Eleison

Agreed! I'm not done with it yet, but I've enjoyed what I've seen so far (up to Episode 10 or so?). The quirkiness is kind of refreshing.

This is a great assessment! If you do a review, you should incorporate this post somehow. :)

It's interesting that you juxtaposed the Joseon caste system against office hierarchy--what a fascinating point! A commenter on this thread a few days ago pointed out they thought it was ridiculous for Seongsan Village to be allowed to still have servants (and thought it was unrealistic; I also struggle to see how they can keep up that lifestyle completely--what are the perks of a Joseon-era lifestyle, and why must the complete lifestyle and social structure be preserved in order to preserve the cultural heritage? 🤔) and I think your point is a good comeback to that criticism; doesn't office hierarchy have some overlap? They aren't actually that different (as portrayed in Korea here) on closer inspection.

Not a huge fan of former teacher/student noona romances because it weirds me out as an educator, but since this one is between adults who USED to be a student/teacher six years or so in their past, I can stomach it. ICHYV (loved that one!) worked for me due to their childhood connection and because they were neighbors, and not a mentor/mentee.

Also want to see where this goes!

Ack, that's how Extraordinary You ended, too. Didn't care for it. I am not a fan of those endings.

Yeah, I know so little about local government even where I live, that while some of it was lost on me some of it was really interesting to learn.

I thought the deciding factor for the tied vote was hilarious: "If there's a tie, the position goes to the older candidate." 🤣 "In America, this kind of rule would be nonsense!" 😂😂

He does support her, but in the first half it's VERY subtle and the little things he does are easy to miss. They also have such a hardcore frenemy vibe that I could almost believe he actually didn't like being around her, but on more careful inspection that was not the case. I think he was dismissive of her because he knew he'd still get to see her because they worked together and she wouldn't be cowed by his behavior. They're bickering constantly but actually enjoy one another, which is shown as they move past the bickering to playful and affectionate banter.

I would like to speak to the point about people in a huge city running into each other. Two thoughts:

1) I visited Seoul last spring and saw several different groups of the same random people MULTIPLE times in completely different parts of the city; I thought it was hilarious since everyone talked about how that doesn't happen in real life but always happens in Kdramas. Haha, not in my "real-life" experience of Seoul!

2) My impression of Seoul is that it is divided into districts that operate like little bubbles/spheres where everyone goes through their routine in their district since it's such a huge city. Since there's a big walking culture and the significant use of public transport, there would be ample opportunities to run into the same people in your sphere/bubble and that have a similar routine as you. In the U.S., we all drive cars, so of course it will be harder to run into people we know, so it's harder for us to imagine. I actually think it's not as uncommon as people might think! It does happen a lot in this drama, and while it's excessive for reality, I don't think it's ridiculously far-fetched.

This actually reminds me a bit of Sungyunkwan Scandal, come to think of it. So many similarities with the ML and FL's characters and the way the ML falls for the FL after admiring her values, principles and strengths after a few rough first impressions. I need to find a way to add it to the recommendations (it does remind me of Ms. Hammurabi, too, but despite this drama's FL being kind of crazy, haha, I still like her better than the FL in Miss Hammurabi; I don't think that screenwriter knows how to write female characters).

Also, the ML writes off his father and is willing to stand up to him when they disagree and find his own path in politics without his dad's help/influence, which again is similar to Sungkyunkwan Scandal. Of course, the main difference is the whole FL cross-dressing plot since the FL couldn't be involved in government affairs as a woman.

I kind of think this was commenting on the way men usually take the lead in politics and society and the women support behind the scenes out of the limelight. I think they're flipping that script by having the FL in the limelight and the ML support her behind the scenes. I liked it! The FL was a lot, but from the start the ML knew she meant well and had a big heart. She's just a weirdo in expressing herself. 😂 He could hold fast and be stubborn and put his foot down, too, when he wanted to so he wasn't a pushover. And under the prickles he's compassionate, sensitive and tender-hearted and she pulled all that tenderness out of him. I thought they did a pretty seamless transition from their frenemy stage to falling for each other, too. It didn't feel jarring or out-of-nowhere.

Wait, Sun Jae loses his memories? 😭 The comments are scaring me! What was the point of Episode 10 ending, then? 🤦‍♀️ I'm gonna wait until this ends to finish the last four episodes cause I can't drag this out unless I know I'll get some permanent happy.

This guy apparently hasn't figured out what rom-com Kdramas are. 🤷‍♀️ Either he just loves being a contrarian (some people take so much delight in being negative) or he's a glutton for punishment. 😂 Maybe both!

I blocked him because he drove me nuts on the WTS page months ago, but, fun fact, the block feature doesn't work with the app... so I still see his posts. 😭

They remind me of a few other Korean actresses' eyes, Go Ara, Lee Sung Kyung and the FL from Miraculous Brothers, though can't remember her name. The actress also reminds me a tad of Yoona. They re indeed lovely!

A weird concept that doesn't really make sense if you think about it too much, but so far I think it's sweet! It's kind of nice that it's not a time-travelling drama, so the awkward cultural clashing stems from a different issue and it's kinda refreshing (again, only if you don't think about it too hard 😂).

The music is fun! It feels like the music from a historical drama and a drama from the early 2010's era got mixed together for this BGM. I like it; it's cute!

I could see them doing a season two, with Myung Seok as the main villain and Dong Ju and Gang San helping people alongside the detectives, and ending with Ha Neul getting out of prison. It could be a 12 episode drama. I've got it all worked out. 😅

Yes, Dong Ju's BFF was one of the best I've seen in a Kdrama. He was adorable and loyal. I kinda wish we could have seen Dong Ju do something for him for a change.

So, to answer my own question for any future watchers, this whole plot point becomes central later in the story, so yes, it takes a bunch more episodes for the truth to come out. 😂 Not to everyone, but certainly to the public. And I'm glad Gang-san was the first to know.

I'm still a bit fuzzy on why Lee Ha Neul killed Shin Kyeong Cheol rather than Lee Tae Man. I think he was the only person Ha Neul murdered, and why was kind of lost on me. Maybe a rewatch will shed more light on details I missed on the first watch.

Loved this! The pacing wasn't perfect, but it was a heartwarming story with endearing characters (the first Kdrama mystery thriller that had a murderer I rooted for (this succeeded where Inspector Koo failed miserably); also, there were some pretty adorable brother pairings in this) and a poignant message. It kind of reminded me of an Emily Dickinson poem:

Tell all the truth but tell it slant —
Success in Circuit lies
Too bright for our infirm Delight
The Truth's superb surprise
As Lightning to the Children eased
With explanation kind
The Truth must dazzle gradually
Or every man be blind —

Poor Dong Ju got blinded alright, but I love that he ultimately realized how important the truth was, even if it was terrifying to face.

I thought it was so sweet how one of the detectives remarked to Lee Byung Man that even while Lee Ha Neul was a murder suspect, he felt like a colleague because of all the help they'd received from him (awwwww). (The detectives were some of my favorites in a thriller; such a cool team!) And I love that this drama showed that the difference between the good and the bad is that the good own up to their mistakes, no matter the consequences. In the end, loving the good and being people of integrity means valuing and championing the truth above all else. This message was reinforced throughout the entire drama in beautiful ways.

P.S. This was my favorite role of Ahn Nae Sang to date. I loved the dynamic between him (the seasoned veteran who knows exactly how many CCTV there are on a stretch of familiar road (😂)), and the young, passionate and tenacious female detective who will stop at nothing to get justice. Never seen buddy cops with this pairing before, and I liked it! Also, the FL has pretty eyes! Some people in the comments seemed to find her annoying; I thought she was awesome.

I bet they waited to release it until after the scene with them walking under the petalfall!

Most dramas that have sad endings foreshadow them from the get-go or just have that somber tone throughout. This is a rom-com so I just can't see it along with the premise of saving Sun Jae from Episode 1. Unless this writer and director have a passion project of trying to convince Kdrama watchers that fate cannot be changed no matter how hard they try, I can't see an ending where Sun Jae dies being justified or sensible. It would be the dumbest writing move of all time!