Kathryn_51

Taking the long view. . . . . .the viewer now understands (1) Father Kang's PTSD, (2) the enormous stress placed on Tae Min at a young age - while dear Grandmother sat back and did nothing except spoil Tae Ho; and (3) most importantly, since HyoShim now has the information, she will tell Tae Ho at some point. That is, if the writer is any good and didn't just throw around info for the fun of it.

I will miss most of the fun for the next couple of weeks while on vacation. But I'll be reading your comments, and composing articulate counter-points in my mind. 🤣🤣

Although Kan Jin Bum is eldest son, I'm starting to wonder if dear grandmama is not his bio mother. What mother would allow a father to constantly hit a son with a golf club in the head? Why did she always favor the youngest son?

Maybe she isn't the sweet lady we have been led to believe - which would be an interesting twist, regardless of whether my speculation is true or some other reason for her dislike (all of his life!) of Jin Bum.

There might be an undisclosed birth secret of the Kang family, but it's more likely to be a offspring of the grandfather's concubine.

Father Lee will show up soon and I assume his role will be more than simply "missing dad that caused family grief" - maybe he left because he had a 2nd family somewhere?? I think the reason we didn't see a face is that they didn't want to hire a younger person for a handful of scenes - the actor who will portray Dad is 65 years old.

The FF button Is Your Friend😃😃😃. Out of a cast of 30+ regulars, i can count ~12 (including granddad at the gym) that I really enjoy. Auntie is deliciously wicked, but Rubi and the other two spoiled brats are to be avoided whenever possible. Thankfully they are in their own little universe that i never need enter.

I checked further - KBS did something similar last weekend (w/earlier episodes). If KBS - apparently The King of Kdrama weekenders - wishes to revive the genre, and I'm not convinced they do, - they MUST do more to promote this drama. According to one article, this has been planned for more than a year to revive the genre, and yet. . . . .???

I'm not even certain that I will be here for the duration (much as I "adore" 🤣 my mini-crush Ha Joon🤣😊🤣😊) because thus far, I do not sense anything "fresh". And by "fresh" I mean - iconic, but new twists.

Waiting for Hyo-shim's father to appear - I think that cliffhanger will provide insight on planned trajectory.

Apparently KBS is promoting LYOL bit by airing repeats of prior episodes this weekend.

On Saturday, KBS is airing episodes 6 and 7 late afternoon before Episode 8 airs in the evening.

On Sunday, Episode 8 repeats early afternoon and Episode 9 will air that evening.

Hope it works.

I think he is a patient and in more of a "guest appearance" role than support. The press release merely confirmed that he would "appear" in this drama. Plus, this is YOO IN SOO, the prince of controlled chaos - in the trailer, there is a patient walking away from the camera wildly pulling at his hair - my immediate reaction was that it was In Soo, but of course could be wrong .

The Director (Lee Jae Gyoo) was one of In-soo's former professors. He was also the director for All of Us Are Dead - In Soo came in for an interview and the Director essentially told him - I want you to play Gwinam (no audition). My bet is that the Director asked In Soo to make a special appearance but there is no way he had the time to juggle several months of filming in a "support role" since he was still filming AOS Part 2 and then almost immediately into Good Bad Mother.

Re: Hyo joon - auto-translation of KBS site is always difficult and especially regarding Hyo Joon. My understanding is that everything came easily to him if he just focused for a few months, but if he didn't like the new activity, he would move on to the next one. Perhaps you read the "tried to be jack of all trades" somewhere else. And I didn't realize that his father was a lawyer! in fact, the character description of Mom is really sad and we really haven't been given a full picture of how difficult her life - and the children - was during those 25(?) years. The return of Dad is going to be a major nuclear blast in the lives of many people. I think it will be NLT than Ep. 10 - perhaps Ep.8 - which was the same episode that Yeon Do dropped HER bombshell at the wedding.

Discovered some interesting ig posts from the actor Lee Kwang Ki who plays the “villainous” Yeom Yin Soo, right-hand man to Uber Villain Jang Sook Hyang (TM’s mother). He began posting photos from the beginning of filming, so I took note because I’m interested in how a weekender gets put together.

During these 1st few episodes, I estimate that at least 50% (peraps 75%) of the scenes have been “non-studio”. Perhaps that huge TS Fitness gym is studio, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they simply rented out an entire existing facility for several months. And there has been some great camera work – Hyo Shim sitting on steps, crying while looking out over the city; the Uchieon Villa gang running up the outside stairs for 3 stories.

The main take-away for me – they filmed all summer “on location” (that is, not in studio – perhaps because the other weekender was still filming in studio??) and It will be difficult to make major revisions to the story outline until at least mid-way through the episodes.
May 24th – “1st script reading”
June 15th – “first shoot at last”
August 30th – “Filming at Han River till dawn”
September 7th – “First day rehearsal” (photos in studio w/several of the cast members assembled – here’s link if you are interested: https://www.instagram.com/p/Cw6hFaovNGy/?img_index=1

I already noticed one continuity error – on the same day TM and TH were dressing in the gym (suits, ties, etc) (Studio?), TH later shows up outdoors in a gray suit/tee when he helps HS with the sign. 😊

Except for Hyo Shim (and perhaps Chaebol Grandmother and the Golf Pro), EVERY character in this drama is flawed - which I like because I'm not a fan of one-dimensional saint or sinner characters.

Except for the obvious villains (TM's mother and right-hand man), everyone has room to wander through the next 43 episodes in varying degrees of ethical quandaries, ill-fated romance and family secrets.

I was actually surprised that the writers used an accurate timeline - it was like "A Week In The Life" of all the characters and helped introduce each one in terms of their personalities, their current "struggles", and - for most - a decent personal history that helps explain some of their motivations and actions.

Perhaps Episode 8 will fill in more information re:

Middle Brother Lee Hyo Joon - according to KBS website, he was genius at everything as a child (academics, sports, etc) but clearly is struggling now. Perhaps it has something to do with being abandoned by Dad??
"Actress" Jung Mi Rim - all we know about her is that she is really bad at acting, lol. Some sort of issue with her family (according to KBS).

TH may be somewhat aware that HS is a woman, but he continues to be a manipulative jerk (calling up her boss to complain and getting her in trouble?? F**k that). She Does Not Like Him! And he knows it. Who is the stalker here???

I think that right now, he's jealous of Tae Min's friendly relationship with her and wants to cut TM out - of course, in the process, his feelings will evolve and while we wait for the adorable actor Ha Joon to emerge, I am enjoying watching him flesh out the character.

Time to take a bet - what episode will TH and HS become a real "couple"? I say Ep. 20ish - at the earliest; more likely Ep. 30ish lol

I also noticed that HS was remarkably absent from the entire episode. Tae Min did call her to make sure she was okay (but neither he nor Tae Ho knew that she was "ill") and I guess it was a day off for her? After watching the raw feed and FF thru the subs, I need to sit down and re-watch.

Mom's back story had more to do about her husband - who left the day after his birthday 20+ (25+??) years ago. Dad will return at some point but I'm not sure I understand what his return could add to an already full plate for HS and her family.

Very good news. 2nd highest thus far. but KBS needs to do more to promote - like some decent BTS.

It's easy to hate the villainess and easy to dislike the sister-in-law, but my rant is against Hyo Do. That little SOB escaped from the loan sharks but he knows - he KNOWS - that his sister is at risk. That beating she took - it's all on him, but meanwhile he's living easy now that he's found someone else to protect him. He couldn't even bother to warn her.

And I also can't stand the insufferably childish Tae Hee.
I guess every weekender must include a litany of stock characters, but I find the young and stupid ones to be the worst.

The only positive result was that it gave Tae Min a chance to show his personal side - he's kind and thoughtful for those he cares about (including his entire family). He thinks he can separate business from personal, but he will learn soon enough that it isn't possible. Contrast with Tae Ho who thinks you can mix it all together with no consequences.

It's difficult to rate a drama that is 10 years old - does one compare it to dramas of that era or today's dramas. So, the following are my plusses and minuses.

PLUS
Fantasy? The one big plus for me is that the rules - such as they existed - were consistent throughout the drama. No new rules, twists, "oh, didn't we tell you about. . . .".
Side characters: Many side-characters w/connections to the Main Couple but their own stories - they weren't there to simply support the two leads.
Ghost stories: many episodes dealt with a particular ghost and their story. Although I don't really care about them, I actually teared up in a couple (music, of course, had a lot to do with it).
Wrap-up: Really enjoyed the last episode (#17) as it wrapped up each character in a charming manner. Anything more would be spoiler, but. . . .I was charmed.
THE Big Mystery: Nicely done. Justice was served.

MEH
Romance? Yes - very much so but, unfortunately, it is the old-school romance of unite/break-up/unite/break-up/time skip, etc. etc. The two leads were excellent actors, but whether it was the script or their portrayal, I never warmed up to either one. I think I'm in a minority. 😊

NEGATIVE
The couple went in circles. Perhaps a hallmark of that era, but in the end I didn't care if they ended up together or not. On the other hand, I really cared about the Second Main Couple.

I found this drama because it was recommended by fans of "Destined With You". I enjoyed this one far more than DWY - consistent plot, interesting ghost stories, fun characters. 8.5 ⭐

His name is Kang Hyung Soon and he was the right hand man of Kang Geun Man - the grandfather and founder of Taesan Group.

I get confused with the titles "Director" and "Vice Chairman". This executive was a "Vice Chairman" under Grandad - but Tae Ho's father was also a "vice chairman". Is he also a relative ("Kang")???

It's also not clear to me who died first - Grandfather Kang or his #2 son Kang Joon Beom (Tae Ho's father). Maybe it doesn't matter - Jang Sook-hyang is the designated villain (together with Yeom Jin Soo - the apparent "right hand man of the current Chairman). 😂😂

Golden retriever didn't make an appearance in Episode 6, lol.

he walked away - and THEN he turned around! So, I thought it meant that he decided to place the spell book inside along with the curses AND why he wrote the instructions to maintain the shrine. But. . . . I agree with you that it makes zero sense when juxtaposed against the current times wherein "the chosen one" (Hong Jo) was the only one who could unlock the box. WHO placed the enchantment on the box such that the owner was the only one who could open it? Mega Plot Hole.

Just one of many reasons I didn't give this drama a high rating.

Yes, I remember the "Who Shot Jr" story very well, lol. It was truly epic - and although the culprit (Kristen?) was considered a minor suspect (as opposed to Sue Ellen or Cliff somebody), the story made sense and I don't recall any lingering plot holes/unexplained statements/events. In the end, I like the puzzle pieces to fit and my ratings reflect that but I know that many others care about other things (chemistry, tragedy, cinematography) and that's okay with me.😊😊