writers some slack – they almost certainly lacked time to create and properly develop new and fresh ideas, plus case #3, despite also being built around “closed creepy inn room murder” trope we've seen in the show before, was creative enough to stand on its own and not look like a well-done remake.

I also had some worries about character development of main leads suffering from sequel syndrome – you know, when lessons character learned the hard way once had to be somehow relearned again because you cannot have an engaging drama with fully enlightened flawless protagonists))) – but after few annoying blunders (still far less annoying than things was in S1, if you ask me) the gang is back to the great team chemistry dynamics.

There are already talks about S3 – of “back to capital” variety, which I dread, because with S2's setup what good can await our dream team in that political intrigue snake pit? I don't want the show to fully switch genres from buddy comedy mystery to bloody throne wars. Pls don't, or at least fix the root of the issue somehow fast and for once sneakily offing the Princess would be a nice try - new Emperor is either too dumb or incompetent for his position to not attempt it already.

OUR SONG S6 (c-variety): Where are subs?! It's been almost a whole damn week! *sigh * Otherwise I liked it well enough – new lineup, concept changes, overall vibe etc. You can see LYN feels in his element there – he looked so happy to sing on stage again. And sounded less sick than last time, let's hope his cold is truly gone now. Traditional opera singer and Danish rockers were fun additions too. Esp the latter – when they said they wish to meet a true rock star on the show (the one part I didn't subs for, ha!), I was like “do I have a guy for ya!”))) Ofc since it's a show writers will probably delay collab of Ning-ge and them together for as long as they can...

P.S. Why do I feel like MBY will surprise us with some sudden snark eventually? He has that quiet troll vibe)))

A lot of things combined to reduce my drama watching this week. Same for my wife. But we continued to really enjoy MY SWEET MOBSTER.

I have just barely started SERENDIPITY’S EMBRACE, which surprises me as it was a show I was looking forward to.

I liked the second week of GOOD PARTNER much better than the first.

But I did take time out to watch the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games and it was amazing. I was both blown away and yet also saddened by what may have been Celine Deon’s (amazing) final performance. This was by far the best Opening Ceremony ever and by a very long shot at that, not least because it was done so completely differently from past Ceremonies which were contained within a single stadium: Instead of a stadium the French used Paris itself and that was a stroke of sheer genius.

The French will now also hold the absolute record- probably never to be broken- for the longest distance for a competition venue from where the Olympic Torch is burning: The Olympic Surfing Competition will be held in Tahiti. Somehow, I do not feel sorry for the competitors in that event.

The Olympic Games have provided a new time skip to end the most recent but frankly dreary chapter in our weekender. Rather than a time skip in the story there is a time skip in the audience for the story as the Games are pre-empting BEAUTY AND MR. ROMANTIC and many other shows. The most recent pair of episodes have re-set many of the plotlines for this story as we go into the final seven weeks: The marriage of Ma-ri’s parents has collapsed as her father found out about Pil-seung’s birth secret, which should have meant that our nasty 2ML was about to win all the corporate marbles but wait a moment- maybe he has a birth secret too? Plus, 2ML’s desire to destroy Pilseung has blown up spectacularly even as he is about to blow up his engagement. Very seldom has the groundwork been laid so thoroughly for the downfall of a villain who so richly deserves it. The present chapter came to a close with Do-ra suddenly regaining her memories. Here’s hoping that the next episode 14 days from now will explain how that came to pass.

The Auditors - Haha! I knew the face of the section chief was familiar. I just checked asianwiki and realized it is Royal Noble Consort Ji.

The current case surely is different from the others. And I am not what version to believe. But, I'm inclined to believe the chief as the narrative unfolds.

Kudos to the one I didn't see coming, Seo-jin, for being everything an auditor is; I don't know what to say about the one who I do not like, Han-soo, who is nothing like an auditor and shares no resemblance whatsoever to young Cha-il. That entire sequence felt like a forced narrative. Han-soo hasn't done anything to merit that comparison just yet. And as the story unfolds, I might have to wait till the end of the drama to see whether he does.

Good Partner - The cases are basic. But they are exciting nonetheless. The woman with the manipulative husband has me up to here. I'd drop her already.

The affair? Both parties have a full share in this. Equal shares even. At the end of the day, I guess it'll boil down to this: That is no excuse whatsoever to cheat. However, I'm interested in when it began. Custody battle wise, I'll prefer if she ends up with her father. He might be a cheating husband but he's definitely not a bad father. Unless the drama wants to bring that up out of nowhere.

A Killer's Paradox - I got my bean. This was a definite waste of time.

The only benefit here was getting to see Sohn Seok-ku on my screen for my own pleasure.

And, the sex scene in here shouldn't have existed. It did nothing to the sequence that followed it.

Serendipity's Embrace - Hot potato drop. This drama is very weak. I couldn't even see the end of episode 1 before I tuned out.

The Whirlwind ❤️ ep9-12 Jeong Su Jin is getting more audacious. As much as I enjoyed the back and forth between Dong Ho and Su Jin at this point in the series it was repetitive. I just wanted them both to go to jail. But then that cliffhanger on ep11 caught me offguard. Well played! 👏🙌 the last episode still had its twists and turns and managed to wrap up the story well.

Sweet Home S3 💜 ep1-8 I binged this over the weekend. This was definitely better than S2. It had a satisying ending to the series. I got to see the most emotional payoff with the reunion of Two main characters of S1. Although I felt that the CGI was inferior to S1. Song Kang, Go Minsi and Lee Jin Wook shined in their roles. There was too little Lee Shi Young and Lee Do Hyun. I didnt have an emotional attachment to other characters as much. This is a must watch if you liked S1.

Life on Mars ep10-11 Finally got back to this. The intro was lemgthy and I felt like I got into the story quickly. Tae Joo, Dong Cheol and gang are getting close to capturing the culprit. It was difficult to watch as it loosks like the group is imploding. But they did get their act together but not soon enough. The culprit is two steps ahead and they need to act quicker and smarter if they want to capture him before its too late. I also like Officer Yoon's outfit on ep11, dark plum top and mustard skirt is really pretty in that short scene.

My Sweet Mobster 🤞ep13-14 I liked how Ji Hwan endorsed Il Young to Mi Ho's parents. I also enjoyed Eun Ha and Ji Hwan scenes together. I admit though that as much as I look forward to what Ko Yang Hee will be wearing for the episode, (I liked the pink jacket with the black earrings) I find myself tuning out with the father and gangster storyline. Its my least favorite so I slowly losing interest with what happens with it and the drama since last week.

The Auditors 🤞ep5-6 I like that Se Woong and Dae Woong has more layers that what we were first shown. SW may not be necessarily the hero and DW the antagonist. They have different facets to their character and personality that make me wonder what is their end goal and who has the best interests of the company. DW is particularly caring with his niece so I do not think he is all bad.

Follow Your Heart 🫣 ep30-35 that eye surgery is ridiculous. The talents of our traveling doctor needs a ton of suspension of disbelief to make it work. Good points: Finally YNX found her Young Sir. Our couples stories are progressing well but third parties are thrown in to add conflict. That Biqing fellow is particularly annoying. I can't wait for JXB to take him down.

The Princess Royal🫣 ep18-22 I like the progression of the leads relationship. They are starting to communicate better which can help strengthen their marriage and power alliance. SRQ's actions are becoming more annoying and the last episode explains why. I do not know why he thinks he knows whats best for...

LIVE WATCHES:

1. THE AUDITORS - The Batman and Robin of accounting continues to hook my attention.

2. MISS NIGHT AND DAY - I started watching this and have caught up. It's watchable but I wouldn't say it's going to join my list of favourites.

ONGOING:

1. BLACK and THE CURSED - I'm continuing to watch these 2 Supernatural dramas in steady doses.

And that's it for me this week.

Serendipity's Embrace - perfect summer drama, short and sweet.
Come And Hug Me - the story feels far- fetched, but Jang Ki Yong's face is mesmerizing.

Serendipity's Embrace It's a cute and simple drama. Nothing is new and the actors are doing their job.

My Sweet Mobster I think the "I never dated before" trope it's fun only at the beginning but gets very boring in the second half.

Miss Night and Day After so many episodes, I can't help myself to see 2 different characters and not the same with a different appearance.

Good Partner I'm excited to watch these 2 smart women working together.

The Auditors I agree with @kafiyah-bello, the team looks like a HR team and not an auditors one.

Red Swan I liked the new turn of the story with the different fathers but sadly no actor is good in this drama...

Live watches

Serendipity’s embrace
I am enjoying this one based on a webtoon of a true story.

The Auditors
This one has been the biggest surprise it’s not what I expected but is an ok watch. I wish it had the humour of Crash but waiting to see if we have all called it re the real good guys.

My Sweet Mobster
They need to end this well. The dad does not seem content to leave his son and enjoy his profits, Cat man in pearls seems he will forever be jealous and the prosecutor seems content to continue to watch Kid’s YouTube in work time.

My Name is Gabriel
Still waiting for yesterday’s episode to be released. Can’t wait to see Wookie’s challenge although I will miss the comedian’s weekly outbursts, I know Wookie will be able to finish things off nicely.

Tiger with wings - Japanese
Really enjoying this daily drama

Binge watch corner

Boston 1947 - Korean film
True story of Korean runners in the Boston marathon 1947.

Love again - Korean film (2019)
Rom com

Radiant Office (2017)
I think it would have been better as a twelve episode office drama.

Wakamonotachi - (2014) Japanese
I forgot I was watching this one so will finish it off to see why it stuck in my memory all these years.

Book corner
Thanks to Spotify Audio books are back. This has filled the gap of books I was interested in finding out about but did not want to waste credit on. So far the one I am currently listening to is the one I have enjoyed the most: Beautiful country.

Before the coffee gets cold - Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Yellowface - R F Kuang
The bookstore woman - Nanako Hanada
Beautiful country: a memoir of an undocumented childhood - Qian Julie Wang

Miss Night & Day: 8.0

Serendipity's Embrace: 8.0 Kim So-hyun is back! Story seems meh, but it's Kim So-hyun. And did I mention Kim So-hyun?

My Sweet Mobster: 7.0 So is the 2ML dead? Or will he just have amnesia? I know! A ghost with amnesia!

My Sweet Mobster - just started episode 3 and am enjoying the deadpan, low voiced hero and how easily he falls for the heroine.

Under the Queen’s Umbrella - currently stalled after finishing episode 2. Not the show’s fault ( I don’t think). I’m just not in the mood for a serious historical drama at the moment

Just Finished
Boys over Flower the Japanese version - I am surprised to say I liked it much better than the Kdrama. The male lead is really just a big dork at heart and I loved it.

Twinkling Watermelon - despite all the rave reviews I had serious doubts this was my kind of show. Boy, was I wrong! I need more of the bromance between father and son!

Gaus Electronics - a lightweight, but hilarious farce that made me laugh every episode. I do wish there had been a tad bit more character development so I could have connected to the people a bit more. But I loved all the incompetent weirdos of Marketing Team 3.

Hi beanies! I hope you are having a great weekend.

What I'm watching:

_ Sweet Mobster (14/16). I liked episodes 13 and 14 a little more than last week's because this ones were less oversweet.

_ The Red Sleeve (Episode 1). I have just started this sageuk which had been in my plan-to watch list for so long. Junho, Lee Se Young and Kang Hoon. Enough reasons.

_ C-drama The story of Minglan (24/72). Even though some episodes were hard to finish and thick as tar, this drama is a masterpiece. There are scenes so beautiful which leave me breathless.

_ Japanese Anime Spy x Family (14 episodes). Very funny!

What I have finished:

_ K-drama Secret (2013). I have binge-watched this makjang with three online friends who liked and enjoyed it way more than me. For me it was a struggle because I had no interest in anything or anyone in this story. I even had guessed one of the main secrets at the beginning of episode 5, so the final revelation wasn't a surprise at all. On a positive note, the main actors performances were good, especially Bae Soo Bin's. This has been my first Ji Sung drama but I couldn't stand his character since his first appeareance (too many "Zoolander pouts" and toxic behaviour).

_ C-drama An Ancient Love Song (2023). A beautiful, delicate show which gets better in the second half. I understand why it was so well received last year. It's much better than other Chinese minidramas I have watched. Highly recommended.

Sweet Mobster (started episode 10) Not much to say about it except it's just the right amount of sweetness and humor (the Lee Joon cameo was hysterical). I don't love it, but I like it a lot. The drama balances the OTP, the secondary OTP, the love rivals, our thirsty deer employees, and baddies well. I feel like each element got just the right amount of screen time. The Lee Joon cameo was hysterical. I wish we could have seen how lunch went. I really like how our FL and FL's best friend handle having feelings for guys who are just frustratingly closed-off. Sort of wish it could be a 12 episoder since ML's dad is probably going to make trouble for them in the last quarter of the drama.

I got caught up in reading this week so haven't caught up in my cdramas. That will be my weekend plan!

MY SWEET MOBSTER. Meh week for this comedy. Let's wrap it up with a good ending, please.

RED SWAN. Wowzer. Me, I really liked the will reading cliff hanger. And the stunts this week were awesome.

Finally! Finally got a chance to watch SECRETLY GREATLY (2013), and by a mile this is the best thing I've seen with Kim Soo Hyun.

My happy watch of the week goes to the modern military drama GLORY OF SPECIAL FORCES (2022). Despite oddly uneven makeup (just dumb) and lighting (sometimes excellent, other times over-exposed?) this is a good quality production that traces the growth of a somewhat naive young man through his military career. The action scenes are terrific and the performance by Yang Yang, and especially his co-star Meng A Sai were touching and their chemistry was palpable.

I know Yang Yang is considered mediocre as an actor (?), but I generally disregard all that talk as just that, talk. Handsome doesn't necessarily mean incompetent. Was anybody ever more handsome than Paul Newman? And, then came THE VERDICT (1983), followed by THE COLOR OF MONEY (1986). Newman was 61 years old before he was recognized by the Academy -- it didn't take that long for the rest of us.

It just takes the right seasoning, a superb director, a terrific script and dedication. Yang Yang will get there.

WATCHING
That Pink Show 🦞
While it's heading into predictable territory, it was to be expected with a 16 episode run. This would have been great with 12 eps and no storyline with the ML's dad... just the ML and SML catching the kitty gang (in a silly way). Still... I love the sweet romance and found family. The ensemble cast makes me happy each week and that's enough for me.

Suspicious Partner
I'm 3 eps in and liking it more than I expected given the serial killer element (thanks to beanie encouragement!) I'll be actively watching this week and posting in the CW thread 😉

Is It Fate?
The second episode was decidedly better than the first. Like many beanies, I'm enjoying the uncle a lot. But I may be the only one who liked Yoon Ji On's hair in the first ep, lol. I was genuinely bummed when it was cut in the second episode 🙃 An easy watch after some intense c-drama watching lately.

FINISHED
Lost You Forever c-drama parts 1 and 2
An emotionally intense story that pulls you in and just doesn't let go. The first episode or two takes some getting into the story. But then Tan Jianci's iconic character shows up and omg I will not be getting over him anytime soon. He just needs to go with this look IRL haha. He's a compelling mixture of fierceness, longing, sacrifice, and loyalty hidden beneath layers of trauma. ALL of the main characters are well-developed and the acting is fantastic. I've posted a good bit about it on my fan wall. One of my favorite c-dramas to date.

Have a great week beanies! 🌞

I expected for SWEET MOBSTER to have difficulties keeping up the cheeky cuteness, dear mobster being so dense and not understanding what 'little mouse' is telling him, is fetched too far. Now the gangster element needs to be resolved and this is not going to be sweet, the showdown between father and son will not be cute. I am trying hard to blank out the pregnant second couple story, it has the wrong tone altogether, but I will stick with the drama for the last few episodes.

Started GOOD PARTNER and like it much more than expected. Divorce lawyer dramas are always difficult to watch, but divorce law in SK seems to have its own (strange to me )rules - which I only know of through Kdrama, of course. What I like about the drama is the portrayal of the work of a divorce lawyer first as a witness and then a mediatory of family breakdown, broken hearts, disillusioned children, greed and dishonesty. I know two lawyers who worked in this field for a while and left the profession altogether because they could not stand it any longer.
I would like to see Jang Nara without a cheating husband in her next drama, though.

It was a surprise to find out that the doctor is not the real villain in MISS NIGHT AND DAY, but it will be one of the old interns. One of them, the so far harmless Geum Gwang-Seok is a little bit too harmless which is certainly suspicious. I also wonder why Bae Hae-sun is there in such a minor role - definitely suspicious.

Even if THE AUDITORS is far removed from reality, it is a well written script and watchable - in contrast to the dull embrace of SERENDIPITY.

Good Partner
I am sad about the hiatus decision and getting one episode this week feels ridiculous since normally odd and even episodes balance each other.
Miss Night and Day
Haven't watched post ep 8 but have been keeping up with the recaps.
The Auditors
Can't muster up the will to start it.
Serendipity's Embrace
A light watch that I hope would be a tight story without filler
My Sweet Mobster
The baddies need to get out of the show ASAP.

Ongoing
The Auditors
I like this one, its witty, fast paced and keeps you guessing. Waiting for Shin to solve the Tech leak issue.

Red Swan
Action scenes were perfect and Rain was good at it. Interesting part was Wansoo gets $16 billion and only she can access the Swiss account. Now Mr Han what are you going to do?

My Sweet Mobster
Doug hui is the third handsome one after Uri
“It’s always the quiet one that makes a faster move”
"I’m going to be a father"
"Like the one in church?"
These guys are hilarious.
I guess its time for our leads to go through a break up for a HEA.
I wish they get good ratings at least for the finale.

Miss Night and Day
It gets better after ep 4, I just wanted to binge it as its close to finale.

Good Partner
Ladies are fabulous in it, looks a bit like makjang and can’t stand the P.O guy. Why him?

Lost You Forever 2 (through episode 16): I get the sense lots of folks aren't thrilled with the ending of this, but for now the show continues to be one of the most nuanced looks at the personal costs of leadership that I've watched. It's still a slow watch, but it remains a thoughtful one.

WATCHING AGAIN NOW THE WEIGHT OF IMPENDING DOOM HAS LIFTED AND HOPE HAS RETURNED
THE NEWS This week (has it only been one week?), I started watching the news again. For the past month, I couldn’t really watch or read the news other than with one eye and a deep sense of fear and dread. I didn’t realize what a constant fog that fear had been doing to me until it lifted this week. Hope for the future has returned, the need for escapism has lessened, and even if the future is uncertain and may have bumps along the way, I still have hope, which is no small thing.

WATCHING, AS IN SHOWS
MY SWEET MOBSTER The last four episodes feel like a holding pattern for the relationship, which given the earlier episodes, feels like letdown from the previous sweet high. The story seems have shifted into a son-father focus, and the women have all turned into mother figures, which often in kdramas mean that their backstories, current stories, and hopes and dreams don’t matter as long as their forgiving, steady presence (and sometimes baking sweets) is felt. Sure, some plot lines have advanced, but the resolutions seem so superficial, and for a show that felt like it had depth as well as comedy and entertainment, it seems to be skimming along now. I hope that the last two episodes end this series in the manner the show, the actors and we all deserve.

THE DOUBLE After seeing so many Beanies sing its praises, I started this Cdrama. And yes, it is good from the get go. It’s so nice to have a smart, savvy FL who has a story beyond the romance. Also, the cinematography is gorgeous. Looking forward to seeing what unfolds.

SERENDIPITY’S EMBRACE This was a bit flat. It felt like a paint-by-the-numbers drama with no depth, individuality or charm. It wasn’t offensive, but by the end of Episode 2 I was as bored as the ML. Hope the fake dating stage is more fun.

WILL WATCH
The Olympics Simone Biles. And some other sports.

Recovery from wrist surgery is going better than expected, and I'm grateful for Dramas to distract me and voice typing so I can actually write this.

Serendipity's Embrace: watchable enough

Imitation: After @missvictrix recommendation on what to watch after dreaming of a freaking fairy tale, I tried this out again. I was completely drawn in this time, appreciating Lee Jun-young much more. Tea party was so adorable. I loved all the character growth of the different idols, especially the 2FL eventually becoming different than a catty second female lead (her teaching them how to date secretly was hilarious.). The romance worked until the end when they seemed to need to stay a foot apart from each other? Concert was so amazing; the cheering managers were so adorable.

On hold: good partner and my sweet mobster. It doesn't seem to make sense to watch Good partner until they're more episodes. I'm going to do my normal habit and watch The last four episodes of my sweet Lobster together

@gikata I had your same thoughts about Strange Tales of the Tang Dynasty 2 about the plot repetitions and fears about the characters losing their growth development. Haven't quite finished the inn case but it has been the most interesting.

Not kdrama: the Bear. I really loved the first two seasons but I was really disappointed in this one. There was no story for the main characters, just them sitting in indecision for the whole season. I wanted Carmy to come out of the freezer realizing his mistakes and trying to implement change. Implementing change would have been messy and interesting to watch. Instead he just went back to his insane imperfectionist tendencies. It felt like the writers' strike kept them from writing a real narrative, and so they filled up the whole season with videography which felt artsy but wasn't meaningful. However there are a couple great conversations, not by main characters: Sugar’s scene with her mom and also Tina and Mike talking for the first time.

Started: Tale of the Nine Tailed. I'd watched the first episode years ago, and really want to watch the second series. Maybe I'm jaded now from too many tragic Josean romances that get a second chance through reincarnation, but it's not the addictive watch I'd hoped for. At least not yet. Maybe our titular hero is just too all-powerful and self-confident. Kim Bum is the more intriguing of the brothers right now.

Red Swan is my other new watch. The plot careens wildly around the still, watchful, gorgeous figure of Rain in the center, who is perfectly cast. The screeching mother-in-law is a hoot, the ignored mistress and her mother both pathetic and hilarious, the villain appropriately evil with just a touch of humanity, the brother and his wife amusingly greedy. The assassin credibly being a woman is a welcome bit of equal opportunity, and her fight scenes with Rain are a highlight of the show. It's hard to buy the romance though, Kim Ha-neul is too quiet and reserved, dignified as the show puts it, to really spark off her equally reserved bodyguard. Like Shin Se-kyung in Captivating the King, there's no suggestion of passion, other than a normal human reaction to seeing Rain in action or half naked. The abandoned husband, unable to express his feelings to a wife with the same problem, is the most poignant and interesting character right now. Maybe I should add Jung Gyu-woon to my list of actors "I've loved since..."

I did watch the first two episodes of Serendipity's Embrace, but since I don't remember a thing about it, it may be a drop.

Ongoing: My Sweet Mobster and Miss Night and Day continue to be sweet, easy watches with just enough darkness to keep them from cloying. I really like all the main characters and their families/found families, and the humour flows naturally from their interactions. Favorite scene of the week is Ji-hwan collapsing in embarrassment after failing to stop one after the other of his deerlings from shouting "Hyungnim!" and alerting the entire household to the fact that he spent the night (innocently) in Eun-ha's room.

I picked up the C-drama Wonderland of Love again, after stalling at episode 30. Fortunately the plot has started to move much faster, and I finally got to see the wedding night scene that hooked me in the first place. They do fight well together. Our heroine is amusingly and good naturedly ruthless, her chief charm. However our hero needs to start smiling more. A glum Xu Kai is not what I signed up for.

Starting:
Imitations: It’s because of the Freaking Fairytale. I followed the ML to this drama. It’s a fine drama, taking up that weird and sad aspect of K-pop culture that dating is considered a crime for the stars. And also just how much they are treated as commodities. It’s a candy flossed version of all that, but still includes young people losing their lives from that pressure.
Watching Continued:
Miss Night and Day: I still look forward to this every week.
Sweet Mobster: It’s very dumb, but mostly funny also. Episode 13, though, was so boring I actually almost died and had to go to the hospital and get IV to be able to watch episode 14 the next day.
The ML is still extremely pretty, and the villain in business woman uniform (Chanel style + white pearls) is so engaging.

Community:
Just Between Lovers/Rain and Shine: By now following the rewatch from the sidelines.
Rewatching:
Suspicious partner: I finished this last week, but made my huge gif post this week, so if you want to see the very many gifs, you can go to my wall or follow the link that will appear in the comments below.
Destined With You: Still haven’t finished my new gif post about this. Some day.
Not a K-drama:
American Politics: Amber says “WHAT?!?” , and so do I. (You can see her saying it on Youtube)
Taskmasters: Watching episodes on Youtube of this very silly reality show together with my family. Masters of professional awkwardness, - so funny!

Lobster: something characteristic about filler episodes is that I forget about them pretty fast.

Is It Serendipity?: 2ML is kinda creepy. He talks like a master manipulator.
When the bestie said that a high schooler had a crush on a soldier, I hope it was ONLY that, and not that this guy was leading her on and gaslighting her since then.

MOVIES
I'm a Cyborg, But It's Okay (rewatch): this was more depressing that I remembered. But lots of 비 for our dear friend Cera @seeker
Stranger Than Paradise: I love Jim Jarmusch.
Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (rewatch): I want all of Rani's outfits but I know I would look ugly on them. LMAO
The Banshees of Inisherin: if a friend tells you to watch this movie, does it mean they don't want to be your friends anymore? 😂
Om Shanti Om (rewatch): the soundtrack of this movie could save lives.
PS. This is how you make a revenge story.
Not romanticizing abusers while the victim is revictimized, Hollywood. And not taking your anger on other people because of your own bad life choices, kdramaland.

I finished Connection. It was amazingly made, acting was phenomenal, the young counterparts fantastic, and the pace perfect.

But I do have some problems with how the story ended. When we were first introduced to ceo Won I immediately thought please don't let him be the ultimate culprit. With every twist and turn, every revelation about the friends, I became more and more hopeful that we wouldn't have that cliche ending, but sigh, here we are. I hoped upon hope that the team leader would be hiding in the safe house and would jump out to capture Tae-Jin. I needed him to witness his ruin, after that satisfying smug monologue of his. But his being killed on the spot, and the subsequent secretary arrest, and ceo Won's bored talk was very disappointing,

Also wasn't that a plothole? Hadn't we already seen the ceo shock TJ in a different scene that he knew about his drug-dealing?

Another plothole was the whole password.
1- A man who had been meticulously planning to become the richest man in Korea for 20 years would have never chosen a password on a whim! There was absolutely no reason and no explanation for his password to be JY's birthday. We didn't even need a "tag" for it. SE could only have said: this is TJ's password, figure the rest for yourself.
2- The password being the friendship day was too contrived. Back when JS and TJ made the account there was no reasoning for him to make it the friendship day. He was doing it only for his daughter. Yes, her birthday would have been too easy to guess for TJ, so the only other possible guess would have been 1882. We even saw him mention it specifically to JK. Yes, they used it as a red herring for the text message, but it could have had a real meaning too. We didn't need to suddenly flashback to someday 20 years ago on the beach and another day ten years ago when JS visited Joo Song.

Another plothole was how were TJ and the Ceo able to plot murder in an unknown place in under half an hour, and why did JS ask them all to go to the ninth floor in the first place, he could have said everything on the ground floor, especially considering that he knew that at least 2 of those 4 people had already committed murder... We were going sooo good with all the stories until the ceo was thrown in.

Another thing that I didn't quite like, or maybe understand?
If I understood correctly, Kyung Tae was very poor, he took Sang-Eui's money, the gang asked Jun-Soo to go confront him as the class president, Jun-Soo declined (because he was going to the movie theater with his friends), so the gang decided to go on their own.

I truly don't know if this is a plothole or if I got it wrong, but I did feel sad that KT was introduced as a bully, we see the gang go to him in defence of one of their own, even in a misguided way, which actually was quite a theme in this show, even asking for a reputable student's help, then when the gang reaches KT's house he is shown as a sweet mild boy... So...

Completed Move to Heaven this week and oh my, what a gem. Wanted to watch more Lee Je Hoon and started Chief Detective 1958 yesterday.

More in a mood for a light romance drama but haven't found one to binge watch yet.

I gasped when streamed episode 5 of Good Partner ended with the announcement that it'll return in 19 days! Yikes! Is this perhaps due to Olympics coverage? Or did a comet strike Seoul?

I need to find me a replacement drama fast, the ones I'm currently watching aren't cutting. 'I'm watching Bittersweet Hell just to put me to sleep at bedtime.

Hot stove League (ep 7) and i’m bummed it wasn’t recapped on DB other than the premiere week episodes. I’m very much invested in this drama now and My Sweet Mobster (ep 8?) is on hiatus for a bit. I probably won’t be able to catch up and watch the finale this week. I want to watch Serendipity but i’ll wait until i finish one of these dramas first.