Rants and Weekly Raves #88 (RAWR)

kakashi: No, I haven't grown tired of him yet. But I'm running out of things to watch. Oh well, I'll just rewatch everything. Plus, I just started Mr. Baek. You warned me people, but I'm still watching.
JoAnne: But his face looks a little photoshopped onto his skull, here. As if they took a head, added someone else's eyes, then someone else's mouth, etc.
What?! No. He is beautiful. Always. Especially in "All About My Romance" (screenshot from that). Soooo beautiful.  
Jaehyus: Oooh, that smile!
Oh for sure, he's adorable - but this picture is kind of weird, that's all.

Another Oh Hae-young

I'm already seeing how this is going to annoy me BIG TIME (maybe - most certainly). "Pretty" Oh Hae-young can go f*** herself and how are we ever going to root for Eric and "just" Oh Hae-young? I mean ... root for them not just because they're insanely cute and somewhat just right for each other, but root for them because we want them together as a couple, you know, more intellectually? I mean ... he completely destroyed a man's life and never looked back. That's just so not okay. How is this show soing to solve this? Are they going to make poor Thighs evil or will he die? Other than that ... how are they getting out of this?
Well it's not that he set out to destroy the man's life, so we can at least give him that. He asked the one guy to pull his funding, and then he walked away from the situation. So I don't think he knew (or ever expected or wanted) that Tae Min's business would fail or that as a result, my lovely Thighs would somehow end up in jail. I think he just wanted the guy to have a hard time. Once he realized it was the wrong couple and what else had happened, he and his doofus friend were horrified and tried to fix things. Although maybe not hard enough to suit me. I do get what you're saying and have similar concerns, but man, they are SO ridiculously right together. By the way...Chubs makes an appearance next week. I know you really like him, so start getting excited now.
Seriously, "Pretty" Oh Hae-young gives me ulcers. The show is so mean for portraying her the way it does. It's like you cannot help but loath her and yet, she's the nicest person in the world. Haha. Yeah, yeah, and she had a good reason for doing what she did, OF COURSE. Evil Mother-in-law and stuff. I'm already SO NOT looking forward to the angst in this show.
She does seem like she doesn't have a mean bone in her body. It's still early days, but after watching how his mother behaved toward her before the wedding, and hearing about her home life growing up - after episode 4 I don't hate her as much and I'm inclined to be sympathetic toward the character 'in general' and acknowledge that she probably had a hard time growing up, too. yeah, yeah. I think we are now expected to understand that she was very lonely and afraid to displease anyone, since they liked her for such shallow reasons, and that she lives in a very small cage of people's expectations. I wouldn't want to be her.

Neighborhood Lawyer Jo 

I suck. No time this week for this.

Jackpot/Daebak 

Or this. I really suck. 

Goodbye, Mr. Black 

Do I even need to say it again?

Entertainer 

It looks like Suk Ho has decided that we are right, and he shouldn't be with Geu Rin. He contents himself with staring and muttering 'this is enough.' Yeah, right, that won't last. Meanwhile our muffin Ha Neul is gearing up to make some moves on Geu Rin, too, and it seems Yeon Soo might have a thing for Yoo Joo. Since this was the week of secrets revealed, Yeon Soo knows about Ha Neul's feelings and everyone knows Kyle is a designated driver and more and more people are figuring out that Ji Young is a snake and Ji Nu might be innocent, too. And there's music once in a while. Oh, and don't forget, there's the looming secret of what happened to Ha Neul's hyung, too.

God of Noodles 

*quiet sobbing commences*
Methinks you're behind?

Five Children 

Caught up, and finally the story seems to be moving along a bit. I thought we would be stuck in pregnancy secret land forever. And finally, that inlaw madame has let her temper loose at Assistant Manager Ahn via, of all the cheap things, Assistant Manager Ahn's daughter. When that woman accused that poor child of stealing, I wanted to slap her. But at least her hate for Asst Mgr Ahn and her kids came out so that we can get past this tiptoeing.
If looks could kill, she'd have been dead. Sang Tae is so disappointed in her! I wonder what will happen on today's episode? At least we have the adorable Golf Couple making progress, I love Sang Min and Yeon Tae more every minute they're together. I'm tired of Ho Tae and his pregnant first love, the two simpletons - and I'm irritated that his mother is acting like the world is ending. No, I don't think people should be cheering for them and I'm flabbergasted that they have the nerve to be irritated when people don't fall all over themselves with joy when two underemployed busted-ass broke fools who weren't even discussing getting married wind up pregnant, but I also don't think it has to be a disaster.
Exactly, it's not responsible of those two, but it isn't the end of the world. Glad we finally got the situation out in the open because otherwise, yawn. The other couple boring me to death and who I fastforward now, is Jinjoo and Taemin. 

Refresh Man 

Cute cute couple, nice kisses, lots of fun...and then, of course: she went out to buy eggs to make an omelet for HIM, so it's his fault she died. Come on. Kitten Prince used the same device to get lots of angst for him, too, a few years ago. It's either her fault for being in the road, or the driver's fault for hitting her. Why is that hard to understand? Blame Yu Tang, why not? She had the friend who was promised the omelet. Why not say it's her husband's fault? I mean after all, he got her pregnant. If he hadn't done that, there'd have been no Yu Tang to befriend Wen Kai, and therefore, no omelet necessary. I don't know, though. They've avoided a screechy bitchy second lead, maybe they won't do the expected with this, either.

Vampire Detective 

Okay, I really really liked episode 8. We get to know more about their sweet big lug tattoo guy and his family, and it's a pretty grim story, actually. Exorcism and fraud and all kinds of darkness. I really liked the episode a LOT. I think at the end of it, the woman we see is the woman that San loved, and she finds out that he's still alive. I'm just very puzzled - if she loved him why did she shoot him (apparently intending to kill him) and fake her own death?
I think you only like this because you don't love Vampire Prosecutor. Everybody else I know hates this

Beautiful Gong Shim 

I like our three leads very much and enjoy watching them interact. I don't like her sister at all, she's self-serving and thoughtless and she looks like a bug. Her parents are useless and shameful.
I was about to start this (because everybody was so full of love), when people started to complain about the bitchy sister. Now I've lost all desire to press play. I really can't deal with this kind of character.

Mirror of the Witch 

So, it started out incredibly well. I loved episode 1. But, episode 2, not so much. Our hero's background story should've been cut by at least 10 minutes, and we would still have known he needs lots of money and his older, richer brother hates him. And the rest of it was a little dull. But I'll probably try a couple more episodes.  
And Ep 3 update: Writer-nim, take a tip from C-drama and cut 15 minutes, any 15. This was a good ep except things dragged way too long. Too-long episodes for the storyline don't do anyone any favours. We did get this hilarious scene, though:
I like this very much, 4 episodes in. I know, I make jokes about the sperm demon - there are definitely bits that hit me in a way probably not intended, but for the most part this story is hitting the right points. What was most interesting to me this week, actually, was the struggle between the lead Shamaness and the lead Monk. They each believed strongly in exactly opposite things, but they weren't always on opposite sides, it seems. Even when arguing, there was a palpable feeling of respect born of long acquaintance and acknowledgement of skill. It adds another layer of tragedy to the fairy tale for me, because of course one of them has to die. Who else will we lose? When the curse is that everyone you love will die, and everyone who loves you will die, what's a princess to do?
4th episode was fantastic! (I'd still shave off 15 minutes, but I'll let that go.) Really looking forward to more. What I hope, though, is that neither twin dies.
I repeat what I said last week.... this is far too draggy for me. Wow, that scene in 3 when he walks through the busy streets... don't only shave off 15, shave off 30! That said, this show is very, very pretty and I like the overall tone and mood. I know the age-gap discussions are still raging elsewhere, but I couldn't be bothered less. She is an actress, he is an actor, they play a similar age couple... so what's the problem? It's not like he is going to sleep with her or anything.

Dear My Friends 

Much the same reaction as for Mirror of the Witch: started off well, but dragged after a point, and I just wanted them to get on with things. I suppose they will in the next episode, but to be honest, the only character I care at all about is that orishin in the church, who said he was Lee Seongjae. I want to know what his deal is and why he was approaching that widow with mild delusional disorder. But is that worth spending my time? Probably not
They have a couple attractive younger actors to draw in the crowd, I guess...but the real story so far is with the old folks, and I love them to bits. Maybe you need to be a little older, Jaehyus.
Jo, I normally love any literature to do with the elderly. Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym is one of my favorite books of all time. In this show's case, like MOTW again, it got really good in episode 4. I want to see what happens with our Thelma and Louise, and I really want to know what happens to that battered wife. My mother would've been in my face after the third refusal to get up, so I'm shocked at the curly-haired granny not knowing anything. But it seems she's taken a lot of abuse from inlaws and, seeing her husband makes her stand outside for punishment, currently from her husband too. So, maybe she would not be any help.
I won't pick it up, I really don't have the time... and it's too sad for me. But, wow! The acting is phenomenal (from almost everyone). And yet, I cannot continue watching... or can I? I might just drop the dragging witch. But I did watch all the bits with Jo In-sung. In much detail. He can be my 4th husband. Or is it my 5th already? 

My Amazing Boyfriend 

Let's face it, this was always a backburner watch. I didn't get here.
Same here. But at least it's always enjoyable.

School Beauty's Personal Bodyguard

Or here.

Heaven's Promise

Lee Yoori continues to be fabulous. Story continues to be good.
I was never here, but I'm a big fan of our girl all the same so I have no doubt as to her continued fabulosity.
It's a really good show. We're all crazy about it over at the Soompi forums and no one has yet fought. That's how good it is. Even this moody Korean-English translator from the UK who will disappear , miffed, at the drop of a hat, is there translating nuances for us.
And I'm fangirling so much over Lee Yoori, I might even watch Super Daddy Yeol. Might.
..

Western

Jane the Virgin 

Done for the season! They are married! I didn't watch it! 
I did! Lovely wedding; Jane was late because she pitched her new thesis a half hour beforehand. Rafael decided not to confess that he still loved her. It was funny when the whole church and choir burst out singing 'now go have sex.' Xiomara and Rogelio confessed that they still love each other, but she doesn't want kids and he does, so nothing's changed. Except this: Xiomara is pregnant with Esteban's baby from that one night stand (I must have missed that. What a bleh plot point). Let's see, what else... oh, right! Anezka has paralyzed Petra and dyed their hair to look like she's Petra and Petra, Anezka, so she can be all smoochy with Rafael without him realizing. Oh and Rose is back from rehab (I doubt that cause she's dead)
Did I get her name wrong? Rafael's sister. She's back from rehab. 
Luisa.
Then, in the last minutes of the night, we learn that Michael's partner from the police force (the one Rafael's sister started dating) was actually Sin Rostro in disguise, and when he confronts her she shoots him in the chest (seriously?! No, you're making this up! Right?!) I'm not. Meanwhile Jane's in sexy lingerie waiting impatiently down the hall...
I knew they didn't want to change the title...
I'm pretty sure I'm done, but we'll see how I feel in 6 months.
Doesn't anyone use protection in this show?

The Night Manager 

Sex with the wrong woman! Blowing things up in the desert! Killing annoying tiny men! Evidence of just how deeply the disappointing behavior runs within the halls of government! I don't ever want this to end.

Empire 

Jamal didn't die (yay) but maybe Rhonda or BooBoo Kitty did. Tariq is Lucious's half brother - forget that, Lucious had a cop for a daddy, can you believe that? And his mother is a real piece of work. Hakeem's marriage ended before it began, but Lucious put all those arrangements to good use. Except maybe he's a widow already? I'll be back next year for more of you, you crazy ass show, even though you let a bunch of plot lines just fizzle weakly to an end.

Fear the Walking Dead 

So this lady is the Mexican equivalent of Herschel, with her basement room full of zombies being restrained until they can be cured and returned to life? And she poisoned all the parishioners? I mean, I don't think I'll ever forget all the zombie altar boys, that was wild. Honestly I'm mostly intrigued by the focus they're putting on people's mental health lately. Chris, Daniel, maybe even Nick - they're struggling. This lady is full out crazy, though you'd never know it to look at her. And what's up with Strand? He seemed to really love Tommy, but then he totally tricked him at the end. Was that mercy or cunning? I can't wait to find out.

Game of Thrones

SPOILER: frigging heck, they killed Osha! END SPOILER
Ha, that's so last week! This week's episode got leaked several hours earlier by ... HBO Nordic. Haha, somebody uploaded it "by mistake"? I'm laughing so hard. I watched as soon as it was available, of course. And FINALLY! It's the first really good episode of Season 6 in my opinion. No endless boring dialogue and pointless scenes. I'm happy. Hold the door!