"Descendants of the Sun" rated 33%

"Descendants of the Sun" set another record.
According to Nielsen Korea, the KBS 2TV drama "Descendants of the Sun" rated 33%. This is 1.1% more than the previous record.
"Descendants of the Sun" has been setting new records for the past five episodes. The seventh episode set a record of 28.3%, the eighth episode 28.8%, the ninth episode 30.4% and tenth episode 31.6%.
With four more episodes to go, some say "Descendants of the Sun" can make it to 40%.
SBS "Please Come Back, Mister" rated 3.8% and MBC "Goodbye Mr. Black" rated 4.6%.
Source : tvdaily.asiae.co.kr/r...
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"Please Come Back, Mister" Episode 12 recap

So, it turns out that Hong-nan is not just some random identity that Gi-tak made up to explain how his new female body could know so much about Gi-tak's life. Hong-nan is, in fact, Gi-tak's actual estranged sister from childhood, and by sheer dumb coincidence, it turns out that Da-hye is the real Hong-nan. If you're wondering why this revelation is important, well, keep wondering. All "Please Come Back, Mister" does with this new information is set up a few tender scenes.
At least the tender scenes in "Please Come Back, Mister" manage to be some of the better ones. Da-hye and I-yeon both have moments where they see Yeong-soo and Gi-tak via their souls rather than their currently inhabited corporeal bodies. I like these scenes because they really help get across how, to these women, Yeong-soo and Gi-tak were very important men. In life, Yeong-soo and Gi-tak were steady emotional forces who were capable of grounding bad situations and making them bearable.
It is, at times, difficult to reconcile these nostalgic views of Yeong-soo and Gi-tak with the often childish versions who do stuff like get into petty stupid fights for no reason except comedy, I guess. "Please Come Back, Mister" used to get some interesting staging out of switching between actors so as to contrast how radically different Yeong-soo and Gi-tak's encounters look in their minds compared to what other people actually see. Not much of that here, though.
The driving point of the drama also remains elusive. Yeong-soo even manages to reference the fact that he's going to have to leave again in the immediate future, and this too fares poorly with further scenes that make Ji-hoon look sympathetic. You know, bribery issue notwithstanding, Ji-hoon doesn't seem like that bad a guy. His romancing Da-hye is just a more reasonable version of Yeong-soo doing the same in Hae-joon's body, since Ji-hoon's still going to be around for awhile.
And there is of course the new plot twist we've gotten to by the end, which does at least have the potential to be interesting. I couldn't help but notice, for example, that one inconsistency in Yeong-soo's Capraesque vision of the world in which he never existed. I'm a little impressed that Han-na was able to figure it out on her own, but how else can we explain the fact that the daughter seems so much smarter than the father?
Review by William Schwartz
"Please Come Back, Mister" is directed by Sin Yoon-seob, written by Noh Hye-yeong and features Rain Kim Soo-ro, Kim In-kwon, Oh Yeon-seo, Lee Min-jeong, Lee Honey, Choi Won-yeong, Yoon Park and more

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"Descendants of the Sun" Episode 12 recap

"Descendants of the Sun" is a master at sparking emotion. No matter how illogical the plot may become, the emotional barometer is insanely high. This must be why Nielsen Korean is clocking this drama at 33% for episode 12, a whole 1.1% higher than last night's episode. Wow. It is the human element that "Descendants of the Sun" is really learning to master that makes is so addictive - for me and the rest of the world.

Before I go any further I have to say, "Oh my gosh, the feels!" This show delivers in every way. Sure, the situations are ridiculously absurd. Who can disarm a bomb by shooting it? Yoo Si-jin can! He can also take on several armed men without a single military or civilian casualty. But with that said, the entire montage was pregnant with poignant tension that was due very much to the gifted Song Joong-ki. Billions of people all over the world are fans of his for a reason. Many actors are handsome. Few can manipulate a camera frame with a twitch of a facial muscle and a well-placed tear. Song Joong-ki can. He did. Multiple times.

There was a moment he cried over killing a comrade turned foe. Their relationship while Argus was alive didn't reflect much friendship, at least on David Argus' side. Si-jin's struggle to cope with the death, however, was raw and moving. It was what  made him so wonderful in "Nice Guy" despite the horrors of that plot.

And we must turn from the heartbreaker Song Joong-ki to world beauty Song Hye-kyo. It would be a crime to relegate her to "mere beauty" status. She takes what could be a very annoying character and turns her into a troubled woman with a big decision to make. Bravo, Song Hye-kyo. Mo-yeon sees the danger Si-jin puts himself in for his country and his people. It terrifies her and her old, lasting fears over their relationship bubble to the surface. Unlike the beginning, however, she takes time to really think about his devotion to her, and to his country and what his work means to him. And to her. Song Hye-kyo shows the difficult of this process. Mo-yeon comes to the conclusion that she wants to be a honest with possible with Si-jin and that he does everything he does, mainly lie to her and disappear on dates, to protect her and their countrymen. It's a lot to grasp, and she does it. She also asks him to be honest about the danger he's in, which is more than a fair request. I forgive her for getting on my nerves before. We do get a swirling camera kiss between them that was probably ridiculously expensive to film. But the best moment is just after she accepts him fully, and they hug - a full body, comforting hug. No mind blowing kiss scene. It's raw and real. Yes!

The romance in this show is finally worth all the hype. We have three very different romances. The sappy sweet love between Dae-yeong and Myeong-joo; the earnest romance between Si-jin and Mo-yeon; and the puppy love between two friends turned something more between Nurse Ha and the hilarious Doctor Song. He was a show stealer with his snarky comments, joking, and joining the shirtless soldiers for their morning jog. All three will certainly be tested now that everyone is back in Korea. As will the friendships between the medical workers and the military folk.

Chi-hoon receives a true white flag from the construction worker he left behind during the earthquake rescue and I can see a bromance in their future. Please, oh please, let that happen. The friendships in "Descendants of the Sun" are just as strong as the romance.

Aside from the hard-to-believe military operation at the beginning of the episode, this was one of the strongest episodes to date. It's a drama about people, and Writer Kim really knows how to pull a few heart strings. She pulled mine, if you couldn't tell.

What did you all think? Did this episode make you melt? Are you cheering on our couples and friends?

Written by: Raine from 'Raine's Dichotomy'

"Descendants‬ of the Sun" is directed by Lee Eung-bok, Baek Sang-hoon, written by Kim Eun-sook and Kim Won-seok-II, and features Song Joong-ki, Song Hye-kyo, Jin Goo, and Kim Ji-won-I.

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'Goodbye Mr. Black' episode 6 recap

"Goodbye Mr. Black" Lee Jin-wook and Lee Jin-wook met again and shared the thrilling moment.
On the 6th episode of MBC's Wednesday & Thursday drama, "Goodbye Mr. Black", Kim Swan (Lee Jin-wook) gave a surprise hug to Black (Lee Jin-wook), who showed up in front of her.
Kim Swan was about to get into her car parked underground after she finished her work. At the moment, the lights went off in the underground parking lot and Kim Swan felt something's wrong and tried to hide.
Cha Ji-won showed up in front of Kim Swan all of sudden. Cha Ji-won said, "We will get noticed because of you" and Kim Swan gave him a big hug and smiled while telling him, "I knew you'd be back alive".
Five years ago, the two acted like a married a couple in Thailand and then split. Now that the duo met each other again in Korea in five years, how the storyline move forward is drawing attention.

Source : www.newsen.com/news_v...
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Descendants of the Sun" rated 31.9%

"Descendants of the Sun" set another record.
According to Nielsen Korea, the KBS 2TV drama "Descendants of the Sun" rated 31.9%. This is 0.3% more than the tenth episode.
MBC "Goodbye Mr. Black" rated 5.1% and SBS "Please Come Back, Mister" rated 3.3%.

Source : starin.edaily.co.kr/n...
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"Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul-ho" Episode 2 recap

"Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul-ho" has had one pretty impressive first week with episode two continuing to build our characters and their strengths and weaknesses, giving us a better look into our villains and delivering on the comedy as well. Most importantly, it is potentially a major turning point for Deul-ho and Eun-jo, showing us a glimpse into their future together.
The episode delivers some well-paced progression. Deul-ho (Park Shin-yang) now has Ae-ra (Hwang Seok-jeong) and Dae-soo (Park Won-sang) working with him, and he is getting back his groove in court despite some hilarious mistakes. We also get a glimpse into what makes our villains tick. Ji-wook (Ryoo Soo-yeong) feels inferior and wants to prove himself to his father, Sin Yeong-il (Kim Kap-soo). Yeong-il is motivated by success. Both are slaves to the Big Bad, played by Jeong Won-joong, because neither of them can see it hurts them and their relationship.

Episode 2 sets the foundation for our leads' upcoming internal conflicts. Deul-ho still has confidence, but he is angry and very emotional, which makes him a loose canon. He is too selfish and too driven by revenge over the events the new case is related to. His feelings of guilt and frustration make him forget that he is holding a person's life in his hands. The man is still haunted by the death of his beloved friend, however, so all hope is not lost.
Eun-jo (Kang So-ra) is kind and has a rookie's energy, respect for rules and will for work, but she is too naive. She clearly has a loving family and she lives in a world where superiors always look out for you and where justice always wins. Her biggest flaw is that she lacks faith in herself, so she plays it safe, even if that is not what is good for her client. She is essentially blind to people as individuals and trusts the established order.

This makes the episode's ending a remarkably profound moment for her and Deul-ho. For the first time, Byeon Ji-sik (Kim Gi-cheon) was not a tool in Deul-ho's revenge. He was a human being who had faith in him. To him, his lawyer was hope for salvation and justice. Deul-ho saw that and the realization of his responsibility hit him hard. Eun-jo had a similar revelation. For all her efforts and kindness, her client does not trust her.
It is some pretty riveting storytelling. I want to see Eun-jo's innocence and faith in a working, honest system collapse, but be replaced by determination to make it a reality. I want to see Deul-ho realize the importance of being a hero, rather than an avenger. They both have something the other lacks and they have good people around them to support them as they grow and learn how to become lawyers who earn and deserve people's trust.
What did you think about the first two episodes, folks? You can tell how much I liked them, but I would love to read what you have to say. Are you watching "Jackpot" or "Monster - 2016" as well?
"Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul-ho" is directed by Lee Jung-seob, written by Lee Hyang-hee and features Park Shin-yang, Kang So-ra, Ryoo Soo-yeong and Park Sol-mi.
Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

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"Please Come Back, Mister" Episode 11 recap

Week after week I watch "Please Come Back, Mister" mostly just feeling a little puzzled about the way the story progresses. Yeong-soo romancing his wife shortly after his death in a new man's body. That's pretty unaccountably weird, and most of the early part of this episode is just dedicated to that rather unusual and somewhat unsettling prompt. As a romantic comedy, "Please Come Back, Mister" is consistently more funny strange than it is funny ha-ha.
The relationship can't go anywhere since sooner or later Yeong-soo will have to go the afterlife. That leaves the villains for making dynamic conflict, and they're hamstrung in this effort by their unusually passive personalities. Jae-gook seems perplexed every time the main characters undermine his plans. I find it rather odd how he started "Please Come Back, Mister" out as a blackmailer yet ever since then he's just been a generally unlikable person who's trying to do a good job. Measured in profits, anyway, which is all department stores generally care about, but even so he's more goal-oriented than focused on vendettas.
Ji-hoon also comes off unintentionally sympathetic, bad attitude notwithstanding. He pieces together the various inconsistencies regarding Jae-hoon, Hong-nan, and the way these two characters relate to the lifes of Yeong-soo and Gi-tak. I was actually expecting writer Noh Hye-yeong to go the route of "what happens if an unrelated person discovers that Yeong-soo and Gi-tak have reincarnated into new bodies" and the storyline we get instead ends up being even weirder than that.
The big secret reveal is strange less because it's bizarre (technically I think it was foreshadowed a few times) and more because I have no idea what purpose it's supposed to serve in the context of the narrative. This knowledge does not change anyone's outlook on currently ongoing schemes except to the extent it makes some of the main characters appear dishonest. The relationships between the principals are mostly unaffected, as is their overall motivation.
That much, admittedly, is a bit of an iffy statement mainly because the motivation in "Please Come Back, Mister" has never really been pointed in the direction of a single significantly well-driven overall conflict. This is especially true since at some point Yeong-soo and Gi-tak are going to have to disappear without explanation. Unless...actually, several implausible scenarios do come to mind. Scenarios I would not have previously considered seriously except that, well, the production team seems willing to try just about anything at this point.
Review by William Schwartz
"Please Come Back, Mister" is directed by Sin Yoon-seob, written by Noh Hye-yeong and features Rain Kim Soo-ro, Kim In-kwon, Oh Yeon-seo, Lee Min-jeong, Lee Honey, Choi Won-yeong, Yoon Park and more

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"Descendants of the Sun" Episode 11 recap

"Descendants of the Sun" tries to pack in a lot of action by having our heroes face weapons trafficking, plagues, gun standoffs, earthquakes, kidnapping, and politics. No matter what happens, this show seems destined to best itself - and it did. It came 0.3% higher than the last episode at 31.9%. More than anything, however, it was the acting in this episode by our leads that made it worthy of that rating.

Jin Goo proved his mettle as his expressed Dae-yeong's worry for Myeong-joo with previously unparalleled intensity. It was his version of the Song Joong-ki intensity that made the "Nice Guy" and "A Werewolf Boy" star so famous. The man truly deserves his many CF offers and his place in the sun along with the rest of the "Descendants of the Sun" cast. Not to mention that Song Joong-ki brings back the stare that made him a chilling Ma-ru in "Nice Guy".

The secondary couple found in Doctor Song and Nurse Ha is completely winsome in their grudging affection and respect for each other. They may be my favorite couple because seriously, they are just so cute. Also, Chi-hoon's moral dilemma came to a poignant catharsis as he finally learned to put his patient above himself, and deliver a sound medical call and execute it. He earned the respect of the patient he wrong and began to respect himself. I do wish he would consider his wife and child more, but a man who can't respect himself won't be a functional husband or father.

In general, I liked this episode more than the past few. Yes, a lot of things tend to happen in this drama, but this episode balanced plausible occurrences in a third world country. Deviants try to gain control via nefarious means (i.e. Argus), illness spreads like wildfire, medicines are hard to come by, and it's difficult for those sent to help to be away from home. Of course a lot of what happens is a bit out there, but in Korean drama, some leeway must be given, especially when Jin Goo goes berserk and beats up a bunch of bad guys. That's just cool.

A few random likes and pet peeves of mine. I love the cello version of Gummy's song. Why didn't Fatima scream when she was shot? A piece of tape isn't going to hide a scream of pain. Argus is no longer truly scary because David McInnis delivers lines like The Joker and his plans don't seem very well thought out. He just blazes in with his illegal arms and expects everything to go his way.

HanCinema viewers, what did you think about the events of this episode compared to those of the previous episodes? How did you like all the different romantic lines? Did the Song Joong-ki stare and Jin Goo tears get to you like they got to me? Let me know in the comments below!


Written by: Raine from 'Raine's Dichotomy'

"Descendants‬ of the Sun" is directed by Lee Eung-bok, Baek Sang-hoon, written by Kim Eun-sook and Kim Won-seok-II, and features Song Joong-ki, Song Hye-kyo, Jin Goo, and Kim Ji-won-I.

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'Goodbye Mr. Black' episode 5 recap

On the 5th episode of MBC's "Goodbye Mr. Black", Cha Ji-won (Lee Jin-wook) returned alive and Kim Swan (Moon Chae-won) investigated hard to cover a case as a reporter working for Panda Newspaper.
Swan received a phone call from Go Seong-min (Lee Won-jong), who informed her that someone was involved with the situation of Cheonggyesan.
She disguised herself as a server in the casino to access the internal information. Her bold approach to investigate a case as a reporter drew attention.

Source : chicnews.mk.co.kr/art...
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"Jackpot" rated 12.2%

Jang Geun-seok beat Park Shin-yang by a little.
According to Nielsen Korea, the SBS drama "Jackpot" rated 12.2%. This is 0.4% more than the previous episode. It exceeded the new KBS 2TV drama "Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul-ho".
"Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul-ho" rated 11.4% which is 1.3% more than the previous episode. However, it wasn't enough to beat "Jackpot".
Meanwhile, MBC "Monster - 2016" rated 7.0%.
Source : www.tenasia.co.kr/arc...
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'Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul-ho' episode 2 recap

On the second episode of KBS 2TV's Monday & Tuesday drama, 'Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul-ho' Jo Deul-ho (Park Shin-yang) became in charge of a defendant of an arson-murder case that had happened three years ago.
Three years ago, Jo Deul-ho had destroyed all the evidences of the crime that Chairman Jeong (Jeong Won-joong)'s son had committed and ordered a stay of proceedings. It was the same case coincidentally. Jo Deul-ho still had all the evidences of the tire traces he had investigated at the time.
Jo Deul-ho went to see the defendant and told him, "You should become a witness" and gave him the keywords, "I saw a car. A man in his 20s". He told the defendant to memorize the words. Lee Eun-jo (Kang So-ra) yelled, "What are you doing" and tried to stop Jo Deul-ho. However, he still asked the defendant to follow his instruction. The defendant in the court could remember what he had witnessed actually at the time. He testified, "His physique was lean and looked cool. I thought what brought a person like him to a place like this".
Based on what he said, Jo Deul-ho claimed that the defendant was not the criminal and submitted the tire traces to the court as the evidences.
Sin Ji-wook (Ryoo Soo-yeong) asked the defendant. "Did anyone ask you to say what you just said?" The defendant yelled, "I saw him. I told you people. I told you so many times. But all of you drove me to look like a stupid idiot" and "But, only that person, that lawyer believed what I said, He's the only one who believed me". And then he finally broke down in tears.

Source : tvdaily.asiae.co.kr/r...
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'Monster - 2016' episode 2 recap

On the second episode of MBC's Monday & Tuesday drama, "Monster - 2016", Ok Chae-ryeong (Lee El) rescued Lee Gook-cheol (Gi-kwang).
On this day, Lee Gook-cheol found out that Byeon Il-jae (Jeong Bo-seok) was plotting to imprison him in a mental hospital.
Ok Chae-ryeong disguised herself as a laundry maid and showed up in front of Lee Gook-cheol. Ok Chae-ryeong whispered to Lee Gook-cheol, "I came to rescue you". Ok Chae-ryeong hid Lee Gook-cheol in a laundry cart and the two sneaked out of the hospital.
"Monster - 2016" is a romance drama depicting beautiful love that blossoms in the midst of the murky circumstances surrounded by disgusting bare faces of the privileged class and a revenge by a man, who was forced to lose everything including his family and his future.

Source : stoo.asiae.co.kr/news...
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"Jackpot" Episode 2 recap

"Jackpot" is once again the highest rated of the new shows at 12.2% for episode 2. From the outside, the drama is all glitz and glitter: beautiful choreography, stunning naturescapes, keen camera storytelling. But its insides are messier: jumpy character sketches, repetitive themes, and illogical schemes. These may work themselves out with time as many introductory episodes can lack clarity in the rush to introduce the drama.

This drama is going the way of most sageuk, or historical dramas, in that it is focusing on the backstory of the main characters before it delivers the handsome leads in their fullest glory. We may not see Jang Geun-seok and Yeo Jin-goo for another episode or two yet. But we are getting a lot of Lee Moon-sik as the pathetic Baek Man-geum. Man-geum is not a likeable character in the least. He's a grovelling, erratic, and disgusting human being. Played by any other actor, it would be impossible to empathize with him. Luckily, they casted Lee who brings out the best in this repulsive man and who managed to make me feel sorry for him at certain points. Gambling is indeed an illness, but it doesn't make throwing one's baby over a waterfall any less horrifying.

Yeon Jin-seo as Bok-soon is less moving. It could be that her character either yells or cries in every scene, which makes it hard to truly like her. Bok-soon is certainly easy enough to empathize with, but that isn't enough. I feel distanced from her. The plot point circling around her baby that is almost definitely Man-geum's and not the king's could feel much more severe had it been handled better. Instead, the entire thing felt trite with In-jwa somehow knowing the truth of the baby's status without any research, or the king taking Bok-soon in because he couldn't deny his nether regions. A child that isn't the king's is a severe offence, but it felt like a rushed mystery novel rather than a point of contention.

Then there in In-jwa's "noble" cause. He aims to rid Joseon of the corrupt by killing and maiming and lying and cheating. He kills I-soo and then cries over the death. Had they not pussy-footed around the life and death battle in the sumptuously beautiful bamboo grove, perhaps the death would've had more impact. Two men who care for each other are forced to stand as enemies. That's good stuff! But drawing it out as it was deflated the scene like a popped balloon.

I'm hoping that the anticipated introduction of Jang Geun-seok and Yeo Jin-goo will remedy the plodding pace and the awkward attempts to incorporate gambling into these first episodes.

What do you think, HanCinema viewers? Do you agree with me? Or perhaps I was too harsh? Did the premiere of "Jackpot" have you jumping in your seat? Or, were you feeling less than thrilled?

Written by: Raine from 'Raine's Dichotomy'

"Jackpot" is directed by Nam Geon, written by Kwon Soon-gyoo, and features Jang Geun-seok, Yeo Jin-goo, Jeon Kwan-ryeol, Choi Min-soo, Lim Ji-yeon, and Yoon Jin-seo.

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"Nightmare Teacher" Episodes 1-4 recap

Ye-rim (played by Kim So-hyeon-I) and Sang-woo (played by Lee Min-hyeok-I) are a couple of high school students who get on each other's nerves in a way that obviously shows they like each other, even if they won't admit it. But that's not the kind of drama "Nightmare Teacher" is. Ye-rim and Sang-woo are just observers in an anthology story, one where Bang-goo (played by Eom Gi-joon) engimatically offers students the means to achieve their dreams. Or does he?
In a pattern that appears to be a sticking point for "Nightmare Teacher", the first fifteen episode develops the characters and the problem, where as the second fifteen minute episode shows the student actually try to use Bang-goo's artifact with predictably ambiguous results. Eventually left in a situation where retreat is impossible, the student is left to a suitably ominous fate, trapped and twisted as their own initially well-meaning designs take on a turn for the morbid.
Not that morbid, fortunately. Which is funny, because both of the initial stories deal with bullying. First the emotional kind, then the type that's based on physical intimidation. "Nightmare Teacher" doesn't gloss over the general misery involved in being the victim of bullying, yet at the same time we see the victims transform from being positive, sympathetic people to the exact same kind of generally cruel person who provoked their desire to ask for Bang-goo's help in the first place.
As storytelling goes so far "Nightmare Teacher" seems satisfied just making a note of how we ought to be careful what we wish for. In that respect the drama certainly has its moments. To date my personal favorite has been the sense of escalation in the fourth episode. It's kind of like watching someone try to win a video game with an underpowered character and having to resort to cheating with increasingly cheap tricks in order to do so. I've tried to do that in the past. It's a bad habit, and "Nightmare Teacher" offers a good reason why that's a bad idea.
Beyond that I'm mostly left wondering as to what the overarching theme is going to be. While the anthology element is interesting enough on its own, Ye-rim and Sang-woo's constant flitting presence in the story, coupled with their observation that two seats are empty at the end of the fourth episode, seems to indicate they're going to have some sort of confrontation with Bang-goo. I can only hope that, in the best anthology tradition, they're going to beat him at his own game.
Review by William Schwartz
"Nightmare Teacher" is directed by Hyeon Moon-seob , written by Hyeon Moon-seob and Jeong Yoo-seok-I and features Eom Gi-joon, Kim So-hyeon-I, Lee Min-hyeok-I and Seo Sin-ae.

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"Click Your Heart" Episode 1-4 recap

The prologue of "Click Your Heart" sets up Min-ah (played by Kwom Min-ah) as a high school girl whose acquaintances have this bad habit of falling into very unfortunate...accidents. Not that this is given much focus. "Click Your Heart" makes a point of prioritizing concept. Two clicks later from you the viewer, and Min-ah will have a boyfriend. On the A Path, the choices are baseball player Ro-woon (played by Kim Ro-woon) and childhood friend Da-won (played by Lee Da-won). Similarities to idols entirely coincidental, of course.
One part of "Click Your Heart" I like is just how boiled down to essentials it is. It's not really that important that Da-won is Min-ah's childhood friend, and then in their final episode we get elaborate flashbacks to childhood dreams and promises with adorable kid actors. This feels so out of nowhere as to be laughable. Yet I understood perfectly well what was going on because really, aren't high school romance tropes all mostly the same anyway?
Writer Kim Bo-yeon-I has really nailed down the essentials of the genre here. "Click Your Heart" reminds me of those single chapter themed webtoons that read more like prologues than self-contained stories but really, what difference does it make why the grumpy athlete is grumpy? His style is to be grumpy because that's how he gets a girlfriend is by suddenly transitioning to a direct, highly interested attitude.
Ro-woon and Da-won are pretty good comparison points because they represent completely different kinds of fantasies. The former inspires faith through sheer confidence, whereas the latter is a guy you can spill your heart to. It's also funny how the "choice" Min-ah makes to decide between the two is not necessarily intuitive. Which teen romance cliché is the most likely to provoke the right reaction from the right guy, and which one will end up taking the story in a completely different direction?
While it's kind of nice that "Click Your Heart" makes every shipping choice a valid option, I do feel a little sad knowing that in three of the possible four realities Da-won doesn't get what he wants. Although it's appropriate that trying to watch only three episodes of "Click Your Heart" creates a kind of tunnel vision. Whoever Min-ah ends up with, she's not looking at the other guys anymore. So it is with Ro-woon that it's just baseball, baseball, baseball, even if so far public embarrassment looks to be de rigueur.
Review by William Schwartz
"Click Your Heart" is irected by Min Doo-sik, written by Kim Bo-yeon-I and features Kwon Min-ah, Baek Ju-ho, Kang Chan-hee, Kim Ro-woon, Lee Da-won, Kim Hwi-young and more...

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"Jackpot" rated 11.8%

"Jackpot" came in first.
According to Nielsen Korea, the new SBS drama "Jackpot" rated 11.8% on the 29th. This is 0.5% less than the first episode of "Six Flying Dragons" but still in first place.
MBC drama "Monster - 2016" rated 7.3% and the KBS 2TV drama "Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul-ho" came in second with 10.1%.
"Jackpot" depicts the forgotten son Dae-gil and his brother Yeon-ing/Yeong-jo (Yeo Jin-goo) and their battle for love.

Source : tvdaily.asiae.co.kr/r...
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"Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul-ho" Episode 1 recap

"Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul-ho" is here and he aims to seek justice with every fiber of his homeless attire. He will troll you into submission and make you pay for your wrongdoings - in servings of spare ribs. Park Shin-yang is in town, folks, and he is back with quite the entrance. There is no better indication of a promising show than laughing, crying, cheering and fangirling all in one episode.
Episode one is a roller coaster ride of emotions and exposition. We get to know our hero's roots, where life has taken him and we get to see just how wrong things can go and why. The why is simple and something we have seen many times before. A guy holding hands with less-than-honest people decides to be honest for once and pays for it dearly. The show might be upbeat and deliver plenty of laughs, but it is also very raw and ruthless with its portrayed reality.

In other words, Jo Deul-ho (Park Shin-yang) cannot buy a break. He is betrayed by fellow prosecutors, including Sin Ji-wook (Ryoo Soo-yeong) and even his wife, Jang Hae-kyeong (Park Sol-mi). Then comes life on the streets and as if that were not enough, he loses his little brother figure by the end, too. Yet there is one thing Deul-ho has which keeps him going. He is a freak. He is a freak in the nicest way possible. Seeing a relentless, kind, and yet flawed hero fight for justice is something anyone, anywhere can root for. And root for him you will.
"Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul-ho" perfectly hits the sweet spot between comedic and somber, between characterization and plot progression. Speaking of those characters, what a hoot they all are. You know you are witnessing something special when you see a loan shark give free money to someone out of pity. And when our leading lady, Lee Eun-jo (Kang So-ra) gets a man (you can guess who) arrested and then offers to represent him for the same case. The cast does a great job with their roles and the chemistry is popping and sizzling all around.

If I have one complaint at this point, it is that Eun-jo did not get much screen time and development. She is lovely and a weirdo herself, despite acting scandalized by Deul-ho's unsavory manners, but she is still very much your typical bubbly, hardworking gal. She does offer a nice contrast, but she can do that with more development as well.
"Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul-ho" is the type of series which makes me the most afraid. It is a vibrant, fresh, unapologetically forward and fun show. It is also exactly what Dramaland usually manages to ruin the most by turning it into a sob-fest and killing what makes it so great. I really hope it will not be tempted this time. Can we please have nice things, Dramaland? Pretty please? I will give you a spare rib if you say yes.
"Neighborhood Lawyer Jo Deul-ho" is directed by Lee Jung-seob, written by Lee Hyang-hee and features Park Shin-yang, Kang So-ra, Ryoo Soo-yeong and Park Sol-mi.
Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

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"Jackpot" episode 1 recap

Sook-jong (Choi Min-soo) became a gambler to have Sook-bin Choi (Yoon Jin-seo).
On the first episode of the new SBS drama "Jackpot", Sook-jong fell in love with Bok-soon who later becomes Sook-bin Choi at first sight so he challenged her husband Baek Man-geum (Lee Moon-sik) to a gamble.
Bok-soon lost her family to an epidemic disease and lived in the palace as a maid but was carried away by Lee Moon-sik and married him. Lee In-ja (Jeon Kwang-ryeol) noticed that Bok-soon was suffering from poverty because of her gambling husband and wanted her to become Sook-jong's wife.
Sook-jong fell in love with her at first sight. He gambled with Baek Man-geum for her. Baek Man-geum lost everything he had put on the line in the beginning so he bet his wife.
Sook-jong told him, "You have no excuse if you lose Bok-soon. Since you bet such a precious person on this game, let me bet some silver". Sook-jong was victorious.
In the process, Sook-jong created the silvers himself and also offered Baek Man-geum drinks to make him lose his focus.

Source : stoo.asiae.co.kr/news...
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"Monster - 2016" episode 1 recap

"Monster - 2016" Kang Ji-hwan appeared in a shocking way.
On the first episode of the new MBC drama "Monster - 2016", Kang Ji-hwan made his first appearance as Kang Ki-tan.
The drama started in the winter of 2010. Kang Ki-tan got on the subway dressed as a beggar. With his poor eyesight, he tripped while begging the passengers for money.
The narration went on, "It's complicated but there are only two kinds of people in this world. One kind are the chosen ones who fit into the top 1% of this society and the rest are the 99% who are controlled by them. Currently, I am at the lowest level of those people with nowhere else to go".
"I have no plans to die. I mustn't die, I can't die and I won't die. I can't give up this pitiful life because I need to take revenge on that one person who took everything, including my family from me".

Source : www.newsen.com/news_v...
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"Marriage Contract" rated 20.4%

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"Marriage Contract" Lee Seo-jin and UEE get complicated

2016/03/27 | 882 views | 0 Comment | Permalink | Source

"Marriage Contract" increased in ratings.
According to Nielsen Korea, the MBC weekend drama "Marriage Contract" rated 20.4%.
This is 2.0% more than the previous episode.
On the eight episode of "Marriage Contract", Han Ji-hoon (Lee Seo-jin) had to obey his father's orders for his mother Oh Mi-ran's (Lee Hwi-hyang) transplant. In the process, he had to get engaged again to Seo Na-yoon (Kim Yoo-ri-I) and push out Kang Hye-soo (UEE).
MBC drama "Happy Home" rated 14.4%, SBS "Yeah, That's How It Is" rated 10.1%, "Mrs. Cop 2" 9.6% and KBS 2TV "Five Children" 28.2%.

Source : tvdaily.asiae.co.kr/r...
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"Marriage Contract" Episode 8 recap

Now that Seong-gook has a good idea of what Ii-hoon is doing, the older man feels that it's necessary to create order and force Ji-hoon to make proper personal sacrifices for the greater good. This, of course, is complete nonsense, but Ji-hoon lacks the force of will necessary to really fight about this point. After all, provided it's possible that Ji-hoon can have everything he wants, isn't that close enough to happiness?
Seong-gook's ideas regarding happiness are strangely mechanical, and frequently completely disregard the actual emotions of the people involved. Observe how Seong-gook continues to see Hye-soo as a simple pawn of the greater scheme, rather than a woman who's clearly motivated by more than just the promise of a paycheck. Seong-gook has trouble seeing that people can have complex motivations. As Ji-hoon points out, even if he did like Hye-soo as a woman, Seong-gook wouldn't believe him anyway.

It's sad watching Ji-hoon struggle with his feelings, because it's harder for him to hold back the more he's bullied into being a wretched jerk. By agreeing to Seong-gook's terms Ji-hoon is betraying Jeong-hoon. While they don't have an especially close relationship, at the same time, Ji-hoon doesn't like picking fights for no reason. It's noteworthy how he does finally manage to fight here for Hye-soo's sake, mainly out of the feeling that she doesn't deserve to be wrapped up in this mess.
All of this is farly typical melodrama. Yet as melodrama, "Marriage Contract" is quite well done precisely because there aren't any especially unusual bells or whistles attached. There's no convoluted logic. For Ji-hoon, he's simply being forced by his father to do things he does not want to do out of obligation and fear. There's no tangible reason for Ji-hoon to feel cowed by his father except for the social order, yet that alone is a pretty powerful motivator.
The overall love story Ji-hoon is moving into with Hye-soo feels like it's going to be a repudiation of these unhealthy ideals. Ji-hoon is increasingly being made to feel more shame and discomfort, and this is motivating him to admit that there are huge problems with his social relationships that can't be solved by cynical manipulation via the art of the deal. Logic isn't good enough- there has to be a compelling reason. Like with Joo-yeon. Her getting a romantic subplot just because is lacking. Better motivation is needed.
Review by William Schwartz
"Marriage Contract" is directed by Kim Jin-min-I, written by Jeong Yoo-kyeong and features Lee Seo-jin, UEE, Kim Yong-geon, Park Jeong-soo, Lee Hwi-hyang and Kim Yeong-pil.

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"Yeah, That's How It Is" episode 14 recap

Nam Gyoo-ri showed just how bubbly she is in "Yeah, That's How It Is".
On the fourteenth episode of the SBS drama "Yeah, That's How It Is", Yoo Se-hee (Yoon Soy) vented to Yoo So-hee (Shin So-yul) and Lee Na-yeong (Nam Gyoo-ri) about how upset she was to discover Han Hye-kyeong (Kim Hae-sook) trying to give up her room to Yoo Se-hyeon (Jo Han-seon) and his bride-to-be Yoo-ri (Wang Ji-hye).
Lee Na-yeong listened to Yoo Se-hee and said, "That's nothing. I went to see an audition and got my clothes torn up. Does this comfort you?"
Lee Na-yeong took Yoo Se-hee and Yoo So-hee to a karaoke and sang her heart out. However, the other two looked bored. Lee Na-yeong heated things up with some upbeat songs sang comically in Chinese, making them smile.

Source : tvdaily.asiae.co.kr/r...
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"Mrs. Cop 2" episode 8 recap

Kim Beom is close to getting arrested.
On the eighth episode of the SBS weekend drama "Mrs. Cop 2", Lee Ro-joon (Kim Beom) turned out to be behind the Ha Seong-woo case.
Ko Yoon-jeong's (Kim Seong-ryeong) team took over Ha Seong-woo's case. Ko Yoon-jeong told her team, "I think Lee Ro-joon is the criminal". The team asked her why and she told them that she saw him at the scene of the crime.
She then confessed to making a deal with Lee Ro-joon who had called her to the wine bar to prevent his name from being leaked to the media. Ko Yoon-jeong had no intensions of making a deal with him but the fact that she was looking at top secret files was filmed and she had no choice.
The detective team and Ko Yoon-jeong set out to solve the case and found out that a witness had called in about Lee Ro-joon's crime. Ko Yoon-jeong had the witness come in for questioning. She said, "You saw Ha Seong-woo being killed but someone stopped you from making the report. What does that make of the dead Ha Seong-woo?" The witness cried as he stated the truth.
Ko Yoon-jeong headed to Lee Ro-joon after hearing the testimony and arrested him.
Lee Ro-joon scoffed at her while she took out her cuffs.

Source : tvdaily.asiae.co.kr/r...
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"Five Children" episode 12 recap

Ahn Jae-wook and So Yoo-jin have learned about each other's past and are sharing little things like going on dates but reality is preventing them from actually 'dating'.
The KBS 2TV drama "Five Children" depicts mostly Sang-tae (Ahn Jae-wook) whose wife died and Ahn Mi-jeong (So Yoo-jin) whose husband cheated on her and divorced him. They are a single daddy and single mom who have children.
They met on the same team at work and have fallen for each other. Sang-tae was worried about Mi-jeong who was being bothered by her ex-husband's family and Mi-jeong revealed her feelings about Sang-tae too. However, she had to hide her tears and smile in front of Sang-tae.
It was Sang-tae who cured her tears and allowed her to heal. He always saved her in times of trouble and Mi-jeong had no choice but to fall for him.

Just like that, they fell in love but it was reality that was a problem. Sang-tae lived with his in-laws and took care of his dead wife's parents. However, he was hesitant about starting things with Mi-jeong because of his dead wife.
Sang-tae started to ignore Mi-jeong. His mother and father-in-law were against his re-marriage and Sang-tae had to suppress his feelings for her. Mi-jeong's ex-husband Yoon In-cheol (Kwon O-joong) wouldn't leave her and kept bothering her.
Sang-tae and Mi-jeong have a long way to go but one thing is for sure; they like each other.

Source : www.osen.co.kr/articl...
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