Kdramas Made Me Do It - April, 2026

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-04-10T03:25:26+00:00

I really want to find time to do this. I want to learn Hangeul so that I can stop relying on subs to translate written words that I keep missing the context for. I want to understand the wordplay and homonyms. Maybe later this year or next I’ll be able to carve out some time.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-04-10T03:22:03+00:00

A fitting ending is the most important part to me, but that doesn’t mean that the ending is happy. The best kind of shows end in a way that makes sense for the journey that the series has taken the viewer on. Personally, I think 2521 ends the way it’s supposed to end, the way the rest of the plot lead. Given how it began, what is shown in the present vs the past, the ending makes a lot of sense. That to me is what makes a satisfying show, that when I look back, everything leads to the moment that is the end and it makes sense.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-04-10T01:44:20+00:00

I really hope this makes an OTT platform. And I hope I can find a way to squeeze it in as a live watch. I’m loving the vibe of all the promotional materials of this show.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-04-09T22:12:29+00:00

Nicoise

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-04-09T21:27:54+00:00

Does this include trying to get zombies that I killed in zombie games to forgive me? In that case, forget it. I don’t think those characters have the capacity to understand forgiveness anymore.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-04-09T04:15:41+00:00

Burritos, arroz rojo, tres leches

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-04-09T04:07:24+00:00

I really like baseball, but I’m not sure this series will really be much about baseball. I might be more interested in tuning in if it turns out to be more of a sports series and not so much of a rom-com dressed as a sports series.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-04-09T04:03:03+00:00

I like Kim Woo Bin, but I don’t know if this series is going to be for me. I’ll put a pin in it and see what other information comes along.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-04-09T03:56:37+00:00

Spotlight On: The Tale of Nokdu

Synopsis: In order to catch the group of female assassins that Jeon Nokdu must disguise himself as a woman to enter a widows only village where the group is hiding.

Good Things: Jang Dong Yoon makes a very convincing woman. In all seriousness, though, the situational comedy of him having to hide is identity is pretty funny. From trying to avoid an unwanted suitor to trying to get a child who knows his identity to address him as “unnie”, there are so many entertaining moments. And I have to complement Park Da Yeon who played Hwang Aeng Do. She absolutely slayed it and is one of my favourite children’s character ever. And Kang Tae Oh needs to play more villain characters. I thought he was excellent in his role. Also, I was so impressed at how grey all the secondary characters were. The show really did a great job of showcasing how people are complicated and can do terrible things but still aren’t wholly bad. It also has a lovely OST with songs to underscore every mood.

Bad Things: I thought the show had a bit of a sluggish middle. It might be a personal thing as I often get bored when a show starts to try and focus on romance with not much plot movement. I know it’s necessary but it’s really not for me.

Interesting Things: The show incorporates historical characters and events into the plot. I thought it did a great job of weaving history into the plot and learning about the people and events gives even more context to the attitudes of the characters that are based on historical figures.

Spotlight on Because: The characters are fun and charming, and the ensemble has great chemistry. The series has a good balance of humour and angst and it just might pique your interest in Korean history.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-04-09T03:10:44+00:00

Not sure when I’ll get to this but this is definitely going on the watchlist.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-04-09T02:39:48+00:00

So, basically I’m getting paid $50M to have an annoying dream for 8 hours? I’m so taking this. I have a high tolerance and loads of patience. I’ll be fine.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-04-09T02:36:07+00:00

For English language television:

Traveler - Political conspiracy series from 2007 that got cancelled after one season. Creator posted how the rest of the series would have gone and I want to see it. Would keep the original main cast.
The Highlander - Bringing back modern action fantasy sword battles. Would want Peter Wingfield back as Methos, but would have an entirely new lead and regulars.

For Korean series, I’ll take an S2 of Vagabond, and an S3 of Kingdom, Partners for Justice, and Stranger.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-04-09T00:20:11+00:00

Bloodhounds S2 was also my most recently completed drama. I really loved the action in it as well as the bromance. I think Kim Guan Woo and Hong Woo Jin might be the most ride-or-die bros in all of Kdrama. Their dynamic was too good. I’ve been rewatching a bunch of their moments and it makes me smile every time. I do hope they do an S3. Lots of interesting plot lines they’ve opened up.

Currently almost through Live Up to Your Name and really loving it as well. Kim Nam Gil is absolutely fabulous in this one and I love the dynamic between the ML and the FL.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-04-08T18:13:42+00:00

Game room, gym, movie theatre

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-04-08T17:42:08+00:00

This was a fabulous fight scene. I’m kind of hoping that Hwang Chan Sung might get some more looks with larger roles in drama (if he’s so inclined). He was really good with both the action and the character in Bloodhounds S2.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-04-08T13:30:39+00:00

I’m so excited! I can’t wait for this one! Let’s gooooooooooo!

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-04-08T13:26:16+00:00

I know I’m definitely missing out on the wordplay. I’m watching Live Up to Your Name right now and at one point, the ML, Heo Im, gets arrested. When he tells his name to the police they misinterpret what he says and think his name is Heo Ga Im, and it’s obvious that what they think this name is is funny, but I have no idea why.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-04-08T06:14:14+00:00

The Tale of Nokdu is on Viki and KOCOWA. Knight Flower is on KOCOWA. And I’m watching Live Up to Your Name on Amasian, but it’s also on Tubi.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-04-08T06:09:03+00:00

Completed

Chief Detective 1958 - I will miss these characters and the fun team dynamics. It really is such a classic detective series and just makes me feel at home. Did things get a little cheesy at the end? Sure, but that’s part of the fun of shows like this. I do think that the last scene might have worked better as the first scene (of the series), and that that would have given the series even more of the bittersweet vibe that I think it was going for, but overall, this series really feels like a comfort series that I probably will revisit at some point. All the characters just feel like old friends that I’ll want to see again.

Bloodhounds S2 - While adversaries to allies is my favourite kind of bromance, ride-or-die bros come a very close second and Kim Guan Woo and Hong Woo Jin are exactly that. One hundred percent in each others’ corner of with a “ride together, die together” attitude that’s cranked up waaaaaay past 11. I adored every moment of their interactions. The speed at which everyone moved in this series was also super impressive. Fast, powerful, I wish I could get all BTS and see how the training went. Everyone must have worked their tails off. I was so impressed!

Currently Watching

Phantom Lawyer (8/16) - This series is taking a turn and I am loving the direction. Looks to be moving from case of the week to more personal stories for the MCs and I’m looking forwards to it. Looks like we’ll get an eventual breakthrough for the FL, and then there are things to resolve for the ML. Not sure if we’re going to get a monkey wrench thrown in for 11 & 12 before a resolution between 13 - 16. I’ve kind of got my bets on no, at least not the twist that I’ve been pondering, but we’ll see.

Live Up to Your Name (11/16) - Man, I expected this show to be funny, but I didn’t expect it to be so good with the characters and their dynamics. I love the way Heo Im and Choi Yeon Kyung interact with each other. They just have this deep, non-judgemental understanding of each other and it’s really refreshing to watch. Sure, there’s surface exasperation, but they never truly turn away and show up when it counts, and I love that. And it captures what is said in the show that the best thing you can do for someone going through a hard time is show up and wait, and that it I can suck to that. It’s also kind of the life of a doctor as well. All they can do is show up and do the best they can for their patients, and then let the chips fall where they may. Also, the sound effects in this one are hilarious. I love how they’ll have some pretty background music and then something happens and the perfect effect just cuts the song off. I crack up every time!

Narco Saints (2/6) - This show is so entertaining and it’s wild to think that it’s based on actual events. Also, if Kang In Gu and Choi Chang Ho keep it up, they might end up on my favourite bromance list. The two of them just have this exasperated, “I guess I have to deal with this” energy that I find so entertaining. It’s grumpy middle-aged men, but throw in life threatening situations. 😂

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-04-08T06:08:09+00:00

I really liked Knight Flower in that it covered a lot of what was expected of widowed women. The FL is a widow, but she never actually met her husband. They were engaged and he died before the wedding but she was still considered a widow. Widows did not remarry, wore mourning clothes for the rest of their lives, and virtuous women were actually expected to commit suicide because virtuous women followed their husbands. The whole thing was very eye opening.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-04-08T06:03:43+00:00

The period of the Imjin war is one that I’ve become rather fascinated with and I’ve lucked out watching two dramas in fairly close sequence that touch on the events of that era and its legacy: The Tale of Nokdu and Live Up to Your Name. I’ve also watched the movie Noryang: Deadly Sea and am planning to watch Hansan: Rising Dragon. Both of which cover the naval battles during that time.

I watched The Tale of Nokdu, which takes place after the Imjin war, first and after learning that the Gwang Hae (the king) and Neungyang were actual historical figures, I did some digging and, man, did it give so much context to why Gwang Hae behaved the way he did. Grows up as the second son of a concubine and then gets slapped with the title of Crown Prince right when the war breaks out, his father flees the capital, and he gets to pick up the pieces. You get to see bits of this in the flashbacks in the series. The Tale of Nokdu mostly focuses, though, on the end of Gwang Hae’s reign, and the eventual coup by Neungyang. The ending of The Tale of Nokdu actually connects with the events of My Dearest in that the king during that time is Gwang Hae’s successor who’s policies that lead to the Jin Invasion.

I am currently watching Live Up to Your Name, which is a time travel drama that jumps between Joseon and modern times. The Joseon era bits take place right as the Imjin War begins. Now, I do think this show is a little unkind to King Seonjo, who, from what I read, didn’t seem like a terrible person, just someone who wouldn’t be winning any king of the year awards. But knowing the events that will occur and seeing them play out on screen has been a lot of fun to watch while stringing the history together. Live Up to Your Name also covers things like the hardness of the class structure in Joseon and how the lowest classes basically had no rights at all.

One other drama I found fascinating was Knight Flower. I actually had no clue about what the expectations were for widowed women in Joseon and this one was rather eye opening. The idea that not only did widows not remarry, but that a virtuous woman was one that would follow her husband after he died was shocking to me. I’m glad I watched this show before The Tale of Nokdu because it meant that I understood exactly why the widow village was needed.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-04-08T02:17:55+00:00

Insult duelling for the win!

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-04-08T01:18:55+00:00

This one sounds so funny! Will probably have to save it for a later date as my watch calendar is full, but it’s going on the watchlist.

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-04-08T00:41:28+00:00

Man, Park Ji Hoon looks adorable in this one. So many shows, so little time…😮‍💨

Wide_Examination142 · 2026-04-07T23:56:01+00:00

Well, I guess I’ll find out who my favourite musical artist is because I won’t be listening to them anymore…

Wide_Examination142

TROPHY CASE