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.