Team Dramabeans: What we’re watching

by DB Staff

So, what are we all watching this week?

What kept you reaching for more (or agonizing when there was no more), and what made you want to throw your remote through the screen? Time to weigh in…

missvictrix

Currently weecapping: Forest & Hyena

I’ll Find You on a Beautiful Day: Can it be? Is this the winter drama I’ve been waiting for all winter? The best word I can find to describe this drama would be “quiet” — there’s quiet in each scene, in the constant rains and snows, and as we watch each character go through their day. I can see how this drama might not be for everyone, but I really enjoyed the opening week, with all its deliberate scenes, careful dialogue, and not a whole lotta plot (in a good way, not in a Forest way). After just two episodes, I love the little world we’ve got set up, from the rural town, to the bookstore, the adorable book club, and especially the Good Night Club. I’m finding the role of Hae-won really refreshing for Park Min-young after her recent string of silly rom-coms — but it’s Seo Kang-joon who’s the most comfortable here, which I didn’t expect, and am enjoying very much. After such a solid and sure-of-itself premiere week, I’m excited to see what comes next!

Romantic Doctor Teacher Kim 2: It’s over, and I couldn’t be more happy/sad. I feel used in the best sense, since my emotions have been dragged all over the place during this show once I decided to let go and give into the dramatics. The final week included an extra episode, as there was quite a bit to tie up, and while some of it was concluded really nicely (President Yeo, Dr. Park Min-guk), the comically rageful end for supreme baddie Chairman Do was not only rushed, but a little silly. But whatever! I really only care about the little world of Doldam, and the characters in there, so I’m super pleased. Maybe it was one o’clock in the morning speaking, but I didn’t not cry during several scenes of this drama’s conclusion. Eun-jae’s new confidence and surety in her path, Woo-jin’s new father figure and a place that’s home for him, their sudden/adorable affection, the sweet romance between Ah-reum and Eun-tak — basically, every character in this story. I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: I love that this story was about people that led with their hearts, and strived to make choices out of integrity, love, and respect.

quirkycase

Currently recapping: I’ll Find You on a Beautiful Day

Itaewon Class: Poor little Geun-soo. He’s such a sweet kid stuck in a horrible family. At least he’s got DanBam now. Although Yi-seo can be terrible, I’m glad she’s not becoming magically nicer because of love. Whether or not she’s actually a sociopath is up for debate, but I appreciate that the show hasn’t backed down on portraying her as someone displaying sociopathic behaviors. Her behavioral or ideological “changes” are only to suit her own needs (like winning Sae-ro-yi’s approval) rather than because she cares about ethicality or how her behavior impacts others. I don’t think she’s any less prejudiced now—she just chose to surface-level “accept” the people Sae-ro-yi cares about. On that topic, I’m glad the show is trying to tackle issues of identity and discrimination even if they’re not always hitting the mark. It might not be the most nuanced conversation, but you’ve got to start somewhere.

Never Twice: Yay for Poong-ki not being stupid. At least Bak-ha has the USB now, and it doesn’t look like she’s letting Hae-jun’s mom off the hook. Although Hae-jun’s mom suddenly growing a conscience felt out of place to me. And we seem to have yet another separation between Bak-ha and Hae-jun. What is this, the third time? Why is it always one step forward and two steps back for those two? Just be a family already! It’s what we’re all here for.

The Cursed: So-jin is an interesting character. She’s willing to kill pretty much anyone, no questions asked. She did admit to feeling guilty about it sometimes, although that doesn’t seem to stop her. I wonder why she trusts Jin-hee so much. Given how wary she is of people, there has to be more to it than just reading Jin-hee’s articles and finding her to be a “good person.” At this point, this has turned into a battle of the shamans. The Forest CEO’s shaman is super shady and way more interesting than the Forest CEO. I’m curious as to who she really is. Also, is it a requirement that shamans look crazed while performing rituals? I can’t imagine that the only way to engage with the spirits is to make bizarre faces and convulse.

Hi Bye, Mama!: What a strong premiere week! There’s a good balance of light-heartedness and grief. From the first episode, I was invested in this family. I’m really curious about the relationship between Kang-hwa and Min-jung. Neither of them seems happy, and I’m left wondering if the relationship has always felt this cold. It’s clear Kang-hwa isn’t over Yu-ri’s passing, so why did he even get remarried? It isn’t fair to Min-jung, but then again, we don’t know why she married him either. Maybe it’s more a marriage of convenience for both of them. I really need Kang-hwa to step up when it comes to his daughter, though. I get that it’s hard for him because she’s a direct reminder of Yu-ri’s death, but there’s no acceptable reason to avoid your own toddler. If Kang-hwa won’t get therapy for himself, he should at least try it for his daughter’s sake since it’s clear he’s not dealing.

selena

Hi Bye, Mama!: I dove into this show only knowing the basic premise: a mom watches over her family as a ghost. Knowing that the writer of Go Back Spouses is behind this show excites me, because it remains one of my favorite dramas – it made me cry as hard as it made me laugh. I’m looking forward to diving deeper into the interlaced physical and spiritual worlds, and am sure that all the ghostly hijinks will bring as much joy as it does tears. Yuri and Kang-hwa are already breaking my heart! I can’t wait for them to reunite so that he can heal, and am expecting tons of cute mom and daughter moments that Yuri has been deprived of for years.

 
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