It might not be as gut-wrenching (and somehow cozy?) as I Hear Your Voice, or as lovable and heartwarming (or beautifully filmed) as While You Were Sleeping, or as iconic as either drama (though there is a really great scene in Episode 20 that IS iconic), but that said, this is still a very well-executed drama.
Unlike many dramas today that drag in the second half, this goes steady and strong for the entire drama (even with 20 episodes!). Some of the big twists and shocking moments do happen earlier, but the second half shows us our beloved reporters warming up to their craft.
I don't think Dal Po is as lovable as Soo Ha in IHYV or as playful and dorky as Jae Chan in WYWS, and that's partly because he's more resentful and more flawed (like the FL in IHYV). He does have some great moments, though.
In fact, watching this again, I've realized that the importance of the truth is really one of this screenwriter's favorite themes; it shows up in this drama extensively, in ICHYV, in WYWS, later with more bite and ache in Start-Up, and even a little bit in Castaway Diva. It's crystal clear these are all her dramas, but I love how she uses familiar tropes in all her scripts while always doing something creative and clever that makes her stories fresh and relevant each time. She excels at endearing characters and growth arcs for flawed characters. This drama is no exception.
I ached for Ha Myeong and Jae Myeong (poor Beom Jo--her 2MLs always do heorics things and are very likable, but you inevitably feel sad for them by the end; prepare your heart 😟), and cheered for In Ha and Cha Ok to reunite as mother and daughter; overall, I just loved watching these characters' dedication to reporting the truth even when the cost was astronomically high.
In Ha is not my favorite of this screenwriter's FLs, but the hiccups are done to convincing and adorable perfection by PSH and she's a solid character who I never stopped rooting for. She and Ha Myeong work really well as a team.
I think part of what made this less memorable than some of her other dramas was the relatively boring and bland cinematography. I know it's the same director as IHYV, so maybe IHYV was saved by the fact it was not filmed in the dead of winter with everyone looking half-frozen most of the time (how many coats did Dal Po and In Ha possess? They seemed to have an endless supply 😅). Both dramas look quite dated compared to While You Were Sleeping and Start-Up which are both gorgeous visual feasts. This drama just felt visually boring and recycled a lot of the same sets and locations; there wasn't enough variety visually to suit my taste. Thankfully the acting and script delivered in spades, so it made up for the boring visual component.
Park Rosa plays such a different role here than in IHYV which speaks to the incredible acting from Kim Hae Sook (she's always fabulous).
Held up way better than expected on a rewatch, and it reminded me of just how much I love this screenwriter. Give it a watch!
This drama blows even the trivial things out of proportion.Honestly, they should start dating in the open. Nobody…
If I was a teacher dating a student's parent, I'd want to keep that under wraps until I practically knew I'd never break up with them/married them. 😅 I'd want to do that with dating at all, but especially dating a parent of one of my students.
Teenagers are SO nosy. I'd hate the gossip amongst my students and annoyingly personal and uncomfortable questions they'd try to ask (which I'd of course not answer), or feel afraid to run into them while on a date. I wouldn't want them knowing that much about my personal life, and that would be hard to do in a small town unless the dating was done... discreetly.
Been reading the comments the last few days, and it just doesn't sound very much like a Hong sisters drama. Elements I've been reading about just sound unlike their other stories. Does this seem to divert drastically from their past dramas? I'm curious what those who have watched other dramas by them think of this?
Is this a product of theirs, sans censorship? It seems some Kdrama screenwriters write very differently for Netflix/Disney/Hulu etc. than they do for networks, and my guess is it has to do with the lack of censorship/criteria they have to meet to be eligible for TV?. Anyway, I don't always like them, and for similar patterns/reasons (the ones for American streaming platforms).
I've always had mixed feelings about censorship for TV, but I do find I like that projects in Korea for TV have parameters around which they have to work, as it seems to increase creativity within a formula. The formula has a charm and draw for me that gets lost when it's largely dropped or done away with completely. And then it no longer feels like a Kdrama. And a Kdrama is what I signed up for. 😉
I guess I'm wondering if those who feel the same way as me about the progression of Kdramas the past few years feel that way about this drama?
I love these actors, but this isn't sounding like a drama I'll enjoy so far...🫤
idk what's going down in the comments.. like why are y'all fighting.. if u are enjoying, fine.. If u feel its…
Welcome to currently airing MDL Kdrama pages. 😉 What you describe is becoming the norm around here the last few years while a high profile Kdrama is airing.
I think it's just all the traffic these dramas get now with Kdramas getting more popular. Anyone and everyone makes an appearance: mean people, rude people, insensitive people, people who can't bear to have their favorite actors criticized, people who can't stand people who can't handle having their favorite actors criticized, insecure people, "taste police," people who don't know how to disagree while being kind, people who can't handle people who disagree with them at all, and trolls/contrarians who just love to stir the pot and get everyone mad. 😂
I know, the last good one I liked was Under The Queen's Umbrella (never watched Red Sleeve cause I know the ending), and that was several years ago now! 😔
The nods to I Hear Your Voice are really fun: the voice for Dal Po's navigation system is the FL from I Hear Your Voice, and they had a little dream sequence where the FL in this drama imagines what it would be like to be a lawyer with Pinocchio syndrome and the scene she imagines recreates a seen from IHYV with the music and everything.😅
I think the low rating came from the ambiguity of who's really the ML. Many people felt played with the way Ji…
Yes, she's my favorite screenwriter! All of her dramas are good, though some are better than others. But be warned, she does always write likable 2MLs that are in involved in slight love triangles in every drama. 😉 Ranked from most favorite to least favorite:
1. While You Were Sleeping (I've rewatched this so many times... 😅 It's almost a perfect blend of everything I enjoy in a drama; I just love it) 2. I Can Hear Your Voice (dated, but really poignant themes, and some of my favorite scenes in a Kdrama. The characters arcs in this were what I loved most, and the way the leads grow) 3. Start-Up (so thought-provoking, hard to binge, but beautifully filmed) 4. Castaway Diva (I love the found family concept, and, as usual, some really lovely theme sand characters) 5. Page Turner (only three episodes, but very heartwarming and sweet) 6. Pinocchio (a little rougher around the edges for me (characters are less likable overall, but the themes are very good, as per usual for her!)) 7. Dream High (this launched several young actors into the spotlight; they are now quite famous: Kim Soo Hyun, IU, Bae Suzy, Oh Taec Yeon (it even had a young Park Eun Bin in it!))
Honestly, many actors gained much of their acting momentum from her dramas. She's pretty consistent, and very talented. Hope you enjoy her as well!
I’m so confused how the same scriptwriter wrote both The Glory and Genie lol
Cause she's hit and miss, but almost always popular even if the drama is bad. 😅 She takes risks and sometimes they don't land. Not my favorite screenwriter, but I admire her guts and willingness to try "out there" ideas. 😅
Exactly they could have have kept do ra mi as her persona like she changed and started voicing her opinions ,…
Huh, how odd. So would she have had a different alternative person before her hit movie, I wonder? That seems like such an odd direction for the Hong sisters to go...
Who says china is not a democracy? Maybe not in Westerns paradigm, but for popular interests to be practiced by…
I have come to appreciate Cdramas a lot more than I expected to (the narrative around China in the U.S. is, admittedly, very negative on the right AND left, but particularly on the right), but the red flag for me that persists with Cdramas is that I've noticed the government, civil service employees or police can never look bad in modern Cdramas. Sure, they can make mistakes here and there, but that's it (this is, of course, just an observation from my own anecdotal experience from dramas I've watched).
In contrast, Korea and the U.S. can't stop talking about how bad the police and government are in their media... 🤔 There's always a corrupt baddie getting taken down who's at the top and leading the prosecutors or politicians or police. Fraud getting exposed here, there, and everywhere (with the rich and powerful). But, so Korea and the U.S. really have more corruption than China?
Odds are, governments everywhere are pretty janky (I struggle to believe any of them are institutions of selfless goodness and justice; there is no such thing), so in my estimation the countries that can critique their institutions without getting backlash or that don't get censored before doing so have more freedom creatively to say what they want (even if what they're saying makes the country look bad), and to me, that's a good sign that a country is tapping into some semblance of democracy and freedom of speech. On the flip side, if this isn't happening, that tells me the narrative the masses get to hear/see is being controlled/closely regulated.
Unlike many dramas today that drag in the second half, this goes steady and strong for the entire drama (even with 20 episodes!). Some of the big twists and shocking moments do happen earlier, but the second half shows us our beloved reporters warming up to their craft.
I don't think Dal Po is as lovable as Soo Ha in IHYV or as playful and dorky as Jae Chan in WYWS, and that's partly because he's more resentful and more flawed (like the FL in IHYV). He does have some great moments, though.
In fact, watching this again, I've realized that the importance of the truth is really one of this screenwriter's favorite themes; it shows up in this drama extensively, in ICHYV, in WYWS, later with more bite and ache in Start-Up, and even a little bit in Castaway Diva. It's crystal clear these are all her dramas, but I love how she uses familiar tropes in all her scripts while always doing something creative and clever that makes her stories fresh and relevant each time. She excels at endearing characters and growth arcs for flawed characters. This drama is no exception.
I ached for Ha Myeong and Jae Myeong (poor Beom Jo--her 2MLs always do heorics things and are very likable, but you inevitably feel sad for them by the end; prepare your heart 😟), and cheered for In Ha and Cha Ok to reunite as mother and daughter; overall, I just loved watching these characters' dedication to reporting the truth even when the cost was astronomically high.
In Ha is not my favorite of this screenwriter's FLs, but the hiccups are done to convincing and adorable perfection by PSH and she's a solid character who I never stopped rooting for. She and Ha Myeong work really well as a team.
I think part of what made this less memorable than some of her other dramas was the relatively boring and bland cinematography. I know it's the same director as IHYV, so maybe IHYV was saved by the fact it was not filmed in the dead of winter with everyone looking half-frozen most of the time (how many coats did Dal Po and In Ha possess? They seemed to have an endless supply 😅). Both dramas look quite dated compared to While You Were Sleeping and Start-Up which are both gorgeous visual feasts. This drama just felt visually boring and recycled a lot of the same sets and locations; there wasn't enough variety visually to suit my taste. Thankfully the acting and script delivered in spades, so it made up for the boring visual component.
Park Rosa plays such a different role here than in IHYV which speaks to the incredible acting from Kim Hae Sook (she's always fabulous).
Held up way better than expected on a rewatch, and it reminded me of just how much I love this screenwriter. Give it a watch!
Teenagers are SO nosy. I'd hate the gossip amongst my students and annoyingly personal and uncomfortable questions they'd try to ask (which I'd of course not answer), or feel afraid to run into them while on a date. I wouldn't want them knowing that much about my personal life, and that would be hard to do in a small town unless the dating was done... discreetly.
Is this a product of theirs, sans censorship? It seems some Kdrama screenwriters write very differently for Netflix/Disney/Hulu etc. than they do for networks, and my guess is it has to do with the lack of censorship/criteria they have to meet to be eligible for TV?. Anyway, I don't always like them, and for similar patterns/reasons (the ones for American streaming platforms).
I've always had mixed feelings about censorship for TV, but I do find I like that projects in Korea for TV have parameters around which they have to work, as it seems to increase creativity within a formula. The formula has a charm and draw for me that gets lost when it's largely dropped or done away with completely. And then it no longer feels like a Kdrama. And a Kdrama is what I signed up for. 😉
I guess I'm wondering if those who feel the same way as me about the progression of Kdramas the past few years feel that way about this drama?
I love these actors, but this isn't sounding like a drama I'll enjoy so far...🫤
I think it's just all the traffic these dramas get now with Kdramas getting more popular. Anyone and everyone makes an appearance: mean people, rude people, insensitive people, people who can't bear to have their favorite actors criticized, people who can't stand people who can't handle having their favorite actors criticized, insecure people, "taste police," people who don't know how to disagree while being kind, people who can't handle people who disagree with them at all, and trolls/contrarians who just love to stir the pot and get everyone mad. 😂
You know, typical internet community problems. 😉😅
1. While You Were Sleeping (I've rewatched this so many times... 😅 It's almost a perfect blend of everything I enjoy in a drama; I just love it)
2. I Can Hear Your Voice (dated, but really poignant themes, and some of my favorite scenes in a Kdrama. The characters arcs in this were what I loved most, and the way the leads grow)
3. Start-Up (so thought-provoking, hard to binge, but beautifully filmed)
4. Castaway Diva (I love the found family concept, and, as usual, some really lovely theme sand characters)
5. Page Turner (only three episodes, but very heartwarming and sweet)
6. Pinocchio (a little rougher around the edges for me (characters are less likable overall, but the themes are very good, as per usual for her!))
7. Dream High (this launched several young actors into the spotlight; they are now quite famous: Kim Soo Hyun, IU, Bae Suzy, Oh Taec Yeon (it even had a young Park Eun Bin in it!))
Honestly, many actors gained much of their acting momentum from her dramas. She's pretty consistent, and very talented. Hope you enjoy her as well!
In contrast, Korea and the U.S. can't stop talking about how bad the police and government are in their media... 🤔 There's always a corrupt baddie getting taken down who's at the top and leading the prosecutors or politicians or police. Fraud getting exposed here, there, and everywhere (with the rich and powerful). But, so Korea and the U.S. really have more corruption than China?
Odds are, governments everywhere are pretty janky (I struggle to believe any of them are institutions of selfless goodness and justice; there is no such thing), so in my estimation the countries that can critique their institutions without getting backlash or that don't get censored before doing so have more freedom creatively to say what they want (even if what they're saying makes the country look bad), and to me, that's a good sign that a country is tapping into some semblance of democracy and freedom of speech. On the flip side, if this isn't happening, that tells me the narrative the masses get to hear/see is being controlled/closely regulated.