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Drama viewership ratings for the week of June 20-26, 2016

There were quite a few premieres this week, starting out with Beautiful Mind replacing the short drama Baek-hee Has Returned (which was inserted in order to give Mind more time) over on KBS, and Doctors replacing Jackpot over on SBS. Both are billed as medical dramas, but there was a substantial difference in the premiere ratings: Doctors netted a solid 12.9% and ended the week at 14.2%, while Beautiful Mind started out at 4.1% and saw only the slightest of jumps for its second episode.

In order to try and help catch viewers up in an attempt to raise ratings, Beautiful Mind is planning to air a rerun of both episodes before the next one airs. Hopefully it works, since it’s a surprisingly well made show (considering that it was down to the wire to make it to air), and also, Jang Hyuk.

Wanted premiered in the Wednesday-Thursday slot previously occupied by Entertainer to a modest 5.9%, but the jump in its second episode to 7.8% is pretty significant. Otherwise, Police Unit 38 isn’t doing too bad for OCN’s foray into the Friday-Saturday slot, while Mirror of the Witch keeps hovering at or below the 2% mark. Still holding out hope those numbers will rise though—that show deserves it.

 
Drama viewership ratings for the week of June 20-26, 2016

Ep. # Station Rating
Monday, June 20
Beautiful Mind 1 KBS 4.1%
Monster 25 MBC 9.7%
Doctors 1 SBS 12.9%
Oh Hae-young Again 15 tvN 7.9%
Tuesday, June 21
Beautiful Mind 2 KBS 4.5%
Monster 26 MBC 11.1%
Doctors 2 SBS 14.2%
Oh Hae-young Again 16 tvN 8.0%
Wednesday, June 22
Master—God of Noodle 17 KBS 7.4%
Lucky Romance 9 MBC 9.2%
Wanted 1 SBS 5.9%
Thursday, June 23
Master—God of Noodle 18 KBS 7.2%
Lucky Romance 10 MBC 8.0%
Wanted 2 SBS 7.8%
Friday, June 24
Mirror of the Witch 13 JTBC 2.8%
Police Unit 38 3 OCN 2.3%
Dear My Friends 13 tvN 5.9%
Saturday, June 25
Five Kids 37 KBS 25.6%
All’s Well With a Happy Home 35 MBC 14.8%
Flower in Prison 16 MBC 17.2%
Beautiful Gong Shim 13 SBS 12.3%
Yes, That’s How It Is 39 SBS 7.3%
Mirror of the Witch 14 JTBC 1.7%
Police Unit 38 4 OCN 3.3%
Dear My Friends 14 tvN 5.4%
Sunday, June 26
Five Kids 38 KBS 30.9%
All’s Well With a Happy Home 36 MBC 17.5%
Flower in Prison 17 MBC 18.3%
Beautiful Gong Shim 14 SBS 14.2%
Yes, That’s How It Is 40 SBS 9.9%

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Thanks, HeadsNo2! I also hope Mirror of the Witch will get more love. It's the show I look forward to every week and it's the best series I've seen out of the lot these days.

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As every week, I'm here to proclaim my never-ending love for Mirror of The Witch and also never-ending pity that a masterpiece of a drama like this doesn't fully get the love it deserves.

Shame, shame, shame, the ones now watching it are missing out a lot.

Police Squad 38 is also giving me life these days, next week I might to proclaim my love for both of these dramas if it stays this well-made and entertaining (but still, MotW will have a special place in my heart for a long time).

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Not 'now', but 'not'.

*Shame, shame, shame, the ones not watching it are missing out a lot.

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Mirror is not the kind of mixed genre that the general K-viewers are interested in. I think that if the romance was the main focus like Moon/Sun then the rating would've been higher.

Ajummas prefers family dramas (something they can relate to) and easy watch sageuks during the weekend.

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maybe this is restating the obvious but there is only so much they can do about the romance in Mirror, given that one of the leads is literally half the age of the other. Anything that isn't super chaste is just going to end up seeming really squicky.

(really, is it going to kill them to cast slightly more age-appropriately? Or at least not underage?)

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Ikr? Secret Door tried and fail.

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I agree with you to certain extent. An adult actress would have saved us many concerns. But the show is fantastic as it is now and I do not think it needs more romance to improve...it might be worse since there is already so much going on: we are watching the emotional development for Hong Joo, the Queen, Poong Yeon, the King...even the Red Cloak struggles are getting some screen time, hehe! I am liking it a lot and not sure I would prefer a more traditional focus on the romance.
The problem is maybe that the average Korean viewer and the average overseas fan tastes are very different; very likely Mirror of the Witch is not the favorite style of ahjummas...

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That is why MOTW is not fav for ahjumaas who are seeking more romance and easy sageuk on weekend. MOTW does not have that. Probably like Kiara and pogo said, due to different age number, the romance between the main leads cannot be done.The missing romance does not means the show does not have a quality. Plus, I do think Koreans still watching MOTW (look at Friday's rating, it is actually quite decent). Just rating on Saturday decreased due to many competitors . I personally think rating for MOTW quite decent, given that rating for JTBS was flop for some of its previous dramas. Plus, the actors in MOTW are still average in term of popularity, it could contribute to the rating as well. The rting may some what be different if it is TVN dramas. I was disappointed as well when Ms Temper & Nam Jung GI was hardly to reach even 3%, even that was such a good drama and it had Lee Yo Won too. Lee Yo Won might not has a huge popularity overseas, but I do believe she has enough popularity in Korea to attract viewers. It is proven since the rating for her drama can at least reached 2% while previous could not.

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Well, I can't imagine any other actress playing Yeon-hui now, not to mention that while watching her chemistry with Yoon Shi-yoon I admit to forgetting that she's 16, they ooze it so much that I don't care if there's some cliche skinship or lips-action (which I believe won't happen, even though Kim Sae-ron already kissed an adult in one of her dramas).

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As good as MotW is (so much better than the adult portion of tMEts) - it's not quite up to par to "Joseon X-Files" and that didn't get high ratings either (even if that was before cable started to hit it big time).

But yeah, a big portion of the Korean TV viewing audience (esp. via over the air) likes their dramas to be soap-heavy.

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I'm in total agreement. I look forward every week to Mirror of the Witch. It's beautiful, imaginative and a great story.

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You're not suffering alone. I'm here with you guys. It's such a pity that MotW is not more successful, and it is more painful because it is so good. This week was amazing as always, and I have one or two theories already about what will happen in the end :D See you in the recap!!

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I like how there's such a variety of dramas airing right now from fantasy/sageuk to rom-com to revenge to thriller... you're sure to fall in love with at least one of them. :D But, I kinda hate that fact too cos I haven't even caught up to last season's shows and now I have to add even more stuff to my to-watch list. :O

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I totally agree with you. I still need to watch some of the older shows, but the new shows like Beautiful Mind is making me more excited!

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Why did LR drop though. It was such a good episode. Will it not exceed 10%???

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I also believe that episode 10 was better than the previous episode and deserves a higher rating. Maybe because some find Wanted's plot interesting so some viewers shifted to the latter and tried it out.

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With a kiss like that, i am sure it can reach the 10% mark smoothly. Praying hard nd scattering salt everywhere to ward off the bad juju. Lol.

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Some folks go beyond just wanting the kissy stuff in dramas. Like an interesting plot that makes sense.

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+1! yeah... as much as it'd be nice to see the ratings go up, I think the ratings are quite reasonable actually... considering the storyline has been lost in the mountains now (scriptwriter needs to reflect...). I think people have been waiting for a "thriller like Signal" since Signal ended so I predicted that more viewers will switch over to Wanted...

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The rating of Police Unit 38 is not "not too bad", it's excellent. 3.3 is the third highest rating of a single episode in OCN history . No.1 is Bad Guys of 4.1 and No.2 is The Ghost-Seeing Detective Cheo Yong of 3.4.

I freaking love this drama now. Every new ep is better than the previous one. I can't wait to see ep 5. Production team please keep the good work. I really have high hopes now. Please don't let me down

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Thanks for your input. Was thinking of watching it and am now even more motivated to start on it!

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It's all pre produced so I don't think the quality will drop. I just hope the writing holds.

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Right, 3.3 is way more than "not too bad." Unit 38's steady increase in rating is following Bad Guys' footsteps. It'll probably beat Bad Guys.
I'm not sure about 3rd highest. OCN had other shows that were higher than 3.3.

Vampire Prosecutor (written by the same writer of Bad Guys and Unit 38) peaked at 4.3 - part 2 of the finale. Bad Guys 4.1, TEN 3.9.
OCN's only sageuk "Yaksa" (R-18 or 19 for sex/violence) aired at 12am was the most impressive with rating at round 3.5 or maybe more but I forgot.

I think Jo Dong-Hyuk and Jeong Hye-Bin should team up for another sageuk, preferably with less sex and violence.

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In the stats I found Vampire Prosecutor 2 was 3.2 and Ten 2 was 2.8. Probably the subject is slightly different? You might be more accurate. I don't read Korean, I found this on my country's website. Anyway, my point is Police Unit 38 has done a good job in rating so far, even though 3.3 looks bad compared with other shows

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You are looking at Season 2. I'm talking about peak ratings Season 1.

Unit 38's 3.3 doesn't look bad compared at all compared to jTBC's Mirror of the Witch that has been out for a while.
It's not meant to be compared with its sister channel tvN. tvN has more appealing shows like romance focus Oh Hae-young and the star studded lovable cast of Dear my Friends.

I'm rooting for it to beat writer Han Jung-Hoon's own earlier shows (Bad Guys and VP). He/She is a keeper and raised by OCN.

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Yeah, I was thinking along the same lines, a 3.3 rating is quite a feat for an OCN show, in its 4th episode at that. Hopefully the show stays good and ratings increase even more.

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Unit 38 is one of the very few k-dramas that does not use the "only 5 professions exist in Korea" syndrome, which is one thing that has always annoyed me about k-dramas. If you are not a Chaebol, Poor Candy Girl, Lawyer, Corrupt Cop, or Doctor - your profession does not exist.

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This is what I liked best about Awl with Ji Hyun-woo and Ahn Nae-sang and also Assembly with Jung Jae-young and Taecyeon (who did a pretty good job in his role). I like dramas about hard working people doing regular jobs like welding in a factory or grocery store clerk and trying to live decent lives. None of them is likely to trip over a chaebol who will fall madly and unaccountably in love with them. Nor are they involved with massive revenge scenarios involving high tech gadgetry, years in America becoming financial titans and superstar martial artists or marrying into the offending family and taking over the gigantic corporation one shot of soju at a time. It's a shame that dramas worldwide, not just in Korea, have deemed that the lives of ordinary people working ordinary jobs to put food on their tables and a roof over their heads are somehow not dramatic or courageous enough.

I'm enjoying Unit 38 so far. It does have revenge but I don't mind revenge if the revengers are plotting against the revengees using stuff already at their disposal. In this case tax records, chains of corruption and a really good con artist who has already proven he can do it. He doesn't have to go to scam school in American and become a genius scammer first.

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I do think that that is a little unfair, while I will admit that there are some professions that are over represented in k-dramas, off the top of my head I can think of lead characters who are: architects, chefs/ bakers, reporters, writers/ editors, shoe designers, flight attendants and teachers/ lecturers.

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Often, the best-written K-dramas/romcoms have lesser used professions or if they use the "big 5" - do it in an unconventional way or w/ a twist.

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I feel like Teacher esp. College Professor is working it's way up to "Big 6". The others appear but that is the top one at the moment for more average jobs.

But maybe that's just because of Lee Sang Yoon's recent dramas, lol

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Yayyy for Police Unit 38. Hope it continues entertaining. It really picked up after ep 3 and ep 4 just made me want more, the drama and SIG of course haha.

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I prefer watching Beautiful Minds than Doctors. I find the plot more interesting. Doctors is so predictable and focused more on the romance aspect. It seems it is just a romance drama, and it just happens that their profession are doctors so the drama fell on the medical genre.

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It is. The director did say that it's a human drama and that they decided to use the hospital setting because it gives plenty of opportunities for human interactions, or something like that. I do like that they're not pretending to be a straight up medical drama and have a clear direction on where the drama is going.

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Romance drama like DOTS, people need romance in his life.

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Yeah...but I'm talking but my own preference and opinion here. Not other people's..I love to watch crime or medical dramas with less to no romance.

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**about my own

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Exactly! DOTS isn't known for its quality either & yet the ratings keep soaring weeks after weeks. Up until this day some fans still won't shut up about the Song-Song couple. I don't see that much difference in Doctors either. Sure the pairing is a bit icky at the moment but it won't be a problem after they become adults. It's all about the romance honey...

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Doctors had a pretty good first two episodes, but already seems to be relying pretty heavy on all the standard cliches. I am a sucker for redemption and revenge shows though, so will probably keep watching it.

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Yeah like what Ryan said Doctors was always meant to be a romance drama with a healing aspect. The hospital is just a backdrop. They never claimed it to be an actual full fledged surgery type of thing. They didn't mislead the watchers into thinking anything else. The teasers, posters, trailer and even the plot has always pointed to the romance category..

So everytime I read comments like this I'm surprised that they were shocked?

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Beautiful Mind is suffering the same thing as The Village in terms of viewership ratings. Both are well made dramas with plenty of mysteries to play with but it looks like Korean viewers just wanted straightforward stories rather than eccentric thrillers. But I do hope the ratings rise or at least it gets the attention it deserves. Not for Jang Hyuk (since I'm no fan girl) but for its gripping storyline.

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"...looks like Korean viewers just wanted straightforward stories rather than eccentric thrillers."

Well, that's not condescending at all.

Just because something is labeled as a love story doesn't mean it can't be complex and emotional and interesting, and just because something is labeled as a suspenseful thriller doesn't mean it has more merit, than supposedly straightforward stories.

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Err, what's condescending about straightforward stories? Doctors is an unpretentious drama, is what it is. I'm just saying, most Korean viewers tend to lean toward uncomplicated storylines. Which is why I think Beautiful Mind should have been in a cable channel because it seems like these kind of stories, like Signal, will get more appreciation in a cable channel.

Besides, it's too early to tell who's winning in the ratings battle. They're only up for a week. After the second week, that's when it really starts, or at least after OHY is complete.

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I stopped watching beautiful mind when Jang hyuk diagnosed the guy of a giant aneurysm and predicted his collapse to the minute. Because it is just that rubbishy.

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Oh, that was really ridiculous. But just like legal and crime dramas, most medical dramas require a pretty hefty dose of suspension of disbelief in order to be fully enjoyed. Sometimes you wonder whether the writers consulted ANYONE from the field...

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Well... It is a show about a Geeenius neurosurgeon without emotions. So the premise itself needs suspension of belief. They definitely did do Some research because the operating theatre set ups were very realistic. So I think if you can just assume Young Oh is an anomaly that can't be explained by normal logic, you should be able to watch the show without too much eyebrow raising.

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Since he cannot feel emotion, he was taught from young to observe people- he saw the guy has symptoms of illness, he is more observant than most people

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AOHY won't affect the ratings. It's on a different timeslot.

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Same story as I Remember You as last year. Korean viewers are not into complicated thrillers. Even if they are well made.

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I think Korean "drama viewers" are less interested in thrillers (crime/horror/mystery/suspense etc). It's quite the opposite with "movie goers." This genre is the bread and butter of Korean films.

I think this is the type of genre that fares better on the big screen where the running time is shorter.

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IRY had terrible ratings ??? Kyaaaa ... I loved that show ... and honestly who didn't ?

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"Secret" was one of those "overly complicated" shows, and it got some of the highest ratings for any drama ever, even beating "Heirs" in several showings in the same time slot. 1st episode was 5.5 rating, final was 20.6.

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I haven't watched Secret, but from what I've heard this show has lots of romance. But IRY did not focus on loveline. The center of story is 3 psychos. It's not the complication of story that viewers are avoiding, it's the subject they are not interested.

But this only applies to 3 big non-cable channels. Cable channels have very popular non-romantic dramas, such as Signal, Maesung, Bad Guys

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It's more of a melodrama romance . The type that is popular in dramaland.

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But then we have "Signal" .... ;)

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I am so glad that Signal got recognition from the rating and awards despite its genre, and I have to admit that I am quite surprised that it managed to receive such positive responses. Can't tell you how thrilled I was when Lee Je Hoon went to Running Man and the members are all gushing about Signal. Even Yoo Jae Suk likes it, he's just like us!

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Yes, it's The Village and I Remember You all over again. Sadly I think Beautiful Mind is doomed ratings-wise, I really have no hope for decent ratings. I can barely dare to hope for the show to stay afloat what with the terrifying tight schedule they're on.

Thinking back, most shows I've watched from last year had absolutely terrible ratings, it's almost becoming a criterion of quality for me. I am semi-joking but lately it seems terrible ratings = either a really bad show or a very good one.

Not implying there aren't quality shows among the ratings hits of course, Signal or Misaeng are good examples of winning shows across all measures of success.

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After oh hae young again ended, I think beautiful mind can make me to love Monday again, surprisingly the story is good, and it made me curious.

So sad it has low rating.

I am not surprised that oh hae young again rating decreased, I hope the ending is good.

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For me, and apparently a lot of Korean viewers, OHYA lost a lot of it's "oomph" about halfway through. I still have not watched the last two aired episodes.

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I'd have to agree. I'm stuck on episode 11 at the moment,.

My biggest gripe with this drama really is with OHY1 and Do-Kyung.

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR OH-HAE YOUNG AGAIN

They're just not likeable characters. Do-Kyung, due to a drunken mistake, ends up sending someone to jail, and could've ruined their entire life. This is major problem number one, but it was interesting because I wanted to see how the drama would redeem him. Instead, we see that he falls in love with OHY1 then has the audacity to crash his car into Tae-Jin's because of the way he broke up with OHY1. This is just stupid, and ridiculous.

It's one thing to give your lead character a major flaw, it's another to make him a complete asshole, which is what Do-Kyung is. Just because he likes the girl doesn't change the fact he's responsible for breaking up the marriage, and sending someone to jail. Beyond this, we have another big issue. He starts falling in love with OHY1, realizes this is wrong, but doesn't come clean to her about what he's done when she's clearly smitten with him before they already begin a relationship.

The writer puts in a throwaway line about Tae-Jin's business not being completely clean, but that means nothing when the hero is basically a huge asshole who goes half the show without redeeming himself in any way. Yes, he's had a tough past. Yes, he's experiencing visions. No, none of that excuses his appalling behaviour. Intentions matter.

Now we come to OHY1. This character is only likeable because Seo Hyun-Jin does a great job of making her charming. She, however, has some very serious issues as she's written. Let's ignore how petty and immature she can be, and let's also ignore how she throws a rock through Do-Kyung's window, or how she attacks him and gets physical before their first kiss, or how she's clingy and telling him not to go to OHY2 when they're not even in a committed relationship at that stage. All big warning signs. Beyond this, what really made me dislike her is her reaction to learning the truth about what Do-Kyung did.

"This was all because of Oh Hae-Young."

Those are her first thoughts after that scene. No. It wasn't. It was because of Do-Kyung. He sent Tae-Jin to jail. It has nothing to do with OHY2. What the hell is with these characters placing blame at other people's feet? Intentions matter. Actions matter.

OHY2 was never shown to have evil or wrong intentions towards OHY1. Not once. However OHY1 is constantly feeling resentful towards her, and while that's understandable to an extent due to her experiences, it crosses the line at this moment.

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Instead of addressing her insecurity and overcoming it, she's misplacing blame. I mean, she's definitely not as bad as Do-Kyung in terms of bad actions, but OHY1 is no less of an asshole.

Contrast this to OHY2 or Tae-Jin. OHY2 has clear weaknesses and insecurities, but she's never had ill intentions or done something to intentionally harm someone. The closest she's gotten is asking Do-Kyung to play with her 10 times, because she clearly loves him and wanted to slowly bridge that gap again. That's way less problematic than the stuff OHY1 and Do-Kyung have done. Aside from that, we see she's always trying to smile and get along with people. We see that she's had a tough past, and is dealing with it in her own way. Her intentions are fine, and her actions are fine mostly.

Then you have Tae-Jin who's basically shown to have done nothing wrong. We're not even shown his relationship with OHY1, and OHY1 seems to overcome that love pretty easily with the show just telling us that she held back in her love. If she held back in her love, and almost married this man, what does it say about her? Because, clearly, Tae-Jin didn't hold back. He was about to go to prison, thought he could be there for years, and decided to break things up with her. Yes, a little dumb since he should've told her anyway and involved her in the decision, but again, his intentions were good. This is not an easy thing to do. Humans, people, are weak. When times get tough, they naturally look towards the people who support them for emotional strength. This guy was about to go to prison, and rather than holding on to someone he loved, he was ready to break up with her because he didn't want it to affect her. Then OHY1 says he always put his pride over her. What?

In what world? That action has nothing to do with pride. Pride is telling him to allow you to tell others that you were the one to call off the wedding because you want to save face. That's your pride. She doesn't even press him or find out what he was up to. She took a weak excuse as not liking the way she ate and accepted it. She pauses for a moment when leaving, but does so anyway. Why? Because like she said, she held back in her love. Tae-Jin did wrong in the method of breakup, but his intentions were good in that relationship as far as we know. On the other hand, OHY1 clearly didn't feel that deeply, and was more worried about herself and her own state of being. The problem here is that it displays to us that while Tae-Jin was in the wrong for breaking up with her, his intentions were good, but also that their relationship likely wasn't fair to Tae-Jin anyway because OHY1 clearly didn't love the way he seemed to love her. So really, them breaking up was a good thing.

Add in all the other actions I listed above, like the window breaking, the general immatureness, and physical bag attacking, and it's clear that she too is kind of an asshole. In that respect, OHY1 and Do-Kyung truly deserve each...

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This drama is the perfect example of how audiences will sympathize with the main characters because they're the main characters. We spend a lot of time with them, see everything, and naturally that has our investment. We want to forgive them, and pardon them, but you take these same characters, and turn them into second leads or supporting roles, and I guarantee there'd be a lot more venom in their direction. They're simply not good people. Both their intentions and actions are misplaced, and while OHY1 is definitely more likeable than Do-Kyung, they're both just a bunch of assholes ultimately. A lesser actress than Seo Hyun-Jin wouldn't have been able to cover the writing's flaws the way she managed to with her charm so I honestly commend her on a such a good job.

Anyway, I'm going to try to finish this since I invested over ten hours of my time already, but damn if it isn't kind of disappointing after such an interesting start.

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You pretty much summed up my feelings and opinion of OHY and why I think people have lost some interest in it. Your posts remind me of those YouTube videos about movies "Everything wrong with XX in YY minutes).

Both the leads are assholes, and I don't like assholes, no matter how pretty or handsome.

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So much this. Everything you said. I just couldn't relate to the two of them, and was wondering if I've just lost touch with common sense because everyone else was watching it.

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This is exactly, 100%, how I feel about this drama too. DK and OHY1's ridiculous actions are excused just because they are the main characters. The hate OHY2 gets is amusing, because as you've said, it's quite clear who the actual assholes are.

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I was debating whether to watch this drama or not after it ends. I've been keeping track of it while avoiding spoilers and I am afraid I'll end up being annoyed with the main characters. I am not one to be swayed by good acting or characters' status in the story, if the characters are inherently bad people according to my value system. On the other hand, I have no problem in watching less-than-perfect, extremely flawed characters as leads as long as the drama doesn't portray them in a glossed-over, overly-positive light and excuses their actions. So I am wondering if their flaws are acknowledged in the actual drama or if the drama tried to persuade its viewers into excusing their actions. It makes a world of difference for me.

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This is slightly difficult to answer.

I wouldn't necessarily say the drama has glossed over the bad actions thus far (I'm up to episode 11), but it has definitely ignored some or tried to make things seem romantic which aren't.

A good example of this would be when Do-Kyung crashes into Tae-Jin's car intentionally. The drama and writing tries to portray this as romantic and emphasizes how angry Do-Kyung is due to the way Tae-Jin broke up with OHY1, but this is exactly why this scene is such a farce. Do-Kyung is responsible for the breakup and the drama trying to earn sympathy for him here falls on flat ears because the fact is he's still being a huge asshole towards Tae-Jin who has no idea as to why.

Tae-Jin's intentions were fine, and while his method was incorrect, he's not the one who sent someone to jail, caused grief a stress for two families, and both Tae-Jin and OHY1. That was Do-Kyung.

Another good example of this would be when Do-Kyung finally breaks down and tells OHY1 that he misses her. This leads to them beginning their relationship in earnest. Again, a huge glaring problem here is that Do-Kyung is intentionally beginning a romance with this woman without having told her what he's done. Beyond that, something that is a glaring issue, is that he only seemingly decides to tell her the truth when OHY1 tells him over the phone that she plans to meet Tae-Jin to end things with him once and for all. It's clear that Do-Kyung feels pressured to let her know first because he doesn't want her to learn the truth accidentally from Tae-Jin.

But then why not tell her this before she's fallen in love with you? It's a huge asshole move, and added to everything else Do-Kyung has done (like being angry at his younger brother for his "embarrassing" writing instead having a conversation like a sensible adult, the whole sending Tae-Jin to jail thing, or his indignant manner towards him even after he's out) it's clear this guy is a huge asshole with little redeeming qualities.

OHY1 is also similarly glossed over. The show initially builds OHY2 as this mystery who has everything going for her, but it flips that on its head when it reveals her upbringing and the fact she's always smiling and trying to please others because she wants someone to love her. Add the fact that other people like Do-Kyung and his sister call her incredibly sweet, and good, that the drama trying to gain sympathy points for OHY1 by showing how OHY2 has unintentionally caused her problems is incredibly superficial.

OHY2 hasn't intentionally harmed her. The closest she comes to that is when she tells Do-Kyung over the phone about her metabolic age, but just minutes earlier, OHY1 was being a complete bitch to her anyway. The show also ignores OHY1's general pettiness and other stupid moves like throwing a rock through Do-Kyung's window or attacking physically because she's frustrated with him.

I like flawed characters, but you need to balance...

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Do-kyung was an asshole from the very first episode even without the whole love story. Remember how in the very beginning he beat up his colleagues for no reason and it looked like totally normal. No. It was an assault by a perfectionist maniac and it was not normal. I was seriously shocked by the violence of the scene.
I also like flawed characters when they are represented as flawed character, not when they are bastards for no reason and everything seems fine.

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Okay, you probably watched a VERY different show. Do Kyung crashing into Tae Jin's car wasn't shown to be romantic. It was shown to be apologetic. "I'm so sorry. I hit you once, just hit me back a hundred times, as many times as you can." From then on, it was consistent, Do Kyung just never fought back, ever.

I don't understand where you get half the nonsense you write here because they're just mostly not true.

And for the record, I think OHY2 is a more sympathetic character than OHY1, so it's not bias that's making me say these. Tae Jin's an a-hole, but not an entirely unsympathetic one, either.

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It's shown to be romantic. Of course, it is.

I'm not sure what show you've been watching frankly.

He crashes into his car, then tells him he meant to crash into his car. His words to paraphrase are, "The sending you to jail thing was a mistake, but I meant to do this." He then tells him he's happy to be punched 100 times if only he can punch Tae-Jin once. Why does he want to punch Tae-Jin? Because of the way Tae-Jin broke up with OHY1. That's also why he's such an indignant asshole in that scene by crashing his car into him.

The writer has him accept being punched 100 times because it's supposed to garner sympathy for him as he just loves OHY1 so much that he's willing to be hit for his previous mistake, if only he can punch Tae-Jin once for the way he broke up with OHY1. Then when the fight is being broken up, you get dramatic closeups of him as he's screaming "How could you? How?"

It's clearly displayed in a way to be romantic, and to make us understand how great his love is for OHY1. Except he's the moron who caused all of the issue in the first place, and he's in no position to be that much of an asshole to Tae-Jin considering what he's done.

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The problem w/ the writing in OHYA started way before, but now that "drama" of the lead romance seems to be pretty much over, the ongoing superficial storylines for the supporting characters seem even flimsier and can't keep viewer interest.

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Definitely watch Doctors, even it's predictable... who's didn't Love good looking and full of chemistry OTP.
Just KRW and PSH name already have selling point, +JiSoo who's can resist it. ^^

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Beautiful Mind deserves a higher rating. Hopefully it can pick up next week, chae bai...

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Mirror of the witch is great drama, anyone should watch kekeke motw wont dissapoint you :D
I also watch doctors, this drama really build great chemistry between the lead actors...

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I'm not surprised at OHYA rating decrease but I'm happy because the rating still considered very high for a cable drama and it's the highest among tvN Mon-Tue dramas, so far. I hope final episodes will be good and the rating will end in higher mark.

I'm sad to see rating for MOTW this week dropped to below two. The drama deserve better rating. Hopefully rating will increase back next week.

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I think they have more difficulty with thrillers because they can't do gore on TV unlike how they do it so well with their movies. Koreans seem to like gore in their thrillers. Just a theory.

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Beautiful mind is over, koreans chose doctors.

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this kind of comment in the 1st week make me want it to become the winner,

Idk, I feel like it's the same with saying
doctors is overrated, Koreans overrated doctors

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Too early to tell, bm - better to start slow and steadily climb up than start high and drop later

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Police Unit 38 got me hooked and its always a PLEASURE to see SEO IN GUKKIE on screen again. The mood of the drama is quite similar to I Remember You which was RLLY the bomb drama last year. The plot and the characters are starting to unfold at a nice and steady pace and looking forward to how everything ties up later. Soo young is not that bad too.

Quite satisfied with the ratings for Lucky Romace but honestly I can't stand the main lead anymore. RJY is the only factor holding me back from stopping the drama.

AHHH Police Unit 38 definitely need higher ratings. But lmao there are like at least 10 variations of the name. Police Force 38? 38 Revenue Collection Unit? Make up ur mind but anyway **squealsss *** for Seo in Gukkie HWAITING OCN!!

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I've seen the first four episodes of Police Unit 38. After a korean dramas dry spell for a few months I am totally hooked again. He sure knows how to choose his dramas. But he is not the only reason I like 38, it's the whole package.

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Same here. I'm loving the whole package as well and find myself looking forward to the next episodes. The acting has been very impressive so far and so is the writing. The cliffhangers are nicely done. I'm surprised by the chemistry also between SIG and Sooyoung and I'm really curious to know more about their characters' history.

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Same. Over the past season there was almost nothing that I really cared much if I watched or not. A couple of the shows I would fast forward through, but none that grabbed me. This season is just the opposite.. so far.

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PU38 is on cable, and opening ratings of 2.3 and 3.3 percent are pretty fantastic numbers for a cable channel, especially OCN.

SIG fans should be celebrating, if these ratings keep up he'll have a bona fide hit on his hands. Though of course I understand vvanting things to go higher!

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I AM celebrating haha. SIG is indeed always had an interesting choice of roles and he nailed them all. For example, looking at him in Reply 1997 and in Savvy, I feel like I'm watching two different teenager actors and both rocked the roles.

PU 38, fighting!

Oh and I see that you still have that "w" problem, oh dear, hope you can get it fixed soon.

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I meant not "teenager actors" but "young actors". Sorry. If only English was my first language.

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Though I don't really have the data to back it up, I would assume that SNSD fans are contributing to the ratings as well.

Keeping my fingers crossed that the "whole package" (acting, writing, chemistry) holds up.

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I don't think SNSD fans contribute to much of those ratings, considering that every kdrama starring Sooyoung's bandmates in the last five years has flopped hard/been panned. It's only her dramas that do good.

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it's okay to not like BM or doctors,
it only has 2 ep, what's to compare,
who knew which one fall down after the romance start or after mid ep,
just enjoy both and give critics, we didn't contribute to rating there either

both is equally interesting in the different genre even with a related name, btw I think they better switch the title,

doctors for Jang hyuk who is finding his doctor-ness humanity,
and beautiful mind for Kim Rae Won drama because it' about the mind who choose to feel something and it's a beautiful feeling

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Agree. Each drama has something different to offer. We don't have to choose one, we can watch both (or all, just let me get my Time Turner...) ;D

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i can see sbs's doctors go to 20% + in ratings.

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I'm kinda sad that I keep seeing comments comparing Beautiful Mind and Doctors (not just here but elsewhere). I haven't started on either since I'm still clearing my backlogged dramas, but I hope that everyone gives both dramas a few more weeks before judging them. Just because one drama started off strong doesn't mean that it would not fizzle out halfway (ugh this reminds me of Yong Pal). Just because another drama started off with low ratings doesn't mean it's bad (think I Remember You and The Village - I love them both more than some dramas with 20%+ ratings).

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I agree- too early to judge cos only 2 episodes but hope bm' rating continue to rise cos of the cast's hard work. It is really more interesting- want to watch tonight to see who stole the missing heart

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So many dramas to watch so little time. Surprised to see Wanted got higher rating. I will give this a try after 4 episodes. I have zero patience whenever it comes to thriller ?

For now, Beautiful Mind & Master God of Noodles are in my no 1 in the list. Will pickup Lucky Romance back and MOTW too. I'm keeping my eye on Police Unit 38 too. Oh goshhh so many dramasssss. Doctors is fun to watch, nothing really interesting, but east to watch. But no doubt will sacrifice it if I found Wanted is more interesting.?

OHY will end this week, hope it will wrap up beautifully. But I cannot say no to The Good Wife too. Who can say no to the Queen of Chungmro.

LOL again..how will I manage to watch all these ???

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Hope Dear My Friends can break final record in final week.
Hope Beautiful Gong Shim can break 15% too.!
Why people say "Mirror of The Witch" is a masterpiece? It's lost on logic and the pilot moving so slow (arround). I really hate the leading characters. They're too stupid and never get better.

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I have a quick question about the show Mirror of the witch.I think i judged it harshly based on the poster.They are not trying to say the little girl and the main guy are gonna couple right?

I wanna watch it but not if that is the case.The idea irked me a bit.

Thank you lovely beanies.

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There is not much romance development in Mirror of the Witch and everyone who is watching seems quite comfortable because the leads relationship is completely platonic. The story is focused in the adventure and suspense and I think you could enjoy it, if this is your concern (I also was wary at the beginning, but now I am a fan). However, it is clear that the two are intended to be a romantic pair, so it's up to you to decide.

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Thank you Elena.I will watch it for sure.Really appreciate your reply.

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Ughhh... ive got too many dramas to watch and/or catch up to and now theres even moreeeee! What am I gonna do? Lol Im waiting to marathon thru Mirror of the Witch... Its sad the ratings dropped a bit... Most of the cable dramas with different plots dont seem to appeal general public (ex. Ex GF's Club, such a great show but it got reduced)

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Here's to hoping that OHYA will reach the 10% mark at the finale and may our viewing experience not be wasted.

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I think the extension was a mistake - one that many dramas in the past have made. Got bored with all the fluff filler material they filled it up with that added nothing to the plot.

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The only drama I've seen where I thought, "Yes, this TOTALLY deserved an extension" was Gaksital. And that's because they actually had enough story to sustain it for the most part.

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Problem w/ the writing pre-dated the extension.

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Beautiful mind's ratings are horrid. I hope they increase bec the show is absolutely gripping

OHY - looks like won't touch 10% . That means the cast promise remains unfulfilled :( ... They are so much fun

Is squad 38 rating good enough for cable ? Its a snazzy show and i expected it to rate higher given how cable is easily pulling in 5% -ish ratings these days.

Lucky romance has some mysterious thursday jinx. I have been noticing for a few weeks - wed is good and then on thurs It always falls. And by a huge percentage point. What's happening ?

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Correction: tvN is pulling in 5%+ ratings. At this point, tvN is not in the same league as OCN and JTBC. They're almost pulling in Big 3 ratings now.

For comparison: The last drama in PU38's spot, Vampire Detective, had a high of 1.3%. Neighborhood Hero, the drama before that, pulled in 1.8% as its high. The last drama to have ratings comparable to PU38 in that time slot was Bad Guys, and Bad Guys was considered a hit (with a high of 4.1%). PU38's ratings have done nothing but go up, so I'm confident it will meet or exceed Bad Guys' high by the end of its run, if not much sooner.

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Thanks for clarifying. I'm still trying to figure out the nuts and bolts of korean broadcasting business.

Bad guys was superrrrr . here's hoping for further good ratings for PU38 - its a pretty show

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Can we just take a moment to spazz over SEO IN GUK?!? Gawd this guy is so fione.

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I will take a moment with you...

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Taking a moment too, he's so Beautiful, I can't take my eyes off the screen whenever he is on

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Saaaame. I went through all of Answer Me 1997 not really feeling anything for him aside, "Oh, he's a good actor", but then all throughout I Remember You I would sometimes get distracted because I would just keep staring at him.

It's a problem! But a good problem to have, hehe. I just sometimes have to rewind to actually watch a scene.

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I know how you feelsss!!! SIG is just so damn fine as Lee Hyun that I need to watch each eps twice to get all the things I missed because of SIG lol. That beautiful face.

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SIG will always be my 15+ alpha

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hopefully beautiful gongshim's ratings will rise :3 it's swinging in 11-13%

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Please recap Police Unit 38. ? (sorry, last time! ?❤❤) I hope its ratings keep increasing. It's such a well made show, directing, music and the acting especially. This is my first time seeing a Ma Dong Seok drama and he's seriously just so wonderful. I love his character so much. I really like the female lead, the chemistry between her and SIG is fantastic. I was going to watch it on the premise alone (and SIG ?) bc I loved the 'Catch Me If You Can' vibe from the previews, but once they gave me a love story I was hooked lol. And the actor that plays the bad guy is so good at playing a jerk I hate his character so much (same in Come Back Ahjussi). In the bts stuff he seems like such a nice guy. ?

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Go, Police Unit 38, go!!! THe ratings have only gone up so far, can we hope for 4% next week?! Maybe I'm getting too excited, but... it DID jump up 1% from Friday to Saturday!

Also guys, remember that tvN is also airing Police Unit 38 a half hour after. Episode 3's tvN rating was also 2.3%, so it's actually getting around double the ratings these would lead you to believe!

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Can I just say how much Dear My Friends is a gut wrenching, sliced of life drama about elderly people. Gosh! This show gives me all the feels. Just reading DB recap makes me cry what more if I marathon the whole show after my board exam.

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I am actually waiting for it to be over so I can marathon it.

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I sobbed watching DMF episodes. Good that there was GongShim (and 38 and Flower in Prison) to laugh and ease my mind.

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While watching recent episodes I've noticed Sol Gae would have made a perfect Seo Ri. Sol Gae is pretty and still has that ''look' like she could also play a baddie/witch. Wish they cast her instead, because she's so wasted as a mere bodyguard to both Poong Yeon and Hong Joo. And hey, she'd have been the right age too. Not too young, not too mature.

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Big developments this week on Five Kids! It'll be interesting to see how the Sunday episode fares, they didn't tease it but the official main couple tied the knot. Meanwhile Golf Couple ran into rough territory, and next week the Kim brothers' mother should show up. I can't identify her voice but it's familiar and I'm scared because I think they're bringing in an A-list Drama Mother Actress.

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People shouldn't fret over the ratings of MOTW; that's actually solid given it's on tVN. I am always interested in ratings, but it determines nothing regarding my viewing habits. I just go with what I like. Sure I would like all the shows I think deserve big ratings to get them, but it just doesn't work that way. There is a lot of luck in who your competition is and many a deserving show goes under the radar.

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Sorry, I mean the other for pay cable channel.

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rating "WANTED" go up with 2 epi, Surprise.. 2 epi good enough make me can not wait for next epi, such dark and mysteri drama, chemistry between Uhm tae woong and Kim Ah joong weww daebak :)

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Correct me if I'm wrong isn't Police Unit 38 simultaneously broadcast on tvn and ocn? I've seen 2-3% ratings on both channels.

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I think it's really unfair that a GREAT show like Beautiful Mind got low ratings all the time. It had quiet unique story and every single actor/ess played their role perfectly. Watching Beautifl Mind is a MUST for all the KDrama lovers. It's highly recommended y'all.

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