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Frankly Speaking: Episodes 1-2

by DaebakGrits

When a news anchor loses his ability to censor his innermost thoughts and opinions, his already rocky career takes a nosedive. On the plus side, his unfiltered comments put the comedy in this rom-com, while the romance between our news anchor and variety show writer begins with an awkward — and smelly — meet-hoot.

 
EPISODES 1-2

Frankly Speaking: Episodes 1-2

This isn’t the first time dramaland has introduced us to an aspiring news anchor with an involuntary habit of revealing the truth, but unlike his Pinocchio counterpart, SONG KI-BAEK (Go Kyung-pyo) hasn’t always lacked a functioning frontal lobe. No, when we first meet Ki-baek, he’s so good at suppressing his inner thoughts and maintaining his facade of perfect professionalism that he suffers from stress-induced IBS, and he nearly has a blowout when he becomes trapped in an elevator with variety show writer OHN WOO-JOO (Kang Hanna).

Unfortunately, through no fault of his own, his reputation takes a dive when his co-anchor’s husband crashes their news broadcast to expose her affair with a celebrity on live television. Although Ki-baek is an innocent bystander who gets caught in the middle of all the on-air drama — and takes the brunt of the husband’s misplaced ire — he doesn’t sit back and enjoy the spilled tea like the rest of us. Instead, he attempts to salvage the broadcast and keep on reporting the news, which results in some hilarious memes that make him not only an internet joke but a less desirable candidate for the coveted news anchor spot. You’d think his extreme professionalism would have earned him some brownie points, but not in this dramaverse.

Frankly Speaking: Episodes 1-2

Meanwhile, Woo-joo is also experiencing some unwanted side effects from the same scandal. It turns out the celebrity with whom Ki-baek’s co-anchor was having an affair was slated to be a guest star on Woo-joo’s variety show, Men on the Run. She needs a replacement ASAP, and given Ki-baek’s recent fall from grace and his flatulence-filled elevator encounter with Woo-joo, she suspects he’s the perfect schmuck to fill the recently vacated spot on her show. Her instincts are screaming that Ki-baek is not as flawless as he appears, and exposing his inner awkwardness will make for excellent variety show fodder.

Ki-baek, however, is reluctant to accept her invitation because, well, once you star on a variety show, there’s apparently no way to recover your career — or dignity. Problem is, though, Ki-baek doesn’t have much say in the matter because, off camera, news anchors are just like any other low-level employee who must succumb to the whims of their superiors. In Ki-baek’s case, that superior is MANAGER KIM SANG-JIN (Jo Han-chul), whose hypocritical and flighty personality has a way of making Ki-baek (internally) miserable. And so, as much as Ki-baek tries to passively discourage Woo-joo’s interest with fictional injuries, Manager Kim accepts Woo-joo’s invitation on Ki-baek’s behalf.

You know how K-dramas are full of male leads who are just naturally perfect at everything? Well, Ki-baek isn’t one of them. Instead, his talents are 100% the result of his hard work. Normally this would be a commendable trait, but there’s a sense of sadness associated with Ki-baek’s manufactured perfection because, instead of striving to better himself in the areas that interest him, he’s actively working to hide his real self in order to become an impossible ideal.

And it’s his desperation to appear a certain way is what drives him to obsessively study and strategize about dodgeball, of all things, in preparation for his appearance on Men on the Run. What he should have been researching, though, is variety shows — namely, how to be charming for the camera, showcase the sponsor’s PPL, and play nice with the high maintenance K-pop idol — or… not.

The K-pop idol in question is Ki-baek’s co-star and opponent in the Men on the Run dodgeball game, and he’s an absolute ass. So much so that even calm and collected Ki-baek can’t resist targeting the idol with multiple dodgeballs to the face. Of course, this behavior is totally not kosher with Woo-joo and her prescribed variety show formula, and so she takes Ki-baek aside to educate him on all things reality television.

Frankly Speaking: Episodes 1-2

While Variety Shows 101 is in session, Ki-baek accidentally falls into the building’s electrical breaker and gets a major shock that really scrambles his noggin’ and removes his filter. You know, the filter that prevents him from saying what’s really on his mind. So when he and Woo-joo return to the filming location — which has been moved outside since Ki-baek’s accident knocked out the recreation center’s power — Ki-baek can’t keep his mouth shut when he sees the K-pop idol abusing staff.

Ki-baek gives the asshole idol a very satisfying dressing down, but he experiences not only instant regret but long-term repercussions when images of his verbal — and almost physical — assault hit the internet. Any hopes Ki-baek may have had of advancing his career are shot, and with every new truth bomb he drops at work, he sinks deeper into professional obscurity. Eventually, he hits a point where the only work Manager Kim is willing to give him is hosting the network’s Branding Awards Ceremony, which is essentially an awards show where the network hands out participation trophies.

Even though this seems like the kind of gig that signals he’s being put out to pasture, Ki-baek believes Manager Kim when he says it’s an opportunity to redeem himself and impress the network. Until then, though, Ki-baek takes an involuntary vacation and uses his staycation to try and re-write his brain. And when the day of the awards show arrives, it appears he’s back to normal. Phew!

Woo-joo is also in attendance at the awards show because she’s scouting new talent for her next concept-to-be-determined variety show. Yeah, after Ki-baek’s unaired cameo on her show, the asshole idol refused to appear on Men on the Run, which was then subsequently canceled. So now she’s scrambling to think of a new original idea and find a talented individual to be her forthcoming show’s host.

KIM JUNG-HEON (Joo Jong-hyuk), the variety show star beloved by every ajumma in and outside Seoul, is extremely interested in Woo-joo’s next project, and when he runs into her at the awards show, he expresses his desire to work with her. Yeah, Woo-joo isn’t interested because these two have a romantic history, and given how frigid the cold shoulder she’s giving him is, it’s safe to say their relationship didn’t end amicably.

Surprisingly, Jung-heon also recognizes Ki-baek, who is politely aloof with his greetings now that his brain is functioning normally again. Ki-baek may be back to his ol’ lying ways, but there’s no mistaking his body language, which clearly indicates he’s not on the best of terms with Jung-heon either. Interesting…

Ki-baek is back in good form at the start of the awards show, but then a makeup artist comes over to pat away the shine on his forehead, the powder makes Ki-baek sneeze, and — Whoop! — his brain’s check engine light comes on again. Needless to say, his off-script commentary is delightfully more interesting — but only to us, the drama’s viewers. One award recipient in particular didn’t take too kindly to having his past drug scandal brought up again, and the awards show abruptly ends when the actor slaps Ki-baek unconscious.

What follows is a dream sequence so trippy you’d think Ki-baek was the one abusing illicit substances — after first watching Everything Everywhere All At Once and the 90s cartoon Street Sharks. When he returns to reality, we see that his life has gone from bad to oh-so-much worse, and so it’s no surprise that he accepts the invitation to join his bestie, YOON JI-HOO (Go Kyu-pil), on a you-don’t-have-to-talk-about-what’s-bothering-you-unless-you-want-to fishing trip.

At the same time, Woo-joo is scouting out locations for her next variety show, and she just so happens to be in the same coastal town as Ki-baek. So, of course, when Ki-baek climbs on top of a rocky ledge to scream out his frustrations to Poseidon and whatever sea cucumbers may be listening nearby, she mistakenly assumes he’s a man preparing to jump off a ledge and put a permanent end to his recent streak of embarrassments. That isn’t the case, of course, so when she climbs up on the rocky precipice in her misguided attempt to save him, she spooks him and causes him to accidentally fall into the ocean. And it wouldn’t be a K-drama if she didn’t fall in with him.

Frankly Speaking: Episodes 1-2

Frankly Speaking is off to a quirky start, but my personal jury is still deliberating on whether or not I’m on board for this particular brand of humor, which was hit or miss over the course of these two episodes. I like the occasional use of cut scenes and CGI to give personality to our characters’ physical surroundings, like the moving mosaic in the jjimjilbang, but Ki-baek’s bath with the talking shark was downright odd.

However, that same (dream?) sequence — along with Ki-baek’s brief visit to stay with his family — did give us some insight to Ki-baek’s perceived relationship with his parents and brothers. Ki-baek’s coworkers assumed he came from a silver spoon family, but the reality is that his parents are poor and his brothers don’t contribute much financially to the household either. It’s Ki-baek who puts most of his money towards supporting his family, which has made him feel used and resentful. And honestly, based on the little we’ve seen of his family, he seems a bit justified in feeling that way, as money was on both his brother and mother’s minds when he elected to stay with them after his scandal with the asshole idol. Then again, Ki-baek definitely has a chip on his shoulder about his humble origins, so it’s entirely possible that he’s also hurt his family while trying to maintain his public facade.

The first couple of episodes have laid some decent groundwork for Ki-baek’s character, but I don’t feel as though we know much about Woo-joo. Well, beyond the fact that the nature of her work makes her aggressively subservient. High energy and determined to make her show a success, she bites her tongue when she needs to appease those with power and influence. Unfortunately, this means she doesn’t stand up for her equally quirky and amusing rookie writers and crew members when they are being unfairly abused by the “talent,” but we do later discover that she regrets not standing up for them when she should have. And when she drunkenly confessed to Ki-baek that she admired him when he told off the asshole idol, I felt like that was the first time we saw a little depth to her manic pixie working girl persona.

I’m definitely going to need a few more episodes of this drama to figure out these characters and form a solid opinion of our story. At this point, it feels like it could either jump the shark as early as next week or become an unexpected hit, like Flex x Cop. Either way, though, I think the one positive thing we can count on is us living vicariously through Ki-baek’s unfiltered opinion on everything and everyone.

 
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Tags: Frankly Speaking, Go Kyung-pyo, Joo Jong-hyuk, Kang Hanna

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I liked the first two episodes! The humor worked for me. There were some ROFL moments in these two episodes. Except the toilet humor.
GKP’s body language and facial expressions are hilarious. And Kang Hanna brings her own charms.
Second episode gave a good understanding to his character. It almost feels like everyone around him is nice to him only because of his money and/or fake personality. Woo Joo is the only one with whom he had a little bit of honest conversation.
I can’t wait for these two to work together. Both lead characters are likeable which is a big plus.

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Toilet "humour" in kdramas are the bane of my existence T-T but most of the comedy hit for me. The shark tilting its head quizzically killed me.

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And you can sense it a mile away which makes you anticipate, not in a Good way. A random supplement given by a co-host? you know it right away.

lol. That shark eye blink! And also, the sound effects are hilarious.

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Yes, the last time toilet humour worked on me was in the 90s. So, if I could go back to my much younger self, I'm pretty sure I might find it hilarious. But otherwise, I just tend to feel second-hand embarrassment on behalf on everyone involved in the creation of the scene—from the person who wrote it thinking it was a masterpiece to the actors who have to bring it to life— and impatiently wait for the next non-toilet-related scene.

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I minded neither the Trot nor "the trots." In fact, they're both going to keep me coming back for more next week.

Does that make me an ajumma or a pre-teen?

Why not both, my friends? Why not both, indeed. We all contain multitudes.

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aju-teen? pre-umma?

Bring all your personalities to the party!

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It’s interesting to consider that toilet humour might not have the second hand embarrassment associated with it in SK as it does in the west. The prevalence of it in KDs isn’t credible empirical evidence but it might anecdotally be indicative of a higher threshold of tolerance for unfortunate bodily malfunctions. I once read this article - I wish I had saved it but alas - about a famous SK baseball player in the US who had had a bad match and in a doorstop interview, he asked the reason and he was blunt: “I’ve had diarrhoea”. The writer mentioned how all the American reporters started laughing in second hand embarrassment and this SK’n player seemed quite befuddled to why this was happening.

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I had never considered it that way. Eye-opening comment, thank you very much!

It's interestingly indeed that there is a lot more blunt honesty about "unfortunate bodily malfunctions" as you put it—not necessarily in a comical way. So, perhaps, indeed, that'll be why they also find it funny (while someone like me has be conditioned to blame her body for literally existing...)

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These sorts of experiences have happened to us all, for better or for worse...since everyone eats, everyone poops!!! And so when toilet/potty humor is done well--not all jokes are funny no matter their context!!!--I find it connecting rather than embarrassing. I mean I don't have many experiences I can feel quite sure are the same in the US and South Korea, but bowel malfunction is one of them!!

As for this particular instantiation of such joking around, I feel it was done quite well here, setting up both of our characters nicely in terms of their life attitudes as well as their relationship, frankly speaking (ho-ho), to the theme of the show--Do you tell it like it is?

On the other hand, what I find almost intolerable, humor-wise--and this bodes ill for me and this show--is the depiction of the type of embarrassment our ML faced at the podium of the awards show. I had to skip it and just "imagine" what he had said. Ugh. Could...not...do...it. That's professional embarrassment about what he "should be able to do," not biological embarrassment over things he doesn't always have direct control over.

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@dncingemma I am not conversant with day to day real life attitudes of S. Koreans, but the humor of all these scenes--mostly digestive, but sometimes menses related, is all based on embarrassment. The humor in this scene, if one finds it funny, came both from the struggles of the anchor to hold it in, but also from the frankness of the "wet fart" line. That doesn't suggest to me a higher threshold of tolerance for bodily functions, but rather suggests its funny because its not something you'd normally say to strangers--also, it shows that the FL speaks frankly normally. The baseball anecdote sounds like a translation issue to me.

In any case, as @attiton points out with the stage embarrassment, both poop humor and public humiliation humor is based on discomfort with the circumstances (and I'm not just talking physical here) and that doesn't seem to me to represent a general tolerance. As you know I'm always a little annoyed about young well built kdrama male characters squealing like a toddler in embarrassment when they are caught shirtless, again, showing a profound discomfort with physicality.

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I can't speak for Korean culture, but my Japanese friend tells me that in her country, there's none of the squeamishness and embarrassment about bodily functions that one finds in other cultures. (It's not surprising that the children's book Everyone Poops comes from Japan.)

Attitudes about nudity also vary among cultures. In many countries it's considered normal in places like public baths or saunas. In the USA, however, a lot of people would be repelled or deeply disturbed by the thought of a mother and her adult daughter or a father and his adult son scrubbing each other in the bath. And a lot of people would be extremely uncomfortable having people—even of the same sex—seeing them naked.

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Oops! I neglected to insert the end italics code. No emphasis intended after the name of the book.

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Using the bathroom/bodily functions are WAY normalized in SK than here in the states. I remember during Noonas over Flowers (a variety show), there was a whole thing about the eldest member not being about to digest the food/poop after having the food of the countries they were in. When she finally did, everyone was like congratulations.

Similarly during Running Man, again they were in another country, the cast kept mentioning how they had to poop, had upset stomachs, and one of the guys kept farting (silently but deadly ones) while walking in front of the others (to distance himself from people knowing it was him) until he was called out.

There's many other examples of entertainers during variety shows speaking bluntly about bodily functions.

It's interesting how we're squemish about toilet stuff here while they're not over there yet we're so open about things (sex, feelings, etc) that they're not over there.

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I usually hate toilet humor, but I thought that scene was actually kinda funny. However, only if it remains a one-off and they don't keep going back to toilet humor

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If I had a nickel for every time that "Next Level" by Aespa started playing in a 2024 kdrama out of nowhere, I'd have $0.02. which isn't a lot, but it's funny that happened twice so far.

I don't have much to say except 1) I love this drama, it's genuinely engaging and hilarious. Shoutout to "he is the true drug king of our time" line 💀💀

2) all the Kang Hanna heads are rejoicing cause she's finally not playing a cold/evil SFL, a vengeful seductress, etc. etc. but got to be a romcom FL for once :)

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I was like "I KNOW THIS SONG" which almost never happens

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The awards show were wild! 😂
I thought his condition wasn't "that bad" until that point. I really felt bad for him..

If Ha Na is trying to prove that she can be adorable too, she's doing a great job at it.

PS. What happened to the "My Lovely Boxer" promotion? I was almost convinced to watch it. 🥺

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Scatological humour doesn’t facilitate a “meet cute”. Honestly.
One of my close friends got her future husband to sign a contract that he would not fart in her vicinity (2m radius) for the first 2 years of living together. I laughed so hard when I read the contract that I fell off my chair. He did sign and abide by it!

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Perhaps not "cute," but as @daebakgrits so eloquently points out, it can facilitate a "meet-hoot!" Or, perhaps, a "meet-toot?"

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Omg. A meet-toot! Funny and horrifying!

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I'm kicking myself for not thinking of "meet-toot!"

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I've read where some people consider that a relationship has moved to a new level of trust and intimacy when the couple are comfortable farting in front of each other.

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Haha! I think my friend was jusr trying to put in some preventative measures that would be habit forming!

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I should've made my best friend sign one of those the second I met her.

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Hi T! I hope you’re having a GW.
And, haha. Maybe still not too late? Any reprieve would be a win!😂🥰🤗😱

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Hi, Em. You too!

I'm 15 years too late. 😂

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😂🤗🫣😱

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Actually, is Woo-joo a single mom? Was that kid walking with her, later seen in epilogue, her son?

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But wouldn't the SML act slightly differently with the kid if he dated Woo Joo? Even if the kid isn't his, he is the child of the woman he wants to get back.

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I totally missed that there was an epilogue in episode 2. Thank you for mentioning it! I just went back and watched it. Then I checked the cast list and he's a regular character, not a guest. So he's definitely a part of the bigger story.

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Me too! It's more a "cookie" (as noted by the little animations) than an epilogue, maybe? And AFTER the previews? That's sort of mean of the production team...

...especially considering how amazingly adorable that scene was.

Kids are supposed to be as unguarded as our hero is now, right? You lose your capacity to just say what you think (or, apparently, find toilet humor funny) as you grow up.

I just loved their open conversation. I hope that kid stays around to say exactly what HE thinks too!

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I thought it was the kid from earlier with Woo-Joo but then I wondered if it was Ki-Baek getting in touch with his inner child (true self) again. However if it was the same kid as earlier there goes that theory.

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Thanks for the heads up re the epilogue. I have stopped watching previews so I missed it, don't they usually do the epilogue before the preview?

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It varies, but it's not uncommon for epilogues to be after the previews or even the credits. I noticed there was still a lot of run time left in the episode when the preview started, so I was expecting one and FF'd to get to it.

I often skip previews, too - there are a few shows where I belatedly discovered they existed and had to go back to rewatch several episodes. If you watch on a computer you can hover the cursor over the time bar to pop up frames from the last few minutes to see if there's something that looks like additional scenes and not just preview/credits.

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Thanks I will use this strategy going forward. I only recently stopped watching the previews due to being sick of being suckered by the misleading editing.

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Rom-coms in general tend to be hit or miss with me, but so far this seems to be a hit. The humor worked for me, and I'm interested in the romance between the leads, so no complaints there. Didn't think I'd laugh so hard at what was essentially 2 hours of a man's career going down the gutter, but here we are.

But since I'm still new at actually watching K-dramas weekly, only time will tell if I'm able to keep up with this.

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In my case, I usually stick to a drama if I watch it weekly. Less commitment each week versus longer during a marathon.

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The first two episodes were generally amusing and the humor was varied- ranging from gross bathroom stuff (not much appreciated by me) to the dry humor of watching our hero gamely reading the worst poem ever written over the radio, where the humor arose not from the expected humiliation of our ML but from the fact that he read it with such skilled intonation and enunciation that instead of the expected online insults from the audience he was getting huge compliments instead- which is far funnier in a very witty way.

I found the story so far a bit disjointed. It really felt like we were getting a lot of background info but not a clear direction. And, other than her past relationship with the variety star (which he clearly wants to resume) we know almost nothing about Woo-joo- as Daebakgrits has pointed out: This means even our background information is seriously incomplete.

I am not thinking of dropping the show not only out of curiosity but because it did actually entertain. Our lead characters are likeable even if some of the other characters are not.

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may i suggest that he is tripping out - when he became blunt - because he was not raised to speak his mind truthfully.

as asians, and i'm 3rd gen (tho my mom was from japan), we were told not "rock the boat". we are taught to know what the reality is, but in a public/employment situation, we should not make issue of anything.

however, my gen totally disagrees with this asian cultural concept. if you watched the movie "The Farewell", it addresses this topic showing the family not telling the matriarch grandmother that she is dying.

many of my asian brethren even were offended by the lie! i had to tell them that my mother (from japan) went back to see her sister after hearing from her brother-in-law that she was diagnosed with stomach cancer. the moment my aunt saw my mom appear in japan, she stated, "I'm dying, aren't I?"
: D

asians have such a repressive culture in some ways, i even have to admit...

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Thanks for sharing these thoughts and the sad family story about your aunt.

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oh, it's okay, my mom was laffing when she returned from japan and told me about it... she said that's just the way japanese are.

they avoid conflict/negativity whenever possible. it's like business etiquette in japan -- they will never say "no" outright. they will soften it by saying they will consider it or something. but they really mean NO, but can't state it openly.

this practice/custom still exists today. i find it most frustrating, the passive-aggressive responses... i'm thinking (cuz i'm american) - just TELL ME for crissakes!!!!

: D

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Perhaps because it so thoroughly illustrates this aspect of Asian culture THE FAREWELL is considered a true classic movie.

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A slow start, but I like Go Kyung Pyo in this role. He's got the quirky facial expressions and physical acting down well. Plus the lone, quiet moments. And obviously, his character was grappling with his sudden problem.

Some funny scenes were better than others. I chuckled more than I laughed out loud. Thankfully, nothing was offensive.

I wasn't sure if Kwon Yul had a major role or not, but alas, he was a cameo.

Joo Jong Hyuk is a cutie. His character is so different than the last time I saw him (in Extraordinary Attorney Woo). Very smiley. Tbh, I was slightly distracted by his perfectly straight teeth. XD Don't know enough about his personality outside his celebrity image.

Not much of an impression with Kang Hanna's character as well. Need to see more. So far, she's not bad.

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i noticed his teeth also, then thought -- why am i noticing his straight teeth???
: D

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Has he done something to his teeth? I don't remember them being a focal point before in Ex Woo but they really kept taking me out of the scene. Such a weird thing.

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My theory is that he's also an endorser for veneers because his target market are the elderly.

Or he really has very white very even veneers in real life.

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Me too! Kept noticing his teeth!!

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Me three! I was distracted by his teeth too! I came here to check if anyone would comment on this, haha! His teeth weren't this noticeable when I watched his past dramas, so he must have done something!

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I will put forth a theory that perhaps they have whitened his teeth to emphasize his character’s resemblance to Lee Seung Gi (pop star, nation’s son-in-law, variety star) (who is always smiling)?

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Oh LSG, I can see that!

I also thought if it was due to the character's trot singer image.

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This has been on my watchllist because of Go Kyung Pyo, but the story hasn't caught me yet. But nice surprise to see other familiar (and favorite) faces: Shin Jung Keun (his father), Go Gyu Pil (costume announcer) , and Jo Han Chul (his manager). Very sad to read that Han-chul is not a supporting characters - I could watch him in anything. 😊

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Loved Kang Hanna in this. I actually found her character well written so far, primarily because of how simplistic she seemed - she has a goal, goes for it, doesn't see anything outside of it and if you don't directly state what you mean, the chances are she wouldn't notice. There is also something maniac about the way she acts, as if the enthusiasm & positivism is very much forced by now. Yeah and Kang Hanna looked very cute in shark outfit.

Theory time: The disappearance of the filter has something to do with touching Ki Baek's face.

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Yay! Speculation time! 🥳

The filter on/off switch… I thought it is the sneeze, no? He did it after the face powder incident - but also twice before! 🤔🤧 He sneezed and staggered forward when he was interrogated by Woojoo, which caused him to touch the electrical switches in the first place. 🤓 Next sneeze in the bathtub - and HOORAY! He could lie again!

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It took me several days and many separate snippets of time to complete both episodes. I was going to re-watch the electrocution scene and subsequent sneezes to figure out the connection but now I don't need to. excellent theory. 😊

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"thoughtfully rude" -- OMG, i'm going to use this as a preface to what i say, cuz my biggest pet peeve is being a LIAR. but people around me are many times surprised at how blunt i can be, especially when i'm put in a bad space or am irritated/grouchy...

i really REALLY hate the passive-aggressive trait that is common in asian cultures. being an Asian American, i won't do "nice"... well, i have HAD TO at times. but the older i get, the more i'm not gonna play that anymore.
: D

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I watched only Ep 1 and did not find it funny, so guess this drama isn't for me. The initial opening with dinosaurs got a smile on my face until it turned into workplace abuse. Then the fart scene got me frowning and the whole cheating angle with the ML taking the brunt of the chaos was weird. Do they not have security? The leads are great, but I only see friendly chemistry between them. Some scenes are too long and boring. Thanks @daebakgrits

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I was annoyed too that ML had to take the fall though he wasn't at fault. What was he supposed to do when a strange man barged in and caused a scene?

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Frankly speaking, I could not connect to the humor in episode 1, save for the humor most are complaining about and the scenes after Ki-baek's electric shock.
I'm yet to watch episode 2 but I know it'll take a lot to make me sit in for this. I'm giving it a 4 episode grace.

However, I screeched for joy when I saw the Kwon Yul cameo. You know...it was not so out of the blue but I wasn't expecting it either.

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I was happy to see Kwon Yul too

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Serial killer on the way? If you assure me there aren't any, I'll start to see it!

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they never appear that early in the story!

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Episode 1 was a little bit slow. But episode 2 somewhat picked the pace. It might be only me but I find the drama boring. Maybe because we are still in the beginning and it is mostly setup. Who knows? Perhaps, things will change when our trio are thrown in together.

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It was fine, the humor didn't land for me for the most part. I didn't dislike it, so will continue watching for now.

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I agree with other beanies, I'm in the middle neither loving or hating the show.
GKP does do physical comedy well and hopefully in the next couple of episodes the show finds its stride.
Please no more toilet humour, other than five year olds who actually finds that funny?
Thanks for the very quick turn around in recap DaebakGrits.

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I LOVE this drama. It feels like a breath of fresh air (assuming we don't have any serial killers or murderers show up). I have this huge thing for male leads who are overly controlled and try to project a certain image. Also, as someone in the American Midwest, I can really culturally identify with his conundrum. My husband also seemed to enjoy this drama, he's very blunt and straight forward and can't stand when other people aren't.

I'm also really excited for when the male lead falls in love and just blurts out thing, lol.

Oh, one more thing: it seems like he's having issues with his prefrontal cortex? Not sure how the neurologist actually proved that unless there's structural damage (unless it was a PET scan or fMRI?), which could not be the case if the male lead was able to recover some use of it... unless he had some brain plasticity.

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OMG, kathryn51 just said on Open Thread (I'm not @-mentioning her because I don't want any to do any spoiling, but I do hope she sees this once she's seen episode two!!):

I haven't finished Ep. 2 of Frankly Speaking but enjoying it thus far and, assuming it has a decent cliff-hanger, am looking forward to watching it next week.

CLIFF-hanger, folks. Get it? I see the joke now. There had better be some real cliff-hanging (or the equivalent) or this was an unexpectedly short drama. **chuckle** Ended on a cliff-hanger. Good one, show.

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Haha, thanks for mentioning this! I didn't get the connection. XD

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Like @oldawyer I found this a little disjointed, with set pieces of humor that sometimes hit with me, other times missed. I appreciated the FL as someone who is just naturally direct, and even though she is compelled to suck up to the arrogant idol for her career, she feels bad about it. I also liked that the ML is not pre-electrocution obsequious and oily, but a decent guy who is repressed because he feels his only chance of making it is to shut up and go along, so you feel bad for him. The thing I found of some interest about that aspect of the ML as well, is that his shock-induced frankness isn't (so far at least) personal--so he isn't saying to a random person "you're really ugly" or "that shirt is hideous" but rather is directed at the absurdities of the industry--the need to prop up a false image, or the self-important ridiculousness of awards ceremonies (which is why I've never been able to stomach the Oscars, Grammies, or more relevant, the Baeksang Awards); or alternatively, some important unsaid things about his family that everyone knows but doesn't acknowledge.

Obviously, there is a lot of restraint in speaking that is simply based on concern for others, so its not harmful or oppressive at all--in fact being blunt can be oppressive: "You're fat" or "You're stupid" So I'm more inclined to watch this show, despite the unevenness of its humor, if his frankness is puncturing pomposity rather than just blurting out insults.

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Omg I love the slapstick humour! So the ML’s superpower is not lying heh. It is a disappointing power for sure, but I’m here for all the mess it’ll bring. Huh, ‘manic pixie working girl’, I’m liking this new description for the corporate Candy.

As someone with IBD I always appreciate toilet humour, and as @attiton mentioned the literal use of a pun in CLIFFHANGER lol
Looking forward for more hijinks and laughs 😁!

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I had fun watching the 1st 2 episodes. This is the opportunity for Song KiBaek to let his freak flag fly since he seems to have repressed everything for his polished image, but most of it's a lie. What's not a lie though, is how good a newscaster he is. GKP is nailing the comedy with his facial/physical comedy. I'm still laughing inside my head when I recall him reading the bird poem with so much seriousness. I haven't watched Kang HanNa before her comedy is more subtle, but she's funny too.
So, hopefully this show remains heavy on the comedy with no serial killers in sight.
Maybe the kid in the epilogue is KiBaek's inner child?

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I rewatched the part where WooJoo was talking to JungHeon, the kid in the pool with KiBaek is the kid with WooJoo.

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Elvia has left the building….it’s a hard no for me.

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Oops that would be Elvis!

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Finally, a drama that doesn't take itself too seriously and makes fun of everything possible in Korean reality. I hope there won't be many tearful scenes. And if they do, they will be immediately interrupted by a non-serious comedy. I like all the characters.

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Now I’ve finished both eps and liked the a lot but Go Kyungpyo is shining in his serious predicament in a society which has been historically hierarchical and whereby the language and the cultural contexts also place high premiums on holding your tongue, mutually saving face and having quick nunchi. The involuntary disinhibition serves as not only a comedic device but also a relatively gentle act of skewering the cultural and other mores! It is an act of resistance even if it is not portrayed as such.
I also really liked how different Kang Hanna is in this role despite my previous experience of watching her. She has acting range and I hope her character becomes stronger and can tell her superiors at work to fuck off and manages to survive and thrive. And, I’m always glad to see Go Kyupil as despite the limitations of such tertiary roles, he always imbues them with genuine feelings and his hangdong expressions are comforting to me.
As to some of the more quirky aspects, I didn’t mind the hallucinations including the shark one and really enjoyed how he desperately wishes to control his urge to unload. That idol and his boss had it coming many times over.
And, I assumed that the child introduced during the walk was either her’s or a nephew/close friend’s/good neighbour’s child. Was he the same as the one that came into the pool? I lost concentration at that point. One of the beanies said it might be a manifestation/hallucination of his inner child. That would be fun to look forward to and watch in the coming weeks!

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This is one of those shows where I have the feeling that there is a whole lot of subtext that I am entirely missing. I had trouble reconciling the shocked expressions of the people listening to him and some of the things he said. I am so used to American shows where no one holds back, that it just felt normal, apart from a few zingers.

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Kang Han-na.

I'm all in.

I've been waiting for her comeback.

The fatulence scene in the elevator was well-acted especially by Kang Han-na. Her expression was perfect and priceless after she asked the ML - did you just fart?
 
Kang Han-na is a good actress and very beautiful.

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Anyone who thinks this show not interesting enough, please give it a chance. It was a slow start for me and I was lost in between ep. 1 and 2. Honestly I found nothing humour in these first two episodes. But episode 3 it's getting better and finally I start to get a grip of the story. Now I'm looking forward to know what really happened between Woo Joo and KIM JUNG-HEON.

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