I love this show. Love it. Wholeheartedly love it. This is a family drama centering on the Byeon family. The titular father in this case is Byeon Han Soo, father of four children: ne'er do well oldest child, Byeon Joon Yeong (who is on his third attempt at passing the civil servants exam), oldest daughter Byeon Hye Yeong (a hyper competent, over achieving, tough as nails lawyer), middle girl child Byeon Mi Yeong (an insecure job seeker who was a former judo athlete and then also a former fat girl in high school), and youngest daughter Byeon Ra Yeong (a yoga instructor and Pretty Girl (tm)). Coming into this mix is actor Ahn Jung Hee - who is notorious for being a bad actor and whose father is Byeon Han Soo - but the Byeon Han Soo we know has a secret he's been hiding for 35 years. Jung Hee comes looking for his father, as he takes to heart criticism of his acting and he wants to find out for himself the feelings that he's struggling so hard to portray in his acting. Partnered with Byeon Han Soo is his wife Na Yeong Shil, who is a party to his secrets, and has stood by him faithfully for more than 35 years.

Being a family drama, this story also centers around the love interests of the main family members, and the trials and tribulations of the extended family as well (such as the brother, sister-in-law, nephew, and mother of Na Yeong Shil). The story lines in this one definitely have twists and turns, but lack the absolutely soul crushing series of bad events that some family dramas seem to get bogged down in. All of the various romances are delightful to watch, and each episode (even ones that end in sad or suspenseful cliff-hangers) left me with warm fuzzy feelings that made me eager to go to the next episode. I highly recommend this one. And man am I in love with Lee Joon as Ahn Jung Hee in this show.

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I'll preface this by saying that I actually enjoyed watching this drama and would probably watch it again in the future. That said, it was also kind of a hot mess. The pacing of the story line was all over the place - both too slow, and too rushed, simultaneously. It seemed as if there were really two entirely separate stories being told here and the result was that neither one got the depth and development that it really deserved and one of them, after a lot of lead up, got dropped like a hot rock right before the final episode. Nam Joo Hyuk plays Habaek, the titular Water God, who is destined to become king of the gods, if only he can complete some pesky quests in the human world first - unfortunately, he arrives without direction, without resources, and without his powers. He meets up with Shin Se Kyung's Yoon So Ah, a psychiatrist who doesn't particularly like hearing about people's problems (seems like an odd choice of career given that), and who is struggling to make ends meet in her private practice. Oh, and who is also the last descendant of a family that was indentured to be the servants of the gods. Their story was pretty run of the mill basic romance line - nothing ground breaking or earth shattering there. The much more interesting story line for me as Im Joo Hwan's CEO Shin Hoo Ye, the half-god with the power of death. His story and character were more tragic and much more interesting. It was a shame that the story line got dropped so hurriedly at the end of the show. His was by far the most sympathetic character. Joo Hyuk's cold disdain as Habaek was off-putting in comparison. I do feel that this drama suffered from some of the lead up advertising pitting it as the next Goblin: The Lonely and Great God. Also, the producers flirted with these exotic fantasy elements, but continually shied away from them again like they were unwilling to commit to being that over the top. There were genuinely funny moments, also some genuinely moving moments, so I'm not sorry that I watched it.

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This seems like a kind of hybrid between rom-com and family drama. It's refreshing that the main romance/story line is about a couple in their forties, which is a nice break from all the 20-something and 30-something romance dramas. Kim Hee Ae plays Kang Min Joo, a successful television producer, and Ji Jin Hee plays Ko Sang Shik, a safety minded civil servant. Sparks fly when the two of them clash. The extended cast in this drama is delightful and really flesh it out. Unfortunately, the pacing is tedious. I really did like the story, but there were far too many 'if you people would just take five minutes to /talk/ to each other' frustrating moments. It took me almost a full year to watch the show, because the pacing was just so off. Which is really unfortunate, because like I said, the cast was superb.

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Yoon Shi Yoon plays Yoo Hyun Jae, a 1990s top star who travels tot he future (otherwise known as 2017) and ends up entangled with Kim Min Jae's Lee Ji Hoon and his best friend Choi Woo Seung, played by Lee Se Young. Ji Hoon dreams of debuting as an Idol and Woo Seung is masquerading as Ji Hoon at the hagwon to prep to take the civil service exam, since she can't afford the lessons herself. The supporting cast in this drama is just as stellar as the lead actors. Hyun Jae is such a delightful goober, you can't help but root for him. Be prepared for some second lead syndrome (and also to flip flop on who the second lead actually is). Yoon Shi Yoon really embraces the whole fish out of water concept, while still embodying the kind of confidence one would expect from a (former) top star. It is something of a coming of age story, while not being quite like anything else I've watched. It was really endearing. The pacing can be somewhat problematic, and some of the petty machination stuff got a bit draggy, but all in all, this was a rough little gem that I thoroughly enjoyed.

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This was a surprising gem of a drama. It's a one night stand/contract marriage set up with the ever lovely Jang Na Ra as Kim Mi Yeong, a woman who can't say no when people ask her to do things and ends up being treated like a 'post-it' i.e. disposable. She, through a variety of 'are you kidding me' circumstances ends up having a one night stand with Jang Hyuk's utterly demented, and yet somehow still charming despite clearly being demented (I mean, oy that laugh), Lee Gun. Of course, she ends up pregnant. The marriage doesn't end up being as straight-forward as one might fear, and the drama takes a three year jump in time about half way through, but the relationship between Gun and Mi Yeong is thoroughly satisfying, at least once everyone stops shoving their heads up their butts. Some of the hurdles get to be a little tedious towards the last handful of episodes, but it's still worth watching through to the end. There are some genuinely heart wrenching scenes in this drama, as well as a lot of laugh out loud funny moments. Choi Jin Hyuk as Daniel Pitt is one of my top second lead syndrome instigators. He's devastatingly charming and sweet and lovely in this show. And man, his voice could melt butter.

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There was so much more crying while watching this movie than I expected from the trailers. Jo Jung Suk plays Ko Doo Shik, a conman in prison who gets parole to take care of his younger half-brother, Ko Doo Yeong (played by Do Kyung Soo AKA EXO's D.O.), an Olympic caliber Judo athlete who is suddenly blinded from an injury during a match. Park Shin Hye (You're Beautiful and The Heirs) plays Lee Soo Hyeon, Doo Yeong's coach. I definitely did not expect the depth of emotion in this movie based off the trailers that I'd seen. I expected odd couple like sparks between the brothers and comedy surrounding that, but this movie was really much more melodrama than comedy (which, given D.O.'s track record, I probably should've expected). It was definitely a good crying movie.

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This drama focuses on four friends who grew up together and are now in their mid-20s, struggling to recapture the dreams of their youth. Ko Dong Man (played by Park Seo Joon, of the very pinchable cheeks) is a former Taekwondo athlete who suffered a defeat at the top of his game and is now a 20-something guy getting by on his somewhat soul-crushing, mediocre part time job. His best friend is Choi Ae Ra (played by Kim Ji Won), the undeniable boss of this quartet, who dreams of being a new anchor but has to live with her job as a greeter in a department store/mall. Her roommate and other best friend is Baek Seol Hee (played by the adorable Song Ha Yoon), whose dream in life is to be a wife and mother, and who has been dating and half living with her boyfriend of six years, Kim Joo Man (played by Ahn Jae Hong - what a teddy bear), while she works as a customer support rep for a home shopping network. Joo Man works for the same company, but as a producer/buyer for the food segments on the home shopping network. While the story line follows Dong Man and Ae Ra's movement from friends to romantic partners, Seol Hee and Joo Man face the break down of their six year relationship.Throw in a surprise birth secret in the last third of the series for a bit of added flavor. This show was a lot of fun to watch - though I often find Park Seo Joon utterly delightful, so I'm not surprised. When hilarity ensues, it is very well done. The pacing is a bit off, as the ending felt a little rushed in comparison to the slow set up at the beginning of the series. There's also an early on plot line that felt almost entirely pointless, though thankfully it's wrapped up pretty quickly and never mentioned again once it's done.

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Ji Chang Wook, who continues to practically ooze charisma from his damn pores, plays straight laced and uptight Prosecuter Noh Ji Wook opposite Nam Ji Hyun's chipper and plucky Lawyer Eun Bong Hee. Bong Hee works for Ji Wook, but when she's framed for murder, he ends up being the one prosecuting her (apparently conflict of interest is not a thing, at least in kdramaland court rooms). This all happens in the first handful of episodes, but the real story follows after the resolution of her prosecution for murder. The drama really follows them, Ji Wook's mostly estranged best friend (played charmingly by Choi Tae Joon, who manages to hold his own against Chang Wook's own effortless charm - not an easy thing to do), his ex-girlfriend/fiance (played by Nara), and his extended family/friends. Throw into the mix a serial murderer. The resulting recipe is a lot of fun to watch. The notes in this show are mostly up beat. They do trot out some dramatic family secrets, but even the sad and down moments are balanced out by bright and cheerful ones so you never come away from this feeling like you've had to slog through anything.

I'm pretty sure Ji Chang Wook's inherent charm is what keeps the Earth rotating on its axis.

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Wow. What can I say about this show? I finished it a while ago and have been sitting on writing a review because I loved it so very, very much. It has a great cast, wonderful atmosphere, and a really interesting story line. It's interwoven lives - past and present - and is set in both modern day and in 1930s Korea during the Japanese occupation. Yo Ah In plays Han Se Joo, a Stephen King-esque level writer in the modern day who finds himself struck with writer's block after a stalker almost kills him. He meets Im Soo Jung's Jeon Seol in the present life, a veterinarian and former Olympic level athlete in shooting, who is also his number one fan. Introduced to this is a ghostwriter Yoo Jin Oh (played by Go Kyung Pyo) who has a secret. The three (and most of the important people around them) are all linked by their past lives in the 1930s as resistance fighters during the Japanese occupation. The story kept me guessing quite a bit of the time, which is not always the case in k-dramas, and the atmosphere was spectacularly done. All the modern day characters have abodes that overflow with books, which was a visual touch that I found very appealing, while the historical segments brought that past era to life. There is love, intrigue, scheming, conflict, struggle, loss, and triumph. The music in this drama was also wonderful and engaging. I really can't recommend this drama highly enough.

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I just finished re-watching Shopping King Louis because I wanted something that would be a nice break from all the melodrama that my other shows are currently going through. This kdrama is light and fluffy, like popcorn or cotton candy. Seo In Guk as the sheltered chaebol amnesiac Kang Ji Seong/Louis. He's bright and naive and delightful and beautiful. Nam Ji Hyun plays Go Bok Shil, the country girl who comes to Seoul to find her missing brother and crosses paths with Louis who is homeless and can't remember anything about himself. These two just fit together and there's never really a moment's concern that either of the second leads will come between them. Yoon Sang Hyun as curmudgeon Cha Joong Won is over the top and hilarious. The back and forth jealousy between him and Louis over Bok Shil makes me laugh every damn time. Seo In Guk is a joy to watch as Louis learns about the world while searching for his identity. Everything in this drama is over the top enough to actually veer into the category of caricature, but it does so in such a way that I never felt cheated when watching it.

I would definitely watch this again when I'm in the mood for a feel good time. I still give it overall 10 stars, even though I give the story only 8.5. Nothing in the story breaks ground, but the paths it treads are familiar and comfortable.

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Lie To Me

This was a re-watch. In retrospect, I think this show suffered a lot on the second time viewing. I had fonder memories of it the first time around. For instance, I had forgotten entirely how torturous the final two and a half or so episodes were. I still love Yoon Eun Hye, who plays Gong Ah Jung, a civil servant who works for the Ministry of Tourism. Her character tells a little white lie about being married in an attempt to one-up a frenemy, and it ends up being blown all out of proportion, linking her to the chaebol CEO Hyun Ki Joon, played refreshingly by Kang Ji Hwan. He starts out very gruff, cold, and aloof but quickly assuages any worries about him being the stereotypical terrible human being CEO type but actually being quite charmingly naive and humanly broken by a previous love and some complicated family issues. Sung Joon plays his younger brother, Hyun Sang Hee, though I feel like his character must not have tested positively when the show was airing because he gets dropped rather abruptly about 3/4ths of the way through the series. Jo Yoon Hee plays Oh Yoon Jo, the ubiquitous former girlfriend who returns and insists on everything falling into place the way she wants it regardless of the feelings of anyone else involved character.

Hong Soo Hyun does a great job as Yoo So Ran, the frenemy of Gong Ah Jung. The elder romantic triangle between Gong Ah Jun's father, the woman he loves, and another friend is really sweet and deserved more air time. Certainly some of the time wasted in the last two episodes could have been better spent wrapping up that subplot more satisfactorily.

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Mystery Queen (AKA Queen of Mystery)

I loved this drama. It was definitely a mystery/police procedural drama and not a romance drama (if this show was made in the US, there probably might have been a romance subplot between the main two characters but societal expectations in Korea are different and there isn't and that's just fine. It didn't need any romance). This show is about Yoo Seol Ok (played by Choi Kang Hee), a neighborhood ahjumma who is basically like Sherlock Holmes in her ability with deductive reasoning. Seol Ok gets involved in investigating some crimes that occur in her neighborhood because Chief Hong Joon Oh (played adorably by Lee Won Geun), the head of her neighborhood police station, consults her for help with his investigations. They cross paths with Ha Wan Seung (played by Kwon Sang Woo - who can smirk at me any time he wants to, thanks), a detective in the drug unit/violent crimes unit who is something of a loose cannon. He and Seol Ok clash quite a bit, but form a bickering partnership in order to hunt down some criminals. The various cases that they encounter are interesting (watch out for the whole serial killers are like mice - if you see one, you know there are more in the walls - trope) and Seol Ok gets to shine as a not typical female character. The supporting cast in this drama really round out the experience and make you glad to join them each episode.

Don't expect an ending where things are wrapped up tidily. I was honestly a bit flabbergasted by the ending, since kdramas don't typically have multiple seasons but it definitely felt more like a season finale in a U.S. procedural show with some big plot reveals right at the very end. I would not be unhappy if there was a second season of this show. Choi Kang Hee's clear delight in playing Seol Ok is wonderful and the bickering, sibling-like interplay she has with Kwon Sang Woo's Ha Wan Seung is very engaging. Highly recommended, especially if you're looking for something not your typical kdrama fare.

Story is really only minus half a star because of how many loose ends there still were at the end of the last episode.

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My Secret Romance

This kdrama was cute and thoroughly enjoyable. Light and fluffy, it's good for watching when you don't want to think too deeply (like after a long day at work). The premise is that Lee Yoo Mi (the straight-laced nutritionist daughter of a former "erotic" actress), played by Song Ji Eun, meets Cha Jin Wook (the chaebol heir/company CEO and known playboy), played by Sung Hoon, at the wedding for her mother's second marriage. Lee Yoo Mi is mortified by her mother's past, while her mother is not only not ashamed of it, but embraces it as an important part of her identity. Lee Yoo Mi and Cha Jin Wook end up having a one night stand (in his car, on the beach! Downright racy for a kdrama!) after which Lee Yoo Mi sneaks away before Cha Jin Wook wakes up. Cut to three years later and the renowned playboy has basically been celibate since that night because he's fallen in love with the mystery girl from the beach. Because it's dramaland, Lee Yoo Mi's new job is as the nutritionist for Cha Jin Wook's company's cafeteria. High-jinks ensue!

There is nothing really ground breaking in the story line here, and nothing is really going to be a huge mystery. It's a short series (only 13 episodes), and the pacing falters a little bit. Upcoming complications are telegraphed pretty obviously if you're familiar with kdramas, at least. The bromance chemistry between Sung Hoon and his character's secretary, Jang Woo Jin - played by Park Shin Woon - is gold every moment they are both on screen. Also, Sung Hoon is no slouch at kissing, even when his co-star is almost a foot shorter than him (manner legs almost certainly employed generously - either that, or Song Ji Eun got to stand on a lot of boxes).

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