The featured song during the recap: I Find You by Do Young.
How Bon Appétit, Your Majesty is a light-hearted, romantic, and food-filled drama inspired by the dark reign of King Yeonsangun.
The show’s unique blend of historical fiction, time travel, romance, and culinary arts — with food as a central character and storytelling device.
The story of King Yeonsangun, the real tyrant who inspired the fictional King Yi Heon, and how the drama reimagines his story.
A comparison to Mr. Queen and why this show, though similar on the surface, is more about food, love, and redemption than gender-bending comedy.
Im Yoon A and Lee Chae Min’s incredible chemistry, with Lee Chae Min’s breakout performance being especially notable given his short preparation time.
The standout supporting characters, including Gil Geum, Gong Gil, Kang Mok Ju, and the Chinese chefs — each representing different cultural and culinary dynamics.
The symbolic power of food in the drama, showing how it connects people, heals trauma, and even saves nations.
The use of the Mangunrok as the show’s MacGuffin — both a literal time travel portal and a symbolic love letter from the king.
The drama’s conclusion, including how the king travels to the modern day, and the emotional payoff of their reunion through food.
A discussion of Michelin-starred restaurants in Asia, the rise of Korean cuisine globally, and personal dining experiences from Ernabel.
Gong Gil’s deeper role and edited-out storyline — including a potential love triangle that was ultimately minimized.
The theme of finding your destined love across time, emphasized through the OST lyrics and repeated motifs of reunion and promise.
What we’re watching now — from Because This Is My First Life to Would You Marry Me and The Uncanny Counter — and a preview of Season 13 of K Drama Chat, where we will recap and analyze Startup.
References
From The Tatler: The true story about the fictional king in ‘Bon Appétit, Your Majesty’
From TIME: The Real History Behind the Time Travel K-Drama Bon Appetit, Your Majesty
From Reddit: Summary of the ending of the book “Surviving as Yeonsangun’s Cher”
Asian American Life website and recent episodes
This show had the best MacGuffin, the magic Mangunrok! In answer to your question about multiple MacGuffins, they’re common in that when the drama resolves one, you need a new one. Too many at a time diminishes the impact though. But the Mangunrok is so strong and lasts the whole show.
ReplyDeleteIMHO this show had a few problems in the middle, but nothing major. And Im Yoon-ah and Lee Chae-min were both terrific. He’s still so young, but can switch from sweet to scary in a nanosecond, very impressive.
Thanks for this episode, Ernabel, Joanna and Sung Hee. It made me think about what would have made me less disappointed with this show, which was so visually beautiful, with great leads and such a promising start.
ReplyDelete1. I would have to be more interested in the food.
2. The show would be 16 episodes with a significantly more satisfying exploration of the king's travel and transition to the modern world.
The link in the program notes with the original ending is great! And I would have enjoyed that love triangle. I don't mind a bit of unrequited second lead yearning. :)
The whole move in Kdramas toward 'green flag' MLs and away from self obsessed rich dudes is a positive IMO. Men can be 'human' without being full 'Boys Over Flowers' abusive jerks or traumatised kings out for murderous revenge.
Onward to Start Up!
Doremi, we agree with you that Bon Appetit needed a couple of extra episodes. The ending felt too rushed. I also thought that Gong Gil's story was unexplored.
DeleteCan't wait for Start-Up! I hope you love that drama!
Thanks Joanna, Sung Hee and Ernabel for your Bon Appetit episode. I also loved the show and enjoyed having, and Ernabel mentioned, a discussion squad. The bottle podcast format is a great way to revisit the amazing backlog of wonderful Kdramas and scratch that itch to share the joys of these shows with others.
ReplyDeleteSeven Seas, I saw your comment that you’d previously recommended “Because This Is My First Life” and second your vote to choose it in a future season (Sung Hee, you in?). I have a tip for people who visit the blog and want to look up past discussions. Blogger’s search feature isn’t great, but if you type the following in Google Chrome’s search bar, you can get better search results: site:kdramachat.com “TOPIC YOU WANT IN QUOTES”, for example, site:kdramachat.com “Because This Is My First Life” pulled up your past comments for me.
I have a couple of back catalog recommendations for those of you waiting for more episodes of some of the more promising new shows to drop:
Chicago Typewriter (Amazon Prime with a CJENM add on):
This 2018 show is a time slip/romance/bromance that moves between present day Korea and the 1930s during the Japanese occupation. The three main leads include Yoo Ah-In who has infinite aura (The Match) and gorgeous sets and costumes. The ethereal OST was produced by Nam Hye-seung who is the force behind so many of the best OSTs (Goblin, CLOY, Our Beloved Summer, etc.). Joanna, could you include her in your future music focused episode? This show has it all including humor, a chemistry laden love triangle, action and an adorable dog.
Dali and The Cocky Prince (Viki)
This 2021 slow burn romcom has amazing production values and reminds me of the classic black and white screwball comedies from the Hepburn/Cary Grant era. The female lead played by Park Gyu-young defends her father’s museum dressed from an endless closet of designer clothes and bags. The costume designers clearly had a lot of fun putting the male lead, Kim Min-Jae, in a series of flamboyant suits that he still manages to pull off. He brings much of the humor to the show as the brash, money obsessed heir to a gamja-tang restaurant chain. If you’re looking for a gorgeous comfort watch, this is your ticket.
First of all, I would like to give full credit to Seven Seas for recommending Because This is My First Life. How could I have missed your comments? And thanks to TripAndCatch for not letting it slip through the cracks of my attention. I would totally be up for doing this show as a possible season for KdramaChat. So much to discuss in the different relationships of the three couples. And what it means to find meaning and your place in work and career. It's a show where "not much happens" as in there is not any dramatic or historical event depicted, but I was completely absorbed in the story from beginning to end. I loved all the characters, with all their quirks and foibles.
DeleteAccording to the book, there was a description of how the king arrived in the future. That one ripped out page from the magic book did a lot of work. I'm not sure why the drama didn't want to include this. I am sure Lee Chae Min would have done a great job as a fish out of water. I guess they felt they wanted to reunite the couple as soon as possible. Or maybe Netflix wanted shorter dramas. As for the three episode cooking competition, I didn't mind it so much, since they also included the pressure cooker side quest and more scenes with the jester. I did not like that so many of the supporting characters met such untimely deaths, but I guess they needed to have a bloodbath to match history. I am sad they didn't include more of the jester-in-love-with-the-cook-scenes, largely because the actor is a real life fan of Yoona! (He even does a dance move that is from Girls Generation.)
DeleteI also recommend Because This is My First Life. It's one of those marriage contract stories. I actually watched this right after watching the Japanese drama, Full-Time Wife Escapist, which was also a marriage contract drama. They're different in other respects, but it was interesting to see where each one concerned themselves with after establishing the premise. They both had a socially awkward Male Lead and an economically distressed Female Lead. But I feel like Because This is My First Life really centered on the romance in a more conventional way. The second couple in that is also delightful. Plus, there's a third couple!
I liked Start-Up back in my early days of watching kdramas and it really showcased Kim Seon Ho. (I believe he went straight to Hometown Cha Cha Cha after Start-Up, as the jack-of-all trades Dushik.) I tried to get my techie friends to watch Start-Up to let me know how accurate it was, but they weren't interested. (Interestingly, the look for Jinu in KPop Demon Hunters was based on Cha Eun Woo and Nam Joo Hyuk.) This show was one of the more hotly debated ones that focused on Second Male Lead Syndrome, where a lot of people thought the Female Lead should have ended up with the other guy. You'll have people argue pretty convincingly for either one.
I genuinely laughed out loud at the pressure cooker guy arriving in his flying machine!
DeleteLoved Full Time Wife Escapist, and enjoyed BTIMFL too.
TripAndCatch,
DeleteI have been trying to watch ChicagoTypewriter for long time. Unfortunately, it is not on Amazon UK, nor on any other streaming platform I know in UK.
Dali and The Cocky Prince: I started this, but I am afraid dropped it. It pained me to do so, because I really liked the FL. She was 2nd FL in It is Okay not to be Okay, and I liked her. I am always happy to see 2nd leads get a chance to lead a drama. But, I had to be honest with myself. I wasn't vibing with it. If I remember mainly because of ML.
re: BTIMFL: I was honestly just teasing Sung-Hee. The thing is I have been listening to this podcast for 2 years almost every week. Then I started to comment very regularly, and we also had the zoom call.
DeleteSo, Joanna & Sung-Hee (..and Malcolm ) have ceased to be just random people. I have been interacting with them more than many people I know IRL. We also share same passion. In short, I feel very comfortable now to joke and tease.
I am also really happy to see how this blog expanding and we have so many comments and new contributors. It is far cry from the time I started commenting. I love how Ellen (and others) have started to become regulars.
I have also watched The Full Time Wife Escapist. I liked it, and enjoyed it, but didn't love it. I rarely end up loving Japanese series eventhough I liked many.
DeleteTo me the two series are completely different.
..and here I want to go on a rant. So, be aware.
I find it very annoying to the point it makes me angry how so many people say X is basically Y, or X stole Y idea at the faintest and most shallow similarties.
Sometimes I read some ignorant people accusing the earlier movie/TV series/book of stealing things from a latter work, because that is how they consumed it.
Like, for GOD's sake, people have been telling stories for 10, 000 years. Is there anything that hasn't been told in one way or another?
Also, the more knowledgable you become, and consume work from all around the world, the more you realise how stories are similar.
There are only handful of genuinely new ideas, and even fewer that are well executed.
99.9999999999999% of world's work is just variation on the theme.
That is not to say there is no plagiarism in the world of art. It certainly exists.
...also, and that is just my personal opinion, originality is overrated. Execution matters more.
..For the record...I wasn't talking about anyone here. It is more about some other forums I sometimes read.
DeleteSeven Seas, I couldn't agree more that we have all become friends here. And because of that, I take your teasing in the spirit that it was given. I certainly appreciate your passion when it comes to expressing your feelings and opinions. I think that's the thing that these stories bring out in us. It's all about the passion of living, thinking, feeling, and most of all, connecting with each other. I'm so glad that we have all found each other, and that we have a place where we can express ourselves truly.
DeleteI do like the idea of a growing BTIMFL team!
Wow, I am loving all of these comments. It sounds like BTIMFL has a lot of fans, so I'm going to make sure I add it to the rotation SOON. I really, really enjoy the recommendations. Unfortunately, there's not enough time in the day to watch all these great shows, but hey, it's nice to have a wonderful list to look forward to watching.
DeleteSeven Seas, you are right that we have created quite the community here. Jeff asked me if we're surprised by it, and the answer is YES, and we are LOVING it! Thank you!
As for stories, yes, think about The Hero's Journey. There have thousands of retellings of this story, and somehow, we're still buying it. I happen to really like the hero's journey as a genre.
And yes, I love that there are so many genres and sub-genres in K Dramas. We used to have time travel, now we have time travel with body switching, and time travel with gender bending. Love it all.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI think 'contract marriage' is a whole subgenre. FTWE and BTIMFL have similarities, but are certainly not copycat dramas.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much Sung-hee and Joanna for your wonderful kdrama podcast! I thoroughly enjoy your in depth discussions of the shows and also the guests on the podcasts.Living in a country where kdramas are not ( yet) popular, it's a great opportunity for me to indulge in my rather new hobby. I' ve been listening to the podcast since season 8 and CLOY is still my favourite kdrama.
ReplyDeleteBAYM started out very promising.I like the actors, the cinematography, the cooking, the characters, the humor...but the middle part was occasionally boring and the ending left me disappointed. The last episode felt hurried, I would have loved to be witness to the kings adjustment to 21 .century life and I would have enjoyed a love triangle.
I'm looking forward to season 13.
I've just started watching ' Start up' and I'm really loving it . The OST is amazing and I can't get enough of the song ' day and night'....
Naf, thank you for your comments.
DeleteYes, we agree that the ending of BAYM was hurried. It would have been SO FUN to see the king suddenly show up, get hit by a car, work for a chaebol, become a model, and find his love. I think Netflix is pushing the shorter seasons, which I'm not loving.
Start-Up is going to be a GREAT season. Like you, I LOVE the OST. I have the entire OST, which consists of 81 songs. Crazy, right? The instrumentals are just as good as the song with lyrics.
As someone who only subscribes to Netflix (times are tough!) I am beyond excited to be able to watch Twinkling Watermelon for the first time! I'm at the midpoint and being reminded what a really well thought-out drama looks like. No wonder it caused so much buzz when it first aired!
ReplyDeleteStill enjoying Typhoon Family for the era, the leads, the secondary characters, and some great OST songs, but, seriously, *another* dramatic business setback this week? Maybe Tae-poong should have stuck to roses!
I have Viki, but I mostly watch shows on Netflix. When they raised the prices, I told my husband that it did't matter. I watch so much that it's still a good deal.
DeleteAnd Twinkling Watermelon is now on Netflix? Did you see that My Love From the Star is now on Netflix? That's a must watch for sure!
Thanks to your recommendation, I am going to stick with Typhoon Family. After The Uncanny Counter!
Whoops, forgot to enter my name above. It's been a long day.
DeleteHi everybody! In this week’s episode, I really enjoyed all the analysis and the food talk too.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Sung-hee’s point that the midpoint was more of an evolution than a true turning point, so I think that could have been better. And the ending did seem rushed, and I too would have liked more on Yi Heon’s arrival and challenges in the present day as they all mentioned.
And I especially agreed with Sung-hee and Ernie’s comments about foreshadowing and payoffs being sometimes too obvious, telegraphing future events rather than just dropping a hint that we soon get distracted from, then only remember when it’s paid off.
The best example of this ever, to me, was the movie “The Sixth Sense” with Bruce Willis, by M Night Shyamalan. When you finally realize what’s really going on, you’re shocked at first, then realize that it’s been right under your nose the whole time. A masterpiece of foreshadowing with payoff, if there ever was one.
I’m off to South Korea and have plenty of shows loaded up for the flights, including Signal, Would You Marry Me, Because This Is My First Life, and some rewatch episodes of Startup. Thanks all of you for your great and perceptive comments, the jokes! plus the show recommendations. So glad I found this podcast and all my Kdrama friends!
Ellen, safe travels. We can't wait to hear all about your trip. Please post photos on Instagram! Biggest of hugs!
DeleteEllen,
ReplyDeleteProbably my favourite scene of the first Hunger Games movie was President Snow speech about hope(R.I.P Donalnd Sutherland. He was majestic in that role). "A little hope is effective. A lot of hope is dangerous".
Well, foreshadowing is a little bit like that lool.
Have a safe journey, and enjoy yourself!
Thanks, so much Seven Seas! You’re so right about Donald Sutherland in general, and his role as Snow in particular (shivering in fear as I think about it).
DeleteYay! Ernie is back! Always love the episodes with the three of you. And Ernie, if you are ever watching a current K Drama and have no one to talk to about it, you can always talk to me because chances are I am watching it! (See WMW)
ReplyDeleteI too thought it would have been interesting to see how the King managed to navigate present day Korea. There are lots of time travel shows with character traveling to the past, but almost none with a character from the past traveling to the present!
I will also offer the unpopular opinion that this show was actually a lot like Mr. Queen (with some obvious differences). Both involve a chef traveling back in time that falls in love with a King who is not viewed favorably by history, and they try and change his history. Yes, the use of food is somewhat different, but the ends of both shows involve the baddies trying to overthrow/kill the king and the time traveler coming to the rescue. So, in this respect, I thought they were quite similar. Sorry, not sorry.
As for the Michelin stars thing….. I’ve been lucky enough to eat at several Michelin stared restaurants and my conclusion is the more stars, the less I enjoyed it. Three stared restaurants seem to put a lot of emphasis on the decor, service, and presentation, almost to the point it’s so formal that it’s not a comfortable dining experience. Yes, the food is great, but you’re really paying for all the fanciness and hype of the three stars. Frankly, I would rather eat at Attorney Jung’s favorite noodle place on Jeju that a three stared Michelin restaurant. As for Tokyo having more Michelin restaurants than Paris, that does not surprise me at all. Tokyo has a population of 37 million, Paris is 2 million. Paris is about 41 square miles; Tokyo is 874 square miles.
I did love the food scenes in this movie, although I could have done with fewer cooking competitions. That’s another thing I don’t really appreciate. Cooking should not be a competition. Obviously, this is an unpopular opinion based on all the cooking competition shows out there. I thought the chemistry between Yoona and Chae-min was fantastic. And I loved Yoon Seo-a and Gil-geum . This show needed more cooking and less palace intrigue! But that’s almost impossible in any historical K Drama!
Stay tuned for WMW….
DeleteRe 1: There are some (but rare). Rooftop Prince (2012). Incidently it has Ha Ji-min. It was on my watchlist, but never got to it.
Live Up To your Name (2017). I watched that one. I don't want to eleaborate, so I won't give anything away, but I will just say it is not 100% someone from the past coming to the future. Good chemistry between leads. Not bad spine. But, it was very middle of the road for me. I gave it 2.5/5 stars.
Re 2: Well, you are allowed to be wrong lol. I think this is one of rare cases we strongly disagree. Of course I can't argue properly because I haven't seen the entire series. And it would be well within your right to ask me to shut up lool. But, I heard/read enough about the show to believe the similarties are superficial. Have you seen "A Bug's Life" & "Seven Samurai" ? They have very similar plot, but thematically differ a lot. I think themes matters more than plots in defining dramas. That is why I dropped BAYM, but I have never completely stopped watching bits and pieces of Mr Queen for almost 3 years (and counting). If they were as similiar as you say, the disparity wouldn't have been this vast.
Re 3: THANK YOU!!! From my limited experience (twice through work) I am not fond of them one bit, and have no desire to seek them. Let's go to Jeju and have noodle there :)
Rooftop Prince is now on my list! See you in Jeju at the noodle shop with Attorney Jung and his beautiful ex wife who is looking for an attorney who does not devote so much time to his job….. Ahemmm. 🙋🏻♂️
DeleteMalcolm, I see your point about BWYM being a lot like Mr. Queen. So many similarities but I still think the focus was different. In BWYM, food was redemptive and it's what won the king over. In Mr. Queen, it was the queen's outlandish behavior and courage that won the king over. I also thought BWYM was a lot like Scarlet Heart, but without the food. I did like Ernie's idea of a king who hires a PR firm in the 21st century to rehabilitate his reputation. THAT would be hilarious!
DeleteSeven Seas, I love the idea of going to Jeju Island and having noodles! Many years ago, we used to do Noodle Adventures at work. Every Friday night for months, we would go to a cheap, good noodle joint. It was so much fun!
Thank you Malcom! You did an amazing job as guest host for the finale of Extraordinary Attorney Woo! Speaking of stars, I forgot to mention that wine pairing is very important in Michelin-starred restaurants. I was at a gala last Friday, and the sommelier for Atomix (2 stars) Jhonel Faelnar, curated our wines. Each course was elevated thanks to his wine choice.
DeleteSo this week’s What’s Malcolm Watching is pretty extensive, mostly because this covers the past month or so. Joanna and Sung-hee didn’t let me discuss WMW when I was on the finale of EAW, probably because it would have made the podcast three hours long. I’ll start with a few that I just finished:
ReplyDeleteMs. Incognito – Viki – I generally enjoyed this. Did it get a little to Going to Argen at the end? Yes. But I really enjoyed the lead actress and some of the plot twists.
First Lady – Viki – Wasn’t crazy about this one. Way too many plot twists to keep track of. But I did enjoy Eugene in the title role.
A Hundred Memories – Viki – This one started so well and did not stick the landing. Could have been a 10 out of 10, but the last few episodes ruined it.
The Berlin File – Viki - Ha Jung-woo and Gianna. This is a movie about North and South Korean spies in Berlin. Nothing special, lots of fighting an stunts and a few unexpected plot twists here and there. If you like Jason Bourne movies, you will like this.
My Roommate is a Gumio – Viki – I absolutely loved this series and I’m not sure why I didn’t watch it sooner. Hyeri (Reply 1988) is a university student who falls in love with Jang Ki-Yong (The Atypical Family) who is a 999 year old nine tailed fox. He needs to turn human before he turns 1,000. It has great acting, great supporting acting. I just really enjoyed it.
Last Summer – Viki – Not so sure about this. This is sort of a friends, to lovers, to enemies, to (I assume) lovers set in a present-day rural village. She’s a govt employee for the village, he’s an architect who returns from the US. He also has/had a twin brother. The show skips around so much it’s hard to tell what’s going on.
Dynamite Kiss- Netflix – This is more a less a poor girl meets rich chaebol. Frankly, this could have been a two-hour movie. Once they’ve meet, I have no idea where this is going.
Typhoon Family – Netflix – This is still kinda meh for me. I like the 90’s setting and the male and female leads, but the story about a rich kid trying to save his dad’s trading company isn’t doing much for me.
Would You Marry Me – Disney/Hulu – Another poor girl meets chaebol. This one has all the tropes and K drama elements, including a fake marriage. It stars Choi Woo-Sik and Jung So-Min’s lips.
Dear X – Viki – Kim You-Jung (My Demon, Backstreet Rookie), Kim Young-Dae (Perfect Family, No Gain No Love), Kim Do-Hoon (Love Scout), Hwang In-Yeop (Family by Choice, True Beauty). This one is a banger! Kim You-jung plays an absolute psycho who manipulates people to get revenge or, if you are charitable, to survive. It is kind of eerie to see Kim You-jung’s sweet young face play this type of character. There are some pretty violent scenes, so be warned. But it is totally engaging.
As You Stood By – Netflix – So this is another tough watch because it involves domestic violence. Jeon So-Nee and Lee Yoo-Mi are best friends. So-nee’s mother is victim of domestic abuse and a customer of hers at the fancy department store is as well. When she learns that Yoo-mi’s rich husband is abusing her, that is the final straw, and they agree to kill her husband. If you can get through the domestic violence, the remaining episodes are totally thrilling and engaging.
Is that it, you ask? Of course not! In addition to these K Dramas, I got curious about some of the actresses in these shows who were former idols – Eugene, Hyrei, Yoona. So of course, I fired up YouTube to check out some of their big hits. I think I’ve come to the conclusion that I prefer older K Pop to the current K pop. I found some real bangers and earworms. Here are a few:
Eugene with S.E.S
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Z1Ak1sClnw
Hyrei with Girl’s Day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSlvxwNEDfc&list=RDPSlvxwNEDfc&start_radio=1
Yoona with Girl’s Generation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMVVGj0iLSI&list=RDnMVVGj0iLSI&start_radio=1
You’re welcome!
Thanks.
DeleteI think I might give My Roommate is a Gumio if I have time.
I am halfway through "As You Stood By". It is hard to watch as you said. I think tonaly is also different from "The Glory". The Glory is a straightforward revenge. This is not. And, I haven't been able to binge it. I need to pace myself.
That is why I started "Dynamite Kiss". I wanted to some fluff after all the heaviness.
Watched 2 episodes, and I think we concluded the set-up now. I am not expecting anything amazing from it, but it is a good fluffy series so far.
As for those songs. Not my thing AT ALL!. Like A.T A.L.L I am not even sure I can call them songs lol (especially that 2nd one)
The similarity with The Glory is if you get through the difficult to watch violence, the show is worth watching.
DeleteMalcolm, thank you for the reviews and the recommendations. OMG, if we had talked about what you were watching when we recorded 12.16, we would have recorded all night. I guess you're back to K Drama watching habits because you're back in Portland!
DeleteIt's actually pretty common for these Kpop idols to take up acting and become K Drama stars. These Korean artists are so talented!
Great podcast episode! I hadn't watched BAYM and if not for the podcast I probably wouldn't have. I ended up liking it a lot more than I expected. Part of it is I'm a Food Network fan (thanks to my daughter) and I liked the competitions. I agreed with Joanna that BAYM might have been good for a full season on Kdramachat and I would have expected a guest Michelin star chef to come on (us listeners are spoiled now).
ReplyDeleteThe BAYM cast was really good. I think Im Yoona's acting career has been limited by her roles. When I was looking at Asianwiki I realized that she had been a member of Girl's Generation (see Malcolm's clip above!). I'm amazed at how talented these actors are. Not that GG/SNSD is particularly to my taste but I was curious at how well Yoona could sing and I ran across this -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDl1dM_vcSY
To help get ready for "Start Up"! Also on the cast - I liked that Yoon Seo-A was the quirky best friend. I thought she looked familiar and she was part of the second couple in "Nevertheless". The second couple might have been the best part of "Nevertheless" which says something about how disappointed I was in the ending. "Nevertheless" had potential but they really blew it.
One more note about BAYM and time travel - I thought they handled it well. I was thinking that if Chef Yeon succeeded in pulling the King back from his homicidal impulses that it would change history, but it didn't, and brought back the "history is told by the winners" concept.
Since people are talking about the back catalog - I've started watching "The Light in Your Eyes" on Netflix. I watched it a few years back and it was due for a second watch, and I'm on the second episode - in my top 5. The cast is great - Han Ji-Min and Kim Hye-Ja playing Kim Hye-Ja (I haven't watched "Heavenly Ever After" but that's Kim Hye-Ja's most recent drama). Nam Joo-Hyuk is the ML. Lee Jung-Eun is Han Ji-Min's mother (just like she was in "Familiar Wife"). Kim Ga-Eun (from BTIMFL) is one of the BFFs. But without giving it away there is a big twist in the drama which is making the second watch more interesting. There aren't that many dramas that focus on the elderly and this one takes aging head on. And it remembers tragedy in recent Korean history.
SD Guy, glad you watched BAYM with us. I think you'll agree it was worth the watch. On my second watching, I realized there was much more to the show than the food and the romance. But that's par for the course with these K Dramas. I remember when we discussed Mr. Queen. Sung Hee and I realized that there was SO MUCH more to the drama than we had originally thought!
DeleteI haven't seen the Light In Your Eyes, but it's on the list. I like Nam Joo Hyuk and Han Ji Min, so of course it's on my list. I absolutely recommend Heavenly Ever After. It's well acted and the ending has a wonderful twist you won't see coming.
I just love that time travel is a genre in K Dramas. Who woulda thought?
The Light in Your Eyes is an odd one. I’ll be curious what you think. I think I was disappointed because I was expecting more Han Ji-min! 😉
ReplyDeleteI loved it. Sometimes these time travel dramas kinda seem like it has the same premise, but they manage to give it a new twist and different plot.
ReplyDeletehttps://webnovel.leonparenzo.com/story/love-on-the-turquoise-land/