Playing catch-ups with the past few episodes of Doctor Who. Episodes 8×05 - 8×07.
Doctor Who 8×05 ‘Time Heist’
There must be some logic, right? Too right, character I didn’t care too much for. Too right. The premise of the episode is somewhat exciting, and things happen -I suppose- but all in all the episode is rather lacking. The storyline doesn’t all converge in a way that feels satisfying and the characters feel somewhat restricted, not sure if due to mind-swipe or my general disinterest in any, if any, character development presented.
You can’t say you didn’t see the whole ‘the Doctor IS The Architect’ twist coming, because well the Doctor’s rather quick to just ‘go with it’ isn’t he? Sure they’re already being chased by security and their memories have gone bye-byes so they appear to have no choice BUT to run, however the fact that he doesn’t really push against The Architect’s instructions seems a bit suspect, no?
Heh, I’ll shuttity up now. F***ity bye.
Doctor Who 8×06 ‘The Caretaker’
Oh Doctor, Doctor, Doctor. Tells Clara’s he’s going deeeeeeeep undercover only to turn up at Coal Hill (where Clara and Danny work- also incidentally where the Doctor’s own granddaughter “attended” school) disguised rather poorly as the school’s temp caretaker. It’s hard enough that Clara’s trying to maintain two separate lives, as his companion and as a normal English teacher- who’s got a thiiiiiing going on with the Math teacher (hello again Danny Pink) but when those two lives seemingly collide it pushes her into a comprising position where she’s forced to lie to one of them. Clara thinks she’s got everything underwraps but she does not.
We knew that once the Doctor and Danny (properly) met there was going to be some headbutting, but the Doctor’s continued jibes about PE and refusal to accept that Danny was a math teacher kind of got grating after a while. Don’t get me wrong, the Doctor’s haughty remarks are often on point, but I don’t know it was telling how much he kept chipping away at Danny.
Not that Danny or Clara helped at all. Honestly it was like an episode of who can be the most flawed, Clara’s attempts to lead the double life stretching her thin, the Doctor’s pettiness (although his approval of the bow-tie clad teacher was cute) and Danny’s inability to understand Clara’s relationship with the Doctor. Although to be fair she did have a huge crush on him for most of series seven so…
Epilogue: Promised land? The nethersphere? So all these are hinting to what, exactly? And at what point will the Doctor or Clara find themselves here? Because this arc’s ‘mystery’ is becoming a little less intriquing and a little more annoying. But that could just be me.
Doctor Who 8×07 ‘Kill the Moon’
Literally?
The Doctor can’t take a mean comment back so instead takes Courtney Woods (The Disruptive Influence who snuck aboard the TARDIS and the Doctor said mean things to) on a ride along, to the moon circa 2049 where tumblr is something your grandparents did. We find out that the moon’s an egg and the big decision this week rests on the shoulders of one Clara Oswald, or rather is thrust upon her by the Doctor who checks out- washing his hands of the responsibility of making the call between an innocent life (the moon egg baby thing) and the lives of everyone on earth. Fun fun.
It got a bit serious there, didn’t it? And Clara’s angry outburst at the end at the Doctor, while not completely unwarranted, wasn’t entirely understandable? Almost as obscure as the Doctor’s reasons for gapping it in the first place. In order to address this we need to have a quick look at the Doctor’s relationship with the human race. It’s bumpy at best, he loves us… he loves us not…he saves us…he expects us to save ourselves. Honestly for me the words that echo in my mind when the Doctor pulls a stunt like this isn’t even from an episode of Doctor Who but rather from Torchwood: Children of Earth by Gwen Cooper:
I wanted to know about that Doctor of his. The man who appears out of nowhere and saves the world. Except sometimes he doesn’t. All those times in history when there was no sign of him, I wanted to know why not. But I don’t need to ask any more. I know the answer now. Sometimes the Doctor must look at this planet and turn away in shame.
But this time it’s the Doctor’s actions that are shameful, because he doesn’t even know why he gapped it. Respect for Clara? Should have just stuck to ‘it was a decision for humans’ buddy. His actions put Clara in a difficult position, in a way that made her question her own morality I suppose. So I guess her outburst is understandable. I mean if she had went with the majority vote she could have justified it with ‘well majority rules’ but would she have been able to live with herself? Would the Doctor have been able to look at her the same way? I can’t say ‘Kill the Moon’ is a solid ep, but it posed some interesting questions- and set up some conflicts that have been brewing for a while. Even if it felt a bit sudden.
All I know is I’m not sure I would have been able to make a decision. Well… that’s not entirely true because them bacteria spiders would have meant we never even find out that the moon’s an egg- because if those things jumped out at me this is what would have happened:
In July I made the worst (best) discovery I could make, Korean Dramas are addictive. Aigoo, so addictive. I was dragged into the (not so) seedy underworld of KDrama to appease my dongsaeng and stop her nagging (for me to watch just one show with her), so the initial reluctance was strong in this one. However about 10 dramas later, with no end in sight, I can’t really call myself a ‘reluctant’ KDrama watcher anymore, can I? Sure the storylines can be utterly ridiculous and it takes a short while to become accustomed to some cultural aspects (and the subtitles), but before long you realise that the elements are rather formulaic and repetitive so you grasp them more easily- even if they’re so unbelievable you need to fortify the tree branch where you sit suspending your disbelief. They’re ridiculous and melodramatic (sometimes too melodramatic- hello makjang), with moments of pure poignancy often interspersed (thankfully) with heavy amounts of humour. Not to mention the copious amounts of eye-candy (lol SUFBB pun!). You’ll be thankful for the the fact that the shows are often contained within a single season, of about 13-20 episodes, that typically wraps up by the finale with plenty of closure.
Well, save for the occasional, yet extreme, Second Lead Syndrome (SLS) you’re left with. The music is another monster altogether in that I went into KDramas not much of a KPop listener but now have over 300 Korean songs on my iPod. Halp.
So let’s take a look at what I’ve (binge) watched so far over the past two or so months. If you’ve seen the shows I’m about to go in on, I’d love to hear your thoughts! If you think I’ve gone mad, follow me down the rabbit hole so that I can make my case. I’m just hoping that forming somewhat cohesive thoughts and writing them down will prove therapeutic and thus help me to work through this addiction. Because it’s affecting my TV-watching habits, big time.
To The Beautiful You (2012)
I’m slightly (read as really) embarrassed that this show was my introduction to Korean Drama. Based on a Japanese manga, Hana-Kimi, TTBY made me so angry. I mean, I just couldn’t get over the main female character’s motivation in life. Disguising yourself as a boy to get into an all-boys school in order to help your idol- who’s basically just got the yips after recovering from an injury- with no other aspirations is kind of saddening. I think SM (Kpop Idol Manufacturers? I’m still new to the entire operation lol) just decided to produce the drama, any drama, as a way of making more moolah off their assets, in this case Sulli of f(x) and Minho of SHINee.
While I understand that the character’s motivation in the manga is the same, surely they could have had the writers give Jae-hee (Sulli) another motivating factor to drive her. Give her a reason to want to wake up in the morning other than to be there to whisper-shout ‘FIGHTING!’ at Tae-joon (Minho). Also she was kind of a shitty friend to anyone who wasn’t Tae-joon. Cha Eun-gyul (the magnificent Lee Hyun-woo) deserved better, we all did. Eun-gyul may have been one of the more complex characters the show had to offer- tied with Min Hyeon-jae (Kang Ha-neul).
It could have just been Hyun-woo’s acting (he’s really amazing in Secretly, Greatly btw), especially in the second half of the show, however he was much more of a complex character than Jae-hee. Dude portrayed a guy super confused about his sexuality so well. Hell Tae-joon’s athletic rival Hyeon-jae (whose conflict stemmed from being a poor scholarship student battling self-esteem issues whilst trying to make it as a high-jumper in order to better his family’s quality of life) was more of a complex character than Jae-hee. Hyun-woo was a standout, for reals. Gah, the adorbs- the feels, the SLS.
So the fact that we had some gems in such a trainwreck of a show really ground my gears, like to the point that I was constantly ready to throw things ALL THE TIME. ALL THE DAMN TIME. I know what you’re thinking, ‘well sheesh if you hated it that much why’d you keep watching?’ I don’t know, I guess I hate-watched the whole thing. Fine, that’s not completely true; I liked a few characters’ shirtless scenes too much to abandon them and I wanted to see how it would end- which was lamely I might add.
16 (hour-long) Episodes in (approx) Five Days
Boys Over Flowers (2009)
And yet I started another show right after. Again I’m really embarrassed here, but let’s just blame it all on my sister. Now what should we say about Boys Over/Before Flowers? Firstly, it’s another Japanese manga (Hana Yori Dango) adaptation, although I suppose it was slightly better in terms of female character development. Slightly. Basic rundown, poor spunky girl attends super-exclusive high school for the rich on scholarship (for reasons) and has a run in with the big dawgs on campus who call themselves the F4. Fab 4? Fantastic 4? Flower 4? I can’t remember what the F stands for. Gu Jun-pyo (Lee Min-ho), Yoon Ji-hoo (Kim Hyun-joong), So Yi-jeong (Kim Bum), and Song Woo-bin (Kim Joon) are the top dogs of the school (because their families are the richest) and no one, not the teachers, other students, general members of the public, dare challenge them. No one, that is, except Jan-di, spunky poor girl (Ku Hye-sun). There’s so much cringe that goes on, but each actor commits to their role like nobody’s business. Them cardboard kisses tho’. While I found Jan-di refreshingly, especially following on from Jae-hee’s lacklustre existence, spirited at the start. I mean them high kicks and punches were ace.
But unfortunately she kind of started to dim a bit towards the end and MAN WHY DIDN’T ANYTHING BAD EVER HAPPEN TO THE DOUCHES OF THE BOF WORLD?! Catty chicks do shitty things and all that happens to them is angry glares from main characters, horrid parents continue on their horrid lives as horrid people with no repercussions because- why? WAE? But, as you’ll find with the four out of five Korean dramas you watch, it all manages to tie up nicely and happily come the final episode- well DURING the final episode. This drama did its best to bring the SLS, especially towards the end, but I’m thinking Jan-di really dodged that bullet.
25 (hour-sometimes longer-long) Episodes in (approx) Six Days. Made worth it by hilarious moments like this. Smooth, Gu Jun-pyo, so smooth.
Personal Taste (2010)
Heh, hot off the heels of BoF I started this show about an uber-clean architect named Jeon Jin-ho (oh hey, Lee Min-ho!) who gets mistaken for a gay guy by down-on-her-luck Park Kae-in (Son Ye-jin). In order to win the favor of the Dam Art Center director, and win a moneymaking project bid, Jin-ho has to get the skinny about the art center director’s favorite building: Sanggojae, which has never even once been opened to the public. Coincidentally, the Sangojae is Kae-in’s home, Kae-in’s in search for a new roomie for reasons that should you should watch rather than read about (hint: whatever happened to sisters before misters?) and agrees (with much persuasion from her crack up bestie Lee Young-sun, played by Jo Eun-ji) to rent the room to Jin-ho.
Only because, after more than one scene of hilarioussss misunderstandings, they’re both under the impression that he’s gay. As it’s the only way he can study the house, and because his own friend basically pushes him into it, Jin-ho goes with it. Hilarity, and way too much heartache for a show that was meant to be nothing but lulz, ensues.
16 (hour-long) Episodes in (approx) Four Days. Also Kae-in laying down some realness:
City Hunter (2011)
Let’s say I went on a bit of a Lee Min Ho-binge, also- City Hunter was awesome. A revenge story to the very end with many twists, turns and dramatic reveals along the way. Intense, action-packed (man do I love fighting scenes) and funny with enough cliff hangers and near misses to guarantee at least one heart attack an episode. Until you’re almost at the end you’re constantly thinking ‘what kind of logic?!’ in regards to Lee Yoon-sung’s (Lee Min Ho) adoptive father, Lee Jin-pyo (Kim Sang-joong). I get it man, you were wronged by your own government but your methods… we need to talk about your methods. That’s where Yoon-sung comes in, raised by Jin-pyo to take revenge on the government officials that killed Jin-pyo’s bestie (Yoon-sung’s bio-dad). But they seem to disagree, naturally, on their methods of revenge-scheme execution.
The show runs the risk of becoming too convoluted but it’s saved by a great cast with good chemistry- and awesome fight scenes. I can’t stress enough how much action sequences, well-executed action sequences, make me happy. Even if I’m on the edge of my seat fearing for my bbs lives. Including secondary characters like, Kim Young-joo (Lee Joon-hyuk) our long-legged ahjussi prosecutor who brought the SLS and broke our hearts in the process and the hilarious mother-hen-like Bae Man-duk/Bae Shik-joong (played by Kim Sang-ho).
Also how awesome is Kim Na-na, played by Park Min-young? Not only is she independent, with her own motivations and aspirations in life, she kicks butt on the reg. Holy agency, batman! I mean she’s working extra jobs to pay for her dad’s hospital bills, which isn’t really allowed when you’re a bodyguard at the Blue House and this causes problems for her in the course of the drama but she works through them on her own- mostly. You’ll find that three out of five kdrama main female protagonists are dirt poor.
20 (hour-long) Episodes in (approx) Four Days…worth it. Even if the ending was a tad lukewarm.
Secret Garden (2010)
This fantasy drama was suggested by a friend who said I’d love it and she was right. (Sidenote I used to mock/become irritated with when she couldn’t discuss mutual shows due to watching KDrama, in hindsight I was harsh and I take it all back. Because I understand now. Oh how I understand now.) Secret Garden revolved around a badass stunt-woman Gil Ra-im (the brilliant Ha Ji-won) who has the misfortune of crossing paths and making an impression on the arrogant uptight CEO Kim Joo-won (Hyun Bin). Bing bang bosh and somehow Ra-im finds herself in Ji-won’s body and vice versa, we know how they got that way (although we don’t know the whys) but they don’t and their body-swap scenes breeds all kinds of hilariousness. However that doesn’t mean this drama didn’t throw some absolutely heart-wrenching moments at us, like WAE? At many points you’re left wondering whether the universe could BE more mean? Which is a mistake because the universe responds with a resounding ‘yes’.
The leads have some excellent chemistry, and the supporting cast were just as awesome. Sure at times you wanted Ra-im to properly maim Joo-won, like actually- him and his super annoying mother. Ugh chaebol families. There were some problematic moments of seemingly unwanted skinship that had you questioning why you were shipping it ever-so-slightly, just because you weren’t sure how the show was handling a person’s right to certain boundaries. Oh and some explanations were rather wishy-washy, hinging a lot on fate and whimsical fantasy and whatnot. However Hyun Bin and Ha Ji-won’s acting soon made you forget the troublesome scenes and focus on the funny. Because Hyun Bin’s portrayal of Gil Ra-im stuck in his body was so awesome to watch, and Ha Ji-won’s mastery of Joo-won’s facial expressions were epic.
20 (hour-long) Episodes in (approx) Four Days because there’s no such thing as moderation.
The 1st Shop Coffee Prince (2007)
You wanna talk about chemistry? Let’s talk about Yoon Eun-hye and Gong Yoo’s chemistry in Coffee Prince. Because daaaaamn. Go Eun-chan (Eun-hye) is often mistaken for a boy- owing to her androgynous looks and boyish behaviour. She’s basically the head of her family because her dad passed away, her mum’s a bit shit with money and her little sister is well, her little sister. After (a few) run-ins with an immature but attractive rich guy- Choi Han-kyul (Yoo) who mistakes her for a boy and asks her to pretend to be his boyfriend to get out of the blind dates his grandmother keeps setting him up on. Han-kyul’s grandmother makes him manage a coffee shop, Eun-chan continues lets Han-hyul think she’s a guy so she can work there- the shop’s concept is ‘princes’. Of course they start to have proper love-like feelings for each other, and Gong Yoo plays an incredibly compelling man confused about his feelings for someone he thinks is a guy- when he’s pretty sure he’s not gay.
The fleshed out characters really make this show so addicting and the writing meant the story never waned and can I just say it was nice not to hate a single parental figure? Because up until now there have been nothing but evil chaebol relatives who seemed to have but one dimension. However we have here an irritating at times but well-meaning mum, and a stern matriarch who doesn’t immediately hate our female lead obstinately- granted she doesn’t know Eun-chan’s a girl at first.
17 (hour-long) Episodes in Four Days.
Shut Up Flower Boy Band (2012)
The feels were strong in this one. Don’t let the name fool you, sure there were pretty flower boys but they were so much more than that, this show was so much more than that. Much like its main characters, the show was rather gritty and unrelenting with solid acting, writing and directing. I could watch this band of misfits forming their own family all day. The drama revolved around them as a group however allowed us to see them develop as individuals- with the core relationship of the band-members shoving romance to the side a bit. Which was actually rather refreshing. The show handled their characters well, although there was a touch of noble idiocy-syndrome towards the end, it wasn’t to the extent that made you want to scratch the inside of your eyes out.
Lee Min-ki’s cameo was all shades of amazing, I wish we could have gotten more but that’s pure selfishness on my part because the show really was great the way it was. Even if it meant a whole lot of anguish early on in the drama for our boys. Roll-call? We had Singer/guitarist, Ji Hyuk (Sung Joon) living on his own (because his blood-relatives were dicks) and is, after we bid farewell to Byung-hee (Lee Min-ki), the one holding it down for the team. Guitarist Hyun Soo (L) has an initially icy demeanour and temper but is loyal to a fault and the way he looked after his sister was so cute. Do II (Lee Hyun Jae), the silent seemingly easy-going drummer who doesn’t say much- quietly observing. Ha Jin (Yoo Min Kyu), the skux playboy and bassist, and Kyung Jun (Kim Min Suk), kitten and keyboardist, have the best friendship- it’s better shown than described.
The female characters were also well-written and developed, Im Soo-Ah (Jo Bo-ah) goes through her own problems and comes out a stronger person as a result. At the start you’re not sure what to make of her as she’s seen through the adoring eyes of Byung-hee. However as the show progresses you find that she’s more complex than you initially give her credit for as she picks up odd jobs and carries on with life without much complaint despite the crap the universe hands her- while not being a complete doormat. Although Bang Woo-kyung (Kim Jung-min) did get on my nerves a lot, you had to admire her loyalty- even if it felt like she really didn’t know how to take a hint. Everyone loves an underdog story and that’s what SUFBB gave us, in droves. Our pretty punk-rock flower boys were likeable, even when they were being stupid (they were teenaged boys), and it just made you root for them even more.
16 (hour-long) Episodes (of Bromance) in Four Days.
My Girlfriend Is A Gumiho (2010)
Up until now I’d been marathoning one show at a time, however it was at this point that I started watching multiple shows at once (My GF Is a Gumiho & Reply 1997). Bad enough that I was binge-watching Kdramas and completely ignoring everything else (family, friends, other TV shows …life in general) in the process, but suddenly I wasn’t even content to marathon just one at a time. MGIAG was, I was told, required kdrama watching for any newbie drama watcher. The show is all parts adorable and hilarious with occasional sad-making moments. Cha Dae-woong (Lee Seung-gi), is an aspiring actor who accidentally releases a none-tailed fox spirit/gumiho, played by Shin Min-ah, from a painting she was trapped in for 500 years. She saves his life by putting her fox bead in him, and she follows him back to where he’s staying. Even though he’s initially scared shitless when he realises she’s not kidding about being a gumiho and is an asshat, he starts to develop feelings for her. Although it took him long enough to stop being a little gutless butt for a bit- honestly the amount of times I wanted to shake him. Mi-ho, as she comes to be known, is so adorbs.
Her childlike wonder at the world is so endearing, there wasn’t a moment where she annoyed me- well save for a touch of noble idiocy she displays. No Min-woo’s Park Dong-joo brought the SLS early on in the drama, however once Dae-woong started acting like a person and not like a little batch you realise you shipped the endgame so much it hurts. My only problem with this show was how angsty it got towards the end- I was left wondering where my light-hearted adorable fantasy romcom went and when was it replaced by TEARS.
16 (hour-long) Episodes in Three Days. HOI HOI.
Reply/Answer Me 1997 (2012)
Where do I even begin? This drama was just so awesome, from all the 90s nostalgia it gave me (yes, a lot of it was specific to South Korea but 90s nostalgia is still 90s nostalgia) to the well-developed characters and situations that had me laughing out loud. Reply 1997 followed the lives of a group of friends in Busan, as the timeline moves back and forth between their past as 18-year-old high schoolers in 1997 and their present as 33-year-olds at their high school reunion dinner in 2012, where one couple will announce that they’re getting married. You’ll find yourself caring about each character as much as the next, even the side ones. Sung Shi-won (Jung Eun-ji) is a crazy fangirl of the boyband H.O.T who’s all shades of sassy and hilarious (her relationship with her parents, especially her dad, is honestly soooo crack up) and Yoon Yoon-jae (Seo In-guk) is her oldest friend- the boy next door who’s the top of the class and in love with her. Man I shipped them so much, the chemistry was insane, too. However the rest of main characters were just as awesome.
Kang Joon-hee (Hoya) Yoon-jae’s best friend, who’s the kindest most adorable character, second only to Mo Yoo-jung (Shin So-yul) Shi-won’s best friend. Do Hak-chan (Eun Ji-won) is that new kid who’s transferred from Seoul- the guys all think he’s the man due to his sporting skill, Seoul accent and large porn collection, but it’s hilarious that Hak-chan can’t talk to actual girls. Then there’s that friend of the group, Bang Sung-jae (Lee Si-eon) who talks more than a scolding ahjumma. Shi-won’s parents, especially her dad, were so brilliant. So much laughter was had because of Shi-won’s interactions with her dad.
Her haircut-punishment was SO Samoan btw, my mum threatened to cut my hair like that all the time when I was growing up. This drama made me laugh so much, not even kidding. The comedic timing (I don’t even want to know what was up with the goat/sheep sounds) was on point. However this doesn’t mean it didn’t bring the feels because holy-crap did it get so intense at times. When it brought the feels it really piled it up onto your plate and slapped you in the face with it.
Yoon-jae’s relationship with his hyung, Yoon Tae-woong (Song Jong-ho) was also well-written, if complicated because of that pesky triangle thing they just had to do. But this show offered some great pearls of wisdom while granting us access to complex, realistic and likeable characters. It was kind of difficult to watch something else afterwards, and I especially didn’t want to watch the 2013 follow up Reply/Answer Me 1994 for fear of it not living up to Reply 1997. Might give Reply 1994 a go somewhere down the line, however. I’m all about giving things chances. Although if it drags out the ‘who’s she with’ storyline longer than Reply 1997 did- I’ll be annoyed. Like kick-someone in the face, annoyed.
14 (Half-hour) Episodes and 2 (hour-long) in One Day- so SO worth it. If not for the the awesome storyline, lovable characters and well-developed story than for the fact that we’ve all been that crazy fangirl/boy at some point in our lives. Also, the mortification in the following scene gave me such life.
You’re All Surrounded (2014)
Ragtag team of rookie cops (all the bromance, budding romance, hilarious hijinks times) in Gangnam with a gruff team-leader and some revenge-plot/seedy tragic backstories thrown in for good measure? Count us in! Also Lee Seung-gi (My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho) as a broody rookie, Eun Dae-gu, with a chip on his shoulder? Awwww yeah. This cast made me so happy, they worked so well together- even if the writing wasn’t that great. The story got bogged down by the most annoying villain ever and the never-ending storyline behind getting to them but it also gave us some complex characters that gave me such feels. Chief Kang (Seo Yi-sook) for example, deeply flawed but only trying to reach a noble goal to the end. Initially brusque, Seo Pan-seok (Cha Seung-won) and the nicer Lee Eung-do (Sung Ji-roo) made just the best surrogate cop parents for our rookies. And our rookies, lmao Soo-sun (Go Ara) applied seven times before being accepted into the police academy and is the only female in the new recruits, Tae-il (Ahn Jae-hyun) is super skux- according to my nephew- and Ji Gook (Park Jung-min) the geeky, talkative one who joined because he wanted to live in Gangnam? Hahaha. And of course the prickly Dae-gu who joins the force to try to get justice for what happened to his mum.
Unfortunately my nephew developed a liking for this one (said it had a Brooklyn Nine Nine feel to it) and so it took a bit longer to watch. Heeeh, we managed to rope a nephew into our KDrama ring- not a ring if it’s just two people and it’s still not one with just three YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. Fun fact, my nephew’s second favourite Korean actor is Lee Seung-gi, with his first being Lee Jong-suk (I Hear Your Voice) who he thinks is ‘skux’ after watching Young Hot Bloods, according to my nephew he’s going to be like Jong-suk’s YHB character and get all the girls.
20 (Hour-long) Episodes in Two Weeks (it was actually rather excruciating having to exercise restraint). *Slow-mo walks out*
The King 2 Hearts (2012)
Lee Seung-gi again, heh. But also Ha Ji-won (Gil Ra-im from Secret Garden!) too! Set in an alt reality where modern-day South Korea is governed by a constitutional monarchy Lee Jae-ha (Seung-gi) is a crown prince (later king) who doesn’t care about politics or being the second in line to the throne. Lee Jae-kang (Lee Sung-min), the current king, tricks him into joining a joint military collaboration with North Korea as a means to help “make him grow up.” Can I say their relationship was my favourite? Because honestly so cute. At the joint military raining Jae-ha meets Kim Hang-ah (Ji-won), a North Korean Special Forces Officer who is SO AWESOME. She was strong but also a girl in that she doesn’t allow the fact that she’s this super soldier stop her from getting what she wants or liking girly things (omg her fangirling over Hyun Bin’s billboard was the best).
Jae-ha’s character was slightly reminiscent of Dae Woong from My Girlfriend is a Gumiho especially at the start- although he was much more snarky. Our mains are initially antagonistic towards each other, but Jae-ha unwittingly sparks a friendship with Hang-ah and he subsequently falls in love with her. What I liked about this show wasn’t the melodrama and romance, of which there was plenty- or the over the top baddie who I wished would walk off a cliff- but the way Jae-ha’s growth was portrayed. He developed from reluctant royal to responsible king but not without a fair share of mistakes. A testament to Seung-gi’s acting. Also, the second leads (most of the secondary characters really) were amazing and I loved not having to worry about SLS- for the most part. But dear lord the angst was strong in this one, and the tears. How I loved Jo Jung-suk as Eun Shi-kyung, his bromance with Jae-ha gave me life…so you can understand how torn up I was about that ending. But if we, the fans, were so heartbroken over it imagine how Princess Lee Jae-shin felt, Lee Yoon-ji was excellent in the role.
20 (Hours-Long) Episodes in Two Weeks…in which I almost stopped watching because the actors they used for non-Korean roles were so cringey, and not in a haha funny way but in a I CAN’T WATCH ANYMORE I WANT TO HURL MY COFFEE AT THE SCREEN SO BAD SO BAD. Yeah… I can’t say it’ll be one to rewatch for this reason alone. So thank goodness for fanvids.
Currently Watching:
High School King of Savvy/Conduct (2014)
Initially started because Seo In-guk from Reply 1997 is the lead, but I love his family unit and I’m starting to warm up to the main female character.
You From Another Star (2013)
Loving it so far. Loving it a LOT. I saw The Thieves and thought there needed to be more Yenicall (Jeon Ji-hyun) and Zampano (Kim Soo-hyun) and this show is just everything, okay? Sawrry.
You’re Beautiful (2009)
Frustrating but hilarious. Ugh so frustrating. Already the SLS is pulling at my heartstrings (which is why I’m going to find and watch Heartstrings after this) not that I don’t like the lead because his bitchface game is strong.
I Hear Your Voice (2013)
I’ve only seen the first ep so far but you know I’m hooked. Also Oska and Tae-sun reunion? Heh my sister shipped them in Secret Garden so much.
So that’s it, that’s my rambling about Kdrama done! Unless you want more, maybe on a less uhm grand scale because whoa this was a lot to get out. Also, I’m not sure how much this helped my addiction. Because if anything I want to consume more kdrama to see just how many charactersin kdramaland are lacking in peripheral vision.
They did some scaring this episode, but did the questions raised and the familiar scare tactic bog it down? Is our complicated love-hate relationship with this episode’s writer and showrunner tainting our enjoyment of the show? Maybe, but I’m going to allow the little part of myself that did enjoy the episode to take over for a bit.
‘Listen’ isn’t about a tangible thing that goes bump in the night, it’s about the nothingness that engulfs the space around you when you’re sure you’re alone. That thing underneath your bed doesn’t exist, it’s your own fear that holds you captive, but if Clara grabbed the Doctor’s leg all them years ago when he was a scared lil timebubby starting this whole tulpa/thoughtform, then why has it taken so long for the Doctor to remember to ‘Listen’? It boils down to the idea that fear is a companion, always with you. “Fear makes companions of us all.” Oh hi ‘Unearthly Child’ feels.
Moffat hammers in, again, the idea that Clara has seen the Doctor through some fearful moments of his long life- even if he didn’t know it. Capaldi’s initial monologue is great in that caught our attention and I do believe those first few minutes elicited some small amount of terror- however I can’t say I felt the same amount of ‘fear’ as earlier work from Moffat. Because I still don’t blink when walking past angel statues.
The monster in this episode was your own imagination, well the Doctor’s own, brought to life- sorta. I immediately thought of Supernatural, ‘Hell House’. Remember the tulpa? If enough people believe it it’ll come to life, right? I half expected Sam and Dean to burst into the TARDIS and tell the Doctor to change the story, and suddenly a crossover AU fanfic was born. However all it took was Clara’s maternal touch and a heartfelt speech, not sure I was exactly wowed by the anticlimactic resolution but it worked so I can’t complain too much.
Extra thoughts:
- The side romance of Clara and Danny made a few steps forward, a jump or two back before hopping into a car and going full-speed ahead. They do work well, Coleman and Anderson have an interesting chemistry that I like. I’ll give them that. Are we to believe that Orson (the Pink line are not kind with names) is a descendant of Clara and Danny then? I still need Danny to meet the Doctor, that is all. Well, properly meet him, as an adult. Especially considering Danny became ‘Dan dan the soldier man’ thanks to his influence.
- “He’ll never make a Time Lord!” Is that person from the Doctor’s past the original cereal guy?
Uh, what did we just watch? Anyone know what Gatiss was smoking when he penned ‘Robot of Sherwood’ and can we have some? I’m playing, but really it was a rather silly episode, wasn’t it? And it served to remind us that Doctor Who, at its core, is a children’s show. Where episodes like ‘Robot of Sherwood’ shouldn’t be so surprising. And yet, it was.
The Doctor lets Clara decide their next destination and with much fangirling she reveals that she really wants to meet the legendary hero himself- Robin Hood (played with much ha ha ha-ing by Tom Riley). They do and much slapstick humour is to be had, with a grating amount of fake laughter and much too merry men. I don’t know, I felt a bit like the Doctor myself the entire episode. Perhaps if I had a little more Clara in me I might have enjoyed the episode a bit more, but there seemed to be a forced atmosphere to it that I couldn’t shake. Was it the generous amount of sun in Nottingham? As the Doctor pointed out. Or the smile that didn’t reach Robin’s eyes? Or was it the irritating way he laughed, as Jess described, with a pause between each ha.
Perhaps it was the conflict between the two heroes. The man, the myth the legend… the Doctor or Robin Hood? Both rooted in their respective histories, from the page to the screen we’re all fine to accept them both in the show as ‘real’. Well at least Clara is, the Doctor -and by extension us- isn’t so sure. He spends the majority of the episode trying to expose Robin Hood as a fraudbot. Because he can’t possibly be real, that jawline and perfect teeth can’t exist. While it made for good (eh) banter, it grew ever so slightly tiresome by like the fourth round of pot-shots. All the while the Doctor was forbidding banter altogether. No banter from the Doctor? Sounds like a Tui Ad.
I agree, with Jess, that the storyline left a lot to be desired. A bit weak, saved only by the actors’ convictions to be their characters. Because what was even happening this episode? Seriously, The Sheriff of Nottingham is stealing gold to power a spaceship because he wants to fly to London and take over England with his robot army? Oh…kay. But this (is Doctor Who so what are you even complaining about?!) episode isn’t trying to bring the gravitas, not even a little bit. It’s slapstick and tongue-in-cheek humour with robots in a forest circa 1190AD-ish. They’ll take us back to the series-long arc soon enough, but for now enjoy a bit of the funny.
Next week they’re bringing the scary/creepy, you know how I love the scary/creepy!
What did we learn today? There’s no such thing as a good…anything, really. Everyone has flaws, humans, Timelords, Daleks…the Doctor (yeah, yeah he’s a Timelord, but let’s put him in his own category anyway). This theme’s been a’cooking for a while now, and this episode clearly lays the foundation down for a series-long study of the Doctor’s moral makeup. With a Dalek (who the Doctor dubs Rusty) suffering from morality (taking us right back to series one’s ‘Dalek’ innit?) as the central plot, the Doctor, Clara and a few soldiers are shrunken ‘Honey I shrunk the Doctor!’- style and off into the heart of the Dalek (darkness) they go.
The Doctor saves a soldier, Lt Journey Blue (VOD! I mean Zawe Ashton), who establishes herself quite firmly from the get-go. Heh, I would still like to see Zawe Ashton as the Doctor some day, and seeing as you can explain away a guest-actor becoming the Doctor once, why not a second time? Keep that in mind, guys. Right so humans are locked in a battle with the Daleks, and they’ve got one Dalek (Rusty) suffering from ‘morality as malfunction’. We learn about the insides of a Dalek, which is visually comparable to the inside of a Teselecta, well crossed with a jumble of tubes- them human remains though.
Surely the Doctor should have known that by ‘fixing’ Rusty, the Dalek would revert to his natural state of hate. Was a bit dumb. However through this central plot-line the Doctor is faced with an idea that’s been giving him intense internal turmoil for the the better part of 2000 years. Because when Rusty gets a glimpse into the Doctor’s mind there’s a hiccup as he picks up on the Doctor’s hatred of the Daleks. And the age old ‘we’re not so different, you and I’ rears its familiar head.
Is the Doctor a good man? He makes quite a few judgement calls that could be deemed cold, but this isn’t new. Clara’s answer, that she doesn’t know if he’s a good man but the fact that he tries is the point, works. The Doctor often needs his companion, or carer, to slap some sense into him. And in this instance Clara literally does. Capaldi’s stint as the Doctor is shaping up to be rather excellent, and I welcome all the coldish zingers with open arms. He’s looking to be less apologetic in the sense that he doesn’t beat around the bush about the facts. The Doctor’s dynamic with Clara is, in my improving, Clara should be glad he forgot her in Scotland (which isn’t too far from her home, and is thankfully in the same time and on earth). Also, our introduction to Danny Pink (Samuel Anderson) was great. I can already see the Doctor not liking Danny- not just because of his alpha maleness (even if he’s socially awks) but because he was a soldier. Even one with enough of a conscience to reflect upon past deaths and shed a tear in front of a class of students. Way to make us all uncomfortable, sir! I’m already living for any and all his interactions with Clara. I bet you’re living for it. That’s what I said. I bet you say that.
Next week we’re off to Sherwood Forest!
Honourable Mentions:
- Why couldn’t the Doctor have taken Journey with him? Think of all the puns!
- And Missy, once again in ‘heaven’ greeting those who’s ‘passed on’ during the episode. Nobody guards the dead, aye?
- Danny Pink, ladies and gentlemen. Lady Killer extraordinaire.
For the past few regenerations there’s always an adjustment period during the new Doctor’s first episode, where he’s still cooking and getting used to the change- during that period those around him also take a moment to get used to the new appearance, voice, (at times) accent and characteristics. By ‘those around him’ I’m also referring to the audience, because just as his companions/friends need to come to grips with who the doctor now is, the audience must also adjust. Peter Capaldi’s debut as the twelth Doctor is rocky, in terms of the episode itself, but the man, the mystery, the timelord? Capaldi nails it. As a darker character than his predecessor I didn’t expect for him to make me laugh as much as I did during the episode. It was a pleasant surprise, I love that Twelce is incredibly crotchety and isn’t a hugging sort of person. And at over 2000 years old he’s picked a face that outwardly exhibits that age.
Madame Vastra: “He looked young, who do you think that was for?
Clara: “Me?”
Madame Vastra: “Everyone. I wear a veil as he wore a face- for the same reason.”
Clara: “What reason?”
Madame Vastra: “The oldest reason there is for anything. To be accepted.”
The episode itself was a bit, I don’t know, we saw a dinosaur materialising alongside the Houses of Parliament in Victorian London, and the Pasternoster Gang are relieved when the Police Box is spat up. But the appearance of the TARDIS doesn’t bring help, but rather a Doctor in need of it; newly regenerated, extremely volatile and questioning his self-worth. The only person that may be able to help him is Clara, whose name he can’t even remember in his discombobulated state, and she’s still grappling with the losing the Doctor she knew and loved.
Their new dynamic shows promise and I’m very much excited for more. So I found the appearance of Smith a tad unnecessary. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the Eleventh doctor, however bringing him back for that phone call with Clara was just a bit overboard. I suppose Clara needed that push to get her to accept that the doctor is still the doctor even if he looks, sounds and kinda acts differently now.
Honourable Mentions
- Who is Missy? (APART FROM BEING PICKWELL IN BAD EDUCATION- I GOT SO SCARED WHEN I SAW HER LOL) She said she loves the doctor, she lives in what she calls some kind of heaven. Sure she’s not the Master, because the Master had a very volatile relationship with the Doctor. And also, the Master refused to regenerate. It’s someone else entirely. But who, what where and why?
- Madame Vastra and Jenny are my OTP. Just, seriously. LOVE THEM.
- Fires of Pompeii: So we address that initial issue of ‘but he’s been on the show before!’ The Doctor talks about how he’s seen his face before but can’t place it and then goes talks about how the regeneration always chose his face from faces it knew. Remember when we saw this face, Ten learned that, to a certain extent, time can be rewritten, that even though history says everyone in Pompeii died, Peter Capaldi’s character and his family were saved. And at the end he tells Clara he’s made a lot of mistake and that he’s going to start doing something about it. Interesting.
- Who placed the ad? Same person who gave Clara the TARDIS phone number way back when?
The Legend of Korra is back! And it’s brilliant! In fact I would hazard to assert that the first three episodes of Book Three: Change were better than the first half of Book Two: Spirits, and if it continues on in this fashion I can only see it growing stronger. Book Two was hampered down by some messy storylines and out-of-control romance-filled angst- only really picking up in the second half with the heavy focus placed on the spirit world. As we know Book Three will see Team Avatar dealing with a post-Harmonic Convergence world, wherein which humans and spirits must try to exist together.
The new season of Legend of Korra has everything that endeared Avatar The Last Airbender to the fans in the first place, moments of friendship, powerful characters, hilarity, interesting villains and a sense of adventure- that last one was especially missing last season. Basically LOK is serving up the nostalgia while still managing to distinguish itself from its parent show.
Heads up, spoilers ahead!
What we saw in the first three episodes we’d like to continue to see:
Bromance - The ease of Korra and Asami’s friendship, I loved loved LOVED how they dealt with the whole messy romance plot from the season before. There was the potential to continue on the angst but DiMartino and Konietzko did away it in one fell swoop.
This also includes Mako and Bolin’s strong sibling relationship and OMG FINDING THEIR FATHER’S FAMILY!!!!
- ZUKO (AND HE HAS A DRAGON)!
Zuko’s still as awkward as ever, only he would reminisce about his failed attempts to kill Aang.
THIS: Saying goodbye to angsty teenaged romance
and hello to the fandom’s newest (harmless *knock on wood because let’s not jinx it*) ship.
The fleshed out characters really make this show so addicting and the writing meant the story never waned and can I just say it was nice not to hate a single parental figure? Because up until now there have been nothing but evil chaebol relatives who seemed to have but one dimension. However we have here an irritating at times but well-meaning mum, and a stern matriarch who doesn’t immediately hate our female lead obstinately- granted she doesn’t know Eun-chan’s a girl at first.
The feels were strong in this one. Don’t let the name fool you, sure there were pretty flower boys but they were so much more than that, this show was so much more than that. Much like its main characters, the show was rather gritty and unrelenting with solid acting, writing and directing. I could watch this band of misfits forming their own family all day. The drama revolved around them as a group however allowed us to see them develop as individuals- with the core relationship of the band-members shoving romance to the side a bit. Which was actually rather refreshing. The show handled their characters well, although there was a touch of noble idiocy-syndrome towards the end, it wasn’t to the extent that made you want to scratch the inside of your eyes out.
What did we learn today? There’s no such thing as a good…anything, really. Everyone has flaws, humans, Timelords, Daleks…the Doctor (yeah, yeah he’s a Timelord, but let’s put him in his own category anyway). This theme’s been a’cooking for a while now, and this episode clearly lays the foundation down for a series-long study of the Doctor’s moral makeup. With a Dalek (who the Doctor dubs Rusty) suffering from morality (taking us right back to series one’s ‘Dalek’ innit?) as the central plot, the Doctor, Clara and a few soldiers are shrunken ‘Honey I shrunk the Doctor!’- style and off into the heart of the Dalek (darkness) they go.
And in this instance Clara literally does. Capaldi’s stint as the Doctor is shaping up to be rather excellent, and I welcome all the coldish zingers with open arms. He’s looking to be less apologetic in the sense that he doesn’t beat around the bush about the facts. The Doctor’s dynamic with Clara is, in my improving, Clara should be glad he forgot her in Scotland (which isn’t too far from her home, and is thankfully in the same time and on earth). Also, our introduction to Danny Pink (Samuel Anderson) was great. I can already see the Doctor not liking Danny- not just because of his alpha maleness (even if he’s socially awks) but because he was a soldier. Even one with enough of a conscience to reflect upon past deaths and shed a tear in front of a class of students. Way to make us all uncomfortable, sir! I’m already living for any and all his interactions with Clara. I bet you’re living for it. That’s what I said. I bet you say that.
For the past few regenerations there’s always an adjustment period during the new Doctor’s first episode, where he’s still cooking and getting used to the change- during that period those around him also take a moment to get used to the new appearance, voice, (at times) accent and characteristics. By ‘those around him’ I’m also referring to the audience, because just as his companions/friends need to come to grips with who the doctor now is, the audience must also adjust. Peter Capaldi’s debut as the twelth Doctor is rocky, in terms of the episode itself, but the man, the mystery, the timelord? Capaldi nails it. As a darker character than his predecessor I didn’t expect for him to make me laugh as much as I did during the episode. It was a pleasant surprise, I love that Twelce is incredibly crotchety and isn’t a hugging sort of person. And at over 2000 years old he’s picked a face that outwardly exhibits that age.
