MadelineMaureen

It's a co-lab with SBS so 16 episodes is the normal length. I also dislike it when 16ep dramas keep in filler when they could have just gotten to the point. So expect lots of blue drink and coffee candy ads coming our way. As well as more from the two secretaries/right hand man/woman of the leads.

The hair continuity in ep 10 was on another level. Every time the scene changed to a different location aka different day of filming, Song Kang's hair would change not only from black to reddish brown but from a shorter length to the baby mullet.
Not super important just thought it was funny/interesting.

Even though this is definitely for 'The Story of Park's Marriage Contract' I'll see if I can answer them for you.

The watch was most likely collected by the Kang family as it was dropped when she was thrown into the well, and her shoes were neatly placed by the well...aka staging the scene to look like a suicide.

The watch belonged to the young deity, it's just a marker of her promise to return the kindness the FL's grandfather showed her...a way to keep an eye on the family.

The painting was done by the Kang Tae Ha(ML) of the past. It was of Yeon Woo(FL) when they met as children at the creek/river. He'd had a crush on her since that meeting as far as we know. Present day grandfather sees it as the thing he wasn't supposed to have, his fixation if you will. His father was going to donate all of the artifacts that he had in his possession to the public either after his death or prior we are sure. The Kang grandfather is power and money driven.

The flashback showed Hwang Myeong Su [Hye Suk's right-hand man] throwing Yeon Woo in the well. It was his voice that she recognized in present day. Sa Wol recognized the watch because Yeon Woo never went anywhere without it since her grandfather gave it to her. As Yeon Woo didn't have it on her person after coming to present day, Sa Wol concluded that whomever had possession of the watch was responsible for her "death".

We haven't yet seen who exactly was behind tossing Yeon Woo in the well. It could have been ordered by the grandfather or by the stepmother. But it was 100% Hwang Myeong Su who carried it out.

Talk about daddy issues in human form. He saved her from her father's abuse and then she obsessed over him for over a decade(don't know how old the character is). Have we even gotten a concrete timeline of when she came back into his life after the night GW collected her father's soul?

That "You mean nothing to me" line really gave in that moment, it's too bad she didn't actually listen to him. & the "I can't live without her." was the cherry on top. But JGY is in delulu land if she thinks he would want anything to do with her after watch she pulled(if he even finds out she gave DDH poison). I swear to god if the writers fumble this part I will be so disappointed. They don't cut enough toxic people out of their lives in these shows for my liking.

Holidays, people studying for finals(unsure the exact dates terms start and end in SK) it's releases on Fri/Sat...their target audience is most likely out with friends at that time as well. A whole list of reasons tbh.

The following is based on my knowledge on USA Nielsen rates, I'm not as well versed in Korean viewership over multiple decades.
Thursday night prime time was usually the day of the week with the most wide range of viewership. It was where anyone targeting teens or 20-30s audience wanted their show to air. It could get you better sponsors and thus a higher budget for the next season.
Weekend shows were always either targeted toward family or men after a sports event.
I just know that from my past kdrama watching the mon-tues & wed-thur prime spots were the most competitive/cut throat.

During the boring bits I'll sometimes do other things while watching. But understanding enough Korean to keep track of the conversations without looking isn't going to be for everyone. I end up dropping more Chinese dramas for this reason. I don't know enough of the language to take my eyes off the screen.

This particular time slot has been pretty competitive in the past. But with younger people using online platforms over traditional tv or choosing to binge watch shows after they are complete it will change the outcome of ratings. As this show is more targeted toward a demographic that is either out of the house on a Friday and Saturday night or choosing to do one of the other two options it makes sense that other shows targeting an older audience would preform better. As Netflix doesn't really release numbers I don't think it truly matters in the long run.

We can record live broadcasts and catch shows online the next day, so the viewer watch ratings don't really have the same weight they did 15 years ago. They still have weight behind the scenes, but I think that conversations about the shows on SNS platforms and recognition in other works is what really defines a shows power.
Just think of all the homages and references to past kdramas in current kdramas and skits.

So far I like how they are writing & showing Seok Hoon(2nd ML) so that we are genuinely unsure of his true intentions. I was slightly disappointed that the most obvious bad guy was in fact the bad guy, but did like that the son had his father's phone cloned. I thought that was a good small twist.
I'll be interested to see the past scenes play out and how they are incorporated into the larger picture of the plot. I think you might be right about 2nd ML "going to the dark-side" for intel rather than to help him.

Award shows are really only fun for those whose friends are also attending, but with the cameras on the crowd sometimes you can't even properly interact with others for fear of people taking something out of context. So I never fault anyone for not wanting to site and clap through award shows. Also the fact that they aren't preforming the osts from the shows but instead have out of pocket kpop performances for the actors to have to school their expressions...i can't.

#itried
Looking back on all the shows I've watched it became glaringly clear that "green flag" ML's are few and far between and really only in recent years. The low drama romances are even rarer.
Heads up on 'My Fated Boy', I'm personally struggling with the lack of a decent score/OST in this one. That's honestly one of the big things with the more basic storyline dramas...you need that epic score and OST to round it out, at least for me.

Anyone know what's up with the weird stock music during a LOT of the scenes?

Spoiler tag cause i wrote a whole a paper.

Had the get out my laptop to answer. I went through your completed list and the only Chinese one I could think of off the top of my head is 'My Fated Boy' as I'm currently watching it and find it cute.
I literal have your watchlist pulled up next to mine and keep having to be like oh, nope they've already seen it.

I have some medium level drama llama recs:

'Koi wa Tsuzuku yo Doko Made mo' aka 'Love Lasts Forever' - Watch it...watch it now. It's on viki, but https://blitzfansub.com/category/love-lasts-forever/ this is where I originally watched it with translator notes. As you haven't seen any Japanese dramas this should be helpful.

'Castaway Diva' has 3 hella green flag men in it...but it does deal with domestic abuse. It's short, but the relationships between the FL and the two brothers are so great. (noticed you're watching it)

'Her Private Life' - great chemistry with the leads and ML is super respectful of her love of her idol...lets just say he gives the best birthday present for her in the end, but I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen it.

'Intense Love' the only annoying part about this show is the little sister of the ML. But she is like a Pokémon she evolves with her hairstyle and grows. Doctor ML, actress FL, childhood arranged marriage. They didn't really know each other until they were adults. Their mothers were best friends.

'Love O2O' - the tv show with Yang Yang not the movie. If you can still find it online, as the actress has been yeeted from the Chinese internet, it's a very low drama within the main couple type of show. You Are My Glory is much better work from Yang Yang imo, but it's a classic at this point.

'Love Scenery' - Loved this one. College student/famous online gamer ML and slightly older FL famous singer bond while he teachers her the ropes of a game...think sweeter version of 'You Are My Glory' with them acting out the game play. Same ML as 'Put Your Head On My Shoulder'

'Love to Hate You' - Korean...a bit spicy as they are adults and adult situations be happening. Green flag FL seriously best FL I've seen come out of a Korean drama in a decade.

'My Little Happiness' dude..the chemistry...Doctor ML searching for his first love. FL is a lawyer that works for the hospital...So cute. FL and 2ML from 'Put Your Head On My Shoulder'

'Perfect and Casual' College student and Professor...more like a yellow flag because of possible power dynamic questions, but it works somehow and never really feels weird imo.

'Perfect Marriage Revenge' pretty much everyone BUT the FL and ML are red flags...BUT the ML is an entire forest on his own, so if you are ready to dive into the soapiest of soapy kdramas(I swear to god they almost had a blackout on my kdrama trope bingo card) it's only 12 episodes so could be a good tester for heaver long format dramas.

'Run On' some people found it boring, but Green Flag ML ftw.

'Strong Woman Do Bong Soon' god tier Kdrama...don't watch the spin off that just aired.(came back cause I noticed you're watching it right now...quit while you're ahead...) There is a serial killer plot point...and that is the only serious part of the whole show. will have you kicking your feet at how cute the FL and ML are.

'The Day of Becoming You'- very well acted, but the plot did trip some people up in the end.

'Twinkling Watermelon' this one will make you cry...it's mainly focused on family and understanding each other. Time slipping, music, deaf character, high school. This has child abuse and talks of not wanting to be on the planet anymore....so please keep that in mind. You might want to youtube some clips to see if it's something you're interested in. (noticed you're already watching)

Scrolling through my watched list made me realize how depressing a lot of 2000-2010 shows were...like damn, barely a happy ending in sight.

thank you for saving me the 36hours it would take to watch this. ML is 🚨🚩🚨🚩🚨🚩🚨🚩

i saw it on you tbw list but 'Love Me, Love My Voice'....God Level Tier, slow-burn romance, no drama, green flag ML, OST is FIRE!
watch it...watch it now...
also innocent/naive FL but not childish/annoying

I think they were talking about the actors switching roles...

oh yeah definitely love the actress. the character is just very flawed in her logic.

I really want to see who they cast for the parents as they are just as important as the 'children' in the story imo. They better not cut all the adults story arches.
The best way to cut the fat is the cut out all the extra with her roommates. Have the one who kept in touch with the elder brother, but don't do full deep dives into what makes them tick.

I think it was basketball while in school and then baking in adulthood. Both men chose their profession based on the FL's needs/wants. She NEEDS a dentist she can trust, she WANTS sweets all the time. One brother indulges her the other tried to help with an anxiety point.

I will forever find it weird when shows are up for awards before they are even completed.

Thank you so much for taking the time to help! I really appreciate it.