frozentundra

Thoughts halfway through ep 8: Grandpa is increasingly more confusing. Is he evil? Is is neutral? Is he good? Howwww is Tae Ha's heart condition a secret?! He has a slash up his entire chest from heart surgery! And why on earth won't he simply go see a doctor? Why is having a heart condition a danger to his job? Doesn't he just sit at a desk? (Yes, yes, I know--dramaland. But still, there is a limited number of logic questions a person can ignore at one time.) It's cute how the leads are now liking each other. When she told him at the end of ep 7 that yes, she liked her first husband, but that when she looks at 2023 Tae Ha, she just sees 2023 Tae Ha...that melted him. Aw. Yeon Woo and her bestie need to stay in New Joseon, though. They have so many talents that are underappreciated back in Old Joseon. At this point if it was me, I'd be fighting tooth and nail to STAY, not find a way back. Also, NOOOOOOOOOOOO on the noble idiocy!! ETA: One thing the show does well is to constantly remind us that the two girls are time travelers. True, their talents fit better in New Joseon. But you never confuse them for modern day people, as the story is always careful to show us the world through their Joseon eyes. (Still, I hope they can stay in the present!)

Dramabeans, a website with drama news and also recaps of current dramas. The post immediately above mine is a quote from one of their posts. From what I can tell, there's a split between people who liked the initial premise but were disappointed by the way the drama went, and people who really loved it. (It shows up in both the "bean of disappointment" post as well as the post tallying votes of people's favorite dramas of the year.) I guess the good thing is that it elicited a lot of feelings and discussion?

The folks at DB really did not like Castaway Diva. I could tell that the person doing recaps was trying, but it just really wasn't their drama, which made me sad. (Still. You don't know until you get into it sometimes if you'll like it or not.) Meanwhile, it was top tier to me. The story I watched and the story people at DB watched seem to be two completely different stories. I suspect that 95% of a storyline is what the script, director, and actors have created, but the last 5% is what the viewer brings to it. And that 5% makes a massive impact on what we think the main plotline/themes are, and is what sets our expectations. Obviously if a story is about something we aren't interested in, we probably won't like the drama. But also, if we expect a certain thing but the script goes in a different way, we feel disappointed and don't like it. It's not that other viewers are stupid. It's more like we are literally watching different dramas. (Which probably also explains why I tried one of the dramas currently listed in the top 10 on the best bean count and could barely get through ep 1. I found the script incredibly makjang and the acting atrocious. And very likely completely missed out on whatever made the voters love that one.)

I admit Grandpa has me a bit confused. I don't think he's bad, but his actions to push Tae Ha into marriage and then his actions to send away the wife and hide the marriage are confusing to me. Also, I don't understand why it is a crisis to the board of directors if Tae Ha is married. The reaction seems over the top for the situation (aside from the fact that it IS a drama...lol). Grandpa owns the business, and he doesn't like his DIL. But I never got the impression that the entire board of directors was in DIL's pocket. Why should they care which heir gets it? Both seem sorta competent?

This drama is so funny. I know it has tropes, but the comedy is done really well, so I don't mind them. Also: Kdramas have changed my relationship with robot vacuums for life; this is just the latest in a long string of them. Whenever I see one, my first thought is, I should greet it in Korean.

@backstreetboysfan Thanks! That's a weird number, lol, but it does feel like it needs more than 12 but not really 16. So hopefully it will stick the ending right and the pacing will be on track.

My gosh how much I loved this drama!! Just stellar to the end. It's a good thing I am not going anywhere else today, because I'm coming off that high of a really great story done right, and such things make me want to accost total strangers in the grocery store and urge them to watch it. Which honestly would be really weird in the first place, and in the second place, Kdramas aren't even on TV where I live (outlets like Netflix or Viki or Hulu, yes, but regular networks, no), so unless you were already obsessed, you might not even know what I was talking about. One of the small moments I liked in the drama was at the end of ep 11, where they come out of the courthouse and Mok Ha brings them all umbrellas. It's raining, and as they turn to leave, the mom looks over and sees evil dad standing alone in the rain. She walks over and gives him her umbrella (kindness for a fellow human who is suffering), and then walks away with her real family, shielded by their shared umbrella. (drawing a boundary) One of the things Park Hye Ryun does so well as a writer, in this drama and also in others, is showing a perfect balance between forgiveness (ie letting go instead of becoming bitter, and going on to live your life), justice (people do have to take responsibility for their actions), and mercy (she allows her characters to grow and change and--if they choose to do so--redeem themselves). I particularly liked this in I Hear Your Voice and Pinocchio as well. Off to play Someday and That Night (Night and Day? Whatever it is in English) on repeat. Park Eun Bin has a fantastic voice.

On the one hand, this is SO so tropey. On the other hand--I keep watching. The tango scene had me in stitches.

Interesting to see a reunion of Kim Woo Bin and Suzy. But the title--er, last time they were in a drama together, it really DID almost come true (he got inoperable cancer in the middle of his head, though luckily survived). So let's keep the "coming true" stuff confined to the drama unless it's something good this time...

Man...Korea wins again for strange drama titles, lol. (Though I do prefer them to most English versions of Cdramas, which are mostly indistinguishable and have "love" somewhere in the title.) Kim Dong Wook, though...I might need to check this one out.

How many episodes is this drama, anyway? The airing schedule has made it feel like we've seen at least 18 already. It was ABOUT TIME they finally said, I'm a dog, and I like you. Just curious how many episodes are left (and what will fill them?) I did read the webtoon, but they've changed some things up, so I'm not sure what to expect.

My first thought on this is, Ah, so now Naksu gets to see what it's like from the other side, where she's the one observing all the body swaps!

I think Bo Geol was closest to crying when he told Mok Ha to give 99%, and save 1% for him. Aw, poor guy! I wish people would stop pushing the pointless 3rd wheel too (PLEASE, advertising people, stop with the "which team are you on?" stuff. It's annoying and it distracts from the point of the actual storyline.) To me, though, I think Woo Hak crying was not *just* about an unrequited crush. He's known her for just a few short weeks. I think it's more like her leaving without saying goodbye, and him finding out after the fact, is just the last straw in a string of things where he's doing things in good faith but being left out. It's not his fault that he got bashed on the head and lost his memories. And it's not his fault that his family went into hiding and committed identity theft. It's not his fault that Mok Ha left the family. These people are all trying to protect each other (and protect HIM). And he knows that, but at the same time, he doesn't want to be watching from the outside. I think he feels a bit hurt that everyone else is in confidence with each other, and he's left out. He'd rather be seen as an equal, and on the same team, instead of being the one everyone wants to protect (but not tell anything to). So sure, maybe he has a light crush, I can believe that. But I think his breakdown was a lot more than just, the girl I like doesn't like me back. He's very simply, lonely. I'm glad good dad was there. He's such a good guy, and I really hope they can regularize their family situation so he can be their dad forever. I still don't understand the CEO, either. He's kinda slimy. He seems to still have feelings for Ran Joo but at the same time is willing to happily throw her under the bus?? What kind of human is that? And why on earth, knowing all of that, would Mok Ha sign with him? Obviously she thinks this is a way to force him to honor Ran Joo, but urgh. I would stay light-years away from a person like that. No, he isn't like the evil dads in the story. But in his own way, he's still an emotionally abusive individual.

While I adored the leads in the first one, I felt that the tone and storyline was all over the place. I felt and still feel that this one held together better, story and tonewise. But the main leads got shafted a bit. The villain was an interesting individual, but it was a little odd how he took over so much screen time. Even the grandma and her love line got more attention and time than the main leads! In the end, it was more about the side characters than the main ones, which weakened it for me.

Coming back after finishing ep 10 to say that they all need a big hug, but Woo Hak most of all. Maybe all of them have suffered the same amount, but he's got all of it piling on him at once instead of being spread out over 15 years, and I feel like he's so quiet that no one really notices him. Thank goodness for Nice Dad. I really hope this family can regularize their situation, and soon!

Agree with @Bojun that evil dad is beyond redemption. (Side note: this actor is good! He's such a great dad in Strong Girl, airing at the same time, and just sooooooooo evil here.) I'm only halfway through ep 10 but I just have to say somewhere, speaking of random discussions of this online: where do people get the idea that evil dad is just a side plot? Did they not watch the first episode? The drama is literally about kids who are trying to escape violent domestic abuse. Their dreams are to make music and work for the media, but until they deal with the threats from the past, they cannot achieve their dreams. Yes, there is a bit of a fish out of water story, yes, there is some humor, yes, there is also a plotline about the difficulty of succeeding in the music industry. But so many things trace back to these evil dads, and there just can't be progress until they solve that issue (and all the issues that stemmed off from it, like the identity theft problem).

Same! In Startup, the girl had an actual relationship with both of them--one through letters and one in person. This is not that story. There are of course viewers who adore love triangles and will always watch with that filter in mind. But I wish they had not leaned into that in the marketing of this drama (even though I am well aware that shipper wars draw in viewers). It's just not supported in the plot itself. Mok Ha and Ki Ho/Bo Geol have a long history together, with multiple layers--music production, remote island life, all their efforts to escape their respective abusive situations (and the fact that they did it TOGETHER), all Ki Ho's waiting and hoping and efforts to find Mok Ha... Wook Hak is kind, he also suffered under his father's abuse, and he has glasses today, like Ki Ho used to wear. But...he doesn't have that long and complex relationship with Mok Ha that his brother does. I will say, though, that at this point I'm feeling sorry for Woo Hak, because I can see how he's feeling left out. He doesn't have to have a romantic relationship with Mok Ha. But I do wish that everyone would stop running off on their own, trying to sacrifice their happiness to save everyone else, and team up with the others, instead. I want Mok Ha and Bo Geol to keep developing their romantic feelings, but as the kids in the family, I want them to pull Woo Hak in and to be a super sibling team to defend against creepy dad as well. Because even without romance, Woo Hak and Mok Ha are part of the same "found family," and I think they both need each other's support.

Oh, I'm sure that's part of it. Ran Joo seems super gun shy of people claiming loyalty and then leaving her, so it's almost like if she leaves them first, she thinks it won't hurt as much? In any case, it seems like she did something like that to her last protege. And so of course when Mok Ha disappears immediately after Ran Joo decides to trust her and give her the stage, it's going to provoke a reaction. I'm hoping that Ran Joo and get can back her trust, both in herself and also in Mok Ha, to the point where she can wait to find out the full story before taking everything personally and reacting. (But if she could do that already, there wouldn't be a story, so... )

I'm a little irked with Ran Joo, although I understand that she has big worries of her own. But she really is not very nice to Mok Ha. Then again, Mok Ha is allowing a weird kind of power balance between them. Like, Ran Joo is never going to be perfect, and Mok Ha needs to accept that, and let her fail if that is what Ran Joo truly intends to do. I feel like Ran Joo likes the fan worship in some ways, but is a little weirded out by it in others, and she's pushing away her little proteges because their adoration makes her feel a bit pressured? In any case, she needs a good therapist to help her work through her psychological issues with singing, and to help her rein in her addictions, and help her love herself enough that she isn't yo-yoing with all the people around her.

Of all the dramas I've seen by this writer, Startup was the most different. So it's always weird to me to see people assume that this will be just like Startup. I still don't think the main point of this drama is a love triangle. (Speaking as someone who hates love triangles.) It's natural for Woo Hak to have developed a bit of interest, but he can clearly see that the other two have some feelings. I think he will learn to deal with his own budding interest and he and Mok Ha will develop a strong sibling-like relationship. I did find it cool how easily Bo Geol owned up to having feelings. Because honestly, if you didn't--why else would you spend 15 years searching every island for this girl? I think he had a crush back in the day--he gave up everything to help her--and I think that he has been her "person" ever since she met him--but she isn't (yet) fully aware of the romantic feelings entangled with her other feelings for him. (But of course that's coming.) There may yet be some clashes and WH may yet throw his hat in the ring if he thinks BG isn't following up on his declaration. But I think that in the end, it will resolve itself without much anguish. Going off of ALL the writer's other dramas, I also don't think the ending will be like 2521. This writer usually sticks the endings and resolves major issues in a logical and satisfying way. I am glad to learn that the old lady isn't Ran Joo looking back on her past, but a confused Alzheimer's patient. (Side note: Moon Sook is incredibly beautiful, regardless of age. Whether playing a character or being her own self, she seems someone with a young spirit who happens to have lived more years than most.) My biggest frustration with a character at this point is with Ran Joo. She really needs some therapy. She's got some damaging views about herself that are hurting not only her, but the relationships with the people around her, whether it's pushing away Mok Ha or letting people treat her badly, like the agency CEO. She needs a chance to deal with her insecurities and become comfortable in her own skin, preferably by working with a therapist who is neutral and supportive. I like the way the island experience is woven into the themes of the drama. At first I thought that 15 years on the island only to be rescued in the first episode or two was a bit weird pacing, but now I see that it's not meant to be the action plot. Instead it's to explain Mok Ha's entire way of looking at the world and dealing with the challenges that ARE the main action plot--ie threats from the boys' dad, as well as her dreams of a peaceful life with music beyond the violent background she came from. I feel relieved by the little epilogue. Even if she didn't know it, BG's promise was to not follow through on what was actually in his Naver search. In the previews it looks like Dad is not stopping with the violence. Perhaps if the statute of limitations has run out for the past abuse, this new stuff will be enough to lock him away? (Plus there is the whole killer wasp incident, if the guy dies--will that be enough to remove him from the scene?)

I've been trying to get all my holiday shopping done early so I can relax and actually enjoy the season. We have a lot of musicians in the family as well as people involved with the educational system, so either we're neck-deep in concerts or preparing for finals. Lately everything came to a screeching halt when one member of our household picked up covid (no idea why he didn't get it when the rest of us had it). He had a light case, but we still wanted to avoid people so we didn't inadvertently kill someone off with a weak immune system, so umm there was a lot of drama watching. Twinkling Watermelon and Castaway Diva are both highly recommended!

It's so good! If you liked Pinocchio or I Hear Your Voice, I'm getting a similar feeling off of this one. (Same writer. No, it's not anything like Startup.) There's a strong family vibe, there are internal moral conflicts (loyalty/safety/integrity), and a lot of great vocals. Highly recommend!

No, the original parents are the mom that we know, and Evil Dad. Together they have two sons. Maybe dad and Kiho went to the island after the chair-whacking incident, when Chao Ho was recovering in the hospital? Evil Dad went alone with Kiho (who kept trying to run away to his mother, if I recall), and no one on the island knew there were more members of the family. (Creepy Dad points this out to Mok Ha in the cafe in today's episode--she doesn't react when he says sonS, so he figures she knows both of them now and knows where they are.) When Mom went to the city office to get help, she said she had two sons she wanted to protect. But she didn't know of any way to cut them all off from Evil Dad without giving away their location. Hence the plan to take on the identity of people around the same ages who had disappeared. (But we know where they are per camera panning, and that they will soon resurface...)

Saw this on Facebook, from user Noona Chronicles, and it was too good not to share Direct link to post:

@haruhi17 Thanks! Wow. That's a weird flip--WooHak all serious and BoGeol smiling. Looking forward to it! (Side note: are light strings a normal part of camping in Korea?? I have never seen such a thing in any other country. In places one would pitch a tent, there is not really anything like electricity. But I see things like this a lot in dramas.)