samstones

Started watching it in English dubs. Cos I can’t stand Jisoo’s Korean enunciation and aegyo voice.

The start is good. The middle is what matters the most here cos it’s 12 episodes, and I would like to be super engaged and not annoyed. I am not too hopeful that the middle will hold. But let’s see

Here are my theories after watching the first two episodes:
1. I think the lady Han Seol works for is shady and I think she’s working at her art gallery for some angle. Maybe revenge or whatever.
2. I think the associate auctioneer lady who dies in the first episode did that to frame Han Seol. She was probably obsessed with her, keeping a tab on her diary and schedule etc. Trying to mess up her relationship with her finance. I mean she suddenly left her job at a TV channel to work for an art gallery/auction house ?! The only reason is obsession or something nefarious. It is also possible that she was blackmailing the finance on the affair she had roped him into. And when Yoon Seing Jae died, probably by suicide or accident or murder, she tried to frame her for insurance fraud. She didn’t know that the insurance had already been cancelled.
3. I think the bartender lady who is a friend of Han Seol caught Kim Yunji having an affair and probably wanted to confront her. But that bartender lady knows something. Probably about how Han Seol is stressed out and also probably knows about the stalker situation.
4. The shady guy in the first episode who secured the coveted art piece, I think he is a stalker. I think he might just be the Syrian casualty boyfriend. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I’m using my Korean drama imagination here 😂 which is basically not too inventive.

I feel Wi Ha Joon is under utilised in this one. But that’s also probably too early an observation to make. I think he is a solid actor. Maybe the script is weak. I feel he’s playing his same character from Little Women. Just job title is different 😂

Also, the female detective is the poisonous ex-wife from love me. The melodrama that recently aired. She looks so cute in this one. 🤭

A Park Min Young drama will definitely have a high budget wardrobe, over emphasised beauty shots, a highend but a little over processed production feel. But that’s the appeal isn’t it. Starting this one. Episode 1 so far looks interesting

Ok here we go.

The level of desperation with which this drama flings itself in the direction of made up trauma-harvesting is comical, while also having office romcom side plots that is just recycling the crap out of all the other gazillion kdramas out there. Here’s the deal
- girl definitely needs therapy but her family around her is doing everything except send her to therapy.
- ⁠The ML -Badly written. Plus, also in my opinion, not the best casting choice.
- ⁠Everything else is forgettable noise.. Feels like an infomercial trying to be a drama 😒

Unoriginal, uninspired, desperately trying. Not for me. Dropped! 🫟

So the guy is a creep and we have to suddenly find that cute and gush all over it? Dude she clearly doesn't want you around, no the ML will make it happen. That's creep behaviour. lol

And get this, first he makes the girl super uncomfortable, so much so that she hurts herself while trying to avoid him - then suddenly he becomes this doe eyed poodle and says "oh sorry I won't make you uncomfortable again", making the girl feel all guilty. This is creep behaviour. If it weren't a soapy show, it could have been a cautionary tale about guys who lovebomb and then harrass you.

Who wrote this overly recycled plotline of a tropey mess.

Writing has taken a lot of creative liberties 🤭 but ok

Wait wait wait what’s going on here 🤔

So I’m confused - they introduced a new character in the second last episode to make sense of the whole murder mystery

Oh God Makiko 🤦🏻‍♀️ damn I hate her. Annoying AF

Keisuke and Makiko are the least likeable characters for me in this show. Both are self-centred and self pitying while being casually entitled, to the point that makes you think the world has wronged them and hence owes them. 😒

I watched this one with bated breathe. I just knew this would leave me with the feels. I don’t know why I had a clenched feeling throughout the watch. Well…that’s not true. I know exactly why I had that feeling. I wanted the movie to change the ending from the original work. The treatment of the novel is done with sincerity but doesn’t take much risk. Moon Sang Min is growing his muscle as a performer, which is nice to see. Is it a departure from the safe, commercially viable roles ? No, not quite. But it still has that ‘je ne sais quo’ that feels like a thinking actor’s choice, rather than a commercially ambitious one’s.

A quiet watch with lingering moments.

Here’s what I don’t understand. Saeguks are quick to show a woman (high or low born - I hate even typing this cos there’s no such thing as levels in humanity) who is strong-willed, independent, ahead of her times which is something that was not socially possible for a woman in Joeson. But the dramas (even this one) take creative liberty to show a woman who has 2026 characteristics and values. However, they hold fast and hard to the idea that the king will only have a consort of noble lineage who will take on the title. Rest will only be concubines and will only ascend to a titular position only if they bear the heir to the throne in case Consort is unable to. Why even show these archaic ideals in a work of fiction?! Do the unthinkable, maybe. Reconcile with this regressive and shameful past via works of fiction and breakaway from the arbitrary and frankly uneducated systems and practices at least in fiction. I just find this Confucian BS mixed with hopium copium a little insufferable.

Having said that. Jaeuck Kim 🤭🤭 what a pleasant surprise. Me likes 🫰🏻🫶🏻

And finally, shout out to the childhood connection trope✌🏻. This was okay.

Loved reading this review. A beautifully written feeling review

Jeonha is such a stuck up wannabe. Keeps embarrassing himself running around hallucinating, yet whenever he comes to, doesn't own up to his debilitating condition.

Okay here we go. Have been waiting for this for a while

Touch grass and understand that this is an open forum where people will share their opinion. You are free to leave a hundred glowing, effusively positive reviews/comments on this thread. No need to read or engage with mine if it scars your juvenile sensibilities. Also, you are not MDL police, so just get over yourself.