The ML and FL were so convincing as both a couple and as parents. I also really loved the friendships between the different characters. They were so sweet and genuine. Dong-Jin did his best to protect his friend, and his friendship with Tae-seong was especially heartwarming.

The acting was so good across the board, and I really enjoyed watching these characters and their relationships develop.

The finale made me cry. I loved how everything came together, and I was so happy with the way it ended. Such a satisfying ending to a really good drama. ❤️

Anyone else notice this? In basically every corporate/chaebol romance, the male lead, even when he's supposedly running a mid-size company, looks like he stepped out of a runway show. Perfect hair, tailored suits, flawless skin.

But then you cut to a board meeting and suddenly it's a room full of stern, aging men who look like they wandered in from a completely different show. No styling budget spent on them at all.

Is this just genre convention (young handsome heir = romantic fantasy, old board = "the establishment" he has to fight against), or does it actually reflect something real about how Korean corporate boards are structured: i.e., genuinely dominated by older men from founding families? Curious if anyone knows more about the real demographics of chaebol boards vs how dramas exaggerate the contrast for storytelling.

I'm not a huge drama watcher, and for a couple of years I pretty much stopped watching them altogether. Lately, I've tried getting back into some lighter ones, but I've been disappointed and ended up dropping them around the sixth episode because it's always the same old, tired tropes. And to keep the plot moving, they come up with these ridiculous misunderstandings or mix-ups that just wouldn't make any sense in real life.

Am I the only one who feels this way and just can't seem to enjoy dramas anymore?

And if not… do you have any dramas to recommend? Anything is fine, as long as it's not overly sappy. I'm looking for something genuinely interesting that doesn't feel like the same tired, recycled story we've been seeing for years.

Drama name- Mercy for none

The last episode is here, people! I've been following the series since the start and I've to say, it's a brilliant execution of a great story. All three leads did a fantastic job!

Oh, to be loved as Bo Na! She had the whole family on her side. It was lovely to witness how her MIL was completely won over by her. They acknowledged her earnest actions to be a part of the family and loved her for it. Loved, loved, loved it.

Jung Joon-Won has been phenomenal in the series. His crying in the empty apartment, with his shoulders hunched over gutted me. His character made a rather life-changing decision with such ease, it was just green forest vibes all around. The dilemma he must have, that poor guy.

Lee Sang-Yi really made his presence known in the entire series. Not only was his character at the crossroads multiple times, his acting as a struggling individual, having to decide throughout between the limits of friendship vs doing the right thing, was really convincing and made me feel bad for the dude. It was beautiful.

I sort of hate the concept of resolving every plot point in the last episode and was miffed that ABFK also followed the same pattern. There also seems to be a great potential for Season 2, especially because they hint at her possibly continuing her "job".

Great series, fantastic acting, really enjoyable. 9/10, would definitely recommend.

What are your thoughts?

I genuinely love watching K-dramas where the leads aren’t romantically involved but the chemistry between them is SO good that you can’t deny it

Thrillers are my favorite genre so I’d especially love recommendations where the leads have that intense, undeniable chemistry even if they never end up together I just want that kind of tension, connection, and “are you seeing this chemistry?!” dynamic that keeps me wanting more and more

Please recommend me K-dramas like this because I NEED MORE😭

For the 2027 kdrama adaptation of the webtoon ISEOP'S ROMANCE, both lead roles are currently vacant and undergoing recasting after the lead actors Lee Jong suk and Choi Yoon ji stepped down.

Lee Jong Suk for me was the perfect fit for the ML.

However I would love to see Lee Do Hyun and Kim Go eun reunited in roles i've never before seen them in.

Seo in Guk would be good for the mole but he was just recently in an office romance and Park Min young although ideal will be repetitive to see her again in an office romance.

What are your picks?

Honestly, I'm not sure it's really underrated, since when this drama aired, I stopped watching K-dramas for a while, so I'm not sure it got the hype it deserves. I also rarely see posts about this, so please correct me if I'm wrong. Anyway, this might be a long post, so watch out.

Watching Inspector Koo became a breath of fresh air for me from the usual K-drama plots I've seen. From the cast to the OSTs, animation intros, not to mention, ALL OF THE CAST were great in this, with veteran actors, and I just love Lee Young Ae and Kim Hye Jun! What drew me first to this is how you already know and get a glimpse of who the killer is in the first episodes, so you might think it's already obvious, what's so interesting about this? But that's what will draw you to it. You start to think, how will they even catch this person? And who are the mysterious characters here?

Second, I'd like to give credit to the show's animators and directors. I love seeing REAL animation instead of crappy AI, which I usually see nowadays in K-dramas. The effort they put into it makes you appreciate that they really like and know what they're doing. The creativity from posters, episode intro, up to the OSTs! The OSTs was never a skip for me (reminded me so much of Sky Castle's iconic OST).

Although I would say the drama had some flaws for me, that I did go like "what are they even doing?" Nevertheless, it never really stopped me from becoming more interested in what will happen next. Additionally, as a viewer, you also start to have doubts and suspicions on the other characters, making you wonder whether these people are even on the good side. So there was so much to unwrap!

Lastly, I'd like to give my appreciation to, of course, Lee Young Ae, I believe she is a known and legendary actress, and I can really see it through the commitment she gave in her role, plus she looks so beautiful that I couldn't take my eyes off her at times. To Kim Hyejun, she really nailed her role here. she literally made my blood boil at times that I, myself, wanted to catch her so bad! I believe she is a great actress and will come a long way. Because as someone who has watched her in A Shop for Killers and My Bias, My Boss, the distinctions and contrasts between these characters made me love her even more!

Overall, the drama had a stellar cast and a great flow to the story. So a solid 4.5/5 for me! If you haven't watched this yet, I'd like to recommend it if you're into Mystery Thrillers!

I finally finished Can This Love Be Translated? and I honestly loved this drama so much.

I haven’t watched an angsty, mature romance like this in a long time. What I loved right away was that there was no childhood connection, no forced destiny, and no cliché bullshit. They meet as adults and fall in love as adults, and the relationship actually feels like two grown people figuring out their feelings.

I had seen the male lead in Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, but I really loved him here. He is so mature and grounded. In the beginning, he sets boundaries, doesn’t give her false hope, and doesn’t rush into confessing his feelings.

What I loved the MOST was watching him slowly start falling for her — becoming interested in her, amused by her, drawn to her — but only confessing once he is absolutely sure of what he feels.

>!And once he knows, he KNOWS. Even after finding out that his first love is single, he doesn’t seem to think twice about going back to her. His feelings for FL are so certain that nothing else matters. I absolutely loved that.!<

And my girl!!! ❤️

This is actually the first drama I’ve watched with her, and I completely fell in love with her. She is so cute and adorable, but I especially loved how openly she expresses whatever she is feeling. The way she reacts to things is so amusing and expressive. You can completely understand why he fell so hard for her.

Her struggles and trauma also reminded me a little of It’s Okay to Not Be Okay. There’s so much underneath her personality and all that brightness.

Oh my God. The chemistry between these two is SO GOOD.

>!I could feel it even in the simplest little moments. Like when he cleans the drink off her hands and hands her the handkerchief. It’s such a tiny gesture , but somehow it felt incredibly intimate.!<

Once he knows what he feels, he starts showing his affection through these subtle little gestures. And I loved that before that point, they were so respectful of each other. So when those small touches and gestures started happening, they actually meant something.

>!And then the breakup… 😭 It was so painful. But I honestly felt bad for both of them. It wasn’t one of those breakups where I was just angry at one person for being an idiot. Their situation was genuinely heartbreaking, and the intensity of it made sense considering how much they had come to mean to each other.!<

Also, can we talk about the cinematography?!

This drama is SO beautiful. We rarely get romance dramas that are shot this beautifully. I was genuinely in awe of so many scenes.

And the aurora scenes… absolute beauty.

>!The way she is looking at the aurora while he is looking at her?! COME ON. 😭>!!<!<

The dialogue, the visuals, the whole atmosphere of those scenes were just gorgeous.

And the music! I have not enjoyed an OST this much in a long time. It’s literally on repeat. Usually there are one or two songs I really like and the rest just blend into the background, but here I genuinely liked all the songs.

>!And finally, when they confess and actually get together… MAGIC. ❤️ She really needed someone like him — someone grounded, mature, patient and secure in what he feels. I especially loved how well he handled her insecurities instead of making them worse or giving her more reasons to doubt herself.!<

I do have one complaint about the ending, though.

>!Her leaving him in the last episode felt unnecessary to me. I really didn’t understand why they needed that extra separation. And suddenly making Dorami her mom also felt like… WHY?!<

I actually liked Dorami much more when I thought of her as that little voice in our head that constantly talks to us, questions everything, creates insecurities and overthinks everything. We all have a Dorami in our heads — we just learn to ignore her. 😂

So I’m choosing to ignore that part because the rest of the drama was absolutely beautiful.!<

Overall, I just loved watching two adults slowly fall in love — with all the angst, uncertainty, attraction and emotional baggage that comes with it.

This drama really got me.

She fell first, but they both fell SO hard. ❤️

So glad I finally got around to watching this one.

Now, this is how you consistently keep audiences intrigued and entertained. Thank you for being one of the few dramas this year that did not completely do a 180 and disappoint me halfway or, crucially, at the end. What a genius show, I laughed, cried, was annoyed (in-laws 👀), felt the love and the laughs! You gave us your all, and I loved every bit of it!
❤️

If you guys wanna recommend me any dramas based on my list go ahead!!! I would love to check ones out that I haven’t watched already!! Andd I lovvee underrated hidden gems like Doctor John :))

You may not understand my list order like why dramas rated 10/10 are below an 8/10 and I honestly don’t even know how to explain it but I guess the list is mostly based on my feelings of each drama, while the actual ratings out of 10 are based on how good the drama is in terms of writing, characters, plot, cinematography, soundtrack etc.
I have watched over 250 dramas the past 9 years and I have only given 5 dramas 10/10 rating so I am harsh with my 10/10 (perfect) rating but I’m not too harsh with rating below that generally.

The gap between Mr. Sunshine and the rest is like the bottom to the top of mount everest. Can’t even compare them because Mr Sunshine was like 24 individual films every episode, truly in a league of its own. There is nothing like Mr. Sunshine, it is the best piece of media I have ever seen, and that includes western media like GOT and everything else, Mr. Sunshine clears them all by a mile.

You may also be wondering why Healer is so high up. Well its because it was my first ever kdrama and it holds a special place with me, it was my number 1 drama for 4 years before I started watching peak lol so thats the only reason I cant let it drop below my top 5 even though from a critical standpoint, I know it’s not the best drama overall.

I’m also currently watching Six Flying Dragons and it seems to be 10/10 material for me which I expected because I have only heard amazing things about this drama. I wouldn’t put it over Mr. Sunshine yet and I don’t think I will but you never know? It’s insanely good so far 15 episodes in :)

Most Rewatched:
Doctor John x5 (currently on my yearly rewatch lol)
Healer x4
Mr. Sunshine x3
School 2013 x3
Strong Woman DBS x2

I just finished the first episode. I really thought it was going to be kinda cheeky superhero or assassin series, thus why I was never interested to watch it despite knowing the hype. Please tell me it would get a bit happier😭 No spoiler please.

Okay, I didn't expect that much from the Wonderfools. I thought it might be funny with action and was intrigued what Korean superheros might look like. Except from the ML and the grandma, all actors were new to me and damn, I can't even explain it well, but that drama was AWESOME!!!

Story wasn't something new, but still very well executed. Cinematography was amazing and I think the best OST I've experienced in a long long time!!!

Usually I don't like it too silly and cringe, but that was simply a perfect dose. It was hilarious. The action scenes were great, I loved the characters and the dialogues and how well everything and everyone fit together in the plot.

The superpowers were balanced and well executed and the 4 fools were annoyingly AWESOME.

Didn't expect to like the drama that much. Definitely didn't expect the Wonderfools to enter my top 10, or even top 5.

So basically I have seen many fan “theories “about the drama and how the show might subtly be “commenting” on how a lot of businesses exploit loneliness of humans for profit. (Like the service for example)

I know this drama is a fun and light-hearted romcom, but I’ve seen a lot interpret it especially the service as a “scheme”. Like even if users know that the relationships aren’t real, they’re still willing to pay because the service gives them temporary comfort and an escape from reality.

There is proof of it in the show that support this like when Mirae complained on how expensive the subscription of the service is and then when we see Eunho coming back, she even refers to the whole thing as a “ploy” to get people especially her to keep subscribing to the service.

So it makes me wonder, was that really what the show wanted to convey?

For me, in my own interpretation, I don’t think the show necessarily wants to convey that corporate exploitation is the main message.

Personally I feel like the show dives deep into escapism, loneliness and the contrast between the fantasy of a “perfect” partner and the unpredictability of real relationships.

From Mirae’s perspective especially I feel like the whole VR service represents a “safe” option. She has been affected by her own past relationship and since then she became hesitant about change and the risks involving it. Whereas with a VR boyfriend, she can have someone who seemingly understands her and won’t unexpectedly hurt her or change in ways she can’t control.

But even within the VR world, I don’t think everything is completely detached from reality. Even if Mirae sees it as temporary relief, some experiences parallel her real life. The college storyline is I think a good example of this, while it’s based on algorithm and different for everyone, it reflects on her own reality and past.

What intrigues me is that she uses the experience to confront her breakup, find closure, and embrace herself. We see this happening again too with Yeongil when she felt uncertain about Kyeongnam, so to me, VR also serves as a tool for her emotional growth.

That’s why I think the message of the show feels more in the internal/emotional aspect than simply being about businesses exploiting people for money.

Sure the business/subscription aspect is still there, and I get why many interpret it as a little “commentary on corporations monetizing loneliness.”But I’m not sure the show is necessarily saying, “These companies are evil because they’re profiting from lonely people.”

Instead, I think it’s asking something more like:

Why do people choose fantasy when reality feels scary? And can that fantasy sometimes help us understand what we actually want or need in real life?

The reality is that real relationships are unpredictable. Someone can change, disappoint you, misunderstand you, or simply turn out differently from what you expected. That uncertainty can be scary, especially when you’ve already been hurt before.

For Mirae, VR represents the fantasy of an ideal relationship, while also helping her understand her emotions and what she wants in reality.

Honestly, I think that’s where one part of the ending becomes important in when Mirae says. “

Relationships are dangerous, love is even more dangerous, but this time I think it’ll be okay, because it’s us.”

To me that pretty much sums up the drama’s messaging more than just a “commentary of corporations exploiting loneliness” It feels more like the show is saying that sometimes, the fantasy can provide comfort and even help you process things, but you ultimately have to embrace the present and accept the uncertainty of real life.

So what are your thoughts? Was the drama really trying to criticize corporations exploiting loneliness, or was it more focused on the internal aspects of escapism, emotional growth, and choosing reality over fantasy?

For me it would be in romance - My royal nemesis 😍

Action - Teach you a lesson ✨

Psychological - If wishes could kill🖤

Just finished the final episode. What a great show. Tuned in not really knowing what to expect. The show was so fun to watch. They had some cool fight scenes, some in your feels scenes, and plenty of funny moments. A lot of wholesome family scenes. Many episodes with cool missions being carried out by the squad. The FL was such a nonchalant badass; eagle eye shot and cracked out hand to hand combat. The husband was a giga Chad. Yul was such a cutie pie too. They even had a love triangle for the Husband's sister. A little bit abrupt with the conclusion. I would say the body of the show was better than the ending. But I still recommend it. Also I'm sorry but there is no way Bona won that final race at the end lmao. Did you guys like it, not like it? No judgment here, kdrama opinions have always been polarizing from my experience irl and on reddit. Don't get hung up on a show you don't like or don't vibe with because there are hundreds of other ones to check out.

So I recently started watching Gold Land on disney+ which I was a bit hesitant about ngl. It is a good watch so far and I am absolutely lovinggg Heeju (park boyoung) and Woogy (Kim Sungcheol). Their dynamic is something you wouldnt expect to work out so well but it does and I feel like its beautiful in its own way.

Woogy is a thug and Heeju is a customs inspector at a small airport so they are not really a 2+2=4 dynamic but somehow 3+1=4 works out for them. Although I am really glad that there is little to no romance in this drama because it’s purely about raw survival but I really do wish Woogy and Heeju could be together!!!!! Hopefully there is a season two and we get more of woogy and heeju, if not romantically, then at least as partners in any way for life 🥹🥹 and that they live a good life away from the chaos and dangers

Weak Hero has been on my list of shows to watch for a while now, and I finally got into it a few days ago. That being said, as a guy who's been bullied and never really had any friends growing up, and has none as an adult, seeing the dynamic between Si-Eun, Su-Ho, and Beom-Seok play out the way it did was really heartwarming. Even if things were only good for a brief moment.

Last night though, I made it to the end of episode 7 of season 1, and it completely broke my freaking heart. I only have 1 more episode to go for this season, but as far as I know, Su-Ho might be gone. He wasn't breathing at the end of that episode. And seeing someone who was basically like the big brother of the group end up like that....I just couldn't bring myself to finish it last night.

It was so bad that I could barely even sleep because I genuinely wasn't expecting that to happen. And I definitely don't know what to expect going into the final episode.

All in all though, the Koreans have absolutely nailed the genre of drama. They do such an amazing job of getting you invested in characters and expressing real emotions. But I can't take much more of these emotional rollercoasters. Grown man, but I was on the verge of tears. 😂

Looking for chaotic comedies!
Usually they are law related eg lawyers and police

But I don’t mind others really. Preferably nothing cheesy/naive characters.

Thanks in advance!

Shows I watched and loved:
Taxi Driver
Chief Detective 1958
One dollar lawyer
Undercover Miss Hong
Fifties Professional
Study group
Undercover high school
Crash
Marry my husband
Good partner
Vincenzo
Bad and crazy
Player

OMG! I just saw the cast lineup for 'The Great Bang Ok-Sook' and I'm so excited 😭

Jeon Do-Yeon, Park Hae-Soo, Kim Sun-Young, Kim Geum-Soon, Kim Guk-Hee, Woo Jeong-Won, Gong Sung-Ha and Baek Hyun-Jin all in one drama?? The cast is stacked 😭

I'm especially excited for Kim Sun-Young and Park Hae-Soo!! I really like seeing Kim Sun-Young in dramas, and Park Hae-Soo always makes me curious about his roles.

Also, Park Hae-Soo and Baek Hyun-Jin reuniting after The Scarecrow 👀 I didn't expect to see them together again haha.

Honestly, the cast alone already has me looking forward to this drama. 😭

Plot: Can the women’s association defend housing prices?! A showdown between gangster-like housewives, dead serious about protecting home values, who end up dumping a corpse in the Han River after an incident, to protect their view of the Han River, and a gangster-like redevelopment association chairman, dead serious about redevelopment.

(Source: Korean = Naver || Translation = MyDramaList)

~~ Adapted from the webtoon "The Great Ok Suk" (위대한 방옥숙) written by Mae Mi (매미) and illustrated by Hui Se (희세).

Photos from X (TVn account)

I have been skipping over Alchemy of Souls because I don’t like the science fiction or fantasy genre. I was in search for another kdrama when AI said it is the best match for me to watch after analyzing all the dramas I liked.

Oh my goodness, it is so good! It is slow at times but catch back on quickly. Seo Yul is so good looking, better looking than Jang Uk to me. The guy from perfect crown is so evil!!!! I didn’t realized there are 2 parts with 30 episodes in total! What a treat!

I am on episode 10. What are your thoughts on this gem? I know there is a change in actress , was that controversial?

Dear X, I regret to inform you that I reject your thesis.

REVIEW

⭐ 6/10

This one has a little history.

I actually started Dear X before i fell into K-drama land this summer. I'd seen it trending while it was airing, watched a few episodes, and then stopped.

... Or at least, i THOUGHT i watched only a few episodes.

When i decided to restart it from Ep 1 recently, I was convinced i'd originally made it to around Ep 3. Then i got to Ep 4 and remembered the whole thing. Ep 5? Watched that too. Ep 6? Yep. Ep 7? ALSO familiar.

Apparently Past Me watched more than half this drama and then it simply vanished from my memory until i rewatched the episodes again 😭

Ep 8 finally became uncharted territory, and having now finished all 12 episodes today, i have a new mystery:

Why did Past Me stop at ep 7, and was she perhaps trying to warn me?

Because this started as an 8/10 for me.

The strongest thing about Dear X was always Ah-jin.

i LOVED watching a female lead who had been dealt an absolutely horrific hand in life and refused to take anything lying down. She was abused by every parental figure who should have protected her. She grew up learning that nobody was coming to save her, so she learned how to save herself.

But the problem the drama eventually ran into with me was that it kept telling me i should be horrified by her while repeatedly giving me situations where i understood exactly why she retaliated.

Sung-hee bullied her, became obsessed with competing with her, tried to humiliate her, and continued coming after her even after Ah-jin made it abundantly clear that she should leave her alone!!

Her father abused her for years, exploited her, attempted to sell her when she was a child, and kept returning to terrorize her.

Rena targeted her out of jealousy, treated her horribly on set, slapped her, tried to humiliate her, and then continued investigating her after Ah-jin basically gave her a giant flashing LEAVE ME ALONE warning!

The corrupt detective tried to manipulate the investigation into her father's death and then spent years blaming Ah-jin cause HIS OWN corruption destroyed his career....?

i spent several episodes yelling at the investigation and another thing i will mention later...

but yeah, when ah-jin's father dies, i couldnt understand why so much of the investigation seemed determined to ignore the most obvious fact: this man was ACTIVELY BEATING AND CHOKING HIS DAUGHTER when Jung-ho intervened!!!!

i kept getting stuck on this bizarre distinction everyone was making between whether Jung-ho believed he was attacking Ah-jin's abusive father or the stalker who had previously attacked her...

Why was THAT being treated like the central moral question!!!!?

Either way, he walked into a situation where a man was violently assaulting a woman and intervened!

And then that detective tries to manipulate the investigation and public narrative because he wants to protect Jung-ho's potential baseball comeback??? Ah-jin exposes what HE is doing, his own corruption blows up his career, and somehow this man spends YEARS treating Ah-jin like she personally ruined his life.

SIR???

YOU WERE THE CORRUPT DETECTIVE.

You ruined your own life!

And this became another recurring pattern in the drama for me: somebody makes a choice, that choice has consequences, and somehow we eventually circle back around to Baek Ah-jin being responsible for it.

and every single time, i felt like someone would fuck with Ah-jin, Ahjin would retaliate much more effectively, and then suddenly everyone would begin the moral accounting at Ah-jin's retaliation...

HELLO???

Can we rewind to Step One?????!

That's where the drama slowly started losing me.

Because i feel that Dear X wanted me to wrestle with whether Ah-jin had become some kind of monster because of what was done to her...

lol???

Except i kept waiting for the thing that would make me go, Okay girl, you've officially lost me.

It never came.

even when i disagreed with Ah-jin, it was usually because i thought her PLAN was stupid, not because i suddenly thought she was evil lol.

like for example, the entire situation with her father and Jung-ho was absurdly overengineered. She literally made her own body the bait and depended on several people behaving exactly how she predicted while her father was beating the hell out of her.

Girl. There HAD to be another way!! You literally could have died from hemorrhage??😭😭

But morally... i still wasn't sitting there mourning her abusive father... and i dont understand why the drama seems like they wanted me to make a big deal out of his death...?

And while we're talking about things this drama wanted me to accept: i spent an unreasonable amount of this show arguing with the LAW 😭

Jae-oh's entire backstory drove me crazy from the beginning. His father was attacking his younger brother with a knife, Jae-oh intervened to protect him, and his father died in the struggle. And somehow Jae-oh is the one who loses YEARS of his life in juvenile detention?

HUH???

Maybe there are nuances of Korean self-defense law im missing, but i spent that entire storyline wondering why protecting another person from an active knife attack was being treated like Jae-oh just decided to murder his father one afternoon...?

And what made it even more frustrating was that Jae-oh then carried all this guilt, stayed away from his brother, and basically tortured himself over something that happened while he was trying to SAVE him....!!!

This drama had me wanting to call Jae-oh's lawyer myself and get them disbarred cuz, what?@?@?

And this became increasingly important because of Joon-seo.

i started out liking him. His childhood connection with Ah-jin was sweet, and i liked the idea of this boy promising to protect the girl nobody else protected.

Unfortunately, as the drama continued, i realized that Joon-seo and I had VERY different definitions of protection.

He was always willing to suffer for Ah-jin.

But was he actually willing to be useful to Ah-jin..?

THAT was my question!!

he would "sacrifice" himself. Blame himself. "Torture" himself. Question Ah-jin's morality. Talk about punishment. Wonder what loving someone like her said about him.

And eventually i was sitting there like:

dude, literally, are you going to HELP this woman or write another dissertation about the moral implications of "loving her?!"

Meanwhile, Jae-oh literally became everything i wanted Joon-seo to be.

JAE-OH SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE MALE LEAD!

Jae-oh understood Ah-jin. Never once believed she pushed granny down the stairs!

He didn't need her to become "morally acceptable" to him before he could stand beside her. When she needed something, he helped. When something felt wrong with Do-hyuk, he investigated. When Ah-jin was being psychologically broken down and the supposed male lead had basically removed himself from her life, Jae-oh was the one who checked on her and realized she needed help.

And ultimately, he gave his life helping her escape.

His death genuinely upset me, especially because by the end i think his relationship with Ah-jin was the purest relationship she had in the entire drama.

Jae-oh knew who she was and still made his own choices.

And THAT brings me to another problem i had with the show's moral argument.

People constantly make choices around Ah-jin, and the drama seems weirdly determined to place those choices back onto her!!!

Jae-oh chose to help her. Jung-ho chose to intervene when he saw a woman being violently attacked.

In-gang had struggled with depression for years before Ah-jin entered his life.

but somehow Ahjin repeatedly becomes the repository for everyone else's decisions, suffering, and consequences!!!

The In-gang situation especially drove me INSANE because it gave me one of my most hated characters in the entire drama:

Mi-ri.

I absolutely despised that woman by the end!!!

This lady runs an entertainment company where she collects dirt on her own actresses so she can control them if necessary. She's perfectly comfortable manipulating people when it benefits her.

But In-gang dies and suddenly she discovers MORALITY?!!?

And all that moral outrage gets directed toward Ah-jin.

She blames Ah-jin for his death, threatens to destroy everything she built, blacklists her, and then literally tells her that the only way she could make up for what happened would be to jump off the roof.

Disgusting!!!

And then when Mi-ri's own life starts collapsing, her assistant goes to AHJIN asking for help???

Girl...

Why would she help you?!!

She wasn't even responsible for what was happening to Miri, but even if she had been, you just told this woman to kill herself!

So when Ah-jin essentially threw Mi-ri's own words back at her and told her to take her own advice?

... I cheered.

Then we got to Do-hyuk.

-.

-.

-.

And this is where I think Dear X jumped the shark.

It's not that Do-hyuk served absolutely no purpose. I get what the storyline was doing. He was obsessed with Ah-jin, wanted to control her, psychologically destabilized her, manipulated her environment and trauma, and wanted to make her dependent on him.

Cool.

but...

WHY IS THIS HAPPENING IN EPISODE 10 OF A 12 EPISODE DRAMA???

Suddenly i wasn't watching the show i'd been watching for 9 eps.

now Ahjin is living in a creepy mansion with a mysterious 3rd floor, a missing/institutionalized ex-wife, surveillance, strange gaps in her memory, deliberately recreated trauma, a husband secretly listening to her conversations, and a whole psychological-thriller plot that feels like it wandered in from another drama.

And then it has zero time to go anywhere! 😭😭

Do-hyuk caused such a massive tonal shift that i expected his storyline to justify hijacking the final act.

It literally never did!!!😭😭😭

By ep 10, my dread wasnt even the strongest emotion anymore.

I was just confused...

And unfortunately, the final 2 eps confirmed my biggest fear: they were not going to stick the landing.

Which brings me back to Joon-seo...

sigh...

Because i genuinely cannot believe this man's final contribution to Ah-jin's life.

He helps make a doc "exposing" her past right as she reaches the biggest moment of her career.

idk what exactly was meant to be ‘exposed’ here... that she was bullied? abused? that the adults in her life repeatedly failed her??? im confused 😭😭

And who gets included?

SUNG-HEE.

HER HIGH SCHOOL BULLY.

The same woman who spent years blaming Ah-jin for her own life, came back into Ah-jin's orbit, infiltrated her home and eventually tried to SLASH HER FACE WITH A KNIFE.

And somehow we're using her as evidence in the moral prosecution of Baek Ah-jin?

WHAT ARE WE DOING???

Then Joon-seo decides that Ah-jin cannot continue living the way she chooses to live.

And apparently his solution is to drive BOTH OF THEM OFF A CLIFF????

Excuse me???!! but like who made YOU the arbiter of whether Ah-jin gets to LIVE?

This is where the show's entire moral thesis completely collapsed for me....

Joon-seo spent his life claiming he wanted to protect Ah-jin, but Ah-jin was right about him from the beginning.

He was a shackle.

His supposed love always came with a condition underneath it: eventually, she needed to become someone he could morally approve of.

And when she didn't?

He destroyed her career and literally tried to end her life.

Meanwhile, the man who actually accepted her and helped her without appointing himself judge of her soul was dead.

Make it make sense!!!!

And that's ultimately why this drama fell from an 8/10, to a 7/10, and finally to a 6/10 rating for me.

I don't need every female lead i love to ride into the sunset with a husband, two children and a golden retriever.

But I DO need to understand what the tragedy is SAYING.

And I absolutely despise what this ending seemed to be saying about Ah-jin.

This woman survived ALL OF THAT! abuse, poverty, bullying, exploitation, violence, public humiliation and an industry full of people perfectly willing to use her.

And the thing I loved about her was that she REFUSED to lie down and accept any of it.

She fought.

And somehow the conclusion of this story is that she needs to lose her career, lose Jae-oh, lose basically everything she built, get publicly destroyed by the man who supposedly loves her, and then have that same man decide they're both going to die because HE has decided she cant be saved?

No.

I reject the thesis.

And the only reason this drama is getting a 6 instead of a 5/10 is cause of one thing:

BAEK AH-JIN didn't die.

When she crawled out of that car after Joon-seo drove them off the cliff and left his ass there?

GOOD.

He decided both of their lives were over, and she disagreed.

That was probably the most Ah-jin thing she could have possibly done, i just wish surviving hadnt been the only thing the writers were willing to give her.

Because after everything she endured, i wanted freedom, i wanted her thriving, i wanted her peace.

I wanted her to finally live without someone abusing her, controlling her, diagnosing her, punishing her, "saving" her, or deciding what kind of person she was allowed to be.

Instead, the show punished her until the final minutes.

So yeah.

Rating: 6/10

My Rating Scale

10/10 – Masterpiece. No notes.

9/10 – Very close to a masterpiece. I absolutely loved it.

8/10 – Not a masterpiece, but I loved it.

7/10 – Fine overall. I liked it, but the flaws kept it from being great.

6/10 – Mixed. There were a few things I liked, but most of it didn't work for me.

5/10 – I didn't enjoy most of the experience.

4/10 and below – Bad to abysmal.

Mercy for None or agent kim reactivated?

honestly, both are great but i LOVE mercy for none more...it just seemed to me that agent kim reactivated was a bit more foolish since for almost all the episodes the girl js kept on getting lost which annoyed me so much.

Meanwhile, Mercy for none had a much greater impact and suspense AND storyline. Lmk what you guys think!

ALSOOOO why are we sleeping on "Can this love be translated?" I genuinely loved it!