Once again, we run the gamut of emotions from light to heavy, which I always find to be a welcome thing when a drama heads to its more serious moments. Yes, some of the conflicts amp up in this episode, but it also has more of its trademark goofy parody sequences to lighten the in-between moments. The threesome parody in this episode is possibly my favorite Hong sisters parody ever.
SONG OF THE DAY
Jang Geun-seok – “Good Bye.” This song plays late in the episode. [ Download ]
What an utterly delightful episode! I wasn’t exactly disappointed with last week’s, but I do think they took a small step back from the giddiness and/or angst of previous episodes. Well, it’s all back today, and in full force.
Also: When did Jung Yong-hwa learn to act?? He wasn’t ever terrible, but he seems much better all of a sudden. I like.
With this batch of episodes, we head into some of my favorite territory, which coincides with the ending of one (tiresome) love line and the beginning (or elevation) of another, more interesting one.
SONG OF THE DAY
Sons of Sol Pharmacy OST – “말해요” (Say it)
[ Download ]
Smile is hitting exactly the right notes for me. Though not wildly innovative, there’s something organic and sweet about the pacing and tone that I really enjoy. When there’s as much chemistry & development as there is in these two episodes, reducing the repartee to a line of summary just doesn’t do it justice. So I apologize if these recaps get a bit long-winded!
The actors play off each other really well in small ways that are especially hard to capture, like the moment above when Jung-in makes an excited puppy-face at Hyun-soo. Out of context, it looks almost silly, but it’s the kind of unapologetically endearing moments that abound in this drama.
KBS premiered a new Monday-Tuesday drama this week, Invincible Lee Pyeong-gang (KBS World title: Taming of the Heir), to replace Princess Has Returned. Contrary to the historical costuming above, this drama is a contemporary piece but has sageuk bits woven through it, since the story references the folk tale upon which it is based (”Princess Pyeong-gang and the Fool On-dal”) in a comic way. This, I think, is the drama’s highlight, which I’ll go into more below.
The drama probably won’t make a dent in Queen Seon-deok’s continuing domination. Still, I love Nam Sang-mi, who I think has a lot of charm despite some middling performances. I find her most winning in comedy fare, and have been wanting to see her try more of it following Bad Family. She was adorable there, and she carries over a lot of similar plucky humor here.
I don’t think Invincible Lee Pyeong-gang is going to be a great drama, but there’s something about it that caught my interest. It’s cute if you like goofy, over-the-top romantic comedies. It’s not the best of the genre, but its fusion-sageuk angle has viewers calling it fresh and fun, and it’s a light counter to the other Monday-Tuesday programming out there.
SONG OF THE DAY
Invincible Lee Pyeong-gang OST – “나란 남자” by MC Mong [ Download ]
