☕️ Final Thoughts: "The Worst Of Evil" and "The Kidnapping Day"

It’s a long one this week - you may have to ‘view in browser’ to get the full read!

And if you missed all the Casting goodness from Friday check it out HERE

☕️ Let’s get this KDrama Coffee Break started!

‼️ Can you believe it’s NOVEMBER already?!

We have 8 New Kdramas on tap in November.

“Moon In The Day” the reincarnation fantasy with PYO YE JIN & KIM YOUNG DAE is the one I am most eager to hit play on.(shocking I know 😆)

Three of the 8 titles are landing on 11/24…though if I had to guess it feels like they could be punting the YIM SIWAN / LEE SUN BIN kdrama “Once Upon A Boy” to December - there is no official poster and practically zero promotion so far.

⭐️ Kick me an email or SNS post and let me know what you are most excited for!

PREMIERES

★ The Matchmaker

ROWOON Lovers rejoice!

★ Moon In The Day

This is THE ONE for me in November! Bring on the reincarnated angst!!

★ Daily Dose Of Sunshine

Love this cast but not even a little excited about the plot…let me know if I should dive in!

FINALES

✔︎ No Finales This Week

FINAL THOUGHTS…

The Kidnapping Day

The story of a would be kidnapper and his genius “captive” was simply a GEM of a story. From the very beginning to absolutely sticking the landing, “The Kidnapping Day” did not miss a beat and is one of the my most satisfying kdramas for 2023. (I need to check out the novel it was based on - the story was just so well crafted.)

I praised YUNA here last week and she just reinforced it all in the Finale! She stayed true to her genius kid style until the end inviting us to root for her and ‘her kidnapper’ throughout. The character of Choi Rohee was THE central character and without a performance of this level, I don’t think this drama works. Yuna received a lot of love and help from her fellow actors on set - especially YOON KYE SANG (their making of movies are adorable!) and the journey she took us on was truly one of the best this year. And really funny! I hope she is recognized when the awards start getting handed out.

Speaking of awards, if KIM SHIN ROK isn’t in the mix for her bat-shit narcissistic mastermind, Seo Hye Eun…what is the point? This character and performance took so many twists and turns, that in the hands of a lesser talent, Seo Hye Eun could have easily become a caricature and taken our story towards makjang levels of unbelievability. But Kim Shin Rok showed us that wounded little girl underneath, who in the end was simply (or not so simply we learn) looking for unconditional love and security. A master class in acting, ‘The Meltdown’ in episode 12 is a must-watch.

Loved the key men in Choi Rohee’s life as well. YOON KYE SANG was a force of idiocy and unconditional love as the worst kidnapper ever and ultimately Choi Rohee’s family. He was definitely the heart of our show. PARK SUNG HOON - always a favorite - brought to the party one of the most intelligent detectives I’ve seen in kdrama in quite a while. All while maintaining his kindness and loyalty, without being a blowhard. As I was typing I realized I felt the same way about BAE DOONA in “Secret Forest”, no wonder I loved this character! And we can't forget about Choi Rohee’s tutor / personal lawyer played by WOO JI HYUN. He was the big brother she never had.

Honestly one of the best parts of these men was that I kept waiting, in typical kdrama style, for the big double cross from each of them…and it never came. They remained by Choi Rohee’s side throughout and it was beyond satisfying.

If you didn't watch it as it aired, highly recommend you put it on your watchlist now!

😻😻😻 out of 😻😻😻 

The Worst of Evil

This noir Kdrama was a RIDE. A messy, anxiety fueled ride.

JI CHANG WOOK gave a career defining performance as our undercover detective Park Junmo. His journey through the Gangnam underworld was a gripping and harrowing tale. WI HA JOON’s charm as the leader of the Gangnam Union had us, against our best judgement, rooting for this drug runner to succeed. The bromance between these two men was perfect, painful and worth every minute, every week.

Where I had most of my quibbles was with how LIM SEMI’s character, as wife and first love, was so integral to the motivations of both men yet given nothing to do other than just be their ‘motivation’. She was a top cop in her own right, yet even undercover herself, all she was given to do was ‘try to get GiChul to make better choices’ or be huge distraction to her weary undercover husband. Even Lim Semi’s big action scene during the hallway brawl was cut - why?!

I had hoped that the few sprinkled connections we had between husband & wife would yield at least an open ended ending for our beleaguered couple but alas that was not to be.

At the end of the day, “The Worst Of Evil” was a solid drama but not my favorite. But I am so VERY glad I experienced it with everyone on our Discord and over on Twitter! Our Kdrama community is what can always take any Kdrama to the next level.

😻😻 out of 😻😻😻 

💥 JI CHANG WOOK never planned to do action again, but is currently the toast of the town after his turn as undercover detective Park Junmo in “The Worst Of Evil”.

💥 AHN BO HYUN & JI SOO are no more. This short-lived public relationship was a shocker when it hit the news cycle. Personally, I’m bummed it’s over. It was nice to see Korean celebrities dating publicly for a change.

💥 Did you watch “Doona”? Did you fall in love with YANG SE JONG? Well you can now follow him on IG!

💥 RANKINGS! October’s Movie Star Brand Reputation Rankings have the “Moving” cast GO YOON JUNG, JO IN SUNG & HAN HYO JOO still taking 3 spots in the Top 5.

And over in the Actor Brand Reputation Rankings Strong Girl LEE YOO MI is in the top spot with GO YOON JUNG, KANG DONG WON, CHA EUN WOO, and YANG SE JONG rounding out the Top 5. (though if I’m honest. - looking at these 2 lists I’m not sure the difference…)

💥 LEE SUN KYUN Update: Like a moment straight out of a kdrama Lee Sun Kyun officially submitted to the prosecution for questioning, regarding his ongoing drug investigation. We still haven’t heard any details on the blackmail or actual drug usage by Lee Sun Kyun. His preliminary drug tests are coming back negative, so while they wait for the results from his hair test we will stand by for any additional updates.

SIDE NOTE: God I am so pissed for his wife JEON HYE JIN according to reports she put her acting career on hold to support him and raise their children. And now that she is finally emerging as a top-tier talent this bullshit blows up. 🤬

💥 YOO AH IN Update: Looks like his first trial will be in mid-November. Here’s hoping this man gets all the help he needs. ♥️ 

Just in time for Halloween, we are diving into a REWATCH of 2021's “Happiness” starring PARK HYUNG SIK & HAN HYO JOO. 

We are discussing how well (or not) this Zombie Kdrama works as a microcosm for classism, patriarchy, and humanity during Covid. And of course the magic of the chemistry between our two leads!

Join JENN, CAROL from KDramasMusings MICHAELA from The Kpopcast & CAITLIN from No Sleep 4 Dramas as we dive into “Flower of Evil” Episodes 13-The Finale!

🎙️Our Latest Podcast

You can find us on all your favorite podcast providers!

📸 “The Worst Of Evil” Cast Farewell Messages…but this one is THE BEST my god we hated that character SO. MUCH. 🤣 

📸 GONG YOOs Cats…you know the rule if I see a cat it gets posted!

📸 CHA CHUNG HWA’s wedding pics! Love. Her.

📸 At The Airport: PARK BO YOUNG, JUNG HAE IN & LEE DONG WOOK

📸 ROWOON & CHO YI HYUN at “The Matchmakers” Press Con

📸 CHA. EUN. WOO.

^{DISCLAIMER: Links included in this post might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the provided links, the show may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you! Thank you for supporting the channel so we can continue to provide you with free content each week!K☕️☕️}