Beanie level: Chaebol’s poor doppelganger

Mess…

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Finally finished! I really enjoyed Start-Up and everyone’s journey. I like everyone’s ending too. I’m excited for Ji Pyeong to be a father figure??? LOL. And the awkward Do-Pyeong hug made me giggle. The Seo family reunion made me cry (In Jae and Halmoni tho?! SOBS). SST and Cheong Myeong thriving is everything and everyone looked great. It really was a nice, easy watch.

Also, I couldn’t help but notice but so many people in the cast had dimples lol. I started calling this show Dimple Club.

I’m really proud of Nam Joo Hyuk’s growth as an actor. He did great. I really liked Suzy in this too and wish there were more Dal Mi centric episodes but as everything revolved around her, I commend her for keeping things grounded. This is my first time with Kim Seon Ho and I’m excited to see his other works, I know he has stuff coming up so I’ll keep a pin in those. Supporting cast kept my heart warm and my smile big so I couldn’t ask for anything more, really.

Thanks for rocking with me & my spam as usual. It’s been ya girl with the late binge-watch! *waves*

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I, too, would like a knit RGB cactus.

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Had the drama spent as much time with the ladies as it did with the guys perhaps the show could have avoided what I will call The DEBACLE because, and I say this with the utmost Beanie love, ya’ll were a mess. Both guys are perfectly decent guys, ya’ll. What was the reason? 😂 Don’t actually answer this lol.

Still I don’t think anyone could top the GREAT TRASH/CHILBONGIE DEBATES because that was truly a TIME. And I watched that show after it aired too so lol at me: just walking into the ruins of drama wars.

But it was fun though. Last 2 EPS let’s go.

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As much as I would like to have seen DM & IJ have a BIG TALK, as someone w. siblings I know it really do not be like that lol. You just kinda fall back into each other’s good graces. No ceremony.

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I like Yong San’s reasoning and “revenge” plan & thought it would be the case. I do wish the story integrated it a little more seamlessly. Like show his perspective more in those earlier eps.

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I feel JP and STech are learning the value of each other. JP sees they aren’t so hopeless and STech sees the value in JP’s prickly methods lol.

Hard truths are necessary but there can be balance in delivery imo. Some people can take it, some need sandwiching (compliment/criticism/compliment). The goal is not to sugar coat or lessen the truth but not to discourage. I know that STech team can take it to some extent, they’ve been doing that in their way, but it’s no surprise it all blew up eventually with all the big decisions. On the other hand, learning to work with feedback no matter how harsh is also a valuable skill. One doesn’t have to take in all of it, just the stuff they can use (Dal Mi demonstrated this while dividing up the shares).

In any case, the team decided together, and in this was bound to happen. It’s all a part of the journey that will leave everyone stronger later.

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SandBox should have a contracts department, no? I would imagine that would be a part of their M.O. to offer that service for any start ups they house. But I guess where would the drama be? Lol

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    I was happy to see JP doing some reflection and thinking about his words but I agree, the word acquisition should be time for questions when it comes to businesses I think. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop with Alex so not too surprised but will be hard to watch everyone sad again after getting over the previous hurdles.
    But such is life too I guess. You can’t always predict the outcome.

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So about Samsan Tech and Ji Pyeong. I said it before but Ji Pyeong doesn’t care all that much about Samsan Tech. It’s his opinion and that’s valid but he also tends to come in because of Dal Mi. Making himself their Plan B to help her out does nothing for them and only highlights how he doesn’t believe in them.

What I liked about Do San going to Alex to ask for help on behalf of Samsan Tech is that it wasn’t a move to push Ji Pyeong out; he’s gonna be around lol. But he knows that Ji Pyeong’s Plan B is only a crutch. A company is going to have failures. It’s built in to life that you can’t always win but if you need a crutch after every failure, it’s not good for anyone. I think everyone realized that too. Samsan Tech has potential, they are bright and passionate people with great ideas and a lot more room to grow. They can build a nice strong foundation to stand on with others who believe in them and not just bail out money. As a whole they might have gotten their no’s but that only opens them up for some yes’s.

I really want Ji Pyeong to see that and if that happens by them refusing his help then that’s good. Also want Ji Pyeong to allow himself more ways of telling the truth. It doesn’t always have to be in the hardest way possible. My own job includes handing out a lot of rejections but I also know to do this with care. I want Ji Pyeong to show a lot more care to others (not just Dal Mi and Halmoni!) and to himself. I think he will find it quite nice to be a little more nice on the outside too so I’m hoping the revelation of Yong San’s past will help him to get there.

Anyway no spoilers. I’m not really sure about Alex (he cracks me up tho) but we will see what is what.

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I think an undoing of a K-drama watching experience is the thought that someone has to be 1st and the other 2nd. At the end of the day, a show is good if all the characters work.
Even a simple cameo can make a big impact. It’s not always about who has more screen time or who ends up with who but about all these little stories coming together to add to one larger story. Not all dramas are love stories, some are just stories with love and a bunch of characters will operate on the same level of importance. Something to think about. We all have our favorites but our faves are just one part.

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    Which is why I have a hugr soft spot for ensembl casts that give no importance to such things!

    I think a lot of ppl care about that BECAUSE many dramas are structured in such hierarchical ways!

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      Gosh, typos! Really waiting for that day we get an edit button

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      Yes, yes. I also think many Korean dramas enforce the OTP or some kind of dynamic duo of leads but I feel like that’s less the case as the years go by (which is why romances are not like what they used to be sometimes haha).

      I’d love for people to think less about who has top billing though and more about how the story is operating. It’s a lot more fun that way too lol!

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K-dramas be like here is a caring and supportive adult figure that guides and nurtures your jaded leads…let’s give them a fatal disease/sickness or kill them!

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I’m watching Start-Up and enjoying. I’ve read there are bad ship wars for this one and I’m gonna avoid those but I will say I enjoy Do San and Ji Pyeong being irritated with each other. Like yeah sure a small part may be because of Dal Mi and that’s that but I don’t think that’s all of it. I feel (at least for where I am at the moment) that Ji Pyeong doesn’t have that much interest in the Samsan boys right now and that’s valid. He’s not seeing the potential yet and is just helping out an old friend. I do think that Ji Pyeong reminds Do San of his flaws and that’s valid too. I’m sure he feels like a disappointment often and Ji Pyeong often will tell him matter-of-factly that that is often the case. I think anyone would be irritated. Plus he is keeping these lies and I’m sure having Ji Pyeong around is a frustrating reminder that he can’t tell the truth even if he wants for a bunch o’ reasons. Ji Pyeong is also probably feeling in-debted towards Do San a lil on top of everything and for someone so independent I know that is annoying lol so I think in any case everyone has valid reasons to feel the way they feel and act the way they act. At the end of the day they are both good boys.

I don’t get jealousy or possessiveness from Do San. I do get ambition, probably, for the first time. He wants to please and is thinking of himself and for someone with his characterization, I do not hate it. Ji Pyeong can be harsh but I also get the feeling he’s finding himself more and more in situations where he has to or will have to open up. And that will be good for him cuz like…he needs some friends lol and to be comfortable in feeling some feelings! He hides literally and figuratively.

Also I don’t think I’ve seen Suzy in anything since Architecture or whatever it’s called and Dal Mi is quite the cool & intuitive girl so kudos to her. However I like In Jae more when she is tryna fight her stepdad instead of her sister. 😭

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    The shipping war was over the top, and not fun like the APAD war. You have the right idea (and will need to avoid much of the comments in recaps to avoid it).

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      Lol I was just reading thru the ep.7-8 comments even tho I haven’t watched 8 yet (about to). It was way harsh in there lol so I guess I’ll stop there and flupnthru the other comment sections. There were some interpretations I found baffling but I guess that’s par for the course. I’m usually thinking from the character POV on these things so I never get caught up in wars to participate like that. My heart is big enough for all the leads. It’s also funny cuz I think of a cast like this as an ensemble so the back and forth between who is 1st and 2nd has me like 🥴.

      But tell me do In Jae and Dal Mi start to talk? Lol I suspect Dal Mi feels abandoned by her big sis (and mom) and really wants to prove that she and dad are worthy family members who didn’t deserve to be left behind and it’s not really about choices and who is living a better life cuz of it.

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        Eventually, a little. The drama comes up very short in time given to In Jae.

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          I figured. It happens sometimes that audience sees more potential in a character than the writer lol.

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Thinking about character arcs and enjoying a character’s journey if not all their actions.

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Not me sitting here trying to figure out the logistics of Kang Ha Neul being Ji Soo’s dad in River Where the Moon Rises before seeing it’s a guest role, lmao.

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    can’t say I blame you. I was initially confused as well

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      Yes, haha I thought he was a supporting character or the villain for some reason.

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    He reminds me of Kim Nam Gil lol, in the sense of actors who were given older/mature roles despite being really young for those roles (Early 30s). I guess KHN’s face has that vibe of leaning towards more mature/older ngl. But yes lol, right?

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      He does give old man vibes lol! I feel like it’s more his personality than his looks lol so I was like…they played brothers not too long ago?? 😂

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        LOL. Your right! Sometimes, that’s not a bad thing necessarily! It does allow him to not be type cast per say in terms of age. But it does mean the roles he could potentially get are older roles, when he’s only 31 :O

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          Right! The funny thing is I could picture him as a dad just not to such a big kid lmao. I should watch his drama w/ Gong Hyo Jin.

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            Bahaha. Right? He was very believable as a paternal father to the child in WTCB. It’s a solid show, meandered in the middle for me, and the last 4 episodes brought it back. I’ll give it a 8.5/10.

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It’s been a while since I’ve been on here. I haven’t really watched a show that made me want to rave (or rant) in a while lol.

Finished watching The Wolf and enjoyed it. It’s been interesting reading reactions but I will say I think Lord Bo could get more credit & Zhai Xing too. There were a lot of things I liked although the show often told more than they showed so I had to keep information in mind at some points. But a solid watch. Time flew by for me.

I also enjoyed Lost Romance that I watched some time ago last year. Not perfect but the way I had a hard time moving on lmao. I loved that little show.

Sweet Home was also really good and I finally watched both seasons of Kingdom. Need the next season of these shows immediately. 😭

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    I’m in the last 1/3 of “The Wolf” !!!!

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      I think it wraps up nicely!

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        I’ve heard mixed reviews about the ending, but I guess it’s all about perspective and what makes most sense for the characters and plot…. I (think?) I am passed the most frustrating part of the drama (the 10 episodes leading up to the not-war 😅😅 And yesterday before bed, I finished Episode 40, the wedding between Ji Chong and Zhao Xing

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          *Zhai Xing

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          Yeah haha. I never felt frustrated haha and I think the last stretch of episodes has some of the series’ best, but I understand I seem to be a bit of an outlier lol. Having binged, I think on a character and narrative level, it was a fitting and touching end.

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    I just started The Rebel Princess this weekend and am enjoying it!

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      Ahhh! I saw the trailer for that and it looks like everything I like lol. Will probably take a while to complete but I’m excited to watch when it is.

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        I watched 10 episodes in 2 days, it won’t take long for you to complete, I’m certain. 😆

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          Haha! I said that cuz I usually wait for dramas to finish airing and then just binge them, so I’ll be waiting for a couple of months I guess? Sometimes C-dramas have crazy schedules though and they release like 6 episodes a week so who knows lol.

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            I figured that. I think you’ll have an easy time binging this one.

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Man the show really took a turn after Itaewon Class left Itaewon…(more thoughts below)…

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    So, I def came into the show thoroughly enjoying Park Saeroyi and his steadfastness and just behavior. There is really no one quite like him in Dramaland and I was really appreciated that.
    I loved that against the mustache twirling villains he was always grounded, raw, and cool. I think however he began to become an afterthought in his own story.
    I really wanted an underdog take with a man who was going to get revenge simply by being successful and a respectful and great leader to his small crew of misfits and outcasts just like him. The show really lost that going full on into a revenge that didn’t turn out to be anything more than two dudes trying to knock each other down just to say they did it and I’m really sad about that.
    I could have left the romance behind…I wanted to see how they built DanBam up, how their popularity grew, and how Saeroyi continued to touch and be a shining influence to those around him.
    Instead he kind of fell off becoming a yes or no man to Yi Seo’s every business call and while that’s not a bad thing at some point it stopped feeling like a partnership and became forced way for the audience to see how Saeroyi’s feelings were changing (even though we didn’t see jack s**t lol). I really feel robbed of a real come-up story that could have had a lot more heart taking on issues of gender and race and even classism.
    Instead I got the usual Korean revenge.
    That’s not to say this became a bad show. But it definitely became something else and I’m pretty bummed about that. On to the finale…

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What I am most dissatisfied with is that the reason Saeroyi started his revenge in the first place—his Dad—has gotten lost in the sauce somewhere. Where is the just and principled Saeroyi I loved?

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    I mean I get it. But his anger seems displaced now. And I’m not sure what he’s mad about anymore.

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I’m so tired of this romance. I would have been more interested had it been a perpetual crush on Yi Seo’s part and in many ways that is v realistic. But…

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I’ve long sensed that Soo Ah may think of Jang CEO as a father figure w/o realizing. I think her crying in this ep. is solidifying that for me. A gray relationship for a gray character.

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    Jang CEO’s speech about servility is also correct. It’s like a twisted Stockholm Syndrome with Soo Ah and him.

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Saeroyi in a turtleneck is nice but I’m starting to miss the baggy pants and various bomber jackets.

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