Drama Journalling April Week 2

I’m sick as hell this whole week. That means no screencaps but I’m still on track!

We catch up with I Love My President Even Though He Is a Psycho this week. Continuing my foray into the addictive Whisper. And for Do Bong Soon, the climax hits when she decides to bring matters into her own hands. I’m also marathon-ing Glory of Tang Dynasty, first impression here.

Whisper (epi 3-4)

• It’s one blackmail after another. Feels a bit like chess, don’t you think?
• Although some aspects of the plot still leaves much to be desired, both the leads are keeping me interested so far. I also like how the second leads are not as simple as they seem, leaving more backstory and space for development.
• It’s fast but we find out how So Hee and Jeong Il are lovers to begin with and when So Hee co-operates with Jeong Il to bring Dong Jun down, Chairman Choi seems like he is afraid of his daughter. That’s another interesting thing to follow up on, the Choi father-daughter relationship; is his daughter actually the father’s nemesis too?
• Love how the bad ass ex-cop has to now save the coward ex-judge.
• And because of her chivalry, the ex-judge decides that building an alliance with her would be a good bet although he knows fully that it’s near impossible to control her from acting on her own impulse.
• It’s still early but I hope their alliance stick through because they’ve shown that they are capable of turning the knife to each other when their interests don’t match anymore.
• The drama is doing good job at keeping us at tethering ends because one minute they are friends, one minute they may not be. One minute he is being blackmailed, the next minute it may be checkmate.

I Love My President Even Though He Is a Psycho (epi 5)

• So in this episode we get the haughty mother-in-law who of course does her full course lecture on why one does not match one’s son.
• Of course, Xiao Nian and President Psycho could care less.
• Until, Shi Di turns up again and kidnaps Xiao Nian. She goes on about how she liked Qian Chu first and how life isn’t fair. Then leaves Xiao Nian to a pack of masked men (curiously dressed in fine tuxedos with exquisite animal mask, as if they were attending a masquerade…)
• Gong Ou goes ballistic yet again and Xiao Nian is rescued. We find out that Gong Ou’s mother ‘lent’ Shi Di those men not to really violate Xiao Nian but to fabricate the evidence and scene so that seeds of doubt are planted in Gong Ou.
• Although Gong Ou loves Xiao Nian and promises that they would forget it happened, he went back on his words once it was clear that Xiao Nian is pregnant. I think a lot of people got angry here but lets not forget Gong Ou has paranoia. He’s also done worse to Xiao Nian in episode 1. I don’t dismiss that it’s a displeasing act but I picked up this drama knowing that things like this would happen.
• But somehow, a drunken ramble from Gong Ou solves all animosity between the couple seemed a little too fast for me.
• I like how Xiao Nian thinks he needs treatment and encourages him to seek treatment. But I hate how the previews show that it’s another plot tool to tear apart our couple again 😦

Strong Woman Do Bong Soon (Epi 13-14)

• Bong Soon gets a challenge from the serial kidnapper and she readily falls into his trap. I’m not sure if it’s naive or Bong Soon is just very worried for her dearest friend, but I think she is also motivated by the fact that she NEVER failed at getting the bad guys. As strong as she is, she is not immortal to bullets and knives, a fact Min Hyuk understands better.
• Min Hyuk cannot get his message across to Bong Soon and Bong Soon has no patience for teamwork.
• She does manage to save all the girls by discover the secret underground lair except Gyung Shim has been taken elsewhere.
• When Min Hyuk confronts Bong Soon about her actions, she states that she’s different and obviously with great power comes great burdens. Min Hyuk tries again to tell her how worried he is but it falls on deaf ears. At this point, Bong Soon is set about doing this alone, as if this was her true test. I’m screaming internally about how it is NOT SAFE BONG SOON YA but if things were reversed with our Min Min having a challenge he decides to face alone, I’m pretty sure we would not be as angsty. But again, Min Hyuk isn’t wrong when Bong Soon disregards his feelings and the fact that he is more invested in their relationship than she is (at least at that moment).
• Extra brownie points for Min Hyuk for getting his girl spicy chicken feet despite her cold displays.
• However, the angst continues as our Bong Soon is lured again to save Gyung Shim. In the process, she hurls an elevator away with a figure that looks like our serial kidnapper. I thought it was a doll but our smart kidnapper has taken advantage of the fact that Bong Soon cannot use her powers to injure innocent people and a poor security guard lies unconscious, dribbling blood 0.0
• Bong Soon immediately loses her powers, making her vulnerable and all but thank god for trackers, Min Hyuk has called Gook Doo for back ups.
• The climax reaches sky high when our serial kidnapper goes missing, not dead, yet.
• And personally, I think the scene of Min Hyuk and Bong Soon on the couch is more compelling than their first kiss. This had more raw feeling and intimacy in it. Park Hyung Shik is SO channeling it through his eyes. Their conversation is just, argh, yes they finally made up.

• MH: Please look at me.
  BS: I’m looking.
  MH: Please love me.   (I’LL LOVE YOU IF YOU WANT ME TOOO)
  BS: I am in love with you.
  MH: You’re like a tiny peanut so I can keep you in my heart, but I don’t think I’m in your heart.
  BS: You’re in there.

• I think I love the exploratory theme in this episode when  Bong Soon loses her powers and she tries to deal with the void. She feels un-special and despite having wanted to get rid of it once upon a time, she misses her powers. Flashbacks shows that she has used her powers in ways to help people around her and I think that intention will not go away even if her powers are gone.
• I can’t really accept her mother’s explanation of her bias treatment for her two kids but just because she is stronger, it doesn’t mean she needs less LOVE.
• Even with the baddie on prowl, our main couple manage to sneak in a date and kisses. Love their picnic time!!!
• AND it’s just a short while before our baddie comes back in with a plan and infiltrates Ainsoft.
• Gook Do and Min Hyuk tries to search for our baddie and Bong Soon (who is taken).
• When Min Hyuk finally finds Bong Soon, she screams for him to leave before the bomb on her explodes. Min Hyuk stubbornly tries again and again to break the door up to the point where he’s bleeding T.T Our Bong Soon also cries helpless, feeling at her pits for not being able to rip of the chains around her when it used to be so easy. Then, she begs for her power to come back so that she can save Min Hyuk. The mystical powers above hears her out and decides she’s got enough punishment time. With ease, she rips of the chains after regaining her powers and throws the bomb to the air where it explodes….into a firework display.. (I’ll just play along then)
• These two episodes are really the best so far although there’s less comedy and more angst. I felt like the plot build up was good and this makes me wonder if episode 15 and 16 can tie off the story with a neat bow or would it just sizzle into the finale?
• At this time of posting, I’m aware that episode 15 and 16 is already out. Will cover these next week!! I’m trying to delay this because how can Bong Soon leave us so soon?!

 

Glory of Tang Dynasty (currently at episode 39)

• After running all the way to episode 39 (in two days), I’ve seen misunderstandings, machinations, marriage breakdowns, more misunderstandings, THE rebellion etc.
• We wasted quite a bit of episodes because Zhen Zhu kept misleading herself to thinking that Li Chu ordered the assassination of her family. Alas, when they made things clear, they have to deal with national emergency.
• I’m officially in love with Li Chu. It’s not day 1 for him for plotting but having known his wife wanted to kill him would have broke his heart to pieces. However, he still forgave her and accepted her.
• The other notable pairing her is Li Tan and his wife (now ex-wife) Li Zhi. They were the pair match-made in heaven and couldn’t be sweeter than caramel together. Now that they are apart, it hurts sooo much to see Li Tan still loving her and hating himself for letting her go. Li Zhi has blissfully forgotten her ordeal (selective amnesia) but I believe they’ll come together again.
• It’s agony to know that this type of drama has FULL POTENTIAL of killing our main leads or separating them forever. It’s like they have license for this and they don’t care about breaking hearts everywhere. This needs to be made illegal really.
• Apparently Season 2 (30 moar episodes of pain) has aired last week. By end of April, the drama would be complete. I’m in absolute fear of spoilers now because if it was a sad ending, I would just stop watching T.T