K Drama Chat Weekly

Today, we’ll be discussing Episode 1 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. We discuss: The song featured during the recap: Midnight Walk by d.ear. The song feels nostalgic and represents Ae-sun’s longing for the past. The deeper themes of family, love, and survival that make this show feel unique compared to other historical K Dramas. The emotional opening with an elderly Ae-sun reflecting on the word "eomma" (mom) and how it carries deep significance throughout her life. The realistic and historical setting of Jeju Island, which makes this drama feel different from the more fantastical K Dramas we have covered before. The contrast between the English title, When Life Gives You Tangerines , and the Korean title Pokssak Sogatsuda , which means "You’ve worked hard" in Jeju dialect. The introduction of young Ae-sun and Gwan-sik and how their childhood relationship sets the foundation f...

Today, we’ll be discussing the special filler episode on When The Phone Rings , the over-the-top, twist-filled K Drama starring Yoo Yeon-seok as Baek Sa-eon, Jeon Yeo-been as Hong Hee-joo, and Kim Ji-seok as Ji Sang-woo. We discuss: The songs we featured during the recap, including: Homme Fatale – the dramatic track playing when Baek Sa-eon struts into a room Say My Name performed by Yoo Yeon-seok in the finale The absolutely bonkers premise: a high-profile political spokesperson secretly married to his childhood love, who he keeps hidden from the world, and whose existence triggers a web of blackmail, kidnapping, and revenge plots. The layers of hidden identities — from Baek Sa-eon being a secret replacement for the original Baek Sa-eon, to Hong Hee-joo living her life pretending to be mute, all due to family politics and trauma. The stunning reveal that Baek Sa-eon is not only adopted but actually the son of his own grandfather. The selective mutism plotline — how Hong ...