Lie to Me (2011)

Lie To Me
내게 거짓말을 해봐
(May – June 2011)

who’s in it
Yoon EunHye (Coffee Prince)
Kang JiHwan (Coffee House)
Sung Joon (Shut Up Flower Boy Band)
Jo YoonHee (You Who Rolled In Unexpectedly)
Hong Soo Hyun (The Princess’ Man)

what’s it about
Yoon EunHye works for the ministry of tourism and she considers herself a servant of the people. She has plenty of energy and has a tomboyish charm about her that is accepted well by her coworkers, as she has a casual and friendly relationship with them despite her tendency for bumble-headed goofiness.

Well, she’s liked by most people but the biggest exception is Hong SooHyun, who is married to Yoon EunHye’s first love (Ryu SeungSoo). This snooty gal often goes out of her way to keep Yoon EunHye in self-doubt, who she considers her ugly duckling childhood friend. She wants Yoon EunHye to always remember she is a subpar version of a girl and will never transition from an ugly duckling into a swan. However, when an innocent white lie by said ugly duckling to save some self-esteem turns into a gigantic misunderstanding in the elite circles, hotel magnate Kang JiHwan somehow finds himself cast in the unlikely role of Yoon EunHye’s Prince Charming husband. Needless to say, it’s not the sort of role playing the career-minded heir adapts to willingly, or with any civility.

Instrumental in all of this confusion is Sung Joon, Kang JiHwan’s happy go lucky but also not-so-happy-go-lucky baby bro who has just breezed back into town, and as these things go, at the same time as the girl both brothers had loved/still love. Jo YoonHee has stepped back on K-soil with the intention of getting back what she had lost...Kang JiHwan.

commitment 
16 episodes

network
SBS

first impressions
Surprisingly, a really good one. Lie is silly, as contract marriage drama plots often are, but if you’re like me and find fake relationship contrivance the best kind of kdrama reality bender, then you also are like me and forgive plot stalls in these ones more than any other type of redundancy. Many of my favorites seem to use the boundaries of marriage as their boxing ring. What can I say, I really do believe a relationship is a battlefield, and somehow, although I wouldn’t personally know, marriage seems like a downright cage fight! Anyhow, I just love the many back and forth emotional punches that always accompany these bouts!

Back to Lie: Kang JiHwan sometimes feels like he’s reprising his Coffee House role, but this version of him is far less eccentric and infinitely more relatable, and if Kang JiHwan does anything extremely well, this actor really knows how to play a handsome, rich snot with an inner lining of gold. As for our girl Yoon EunHye, she makes for a very convincing every day woman and isn’t afraid of going ‘ugly’ for a role. You have to appreciate that kind of freedom. She’s a very pretty girl, but she also has a very normal face. You just can’t help kind of relate to her.

I have a kdrama watching buddy, and she was really reluctant to watch this with me as she does not like Kang JiHwan, but even she admits this one is starting out to be a pretty fun watch—romantic enough to engage, not too narrow a story that growth couldn’t happen, banter quick enough to keep fresh, and just out of bounds wacky enough to make for some real laughs. All in all, not a bad start.

(first impressions initially posted Jun 1, 2011)

wildcard factor

Well, there’s a significant amount of good-looking to be found for female watchers, most especially relative newbie Sung Joon, who moved on after this to put his delicious deep voice to better use in 2012’s Shut Up Flower Boy Band. Some Shut Up fans might be motivated to seek this one out, if it hasn’t been seen already.

And, obviously, Yoon EunHye and Kang JiHwan fans will also have a reason to check it out.

Midas (2011)

Midas
마이더스
(Feb – May 2011)

who’s in it
Jang Hyuk (Tazza, Chuno)
Lee MinJung (Boys Over Flowers, Smile You)
Kim HeeAe (Snow Flower)
No MinWoo (My GF is a Gumiho, Pasta)

what’s it about
Jang Hyuk, the Jang Hyuk—Mr. Chuno-badass himself—gets all suited and tied in this melodrama that grabs its name from the Greek mythology king that turned everything he touched into gold. Jang used to be a badass money guy, in fact, he was soooo good at this particular career path that he had a KOSDAQ ticker scrolling across his forehead, down his arms, and wrapped around his little fingers. Ok, not really, but our hero was so damn offhandedly awesome with money that he got bored fed up with the greedy side of trading it and went back to school. What did he pick? The same thing all aimless career-lost people pick: law school. Well, it turns out, he’s also damn awesome with law manipulation and he writes a mean thesis about loopholes in the legal system, which gets some corporate wolves pretty excited.

So at present we get to meet the freshly law degreed Jang Hyuk who has the Seoul law community all abuzz in excitement to get him on their payroll. His girlfriend/fiance is Lee MinJung, a bright-eyed and youthful nurse at a VIP ward who is innocently planning their future of love together. (Unfortunately this VIP ward has nothing to do with Big Bang, but some fun trivia for you: Lee MinJung was invited to star in one of G-Dragon’s music videos in 2009 during his solo Heartbreaker promotions, but declined.)

However, when Jang Hyuk decides to throw down with a law firm that babysits a crazy rich family of powerful screwups that idolize Mario Puzo’s fictional mafioso Corleone family (emphasis on crazy here), our freshman lawyer gets in over his head. Warning to all: if any of your potential employers waxes poetic about Al Pacino’s Don Corleone, take my advice, run like hell. It’s not gonna end well, and that’s not a spoiler, that’s just good American trivia to live your life by.

director
Kang ShinHyo (Tazza)

screenwriter(s)
Choi WanKyu (Swallow the Sun, The Grand Chef)

commitment 
20 episodes

network
SBS

not interested, passed
Soooo…let’s see here, Jang Hyuk decided against rubbing his latte hotness up against Ha JiWon in the comedy Secret Garden in order to challenge his acting boundaries...by playing this ridiculously intense but, let’s face it, rather unoriginal role about a corporate lawyer who gets sucked into a whirlpool of greedy evil. He gets to make lovey dovey eyes with Lee MinJung, which isn’t a bad trade off in terms of costar actress hotness, sure, but the drama itself is lacking some key things. Logic, for one. Flow, another. This one feels like 2011’s effort at a Bad Guy redo, and I suffered through that one only because I fell for Kim JaeWook’s version of a sexy suicidal tramp stud.

Midas just doesn’t have what it takes to stay on my watch list. This show is clearly going to be a gnarly ride down a ridiculous story line. No thanks.

BUT for those of you who might care, eye candy is rich in here with the likes of pretty No MinWoo (who likes to frolic in trampy hotel harem five-somes) and studly Jung SukWon (who at first blush seems to be a nonessential character, but probably will develop into more, pity I don’t really care about the show), so if you love them lots, maybe it’s worth a check out.

Fugitive: Plan B (2010)

Fugitive: Plan B
도망자: Plan B / Runaway: Plan B
(Sept – Dec 2010)

who’s in it
Rain (Full House, A Love to Kill)
Lee NaYoung (Ruler of Your Own World)
Lee JungJin (Nine End Two Outs)
Yoon JinSuh (Return of Iljimae)
Daniel Henney (Spring Waltz)

what’s it about
The construct: lawless private investigator Rain, based out of South Korea but globally networked, gets hired to find the location of this noun called Melchidec by Lee NaYoung, a beautiful and mysterious lady with a big fat bullseye on her back. She’s got a curse on her, you see, as some malefactors have killed everyone she has ever loved, excluding one lucky survivor, her rich is he or isn’t he boyfriend played by the sculpted handsomeness called Daniel Henney.

Meanwhile, rebellious police detective slash brooding hottie Lee JungJin will stop at nothing to get a pair of silver bracelets on Rain because the job description called PI is illegal in the ROK and Rain regularly totes around guns and shoots shit and is basically an all around lawless troublemaker, as already mentioned. That’s the official reason but most of Detective Angerball’s hate stems from the fact that he was shot by Rain in the chest at close range 10 years prior. Bang. Nevermind that Rain made sure to ask him about a bullet proof vest before plugging him. Apparently the police officer doesn’t know when to be grateful in his line of work. Memo to Lee JungJin: when a dude confirms that you are wearing a bullet proof vest and then doesn’t shoot you in the head, he’s probably trying to spare a cop his life.

The conceit: the lawless private investigator is a goofy and selfish superhuman prototype that—

1) can safely dodge hot lead fired from a firing squad of machine guns while doing a wheelie on a motorcycle and looking slick in his designer duds,

2) is a walking-talking wikipedia that can deconstruct evidence and situations within minutes,

3) finds the art of dissembling not only a job necessity, but a personality compulsion,

4) reveres both technology and miles of female leg—irresistible hobbies he indulges with wanton gluttony.

The deceit: Rain is a bad guy, Lee NaYoung is an innocent victim, and Daniel Henney is just a doting boyfriend. In a show like this, some or all of the facts presented will probably be proved wrong. Will viewers survive the ludicrous action somersaults to find out?

director
Kang JungHwan (Chuno)

screenwriter(s)
Chun SungIl (Chuno)

commitment 
20 episodes

network
KBS2

first impressions
After the early fist of episodes, I was left a little numb. I had no idea what to make of this kdrama, this thing so full of pomp and circumstance—it was pompous and evidence of its quality completely circumstantial. Was it good? Was it bad? Or was it sooo bad it was good? Was it soooo good it felt bad? No, it was probably just plainly bad...but someone help me, totally addictive.

So much about this drama—tone, special effects, multi-language communication, acting, Chuno cameos—offended me on a purely instinctive level. It chafed me in a visceral, gut belching way. I admit, I am not the sort of person programmed to like this type of drama. It was insane, in the literal definition of the word: a derangement of the mind. So much so, it was surreal.

A shoot out in broad daylight in a city intersection and there was deafening silence. Sirens, anyone? How about screams from bystanders? Guns without silencers were fired but they whispered their presence—and guns aren’t even quiet WITH silencers. A guy shot in the chest (bullet proof vest on) three times was able to run a marathon of a chase scene without fainting from pain. This show was like an itch under the skin, the annoying tickle being that it wasn’t satisfied with just bending reality, it wanted to completely redefine it.

You say all action shows are unrealistic? To a point, yes, but the writing still needs to respect gravity! If gravity doesn’t apply, there’s no suspense in jumping off a bridge, you know? Action is built on the idea of actual danger, not just the ‘oh, that looks kinda cool’ factor. Much of the movement in here wasn’t effective because it was not suspenseful, but only theatrical. It didn’t follow…I dunno—physics! Everybody defied the laws of...well, the laws of everything. Which was ironic since this show liked facts, as Rain’s character went out of his way to spout factoids like his mind was constantly in a state of googling (or navering).

I must say, the shenanigans that worked so well in Director Kang’s period piece Chuno did not carry over into contemporary action all that well. The over-the-top action cheese that felt artsy fartsy and well-employed when shot in rice fields and under the rocky crag of mountains felt unsuited for the contemporary locales. Thankfully, the actual quality of the special effects was decent and did not look to be bought at a bargain price. The problem wasn’t technique but the lack of restraint in the utilization. It was like a kid in an action candy store going nuts over the pop rocks.

Here’s my quick list of initial complaints:

1) Super superficially speaking, I dislike gaping v-necks on men (yes, as much as I like your bared chest, Rain, I don’t need to see it revealed in triangulated cleavage for an hour).

2) I admit it, this is a reoccurring pet peeve of mine. The employment of multi-language communication between characters in a Kdrama tends to bug me. Personally, I think it is a false construction to suppose one can fully understand a language that one cannot speak. Only Artoo Detoo and See Threepio got away with it, and that was because they were robots. Besides, it’s just common courtesy to converse in one language, especially with your own boyfriend/girlfriend. 

On the one hand, I know it is somewhat unrealistic to expect an actor who is not really fluent in ten languages to be able to perfectly portray a character who is supposed to be, but a main character in a show that is supposed to know the main language should be able to speak it, or that actor shouldn’t have been cast in the first place. I have nothing against the actor, but I think Daniel Henney, for one, can earn his pay and deliver most of his lines in Korean. From what I’ve heard so far, he clearly has a passable grasp of Korean pronunciation and has the chops to do it. It’ll probably make the role more difficult for him, but a sacrifice worth making because it would help give the show some much needed cred. When Henney spoke Korean with Lee NaYoung, I fully invested in his character. When he switched to English, his acting and dialogue immediately felt awkward and clumsy.

3) I am tired of over-the-top-physics-defying-unrealistically-choreographed action scenes that appear to have no purpose other than to be expensive. If you are on a motorcycle and an angry wall of bad guys aim machine guns at your head, accuracy is not really required for you to DIE. Oh, and by the way, all you have is a teeny little Glock to defend yourself…tell me, do you think it’s realistic for you to escape without even a scratch? I think not.

4) Last but most important, let’s talk about Rain. His character was both a clown impersonation and a James Bond caricature. It is the kind of duality that Lee JunKi does exceptionally well, the merging of slapstick and machismo cool in an oddly endearing package. On Rain, I don’t think it worked as well. I can’t quite define why it didn’t work, it just didn’t feel as natural. Instead of complicated character layers, it felt more like a dissociative personality disorder. I wished he would tone down the mania a couple of notches and focus more on the suave, as that suited him best. In the moments where his character’s sobriety was allowed to show, I saw glimpses of a great show and a great Rain. I know he has more to offer than these early episodes indicated. Yet despite my criticisms of this character and the limitations of his portrayal, Rain was still the most (the only?) fascinating thing about this drama.

And that, I suppose, is the magic of Rain. He has a commanding presence on stage and screen. He’s an entertainer all the way and if nothing else, completely bold and confident in everything he attempts. I think this is a brave choice for him as a comeback role into dramaland, as this PI character isn’t always a well-manicured personality, but completely messy, awkwardly angled, and at times, downright unattractive. And it requires some major acting balls. Critics can say what they will about his singing or his acting but they cannot deny that this guy is a star. This may sound like fan bias on my part, but he felt like the duct tape holding a shattering show together.

Lee NaYoung and Daniel Henney did not impress. In fact, I preferred Yoon JinSuh’s brand of quirky female strength over Lee’s and desperately wished she’d been cast in the lead role instead of the higher billed star. As for the rest of the expanded cast, there were too many cameos and character acting popping up all over the place. All of that served less entertaining and more of a distraction to the story than aid. But that was Plan B’s problem. There was so much noisy pomp and circumstance all over the place and unfortunately, all of that peripheral stuff masked what actually appeared to be a story in there somewhere.

Now, I love action...but only when done proper. In fact, it is actually my favorite genre, just not in a kdrama. Maybe that’s where the problem lies when I’m faced with an action drama, I’m overly critical. And like many other kdrama thrill ride forays, this one was awfully flawed, but despite its many issues, I could not hate it. It’s really quite weird. I am looking forward to the next episode, and more, looking forward to seeing Rain grow into a better character. The good news to take away from all of its many early blunders was the definite feeling that Plan B had greater things in store for the viewership. It feels like there was more a promise of improvement than failure.

Let’s hope I’m right.

(On a totally irrelevant note, in the poster art above, doesn’t Daniel Henney look like he’s doing the “Sorry, Sorry” Super Junior dance? Actually, they all kind of look like they’re k-popping.)

(first impressions initially posted Oct 18, 2010)

wildcard
Fugitive: Plan Bi, not B.

This drama was a sort of epileptic exploration into the many alter egos and facial contortions of Hallyu supah-stah Rain, who plays here the Korean lovechild of Austin Powers and James Bond (not Daniel Craig’s most recent Bond interpretation, but Pierce Brosnon’s failed one). In other words, there’s a lot of zany in this drama and most all of it is Rain worship...and yes, it does feel like hot pokers being repeatedly stabbed in the eyeballs.

Not only were there some serious nuclear flaws in the cohesiveness of the writing and story, but the vulgar execution of the action scenes did nothing to help the show’s cause. I am assuming, of course, that the goal (of every kdrama) is to create some form of cogent, credible product.

On the other hand, maybe credibility was never the point here…maybe it wanted to be the television equivalent of a wet T-shirt contest: gratuitous and juvenile. The sad part? Gratuitous and juvenile were the only salvageable parts, everything else felt like a hamster running in circles. Apt that the title song was called Running & Running.

Smile You (2009/2010)

Smile You
그대, 웃어요
(Sept 2009 – Mar 2010)

who’s in it
Lee MinJung (Boys Over Flowers)
Jung KyungHo (Time Between Wolf and Dog)
Choi JungYoon (Bad Couple, Attic Cat)
Lee ChunHee (Family Outing S.1 – member)
Lee KyuHan (My Lovely SamSoon, Que Sera Sera)

what’s it about
When new bride Lee MinJung’s family goes unexpectedly bankrupt, she literally gets ditched on the side of the road in her wedding dress by her rich husband Lee KyuHan. Needless to say, the soon-to-be-annulled couple never make it to their honeymoon. Her useless and now impoverished family find themselves moving into their longtime chauffeur’s home, a strict patriarch who is determined to make good people out of the spoiled family of four. Well, actually, they are a family of five as Lee MinJung calls Choi JungYoon her older sister, a beautiful doctor who is everything opposite in regards to her family members. For one, she is responsible and steadily employed. Lee MinJung, however, thinks her big sis is a major stuck-up brat, but the rest of the world thinks the female doctor is the epitome of conservative class.

Speaking of beautiful big sis Choi JungYoon, there is this super nice and awesome guy who has been madly in love with her since his college days. Mechanical engineer Jung KyungHo comes back from his studies abroad to find the entirety of Lee MinJung’s family cramped into his grandfather’s house…one of these new tenants being his loooongtime crush Choi JungYoon! He can’t believe his good fortune! But instead of quality time with his dream girl, he finds himself distracted, occupied and all around annoyed by the troublesome and meddlesome Lee MinJung.

At a hefty 45 episodes, there is a lot of plot movement, including issues within the family. Notable mention, Lee ChunHee and Jun Hye Jin have a charming side story.

director
Lee TaeGon

screenwriter(s)
Moon HeeJung

commitment 
45 episodes

network
SBS

first impressions
I don’t have very much to say as far as initial thoughts go…except that I LOVE IT! There is nothing earth shattering about this cute family drama, and I can already tell I’ll be woefully tired of some of the characters in this extended cast, but TRULY the cutest couple award goes to Lee MinJung and Jung KyungHo. I would be hard pressed to name [off the top of my head] actors that are as lovable as these two, as individuals or as a matching set. This one is going to charm the hell out of me, I just know it. It is just one of those rare dramas that gets a body smiling right out of the gate.

(first impressions originally posted Jan 15, 2010)

wildcard
1) The astounding natural beauty and pluck of Lee MinJung
2) The “will you marry me, oppa!” appeal of Jung KyungHo

Playful Kiss (2010)

Playful Kiss
장난스런 키스  / Mischievous Kiss
(Sept – Nov 2010)

who’s in it
Kim HyunJoong (Boys Over Flowers, SS501 - member)
Jung SoMin (Bad Guy)
Lee TaeSung (The Woman Next Door)
Lee SiYoung (Birth of a Rich Man)

what’s it about
Isn’t it every girl’s dream to find herself conveniently installed in her dream guy’s home? During long hours of cohabitation, the girl would exhibit so much charm and verve that Mr. Perfect will eventually come to realize that she’s the real deal and fall for her—they would break fast together...walk to school as a couple...share the same warm toilet seat, that sort of thing? Well, this drama is that fantasy come true. Jung SoMin has been majorly crushing on the smartest [and hottest] boy in school Kim HyunJoong for the better part of her academic career. But now with graduation just around the corner, she realizes time is running out and she may have to part ways with him without ever having confessed her love. 

Jung SoMin is a quirky girl who lives life in an alternate universe of daydreams and spends more time creating sci-fi in her head than studying for her college entrance exams. Most of these fantasies center around Kim HyunJoong. Unfortunately for her, Kim HyunJoong is a self-declared hater of dumb girls—she being the prime example of the kind of girl that turns him off.

When a mini-earthquake decimates Jung SoMin’s new but poorly constructed home, her father’s best friend from childhood adopts them into their house. The twist? That friend happens to be Kim HyunJoong’s father! Whether this aloof dream guy wants to or not, the two seniors are now forced to spend plenty of quality bonding time together...

director
Hwang InRoe (of Goong films fame)
KimDoHyung

screenwriter
Go EunNim

commitment 
16 episodes (about 10 episodes too long)

network
MBC

first impressions
A few things to get out of the way:

1) I felt like I was watching a poor Princess Hours sequel...really, teddy bears again?
2) The writing feels immature and only halfway developed...what’s with all the boring fantasy sequences that seem to go on forever?
3) Last but not least, the drama was actually worse than expected.

Honestly, it does make one realize that it’s no easy thing to make a decent drama. The cosmos needs to tilt, the stars need to align... it’s a magical dessert that can’t be made simply by following the obvious recipe:

Delicious Fun Well-Made Kdrama Cake

Ingredients

1 - idol

1 - perky female lead

1 tbsp - chirpy music

2 - overexaggerated second leads

1 cup - fantasy sequences

1 egg

1 scoop - silly parents

Directions

Beat together in a mixing bowl. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Let cool and serve.

But, as we all know, there is no such thing as sure hit. 

In tv show building, like baking, there needs to be some sort of yeast to make the dough rise...in this case, the yeast missing would be the omission of a cleverly writ script. There also needs to be some measure of intuition from the directing to make it all blend well. Otherwise, you could end up with a lumpy cake, or a lumpy drama. 

Everything about this show was too perfectly choreographed, as if following some preset formula, from the dialogue to the situational comedy. It was so forced that many of the scenes felt awkward and misdelivered. Some early lowlights (instead of highlights) include a painfully gross and silly scene with a pervert flasher out to wow some young girls, a particularly awful Matrix spoof, a boring ballet sketch...oh, who am I kidding? Practically all the fantasy sequences were too long and total duds.

The only truly well-written character appeared to be Kim HyunJoong’s mother, who was both delightful and heart-warming as a woman who was lonely after having two overly capable and distant sons. She has always wanted a daughter, which she has found in Jung SoMin’s cheerful character. It was somewhat refreshing to have nice parents pop up in a kdrama for once, and as far as matchmakers go, this power blogging mom was adorable to watch.

I don’t have much else to say lest I risk being murdered by SS501 fans, but despite all my misgivings, I see myself finishing this one. I am, however, praying every night that the writing improves. Hopefully there will be more to the story than just the advancement of a crush. There’s still hope...

To sum, Jung SoMin seemed cute and Kim HyunJoong was his usual attractive self, and his acting was passable. So basically, the actors seemed okay and fitted for their parts, it was everything else that felt unstable. I must be a real sucker because even though I disliked 90% of this drama after the first couple of episodes, I couldn’t help but want to keep watching that remaining 10% that spoke to the little girl in me who has always loved the stories about awkward girls who win the noble prince’s heart by sheer determination and character. Ya know? As a commenter so perfectly put it, this drama was both torture and guilty indulgence in one ridiculous package.

Really, when I saw this drop dead gorgeous smile play across Kim HyunJoong’s face after two hours of his scowls...damnit, I knew I was a goner. 

Bad or plain stinking horrible, I don’t think I cared, I wasn’t going to be able to resist watching this drama.

(first impressions originally posted Sept 5, 2010)

wildcard
Will Kim HyunJoong’s hot idol popularity save this drama from the depths of its writing black hole? Will his adorably lopsided smiles soothe away the ills of a plot-lite tale? For some, yes. For others, specifically non-Kim HyunJoong fans, get ready to lose some IQ.

Queen of Housewives (2009)

Queen of Housewives
내조의 여왕
(Mar – May 2009)

who’s in it
Kim NamJoo (Her House)
Oh JiHo (Couple or Trouble, Chuno)
Lee HyeYoung (Dal Ja’s Spring)
Sun WooSun (Will It Snow at Christmas?)
Choi ChulHo (Woman Who Still Wants to Marry)
Yoon SangHyun (Take Care of My Lady)

what’s it about
Back in high school, Kim NamJoo had been the prettiest and most popular girl in school...but also the nastiest. No one liked her, although everyone pretended they did. She was that girl; such a mean spirited little thing that she even pursued a relationship with a guy (Choi ChulHo) out of a spiteful effort to teach her “ugly” friend Lee HyeYoung a lesson. But little did she realize, even the mousiest mouse will bite when cornered and when Kim NamJoo declared war on Lee HyeYoung by stealing that one guy, this pretty girl was really tempting cosmic comeuppance.

Much later, all those young girls have grown up and become settled women. Kim NamJoo is now married to Oh JiHo, a smart guy caught in a bad economy and struggling to find a job. His wife, once the queen bee of the high school hive, is quickly losing face with her rich circle of friends. Unable to take the embarrassment any longer, she takes matters into her own hands. She decides to actively manipulate efforts to get her man situated in a swank job at a powerhouse corporation called Queen Food. This ends up becoming more than a mere status elevating opportunity, however, when Kim NamJoo finds herself confronted with her past as she gets more involved in the behind-the-scenes social affairs of the Queen Food condo community and the housewives who rule there. The vengeful cast of her childhood comes back to haunt her and teach her some tough lessons in humility.

commitment 
20 episodes

network
MBC

first impressions
It was full of salacious venom from the very start, quickly establishing all the snarky main adversaries in this bitch fest. We get to know who’s who fairly easily—as they are all recognizable characters from our own immature youth, I imagine. With a title like Queen of Housewives it doesn’t take a great deal of imagination to make the association with the ABC primetime soap Desperate Housewives, and this kdrama does not disappoint in the comparison.

The production and the overall delivery of the show was pleasantly surprising, impressive in the acting and all-around snappy vibe. The protagonist was a stuck-up princess, yet we followed her story from the days of popularity to her fall from grace, instead of the more popular kdrama trend to follow the pitiful best friend’s inspiring struggle for success. We’ve seen Kim NamJoo’s character profile in many a kdrama, the villainous vixen who is petty, conniving, and vain...but rarely do we get to follow that vixen and see the fall out that we all know eventually comes for these types of characters. 

This oft not travelled angle brought some new crispness to the story. It held the same kind of topsy turvy appeal as perhaps Gregory McGuire’s Wicked, the Wizard of Oz revision that re-casted the Wicked Witch of the West as the sympathetic heroine. Like Wicked, we were taking a look at the same old [kdrama] story through the eyes of a different character. Sympathy has often been afforded for the “good witch” but now we’re exploring what makes the “bad witch” tick. A look at the greener more envious side of the coin, if you will.

wildcard
This was wildly successful when it aired. The mature cast really delivered and it rejuvenated a few careers, notably Yoon SangHyun’s, who was definitely a standout. And without a doubt, there was quite a bit of worthy eye candy, both female and male.

Good Days When the Wind Blows (2010)

Good Days When the Wind Blows
바람 불어 좋은날 / Happiness in the Wind
(Feb – Oct 2010)

who’s in it
Kim SoEun (Boys Over Flowers)
Lee HyunJin (Boy Meets Boy – film)
Jin YiHan (Who Are You?)
Seo HyoRim (Good Job, Good Job)
Kang JiSub (Dear Heaven)

what’s it about
Meet Kwon Obok:

She’s a young aspiring graphic designer/illustrator who finds herself without money or home when her father runs off and disappears with the deposit for their rental. Taking fate’s cruel turn as an impetus to charge after her dreams, she heads to Seoul and meets a crazy guy named Jang MinGuk on the first day there under extreme circumstances; MinGuk is played by cutie Lee HyunJin:

Through him and through some cosmic buffoonery, Obok gets more deeply entangled in the affairs of the Jang family, including MinGuk’s older brother Jang DaeHan (the brothers both very patriotic in their names as together Daehan Minguk means the Republic of Korea):

Yes, the story follows lovable Kim SoEun as Kwon Obok, but really she’s the bridge to the real purpose of this show, which is a family affair and that central family is the Jang household. The windy and overly long drama follows the love lives and career trials of all the Jang siblings—Minguk, DaeHan and sister ManSe—

—and all the other players in the show are merely planets that gravitate around one of these attractive suns.

commitment 
A lifetime, or that’s what it felt like anyway. Translated into tv-metric-speak, that roughly amounts to about 173 episodes, or something like that…

network
KBS

wildcard factor
How much patience do you have? Do you enjoy endless miles of open fields instead of the dramatic ups and downs of mountain ranges? If so, this may be just the type of flat-footed and non-turbulent and loooong road trip for you.

first impressions
An airy daily drama with a lovable young cast lead by Kim SoEun, Lee HyunJin (MinGuk) and Jin YiHan (DaeHan), the men being rather tall glasses of handsome. I was especially a fan of Lee HyunJin who had such a convincing air of lovable troublemaker about him. The quintessential puppy that chews on your slippers then looks at you with big innocent eyes, pleading, “Did I do something wrong?” He was that type of frustrating adorable. In fact, the entire cast appeared to be casually likable in the most inoffensive way. I found everyone charming and couldn’t wait to see how all the couples would fall into place. What’s the downside? I saw the potential for this drama to drag a little. Dare I worry, even become a tad boring. I don’t know if there’s enough material available or enough conflict in this kind of a story to hold my attention for so many episodes…if possible, could this show end up being too harmless? We shall see…

My Country Calls (2010)

My Country Calls
국가가 부른다  / Secret Agent Miss Oh!
(May 2010 – June 2010)

who’s in it
Lee SooKyung (Loving You A Thousand Times)
Kim SangKyung (Lawyers)
Ryu Jin (Powerful Opponents, Really, Really Like You)
Horan (member if jazzy music group Clazziquai)
Hyun Woo (Pasta)

what’s it about
Lee SooKyung plays a chipmunk—though obviously not in the literal sense. She’s a wide-eyed, bushy-tailed, cute but overly chirpy critter-like character of a person. Our heroine is a beat cop, you see, and she’s blessed/cursed with a friendly, wholesome round face and large brown eyes filled with the fever of sincerity and self-delusion. She’s hapless at her job and, frankly, a bit of a dirty cop, but in the most G-rated and harmless way possible. She regularly rubs people the wrong way but she thinks herself the pillar of professionalism. Her Achilles Heel is her mother, of course, as a nuisance parent is always the woe of every kdrama heroine and My Country Calls does not deviate from this common formula, including the fact that her financial troubles are also the direct result of said parent’s troublemaking. Like mother like daughter, we learn quickly that self-reflection isn’t a strong suit for either woman. Officer Oh HaNa is both earnestly caring but also annoyingly meddlesome and—sigh—frustratingly naïve.

When she unwittingly helps the bad guys and interferes with a National Intelligence Agency investigation (multiple times), she gets on the wrong end of Kim SangKyung’s interest, a gruff NIA agent who is all business all the time. Not to mention, one who is starting to think that she’s a mastermind crook masquerading as a cop.

Likely, these two will eventually bridge the wide gulf between their personalities to develop a mutual attraction while going after the crime organization the NIA is trying to bring down. Ryu Jin also features as a peripheral love interest, and gorgeous crooner Horan also takes part in the criminal fun in her acting debut.

commitment 
16 episodes

network
KBS

wildcard factor
Your patience and a large heaping plate of faith...faithful patience, shall I say?

And in a bit of fangirlness, I need to mention Hyun Woo, who plays a young NIA agent here. He’s simply adorable, just as darling here as he was in the exceptional drama Pasta. He was an idol chef there, in this drama, he’s an idol agent.

first impressions
SLOW. And not that funny. The show didn’t know if it wanted to be a romantic comedy or an action thriller and therefore decided to aim for both, missing the target by a mile. The first few episodes felt like a car ride on a country road filled with pot holes, bumpy and distracting and aimless. As a passenger, I kept wondering, “What is the point of this drama? Am I even going to care about these two people when they get more involved in one another’s lives?” The answer in my head kept replying in the negative.

Cinderella's Sister (2010)

Cinderella’s Sister
신데렐라 언니
(Mar – Jun 2010)

who’s in it
Moon GeunYoung (Painter of the Wind)
Chun JungMyung (What’s Up, Fox?)
Seo Woo
Taecyeon (2PM – member) 

what’s it about
Seo Woo depicts a child who has lost her mother to cancer at a young age and lives with her withdrawn but loving father, who is the head of a rice wine brewery at a gorgeous community of traditional Korean buildings. Seo Woo plays the recognizable Cinderella, a nice girl who is full of optimism despite the loss of a parent.

This drama, as we all know by the title, is not about Cinderella, but her sister. This sullen role is fulfilled by Moon GeunYoung who attempts to shed her pure and innocent image with a shower of raven black hair and fierce eye anger, not too dissimilar to the types of rancorous glares I often shoot at bad drivers who are one wild swerve away from killing someone. Back to the show: Moon GeunYoung’s rock of burden is her mother, an insecure and unreliable woman who has a history of picking up deadbeat men, and like Atlas, Moon GeunYoung’s teenaged sufferer is unable to just shrug everything off. The latest faux-father figure is a beater, and no ordinary basher, but one who enjoys the feel of a home run on a woman’s backside. He has a son, a chubby but good-hearted kid (who will later grow up to be hotstuff Taecyeon) who loves Moon GeunYoung—the implication is that his affections reach beyond platonic sisterly worship.

In his comeback role (after the obligatory military service in Korea), Chun JungMyung plays a secretive employee at the brewery who develops an interest in Moon GeunYoung’s broken character. Again, his long gazes indicate feelings beyond mere neighborly concern.

Moon GeunYoung becomes Seo Woo’s older stepsister when their parents marry. When Cinderella’s father dies…well, we all know the Cinderella story…

commitment 
20 episodes

network
KBS2

wildcard factor
Let’s say on a scale of 1 through 10, if we’re to measure melodrama, 1 being floor and 10 the ceiling, then Cinderella’s Sister sat right in the middle. It’s not as dark as I’d expected and made a definite effort to tell its story with one hand on the rope of sanity—and this was the type of story that could definitely have fallen into the swamp of despair. How hard you fall for Moon GeunYoung’s brooding character will mostly certainly determine how much you will love this one.

And, of course, there is 2PM’s Taecyeon. No doubt his fans will see the drama through to its very last millisecond.

first impressions
I guess it’s true, the cheese really does stand alone…but in the end, as D.H. Lawrence advised, we must go as we are impelled, and with that in mind, I proudly proclaim my lack of love for Cinderella’s Sister. Yes, it was winning the ratings battle in Korea in its timeslot and yes, fans seemed to love it passionately. I don’t think the fans were wrong to enjoy it. Individual acting seemed above criticism, including Seo Woo’s depiction of a chirpy Cinderella, who, by the way, was an actress that did not seem to deserve the loads of petty cruelty directed at her in the press and by viewers regarding her appearance. Anyway, acting appeared good, the story seemed original enough (to an extent, as the twisted sister story in itself was not a new concept), and the chemistry between the characters seemed alright. It all seemed…alright.

Perhaps I was just not that interested in the story concept, I’d always been more of a Beauty and the Beast type of girl, not Cinderella.

Possibly I was too enraptured with the other dramas I’d been watching to be seduced by another one, my plate already full and my emotions bucket already at the brim.

Likely my distaste for romances between adults and teenagers in their charge also tainted my initial gut reaction to the show.

Conceivably, my ambivalence for actor Chun JungMyung was making it more difficult for me to fully engage with his good guy character and therefore made it hard for me to sink into the flirtation between the two leads. Normally I do love dark and broken characters like Moon GeunYoung’s…but try as I might, she did not break down my cynical barrier to find that spark between what was on screen and in my heart.

I guess there’s no way to sugarcoat it…I was bored.  

gave up
So…I do regret stopping before the time jump happened, where 2PM’s Taecyeon made his grand ab-tastic entrance. I had looked forward to his acting debut. With the drama scene crowded with pretty idols in their respective comedic roles, I thought his sober character had the potential to be a real star-making vehicle. So why didn’t I just grit my teeth and go on for a few more eps, you ask?

I’ll tell you why and the answer is simple: because I don’t have to.  ; )

Dramas come and go and it’s not all that unusual to find my Personal Taste veers away from the unanimous fan favorite (heh, yes, I was actually enjoying Cinderella’s rival Personal Taste very much). Mr. Lawrence was divinely right, you know, it’s best not to deny the direction one’s instincts guide. Not to mention, there really aren’t enough hours in the day to linger at every pit stop, especially ones that don’t suit.

Hello! Miss (2007)

Hello! Miss
헬로 애기씨 / Hello! My Lady
(Mar – May 2007)

who’s in it
Lee JiHoon
Lee DaHae (My Girl, Chuno)
Ha SukJin (Merchant Kim Manduk)
Yun MiJoo


what’s it about
Lee DaHae plays Lady Lee SuHa, the young steward of her clan who is charged by the elders to uphold the cultural traditions of her family lineage, and more importantly, to preserve and maintain the family estate Hwanandang, a crumbling hanok manor. She is given little aid financially from the clan and finds herself in dire straits as the nearly bankrupt property is considered too high risk for any legitimate bank to offer a loan. The option to designate the entire place as a national cultural asset is available to her, but she loathes the idea of relinquishing control to the government regarding the manor’s every administrative decision.

Off and away in another corner of the peninsula, the aging founder and owner of Top Group, an aptly named company sitting at the financial top, wants to buy Hwanandang in order to live out his retirement in the master suite of the estate, a place he had once been a servant. He sends his grandson Hwang DongGyu to do the dirty work and wrest the property away from the current owners; played by Lee JiHoon, who is a young man not completely comfortable with his rich kid status and regularly switches identities with his assistant. As expected, it would only be over Lee DaHae’s dead body that she’d give up the place to the rich kid from Seoul. She scoffed at the notion of even relinquishing financial oversight to the government, it is highly unlikely she is ever going to agree selling her home to a corporate entity, especially one owned by a servant who stole their cow to start his enterprise (apparently a grave offense back in the day).

Ha SukJin plays the second heir to the Top Group fortune and Lee JiHoon’s cousin, but this good-looking operator is nothing like his cuz, the collected and responsible CFO of Top Group. Everybody has a black sheep in the family and this one is a model and a playboy, as they often are, and he takes an instant liking to the unique charms of Lee DaHae (by instant, we’re literally talking seconds). The love square is finished off by Yun MiJoo who plays an ambitious nipped/tucked model who’s got her eyes on success, which includes the handsome and rebellious grandson of Top Group as a part of her benefits package.

commitment 
16 episodes

network
KBS

wildcard factor
Do you enjoy the under-appreciated art of facial and vocal acrobatics and consummate overacting? If so, you’ll love Lee DaHae in this one.

after the first episode
oO < — that would be my eyeballs popping out of their sockets

A Man Called God (2010)

A Man Called God
신이라 불리운 사나이
(Mar – May 2010)

who’s in it
Song IlGook (Jumong)
Han ChaeYoung (Boys Over Flowers)
Kim MinJong (Return of Iljimae)
Han GoEun (Reputable Family)
Choo JaHyun

what’s it about
Well, let me give this a try…

Essentially, Song IlGook plays a malefactor of international notoriety, as he appears to be on everyone’s radar, including America’s main spook agency and a special criminal investigations unit in Korea. His name is Michael and he goes by the moniker Peter Pan. Yes, you read right, I said Peter Pan. Let’s not dwell. 

Our guy prefers solid colors in his wardrobe, primarily white and black (but never together), enjoys long walks in the mountains, ninja acrobatics in the morning, but water sports in the late afternoon. He lives in Hawaiian paradise but he doesn’t enjoy any of it because he’s quite the angry fellow. Twenty-four years earlier, when he was a wee little boy, his father (of military rank) was stabbed and clubbed to death on their front doorstep. He remembers the faces of all his father’s murderers and his sole purpose in life has been to exact bitter bloody revenge.

Han ChaeYoung plays the reporter that follows a shady business man to Hawai’i and her path collides with Michael/Peter Pan’s when her surveillance gets in the way of his surveillance. This story of ruthless reprisal may start in tropical paradise but will clearly end in the wintry streets of Korea.

commitment 
24 episodes

network
MBC

wildcard factor
Multiple choice question for you:

I am interested in A Man Called God because___________.
A. I love Song IlGook.
B. I think Han ChaeYoung is hot.
C. Han GoEun is sexy.
D. I’ll watch anything.
E. None of the Above

If you answered E, congratulations, you can skip this drama.

after the first episode
Still unsure? Take my quick test and see if you should watch this drama:

1. I’ve fantasized about _________ with little to zilch clothing.
A. Song IlGook
B. Han ChaeYoung
C. Prostitutes
D. Han GoEun
E. All of the above
F. None of the above

2. I would enjoy slow-motion sequences of ______________.
A. Song IlGook skydiving
B. Song IlGook sailing
C. Song IlGook ninja-style fighting
D. Song IlGook walking.
E. All of the above
F. None of the above

3. I find _____________ really annoying!
A. English-speaking actors who can’t act
B. cheesy special effects
C. unnaturally thin people
D. films like Mission Impossible and GI Joe
E. All of the above
F. None of the above.

Tally up your score by awarding points for each of your answers.

For question 1, if you answered

A=5

B=4

C=1

D=3

E=10

F=0

For question 2, if you answered

A=5

B=5

C=5

D=10

E=20

F=0

For question 3, if you answered

A=5

B=10

C=3

D=10

E=30

F=0

For your final score, add your points for questions 1 and 2 together, then subtract your points from question 3.

Results:

Negative score: Run far away and don’t look back.

0-10: Test out the first episode.

11+: Frankly speaking, this may be your drama soulmate.

Disclaimer: this quiz is only for fun and in no way an accurate assessment of your possible predilection for this drama.

Take Care of My Lady (2009)

Take Care of My Lady
아가씨를 부탁해
(Aug – Oct 2009)

who’s in it
Yoon EunHye (Goong, 1st Shop of Coffee Prince)
Yoon SangHyun (Queen of Housewives)
Jung IlWoo (Return of Iljimae)
Moon ChaeWon (Shining Inheritance)

what’s it about
Yoon SangHyun will try anything for money—whether it be preachin’ or playing the gigolo. He has a lot of debt and the loan sharks are out to get him. As for his domestic situation, he lives with Moon ChaeWon and her mother. What he doesn’t realize is that Moon, a good friend who he considers his little sister, is actually madly in love with him, made so obvious by the I-Secretly-Love-You googly eyes she shoots his way all the time. He’s a good guy but his debt problem is…well, a problem. When a Rich Grandfather wants to hire him to teach his Granddaughter Heir some manners, Yoon SangHyun takes the job with one eye on the prize: $$$. If the rich little girlie falls for him, that’s a big score! The young lady in question is none other than Yoon EunHye, essentially playing a Korean derivative of Paris Hilton.

Now, newly installed as her personal assistant-butler-chauffeur-babysitter, Yoon SangHyun forces and cajoles his way into her daily decision making and actually manages to have a positive effect on her personality. He’s feeling pretty good about his successes with her, that is until she asks him to take on the role of dating coach to woo a smart, non-profit civil rights lawyer played by Jung IlWoo, a man clearly not a part of her fashion and celebrity world. He’s out of her league (in that she’s not exactly book-smart or interested in human rights) but Yoon EunHye is immediately smitten by the handsome advocate precisely because he’s so out of her expertise. As formula would have it, when this main rival enters the picture, our leading man starts to question his own heart…and I imagine the answer is obvious to us all.

commitment 
16 episodes

network
KBS2

wildcard factor
Is the happy afterglow from 1st Shop of Coffee Prince still shining on you? Even farther back, how about Goong? What I’m asking is: how much do you love Yoon EunHye? How long have you been waiting for her comeback?

after the first episode
Oy vey. This is…painful to watch. How terribly disappointing.

Sons of Sol Pharmacy (2009)

Sons of Sol Pharmacy
솔약국집 아들들
(Apr – Oct 2009)

who’s in it
Son HyunJoo (Tazza, First Wives Club)
Lee PilMo (Woman Who Still Wants to Marry)
Han SangJin (Yi San, White Tower)
Ji ChangWook (Hero)
Yoo HaNa (First Wives Club)
Yoo Sun (Lobbyist, Sweet Spy)

what’s it about
Four handsome brothers, from oldest to youngest—

JinPung (played by Son HyunJoo) — a wholesome almost-40 pharmacist still carrying a torch for his high school sweetheart; she returns one day sporting/supporting an extended family and a secret.

DaePung (Lee PilMo) — childish pediatrician who spends his days womanizing but takes an instant shine to the new female neighbor, a cynical lawyer NOT charmed by him.

SunPung (Han SangJin) — vegetarian television news journalist who is an avid everything-rights activist who reluctantly finds himself drawn to a bubbly actress who also happens to be the daughter of his boss.

MiPung (Ji ChangWook) — the sensitive maknae (youngest) who prefers sewing with ahjummas instead of studying, to his mother’s disgust. He finds himself caring for his friend’s infant daughter when the single father gets called up for his mandatory military service.

The mother of these four perfect[ly nutty] sons wants to marry them off pronto. Not only is she sick and tired of feeding and coddling six baby boys (the tally including her husband and father-in-law) but wants some women in the house to help her with the chores. She is most especially peeved with her eldest who is getting ripe in the age without any suitable prospects. What’s wrong with her sons…why can’t they get themselves hitched???

A family drama, it carries a ginormous cast and spends lots and lots of time with all of them but these four men are the central focus. I will go ahead and give a brief intro for the ladies, however, as they are key figures, too. In order below are the matches for the men already listed above:

SooJin (played by Park SunYoung) — a successful corporate lawyer, she protects the softness within by putting up a tough façade but realizes it might be worth coming out of her hard tortoise shell when she meets the sweet pharmacist.

BokShil (Yoo Sun) — doormat-like nurse at DaePung’s pediatric clinic who, like everyone else, has her own secret to hide. Oh, yeah, she’s also madly in love with DaePung who has treated her like crap the entire time she’s worked for him. He’s more a DooDooPung to her.

EunJi (Yoo HaNa) — a perky but kind-hearted actress who has been raised like a treasured princess by her surrogate parents, but when her past comes back, she realizes she’d been living in a bubble.

SooHee (Kang EunBi) — when she comes back for her infant daughter who has now been placed in the care of the youngest son in the Song family, the irresponsible young mother ends up living with them in order to get her life back on track.

Oh, the long, long, long convoluted road this drama will traverse until we get to the end where the predestined couples will get together...

commitment 
54 episodes

network
KBS2

wildcard factor
A weekend family drama with lots of characters, some infinitely more lovable than others.

after the first episode
Fun. I especially enjoyed the vegetarian tv journalist who was so dorky but cuddly, like a manly teddy bear. His match, the equally dorky and cuddly actress, was the kind of character that made you smile.

The brothers together were also a kick in the pants to watch…four grown men who regress into four little boys when together. Pretty funny.

God of Study (2010)

God of Study
공부의 신  / Master of Study
(Jan – Feb 2010)

who’s in it
Kim SuRo (Family Outing S.1 – member)
Bae DooNa (Someday, The Host – film)
Oh YoonNa (Someday)
Yoo SeungHo (Queen Seonduk)
Park JiYeon (girl idol group T-ara – member)
Go AhSung

what’s it about
Four hopeless students, which include one attitudinally-challenged jajangmyun delivery boy Yoo SeungHo and the two girls who have the hots for him Park JiYeon and Go AhSung, attend an equally hopeless high school where their education is slowly being flushed down a toilet by laziness and complacency. The three mentioned above and two other kids are given the random opportunity of a lifetime to better their education by joining a “special class” designed like a edu boot camp for dummies by an overly moralistic and pompous lawyer (Kim SuRo) with some point to prove. By recruiting a strange assortment of quirky but effective teachers, Kim SuRo aims to change the lives of these five kids; even makes a wager that he can get these students into a top university by [his] hard work and [his] sheer force of will.

commitment 
16 episodes

network
KBS2

wildcard factor
Well, how much do you love Yoo SeungHo, also known as the young So JiSub? Me, I couldn’t care less about the young’un one way or the other. I think overall he is watchable and may grow into a great actor in time, but judging him by this drama alone, I’d have to conclude that while there is definitely a natural talent in him, there is still need for some maturing and developing of his craft.

after the first episode
The kids were watchable but the storyline for the adults was a little drab...Bae DooNa deserved better, although her hair was styled rather nicely. Based on a Japanese manga…and it lacked depth. The drama used a lot of cheap moments to garner sympathy and didn’t feel all that well thought out. I could tell immediately that Kim Suro’s character, an entertainer I normally like, had a great potential to become annoying. I did not love it...

Story of a Man (2009)

Story of a Man
남자이야기 / Slingshot
(Apr – Jun 2009)

who’s in it
Park YongHa (On Air)
Kim KangWoo (Five Senses of Eros - film)
Park SiYeon (My Girl)
Han YeoWoon (Painter of the Wind)

what’s it about
Park YongHa’s older brother commits suicide after a smear campaign against his food processing company, orchestrated by Kim KangWoo, a sociopath manipulating the stock market in an effort to take over his father’s company. After attacking the television station that aired the false report on his brother’s company, Park YongHa gets thrown into the slammer. When he comes out, he’s got only one thing on his mind: revenge. He teams up with an assortment of cons in an effort to attempt the greatest gimmick of all time—justice.

commitment 
20 episodes

network
KBS2

wildcard factor
I’m not exaggerating when I say that Kim KangWoo was insanely creepy as the emotionless nutjob that yanked and pulled at everyone’s strings. He was a shark that blew everyone else out of the surf.

after the first episode
Ah, this one could be very interesting...and action packed! It seemed to have a good setup for a story that could really grow into a feverish, melodramatic but exciting joyride.

Witch Yoo Hee (2007)

Witch Yoo Hee
마녀유희 / Witch Amusement
(Mar – May 2007)

who’s in it
Han GaIn (Super Rookie)
JaeHee (Delightful Girl Chungyang)
Jun HyeBin
Kim Jeong Hoon (Goong)
Dennis O’Neil (Sweet Spy, East of Eden)

what’s it about
Han GaIn is a successful young woman with a reputation for being an ice princess, to phrase it politely. She’s not social and she’s not exactly likable upon first introduction. She’s also lousy at dating, as a good personality can factor into being considered dating material. Worse, like many females in the expanse of all known history, she’s still hurting from the loss of her first love, a dashing doc played by Kim JeongHoon, who is still hovering around in her gravitational pull. The term ‘when it rains, it pours’ applies here as two more men join the courting: old friend and American hottie Dennis O’Neil moves to Korea to accept a job (as head chef at a fancy restaurant) and simple-minded JaeHee crashes into her car, life, and home to become an indentured servant slash dating coach. Needless to say, both men end up having more than friendly intentions in mind.

commitment 
16 episodes

network
SBS

wildcard factor
It’s…boring, for one. Second, it’s really boring.

after the first episode
Reference wildcard factor.

IRIS (2009)

IRIS
아이리스
(Oct – Dec 2009)

who’s in it
Lee ByungHun (All In, The Good, The Bad, The Weird - film)
Kim TaeHee (Love Story In Harvard)
Jung JoonHo (Last Scandal)
Kim SoYeon (The Grand Chef)
TOP (I Am Sam, member of Big Bang)

what’s it about
Lee ByungHun and Jung JoonHo first become friends during their basic training days in the military. Eventually, the duo is recruited into a supersecret spy network called NSS, not too dissimilar from agencies like the CIA, NSA or MI5 in concept…except this place is highly classified and their technology does not utilize spellcheck for English words (heh, I tease). Both men fall in love with Korea’s national hottie Kim TaeHee, a fellow NSS agent, but only Lee ByungHun gets to go on vacay with her to Japan and totally score with her. Oh yeah, he wins her heart, too. Things go all to hell when a job in Hungary goes batsh*t wrong and Lee ByungHun finds himself on the run, alone, and allied with North Korean spy Kim SoYeon, who is totally smokin’ hot! All of this has something to do with IRIS, another supersecret organization that has TOP on their payroll, who not only has killer looks, he has a killer gun. You know, because he kills with his gun—like literally, with lead bullets.

commitment 
20 episodes

network
KBS2

wildcard factor
Lee ByungHun
Kim TaeHee
TOP (of hip-hop idol group Big Bang)

after the first episode
Soooo…this was what all the hype was about...flashy (check)…slick (check)…big names(check)...expensive-looking (check). It definitely had a Bourne Supremacy flair about it and…