just rest for now

I'm a little on the fence about that one scene in Wu episode 7, so hear me out for a second. (I'm a week behind, so I have not gotten to episode 8 yet.)

First off, I was honestly losing interest in this show (I'm so sorry!), because while it is so well acted, visually gorgeous, and the supernatural/mythical/dark magic/"chosen one" sort of story is right up my ally, it started to feel a little too Scooby Doo in the sense they found a demon, faught the demon, eliminated it, then found another demon etc.

It started to feel a bit episodic instead of having a single plot/growth I could invest in? Idk if that even accurately describes how I feel, but I guess it just turned out that this show maybe wasn't for me, and I can list a bunch of other things like I wish it leaned into horror more, was darker, had more real romance between the leads (is this even a BL? I came in assuming it was but maybe it isn't?) etc.

But either way, this ep 7 scene saved it for me and reinvested my interest because it was just so, so well done.

Emotional, tear-jerking scenes with crying either hit me really hard or not at all, and this one hit me really hard, almost to the point of tears. Almost lol.

But no really, it was just so well done in every aspect, and you could really feel the emotional weight of Niran virtually giving up on living in exchange for this false sense of peace and not having hope in real life anymore, and Pete just feeling so helpless and desperate to get him to stay, but nothing works, and Niran leaves, presumably dying in reality, forever.

I mean, I can’t not call out how everything Niran says — the stuff about purpose, seeking acceptance, mattering, how exhausting life can feel — how all that lines up so closely with real experiences of depression, loneliness, and feeling like you’re disappearing in your own life. And it doesn't have to be tied with a condition; it just related so truthfully to how life is. It was honestly heartbreaking to hear how he actually sees himself and the world. I'm no expert on any of this, but it was just… truly heartbreaking.

But but but. Not five seconds later, it's like sike!

Niran's younger self says he wants to "leave" with Pete, whatever that means. And the reason is because he thinks it will make him "Wu," but I thought the idea was supposed to be that Niran doesn't need a label to be appreciated and recognized for all that he has done? Isn't his younger self's desire to be "Wu" the same reason older Niran is exhausted with life?

Cut back to reality, Niran is presumably back alive and well with no changes, and they're immediately ready to jump back into their Yao-fighting partnership?

It's like the "going" was too emotional and long and heavy, and the "coming back" was too short and logic-lacking?

I feel like the struggle to get him back should have been longer and harder, given the emotional weight of what just happened. Something had to change Niran to get him to agree to come back because Pete was saying all the right things, and even then Niran was firm in his decision.

Did I miss some nuance or explanation hidden in there? Are we just going to sweep Niran's real, painful emotions under the rug now? Like he didn't just pour out his heart with reasons he can't take living in the real world anymore, only to be brought back anyway? Now, no, no, no, I'm not saying I support giving up on "the real" okay, nothing like that. I'm just trying to understand this scene. And sure, maybe there isn't anything more to understand, but alas.

I've literally paused at this moment to get my thoughts out, so here's hoping this whole thing is elaborated on or given some closure later. We'll see.

And as a bonus, the aftermath of her eating:

*FYI I am only through episode 4*

I'm sorry, but am I the only one deeply interested in Dong Hwa (Lee Jeong Ho)?? I am so confused about what his deal is, yet I am so so invested, lol.

These are the facts we do know.

He is friends with the police, and apparently BFFs with do-right marshmallow softy Tae Jeong (Kim Gyeong Min), also a policeman (somehow). Dong Hwa even says, "There is no way to escape him (Tae Jeong)" and therefore seems to think highly of the police/his friend. But they are so different, it seems, so I want to know how they became best friends.

And so, like, what exactly is going on here? Is Dong Hwa a good guy caught in a bad situation or is he secretly part of the bad stuff, whatever that is?

You would think, because of how kind, sweet, and "good" of a character Tae Jeong is, he wouldn't be best friends with someone evil or criminal, but there was that one line, I think, where contract killer Yi Do (Kim Seung Beom) says something like, "you can't know someone entirely," or something like that. Is that foreshadowing?

Tell me what is on the phone and why Dong Hwa is on a contract killer's hit list!!

I am only through episode 4, okay, but I kind of wish he is (or became) more involved in the main storyline, namely the relationship starting between Tae Jeong and Yi Do. Love triangles usually annoy me, but dang, I want to see what would happen if Dong Hwa were a love interest.

So far, he seems like a perfectly fine, good(?) person, so why is he locked in (his?) dungeon all chained up like a criminal??

And we can see that Dong Hwa probably knows Tae Jeong likes guys or has a crush on his older brother, because Jeong texts Dong Hwa saying how cute his older brother is (it is really Yi Do) and that he wants to tease him.

This K-BL is surprisingly not like most K-BLs (not in a negative way, but in a plot/premise/vibe way). There is no recent K-BL that I know of that really compares to it, because modern/mainstream K-BLs tend to stick to an office/school rom-com situation.

But it does feel similar in vibe to the 2017 relic hidden gem rare Pokémon that is “Long Time No See," which I am pretty sure many haven't seen (unless you are a long time watcher and it was on your radar back then), because it's from a time when K-BL wasn't so mainstream and readily available on drama platforms (it is currently on Gagaoolala).

Least to say, I'm sat for this. I need answers, but I also need time to actually continue the show, lol.

These characters all (mostly) share the same qualities (I have a type, sue me):

Grey, morally questionable

"necessarily evil"

raise the question of right v wrong

change other characters’ ideologies

troubled, sad, dark, trauma -- the works

bad guy that's actually good or "right" deep down

Rule breaker and gets away with it

In no particular order, these are 12 characters I wish I wrote:

(Also forgive me, some of these note the actor's name and others note the character name -- I am doing this off memory, mostly, so excuse that continuity issue.)

1. Yoon Shi Yoon in "Psychopath Diary"

Here me out, but I feel like Shi Yoon's character could have actually been (or become) a psychopath. I think his life and mental state set him up to become one. I would have loved to see a dark version of his story where he turned and joined hands or went against the story's real psychopath.

2. Ji Sung in "The Devil Judge"

One of my favorite anti-hero, grey characters of all time. The show is brilliant, and it feels like it came from 10 years in the future. I mean, has Ji Sung ever acted badly or played a character that didn't steal the entire show? I'll wait.

3. Ye Chan in "A Shoulder to Cry On"

This kid is so sadistic, hurt, and yearning for attention. He does some annoying things and is definitely a bully at times, but he gets better once he finds the right guy.

4. Jae Won in "The Eighth Sense"

So glad this poor boy got a ray of sunshine as his boyfriend in the end. He needed and deserved that. Stay happy and healthy, kid.

5. Park Bo Gum in "Hello Monster"

This is about when I fell in love with Bo Gum as an actor. Still my favorite OG K-drama to this day. The 2010-2015ish era of K-dramas is my K-drama nostalgia period.

6. Park Ji Hoon in "At a Distance, Spring is Green"

This is a GOOD character and a GOOD actor. Expect peak acting in whatever this man plays. Dare I say he is easily up to par in skill with OG actors like Ji Sung, Jang Nara, Park Min Young, Yoon Shi Yoon, Hwang Jung Eum, and Lee Jong Suk.

7. Lee Joon Gi in "Flower of Evil"

Good man, bad situation. Bless him and his family. FYI Joon Gi plays a role with a similar bad-good guy vibe in "Lawless Lawyer." Both dramas are great; this one is better.

8. Wei Ying in "The Untamed"

Fictional or not, I will protect this man with my life. The Untamed and all its pre- and post-adaptations are required drama reading. Get on it, people. There will be a quiz.

9. Wen Kexing in "Word of Honor"

This man is second only to Wei Ying to me. I love a good evil person, or an evil person with good.

10. Bright in "Prodigal Son"

Bet you didn’t see this one coming. I love how dark, hurt, and haunted this man is, and how sharply it contrasts with the “bright” persona he tries so hard to make real. This is cinema, people.

11. Fan Xiao Dong in "The Rules of Love"

Seriously, one of the most underappreciated second leads, IMO. I liked the first lead for sure, but I thought the second was better for the lead girl. Xiao Dong is literally the Damon Salvatore of this love triangle, but the lead ends up with problematic Stephen instead.

12. Leo in "Happy Ending Romance"

This dark, gloomy guy was just such a challenge to figure out and understand, and that's why I really loved him. Also, it's Leo, so the honey voice and visuals excuse him from any and all crimes.

Remember when Love Class was actually about a "love" class, lol? Like, how has it turned into a K-pop show with idols, a competition, etc.?

I'm not hating and do think it is good so far, but I'm just not sure why it has been called a third Love Class instead of its own thing. The only connection I see is that some of the leads are in university, but the plot has totally been lost.

Even Love Class 2 steered a bit away from the original concept, but the setting was still college and the main couple (of the three) were still in a senerio where they had to do a project together in class (similar to the first one where they had to do something about being a couple or family or whatever). Ergo, "Love Class 2" made sense. And I'm not saying they must stay true to the original concept, but creating sequels of a show with the same name suggests the premise would be the same?

But now we are doing idol stuff, and I'm not sure if we will have any sort of "Love Class," but we are only on episode 2. When one of the four leads walked into class, he asked someone, "is this group 4?", so maybe that will tie into it, but it isn't shown whether his pair (Thai boy) is in the class/his group.

Also, I must say the first bit about the competition and how fans (kids I presume) were shipping the two leads together (trainees at that point), and they showed a recording clip of them sleeping in the same bed.

That whole thing gave me so much ick because I know this was and is still a thing that variety shows, competitions, etc. do, giving idols zero privacy and encouraging/allowing the obsessive, intrusive, inappropriate behavior of fans (not all fans are like this, I know).

And then the AI edits of them kissing done by a fan(s)? It just made me deeply concerned because this is 100% real life.

So, granted, I am only on episode 2 of "Love Upon A Time," but I saw a comment about how the show is hard to watch (presumably because of JJ), and they aren't feeling the actor. And I get where that is coming from, but I have surprisingly come to really like this dude, even though I'm not that far into it yet.

Truth be told, I ALMOST dropped this during that episode 1 scene where Kun is chasing a purse snatcher, and he runs by putting his arms straight back like kids do. Like there is a thin line between doing too much and doing just short of that to make it work with this sort of humor/character. But I am glad I gave it a chance because the later chase scene in the past was absolutely ridiculous and comedic gold.

Kun is different from your typical perfect lead that is desirable and flawless. He's weird, goofy, clumsy, and struck with really, really bad luck that gets him into terrible but hilarious situations.

And it's so funny because he faces it with a smile and his signature phrase of "i’m okay" in different languages. It definitely leans toward a slapstick sort of "dumb and dumber" humor, but it isn't bad or hard to swallow for me; I wouldn't even say it is "overdone," it's more like you either like it or don't.

I also love the fact that despite this guy's weirdness and bad luck, he is surrounded by good friends who sincerely like him as he is. The opening scene of him walking into his birthday party like he had been through the war and back was so funny and heartwarming to me. There's just something I really love about truly loyal friendships with no strings attached or conditions.

The premise of him having bad luck is so fun, and it reminds me of "Mr. Unlucky Has No Choice But to Kiss!" which is probably my favorite Japanese BL, tied with Ossan's Love (the funniest JBL, no notes). It's super unserious, and I love that this dude so far is 100% true to himself, no matter what situation he has been put in.

Like the water being hot at the fortune teller's, but to him it is freezing cold -- that's just hilarious to me and creative. And his reactions, while overdone and loud (that is his character), make it all the more funny.

Now, what I hope is that this "bad luck" has a backstory or is related to the plot somehow, not just an inserted device for humor, because I appreciate at least a semblance of meaning and purpose in shows, lol. I'm not sure yet how his time travel has to do with his luck (again only on ep 2), but we'll see.