Ah, another final episode, another drama wrapped.

Let’s be honest: Strongest Chil Woo isn’t a great show. It’s probably not even a good one. But it has been often entertaining and despite its recent darker turns, I was holding out hope that the finale would see a return to lighter, goofier times. In that, I’m pretty satisfied. The resolution we’re given is hopeful without being too cartoony, and as far as last episodes go, it did the job.

But let’s get on with the show…

SONG OF THE DAY

Strongest Chil Woo OST - “내가 달려갈께” (I’ll run) by Lazybone [ Download ]

STRONGEST CHIL WOO Episode 20 (Final) >>

Tags: episode recaps, Eric, fusion dramas, Gu Hye-sun, sageuk dramas, Strongest Chil Woo, Yoo Ah-in

Filed under: Drama Recaps by javabeans - 23 Comments →

If I had to rate the recent episodes, I’d say the previous several haven’t been very good — and that’s by Chil Woo standards, so we’re talking pretty low stuff. Not awful, just boring. But today’s picked up considerably, and even managed a shocker — which I guess is to be expected since we end tomorrow.

SONG OF THE DAY

Strongest Chil Woo OST - “언젠가” (Someday) by Hye Na [ Download ]

STRONGEST CHIL WOO Episode 19 >>

Tags: episode recaps, Eric, fusion dramas, Gu Hye-sun, sageuk dramas, Strongest Chil Woo

Filed under: Drama Recaps by javabeans - 7 Comments →

There’s something about this image I really like. The set may look artificial and the background may be too fakely blue, but it’s a nice, homey family scene that carries added meaning as a happy moment of calm before the storm.

As for the drama’s audience, the pre-empting of Gourmet’s Episode 18 today probably accounts for the jump in Chil Woo’s ratings. The numbers have held steady in the 10%-11% range (AGB numbers; TNS is typically about 1% lower) for much of its run, and jumped suddenly today to 14.5%.

Things wrap up for Chil Woo next week, so we start to feel the story setting itself up for its grand finale.

SONG OF THE DAY

Star Love Fish - “지워진 날들” (erased days) [ Download ]

STRONGEST CHIL WOO Episode 18 >>

Tags: episode recaps, Eric, fusion dramas, Gu Hye-sun, sageuk dramas, Strongest Chil Woo

Filed under: Drama Recaps by javabeans - 7 Comments →

They should create a spinoff with Orroz and Chul Seok, because these two are the only ones pulling their acting weight these days. Both are strong in today’s episode, in a way that transcends the cheese factor of the drama’s storytelling (the drama plot itself isn’t so cheesy these days, but it’s all in the execution). Although I’d accept some Kim Byul (Yeon Doo) thrown in for some comic relief, too.

Eric is actually not doing a BAD job, but in contrast, his performance isn’t able to break through that Barrier of Cheese. I’m not quite sure why, but when watching his more emotive moments, I keep getting the sense that it’s too bad since his acting might be effective in the hands of a competent director.

SONG OF THE DAY

Oriental Lucy - “Lorina Homestay” (Their song is listed as “Rorina Homestay” on various portal sites, but “Lorina Homestay” on their own.) [ Download ]

STRONGEST CHIL WOO Episode 17 >>

Tags: episode recaps, Eric, fusion dramas, Gu Hye-sun, sageuk dramas, Strongest Chil Woo

Filed under: Drama Recaps by javabeans - 3 Comments →

Summer is the season for chilly gothic and horror entertainment, so KBS takes the post-Women in the Sun time slot to launch its new horror series, Hometown of Legends, as its Wednesday-Thursday programming for the month of August.

Or, should I say, new OLD series. There was an earlier version that aired in the late ’90s, which had approximately 70 episodes. (I think there may have been another version in the 1980s, but I don’t know that for sure.) The stories spanned different topics (with some overlaps) but was based on the same conceit. A film of the same name — albeit translated into English as The Evil Twin — was also released in 2007 and featured Park Shin-hye and Jae Hee, the latter of whom also appears in this new series.

What sets this drama apart from others is in the episodic, anthology nature of the storytelling. Each episode is written and directed by a different team, and stars different actors in its installments. Think of it as fusion sageuk meets the Twilight Zone, or a collection of old ghost tales.

Hometown of Legends kicks off with the first episode today, “Nine-tailed Fox,” followed by others bearing titles like “Curse of the Sajin Sword” and “Demon’s Story.”

SONG OF THE DAY

Green Cheese - “Black Bird Dies” [ Download ]

A breakdown of HOMETOWN OF LEGENDS >>

Tags: Choi Su-jong, fusion dramas, Hometown of Legends, Jae Hee, Lee Jung, Park Min-young, Sa Kang

Filed under: Drama Casting & News by javabeans - 25 Comments →