Beanie level: Noble idiot

IMPOSSIBLE HEIR- I am excpected to care for the love triangle, but I’m actually much more invested in the little sister and her relqtionship with the MLs – bortherly and one sided romance lol. SLS for SFL again? Obv not in a romantic way, I just think she is more dynamic and interesting.
I feel the FL is disconnected from the story and not quite a mqin character yet. The, uhhh, muted acting does not help. I get her thematically but she is too boring for me to care about her and I have to suspend my disbelief at how INTENSELY the two male leads have fallen for her. I feel like she could have been interesting and the show juat really missed the mark with the casting.

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Jun Jong Seo is wayyyy too good for this. The other actors do a good job but she is amazing -feeling like a 3d person while everyone else is simply a character.
Gonna watch ep 2 and go comment on post
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    She’s head and shoulder above the other leads. And your 3D description is spot on. She acts with her whole body down to each muscle of her face – see @loveblossom’s GIF. Amazing!

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    Right? Like, what is she doing in this drama??

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      Go check her other works – so versatile.

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      Honestly I’m glad she’s getting a lead and I don’t think that Romcoms are “lesser” but come on, bring a ML to match (whou would you choose?)

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        Gosh, I dunno. Probably another Chungmuro actor because the newer generation of drama actors are just not cutting it for me—especially the men. Seems like all you need to be a leading man now is to be over 180cm and not be hideous.

        Honestly, she’s always been one of those actors who is much better than the project she’s in. My unpopular opinion is that I kinda hated Burning, and none of her other projects I have seen have really been anything to write home about. I need her to get a quality script (whether film or drama) ASAP.

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          Burning is not an easy film to watch but she’s brilliant in it, an amazing debut.

          Taking up this romcom maybe a way to mainstream her career and extending her range beyond edgy roles. I had doubt of her taking up this drama but two episodes in, she rocks (again) and makes her acting much more accessible to the wider audience. It’d be lovely if she can get some high profile projects with top tier writer and PD after this one. She deserves it.

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I have something I need to do which I\’m quite stressed for. I\’ll do it and then treat myself with binging the two eps of WEDDING IMPOSSIBLE

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Oops! Totally forgot about finishing up KNIGHT FLOWER! what a delightful surprise for me

(Also my happy ending but this one can wait)

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Feb is very quiet new-dramas wise (for me atleast) so I\’m taking the time to chill a bit. Catching up on things I want to see and binging on Knight Flower once its all out
(March\’s gonna be BUSY, tho)

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Every time someone mentions QUEEN OF DIVORCE I think they talk about QUEEN OF TEARS and I\’m like omg it\’s out?
It might not be my most anticipated, by boy March cannot come early enough

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Killer Paradox is out- I always feel kinda bad for those all-at-once netflix shows- I tend to forget them if I don\’t watch immideatly

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Ok but RICH AND B*TCH (aweful translation) is a very mediocre show but has amazing moments like this following exchange:
Shady guy: “who are you?”
Guy: “Me? I’m the So Mang, the son of the son of god. Tonight, I’ll kill you in the name of Jesus”
FL: So Mang From School??”

Like. I was laughing at this for five minutes straight.
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finished TRAIN ! My overall thoughts are pretty much the same as to my last post, with those extra points:

-> I don\’t know why, but the second half of this show is full of unintentional comedic timing. And I always feel kinda bad for laughing because it was clearly meant to be dramatic

-> Rarely am I a huge fan of serial killers and their dumb reasons; this was not one of those times. But There was a clever accomplice twist and I through it was well done and interesting.

-> This show is really bitter sweet. I respect that.

-> It did overstayed it’s welcome quite a bit, though. This, with the overuse of flashbacks AND the fact that the show didn’t properly start till like, the third episode, Makes me wonder how the pacing would work if it had 10 episodes, instead of 12.

-> The leads are, unfortunately and unsurprisingly, stricken with the thriller genre plague of going-alone-into-clearly-dangerous-situations-dissease. I can’t even blame them for it. I stg, the ONE TIME someone called for backup, I legit cheered.

-> I wish we had a show looking at the idea of similar – but – a bit-off dimensions + mystery that wasn’t a police procedural ; I really like the first genre, but rather dislike the other.

Good fun overall. Also, since I watch shows on my phone I got to watch this while riding an actual train, which was a nice experience.

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Why oh why the shows I want to watch will air on Disney+? 😭😭😭
THE IMPOSSIBLE HEIR, WONDERFUL WORLD and SHOP FOR KILLERS (Currently airing)
Also, can it be late Feburary/Mid March yet?

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    I have access to Disney+, but there are also some shows that are available only on platforms I don’t subscribe to and I think I understand your feelings. *pats back*

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    Same…

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I’m halfway through TRAIN so I’d thought I’d share my opinion so far.

THE GOOD:

-> The premise is awesome. I love parallel dimensions and I love mysteries and this is a show about both. The show delivers on the parallel dimension very well – it’s one of them “slightly off” worlds and it makes sense how those two realities sprung from one small difference in the past. I also love the way they elaborate this aspect – with worlds glitching from one to the other and also the train as not only a mean of transportation between worlds but a metaphor for the splitting world as well.

-> The mystery is good. Serial killers are a dime a dozen in KDramaland, but I like this setup, the unanswered questions, and the way the paranormal aspect is utlized for the mystery. I’m generally curious about the solution, which I think is the main reason I watch the show.

-> I love dual roles! and the nature of the premise basically means that almost everyone in the cast gets a dual role. Some do better than others – both in the characterization department and acting department, but I never ever say no to a dual role.

THE BAD:

-> it takes FOREVER for the show to actually start. TRAIN has 12 episodes – 4 episodes less than the Kdrama standard – and a thrilling premise to live up to, yet chooses to spend it’s first two episodes splashing around as a shallow police procedural with a few “odd details” telling of what’s to come. I don’t mind slow pace, and I get that the show needed to set up the world in order to subvert it, but it’s just so BORING. I don’t particularly like anyone and there’s nothing interesting about the story on the surface, and it took them so long to get to the point without offering anything else that was interesting. I wonder if, have I not known the premise, I would be more engaged; though, honestly, I might have just dropped it. Side note – the entire beginning hinges on fridging the FL, which is never ever great, especially if you know it’s coming and just want to get this over already.

-> SOOOO many flashbacks. The show does well with presenting the mystery elements, but the emotional elements are presented like the viewer has the memory of a goldfish. A flashback to a scene that happened IN THE SAME EPISODE and not ten minutes earlier? I WAS THERE, show.

-> I don’t like the FL. Don’t know why. I suspect it’s partly the acting , partly her annoying characterization in universe A and partly the fact that the ML fawns over the idea of this day-old whitebread of a person.

THE ODD:

-> This show feels more like “LIFE ON MARS” than the ACTUAL LIFE ON MARS Kdrama adaptation. which is weird.

-> I like ALT ML better. I don’t think the narrative wants me to, but I do. Dude sucks and the plot doesn’t beat around the bush regarding his suckiness. He’s also absolutely feral and has an air of mystery to him that our ML-prime just doesn’t have. But honestly, I just like the dual performance here and the whole is greater than it’s parts.

I’m gonna continue watching TRAIN because I genuinely enjoy it, and my issues with the show are mostly gone now that we are all multiverse hopping. Also, I REALLY want to know who the killer is.

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    I quote you: “A flashback to a scene that happened IN THE SAME EPISODE and not ten minutes earlier? I WAS THERE, show”.

    That’s really annoying and it happens in lots of dramas. And they keep doing it. I mean, that’s not something from the past, it still happens in dramas released in 2023 (Call it love, to name one).

    These days I’m watching “When the weather is fine”, which is a beautiful drama, but they keep repeating scenes we have already seen in the same episode.

    About Train, my first impressions were very similar to yours. The first half of the show was so boring that I would have dropped it if the ML wasn’t Yoon Si Yoon. At least I can tell you it gets better.

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      That flashback situation is a plague upon kdramaland! I think it’s used to emphasis a point or tell you what the character is thinking about (surprisingly, they are thinking about this very impactful moment 10 minutes ago, big surprise)

      I started fast forwarding through these. Rarely do I miss important info and if I do, I either take it as a challenge to understand from context clue or just go back, flashbacking to the flashback lol.

      The show has gotten soooo much better after episode 3. It’s a rough start but now it’s full steam ahead (or any other train puns)

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        I’d love writers and directors to use different ways to show us the characters thoughts instead of repeating scenes.

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          Or just cut it and let us understand it by ourselves and enjoy the acting and the emotions of the scenes… FF became my BFF , lol

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          On very very rare occasions I have noticed only the audio from the flashback being used over the present scene. It was quite striking actually, because it made me notice the tone and emotions better, but it still switched to the flashback scene after a sentence or two, which was a shame.

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            Ooooo, this is a good one!

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            That’s what happens in When the weather is fine. In the first episodes the full scenes were repeated, but fortunately, in the central episodes the PD decided it was better to use just the audio.
            I have watched 11 episodes so far.

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    I love knowing your thoughts before you finish the drama.

    Strange thing is on my first watch I also felt all the 3 cons you have mentioned, and all 3 of them became WAY better on rewatch, which is not at all a good defence. You should not expect your audience to rewatch your show to get it better. But as a constant rewatcher, it worked for me.

    Again I love knowing your thoughts on the alt ml too. Don’t feel bad, the show doesn’t want you to hate him, he is the alt-hero, the anti-hero, the part who completes the main ml. After many many rewatches, I don’t like him better, he is now an inseparable part of the ml for me.

    I guess it is obvious how much I love this show.

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      Thank you for reading!

      I think those cons would not be as glaring on rewatch – you know you already love the show, so you have more patience to it’s issues, and also flashabacks aren’t as glaring because you are more enjoying the journey than awaiting the next plot point.

      “After many many rewatches, I don’t like him better, he is now an inseparable part of the ml for me.” that is SUCH a good point. I think that’s how I’ll look at it from now on.

      It’s very fun to talk to someone about a show they love so much!

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        You are quite correct about the advantages of rewatching.

        Every time I rewatch a show I love this much, I think about writing a short loving review on my wall after each episode. But the thought of shouting in the void (as @reply1988 so aptly calls it) for 12-16 posts is very daunting 😂 Especially that I usually love shows not particularly loved as much by others.

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          I think putting it on your wall will get better results than adding to an old post. Although both are dependent on people keeping an eye on the comments and fan wall, I think people look at the fan wall more diligently with the gif game in full swing.

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          And Mother Bean will never let any post go unanswered so please write as much as you want! We are all eager to read how much our Veans enjoy their dramas.

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Welcome to TROPE TALK where I rant about tropes for fun! Mostly my opinions, honestly, So I’d love to hear yours.

I know Romance Dramas are reallyyyy popular here, so I thought to round up my opinions about some famous rom-tropes with the hope it’ll be entertaining for you.

Love triangle – Let us start with a classic! I used to HATE love triangles but I came around to liking romantic math when done right. I do still hate it when they feel awfully one-sided and for the sake of it. Their at their best when they are a. Emphasis the show’s theme and ideas (like in EXTRAORDINARY YOU – the choice between what is dictated to you and your free will), or with actual implications (like in The CROWNED CLOWN, where the romance plot between the queen and the king’s double involved dangerous risks) or when they are just reallly entertaining (like in HEALER , where the ML somehow ended up in a love triangle against himself)

(Really nice) Second male lead : Rule of the thumb with second male leads is, they have to be a character beyond just yearning for the FL and never ever acting up on it. A romantic rival/option makes sense but if its just a series of sad, futile attempts it’s just very very boring. I thought LOVE IN THE MOONLIGHT did it well, with a SML who was involved in politics and had a history and friendship with the main lead, his own hobbies and in general was more than just a dude whose entire life is hoping his crush notice him. I rarely get SLS in romance because I rarely feel the SML is his own character, but there are edge cases – I STILL think about the SML form SHE WAS PRETTY and I didn’t even watch it all the way through.

(Really nasty) Second female lead : The actual bane of my actual existence. I always start a new rom-com thinking, hey, why don’t I watch this genre more often, and then SHE arrives. If the second male lead never acts on his thoughts, this one pushes to hard despite MULTIPLE clarifications that the ML does NOT care for her advances. At best, it’s freaking’ annoying. At worst, It’s borderline a form of harassment – sexual or otherwise. They are always successful with their lives and would be really interesting as leads, too. Like ,is the fantasy here that the man is continuously sought after by a successful woman and refuses her advances because the FL is his one true love? The entire thing is tinged with misogyny and, worse, really annoying.

Wrist grab : Can we just admit those freakin hurt? Not to mention controlling. I don’t know why it’s painted as a romantic, passionate gestures – I get it, skinship is cool and the wrist grab is dramatic but like… it’s painful. It’s demeaning. It’s dismissive. The ML in PERFECT MARRIAGE REVENGE was such a swoony guy and then he pulled a wrist grub and I was like, urgh, really. This is not the context for the feeling of shackles closing around your wrist to be romantically thrilling, guys.

Third leads : unsung heroes. They have no chance in the love rat race, they are not interested in the love rat race. Unbothered. Funny. Somehow mange to have a healthy positive relationship from different gender leads without falling in love with them. Good for them. GOOD FOR THEM.

Comic relief couple: Either the healthiest relationship in the drama or the worse one. I love the former and rather hate the latter, as media has a tendency to turn domestic abuse (by women) into a funny joke for laughs. But when it’s good, it’s fantastic. They need no drama. They are imperfect but perfect for each other. They embrace each other’s quirkiness. lovely.

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Watching TRAIN (ep 3) and a character takes stimulants and get accused for being a drug addict, which made me wonder if there are any dramas regarding ADHD.

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    Good question! I like watching dramas with a deep dive into either a profession, a medical condition or kind of relationship

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      I think it would be interesting to have a lead that has adhd and it effects how they deal with the challenges and comflict

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THE HOPE is so good, I\’m surprised how much I enjoy Shen Yao/ ms Sang dynamic. The best part of the show is when teachers help students overcome their diffuclties, for sure

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I enjoy MY HAPPY ENDING for all its twisty and dramatic glory, but it is shocking how little agency the FL has in her own story. Also the not a huge fan of knight in shining armor trope in this one

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BIG trigger warning for My Happy Ending : self harm (really uneccicerily graphic) and suicide.
Does wiki do trigger warnings?
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Done with ‘The Night Has Come’ That was certainly an…. ending. Yeap.
Also switching between this and The Hope is so surreal haha
On the thriller front: tommorow we get more MY HAPPY ENDING!!!!!
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My hope for the new year is to watch a drama as it airs and join the on air disscussion here in dramabeans… Perhaps even a romcom, who knows, life is an adventure!

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Was there an upcoming drama about a women marrying into a chebol family then is in danger cause the family is shady and having an affair with her bodyguars?
Did I make it up?

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    It sounds like the upcoming drama with Kim Ha-neul and Rain. I’m not sure how personally involved she gets with her bodyguard, all I recall is that she married into a wealthy family and Rain is her bodyguard. I’m not sure of the drama’s title either, especially when they’re always changing it. But this might be the show you’re referring to.

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    Also Known As: Hwain Family Scandal , She , The Rich , Red Carpet , Scandal of Hwain Family , Hwain Gamunui Seukaendeul , Swi , Deo Richi , Redeukapet , 쉬 , 더 리치 , 레드카펫

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    Ahhh it’s so funny when i thought you made it up. I kinda wish you did!

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Having fun with THE HOPE; though whenever there\’s a test my stomach is CHURNING. I forgot I had exam anxiety.
Also, I forsee a love triangle in the horizon, and whyy can\’t those kids just be friendsss

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