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Way too long
What is it with Chinese dramas? They tend to be, for the most part, twice as long as they need to be. I will be upfront and say that my rating is based upon my enjoyment of the whole thing. I found myself getting bored (a lot) and I left it for two weeks and finally went back to finish it up, because I can't leave a show unfinished.The main couple? I loved both of them. I really enjoyed her in Love Me If You Dare and I was so glad that their own voices were used. Dubbing makes the whole thing even worse. They were very cute together, the kind of cute that you just have to smile when watching them. I felt that toward the beginning she had some entitlement going on, which irritated me. She kept breaking rules and then didn't understand why he wanted her to leave the program she was in. She felt it was better to apologize than to ask for permission, apparently.
Second couple - if a woman continues to chase a man and he keeps shutting her down, my opinion of her lowers. It's like she has no self-esteem. His reason for shutting her down, when he obviously liked her, was missing so he irritated me as well.
The older couple - had an interesting back story, but I didn't feel overly invested in them, either.
A lot of the medical stuff was incorrect, as it tends to be in these dramas. Do you not have a medical consultant? That takes away from the story as well.
There is quite a bit of action, some bromance, and it's low on angst, so if you are patient and your expectations aren't too high, you might enjoy this show.
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Watch this show!
My first k-drama, and one I revisit periodically. The storyline is original - a man destined to continue living to atone for crimes in his past. I'd like to address the age difference - I can see why some people really had a problem with it, especially since she spent so much time in a high school uniform. However, the chemistry between Gong Yoo and Kim Go Eun was amazing. When watching Gong Yoo - his loneliness was almost palpable and was heartbreaking to see. Kim Go Eun was able to vacillate back and forth between her pitiful life and her vivacity as she gets to know Kim Shin (Yoo) better. The secondary love story between Lee Dong Wook and Eu In Na was lovely as well. There was a lot of humor (like when he told her his name was Kim Woo Bin!), but such sadness as well. The scenery is just beautiful when they are in Canada. The music is absolutely perfect. Each song fit perfectly where it was used and there was a haunting quality about a number of the songs. These songs are easily recognizable when you hear them outside of the show. But I think the thing that I love best about this show is the friendships between the characters, especially between Goblin and Reaper. If you look up the word Bromance in the dictionary, you should find their pictures there - what started out as hate, moved to grudging respect, and then finally brotherly love. Their scenes never failed to make me laugh. This is one of the few shows that I have watched multiple times, and have enjoyed it just as much each time.Was this review helpful to you?
This one got to me!
This is a slow (in a good way), simple and beautiful story. I'll start with the bottom line - it's been quite a while since I've cried watching something, and I cried a couple of times during this movie. I was swept into the story and could feel the nervousness of the female lead, but she wasn't portrayed as a loser at all. The meeting of the leads was shown in a good way, and I was rooting for them from the start. Wu Nien Hsuan as Yi Bin and Zhou Yi Ram as Tong Zhi Liao were perfectly cast. I could feel sparks between the two from the beginning. I was torn, I wanted to find out what happened, but I also wanted it to go on and on. It was a lovely journey of discovery and spoke to lost chances and regrets. The story line of the old lady and her regrets mirrored the lead couple perfectly.Normally, I struggle with Chinese dramas, the episodic ones are normally too drawn out for me, and the movies often don't give me enough time to invest in the characters. add to that my problems with dubbing and overacting, you'll see my dilemma. This movie was, quite simply, a hidden gem. I happened upon it quite by accident. The script is good, and the acting is understated. There are no over-the-top characters, and they are all likeable in their own way. No love triangles, and there wasn't much time spent on any of the secondary characters, other than the old lady, so we really got to know the main couple.
I might watch it again, if only to get lost in the story once again. The ending is ambiguous, and I think that's for the viewer to decide what they want to happen. I choose to go the happily-ever-after route.
I can happily and unapologetically recommend this movie!
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Pretty boring with a large cast of evil characters
I was looking forward to this because I loved Rosy Zhao in Dating in the Kitchen. I was so disappointed! This drama could have been greatly improved by cutting the number of stories and the number of episodes. It seemed to go on and on forever. They have GOT to work on the dubbing! The thing that I noticed most in this show was everyone's footsteps, whether they were wearing tennis shoes or dress shoes. Why? I have no idea.The concept for the story was cute, but it didn't feel cohesive to me. I understand that you have to have a "bad guy" in these shows to create drama and problems. Why were there so many in this show?
I didn't find the lead actor very attractive, but I loved the height difference between the two. There were some good kisses and some really bad kisses, but I didn't find the acting very good at all.
This was one of those dramas that, while I was watching it, I was wondering when it was ever going to end. And once it did, I was so glad!
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Time I will never get back
I decided to watch this C-drama because it only had 24 episode (which is short for C-dramas), but once I got started, I quickly realized that this could have been completed in half the episodes, and it would have made the whole thing more interesting. I felt that this show REALLY needed a different editor, there were some episodes that, once I got to the end, I realized that the entire episode was a complete waste of time. I really felt that a lot of it was like watching paint dry - boring as all get out.I suppose the actors did a good job with what they had to work with. The problem was the script. The main character of Tu Mo was so irritating. First, she'd been liking a boy for years, and that boy was one of the most irritating characters I've seen in a show recently. Then, I couldn't actually see what Gu Wei Yi saw in her. Then, she always seemed to be mad at the male lead for something, but rather than talk to him about it, she did a lot of clomping out of the room, slamming doors, and generally not being very nice to him. She was very immature.
Overall, no chemistry between the leads, too many irritating characters, too much dog and cat sound effects, fish kisses, and multiple unnecessary scenes/storylines.
It was sad for me to realize, after watching this, that most of the C-dramas are along these lines and not, for me, overly enjoyable. Love Me If You Dare and Dating in the Kitchen are the gold standard for me, and I will continue to hope that I happen upon other C-dramas that live up to them.
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This review may contain spoilers
Better title "Why Me?" As in, "why am I stuck watching this show?"
This show started out great! I was at the end of episode two, at which time I had just a couple of issues, and I texted a friend and said that this was the type of show that I could lose sleep over just to binge watch. Unfortunately, that feeling didn't last much longer. I spent a lot of time angry with the writers as I watched this, and I never felt like they redeemed themselves.I'll start with my positives:
Acting - all of the acting was good, but especially Soo Hyun Jin as Oh Soo Jae. Oh, my goodness, I hated her at the beginning. I did wonder why that, in order for a woman to be strong and successful, they have to be a complete B***ch, but the brief times of humanity were understated and suited her personality completely. The writers did a good job here, in giving us back story following some of her worst moments that would clarify what actually happened. Heo Joon Ho as Choi Tae Gook was amazing. He was the embodiment of evil. I don't like watching this type of character, especially since he doesn't even pretend to be a good guy, but he just drew me in. Then there is Bae In Hyuk as Choi Yoon Sang - he fascinates me. I've seen him in numerous things, and there's something about that little lisp he has... and, finally, Han Joo Hyun as Choi Jae Yi - what a precious little girl!
Found families - between Gong Chan and his hyungs, and the law school students working together, I enjoyed these relationships. I just wish they were developed better/further.
Now for the negatives: SPOILERS!)
1) For me the biggest elephant in the room - why the heck did they use two different actors for the male lead?!?! The younger version of Gong Chan looked older than the Hwang In Youp version! They didn't resemble each other in any way. I kept waiting, throughout the show, for the writers to give us an explanation, but that never happened. It actually seemed like one actor dropped out and Hwang In Youp stepped in at the last minute. I know that's not the case, but that's what it looked like to me. When Oh Soo Jae says to herself, "Why didn't I recognize him?"
2) Romance - They would have been better off leaving the romance out of this show, for many reasons. First, the age disparity - perhaps not so much in chronological age, but in emotional age. He was like a puppy chasing after her, and he seemed more like a high school student than a college student. Plus, the fact that she was a lawyer settled in her career already. And he liked her because she believed in him? That's it? The fact that he kept telling her she was "cool" cemented his immaturity. We had a few brief scenes with them together as a couple. The rest of the time he was either saving her, trying to save her, or holding her while she cried. This was definitely not a give and take relationship. I didn't ship them at all as a couple, to be honest. He called her "Professor" throughout the entire show. At some point in time, if you are truly in a relationship, you use first names!
I loved watching Hwang In Youp, but his character was not well-written.
3) Plethora of bad guys/evil characters. Probably a ratio of more than 2:1. There were so many names to keep straight (especially all the people in the same families), from the past and in the present. Each seemed more evil than the last. The number of things that these people got away with was astounding - multiple people get away with murder (literally), yet they want to draw attention to themselves by bringing her before a disciplinary committee?! And for all the evil done, minimal consequences.
4) Unnecessarily complicated storylines. It seemed like every few minutes they introduced a new character to confuse us. I lost count of the number of storylines that I was trying to keep track of.
5) The direction they took Bae In Hyuk's character Choi Yoon Sang - this one was hard for me to swallow. He likes her, he specifically mentions that he has finally found, in Gong Chan, someone that he can be friends with, yet he threatens pouts and blindsides these characters!? With so many bad guys, I would have much preferred he remain a constant in the ever-changing lives of the two main leads.
6) Too much drinking. Is no one able to solve problems without binge drinking?
7) Vulgar language. I don't know if these were actually the words or just due to the translators, but I don't find bad language necessary.
8) "Stupid heroine" moments. Your office has been broken into, yet you go on in. The guy that attacked you in said office runs out, but rather than leave you go to the roof?!?! What was that about!? Someone calls you to meet him at a deserted place late at night and you go by yourself. Apparently, she's never watched any type of horror film - the stupid characters are usually the first to die.
9) Wow, the labs were doing a booming business in this show. The number of paternity tests and DNA tests that were being run were ridiculous. And finding out that Choi Jae Yi was actually her daughter? I saw it coming from a mile away, and it really made me mad. It just seemed like something else to throw into this mess of a story.
Which brings me to -
10) The truck of doom. I can't even begin to tell you how much I hated this. It was just mean and could have been avoided completely if the stupid paternity storyline hadn't been introduced in the first place.
So, upon reflection, for me, the writing was where the problems were. I'd say, if you have a high tolerance for things that are implausible, watch this show for the excellent acting.
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The ending ruined the rest for me
First, they should have used the title Let Me Be Your Night, as it was referenced in the drama. Knight does not make sense in any way!As I was watching this show, I found it to be a fun watch, fluffy and light. There were quite a few amusing moments, and I didn't feel the need to fast forward through scenes (the advantage of fewer episodes). It addressed numerous issues that idols must endure, and I found that interesting as well. It was a very cute concept for a show, and if you just want an easy watch and don't expect too much you won't be disappointed.
What I liked: Jang Dong Joo as 2ML Seo Woo Yeon. He's got a lovely, deep voice and I really liked the way his character was written. Admittedly, I had some SLS going on here, especially since the ML was not a nice person. The music was catchy. The LUNA actors all did an okay job, and I liked how each of them had their own style sense. The story didn't focus on just one or two main characters. That said, there were things that missed the mark...
What I didn't like: Though I love Jung in Sun as an actress and she did an okay job here, I felt that she was entirely too old for this part. I didn't feel any chemistry between the leads in the romantic sense. They were fun to watch when they were antagonistic toward one another, but the romance fell flat. There was an absolutely terrible, cringe-worthy kiss that looked like their lips were barely in contact with one another and her eyes were open the whole time. Though I liked the fact that there were multiple story lines, I felt there were so many missed opportunities to delve deeper into the characters, especially the LUNA members. I would have liked to have seen more of their interactions with one another. The interactions they did have made me think that they didn't care much for one another. The ML character was stoic and cold throughout and I never did become truly attached to him. With the FL being the "live-in doctor", I would have loved to have seen more of her helping the other members of LUNA, not just the ML. A secondary romance took up a lot of screen time and ultimately went nowhere.
WHAT I HATED: Misunderstandings are resolved, someone saves the other, feelings are verbalized, and then one of them leaves the country for an indeterminate period of time after saying "have a good life". WHAT THE HECK!!?!?! That made me mad enough, but the ending was just horrible - short, abrupt, no physical contact (almost like they were just meeting again!), and then just OVER! The last half hour of this show made me so angry I had to drop points. All that time wasted just to be disappointed. Why is it so hard to have a decent ending in so many K-dramas!?!
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Just my opinion...
Apparently, I watched a different show than everyone else. I'll put the sadly necessary disclaimer - this is my own personal opinion, so don't come after me.For me, the show had a lot of style, and not much substance. Beautifully filmed and beautifully dressed beautiful people, so much of the time I felt like I was a spectator watching a fashion show runway catwalk. Lots of walking from here to there, "look at what I'm wearing now", models with no expression.
I just didn't like anyone in this show. For me, there has to be something likeable about someone to make me care about what happens to them. Both the ML and the FL had personality issues. FL in particular was unlikeable, she was such a cold person. Kim Ji Won tends to play the same type of character, and her lack of facial expressions just doesn't endear her to me. The ML's reaction when he found out she was sick was just wrong. And the sequence, with the overabundance of flashbacks, was out of synch and made it hard for me to like them. I didn't believe in their story and was never able to feel their love for one another, even at the end.
And can we talk about tropes? In this drama, the tropes were piled high, one after another. When they got to the amnesia part, I laughed out loud - my trope bingo card was complete!
Should you watch it? Don't go by me, because apparently, I'm an outlier. Give it a try and come to your own conclusion.
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Excellent chemistry against a backdrop of corporate intrigues
Unfortunately, I watched this show on the heels of Dating in the Kitchen, which in my mind, is the gold standard for Chinese drama/chemistry/romance, and a show that generally has it all. I've heard good things about Love is Sweet, so I decided to give it a try, hoping to continue to feed my romance fix.The only thing I'm going to give away is that he's loved her for years. I always love that in a show. They meet up again and are, rather than friends, antagonists.
Leo Luo is the male lead and he's terrific. Always impeccably dressed, powerful businessman and extremely handsome. As when they were kids, he also bullied her in the workplace, but I felt that it was to better her performance at work. He, behind the scenes, always took care to make sure to protect her.
Bai Lu (Son Ye Jin lookalike, if you ask me) as the female lead was good as well. One of my favorite lines was when someone was looking at her and she said something to the effect of "People tell me I look like Bai Lu, have you heard of her?" A little tongue-in-cheek humor never goes amiss.
As a couple their chemistry was wonderful, but once they got together their romance took a back burner to the office intrigues, of which there were a lot. I found that aspect of the show to be very drawn-out and boring. Them admitting their feelings and acting on them was hot/hot/hot for a couple of episodes, though. There was the obligatory time jump, but it happened with about 6 episodes left, and their lives had settled and become pretty mundane. I think this show would have benefitted from tighter editing and less episodes (about 10 less!)
The costuming was good, especially when they were dressed in formal wear. The buildings/sets were visually interesting, as was the soundtrack. As with so many other Asian dramas, I was obsessed with the jewelry.
I never did enjoy the secondary couple. Though I have liked Riley Wang in other things, and he was good enough in this, I didn't feel they had any chemistry and she was a little too immature and stalker-ish for me. I kept hoping for some improvement, but it never materialized for me.
The female lead's allergic disorder was mentioned and addressed time and time again throughout the show, and then completely forgotten at the end, which I thought was a cop-out. I mean, c'mon, who wouldn't cry at that proposal?!?!
Everyone got their happy ending, including, to a certain extent, Du Lei, who was really a scumbag, but maybe he really did give up his wicked ways.
So, though I can recommend it as a show worth watching if you don't mind the multiple, endless and convoluted storylines, if you are looking for strictly romance, this one falls a little short.
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A quick, sweet show to watch
Do you need a break between angst-ridden shows? This might just be the perfect show for you to watch. This was a beautifully done short show. It really gave me all the feels and I found myself smiling through the whole thing. Since it was a short show, it was nice to not have to slog through the cliches and filler you find in a lot of the longer shows. She was just darling, big beautiful eyes and a very expressive face. He was so sweet, and that honey-dipped voice, wow! They were so cute together and this show is totally worth your time!Was this review helpful to you?
How is it possible to get bored with only 10 episodes!?!?
The first few episodes rushed the whole story along and then they had to backtrack and add problems to fill in the rest of the episodes. I couldn't wait to finish this one. For me, this fell in the camp of "that's time I'll never get back."Here are some of the problems that I had: 1) why did he like her? From just seeing her? 2) the ML was very one-dimensional, showed absolutely no emotion whatsoever throughout the show; 3) the FL starts out somewhat strong and has career goals for herself, and ended up just giving everything up for him; 4) Look up stalker in the dictionary - ML's picture will be there; 5) the show was unbalanced, it tried to go from ROMCOM to farce and then started to take itself seriously; 6) Almost every man in this show liked the FL. Why? 7) Large cast with inadequate development of characters. Grandmother was the cliche "bad guy" and the brother seemed to be thrown in to try to further the story and that whole storyline was not addressed in a way that made any sense; 8) No chemistry between the leads; 9) she spends a lot of time, in essence telling him to go away and not be a stalker, but then she's in love with him. Again, why?
This is a show that was actually irritating me as I watched it. For one reason, I think I've only ever dropped one drama and I felt compelled to complete this one, and that made me mad. As I was watching it, I just felt that, the leads especially, were just going through the motions. I couldn't relate to them and I didn't care about them.
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Could have been so much better
Not an original idea, by any means. However, I could have forgiven a lot if it had been better written.Kim Dong Wook as Lee Jung Hoon and Moon Ga Young as Ha Na both did a good job with what they had to work with. My problems were these: 1) So he's able to remember everything - I don't see how that could prevent him from ever loving again. He held off and once he was interested in Ha Na I had a hard time understanding why. 2) Ha Na's character was too "stalker-ish" for me. He's not interested in her at all, yet she keeps showing up, asking him questions about things and generally making herself a nuisance. The actress is a beauty, and I loved the niceness of her character but otherwise she didn't endear herself to me. 3) Stalker storyline - that could have been written so much better, in such a way that it would be more of a surprise to us as a viewing audience. I was just happy to have it over with. 4) The two-year break up. So, you had fears of being in the public eye - hello?!?! You're public figures for heaven's sake! Her going to the US and them not having any contact at all for two years. In this age of technology (especially since she was always using her phone), it didn't make any sense. A breakup that lasts this long diminishes their love. How much could they possibly love one another if they are willing to be apart for that long? 5) The ending. Unbelievably rushed. No contact for two years, they run into one another in a book shop, and they act like virtual strangers. There wasn't enough time after this for us to get back to feeling like they were in love. Plus, the issues that drove them apart were magically resolved and not discussed. I really wish K-dramas would get a clue that we would like a little more at the back end of these shows, and maybe cut out some time-wasting stuff in the middle.
Liked:
The music was good.
Real kisses, thank you very much.
The very rare appearance of his smile
She's a beauty
Loved her sister
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This by no means was a comedy and shouldn't have been labeled as such
This was a hard movie to watch due to the subject matter. The evil in the world is never easy to watch. That said, I really enjoyed the acting and the action. Kim Woo Bin does such a fine job with micro-expressions, and I really liked the development of his character. There was a possibility of him going down a certain path, and I'm glad they didn't take that direction. Also, thank you for not trying to add in romance. (though I'd love to see him in a romance!)I thought that the action sequences were very well-done.
Personally, I was glad this was a movie and not a series. It got straight to the point without wasting time.
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This review may contain spoilers
Frustrating watch
I liked season 1 well enough, but this season, for me, left a lot to be desired.Most of the drama was about indecisions of the ML, the FL trying to move on but not wanting to, multiple other potential couples to fill in the spaces. I still liked the acting of the ML and the FL, but the story just kept moving from one person to the next.
There's a girl that has always liked the ML and she uses emotional blackmail on him. I hate that.
FL tries to date someone else, but the actor that was the 2ML was just too "pretty" and the bob hairstyle didn't help at all.
My mantra while watching this was, "Only two more episodes, only one more episode." I will say, though, since it is short, if you've watched the first one and want to feel like you've completed the series, give this a try.
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Blown Away!
Some shows you wonder if you should continue wasting your time watching them, hoping they'll get better. Some shows you are anxious to finish all your chores so you can watch them. I kept vacillating back and forth between wanting to forego my life just so I could watch one more episode, but then being sad in advance, knowing this wonderful ride was coming to an end. I was so thoroughly invested in this show, now that I've finished it, I have to say I'm really sad it's over.STORY: A new village and a new set of people for our leads to get to know and come to care about. I'll admit, the long hair on Wook in the first few episodes really drove me crazy. But then I realized it really suited his kind of quirky personality. There were some new twists in this season, which brings me to the reasons that I gave this a 9 rather than a 10 - and here are the spoilers:
- Really, the whole thing is a suspension of disbelief, which is what I loved about it, but the reason (or lack thereof) for the captain not being able to leave her village didn't make any sense.
- Too many loose ends at the end. Which is fine, if there ends up being a season 3 (though PLEASE don't make us wait two years!)
- Mentions of other villages. Great concept but again, I didn't like that it was just setting up for another season. Because if it doesn't happen, then we're all just disappointed.
- Main bad guy - he was able to get away?! Please, don't have him in the next season. I don't ever like to feel like the bad guys are untouchable and that nothing can stop them. Plus, one of the things that I appreciated about this show was that the police knew what they were doing - I'd like to feel that they'd plan for any eventuality.
- You had BETTER NOT kill off Detective Shin. A mine field, really!?!
But other than that, I thought that this season was just as good as the first. I'll say again, what I said in my review for season 1, I love found family. Again, it was in the village, with the team, with the detectives, and I loved the addition of Bo Ra, and when Wook was explaining to her what it means to be a family, that summed it up perfectly.
The Oh Il Yong storyline - it was brilliant. I didn't get a good vibe from him in the beginning, which is what was supposed to happen, but his storyline was powerful and surprising. And I loved the relationship between him and Wook.
I loved that Jong A played a more integral role, as well as the fact that she stepped up to make herself more indispensable and figured out how to find more missing children. Gotta be honest, the potential for her to see ghosts is exciting, but there is something to be said for having someone on the team that is a little bit out of the loop. You lose some of the elements of surprise if everyone knows what's going on.
This season, the detectives were starting to figure out that there was something different about this team. I like that Detective Shin knows, but the others don't, but they know that there is absolutely something strange going on. That, to me, was amusing.
ACTING/CAST: Stellar. I was glad to see Thomas, even though it was too brief. I continued to be impressed with everyone in the cast, but this time around I have to give a shout out to Lee Jung Eun as the Captain. She's one of those actresses that I love her in everything she is in. That sweet/beautiful face and smile, her short, round body (I mean that in the best possible way - don't you think that she would give the best hugs?), I'd love her to be my grandma, but then I remember I'm old and she'd have to be my sister, but still. I liked the clothes that the costume designer put her in, Peter Pan collars, knit comfy sweaters, long loose skirts and sensible shoes. She just seemed so approachable. And to have her be the first person you see when you enter the village and have her say that she's made food, come in and she'll explain what's going on - she was the heart of the village. Jung Eun's acting is normally understated, but there were times in this show that her pain, anger and loneliness were almost palpable.
And that was the conundrum for these villagers, especially those that had been there for a long time. You want the children to be able to move on, but it's heartbreaking when they do.
MUSIC: I especially loved the theme song, I found myself humming it - I loved hearing it at the beginning of each episode, but at the end I didn't like it so much because that meant the episode was over.
REWATCH: For me, this isn't the type of show I would rewatch again, because I know what is going to happen.
However, if someone asks me for suggestions for well-written shows, with good character development, excellent chemistry between all actors and that have sucked me completely in, to the detriment of my "real" life, I'd definitely suggest Missing: The Other Side, Both Seasons one and two. You could probably watch only season two and figure out what is going on, but season one really does a good job of laying the groundwork for season two. Really, to be honest, I'm afraid that this show has set a bar so high for me that I'm doomed to be disappointed in other shows, especially since, as a romance lover, there has been so little good to choose from.
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