Author: colourfulgranny

Week in Review (Jun 6 – 12, 2021)

~ colourfulgranny ~ Leave a comment

What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

*Note: My reviews usually contain spoilers. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.*

TV

18 Again (2020)

I’ll be honest, if someone told me a year ago that I would be watching a Korean TV remake of the 2009 comedy film 17 Again, I would have laughed in their face. And yet, I found myself doing exactly that this past week, all so that I could familiarize myself with the works of Lee Do-hyun prior to watching Youth of May. Having been blown away by him in as small a part as he played in Hotel Del Luna, I wanted to see what he could do when he could sink his teeth into a meatier part. And he did not disappoint.

Although the show is meant to be quite lighthearted, it does have its heavy moments, particularly those that deal with the marriage between Hong Dae-young (Yoon Sang-hyun plays the older counterpart to Lee) and Jung Da-jung (the older version played by Kim Ha-nuel, the younger by Han So-eun). While it is nice to laugh along with his character, it is in those emotionally charged scenes that Lee really shines. If he can take something as trivial as a rom-com and turn it into something spectacular, as he does here, I can only imagine how well he’s going to do with Youth of May.

Aside from gushing about Lee, I should comment on the remainder of the cast. Of all the young cast members, none were particularly memorable, but Dae-young’s daughter, Shi-a (Roh Jeong-eui) had the most interesting character development. She was torn between the need to be treated as an adult, but also wanting the love a little girl craves from her parents. She puts a huge amount of responsibility on her own shoulders for the way her parents lives have turned out, feeling that if she hadn’t been born when they were so young that they might have led better lives, while wanting to hear them tell her that of course it wasn’t her fault. It was this internal conflict that made her character compelling to me.

But of course she probably wouldn’t have listened to them even if they had. That’s where the conceit of the drama comes in. More often than not, teenager can be bull-headed but they are much more likely to listen to the same advice when it comes from a peer as opposed to a parent. Neither of Dae-young’s children are willing to listen to his “nagging”, but when Woo-young tells them the same thing, they take it to heart. Shi-woo (Ryeo-un) in particular only starts to engage in basketball after he’s goaded into it, not because he was bad at it, but because he lacked a confidence in himself. And once he starts facing his problems head-on rather than putting up an aloof facade, a world of possibility opens up to him.

Which is ultimately what resolves most of the problems in the show. It’s only once they actually start communicating with one another that the characters start to find resolutions to their conceived problems. The breakdown in Dae-young and Da-jung’s marriage only occurred because they weren’t more forthcoming with each other, even over things as trivial as how their day was, let alone their relationships with each other’s parents, or their hopes and ambitions.

From a production standpoint, I did have issues with when they chose to show Lee or Yoon as Dae-young. A lot of the time it felt unmotivated when we would get the younger version or the older, but there were several instances where I felt that the story would have been better served by having the opposite to what was chosen. The most notable of these was when Da-jung finally realizes that Woo-young really is her husband, and they share their kiss on the balcony. I felt that the story would have been much better served to have the older version in this case. Aside from the very obvious take of her finally seeing the real him, ultimately, Lee is playing a minor in this role despite being in his mid-20s himself, and it was uncomfortable to have that age difference be so blatantly thrown in the viewers’ faces. While it is understandable that Lee is obviously the more attractive younger man, and the director may have been trying to give him the moment of glory, I felt that it took away from the scene overall. It was something that was addressed later on in the show when people think that Da-jung is out to dinner with her son, but it didn’t feel like enough.

However, for a show that is primarily a comedy, it dealt with a lot more than it ever needed to. 18 Again is bold, brash and unapologetic in its hopefulness. Even though everything wasn’t picture perfect by the end, I think they did a great job of taking the source material and adapting it for the culture, the time and the actors that portray them. No show is perfect, but few leave a warm fuzzy feeling like this one does.

Week in Review (May 30 – Jun 5, 2021)

~ colourfulgranny ~ 2 Comments

What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

*Note: My reviews usually contain spoilers. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.*

TV

Move To Heaven (2021)

Knowing I was in for some intense drama, I tuned in to Move To Heaven ready to bawl my eyes out and have my heart broken (and then lovingly put back together). And boy! did the show deliver on both fronts.

The show has one of the most unique concepts I’ve ever heard of: a company that tidy up the final living spaces of the recently deceased when said people have nobody else to do it for them. The company itself, the titular Move to Heaven, is run by the father-son duo of Han Jeong-u (Ji Jin-Hee) and Geu-ru (Tang Joon-sang), who has Asperger’s syndrome. When Jeong-u’s sudden passing leaves Geu-ru in the care of his unsavory uncle, Cho Sang-gu (Lee Je-hoon), who has recently been released from prison and is extremely confrontational, naturally their personalities clash constantly.

I like that the show takes its time with introducing us to Geu-ru’s daily routine, his relationship with his father, and his work ethic before turning everything upside down. Because we’re so rarely given insight into his thought process, it was great to learn about him through his father’s eyes, the man who understands him best, and the person on whom Geu-ru relies the most. Of course, that made it particularly cruel to see them separated later on. Seeing how helpless Geu-ru is without his father, and his unwillingness to accept his passing makes you realize that although he may not be equipped to express himself, he is deeply affected by it.

I love that the show dropped hints about how insightful he can be over the course of the show. His genius is, of course, no mystery to us, but the inner workings of his mind often can be. And while he appears to be straight-forward and aloof about the work that he does, it is often through Geu-ru that the deceased’s family members have emotional breakthroughs. He tries time and time again to do the best he can for his clients even when it forces him out of his comfort zone and it endears him to me that much more.

It is also through the work that they do that Sang-gu starts to understand his nephew better and vice-versa. Intent on using-and-losing Geu-ru, and taking revenge on his brother for his perceived wrong-doings, Sang-gu becomes much softer over the course of the show, showing genuine care and compassion for Geu-ru and Na-mu (Hong Seung-hee) as he spends more time with them. They similarly come to accept him in their own way as they learn to rely on him and understand the warm heart that beats behind the tough-guy exterior he’s cultivated.

Aside from our trio’s main story thread, I also found myself deeply moved by the individual cases that they took on. Almost every person’s death felt like a terrible missed opportunity to tell someone precious something, or to pass on something cherished to someone. Seeing the gruesome aftermath of the unfinished business that people leave behind really shone a light on the importance of sharing what’s important with your loved ones while they’re still around rather than have their memory be tinged with regret. While sometimes the writing was a little too clunky, or the message too on-the-nose, the final sense that each case left me with was one of hope for the people left behind to do better.

However, it was the performances that ultimately made the show. Tang in particular has a captivating screen presence, and shows incredible potential. I’m really looking forward to his new project, Racket Boys, where he plays a character that couldn’t be further from Geu-ru, but is no less intriguing. I also remember being less than impressed by Lee in Signal, but here he shows subtleties to his character that support the way that Sang-gu is written. While I went into the show skeptical about Lee, I came out thoroughly won-over by him.

Movies

Cruella (2021)

The latest in the slew of Disney live-action films has arrived, and it continues the trend of sub-par remakes of beloved classics. While the film has several individual components working well for it, from the soundtrack, to the styling and wardrobe, overall the story is predictable and cliché. Disney seem to have forgotten that people don’t want to see the same story rehashed a hundred times over, that we don’t just want to know what it would look like if a real human played the part of an animated character.

In fact, at times this actively works against them. Both Emma Thompson and Emma Stone are very strong performers, able to draw reactions from even the most passive of audiences. However, while I am more forgiving of over-the-top performance from animated characters, ironically it just seems more cartoonish when performed by a human in the flesh. Scenes that should have had emotional impact just made me laugh, because I couldn’t help thinking how silly it was. The scenes between The Baroness and Estella’s mother (Emily Beecham) on the cliff comes to mind, in particular.

That being said, it wasn’t all bad. I particularly enjoyed the editing in the film, and the visual styling was also very appealing, showing of 1970s London in all its glory. The film contrast the gritty with the up-scale beautifully, immersing you in the landscape of the film.

Cruella definitely isn’t going to be anywhere near my favorite films of the year and I wouldn’t have been too disappointed if I’d missed it. But I’m not too peeved at having watched it either, so I suppose I can’t complain.

Week in Review (May 23 – 29, 2021)

~ colourfulgranny ~ 2 Comments

What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

*Note: My reviews usually contain spoilers. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.*

TV

Hotel Del Luna (2019)

With a craving for a supernatural/fantasy drama, I turned this week to Hotel Del Luna. While I was fully expecting the Hong Sisters’ campy style and procedural format (having watched A Korean Odyssey a while back), what I wasn’t expecting was for it to be accompanied by genuinely breathtaking scenery and heartwarming character arcs.

I’m not a huge fan of procedural shows in general, but wanting to learn the individual stories of the long-term residents of Hotel del Luna was what brought me back each episode, from it’s prickly CEO Jang Man-wol (IU), to it’s newest manager Goo Chan-sung (Yeo Jin-goo, who’s incredible voice still caught me off guard despite hearing it in Start-Up), and everyone in between.

Man-wol has the longest and most complex history, her reasons for still remaining in the living world unraveled slowly as the story progresses. It’s also one of the most tragic, and as the mystery of her past is revealed, I felt more and more drawn to her character. Add to that IU’s engaging performance, and you get a beautifully rounded-out character that could have easily been cliché, but instead is infinitely endearing.

I enjoyed watching the scenes from Man-wol’s past in particular, and Lee Do-hyun’s appearance in the show is by far one of the most memorable cameos I’ve seen. Lee’s Go Chung-myeong would be an intriguing character on his own, but there’s a sparkle in Lee’s eyes that draws you in to the character like none other. Add to that Lee Tae-sun’s boyish charm as Man-wol’s closest friend Yeon-woo and you have a perfect trio to make a show in and of itself. Their tragic entanglement is so rich for exploration, and I could watch these three interact all day.

The three oldest residents of the Hotel – Kim Sun-bi (Shin Jung-Keun), Choi Seo-hui (Bae Hae-Sun) and Ji Hyun-joong (Pyo Ji-Hoon) – have a similarly appealing vibe, and as much as they bicker and outwardly disagree with one another, you can tell that they also rely greatly on one another to keep the hotel running smoothly and to navigate the modern world.

That being said, I was never fully invested in the loveline that was set up between Man-wol and Chan-sung. For a romance that was set up as fated, that was over a millennium in the making, it never truly hit home for me. It felt a little too standard to be a romance for the ages, and while there isn’t anything in particular that I could pinpoint to say didn’t work – the writing, the performances, and the directing were all fine by themselves – the combination of those elements just didn’t produce the desired effect for me.

That would probably be my only major complaint about the show, but Hotel Del Luna has lot going for it besides that. The Hong Sisters know how to deliver fantasy in all its glory and the ride was fun, heartfelt and overall engaging. And of course, a cameo by Kim Soo-hyun never hurts anyone. 😉

Week in Review (May 16 – 22, 2021)

~ colourfulgranny ~ Leave a comment

What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

*Note: My reviews usually contain spoilers. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.*

TV

Do You Like Brahms? (2020)

I went into Do You Like Brahms? fully expecting it to be heart-warming, but it exceeded those expectations and went above and beyond. While it wasn’t the perfect show (the second half had its fair share of problems), the performances by the actors and the overall feel of the show never wavered.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a show where I was unfamiliar with the two leads. Despite having long careers and being seasoned actors, Park Eun-bin and Kim Min-jae feel fresh-faced and are delightful to watch. The characters themselves feel mature beyond their years, whether its Park’s Song-ah who feels a desperation to catch up to her peers because of her late start to playing the violin or Kim’s Joon-young who starts to feel the life of a famous musician wearing on him. They’re both so reserved yet so vulnerable, a dichotomy that helps to fuel their friendship and eventual romantic relationship (despite many failures to start). Song-ah provides Joon-young with a new perspective on a world that he’s grown rather cynical about, while she realizes that a love for the music comes above everything else when she sees the toll it takes on Joon-young to have his every performance calculated on the basis of it marketability rather than the joy it brings him

The cast is rounded out by Song-ah and Joon-young’s respective friends, each of varying degrees of closeness. I found Jung-kyung (Park Ji-hyun) rather annoying to begin with, but I like that the writer allows us to see that she is a product of her harsh upbringing and that she is making an effort by the end, while not fully redeeming or excusing her. Han Hyun-ho (Kim Sung-cheol) by contrast is tragic in the way he pursues Jung-kyung, despite being treated poorly time and time again. Add to that his difficult upbringing, his conviction to put his friends before himself, and constantly being put down by his mentors, and it’s no wonder that my heart breaks for him (admittedly, I also have a soft spot for him since his role in To.Jenny).

There are several mirror relationships to be found among the these friendships, all with the intent of referencing the tragic relationship between Johannes Brahms, Clara Schumann and Robert Schumann. Each had their own level of pining involved, but each served to show a different facet of their personalities – from Dong-yoon (Lee You-jin) and Min-sung’s (Bae Da-bin) push-and-pull to Jung-kyung’s egressive pursuit of Joon-young. The musical score and its accompanying metaphors help bring a bittersweet nuance to each pairing.

Despite a meandering middle and a slow pace, I don’t have any major complaints about the show. I enjoyed it for what it was, and I think the writers intention was more about showing the characters discovering a love for themselves rather than looking for it externally. It was beautifully shot, had a lovely soundtrack and strong performances. What more could I ask for?

Week in Review (May 9 – 15, 2021)

~ colourfulgranny ~ Leave a comment

What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

*Note: My reviews usually contain spoilers. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.*

Movies

Vice (2018)

I watched this film on a recommendation, however I wasn’t fully invested in watching it. I never really been a fan of Christian Bale, nor was I thrilled about the man he was playing, the eponymous Vice President Dick Cheney. While the film tries to keep a relatively light tone, it doesn’t sugarcoat the truly horrific things that they show him doing over the course of the film.

The film is ultimately about showing the nature of luck, and the domino effect that lead to Cheney’s supposed meteoric rise to power. Adam McKay is clearly aware that in making a biographical film about a man shrouded in mystery, there is really no way to know for sure how things happened, but they make some educated guesses and fill in the rest with Shakespearean monologues.

The style the humour is very tongue-in-cheek and self referential. Our narrator, Kurt (Jesse Plemons) introduces himself as someone who is related to Cheney, “sort of”, and then spends the entire film leading up to the reveal that he is in fact the man who’s heart was transplanted into Cheney. Despite the humourous tone with which they tried to play it, it really leaves you with a sense of hopelessness.

And that’s where the film ultimately leaves you. It doesn’t make false promises, it doesn’t show some grand design or good triumphing over evil. There isn’t anything concrete that the film gives as its message, other than bad things happen in this world, and everyone is alone to carve their own corner of it to their liking. Which is one of the bleakest takeaways I’ve had from a film.

Week in Review (May 2 – 8, 2021)

~ colourfulgranny ~ Leave a comment

What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

*Note: My reviews usually contain spoilers. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.*

TV

Invincible (2021)

When my friend mentioned Invincible to me, I was instantly sold. J.K. Simmons, Sandra Oh and Steven Yeun as the voices of one of the most powerful families on TV sounded like a great premise. Add to that the coming-of-age story of a young man who has to grapple with being the the son of the most famous superhero on the planet when he himself has only just gotten his own abilities and has little control over them. I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into it.

I love the way that the show sets up the mystery elements of the show. The first episode start out so slow that it’s almost boring, with two security guards at the White House having a run of the mill conversation. What follows is anything but boring, as we are suddenly introduced to a team of superheroes, Guardians of the Globe, that parodies the likes of the Justice League. We learn their names, their powers, their relationships and team dynamic, only to have one of the most jarring fight scenes where Simmons’ Omni-Man kills the entire team.

This is merely the catalyst for the series of events that follow, and as Mark Grayson learns to become better at being the superhero he wants, his father’s motives become more and more questionable. The momentum that the show builds over the course of the season is so incredible, and I was hooked till the last minute.

What I enjoyed most was the moral questions that the show brings up. We’ve all seen superheroes before, but a lot of them recently have been about the big set pieces and witty one-liners. What Invincible does is allow us to see the toll it takes on the people behind the mask when they lose a fight, have their trust broken or make bad choices. I was just as heart-broken as Mark when he finds out what his father really is, because the build up to it felt earned, and I’d had time to put my trust in these characters.

The style of the show also contributes greatly to this overall mood. Mark is still so naive in the ways of the world, and the first few episode have such a vibrant palette that contribute to that world view. That contrasts so well with the scenes with his father in the final episode, where everything is so much more dull and muted.

Animation also helps greatly with this, because it allows for these massive set pieces without having massive budgets to go along with them. We get to see so much more of that throughout the show instead of the production saving it for their climax episode like a live-action show might.

The train scene in the last episode in particular felt like something that wouldn’t be possible live-action because a production team would much rather focus on bigger action sequences in a final episode. However, I loved that they kept the scale of it so small and focused on Mark in that scene, because you get to feel the horror that he feels at causing so much destruction by just being who he is. That one scene felt more real to me than entire seasons of other shows do.

That’s what Invincible comes down to, though. It’s violent, it’s gory and it’s unabashed. But it also has a lot of heart, you feel for the people in it. These character invest time and effort into becoming who they are, and you root for them through their stumbles and their successes. I hope the show keeps up the momentum they set up in this first season because I can’t with to see what’s in store for Mark going forward.

Week in Review (Apr 25 – May 1, 2021)

~ colourfulgranny ~ Leave a comment

What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

*Note: My reviews usually contain spoilers. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.*

TV

Shadow and Bone (2021)

Having been a fan of The Grisha Trilogy and Six of Crows for a long time now, I was looking forward to the adaptation of Shadow and Bone since it was announced. With that, however, came my usual guarded apprehension of having one of my favorite series being adapted, since it’s rare that book-to-series conversions deliver what I want.

That being said, I’ll try to hold off on comparing the two, and look at the show on its own merits.

The series gets off to a slow start, and felt a bit disjointed at times. There was a lot of set up, and because the show has a massive cast of character as well as having to build the universe from scratch, we don’t actually get into the main story until halfway into the series. Since the show is also dealing with separate locations, the scenes that take place in Ketterdam with the Crows, or in Fjerda don’t blend well with those in Ravka. This is where I start to wonder why the creators didn’t just leave Six of Crows as a separate story, since it isn’t doing Kaz (Freddy Carter) and his crew the justice they deserve.

As for Alina (Jessie Mei Li) and the Grisha world, I think that the show managed to capture the right tone. The Darkling (Ben Barnes) has always intrigued me, having a rich past. He is also not your standard romantic lead, in that he is willing to sacrifice anything, including Alina, for the sake of his grand plan. Perhaps the lack of chemistry between Barnes and Li had something to do with it, but I found it very believable that The Darkling wouldn’t abandon his centuries-long plan just for a woman, as so many YA leading men do.

While I did enjoy the first season of the show, I have doubts about how the show is going to balance the style and tone in the next season. I don’t have much faith in the production team to bridge the gap between the Crows and the Grishaverse, and I’d rather they didn’t feel like two separate shows. However, there isn’t much to be done about it now, so I’m going to hope that they find a miracle cure soon.

Movies

Promising Young Woman (2020)

Promising Young Woman seems to have arrived at a time when it feels like it is needed. Dealing with issues relating to sexual assault, and men taking advantage of women, the film feels very timely in the middle of the #MeToo movement, and when women’s rights are being more openly addressed. PYM almost feels like mandatory viewing, and yet our protagonist is rather unsettling. Perhaps this was the message the director was trying to convey: that it may not be pretty, and it may not be comfortable, but it’s definitely something we ought to be talking about.

The film is shot almost like a mystery thriller, following a loner woman as she preys on the very people who are usually the predators. It starts by making Cassie (Carey Mulligan) out to be a victim, then suggesting she’s a murderer before finally revealing that she is in fact merely holding up a mirror to society, hoping that when they see themselves they are just as disgusted as she is with them. However, she never gets to see the justice she delivers, perhaps reflecting our own society where women have yet to really get the fair trials they deserve.

While the story was quite predictable, the editing made the film fun to watch. I was especially impressed with the cast and the way the film reveals each person’s intent and motivation. Everybody is questionable, and not a single character is above suspicion, even those like Ryan (Bo Burnham) who seem respectable. I found it particularly amusing that almost every “nice guy” in the film was an actor that has a stereotypical reputation for playing meek, wholesome people throughout their careers, from Adam Brody to Chris Lowell. The person I was watching with had a particularly difficult time separating Lowell’s Al from his counterpart in GLOW, and was horrified that he would murder Cassie.

PYM is by no means original in the story it was trying to tell, but sometimes you need to say the obvious because people haven’t heard it in a while. That’s what this film feels like. It reminds us that just because no one is talking about it, it doesn’t mean the problem has gone away.

Week in Review (Apr 18 – 24, 2021)

~ colourfulgranny ~ 1 Comment

What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

*Note: My reviews usually contain spoilers. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.*

TV

Once Again (2020) – Ep 1-24

My first ever weekend family drama has been an interesting watch so far. I started this show because of the charm of Lee Cho-hee and Lee Sang-yi, after the latter caught my eye in To.Jenny, and I am living for the adorable sadon couple.

While things move relatively slowly on the show, and there are several storylines I’m enjoying. I’m watching the show very passively, and taking all the cute and fun moments I get. The performances definitely feel stilted at times, but I was aware that would be the case going into the show, which is making me a bit more forgiving of them. The strongest performers so far are Lee Jung-eun (unsurprising, considering her incredible turn in Parasite the year before) and Lee Sang-yeob, both of whom have found a good balance between the dramatic and the down to earth.

I’m really liking how writer Yang Hee-seung is teasing out both the Da-hee/Jae-seok and Kyu-jin/Na-hee (Lee Min-jung) pairings. Because the format of the show is much longer (at a whopping 100 35-minute episodes), there is definitely a lot more time for slow-burn tension-building than there is in a 16-episode drama. 

The look of the show is definitely giving me daytime soap vibes, and a lot of the plot threads support that look. Long-lost brother and sister reuniting, down-on-his-luck older brother, struggling single-mother older sister, this show has the works. While none of these are fully engaging me at the moment, with proper addressing they have a lot of potential.

The main purpose of these shows is of course the drama, and the show makes sure to move things along quickly. I’m enjoying the quick pace of the show, so that even if there is something I’m not liking, at least they move on from it before it becomes tiresome. Now that the show has done it’s big reveal of Na-hee and Kyu-jin’s divorce, we can finally get into the aftermath of their actions as well as their inevitable reconciliation.

And of course, I can’t wait for our sadon pairing to begin their journey together.

Week in Review (Apr 11 – 17, 2021)

~ colourfulgranny ~ Leave a comment

What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

*Note: My reviews usually contain spoilers. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.*

TV

Oh! Master (2021) – Ep 5-8

Week 3 and 4 of Oh! Master seems to be trying to hit us with all the drama trope punches, but none of them really seem to be landing for me. While I am thoroughly enjoying Nana and Lee Min-ki‘s performances, as well as the older trio of friends, the story is just too run-of-the-mill to be exciting. Not to mention that Jung Yoo-jin (Kang Min-hyuk) seems to primarily be there for window dressing and the occasional bearer of PPL gifts.

The slowly building tension, and seeing Bi-soo and Joo-in be more open with one another is extremely compelling, but I’m not sure why the writers are insisting on making it so that Joo-in’s feelings seem unsure. A blind person could see that she feels nothing more than friendship towards Yoo-jin. I hope that we move past this stage pretty quickly, so that we can see our main duo enjoying each others company as they slowly learn about one another.

I’m also enjoying each of their relationships with their mothers. Joo-in had to come to terms with the fact that her mother (Kim Ho-jung) may one day lose her memories of her. While this comes as a massive blow, she was also able to reframe this in a more positive light with the help of Bi-soo. He one the other hand has to deal with his own mother’s (Lee Hwi-hyang) demise, but he cannot be open with her about it because of the heartbreak she’ll experience if he knew. Instead, he’s using this opportunity to care for her and shower her with small acts of love. And while the mothers lean on each other for support, along with Kim Chang-kyu (Kim Chang-wan), their children do the same for each other.

All that said, I’m probably going to hold off on watching the show for a little while and wait to watch it in larger chunks since the story is not holding my interest as much as I hoped it would. Hopefully knowing where the finish line is will help me eventually get to it. And I’ll be able to enjoy all of Nana’s adorableness in one go.

Week in Review (Apr 4 – 10, 2021)

~ colourfulgranny ~ Leave a comment

What have I been doing this week? I’m glad you asked! Here’s what’s been on my watchlist this week:

*Note: My reviews usually contain spoilers. You have been warned. Proceed at your own risk.*

TV

Hello? It’s Me! (2021) – Ep 9-16

Just as I expected, Hello? It’s me! didn’t make any huge strides in terms of their storytelling, but it was an easy fun watch.

The standout relationship on the show was that between the young Ha-ni (Lee Re) and Anthony (Eum Moon-suk). Anthony started his journey as an actor with the intent to find his first love, and in a way he did. Young Ha-ni also made him realize that he can be a better person than what anyone thinks of him, himself included, and she helps him get back on the right path to do so. The bullying storyline felt like it had been grabbed from the headlines. Although the show didn’t go too in-depth with it, at least it showed that Anthony was willing to accept the consequences of the past while still showing that he has become a significantly different person than he was 20 years prior, or even from the start of the show.

My second favourite pairing was the father-son duo of Han Ji-man (Yun Ju-sang) and Han Yu-hyeon (Kim Young Kwang). Ji-man’s condition was a lot less dire than the terminal illness I was expecting the show to throw at us. However, it was still a big change for the family, and while his sister and nephew were willing to take advantage of the situation, I liked that it actually brought Yu-hyeon closer to him and strengthened their bond (as if it needed strengthening) and made them understand one another better.

The way that various reveals on the show were done did seem a bit forced at times, but that was pretty much as I expected of the show. The one element I wasn’t expecting was that there was no way to save Ha-ni’s father. The older Ha-ni (Choi Gang-hee) had lived with the guilt of his death on her shoulders for the last 20 years, and although her family eventually absolved her of some of it, knowing that the younger version going back and not being able to save him because of some supposed bad consequences felt a bit like a cop-out. I also thought that we could have done without the shadow of death following Young Ha-ni around, especially since she had the old phone to count down the days for her. If only that had been developed more clearly and concisely.

While it wasn’t the most concise ending, there wasn’t anything particularly off-putting about it. Additionally, almost everyone managed to resolve their problems by the end, including Ji-man and his sister paving the way towards reconciliation. It was nice seeing everyone returning to their rightful places, and at least about that, I can’t complain.

Oh! Master (2021) – Ep 1-4

After having throughly enjoyed Nana is her last role, and in need of some fluffy viewing, I decided to pick up Oh! Master (also titled Oh My Ladylord, but how ridiculous is that title). I have absolutely no regrets so far, since I am in love with Oh Joo-in’ bubbly personality and her equally grumpy counterpart in Han Bi-soo (Lee Min-ki).

The show has already set up some rather high stakes, with Joo-in’s mother suffering from Alzheimer’s and her feeling a strong sense of responsibility towards slowing down its progress, and Bi-soo’s mother having some mysterious (potentially terminal?) illness. Add to that an unhinged stalker and a strained father-son relationship and you have more than enough elements for peak drama.

While all of that spells doom and gloom for our main duo, there are also plenty of lighthearted elements to the show. Both assistants instant attraction to one another was hilariously cute, and seeing Bi-soo’s mom connect with her past friends was also satisfying.

But by far, the tension that is being built between Joo-in and Bi-soo is what I’m going to be watching for. I can’t wait till we start getting proper housemate hijinks, and we’ve already started to see how intense they are with one another, whether they are being angry, earnest or flustered. While I haven’t yet seen what the aftermath of Joo-in’s stalker’s actions are, I know it’s going to cause a shift in their relationship. I’m also curious into how Jung Yoo-jin (Kang Min-hyuk) will fit into this dynamic since he’s already displayed several hints of interest in Joo-in.

The biggest shocker, of course, was the Truck of Doom. I actually laughed out of shock when that happened and I’m not sure what this ticking clock is going to mean for Bi-soo, both career- and relationships-wise.

Overall, there are a lot of elements to keep me interested at the moment, and I’m looking forward to see where it goes.