DramaAjumma

It was right on the money. (Pun intended) I didn't think I could love Moo-hak anymore than I do.

In an age of extreme tribalism all around, Moo-hak's comment at the end of the episode is a powerful statement about the importance of judging people on the basis of character rather than on immutable characteristics. It's a great episode in that regard.
I continue to appreciate what the show does with the leads and the messaging that their dynamic brings to the table.

There are really only so many rom com stories that can be told. To be honest most rom coms without any kind of conflict can't last more than 10 or 12 episodes anyway. Even old rom coms had an element of melodrama. The very popular Secret Garden had its fair share of melo elements and it ran for 20 episodes. That was over a decade ago.

I doubt it's just that but it's a good excuse for those who need it to unseat her.
I've always thought that Moo-hak is smart. Not in an educated way but he's always been worldly wise. He's proved that once again.

I'm not sure I want to know what he's thinking.
But the guy's a veritable psychopath.

Jang Tae-jin: A poor excuse for a human being.
He's trying to destroy Da-li so he can get her back?!!!

I find it hard to believe that he really cares about Dali. To me it's about him getting what he wants. Even the whole Three Frogs Restaurant event is proof of that -- the way he was jealously eyeing the two of them the entire time and his attempt to drag her away from Moo-hak during the clean up.

Not sure where you're at in the show. I don't entirely agree with the point that she doesn't have much agency. She doesn't have much business experience but she's doing a fair bit trying to get to the bottom of things.

I don't understand your criticism of "no background details no info about Dali's money".

It's an interesting theory and I've heard it elsewhere. But I remain unconvinced because of how he's been talking to Moo-hak. It's more than jealousy and snobbery. There's a cutting nastiness to it. Why bring Dali to the Dondon restaurant and put on a big show?

If he really cared that much about Dali, why not deal with Moo-hak privately? To me he's not prioritizing Dali -- he just wants to win. And he can't stand the thought of losing to a guy like Moo-hak.

It's a decent watch and I'm enjoying it. I wouldn't say that it's a great drama but it's good enough to pull me in weekly. For me at least there's an underlying streak of political realism to keep all the lighter moments in their place.

I'm not usually that keen on fluffy sageuks but this one's okay so far.

I completely disagree with the point that there was zero character development. Unless we have different ideas of what character development means. At best the claim is an exaggeration. There was character development all across the board from the Five to the the interns. Maybe there were characters like Ik-jun that didn't see or need much growth because he was already in a good place. But Jun-wan? Jeong-won? Gyeo-ul? Min-ah? The twins? Seok-min?

The storytelling has been great -- hoping for a great finish. If only there hadn't been such a climate of suspicion in the organization. But the politicians have to shoulder some of the blame for that.
I've really appreciated the focus on the mental health of people in the services and the ramifications of that.

It's super good.

For some reason this police procedural is surprisingly dull. A show featuring CSI types should be more interesting than this. It comes off preachy and formulaic. I loved Cass Gai in To Love but here she's a walking female trope.

I personally feel that the rating will eventually correct course (as it is already beginning to do so) when more people pick this up. It's not the worse thing I've ever seen but ... let's just put it this way... I've seen better within this genre. There are many good slice-of-life dramas out there especially those done by PD Shin Won-ho but for many reasons I don't find this one compelling viewing. There's no doubt that the cinematography is amazing and the actors are of high calibre. (Although there's overacting in some quarters) There are things I did like about it (Eun-cheol, PD Ji and the grannies for instance) but the leads' dynamic was poorly conceived.

I would also agree that this isn't Shin Min-ah's best work -- I loved her in Tomorrow with You, Chief of Staff and Arang. But my biggest problem is really with how the Du-sik character is written. To me he's really just a plot device and the messaging around his character is incoherent. From what I've heard about his so-called trauma I think my assessment was justified. I just couldn't root for him even when he turned into the Absolute Boyfriend.

I'm not interested in having fights with people online and these are just my views. If you enjoyed it good for you. But there are those of us who persevered and found this wanting.

I like both. But Beyond Evil had great characters.

Interesting. For me the show only goes from strength to strength.

Perhaps I responded rather hastily but I wanted to say that I don't think it was completely out-of-character because it was the jealousy and frustration doing most of the talking there. I don't think anyone would disagree that he had crossed a line. To me that's a given. She responded immediately with a slap so yeah she thought he was out of line. However, by way of an explanation I say that he was seething with jealousy that she would trust the other guy, apologize for him and defend him, when the scumbag had jilted her and was trying to cast doubt on his (Moo-hak's) integrity. That's not what he wants to hear especially after what she said about being in pain and scared of trying again with someone else. On top of that she is trying to act as if that they are more than a pair of friendly creditor and debtor. She's asking him for an explanation about Dondon buying up land around the gallery when he owes her none because they aren't exactly a couple.

Moo-hak though usually amazing isn't exactly perfect. He does have a bit of a temper although in general his bark is worse than his bite. I don't think it's beyond the pale for him to lash out especially if jealousy is thrown into the mix. He also knows what she's implying when she says that he owes her an explanation -- that they are much closer. From his perspective she's messing with his head.

"It is the green-ey'd monster, which doth mock
The meat it feeds on. That cuckold lives in bliss,
Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger:
But O, what damnèd minutes tells he o'er
Who dotes, yet doubts, suspects, yet strongly loves!"

Why they were kissing... I think it's simply because he was jealous and angry. It wasn't driven by the best of motives but they were both pushing each other's buttons with all this sexual tension flying around. The kiss was to calm them both and prevent something worse from happening.

'tis the season for good male leads. Loving Jung Ji-un so far. Fantastic lecture.
I'm enjoying the show so far.