So, what are we all watching this week?
What kept you reaching for more (or agonizing when there was no more), and what made you want to throw your remote through the screen? Time to weigh in…
missvictrix
The Classic: Yep, this is me still refusing to watch anything till the new shows drop [ahh!!]. However, my Sohn Ye-jin fever continues from last week… and serendipitous timing too, considering the Sohn Ye-jin/Hyun Bin marriage announcement! Real life aside, The Classic — well — I can see why it’s a classic. The stories overlap quite nicely, and the cast (babies!) is really great. I wish the daughter storyline was given a little more time, because I don’t feel like we really got a sense of who she was, but I love a good tragedy, so the mother’s storyline was right up my alley. I also really enjoyed how “real” everyone looked in this movie. You don’t get crooked teeth and imperfect skin that much any more. I’m also a little surprised by how much I loved Jo In-sung here. He did a bang-up job with that ending scene.
DaebakGrits
Currently weecapping: Moonshine, Ghost Doctor
While You Were Sleeping: The Olympic hiatus coupled with life and a new Pokemon video game means I didn’t do a lot of drama watching this week. But there was enough time for my friend and I to watch While You Were Sleeping! We’ve just wrapped up episodes 3 and 4, and, man, I love the scene where Chief Choi interrogates the abusive husband. Yes! Justice is served! Also, Hong-joo is such an adorable character, but Jae-chan avoiding that kiss at the end of episode 4 was even cuter.
solstices
Currently recapping: Through the Darkness
Bulgasal: Immortal Souls: What an emotional finale week! Their backstory 1,000 years ago had me choked up with tears. It was heartbreakingly compelling, and it tied all the loose threads together in an impossibly twisted tale of anguish, love, protection, grief, and bloodshed. Hwal’s actions were inexcusable, yet sympathetic in his misguided desire to protect the person he loved. I’ve always wondered if Ok Eul-tae’s name was intentionally chosen to sound like the Korean word for “feeling wronged,” because it fits in with his perception of himself. Perhaps in his own twisted way, he thought he was truly doing Hwal a favor by saving him from death, only to have his soul stolen unapologetically from him. It seems like the emotional neglect he’s suffered caused him to thirst desperately for the barest hint of a bond, and he thought he’d found a kindred spirit in Hwal. Eul-tae is definitely one of the most nuanced villains that dramaland has gotten in a while, and I’ll miss his electrifying presence. Watching Si-ho and Do-yoon live fulfilling lives and grow old together was so heartwarming, and though I’m sad that our found family didn’t manage to reunite (yet), I loved the poetic justice of Hwal sacrificing himself to atone for the curse he inflicted. May everyone be happy and at peace in their next lives and beyond!
Bad and Crazy: Thanks to a booster shot recovery weekend, I finally managed to find the time to watch the last two episodes, and omg. Boss Yong! I can’t believe she got her revenge and murdered Yoon-ho by biting his neck with her bare teeth. What an absolute queen. She was severely underutilized throughout the drama, but I’m so glad her arc got a satisfying conclusion at least. The show had its hiccups along the way, but the ending hit all the right emotional beats, with fun callbacks sprinkled in. Ultimately, this show was about Soo-yeol’s journey towards reconciling his personas and healing from his past, and it was so heartwarming to see the relationship between him and K develop as he slowly learned how to trust and value himself. The goodbye scene in the hallway was beautifully heartfelt; Soo-yeol has finally learnt to embrace the K side as part of himself. All in all, this show was a fun ride, and I’ll definitely miss its characters (shoutout to baby duckling Kyung-tae!)
One Ordinary Day: I checked this drama out because my favorite group sang an OST for it, and despite having a sense of what to expect based on the song, I still had to remind myself to breathe once the episode was over. The way a tumultuous night of ill-thought-out decisions snowballed into an incriminating murder scene was so harrowing, and even though I could see the train wreck about to go up in flames, I just couldn’t tear my eyes away. It has my teeth gritted and my stomach churning, but the plot has intrigued me enough to get me to stay and find out who actually committed the crime. (And if nothing else, I’m watching at least till I hear the OST in the drama itself!)