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

Splash Splash Love (2015)

Anyone who knows me probably knows my love for historical fiction. This cute little two part mini-series sageuk was the perfect pick-me-up. With its blending of modern and historical elements, it was a funny story about an underachieving girl, Dan-bi (Kim Seul-gi). who accidentally gets transported to the Joseon period. Her frame of reference is the sageuk dramas her mother always had on in the background, and her limited knowledge from her high-school history class, which she uses to embed herself in the royal court and avoid getting into trouble with King Lee Do (Yoon Doo-joon) as she tries to find her way back home. Hijinks ensue, and the 2-hour format perfectly suited the minimalist storytelling. It didn’t have all the issues that long-format dramas can often have, with extraneous plot elements and drawn out conflicts. Overall, a very fun watch with just the right balance of humour and heart.

Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol (2020) – Ep 9-10

Okay, I’m going to hunker down and power through this drama, because I am enjoying too many elements of this show to not at least give it a shot.

This week saw resolutions to some of the mysteries that have been plaguing our gang. Stalker Ahn Joong-ho (Kang Hyeong-suk) has finally been apprehended and his arrest also meant Joon’s mom (Seo Yi-.sook) has finally found him, and she will hopefully stop handing out all those white envelope (I laughed so hard that her minion actually saved her name as ‘White Envelope’ in his phone). There was actually some very clear communication, almost unheard of in dramas, and everything got cleared up in a matter of minutes once we actually got everyone in the same place. Of course, this means that Ra-ra (Go Ara) also found out about Joon (Lee Jae-wook), although she didn’t get to hear it from him. 

In what was actually a really heartbreaking scene, Joon and Ra-ra were separated, by her own doing no less. His dad has also finally found out that he ran away, which is what Joon had wanted in the first place as a form of protest. He seems to have gotten through to his mother to some extent and I think she may end up switching teams and go all out to help her son get out from under his father’s thumb. *fingers crossed*

The other characters were a little bit sidelined this week, and aside from Jae-min’s recital and celebration dinner, we didn’t get to see too much of them. Even those ended up being more about Ra-ra’s epiphany about her father and Joon’s sense of familial belonging, at the recital and the dinner respectively.

Although the remaining of the series is probably going to focus largely on reuniting Joon and Ra-ra, I’m looking forward to seeing how things shake out with Ra-ra’s mysterious benefactor. I’m also excited for Ra-ra to set down roots, and hopefully we’ll find out what actually happened with her dad’s company (don’t think I forgot about the shady secretary, Show!). Now that we’re past the halfway point, I’m hoping the pace will pick up a little. And I wouldn’t mind a bit of a time jump at this stage, at least for Joon’s sake.