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| We had fun! |
But also I got COVID again and missed concerts. I got bit by a neighbor's cat and needed a tetanus shot. And then got food poisoning. Not really the way I wanted the summer of BTS to end.
As for dramas...it's been a slog but I've just stumbled across a great one to write about but will leave that for the September report.
Why are these young female leads in workplace dramas so bland. My Bias My Boss reminded me of the female lead in Our Universe. Just sort of wide-eyed young people with pluck, pep, and also they are kind of helpless (which I guess is the point but gross). But there is NO character there. It's very manic pixie dreamgirl with the mania dialed down.
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Haechi
Since most new dramas have looked terrible (my monthly fuck you Netflix for ruining K-dramas rant), I have been looking for older shows I might have overlooked.
Haechi, a drama from 2019, is 90% a historic drama and only 10% romance. Focused on palace reforms, infighting and corruption in political parties, and what it takes for societal change in Joseon, it had a different feel from other palace dramas (it is based on the reign of King Yeongjo who OF COURSE is the dad of "died in a box of rice" Prince Sado, but this is long before he had to sentence his son to death).
There are 48 half hour episodes (on Viki) so it runs a lot longer than your typical 16 episode drama. I didn't think it quite had enough material for the full run. At some point, the conflicts did not sustain it. But it was not a waste of time because it is exploring an interesting moment in Korean history with a monarch who turned out to be a reformer because of his understanding of the people of Joseon.
Yi Geum, Prince Yeoning (Jung Il-woo) is the son of a maid and the king (Kim Kap-soo). Everyone tells him he has no place in the palace and he's inclined to believe all the people tearing him down. He lives among the people and spends little time with royals. He’s known as a carouser and troublemaker. But in reality he’s smart, politically astute, and draws in people who believe in his cause of justice. It just takes him a moment to realize what his path should be.
Over the course of the series, Prince Yeoning wins over unlikely allies who help him move towards the throne. Dal Moon (Park Hoon), a mysterious leader of a criminal network is skeptical of his intentions at first, but joins the prince and uses his information network of spies and informants to help him. Bak Mun-su (Kwon Yul) is a hapless wannabe civil servant who can never pass the civil servants exam but believes he could be a great officers and investigator and the prince comes to believe in him as well. Chun Yeo-ji (Go Ara) is a "damo" who works as a police detective. She is a fighter and investigator and does not really catch on that the prince has the hots for her. That she is oblivious to his ample charms is actually quite delightful.
As in all palace dramas there is succession woe. Prince Milpoong (Jung Moon-sung) has the backing of the Noron political party who thinks he can be their puppet. Meanwhile, Milpoong is a vicious killer who struggles to keep his rage in check. He has a gisaeng, Chun Yoon-young (Bae Jung-hwa) who helps him try to keep his insanity in check so that she too can take power.
Crown Prince Hwiso has not borne an heir. So when he takes the throne as king his position is shaky at best. This is all setting the stage for a showdown between Milpoong and Yeoning to fight it out for the throne with all the political parties, Noron, Soron, and Namin trying to back the horse that will take care of them and their corrupt ways.
Prince Yeoning has to decide if he wants to commit to fight for the throne or avoid it all together. But when people start to listen to his views and he sees he could have an impact it’s hard for him to walk away. Nevermind he knows the alternative is Milpoong and more of the corrupt status quo.
Unlike most palace dramas where it is just a power struggle with no real conversation around it, this historical drama is asks the question what if we did things differently. Why must we follow how it has always been done. Because it is more focused on the way the palace and political parties operated the romance got shoved to the side. I almost forgot Go Nara was in this drama at some point because they had not shown her for what felt like several episodes. Weirdly, they shift her from her role of this physical fighter and "one of the guys" to that of a palace maid in training who only lives to serve the prince she finally comes to love. But it’s such a weird character shift. I assume they just needed to shoehorn in this romance some how.
But as a historical drama this one was worth checking out especially knowing now how things started with King Yeongjo only to have ended so badly with Prince Sado.
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My Man Is Cupid
I had been on a Jang Dong-yoon kick with Daily Dose of Sunshine and Oasis. But My Man is Cupid is not one of his best. You know they have written an annoying character when I want the serial killer to succeed at killing them. Not great Bob!
Here Jang Dong-yoon plays a fairy name Cheon Sang-hyuk who violated a rule of Fate and has been trapped on earth with three other fairies doing Cupid's work, Dong-Chil, Dong-pal, and Dong-gu (Moon Ji-hoo, Eom Se-ung, and Park Myung-hoon) are managing this banishment well under the circumstances. They shoot arrows into lovers and live in an expensive house. And make Cheon Sang-hyuk take care of them since its his fault they have all been stuck here.
Cheon Sang-hyuk encounters Oh Baek-ryun (Nana) who mysteriously has no red string of fate. Everyone she falls for ends up wounded or dead. So she shuns dating and focuses on her veterinary practice where all the Dog Dads try to woo her to no avail. She is told by a shaman if she begs forgiveness for whatever her past wrong was after 1000 visits up the mountain and her curse will be lifted.
After she meets Cheon Sang-hyuk, she becomes fixated on him. But he keeps his distance because of his own curse. But she relentlessly pursues him to the point that it starts feeling less romantic and more stalkerish.
At the same time, there is a serial killer who has killed a bunch of witnesses and Oh Baek-ryun is a witness on his list. So she’s protected by both Cheon Sang-hyuk and a police detective Seo Jae-hee (Park Ki-woong) while the killer is still on the loose.
I just didn’t believe in the epic cross-centuries love that’s supposed to be at the center of this story. Also the character of Oh Baek-ryun is somehow both overly gooey and horny in ways that aren’t fun or funny. So it was even harder to give into the romance because of her irritating ways. There is also a troubling romance between an adult and a teenager that is never commented on and it bothered me.
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My Bias My Boss
Why are these young female leads in workplace dramas so bland. My Bias My Boss reminded me of the female lead in Our Universe. Just sort of wide-eyed young people with pluck, pep, and also they are kind of helpless (which I guess is the point but gross). But there is NO character there. It's very manic pixie dreamgirl with the mania dialed down.
In this drama there’s literally no reason for a former idol/famous actor and a capable 30-something CEO to fall for the new girl in marketing on the sole basis that she is cute (is she) and competent (she is). I mean truly a romance fantasy. But I guess this is how you get a plot.
In this drama, the bland marketing gal is Nam Da-reum (Kim Hye-jun) who is a fangirl of the group DNX and the idol Lee Chan (Cha Woo-min). DNX has broken up but she continues to support Lee Chan in his acting career and with his fashion brand Appello. She dreams of working at Appello and quits a good job at a major company to take the job. And it does not take long for Lee Chan to notice her. Meanwhile, the CEO Kang Ha-gi (Kang Hoon) thinks she's an industrial spy and ends up realizing she's just really dedicated to marketing and the company. And she starts to win his heart.
In all this, they haven’t bothered to write her as a character. Then these men, who were close friends with their own issues to work out, just start competing with each other for her. And terrible things happen to Da-reum because there IS a spy. Also there is a sideplot about DNX and their struggles since they broke up and I think I would have been much more interested in that plot.
I should have given up this show early on.
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