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Paradise Ranch: Episode 1

Paradise Ranch is the long-awaited (?) — or perhaps it’s more accurate to say long-shelved — drama starring idol pop star Choi Kang Changmin of DBSK in his drama debut, alongside Lee Yeon-hee. For lots of reasons, there’s been an undercurrent of unease about this drama, with its inability to secure a broadcaster or a timeslot for months, which led to a pretty lengthy time spent in limbo. In fact, the entire drama was wrapped and completed practically a year ago, and there was speculation that it might never see the light of day.

But SBS picked it up for its Monday-Tuesday 9pm timeslot, which has in recent months been home to lighter dramatic fare (I Am Legend, It’s Okay Daddy’s Girl, Dr. Champ). The timeslot hasn’t seen a hit since Wish Upon a Star a full year ago, so I wonder if SBS will continue to slot it with dramas (the other stations don’t air dramas in that slot) for much longer. But that’s a discussion for another day, another post. I mostly mention it because I happen to have seen all the dramas in this hour minus one (Angel’s Temptation) and for whatever reason, I seem to have more lenient expectations of them. I don’t know why.

Paradise Ranch was neither as good nor as bad as I was hoping it to be, which puts it squarely into that category of meh for me. It isn’t horrible — as I was expecting from its awful trailers — but it’s not really that exciting or interesting, either. But it’s also benign enough that it doesn’t really merit heaps of snark, either. Yet. We’ll see.

SONG OF THE DAY

Winterplay – “You’re In My Heart.” This song plays in one scene toward the end of Episode 1. [ Download ]

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EPISODE 1

The story is simple enough: Two young kiddos in love attempt to run away and elope against their parents’ wishes, but due to her age — she’s 19, he’s 21 — they require parental consent. So instead, they return home and beg the adults to agree to the marriage, and surprisingly it’s his grandfather who relents first and convinces the others to let the kids marry.

The couple has their honeymoon period of wedded bliss… and then, inevitably, problems arise (though we are given no specifics in our heroine’s brief introduction). They divorce after six months and go their separate ways.

And then, we’re six years later.

Now for our real introduction to LEE DA-JI (Lee Yeon-hee), now 25, a veterinarian with a specialty in horses. She works at Paradise Ranch, a small farm on Jeju Island where she lives with her father and her pesky younger sister DA-EUN.

Da-ji loves horses but doesn’t actually seem to be very good with them, which is either a weird quirk or a flaw in the writing of the drama. I can’t decide which. Her boss cluck-clucks about her inability to go 10 minutes without getting herself into some sort of trouble, which seems pretty on the mark. She’s bubbly, vivacious, and optimistic, so it’s easy to like her although one wonders how she managed to become a vet, as her competence has yet to be demonstrated.

She is sent by her cheapskate boss to a horse auction in Australia, with specific instructions on what kind of animal she is to buy. As she looks over her top pick, another prospective horse-buyer notices her — her ex-husband, HAN DONG-JOO (Shim Chang-min).

Dong-joo, now 27, is the spoiled, lazy heir to Dongin Group and director at DI Resort, a sprawling new development on Jeju Island that neighbors Paradise Ranch. In fact DI’s presence is encroaching on the ranch’s own — it’s a You’ve Got Mail-esque battle between the little guys and the big corporate power — but the kids don’t yet know the connection.

Dong-joo seems pleased to see Da-ji at first, but his face tightens when he overhears her cooing to her horse about the handsome other horse-buyer standing nearby — his soon-to-be rival SEO YOON-HO (Joo Sang-wook). Da-ji doesn’t think Yoon-ho understands Korean so she speaks freely and admiringly, which makes Yoon-ho smile and Dong-joo scowl.

She spots him and greets him warmly, but Dong-joo’s jealousy has him treating her with iciness, saying curtly that he isn’t at all happy to see her despite six years apart. She’s hurt and doesn’t understand the reason for his coldness, and this adds to the tension when they realize that they’re bidding on the same horse.

Dong-joo has been sent by Grandpa to buy this horse for the resort, threatened with being cut off financially if he refuses. The antagonism he feels toward Da-ji has him outbidding her at every turn, and that raises her hackles. In a fit of pique, she outbids him — and it’s only after the auction closes that she does the math and realizes she’s exceeded her budget by more than triple.

She can’t go home empty-handed, and she can’t afford this horse, so she goes to Dong-joo’s room later to plead with him to buy the horse instead, since he wanted it anyway. He’s still feeling upset and has no inclination to make her life easier, and flatly refuses.

It’s here that Da-ji gets her first glimpse of Dong-joo’s new ladyfriend, PARK JIN-YOUNG (Yoo Hana), an interior designer who seems to be quite free and casual with Dong-joo. Just as Dong-joo felt upset to see Da-ji seemingly flirt with another man, Da-ji can’t help feeling a little put out by this, although she hides it and excuses herself.

Giving us a glimpse of the marshmallow heart under Dong-joo’s prickly exterior, however, later he calls his man back at home to look into buying the horse at the inflated price anyway, which would take it off Da-ji’s hands.

That evening, Da-ji sits at a bar and moans about her predicament. She doesn’t immediately notice the guy sitting next to her — Yoon-ho — who looks at her with affectionate amusement. She’s pretty cute, the way she reads the menu and sing-songs to herself, “Why are you so expensive?” and worries that she’s dead for making the mistake.

She assumes that Yoon-ho is a horse dealer — he bought 13 horses — although we know (from the character descriptions) that he’s actually an investor and specialist in resort development.

I’d say that Jin-young is much more into Dong-joo than he is in her; he’s friendly with her, but a little uncomfortable with her free affection.

Hence the flare of jealousy again when he sees Da-ji and Yoon-ho together at the horse stables again, this time because the latter has heard her worries and offers to help her out. If she doesn’t buy the horse she bid on, she’ll have to give up the deposit, and that only leaves her with a relatively small sum with which to buy a different horse.

Yoon-ho accompanies Da-ji to look at other horses, and find one that fits the bill. Dong-joo looks on grimly as Da-ji exults with Yoon-ho, and when he gets word that the original horse is no longer for sale, he drops his pursuit of it. It seems he’d only insisted on buying it when it would have helped Da-ji, and now he doesn’t care. Aw. I can see how the marriage fell apart if their communication was always this stunted, even if they had the best of intentions.

And it’s clear that whatever broke them up, it hasn’t killed their feelings. I wouldn’t say they’re still in love, but that kind of baggage doesn’t go away so easily, and later on he walks by with Jin-young on his arm, just as he sees Da-ji with Yoon-ho again. This time he puts his hand on Jin-young’s shoulder, in a taunt-like gesture, making sure Da-ji sees.

She does, but so does the perceptive Yoon-ho, who in return puts his hand on her shoulder. That’s what we call a strategic backfire, and Dong-joo is not pleased.

It’s only when they’re both back in Jeju that they realize that they’re neighbors — or rather, that Dong-joo is now Da-ji’s evictor. He has bought the ranch, intending to usurp the space to fold into the neighboring DI Resort, but Da-ji supposes that he must have been scammed. There has been interest in selling the ranch, but a week ago, Da-ji and her father had bought the house themselves.

While the secretary checks on the contract details, the erstwhile couple have a terse conversation. At least, it’s terse on his end, and he’s surprised to see her here in Jeju, and a vet no less. One must suppose that she’d had different goals for her life — her father repeatedly says he’s sorry to her — but that they didn’t work out.

Alas, they soon discover that Dong-joo’s purchase is legally valid, meaning that Da-ji is the one who’s been scammed. Furthermore, she’s not the only one — all the other residents have been taken in by scam contracts, and are given one month to get the heck out of there before DI Resort kicks them out and begins its overhaul.

Da-ji vows to find out what really happened, determined not to lose her home like this. The editing of this segment hints at the likelihood that our culprit is none other than the charming, suave developer Yoon-ho, who arrives at DI’s offices for a business meeting with Dong-joo.

During the meeting, Dong-joo casts suspicious glances at Yoon-ho, trying to figure out what happened, wondering at Da-ji’s predicament and finding something fishy about this guy.

But Da-ji remains oblivious, and when she runs into Yoon-ho at the ranch (still believing him to be a horse dealer), she lights up in happy surprise and greets him warmly.

 
COMMENTS

As I said, there’s nothing that’s really outright bad OR good about this drama so far. On one hand, that means there’s room to hope that it’ll tap into that elusive quality that gets a drama’s claws into your skin — but on the other hand, it could lead you down that maddening path of hanging in there for a long, painful ride as you hope it becomes more than it actually is.

The plot is fairly standard with its dynamics and love rectangle, and I find myself wishing that the one aspect that sets it apart — the youthful romance and divorce — were explored more. I can see where the drama may want to deliberately keep us in the dark as to what happened, so as to make the reunion more suspenseful, but frankly I’d like to see what made these crazy kids fall so madly in love in the first place. We’re told practically in the same breath that they married and divorced, which gives the romance no weight in my mind. I’m not pulling for them to get together because I don’t know that they’re any good together. Not yet. So more hint of the mystery behind their courtship and separation would have helped.

Acting-wise, I’ll say that Lee Yeon-hee is much better here than she has been in the past. She’s got a gorgeous face and the camera loves her, but she’s been the very definition of anemic in her performances (namely, East of Eden). She does overact the cute here, but like Kim Tae-hee, I think she’s much better being bubbly and sweet than quiet or melodramatic, so I’m more willing to go with this characterization than I was with her other roles.

If Joo Sang-wook ends up being the villainous mastermind type, I’d be all for welcoming it, because otherwise he’s just the perfect prince who swoops in to save the day for Da-ji, which is a plot device I’m really tired of. Yoo Hana has barely been onscreen so I’ll hold off on judgment there, although I fear she’ll be relegated to one-dimensional second lead stuff, which would be a shame because she was so adorable in Sons of Sol Pharmacy. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a bratty character as much as I did her Eun-ji, who was sweet and bubbly.

Sorry to say that I find Chang-min to be the weak link here. He’s not as bad or wooden as some other idols in their debuts, but he IS very awkward with the camera, and you can see that in his self-conscious deliveries. The camera captures his discomfort and unease, and that translates into this weird sense of unease about his character. At least for me. He’s not horrible, but he’s not really compelling, either. At best, he seems miscast for the role of a smooth, spoiled chaebol who doesn’t care about work, since he seems more like the earnest dork with communication problems.

But it’s early days yet. I don’t feel the pull to be invested in Paradise Ranch just yet, but who knows? Stranger things have happened.

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first.
thanks for your recap.

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The first episode was so-so but the second episode I am enjoying the storyline more. Lee Yeon Hee is surprisingly refreshing and very cute. And so far Shim Chang Min is doing fairly well with the acting. It feels like a sleeper that doesn't grab you the way that Secret Garden did in the beginning but rather it is quietly alluring and slowly sucking me in.

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Does anybody else beside me, thinks that Chang Min looks like he could be taiwan actor Jerry Yang (Meteor Garden) younger brother?

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OMG! Haha, now you've pointed that out, I see a resemblance. :P

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I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks they look similar!

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haha...yes you right...even my mom say the same..^_^

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Haven't watched this yet.... i think i might watch it with caution....

thanks for the recap

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Hmm, I'm not sure about this, if what they do revolves around horses. Doesn't seem all that conflicting

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it odesnt revolve around horses so its okkay

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being a JYJ/TVXQ fan i await anything that these guys have lined up :D
best of luck to changmin for the new drama :D

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thanks!

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"A miscast" is a perfect description of Changmin in this drama. Rich, bored, lazy chaebol role requires someone charismatic and calm. He's just plain awkward. He's a cute guy and I see him more doing supporting, earnest roles like Kikwang in My princess. He's way over his head with this one

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no, I know. Even the screencaps didnt translate all too well :/

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yap....even the screencaps captured his 'awkwardness', might have given this a try if the lead is Joo Sang Wook as I've loved him in Giant and wish to see him in a lead role someday.....

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I want to watch this for Joo Sang-wook :D
I fell in love with him from Kimcheed Radish Cubes <3

But I kinda don't find Changmin appealing & I don't get the feeling of wanting to watch this drama :(

I'll wait until it ends and sit through it in one go :/

Thanks for the recap JB <3

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same here! I think also something like a role in a huge family drama or a drama with a stronger focus on an ensemble crew instead of the typical love square would have been more beneficial.

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Why are all secretaries hot? (or pretty?) -- referring to the last screencap... haven't we seen that guy before?

Anyway, you're right. Paradise Ranch does seem meh for now. Let's hope it improves with the latter eps (like Dream High!)

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But Dream High is improving in second half of the first episode. But well, let's just see..

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Park Soo Hyun - Gumiho's Revenge, Eight Days, Conspiracy in the Court

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Thanks! :)

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It's like watching a Harlequin romance on the screen lol. Only korean with an awkward hero. Poor Changmin; he's so pretty but... not working for me.

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i agree. this show is even below meh right now.

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OMO! That's exactly what I thought after reading paragraph 1..

Huh, ex-husband showed up with a very much pending affection towards the ex-wife? Calling for every Harlequin's reader out there xD

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totally, intrigued now. =]]

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No wonder I kind of liked the first ep. I was a Harlequin reader in a past life :)

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Here's how it would go if it was a Harlequin novel:

The former couple meets after a few years. They still have Feelings for each other, but both hide them, afraid of getting hurt again. Plus each has a New Love Interest. Somehow they get entangled with each other, and a Common Enemy appears! Omo! And they must team up to fight against him, reluctant and bickering. Their Feelings become stronger and harder to hide. Jealousy rears its head on all sides. Eventually the Feelings develop into True Love, most likely helped along by some kind of Mortal Peril for one or both of our leads. The two also find out the reason they broke up all those years ago - it was all a Big Misunderstanding caused by miscommunication and/or Evil Interlopers. All is forgiven, and we have another wedding, this time to last forever. (Or at least until the last scene.)

The End.

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Omg...Harlequin reader owning up here..but I gotta agree...the plots are usually repetitive but a no brainer...which is partly why I read them...haha...to relax my brain.

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Hey, that's why I watch kdramas. I have enough difficult stuff to deal with in real life. Bring on the fluff! :)

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lol, that sounds like a kdrama

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The two have a lot in common, at their most basic.

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yea i was totally turned off by the trailer. Maybe I'll start watching it if it gets better. Thanks for the recap!!! I do wonder how they fell in love when they were 19 esp since changmin sorta has a stone personality.

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thank you! it was pretty interesting...will keep on watching. :)

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Changmin should play a nerd/geek instead. His awkwardness reminds me of Jesse Eisenberg in "The Social Network"

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Lol IA with this.

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blehhh changmin...and i love him, too x_x

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blehhh changmin

My sentiments exactly.

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UGH I already don't like how the love rectangle started developing so early. I also have a bad intuition about the cliche characters: the ideal arrogant man, the ideal gentle man, the ideal beetch, and the stupid optimistic girl (a type of character I was never drawn to). Please don't sprial downwards from your wedding-divorce mystery like Secret Garden did.

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omggggg you are reviewing this!! yay!!!

i like yoo ha na, but she's not like the lead here ... =/

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I love Yoo HaNa ever since My Lucky Star. She could have done great as the lead character, since she does bubbly clumsy so well.

Aw...I would totally watch if she was lead...

But I'm just gonna watch for little glimpses at her

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Me too. I like Yoo Hana & Joo Sang- wook.
What should I do?

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I felt even more awkward watching Yunho in Heading to the Ground.

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i love TVXQ with all my heart but he's drop dead retarded in HTTG!

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Changmin is playing a 27 year-old?! What the...

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I know right?! He barely even looks his age (22)! It's kinda weird to see him trying to act all grown up.

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im going to wait out and see. i heard from the director that changmin does get better :)

so i hope you will continue with the drama :D

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Just seeing Joo Sang-wook in this drama pains me. After finishing the awesomesauce that is Giant, this drama is a huge downgrade.

Thank god Thorn Birds is coming soon...

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I know, right! Lets hope Thorn Birds isn't terrible. *crossing fingers, toes, and everything else she can think of*

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And whats up with the horrible ascot?! SHEESH

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Omg I kept saying to my sister, 'I hope he ditches that ascot soon...'

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here! here! why is giant undefeated in my heart!

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I actually like Changmin in this. I thought his awkwardness was cute. Or, perhaps I am just blinded because I think he is cute....oh well, time will tell.

I am wondering if they actually divorced due to some kind of misunderstanding deliberately caused by their families, and not because they didn't love each other.

There is definitely potential in this drama. I enjoyed the facial expressions and funny bits which make the plot more palatable in my opinion.

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yesss, im blinded because he's way too cute

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Haha normally I'm critical, but we all have our biases.. I can't help but think his awkwardness is cute since 1) I'm used to it and 2) I'm a sucker for awkward guys anyway :)

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Omg i soo agree with you!! I can't tell whethr im being biased about ths drama or not? lol.

but ngaww you just gotta LOVE his awkward :)

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thanks for the recap....i very much enjoyed the first episode...lee yeonhee is so cute...love how straightforward she is...changmin is a lil stiff in some parts but considering this is his first acting project, i think he did a good job!

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this is a great review; you touched on some of the same contentions i had with the pilot, as well as the same thoughts in regards to its future. thanks for this! :)

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My sister and I just watched this. We got the feeling that the gentle guy was a bad guy. I'm not sure why. Seems like he's hiding stuff, I don't know. It's ok for now.. like others said, I hope it gets better like Dream High!

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I see EP.1. And this SO GOOD! Really so good!)
Love it!!! Love it!!! Love it!!!
OST too!:)

I liked this drama MORE than Dream High or My Princess...
After Secret Garden this drama my new favorite!)))

Excellent romantic drama!^^

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Really is better than My Princess! Now I shall look Paradise Ranch)

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"The earnest dork with communications problems..." LOL miscast definitely. Changmin is truly more of a dork in real life than a spoiled chaebol heir. I'm not watching this until more eps are out coz I'm wary of idols-turned-actors. It really does depend on how MUCH they want to transit into acting coz I think that determines their effort. Sadly, Changmin didn't get the chance to hear public opinion as he improves (if he does) with the drama since it's already pre-produced.

And Joo Sang Wook.... I'm madly in love with you after Giant but considering that this was filmed before Giant, I shall be less judgmental and just enjoy ogling at you. If you are the villain, I just hope that you are also as human as you were back in Giant so that we can empathize with you rather than simply hate you outright.

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I watched this too. And this drama really good!
Paradise Ranch fighting!

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This Chang-min kid looks like Jerry Yan from Taiwan (I mean the similarity is uncanny: http://asiatic101.files.wordpress.com/2008/11/max-jerry.jpg).

And people, don't raise your hackles about whoever being the prettier than whoever because they're both pretty I guess. But if this is old news, than sorry I'm behind on the kpop scene because I know less than 1% stuff about TVXQ/DBSK except that members include Micky and Yunho and that they're down to two members these days. And that they were on X-Man (or was it NEW X-Man?). DANGYUNHAJI!

I hope to see more and more of Yoo Hana in dramas, not just for her role in Sons of Sol Pharmacy, but because I enjoyed her spunk in My Lucky Star. Anyways, good luck to this drama. HWAITING~

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Haha. And yunho looks like vaness wu!!

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YaY JB for the recap! I'm all in for this one and I think it will get better, please continue with this one.

Love the female lead and the second male lead *drools*
For Changmin, he's cute, I 'd say he got potential. The story intrigues me, six years apart and their jealousies still there? Aw .They must have loved each other so much then. Back story will come around to us. Phew! I thought I'm the only one eyeing on this one.

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HUUUGE miscast. i'd rather have yunho as the chaebol. i fear this will not fare well for all parties involved.

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Yeah. I actually think Yunho can work the chaebol role better. He tried so hard for his character in "Heading to the Ground" but it just didn't work for him. At least now Yunho has the "Poseidon" gig. Not the lead actor, but at least he has less pressure to carry a whole drama by himself.

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Actually, I really only wanted to watch the pilot just to ogle at Changmin. All I wanted was for him NOT to be bad, and the show to not be as bad as everyone thought it would be. Thankfully, it really isn't. I actually quite enjoyed the 1st episode. I agree that Yeonhee works better in a role like this one, and Changmin really wasn't as hilariously bad as he used to be (OMG those Banjun dramas from 5 years ago). I'll give this show a few more episodes to reel me in. I'm really curious how they got together in the first place. I really liked the cute Changmin and Yeonhee scenes. :)

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LOL. Same here. I sort of cringed when I saw JB had written the recap/commentary cuz I thought JB was going to be HARD on CM but I sighed relief after I finished reading. haha.

I, for one, was very surpised by CM. I also didn't think he was going to be any good-actually, thought he was going to be just plain awful, really. He did really well and his voice was awesome. I thought his delivery was pretty good, some of his interactions were kinda awkward. He needs to work on his facial expressions also but all in all, very proud of him (sorry, big time bias!) I also wish he was cast in an ensemble for his first drama but I like the comedic lightness of the drama and think CM can only improve :) YeonHee is so pretty and she def is better with the cute roles. Yoo Hana's character is the only one that I don't like or understand. I hope it gets developed more.

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Thanks for your recap. PLEASE continue it!
It drama so cute!!!

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The 1st ep really wasn't as bad as i thought. i like the tone and the country-side setting; the music wasn't bad either.

I agree that Changmin was a miscast, not feeling the spoiled chaebol vibe from him. He also has this tendency to glare at the most inappropriate times.

I usually have pretty high tolerance for OTT characters (e.g KTH in MP and LDH in MG), but i simply could not stand LYH in here. I don't think i will be able to watch anymore if she continues to grate on my nerves with her overacting.

thanks for the recap.

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If it is fair... for me ep.1 Paradise Ranch is much more interesting than ep.1 Dream High

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I think so too.

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I too)

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I watched ep.1 and ep.2 too.
Paradise Ranch is going to be an interesting drama!
The story line is looking good.
I continue see this drama.

thanks for recap

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thanks for the recap!
i hope it gets better :S
yeah changmin is really pretty but his acting is.. lacking
but i do love the setting and scenery
cant wait for the next one :)

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The 1st ep really so good

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lol actually I think Changmin was perfectly chosen, because he has never given me the impression of the dork, he actually does give the impression of a stuck rich boy, who has an attitude and doesn't care!!!! Just give him time, I think he did really good!!!!

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Who is acting as Yoon-Ho? I find him really hot! Hotter than the lead in fact - tvxq fans pls dont bash me. Hehe.

Second-lead syndrome!

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I not fan TVXQ/DBSK... but this drama is looking good
THANKS for the recap!!!!!

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I recognize the second female lead(?), Jin-young, or Yoo-Hana as the lead from a well-known Taiwanese drama My Lucky Star.

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Horrid editing aside, they obviously had issues getting changmin for certain scenes and shot his separately from the rest of the cast. That kind of stuff especially for a first episode of a drama that has been sitting on a shelf for a year is inexcusable. No one from production thought it worthy enough to fix up the shots at all? Dropping in a small reshoot for the episode that has the most impact would have killed you how?

Also reshooting the most awkward honeymoon ever could have been done too. Obviously Changmin's acting got better as they went along (at least for this episode it did) so why not reshoot that cringe worthy honeymoon sequence.

I understand that budgets are fixed things and casts are doing other stuff, but most of the scenes that would need reshooting only involved Changmin and Lee Yeon-hee.

As for the plot. Um...I like the show cause Changmin is in it! MAX TIME forever! OK fangirling aside. The plot is trite but MAX TIME is a cute show about people being cute, at least that is what I got out of it. The girl is supposed to be smart, but she is cute. The guy is supposed to be spoiled and rich, but he's cute. The second mail lead is supposed to be handsome and put together, but he is also cute. And I love horses. So it hits all my happy.

MAX TIME = cute fluff

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I love horses too)
And Max so cute in this drama!

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Thank you jb, finally I understand a bit of what they said. I have watched episode 1 and 2 without sub and still find it very entertaining. As for Changmin's acting, I think he has improved a lot from the past (DBSK's banjun dramas) and though the spoilt-boy image is totally opposite of his real-life character, he pulls it off not bad ;)). Hope that the more episodes out, the better his acting is

I will continue watching this and hope you guys will continues recapping this!

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jb thanks for your recap!
and continue it please!!!
Thank you!)

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Thankyou for the recap!!!
but it was short and cut out alot of parts from the drama ><
looking forward to it anyways :)

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i think you should continue with this drama =) even changmin's acting is a little lacking, im sure it will get better =p if you put a GOOD FILMEd drama PLUS a awsome recaps by pro recappers =) its the Ultimate dream!

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Thank you!

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OMG! Joo Sang Wook! He so cute)

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I wasn't going to touch this with a ten-foot pole, but after reading your recap I'm intrigued...

We'll have to wait and see how it develops.

Thanks for the recap, javabeans!

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JB, have you been adding something special to your coffee? :P

From the Facial Twitching School of Acting to the Create-Your-Own-Earworm Score...there was plenty of snark fodder to be had. For me, at least. ;)

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Oh, and Joo Sang Wook needs to stay away from cowboy hats and neckerchiefs. Far, FAR away...

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I thought his hair looked better under that cowboy hat than all prickly up front like when he got into business man mode. The ascots/neckerchiefs have got to go though fo realz! Is it supposed to make him look sophisticated cause it ain't workin...

He looks ways to old to be on this show to me too. I mean he's like 31 or 32 I think and they all look like little babies in comparison.

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Yes, that wavy sorta-pama-but-also-looks-like-the-stylist-forgot-about-him-in-the-makeup-trailer has also got to go. :P

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He had a similar hairstyle going on at the beginning of Giant but luckily it was slightly tamer and wasn't paired with the neckerchiefs but just some questionable 80s ties and suits.

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Thank you, javabeans, for recapping the first episode! I checked back more than usual today to see if it would be up. Changmin's acting is self conscious, but it got gradually better in this episode, so I'm hoping that it will keep going in that direction, lol. I'm crossing my fingers that you'll do episode 2 as well (:

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Though I find the trailer uninteresting and the storyline too typical, I'm still going to watch this just because of Joo Sang Wook. I've been madly in love with the guy since I first saw him on QSD. He gets a lot of praises these days for his role on Giant but that one's too long I don't think I'll have the patience to watch it (with QSD, I only watched episodes 20 until the ep. when Mishil died XD). So I'll just settle with this drama since it's shorter. And even if JSW turns out to be a very, very bad guy, I'm pretty sure I won't hate him. He can be a serial killer and I'll still drool over him. XD

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Watch Kimcheed Radish Cubes. You'll love him more.
He starred with Park Shin Hye.

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You have to see Giant! Don't say nonsense like it's too long again! His character's storyline is reactionary but still important to the central storyline. I haven't seen him in QSD and I won't be watching QSD to see him act but I am recommending Giant.

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thanks heaps jb! dying for the next recap.

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