You're All Surrounded: Needs further investigation

This show is a mystery to me. It’s such an odd mix of heartbreak and hilarity. This doesn’t mean I’m not enjoying it. I am. Just . . . not as much as I thought I would.

You’re not who I thought you were

One thing I love about Lee Seunggi is that charming twinkle in his eye. That sparkle can make even the jerkiest of characters appealing (if you haven’t seen his turn as the spoiled prince in The King 2 Hearts, you must move that to the top of your drama list post haste). But this new character is too damaged to sparkle. The poor boy watched someone choke the life out of his beloved mother right in front of his eyes. He’s allowed to be broken. And I give Seunggi props for his acting. Let’s face it, he kind of had one stock character in his repertoire up until now. Bitter, vengeful stoneface is something new, and he’s rocking the wounded, silent crankypants. I just miss the twinkle.

I Need a Suspension Bridge of Disbelief

It’s a TV show. Not everything has to make sense. But I have a hard time swallowing some of the “dangerous” situations. We meet Ji-yong as a young boy who throws himself into a fray of crazy teenage girls for his secret crush, and yet he hides under a bed and watches his own mother’s murder. I know she stopped him from revealing himself, but it seemed unbelievable to me that such a passionate, courageous kid could allow himself to stay hidden. I get it. The plot needs a traumatic backstory, so I can let that go. But then we meet psycho partygirl, who takes out four, highly-trained detectives in a strapless party dress. Maybe the guys didn’t know where to grab, but what happened to karate-kicking Soo-sun? She should have taken her down in ten seconds flat. And finally, the pipsqueak stalker this week manages to stab his totally aware-and-on-the-alert victim in a public park. The girl saw the police weren’t backing her up. Why didn’t she get out of the car? Scream for help when they pulled over? Call her new boyfriend on her cell phone? Or just beat the creepy perv with her purse? Let’s face it. He wasn’t that big.

Where’s the romance?

I assume Daegu and Soo-sun are the OTP, but there is precious little evidence to back this up (unless you count the sweet yellow umbrella moment from the flashbacks). Take the scene from Week 1 where the perp pushes them down the stairs and he lands on top of her. There was no awkward moment, no nervous eye contact, no hint of awareness, just a mad scramble to get the bad guy back. What a wasted opportunity! The two spend more time together in episode three as they enter the partners phase of their relationship. Again, she’s sleeping in the car and it looks like he’s going to do the caring-cover-her-with-a-jacket-move, but instead he tosses it over her head to mute her snoring. It’s funny. I like it. But I need some hearts and flowers somewhere.

Mom and Dad got issues

Maybe the older couple is truly the OTP, ‘cause there’s no denying their sparks. We meet Kim Sa-kyung when she waltzes into the precinct in her skintight leather skirt and slaps the fire out of Detective Seo. Talk about unprofessional. The next thing you know, she’s casually asking him to put medicated patches on her bare shoulder. We are missing a LOT of information on these two, but the attraction is obvious. Daegu and Soo-sun could take a lesson from their sunbaes.

Daegu-Daegu

Such a little thing, but I just love how the others call him Daegu-Daegu. It’s the most adorable sounding nickname, for a guy who’s as prickly as a cactus. If you watch the group, they all take turns grabbing him, offering hugs, or throwing an arm around his shoulders. It’s like a four-way bromance, only one of them is a girl. Daegu is in no way welcoming, friendly, or affectionate, but the other three keep reaching out. Speaking as an introvert who takes a while to warm up to people, I’m so glad there are huggers in the world.

I expected something different from this show so I’m having to adjust my perspective. But I’m willing to buckle my seatbelt and hang in there. I may be a little scowly in the beginning, but hopefully the crazy antics of everyone else can win both me and Daegu over.

Noonas Over Flowers: I like it . . . I think?

Hulu’s officially on my Naughty List. They promised me a subbed Noonas Over Flowers by December 2nd and I’m still waiting. I finally broke down last night and watched the RAW video while looking at the Dramabeans recap as a cheat sheet. It’s not the first time I’ve watched something unsubbed, but those were usually dramas. Variety is so much harder to follow because it has lots of interviews, and people going off on tangents and making those ever popular Korean puns. But the charm of Lee Seunggi transcends any language barrier, so I still enjoyed it. These are a few of my favorite things:

Evil Editing

I imagine Lee Seunggi groaning in front of the TV when he saw that Na PD kept his primping for the camera in. I loved this part. SO. MUCH. He adjusted the lighting. Stacked books to get a better angle. Banged his elbow against said books. And his little satisfied smirk when he got it fixed right killed me. You could just read the “Man, I look good” on his face. Then he pounds a fist on his back, like he’s already exhausted. It takes real skill to pick out little gems like that from hours and hours of footage, but this show does a bang-up job.

Sarcastic Soundtrack 

If the editing sticks it to the talent, the music just twists the knife a little deeper. Poor Hee-ae never knew her innocent comment about watching her diet would be accompanied with tons of eating clips and a singer declaring, “It’s a lie, it’s a lie, it’s a lie.” And how about the royal fanfare when Seunggi stepped out of his van at the airport, immediately followed by Na PD nagging him about his wardrobe, late arrival, etc. And I loved the use of “The A-Team Theme” as Seunggi’s eyes darted around the crowd of fans, frantically forming a battle plan to get the ladies to the gate. The editing and soundtrack form a one-two punch that adds so much to show.

Picture Postcard Scenery 

I guess I need to add Croatia to my travel list. This place looks stunning. Like a French Riviera, only with waterfalls, and autumn leaves. And a middle-eastern influence prevails from the looks of some of the turrets, towers, and fashion. (Or am I mixing up the Istanbul layover with Croatia? It's kinda hard to tell when you don't read Hangul. Ooh. Istanbul. I should add that to my list, too.) Maybe I should take note of everywhere the Noonas visit and someday I can find the same steps they sat on. Do you think there will be a plaque reading “Lee Seunggi Wept Here”?

The Queen Mum still rocks 

How cute was our head Noona being waved off on her trip by her tiny little mother as if she were a schoolgirl? And the whole debacle with the lotions that wouldn’t pass through security that left Seunggi squirting like crazy in the airport gift shop? Hilarious. She must not have heard of the cursed 3-1-1 rule. And now I know we both use Cetaphil. If I ever meet her, we have something we can talk about.

The Other Noonas

I need to give them all nicknames, because I find it hard to keep their real ones straight. Mi-yeon can be Boss Noona, cause she always seems to be on a mission, asking questions, and getting frustrated when things take too long. Hee-ae is Angel Noona, cause she projects an air of calm as she quietly watches over our puppy, collecting gifts for him from the Turkish fans and directing him to the right car rental agency without telling him she’s already spoken to them. And finally, Ja-ok, or Cleopatra Noona. She pretends to pack her fluffy poodle, scrawls in her diary, and lays down for a nap whenever she feels like it. I’m more of a Boss Noona type when I’m traveling so she would probably drive me nuts. The mix of personalities hints at an interesting trip, and I look forward to the fun.

A promising beginning, especially considering I don’t understand Korean. I bet the whole running gag of Seunggi trying to take care of everyone, and needing a babysitter himself won’t get old. If he keeps going like he started, they might need a leash for our puppy. I can just picture a future episode with the noonas holding Seunggi’s hand like a six-year-old, because they don’t want him to wander off. Hahahaha. I can hardly wait. Right now I’m wishing for a lump of coal in Hulu’s stocking, but hopefully they’ll get their act together. If not, maybe somebody will take pity on this poor sub-shackled English speaker and let me know all the good stuff I missed.

Noonas Over Flowers: If it's got Seunggi, I'm in

Noonas Over Flowers or "If it's got Seung-gi, I'm In"

Seung-giyaaaaaaaaaaa! I find this guy so adorable. (Along with practically every female K-drama fan on the planet.) He stole my affections in The King 2 Hearts and now he’s back with four veteran actresses filming the travel/variety show Noonas Over Flowers. The news is starting to trickle in, and here are five tidbits that make me do a little dance in my chair:

Family Reunion

This show reunites Seung-gi with his Queen Mother co-star, Yoon Yeo-jung. She rocked it as the royal matriarch of K2H who wasn’t afraid to call her pampered playboy of a son trash to his face. I look forward to seeing these two interact in real life, since they already have a previous relationship to fall back on.

About 2 days too many

The flowered fun kicks off with a 10 day trip to Croatia. Anyone who’s done a lot of foreign tours knows, 10 days is a long time. The dirty laundry piles up. The unfamiliar food sits like a rock in your jet-lagged stomach. And you’re ready to stuff the “funny” man of the group in the trunk with the luggage. Let’s see how long these ladies last before the tears appear. And not just the ladies, we may see Seung-gi cry before this is all over.

Poor Puppy 

How much do you want to bet this show won’t end before we see him curled up somewhere in the fetal position? Having been the girl with the subway map and fistful of internet research, I can vouch for the pressure the person in charge feels. Each thing that goes wrong feels like a personal failure. Seung-gi seems like the type that needs babying and lots of affirmation, so he may not handle the stress well. Na PD interviewed, “He was supposed to be the team’s luggage boy, but he ended up being baggage himself.” Hahahahahaha. I can’t wait!

Speaking of the evil genius 

This director delights in tormenting his celebrities. And Seung-gi is no stranger to his machinations having filmed many long, hard hours of 1 Night, 2 Days. The staff jokingly calls the new show “Seung-gi-ya, Run Away”. But even the sadistic Na PD isn’t immune to the opposite sex, admitting that he wasn’t sure how to approach the female cast members. He said, “To be honest, I’m a little scared about how I should do things.” We saw how flustered the Grandpas made him on this show’s previous installment, when they played the Age card. So I can just imagine what the Gender card will bring. Be afraid, Sir. Be very afraid.

Hear me roar 

Maybe I’m watching the wrong things, but I feel like men dominate the reality world in Korea. (Not that I don’t luv exceptions like Song Ji-hyo.) On the big shows like Running Man, 1 Night 2 Days, and Infinity Challenge, it seems like the men always lead, and sometimes the girls get invited to play second fiddle. It will be a nice change to watch the girls call the shots, and order the boys around for awhile.

We won’t have to wait long since Noonas Over Flowers premieres on Friday, November 29th, after Reply 1994. Be still my giddy heart. I have to act calm. I’m sitting at my work desk. Must look professional. Musn’t squeal. At least, until I get home.


*Credit goes to lovelyclover and tryp96.wordpress.com on Soompi for the gif and translation of the top image.