I really appreciated your comments on first frost because everyone on Bluesky and other podcasts has been raving about it and I just don't get it! Your thoughts mirrored and validated my own especially the way the two leads spoke to each other. It became too maddening and frustrating for me and I had to drop it. I think I made it to episode 14.
I'm glad! I too have been seeing how popular it is online and being baffled by the positive reviews. And - SPOILERS ahead - I've heard from a friend who finished it that the dialogue and journalism only gets worse... and the dynamic between the leads never moves on from him being weirdly withdrawn and cold even though he likes her, where she has to force him to admit his feelings like she's pulling teeth and he expects her to pursue him/express her love for him openly because she dumped him in the past. (Apparently she even apologizes to him for that breakup even though it was due to her trauma from sexual assault... truly wild. I'm happy I dropped this!)
I had to pause the pod and come here to write this..Hey Paroma..at 15 episodes you didn't know what the connection is between Hidden Love and First Frost? 😁😁😁 Hope you know it now..😀
So excited for the Love Scout discussion! And right away you guys chose one of my favorite tracks from the OST for the little clip portion. Kwon Jin Ah had one of my favorite tracks on the Hospital Playlist OST and I ended up really enjoying her track "How You Feelin'" here.
I basically started this for no other reason than Lee Joon Hyuk, and ended up loving it WAY MORE than I expected. Han Ji Min was a huge surprise to me. I was very shocked at how well she did the whole "inner vulnerability" looks and such, and the directing helped those subtle moments shine.
One note: I love how LJH was basically an anime male lead with zero flaws, and yet somehow got divorced. Like, what sane human being would leave that guy and that little girl? His backstory makes zero sense and the show knows it, which is why they don't bother trying to address it.
Oh, also, the daughter! That little actress had a memorable role in Hospital Playlist (winking at Yoo Yeon Seok) and was also the post-toddler version of the mind reader girl in Atypical Family. It was so cute to see her a little older and growing her acting, and BOY was Lee Joon Hyuk adorable with her.
EDIT: I do have to disagree about the child/adult friendship in Love Next Door, I found the paramedic's behavior completely relatable. She obviously loves children but is single and has always been single and is pushing 40. Becoming fascinated with a precocious child and sort of overexpressing all those pent up parental feelings is really true-to-life in my experience.
Ok, last note: I just had to shout at my phone when Anisa flippantly implied that you guys didn't like Castaway Diva, but you DID like Doctors somehow, and then Paroma minutes later is saying "the worst sin a drama can commit is being boring", a sentiment I completely agree with and exactly why Doctors was not very good! I admit it has some good ideas and is great for like 3 eps, but after that it's so incredibly dull, and the pacing and editing becomes memorably bad. At the very least, no one can say Castaway Diva is boring, even if it is utterly absurd (imo, in a pleasantly kdrama way).
That was a lot to type about like 30 seconds of the podcast.
Hey Arvis! Interesting point about adults who have a longing for kids having pent-up unfulfilled parental feelings and want to connect with kids in their lives. I haven't seen that myself, but I take your point. Even if that was what they were going for though, I don't think it was written or expressed very well in the drama, from their first meeting when the paramedic has no concern about this 8-year-old wandering alone in the park and decides to just hang out with her for a bit, versus the complete 180 she does when she full-on berates the kid's dad because the housekeeper left her alone at home and an accident happened. It's not just overstepping, it's also inconsistent - like if you're that adamant that kids should never be left alone, then return the kid who's wandering in the park alone to her family instead of trying to convince her to befriend a stranger! But I did generally enjoy the storyline with the paramedic and the single dad reporter. They were all very sweet together.
On Doctors, I have to admit I haven't seen it myself, but I referenced it because I know Khadija has mentioned it often as a show she really likes - it's on my list because I love Park Shin-hye and Kim Rae-won. Maybe one day will overcome my discomfort with medical dramas and finally watch it haha.
Yeah, the "meeting some little kid in a park" thing seemed ridiculous, you're not wrong. Upon reflection, that's, like, a classically-creepy way to meet children. :|
There must be a dozen better ways for that meet-cute to have been cute and not a meet-creepy.
I love it when I see in my podcast feed that you've dropped an ep that is at least 2 hours long!
I was smiling throughout your deep dive on Love Scout and it let me relive the show so thank you for that.
The Potato Lab is so silly and lets me turn my brain off. I didn't even catch that Kim Mikyung is 45 years old which seems very bizarre to me. I just assumed she was in her mid 30s!
I adore Choi Hyunwook but agree with his shakiness as an actor playing this role. I'm not used to seeing him in so many suits. I am finding my attention waning in these past few episodes and more keen for scenes with the side couple. I like seeing Kwak Siyang as a romantic interest and not a villain or a goofy guy.
Melo Movie really was disappointing and I totally agreed with Anisa. I couldn't help myself but compare it with Our Beloved Summer and the romance really did fall flat. I still think about that Choi Wooshik and Kim Dami rain scene and there was nothing like that in Melo Movie.
Will any of you be watching When Life Gives You Tangerines?
Ahhh glad you enjoyed reliving Love Scout with us!! Honestly "I was smiling throughout" is basically my one-line review of the show.
I've started My Dearest Nemesis since we recorded this and I agree with you and Paroma - he is just too green and too young for this role. But you're right, Kwak Shi-yang and Im Se-mi are absolutely adorable together. Their mature, laid back vibe is a nice contrast to the leads who are somehow getting sillier as the drama progresses. I know it's for comedy and I do appreciate some of the comedic moments, but it's a little too over the top for me. I'm still watching because MGY is my girl, and I'm curious what will happen when the finally have the big reveal.
Yes, thank you! OMG that rain scene was iconic. We had nothing like that in Melo Movie. Honestly even Lee Joon-hyuk's cameo in OBS had more impact on me than any scene in MM, and I'm not just saying that because I love him. OBS had so much tension, so many scenes where the silence said as much as the dialogue, so every scene had you anticipating the next even if on the surface it seemed like not much happened. And then when you had those breakthrough developments, they actually meant something. In MM they undermined every bit of potential narrative tension with those unending voiceovers.
I did start When Life Gives You Tangerines - really excited for a new IU show! But I am not in a headspace right now to start a show that looks like it will make me cry a lot, so I'm saving this for after Ramadan and Eid. Are you watching it, Diem? How are you liking it?
I really appreciated your comments on first frost because everyone on Bluesky and other podcasts has been raving about it and I just don't get it! Your thoughts mirrored and validated my own especially the way the two leads spoke to each other. It became too maddening and frustrating for me and I had to drop it. I think I made it to episode 14.
I'm glad! I too have been seeing how popular it is online and being baffled by the positive reviews. And - SPOILERS ahead - I've heard from a friend who finished it that the dialogue and journalism only gets worse... and the dynamic between the leads never moves on from him being weirdly withdrawn and cold even though he likes her, where she has to force him to admit his feelings like she's pulling teeth and he expects her to pursue him/express her love for him openly because she dumped him in the past. (Apparently she even apologizes to him for that breakup even though it was due to her trauma from sexual assault... truly wild. I'm happy I dropped this!)
I had to pause the pod and come here to write this..Hey Paroma..at 15 episodes you didn't know what the connection is between Hidden Love and First Frost? 😁😁😁 Hope you know it now..😀
To be honest I had seen a teaser post somewhere so even I am not sure if I would have figured it out..😁
Hehehe. I figured it out soon after. That's the problem with dramas I get distracted on while watching. 🤣
So excited for the Love Scout discussion! And right away you guys chose one of my favorite tracks from the OST for the little clip portion. Kwon Jin Ah had one of my favorite tracks on the Hospital Playlist OST and I ended up really enjoying her track "How You Feelin'" here.
I basically started this for no other reason than Lee Joon Hyuk, and ended up loving it WAY MORE than I expected. Han Ji Min was a huge surprise to me. I was very shocked at how well she did the whole "inner vulnerability" looks and such, and the directing helped those subtle moments shine.
One note: I love how LJH was basically an anime male lead with zero flaws, and yet somehow got divorced. Like, what sane human being would leave that guy and that little girl? His backstory makes zero sense and the show knows it, which is why they don't bother trying to address it.
Oh, also, the daughter! That little actress had a memorable role in Hospital Playlist (winking at Yoo Yeon Seok) and was also the post-toddler version of the mind reader girl in Atypical Family. It was so cute to see her a little older and growing her acting, and BOY was Lee Joon Hyuk adorable with her.
EDIT: I do have to disagree about the child/adult friendship in Love Next Door, I found the paramedic's behavior completely relatable. She obviously loves children but is single and has always been single and is pushing 40. Becoming fascinated with a precocious child and sort of overexpressing all those pent up parental feelings is really true-to-life in my experience.
Ok, last note: I just had to shout at my phone when Anisa flippantly implied that you guys didn't like Castaway Diva, but you DID like Doctors somehow, and then Paroma minutes later is saying "the worst sin a drama can commit is being boring", a sentiment I completely agree with and exactly why Doctors was not very good! I admit it has some good ideas and is great for like 3 eps, but after that it's so incredibly dull, and the pacing and editing becomes memorably bad. At the very least, no one can say Castaway Diva is boring, even if it is utterly absurd (imo, in a pleasantly kdrama way).
That was a lot to type about like 30 seconds of the podcast.
Hey Arvis! Interesting point about adults who have a longing for kids having pent-up unfulfilled parental feelings and want to connect with kids in their lives. I haven't seen that myself, but I take your point. Even if that was what they were going for though, I don't think it was written or expressed very well in the drama, from their first meeting when the paramedic has no concern about this 8-year-old wandering alone in the park and decides to just hang out with her for a bit, versus the complete 180 she does when she full-on berates the kid's dad because the housekeeper left her alone at home and an accident happened. It's not just overstepping, it's also inconsistent - like if you're that adamant that kids should never be left alone, then return the kid who's wandering in the park alone to her family instead of trying to convince her to befriend a stranger! But I did generally enjoy the storyline with the paramedic and the single dad reporter. They were all very sweet together.
On Doctors, I have to admit I haven't seen it myself, but I referenced it because I know Khadija has mentioned it often as a show she really likes - it's on my list because I love Park Shin-hye and Kim Rae-won. Maybe one day will overcome my discomfort with medical dramas and finally watch it haha.
Yeah, the "meeting some little kid in a park" thing seemed ridiculous, you're not wrong. Upon reflection, that's, like, a classically-creepy way to meet children. :|
There must be a dozen better ways for that meet-cute to have been cute and not a meet-creepy.
I love it when I see in my podcast feed that you've dropped an ep that is at least 2 hours long!
I was smiling throughout your deep dive on Love Scout and it let me relive the show so thank you for that.
The Potato Lab is so silly and lets me turn my brain off. I didn't even catch that Kim Mikyung is 45 years old which seems very bizarre to me. I just assumed she was in her mid 30s!
I adore Choi Hyunwook but agree with his shakiness as an actor playing this role. I'm not used to seeing him in so many suits. I am finding my attention waning in these past few episodes and more keen for scenes with the side couple. I like seeing Kwak Siyang as a romantic interest and not a villain or a goofy guy.
Melo Movie really was disappointing and I totally agreed with Anisa. I couldn't help myself but compare it with Our Beloved Summer and the romance really did fall flat. I still think about that Choi Wooshik and Kim Dami rain scene and there was nothing like that in Melo Movie.
Will any of you be watching When Life Gives You Tangerines?
Ahhh glad you enjoyed reliving Love Scout with us!! Honestly "I was smiling throughout" is basically my one-line review of the show.
I've started My Dearest Nemesis since we recorded this and I agree with you and Paroma - he is just too green and too young for this role. But you're right, Kwak Shi-yang and Im Se-mi are absolutely adorable together. Their mature, laid back vibe is a nice contrast to the leads who are somehow getting sillier as the drama progresses. I know it's for comedy and I do appreciate some of the comedic moments, but it's a little too over the top for me. I'm still watching because MGY is my girl, and I'm curious what will happen when the finally have the big reveal.
Yes, thank you! OMG that rain scene was iconic. We had nothing like that in Melo Movie. Honestly even Lee Joon-hyuk's cameo in OBS had more impact on me than any scene in MM, and I'm not just saying that because I love him. OBS had so much tension, so many scenes where the silence said as much as the dialogue, so every scene had you anticipating the next even if on the surface it seemed like not much happened. And then when you had those breakthrough developments, they actually meant something. In MM they undermined every bit of potential narrative tension with those unending voiceovers.
I did start When Life Gives You Tangerines - really excited for a new IU show! But I am not in a headspace right now to start a show that looks like it will make me cry a lot, so I'm saving this for after Ramadan and Eid. Are you watching it, Diem? How are you liking it?