Finally got all the brouhaha about Dinner Mate ep 8. All I can say is, OMG!!! [more thoughts in the comment in case you want to avoid spoilers] (Also why is the Korean rating for this show so low???)

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    WOW so Jae-hyuk is a legit psycho. I’m so glad the show did not try to romanticize any of his obsessive antics that are usually romanticized.
    I LOVE how this show is directed. It feels so confident, assured, the pacing is great. All these strengths are amplified when this cute romcom turned into a thriller. I was biting my nails whenever Jae-hyuk was on screen! Lee Ji Hoon is doing great here – we can feel the intensity (of his delusion)! He is dangerous, and we can feel it, besides, well, literally seeing him doing dangerous things.
    I wish this was revealed a bit earlier, since quite a few Beanies dropped the show due to the annoying exes. I didn’t mind them before and didn’t care for them, but now that Jae-hyuk is set up as a thriller-type antagonist, I’m suddenly super invested! This feels like the alternate adult version of Cheese in the Trap where Seol (Do-hee) never managed to humanize Jeong (Jae-hyuk), and he just became more obsessive, more manipulative, and ultimately a danger to himself and others.
    The weak link then, is No-eul. I *think* her character is supposedly to illustrate the contrast between Hae-kyung then and now, how much better of a fit Do-hee is for him, and his own emotional growth. I just wish her character was either more interesting, or better acted.
    Last but not least, the music direction for this show is THE BOMB. It’s such great music, fits the scenes it’s in, and the beat matches the emotional rhythm of the characters. Love, love, love.

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      Agreed that the music is great and Lee Ji-hoon is a doing a great job as this psychopath. I’m really curious if Jae-hyuk was always this way or if something happened to me (something to do with psychomimetic drugs?). The mains have great chemistry as well! Do-hee is an amazing weirdo and I know now that I will watch literally anything that has Seo Ji-hye (because she is so good in this show).

      Agreed, No-eul is poorly acted and also a really bland, contemptible character.

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    Korean audiences are weird. They didn’t like A Piece of Your Mind and now they don’t like this show. It’s so sad because I like this show a lot! It’s fun and breezy (for the most part), Seo Ji-hye is a queen, and the main characters have great chemistry.

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      I thought beanies didn’t like A piece of your mind either ? 😀 regardless, I thought this was a very easy-to-like show, nothing too risky or complicated, so was surprised at the low ratings. I know ratings don’t speak to quality, but would have assumed that a romcom/thriller like this would be easy watching for most people.

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        I loved A Piece of Your Mind! I’m also surprised by the low ratings on this one.

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        A piece of your mind received a lot of love from beanies, both in the comments and in the fan wall.

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