Ahjumma Recaps and Reviews: : A Catholic Overthinks K Dramas
Our 19-year-old has been a K drama fan for years. I had my own spell as a soap opera addict in the early 90s when I was a newlywed just graduated from college, and I thought K drama was just the Korean version of American soap operas: a complete waste of time, with endlessly recycled plots and atrocious dialogue and acting. I “tolerated” the 19-year-old’s fangirling because I figured it was less of a harm than Hollywood, where there’s not a whole lot that edifies or illuminates or educates… kinda like public education. (Twilight? 50 Shades? Nuff said.)
In 2020 when COVID hit, she was suddenly furloughed from her job and had to deal with having so too much time at home. I figured watching a K-drama with her would be a great way to keep the mom-daughter bond and distract both of us from the craziness “out there”. At the time all my Filipino friends were talking about CLOY, so we decided to give it a shot.
Several more dramas and movies later, I am hooked. Certainly there is a lot of fluff and nonsense, but fellow K-drama fans have introduced me to those that are worth the time and effort. I don’t over-analyze everything, so some shows I watch for pure entertainment/enjoyment, but some I do like to dissect and ponder, usually through a Catholic lens. Particularly the ones that have religion woven in, and there is a lot, even if not readily obvious from the title or synopsis. On this page you’ll find my thoughts and musings on many of them.
How I Watch
Unless a K-drama pulls me in in the first episode or I’ve been told that it’s a really good one, I tend to use the forward button a lot, and I will indicate this in the reviews. If it’s a really good one that I want to understand better, I rewatch. I do tend to finish most of them even if I no longer find the plot enjoyable because I like finding out how things end. If it’s a show that has me asking a lot of questions or I’m trying to decide if I should continue “wasting my time” or not, I head over to Drama Beans where they have episode synopses and analyses. There are a handful of insightful commenters there who often help in understanding a plot, theme, or dialogue.
I will be updating this page with reviews/comments, stay tuned!
Favorites as of March 2023
- Doom at Your Service
- My Mister
- Reply 1988
- Padam Padam
- It’s Okay That’s Love
- Another Oh Hae Young
- Crash Landing On You
- When the Camellia Blooms
- Chicago Typewriter