Song Song Couple's Wedding Photos

Blossom Entertainment and UAA released Actors Song Joong-ki and Song Hye-kyo's wedding pictures on the 31st.
Both agencies released statements thanking friends and fans for showing so much love for the wedding. The wedding was successfully held privately and offered apologies for not opening it to the public for fans and press.

The wedding was hosted by Song Joong-ki's old friend while Lee Kwang-soo and Yoo Ah-in read letters, and Ok Joo-hyun serenaded the newly wedded couple.
The management concluded the statement by saying the couple will return the favor by being happy together.

Source : www.xportsnews.com/?a...
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"Witch's Court" episode 7 recap

On the latest episode of the KBS 2TV drama "Witch's Court", Ma Yi-deum (Jung Ryeo-won) and Yeo Jin-wook (Yoon Hyun-min) came into conflict with Jo Gap-soo (Jun Kwang-ryul) and Hyeongje Group.
Ma Yi-deum discovered that her mother Gwak Yeong-sil (Lee Il-hwa) was the victim of sexual torture at the Hyeongje Group Factory and she went missing on the day she was supposed to make a statement aboutJo Gap-soo (Jeon Gwang-reol). He was there the whole time.
Ma Yi-deum was shocked. She stood on the roof of Hyeongje Group building and demanded Jo Gap-soo be brought to her. She screamed at him about her mother and said, "The day my mother went missing, you were there. Was that coincidence? You are so shameless and you want to be mayor?"
At the same time. Ma Yi-deum and Yeo Jin-wook were on a case involving a teenager named Gong Soo-ah who was the victim of prostitution when they found out that she died. Ahn Tae-gyu and Baek Sang-ho from Hyeongje Group were involved with this. Ahn Tae-gyu tried to frame this on his friend Baek Min-ho.
Source : news1.kr/articles/?31...
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"The Temperature of Love" episodes 23 - 24 recap

On the latest episode of the SBS drama "The Temperature of Love", Lee Hyeon-soo (Seo Hyun-jin), On Jeong-seon (Yang Se-jong) and Park Jeong-woo (Kim Jae-wook) were still complicated and Ji Hong-ah (Jo Bo-ah) started to notice Choi Won-joon (Shim Hee-seop).
Hyeon-soo told Jeong-woo, "You are trying to win me by being tough, but I don't care although it's appealing".
Jeong-woo said, "I can see you're anxious. I can see you drifting apart already. You claimed to be in love". Hyeon-soo said, "I believe two people can come back together even after they drift apart. But not Jeong-seon and I".
Jeong-woo said, "Don't women usually get attracted to tough men?" Hyeon-soo replied, "On the inside".
Jeong-woo coldly told her, "Stop pretending to be his parent and go work". Hyeon-soo asked, "Why don't you plan on making money with my work? The production doesn't look at my work the way you do. I want to bring in money for the company before I leave".
Source : tvdaily.asiae.co.kr/r...
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"This Life Is Our First Life" Episode 8 recap

So it turns out that Bo-ram is evil. Well, technically we don't know that but those goofy evil musical cues that keep coming on every time he makes an appearance are difficult to interpret any other way. It's disappointing. Bo-ram's you only live once philosophy is a very interesting contrast to Se-hee's logical work ethic. I wouldn't have minded him turning out to be evil eventually, but the completion of his storyline abruptly kills the drama's most interesting ongoing conflict.
It doesn't help that Bo-ram's purpose in the story turned out to be so clichéd. What makes Se-hee an interesting character is that he views the world in a very unique logical way. In that context, I was looking forward to the inevitable moment when he starts considering that Ji-ho is more significant than just a fake wife. Instead, she ends up being a damsel in distress. Again, it's disappointing. Ji-ho, like Se-hee, has more interesting character traits than that.
Note how throughout this episode Ji-ho consistently viewed Bo-ram's actions in an obviously cautious manner. To go from that to Ji-ho agreeing to go on a motorcyle ride with him to the middle of nowhere was rather out of character for a woman who we have otherwise seen to be extremely intelligent. It was only the ambivalence of Ji-ho's relationship with Se-hee that led Ji-ho to get closer to Bo-ram in the first place.
For all the other flaws in this storyline, that ambivalence remains extremely well-done. Se-hee realizes that he should warn Ji-ho about the suspicious report, but is concerned that his actions will come off as being jealousy, especially when Ji-ho responds to his alternative mild suggestions with the same cold commentary about the contractual nature of their relationship that he's told her time and again. There's also the matter of how a random report from the app is not necessarily proof of anything.
Personally, I was holding out hope that Bo-mi had contrived that report for the sole purpose of trying to provoke Ji-ho into jealousy, since she had already been needling him on that point. Alas, that kind of writing might have been too creative for this production team. I'm not expecting "This Life Is Our First Life" to be as brilliant going forward as it was for most of the first half, but I suspect that at minimum it will still be an engaging romantic comedy.
Review by William Schwartz
"This Life Is Our First Life" is directed by Park Joon-hwa, written by Yoon Nan-joong and features Lee Min-ki, Jung So-min, Esom, Park Byung-eun, Kim Ga-eun-I, and Kim Min-seok.

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"Boy and Girl From the 20th Century" Episodes 15-16 recap

There's a scene here where Ah-reum calls Woo-seong on the phone and they talk about...how Woo-seong seems to have too much free time. Increasingly it feels like the characters in "Boy and Girl From the 20th Century" are engaged in some kind of weird bet to see who can go through the most obvious situations to ask someone on a date or be asked on a date without actually doing it. Even when we are promised dates, circumstances contrive to prevent them from happening.
All this is part and parcel for the weird feminist ethos "Boy and Girl From the 20th Century" has against stereotypical courtship behavior. I was very fundamentally baffled by the scene where Jin-jin decides that Ji-won should not make dinner for her, instead she should make dinner for him. What is this, a competition to see who can be nicest? Is that why everyone is slow to ask each other on dates, because asking someone for a date is potentially awkward?
But then that whole thing was just a clumsy set-up to get Jin-jin into the grocery store where she is recognized by, of all people, a gagle of elementary school children. Is Jin-jin's original media job in children's programming? Because otherwise I can't think of any reason why they would recognize her. Granted, it's possible I missed that particular bit of exposition. Which is frustrating, because Jin-jin working on a children's show would actually make for some pretty good visual gags.
Add that to to big list of flaws in "Boy and Girl From the 20th Century"- a lack of imagination. Ah-reum even has a brief fantasy sequence which I did not initially recognize as a fantasy sequence because the whole scene was just so mundane. It's just Ah-reum and her friends hanging out and doing chit-chat at a slightly visually different location than usual. Real estate acquisition is not a compelling goal in and of itself.
Although I should probably be grateful that Ah-reum even has a goal at all. Poor Yeong-sim doesn't have any particularly obvious professional or personal goal. All we ever see her do is work at the law office. Even such fundamental information as what cases she's doing, or why Yeong-sim wanted to get into law in the first place, are left unexplored as we instead just see her do normal boring office work. Grocery shopping, office work, and phone calls. If I wanted to watch that I'd invest in a mirror.
Review by William Schwartz
"Boy and Girl From the 20th Century" is directed by Lee Dong-yoon , written by Lee Seon-hye and features Han Ye-seul, Kim Ji-suk, Lee Sang-woo, Lee Sang-hee-II, and Ryu Hyun-kyung.

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"Temperature of Love" episodes 23 - 24 recap

The complicated relationship between Lee Hyeon-soo (Seo Hyun-jin), On Jeong-seon (Yang Se-jong) and Park Jeong-woo (Kim Jae-wook) resulted in a fight on the latest episode of the SBS drama "The Temperature of Love".
Park Jeong-woo told Lee Hyeon-soo how he feels about her despite the fact that he knew that she and Jong-seon were already seeing each other.
Park Jeong-woo informed On Jeong-seon that he would change her mind. He started interfering with Jeong-seon's restaurant, which he invested in, and started to bully him.

Oh Jeong-seon was upset that Jeong-woo had changed. However, Park Jeong-woo taunted him and said, "Why? Can't you take it anymore? I'm only getting started. If you give her up, I'll stop bullying you".
On Jeong-seon's mother Yoo Yeong-mi (Lee Mi-sook) also got to On Jeong-seon. She kept asking him why they were fighting.
Lee Hyeon-soo tried to avoid Park Jeong-woo, but she couldn't help but run into him for work. In the end, Lee Hyeon-soo told Park Jeong-woo, "This is an obsession. Why would you want a woman who falls for another man?" Park Jeong-woo replied, "I'll still love you all the same". Then he took Lee Heon-soo home. On Jeong-seon saw this and warned Park Jeong-woo to stop. However, Park Jeong-woo was stubborn and said, "Love doesn't change".
Park Jeong-woo provoked On Jeong-seon, "You're still young and you aren't settled yet. What is it that you can do for Hyeon-soo? I can give her everything. It's not about your feelings, it's about her future. You have no guts because you can't even get angry. I'm saying I am going to take your woman".
In the end, On Jeong-seon punched Park Jeong-woo.

Source : news.nate.com/view/20...
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"Witch's Court" episode 7 recap

Jung Ryeo-won got a step closer to the truth.
On the latest episode of the KBS 2TV drama "Witch's Court", Ma I-deum (Jung Ryeo-won) and Yeo Jin-wook (Yoon Hyun-min) tracked down Ma I-deum's mother Gwak Yeong-sil (Lee Il-hwa).
The Exclusive Department for Crimes Against Women and Children started investigating the case instead of detectives as the prostitution pimps knew their faces.
When the prosecutors suggested Yeo Jin-wook, Ma I-deum asked, "Why should the female investigators go? We have done nothing study so we don't know how to fight. What if the plan gets out and they threaten us with weapons?" She volunteered to join the case.

Ma I-deum set up a meeting with a pimp through a chatting application.
Yeo Jin-wook pretended to be a teenager and used words that were out of trend. Ma I-deum did it herself instead and managed to get a meeting with a prostitute. They put the prostitute in the hospital as she wasn't well and everything seemed to go according to plan but the pimp caused another case.
At the end of the episode, a detective who knew Yi-deum's mother Gwak Yeong-sill well gave Yi-deum a name card that said Min Ji-sook (Kim Yeo-jin) and said, "Your mother was the key reporter in a very important case". In Min Ji-sook's office the lights were out and names of people who had anything to do with Jo Gap-soo were lined up. Ma I-deum found her mother's name in there. Yeo Jin-wook found a name card with the name Bae Sang-ho in his mother Ko Jae-sook's (Jeon Mi-seon) office and felt something wasn't right.
Ko Jae-sook lied and it looked like finding Gwak Yeong-sil wasn't going back to point one but the connection between Min Ji-sook and Jo Gap-soo started surfacing.

Source : star.mbn.co.kr/view.p...
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"Boy and Girl From the 20th Century" Episodes 13-14 recap

Between the thirteenth and fourteenth episodes, Ah-reum and Woo-seong are mid-scene on an airplane. Even knowing the dividng of drama episodes into half-hour ones was done for technhical reasons the lack of a scene stopgap in that storyline really bugged me. IThat was a lazy design decision. Which incidentally turn is the main problem with "Boy and Girl From the 20th Century" overall. The whole production is just really lazy.
Consider how the entire storyline of that same plane flight is just that there's a pervert on the plane, Ah-reum shuts him down and Woo-seong watches. There's no sense of dramatic tension or anything because the whole problem is solved so easily without so much as the pretension of risk on the part of any named character. If the purpose of this sequence was to make Ah-reum look cool, it's really late in the drama for basic character establishing scenes.
But then that's all "Boy and Girl From the 20th Century" ever does is just character establishing scenes. We still aren't anywhere near the main romance between Jin-jin and Ji-won evolving beyond mild flirting. They can't even kiss each other on purpose. Everything that happens in the plot has to be completely contrived because the characters refuse to use agency for any purpose except refusing to take action. It's all very bizarrely paradoxical.
This much is necessary because again, there are almost no obstacles preventing the lead characters from reaching any obvious goals. The closest we get to that is the fake marriage show So-ni and Jin-jin are doing. But the very fact that this is a fake marriage show, where their actions should be calculated for ratings anyway, is such that it would be trivially easy to walk back So-ni's plausibility as a competing suitor.
Presumably this is all to set up a conflict around Jin-jin and Ji-won's real relationship becoming public knowledge while she's still doing the fake marriage show A pity the big mean paparazzi storyline we already had was hugely overwhelming. Also, note the irony of the press conference here with its reporters clapping, ooing, and aaing at a press conference as if they are sincerely impressed. I've been to those events, and that is not how they go down. They're a lot more dry and technical than that, as the cast and crew of "Boy and Girl From the 20th Century" must surely know, given that they did one too.
Review by William Schwartz
"Boy and Girl From the 20th Century" is directed by Lee Dong-yoon , written by Lee Seon-hye and features Han Ye-seul, Kim Ji-suk, Lee Sang-woo, Lee Sang-hee-II, and Ryu Hyun-kyung.

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"This Life Is Our First Life" Episode 7 recap

Bok-nam (played by Kim Min-gyoo-II) is the second male lead alternate love interest for Ji-ho. His arrival is, all things considered, late, but definitely worth the late. He's Se-hee's opposite in every conceivable way. Bok-nam believes in the importance of fun and only living once. Whereas Se-hee is so obsessed with being supremely logical and sensible about everything most of his deadpan dialogue comes off as an unintentional joke. I liked the bit where Se-hee even explicitly says how long it will take him to pay off the debt, as if this is a somehow sane or normal answer.
But for all his obvious charms, aspects of Bok-nam also feel just a bit off- namely how Ji-ho tells him fairly directly that she is in fact married, yet this does not put Bok-nam off. Further exposition about Bok-nam, especially the scenes where Bok-nam's life philosophy directly chases with Se-hee's, only raises further questions. This all is an especially wonderful contrast with Bok-nam's sheer likability, which is treated with unquestioned reverence by every single character except Ji-ho and Se-hee.
This includes Soo-ji, who rather hilariously gets outraged by Ji-ho's initial descriptions of Bok-nam because they imply sexual harassment. For Soo-ji, of all people, to be concerned by sexual harassment is pitch perfect. But then again, as we see in context, Soo-ji is indeed enduring sexual harassment for a specific goal. There are stakes and risks to confronting this behavior. I loved how the ambuiguity of that situation was explored.
Elsewhere, Ho-rang attempts to needle Won-seok with passive-aggressive behavior. I like how bad Ho-rang's reasoning is here. As in, her whole idea for what they should do with the condoms is explicitly bad, and even dangerous, but it's symbolic of how Ho-rang is trying to make metaphorical arguments rather than practical ones for marriage. I really like Ho-rang and Won-seok- they're adorable, yet oh-so-immature, which is an impediment to their happiness.
It's a nice contrast to how both Se-hee and Ji-ho are logical to an extent that it seems like their happiness is questionable, yet for all their analysis, both seem happy right where they are. Not just Bok-nam, but also Se-hee's token female employee Bo-mi (played by Yoo Bo-mi) are great when it comes to asking simple questions that force Se-hee and Ji-ho to justify themselves, and I especially like how more than creating doubts in their convictions, Se-hee and Ji-ho seem to ultimately come off as more confident for having engaged with serious doubt.
Review by William Schwartz
"This Life Is Our First Life" is directed by Park Joon-hwa, written by Yoon Nan-joong and features Lee Min-ki, Jung So-min, Esom, Park Byung-eun, Kim Ga-eun-I, and Kim Min-seok.

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"Revolutionary Love" episode 6 recap

On the latest episode of the tvN drama "Revolutionary Love", Baek Joon (Kang So-ra) was surprised by Byeon Hyeok (Choi Si-won).
She felt strangely when she woke up one morning. She realized she wasn't wearing any clothes and felt someone holding her. She turned her head to see and it was Byeon Hyeok.
She freaked out to see him naked next to her. She asked him why she was there and he replied, "Don't you remember? Now you're responsible for me".
Baek Joon wanted to know what was going on as she didn't remember anything. Byeon Hyeok moved closer to her asking for a kiss. Baek Joon cried, "This can't be true".
Just then, the alarm sounded very loudly. It turned out to be a dream. Baek Joon kept thinking about Byeon Hyeok's romantic confession the night before and ended up dreaming about him.
As soon as she met him later, she slapped him and asked him why he was there. Byeon Hyeok who didn't know anything, followed her around and annoyed her.

Source : tvdaily.asiae.co.kr/r...
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"Bad Thief, Good Thief" episode 48 recap

On the latest episode of the MBC weekend drama "Bad Thief, Good Thief", Jang Deul-mok (Ji Hyeon-woo) searched high and low for his mother, Min Hye-won (Sin Eun-jeong), who was kidnapped.
He was anxious the whole time, waiting for Hong Sin-ae (Choi Soo-rin), who set everything, to call. Kang So-joo (Seohyun) claimed she would get Yoon Joong-tae (Choi Jong-hwan), but Jang Deul-mok said, "My mother comes first. You go and get Yoon Joong-tae. I'll go save my mother".
He tried to make a deal with Hong Sin-ae, but when Han Joon-hee (Kim Ji-hoo) appeared, everything fell through. However, with the help of friends, Kang So-joo was able to find where Min Hye-won was and free her.
Jang Deul-mok and Min Hye-won reunited at last. They held each other in their arms and cried. Jang Deul-mok asked if she was alright and she said, "I'm fine. Let me see your face" and cried with his face in her hands.
Jang Deul-mok apologized and said, "I'm sorry. I should have recognized you first". Min Jeong-hye replied, "No, don't be. I couldn't tell you because of Yoon Joong-tae. Do you have any idea how much I missed you?" Jang Deul-mok was just grateful that she was alive and promised they would never be apart again.

Source : tvdaily.asiae.co.kr/r...
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"My Golden Life" episode 18 recap

On the latest episode of the KBS 2TV drama "My Golden Life", Seo Ji-an (Shin Hye-sun) headed for Pyeongchang, Kangwon-do.
Her tire blew in the middle of a mountain row, trapping her there. Choi Do-kyeong (Park Si-hoo) couldn't reach Seo Ji-an so he set out to look for her. Eventually, found her car. However, she wasn't there so he searched for her and called out her name.
Seo Ji-an was overwhelmed that he'd come to rescue her. In his car going back home, she kept thinking of him when she first saw him and called herself 'crazy'.

Source : news.hankyung.com/art...
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"Black" Episode 6 recap

"Black" puts on its Halloween costume and nothing is scarier than the people involved with Moo-gang and Ha-ram. We have several returning faces who finally step up to take their place in this story, as Black's actions bring his new enemies as well as his target closer to him. Ha-ram struggles between two pushy bosses and her own life problems, which are about to multiply for our unfortunate heroine.
No. 007 (Jo Jae-yoon) is exposition personified and I wonder if this is the sole role of Black's (Song Seung-heon/Kim Tae-woo) memories. I trust the drama to follow through, however, as "Black" reveals another pivotal character. I have been wondering what role Leo (Kim Jae-young) would play and we get a pretty shocking answer. What could the young man be or have done to turn Moo-gang (Song Seung-heon) so cruel when faced with his possible death?

If everything is connected, however, what does this make the previous episode's case? Will we be getting standalone stories between the main one or does Geon-yeong's (Kim Tae-yool) murderous possibly-father play a role in the main story as well? The series ended this case on a grim note, but it feels as if there should be more to it when we look at the drama's overall steady focus on a single timeline of events. Tiffany (Oh Cho-hee) is another new face we might be seeing a lot of as well.
Speaking of timelines, it is nice to come back to Je Soo-dong (Park Doo-sik), our runaway Reaper. The show is more focused on the criminal aspect, but I do hope the natural and the supernatural are as connected as the drama leads us to think. I do wish Ha-ram's (Go Ara) black blindness will be handled more carefully, however. It excuses her collaboration with Black, but many of the people he asks her to check in this episode wear all-black. Quite an oversight on his and the writer's part.

At the same time, our Reaper is not the sharpest tool in the shed; he is essentially the most clueless character of them all. Black is a blank canvas through which everyone else's stories come together to form the drama's bigger picture. Gwang-gyeon (Kim Won-hae) is now almost exclusively in charge of the Moojin incidents and Ha-ram mostly handles cases herself. I wonder when everyone will come together.
I also wonder if and when Moo-gang will make his return. Will we discover everything through Black or will the one who has opened Pandora's box be the one to reveal things? I hope that Black will become more invested in his body's history if the former applies. It looks like he may very well have to, so I welcome his growing mortality in a story which so far has mostly developed without him.
"Black" is directed by Kim Hong-seon-I, written by Choi Ran-I and features Song Seung-heon, Go Ara, Lee El and Kim Dong-jun.
Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

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"Black" Episode 5 recap

The sordid past built by the very human shadows of Moojin gets a grand reveal, but there are many things in need of explanation in both layers of reality. Ha-ram is determined to save lives, but her actions may cause great problems for Black and the entirety of the underworld. Meanwhile, Gwang-gyeon's past connections lead him directly to a person with a very important role in current happenings.
The plot of the past thickens and the late Song Jae-geun's (Choi Bum-ho), but also Chunsu (now Royeol) Insurance's involvement becomes clearer. Oh Man-ho (Choi Min-cheol) could not look more evil unless it were stamped on his forehead, but we have multiple players after multiple people, so things are not as simple as they seem. We also have the hospital director to think about, who may be going it solo for his own reasons as well.

Clara is the person of interest right now, however. She either ran or knew of the front for child exploitation and Moo-gang's/Joon's (Song Seung-heon) involvement with this part of Moojin life has now been established. We still have the mystery of Black's (Kim Tae-woo) memories, however. The simplest explanation is that the children are Moo-gang and Man-soo (Kim Dong-jun), but the series keeps presenting these as Moo-gang's memories a bit too eagerly. Could Moo-gang be the younger child? Could Black be either?
The developments we have on the supernatural front are not encouraging for Ha-ram's (Go Ara) wishes or very life. If the underworld's plans cannot be foiled then her efforts will always fail and her life will eventually end. Yet Black's confidence is the kind that is built to be torn down and it is ripe for the type of messages such stories like providing. Humans should be kind and save each other, we can do it if we try and the like, that is. The current standalone case and any consecutive ones will drive those messages in.

At the same time "Black" has been quite forward and often cynical over the cost of human life. There is no sugar-coating in its portrayed suffering, its latest child victim having escaped sexual assault aside, but this feels more like a move to avoid disturbing potentially sensitive audience members. An odd choice, given Moojin's past. I am curious how far the series will go with this honesty over bad outcomes.
Then we have the scent of romance in the air and while not in any way pronounced or even conscious on Black's side yet, the teasing is definitely there. As far as dysfunctional relationships go, this would be a big one. My hope is that it will at least be used as a tool for portraying the importance of human life through Black's growing sympathy and respect for what his job entails.
"Black" is directed by Kim Hong-seon-I, written by Choi Ran-I and features Song Seung-heon, Go Ara, Lee El and Kim Dong-jun.
Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

"Hospital Ship" episode 35 - 36 recap

On the latest episode of the MBC drama "Hospital Ship", the hospital ship was shut down because Song Eun-jae (Ha Ji-won) and Kwak Hyeon (Kang Min-huok) were questioned by the police.
There was no medical accident but Song Eun-jae and Kwak Hyeon were being manipulated by the authoritiesi. The media increased the criticism because of the public broadcasts. Everyone was disappointed the hospital ship had shut down. Song Eun-jae was also on the verge of being kicked out of Geojae Hospital.
To make matters worse, Kim Kwang-gyoo's wife passed out coughing blood. It was hepatic insufficiency. However, there was no one to operate on her. The current doctors had no experience in liver surgery.
There wasn't enough time. Song Eun-jae offered to do it, but Jeong Dong-hwan (Jang Tae-joon) appeared and stopped her. Geojae Hospital was being financed by Dooseong under contract.

Source : isplus.live.joins.com...
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"Buam-dong Avengers" episode 6 recap

On the latest episode of the tvN drama "Buam-dong Avengers", the revenge club fell for its own trap. With a plan in mind, the revenge club gathered at Jeong-hye's (Lee Yo-won's) house and expected to deal a triple combo.
The first plan was the Devil's Recipe. They intended on making bad food for their husbands and they succeeded.
Plan B became the problem. The revenge club overheard their husbands talking about a secret deal and they thought it was bribery. They were determined to discover the truth behind the secret.
However, Baek Yeong-pyo knew what they were up to. He pretended to be asleep, then tailed Mi-sook and headed for the parking lot. Lee Beom-soo also suspected his wife Jeong-hye. The members of the club have fall for their own trap.

Source : www.osen.co.kr/articl...
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"Mad Dog" Episode 5 recap

"Mad Dog" continues to teeter between tedium and mediocrity as a chase begins to capture the unwilling shadows of the past. The chase itself may not be exciting, but episode five provides some development for supporting characters and their roles in the story, which balances the slower bits out. The friends and enemies of the "Mad Dog" team become clearer as our heroes rattle the cage.
I really want to like "Mad Dog", but the aforementioned focus on the chase is something I feel holds the series back. The plot focuses a lot on dragging scenes out which are not very exciting. Take the tracking of Min-joon (Woo Do-hwan), for example. It is supposed to be suspenseful, because he could be hurt by Go Jin-cheol (Park Sung-hoon), yet his role as a lead who cannot die yet kills that anticipation.

The series focuses too much on the process of investigation and not enough on the people involved or the stakes. That being said, several things about this episode work pretty well and the rather than Min-joon's life being of interest, it is Lee Mi-ran's (Gong Sang-ah) which becomes the focus. Her death would mean the delay of the characters, and by extension of viewers, finding out the truth. This makes her fate an engaging element to watch unfold.
The development of some supporting characters is one as well. Professor Byeon Gook-jin (Park In-hwan) has a very endearing relationship with Kang-woo (Yoo Ji-tae). He and detective Jo Han-woo (Lee Jun-hyeok) balance him out. It is Hong-joo (Hong Soo-hyun) who gets to shine here, however. Secondary female antagonists in love are often portrayed as weak-willed and governed solely by emotion. While Hong-joo could still be used as badly, she seems to have potential as a rogue element helping either party.

As for our two heroes, I am still not "feeling" Min-joon and his facade has gone from interesting to frustrating quite fast. I wish we at least get a hint for that behavior toward the "Mad Dog" team soon, because his demeanor is very different with Eun-joo (Park Ji-yeon-I). Ha-ri's (Ryu Hwa-young) sudden sympathy for the young man is not a strong enough vessel to carry viewer connection alone, try as it may.
It looks like we have reached the true death of Lee Mi-ran, as her involvement seems crucial enough to potentially solve the big mystery. I am still not sold on the story of "Mad Dog" and I hope to see more development of its interesting parts and people, rather than extended tracking sequences. At least Ha-ri smacked the sass out of Min-joon for me. Thank you, Ha-ri.
"Mad Dog" is directed by Hwang Ee-kyeong, written by Kim Soo-jin-V and features Yoo Ji-tae, Woo Do-hwan, Ryu Hwa-young, Kim Hye-seong and Jo Jae-yoon.
Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

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"Buam-dong Avengers" episode 5 recap

Hong Do-hee (Ra Mi-ran) returned an umbrella to Park Seung-woo (Kim Sa-gwon) on the latest episode of the tvN drama "Buam-dong Avengers".
Hong Do-hee gave him his umbrella and a cup to replace the one that was broken. Park Seung-woo called Hong Do-hee back as she was leaving and offered her tea.
He served her tea in the new cup and said, "I like this one better than the broken one". He smiled at her and when she asked why he smiled, Park Seung-woo pretended like it was nothing. Hong Do-hee was shy, so she decided it was time to go back home but Park Seung-woo told her to drop by for tea anytime.
At home, Hong Do-hee told herself, "Come back to your senses, Hong Do-hee. Go sell more fish for your son".

Source : tvdaily.asiae.co.kr/r...
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"Mad Dog" episode 5 recap

The chase is not over yet on "Mad Dog".
On the latest episode of the KBS 2TV drama "Mad Dog", trust was hard to come by.
Min-joon and Kang-wook were shocked to hear that the insurance planner Lee Mi-ran, who was supposed to have killed herself after the JH 801 accident, was alive and searched for her.
Kang-woo learned from Byeon Gook-jin (Park In-hwan) that Park Moo-sin (Jang Hyuk-jin) who he thought was a friend, had betrayed him.
Moo-sin had taken Kang-woo to the memorial where Lee Mi-ran was supposedly buried. Kang-woo asked Moo-sin why he was following him around and Moo-sin said, "I did it for you as a friend". Kang-woo asked, "Are we friends? Have we ever been friends?"
No one could trust anyone anymore. In the search for Lee Mi-ran, Kang-woo competed against Min-joon and while he was on Min-joon's trail, Kang-woo discovered a serial killer named Ko Jin-cheol (Park Seong-hoon) who was after Min-joon.
Ko Jin-cheol hunted down Min-joon and Mi-ran. When Min-joon finally found her, Jin-cheol knocked him out from behind. Min-joon fell unconscious and was trapped in a car fire with Lee Mi-ran.
Kang-woo witnessed all this and managed to wake Min-joon.

Source : www.osen.co.kr/articl...
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"Hospital Ship" episode 33 - 34 recap

On the latest episode of the MBC drama "Hospital Ship", Song Eun-jae (Ha Ji-won) was questioned by the police for accidental homicide. A patient's child showed signs of respiratory failure.
During the questioning, Eun-jae told the police she conducted the suction instead of Kwak Hyeon (Kang Min-hyuk). Later, Eun-jae found out this was all part of Dooseong's plan to build a hospital ship.
Later, Eun-jae and kwak-hyeon went on a date. Gwak-hyeon asked if she was hungry and Eun-jae said she was most hungry when she got on the hospital ship.
Eun-jae continued, "I tried to imagine how much pain my mother would have felt and it made me go crazy. I missed my mother so much".
"But the funny thing is, my stomach started grumbling. My mother had passed away, the hospital room was chaotic and I had been fired from my job, but I was hungry".
"However, I think I have to leave Hospital Ship now. I'm sorry. I told the police I conducted the suction just so you know". Kwak Hyeon asked her why she did that so she told him about Dooseong's plan and told him to protect hospital ship.

Source : star.moneytoday.co.kr...
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"Witch's Court" episode 6 recap

On the latest episode of the KBS 2TV drama "Witch's Court", Yeo Jin-wook (Yoon Hyun-min) took care of Ma Yi-deum (Jung Ryeo-won)..
They arrested pedophile Choi Hyeon-tae (Lee Myung-haeng) who had kidnapped Yoon Ah-reum (Jung In-seo). In the process, Ma Yi-deum got hurt by the knife that Choi Hyeon-tae swung at her when she'd tried to clumsily run away. The result was that she endedended up looking like she'd saved Yeo Jin-wook and was hospitalized as a hero. She used this as a chance to treat Yeo Jin-wook like her slave.
Yeo Jin-wook had told her to refrain from calling him too much, but he did everything she asked him. He also thanked her deeply. Once out of the hospital, Ma Yi-deum she'd be more comfortable at her own house rather than Yeo Jin-wook's. He thought that was a good idea but also felt uncomfortable about it so he took over some beers. Thinking that he had feelings for her, Ma Yi-deum kissed him.
The next day, Ma Yi-deum teased him. "How did it feel having your crush accept your confession?" Yeo Jin-wook replied, "I never had a crush on you and I never confessed my feelings for you. But I'll take the kiss".
Then Yeo Jin-wook told Ma Yi-deum that he'd been to her neighborhood before on a favor from a mother who was looking for her daughter. The missing person was Ma Yi-deum's mother Kwak Young-sil (Lee Il-hwa). What had Jo Gap-soo (Jun Kwang-ryul), Baek Sang-ho (Heo Sung-tae) and Ko Jae-sook (Jeon Mi-seon) done to Kwak Young-sil?
Meanwhile, Min Ji-sook (Kim Yeo-jin) briefed the Choi Hyeon-tae case and said laws on pedophiles should be enforced.

Source : www.xportsnews.com/?a...
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"The Temperature of Love" episodes 21 - 22 recap

On the latest episode of the SBS drama "The Temperature of Love", Lee Hyeon-soo (Seo Hyun-jin) told Park Jeong-woo (Kim Jae-wook) that she loved On Jeong-seon (Yang Se-jong).
Park Jeong-woo introduced Lee Hyeon-soo to On Jeong-seon saying, "This is the woman I love".
On Jeong-seon called Park Jeong-woo to another room and asked, "How did you think about proposing to her without any emotional exchange?"
Park Jeong-woo said, "I was with her when you weren't".
On Jeong-seon asked, "Did you know she was my girlfriend? And you prepared a ring for her? What did I do to you?"
Park Jeong-woo replied, "Nothing, but I am mad at you because I can't be mad at her".
Lee Hyeon-soo was left alone with Park Jeong-woo and she said, "Remember I told you there was someone I loved, but he'd disappeared. I met him again and that's Jeong-seon".

Source : www.asiatoday.co.kr/v...
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"This Life Is Our First Life" Episode 6 recap

The wedding goes through without incident. Hilariously, Se-hee and Ji-ho even manage to skip out their own reception. This wasn't pre-planned or anything, it's just that neither one of them actually needs to be there because as has been discussed frequently, the entire concept of a marriage ceremony is largely for the benefit of social appearances. The main important event that happens there is that the forced social interactions get Ho-rang and Woo-seok to cool down from their fight.
Now that's a great subplot. Right after we're done with Se-hee and Ji-ho getting into the nitty gritty of their entirely technically minded marriage contract, we get to see Ho-rang and Woo-seok discuss, first with their same gender friends and then with each other, what they think marriage is. Their answers are predictably at odds, but it's fascinating how in both cases, in completely different ways, romantic sentiment clouds their judgment. Ho-rang and Woo-seok see marriage as such an inherently love-based concept they're incapable of talking to each other about the practical issues.
Contrast that with how Se-hee and Ji-ho are so practical they don't think about emotion at all. Well, Ji-ho does at least. And this is the problem. Ji-ho keeps interpreting Se-hee's actions and speech in an overly sentimental light, failing to realize that as far as Se-hee is concerned, this is all still practical thinking. Eventually Ji-ho manages to cross a line so explicit that Se-hee has to talk to her about it- which very neatly sets up the next episode's conflict.
But as far as this episode is concerned there's still plenty else that's going on. We're already familiar with how Soo-ji endures sexism at the workplace- but this time, Song-goo is a witness. This leads to a fairly powerful conversation wherein they explicitly discuss the lines between workplace propriety and sexual harassment. They both make excellent points even as we can see how their judgment is clouded, since both are obviously rationalizing from a position of self-interest.
One of the greatest design elements of "This Life Is Our First Life" is how it's not just the big dramatic scenes between the three main couples. The constant interaction of the characters with each other just as friends discussing these same problems offers ample opportunity for us (and them) to reconsider their stated positions. If nothing else this works to emphasize just how complex these interpersonal problems are, and how resolving them is a constant negotiation.
Review by William Schwartz
"This Life Is Our First Life" is directed by  Park Joon-hwa, written by Yoon Nan-joong and features Lee Min-ki, Jung So-min, Esom, Park Byung-eun, Kim Ga-eun-I, and Kim Min-seok.

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"Boy and Girl From the 20th Century" Episodes 11-12 recap

There's a South Korean variety show wherein celebrities pretend to marry each other. I've never really understood the appeal of this particular format. I'm kind of surprised it's still around honestly. These are the thoughts that when through my head as I watched Jin-jin and So-ni play through their roles for that show in a show. The entire concept is obviously fake from the beginning, so nestling it inside an explicitly fictional drama just manages to make everything feel even more fake.
That's the main issue with "Boy and Girl From the 20th Century"- it just feels chronically insincere. It's about characters who are almost entirely incapable of expressing themselves when it comes to romantic feelings. That on its own wouldn't be such a big problem except that none of the principles ever even really try to. They're so obsessed with trying to look aloof and cool that their actions aren't even passive-aggressive. They're passive-passive.
The only real assertive character we have is the cleaner who works in Yeong-sim's office. Which is unfortunate, since the only thing she seems to have an especially strong opinion about is the proper way to prepare and dispose of mixed coffee. That those, of all things, are the main emotional scenes in "Boy and Girl From the 20th Century" is very strange, especially considering that the cleaner character also gets a subplot this episode that I'm not sure is going anywhere because Yeong-sim has already accomplished her only apparent goal of getting a job.
Goals. That's what's missing in this drama. Most of the time it's easy enough to tolerate a romantic comedy with relatively few romantic scenes because the leads are always distracted by trying to solve other problems that take precedence. Then they find love because in the process of solving those problems, they discover mutual support that was there all along. That's a staple K-Drama formula that's used because it works.
But it really doesn't work at all when the goal in question is, say, Ahn-reum and Woo-seong having platonic discussions about dating other people instead of just dating each other. That plotline sticks out as being explicitly pointless, compared to Jin-jin goal of trying to have a successful television career. That goal is just boring, and there doesn't really seem to be any way for her to do it wrong, so all we're left is a rather unfulfilling love triangle between Jin-jin, her ex-boyfriend, and her fake TV boyfriend, where we barely even get to see any juicy jealousy.
Review by William Schwartz
"Boy and Girl From the 20th Century" is directed by Lee Dong-yoon , written by Lee Seon-hye and features Han Ye-seul, Kim Ji-suk, Lee Sang-woo, Lee Sang-hee-II, and Ryu Hyun-kyung.

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"Witch's Court" episode 5 recap

The reason why Jin-wook (Yoon Hyun-min) went from being a psychologist to an investigator was revealed on the episode of the KBS 2TV drama "Witch's Court" on the 23rd.
Five years ago, Jin-wook was in court with a ten year-old girl named Ah-reum as her doctor. She had been raped by her step-father and had even contracted a sexually transmitted disease from him. Jin-wook did everything he could as her doctor, but the step-father only received five years in jail. After that injustice, Jin-wook decided to become an investigator.
"Witch's Court" is broadcast every Monday and Tuesday at 10 PM KST.

Source : www.topstarnews.net/d...
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"The Temperature of Love" episodes 19 - 20 recap

On the latest episode of the SBS drama "The Temperature of Love", Park Jeong-woo (Kim Jae-wook) tried to come between Lee Hyeon-soo (Seo Hyeon-jin) and On Jeong-seon (Yang Se-jong). He proposed to Hyeon-soo while knowing that she was in a relationship with Jeong-seon. He'd found out by accidentally seeing them cuddling together.
Jeong-woo's knowledge didn't deter him from proposing to Hyeon-soo with a cake and ring that Jeong-seon had helped him prepare while fully supporting him.
Meanwhile, Ji Hong-ah (Jo Bo-ah) found out that Jeong-woo liked Hyeon-soo. She told Jeong-woo, "Hyeon-soo and Jeong-seon like each other a lot. There's no place between them for you".
In the end, Jeong-woo invited Hyeon-soo out to the location he where he planned to propose to her. Jeong-seon finally discovered that Jeong-woo was proposing to his Hyeon-soo.
Jeong-woo didn't stop there. He introduced Hyeon-soo to Jeong-seon saying, "He's my favorite man" and introduced Hyeon-soo to Jeong-seon saying, "My favorite woman".

Source : sbsfune.sbs.co.kr/new...
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"Boy and Girl From the 20th Century" Episodes 9-10 recap

So-ni (played by Lee Sang-woo) is Ji-won's stepbrother. His main purpose is the story is to give Ji-won someone to talk to that is not Jin-jin or her wacky friends, which is helpful. I rather like the banter of their bro talk, and I especially like how Ji-won and So-ni are apparently incapable of getting on each other's nerves because they are such inherently nice and pleasant people. Although then again, maybe I shouldn't be praising a lack of conflict in this drama, what with its issues on pacing.
If you ever saw the promotional ads for "Boy and Girl From the 20th Century", you probably noticed a very cute scene where Ji-won tells Jin-jin he is not married. This is such a great chemistry establishing scene I was expecting it within the first few episodes. While its appearance in episode nine is appreciated, it feels really weird that these plot points, like so many others, have been exposited so late. So-ni himself is the second male lead, and we're only just now finding out who he is.
Also Ah-reum is a flight attendant. I can't remember whether this was previously mentioned. Not that it matters. Ah-reum's main character traits are that she likes beer and is boy crazy. In a younger character this might come off as charming but as a woman in her mid-thirties Ah-reum just ends up looking childish. Also she is a public menace, making a mess of the Han River Park.
Ah-reum's character badly fails the gender test. As in, if she were a man, Ah-reum's behavior would be horrifying. To date, the only real accomplishment of her storyline is that it makes me feel sorry for Woo-seong. It also leaves me a little confused about how Woo-seong can be Ah-reum's obvious love interest yet neither Ah-reum nor Woo-seong seem to have any awareness of this. In all fairness, they don't really seem to have much in common aside from being high school chums.
So it's fortunate that on the other side of "Boy and Girl From the 20th Century" Han Ye-seul and Kim Ji-suk have great if unrealized chemistry. I'm really digging the family meals they all keep attending together. Even if Jin-jin herself is totally disaffected on the whole marriage issue, it's obvious that her parents have high hopes. They're easy characters to identify with because they, like me, really just want to watch a romantic comedy and are pleased with any plot movement in that general direction.
Review by William Schwartz
"Boy and Girl From the 20th Century" is directed by Lee Dong-yoon , written by Lee Seon-hye and features Han Ye-seul, Kim Ji-suk, Lee Sang-woo, Lee Sang-hee-II, and Ryu Hyun-kyung.

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"This Life Is Our First Life" Episode 5 recap

The extent to which Se-hee and Ji-ho are smart and organized continues to impress me. I mean sure, it's really sterile and weird that Se-hee has this whole check list of things they have to do to get married, but that's just how he thinks, in terms of narrow short-term objectives in service of broader long-term goals. This, in turn, explains how and why Se-hee and Ji-ho are able to expedite the process so effectively, if only because Ji-ho is very good at following his lead.
It's lucky they're such a good team, considering the parental issues they have to navigate. We already know Se-hee's mother Myeong-ja (played by Moon Hee-kyeong), who came off as annoying in previous appearances. But Se-hee's father Hee-bong (played by Kim Eung-soo) rather changes our understanding of who Myeong-ja is. They got married while Myeong-ja was still a teenager. Myeong-ja's entire adult life has revolved around the life provided by Myeong-ja, so it's easy to see why the prospect of leaving that is terrifying to her, even as Hee-bong is explicitly awful.
But it also explains a lot about why Se-hee feels so emotionally withdrawn. Se-hee conceptualizes marriages as being inherently exploitive because that's all he knows. So that leaked out into the rest of his life, where Se-hee obsesses over making sure everything is fair, as in, he gives fair warning to people. This is also what Myeong-ja does, except that Myeong-ja is much meaner. So Se-hee avoids that too. Cue emotional repression.
It's also, as we see by the end, a surprising point of commonality that Se-hee has with Ji-ho. They both have domineering fathers and submissive mothers, the critical difference being that Jong-soo is merely brusque while Myeong-ja is explicitly abusive. Still, the parallels are obvious enough that when Ji-ho's mother Hyeon-ja (played by Kim Sun-young-III) drops a bombshell at the end, well, the emotional impact really is something.
Of course, while the whole parental dynamic is the main interesting thematic decision going on, I'd be remiss not to discuss how Soo-ji and Ho-rang are the best possible girlfriends. They're so laid back they don't even bother to dig into Ji-ho's story. They're just happy that she's happy. Also they have great banter. Those sections where they just make a big joke out of the weird title Ji-ho uses to describe Se-hee are fantastic. Really, if Ji-ho is going to discuss Se-hee in the third person, she needs a better word.
Review by William Schwartz
"This Life Is Our First Life" is directed by Park Joon-hwa, written by Yoon Nan-joong and features Lee Min-ki, Jung So-min, Esom, Park Byung-eun, Kim Ga-eun-I, and Kim Min-seok.

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