The Guide
♥ = Love it! Watch it!
♥ = So-so start. Might get better. Might get worse.
♥ = Bleh. Hate it!
♥ Cheese in the Trap
Tag Line: She's the cheese. He's the trap. Or, is it the other way around? Hmm.
Thoughts: I'm sure I have some but I can't seem to find any right at this moment. The first two episodes were slow and somewhat underwhelming. I'll write more after next week's episodes air and see if I can produce some worthwhile first impressions.
♥ Come Back, Mister
Tag Line: They died. They came back... with a twist.
Thoughts: Arguably, this is one of the February drama launches about which I was the most curious. I like Rain. I think he's a phenomenal entertainer. But his last acting gig was a total crash-and-burn affair (See: She's So Loveable). This time around I was hoping for something smarter with a better cast. My wish was granted with the better cast. Kim Su Ro, Kim In Kwon, Lee Min Jung, Oh Yeon So, Honey Lee, and Choi Won Young are all talented actors and stars in and of themselves. The smarter script? Based off a Japanese novel, the story focuses around two recently deceased men that decide to bail on the trip to Heaven in order to return to Earth and take care of unfinished business. But there's a catch. Han Gi Tak (Kim Su Ro) finds himself in the body of a beautiful woman (Oh Yeon So) and Kim Young Soo (Kim in Kwon) wakes up as a handsome man with an impeccable physique (Rain). They can't reveal their true identities and they can't exact any revenge. This is promising and there have definitely been smart "moments." The biggest flaw with the first few episodes is that they feel like a drama written for Rain's muscles and rely heavily on physical comedy. Normally, I like both of these things but in this instance it is overpowering other aspects of the production. There are fleeting moments of real connection and emotion between some of the characters and when they show up they are powerful. I even shed a few tears. It just isn't coming together as a total package (no pun intended...seriously). All that said, I'm not giving up hope!! There are signs that the "unfinished business" of these two men are beginning to merge into a joint venture and that should unify the elements of this series that currently feel disjointed. Let's wait and see where this all goes... Yellow for now.
♥ Descendants of the Sun
Tag Line: He's a soldier. She's a doctor. Can they find love in a foreign land?
Thoughts: Song Joong Ki headlines this series as his first job out of the military. Oddly enough, he's playing the role of a soldier. Yoo Shi Jin (Song Joong Ki) is the commander of a special forces unit that has been sent to the made-up land of Uruk as part of a UN peace keeping mission. It is there he reunites with his almost-ex-girlfriend Kang Mo Yeon (Song Hye Kyo), who has been sent as part of a medical team. They dated briefly back home but were unable to reconcile the top-secret nature of Shi Jin's work with Mo Yeon's personal views regarding the saving and taking of lives. The first handful of episodes were better than I expected and quite riveting. Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo have a natural chemistry that plays well on-screen as they try to reconcile their differences. The secondary characters are also interesting and keep the pace of the series moving along at a nice speed. Of special note is Jin Goo, who takes on the BFF role alongside Song Joong Ki. He's a great acting talent so it is nice to seem him in a role that offers substantial screen time. And, if you happen to get tired of staring at sweaty-muscley-shirtless soldiers running around a military base, there is also the stunning Mediterranean seaside view to enjoy. This drama spent several weeks filming in Greece alongside clear blue waters and white sand beaches. I think I should go plan my next vacation now.
Thoughts.... Coming Soon
Moorim School
Neighborhood Hero
Signal
♥ Come Back, Mister
Tag Line: They died. They came back... with a twist.
Thoughts: Arguably, this is one of the February drama launches about which I was the most curious. I like Rain. I think he's a phenomenal entertainer. But his last acting gig was a total crash-and-burn affair (See: She's So Loveable). This time around I was hoping for something smarter with a better cast. My wish was granted with the better cast. Kim Su Ro, Kim In Kwon, Lee Min Jung, Oh Yeon So, Honey Lee, and Choi Won Young are all talented actors and stars in and of themselves. The smarter script? Based off a Japanese novel, the story focuses around two recently deceased men that decide to bail on the trip to Heaven in order to return to Earth and take care of unfinished business. But there's a catch. Han Gi Tak (Kim Su Ro) finds himself in the body of a beautiful woman (Oh Yeon So) and Kim Young Soo (Kim in Kwon) wakes up as a handsome man with an impeccable physique (Rain). They can't reveal their true identities and they can't exact any revenge. This is promising and there have definitely been smart "moments." The biggest flaw with the first few episodes is that they feel like a drama written for Rain's muscles and rely heavily on physical comedy. Normally, I like both of these things but in this instance it is overpowering other aspects of the production. There are fleeting moments of real connection and emotion between some of the characters and when they show up they are powerful. I even shed a few tears. It just isn't coming together as a total package (no pun intended...seriously). All that said, I'm not giving up hope!! There are signs that the "unfinished business" of these two men are beginning to merge into a joint venture and that should unify the elements of this series that currently feel disjointed. Let's wait and see where this all goes... Yellow for now.
♥ Descendants of the Sun
Tag Line: He's a soldier. She's a doctor. Can they find love in a foreign land?
Thoughts: Song Joong Ki headlines this series as his first job out of the military. Oddly enough, he's playing the role of a soldier. Yoo Shi Jin (Song Joong Ki) is the commander of a special forces unit that has been sent to the made-up land of Uruk as part of a UN peace keeping mission. It is there he reunites with his almost-ex-girlfriend Kang Mo Yeon (Song Hye Kyo), who has been sent as part of a medical team. They dated briefly back home but were unable to reconcile the top-secret nature of Shi Jin's work with Mo Yeon's personal views regarding the saving and taking of lives. The first handful of episodes were better than I expected and quite riveting. Song Joong Ki and Song Hye Kyo have a natural chemistry that plays well on-screen as they try to reconcile their differences. The secondary characters are also interesting and keep the pace of the series moving along at a nice speed. Of special note is Jin Goo, who takes on the BFF role alongside Song Joong Ki. He's a great acting talent so it is nice to seem him in a role that offers substantial screen time. And, if you happen to get tired of staring at sweaty-muscley-shirtless soldiers running around a military base, there is also the stunning Mediterranean seaside view to enjoy. This drama spent several weeks filming in Greece alongside clear blue waters and white sand beaches. I think I should go plan my next vacation now.
Thoughts.... Coming Soon
Moorim School
Neighborhood Hero
Signal
