If I tried to explain this episode in a paragraph, I think I’d spill more tears, and frankly, I don’t know if I have any left. So here it is in a nutshell: It’s FUCKING PERFECT. Gah. Okay, fine, it’s maybe a hair shy of perfect, but damn if it isn’t the most satisfying ending I’ve seen in a long time. It solidifies the assumption that I started this drama with—that the best thing about this show would always be the writing, which elevates everything else, and brings all our characters full circle.

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Read the rest of 49 Days: Episode 20 (Final) (5,531 words)

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Post tags: 49 Days, Bae Soo-bin, featured, Jo Hyun-jae, Jung Il-woo, Lee Yo-won, Nam Gyuri, Seo Ji-hye

Oh man, I think I’m out of tears. 49 Days, you owe me tears! Like, a bucketload of them — I need to rehydrate. Drama, I’ll accept my payment in lattes, please.

How can a story with such sad elements be so satisfying? We start wrapping up our story threads, but the drama still manages to keep one step ahead of us, with new curveballs thrown into the mix just when you think everything’s all resolved.

SONG OF THE DAY

Urban Zakapa – “우리 처음 만난 날” (The Day We First Met) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of 49 Days: Episode 19 (3,986 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 333 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 49 Days, Bae Soo-bin, featured, Jo Hyun-jae, Jung Il-woo, Lee Yo-won, Nam Gyuri, Seo Ji-hye

HO. LY. CRAP! That would be the sound of my heart exploding. Basically, this is the episode where I die a thousand deaths, from the Swoon / Tears / Cute / Cry / Cute … aaaaaand back to Tears. There’s only one cure after this emotional rollercoaster of an episode: a hug from Kang in a Trenchcoat. It’s the latest model, and it sure is pretty.

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Read the rest of 49 Days: Episode 18 (4,405 words)

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Post tags: 49 Days, Bae Soo-bin, featured, Jo Hyun-jae, Jung Il-woo, Lee Yo-won, Nam Gyuri, Seo Ji-hye

Woo, the foursome has assembled! Not that they can all see each other, mind you, but it’s nice to have ‘em all inhabiting the same space, and aware (on some level) of each other’s presences. I’d wondered if Kang had found out about Ji-hyun’s condition too early to make for a satisfying resolution, but as it turns out, this “I totally love you but I can’t say I love you and I know you love me too even though you won’t acknowledge it” angst-conflict is kind of great.

SONG OF THE DAY

Monni – “기억의 시작” (The beginning of memory) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of 49 Days: Episode 17 (3,952 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 222 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 49 Days, Bae Soo-bin, featured, Jo Hyun-jae, Jung Il-woo, Lee Yo-won, Nam Gyuri, Seo Ji-hye

Ahhh, what a satisfying episode! It’s essentially an episode of payoffs, which is great when you have a drama so chock-full of secrets, plots, and multiple layers of truth and discovery. The worst dramas are the ones where there’s one big secret at the beginning, and the drama’s all about that same secret the whole way through. Here, things keep evolving, so we’re on the hook, just desperate for another crumb, to see how each new setup pays off. And they all just happen to come to a head in this one. (To girlfriday: Neener neener!)

SONG OF THE DAY

Thornapple – “플랑크톤” (Plankton) [ Download ]

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Read the rest of 49 Days: Episode 16 (4,201 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 244 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 49 Days, Bae Soo-bin, featured, Jo Hyun-jae, Jung Il-woo, Lee Yo-won, Nam Gyuri, Seo Ji-hye

Go, go, Drama, go! Things heat up all around, as loyalties get tested and jealousies flare up. And you know how I feel about jealousy and posturing and KANG-AH. Need I say more?

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Read the rest of 49 Days: Episode 15 (4,174 words)

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 224 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 49 Days, Bae Soo-bin, featured, Jo Hyun-jae, Jung Il-woo, Lee Yo-won, Nam Gyuri, Seo Ji-hye

You know what I love about this drama? It’s not subtle or new or anything, but damn if it isn’t addictively satisfying. It does something that few dramas do—it keeps changing the game, little by little each time, and it actually allows characters to figure things out before we’re left pulling our hair out in frustration. I think I’ve gotten SO used to k-drama characters being blind to the things that we notice, that I find I’m actually surprised when these characters proactively search for clues and deduce things on their own. I mean, nobody’s gunning for Sherlock Holmes territory, but there’s nothing like a little sleuthiness to brighten up my day!

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Read the rest of 49 Days: Episode 14 (3,562 words)

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Post tags: 49 Days, Bae Soo-bin, featured, Jo Hyun-jae, Jung Il-woo, Lee Yo-won, Nam Gyuri, Seo Ji-hye

Yay for more secrets getting revealed! I like when people find out stuff and are forced to deal with the fallout, rather than constantly trying to keep the same old secrets hidden all series long. Keep the revelations coming, please!

Also, this is a good episode for evolving our rules, and delving into Yi-kyung and the Scheduler’s past. And also for manipulative backstabbers to get served, a little bit. That’s always fun.

SONG OF THE DAY

Loptimist – “연어” [ Download ]

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Read the rest of 49 Days: Episode 13 (3,940 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 202 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 49 Days, Bae Soo-bin, featured, Jo Hyun-jae, Jung Il-woo, Lee Yo-won, Nam Gyuri, Seo Ji-hye

This episode RULES! Here are a few reasons why: Sweet Kang, Angry Kang, Hero Kang, Smart Kang, Jealous Kang, Fisticuffs Kang, Bratty Kang, Petty Kang, Cutie Pie Kang, Bad Excuses Kang, Playboy Kang… Did I leave any out? Oh yeah… Kang in a Suit. Need I say more?

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Read the rest of 49 Days: Episode 12 (3,857 words)

© girlfriday for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 357 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 49 Days, Bae Soo-bin, featured, Jo Hyun-jae, Jung Il-woo, Lee Yo-won, Nam Gyuri, Seo Ji-hye

My favorite thing about when people in dramas Find Out About Stuff is that this new information naturally causes people to adjust their behaviors accordingly — the discovery necessitates a recalibration of relationship dynamics. After ten episodes, we’ve gotten wise to the pattern of blustering-jealousy-bickering regarding Ji-hyun’s various relationships, so it’s a refreshing change to shake that up a little.

Also? It means a whole new side of Kang-ahhhhh. And the more sides I get to see of him, the happier I am. Rawr.

SONG OF THE DAY

Park Ji-yoon – “바래진 기억에” (In faded memories). The previous post alerted me to the fact that there was an album I didn’t know about from Park Ji-yoon, who’s the latest addition to the cast of Lie To Me. It’s too bad I didn’t know about it sooner, since it’s already my favorite — I like her recent, more mature songwriting style even more than the pop songs she was famous for earlier in her career. [ Download ]

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Read the rest of 49 Days: Episode 11 (3,835 words)

© javabeans for Dramabeans, 2011. | Permalink | 160 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: 49 Days, Bae Soo-bin, featured, Jo Hyun-jae, Jung Il-woo, Lee Yo-won, Nam Gyuri, Seo Ji-hye