"Jugglers" Episode 8 recap

After his humiliation at the Best Boss Awards, Chi-won is understandably upset and not in the mood to talk to Yoon-i about information she should never have known about in the first place. Unfortunately Chi-won is so understandably upset I had a very hard time empathizing with Yoon-i's position. Chi-won is Yoon-i's boss. If he doesn't want to talk to her, that's it. As a professional I would expect Yoon-i to know better.
But then again there's the more obvious reason Yoon-i should know better. Yoon-i lost her last position because of fake news about a romantic relationship between her and Mr. Bong. Even granting that Mr. Bong is married, and Chi-won is not, I would expect Yoon-i to be cautious about this stuff in general. I'm sure I've discussed this before but that's such an obvious logical flaw in the whole premise I can't help but be reminded of it during more traditionally romantic moments.
Turning the drama into a straight romance also further undermines any commentary about sexual harassment when it comes to Mr. Bong and Chang-soo. Especially in the latter case- no one can actually say that Chang-soo should back off of Yoon-i because dating co-workers is verboten because everyone is probably going to be happy when Chi-won and Yoon-i get together publically. Whether that's in the next episode or the ending is hard to say because the timing in "Jugglers" is completely off kilter.
I still like Bo-yool and Jeong-ae at least. Really, Jo-yool is a lot of fun in general. Jo-yool is not as dumb as he looks, and I really like those moments of awareness Lee Won-geun gives where we can tell he's scheming about some minor new fact, we just don't know what the pay-off is yet. Whereas Bo-yool has this great vibe of eager friendliness that is always getting her in trouble. The worst of it is, Bo-yool is way too nice to actually tell anyone about it.
Bo-yool and Jeong-ae are much more well-drawn and intresting characters than the actual leads in this drama. At first blush better chemistry between the relevant actors is the main obvious explanation, although really, Yoon-i and Chi-won are just too generic for their own good is the real problem. With the Best Boss Awards out of the way neither of them has any motivation anymore, so all there's left to do is wait for the big kiss.
Review by William Schwartz
"Jugglers" is directed by Kim Jeong-hyeon-I, written by Jo Yong and features Baek Jin-hee, Choi Daniel, Kang Hye-jeong, and Lee Won-geun.

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"Just Lovers" Episode 6 recap

There's a common trope in a lot of romances where the male lead, in the name of defending the female lead's honor, will react violently or at least with implied violence to some form of verbal slight. "Just Lovers" is not satisfied with merely following genre conventions though. We get that scene here, and far from feeling at all chivalrous, the outburst is just emblematic of Kang-doo's rage issues. The moment is explicitly frightening, and it's surprising Moon-soo doesn't just ditch him right there.
The willingness of the production team to highlight flaws without romanticizing or demonizing them is one of the big strong points here. Kang-doo's overall mental health and how well it can be managed in the future is an obvious pratfall for the future of the relationship, but Moon-soo has consciously decided, for now anyway, that Kang-doo's more positive qualities outweigh that. While the sentiment is sweet it doesn't feel realistic- in the long-term sense. In the realist sense the relationship is extremely realistic.
Also note how Kang-doo's violence is exclusively directed against men. He seems capable of tolerating nearly any level of abuse from a woman. Indeed, one important moment features Kang-doo calming down entirely for that reason. I see that as further being emblematic of Kang-doo's self-hatred and guilt. In Kang-doo's mind, his being a man was an integral part of past personal failures because a woman, somehow, would have reacted to that situation differently.
Moon-soo comes to mind, obviously, since she suffered in the same accident yet maintains a much sunnier disposition toward life. But this idea obviously can't be applied universally, because all of the other women in "Just Lovers" have much more diverse personalities, ranging from cynical to sleazy to catty to just plain broken down. Kang-doo observes all of this, yet never is able to accept the obvious conclusion. People are flawed in general, and there is no such thing as pure evil.
It's an excellent juxtaposition with Kang-doo's more objectively correct frustrations, like the violence inherent in capitalism and masculinity. The larger point being served is that with any trauma in life, a person has to learn to let go and live in the present rather than simply fight battles indefinitely with whoever happens to be physically nearby. That's really the best influence Moon-soo has on Kang-doo. Her very presence encourages him to be nice, and it's never as out of character as he thinks.
Review by William Schwartz
"Just 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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"Argon" Episode 1 recap

"Argon" is here to destroy any faith in mainstream journalism that you may have been holding onto while exploring workplace and hierarchy dynamics as well as the personal consequences and triumphs of a very demanding job. The series is fast-paced and so far focuses more on its leading man, but there are characters around with solid potential. Step into the daily grind of reporting.
Being an 8-episode series means that "Argon" has to cover a lot in a small amount of time, so the first thing one notices is the fast pacing of the story. Much like the heroine, Lee Yeon-hwa (Chun Woo-hee), we are thrown right into the deep end of the journalistic pool. The pacing might feel jarring, but it actually fits the newsroom theme of the series. Journalism is a 24/7 job for some and our team has a lot to prove.

Which brings us to the dark side of the portrayed reporting. The channel places emphasis on showmanship and the topic of discussions regarding performance focuses solely on ratings. It quickly becomes apparent that no one within the ranks of the higher-ups or even among most reporters care about anything but viewership, the truth being a simple afterthought; a tool to achieve them, rather than a goal for the work produced within the station.
Enter our hero, Kim Baek-jin (Kim Joo-hyuk) and his almost romantic focus on ethical reporting and the pursuit of the truth. Baek-jin is an interesting character, because he is presented as an idealist who has fallen due to his principles, but also as someone who somehow made it to the top despite lacking "flexibility". This is where the nature of "Argon" as fiction starts to show. Despite going for a realistic presentation, the series has to work for its convenience as well.

The same thing can be said about Yeon-hwa. I am actually disappointed in her character so far, although I assume her poor characterization is just the result of her being an avatar for the viewer for witnessing this new world we are tossed into along with her. I can handle the rookie who looks like a deer in the headlights and it is realistic, but her breakthrough being due to a lucky connection to a contact feels forced.
I want to see Yeon-hwa show potential and boldness, not be handed solutions due to convenient connections. That being said, connections are a reporter's bread and butter, so perhaps this is just a little help to get her out the door. I am also looking forward to the more personal aspects of the drama, such as its focus on family life for those in demanding jobs. I hope the leading duo develops nicely.
"Argon" is directed by Lee Yoon-jeong, written Jeon Yeong-sin, Joo Won-gyoo and Sin Ha-eun and features Kim Joo-hyuk, Chun Woo-hee, Park Won-sang and Shin Hyun-bin.
Written by: Orion from 'Orion's Ramblings'

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"Two Cops" episodes 17 - 18 recap

Jo Jung-suk went to jail.
On the latest episode of the MBC drama "Two Cops", Cha Dong-tak (Jo Jung-suk) went to jail.
The reason he was locked up was because there was word that Lee Doo-sik (Lee Jae-won-I) was threatened for his life in jail. Cha Dong-tak volunteered to go in.
Song Ji-an (Hyeri) visited him in jail. She worried about him and resented him for making her worry in thinking he was doing something dangerous without her knowing. Cha Dong-tak told her he wasn't.
Song Ji-an said, "You're very consistent in saying 'no' to everything. Do you like me?" Cha Dong-tak asked for her hand and they both put their hands on the glass.
Cha Dong-tak said, "You're very straightforward" and Song Ji-an replied, "You're a bundle to worry about".

Source : www.newsen.com/news_v...
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"Rude Miss Young-ae Season 16" episode 7 recap

Kim Hyun-sook and Lee Seung-joon fought on Christmas Day.
On the latest episode of the tvN drama "Rude Miss Young-ae Season 16", Seung-joon reserved a restaurant and a necklace for Yeong-ae for their first Christmas together.
However, Seung-joon heard from his employees that raising a child cost tons of money and he regretted buying the necklace. Mi-ran came in just then and criticized that dramas ruin a person's life. Seung-joon cancelled reservations and got a refund on the necklace.
Before that, Yeong-ae had seen the necklace in a drawer and bought a dress to match it. Mi-ran found out what she did and told Seung-joon about it. He didn't want to disappoint Yeong-ae and quickly made reservations again and got another necklace.
However, they were late and their table had been taken. There were no other restaurants to go to and Yeong-ae complained that she was hungry. Seung-joon decided to give her the necklace on the street but it was too short and snapped.
Both of them wandered around the streets looking for the pearls on the necklace and ended up fighting. Seung-joon confessed that he'd cancelled the plans to save money and Yeong-ae was mad at him.
Sour at each other, they were in their car going home when the radio played some carols and they eventually felt better. Then, the baby moved and they felt it. They laughed and ended up spending Christmas with Yeong-ae's family in their home.

Source : www.osen.co.kr/articl...
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"Doubtful Victory" episodes 17 - 18 recap

Jang Hyun-sung is a suspect for the murder of Jung Hye-sung's father.
On the latest episode of the SBS drama "Doubtful Victory", Jin Jin-yeong (Jung Hye-sung) reinvestigated Jin Jeong-gil's (Jeon No-min) case.
Park Soo-cheol (Kim Hee-won) tossed the Jin Jeong-gil chairman's case to Kim Jong-sam (Yoon Gyoon-sang). Jin Jin-yeong sad, "I'll help you catch Lee Gwang-ho. Cha Eun-bi called and she wants to know why her brother died. It looks like Lee Gwang-ho did it". However, Kim Jong-sam said, "Don't try to do anything. Just don't even try to get involved in anything".
Baek Kyeong (Kim Dong-won-II) followed Han Gang (Moon Woo-jin). Kang Cheol-gi was watching Han Gang but when he saw Baek Kyeong, ran away with Han Gang. Kang Cheol-gi called Park Soo-chil and the Gwangsu special units team came to the site.
Meanwhile, Kim Jong-sam handed evidence he found on the stairs of Jinsung Group to Jin Jin-yeong. Jin Jin-yeong knew Jin Jeong-gil's death wasn't suicide. Jin Jin-yeong said, "It's handmade so you might find the owner. We can find the criminal; the man who was on the roof with my father. Jin Jin-yeong sent the evidence to the National Institute of Scientific Investigation saying, "The person who dropped this will be the culprit".

Source : star.mbn.co.kr/view.p...
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"Jugglers" Episode 7 recap

Other characters are curiously oblivious to Chi-won's motives, even when he's explaining them pretty explicitly. Chi-won doesn't like it when people harass his secretary. Chi-won probably doesn't like it when any of his subordinates are harassed, really, yet Mr. Bong and Chang-soo both get extended sequences where they are confused as to why Chi-won is singling them out for rough treatment when all they did was make Yoon-i severely uncomfortable.
I think "Jugglers" might be going for a sexual harassment angle with these characters. Unfortunately it doesn't really work because Yoon-i's relationship with Mr. Bong and Chang-soo is fairly specifically defined by their backstories. There's little indication that Mr. Bong and Chang-soo act like this with women in general, and what hints we do get to that effect suffer from the whole show, don't tell effect that has undermined "Jugglers" a lot in general.
The Bo-yool / Jeong-ae storyline is still running strong, although that's a fairly relative statement. There's a funny moment where it seems like Bo-yool is goofing off and not doing his job at all, then we discover that actually he was doing his job all along. Like most of the exposition in "Jugglers", this would have worked much better several episodes ago. Really, that entire sequence would have been a much better explanation for how Jeong-ae became Bo-yool's secretary than just coasting in on Yoon-i's recommendation. Recall that Jeong-ae knows nothing about being a secretary, or sports.
We even see this highlighted at the Best Boss Awards. It turns out the event is structured like a talent show. Again, why "Jugglers" couldn't just explain this ahead of time was not clear to me. Anyway, Jeong-ae's attempt to help Bo-yool succeed at the Best Boss Awards, while sincere and sweet, is undermined by how comically low tech it is. This is especially true considering that the tech guys couldn't be bothered to aim the camera at her cards, but then they're not the most competent bunch, as we see.
Ugh, what a missed opportunity. We could have had actual build-up to sabotage. We could have had one-off jokes about how the tech guys find the content of the Best Boss Awards inscrutably boring, since it consists entirely of discussion about corporate leadership. Instead, a bunch of events just stumble into place to provide more clumsy exposition of Chi-won's backstory. Is it really this hard to just write a more naturalistic script?
Review by William Schwartz
"Jugglers" is directed by Kim Jeong-hyeon-I, written by Jo Yong and features Baek Jin-hee, Choi Daniel, Kang Hye-jeong, and Lee Won-geun.

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