New Drama Alert: A Divorce Lawyer in Love

Remember how I was looking at upcoming dramas and was super duper insanely excited about Divorce Lawyer in Love?

Yeah...me too.

To be honest, I found the first two episodes pretty underwhelming. After seeing the teasers and knowing Yeon Woo Jin's comedic capabilities, I was fully expecting to fall head over heels for the series from the first minute, and instead...I was bored.

There wasn't an immediate connection with any of the characters, really, and the first two episodes mostly felt like mean-spirited drudgery.

But wait! Before you run away to cross it off of your to-watch list forever and ever, there's good news because episodes 3 and 4 were way, way better! 

Here's the thing we have to remember about this kind of series (and by "we," I mean "I" because I obviously completely forgot this principle): Any time you have a premise where two people hate each other before being reunited by fate, you have to spend some time establishing exactly why they hate each other. Some shows do it gradually through flashbacks, but others choose to frontload the series with all of the bad stuff before moving to the cute and funny parts. 

This frontloading approach can be tricky because viewers haven't had time to grow attached to the characters, and you're asking them to somehow be invested in a story about a bunch of shouty jerks. For example, Sly and Single Again and Emergency Couple were two other shows where the initial vitriol made me confused about why I should root for any of the characters, but then they found better footing later in the series.

Fortunately for Divorce Lawyer in Love, once they helped us realize just how much our leads hate each other, a lot of things fell into place. Episodes 3 and 4 were much more engaging than the premiere week, and I felt like I got to know the leads and their motivations better. The side characters are really starting to grow on me as well, like Shim Hyun Tak's lazy, rich, and completely hilarious second lead.

 Best of all, though, Yeon Woo Jin has been showing off all of his hilarious facial expressions left and right.

So I'm happy to report that, in spite of my initial disappointment, I'm pretty excited to see where this series goes. Is it groundbreakingly awesome so far? No, but it's starting to be light, zippy, and cute, which is everything I wanted.

Why Pragmatic People Don't Write K-dramas

Do you ever find yourself screaming at the TV "CALL THE POLICE!" or "JUST TELL THE TRUTH!", but K-drama characters never seem to listen? I do. Sometimes it seems like a miracle that any K-drama characters survive into adulthood at all based on their poor critical thinking skills, and as someone who can be practical to a fault, it drives me insane.

Sometimes I like to pretend that I'm in charge of writing the K-dramas, and I fill in the massive plot holes or make the characters stop doing stupid things to the best of my ability. Of course, then I realize that if I were writing some of these scenarios, the show would be over immediately, so maybe it's actually a good thing I'm not in charge?


To illustrate my point, here's how a handful of dramas would have turned out differently if I (or anyone equally pragmatic) were writing the scripts.

*WARNING: SPOILERS*

1. Sensory Couple/ Girl Who Sees Smells 

You're already in a car. Just keep drivin' right to the police station.

The dilemma: You find out that your best friend is a serial killer. You already have an appointment set for that evening to meet with a detective at a secluded church. What should you do?

If I were writing: Plan A: Uh, you immediately drive to the police station and tell them that your best friend is a serial killer. Obviously. You then wait at said police station until he is caught so that he can't murder you. You do not die. Roll credits.

Plan B: If, for some reason, you only trust that one detective, you immediately call the detective and say "Hey, I know we're scheduled for tonight, but can I meet you in a well-lit public place right now so that I don't get murdered by my serial killer BFF? Kthxbai!" You do not die. Roll credits.

Plan C: If somehow plans A and B fall through and you end up waiting at a secluded church alone and your serial killer BFF walks in, RUN. Now is not the time to play it cool. You are like a foot taller than this guy and outweigh him by a fair measure, so don't let him get close enough to tranquilize you or something (I assume that's the only way he managed to overpower his friend, right?). Also, pull out your phone and call 911 while you are running so that even if you die, they know who the killer is. Roll credits.

What actually happens: You show up early to the most secluded, dark place possible and hold perfectly still so that your serial killer BFF can catch you as easily as possible. Serial killer BFF then goes on to try to murder more people for the foreseeable future.

While we're on the subject of questionable writing choices and Sensory Couple (which, despite these specific scenes, I quite enjoy), can we give a shout-out to this scene?

I get the idea of fan service, but they are literally talking about how he's a brutal serial killer in this scene. Doesn't that make anyone else feel conflicted? Yay for Namgoong Min's abs, boo for murdering people? I prefer my serial killers without chocolate abs, thank you very much. That will make it easier for me to run away.

2. Nice Guy

Now is not the time for romance!

The dilemma: The girl you've always loved calls you up to say she accidentally killed a guy when he assaulted her at a hotel room. She threatens to commit suicide if this scandal ruins her career as a newscaster. What should you do?

If I were writing: Sit her down and tell her that committing suicide over not being a newscaster is quite literally one of the stupidest things you've ever heard. Give her the phone number of a good career counselor. Stay with her and be a supportive friend as you call the police and help make sure they know that it was self defense.

Realize that she is cray-cray and find someone else to date. Roll credits.

What actually happens: You say, "I know! I'll give up my career as a doctor and go to jail (with a worse sentence than she would have gotten) for a crime I didn't commit." She quits being a newscaster and eventually ends up in jail anyway. You end up on a twisted road to revenge and amnesia.

3. Goong

Parents of the year?

The dilemma: Surprise! You've been secretly betrothed to the crown prince since birth! Too bad he's a total dirtbag and you don't want to marry him. Of course, if you do marry him, you could get your family out of debt and stop those scary loan sharks from putting red tags on the TV. What should you do?

If I were writing: You tell your parents, "My life is worth more than the TV. How about you guys reign in your spending habits a little instead of selling me off like cattle?" Roll credits.

What actually happens: She tearfully steps in to save the TV by marrying the dirtbag prince. He continues to be a dirtbag for about 20 more episodes.

4. Nail Shop Paris

The short answer? No. You don't.

The dilemma: You are a terrible writer with no original ideas. Suddenly, you discover a nail shop where handsome men work and solve their clients' life problems, and you think, "What a great, original idea for a story!" Unfortunately, it's a boys' only club. What should you do?

If I were writing:  You realize it's actually kind of a lame story idea, and you go back to the drawing board. Roll credits.

What actually happens: Even though you look nothing like a boy, you pretend to be a boy and work at the shop. You write the most convoluted mess of a story of all time.

5. The Prime Minister and I

Dear women of the world: Contract marrying the first guy you see won't solve your problems. Or his.

The dilemma: Oh no! You and the Prime Minister have been caught together in what appears to be a scandalous photo! His career may be ruined! What do you do?

If I were writing: You figure an unsubstantiated rumor will blow over much more quickly than a fake marriage and fake divorce would. You keep your day job, and you don't turn into a sad, docile domestic goddess with no personality.

What actually happens: You guys somehow think that a fake marriage and fake divorce will not create ANY scandal at all, and you turn into a sad, docile domestic goddess with no personality. 

So...I guess the moral of this story is that critical thinking skills will never lead to true love?

Are there any other K-drama scenarios that make your logic-loving brains cringe and shriek in horror?

New K-drama Alert: Angry Mom and Sensory Couple/Girl Who Sees Smells

Remember in my last post how I was like, "Blah blah I'm too fancy to care about Angry Mom or Sensory Couple"?

I take it back. Here's why:

Angry Mom

Premise: A mom with a feisty past (Kim Hee Sun) discovers that her daughter is being bullied. When the authorities refuse to help, she takes matters into her own hands, going undercover as a teenager at the school.

Episodes watched: 1-4

Thoughts so far: Four episodes in, and I'm in love. The whole thing could have been a silly mess, but it's a much smarter, more serious series than I initially gave it credit for. This premise won a screenwriting competition, and I can see why. Even after a few episodes, I feel like I've known some of these characters forever. 

Favorites? Obviously the magnificent Kim Hee Sun, who somehow manages to look far more like a grumpy teenager than she has any right to look. She even has the grumpy teenager slouch down perfectly.

Runner up is Bok Dong (Ji Soo), the resident bad boy. I have a feeling he's going to make me shed more than a few tears.

I am going to dock some points for the K-drama coincidence parade. It's fine if you have a couple of big reveals, but so far it's looking like everyone will have some amazing surprise connection to absolutely everyone else (I'm looking at you judge/teacher daddy). 

This series is much darker than it looks, but it's handling heavy subject matter like bullying and sexual assault with the weight it deserves. The lighthearted and comedic moments feel like a necessary breath of fresh air, and I don't fee jolted by shifts in tone like I do in other dramas.

Sensory Couple/Girl Who Sees Smells

Premise: After a tragic event, a woman (Shin Se Kyung) wakes up from a coma to discover that she can see smells. A police officer (Yoochun) who loses his sister in the same event finds that he has lost his ability to feel pain.

Episodes watched: 1

Thoughts so far: It's just the premiere, so it's not like I can say that much, but it's cute! 

I mean, with a title like Girl Who Sees Smells, it could have been way worse. Yeah, the cartoon smells floating around are as ridiculous as you would expect, but I'm happy to report that her visions weren't the focus of the first episode.

Granted, a bunch of people get murdered within the first eight minutes of the series (cue sad trombone), but after that, it's quirky, fast-paced, and fun. I expected to hate Shin Se Kyung, but she actually fits her role well so far. I pretty much always have zero feelings either way about Yoochun, and...I also have zero feelings about him in this series at this point.

Is it the next Citizen Kane? No. But will it make you feel like spring is here? Yes. Basically, if Angry Mom makes you too depressed, watch this as a chaser. Except for all of the murdered people (cue sad trombone again).

Stray observation (possibly spoiler-y): Was anyone else bothered by the cop just adopting her and changing her name and pretending he had been her dad for her whole life? I'm assuming it's a witness protection kind of thing, but still....

Anyone else watching? Tell me your thoughts so far!