7 Days, 6 Nights in Dramaland: Where do I sign up?

I saw the movie Austenland this week (hilarious, by the way). A Mr. Darcy obsessed American woman blows her life savings on a dream vacation at a Regency-themed English resort, complete with corsets, carriages, and actors in tight breeches pretending to fall in love with her. This got me thinking. What if there actually was a Dramaland where K-addicts could indulge their every Hallyu-tinted fantasy? And what would it look like? I imagine their brochure might read something like this:

Door-to-Door Service

The moment you arrive, your feet should never touch the ground. Choose from an assortment of comfy, cartoon-shaped slippers. A bellboy doppelganger of your favorite Hallyu Hero will then princess carry or piggyback you up to your room. Some of our most popular choices include:

The Song Seung Heon Peek-a-boo Carry

The Kim Hyun Joong Yee-haw Hold

The Hyun Binnie You-can-vomit-if-you-feel-like-it Variation

Complimentary Yellow Binoculars

Each room comes equipped with a pair of binoculars and a large, picture window. A seaside room includes unobstructed views of Lee Min Ho surfing and showering from 9 to 5. And even the cheaper, obstructed views promise a handsome, flower boy neighbor that you can innocently peep at to your heart’s content.

All-you-can-eat Ramyun

The resort’s mouth watering menu offers everything from Doughnuts to Ddeokbokki. Cider to Soju. But the specialty of the house is, of course, Ramyun. You can enjoy the delicious, noodly treat in the grandeur of our five star restaurant, a cozy pojangmacha on the front lawn, or have room service delivered personally by the chef (who just happens to resemble the charming curmudgeon from Pasta).

Sageuk Soiree

Step back in time each evening at our Sageuk Soiree. If you’re the studious type, you can explore the library with Kim Boong Do and Sungkyunkwan’s own, Lee Seon-Joon. Wander the iridescent blue gardens with Kang Chi. Or, if you prefer to be treated like a princess, sit in comfort on your royal throne while Kim Soo-hyun fakes a performance on the gayageum. (Gats and Hanbok rentals included in the price of the room, but there is an extra charge for ornamental headdresses.)

A Memorable Anyung

Must you say goodbye? We’ll grab on to your wrist and beg you not to leave us, but release you in the end because that’s what true love does. Just don’t expect us to be happy about it. As your limo winds down the drive, a line-up of Prince Lee Shin, Master Joongwon, and A.N.JELL Hwang Tae-kyung will fall to their knees shouting “Kajimaaaaaaaa!”

Please call 1-1-1-1 for more information on our Dramaland packages. We want to make your stay Daebak, so please leave any suggestions for improvement in the comment section below.

Master's Sun Episode 17 or "That deserves a big tip!"

My Korean stinks, but I believe what you say after eating something yummy is Mashissoyo!

The finale of Master’s Sun was like a big, old ice cream sundae with extra nuts, sprinkles, cookie bits, gummi bears, and just about anything else you can imagine.

Sweet as sugar and chock full of cutie calories, it kept the tone light throughout and even revisited a few of our favorite bits from the past. But instead of playing a loop of endless montages, like so many finales do, this episode reinvented the scenes with extra fanservice twists that kept me grinning like an idiot. I don’t care if it’s pandering. How can I hate someone for giving me just what I was craving. Thank you, Hong Sisters!

Here are some of my favorite dishes from last night’s funny feast:

Best 4 minutes of the whole episode, maybe the whole show! 

Our Gong Shil wakes up with a pleased-as-punch Joong Won by her side, and thus commences one of the most hilarious sequences in the entire run of Master’s Sun. I love how each ghost possessing her is a callback to the first time she spent the night, but his reactions show just how far he’s come to embrace the insanity. Not only doesn’t he banish the Baby Ghost right away, he feeds her ice cream then scolds her like a doting uncle when she wants more.

And, as if So Ji Sub doesn’t kill me with his adorable antics already, he not only waves a blanket at the Kitty Ghost like a bullfighter, but barks at her for good measure. *Thunk*

Finally, he ends up with an armful of Parisian Ghost after telling her to get lost – IN FRENCH! (They almost had to scrape me off the floor after all of this.)


Our Sunny is back! 

Ms. Sun actually starts to shine again. I’d had enough of the long faces, and quietly suffering heroics. Tae Gong Shil returns from her 375 day quest stronger, brighter, and ready to seduce the man she loves (which seems a little ridiculous, since he’s already wrapped around her little finger). She still sees ghosts, his touch still banishes them, basically nothing has changed, except she made a lot of money flipping ghost houses. I guess it just took her a year to realize her own self-worth, but what a relief it was to see her smile again.


A small, side dish of Closure, if you please. 

Who would have thought even our resident, ghost regulars get their stories tied up in a nice, neat bow? Trash Can Ajusshi’s was actually poignant, as he forever pays penance for throwing away a lottery ticket and depriving his loved ones of the security it could bring. I love that Joong Won declares HE will take care of it because it’s HIS friend, and gifts the daughter with a Kingdom-sized wedding of her dreams. You big softie. I wonder how many times he sat on that bench in the 375 days Tae Gong Shil was away, commiserating with a ghost about problems that neither one could fix.

And, Surprise! Coffee Ghost isn’t dead at all, just another coma victim who refused to return to his body because he didn’t want to take any more tests. Pfffft. I guess there are slackers in the spirit world, too.


A round of Happy Endings for everyone!

I wonder if the Hong Sisters are super-fond of this drama and its characters, because they gave everyone and their mother a happy ending. The adorable, matchmaking munchkins get to move to a new house with their mom. Secretary Ajusshi basks in the credit for orchestrating the whole romance between his beloved boss and Taeyang, with the simple act of stopping the car on that fated rainy night. Loose Lips and Gong Shil’s sister (whose name I never did learn) continue with their PDAs. Uncle Fighting and his Snippy Wife have a bundle of joy on the way. (That kid is gonna have one strange Aunt in Tae Gong Shil). And our never-say-die Little Sun gets the man of her dreams and the walk down the red carpet, too.

When I think about it, there were never any real villains in this show, just villainous circumstances. (Unless you count that creepy You’re-the-most-beautiful Hairdresser Ghost, who still gives me the shivers.) But I’m not complaining. I like my happy endings piled high with extra sprinkles.


Give Me Shelter 

I would have liked a more clever reason for why Joong Won is the only shelter in the world for Taeyang. Preferably something that had to do with her accident. But I can live with the fact it’s because he’s her Soulmate. It makes sense. It’s just not very creative.

Taeyang found the strength to cope with her strange ability, but that doesn’t negate the fact that Joong Won is still her shelter. The difference is that she can live without it, but why should she? Although the ghost-poofing takes the metaphor to the extreme, isn’t a shelter what we all desire in our relationships? Whether it’s a mate, a friend, or a family member? We all want that someone that is always on our side, that we can run to when life gets too hectic, and trust that with them we will feel that condition that is much too fleeting in our crazy world. We will feel safe.

This episode left me licking my lips like an ice-cream crazed kiddie ghost and jumping in for seconds right away. It may have lacked a little protein, but I prefer doughnuts over health shakes any day of the week. Again, thank you Hong Sisters! I look forward to your next wacky creation.

Master's Sun Episode 16 or "Don't try to figure her out, you'll hurt your brain"

Extensions. Blech. I can’t think of one example where they improved a show, and Master’s Sun is no exception. This was the episode where our Taeyang is even less sunny, our Master is even more adorable, and the inevitable dragging out of the plot was even more noticeable than ever. Thank goodness the finale is tonight. I’d better get my happy ending or metaphorical heads will roll!

In the meantime, here are a few memories from last night:

1. Can Joongwon get any cuter?

Seriously, the guy just makes me grin like a loony. I don’t remember seeing So Ji Sub before this drama, but I’m certainly aware of him now. His lightning turns from stoic, stick-in-the-mud CEO to affectionate five-year-old leave my head spinning. I could watch his surprise hug with Secretary Ajusshi on a loop. It seems like all the joy has been sucked out of Tae Gongshil lately, but at least we have our mischievous Master for consolation.

2. Sleeping Beauty Attacks the Prince

This is a fairytale I can get behind. Little Sun uses her hospital stay to swoop in for a stolen kiss, then finds out that Kang Woo gave her the opportunity as a reward for getting Gongshil off the plane with her hilarious, fake appendicitis. I really dig that this girl keeps facilitating the OTP’s romance for her own selfish gain. It’s so true to character, rather than an eleventh hour redemption where she realizes she cares for Gongshil and wants her to be happy.

3. Meet the Exposition Twins 

Has anyone ever seen that old 80s movie “The Great Muppet Caper”? (I promise this tangent is going somewhere.) In it there’s a scene between Diana Rigg and Miss Piggy, whom she’s just met, where Rigg goes on and on about her wastrel brother who can’t be trusted and is such a disappointment, blah, blah, blah. After her long spiel, Miss Piggy asks in confusion, “Why are you telling me this?” and she replies “It’s plot exposition. It has to go somewhere.”

The exposition scene between Kang Woo and Secretary Ajusshi cracks me up. It’s like the Hong Sisters realized how frustrated the viewers would be at this point, and said, “Let’s make two of our most likeable characters explain Taeyang and Master’s motivations, just in case anyone missed it. If Ajusshi explains why Joongwon has to let her go to prove that he loves her, then the audience will accept it and think it’s a good idea.” (Note to Hong Sisters: It didn’t work.)

4. Tae Gong Shil is a Meanie

“Til the end, she won’t say she loves me.”

Ugh. That line really hit home. The shot of Joongwon’s defeated back in the darkened hallway as he wiped away his tears was just so wrong. I’m afraid I even started to dislike Gongshil a little.

I don’t get why she’s doing this. She “says” it’s to find herself, which I can respect, but her actions say otherwise, as she keeps reliving his near-death, even going so far as to reject the cute, little ghost boy who desperately needs her help. Remember the Tae Gong Shil of ten episodes ago who was all sweetness, and affection, and wanting to help people. Granted, her clingy need of Joongwon could be a little pathetic at times, but at least she was honest about it. These days, I can’t tell what the girl is thinking. It just seems like another recycled case of Noble Idiot, no matter how much she denies it.

5. Sweetest Case of Swearing Ever

Only in a Hong Sisters’ drama could a guy swearing at a girl be romantic. That one word is loaded with so much history, recalling his fifteen year struggle to forget his first love all the way to the conversation where he said he would never swear at Taeyang because she was just someone he ate with and held hands with once. I’m glad the episode didn’t end with the time jump and separation we could all see coming a mile away. Who else thinks Secretary Ajusshi set that whole “accidental” meeting up? If we all had someone like him in our lives, there would be no need for eHarmony.

They have one more episode to answer my questions, which all seem to revolve around her accident, so I’ll make another list:

Why was Tae Gongshil hiking around a mountain alone?
Why did she stay in a coma for 3 years and what woke her up?
Just what exactly was her relationship with Ghost-seeing Photographer in those 3 years?
Why is Joongwon the only person in the world that could be her shelter?

I hope the writers’ create a viable, creative explanation to explain the “accident” and subsequent fallout which has been couched in so much mystery up until now. And I’m really hoping there’s some clever threads woven throughout the story since episode one that will make me sit back and go, “Whoah. That makes total sense!” But maybe that’s asking too much. I guess if we return to the fun, extra-touchy format of the early days for our last episode that will be enough.

The Master's Sun'll come out . . . tomorrow

I felt a little like Joongwon when I finished this episode. There’s still something missing.

So many things went right, including Master regaining his memory. But I still felt a little hollow when the credits rolled. It leaves me staring at my empty hand wondering, what did this show used to have that it doesn’t anymore? As I try to process, here are five impressions it left behind when all was said and done:

1. Award for Best Surprise Guest Goes to . . .

It’s a regular Cyrano Dating Agency reunion up in here. First Lee Jong Hyuk guest stars and now Lee Chun Hee. Did anyone else do a double take? Apparently Chunderella, or whatever character he’s playing this time, can also see spirits. Is somehow involved with Taeyang’s accident. And may have even sent Coffee Ghost as a spy to keep an eye on her. Now THIS is an interesting twist. Too bad it only lasted about 30 seconds. More, please!

2. Award for Best Apology does NOT Go to . . .

Poor Twin Ghost. I’m still not sure which name to call her (although I’m betting on Hanna). She spends all this time protecting her wretched sister, who basically shrugs and says, “Oops. Sorry.” Let me see. Would that be an apology for usurping your twin’s place? Trying to steal her boyfriend? Kidnapping and torturing him? Or maybe, leaving her to burn alive in the car while you hightailed it with a fortune in jewelry? There aren’t enough Hallmark cards in the world to make up for that kind of backstabbing.

So far, the actress playing the evil twin has had two main expressions: smirky and extra smirky. But I really liked how she played the sun necklace scene when Joongwon verbally smacked her down. You could just read the inner monologue on her face: He’s staring at the necklace. I’ve got him now! Wait, my clever little con didn’t work? Did he just call me a counterfeit? This can NOT be happening again! First my sister, and now this cleaning lady!!! Where’s my black hoodie and sunglasses? It’s payback time.

The way she reacted really confirms the whole theory about Joongwon being in love with the other sister, and this one resenting it, and changing places with the sweet, wealthy Hanna. I’m pretty sure this girl belongs in a mental ward.

3. Uncle – Fighting!

This guy just gets better and better. His faulty memory of the Vase Confrontation was too funny, with a gangster version of Gong Shil pointing a threatening finger at him. But in spite of this, he’s still on her side. Whenever his wife wasn’t looking, he was planting a bug in Master’s ear.

I don’t think there’s any serious advantage to him if Joongwon remembers, but he keeps plugging away. The last conversation he had at the fancy shindig was hilarious: Did you know Tae Gong Shil is here? Oh, you don’t want to see her. My bad. But if you did want to see her, I’d mention that the creepy lady in black has some sort of hold over her. SOMEBODY should do something about that.

4. What’s with the flashbacks?

It’s not even the finale, yet. Didn’t we have at least four flashback sequences? The writers even got extra time because of the Chuseok-One Episode week. That being said, I don’t remember the scene they showed from the banquet where Master and Taeyang are in their own little, flirty world. How cute was their laughing and poking?

5. Where has our Sunny gone?

This is the point in the drama cycle I dread. All the fun evaporates like a coma ghost while the angst builds to a fever pitch. The episode itself had quite a few light, entertaining moments, but what has happened to our Ms. Sunny? She’s like a shell of the vibrant, affectionate, extra touchy girl we’ve come to know and love. I understand her guilt over Joongwon’s accident and wanting to protect him, but how long do we have to put up with this horrible of all Drama Tropes – Noble Idiocy?

We’re getting close to the finish line. The amnesia detour made me nervous, but it came and went without too much pain. And I really loved that the fake necklace was not a major stumbling block for our clever Master. Whenever he looked at Hanna Brown, it was either with confusion, annoyance, or “Oh, are you still here?”

Still some unanswered questions, but at least we don’t have to wait seven long days for the answers, unlike last week. To quote that beloved, kids musical Annie, “Tomorrow. Tomorrow. I love ya, Tomorrow. You’re only a day away.”

Looking on the Bright Side of Master's Sun

Amnesia? *Sigh*

As if the evil twins weren't enough of a cliche. I guess we should have seen this coming, and I think some of the commenters on Dramabeans actually predicted it weeks ago. If you read the synopsis for One Stormy Night on Wikipedia, the wolf gets amnesia and only regains his memory when the goat repeats a special phrase that was a code between the two of them. I'm taking bets now that the magic phrase that snaps Joongwon out of his mental fog is "Get Lost!"

But until that sunny day, here are 5 reasons why the Amnesia Arc won't ruin our show. *Fingers crossed*

1.  Joongwon is NOT Gu Junpyo

One of the things I really hate about Boys Over Flowers (Am I the only K-drama fan that didn't like that show?) was the 11th hour amnesia. It seemed ludicrous that the guy would transfer his affections to a total stranger over a stinkin' lunchbox! (I know, I know, I'm over-simplifying it. But that was the gist.) Even though the evil twin in Master's Son is trying to lure our hero in with necklaces and children's books, he only seems captivated by the objects not the girl. Not once has he looked at her with anything other than curiosity.

2.  People have to pick a side

Who else is loving the Uncle more and more? I adored his previous "Bangshil, Fighting!" cheer. And now his wife has to grind his foot into the ground to keep him from spilling the beans.

And who would have thought Little Sun would promote our main couple's romance? Granted, she did it to keep Tae Gongshil away from Kang Candy, but who cares what her motives were. She helped!

3. More Conflict Means More Story

Admit it. Before the amnesia, there was very little story left to tell. What the big accident Taeyang experienced was and when Joongwon would come face to face with his past were about it. It wasn't much plot to fill four more episodes (or maybe five with the extension *grumble*). Now we not only have Joowong's lost memory to regain, there's also that uber-creepy ghost wedding lady that Taeyang owes a favor to. That lady is one of the scariest things on the show to me.

4. Munchkin Matchmakers

I wonder how many of us were clapping our hands and gasping "The Kids! The Kids!" when they appeared in Joongwon's office. After a whole episode of the labotomized adults staying mum, while our CEO insisted something was missing over and over. Even our beloved Secretary Ahjusshi wouldn't help. So the sight of those two darling meddlers clutching their new toys felt a little like Christmas morning to a frustrated viewer. Nobody bothered to tell them they were supposed to bury the truth like it was a national secret.  They stood there stoically and not only told our poor, confused Master that he's a special person to someone, they gave him her name, and place of residence. Bless their wide-eyed little, innocent faces.

5. Who Doesn't Wanna See Master Fall Hard TWICE

He may not even fight it this time. I've never seen a K-drama character so captivated by the back of someone's head. And he was the one pointing out the spark when he touched Taeyang at the restaurant. Total reversal from their first meeting that rainy night in his car. This love story may go even quicker the second time around!

If I hated the amnesia in Boys Over Flowers, I LOVED it in Secret Garden. I'm one of those suckers that relishes the idea that you're meant to be with one special person, and if you were given the chance, you'd fall in love with them all over again. As long as they don't make Hana/Heejoo-whichever-one-she-is a genuine rival for Joongwon's affections, and he spends all of Episode 14 following Tae Gongshil around, and making up lame excuses to see her again, I'll be a happy camper.

My stomach felt a little tight as I watched this last episode play out. It's not that I don't trust Joongwon. Why in the world would he fall for a cold, fake woman like the twin when he was so adept at avoiding romance until he met the force that is Taeyang? Even if he can't remember the Sun's warmth, I think his heart will automatically seek it out.

The ones I don't trust are the writers. How many dramas have we seen where we're left shouting at the screen, "Why are you acting this way!!!!!" as the writers try to drag out the story by making their characters do illogical, infuriating things? Let's not bother to catalog them, it would take too long.

This list of five reasons I made is as much for myself as anybody. I want to look on the bright side. Master's Sun has been really good up until now, so we just need to have a little faith. Repeat after me. It's gonna be okay. It's gonna be okay. (Please, Hong Sisters. Don't screw it up!)