In progress

Love is for Suckers

(얼어죽을 연애따위) 2022 ENA

Goo Yeo-Reum is 37, unmarried, and a producer of TV reality shows. She lives downstairs from her long time best friend Park Jae-Hoon. He was a neurosurgeon until an "incident" occured and he now just fills in as a plastic surgeon.… that is, until he is given reason to become a participant in Yeo-Reum's new trashy dating show "Kingdom of Love."

K-Drama Bingo Score

Using the Modern K-Drama set

Running commentary

A story of best friends and true loves, and maybe that's the same couple. Nice to see the late 30s crowd instead of the young ones. Lee Da-Hee is bright and cheery and Gu Yeo Reum, 37, single and still pretty happy with life. Her best friend and neightbor, Jae-Hoon has a touching, tight-lipped smile that could border on creepy, but always ends up feeling reassuring. Strangely, Ji-Yeon — the secondary love interest to Jeo Hoon — has the same tight-lipped smile, but on her it always ends up looking sad.

It was mostly a pleasure to watch, and I looked forward to new episodes, expecting and receiving a light airy dose of romance and affectionate tension.

Episode 14, as aired, contains more post-production errors than I have ever seen on screen. Boom mikes visible, green screens (still green!), wires and harnesses…all left in the broadcast. Appalling. Ridiculous.

The ending was meh. Secondary couples got together (yay!), but Yeo Reum and Jae Hoon's relationship ends with an overdubbed narration about stories, journeys, happy endings and ever afters. The reflective summary seemed forced and out of character for the series, as if the writer just had to crank something out that would vaguely tie this all up with a bow.

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Cartoony FX
(1 pt)
Notes
Animal or cartoon visual and sound effects to reinforce behavior or mood
S01E03
Chae-Ri covered in cartoony poop
Finger hearts
(1 pt)
Notes
Any use of finger hearts by a character
S01E01
In the opening credits, and when Kim Jun-Ho is introduced on Kingdom of Love.
Korean Standoff
(1 pt)
Notes
Two principal characters have a serious, sometimes emotionally confrontational, conversation while standing at least 1m apart
Memorial service
(1 pt)
Notes
Funerals and memorial services
S01E16
Chae-Ri dwells on her family drama
Shamans & Talismans
(1 pt)
Notes
Yellow paper talismans, written in calligraphic red ink; visits to a shaman for fortune-telling or body transfers
Wrist grab
(1 pt)
Notes
Dramatically grabbing someone by the wrist as they walk away

Unmatched Bingo Spaces

(Dis)possession
Ghosts, spirits inhabiting bodies, or body- or identity-swapping
Childhood friends forgotten
Characters knew, or at least encountered, each other in childhood, but somehow forgot
Vehicular tragedy
Someone is/was hit by a car, truck, bus, or motorcycle
Bullying
Be Best, Korea
Chicken & Beer
치맥, anyone?
Cramped quarters
Sleeping in a repurposed closet, or on a balcony, or in insane tiny student housing
Crushing Debt
Characters are motivated by their debt (or a family member's), including the threat of foreclosure
Middle-of-the-Road Soliliquy
Verbal musings on deep existential questions and/or tragicomic situations while in the middle of the street
Piggyback
Someone gives someone else a piggyback ride
Pinky swear
Two characters doing a pinky swear

Touching thumbs at the end is not a thing in America (based on my terrible polling), so that gets an easy bonus point for any wannabe K-drama.
Rumble tummy
Audible stomach rumbling to indicate hunger
Son Hyeung Min
Mentions of Son Hyeung Min, or staying up to watch Tottenham Hotspur play
The Playground
Any scene taking place in a neighborhood playground
Thumbs up
Two thumbs up for "Good job!"
강한나 (Kang Han-Na)
The presence of Kang Han-Na makes everything at least 1 point better
내 친구 ("My friend…")
A character tells a story about "My friend" that is actually about themselves
한국어학교 (Language lessons)
Specifically linguistic wordplay, discussions about spelling, pronunciation, or Chinese root words