Welcome to my attempt to provoke your laughter as I share what I believe to be some of Dramaland's funniest scenes. To be honest, I may have oversold this, seeing I have kind of a dark and mean sense of humor. As I laugh at the oddest things, and am not really a fan of comedy. I even see comedy as an unnecessary pain that follows my oh so beloved romance, death, corruption and mystery... While at the same time, I dare say I am actually pretty easily entertained, and can probably find humor more or less anywhere.
That being said, this article aims to be a place to just laugh it out. And will hopefully be a safe space where you can share your humor in the comments section. It can also be a good place to visit whenever life makes you feel mad, sad or, I don´t know, whenever life just feels boring in general.
However! Do NOT confuse this place of laughter with a happy place, it is in no way a light and happy space, and it is more of a walk into the dark corners of Dramaland's humor than a happy day in the fluff.
Warning: this article deals with sensitive topics such as death (including suicide) and sex, please proceed with caution. |
Ensuring the emotional balance with color-coded boxes!
As usual with my articles about feelings and emotional reactions, I try to provide tools for readers who want to keep an emotional balance. This because while all emotions and feelings are good, it can become too much laughter, and we all know it could become dangerous if the laughter gets out of hand.
Though I am a big fan of laughter, especially in the face of life's misfortunes, I have done what I can to ensure those who read this article will come out emotionally unharmed. This was done by the addition of easy-to-spot red boxes with things that can infuriate you, as well as green boxes with things that can calm you down. Why both did you (not) ask? Because I can! And because laughter can be tricky to balance out.
But what color would you say fits laughter and humor? Honestly, I do not know, blue for sad, red for mad, and green to calm down are colors that came very naturally to me, but finding a color for humor has proven to be a bit trickier. Therefore, I decided to focus on the darkness within the humor, and chose both dark purple and black for the darker shades of humor, and lighter purple and grey, respectively, for the not-so-dark humor, making it look a bit like this:
All there to help you find the right mindset and keep that all-important balance, making sure you stay grounded at all times. Any text that is #838383 will include some kind of link, to something, it could be anything, but most probably an article, or, I don't know, maybe something Jung Hae In related.
To make it even easier for you to follow the structure of this article, I made this little color-line for the different color-coded sections in this article. It can also help you decide if you want to binge it as a whole, or read one part at a time.
Disclaimer: This article is completely based on my own memory, watch list, googling skills, and sense of humor. Though I have tried to avoid spoilers, Just as Jung Hae In can not completely hide his charm, I can not guarantee that this will be completely spoiler-free, however, I often mention each title before any potential spoilers occur.  Source
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The Dark Side Of Life... or Death? The Joys of Becoming a MotherMy first article ever was co-written with Kie about mothers, and well, becoming a mother may not always be easy, but it makes way for some pretty great, relatable comedy.  As the not-so-perfect parent I am, with a not-so-happy birth story, and a love for coffee, that first episode of Birthcare Center had me laughing and screaming at the screen for the spot-on portrayal of the "joys" of becoming a mother. Yes, exactly! Birth is not always just joy, it can be damn scary and makes you feel like you are losing both yourself, and control over your own life.  
There is also this idea that all women feel an immediate joy after giving birth, that all the pain just magically disappears, and that they instantly fall in love with their child... Even if I personally did not feel any physical pain when my child was taken out, I could certainly relate to the lack of instant joy and instead feeling a whole lot of stress. Watching and listening to Oh Hyun Jin´s (Uhm Ji Won) thoughts felt a lot more relatable than many other portrayals of birth, and though our circumstances were very different, I kept laughing throughout her birth story. 
This was followed by a show of people around her, having opinions about more or less everything she did, both while she was pregnant, and after she had given birth. It was clear that once she became pregnant, her body stopped being her own. In this scene we get to see this woman, who has just given birth, and all she wants is to drink an americano. Though I never got to experience actually looking pregnant when I was pregnant, I could relate to people having opinions about everything a pregnant person does, and it may not be fun to experience, but it was hilarious to watch (yes, I am slightly mean).  
The episodes that followed were just as fun, showing the absurdity in the expectations and making of a good mom. Another drama that portrays the absurd expectations most (mostly) women face, as they mature and become vessels expected to carry a child, is Tonari no Kazoku wa Aoku Mieru, where we learn once and for all to stop asking women when they are going to have kids. It is hard not to laugh as people repetitively pressure the women of the show to become mothers, back to back with scenes of a couple struggling into absurdity, trying to fulfill this demand. |
Death There are not many certainties in life, but there is one thing we all know at some point: we will all die. While for most of us humor could be a way to deal with the fear of death, or the fear of losing the people close to you, Grandma Igna has already lost most of the people close to her. When asked if there is anything she has not done yet but wishes to do, her honest, straightforward answer was, of course, TO DIE... There are very few movies who had me laughing as much as the one about grandma Igna. She (hopefully, for her sake) was a woman who decided to stop helping infants make their way into the world. Why? you may ask. Well, out of pure fear that helping out with births could add years to her oh-so-long life... Yes, Igna was a woman who smiled from ear to ear when she saw her coffin being made. She was feisty, honest, and lovable, all at once, bringing so much warmth and laughter to the viewers. Igna, I love you! 
Source Warning! Potentially triggering gifs ahead! Suicide In Definitely Not Today we get to see this guy whose only wish is a dignified death, preferably on the date of his choice. He has really done his homework, picked a date, showed up all prepared, but… 
Someone keeps getting in his way...  Telling him his death day is Definitely Not Today...  And me - while a part of me can feel his pain, and understands that this is not a laughing matter at all - the way this is made is just so brilliant, and I dare say a pretty good way to deal with this very dark, relatable, and serious issue through humor and yes, I loved it, I loved it, I loved it. |
DoomThe White truck of doom or, as I like to call it, Truckey, has brought about many deaths in Dramaland, mostly K-Dramaland, but also C-Dramaland, and I am sure in other countries of origin as well. It has become a lovable icon for doom and destruction, so much so that I can not help but get all hopeful and slightly sadistic whenever I see a truck appear on screen. I dare say I have started to feel starstruck, excited and maybe just a little bit scared whenever I see a truck outside.  
Any drama watcher who sees these pictures will most probably instantly know the black car in the middle is most definitely in trouble with not only 1, 2, 3 but 4 dooms around it... No matter what actually happens - the sheer view of these trucks is bound to get a chuckle or two, or maybe it is just me who is laughing... well, that works too... Pictures taken from Inspector Koo I know that you may be thinking this refers to Truckey again, but no, it refers to the drama named after it, nee, just kidding, it refers to the great drama where Doom (Seo In Guk) met Doom (Truckey) while the girl who cried Doom (Park Bo Young)... |
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| Was in front of Doom... |
This drama is lovingly cluttered with classical Park Bo Young speedy speeches and some of the best terminally-ill humor out there. The show started off with a girl named Dong Kyong (the girl who cried Doom) and her visit to the doctor's office, where she learned she had a pretty big tumor, that was most probably bound to kill her. Some would think that a person in this state may ask treatment for this tumor, or, I do not know, decide to do something fun with the limited time she has left. This girl is, however, shown as she refuses to get a biopsy due to lack of vacation days. "I just took out some vacation so can't take a week off work..." I just love each of their mimic here, the doctor's reaction, her way of reasoning, all of it. It was oddly relatable, funny, and a great start to this drama that had me laughing and crying at once. |
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Do you need a break to check on your emotional balance, or have I failed to make you laugh?Take a moment to count to 15 while you appreciate IU and Ryu Joon Yeol´s smiles
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Take a moment to think about the characters Baek Hyun Jin has played... If you have not seen him, try to think of the most evil, mean, disgusting piece of ***** character out there, and imagine that person knocking on your door.  
Pic Sources: 1, 2 |
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On top of the Pyramid - The 9 P's of Power Politics, People, Power, Punches, and some Pretty Privileged Parents Paving for their P'kids. Korea has given us an enormous amount of funny scenes about things that start with the letter P - enough to make an article of its own, with all types of angles. Though the words social satire do not include the letter P, unless you purposely name it "People Papire" just to get in some P's (sorry, that would be really lame, and not very correct), here are some of my personal favorites. Where should we start? The Pyramid Warning! Slight spoilers ahead for SKY Castle Few dramas will have you laughing as much over the injustice brought by the will to stay on top of the pyramid, and no one loves the pyramid as much as Cha Min Hyuk (Kim Byung Chul), who will not only go to great lengths to stay/get to the top of the pyramid, but he will also sacrifice his own family for it, just to keep an actual pyramid with him, giving life and personality to the pyramid, and making sure I will never be able to look at a pyramid again without a smile or slight laughter.
The little Pyramid... That scared the *** out of the kids...
  
Until it got thrown out...  But then it got an older sibling... and I laughed... and laughed... and laughed... (but felt bad for the boys)
Pictures sources: 1, 2, 3 |
Politics and Punches Politics may not sound like much fun, but once the corrupt, evil politicians of Dramaland get together, they make way for some pretty hilarious scenes.
Warning! Potential spoilers for Snowdrop The first thought, for many, when I mention the title Snowdrop, will probably not be funny, but rather "yay! Jung Hae In", maybe "controversy" (I am not going to get into that), Kim Ji Soo, "tearjerker", "old", and "suspense". All thoughts would, of course, be valid, but none very funny. However, the amount of dark humor in this show had me biting my nails while choking on some pretty unsettling laughter as I watched these evil, evil (mostly) men, abusing their power, and stopping at literally nothing to stay there. Hey, what are a bunch of students' lives, if we can use this to enrage the people against the North... Truth? Nope, we make it up as we go along to fit our needs, regardless of them being our friends, allies, or enemies... It is important to be flexible and change one's mind once, or twice a day... All perfectly hilarious, and greatly built up until this gorgeous punch (I doubled it up just to make sure you get to properly enjoy it), 
Major Spoiler below...
However the funniest scene in Snowdrop was probably the one when Officer Lee Kang Moo (Jang Seung Jo) escaped from the dorm, just to be chased back in by his own people outside...  |
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Politics and Paving Parents Melancholia is a drama that shows powerful people doing all in their power to stay in power, not only for themselves, but also paving the way by stepping over other kids and less powerful people alike, in order to ensure the next generation can similarly pave their way by stepping over others, and take over the power... This is done by gracefully giving the rich kids all the answers to the tests, and (well) framing anyone who tries to stand in their way, or is (actually) smart enough on their own. Now, we would not want any of those smart lowlifes around, it is just not fair for all those kids who have the money to pay for their grades, I mean it is not their fault they are not as smart as the other kids.
Will someone please think of the 1%? These may not have been the words Noh Jung Ah, Aseong High School affairs director (Jin Kyung), used, but it was very clear that this was what she meant. The rich kids there believed it was their right as rich kids to get ahead of the poor, but smart kids. It is not their fault they are not smart enough to succeed on their own. And I laughed, and laughed, and laughed... Yes, I am still laughing... How someone could say those words with a straight face is just so astonishing to me. Jin Kyung is an amazing actress, hats off to her, this character, and the writer who had her say that specific line. |
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Time to take a break and look into your emotional balance ... pick your color or move on for more humor...
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Repetitiveness and cruelness in dramas There is something special about hearing the same line repeated over and over again. You may not react to it at first, but after hearing the same words over and over again, you are bound to either get bored with them, or find yourself laughing - I am the one who laughs...
Same thing over and over again... If you have seen this drama, I am sure you know exactly what I am about to write. If you have not watched it yet, this will probably not spoil the plot for you, but if you are lucky, it may just make you notice this repetitiveness earlier on, thus speeding up the time it takes to make you laugh like I did. There might have been strange situations, even chaos around Private An Jun Ho (Jung Hae In), but whenever he was supposed to say his name, it was as if someone pressed a reset button, and it all started over again. Sometimes he could say his name 5 times in a row... And though the surrounding circumstances may be as cold and dark as the bottom of the ocean, I could not help but laugh. 
Threatening to remove facial parts... I started noticing people use the removal of facial parts as a threat while watching Sky Castle, after that I noticed that this type of threat is actually present in a lot of other dramas. and has probably been used by many people way before Seo Jin/Kwak Mi Hyang (Yeom Jung Ah) used it. The first time I heard someone threaten to remove facial parts I didn't react to it at all, it actually felt a little bit gross and slightly graphic, and dare I say odd? Why would anyone threaten to remove facial parts? Can they actually do that? But then Seo Jin entered my life and changed all that, as she repeatedly threatened the people around her, letting me hear and read the words: "Shall I rip your lips off"over and over again... 
Since then, whenever I hear someone threaten to remove a part of a person's face, I can not help but laugh. |
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They are fighting, but I can not stop laughing... I would like to say that, as a former peace activist, parent, and trained kindergarten teacher, that I am actually a big fan of peace, and do believe violence is rarely the answer. However, when watching dramas, I find myself acting a bit like Akoi Sako (Kitamura Takumi ) from Tonari no Kazoku wa Aoku Mieru, who rather encourages the fight, as it is entertaining for him: 
Nana (Fukada Kyoko) on the other hand is more like who I am in real life... There are actually quite a lot of funny scenes in this series, some more mature than others, and most being of the kinder type, but this scene is probably the one that had me laughing the most. I think it was because this scene is the embodiement of the two sides of my personality. The peace-loving mother embodied by Nana, confronting my less pacifistic side who can enjoy watching a good fight embodied by Sako.
The K2 is probably THE place to look, if you want to laugh it out as others fight it out, having A LOT of funny fight scenes. The (dare I say) not-so-huge, but fairly muscular, and limber K2 (Ji Chang Wook) takes on group fight after group fight, with the ratio of about 99 gangsters to 1 strong K2. This without getting harmed, he is even ready to take on the next group of thugs. All while the girls in and outside the drama longingly say "K-toooo" with hearts in their eyes... However there is one fight that beats them all (pun intended), and has me laughing till this day (over a year after seeing it). Un/fortunately (depends on how you see it), it is prohibited to show naked men, blurred or not, in articles on MDL, so I will leave you with a bunch of wet feet and your imagination... 
*You can also watch the drama , or google The K2 naked shower scene. The next funny fight-scene is from My Name, it may be considered a spoiler, and is a bit bloody!
This drama is packed with blood, pain, blood, and more or less bloody fights, as I watched Yoon Ji Woo (Han So Hee) while she was using her compact 1,65 meters (5,4 feet) short/tall body to fight off a couple of fleets of gangsters, I was mostly thinking "wooow she is so cool". However, one scene cracked me up: as she had fought off a whole army of big strong men with knives, she had seriously cluttered a whole hallway with bloody men, piling up on the floor. When I thought she had finally made it through this long, long hall of big strong men, who did she meet? This tiny, little, cute, slightly older guy. A man who would easily be mistaken as a regular office worker, but was coming at her like lightning, and then more or less kicked her ass... with his short, short legs and one hell of a spin-kick that would put any figure skater making a Triple Lutz to shame.
Tripple Lutz:
Office guy at the end of the hall...  And then there are the boys in Bad Buddy who kept me wondering: are these boys wannabe gangsters? Or are they students? Though this drama is actually pretty good, the fight scenes were so bad they were funny. |
Sometimes People are Mean, But In a Cute Way.... Like this scene from Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo where our cold and slightly (okay, not slightly, but at times very) cruel male lead catches this damsel in distress...
Just to shove her off the horse, and onto the ground.
The difference between what we would normally expect, and what is done in this scene has me laughing every time...
Another cold, slightly cruel male lead is found in A Love So Beautiful (2017). The first time I saw this drama, I kept wondering why he was so mean. I still fell for them, but the first couple of episodes I was mostly mad. However all was forgotten later on, as it was replaced with a drunken speech and some cute heart fluttering fluff-scenes. I can not remember laughing so much during the drama, but then came: A Love So Beautiful Special and my oh my! how I laughed as I listened to Jiang Chen (Hu Yi Tian) tell us his side of the same story! Cold, straightforward, raw thoughts that where just so spot on, and so different than the ones we had seen in the drama. I almost peed from laughter. I am actually not really a fan of seeing people being pranked on- or off-screen, but when the butler (Takahashi Katsumi) and the grandmother (Mita Yoshiko) pranked Issei (Maeda Gordon) in Promise Cinderella, I could not help but fall in love with both them, and the show.  And then we have the scene who made way for my username on MDL for its great use of the word: Shiro("I do not want to" in Korean) When Bong Soon (Park Bo Young) in Strong Woman Do Bong Soon gets tired of being bullied by Oh Dol Pyu (Kim Won Hae) and ever so slightly traps him in a corner... Remember: whenever the text is "I don't want to" the sound is: Shiro |
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Have you started laughing yet? If not skip this, and go to the next purple box, however if your laughter is getting out of hand, take a break before you move on to the next couple of scenes.Title not available in your region, but we are working on...  |
Look at Jung Hae In and click on this google search of his "Smile" to calm down... or get exited, but you will probably not laugh... |
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And then there are those scenes that have me laughing without having to be that dark...Even though it may seem like someone has to be injured or die for me to laugh, it does actually occasionally happen that I find myself laughing at the lighter side of life. It's rare, but it does happen, I promise, or at least I think I do... Below are just a few lighter examples, to end this article on a slightly fluffier note.
Let's talk about SexSex is one of those subjects that can easily make people uncomfortable, but is, more often than not, pretty entertaining if done right. While wrapping this article up I had just started watching The One and Only, when I saw this scene of one of the nuns in the hospice, where this drama takes place. I could not help but laugh as I saw her happily explaining how the head nun got a hold of the property for an affordable sum of money. That on its own is pretty entertaining, but what had me laughing even louder was the part where she just casually remembered that a previous owner died while having sex, as if that was the most natural thing to say. 
"Ah! Death While having sex!" |
 "And so Sister Magdalena bought this place for that had long been empty for dirt cheap" |
I admit that, had I heard those words from the lead, a cop or a doctor, my laughter would not have been as loud, but hearing those words from this sweet, tiny, innocent-looking nun cracked me up, and I liked it. Okay, this one was a bit dark... and included death… but I promise there are scenes without death and pain that made me laugh, I just have to dig a bit deeper to find them.
Other than nuns talking about sex, seeing grandparents and parents acting casually about sex, relations and potential partners can also be pretty funny. The Granny in Promise Cinderella is a lot of fun, and has a pretty so-called "dirty mouth" now and then, reminding me a bit of The Golden Girls (American sitcom from the 1990's), but better, and in Japanese.  
In Love and Leashes there is quite a bit of sex talk, not much sex though, and a lot of great consensual humor, but what started me laughing in this very sexual movie was the scene where Ji woo (Seo Hyun) is looking in through the window to a sex accessory shop, when her mother (Baek Hyun Joo) casually asks her if she wants to go in, and offers very playfully to buy something for her.
Speaking of this movie, it is really good and funny, so if you enjoy some consensual sexual humor, do go and watch it. No piece on humor and sex would feel complete without Im Eun Sub (Seo Kang Joon) and Mok Hae Won's (Park Min Young) book dropping scene from When the Weather Is Fine, another one of those great scenes where sex and consent are involved. Yes, I love consent I really, really do!
I may or may not have mentioned this in previous articles... (I have, I really have). As Eun Sub casually asks Hae Won if he wants to sleep with her, he casually drops his books and asks, "what did you say?", picks up the books, she says it again, and well, he drops them again, and the rest.. well is up to our imagination.  What do we do when there is no consent, is it okay to laugh about people being sexually assaulted?
This is really a complicated and sensitive subject. However in my opinion it is NEVER okay to laugh at the victims. There are very few movies and dramas, who manage to incorporate the theme of sexual assault with humor and comedy that actually feels okay. One that actually manages to incorporate some pretty funny humor while dealing with the issue of sexual assault is: Call It What You Want, when Marco (Daniel Cheng Yu Chang) uses these really bad daddy jokes to lighten the mood, while helping out a victim of sexual assault as he whisks the victim away, "Go to the sea, get some vitamin C". I know it is a really really bad joke, but believe it or not, here I am, still laughing! |
Some honorable mentions, just because I love them!The time Kim Bok Joo (Lee Sung Kyung) chose seagulls over Juun Joon Hyung (Nam Joo Hyuk) in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo, yes, I have mentioned this scene in at least two previous articles (20 shades and NJH-fanguide), but I do not care - that is how funny it is!  |
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| Bok Joo choosing seagulls over Joon Hyung
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However considering she was used a shield...
I can not really blame her for making that choice... But I am not really a fan of seagulls...
And he had changed a lot since then...
Oh, and have you seen his face
And abs, I know she has... The time Mr. Queen (Shin Hye Sun) danced in the rain to the imaginary sound of fast modern music, while the king (Kim Jung Hyun) is shown looking at her in slow motion to the sound of classical music... also mentioned in at least one previous article (crossdressing). The contrast between the two has gotten me to re-watch this scene over and over again, i have shown it to my kid, to my husband, on social media... and I dare say it is a good lesson about the truly impossible task of knowing what another person is thinking.
It is also accompanied by some pretty important/powerful/relatable/funny lines... 
If you do not want to watch the whole drama, you can just watch the rain scene HERE. Last, but not least, I would like to mention the presence of Greg Hsu, whose face showed up seemingly out of nowhere in Rainless Love in A Godless Land, revealing himself to Xie Tian Di (Joanne Tseng), a woman who is close to me in age and maturity, as she is fangirling over Greg Hsu, I do not really know what the exact reason was, but it had me laughing over and over again. Was it because I could relate to her? Was it envy? Was it just the contrast between how she is otherwise portrayed? or was I just really happy to see Greg Hsu? I do not know, but I truly enjoyed it. I even learned that I am what some would consider a Greg's Babe. How cool is that! Who said Dramas don’t teach us important life lessons? Imagine a life without knowing what a Greg's Babe is? That would just be tragic!
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Time to say goodbye...
We have now come to the point where we stop laughing, and get back to reality. Be it blue, red, green, dark purple, not so dark purple, fluffy, light or any combination of colors... I do hope you had fun reading about these scenes, and that I did manage to get you to laugh at least once... It would be pretty sad if I turned out to be the only one laughing...
This concludes this article about laughter, though there is plenty more to write about, all articles must come to that point when it would be nothing less than a miracle if people continued to read them, and well I think this is it... I hope to see you leave me a little heart on the top, and would love to read your thoughts about well, laughter, writing, dramas, puppies, umbrellas, trucks, me, you, hoodies, Greg Hsu...I am not very picky, but, please, just do not be mean!
So till next time.... let's just bite an apple!
Gif from Baker Boys
Credits: I do not own any of the images used. Credits go to the respective owners. Images are from drama screenshots, MDL, and Google searches. Gifs and Screenshots are either taken/made by me, from the drama scenes, or have a direct link to their source under them. All sources outside my memory are linked to as well. Special thanks to Anquat, AnaTechWr, and the editors for all your help! |
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P.S. If you are in need of a mood change after this, you may want to check out:
Oh we almost forgot to add the fluff! Here is a parade, probably placed there to make sure the young impressionable minds watching this drama do not get exposed to any harm. It would just be terrible if they got a glimpse of two consenting adults kissing. OH THE HORROR! But this way it gets that extra fluff, and fluffunny it is!
A link to the Drama page from where this was made can be found inside the gif
Edited by: SumiTheCat (1st editor)
evil
dark humor
laughter
social satire
corruption
Screenwriter-Director Pairings: Kim Eun and Ahn Pan Seok
