[2024 Year in Review] Unwrapping the Bean of Disappointment

Following up the Bean of Greatness, the next bean we’re awarding is the Bean of Disappointment. It’s a sad bean to bestow, because even though disappointing dramas happen often (i.e., we’re used to it), there’s often one that just stings with what could have been, should have been, and might have been… if only they had consulted us.

Not to be confused with the famous Editors’ Picks, this bean series is much like our other DB team posts — each writer sharing their feels. Add your own personal Bean of Disappointment in the comments and join the crushed hopes fun!

 
missvictrix: I have a lot of disappointment “you should have been better” beans to pass out this year. Castaway Diva is high on the list, but since I dropped it, I’ll go with See You in My 19th Life for my choice here. And just, sigh. For a drama with a gorgeous premise and that was filmed and executed with such finesse… why did it feel so dead inside? The chemistry between the two actors responsible for our epic romance was nil, but the problems the drama faced wouldn’t have been solved with recasting only. Something deeper was missing in this beautiful recipe, and it’s when a drama is missing that spark that it really hurts. Oh, the drama it could have been.

tccolb: In hindsight, I should have lowered my expectations going into Family: The Unbreakable Bond, but it was really hard to not get invested when the promos were so darn cute. I had imagined a predominantly comedy spy action, but the actual story wasn’t as fun as I had hoped – not to mention some plot points that I couldn’t get behind. In the end, even the golden re-pairing of Jang Nara and Jang Hyuk wasn’t enough to keep me watching. Still, if the dramagods allow them yet another reunion in the future, I’ll be suckered and sat in front of them again.

mistyisles: Let me preface this by saying that I genuinely enjoyed the majority of My Lovely Liar’s run. This show had so much going for it — a fresh, interesting premise, compelling themes about truth and trust, an adorable romance, Seo Ji-hoon, and even a strong start. But the greater the potential, the greater the disappointment when the show fails to live up to that potential. And by the end, My Lovely Liar not only failed to capitalize on its strengths, but it also took a frustrating turn with its central mystery that pretty much killed my enjoyment of said mystery. It certainly wasn’t the worst show of the year, and I still love a lot about the story it set out to tell, but I’ll probably always be sad that it just didn’t do that story justice.

DaebakGrits: My 2024 Bean of Disappointment goes to See You in My 19th Life — not because I thought it was the worst drama of the year (*cough* Kokdu *cough*) but because it failed to meet my extremely high expectations. As a fan of the original webtoon, I tried not to let my love for the source material cloud my judgment. I could totally love the webtoon and still be optimistic that the K-drama medium could breathe new life into the story. And you know what? I was actually pleased with the first few episodes, which only increased my expectations for how the story would unfold. Unfortunately, this drama adaptation lost its luster the more it progressed, and a lot of it had to do with the OTP. Seo-ha was portrayed as being extremely broken and traumatized by the car accident that killed his childhood friend — to an extent that I often felt like Ji-eum’s aggressive pursuit was too excessive. That feeling clouded my perception of the OTP, and if you can’t root for the OTP of a romance, is it worth watching?

Unit: There were a number of disappointing dramas this year, but top of my list is See You in My 19th Life. Actually, this wasn’t a disappointment, it was betrayal. While other disappointing dramas went downhill — or at least showed the signs — earlier on, See You in My 19th Life was consistent. Until it wasn’t. There are certain expectations when it comes to adaptations, and while it’s okay to put a new spin on things, it’s not okay to butcher the crux of the story until it becomes almost unrecognizable. All that distortion to the plot ruined the drama for me — and even as a standalone story, I can’t gloss over the glaring plot holes. I loved everything about the drama except for the story. Which is sad, because story is king. Maybe I’ll be less critical if someone can explain why everyone and their mothers featured in Ji-eum’s first life — and one person who was supposed to be featured barely even had a presence in the backstory. Or how Ji-eum “forgot” everything that had to do with Seo-ha and went back to her old job, but not a single person there could tell her that she once quit to work at MI hotel.

Dramaddictally: Nothing leads to great disappointment like great expectations. That’s why in a year with a lot of dropped dramas, my bean doesn’t go to one of the universally despised or ignored, but to a drama that many people loved. With The King’s Affection in 2024 and Extraordinary Attorney Woo in 2024 — dramas that made my best lists in each year — I couldn’t wait to see what Park Eun-bin had up her sleeve for 2024. But when Castaway Diva premiered — a fantasy-premised drama about a woman who pursues a singing career after being stranded on a deserted island for 15 years — I knew after one episode that it wasn’t for me. Still, I persevered because Park Eun-bin generally plays strong characters and brings light to all her performances, and I wanted to see how the story would turn around. The answer was that it never did. Amidst the wildly unrealistic story was graphically realistic domestic abuse, and the further it went along, the more the central characters succumbed to the whims of the stalker plot and its male-lead mysteries — leaving its female lead as washed out as she was on that deserted island. If not for Park Eun-bin, I would have listened to my instinct and given this drama up early, rather than giving it my Bean of Disappointment.

alathe: So, to be clear, I do not consider this bean a mark of shame — quite the opposite. After all, to be disappointed, you have to have had high expectations. I outright adored the first two-thirds of Castaway Diva. It hit all the right beats: the characters were intensely lovable, the singing was gorgeous, and it made me weep on a once-per-episode basis. It really had that spark that makes you realize you’re watching something special! But the last few episodes soured that for me. The plot seemed tacked-on, the noble idiocy rife, and Mok-ha’s decisions felt bewildering in light of her previous characterization. Overall, it made for a frustrating end, because I’d stopped caring quite so much about our leads — despite, or perhaps because of, the fact that I’d cared so deeply before. There were plenty of shows this year that didn’t quite stick the landing, but this was the one that stayed with me. After all, the majority of it was so brilliant!