2pts

Soundtrack #1

(사운드트랙#1) 2022 Disney+

Han Sun-Woo (Park Hyung-Sik) and Lee Eun-Soo (Han So-Hee) have been friends for 19 years, we are told repeatedly. She's a lyricist desperately hoping to write a hit song for her favorite singer, and he's apparently a pretty good photographer. Since he has experience with unrequited love (guess who!) and she's trying to write a song about unrequited love (why?), he moves in with her for 2 weeks to support her songwriting efforts.

Even in the absurd world of K-dramas, Disney just doesn't quite get it right. It's only 4 episodes, so the clichés come fast and furious to pack them all in to a condensed time frame, and it spoils the pace and tension.

K-Drama Bingo Score

Using the Modern K-Drama set

Running commentary

Episode 1 is riddled with clichés without the appropriate buildup and context. Even the first attempt at hitting the Piggyback bingo card ends up an awkward, front-of-body portage instead of the graceful piggyback. Just plain wrong so far. After Episode 2, same. The music is heavy-handed, and things are just…off. Instead of a talisman, we get a Tarot card. Eun-Soo's mother, however, is an absurd delight. Woo-In's interest in Eun-Soo doesn't feel genuine at all; they have no connection, and the power dynamics of their relationship just makes him seem predatory. Even the icon wrist grab is awkwardly used in the last episode, but while both parties are sitting down, and neither was walking away. Weird.

I do like the "Bonus Track" epilogues. But as Netflix : Hallmark Movies :: Soundtrack #1 : K-Dramas

"I don't wanna anything something" is a great lyric in the soundtrack to a drama about a lyricist.

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Pinky swear
(2 pt)
Notes
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.
Bonus point for: Touching thumbs at the end
S01E03
Barely hanging in there, Soundtrack #1

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
Cartoony FX
Animal or cartoon visual and sound effects to reinforce behavior or mood
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
Finger hearts
Any use of finger hearts by a character
Korean Standoff
Two principal characters have a serious, sometimes emotionally confrontational, conversation while standing at least 1m apart
Memorial service
Funerals and memorial services
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
Rumble tummy
Audible stomach rumbling to indicate hunger
Shamans & Talismans
Yellow paper talismans, written in calligraphic red ink; visits to a shaman for fortune-telling or body transfers
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!"
Wrist grab
Dramatically grabbing someone by the wrist as they walk away
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