The Obsessive Dilettante

Previously: Jan – Feb – Mar – Apr – May – June – July – Aug – Sept

I skipped October accidentally because I was so busy, but really there wouldn’t have been much to add because my drama-watching the last couple of months (and especially October) was barely a trickle. However, I’m getting back into the swing of things and looking forward to hopefully marking off a few dramas from my “on hold” list before the end of the year.

For right now, though, here is where things stand:

Completed:

• Fantastic – what a lovely, touching, heartwarming and heart-destroying show, filled with characters I could truly care about and root for. Male leads who didn’t make me want to tear my hair out and awesome female friendship? Please let this be the new gold standard for dramas!
• Monster – I’ve forgotten more about this show than I’ll ever remember, even while it was airing, but I’m still glad I slogged through it if only because of how much I’ve missed Park Ki Woong. There were some good moments, but I really wished that it had been 20 episodes instead of 50 because so much of the “revenge” felt watered down and I kept forgetting why characters were doing what they were doing when it seemed like they had moved on from their original motivations. Plus all the old men’s political posturing was boring and I wanted more Lee El, Jo Bo Ah, and Soohyun (I’ve predictably forgotten why Soohyun disappeared halfway through, but she was definitely missed).

Currently Watching:

• The Man Living in Our House – it’s not a great drama but it’s cute and I love Soo Ae’s little flights of fancy and all of her various “personality” characters. Plus the cast is easy on the eyes, and I’m still easily amused by watching best friend model bros Soo Hyuk and Young Kwang play characters who get all pissy with each other – mostly because I’m sure they’re having a blast filming together. While I’m still unsure if any of the guys are worthy of the awesomeness that is Soo Ae’s character, I’m shallow enough just to enjoy watching the pretty on my screen. Plus it’s made me laugh out loud a few times, and that’s generally a good sign.
• Squad 38 – despite loving this show when it was airing, I had to drop it halfway through due to time commitments (you’re shocked, I know), so now I’ve picked it up again and, as of the moment when I’m adding this post to the queue have made it through ep 12.

Skipping/Dropping:

• Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo – maybe I’d be more interested in this if it had a stronger (heh) cast, but as much as I like Lee Sung Kyung (and cutie Nam Joo Hyuk), I’m not sure about them holding down an entire drama as the leads. This writer is hit-or-miss with me, especially when it comes to romance, and the director makes me take two giant steps back. There’s potential here, and I hope the plot turns out better than I’m expecting, but there are also many other dramas I’d rather take a chance on.
• Drinking Solo – this is just a “temporary” drop (although we all know that “temporary” for me can mean anything from a month to forever) due to being so very far behind on this show and too interested in other dramas airing or soon-to-air, while also trying to finish up other “temporarily dropped” shows from earlier this year. It’s still cute, but it’s not a high priority.
• This Week, My Wife Will Have An Affair – I’m vaguely interested in this, and might bump up to the “watch” list depending on my time and if the buzz about it is decent. But for now I’d rather focus on other dramas.

Upcoming dramas of interest:

• Night Light – I’m going to be watching this no matter what since I’ll also be recapping it, but given a list of November premieres it was my first pick anyway. My interest is primarily based on the production team, cast, and the fact that the synopsis promises that the female characters will be in the spotlight (and Jin Goo’s interview with Grazia seems to hint that there might be some standard drama tropes thwarted).
  
• Romantic Teacher Doctor Kim – I know never to choose a drama based purely on an actor but I have such faith in Han Suk Kyu that I’m definitely going to watch this, even though I’m not a fan of medical dramas in general.
• Legend of the Blue Sea – goddess Jeon Ji Hyun as a mermaid? Yes, please! I’m mostly concerned about the writer, who has written popular dramas but ones that weren’t necessarily my favorites. Here’s hoping her fate as a mermaid is better than the pretty alien romance.
• Goblin – Ahh, I’m so torn! I don’t want to watch but I want to watch.  Choosing the cast over the production team usually results in bitter failure for me, but this caaaaaaaaaaaast. My darling Lee El! Yoo Inna! Gong Yoo hoping to redeem himself after the disaster that was Big! I’ll probably check it out, but with deep reservations.
• Entourage – if I were just basing this off my vague knowledge of the American version and my indifference to Seo Kang Joon, I’d instinctively pass, but the promised list of cameos and the fact that so many faves are in the, uh, “entourage” will probably have me watching out of curiosity, but no guarantee of commitment.

As always, any drama not listed means I have nothing new to add since the last mention and/or it’s not something I care about enough to add to the list.