Believe it or not, I’m back with yet another episode of Drama Ramblings. (Woohoo!) This week it seems like all of DramaLand has decided to focus on complicated relationships and frustrating me to no end, which gives me a whole lot of goodness to ramble on about. (Which in all honesty, kinda surprises me because in all honesty I’m a writer, not a talker so this whole talking to myself for an hour or so, while I record these podcasts, really makes me laugh.) As funny as I’m finding this whole podcasting adventure, I’m also rather enjoying it so let’s cut the chit-chat here and get to the good stuff already!
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts on all of this so be sure to leave me your thoughts, ideas, and other ramblings in the comments below!
Can’t wait to listen later tonight
Thoughts: Darn it. Now I have to at least watch the last bit of ep 8 of K2. I have not always loved the way Anna has been developed. The Jealousy Incarnate kiss was totally steamy. Am interested to see how the threesome works out in the long run. If nothing else, it is a drama I can’t predict which is nice for once. So many characters are making me cranky in Drinking Solo. UGH. I wish they had skipped the Jung romance. They are doing it because it was part of the Chinese story, but with the less episodes it feels rushed and didn’t have the build it did in the original. I really wish Scarlet Heart had been longer. But then people would have complained because the plot style is very different than what Koreans like.
That’s a lot to respond to but here goes… Yes! You really should watch at least the last bit of The K2, episode 8. That darn fight scene! I don’t know what it is about watching Ja Ha kick butt but I can’t seem to get enough of it! I’m disappointed Jealousy Incarnate had to go from smoking hot to completely disappointing in the span of like 2 seconds. You’re right about not being able to predict this one, it’s pretty hard to which is probably why I keep coming back for more. It’s nice not being able to see what’s coming next for a change. Drinking Solo almost always makes me cranky but again, I can’t stop watching it. I have to blame my silly fangirl self for this one though. I’m unashamed to admit that watch this drama simply for Gong Myung and Key. As for Scarlet Heart, I’m so very tired of hearing how odd developments in the drama are the direct result of this one trying to emulate the Chinese version. While I know they’re the same story, that doesn’t mean they have to be told in the same way. If things have to be changed to fit what Koreans like, fine, but don’t keep trying to throw so much into this one. There’s so little time we can dedicate to each story arc that throwing more in, especially this late in the game, only makes things muddled and unsatisfying. This drama is one that should have been 50 episodes, at least. But it’s not and as a result, we as drama watchers are forced to suffer through underdeveloped plot lines and even less developed characters. It’s rather disappointing on that score and yet, I can’t get enough. I’m pretty sure this is the very definition of a crack drama.
I do get the filling that they are catering Scarlet Heart to the Chinese audience. It is an extremely beloved drama for them and I bet they felt they couldn’t leave any of the story out. I just wish they had went all in and told the story exactly the same and created a fantasy historical monarch rather than try to fit it into an existing one. The combo of the story and the historical accuracy creates this slight disconnect for me. I love the drama. But I think I love it more because I do fill in the gaps with the Chinese drama. Probably the first time I am happy I saw the original before the adaptation.
I’ve been trying really hard to avoid the Chinese version while this one is airing. I’ve been hoping that watching this one without any external filters would give me an unbiased view but really, up to this point, it’s simply left me feeling incomplete and unsatisfied. The fact that so many people have to refer to the Chinese drama to fully understand this one makes watching this one without that reference difficult. I want to see this drama stand on its own and sadly, I don’t think it can. There’s too much missing and that makes me sad because there’s so much about this drama that is done so well.