My first year-end review!

I was so excited for this opportunity that I decided to watch as many dramas as I could in preparation this year, and all but forced myself to doggedly stick with obvious train wrecks because I figured, “Hey, at least it’ll give me something to write about.”

If I learned anything, it was that I should never do that again. That’s a life lesson every drama viewer should learn early in their infancy, so I’ll just chalk it up to some late blooming on my part. Ergo, take some of these review choices with a grain of salt and (hopefully) not as a pure representation of taste.

This was the year for time traveling heroes, questionably nice guys, single-minded kings, guardian angels, reapers, rockers, brothers, heroes, and hanbok-wearing chickens. Not every year has a bandwagon, but 2012 sure did; there was more time traveling than you could shake a stick at. And for most of those offerings, you’d be shaking that stick pretty angrily.

Since hindsight is 20/20, I’m riding out this year’s trend by posing this question to each drama: If I could turn back time, what would I do differently?

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Read the rest of If I Could Turn Back Time [Year In Review, Part 4] (7,565 words)

© HeadsNo2 for Dramabeans, 2012. | Permalink | 154 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Arang and the Magistrate, Big, Dr. Jin, Equator Man, Fashion King, featured, Gaksital, History of the Salaryman, Love Rain, Nice Guy, Oohlala Spouses, Operation Proposal, Padam Padam, Queen In-hyun's Man, The King 2 Hearts, The Moon That Embraces the Sun, To the Beautiful You, year in review

We find out exactly how powerful one sincere apology can be as revenge and redemption come full circle in an ending that’s sure to tug on the heartstrings. Equator Man brought new depth and dimension to the idea of a tragic backstory, and functioned well as a human drama where choice is all that stands between us and a padded cell. I may not have been completely satisfied with all the choices made, but I felt for the first time in a long time the very pull that hooked me to this show in the first place.

And while we had some inevitable mishaps due to the live-shoot system (last episode’s broadcast troubles tacked on an extra ten minutes to the finale), I can’t heap enough praise on the cinematography of this show, which has been stellar from start to finish. This is a director who relies less on fancy editing or funky camera angles and actually focuses on how he fills the frame to tell a story – a trait I’ve admired since White Christmas. I’ll definitely be looking out for his future projects.

Equator Man lost the ratings race at the finish line, coming in right behind Rooftop Prince at 14.1%.

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Read the rest of Equator Man: Episode 20 (Final) (4,798 words)

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Post tags: Equator Man, featured, Im Jung-eun, Lee Bo-young, Lee Jun-hyuk, Uhm Tae-woong

The last of the secrets are out, and all that’s left is the fallout. Sun-woo is sharpening his claws for what promises to be an eventful finale as Jang-il comes face to face with what Sun-woo went through so long ago. If this show were a game, it’d be called Finding Human Decency, and no one would ever win.

Note: Since the finale has already aired, please remain spoiler-free in the comments section. We’ll get there soon enough.

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Read the rest of Equator Man: Episode 19 (3,536 words)

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Post tags: Equator Man, featured, Im Jung-eun, Lee Bo-young, Lee Jun-hyuk, Uhm Tae-woong

We’re reaching the end of the line, and desperation reigns supreme. The revenge pendulum comes swinging back in a bad way, affecting all those who have wronged Sun-woo in one way or another. This drama has done such a great job of painting its characters in detailed shades of grey, enough to make it hard to tell up from down, who to be sad for, and when. I love it when a show can do that.

Equator Man saw a slight drop in ratings this episode to 14.2% (from 15.1% last episode), but maintained first place among competitors Rooftop Prince at 13.5%, and The King 2 Hearts, which brought up the rear at 11.2%.

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Read the rest of Equator Man: Episode 18 (3,447 words)

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Post tags: Equator Man, featured, Im Jung-eun, Lee Bo-young, Lee Jun-hyuk, Uhm Tae-woong

This is one of the greatest episodes of television I’ve ever seen, hands down. Intensity has always been the name of the game in Equator Man, but this was blow-your-mind, commit-this-to-memory, I-want-my-mommy kind of intense. My heart was in my throat by the opening sequence, and it all but jumped out of my chest in the final minutes. Simply put, this episode was a masterpiece. A deeply disturbing, incredibly thrilling masterpiece.

As for ratings, Equator Man has kept its first place lead so far (no surprise there, we won’t be getting an upset this late in the game) and rose to 15.1% this episode from 14.6% last week.

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Read the rest of Equator Man: Episode 17 (3,511 words)

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Post tags: Equator Man, featured, Im Jung-eun, Lee Bo-young, Lee Jun-hyuk, Uhm Tae-woong

Gauntlets are officially thrown as pretenses fade in lieu of direct confrontations, making for a dizzyingly dramatic and intense experience. This episode was like a breath of fresh air for the series, taking us back to our roots with enough suspense to have your hands wringing for the whole hour. Where we go from here is anyone’s guess, and the fact that we have to guess at all is like drama heaven. Keep up the surprises, Equator Man.

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Read the rest of Equator Man: Episode 16 (3,729 words)

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Post tags: Equator Man, featured, Im Jung-eun, Lee Bo-young, Lee Jun-hyuk, Uhm Tae-woong

Things took a while to really rev up this episode, but boy did they. Sun-woo arrives at the turning point we all hoped he’d come to – will he trust the justice system to avenge his father and himself, or will he take matters into his own hands? This sort of reasoning only seems to work in dramaland, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited for him to start kicking some ass and taking some names. Go Sun-woo!

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Read the rest of Equator Man: Episode 15 (3,259 words)

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Post tags: Equator Man, featured, Im Jung-eun, Lee Bo-young, Lee Jun-hyuk, Uhm Tae-woong

Tension and thrills abound as we get a hefty serving of courtroom drama with a shocking side of depravity. As of now, Equator Man seems less like a revenge tale and more like a quest for justice, since that’s all Sun-woo is asking for. And by going through the legal system, he’s asking pretty nicely. What will our good-hearted, morally upright hero do if the system fails him?

Note: Equator Man won’t be getting an extension after all, and will end with its originally planned twenty episode run.

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Read the rest of Equator Man: Episode 14 (3,295 words)

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Post tags: Equator Man, featured, Im Jung-eun, Lee Bo-young, Lee Jun-hyuk, Uhm Tae-woong

Our favorite frenemies go head to head this episode – through legal channels at least, and not more blunt force trauma. (Not yet, anyway.) We get more than just a peek at the terror Jang-il copes with every day while Sun-woo stays the course, Soo-mi acts as a puppetmaster, and Ji-won finally confronts her past.

Equator Man took first in ratings again with 13.4%. Rooftop Prince followed behind at 11.5% and The King 2 Hearts brought up the rear at 10.5%.

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Read the rest of Equator Man: Episode 13 (3,702 words)

© HeadsNo2 for Dramabeans, 2012. | Permalink | 91 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Equator Man, featured, Im Jung-eun, Lee Bo-young, Lee Jun-hyuk, Uhm Tae-woong

Some things just don’t stay in the past when you want them to. It’s a harsh realization that smacks Jang-il in the face every episode, and one that the people around Sun-woo don’t seem to understand. Everyone learns exactly how much they’re chained to their pasts, no matter how hard they try to create a new life. But with a history as dark as the one our leads share, who’s surprised that no one can ever forgive and forget?

Ratings dropped to 13.6% this episode, but Equator Man still maintained top spot among fellow dramas The King 2 Hearts and Rooftop Prince.

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Read the rest of Equator Man: Episode 12 (3,733 words)

© HeadsNo2 for Dramabeans, 2012. | Permalink | 71 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Equator Man, featured, Im Jung-eun, Lee Bo-young, Lee Jun-hyuk, Uhm Tae-woong