Trolley Satisfies

The dilemma of the trolley--sacrifice the many for the one or vice versa. It is an appropriate metaphor for this politically charged K-Drama.
And it becomes more complicated when a beloved politician, husband, and father prioritizes his political ambitions over the safety and well-being of his own family with tragic results.
Trolley doesn't shy away from much-needed conversations surrounding universal issues such as abortion, rape, and the cursed blessing of social media. Nor is it too preachy but accurately depicts what many women experience on a global scale when reporting sexual assault.
How a society ripe with double standards continues to fail them time and again.

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The revenge was meh.

I love revenge plots, especially in the hands of a highly intelligent and capable female protagonist but with the proper motivation, of course. And, there was no doubt that the people who made Moon Dong-eun's (Song Hye-kyo) life hell on earth were all more than deserving of the kind of old school, biblical vengeance reserved for the very wrathful God of the Old Testament.
And, actually, I thought that the series might have wanted to say something about the hot-button issue of school bullying and spousal abuse but opted instead (in typical K-Drama fashion) to focus on the obligatory fan service of a romantic pairing of the two leads with less than zero chemistry between them.
The level of gratuitous violence on display in both parts 1 & 2 felt unnecessary at times because the payback was nowhere equal to the damage inflicted on the victims.
Maybe if she would've exacted her revenge in the very gym where the majority of the bullying took place I would've felt more satisfied with the conclusion.

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An Overdose Of Romance In An Otherwise Incomplete Murder/Mystery

I wanted to enjoy 'You Are My Spring' a lot more than just the sporadic, individually solid performances by the leads, and certain ones in the supporting cast were able to muster, barely keeping this Kdrama from flatlining.

And it's not that the characters weren't likable. They were. The chemistry between the leads Kang Da-Jeong (Seo Hyun-jin) and Ju Yeong-do (Kim Dong-Wook) was unmistakable in the early episodes but then their relationship seemed to devolve into a sort of parody of angsty teen, goo-goo eyed cringe and annoyance.

I was also upset that Ian Chase (Yoon Park) seemed to get a free pass after choking Da-Jeong. Her reasoning for not reporting him was also suspect, to say the least. The man was obviously a danger to himself and others and for Da-Jeong not to report him did not seem realistic.

And I felt that 'You Are My Spring' wanted to say something profound about mental health without significantly challenging the ongoing stigma that surrounds those who suffer from mental illness, especially in a country with extremely high suicide rates. Instead, it gets bogged down with product placement and attractive, well-dressed actors portraying underdeveloped characters who occasionally offer life-affirming advice to each other and bits of comic relief meant to counteract the brutal murders and suicide that ultimately get sacrificed for the sake of romance.

Overall, 'You Are My Spring' felt unfinished with the exception of the predictable romantic coupling. Yet, the fate of Ian Chase is left unanswered and I was never convinced that he was a brain surgeon to begin with. There were just too many moving parts in this Kdrama.

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Not Looking Forward To A Season 3

An entire episode during season 2 of 'Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce)' was dedicated to a husband making extremely weak attempts to justify his cheating on his wife to his wife which he ultimately failed to do. And I thought to myself, "What a waste of an episode" but it's to be expected from a Kdrama that dresses up the trauma and pain of adultery in the latest fashions and then tries to convince us that we should have some sort of empathy for the cheaters.

I would've liked to have seen during season 2 of 'L(fMaD)' how the wives would've been treated if they were the ones cheating. I'm sure they all would've been slut-shamed for starters and the radio show would've most definitely been canceled.

Season 2 like season 1 also misses opportunities to confront the false notion that women only have value as wives and mothers. Instead, 'L(fMaD)' season 2 reinforces it. But, then again, this is the same country where male netizens criticized a South Korean Olympic gold medalist An San for having short hair.

I wanted to punch the husband who impregnated the older woman in the throat. At no time was I convinced that he was a lawyer acting that childish. I'm glad his wife beat his ass. He was one of the most annoying characters in a Kdrama I've ever seen...and I've watched Strong Woman Do Bong Soon. And his parents cosigning his cheating was just irritating.

I almost threw up when one of the wives excuses her husband's infidelity by saying that she must have been a bad person in a past life. Huh?

And the season 2 finale did not make me want to stick around for a season 3 even though I know I will continue to hate-watch this Kdrama.

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Some uncomfortable truths about cheating

Cheating on a spouse requires a certain amount of narcissism--an exaggerated sense of self-importance--and cheating doesn't "just happen" no matter how much cheaters want to justify basically ripping out the heart of the one they claim to love and wiping their ass with it. There is no excuse for cheating and many marriages do not survive a casual extra-marital hook-up much less an affair that lasts for any length of time which I think makes 'Love (ft. Marriage and Divorce)' season one a difficult watch for some viewers because the subject matter may hit a little too close to home.

Marriage is an extremely messy, complex relationship, especially where children are concerned because there are different expectations for husbands and wives and Korean culture is no different. But 'L(fMaD)' sn 1 misses an opportunity to fully examine the gender roles, double standards, and the damage a male-dominated patriarchal society continues to inflict on women in favor of men.

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An Unimaginative Whodunit Which Ultimately Left Me Asking Who Cares?

Kim Seo Hyung (Jeong Seo Hyun) was the only likable character I could actually root for in 'Mine'. Otherwise, I had little to no empathy for the other cast of characters. She made the often sluggish 16 episode journey tolerable after I was tempted numerous times to tap out early on--more specifically during the miscarriage scene. I'm sure there are other equally impactful but less graphic ways to express a mother's pain and anguish of suddenly losing her child.
And I know it's always a hard sell to get working-class viewers to care about the problems of the wealthy, powerful, and privileged. But this K-drama (like many of its predecessors) seemed to double down on its extravagance, affluence, and lavish living while physically and verbally abusing staff which felt gratuitous and pointless in a series that was 8 episodes too long.

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What's uncanny about 'The Uncanny Counter' is how good it is

I didn't expect to enjoy 'The Uncanny Counter' as much as I did. The series didn't take itself too seriously and the performances were solid all around. I mean, a show about demon hunting is not exactly an original concept treading over familiar territory but the characters are just so gosh darn likable! The fight scenes were well-choreographed, keeping my suspension of disbelief to a minimum, and the season 1 finale was very satisfying. As always, I'm not a fan of the 16 episodes format on Netflix with a run-time of a little over an hour for each episode and padding them with flashbacks among other things. But it proved not to be a deal-breaker...this time. I'm looking forward to season 2.

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Is 'So Not Worth It' worth it?

It depends on who you ask. I can definitely see the appeal this show has to a younger, college-age audience but the show really didn't come across as a genuine effort at inclusion and diversity that it so desperately wants to be. Maybe it's because 'So Not Worth It' is an unoriginal sitcom, the jokes are predictable low-hanging fruit, and the show itself seems to constantly pat itself on the back for casting non-Koreans who speak fluent Korean--a novelty that wears off quick in the early episodes. And don't get me started on the ill-timed laugh track--an obvious attempt at masking the writers' severe lack of skills for writing comedy for such a diverse group of characters. What's also obvious is that the creators of SNWI didn't do their homework as far as racially diverse character development is concerned. This show is messy at best and there were so many missed opportunities to offer humorous takes on much more relevant topics happening in the world today. Instead, 'So Not Worth It' proves that it's not worth it.

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Itaewon Class Is Fun But Not Special

As far as Kdramas go, Itaewon Class does nothing to distinguish itself from any other Kdrama that relies on tired tropes, sibling and romantic rivalries, and overarching themes of revenge. Still, the characters are likable enough and the performances are pretty solid and manage to maintain a consistent energy throughout. There's even an attempt to address hot-button issues like racism and transphobia but they seem to resolve too easily and in an unsatisfactory way just to score some quick social justice points. And I'm not sure why Chris Lyon's character, Toni, would be the only staff member at Danbam to be required to learn English. But I did enjoy the cinematography, the fashions, and the overall David v. Goliath vibe of the show.

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It's Okay To Not Be Okay Is...Okay

I'm not a fan of romance whatsoever but I am a fan of great storytelling when it involves small doses of romance. That being said great storytelling also involves great screenwriting where the dialogue is clear and compelling and doesn't leave all the heavy lifting to the viewers. But what 'It's Okay To Not Be Okay' suffers from is its heavy reliance on flashbacks. It's okay when you're recapping episodes and if they are used sparingly for dramatic effect but if you have to continually remind viewers of certain plot points then it seems to indicate a lack of confidence in the story itself. The likelihood of a man with an autistic older brother falling in love with the daughter of the woman who murdered his mother is a hard sell. And even with some strong individual performances at times by the show's leads, I didn't buy it. I wasn't convinced of the motive that caused the mother to kill in the first place. I also thought the show did a very poor job of exploring the real-life stigma that people with mental health issues face.

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I remember being so disappointed, so angry after binge-watching all 16 episodes of Strong Woman Do Bong Soon that I swore I wouldn't watch any more romantic comedies ever again. Not that I was a hopeless romantic, to begin with. I mean, I can tolerate romance in bite-size portions but not when it's being force-fed in nearly every scene while forcing the rest of the series to take a backseat as if nothing else of consequence is happening.
Then I came across Ms. Temper &Nam Jung Gi (titled My Horrible Boss on Netflix) and decided I would take a chance.  
I'm so glad I did.
From the moment I saw Yo Won Lee, I was hooked. There was no turning back. She is the default, strong-female-lead who feels no need to apologize to the world of men for being a woman. Her character, Ms. Ok, may struggle--popularity-wise--against the seemingly endless stream of subordinate, submissive, and co-dependent types of female leads that readily appear throughout all of Asian television, but the fact that shows like Ms. Temper... were even produced gives me hope that times "are a-changin'". 
I really loved the fact that romance was not the priority in this K-drama but that the leads were allowed to let their attraction to each other happen more naturally. The supporting cast was excellent as well. I would definitely recommend watching this show if you're a fan who values quality--great story that's easy to digest, great performances and a real demonstration of "girl power" --over quantity--stacking the deck with eye candy in the hopes of distracting away from a  cookie cutter romance that ultimately defeats the theme of the show. Strong woman? I don't think so.

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