Cleaning your house and heart.

"Your House Helper" is a slice-of-life drama that focuses on day-to-day issues faced by Koreans in their society, namely three women: Im Da Yeong (Bona), Yoon Sang Ah (Go Won Hee), and Han So Mi (Seo Eun Ah).

As part of the main story topics such as women's health, misogyny, overwork, rape, abuse, and gender roles are brought up and handled in a sensible manner though at times failing to push forward when the timing demanded so. The #metoo movement is hailed and discussed as an important movement for women, something unusual for a k-drama and a bold step to make as women's struggle in south Korea is heavily opposed by chauvinism and an excruciatingly patriarchal society.

Since this is a story that puts emphasis on women, the three leading women take the centre stage with each character facing particular issues related to their personality, workplace, and personal struggles. Ha Suk Jin, Lee Ji Hoon, and Jo Hee Bong undoubtedly play story relevant characters, but they're not steering the helm or the main driving force of why you should watch "Your House Helper."

The cast was well selected -- the actors matched well the characters they were assigned, and I have to praise whomever cared for all the small details, especially in the fashion department: they all look great, but never overdressed.

When it comes to the acting itself the first episodes are rough on Bona - as she's among the youngest in the cast - but she does improve with her character's development and I digress with anyone who argues she was not a good choice to play Im Da Yeong -- she captured well the demeanour of a young woman dealing with hardship and not knowing what to do next. Yoon Sang Ah's character initially has more on screen chemistry with Ha Suk Jin's, something which may cause some conflictive feelings as a viewer, but this quickly dissipates away as Lee Ji Hoon enters the scene and becomes more prominent. I am somewhat disappointed with the screen time Seo Eun Ah's character had but I should praise that her issues were handled in a respectful manner, although again constrained by the conservative mainframe of Korean society. Overall the male leading characters did a good job, it's good to see Ha Suk Jin play a more sensitive, less gruff heads on character -- really had to drag him out of the office to become a house cleaner.

"Your House Helper" has an upbeat soundtrack with its trademark tune whenever some house cleaning action begins while reserving more sombre tones when serious subjects or more dramatic moments are handled. There is nothing particularly outstanding about its music but it never feels repetitive and blends well with all scenes.

Does this 32 episodes long drama have re-watch value? Each episode is roughly 29-30 minutes long and easy to watch through. If you enjoy the overall story, you can expect yourself binge watching through several episodes and not noticing the time. The overall plot and side stories are always on the move, there is no mid story dragging/stalling, and since there are no particular villains you can expect a drama grounded in reality with a pinch of idyllic hope, sunshine, and a quirky golden retriever.

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A more or less faithtful adaption of BBC's "Luther" that makes no bold leaps.

Story: Although not as impacting as the original series "Luther", the main plot of "Less Than Evil" is an adaptation of BBC's hit that remains more or less faithful to the core elements, its main characters, and some of the stories and plot lines featured in "Luther" but altered to match the south Korean underworld. For new fans this will be an interesting experience, at least the first half, while for older fans who have watched all the seasons of "Luther" you are not going to be surprised by anything in particular.

Acting/Cast: Special mention goes to Lee Seol for her portrayal of Eun Sun Jae even though she got much less screen time than the leading male actor which is one of the main flaws - in my point of view - of "Less Than Evil". Still every time she appears it becomes very clear that Lee Seol and her character are one of the main reasons why you should watch this show. Shin Ha Kyun's role as rough 'n' tough, no moral compass detective may edge around overacting but he, just as the support cast, were well picked for their roles and matched well the story there set in.

Music: "Less Than Evil" has a soundtrack that fits perfectly its procedural, crime world investigation while shifting to more sombre, soft tones during more emotional, heart wrenching scenes. The main song by BLACK NINE is really good.

Rewatch Value: Only the scenes involving Eun Sun Jae are worth revisiting, everything else amounts to run of the mill detective stories so nothing particularly memorable. The ending itself is left on a very vague note, which may imply a second season.

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Time travelling misogynist comes to term with his mistakes and is given a second chance.

"Familiar Wife" is yet another excellent drama from our friends at tvN that gives a new spin to that old trope of travelling back in time to change the future for better -- who wouldn't want that? But no change comes without its consequence as Cha Joo Hyuk (played by Ji Sung) learns that his inability to communicate with his wife Seo Woo Jin (played by Han Ji Min) and the contemporary reality that women have to bear the brunt of housework, family, and their own jobs forms the perfect storm for a spineless male lead character to become desperate in his own misogyny and breadwinner mentality that he seeks a way out of it.

Story:

- As most dramas produced by tvN you can expect a decent quality story that resolves around Ji Sung and Han Ji Min's characters, their relationship, the effects and consequences of time travel, and somewhat of a social commentary (as far as any k-drama go) on marriage and couples. Cha Joo Hyuk (Ji Sung) quickly realises that despite his escapist yearning and selfish decision to alter the present his new life becomes a ceaseless battle as he embraces that he still loves Seo Woo Jin (Han Ji Min) but also has to content with the new reality he lives in. Meanwhile Seo Woo Jin (Han Ji Min) has her own life and agency, but also experiences side effects from time travel and a curious familiarity towards Cha Joo Hyuk (Ji Sung). Details about their past are featured prominently through flashbacks that blend seamlessly with the main plot and explain why things are the way they are.

With many heavy hearted moments between romance and melodrama, there is also time for some comic relief and humour between the cast which offers some relief from the overall seriousness of "Familiar Wife" -- for its less 'realistic' aspects, this is a mature story that covers the ups and downs of being married and how uneven relationships do not work and are toxic to the point they slowly transform people from their best into their worst, whether they can recognise it or not.

"Familiar Wife" concludes in a very heart warming way, delivering a satisfying positive ending after such a long journey even though [in my humble opinion] Cha Joo Hyuk (Ji Sung) didn't deserve it.


Acting/Cast:

- After two years absent from drama series, Han Ji Min makes a triumphant return and is arguably the acting powerhouse of "Familiar Wife." Seo Woo Jin stands out like a bright sun and Han Ji Min displays her skill and versatility as an actress, making her character feel true with all its quirk.

Ji Sung and Kang Han Na are also prominent actors in this story but I would say that despite all his experience and screen time Ji Sung fails to deliver most of the times except in the more emotional, heart catching moments of the story while Kang Han Na fits the shoes of Lee Hee Won perfectly both in attitude and aesthetics, though some people may have some criticisms over her actions and embodiment of certain stereotypes/tropes.

"Familiar Wife" has a pleasant cast of friendly characters and actors that fit well into the story and play the role well when the time demands so, some even having their own side stories with pinches of romance and family drama that involve the leading characters as well.

Music:

- "Familiar Wife" has a fine soundtrack with a few notable songs that play during crucial points of the story as well as at the beginning of each episode. The music itself matches the tone of the story and never feels repetitive.

Rewatch Value:

- With 16 episodes of (more or less) 60 minutes each the re-watch value is high as there are many scenes, especially the flashbacks ones, which are worth revisiting for their good nature and simple joy, not to mention the more romantic, comical moments that happen in particular episodes. Overall pacing of the story is good with the exception of episode 13-14 where the plot seems to slow down to stalling point but it quickly picks up back again episode 15.

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"Familiar Wife" is far from being a "perfect drama" (I don't believe those necessarily exist) but it's a very compelling story in the world of the time travelling trope, and if anything it's worth watching for Han Ji Min.

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Homemade crunchy fried chicken.

Story: "Best Chicken" sets out to enchant its viewers with constant images of deliciously fried chicken, mugs full of beer, and two young adults trying their best to figure out what they want to do when they "grow up". It is a candid, homely portrayal of what it's like to jump into something new without any experience, and the aftermath of having your dreams destroyed by someone with ulterior interests. Above all, the main plot follows Seo Bo Ah and Park Choi Go's journey as they assist each other directly and indirectly, engage in mischievous sabotage (that sometimes goes too far), and find new lives and dreams through a fried chicken restaurant. As expected this is not a groundbreaking drama but its simple story is consistent from start to finish, and there are many goofy moments that will either make you smile, look away, or just raise your spirits. Just like deep frying chicken at home: it probably won't look as pretty as buying it elsewhere, but you know it tastes good.

Acting/Cast: The cast as a whole is a quirky collection of k-drama tropes between Seo Bo Ah's close friends & partners in crime, Park Choi Go's helicopter mother, and the neighbourhood's grumpy elders. All actors match the roles that were assigned to them. When it comes to the acting, there is a rift between the effort put by the female actresses and the male actors. While Kim So Hye - someone who is fairly recent to k-drama acting - performs well and her efforts are noticeable throughout each episode, the same cannot be said of Park Sun Ho's stiffness and blank eyed stares that persist from episode 1 to 12. But overall the acting quality is okay-ish.

Music: The soundtrack of "Best Chicken" features songs by SOHEE, J. Mee. Kim Eunbi (EB), and the drama's own Chick Choir that sings about... You guessed it: chicken. There is nothing particularly memorable about the music but it's easy on the ear, and upbeat.

Rewatch Value: For fans of Kim So Hye there is some re-watch value as watching her character develop and interacting with her friends is a fun experience by itself. This is also a fairly short drama, standing at twelve episodes of one hour each so it can be watched peacefully in a single day or two. As for the ending itself, it ends in a simple, kind manner: life goes on in the fried chicken world.

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A pesky magical orb brings on a quest full of bright, dark, and clumsy moments.

Story:

-- It is no secret that the early episodes of "Abyss" are tough to watch -- there are many unknowns, some of the more violent aspects of the story are automatically brought up without much explanation, and the main characters are pushed into a situation that is odd on all levels, and the characters react accordingly. After the first four episodes, the premise of "Abyss" becomes clear: uncovering what happened to Prosecutor Go Se Yeon. This mystery spans out for several episodes and while the main characters engage in investigative work, they also try to settle in and return to their normal lives as best as they can. There are some moments here that viewers should suspend their disbelief and remember that this is a mostly light hearted k-drama with fantasy elements, and not a mystery thriller like exploration of life & death.

At crucial moments the lead characters make very unwise choices and sometimes forget they have a pesky magical orb but this never deters the main plot from advancing. In fact, one of the good aspects of Abyss' storyline is that it goes on from plot twist to plot twist in a well paced manner -- it never lags or is affected by the standard rom-com tropes in Korean dramas. On the negative side what stands out is the underdevelopment of certain characters, loose plot-lines, and no real side stories.

The final episode wraps up everything neatly, and ends on a high note for the heroes of the story while the "bad guys" got what they deserved. It is a satisfying, bright ending.

Acting/Cast:

-- After being absent for two years, Park Bo Young makes a solid return to screen and carries "Abyss" on her shoulders, establishing herself as one of the main reasons why you should watch this drama in the first place. Her counterpart Ahn Hyo Seop is also eye catching, and the chemistry between them is undeniable even if at times somewhat awkward and cute due to the height difference. Needless to say they are young actors who know how to get the job done, and it's very likely "Abyss" did not explore their full potential due to how their characters were written. Nonetheless, they do a good job from start to finish, and should be commended for it.

Park and Ahn are joined by an experienced support cast who fulfil well their assigned roles with Lee Shi Eon, Han So Hee, and Song Sang Eun standing out as they become crucial elements of the main characters' circle and participate in the quest to uncover the main mystery.

Music:

-- The OST of "Abyss" is very pleasant to listen to, featuring performances by Suran (수란), Coogie (쿠기), Kim Feel (김필) and Kim Bo Hyung (김보형).

Rewatch Value:

-- Standing at sixteen episodes - sixty minutes each - the quick paced storywriting of "Abyss" makes it an easy watch, and time will definitely fly while you are watching it. This makes "Abyss" easier to rewatch in the near future, if not for seeing once again Park Bo Young and Ahn Hyo Seop interacting with each other in the strange world of "Abyss."

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Medical doctors shift between past and future to become better people.

"Live Up To Your Name" is a concoction of genres by the fine alchemists at TVn, proposing to you the following scenario: what if a historical figure of traditional Korean medicine - Heo Im - managed to time travel to 21st Century South Korea? What would he do? Since scholars in Joseon kept no record of other prominent time travellers ("Queen in Hyun's Man" and "Faith"), we as viewers are once again regaled with the nowadays uncommon drama story of a proficient figure trying to work out what a television is, or why carriages somehow go extremely fast without any horses pulling them.

Uniting both humour, time travel, and romance aspects of the story is the medical theme: "Live Up To Your Name" presents a sensationalist clash between hard boiled rational medical science against traditional Korean medicine in form of acupuncture. To a certain extent it conforms to contemporary tendencies of displaying distrust towards medical science for various reasons (in most cases unsubstantiated) and looking to alternative medicine as a solution. This becomes the focus point in the starting rivalry between the lead characters, Dr. Heo Im and Choi Yeon Kyung, as they act as representatives of both worlds. This rivalry slowly but steadily progresses into a dynamic relationship with complicated feelings getting entangled and their personal growth taking turns at improving. While some episodes act as filler and may stall the main plot, I can't say I felt this was an annoying impediment as pacing quickly jumped back into action. Perhaps more disappointing is the ending itself not because of how it ends but rather the time that is dedicated to it -- not enough in my opinion.

On the acting department Kim Nam Gil and Kim Ah Joong are remarkable in their performance as the leading actors, as well as the remaining main cast and support roles. Special shout out to Choi Chun Sool for playing a loveable yet extraordinarily grumpy grandfather. The lead actors clearly put a lot of effort into their characters, and there is an undeniable chemistry with a few spicy scenes that may result in a feverish state that may require medical assistance or acupuncture.

The weakest part of "Live Up To Your Name" is its soundtrack as it offers nothing out of the ordinary and it's mostly unnoticeable. I personally found the intro song out of touch with the story itself and rather rough on the ear but I am sure other viewers will appreciate the rough rock intro.

Does it have re-watch value? With 16 episodes, each 60 minutes long, I would say it depends heavily on the viewer and how good their memory is. "Live Up to Your Name" is a peculiar blend of genres set on entertaining you with the old world versus the new world of medicine in mind and while the leading characters cement this story and provide you with several hours of entertainment, once you are done with Heo Im and Choi Yeon Kyung a return trip won't be happening any time soon.

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