We’re bringing back our Bean series this year! Because sometimes you just need to wax poetic about which dramas you’re giving your beans to, and why. After all, summing up, sorting out, and making blanket pronouncements is what the 2024 Year in Review is all about.
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 Greatness in the comments and join the fun!
missvictrix: My Bean of Greatness goes to My Lovely Boxer. While it undoubtedly had its flaws, this drama’s strengths far outweighed them: amazing performances, depth of storytelling, and a wonderful sense of interiority. Far from a simple sports drama, this story of an unwilling boxing genius and her morally-gray agent operated on a lot of levels. It wasn’t just about winning, losing, or even rigging boxing matches — it was also about how the things you love, hate, fear, and desire affect who you are and who you become. With some beautifully constructed moments, and punch-in-the-gut emotions (literal and figurative), this drama’s raw emotion stayed with me for a long time.
tccolb: Having no exposure to the original webtoon, I went into Moving expecting a popcorn fun ride, where the good guys win and the leads find love – a happily ever after like the martial arts melodramas mentioned in the series by our beloved regenerator. But it wasn’t until after I was already laughing, crying, swooning, and cheering for the characters, that I realized how much heart the story has. Although the superpowers were cool, I liked that it was kind of just set dressing and, for me, Moving deserves the Bean of Greatness because it’s a tale about being human.
mistyisles: There were a couple of close contenders, but I’ve known since it aired that my Bean of Greatness this year belonged to The Secret Romantic Guesthouse! This show started out as an easy, enjoyable watch that I fondly referred to as “K-drama comfort food,” then pulled the rug out from under me with the way it danced around tropes and repeatedly overturned expectations when I thought I had everything figured out. And then it wrapped it all up in an ending that did everything I wanted it to and then some. Best of all, it gave me back that “Is it Monday yet???” craving that seems so rare these days. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it sure won my whole heart.
DaebakGrits: There were several strong contenders vying for my Bean of Greatness, but ultimately Perfect Marriage Revenge came from behind and beat out the rest of the front runners. I wouldn’t consider it a masterpiece worthy of a flood of critical accolades and awards, but a great K-drama, for me, is one that’s not only an exciting ride during my first watch-through, but also a drama that stands out in my memory at the end of the year and (likely) for years to come. Perfect Marriage Revenge was an extremely fun ride, full of makjang juiciness, and — most importantly — it stuck the landing with an extended happy ending that tied everything up in a nice bow. I’m a sucker for a happy ending, and if any couple deserved a happily-ever-after, it was Yi-joo and Do-gook. Both of them were broken and in need of love and companionship, and the way Do-gook slowly earned Yi-joo’s trust was both admirable and utterly romantic. It may not have reached double-digit domestic ratings, but it deserved them.
solstices: An occult thriller steeped in Korean folklore, Revenant offers a nuanced exploration into the depths of cruelty and desire, alongside the strength of connection and trust. Writer Kim Eun-hee’s extensive research shines through in how much of the supernatural occurrences are grounded in reality, shedding light on traditional customs and demonstrating their influence on the modern psyche. Filled with compelling characters and peppered with bits of dry humor, the show strikes a thoughtful balance between a suspenseful investigative mystery and a stark portrayal of humanity in all its selfishness and selflessness. While the otherworldly spirits may be eerie or even malevolent, more often than not it is humans who are the true horror. With every new revelation comes a sobering realization of the depravity that can manifest from avarice, and the despair that can coalesce from spite. Yet humans are also equally capable of courage and compassion, and it is these qualities that weave a thread of hope amidst the sorrow. Undoubtedly my favorite show of the year, Revenant is a poignant tale elevated by phenomenal acting, atmospheric directing, and a deeply moving script.
Unit: Up until last month, I was sure about my Bean of Greatness for the year. Then Perfect Marriage Revenge burst out of nowhere — with an excellent webtoon to drama casting, witty one-liners, great OTP and cast chemistry, and a bunch of awesome female characters (even the villains were fully committed to being awesome in a bad way!) — to snatch the coveted position. I’ve been burned by adaptations in the past but this drama, dare I say, was better than its source material. At 12 episodes, it knew what it wanted to do: cover all the important parts in the webtoon (almost at breakneck speed) and give us a memorable story that could rival the traditional rom-coms. Yes, Perfect Marriage Revenge was makjang. It didn’t pretend it wasn’t. However, it took a genre that could have fallen into the “so bad, it’s kinda addictive” category and made it into a “so good, it’s actually good!” story. The odds were against this drama, but it surpassed every expectation I had. It’s a real case of achieving maximum results with the bare minimum tools. And that, in my book, is exactly what makes this drama so great.
Dramaddictally: 2024 wasn’t bursting at the seams with great dramas. But those few dramas I loved, I really loved. At the top of my list, on which I’m bestowing my Bean of Greatness, is Call It Love. This pink-hued drama did me in, from its characters and story to its camerawork and strong-willed heroine. In a year that could do with one less revenge drama, Shim Woo-joo is a young woman who thinks she wants revenge, but really just wants to be healed. Following her on her journey of realization put me right in her shoes as she went from anger and resentment to sacrifice and love. But her obstacles only got harder when her heart settled on a love that was forbidden — and my heart hurt along with hers every step of the way. It’s a resonant look at love, steeped in loneliness and longing, with a lead couple that I yearned to see together almost as much as they yearned for each other. Great dramas are the ones that make me think or feel deeply, and this drama just about drowned me in feeling.
alathe: This one was a tough call, but when it comes to sheer greatness and ambition, I must bestow this Bean of Greatness upon the absolute whirlwind of a drama that was My Dearest. This series had spectacle, scope, and an unerring capacity to reduce me to tears. Namgoong Min and Ahn Eun-jin were an electrifying combination: I could gladly watch them emote at each other for hours on end, and delight in every micro-expression. But more than that, this series gave us staggeringly beautiful set pieces every week. Remember Gil-chae on the mountainside, begging for Jang-hyun to still be alive? Jang-hyun facing his doom on the beach, and crying for the sound of a flower? Granted, Part 2 lost its way a bit, but it still gave us top-notch, creepy-gorgeous moments like our heroine clinging to our hero atop a pile of corpses. This show was a wild ride, and whilst it had its flaws and frustrations, it was also truly memorable.