"Black" Episode 7 recap

I never thought a series like "Black" would give me too much to think about, but we are already at the half-way mark and I could easily write three times the length of episode reviews I usually do in order to convey all of my thoughts on the drama's packed plot. We have reached a turning point in Black's humanity and things are about to get even more complicated.
The inevitable discovery of human emotion has hit our titular character like a ton of bricks and while I find the turn sudden, it is nice to see it happen over victims, rather than through a romance which is barely out the door. The victims' story is a highly moving one and it also reinforces the fact that every character given any sort of focus is important to the story. "Black" knows how to make you pay attention.

The explanation of Black (Song Seung-heon) becoming more human may not be enough for me to see why this particular case affects him and his choice making so deeply, but a direct connection to the Moojin collapse would explain a lot. The creators show us one of the victims as a wavy-haired rapper reminiscent of 416 (Lee Kyoo-bok), so I have to assume that most of the central Reapers were present in the events of the past as humans or otherwise. We know 007 (Jo Jae-yoon) lies about his Joseon living, after all.
Coming back to Black, we have several possibilities. We have no confirmation of Park Seung-cheol's (Lee Joon-seo) body yet, but he could be another child or an adult character we have not seen yet, carrying Black's original Reaper form (Kim Tae-woo). Perhaps his palpitations are less about Soo-wan (Lee El) and more about the actual organ. "Moo-gang's" miraculous return would not have been believed if his scar was an autopsy one after all, and we know he took medicine. Perhaps maybe-Joon at the bottom of the ocean is the doing of our detective's mother and the reason for her loyalty to Royeol.

The series has been doing very well in building the mystery, but with as elaborate a set up, it needs to start providing more answers and eventually address a lot. I can already see all of the connections or at least possible connections and this means that closure is already doable. The episode also scores a personal cookie point with me due to its twist of a strong woman character in Seung-cheol's mother.
As for the romance, it will be happening and Man-soo provides the triangle, assuming he is cleared of whatever went on in his room. Just as I said I like Tiffany (Oh Cho-hee), too. I suppose I cannot become too attached to characters in a series where even the original male lead is expendable. "Black" does viewers' idealistic tendencies no favors and I like that. I sincerely hope it holds onto me until the end.
"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'

Copy & paste guideline for this article
Always put a link back to the source and HanCinema permalink

"Buam-dong Avengers" episode 8 recap

On the latest episode of the tvN drama "Buam-dong Avengers", Hong Do-hee (Ra Mi-ran) was released from questioning at the police station over a case of food poisoning.
Kim Jeong-hye (Lee Yo-won) and Lee Mi-sook (Myung Se-bin) worried about her and she smiled, but people had already begun to gossip about how her fish had given someone food poisoning.
Kim Jeong-hye and Lee Mi-sook disappeared. However, people soon started crowding around the fish shop. Kim Jeong-hye and Lee Mi-sook had been paying people to buy her fish. Lee Mi-sook asked if this was the right thing to do and Kim Jeong-hye said, "As long as we don't get caught".
Meanwhile, Hong Do-hee sold all her fish and the three of them drank beer together.

Source : news.hankyung.com/art...
Copy & paste guideline for this article
Always put a link back to the source and HanCinema permalink

"Hospital Ship" episodes 39 - 40 (final) recap

On the latest episode of the MBC drama "Hospital Ship", Kwak Hyeon (Kang Min-hyuk) comforted Song Eun-jae (Ha Ji-won).
He said to her, "So you want to go to England? Why didn't you think of discussing this with me? Or even, why didn't you just go?"
He continued, "If you promise to video call me every day, you should go. Don't care so much for how I feel. I want to be your supporter, not someone who restricts you".
Meanwhile, "Hospital Ship" aired its last episode on the 2nd.

Source : sports.mk.co.kr/view....
Copy & paste guideline for this article
Always put a link back to the source and HanCinema permalink

"Mad Dog" Episode 8 recap

Desperate times call for desperate measures and like a puppy behind his "Mad Dog" mentor, Min-joon has his own ideas about what he can do to top Kang-woo's undercover adventures. The team close in on the secrets behind Tae-yang Insurance's policy and they paint a very well-organized and deliberate picture. Our two heroes finally form a bond and the timing is perfect, as old friendships are about to be torn apart.
Our hero's friendships continue to shift and Hong-joo's (Hong Soo-hyun) own suspicions aside, she looks oblivious about the flight. This shows loyalty towards her beau, at least as long as she does not know that the revelation of her father's past deeds will ruin her perceived chances for good. On the other hand, Han-woo (Lee Jun-hyeok) is about to experience said ruin, but I expect the series to play a tiny violin for him.

The reason I expect this is because the writing has been doing the same with Min-joon (Woo Do-hwan). Here we have a young man who is the one in the difficult position of having to prove his brother's innocence, yet he has been perpetually cruel to people who clearly lacked his information. We should not find him obnoxious, repetitive and tiring, however. He dropped his ice cream after being abandoned once. He is also very handsome and wants a girlfriend.
As poor as I find Min-joon's development and characterization, I think the ice cream scene between him and Kang-woo (Yoo Ji-tae) is a nice idea delivered well. We have a quiet chat between two men who have lost and worked hard to find a reason for it. It is understated and personal and, pity party for a poorly written character aside, it is a nice touch of closeness for this slowly budding bromance. The skilled actors are largely to thank for this, however.

I also like the revelation that Hyeon-gi (Choi Won-young) is essentially nothing more than a blackmailing small fry, because I can honestly not take his cartoonish role seriously as a top villain. Not that Chairman Cha (Jung Bo-suk) is any less of a caricature, but at least his role is more refined in his evil deeds and in his behavior. He is standardized, but he is not written as a villainous comedic relief.
I was hoping for juicier conflicts upon Kang-woo's entry into Tae-yang Insurance, but we are still quite early into his meddling and the fact that Chairman Cha has already known his every move puts our villain at a dangerously advantageous position. I also expect Min-joon's publicity to backfire. Making visible enemies among the hidden ones only provides the latter with a better cover up when they need to dispose of him.
"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'

"Buam-dong Avengers" episode 7 recap

Ra Mi-ran, Lee Yo-won and Myung Se-bin caught Kim Hyung-il on the latest episode of the tvN drama "Buam-dong Avengers".
Hong Sang-man (Kim Hyung-il) was on an errand for his wife to buy fish and stopped by Hong Do-hee's (Ra Mi-ran's) shop.
Hong Sang-man almost walked away without paying and Hong Do-hee mentioned the 'Kim Yeong-ran Act.' When he left, Kim Jeong-hye (Lee Yo-won) and Lee Mi-sook (Myung Se-bin) came out from where they'd hidden in the fridge.
Meanwhile, Hong Sang-man saw Hong Do-hee yelling the club's name and realized the name BJ in the text message he received stood for Bok-ja.

Source : news.hankyung.com/art...
Copy & paste guideline for this article
Always put a link back to the source and HanCinema permalink

"Hospital Ship" episodes 37 - 38 recap

On the latest episode of the MBC drama "Hospital Ship", Song Eun-jae (Ha Ji-won) and Kwak Hyeon's (Kang Min-hyuk) sincerity saved the Hospital Ship.
Song Eun-jae asked Kim Soo-kwon (Jung Won-joong) to open up the surgical room because she wanted to save a patient's life. Although Jang Tae-joon protested, Kim Soo-kwon opened the doors for Song Eun-jae.
Pregnant Hwang In-kyeong, who engaged Song Eun-jae and Kwak Hyeon in a legal battle, fainted and her baby was in danger. Kwak Hyeon cared for the baby all night using 'Kangaroo Care.' The mother was deeply touched.
In the end, Hwang In-kyeong opened a press conference and admitted that she lied under pressure by Doosung Group.

Source : star.mbn.co.kr/view.p...
Copy & paste guideline for this article
Always put a link back to the source and HanCinema permalink

"Mad Dog" Episode 7 recap

The pilot of the tragic flight throws our leads quite the curve ball and the implications of his words come cascading down on them and the people they work with. The "Mad Dog" team has no time to lose and no intention of stopping, but neither does Min-joon. The young man attempts to go solo once more, but the game is now much bigger than his own regrets and his brother's life.
"Mad Dog" has unfortunately engaged in one of my mystery pet peeves and that is lying in order to avoid being outsmarted by audiences. A good mystery plays with its revelations, whetting the viewers' appetite for that "Aha!" moment of satisfaction. The drama's writer does not appear as confident, regrettably so. The plane crash scenes could have easily been built to maintain the desired illusion and still support a different interpretation later on.

What the series lacks in suspense over its mysteries it delivers in terms of its supporting characters lately, however. I will not overpraise its twist of Moo-sin (Jang Hyuk-jin) being a good guy for now, since I find his development so far too lacking for said twist to have had the impact it should have, but I am excited to see more allies undercover and on the good side. Ideally, Moo-sin will continue to develop past his previous use as antagonist bait.
That being said, the "more" part when I mention more allies is debatable, because while Moo-sin's turn was surprising, Han-woo's (Lee Jun-hyeok) upcoming and very much teased betrayal is less so. While I have been wishing that the series would not go there, his trajectory began the minute he mentioned a sick loved one; Dramaland's go-to plot device for betrayal and forced redemption. Moo-sin mentioning his years of beautiful friendship with Kang-woo (Yoo Ji-tae) just hammers it it before that suspicious phone call.

Hong-joo (Hong Soo-hyun) continues to develop nicely; she clearly has not been kept in the loop regarding her company's terrors, but her thirst for power over her father keeps her delightfully unpredictable. She is mainly the reason why I find Kang-woo's choice to go undercover an appealing one. Not that spy hero shenanigans are not a fun prospect, I simply prefer a meatier frienemy than the caricature Director Cha (Jung Bo-suk).
At this point I do not expect the issues of "Mad Dog" to be fixed and I can no longer muster up the excitement to speculate over the truths behind the crash. The creators do not seem interested in us engaging with their story this way, but I can enjoy sitting back and being passive if what the series delivers from now on is a tad more exciting than its first half.
"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'

Copy & paste guideline for this article
Always put a link back to the source and HanCinema permalink