Can't wait for this. I came to the first series with no expectations but slowly fell in love with it: the top-notch, naturalistic acting and warm friendships make a heady brew that is somehow irresistible. Jo Jung Suk is particularly in his element here, with a spike sense of humour coming to the fore, but in truth the entire cast are excellent, and well cast too (Yoo Yeon Seok is DEFINITELY a drummer lol). I also love the whole band concept, bonding, informing and reinforcing the group dynamic. Great idea.
Just had to pop in here to say I loved seeing Han Ye Ri turn up as a guest on this. My Unfamiliar Family was one of my favourite dramas of last year. And, in that drama, it was great to see Kim Ji Suk playing a more serious ML role. He played a (loveable) douche in When the Camellia Blooms and he's playing a douche in Doom too, albeit a guest douche lol! As for Doom at Your Service, it seems fantastic so far. Park Bo Young and Seo in Guk on screen together is a match made in heaven - and essentially it feels to me that, with this drama, 2021 has finally started. PBY is cuteness personified, but her acting is great at portraying a womanly steel that seems very vulnerable, highlighted particularly in the scenes with her brother. SIG is an actor that has impressed me for a while, particularly since I saw him in Smile has Left Your Eyes (and I remember loving how he and the FL from that turned up as guest grim reaper couple in previous PBY starrer Abyss), where he also has that mesmerising power behind his eyes. He's like a sexy shark. I don't know what will happen in this drama, but what I do know is these two characters, one supernatural and one ordinary, are going to learn from one another, are going to need each other and be stronger becuase of it. K-dramas, I love 'em!
Is there too much lying in the British version between the leads?
Hi - I would say that the whole show is based around people, living under the same roof, who are living a lie from each other and how this defines their relationship and their actions. Without meaning to give too much away, the male lead is very much being forced by his Government handler to keep the lie going - and so the question becomes does his love win through in the end.
I was a massive fan of the original version of "World of the Married", called Doctor Foster here in the UK. Mike Bartlett, who created and wrote the show, specifically designed it to be as melodramatic as possible which he felt was something missing from British Television these days. Of course, this meant that a Korean adaptation of WotM could be a marriage made in heaven (excuse the pun), and I was not disappointed. In fact WofM is almost a carbon-copy of the original British show, in terms of casting, plotting and mise en scene. Undercover was a slightly grittier drama all round than Doctor Foster but it definitely has the OTT elements that will translate into a good K-drama thriller.
Sad news today to find out that Helen McCrory, who played the lead role in the original British version of this drama, has died of cancer today aged 52. Her husband is Damien "Brody" Lewis from Homeland.
OK - I'll come clean first - I am a massive Jang Na Ra fan - her effervescent beauty makes any drama she stars in shine, and her acting range is immense. She can have the cutest shy smile one second and then turn it around with such dagger stares of intense loathing when wronged that I feel genuinely fearful for anyone in her immediate vicinity. And I knew the drama-gods were with me yesterday as I literally just finished "Fated to Love You" within moments of it suddenly appearing on my Viki feed. I thought of all those moments in that drama, particularly during the period where Geon is having to lie to her about his feelings to protect her and how she reacts to that, where I knew she'd be great in a kick-ass (in all senses of the phrases) role as Hong Ji Ah. Then I thought of the overwhelming sense of betrayal she portrayed in VIP. Basically, you don't want to double-cross Jang Na Ra. "Daebak real estate" (I really want to call it that, great title) sets its stall out in the opening scene. As the credits are still rolling we are introduced to our heroine in super atmospheric style. Subdued, dark colours interspersed with flashes of lightning in a widescreen framing make this look extremely cinematic from the opening shot - and there she is, clad from head to toe in black, from shiny black combat boots to deadly hex-laden hair pins in her blacked hair. Clearly taking inspiration from Kate Beckinsale in the Underworld movies except she was never armed with a hire-powered auto nail gun to trap ghosts as Hong Ji Ah is here. I can't wait to see how this progresses. As others have said, there little to really get your teeth into, but that isn't to say that the drama was all flash - we were drip fed some relationship details and characterful moments from all of the main cast.
"The whole drama reminded me of a music show on Broadway like Cats or The Phantom of the Opera. It's beautiful, it's well-directed, yet it's just entertainment in its pure form, extremely superficial, nothing to do with reality. "
So on its own terms you admit the drama was a success? I'd love to see you a review a movie like Zu Warriors of the Magic Mountain.
I meant to mention earlier - great to see Kim Sun Young leading the ahjumma trio - she always brings something great to everything she does and seems to turn up a lot lately, in Moment at 18, Her Private Life and Romance is a Bonus Book (The Gangnam Leopard!!!). She is clearly much in demand for the extra dimension she brings to all of her roles.
I too am loving this drama - and I really wasn't sure at the start. I was drawn to it by both Gong Hyo Jin, whom I love dearly (It's Okay, That's Love is probably a watershed drama for me, but I love her in Master's Sun too), but also its title which invoked that wistful feeling of something like One Spring Night or Something in the Rain. Going in with the expectations from those two dramas meant that at the beginning I didn't like this one too very much at all. At first I found the comedy unexpected and unnecessary and Camellia has plenty of it, certainly loaded in to the first few episodes. However, after a few episodes the writing style began to gel with me as the characters all found their voice, and now I love it. Indeed, the sheer easy charm of this drama soon began to weave its spell on me, and I wouldn't change anything for the world. Small town dramas are always very special (I'm thinking Warm and Cozy here), as they always have a super-cute groups of support characters, and this is no exception. I love the tag-team of local ladies who were initially hostile to Dong-Baek's beauty and marital status but are slowly changing their ways. As mentioned above, Young shik is totally amazing as the shy suitor (I loved the early flashback scene when he smacked the criminal in the head on the police station steps during the press conference), but the acting on show here is totally great as he grows in confidence as Dong Baek's love grows within him. Another story arc I really like is Jong Ryul. This famous baseball star lamenting his life choices and struggling to initially bend the world his way and then learning all about compromise, is wonderful to watch.
For anyone that's currently watching or even dropped it by now what are your thoughts??? (it's fine if you include…
I love this drama to pieces, but then again I loved SitR too. Perhaps the similarities are unavoidable seeing as OSN shares both director and writer, not to mention at least 3 cast members I've spotted so far. The only thing I didn't like about SitR was the limited music choice. That is somewhat still the case here, but the gorgeous chiming Rickenbacker guitars of Rachael Yamagata's "No Direction" is something I would mainline in my veins if I could, so all in all the music is a much better fit this time around. Regarding 2019 dramas so far, probably the best thing I've seen so far this year, apart from OSN is "Romance is a Bonus Book". That drama was very much full of many of the more common K-drama tropes, but carried them off in a very charming way.
SitR was the 2nd drama I ever watched. One Spring Night is now my 43rd.. OSN is making me realise why I fell in love with K dramas in the first place.
As other people have pointed out, by far the best thing about this mess is the outstanding music; lush, movie-quality orchestral pieces that really drive the on-screen action. It's a pity then that the on-screen action, such as it is, is such turgid drivel. What started out as a fun, quirky take on the old body-swap trope quickly descended into a nihilistic and very very generic thriller. Also, If you can buy into the idea of Park Bo Young, one of the prettiest actresses on the planet, being cast as some sort of "plain-Jane" type then you might like it, but as the list of people that do so is probably empty, then the fans of this show are probably fairly lacking. Expected better. As for thrillers, the underrated "Kill It" was much better, more stylish, better chemistry and also had a stunning OST.
As for Doom at Your Service, it seems fantastic so far. Park Bo Young and Seo in Guk on screen together is a match made in heaven - and essentially it feels to me that, with this drama, 2021 has finally started. PBY is cuteness personified, but her acting is great at portraying a womanly steel that seems very vulnerable, highlighted particularly in the scenes with her brother. SIG is an actor that has impressed me for a while, particularly since I saw him in Smile has Left Your Eyes (and I remember loving how he and the FL from that turned up as guest grim reaper couple in previous PBY starrer Abyss), where he also has that mesmerising power behind his eyes. He's like a sexy shark. I don't know what will happen in this drama, but what I do know is these two characters, one supernatural and one ordinary, are going to learn from one another, are going to need each other and be stronger becuase of it. K-dramas, I love 'em!
I was a massive fan of the original version of "World of the Married", called Doctor Foster here in the UK. Mike Bartlett, who created and wrote the show, specifically designed it to be as melodramatic as possible which he felt was something missing from British Television these days. Of course, this meant that a Korean adaptation of WotM could be a marriage made in heaven (excuse the pun), and I was not disappointed. In fact WofM is almost a carbon-copy of the original British show, in terms of casting, plotting and mise en scene. Undercover was a slightly grittier drama all round than Doctor Foster but it definitely has the OTT elements that will translate into a good K-drama thriller.
"Jang Na Ra armed with a nail gun. What more do you need?!"
"Daebak real estate" (I really want to call it that, great title) sets its stall out in the opening scene. As the credits are still rolling we are introduced to our heroine in super atmospheric style. Subdued, dark colours interspersed with flashes of lightning in a widescreen framing make this look extremely cinematic from the opening shot - and there she is, clad from head to toe in black, from shiny black combat boots to deadly hex-laden hair pins in her blacked hair. Clearly taking inspiration from Kate Beckinsale in the Underworld movies except she was never armed with a hire-powered auto nail gun to trap ghosts as Hong Ji Ah is here.
I can't wait to see how this progresses. As others have said, there little to really get your teeth into, but that isn't to say that the drama was all flash - we were drip fed some relationship details and characterful moments from all of the main cast.
So on its own terms you admit the drama was a success? I'd love to see you a review a movie like Zu Warriors of the Magic Mountain.
Regarding 2019 dramas so far, probably the best thing I've seen so far this year, apart from OSN is "Romance is a Bonus Book". That drama was very much full of many of the more common K-drama tropes, but carried them off in a very charming way.
SitR was the 2nd drama I ever watched. One Spring Night is now my 43rd.. OSN is making me realise why I fell in love with K dramas in the first place.