338. Her Private Life 그녀의 사생활 (2019) Korean

Park Min Young, Kim Jae Wook, Ahn Bo Hyun, Kim Bo Ra, Park Jin Joo

Drama Rating: 7/10     Neck Score: A

I think the only thing that sold this show for me was the OTP. Ryan Gold and Sung Deok Mi were #relationshipgoals. They were the most mature and well grounded couple in the history of rom-coms. They talked things out, supported each other, and were just generally super cute. That being said, there really wasn't much else to the plot. Nothing was super compelling, and because our couple was so good at working things out, nothing was a huge deal and was resolved in the same episode. Mind. Blown.


I even started calling it: Ryan Golded. When the previews make it seem like a trope is going to happen and it's going to cause the usual drama, but instead they solve it in a logical and swift manner so it's not even a problem. Dramas would be a lot shorter if everyone took this approach. But because of that, I do think that it was a bit less compelling than some. Maybe we're all just so used to a bit of makjang/horror/melodrama/any other genre being thown into our rom-coms that the lack of a strong plot or even something compelling, made it a bit boring. I was literally just having a conversation with the t-list about this. But I don't think it was the ridiculous drama that was missing, they tried to throw that in a couple of times and we didn't like it (I'm looking at you, episode 15), I just think that the plot wasn't very strong to begin with. It was a series of little instances that all centered around a group of people, with the OTP at the head.

278. Temperature of Love 사랑의 온도 (2017) Korean

Seo Hyun Jin, Yang Se Jong, Jo Bo Ah, Kim Jae Wook

Drama Rating: 6/10     Neck Score: A+

This one took me a long time to finish.  We started out watching it together, but soon it was put on the back burner because there were many things we would rather watch.  It got so bad that finally I asked them if I could just finish it without them.  They were totally fine with it.  So I did.  Even then, I struggled though it, because it was too, I don't know how to say it, predictable?  We all knew how it was going to end, and it wasn't going to be happy for everyone.  They all knew how it was going to end, but they still had to fight over the girl.  Yeah, maybe they all got stronger for it, but I really didn't like seeing them fight all the time.  I was really invested in the bromance, so for Kim Jae Wook to try and shake the couple, when he was the only one who was going to be hurt was just not fun for me to watch, no matter how beautiful he is.  I was also in it for the other couples as well, although I have to say I shipped the sou chef with the sommelier.  Team sommelier forever!!!!  But my favorite couple was the assistant director and writer.  I wanted there to be way more of them.

However, all that aside, I did like how there was lots of character growth, and yeah, it was a painful process that made me take this show a lot slower, I liked how they learned from all the painful experiences.  They all had to come to terms with something that was holding them back from progressing and being happy, and they were all able to grow through that.  None of the characters ended up where they started, really.  Characters that I thought were going to be the worst ended up being fine, or great.  I don't think I hated anyone.  That's always a plus.  I thought I was going to hate some people when they were first introduced, but then, when we saw a more well rounded side on them, we didn't hate them, and that was cool.  Like the mom (who is my bae) or the director.

By the end of the show, when all the relationships (the bromance) were back where they should be and maybe stronger than ever, I was super happy and had that cheesy grin on my face as everyone was being cute together, and I had to admit that this show wasn't half bad and that while I didn't feel like watching it a lot of the time, it was still pretty solid.  You just have to be ready for a lot of angry/sad talking and a lot of misunderstandings and mopiness.  Not my favorite things, but whatever.  That's how these characters grew, I suppose.

61. Mary Stayed Out All Night 매리는 외박중 (2010) Korean

Jang Geun Suk, Moon Geun Young, Kim Jae Wook, Kim Hyo Jin

Drama Rating: 4/10     Neck Score: A

This was another one I watched because of that list of 100 best dramas.  That list was probably crap, but whatever.  I don't regret expanding my viewing pool.  This one was just dumb.  The premise was dumb.  Jang Geun Suk's hair... hot.  But it's about this girl, Mae Ri, whose dad is in so much debt all the time that they are constantly running and getting their stuff taken away.  But he runs into his old friend, who was in love with the dad's wife, so he decides to pay all the debt if Mae Ri (who looks just like her mom) marries his son.  In the mean time Mae Ri meets Jang Geun Suk, who is this long haired musician in a band.  She hits him with her car, but is so worried about scams that she follows him to get his signature promise that he is fine and wont sue later.  He's been scammed by agents making him sign slave contracts that he wont sign and they end up getting drunk together and he takes her home and crashes at her house for a while since he no longer has a house.  Then when Mae Ri finds out that her dad wants her to get married she uses Jang Geun Suk to pretend to be already married.  Then there is a bunch of stupidness as her dad registers her marriage with the son so she's technically married to both men.  Then there is a bunch of sharing the wife crap and it's dumb.  There are some cool songs.  Jang Geun Suk's rock band is pretty sweet.  It was so cray cray and lame that the writer even quit half way through.  Just silliness, really.