"Hospital Ship" episodes 3 - 4 recap

On the latest episode of the MBC drama "Hospital Ship", there was a rumor that Song Eun-jae (Ha Ji-won) was fired from the hospital she used to work at because of a medical accident.
The nurses and crew of the hospital shop yelled at Song Eun-jae to get off the hospital ship, but she just yelled right back. Captain Bang Seong-woo (Lee Han-wi) joined in the many requests to have Eun-jae removed, but she refused him as well. Then, she sat alone in a surgery room and ruminated over how she couldn't save that patient.
"Hospital Ship" can be seen every Wednesday and Thursday.

Source : www.topstarnews.net/d...
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"Reunited Worlds" episodes 27 - 28 recap

On the latest episode of the SBS drama "Reunited Worlds", Cha Min-joon (Ahn Jae-hyun) realized who Seong Hae-seong (Yeo Jin-goo) really was.
Cha Min-joon found Seong Hae-seong's picture in Jeong Jeong-won's (Lee Yeon-hee's) graduation album. Cha Min-joon was surprised to see that he looked the same then as he did now. He looked up articles about Seong Hae-seong and learned that he had died.
Cha Min-joon went to see Seong Hae-seong who told him, "It might be hard for you to believe, but my friends took me in. I felt bad for hiding this from you. I don't know why I am here or how I got here. I'm sorry I couldn't be truthful".
However, Cha Min-joon merely listened to what Seong Hae-seong had to say because he was in shock. Later, he said nothing when he saw Jeong Jeong-won and just walked away.

Source : sports.hankooki.com/l...
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"Single Wife" Episode 4 recap

Ra-hee makes a serious effort to embrace the inherently campy nature of "Single Wife" by coming up with a more elaborate scheme to get rid of Min-hong than anything yet tried. What Ra-hee does is, she makes a list of all the personal habits Min-hong despises the most, and does them intentionally to try and provoke him into initiating a final break-up. It's a pretty good extended montage, hitting all the beats from obvious nasty habits everyone hates to ones peculiar to Min-hong.
Yet for all this effort, Min-hong never buckles, or even raises his voice. I'm really appreciating how Min-hong is a man of apparently infinite patience. His character really stands out among the cast of "Single Wife" as being such an aggressive straight man. All the other actors are so bad at being kooky that Min-hong's moments of standing firm and refusing to show any emotion more profound than mild confusion comes off as a unique character trait in and of itself.
Which is not good, since that calls attention to how thinly drawn all the other characters are. I'm now convinced, given the wedding scene, that Ra-hee really just doesn't actually know what she wants in life. That she thinks marriage is about wearing a big pretty white dress and having a big ceremony rather than living with another person and putting up with their obnoxious habits...well, that just shows how Ra-hee is going about this in entirely the wrong way.
Jae-min is such a boring leading man I'm hard-pressed to see why Ra-hee or anyone else would care about him, save for the guy's money. Certainly he doesn't seem all that interested in what Ra-hee is doing. Min-hong asks around about Ra-hee, visits her in person, and even goes to the lengths of taking care of Ra-hee's family members. But what's Jae-min doing? Just messing around with his own dull business life subplot.
I mean really, that subplot doesn't even have any jokes as far as I can tell, so what's the point even? Hyo-rim was briefly interesting as the somewhat annoying elitist person brought in among the normal workers, but we haven't seen much of that culture clash since her initial appearance. "Single Wife" can be good when it buys into the conflict, when different characters want different things and have to come up with ways to negotiate their way out of that struggle. So why don't we get more of that?
Review by William Schwartz
"Single Wife" is directed by Jeong Yoon-soo, written by Lee In-hye-I, and features Eom Hyeon-kyeong, Sung Hyuk, Kwak Hee-sung, and Yuna.

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"Criminal Minds" Episode 12 recap

It bugs me sometimes just how obviously "Criminal Minds" is an adaptation of an American drama. While the death penalty is still a possible legal sentence in South Korea, there's been a moratorium on it for the last twenty years. It's just not a thing that happens, certainly not to the extent that people would have political demonstrations about it. I liked how listless the extras were holding their signs. Even they had no idea how someone could have a strong opinion on the subject.
I did like, though, that apparently South Korea still does execution by hanging. Was that in the original version (season one, episode fourteen for reference's sake)? I just found it funny that the death of obviously evil serial killer Yeong-hoon (played by Kong Jung-hwan) is clearly supposed to be just and good, but the whole hanging aspect makes it look barbaric. Oh you silly Koreans. Don't you know that state-sanctioned murder is supposed to happen via lethal injection, which can be horrifically more painful but we pretend it's better since it doesn't look as medieval?
The message is further muddled by how Yeong-hoon's wife Yeo-jin (played by Kim Ho-jeong) may be on death row unjustly. Emotionally we're supposed to like Yeo-jin more because, unlike Yeong-hoon, she seems thoughtful and nice. Legally speaking, though, any notion of her innocence seems pedantic, since Yeo-jin was at minimum an accomplice to Yeong-hoon's crimes, regardless of whether or not she killed anyone herself directly.
Which brings me to perhaps the most glaringly obvious question of all- why is all the conflict built around the notion of Yeo-jin's legal innocence when that is the job of lawyers, rather than criminal profilers? Why is the team even involved here in the first place? To find out if there were any extra victims? To collect more data for their criminal profiling database or experience subset or whatever?
No matter the reason, this is a pretty questionable story to do for the odd hour-and-a-half format "Criminal Minds" goes for every so often. Since Yeong-hoon dies by the end the only thing left to do is try and talk to Yeo-jin some more, and I can't see how the question of what Yeo-jin did to her son could possibly be relevant to any future cases. Unless it turns out that he became a serial killer too down the road. That would certainly be an interesting, if terrifying story direction, but I doubt the original "Criminal Minds" went there, so this one won't either.
Review by William Schwartz
"Criminal Minds" is directed by Lee Jeong-hyo and Yang Yoon-ho, written by Hong Seung-hyeon and features Son Hyun-joo, Lee Joon-gi, Moon Chae-won, Lee Sun-bin, Yoo Sun and Go Yoon.

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"Man-hole" Episode 7 - 8 recap

The affection that I'd started to build for "Man-Hole" last week has waned this week. Watching Pil and Soo-jin hem and haw over confessing their feelings to each other is getting old. Adding Jin-sook's unrequited love compounded that sentiment. What the manhole had built in terms of anticipation last week it dissipated this week.

Pil and Soo-jin spend quality time together and it's obvious to us and them that they like each other. Soo-jin knows (and has known for years) that Pil is too chicken to confess. When she finally gets around to doing it herself its too late. It seems that she should've done it much earlier. It pulled him from his shell. But, had she done it earlier, maybe the writer would've lost a few episodes of material. It feels like the show is running on empty and it's only episode 7.

What development we got from Seok-tae last episode was completely stopped in this one as we focused on a pining Pil, Soo-jin, and Jin-sook. Jin-sook was so wonderfully capable, forward, and unusual in dramaland for her competency. She has degenerated into typical second lead tropes, petty, pining, jealous. It's a big disappointment.

The one thing I do like is that all original tendencies make themselves known in each reality. Jae-hyun always finds Soo-jin. Jung-ae is always drawn to Dal-soo. I don't think Pil necessary needs to end up wth Soo-jin (which I don't think will happen. it's a rom-com after all.) I do think the boy needs some gumption, or, as my old cello teacher used to say, "some verve".

Onto episode 8 and hopefully "Man-Hole" will redeem itself.
Written by: Lisa Espinosa AKA Raine from 'Raine's Dichotomy'

"Man-Hole" is directed by Park Man-yeong, written by Lee Jae-gon and features Kim Jae-joong, UEE, Jung Hye-sung and 'Baro'.

"Single Wife" Episode 3 recap

It's odd Min-hong is continuously the most sympathetic character when he's so nosy, and annoying, and also literally the only reason "Single Wife" has any conflict at all. Mainly it's just that Min-hong is so darn cute and well-meaning. He's not even remotely jealous or suspicious. Shoot, Min-hong isn't even upset that Ra-hee freaks out about the prospect of him touching her. As far as Min-hong is concerned, everything should be done in such a way to maximize Ra-hee's comfort and happiness.
It's unfortunate that Ra-hee comes off as so unsympathetic by comparison, when she's the technical victim here. Actually, her character comes off as kind of dumb, or at least ignorant. Considering that Ra-hee was married to Min-hong for quite some time, we'd expect that Ra-hee would have a pretty good understanding of Min-hong's personality, knows what he would or would not do, and would plan accordingly. Instead, Ra-hee seems to know less about Min-hong than we do, which is odd.
Another problem with "Single Wife" is just the weird ragtime music. At the times, it sounds cute. But overuse of these eccentric instruments gets to be annoying. I'm not even sure what the names of these instruments are- that's how old-fashioned than they are. I think one of them is the sad trombone, just with a wider variety of implied emotional expression. This does not work all that well with the tone, which isn't really a situational comedy. The jokes mainly come from casual conversations, not the obvious absurdity of the situations.
Consider Jae-min's mother In-hwa (played by Yoon Ye-hee) who very briefly meets Ra-hee and then...we're in a rush to end the scene apparently. That's not how situation comedies are supposed to work. When two characters with wildly differing personalities and motivations are in the same general area, contrivances must appear to force them to talk to each other. That's where the jokes come from.
That's the main flaw with "Single Wife" right now - it's just not funny, when the concept is inherently absurd. Weirdly enough director Jeong Yoon-soo does seem to understand how to do dramatic scenes correctly. Or maybe that's just because Sung Hyuk is very good at making sad faces in a wide variety of contexts. Whatever the reason, "Single Wife" really needs to find a tone and just embrace it. The drama doesn't even need to be good- it's got all the right elements for camp, just so long as it's interesting.
Review by William Schwartz
"Single Wife" is directed by Jeong Yoon-soo, written by Lee In-hye-I, and features Eom Hyeon-kyeong, Sung Hyuk, Kwak Hee-sung, and Yuna.

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"Criminal Minds" Episode 11 recap

In one of the more interesting flourishes I've seen from "Criminal Minds" to date, the recap brings up previous cases which had psychological profile elements that are relevant to the main case here. I suppose that's one way to to create implied continuity. Even if "Criminal Minds" is not always the best at objective logic, if the internal logic is sound than we can at least get a good grasp on what's going on and correctly make assumptions about certain evidentiary implications and possible character reactions, while still knowing that there are lots of other unknowns out there.
And overall, this episode is just the right blend of predictability and unpredictability to keep everything engaging as a mystery. Min-yeong finally gets to do something useful. Her actions are not, admittedly, taken in the best circumstances, but the contrast is still good. The victims in "Criminal Minds" are normally so helpless it's difficult to see their stories as anything more than a thinly veiled excuse for torture porn.
That the drama has made frequent reference to actual torture porn, be it sexual or otherwise, doesn't especially help this comparison. It's just a very mixed message, you know, to insist that this kind of voyeurism is bad even while "Criminal Minds" is itself very flagrantly promoting that stuff for entertainment purposes. There's some pretty blatant hypocrisy in showing a character becoming mentally broken by torture porn.
I mean all right, the case is more complicated than that. And admittedly, that was another good idea thrown in here, was to make the villain sympathetic by portraying him as suffering from a mental illness. On a literal level, of course, all of the villains in "Criminal Minds" are crazy. It's an important part of the concept. Min-soo (played by Jung Tae-woo) stands out because he is trying, in a very bizarre and twisted way, to solve problems. That violent murder isn't actually a solution to any problem is an important part of his character conflict and illness.
All of this taken together makes for a reasonably compelling case- within the confines of the formula, as is to be expected. Mind, there are still plenty of flaws I doubt will ever be fixed entirely. Increasingly, I'm getting the impression that the only reason Na-hwang's character exists at all is so she can have horrified reaction shots at whatever awful thing the villain is doing this time. But hey, if Min-yeong got her moment, maybe one day Na-hwang will too.
Review by William Schwartz
"Criminal Minds" is directed by Lee Jeong-hyo and Yang Yoon-ho, written by Hong Seung-hyeon and features Son Hyun-joo, Lee Joon-gi, Moon Chae-won, Lee Sun-bin, Yoo Sun and Go Yoon.

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"Man-hole" Episode 6 recap

Episode 6 of "Man-Hole"wasn't as impactful as episode 5 was, perhaps because the change in tone had already been made. Or perhaps it was because it was more of Pil running around. What did happen was that another set of manhole rules came into play and Pil's friends witnessed the magic of the manhole.

Personalities of all the characters have stayed the same throughout these changes, plus or minus years of maturity depending on which part of Pil's timeline we are in. I do appreciate that consistency in writing. Seok-tae is especially interesting as the friend who cares about Pil, but who is too inherently selfish to be a solid friend. Baro has an amazing acting challenge this episode as he has to be not only his written character of Seok-tae, but also Pil when Pil's spirit possesses him, and Goo-gil's father when he possesses him. I haven't been floored by Baro's performance thus far, but I know he's got some solid acting chops from previous works. We finally get to see those chops actualized as he does a beautiful job with the acting challenge.

UEE as Soo-jin has a lot more to do as well, but we still don't see the real history behind the couple. Rather, we see the feelings that were once latent blossom into active romance. The love triangle is about to start, I have a feeling, because Soo-jin called Jin-sook out on her crush on Pil.

Add to these emotional layers a new rule, (if you miss one manhole, it will be hard to live to the next), as well as the friends being in on the secret in one future, and an entire array of possibilities open up. It would be nice to have PIl's friends continue to be in on the manhole adventures.

Written by: Lisa Espinosa AKA Raine from 'Raine's Dichotomy'

"Man-Hole" is directed by Park Man-yeong, written by Lee Jae-gon and features Kim Jae-joong, UEE, Jung Hye-sung and 'Baro'.

"Falsify" Episodes 23-24 recap

The realization of their mistakes hits our Team Good like a ton of bricks and the situation gets out of control. Everyone's fingers are pointed at them, while the ghost they have been chasing takes on a very interesting form. The plans of the Elders are revealed as far more sinister than we could have imagined and Tae-won falters.
I have to pat "Falsify" on the back for putting a lot of effort into its twists. Granted, Seon-woo (Lee Joo-seung) not having died was obvious if you know your drama tropes and it was the casting which tipped me off on our latest twist, but the effort is solid. I had nothing more than suspicions on the latter until the twenty-year timeframe was revealed and the casting suddenly did not stick. These two episodes give Lee Won-jong quite the entrance.

Of course I cannot give the same praise about the way the whole situation was handled by our Team Good, but rather than being contrived stupidity once more, I consider their mistakes this time around reasonable. It is impossible for one person to control a huge crowd which includes enemies in disguise turning a blind eye at the same time and So-ra's (Eom Ji-won) lack of control is therefore understandable. I actually feel our heroes do great to suspect the truth through all of this commotion. Well done, Moo-yeong (Namgoong Min).
The episodes drop a bigger bomb than Nam Kang-myeong's (Lee Won-jong) current looks, however and this characterization may have a very literal meaning. I was under the impression that Min Yeong-ho's (Kim Jong-soo) list of corrupt officials was the endgame here, but things look much more dire than that. I am not sure how I feel about this yet. "Falsify" has featured dramatic, but still realistic crime so far and I feel it would become too far-fetched if everything suddenly revolves around domestic terrorism.

Perhaps this act hinted is a presidential assassination or something of the sort, however, rather than foreshadowing of high-octane action over a massive civilian-targeted incident. It also provides an interesting reaction from Tae-won (Moon Sung-keun), who I felt had no limits to how far he is willing to go until now. This is why you need good actors, Dramaland. No words are necessary to see his conflict.
Now that we know our new villain is not a white collar criminal who needs people to brush his teeth for him, I am excited to see his story. Nam Kang-myeong is absolutely shameless, but he is also highly intelligent, influential and willing to get his hands dirty if need be. There does not seem to be enough soap in the world for those hands, so bring on the scheming.
"Falsify" is directed by Lee Jeong-heum, written by Kim Hyeon-jeong-IV and features Namgoong Min, Yoo Joon-sang, Eom Ji-won and Moon Sung-keun.
Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

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"School 2017" episode 14 recap

On the latest episode of the KBS 2TV drama "School 2017", Hyeon Tae-woon (Kim Jung-hyun) avenged Ra Eun-ho (Kim Sejeong). He was worried sick about Ra Eun-ho who was ill after getting food poisoning from something she ate at school. He was furious at the school for what happened and said, "I will take revenge on the school for making you sick".
Hyeon Tae-woon sent a lunchbox to Yang Do-jin (Kim Eung-soo) and at the bottom of the lunchbox was a note saying, "I packed this lunch with outdated food just like you". Do-jin began to act as though he has food poisoning, but all the students watched him with smirks on their faces.
Viewers of the drama say that although the drama is titled "School 2017", "Independence Fighter 2017" and "The Japanese Invasion Returns" would have been more suitable titles.
Students who go through school life thinking, "How could a student toy with a principal?" and "How can we get back our rights and deprive the principal of his authority?" is in fact very much like what our independence fighters went through during their times.
Meanwhile, "School 2017" is being criticized for not dealing with real situations found in schools today and instead coming up with situations that are interesting, if not true to life.

Source : www.viva100.com/main/...
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"Falsify" Episodes 21-22 recap

Our trio of justice gets closer and closer to Nam Kang-myeong, but it is a dangerous approach suspiciously approved and even encouraged by our villains. Tae-won gains the upper hand in his arrangements once more and his plans target our Team Good in a swift and ruthless manner, which the plot sadly employs a problematic approach to achieve.
It looks like the romance is happening in some form, but there is still hope for something decent. It is promising that the writer keeps it centered around the camaraderie formed between the two. I particularly appreciate Moo-yeong's (Namgoong Min) offering of support as a fellow victim of assault. Denying men their moments of fear and weakness or using those as a way of making them attractive to viewers is a toxic habit and so a male hero whose trauma is portrayed honestly sends a great message.

Good relationship building aside, I am disappointed by the sudden stupidity as a plot device overcoming everyone. Moo-yeong I can understand; he has always been a bit obtuse, but Seok-min (Yoo Joon-sang) should have expected this from Tae-won (Moon Sung-keun). The latter had people killed for Nam Kang-myeong (Lee Won-jong/Kim  Yong-woon) and this means Nam cannot be simply abandoned. So-ra (Eom Ji-won) too frustratingly buys into a story provided by a man indebted to her corrupt boss, who is suddenly all too eager to help.
If this is a sign of what is to come, I worry about how many such lapses in logic we are in for. It is especially sad in a series which has so far been mostly good about these things and which has featured reasonably intelligent characters in Moo-yeong, Seok-min and So-ra. Aside from this glaring error, there is another thing I notice a potential slip-up in. Nam's appearance in 1996 is too old for him to look as young as his new actor in the present, even with plastic surgery. I do wonder if Lee Won-jong's casting means we are in for a twist, rather than extended flashbacks, however.

As much as I dislike the episodes' major blunder, it does provide more bonding opportunity for the three leads. It provides the harsh lesson that they should really work together and share information if they are going to join forces. It also makes Tae-won more menacing, because he has been walking along the fine line between being the main villain and a sidekick to villains above him and therefore more relevant than him.
These episodes are a case of one step forward and two steps back for me. Dong-sik (Jo Hee-bong) is back to being a sensible mentor. Tae-won takes control and the conflicts between the leads as well as their bad communication make for good drama. At the same time, their contrived individual stupidity and some other details I find lacking lately are things I hope to not see repeated.
"Falsify" is directed by Lee Jeong-heum, written by Kim Hyeon-jeong-IV and features Namgoong Min, Yoo Joon-sang, Eom Ji-won and Moon Sung-keun.
Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

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"Falsify" episodes 21-22 recap

Kwan So-ra (Eom Ji-won) in "Falsify" took the bait from Moon Sung-keun on the latest episode of the SBS drama. Her fellow investigators checked on her when they heard that she was threatened and kidnapped. So-ra told them, "It seems like Yoon Seon-woo is behind this. I was waiting for him but there was nothing I could do".
The other investigators asked what they could do and offered to help her. Eom Ji-tae (Park Won-sang) accepted this and called Kwon So-ra to his room. He'd received his orders from Goo Tae-won (Moon Sung-keun) to show her papers on the Nam Kang-myeong case intentionally.

Source : www.topstarnews.net/d...
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"School 2017" episode 13 recap

Kim Sejeong and Kim Jung-hyun found food past the expiration date on the latest episode of the KBS 2TV drama "School 2017" Hyeon Tae-woon (Kim Jung-hyun) looked into the school food corruption and Yang Do-jin (Kim Eung-soo) was desperate to find X, the disguised person.
The students of the school thought something tasted weird, but ate their lunch anyway because they were hungry. However, there was something off with the food and Ra Eun-ho (Kim Sejeong) and the other students suffered stomach pains.
Oh Sa-rang's mother found expired food in the school lunch and argued with the principal who used her children's names and tried to silence her with money.
Meanwhile, the school lunch improved and Hyeon Tae-woon disguised himself as X once again. He headed to the school cafeteria but was caught by the police waiting for him.

Source : news.hankyung.com/art...
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"You're Too Much" episode 50 final recap

On the latest episode of the MBC drama "You're Too Much", Park Seong-hwan (Jun Kwang-ryul) told Yoo Ji-na (Uhm Jung-hwa) how he felt about her.
Yoo Ji-na replied, "Thanks, but I want to live the rest of my life a different way, a way that can heal me. I want to look back on the people who were hurt by me and use that as a time to heal myself".
Park Seong-hwan said, "You're still too young to let everything go". But Ji-na said, "I'm not letting go. I'm meeting myself before it's too late. I want to be light and free".
"Living as singer Yoo Ji-na made me shake in fear of having people look at me when I go outside and I've had enough. I want to leave the country to a place where no one recognizes me and open up a café. I'm going to sing there".
Park Seong-hwan and Yoo Ji-na said goodbye and left each other.

Source : sports.donga.com/3/al...
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"Father is Strange" episode 52 final recap

On the final episode of the KBS 2TV drama "Father is Strange", Byeon Mi-yeong (Jung So-min) kissed Ahn Joong-hee (Lee Joon).
Ahn Joong-hee showed Mi-yeong a news article that said, "Ahn Joong-hee, in a relationship with pretty ex-manager". He said, "This is going to go out tomorrow. I know it hasn't been long since we started and this might be too soon, but I know it's you I'm going to marry if I marry at all. Let's get married in six months".
Byeon Mi-yeong said, "Don't let the news out now. You're a rising star. Let it out a month before we get married. Are you going to give me a ring?" Ahn Joong-hee put a ring on her finger and he asked her to marry him. She replied, "Yes, actor Ahn Joong-hee. I'm going to standby next to you for twenty-four hours forever".
Ahn Joong-hee was going to kiss her when the family came out from hiding. They soon left to give them space and Ahn Joong-hee said, "I was going to tell your parents in a couple of months, but they know already so let's go and formally announce the news". However, Byeon Mi-yeong held him back and said, "I think they want us to do what we were going to do". She kissed him.
The couple got permission to get married from Byeon Han-soo and Na Yeong-sil soon after that. Ahn Joong-hee explained this is why he refused Byeon Han-soo's offer to be his father and Byeon Han-soo said, "Then I'll be a fatherly father-in-law to you".

Source : www.newsen.com/news_v...
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"Sister is Alive" episode 40 recap

Actor Lee Ji-hoon-I put on a great performance in the SBS drama "Sister is Alive" on the latest episode. Seol Gi-chan (Lee Ji-hoon-I) recovered his memory and proved that he was the missing son, Goo Se-hoo, of the Gongryong Group.
Upon learning that his father was Goo Pil-mo (Son Chang-min), the man who committed so many crimes, Seol Gi-chan cried aloud, "Why is he my father? I've longed to find my parents for so long but why is he my father?" He also learned that Se-kyeong (Son Yeo-eun) who caused Jae-il's (Sung Hyuk's) death, was his sister.
Seol Gi-chan went to Goo Pil-mo's house and told everyone that he was a friend of Se-hoo's from the orphanage. He then took Gye-hwa (Yang Jung-ah), Se-kyeong, and Se-joon (Jo Yoon-woo) aside and told them, "It's terrible that I am your family, but remember that I can announce who I really am whenever I want".
Lee Ji-hoon-I delivered tension to the drama as his character found out he was the son of a group he'd hated for so long and decided to take revenge for it.
"Sister is Alive" can be seen every Saturday at 8:45 PM KST on SBS.

Source : www.tenasia.co.kr/arc...
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"Live Up to Your Name" episode 6 recap

On the latest episode of the tvN drama "Live Up to Your Name", Kim Nam-gil is now amodern man. He was scouted by a major traditional medicine clinic. Kim Ah-joong was shocked to see what he'd become.
Heo Im (Kim Nam-gil) started living in Yeon-kyeong's (Kim Ah-joong) grandfather's clinic. Heo Im was devastated to hear that he needed to graduate all stages of medical school and get a license in order to become a traditional medicine practitioner. Heo Im wondered if he had to return to the Joseon.
Yeon-kyeong's grandfather Cheon-sool (Yoon Joo-sang) made Heo Im clean his clinic and let him stay there. Cheon-sool was ecstatic when Heo Im saved a life while doing voluntary work for the homeless. Yeon-kyeong spent her vacation at her grandfather's and taught Heo Im many modern day things like shopping at the supermarket and watching TV.
An ambulance on the way to the hospital with a patient got in an accident and the driver of the motorcycle that got hit was in danger. Yeon-kyeong's trauma from her motorcycle accident many years ago came back to her and Heo Im tried to care for her. However, Yeon-kyeong told him to disappear as nothing seemed to work for her once he appeared.
Heo Im left the clinic. The director of a major clinic, Ma Seong-tae (Kim Myeong-gon) approached Heo Im and offered him a job. Yeon-kyeong was worried because she couldn't find Heo Im anywhere. A few days later, she attended the opening of a medical clinic and was surprised to see Heo Im there.

Source : www.osen.co.kr/articl...
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"Bad Thief, Good Thief" episode 32 recap

Jang Gwang asked Ji Hyeon-woo to call the cops for him on the latest episode of the MBC drama "Bad Thief, Good Thief". However, Ji Hyeon-woo replied, "I thought you said you couldn't trust the cops? Hey, Hong Il-kwon, do you think a potential killer will confess that he tried to kill?"
Jang Gwang then asked for his lawyer. "I need to pass on the company to Mi-ae. Please help me. I'll admit that I kidnapped your father and you grandfather. I will beg for your forgiveness".
Ji Hyeon-woo said, "Come back to your senses. Do you think your daughter Hong Mi-ae (Seo I-sook) can keep the company even if you pass it onto her? Yoon Joong-tae can catch her anytime. Will you do anything I ask you to do if I take revenge on Yoon Joong-tae for you?"
Ji Hyeon-woo recorded Jang Gwang's will on tape.

Source : ilyo.co.kr/?ac=articl...
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"Save Me" Episode 7 recap

While our heroes figure out how to be heroic, Sang-mi picks herself back up and makes the decision to lead the rescue. The "Spiritual Father's" plans are revealed as more twisted and menacing than previously hinted, while Apostle Kang's past starts crawling back as she feels the pressure. You take the cake for messed up people, Muji.
Poor Sang-mi (Seo Ye-ji) takes one hit after another, but there may be some hope for the only parent she has left. Bo-eun (Yoon Yoo-sun) seems to be noticing the truth through her delusions, but Sang-mi is still alone here and so her determination to fight for her and her mother is crucial. I am glad that she begins this fight before help arrives, as it gives her agency and keeps her away from damsel-in-distress territory. The Apostles' worried expression when they see her newfound resolve is delightful.

The joy is short-lived, however, as Baek's (Jo Sung-ha) plans start to take shape. Surely enough this miasma of a man wants a pretty young bride and the talk of atonement through blood is pushing us well into the sacrificial virgin territory. His father-in-not-law is honored, of course. I was holding on to some hope that he would draw the line at the threat of rape and death for his child, but it does not look like it. I therefore hope that the drama will not use the inadequate excuse of drugs for forced forgiveness.
We finally get some backstory on our villains, however and it seems that Apostle Kang (Park Ji-yeong) may be the worst offender here, if her story parallels Joo-ho's (Jung Hae-kyun). Her disdain for Sang-mi has been palpable, yet her previous panic upon the approach of our heroes and her knee-jerk reaction here show some twisted form of concern. Was Yoo-ra another bride who failed to escape with the help of students or does Kang's story also begin with the loss of a child at the hands of peers?

Speaking of said students, the show's portrayal of our male heroes satisfies me greatly. I was afraid that Sang-hwan (Taecyeon) would get the revenge drama treatment of going away for a few years and coming back a heroic genius, but the series reminds us that these men are still essentially kids. I also get my wish of finding out why no one visited Dong-cheol (Woo Do-hwan) upon his release.
The two young men have finally reunited and while their misunderstandings and bitterness still linger, they can at least work on those as they work on their rescue operation. Guseonwon is powerful, however and so I hope that the necessary allies in law enforcement and politics can become clearer and start joining our Team Good as we go into the second half of this story with episode eight.
"Save Me" is directed by Kim Seong-soo, written by Jeong Sin-gyoo and Jeong I-do-I and features Taecyeon, Seo Ye-ji, Jo Sung-ha and Woo Do-hwan.
Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

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"Save Me" Episode 8 recap

After a long and arduous journey, the time has come for the heroine of "Save Me" to find some hope. Our heroes reunite and rediscover themselves as a group despite the lingering bitterness, but their actions make Father Baek more aggressive. Another part of the story has been brewing in Muji and I wonder when and how it will all connect.
It is such a bittersweet moment to see Sang-mi's (Seo Ye-ji) face when she finally knows that help is coming. It is also lovely to see the boys back together, but their methods and eagerness worry me. Sang-hwan (Taecyeon) wants to deny his privilege, but privilege does not work that way. Going up against the cult too fast can backfire and it is people like its victims and Dong-cheol (Woo Do-hwan) who will pay the price if it does.

However, I cannot deny how good it feels to finally have some hope for our resolute heroine and for destroying this dangerous organization. The boys may experience growing pains as they figure out how to tackle attacking a dragon with a pebble, but the story has been so dark, so devoid of hope and so doused in oppressive atmosphere that the halfway mark is a good point to give viewers a more solid break. Still, I do wonder what the boys could use aside from said pebble.
I assume it may have something to do with the subplot of Governor Han (Son Byung-ho), the town's criminal organizations, detective Lee (Jang Hyuk-jin) and now Joon-goo (Go Joon). This bit has been confusing me for a while now. How is this all connected with the cult or how will it become connected? It keeps my interest because I assume it will, but to this point it looks like its own series within a series. It will become tiresome quickly unless the connection to the main story is established soon.

The series continues to build its Guseonwon villains and Apostle Kang (Park Ji-yeong) is getting very interesting. Part of me wants to believe that she lost her child before joining, rather than that she provided her as a "bride", but that is exactly what Joo-ho (Jung Hae-kyun) is doing. The cracks are definitely showing among Guseonwon's members, however and those in doubt will act rashly and slip up.
They will have to, because evidence seems scarce. The Guseonwon basement is not the torture chamber I had imagined. If it is indeed funded by powerful connections and follower "donations" alone, how deep will our heroes have to go in order to find strong enough criminal evidence to use against it? Whatever or whoever it is that they will be aided by, I hope we see them quickly.
"Save Me" is directed by Kim Seong-soo, written by Jeong Sin-gyoo and Jeong I-do-I and features Taecyeon, Seo Ye-ji, Jo Sung-ha and Woo Do-hwan.
Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

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"Man-Hole" episode 6 recap

On the latest episode of "Man-Hole", Bong Pil's (Kim Jae-joong) life was in danger, but Kang Soo-jin (UEE) and Yoon Jin-sook (Jung Hye-sung) helped him time-slip.
Bong Pil struggled to go back to the past, but his soul felt pain and his physical body in the hospital had a seizure. This was because his soul was away from his body for too long. Bong Pil barely survived until his soul made it back to the body. However, the doctors said he wouldn't survive the night.
Kang Soo-jin and Yoon Jin-sook moved Bong Pil to the man-hole as their families watched. Looking at Bong Pil's face, Kang Soo-jin said, "I hope this is not our last. According to you we will meet again, but I feel like I'm sending you away forever. I hope you don't forget me". Bong Pil said, "If I go back in the man-hole I'll forget you forever, but I'll find you no matter where you are". At midnight, Bong Pil was sucked in the man-hole and Kang Soo-jin and everyone else were shocked at what they just saw.

Source : biz.heraldcorp.com/vi...
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"Reunited Worlds" episodes 23 - 24 recap

On the latest episode of "Reunited Worlds" Jeong Jeong-won (Lee Yeon-hee) set out to find the present that she was supposed to receive twelve years ago. Seong Hae-seong (Yeo Jin-goo) followed.
They found it in the grass in the dark and Jeong Jeong-won suddenly felt scared. She almost fell while running in fear, but Seong Hae-seong caught her. She showed him that she found the gift pi,n but he was mad at her for going to a place like that by herself. Jeong Jeong-won apologized and Seong Hae-seong placed the pin in her hair. "I'll forgive you because it's pretty".
Meanwhile, a witness came around to talk about the accident from twelve years ago.

Source : biz.heraldcorp.com/cu...
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"Single Wife" Episode 2 recap

Now that we know who Ra-hee and Min-hong are in a vacuum, it's time to piece together how exactly their relationship fell apart in such a specific way that her attempting to remarry is such a big problem. Min-hong doesn't just want to hold on to Ra-hee. He genuinely doesn't seem to understand that they broke up at all. And in all fairness, the flashbacks we get don't really come off as total dealbreakers. They do tend to make Ra-hee look selfish, which is why she's so uncomfortable having them.
But then discomfort is the main central aspect of Ra-hee's character regardless of whether or not Min-hong is in the room. This gives the impression that Ra-hee is impossible to satisfy. The implications for Ra-hee's relationship with Jae-min are rather ominous. Min-hong and Ra-hee always cross right away to each other and say what they mean, even if it starts a fight. It's hard to visualize Ra-hee and Jae-min talking to each other the same way.
Lest this make "Single Wife" sound too serious, rest assured that the drama is a comedy through and through. The obvious low brow humor of certain situations notwithstanding, it's hard to escape those extremely goofy musical chords every time Ra-hee and Min-hong have a mild argument about something very silly. Eom Hyeon-kyeong is very funny when flustered, and Sung Hyuk is wise to simply let her have the comedic field to herself while acting as a straight man.
Elsewhere we are introduced to Hyo-rim (played by Yuna) who is also effective in broad strokes. She's very conceited, mostly, although not in an especially flamboyant way. Hyo-rim is entitled, and an almost perfect mix of annoying and clueless. The mix is very difficult to manage but nonetheless, Yuna is up to the task. We and her new colleagues are are left wondering whether she will be worth the trouble. Hyo-rim's main problem is that she's a bad cultural fit rather than some more explicit defect.
So far "The Single Wife" is hitting all the right beats. The characters are charming, yet obviously flawed. They have funny jokes. And there's also a seriousness to married life that makes it easy to forgive some of the drama's more obviously clichéd plotting. Even the fast-moving truck, the ever present hidden villain of South Korean dramas, turns out to not be what it seems, as the characters are what drives the plot, not the melodrama.
Review by: William Schwartz
"Single Wife" is directed by Jeong Yoon-soo, written by Lee In-hye-I and features Eom Hyeon-kyeong, Sung Hyuk, Kwak Hee-sung, Yuna and Yoon Ye-hee.

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"Criminal Minds" Episode 10 recap

As expected, with the red herring revealed it's up to the criminal profiling team to locate the true culprit, who has finally and truly gone off the deep end and is now involving herself in car chases. I remember how a few stories ago I thought there would be a gratuitous car chase and was mildly surprised that didn't happen. And I guess technically this wasn't really a car chase anyway, I just can't get past the ludicrous visual of screaming children handcuffed to their seats in daily traffic and no one noticing.
The resolution of the case is a bit more interesting, in that we get some discussion of psychological recovery. That's a necessity more in this case than the previous ones, on account of the fact that an unusually large number of victims are still alive. All the same, I can't help but wonder why this prospect is so frequently discussed so little. Gi-hyeong's wife died because of his work, and so far as we can tell Gi-hyeong didn't even bother to take a vacation.
These criticisms are, I admit, a tad unfair as this kind of shallow exposition is to be expected from the crime procedural format. But now that "Criminal Minds" has moved into a more consistent pattern it's easier to nitpick than it is to attack the drama in broad strokes. Like, what am I even supposed to do about the sequences with the master serial killer? They exist mostly so that when the team finally gets a decisive clue in that case we'll appreciate that this guy is much worse than any of the other perpetrators.
I mean, granted, he does at least have the sense to avoid leaving obvious clues everywhere he goes. That's the main part of the format I can unambiguously praise. Yes, the criminals are frequently ludicrously broadly played nuts, but the central draw to "Criminal Minds" is that the characters make the effort to acually explain where this behavior comes from instead of simply assuming that rabid lunatics are a normal part of daily existence.
The clues, too, are logically constructed and it's pretty easy to follow the overall train of thought. The distinction between a normal criminal and one with a fancy profile is clearly dilineated, so I don't get the sense lately that "Criminal Minds" is trying to make broad statements about the human condition. While I appreciate that the production team aims lows and succeeds low, that's still not an especially inspiring statement.
Review by: William Schwartz
"Criminal Minds" is directed by Lee Jeong-hyo and Yang Yoon-ho, written by Hong Seung-hyeon and features Son Hyun-joo, Lee Joon-gi, Moon Chae-won, Lee Sun-bin, Yoo Sun and Go Yoon.

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"Man Who Dies to Live" Episodes 23-24 Final recap

For quite some time now, there has been a disclaimer at the beginning of every episode of "Man Who Dies to Live" apologizing for racist content that appeared in the first episode, assuring viewers that it has been retroactively effaced from MBC's video on demand services. I only recently realized that this disclaimer was also predictive. The rambling nature of the final episodes of "Man Who Dies to Live" leads me to believe that whatever the original final act was, it had to be scrapped.
It's not that what we get instead is all that bad. It's just more of Count Said Faid Ali doing his best to integrate into Ji-yeong's life, with the usual comedy of his character's generally absurd behavior in the context of normal South Korean culture. And a lot of the drama's previous implications are left unexplored. We knew that Abdullah Mohammad Waliwala had some sort of subversive relationship with Yang-yang, yet here, he accepts Count Said Faid Ali's eccentric radical change of life planning rather easily.
The best explanation I can think of for why "Man Who Dies to Live" is choosing to keep the last of the action local is because they don't want to risk more criticism of being inadvertently racist. The major final actions do make logical thematic sense with regards to Count Said Faid Ali's character. Still while that would have been a satisfying final ending, seeing Count Said Faid Ali constantly reacting and needing explanations undermines that.
There's also the muddled message of having Count Said Faid Ali make a sacrifice for Ji-yeong's sake, yet Ji-yeong still benefits from his largesse. We could also just as well get into what goes on with the other Ji-yeong, who started the drama out as a fairly explicitly selfish person and appears to have gained redemption without having to do much to earn it. Then again lots of characters get a happy ending without having to exert much in the way of effort.
These criticisms are, admittedly, a bit much considering that "Man Who Dies to Live" was from the very beginning a very silly drama. Then again I feel more comfortable making them, considering the disturbingly violent exposition dump that closes out episode twenty-three, and contrasting that with the goofy plane incident that closes out the final episode. "Man Who Dies to Live" was pretty good overall- I just would have liked the final revelations to feel more logically earned.
Review by: William Schwartz
"Man Who Dies to Live" is directed by Ko Dong-seon, written by Kim Seon-hee and features Choi Min-soo, Kang Ye-won, Sin Seong-rok, Lee So-yeon, Jasper Cho, Kim Byeong-ok, Hwang Seung-eon and Bae Hae-sun.

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