[K-Drama] Well Done, but Not Very Re-Watchable.

Very engaging to watch, with great atmosphere, quite good characters, thrills, suspense, fast and tight plotting--but ultimately disappointing.

Throughout the show, I was convinced the whole thing will turn out to be an elaborate session of experimental therapy--like SHUTTER ISLAND with time travel, or some type of BLACK MIRROR scenario. There were so many plot holes, false or overly melodramatic notes that took me out of immersion, and a ridiculous lack of procedure for a police procedural-related story. All of which I forgave, thinking these are just hints that everyone is actually in some VR dream chamber getting forcibly rehabilitated.

And the ending turned out to be........... the cafe owner was the secret manipulator who was the mastermind time traveler who did it purely for fun while he used the repeated time to illegally test his pharmaceuticals.

Pros: an FL you can root for. She's strong without having to force it in anyone's face, calm and self-controlled, intelligent, resourceful, with firm convictions and a sense of who she is and what she is capable of. A decent ML to be her partner, low-key charming, brave, smart, and trustworthy. In fact, all the characters are quite well done, sufficient to evoke curiosity about their background stories and how they really died. And atmosphere, atmosphere, atmosphere.

Cons: The foundation of the story cannot handle serious scrutiny. The time travel doesn't make sense, it's handwavy and everyone takes it for granted (way too easily!), and we the viewers are supposed to, as well. The psychology of the killer doesn't make solid psychological sense. To enjoy it, shut off the brain and just go with it.

Despite the flaws though, I really enjoyed the journey, and can see why it has rave reviews. It is overall, quite a well done show. Recommended!

20 years ago, 1ML Dong-Sik's sister vanished, seemingly murdered, and he was suspected. Years later, 1ML and 2ML returns to the small town, suspect each other of being evil-doers while a similar murder seem to occur again.

In the first half, they discover the serial killer hiding in their midst. Second half is all about unraveling the conspiracy that hid the 1ML sister's murder years ago. Turns out 2ML's dad ran her over and killed her then left the scene, then 1ML's friend ran over her again by accident and his mom a council woman called the 3rd man--thug-turned-construction mogul--to take the body away.

I kind of dislike how suspicion is thrown upon literally everyone, causing some characters to over-act to imply their potential evil, only to eventually be revealed as just having their own non-evil secrets. Also dislike how the only woman in the conspiracy is the only one obsessed with her son, pfft.

Overall, the first half was more engaging, while second half it started to lose touch with reality due to all the layers of schemes and coincidences and cover-ups.

Prosecutor quit from corruption in the prosecution office to become super strict law professor. Then the originally corrupt prosecutor got killed, with LP and several students being good candidate for suspicions. LP uses opportunity to investigate, eventually leading to the ultra-corrupt Assemblyman Ko being taken down for abuse of power.

An engaging story with multiple parts and challenges to overcome, most of the characters are well rounded and have their own thoughts and motivation, like real humans. However, the villains--Ko and his domestic abusive son--are one dimensional straight-up violent, corrupt, and evil.

I'm a bit tired of police /political corruption storylines in kdrama. Is this how Korean ppl perceive their own country, or it's because they actually mostly trust their system enough to be able to watch corruption as entertainment? Regardless, corruption is presented so one dimensionally. Anyone in any type of high power position--be it politics, police force, prosecution, chaebols--must inevitably be bad people, abuse their power, and are straight up evil humans engaged in all kinds of shenanigans behind the scenes. This isn't true to real life. People have multiple sides, and even so-called bad people have perspectives that makes sense in light of their upbringing and personality, and given the roles they fulfill. And sometimes, their perspectives only SEEM harsh or evil from one side, yet from another side it might have validity and are good actions. Apart from STRANGER, Kdrama has fallen on the side of the simplistic good vs. evil.

Jeong-won gathers his 4 close friends from medical school (two sets of childhood friends + the one female member) to work in his family's teaching hospital. They are all at the top of their professions, and their services are now available to the hospital's VIP services, which in turn funds Jeong-won's secret medical charity. Tedding bear requests they must form a band and meet up regularly to practice and perform, hence "hospital playlist."

It's supposed to be super heart-warming, slice-of-life, featuring patients, medical procedures, relationship with residents/interns, with backbone being the five's low-key but firm friendship.

I mostly enjoyed it, and there are touching moments, but it didn't *particularly* warm my heart. Mainly, I really appreciated how mature these main five are, they are all 40 years old and handle their lives with the competence and grace that you can expect of people my age, with their intelligence and experience. All the romance left me COLD xD I shipped no one, but as an observation on hospital life and their friendship, I was fully engaged.

It's essentially the exact same show as season 1. I think it's meant to be one season of 24 episodes, but just happened to get split into 2 for broadcast reasons or due to covid.

In this season, lots of storylines play out and resolve. The friendship remains solid but, by the end, it is clear that their ability to get-together regularly is coming to an end. Every one has become part of a couple--teddy bear with his resident, grumpy cold dude with Ik-jun's sister, Jeong-won with the resident who crushed on him for forever, Ik-Jun with Song-hwa, the one female in the group. Jeong-won is also leaving to go to US for 1 year with his gf to research small bowel surgeries. So the band will be breaking up soon, and therefore "hospital playlist" is coming to an end, at a good pause spot even though the characters' lives will go on, of course.

I enjoyed this season similar to the first, with slightly less interest in the medical procedures and not shipping the couples at all (none of them had any romantic chemistry, if you ask me), but as slice of hospital life plus relationships and their solid friendship, it's engaging and I did not waste my time by watching it!

Very action-oriented revenge story. FL's dad was a gangster who died at their doorstep when she was in high school. She goes to his gang leader who raised her to fight and survive, then send her to be undercover in the police force. As a detective, she discovers her dad was actually a police going undercover as gangster, and was killed by her pseudo-dad/gang leader.

Well done, but not my type of show, so I watched the later half via youtube reaction videos lol.

A feel-good-heartwarming drama where the feel-good and heartwarming doesn't exist until more than 8 episodes in. The first half is EXTREMELY SLOW and frustrating as FL is unable to open up or be vulnerable to communicate ANY real thoughts to ML, and ML is closed off in his own way, seemingly having zero ambition or desires of his own apart from to be with FL, or be mad at her for not staying with him.

Things pick up in the second half, gets better in the last 3rd, and the final 2 episodes are positively heartfelt and moving and sweet. Everyone explores their own pain and all decides to open up /confront /communicate, and as result find fresh sources of vitality and potential blooming into their lives.

I like how ML and FL basically have no real conflict once they got together. They're just a very cozy couple who likes to do laid-back couple things together. As characters they are well developed and stay true to who they are meant to be.

Overall, the first half is a 6, and the second half is 8, so this is a 7.5 for me.

Brokering marriage as brokering power, completely unsentimental and absolutely not about love. Reminiscent of 18th century court intrigue, with the same opulent society, secret dealings, reputations to protect, going even so far as blackmail and murder.

What I really enjoy is how all the women are power players, whether they have justice on their side, or coldhearted desire for money /influence power, or vengeance, or sociopathy. I find this refreshing! All women have played this game back in the day, the marriage mart was indeed a battlefield, with sentiment only of secondary importance. The men are haplessly caught up in the women's powerplay, reactive and reactionary. They are chess pieces to be played, or worked around, or used as leverage.

I didn't watch this for the romance, so it didn't matter to me that the romance is very laid-back and barely developed. The political maneuvering was completely absorbing, until the last two episodes went into paroxysms of melodrama, then quickly drew to a close, with all the bad people punished (except the marriage broker herself) and all the good people avenged, and the central couple married, very modernly, each with a teenaged child from previous marriages.

For this, I take away 0.5 STARS. Still a pretty fun ride though xD

Unique story—unusual world building, quirky heroine and ML, relationships that are inexplicable and definitely not predictable—but with scattered plot and never seem to quite come together.

Now, I've read some sources and cobbled together some coherence, which is this story is (1) deliberately surrealist, and (2) have symbolic meaning that I don't see easily due to lacking an Fi-understanding of the world. All the "troubles" the students experience symbolize their alienation and difference from "normal" society. FL also doesn't/can't conform to society (neurodivergent?), symbolized by her power to see the world in a different way. She bears it with torment but a strong sense of duty. However, as she meet other people with power who only benefit themselves, while her attempts to save students sometimes go nowhere or make things worse, she starts to lose faith in the usefulness of her power. If it isn't even useful, why suffer the pain of having her power? So she loses her power at the end of Ep 5.

Viewed under this lens, the two factions fighting to control the breathing hole under the school is a plot McGuffin, while the true story is her losing her sense of purpose and then, in that SINGLE scene where she held ML's hand in the depth of fear/despair and with his help (by being there for her emotionally and also by being a literal source of power), regains it. And the giant heart jelly leaves her/the breathing hole. The inexplicable time jump in the last 10 min especially supports this idea, bc once she recognized the usefulness of her power again, the actual process of clearing out jellies doesn't matter, we can assume FL did it with ML's help, and she's back to living her life of purpose and duty.

ML has crush on FL, whose BF (ML2) is cheating on her with FL2.  ML reveals this to FL, supports her and she slowly falling for him. They get together and are happy. She then transfers to Europe for her career; they tried long distance but she broke up with him "for his own good" and really hurt him. Last two episodes, FL returns bc she misses ML, woos him, and they get married.

Plot isn't new, but the characters are--ML/FL are imperfect. He is too sure that he could do everything for love; put FL into an unbearable situation to break her up; gave his all then gets deeply hurt and is scared to love again (got convinced back way too easily tho, should've taken more than her just being really nice to him). FL really loved ML2 so rejects ML thoroughly, then tries to maintain friend distance, then falls for him, then does that trope of planning to go far away without discussing with him. But they remain genuinely decent people who are trying their best.

In fact, all the characters are like real people instead of tired tropes--FL2 is fierce & fights for what she wants, fails to keep ML2, but grows & gets over him, goes back into photography career. ML2 "sold" himself in high school to the chaebol grandson to repay his crappy father's nonstop debt, considered himself their dog who must do whatever they ask--forgetting that the chaebol grandson said at their transaction, "I don't need a dog, but I would like to make a friend." ML's sister found out her boring marriage was because her husband was in the closet the whole time they were together, and chose to stay married with him until he is ready to face his sexuality. Some genuinely socially advanced topics being explored here??

I also notice, all the women have agency in their lives, in their romantic relationships, friendships, family relationships. Overall I enjoyed it!

Female power! And IT. I feel like this is a theme in current kdrama, but I'm here for it!

Hard to watch in a good way, because you get so invested in each character, each of whom inevitably gets killed in various creatively horrifying ways. No one is fully good, no one to truly root for, and yet every single one so very undeniably human.

A feel-good story.

FL wins out by being EXTREMELY hardworking, sincere, with a wish to be an entrepreneur. ML is a freaking genius who will support her goal, also helped by her goal, to start a real company.

2ML is already-established angel investor who had a long and complicated relationship with FL--her grandmother used his name to write secret love letters to FL, in order to boost her self-esteem--and he also had a secret crush for years, but even now cannot reveal his feelings to her directly, until everything was too late.

Manage the balance between business-workplace storylines vs. emotional relationship storylines quite well.

Excellent plotting, police corruption. No romance, but strong friendship and trust between ML and FL.

ML is super intelligent prosecutor who has his ability to feel emotions *handwave handwave* surgically suppressed as a way to control anger and tendency toward violence. He is very principled though to seek truth and justice, and offends his colleagues and boss. FL is a cop who instantly sees through to his heart, and they trust each other and help each other even though their two organizations mutually distrust and fight for power, and actively schemes to undermine the two leads.

Story reveals one giant conspiracy, where the ML's boss is seemingly the corruption at the center. However, he reveals himself to be almost a deep  undercover agent, gives ML/FL all the evidence of corruption he gathered over the years as his FIL's political pawn, then commits suicide. All the bad things bust open, ML is sent far away, demoted, for being a too-sharp knife that one should put away unless needed.

So much fun!

The main leads are returned from being dead with special powers to hunt demons (evil souls who escaped from their punishment and can take over living people who negative emotions or evil intentions).

A coming-of-age story for the young ML, who uncovers the conspiracy of his parents' death, but every main character has their own issues and a story arc.

Good production, well-acted, tight plotting, excellent special effects.