Dear Show,

I really, really wanted to love this finale. So much. But sadly, you ended up being all foreplay, no finish. It was sweet, and fun while it lasted, but I’m not going to call you in the morning. I want to say “It’s not you, it’s me”…but I can’t. ‘Cause it was you. Sigh. We had a flawed beginning, to be sure, but the honeymoon stage was so good, that I overlooked the things you were lacking. Because love is blind. But in the end you couldn’t satisfy me, and you and I both know I have too much self-respect to fake it. So fare thee well, dear Show. And in case you’re going to try and beg for me to reconsider, I’ve written you this letter so you know the reasons why I’m breaking up with you…

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Read the rest of Personal Taste: Episode 16 (Final) (6,227 words)

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 212 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Kim Ji-suk, Lee Min-ho, Personal Taste, Ryu Seung-ryong, Sohn Ye-jin, Wang Ji-hye

As announced last month, Kim Ji-suk began his life in the army with his May 24 enlistment, just four days after wrapping up his last project, drama series Personal Taste.

He was sent off by members of the press and a small crowd of fans. Asked whether he plans to apply for the entertainers’ unit following basic training, he answered that he’s not thinking of it at this time. For now, he will train for five weeks and then serve 22 months in active duty. His discharge is planned for March 7, 2012.

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Read the rest of Kim Ji-suk heads off for military service (124 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 66 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: army duty, Kim Ji-suk

You know how there are a zillion and one romantic comedies out there, and some of the better offerings have started to get pretty creative with the meet-cute scenarios? The old standbys have gotten stale (for example, a pratfall lands one directly into the arms of the other, or a man and a woman crash into each other and pick up the other person’s cell phone, or they have a one-night stand only to realize one is the other’s new boss), but there are still ways writers have managed to wring more mileage out of the plot device. Like a guy hearing a girl sobbing in the bathroom after she is dumped… only to tell her to get out of the men’s room. Or the girl trips and falls on top of him… then vomits in his mouth. And so on.

Anyway, point being: I really wish writers would expend as much energy being as creative with the inevitable breakup scenes. Because this episode is pretty much one big pile of Predictable. The acting is good and the reasoning actually holds up in context of our story — it’s just that we don’t get a single twist or curveball here, which makes for an episode that is necessary but really just makes you want to get on to the next one, already. (Arg! Am pre-emptively jealous of girlfriday.)

SONG OF THE DAY

The Film – “I’m Sorry” [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Personal Taste: Episode 15 (4,716 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 88 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Kim Ji-suk, Lee Min-ho, Personal Taste, Sohn Ye-jin, Wang Ji-hye

This episode entitled “Taming My Woman”…Oh No You Di’n't, Show. I almost turned you off after the title sequence. But given that this is a topic of discussion and debate between the characters rather than a straight-up account of events, I won’t launch into a diatribe. Unless provoked.

All of our roads converge in this episode, and at the center of the crossroads stands our heroine. If she were the same Kae-in of Episode 1, I’d be scared she’s going to end up roadkill, but I’m certain the Kae-in we know now isn’t about to buckle, even if what she comes to bear is the weight of the world.

Initially I was skeptical of the lie-reveal-angst pacing of this drama, because it’s weighted much more heavily on the lie part of the trio, and because there is a redundancy factor when dragging on a lie for too long, especially a second lie at that. But so far it’s (mostly) had the result of being sufficiently tense, dramatically, while handily dispensing with the angst faster than you can say “Sang-go-jae,” which is a nice change of pace, even if I would trade a little of The Cute for some more angst. I think in the end the only thing worth beans in this kind of drama is the romantic chemistry, and I don’t know about you guys, but I could watch these two be in love for a hundred more episodes. (Wait. That wasn’t a nod of approval for an extension, MBC. It was just a hyperbole. Don’t you go adding on any episodes, Show! I will curse you and all your rom-com spawn!)

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Read the rest of Personal Taste: Episode 14 (3,516 words)

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 101 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Kim Ji-suk, Lee Min-ho, Personal Taste, Ryu Seung-ryong, Sohn Ye-jin, Wang Ji-hye

SO MANY cute couple scenes in this episode! We’re definitely in the calm before the storm, so again I’m gonna gloat to girlfriday about getting the floofy, candy-sweet episode. Then again, maybe she’s not so jealous since, other than the coupley goodness, the plot was a little slow. (But who cares when you have adoring Jin-ho, right?)

SONG OF THE DAY

Misty Blue – “Shoegazer” [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Personal Taste: Episode 13 (4,127 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 101 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Kim Ji-suk, Lee Min-ho, Personal Taste, Sohn Ye-jin, Wang Ji-hye

With most of the anticipated angst swiftly dealt out of the way in the last episode (SO green with envy this week, javabeans), we enter a new stage of development concerning “The Secret of Sang-go-jae.” A clever title, since the meaning is threefold: the secret of Sang-go-jae’s design, the family secret that the house contains, and Jin-ho’s secret of why he moved there in the first place.

While I’m riding this express train with both hands in the air screaming “wheeeeee,” I’m also a little vexed as to the dramatic weight being placed on Jin-ho’s Sang-go-jae betrayal. If he were my boyfriend (swoon), I’d be a tad more upset about The Gay. Wouldn’t you? They seem a little asymmetrical in dramatic proportions, but I suppose if this is the only way to see them as a couple while still hanging a secret and possible betrayal in the balance, I can groove with that. I do always love a series that introduces coupledom well before the final week. Especially when it leads to hijinks of the sexually frustrated kind, as pictured above (double swoon).

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Read the rest of Personal Taste: Episode 12 (4,658 words)

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 190 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Kim Ji-suk, Lee Min-ho, Personal Taste, Wang Ji-hye

With the drama really hitting its stride, I’m loath to think what might happen if the potential extension goes through. In any case, I hope they decide quickly so the writers have time to plan accordingly.

Wow, ratings jumped up for this episode. Personal Taste drew a 16.2% today, while Cinderella’s Sister had an 18.8% — I didn’t think we’d ever see the numbers so close. Prosecutor Princess rose a little to 9.9%.

SONG OF THE DAY

Vanila City – “Icarus’ Wings” [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Personal Taste: Episode 11 (4,473 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 185 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Kim Ji-suk, Lee Min-ho, Personal Taste, Sohn Ye-jin, Wang Ji-hye

It’s “Game Over” this week, as our four leads stake their claims and advance into battle. New alliances are formed, old enemies make backdoor deals, and the innocent are lambs to the slaughter. It’s gettin’ good, but it’s also reaching the height of what it can be while still maintaining the initial premise, so I think this episode will catapult us into some revelations and new directions…or so I hope.

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Read the rest of Personal Taste: Episode 10 (5,135 words)

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 195 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Kim Ji-suk, Lee Min-ho, Personal Taste, Sohn Ye-jin, Wang Ji-hye

The drama picks up some steam, gaining on the momentum of last week’s episodes. At this point, there are a lot of characters with partial information and who misunderstand the full truth, and nobody’s misperceptions are quite the same as anybody else’s. This could get confusing, but I think it’s to the actors’ credit that they get so into their characters that we aren’t lost about where they stand in this whole tangled mess of gay-not-gay-ness. Well, except In-hee; it’s easy to hate her. But it’s the fun kind of hate!

SONG OF THE DAY

Standing Egg – “La la la” [ Download ]

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Read the rest of Personal Taste: Episode 9 (4,372 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 103 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Kim Ji-suk, Lee Min-ho, Personal Taste, Sohn Ye-jin, Wang Ji-hye

What a difference a week makes. Everyone comes flying out of the closet, and the ensuing angst isn’t even the half of it. The comedy, the sincerity, the confluence of events—all hit a high this week as our characters discover that their hearts are doing things separate from their minds. In this episode, entitled “Kae-in’s Revenge,” exes pop out of the woodwork and fuel the story forward in unexpected ways, leading our couple closer together…and further apart.

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Read the rest of Personal Taste: Episode 8 (4,591 words)

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2010. | Permalink | 156 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Kim Ji-suk, Lee Min-ho, Personal Taste, Ryu Seung-ryong, Sohn Ye-jin, Wang Ji-hye