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…
javabeans
Lovely Runner: I feel the angst machine whirring into gear and honestly I could do without it, but what I appreciate about this show is that every time challenges rear up and happy days are thwarted by fate/time/Sol’s misplaced sense of heroism, things change direction and come back to center relatively swiftly. What’s interesting is this pattern that’s emerging where Sol’s actions to divert an outcome are literally the impetus for causing that outcome, and I’m hoping she and Sun-jae figure that out soon because that’s a heavy burden to bear. I’m very relieved that he isn’t just letting her dictate what happens and is taking an active hand in his own decisions, even (or especially) when they contradict hers, because girl could use a little help in that department. Curse those misleading visions! Meanwhile, I’m loving the budding friendship/bromance with Tae-sung, which reminds me a lot of the True Beauty dynamic that was so winsome — I don’t want the second guy to be hurt in his one-sided love, but that doesn’t mean I’m rooting for his side of the love triangle, either. I’d like to root for both Sun-jae and Tae-sung to have all of the happiness, without creating a winner or loser in these shipping wars. Look at me, being all mature after all these years.
Queen of Tears: Finally finished this, and it was a little bit exhausting. I found this show disappointing in many ways, particularly as the show came armed with a full arsenal of potential and was buoyed by a fantastic cast capable of carrying (and raising) its material. But ultimately, it felt like the writer — who has built her illustrious career on witty, sparkly rom-coms that elevated the genre in many ways — has arrived at a place of complacency in her career and is now reaching back into her old bag of tricks and redressing them in flashy designer duds rather than figuring out new ways to tell these stories. So while all of the emotional beats came at the right moments with the right music cues and right directing angles to elicit the right desired responses, those responses felt more perfunctory than genuine, and the story rang hollow much of the time. There was one point when I thought, “I swear to God if he gets hit by a car right now, I’m going to throw my remote at the TV… but no, that would be TOO obvious, not even this writer would do that now!” … only to have him subsequently hit by a car out of nowhere. I legitimately entertained the idea of throwing my remote but realized I liked my TV intact more than I liked being right.
Twinkling Watermelon: I’d been saving this for later, but I needed something to tide me over between new episodes of Lovely Runner and this drama has been an utter delight — full of humor, escapades, poignancy, and growth. I knew going in that this was about time-travel and the parents’ generation, but even so that early twist reveal setting up the premise made me laugh out loud in surprise — a mindf*ck worthy of Westworld. This drama deserves major kudos to the most perfect casting since the Answer Me series; for being mostly younger lesser-knowns, what an accomplishment in getting everyone to gel together and feel true to the story and the time. Young Dad was written and acted as perhaps the most endearing and emotionally sincere character I’ve seen in quite a long while and he made this series sing, in more ways than one. If I had to quibble, it would be at an ending that felt rather too pat to be wholly satisfying, because it was so perfect and fairy-tale-like in comparison to the slice-of-life exuberance of the rest of the series. But I’ll take perfect over unsatisfying any day, and watching how the son learned to appreciate his father all over again — and how the father grew out of his immaturity to become the awesome dad of the future — was an emotional journey worth all the tears and tugged heartstrings. Viva la vida!
missvictrix
Dare to Love Me: So silly, like OG K-drama candy. Despite the predictability and over-the-top humor (or perhaps because of it), I enjoyed this premiere, and thought it struck a nice balance to the madcap by adding just enough depth and character motivation to pull it together. And I really love L in this role so far; he has a lot of fun being meek and mannerly, but he also gets to be super swoony and fight bad guys.
mistyisles
Lovely Runner: I do not want this show to end, and I certainly didn’t want episode 11 to end. And while episode 12 wasn’t nearly as perfect, it picked back up again with the impromptu beach trip. In-hyuk is a treasure, and I cried laughing at the whole Sunny debacle (but also, I get it. I’d be just as despondent if that happened to my car). As for our lovely couple, I don’t even know where to begin — Sun-jae’s words about making his own choices even if he knows how it’ll end, the unique intimacy of Sol trusting him to look after her younger self without confusing her once she returns to the future/present, and of course Sol’s unwavering determination to fight tooth and nail to save him even though it means breaking both of their hearts (and mine) in the process. I desperately need a happy ending for these two, except for the part where this circles back to not wanting it to end at all.