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"If Jason Bourne and High School Musical had a baby." LMAO!!! Pretty much...except it was missing the big musical number. I dunno....can we count the modeling scene though??

It is a cute Kdrama rom com without too many of the typical cliches. I thought the chemistry between the two main leads was really good. It was an overall enjoyable and entertaining series which answers the question of.....What do you get when you cross a Black Dragon with a Strawberry? Tune in to find out.

oppa_ also commented on my review and made some really good points about the stalking behavior of the ML. Something that honestly I had not seen before as I was looking at it from the perspective of how stupid humans get and behave when they fall in love. Your research from a psychological point of view really brings the stalking to the forefront. There was also bullying in this, and represented the years-long traumatic effect it can have on a person's life. I think the storyline of the support characters (along with Jung Hyeok's statement to the FL about pressing charges) were put in to somehow mitigate or lessen the strong stalking/bullying shown. I think (I could be wrong) that the writer meant for this to have strong mythical and fantasy themes, but the ML's stalking behavior took control of the story and they had to address it. Thanks for your post!!

Unfortunately a lot of Kdramas have nothing to do with reality. I know that side has been a source of frustration to me as the viewer. I reviewed the drama She Would Never Know which had the ML in the first 4 episodes stalking the FL. I wrote a pretty negative review after the first 4 episodes and got a comment that my review "was not credible." I think we definitely need to call out unrealistic behavior, especially behavior that should not be normalized. I definitely did not see that side to this and I'm glad you pointed it out.

Good question, and one for a psychologist. Layers....this drama definitely has layers to it and is very thought provoking as we peel away the layers. You have to admire the writing on this one.

I read a dissertation that studied the "delusion of intimacy" that is found within idol fandoms, how labels set up hierarchies within the fandoms based on the amount of money fans pay, and how idols are pressured to give "fan service" which builds the delusion to those fans at the top of the hierarchy. It's a business model that purposely promotes cult-like behavior. If you get a chance, read an MDLer's response to my review of The Witch who talks about the representation of stalking behavior . This drama definitely has layers to it.

I saw it as a dark comedic look at how stupid (in this case the males) people become when they are saturated with that chemical cocktail that overtakes us when we experience falling in love. But, I really like your mythological take on this drama and the consequences suffered when you answer the call of the Siren.

Yep, you are absolutely correct. All that you have stated are very valid points, and his behavior shouldn't be romanticized. I also find it interesting that all the FL is doing is living her life and she gets branded as a witch. The underlying themes to this drama really are dysfunctional.

I was looking at it more through a lens that when a person falls in love, physically they suffer from a chemical cocktail that can cause them to not think clearly. But, I would agree his behavior is very stalker-like under the guise of collecting data.

Not really. The main point is that throughout history there has been a continuing bid for supremacy using one criteria over another, and that it has been in vain as equality is unattainable. In this particular post, the criteria is about gender. In the attainment of said "equality" there has been more harm between the sexes than good. Maybe as a gender females have prospered or evolved due to the fight for equality (aka feminism), but it's done little to improve the relationships between the sexes. It's a critique of how the fight has brought unintended consequences into the mix, and those consequences aren't necessarily a good thing. It's a post about being so tunnel visioned in the fight that once the fight is over and the conqueror opens their eyes to their win, they see nothing as all was killed off in the fight.

Sorry, isang18, but you missed the point by missing the bigger picture.

Thank you for this insightful and important post. I especially agree with your points about the toxicity within the Kpop industry. I read a PhD dissertation titled "Gender, Labor, and the Commodification of Intimacy in Kpop" which researched the area of fan service. Idols are trained and expected to woo their fans with what the researcher calls "the delusion of intimacy." With idols giving fan service, fans develop an imaginary and unrealistic bond with their idol and will not only devote time and energy, but money as well to them. The more devoted a fan is, the more money they will pay to have more and more "access" to their idol. Hierarchies form where those who pay the most are at the top and often demonstrate extreme possessiveness over the idol. Because the idol themselves have been trained to build this delusion of intimacy with their fans, if they by chance are caught dating or in a relationship, the fans will view this a cheating and react accordingly. It's a sick and toxic system that unfortunately generates a ton of money.

After reading the comments on WTPR's ending, I wanted to express that I thought the reunion in a war-torn country was really unnecessary and brought no value to the overall story. It's disappointing if the writers were trying to use this to make some sort of statement with it as well.

Just finished WTPR. One of the best dramas for 2024! Loved the suspense and intrigue woven into the story. A good plot with lots of twists, good acting, quality production, good musical score. it had all the right ingredients, and I really enjoyed it.

I agree 1,000%. It was refreshing to see a couple who acted like adults with each other, and not all awkward and juvenile.

It was reported on CNN that the wall had an important antenna used for navigation by the control tower.

A favorite...for all the reasons you wrote and many more!!

I do see your point. In fact when I reviewed Love Next Door, I questioned "why are the women portrayed as physical abusers, and the men act like trained dogs?" Yet, I don't think this is a reflection of how all women behave, nor even how Korean women/moms behave. I just think it's the trope the writer used to connect the main leads to each other. All the main leads lost their mothers. One lost their mom through death, the other two lost them because the moms chose to leave. Kdrama leads ALWAYS have something in the story to connect them to each other, whether its a childhood experience, or past life experience, or (in this case) a common loss. Maybe as the series progresses there will be some more positive examples of women. We can only hope.

I think this speaks to the assumption cultures have that females are the nurturing gender in families. I speak from experience, that while mothers carry and give birth to the offspring, not all have loving and nurturing dispositions toward their children. Sometimes, it's the fathers who play the nurturing and caring role. I see this series as speaking to the mistakes we often make toward gender roles and stereotypes. Fathers can be the nurturers in the families too. And mothers can be cold-hearted. I see this series as a message that even if families do not bear any resemblance to societal "norms", they can still raise loving and healthy children. Look at how these siblings look out for each other. That says it all.

I'm currently watching the 12th episode but I don't know if I'll finish. Love the two main leads, but love them in other dramas, not this. I totally agree with you about the unrealistic behavior of the two main leads. Why the writer decided to make them so annoying is beyond me. They annoy each other (even though they are supposedly the great loves of each other's life), they annoy their parents, they annoy their friends, they're annoying me. I don't get it when the writer brings them together, they realize they love each other, but don't know how to act anymore, and default to the most insanely immature behavior. I'm watching another drama on Viki and the same thing is happening. I guess the audience for these dramas must be 13-year old girls because that's what leads start to act like when they like each other. And it's so.........annoying!!