After Turkey entered the fray in World War I Winston Churchill had a brilliant strategic idea: Seize the Gallipoli Peninsula, steam the Battleships of the Royal Navy through the Dardanelles and across the Sea of Marmara to bombard Istanbul and force Turkey out of the war- thereby assuring that Russia would be able to ship its grain to the world, save its economy and prevent the total collapse of the Russian war effort (and probably prevent the Bolshevik Revolution). It was a brilliant idea that could have succeeded but failed due to poor planning, dilatoriness and truly idiotic execution. This is my best analogy for what happened to THE REAL HAS COME.
This show promised to address some of the reasons for Korea’s low birthrate (the very lowest of any industrialized country at only .7 births per woman). It pointed out the problems of archaic ideas about family, the burdens of having children and even the problem of male infertility. It pointed to the irrational treatment of unwed parents. For the first 25 episodes THE REAL was very real indeed and was truly exploring those things. But there were problems even- like the jarring replacement of the actor playing one significant character in the seventeenth episode. But more fundamentally there were simply too many couples or potential couples while fer too much time was allotted to the central couple. A Weekender is an ensemble drama which is built around a central couple but cannot concentrate on them to the near exclusion of the side characters who interact with them and with each other. But from the beginning of THE REAL HAS COME that is exactly what was happening and that is part of why audience share never rose to the normal level far a weekender. Too many side characters with too little screen time made it nearly impossible to for the audience to become invested in those other stories and so many people simply tuned out.
At its midpoint the show became steadily less realistic and lost its focus.
Then came the colossal blunder: A one year time-skip. That stunt completely destroys the whole point of a weekender- a long story where we see people and relationships grow and change over an extended time frame. What happened in the stories of all the side characters during that time? We really don’t know because we did not see it. But what I do know as an absolute fact is that from the point onwards THE REAL became completely unreal. Much nonsense was spouted by our principal players which bore no relationship to either reality or the law as we were treated to the most unrealistic custody struggle ever devised for a drama.
Part Two- Will we ever know how this happened to THE REAL HAS COME? What follows is speculation:
How did this happen? If you know the history of Gallipoli then you know that it actually took the efforts of many people to screw things up that badly. The writer is not the only one to blame here- although the initial problem of too many side couples probably does come from the writer. To this we should add the laziness and incompetence of the casting people: Just a few weeks before production the actor who was going to play the ML dropped out- because of a scheduling conflict and was replaced by Ahn Jae-hyun who had been going through a divorce. The actor who played the ML’s father dropped out after episode 15. What does this tell us? That the casting people did not lock people in for the duration of the drama, which is essential to a show as long as a weekender. Not only that but the whole tenor of the scripts that were written after AJH was brought aboard shifted as if the rehabilitation of his image was now the primary goal of the drama. (Note: I don’t think it worked). It is possible that bending the show to fit one actor resulted in bending it even more to satisfy the demands of others- the time-skip might have occurred to satisfy the vanity of the two actresses whose characters have babies during the show but perhaps never wanted to be seen pregnant (Note- this is speculation but it does explain the blunder).
But add to this cowardice in the head office because we saw the show pull its punches again and again. Example: Our childless older brother and wife ultimately wanted to turn to a sperm donor in order to have a child and the audience was essentially promised that the FL’s uncle would be the donor- but it never happened. Because it would be controversial? But this show was supposed to be controversial! Or the possibility of a “Double In-law” marriage if the FL’s brother was to the ML’s sister (Gasp!) even though exactly that happened in the recent and hugely successful Weekender ONCE AGAIN, complete with a beautiful wedding (and a truly lovely bride).
Perhaps most shocking is the idea that KBS, who has more experience with weekenders than any other organization, should have dropped the ball so completely. It is obvious that the top brass there have lost the plot to use an old naval term. They need to take their bearings again and to take Weekenders seriously again. It is painfully obvious that they did not do that with THE REAL HAS COME. The laziness shown in casting for this show is just a symptom of a deeper disease: An utter lack of seriousness taken towards a longer form drama.
Although, I was wondering how they would make Baek Jin hee look pregnant. She’s practically emaciated. And she’s also not immune to controversy herself, just hearing up with her boyfriend during this show as well, and I think she was also blamed to breaking up his last relationship too. Actually, a show about her life might have had had better ratings. But what if life imitates art and she starts dating one of her costars here? Or has one of their babies?! Yeah, I could have written a better drama.
I finally found your post mortem/autopsy post a couple of days ago. So, first – thank you. Because it confirms for this weekender newbie that TRHC is a true anomaly from the genre. Perhaps a sign of the future weekender, but I hope not. Thus, I’m venturing into Live Your Own Life because on the face of it there is amazing potential for major mixing between the two major families (I’ll write more over on that forum).
Back to TRHC – although I wondered if the last-minute change of ML might have contributed to what happened, I never really considered that some of what happened lays at the doorstep of the casting director. It makes sense. But in the end, except for the Main Couple, the other cast members were simply treated as non-entities who were paid to show up and phone it in.
So, I will add a couple perhaps meaningless tidbits which I found on Instagram. I don’t follow any celebrity on IG, but I frequently check in on favorites or actors in ongoing dramas.
While several TRHC actors showed off their good-bye “cakes” and flowers (handed out on location or at the studio), there were ZERO “goodbye or “thankyou” ig posts for the Jang family and Joon-ha. Their last filming was actually at Incheon airport – about 5 days before the final weekend. Jung eun Jae posted a photo where he received a birthday cake from staff at Incheon(his birthday was same day apparently).
The beautiful Che Joo Young moved on quickly – promoting her brand associations, including the Veronica Beard grand opening in Seoul. No “final” photo, no cake, no bouquet. Good for her – her disdain for top brass is crystal clear.
It was very clear to me that everyone outside of the main couple was treated like furniture after the midpoint of the show. The FL’s image also needed to be upgraded at that point as well because she had just dumped her boyfriend- whose previous relationship had been ruined. So she too needed to be made to look more saintly.
Surviving and Thriving with a Weekender
I love family weekenders (and dailies). But I have not loved every weekender and can relate to those who have found one to be frustrating, infuriating and unwatchable. I too have had that experience. It is actually from the bad ones that I learned how to watch a weekender- because the best ones are effortless and what do you learn when it takes no effort? The majority, of course, fall somewhere in between the effortless and the unwatcheable but are still very watchable if only you know how to watch them. So herewith is my very own Guide to the Bemused: What to expect and how to survive when faced with a Weekender.
Weekenders tell a story, or rather many stories that involve families. Like all other dramas they have a beginning and an end- in this they are distinctly different from a never-ending soap opera (not a fan of those) but are much longer than a standard Kdrama. Still length itself does not bother most K-drama viewers incluing those who loved SIX FLYING DRAGONS, which has 50 full length episodes (the same as a weekender) and some have even seen and loved THE IMMORTAL YI SOON SHIN from 2005 which has one hundred and six episodes (as long as a daily). If length is not the issue why the difficulty with a weekender? I think that it begins with expectations- to the confusion caused by the fact that a weekender appears to simply be another K-drama- raising the obvious questions as to why is it so long and why does it have so many characters? In fact, the length and larger cast both come from the fact that this story has to be longer because it will be telling many stories all at once- but in a more believable time frame- because there is actually time and space for people to grow and change.
Length is part of the point of the weekender. We get to watch people change and grow. Thise changes take time but the beauty of this is that when we see it happen over time it leads to poignant moments that are not nearly as possible with a shorter drama and which may not even happen with the two lead characters. In my pre-streaming days I brought home from the library the dvds for the wonderful SMILE YOU from 2009 and 2010. A secondary character in that show is Jung Ji-soo, who is a tough, embittered former gang-girl orphan who wants a better life and somehow meets our female lead’s older brother, who falls in love with her. Funny moments ensue and she ends up staying with the family who comes to accept her but, almost tragically, she decides to she is not good enough for the young man who loves her and leaves (noble idiocy at its stupidest). So what does the family do? They go and find her to bring her home. That moment when they arrive to fetch her back – and watching her expression as she understands what it means-that she really does finally have a family- still brings tears to my eyes. It is the moment when I fell in love with weekenders. What makes such a moment so dramatically effective is the time that we have spent watching the characters and their relationships grow.
To enjoy a weekender start by knowing that the length is a feature, not a bug. Adjust your expectations to that idea and enjoy the longer journey.
Now I will surprise you with an unexpected suggestion- be prepared to use the fast forward button, but use it judiciously. Weekenders have several plotlines so if there is a storyline that you just don’t get into- fast forward. But, be careful of doing that simply because you find a character awful. At the beginning of FATHER IS STRANGE the character Kim Yoo-joo is simply awful- but she becomes a truly beautiful person over the course of the show and that story is one of the best plotlines in one of the greatest weekenders of all. You might want to check on that character from time to time. That said, fast forward used well can save a show for you.
Lest you end up hating all weekenders, and therefore missing out on a very good thing, my final suggestion to you is to know when to drop one. I have dropped more than one. Knowing when is a matter of understanding the structure of a weekender. Start with the idea that because the drama will involve many characters and several stories the first four episodes are introduction- the stage is simply being set for the play that follows. It is in the next four episodes that the stories truly begin to unfold and you get a glimpse of the kind of action that you are looking at. It is at this point that you have enough information to make a decision- because now you know where the show is headed. This is your decision point. You may want to watch two more episodes but please no more: This is the time to drop. It is not worth forty more episodes just to earn a bean. Of course, if you are still with the show after episode sixteen then it is best just to be honest with yourself and simply admit that they have you hooked. So at that point simply relax and let this be the show you watch while folding laundry.
I am not the only one who loves these shows and am quite sure that others could add more insight and suggestions to the ones I have made.
Do not be surprised when you find yourself looking forward to the next episodes of a show whose length once intimidated you, now that you know that you did not have to make a big commitment going in. Instead, a weekender could be that constant in K-dramaland that anchors your week: A friend who stays for a while.
Thanks for this wonderful and insightful post. I admit that the length of weekenders do scare me: I don’t think I want to make that kind of commitment; but reading this post I think you’ve pointed out the very best thing about weekenders which is time for characters to really grow.
I thought about some weekenders I watched, and agreed that Ojakgyo Brothers was indeed very good. I loved that show despite some frustrating characters and storylines, but it was one of the best Kdrama watching experiences for me. There is one love line that I adored (I guess you know which one if you’ve watched the drama) in that show, and until now this weekender has the best breakup scene I’ve ever watched in Kdramas.
I also thought about Go Ahead (Cdrama) too as it is a very long drama and almost feels like a weekender for me. However, I watched that one up to ep43 and I stopped because i couldn’t tolerate the ML’s mother. This still bugs me until today.
Many C-dramas are weekender length- sometimes pointlessly so. GO AHEAD would certainly have been a weekender if it was a Korean show. It is a good show, but I know what you mean about the ML’s mother and understand why you stopped. This actually happens to me more often with C-dramas than with K-dramas. I think that C-drama writers are forced to stretch things out beyond the point that makes dramatic sense. Even otherwise good shows can sort of droop at the end.
Thank you for posting. I look forward to hearing what other people think. I agree with the tip of fast forwarding as some characters/plot lines feel unnecessary.
I love the info on being prepared for the longer set up so we can be sure we are making an informed decision on whether to continue to watch or drop.
This is wonderful – thank you so much!! I wish I had known your advice before embarking on my first weekender, but I lucked out and My Father is Strange was my first, so I had a relatively smooth initiation into the format.
Recently, I grumbled my way and tore at my hair through the first episodes of The Real Has Come and I probably would have caused myself less grief if I had your advice in mind!!😅 And then at some point, as you say, I gave in because it had me hooked!
Even Be My Dream Family, as wonderful as it is, had me feeling annoyed at a number of characters at the start, so it’s good to keep in mind that, in a way, we are shown the worst of some characters at the start, and it’s just part of the format so that characters can grow. I think that’s perhaps what makes these so special for me – every single one of the characters is imperfect (rather than glossy and idealised), but over the time we spend with them, we learn to love them in the way that we love actual people in our lives, warts and all.
For me, apart from the characters on whom I need to deploy the fast forward button, there are also certain storylines that don’t work for me, so I allow myself to zip through those. I really cannot watch another beloved character go through cancer, so those tend to be the ones I give myself permission to skip.
I’m so happy that we have a hangout for the current weekender, as that has vastly improved my enjoyment as well. Weekenders and dailies are no less compelling for discussion, so I am grateful to have a place to discuss theories, vent complaints, and look for beanie insights.😊
Thank you for this. I have always been intimidated by weekenders. I am afraid of the hours that I need to commit to it, even with the ff button. I did try to start one with Once Again but I never got beyond ep 2 as I thought plot progress is too slow. But given what you said about weekenders have more room to grow for characters, then I am interested to try again. Most of the shorter kdramas lately botch the endings and I realize now that it maybe because the writers could not let go of some plot points and side stories that take too much air time from the main plot, giving them no choice but to cram everything into the last 2 episodes just to wrap the stories up (unsatisfyingly). Maybe they should have been weekenders? Anyway, your post made me interested enough to give it a try again. Any recommendation for a first weekender to commit to?
ONCE AGAIN is actually one of the all-time best weekenders but I too remember that it started very slow- and with things falling apart initially. But it is well worth the watch.
Me three voting for Once Again. I dont like the screaming and over acting they quite often have the female characters play in weekenders but this one had a really solid family and as you get to know the back story for them all it really does make sense why some are acting the way they do. It’s not dramatic just for the sake of it. It has it all; humour and sad bits, and cute children.
I totally agree. ^^
Those are two things some people dislike about family dramas and two things I love about them.
Maybe it’s because I’m used to telenovelas and US dramas but I never thought 50 episodes was long. 😆 Or even daily dramas that have 100+ episodes.
And for shows with that many characters and storylines I think it only makes sense to have that number of episodes. And like you said, I don’t think the character development we saw in Be My Dream Family or My Husband Got A Family would’ve been possible in less time (episodes). Imo, family dramas are the best when it comes to character development and depth (Five Children and What’s Wrong With My Family? are another examples). All the different relationships and dynamics real and meaningful.
And the best -second- part is the multiple characters. Multiple relationships, multiple storylines. I think that for me is really hard to drop a family drama because there’s at least 1 storyline that keeps me going (ex. The Love in Your Eyes, Shall We Live Together?).
I wonder when will we get the next Be My Dream Family, Five Children, Once Again or Reply 88… LOL now I want to watch a weekender.
All of the dramas that you mention are excellent. I was actually watching MY HUSBAND GOT A FAMILY until it suddenly was no longer available to me on Viki in my region.
My very first 50-episode drama was the one with IU and Jo Jung-seok – You’re the Best, Lee Soon-shin! I enjoyed very much that I tried another drama but this time a sageuk – Queen Seon-deok. Are they weekenders? I’m not sure because I binge-watched them.
YOU’RE THE BEST, LEE SUNSHIN is indeed a weekender. I can still picture that moment in the first episode when IU is standing in front of the great admiral’s statue saying “lets just keep this between us” (the standing joke in the drama is that she really is named after Yi Sun-shin, the admiral who delivered his country from the Japanese during the Imjin War- arguably the greatest man in Korean history). She had just failed to land another job.
QUEEN SEONDEOK is not strictly a weekender even though it is long enough- it really should be seen as being in that same very small group of long historical dramas which would include SIX FLYING DRAGONS. But it is definitely one of the best and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good Pre-Joseon Sageuk.
If you binge watched them then all I can say is that I admire your stamina.
@OldLawyer – Thanks so much for taking up the suggestion from a few Beanies to share your insights on weekenders!! I for one nod along everything you said and agree that – once you handle the basic gist of ‘how’ to watch and choose a weekender – you are in for a treat gaining families of characters that stay with you for a long long time. Not all weekenders would survive your cull, there would nevertheless be some that you may end up loving.
Totally agree about the appeal of long dramas. It’s the same reason why I love long novels. There’s something to be said for how poems can condense life/universe into a few lines, but I prefer long novels where I get to live with the characters for a long time. While long K-dramas aren’t literary masterpieces like some novels of Charles Dickens or George Eliot, I still enjoy seeing the characters develop, the villains get justly punished, the good characters get their happy ending, and all the sweet moments of goodness in between.
This month’s theme was the perfect fit for this guest post. Hopefully others will jump in with suggestions that link to weekenders etc. and you can tag in to this or we can do it for you. When I say ‘we’ I mean one of my many tech supports on this site and partner in crime @dramadillo ❤️
I can’t watch it because my dislike for the main lead is stronger than my love for Shin Hyesun. I used to love him as an actor, but after his scandal, I just can’t… yet…
Same as @mmmmm , I did not know about the ML’s scandal, so I enjoyed it. It was my first and only weekender that I have watched till date because it caught my attention from the very first episode and nothing has come close to it. Also, this is where Shin Hye Sun’s popularity started growing because she was the heart and soul of the drama with skills that were at par with the veterans in the show.
I watched that one and, though the dramatic bit in the end, it’s a very watchable show. I knew nothing about the ML’s scandals during the time I was watching it, so it didn’t impact me. I remember I liked it very much (though certain character can be a bit too childish and annoying).
I think it is indeed good to know what to expect from a weekender before diving in. They are a category of their own.
I’m turning to them whenever I need this family feeling… and it often is a nice nightcap before falling asleep (even though Sejin can make my blood boil 😆). I also enjoy the food and the Korean traditions.
I’m watching my first weekender right now, “Father is Strange,” and loving it. It has been tough to find a good drama lately so I decided to go with excellence (highly rated–thank you fellow beanies!) over length. This one hooked me right away and is still going strong. Surprisingly, I do not miss the pattern or pacing of a 16-episode drama–as you said, “length is a feature.” That feeling of loss or sadness or wanting more when a great 16-episoder ends goes away because the weekender drama continues to develop, explore and unfold.
About using FF button: Just wanted to say that rather than the using the fast-forward button, I prefer to read recaps. Peaking ahead via recaps helps me decide on whether to continue or not and motivates me to get through a slow section instead of dropping. With recaps, I don’t lose the continuity that can happen with fast-forwarding. I’m the kind of person who likes to know if the ending is satisfying before I invest my time, whether it is 12 or 16 or 52 episodes.
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OldLawyer
September 15, 2023 at 5:04 PM
Postmortem of THE REAL HAS COME.
After Turkey entered the fray in World War I Winston Churchill had a brilliant strategic idea: Seize the Gallipoli Peninsula, steam the Battleships of the Royal Navy through the Dardanelles and across the Sea of Marmara to bombard Istanbul and force Turkey out of the war- thereby assuring that Russia would be able to ship its grain to the world, save its economy and prevent the total collapse of the Russian war effort (and probably prevent the Bolshevik Revolution). It was a brilliant idea that could have succeeded but failed due to poor planning, dilatoriness and truly idiotic execution. This is my best analogy for what happened to THE REAL HAS COME.
This show promised to address some of the reasons for Korea’s low birthrate (the very lowest of any industrialized country at only .7 births per woman). It pointed out the problems of archaic ideas about family, the burdens of having children and even the problem of male infertility. It pointed to the irrational treatment of unwed parents. For the first 25 episodes THE REAL was very real indeed and was truly exploring those things. But there were problems even- like the jarring replacement of the actor playing one significant character in the seventeenth episode. But more fundamentally there were simply too many couples or potential couples while fer too much time was allotted to the central couple. A Weekender is an ensemble drama which is built around a central couple but cannot concentrate on them to the near exclusion of the side characters who interact with them and with each other. But from the beginning of THE REAL HAS COME that is exactly what was happening and that is part of why audience share never rose to the normal level far a weekender. Too many side characters with too little screen time made it nearly impossible to for the audience to become invested in those other stories and so many people simply tuned out.
At its midpoint the show became steadily less realistic and lost its focus.
Then came the colossal blunder: A one year time-skip. That stunt completely destroys the whole point of a weekender- a long story where we see people and relationships grow and change over an extended time frame. What happened in the stories of all the side characters during that time? We really don’t know because we did not see it. But what I do know as an absolute fact is that from the point onwards THE REAL became completely unreal. Much nonsense was spouted by our principal players which bore no relationship to either reality or the law as we were treated to the most unrealistic custody struggle ever devised for a drama.
Part Two of this post mortem is set forth below
Ally
September 15, 2023 at 7:42 PM
I’m just now watching the last 4 episodes. Rather, FF through the last 4 episodes.
Dorotka
September 16, 2023 at 11:56 PM
The sad thing is it was a really promising start, promising some depth.
OldLawyer
September 15, 2023 at 5:02 PM
Part Two- Will we ever know how this happened to THE REAL HAS COME? What follows is speculation:
How did this happen? If you know the history of Gallipoli then you know that it actually took the efforts of many people to screw things up that badly. The writer is not the only one to blame here- although the initial problem of too many side couples probably does come from the writer. To this we should add the laziness and incompetence of the casting people: Just a few weeks before production the actor who was going to play the ML dropped out- because of a scheduling conflict and was replaced by Ahn Jae-hyun who had been going through a divorce. The actor who played the ML’s father dropped out after episode 15. What does this tell us? That the casting people did not lock people in for the duration of the drama, which is essential to a show as long as a weekender. Not only that but the whole tenor of the scripts that were written after AJH was brought aboard shifted as if the rehabilitation of his image was now the primary goal of the drama. (Note: I don’t think it worked). It is possible that bending the show to fit one actor resulted in bending it even more to satisfy the demands of others- the time-skip might have occurred to satisfy the vanity of the two actresses whose characters have babies during the show but perhaps never wanted to be seen pregnant (Note- this is speculation but it does explain the blunder).
But add to this cowardice in the head office because we saw the show pull its punches again and again. Example: Our childless older brother and wife ultimately wanted to turn to a sperm donor in order to have a child and the audience was essentially promised that the FL’s uncle would be the donor- but it never happened. Because it would be controversial? But this show was supposed to be controversial! Or the possibility of a “Double In-law” marriage if the FL’s brother was to the ML’s sister (Gasp!) even though exactly that happened in the recent and hugely successful Weekender ONCE AGAIN, complete with a beautiful wedding (and a truly lovely bride).
Perhaps most shocking is the idea that KBS, who has more experience with weekenders than any other organization, should have dropped the ball so completely. It is obvious that the top brass there have lost the plot to use an old naval term. They need to take their bearings again and to take Weekenders seriously again. It is painfully obvious that they did not do that with THE REAL HAS COME. The laziness shown in casting for this show is just a symptom of a deeper disease: An utter lack of seriousness taken towards a longer form drama.
Ally
September 15, 2023 at 7:51 PM
Although, I was wondering how they would make Baek Jin hee look pregnant. She’s practically emaciated. And she’s also not immune to controversy herself, just hearing up with her boyfriend during this show as well, and I think she was also blamed to breaking up his last relationship too. Actually, a show about her life might have had had better ratings. But what if life imitates art and she starts dating one of her costars here? Or has one of their babies?! Yeah, I could have written a better drama.
Ally
September 15, 2023 at 7:51 PM
*hearing=breaking*
Ally
September 15, 2023 at 8:20 PM
What, he kidnaps his own daughter??? 😂 I cannot take this seriously at all.
Dorotka
September 17, 2023 at 12:04 AM
I don’t know, I still think they changed (or annoyed 😁) the writer.
Kathryn51
September 21, 2023 at 7:41 PM
I finally found your post mortem/autopsy post a couple of days ago. So, first – thank you. Because it confirms for this weekender newbie that TRHC is a true anomaly from the genre. Perhaps a sign of the future weekender, but I hope not. Thus, I’m venturing into Live Your Own Life because on the face of it there is amazing potential for major mixing between the two major families (I’ll write more over on that forum).
Back to TRHC – although I wondered if the last-minute change of ML might have contributed to what happened, I never really considered that some of what happened lays at the doorstep of the casting director. It makes sense. But in the end, except for the Main Couple, the other cast members were simply treated as non-entities who were paid to show up and phone it in.
So, I will add a couple perhaps meaningless tidbits which I found on Instagram. I don’t follow any celebrity on IG, but I frequently check in on favorites or actors in ongoing dramas.
While several TRHC actors showed off their good-bye “cakes” and flowers (handed out on location or at the studio), there were ZERO “goodbye or “thankyou” ig posts for the Jang family and Joon-ha. Their last filming was actually at Incheon airport – about 5 days before the final weekend. Jung eun Jae posted a photo where he received a birthday cake from staff at Incheon(his birthday was same day apparently).
The beautiful Che Joo Young moved on quickly – promoting her brand associations, including the Veronica Beard grand opening in Seoul. No “final” photo, no cake, no bouquet. Good for her – her disdain for top brass is crystal clear.
OldLawyer
September 22, 2023 at 7:36 AM
It was very clear to me that everyone outside of the main couple was treated like furniture after the midpoint of the show. The FL’s image also needed to be upgraded at that point as well because she had just dumped her boyfriend- whose previous relationship had been ruined. So she too needed to be made to look more saintly.
OldLawyer
May 30, 2023 at 10:27 AM
Surviving and Thriving with a Weekender
I love family weekenders (and dailies). But I have not loved every weekender and can relate to those who have found one to be frustrating, infuriating and unwatchable. I too have had that experience. It is actually from the bad ones that I learned how to watch a weekender- because the best ones are effortless and what do you learn when it takes no effort? The majority, of course, fall somewhere in between the effortless and the unwatcheable but are still very watchable if only you know how to watch them. So herewith is my very own Guide to the Bemused: What to expect and how to survive when faced with a Weekender.
Weekenders tell a story, or rather many stories that involve families. Like all other dramas they have a beginning and an end- in this they are distinctly different from a never-ending soap opera (not a fan of those) but are much longer than a standard Kdrama. Still length itself does not bother most K-drama viewers incluing those who loved SIX FLYING DRAGONS, which has 50 full length episodes (the same as a weekender) and some have even seen and loved THE IMMORTAL YI SOON SHIN from 2005 which has one hundred and six episodes (as long as a daily). If length is not the issue why the difficulty with a weekender? I think that it begins with expectations- to the confusion caused by the fact that a weekender appears to simply be another K-drama- raising the obvious questions as to why is it so long and why does it have so many characters? In fact, the length and larger cast both come from the fact that this story has to be longer because it will be telling many stories all at once- but in a more believable time frame- because there is actually time and space for people to grow and change.
Length is part of the point of the weekender. We get to watch people change and grow. Thise changes take time but the beauty of this is that when we see it happen over time it leads to poignant moments that are not nearly as possible with a shorter drama and which may not even happen with the two lead characters. In my pre-streaming days I brought home from the library the dvds for the wonderful SMILE YOU from 2009 and 2010. A secondary character in that show is Jung Ji-soo, who is a tough, embittered former gang-girl orphan who wants a better life and somehow meets our female lead’s older brother, who falls in love with her. Funny moments ensue and she ends up staying with the family who comes to accept her but, almost tragically, she decides to she is not good enough for the young man who loves her and leaves (noble idiocy at its stupidest). So what does the family do? They go and find her to bring her home. That moment when they arrive to fetch her back – and watching her expression as she understands what it means-that she really does finally have a family- still brings tears to my eyes. It is the moment when I fell in love with weekenders. What makes such a moment so dramatically effective is the time that we have spent watching the characters and their relationships grow.
To enjoy a weekender start by knowing that the length is a feature, not a bug. Adjust your expectations to that idea and enjoy the longer journey.
Now I will surprise you with an unexpected suggestion- be prepared to use the fast forward button, but use it judiciously. Weekenders have several plotlines so if there is a storyline that you just don’t get into- fast forward. But, be careful of doing that simply because you find a character awful. At the beginning of FATHER IS STRANGE the character Kim Yoo-joo is simply awful- but she becomes a truly beautiful person over the course of the show and that story is one of the best plotlines in one of the greatest weekenders of all. You might want to check on that character from time to time. That said, fast forward used well can save a show for you.
Lest you end up hating all weekenders, and therefore missing out on a very good thing, my final suggestion to you is to know when to drop one. I have dropped more than one. Knowing when is a matter of understanding the structure of a weekender. Start with the idea that because the drama will involve many characters and several stories the first four episodes are introduction- the stage is simply being set for the play that follows. It is in the next four episodes that the stories truly begin to unfold and you get a glimpse of the kind of action that you are looking at. It is at this point that you have enough information to make a decision- because now you know where the show is headed. This is your decision point. You may want to watch two more episodes but please no more: This is the time to drop. It is not worth forty more episodes just to earn a bean. Of course, if you are still with the show after episode sixteen then it is best just to be honest with yourself and simply admit that they have you hooked. So at that point simply relax and let this be the show you watch while folding laundry.
I am not the only one who loves these shows and am quite sure that others could add more insight and suggestions to the ones I have made.
Do not be surprised when you find yourself looking forward to the next episodes of a show whose length once intimidated you, now that you know that you did not have to make a big commitment going in. Instead, a weekender could be that constant in K-dramaland that anchors your week: A friend who stays for a while.
mmmmm
May 30, 2023 at 11:58 AM
Thanks for this wonderful and insightful post. I admit that the length of weekenders do scare me: I don’t think I want to make that kind of commitment; but reading this post I think you’ve pointed out the very best thing about weekenders which is time for characters to really grow.
I thought about some weekenders I watched, and agreed that Ojakgyo Brothers was indeed very good. I loved that show despite some frustrating characters and storylines, but it was one of the best Kdrama watching experiences for me. There is one love line that I adored (I guess you know which one if you’ve watched the drama) in that show, and until now this weekender has the best breakup scene I’ve ever watched in Kdramas.
I also thought about Go Ahead (Cdrama) too as it is a very long drama and almost feels like a weekender for me. However, I watched that one up to ep43 and I stopped because i couldn’t tolerate the ML’s mother. This still bugs me until today.
OldLawyer
May 30, 2023 at 12:21 PM
Many C-dramas are weekender length- sometimes pointlessly so. GO AHEAD would certainly have been a weekender if it was a Korean show. It is a good show, but I know what you mean about the ML’s mother and understand why you stopped. This actually happens to me more often with C-dramas than with K-dramas. I think that C-drama writers are forced to stretch things out beyond the point that makes dramatic sense. Even otherwise good shows can sort of droop at the end.
Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️
May 30, 2023 at 12:58 PM
Thank you for posting. I look forward to hearing what other people think. I agree with the tip of fast forwarding as some characters/plot lines feel unnecessary.
I love the info on being prepared for the longer set up so we can be sure we are making an informed decision on whether to continue to watch or drop.
dramadillo
May 30, 2023 at 1:39 PM
This is wonderful – thank you so much!! I wish I had known your advice before embarking on my first weekender, but I lucked out and My Father is Strange was my first, so I had a relatively smooth initiation into the format.
Recently, I grumbled my way and tore at my hair through the first episodes of The Real Has Come and I probably would have caused myself less grief if I had your advice in mind!!😅 And then at some point, as you say, I gave in because it had me hooked!
Even Be My Dream Family, as wonderful as it is, had me feeling annoyed at a number of characters at the start, so it’s good to keep in mind that, in a way, we are shown the worst of some characters at the start, and it’s just part of the format so that characters can grow. I think that’s perhaps what makes these so special for me – every single one of the characters is imperfect (rather than glossy and idealised), but over the time we spend with them, we learn to love them in the way that we love actual people in our lives, warts and all.
For me, apart from the characters on whom I need to deploy the fast forward button, there are also certain storylines that don’t work for me, so I allow myself to zip through those. I really cannot watch another beloved character go through cancer, so those tend to be the ones I give myself permission to skip.
I’m so happy that we have a hangout for the current weekender, as that has vastly improved my enjoyment as well. Weekenders and dailies are no less compelling for discussion, so I am grateful to have a place to discuss theories, vent complaints, and look for beanie insights.😊
Jingbee
May 30, 2023 at 1:50 PM
Thank you for this. I have always been intimidated by weekenders. I am afraid of the hours that I need to commit to it, even with the ff button. I did try to start one with Once Again but I never got beyond ep 2 as I thought plot progress is too slow. But given what you said about weekenders have more room to grow for characters, then I am interested to try again. Most of the shorter kdramas lately botch the endings and I realize now that it maybe because the writers could not let go of some plot points and side stories that take too much air time from the main plot, giving them no choice but to cram everything into the last 2 episodes just to wrap the stories up (unsatisfyingly). Maybe they should have been weekenders? Anyway, your post made me interested enough to give it a try again. Any recommendation for a first weekender to commit to?
OldLawyer
May 30, 2023 at 4:34 PM
ONCE AGAIN is actually one of the all-time best weekenders but I too remember that it started very slow- and with things falling apart initially. But it is well worth the watch.
Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️
May 31, 2023 at 1:38 PM
Me three voting for Once Again. I dont like the screaming and over acting they quite often have the female characters play in weekenders but this one had a really solid family and as you get to know the back story for them all it really does make sense why some are acting the way they do. It’s not dramatic just for the sake of it. It has it all; humour and sad bits, and cute children.
tabong has two different tears🍉
May 30, 2023 at 3:48 PM
I totally agree. ^^
Those are two things some people dislike about family dramas and two things I love about them.
Maybe it’s because I’m used to telenovelas and US dramas but I never thought 50 episodes was long. 😆 Or even daily dramas that have 100+ episodes.
And for shows with that many characters and storylines I think it only makes sense to have that number of episodes. And like you said, I don’t think the character development we saw in Be My Dream Family or My Husband Got A Family would’ve been possible in less time (episodes). Imo, family dramas are the best when it comes to character development and depth (Five Children and What’s Wrong With My Family? are another examples). All the different relationships and dynamics real and meaningful.
And the best -second- part is the multiple characters. Multiple relationships, multiple storylines. I think that for me is really hard to drop a family drama because there’s at least 1 storyline that keeps me going (ex. The Love in Your Eyes, Shall We Live Together?).
I wonder when will we get the next Be My Dream Family, Five Children, Once Again or Reply 88… LOL now I want to watch a weekender.
OldLawyer
May 30, 2023 at 4:39 PM
All of the dramas that you mention are excellent. I was actually watching MY HUSBAND GOT A FAMILY until it suddenly was no longer available to me on Viki in my region.
OldLawyer
May 30, 2023 at 4:43 PM
The current Daily that I am watching is actually THE LOVE IN YOUR EYES.
tabong has two different tears🍉
May 30, 2023 at 5:59 PM
The main couple and the little girl are adorable.
OldLawyer
May 30, 2023 at 10:03 PM
Indeed they really are.
tabong has two different tears🍉
May 30, 2023 at 5:58 PM
Oh, dang. That’s too bad, the show it’s awesome. I hope you can finish it some day.
Ally
May 30, 2023 at 7:24 PM
The Real has come is certainly a show I look forward to every weekend. It does feel like an old friend.
geminirat
May 30, 2023 at 9:31 PM
My very first 50-episode drama was the one with IU and Jo Jung-seok – You’re the Best, Lee Soon-shin! I enjoyed very much that I tried another drama but this time a sageuk – Queen Seon-deok. Are they weekenders? I’m not sure because I binge-watched them.
OldLawyer
May 30, 2023 at 10:02 PM
YOU’RE THE BEST, LEE SUNSHIN is indeed a weekender. I can still picture that moment in the first episode when IU is standing in front of the great admiral’s statue saying “lets just keep this between us” (the standing joke in the drama is that she really is named after Yi Sun-shin, the admiral who delivered his country from the Japanese during the Imjin War- arguably the greatest man in Korean history). She had just failed to land another job.
QUEEN SEONDEOK is not strictly a weekender even though it is long enough- it really should be seen as being in that same very small group of long historical dramas which would include SIX FLYING DRAGONS. But it is definitely one of the best and I would highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a good Pre-Joseon Sageuk.
If you binge watched them then all I can say is that I admire your stamina.
Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️
May 31, 2023 at 1:44 PM
I saw You’re the Best, Lee Soonshin! I can’t believe I forgot about that one and that it was IU playing the female lead. I remember liking it.
PYC
May 31, 2023 at 6:00 AM
@OldLawyer – Thanks so much for taking up the suggestion from a few Beanies to share your insights on weekenders!! I for one nod along everything you said and agree that – once you handle the basic gist of ‘how’ to watch and choose a weekender – you are in for a treat gaining families of characters that stay with you for a long long time. Not all weekenders would survive your cull, there would nevertheless be some that you may end up loving.
bideshi
May 31, 2023 at 7:42 AM
Totally agree about the appeal of long dramas. It’s the same reason why I love long novels. There’s something to be said for how poems can condense life/universe into a few lines, but I prefer long novels where I get to live with the characters for a long time. While long K-dramas aren’t literary masterpieces like some novels of Charles Dickens or George Eliot, I still enjoy seeing the characters develop, the villains get justly punished, the good characters get their happy ending, and all the sweet moments of goodness in between.
Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️
May 31, 2023 at 10:13 PM
This month’s theme was the perfect fit for this guest post. Hopefully others will jump in with suggestions that link to weekenders etc. and you can tag in to this or we can do it for you. When I say ‘we’ I mean one of my many tech supports on this site and partner in crime @dramadillo ❤️
emsel
June 1, 2023 at 8:45 AM
Have you watched “My Golden Life” ?
OldLawyer
June 1, 2023 at 10:07 AM
No, but I understand that it is very good
Dorotka
June 3, 2023 at 7:35 AM
I can’t watch it because my dislike for the main lead is stronger than my love for Shin Hyesun. I used to love him as an actor, but after his scandal, I just can’t… yet…
emsel
June 3, 2023 at 10:07 PM
Same as @mmmmm , I did not know about the ML’s scandal, so I enjoyed it. It was my first and only weekender that I have watched till date because it caught my attention from the very first episode and nothing has come close to it. Also, this is where Shin Hye Sun’s popularity started growing because she was the heart and soul of the drama with skills that were at par with the veterans in the show.
mmmmm
June 3, 2023 at 1:47 PM
I watched that one and, though the dramatic bit in the end, it’s a very watchable show. I knew nothing about the ML’s scandals during the time I was watching it, so it didn’t impact me. I remember I liked it very much (though certain character can be a bit too childish and annoying).
Dorotka
June 3, 2023 at 7:23 AM
A friend who stays for a while… ❤️
Dorotka
June 3, 2023 at 8:11 AM
I think it is indeed good to know what to expect from a weekender before diving in. They are a category of their own.
I’m turning to them whenever I need this family feeling… and it often is a nice nightcap before falling asleep (even though Sejin can make my blood boil 😆). I also enjoy the food and the Korean traditions.
Qingdao: likes scented candles
October 22, 2023 at 6:32 AM
THANK YOU for the info on watching a weekender!
I’m watching my first weekender right now, “Father is Strange,” and loving it. It has been tough to find a good drama lately so I decided to go with excellence (highly rated–thank you fellow beanies!) over length. This one hooked me right away and is still going strong. Surprisingly, I do not miss the pattern or pacing of a 16-episode drama–as you said, “length is a feature.” That feeling of loss or sadness or wanting more when a great 16-episoder ends goes away because the weekender drama continues to develop, explore and unfold.
About using FF button: Just wanted to say that rather than the using the fast-forward button, I prefer to read recaps. Peaking ahead via recaps helps me decide on whether to continue or not and motivates me to get through a slow section instead of dropping. With recaps, I don’t lose the continuity that can happen with fast-forwarding. I’m the kind of person who likes to know if the ending is satisfying before I invest my time, whether it is 12 or 16 or 52 episodes.