Team Dramabeans: What we’re watching

by DB Staff

So, what are we all watching this week?

What kept you reaching for more (or agonizing when there was no more), and what made you want to throw your remote through the screen? Time to weigh in…

javabeans

Age of Youth 2: One thing about this season that feels like a noticeable improvement is the feeling of direction and trajectory. Season 1 was loose and breezy (in positive ways!), but certainly meandering. I see now that seeds for Ji-won’s backstory were planted last year (like the ringing in her ears), and it makes me wonder at why it wasn’t explored or set up back then, and rather left to sit there unaddressed. This season feels tighter and more planned, and I’m thrilled that Ji-won is at the center of it, because that girl is all kinds of weirdly awesome.

Rescue Me: This show is so good, but almost too real—it makes me so furious I can hardly stand to watch sometimes. I hate religious fanaticism so, so much, UGH, I want to burn that cult church down to the ground and salt the hell out of that earth.

Man Who Sets the Table: I have a Father Is Strange-shaped hole in my heart now, so I tried this new family drama just to see if it would be in a similar, heartwarming vein. (Spoiler alert: It is not.) It set my blood boiling from the first scene and I was so enraged on Sooyoung’s behalf at her having such a flaming ass of a father that I couldn’t get beyond ten minutes, so nope, this one’s a no-go.

My Golden Life: This, on the other hand, is more promising—lighter, brighter, cuter. Shin Hye-sun and her sister are charming, although I’m iffy on the two guys. I was very curious to see whether I could watch post-scandal Park Shi-hoo in a rom-com role, then found that it wasn’t the scandal that bothered me, but rather the very strong feeling that he was miscast and what the drama really needs is Jo Jung-seok. (You can’t unsee it—or un-want it—once you’ve thought it!) It feels like he’s trying too hard to be bumbly-funny, and that makes me uncomfortable.

Criminal Minds: More of the same.

Reunited Worlds: I was watching an episode with only half my attention and realized I was missing a lot of the plot logic when I couldn’t follow the events. So, I rewound and rewatched to fill in the holes, and realized that while paying attention does help, it does not, unfortunately, create plot logic out of nowhere.

Hospital Ship: I think I’ll pass. It’s not bad, but it doesn’t get me either. It sort of feels like Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim but without any of the quirkiness or compelling characters… so kind of like a regular medical drama, then.

girlfriday

School 2017: It didn’t go out on the same high that we were all feeling a few weeks ago, but I was satisfied with where we left our characters. True to form, School 2017’s biggest success was in being a breakout vehicle for its rookie stars, who now have a horde of loyal fans eager to see what they’ll do next. Could anything top swoony bad boy Hyun Tae-woon though? I mean, he even sings!! I wouldn’t bet on it… but in the meantime maybe I’ll go back and rewatch Jealousy Incarnate.

Rescue Me: I leapt out of my chair and fist-pumped like a fool when Dong-chul came back into the mix. I was so desperate for someone to save Sang-mi that I didn’t realize how frustrated I was by the other boys until he came back and breathed life back into everything. Now I finally feel like things are getting DONE.

Falsify: Sometimes it’s hard to notice because the drama is slickly made, but I often watch Falsify and think there are too many masterminds for one show. It lacks realism when everyone’s always got a twist up his sleeve, even though for the sake of the plot, those twists are essential. In any case, I like it when things get heisty and capery, so this week was a fun departure in that sense.

Age of Youth 2: I’m so ecstatic that Ji-won and her editor are getting their own loveline this season! Their dynamic is so cute and weird… though I guess that’s kind of how all the relationships on this show go, which is why I like Age of Youth in the first place.

HeadsNo2

Live Up to Your Name: I do love the wrenches this show throws into things, since I wasn’t expecting a trip back to Joseon so soon. Once Yeon-kyung figured out how the time traveling mechanism worked, I laughed WAY too hard when she kept “innocently” trying to kill Im to get them back to her time. And then the drama kicked in, and I was crying. Can we please just stay in Joseon?

Reunited Worlds: If they could bring a person back from the dead, can they do the same with the plot?

Manhole: Still both manning and holing.

Rescue Me: They certainly know how to keep this from getting repetitive, since the writer seems to understand how to throw the audience a bone every now and then. We knew Sang-mi couldn’t be rescued this early in the game, but by giving us that shred of hope, that fleeting moment of freedom, the show effectively raised the stakes even higher. I remember being so mad at Dong-chul for not being there during any of the rescue attempts, but now it all makes sense, since he’s the only one able to infiltrate the cult. Woo Do-hwan is giving me Kim Woo-bin vibes from White Christmas by just exuding charisma and talent left and right, so color me stoked that his role is gaining even more prominence. (As for you, Sang-hwan, what’s it going to take for you to learn that you can never trust the system?)

Falsify: Something something unrelated late-game villain, something somethi—zzzzzzzzzzzz…..

tineybeanie

Currently recapping: Falsify

The King Loves: Yessss, Rin! He finally stepped up his game and confessed (well a kiss kinda counts as a confession right?) his love for So-ah. It’s just unfortunate that the kiss just didn’t have the best optics. It kind of made me remember the epic fail pantry kiss in Heirs. One would think that after having dated Lee Seung-gi, Yoon-ah would have learned how to smack lips with finesse. In any case, I am glad this drama isn’t going to sink my second lead ship. I read up on the novel chapter summaries this week, and to be honest, it sounds like a waay better book. I think the drama just doesn’t capture all the action and angst that’s clearly all there in the book, and I don’t know why because writer Song Ji-nah has definitely proved she can do it all before in Healer.

Hospital Ship: My luuurve Ha Ji-won. She is amazing in this as always, and her character is stellar and complex, but the problem seems to be EVERYTHING else. I like the setting, and the greenness of some of the younger actors is offset by the veteran cast members (sometimes), but I just wish that there were a clearer direction in this show. It just seems to be meandering like a ship lost at sea (hur).

SailorJumun

Currently recapping: Age of Youth 2

Seven Day Queen: I could not handle this show. I thought I could in the beginning, but it was TOO MUCH. I mean that as the best compliment possible because the emotional levels I’d reached while watching… I didn’t even know they existed! I had to step away for a while because it was so intense, but once I gathered the courage to come back and finish it, I was happy with the ending we got. What a beautiful, bittersweet way to say goodbye to these characters. It was very Titanic-esque in bundling up so much tragedy and giving us the much needed relief at the very end. And by relief, I of course mean more tears. So many tears….

Manhole: *sees Jaejoong* … *dies* In all seriousness, I loved the crazy (bordering on psycho) energy that this show had. It felt like the perfect pick-me-up after speeding through the final episodes of Seven Day Queen. I’m a little behind since life decided to be a jerk and get in the way, but I’m not exactly sure if I want to catch up. With the quick pace that it has, I’m scared to enter an endless cycle of failed manhole trips. I’m currently paused at Pil emerging as a gangster (which is giving me some serious Triangle flashbacks ❤) and it already feels like it’s getting repetitive. Is my love for Jaejoong worth the multiple trips down memory lane? I really don’t know.

 
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