wild ride

Merchant's daughter & general's son climb the social ranks into the Imperial Palace. Crazy amazing Tang dynasty costuming with the most impressive wedding dress I've ever seen (ep 34). Starts light & silly but then turns into a dark & sordid speeding train with a full buffet of back stabbing politics, debauchery & revenge, peppered with moments of pure LOL camp, only to run over the cliff with half the characters being killed off. Main reason to slog through the last 10 eps is finding the answer to the question: will the ML/FL end up together? I like Xu Kai but he doesn't get much screen time in the 2nd half.

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surprisingly engaging story in a timeworn genre

I was half expecting a silly high school teen idol story & was half prepared to drop this show. I was only curious to see Byeon Woo Seok again after seeing him in Strong Girl Namsoon & thought I would just check out the 1st episode or two. My goodness what a pleasant surprise this turned out to be. It's along the same level of pleasant surprise as Legally Romance, another story about a woman returning to the past to change her fate. It's actually not a teen story because it's told from an adult perspective.

Kim Hye Yoon plays Im Sol, a 30 y/o woman who travels back 15 yrs in time to try to prevent a trajedy from happening to her first love Ryu Seon Jae, played by BWS. As things don't quite turn out the way she hopes the first time, she figures out a way to travel back & forth for further attemtps to affect different outcomes. In the course of storytelling, I find the more times this happens, the more muddled things get & too many questions arise about just what the heck is going on. Some characters seem to retain memories you wouldn't expect them to if the time travel didn't involve them. Did Sol return to the past at a point before or after she told certain people certain things? I couldn't keep track. Sol also gains new memories from her new timelines, but the editing made it a bit confusing to follow. Finally comes the question of whether fate is strong enough that if things don't happen one day, will it happen on another day, in another way? And wouldn't that apply to all events, including trajedy?

You'd think the theme of going back in time is so worn out; how can it possibly be retold & still be entertaining? The strength of this drama, I realize, is in the skill of weaving in the developing relationship between Sol & Seon Jae. Sol drives the teen relationship with her 30 y/o maturity, & what she doesn't realize is SJ's own maturity which was far beyond her clueless younger self. Equally impressive was the steady & consistent performance of KHY, who could convey so much of Sol's conflict & hesitation without saying a word. I've read that KHY is not receiving as much attention for this drama as her co-star, which is itself very sad to see as she is the true star of the show.

I'll just add a short comment on the depiction of disability, which I've yet to see portrayed as anything other than worse than death in an Asian drama. Seeing Sol's independence while in a wheelchair, but being denied job opportunities because of inaccessibility which is no fault of her own, it might've been an opportunity to make some sort of statement by having Sol advocate for accessibility, especially since she ends up working at the place that initially rejected her. I was actually excited at the thought of a show featuring a disabled lead character, but alas the show was not up to that level & I decided to let this one go for now.

One of the co-writers of this show also wrote for True Beauty, a show I was far less impressed with. This show was quite entertaining overall, and with good performances. I've rated it higher than I might normally with this type of fluff piece, but only because it was nicely shot, had more than a few truly funny moments, and raised interesting questions about fate. If I had to compare, though, I'd say Legally Romance is a better show.

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a silly ride through good vs evil land

I have not seen Strong Woman Do Bong Soon so I'm reviewing this show on it's own. This is the 2nd installment (which ends with a setup for a 3rd) about a genetic line of females with superhuman strength. Nam Soon is a 3rd generation strong woman in her family. She's separated from her father by accident while on a trip to Mongolia at age 5 and is raised for the next 20 years, a la Superman, by a loving, childless Mongolian couple on their isolated farm. On return to Korea she instantly attracts attention and is reunited with her mother with the help of a young police officer. Nam Soon soon teams up with the officer to join her mother's secret crusade against a powerful, international illicit drug trader.

The show has a comicbook feel with jerky and awkward action sequences and bionic woman sound effects. Nam Soon's mother is like a self-made Bruce Wayne, a trillionaire vigilante who funds all her own toys, including a BatMobile, black leather cat suit, and live-in personal assistant (a younger, female version of Alfred). However, unlike Bruce Wayne, she is surrounded by family: her mother, brother, 2 adult children & ex-husband. The vibe never gets very serious despite the deadly danger they face. As Nam Soon and her mother carry out their covert operations, one has to suspend all logic in how they get anything done.

The characters are more like caricatures and the show lacks depth. The arc of Nam Soon's obese twin brother, Nam In, features him delivering 90% of his lines with his mouth full of food, and is a joke stretched way beyond funny. None of the men have any super powers, even those born to strong women, and they struggle to find their place in the family. Not until Ep7 do the implications of power imbalance get explored when Nam In decides to move out, and his father is ruthlessly pranked at his own birthday party. The strong women aim to use their strength to "do good" in the world, which only means stamping out crime in comicbook style while neglecting their own family, until it's too late, when the crime reaches them, too. And even then, do things really change?

Lee You Mi takes quite a turn from her stunning role in Squid Game, but the strength of her talent isn't enough to pull the exaggerated naivety of Nam Soon past being a cartoon character. Park Bo Young makes a cameo appearance as (Strong Woman) Do Bong Soon, as the only reference to the 2019 series.

This drama runs largely on the novelty of seeing women beat up men, although the final showdown isn't what you'd expect from a superhero story. There is some pleasure, though, in seeing a 60-something year old grandmother driving a Lambo, dressed in incredible fashion & living carefree as she pleases. The show could've made a more meaningful exploration of gender and power, or even given a satisfactory arc of redemption, but it gave only a superficial and silly ride through good vs evil land.

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binge-worthy but lacking depth

Moon in the Day combines historical & modern settings in an intriguing story of a tragic couple that reunites after 1500 years.

Kang Young Hwa is a present day fire fighter who has been shadowed her entire life by the lost soul of a 6th century army general & nobleman. The shadow finally comes to light when Young Hwa crosses paths with Han Joon Oh, a feckless entertainment idol whose star power is on the decline, & who becomes the new vessel for the dark & vengeful spirit Kim Do Ha. Although Young Hwa is the 19th incarnation of Han Ri Ta, an enemy general's daughter, she is the first incarnation to regain Ri Ta's memories.

Young Hwa & Joon Oh/Do Ha's relationship becomes infused with past resentments as their previous lives come into greater focus. The historical background is of two people so lacking in control of their lives as to be completely indifferent to life & death, until they meet each other. Han Ri Ta lost her entire family at the hands of Do Ha, who is a puppet of his adoptive father, a court minister, & used only as a killing machine in order to maintain his father's political power. Although Ri Ta's vengeance brings them together, they begin to understand they are both caught in the same web. They give each other reasons to stay alive, only to end their relationship in a desperate betrayal.

Questions arise as to how much responsibility does one bear for an ancestor's actions? What obligation do you have to fulfill another's promise? And is the release of one's suffering only dependent on the sacrifice of another? Are Young Hwa & Do Ha able to cut the web that has ensnared them for 1500 years?

I liked Kim Young Dae in Forbidden Marriage but his performance in Moon in the Day wasn't as strong. His modern day character was not unlike his role in Shooting Stars, so he wasn't challenged much playing the two roles of Jooh Oh/Do Ha. Pyo Ye Jin was good in Taxi Driver & seems to hold her own in the lead dual role as Young Hwa/Ri Ta, but she & KYD had little chemistry & were quite stiff together. One sympathizes with the characters' relationship due to their circumstances & the story, rather than how well they actually understood each other. This could also be the fault of the writing which stagnated quite badly in the last few episodes. The ending was satisfactory, but that's due to the strength of the story itself. There were no stand out performances from the rest of the cast.

Overall, the show fell short of fantastic because the writing & acting lacked sufficient depth. However, the story itself was engaging enough to make it a bingeworthy watch.

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Lost steam from Part 1, but still a worthy watch

After a heart-breaking finish to Season 1, the story turns once again to the Qing invasion and the atrocities committed in the aftermath on a chaotic, fractured, and helpless Joseon. Only the efforts of officials and people on the ground like Jang Hyun, working with the hostage Crown Prince, are tenuously holding the country together. Despite the horrific suffering of Joseon prisoners of war, Gil Chae manages to rebuild some of the comfortable lifestyle she was accustomed to but is shockingly reminded that class is meaningless in an oppressed state. There are also stark reminders of how women are truly expendible victims. I was waiting to see what choices the characters made when pushed to extremes and this season had some of the most riveting scenes. The tone was lightened at times with romantic tropes (pretending to be sick to get attention) which seemed out of place in a drama of this caliber.

At around Ep15 I suddenly remembered the opening scene of Ep1 which takes place more than 20 years after the 1637 invasion. It was worth a re-watch to find hints at a very tragic conclusion for our heroes. The announcement of an extension came after Ep8 aired and I wondered if there would be a hopeful epilogue. Unfortuately, after Ep20 the Ep1 opening sequence was not yet reached in the story and I was left wondering if the extension had already been inserted. There was no added value to Eps 19&20 and they could easily have been combined into one. Ep1 is recapped in the finale, Ep21.

At times throughout the drama I kept feeling a disconnect between Gil Chae and Jang Hyun's relationship and their surroundings, like I was watching 2 separate shows. Political events deeply affected each of them separately and this was infused into how they dealt with each other during Part 1. However, that influence seemed less evident in Part 2 even though the political pressures never went away. They lived and worked separately for so long that there wasn't much that they actually did for/with each other. It was as if Eps19/20 were there just to make up for their separation, more couple less story, and I felt the show lost momentum at this point as all the other characters got moved to the sidelines. However, the finale felt right once more as loose ends got tied up.

All in all, the acting was among the strongest I've seen in any show (I still think The Red Sleeve's demented king was an acting masterclass). Although Part 2 seemed to run out of steam in the 2nd half, the strong production, story telling, and deep dives into the human psyche makes this show worth watching.

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So many holes; this story doesn't fly

A timid and insecure young employee of Incheon Airport who was transferred from dept to dept because of her mishaps, finally lands in Passenger Services where she meets a coworker with a mysterious prosthetic arm, and with whom she shares a previously unknown past connection.

I discovered this show from following Rowoon (Destined With You) and Lee Je Hoon (Taxi Driver). This is an earlier work from 2018 and is the 2nd show I've seen with LJH. The real star of the show appears to be the Skytrax 5-star rated Incheon Airport and its complex inner workings. The story is otherwise a standard office drama with many staff members having dark, connected past histories that slowly come to light. While I enjoyed LJH in Taxi Driver, he doesn't have much range in Where Stars Land, and thus his character seems less interesting. "My human rights are not at your service" Ep6. The FL character grows from a hapless and apologetic screw up, into someone who finds her voice and the confidence to stand up for herself against abusive customers. However, the long, helpless deer-in-the-headlights shots as she struggles with decision making get tiresome.

The writing is not very strong and the story is pieced together roughly. A lot of flashbacks are short on detail. Past relationships between different characters are hinted at but take a long time getting explained, if they get explained at all, so you see that there's a lot of trauma going around but you're left with so many questions. The most exciting parts of the show are the Security Team taking down customs violators. It's rather easy to lose interest, but the story picks up a lot by Ep19 as the ML's secret starts getting (literally) out of hand. Darker elements such as organized crime ensnaring executive management within the airport authority also come bubbling to the surface.

As the lead couple's relationship develops, questions arise as to how to address a permanent disability from a devastating motor vehicle collision. "The gift you were given is not yours." Is having a super strength worth it if you can hurt a stranger, or if it means you can't live very long? On the other hand, is being in a wheelchair so hopeless that after 11 years you still can't accept yourself? I don't know what accessibility is actually like in modern cities in South Korea, but this show sends a poor message to the disabled.

So many questions, so few answers in all the characters arcs. And one of the most bizarre final scenes I've seen in any show: LJH is shown only from behind with his face hidden from camera. Why? The show is so aired with mystery that it's too full of holes and makes an unsatisfactory watch.

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