Jumong (2005/2006)

Jumong Prince of Legend
삼한지-주몽 편
(May 2005 – Mar 2006)

who’s in it
Song IlGook (Lobbyist, Kingdom of the Wind)
Han HyeJin (Be Strong, Geum Soon!, Terroir)
Won KiJoon (The Grand Chef)

what’s it about
Song IlGook wonderfully portrays Prince Jumong, the lazy and carefree son of King Geumwa’s Royal Concubine, Lady Yuhwa; he is the youngest out of three princes in line for the throne. Despite his boozing and whoring, Jumong is King Geumwa’s favorite son, in part because Jumong is an affable prince, but also because the king has loved Jumong’s mother the way he has never loved his queen. When Jumong learns of his true heritage (which had been kept hidden from him), he also wakes to the political hatred simmering under the veneer of civility in palace life, and realizes he has spent all of his youth in ignorance. With the burden of his past heavy upon his shoulders, he embarks on a new path. This is an embellishment of legend (loosely based in fact) of the young prince destined to unite the scattered city-states of present day Koreans under one banner, a race of people estranged from one another and oppressed by Han tyranny (loosely China). It would be impossible to go further into detail, not only because of the sheer depth of characters and story (as it spans generations!) but also because the twists and turns of the journey is precisely what makes Jumong so involving to watch.

commitment 
A substantial 81 episodes

network
MBC

wildcard factor
Historical pieces can be difficult. True historicals tend to be favored by the older generation of drama watchers because they demand a lot of patience and time and are usually steeped in an overwhelming package of traditional theme and speak. They are the choice entrée for my parents, for example. Now, unlike the fusion sageuks that have recently come into popularity, ones that blend historical settings with contemporary panache, true historical dramas rarely care to be fast-paced or comedic in delivery. Jumong is that sort of heavily political historical drama that is both serious and steeped in war, and tests you through lots and lots of dialogue. How Jumong separates itself from the pack, however, is by having a very capable leading man that was both the everyman and heroic. Song IlGook was able to keep Jumong grounded and easy to connect with despite the pomp and fuss of being a historical character of “grave importance.” Jumong also had a fairly brisk storytelling pace that kept itself accessible. Action-packed and, yes, at times very romantic—his female lead was the headstrong Han HyeJin, a competent merchant’s daughter who takes notice of Jumong after an unfavorable chance encounter.

after the first episode
W-O-W. I’ll be truthful, I don’t always care for historical dramas, they requiring more committment than I usually am able to give. I also rarely like the fusion saeguks. I will acknowledge they usually tell a good, well-developed tale but I lack the patience for them. But this one…I was instantly hooked. Not only did I immediately take a shine to Song IlGook as Prince Jumong, but I didn’t find the “historicalness” of Jumong overwhelming and headache-inducing. It felt suprisingly modern in the telling and well, surpise me, exciting. It had a feeling of grandness and a pinch of magic. I really liked it; somehow it felt new to me.

Spring Waltz (2006)

Spring Waltz
봄의 왈츠
(Mar – May 2006)

who’s in it
Seo DoYoung (Friend Our Legend, Invincible Lee Pyung Kang)
Daniel Henney (My Name is Kim Sam-soon)
Han HyoJoo (Shining Inheritance, Iljimae)
Lee SoYeon (Super Rookie)

what’s it about
Poverty, death, and noble sacrifice (the usual trifecta) succeed in tearing apart young lovers Han HyoJoo and Seo DoYoung as children. When later they reunite as adults, there is an instant attraction between the two, like rain to the ground—destined for impact. Daniel Henney and Lee SoYeon have a go at derailing the fragile relationship but it’s the couple’s own tragic past that carries the power to separate Romeo from Juliet again. If you’ve seen any of the previous incarnations in this popular seasonal series (Autumn in My Heart, Winter Sonata, Summer Scent), you’ll already know it’s got melodrama in its genetic make-up.

commitment 
20 episodes

network
KBS2

wildcard factor
Daniel Henney - fans watching just for him might be disappointed by his second guy status

after the first episode
It was visually appealing, which is the selling characteristic of the entire Summer, Spring, Autumn and Winter collection. In this one, we started in winter’s icy snow and ended by the melting of frost with spring flowers—and since dramas that take place in spring and summer tend to have happier endings…well, you get the idea. Anyway, let’s just say its less of a downer bucket than the others. Sprinkled throughout, we get lots of fluttering waltzy music and a very GQ-fab Seo DoYoung. I was definitely going to watch this one all the way.

Sweet Spy (2006)

Sweet Spy
달콤한스파이
(Nov 2005 – Jan 2006)

who’s in it
Dennis O’Neil (Witch Yoo Hee, East of Eden)
Nam SangMi (The Grand Chef)
Lee JooHyun (Hello Franceska)
Yoo Sun (Sons of Sol Pharmacy, Terroir)

what’s it about
Nam SangMi is a hapless female police officer who spends most of her time handing out traffic tickets. Dennis Oh (O’Neil) is an international spy. Uh-huh. Anyway, think of the most preposterous plotline you’ve ever seen and multiply it by ten thousand and you’ll have the painfully frayed yarn of Sweet Spy. I could give a summary but that would be a waste of time because not only does it not make any sense, it’s not relevant to anything. All you need to know about this drama is Dennis O’Neil and the fact that he is extremely attractive.

commitment 
20 episodes

network
MBC

wildcard factor
Dennis O’Neil’s good-looks v Dennis O’Neil’s acting.

after the first episode
Excruciating…but wow is that Dennis O’Neil one good-looking half-Caucasian/half-Korean specimen. And I thought Daniel Henney was decent looking. Dennis O’Neil is outta the ballpark!

Couple or Trouble (2006)

Couple or Trouble
환상의 커플 / Fantasy Couple
(Oct – Dec 2006)

who’s in it
Han YeSeul (Will It Snow at Christmas?)
Oh JiHo (Super Rookie, Queen of Housewives, Chuno)
Kim SungMin (Queen of Housewives, On Air)
Park HanByul (Freeze)

what’s it about
Han YeSeul is beyond rolling in the money but more than that, she’s the b-word that rhymes with rich. She comes back to be with her husband in Korea after having spent an extended duration in the States. While apart, her hubby has been running a resort in a quaint seaside town and living in glorious freedom away from her tyranny. Things start to unravel when Kim SunMin deems he’s had enough of his mean wife and Han YeSeul literally falls overboard into a new life. Adapted from the Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn 80’s romp Overboard, when Han YeSeul’s personality collides with the down-to-earth and extremely fantastically sculptured Oh JiHo, sparks erupt and it isn’t very pretty. It is shovel-smacking hate at first sight. But when fate hands him the opportunity to exact revenge on the woman who has done to him some grievous wrongs, he can’t resist the temptation get back at her.

commitment 
16 episodes

network
MBC

wildcard factor
Penned by the Hongs, a sister-sister writing duo that has a great knack for creating memorably fun characters and unpredictable situations.

after the first episode
Han YeSeul was fantastic. Oh JiHo was manly hotness. Pretty plainly win-win!

Over the Rainbow (2006)

Over the Rainbow
오버 더 레인보우
(Jul – Sept 2006)

who’s in it
Ji HyunWoo (Invincible Lee Pyung Kang, My Sweet Seoul)
Hwan Hee (former singer of Fly to the Sky)
Kim OkBin (Thirst – film)

what’s it about

The travails of rising Korean singers and their “backup” dancers in the Korean entertainment industry.

Ji HyunWoo and Kim OkBin play a young couple who live to dance but Kim OkBin’s ambitions are far greater than her boyfriend’s. Her dreams include singing and superstardom. When she gets her opportunity, she ditches Ji HyunWoo without a second thought to make a name for herself. The drama starts with Ji HyunWoo and Kim OkBin but when unlucky-but-sweet-tempered Seo JiHye and cold-hearted kpop idol HwanHee are introduced, the quadrangle is complete.

commitment 

16 episodes

network
MBC

wildcard factor
Real kpop singer HwanHee co-starred and he was a surprising bright spot. When we first meet his character Rex, he’s an emotionally aloof jerk, so there was a great deal of room for growth and development for his character and HwanHee delivered well in his acting debut.

after the first episode
Definitely a little cheesy, but a [sometimes] amusing pizza-pie. I can’t believe Kim OkBin is the same actress that recently starred in Park ChanWook’s Thirst and is garnering such international buzz. She’s come a long way because I soooo did not think she was very good in this drama. Just goes to show what a bad role can do to a good actress. Anyway, the drama’s concept was amusing enough to snag my desire to continue to the end.

Really, Really Like You (2006)

Really, Really Like You
진짜 진짜 좋아해
(Apr – Aug 2006)

who’s in it
Eugene (Creating Destiny)
Lee MinKi (Evasive Inquiry Agency, Dal Ja’s Spring)
Ryu Jin (Powerful Opponents, General Hospital 2)

what’s it about
Eugene is a country bumpkin gifted with natural culinary skills. She finds herself interning at the Blue House kitchen (the South Korean equivalent of the White House) after the only family member she’s ever known passes away. While in Seoul, she befriends both the president’s son and a guard in the secret service.

commitment 
34 episodes

network
MBC

wildcard factor
The story meanders and was about 15 episodes longer than needed.

after the first episode
It took me a while to get used to Eugene’s unique way of speaking…and I didn’t care for RyuJin either (the doctor)…neither did I find Lee MinKi’s character especially charming. Basically, I didn’t like it at all so I made the decision not to watch this one…but accidently bumped into it again later while channel surfing. The show had progressed to episode 15 and with nothing else interesting on tv (thank gawd for hundreds of channels of crap!), I watched it. All of a sudden, I kinda liked it. My viewing sequence for this drama is a bit skewed. I started watching Like You from episode 15, finished it and then went back and skimmed through the earlier episodes.

Someday (2006)

Someday
썸데이
(Nov – Dec 2006)

who’s in it
Bae DooNa (Take Care of My Cat – film, The Host – film)
Lee JinWook (Powerful Opponents, Air City)
Kim MinJoon (Friend Our Legend, Damo)
Oh YoonAh (Kingdom of the Winds, God of Study)

what’s it about
A shy manga artist and an errand-boy-for-hire, both with their own tragic pasts, meet under the strange circumstance of trying to solve the mystery of someone else’s sad love story.

commitment 
16 Episodes

network
OCN

wildcard factor
This was a quiet, sensitive drama that doesn’t try for humor, but only aimed to tell a story about people. It was really about loneliness and trying to find a way to survive in the type of black hole that can live within us all. I thought this kind of character study was lovely and refreshing, but others may just interpret this kind of sobriety in a kdrama to be boring. No slapstick and no flashy action sequences, just plain ol’ storytelling.

after the first episode
What else has Lee JinWook been in? He’s pretty great.

Goong (2006)

Goong
궁 / Princess Hours
(Jan – Mar 2006)

who’s in it
Yoon EunHye (Take Care of My Lady, Coffee Prince)
Joo JiHoon (Antique Bakery – film)
Kim JeongHoon
Song JiHyo

what's it about
Drawing obvious parallels with England, including frequent references to the torrid tabloid scandals that concerned Prince Charles, Camilla and Princess Diana before the latter’s tragic car accident and death, Goong cheerfully speculates an alternate version of history where the Republic of Korea is a constitutional monarchy and has maintained a figurehead sovereignty instead of adopting a purely presidential system of government.

When the reigning king begins to suffer in health, the elders make the sudden decision to wed off the crowned prince, Joo JiHoon, to solidify his status as the heir-apparent despite his still being in high school. There’s a problem though and it’s called a (let’s sing it together now) secret lover, that’s what we are...our little stuck-up prince has a real amour in his life and doesn’t take a shine to the girl chosen for him by the old people who want to dictate his every move in life. Apparently, the previous king (his late grandfather) had betrothed the crowned prince to a commoner’s granddaughter a long time ago, Yoon EunHye, a goofy art student who turns out to be his classmate at the very art institute he currently attends.

Throw into the hotpot of fun 1) extra meat: the sensitive exiled prince with emoting hair and his vindictive mother who wants her son on the throne and, 2) raw garlic: the abandoned ballerina who was the crowned prince’s secret first love, one that decides she needs to get her stud back. Now we got ourselves some salacious tomfoolery of the royal stew variety.

commitment 
24 episodes

network
MBC

wildcard factor
Yoon EunHye – the singer turned actress does a really fine job here, to my surprise. She’s natural and funny as the hopeless school girl who crashed the royal party.

after the first episode
I liked it but I wasn’t sure if it would continue to impress. The concept was fun…but I was concerned about how far the novelty of this alternate world would carry before the story thinned and became too silly.