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My Country Calls ends quietly on KBS

KBS’s romantic comedy My Country Calls went out quietly on Tuesday with its finale episode, its 16th. The drama has performed under the radar in its Monday-Tuesday timeslot, having gone up against two heavy-hitters: MBC’s historical Dong Yi and SBS’s saga Giant.

Its ratings have been consistently in the 6% range, while its rivals have performed in the 20% and even 30% range (Dong Yi) or solid teens (Giant). The finale brought in a 7%.

As we know, ratings don’t mean everything, and despite the low numbers, My Country Calls generally drew favorable response for its laughs, its refreshing new tone, and the commitment of its actors (Lee Soo-kyung, Kim Sang-kyung, Ryu Jin, and Horan in her drama debut).

So why didn’t it catch on?

One review calls it the error of the “misaligned first button.” In the beginning the drama “lacked a theme or a genre,” developing its story around its characters, but leaving its vision ambiguous. At least to viewers. The moment the drama reportedly changed course (for the better) came when Ryu Jin entered the picture and set the plot going. However, because the show hadn’t been able to convey that off the bat, it missed a key opportunity.

Lee Soo-kyung also received good marks for a successful acting departure from her last role. She’s has been no stranger to bright characters in the past (Golden Age of Daughters-in-law, Soulmate), but her most well-known role was probably the one directly previous, Loving You a Thousand Times, in which she basically wept her eyes out.

As a name film actor, Kim Sang-kyung played an elite agent, as did co-star Horan, whose character was for the most part a cold elite agent. However, she had a memorable drunken scene in which she broke down and showed her weakness, which earned her some praise.

Furthermore, the competition was pretty strong and it wasn’t able to sneak in there to steal viewers away from two grand-scale projects. Even when the World Cup kept one of its competitors off the air, My Country Calls wasn’t able to crack the double-digit ceiling, indicating that it had missed its chance to alert viewers to its presence.

Taking its timeslot beginning next week is the fusion sageuk-thriller series Gumiho: Tale of the Fox Child.

Via Asia Economy, TV Report

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i'm still watching this and personally i really enjoy this drama. it's hilarious and all the actors do a good job. the only thing is i like the heroine with the second male lead better than with the main lead, and i always skip through the boring secret agent parts.

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Horan delivered a very good perfomance. I was quite surprise. :) Everyone else performed beyond what I had expected, too.
Outside of that, I think I haven't laughed so much watching a drama in quite a while. The drama's a parody of the spy genre, but it lives off the characters rather than the plot. :)

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I think the drama was extremely underrated. Perhaps it's just personal taste but I loved the show and found myself looking forward to it every week. It's sad to see it over.

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Agree with previous comments...lots of LOL. Well acted... probably not attracting the teenage crowd... but really enjoying this one...

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i would like to see this drama. I haven't watched it earlier cause i didn't wanted to look forward every week for two episodes, besides, I wanted to hear some critical responses.
Now it is on my definitely watch list )))))

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I am really looking for a comedy to watch. So I will try to watch this somehow.

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this drama is hilarious and very easy to watch. stupidly funny! a good break away from watching the recent angsty/ thriller type of dramas.

i agree that the drama wasn't able to hook viewers from the beginning (too bad for its ratings) but if u're looking for something funny and light-hearted, do give My Country Calls a chance! i did, and was charmed off my socks by the characters... Ryu Jin! *coughs*. =)

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I'm actually watching this show right now, I'm on episode 10. It is sooo funny!!! So sad that the ratings were so low, I love Lee Soo Kyung, and I now have a huge crush on Ryu Jin! I think I'm going on a Ryu Jin drama binge :D

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Yes, Ryu Jin sure leaves quite an impression here! His character is a funny quirky guy, who slowly steal the show...Too bad he didn`t end up with the lead girl

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I really like this show!!!!! It's funny and refreshing, I like the lead actors very much

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I got hooked on this drama.....it was so darn enjoyable! The only person who turned me off in the whole drama was Horan....better luck next time!

Rye Jin was exceptional and so talented! It was refreshing to see him in that role.

The only thing many people had hoped to see was a final kiss between HaNa and Go Jinhyuk! There were many sweet moments between them and at the end the hugging.....gotta love the way it all came together with them all being friends. AND HaNa's mom got her chicken franchise! LOL LOL.....

Seeing the end of MCC wasn't as much of a let down as when Oh My Lady came to its finale! But that's another story! hehehehehe.......

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After Dong Yi, this is my current favourite kdrama.

I love the lighthearted tone and I really think that Lee Soo-kyung can give Kim Sunah a run for the money as a great comedic actress. As for Kim Sang-kyung, it's just a relief to watch a real man do his thing, rather than another pretty boy smile for the camera.

I wasn't that bowled over by Horan, as she seems to have an awkward presence at times. As for Ryu Jin, I kept getting distracted by his weird hair cut.

If you need a laugh, check this drama out.

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wow i had no idea it didn't do to well in ratings. I actually LOVED it hahahah xD
this has to be my current favorite drama (along with dong yi)...it's a shame it didn'tget enough viewers cause i thought is was so funny and cute!!! especially that drunk scene you mentioned...the actress was greta in that scene :]

i've always had crushes on Ryu Jin and Kim Sang-kyung cause of their past dramas/movies but i lovethem even more after this drama xD I'm so sad it ended already though :( it was way better than what i expected ^^ <3

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Yes... Underated!! 'loved all four of the leads... Horan was great, Lee Soo Kyung--no
surprise--she can deliver be it crazy fool, victimized woman, comedic role, simply geat in anything (yes I'm a fan!) Ryu Jin always delivers too another underated actor and Kim Sang Kyung--the straight man love him too.. I enjoyed this drama-comedy. 'had lots of LOL moments... Too bad it 'went under the radar' hopefully it will do well on DVD... Thanks Dramabeans...

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Well i like this drama,currently it's airing on KBS World and i watch it in my country but i view it as well online and i like the lead girl and Ryu Jin....I wasn't a fan of him till now but i love his wird character,very funny and the interacts between him and Oh Hana are exelent,don't really like the lead guy...
To end it,for me this show was to descover Ryu Jin that i didn't like before jajjaj

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I agree with this article. I tried to watch the first 4 episodes and I just couldn't get into it. I couldn't figure out what was going on and I did not like any of the characters. Some drama like Who are You? and Prosecutor Princess get better about 4-5 episodes in, but I just couldn't find anything in this drama to make me invest my time.

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i love almost every second of this drama, it was so much fun to watch and for the first time in a looong time i really really wanted the main girl to end up with the second lead, too bad he was "evil". ^^

i TOTALLY recommend it to all who haven't seen it =)

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I must say this is a drama to watch if you're looking for a light comedy drama. RyuJin left such a great impression on me, despite his other roles before. The last episode was the best and it is one of the best endings ever (considering most dramas' endings are quite disappointing). It is sad that it never did break the double digits but it was a delight for those people who were watching it. ^^

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Yeah I'm one of the masses who didn't have this drama on my radar at all.

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I L-O-V-E this drama, it was really funny. Funny as in biting into my pillow and almost choking myself in the process, because I didn'd want to wake anybody up with my laughter. This coming from a person who is normally serious as hell, is pretty impressive for a drama.
For the people who are wondering which scene made me lol so much. It was from when Hana introduced team manager Go to Ryu Jin as her YOUNGER cousin (while she is actually atleast 7 years younger I think) up untill the big boss of NIA suddenly came by and had to act like team manager Go's stepgrandfather inlaw. The actors in this scene and their reactions and facial expressions made this scene epic. :p
So the gist of what I'm saying is If you want to have a really good laugh and watch something light, then this is it for you.

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wow...i didn't know it even started..... -___-

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Ryu Jin stole the show for me. I got more interested when he came on. He was super funny. I hadn't watched a drama where he wasn't so serious. I would love to see him play more roles like this! He made me laugh even until the very end. I'll miss this drama mostly for his character.

I do like seeing Lee Soo Kyung in these types of roles though. I like her better as a funny and happy girl more than a sad weak person~

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Screw the ratings! This drama was my absolute favorite drama this year so far!! =D

All the actors performed amazingly, and what I loved most about it was Lee Soo Kyung and Ryu Jin's chemistry! I could clearly see how Ryu Jin's arrogant character slowly changed after falling in love with Lee Soo Kyung's character, Oh Hana.

Overall, This was adorable, funny, loved all the sweet/suspenceful/funny situations Hana keeps getting herself into... I was totally stalking this drama on DramaCrazy whenever monday-tuesdays roll around!! SO GOOD

Still hoped javabeans would do some recaps on it heheh if she ever decides to pick up the drama... :)

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@4: I'm a teenager, but I definitely without a doubt, enjoyed everything about My Country Calls. I think the comedic touchs the actors and scriptwriter added to this drama was 'just right', so that most people who were willing to look into this drama would take a liking to it.. :)

I saw Ryu Jin in Loving You A Thousand Times, but he certainly gave his best facial expressions and acting in here, which is why I came to like his character more than the male lead.

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Actually, I enjoyed many parts of this drama. The acting was absolutely superb by Ryu Jin and the actors playing the three senior NIA guys. Also enjoyable and adorable performances came from Hyun Woo and Park Hyo Joon. But, I can understand how it may not have attracted viewers.

Actually, the problem wasn't the cast or their performances, it was the lack of character development and loosing focus of the main storyline. The core of the story needed to be their pursuit of Ryu Jin's character. Instead, there was too much emphasis on the past relationship between TM Go's and Horan's character.

It was a total bore to see the two of them dance circles around each other over their past issues, while trying to appear professional (which they were not). Even though this sub-plot of the drama was linked to the main storyline, frankly, this particular part of the drama was a mess, took up too much time and a total waste.

There were some very entertaining episodes in the middle of the drama. Unfortunately, the last two episodes were very lack-luster.

The silver lining for this drama is the scene-stealing performance by Ryu Jin. He really deserves a Best Actor award for his performance in the role of Han DoHoon.

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I think it's so sad that it was up against Dong Yi and Giant, because honestly I really like all three... which is rare for me, since I usually have a favorite and I'd be completely devoted to it until the end of its run. I guess it might be partly due to the fact that they're such different genres from each other.

I'm really enjoying My Country Calls though, I get the point about it lacking a theme in the beginning, but I'm watching it for the laughs (which there are a LOT of). I agree that they should've brought Ryu Jin in a bit earlier, because I also felt that the real drama didn't kick off til a few episodes in...

I'm absolutely loving the chemistry though, especially between Lee Soo-kyung and Ryu Jin. They have such drastically different roles from when they were both in Loving You a Thousand Times. I really wouldn't have pictured Ryu Jin in a comedic role, but I love it!! I love everything about this series!!!

Btw, I think this is the second time I've ranted about this show... I'm just so sad the ratings weren't better. I feel like people missed out :(

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Watched 9 episodes and I must say that this is really good!!! A lot better than I expected and I really enjoyed every single episode! Love the chemistry among the actors and actresses. And Ryu Jin's character is just so funny for his role! I'm surprised that not many people talked about it in forums though.

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It's gonna be tough for Gumiho. Giant is a true killer. The acting is top notch. Most of the time I tend to speed up the child years but all the child actors especially the one acting Young Kang Mo were simply outstanding.
As for Dong Yi, I can't say much... apart that Sageuks are usually pretty good... although from what I've seen it seems a bit slow and a lot too conventional for the moment.

But Giant. WOW. Great, really weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell done.

Good luck for Gumiho... With both Dong Yi and Giant in the middle of their run... It's gonna be difficult to find viewers...

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I love this drama for the fun. Lee Soo Kyung always lovely, and Ryu Jin as a big tall dummy is cute. The older sunbaes trio creates hilarious situations. I've waited for a kiss all along but I think iId never get it :( That's the only disappointment.

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I like it! I started watching this on a whim one night I had nothing else to do or watch and I'm glad I did. Sure, it might not have pulled 2 digit ratings, but that doesn't mean it wasn't entertaining.

Sarah, I do agree with you on Ryu Jin; when he had a more active role, the drama started getting real interesting. I'm quite sad tptb didn't realize the potential of the character and bring him in sooner. I honestly thought the triangle Jin-hyuk/Ha-na/Do-hoon was much, much, muuuch more interesting than the Eun-seo /Jin-hyuk/Ha-na/ one. But maybe that's because I didn't like Eun-seo much? It wasn't a bad debut for Horan, but her character left me indifferent whereas Do-hoon, despite his many flaws, had me interested from the very beginning (it got even more interesting when he started being interested in Ha-na imo).

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it isa very entertaining drama. Ryu Jin's character is so unique.. It brings out a lot of fun. It is too bad that the rating is not good... :(

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it's funny & light

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I love this drama, it was great from beginning to end! I already starting re watching certain episode for the laugh and the refreshing dialog.

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I agree that this drama is underrated
Maybe this drama different from others, but it worth to watch
Hope javabeans make recaps of this drama ^^

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I didn't have much interest in this drama at first. I thought it would be lame and boring. But it turned out to be fun, fast paced, (so far, I'm only up to episode 10) and even manages to surprise me at times and I have to laugh out loud.

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i love this drama! i only wish the licensing was off so i can finish it. too bad for the poor ratings, it's such a laugh out loud and underrated drama

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With the low ratings and high praise... Should this go into the cult status section?

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It's GREAT so far! I've watched 14 episodes and I must say the show was a refreshing surprise! There were so many instances that the show took cliches and turned them into comedy!! I highly recommend it so far!

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The first episode for the series was a major turn-off for me. I know I should give + points to this series for having an unconventional female heroine, but making her a police officer with that kind of bad rep made me turn off the tv. If this was underrated, I blame it on the seemingly lack of plot on the first ep and the really bad character design for the lead role on that same ep.

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I loved the drama. It actually was the only drama I've watched since cinderella's siter ended. And the show was even better when Ryu Jin entered the stage completely, it toataly stole the show. His character was, definetely and without any doubt the center of atention and source of comedy in this drama.

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i really enjoy watchng this drama....my fav character is played by ryu jin...the funniest part for me is when ryu jin visited hana family the first time...not the usual melodrama but it is fun watching it..

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I went into this drama without any expectation but I am SO plesantly surprised.

It is a fantastic fun ride. Despite its flaw on primarily the lack of a strong storyline, each episode brings in so many LOL moments that keep me looking forward to watching the next (more so than waiting for the next episode of Bad Guy). The comedic moments and superb acting by almost everyone make MCC a gem this year. The supporting cast really worth special praises, from the three NIC elders (oh, how I love them even the chief who's usually a baddie), to the two intelligence specialists (the cutie from Pasta and the preggy lady), and the opera-singing mafia boss and his sidekick (the kitchen hand from Pasta). They all add and make up some shortfall of the drama.

LSK shows great promise as a leading comedic lady. She really shines here. However, the scene stealer is without a doubt Ryu Jin. Who would have thought that he, once described by Dahee as an eternal piece of wood which I kind of agree, is the bright star in MCC. Whenever he's there, you can't move your eyes from him. Of course, the writing of this character has a lot to do with his charm. Hope he can get an award at the year end ceremonies.

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I liked this one a lot..perhaps even more than Coffee House.
Ha-na was so funny as she alternated between gangster and playing cute to get her way. Of course for a funny person to shine they need a straight guy and the narrow minded Jin-hyuk was just perfect..though how he got to be a super spy cop with no street contacts/know how really stretches the imagination..but what the hey its a lousy spy drama but one very funny comedy!
Frankly one wonders before Ha-na turned up how they managed to catch anything more than a cold..lol

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I'm still watching this drama and am really enjoying it. It's too bad that it didn't perform as well in the ratings. I can't wait to see what happens next. ^_^

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I've just watched 4 episodes and absolutely love the drama ... found myself laughing often while watching it. Lots of interesting characters in the drama.

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Okay, I'm a girl and I admit that I only started watching this drama because of Lee Soo Kyung. She's such a cutie.. how can anyone deny that? So, episode 5 airs next Monday on KBSWorld and I have to say I am absolutely loving it so far. Not sure if this is just bias, but Oh Hana just appeals so much to me. She's deceitful and manipulative [in that funny kind of way], yet adorable at the same time. This drama had me laughing and rolling around on the couch throughout the whole hour. I don't think I've ever talked THAT much to myself about a single show in a while. Hehe, I admit that I kind of went against my own morals by spoiling myself and watching some later episodes online... but it was just that good.. I absolutely HAD to find out what happened next. From what I've seen from those episodes, and what I tried to decipher from the Chinese subtitles I might add, the conversations between JinHyuk and Hana were just TOO CUTE. When DoHoon came into the picture, it was even better! Hahaha. And like what someone said earlier, I think the previously-mentioned triangle was much more intriguing then the Hana/JinHyuk/EunSeo one. There's something missing from EunSeo that doesn't catch my eye as much as the other characters... I just don't know what. But I must say that the "catfight" between her and Hana in one episode was really hilarious.

Seeing all these comments here really warms my heart. This drama is so underrated that I thought that practically no one would be loving it as much as I do. .. but it turns out, there are people out there! I just hope that others will be able to take their time to give this drama a chance. (:

By the way, would anyone like to discuss and/or spazz about this drama with me sometime? I think my friends are getting a bit irritated at me for posting so much statuses on Facebook and AIM regarding LSK's overwhelming cuteness.

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@hanjiyoon
CAN WE? i watched this entire drama within two days, (yes, i did go on a drama binge)...anyways! i loved LSK's role of Oh Hana!
The leads and Ryu Jin makes the whole triangle and even square along with Horan super entertaining. I love when they are constantly fighting for each other's attention!
It was such an enjoyable series!
TIME TO REWATCH!

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@hanjiyoon and @Jessica I'd love to join you in your spazzing about MCC... I loved that!!! Like you I had myself just almost screaming from laughter whenever LSK and RJ were on the screen.... even when the scenes were serious.... I've always been a fan of LSK and Ryu Jin.... Hope you decide to watch them in their other projects. Soulmate is modern and LSK shines, well she shines in all her roles so does Ryu Jin---I'm quite biased to both so just watch their previous dramas to find out how talented these two really are... I'm glad LSK wil be in Daemul this time as someone sexy... You know I was hoping that OHN and Do Hoon were gonna find some way to get together... But could not be, I hope Ryu Jin will have similar roles and continue to shine as a comedian... I loved that exercise scene in his cell in ep 16... I wouldn't mind having a cellmate like Do Hoon--he he he....

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absolutely love ryu jin's character.. i'm a fan now.. the drama is hilarious. i am quite disappointed that they couldn't get a fairer rating.

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@Jessica and @Mel
YES YES YES!!! I decided to check this post after like, three weeks of getting no response, and I have to say that I was surprised when two people actually decided to reply! Hahaha... oh. my. goodness. I would love to have you two as MCC spazzing partners! My gosh. I just finished an ep 1-12 marathon with my friends just a while ago (KBSWorld only aired up to ep 12 so far D:) ... and man... I'm so tired out. I have to agree with both of you. The whole love triangle/square is extremely intriguing to watch, especially all the scenes with Hana and Dohoon. Gosh those two are just too cute... separately and together. :P Ryu Jin has really grown on me ever since watching this. He's definitely an amazing actor. And of course my love for Lee Soo Kyung has increased due to watching this drama. I have seen her in Soulmate, and her character has such a hilarious personality! And like you said Mel, I am also looking forward to seeing her in Daemul. I was so excited to hear that she was going to be in another drama so quickly! Hehe. I'm really eager to see her play a 'sexy' role.

Oh. By the way, how are we all going to contact each other about this?

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