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Heart warming and healing with a happy ending securely awaiting us. I loved this drama. Wonderful everything.

Soft love. Such a beautiful idea!

This is a sweet drama with many healing overtones. I’m hoping for the happiest of endings! May I ask a foolish question? All the fines and damages Jeong-woo paid out; now that he was found innocent of all charges, does he get this back, with interest?

A wonderful, healing drama. I loved the theme of second chances and the hope it brings even though it comes with its own struggles. Park Min Young, with her radiant smile and instinctual sincerity is still, for me, the greatest, the queen of Korean drama.

So sorry that you are going through Lymphoma. My wife suffers with Multiple Myeloma and has had several relapses, experimental treatments etc but as she says, the important thing is to 'stay in the game' as new therapies are being developed and as Kristel says, hopefully a cure will be found for MCL as well as MM. Stay strong, Haiting!

An excellent list but I would add 'Hotel Del Luna!'

Wonderful news. I've been waiting for IU's next drama. The story line sounds very promising.

My friend who consulted on the drama and my friend who followed him said that Chae Soo-bin, indeed all the cast were lovely people, kind, humble, professional but the director seemed mainly interested in cutting costs. Perhaps he was under pressure to do so.
Despite all this - and hearing about it as it was going on - A Piece of Your Mind touched my heart and that of many other people. Would four more episodes have changed that, I doubt it but I am grateful for what we have. For me, this drama is high on the list of dramas that have the ability to heal our hearts.

Indeed, I'm so sorry it was shorted due to poor ratings. Everything about this drama was beautiful from the extraordinary cinematography to the acting and poetic soundtrack and story line. (As a recording professional, I was slightly bothered by the microphone setup used in the studio scenes but learned that the production company fired their excellent professional sound engineer consultant early on due to budget constraints.)

Thank you. I just looked over the list of Dramas I've viewed and can honestly say that each one of them had at least one character who grew, changed, developed, and overcame a personal issue of some significance, such as social awkwardness (Love in Contract) or overcoming the damages of damaged upbringing (in some many dramas), or dealing with loss (A Piece of Your Mind) have all been enlightening to me.

Thank you for this beautiful and beautifully written article. For me, much of the healing I find in Dramaland is not done by licensed therapists but simple in the way characters find their missing truth, face and overcome burden that is blocking their ability to achieve happiness, Watching characters change as they make their personal discoveries is healing for me. Seeing empathetic characters in the generally benign setting of K-drama provides a sort of model behavior for me. You are going to ask me which ones in particular and I will have to think about it!! But thank you again and I hope you continue to write about this.

Was it Mirror of the Witch that had a musical score which seemed to have ancient elements?

Thank you for posting this very interesting article. Much as I love the historical dramas, sometimes I find that their sensibilities are more modern, such as using contemporary pop music as the soundtrack rather than traditional music or new music with a connection to ancient music. It must be difficult to find the mindset of times that are so foreign to us but despite this, I do love historical dramas, most recently Park Min Young's stunning performance in Queen for Seven Days. Hotel Del Luna is not a historical drama but as it goes back in time, one sees how the characters are or can be the same whether existing in the past or the present and how the cultures of those different eras show us the same people with their unique personalities behaving just a little differently. Very effective, I thought. Or perhaps people were not all that different!

Always happy to hear about this beloved actress starring in what will undoubtedly be a very enjoyable drama!

Thank you! If I was even slightly tempted, I am no longer.

I am a huge fan of Korean drama but have managed to avoid Squid Games as it sounds rather violent, even reprehensibly so. Is there a compelling reason to watch it?

Thanks for your thoughtful article and also for mentioning 'A Piece of Your Mind,' a sadly underrated drama who number of episodes was shortened when it didn't catch fire with the audience. For me, it is one of most beautiful and beautifully filmed Korean dramas, well-acted with a fascinating story line. I hope your mention will encourage others to watch it.

Thanks for your fascinating response, Kate. 500+ dramas is very impressive and definitely qualifies you as an expert. I'm a musician and going through musical scores, can have a similar experience, seeing flaws, wishing they weren't there but staying the course - I usually don't have a choice. I will have to try 'Well Intended Romance' next.

I was curious for some examples of your 'hate watching.' As passionate as I am about Korean drama, I tend to be less critical than many of my fellow MDLers and take the stories as they come and at face value. There are times when plot devices require misunderstandings that could be easily resolved with a straightforward conversation but that is why these are dramas existing on a different plane than most of our realities. I rather like the impossibly good characters - they remind me to try and be better. And while I dislike dramatic tension, it understand its necessity as a plot device. But thinking back to my getting long list of 50 or so dramas watched, enjoyed, and often re-watched, no hate watching!

One of the aspects of my favourite K-dramas that doesn't seem to get much attention is how they can change us - make us better, more thoughtful, kind, considerate. Navillera is definitely one of these. How can I be more like these characters with their faults, struggles, but essential goodness? Everyone in this drama redeems themselves in different ways, finds connections, family, happiness. This beautiful tale is perfectly told and brought smiles, joy and a few tears.