It’s a cat and mouse game: now that the team knows who to look for, they just have to find him. The chase also grows personal as the count of infected victims grows ever higher, and Myung-hyun develops a personal vendetta against ‘patient zero.’

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Read the rest of The Virus: Episode 2 (2,844 words)

© kaedejun for Dramabeans, 2013. | Permalink | 15 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Eom Ki-joon, featured, Hyun-woo, Lee Ki-woo, The Virus

OCN delivers in this thrilling new series that is sure to turn you into hypochondriac – it’s sort of made me one already. It’s not as dark and apocalyptic as I thought it would be, but it’s still frightening to watch a mysterious disease kill and spread rapidly from person to person. The Virus takes cues from Vampire Prosecutor  in its visual effects and ability to be grisly, but without totally grossing you out.

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Read the rest of The Virus: Episode 1 (3,023 words)

© kaedejun for Dramabeans, 2013. | Permalink | 31 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: cable programs, Eom Ki-joon, featured, first episodes, Hyun-woo, Lee Ki-woo, The Virus

This first episode of Ad Genius Lee Tae-baek, KBS’s newish Monday-Tuesday drama, ended up being a lot more engaging than I thought. The story sets up pretty quickly, and the relationships between the characters are established immediately. No need for waiting on a long buildup! If that is how the series is going to be throughout, then this could be a very entertaining drama.

Note: This is just a first episode recap.

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Read the rest of Ad Genius Lee Tae-baek: Episode 1 (2,671 words)

© kaedejun for Dramabeans, 2013. | Permalink | 66 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Ad Genius Lee Tae-baek, featured, first episodes, Han Chae-young, Jin Gu, Jo Hyun-jae, Park Ha-sun

It’s a new era at NSS! I started with IRIS over three years ago, moved on to Athena, and now here is IRIS 2. It’s a full circle… unless of course they decide to make an IRIS 3, and an Artemis, or ARES, or Hercules… Then my circle won’t ever complete. A quick note that I haven’t decided to fully recap this series, mainly because two rounds of the same thing are enough. But episode 2 could make or break this series for me.

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Read the rest of IRIS 2: Episode 1 (3,734 words)

© kaedejun for Dramabeans, 2013. | Permalink | 97 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: featured, first episodes, IRIS 2, Jang Hyuk, Lee Beom-soo, Lee Da-hae, Oh Yeon-soo

I really enjoyed the last episode, because it was satisfying in showing us the growth of the characters over some time without feeling too rushed. Alice in Cheongdam-dong was a bumpy but short ride, and somehow the writer still managed to make a point about class and wealth in Korean society, as well as poke holes in our expectations of Korean dramas. In the end, this was more than just a romantic comedy; it made you think.

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Read the rest of Alice in Cheongdam-dong: Episode 16 (Final) (3,966 words)

© kaedejun for Dramabeans, 2013. | Permalink | 143 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alice in Cheongdam-dong, featured, Moon Geun-young, Park Shi-hoo

This was a very Seung-jo-centric episode. Seung-jo’s been used by three women for monetary purposes, so it’s high time he try to sort out his issues rather than run away from them. But it doesn’t stop him from being maddeningly self-centered about his situation, as if he’s the only one whose feelings matter. He does raise this one important question: What’s so great about Cheongdam-dong that everyone wants to enter it?

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Read the rest of Alice in Cheongdam-dong: Episode 15 (3,477 words)

© kaedejun for Dramabeans, 2013. | Permalink | 86 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alice in Cheongdam-dong, featured, Moon Geun-young, Park Shi-hoo

Lots of yelling. Lots of heartbreak. Lots of satisfaction. For me, this week truly redeemed last week’s. Even though I’m averse to watching characters have their sufferings dragged out for several episodes, I do hope to watch Seung-jo and Se-kyung suffer for a bit. If we’re going to build up this little white lie into a big crisis that everyone else in Cheongdam-dong is treating it, then we ought to have a big blowout, right?

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Read the rest of Alice in Cheongdam-dong: Episode 14 (2,860 words)

© kaedejun for Dramabeans, 2013. | Permalink | 74 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alice in Cheongdam-dong, featured, Moon Geun-young, Park Shi-hoo

FINALLY! I feel this episode makes up for last week’s horrendously dragging episodes. (I exaggerate a bit, but I certainly wasn’t pleased last week.) Revelations abound, but with somewhat unexpected results. These results are both infuriating and satisfying, because even though I wish they turned out differently, the reactions to the truth have allowed for relationships to be strengthened.

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Read the rest of Alice in Cheongdam-dong: Episode 13 (3,490 words)

© kaedejun for Dramabeans, 2013. | Permalink | 142 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alice in Cheongdam-dong, featured, Moon Geun-young, Park Shi-hoo

We’re getting to that point in that series where the story is starting to drag as all the characters inch ever closer to the startling truth that Se-kyung and Yoon-joo are -gasp!- gold diggers. There are no surprises in this episode, which makes me feel like we’re really winding down to the last four episodes. While I commend the story outlining – because it’s about time we’re here in the series – I do wish it had retained some of the old charm and quirkiness that it had about 8 episodes ago. But oh well – let’s just get right on with how In-hwa is becoming that villain we always see.

SONG OF THE DAY

Lee Seung-hwan, feat. Yozoh – “I’m Sorry” for Alice in Cheongdam-dong OST [download]

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Read the rest of Alice in Cheongdam-dong: Episode 12 (4,601 words)

© kaedejun for Dramabeans, 2013. | Permalink | 131 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alice in Cheongdam-dong, featured, Moon Geun-young, Park Shi-hoo

I must admit, I wasn’t too thrilled by this episode because it was more or less predictable regarding the aftermath of the engagement announcement. I mean, who was going to start clapping and cheering for their impending marriage? What was quite interesting instead was the personality makeovers that the side characters got, as well as the new ‘do Se-kyung wore as she became the black swan. No longer was she going to be pure – she was going to be dirty through and through. This was the transformation I expected of her 8 episodes ago.

SONG OF THE DAY

Every Single Day – “Alice” for Alice in Cheongdam-dong OST [download]

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Read the rest of Alice in Cheongdam-dong: Episode 11 (4,154 words)

© kaedejun for Dramabeans, 2013. | Permalink | 76 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Alice in Cheongdam-dong, featured, Moon Geun-young, Park Shi-hoo