Premiere Watch: Doctor Prisoner, Confession, Kill It

73 March 19, 2019March 25, 2019

Premiere Watch: Doctor Prisoner, Confession, Kill It

by stroopwafel

Intrigue and suspense is the name of the game and our newest dramas have those elements in spades.

Doctor Prisoner

Time slot: Wednesday & Thursday
Broadcaster: KBS
Genre: Prison, medical, crime
Episode count: 40 episodes

Reasons to watch: Namgoong Min stars as an antihero who unfairly loses his position as a hotshot doctor at a prestigious hospital following a medical scandal. Down but not out, Namgoong then pivots to take a position at a prison’s medical unit. It’s clear he’s not at the prison for altruistic reasons–he wants power–and we’ll have to watch to see how far he’s willing to go to get what he wants. Namgoong’s costar Kim Byung-chul (in his first lead role since his debut 18 years ago!) will play the chaebol in charge of the prison who finds his iron grip on the prison is starting to crack after Namgoong’s arrives on the scene. The main cast is rounded out by Kwon Nara and Choi Won-young.

Confession

Time slot: Saturday & Sunday
Broadcaster: tvN
Genre: Legal, suspense
Episode count: 16 episodes

Reasons to watch: Junho and Yoo Jae-myung star in this legal thriller about searching for truth when the court system’s principle of double jeopardy actually perverts the course of justice and shields those who have done wrong. Junho plays lawyer who chose his career path after he saw his father wrongly convicted of murder. Yoo Jae-myung is a former detective who joins forces with Junho as they seek justice for old wrongs. Nam Ki-ae has a supporting role as the office manager for Junho’s one-man law firm. Shin Hyun-bin will be playing a journalist-turned-staff member of Junho’s law firm in Confession.

Kill It

Time slot: Saturday & Sunday
Broadcaster: OCN
Genre: Action, thriller
Episode count: 12 episodes

Reasons to watch: Jang Ki-yong works two jobs in Kill It: his official job is veterinarian–he spends his days saving and healing animals. His off-the-books job? Elite hitman hired by shadowy figures all over the world. He’s the best killer money can buy, and while he can finish off any mission with ease, he can’t remember his own past. On the other side of the law is Nana, a talented and persistent detective who’s on the trail of what she believes is a serial murderer. (I wonder who that could be?) It’s personal for Nana as she believes her boyfriend died by the hand of the serial killer in question. Will these two end up as friends, foes, or lovers?

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1 Diana Hansen

March 19, 2019 at 6:41 PM

namgoong min namgoong min namgoong min junho junho junho jang ki yong jang ki yong jang ki yong!!! THAT's why i am so happy! please let's hit 3 for 3 and all be good (though i will probably watch all 3 anyway and hope for the best!

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seoul_searcher

March 19, 2019 at 7:49 PM

just realised that both junho and namgoong min are doing a drama at the same time again this year

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2 신류지

March 19, 2019 at 7:16 PM

Jang Ki Young's side profile = literal Cha Eun Woo

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Trinity 🍆

March 22, 2019 at 10:01 AM

I thought it was Lee Joon-Gi. Even knowing who it is I cannot stop seeing Lee Joon-Gi in his side-profile.

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3 bmore

March 19, 2019 at 7:19 PM

BUT! Will anyone sub Kill It or Confession? :(

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gadis

March 19, 2019 at 7:28 PM

I read somewhere that VIU is going to sub Kill It. I'm not sure about Confession, though.

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bong-soo

March 19, 2019 at 8:16 PM

My concern also. I have not seen any of these listed under “Coming Soon” on Viki.
KOCOWA is showing DOCTOR PRISONER as coming soon so perhaps that might also be on Viki.

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Linda Palapala

March 19, 2019 at 9:18 PM

Glad you mentioned this. I've been worried about Viki lately. They got down to 28 "coming soon" from over 50 and now even though they're back up to 33, it's all variety shows. I think Kocowa has one of these coming but it isn't showing up on Viki. I want to see Junho more than anything.

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bong-soo

March 20, 2019 at 6:14 AM

I have been live watching only one drama (HAECHI) while waiting for these three dramas. If they all become available subbed I will be suddenly busy.
I think we are still dealing with the fallout with the demise of DramaFever and that nothing has taken its place.
Some of the recent actions at Viki are a cause of concern for me. You mentioned the addition of these variety shows. Within the last couple of months Vicki added a bunch of previously aired JTBC dramas that presumably needed to be resubbed. I would like Viki to license new Korean Drama content. That is why I first subscribed in 2016.

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Islander north

March 20, 2019 at 11:33 AM

Agree; they just duplicate Kocowa (which still is having us go through acrobatics to get subs to show...over a month, come on!) Viki is definitely slacking...I can 't watch Kill It or Confession on either Viki or Kocowa and it's frustrating to pay for both and still miss out on major dramas.

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Linda Palapala

March 20, 2019 at 11:41 AM

Viki just added two more - that turn out to be movies that I'm not interested in. Something weird is definitely happening with Viki and Kocowa.
I could have watched Radiant two days ago on an illegal site but am waiting impatiently for Viki to sub it, days later.
China is going to have two new streaming services with English subtitles to watch either on YouTube or stream online so I'm wondering if Viki won't be picking up many of those dramas.
Since Viki is owned by Rakuten, a Japanese company, I'm expecting more j-dramas. Since Kocowa is the big 3 for SK we've already lost good cable dramas.

bong-soo

March 20, 2019 at 2:00 PM

K+ Asia will apparently be showing CONFESSION. It is on their header:
http://kplus-asia.com/

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Linda Palapala

March 20, 2019 at 2:05 PM

Thanks...
If you're interested, hotpot.tv is starting a streaming service for c-drama and taiwan drama with Eng subs. I just added the app but I guess they're still in experiment mode. I tried to watch my favorite c drama, The Legends with Xu Kai, because it's subbed! Yay! but right now I could only watch 5 minutes before it shut down. Grr...I just watched their engagement and wedding on YouTube (ep 41-42). Beautiful, but then that's what c-dramas are about, beauty and harmony.

bong-soo

March 20, 2019 at 2:29 PM

Thanks @linda-palapala for the hotpot.tv reference. I took a quick look and it has a DramaFever feel to it and it seems there is a connection. On line info indicates it is located in NYC as was DF. I am going to sign up and give it some support.
We could use the KDrama version!

PakalanaPikake

March 20, 2019 at 5:20 PM

@marcusnyc20 bong-soo, @linda-palapala,

Thanks for the pointers to kplus-asia for CONFESSION, and hotpot.tv for Chinese productions with English subtitles. I'm glad to find a site with MINGLAN and IMPERIAL DOCTRESS. ;-)

Trina

March 21, 2019 at 7:35 PM

How is The Legends so far. I am gonna wait as I have other dramas that I want to watch first.

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Linda Palapala

March 21, 2019 at 8:24 PM

I love The Legends! Can hardly wait to watch more from the beginning with Eng subs on Hotpot. There are a couple more I've been hoping for subs too - Candle in the Tomb the Weasel Grave with Ethan Ruan and Lost Love in Times with William Chan.

mugyuljoie is preciousss

March 19, 2019 at 9:51 PM

Did you request them? I did. I always hope that if enough people make the request they'll try to get them.

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Linda Palapala

March 19, 2019 at 11:10 PM

I request dramas more than once...
I was requesting several C-dramas but now realize China puts out so many C-dramas every single week it's just impossible.

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Linda Palapala

March 20, 2019 at 2:13 PM

There's a new streaming service for c-dramas and t-dramas called Hotpot.tv. Just started today so they're still in experiment mode, but they have so many cdramas subbed in English - yay!~

Table122000

March 20, 2019 at 6:04 PM

Thanks for the info about hotpot.tv
I checked it out and the good news is it looks like they got a lot of the Chinese, HK, and Taiwan dramas that used to be on Dramafever, complete with DF subs. (which they call Hotpot subs, but I check and it's the DF subs) So this is good news. Unfortunately, a lot of the content is from the youtube channels where the english subs quality is hit or miss. Or even actually missing, such as 10 Miles of Spring Wind Can't Compare to You. Fans subbed up to Ep. 2 at YT channel then dropped the project, so Hotpot TV is the same. Ditto with Summer's Desire- it's only fansubbed up to Ep. 2, ep 3-36 are not subbed. Not sure what Hotpot TV is planning regarding these dramas which are mostly unsubbed.

bong-soo

March 19, 2019 at 8:25 PM

OCN’s POSSESSED began on Mar. 6th and I think it is suffering the same fate that befell OCN’s CHILDREN OF A LESSER GOD which aired about a year ago. The subs were so poor that I only made it through 4 episodes. It was my first dropped drama. There is something to be said about that. “Dropped” is now part of my kdrama vocabulary.

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Linda Palapala

March 19, 2019 at 9:20 PM

It's a tad depressing lately. I think I've dropped almost everything except Radiant and I'm afraid to watch the last two episodes until next year when I'm emotionally unattached. I've dropped almost all new kdramas, cdramas etc. and end up re-watching old favorites. DB should have the category as "What Are You Dropping This Week" instead of What Are You Watching This Week.

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LT is Irresistibly Indifferent, Dame Judi

March 19, 2019 at 10:11 PM

I have dropped everything except Radiant and nothing excites me. Maybe Psychometric Guy? But only because that seems light and shallow and good for midweek.

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Linda Palapala

March 20, 2019 at 5:53 PM

@leetennant I made it 17 minutes into Radiant ep 11 before crying...

LT is Irresistibly Indifferent, Dame Judi

March 20, 2019 at 7:11 PM

@linda-palapala
I wasn't entirely satisfied with the final two episodes but it didn't stop me from crying. A lot.

Linda Palapala

March 20, 2019 at 7:16 PM

I've only watched half of 11 - Viki hasn't subbed it and I want to watch it on the large tv but crummy sound. Entirely satisfied? I'll be curious as to any disappointment, since I'm not counting on all the answers. I'm just most curious about why the similarities between her dr and Joon Ha. The only explanation I wouldn't think fit is if he really is from another dimension... there are a few things I think I can predict about that but since you've seen it and I haven't I won't give my speculations. I think I'll be satisfied regardless.

Linda Palapala

March 21, 2019 at 10:15 AM

@leetennant I just cried buckets too. Loved the end credits...
Very Korean pov, in that as a friend said: Korean stories are about surviving in a harsh society. Western (American) dramas are about a group of people saving the world.
I could say more...

LT is Irresistibly Indifferent, Dame Judi

March 21, 2019 at 10:48 AM

@linda-palapala

Hmm... was that friend me?

http://www.dramabeans.com/2018/10/choose-your-epilogue-the-epilogues-of-our-dreams/

Linda Palapala

March 21, 2019 at 10:53 AM

@leetennant: Actually, no, it wasn't you, but a friend who doesn't watch kdramas (no matter how hard I've tried to get her to) and will only watch something with a "happy" ending. But thanks for your link, I'll have to go read your article now. You and my friend are very smart...

Linda Palapala

March 21, 2019 at 11:08 AM

@leetennant - Just read your article and the comments. You have such a way with words - are you an author as well?
Re Chinese dramas: I'm getting a little bored with all the pretty. How can they be in a rain forest, in the mud, and still their clothes are spotless.
Wish you would do another article on the pros and cons of Chinese vs American vs Korean, but I'm not sure how many c-dramas you've seen, and my ability to convey thoughts in a coherent manner are nil. I do realize their "heroes" are honorable, honest to the end regardless of horrible circumstances they're put in, they overcome greed, are willing to sacrifice themselves for love or country.

LT is Irresistibly Indifferent, Dame Judi

March 21, 2019 at 11:19 AM

@linda-palapala
What a great compliment - thank you!

I don't feel I watch enough Chinese dramas to be able to say. I feel like Chinese dramas are heavily censored and use historicals to try to get around that censorship - that's why there are so many. It's just one of the reasons I find them frustrating.

It's an interesting idea though.

Linda Palapala

March 21, 2019 at 12:35 PM

@leetennant And from what I'm reading, China censorship is getting worse. Most of the fantasies are all so similar once you've watched one you've watched them all. There are only 3 or 4 that are different and quirky enough that they've become favorites of mine.
And I'm not too keen on how women are usually portrayed. Too many times they're seen as conniving, manipulative and will ruin a man's life - and those are the good ones, never mind the evil females who remind me of the evil queens on Power Rangers.

bong-soo

March 20, 2019 at 6:34 AM

I came close to watching RADIANT after seeing Son Ho-jun’s very funny trailers. COFFEE FRIENDS was my first exposure to SHJ and Nam Joo-hyuk. It was a wonderful show. I decided however to watch (as a catch-up) SHJ’s highly regarded GO BACK SPOUSES. That was a joy.
I am pleased for NJH for RADIANT’s success.

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neener ~ Inside the Magic Shop ~

March 20, 2019 at 6:48 AM

I watched Radiant after seeing NJH in Coffee Friends xD not knowing the plot and all

4 gadis

March 19, 2019 at 7:26 PM

Kill It is here!!
I can't wait for the 1st eps and hopefully it'll meet my expectation. Please be good.

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5 seoul_searcher

March 19, 2019 at 7:47 PM

i'm so excited for kill it! felt like forever waiting for it to premiere due to all the pre emption. The genre is right up my alley and the leads look promising, so optimistically excited for it.

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6 Ane

March 19, 2019 at 7:58 PM

Not sure yet how the drama will be, but I definitely know we're in for some great cinematography and performances for Confession!

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7 Jiyana

March 19, 2019 at 8:50 PM

Jang Ki-yong will surely Kill It!
So excited for his new drama! Hope it does well regards to plot and reception!

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8 Nam Joo-hyuk is Tall

March 20, 2019 at 12:21 AM

Secret identities and foes turned friends (or lovers) are my catnip. Also JKY. Kill It, I will!

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9 Moonbean

March 20, 2019 at 1:19 AM

None of these are my cup of tea. Oddly, the premiere I'm looking forward to this week is KBS's new weekender The Most Beautiful Daughter in the World.

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10 tesshan

March 20, 2019 at 2:53 AM

The Kill: from the bits and pieces that I was reading online she is an orphan while he cannot remember his past. I wonder if they are related or knew each other back then. Hope this is not a One Million Stars Falling From The Sky story. But thrilled to watch the premier!

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tesshan

March 20, 2019 at 2:53 AM

Kill It*

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11 mary

March 20, 2019 at 3:44 AM

Why would you hire Jang Ki-yong's pretty face just to kill people?

Rich people are weird...

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bong-soo

March 20, 2019 at 6:42 AM

Lol. I wouldn’t know!

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gadis

March 20, 2019 at 6:49 AM

😂😂 It sure is a waste to have that handsome face constantly being hidden behind a black face mask.

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oppafangirl

March 20, 2019 at 2:06 PM

I think they want to kill people while they are appreciating art and beauty! A very handsome face is far more shocking than even a gun!

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12 psycho 🍉

March 20, 2019 at 4:27 AM

I am excited to watch Doctor Prisoner if only for Kim Byung Chul and Kill It has an interesting premise.

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13 Violeta

March 20, 2019 at 5:56 AM

So happy to see Jang Ki Yong in such a charismatic character. I just hope the show won't be a flop and live up to expectations for it.

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14 neener ~ Inside the Magic Shop ~

March 20, 2019 at 6:08 AM

Excited for Kill It this weekend!

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15 Reut

March 20, 2019 at 7:04 AM

Still not sure about Kill It but I'm along for the entire ride with Confession

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16 loveblossom🌸

March 20, 2019 at 7:20 AM

Excited to check out Kill It. I haven’t seen the two leads in anything, but the sleek teasers/photos and the fact that it’s an OCN thriller has caught my attention.

It just needs to be subbed though. OCN’s other show Possessed is lacking subs. =(

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17 myra

March 20, 2019 at 9:28 AM

There is one more drama airing this week: Mother of mine from KBS!
And I want to know if Possessed is airing on wed-thursdays slot or at the weekend, because on the currently airing list here it appears twice, on both slots.

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larus

March 20, 2019 at 1:41 PM

I am waiting for Mother of Mine! I will watch a family drama just for Kim So Yeon but I like all the cast. Fighting!

From what I know, "Possessed" in airing on Wednesday- Thursday time slot.

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18 korfan

March 20, 2019 at 11:34 AM

*looking at schedule to see if things can be moved around because there's some cool new stuff to watch!*

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19 💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜

March 20, 2019 at 2:04 PM

Well I'm going to Korea in like a week so idk how much time I'm gonna have for any of these till I get back...

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oppafangirl

March 20, 2019 at 2:08 PM

Enjoy your trip sunbaenim!!

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another woodalchi nicole recruit

March 21, 2019 at 1:47 PM

have fun!!

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20 PakalanaPikake

March 20, 2019 at 4:39 PM

Just caught the premiere episode of DOCTOR PRISONER sans subtitles, and it looks pretty good. Was tickled to spot two of the REBEL cast so far: Young Master Park Soo-hak and Yeonsangun's eunuch aka Shorty the Mat Salesman. I vaguely recognized but couldn't place Park Eun-seok without his yangban finery and shrewish mom. LOL! Park Soo-young, late of COME HERE AND HUG ME, plays a prison guard. Lee Joon-hyuk, charter member of Amogae's Noisy Hongs, is also listed in AsianWiki's dramatis personae, but hasn't appeared onscreen yet.

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bong-soo

March 20, 2019 at 7:31 PM

@pakalanapikake,
I am glad DP is getting an initial OK from you.

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PakalanaPikake

March 21, 2019 at 7:49 AM

@marcusnyc20 bong-soo,
After watching DOCTOR PRISONER with subtitles, it's even better. But I am really wondering what the heck is going on with the prison's medical director. He seriously creeps me out.

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bong-soo

March 21, 2019 at 9:41 AM

Great to hear @pakalanapikake. I will be watching tonight. I am sure NM is putting that deep voice of his to good use.
Btw. Kocowa has a sweet promo piece with NM and Nara and they look very comfortable together.

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21 Ally

March 20, 2019 at 4:55 PM

Kill It: If looks could kill....

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22 bong-soo

March 20, 2019 at 7:24 PM

O/T but coming in April. Kim Kyung-nam who played JKY’s violent older brother Yoon Hyun-moo In CAHM and was one of the bright spots as ernest Security Officer Oh Dae-ki In FOX BRIDE STAR looks like he will be playing another good guy assisting Kim Dong-wook in SPECIAL LABOR INSPECTOR JO.
All of a sudden my viewing schedule is going to get very busy.

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PakalanaPikake

March 21, 2019 at 8:23 AM

@marcusnyc20 bong-soo,
I know what you mean about a raft of new shows. (Thanks for the news about COME HERE AND HUG ME's Hyun-moo.) This single Premiere Watch is 3 for 3 (for me), and I'm wondering how I'll manage to keep my eye on the ball with HAECHI.

O/T: Thank goodness I caught up with HAECHI last week (although I'm back to rewatching before commenting). I suddenly caved in and dove headlong into NIRVANA IN FIRE, which is every bit as wonderful as I've heard. I'm glad I read the novel first (i.e., all 106 existing translated chapters out of the 174 total that are still in process), although others may have no need to do so. The plotting, pacing, and character development are exquisite. Production values are cinematic (especially for the sets, battle scenes, and pomp and circumstance at court), and the acting is top-notch. I thank Lin Shu for playing such a long game that Writer-nim (who also adapted the script) had to do so as well. 54 episodes of 45 minutes' duration (including intro and outro with wonderful, moving music and lyrics) flew by. Highly recommended. Hope to discuss further in Open Thread. -- To relate NIF to Kdrama, it gave me a good sense of the origins of Korean court customs and etiquette, not to mention royal regalia. Plus it sets a high benchmark for scriptwriting, plotting, and execution. (Alas, CROWNED CLOWN suffers in comparison, but HAECHI holds up well so far.)

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bong-soo

March 21, 2019 at 9:51 AM

@pakalanapikake,
I am waiting for your HAECHI comments. I think it is a terrific series. It looks like it has its solid, core viewers with ratings in the 6-7 percent range. It may stay that way. There wasn’t much of a bump after TCC finished.
I think I found it before but can you remind me where you were able to read the NIF chapters?

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PakalanaPikake

March 21, 2019 at 10:28 AM

@marcusnyc20 bong-soo,
Here's the direct link to the chapters:
https://langyascribe.wordpress.com/chapter-index/
LANG YA BANG is the Chinese title. My two cents' worth is in the comments for ep. 106. ;-)

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PakalanaPikake

March 21, 2019 at 10:48 AM

Aw, shucks, @marcusnyc20 bong-soo. I got half-way thru rewatching HAECHI ep. 13/14 in the wee hours this AM before I turned into a pumpkin. Off to give it another stab after watching ep. 3/4 of DOCTOR PRISONER for an much-needed infusion of Namgoong Min. This is shaping up to be a very dark show, with a passel of chaebol baddies from other dramas (special mentions to MAD DOG and GOBLIN), along with a priestess from JUMONG who morphed into a managing law partner in SUITS. I've seen this prison in so many recent dramas that I feel as if I've served a stint in it myself.

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23 suk

March 20, 2019 at 11:01 PM

I haven't seen enough love for Confession! I'm SO looking forward to watching Junho again. He's always absolutely delightful!

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PakalanaPikake

March 21, 2019 at 10:58 AM

@sukstan suk,
Please allow me to rectify that. ;-) Manseh for Junho and CONFESSION! Hwaiting! I've been looking forward to his next production, and hope it's a galloping success. While I liked his performance in GREASY MELO, the story itself was indigestible and all over the place, and ended up as less than the sum of its parts. Buster, Kitty, and Jang Hyuk got the short end of the stick. I loved the "Shin Saimdang Room" papered in 50,000-won notes. ;-)