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On 4/17/2024 at 5:51 AM, peperomia said:

But here, there’s cheating and crossing lines of cheating. I really did not like Jung Won and Tae Heon’s romantic moment in ep 9. I also did not like how Tae Heon’s decisions as a detective were swayed by his feelings for Jung Woon. I get that he trusts her, but I rather he follow police procedures when he received those “incriminating” photos but do all he can to prove she’s innocent to release her.

Completely agree with you. The romantic moment felt out of place for sure. Also  I was surprised he was so quickly reinstated - in some countries , you'd definitely be disciplined for doing what he did. 

I have a bit of sympathy for Mo's daughter. YYY used her affections to manipulate her to kill the housekeeper and Cha Eun Sae. And then her father threw her under the bus with the supposed expose of his family's dark secret to save his own skin and political career. I believe the next part of the show would be focused on exposing the true story of that fire & his involvement or rather what he tried to hide. I suppose it will be linked back to how JW's father died and somehow WooJae's dad is involved too.

That said, if I thought that Jang Seung Jo was gonna play the psychopathic killer here, I was wrong. Compared to YYY, he's greatest sin was letting his own demons get the better of him. I know from the preview JW is going to ask for a divorce, and I hope he'll let her go. 

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This film making is fun. Have to say Yeon Woo Jin is always good with his kiss scenes - have been a long time fan of his since I saw him in Marriage Not Dating. I feel he's one of the best kissers in the industry.  Also seeing the chemistry with Jang Seung Jo, I wish this was a show that focused on two men solving crimes instead of this love entanglement. 

New teaser 

BTS

@ktcjdrama it is not very makjang ...in fact I wish there was more conflict . My makjang heart can take it for sure .  In fact the leads are so sweet all the way that at times I thought I might become diabetic. Watch at 1.5 speed when needed.  Look out for her cousin brother Meng Xiao Dong . I had this massive crush on him and was more interested in his love line. Guess his age ? hahahaah

3 hours ago, mademoiselle said:

Soo Cheol might not be the sharpest in the family, but he possesses qualities that are truly commendable. His affection for Da Hye and Gun Woo is sincere. The moment that touched me deeply was when he stood up to Mum and declared, “Gun Woo is MY SON. I was the one who cut his umbilical cord… he called for daddy before he called for mum!” He’s a man with a generous heart. All married women need a man like Soo Cheol to stand up for them against their mothers-in-law.

He has the best growth arc in this show. There were interesting comments about whether he should have given Dahye a 2nd chance given all she's done. But I think there's genuine affections both ways despite her faking a lot of things in the past. My favourite scene was this ...the moment the father and son locked eyes. 

Did grandpa fake his death? Can't be right? 

With regards to ending @Alice Wonderland , if writer wants it surely she can give us a happy one. After all she gave her this fictional tumor - cloud cytoma. Surely she can give her a fictional miracle! 

37 minutes ago, NiteWalker said:

hmmmm....i love to start however im scare hahaha cause im not in favor of JuJingyi, did she improve?

I finished this. I think she improved. This series focused more on the investigations in the 2nd half. The romance was there but not the main focus. Liu Xue Yi is so handsome throughout and such a good actor. 

@ktcjdrama I cried so much 😭😭! 
By the way, I can’t believe Malaysia is mentioned but for all the wrong things - money laundering 😆😆

@mademoiselle haha , see I found this ! 🤣🤣. Honestly, I’m always tickled when people can interpret things from lines/ colours etc . 
 

What do they mean by this?????? No, I won't accept a bad ending 

I am all caught up. Did you watch this week's yet @peperomia?

First off, I think we can comfortably write Woo Jae off as the killer. Not that we ever suspected him to be the one in the first place.  As the episodes progress, I feel very much for his character to the point  I am sorry for him. I credit this to JangSeungJo's fab acting. He is able to add these layers to what could be viewed as a scumbag of a character. After all, he did sleep with Cha Eun Chae and blames it on loneliness. He's got a lot self-destructive tendencies which I believe is due to his relationship with his father. That girl Nari which died in his school must be the one he loved before meeting Jung Won. I think that lead to him becoming dependent on sleeping pills and propofol.

Anyway, Yoo Yoon Young one sided obsession over Woo Jae  is the reason why Jung Won has become the target. So can we conclude she killed Eun Chae? If that is the case, what about the politician and his daughter who own's the cafe ? Somehow I feel they have something to do with both murders ( Eun Chae's and the housekeepers). But YYY is also kind of dumb...why would she have pictures of the crime scene with JW there? Does she think that Det Kim would not question that? 

Talking about Det Kim, I like his character and he's straight up good cop. You could tell how much regret he had for doubting her in the past. However I can't seem to get behind them getting back together and I am certain it's because  I don't feel the chemistry with Kim HaNeul. In fact I don't even feel anything between her and Jang Seung Jo. Both the male leads have even more explosive chemistry on screen when they bicker over her, but somehow I feel almost zero feels from her -  like hitting against a brick wall. 

Anyway , I do look forward to both men working together next week to find the actual killer.

@mademoiselle @Chocolate  Something that is artificial would have side effects? Of course it can be countered argued that most things are already genetically modified anyway. I see the merits of such a technology to deal with food security issues but I will need some convincing to eat them. 

@SilverMoonTea here for you . Funny thing I notice - drama discussions are more centered on whether he's married than who is the mole in the organisation. 

@SilverMoonTea I enjoy the part where they test him using VR . Love all these action scenes. 
 

@mademoiselle Among her dramas , I like Grid the least but I give her a pass since she did fine on the rest . I don’t need an overly convoluted plot . Just have a bit of romance & a tad amount of logic . These days my bar has been set so low 🤣🤣

@themarchioness for some of the slow parts I just watch at 1.5 or 2 times the speed 🤣🤣. 

@OsmanthusTea I died a little here. 🤣🤣. The director thinks the kiss scene is good & even ask LYN to watch it as tutorial

It’s true that LGX’s kiss scenes has never left an impact on me 😭😭

Pre-released with translation 

The first two episodes were pretty solid. You can tell there is substance in the writing - I do expect quite a bit from this writer since I have watched all her shows. She gets down to business very quickly revealing the main arc of the show, how the leads end up crossing paths and who the stakeholders are.

HHJ's CEO character (Yun Ja Yoo)  is depicted as driven, sharp and decisive. Since we are privy to her thoughts , we understand her thought processes and I have to say it is believable that she'd be the CEO of such a cutting-edge organisation. Given that Blood Free has put a lot of traditional industries out of business , and makes tones of money, it is no surprise that she has plenty of detractors who want her dead as well as those who want to take advantage of the success of the organisation. Within the first couple of episodes she's had people try to kill her or threatened her for money, had to deal with her organization's network being hacked & held ransom, and had to handle greedy politicians with their own agenda . 

I like that she caught on to things very quickly when she realizes that JJH's character (Woon Chae Woon) has approached her for a reason. In a very thorough interview for the job, she tested him on many levels and even asked him about why he approached her. Of course he was able to explain it away, but it is true that someone has sent him there on a mission. He was sent there by the former prime minister who thinks she could be responsible for the accident that he was involved in a couple of years back. However, this ex PM also has his own agenda and at this point , I don't think WCW realises he is being used. 

But given the enemies she has from within and without, WCW was the perfect candidate to be her personal bodyguard. He is a trained soldier ( Navy Command - similar to Navy Seal) and though has resigned from his post, is still physically fit and quick thinking. He proves himself by the end of episode 2 when he helped her realize that the issues she has been facing recently could be an internal betrayal. Regardless this working relationship is not at 100% trust both ways. 

Will there be romance ? Hahaha..your guess is as good as mine. It has been teased that he has a wife and daughter whom he is supporting and they are abroad. But one can hope that it could be a "red herring". 

Looking forward to a bit of romance in this retro investigative show 

Preview eps 1

Here we go. This writer still owes me Grid S2. Just finish this show well & give me an ending that makes sense please.

Stills 

The cast talk about their characters during the press con

I have a few more episodes left but I cannot not comment on this scene . I know this was the ultimate fan service but how come I feel the leads were so awkward in it as if they are doing kiss scenes for the first time. I have seen low budget dramas with lesser known leads who kiss so naturally without inhibition. Or was it intentional since they were not suppose to give in to their desires in the first place? 

Anyhow I am happy they sealed the deal here but I wish it wasn't in this cave of desire - kind of strange message to send that physical intimacy is "bad" thing even when it is between two people who love/like each other? LOL
 

On 4/6/2024 at 7:16 PM, OsmanthusTea said:

I'm on the 28th and I finally realised why XY showed such hostility toward MF, his hostility didn't sprang from a merely jealousy but more I believe.

I was so sad to find out about MF's betrayal. From Shen Li's perspective he's pretty much unforgiveable. Though I do have some sympathy for him. He was raised for this purpose to infiltrate the enemy's camp and save his evil father. His devotion to SL is genuine and he saved her. I guess he's arc will be a tragic one.

22 hours ago, UnniSara said:

He Yu did a great job portraying Fu Rong and you are right his character development is something to look forward too. His development was a slow process because of his interactions with Shen Li and Xing Zhi. 
Jackie Li another great performance as You Lan. She was awesome and you won’t believe what she becomes. Let me know when you do figure it out. 

The siblings had the best and most hilarious character development . They annoyed me as heck initially but I found them endearing as they realised the error of their ways and became such supporters of the leads.

I have 10 more episodes to go. I love eps 27 and 28 because the leads for once , just focused on each other and had some time to themselves. But I died laughing here...

The best thing about the ending is that it makes HaeIn's character consistent. The HaeIn we were introduced to does the threatening and not the other way round.    She was badass from the start and even in such dire situations she continues to be so. I would have been so annoyed if she had "given in" to ES in order to save Hyun Woo, which is sometimes the cliche sort of route that writers take. I lost count of the number of dramas where a  smart & savvy FL is reduced to one who suddenly made bad decisions and needs to be saved.  

Omma finding out about HaeIn's condition made me teary. Anyway, it is about time her own family finds out too. 

I have to add that KJW should have been nominated for the Baeksang - she's superb here.

10 minutes ago, Alice Wonderland said:

@mademoiselle the moment BJ smacks her head right after telling she is a person that moved by cash, 🤣🤣 so satisfying! 

Aunt is the best! She can be nutty but she clearly sees everything that goes on in this family even from long before.

Yesterday's episode was a good one too. I am just glad that Hyun Woo has a plan. What will this Hong family do without him? I love that moment when he came to close the curtain shades and he looked at her with so much affection that I think it will be nuts if they don't reunite. I am expecting the drama to give a happy ending. Fingers crossed! 

So I think from preview HaeIn plans to go back to Queens under ES's terms but I think she too has a plan of sorts. At this point she has nothing to lose and with time not on her side, she'll need to act quickly. Keep your friends close, but keep your enemy closer! ES definitely likes her, always has. But his idea of love is pretty twisted. Not surprising, given how his mum treated him and what he went through as a child, I don't actually think he understands what it is to truly love a person. 

@rocher22 did you watch this one? Was trending on Youku. This reminds me of those HK triad / undercover show . Of course it's not particularly high budget but the chemistry between the leads is palpable and story quite well told. The ML has this charm to him . Reminds me a bit of Kim Min Jae.

First episode 

@40somethingahjumma @NiteWalker @OsmanthusTea I know you guys watch all these short DouYin dramas. You can check out this one on Yuoku. 

@mademoiselle this 2nd season rubbish is  so annoying 😦.

Character trailers 

Thanks for the summary @peperomia. I will find a place to watch it. Most likely renew my Viu subscription 😂

This scene in eps 20 ( or was it 21?) was so sad but it also made it the best episode for me since we finally understand where he's coming from & why he sends out these mix signals.

Perhaps in a very human way of looking at it , he's behaving like a douche bag - seducing her and rejecting her all at the same time. But in this episode we are reminded that he's no ordinary mortal or even immortal - he's THE Ancient God, the last of his kind holding together the balance between the realms/ universe. So affairs of the heart seem so trivial when you compare it against the responsibility he shoulders and the power he holds.  It becomes clear to her (and me) that giving in to his feelings for her would have an irrevocable consequence that goes against the Natural Order of things. Can he possibly risk falling in love, when the gamble would be the existence of the realms and the lives of those who live in it? Given this context,  it's hard to fault him for behaving the way he has been .

Of course like he says, he can't control how he feels for her and he can't help being protective. So poor ShenLi will have to control herself and not be swayed. 

At this stage I have a soft spot for Mofang. No SLS but just that I appreciate his unwavering loyalty and devotion to her. And I know it is not easy for feelings to go away despite him saying he will reign it in. In another life / universe I would have rooted for him since I love a man who is upfront and decisive. Anyway,  it's not meant to be (plus my bias for LGX will not allow me to ) .

I am actually up to eps 23 at where Shen Li  and her realm have become targets of these "demons" or whatever they are call .  MF's body is missing and I can already forsee that they will use it to cultivate these creatures, and use him against her (or something along those lines). By the way, the folks in the Divine Realm are far from divine ! So many annoying & hateful beings. Such a waste of a pretty place - the peace and abundance they have enjoyed has made them complacent and self-centered. They should all be sent to the mortal realm to suffer!