Alaskan

I’m puzzled by this drama's popularity as well as the number of times it makes it on to people’s top ten lists. Perhaps because the body swapping incidences were pretty funny? But this is another one that I had trouble getting through, mostly because Kim Joo-Won was creepy and I hated the way that he didn’t respect Kil Ra-Im’s wish that he leave her alone. The message seems to be that it's swoony to show that your love is true by stalking that poor person no matter how many times they ask you to back off. That is not okay. That is not romantic. That is not what any drama should be promoting.

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I had high hopes for this drama after the first couple of episodes but I became less enthusiastic as I kept watching. First, Jung Geum Ju’s antics and tactics started bothering me as she stepped up the lying and coercion and criminal activity. i know that the drama is a satire but it also seemed to be touting her prowess and skill and showing that the ends justify the means. Plus she never developed as a character. Second, I didn’t like the way that Yoon Hee Jae kept pursuing her after she rejected him. If someone says no, the other person needs to back off; it doesn’t matter how sexy or attractive he is, he needed to respect Jung Geum Ju’s wishes. I do think, however, that Ju Ji Hoon’s acting was amazing. Kim Hye Soo not so much, especially her cringe-worthy overacting at the hotel suite towards the end. There’s a way to do that over-exaggerated acting and make it funny (I’m thinking of Han Ji Eun in Be Melodramatic) but Kim Hye Soo’s was too much.

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My expectations may have been too high because I was underwhelmed by this drama. I think that the ending focused too much on the charming, but very predictable romance, at the expense of the other story lines. The “surprise” was not a surprise because the happily-ever-after ending was such a foregone conclusion that I assumed immediately that the shooting was a setup. What I liked instead throughout the drama were the flashes of humor, such as when Moon Ho pushed Jung Hoo’s “dying” face down. Or when Min Ja paused during her escape from her lair to stare longingly at all of her knitting projects.

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Sorry. I'm not against dramas poking fun at serious issues and if this one had done it with more cleverness and less ham-handed cheap laughs, it might have worked. I truly felt like IQ points were screaming and dying in my brain as I watched this.

For example, I can’t stand the mother pimping out her daughter, even though it’s clearly being played for laughs, and the whole gay-not gay thing seems tonally off to me. (I’ve never been a big fan of the Coffee Prince/You’re Beautiful approach to homosexuality where the writer uses it as a device to advance conventional, heterosexual love. The underlying message seems to be that True Love can override sexual preference, as if homosexuality is a choice and all you need is to meet that one special person. And I disliked Personal Taste because of the male lead coyly pretending to be gay in order to advance his agenda.) Except for Do Bong-Soon and her grandmother, the women are weak and Do Bong-Soon herself isn’t very bright. Those things, added to the sadistic kidnap/murder theme, make me feel that there is a misogynistic streak running through this drama.

ETA: Another thing that bothered me is that stock value in the male lead’s company dives after news reports surface that he is gay. It’s played as if that’s funny. It’s not.

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I enjoyed the humor but not the romance. I don’t know whether it’s because Oh Yeon-Seo has the unenviable role of playing straight man (woman) to everybody else’s over-the-top comical characters or because her acting just seems rather flat, regardless of her character. The scenes with Monkey, Cow, Dog, or Pig sparkle so much that I feel like everything deflates when it’s just Jin Sun-Mi, even when she’s battling monsters.

And is anybody else being driven a little mad by the OST “always behind of you?” I want to write a letter begging them to re-record the song to “always behind you” or “always in back of you.”

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A Dream Within A Dream is a funny parody of Chinese costume dramas. It skewers many typical historical drama tropes, such as Male Lead trying to kill Female Lead, OTC surviving falling off a cliff, and underwater kiss. Even the beautiful costumes in typical historial dramas merit a snarky comment. It’s fun trying to identify references to specific scenes and music from other dramas (e.g., Love Like the Galaxy, Till the End of the Moon, A Journey to Love, Love Between Tiger and Rose). Viewers expecting logical progressions and likeable main characters will be disappointed because the drama turns even that on its head. For example, the "rules" of the script are openly inconsistent and the female lead is annoying as hell. You will not like this drama if you go into it with the usual drama expectations...or any expectations at all.

Liu Yuning, who is the Male Lead (hence the sign above his gate that says “Male Lead’s House”), seems to be a good sport because the drama makes fun of his roles in other dramas, as well as his modern day Male Lead actor image. I burst out laughing watching him cough out purple poison dust. It was such a contrast against the calculating and ruthless male lead characters he usually plays. And watching him become so mushily lovesick was tolerable if viewed as an exaggeration of the enemies to lovers arcs in countless other dramas.

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This drama made me happy. The OTP was one of the best I’ve seen in a Chinese (or Korean) drama. After a brief rocky start (why do too many Male Leads in Chinese dramas start out wanting to kill the Female Leads?), the OTP quickly come to treat each other as true equals. The chemistry between the two lead actors is incredible and they radiate intelligence and competence--it’s no wonder everyone wants those two on their side. The music, especially the opening sequence, really grew on me. The pacing seemed nearly perfect. I was less impressed with the development of the royal intrigues, especially people's sometimes illogical motivations for doing the things that they did. I enjoy watching historical dramas for their political machinations and maneuvering so that was a little disappointing.

Hint: Be sure to watch past the closing credits for the last episode. It explained something that I’d assumed had been dropped and made the whole drama make a lot more sense.

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I loved this drama! I may be in the minority in that I think that Mr. Queen ended well, better than I'd expected.

I always thought that Bong Hwan would eventually return to the modern world. He took great pride in being a talented chef at the Blue House and he would not have been able to pursue that calling had he remained as a queen in the Joseon period. He also mentions his parents, including his Zumba dancing mother, several times and I think that it would have upset him had he died in the modern world and broken their hearts. Further, the fact that he went after Han's ancestors seemed to indicate that he hoped to return eventually. I'm not convinced that that ever truly changed. Much of Bong Hwan's boldness and frankness (and cheekiness) was a result of him always seeming to have one foot out the door despite falling in love with Cheoljong. Yes, I think that Bong Hwan fell in love with Cheoljong and Cheoljong fell in love with Bong Hwan, not so much So-Yong. But I also assumed that Cheoljong would remain in Joseon as King because he was the type of person who would not give up his throne and his responsibilities to his people to follow Bong Hwan to the modern world, even if Cheoljong had had the choice. Thus if Bong Hwan must return to his world and Cheoljong must remain in his, then their separation is sad but inevitable. As for So-Yong, she clearly loves Cheoljjong. Cheoljong may or may not eventually love So-Yong as much as he loved Bong Hwan but is that really the only thing that matters in life? They work together to institute reforms in Joseon and are remembered as wise, compassionate rulers. Seems like a good resolution to me.

Some people seem to fault Cheoljong for not realizing that So-Yong is not Bong Hwan but it seemed to me that Cheoljong realized something was different. He couldn't figured out what really happened (for obvious reasons). If I could change anything about the ending, it would have been to add a scene where So-Yong comes clean with Cheoljong. I do feel sorry for Cheoljong, being left in the dark.

Finally, I think that Mr. Queen would not have been as good as it was without stellar acting by Shin Hye Sun, Kim Jung Hyung, and Kim Tae Woo.

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I started and dropped this drama three times before finishing it. The biggest problem I had with it was the Orchid fairy character. I rarely enjoy dramas where the female lead character is artless, naive, and not too bright. There was also something about Esther Yu's wide-eyed delivery that exacerbated all of those characteristics. But I kept hearing such glowing reviews about the drama that I pushed through to the end. I think I understand why people like it. Both the Esther Yu and Dylan Wang characters do evolve over time. There is some welcome humor to leaven the plot. Plus the costumes and sets are alternately beautiful and over-the-top campy, which made it fun. I also liked the Dan Yin and Jie Li characters.

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The Niao Niao character makes this a great and entertaining watch because she is one of the toughest and smartest drama heroines out there. Although the love story is beautiful, it is watching her stand up for herself and come into her own that makes this drama special. There is a lot of intrigue and fighting and revenge but there is also a lot of humor sprinkled throughout, which makes the 56 episodes race by. Ling Bu Yi makes for a worthy suitor who is just as principled (and stubborn) as she is, but just as emotionally damaged too. Watching the two of them clash and fall in love and clash some more is addictive. There are also some great side characters. One of my favorites was Empress Yue, who deserves an entire drama devoted to her. I also really really liked Niao Niao's interactions with the scholar.

I think this is one of the best, most epic romances around.

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This drama was mind-bending and imaginative and a lot of fun. I liked the fact that I never knew what was going to happen next. The writer was very very clever and managed to pull it off, for the most part. Lee Jong Suk was perfect for the role. After all, he looks like a manga character come to life. I always underestimate his acting ability due to his looks but he routinely exceeds my expectations. No exception here. And I always love Han Hyo Joo, who seems to pick good projects. There were a few particularly inventive things that stood out from the usual drama. The fading in and out from manga drawings was magical, especially due to the fact that they kept the manga aesthetic rather than trying to make the portraits exact copies of the subjects. And I could tell that the writer tried really hard to make everything tie together, while throwing in unexpected delights such as the water in the bathroom, probably my favorite scene. Well done, everyone.

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