A Kdrama Fan Walks into a Bar...

@dramajib: It’s been so long since I’ve watched a sageuk, I’m struggling a little bit to follow the whole uprising plot. Like, I can’t quite seem to keep track of who is involved, or what Han Ye Ri’s character’s stance is on the whole thing.

Also, uncharacteristically for me, I’m more invested in Yoon Si Yoon’s character development than Jo Jung Suk’s. I am almost always drawn to the broody guy over the pretty guy or the nice guy, but somehow this particular character is not quite doing it for me just yet. The only pull at the moment is the actor, although I’ll admit to getting more and more invested as the episode progresses (mostly when we see him being adorable with his mother).

Also the only other show I’ve watched with Han Ye Ri was Hello My Twenties, so her character in this one took me by surprise. There was so much more fire than I expected from her, and it was great.

@rocknghorss: Guys I was really into episode 2 right up until the 45 minute mark. But then my nit-pickiness reared its head… why the heck are they playing this super dramatic music while YiHyun is running away with his dad?? Like come on…

dramajib: LOL Marie I have to admit I did not notice that at all, sorry I can’t commiserate.

@triangularlily: Yeah I didn’t notice either, but I did skip slightly through them running away cause I felt it was getting drawn out

dramajib: Am I the only sucker who went “ooooo how clever” when the leader of the uprising did the hand stabby thing? Like I know it was written with that intention, but I still fell for it.

rocknghorss: Yes! It was clever, as was Jain (is that her name??) selling YiKang and her guard out to Revolt Leader Guy

dramajib: I swear I will start using real names from next week’s episodes, it’s just too early in the morning for me!

triangularlily: Yeah me too, it’s always really hard with sageuks and names especially

dramajib: Speaking of names - why didn’t Baek Ga’s wife just demand her son be named something else? She’s obviously bossy enough to insist her husband’s illegitimate son be kicked out, so I don’t believe he wouldn’t have agreed to that request.

…. the dad’s name isn’t actually Baek Ga, is it?

rocknghorss: Lol I don’t think that’s the dad’s name??? But I could be wrong… I think we should dub him Baek Dad.

triangularlily: I think for me I was actually pretty interested for once in the uprising plot because all the characters are a little bit more in a gray area?? Like usually with sageuks there’s an obvious evil guy and then the righteous main characters, and this show doesn’t really have that.

Like the dad is def more on the evil side but I also can understand how he got to that point and then he isn’t always portrayed in the show with the stereotypical evil sageuk character demeanor.

dramajib: I agree, I like how multidimensional the characters are so far. Although the dad at the end of episode 4 makes me question if they’ll be able to maintain that greyness throughout the show

rocknghorss: I was really feeling Yi Hyun risking it all to save his father. Like he knows what kind of absolutely terrible person his father is and has forced his big brother to become and he still literally carried his father out of Gobu on his back. That’s some serious family loyalty.

triangularlily: Yeah his face at the end when they are like parading back into town wasn’t triumphant by any means

rocknghorss: Which means that he’s probably going to have a terrible descent into becoming evil by the end of the drama

dramajib: Nooooooo!!!

rocknghorss: Lolol why no?

triangularlily: Cause she likes his character lol

dramajib: I know older brother is setting up for a redemption arc, but surely the younger one doesn’t HAVE to turn corrupt

rocknghorss: Hehehe

dramajib: That is an evil laugh if ever there was one

triangularlily: I saw someone else saying he was gonna be the villain based on the character chart and I was like huh??

dramajib: Nooooooooooo!!

rocknghorss: Well I could be wrong but it would be kinda fun for Yoon Shi Yoon to play the baddie for once. Especially the reluctant baddie.

dramajib: I mean objectively speaking I can see it happening. He’s got all this guilt about his brother as it is, then he piles on more for enabling his dad to continue to do evil things, I wouldn’t be surprised if he breaks

rocknghorss: I am wondering at his guilt too Ekta! Especially because Baek Dad now has it out for his teacher. Like how’s he going to handle that…

dramajib: Plus you know dad is going to give him hell for skipping the exam and saving him instead

rocknghorss: Oh he did skip it didn’t he. I missed that entirely.

triangularlily: Yeah I wonder Baek Dad seems a bit of an unpredictable basket case

dramajib: He is literally dropping dead on the floor when his son comes to save him, and the first thing he does is yell at him for skipping school. I identified with Yoon Shi Yoon so much in that moment.

Plus we got that whole “I want to die as a minister’s father” flashback TWICE, so I imagine the younger brother is going to fall out of favour soon.

rocknghorss: Hmm! Now that’s a thought. I found it extremely worrying that Baek Dad is letting YiKang call him “father” now. Like that’s not where I wanted his story to go and I’m worried that he’s going to get even more tangled up in being an enforcer

triangularlily: I’m assuming though he is going to go through a drastic redemption arc. I just hope it isn’t at the expense of his mom.

rocknghorss: His mother ended up escaping though right?

triangularlily: Yeah but I just mean it’s a super common sageuk trope for a mom/sister to get murdered or rape for the main male character to drastically chain

rocknghorss: I don’t think he does! I think one of the things I like best about this drama is the way they show how different families can be… like when Grandpa was talking to Miho and giving her the juice, he didn’t make a big deal about her not having parents (like they sometimes do in family dramas and makjangs). Nor was he pitying? It was more like he felt like he understood Woong a little better

triangularlily: It’s exactly because I like the grandpa that I’m disappointed in him listening to noona. It’s funny that as I watch each episode I’m like oh yeah I vaguely remember this happening but don’t ever remember the outcome until it happens

rocknghorss: Lol same. I’m kinda liking that though, because it makes it feel fresh. Who knows though, this might be another instance where the writers subvert our expectations and Grandpa decides to listen to Woong instead of just assuming he knows best

dramajib: I mean it would be nice if he’s just dragging both of them home so he can keep an eye on her, because that would really piss Noona off cos it’s a level of acceptance she can’t get.

dramajib: What really made me laugh was how Noona’s manager(?) was all “Yeah now we want him on board”

rocknghorss: lol I think it’s her manager… I’m having trouble remembering anything but that lady’s very intense eyeliner lol

dramajib: lol and what about Chicken ahjumma?!

rocknghorss: About her taking Miho to the home shopping show?

dramajib: Yes how cute are they?!

rocknghorss: lol yeah they are. One of the things I didn’t remember and now find sorta endlessly amusing is how ahjumma calls Miho “scary blue eyes”

dramajib: Now that I think about it, I really enjoy her interactions with people other than Dae Woong. I mean there’s hip-hop guy, but that somehow doesn’t really count because he’s… Special too. Like even in the earlier episode where Dae Woong left her alone with his friend to go after Noona? She had such a cute chat with him. It’s like everybody loves Mi Ho unless they have ulterior motives - kinda like what happened to her in the past when jealous wives spread nasty rumours about her.

rocknghorss: That’s a good point Ekta and I think it kinda goes along with that theme the writers had in 7/8 about being different not being a bad thing.

triangularlily: I do love Miho that’s for sure

dramajib: Do we actually know what hip hop guy is? In terms of not being human?

rocknghorss: IDK really. Sometimes I think he’s an evil spirit, what with putting that stuff about the Little Mermaid in Miho’s head. Then other times I just think he’s like Kagome in Inuyasha… and I feel like I bring up Inuyasha a lot, but it was the anime of my youth lol

dramajib: I never watched it, what is that character all about?

rocknghorss: Kagome essentially was your typical high schooler, who just happened to be raised in a temple, and somehow went back in time to become a demon hunter. She was nice though…

triangularlily: Shoot I feel like he said something about who he was in 7/8 but I can’t remember now

rocknghorss: Oh did he actually talk about himself Kristin? I guess I’ll have to admit to fastforwarding through his scenes lol

triangularlily: I feel like he did but i could be remembering wrong too

dramajib: I remember learning about Mi Ho’s lookalike but not anything specifically about him. But I also wasn’t paying that much attention. I can’t help it! His hair and the background music are always so distracting

rocknghorss: It is!! There was that one scene where he was outside for once (in a park I think) and it still had that stupid music cue! I literally LOL’d

triangularlily: It is so silly

triangularlily: After watching 9 I really feel like Noona is really missing out on using her skills of manipulating and sleuthing to be something more than an actor. I feel like she could be a mob boss or something

rocknghorss: LOL. So I actually tried to put myself in Noona’s shoes for once. Like what if someone I knew had fallen in with someone who seemed to be pushing them to do something despite being hurt, had come out of nowhere and started living with them and turned them into someone who was behaving very differently than just a few weeks before, I’d be freaked out too. Why wouldn’t I tell my friend’s parents that there seemed to be a problem? I don’t know if I’d try to coerce the “weirdo” into leaving, but I’d try to protect my friend.

triangularlily: Yeah it is easy to judge her but I am not sure what I would do either

rocknghorss: Right? It’s hard to say what you would do. Woong’s two friends are charmingly blase about Miho, but they’re just chill people I guess and Noona isn’t… and of course she’s upset cause her man is suddenly not her man any more. Which just complicates everything

triangularlily: I think still like she was too confident in her assumptions like she doesn’t actually know what she’s dealing with so like esp in terms of the end of episode 10

dramajib: I’m not sure I agree with defending Noona, although I really don’t hate her

rocknghorss: Lol. I still don’t actually like her. She, like HipHop, is on my shit list. She’s also like doing her level best to make Miho feel like Woong is using her… which he was/is but Miho and Woong already had that talk a few eps ago

dramajib: I don’t know about Hip Hop guy being on my shit list. I mean he should just tell Mi Ho the truth about someone dying, but it’s not like he’s keeping things from her out of ill intent.

rocknghorss: It’s true that HipHop doesn’t mean Miho ill, but I’m still mad because he’s hiding the fact that Woong is going to be Miho’s human sacrifice. He took the choice (to not kill Woong) away from her even though I think he can tell already how much she likes him

dramajib: Noona though… like, yeah, I agree that she’s got some footing to stand on with this being a lot to take in. If the guy I was flirting with suddenly took up with a mythical creature human hybrid, I’d be fairly confident he needed saving too. But she’s also simultaneously so selfish and scheme-y about it all that it’s hard to keep in mind that aspect of how her reaction is sort of warranted.

dramajib: I’m also confused by Grandpa’s flipflopping

rocknghorss: I think Grandpa’s issue is that he wanted to like Miho, and already did, but when Aunt came to him all worried, he just skipped some logical steps and went straight into Overprotective Mode. And I think I only know that because I’ve seen the whole drama, sorry Ekta!

dramajib: But then he suddenly goes back to being nice to her and feeding her??

rocknghorss: Yeah because he already wanted to like her because she made Woong ~responsible~

dramajib: Ugh. So. Illogical.

dramajib: I am so confused by hip hop dude. What is his goal here?? But maybe let’s get back to him later and talk about Dae Woong first.

rocknghorss: I’d like to give Woong a stern talking to lol. He’s basically gotten permission to walk all over Miho and is just plowing right along without really listening to his conscience and I just want to shake him!!!

dramajib: I thought Dae Woong was disillusioned by Noona, so I was surprised that he has the rings - but I did like that he told Mi Ho the truth about that

rocknghorss: Yeah. I agree about him being disillusioned about Noona, but I think perhaps he’s liked her for so long that it’s almost a habit to seek her approval

@triangularlily: Yeah that makes sense

dramajib: Good point. I actually do like her character mostly… I think… but I also love every time he brushes her off for Mi Ho and she’s just like ?!?!?. Also, I forget, does she actually know that Mi Ho is the girl the director wants as his star?

rocknghorss: I don’t think she does lol. That would make it all worse. The thing about Noona is that she seems likable and reasonable and then she spouts all of this self-centered nonsense… I was surprisingly disappointed in her when she lit into Woong about not being healthy enough to film.

dramajib: Well… some people express their concern by getting angry. And it’s not entirely unbelievable that she would worry about her reputation when this is her big break. Especially given that he has a tendency to be irresponsible and immature about things in the past. Having said that, still a bitch move.

rocknghorss: Speaking of women! I didn’t realize til this episode that elevator guy’s daughter had a crush on Woong.

triangularlily: She is kind of a strange character. Like I just mean she is Woong’s friend but also so quickly like dumped him

dramajib: Yes, she’s ODD. And the way Woong’s other friend has a crush on her is also weird. It’s almost like there’s a secondary romance storyline just for the sake of it.

rocknghorss: Hah! Some writers kill off their characters when they don’t know what to do with them anymore but the Hong sisters just have their side characters fall in love with each other lol

dramajib: Hahahaha Marie that is such a good observation and so true

triangularlily: I forgot about so many of the side characters in this show like I can’t remember what happens to most of them

rocknghorss: All I know is that we’re going to see Chicken Ahjumma all the way to the end, but for the rest it’s all a blur

dramajib: Oh I’m glad! I like Chicken Ahjumma. How long ago did you guys last watch this btw?

rocknghorss: Literally when it aired so almost ten years ago?

triangularlily: It was when I first started watching dramas so like yeah 10ish years ago. I think I watched it after it came out though like maybe more like 8 or 9 years idk

dramajib: I think maybe we can cut the drama some slack then if some side characters were forgettable. I can’t remember stuff from dramas two years ago!

rocknghorss: True true lol

rocknghorss: Ekta, why’d you have to fast forward through these eps, do you remember?

dramajib: I think I just wasn’t super engrossed for the first part of the episode? I can’t really remember to be honest

rocknghorss: I was just curious to know if you were finding what I was finding. For a lot of dramas I watch, I feel like everything is on this rising tide of awesomeness (my words are escaping me lol) up to episode 6, but with this show I’m not really feeling that. Maybe because Miho’s quest to become human is given less importance than the ?? potential?? love quadrangle.

triangularlily: love quandrangle lmao

dramajib: lol I do sort of agree with the episode 6 thing Marie. I feel like a lot of shows could benefit from telling the same story with a fewer number of episodes. But that might also be because I’ve watched more dramas now, and a lot of the fluff is no longer new and exciting to me. Plus, I always skip the romance bits (sorry Kristin!)

triangularlily: lmao. It is a romance drama though so I assume you went in with that expectation

dramajib: Oh yeah definitely. And I like both the lead actors so I don’t mind watching. And really, their romance development is kind of cute. It’s like what Marie said earlier about Dae Woong is like a little kid who doesn’t know how to tell Mi Ho he likes her. It’s like watching your kid siblings in their first relationship

triangularlily: Yeah I always did like the ending of episode 6, when he runs after her

dramajib: And leaves noona there? The best.

rocknghorss: Yes Miho and Woong are too cute. I’m just crossing my fingers that hip hop guy will chill with the angst, and not get in the way too much.

triangularlily: If I remember right the main like obstacle in the show was more like what he did (giving Miho a way to become human but also killing Woong in the process) rather than hip hop guy himself. If that makes sense. So they are fighting to both be alive and to survive rather than fighting hip hop guy directly

That whole ship thing at the end of episode 3 took me by surprise though, I was like... Dae Woong is a selfish manchild, sure, but he hasn't been MEAN up to this point. And that was really mean

rocknghorss: it was! He'd had a pretty disappointing day, but still, that was downright mean.  I guess from his point of view, everything was Miho's fault. So why not? Especially since as far as he knows, the water can't actually hurt her.

dramajib: It's awful. I hope he gets very contrite and fixes it somehow. Preferably NOT by diving in the water and swimming after the boat and getting pneumonia

rocknghorss: Lol.

The Greatest Love Story: Aunt and Elevator Guy

rocknghorss: Speaking of fixing things, I like how Miho is inadvertently fixing Daewoong's relationship with his Grandpa

dramajib: And helping his aunt and the elevator guy

rocknghorss: Oh yes lol. Although! I was a bit confused about why elevator guy thought that aunt was married?

dramajib: In the previous episode, when she runs away cos she thinks his daughter is his gf, he sees her standing in front of the mannequin at the men's underwear section of the department store, and when the sales woman asks her if she's buying undies for her husband she says yes, cos embarrassed

rocknghorss: Oh. I'm glad you remembered, b/c I was completely lost.  That said, I was quite amused just how EXTRA they both are. The soft lit sunset behind elevator man as he was (I guess) wallowing in despair was ridiculous and I loved it.

dramajib: It's so cheesy I can't stand it but I also simultaneously love it

Dramajib Goes Off On Noona

dramajib: Kristin have you finished episode 3? I haven't watched 4 yet but I have an itch to talk about noona and all her noona issues

rocknghorss: I’m down for discussing noona (and continuing to call everyone by their title rather than their name for the rest of the drama lol) whenever

dramajib: Hahaha sorry I'm just useless with names!

rocknghorss: No worries Ekta :) It’s all good! I can’t be bothered to learn names of characters nowadays... I’m too lazy

rocknghorss: I was wishing the other day that Seunggi’s character had a shorter name lol

@triangularlily: Doesn't Miho just call him Woong a lot of the time?

rocknghorss: Ooh you’re right.  Kristin you’re awesome. My thumbs thank you lol

triangularlily: Hahaha you’re welcome.

<note: at this point some of us hadn’t yet finished watching episode 4…>

dramajib: Since we're all done with three: KRISTIN, I TAKE BACK everything I said about noona. What a cunt!

rocknghorss: LOL

triangularlily: LMAO EKTA.

triangularlily: Like she is horrible but I kind of like her actually? When she is tired of waiting for Woong so she just drives away??

rocknghorss: Man-child Woong and Noona kinda deserve each other right now…

triangularlily: I guess I like that she isn’t like bending over backwards to get the guy like a lot of second leads do she is like super confident and scheming about it instead. But maybe I will take back my words too cause I really don’t remember her character at all

dramajib: I was SO PISSED with noona's dress scheme in episode 3, hence my indignation. Like, fine, I was all on her side at first because it IS ridiculous the way Dae Woong is behaving out of the blue and not giving legit reasons. I did love how she drove away.

But when she pulled the dress thing, when she KNEW she wasn't wearing that dress, and she let him lose his chance at auditioning, she lost me as a fan cos that's just cruel. You know this is the big break he's been working towards, and if you really cared about him you wouldn't sabotage that just to throw shade on your competition

rocknghorss: I both hated and enjoyed her pettiness.  Just like Kristin said, I kinda liked that unlike many “villainous” second female leads, she was unrepentantly nasty to her “competition” and wasn’t shy about it. I hated it of course, because it was just gross and had the consequence of more meanness thrown Miho’s way

<...some time later…>

dramajib: Okay I just finished episode 4, and I'm wavering again about Noona. Like, everything she says to Dae Woong about wanting him to be clear about his feelings is totally valid and fair. But the way she behaves about getting this lead role in the film is horrendous - and I don't quite understand why she calls him when she finds out that Mi Ho is the girl elevator guy had his eyes on

Hip Hop Guy, Guest Starring Ma Wang

dramajib: I am epicly confused by incongruent hip hop ost second male lead's deal. Is he just trying to restore balance? Kill Mi Ho? Steal her bead? Is he falling in love with her? Like what is going on there

rocknghorss: I’m watching 4 now. When you guys watched it did it seem like the monk knew that hip-hop guy was some sort of Demon Hunter/supernatural being?

triangularlily: Hmmm idk like he seemed very matter of fact about it like oh u can put the fox back nice!

rocknghorss: Right? It was kind of weird but I guess if the monk does actually believe in a nine tailed fox, why wouldn’t he believe that some random veterinarian could bring the fox back to the painting? Lol

dramajib: I love that his name is now hip hop guy. We’re so good at naming characters

rocknghorss: Lol. We are

dramajib: But didn’t Mi Ho call him a fake monk?

rocknghorss: Ooh, you’re right! But maybe that was supposed to be an insult, since he’s been keeping her captive in the painting?

dramajib: Yeah, that’s what I thought at first too. Also cos he keeps telling her story potentially incorrectly?

triangularlily: Oh true yeah

dramajib: Maybe hip hop guy gave them the painting in the first place? Cos he also gave them to the temple dog to guard it?

rocknghorss: I don’t know guys. Hip-hop guy’s backstory is the most confusing so far

dramajib: Right?? Cos I’m like.. Who even is this guy? He’s been passing as human since before Mi Ho got trapped in the painting, which means the girl he killed was even before that, so is he like in exile now? Is he good? Bad? On a different moral scale altogether?

triangularlily: I’m really trying to remember but can’t

dramajib: lol not the most memorable villain I guess. If he even counts as a villain.

triangularlily: I think he’s technically the second male lead lol

rocknghorss: Hm. Maybe he’s being punished like in Hwayugi.  The way Iron Fan was?

dramajib: Oh noooo the Iron Fan thing was TRAGIC I don’t want to sit through that again!! Ma Wang being mopey in his little throne room ugh

rocknghorss: Ugh yeah. Everything about Hwayugi was tragic.

dramajib: Well not everything. Ma Wang’s fashion gave me life

triangularlily: Lmao

rocknghorss: Lolol Fashion was good, it’s true. But how is he the second lead if he’s trying to kill/capture Miho is what I want to know

triangularlily: Lmao

dramajib: Well he loved Mi Ho’s lookalike, so I can see him starting to grow fond of Mi Ho. And like, try to keep spiritual beings together instead of letting her fraternize with humans

triangularlily: Yeah I think its something that develops and maybe we should talk more after u finish 4 Marie

triangularlily: Cause there is some development in that area in ep 4

rocknghorss: Ah. Oky doky!

<...some more time later…>

rocknghorss: I finally finished episode 4 you guys! And started episode five!

rocknghorss: And I find it super cute that the way the audience is supposed to know Miho is falling in ~love~ is that she wants to feed/eat with Woong, not just freeload off him

dramajib: I love her interaction with the neighbourhood mean girl ahjumma. And the whole hunting down coupons thing

rocknghorss: Yes! Mean girl ahjumma was hilarious.  Her voice was perfect lol

dramajib: Did finishing episode 4 give you any further insight into hip-hop guy?

rocknghorss: Ehhh. Hip hop guy is pitiful. I’d like to understand why his role appears to be “monster hunter” because that was still not cleared up unless I missed something.  But I can definitely see why he’s billed as the second male lead. He’s got it bad for her, in his own way

dramajib: I assume we get more of his back story? Because as it stands, it seems like the way he's hunting her down is probably the big plot point, and I don't really get it yet either

rocknghorss: I think we do? I can’t really remember.  He seems to lack a lot of urgency in getting her back to the temple tho.  Like if it was that big of a deal why is he slowing around and letting her decide on her to go back?

triangularlily: Yeah I cant remember either I think we do

triangularlily: *get more backstory I mean

dramajib: At first it seemed like he'd been waiting to catch her forever. Then it seemed like he was guarding society and making sure she's safely locked up. Now it's like he's hunting her for his own pleasure. So confused

rocknghorss: That’s exactly why I said hip hop Guy was pitiful btw. I think he likes her or is confusing her with her previous incarnation(??) and is struggling not to confuse his feelings for the other girl with Miho. So he’s got this artificial choice of duty or love, but he doesn’t even know Miho really.

triangularlily: Yeah he also has been by himself for so long. Like the whole can’t make human connection thing

rocknghorss: Yeah!

dramajib: The connection thing - was living with humans his choice, or forced on him? And if it was his choice, he's also chosen to live isolated, soooo… Not that I don't feel bad for him, I'm just being contrary for the sake of it

triangularlily: Yeah I just mean I can see how he became a bit twisted is all

dramajib: That whole scene where he's sitting with her in his house and telling her what her options are was sad. But I also don't trust him so I'm like... Are you just telling her things so that she'll choose to do what you want her to?

Ending On A Less Angsty Note

dramajib: But I also love that grandpa loves Mi Ho without even meeting her yet

rocknghorss: Yupo.  He’s just super enamored that someone was able to make his grandson grow up.  Grandpa doesn’t want much lol Also! I like that he doesn’t rib Aunt too much about her crush. Even though she’s wayyy too into it (again apparently lol)

dramajib: Lol aunt and elevator guy are great though. I can't wait for his daughter to find out that Dae Woong is going to be her cousin

triangularlily: Looool I didn't think about that

rocknghorss:  lol I think what’s also super amusing is the lack of product placement. I think I’ve seen one scene so far that was probably PPL (when Miho takes the soda?beer? From the random guy on the street)

The Elevator Guy

rocknghorss:  So far I’m loving the Aunt and her flirtation with sunglasses guy as much as I did the first time and I’m not sure what that says about me :D

triangularlily:  Lmao I always side eyed  that a bit but I think it was just second hand embarrassment from some of the situation the aunt was in lol

rocknghorss:  Lol yes. The elevator thing had me cringing and laughing

dramajib:  Is the sunglasses guy from the elevator just a cameo or does he reappear, do you guys know?

rocknghorss:  Oh he’s a recurring character

The Boar Thing

dramajib: I'm at the bit with the boar and all I can think of is the boar scene in Habaek. Was that meant to be a flashback to this?! Are the production teams at all related between the two?

rocknghorss:  Hahaha I’m not alone! Maybe Habaek was making fun of this?? Or maybe there really is some Korean folklore about being chased by a boar in a forest??

dramajib:  I tried to Google the wild boar thing and am getting nothing. Kristin, any idea?

triangularlily:  I've seen it pop up in a few dramas, and in some sageuks. I think it's kind of the equivalent of running into like a bear or cougar on a hike. I mean maybe not quite as dangerous but trope wise

rocknghorss:  Interesting. I was wondering if it was like that thing Japanese animes do when a character has done or said something stupid, they’ll have crows flying overhead...

triangularlily:  In terms of the boar scene tho like it was way more believable here I think (even tho still campy) than in Habaek

rocknghorss:  Same.  I liked how smug Miho was about it, rather than both of them freaking out.

triangularlily:  And it was mostly a real boar and not cgi

dramajib:   true that

More Ageing

dramajib: I'm into the second episode finally and a) can't stop giggling at that second male villain dude's hair, and 

b) how funny would it be if Dae Woong became like a folklore professor because he got so into researching Gumiho stuff?

c) hypothesizing isn't half as much fun when the two of you already know what happens!

d) that old timey flashback scene of where he stabs her(? her lookalike? What was that?) was so. much. cheese. Like I am constantly so aware that this drama was made years ago

rocknghorss: Lol.  There’s definitely some shots that remind me of like Blair Witch Project from the 90s and it’s supposed to be mysterious/scary but all I can do is laugh.

rocknghorss:  Also! I wouldn’t say that I remember this drama so well that I don’t want to speculate lol. I am totally at a loss for why that guy is chasing down Miho with that weird blade. But I am enjoying his very basic hip hop music cue

triangularlily:  Speaking of music I forgot how much i used to love the main like theme the "doobie doobie do da ah"or whatever. Was my fav kdrama ost song for a long time

rocknghorss:  Mine too!!!

Overall Thoughts

dramajib:   Okay I think overall thoughts from me for the first two eps: the age of this drama really shows very strongly from time to time, but mostly in an endearing way, rather than a cringey way, if that makes sense?

triangularlily:  Yeah I agree

dramajib:   I also feel like the characters are unlikely to become very complex - they seem pretty one dimensional to me so far, but still likeable. I just don't remember deep character development in kdramas being a thing until quite recently, but correct me if I'm wrong and you know of any counterexamples!

dramajib:   Also I have no idea what our actual driving storyline is yet, but I am so invested in Dae Woong's aunt and the elevator guy, like way more than I should be.

dramajib:   And last point - I feel sad for the noona who Dae Woong has a thing with. I remember her from... Flower Boy Next Door, I think? Where she had a similar undeserved lack of love?

triangularlily:  She was really selfish and mean in that show tho. But yeah so far she is just like minding her own business. I can’t remember her character at all in this one

dramajib:   Oh actually now that you mention it, yeah! She bullied the main lead in school or something didn't she? Not sure how I forgot all that

triangularlily:  This is my favorite shin min ah role tho I think mi ho is so cute

rocknghorss:  she really is :)

The SMK folks react to Episode 20

rocknghorss: Well I got halfway through episode 20 and I guess we’re getting some kind of closure :/

rocknghorss: but not the closure we deserve!!! 😤😤

triangularlily: Lol ok actually kind of glad I don't like the show cause if I did that ending would have been terrible. What a train wreck

dramajib: (finally getting up) AHH I haven't watched 20 yet because the subs weren't out when I went to bed!

dramajib: But yes the dragon appearing was when I completely lost it. What WAS that omg. The show has done kitschy before but that was just...

dramajib: I'm sure Sam Jang comes back. Also I'm sure the Asanyeo / BuJa situation gets a better resolution in the last episode - my burning question from episode 19 was more about Kang Dae Sung. Dude just runs away?  Like he goes on and on about wanting to rule the world and then he sees that terribad CGI dragon and gets scared?

dramajib: Also this isn't the first time he's killed someone himself, he killed BuJa, so why did that freak him out?

triangularlily: They show what happens to him in ep 20

rocknghorss: My overwhelming reaction is WTF

dramajib: Hahaha have you both already finished ep 20?? I'm so excited to watch it tonight now. In a "so bad it's good" way

rocknghorss: Yep totally done and now I’m gonna screen cap!

rocknghorss: also re: Prof Kang! He’s a total wuss.  He talks like he’s serious about this taking over the world nonsense but then when Ah Sa Nyeo gives him what he needs he realizes he’s not that bad after all...  he was an oddly 1-dimensional villain.

triangularlily: I mean they didn't ever give him much depth besides the I'm a selfish murderer with big ambitions

rocknghorss: Yeah, I’m just disappointed in how 1D he ended up being.  I thought they were going to make him the real bad guy of the story, especially considering how soft and cuddly our resident devil Ma Wang ended up being.

dramajib: I'm settling in to watch the last episode now. I can't believe we really made it this far. Especially after the CGI dragon of episode 19. Although the bells are still worse than the dragon imo

dramajib: Also: Winter General has some warped ass ideas of moral righteousness

The End 

dramajib: Ugh the WORST ENDING FOR BUJA what is this shit

(after processing things for a bit)

dramajib: You know, I thought that was a useless ending. The show basically had two out of the ten weeks that I loved, and the rest varied between horrific and meh. For me it was carried by the great characters, and the fact that it wasn't predictably the same as every other show - but that doesn't always mean it was different in a good way

dramajib: So now I'm about to mark it as completed on mydramalist and... I have no idea how to rate it out of 10

rocknghorss: Zero seems appropriate

dramajib: Hahahaha I just laughed so hard I snorted. Did you really hate it???

rocknghorss: Lol I didn’t hate it no, it was just a waste of talent.  And the Hong Sisters have disappointed me!!!

rocknghorss: On the whole it was just consistently an odd little drama that didn’t seem to know how to make the stakes high or give the audience any emotional pay off.  The baddies were USELESS at making me worried, the demons (except for the child killing one :/) were interesting but also not scary, and the one super interesting story line that was in there was cut short

rocknghorss: #BuJa deserved better 2018

triangularlily: BuJa really deserved better

triangularlily: I wish I hadn't been right about that one

rocknghorss: Yeah.  I mean I guess I understand what they were going for?? “You can’t escape fate” (unless you’re the Great Sage)

triangularlily: I just was at least hoping we could see her again but we never did

triangularlily: I just wanted some closure for her

rocknghorss: Yeah. As I think about it more I feel like Hwayugi is a pretty sad drama actually

triangularlily: Yeah I'm glad I didn't ship the main two cause I would probably be really mad at that ending if I did

rocknghorss: Their story was both pitiful and confusing which is a terrible combo

triangularlily: I feel like I dodged a bullet by not getting too invested in the show lol

dramajib: So yeah. Really not a great ending. I'm okay with the ending between Seon Mi and Oh Gong, but for the rest of the characters it's a let down.

rocknghorss: At least Ma Wang was able to “save” Iron fan, and spend time with his son

dramajib: Ya and her being a flower means her last reincarnation will be a short one before she goes back to heaven

rocknghorss: I think that was one actually positive thing about the finale

dramajib: I mean I actually like that Oh Gong is off to cause mayhem somewhere else. A happily ever after type ending doesn't seem right for that character

rocknghorss: :/ I guess so… I think I was more invested in Oh Gong/Seon Mi than I wanted to admit cause I was not ok with him proverbially riding off into the sunset.

rocknghorss: Like why does Seon Mi have to return to the underworld? She could’ve stayed by his side as a ghost!

dramajib: I was half expecting him to just replace the star with one that lets her stay around forever tbh

dramajib: And I didn't like mayor's ending either. The hell is he going to do with a haunted house reformation real estate agency if he can't reform haunted houses

dramajib: It's not like Winter General will help... Honestly, Winter General invokes a complicated response in me. It's not that I don't like him but ugh

rocknghorss: idk, Seon Mi saw a nice future for him so maybe PK and the others will help out from time to time.  And agreed, Winter General is still not all that awesome to me

dramajib: Ugh PK just reminds me of Bu Ja and I cannot

rocknghorss: Yeah there’s a lot of “what could’ve been” feelings I’m having about Bu Ja. I think they were going for poetic justice by killing Prof Kang the way they did.  But it didn’t work for me at all

rocknghorss: Oh yeah! Were you guys surprised that the main two did actually end up having sex?  Cause I kinda was.  I didn’t expect that at all, but I liked that having sex didn’t rid Seon Mi of her powers or other nonsense like that

dramajib: I didn't like it, but not because of the actual sex aspect of it

dramajib: It was just like... Oh Gong knew Seon Mi was doing it as a "things I may not get to do if you leave me when our love ends" thing, but he also knew that their love WAS real

rocknghorss: That’s a good point.  I hadn’t really thought of that aspect of it.  Even more surprising then that he would do such a thing.  Because he spent a lot of time trying to shield her from harm... so why leave her in the dark about the thing that mattered most???

dramajib: It's like... I don't know if you guys read comic books, but I do a lot for work (it's totally research I swear) and there's a storyline now between Rogue and Gambit of the X-men and they're talking about their long romantic history and Rogue hates that their first kiss happened when they were under mind control. So even though their feelings are real, it's all a bit tainted for her by that manipulation

rocknghorss: Rogue and Gambit?!?! I have fallen off the X-men bandwagon in a big way

dramajib: I mean I guess he knew he might die, so he wanted to do it too while he could. But honestly the only things I thought about during that scene were a) oh god they finally have sex, this is three weeks in a row I refuse to be the one who brings it up or Tumblr is going to think I'm thirsty af

dramajib: And b) he is SO THIN damn.

rocknghorss: Glad I saved you lol

dramajib: ❤️❤️

rocknghorss: Anywho, thinking about it again, manipulating people is right up the Great Sage’s alley, so I guess it isn’t surprising after all.  It’s just more evidence that their romance is a sad one

dramajib: Yeah. I'm glad he found love. I just don't understand why it's her. Like even when they go on a "date" that one day she's back from the dead, and it's a chance for them to do all the things they love, there's actually nothing there for them to do

dramajib: Like he says, all they did was by product of vanquishing evil spirits. It wasn't a date. Even the tteokbokki was what SHE liked eating, he just did it because he wanted to make her happy.

dramajib: I'd like to believe the Hong sisters were emphasizing that point but it doesn't feel impactful enough to be intentional

rocknghorss: I mean my faith in the Hong sisters is a bit shaken.  There’s a chance that they meant to make Seon Mi about as interesting as junk mail

triangularlily: I think they just suck at adapting stories

rocknghorss: There’s that possibility too yep,

dramajib: I thought it was an interesting adaptation at first. But that derailed as the story progressed

triangularlily: I think it just was really forced

dramajib: I did often wonder how Lee Seung Gi felt about playing Oh Gong after his stint in Journey to the West

rocknghorss: You mean the variety show Ekta?

dramajib: Yeah

dramajib: Like I know that's not really got very much to do with the legend apart from the silly costumes and penalties but still. It seems like that's a show he does with his buddies, and I just wondered what sort of conversations he must be having with them, how they must be ribbing him when they meet up and stuff

rocknghorss: I’m sure they are :D especially if these are the same buddies as in 1 night 2 days

rocknghorss: So are either of you lamenting Lee El taking another secondary role the way I am?

triangularlily: Like she's in something else or as her role in hwayugi

rocknghorss: Her role in Hwayugi

triangularlily: I think if she was just a secretary but she's a lot more than that

triangularlily: I still am wishing for an alternative show tho where her and Ma Wang actually got to be the villains

rocknghorss: Lol

triangularlily: I think that would have been great

dramajib: Gosh yes that would have been lovely. To see them actually doing stuff instead of just talking about it and signing contracts

triangularlily: I just wanted to see them as scheming evil villains I can imagine it and it's amazing

dramajib: I think she shines in the roles she takes - I don't know that I've seen a leading role that would let her show as much, if you know what I mean? There are some strong complex female leads, but most of the time they're just one dimensional, and I think she takes on roles that allow her to be so much more, within so little time

triangularlily: Yeah I feel like the roles she takes are all so different. Idk if I've actually seem her in another secretary role

rocknghorss: I could totally see a web drama spin off of the two of them actually being somewhat evil.  Also, I think I agree with you guys but I’m more sad that the truly complex female lead roles are few and far between AND she doesn’t get them... basically I’m a Lee El fan and I want her to have all the things

dramajib: I actually want to see her as an evil second lead female

dramajib: Or maybe not even evil. I think my favourite second female of recent time has been Go Joon Hee in She Was Pretty. Like a badass no nonsense sassy bff

dramajib: Or rival

rocknghorss: that would be interesting for sure.  I don’t even know if I’ve seen her in a role like that

rocknghorss: I finally looked up the wiki summary of Journey to the West, and is Seon Mi supposed to be the Monk?

dramajib: Yeah I believe so. It's a bit odd

triangularlily: They did say Sam jang is a monk I think like the original or something

rocknghorss: what an odd choice... I mean having her die in the end then rather than being rewarded in some fashion

dramajib: Well presumably he'll save her.  We just don't get to see it

rocknghorss: Yeah… I'm a bit salty about this.  The girl gets no character development, her bf only confirms that he loves her after she dies, and her reward is to wait for her bf to find and save her, and who knows how long that'll take

dramajib: For real. The worst of it is that she starts off a little sassy, and I know the actress does sassy well

dramajib: But do we get to see that? Noooo

(Posting this late was totally my fault!! Sorry everyone! ~Marie) 

A Potentially Boring Ending? 

rocknghorss: I was worried but then I realized that this show has never killed or seriously injured any of the main characters

rocknghorss: Kinda like what Ekta was saying earlier, the ending is probably going to be wildly boring unless they don’t let Oh Gong circumvent fate after all and Sam Jang kills him

rocknghorss I think her name is Secretary Ma btw

triangularlily: Ok I thought that's what it was too

triangularlily: Maybe there will be some kind of twist like I haven't found the show really that predictable maybe because it's so wacky

rocknghorss: Wacky is a good word for it

triangularlily: Also I know I kept harping on about wanting the guegensjskaong bracelet thing off but like it's too late at this point I think their romance won't ever do it for me

triangularlily: Like I am glad his feelings are real but it's just too late at this point

rocknghorss: His feelings are real but what are they based on is my issue!?  Because the version 1.0 model forced obedience upon whoever wore it

triangularlily: Yeah that is a good point

triangularlily: Actually a really interesting idea that probably won't be explored in the show

triangularlily: Like for me they must never developed the romance/their feelings  like they put the bracelet on and tada! he loves her! Like how am I supposed to be invested or believe in that

triangularlily: In the beginning of the show I thought maybe they would take the bracelet off and then they would kind of start over in their relationship and fall in love for real like sometimes what kdramas do with amnesia plots but like that's not what happened

rocknghorss: Their romance I think is really tough to believe cause of what you said earlier and also because they don’t really know each other.  Who is Jin Seon Mi really?  All I know about her is that she really likes the fact that there’s finally someone who likes her despite (or because of?) her magical powers.  And that’s a sad basis for a relationship.

dramajib: I think that’s a good point - I don’t have trouble believing their feelings for each other, but I just don’t care.  And that’s mostly because Seon Mi as a character hasn’t been fleshed out.  This sudden “I’m going to empty my heart of love and save the world” thing just makes no sense to me, it just seems like a way to keep the story moving

triangularlily: I think they def are just trying to keep the story moving.  I was glad tho that she seems to be the only one who cares about Bu Ja rather than PK rn

triangularlily: Also I rather wish she had powers since the beginning I kind of like that addition to her character even if it’s just more of a plot device

dramajib: Back to Ma Wang for a quick sec - I wondered if him being so gullible and easy to trick had anything to do with him being the (a?) devil.  Combined with how he’s so softhearted just seems like an interesting personality choice for this character.  Like we do see him being cold and harsh, but it never last very long and he’s obviously the biggest softy and everyone knows it.

rocknghorss: Ma Wang, kinda like Oh Gong, is ultimately harmless.  They’ve even dialed back Ah Sa Nyeo’s diabolical plans and made her seem almost sympathetic.  i really hope that whatever plan Oh Gong has up his sleeve also is meant to save BuJa too— it’s irritating that it’s only been PK and Octopus(?) that have seemed to care for the last ~8 episodes.

rocknghorss: Oh yeah, and Seon Mi too, when the writers let her care about something other than Oh Gong

triangularlily: I’m just really worried they’re gonna give the shaman some kind of redemption arc and she like agrees to be burned or something and BuJa just is like gone

rocknghorss: Let’s hope not!!!

rocknghorss: Also, going back to what you said last week Kristin… this show has so many side plots!  It’s pretty amazing that they’re all fairly (?) relevant to the overall plot.  Even Jason (that was his name right?) had a part to play in showing that Seon Mi could have a fairly normal human life if she found the right person.

triangularlily: Yeah, I think maybe that’s why it’s not living up to my expectations of a Hong sister’s drama.  I think it’s too complicated and maybe because it’s an adaption of something.  Maybe they’re just a lot better at writing their own stories.

rocknghorss: that’s an interesting idea.  I never thought of it like that.  They also did an adaptation of Chunhyang back in the day right?

triangularlily: Oh idk. I haven’t seen it!

rocknghorss: Well all I really recall about it is that it was boring lol.  

triangularlily: Well maybe I’m right then lol

rocknghorss: Ekta will you tell me what you meant earlier about Ma Wang being a/the devil and being gullible?  

dramajib: I just noticed that of all the characters, he seems to be the one who gets painted as this dumb foolish guy a lot, someone you can easily put one over

dramajib: Like even with PK, it’s only the BuJa angle that allows him to be manipulated.  But with Ma Wang it’s love, and then pride, and envy and family, and whole gamut of things that let people lead him on and allow him to be very susceptible to suggestion

dramajib: I mean, yes, he does eventually catch on and shake it off and get back to bad business, but mostly there’s this quality of gullibility attached to him that we don’t really see in the other characters as much - and it made me think about how in all the folk stories we always hear about the devil being tricked or outsmarted so that good triumphs over evil in the end.

dramajib: I know the other characters do get tricked and manipulated too, the main premise of the show is supposed to be about Seon Mi and Oh Gong’s feelings being manipulated, but it doesn’t have that same quality of “look how stupid this creature is lol” to it as it does with Ma Wang… Or maybe that’s just be being partial to Cha Seung Won again

rocknghorss: No lol.  I don’t think it’s the CSW bias.  I guess my only point of contention (if it can even be called that) is that as the devil, Ma Wang may be doing such a poor job at tempting people and is so easily tricked himself is because he’s a devil who was trying to become a deity.  

dramajib: Re BuJa (because I was asleep when you guys discussed it, because time zones ugh): I wonder if her mom actually died, or was just transferred somewhere else.  The translations for that bit seemed a bit off.

dramajib: If they are giving Ah Sa Nyeo a redemption arc, maybe she’ll sacrifice her soul to make BuJa human again or something like that.  it still seems a bit unsatisfactory though. I will be sad to not get BuJa back, but can’t think of a way for them to do it that wouldn’t frustrate me.  Unless she comes back, stays a zombie, but becomes a pop star and the energy she gets from her concerts keep her going?

dramajib: I want her to do it on her own, you know?  Not just because someone helped her.  As sweet as PK is with her.  But he mentioned something about hoping Ah Sa Nyeo becomes good so he can make her his little sister too, so who knows how things are going to go.

rocknghorss: Bu Ja did want to become a popstar didn’t she? I’d forgotten about that.  But in terms of Ah Sa Nyeo and redemption, my prediction is that she’ll get one and it’ll paint her in a super sympathetic light and Prof. Kang will go down (but not die!) and somehow BuJa will be reincarnated.

rocknghorss: which is awful!!!!

triangularlily: I just feel like no one seems to care that she's still like gone

triangularlily: Like everyone was so worried before what happened

rocknghorss: Yeah, they’re all distracted by the shaman to care too much about Bu Ja, with the exception of PK of course

triangularlily: I just feel like no one seems to care that she's still like gone

triangularlily: Like everyone was so worried before what happened

dramajib: NO don’t make her die!!! gosh Marie, that’s even worse than my everyone dying theory

rocknghorss: LOL

(a bit later)

dramajib: Just watching the episodes now. Can't believe I ever thought Ah Sa Nyeo would have a redemption arc. Also hold up. Isn't Kang Dae Sung wearing the coat Samjang saw Ma Wang crying over in her vision? Or am I just fashion challenged when it comes to plaid and tartan

dramajib: Oh. Oh dear. I guess not.

(Ekta chugged along like a trooper for a while...)

dramajib: Either I'm dumb, or something is lost in translation, or the writers had an idea in their heads that's not translating because I am so confused

rocknghorss: So I watched 17 and I'm halfway through 18.  Yes to being confused and also things are getting resolved so quickly?!?!

rocknghorss: Also asianwiki says there's 20 eps but Viki says there's 19? Do you guys know which is correct?

triangularlily: Yeah i mean we are the last week so it seems like they are actually trying to wrap everything up

triangularlily: Oh I thought it was 20.  But idk where I actually saw that

triangularlily: Idk why they would have 19.  That's a really weird number for a kdrama

rocknghorss: Right? but Viki really only has 1 more ep listed as upcoming, so I don't know what to make of that

triangularlily: Probably just an error

rocknghorss: Probably so… but I got a little excited thinking that there was only 1 more ep to go after finishing 18 lol.  And now... DONE!

Lagging Leads

dramajib: I like Samjang less and less as the story progresses - we don't get to see her being sassy or smart or anything anymore, she's just this drippy "so in love" mope-er. It doesn't seem fair that Oh Gong gets to be endearing when he's in love by showing his soft side, but she just turns into a wet rag

triangularlily: Yeah like there's nothing wrong with her I just don't care about her story like at all

rocknghorss: Agreed. I think it’s interesting that the Hong Sisters have made Sam Jang less of a person as the story goes along and more of a plot device. They may as well have had Sam Jang be an inanimate object that’s how much her being an actual person with actual feelings matters to the story

rocknghorss: And it’s rather at odds with their previous dramas??

rocknghorss: But at least the writers somewhat shine a light on how bizzare Sam Jang is acting by having her interact with her office manager- he’s the one who’s playing the role of the confused audience it seems to me

dramajib: Maybe they're attempting to distinguish between her Samjang powers and her as a human? So all the importance that anyone places on her is about her lotus blood, but the human Seon Mi is irrelevant?

dramajib: Like I don't think that's coming across very well, but maybe that was the intention?

rocknghorss: Maybe so? But if that’s the case, then why? Like what’s the message here?  Is it “Gods/demons etc don’t care about humans”?  Cause if so... well that’s been done to death. 

dramajib: Maybe Seon Mi rises up above the power of Sam Jang at some point, to give the message of hope and strength or something sappy like that

dramajib: I should become a scriptwriter I'm so amused by my own theories 😂

rocknghorss: Lolol

triangularlily: I like that theory tho Ekta lol.  I want to like and care about her as a character cause I feel like the potential is there

triangularlily: And like you said Marie, the Hong sister's usually have really great main characters.

rocknghorss: Yeah!  Which is why Sam Jang is so disappointing I guess? Maybe they expended all their energy on Bu Ja lol.

triangularlily: I think it might be that the story is soooooooo complicated and all the side characters have such in depth stories that there just isn't room for a fully fleshed out main couple

rocknghorss: I really think you’re right cause I’m still (despite the shooting stars nonsense and Ma Wang believing in Ah Sa Nyeo’s crap promises 😤) invested in the Iron Fan x Ma Wang plot line

triangularlily: I mean it seems like almost everyone has their own backstory that doesn't necessarily revolve around or have anything to do with the main two.

triangularlily: Which now that I bring that up i realize that there are so many side characters names that I don't know

rocknghorss: Lol.  Like the elder!  I didn’t know he had a name or any importance until the stars thing!

dramajib: I identified so much with the elder when he was complaining about being put in charge of all the crazy demons

rocknghorss: lol. It felt true to life for you? 😊

dramajib: For real