"Radio Romance" episode 2 recap

On the latest episode of the KBS 2TV drama "Radio Romance", Ji Soo-ho (Yoon Doo-joon) warned Song Geu-rim (Kim So-hyun) not to follow him around.
She asked him to appear on radio, but he refused and asked her to explain why radio was better than being on TV. He asked, "Do you know how much work it is to promote a drama?"
Song Geu-rim said, "You received an award at the Blue Dragon and even Best Actor. You sell cell phones and beer, but that's going the wrong way. Let's take off that mask of yours and show your true voice. You've been around cameras for over 15 years. There are no cameras on radio. It doesn't make as much money or fame as TV, but there are no flash parades either. I suggest you try radio".
However, Ji Soo-ho refused and told her, "Please do not come to my sets or the agency. Why do you make me talk this way? I will not do radio".
Song Geu-rim didn't give in and said, "I will help you change your mind about radio. I will continue to follow you around".

Source : news.nate.com/view/20...
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"Cross" episode 2 recap

On the latest episode of the tvN drama "Cross", Kang In-gyu (Go Kyung-pyo) and Ko Jung-hoon (Cho Jae-hyun) met for the first time.
Kang In-gyu was mad at his stepfather Ko Jung-hoon for deciding on his sister's organ transplant on his own, but Ko Jung-hoon was calm about it. In the past, the two had met on good terms.
Kang In-gyu took his sick sister to the hospital, but was rejected. Ko Jung-hoon happened to see them and asked what happened. The nurse explained, "They have no money to pay off their medical bills, but their parents don't even come around and only send their children". Ko Jung-hoon took them inside and said, "How can you talk about money when she's so sick?"
Kang In-gyu worried about money, but Ko Jung-hoon told him, "That's not for you to worry about. The grown-ups will do that. You are hurt and it must've hurt a lot. Tell me if it hurts". Kang In-gyu asked, "How can I be a doctor like you? I want to be a nice doctor who helps poor people".
Ko Jung-hoon said, "I'm not a kind doctor, but I think you'll be a good doctor. You qualify because you worry about your sick sister first". Kang In-gyu asked, "If you're not a nice doctor, then who is?"

Source : www.newsen.com/news_v...
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"Longing Heart" Episode 8 recap

Ha, the younger Sin-woo is getting more likable all the time. Instead of just waiting for the older Sin-woo to give him relevant advice, the younger Sin-woo proactively comes up with his own goofy plans to get together with Ji-soo upon his return to the past. Like the older Sin-woo, the younger Sin-woo is simply assuming that he can easily do time travel again. Which is admittedly not that unreasonable, since his continued presence in the future is an obvious time paradox.
But both Sin-woos are assuming that the death of their mother and Ji-soo's abrupt departure to go to school overseas were unrelated events. This surprises me. I had thought from the beginning that these events were related and was confused as to why the older Sin-woo didn't bother to address the whole issue of his mother dying up until the very last minute. Maybe that's just because I watch too many dramas? Then again Sin-woo has watched plenty of time slip stories, so that's no excuse.
This all creates a fairly mild continuity error. Apparently even though Sin-woo's modern day friends were hassling Sin-woo about not getting over Ji-soo, it never occured to Na-hee to tell Sin-woo that Ji-soo had claimed to not actually be interested in studying overseas. Of course an even better source of information had very good reasons for not being able to tell Sin-woo about what Ji-soo really thought. Hence how we get to the big tragedy.
I like the enigmatic way Ji-soo is portrayed, because the more we learn about her the less she seems like an enigma. Ji-soo is just a very difficult person to read, because she doesn't like being direct. At the same time, Ji-soo likes it when other people are direct with her, but tends to take what they say at face value. The jewelry store flashback is more instructive than it initially appears- while Ji-soo seems happy at the time, I doubt she would take kindly to the deceit, however well-intentioned.
But again, it's very easy to understand Ji-soo incorrectly. Consider how her big confession to Sin-woo plays off of an irrational yet reasonable assumption on Ji-soo's part as to how Sin-woo would react. One of the better elements at play in "Longing Heart" concerns the importance of reassurance in a healthy relationship. That's always when Sin-woo is able to make the most progress, is when he helps Ji-soo to feel less guilty over things she should not feel ashamed about.
Review by William Schwartz
"Longing Heart" is directed by   Min Yeon-hong, written by  Park Ga-yun and features Lee Jung-shin,  Seo Ji-hoon, Lee Yul-eum,  and Kim Sun-young-III.

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"Just Between Lovers" Episode 16 (Final) recap

It occurs to me that "Just Between Lovers" has ended without really ever having much of a plot, resting entirely on the strength of its central relationship. So initially it seems a bit unfair that I'm such a fan of "Just Between Lovers" while being very frankly critical of "I'm Not a Robot" when the latter had basically the same design. Observe how Kang-doo gained a terminal medical condition last episode, just so that problem could be solved here. Or not.
And that's where "Just Between Lovers" really has it. The tension. We do not know, up until the very last minute, whether Kang-doo is going to survive past the ending. "Just Between Lovers" has always been a story about mortality and impermanence. While the construction project has fallen by the wayside, that's because in the long run, the construction project was never that important. Joo-won rather hilariously comes to a critical decision about personnel management upon realizing that actually, office politics don't really matter.
It's Sang-man, of all characters, that most easily comes to understand what's important, because mentally challenged as he is, Sang-man only sees what's directly important. Then there's Kang-doo's sister Jae-yeong (played by Kim Hye-joon) who has always been a nagging influence in the background, finally realizing that the main reason Kang-doo doesn't listen to her is his inherent distrust of institutions. These two end up building something far more important than just a big building.
Likewise, Moon-soo realizes that whatever future her life may hold, Kang-doo is just too important to her. Some things in life are just too important to let go of. Any fight, any moment of silence, Kang-doo will always be there with her, just as Moon-soo is always with Kang-doo even in his darkest moment. Emotionally, these two are tied very close together, and it is through that bond that they can heal through the trauma of their past.
By the way, I've never had much of a chance to discuss the soundtrack, but it really is quite good. They're all these slow songs that initially seem sad, because the tone is so soulful and the lyrics so melancholy, with a constant echo implying distance. Yet the music really resonates with its hopeful pleading. There's this fear that tragedy is inevitable, yet hope enough to wish for The Miracle anyway. To admit to really wanting Moon-soo...that spiritual healing was what Kang-doo needed even more than the kidney.
Review by William Schwartz
"Just Between Lovers" is directed by  Kim Jin-won-I, written by  Yoo Bo-ra, and features Junho, Won Jin-ah, Lee Ki-woo, and Kang Han-na

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"Doubtful Victory" episodes 39 - 40 (final) recap

On the final episode of the SBS drama "Doubtful Victory", KimJong-sam (Yoon Kyun-sang) revealed the truth about President Lee Gwang-ho (Jun Gook-hwan).
Jong-sam released a recording of Gwang-ho at his press conference. He revealed that he was Jong-sam and not Oh Il-seung and repeated the names of the people whose murders Gwang-ho instigated. Gwang-ho tried to say it was a threat, but he was arrested.
Gook Soo-ran (Yoon Yoo-sun) caused a scene with a gun pointed at Gwang-ho when he tried to have her locked up in a mental hospital. Jong-sam was also arrested by Jin Jin-young (Jung Hye-sung) because he was an escaped convict. He was going to prison, but his murder case was going to be reinvestigated.
Park Soo-chil (Kim Hee-won) told Han Kang (Moon Woo-jin) that the unconscious Kang Chul-gi (Jang Hyun-sung) was his father. Han Cha Kyung (Jun Ik-ryung) comforted Park Soo-chil who didn't think he needed to be there. Kang Chul-gi came around after some time and Han Kang called him 'father'.
Jong-sam was released from prison and in front of him was Jin Jin-young. They walked together.
Meanwhile, "Shall We Kiss First" starring Kam Woo-sung and Kim Sun-ah is coming soon.

Source : star.hankookilbo.com/...
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"Doubtful Victory" episodes 37 - 38 recap

On the latest episode of the SBS drama "Doubtful Victory", Lee Gwang-ho (Jun Gook-hwan) was primed to kill Kim Jong-sam (Yoon Kyun-sang).
Gwak Young-jae (Park Sung-geun) drove a car straight at Jong-sam. Kang Chul-gi (Jang Hyun-sung) threw himself into harm's way to save Jong-sam and was hurt instead. Jong-sam was furious to see Young-jae sitting behind the wheel.
However, Gwang-ho wasn't in a good situation either. The situation was messed up after Young-jae got arrested. Feeling uneasy, he pressured Ahn Tae-jung (Kim Young-pil). Tae-jung tried to use Gook Soo-ran (Yoon Yoo-sun), but changed his target to Jong-sam.
Tae-jung kidnapped Jin Jin-young (Jung Hye-sung) and suggested a trade with the evidence Soo-ran had. Jong-sam made the trade, but set out to catch Gwang-ho himself. He used the election as bait and managed to kidnap Gwang-ho.
He took him in a dark and enclosed space and said, "Look around. All the people you ordered to be killed were brought to places like this and were beaten up and killed". Gwang-ho asked what he wanted and Jong-sam replied, "Isn't it obvious? I want your life" as he pointed a gun his way.

Source : tvdaily.asiae.co.kr/r...
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"A Korean Odyssey" Episode 10 recap

The big snag in everyone's plans is not as educating as I was hoping it would be, but at least some characters' true feelings for one another have been revealed. Seon-mi gets to experience life without her abilities and everyone else gets to experience life without Sam Jang, but this inconvenient for most and a potential death sentence for Boo-ja. Everyone is confused about the future, most of all Seon-mi.

I thought we would finally be rid of Geumganggo and its powers over the romance in "A Korean Odyssey"(also known as "Hwayugi"), but I think the changes in Oh-gong (Lee Seung-gi) have been made clear enough that we can be sure about his feelings for Seon-mi (Oh Yeon-seo) by now. His shackles make her joy a priority, but to hurt for her happiness is a choice and so is helping the lost child. The guilt he feels for betraying a young Seon-mi is his own.

I was hoping that we would learn more about the other characters through this predicament. I feel like Ma-wang (Cha Seung-won) in particular has been locked in a moral and developmental limbo by the creators, because he is supposed to be a demon, but also a good character. I wanted to know what he feels about Seon-mi and about being the leader of his misfits. The former is still a mystery, but his reaction to Boo-ja (Lee Se-young) being in danger, rather than Pal-gye (Lee Hong-ki) ruining his points, reveals a caring side.

On the other hand, Boo-ja's dire condition reveals a much darker side of Pal-gye. Unsurprisingly, deities and monsters may have feelings, but they seem to struggle with sympathy. Ma-wang can relate to matters of love, but little else. Pal-gye is even "younger" in understanding right from wrong, but I am now more certain than ever that his backstory and great attachment to Boo-ja are related. Boo-ja herself shows her true nature unaffected by Sam Jang, and it is just as sweet and genuinely caring of Seon-mi as I expected.

The most important thing about the episode, however, is that Seon-mi herself understands the gravity of her abilities and what it means to people. I thought that Jonathan (Michael K. Lee) would solely be a plot device romantic obstacle inducing jealousy, but it feels great to see his existence matter beyond petty matters of dating woes. He is someone Seon-mi is a hero for, and a reminder of how long the ripples of her kindness can last for those she touches.

I am glad to see some attention given to Seon-mi as a person and a divine vessel, because the romance in "A Korean Odyssey" sometimes functions at the expense of her growth. My hope for the future is to see everyone bond more and tackle Seon-mi's mission with her. I feel like the bookkeeper (Lee So-yeon) not understanding her own nature is a cautionary tale for Ma-wang, who needs to step and be worthy of godliness. I hope Seon-mi can guide them all.

"A Korean Odyssey" is directed by Kim Byeong-soo, Kim Jeong-hyeon-I, Kim Seul-ah and Park Hong-gyoon, written by Hong Jeong-eun and Hong Mi-ran and features Lee Seung-gi, Cha Seung-won, Oh Yeon-seo, Lee Hong-ki and Jang Gwang

Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

tnN "Cross" episode 1 recap

On the first episode of "Cross" on tvN, Kang In-gyoo (Go Kyung-pyo) volunteered for the dispensary in prison despite his outstanding resume. The dispensary manager wondered whyy In-gyoo wanted to go into a place like that and asked if he was in trouble.
In-gyoo asked if the manager worked there because he had a bad resume. He explained that he had a brother who didn't get treatment on time and he just wanted to help people in need. Hyeong-beom (Heo Sung-tae) stabbed a fellow inmate he resented with glass and the inmate needed treatment.
In-gyoo quickly operated on him and was able to save him. The inmate was taken to a bigger hospital. Jung Hoon (Cho Jae-hyun) was looking at the wound when he realized that In-gyoo had operated on him from his unique stitching style.
In-gyoo treated Hyeong-beom's hand that was cut from the glass. Hyeong-beom asked if they had met before, but In-gyoo denied it. He recalled the past as he was treating his hand; Hyeong-beom had killed his father and taken out his organs.
While Hyeong-beom was re-enacting his crime after being arrested, In-gyoo hit him in the head with a rock and Hyeong-beomhit him back. In-gyoo had a damanged optic nerve from blunt-force trauma because of it. He planned to take his revenge slowly.
Jung-hoon told In-gyoo to learn more, but he refused and decided to get revenge on Hyeong-beom.

Source : www.osen.co.kr/articl...
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"Radio Romance" episode 1 recap

On the first episode of the KBS 2TV drama "Radio Romance", top star Ji Soo-ho (Yoon Doo-joon) suffered from depression.
Song Geu-rim (Kim So-hyun) was a writer who really wanted to write, but she wasn't given the chance. She only worked on casting and worked for a radio sub-writer for 2 years until the show was going to be canceled.
Lee Kang (Yoon Park) made her an offer; get Ji Soo-ho as a radio DJ and she'd be given the chance to be the writer of the show. Geu-rim hovered around Soo-ho to get him on radio. She pleaded with him and even played his opposing role who falls into water to help him practice.
Soo-ho looked at her strangely. He couldn't take his eyes offGeu-rim who was on the phone and he looked like he was caught in the past. He worried deeply about her as she fell into the water, too.
A scene from the drama showed Soo-ho watching Geu-rim who was smiling brightly when they were students.

Source : biz.heraldcorp.com/vi...
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"Just Between Lovers" Episode 15 recap

The scene with Moon-soo finding the old cell phone is replayed from her perspective. Well, technically speaking, the original scene was also from Moon-soo's perspective- but without better context, it seemed like Moon-soo was leaving because she was angry at Kang-doo. Actually, it turns out Moon-soo was angry at herself. That cell phone brought back painful memories. Another flashback shows us that Moon-soo had an even more direct reason to think she was responsible for the death of her first love than we had been led to believe.
Kang-doo doesn't know this, and Moon-soo doesn't want to talk about it. As a result, Moon-soo grows distant, and Kang-doo sees his role as being to reassure her, much in the same way that she reassured him, with the promise of increasingly constructive behavior. The irony is obvious, and even commented upon. Kang-doo simply has to trust that he is making progress with Moon-soo.
Unfortunately, Kang-doo is nowhere near as patient as Moon-soo is. After being prodded by unrelated bad news, Kang-doo starts panicking. Notably, Kang-doo's panic does not involve violence in any way. There's just a sense of growing desperation. Kang-doo feels guilty. It's not imagined past crimes that bother Kang-doo now so much as the idea that he has been taking Moon-soo for granted. This fear makes Kang-doo desperate to communicate to Moon-soo that he does truly love her, no matter how irrelevant such a confession is to Moon-soo's current problems.
In that context Ma-ri's subplot with Yoo-taek comes to a very elegant, functional end. She just tells him as a matter of fact that their relationship has never been as much as it seems. Annoying as Yoo-taek's nagging wife may seem, that nagging is in itself a form of true love, as is permanence. Kang-doo too, has clearly internalized this philosophy. That's why he's so scared all of a sudden, the prospect of death no longer seeming like an end to suffering but an end to his regained humanity.
On a lighter note I liked Wan-jin's brief moment of comic relief, where she expresses agitation that her webtoon is about to end having never been especially popular. This sequence is obviously just writer Yoo Bo-ra venting at the camera, while simultaneously noting that her concerns are rather petty when it's the heart of the story that really matters. This also ties into the drama's larger story arc, on how the feeling of accomplishment is more important even the substance of it.
Review by William Schwartz
"Just Between Lovers" is directed by  Kim Jin-won-I, written by  Yoo Bo-ra, and features Junho, Won Jin-ah, Lee Ki-woo, and Kang Han-na

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"Longing Heart" Episode 7 recap

Normally when people think about talking to their past self, it's in terms of the advice given to help the younger, stupider you avoid what were, in retrospect, obvious boneheaded mistakes. With the past tense version of the story, that's exactly what "Longing Heart" did. But the premise has been turned around. Now it is the younger Sin-woo who is asking questions about how and why his older self is living the life that he is in the present day.
So far the older Sin-woo has been blowing his younger self off. What can the older Sin-woo learn from the younger one when the older Sin-woo is logically better in every possible way? And yet the older Sin-woo had a unique flaw from the beginning. He was hung up about Ji-soo for years and had to be prodded by friends into even trying to talk to her again. Then, after one sour meeting, the older Sin-woo just gave up and only put in more effort thanks to freak accident time travel.
The younger Sin-woo sees the obvious logical problems with this. Interestingly he's able to make a strong impact on Ji-soo rather than the older Sin-woo, because Ji-soo is a surprisingly good listener. Really that's her main fault. Ji-soo is so used to just being passively resigned to her fate that she can't actually make life changes for the better without specific prompting. Ji-soo is very bad at expressing herself, and is charmed by the younger Sin-woo's assertiveness and confidence.
Contrast that with her first meeting with the older Sin-woo, where he just did the bare minimum. There are also Ji-soo's more recent encounters with the older Sin-woo, where he keeps acting helpful, yet seems scared to make eye contact. Over the years Sin-woo has gained a lot of obnoxious bossy personality traits. While this might come off as attractive in an authority figure, Ji-soo's a doctor now. Socially, she outranks Sin-woo, and beyond that is really more interested in an equal than a superior.
This episode is a fairly excellent analysis of all three of the main characters to an extent we haven't seen so far. But then, a lot of what we learn is really just contrasting past actions with present ones, which is what makes the climax so strong even when there's relatively little definitive action. The main remaining concern is how "Longing Heart" is going to resolve the obvious time paradox, although it may just not bother.
Review by William Schwartz
"Longing Heart" is directed by   Min Yeon-hong, written by  Park Ga-yun and features Lee Jung-shin,  Seo Ji-hoon, Lee Yul-eum,  and Kim Sun-young-III.

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"Black Knight" episode 16 recap

"Black Knight" Kim Rae-won proposed to Shin Se-kyung.
Moon Soo-ho (Kim Rae-won) suggested to Jung Hae-ra (Sin Se-kyung) that they get married in the spring. However, Hae-ra refused and said, "I want to get married in two years. I want to go abroad and accomplish something before I get married".
Soo-ho asked, "Are you worried that I won't let you work after we get married?" Hae-ra didn't give in so Soo-ho gave in to her.

Source : star.hankookilbo.com/...
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"A Korean Odyssey" Episode 9 recap

I have been begging for some forward movement in the plot of "A Korean Odyssey" and a guest character brings about an even bigger change than I anticipated. The one thing that has been keeping our group of supernatural misfits together suddenly vanishes, and we are left with an uncertain future for everyone's fate as well as their relationships. I wanted to know what everyone truly thinks and feels about this situation, so bring on the drama.

Seon-mi (Oh Yeon-seo) losing her calling is what we need to once and for all solve the mystery of Oh-gong's (Lee Seung-gi) true nature, but it will also show our heroine what life as a regular mortal means for her, the ones around her and the world. Sam Jang and Seon-mi being separate energies also gives the show a way out of the doom rang by the Saryeong. If Sam Jang can "die" without Seon-mi dying, perhaps Oh-gong will "kill" Sam Jang by helping her fulfill her calling.

Seon-mi may have a special mission delivered from above, but the reason why she can do it so well stems from her being a good human being. The essence of Sam Jang in the wrong hands would not have the same results for the world. The burden is substantial, of course, but I also see genuine relief and a sense of duty in Seon-mi when she successfully settles a supernatural matter. One's identity never comes with only good things, but we can choose how to face those.

Aside from what this will mean for these two characters, it will also force the story to reveal the true thoughts, feelings and intentions of everyone around them. Will Ma-wang (Cha Seung-won) and the rest of the gods and demons just abandon Seon-mi now? My guess is that yes, but not for long. Much like Oh-gong has grown to like her, the others have had the chance to experience a sense of normalcy and a makeshift family through their collaboration with her.

Seon-mi abandoning her mission has even bigger implications for some. Boo-ja (Lee Se-young) cannot exist without Sam Jang, and they need her help in stopping the man who will probably bring about the end of days. She also brings development to Pal-gye (Lee Hong-ki), one of the least developed characters. The episode's theme of abused children and the tragic siblings makes me wonder if Pal-gye acting like a protective brother is a hint to his backstory. I hope we see it soon.

I know that this latest crisis will not last and that it will probably focus on the romance, for the most part, but this is the first time the story of "A Korean Odyssey" (also known as "Hwayugi") moves forward in a good while. Sam Jang is a calling by the gods, and to have it only generate romantic conflicts seems like a waste. There is so much more to our characters and their world, so the stirring of the pot by our dear "Librarian" (Lee So-yeon) is welcome.

"A Korean Odyssey" is directed by Kim Byeong-soo, Kim Jeong-hyeon-I, Kim Seul-ah and Park Hong-gyoon, written by Hong Jeong-eun and Hong Mi-ran and features Lee Seung-gi, Cha Seung-won, Oh Yeon-seo, Lee Hong-ki and Jang Gwang

Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

"Bravo My Life" episodes 51 - 52 recap

On the latest episode of the SBS weekend drama "Bravo My Life", Lala (Do Ji-won) and Ha Do-na (Jung Yoo-mi) reconciled with each other.
At first, Do-na didn't acknowledge Lala as her real mother. Lala had given birth to Do-na when she was twenty and abandoned the baby at her mother's.
But when Lala knew she didn't have long to live, things changed. Do-na stepped forward first and started opening up to Lala. She also opened up to her siblings, Jung Hye-mi (Park Sun-im) and Jung Sung-ah (Hyun Juni) and started calling them sisters.
Do-na began to care for Lala. She made sure Lala had her rest in between filming time. She was shocked when Lala wiped blood from her nose in the bathroom.
Entering Jung Sung-ah and Lala's room, Do-na said she was sleeping there from now on. Lala and Do-na were slowly becoming true mother and daughter.

Source : tvdaily.asiae.co.kr/r...

"The Man Who Lays the Table" episode 40 recap

Park Jin-woo from the MBC drama "The Man Who Lays the Table" set out to find Kim Soo-mi's son.
Lee So-won (Park Jin-woo) asked Yang Choon-ok (Kim Soo-mi) why she wasn't looking and that scars of the past shouldn't be covered up. "People make mistakes. What's important is how to wrap it up. Ha Yeon-joo (Seo Hyo-rim) is walking the same path as me".
Despite Lee So-won's attempts to convince her, Yang Choon-ok and Ha Yeon-joo were against looking for the lost son.
Lee So-won declared he would look for Han Jo-ra after Yang Choon-ok left.
However, Yang Choon-ok later asked Lee So-won to look for her missing son.

Source : www.topstarnews.net/d...

"My Golden Life" episode 44 recap

On the latest episode of the KBS 2TV drama "My Golden Life", Jeon No-min as Choi Jae-sung found out that Na
Young-hee as Noh Myeong-hee pressured people related to and around Seo Eun-su as Seo Ji-soo to make her come back home.
Jae-sung warned Myeong-hee to leave Ji-soo alone to live the life she wants. However, despite her husband's warning, Myeong-hee meddled and ordered her assistant to buy the bakery building. Jae-sung was furious when he found out.
He asked Myeong-hee about firing Yang Mi-jung (Kim Hye-ok) from her position and the disappearance of their daughter Ji-soo in the past. If it weren't for Seo Tae-soo (Chun Ho-jin), Ji-soo would have been swept away by the storm.
Later, Myeong-hee found out her husband had hidden Jo Soon-ok and asked about it. Instead of answering, he yelled, "You think you're so elegant, but you lost our daughter on your way to have an affair!"

Source : news1.kr/articles/?32...

"Bad Guys : Vile City" episode 14 recap

On the latest episode of "Bad Guys : Vile City", Jo Young-gook (Kim Hong-pa) made a plan to get rid of Je-moon (Park Joong-hoon) who was a threat to him.

Young-gook transferred Je-moon to another district and demoted Jang Seong-cheol (Yang Ik-joon). He then visited Kang-joo (Ji Soo) in the hospital to ask for help.

Je-moon, Il-hoo (Joo Jin-mo), Kang-joo and Seong-cheol gathered again. Je-moon told Seong-cheol to go back to the hospital but, he refused. Je-moon asked, "Didn't you say you wanted to beat up someone like Jo Young-gook up? Then do that and don't complain. But you have to wait and not die before that".

"Doubtful Victory" episode 34 recap

On the latest episode of the SBS drama "Doubtful Victory", Jong-sam (Yoon Kyun-sang) quit being a policeman. He went to Gwang-ho's office to get DNA, but hid somewhere at the sound of Gwang-ho returning.
Chul-gi (Jang Hyun-sung) followed him in and asked, "How did you know you were Jong-sam's father?" Jong-sam was shocked to hear this. He returned home and cried with his dead mother's belongings in his hands.
The next day, Jong-sam went to Gwang-ho and said, "I don't care what you are. You are a murderer. I am going to end you. Jong-sam snuck Pil-sung (Choi Won-young) out of the police station and got a statement from him. He got on recording that Gwang-ho had ordered Pil-sung to kill Jung-gil (Jeon No-min).
Jong-sam told Soo-chil (Kim Hee-won) that he was not going to be a policeman anymore and Jin-young (Jung Hye-sung) asked why. Jong-sam revealed that Gwang-ho is his father.
Jong-sam handed all the information he had about Gwang-ho to the media. Gwang-ho used his power to try to stop news from coming out, but released news about Pil-sung instead. He made it look like it was solely Pil-sung's idea and that he had nothing to do with it. Jong-sam and Chul-gi put their next plan into motion.
Gwang-ho told Tae-jung (Kim Young-pil) to kill Jong-sam, but Tae-jung orders a kidnapped Young-jae (Park Sung-geun) to kill Jong-sam with a car. Young-jae drove his car towards Jong-sam, but Chul-gi pushed him out of the way and sacrificed himself. Jong-sam cried over Chul-gi's dead body.

Source : www.osen.co.kr/articl...
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"A Korean Odyssey" Episode 8 recap

An ominous fate teasing was bound to happen at some point in such a series by these writers and "A Korean Odyssey" delivers it in this episode. There is a fallout between Seon-mi and Oh-gong, partially caused by Ma-wang, but based on the problems our two not-exactly-lovebirds have been trying to sweep under the rug. We start to see some of Oh-gong's honesty and change towards others, but the fates are cruel.

A maybe-death has been teased in "My Girlfriend is a Gumiho" as well as "Master's Sun", so I cannot really feel any tension from a staple of the writers. This is a romantic comedy by a duo expected to mostly do light stuff, so unless something goes terribly wrong in how they view their audience's expectations, no one will be dying. At the same time, this is a point of dramatic interest, as it can develop the characters within the romance and outside of it.

I have been complaining about the drama's tendency to regurgitate content and this episode is largely no different. Seon-mi (Oh Yeon-seo) becomes hopeful, Oh-gong (Lee Seung-gi) says mean things again, Ma-wang (Cha Seung-won) does mean things and then the OTP make up again. This seems to be the main story of "A Korean Odyssey" (also known as "Hwayugi") for now. However, we have some progress here when it comes to how Oh-gong and Ma-wang experience and react to others.

Despite Ma-wang's dislike for Oh-gong and the orders he gives Secretary Ma (Lee El) to ruin the odd couple, he ends up giving heartfelt advice to each party and showing sympathy for them. Perhaps this is the answer what I was talking about in the previous episode's review. Ma-wang can understand the feeling of love and connection to someone, so despite his petty grievances and the fact that he is, after all, a demon, romance is something he can connect to.

More importantly, Oh-gong is starting to understand connection between two individuals better as well. There is no supernatural, shackle-related reason for him to help Lee Han-joo (Kim Sung-oh), for example, but he does so anyway. Not to please Seon-mi, but to stop someone from crying and making him uncomfortable by making him feel compassion. He also does something genuinely apologetic for Ma-wang without it being the bait to a trap. The Monkey King is changing.

My hope is that this change in the two beings of interest, Oh-gong and Ma-wang, can form a powerful duo around Seon-mi and perhaps lead us into what I hope is the second part of the main story. The destructive nature of Kang  Dae-seong (Song Jong-ho) has just been foreshadowed, although it has been clear since we first saw him. This means that the series will have to stop being one long romantic MV and start tackling the apocalypse soon. It is about time, series.

"A Korean Odyssey" is directed by Kim Byeong-soo, Kim Jeong-hyeon-I, Kim Seul-ah and Park Hong-gyoon, written by Hong Jeong-eun and Hong Mi-ran and features Lee Seung-gi, Cha Seung-won, Oh Yeon-seo, Lee Hong-ki and Jang Gwang

Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

"Rude Miss Young-ae Season 16" final episode recap

On the final episode of the tvN drama "Rude Miss Young-ae Season 16", Lee Seung-joon and Lee Young-ae (Kim Hyun-sook) registered themselves as married and official became husband and wife.
Lee Young-ae, Ra Mi-ran, and Lee Soo-min complained about being married and worried that each others' husbands would be like the other.
They were eating when Young-ae ran into a work colleague she used to like. She paid for dinner and met him again in her office where he came to ask for help.
Young-ae tried to show off that Lee Seung-joon loved her very much, but was proved futile when he called to ask her to bring something back for him. Her colleague asked her, "Why is he asking a pregnant woman to do that for him?"
She hoped he was proposing, but the colleague was just there for work and Lee Young-ae was very displeased with Lee Seung-joon. She decided to propose to him first and they hugged.
On the day of their wedding, they were almost late but they arrived just in time in a car that said, "Pumpkin Night Club".
Then, the bride didn't enter when it was her turn. It turned out the Lee Young-ae had caught the thief that tried to steal their wedding money and entered the wedding hall yelling for him to be arrested.
Season 16 ended with her saying, "I'm Lee Young-ae!"

Source : biz.heraldcorp.com/vi...
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"Longing Heart" Episode 6 recap

So as expected Sin-woo did, somehow, manage to trigger the time travel again when he dived into the ocean in a hopeless effort to find his mother. There is one important twist to this though, that I'd rather not get into at the moment. The main fundamental information we learn right away is that apparently Sin-woo came back slightly ahead of where he first left, which means that he can still save Ji-soo.
But any changes Sin-woo might have made to the timeline are indistinct, considering that life as he knows it seems to mostly be the same. Or at least, it's similar enough that Sin-woo's presumably different memories aren't that much of an issue, and he has to struggle for awhile to figure out whether the whole experience was just a dream. For most of the runtime here the difference isn't actually that important, since even if Sin-woo failed to save his mom, he does at least get a second chance at trying to fix things with Ji-soo.
We do get better exposition as to Ji-soo's complex mental state- although there isn't that much explanation. I like how Ji-soo has gone from being boy-obsessed to just sort of frustrated at the idea of men fighting over her, because there's just so much more going on in life. What exactly is going on in Ji-soo's life that's so traumatic remains unexplained. I can only hope "Longing Heart" is finally getting to that point because there is only so much unexplained mystery that I can stand.
The subplots are still good even if they, too, are frustratingly left unexposited. I'm trying to remember if Sin-woo's best friend Geun-deok (played by Lee Joo-hyung) always had this big crush crush on their old teacher Na-hee, or whether Sin-woo inadvertently created the crush by rejecting Na-hee in the past. Either way I like the inherent humor of how "Longing Heart" is now expecting us to root for a creepy student teacher relationship having already expected us to root against a virtually identical one for the same reasons.
There's also something possibly autobiographical in there about drawing webcomics instead of doing a company job. "Longing Heart" was originally based on a webcomic, and I'm just assuming this minor story is autobiographical because otherwise its presence in the story at all is difficult to parse. I'm a little surprised at how slow the pacing in this drama is sometimes, considering how short it is.
Review by William Schwartz
"Longing Heart" is directed by Min Yeon-hong, written by Park Ga-yun and features Lee Jung-shin, Seo Ji-hoon, Lee Yul-eum, and Kim Sun-young-III.

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