Would that this hoodie were a time hoodie!

So, I have fallen very, very in love with Answer Me 1997 in the past couple weeks. It's like all the coming of age stories that I watched in the 90s, except it's taking me back to my own teenage years and making me look at them fondly (whereas when I was actually in my teenage years I hated everything about it and related to the aaaaaaangst). Even though I didn't grow up in Korea and don't get the pop culture references, I do understand being so obsessed with something that it becomes your entire life. While for other girls it was boybands, for me it was Garth Brooks (or whatever actor I was into at the time. Garth was a steadfast obsession in my life, whereas I seemed to have a new actor to obsess over every year or so). My family didn't get it and what they saw as insignificant meant the world to me, and yes, I did throw tantrums when they accidentally taped over a Garth interview, or when they didn't understand my desperate need to buy Garth's new album, or when they rolled their eyes at me when I cried over not being able to see him in concert when he FINALLY came near to where we lived. Just... I loved him SO MUCH, so yes, I can relate to Shi Won's love for H.O.T, even though I despised boybands when I was growing up. The mass stalking like it's normal part I don't understand, but that's very specific to Korean fan culture (and is even worse in this day and age when they can hire taxis to follow idols around and hack into the idols' cell phones and prevent them from having any kind of social life whatsoever). Anyway, aside from all that, I just love how it captures those heightened feelings of your teenage years, how the most insignificant things rule your life until something truly serious happens that alters your perception of things and makes you grow up a little. I love how the parents fight but love each other dearly, I love how the daughter and father are in a constant battle but come through for each other when it really matters, I love that there is a story about a boy in love with another boy who is in love with a girl, I love the story between the brothers, I love the story of the older brother's heartbreaking loss and how it ties in with the main family, I love love love the story of the boy and girl who are best friends and the boy is pining madly after her while she is completely oblivious, I love that we have no idea who ends up with who (well, except for the couple that they revealed in ep 5/6), I love how the show makes me laugh out loud one minute and then makes me bawl the next. I love everything.

I really wish that America would make a throwback show like this for our generation, one that moves us and makes us laugh at ourselves and helps us to remember the good old days (and I'd actually understand the pop culture references). Hopefully it'll come along soon. I mean, The Wonder Years was amazing, but that was for the teenagers of the 60s. My So-Called Life was excellent and pretty much captures what Answer Me 1997 does, but it was actually made in that time and doesn't have that light-hearted, reminiscent factor to it (plus, I was a little too young to catch this one when it was originally on). IDK, since America is so fond of making adaptions of shows, they should most definitely adapt this one.

Anyway, with my love for this show, naturally I had to check out the group that the lead girl is obsessed with, H.O.T. They actually kind of remind me of TVXQ (the one with the high voice def. reminds me of JaeJoong, and Tony reminds me of Yoochun). Plus, you know, this:



VS



And then there's this, which is very much like modern k-pop:



It's funny how K-pop went from super baggy T-shirts and jeans and floppy hair to leather and lipstick and guyliner and neon-colored long hair. Also, I had to check out their rival band, Sechskies, and as I was watching them I was like, "OMG, that one dude looks so familiar! He looks like a young version of somebody! Where have I seen him? Isn't he an actor?" and then I realized that he's playing a character on Answer Me 1997 (the one from Seoul that is always looking at porn). And now I just find it hilarious that the show is constantly ragging on his old band. But, I'm sorry, H.O.T was way better than Sechskies, as this video can attest:

It is SO FLIPPING GOOD, OMG! Why did I ever stop watching it? I think I just got behind and was too lazy to catch up with it, but I'm actually glad that I waited until most of the eps were out, because suspense dramas are just so much better when you can watch it all in one go. It was just too damn hard to remember all the little details when you had to wait a week (or more) for new eps. Anyway, once the show got out of the episodic format and started focusing on Uhm Ki Joon's character, the show got so freaking good. It somehow turned into an epic revenge drama that is so terribly satisfying, except... HE'S THE BAD GUY. It's hard to not root for him, even when he kills just as many innocent people as he does people who deserved it. I mean, I am rooting for the cyber investigation team, and from their POV Uhm Ki Joon's character is one bad mofo that keeps eluding them in the most frustrating of ways, and he killed one of their own (well, two if you count Woo Hyun), and he NEEDS to be stopped, but I can't help but root for him to accomplish his revenge. And he's not even an appealing guy! I mean, usually villains that win me over are either hilarious or hidden good guys or not really threatening at all or super badass, but this dude? He's just a sociopath hellbent on revenge. But I guess his saving grace is that he used to be a decent human being. He used to be normal, and he loved his father so freaking much that he's turned into this monster. For some reason his character reminds me of Micheal Corleone from The Godfather, except Michael's story wasn't about revenge, he just got corrupted by power. But this guy is kind of the same in the sense that he was the naive/innocent son that held all of his father's hopes, and he was raised to be good and take the righteous path, but his innocence was lost when he realized that he had trusted the wrong people, and he just turned into a completely different person. And he is so freaking hungry for power, he wants to control everything, because the world wronged him and he's not going to let it happen again. Basically, Uhm Ki Joon owns this show. I love him, but he's enough of a devil that I won't be heartbroken when he gets captured. Although, if Sign is anything to go by, the bad will just keep on winning until the good sacrifices himself. I hope that won't happen this time, though I am fairly indifferent to Ki Young, so I wouldn't be heartbroken like I was with Sign, but, you know, this one needs a happy ending.

Also, my ship is cute as ever, and it is just sad that I get all giggly and flappy hands over a couple that gets about one minute of screentime every three episodes, but OMG, I LOVE THEM. SO FREAKING MUCH. Mad Cow/Boiled Potato 4eva!!!11!1!!! I just saw the ep where she was tailing him (on her motorbike. Subtlety is not her thing) and he stops at a clothing store and they adorably argue and he tries to get her in trouble for shoplifting but she calls him honey (the husband version of honey, no less!) and says that he had promised to buy it for her and he's all like, "Bwuh?????" I love how she flusters him. And always gets her way in the end. They are just an awesome partnership and I want more of them, but I am also loving all the little hints that they are basically made for each other and totally dig each other but neither one wants to admit it. I LOVE THEM.

I've only gotten through ep 14, so not quite caught up, but I should be by the time the last ep airs on Thursday (maybe. Stupid work keeps getting in the way of my drama watching. Pfft).

Alright, Internet, you win. I am officially addicted to Rich Man Poor Woman and I want more IMMEDIATELY! Damn it, why did you all have to be so enticing? I was trying so hard to hold off on it until all the eps were out, because it is torture waiting for new eps of J-dramas (I only followed one j-drama as it aired and the one ep a week thing killed me. Yeah, yeah, I know that's how American shows do it, but American shows aren't usually structured like live action novels). Anyway, Rich Man Poor Woman takes everything I love about J-dramas and combines it with everything I love about k-dramas and it is just turning into this really spectacular show. I am not used to OTPs actually being realized in j-dramas, and it is just thrilling me to pieces. And it keeps the general j-drama structure of being focused on the work that they do together and them being awesome partners and bringing out the best in each other and affecting other people's lives in positive ways, but they actually get to have a romance! An actual, genuine romance full of adorableness and unrequitedness and silly angst. LOVE LOVE LOVE!



CAN THEY BE ANY MORE ADORABLE?!!!

So, remember how I was super in love with Gaksital? Remember how it had a super awesome anti-hero and I adored the plot and the pacing and the angst? Well... after the episode where Kang To transitioned into Gaksital I promptly lost interest. Everything is moving so slowly now, and there's just no suspense anymore. And I can't even root for Kang To as Gaksital because his transition didn't change him in the least. I mean, if they weren't really going to explore a redemption arc, they could have at least made this into an intense revenge drama, but... NOTHING IS HAPPENING. Where did the excitement go? How did Shunji go from sweet to evil in 60 seconds? Why does Mok Dan get tortured in every other episode? Why do I not care one iota about Mok Dan even though she sticks to her principles and is fearless? (probably because her fearlessness often comes across as stupidity, especially when she ends up getting tortured EVERY OTHER EPISODE). And, I'm sorry, but I just can't get into the love story. This is probably because of my apathy towards Mok Dan, but it's also because their entire ~*~epic~*~ romance is based on the few days that they knew each other when they were 13 (and freaking Shunji is the same way with his unrequited love for Mok Dan. Get over it, man! It's been ten years!).

IDK, I just feel like the drama lost all of its steam when Kang To stopped being the antagonist. Shunji just doesn't do it for me on the antagonist front, especially when he and Kang To have a much more epic love than either of them will ever have with Mok Dan. But Shunji just feels out of place and he's trying too hard and I just want to smack some sense into him. Okay, I know that his brother dying was a big deal for him, but he knew that his brother was a murderous dickhead. HE KNEW THIS. And yet he is now acting like his brother was a saint and Gaksital is the devil incarnate. And, okay, the murdering of Shunji's brother was super graphic and PURE AWESOME and traumatizing for Shunji, but prior to that Shunji was portrayed as a level-headed guy that realized his family wasn't perfect. And even after his brother's death he was still somewhat stable. It wasn't until Mok Dan rejected him completely that he went off the handle (and in his warped mind he is protecting her, which just makes me go "ugh!"). And this all happened in the span of five minutes and I just couldn't connect with his transition. In contrast, Kang To's transformation was barely noticeable. He put some gel in his hair and changed his line of attack. He's still the same old Kang To, still burdened by his family (only this time it's revenge for his family as opposed to creating a comfortable life for them), still bowing to the Japanese in order to accomplish his goals, still hated by Koreans and Japanese alike. The only thing that's changed is that he's no longer dogging after Gaksital, because he is Gaksital.

On that front, I wish the show would put more flair into Kang To's Gaksital moments. At this point he just can't compare with his brother. It just feels like he's going through the motions as Gaksital because he doesn't know what else to do. He has to carry out his brother's revenge plans simply because he's responsible for killing his brother. He doesn't want the revenge with the same passion that his brother wanted it. The only time that I felt Kang To doing something for his own motivation as Gaksital was when he killed Shunji's brother. That was delicious. I wanted more of that.

Anyway, I can't seem to find the motivation to finish last week's episodes, let alone watch this week's. But this is a show that I loved SO MUCH during the first six episodes. It has everything that I crave, it's just not putting it to good use anymore. I'm hoping that the show picks back up, because I'm not ready to abandon it just yet.

-------------------------

I'm still enjoying Big, but I'm still having a connection problem with it (just like most everyone else). I think DramaBeans nailed it when they said that the heroine is too bland. We just don't know what she's thinking/where she's coming from, and honestly she comes off as stupid a lot of the time. She's capable but clueless, and it's causing these silly misunderstandings and seeing as how she's the adult you'd think she could figure out her feelings sooner than Kyun Joon, but she's still being an idiot. And she's letting Ma Ri push her around and get inside her head, which is ridiculous. And just... blerg. And yet I am still really enjoying the plot and am still very interested to see how it all pans out. But if Gong Yoo wasn't the lead, I'm not sure that I'd still be watching. I just can't relate with the female lead, but you can accept her because she is so central to Kyun Joon's emotional well-being.

And then there's I Do, I Do, which is still pleasing me on almost every level. I don't know what it is about this show that I love so much, but it just warms my soul when I watch it. I think that's mostly due to Tae Kyung. He's just so innocent and sweet and open and loving and the perfect match to Ji An's broodiness. I usually have a problem with age gap ships when the female is older, mostly because dramas have a tendency to infantilize the female in order to bring her down to the male's level, but this show is handling the age gap in the most perfect way possible. It's basically the same setup as most workplace age gap ships where the male is older, except in this scenario the female is occupying the spot of gruff, emotionally closed-off but hugely successful boss while the male is the plucky, naive, persistent, charming one, but at the same time the role reversal opens up different aspects that just can't be explored when the male is the older one, and it is just turning out to be a really beautiful romance that is hitting all of my shipping buttons. I am just a sucker for crotchety vs perky, no matter what form it takes. And the actor playing Tae Kyung is just doing such a great job of portraying an intense crush on an older person, and the jovial innocence he brings to the character is just so believable even though on paper it's a little far-fetched. His innocence and the way he just acts on his feelings as he has them is such a great contrast to Ji An, and I love how it's bringing back her humanity. It's making her remember what a family feels like, and it's making her want to try this super scary thing that she had never even considered before. I freaking love their dynamic, and how Tae Kyung's every high and low is worn so openly on his face. Love love love them. Now, the other aspects of the show? Not so great, but the main couple is such utter perfection that they eclipse all the bad. Or, well, it's not even bad, just tired. The villains are kind of pointless and annoying. Quite frankly, Ji An's pregnancy vs the choice to be president of the company was conflict enough, not to mention having to choose between the doctor and the father of her baby. Adding in a manipulative older woman of power and a meddling younger woman who wants power is just distracting from the plot that we actually care about. Also, I hate that the hero still doesn't know that he's the father. I mean, really? REALLY? We're on episode 11 and he's still clueless. But, whatevs, as long as they keep having super cute moments together it doesn't even bother me that much.

I am way behind on Ghost, so I won't comment on that one.

I am so, so in love with the current batch of dramas, which is such a switch from the last 6 months. I guess Korea saves its best dramas for the summer, which is excellent, because that's when I have nothing else to watch (well, besides True Blood). Anyway:

1. Big is turning out to be such a delight. Based on premise alone I was like, "Really? Really?" but I checked it out anyway because Gong Yoo is a sexy beast. I thought it would mostly be over the top humor and ridiculous antics, but it is actually quite moving while also being genuinely hilarious. So, I'm digging it, and I am definitely shipping the teacher with Gong Yoo, but only with the kid's soul. So... I have no idea how this is going to turn out. They can't really end up together, right? They are both at different places in their lives and their relationship only really works with the kid in the adult's body. But on the other hand, the teacher's fiance appears to be a total dick who has been cheating on her all along, so she can't end up with him either. But she loves him so much, and I want it all to be a misunderstanding, and I want the kid to straighten out his life, but the teacher is going to end up truly falling in love with her fiance only while he has the kid's soul, so in the end she'll be in love with the kid and have to wait for him to grow up, or will she fall in love with her fiance all over again? Auuuugh, I don't know. But so far this drama is awesome. It looks like a Hong Sisters drama that I might actually stick with to the end, if only to find out how the soul-switching romance works out. At least the kid is 18, so he's not that much younger than the teacher, but still, they are in different places.

2. I Do, I Do - This is another one where I turned my nose up at the premise, because I am not big on noona romances at all (and this one has a ten year age difference), but I am a sucker for all Kim Sun Ah dramas. It's just a fact that I'm going to enjoy whatever drama she chooses to be in, because she always picks the dramas with female leads that get you right in the gut. And I especially love her character in this one, because unlike her other characters, she's not a pushover that finds her voice as the story goes on; instead she is a confident, successful, fierce woman that doesn't take crap from people (but is intelligent enough to know when not to fight). But she's also lonely, and she realizes that she's not the easiest person to be around, so she puts up her shield of apathy so that she doesn't get hurt. And when she does try to be human, when she tries to relate to other people, it always ends up biting her in the ass, so you can see why it's just easier for her to isolate herself and not care about anyone else. And then in comes this sweet, energetic, caring young boy that begrudgingly drives her around town all day and ends up showing her a little sympathy when she is at her most vulnerable, and it's just perfection. I am loving these two together and separately, but I'm also loving their alternative pairings, so I don't even know who to root for. I mean, it's obvious at this point that the doctor is a better choice for her, and she is starting to genuinely like him, but the preview for ep 4 showed that the whole pregnancy issue pops up right when she starts to like him. And the young boy is still making her all flustered and disrupting her life, and you know he'll want to be a part of the baby's life, and just... I'm loving this drama. A lot.

I was afraid that I wouldn't have a rom-com to enjoy this summer, but they both turned out to be awesome.

3. Ghost is still owning me. With ep 3 it has officially become a procedural, but so far it's all relating back to the first case. And they FINALLY showed the man with the globe watch, sort of. We're still not supposed to know who he is, but the actor has a very recognizable silhouette, especially while wearing glasses. We still don't know who he is within the show, though. But I'm ridiculously excited that he's the villain in this, because he is amazing at playing villains and it has been too darn long since he's been one. Basically, I am still loving the crap out of this show, even though it has some ridiculously stupid moments (like, seriously, if every time you turn on a computer you get a death message, just stop turning it on. If you've just been chased down a dark alleyway and actually managed to make it home safely, don't freaking open your accessible window and go take a shower. STUPIDITY!) Also, the overuse of The Phantom of the Opera music is starting to get annoying. But other than that, I'm loving it.

4. Am saving ep 3 of Gaksital for later.

5. I tried A Gentleman's Dignity, but it just wasn't grabbing me. As I was watching it, it seemed like I would have enjoyed the supporting characters a lot more than the main ones, but the drama was spending too much time on the main OTP, who I simply did not care for. Their meet cute was stupid (and done much better in History of a Salaryman), and the lack of personality from the hero just wasn't doing it for me. I guess I should give it more than 20 minutes, but I kept nodding off, so I gave up. I might go back to it later, though. I just have to get past that first episode.

Recently completed K-dramas

So, the only drama that I stuck with from the last batch was Rooftop Prince, and even I am shocked that I actually watched it all the way to the end. I think I just wanted to see how they tied up all the loose ends. It was a pretty satisfying finale, and I liked the idea of him having to wait 300 years to meet up with her again. And while technically it wasn't Yi Gak, it was him, properly reincarnated, and so they got to have their happy ending. I'm also glad that the sister turned herself in, because I didn't think that she'd get much retribution (I was fully expecting a half-assed redemption arc as is typical with k-dramas, but luckily this one went that way while also giving her a punishment). Loved how the mystery in the past tied in with the crimes in the current time, and Bu Young's sacrifice was really well done (I almost wish that there was a whole drama just about her unrequited love for him). Anyway, this drama was pretty ridiculous and it got a little tiring towards the end, but I enjoyed it.

I only made it to ep 10 of King 2 Hearts before I got bored. Which is sad, because I was really enjoying it in the beginning. Once it went away from the rom-com aspect I seemed to have lost interest.

I watched about five minutes of Love Rain and couldn't take it anymore.

Didn't even bother with Fashion King.

New K-dramas

Ghost - I really, really loved it, but I am concerned with whether the show can keep this plot up for 20 episodes, unless it goes the way of Sign and just kind of leaves the first case as an overarching plot and moves on to cases of the week. But the way that this ep set up the show, it doesn't really fit a case of the week type format. It could, but they made Hades such an integral part of the plot that I don't see how it will be about anything but catching him/him helping them. IDK, but I really loved it. It started out as your basic, cold procedural and turned into this wonderful game of cat and mouse and epic bromance. When I went into this I was hoping for a Sign-ish type romance between the male and female leads, but now all I want is So Ji Sub and Daniel Choi being angsty together. Daniel Choi was definitely a scene stealer in this, and his character's relationship with So Ji Sub's character was by far the most interesting aspect of the show. I want more.

Gakistal/Bridal Mask - LOVE!!! It's kind of campy, it's a little bit badass, and it's kind of emotional. I am not invested in it just yet, but it's highly entertaining. The thing is... it's obvious pretty early on who Gakistal is, and yet the male lead can't figure it out. It makes him look kind of stupid. Oh well, this show has a very comic book feel to it, so it's not enough of a bother to deter my enjoyment. And I already really love the lead. He's so angry, at everybody, and yet he has a big heart. He's forgone his pride in order to provide for his mother and brother, but they reject him. He gives his all to the Japanese police, but they consider him a second class citizen. I can already guess at the moral struggles that he will be facing, especially after he finds out who Gakistal is (especially if he's the one who ends up killing him). And I'm enjoying the time period setting, too. This is one that's not often found in k-dramas (Capital Scandal is the only other one I can think of). Anyway, this drama has a lot going for it and I expect I'll probably end up loving it. It probably depends on whether or not I end up enjoying the love story.

Taiwanese Dramas

I am close to finishing My Splendid Life, namely because it is almost scene for scene exactly like the Korean version of Brilliant Legacy, so I've been fast forwarding through the non-OTP scenes. The main difference between the versions is character interpretation, and this one expanded on the male lead's sister's role. I actually really love the sister in this version, whereas she's kind of a non-entity in the Korean one. Also, I can feel the love between the OTP much better in this one than the Korean one. In the Korean one, it kind of feels like the female lead's love for the male lead happens out of nowhere, whereas in this version they have UST from the very beginning, and you can tell that they are both into each other pretty early on. The girl in this one was far more likable than in the Korean one. Now, Jerry Yan vs Lee Seung Gi. They are both idol actors, but Jerry has way more titles under his belt, and yet... they both seem to have the same quality of acting, which is: decent but not great. Jerry's interpretation of the character was much more comical, more outlandish and immature, while Seung Gi's is more restrained and you really see the change in his character from the beginning to the end. In some ways I preferred Jerry's interpretation (his character was more obvious and open about his feelings), but I feel like Seung Gi captured the more serious moments better. In fact, the Korean version was excellent at evoking your sympathy and getting your emotions going, while this one took a lot of those epic, serious moments and really toned them down. But this version was less restrained with the love story, which I really enjoyed. Sometimes it's jarring to watch a TWdrama right after watching all these Kdramas that are full of repressed sexual feelings.

I am also currently watching a drama called In Time With You, which is about two best friends discovering that they're in love. It drew me in immediately when the female lead was stressing about the same kind of stuff that I do. That whole, "I'm 29 years old and I'm supposed to be married and have kids by now" thing. And worrying about never finding anyone that can love her. And then she has this best friend who has secretly been in love with her for 14 years, and his pining is irresistible. I just... I love unrequited love stories. I just do. Especially when they get a happy ending. I am enjoying this one, but it takes a more realistic approach as opposed to the rom-com cliches, so the story is slow going. It's more like a slice of life type drama, or a coming of age drama for people in their late 20s/early 30s.

I still have yet to find another TWdrama that I love as much as Office Girls, though.

Just finished Office Girls, and it was so damn good for all 25 eps. My only real complaint is that I hated Kai Ehr with a passion and she never got her comeuppance. In fact, the show tried to justify her wrongdoings through her sob story childhood. And, okay, yeah, I feel bad for the kid that she was, but not the woman that she turned out to be, therefore the show failed in making me sympathetic to her. So, I hated the focus that she got, especially in the last couple eps. Just... blegh. But other than that, the show was pretty fantastic. Everyone besides Kai Ehr was super lovable and each and every character grew from their experiences with Xing Ren and Zi Qi, and the romance was fun and heartbreaking and adorable and beautiful and we actually got to see them function as a couple for many eps, and the angst never got too out of hand, and really, with such a conniving "other woman" character I applaud the show for never really letting her break the main couple up. All of their angst came from actual problems in their relationship. And the show itself was completely hilarious while also getting the emotions flowing (I cried. A lot. But it usually makes you laugh right after it makes you cry). Mostly though? I adored the secondary couple with every fiber of my being. Le Le and Manager Shi Te Long. They were extremely kooky and such a delightful surprise, and I will admit that I was shipping them before there were even inklings of a romance blooming between them. They were both just so lovably obnoxious, if that even makes sense, and somehow together they really humanized each other. I love how he got off on Le Le yelling at him constantly, and I love how she brought out his vulnerability, and even when she's proclaiming how much she hates him you can a feel a weird affection for him forming, and then he pulls these weird antics that just draw her in (like whining like a two year old over a cut) and you're like, "Really? THAT is what she fell for?" and just... I love how freaky they are. And how giddy-making they are. And how sweet they are despite their kinkiness. It was one-sided through most of the show, but she just had this soft spot for him that she couldn't explain, and they were basically made for each other. I freaking LOVED them. So much so that they ended up eclipsing the main couple for me even though they only had about 30 seconds of screentime every few episodes. But seriously, they were wonderful. I want all the fic in the world. Except... barely anybody watches TWdramas, and even K and J dramas rarely get fic. Blerg.

But yeah, I will probably end up picspamming the hell out of my kooky couple tomorrow after work if I'm not too tired.

I am in love with Office Girls. So, so in love. I couldn't even wait for Drama Fever to load the rest of the eps and had to search elsewhere for them. Am currently on ep 10. LOVE. I forgot how much I genuinely enjoy the relationship development in Taiwanese dramas. I tend to stay away from them for the most part because of the production quality (and the series length, and the aaaaaaaaangst), but this one? The production quality is almost as good as a k-drama. I had no idea that TWdramas had advanced so much. Or is it just this one? I remember Mars being of decent production quality, but not this good. Anyway, I am highly enjoying Office Girls, and I love that so far it's stayed pretty light. I mean, it's still got the angst, but it's fun angst as opposed to the soul-crushing angst (so far. There are still 15 more eps to go, so I'm sure the story will get ridiculous somewhere along the way).

You win, Community. I finally have feelings for Troy/Britta. I still don't actively ship them, but, you know, they gave me the warm fuzzies tonight and I can now totally see the plausibility of the ship, and this is the first time where I've felt like Troy has a crush on Britta for more than shallow reasons, and this was also the first time where I've felt like Britta can reciprocate his feelings in the future. After a few bumbling attempts here and there throughout the last two seasons, it finally feels right. So, if they insist on going in that direction, I feel like this ep finally set up a foundation for them, as long as it's a slow burn that stays fairly subtle (of course, that's what I said about Jeff/Annie way back when, and look what the show has done with them). As for the Jeff/Annie... yeah, it made me giddy. Not as giddy as last week, but those looks were so super adorable. I originally thought the ep was using the Jeff/Annie relationship as a parallel to Blade/Britta in that Jeff is the guy that Annie just can't shake no matter how much she knows that he's bad for her, but then that ending happened and it pointed out that Annie's feelings for Jeff are based on his sweet moments, the moments when he does or says the right thing, and that he's not actually all that bad for her (he is when he pushes her away/is emotionally distant, but that's when Annie stops putting up with him, as opposed to Britta/Blade where Britta was only into Blade when he was treating her badly). Jeff/Annie actually ended up being a parallel to Troy/Britta in the end, where Annie is what would make Jeff happy if he'd just learn to love himself (just as Troy could make Britta happy if she'd just learn to love herself). And Pierce/Chang, OMG, MY HEART! MY POOR, POOR HEART. Their friendship was brief, but so epically adorable that it totally broke me. POOR PIERCE.

Speaking of Pierce, can I just say that if Chevy leaves Community, many of the most poignant moments of the show will be gone? Just... he brings so much emotion to the show without even really trying, and it kills me that Chevy doesn't like that aspect of his character. "It isn't funny." Well... great comedy comes from tragedy. Pierce is a sad, pathetic, tragic character, and the comedy comes from those traits. But what makes him redeemable is his heart. He's easily hurt because he's so desperate to fit in, so desperate to find somebody who will love him no matter how awful he is. As we saw in season 2, he tests people. He wants to see how far he can go before somebody leaves him, because that's all anyone has done to him his entire life. He just... he's an awesome character, and Chevy has done wonders with him, and I hate that Chevy doesn't see that. He's so set on the material not being funny and Dan being an egotistical jerk and yada yada yada, but... humor is subjective and Chevy is just as much of an egotistical jerk as Dan (probably moreso since most people don't complain about Dan, but everyone complains about Chevy. Everyone. From every job he's ever had). The whole point of Pierce is that he's behind the times and his humor and ideals alienate the current generation, which is basically a commentary on Chevy. He keeps saying that the show isn't funny, and yet he manages to crack me up as Pierce, so I don't even know what he's going on about. I don't know, man, I don't know, I just don't want Pierce to disappear.

30 Rock was good. I always love it when Jack's mother makes an appearance.

As for The Office, it is basically ruining Andy for me. Thanks a lot, show! I begged you to stop with the stupid Erin/Andy crap, and now it's just gotten worse. Ugh. UGH. I miss Andy being a hapless doof. So much. I mean, I don't mind him being happy at all, it's just that he and Erin have terrible chemistry. The characters just don't mesh well together, and it's awkward to watch, and I HAAAAAATE IT! Hate it hate it hate it. Bleh. James Spader was looking super hot though, wasn't he? Has he lost weight or something? Or did they just give him a better hairstyle? I don't know, but he looked more like his lusty self of yore.

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So, I finally caught up with King 2 Hearts, and my only real thought is that the show's use of English is super awkward. At least, it was when the prince told the reporter, "I'm sorry, am I your bosom friend?" WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? And the show has been very aggressive towards all Americans as a symbolic "Fuck you," to the country, which kind of makes it hard to enjoy the show sometimes. Of course, they did it to China, too, but there are more scenes with Americans than Chinese (of course, when I say "American," I mean white people with very strong French accents who don't sound American at all). Other than that, I'm still loving the show. Especially the false seductions.

I am also still enjoying Rooftop Prince, but I find that I have to fast forward through everything that doesn't contain the female lead or the Joseon 4. Ridiculously boring second leads that are completely irredeemable along with the boring office scenes really bring the show down. But the Joseon 4 are super adorable and hilarious and I love them like crazy.

Was it just me, or was Community super weird last night? I missed the first few minutes because I was just getting home from work, and my parents were watching it because basketball was on on CBS, and they were just completely lost. Like, they didn't get a single joke. They haven't watched the show since season 1 (because Big Bang Theory got moved to Thursdays), and the show was just so completely different to them, and it made me realize why Community is a hard show to pick up if you just randomly watch an episode since there are so many jokes that build on past episodes or inside jokes within the fandom, especially in this episode (Brown Jamie Lee Curtis, Britta resembling Michael Jackson, the Dean having a mad crush on Jeff, the Dreamatorium, etc). It was just a really confusing episode for someone who hasn't been religiously following the show, so I think it was smart on the part of NBC to switch the episode order (even though the references to their long break ended up not making sense in this ep). Anyway, I am definitely not a fan of all these cutaway CGI gags. It throws me off, makes the show more cartoonish, and one thing that I've always loved about Community was that no matter how weird a concept was, the show was always somehow grounded in reality. There was some kind of logical explanation for everything. They even had an explanation for making the entire Greendale population into zombies. So, these cutaway gags are just disorienting. The story itself was super dark, and I guess I just don't enjoy this show very much when it goes dark, though I do enjoy the character development that comes from it, so... I appreciate the dark eps, I guess. But, yeah, they are not my favorite, especially when it leaves Troy and Abed in a bad, angsty place (but again, I am enjoying the character development that will come from this). I guess I have mixed feelings on this ep. I wouldn't call it a bad ep, just... a weird one. Stylistically jarring and kind of a downer. Perhaps I'll enjoy it more upon rewatch.

Both eps of 30 Rock were pretty flawless. It is crazy how pleased with this season I am. I think I am finally over Jack/Liz. Maybe? I mean, I would still jump for joy if they ever made out, but... I don't think that's going to happen, and I've finally gotten to a place where I'm perfectly fine with that, especially since Liz is so happy with Criss (and Criss is super easy on the eyes). I did get all giddy over Liz being turned on by Jack's tie, though...

Also, I watched the leaked first ep of The Legend of Korra, and I have to say, I really enjoyed it. It's not as nuanced or engrossing as The Last Airbender as of yet, but I think it has great potential. I think I liked The Last Airbender world better, but that's mostly because I enjoy stories based around that time period more than I do the more modernized ones, but Korra's world is basically 1920s China, so it'll be interesting to see what they do with that. Especially since that was a time of revolution and corruption and gangsters ruling the cities. I was sad that Katara seems to be the only one still alive from Aang's era. I especially felt a pang in my heart when she mentioned that her brother was gone. *sniff* And I'm highly interested in Toph's daughter's story. She seems gruff at first, but then we kind of see Toph's influence shining through at the end of her scene. WHO IS HER FATHER? PLEASE TELL ME IT'S SOKKA. If it is Sokka, then all of my Avatar shipping dreams will have come true. (seriously, I did not understand fandom. From my perspective, the ship wars should have been between Aang/Toph and Sokka/Toph, because that was where the good stuff was) Anyway, I enjoyed the show, and I look forward to more. I just hate waiting for new eps. I got to watch The Last Airbender all at once.

As for k-dramas, Dream High 2 ended, and I was sad. I don't know why I loved that crummy show so much. Seriously, there was little to no logical character development, they spent far too much screentime on very unimpressive dance performances, and just about all of the songs were awful. The lead characters weren't even all that likable. WHY DID I LOVE IT SO MUCH? I don't know. For some reason I was a complete sucker for Hye Sung and JB. Don't ask me why. And even though Rian did a complete turnaround, I still couldn't find the strength to care about her, and she mostly just made me wrinkle my nose. Yoo Jin's story with his mother was fantastic and that was basically the only thing that really moved me emotionally. I pretty much bawled during his song to her. I freaking loved the Si Woo/Nana/Hong Joo love triangle, and I love that it was still going strong eight years later and that they are basically a reluctant threesome forever because Nana will never stop stringing them along (though part of me believes that in the future she falls hard for another man and leaves the two boys heartbroken, and they just give in to their bromance and live happily ever after with each other). It was lame that the ending gave us no real closure on the relationship front (besides the rebel couple, as Hye Sung called them), but then again, neither did the first Dream High, so I kind of expected that. It's interesting how both Dream Highs seemed to say that it's not very likely that you'll end up with your epic first (or second) love from high school. Not a lot of teen dramas (Korean or otherwise) will admit to that.

As for the new dramas, the only one I've watched is King 2Hearts, and it is freaking amazing. So, so good. Not only are the characters well written and perfectly cast, but the plot is interesting and the drama revolves between being a rom-com and an action thriller, and it's just... SO GOOD. What really gets me though is that the villain is so deliciously evil. For once we get an unapologetically evil villain who doesn't really have a justifiable reason for doing what he does. He just... likes hurting people. We still don't really have his backstory, so I suppose that could change, but I doubt it. They've already made him so maniacal that I can't see the show trying to justify his actions even a little bit. I mean, he's torturing a dude just because the dude's son ruined his magic trick. That look he gave the little kid was really chilling, because you know he actually wanted to kill the kid, but I guess he was satisfied with the next best thing. Anyway, I'm happy that the show has a fascinating villain, because it's amazing how much a great villain can elevate a story. The romance is developing pretty well so far, and I adore the second lead (Kim Byung Gun from What's Up!!!). I have a feeling that this drama may become my new obsession. Haven't watched Rooftop Prince yet, though, and you know I love my cracky rom-coms, so, we'll see which one wins.