I’ve found myself unable to start a new show and really connect to any of the current offerings since Hospital Playlist ended… so I’ve started re-watching Forest of Secrets with my sisters, in anticipation for season 2. We’re on ep.9

This show is STILL The gold standard for good TV (k-drama or otherwise) for me. And one thing that really struck me in this re-watch is how everything was SO WELL thought through, the many clues we had and the incredibly detailed directing and its symbolic nature!
There really was no wasted frame in this show. I remember how when I watched it when it was airing, I could understand implicity, that some scenes were significant, but couldn’t fully grasp WHY, because I didn’t know what was gonna happen… but EVERYTHING MAKES SENSE in hindsight, and adds so much more to my experience of re-watching it.
This is not one of those shows you just skim through when re-watching it. Even re-watching it in its entirety is a RICH experience! I don’t think that can be said of many shows.

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    Also, Forest of Secrets was one of the best recap & beanie experience here on DB!

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    I’m waiting for it to get closer to the August airing date, because I know that once I start a rewatch, I’ll want to binge it, and then I will feel all empty when it’s ended, and won’t know what to do.

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    Have you watched 60 days survivors? It’s on par with Forest imo… Just less dark, more idealistic, yet in its storyline everything connects and leads to the finale… The 2 shows are among my favorites of all time…

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      I did! And I liked it, but I never finished it, bc I found it lagged a bit in the middle (which is where I dropped it), and like you said it was idealistic. Too idealistic for me… which always kinda puts me off in thrillers.
      The directing was so gorgeous though, and I liked everyone’s acting. Especially Son Seok-gu and Lee Moo-saeng.

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        Ah, I see why you said it lagged in the middle. It’s when the acting president gets criticized here and there and realized how limited his power is, but, as Son Seok-gu’s characters said, the acting presidents need to learn how to deal with it by himself…
        Anyway, even though the drama is too idealistic, it can only be set up via the central character like Ji Jin Hee as “The” acting president, as it explains all his decisions in the grand finale…
        And to me, as opposed to a principle acting president, we have the media, SNS and Korean citizen, they are very minor but very realistically portraited characters,… which is very interesting to watch.
        Hope you can give the drama and #teambluehouse another chance. ^^

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    This is one of the if not the greatest shows of all time.

    I will always say this was the exception and not the norm for programming.

    Network execs really have to stop thinking about the 18-35 demo and also thinking that demo is stupid and cannot and will not following a series and the material in it.

    SKY Castle.

    The World of The Married.

    You can’t ignore those numbers and the audience. Mature cast members with mature material and, the world did not end.

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    How gory is it?
    I have only avoided the show for this one reason. I once watched ep 3 and didn’t find it really exceptional but still gory and couldn’t get myself to continue it. But I’m looking forward to it’s next season and I like the writer so I’m always interested to catch up but what will really be your score on how gory it is?

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      I’m guessing your question is addressed to the OP, but chiming in nonetheless — honestly, compared with other shows I have seen, I didn’t think this was gory *at all*!! In contrast – NOBODY KNOWS – a thriller from earlier this year which I really enjoyed, was gory in many bits.

      I think STRANGER is one of the best ever shows I have *ever* watched, across languages and formats. If you like the thriller genre, this will work for you in a blink. If you don’t like thrillers, *maybe* you may not enjoy it, although I personally believe this is a show that is so well made, its genre shouldn’t be a reason for skipping it.

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      I also don’t consider this gory. Although my rating scale might be subjective.
      I usually stay away from shows that are too graphic (although I couldn’t stay away from Kingdom lol. But that’s an exception and I basically watched it with one eye open, one closed).

      But this show is, I would say very very mild on the gore. Idk if it even warrants being called gore.

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    This is my favorite drama ever.

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