People are mentioning that TvN didn't expect Lovely Runner to be that successful, in fact they even thought it…
Monday/Tuesday tend to fare poorly compared to other days of the week in terms of ratings. In terms of star power, as a long time k drama watcher, I can tell you both main leads's star power were way lower ( at least before the drama started) compared to Joo Won, Kwon Nara or Kim Ha Neul whose dramas are airing on the same day. And yes it's unfair, particularly for Kim Hye Yoon in my opinion who is just terrific in anything she does and has been in this field for a while.
I don't think it's a matter of quality but rather a matter of when the drama is airing and which dramas are facing it.
In fact if you look at TV ratings, I haven't checked for this week, but even though Lovely Runner is in the lead it's still below 5%. Basically, the popularity of this series has grown from reruns available on streaming services.
Anyway, no biggie. Better have an unexpected success than an unexpected failure. Also, it would be unfair to say Tvn expected this drama to flop, True Beauty was popular when it originally aired after all. They just didn't expect the outpour of love from fans.
It would be a nice chance to see a bit of jealousy from Im Sol even though we know Sun Jae had only one person…
Oh I hadn't read... I wasn't saying Sun Jae was going to look at other girls... But that Im Sol might think he does. A little bit of jealousy works wonder to make people get together, you know? The tiny feeling of urgency that your crush is going to be snatched away by somebody else. Especially because we saw in the preview that Sol is going to avoid him... maybe she feels it's her fault what happened to Sun Jae... Doesn't matter. Even if she wants to stay away... A fake love rival is all she'll need to change her mind :D
That was my train of thoughts. I just looked at the picture...I had no idea what was written ^^ But she also might be bullied because the girl in question is in love with Sun Jae. Either way, I'm not worried with this writer, she knows what she's doing. True Beauty was awesome from start to finish and this show has been so far so my worry is in the negative range at this moment.
It's one of the first uploads on TVN's Instagram and X pages (sorry unable to access the apps atm)
... Geez... I don't have an account on both... Ok... Hope I don't have to log in... to see it. Since I don't use social networks, last time I tried to connect to X via google it considered my account as fake... But thank you for the reply ^^
EDIT: Saw it! Actually I found the instagram link and I didn't need to have an account to see it... It was too short.
Direct link above for those like me who don't have an account... You can't navigate on the instagram page without an account... But you can see it if you have the direct link :D
So just started ep 16 and here's my 2 cents. I personally decided not to watch it live since I had watched "Perfect Marriage Revenge" as it aired and this drama started to air before PMR even finished... or just after I don't remember. Anyway, both air dates were too close for two dramas which similar plots. I saw that this drama was popular but since I didn't watch it live, I wasn't swept by the hype.
Are the last 6 episodes as terrible as people say?
Short answer: Definitely NO.
Long answer:
It's been said several times here but the first 10/11 episodes were awesome. Just pure fun. It's fun because it's entertaining to see the husband and his mistress assuming they're playing Ji Won when she is the one who has the upper hand.
Which is the difference with the last 5/6 episodes: Nobody is playing anyone there. It becomes more dirty and confrontational but for an obvious reason plotwise: so far, Ji Won and Ji Hyuk knew what was going to happen but after that, it's a bit of a grey territory since they understand they don't have full control over what part of fate is given to who and they also have to deal with the unpredictable (how Min Hwan and Soo Min reacts when pushed to the end of a cliff which wasn't the case in the first timeline). And Ji Won and Ji Hyuk turn manipulative... While in the first half, they just... "pushed them" a bit... In the last episodes, they literally manipulate them... Don't get me wrong, they're responsible for their own downfall, that much is clear... but Ji Won and Ji Hyuk did get their hands a bit dirty. It's not necessarily a pleasant sight, but it's not like they really had a choice. So from a "fun revenge" we turn into a battle of survival with the two original dirtbags understanding that they've been played and it turns nasty. I wouldn't say that Yoo Ra's arc was unnecessary... In the original plotline, Ji Hyuk mentions that she did cause problems but he only knew about it way later, what Ji Won and Ji Hyuk did, just accelerated the process. Part of the disappointment probably comes from the fact that she has less layers than Soo Min and she 's "just" psychotic... But power psychos exist... they're just not as much fun to watch.
Anyway, I personally find the critics here a bit harsh. I think some people were so entertained by the first 10 episodes or so that they fell out of love with the rest of the episodes and their disappointment overcame their "subjective objectivity".
Now that I've almost reach the end of this journey... I'd say the first 10/11 episodes were a solid 9.5 for me... And the remaining episodes, while still entertaining were not as awesome and fell under the " enjoyable but forgettable" category still without any moment of boredom on my part so I would give the last 5/6 episodes a solid 8.
All in all for me ( will watch the last episode today), it's a very solid 8.5
Don't assume the second half is as terrible as people are made it out to be out of disapointment... Watch it and judge for yourself.
Two questions:1. Anyone has a link to the BTS for ep 7 and 8 with english subs? Just found with korean subs. Much…
Sol is her first name and Im (임 can be transcribed as Lim but also Im or Yim, there's no definite rule) is her last Name.
Basically in Korean, most of the time ( unless it's someone of mixed descent), the last name is one syllable and the first name is 2.
If you hear a name with only two syllables, you can assume the first sound is the last name and the second is the first name.
Also in the whole series, her friends call her 솔아 - Seol-Ah Ah being a particule of familiarity. It's not uncommon however to call someone by their full name when irritated which Seon Jae has done a couple of time with Sol ( although we know he's just pretending to be irritated).
So wild theory here... But here me out. Given the fact that Seon Jae remembers that Sol has been predicting things in the past and present ( his injury, the fact that something would happen to her on the first of September, the fact that they would meet on the bridge), he might guess in 2023 based on the new timeline of next week - that we haven't yet seen - that Bulldozer Sol he met in the past was the Sol of the future ( yeah he's a goner for both but not my point here) and hence that he actually interacted in the past with two Sols: the one who doesn't know him and the one who wants to save him.
So... 8 episodes left here's what I think is going to happen:
Sol goes back to the past... This time, it works... She manages to save Seon Jae... at the cost of her own life... Desperate to get her back it's Seon Jae this time who manages to get back to the past to try to save her.
That would make a nice change of dynamics and also give them more chances to get things right this time. Also it would be fun to see him being in Sol's shoes for once :D
That scar is weird... Seon Jae didn't even see the killer in this timeline so why the hell... Or maybe it hints to the fact that even though they don't remember it, all people who are involved with Im Sol in the past have internalized memories of their previous past... That would explain why the grandma still remembers the past that shouldn't have existed in her memory.
Well, as long as Seon Jae and Im Sol get together and are able to be happy, I don't care for the explanation.
OK. I'm officially in heaven. BUT WHY DID I SPOIL MYSELF!!! SO Many fudging hours to wait until it's available on Viki... AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I HATE MYSELF!!!
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In terms of star power, as a long time k drama watcher, I can tell you both main leads's star power were way lower ( at least before the drama started) compared to Joo Won, Kwon Nara or Kim Ha Neul whose dramas are airing on the same day. And yes it's unfair, particularly for Kim Hye Yoon in my opinion who is just terrific in anything she does and has been in this field for a while.
I don't think it's a matter of quality but rather a matter of when the drama is airing and which dramas are facing it.
In fact if you look at TV ratings, I haven't checked for this week, but even though Lovely Runner is in the lead it's still below 5%. Basically, the popularity of this series has grown from reruns available on streaming services.
Anyway, no biggie. Better have an unexpected success than an unexpected failure. Also, it would be unfair to say Tvn expected this drama to flop, True Beauty was popular when it originally aired after all. They just didn't expect the outpour of love from fans.
https://www.youtube.com/@tvNdrama/videos
Check videos named [number-of-the-episode화 미방분]
Dunno why they deleted these... These scenes are lovely and it's not like the episodes are particularly long...
I wasn't saying Sun Jae was going to look at other girls... But that Im Sol might think he does.
A little bit of jealousy works wonder to make people get together, you know? The tiny feeling of urgency that your crush is going to be snatched away by somebody else. Especially because we saw in the preview that Sol is going to avoid him... maybe she feels it's her fault what happened to Sun Jae... Doesn't matter. Even if she wants to stay away... A fake love rival is all she'll need to change her mind :D
That was my train of thoughts. I just looked at the picture...I had no idea what was written ^^ But she also might be bullied because the girl in question is in love with Sun Jae.
Either way, I'm not worried with this writer, she knows what she's doing. True Beauty was awesome from start to finish and this show has been so far so my worry is in the negative range at this moment.
EDIT: Saw it! Actually I found the instagram link and I didn't need to have an account to see it...
It was too short.
https://www.instagram.com/tvn_drama/reel/C6e9iD2KBdc/
Direct link above for those like me who don't have an account... You can't navigate on the instagram page without an account... But you can see it if you have the direct link :D
I saw somebody mentioning it the the comment section... I NEED IT to survive the next 3 days and 15 hours.
I personally decided not to watch it live since I had watched "Perfect Marriage Revenge" as it aired and this drama started to air before PMR even finished... or just after I don't remember. Anyway, both air dates were too close for two dramas which similar plots.
I saw that this drama was popular but since I didn't watch it live, I wasn't swept by the hype.
Are the last 6 episodes as terrible as people say?
Short answer: Definitely NO.
Long answer:
It's been said several times here but the first 10/11 episodes were awesome. Just pure fun. It's fun because it's entertaining to see the husband and his mistress assuming they're playing Ji Won when she is the one who has the upper hand.
Which is the difference with the last 5/6 episodes: Nobody is playing anyone there. It becomes more dirty and confrontational but for an obvious reason plotwise: so far, Ji Won and Ji Hyuk knew what was going to happen but after that, it's a bit of a grey territory since they understand they don't have full control over what part of fate is given to who and they also have to deal with the unpredictable (how Min Hwan and Soo Min reacts when pushed to the end of a cliff which wasn't the case in the first timeline).
And Ji Won and Ji Hyuk turn manipulative... While in the first half, they just... "pushed them" a bit... In the last episodes, they literally manipulate them... Don't get me wrong, they're responsible for their own downfall, that much is clear... but Ji Won and Ji Hyuk did get their hands a bit dirty. It's not necessarily a pleasant sight, but it's not like they really had a choice.
So from a "fun revenge" we turn into a battle of survival with the two original dirtbags understanding that they've been played and it turns nasty. I wouldn't say that Yoo Ra's arc was unnecessary... In the original plotline, Ji Hyuk mentions that she did cause problems but he only knew about it way later, what Ji Won and Ji Hyuk did, just accelerated the process. Part of the disappointment probably comes from the fact that she has less layers than Soo Min and she 's "just" psychotic... But power psychos exist... they're just not as much fun to watch.
Anyway, I personally find the critics here a bit harsh.
I think some people were so entertained by the first 10 episodes or so that they fell out of love with the rest of the episodes and their disappointment overcame their "subjective objectivity".
Now that I've almost reach the end of this journey... I'd say the first 10/11 episodes were a solid 9.5 for me... And the remaining episodes, while still entertaining were not as awesome and fell under the " enjoyable but forgettable" category still without any moment of boredom on my part so I would give the last 5/6 episodes a solid 8.
All in all for me ( will watch the last episode today), it's a very solid 8.5
Don't assume the second half is as terrible as people are made it out to be out of disapointment... Watch it and judge for yourself.
Basically in Korean, most of the time ( unless it's someone of mixed descent), the last name is one syllable and the first name is 2.
If you hear a name with only two syllables, you can assume the first sound is the last name and the second is the first name.
Also in the whole series, her friends call her 솔아 - Seol-Ah Ah being a particule of familiarity. It's not uncommon however to call someone by their full name when irritated which Seon Jae has done a couple of time with Sol ( although we know he's just pretending to be irritated).
But here me out.
Given the fact that Seon Jae remembers that Sol has been predicting things in the past and present ( his injury, the fact that something would happen to her on the first of September, the fact that they would meet on the bridge), he might guess in 2023 based on the new timeline of next week - that we haven't yet seen - that Bulldozer Sol he met in the past was the Sol of the future ( yeah he's a goner for both but not my point here) and hence that he actually interacted in the past with two Sols: the one who doesn't know him and the one who wants to save him.
So... 8 episodes left here's what I think is going to happen:
Sol goes back to the past... This time, it works... She manages to save Seon Jae... at the cost of her own life... Desperate to get her back it's Seon Jae this time who manages to get back to the past to try to save her.
That would make a nice change of dynamics and also give them more chances to get things right this time. Also it would be fun to see him being in Sol's shoes for once :D
Or maybe it hints to the fact that even though they don't remember it, all people who are involved with Im Sol in the past have internalized memories of their previous past...
That would explain why the grandma still remembers the past that shouldn't have existed in her memory.
Well, as long as Seon Jae and Im Sol get together and are able to be happy, I don't care for the explanation.
Sorry Gotta go :D
How come these cliffhangers are getting worse every single week?