Beanie level: Errand boy

OBY Community watching Beanies! I have a favor to ask. It’s my turn to host the commenting space this week (it’s still Thursday afternoon for me) buuuut my electricity and internet have gone out! Could someone switch weeks with me? There are tons of people in my area without power so it could take a while to get it back 🫠

Alternatively we could just chat about the episodes on this post but I won’t be able to join for a while and other folks will have to provide the gifs/pics. Thoughts?

P.s. I am fine. We have a generator because this happens way too often in my area so my house is warm and I downloaded some drama episodes ahead of time just in case 😉

@minniegupta1 @midnight @seeker @koalatown @nefret @sonai @isagc @bebeswtz @claire2009 @skiee @23new2kdrama

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Some of my favorite posts on here are the ones where a beanie is embarrassed because they have done something that would be made fun of or otherwise be vaguely shameful in other circles. Like watching a “bad” drama because they were having fun, looking at weecaps to figure out if a show had a happy ending before committing, letting a drama go because it wasn’t right for them at that point, swooning hard at something people might think is silly, even just liking a drama despite glaring flaws. And then other beanies chime in and gently and comically say, “We see you. We are you. No need for that. All of this is welcome here.” It feels like a big, collective, internet hug, and I needed it more than I realized tonight. Thanks, lovely beanies. 🫰

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    😘

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    This!! This is my favorite 🙂 I love those kinds of moments, when we can just say whatever it is about a show and then get to see that there are other beanies right there alongside us.. and even if they don’t think the same way, that they appreciate that we love it the way we do (or want to spoil the ending for ourselves etc. etc.)

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      Right! Even if they don’t feel the same way, they have felt the same way about some other show at some other time and everybody gets it.

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    🫶

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    Thanks for sharing such a good point and summing up why we love the Beanie community. Sorry late to the party I have only just seen this by chance.

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    Beanies are the best! Looking for a happy ending: GUILTY. There is no “white truck of doom” in the Beanie realm.

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Important question: Does laughing really hard at the end of the first episode of Death’s Game make one a bad person? Asking for a friend.
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2023 Drama Roundup
31 – New Year’s Drama Resolution

I think I did pretty well this year, but I started a new job in September which limits my free time a bit more than my old job did, so I want to be a little more careful with my drama watching this next year. My drama resolution is to make sure that I’m watching shows because I like them or find them interesting, and not in some vain hope that they will improve. It sounds basic, but sometimes I suffer from a morbid curiosity to find out what happens next even when I don’t necessarily care about the drama or the characters. In the next year I want to be less afraid of putting dramas on hold until I decide if they are worth it in the end, or dropping them altogether if they aren’t bringing me joy. I love dramas, and there are so many amazing ones I haven’t watched yet, so there is no reason to spend time on dramas that aren’t doing anything for me. Here’s to 2024! May our drops be few, and may we all find dramas that speak to us.
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2023 Drama Roundup
30 – Drama from 2023 that I most want to watch

In the “drama that I missed” post, I said it was Twinkling Watermelon, and I totally stand by that, because I didn’t live watch as it aired. But since that post I’ve been able to make time for it and finished it on Christmas, so now Perfect Marriage Revenge remains the drama from 2023 that I most want to watch. I know I’ll have a blast, and I’m glad I’ll be able to watch it at my own pace (it remains to be seen whether that will end up being super fast because I’m addicted or reasonably slow because the show itself is so fast-paced and I need to catch my breath). I have never veered so far into makjang territory but I’ve long been intrigued, so I’m excited! And based on trusted Beanie feedback, I know I’m in for a great time when I finally get around to this drama.
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2023 Drama Roundup
29 – Best parents

I’m shamelessly stealing the freestyle that @isagc came up with because I wanted a chance to mention the awesome parents from Moving at some point in this roundup. In a year with so many terrible parents and awful families in general, the parents in Moving really stood out. Mi-hyun is often mentioned (and with good reason – she was amazing), and of course Ju-won has made beautiful and incredible sacrifices for Hui-soo also, but I feel like we don’t talk about Jae-man as much and he is just as sweet and protective in his own way. I don’t know what challenges our super-abilitied high schoolers will face in the future, but I know who will be watching their backs, and that makes me believe they’ll be just fine.
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    Sometimes it seems that there aren’t enough good parents in Dramaland. Couples, I mean.
    But there are plenty. I guess it’s just that we tend to remember the horrible parents more. And 2023 was a year of bad fathers and mothers.

    Btw, I have not watched Moving yet! I’ll do it soon 🙂

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      Just so long as you’re okay with violence. It is gets too much just think of it as a webtoon (which it is). Kang Full has actually improved the story in drama. Hope you enjoy the show. Can’t wait for you to fall head over heels in love with uri Bong-seok and Hee-soo.

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    2023 After noticing a pattern I did a count.

    Of all the shows I watched, 11 shows depicted parents in an overly toxic manner.

    And the number of shows that portrayed parents in a positive light?

    Just 1 show.

    Congratulations to Moving for being that 1 show with a positive portrayal of parents.

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    Lol I’m personnaly found them completely naive 😅 I know they loved their children and wanted the best for them but :

    They hide the truth to their kids and it actually hurt them more. I don’t like how Bong-Seok had to hide his powers instead to learn about them. He had to be overweight (not an easy thing when you’re in highschool), carrying weigh in his bags.

    I know his mother thougth she was doing it for him. But the story told us they always have been manipulated by Min Yong-Jun from how they met to the choice of school.

    It was the same for the other parents.

    The one who feigned her daughter’s death was the only smart one.

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    All parents were superheroes in the show not just literally (which they were) but also metaphorically (which they absolutely were)!!

    K-dramas rarely have supportive parents so this whole gang was really special.

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2023 Drama Roundup
28 – Favorite side couple

Sam-soon-guuuuuuu! (from The Matchmakers). There were lots of amazing side couples this year (and plenty that were in the year-end vote that I do not count as “side” couples at all!), but few gave us as full a story as Sam-soon and Soon-gu did. She with her hilarious fantasies and him with both feet (and sometimes his head) planted firmly on the ground, they were a perfect match from the very first time he tried to chase her down as a murderer. Sam-soon was refreshing among kdrama women in that she had a pretty solid idea that her crush liked her back, and then when she was rejected she did her level best to move on. Soon-gu was adorable in his attentions to her, in his heroic attempts not to smile whenever she was around or acknowledged him, and in his tentative and respectful proposal. And when they finally understood each other and got together? I was at least as happy as when most of this year’s OTPs did. They were such an adorable and supportive couple, and while I wouldn’t say they stole the whole show (there were lots of other adorable couples too, to be fair), they certainly took home every scene they were in.
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2023 Drama Roundup
27 – A moment of silence for Lee Sun-kyun

I can’t imagine how much he must have been hurting. My heart goes out to his wife and kids. Take care of yourselves, Beanies.
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    This is terrible. The all out punitive approach to the use of prohibited drugs is catastrophic. In a country with high suicide rates, it is a further reason for policy-makers to target drug cartels and their distribution pathways rather than users.

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      I’d like to see them add decent mental health care without stigma (still waiting for that here tbh), and an acknowledgment that alcohol is a legal drug.

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    In a society such as South Korea’s wherein fame, appearances, reputation, and superficiality is everything and public opinion is super heavy in their court of law, he basically got persecuted even before he got his chance of an actual trial in an actual court and was already given his sentence by the public outside of court. For him to think and feel that this was his only option and only way out, I can’t imagine what his mental health would have been like and what he must have been going through that was most likely not reported nor shared in all the articles and reportings about this entire case, and there were a lot of reports and articles

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      Why wasn’t he offered counseling surely the authorities knew the kind of stress he was under. It wrenches my heart that all his hard work throughout his life, the future lives of his wife and kids will all be under this black cloud of unnamed guilt. It is so sad. Even if “guilty” of drug consumption, he needed help not this kind of mindless persecution. Surely there were warning signs, why weren’t the authorities more attentive, sympathetic and understanding. I can’t even imagine the kind of torture he must be under to think that this was the only way.

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        Or maybe he did cry out for help—surely and hopefully offered resources from his legal counsel, at least? I’m posing the question rhetorically— and maybe no one answered. Makes me think of Jonghyun who cried out for help— had it tattooed on his body and even sought it professionally— but never got it, the help. I’m being presumptuous, but even if or when he sought help from the authorities, it’s possible they thought that it wasn’t under their jurisdiction nor expertise, so they might have left it and hoped that he was able to go to the right people to seek help. It’s also possible they thought he’d “get over it” because “there’s nothing that money can’t solve”, since he’s a celebrity…. There’s just so many possibilities and so many different moving parts, it’s all hard to tell— we can only guess, and ultimately, only he will ever know.

        As for his wife and children, I fear for their future as well. I fear for their future in the sense that “guilt by association” is also a very prominent part of South Korea’s society, and if the public has already deemed LSK guilty even without the court of law, then it’s going to be very difficult for them even in addition to the added heartbreak of now having lost a husband and a father

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          Words from My Ajhusshi and Coffee Prince spoken by Lee Sun Kyun in his unique voice and with his brilliant expressions have been my solace and given me strength and hope during many many dark days. I cannot believe that those same words didn’t touch him as a person in some way.
          We may not know if he reached out for help or if he received it or not but it seems that the words of comfort or understanding were not enough to reach him in the dark place where he found himself to be.
          Life is tough and tragic. I hope all those who find themselves alone and helpless also find words of solace and consolation which allow them to still live on, as our K-dramas teach us.

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2023 Drama Roundup
26 – Best found family

Found families are always about banding together in difficult situations and finding comfort in unlikely company. They are one of my favorite things even when they are just okay, but when they are great? They just make me dissolve into a puddle of feelings. And that’s what Myung-joon and Ro-hee from The Kidnapping Day did for me this year. The derpy ajusshi (I’m predisposed to think of Yoon Kye-sang as smart and attractive, so he already deserves an award for making me believe him in this role) and the genius girl (I’ve sung Yu-na’s praises elsewhere but honestly it’s never enough) came together in such a special way in this drama, as he pretended to be her dad and then became her dad by the end.

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    Oh, this is a great freestyle and the perfect choice! Both of them, individually and together, plus his daughter and the lawyer with the heart of gold (and the patience of a saint). So good. YKS and Yu-na were just remarkable.

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      You’re so right, and I should have mentioned the adorable daughter and (also adorable) lawyer. I just love imagining them all together when Myung-joon is freed. I would also put our competent detective as an honorary member of this amazing and ridiculous family.

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    Bound by the backscratcher…

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2023 Drama Roundup
25 – My personal top ten dramas of the year!

Most of these were easy picks, it was only when I got to the last two or so that it was trickier to tease apart which ones I liked more. But I’m feeling pretty good about this list. I only chose dramas that finished this year even though I watched some older ones that I really loved, and I didn’t include anything that hasn’t finished yet. I haven’t ranked them, so the order here is the order in which I finished them.

Alchemy of Souls: My epic obsession, an amazing OTP, and the happy ending I never saw coming.
Unlock My Boss: The sweetest ML, a great redemption arc, and the cameo that made me realize how far I’d come.
Our Blooming Youth: My first Park Hyung-sik (playing such an interesting character), a mystery that refused to rely on superstitions, and some interesting thoughts on fault and forgiveness.
Call it Love: The slow-burn of the year, fantastic leads, but also complex and realistic sibling relationships and friendships.
King the Land: Lee Junho learning to be the best boss, the plight of the worker, and the least stress/most fun I had drama-watching overall.
Moving: Multiple fantastic love stories, actual good parents, and great action sequences.
The Kidnapping Day: The best found family, a black comedy that didn’t forget about the comedy, and two leads bringing their absolute A-game.
Castaway Diva: The soundtrack I can’t get over, the best childhood connection of all time, and the only kiss that’s ever made me ugly cry.
The Matchmakers: The most beautiful shots, the amazing side couples, and the writer of the year.
Twinkling Watermelon: The earnestness, the overall ensemble, and the freeing of Cheong-ah.

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2023 Drama Roundup
24 – Favorite OTP

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a love story as epic as Jang Uk and Cho Yeong’s in Alchemy of Souls. His journey from a boy with nothing but rumors surrounding him who was sick often and who no one would teach, into an incredibly powerful but damaged man, and finally to making peace with his role and his power would have been enough for a drama. Similarly, Cho Yeong’s path from a bitter manipulated warrior, through losing her power and having to rely on others for the first time in her life, and finally to accepting her identity and her place in the world also would have been a fantastic drama in itself. But together? And added to that a love story that developed and lasted through soul-shifting, using each other, and even death? Alchemy of Souls was a great drama in many ways, but it never forgot that it was a love story at its core, and this OTP was one I will never forget.

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2023 Drama Roundup
23 – I want to raid your closet

I was dissatisfied with the Beanie Roundup voting choices, so here on my fanwall when I can pick anyone I want, it’s going to be Do Do-hee in My Demon who has been looking fabulous since her character introduction in episode 1, and with the brief exception of that weird asymmetrical Canadian Tux she wore to Gu-won’s house that time. But this blouse was fire:



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    Great choice. She’s looked fabulous, especially in all the white outfits. Of course, it helps to be Kim Yoo-jung. Her waist is so tiny!

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    This is such a fun prompt!! I think I’d want to raid the closet of some Chinese costume drama characters, because they’re always so rich in colour even if it’s monochromatic, but it’s all done so well and a big range in shade of the single colour is always given, even if it’s a neutral colour

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2023 Drama Roundup
22 – Best cameo

It took me a little while to start being able to appreciate cameos (understandably), and there were definitely times (Namgoong Min in Man to Man, Kim Soo-hyun and Park Sung-woong in Crash Landing on You, etc.) that I had no idea the person was famous at all until I read a recap or rewatched the scene later. So when Im Chul-min showed up at the end of Unlock the Boss and referenced three of his characters and I had seen each of the dramas he was talking about, it was a fantastic moment for me! I couldn’t find a pic of him in the cameo, so please enjoy this iconic one of him from one of the referenced roles:

Honorable mention goes to the one that brightened up my day in the middle of a drama I should have dropped: Shin Seung-ho in The Bad Mother. His disapproving eyebrows when dealing with the waste-of-space musician were life-giving.

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2023 Drama Roundup
21 – The OST you are obsessed with

This is hard, since I am pretty frequently obsessed with drama soundtracks and there were some incredible ones this year. I’m sure there is a certain amount of recency bias here, but I have to go with Someday by Park Eun-bin for Castaway Diva. Setting aside the fact that I’m obsessed with the majority of this soundtrack, this song totally captured me. There is so much longing in it – Ran-joo’s for what she used to have, Mok-ha’s for what she didn’t get to chase for 15 years. It was Mok-ha’s (and really Park Eun-bin’s) first time to prove herself and she blew Ran-joo, the whole audience, and me away. I love the way it builds, and when PEB holds that note at 2:17, it was magic in the drama, and magic every time I listen back.
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    Honorable Mentions (it’s long sorry not sorry – this is the abridged version):
    – Blue Flower by Lia (Itzy) for Alchemy of Souls
    – Nobody is Perfect by Mckdaddy for Unlock the Boss
    – Alright by Ha Hyun-sang for Crash Course in Romance
    – Resemble by Janet Suhh for Our Blooming Youth
    – Tolerance by AnTasWell and Vvon for Divorce Attorney Shin
    – Half & Half by Kang Seung-yoon for True to Love/Bora! Deborah
    – Flower by Roy Kim for Call it Love
    – Breath by Jung Seung-hwan for Doctor Cha
    – Here with Me by Doyoung for See You in My 19th Life
    – Yellow Light by Gaho for King the Land
    – Confess to You by Lim Kim for King the Land
    – Dive by Kim Woo-jin for King the Land
    – Everyday with You by KyoungSeo for King the Land
    – Run by Woody for My Lovely Liar
    – On Fire by 1Kyne and Jiselle for The Killing Vote
    – It’s You by Park Won for Destined with You (and if the whole song was just vibes and that instrumental section at 1:25 it would still make this list)
    – Destiny by Seo Gi for Destined with You
    – Present by Stella Jang for The Kidnapping Day
    – Can’t Nobody by Woody for A Good Day to be a Dog
    – Icarus by Dino for Castaway Diva
    – Night and Day (Contest Version) by Park Eun-bin for Castaway Diva
    – Voyage by Winter for Castaway Diva
    – Until the End by Park Eun-bin for Castaway Diva
    – Dream Us (either version) by Park Eun-bin for Castaway Diva
    – Our Night is more Beautiful than Your Day by NewJeans for My Demon
    – Shining by Kim Han-gyeom for Twinkling Watermelon

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2023 Drama Roundup
20 – Favorite kiss

Some kisses leave me cold (every dead fish kiss ever), some make me hold my breath the whole time (Call it Love), some make me make a truly weird trilling sound in my throat (King the Land), and some make me laugh with glee (My Demon), but there was only one this year that made me ugly cry from happiness and relief, so I have to give it to Mok-ha and Ki-ho from Castaway Diva. There was so much love and waiting and relief and release and joy and optimism in this kiss. They could finally be comfortable, finally be themselves, finally didn’t have to live under the shadow of their abusive parents, could finally look to the future united and unafraid. It was just lovely.
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2023 Drama Roundup
19 – Best used trope / Best subverted trope

I don’t know about best because there are so many! I honestly love tropes – when dramas use them well they feel comfy and sweet and when they subvert them they are funny or sometimes jarring in the best way. It’s always fun to me when the ML (who usually has not confessed and/or realized his feelings yet) has to rush and save the FL from whatever danger she’s in, generally finding her despite overwhelming odds, and just in time. I really loved when My Demon did this recently, and it gave us this wild shot which I also love.

The best subversion of this trope for me this year was in King the Land when Gu Won attempted to save Sa-rang when she was stranded on the mountain, but utterly failed when he jumped to her from his helicopter and ended up just as stranded!
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    Both perfect choices … when Junho appeared panting and disheveled at the end of the episode and jumped … cut to black … I swear my heart threatened to jump out of my chest. 💗

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    Junho jumping without any plan and both of them ending being stuck…

    I prefer My Demon’s one. It was beautiful and his powers worked!

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    See! This is why I love King the Land! I loved that Sarang voiced exactly what the audience was thinking! Are you dumb?? How is this saving me?? And you are scared of the dark??
    Why did you come at all?? 😂😂

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2023 Drama Roundup
18 – Favorite villain

I suspect this will be a popular choice, but it’s definitely Lady Park a.k.a Soon-deok’s MIL a.k.a. The REAL Left State Minister. Don’t get me wrong, I love cartoon villains – the ones that are practically rubbing their little villain hands together with glee trying to make life difficult for others for no reason, or for super petty reasons. They make me laugh, I love to hate them, and they will always have a place in my heart and in my dramas. BUT Lady Park is something special. Rarely does dramaland give us a villain with as much depth of character and as many sympathetic interactions, let alone a female one. But that’s exactly what we have in this character – she is not an evil MIL to the FL, she is devastated by her son’s deaths, she is fiercely protective of her remaining family members, and even when she finds out that Soon-deok has been sneaking out she doesn’t lay down the law right away but waits to find out what she’s up to. The thing is, even as she’s having sweet conversations with Soon-deok about how much they both miss her son, she’s also plotting against the life of the crown prince, a very sweet and competent 14 year old boy. And her solution for protecting her family when her own plot is found out is to murder her husband and brother in cold blood, and rope others into helping her. Did you just feel a shiver down your spine? Yeah, me too.
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2023 Drama Roundup
17 – Oldie (non 2023) you loved the most

I think out of all the older dramas I watched this year, my favorite was The Uncanny Counter. I had it on my list for a long time, but season 2’s imminent release finally pushed me to start it, and while season 2 was ultimately disappointing, it didn’t overshadow my love of the original at all. Found families are one of my favorite things, and this drama has one of the best ones. I loved that we got to follow Mun through his coming of age and growing into his new powers, but we also got to spend time with each of the other counters, and they each grew and moved past their respective traumas in different ways and to different degrees. This was a show that had me crying nearly every episode (in a good way!) and I think it’s a testament to how well they were able to connect me with each of the characters emotionally. Even though season 2 was disappointing, I still watched the whole thing because I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to spend more time with these characters, and I’ll think about them for a long time.
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    Oh my God yesss!! I rewatched Season 1 which I loved instead of watching Season 2 because I just couldn’t … urgh. And yes I still loved Season 1 irrespective of what a hot mess Season 2 turned out to be.

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2023 Drama Roundup
16 – Your guilty pleasure

This is a tricky one because Beanies, I so rarely feel guilty about things that give me pleasure. Maybe the closest I came this year was Strong Woman Do Bong-soon which I was watching almost completely for Park Hyung-sik and during which I watched almost all of his scenes twice. The drama on the whole was a bit meh pretty much whenever the leads were not on screen, but I wanted something decently light and cute after Heartbeat burned us all and this worked nicely.
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2023 Drama Roundup
15 – Special Kimchi slap edition: worst parent

I think it’s got to be Young-soon from The Good Bad Mother. I’m sure there are makjang mothers who do pretty unforgivable things, Ki-ho’s dad was certainly incredibly terrible, and there are some outlier parents who straight up murder their kids, for sure. BUT she was a person who was trying to be a good mother, and failed so spectacularly and repeatedly – even when handed a second chance – that it was hard to watch. Abusing him, starving him, trying to marry him off under false pretenses – her list is long. I watched this show waiting for some kind, any kind of redemption or remorse from her and was disappointed again and again and again. She died having been forgiven by everyone and I have no idea why. And now that I think about it, she did try to murder him that time, so yeah, it’s definitely her.
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    As you said there were worst parents in dramaland but the difference here *imo* was how show tried to justify all her mistakes
    For example twinkling watermelon stepmother or 7escape mother, were introduced as monsters. and every character reminded them in every chance they had that they are monsters. but in “bad mother” the show was like : it’s ok, she does all this things (abuse) for her son!
    And THAT was the worst thing ab this drama.

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      Totally agree! There are other dramas where parents do all of these same things or worse, but they are portrayed as horrible people to escape, not loving parents who were just misunderstood.

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        This show is trying hard to show us her nonexistent love for her son
        But all I saw was a mother who tried to achieve her dreams through her son and crushing him in the process

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    I quitter this drama after the scene she throws him into the river. The sole thought of she having a redemption arc and being forgiven by her son made it impossible for me to go on watching.

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      I stopped when she refused to give food to her son and he miraculously started using his hands and talking because of her “sacrifice”

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