All_In

There is only one LJG drama that got extended and that was only by one episode in Joseon Gunman. If you don't like the writing, blame the screenwriter not the actor.

This is an okay drama but did not do well rating wise so important to note it got cut by a few episodes. The female character was written a bit poorly but does improve. Overall the drama deserved a bit more love but I wouldn't call it an outstanding show but don't regret finishing it up.

I don't like all the boozing either but Korea's drinking culture is no joke. I think the beauty thing is also a reality there as well.

I've made my peace with the product placement. I give a bow of respect to dramas that do it well in a creative way. They gotta pay for these dramas someway.

I will never make peace with the love triangle.

Okay, that is a solid first episode.

I think part of the point of this drama is we don't know. Is he a killer? Does he care for his wife at all? His daughter?

Odd as it sounds, if he is a "straight up serial killer" it would be kind of boring. I want to be kept guessing what level of bad he is.

I get what you are saying but in this case isn't she saying she won't get married based on some partial reincarnation memories? So to me the point of the drama is to find out what happened in the past lives and try to figure out where it went wrong and then she can decide if she wants to try again...or not. I don't think people should get married if they don't want to but the whole premise of insisting on being single doesn't totally make sense since it is based on these dreams alone. As far as k-drama premises go, the whims of the live shoot mean they don't know where they are going most of the time...I'm a total cynic.

Heirs...that writer and a whole lot of $$$. I have tried 4 times to watch Chicago Typewriter because people love it so much. I'm at the halfway point, and I just don't feel anything for these characters and I just get the last episodes are so good. So I have to watch 12 hours of a drama for a good last 4! It's crazy.

Cheese in the Trap ....so so so good until it wasn't. Probably the most bitter I've ever been about a drama.

I still will drop after 1 or 2 episodes if I know it isn't my thing, but I do try to give a show 4 episodes. I used to think that was crazy...4 hours of my life, the time of 2 movies, to figure out if it is any good?! It made no sense, but it takes that long sometimes for the story to come together.

I refuse to be bored. I will drop and not feel bad at all; however, usually I will try to either skip to the parts I like or I will - if I made it far enough in the drama - watch the last episode (my experience with Hyde, Jekyl and I). Generally, I do the "not my cup of tea" within one or two episodes. I'm not bitter. No drama will make everyone happy. I do hate when a drama is quite good until episode 14 or so; that just infuriates me when a drama goes sideways toward the end because generally I will finish it at that point.

Of the other ones mentioned, not even my love of LJG has me finishing My Girl though I know it is considered a classic Hong Sister drama which helped create the Korean rom/com drama. I have permanently dropped The Third Charm and Abyss. I might someday go back to My Strange Hero and give it a few more episodes. Just got out of the mood so it is on hold. I finished Boys Over Flowers and I wasn't even a teenager when I watched it. Thought it was totally wacky as I was relatively new to k-drama. I remember thinking that these people are all wackadoo.

I didn't think I would ever do this, but I have about 3 dramas where I only have one episode left to finish.

I'm enjoying this drama quite a bit but I do think when there is a lot of love given to a drama, it can lead people to not see what the fuss is about maybe because of expectations. Given this is the actor's comeback, there was even more hype. Sometimes it is interesting to see international viewers love a show that gets a so so reception in Korea like Healer. I really like this show, but I did notice a little pacing issues around episode 9. I also notice that I am also not quite so invested in some of the side characters. I'm about 50/50 on that issue. I still don't know quite why pizza guy is around.

Having said all that, I really enjoy the slow burn of this drama, but I hope people will be respectful of those that don't. I know what it is like to not be invested in a much loved show. I dropped Goblin at episode 9. I thought CLOY was fun but could have been 12 episodes and thought the ending was 'meh'. It just kind of is what it is.

If you like Hong Sisters dramas try Masters Sun and Greatest Love. I'll second Kill Me Heal Me, Healer and Go Back Couple.

American TV shows are run totally different than American movies as well as Asian dramas. The showrunner is the captain of the ship and sometimes created the show though not always. They have a writing room and a plan for the season (usually 22 episodes these days on regular tv). What amazes me is US tv shows can have a different director each episode. Now they usually go to the same well over and over but it is kind of a bread and butter type job. In Asian dramas, the drama PD is like a US movie director as in he/she is the boss. Of course, US tv shows hate to get "notes" from the production company or airing station because the suits can rock the boat as well.

One of the weirdest things for me starting in k-drama was the live shoot system. I am incredibly forgiving on acting situations after hearing about only having time for one take, incomplete scripts and all the wackadoo things that go on. They don't write out the whole drama generally because they are willing to change the story to suit the audience and I hate that with a passion. I think they should have 50% of the scripts written and an outline of what is going to happen in the last half of the drama and then stick to it.

I realize you probably know all this but I have to rant every once in a while. I like fantasy/paranormal shows but I have trust issues with k-drama because you can't wing that world building stuff and then change everything to suit yourself. (Well they can and they do but they shouldn't.) I don't know if I made it through 2 episodes of Abyss and I still just laugh and shake my head at the end of Black, one of the worst offenders for pulling one of the most ridiculous endings out of a hat. Melting Me Softly was written by someone who had a few hits under her belt. I think she either lost too many of her writing room writers or she got lazy or the concept was too weird. But then I ended up disliking her bit hit, Strong Woman PBS so she just isn't my cup of tea so didn't check out the MMS because of her.

This is where it all starts to blend. I don't remember the order but The Hours of My Life, Border, From 5 to 9, Buzzer Beat, Rich Man/Poor Woman and on and on...

I think my 2nd J-drama was HYD ;)

Given the age difference, I think I've been assuming they have different fathers from the get go. "I only had you to take care of your brother". Sounds like she found a random dude. I hope this gets addressed.

In a world of 2nd female leads, she is actually not that bad and seems more like a regular gal who sometimes doesn't make the best decisions but is trying. Not like some of the psycho 2nd fl's I've seen over the years.

I liked episode 9 but it is the first episode where I saw filler and the pacing slowed down a bit too much. I did like the date, the young man realizing he still needed to get treatment but some of the side-characters felt like filler.

Yeah, I sometimes think people really think that one person is writing these dramas. There are teams with one or two (Hong Sisters) running the show. Only a powerful writer can stop a PD and sometimes an A-list actor from messing with the scripts if they so choose.