This hour is the bookend to Episodes 1 and 2, and even though it’s been a while since Wol-ryung and Seo-hwa have been at the center of this story, it turns out they can still wring our hearts, just like they did the first time. I’m not crying, I swear. I just have something in my eye.

 
SONG OF THE DAY

Yisabel – “My Eden” from the OST [ Download ]

 
EPISODE 21 RECAP

Wol-ryung and Seo-hwa finally meet for the first time in twenty years. Seo-hwa’s voice shakes as she calls his name, and this time we hear Wol-ryung’s thoughts as he looks back at her curiously: “Who is she, that woman? How does it hurt just to look at her?”

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Read the rest of Gu Family Book: Episode 21 (3,424 words)

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Post tags: featured, Gu Family Book, Lee Seung-gi, Suzy

Ooh I like these posters. Between Empire of Gold and Sword and Flower, I’m starting to have some faith in drama poster people again. It might just be a good summer yet. Empire’s latest character posters are simple, just featuring the three leads — Go Soo, Lee Yo-won, and Sohn Hyun-joo — but the moody lighting sells it. And okay, Go Soo isn’t bad either.

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Read the rest of First teaser and character posters for Empire of Gold (308 words)

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Post tags: Go Soo, Lee Yo-won, Sohn Hyun-joo

Here’s a peek at Moon Geun-young and Lee Sang-yoon in their new MBC sageuk Goddess of Fire Jung-yi, set to premiere in two weeks. I never thought I’d say this, but the more cutesy stuff I see for this show, the less I’m interested in it. Either Moon Geun-young has outgrown the cutesy, or this just wasn’t the tone I was expecting for this drama. But on the upside, I’ve been led astray by drama promo before (or, okay — almost always) so I suppose it’s no reason to write a show off entirely.

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Read the rest of Goddess of Fire’s teaser and couple posters (311 words)

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Post tags: Lee Sang-yoon, Moon Geun-young

EPISODE 442. Broadcast on June 9, 2013.

javabeans: So this is Part 2 of the Yoona-Kimchi-Eel-Fishing-Taste-Matching special, and our two teams have both gotten a chance to sample their main ingredient. Now it’s time to figure out what foods best complement them.

girlfriday: Each team has sent a member out to sea, and Tae-hyun lands on a tiny island after a short boat ride.

javabeans: Tae-hyun takes a trip to meet the mayor, who shows him around and says that this area is known for its leeks, which is a good tip for a potential taste pairing. As the mayor leads, he comments that Tae-hyun “has a face like someone who doesn’t obey very well” and also makes a pointed comment about how when Running Man was here, Yoo Jae-suk ran away without giving an autograph. Why are these village mayors such characters? They crack me up.

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Read the rest of 1 Night 2 Days: Episode 442 (2,191 words)

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Post tags: 1N2D, Cha Tae-hyun, featured, Joo-won, Kim Jong-min, Lee Su-geun, Sung Shi-kyung, Uhm Tae-woong, Yoo Hae-jin

Hm, I wouldn’t mind being lost at sea with these two. Bong Joon-ho (Snowpiercer, The Host) is producing a new movie called Sea Fog, and he’s scored the fabulous Kim Yoon-seok (Thieves, Wandeuki) to star. That man is just great in everything. Song Joong-ki (Nice Guy, A Werewolf Boy) is being tapped to join him, but that casting’s not confirmed and he’s got a lot of floating offers for movies right now, so we’ll have to wait and see on that front.

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Read the rest of Kim Yoon-seok and Song Joong-ki get called out to sea (234 words)

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Post tags: Kim Yoon-seok, Song Joong-ki

I feel like a yo-yo after every episode of this show because I’ve been so wildly yanked from one extreme to the other—laughing out loud and then clutching my heart, sometimes in terror and other times from the giddy romance. But even though I feel spent, I’m a happy little yo-yo; yes I am.

 
SONG OF THE DAY

Every Single Day – “Dolphin” from the OST [ Download ]

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Read the rest of I Hear Your Voice: Episode 4 (4,802 words)

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Post tags: featured, I Hear Your Voice, Lee Bo-young, Lee Jong-seok, Yoon Sang-hyun

Yup, I’m back for more. Like I could stay away, right? This show is really rockin’ my socks off, so I’m in it for the long haul, sleep and sanity be damned. Each episode continues to be a pleasant surprise—fantastic characters mixed with a swiftly moving story, and I just love the heroine more and more with each episode. She’s so endearingly flawed and winsome, and easy to root for.

Ratings continue to shoot skyward: I Hear Your Voice rose to 15.0% today, with Mandate of Heaven in at 8.0%, and Go Hyun-jung’s new drama Queen’s Classroom premiering to 6.6%.

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Read the rest of I Hear Your Voice: Episode 3 (4,364 words)

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Post tags: featured, I Hear Your Voice, Lee Bo-young, Lee Jong-seok, Yoon Sang-hyun

Okay, I’m happier with this episode. There’s a nice balance of character development, epic face-offs, cute couple moments, and emotional payoffs for conflicts that we’ve been circling for a while. And no, I’m not just happier because there are nekkid hijinks. At least… not entirely.

 
EPISODE 20 RECAP

As per her arrangement with Tae-seo, Seo-hwa sends her assassin to kill Jo Gwan-woong that night. The killer gets the jump on him, and he’s sooo close to getting a sword through his skull… when someone else shows up and kills the killer before he can kill. Dammit.

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Read the rest of Gu Family Book: Episode 20 (3,361 words)

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Post tags: featured, Gu Family Book, Lee Seung-gi, Suzy

KBS is launching another season of single-episode Drama Specials starting this week, set to air on Wednesday nights after the primetime drama slot. I hope it’s a good programming move because I like drama specials and this way they’ll get more attention, but it also feels like they’re coming at a time when I can’t possibly fill my plate with anything else to watch. It seriously overfloweth, that damn watch list. On the upside they’re one-hour dramas, so if one pops up that catches your interest, there’s literally zero commitment involved in watching a one-off show.

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Read the rest of Lee Ki-kwang’s drama special My Friend Is Still Alive (342 words)

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Post tags: Drama Special, Lee Ki-kwang

It’s an episode all about Kang-chi’s family—the people who took him in and raised him, the people who abandoned him, and the people who accepted him for who (or what) he is. There’s heartbreak and angst in that tale, but also a lot to be gained, because this story has never been about the family you come from, but the family you make for yourself.

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Read the rest of Gu Family Book: Episode 19 (3,842 words)

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Post tags: featured, Gu Family Book, Lee Seung-gi, Suzy