89

King’s Family: An introduction

KBS’s new family drama King’s Family, or the more literal translation Wang Family, was a hit right out of the gates when it premiered over the weekend and has drawn enough positive reactions for its endearing characters and funny plotlines to get me tuning in out of curiosity. One might think that after spending the past six months hoping in vain for a floundering show to live up to its potential, I’d be wary of jumping onboard another long weekend series. Especially when it’s the show following in the actual footsteps of You’re the Best, Lee Soon-shin. Well, one might be a smarter person than I am, because despite my misgivings I came into King’s Family with more hope that maybe this time, it would be realized in a heartwarming and unaggravating weekend show. Because there seem to be two prominent categories in weekend family dramas: infuriating or amusing. That’s a fifty-fifty shot. That’s how math works, right?

And wouldn’t you know, King’s Family is cute. It’s funny. It’s breezy and appealing, with a central couple that has a good chance of rocking my socks. Maybe. I hope. Don’t jinx it, ‘beans!

Sometimes with these longer shows I’ll hold off on making judgments until the show finds its footing (and in retrospect, the fact that I did that for Soon-shin could have been a sign, which I ignored, thanks Jo Jung-seok), but I can see why King’s Family connected with viewers right off the bat. The first episode logged a comfortable 19.7% rating, then jumped up for Episode 2 with 23.8%.

(For comparison purposes, its preceding show, You’re the Best, Lee Soon-shin, had first episode numbers of 22.2% and ended on a 30.1% the weekend before. Over on the other stations for Sunday broadcasts, MBC’s I Summon You Gold brought in 21.2% while Scandal recorded a 15.9%; SBS’s Goddess of Marriage and Wonderful Mama brought in 9.7% and 7.6% ratings, respectively.)

Note: I’m pretty sure I won’t/can’t recap this show, though I’ll be watching more. I figure it merited an intro, though, after which we can all decide whether we’re ready to do this to ourselves again dive into another 50-episoder.

SONG OF THE DAY

Sesame and Cotton Candy – “Kiss Me” [ Download ]

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

 
CHARACTERS AND SETUP

Meet the sprawling Wang family. There’s a Mom and a Dad and a Grandma, four daughters, a son, and an uncle. Often it feels like there are six “kids” in the younger generation, because uncle is much younger than the other adults, being of an age with the sisters. But for narrative purposes it’s really the elder three sisters who’ll be carrying the big storylines with their husbands and boyfriends and careers.

You’ll recognize some familiar character types, like the sometimes-adorable, sometimes-aggravating matriarch who rules the roost with her big personality. To be honest, if this woman were played by anybody other than Korea’s Mom Kim Hae-sook, I’m thinking we might have problems. However, the actress manages to find endearing moments amidst the trying ones, and here’s where casting and acting come into play, because she and grandma Na Mun-hee give their characters warmth in their portrayals. It’s something I did not find in the mom-granny duo of Soon-shin, for instance, so I’m grateful to have it here.

Mom’s greatest failing is probably her obvious favoritism of her eldest daughter, Wang Soo-bak (Oh Hyun-kyung). Side note: This drama uses some hilariously oddball names, which makes you wonder what the heck Mom was smoking when she called her girls Watermelon and Pumpkin and her son Jackpot (Dae-bak). Not that grandma’s any better, for naming the uncle character Don (money). There’s even an honest-to-goodness Gu Mi-ho in the mix. Hee.

Soo-bak is, to put it simply, a trophy wife. She’s a Real Housewife, which is to say not a housewife at all, who spends all her time shopping and getting plastic surgery and having Mom sing her praises for once having competed in the Miss Korea pageant. Soo-bak’s greatest achievement was marrying well, and Mom is as proud of that as she would be had Soo-bak earned her wealth the hard way. Maybe more, since this way she’s managed to gain riches and prestige without having so much as lifted a finger, except maybe to slide her wedding ring on it. Literally, the woman has never washed a dish in her life—and again, this is probably Mom’s fault for babying her. You know how people look at a rude person and say, “Her momma didn’t raise her right”? Well, they’d be right in this case.

Soo-bak has the great fortune of being married to a good man (Jo Sung-ha), who is not only successful and handsome but gentle and kind and fair to boot. She has not, however, the great fortune of realizing what a good man he is and snipes at him when her credit card gets cut off—even when he explains that his business is struggling. She’s self-absorbed and maybe a few bulbs short, since that doesn’t raise any red flags with her; she just complains, “But what about my shopping date tomorrow?”

He’s trying to find a way to break the news to her, but she’s a drama queen who says she’d just diiiiiiie if she had to downgrade her life like those loser people who just lost everything. Since he’s got creditors threatening bodily harm and smashing his office to pieces, he pulls up the ol’ bootstraps to solve this on his own. He lets the maid go and sells his car (but not the wife’s), then turns what’s left of his company into a quick-delivery service. You know he’s a good boss when he tells his staff he’ll do the hardest deliveries, then runs around Seoul working his ass off.

To be blunt, I find Soo-bak to be a worthless person who not only didn’t work for a single thing in her life, she acts as though she’s entitled to luxury because she’s a better person who won a better fate. She gives her parents lots of allowance money and thinks she’s a better daughter than the younger sisters who can’t afford to. I’m saved from actively hating her because I do believe this show is going to shake up her world something fierce and maybe do a little humbling. Fingers crossed.

Second daughter Ho-bak (Lee Tae-ran) has always been the disappointment, and Mom has never been shy about telling her this. Over and over. Every time they meet. It doesn’t matter that Ho-bak has worked her way up to a management position at her company, she still isn’t as good as unni. Her husband is an unemployed loafer, who is nothing compared to unni’s husband. She never gives Mom money, unlike unni. And on and on.

And her husband! Ugh. He’s another obviously named character, Heo Se-dal, where heo-se means puffed-up prat, or close enough. He loafs around all day playing computer games, makes no effort to find a job, and begs the wife for money; he’s the overgrown manboy found in every Judd Apatow movie.

The screenshot above is a perfect illustration of their marriage dynamics, where she’s shouldering the burden that he doesn’t even think to help carry, all while complaining because she won’t give him more money for him to spend on games while she works her full-time job.

If her own family weren’t hard enough, Ho-bak also has to deal with petty in-laws. Her mother- and sister-in-law assume that since she’s the breadwinner, she has plenty of money and is just being stingy when she won’t loan them any. Siiigh. She really can’t win.

And yet, this is a case where I have faith things will get better—they have to, right?—and that her husband will have to develop and grow, thanks to casting. Because there’s no way they cast Oh Man-seok to play a dead-end loser without a light at the end of this tunnel.

Ho-bak bears her lot pretty well, though sometimes it gets to be overwhelming. She’s the total opposite of her unni, which to their mother is her deepest flaw and to the rest of us is her saving grace. When Soo-bak loses her maid and is left to actually, you know, be a mother instead of professional shopper, she complains that it’s impossible. There are TWO of them! Do you even know how hard it is to raise TWO kids?

So, unni Soo-bak calls Ho-bak (who has two kids of her own) to fill in as maid, and suggests that Ho-bak become the permanent nanny. You know, quit that management job and work for her sister, because that’s a win-win! She says completely seriously.

At least third sister Gwang-bak (Lee Yoon-ji) is sympathetic and offers a few encouraging words. Although Gwang-bak has her hands full, too, with job (or lack thereof) and brother (annoying) and budding new romance (omg eeee).

Gwang-bak, single at 29, has quit her respectable job teaching (Dad’s a principal) to pursue her writing ambitions. Mild-mannered Dad is on her side and agrees to keep her secret, but when Mom finds out, unsurprisingly all hell breaks loose. Gwang-bak spends her days writing in cafes, and is thus thrilled to score a magazine gig on a series profiling successful careers.

Gwang-bak lives at home and is the sister with the biggest hand in disciplining their errant maknae, Dae-bak, who’s fifteen and bored and thus prone to getting into scrapes. Her mode of keeping him in line is a baseball bat and a stream of scolding. Not really all that effective, which is why Dae-bak falls in with the wrong crowd of older, bigger bullies who beat up other kids. He’s in way over his head but too nervous to back out, so it’s a lucky thing that a man spots the beating and steps in.

He’s our hero, and more on him later, but suffice to say that Dae-bak listens to him in a way he doesn’t listen to his naggy noona or his 61-year-old father. So when hero-man senses that Dae-bak is aimless and listless with life, he advises the boy to find a dream—that’ll fill his empty hours and get rid of his boredom.

Good message. But it gets a little lost in the translation in Dae-bak’s teenage brain, which interprets it as reasoning to drop out from school so he can go dream-searching. HA.

So when noona Gwang-bak hears about this, and how Dae-bak has recently made friends with a weird ajusshi, she grabs her bat and gets ready to give him a piece of her mind. Things, as you might imagine, go awry.

 
COMMENTS

Despite the fact that there are a few annoying characters in the mix, King’s Family does a pretty good job with tone and balance, which was one of the big failings of Soon-shin (and many other family shows). That drama had irritating characters, yes, but it also had winsome ones and cute interactions; it just used them all wrong. So more than the composition of character types, I’m encouraged by King’s Family’s mood and sensibility, which is light and comedic with a few moments of emotional depth that hint at the conflicts to come.

Take, for instance, Uncle Don. We’re introduced to him as one-half of the Loser Odd Couple (Husband No. 2 literally calls him Loser, not that he’s one to talk), and they seem like peas in a pod, loafing around together.

But then we learn more about the family dynamics, and how Grandma had her two sons 26 years apart, and thus his hyungnim is really more like a parent than a brother. Especially since Uncle Don was born after Soo-bak and Ho-bak, and never knew his own father. We see him crying quietly over a photo of his father on memorial day, and he wonders wistfully whether his dad would recognize him in heaven.

He’s used to Mom (his sister-in-law) treating him more like a son and nagging about his lack of job and slackerly lifestyle, and most days he lets it roll off his back. But today, on Dad’s memorial day, he slips outside to be alone with his shame and wipes at his tears. He also hangs his head when he gets his monthly allowance from second sister Ho-bak, who is technically his niece but actually a year older, and promises to pay her back and more. We get the sense it’s an empty promise, but it’s filled with good intentions. It’s because there’s depth in Uncle Don that I’m hoping for similar layers in Husband No. 2, because Don’s vulnerability tugs all the right heartstrings for me—and I want to like Oh Man-seok for reasons other than his other shows.

But it’s really this guy who is poised to become this show’s breakout star, a new actor named Han Joo-wan who’s already stirring buzz, and for good reason—he has instant onscreen presence and a grasp on his character that is both hilarious and really hot. Really, really hot. He’s got an air of utter confidence that commands your attention, and an alpha personality that isn’t an asshole. See, it CAN be done! Coupled with the character’s wry sense of humor, he’s just a super-appealing hero all around.

I don’t know where this guy’s been hiding all this while—he’s had a couple film roles but this is his first drama—but I welcome you to dramaland, sir. (Trivia: His older sister is the indie singer-songwriter Han Hee-jung, formerly of the indie-folk duo Bluedawn and now solo musician. He also happens to be four days older than Lee Yoon-ji. Aw, they’re dong-gap buddies.)

His character is named Choi Sang-nam, and he runs a construction machinery company with his buffoonish but well-meaning father. There’s more in his official character description than the show has told us, but it’s fair to say Sang-nam is a self-made man: He’s clearly got money, considering his impressive house, but he is no chaebol. In fact, it’s pretty much the opposite of chaebol in that he built a company from the ground up and gave his father a job title, while being the one to actually run things.

Sang-nam is the kind of guy who cuts through the bullshit and gets to the heart of things, which may be why Dae-bak takes a liking to him. When Gwang-bak is ready to tear off Sang-nam’s head for leading her kid bro astray, he’s the one who points out that there are more productive approaches to dealing with Dae-bak’s issues, and that forcing him to go to school is no solution.

Thankfully, Dae-bak’s early-life crisis gets a quick resolution for now with a few wise words from Dad. After which the first thing Gwang-bak does is get on the phone to “thank” Sang-nam for his help, and by “thank” we mean “ask out.” (A heroine who makes the first move, huzzah!) She couches it as buying dinner out of gratitude, but since Sang-nam loves to fluster her (and she is easily flustered, which makes it extra fun), he says everything aloud that you’d normally keep behind polite facades and coyness. Like how she dressed up to impress him, and how she faked excuses to ask him out, and how she shouldn’t fall for a player like him. The end result: A very confused but attracted Gwang-bak.

There are mysteries in Sang-nam’s past too, and I suspect that when the story starts introducing heavier moments he’ll figure prominently in them. For now we just know that he’s trying to find somebody, and that he needs to confront the person face to face before he can move on. Sounds like classic case of mother-abandonment.

The flashes of hurt regarding his absent mother-figure are why I’m eager to see how he fits into the large Wang family. While Mom can be overbearing at times, she’s also a big-hearted matriarch with a big personality, and I get the sense that the loud, boisterous Wangs could be really good for him. That isn’t to say Sang-nam lacks family altogether (unlike, say, the orphaned UEE of Ojakkyo Brothers), because he’s got a happy little bunch at home—his silly father, meek but loving aunt, sassy cousin. But it’s a small, contained family, and possibly still damaged from the one who left.

Since we’re in early days, much of my interest in King’s Family comes from anticipating future story developments, which is always a tricky game when you’re pinning your hopes on potential rather than what’s actually in front of you. But at least what’s in front of us is solid and funny on its own; it’s just that I see certain themes being maneuvered into place, and thinking of all the great ways they can play out is part of my fun.

I enjoy how the many relationships allow varied aspects of our characters to come out; it feels detailed and thoughtful in a true-to-life way. Gwang-bak may be the errant child who quit her job for a pipe dream, but she’s also the one responsible for raising her brother. She’s bossy and loudmouthed with him, but she’s comforting to her hurt middle sister. You’re not always the same person to everyone in your life; thus certain bonds can affect and influence you in unexpected ways. Like our hero’s effect on our teenager, which is one of the cuter examples—Dae-bak even starts talking in Sang-nam’s dialect at one point, which is adorable.

Plus, it never hurts to put Lee Yoon-ji front and center, because she’s an actress who completes her characters. She brings dimension to what’s on the page, and while she’s managed a successful run of noteworthy supporting characters, it’s high time for her to star in a mainstream project. And hey, if she gets a yummy leading man and a burst of chemistry out of the deal, all the better.

RELATED POSTS

Tags: , , , , , , ,

89

Required fields are marked *

Couple's bicycle scene showing up in just about every drama~ I first saw it in 'Purity'? with Myung SeBin and that was still the prettiest one.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Oh how rude of me! Thanks for the recap! I might not watch it right away but I'll be reading and enjoying the recap for sure!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

ah finally you posted abouy king family. been waiting for this. Love love love Lee Yoon Ji. so happy that she is headlining this drama!!!

0
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

I was gonna say that I miss her and Jo Jung-seok, but watching him with this new man, who came out of no where is perfect. I'm like missing my first love but having a new man in front of me. Jo Jung-seok is the first love who give this warm fuzzy memory/feeling but this new man, its all intense, raging and blindsiding. and with Lee Yoon Ji, its gonna get crazy GOOD!!!

Thanks for the little introduction!!!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Totally, the girl deserves a main role!
Actually, i can't wait till she headlines a weekday 16-20 episode rom-com. She's absolutely hilarious and bubbly. And fierce!(K2H)

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

She is totally willing to make a fool of herself in this drama, which is so endearing.
There r all these close-up head shots of her looking like an image in a funny mirror!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

. . . And that last shot can serve as a header for the next convention panel discussion. "So, which of you thought of the name 'Hand Towel' and what did you have in mind?"

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

...You mean, the 3 ladies staring at Mr. "Hand Towel" towels. Ha ha ha.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Stupid autocorrect:
...You mean the 3 ladies staring at "Mr. Hand Towel" towel-less. 3 pairs of eyes opened wide.

It keeps sabotaging my posts!

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Woah, I've never been able to see a recap with only 4 comments.. I must be early..lol. Thanks Javabeans! Was hoping to see your thoughts on the series before I decided either to watch or skip it :)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks for the intro! This sounds like a fun replacement for YTBLSS :) I'll look forward to it!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

lol, i notice the grandfather's photo they used in the memorial day is the uncle Don old version, lol

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks Javabeans for a great intro.
Although I'll not be watching this, the show looks cute and warm..

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Really after soon shin I don't think I'll engage to another weekend drama... But after seeing the trailer I got interested! This post reminded me that this drama aired already.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Hi JB,

yes, it is a funny weekend drama that you want to

know more about those individual character and the

love line with that HOT ! young man sang nam.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I watched the first 30 mins., and thought it was fun, but after LSS, and the pain that is fresh in my mind, I think I'll wait a while to see how this pans out.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

Where are you guys watching this? It's not on viki

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I don't know if you still weren't able to watch but I just want to say that KBSworld is so amazing they subbed and uploaded their videos on their channel so you can check it out. I finished episode 6 yesterday ^^

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

The actress playing the 2nd daughter is also in GoMarriage, as the elder DIL. Unless her char in GoM is gonna be killed off soon, how does she manage to be in 2 dramas at the same time, when actors often collapse while shooting 1 drama?

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

I have the same thought! Both drama supposed to be a long drama right? 50 Episodes? How can she manage is beyond me.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

GoM has 32 eps.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Argh... This looks cute enough to suck me in... Let's hope it's worth it!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thank you for introducing King's Family. It seems like an overall good, family-fun drama. I'm looking forward to watch this soon (with subtitles).

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

The setting reminds me a little of the other Lee Yoon Ji drama, 'Dandelion Family', complete with the trophy wife, chaebol eldest sister (although sans the crazy hubby here) and the comparison made by Mom between Sister 1 and Sister 2. But that's it. Will be tuning in to see how this story goes. :D

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Dandelion Family came to my mind as well.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

oh my gosh! I think this will be my first total committment to a weekend drama. 50 episodes? Can i do it? Fingers also crossed. Thanks for the recap. It's intriguing and hopeful.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Interesting, sounds good, thank you!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I want to watch this drama but I can't for lack of internet connection *sigh* I loved Lee Yoon-ji in Dream High and the King 2 Hearts. The family drama I'm committed to right now is A Thousand Kisses and I know a lot of people find the loveline between Kim So-eun's Character and Ryu Jin's Character weird because of the age gap and I did too at first, but whenever I feel that way, I just think of my crush on George Clooney since I was 13, I'm 22 now and then it doesn't feel so weird. I'm enjoying it the drama though.

0
3
reply

Required fields are marked *

No...that's not why people think it's weird...run away while you can

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

run, ruuun the first episodes are cut but then it turns into a drama that ''shall never be mentioned again''

I mean it... you'll regret.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

But...but...but is it that bad? Is there no hope at all?

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Kamsahamnida JB! I was wondering if someone was going to post a preview, since this is kinda flying underneath everyone's radar at present. If I didn't set a reminder weeks back of its premiere, I would have forgotten myself!

I've finally plowed through both episodes aired so far, and have mixed emotions about this show. While extremely disjointed, manic, cartoon-ey and sometimes cringe-worthy, I can see how the Ahjumma Audience is going to watch in droves. After suffering through the WTF-ery of YTBLSS, I'm sure that WF has exactly the cast the weekend drama-watching public is craving, skewing to an older (but not by much) generational storyline for our leads. As we saw with "My Husband Got A Family," these characters seem much more approachable and I bet everyone's thinking "Yup, I can relate -- I gots one of those losers in MY family too!"

Speaking of losers, I remember reading a while back that Oh Man-seok said he's always wanted to play a character like Heo Se-dal; someone who obviously doesn't give a rat's ass about anything except eating, sleeping and frequenting the PC bangs. LOL his wish has come true! But like you said, we're in the baby-stages of this show and the script could turn on a dime one way or the other. At least it puts food on the table for a lot of these actors... ;)

But 50 episodes? Yikes! I'll give it the benefit of the doubt and get a few more episodes under my belt before thumbing up or thumbing down... or just FF straight to when Manzzang appears on screen. Yup, I'm shallow. What of it? :P

(And as an aside, is Lee Bo-hui a contract player with KBS? She seems to be in virtually everything aired over the past 10 years! I'd also like to know the phone number of her dermatologist/plastic surgeon... she's not being filmed through Fuzzy Filter as far as I can tell, but always seems to age backwards in every drama!)

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

The way it is set up in eps 1 and 2, it looks like we can expect these trajectories:

1st daughter will have to suffer 'poverty' and learn to grow, kicking and screaming the whole time;

2nd daughter's husband, given a certain impetus, will man up, get a job and make good; While she'll be more appreciated esp. by her money-loving mom;

3rd daughter and Hot young man will develop a love line; And he has issues to work out at home;

4th daughter will wake up from her stupor and join the human race, or at least the family she lives w;

Maknae and only son has a lot of growing up to do;

Granny and Mom will continue to bicker loudly; they r just playing a harmless game tho, cos as soon as Granny goes into her room, she is all calm and smily.

Given these paths, I'm confident that the script won't turn on a dime and go nutsy cuckoo on us like YRTWLSS!!!

I even kinda expect this will become my crack drama in the near future.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Wonderful mama and scandal are both great (way better than all the other weekend crap currently airing) but yet both have not the best ratings makes me sad

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I think a lot of that might be the limited penetration of cable subscribers?

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I think this drama will hit 40% in ratings, its the kind of KBS family drama that korean weekend audiences seem to lllloooovveeeeeee.

I feel so bad for JJS and IU, their incredible OTP chemistry failed by an inept writer who totally went off track.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

still feeling lost with shin-shin couple end. maybe watch this sometimes coz i like LYJ acting. but IU-JJS chemistry will remain in my heart even though the show doesnt delivering well.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks for the recap! I was hoping for some sort of intro of the drama so I could figure out where my interest level stood lol it definitely sounds better than what I expected and it helps a lot that I love about half this cast. Ughhhhh the dilemmmaaaa >_<

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

This sounds fun and already I already like the hero. He is hot, and his character is interesting. I am looking forward to more of this.

If recaps are not forthcoming, where can I watch this?

Thanks for the introduction, JB!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

After reading this introduction, I proceeded to watch the first 2 episodes ... AND IT WAS GOOOD! Lee Yoon Ji, is awesome as always and Han Joo Wan is equally awesome and oh so hot *_*

The rest of the cast is good here too. But I just have one qualm, so far the 4th sister, Hye Bak.... Hasn't really been active on screen. She's just, there... with her headphones on and giving monosyllabic answers.... Hopefully, we see more of her and interacting with the rest of the cast too.

Hoo Bak is so pitiful that I really wanna reach into the screen and give her a big hug (and also punch the hell outta her husband, Se Dal)

Lastly, I really cannot stand Soo Bak. I'm crossing my fingers that that character undergoes some major character growth throughout the drama's run.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Whee~!

Totally like this, but because of that OTHER drama all of us are scarred and still wary.

Note: that new actor's hot. XD YES NEW BLOOD!
And notice his name: Sang-nam, which usually translates to MANLY. XD *seewhatIdidthur*

I was thinking, if the naming format is X-bak, and we have:
-Jangyeo Su-bak = Watermelon
-Chanyeo Ho-bak = PumpkinSungmin LOL my SuJu ELF feels
-Samnyeo Gwang-bak, which is ridic sounding without even knowing what it means, if it has any. XD
-Maknae Dae-bak = Amazing, and similar adjectives of wonder
...since there are 4 daughters, I was thinking 18 yr. old 4th daughter should've been named Myeong-bak, because, like, former president...LOL or not, whatevs

(Well, checked Wiki, 4th daughter's named Hae-bak...does it mean something???)

PUNNY SERIES IS FULL OF PUN PUN PUN (not unlike that other drama)

0
5
reply

Required fields are marked *

Why the other HTML formats are not working is a mystery...

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Lee Yoon Ji said Gwang-bak is a term from a Hwatu card game.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

Gwang is a type of card in hwatu, which you want to collect many of to score points. Like a king in your deck.

They draw an extended metaphor regarding her name -- how when you have a lot of gwangs in your hand, it's really hard to get another, but you're most likely to score one when you've only got two or three. He teases that it applies to her -- thus far she has shown three dud cards in her hand (her cursing, her subpar looks, and a third thing I forget), but there are two cards left unrevealed. So he'll consider those to be gwangs (good cards) and they can take their time learning what they are.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks so much for the explanation, javabeans.
Aww, I'm loving Sang nam more after reading this.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Sang Nam, literally means Superior Guy, or Super Guy, or 1st class Guy.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

When the eldest gets knocked down a few (alot) of pegs I'm gonna laugh like I've never laughed before. Bwahahahaha! Bring on the comeuppance! Plus I love the guy who plays her husband and I want him to be happy.

Ya know what would be funny if it turns out the second oldest and the eldest's husband became like the best of friends and this puts their spouses in a panic. Because something tells me they would of been better together.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I went and watched the 1st 2 eps, and fell in love!
I believe this will be great. So many funny chars.

Now why couldn't Jo Jung Seok's family drama have given him a role like this new actors? ONe that allows him to really show his acting!

All that the mother cares about is money. She would be extremely annoying if played by sb else. But since it is Kim Hae Sook, she comes across as funny instead. Talk about great acting.

Waiting for next eps. eagerly!

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

Why couldn't he have waited and joined kings family instead? That would have been awesome. They were so cute as the princess and the palace bodyguard in K2H, and they would have been cute here too.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

BIG, l-o-n-g, Heavy Sigh!

Imagine If Jo JS were cast in this drama instead!

There are only 2 eps so far, but by the look of them, the young actor got a really juice role, cos he is complex, fun to be with, messes with her head, hard-working, smart, has money that he worked for, and also a mother who has hurt him and who he is looking for. Now that has to be a role that is a million times better than Jun Ho, who just stands around with nothing to do, but look at LSS!

I've nothing against this fresh young actor. I'm sure he'll do fine. It's just that I don't know him yet, and I miss JJS.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

How about doing mid season recap at episode 25?

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I was also wondering where you all are watching it. I could not find it on Viki or Dramafever. Thank you

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

I checked Dramafever for it, and it looks like they have a page for it, they just haven't put the episodes up yet. They may not have the rights yet, so it could be awhile before it's up. But I plan to watch it there when it is uploaded. I have no idea where everyone is watching it either.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks for the recap!

For those who are interested, this family drama will be available (Eng. subbed!) over at Dramaholics - oddly enough, it's listed as 'Wang Family'.
:-)

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

This may be a stupid question, but do you know when it'll be subbed?

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

It's in the 'to be subbed' list and from what I've experienced that's usually between 24-48 hours.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

han joo-wan already looks good from the screencaps! that smile is a winner! thanks jb for the recap XD

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I love Oh Man-seok! He has a way about him that is so ...

I hope this is on Drama Fever. And thanks for the recap because I never would watch another 50 episode drama since I got sucked into Gems! What a bummer ending that one had!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Ah, this seems to be much lighter fare than I expected it to be.

I'll pass on this for now, but thanks for the recap!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Omg. First screencap of Han Joo Wan (the one where he's behind Lee Yoon Ji) = I was like who is this sexy guy?! *o* (Thanks for the info. ^^)

Dayummm, his character sounds so intriguing.

I like Lee Yoon Ji! I'm interested in her story w/ Joo Wan the most.

But this is a long drama... OTL.

I was a bit interested in You’re the Best, Lee Soon-shin at the beginning because of JJS. But then, I never actually watched the drama. Not planning on it either after hearing the poor reviews on it. x3

I'm gonna give King's Family more time or wait til the end to see how the reviews are. ^^

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I watch this for Oh Man Seok!!! He is a gem with enormous capability to transform scripts on pages to real personality!

Hope this drama is a delight to watch, from beginning to the end.

Thanks for the intro, JB.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Great start. This is going to rate really well. It would be great if the 2 loser uncles become rich.

0
2
reply

Required fields are marked *

1 loser uncle, and 1 loser husband (of 2nd daughter).
Why 2 able bodied men in their 30s can't find work, don't work at all is amazing.
1st daughter's husband switch fields and jobs right away, as soon as his business fails. He's gone from being company president to being a courier.

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

At least the uncle is somewhat sympathetic, and cares about other people.

Ho-bak's husband, though, is a waste of space and I would not miss him if a truck ran him over in the street.

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

the main guy.

the chemistry.

Love Lyj...

DONE!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Han Joo-wan aka Sang Nam - what a dish! woooo! And Lee Yoon-ji, always adore her!

I'm in! but I don't have time to chase it weekly on KBSWorld...hope it lands somewhere subbed...phalli !

Thanks for the heads up Javabeans!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I wonder if KBS World on Youtube will be making this one available...?

0
1
reply

Required fields are marked *

They just uploaded the 1st 6 episodes fully subbed!! =D

0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Sounds fun, I might check this out. If it's being subbed regularly, I probably will, anyway. I'll need to wait til the Dramafever subs are out and then find the soft subs of them, lol.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I hate it that all the actresses playing the daughters are so thin. The eldest doesn't quite look anorexic; the other two kind of do.
BTW, that 2nd lead actress in M's S, as well as the one playing his new fiancee are very thin too.

I know this is an old rant, as old as the sun, but Normal women have no hope of ever looking that thin, and I wish they'd stop sending us messages that we need to be 90 lbs to be attractive!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks, JB. Love the cast and will give it a try.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Yay! Lee Yoon ji! Thank you!

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

I'm sold. I need something good to watch.. I'm losing interest in everything that's airing (besides Two Weeks) and I've watched most fun rom-coms....

As much as I don't want a 50 epi drama in my life right now.. I can take the fun now and just drop it later if I need to.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

will stick around for more

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Watched 4 eps. So far so good.
The mother is shamelessly in love with money, not with any of her offsprings. Why a principal would tolerate such a horrid person as a wife is beyond me.

1. Waiting for Oh Man Seok to man up!

2. And for 1st Soo Bak's husband to divorce her, and fall in love w Sang Nam's aunt. Then they can live with his very nice but lonely father, who Soo Bak refuses to have anything to do with.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Thanks for the intro. I would like to check this drama out soon.

Will the definition of "dong-gap" be in the book coming out? =)

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Where are you guys watching this w/ subs?

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Well I like the first daughter's husband,I like the 2nd and 3rd daughter respectively. Can't wait for the future episodes to see how things unravel.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *

Gooddrama.net has the first two episodes. So far it seems really good.

0
0
reply

Required fields are marked *