I haven't started on either show yet, but my impression was that the expectations for When Night Comes was both elevated and also negative at the same time. (Kinda the same as East of Eden . . . there's a lot of dread going into that show too.) In other words, people were waiting to see whether Kim Sun Ah's drama comeback would fail rather than succeed. Also, Lee Dong Gun's own personal tragedy must have also weighed into affecting the prehype of the show.

Chil Woo is different. Eric pocketed a lot of money for the show, but the casting and the overall tone of the show (my impression from your recaps) was that it was strictly made for the teenage set. And there, it's probably hit the mark. Also, this show will probably do well in China, since fusion sageuks are not that different from the lighter, more action oriented costume TW-dramas.

I'm still trying to understand the Iljimae's commercial (and apparently critical) popularity right now. It's not about whether the show is good or bad to me personally. The whole approach (really like watching a live cartoon!) is just really different than what I expected from even the most fusion-y sageuks, and this approach has apparently really connected with an audience.

Actually I kind of agree that Cho-hee is like a poor man's version of Sam-soon. I kind of expected a real kick arse, Lara-Crofty type chick and got a slightly more beefed up Sam-soon with more angst and less charm. I admit that Sun-ah is a little disappointing in differentiating this character. But I must point out Lee Dong gun as the irritating, egoistical player with a glimmer of gold in his chest region (i.e. needs eons to develop into a heart of gold. He is surprisingly good in this and they have an odd chemistry that is very Hollywood, ole-school. Not sure at this point if it comes from the writing or actual chemistry between the two leads.

Fortunately I did not have very high expectations of When Night Comes so I am rather enjoying it and I hope it will improve. I like the cultural heritage element but wish there was a bit more action and less contrived "I gotta arrest my own poppa" drama. The direction is a little awkward there.

I can't really seem to get into Chil Woo as with Iljimae at the moment, for some strange reason.

Am craving Gourmet with subs. Been craving Korean food like crazy for the past few weeks.

i'm the flop and proud of it.

I wanted to watch Gourmet, but heard it's been licensed so can't find anything available online for the moment :(

Wow, I'm glad that Gourmet beat up the other Monday-Tuesday dramas cause they need to be. Strongest Chil Woo is just.....how do I put this.......crap. I mean don't get me wrong, I love Eric, which is the reason why you (Javabeans) are recapping the series, right? And the series with Kim Sun Ah (I love her), is so boring. I just couldn't go through the first episode.

I know that you don't like Iljimae, but it kind of grown on me. You can never deny the poor weak hero turned buff and well heroic. But I'm not too excited about the whole magical propesct of the drama. I think when that kicks in, I'll drop the drama, it just sounds ridiculous using magical Harry Potter junk, not that Harry P is junk.

I don't know why but Gourmet doesn't appear to me.....so my Monday and Tuesday have be occupied by COD4 Live, kicking some ass.

Mmm... When Gourmet's rating went up over the 20% mark, When it's at night also gained a full precentage point... so how can Gourmet have stolen views from Night? Isn't it more like viewers came back? (Though I have no idea from where, since Chil Woo also gained in ratings.)

Episode 6 also fixed the "admiring from afar" thing, since Cho hee confesses her feelings to Kang. It was sweet to see how it was actually her interaction with Kim Bum Sang that forced her out of her standstill...

actually, imma have to eat my earlier words on Night. the pacing got a lot better after episode 3! i watched eps 3-6 last night and um, dare i say it, i quite enjoyed myself :/ agree with skangrrl about the two leads having a kind of oddly captivating chemistry. it's really sweet to watch.

i do agree that kim sun-ah can't seem to shake herself free from vestiges of samsooni, but i'd think that that'd attract KSS fans to the show, wouldn't it? though it seems kinda shallow, hardcore fans of sam-soon will be more than happy to see more of KSS.

i don't think kim sun-ah can actually help that cho-hee's similar to sam-soon, because the problem here is that kim sun-ah HERSELF is similar to sam-soon. if you watch section tv, you'll see she's funny and raucous in real life, so its just that she tends to personalise her characters by imputing her actual personality into the written character. i find that lee ha-na and nam sang-mi tend to do that as well. and i don't see it as a problem, because they translate to a certain quirkiness only the particular actress can pull off. it's all about being memorable, instead of a one-dimensional heroine that any lee da-hae/han ji-hye can play (which surely does not bode well for Eden. hmm)

@ niley and strongest jo: i'm watching gourmet on a website that streams live with korean audio and chinese subs (works for me since i'm fluent in chinese and i don't understand korean when it's spoken quickly), but i don't know if posting the link here'll get me into trouble hehe

Y'know that 4th pic of Kim Suna and Lee Dong-gun...at first i thought it was a screen cap from My Lovely Samsoon. The part where she was walking to Mt Namsan and Hyun Bin was going after her. That suit she wears is almost similar.

Well,

Kim Suna and Lee Dong-gun r talented in holding thiers lead roles!
both r doing fine, exciting , interesting , comedy 2 n fun....hahaaha

They can werked together in team also cute couple in tis latest korean drama , i'm still follow up.

Goes 2 eric moon and kim rae won also doing fine.
all of them BEST OF LUCK!

fighting :)

I finally watched an episode of Gourmet..Everything is good..i mean everything...but the story is just TOO ORDINARY..(d foods are awsome tho)

Hate to be one of those people who ntipicks small crap, but isn't the song of the day by Buga Kingz?

typo: bugz kingz. LOL.

hi javabeans.. hehe, from what you say, Gourmet sounds like a good drama.. i like kdramas dat have a good script and strong plotline... some just tend to be all over the place..huhu, albeit the beautiful actor and actresses they put in the dramas...

i would like your opinion.. i've downloaded one whole kdrama and i would like to burn it in dvd to watch on tv using a dvd player,,is dis possible? the dvds i've burn so far are data dvd, so i cant watch it on tv.. i installed the roxio creator home.. it doesnt seem to be able to edit the videos i've downloaded.. does the video need to be a certain format?

i've asked other ppl too.. hope dat i will finally solve this dilemma..hehe..thx

I haven't watched Gourmet, so can't really comment on the plot, story line or acting. However I've seen the screen caps of Gourmet and they look amazing. I'm not surprised that Gourmet win you over with its production values in term of location, cinematography, music & planning. After all it had the biggest production cost out of the 3 dramas ($10 billion wons - over $10.5 million US)

I agree with Belleza that Chil Woo will probably does better in China. This fusion sageuk drama style is similar to many HK/TW period dramas. I enjoy Chil Woo a lot as it light, amusing & witty.

Diana,
To watch the episodes on dvd, you have to convert it from avi format to dvd format. I think dvd format is mpeg4 but you should check. The conversion process takes a long time. In my opinion, it's not worth the time and effort. It may be for you, but for most people I know, it isn't.

You could just try to connect your computer to a large tv using s-video to s-video connection (or component to component) if both the computer and tv have them.

I am just happy that I have 3 reasonably watchable dramas to watch.

What is the difference between a superb piece of work (MNIKSS) and so-so piece of work (WIAN)? It's all about teamwork. MNIKSS had all the right ingredients from superb acting, casting, directing and screenplay.

For me, WIAN, up to ep 5 or 6 was still interesting enough....started to get draggy after that and was quite disappointed with this drama. I suppose the weakest link in the WIAN teamwork has to be the screenplay....story and content not the greatest unlike MNIKSS which had a realistic but simple content. I suppose the only thing that kept me watching right to the end was the odd chemistry (a few commented) between the 2 lead actors. This has always been KSA's forte...the ability to link up with her leading man (no matter who).

always a KSA fan!

Hmmm...It's quite interesting to read others' arguments on WIAN. Personally, I enjoyed the drama. Both Lee Dong Gun and Kim Sun Ah handled their leading roles well. Besides, as someone has said, there is this odd chemistry between the 2 (but I dont think they are that close in real life, unlike the chemistry KSA had with her other male actors off screen).

I agree that Heo Cho Hee is not as appealing as KSA (who is anyways), and does share lots of similar traits, but it doesnt pull me away from WIAN. I actually rather appreciate the fact that KSA brought her real personality into her characters. She makes her roles come alive and gives audience a light atmosphere. That''s why everyone loves KSA.

At last, despite of criticisms or low rating, I still think WIAN is a great, unique movie (not as good as MNIKSS, of course but decent). It kept my interest until the end. I actually finished the series in less than a week (I think 3 or 4 days), and am re-watching it.

i love you ms kim sun ah

Blatantly disagreeing with javabeans, I think that Heo Cho-hee may very well be Kim Sun-ah's finest performance of all. Of course, I have yet to see her in "Scent of a Woman," so it's possible she brings even more depth there. Far from being the heart-on-her-sleeve, used-by-jerks Sam-soon, Cho-hee is a much more mature and worldly wise woman than we've seen Sun-ah-shi play before. While the director does seem to drop a few things, the dialog is top-notch, being both witty and believable. I absolutely LOVE how Cho-hee is a woman who's confident in her job, sassy and bold to almost everybody, yet secretly harbors the deep shame and regret of being the daughter of a legendary art thief. I love how Sun-ah-shi is FINALLY getting a role where her character is not some helpless lost lamb, but something more akin to a lioness on the prowl. She's well-matched by Lee Dong-geon's portrayal of Kim Bum-sang in a way that is incredibly rare amongst Korean romantic comedies. While it may have only received marginal ratings in its native region, it's fast becoming a favorite with western audiences, being reminiscent of both "Scarecrow & Mrs King" and "Remington Steele," due to the combination of danger, intrigue, and the clash of the VERY strong personalities of the central characters. If you haven't watched it all through yet, you really ought to - it's great fun with an ending that will leave you chuckling for the rest of the night.