It has spiked.

With this cast I've been holding onto hope. Eating up every bit of character development no matter how small. It's proof of the talent of these actors that they made me stick around to watch them!



Sadly the plot is failing and I'm pretty sure sticking around for the actors and the fun they create when the script allows them.



It's official the overall Mason Nurse Murder is . . . pretty darn stupid. Everything about it and it's part in this show has brought it down. From taking away its comedic aspects, to making Dae Gu and unbearable character. Because despite the apparent solving of the case, the bad guys are too stupid to leave things well enough alone. Why on earth would they need to do anything when the statue of limitations is almost up. Let alone pile on another murder? There's no proof anywhere except for the FRESH trail they're leaving.



It would have behooved this show so much if the writers would have developed the characters and made interesting cases. Another show that didn't survive over ambition from writers without scope. Don't get me wrong I had fun, and I'm still having fun. Heck, I'm finishing this bad boy! It's just a shame that this episode made it clear that the writing will not improve and pull out those "twists" I had thought would be coming up. And this great cast of actors will be nothing more then a gimmick to bring fans in.

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Finally it's coming into it's own!

Finally You're All Surrounded is coming into it's own. (Mind you as an average show, with terribly bad moments. Sprinkled with just enough good stuff to keep me clinging on.) Because the plot is really twisting up here and it's anyone's guess what's going on. Everyone of importance seems to be involved with the Kim Ji Yong's mother murder! I love how some characters know that Ji Yong is Dae Gu, and some only know that Ji Young is alive. Just not who he is. Oh! I love conspiracies and cover-ups. If I'm lucky this will have something to do with a secret society or gang. Oh, wow.



What's more is that the case solving is getting interesting, while not bogging the show down or making it feel like it has to divide the attention of viewers one way at a time. Multitasking is a good thing. Especially since Soo Sun is truly starting to shine as a detective!



Honestly the development of all the characters is amazing at this point and I love how certain characters are now lovable to me and I want to see them succeed. This is the case for Sa Kyeong, who's really come a long way. Dae Gu . . . still not liking the character. It hurts when I love Lee so much! Oh, and I love the bromance between Tae Il and Ji Kook!



Pan Seok really gets some character development here. It's turned into such a tragic tale for him. Pan Seok is definitely becoming a character I love, especially as all of his trails come out. It also makes Dae Gu look bad, but that's OK. I'm sure all will be revealed in a dramatic way. Though I love how the writers have given enough of a twist to Pan Seok and his connection the scared man to wonder how much Pan Seok truly knows what is going on . . .



Overall You're All Surrounded is finally hitting it's stride. Telling all the stories present in a way that doesn't just feel like each one is "taking a turn". As I said the storyline is finally multi tasking. The humor and mystery are blending well together to give this serious a serious side, while still making me laugh and get the warm and fuzzies. Plus, not all the characters are dark and mysterious anymore. They've graduated out into non-stereotypes. (Well as much as they can. They've got personalities!)

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Better than the last one!

Better than the last one! Which is good because I thought You're All Surrounded was taking the other turn, where I wondered why I was still watching it. Because it looked like Dae Gu would deny his true identity leaving the bad guy the only one who truly knew. And then dragging it out like that forever.



Pan Seok or Soo Sun, "Oh, you're really Ji Yong!"

Dae Gu, "Soo Sun, I'm not I'll kiss you into forgetting again." or Pan Seok, "I am really not this Ji Yong!"

Pan Seok or Soo Sun, kind of believe him and drop it until the next episode cliffhanger.



Thankfully every aspect of the drama is stepping it up! Tae Il's secret was a let down, especially given how Ji Kook was acting. Other than that it was perfect! Especially now that I've come to know Pan Seok . . . and I can honestly say that I heart him so much! His romance to win back his wife is so sweet, but I actually wouldn't mind it if he swept Soo Sun off her feet. Don't get me wrong Dae Gu and Soo Sun as a couple have grown on me, I just don't feel the magic. (Yet.)



The cases are pretty cool, but they're giving way for more development with what is going on with Dae Gu's mother case and the past. It's very interesting seeing who is tied to whom. I love a tangled web, especially if the drama builds it just right.



Overall despite a rocky second episode and a some step back,s again and again, You're All Surrounding is shaping up! With this episode being the strongest entry, even with some standard drama clichés.

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Just when I'm out, it pulls me back in!

Just when I'm out, it pulls me back in! This show is such a tease! Giving me good episodes and then taking them away! Thankfully this was a pretty solid one. And it looks like I'll be eating my own words. Kind of.



Pan Seok is not the mature leader I thought he was. No he tries to be and he does serious pretty well. But despite all his mistakes and hardships the guy is pretty darn playful. That sounds weird. But he's warm, funny, and clumsy. (Though I feel like the clumsy aspect isn't what the writers/director may have been going for.) When ever Pan Seok holds back his laughter or a smile it's pretty funny. It's a shame that he holds back that aspect of himself when he's so ready to embrace his anger. It's probably going to be a sticking point later on.



That said Pan Seok's team is moving on to a new case involving the death of a father. A father who may have been killed by one of his own sons! Add on top of that the joy, and cuteness of Pan Seok, trying to rekindle his romance with Sa Kyeong. It's nice to see her in a different mood. There's drama between Tae Il and Ji Kook after Tae Il tells his secret. Of course viewers are privy to it, but it's the giant "oh, now he didn't" in the room. There's plenty of love squaring here, it's clear who everyone wants to end up with. And who will sadly only achieve a bromance, but it's still fun.



The case of Dae Gu's mother's death is still going in in the back drop. It's killing me trying to figure out how the behind-the-ear scar man is friendly with Pan Seok! What is going on? That's a lovely mystery that I can't quite get my mind around. Maybe the scarred guy isn't the enemy? But an ally?



And finally someone knows about Dae Gu's true identity. Don't think Dae Gu can kiss his way out of it this time!

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Meh.

Meh. This episode isn't giving me the "it" I as feeling before last episode. Sure Dae Gu finally smiles, but no one knows who he is yet! Which is freaking stupid. Soo Sun is not being taken seriously as a female detective here! It ticks me off! One kiss and she loses her train of thought and forgets everything! Bah.



In the end there isn't much to say about this episode. The typical stuff is happening as the group tries to keep tabs on a criminal they need to find proof to put away. There are some solid plot building points--a few--but overall it did nothing to help this episode. Especially since I feel more and more strongly that Pan Seok is a bit of a joke. Gosh I hope those subway stations are actually that slippery.

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Starts out strong and then wusses out.

Starts out strong and then wusses out. For me it was that it lost it's footing. The whole hit and run case has been messing with Pan Seok head. So far they've done an excellent job with it. But this episode doesn't humanize him. No it just makes him look like an idiot. Plus, the balance of crime grit and humor lost itself. Instead it become crime grit and tons of drama. The kind of drama that makes the main characters look like fools.



While it's cool that one of the good guys knows who Dae Gu really is, because the bad guys already have one up on him. I didn't like the reveal. Nor the way the first kiss of the series was pulled of. I had no feels for it.



This entry was a lot of eye rolling and to be honest it ended up taking away from many victories. Because now Pan Seok and Dae Gu are both guys I'm not really interested in. Pan Seok might just pop his temper when ever! Instead of being the teacher, he became the fool. Dae Gu . . . still don't care for him. There's a few moments when I think Lee is adding some personality to the role, and it's quickly squashed.



At this point I'm still really on the fence with this series. Though I have to say the ending reaction from Pan Seok is one of the best reactions ever!

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Never let your witness go to the bathroom alone.

Never let your witness go to the bathroom alone. Sound advice for any law enforcement officer. Well at least when pertaining to public restrooms!



Things have finally clicked together for You're All Surrounded. (Kudos for the detectives all saluting it while the drank and had a ball.) Pan Seok really is a tortured soul, and I love that while there's still quite the mystery involving him and the death of a certain mother the show develops him a lot in this one episode. Especially giving viewers a peek into Pan Seok and Sa Kyeong tragic love. So now there are two romances playing out here! Giving viewers a chance to lie one or the other. Or if you're lucky both.



Dae Gu is still a very unlikable character. They're already trying to make him "fall for the girl" but he's just so . . . blank it's not working. Nor believable. Every once in a while I can see a tiny-tiny-tincey-wincey bit of Lee charm pull through. But it's too small. Considering Lee is pretty awesome with humor, and he can do serious roles, I keep wondering why the writers and directors don't utilize him more. The writers could give him more anything! The director could let him act like something other then a blank wall the majority of the time. (Yeah, it's bother me a lot.)



You know who I'm digging the other two rookie guys. But most importantly Soo Sun. While she hasn't had any true time to be a bad booty, she's growing on me. Her narrations in this episode really enhanced the show and Soo Sun. And I'm kind of hoping this is a permanent thing. Also, I hope she gets to be a strong female lead. K-drams always need more strong females.



Things are definitely looking up for You're All Surrounded. Hopefully it stays that way! Though I have to say how tragic this current case is they're working own. Especially with how it ties in to Pan Seok. Cases involving children are always haunting. And it must be said that despite some of the dark themes and cases in the show the series still does a great job being fun. (Well when it's finally done being boring. ^_-)

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Phew, things are shaping up.

"Phew, things are shaping up."

Phew, things are shaping up. What a relief. Personally the fact that the last episode was sooooooo stupid about the stalking case that Dae Gu and Soo Sun had been given. Well the case wasn't stupid. They're actions and overall . . . I'm not even sure if stupidity is the right word for it. In the end I hope new cops/detectives/law enforcement officers never make that kind of dumb-booty move. Let's be honest it's mainly do to bad writing. So far all of these rookie mistakes have been the fault of bad writing. Writing that makes every single character look inapt.



At the start of the episode the bad taste had been sitting in my mouth. Thankfully once the rookies are in the hostage situation things start to get better. They even toss viewers a little tidbit about our resident nerd and crybaby that makes him seem deeper. And me more excited to know him more. (Ji Kook if you're wondering.) Slowly things are being revealed. And finally things are clicking for You're All Surrounded. I actually laughed and enjoyed the humor. Hey, I won't complain about any turning points that involve a hostage situation and hand cuffing rookie detectives. Things were clicking. (Yeah, punned it.)



It bothers me that I do find the overall struggle of the rookies to become dectives more then the underlining mystery of what happened to Dae Gu's mother. Simply because I know at some point that drama is going to take over. So far it's been the main cause for why Dae Gu is such a horrible character. Though with the dramatic cliffhanger advancing Dae Gu's struggle for the truth finally giving the mystery some steroids it might be a total turn around for this whole series.



Let's hope. Because the potential is here. Please don't bore me anymore

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Another great ending song.

Another great ending song, but the series still hasn't picked up. Dae Gu obviously has one of those eidetic memory or something along those lines, which is cool. He's clearly trying to solve his mother's case before the statute of limitations up. All of that should made things more exciting! However, Dae Gu is still ice cold. Don't get me wrong. There are a lot of ice cold men in dramas, and I love them. The thing is they all of personalities beyond that tiny little fact. Which makes you see the cracks that will eventually allow them to be more likeable. Dae Gu is just super unlikable. With no redeeming qualities at this point. Which sucks because Lee can do ice cold.



Pan Seok's character is still spotting annoying things about making those rookies quit. Even though he makes a concession to let them lead their own cases after some small breakthroughs are made. So there is progress there. More hints about Pan Seok and Sa Kyeong having some kind of history. Man you can feel the tension. Mainly from Pan Seok (because Cha can act!).



Overall the show is still super boring. Even with some poop humor, garabage humor, and snoring humor. It's all falling flat for me. Truth is I think the end is nigh. True it's a huge improvement over the last episode. But there's only so far a series can interest me on snail speed character growth, and an unlikable lead. Because both Lee and Cha are in this I'm probably giving this series a much bigger chance then it deserves.

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From promising to boring!

Holy cow! Things took a turn, a turn to Boredom Ville. What's worse is that Eun Dae Gu/Kim Ji Yong is the mayor of Boredom Ville. Don't get me wrong I completely understand that Eun Dae Gu is supposed to be a completely different man from the boy Kim Ji Yong. I get that. But he's so uncompelling at this point. Lee is a big draw for the drama, I feel like they could have made him mysterious while making him interesting. You know witty and boyish charm are huge Lee draws. Not to mention when he smiles. At this point he doesn't even talk much let alone show much emotion, so smiling is clearly off the table.



Even the small hints of Eun Dae Gu setting up surveillance on Seo Pan Seok and the hint that he might be working with someone to find out what happened to his mother wasn't enough to stir things up. Overall the episode was a dud, and while it did try to flesh out the other characters it just annoyed me. Eo Soo Sun so far is not showing promises of being a kickass Detective. She's already vomited and done some pretty annoying (AKA sexist stereotypes) to highlight why a woman shouldn't have the job. There is one strong female lead that has some promise, Kim Sa Kyeong, but they're only teasing viewers with her right now. The other two rookie detectives are underwhelming. Ones rich and doing this as a past time, and is quite the ladies man. The other is a crazy oversensitive guy . . . and annoying. Seo Pan Seok already exhausted his charms by repeatedly scolding and giving the rookies a hard time. No really, there are only so many times viewers can watch Seo Pan Seok tell the rookies to give up and go away.



Hopefully things shape up. Despite myself I will push on. However, if things don't take a turn for the better this will probably be a series I don't finish.

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Promising start.

As stated in the "title", it's a promising start. This is the first police driven drama I've started. I've enjoyed police K-drama movies, and for the most part have stuck to prosecutor themed TV dramas. You're All Surrounded caught my eye because of it's all star class, and some pretty good trailers and OSTs.



It starts out on a pretty high note with a police chase. Highlighting that they're team leader does not care nor trust his new rookies. Considering nothing is said about the circumstances and who is who, that's pretty well done. But suddenly the flashback starts cutting off the dramatic standoff. Not sure if it's just the subtitles are never done right to explain that it's a flashback, or the editors of the dramas don't think they need to indicate that flashbacks are occurring. Either way it felt supper sloppy and it took me a moment to realize that the flashback here was about Eun Dae Gu / Kim Ji Yong and not a flashback to how the crime started up leading to the police chase.



Once that confusion is out of the way the setup for what I believe is going to be an excellent story of revenge and justice is well done. And a romance. (Maybe a love triangle?) Either way it's probably one of the better setup episodes I've seen in a while and I find all the characters interesting. While I'm disappointed that they didn't wrap up the police chase in the end of the episode--to me that indicates sloppiness--it does build up into it nicely. Clearly episode 2 is going to take off leading with that.







(Oh, and bravo ending on a My Chemical Romance song. Pure perfection with them getting ready to head out and dispense the law!)

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So sweet.

For the love of bunnies! They brought out the montage right out of the gate! *groans* Why? Why? Good by beautiful pacing. Good boy awesome comedy.



Ah, there it finally is for Doo Rim and she doesn't care. Nope let's entrap the man you've been lying to and finally confess to him after the "I dos" are said. While this episode made me lose respect for Doo Rim with her big talk and poor actions. Yet at this point I can't look away because I always had a small issue with it. At this point her love is too powerful! And I've been overlooking this hiccup for a while, why not keep looking away?



At least things start to pick up, and the pining doesn't last too long. There are some really sweet moments here. Wow, Hong Ki is no joke. It always puzzled me why I loved him after such a tiny role in You're Beautiful. But the man can act, even more he can deliver a conffession of love like no ones business.



The ghost aspects are picking up and I like how things are starting to merge. Yi Hyun might actually get a chance to be the player that no one expected. Especially if he plays his cards right. Here's hoping things won't be slow any more.

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Touching, but boring.

The issue with adding the heart break to any drama where the to lovers can't be together is balancing out the heartbreak . . . so that it doesn't bore you to death. For instance. If you already did an amazing montage of Kang Ju's fond memories with Doo Rim and made it beyond touching with a OST song by the actor playing Kang Ju, leave it be. No really having another such montage with some of the same footage was cross eyed boring.



Another issue is that Bride of the Century is a comedy, the humor is it's golden ticket and what makes it fabulous. Now it's sooooooooo serious that it's too much for the show. Don't get me wrong now that Kang Ju and Doo Rim have not only confessed their love to themselves, but to each other I was moved. But the rest of the episode was pretty dull.



There are some things I'll give them props for, the heart breaking scenes between Kang Ju and Doo Rim are great. Especially within the last few minutes. They went there with Yi Hyun, what a brave man. It's something I've wanted the "third wheel" of many other dramas to do time and again. I applaud. There's a sweet romance blossoming between Joo Shin and Secretary Kim.



Yet things felt off for the story and dull. Hopefully things want be so dark that the rest of the drama is a drag. What's more is while I have a huge issue with the fact that Doo Rim hasn't addressed that she's lying to Kang Ju, there's at least a legitimate reason while she'll probably keep impersonating Yi Kyung. While it helps me deal with that, I feel that if Doo Rim really loved him she'd think about confessing who she really is. After all they can't be together . . .



Don't get me wrong going serious is a fine, all dramas usually do it at some point. However, losing the tone of the show is not good. There's a reason things have been so darn good up to this point. Even while the marriage schemes are interesting and some huge reveals happened this is a comedy with romance at heart. Also, I felt like the ghost story aspects were completely set aside. Since the last few episodes really started to incorporate it they shouldn't back off now.

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Bout time!

So it's finally official everybody knows about the Curse! (Well except for Yi Hyun, but that's to be expected. Third wheels don't get all the important details.) It's very interesting to see how everyone reacts to the curse. Touching that Kang Ju (or Kang Joo) want's to protect Doo Rim.



Ah, now how Doo Rim is pulled back into pretending to be Yi Kyung was done quite nicely. It shows how Doo Rim is too nice and easily made prey. But it's a great way to show how much her feelings have grown for Kang Ju. At this point it hasn't truly hit her that she loves him, though she kind of comes out with it at one point. But I'm surprised that Doo Rim is not one bit concerned how her pretending to be Kang Ju's bride isn't a horrible betrayal to him. And I'm starting to wonder when this will hit. Or even become a discussion? Doo Rim is too amazing for this kind of . . . wrong doing to not hit a nerve with her. Especially with the trust issues Kang Ju has.



Oh, and I am loving how the guardian or the house, or the vengeful spirit is coming along. The actress is so beautiful and I love how she dramatizes the role. Whether she's being an evil ghost, guardian spirit, or a human diva. Ghost stories are kind of a weakness with me, and seeing Bride of the Century mix a normal drama romance into a ghost story is tons of fun!



Overall I love the idea of Doo Rim "winning" Kang Ju back. The story isn't slowing down and I'm looking forward to seeing how things wrap up with all the various devious plots accumulating to a nice boil here.



The acting of Sung Hyuk really surprised me. Because I've stepped away from feeling creeped out about his feelings for Doo Rim. Now I'm really sad for him and want things to work out for his character Yi Hyun. I really hope that a character *cough* Joo Shin*cough* can be setup as a romantic interest for him.



Oh, and the average music for took a pleasant turn when Lee Hong Ki's own OST song for the drama came on. Very moving. It's one of my favorite parts about having someone who can sing in a drama, when they can add their voices to the music.

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Impressed yet again!

Wow! No really, Bride of the Century keeps impressing me. It's nice that the writers are not creating a boring show, but their not muddling up all of the plot lines that they've tossed in.



This is the episode of Kang Joo for me. It's showcasing how much he's grown as a person, especially emotionally. It always warms my heart to watch the cold ice men of dramas thaw. For me Kang Joo has been the best one! (That sweet potato scene!!)



The pace is really moving along nicely and I like how none of the characters presented have been left on a back burner. BotC is showing where everyone is and who knows what! I'm really surprised by all the marriage intrigue going on here.



I skipped writing reviews for episode 4 & 5. Because there is so much ground to cover, but overall I feel the same for the show up to now. Doo Rim is awesome and she's becoming a favorite leading lady for me. Honestly I didn't expect to like BotC so much. But I do. Kang Joo and Doo Rim have some amazing chemistry and it's a testament to Yang Jin Sung that she can play Doo Rim and Yi Kyung so well that without being told you can tell which lady is on screen. When the real Yi Kyung is with Kang Joo the magic dies between them.



Again, with the cliffhangers! Bride of the Century owns them and this one with Kang Joo and the ghost takes the cake! Bravo. I'm off to the next episode.



(Anyone else both loving and being creeped out by Doo Rim's other love interest?)

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