Watching Korean dramas is one of my most dependable escape routes, but I have not been very happy with my selection lately.
I think the last K-drama I finished before starting my latest batch was Hotel del Luna (starring one of my girlcrushes
Lee Ji Eun (IU) and
Yeo Jin Goo) which was something of 2019. I enjoyed the first half very much; the slow start built momentum as mysteries were laid down and relationships bloomed. It's just that I walk away also feeling slightly disappointed that the core issue was resolved by leaving a bitter aftertaste. I was waiting to get slapped, but the dynamic had gone down the slope before reaching the heights that I expected. I couldn't feel the relief because I didn't see if the characters were truly relieved (and didn't understand
why they feel relieved with just that). And then we ran out of time. Despite everything, the ensemble is endearing and the soundtracks are charming. It's my favorite performance of IU as an actress so far (since I don't watch My Ahjussi). I'd say it's still a story worth wasting your time for if you don't mind a little horror on your screen.
I remember that I was looking forward to
The King: Eternal Monarch after Hotel ended because of its interesting premise and cast. While waiting, I randomly clicked on
Find Me in Your Memory which sounded amazingly bland on paper but filled with synergy in actuality. The tone, the atmosphere, the soundtracks, the characters, their interactions and dialogues, their inner fights and silly tries blended harmoniously together. Such a pleasing first-time meeting with stars
Kim Dong Wook and
Moon Ga Young. And then the second half happened where it feels like the writer wasn't entirely sure about how to end the story. Have you tried imagining what happened after the time skip without the time skip and separation issue? What do you think would happen if the main couple thinks a little like the secondary couple? It would fit the title much better: as the heroine finds herself in the hero's memory of the past, the hero finds himself in the heroine's perception of present time. They storm through the hurdles while holding onto each other and their memories, as painful as they are. Several online comments claimed that the last episode's beauty justified the lack of logic; I wish I could look at things as simple as that. The wasted potentials hurt me so.
Talking about wasted potentials, nothing screams the phrase better than
The King: Eternal Monarch. The drama goes from being one I wait with excitement into something-so-bad-that-it-is-so-good in a negative way. How much I wish I could pinpoint one culprit for this subpar product. Sometimes one element saves others like with those I mentioned above, but this drama seems like a mistake of various layers. Ultimately, we are left with a show that doesn't seem to have a logic of its own, and if that isn't the lowest point of storytelling, what is? I am not even going to complain about the parallel universe theory or time travel possibilities when the production team can show a king grows old in 25 years but not his attendants, or not show me exactly what the hero and heroine like from each other, or not tell me one good reason why I should be scared of the antagonists ten episodes in! It's not only a waste of
Lee Min Ho and
Kim Go Eun as leads (especially when the latter is another one of my girlcrushes), but of every element involved in this project.
One extra interesting reason (which probably only applies to me) is how the romantic points used remind me of
the writer's previous project so much: the poem, the falling autumn leaves, and the brown coat. They are very minor, you see, but when nothing else anchors me to the current story, how can I tell my brain not to wander around?
I am probably using my head too much while watching these shows. Above all, that's because I sincerely want to understand the story after suspending my concept of reality to a certain limit. I will just stick to the easy, raw, slice-of-life style of
Hospital Playlist for now, which I believe can steal heart just from one short clip like this.
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