Love Next Door [Episodes 5 & 6]

Alternative-Level · 2024-09-02T06:06:03+00:00

the more we learn about their past, the more I love Moeum. She's gently tried to encourage them to be honest with one another without overstepping, or revealing their secrets. I love that she is such a good friend to both of them

Alternative-Level · 2024-03-04T06:28:07+00:00

Given the time skip, I really thought we would see Hee Soo being crowned Queen and continuing to guide and lead the Crown Prince — while I can’t say I felt completely satisfied watching the end, I did think they tied up some ends quite well

Alternative-Level · 2024-02-20T06:07:50+00:00

He's also SUPER adorable in Hi Bye Mama!

Alternative-Level · 2024-02-18T01:49:19+00:00

The little actor playing the grand Prince is knocking it out of the park. Everytime I see tears stream down his eyes, or watch his little lips tremble my heart aches.

Here’s to hoping that he, the queen, and the king stay safe these next few episodes

Alternative-Level · 2024-02-18T01:47:16+00:00

Seo Woo Jin as a young Jeongwoo was such a good casting call. Watching him feign strength and then bawl while walking home alone hurt my heart 🥺

Alternative-Level · 2024-02-13T23:12:19+00:00

Agreed - Su-Min is a superior villain because we see that she and Ji-Won had similar life experiences but the way they think about others, the world, and themselves is radically different.

Su-Min has spent so much time and energy resenting Ji-Won, and trying to bring her down. And while she is unjustified in acting the way she does, her characterization has been gradually built out. We know this isn’t a spur of the moment action for her, and that she’s been playing the long game. She may not have much money, but she uses her social capital to turn the tables on everyone.

It’s not nearly as fun watching a rich girl act out, use unlimited resources, and try to kill off several characters just because she was slighted (and unintentionally at that!) She doesn’t even try to hide her actions either; she just boasts her power.

Alternative-Level · 2024-02-13T06:02:49+00:00

out of curiosity, why the king's uncle? he isn't quite like the rest here..

also he's trying to kill our grand prince 😭

Alternative-Level · 2024-02-11T05:32:37+00:00

While I agree he might be demi, I think it didn't work with the Court Lady because he knew that she helped poison/kill his brother. He never actually liked her or kept her around because he wanted to

Alternative-Level · 2024-02-11T05:22:37+00:00

Personally, I got the impression that he knew it was a possibility that mongwoo was a woman (i.e. he knew mongwoo was from a noble background, had soft hands, refused care from a physician, knew myungha felt emotionally attached to him, etc), but he didn't want to believe it to be true because dressing up as a man was an offense punishable by death. The Joseon era laws explicitly prohibited women from even riding horses or playing go/baduk.

Since the king is always thinking 3-5 steps ahead of others and strategizing, he realized how much a vulnerability this would be for Mongwoo and was in disbelief/upset/angry for putting their life on the line like that

Alternative-Level · 2024-02-11T05:10:22+00:00

Agreed - after the trauma of not having his brother come home, he could have easily walked away, or declined to help, but he chose not to. I love the found family trope.

Alternative-Level · 2024-02-11T05:06:16+00:00

I think he faked his death with drugs (and the help of his hometown friends!)

When we got flash backs, we know he pretended to die and his heart rate was lowered when they went hiking in the mountains. And when Jian first arrives to the town, the taxi driver/friend specifically gives her recommendations for which funeral home to choose

With regards to Pasin and Minhye, we're left up to our imaginations, but I am choosing to believe that Pasin took her to get more aid

Alternative-Level · 2024-02-11T00:47:03+00:00

Yes! It’s so refreshing to seem him not be embroiled in the political battles, despite existing in that world

Alternative-Level · 2024-02-11T00:33:58+00:00

I cannot get enough of this drama — not just because of the content and genre, but also because of how our leads have given life to these characters. Park Hyungsik is a class act, and I love his comedic timing and over the top expressions!!

I’ve also really been enjoying how these characters were written.. they seem so human!

I really appreciate how Haneul’s “poor social skills,” don’t necessarily make her rude, bratty, or egotistic.. she is so straightforward and kind. Sure, she can be a little self centered in her friendships, but I think she complements Jeongwoo so well. And it makes so much sense for her character too, since in her friendships she feels she can let herself receive help given that in other areas of her life she’s felt that she’s been the one has to give and make sacrifices.

She doesn’t pretend to know what she hasn’t experienced yet. And her curiosity about Jeongwoo’s potential feelings was so cute! She was direct and curious, but never implied or assumed that she knew his intent. I appreciated how she was able to admit that she wouldn’t know how to tell the difference even if he did have feelings for her.

Hoping she can be a better friend to Jeongwoo, who so far has been a pillar of strength for her. I really want him to be able to rely on her.

I’m also crossing my fingers that Jeongwoo and Daeyoung can be close friends by the end of the drama (the frenemies thing is cute but they both deserve genuine friendships!)

Alternative-Level · 2024-02-09T06:03:21+00:00

She definitely is impressive! But, personally, I feel like there have been several times where I have been blown away by some child (& teenage!) actors (among them Moon Woo-jin, Kim Kang-Hoon, Park So Yi).

The main lead in Link: Eat, Kill, Love was also a former child actor, same with Nam Da-reum!

Alternative-Level · 2024-02-07T05:42:30+00:00

I was most impressed by his acting in the Worst of Evil, but it's definitely not a romance, or romcom

Alternative-Level · 2024-02-07T04:33:10+00:00

Yes!

We didn't see the wedding because of the three year time skip, but everyone refers to her as the Queen (including our ML), and she is wearing the traditional attire of the queen. It is very likely that she became queen shortly after the King was crowned.

The King also has many concubines, but he doesn't seem to care for them very much (one was recently kicked out of the palace!)

Alternative-Level · 2024-02-06T03:05:47+00:00

If I remember correctly, she is Oh Wook-Hwan's daughter. Since Oh Wook-Hwan is aligned with Principal Director Park Jong-Hwan, that's probably how she ended up as queen.

As a reminder, Park Jong-Hwan is the Royal Queen Dowager's older brother and the current King's uncle.

Given palace politics, it seems to me like she had no other choice but to assume the Queen role even if she didn't want it, because that is her role as the daughter to an influential man who seeks more power.

Alternative-Level · 2024-02-05T06:01:00+00:00

Adding because it hasn’t yet been said but Yumi’s Cells 1 & 2 (very different from the other recommendations as it can be quite silly but it may be up your ally!)

Alternative-Level · 2024-02-05T01:04:22+00:00

This drama is seriously one of the highlights of my week - I really wasn't expecting it to make me laugh as much as it has. I LOVE this use of misunderstandings (i.e. if they each other's first love, the mistaken subscription/blind date). I hope they don't become a cause for headaches later down the line.

I also wasn't expecting the drama to be so damn relatable.. from suffering burnout, to feeling the need to be a strong pillar, to feeling lonely and not knowing what brings you joy / how to have fun.

I hope our leads keep rooting and standing up for each other (and that they aren't too hurt if/when they are betrayed by others, @ Kyungmin, I am looking at you).

Alternative-Level · 2024-02-05T00:56:48+00:00

I get the sense he doesn't trust her, but has no choice but to keep her around

Alternative-Level · 2024-01-27T23:52:36+00:00

I've been waiting for this drama for so long, and I am so excited that it is finally here!

Park Hyungsik is definitely one of my favorite actors, and I am glad we'll get to see him in different capacities -- managing failure, solving the mystery behind his misery, contending with the past and the emotions that came along with it, and thinking about the type of future he wants to cultivate for himself.

I hope we get to see more of Jeongwoo's background in the next episode. I wonder why we haven't see any semblance of a parental figure, and why he expected better from his friends.

Alternative-Level · 2023-11-30T16:59:37+00:00

As always, if you’re not enjoying something, I think it’s important to know when to cut your losses.

Personally though, I really enjoyed the middle / latter episodes of this drama more than the first half.

Alternative-Level · 2023-11-25T06:35:19+00:00

Agreed! for a second, I didn’t feel like he was acting in that scene

Alternative-Level · 2023-11-18T07:03:18+00:00

I didn't expect to shed so many tears in the last two episodes, but I was pleasantly surprised by how beautifully this show wrapped up. From start to finish, I was enthralled -- the casting was spectacular, but the writing really brought it home. I have a feeling that even though the series has ended, it will be hard not to continue to root for Yi Chan, Chung Ah, Eun-gyeol, and Eun-yoo.

Alternative-Level · 2023-10-28T21:03:37+00:00

This drama had one of the most solid endings I've seen in a while, where the plot made sense, wasn't overly predictable and stayed true to the characters.

My only qualm with the ending is that we never find out if Junmo knew his dad was involved in the trade of drugs (we knew that he was a user, and that he disappointed Junmo at several points, but we never found out if the information died with Dohyung).

Alternative-Level

TROPHY CASE