2020 Completed List

Re-watched with my mom. Her ninth K-Drama!

★
For me, this drama started weak, with a first episode so eye-rolling that I almost didn't continue. But it really picked up after that and grew into one of the best romance dramas I've seen in a long time. It somehow manages to feel like an older drama with its big dramatic moments, sweeping romantic gestures, and comedic elements that, after the beginning, endear you to the characters rather than annoy.

At the same time, it feels modern in every other sense, combining to create a lead couple that's healthy without being dull. Evidence of their amazing chemistry can be seen in the fact that I actually wish we had had more time with them, rather than growing weary of their scenes by the final hour. 

Unfortunately, there were some things in the last episode that I didn't love, as if the symmetry they went with in the story extended to the disappointment of the first episode mirroring the final one. Despite a two hour runtime, and despite this show having been so indulgent (in a definitely good way) with the romance and drama everywhere else, the conclusion felt underwhelming to me, maybe because we'd been spoiled so thoroughly up to that point.

But the death of a certain character, the tragedy of the second lead couple, the reminders of all the characters that would never get to meet again, and finally the implication that even our leads aren't exactly experiencing the ideal happily ever after we were hoping for -- it was all a subtle dose of cruel reality at the end of a show that had otherwise been gleefully unrealistic. So while I wouldn't call the finale an unhappy one, it still left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth.

That being said, this was still a really good show, and everything from episode 2 to 15 makes it well worth a watch.

★
I'm struggling to put my feelings for this show into words. I loved the story, the characters, the time travel elements (I actually had to pause many times and write out my own timeline to keep track of events, and that excitement at working it all out and always finding it added up is so incredibly satisfying), the star-crossed lovers trope (with a strong feeling of "the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl"), the meaningful music (lyrics that are worth paying attention to!), and all the excellent symbolism (red headphone wires reminiscent of the red thread of fate!!). It's all very similar to something I've wanted to write, but can't convey with simply just written words.

Unfortunately, it does have an open ending that rings more bittersweet than happy, at least for the leads, but I'm willing to give it a pass on account of doing everything else so incredibly well. Plus, it was open enough that I can at least imagine and believe somehow they'll meet again. Otherwise, I'll never stop crying. I can't deal with another Scarlet Heart: Ryeo in my heart!!

Anyway, I really enjoyed this show and I look forward to watching it again someday (or one day)!

Re-watched in anticipation for season 2!

★
[SPOILERS] I normally avoid shows that end in tragedy, but I was in the mood for something sad and needed to utilize my Viki subscription, so I picked this up not fully intending to even finish it given my past struggles with long Chinese historicals. However, after an episode or two, I found it easy to follow along and became hooked.

Contrary to all the tags warning of heartbreak and tears, most of this show was pretty light and fun. The plot wasn't overwhelmed with injustices and frustrations like other historicals I've seen, which was an immense relief. And while I'm not a huge fan of tragic endings, this one at least felt fitting and inevitable rather than thrown in for something like shock value.

Act 1 (EP 1-15): My favorite. Loved the costumes, settings, and events. Romance had good development and I was excited to see the impending fallout from Chengyin’s greedy decisions, lol.

Act 2 (EP 15-45?): The romance turned disappointing, almost absent, but everything else exceeded my expectations. I loved that the court politics weren’t maddening, and that Xiaofeng was always kind towards other women. She quickly became the highlight of the show altogether, always a ray of sunshine and amusement.

Act 3 (EP 45?-55): Gu Jian ruins everything. I was kind of hoping Chengyin would die for Xiaofeng to make amends, but this unfortunately had to be a lesson for him. I wish it hadn’t come at the cost of Xiaofeng’s life, but I'm glad it haunted him the rest of his sad life, lol.

Overall, I really enjoyed this show. It was very entertaining and I loved the characters, especially the feisty and sunny Xiaofeng, the honorable and adorably awkward General Pei, and Chengyin for his warped but endearing complexity. Hopefully he and Xiaofeng can have better luck in their third life.

[SPOILERS] Even better than the first season! I'm not sure how I feel about the ending though. I spent most of the season assuming it would end on a cliffhanger leading into a third season, just like the first did, but then the actual events of the final episode almost wrapped things up pretty neatly, so the direction it took felt a little odd. I glimpsed Jun Ji Hyun among the guest roles before this aired so I knew it would be her at the end, and I am interested to see how they develop this story further (since zombie infections don't usually require it).

If nothing else, the smooth combination of action/thrills and political intrigue are what make this show worth returning to for more seasons. It's easy, straight-to-the-point entertainment without unnecessary frills -- something rare among kdramas which often push to fill a 60 minute/16 episode run even if it means destroying the story and characters (and thus the viewers' patience and interest) in the process. And, most importantly, it does all that without losing that particular kdrama feeling, and what those shows do best: heart. Given this overall style is pretty rare among kdramas, and this one continues to do the format well, I have little to complain about.

Re-watched

This drama had a consistently soft but melancholy atmosphere. I thought this was a little strange at first given there was nothing particularly sad happening, but gradually as the backstory of certain characters was revealed, that subtle feeling became spot-on. The only other show that came close to matching this specific kind of mood is My Mister, which I feel shared some elements of slice-of-life with this show in a way I can't quite describe. However, as a whole, this show was much, much lighter than My Mister, & followed plenty of characters with happy or relaxing scenes to balance out the heavier moments.

While I enjoyed many of the characters, Eun Seob was definitely my favorite. He was quiet & gentle in a way that I don’t think I’ve seen much in kdramas. He was also so incredibly sad to me, putting up an emotional wall around himself with everyone, even his own family, as if he'd resigned himself to being an outsider with only temporary relationships. It really, really hurt me to pick up on those subtle hints in his character, & I was hugely disappointed it wasn't addressed further in the show. I mean, he clearly started to grow past that a bit by the end, but I just adored his character so much, I wanted more.

I really liked his changing dynamic with Hae Won too, starting from when they were in high school and she was the popular girl out of his league, & then her finally noticing him when she comes back 10 years later. I guess I just liked the way he hadn't changed in some way to catch her attention, & how cutely devoted she was to him as adults. As much as I liked the unexpected backstory with Hae Won's aunt & mother, I wish something less anti-climatic had been written for Hae Won & Eun Seob’s relationship in the final episodes.

I could probably say more, as there were a lot of little things I liked about this drama, but I'm out of room. Overall, it was a very refreshing and relaxing watch.

This show starts with a really interesting premise and manages to maintain it through to the end. It's time travel that leans more towards fantasy than science fiction, but doesn't break any of it's in-universe rules (as far as I saw) and so doesn't feel ridiculous or break your suspension of disbelief (until, perhaps, the end). I like both the lead actors, and easily enjoyed their characters as well. Watching the mystery unfold each week, and getting pulled about by all the unexpected twists and turns, was plenty exciting.

However, I felt something was lacking from the show in terms of emotion, and I can't quite say why. I enjoyed watching this drama, but never felt emotionally invested; I was almost always viewing it with my head rather than my heart. And while it is definitely more of a "thinking" drama in terms of writing, what with the plot twists and inevitable complexity caused by time travel, I really would have appreciated more "feeling". People were dying, and this was sad, but I was never particularly moved, nor did I fear for the safety of other characters. It was only the mystery, the "why" behind the events, that held my attention. It sounds kind of strange to explain, but it's also strange to experience in a kdrama, since they're usually more focused on heart.

That being said, nothing the drama did was necessarily bad or wrong, it just left me, personally, feeling a little distant in the end. It reminds me a little of Circle, in that they're both well-written sci-fi dramas that, despite being good, didn't stick with me in any powerful way. On the bright side, this makes them perfect to watch when you're burnt out on romantic melodramas with high emotions and need to give tear ducts a much needed rest.

Overall, a great time travel drama with a refreshing plot.

Watching this drama was a weird experience. The plot was nothing great and the emotions were often pretty weak. The two leads were unfamiliar to me to start out with and didn't particular grow on me with the skills they displayed, though I did enjoy their characters to varying degrees. Their chemistry was definitely the weakest part and despite the age gap not being hugely apparent in the way they look, it felt glaringly obvious in how they acted around each other (that is, stiff and uncomfortable).

But despite all this, I was utterly hooked on it up until the last quarter. I'm not sure why other than that it was simple, and thus easier to follow; I didn't have to think deeply about what was happening or why, and since the emotions were never very strong, I didn't have to be in any particular mood to watch it either. That may sound bad, but honestly, sometimes a show like that is good, and clearly for most of its run, this drama was exactly what I needed at the time.

Since the addiction started to fade around the time the stalker plot was resolved, I can also safely say that I was in it for the mystery and thriller aspects. Once those had disappeared, much of the tension left the show and the weakly acted romance was not enough to carry it through to the end. The memory stuff was interesting for the most part, but the point where the male lead's past was exposed and the populace turned on their relationship like some petty hivemind is the kind of nonsense that I hate most, so I only skimmed the final episodes.

Overall, kind of a "in the middle" type of drama. Not bad, but not really good either.

"haha that guy looks like Chris Wu.............wait a minute, that IS Chris Wu!!"

This show is based off a book I tried reading a few years ago. It had such an interesting premise and setting, but for various reasons failed to hold my attention so I never finished it. When this drama adaption popped up on Netflix, I was hesitant to give it a try, but couldn't let go of everything that had originally drawn me to the book. In the end, it took a sick day to finally get me to sit down and marathon it, but I'm glad I did as it was pretty decent fun.

Now, given the setting in the book, I didn't actually know what country had produced this show, and therefore didn't know who to expect among the cast except a bunch of unknown actors. So I had a good laugh when Chris Wu popped up and, if the show had turned out badly, I probably would have stuck around just for him. But while the first half of the story is a little mediocre, it really grabbed me in the second half. Admittedly, I can be a little easy when it comes to fantasy stories like this one, but for the same reasons I can be equally picky. I felt this show was good enough as it was; a few hours of easy entertainment with neat fantasy elements drawn from mythology. And I'm sure it's very watered down from the book, but that's a given for a show with only six episodes.

The last half hour had me at the edge of my seat as I feared Li Lan would settled down with her boring, mortal childhood friend (LOL) and I don't just say that because I'm biased towards Chris Wu, that other guy just didn't compare ok. Seriously though I'm so glad she went after Er Lang, that whole ending was super cute. It also kind of looked like they were setting it up for a second season and I gotta say I'M DOWN i would watch hours of these two fighting evil ghosts and demons together! anyway this was fun lol

★
For various reasons, I am not a huge fan of hospital dramas, so I had my doubts about this one even with the big names among the cast. After the first episode, however, it was clear this show was grounded in being a touching, slice-of-life story with extremely likable characters, focusing on heart over generic melodrama and unprofessional theatrics.

It wasn't until about halfway through that I realized I was getting a distinct "Reply 1988" vibe from this show, and only upon looking it up did I discover it was written by the same screenwriter. This explained a lot, and I'm actually glad I didn't know sooner, as I might have started it with very high expectations. (From that point onward, it became very obvious, as there were blatant references and even cameos from not only 1988, but the writer's other shows as well.)

I would say the one weak point in this show was the various love stories, as there were far too many and few of which actually held any spark. One thing this writer is known for is her mystery box love triangles, which I personally find fun and exciting, but here the female character did not seem romantically interested in either option, so I couldn't bring myself to care either.

I also felt the final episode as a whole was a bit weak; too much focus on patients at a point when I wanted to spend the final two hours with the main characters. There was just not much going on to make it feel like a conclusion either, even just for a season rather than a series. Very little was wrapped up as well, which I guess is normal for a show written to be more than one season, something I am admittedly not as used to anymore.

But I can't say anything was particularly bad, just a few things that could have been better, and I'm sure the show will deliver plenty of good feelings in season two. Overall, I really loved this show and I look forward to seeing these characters again next year!

Re-watched!

★
There are so many good things I could say about this drama! It had really great direction, cinematography, and artistic touches, especially during the first half. The soundtrack was nice and catchy too. The writing was good, consistent, and engaging. There were a few points during the early episodes where I thought it would turn out to be shallow, with random and dramatic events unfolding without deeper meaning, but this fear was quickly abated. The story was thoughtful and emotional, toeing the line of melodrama on only a few occasions.

Go Moon-Young is now definitely one of my favorite female drama characters of all time. Too many times have I seen female characters like her that have claws without being sympathetic or well-rounded; they're just "b*tches" for the sake of conflict or some other weakly written excuse, and they either hardly suffer for this flaw or are punished for the wrong things in the wrong way (that often come across as the very sexist thing their character seemed originally intended to combat). She was just so excellently layered and those layers were so perfectly woven into the story, a beautiful character with strength and vulnerability and humor. I loved her so much!!

The OT3 aspect of this show between Moon-Young and the brothers is also one of its biggest strengths. Romance is great, but romance combined with a found family is the best and most touching thing out there. And it would not have worked if not for the perfect balance between the three pairs: the brothers, the best friends, and the lovers. Not one outshone the other, and that's what made their relationship as a trio and a family so touching.

Bonus points for saving what could have been another weak and dragged-out ending with the roadtrip sequence. Not only was it funny and adorable, but after having been mentioned so many times throughout the show, it served as the perfect way to wrap it up.

Overall, I absolutely loved this show!!

Re-watched in anticipation for season 2!

★