1.16 - Episode 15 of Hotel Del Luna

In this episode, we recap and analyze episode 15 of Hotel Del Luna. While Man Wol was gone, Mago gives Chan Sung a task: go back in time to 200 years ago to pick some moon flowers needed to make the wine that will make someone the next owner of the hotel. Chan Sung meets Man Wol, who asks him to stay and become her 85th human manager, but he declines.

When he comes back, Mago tells him that Man Wol has come back from the afterlife. Man Wol has a joyful reunion with Chan Sung and her staff. We finally learn Hyun Jung’s back story. He finally confronts Tae sok, who shot him and led his life as Hyun Jung. He also gets to graduate from school. We also learn just a little bit about Bartender Kim’s life. At the end, Man Wol refuses the wine that Yuna has stolen from potion Mago. Chan Sung and Man Wol declare their love for each other.

We do a short recap of the show, and then we dive deep into the episode. We discuss:

Another song from the OST - Say Goodbye by Song Haye.
Mago asking Chan Sung to go back in time to retrieve the moon flowers
The mind-bending aspects of time travel.
How Mago has been engineering the whole story of Man Wol and Chan Sung, starting 1,300 years ago.
How we meet a new Mago, poverty Mago.
The Korean board game of baduk, or Go in Japan.
Why Chan Sung didn’t take the medicine that would remove his ability to see ghosts.
The story of Hyun Jung and how he was shot by his friend Tae sok, who then took Hyun Jung’s name and cared for Hyeon mi his whole life.
The confrontation between Hyun Jung and Tae sok.
How we learn a little about bartender Kim’s story.
How Man Wol decided not to drink the wine that Yuna stole, in effect rejecting the opportunity to remain the hotel manager and stay with Chan Sung.
The K Drama elements in this episode:

Flowers
Alcohol
The quirky best friend Sanchez
The umbrella scenes

Our favorite Man Wol outfits.
Our favorite lines from the episode.
Second lead syndrome in K Dramas.

###

K Drama Chat is a weekly podcast where we take one Korean (K) Drama each season and and recap and analyze each episode. K Drama Chat is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Stitcher.

Comments

11.10 - Podcast Review of Episode 10 of When Life Gives You Tangerines

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 10 of When Life Gives You Tangerines , the hit K Drama on Netflix starring IU as Oh Ae-sun and Park Bo-gum as Yang Gwan-sik as young adults, then Moon So-ri as Oh Ae-sun and Park Hae-joon as Yang Gwan-sik as older adults. We discuss: The featured song during the recap: “Theme of Ae-sun” by Park Sung-il, the musician who also wrote “Theme of Gwan-sik,” “Spring in a Heartbeat,” and “Two Faced Summer” from this OST. The Baeksang Awards wins for this show—Best Drama, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Supporting Actor—and how validating it feels to have picked a gem for Season 11 of our podcast! How this episode focuses on three mothers and their powerful love for their children: Ae-sun, Yeong-ran, and Chung-seop’s mom. The symbolic and cultural significance of white rice, and how Bu Sang-gil uses it as a weapon in his drunken tirade. Oh Seong’s boiling anger against his father and sister, and his tragic learned behavior from witnessin...

12.17 - Special Episode About the Art and Science of Screenwriting with Ellen Sullivan

Today, we have a special episode of K Drama Chat where we’re joined by longtime listener, friend, and screenwriter, Ellen Sullivan . We talk about the art and science of screenwriting and how the best K Dramas follow—or creatively depart from—dramatic structure to deliver compelling, emotional stories. In this episode, we discuss: The shows that are heavily spoiled in this episode: Crash Landing On You , Mr. Queen , Mr. Sunshine , When the Phone Rings , and Captivating the King . Ellen’s background as a screenwriter and technical writer, and how her passion for K Dramas began with My Mister. The Western three-act structure versus the Korean four-act structure (gi-seung-jeon-gyeol), and how each style approaches storytelling and character development. Detailed examples of setup, midpoint, and conclusion in Crash Landing On You , Mr. Queen , and Mr. Sunshine . What makes these shows work: believable character arcs, clear motivations, strong midpoint turns, and emotional payof...

5.4 - Review of Episode 4 of Mr. Queen

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 4 of Mr. Queen, the hit K Drama on Netflix starring Shin Hye-sun as Kim So-yong, Kim Jung-hyun as King Cheojong, Seol In-ah as Jo Hwa-jin, Na In-woo as Kim Byeong-in, and Choi Jin-hyuk as Jang Bong-hwan. We discuss: Then songs we played during the recap: Conspiracyby Kim Deuk-su and Lost Memory by Howl. Last week’s episode was so funny, while this episode is really dark and there are bad guys everywhere. The Queen has figured out that it was the King who tried to kill her in the alleyway. The King is still desperately trying to figure out what the Queen knows. The many plots to frame someone for the Queen falling into the lake. The Queen accuses the King of going after her because she’s weak; this makes him wonder if the Queen is plotting against him or if she really is someone different. Jo Hwa-jin goes to Grand Dowager Queen to confess they she pushed the Queen into the lake When the King tries to defend Jo H...

K Drama Chat Weekly

Search This Blog