Let's Eat

Summary: Let's Eat is a 2014 South Korean drama about foodies, random assaults, first love, and broken hearts. The story's central character is Lee Soo Kyung (Lee Soo Kyung), a 30 something divorcee working as a secretary in a law firm owned by Attorney Kim (Shim Hyung Tak). After the mysterious death of her next door neighbor, she connects with the other tenants on her floor played by Yoon Doo Joon and Yoon So Hee. These four main characters develop complicated relationships with one another that explore the ups and downs of friendship and falling in love.

+1/2 a heart for a shirtless Shim Hyung Tak

Recommendation: I went back and forth on whether or not I liked this drama. It's a slower paced series that sometimes feels more like a character study than a RomCom. But, the fact is, I tuned in religiously for new episodes each week when I've let others fall behind (i.e. Golden Rainbow). Lee Soo Kyung delivers a solid performance, as always, and I fell in love Shim Hyung Tak. Yes, his performance was a little hammy, but there was something endearing about it. I'm going to give this one a thumbs up and encourage other k-drama fans to give it a chance. The characters grow on you.

Off to the gun show with a six pack...

Other Thoughts: First, I want to say that I am a fan of Lee Soo Kyung. This is the 4th drama that I've seen where she has a major role and she continues to impress me. Let's Eat follows right on the heels of I Summon You, Gold and I think it was a nice transition from the super sexy and manipulative jewelry designer to the divorced secretary. To her credit, I didn't find myself contemplating if she was still playing the same role in a different setting.

I feel obligated to point out that Shim Hyung Tak has a scene in episode 7 where he takes off his shirt in a dressing room. For lack of a more eloquent way to say it, I'll just comment that the dude is ripped! Which way to the beach, Shim Hyung Tak?

It's worth noting that he was simultaneously filming the series Can We Love? with Eugene and Uhm Tae Woong.

The food. I can't write about Let's Eat without mentioning the food. I'm really curious if the cast gained a lot of weight because in each episode there were easily 2-3 scenes where they did nothing but eat. I'm not a big fan of seafood but this show made everything (except the marinated crabs) look delicious.

I Summon You, Gold

Summary: I Summon You, Gold! is a 2013 k-drama produced for the television network MBC. It follows the interaction of the Jung and Park families as their different lifestyles and values come into conflict through both work and marriage. The main characters are Jung Mong Hee (Han Ji Hye) and Park Hyun Soo (Yeon Jeong Hun), who unexpectedly cross paths and realize that Jung Mong Hee looks exactly like Park Hyun Soo's estranged wife. Hoping to keep his impending divorce a secret, he strikes up a deal for her to impersonate his wife until she either returns or he can break the news to his family.

Recommendation:  This is a 50 episode k-drama that requires some serious commitment to watch from wing-to-wing. It starts off strong and I was drawn into the lives of these two families. But, like with most of the 50 episode series, I was bored 1/2 of the way through it. Then, the drama took a strange turn and I was left completely confused as to the direction of the show. One of the saving graces of this k-drama is the narrative around the arranged marriage between Jung Mong Hun (Baek Jin Hee) and Park Hyun Tae (Park Seo Joon). Despite an overall terrible ending, I think there's enough content along the way to make the experience worthwhile.

Other Thoughts (And Possible Spoilers):  I've never had a glass of soju but I imagine that three bottles of it would be enough to make me feel really good before I wake up the next morning with a killer headache. That's how I feel about I Summon You, Gold! It had a great start but left me somewhat disappointed with the outcome.

Typically, from the many k-dramas that I've watched, the leading lady and leading man meet and they eventually fall in love. I Summon You, Gold! did not stray from this convention and we, the audience, came to believe that Jung Mong  Hee and Park Hyun Soo were destined to fall in love. In fact, this was the overriding storyline for the first 30 or so episodes (I might be overestimating a little) and it seemed like that was settled. Park Hyun Soo just had to divorce his estranged wife, who hadn't been seen since the second or third episode of the show.

But it never happens...

There are reasons for it and I get what the writer was trying to accomplish. But that doesn't mean I agree with it or that I like it. Plus, I don't know that the producers wanted to promote the idea of divorcing one's wife to marry her twin sister. My views on divorce are probably somewhat liberal and even I think that premise is a bit strange.