What Dramas Am I Watching This Week?

So here's what I'm watching this week! Of course the list is split by country and the amount of episodes I've seen so far are written below! There will be spoilers from now on so if you aren't caught to the episode number on list, you might want to go watch that episode and then come back! If you're interested in previous lists, click here and if you want to see a list of my favorite asian OTPs and ships, click here!

KDRAMA

Extraordinary You (12/32): What would you do if you found out that you were, in fact, a character in a comic? And an extra character on top of that? Change the course of the story, obviously! Eun Dan Oh is a 17-year-old high-school student from a wealthy family who suffers from a lifelong heart condition that inevitably means she will not live past her teenage years. However, when Dan Oh realizes she is experiencing long gaps in her memory as well, she comes into the unhappy inheritance of another fact in her life: she is a character in a Korean webtoon and all of her actions are predetermined by the artist who draws her. To make matters worse, she discovers she is only a supporting character in the cast. With her newfound understanding of the world she inhabits, she is determined to find true love in her own plot-line and circumvent the author’s plans for her character by utilizing the flashes of storyboard she alone is able to see.

I CAN'T WITH THIS SHOW ANYMORE! Why is it so perfect??? Okay but seriously this week was so hard to watch, not because it was poorly written but because the angst was so real and my heart broke over and over for Dan Oh! I mean first she though she lost Ha Ru permanently and then she got him back but he didn't know her and that was so hard to watch cause we all adore the sweet perfect angel that is Ha Ru so even his stage persona who was still nice but not our kind of nice was tough to swallow. I had a feeling though that he would remember at some point cause no matter what the writer does, he's not an actual Secret manga character so the rules don't truly apply to him. As it turns out, he and Dan Oh are actually the main leads of a manga called Chinese Trumpet Vine and I have a feeling that something went wrong in that manga the way Squid Fairy kept warning everyone and maybe Dan Oh disappeared so Ha Ru jumped worlds to find her and ended up in Secret which is written by the same author as CTV therefore the characters are drawn the same and say similar lines. What are the chances that Ha Ru remembered both sets of his memories? Having said that, Squid Fairy was 100% the villain of CTV right? He's so sketch with the way he keeps trying to hide the CTV manga and how much he hates Ha Ru and even Kyung as it now seems. I was interested to see how much Kyung changed outside of the stage but it feels like he's still fairly similar though he's clearly a little kinder. Honestly the way he was using Ha Ru was horrible though and I can't help but compare him to Do Hwa who's in the same situation as Kyung only Do Hwa the angel that he is puts Yoo Da's feelings above his own while Kyung knowing that Dan Oh loves Ha Ru is trying his hardest to keep her next to him. I need Do Hwa to be happy in the end cause he's too precious for this world. Also Kyung's stepbrother is 100% aware right? I saw that look at the dinner table!

Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency (12/16): Before Lee Soo became a king, he was an ordinary blacksmith in the countryside. He life suddenly changed at the age of 23. This was when Lee Soo became the King of Joseon. Meanwhile, Lee Soo’s first love is Gae Ddong. He loved her before he took the throne. King Lee Soo wants to marry Gae Ddong, but, because of her humble background, it is virtually impossible. To marry Gae Ddong, Lee Soo hires the Flower Crew Matchmaking Agency. The agency consists of 3 handsome men: Ma Hoon, Do Joon and Go Young Soo and they are the best matchmaking agency in Joseon. King Lee Soo asks the Flower Crew to make Gae Ddong a noblewoman.

I was squealing so much during these two episodes this week cause Gae Ddong and Hoon were just so cute! I loved that he was so scared to admit his feelings for her cause he knows that Soo became King and he's terrified of stealing "The King's Woman" but that ultimately her sweetness overcame his fear and that he ended up choosing to follow his heart. Their kiss this week was so amazing (the second lol not the shocked first) and I loved how jealous he got over other men flirting with her but more than that I'm so glad that he figured out the truth about her brother cause it makes the two of them a team again. On another note I'm officially furious with Soo who literally has no idea what a giant mess he's making! Gae Ddong is smart but she's not devious enough to be able to survive palace politics and it's driving me mad that he doesn't give one shit about whether or not she wants to be with him. Gae Ddong and Hoon are happy living a common enough life but with Soo constantly poking the State Councillor and sneaking out of the palace, he's just putting a target on Gae Ddong's back! I was so afraid that someone would follow Soo and see Gae Ddong and kidnap her right there and I'm afraid that it'll still happen like next week cause we're coming closer to the end of this drama and Gae Ddong is still in the dark about King Soo! On another note my goodness but isn't Ji Hwa the absolute worst? I feel like I say that every week but for once maybe she was just a smidge correct in being angry cause Joon was pretending to be the King but of course she went too far anyway. Her plan is obviously to prove that Gae Ddong isn't Lady Yun but I have a feeling that Lord Yun will step up and help her out somehow.

Leverage (4/16): "Leverage" will tell the story of Lee Tae Joon, an elite insurance investigator turned scam strategist who recruits the best "players" in order to catch the real criminals who think they’re above the law.

The first episode that aired this week was all about Tae Joon and company dealing with what happened with Mirae but the second episode was when all the action went down. The show didn't actually tell us how long the time skip was but if I had to guess I'd say it was at least a year but it's possible that it was a lot less cause Tae Joon didn't really grow much facial hair during that time. I'm really into the con of the week and not only just cause cons get me all excited. The target Young Min is such an asshole and tbh Eui Sung is an idiot for falling for him since it's like so obvious from the first moment you meet him that he's a conman and dude stocks are the most dangerous things to play around with! I still love Na Byul though and I was actually pretty surprised that she acted this time but then again they needed all hands on deck for this one cause Roy got pulled in too. I low key still ship Na Byul and Roy but it's so obvious that if someone does get together it'll be Na Byul and Eui Sung cause of how jealous he was about Na Byul not only spending time with Roy but also Young Min which sucks cause I hate getting second lead syndrome if you can even call it that here. I'm still really curious about this mysterious company that is run by one secretive man and controls a bunch of CEOs. The hometown friend of Tae Joon's that we met this week threw up some red flags for me too but I'm mostly just hoping that he thought Tae Joon was dating a new women rather than running a con but the fact that he's so close with Tae Joon's ex-wife is real weird.

Melting Me Softly (8/16): It’s a story about a man and a woman who participated in a project to be frozen for 24 hours, only to be waken up 20 years later due to a mysterious scheme. Once out of the freeze, the two experience a dangerous side effect from the project wherein they must maintain a core body temperature of 31.5 degrees Celsius (approximately 88.7 degrees Fahrenheit) to survive. Coupled with the warming of their hearts from romantic attraction, they find themselves in a sticky situation. Ma Dong Chan is a star variety show PD, who makes hits out of every show he creates. He decides to personally participate in his show called “Frozen Human Project,” but instead of waking up 24 hours later, 20 years have passed when he opens his eyes. Everyone he knows has aged 20 years, while he has maintained his perfect physique and youth from pre-freeze.

Why oh why don't I ship Dong Chan and Mi Ran?? There's so much wrong with this show that I have to at least find the main couple cute!! At the very least I should say snaps to this show for finally allowing our leads to spend time together and give us reasons to believe that the two are sort of into each other. Dong Chan is a little more possessive and controlling than I would like and no amount of Ji Chang Wook charm can keep be from being a little freaked out by how he's use his power as Mi Ran's boss to control her movements. Maybe it's supposed to be the whole from the 90s thing where that might be cute but I suppose ultimately it matters if Mi Ran hates it and so far it feels like she likes that he's so involved in her life. I do have to say she was a complete idiot for not packing her fever shot before their day trip cause beyond the fact that Dong Chan told her repeatedly to bring it with her at all times, you would think that if you might die if your temperature went up too much that you would worry more about it on your own! The antics after the kiss were all great and I like that Dong Chan basically told Mi Ran that he might be falling for her. I low key like the story of Mi Ran's friend and her ex but not because the ex is anything good (in fact I could live without seeing him) but I felt so bad for the friend who loves the ex but he never loved her. The bonding moment between Dong Chan and his siblings was so sweet and like I'm glad that Mi Ran is finally dressing in the time period so Dong Chan is next!

FINISHED The Gentlemen Of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop (54/54): A family crisis arises when a respected tailor suddenly leaves home.Lee Man Sool is a master tailor who has been trying to preserve the dying art of making custom men’s suits from scratch through his family-owned business, Laurel Tree Tailor Shop, which has been in business for almost 100 years. However, Man Sool one day departs without notice, leaving only a note behind for his wife, Choi Gok Ji; twice-divorced daughter, Lee Dong Sook; Dong Sook’s daughter, Kim Da Jung; and son, Lee Dong Jin. Man Sool knows that his old-fashioned tailor shop is a dying business and asks his family to sell it for him while he is away because he doesn’t have the heart to do it himself. Man Sool’s old apprentice, Bae Sam Do, who now runs a fried chicken business with his wife, Bok Sun Nyeo, is devastated by the news of his old master’s disappearance and wants to return to the tailor shop, but Sun Nyeo is still smarting over his past failed tailor businesses and forbids it. Man Sool’s employees, seamstresses Na Yun Shil and Geum Choon Daek, want to keep the business open until the master tailor’s return, but Yun Shil keeps having bad experiences every time she runs into Dong Jin. When Dong Jin’s wife, Min Hyo Joo, divorces him after he is unseated as the president of her father’s company, Meesa Apparel, by Hyo Joo’s stepbrother, Min Hyo Sang, and stepmother, Han Eun Sook, Dong Jin decides to return to his father’s tailor shop. Meanwhile, Yun Shil’s friend, Kang Tae Yang, is dumped by his longtime girlfriend, television announcer Choi Ji Yeon, while Dong Sook is determined to help washed-up singer Sung Tae Pyung get back on his feet.

As you all know if you follow me, weekend dramas tend to go either way for me cause though I love the cute family stories they tell, most dramas are too stuffed with over-the-top soap opera elements for me to truly enjoy them so when I find those hidden gems, I'm more happy with it. I originally checked this drama out for Jo Yoon Hee who I loved in Pied Piper but ended up falling in love with one of the side couples and stuck around for them and the cute family the Tailor Shop created. Yun Shil and Dong Jin ended up being tied with Sam Do and Sun Nyeo as my least favorite couples in the show cause I started out really enjoying the dynamic between the main couple (and their great chemistry which turned into a real life marriage) but then they devolved into a mess of soap opera shenanigans and Yun Shil kept bending over backwards too many times for me to enjoy. Sam Do and Sun Nyeo just felt waaay too abusive for my taste but I adored Tae Pyung and Dong Sook and the little family they made with Da Jung. I loved that she supported him from the start and that he devoted himself back as soon as he realized his feelings for her. My favorite couple ended up being Tae Yang and Hyo Won which at first I was meh about but then ended up being the absolute cutest couple. I loved their dynamic so much and how adorable Hyo Won was and how much Eun Sook ended up loving Tae Yang. Even the antagonists were well written cause though they did antagonistic things, other than Hyo Joo none of them were truly bad people and I liked seeing their softer sides as the show went on. For once I actually believed a show when they explained how the bad guys became good cause like I said most of them were just selfish or immature so they never truly did that wrong. Overall I'd give this show a 9 / 10!

The Running Mates: Human Rights Volunteer Team (12/16): "Running Investigator" shines light on the lives of those who have their human rights infringed upon from the perspective of an inspector for the Human Rights Commission, who has neither the right to investigate nor prosecute.

This week's case was really horrific being a sexual assault where the culprit was a pedophile. I honestly didn't see the culprit being the pysch doctor cause I totally thought it was the welfare center director like Yoon Seo did cause he was just so skeevy. I know we didn't actually see it but I really hope that the punishments that Yoon Seo asked the HRC for went through cause the director really doesn't deserve to stay in charge. It also really sucks that the girl who helped out so much ended up being imprisoned for kidnapping though I'm sure between Yoon Seo and her detective friend, they'll get her out but my question is that if the child in question is a runaway in the first place is it kidnapping if they leave with someone else? How only do kids need to be until running away is no longer a crime cause no one was worried about the older girl when she ran but the younger one was a cause for alarm. On another note there was a serial killer who was caught and the show kept talking about him over and over making me wonder if there's more to his story. Was he the one who Yoon Seo's dad thought was the criminal in Yoon Jin's case or was it his lawyer cause the detective definitely said something about the first guy they thought was the culprit but he was vague about it cause it was probs a next week issue. As a sidebar it's super weird to watch this show at the same time as Extraordinary You cause one makes me so happy and the other freaks me out.

Vagabond (10/16): Cha Dal Gun becomes an awakened tiger in the face of his nephew’s death in a mysterious plane crash. As an orphan himself, he had raised his nephew singlehandedly in place of his brother who had passed on. Triggered by the large-scale cover-up of the incident, he sets off on a journey to discover the truth. Go Hae Ri is the eldest daughter of a marine who had died during an operation. She has always wanted to be a normal civil servant to support her family, but life had other plans and she ends up as a National Intelligence Service (NIS) agent. Their lives intertwine as they discover a tangled web of corruption behind the plane crash.

You know what's exhausting about this show beyond the fact that the villains ALWAYS seem to be five steps ahead of the heroes? The fact that John & Mark literally controls everything and have their fingers in every pie but Dynamic is pretty much useless and not cause they don't have their own spy network and bribed officials cause they totally do but the fact that they haven't stepped in yet! Like for god's sake we all know that Dynamic and Edward Park aren't good guys and they have a huge stake in what's happening but decided to wait until John & Mark made an official attack to do something? It's damn near too late! I also don't understand the government's stance but honestly it probably totally has to do with the fact that I can't see how John & Mark is the better option for fighter jets. They're so screwed in terms of public opinion that I don't know how the President hasn't cut ties and run. There was an emphasis on beating the opposition party this week though which makes me wonder if maybe the plan will be to join hands with the other party and make him President and have him side with us. On another note the Senior Secretary Yun is so far up his own ass that I want him to be the first one to die above even Jessica and part of me is sitting here listening to him talk about how he runs Korea but like what happens with the current President's term is over? Bye bye power! I also had no doubt that Gang was still alive and somehow faked his own death cause he was the only higher up that was on our side so without him we would have been totally screwed which is why the ending was everything. I'm hoping that since we hit rock bottom this week that from now on we'll be on the climb to victory cause we've only got 3 weeks left to solve this mess!

xoxo Allie