lesbiassparrow

You know I've seen endings to kdramas where everyone gets shot, people walk into the sea, get run over by lorries, fall over in the street drunk with soju while crying out the name of the wife they dumped so they could marry a rich woman, and play angsty pianos on beaches after their wives have died of eye cancer they got when they were run over by their step-sister. So believe me, at this point, I am hard to annoy or even surprise. But, Bad Guy I SHAKE MY FIST AT YOU. YES, THERE IS FIST SHAKING. WHAT WAS THAT ENDING?

EVEN MRS. SHIN WHO IS EVIL BEYOND EVIL AND IS A NOSE AHEAD IN THE WORST KDRAMA PARENT EVER RACE* IS NOT SMITTEN DOWN AS SHE SHOULD BE.

*This means that she is very evil indeed, given that her competition involves the guy who beat his son with his golf clubs and the father in Spring Waltz who not only stole the money the heroine needed for an operation but sold her into slavery.

I have decided to rewatch Stairway to Heaven. THE CRAZY EYES OF EVIL STEPSISTER ARE AS MAGNIFICENT AS EVER. Also, given how much hero cries, I hope he drinks plenty of liquids or else he'll become a shrivelled husk.

I started watching this, but feel a bit conflicted. I like all the female characters, who are clearly far too good for the men and should run off together and be awesome and happy. But I have rather zero sympathy for any of the men. I understand emo hero is messed up because of background, but cannot really recover from one of his first major actions as an adult being threatening to set fire to protestors on a boat so they will sign to agree to a development. I know that he wanted the money for a defence lawyer for a friend but it's hard come back from that one. And, honestly, after he has sold his soul to big mob lawyer and is clearly willing to do anything for his big chance, then it's really hard to have immense amounts of sympathy for anything he experiences. It doesn't mean he's not interesting and I get why he's this way - it's more I have zero sympathy for his fate. You did it yourself mate and you and your colleagues are more than willing to beat the crap out of innocent people on behalf of your boss, so I basically lump you with all the other people I think I am supposed to think of as worse than you. So, hmmm. I sort of want all the menfolk to suffer together horribly forever and the women to sail off and be happy.

However, I did also start watching Tamra, the Island which is very entertaining. I have more or less stopped twitching when I see William's horrific hair - it is better when it is wet and as he seems to have to leap in the water every 5 minutes that's quite a bit of time. I did find it rather entertaining that according to Kdrama evil parents are a universal and William's mum is also probably the sort of person who whacks her kids with sticks to make them behave. I also enjoy Exile Hero being all emo about heroine clearly finding this strange foreigner endearing and having to watch as she gives him clothes. Though sub-plot about thievery is interesting, I am mainly here for William-Heroine-Hero shenanigans.

After a week that turned out to be a total parcel of crazy (other peoples') I watched the episode of Cinderella's Sister and it looks like it might be the perfect antidote. It is great! Poor Heroine (who has totally awesome hair that featured in an amazing scene with hero)* and her useless awful mum. I know that new stepfather and stepsister will end up being horror shows despite their niceness new, because this is a kdrama and if kdramas have taught me anything it is that any step-family only exists to ruin your life or fall inappropriately in love with you.

*Um. That sounds creepy. But it wasn't. He didn't chop it off and wear it round his neck like a talisman or anything like that.

dangermousie is watching Spring Waltz which makes me want to rewatch it. That Kdrama has everything: evil parents, children being sold into slavery, classical piano recitals, evil and crazy other girl, evil dads, and cute heroine. And Daniel Henney. I should dig out my discs with the crazy subtitles and enjoy the pretty, pretty people suffering beautifully.

I might have to give up on this, I think. Basically it's the same every episode: Icy Hero is icy, Ugly Brother is ugly, Annoying Sisters combine to make me think that the author clearly had issues with their siblings, Heroine is enduring, and no one is dies of terminal illness that makes you both wan and strangely attractive. Plus, Hero really needs to move on with his family issues. Admittedly, Dad is a horror show but just get over it with your stepmother and stepbrother and the fact that your dad moved his bastard child and actually rather nice mistress into your house right after your mum died. Or bloody well move out. Or something. Don't just go around being all woobified at whatever age you are. Grow a fecking spine - there are far, far worse Kdrama fathers out there. Until your dad has beat you have to death with a golf club, you're only in the amateur leagues.

ETA: I think I shall watch Save the Last Dance instead. Someone has amnesia in that one, which always makes for superior kdrama angst.

So far I am quite delighting in Beautiful Days though may not for all the reasons the creators intended. In particular, I find it hard to believe that little 'sister' of the heroine (they're not related but grew up in an orphanage) could be considered a decent singer by anyone no matter how tone deaf or whatever hatred of decent music they had. They keep playing scenes of her singing for various auditions and I think we're supposed to believe she has talent, but MY GOD IT'S LIKE A CAT BEING STRANGLED. And that's probably being overly critical of the cat.

So far
1. No one has died
2. All younger siblings, whether truly related or not, should have been drowned at birth
3. Someone screams at someone approximately every 10 minutes (this is not an all time high for Kdramas. In fact, by many standards it's practically restrained)
4. Evil dad is evil
5. Stepmother (uniquely in all Kdrama) is not evil
6. Hero has yet to impress. He needs more angst. Real angst, not this 'my dad brought a woman home with a kid who was probably his bastard son days after my mother died' low-grade stuff. Compared to what most Kdrama heroes have to suffer that's nothing
ETA: 7. Younger 'sister' of Heroine is totally around the bend. Can't sing, can't dance, and totally around the bend. That's a lovely mixture.

I am up to episode 10 now and agog at the screenwriter's one track desire to beat the living daylights out of the heroes as much as possible. Their writing strategy for every episode seems to be:

1. Beat up main hero
2. Do something horrible to a girl he or his brother likes
3. Toss in a bit of skullduggery by one of their deadly enemies
4. Beat up secondary hero
5. Have manly weeping or feminine angst
6. Insert small scene with Dennis Oh* for relief
7. Return to main hero for a last stint of beating up, just because you can

Honestly, I am not just astonished that these people aren't crippled for life but that they are still alive. They make 'em tough in Korea.

I am also impressed that where other series like to start off the angst slow, usually throwing in at least one or two episodes of happy childhood, this one doesn't bother at all. Nope, right into angst and misery and violence.


*Finally, an actor who makes Daniel Henney's 'skills' in that department look good.

Hong Gil Dong is a Korean drama about the disgruntled son of a slave* and a government minister who almost accidentally becomes a Robin Hood figure. In the course of trying to just really do nothing good with his life he falls in with and saves a band of thieves, kills many thugs oppressing the common people, and is believed to have blown up the royal palace because it was built on the backs of the working people.

It's at turns funny and heartbreaking. Actually, a lot of the time it's really pretty dark because it doesn't hold back on the humiliations that people without status and money face. And worse than humiliation, the ultimate denial of any worth. Because it's got wuxia roots there some flying through the air fights but much of the writing has its feet firmly on the ground.

So far (episode 7) here are my thoughts:

1. I hate emo prince. I'm sorry but I do. What does he do really besides have ridiculously good hair and look emo? NOTHING, I SAYS.

2. I love Hong Gil Dong and his desperation to belong somewhere and to be at least seen as a person. And I've got to believe that the writers saw Robin of Sherwood at some point. The scene where he's surrounded in episode 7 and they shot arrows at him? The view of the essential horrible fixity of aristocratic privilege? It's so Robin of Sherwood.

3. I want to have the writers' babies for making me both laugh and cry in quick succession. And for feeding my horrible kink for heroism when people know all is lost but still fight on anyway.

*Who, to make his life thoroughly miserable, was beaten to death trying to run away with him so he could have a decent life.

I'm up to episode 11 and I am delighted that we have finally a (sort of) return of the Giant Hair. Wife is also still crazy and puppy hating and so deliciously evil that she is running neck and neck with Crazy Eyes from Stairway to Heaven for sheer entertainingness.

( Cut for spoilers for a show you will probably never watch. And pictures of Giant Hair )

I am quite excited by the sheer number of WTF doramas I have the opportunity to watch: the one about the man stalked by deer and, of course, RH+, that excellent show about gay, teenage vampires who fight crime and other vampires with silverware.